BillsfaninFl

Every week, several fans note that for any number of reasons, the Bills will fall short of expectations. Stop that!!! I understand why you feel that way, but you are just setting yourself up so that every time something goes wrong you'll be able to say, "I knew it!" Instead, enjoy where the team is... what it has accomplished... and the potential it has. There will be plenty of time for weeping and gnashing of teeth later, as should be expected if you follow any NFL team except the one that wins the Super Bowl. Think of how much worse it could be. There are Patriots, Colts, Chargers and Cowboys fans tearing their hair out right now. Things they can't take away from us: * The Bills are way more entertaining than they have been for a decade. * The national elections will be over in two weeks, and there will be a brief respite (perhaps a day or two) before the next set of candidates start campaigning. * Eventually, Jason Peters will realize he blew it and start playing Pro Bowl football again. * In six months, we will draft a few more good men who will make the team even better. * We'll soon start talking about new interesting subjects like "why did they let Jabari Greer hit the free agent market without signing him to an extension?" or "Should we pick up free agent Kurt Warner to be our backup quarterback now that J.P. Losman has left the team?".

Amen. But I hear he's not very good during an earthquake, either.

LOL That is the line that best describes the silliness of this topic. The decision to draft Edwards was not based on Walsh's recommendation. It was based on good scouting and a consensus among the staff that this player graded out well. Give Levy and company the credit, where it is due.

One reason why so many short passes are part of our offense, is that Evans is still the lone threat to go deep. I don't know if Hardy will evolve into the solution, but right now, he is a non-factor. So the Bills are doing what they are capable of doing until Hardy (or someone else) becomes that second consistent downfield threat. Pennington is doing what he always does. He is not exciting, but keeps a team competitive.

Good points. When I look back at a lot of the runs, I see Jackson bursting to the line a little faster than Marshawn, but the key thing I see is that the holes are too small to begin with. Marshawn tends to drag people a little farther, but most often, both of them make contact at the line. I see the weakpoint as being Fowler in the center. Runs up the middle are tough to do when the guards push forward but the center does not. It appears to be rare when Fowler handles a defensive lineman without help. This makes creating holes very difficult. We need to draft a center.

With the increased number of serious player injuries (because players are faster and bigger than ever), is it time for the league to review the rules about roster limits? I realize there are financial constraints to increasing roster limits, but what if the concept was packaged with the issue of the ridiculous contracts being given to rookies at the top of the draft? The union might find it more acceptable if much of the overpayment of rookies went into the pockets of backup players providing greater depth on teams. Even a modest increase of two or three additional roster spots would allow teams to have more guys who have been "working within their system" all year to cover for those injuries keeping guys out for a number of weeks. The benefits include allowing teams to keep aging veterans (who can still be good players) longer.

I don't believe Peters' problem is just getting in "football shape." The Bills staff needs to use that as a politically correct excuse. While it is a factor, his mental attitude is a big part, too. When he was an undrafted rookie, when he was converted to a lineman, when he was shifted to left tackle, he was excited and motivated. When he was named to the Pro Bowl, it went to his head. Suddenly, he was a star who was underpaid. Then he got bad advice from his idiot agent, and became a disgruntled star. Now he is a very average OT who needs to get his head back into his game. He keep saying he's progressing, but he does not show it. He can be the dominating left tackle we need, but not until he comes back to reality and realizes that he blew it... and has to get that "fire" back if he wants to be paid like a Pro Bowler.

Let's be realistic here. The Bills will only win the San Diego game if they are emotionally revved up and if they make some big plays (or get lucky) early on. Not that we aren't talented enough, but because many of our best players are "walking wounded" right now. Schobel, McGee, Parish, Simpson, Stroud, etc. Whether they play Sunday or not, we are at a disadvantage.

Let's look at this from another angle. GMs and Coaches do not make these decisions based upon just their observations. They are a little busy doing other things, too. The scouts spend a lot of time doing the evaluating, then try to influence the decisionmakers. But the reason why so many high picks do not make it in the NFL, is that the evaluators are unable to see these guys in an NFL situation. When a wrong guy is picked, there are many factors that may be involved. For example, McCargo played on a superior defensive line in college... and better players make their team members look better. That's just one reason of many why drafting players is a "best guess" process.

I was tickled by the article that said that the Colts will make McCargo a solid player. I guess they think the Bills coaching staff is not very good. But in my opinion, if we had Peyton Manning at QB our O-line would be looking a lot better than Indy's. I believe Edwards has a lot of potential, but he cannot be expected to carry a team while he has yet to play in 16 games. Peyton can and does carry that team often.

Favre is a warrior and I'm sure his advice was sincere; but there is so much more to playing the position than just being able to throw the ball. Taking snaps under center, catching the ball in a shotgun formation, handing off to a running back, etc. Plus, in a game, unlike in practice, there are defensive guys who will target that hand. They would like to have Romo now, but they absolutely need him in the playoffs. It's not worth the risk to play him before his hand has healed.