uncle flap

Read this article breaking down Pettine's formations and you'll have a better idea of what the D will look like: http://www.buffalobi...pettine-part-2/ Like the author of the article, I don't see Mario really playing OLB. He's pegged as a DE even in a 3 man front. I think Mario will get moved around considering the amount of fronts Pettine uses, but unless there is a bona fide 3-4 DE acquired or Troup pans out as NT and Dareus slides over, Mario will be spending the majority of the time with his hand in the dirt. One thing's for sure: they NEED LBs!

Considering Pettine's past, and the current personnel, I don't think the Bills need a 4-3 DE at 8. I do think he'll develop into a great player, but for the Bills at least, I'd rather take Jordan bc I think he'd make more of a difference.

Great posts from everybody. I'd be thrilled with most of these guys at 8 but Jordan is my current favorite. (I reserve the right to change my mind and deny ever saying so, though ) Dion Jordan is anything but a one trick pony. The guy was a former WR and moves fluidly in space. He can definitely cover, hell, he even covered WRs lined up in the slot for the Ducks. I'm sure he won't be asked to do that in the NFL, but it speaks to his athleticism and versatility. I think he might be the best fit for Pettine's D, as he can rush AND cover...and if he's on the board at 8 they should RUN to the podium. EDIT: SJBF- I somehow missed you mentioning the same stuff about Jordan- needless to say I agree!

You're probably right, but think back to last year. Barkley was only supposed to get better. Ditto for Tyler Wilson. Weren't they supposed to be leading this year's crop as sure-fire franchise QBs? Agreed. At this point Russ/Nix/Whaley must realize they've got to get that QB and it has to be the top priority. No need for Moore. Taravaris can be the stopgap if necessary. I like Fitz but its time to pass the torch. It's a new era in Buffalo.

I generally agree although that's a lot to ask for in FA. If it were up to me, I'd re-sign Levitre and McKelvin. Then sign Kruger. Those are the priorities. After that, I'd throw whatever's left at TE and/or DB. Then for the draft: 1. Dion Jordan 2. EJ Manuel 3. WR - Terrance Williams, Justin Hunter, or Da'Rick Rogers- one of them should be available 4. Nico Johnson ILB from Bama 5. TE, DB, or OL 6. TE, DB, or OL There are a number of late round guys that I'd take but too many to speculate on who'd be left. And yeah, cut Fitz. I actually like Fitz but I think they need a clean break. No restructuring. I don't like the idea of keeping him as the "former starter" if that's how it plays out.

Here's a quick story about my grandmother (RIP): Years ago when I was a kid I showed her my excellent report card (hoping for some kind of reward, lol). I don't remember if she slipped me a dollar or whatever but what I do remember is she pulled out an old report card of hers that had perfect marks in everything except penmanship, which was an F or "Poor" or whatever was the worst grade they gave out back in the day. I'd seen my Grandma's handwriting, which was a fine as anyone's, so that grade didn't make sense to me. Well, it turns out, she was left handed. Since "everyone," well "normal" people at least, wrote with their right hands, she was forced to comply. I hope this gives a new perspective for those of you implying that children should just suck it up and live "like everyone else," despite being wired in a different way. Now for the litigious side, I admit I didn't read that whole article in the OP, but to continue w/ the analogy about my Grandma- damn skippy I'd sue a school (as a last resort) if they forced my left handed child to write with her right hand. I realize using a bathroom is a different scenario, but I've heard of schools designating certain bathrooms as unisex to accomodate those grey areas. I am purposely ignoring the tax $ issue because EVERYONE "pays" for stuff they don't like.

Here's something to consider: Pettine has ran a lot of scheme variations. Including lots of 3-3-5, and even plenty of instances of 1-3-7. Without fully breaking down the Xs and Os, what that could (and likely does) mean is that we will see plenty of 3-safety formations. Da'Norris Searcy (whom everyone is forgetting about) figures to be in the mix too. If you look at Pettine's tenure with the Jets, you can easily imagine Searcy, Williams, and Byrd on the field at the same time, all essentially playing a safety position. I still think they are taking a hard look at bringing someone else in (either through FA or the draft), and I wouldn't be surprised if there are 3 safeties on the roster besides Williams, whether or not they designate him as such.

Ha! I meant for it to be open to interpretation. Of course I don't think Alex Smith actually became more talented, but a new coach and scheme was able to get the most out of him. So a guy who had nearly been ran out of town was able to flourish under different circumstances. Perhaps that could be Tarvaris, or even Fitz for that matter. I don't think it's likely, but it's not unheard of.

Tell that to Alex Smith.

Defense: Dropping dead weight, new established coordinator, and there are bound to be additions. And while the defense was admittedly pretty damn bad, the last place ranking was skewed by a couple of god-awful games. I don't think we can assume that the Bills will have the worst D next year considering the significant changes being made. Of course they could be, but why assume that they will? It's not as if they are going ahead with the same plan and same personnel. Draft/FAs: key word that you use is "History," and I'd argue it's not that bad or any worse than most other teams in recent years. QB: We don't know who the starter will be but Fitz hasn't been the biggest problem over the past few years. Sure he lost a couple of games with poor performance, but his performance also kept them in those games in the first place. Having a somewhat below average QB is different than having NO QB. Perhaps the lack of a top tier QB would keep the Bills form going far in the playoffs, but it certainly doesn't automatically mean they will have a poor record.

Well, I'm not sure what would change your mind, but... 1. "No good QBs" just means that compared to most years, the QBs in this draft aren't projected to do as well. It's usually easier to identify someone who isn't going to be that good than someone who likely will. Or more simply, it's easier to tell if someone will probably suck than if someone will probably be good. So you're right, it's really just an educated guess based on evidence. No one can tell for sure how any QB will develop. But that doesn't change the fact that there are no highly touted QBs in the draft. When people are saying there are no good QBs in the draft, that means there doesn't seem to be any that NFL teams are drooling over. And that certainly seems to be the case. If you are claiming the opposite, that there are good QBs in the draft, please tell us which ones! 2. Strength of schedule has already been debunked as a meaningful stat. You're right, the differences between the teams in the NFL is marginal. I don't think many people point to SoS as evidence of anything going forward. In very general terms, the NFL tries to create even more parity by pitting similar teams against each other using previous records as a guideline. It doesn't mean much, but it's the most fair way to do so. I can't try to argue SoS is meaningful because I don't think it is, and it's pretty well understood already that it isn't.

This place has become so depressing. As bad as things might seem, just about every other team has "holes" and "question marks" too. A couple breaks and games can go either way. And for all the perceived weaknesses, there are just as many bright spots. I readily acknowledge that the Bills could be looking at losing record at the end of the season, but they just as easily could be making a push for the playoffs. Any given Sunday, fellas.

No he didn't, he was a cornerback. He was projected by draftniks to become a safety in the NFL. Bigger-bodied corners are often projected to safety because it's "easier" to play safety, especially if a player lacks elite speed.

"Any updates on this?"

I forgot that Tim actually posted in that thread I linked to above. There may be more but I can't take the time to go through the whole thing now: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/113015-thanks-leonidas/page__st__80#entry1849882 http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/113015-thanks-leonidas/page__st__80#entry1849946

Here's his last post: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/105064-ask-tim-graham-part-iii/page__st__280__p__1849486#entry1849486 and the ensuing discussion: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/113015-thanks-leonidas/ I don't think there is anything wrong with how he conducts himself. It's not like he owes anyone any undeserved courtesies. I enjoy a good give and take, but I certainly would stop posting here if I was subject to a constant barrage of personal attacks. Just like anyone has the "right" to criticize in a public forum, he's got the "right" to respond however he wants. I'm also not saying we should've bowed down to him for simply gracing us with his presence, but I do think he deserves some gratitude, and not so much criticism for things unrelated to the discourse on the board.

Also, I'll certainly grant that the proof is in the pudding. But as SDS so eloquently stated, they arent calling a PC to announce a new flow chart.

But that's not what Brandon did. I think it's clear the purpose of this PC was to announce the retirement of Mr. Wilson, and put the NFL on notice that there won't be any more meddling by Ralph.

Maybe we should find out what is his job , so we can baselessly criticize his performance, and offer no suggestion on how he could improve.

They were named* by Russ. Ruben Brown was quoted on twitter saying, "I wasn't really planning on going, but I was in the building anyway." EDIT: *Acknowledged by Russ as being present

Yep.

It's Russ's big chance to broker a deal. All Ralph has said is that the team is not for sale. Well, as anyone can obviously see, the team IS on the market whether or not Ralph can admit it. Mr. Wilson's clock is ticking. Look for Russ to be making arrangements for a TRUE succession plan. That will be the real impact of this restructuring.

Someone's using their thinking cap!

FWIW, Trapasso was the first guy to report Fred Jackson's re-signing in May.

That's not exactly true. If you read those studies you'll see that there is essentially no economic impact, positive or negative. Some studies have shown that there is a correlation between the presence of a sports franchise and a net loss of jobs in the area. But there has been no direct link drawn between the two. That's not to say there isn't, but it could simply be a coincidence. More likely, cities with pro sports franchises are also subject to the same sort of non-sports related socio-economic factors. For example, substitute "cities w/ a population over 300k" for "cities w/ pro sports franchises" and I imagine the same sorts of conclusions would be drawn.