Chris Brown reported seeing him walking through the halls at OBD. Just wondering if anyone was interested in signing/giving Ruben Brown a try out. No, not as a starter but as insurance for the offensive line. He is a veteran "Pro Bowl" player in the league. He can play various positions on the line (center?). He still lives in the city and does various things in the community.  Yeah, when he was a member of the Bills I gave him the moniker "Doo-Doo" Brown, but he is a better option that Duke-y Preston at guard in my opinion. He plays with a nasty demeanor.  His experience would only help Brad Butler/Demetrius Bell. I personally wouldn't mind it, at the veteran minimum, if he is healthy enough to play.  Rumblers, tell me your thoughts on this subject.

Ross Tucker, one time Bill, Patriot and I forget how many other teams, put out an article today for SI.com about the cheating he saw and participated in while playing Pro ball. You can find the article here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ross_tucker/05/15/rules/index.html

Among the gems is this one: "One season when I was with the Bills, the offensive line coach for the team we were were about to face was fired days before the game. He subsequently called our offensive line coach, Jim McNally, and let him know some of the unique defensive formations we could expect to see that week. Needless to say, the defenders were very surprised how well prepared we were."

Now, I don't figure Jim was going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but there we go, we also did it when we hired Lawyer Milloy right after he was cut by the Patriots and hey, we won that first game from them, and we sure seemed to know what was coming at us that game too. Hmmmmmmm....

As Ross relates ALL teams either cheat outright, or bend the rules to the breaking point to be successful. Why? Because the NFL and its fans are such a big group of "What have you done for me lately" types, that coaches and the front offices of the franchises have no choice but to grab every advantage they can when they get it.

Do I condone or excuse this behavior? Hard to say for me. I've spent enough time in the world of college sports to know that my team did its best to know the other teams signals and formations, we always had a coach at our next opponents game taping and looking for things we could use. Did I personally sometimes apply stickum to my hands in HS when I still played TE in order to make sure I caught those outlet passes when my QB was in trouble, damn right I did, even though stickum wasn't allowed by Section III in NY State. Its all a very very slippery slope, and in the end, I think it all depends on where we as fans, and they as coaches and FO people decide it should stop.

********************************************

Also of note, Steve Young was on Dan Patrick's radio show earlier today and there was an interesting discussion that took place there. Basically it became a discussion of what constitues "Cheating" and what constitutes "Gamesmenship" and I personally found it very fascinating hearing Steve Young discuss some of the things he saw in games. You can listen to it here: http://http-trd-l3.cdn.turner.com/si/danpatrick/audio/2008/05/16/DP-Steve_Young%20-5-16_Interview.mp3?eref=fromSI

Steve's arguement is that if it is systematic (like the Pats) its cheating. If its a situation where the field is quiet enough, and someone on the other side of the ball overhears the play being called by the other team, and they make an adjustment, then thats gamesmenship, and I gotta agree with that take on the situation.

Did anyone else see the articule out of Indiana that James Hardy pulled a gun on his father last sunday?   It was reported  that he had an aurgument with his father in the backyard of his fathers home when a neighbor saw him pull a gum and called the police.  Hope this is not the start of problems with him, he does have a permit to carry a gun so that not an issue like it is with alot of these guys.  I was one of the ones to say give this guy a chance because of his backround, but this is not good.

Before the draft, a lot of people were screaming for a pass-catching TE.  But the only TE we got from the draft was Derek Fine, who by all accounts is a good blocker and has good hands yet runs very slowly.  So he is not the pass-catching TE who is big and tall and can run pass LB whom we are looking for; nor is Courtney Anderson (assuming Teyo Johnson gets cut) giving us fans a lot of confidence in meeting this "requirement".  But I've been thinking, why are we setting these "requirements" in the first place?  Why can't  the Bills consider dropping the TE and go 3 Wide from 1st to 3rd downs?  Parrish and Reed have proven that they are not legit #2 receivers.  However, if Hardy can really perform as a #2 receiver (especially when teams have to game plan for his height advantage), I can see Parrish or Reed flourish as a slot receiver when they are up against the nickel back instead of one of the top CB of the other team.  Both have shown the ability to produce at the slot receiver role.  The whole idea of having a pass-catching TE is to give Edwards more options to throw to (be it that the TE is taller to get height separaton or he is faster to get distance separation), but if our TE's do not match up well to become the Bills' advantage why push for low percentage plays?  Why can't the option be a slot receiver instead of a TE?  Yes, the Bills want to run the football a lot when they have Lynch, and a TE is supposed to help block for running plays, but  I do not see any catching TE options which the Bills have can also block well.   Of course, this implies that the slot receiver will have to block well during a running play; from my understanding Reed is a pretty good blocker, and can be very effective blocking against a nickel back during a run play.  The idea behind offense coordination is about getting mis-matches and making sure there will always be high percentage play options for Edwards to work on every down.  I'd say, right now, the Bills is better off having 3 Wide on every down instead of using any of our existing TE.  If the Bills are serious about opening the playbook a bit this season (which Turk claimed), and if they can trust Edwards' on-field decision making more, I think this is a viable option to consider.  Of course, they might use other formation for special situations, but I suggest 3 Wide as the basic Bills offense formation for this season.

You guys are more expert than I.  What do you think?

With their first pick in the 2009 draft, the Bills select  -  Safety from USC, Taylor Mays.

Measurements and highlights:

ht: 6'-4"

wt: 225

40: 4.25

In '05 coming out of high school he was named Parade All-American and the Gatorade Washington player of the year. He also ran track where he was a 2-time state 3A champion in both the 100 and 200 meters. Following his high school career, Mays was invited to play in the 2006 U.S.Army All-American Bowl.

He was the Pac-10's co-freshman of the year in '06

In '07 he was a Sporting News All-American , and SI Second team All-American.

He's a Junior this year, but is all but guaranteed to come out early.  He has the size, speed, and ball skills to be an elite safety in the NFL.

I know this is extremely early but I was doing a little looking and wanted to find my early favorite. Feel free to comment on not only what you think of Mays and how you think he might help the Bills, but who you like and or what positions.

I've got a Bodog account and tend to ignore it when the NFL isn't in season. I checked back into the site today (mainly to see if my tiny account had been looted ) and looked up what Vegas thinks of the Bills.

Buffalo is 8 to 1 to win the division. Big spender that I am I put a buck on them.

The Bills are 40 to 1 to win the AFC and 65 to 1 to win the Super Bowl. I wasn't sporting enough to even throw a buck at either of those lines.

Hardy is 22 to 1 to be offensive rookie of the year and McKelvin is 24 to 1 to be the defensive rookies of the year. I put a couple of bucks on each of them, never mind that I had hoped Buffalo would go a different way with the draft.

The point of this is not to promote offshore gambling, which is currently legal. The Bills are seen as something less than legitimate contenders by people who get paid very, very well to ferret out future winners from losers. With the Patriots in the division Vegas is certain that the Bills will have to be a wild card team in order to see the post season from someone other than their living rooms. The oddsmakers, however, give teams like Denver and Jacksonville better odds of winning their divisions...thus making it seem that Vegas doesn't see Buffalo playing in January.

I'm guessing that part of the long odds handed out to Hardy and McKelvin have to do with their positions. Running backs likely have the inside track on offensive ROY and CBs are likely sucking hind tit when it comes to defensive ROY. Still, I don't exactly dislike my odds with Hardy. He should be able to make enough of an impact to merit some ROY rumblings--likely not Adrian Peterson type rumblings but can you really say that Lynch didn't generate some rumblings of his own largely because of Buffalo's aenemic rushing attack the years before Lynch's arrival?

[Note by Brian Galliford, 05/10/08 9:48 AM EDT ] Curious to know more about the Buffalo Bills' 2008 opponents?  Our very own kaisertown has done a wonderful job of breaking down the run defense aspects of every one of Buffalo's 2008 opponents.  Take it away, kaiser.  [End Note]

The media typically uses yards allowed per game to rank defenses. But those numbers are obviously flawed because they take into account a team’s ability to keep its defense off the field. Using yards per game will also mean a team’s run defense numbers will be altered by a team’s pass defense. I like yards per attempt. I don’t think it gives you an exact number for how well a defense defended the run or pass, but it is the most accurate statistic out there.

Week 1: Seattle – 3.9 yards per attempt, 2007 season
Week 2: Jacksonville – 4.1
Week 3: Oakland – 4.8
Week 4: St. Louis – 4.1
Week 5: Arizona – 3.9
Week 7: San Diego – 4.1
Week 8: Miami – 4.5
Week 9: NY Jets – 4.2
Week 10: New England – 4.4
Week 11: Cleveland – 4.5
Week 12: Kansas City – 4.3
Week 13: San Francisco – 3.8
Week 14: Miami – 4.5
Week 15: NY Jets – 4.2
Week 16: Denver – 4.6
Week 17: New England – 4.4

That rounds up to about 4.27 yards allowed per rush for our opponents, based on 2007 numbers. The league average was about 4.0 or 4.1 yards. It may not seem like much, but those two tenths of a yard per carry are pretty substantial.

For an in-depth look at each of Buffalo's '08 opponents and their off-season moves, check out the info after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It just occurred to me after reviewing our 10 picks that only 1 is from what any of us might call a NCAA College Football Factory - and that would be Chris Ellis DE from VT in the 3rd. 

Continue reading this post »

All the tech in todays games, I find it very hard to believe that the Pats are the NFL's only cheaters. Matter of fact, I bet its so popular that its probably 'normal'.

I don't think the Pats are being punished for cheating....more like getting punished for being caught and showing the dirty sides of todays NFL. Who ever does other teams 'dirty work' must be a highly trained 'NFL spy'.

So do our beloved Bills cheat? Let me just say this

I think EVERY team does what the Pats did...some better than others.

Pats got careless and sloppy, and they got caught. But can you really say with out a shadow of a doubt that just 1 team does it and that we don't?

I can't....teams will do anything to get an edge...if 30 NFL teams steal signals, those 2 teams are at a major disadvantage.

Goodell KNOWS this.....I'm sure he just has a "don't let me catch you" approach. I'm sure he doesn't WANT it to happen, but he knows he can't stop it; thus the new snazzy "microphone in the Defender's helmet rule". Whats that rule supposed to do? Even out the playing field...so defenders can get the helpful hints gathered  from stolen signals as well.

Now I've voiced my opinion on the beloved Buffalo Bills Message board and got responses like "we must really suck at cheating' and "we would have at least won a Super Bowl". My response is if EVERY team steals signals its not an unfair playing field. If anything it puts more mental strain on players and coaches to learn new signals each week.....but don't they do that anyway because every team is different? Also said was the only real argument of Pats being the sole cheaters: Wouldn't there be more? The way I see its more likely that teams are finding a ways to 'hush' their "spys" over than the idea that the Pats are the only team in the NFL that realized all the uses of a video camera.

Bill Belichick was fined and punished for getting caught. I don't like BB, I would love to see the Pats without their evil genius but any punishment other than a "slap on the wrist fine to shut the media up" is uncalled for at this time

If the Bills truly don't 'cheat', I guarantee you that we are in a minority; Its time to get with the program...and if we do cheat, keep that signal stealer fat and happy.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some feedback on Rookie Camp from those in a better position to observe than I.  As always, consider this informed opinion, so take it for what it is worth--I was certainly not there. Also, please remember that the rookies were in shorts and tees, not exactly how they're going to line-up against Seattle in September.

I think there is a tendency among very close observers of the game to be disappointed when they first see the rookies up close. They have scouted them ad nauseum, been enthusiastic about drafting them and see a lot of potential. Then, as people with decades in the NFL, they see chinks and problems under close-up first-hand scrutiny. Last year I recall that when the staff first saw Marshawn Lynch and Paul Posluszny, they were struck by how much better they actually were than on tape. They are equally enthusiastic about this year's class--although sadly my report will only deal with a few of them.

Leodis McKelvin definitely impressed with his natural athletic ability, ball instincts and sheer explosiveness. OBD believes that he just loves playing football, a theme that ran throughout all of the draftees. Knowing their draft philosophy, this came as no surprise.  James Hardy made an equally big impression with his hands, size and route-running. I heard comments that lead me to believe that he can step right in and contribute beyond what the experts believe is "normal" for a first-year wideout. I also heard comments that indicate that it depends on how they use him in the offense. I am very curious about this, but for the time being, it will have to remain a curiosity. Chris Ellis apparently exhibited the very quick first step we have all read about, and while they consider him raw in the technique sense, they were excited about the possibilities of him playing in the DE rotation, but likely only as a situational pass rusher initially. He will get a lot of teaching attention in camp. They are high on both Reggie Corner and Derek Fine. Corner apparently is just a natural ballhawk, is smart, uses his instincts well, and although he is clearly small, he's a natural nickel back. Fine they like a lot.  No one single thing he does jumps out at you, but it's more the collective package. Very smart, very tough, can catch it, and loves to block. Just a "football player" is the report.

I can say that the optimism at OBD is very high. As high as I have ever heard it. They truly feel that with what they did in free agency, all the injured guys coming back healthy, the addition of this rookie class and some key changes on the coaching staff, they can line up and play with anybody. Much will depend on good health and Trent Edwards to be sure--but they are very excited.

I do hope to have a report following the first full-team workouts scheduled for the 16th-18th.