OldTimer1960
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Posts posted by OldTimer1960
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i was just wondering if anyone here has opinions on who may be ready to step forward from last year's draft class. it seems like there are some players who could be ready to make contributions on both sides of the ball. i am very anxious to see carrington and troup hit the feild, as well as spiller. batten and easley are hopefully healthy and ready to contribute, and i am actually excited to see arthur moats in the middle. seeing as though these are all players selected to be a part of the gailey/nix bills, i'm very eager to see what they have to offer.
I am excited about the dedication that both Troupe and Carrington showed this offseason. Both reportedly came back much stronger
- in a year when they had no oversight from coaches - very commendable. I think that bodes well for both of them maximizing their
talents.
I don't think that Spiller is a slacker at all. I kind of think that the trade of Evans opens up some pass routes for the electrifyingly fast
Spiller.
I am cautiously optimistic that Moats, David Nelson and Donald Jones will build on their promising rookie performances. I am hoping
very much that Naaman Roosevelt is a true success story and can develop into a solid contributor.
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Just speculation, but perhaps Evans was traded as a favor to him. No matter how much we want to believe otherwise, this team is AT LEAST a year away from
being a contender and Evans is near the end of his career. He should do well in Baltimore for a year or two and he wouldn't have had that much impact
here when the staff wants to get the young guys game experience.
Does this make the Bills better this year? No, but I don't think it is a big downgrade, either and it does get young guys on the field to see what they
can produce.
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Poz is replaceable especially in the 3-4, sure he is a solid starter but injury prone and more of a pursuit guy than a difference maker, any middle linebacker worth anything makes a lot of tackles, few where behind the line of scrimmage. I hoped they could retain him, our front office must see some promise in our new draftees
Clabo would have been a nice acquisition however he is 30. he wasnt that spectacular, he made the probowl once while being surrounded by talent on his offense, a solid starter but not the complete stud some of us act like we are getting. By the time we might become competitive again he will be around 33-35 and will will have to find a replacement for our aging overpaid RT.
I would have been on-board with not paying Poz $7M/year IF they were going to use that money to sign a better
player, but to not pay him and be left with the sad lot of ILBs they have now is not at all satisfying. The LBs were the
weakest spot on the worst defense in the NFL last year and right now, the LBs are even worse than last year.
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is this the Andrews brother that has depression issues or the other broken-down one?
I don't think that is the way to do this.
The way the Bills are trying to build is with highly dedicated, blue-collar, try-very-hard guys. I don't think
either of the Andrews fit that description (likewise Gaither).
Move on to another position (TE maybe or LB) as there isn't an OT worth a cr-p left in FA. The Bills have cast
their lot with Eric Pears/Wrotto/Wang/Hairston at RT. They are very thin at LT with only Bell, but at least
he has athletic ability IF he has worked hard at getting stronger this offseason.
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Thank you for this. Your approach is a reasonable way to deal with disappointment and has some good research on people we can look at from here.
I agree, but I do not think that Jared Gaither is a good option. Poor attitude and work ethic (at least reportedly). That does
not fit what the Bills are trying to build, regardless of how talented he might be.
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... Smith is a playmaker. Period. He allows the Bills to custom-design packages, groupings and formations, which opposing teams need to account for and game plan against. The Bills need guys like that and oh by the way, it happens to be Chan's specialty. And the signing has nothing to do with Roscoe. Completely different players. Roscoe doesn't return kickoffs or run out of the Wildcat, because he would get destroyed.
I'm not seeing it. Last year Smith had 4 (four) catches for 44 yards and ran the ball 38 times for 299 yards. That is worth almost $4M/year????
I don't care if he can return kicks, the Bills have more than enough returners and NOBODY will be returning kicks with the change in the
kickoff position - there will be lots of touchbacks.
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As long as they don't over-pay for him, OK, I guess.
I don't understand the interest at all, unless Chan wants to maybe run the wildcat sometimes. I think Smith
was a college QB. I don't think he is any more than a decent backup WR - nothing special....
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Too old, too slow or too young , that is our description of all our LBs right now.
You forgot Too untalented
I don't want to be glib, but most of those guys are late round draft picks or undrafted FAs. Our
one "pedigreed" LB is Maybin and he is the worst of the bunch.
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The worst defense in the league just got worse with the loss of Poz. Why would anyone be upset with that?
I try to be optimistic, but this team doesn't seem to want to win. They now have ZERO starting-caliber NFL LBs
on a defense that needs 4. I am as hopeful as anyone that Kelvin Shepard can show that he is a starting NFL
LB, but the reality is that he is a rookie who hasn't had ANY offseason coaching or NFL strength and conditioning.
The LBs as of today are: Akin Ayodele (are you kidding?), Andra Davis (ugh), Shepard, Kelsay (out of position and
not quick enough), and some 5th and 6th round wanna-bes in Moats, Batten and White. MAYBE one or more of
the young guys will show that they have some talent, but that isn't a bet I'd want to make right now.
Compounding the lack of talent at LB is the DL. I think Dareus was a great pick, Kyle Williams is a good player
and I have hope that Torrell Troup will be better in year two (he supposedly worked very hard at gettting
bigger and stronger) - BUT nobody could confuse this group with a dominant DL (at least not at this point).
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You wouldn't give him a shot? I seriously would, he is quick, he's athletic, and maybe you could get him at a decent price...?
He is also an immature, sulking player who (per reports on NFL Network and his former coach) has not figured out that
he needs to put a lot more effort into being a pro QB. In my opinion, that isn't the type of player that you want on a Bills
team that seems to want tough scrappy players who will try to win with extra effort (as opposed to trying to win with
talent).
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LB, LB, ORT, OLT, TE, CB.
LB is in a sad sad state when people are looking to Whatever-his-name-is Batten and Moats to make a major impact. Losing Poz would
be devastating.
RT: There is no NFL-calibre backup RT on the roster, let alone a bona-fide starter.
LT: I think D. Bell has the athletic ability to be an OK starting LT. Does he have the work-ethic and strength?
TE: Ugh!
CB: Sadly, there are not even enough on the roster to fill out a team. They really NEED to re-sign Florence. If they can keep Florence,
McKelvin, McGee, Corner and add Aaron Williams, they might have enough to get by given that Byrd could probably play CB
in a pinch.
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With Poz saying that it would be irresponsible to not test free agency, I say that he is as good as gone.
Too bad, because it will leave yet another gaping hole in an already putrid defense. Their LBs are the worst group
in the NFL, UFL and possibly even the Arena League. Losing their only NFL-calibre LB would be a huge blow and
there are no viable replacements available (that I see) in FA.
The Bills really need to make a BIG push to re-sign Poz before the FA period hits.
Just my $.02 worth...
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remember if you take a player in say round 3 you give up your 2nd next year, pick someone in round 5 you give up your 4th in the draft next year, just an fyi.
I don't think this is correct. I believe you give up your pick in the round that you used to make a supplemental pick. That is, if you bid a 3rd on a player
in the supplemental draft, you lose your 3rd in the upcoming draft.
I could be wrong, but I believe that is how it works.
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And I think Frostbelt City is a great nickname for Jacksonville, FL.
Now, I don't know what Naker's view on Trent Edwards was, but I definitely do not understand
the negativity towards Poz. This is a guy who has fought through injuries and weak DL play
to post good production over his time here. Is it true that many of his tackles have come
downfield? Yes, but with a weak DL in front of him, what could you expect?
I hope that the Bills can re-sign Poz and we'll see what he can do behind, what I hope is,
an improved DL with Troup and Carrington in year 2 and the addition of Dareus to Kyle
Williams and Dwan Edwards.
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Poz may not be the best LB in the league but why can't anyone realize what we have in the guy? he could start on 30 teams in the NFL, if not 32.
Agreed. He should be the Bills' first FA priority. He look significantly better if the DL in front of him improves with
the addition of last year's #2 and 3 picks Troup and Carrington, along with Dareus.
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The two are related, obviously. We had a horrible defense last year, and the fact that our run D was a sieve partly explains why opposing Qs passer ratings were so high.
Agreed. I suspect that the secondaries first priority was helping the woeful run D and opposing offenses were set up
very well when the opted to pass due to favorable down and distance situations and DBs "cheating" to help against
the run.
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As opposed to what? Spending money you don't have?
PTR
Thank you. Some people just don't understand economic reality. They are one of the
lowest revenue teams in the league with among the lowest ticket prices. They can't spend
what they don't have.
I hope that the spouses of these people constantly badger them for not spending more
than they make.
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I am sure that some or all of these have been mentioned, but for Bills only, here are my picks:
Robert James CB: I believe he was undrafted and was very very good.
Sam Cowart ILB: was really very very good prior to his injury which just killed his career.
Jeff Nixon S: He was really looking good and then he hurt his (knee I think).
Takeo Spikes OLB: was DOMINANT before his achilles injury. He has hung on for many years as an OK
starter (now with SF), but he has been no where near his level with Cinci and the Bills.
Jerry Butler WR: Might have been the Bills' best WR ever had he not gotten hurt early in his career. I remember
him making some just AMAZING catches.
Of them all, I think it is a toss-up between Butler and Spikes as to who would have been the very best, but
I think all of the above would have had outstanding careers if not for the injuries.
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I have had the pleasure of seeing both OJ and Thurman run. I think Thurman Thomas was a GREAT RB - perhaps
Hall Of Fame, but Simpson was INCREDIBLE. He had no passing game to speak of to draw the defense off, as Thurman
had. Yet, Simpson could NOT BE STOPPED. In terms of surrounding talent, Thomas by far had the better set of
teammates.
No question in my mind, Simpson was one of the 10 best individual players that I've ever seen.
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While I think the team is finally on the right track, I really think that your "grades" are very very
lenient for a 4-12 team. For example, giving the QB position with a journeyman starter and 2nd year 7th
round pick a B is very easy grading. How the DL and LBs come out with even passing grades is
quite surprising given that the team was dead last in stopping the run last year.
To be clear, I see reasons for optimism. I like Nix and Gailey and I think that last year's rookies will
continue to develop. I like this year's group of rookies, too, but every team likes their rookies a lot.
This is a team (IMHO) that will have to inch its way up in a very good division. I think that they could
take another step towards the playoffs this year, but I do think that:
1. the lockout will hinder a very young team like the Bills more than veteran teams like the Pats and Jets
2. the Bills still have a lot of unaddressed holes including both OT positions, OLB, TE and starting QB.
3. I think that the WR corp is highly over-rated. They have Lee Evans on the downside of his career,
one-year producer Stevie Johnson, undersized niche player Roscoe Parrish and some guys who showed
a little, but not enough to call them good bets. Your description of Marcus Easley is highly inflated.
What potential? He played a bit in training camp and was hurt early in the preseason. He was not a
productive receiver in college until the 2nd half of his last year.
All in all, I want to be optimistic and to some extent share some of your enthusiasm, but I can't escape
the fact that this team was 4-12, has a lot of young players missing valuable coaching during the lockout
and has questions at most positions.
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Lifting weights, sprinting and jumping is not football. Size and athleticism are a pre-requisites to play in the NFL but they don't really guarantee you of anything. You have to be able to play the game. We'll see if Jasper can if they ever play games again.
Thank you, you are SO right. It isn't just about the biggest or strongest, it's also about leverage, instincts, technique
and effort. I love the Jasper story as much as anyone. I also see that he is an outstanding athlete for someone so
large. However, remember he was 440 lbs last year playing at a very low level of competition on the OL. Yes, he did
play defense the year before, but he was also playing against 230-250lb OL at that level of play. His athletic ability,
size and strength gives him a CHANCE to make it in the NFL.
I don't know why some here want to give up on Troup after one year where he didn't light it up. It is VERY common
for DL, especially DT/NT to take 2-3 years to get stronger and learn technique to play well at the NFL level. Troup,
by the reports I've seen, is a hard worker and has talent. Don't give up on him yet.
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Why so little reported? Because even less happened.
C'mon, they did some running drills and 45 minutes of weight lifting. I am no pro athlete and I am 50 years
old and I do 40 minutes of aerobic exercise and 40 minutes of weight lifting on most days. I am sweaty when
I am done, too (yes, sometimes I even wear a grey shirt to show the sweat).
Point isn't that I am some great athlete (I'm not), just that there is no news here for professional athletes to
get a light workout in.
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But his idea might have some merit. what if yu put 30 owners together, put another franchise in all the same cities as the NFL, and got a CBA signed with said league that specified all players were under contarct to the Buffalo franchise would still be there...in other words give the players exactly what they want wich is the old CBA.
Onlt problem I see is the TV deal..but sure that could be worked arund...hmmm that would be a prety cool idea
One reason is because those players are under contract with the NFL.
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Sometimes stats aren't as clear as they seem. I think that the turnover ratio also reflected how
bad the team was (rather than it being the reason the team was bad). I would not be surprised
to find out that a high percentage of those turnovers was late in games when the offense had
no choice but to throw because they were playing from behind.
Who steps into the #2
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
I might speculate that they will use CJ Spiller's speed to stretch the D, too. I think we'll see him split wide or in
the slot some to get him into space as well as send him deep to open up underneath routes.