Bills Notes: Injuries, Gripes and Hall of Famers

by Brian Galliford on Oct 30, 2008 8:47 AM EDT in News Comment 36 comments

Originally, I had planned our usual "interview the enemy" segment this morning, in which we talk Bills/Jets with bloggers of that hated green team. I'm delaying it for now because there is a ton of great reading material out there this morning in regards to the Buffalo Bills, their players and the upcoming game. That doesn't happen often. Let's get to it.

Brlogo_medium Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News talks injuries. Specifically, he talks Josh Reed's injury. It's a good read, but I'm more intrigued about two things in the article: the comments of Roscoe Parrish, and the fact that nothing was mentioned about banged up CB Ashton Youboty.

Brlogo_medium We revisit Gaughan to discuss the fact that Duke Preston may now be the team's permanent starter at center. I'm sure many of you are intrigued by this. I'll wait to hear what Ron from NM thinks this weekend before I pass judgment.

Brlogo_medium Jerry Sullivan does Kurupt a favor by taking public the Bills' need for a pass rush. This is pretty much the position of the bandwagon that K has been leading for two years. Sully doesn't say anything too profound here, but I'm sure many of you will use this as a launching point for your own thoughts.

Brlogo_medium Is Jason Peters slipping? That's a question that John Wawrow answers with everything short of a resounding "yes". Anyone out there still irritated by Peters' comments, even if they're mostly true?

Brlogo_medium This is a nice read on Keith Ellison, Buffalo's most underappreciated defender. There's some erroneous reporting here (Kawika Mitchell hasn't played a snap at strong side linebacker since he was here, folks), but it's a good article nonetheless.

Brlogo_medium Scouts, Inc. has its scouting report for the upcoming Bills/Jets game up. It's pretty accurate, though, clearly, I'd contend that they're wrong in giving the Jets advantages in a few positional categories. For those of you who don't have Insider access, I'll kill the anticipation: Scouts predicts a final score of Bills 28, Jets 23. I'd take it.

Brlogo_medium We're not done with Scouts, who name the Bills as one of four teams staring through a glorious window of opportunity. Apparently, the Cardinals, Falcons and Packers are right there with us - and I'd have a hard time arguing that.

Brlogo_medium BRUUUUUUUUUUCE. Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Bruce Smith - the NFL's all-time leading sack artist, with 200 career take-downs - headlines a first-year Hall of Fame potential class that includes former greats Broncos TE Shannon Sharpe and Steelers DB Rod Woodson. That's a heck of a trio right there.

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Preston

I for one am glad Preston may get the starting nod. If he hasn’t been worse than Fowler then he will only get better – IMO – because he is young and should grow into the position.

He’s played agianst 2 solid NT and goes against another good one this week. If we don’t hear his name at all…that would make my day.

by J2 on Oct 30, 2008 9:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree

can he really get worse than Fowler

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 30, 2008 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He did well, and we ran well on the dolphins. Hope he gets better, especially a player I have thought was a waste case a couple years ago

The Bills CAN win every game

by killascript on Oct 30, 2008 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In the Miami game,

did anyone else notice Preston walking the sidelines trying to fire up his guys? If nothing else, we could use a little more intensity on the line. Maybe Duke can bring that? He has earned the job, for now. This may also signal the end of the Fowler’s tenure with the Bills, which may also mean we will actually draft a center this time. Dare to dream…….

by Joe P. on Oct 30, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fowler is also the guy screaming in the pre-game huddle if you watch the NFL.com preview video for this past week’s Bills/Dolphins game. (And FYI – I’m in that video. It’s hilarious.)

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Oct 30, 2008 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

link please

by Joe P. on Oct 30, 2008 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Link. If you pause it at the 2:28 mark, you’ll see my dad in the background (wincing into the sun, wearing a standing buffalo cap). If you pause it at the 2:32 mark, you’ll see part of my face in the top right corner – I’ve got sunglasses on my head, and you’ll see me staring daggers at the moron who sits a few rows ahead of us. My cousin-in-law Frank is the dark-haired guy seated to my right (your left).

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Oct 30, 2008 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you looked pissed

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 30, 2008 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ha, I was. The guy, at the time, was trying to get the crowd all fired up when the Bills had the ball. Stuff like that irritates me at Bills games. I believe it was right after that was shot that Edwards hit Roscoe Parrish for a TD late in the Raiders game.

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Oct 30, 2008 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed,

He looked like a big guy in though. Better bring some backup next time. LOL!

by Joe P. on Oct 30, 2008 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That wasn’t #75 Preston yelling “Heart on Fire”?

by Kurupt on Oct 30, 2008 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL yes. That’s what I was driving at all along, except I’m dumb and typed “Fowler”. My bad.

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Oct 30, 2008 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh ok, I was going to say, I don’t think Fowler was anywhere in view there….

by Kurupt on Oct 30, 2008 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Preston was also doing this during the Chargers game

by thefourwinds on Oct 30, 2008 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is...

walking the sidelines, keeping guys fired up.

by thefourwinds on Oct 30, 2008 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bruce

With the lack of a pass rush we now see on the Bills, and the lack of a defensive superstar, the importance and greatness of #78 is all the more apparent and relevant. He made the rest of the teeam and better and teams had to put so much focus on him, that it disrupted the rst of their gameplan. Like the Dolphins drafting Richmond Webb and the other guy both on the left side of the line just to take care of Bruce. HOF all the way, and maybe the best player the Bills put in there, at least on defense and one of the best #1 picks for any team, and is the basis why it may not have been a bad idea for the Texans to take Mario Williams.

The Bills CAN win every game

by killascript on Oct 30, 2008 9:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The links for the two Gaughan articles didn't work for me

by thefourwinds on Oct 30, 2008 9:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This morning's Rochester D&C

reports Ashton was practicing and will play. The two Gaughan links didn’t work for me either.

everything goes better with bacon

by keuka121 on Oct 30, 2008 10:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It looks like the News took the two articles down… which is dumb.

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Oct 30, 2008 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah Youboty wasn’t mentioned in reports about injuries because he had a full participation in practice and may not even be on the injury report this week.

by kaisertown on Oct 30, 2008 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That full participation I was referencing was yesterday’s practice. I can only assume he practiced in full again today.

by kaisertown on Oct 30, 2008 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

did anyone else see

mcgee’s comments about how to stop the quick passing game on bb.com? hes quoted as saying "The best thing you can do is get in a receiver’s face and knock down a ball or just get in their face and disrupt the route," McGee said. "That’s the only way you’re going to stop it. If you’re playing off you’re basically just saying throw it and I’m going to tackle you."

does this mean they will actually play press coverage for once?

Bills make me wanna SHOUT!

by silverstreak3k on Oct 30, 2008 10:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

perhaps

it also sounds like hes criticizing the defense playcalling and trying to pass of the blame for Ted Ginns performance last week.

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 30, 2008 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, and couldn’t he be correct about it??

by Kurupt on Oct 30, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

definitely

which makes me wonder if him taking it to the media means that he brought it up to Perry and wasn’t being listened to.

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 30, 2008 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha WOW

awesome. I love it

That’s a big FU to Perry Fewell. Rightfully so.

If the players are talking about the need for bumping and playing tighter, you’d think the coaches would at the very least consider it!

Disrupting the timing of the route and forcing a perfect pass is something every D should be attempting to do.

by Kurupt on Oct 30, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Quite a bold comment by McGee

but true. As we slowly but surely aquire better players I hope we slowly but surely transition out of the awful cover 2. IMO we now have better secondary players and we sometimes actually play man coverage. Here’s hoping Perry calls more man to man this Sunday.

everything goes better with bacon

by keuka121 on Oct 30, 2008 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BUMP AND RUN PLEASE!!!

Especially against the jEts. They don’t scare me at all

The Bills CAN win every game

by killascript on Oct 30, 2008 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Josh Reed injury is really going to hurt. Nobody has given this guy credit for the role he plays here, now we shall see just how important he is. Roscoe needs to make some plays once he gets it too. Last week he had a drop and didn’t do much else. Sorry, Roscoe, but make plays when given the chance and maybe you’ll get more opportunities! I wonder if we’ll see Steve Johnson as the 4th WR this week. I sure don’t want to see Robert Royal’s stank ass out there anymore….

Wonderful. Jerry Sullivan joins the bandwagon. Just what we needed. Haha. There’s nothing there that we haven’t talked about, at length, before, but I am glad someone in the media is calling out the scrubs we have at DE. I really can’t stand Chris Kelsay and wish he would just go away. Cutting him this offseason is probably going to be one of my first hopeful moves.

by Kurupt on Oct 30, 2008 11:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hardy's time to shine

Those jump balls to Hardy last week were one of the few things i enjoyed about the game. We need to do that more as it adds more versatility to our attack

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 30, 2008 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

NOt even that

Just let him catch some passes all over the place. He has to be a more aggressive receiver going after those passes. I like the matches ups we have with Josh gone, although he is now one of my favorite Bills and I am pissed he is gone. Its crazy because I used to think he was bad, but he is a first down getting, pancake blockin, and tackle breaking machine when used right

The Bills CAN win every game

by killascript on Oct 30, 2008 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts

I’m still surprised we haven’t heard a peep out of SuperFan82…

Laughed my head off at Jerry’s line about Jauron – how DJ would say everything is O.K. even if the podium he was standing on was on fire. Great mind picture! I usually take Jerry with a grain of salt as he seems to overreact quite a bit, but unfortunately, I think he’s spot on here for once. We badly need a better pass rush than what we have now.

Nice to see Preston finally get a shot at the position he played in college – center. He’s been forced to play guard for how many years now? 2 1/2 (I had to look it up). Hope he makes the most of it. Looks like he’s made a good start.

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Oct 30, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We could really use a Bruce Smith type of young talent on the D-line right now. Bruce was one fun guy to watch play the game.

Having said that, does anyone have the stats on QB hurries? (Where the QB has to get rid of the ball sooner than they’d like?) I remember that used to be as important to the Bills of the Superbowl era as sacks were (except maybe to Bruce). It seems like our pass pressure is not even enough to make a QB hurry his throw…

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Oct 30, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pass rush

was the best thing about our D then, and is the worst now. Go figure. We need some help there, or these guys have to get their asses in gear.

The Bills CAN win every game

by killascript on Oct 30, 2008 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope we have some new creative ideas

to counter Reed’s absence. What we did last week did not work. I hope we see Steve Johnson too. I’m sure we’ll see much more of Hardy.
I know, premature, but If we go DE with our first pick next April, we should get a good one. Five DE’s could go in the first round.

everything goes better with bacon

by keuka121 on Oct 30, 2008 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs