[McIntyre cleared?]

O.K., pardon the play on words. This is one of the worst "stories" or articles I've ever read or heard. He is a pro football player, which means he's making more money than almost any other profession in our society. That means he can afford to buy what ever age and type of woman he wants, in private, to do whatever he might want to do. That being said, the only other argument to such a claim is that he's crazy, and that he needs to "peep"...well, my response to any such claim is that such behavior and mentality are disorders of the mind which would have cropped up in all kinds of ways over the span of his life. If he was a wierdo like that, there'd be people who know him who would have stories about his wierd behavior. All anyone who knows him is saying is that he's an outstanding person, who'd never do such a thing. It is pretty bad that some 59 year old woman - an old lady - can make claims about seeing some alleged guy outside her window whacking off, and that "claim" reduces this guys life's work - and who could doubt he worked his butt off his whole life and beat who knows what kind of odds to get where he is - to a joke. It is a sad situation.

[Sully's Schobel article. Hey, he said something kinda positive ab]

Maybe draft a second DE - Everett Brown - rather than opting for a Safety...? Pressure up front always makes an average player in the secondary, a much better performer. I was happy with the Maybin pick, but coming away with two young edge/speed rushers would have been ideal.

 

 

I really believe 31 teams are going to be smacking themselves hard on their foreheads for that pass - Everette Brown is going to tear it up.

[Tinoisamoa visiting the Bears]

I'm equally puzzled here. One cannot deny the Bills have all but said they would like to upgrade that position, and there were a number of Tampa 2 LBers early in free agency that all disappeared, except Brooks; and then, out of nowhere, Tinoisomoa was released and would have been, initially, at the top of the list for this scheme... I, too, have been frustrated at how, over the last several years, the Bills have let other teams sign the guys they've targeted. They have the cap space. If it were less frequent, I might think that all these guys were asking for too much, or that they were overhyped, but when it happens this many times, it seems to come down to one of either two reasons: they don't want to spend market value on a guy, and would rather take a lesser athlete at the lesser cost, or, they are waiting for someone else. It can't be that they are satisfied with who they have - (as one might say of the DT position, since they haven't been serious about free agents or draft prospects), but in this position they've all but said they aren't satisfied with what they've got. I hope the F.O. wants to win a championship as much as we, the fans, would like them to, and that all this doesn't merely come down to being cheap.

[Liking what Evans and Owens are saying]

I was worried when the Bills signed T.O. that - although he is a great reciever - he'd negatively affect our offense simply because Trent would think, or be told, to throw to T.O., even if he wasn't open, or if there were a better option. That would lead to the same kind of problems we had last year with Evans. Certainly Trent will feel compelled to look T.O.'s way, but both Evans and Owens, when asked about the #1 reciever position, said that it isn't about being considered #1, it's about taking advantage of opportunities created by their both being on the field. We'll have to wait and see, but that is a good sign that they are both looking at things in a team oriented way. I think, and hope, it will be as Evans said - they'll each have their games as the top dog.

[According to Trent, T.O. is our #1 WR]

Who knows how he'll hold up? He'll be in good shape, but he is getting old and can get injured just like anyone else. And, who knows how the weather will affect him. I'm more concerned with Trent being able to play good in the cold, though. This team really needs to bring back the strong play in December, outside. As for my first few sentences, I'm just saying that the guy is a man like everyone else, and I fear that Trent Edwards and the Bills coaches will put too much emphasis on him getting a certain amount of catches and passes his way. That could be disasterous. Hopefully, he'll be another reciever - call it 1 or 2, whatever, and whoever gets open gets the ball. I think the T.O. situation will work best if he's treated, on the field, like anyone else, because, if we're forcing it to him it'll be no different than last year trying to throw to Evans when everyone knew it was going there. We'll have to trust the Bills coaches to deal with that and to use him to the best advantage of the football team.

[Honest guess of how many TD's Lee and TO will have this year]

Evans - 11, Owens - 9, T.E.'s - 6, Reed - 3, R.B.'s - 5, rest crew - 3; total passing touchdowns - 37

That'd be better than two a game. I'm guessing between two and three a game, so that's in the ball park. If the QB's can't get two a game with these guys, then it's time to start looking elsewhere, or the O-line is not up to it yet.

[Day 1 OTA notes from Chris Brown]

Right now, It's all about building team chemistry, and learning the system. The line-ups will change by training camp, and again by the start of the season, and we'll know more when the pads are on, but, it is encouraging to know that just about every veteran was in attendance. That tells me they're taking this season seriously, and maybe T.O. has something to do with it, but still, it's a good sign. I liked that most everyone is healthy, and in good shape. And, I liked Maybin's attitude - let's hope it is legitimate, and he's on the first team by training camp. That goes for Nelson, too. At least part of the time. The three reciever sets were interesting, noting who is backing up who. Looks like Parrish will be reserved for fourth reciever and injury relief. Why isn't Rhodes in camp? His loss, because Jackson will bring it.

[If Rhodes and Fred run wild the first 3/4 games of the season...]

I think the Bills see Fred Jackson as a ten to twenty touch player a game, to rest Marshawn, and to go two back sets with him; and to replace him if he gets injured. They see Rhodes as a backup to the backup, taking that role from Jackson when Marshawn is out. I think the signing of Rhodes was a good signing, and not only is insurance for Lynch's absence in the first few games, but also an indication that they'd like to be able to count on the run all season, at any time, in much the same way Indy uses backs - both running and catching. But Marshawn is their guy unless he gets hurt or gets into trouble again, or for some reason his play just goes totally in reverse - which I don't see happening. The guy is a beast, who hasn't had a good line yet, and still impresses.

[Will the patriots go 16-0 again?]

I can think of no team that could be more motivated to do it than the one that did it very recently, still has most of its roster there, and has enough collective experience at both players and coaches positions to steady the ups and downs that occur with mounting pressure as the season goes on. And still I can't imagine them doing it again, or anyone else unless there is an uncapped year or two and some team throws insane amounts of money to build a pro-bowl type team - and the Redskins of recent years have shown that that doesn't even always work. So, no. I also think that they'll find the AFC East a nasty division to be playing in for the near future. Getting six wins there will be tough.

[How do we compare to the Jets and Dolphins?]

We are definately a team in flux. There are a lot of question marks that will be answered in the regular season; but, on paper, and potentially, they should be a better team this year. As the Bills have question marks - and Russ Brandon is one of them - so, too do our division rivals. Miami might be better or worse than last year. Jets seem to have a real tough coach, and a similar defense. And the Pats will be good; we know it. We have to be a good team this year to make it good in our division; maybe exceptional. I don't think our division has been this tough - and for a while to come - in a long time. And, we play tough teams this year outside of the division. I see a bunch of teams in the AFC that could surprise this year. So, basically, the overall answer is the Bills have to be a real good team this year - the type of team that could compare to our great teams - in order to have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl. I'm an all or nothing type of fan; so, in that regard, we've got to be extaordinary, and surpass all our expectations, to make it.

[Fast Freddie's contract extension numbers / terms are.......]

I read, in my opinion, three good points that I agree with. 1: The Bills sometimes seem reluctant (almost always) to pay their own, who prove to be worth paying. 2: They overpay at a few positions, which could be an aftermath of previous F.O. guys, but, they were willing to hand over much more for Florence, who most likely wasn't intended to see the field more than 20 to 30 percent of the plays. 3: If we're pinching pennies and have - as I've read on PFT, somewhere like 12 million still in cap space - then why not tip the scales on a couple of free agents that could improve our team?

On the main subject, I have liked everything I've seen of Jackson, and I think we should've made him feel appreciated, and paid accordingly. I don't know if he feels that way. I guess we'll see if he performs as he has in the past. He probably wouldn't have signed it if he didn't feel it was good enough.

And, I also agree - we're talking about sums of money that I could live off of, and probably house my son and any future kids, for a long, long time with. So, it's kind of contextual.

[Does our Defensive Front Seven Cut It?]

As I look at our team, and am excited for this season, and occassionally see you tube videos of our 90's glory years, I'm liking the looks of and potential of our team, except the front seven seems suspect. If we're (the F.O. especially) trying to put it all together this year, then I'd say they did a pretty nice job - except the front seven looks weaker than I'd like. The O-line looks promising, it might take a while - I hope not - but they're a bunch of guys that seem like can become a nasty, rugged, overpowering bunch. The D-line and backers don't give me that feel. I know we've got Stroud, a supposedly healthy Schoebel, Maybin now, and Mitchell and Poz, but even if the other two spots work out, it as a whole doesn't look good enough to make me think we can be a dominant Defense. I hope I'm wrong and that our F.O. and coaching knows more than I do, but wouldn't you rather see a group like the Giants have, who seem to know there is little more valuable than a terrific and incessant rush, always penetrating, causing havoc in the backfield? If we can't do that, I don't think we'll be able to reach a vaulted status as one of the best. So, am I missing something, or did we not go after enough of those types of players this year? - (Everette Brown) comes to mind

[Is it me or did the Bills cut just about every useless player??]

It looks like their success and/or failure will come down to their O-line, and Defensive front seven. And QB. When you compare the Bills to some of the teams that look to dominate (Giants, San Diego, Pittsburg) those are the areas we look vulnerable in. In other areas, our team looks to have some of the best talent gathered in the NFL - Special Teams, WR, RB, Secondary.

I believe we'll have a swarming, play making, aggressive defense this year, but It'd be nice to see the D-line, and the LB corps become dominant.

[Was Rhodes signed because ML is 1 mistake away from a 1 year suspensio]

Jackson can't handle being the every down back in the NFL.

 

I don't think he's had the chance to, yet. As much as I like Lynch's rough, carry-a-few defenders style running, I thought Jackson looked better at times last year than Marshawn. It must be on Jackson's mind, when signing the extension with Buffalo, that he'd not get that chance unless Lynch gets a full year extension. Either way, I'm glad we've got him - we've got an exciting backfield.

[For the crowd that says TO has]

He doesn't have to be elite-

 

I agree. We won't know until we see it, but I think his being on the field will open a lot of stuff up. He doesn't have to be "The Man", he just has to be more of a Houshmahnzada - spelling? - type reciever. If our running game opens up, and Evans gets more single coverage, and Reed in the slot, where he is best suited, Nelson...Owens could be in a good position for his slow decline; a capable, tall, physical reciever with a few years left. If our O-line holds up...

[Anybody else catch Fred Jackson talking about TO?]

I think running back is our best postition, at the least as loaded as reciever. Both positions should enjoy some added opportunity with T.O. and Nelson, and Rhodes; but, our recievers last year were going against defences set up to stop Evans and the run. This year they'll be playing honest defenses (one would think), and I'd say the running game will light up a bit more on that account than the passing game. I've thought a lot recently that our coaches will want to set up the pass with a solid run game, and then they'll feed off of each other. Who couldn't be excited about seeing our RB's getting these opportunities - it seemed like last year they were making the yards all on their own. Fred actually seemed a bit quicker and more able to hit the tiny holes and make five to ten yard gains. Imagine those turning into ten to fifteen or twenty yarders. If it all comes together right, it'll be fun to watch.

[We really aren't competing outside of our division, nor should we]

I have to think the coaches in the nfl study up all year round on their divisional foes, and perhaps especially certain foes that tend to get the better of them (N.E.), or at least are often thinking of ways to beat them...but, on a whole, I think our team would do well to study and learn to defeat the 3-4 Defense. For the most part, our defense is going to do its thing, but, our offense was terrible last year against the 3-4, and you can see an early and serious effort, on our part, to deal with that - by strengthening our interior O-line, and by adding speed and size to the reciever sets. Tight End hurt us a bit last year on passes that would be covered by linemen in the 3-4. Now we've got hands and speed there, too. I think we're doing a lot to overcome our divisional opponents thus far.

[Why did the Bills hire Jauron?]

Almost everybody likes Dick Juaron. He's an intelligent guy who treats his players respectfully, and who communicates well with the media and fan base. I don't think he's ever been given a really good roster - nor had the time to build one until now. My reserve extends to this year with him. We'll see what he can do with a roster fit to his ideas. It ultimately depends on the owner, but I believe he'll have to do awfully good this year to keep his job, just because there are so many high profile and proven coaches coming back next year. I'd say we need to go deep into the playoffs for him to stay. If we show we can win against NE and the other division teams, and play like we expect to win.... I think we almost have to be dominant this year for him to keep his job.

[Why wouldn't the bills go for Tinoisamoa?]

Unless we have someone on the roster now that has a lot of potential and could surprise us?

[Off the wall]

Only time will tell if this new line works better than the old, but, I've gotta think you'd need at least two seasons to evaluate this line, and by then it'd probably have another new starter, if not two. To make a quick, as is judgement, I'd have to agree that we needed a rough, tough, line, that can push for an extra yard or two when we need it. Our old line wasn't doing it. If this one does, we're better off. And, it looks like they'll be that type of old school line.

[If the Bills Fire Jauron mid season?]

Actually, Bobby April is a guy I'd like to see get a chance, if he'd want to, to run a team. Special Teams encompasses the whole team, and he sees and interacts, and gets to perform at a high level, a bunch of guys. His track record is impressive, and, if you've ever heard him talk or read his quotes, he's a very intelligent guy. What do you think?

[Why wouldn't the bills go for Tinoisamoa?]

I look at the roster and think we're a couple of good players away from being able to do what we want, defensively. Reading an article about how Levi Jones wants big money, and he's shown susceptibility to injury - if the bills are going to spend any more money on free agents, why not fill out what looks to be a promising Defense, by adding a playmaker to one of our two weakest positions? Imagine how good this D will look with a playmaker at WLB and someone doing it right at DT. With pressure on the opposing QB, this secondary should have great success. I guess I'm saying, and asking your opinion, if we're going to add maybe only one or two more free agents, at all, why not go for a guy like this who seems a great fit and definate addition to our team? What could be their reason, considering this is such a pivotal year?

[OK...so here is a interesting thought...can most of us]

I've been thinking this for a while now, that the Bills appear to have geared up for a pass happy offense, but that they are really hoping to establish a run first type attack. I'm guessing they would very much like to run, run, run, and pass when they've finally got the defense worried about the run. Even though the two rookies are such, their natural abilities will enable them to push on running plays, much easier than the schemes that are put together for passing plays. In the beginning of the year and in the snow, I see a running team - and we should be able, with the backs we've got, and a heavy O-line, to be a grind 'em out type offense. Then, when Trent's more comfortable, and when teams are out to stop the run, I could easily see us as a kind of Rams old offense, with screen passes, and the ability to go anywhere. If what we have on paper works out, we've got enough offensive weapons to do just about anything we want - we could go run, screen, tight end, slant patterns with reed, and, of course, deep with either T.O. or Evans. I'm excited.

[Rams released LB Pisa Tinoisamoa]

The more I read about this guy, the more I can see absolutely no reason why the Bills shouldn't go after him, and hard. Unless he's injured, his measurables are exactly what we're looking for. There are a few free agents out there that the Bills should be picking up if they are as serious about winning as they need to be. Unless we can see players on our roster perform that consistently good, or even show the potential to do so, we have to be looking to add talent. What is their excuse?

[Ellison replacements]

I don't remember him getting burned much, but I certainly don't remember him sacking too many QB's. I'd like to see the QB pressure and the hard tackling together.