JESSEFEFFER

I thought he was a better passer at Missouri than Gabbert was although he had Maclin and Coffman to throw to. Maybe that's not saying much. He's short but so are Brees and Wilson. If he can be gotten for a reasonable price, then great. Leave no stone unturned and maybe someday we'll all agree that the QB problem is fixed for a decade. I am all for a plan A, A1, B, C, whatever. Keep trying until its fixed,.

Just speculating, but I would guess that Fitz has a restructured, more cap friendly contract offer in hand and has been given a certain amount of time to mull it over. That is why NIx can say that nothing has been decided yet. They are waiting to hear his answer. If they weren't interested in retaining him in any way they would have cut him by now. There's been plenty of time to do the evaluation.

I am hoping that the Bills are still interested in him, just not at the RFA tender amount. Coming off that injury, this would make some sense to me. The reports I heard just said they weren't going to offer him the tender amount which was something like $1.7 million to keep his rights. WRs with great hands that can still perform given the physical play underneath are valuable to an offense, imo. Give me what Naaman Roosevelt or David Nelson offered in their rookie and 2nd years over what TJ Graham did in his rookie year. Often times a 3rd down drop has the same effect as a turnover. Football players vs. track stars.

If cut he gets nothing additional. The cap hit is the unamortized, if that's a word, portion of the signing bonus he has already received. The incentive to restructure usually involves some up front money but on a lesser, revalued contract rather than facing the uncertainty of free agency.

It's largely up to Mike Pettine Jr to redefine the Nix tenure. If he can do for a putrid Bills' defense what Wade Phillips did for a putrid Texans' defense then things will look much different. I do not think the Jets' D talent is that much better than what the Bills have so there should be a good chance to make a big improvement. The QB position is another story and I think the rules for drafting/developing one are changing before our eyes. Rookies are performing at levels hitherto unseen. Patience used to be a necessary virtue but now it's likely to bring contempt. How can Gabbert get more development time when other rookies are playing like MVPs? I think they have pretty much liked most of the QBs they brought in for interviews which means that guys like Ponder, Wilson, Kaepernik and Cousins were on their radar but the old rules for determining their draft value are no longer valid.

Comparing a QBs completion % when he plays his 8 home games in a dome and 3 road games in NO, Charlotte, and TB to those of QBs that play outdoors in the northeast is not sensible.

I think McKelvin is fine at covering most routes but has difficulty finding and playing the ball on vertical ones where he has to track the ball over his shoulders. I seriously wonder if they have had his vision checked thoroughly. As it was, I was buying the "Leodis to cover the slot receiver" stories we getting in training camp and I thought he looked good there in the exhibition games . I know I would have been much happier to see him rather than Rogers covering Welker and can't really understand why it didn't happen.

I don't think he was worse. Interceptions were down. Sideline under throws seemed less abundant. Overthrows seemed more likely. Besides, I am talking QB guru here. Watching film, critiquing practices, building confidence, teaching the reads, talking to the media, whatever it takes to make him an effective pro. Don't think Ben was playing his best football very often this year. Let me restate it this way. Marrone made it a priority to have a DC with a successful NFL pedigree. I think this was smart thinking. I'd have thought the same if he made a it similar prerequisite for his QB COACH, not necessarily the OC. QB play and the defense were the biggest weaknesses (defense way more so, IMO) and bringing in guys with a successful NFL pedigree in both these areas would have been a wise thing to do. Maybe Hackett can wear both those hats but doing both those jobs at the NFL level for the first time might be too much to ask.

Maybe so, Burt Kurt Warner was a finished product. Who has Haley developed? Just asking.

I think it is rather unusual to have a QB coach that never played QB in either the NFL or at the collegiate level. Given the need to assess and infuse new talent into the position and develop it, maybe even nurture it, I am left to wonder if Hackett is the right man for that particular job. Most of us are thinking that the success or failure in the selection and development of the new talent will ultimately decide Marrone's coaching fate. Ironically enough for me to suggest, but I think it sounds like a job suited for Chan Gailey or at least someone with a background like his. He's never had a franchise talent to work with and has always made do with trying to get the best QB play from those he had around and mostly succeeded. He could be like "Obi Wan Kenobi" to whomever they decided is "the one." Chan was even starting to look like Alec Guinness near the end. The Bills attempted to do this for JP by hiring Sam Wyce. The fact that it didn't work in the end doesn't mean that it was a bad idea. Just throwing this out there.

Best way I can explain it is from this thread: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/154858-our-new-dc-was-a-movie-star/ Mike Pettine Sr.'s last year as a high school head coach was the subject of a documentary. His team beat Jr.'s team twice that year on the way to winning the PA AAAA championship in 1999.

I was buying all the training camp talk about how well he was covering the slot receiver. It looked that way to me in the preseason games too. He gets beat over the top in the Jets opener and that's the end of seeing him as a DB until Aaron Williams gets hurt. the Bills' D got better when he and Kyle Moore started playing. I'd have liked to see him covering Welker in the first Pats game rather than Justin Rogers. He's kept a good attitude through all this so he's a "keeper" in my thinking.

I didn't register with me at first but when his high school coaching background, his father, and Central Bucks West were mentioned then it hit me: The Last Game........................ http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B0000E69GY It's memorable because it's a very good to great documentary on the 1999 season of the that school's team. Father and son are opposing coaches. his dad's team would go on to beat Erie Cathedral Prep for the AAAA championship. Prep beat CBW in the title game the following year (Prep/2000--best high school team I've ever watched in person) after Mike Pettine Sr. had retired. I watched the documentary on ESPN or maybe it was on PBS. Maybe some of you remember having seen this as well. I think I might try to see it again.

These types of analyses are interesting but you are left to wonder how they could come to such different conclusions. Football Outsiders DVOA and ESPN's TQBR have Fitz in the mid 20's. Hanging in the group with Rivers, Cutler, Freeman, Hasselbeck, Palmer, etc. Here's their link: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/qb

My $.02. Fitz has played enough for us to see what he offers. His arm strength is not elite but it is good enough. Over throwing deep balls is a sign of what exactly? There were enough instances I saw where the ball was well placed and seemed timed but the receiver was engaged in hand fighting the DB for an extended time period. Beating the press and hand checks and getting into the route is not an easy thing. Hence the Bills continued mention of needing to add a receiver who is "open even when he isn't." A size/speed guy that is a physical mismatch against most DBs and who can get to balls regardless of coverage. They have not added such a WR in three years of trying and that certainly is not TJ. TJ Graham added very little to the team in his 1st year. IMO, Namaan Roosevelt was more impressive in his limited opportunities. More physical, better hands and more reliable route running. Fitz could have made more use of that in a quick release attack, especially after David Nelson was lost for the year. Accuracy is almost impossible for us to gauge. We do not know the play calls and associated route adjustments. Many throws are made to seams in zones and the receiver is expected to adjust their routes accordingly. Fitz threw the ball very well in Dolphins II but it did not matter. SJ and DD fumbles and SJ drops were killers. There was nothing wrong with those throws, imo. Fitz's two most productive games were the Titans and Pats II. The fact that both these ended up as losses and the way in which the offense and Fitz were complicit in the way they ended, is telling. Good enough to impress but couldn't close the deal. Good teams are in close, important games all the time. A QBs ability to close the deal is what will often decide it. In Fitz's 3 years of starts about half of the Bills offensive failures in close game losses are on him and that is too many. In the end you can either appreciate his smarts, toughness, leadership qualities and forgive his less impressive passing skills and lack of clutch play or not. If you do then you're inclined to think he's worth keeping around into the foreseeable future in one capacity or another. If not, then you're inclined to think anybody, repeat any body, that they bring in will be an improvement. I think the latter is more the result of the lingering anger associated with a disappointing ending to a season which had legitimate expectations. The former is more rational.

I suspect that the Bills screen game would impact negatively on this stat. Run the same numbers for those passes completed to TEs and WRs and then compare.

Pretty sure that a team will get in at 9 and 7 this year. So why not make the choice to be hopeful. To see a path to playoffs and believe that it could happen is a much better place to be. Sure they lose and I am a miserable SOB for a few hours or so but then you have to let it go. Being a miserable SOB 24/7 is no way to live one's life. I am hopeful that my children will stay healthy, that my employer will soon restore the 6% pay reduction I am currently under, that the winter will be a mild one. If the Bills lose one or all of their last 5 I will be hopeful about the draft and the next season. But I have committed to going to their last 3 games at the Ralph and I'd prefer that they got their colective act together and that they all had playoff meaning. Unlike the OP, I do not feel the need to apologize for any of this.

I forgot to DVR the game (no great loss) so I can't check, but I was pretty sure the CJ Spiller wheel (or was he split?) was a nonplay. I heard whistle even though there was no offensive reaction to the defensive movement and no defender was unabated to Fitz. If true then CJ might have quit his route having heard the whistle. Like I said, I can't check it out but I was rather upset that someone killed what should have been a free play to make something happen and if they had hit it it would have been called back. Anyone see/hear it that way?

I made a case for optimism and broke it down to mathematical hunches. That is all I have. "The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised." ~George F. Will, The Leveling Wind

I think this is almost totally on the quality/health of the offensive line. They have the burden of maintaining the quality of their play in the face of extreme noise. I think they did OK in Houston (aside from JJ Watt) and Arizona.

Yes this game is huge. Of the four possible outcomes of the next three games I'd put 3 wins at somewhere around 25 to 30% probability, 2 wins at 50 to 60%, 1 win at 5 to 10% and 0 wins at less than 5. This team, this franchise and this region are overdue for some reward for keeping our collective faith that we'll see better days. Cue the Goo Goo Dolls.

Winning the next three will put them at 7 and 6 and in position to get a much clearer look at the post season. This is still not the most likely outcome but it is certainly not a long shot either. Four trends to consider: Schedule. It's been discussed from the time it was released, but to close with 3 home and 1 semi home game in their last 6 is unusual for them. It's tough to sell those tickets given the weather and the Holiday issues but it should give them a boost. Health. This is the healthiest a Bills team has been at this point in the season since I can't remember when. This is especially true of the o-line. And, aside from David Nelson, none of the long term injured have hurt the roster. This is to say the players on the field have played as good as or better than those that have been replaced. Getting Kyle Moore more snaps instead of Anderson or Kelsay, Hairston in for a gimpy Erik Pears, McKelvin in for Williams have made the team better, imo. Playing Spiller more should help too and possibly seeing Freddie in a specialsit role that focuses on 3rd down and redzone situations, ala Robb Riddick, could be a difference maker. Defense. Since the bye week the historically bad play has trended more toward average and may be a become strength down the stretch. D-line play is more like we all had hoped and the secondary is looking better because of it. Fitzpatrick. I like the guy and think some of the criticism he takes is either misplaced or just the product of a group histeria bias. He is trending better as well but the Titans and Pats (II) endgames have really put the season on the brink of collapse. I have refered to him as a better quarterback than a passer and now is the time to prove it. To make anything of the last 6 he will need to be a better clutch performer than he has shown in his time here. Some of these endgame failures are on his teammates but too many of them have been on him. If the defense does enough to keep these remaining games close, which I think will happen, he will make the difference one way or another.

My recollection of that era was that Marv had issued a gag order regarding comments in the press that were not team oriented and were more self promotional, "Buffalo is a racist city", who was the "Michael Jordan of the Bills," "I am not appreciated by the _____" etc. Then Dickerson does his hyperbolic routine for the press about the Redskins o-line being ugly and the like and it backfires on him. That's his style but it did not play well in the Super Bowl press and it likely did not sit well with Marv. By the way, Jeff Wright was a good player and he had a great game in XXV.

The TQBR by ESPN was developed with some assistance from Football Outsiders. The funny thing is that the Football Outsiders QB ratings have Fitz at 17th and the TQBR as of week 10 had him at 27th. I recall the TQBR to have been claimed to be more heavily weighted to clutch play and the Pats(II) and Titans games would therefore be big negatives in what was otherwise pretty decent QB performance. Fitz has to be more clutch the rest of the way assuming that the defense is trending more toward average quality. The remaining games should be closer and he will have to produce in the clutch. IMO, this has been the biggest negative of his tenure here. The finish to the Titans game might hang around Fitz's neck like skunk on a rope. It's tough to make up for a collapse like that in a home game against an "inferior" opponent.

I caught the video feed from the U Mass website just before UB blocked the punt and scored. More notable imo is that all 3 wins are with red shirt freshman QB Joe Licata as the starter. He may become a MAC star QB. With all the programs full of 2 star recruits they tend to rise and fall in the MAC on the relative strength of their QBs.