OldTimer1960

I understand that Coach Marrone is VERY worried that he already has "strike one" in eball's view.

My statement was obviously meant as sarcasm that you didn't pick up on. However, I saw nobody on the bottom end of the roster step forward to say "Hey, I deserve to be in the NFL". Who did you see that deserves a roster spot?

There are issues at: DB - secondary was worse than terrible. It doesn't matter who Tom Brady has to throw to, game 1 will be awful from a Bills' perspective. LB - I thought that the first DL played reasonably well, but runners that were pinned in, still managed to wiggle free after having the play strung out well to the sideline. Lack of pass rush and did I mention the DBs were toasted? OL failed to open any running lanes I really would like EJ to be able to sit and learn for at least the 1st half of the season, but Kolb (and Tuel) pooped their pants today. The young WRs (besides Robert Woods) were unimpressive. What happened to Marcus Easley? He had played so well and then disappeared. No other WR made a case to be kept either.

At least the roster cuts should not be difficult at all. They might cut to 53 tomorrow rather than just down to the required 75. There HAVE to be better bottom-of-the-roster players that will be cut on first cutdown day than many of the Bills' 2nd stringers. Trying to keep in perspective that the preseason doesn't mean much, but I know that the Bills were trying harder to win this game than the Skins and the Skins kicked there a*s in every way - with their 3rd and 4th string QBs playing....

Extremely disappointing effort. Doesn't appear to be any major injuries, but really bad game all-around. None of the young WRs made a case to make the team beyond the top 4. Defense was abysmal - 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams. Secondary was particularly awful. Run defense very much a concern. Jeff Tuel is no lock to make the roster. He has pretty much played poorly enough to more than offset his very good first game. Kevin Kolb cannot stay healthy. They may look for another veteran QB who gets cut to replace Kolb. He was not impressive before yet another injury. The optimistic buzz from the first two games has been pretty much negated.

I don't think anyone said Spiller was a HOFer at this point (or ever). However, there is BIG difference between saying he is a bust/not a bust and saying he is a HOFer. There are plenty of guys who didn't explode on the scene and went on to having good to very good to great careers. I don't believe that Eric Moulds did much of anything his first two years in the league, yet he is one of the better players that the Bills have ever had - certainly not one that would be considered a first round bust.

Hopefully, by the end of this season, Dorkington actually contributes to this board... which up until now, he really hasn't. Really easy sitting on an internet board being a blowhard, dissing people that are actually putting in effort to achieve something. Not aimed directly at you, Dorkington. Rather at the ease and frequency with which many here are extremely critical of extremely fine athletes trying to make their dreams reality. Not that it is exclusively the domain of the internet board poster... There are many "media" members who make a living doing the same or worse. Completely shameful for them... A draft can't be judged without the context of who was available in that draft. Have a look at the 2010 draft and, without cherry picking one standout pick per round, tell me who did much better. Not every draft is equal. BTW, the BRILLIANT SF 49ers just traded their 1st round pick last year for a very disappointing Jon Baldwin in a desperate attempt to get something for that selection. The draft is an inexact science. Everyone makes mistakes....

I respectfully submit that he (Manuel) is farther away than we hoped. He isn't Andrew Luck or RG III coming in and in spite of what those two and Russell Wilson did as rookies, it is still true that MOST rookie QBs struggle a lot. You are right, the experience of starting regular season games will be lost, but he can still have valuable class-room learning with the coaches during game planning and film reviews. While it isn't the same as playing, I think it will help.

I am not sure. I do think that the team overall is better this year, but I don't think quite ready to compete (seriously) for the playoffs. Given that, I'd just as soon have Manuel continue coming up to speed in practices and meetings and watching and learning as the backup in the games. If Kolb stuggles and the team starts slowly, they can turn to EJ and he'll be the "hero to the rescue" and fans will have a bit more patience with him than if he starts week one and bombs because the best defensive coach in history confuses the heck out of him and the very young receiving corp. Let the veteran take that on and the heat from the fans. If Kolb plays well, then great. If not, Manuel should get patience from the fans.

With this injury, my opinion is that Kevin Kolb should be the starting QB for the season or until he is ineffective enough to be pulled. Manuel needed all of the preseason snaps and practices that he could get to have any hope of being properly prepared for NFL defenses (that are game planning). 3 good quarters in the preseason (2 of which were against 2nd and 3rd stringers) doesn't mean that Manuel is ready for when the bullets really fly in the regular season. The investment in EJ is so big and his potential high enough that they should be sure that he is as fully prepared as possible before putting him on the field in the regular season. Of course, he has to be fully healthy too, but from the sounds of the downplayed surgery I think the biggest issue is that he will miss extremely valuable playing time in preseason games and he will miss important practice time. I'd rather watch Kolb - even if he struggles, than see EJ put in too soon, really struggle and have the fan base turn on him early. I like everything that Manuel has shown so far, but the pent-up frustrations of a fan base that wants immediate success after such a long losing streak could cave Manuel's confidence. I really don't want to see that.

Why don't we wait to see how EJ and Kolb play in a few preseason games before calling for Kolb to start. I am as optimistic about some of the young WRs and EJ as anyone, but with all of that youth expect a lot of growing pains. I kind of hope that Kolb plays well enough to start at least the first part of the season. I'd rather not put too much pressure on EJ too soon. Let him learn at a reasonable pace - he isn't Andrew Luck or RG3. He is going to need some time to be ready to start.

I don't understand the motivation angle - I can't imagine that two career backups/fringe players like Brown and Ligursky (sp?) are not trying with everything that they have to earn a starting spot. I think it is far more likely that those two just aren't talented enough to make the coaches comfortable with them starting.

As far as I know, there is no rule on TBD that requires you to get jboyst62's approval. I definitely agree with your opinion on Sullivan. He should be embarrassed to take a pay check for the hate mongering gossip - err "opinion" columns that he writes. Regarding his crusade against Mario Williams, I think it is very unwarranted. Yes, Williams makes more money than he (or anyone) can live up to. Yes, he has had some nagging injuries - so did Bruce Smith - Smith was always missing training camp time for something, but he was in great shape - as is Williams.

I think the Patriots do this every year and they are pretty good.

Well, I think that they have clearly said that he is still being evaluated and they are waiting for the Doctor's report. Did you not hear that in the interview?

Thank you, I could not have said it better myself. Sullivan should be arrested for stealing from the News. He writes the same negative drivel repeatedly changing only to target the Bills or the Sabres at his whim. "Reporters" like him pass off their lack of knowledge and their incredible disregard for being remotely polite in any situation as "hard reporting" - "if they can't stand the heat, they shouldn't be pro athletes", but really absolutely NOTHING qualifies Sullivan to have any better opinion than any person who watches football on TV. What was the purpose of this pathetic article? Manny Lawson is a professional athlete that is working hard on maintaining his career to the best of his ability. The Bills signed him to a reasonable contract offer for a guy who has a chance to compete for a starting position. They did not pay him $8M/year. I don't read many of Sullivan's articles and when he is on WGR, I almost always change the station after 1 minute and scream at the radio "Shut the F**k up A**hole!"

This case and the Browns rookie being arrested for attempted murder should reinforce that it is important to consider behavioral red-flags when evaluating draft prospects. I am not saying any college player ever arrested for drinking, drugs or disturbing the peace is off-limits, just that teams really need to look at the risk-reward balance when evaluating these players. Clearly, not every player is "just an immature kid who will outgrow his problems".

What are you basing the claim that Jets FA defenders avoided Buffalo? Do you even know if Buffalo was interested in any of them? Didn't the Bills sign a FA LB/special teamer from the Jets?

Boy, I am already tired of this BS. Trade him for whatever you can get at this point. He is very good, not great. He isn't worth $7M+ per season as a safety (IMHO).

I think that E.J. Manuel has a LOT of potential and I am encouraged by his reported work-ethic and apptitude. However, I think that these "lists" are bogus. With the Bills' extreme youth at WR and a mediocre TE in Scott Chandler returning from a serious injury, I'd MUCH prefer to see Kevin Kolb or Tarvaris Jackson start at QB for (at least) the first half of this year. My rationale is below: 1. A rookie QB has a BIG job just knowing where his receivers will be. The Bills have a number of likely prime contributors at WR who will be very young (Woods, TJ Graham, Marquise Goodwin). 2. It will be understandable if Bills' fans express their frustration over the last decade if the Bills start slowly. Given the youth at the WR position, where it usually takes 2-3 years to "get it", I expect the offense to struggle. I'd rather see a "sacrificial lamb" in Kolb or Jackson take the fans' heat rather than the high-potential E.J. Manuel. Let Manuel come in later in the season as the "saviour" and when the WRs have some idea of where to be.

But he ignored QB from January until March when his organization signed Kevin Kolb and then again until April when they drafted EJ Manuel! Further, any schmo with even a minor in analytics could have told them that they could have waited until exactly pick 29 to take manuel and could also have told them exactly what to trade to the team with pick 28 to get him at the last possible pick!

??? Why would you take Mario Williams off the field on passing downs? I know that he makes more $ than many think he is worth, but he is still one of the best pass rushers in this league.

I agree completely.

While a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted regarding the chances of Troup and Easley contributing, I don't understand the need for so many to make snide comments about these two. These guys are not slackers, they have worked very hard. In both cases, they have been injured/ill and that is out of their control.

What talent "all around him" might that be? The backup to average starting TE Scott Chandler? Rookie WR Woods and Goodwin? 2nd year WR TJ Graham? Never caught a pass Marcus Easley? I am not saying that none of the WRs will ever pan out, but it takes (often) WRs 2-3 years to become really productive in the NFL.