hondo in seattle

The Bills cut Pianalto (TE) to make room for TE Lee Smith ("We are Marshall")from the Pats. Good points. Maybe we should have have guessed that Pianalto would be the first to go after getting down to 53.

I think Batten may be cut when the Bills sign a lineman.

This is really negative, but very funny and possibly very true.

Last year the Bills Offense was ranked #25 in Yards Gained and the Defense #24 in Yards Allowed. What do you predict for this season? Here are my predictions. Offense #20 Pros: 2nd year in Gailey's system. Fitz prepared as a #1 for the first time in his career. More out of CJ. Cons: The line doesn't look any better. Loss of Lee Evans may hurt. Defense #16 Pros: Dareus. Front Seven is much, much better. Wannstedt. 2nd year in new system. Edwards learning how to be a DC. Cons: Secondary veterans not as good as last year's stats indicate. Losing Whitner(?).

I certainly never meant to agree with Sully and imply the Bean Counters are in charge. It's fairly normal at this point in the season to sign a player or two who have been cut by someone else. Nix said they'll be checking the waiver wire to see if there's anyone out there who could help the team. With the Bills so thin on the Offensive Line, maybe someone like Andre Gurode is better than our worst player.

It seems likely - especially since the Bills retained only 8 Off Linemen - that we will sign at least one or two players who have been cut by other teams. To make room for any new additions, the Bills will have to make a couple more cuts. Who do you see being cut next? What available players do you think we might sign?

Anyone know of anything in Seattle??? It seems the two locations noted on the national Bills Backers map are no longer Bills sites.

I'm surprised that so many are surprised that we kept Ruvell Martin instead of Roosevelt. I like Naaman, too. But he's not very fast. Pack fans say Martin is a good team player and good backup WR - and he has better speed than NR. Roosevelt had steep competition for that last roster spot. I'm hoping Roosevelt and Jasper both find homes on our Practice Squad.

The Salary Dump Doomsday Soothsayers were predicting we would cut McGee and Bryan Scott. We did not. Some of the "Salary Dump" extremists were even saying we'd cut Freddy and Fitz. Of all their predictions, just about the only cut the SDDS's got right was Hangartner. Their unsuccessful record of prognistications pretty much disproves the Salary Dump theory. Look at how much we're paying for inside linebackers - even for the second-string. And the Bills, for another example, kept Martin even though he's a more expensive backup WR than Roosevelt who got cut. Gailey kept the guys he felt could help the team. Having said all that, I have to admit I'm a little puzzled by Hangartner's release. The Bills are thin on the OL, especially at Center, and Geoff's better than nothing.

I wouldn't call the Bills "weak." The defensive front seven looks much improved. The secondary is okay. Special teams are okay. The skill positions on offense are okay. The O Line is scary.

Kudos to Brian Galliford: "We're not expecting nearly the same veteran bloodbath that Buscaglia thinks there may be. In fact, there's only one veteran cut on Joe's 53-man roster projection that we fully see the logic of: that of center Geoff Hangartner." Buscaglia was predicting that the Bills would release McGee, Bryan Scott and some other name veterans as a "salary dump." Galliford had it right. The O Line seems awfully thin right now.

JW, a certain percentage of the human race is composed of fools. Don't be offended when you encounter one. Wiser heads still trust and respect your work as a sports journalist.

ieatcrayonz claims on his profile to be 10 years. Not sure if this is true but at least it's consistent with posts. I think he's pulling a Jaquin Phoenix on us.

Thanks... I have moments of premature senility and dyslexia, amongst other things... I guess I should proof-read before posting... Come one? Come two? Come all??? Yeah, I get the point but turnabout is fair play.

Last year I groaned with heart-rending futility as opposing RBs ran through our defense like a machete through jello. Have we in just one year transformed our weak LB corps into a strength? While reading Mark Gaughan's article today, I was struck by the quality of LBs who might not even make the 53 man squad: Linebacker: Gailey kept nine last year. The starters are Shawne Merriman, Chris Kelsay, Andra Davis and Nick Barnett. Alex Carrington could count as a D-lineman or a linebacker, but he has worked at outside 'backer the past three weeks. Danny Batten is a lock outside. Inside men Kirk Morrison, Kelvin Sheppard and Chris White are locks. That's nine players, or eight if you count Carrington as a lineman. Will the Bills make room for either outside man Antonio Coleman or inside man Arthur Moats? Moats does more on special teams. Undrafted rookie Robert Eddins is a prime practice squad candidate. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article541133.ece

Yeah... I never thought trading Lee was a "salary dump." And I never thought Roscoe would be a "surprise cut." Roscoe, in fact, was pretty productive in his 8 games last year. Interesting that the Bills want to extend his contract. Gailey clearly wants big guys on defense. On offense he wants quick guys at the skill positions who have big play potential. Freddie Jackson isn't really Chan's type. But he's too productive to neglect. Parrish is Chan's type. Although we haven't seen him do it enough times recently, Roscoe can turn nothing into something with his burst and athleticism. Would like to see him return punts again.

"@ Bengals We always beat them." By this logic, we'll lose to the Pats.

Maybe it's better to say your logic isn't persuasive. You haven't persuaded many people here and we're all Bills fans! Just because the Raiders are the Raiders doesn't mean we will beat them. We have an all-time losing record against the Raiders and dropped 4 of the last 5. Regardless of what you think of Campbell, the Raider offense was in the Top Ten last year in both yards and points - far better than ours. Just because you say we will sack Brady doesn't mean we will. Yep, our D looks to be much improved. But I wonder if our O Line will protect Fitz better than their O Line will protect Brady??? Just because we "always" beat the Bengals doesn't mean we will this year. Streaks come to conclusions. The 2011 Bills and 2011 Bengals are not the Bills and Bengals of the past. Man, I really hope you are right! I would love to see it! And I'll grant it's "possible" as you say in your headline - just not "very possible." Simple random luck says the chances of being 4-0 (assuming the outcome of any game is 50-50) is 1-in-16. I think 2-2 is a more likely record for the Bills after four games. But I hope I have to eat my words when your prediction comes true.

I understand your point of view. Establishing a consortium that will sign marketing agreements with players where the money paid out exceeds the expected ROI is unprecedented in American professional sports. However, rich businessmen in other countries will financially help attract athletes to their favorite teams. And the concept does exist - albeit in a more economical form - in American collegiate sports. College boosters often risk legal problems in pay-for-play schemes that don't generate tangible returns on the investment. Often, they are motivated more by team loyalty than money. Imagine Twenty Buffalo businesses and/or businessmen each putting up a million per year (or maybe even$500,000) - that would swing the financial calculations of many FAs. The "Twenty Friends of the Bills" could help turn the Bills into a favored FA destination and thus winners! I suppose it's just a dream. The electric light bulb was just a dream once too.

"I can see the Bills stealing a playoff birth." Wow, Florio is risking his rep. Who else of importance is saying anything like this???? (With apologies to the Senator who's predicting the Bills to go 19-0, baby!)

I think you meant to say Edwards WOULD HAVE BEEN a perfect QB for the Jets. TE used to be effective when he had time - accurate, safe with the ball... He might have done well in the NFL if he had played for a team like the Jets with a good O line and running game. But now he's been irrevocably ruined. Too many hits. Confidence shaken too many times. And his leadership skills were never great. He's not the perfect QB for anyone anymore if he ever was.

A leader who sticks up for his team. What a terrible idea!!!

Reading about Freddie's marketing deal with M&T Bank makes me wish that more Buffalo area businesses would step up and offer advertising contracts to players. If star players knew they would augment their Bills salary by, say, 20% when coming to Buffalo, we'd be a better FA destination - and lose fewer of our own players to the brighter lights of a bigger city. The big markets have this going for them. A star can make an Escalade full of cash - beyond their player salary - in places like New York and Dallas. Boosters providing pay and benefits to college players are breaking the law. Not so in the NFL, if done appropriately. Needless to say, celebrity pitchmen can be effective business drivers. Aside from that, it would be great if some of the bigger area companies supported the team and its players just out of civic pride. A consortium of WNY businesses could get together and agree to each 'draft' a star player so that our Top Twenty players all have lucrative marketing deals - thus giving the Bills a recruiting & retention advantage. http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/08/31/bills-jackson-in-mt-marketing-deal.html

Huh? You mean it's not 2012 yet? Thank God! It seems I have an extra year to live! The older I get, the more the years blur into each other.

I love the optimism but your argument is exactly well-reasoned... The Raiders are the Raiders? The Raiders won twice as many games as we did last year. We're going to put Brady on his ass? Exactly when did the Bills prove they could sack Brady? We always beat the Bengals? We didn't beat the 1988 Bengals when we met them in the playoffs. We've never yet played the 2011 Bengals. Despite the flawed logic, I hope you are right!