Turbosrrgood

Gee you must be right, guys like Batten, Moats, White, Sheppard, McKelvin, Florence, Dwan Edwards, Kellen Heard, and Spencer Johnson really were carrying the team... Despite the fact that Kelsay was the only one other than Dareus to get any sort of pressure on the QB, he was obviously the sole reason the Bills D was bad last year. Clearly with all of that dominating talent on the team, and defensive coaching guru like Edwards at the helm, Kelsay was the one guy holding the entire team back... It all makes sense now... To say Kelsay was one of the weakest players on the defense last year is just asinine, and really makes me question whether you actually watched any of the games or not...

I agree with all of this, well said. The only thing is, I get the impression that the Bills have all but promised Williams he will be playing LDE. If that is the case, I think Kelsay will rotate in with him, since he is more suited to that side. Ideally, Anderson and Merriman would rotate around the RDE spot in that situation. I agree that on paper, Willams at RDE, and Kelsay at LDE would make the most sense. I'm more concerned about Anderson being counted on as a starter. He's really only had one year as a starter (5 years ago, and he wasn't very effective), other than that he has never started more than 2 games in a season. Last year he was a pass rush specialist only for the Pats. Despite the money, to expect Anderson to be a top quality starter is unrealistic based on what he has done his entire career.

wampus, it seems clear you are on the "want him cut" half. I don't know of many Bills fans that "love" him, most who watch football objectively can respect the effort and solid, consistent play Kelsay has given us. He is by no means a sack artist, and is no pro-bowler... He is what he is, a solid, hard working, well rounded DE. He got a bad rap as an OLB, a position he had never played, nor should have ever played. He has always been decent as a DE, nothing more, nothing less... IMO he will be a very strong asset to this team as a rotational DE, cutting him would only make this team worse and make Ralph's family a few bucks richer.

This could be summed up in a much easier way...MODRAK. The Bills did ok, but not great before Modrak...and completely tanked during his entire tenure. Modrak failed on the vast majority of draft picks and FA's signed under his watch. The signing of guys like Mularkey and Jauron didn't help things...but those inferior coaches had absolutely no chance with such inferior players... Worst "talent" evaluator I have ever seen, yet a "friend" of Ralphs...

Damn man, the guy was just stating an opinion, you don't have to agree with it. I took it as he'd rather have Merriman take it easy and not risk re-injury during OTA's, and have him save it for camp and the season...Something I'd agree with.

One more reason to like Gailey, I completely agree. Thanks for your in depth analysis...

Makes sense really, the Dolphins are a rebuilding team with quite a few "nobodys". They aren't expected to be very good this year, they have nothing to lose by doing this. Any competitive team would probably be leery of this as a possible distraction... I still won't watch, I really dislike the idea of turning sports into reality shows...

So how many kids/baby mommas does he have?

Interesting idea, but it actually makes the point that Gailey has done a good job offensively. He took the same players that Jauron had, and actually had some offensive success with them. Also, it's good to differentiate between coaches and GM's. Jauron/Gailey have some input, but the GM's are mainly responsible for player acquisitions. Gailey/Nix just finished their second Modrakless draft, and I think most have been very pleased with the results to this point. I despise Jauron as a coach, but it is the FO's responsibility to identify talent for the roster, not Jauron or Gailey. They are responsible for using the talent they have effectively as possible. While the end result of wins losses was not good so far with Gailey, certainly he seemed to have a better looking team than the one Jauron fielded with similar players.

People keep saying that because Wanny himself said he was not getting involved in the play calling last year. The OP specifically refers to the best play caller combination, so in the context of this discussion they have not coached together as play callers. No one is sure exactly what Wanny did as a "coach" last year (I think/hope very little, given the outcome). This year is the first year Wanny will be coach of the defensive unit, and will obviously be calling the plays. "The only difference this season would be the title of DC and running the defense completely." I would say that is one heck of a big difference. I know we are all hoping it will be

Wait, are you saying they are better than the combo of Turk Schonert and Dick Jauron?!?! Or AVP and Dick Jauron?!?! Or Dick Jauron with any combination of other coaches?!?!? In all seriousness though, these guys have yet to coach together for us, and not to knock them but neither of these guys could find an NFL coaching job with anyone else...Soooo, isn't it a little early to dub them the best of all time? Don't get me wrong, I'm liking this combo as much as you are so far, but I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself.

I don't know about that. The Bengals are certainly starting to look good, and the Ravens have been the best team in that division. The Steelers still have some issues, that O-line is going to be young and untested. Their defense is old and lost some players. They are weak at the RB position, and iffy at the WR position behind Wallace. That could make for one of the best divisions in football this year (the Browns ruin it...).

I initially thought the same thing. But the article did make some good points there. They have Pouncey a pro-bowler, they signed arguably the best O-lineman in the draft G DeCastro (I know, Kalil, but OT's are always more coveted) along with one of the most talented OT's in the draft in Adams. Both of those guys probably start week 1. It may be a stretch to assume two rookies, especially Adams at T, can come in and be great right away, but they certainly look much improved on paper. The Bills O-line is similarly mostly improved on paper, with a rookie probably starting at LT, or 2nd year 5th Rounder as the alternative.

Bell isn't a very good LT IMO, so no that's not reasonable. That was an emergency swing by the Eagles. As eball pointed out, no one else was willing to offer that in the time he was on the market. Personally I think Bell was a waste of the Bills time/resources, as opposed to drafting/developing someone else. The Bills are far better off without him, with Hairston and Glenn in the mix, not to mention Sanders (a 1st/2nd rnd rated tackle by some). All of those guys have a high a ton of potential and great physical skills. Bell had a low ceiling, was injury prone, had poor technique (especially against speed), and wasn't physically gifted. Give Nix a ton of credit, he dealt with the situation perfectly IMO. Didn't give in to Bell's salary demands, and in the end got guys in the draft that certainly seem more talented. That position went from one of great question, to a possible strength and certainly now has solid depth.

I think it's a pretty fair assessment. My only gripe is penciling in Rinehart as a starter. I think he stood out as a guy that really struggled last year, and Urbik is a guy who by far surpassed his expectations. He even played center before getting injured. I don't see there being much of a chance of Rinehart starting. Actually he seems like would have a hard time just making the team now that the Bills added Glenn, Sanders, and Asper (G/C) in the draft.

Batten has to make an NFL roster, let alone get 1 sack, let alone 10+. Doubtful he makes the Bills IMO.

That argument is just wrong IMO. Concussions are not some new thing. They have been around and known for years, and ended the careers of Aikman and Steve Young (who are just fine almost 20 years later by the way) among others. Sure there is ongoing research as to the exact medical damage that's caused, but it's common knowledge that concussions are bad and can cause long lasting damage. It's been common knowledge for years. I remember when Jim Kelly would get hit, they would talk about the possible long term effects of his multiple concussions. That was in the early 90's.

I did the math like 3 times, I'm fairly certain that's two words...

Agree Dr. While parents obviously have the final say over what their kid can or cannot do, to prevent your kind from playing sports because you are afraid of injury is selfish and not in the best interest of the child IMO. Had my parents tried to prevent me from playing sports I would have never forgiven them. Also, there is a HUGE difference in most grade school football with normal sized human beings, and the NFL with the abnormal freaks of nature that play today. Kids are far more likely to be seriously hurt driving cars at that age than playing high school football. Sports carry risks, driving cars carry risks, climbing stairs carry risks....Perhaps you can stick your kids in a bubble until they are 18 then let them loose...

Here's the bottom line in my opinion. 1) These players are fully aware of the risks of playing football at this point, and are more than fairly compensated for that risk. As others have pointed out, jobs like firefighters, miners, construction workers all have far more serious risks and consequences. 2) The NFL is and has been doing everything it can to try and prevent concussions. Major rule changes, seeking safer helmets, doctors, ect... 3) Sports of any kind, not just the NFL have serious risks of concussion. That will ALWAYS be the case, it's not something that can be eliminated just because we want to. Hockey has had SERIOUS concussion issues the last few years, even "non contact" sports like baseball and basketball have their share of concussions. So sure, do you your best to prevent and treat them, but to act like they can be stopped all together is ridiculous. Concussions are a risk of the sport, just like blown tendons and broken bones. It is what it is, and the conversation is far overblown IMO. 4) While I'm not denying there is the possibility of long term damage, it's not like a concussion is a guaranteed death sentence. I'm sure many of us here have experienced one in our sports playing days. Guys known for serious repetitive concussion problems like Steve Young and Troy Aikman have successful public announcing jobs and show no signs of long term damage. It's an injury, and like any other injury has the potential for long term damage. And come on, it's not like these guys are geniuses anyway....

I don't get all the "White is a great ST guy" talk. The guy played in 12 games, and had 5 tackles. It's not like the Bills ST's were particularly good last year either. I'm not knocking White, but I don't see how anyone could say he is a good NFL ST player without any evidence of that whatsoever. He's also 5-10, 200 lbs, with mediocre at best speed. Choice is a Gailey favorite, and Nix/Gailey went out of their way to sign Choice to play over White last year when FJ went down. Then they resigned Choice this year. I think Nix/Gailey have made it pretty clear that they strongly prefer Choice over White. I don't think there is even the slightest doubt in their mind. White may be a good candidate for the practice squad, unless an injury takes out one of the top 3.

Haha, excellent point! Hell, Mularkey took a PUNTER in the 3rd. How this guy got another OC job, let alone HC job, absolutely baffles me... As an offensive coach, for him to be placing so much emphasis on punting is not a good sign...

Yeah, I believe we could still practice squad him as well if the Bills still liked him. To your point though, guys like white generally aren't hard to find when needed. Choice hasn't done much in the NFL, but he has a little more pedigree, and certainly more experience. A good guy to have as your 3rd back. Plus the Gailey connection.

Baring injury, white has almost no chance IMO. White was given very little chance last year after FJ went down...Then they RESIGNED Choice in the offseason. Clearly they plan on him being the #3 guy. White would really have to blow choice away in the preseason to have a chance. Plus, it's last years 5th round pick, it's normal for some of those guys not to stick. He's 5-10, 200 lbs, and not that fast. I have nothing against the guy, just don't see how he makes the team baring injury.

Moats is a TBD legend, his legacy will live on forever. He has already probably earned a spot on the wall...