thurst44

Lee Evans was a #13 pick overall. He didn't exactly come out of nowhere. In 8 years, he has had exactly as many 1000 yard seasons as seventh round pick Stevie did in his four. I loved Lee, but he was never quite as good as it seemed he should have been.

I don't think it's that clear that Carter is "ahead of him." Better or worse, Reed made the cut to ten in 2011, while Carter did not. They both made the cut to ten in 2012. In my opinion, it's insane that either of them have had to wait this long.

Smith was not worth the money last year, but to imply he brought nothing is not really fair. At one point, he had made EVERY third and short he came in for except for one false start...admittedly third and short isn't hard, but it is by no means automatic. Frankly, if he brings just that, he's worth a spot on the roster. And it's not like he hasn't had success in the wildcat in the past. His acquisition didn't thrill me, but he wasn't worthless.

So are they

What game were you watching? Fitz, while playing mediocre at best, threw zero interceptions. Let's at least be honest while savaging our own.

I know you really want to be negative, but really...every team loses all FOUR of their pro-bowl-level players (based on last year/mid-season ratings) -- top rb, top safety, top defensive tackle (perhaps best in league), starting center, plus their kicker, a starting cb, two starting lbs, starting and back-up left tackles, multiple WRs???!!!! -- to say there are not degrees of injuries is being willfully ignorant to prove how much more negative you are than the next person. Maybe a Super Bowl caliber team could do that, but to expect that in year two of a rebuild is just spectacularly pigheaded. Sorry if I'm being a Pollyanna, but based on my expectations of this year (and it's hard for me too to get the heightened expectations of the start out of my head), I am not disappointed and in some ways there are positives in that it's gotten many of the draft picks some snaps. I know I should let this go, and it's no time to be positive, but I'm just tired of people getting belligerent about anyone who deigns to think that a young team beset by an absurd amount of injury is going to have a near-impossible time winning.

Wow. Dirty hippies piss YOU off! Seriously, what's it like in the 1950s?

"No experienced, veteran depth"???!!! First off, they are a young, rebuilding team, so by definition, this is a preposterous attack, but they also have Andra Davis, Dwan Edwards, Kirk Morrison, Bryan Scott, Spencer Johnson, etc. You can't seriously expect a rebuilding team to weather TEN significant injuries (including all four players who made the pro bowl last year or made the mid-season all-pro lists, one of whom having an mvp-caliber year), and suggest they're not going to miss a step. That's like telling an architect he should have planned better after a nuclear bomb hits his house.

This is not a minor injury bug...this team had one pro-bowler last year, and three players who made the two mid-season all-pro lists I saw. One of them was getting significant buzz as MVP. ALL FOUR OF THEM have been out for at least a month (and only Wilson might come back). They have also lost their two top Left Tackles for most of the season (and had another potential pro bowl lineman playing out of position for weeks). Their top WR has been playing through injury. Their second WR (granted, he's not been that great while playing) is on IR. They lost Kelsey for a good part of the season (granted people have not thought much of him, but even kelsey haters were admitting he was having a good season). They lost a starting CB most of the season. Hell, they even lost their kicker! Young and rebuilding teams can win and go to the playoffs -- maybe this team would have gone 12-4 with a normal amt of injuries; maybe they would have collapsed to not much better than they have in this frustrating stretch. However, expecting a young, rebuilding team to overcome injuries of this magnitude is kind of ridiculous, patently unfair, and defies logic. And they weren't exactly blown out the last two weeks. Yes, maybe "good" teams overcome injuries, but they are not that team...yet. That doesn't mean they aren't improving...and it doesn't hurt for next year to have Spiller, Aaron Williams, Sheppard, Hairston, and Searcy (who looks to have the making of a tremendous tackler once he gets his sea legs -- his tackle on the titans final drive gave the bills a chance last week). And did anyone REALLY think Henne was a "franchise quarterback" at this point in his career?

We aren't the 1990 Giants. A rebuilding team, by its very definition, is not a perennially winning team that is SB-ready but for a player. And we didn't lose one player: we lost 5-6 high level players and a lot of role players. This team was not set for a playoff run healthy (any team can get lucky, but...), so the point is that the fact that they lost games with over half their team (and their best players on both sides of the ball) injured does not mean they are not on the right track.

My starters in a keeper league were a choice of two between Adrian Peterson, Freddie, and Matt Forte and was sitting pretty...until last week, but now that that's blown up, it's Spiller or Ryan Torain...um, Spiller it is.

I respect that, but people were saying the same thing about Pat Williams, before he left us and went to 3 Pro Bowls for the Vikings. And before you say positional, so was this -- the mantra was "no defensive linemen over 32' (or something like that). John Riggins had his two best years at 34 and 35. Some players are just freaks. I'd sign Freddie to a decent contract on a chance, if only as a thanks for being him (and it would shut up all the "ralph is cheap" chants) That said, while I'm heartbroken that Jackson won't get to complete his magical season, I hope CJ gives them something where they have to design plays to use both of them.

We've gone 4-2 so far against some pretty heavy-hitting offenses, so you just may be wrong. And defenses evolve; especially young ones. Sorry if I seem jumpy, it's just that the whole pre-season there was so much "how can we expected to be better than worst in the NFL with this offensive line"...now the offensive line has performed the best in all the NFL. Teams evolve and this one is doing it with something special. Besides, the Patriots and Colts have won week after week in recent years with some pretty spectacularly lousy defenses. Let's accept we might just have a special team. And if they fail, well, what have we lost.

He also had a stretch where he was something like 18-1. I don't care who the supporting cast is or if he happened to be playing with the best defense ever; "top 50 worst quarterbacks ever" would find a way to lose.

I always went with "Trammel the Mammals"

Oh, dear lord. Second guessing is fine; however, when everyone's first guess was to get rid of him before Gailey/Nix/et al, it's absolutely absurd for there to be whining about it. If he becomes a star for the division rivals: yes, that sucks, but let's not pretend that there was not 99% of this board was calling for his head from day one. Frankly, he was my choice for pick that year, and if I had my druthers, they would have kept him on the off chance he would have even these three sacks (which do not mean he's a superstar, btw), but even having said that, I do not think it was a stupid move. Hell, the Jets cut him as well.

Indeed....when I drink beer the Bills are 4-1 this year!

Really?!!! Are you serious? Barnett had an amazing game and we weren't run against and still have given only 100 yard rushing game up. Bills fans are effing ridiculous!!

Yes, because no team has ever done poorly one week and then come back the next week, nor has any team improved. Hey, they got twice as many interceptions against Brady as against Dalton.

Tell this to the riot police (and fireman) who were dispersed to the two overflowing Bills bars on 42nd & 2nd in NYC on Sunday . Anyway, I get where you're coming from, but the "ignorant" part was completely uncalled for.

Three players at this point is pretty standard (and considering mcgee and parrish and their history -- sadly, not too surprising). And one of them has a heart ailment (not really sure how they could have avoided that one).

Seriously???!!! We win an amazing game and are 2-0 and this is what we're talking about. Damn, we're a miserable bunch!

Sadly, yes, this. One of my editors was talking last week about how excited she was about football season. I asked what team (having an inkling as she was from new hampshire)? I made a joke about them being a mortal enemy or something. She asked me what team I followed, and she said "you're not a jets fan, are you, I hate them." I was wearing a Buffalo Bills shirt and had been sitting next to her for the past 9 or so hours. We just don't register at this point to Pats fans. Hopefully that changes week 3.

I thought you were going to say Jerry Sullivan had tapped us to win. I'd say your assessment is about right, and (and it may just be the lover of narrative in me) might add the prediction that we hold them under 100 yards rushing.

Maybe Marcell is just very polite and didn't have the heart to correct him . After all, even People Magazine couldn't break it to Elvis Grbac that he was not the sexiest athlete alive. http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2009/6/25/924614/the-best-elvis-grbac-story-youll