Two topics I'm tired of...

by FemaleFanatic85 on Aug 13, 2008 1:41 PM EDT Comment 41 comments

Ok, I didn't really want to go on and on about these two issues, but I need to rant to some fellow Bills fans who understand. My first issue is that people seem to be taking the preseason game on Saturday against the Redskins way too seriously. All over the net I'm reading things like "The Bills are the Same as Last Year" and "Edwards Poor Outing: Is This the Future?" Ok, we all know he wasn't great. Thank you Captain Obvious. But it was the first PRESEASON game against a team who had one game under their belts already. Big deal. Let me see the first few games of the regular season and then I'll tell you what I think. Until then, I don't think references to the Bills being the same as last year is appropriate.

Second....here it comes......FAVRE. I love the man. I do. My mom is a life long Packers fan. But people need to jump off the "Jet Favre" bandwagon. People who had once predicted the Jets to once again be in third place behind the Bills are now calling for a better record than the Pats. I mean, can we get real here? He's a great QB and all but do they even have enough weapons other than him to win games? Personally, I still think the Bills can sweep the Jets with or without Favre. Saying they will be better is one thing but claiming they will overthrow the Pats is something straight out of a fantasy novel. So I wish people would stop.

Ok, I'm done. I just got home from work and had to let it all out. Maybe some of you agree, maybe you don't. But it felt good to say it either way.

This FanPost was written by a registered user of Buffalo Rumblings. Its views do not necessarily reflect the views of Rumblings' editorial staff, but are just as valued as our own.

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by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2008 1:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thank you!

Wearing my Bills jersey to the Eagles-Bills game last year in Philly probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But then again, that's why they call me die-hard.

by FemaleFanatic85 on Aug 13, 2008 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jets

are a hard team to get a read on. they no doubt will be better than they were but Favre doesn’t have nearly as much to work with on that team. 1 good receiver who always seems to get hurt, no starting caliber running back (maybe 1 in Thomas Jones) and many unknowns on defense. the problem is they have been like this before and turned in 10-6 seasons.
with or without Favre I still like our chances against the jets this year.

by gatornation on Aug 13, 2008 1:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I see alot of Jets action (pity me)

So I will disagree with this:

1 good receiver who always seems to get hurt, no starting caliber running back (maybe 1 in Thomas Jones)

Coles is good and always hurt so i assume you mean him. Cotchery is a stud in the making. Everyone dismisses him but he’s a fine receiver, and 2 Thomas Jones is a stud running back. I said it before and I’ll say it again the Jets play calling last year was repugnant/brutal/horrible/disgusting, choose your term. Brian Schottenheimer was a very close second to Steve Fairchild in the crappiest coordinator of the year award.

Farve has to learn not only a new offense but new players as well. Plus he’s not this beloved God-like figure in N.Y. so a few slip ups and fans will be questioning if he has anything left. It is a potentially explosive situation for him and I for 1 hope it blows up in his face.

Sorry Danyel I don’t think you wanted to discuss this topic so much (being that this is listed under the tittle “Two topics I’m tired of…” But I needed to vent that out myself.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Aug 13, 2008 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thomas Jones WAS

was a good runninback. Not anymore. He was a stud with the Bears, and why they traded him I don’t know, but he is a good leader. But the fact is he turns 30 this month and is entering his 9th season. Time and Time again that shows to be the breaking point for RB’s. Granted he won’t be asked to carry the complete load.

I love Favre as well. But fact is, in 2006 he sucked and in 2007 he didn’t just “figure it out” again. What happened you ask? The TEAM, the Green Bay Packers as a whole were so much better last year. They finally had a solid front 7 on Def, continuity on the O-Line and some real stud WR’s and Ryan Grant came out of nowhere. Favre is just like any other QB and can only go as far as the talent around him. The jets have so many new players, players making big money, and I think they lack team chemistry because of it. If they win 10 games I wouldn’t be shocked, but the Jets won’t go as far as Favre takes them they will go as far as all those new guys can gel together. nuff said

MARVelous

by MARVelous on Aug 13, 2008 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

TJ

Jones also has 1659 carries including ~900 in his last 3 years. His prime years are gone

MARVelous

by MARVelous on Aug 13, 2008 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Give me 75% Thomas Jones and fill in the blanks with Leon Washington. The Jets running game will be fine.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Aug 13, 2008 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No Problem

I agree with what you have said. Both Jones and Cotchery are good. Just in all, they’re not good enough to take the division. And I’m glad to have people agree. I guess I’m more tired of people thinking the Jets will be unstoppable rather than with the topic of Favre on the Jets itself.

Wearing my Bills jersey to the Eagles-Bills game last year in Philly probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But then again, that's why they call me die-hard.

by FemaleFanatic85 on Aug 13, 2008 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Faneca more important to the Jets than Favre

Faneca will come to play because he always has. Even when he was angry about having to play in Pittsburgh he showed up and took care of business. He’ll do the same in New Jersey. There’s a good chance that both Mangold and Ferguson will look better playing next to Faneca, which means the Jets will be able to run left. Jones may not be an elite back but he’s no slouch either. New Jersey will almost certainly be able to run the ball which will help the QB immeasurably.

by Ron From NM on Aug 13, 2008 2:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Tapping your offensive line expertise...

do you think that Peters and Fowler look better playing next to Dockery?

Seriously, I want to know how good Dockery really is. How does he compare to Faneca? Honestly, Dockery is not as impressive to me in games as his paycheck indicates.

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 13, 2008 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not Ron but, Dockery isn’t in the same ballpark (or football stadium) as Faneca. Everyone and thier mother said we overpaid for Dockery and it was pretty obvious halfway through last September that they were right. For just another mil or so a year we could have signed Steinbach instead. Faneca is a top 5 guard in the NFL and Dock is average to above average.

by kaisertown on Aug 13, 2008 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Second Pair of Eyes

So I’m not blind after all!

Thanks for the confirmation, kaisertown.

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 13, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m pretty sure Ron has said Dockery is above average but nothing special on a few occasions as well.

by kaisertown on Aug 13, 2008 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought that was pretty easy to tell

It’s not like we had a great running game, even to our supposed dominant left side. I was really disappointed in Dockery’s play last year. Not that it was bad at all, but for $7M a year, I was expecting Pro Bowl play, or darn close to it. I think what we got was an above average G, which is what we needed, but apparently not what we paid for….

by Kurupt on Aug 13, 2008 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up.

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 13, 2008 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do you know Dockery's weaknesses?

Strength? Quickness? Explosion? Technique? Awareness? Hustle?

Is Dockery an ascending player?

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 13, 2008 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m gonna leave this mostly to Ron, the resident O-Line expert.

If I had to take a stab at it though, I would say Dock is good in pass protection, but lacks the athleticism to be dominant. And is also a good run blocker who has a solid but unspectacular first step and first punch. He can be explosive off the line, but that first step and puch simply are not to the degree of the Fanecas, Hutchinsons and Mankins of the league. His upper and lower body strength is solid but he rarely dominates his assignment while run blocking.

Dock is probably still on the upswing, but his ceiling is not that of an elite guard. He should improve in each of the next couple seasons, but it will probably be marginal improvement.

Ron can (and hopefully will) give you a little more specific (and probably correct) insight. Does anybody see anything different from me?

by kaisertown on Aug 13, 2008 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dock

He doesn’t really have glaring weaknesses that I’ve seen. He does everything fairly well, but he’s not one of the NFL’s elite. He likely never will be. Butler graded out a smidge higher last season. If he (Butler) gets to keep playing guard I wouldn’t be surprised to see that gap widen.

I watch the same games you do and it’s just not possible to accurately assess all of the little things that contribute to whether a lineman wins or loses a battle on a consistent basis from the coverage. I watch was each lineman does on each play to see if he wins his individual battle as that can be seen. Footwork, hand fighting, inital punch and the like can’t be seen, at least not consistently enough to draw conclusion.

So, in Dock’s case I can tell you that he wins his battles or at least stalemates his defender the majority of the time. Last season (14 games) he had 51 good run plays. On each of those plays he did something more than just the minimum needed to advance the play, such as flattening a defender, moving a DE/DT several yards off the line or wiping out a DB in space when he pulled. He had 316 decent plays where he blocked his guy well enough for the play to advance unhindered but didn’t particularly stand out. He had 17 bad plays where he was driven off the line by the DT/DE, missed a block, or drew a penalty. As you can see, most of the time (316) Dock doesn’t do anything terribly noteworthy, which is why he’s not a Pro Bowler. When I score a lineman (95% for good plays, 75% decent plays, 55% bad plays) it becomes fairly clear that Dock (76.8%) is an above average but not great guard.

I’d love to see a Bills lineman score in the low 80s as he’d be dominating DE/DTs about 1 of every 4 plays and holding his own the other 3.

Did anyone else notice that the Steelers didn’t start Mahan last night? I wonder if he might be available in trade…

51 316 17 4.5

by Ron From NM on Aug 15, 2008 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, Ron!

Much appreciated.

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 15, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Dockery is as good as this report indicates,

I wonder what they would say about Faneca?

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4649

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 13, 2008 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let the hype begin!

Topic #1: Typical Bills’ fan reaction to preseason loss.

For some reason, people do take preseason WAY too seriously. Maybe it’s just nerves. But you really can’t get a good read on this team until the games start counting.

Topic #2: Typical Jets’ fan reaction to FA signing. (You think our fan over-react?)

Don’t get me wrong. The Jets will score a good bit better this year. But they’re not going to be any better than our Bills’ team.

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Aug 13, 2008 2:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think the overreaction to the preseason has more to do with the nature of blogs than Bills fans.

by kaisertown on Aug 13, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree to an extent. I try to run an analytical ship here (see Film Session), but sometimes, analysis is a bad thing. :)

by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2008 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And you do a great job, Brian

It’s just that I’ve been through so many preseason games, and they don’t end up meaning much aside from getting a feel for individual performances by players. Hard to get too excited about PREseason, I guess. Give me the regular season anytime…

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Aug 13, 2008 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Preseason

It does matter, but the final score doesn’t. Having your starters play like crap is not a good way to go through the preseason, so to me, it does mean something.

It’s definitely nothing to get excited about except that football is back! But it does serve it’s purpose and there is a lot that can be learned from it, both by the players and about the team….

by Kurupt on Aug 13, 2008 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Football is back

The preseason does mean something, just not as much as the regular season.

I definitely don’t want to see starters play like crap, I can agree with that.

So what have we learned about this team so far this preseason? Sounds like an idea for an article, Brian.

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Aug 14, 2008 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That’d be a pretty boring article, because we’ve learned next to nothing. :)

by Brian Galliford on Aug 14, 2008 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My point exactly

Thanks again, Brian.

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Aug 14, 2008 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

guys guys come on...

Its one thing to acknowledge that the Jets did not improve that much with the addition of Favre but I think that you are all just as guilty when you all think we will still sweep the Jets this year.

Can we pull out a sweep? Yes. But it would be a major mistake to say we will sweep them with so much certainty, a mistake I hope DJ and the Bills aren’t making. As I’ve said before on this blog, we only beat the Jets 17-14 at home and 13-3 on the road. Wake up people, those games were TIED going into the fourth. I think we can look to make a push for the playoffs but we also need to know our opponents. We beat the Jets in the final quarter by 3 points in one game and only scored 13 on them in another.

Brett Favre, Alan Faneca, Damien Woody, Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace, Vernon Gholston absolutely makes them a tougher challenge. I don’t think the Jets will finish .500 this year. But heck, if we go into the 4th quarter tied with them this year, I can promise you all that Brett Favre will be the most important player on all of our minds every time the Jets have possession in those close games.

I do agree with everything else said though.

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Aug 13, 2008 3:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

don't give

me we were tied. A win is a win is a win. But I get your point. We are 2 pretty equally matched teams. For whatever reason though DJ has had his way with Manboobgenious.

MARVelous

by MARVelous on Aug 13, 2008 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

“Manboobgenious.”
He did get chunky once he took the Jets job.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Aug 13, 2008 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh I agree

that we’re not a lot better than them. But even in close games, it’s the better team that wins, just as we did last year. So yea, Favre will help them step up from last year but just as Hardy will help us be a bigger red zone threat this year. I don’t think it will be easy but we can sweep them again. And like I said before, the thing that was most annoying to me was the fact that people are quick to say that the Jets can possibly be AFC East champs just because of Favre.

Wearing my Bills jersey to the Eagles-Bills game last year in Philly probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But then again, that's why they call me die-hard.

by FemaleFanatic85 on Aug 13, 2008 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hate the playoff talk

ESPN is loving the Jets as a playoff team now. It just drives me nuts. But then again ESPN has mastered being ridiculous. If the Jets fall to 1-5 ESPN analysts will be talking about how they knew he was too old to lead them at 38. I think people forget this is not the same Jets team that went to the playoffs in 06.

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Aug 13, 2008 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But then again ESPN has mastered being ridiculous.

That is hilarious. I struggle just watching Sportscenter. It feels like ESPN hits a new low everyday.

by kaisertown on Aug 13, 2008 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's just New York media bias for you

Thay love to play the local teams up as world beaters even if it isn’t true. I don’t like listening to the NYC media either.

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Aug 13, 2008 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ugh

All I EVER hear about is the Eagles….and these fans are no joke. Though I guess Philly’s not really so biased….when they suck, their fans are sure to let them know….haha.

Wearing my Bills jersey to the Eagles-Bills game last year in Philly probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But then again, that's why they call me die-hard.

by FemaleFanatic85 on Aug 13, 2008 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've heard those Philly fans

are pretty fickle. At least the players know how they’re doing, right? (muffled laughter)

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Aug 13, 2008 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cowboys fans are pretty bad, too.

Very spoiled. Seems like Jerry Jones re-signed 53 Pro Bowlers this offseason.

52-17.

30-13.

That’s what they tell me.

Great plays don't make great players; great players make great plays.

by Fort Worth on Aug 13, 2008 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The jets overpaid for Faneca and Woody but that doesn’t mean that those guys aren’t better then the guys they are replacing because they are.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Aug 13, 2008 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Preseason game 1 too seriously

Yeah, maybe…but what else are we gonna do? Last year the Bills looked like a hot turd in preseason and that’s what was on the field the first few games of ‘07. I don’t want to see that and frankly if the best fans aren’t gonna raise the red flag, who will?

The Bills CAN win every game

by killascript on Aug 13, 2008 3:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jets and the playoffs

the Jets fans are going to see the same Farve that played 2-3 years ago when he completed more passes to the other team then he threw touchdowns for his. He has to learn a new system with an inferior team and this team is inferior. Two years ago they were a paper tiger that was very fortunate to win 10 games. Does anyone remember the 31-13 beatdown that Buffalo put on them that year ? Farve will try to do too much and it just wont work.

by theitalian on Aug 13, 2008 4:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs