ColdBlueNorth

I don't want to knock someone just trying to comment and be positive on how they changed things up with Dareus. He was lined up as NT on plays and I would have to look at the defense more closely than I did and break down each play to see how and if they used him differently. Like most teams the Bills use a 4-man front often especially when they feel they are facing the run, but as the Skins abandoned the run more guys were standing up, stunting and blitzing. It was a feeding frenzy and Dareus can play NT as well as DT or DE. He is a beast off the edge or straight-up bull rushing. Probably the biggest change was getting injured players off the field; I don't question Merriman, or Kyle's heart and work ethic, but they definately were not bringing their A-game and it is better to let our healthy bench players take snaps than have our best players out there with their F game.

You are right that he has played predominantly at end, but he lined up as NT for the Tide on 3rd and long situations because he was better at rushing the passer than Cody who is more the prototypical wide-bodied run stuffer. Dareus is the complete package and when healthy is an upgrade to whatever D-Line position they place him on. He also played in a pro-style defense so he came in being well versed in running stunts and moving inside and outside. Cody went to the Ravens who always place a premium on having very good players on their defensive line and Cody is no slouch. Kind of scary how talented that Crimson Tide defensive front was.

This is more my position - lock him up with a 3-5 year extension paying him what he deserves, but don't sell the farm for someone who will be 30+. I do like Fred and would like to see him play for another 8 years but after 30 it is really a crap shoot with running backs. Fred is an interesting case though, guys rarely get a good clean hit on him. He has a knack for sliding off to the left or the right of tacklers rarely if ever getting knocked back. That knack could extend his pro career in the same way that Marcus Allen's style of running did; who he kind of reminds me of - and yes, dating myself again.

Depends on what keeping to yourself means - still a free country and a simple kneel or pointing to the sky is no more offensive then doing some dance in the end zone IMO. If a guy wants folks to know how he stands it's his business, kind of makes the fall that much farther if he screws up and the media grabs a hold of it. Dunno, maybe it is better for players to be complete tards and set the moral expectation bar low....real low because my expectations of most professional athletes off the field behavior is generally not too high. I do think the Bills have a pretty down to earth roster though.

Good teams use both a 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. Greenbay during the Superbowl started getting gashed on runs, they brought in the big boys and went with 4 down linemen and stopped the run cold. When the Steelers went back to passing attack they switched back to a 3-4 and nickle defense. We have the guys that allow our defense to be versatile, while we are not at the same level as the Giants who can pressure consistently without bringing an extra LB, we are closer than we have been with Dareus making a mess of the middle of the O-Line. As I stated on other posts I have made, Dareus' strength is his straight up the field burst and strength to overpower blocks - NT plays to that strength. Kyle is quick and a bit more elusive getting around blocks and we wouldn't lose too much with him at DE or playing DT in a four man front. I would like to see more of Carrington on the edge. I still think that he has the ability to bend and rush around the edge then use his length to either bat passes down or extend to pressure/sack the QB - he just needs more time on the field. I think he is more the prototypical DE of the group that the Bills have.

Great performance as Gailey spanked Shanny's fanny. Loved the move of Dareus Maximus to NT where he can use his straight up the field rush to be dominant and disruptive in a hurry. It frees up the edge guys to clean up or set the edge on runs and really wreaked havoc on the Redskins blocking schemes. There seems to be a lot of surprise surrounding the number of sacks, but with the exception of the Giants game I thought our defensive linemen were awfully close to getting a lot more sacks than they had collected. One NFL Network announcer seemed to have done his homework and said they were due. It seems that getting our injured play makers out of the lineup actually helped our cause, and that is good because it means that the coaches can have Kyle take his time rehabbing that heel bone spur. Do Redskin analyst and such really think they are the only team with injuries - shameful to use that as an excuse against this Bills squad with the number of guys we have had to put on IR and such. My favorite quote from a Skins analyst, that sounded eerily similar to comments made about a certain safety that the Bills let go of during the offseason: "Worst Celebrating: LaRon Landry continues to celebrate tackles that come after the opposing team has gained a first down. First downs are good for the offense and bad for the defense. Running backs do not celebrate one-yard gains on 3rd-and-long. Safeties ought not celebrate tackles after first downs." Bring on Rex, and gang. This is only the second AFC East opponent we have faced and the Bills really need to put a nail in the Jet's coffin. This can separate our team from the pack, and be much closer to securing a playoff spot - this next game is huge. I hope Dareus tosses Sanchez around like a rag doll. The Ralph should be rocking for this.

Wow... just wow. Rest in peace Kent. Condolences to the Hull family.

I thought the same thing PTR... I have to say that my knee-jerk reaction was to get upset with Chan for calling the pass down there, but that is the way this team has played all year and it is the reason they are so good in the red zone - because they don't go into a conservative, predictable shell. I think that route to Stevie was a fairly safe play if it wasn't so horrendously underthrown. He had the single coverage he wanted and the separation he needed, Fitz just did not put enough juice in his throw. If he had actually lead Stevie we would all be talking about the win and what our defense needs to do to get better.

He had time on both of those plays and maybe he heard footsteps that weren't there - pressure (real or imagined) can really mess with a QBs mechanics. I am very proud of the O-Line, but they need to get healthy again. I thought Hairston has played great at LT. I don't think that Fitz would take the wind as an excuse because on at least one of Stevie's go routes it was only 20-30 yards down field. Also, the wind had no effect on Eli's long passes on a rope. I believe that the bandage Fitz wears is covering up his wedding ring that he does not take off for games.

from both Chan and Fitz and they mirror what most of us have said. They both said that those two plays where Stevie was open down the sideline were plays that would and should have won the game. Fitz is taking it on the chin, as he should. He's a big boy and he needs to be automatic when he makes those throws. He starts making those throws and this offense becomes so much more dangerous and both he and Chan know this. Chan also said that pass rush is a problem, he said this without beating around the bush or sugar-coating it. I like our coach. Reading most of the post, I don't get a sense of folks jumping off the bandwagon. Just frustration for a team that had a really good chance of coming away with a win today, but seem to be a few players or plays away from being able to do that. I do want to see Fitz prove all the naysayers wrong, but proof has to happen on the field and I don't think Chan can get it done with just screens and slants - Fitz has to be able to stretch the field to force defenses to lend safety help deep which will in turn open up those runs, slants, and screens again until they bring their safeties back up and then you hit them deep again... I love a good defense, but I can't help but admire the offensive game-planning, play design, and play calling of Chan Gailey. I like what Gailey is trying to do, but Ryan has to be able to execute it.I wonder how many times Fitz practices hitting that route during the bye week....he seems like a QB with something to prove and maybe he needs to keep feeling that way for a while.

Chan is a great coach getting the most out of his players. He is the right coach for Buffalo, and I feel like he always puts our players in a position where if they execute they can win.

McGee replaced McKelvin, Florence has been a starting corner for the Bills. It was just more convenient for QBs to go after McKelvin when he was in there rather than Florence. Today the OC of the Giants felt that between Florence and McGee, Florence would be the easier DB to beat. So happens they were right.

Did not miss the "team loss" point you were trying to make which I think is an admirable sentiment that is worth embracing for teams to play together. Some of us are old enough to remember the bickering Bills. Just disagreed with one of the examples you used to make your point.

Like that 3rd down play where Florence mugged the guy with his back to Manning the whole way on that slant to the sideline? How is that the fault of the pass rush? That is just flat out stupid play by a cornerback who should have known by that point of the game that the zebras were watching him - he had already been flagged twice. I hate to say it considering how many picks Jauron threw at the problem, but corner is still a position of need on this team. Jauron picked guys who could play cover two, but we need corners that can play man. Not saying that we could not use better pass rushers off the edge, but not every bad coverage play is the result of a bad pass rush.

Fitz played alright, but made mistakes so let's not put it all on the defense. I doubt Fitz would argue the point that he took too long on his sacks and that his long ball needs work, this is a few weeks in a row when he has underthrown receivers one on one on the outside - this time they ended up as picks. If it is his time to shine, then he has to begin making those throws. Starting QB's in the NFL make those throws. The defense needs work, particularly at corner where McGee is our only quality starter, Florence can have good and bad days and we saw one of his worst. I am hopeful that Aaron Wiliams will develop. Also, I think we all know that we are a pass rusher away from having a really good line as well, but as a whole they have definately gotten better at stopping the run. Do they stop every run, no, but they have shown the ability to stuff the short yardage that used to be automatic last year, and force teams to the air. Unfortunately going to the air exposes a secondary that we thought may have some weak links. Another solid draft and a few more pieces and this group could develop around Kyle and Marcell and a young linebacker core. They were sooooo close to getting to Manning on so many occasions, but he was able to get rid of it just before the rush got to him. They went into the Giants backyard and took them down to the wire, and the game was there for the taking if Fitz makes those throws. I guess what we have to ask ourselves is do we think that this team has peaked or not. I don't think they have. I expect this team will fight and claw and pull out a good number of wins that most would not have expected of them this year. If they get everyone on defense back healthy and Fitz develops some touch on his long ball then who knows how far they will go. If they make the playoffs they will be a scarey team for most anyone to play. One thing I do know is that they are a much more enjoyable team to watch and cheer for.

Florence had a pop-warner day - he was toasted pretty well. Defense came up big on some plays when needed, and it was good to see McGee on the outside and McKelvin covering the slot. Fitz needs to take this break and just work on those sideline routes. He terribly underthrew two balls and unless he can correct that teams will be able to scheme against that and this franchise will have no choice than to continue to look for that franchise QB. I don't say that to be mean, I want him to succeed, but he needs to be able to hit more than short, seam, and shallow crossing routes though Gailey knows how to squeeze every ounce out of those plays. Naaman and Stevie looked good out there today....

I agree somewhat, but disagree with a lot of this and would want to emphasize that turnovers are caused by pressure, or by that lack-luster defense ripping the ball out of a receivers hands Our defense has been able to make most teams one dimensional at key times, but has been gashed by the big play hence the skewed yards/carry. I am not sure where I would rank this defense, it does need to improve and be more consistent, especially in the second half of games, but there are a lot of injuries out there so I am not sure how they would perform with all the right pieces on the field and healthy. Regardless, Dareus is the real deal. Even as a rookie he has been the most steady, consistent performer on the defensive line with Kelsey hurt and out, and Kyle Williams nursing an injured foot since training camp, and Merriman nursing a bad shoulder, there's our rookie who shows up each game and takes on those double-teams often pushing them right back into the QBs lap, or splitting them (man I wish the NFL still called holding), and also shedding blocks to plug up the run. When he isn't doing that he is batting and tipping passes to buy us a win. I am still waiting on Troup to show us some of what he had in training camp, he needs to start earning some of those NFL checks. From everything I read early in the year he was a big part of the D-Line rotation plans. I agree that our pass defense ranking last year was a mirage, only an idiot would have passed on us when you could run for 200+ yards each game. This year teams are finding that they have to pass more, if not to catch up to our offense they have to pass because our defense was able to put them in a 3rd and long situation. We are finding that with McGee out and the rookie Aaron Williams out the team has had to rely more on McKelvin and Corner and both of those guys have the penchant to give up the big play. I really wish we could have kept Williams healthy and on the field. I think he could develop into a great corner and missing these games is really going to slow down that process. Is this defense playoff calibre yet? Heck no, but they could become that good - I sincerely believe we have not seen this group peak as a group and play their best football. Some of that is due to injuries, some of that is simply due to the fact that there are a lot of new guys playing together, but I am hoping they peak at the right time for us this year.

Wilson and Byrd are used up on the line in run formations often as extra linebackers, we also face a lot of quality WR and TE's that force safety intervention. I remember seeing another article recently on how the safety position has evolved to take on much broader role trying to counteract what offenses are doing these days with the new rules. Cliches sometimes are based on some facts, but there is more to the numbers game when it comes to how we and much of the league are using their safeties.

Server Glitch anyone

One of the few cases where Gailey and staff seemed determined to put a round peg in a square hole. Moats is a natural outside LB and has consistently demonstrated the ability to get to the passer off the edge. Unlike some coaches Gailey appears to be alright with not outright saying, "that was a bad idea", but at least saying "we tried him here and we have learned that he plays better there". I have seen too many coaches that just cannot adjust to their player abilities, Gailey and staff are a refreshing change to trying to fit personnel to schemes they do not have the skills to execute.

Kind of my take...I am far from giving up on the kid like I was with Maybin who should have had "welcome" printed on the front of his jersey with how often guys ran over him. I never wish any of our players ill, but his hold-out coupled with nothing on the field made me feel much the same way as Wood when he said, "start earning all the money they're pay'n you". Spiller tries hard, and is getting stronger, and to me appears to be adapting to the NFL game - for me the glass is half full with this pick and I am alright with waiting for him to develop behind Jackson.

Could it have been an adult ventricular septal defect. I thought that may have explained the rather drastic measures the Bills medical staff took to get him off the field and on IR, because correcting that I believe is an open heart surgery with a long recovery time and even after successful treatment there is a higher propensity for arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest/death. Just speculating, but either way I wish Easley a speedy recovery and hopefully a recovery that allows him to still play professional football.

Could it have been an adult ventricular septal defect. I thought that may have explained the rather drastic measures the Bills medical staff took to get him off the field and on IR, because correcting that I believe is an open heart surgery with a long recovery time and even after successful treatment there is a higher propensity for arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest/death. Just speculating, but either way I wish Easley a speedy recovery and hopefully a recovery that allows him to still play professional football.

Could it have been an adult ventricular septal defect. I thought that may have explained the rather drastic measures the Bills medical staff took to get him off the field and on IR, because correcting that I believe is an open heart surgery with a long recovery time and even after successful treatment there is a higher propensity for arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest/death. Just speculating, but either way I wish Easley a speedy recovery and hopefully a recovery that allows him to still play professional football.

Could it have been an adult ventricular septal defect. I thought that may have explained the rather drastic measures the Bills medical staff took to get him off the field and on IR, because correcting that I believe is an open heart surgery with a long recovery time and even after successful treatment there is a higher propensity for arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest/death. Just speculating, but either way I wish Easley a speedy recovery and hopefully a recovery that allows him to still play professional football.