WhitewalkerInPhilly

Ehh, I'll take it.

Man, I never expected to see this thread getting dragged up again, two months after I first posted it. I think seeing Byrd coming back in form against Pitt and the Jets quashed any thoughts about trying to replace him. Is he really the best safety in the league? No, I still don't think so. Do I think that having Byrd happily locked up in Buffalo long term puts this defense only a piece or two away from being one of the elite groups in the NFL? Yes. Is it worth paying a bit extra to get that? Now, I think so.

Of course, that win came after the ball literally went through the arms of Detroit's star receiver in the red zone and into the hands of the defender who was completely beat. I'm not saying Tampa didn't earn it (we won by picking off the Ravens five times) or that their recent streak isn't a bit disconcerting (it is) but apart from a flukey win last week, beating Miami or Atlanta doesn't seem all that impressive. I think a big part of their success is Glennon coming in with a "gunslinger mentality". You might recognize the phrase from when it was being used to describe Fitz every week. Some people might remember the 4-2 start Fitz gave the Bills before the heartbreaking crash back to Earth. Carolina will have three weeks of Glennon on tape. My prediction is they Cam Newton puts on a clinic of how to cream Glennon.

The game I'm worried about is Baltimore vs. Pitt. Pitt would have to lose two, preferably three of their remaining games if the Bills want to pull ahead (assuming 8-8 as the playoff minimum) and after this they play Cleveland, the struggling Packers, and the Dolphins. All of those seem like very winnable games. The Hoodie would still want to run up the score...

Is Khalil Mack a WOLB? Because we're pretty good at the Jack/Defensive Specialist role with Mario and Hughes, but if his job would be to take over Bradham I could see why. If not, I would much rather see us take a TE.

I do seem to remember something about the lease with the city being guaranteed for a few more years, and then another heavy penalty if they wanted to relocate. I suppose they could just wait it out, but that's building a stadium maybe a decade in advance for something very uncertain. Reeeallllly hoping for the Jim Kelly group now though.

You know, the more I read, the more I'm seeing this board from the same time last year: Fitz=Geno ("I can't believe we paid that money/took that draft pick for him") Chan=Red ("Our QB isn't good, but they are giving him a pedestrian offense to run that isn't helping") Stevie=Holmes and TJ=Hill ("We have one, pretty good non-elite WR who is playing injured and there is no way the guy we just drafted is an NFL WR) Buddy=Izdik ("I know we want a new quarterback, but we have so many holes, where do we start? Who made all these picks?" Fire the GM!") Just sayin'

Considering the number of "Manuel is a bust" comments I saw, I can't really judge them too harshly. But man, Geno did look dreadful out there yesterday. His play really took a dive the last two weeks, and I'm curious if he can't throw in really windy weather. He was atrocious against the Bills when it was warm but gusting and the Ravens had a lot of wind as well. If so, playing in MetLife Stadium is not going to be easy for him two months out of the year.

Why can't the Patriots put it on the ball on the ground like this when they play us?

I agree that after this week, SD and Pitt both look like the teams to beat. Both have relatively easy schedules (almost as easy as ours) and they'd reasonably have to lose two or more games. The Bills aren't out, but I'm suspecting that they really might have to win out if they hope to make the playoffs.

Well he's shooting first. I sense much fear in you.

In other news, the Pope has been revealed to be a secret Catholic.

Oh, they definitely need to get better. They're not *bad* and they're doing a decent job of pass blocking, but I have to think that Legursky is gone at the end of this year. I would not be surprised if they went shopping during the offseason or spent a high draft pick. Remember, we got Glenn with an early second round pick. Getting a guard in that range doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Alright, I just finished the NFL rewind on the Falcons-Saints game. I'd like to take a look at the All-22, but I had a few thoughts before that comes out: 1) I know this has been hashed to death already, but can the Bills catch a break with the schedule planners? I know they can't account for anything, but after an extremely late bye for the Bills, that's getting mitigated even more. It didn't bother me when I expected the Falcons to steamroll us at the beginning of the year but now... 2) The Falcons are not a bad team. As much as we say that the Bills are better than a 4-7 team, I really have to say that the Falcons are not a 2-9 team. 3) Oddly enough, I kept thinking that the Saints defense looked a lot like ours. They would absolutely maul Matt Ryan and then start giving up big play after big play. 4) The reason the Saints defense held the Falcons to 13 points was, without a doubt, the fact that they batted Matt Ryan around like a pinata and sacks came on extremely inopportune times. 5) Whenever the Saints blitz didn't get there, they got burned with underneath throws. I think Kiko is going to see a lot of pass coverage. 6) I think this might be Spiller's chance to come back. The Falcons gave up a lot on flare patterns and outside runs. If the Bills can get Spiller's confidence and decisiveness back I think he could have a big day. 7) The Falcons did a great job running the ball up the middle in the first half. Not so much in the second. I don't have the exact count, but I thought I saw a lot more passing attempts, which seems odd considering all the blitzing I saw.

This does bring up a good point. I've heard a lot about Kaep regressing this year, and about Washington's woes, yet surprisingly little about the 7-3 Colts and the 9-1 Seahawks. Overall, I think that RGIII is a pretty good quarterback, and I can't deny him that. Is he elite? Ehhh.... Has he been overexposed in the media? Oh, without a doubt. I think these factors are a result of all the scrutiny more than anything.

Look, I *like* Mike Pettine. But I don't think anyone can argue that he hasn't finished the job here in Buffalo. People who are going to looking for a new head coach are going to hear the same things that we debated: Was his success just riding Rex Ryan's coattails?-I don't know at this point. He certainly seems competent with us, and a lot of our early bad defense can be attributed to losing almost all of our starting secondary to injury. But after striking gold with Kiko Alonso and finding a diamond in the rough in Robey, somehow revitalizing McKelvin, having three Pro Bowl D-linemen, a Pro Bowl safety in Byrd, we STILL have only an average defense. How about the question of "If we hire him, do our personnel fit his scheme? How many offseasons will it take to match his vision?" "Is the improvement in the Bills defense just because Wanny was so bad?" I don't think that he's answered the looming questions sufficiently quite yet. Meanwhile, Chip Kelly's Eagles are suddenly the division leaders going into their bye and are contending for the playoffs. The college coach experiment suddenly seems to be working, so I think there is enough muddying the waters to have Pettine be the first phone call.

I...think you don't know what the read option means.

OK, I was ready to tar and feather the man after the last two weeks. I don't know what it was, and why he waited until this week to go all out, but down on the sideline Hackett seemed to help EJ's confidence. I want to see it more.

Hey, it seemed to work. It gave EJ his best game ever, and if it helps to have a man on a sideline I'm glad to have him down there.

I'll admit, last week gave me some doubts. But seeing him today dispelled them. He's probably going to have some bad days, and he's still looking for his first win on the road, but with a season of seasoning, followed by giving him an upgrade on the line and TE during the offseason I think this is going to be a great team in the coming years.

Except Geno *can* put together a few decent games before putting up an amazing stinker. I'm just glad we caught him on one of his bad days.

that's four interceptions and a fumble from Geno. I have to say, I had doubts after he won the duel week 3 and EJ played awful last week. But now...

FINALLY, EJ shows what he can do downfield!

Who are these guys and what have they done to the Bills? ... Never mind, I don't care that these are pod people.

fly pattern motherf%ckers, have you heard if it? seriously, i've never been on the fire hackett bandwagon until now.