hondo in seattle

I have to agree. Having lived in or near Buffalo, St.Louis, Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Francisco and now Seattle - as well as spending time in other metro areas - clearly Buffalo doesn't have the same quantity or quality of cultural offerings of the bigger cities. When I say "cultural offerings," I mean everything from nightclubs to museums, from concerts to restaurants. And then there's the weather. Certain types of personalities are going to rationally prefer the bigger cities and cities with more temperate climates. I don't mean to offend anyone but there are reasons cities like Miami and San Francisco, for example, attract more tourists than Buffalo. But I also agree with some other points made on the board... some players will like Buffalo... some players will happily play where ever the paycheck is the biggest... some players really want to play for a winning team.... Every player has his own set of priorities and preferences. In the end, I don't think the Bills will have a huge disadvantage signing FAs if Whaley & Overdorf manage the cap well and Marrone starts getting some wins.

It will be interesting to find out. Maybe CJ won't average 6 YPC if he gets 20 carries per game. But Hackett's right, we should find out. Let's see what CJ can do with more touches. On the other hand, I don't want to neglect Freddy.

Yeah. I don't care if it's Kolb, Tuel or EJ. If any of these guys turns out to be as good as Jim Kelly - or even close - and lead us to the playoffs, I'll be in celebration mode.

I agree most players probably think like this. For the partying exceptions, we aren't going to be in the running. Some guys like the South Beach scene or the L.A. vibe or whatever. I hate to say it, but Buffalo doesn't have as much to offer the young rich bachelor as most other NFL cities. But if Whaley and Marrone return the Bills to the playoffs - and manage the cap intelligently - we'll be able to successfully entice good FAs.

Astro, thanks from Seattle!!! When I heard EJ's name called on draft day, I figured he'd hold the clipboard for at least half the season. But your reports, and other sources (e.g. Peter King), make me feel he'll be lining up under center on opening day.

As a former army captain, who always thought of Marines kindly as jarheads, I've now decided to always spell Marine with a capital M. Service deserves respect.

The curse is over. It's time to stop living in the past and celebrate our currently Buffalo Bills. I voted for CJ who's going to the Pro Bowl this year.

I had the same operation as Troup. Not sure what he's talking about. Maybe 7 months after my operations, I asked my doc what my limitations were? Mixed martial arts? Roller derby? He told me "Let your body be your guide." He went on to explain my spine will actually be as strong or stronger than before the way the two vertebrae were fused together, but obviously my flexibility will never be the same. From my understanding, he's not really risking life-long issues. I wonder, though, if the loss of flexibility effects his leverage?

If Marrone turns out to be as good a NFL head coach as I think he will.... If Pettine is as good out of Rex's shadow as I think he can be... If EJ turns out to be the kind of QB I think he can be... If the new WRs step up and live up to their perceived potential... If the Bills stay healthy... This will be a really fun season to watch! How many IFs is that? I understand the optimism because I feel it too - the most I've had since Levey and Kelly teamed up. But I get the Negative Nancies, too.

I agree but will add some other thoughts. If he's in the middle of the pack or better of the QB ratings (efficiency, QBR), that would be a good start for a rookie. If he leads the team to a 8-8 or better record, that would be a good start for a rookie. If he throws more TDs than INTs, that would be great too. Let's remember that Jim Kelly didn't have a great rookie season with the Bills, despite some post-collegiate seasoning in the USFL. Then again, with Spiller and Jackson in the backfield, EJ doesn't need to be team's saviour.

Yep, I agree. None of the talking heads are perfect. No GM is perfect. Talent evaluation can be tricky business. But Kirwan clearly knows football better than most of the guys who make a living commenting on it.

Another kick-the-tires signing.

Hackett says that the five best need to be on the field at the same time. Makes sense. On the other hand, there aren't a lot of successful offensive schemes that utilize two HBs. I know a lot of people are enamored with CJ - and rightly so - but a couple years ago Freddy was a beast. I believe he was leading the league in Yards After Contact. He was practically a one man offense for a while. If he returns to form, he needs some touches. Marrone and Hackett seem like creative guys. Let's see if they are creative enough to find a way to get both these guys on the field.

Obviously, Freddy will spell CJ when he's tired. But that's it? I hope to see Freddy and CJ in the same huddle with some mystery as to where they'll line up when they come out. Done intelligently, this could stress defenses and meet Hackett's criterion that the best five should be on the field. One play might feature a two-back set. The next play, Freddy lines up the slot. The next play, CJ goes out wide.... Maybe when CJ and Freddy on the field together, CJ is always the tailback while Freddy is the wildcard. When your best two offensive players are both RBs, I think you need to be a little creative on how you use them. And I think Hackett will.

Hackett has said more than once that he wants the five best skill positions on the field. I can't imagine he doesn't count both CJ and FredEx amongst the top five. Marrone says: “I think we’ve got two good running backs that are established in this league that have done well. I think it’d be too soon to say exactly what (Jackson’s) role is. You see them in a lot of different situations. I think we have a lot of things we can do with them.” http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130801/SPORTS03/308010052/Buffalo-two-bills-drive-Bills-break-new-role-Fred-Jackson Pat Kirwan says: "The Bills are going to be a very dangerous "20" personnel team (two running backs. three wide receivers). Expect to see a lot of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller on the field together with Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods and probably T.J. Graham. Spiller can split out to wide receiver, Jackson is a willing blocker if they want to run power and there's lots of speed on the outside." http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/pat-kirwan/22951661/bills-observations-in-qb-battle-prepared-rookie-manuel-looks-to-get-nod If Freddy returns to his 2011 form, he needs to be on the field. But where? Fortunately, as we all know, he's versatile. He's not a crushing lead blocker but he's excellent at blitz pick-up. He's a talented, determined runner and a solid pass-catcher. And he's also a humble, team-player who's willing to do anything asked of him. I'm wondering how creative Marrone & Hackett might be in getting him on the field with C.J. Any guesses?

Marrone seems like a straight-shooter. Pat Kirwan, who's known Marrone since Marrone was in high school, says Marrone is a straight shooter. If Marrone says there's a true competition for QB, I believe him. Marrone likes his job but he doesn't get to keep it unless he wins. So why wouldn't he start - as he says - the QB who gives him the best chance of winning? Just because it's a fair competition, it doesn't mean he'll treat each QB the same. Kolb and EJ have different developmental needs and are in different places in their evolution as QBs.

There's really no persuasive argument offered in the article to make us think Rogers will shine this year - though I hope you're right. What makes Rogers such a great NFL prospect? Superior body control? Hand-eye coordination? Route running? Speed? Elusiveness? Strength? Somebody or another compared Rogers to Randy Moss and I hope that - on the field - the comparison proves justified. As of right now, I'm not expecting him to crack the starting lineup.

Am I the only one who doesn't care about uniforms and collars? The Bills could dress in Santa Claus suits if they wanted. As long as they win, I'm happy. When they lose, I don't care how good they look doing it. I'm still despondent.

This is already being discussed in the guard thread.

I don't think Marrone is a Sean Payton clone. Look at how Syracuse's offense evolved during Marrone's tenure. Hackett talks about studying the K-Gun, Chip Kelly's offense, etc. Our Hackett is, of course, the son of Paul Hackett - a West Coast guy. These two coaches (Marrone & Hackett) have a lot of influences beyond Sean Payton. And, by the way, throwing on 3rd-and-one when Fitz is your QB isn't a bright decision. It's a much better idea when Bart Starr is your quarterback. It only softens up defenses when the threat is legit.

Well, I hope you are right. If Marrone, Pettine and EJ are all as good as we hope, the Bills will be exciting this year.

A couple thoughts... PFF is bunch of number-crunching, sabremetrician, analytics geeks - and I mean that nicely. Their forte is examining numbers, not real players in live action. I'm not sure why they do camp visits other than it must be fun for them. I notice that they don't show Fred Jackson in the starting line-up and I wonder about that. Hackett has said on more than one occasion that he's going to put his five best skill players on the field. That would include Jackson. Contrast PFF's proposed starting line-up to this comment from Pat Kirwan: "The Bills are going to be a very dangerous "20" personnel team (two running backs. three wide receivers). Expect to see a lot of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller on the field together with Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods and probably T.J. Graham. Spiller can split out to wide receiver, Jackson is a willing blocker if they want to run power and there's lots of speed on the outside."

Here's what Pat Kirwan had to say about the guard position: On offense the Bills must find a left guard to replace Andy Levitre. Colin Brown is getting the first shot and Doug Legursky is threatening to take the job, but I get the feeling Antoine Caldwell could be the man in the end. Caldwell had 19 starts for the Texans, never has been called for holding and has yielded only five sacks. I think, btw, that you can find a starting guard under your couch or any other piece of household furniture is just a little bit silly. Ideally, we'll have studs all across the line. Guys who excel at guard (or any NFL position) are hard to find.

You may be right but look through the lens of an outsider. We have a new head coach. A new OC and offensive scheme. A new DC and defensive scheme. A new QB, probably a rookie, and several new starters. How often does all that up to a playoff contender? Conventional wisdom says this is a two year (or more) rebuilding project.

Is it my imagination, or are the Bills signing more small-name, kick-the-tires FAs this year than they have in the past?