hondo in seattle

5.4 is inebriated 3-legged hippo slow. Not only do I wonder about his ability to escape the rush, but how hard he prepared for the combine. If he just jogged three times per week, he'd be faster than 5.4. What kind of work ethic does he have???

I'm sure I couldn't come up with a projected draft as probable as this one. Yet, I can't help but comment that I think it's unlikely that the Bills will wait until the 5th Round to draft a defensive lineman. This is a good year for DEs and there will be good options available in Rds 2-4. Considering the Bills poor run defense and lack of pass rush, I got to imagine they'll take a DE earlier than Rd 5.

Hard to consider Cousineau a draft bust when we traded him and ended up with Kelly. And Terry Miller wasn't a traditional draft bust. We didn't do a poor job evaluating this guy's pro potential. He was a beast in college and looked like he'd become a star in the NFL when he rushed for 1000+ yards at 4.5 ypc his rookie year with the Bills. But as I recall, he then developed some wierd disease and lost his peripheral vision. Still a great athlete, he couldn't see his way around the field and his career was pretty much done.

I'm not sad to see Brohm go. But I do think it's curious we once cut Brown and kept Brohm. Now we cut Brohm and keep Brown. What changed?

I guess better than football. He's 12-0, winning most by KO/TKO - though he's never fought anyone any good. All but one of his opponents have losing records. http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=215380&cat=boxer

As I recall, Larsen did 45 reps at the combine and maybe 50/51 once in college... Then became a boxer after failing with the Bills.

I've never bought the old saw that Defense wins games. Let's make it into a logical argument: Defense wins games. My Offense will overpower your Defense so your defense won't win the game. Therefore Offense wins games. It's best to see a game as three battles: Our O against their D. Our D against their O. Our ST versus their ST. Ideally we need to win all three contests. If we win but two, we probably win the game.

According to STATS Inc's "New York Life Protection Index," the Bills are the 20th best at protecting the QB. This is a new stat so we can't compare our showing to last year but clearly an improvement. http://newyorklife.stats.com/fb/protection.asp?type=overall

If we had a good O Line, Trent would be my choice at QB. He's accurate and plays well when he has time and can get into a rhythm. But we all know our line sucks. Given this, Fitz may indeed be the better option. But he's no savior. Dree Brees would have trouble producing many points behind this line. The only thing that can save this season is the O Line starting to mature and gel.

I realize that Donte isn't as good as we would hope from his draft position. But he plays hard and is loyal to the Bills organization. This guy isn't just a Bills player, he's a Bills fan. And I'm glad he's confident and willing to show it. If Donte came in as an undrafted FA, I think he'd more popular here.

Webster, I'm with you brother 100%! Couldn't be more pumped. New offensive scheme. New defensive scheme. New coaches (love Chan so far). A new TE??? I'm super excited. Go Bills! Squish the fish!

I think 9 or 10 wins are possible if the stars all align, but I'm predicting 7. I do think the Bills will be much better than last year. But the schedule works against a much better record. I'm also especially worried about the O Line. The starting 5 aren't impressive, I expect Gailey to scheme and play-call in a way to hide some of their deficiencies. O Line injuries, however, could put us in world of hurt.

John, I will grant you "expert" status IF you change this to, say, 11-5. (I want to someone, anyone, from the media to show the Bills some love).

Die Hard, Sorry to see you go. And thanks for the blood, sweat and tears you gave to the Bills. Although there are good people, players and fans elsewhere, I have no trouble talking trash about Miami, NY, or NE. Football is war, after all. But I don't understand us attacking our own Bills players or fans. The only justification for attacking a Bills player is that he quit in his heart but still suits up. We may wish TE, Maybin, Whitner or whoever were more talented, but they aren't. I wish I was as talented as them and could contribute to the Bills organization in whatever humble capacity. But since I'm not good enough and too old to play, I'll root for anyone who wears a Buffalo on his helmet. I'm a Bills fan through and through and wish well for anyone who has ever fought on the gridiron for a Bills victory. So good luck to you, Die Hard. Hope you change your mind.

Not sure why you respond to optimism with hostility. While I understand your pessimism, I politely disagree. First there is the empirical evidence. Last year, the first string offense produced just 3 points in 4 preseason games with TE at the helm. This year the first string offense has been scoring and moving the ball down the field with some proficiency. Then there is the coaching. Last season, AVP tried to perform the duties of Off Coordinator and QB Coach. He was clearly under-prepared and over-whelmed by the challenge. Gailey and his staff will give TE a far better game plan and have him far better prepared. Finally there is the O Line. Your concerns are warranted. But the line should at least be better than last year. Bell, Wood and Levitre will all likely be better in their 2nd year as starters. And, at least for now, the O Line is healthy. (Cross my fingers). Even a child can find good reason to be hopeful for an improved TE and Bills offense.

Just speculation... but I wouldn't envision Edwards being on the field. Just as the QB is usually off the field in the Wildcat, I imagine Chan putting the three RBs on the field without a traditional QB. Maybe Freddie under center or CJ in the shotgun. People didn't think the Wildcat would work in the NFL because it makes the intention to run too obvious. Yet it has had some success, partly because teams didn't practice or scheme for it. And it gives the offense an extra blocker (QBs are useless on running plays). The triple option also provides an extra blocker as well as opportunities for misdirection. I'm not actually saying it's a good idea. I do think the possibilities are intriguing and some of Chan's comments make me wonder what his intentions are.

Chan says he may put Freddie, Marshawn and CJ in the backfield at the same time. "We don't know how that's going to shake out yet. We've got the luxury of three pretty good backs. They may all be in there at the same time, you never know." Is Chan just toying with us? Or will the Bills occassionally run some variation of the triple option? Can you imagine CJ in the QB position in the shotgun formation with Jackson and Lynch to hand off to? A creative mind like Gailey's might love to play around with something like this. Having three legit running threats to simultaneously worry about could give a defense fits... if the plays are designed and executed right. After Miami's success with the Wildcat, Chan must be tempted with the possibilities.

Sports media is just an extension of the entertainment industry. Guys like Clayton don't get their gigs because they are especially insightful or accurate. They get them because they are interesting and articulate. Some of us find knowledgeable sports writers more interesting and so guys like Dr. Z do find jobs. I only read Clayton because from time to time he does stumble across something that hasn't been reported yet. As for talent evaluation, he's just another fan.

Roscoe says... "This year I feel much better about my role. I'm very excited. I'm just really looking forward to this season. Everybody is going to get an opportunity, and I can't ask for anything more at this point. That's all I ever wanted." "This offseason with Chan Gailey and a new coaching staff, it just made everything better. He's the kind of coach that gets the ball in playmakers' hands." TE says... "I'm very excited for Roscoe. I think he's very excited and I feel like we're putting him in good spots to win. He's been in spots in the slot and there are not a lot of people that can cover him. We just need to do a good job of protecting and I've got to be accurate with the football, and he's got to catch the football. He's a big weapon for our offense and I know Chan wants to use him."

Buffalo has a ballet???

I appreciate the optimism... but I wonder if your optimism is any more warranted than the excessive pessimism that appears here with frequency. To me, Wood, Levitre and Bell are all question marks. As fans, we only have a vague idea how they might perform this year because they were so raw and inexperienced last year. How much of a leap forward can we reasonably expect? Will any of them regress instead? I hope your comparison to the O Line of the late 80s turns out to be justified. Personally, I won't completely believe in their potential until it becomes a reality. Also unknown is Gailey and his coaching staff. Certainly, there's good reason to believe that the offense will be more competently coached this year. But how much more remains to be seen. The defense, of course, is also full of question marks. For example, how will our old DTs do as DEs and our old DEs as OLBs? 2010 will be an interesting year for Bills fans. Many questions to resolve. I suppose with so much uncertainty, it's better to be optimistic until piling losses kick you in the face. Btw, I also can't see Edwards morphing into J.Kelly under Gailey's tutelage. But maybe into a Joe Ferguson?

Gaily Quote: “I’m excited... I’m not just comfortable, I’m excited about what Roscoe Parrish is going to bring to our football team. We’re going to work to try to make sure he’s a major part of this offense.” Chris Brown Quotes: "Roscoe Parrish... has been supremely difficult to cover in this camp." "Offensively, Roscoe Parrish had a pair of touchdowns during red zone work on throw by Edwards and Levi Brown and has put together a promising camp that has Gailey eager to make use of him in the offense." Is this just normal training camp chatter or is Roscoe finally going to step up and contribute this year?

It's no great insight that we need help on the line. It's just as obvious to the folks at One Bills Drive as it is to us at Two Bill Drive. But Nix/Gailey felt we needed a play-maker as much as needed a tackle and drafted Spiller in the first round. After that, they were underwhelmed with the choices. Should we have taken a tackle in the 2nd or 3rd rounds just to take a tackle - when they were obviously not confident in the ability of the tackles on the board to contribute? And should we spend millions to sign a free-agent who couldn't even start on the Bills? While it's obvious to everyone that we need more talent on the line, there just weren't a lot of great options this year. It's time to implement the "Bills Rule." In the name of parity and competitiveness, the Bills will be allowed to draft players already under contract with other NFL teams for the rest of the decade.

Did anyone expect the Bills to look good in the first preseason game? We switched our offensive scheme and terminology. We switched our defensive scheme. Our old defensive tackles are learning to be DEs now. Our old DEs are learning to be OLBs. Our already poor offensive line was missing 3 starters. As Joe Theismann pointed out, the Bills looked tired from the live practices and sometimes 2aDays. And to make matters worse, out top two RBs both got injured early. Remember, the old Levy Bills used to lose in preseason and Super Bowls but won a helluva lot of games in between. I won't say there aren't things that concern me in this performance. But we really need to give Chan more time before giving up on the season.