daz28 wrote:
Ok, I'll ask a simple question, does anyone think Ryan Miller doesn't feel as responsible as anyone else on this team for its poor performance? If so, I can find you interviews where he says he needs to put in more work, and play better. It's hilarious that people defend a guy who doesn't defend himself. It's a team game, when the D fails, you bail them, and vice-versa. I know hfboards blows because everyone's negative, but ya win as a unit, and die as one. Millsie hasn't helped raise the unit up. This is basic sports psychology, but everyone wants to deny it. Colts minus Manning is almost = to Sabres minus Miller. Some people act like us missing the old Miller is like missing Adam Mair. It's far more important. You'd think a fan base that relied on Hasek would understand how important a goaltender's success can relate to a team's success, yet some people think it's the opposite. "ya, Hasek would have saved em all if they played well in front of him". "ya, Lalime IS Hasek, because the team plays in front of him. Look, here's some gay stats that prove it."
Miller would say that same bit about playing better/working harder if the team had lost 5 games either 2-1 or 1-0. Its the "politically correct" thing to say in an interview. No athlete with half a brain would dare say "I'm playing awesome and the rest of the team is playing like shit" in an interview.
With that said, of course Miller wants to play better then he has been and get back to the form he was in a couple years ago. But from the way you were sounding (or at least the way i read it) it seems like you think if we lose its Millers fault regardless of what the team playing in front of him does. The people that defend Miller, for the most part, don't blindly follow him regardless of what he does. If he gets straight up destroyed in a game then he deserves to get shit for it. But I find it hard to put the blame on Miller if he lets in 2-3 goals and a couple of those are off of something like Butlers fuck up tonight. Or if he lets in 2 goals the whole game and the team looses 2-1 (this is of course negated if the goals were the softest of the softest of the softest).
To the "Team Game" part of your post. That mentality goes both ways. You say "when the D fails, you bail them, and vice-versa," Well i haven't see the D bailing anyone out this year. Instead they seem intent on giving up as many odd man rushes, and giveaways as they can. While Miller is off his game this year, the other 5 players on the ice aren't doing him any favors.
Buffalo's reliance on their goaltending has been their problem for years. Your Colts-Manning/Sabres-Miller analogy is pretty close and its a problem that this team has. The teams been lucky enough that Miller (and Hasek before him) has been able to cover it up.
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