Buffalo Rumblings

Ruben Brown

the Skycap — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:41:43 -0000

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.

Here is the answer, we DO/DID cheat

WABillsfan — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:17:11 -0000

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.

Hardy pulls gun

BILLS — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:31:22 -0000

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.

3 Wide Formation?

moncheri — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:13:43 -0000

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?

Remember, you heard it here first!

sireric — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:59:24 -0000

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.

Vegas and the Bills

Ron From NM — Mon, 12 May 2008 02:20:32 -0000

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?

A look into the run defenses of Buffalo's 2008 opponents

kaisertown — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:24:06 -0000

[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.

Miami – lost Zach Tomas, added Jason Ferguson, Akin Ayodele
- Miami was a disaster last season. They were bad against the run just like they were bad at everything else. Miami was particularly bad against quicker backs last season. It’s a new coaching staff and scheme so it isn’t all that important what happened last season, but it doesn’t look like they have the personnel in place to turns things around anytime soon. Miami gave up the most rushing yards in the league last season and I wouldn’t be surprised if they do it again this year.

New York Jets – lost Dewayne Robertson and Jonathan Vilma. Added Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace and drafted Vernon Gholston
- The Jets had an average run defense. They gave up the fourth most yards in the league via the ground, but did so by allowing the second most attempts in the league. They didn’t give up any huge games and not many backs truly “struggled” against them. Jenkins could be an upgrade over Robertson (who I think is a little underrated) or Jenkins could get hurt and the Jets' D could fall apart. The Jets used true linebackers like Victor Hobson and Eric Barton on the outside a lot last season. This year they will use hybrid rushers, Gholston and Pace, which could negatively affect their run D. I thought they had a bad D-Line last year, but was surprised to see that Kenyon Coleman had 83 tackles last season. Shaun Ellis is overrated and can be taken advantage of. Expect the Jets to be average again, but it is worth pointing out that Marshawn Lynch had two mediocre games vs. the Jets (23 carries for 79 yards and 21 carries for 80 yards).

New England – drafted Jerod Mayo
- Vince Wilfork gets a lot of credit for being a great NT, but the Pats weren’t all that great against the run. They completely shut down Thomas Jones twice (probably by cheating) but gave up big days to the Pittsburgh duo of Parker and Davenport, McGahee, Addai and the Dallas duo of Jones and Barber. New England got an early lead in most games they were in and teams abandoned the run. With the drafting of Mayo and a potentially healthy year from Seymour I expect NE to return to being an above average run D. Belichick is great at scheming for the pass and I doubt he will respect Edwards enough to allow Marshawn to be anything more than average against them.

Seattle – drafted Red Bryant, signed Larry Tripplett
- After checking all the box scores from Seattle’s games last year, it was tough not to notice that they were a totally different team vs. the run at home and on the road. That problem was highlighted by Ryan Grant's 201 yard performance in the playoffs. Buffalo should run pretty well against them. Especially if Tripplett makes that team and actually sees the field.

Jacksonville – lost Stroud, signed Jimmy Kennedy, drafted Derrick Harvey
- Don’t let the 4.1 yards allowed number fool you, Jacksonville has a dominant run defense. For whatever reason the Jags allowed Tennessee to run for 283 yards on 49 carries in the first game if the season. That 5.755 yards per carry really skewed the overall numbers. Then again, the run defense struggled some down the stretch. After Stroud hurt his ankle the Jags allowed Willie Parker to run for 100 yards on just 14 carries, Dominic Rhodes ran for 115 yards on 27 carries and Ron Dayne and Darius Walker combined for a staggering 174 yards on 31 carries in the season finale. I still expect Buffalo to struggle pretty bad in Jacksonville. In fact, I think this is one of the few games that Buffalo can’t win.

Oakland – gave Tommy Kelly stupid money, Warren Sapp retired
- 4.8 yards allowed per carry is pathetic. The thing that makes it even more sad, is that they improved by a good amount AFTER Tommy Kelly got hurt. They played an easy schedule and got run over by big names like Kolby Smith, Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne. The Bills should be able to win this game solely by running the ball better than Oakland can. The Raiders shut down terrible Cedric Benson, otherwise this team would have allowed over 5 yards per carry on the season.

St. Louis – lost Brandon Chillar, drafted Chris Long
- In what made me smile, I noticed that STL completely shut down Willis McGahee. He only had 61 yards on 25 carries. This run defense improved down the stretch, but they played like the rest of the team did, wildly inconsistent. Aging RBs like Warrick Dunn, Shaun Alexander and Jamal Lewis all helped the Rams' run defense appear better than it is. Their D-Line doesn’t have great size and their LBs are awful. Will Witherspoon holds this defense together. The Bills should have solid success running the ball.

Arizona – lost Calvin Pace, made a ton of minor moves
- Arizona is starting to look like a Ken Whisenhunt team. They made a number of moves, but I think their run defense will stay about the same. Arizona allowed 3.9 yards per carry last season. They were a very solid and pretty consistent run defense that only gave up a couple of big days and shut down some of the league's better runners. This is a tough game for the Bills and a tough matchup for Lynch and the O-Line.

San Diego – signed Derek Smith (who I think is washed up)
- SD gave up 4.1 yards per rush last season. If Adrian Peterson didn’t run for 296 yards on 30 carries, that total would be much lower. If their D-Line is still healthy, I would expect SD to be a very tough matchup. The Bills will pound Marshawn because the Chargers have a turnover happy defense, but the Bills will have a tough day running the ball. This is another game that I can’t envision Buffalo winning.

Cleveland – traded for Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers
- The Browns simply didn’t have the personnel to run the 3-4 effectively last season. They bottled up slower backs like Shaun Alexander and Brian Leonard, but really struggled against everyone else. They were effective in the snow against Buffalo, but I am sure everyone here can remember how predictable Buffalo’s offense was and how many Browns were in the box every play. Cleveland has mediocre LBs and I think Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers will be too busy trying to get to the QB to even notice that he no longer has the ball. I don’t expect much improvement from the 4.5 ypc they gave up last year.

Kansas City – drafted Glenn Dorsey, signed Demorrio Williams, traded Jared Allen
- I’m sure they are real excited about Glenn Dorsey down in Kansas, but he has a big task ahead of him. Ahman Green, Justin Fargas, Cedric Benson, Selvin Young (twice) and TJ Duckett all had great success against an awful KC defense that gave up 4.5 ypc. Selvin Young ran for 265 yards in the two games against KC. Glenn Dorsey is bound to help, but this is still a team that will probably start Ron Edwards at DT and Turk McBride at DE. Donnie Edwards is turning 35 and Napolean Harris hasn’t lost a step, he has lost two. Demorrio Williams and Derrick Johnson are both good in pursuit, but struggle at the point of attack. Carl Peterson is one of the worst GMs in the league, this team is a mess.

San Francisco – Bryant Young retired, drafted Kentwan Balmer and signed Justin Smith
- I think San Fran’s D is on the verge of emerging as one of the better units in the league. Not a dominant unit, but one that is well above average. Patrick Willis is incredible. This is a team that kept Adrian Peterson to 3 yards on 14 carries. They didn’t dominate any other teams, but they held everyone else pretty much in check other than Pittsburgh when Willie Parker, Ben Roethlisberger and Najeh Davenport combined for 196 yards on 30 carries. The 3.8 ypc they gave up last season wasn’t a fluke and I expect much of the same this season.

Denver – Added Boss Bailey and Dewayne Robertson
- It feels like Denver has been trying to rebuild their D-line for years and they are still awful. In his first game as a pro last year, Marshawn ran for 90 yards on just 19 carries. Addai and Kenton Keith ran for 216 yards on 29 carries. Tomlinson and Turner ran for 214 yards on 31 carries. Ron Dayne and Darius Walker ran for 133 yards on 24 carries. Even Mike Martz’s stable of backs (Kevin Jones, TJ Duckett and Aveion Cason) ran for 127 yards on 22 carries. Denver’s only good weeks came when everyone on KC was hurt and Priest Holmes (20 carries for 65 yards) and Kolby Smith (13 carries for 12 yards) each started a game and the game against Chicago where Benson got hurt early in the game and the "other" Adrian Peterson ran for 45 yards on 17 carries. DJ Williams is a great player and Dewayne Robertson was a nice addition, but their supporting cast is pretty bad. ECC grad Marcus Thomas and the aging Alvin McKinney are set to battle for a starting spot at DT. This team still hasn’t recovered from the decision to grab all the former Browns D-Lineman. They have 8 DEs on the roster right now. Didn’t Mike Shanahan’s mom ever tell him that quantity doesn’t equal quality? I mean guys like Ebenezer Ekuban and Elvis Dumervil sound like they belong in a Harry Potter book, not on a D-Line. I am no longer concerned about Buffalo’s ability to go into Denver and win a game this year.

What does this say about our Scouting Department?

freddyjj — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:57:43 -0000

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.

Forgetting the players we drafted and the postions they play, if I gave you a GPS or access to Mapquest, who could even find these schools, let alone find an NFL quality player there:

Troy, Akron, Iowa St, NW Missouri, Northwestern St.

Even our large school picks are from less than stellar D1 Football programs:

Indiana, Kansas, Pitt, Kentucky

Makes you wonder what our scouts were looking for - and IMHO the following epitomizes what that "it" is.

Prior to the draft there were some minor red flags on USC's TE Fred Davis for being "not too excited about playing football" and his "Hollywood Posse". He chose to be a Day 3 no show at Redskins Minicamp. Meanwhile Derek Fine was at OBD showing that, while he may not be great at any one thing, he is happy to simply have the chance to be a "football player". This "it" factor also showed through in our post Draft Rookie FA signings.

Kudos to OBD so far on finding guys that want to be here and truly appreciate the opportunity. Like the old saying states "Football doesn't build character, it reveals it".

Do we Cheat?

TheyCallMeAndy — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:08:44 -0000

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.

Some informed observations from Rookie Camp

Geronimo — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:20:53 -0000

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.

Favorable Rushing Schedule

poz — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:16:38 -0000

NFL.com noted that our Buffalo Bills will be facing the second easiest schedule against run defenses this season. Our most vulnerable opponents in that area being Cleveland, Denver, Kansas City, Miami x 2, the Jets x 2, Oakland and St. Louis. None of those teams finished better than 20th against the run last season and if our offensive line can stay healthy we should be able to run a smash mouth scheme around Marshawn, which would allow us to open the passing game for Lee and Hardy. I hope Viti is the answer at fullback because I would like to see Marshawn run behind a real lead blocker, especially against that slate of porous rush defenders. While it should be taken into account that Cleveland did add Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, I still like the prospects of facing those defenses.

Goodell validates Pats stole time from my lifespan.

SuperFan82 — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:14:43 -0000

Maybe none of this information is new, but it certainly proves that the cheating took place during New England's Super Bowl seasons at the very least. From a Bills fan's perspective, I'm being told that the team that has dominated my division for a decade and that has currently won 13 out of 14 against us definitely was assisted illegally in beating us. I've spent countless hours and large sums of money following the Bills (to no avail this decade) and now I'm told that the games weren't even on the level. Goodell's ultimate restitution solution is to take away the 31st pick in the draft- Well, that doesn't get me back the time and money I wasted rooting for the Bills in a rigged league all those years. GOODELL IS AN ABSOLUTE JOKE. He can play the tough guy when it comes to policing players, but even that's become a joke. Michael Vick's going to miss 2-3 years on a witchhunt and players like Jarred Allen (repeat DUI offender) who put human beings at risk get minor slaps on the wrist as far as a suspension. Even Pacman Jones, who moves your life expectancy down by a full decade every time you're in a room with him, will probably end up playing again after just one season. He plays tough guy on teams like Atlanta and Cincinnati and caters to Bob Kraft and Jerry Jones. FRAUD. New England should be made to vacate all titles won since at least 2002 and Belichick and Kraft should be suspended for two years minimum. I wasted time and money following this crooked league, which i wouldn't have done if I had known that Buffalo wasn't being given a fair chance to win their division each year and were being handicapped against making the playoffs by facing cheaters twice a year. Take those two games a year away and history could've been a lot different for the Bills. Here's hoping Kraft, Goodell, Jones, Belichick, Ebersol, McManus, and all the back-slapping crooks that run this league get theirs in some way, shape, or form someday. As much as I've enjoyed rooting for the Bills all these years, the NFL can fade away as far as I'm concerned. Once the Bills are playing in Toronto (don't kid yourself either- even Chris Brown's having a tough time keeping his poker face) the final straw will have dropped and my experience following the NFL will have come to a close. What a racket this league was while I was there to follow it and taking away the 31st pick in a college entry draft doesn't make it up to me.

Ticket Prices in Toronto

SBbe4idie — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:51:17 -0000

Just reading about some of these ticket prices. They are absolutely out of whack. People will start to talk about how much more money they can make in Toronto but here's the deal. It's a novelty...American sports in Canada. It's the circus coming to town every year...get tickets now before they are all gone...you get the picture. Fact is, after not making the playoffs since 1999 I would LOVE to see people pay those prices to see a football game. Buffalo is where the base is. I just read today in the Buffalo news that season tickets are up this year. UP! Being a season ticket holder myself, I sat through the rain, sleet, snow, hail, and wind during the last game last season against the New York Giants. I watched as we slowly lost a 14-0 lead. I went to that game fully knowing it meant nothing and we would miss the playoffs for an 8th season. I went to that game because I am a Bills fan. And guess what? So did 70000 other people. The circus may be attractive, but I don't see people paying $200 for a game like that. Buffalo is where the fans are.

Current QB backups in the NFL (team & FA)

WABillsfan — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:54:42 -0000

In the interest of keeping us all aware of what is available in NFL as far as current backup QBs either on a team or in FA, I will be updating this post on a regular basis (at least once a week). I personally assume JP Losman will be kept on for the remainder of his contract, but not everyone agress, therefore this post will do double duty.

My hope is by creating this FanPost we will be able to keep all theories as to what we should do for backup QBs during the 2008-2009 season relatively contained.

This post came about due to the post by Brian regarding Sullivan's rant about JP Losman, and that made me start asking myself some questions:

Who are the backups in the league right now?
Are they (as a group) any good?
Would any of them be willing to be Trent's mentor if we traded Losman, or even if we didn't?
Would they fit in with this team and organization?
Lastly, what would it take for us to pry them away from their current team or get them in FA?

I will list them by team first, and then all of the current FA QBs as well. I will pick the 3 guys whom I think best answer questions 2-4 and will take a guess on the 5th question on those 3 players.

After that, I would love to hear what other people think about the guys whom I choose, and whom they feel best answer the above questions in order to help this team out.

Question 1-

Arizona Cardinals- Kurt Warner and Brian St. Pierre

Atlanta Falcons- Chris Redman, Joey Harrington, and DJ Shockley

Baltimore Ravens- Kyle Boller and Troy Smith

Carolina Panthers- Matt Moore and Brett Basanez

Chicago Bears- Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton (Neither man should ever be a starter for gods sake)

Cincinnati Bengals- Jeff Rowe, Jordan Palmer (Carson's little bro), and Ryan Fitzpatrick

Cleveland Browns- Ken Dorsey and Brady Quinn

Dallas Cowboys- Brad Johnson and Richard Bartel

Denver Broncos- Cullen Finnerty and Darrell Hackney

Detroit Lions- Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton

Green Bay Packers- Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn

Houston Texans- Shane Boyd, Alex Brink, Quinn Gray, and Sage Rosenfels

Indianapolis Colts- Jim Sorgi and Josh Betts

Jacksonville Jaguars- Cleo Lemon and Todd Bouman

Kansas City Chefs- David Greene, Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard (I don't know if Herm can agree on any one of these guys to be the starter).

Miami Dolphins- Chad Henne, John Beck and Josh McCown (Parcells will go with Josh McCown as his starter the 1st season before deciding between Beck and Henne next year is my take on the situation.)

Minnesota Vikings- Gus Frerotte, John David Booty, Brooks Bollinger, and Kyle Wright

New England Patriots- Matt Cassell, Matt Gutierrez, and Kevin O'Connell

New Orleans Saints- Tyler Palko and Mark Brunnell

New York Giants- David Carr, Jared Lorenzen, Andre' Woodson, and Anthony Wright

New York Jets- Erik Ainge, Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington (Who knows which guy Mangelded will choose to be his sacrifical lamb this season)

Oakland Raiders- Andrew Walter and Jeff Otis

Philidelphia Eagles- AJ (Mc)Feely and Kevin Kolb

Pittsburgh Steelers- Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon, and Jared Zabransky

San Diego Chargers- Casey Bramlet, Billy Volek, and Charlie Whitehurst

San Francisco 49ers- Shaun Hill, J.T. O'Sullivan, Drew Olson, and Alex D. Smith (No one is sure if Hill or Smith will win, someone may be cut after TC is halfway through)

Seattle Seahawks- Dalton Bell, Charlie Frye, and Seneca Wallace

St. Louis Rams- Brock Berlin and Trent Green

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Sam Keller, Chris Simms, Luke McCown, Josh Johnson, Brian Griese, and Bruce Gradkowski (Needless to say, the Mecca of backups, lets all make a pilgrimage!)

Tennessee Titans- Kerry Collins, Ingle Martin, and Paul Thompson

Washington Redskins- Colt Brennan, Todd Collins, and Sam Hollenbach

FAs- Daunte Culpepper, Trent Dilfer, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelly Holcomb, Byron Leftwich, Jamie Martin, Craig Nall, Tim Rattay, Marques Tuiasosopo, and Chris Weinke

Question 2-4:

Which three men above do I feel would best be able to help us as a team, and be a mentor to Trent.

Trent Dilfer- He has won a Superbowl, he is an older player who understands he will never be a starter again and is fine with that. He has mentored several younger players over the years and does not resent doing this, in fact he seems to enjoy it. Last year filling in for Alex Smith he passed for 1,166 yards with seven touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 55.1 passer rating.
Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh- He has been in the league for 10 years now, and he knows he will never be a starting QB again in the league. He has had a solid career (used to be the starter for Detroit in 1998-2001) and he could mentor Trent of the rigors of being a starting QB in a very bad situation like he was in there in Detroit. In the one game he started in 2007 he threw for 218 years, completed 51.6% of his throws, had 2 TDs and 2 INTs for a rating of 69.0 in that game. In 2006 filling in when Ben was hurt so much he threw for 492 yards, 5 TDs, no INTs, completed 58.5% of his passes for a rating of 121 in 8 appearences.
Kerry Collins, Titans- He has been in the league for 13 years, and has done and seen it all, partying, booze and being torn apart by his fans for anything and everything. He would be able to mentor Trent not in only in the game of football, but also about life in general and how it is to be a proffessional athlete in this day and age. He would also be a good choice since he is not inclined to be a starter anymore. In 2007 he threw for 531 yards, completed 61.0% of his passes, no TDs, no INTs and had a rating of 79.9. Considering the lack of any offensive weaponry that the Titans had/have these days (they make us look good to be honest, only VY keeps them in games). I think he would be a very very solid pickup as our veteran player/mentor for Trent, especially since he can still toss the ball.

Question 4:

What would it cost us to get any of the above three players?

Trent Dilfer is the easiest, just offer the man a decent backups contract 2-3 seasons for 1-1.5 million per year would get it done, probably a million in signing bonus to seal the deal.

Charlie Batch would probably be the toughest person to obtain of the ones I chose. The Steelers already have two younger players whom the just drafted to fight it out over the backup spot, and that is also the reason they may not want to part with Batch. I think if we offered them JP along with say a 4th or 5th rounder we might be able to swing a deal. The reason I feel this way is because JP would give the Steelers the vet player needed to get Dixon and Zabransky a year in their system before the vet could walk. Since JP's contract runs out in 2009, this could be appealing to them while still leaving them a vet presence even after Batch is gone.

Kerry Collins is easier than Charlie, but no where as easy as Trent to get. But since the Titans just drafted a young player in Thompson this season, and Ingle Martin is now entering his third season they may be willing to part with him. We would have to give up a 4th at the least or a package of a 5th and 7th to obtain him. In this scenario there would be no discussion of moving JP as Tennessee has no need for him due to Martin being on the roster. Though they might be willing to talk turkey on a Losman swap, I just don't think it is a likelihood.

Outlying Gamble I didn't mention this before, but it is more of a joke than anything else. Offer JP and a 5th rounder to the Bears for Sexy Rexy Grossman. The Bears get a QB in a contract year who is a heck of alot tougher than their current guy and they have Orton under contract. Or we offer JP for Orton straight up, which would be one of the more..... interesting things to ever see mentioned on ESPN.

Anyhow, thats what is available on the market, and three guys whom I think could come in and been good veteran mentors for Trent, and a funny trade proposal that will probably give some people the fits. Whether thats of laughter or gas, I'm not sure.

3rd Down Back

Berg79 — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:56:22 -0000

First, let me say this. I like Lynch and Jackson. I think they are a great 1-2 punch, and overall I think Lynch has the potential to be a great pass catching back. I am not as sure about Jackson (yet still like his skills as a solid #2 back). But since we have a lot of time to overanalyze situations I started to think and worry about Lynch and/or Jackson as a 3rd down back from a blocking standpoint. It got me wondering if with the addition of Hardy the Bills intend to use Josh Reed as a 3rd down back. We all know Reed's weakness's, but he does have some strengths. #1 is he has great knowledge of the offense and schemes (coaches say he understands the Offense better than anyone include Trent or JP); #2 He is a solid blocker; #3 He is reliable to get a tough 2/3 yards after contact once he has the ball in his hands.

All in all I started thinking about using Reed as a third down back and I have really warmed up to the idea. Sort of like the Patriots use Kevin Faulk. You can line up Hardy/Evans/Roscoe and have either Teyo or Royal at TE w. Reed in the backfield as a blocker/ security drop off. You could also line REed and Lynch on each side of Edwards with Hardy/Evans and Parrish lined up outside.

I would like to see this on a regular basis not just one or two plays a game.

Anyone else think this is a good idea?

Since we are all homers

sireric — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:37:20 -0000

Lets hear a few projections.

I think most of us seem to think that the Bills will finish anywhere between 7-9 and 10-6. But after seeing the optimistic voting on Hardy's touchdown total, it made me wonder; where do you think this team will struggle? If I were to ask you what numbers individual players will end up with, I'm willing to bet most if not all will be better then what they did last year. So the question is how does this team improve statistically, but not record wise? I'll go first:

It would be hard for this offense to NOT improve so I think that the offense goes up from 30th to around 23, I think low 20's is a respectable goal.

Marshawn - 1500 (total yards) 10 tds

Trent - 3200/14tds/10ints

Lee - 75/1050/5 (back to respectability)

Hardy - 35/450/3

Surprise guy - ROSCOE - 50/ 775/4

I think This offense will surprise a few people but the defense will be solid, I'll say 17th ranked D. I'm being optimistic today so I will say that the Bills finish 10-6.

Give a few predictions as to stats you think certain guys will put up, where you think the O and D will finish and what you think the final record will be. Remember everything is relative. Feel free to throw in a few surprises.

Here's a bunch of nothing

krytime — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:52:38 -0000

In no order:

Because they didn’t address the center position through FA or the draft, does that mean that Duke Preston has made the team, as he is the only back-up there? I know they resigned Whittle, but he would have stayed here for bucket of wings and some extra blue cheese. Is Christian Gaddis the answer as backup center? I can’t imagine so...

And as far as guys who snap the ball, what about our long snapper? It might seem irrelevant to talk about this, but it does tie up a roster spot. Is Ryan Neil on this team again? He certainly isn’t making this team on pass rush skills.

I don’t think anyone ever mentioned this idea here before – if so, my bad for not acknowledging it – what about Dockery making the switch to center? I’m not saying I think it’s a good idea; I’m just saying…

Does anyone think Kirk Chambers is a viable backup tackle? I hope so. If not, wow, that spot is thin…

Is Fred Jackson really “guaranteed” a spot on this roster? Omon is the popular pick to unseat Wright, but is it possible he unseats Jackson too? I really like Fred Jackson, and I’m still holding out hope for Wright. I think this will be a great battle in training camp. My vote now says Omon gets the practice squad treatment.

If you ask me, that whole TE/FB/HB spot is a mess right now.

What would Steve Johnson have to do between now and September to win a roster spot? Please, no Reed bashing here.

Is Jason Jefferson worth giving a shot? I think he might be worth hanging on to. He’s a guy I could see surprising in camp this year, as a dark horse. I’m not saying he will, but I’m saying we might not want to write him off completely…

Why do they not have a run stuffer in development? It’s a shame not to have a 300+ pound DT constantly growing in your “farm system/practice squad.”

That sixth LB, whether it be Costanzo, Bowen, or whoever else, is all about STs, isn’t it?

The 4/5/6 CB spot should be a good race too. Who are the best STs of those three (James/Peterson, Youboty, or the rookie Corner)? I think “CB” play will determine the 4th spot. STs play will determine the difference between the 5th and 6th spot.

Anyone else think that Ko Simpson earned a vote of confidence from OBD? No FA signings or draft picks. Or, does that vote of confidence go to Wilson, or even Wendling?

How come no one has a Bills Special Teams Depth chart?

Why do the Bills practice jerseys look better than the real game day ones?

If anyone has the wherewithal to estimate rookie contracts, given the “slotting” that typically occurs, whereabouts do the Bills now stand salary cap wise going in to the 2008 season? I have absolutely no idea. I would only guess they have a good chunk left…

Peter King thinks we might make the Playoffs

WABillsfan — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:59:24 -0000

While bored and wandering the net to check on the basketball scores, I found the newest edition of MMQB from Peter King at SI.com had already been posted. He has handed out his first power ranking of the year this one being his off-season ranking to be followed up by another at the start of Preseason.

He placed Buffalo at #13, lucky us, and says that if we get B level playing from all of our new guys and those on the roster we should be playoff bound, or maybe just short. If we make it as a wildcard, I personally will be going on a one week bender. Even if we miss, but get to 10-6, I will be happy. Anyhow, the article is here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/05/02/rankings/index.html

For those of you who don't want to read the whole thing, here is what he had to say about our Bills-

13. Buffalo. I like Trent Edwards having a full season to play quarterback; I like Paul Posluszny returning to anchor a young defense; I like Marshawn Lynch older and stronger and wiser. I even like the ability and cockiness of first-round pick Leodis McKelvin to win a starting job by October ... and I'm tempted to like a 6-foot-7 receiver who caught 16 touchdown passes in that non-passing-hotbed of Indiana University last fall, second-round pick James Hardy. This is an interesting team. If the youth plays at a B level, the Bills could win 10 games.

Bills Draft GPA

Jay Miles — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:16:29 -0000

A look at the AFC East Draft GPA from progridironfootball.com

The Pro Gridiron Football Draft GPA will grade each teams pick and giving it and overall score...Like a report card. I will look at each player picked, the players available at the pick, the value of the pick, and how the pick will fit with the needs of their team.

Bills GPA: 2.60

Best two picks: Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy

James Hardy, WR Indiana

I would have like to seen the Bills add more depth at the offensive tackle position, but they did add two big receiving targets to help out the offense and provided some speed on defense. Could have been a better draft for the Bills.

To Look the Bills entire GPA go to progridironfootball.com

Writers try to stoke QB 'controversy'

Ron From NM — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:26:35 -0000

This was linked to buffalobills.com: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21044-Buffalo-Bills-Quarterback-Controversy-

Near the end of the piece, which is pretty much a long winded way of saying the Bills haven't had QB stability since Kelly retired (duh!), the author writes of Edwards: "In truth, a start worse than 2-2 would cause him to lose the job."

Huh? Edwards went 1-3 in the final four games of the 2007 season. He was simply terrible in Cleveland and shoulders his share of the blame for the losses to the Giants and Eagles. Jauron didn't throw up his hands and declare the QB job an open competition. Instead, he said flat out that Edwards is the QB.

I'm not a fan of the West Coast type offense that seems so well suited to Edwards. With that being said, Jauron didn't leave any wiggle room so I first just laughed off the suggestion that Edwards might get yanked if the Bills get off to a 2-2 start. Then I looked at the schedule. The Bills play the Seahawks (NFC playoff team) at home, the Jags (AFC playoff team) on the road, the Raiders at home and the Rams on the road. They then play the Cards on the road before the bye week.

I have boldly predicted Buffalo would go 3-2 in that stretch...but what if it winds up being 2-3 or even 1-4? It doesn't seem likely but it is certainly possible. It's also possible that Edwards has some growing pains, particularly towards the beginning of the season. Jauron has shown a willingness to make wholesale changes at the bye week as he demonstrated with the offensive line in 2006. Could he do the same with the QB position?

My guess is that Jauron won't change QBs even if Edwards does stink up the joint for 4 or 5 consecutive games. Barring injury, he's the guy Jauron wants. Well, okay, he wants Peyton Manning or Tom Brady but Edwards is the guy on the roster who he wants. Throw in the contract issue (JPs walking at the end of this season unless the Bills franchise him.) and I just can't see Jauron turning to Losman.

Life could get really interesting if Edwards gets hurt and Losman does well in his place--particularly if that happens late in the season. My guess is that even then he'd put Edwards on the field when he was healthy but would that be game-day healthy or normal-person healthy? If the Bills were in the midst of a playoff push and Losman had a hot hand I can almost see Jauron insisting on Edwards being normal-person healthy. He does, after all, have to make the playoffs this year or next or face a realistic chance of being canned. Maybe caned, too.

Poll

If Edwards gets hurt week 10 and Losman leads the team to a 4 impressive wins weeks 11-14 (Browns, KC, 49ers, Dolphins) and Edwards can play week 15 would Jauron pull Losman in favor of Edwards?