ColdBlueNorth

Frigg'n Gilmore... that kid has definitely taken a step back this year.

3rd and 18 from the Miami 3... they should just run it and punt.

This just keeps getting better...Pettine-Pettine-Pettine. Dial it up defense!

I don't think anyone has said that the team should part with FredEx...just draft a durable pounder as insurance. Pounding it up between the tackles is not Spiller's thing.

I know, I know... I have mentioned his age on several occasions. That does not mean that I don't wish for grandpa Jackson to play at a high level for another decade. Its good to see.

I seem to recall that I said he was being a bit immature on his TD in the last game...ripping his helmet off and raising a fuss. Needs to grow up.

On the long run in question the play side guard was left uncovered and he ignored our DT playing Nose and just launched himself directly at Kiko and swallowed him right off the line. I just don't see any Linebacker holding up to an offensive linemen coming clean especially when they are playing close to the line. Normally on that type of play your guard would come over to chip or double the NT. In this case the Jags felt that their center could handle the DT we had lined up at NT all alone and not only did he handle him he turned our DT away from the play and planted him on his butt. I can just about guarantee if it was the Jet's Harrison or Tampa's McCoy playing Nose that guard would have been helping the Center throw the double-team on him. I guess the defensive moral of the story is that just because you move a DT to nose does not mean offenses have to respect his ability to play NT and double-team him:)

It can be argued that the Colts were not as bad as they were that season and there is some evidence that they purposefully tanked to win the Luck lottery. As to Seattle, they have a dominating defense that was one of the few last year to slap the Patriots like a bunch of little girls all over the field. I live close enough that I was able to watch Russell Wilson and it was apparent to anyone that caught his games that he was going to be a very solid QB if given the chance, but most scouting departments focus on the SEC and PAC 12 and some solid kids that play in the Big Ten don't get a long look. I cant say I blame them, you look for players from winning programs. One thing that folks on this board do not seem to get is that your team has absolutely no shot at developing a franchise QB if you keep changing the rookie out each year because he does not play like a veteran QB. It is way too early to pull the plug on Manuel - he just has not seen the field enough. And there is no way they will grab back to back first round QB's because that will not help EJ grow and Marrone does not seem to be the type to crush the development of EJ by bringing in another 1st rounder to split reps. It is just not logical and there is zero chance it is going to happen. Now if EJ continues to have issues staying healthy and does not show improvement, I think you will hear a different tone coming out of OBD and there will be clear indications that they do not think EJ has what it takes - that time has not arrived. Contrary to popular belief Marrone does not seem overly tied to any player as many predicted he would stick with and draft Nassib the successful QB he mentored at Syracuse - he didn't. He cut ties and went with a QB that he felt had a better chance of being successful at an NFL level even though EJ was considered a raw prospect. He clearly believes that EJ has what it takes and just needs more snaps and time, I also believe this, but I have been around this team long enough to know that much of that depends on what EJ does to improve his game and much of that depends on how well he is coached. We have all seen supposedly failed QB prospects flourish with the right coaching (Alex Smith comes to mind) - I hope we have that coaching in place or no QB we select will make it. I have no idea if we do or not at this point, but if EJ takes steps in the right direction we will have a better idea about the answer to that question.

This is kind of where I would like to see them go... one poster responded (and I agree) that a majority of the longer runs have not been up the gut. My recollection is that we were burned a lot earlier this year by the stretch and cutback runs. The defense has gotten better at snuffing those out, but they still give up the occasional long one outside as they did against the Bucs. I think a dominating wide body that regularly absorbs two blockers allows everyone along the line and the linebackers to elevate their play. And regardless of Kiko's size, most linebackers will lose a head-on battle with an unblocked guard, that is why you want your linebackers hitting those gaps clean. Most great linebackers had great defensive linemen in front of them. As for the priority of drafting offense... with the exception of NE who (although it pains me) has a future hall of famer at the helm, and ditto for Denver, the vast majority of teams that make it to the post season do so on the backs of a very stout defense. A defense that can keep opponents off the board and give an average offense more chances to score from decent field position is a great thing for any young QB and average offense to have. It seems like the Bills have a quicker path to having a dominating defense than they do having a dominating offense, so why not get the last few pieces of that puzzle in place and address the core needs on offense: guard (the draft is deep for these) and TE (there are a few decent prospects here as well). As to receiver, they have Easley who is a larger go up and get it kind of receiver with decent speed they just have to use him more. How bad can his route running be... I have seen some serious slow-blinkers at receiver over the years - Peerless Price and Plaxico interviews made Kiko's sound like a Harvard lecture.

Fred, and as another poster put it - it really is not even close, but he is not getting any younger. Spiller is faster, but Fred is more consistent moving the chains and getting a team the hard yards and first downs when desperately needed. Fred is also the better blocker by a long stretch. Not hating on Spiller, but Fred has that inner toughness that Spiller has not developed yet to go through adversity when there are no options to dance around it.

I root for Thad, but not the controversy. I like what he brings to the team, and I like the way he handled his presser, and I like to see us beat the Dolphins.

This.

I think he is probably open all the time because. A. He has a reputation for bad hands, catching with his body, fighting the ball (pick your adjective) and hence dropping passes so I don't think any of the QBs have a ton of confidence throwing to him so he isn't their first read, and probably not the second. B. Defenses know this and will let him fly by with all that speed to roll coverage to the more likely targets.

Dammit - stop being right all the time Yeah it was Lawson adjusting his skirt rather than taking on the FB... I can just imagine Mario asking me, "when exactly did I play like a Nancy?". Obviously, I would owe him a drink or five, and he seems like a good man and the forgiving sort so he would probably let me off easy with single punch to the ol' sprinkler.

Not a fan of Woods, or just concerned that he has had an injury plagued career?

If he could stay healthy, it would be pretty high for me for a rookie QB (which is to say around 75% confidence he could be part of the solution and not the problem) The knee injuries worry me. I like that he has a large frame because those guys can shrug off hits that can crush a smaller QB, but the knees? If he isn't wearing them now, the coaching staff should seriously consider having him wear the knee braces for protection. They are hell of a lot lighter and easy to move in than the clunky ones of old and yet they ensure the knee stays more stable from those odd angled hits.

Easier to find a guard than a bona fide LT and Glenn is the later. Draft a quality guard in the 3rd or 4th round - this draft is pretty deep at G. 1. Louis Nix - NT 6'3'' 326 Notre Dame 2. Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix - 6'1" FS Bama - Would be a DB in our secondary, but with Byrd probably moving on?? Most of the top DBs in the draft are smurfs. Clinton-Dix will probably go in the 1st, but he is one of the few DBs with decent height and ball-hawking skills. (never can have enough quality corners - it is a passing league) 3. Jenkins - TE Washington 4. La'el Collins - OG 6'5" 321 LSU - (doubt he will fall this far) a junior, but has played guard and LT. Lots of upside could be that swing lineman you like to have who plays guard, but could be moved to LT in a pinch or may push for that spot or Jon Halapio - OG 6'3" 320 Florida - Pure guard, was a reliable solid iron man till his senior year when he tore a pec muscle over the summer hitting the weight room - came back and played the last 10 games and did well. 5. Tre Burton Florida or Rutgers' Deering - smart versatile players who can run with the ball that project as WR (though Deering played defense along with just about every position at Rutgers) - if the team starts thinking about life after SJ and they need a slot RAC WR either of these may fit the bill. 6. Maybe here you draft the best remaining QB for competition and to compete for the spot behind Manuel. 7. Best available durable RB

Yep. My bad... took a inadvertent trip down memory lane.

Now THAT was funny Thanks, I needed some of that today. I would love to squash all the negativity on this board, but I think it is the muse that fuels so much of the amusing and creative ways we bash each other, teams, players, etc...

As my son would say, I "nerfed" the players' name. It was bugging me, but through the process of elimination of the D Linemen you can see in the clips that I found I believe the DT that got mandled by the Jags center was either Branch or Charles maybe someone has a better high res view. I have looked at that play more than I care to admit because it irks me how every RB seems to be able to gash our defense and I am trying to understand is it scheme or personnel that is failing. The Robinson run seemed like a classic example of how running backs just seem to blow through our line untouched. When the defense first lines up they had #97 Corbin Bryant heads-up on the guard to the play side and Mario playing the 6 technique, then presnap Mario moves back, Bryant shifts out to the 6, and Mario takes a 2-point stance slightly behind him more 5 technique. So basically on the line they leave the playside guard uncovered and Bryant is shading outside shoulder the RT. The Jags RT takes Bryant out - Bryant is on his outside shoulder so is easy to seal him outside, and this is where it gets messy - I have no idea what Mario was trying to do on the play because it just looks like he hides behind Bryant and gets his inside shoulder hit by the lead block of the FB; he definitely did not make a real effort to fill the gap and take on the FB and even pop warner boys know to key on the fullback because he is blocking for someone. The net result was that Kiko gets swallowed by an unblocked guard while the nose, Branch or Charles, was sealed off to the left of the play and pancaked by the center... The reason Robinson shot out of the backfield like he was fired out of a canon was there was just such a huge gap between Dareus who was still on his feet but was on the strong side away from the play and the sealed off Bryant/Mario on the weakside. The only ones with a real shot of doing anything about it were either Mario or the DT over center but they both epically failed. I don't like Mario's effort on that play at all, and I think the scheme was designed so that Mario and the DT who shifted to NT could and should stop that run - if Mario hadn't gone all Nancy on the play and the player lined up over center was capable of holding his ground and not getting turned. By design Kiko was going to end up taking on an unblocked guard - I don't expect him to win those match ups. Mario isn't going anywhere and he is a decent pass rusher, but his effort on that play makes me think that Pettine may want to limit putting him in a position where he has to act more like an extra MLB. I get the idea, but it "aint" working. Also, they need a DT that can play nose.

From what I saw our D was overloaded to their right as someone else noted, with one of our DT lined up in the 1 on the left, then he shifted to a traditional 0 - heads-up on the center. From what Marrone has said, Pettine does not like to talk about gap control and fits so it would be interesting to hear his take, but when you are lined up in a 0 you are normally playing nose and have responsibility for the gaps to either side. Robinson hit the 1 gap to the right of the center where our nose traditionally would have his fit. I did not see a guard coming over to help the center, I just saw whoever we had lined up over the center get steered to the right, walled off, then pancaked all alone by the Jags center. Everyone likes to say that is the linebackers role, and I will check out that video again, but on that play I believe Pettine had the linebackers up near the line shaded to the strong side and they just got caught in traffic Byrd may have had a shot at him, but was caught flat-footed and never adjusted to the play. It may have been a good place for a linebacker like Kiko to be, but a nose holding his ground would have helped.

I am not sure if Dareus was playing over the center on the Robinson run and fumble, or if it was Johnson or some other DT. Whoever it was, he was totally owned by the Jacksonville center. He was steered to the side and pancaked and that allowed the long run that without an incredible effort by Aaron Williams probably would have cost us the game. I still think the Bills need a 2-gap 0-technique player that will allow them to play a more traditional 3-man front yet have good interior gap control. With that need in mind, I think it would be hard to pass on someone like Ra'Shede Hageman out of Minnesota who projects more towards a 3 technique DE or DT. It sounds crazy, but he has the height, speed, and athleticism to be a TE if he wanted to go that route. Yep, believe it or not there's a Golden Gopher worth drafting He is more in a Mario Williams mold rather than a Wilfork as he is a bit taller, but he keeps his pads low, plays with excellent leverage, and is extremely strong. Freakishly athletic seems to be a common adjective used as he has a lot of versatility. I get to see all the U of M games out here in Siberia and it does not matter who is in front of this kid, he simply dominates everyone across from him. Even when stacked up, he seems to be able to shed blockers left or right at will. Interesting back story: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/87326/gophers-hageman-structured-for-success

Ok, that makes more sense. It is not like the refs normally cut the Bills a lot of slack.

Yep, but a penalty would have been assessed on the kickoff and probably would have given Jax great field position to strike back.

He was awesome yesterday, but isn't there a penalty for removing your helmet? All I was thinking after he made that touchdown and ripped off his helmet is, "here comes the flag that will turn this positive into a negative". Coaching opportunity for a young and talented WR who should expect to have a lot more TD's to celebrate.