2003Contenders

Heck, at this point, considering his total lack of worth thus far this season, I wouldn't be too upset if they outright released him if they couldn't get something for him in a trade. As for McKelvin, maybe sometime for him to sit awhile may not be such a bad thing. He's been a week point through the first three games -- and when Florence came in the defense as a whole got better.

Note also that, in addition to the comments about how it took Brees 3-4 years to finally develop, I seem to remember concerns about his being undersized and not having the necessary arm strength to play in somewhat cold climates. That fear appeared to have seen fruition in the one game that he played in Buffalo back in 2002, when he clearly did NOT have enough arm to get the ball downfield and was benched in favor of Flutie. I don't know whether his arm is stronger these days -- or if that limitation has been downplayed because he plays more than half of his games indoors.

A few well executed screen passes to Fred Jackson should slow them down.

I know no one wants to hear this, but the pass rush really did cease once Kelsay went out. He doesn't gte many sacks, but he does apply consistent pressure.

Didn't he used to work alongside Steve Tasker?

Hmmm. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it possible that our very own Dick Jauron played a role in Shanahan being unemployed? After all, it was a Week 16 quasi meaningless game for the Bills IN Denver, when Dick's team beat a Bronco team that would have sealed a playoff spot with a victory. If the Broncos make it into they playoffs, then Shanny is probably still coaching there. I understand the anti-Jauron sentiments, but pass on Shanny.

I have no problem with their perceived negativity. The team hasn't been good for a long time. When it was good back in the 90s these guys were much more generous in their writings. My only problem is that I fail to consider either of them a true beat reporter. They don't get us any real inside info and are constantly scooped by the real reporters out there -- like Adam Schefter.

Or, how about this? Maybe, just maybe the team is waiting until the season begins to actually open up the playbook for mass consumption. Why give Bill B any sneak peaks?

The Bills will not get swept by the Jets or Dolphins. Otherwise, it is very encouraging about the out-of-conference games.

Everyone relax. DO you think TO wants to miss going up against Randy Moss in primetime to start the season? He will be ready. Exercising caution at this point is the prudent move.

Offensively, I would say that the starters need to put together at least a couple of long scoring drives. If it takes them into the 3rd quarter, then so be it. Defensively, I would leave the entire unit in until they apply consistent pressure to the QB, generate turnovers, and/or force 3-and-outs. If it takes them into the 3rd quarter, then so be it.

Don't get too excited about the young guys getting a chance. I bet Denney gets the nod now.

Funny enough, how good does that 2006 draft look if McCargo, AY and/or Simpson fail to make it onto the final roster? I suspect that at least one of the three gets cut.

I think it was a combination of things that were somewhat unique to both sides. And in each case, I think both sides voluntarily tried to venture from the typical rookie slotting... 1. From the Bills perspective, they also had the #11 overall pick in the draft last season. They knew what they paid McKelvin, and Maybin was probably no more highly rated this year than McKelvin was last year. In fact, Modrak said many times last season that he did not expect McKelvin to be available at #11. Hence, I suspect that the front office had a difficult time (especially in this economy) justifying more than a 5-10% increase over last year's contract numbers. 2. The Crabtree situation gave the Maybin camp a reason to cool their heels. With Crabtree likely to wind up with a contract that is greater than his slotted draft position, Maybin's agent was content to wait it out and see if that may help is client's ceiling price. In the end both sizes agreed on what should have been the fair, slotted price range to begin with. A pity that this cost Maybin weeks of valuable preparation time.

I don't know. It just seems like the great WRs always find a way to get open when the chips are down, and Evans just doesn't do that. Rarely do I see him fight for a contested pass -- and he seems to have a lot of balls intercepted from him. I am sure that less than stellar QB play certainly is responsible for that to a certain extent -- and I have to believe that Lee will be helped tremendously by the return of TO. It would also help if the coaching staff could devise schemes and routes to place him in better situations.

He was called for pass interference on a play that was much less flagrant than the deflection/interception at the start of the game.

Trust me, the other teams in the league are very interested in what happens with these negotiations -- and even more so with the Crabtree negotiaions. If either team caves and pays the player more than their slotted value, it could have a rippling effect. If the 49ers cave -- but the Bills remain steadfast and insist that Crabtree's situation bears no relevance to Maybin's situation (which is probably what they are telling Maybin's camp NOW), then Ralph will be lauded as a hero around the league. Al Davis is the one who really messed all this up by reaching for -- and then overpaying Heyward-Bey. Still, Crabtree needs to understand that he was drafted 10th for a reason -- and part of it may have to do with the reputation of his agent. If they can just split the difference between the 9th pick and the 12th pick, Maybin still comes out ahead as his value will be closer to the higher drafted position than the lower drafted position (from a slotting standpoint).

I find this whole thing to be really bizarre. Maybin was a borderline reach at 11 and should be EXCITED that he has the opportunity to get paid whatever the Bills are offering. I know, I know. It is business. But maybe while he and his greedy buddy Lavar continue this holdout, the light may suddenly comes on for Chris Ellis that makes Maybin expendable after all... Of course, I am overreacting. Th reality is that he will sign on the dotted line soon. I mean he has to, right? What possible advantage does he have to sitting out this year? If he re-enters the draft in 2010, he's probably not even a Day 1 pick. The Bills hold all the cards, and they know that. Hence, they can afford to be rigid, especially if Maybin is as raw as some reports suggest, meaning that he is unlikely to make a big impact this year anyway.

Some valid points there. Certainly mitigating circumstances abound with some of those losing seasons but 9 losing season out of 10 is what it is.

I've said it before. I actually agree that these Bills overachieved in 2006 and 2007. I give Jauron major props for dealing with an undermanned roster led by an uncoachable tool at QB and managing not only to get to a 7-9 record -- but to keep the team very close in the games they lost. In 2007 especially with the rash of injuries, the 7-9 record was exceptional. Last year after the team jumped out to a 5-1 record, I was very disappointed that the wheels came off in the manner that they did. Certainly Jauron deserves some criticism for what transpired -- but, again the team was hit with some unfortunate injuries and I now suspect that Trent was playing more hurt than we realized. Still, DJ made his share of questionable calls, so he does deserve to be on the hot seat -- but not as vilified as many on this board would suggest. Looking back, that 5-1 start was probably a mirage, given the horrible teams that we played: Seattle picked 4th in the April draft, Jacksonville 8th, Oakland 7th, ad the Rams 2nd -- and we caught the Chargers at the perfect time after the Bills bye and while they were traveling cross the globe. Also, the Bills were winless in any game in which Losman appeared. So I am not even sure that 7-9 was evidence of underachieving. I tend to believe that the team has drafted pretty well the last 2-3 years, and we should start reaping some rewards this season. However, given the tough schedule, 7-9 this year would probably be more impressive than 7-9 last year.

A bit harsh, but in essence you are right. That has been the team's mantra for sometime now: if you have more than one starting QB on the roster you don't have any. They really do not believe in QB competition, as they believe that it generates controversy. Even the Flutie/Johnson thing turned out to be an accident because I do not believe anyone in the coaching staff/front office honestly thought Flutie would ever challenge RJ, let alone seize the starting job. Of course, it took an injury to RJ to get Flutie on the field. Now, as far as Fitzpatrick goes... I want to play wait-and-see. He's a smart guy that knows his role. That translates into being a good teammate, and an effective clipboard holder. With questions about the coaching, that can't be a bad thing. If Trent can stay healthy, I suspect that Fitz will make for a fine backup QB. The question is: based on past performance, there is certainly a decent chance that Fitz will have to step on the field at some point. I've read the reports of his weak arm strength, but who knows? Last year he managed to eke out some victories with a pretty bad Cinci team. Maybe he is a gamer, so who knows? The Bills have won plenty of games with QBs with less-than-desirable arm strength (Reich, AVP, Holcomb, and yes Flutie). What good did JP Losman's elite arm strength do him last year when he came in off the bench? I would feel better, though, if we had someone better than Hamden at #3.

Gotta figure that the Byrd signing is (or at least should be) imminent given the close proximity of the contracts before him and after him.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just ask William Jefferson Clinton.

I think the impact of that play on Trent Edwards' psyche (or whatever you want to call it) has been horrendously overplayed. Remember that in his very next game after that concussion, he actually had arguably the best performance of his career against the SD Chargers. My suspicion last year was that Edwards' quality performances early on came against teams that not only ran 4-3 base fronts but also had never played against the second-year signal caller. The Jets, Dolphins, Patriots, and Browns had all played against Edwards the prior year and had a jump-start on his tendencies. Is it a coincidence that the Bills went 0-7 in those games? Let's hope that TE can make some major adjustments as he enters year 3.

Actually, I have the opposite feeling. I was annoyed (but not especially surprised) that they decided to keep him on. However, since that disappointment I have come to grips with it. Note also that for the first time since he's been the Bills' head coach, he is operating under scrutiny from upstairs. The players like him and play hard for him, so maybe that will give them extra incentive to prevent Russ and Ralph from bringing in a hard-ass.