shoretalk

It looks like we are making the plan to strengthen the middle of our line by moving WOOD to center, where he excelled in college. All too often in the last two seasons opposing teams have been able to bull rush our center right into the backfield. So, Buddy's strategy appears to be to pick up some guards and come 2011 our middle three may be Levitre WOOD and WANG!

If we don't start playing the kids and letting them gain experience now then they never will get a chance. This defense is such an enigma ... it's time to show some leadership and one of the draft picks might have it. It's pretty clear that Stroud, Poz, Whitner, etc. just go through the motions.

And, to think I thought this post was telling us to bring our brown bags to wear at the next home game. When you have a weak linebacking corps (actually no linebackers ... I tell you what I would rather see Keith Ellison in there than what we have) and your DE's are not giving you anything then sacks become mythical fantasies. We know where we are right now ... I say put Carrington in at one of the DE spots and let him learn by making mistakes but taking that college fire and saying 'kid - bring some excitement to this team!' And, then throw in Coleman and Moats at LB ... at least Moats wants to put his nose into people at the line rather than chasing them down like Poz does.

That's right ... 3-4 years of paying him before everyone realizes that this was a wasted project and Mr. Maybe goes on to find something else that he can do with his weak muscual physique. Sadly, this Dick Jauron 'must have' doesn't have any fire in the belly (how reflective this team is of the coach they had leading them ...) and obviously doesn't have have the skills to be an OLB and is way to small/weak to play DE. Someone needs to at least grab his should pads and straighten him up so he's not starting in that 4 point stance of his ... I almost laugh every time I see his small body get into that easy to push back position.

There are some here who really make you wonder! This might be McKelvin's best year ... every quality CB gets burnt from time to time and looks awful when it happens but I think he's really working on being a good CB in the league. And, David Nelson has caught every single pass thrown his way and has shown an ability to play in traffic ... he needs to be in the starting lineup. And that is less than half the team.

Levitre, Wood, Evans, F. Jackson, C. McIntyre (never stops playing hard), D. Nelson (the kid needs to be starting), Spiller, Parrish, Fitz, Troup, K. Williams, Covington (give him a chance to show some potential), Moats, McGee, McKelvin, Florence, Wilson, Scott, Moorman, Lyndell, and Byrd. So that's 21 out of the 23 man roster. My give them a second thought cuts would be S. Nelson, D. Edwards, Stroud, and S. Johnson. What Gailey and Nix need to do now though is cut the dead wood like McCargon and Maybin. By being bold enough to cut #1 picks it shows that they mean business. Neither of these guys is going to make it. And, no matter what stance Maybe takes it won't help because the guy doesn't have a killer's mindset ... it seems like he could care less if he makes a play but then he does it is like he just won the Super Bowl. CUT HIM NOW!!!

The most disheartening moment of this season and the moment when I knew that these guys just don't have the balls to play the game is when Clay Matthews sacked Edwards and then straddled him posing to the crowd. I don't care if they would have been kicked out and suspended but any one of the other 10 guys should have come over and pushed Matthews away. Instead they were left to be laughed at ....

A very good post ... as one of the optimists of the board I have been totally disappointed by the way the team has performed. And, sadly, apathy is perhaps the best description because the anger and frustration have been fomenting for a long time. What we need to see from Nix and Gailey is a clearing of the 'dead wood' including those who show up for the preseason and disappear in the regular season. Let's bite the bullet on contracts and show that the status quo just doesn't cut it. I was never a fan of our #1 pick 'May-be Later' but now that he has been given every chance to shine and we have had Clay Matthews literally rub Maybin's lack of drive in our face ... a willingness to cut a #1 pick could be a very instructive message. All I know is that I will be at THE RALPH on October 3rd and ready to shout and cheer and support my team ... but if this team keeps appearing at game sites without any desire to battle then that apathy will grow and missing a 2011 season might not be a bad thing. Heck, I enjoyed the World Cup this year so maybe Major League Soccer has some potential.

Ayodele is a better run defender ... just tough luck situation for Mitchell. The way Gailey phrased the injury yesterday there were strong hints that it was more serious than a game or two ... I agree this might be another injury settlement case designed so we can get a replacement onto the line-up. Thankfully Ayodele has played in Edwards' system so in the end this should be a gain for the Bills.

I never want another human being to be injured especially playing a game. Sure I HATE the PATRIOTS and I REALLY HATE the DOLPHINS but that does cause me to want to hurt their fans or see their players injured. What I want is for my team to be good enough to beat their team at full strength. If their key personnel are injured and we win ... does that mean we only won because of the injury? And, yes I know there have been head hunters in the league but that doesn't make it right either. So, no ... there are no cheers when opposing players get injured. There is help for anyone who wants another person hurt ... might be wise to seek it out.

THANK YOU!!!! So much misinformation and name calling on this board ... no one is saying he was smart to go shopping at the mall for supplements but it is clear that this is the first offense.

sure is ... way too many people on this board have been drinking in the ESPN and Madden analysis of the team and think they are getting worse not better. It's exciting to realize we will be watching a team with a creatively minded offensive coach dedicated to winning not just trying to avoid a loss ... his coaching in combination with a running game loaded with potential and a revived passing game that will finally utilize Roscoe in combination with Spiller, Evans, Jackson, Johnson/Nelson, and Stupar are going to put points up on the board. Our DB's are going to be catching a lot of balls this year and we will be in the game during the 4th quarter most weeks. So, I am totally in agreement with you about the kool aid ... the pessimists whose glasses always seem to be more than half empty now have filled them up with the powdered stuff that is energizing them into missing out on the good news from OBD! Thanks for posting your reminder about all those who just can't see the good things that are ahead! GO BILLS!

If it wasn't for illegal substances and Nelson stated that right away then it's time for us to move on. When the suspension is over he will have the opportunity to prove himself or he will be sitting back watching Stupar help this exciting offense move the ball downfield while kicking himself for ever going to his local GNC store. It does make you wonder what GNC is peddling as healthy.

I knew better than to open this post ... I really did know better but then again maybe I didn't. Do you know that if the sun shines it doesn't mean it is going to be a sunny day because every pesimist in the world is going to say that there is a storm on the horizon even though the sun is shining. The Cowboys admit they screwed up by firing Gailey ... he has proven himself to be a good offensive minded coach at the college and pro level. He has come into town with a major attitude adjustment for the players and team. Why can't you sit back ... watch a few games ... see if Gailey's Bills are showing a winning attitude and competence on the field. No one is a miracle worker ... he is not going to be fired if they aren't in the playoffs but from everything he has showed us he is a coach who will stand up for his players but also not sugar coat their mistakes ... he wants to win. So pull your head out of the storm and look at the sunshine ... no, we aren't going to be undefeated but there's a fairly good chance we will be 1-0 after Sunday's game ... Be a fan for a few days ... cheer for your Bills ... hope for the best ... enjoy CJ Spiller and if the Byrdman is back in action watch him fly ... Roscoe is going to do some special things and there may be some surprises too... GO BILLS

Promo - I love your insight ... Thanks again!

I so agree ... the Bills are not the Redskins but do we really want to be a team that wastes so much money on over the hill players who don't contribute. The only player I can think of that I regret losing was Pat Williams and there may have been some owner-agent ego battles going on there. Maybe it's the Labor Day holiday or the lack of coffee but right now I am struggling to think of two or three players we lost out on because of Ralph being cheap. I mean players who would have turned this team around, been team players who would have energized the entire line-up and the fan base. I not talking about those who did it all for themselves were self-centered egotists willing to negatively impact their team for the sake of another million ... and I am also talking about players whose FA salary demands would not cause the rest of their new team to wonder why not them. We watched Nate Odoms get an obscene salary that wasn't worth matching and Antoine Winfield too but as we have seen ... the Bills secondary didn't lose many steps while losing those two quality players. So, name the names my friends ... the players who would have helped the Bills ... been willing to come to Buffalo for whatever sky high salary you think Ralph should have paid ... would have given us numerous Lombardi's. Right now I think we finally have two elements that will bring the playoff's back to town ... Nix and Gailey. Their success will be what brings players to town or keeps them. But, let's stop making up tales of woe ... which millionaire owner is not 'cheap' demanding things of the city's their teams are in. Just look at the successful Minnesota Viking franchise. They have a fan base the loves them. They have a dome stadium that is not falling apart but their owner is demanding that a new stadium gets built downtown or he will move his investment elsewhere. In Philadelphia the owner cried like a poor baby until he got his new publically financed stadium ... and we could go on and on. GO BILLS ... Ralph is paying MILLIONS to these players ... if we lose then his first round picks cost him even more ... Foschi's concrete hands sealed his fate ... all he had to do was catch the ball in practice and in Detroit .. then he'd be on the payroll.

There are days when you really wonder what's in some of the water that is filling the glasses around here. He is strictly a guard/center and a very good guard already. The potential is there for him to become a good center too. We need to take a collective deep breath on the LT issue because Bell is the man and based on preseason play there were no awkward penalties nor signs of 'below average' play much less poor play from Bell. No, he is not a Pro-Bowl calibar LT right now but he is also much better than the majority on this board want to give him credit for. Let's see how he plays against the FINS and PACKERS before we start screaming about our LT needs. Now on the other side of the line ... RT appears to be the weak link ...

What's amazing ... so many on this board thought that Hardy should have gone a long time ago ... he just didn't have what it takes to play the #2 position. And, here we have a kid who has already shown that he is a good wide-out but in addition plays tough on special teams. So, is there really a question here about "keeping the Jones guy" versus Hardy. This has nothing to do with money ... it has everything to do with getting players on this team who can play. How many board members wanted the front office to give in to the Peters' blackmail? Those who did might find it interesting to read Philadelphia media comments about Jason's motivation and playing level. I do not want the Bills to pay mega-bucks to some washed up reject from another team. I like Buddy Nix's attitude that most FA's are not worth the money they are seeking ... so give them a pass and let's develop what we have. I think all of the owners pay way too much money out to players who never really build them championship teams. Just as Redskin fans how it feels to spend money on bringing in all the big FA names year after year ... you get to watch obscenely overpaid whining little boys play at half speed.

It looks like the GR List Making crew is starting to post on this board after ignoring the team that Chan Gailey has on the field. Of course, if you don't watch the games ... if you ignore the practices ... and just read what the national guys had in their computers 4 months ago you'd write something like this. QB - Far from the worst situation in the league. Edwards has taken major steps under the tutelage of Gailey whose playing calling and quarterback developing skills will give as a QB willing to throw it down field and across the middle. Fitz is a leader as a back-up and Brohm well, I am not sure but I have always been a Brohm fan. GRADE THEM a C moving up RB - The Bills don't have a marquee running back ... oh my, I wonder who CJ Spiller is. We have 3 RB's who would start on almost any other team. When you combine them with creative play calling ... this is a A group. OL - The interior is solid with Wood moving towards Pro-Bowl calibar. Levitre is already above average and moving up. Bell at LT is improving but definitely not getting the number of penalties that a certain Jason Peters is getting caught doing in Philadelphia at LT. The only real questions are RT (And, maybe Meredith will continue to mature and learn) and reserves. So to me this is a C group. WR - Lee Evans would have been PRO BOWL on other teams and definitely is a #1 wide out. As someone who is standing up and admitting being wrong about Roscoe, I think he is going to come alive in Gailey's offense because finally we are going to get him up against LB's over the middle and he is going to excell from the slot. Our #2 I think by mid-season is going to be David Nelson. This kid has a tremendous upside ... I don't want anyones 35 year old rejects when we have young receivers about ready to perform on the field. I am also a big Stevie Johnson fan, it wasn't his preseason but I think he can still contribute at the #2 slot at least until Nelson's talent force a change. This group is a solid B TE - Ok, because of the lack of depth and experience I will go along with the D. Stupar needs to show that what he has done in the last two preseasons can be translated into GAME DAY play at TE and he must stay healthy. From the Detroit game I am not surprised that Foschi was cut early and Nelson needs to get his head together. Am watching the waiver wires for TE's and I think Buddy probably is too. DL - Williams is a BEAST ... serviceable??? Clearly putting together lists of your favorite foods for GR talk shows has caused you to miss the player who just might be our most complete player. Ok, he doesn't have the size of a stereotypical NT but he can play. In addition, Troup is showing that he deserves to be on the field every single play ... what a problem to have. Stroud is in the best condition he has been in in years. B- for the line and maybe a B when they go into the 4-3. LB - Our mystery position ... we sure haven't seen much so far from this group. I always laugh when I hear people expecting first and second year players to play at Pro Bowl levels. Playing in the NFL is different than college and there is a transition time, which is one of the reasons Levy didn't like to play rookies. Last year Poz finally was coming into his own and I am sure if he stays healthy this year will be another positive one for him. There is just not enough information out there to show that this group is anything but average so a C until they prove something good or bad. CB's - The best group in the league. At least 4 of the group would be starters on other teams. I am not anointing them all as Pro Bowl players but as a group I cannot think of a team with a more complete unit. Watch out when we go nickel! The new defensive scheme is going to lead to more interceptions and yes, we will get burned once in a while but this group grades out as an A! Safeties - Have to hope that the Byrdman's groin issues get healed because he may be someone very special but even minus Byrd, this is a solid unit that will also benefit from the new coaching philosophy. B Special Teams - Lindell and Moorman ... enough said. A Coaching - Is there anyone not happy with the coaches we have. Ok, I know ... it's only preseason and it's public relations stuff so far but waht a miraculous change from what we have experienced since Wade was pushed out because of talk radio's pressures. There is not a single group of coaches who have been at OBD this century that have come close to this winning approach where first coaches are accountable but then players ... they want to WIN! OVERALL TEAM - B- We are going to see points put up on offense and probably defense. Our team will not run out of gas in the 4th quarter like Jauron's teams did. We will be battling in the close games. Does this mean we blow out Green Bay in Green Bay? Of course not ... but a NFL season's final out come often comes down to little breaks and a lot of luck. So if this team stays healthy we might really surprise but in the end I think we are out of the rut and moving foward!

No NO ... A thousand times NO!

And, they get paid to do it ... amazing! Where do I get a job like that?

What does it say about a Buffalo area "journalist" who is clearly hoping for the Bills to have a dismal season? If Matthews feels his job is to be a Bills' fan and therefore write about what is good for the team then he wouldn't be framing his 'all goes well' for the Bills with a losing season. If he is a journalist covering the team then he doesn't use that phrase. The only way 'if all goes well' for the Bills and they draft Locker is if Locker has an average senior year and falls to the middle or later rounds of the draft, which is where the Bills most likely will be drafting. Leinart is just one more example of why teams/fans need to be careful when selecting quarterbacks as #1. A certain Brian Brohm after his junior year was being touted as a potential top five pick but then he had a pedestrian senior year and we are witnessing his pro career (And, I was one of those hoping his college potential came back with his coming to the Bills but it appears now that his senior year at Louisville was more reflective of his true abilities than his junior year.).

I am excited about our receiver group of EVANS, JOHNSON, PARRISH, NELSON, SPILLER, JACKSON (Fred), and THE BEAST plus McIntyre. We really don't need an old expensive receiver because we finally have a creative offensive minded coach who will throw downfield as well as utilize the middle of the field and the screen. Watching Roscoe versus the linebacker in the Cin. game was pure excitement and I have visions of similar match-ups throughout the season because teams will be watching for Spiller and Evans and Jackson ... and, I think Stevie will be a good number two who catches what is thrown his way. Then you add in David Nelson ... this kid knows how to run routes and hold onto the ball in traffic plus he bounces back from little hurts without requiring bench time. McIntyre brings a bowling ball who always seems to catch the balls thrown his way. Let's concentrate on finding a #2 TE since Foschi appears to think the idea is to bat the ball down to the ground rather than catch it. Stupar will begin as an average TE but he can catch the ball ... but obviously after last night we know that there is no one behind him on the bench until Nelson returns. So, forget Clayton and all these old has-bins with huge contracts and ego's ... let's find ourselves a tight end somewhere.

TIGHT ENDS and back-up OG/OT types ... Chambers is not the answer. Nix and Gailey want winners not worn out scrap heap types so we might be ignoring names that get released but they are building something here ... I think we will live with the LB's we have knowing that on the outside they are perhaps going to be our weakest position after the TE depth chart.

What we are witnessing so far is what a difference it is to have a HEAD COACH who wants to win above all else ... a HEAD COACH who is not about to kiss up to his players mistakes by denying them while at the same time defending his players and creating a sense of TEAM. Trent is being given a chance to be the quarterback he appeared to be when in that rookie preseason he looked like a leader in the huddle ... Gailey's offense with Roscoe's presence and David Nelson's potential will open up the middle of the field and that's without even thinking about what CJ will do for our "intermediate" passes. 4/5's of the offensive line is looking pretty good (And, most NFL teams are happy if they have 80% of their OL starters as decent)so that means more time for Trent ... and, yes those 50 - 70 yard passes skew the statistics but that's true with other qb's too and I would love a 60% completion percentage so 68% is really great! I am not sure if I'd elevate him above Sanchez until we play half the season but this team is going to be competitive and there will be no lying down with a lead ... Gailey is going to want to put away every single game plus this team will not be worn down 3/4's of the way through games. So, with an amazing running game ... Lee Evans ... Roscoe Parrish (I can't believe I am saying that so I admit to being wrong on Roscoe) ... Stevie Johnson and David Nelson ... CJ Spiller-Fred Jackson-The Beast catching passes out of the backfield ... the return of the screen led by Levitre's blocking ... Edwards may be the QB we have been looking for and frankly, we have not shot at Locker next year!