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Tim Graham's AFC East chat

4

Too big to post in my morning links so I will put his Bills thoughts here. All are direct quotes: - I'm not buying [Trent Edwards] - (Are Edwards' struggles because of poor OL play?) Edwards had a decent offensive line last year, especially compared to this one. I know Bills fans have a personal distaste for Jason Peters, but he's better than any two Bills O-linemen combined right now. - When I spoke to Roscoe Parrish at training camp, he confirmed to me that all of the trade-block talk going around was orchestrated by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, that the Bills had no intention of trading him. I'm not sure what happened since then, but his contract is way too much for another team to take on just for a punt returner. His receiver contributions would be limited for a new team this deep into the season. - [Jairus Byrd] has been quite impressive so far. He has a nose for the ball, and there haven't been too many defensive backs like that in the Bills' secondary. - (Chatter said, "Just want to point out that the Bills are a Leodis fumble away from first place. Strange league.") First place would be 3-3. Nothing to get excited about. - No news on how [James] Hardy looked. The practices are closed to the media, so we wouldn't have any clue as to what kind of reps he's getting or how he's being used. - I'm not offended by [the Fire Dick Jauron billboard] like some commentators in Buffalo are. I think it's fine. The guy is exercising his First Amendment rights and trying to send a message to an owner who isn't otherwise available to the fans. I hear another Jauron billboard is being planned for the Detroit area, where Wilson lives. - I do think it's possible Fitzpatrick will provide a spark. Even if they run the same exact offense, a different set of eyes and a brain that makes different snap decisions could bring an improvement. - Ralph has stated he will not sell the team. His estate would have that responsibility. - I like the Panthers [to beat Buffalo] because of Williams and Stewart against the Bills' run D. - I'm changing my mind on [Marshawn Lynch being the best running back in the AFC East]. Lynch lost a lot of ground during his suspension. But Lynch is a special runner, one of the hardest few runners in the league. - The Bills have to be concerned with Edwards being their quarterback of the future on two counts: 1) ability; 2) injuries. If the Bills still are satisfied with Edwards for the long-term, then this front office is even less coherent than I thought. - They're stopping the pass because there are only so many snaps in a game. The Bills are second in the NFL in most rushing attempts against.