involving Owens etc, im looking forward most to the devopment of McCargo and Bell. I really think one of the key reasond that the Bills have gone 7-9 in each of the last 3 seasons has to do with the production out of their 1st round picks. Trading up to get Losman and McCargo was awful in retrospect. I really like the last few 1st rd selections though (leodis, maybn, wood) Im really looking foreward to see how McCargo uses his 2nd, and probably final chance on the D-line.

who we thought you were. Big John will never amount to much….he can work all he wants,but he’s proven his mental capacity to hang in there when the going gets tough is just not all there. It would be great if he could be a competent 4th DT in the rotation and play in 16 games…but I really struggle with how this guy is still around this organization

I have no expectations about McCargo beyond being that 4th DT and that is a long shot IMO.

Sanders is a different type of coach; he’s much less intense and far more philosophical,

He’s got a new coach that is, apparently, getting more out of him.

Is McCargo really doing better, or is Sanders just expecting less of him in practice? I doubt he will find the O-lineman he faces less intense and far more philosophical.

i think he still has a chance, but he will have to be really good to beat out williams.

McCargo regressed badly in 2008

This line has me wondering…Did he regress because of bad disk? Has this plagued him for some time, and as a result stunted his development?

He’s exactly the type of player that the Bills need for their cover 2/tampa 2 defense. McCargo is a quick, pass rushing defensive tackle that can get after the QB. Last year he definitely showed he has the skills to penetrate into the backfield and create havock.

I don’t know about his relationship with Bill Kollar was, but the injury definitely slowed him down the most. You can say what you want about him, but in my opinion he obviously has the talent to be an impact player for the Bills. Furthermore, I think he will be an impact player for the Bills next year.

Aaron Schobel, John McCargo, Marcus Stroud, and Aaron Maybin present serious challenges for any offensive line. All these guys can rush the passer and in my opion warrant a double team.

Yeah, well it can’t really be worse than what it was in 2008, where he was so invisible on the field that you would think he wore an invisibility cloak (I’m a sucker for the Harry Potter-movies :D).
We can all hope that a new coach and another off season of opportunities will result in a much better and hopefully more stable result than what we’ve seen the last couple of seasons from Big John.
As Brian spot on put it – we need production from him, otherwise our three DT’s will wear down eventually.

“Come on, Johnnycakes. Let’s see some of that Karate hand training.”

“Coach… I’ma knock your @ss out.”

Should we expect anything out of him? Can we even count on him being able to be active for games and rotate in occasionally to keep Stroud and Williams fresh? How said is it that this is what we hope for from a former first rounder?

No doubt, McCargo has the talent, but the mental part of the game never seemed to click. Maybe Sanders can help get the most out of him, but McCargo has to do much of this on his own. I still find it hard to believe that the team didn’t bring in any competition for him. I’d have rather spent one of those late round picks on a DT instead of a CB. McCargo needs to be pushed and right now, the only pushing will come from the coaches and within. If McCargo is the same unreliable player as last year, how can we keep our starters fresh?

The opportunity is there for him, I just hope he can grab it….

I think people have too much of a boom or bust mindset moving forward with McCargo.

There’s a few reasons why McCargo isn’t going to jump onto the scene and make a big impact. The biggest reason is that he isn’t a pass rusher and his skill set doesn’t really give him an oppurtunity to work his way onto the field in many specialized situations. Pass rushing DTs are almost always tall and long, or light and quick. McCargo isn’t either at 6’1.5’’ inches and maybe heavier then the 307 Buffalo lists him at. Of the 18 DTs who played in a 4-3 and had 3 or more sacks last year, Only Brandon Mebane was no more than two inches taller while still weighing 300 pounds. McCargo was also a non-factor as a pass rusher in college collecting just a half a sack in his final two college seasons.

McCargo’s not going to boom because his overall skill set is a little overrated. People talk about his athleticism, but I’ve never thought he looked athletic. He has a good first step, but other than that he doesn’t look fast or agile. He’s strong, but hasn’t looked overpowering. He was a first round pick, but he doesn’t have that kind of ability and never should have been chosen there. And while it’s easy to say that in retrospect, everybody was saying it back then too. Some people thought it was the biggest reach of the first round and he was more of a third round player than somebody to trade up for in the first.

So while I can’t imagine McCargo doing anything to even remotely live up to where he was chosen in the draft, I don’t think he’s going to bust to the degree that some think he can. Spencer Johnson isn’t suited to start if Stroud or Williams misses time. McCargo has ideal size and has already proven in 2007 that he is a quality rotational run stuffer. The only thing standing between McCargo and a role as a rotational player are injuries.

Remember, we traded up to get back into the first round to get this guy.

Whenever he was in, he seemed to always make his presence felt. He must have had problems off the field, with attitude, work ethic, etc. because I know that bad rep he was given wasn’t based on just his on field performance because it wasn’t as bad as people make it seem to be. He penetrated the line, I was always curious what he would do as a full time starter.

I guess you and Tim were on the same wavelength, Brian.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-9-63/Failed-trade-motivates-McCargo-to-prove-himself.html

Except Tim can get direct quotes. :-)

This is the year for John. If he won’t contribute for anything again We will be definitely considered a burst and 2006 first round will be a really disaster for us.
I’m optimistic this year. I think McCargo will contribute to us as a good rotational player. Maybe Sanders could work physically and, specially, psycologicaly.
Maybe I’ve been too much optimistic this year, but, it’s time of year to dream! :)