R. Rich

Well, considering that I'd choose 'tween KC or Carolina as my road trip for next year, it'll probably be one of those games that gets shipped off to Canada.

Well, @ least the Bills won. Yay. I have to start by giving Trent Edwards some props this week. The guy has been taking a beating lately by critics, and maybe some of it was due. But, he did have a decent performance yesterday and didn't make a ton of mistakes that would only serve to make it even tougher to get a win (as Losman has done). The downside is, he doesn't take many chances, which is why some have complained 'bout the lack of opportunities guys like Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish have had this year. On the deep routes, they have to be damn near wide open for Trent to trust things enough to throw it their way. If someone is even remotely close to these guys, he throws the safe, simple checkdowns. If the offense is going to progress, the QB has got to trust his receivers to make a play when single covered and give them the opportunity to do so. The Bills don't have to chuck the ball deep on every play, but they also do not have to treat the long ball like the plague either. There is a happy medium that could be explored here. The offensive line had what I thought was a good peformance. Again, the middle of the line seemed to hold well in pass protection and there were some actual holes for the RBs to take advantage of. Also, the lead blocks (FB or pulling OL) were solid for the most part. I even saw Langston Walker do a good job of moving his feet (kick slide) to get out to the DE and take him out of a play. I realize that Denver's pass rush is perhaps just slightly better than the Bills', but I still think they (Bills OL) had one of their best performances of the year yesterday. I only wish that were more of an endorsement. Robert Royal, while a good blocker, is a liability as a receiver. His route running isn't awful, but his hands sure are. Don't you all just love Fred Jackson? He's versatile and gives a great effort. What's not to love? Am I the only one to think that Mike Shanahan was actually outcoached by Dick Jauron, especially down the stretch? The Bills seemed to have better clock management (really; they did!) and did a better job of keeping the Broncos off balance (the misdirection play was a brilliant call). This may be a situation you file under "blind squirrel", but it sure was nice to see someone else making head scratching calls for a change. Defensively, there's still some issues that need to be addressed (ends; STAY HOME!!!), but they still gutted one out. Terrence McGee made some nice plays on the ball (even though Marshall still ended up w/ solid stats; but really, the guy is one of the best WRs in the game) and the breakup in the end zone by Reggie Corner was fantastic (good job by the rook). I still am disappointed by the play of Posluszny, but even he had some decent moments. Kawika Mitchell, another guy who hasn't really played up to the hype, made a great INT late that snuffed out a strong drive engineered by Cutler. Still, I think the LBs need to do a better job of getting the proper depth on their dropbacks. They're either back too far (Mitchell is guilty of this often) or they're not in position to do much more than reach a hand out to knock down a ball or try to grab onto a receiver due to poor angles. In the case of Posluszny and Mitchell, I think they'll be okay w/ some tweaking (here's where coaching, if you have the right people, can help), but Keith Ellison is another story. He again looked lost out there, took poor tackling angles on the plays where he actually did get to the ball, and has all kinds of trouble shedding blocks. I wonder where that effort from his rookie year went, you know, the year where he was probably the most consistent LB on the team. Oh, and Donte Whitner also made a great play on the forced fumble. I hope we see a lot more of the same from him from now on. Forgive me though if I do not see this win as any kind of ringing endorsement of the 2008 Bills season. They still failed in so many areas this year and once again got everyone's hopes up only to crush 'em in spectacular fashion. That said, I will be happy that my squad @ least got a W yesterday. It's always better than a loss. Here's the crappy part: next week, if the Bills win and Miami wins, the Dolphins are the division champs. So, not only would they have the season sweep of us, they'll also get the title. Ugh. It gets better. If the Bills lose and NY wins, then the Jets are the AFC east champs. Whoo hoo. Not totally disgusted? How's this: if the Bills lose @ home to New England and the Jets beat Miami, then the Patriots would win the AFC east yet again. Disgusting. Those putrid scenarios just make me mad that we'll have to "what if" our way through the offseason once again. A better coaching decision or two here, a less turnover prone QB there, and, of course, a better pass rush here and there may have meant a playoff spot this year. Aaaaargh!!!! So, it's one more and done. The Bills get the Patriots @ home and can get back a bit of pride for the many beatdowns they've taken from NE and can possibly knock them out of the playoffs in the process. It's not a Lombardi trophy, but it's better than an 0 for the division season and a third consecutive 7-9 finish. Go Bills!

Well, as they say, 3 is the magic number. "Three more years" and we'll be a contender w/ Jauron as the coach. "Three more years" and Edwards will be an elite pro QB. "Three more years" and maybe we'll see the Bills in the playoffs.

Ewwww! I've lived in the Baltimore area for over 13 years. No way could I root for the Ravens.

I think his point is that those teams' problems do not lie exclusively in personnel. Poor coaching, management, and ownership decisions have more to do w/ their current standing than who is on the roster. I happen to agree w/ that viewpoint.

And, to think, he's the player the Vikes got in the Culpepper deal.

Hold on a minute: you mean teams do better w/ a competent (no, their best) guy in there @ the position that handles the ball more than any other position on the field? Get outta here!

Not just Hutchinson. McKinnie and Birk are major cogs in that machine, too. One guy who doesn't get the props on that line, who should, is the other guard, Anthony Herrera. He's having a very good season for the Vikes, who have finally found that missing piece to go w/ Birk and Hutch that they couldn't get from guys like Artis Hicks. A guy you should watch and you'll like on that line is the RT, Ryan Cook. If you're a fan of Trueblood, and I know you are, you'll like the way he plays.

...and their management situation... ...and their coaching situation... ...and their offensive line situation... ...and their team chemistry situation... ...and their players' health (Joey Porter) situation... Exactly.

Hmm....I could dig up the stats, but I'll guess that Minny's O line, while they've done a great job of leading the way for Peterson, hasn't limited sacks to as few as 8 all year. Maybe they have, but I'd be surprised if that's so.

BlueFire hasn't chimed in here?

The way you presented it seemed to be a compare/contrast thing. Sorta like "for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction". If that wasn't your intent, than I was mistaken.

If you read the post, I believe the person is trying to point out how everyone loved Vernon Davis' measurables (his 40 time in particular), but he hasn't been all that as a player. There were O linemen to be had in that draft that would've fared much better than Davis. Your comparison is kinda off base in that respect, as both players were not up to snuff.

Miami employed a hybrid 4-3/3-4 scheme in the years before Sparano's arrival. They were already familiar w/ the 3-4 scheme.

While I like the Giants' line, I still have to give props to the Titans' line. Not only for the way Johnson and White have been tearing up the league on the ground, but also in how they've excelled in protecting their QBs. Titans QBs have been sacked a total of 8 times all season. That's awesome.

I'm not so sure we do have one. Stroud, in the way he plays the position, is more like Cowboys Pro Bowl NT Jay Ratliff. He's more athletic than physically dominant. Stroud is not a 2 gap plugger in the mold of guys like Casey Hampton, Jamal Williams, Vince Wilfork, and Kris Jenkins. You can have a strong defense w/ an athletic NT (the Cowboys can sure bring it), but you'll have to have a relentless front seven, in terms of how they pursue the ballcarriers and the QB. That we most certainly do not have.

The laziness of Pro Bowl voters has a lot to do w/ why some people get left off. And yes, that includes the players and coaches. Really folks, do you think these guys, while working 16-18 hour days and in the midst of either a playoff run, division title run, home field advantage, or just fighting for their jobs, take the time to painstakingly go over enough film to make highly enlightened opinions on all of the candidates? Yeah, right. If they'd actually do this, or had a select panel of people to do this, maybe guys like Philip Rivers, John Abraham, and even Fletch wouldn't have as much reason to protest. There are many people who aren't in the "I've heard of him" realm that could be worthy of Pro Bowl recognition. Tampa OT Donald Penn, who shut down Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers recently, is just one example. Never heard of him? I'll bet the coaches of the Bucs' opposing teams have.

Well said, Kenneth. Baugh is truly an NFL legend and will be missed. I still have NFL Films' 75 year anniversary show, and Baugh's commentary in that was one of the highlights.

That's nearly the exact same one in our family room downstairs. Ours has a feaux stainless steel finish on the front though.

Stroud shouldn't be voted in. Sorry, but it's a numbers thing. The two starters, Haynesworth and Jenkins, are more than deserving. Instead of Rogers, it should've been Casey Hampton. Either way, there's only 3 spots for DTs.

Heck no. Keep 'em all. In 3 more years, watch out NFL! Just 3 more...

I don't even think they need to have the stupid game. Just name the All AFC, All NFC, and All NFL teams and be done w/ it. But, take the fan voting out of it. They're 'bout as objective as many Bills fans are responsible w/ their game day drinking.

The Pro Bowl has become a joke, mainly 'cause of the fan voting. That's how guys who don't deserve it but who have legions of loyal fans get voted in. It's also how you get crap like Brett Favre getting a spot while Philip Rivers, the league's top rated passer w/ nearly 500 more passing yards, 7 more TD passes, and 6 fewer INTs than Favre, gets the shaft. Memo to Philip: Be very indecisive in the offseason. Retire. Reconsider. Then, whine 'bout a trade. Next thing you know, everyone will love you and you'll get to the Pro Bowl again.

Someone would pay $400 for that??? Wow.

I dunno, Beerball. I may still decide to hold onto my share of the Bills. It's been a rough year, but I don't know if I'm quite ready to sell.