2003Contenders

Actually as much of a failure as Millen was as a GM (and the Fords' puzzling refusal to fire him until he totally destroyed their franchise), he was an OUTSTANDING TV analyst prior to that. In fact, he was so good that many thought he couldn't miss as a GM. Just goes to show...

That's possible. The team may have looked ahead to next year's draft, figured that they were drafting too late to get a genuine blue chipper and thought Brohm was as good or better than anyone they could pick up in the middle rounds. Still, I doubt they are viewing him as "the answer". My guess is that they feel that Fitzpatrick serves the role of veteran backup. Brohm is a developmental backup. And Edwards is the odd man out. I have a feeling that they look toward free agency (or possibly a trade -- McNabb?) for a genuine starting caliber NFL QB in the off-season.

And yet -- and yet... That mighty Titan offense WITH CJ running wild all day had only scored 17 points heading into the 4th quarter. The chief problem remains on the offensive side of the ball, where the Bills can't score more than 17 points AND directly give up 14 points to the opponent.

Am I the only one that thinks that this may actually be a good idea THIS week, as the Bills take on the Chris Johnson and need the extra speed to keep him from getting outside?

I am guessing he meant "...hopefully allow me to get back to where I was last season (BEFORE the concussion sustained in the Arizona game)."

I hear what you are saying, and I would response with two observations. 1. I do believe that Maybin was always viewed as a long range pick, rather than an immediate impact pick. That range got even longer when he made the decision to hold out. 2. We don't know for sure who actually made the ultimate decision to select him. Based on some of the quotes heading up to the draft I have a feeling that Jauron or possibly Fewell campaigned for him.

I'm waiting for people to freak out when one of the following happens: 1. The Bills place Hardy on IR. OR 2. They release Steve Johnson to make room for Hardy.

Can we go with none of the above? 1. If the OL was in good shape, I would go with Bledsoe. In its current state, however, Bledose would have no chance behind it. 2. For all you Flutie fanatics, go back and watch game film from that 1999 season. The Bills won a lot of games 13-10 back then because the defense was so good and he would make that one big play to help get the "W". I suppose he would have the best chance for survival behind our existing OL. 3. Edwards already has suffered 2 major concussions. Even if you think that he may eventually develop into a credible NFL starter, you also have to realize that he may be one more hard hit away from retirement. 4. Fitz is a decent backup, plain and simple. BTW, Losman proved last year that he wasn't even capable of playing that role.

Every year it is a crap shoot in the draft. The Bills managed to land 3 immediate starters in Wood, Levitre and Byrd -- one of which should be in serious contention for ROY. They also added what appears to be pretty good depth in Nelson and Lankster. So what if Maybin isn't producing just yet? I think I am OK having a first round prospect with a potentially high ceiling take the time he needs to develop, especially considering the early success we have with the other guys. The bigger story (for those whose glass isn't half empty) isn't the failure thus far of Maybin -- but, rather, the surprising success of Kelsay, who has managed to keep Maybin on the bench. Also, remember that Orakpo was NEVER going to be a possibility, since (rightly or wrongly) the Bills have a vendetta against drafting University of Texas players.

When TD drafted Parrish, he believed he was getting what it looks like Percy Harvin will be. He isn't, so it is time to move on. I, too, suspect that Parrish will be released next week when the Bills have to make room for Hardy.

I have to wonder how differently fates would have turned if the Bills had elected to keep Greer, thereby passing on McKelvin and instead drafted an OT. Ryan Clady, for example, was taken one pick later.

If he was going to go "in-house", I think he would have done that already.

Here are some quick observations... 1. The Carolina front four is pretty good. It is hard to beat up on Meredith too much for getting schooled by a stud like Peppers. If Scott returns to be the starting RT, these two games of experience will have done Meredith some good, and I believe he can serve as a decent swing man going forward. 2. I too try to focus on Bell in these games, and it is clear that he is inexperienced but it is also clear that he has some talent too. In all honesty, he probably should be a backup at this stage of his development, but we all know why he's been thrown into the fire. I see it as sink or swim for him. If he shows marked improvement during the course of the season to the point where he looks like a serviceable starting LT, then we can cross that need off our list. Otherwise, I would hope that the front office would make a sound investment in an upgrade at the position. 3. This was not a good game for Hangartner. I wonder if the whole retruning home thing had an impact. I like him, and hope that this was just an aberration. 4. Of all the OL, the one who had the worst day was probably Levitre. Let's hope the kid learns from this. 5. I though Wood had the best game of the starters. The thing that may help is that Fitz seems to be more decisive and quicker in getting the ball out of his hand. I kept wondering how many sacks Edwards would have taken Sunday if he had been behind center.

Not to put a damper on this, but the thing that bothered me is that Delhomme still seemed to have all day in the pocket to throw the ball. If the front seven can't apply more pressure than that against Schaub this week, he will pick them apart. With the way the DBs have been playing, just a bit more pressure up front could lead to game changing plays.

I don't know that I would call him the coach of the week, but it is hard to criticize any of his gameday decisions yesterday -- so at least that is a step in the right direction.

Well, I agree to a certain extent. The only area I would disagree is that in the games the Bills lost, with the exception of Miami, the defense did well enough holding the opposing quality offenses (Pats and Saints) in check. It is true that the offense is too pathetic to keep up with a good offense in a good old fashioned shootout -- but DJ's defense is predicated on NOT allowing those shootouts to occur. He prefers to die the death of a thousand paper cuts.

1. Trent is more physically talented. In general, he throws a prettier ball and is more accurate with his passes. When playing behind a strong OL that would give him the time necessary to make his natural progressions, I believe Trent would be more likely to make bigger plays. 2. Fitz has better intangibles. He has shown better pocket awareness and is more willing to try to get the ball to his receivers. These last 2 games provide a small sample size, but Fitz also appears to play better in the clutch. Part of that may be because Fitz seems more unflappable under duress. The odd thing is that when Trent took over for JP, it seemed as though these very same things were HIS strengths. I still have to wonder if that concussion last year didn't rob him of some of this. Right now, given the patchwork OL the Bills have, I would be inclined to ride with Fitzpatrick. I believe that starting him this week and reevaluating during the bye week (as appears to be Jauron's plan) is the prudent move.

I'm not ready to cast Trent aside just yet, although it has to be said that with the talent he has at WR and RB you would expect a capable NFL QB (even with a green OL) to be more productive than Trent has been. I also am not convinced that his problems center around the infamous Arizona concussion. He exhibited many of the same tendencies BEFORE that concussion. Namely, he just never has seemed able to properly anticipate -- that is, make the throw BEFORE the receiver comes out of his break. I suspect that part of the issue with Trent is the trust factor. He doesn't trust his OL to give him the time to make the big throw downfield (and hence all the checkdowns). He doesn't trust his receivers to run the precise route (and hence the unwillingness to throw until their route is complete). And worst of all, he doesn't trust himself to make the tight throws. Maybe taking the next 2-3 weeks off and watching a physically less talented QB who appears NOT to have these trust issues, will do him some good.

Honestly, I think if the Bills had any REAL interest in Garcia, the whole TO riff from years past would be a non-issue. Garcia is a system style QB -- and he played well in a closed in WCO that was tailored for his modest skills. Note that he played well in SF, Philly and TB which all ran identical systems. He didn't fair as well at any of his other stops.

He actually is fairly quick. In fact, last year with the Bengals he was more effective with his legs than his arm.

I agree with this assessment 100%. I think he is also a good "Damage Control" coach, which is to say that his conservative style tends to mask a team that is highly deficient, which is why I think he did a good job in 2006 with JP starting all 16 games and 2007 when the team was ravaged by injuries.

Maybe now that Roscoe know he won't be traded, he'll get his head out of his rear end and start producing.

I would give Fitz the nod for the next two weeks. That gives Trent 3 weeks (counting the bye) to clear the cobwebs and watch from the sidelines. In the meantime, see how Fitz performs in those two games to see what decision should be made during the bye week.

Watch the Bills just outright release him.

I have speculated all along that Mangina is still on the Jets payroll. The one game that the Browns won was against the Bills, which certainly helps the Jets too. Hmmmmm.