hondo in seattle

It's all about probabilities. Jaws and Kiper and other so-called experts in the media study more film and talk to more coaches than we fans do. The probability of them being right about a player is therefore a little higher than ours. NFL scouting staffs study even more film, talk to even more people, and therefore have an even higher probability of predicting the success of a player. But even they are wrong a high percentage of the time. A guy with a comparatively high success rate - Bill Walsh - was famously wrong about Trent Edwards. So it is fair to say that no one knows if EJ will be successful. That's why I'm so excited to begin the season. I want to know - with my own eyes - what we have with him.

Buffalo Bills Maybe EJ Manuel follows in the footsteps of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson and sparks a rapid revival here. The safer bet is that Buffalo needs at least one more year to get the right players in place for new coach Doug Marrone. Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130905/nfl-power-rankings-season-preview-baltimore-ravens-seattle-seahawks/#ixzz2e2DJr4Hy This seems fair, though I'm personally hoping for quicker progress. If I was writing the power ranking, I'd probably pen something like, "I put Buffalo here because I had to put them somewhere. It's hard to know what to expect from this edition of the Bills with a new HC, OC, DC and QB."

He claims to have PF. PF tends to linger for months. IR seems appropriate - at least enough so that counterarguments wouldnt' get very far.

Bills 21 Pats 17 The offense and defense both play just well enough for the Bills to eke out a win at home.

I'm tempted to say that if he won't be happy playing with the Bills (and I'm still hoping the situation is salvageable), then we should just put him on IR. It's an expensive decision but sends the message, "Don't fxck with Whaley." Byrd wants to be traded and if he is, he wins. Being placed on IR takes away his chance to showcase his skills for other suitors. And if he's going to pretend like he's injured, we ought to treat him like he really is.

I agree completely. If Byrd gets traded, the Bills send the message that players (and their agents) drive personnel decisions rather than Whaley and the front office. It'll encourage other players to hold out, fake injuries, and otherwise behave badly when they think more money might be found elsewhere. Whaley needs to send a different message: contracts are binding and we expect players to respect them.

This is how I feel exactly. We may win against the Pats. We may lose. But I have a feeling a new day is dawning for the Bills and I'm excited to see EJ under center.

We have more than our share of problems but... As for the QB... If EJ both starts and finished the game, it's a non-issue. This is the guy Marrone wants to be in there. If Tuel starts and finishes the game, oh well. That's life. Sometimes your #2 has to play. As for the replacement K... really? This is bugging you? Kickers get hurt occassionally and teams find replacements on the street. It's not like the replacement has to learn a new scheme. As for CB... Yeah it sucks that Gilmore is hurt. But at least he's not out for the whole season. And the guy we signed is someone who's weak at the Tampa 2 but good (so they say) at the press coverage Pettine likes to use. As for safety... It also sucks that Byrd is hurt. At least Leonard knows Pettine's defense. Byrd will learn while sitting out. Injuries are part of the game. It's a bit of a downer but there are many positive thing to get excited about: new HC, new OC, new DC, maybe we've finally found a franchise QB, we may have drafted some good guys, we may have signed some productive FAs, etc. There's some unhappy data out there but a lot of good data points too. I don't think it adds up to a "mess." I hope it adds up to a team that is rebuilding and in that process will have to overcome some adversity.

The Pats article makes for a nice rebuttal though the sarcasm was unkind and unnecessary.

The author of the piece is a lawyer sitting at Starucks. Not sure that makes any difference - but thought it should be pointed out. From this and his previous contributions, it's clear that he's a Bills fan so he's okay with me even if I can't digest all his logic.

Our Power Ranking depends on how you add up the question marks. New HC, OC, DC, QB... guys who are hurt... rookies... FAs... We may have more big questions than any other team in the NFL this year. The cynics think there are too many questions. Optimists like me see this is a lot of opportunity. If Marrone turns out to be a good HC... If Hackett turns out to be a good OC... If Pettine does well as a DC out of Rex's shadow... If EJ turns into a good NFL QB... If CJ can average 6 ypc again behind this line in this scheme... If some of the young WRs step up... If we learn that Wanny made the defensive players look bad with his simplistic schemes when really they're supremely talented... If Freddy has any gas left in the tank... If Gilmore gets healthy... This will be a great season. I'm excited to find out.

good stuff

I was running 50 miles a week when I developed a case of bad PF. I had to stop running for maybe 5 months. But (1) it affects everyone differently, and (2) I didn't have the same quality medical care that Byrd does. Also, PF really sucks when trying to run marathon distances. I'm not sure how much you can gut out in the jogging and short sprints of a football game.

Apparently, he's an athletic prodigy... http://espn.go.com/c...-seminoles-snap

You are right, this team is thin. If the 3 injuries were, for example, EJ, CJ and Feddy, we'd be unable to field a NFL calibre backfield. But if the IR-type injuries happened to journeymen who aren't much better than their backups, then we could still have a good season. The coaches aren't "rookies," they are merely new to the Bills and that's a great reason to be excited. Pettine's defenses were always in the top 5 when he was the Jets DC. Marrone's offenses when he was the Saints OC were highly productive. Watching the Bills last year, I got the impression that the NFL passed Gailey and - especially - Wanny by. But Pettine and Marrone/Hackett are younger coaches with creative minds who are well-versed in all the newest ideas being tried both in collegiate and professional football. It's hard not to expect better game planning than last year. And better game planning makes players perform better.

I wouldn't surprise me if Da'Rick had the worste career of any of these. I'll guess he ends up toward the bottom of this list in terms of production (career catches, yards). I'll guess Brooks ends up on top. Da'Rick has athleticism. He lacks almost everything else a WR needs to excel in the NFL: effort, concentration, diligence, coachability...

I barely knew who this guy was a couple days ago. Not he's on the almost-final roster. I still would have preferred to keep TJax. But that boat has already departed and life moves on.

And isn't he a part owner of the Dolphins? That disqualifies him from ever being allowed to wear a Bills uni.

7th rounder I would assume.

Never saw this before (thanks for posting). Makes me sad to see him go. I thought his tweener talents might be useful for a creative DC like Pettine. Guess not.

I'd be okay with this if... * Gilmore was healthy and stayed healthy all season long. * McKelvin also stayed healthy and, on top of that, learned how to play the ball.

I had hopes for Sanders too coming out of college too. But reports from camp say he's been struggling mightily. So his release isn't really a surprise.

I don't know Byrd personally and don't know if he's actually hurt. For all I know, he's fractured a metatarsal. I don't attend training camp nor do I talk to team doctors. All I know is what I see on the field and the results there tell me we don't have enough talent. They don't scream that the Bills don't work hard enough. Yep

I think we have too many injuries and too little talent to beat the Pats. But I'm excited anyway. New GM, HC, OC, DC and QB. It reminds me of the excitement at the very beginning of the Levy/Kelly era. We knew we didn't have all the pieces yet but it felt like we were on our way.

Wow. This is such a negative and unfounded rant I'm reluctant to wade in. But I will, only briefly. How do you know the Bills don't work hard? Have you attended camp at SJF and then compared that with the other 31 camps you've visited. To say that the Bills haven't had the best coaches or best players over the past decade plus is self-evident. But to say they don't work hard? It's just kind of silly.