JESSEFEFFER

They only care about launching when the hit is high. This is a bad fine as it was properly targeted. Like Lonnie Johnson, this was a ball carrier looking in a direction other than the one in which he was running.

It is impossible to lower one's shoulder to deliver a blow without the head being lowered as well. They want the target zone lowered and that's what this was. The shoulder hit to the upper body violently snaps Willie's helmet forward. A helmet to helmet hit would have snapped it backward which was not the case here. Wilie's body sort of contorts into the letter "c." But the NFL has shown a problem understanding basic Newtonian Laws of Motion and human anatomy in other instances. As for the use of "defenseless," this should never be applied to a player in possession of the ball and running with it, imo. By the way, this hit reminded me of Sharper's on Lonnie Johnson which I have never heard anyone say was dirty under any set of rules. Just that it was befitting of a certain Warner Bros. cartoon character that always felt like his brilliantly developed plans were succeeding right up until disaster struck.

Let's see how Buddy's defensive picks look in Mike Pettine's D. Jerry Hughes for Sheppard might be historic--in the realm of Lewis for Seymore. If they still look underwhelming, then the Nix legacy will be as well. If the D is top 10 in the near future, Marrone is a hit and EJ justifies his draft position, then Nix will be properly viewed as the man who set the table. "History is written by the victors." Winston Churchill

It is highly probable that the Bills organization put more time into evaluating this years' QB class than any other NFL entity. Buddy looks right about Cordy Glenn and they could be just as right about EJ. This buys them some credibility in my world if not Todd McShay's.

Maybe the analogous talent infusion that makes the difference will be Alonso, Lawson, Hughes and Dowtin.

Here's a different take. According to Football Outsiders, the Houston Texans D was ranked 31st in 2010, 6th in 2011 and 3rd in 2012. Maybe the biggest difference was more maturity, better health or JJ Watt but, in my opinion, the biggest reason for this rather abrupt improvement was Wade Philips. So, the question becomes, if the 2013 Bills can be a top 10 defense under Mike Pettine (that's where the NJ Jets were every year and I think the Bills have more talent) what kind of record could they have?

Naaman is a Buffalo guy so he gets the benefit of many favorable appraisals here but I go further with this. Every dropped third down pass that would have converted a first down is nearly the same as as turnover. Every incorrect route run is a potential interception. Buffalo's offense last year suffered when TJ Graham got more playing time due to injuries. I'd rather have a WR with the utmost in reliability rather than one with a supposedly higher ceiling. I'd love for Naaman to get a chance to prove me right.

Did you check out the link in post 23? If accurate, Naaman is more of a 4.4 WR now rather than a 4.6 sec.

From Vic Carucci @ clevelandbrowns.com For the second day in a row, wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt put on a show by catching the ball well. One of his receptions was for a 20-yard touchdown on a nice pass from Brian Hoyer.

From dawgsbynature,com Brownies: Mayor Frank Jackson was in attendance and talked with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. ... WR Travis Benjamin caught a long pass by QB Brandon Weeden. ... WR Naaman Roosevelt has reportedly been making some very athletic catches in camp lately. ... Just like the previous week, the Browns had a Lions helmet on one of the blocking sleds this week. ... The Browns were not in full pads again.

From the CantonRep • Browns wideouts David Nelson and Naaman Roosevelt both went to camp with the Bills last summer. Nelson won a starting job but blew out a knee in the season opener. Roosevelt was cut Aug. 31. Roosevelt has been conspicuous in practice this week, showing some veteran savvy and great hands. Nelson has struggled to make it back from knee surgery and is not expected to play against the Lions Read more: http://www.cantonrep.com/browns/x1592818973/Browns-notebook-Banner-scolds-Kosar-for-comments-on-Rams#ixzz2bzrKEZCy

Remember back to Buddy's taped conversation with Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominic? He made the statement that FItzpatrick would have to "do something" about his contract or the Bills would because that was too much money to pay a guy that was going to compete for "probably a backup" position. If you think that 1) Buddy was being honest, 2) that they had already targeted EJ and confidently decided that he would be avaialble to them. that 3) Buddy knew he was stepping down after the draft and would have no say in who the starting QB is and that 4) Kevin Kolb is no better than the equal of Fitz then the conclusion left to make is that Buddy was revealing the mindset of Doug Marrone. All this talk about EJ's raw QB skills and having to earn the job is just to lower expectations and to foster the idea that everyone's spot on the team is earned. But since this is the NFL and there are preseason exhibition games to play, it is difficult to manipulate the competition to favor one over the other. It is more likely that want EJ to continue to work on his mechanics and it much more difficult to do so when pressured on a consitent basis. They are spoon feeding him to see what he can handle and if the mechanical work they have done on him continues to holdup.

Pears was decent in 2011 and hurt throughout training camp and into the 2012 season until they finally shut him down. It was a groin/sports hernia injury (?) and it prevented him from anchoring on his blocks. Defenders pushed him around rather easily which lead to some of Fitzpatrick's more infamous throws of 2012. A healthy Erik Pears as a starter is fine with me.

I thought I'd see if I could find a camp report on Naaman. Here's one who liked what he saw: http://www.cantonrep.com/browns/x1592809001/Borderline-dirty-at-Browns-training-camp?rssfeed=true

Any defense that complements a high scoring, no-huddle offense is going to give up yards when playing with a lead, which, by-the -way, is the dumbest way possible to rank a defense.

The Bills have invested mostly in their defense in the last 4 drafts and their poor defensive rankings = generally poor opinions on their overall talent. The collective opinion on Gillmore, Dareus, Carrington, Troupe, Bradham, Alonso, Searcy, 2 Williams, Bradham, Brooks, etc. are tied directly to that. If Mike Pettine can do what Wade Phillips did with the Texan's defense, the consensus opinions on the Bills' young talent and NIx's drafts will swing dramatically.

Here's a link to a BN story about what he had been working on. He may have shaved .2 sec off his 40 time. If true, I think he will stick as his sure hands will be a big asset to the Browns. As I recall, Little is very suspect in that area and the fans were on him alot. His hands are top notch and I think he was more of an asset to the offense in 2010 and 2011 than TJ was last year. http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121029/SPORTS/121029088/1004

If you know your Shawshank: Andy Dufresne: [in letter to Red] Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

It wasn't long ago that the Texan's defense was described by Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders as "historically bad." This reality changed the day Wade Philips took over as DC. That same scenario is the one the Bills need to be considered in the "worst to first" conversation. As for the fumbles lost, they seemed to have an inordinate amount of fumbles in the passing game after successful plays in the open field. The odds are against the offense for recovering these as the defenders rally to the ball. I recall Chandler, Dickerson, SJ, Spiller, FJax multiple times.

The numbers from Pro Football Reference. Specifically the NY/A category (Net Yards per Attempt) defined as ((Passing yards - sack yards)/ (pass attempts + sacks)) Jay Cutler 2012...5.90 2011....6.41 2010.....6.04 Ryan Fitz 2012....6.05 2011....6.23 2010....6.14 So where's the big difference between them? It's pretty much nonexistent is the answer. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/ Is this from the "the other 51 men on the roster are irrelevant--It's all on the QB" line of thinking?

You seem to be infatuated with ypa but when you consider sacks as part of the equation what happens to the numbers? The difference pretty much disappears, that's what. Getting rid of the ball to avoid a sack hurts comp% and ypa. Take the sack and both stats are unaffected. This was the Rob Johnson method to effective QB stat production. I'd rather have Fitz QB my team over Cutler because they produce about the same and Fitz is not a jerk.

This brings up the question of which man Buffalo lost to Philly was the more devastating. Jason Peters or this guy. http://www.buffalobroadcasters.com/photos/rocketship7withdavethomas.html What say you Promo?

1) Pettine was offered an extension which he, of course, did not sign. He probably had good reasons for not doing so. 2) He was always going to be under the shadow of Rex Ryan. 3) The coaching future of Rex Ryan in New York is tenuous at best. This could be his last year and the Sanchez/Smith tandem does not look capable of saving his bacon. 4) He was being criticized for being the source of stories about the Jets locker room that tended to make the organization look bad but give Rex some cover His "lateral move" is consistent with all of this. Also, if you send a corner or safety but drop a down lineman into coverage, this does not count as a blitz because there are still only 4 involved. The article said 5 or more pass rushers. Hence the need for hybrid players that are versatile enough for different parts of the field.

It happens nearly every year that a team will go from last to first in their division. This is mostly a matter of luck and hidden talent, that, under new circumstances, reveals itself and reaches a critical mass. Since this is a matter of historical record, there is no reason that we as Bills fans would not be entitled to try to look for evidence that this year it could be our team. The realists (pessimists) think that since it hasn't happened in the last 13 seasons that it can't happen this year. Any true realist (optimist) would see that this happens with regular occurrence in the NFL and say "Why not the Bills this year?"

There are two PI plays that rankle me. Third and 10+ do not draw a flag on an underneath route and on a throw deep down the field do not make contact with the receiver without looking back for the ball. Both of these are clueless signs of overmatched CB play. Most of the rest come with good, aggressive CB play that contests the route, the ball and the man attempting the catch. I am of the opinion that the pass will be completed unless the CB successfully defeats some part of the process so I was very pleased with his rookie season. He competed very well. As to the article, I respect any analyst that will go beyond the consensus beliefs and actually do some in-depth analysis. it's all the better when the end up agreeing with me.