timba

I don't find the outlook for the season good, but I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised! I realize it's just the preseason, but there has been no life in the offense. I DO hope that T.O. steps in and it's all the difference in the world. I hope Wood and Levitre are the players we all think they can be. I hope that the rest of the line comes together and consistently open holes. I hope Trent and the offense learn how to play against a 3-4 D. I hope Maybin can be a pass rushing difference maker. That's a lot of hope, and over the past decade hoping has helped very little. Hell, last season they had just about all of us hoping and they got us good. I believe it is reasonable to be on the pessimistic side of the season because we really do have so many unknowns. Pessimistic yet hopeful. I think that accurately describes the true feel on the board.

That would have been totally BA!

Then what's your evaluation of the starting offense and it's inability to score touchdowns?

Just having a solid preseason performance is all! Somebody has to. I would like to at least see a td pass once from our first string before the season starts. Four preseason games and not once passing touchdown? I don't know HOW that is acceptable. The things that I was hoping to see out of Edwards in the preseason that were supposed to inspire for the year have instead brought doubt... being decisive in the pocket, being aggressive with his throws, getting a blasted touchdown... I just haven't seen it. I've been a supporter of the guy, but at some point he needs to give me a legitimate reason to keep doing so.

I would say Nnamdi Asomugha is an elite corner... the dude is just ridiculous. These statistics only take into account the number of times they gave up touchdowns. Corners who go for the big plays are going to be the ones that give up more touchdowns. There are many times that there is a 10-20 yard pass that guys give up but are able to prevent the touchdown. That hurts nearly as much and happens MUCH more often than the TD pass.

I don't believe this would be in the best interest of the team. With Reed we get a very good possession receiver and a great blocking WR. If you want big running plays, you need that downfield blocking. This will prove particularly effective with both Evans and Owens on the outside. Parrish has shown time and again that he isn't an every offensive play kind of receiver. He's just not physical enough, and that is exactly what we need in the slot. Reed going would be particularly beneficial to Hardy and Johnson. Experience is invaluable and they would both get that with Reed gone. In the long term it may be good to give our young receivers more game time, but for just the upcoming season keeping Reed in the slot will give us a better chance of breaking the 7-9 plateau.

I hope that's Freddy's response when anybody in the locker room steps out of line. Him pointing the finger directly at TO probably isn't the most diplomatic way to handle the situation, but at least everybody knows where he stands.

oh god the nightmares!

It's a business and the patriots* sell. Doesn't mean I don't mega-loathe them any less... I just wish the Bills sold as well.

this thread is just full of cheeky shenanigans

I don't know where you're coming from with the Edwards blaming stuff... you're putting words into my mouth and did not address the argument at hand whatsoever. I conceded in my initial response that it was debatable and I listed the players I thought would be in the ballpark as a declining T.O. and Evans, a receiver who has proven that he can only go deep and has problems with double coverage. I do think both are legitimate number one receivers. They don't have to be top 20 for that. To blindly put them there is folly.

lol my bad, I meant Chambers.

Stop lying to me and everybody else on this board. Can't rule him out of being a product of what's around him, but because of what's around him he's going to become that much of a better player. I even said myself that maybe not top 20 material, but that was at the end of last year and you don't know what this year will bring. Watch this kid.

I appreciate the constructive criticism. Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge with us all /sarcasm

The following are a list of players I would consider in the same breath as T.O. and Evans (not including the other 18 listed from the OP link): Derrick Mason Laveranues Coles Plaxico Burress Chris (Chandler) EDIT: I meant Chambers. Santonio Holmes Dwayne Bowe Steve Breaston Jerricho Cotchery A couple of these players (mason, coles) are towards the ends of their careers like TO. Much like TO, they have lost a step however, they also hang onto the ball more consistently when it's thrown their way. Definitely not the flashy types of receivers, more of a Hines Ward type, but still more reliable than TO. Burress definitely has the off the field issues and depending on his court ruling could be out of the game for a while. Despite that, you can't dispute his on-field production. I absolutely LOVE how Steve Breaston has been developed. I suppose I kill my own argument by saying maybe he's not top 20 right now but after what I saw last season I have no reason to believe that he won't progress and break that barrier. The other few, Chandler, Holmes, Bowe, and Cotchery are all similar to Evans except I've actually seen them go over the middle more. That's my only dispute with Evans. He seems to either go deep or does a comeback. On occasion you see him over the middle but it is RARE that he gets the catch there. I will concede that it is disputable to put Evans and TO into the top 20, but to say it without a second thought... well my opinion of the two isn't quite there.

I wouldn't put either in the top 20, but I'd have both in the 21-30 range.

My guess is he doesn't want to attend the off season stuff.

Good move by Miami. Bring back an experienced vet to teach the young-ins a thing or two.

My guess is yes. He practices here then takes it to the big show.

Saying Evans and TO are not #1 receivers in the league would indicate that there are 32 others who are better than them. I'm curious as to who you think these players are? For every team like Arizona who has the Fitzgerald/Boldin combo there are teams like the Giants, Bears, and Rams who are REALLY weak at WR. Calling Josh Reed expendable is VERY debatable. You did notice how miserable the offense was without him right? I'm not saying they were great when he was there, but there was a significant drop-off when he was out. The dude is clutch on 3rd down, blocks (which is more important than some people seem to believe), and has become the go to guy for Edwards. I would like to see the WR crop we have stay despite the number. Just by watching T.O. in person will help Hardy and Johnson tremendously and NEXT year is going to show huge improvement in both of them.

You paint quite a pretty picture here. I also HOPE that comes to pass, but I just can't believe it will happen that way. It's just that the last 10 years or so they haven't done the things that make a successful team. They've been good enough to be just below average and that's what I expect out of them. As whatever higher power you may believe in knows, I hope for the best and will be cheering on my team every step of the way... but when I step back and try to be objective and evaluate them, I'm left with what's in front of me.

Good to hear he's working hard. I just hope it translates on the field.

I wouldn't say there are NO jets fans. I know a few in Groton (9 miles away) and they're excited about the Jets coming to the area. So there will be at least three Jets fans there! F that and F them! GO BILLS!

For the choices given, John Elway. If there was ever a QB who would do whatever it takes to win, it was him. I think it's hard to find a situation where I would rule out the team that John Elway was on.

TRICK PUNT!