Coaching incompetence kills the Bills
The Buffal Bills suffered a heart breaking loss to the Cleveland Browns on Monday Nite Football. Many people today, especially the media, is putting the blame squarely on the shouldes on quarterback Trent Edwards, but when at second glance it fall squarely on the shoulders of the coaches.
Many people are looking to the Bills play calling on the last possession as the ultimate reason why the Bills lost the game. However, it was play calling that caused the turnovers in the first place.
I must say first that I am not excusing the play of Trent Edwards. The decision he made on the pass to James Hardy was bad. Also, he played not to cause another mistake that would cost them the game.
However, the play calling early in the game on two particular plays was horrible.
First, the opening play of the game was just terrible. All week long everyone in the world of football knew that the Bills had to do one thing when the game started, and that was run the ball.
Instead, offensive coordinator Turk Schonert decided on a pass. That was just plain stupidity. At that point in the game you have not run the ball well, and the opening play is a tone setter for the rest of the game. They needed to come out and just punch the Browns right in the face with a run.
Secondly, the third interception was a horrible play call. What people are forgeting is that the third interception was on the third down and one, which Schonert called a play out of a Shotgun formation, with no back in the back field.
That should get Schonert fired right there. If Schonert did have not had his head up his rear, and try to be cute like always, the Bills would have ran the ball. Thus, Edwards would have never thrown his third interception, and would have played differently.
That was one of the worst calls I have ever seen by a Bills coordinator. Marshawn Lynch the previous two plays ran the ball for a total of nine yards.
Good team on third down and one do not get cute. However, this offensive coordinator has a tendacy to do that.
Even after the third interception the play calling was horrible. Edwards was scared, and not throwing the ball down the field. Then, it is a coaches job to adjust, and put Edwars in a better position to succeed.
What Schonert should have done after that is run three step drops to get the wide receivers involved. Then, when they run five step drops take out the swing pass to force Edwards to throw it down the field, and play action passes usually do just that.
Many people will also say that the Patriots are one dimensional, and people know what they are doing as well.
However they have three key weapons in wide recievers Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and tight end Ben Watson. Eventually, one will get open, and the Bills simply do not have the skill players to do this, which Schonert does as well.
Edwards will take the blame, which he deserves for the pass to Hardy. However, Schonert deserves just as much for in incompetent calling on third down.