WhitewalkerInPhilly

I suddenly have lost a great deal of respect for rotoworld...wait, I never had any. As for the rumors, Rodak seems to honestly believe that a rehabbing Williams has less upside and talent than TJ Graham and Chris Hogan. I am not overstating that, he has said, almost word for word, that they are legitimate contenders to unseat a guy who, before last year,was putting up Stevie like numbers.

Yes, really. I can't find the article anymore, but Rob Quinn wrote an article about the Wide 9 and how its principles might fit in with the Bills back when Schwartz was just hired. He cited a few examples of the people Schwartz had used effectively at DE while with the Lions and Titans (I can't remember exactly, but Hughes was around the lower end mentioned) I'm not saying that he'll be an every down player. But the weakness of the Wide 9 is that you are spreading out your D-line, so you are more susceptible to the run. However, Mario Williams is already talented enough to get to the QB from the 5 technique without going extra wide, and typically plays where he doesn't line up against the TE unless you are in 2 TE formation. That allows you to tighten one end of the formation on the weakside, where Kiko will be in coverage (which people think will be a great fit for him). Now, the flip side is that you need better run stuffers on the strongside and middle...and we went out and got them. Brandon Spikes will likely be a 2 gap defender on most players, and Rivers has a reputation for being a hitter more than a coverage guy. Is it perfect? No. Do I expect rotation? Of course. But you are putting a line of 4 players who combined for over 40 sacks. I think that qualifies as a "really".

oh...no? i honestly can't bring myself to care.

Quick thoughts about things I've noticed throughout OTA's and minicamp: Does anyone else get the impression that EJ is getting some very nice chemistry with Moeaki? Seeing Schwartz's continual use of Hughes and the fact that Lawson and Randell Johnson are being looked at for DE, do you think he's hoping to use one set of ends as pure speed rushers on a continual basis?

This doesn't bother me so much. I remember watching the O-line being torn apart like tissue paper. I don't think Luck could have avoided getting clobbered at least five times. The Jets seemed to be content to rush all day. I remember in their second matchup, Rex's decision was to go to a single high safety and force EJ to beat them deep, only for Manuel to do exactly that. I don't want to undercut Manuel's accuracy problems, but he's had, what, ten practices to get the rust off and suddenly show immediate improvement? I'll start worrying in training camp.

i've heard rumors that lucas oil is the model for the new stadium. it does seem like a perfect one if we want to do a waterfront stadium. i can't imagine a better way to help revitalize it and get the money to do so.

oh, it does. it makes a lot of sense when your people are stressed, tired and could use a laugh. a day off here helps down the road. i just don't see how that translates into 'i am so furious, the discipline isn't there and we are playing sloppy. clearly the only answer is to give them a day off and have airsoft pellets drive the message home. for some reason'. the latter is what graham seemed to indicate.

Wait, because he's upset and not happy with his team's work, he decides to give them a day off and takes them out for some Airsoft? That's pretty impressive mental gymnastics, even for Tim Graham.

gentlemen, start your innuendos...

For those who took a second to read the article, it confirms a thought I'd had this week when hearing that EJ was struggling. The first two weeks the stories were on EJ had looked great for the most part and how good Sammy looked. If they had been starting with the simple routes, it would explain why Sammy had greater success which has begun to fade as he goes through the process of learning NFL routes. And as much as he has been bashed, EJ still went 15/24 on his passes, which is decent to start with. Add in the fact that it's OTA's, that he's working with new receivers and hitting the full playbook for the first time this year I can't worry yet. Training camp is when I'll start to. Now is just looking to see who is taking early strides on the roster battles. That said, Spikes has been showing some promise to be more than just a run stuffer and Graham is looking like a steal.

Having seen Vick play a little last year, I fully expect Geno to win the starting job, headcase or not. Of course, Vick's specialty is that he knows how to flash just enough talent to have fans begging coaches to put him in, and show just enough for people to get excited before folding.

Well, he's spent a lot of time here cultivating a reputation a speed rusher...and he's a pretty good situational Defensive End too.

i agree that woods doesn't have the razzle dazzle, but i do think that he is a frontrunner in my mind for the number of catches. he easily had the best chemistry with ej last year. first downs are a stat of their own and woods really managed to sneak into soft spots. with two flashy guys on the outside it's looking like a pick your poison decision in 3 wr sets

Damn, I can't wait for more

Agreed. And as much as I don't like the guy, Rex Ryan is a really, really good defensive coach and can be counted on to put up a great half of a team. That said, his offenses have...left a lot to be desired. To point one...Morninweg? Really? Really? And I think you managed to leave out Schwartz, who has a great track record as a DC. Two, I'm in Eagles territory and I can tell you that 99% of the fans I heard from were thrilled to see Vick go. And believe me, from the games I watched, I can see why. If you guys think that Geno was a turnover machine, you haven't been watching Vick over the last three seasons. All the bad things said about Geno (holds on too long, and gets decked on sacks because of it, tendency to fumble, interceptions) are also true for Vick who has a litany of concussions,an injury which does tend to stack up. Vick is aging. Last season he won back his job to start because he knows how to flash just enough talent before the wheels fall off. Personally, I'm more worried about Geno than I am Vick. If it comes down to offenses other than the QB position (which is still a tossup) I like the Bills O-line better, their receivers better, at worst the RBs are a wash, and the Jets seem to have a slightly better TE group (Chandler and Moeaki vs Cumberlad and Amaro) If it comes to the defense, our current projected starts had more sacks last year than one team did. (Mario, Dareus,Kyle and Hughes). We have possibly the best rookie from last year at WLB, the best run stuffing MLB and a solid/decent looking SAM in Rivers. At CB, Dee Milliner had a season where Rex probably would have preferred Gilmore with the glove on. And he's their #1 CB. I'm not saying that it won't be close, but I think the Bills have an edge at best, and it won't be an overwhelming difference in talent at the worst.

I don't know guys. Clearly, he had aspirations to be a Head Coach. We knew this. That was his reason for leaving Rex Ryan. But I just don't see him tailoring his entire defensive scheme to have one flashy looking year, and then completely abandoning it once he moved on to another job.

Whoops Edited to still make my point

Again, also true. Considering what he started with, a team that had the year before gone 0-16, and to make them competitive in two years is something to note. I see why he got fired, since the Lions really did fall apart when the division had gone to shambles and was ripe for the taking, but now he gets to focus on what he's good at. He as a D-line where the three Pro Bowlers put up over 30 sacks combined. He also has a history of making smaller, speed rushing DE's to work (Jerry Hughes anyone?) On top of that, he has a WLB who should have been rookie of the year and the best run stuffer in the league. Rivers, while not living up to 1st round status, is reportedly a decent contributor and he has some interesting rookie LB talent from the mid to late rouds of the draft that he can slowly bring along behind the starters.

This is a fair point. As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, as seen in the Patriots over the last few years. I think I should also mention that as much as I love Kiko, I really do think he is better suited as a WLB than the MLB he played last year. As to your other point, if Pettine's agressive style leads to more broken plays, and those broken plays leads to big chunks of yardage, then that does deserve a critique. Don't get me wrong. I like Pettine. I wish he had stayed another year and kept working the kinks out of what he started. But no defense is unbeatable. Rex Ryan is probably the best defensive coach the league, and he's never won it all as a head coach. I'm also glass half full on Schwartz. While his time at Detroit didn't turn out many great defenses, the man did a pretty bang up job when he got to just concentrate on running the defense for the Titans.

I do think that TaskersGhost is the biggest pessimist I've seen on this board. And considering the pessimists we have here, that's pretty impressive. But I do think he has a point about Pettine's defense. We loved the blitz happy scheme as fans, but while the Bills might have had an exciting defense, but while they ranked 10th in yards allowed, they ranked 14th in third down conversions allowed, 20th in points allowed, and 28th in yards allowed against the run. Pettine's system relies heavily on misdirection and overloading pressure to get to the QB. It doesn't do sh*t for d*ck against power running. Let's just keep that in mind when we go up against the Browns this year. Fred, Boobie, Bryce...you're up.

"Bills elite LB corps" is a phrase I have not heard in a long time. But seriously, the Spikes/Kiko combination is one I'm looking forward to. Between them, and our defensive line, I could argue that we might have one of the best front 7's in football right now.

Look, I hear the arguments for Gordon. I think that the policy on weed use is stupid, and considering what Vick got for running a dog fighting ring a year long suspension does seem over the top. But when you are in the third stage of the drug program, meaning that you have been caught over and over and told that if you don't stop, things will get worse, and you don't... And then, right when you get to the point where someone is deciding your fate, and something like this shows up... Of course, a dark part of me can't help but think "Hey, if he's not in the lineup this year, we don't have to play against him, Johnny Football has a dramatically less talented group of WR's and it improves our odds if he is out for a year"

Yeah, that beard... I'm, all for team spirit, but I hope that's one thing Sammy doesn't pick up. On the plus side, we don't have to worry about Williams running into the ladies while he has that thing.

williams put up 11 touchdowns his rookie year. if sammy can learn that, i'm cool with it.

It seems odd that branch and lawson aren't showing up. i wonder if they are unhappy about the new scheme.