Jump to content

Shoutbox

Community Member
  • Posts

    257
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Shoutbox

  1. IMHO the best linebacker corp. in Bills history has to be Mike Stratton, John Tracy and Harry Jacobs. This was a group that during their tenure gave up very few rushing touchdowns and helped to carry the bills to their second championship season especially. True they had a strong front four in McDole, Sestak, Dunaway and Day, but as a group, they were the best in Bills history.

     

    Definitely the best 4-3 LB group in Bills history (circa 1964). The best 3-4 LB group in Bills history was probably Bennett-Conlan-Bentley-Talley (circa 1990).

  2. Good insight, Dr. Trooth.

     

    Regarding tidbit one: I wouldn't quite throw Fitz, KW, or Mario into the same category as the others you mentioned. Fitz is earning a salary commensurate with a mediocre starting NFL QB. KW has been consistently awesome until the past 2 seasons, due to very fixable leg pains. Mario should also be fully healthy and more productive with a better DC and maybe a better RDE opposite him next season.

     

    As for tidbit two: hope you're right. I'd really hate to pass on Bjoern Werner or Manti Te'o for the next Blaine Gabbert.

  3. But why not bring in guys in the 6th or 7th and see if they can compete for a PS.

     

    It should be noted that the VAST majority of starting QB's in the NFL today were taken either in the 1st round or during the very first few picks of the 2nd round. Schaub (3rd round), Wilson (3rd round), and Brady (6th round) are the only ones bucking this trend whom I'd rather have over Fitz. Of all the dysfunctions to complain about with this Buffalo Bills franchise, not drafting 6th/7th round QB's is still pretty low on my list.

  4. Since the Kelly/Reich era, it actually seems like the Bills have been making an honest effort about every 3 years to land the next franchise QB...up until Nix took charge:

     

    1995 - drafting Todd Collins in the 2nd round

    1998 - trading a 1st rounder for Rob Johnson

    2002 - trading a 1st rounder for Drew Bledsoe

    2004 - trading up to take JP Losman in the 1st round

    2007 - drafting Trent Edwards in the 3rd round

     

    One important reason why every post-Kelly QB has failed is because of the abysmal OL, which began unraveling when unrestricted free agency was introduced in the early 90's and never really recovered until Nix came to town.

     

    So where did Nix go wrong? Drafting Aaron Williams instead of Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick in 2011. Then drafting TJ Graham instead of Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins in 2012.

  5. If I had my choice, I'd rather have a better O than D.

     

    Watching Jauron-coached teams has instilled in me a fear of really boring offensive football.

     

    Winning games is never boring. And with a defense routinely finishing in the top 5 instead of the bottom 5, you'll have a lot more fun on Sundays.

     

    The four most important upgrades on defense, in this order, are:

     

    1. New coordinator

    2. New starting RDE

    3. New Starting MLB

    4. New starting WOLB

     

    MW, KW, and Dareus should be better next year when fully healthy. Gilmore is only going to get better. Byrd must be re-signed at all costs. I've seen enough from Searcy, Brooks, and Bradham to think they can develop into quality NFL starters with proper coaching.

     

    Carrington, Anderson, Moore, Sheppard, White, McKelvin, Williams, Rogers, etc... provide decent depth but more is needed.

     

    Also, Barnett and Wilson really looked like they hit the wall at this point in their careers. Time to cut these two (along with Kelsay and McGee) and use the cap savings on Byrd/Levitre.

  6. Why do most people want more DEs? Do we think Mario, Mark Anderson, & Kyle Moore are so thin that we need to draft a DE before a LB?

     

    Because the pass rush - while improved - was still woefully inconsistent this year, particularly for a 4-3 defense that refuses to blitz. Mario is solid, but Moore and Anderson are backups. Another 10-sack-per-year DE starting opposite Mario would do wonders. Also, quality 4-3 cover OLB's are much easier to find in rounds 2 through 7 than are good pass-rushing DE's.

  7. Here's my top 8 for Buffalo's draft board (as of 12/31/12):

     

    1. Smith, QB, West Virginia

    2. Werner, DE, Florida State

    3. Te'o, MLB, Notre Dame

    4. Moore, DE, Texas A&M

    5. Jones, OLB, Georgia

    6. Joeckel, LT, Texas A&M

    7. Lotulelei, DT, Utah

    8. Milliner, CB, Alabama

     

    After Geno Smith, I feel like the drop-off between the QB's whom teams will reach for in the top 10 and those who will be available in the 2nd/3rd rounds is negligible.

  8. I'm just going to say that MD could learn a few things from Mantai T'eo.

     

    I get that you can be sad after a close relative dies.

     

    But that doesn't mean you let it affect your job so negatively. It's like when a soldier goes to war, the term is that to a large degree, they have to put their personal life in a box.

     

    T'eo handled his grief constructively and in a way it seems to have actually helped his game, because it was a vent for his emotions. It doesn't seem like MD was (and maybe, is) coping healthily.

     

    You, sir, are a leading candidate for the 2012 Two Bills Drive Internet Tough Guy Award. Good luck, dude!

  9. I'mnot sure what CJ's contract status is (how many years left), but I don't see him signing back with Buffalo, given the way he's been treated. I do not understand the reasonoing to holding him back and not giving him the carries. And when he does pass block, he may not be the best, but he''s far from the worst I've seen. It's sad to waste such a talent given the lack of talent on this offense.

     

    Spiller has 2 years left on his contract after this one. We BETTER re-sign him...otherwise you know we'll be drafting another 1st round RB....

  10. In the last three games two things have happened producing a new result.. First Mario's wrist has been fixed which has resulted in better play from Mario. Next McKelvin replaced Williams that resulted in better DB play. We played two highly potent offenses, Houston and NE, on the road and one inept offense, Miami, at home. Houston's defense outplayed our offense and we lost but were competitive against the team many think will be in the AFC championship game. We could have won the NE game and that came down to the last play. In the NE game our defense was respectable against one of the league's best offenses that came off a bye week. The following week, we dominated Miami in everything but the score.

     

    If Gilmore and McKelvin continue to improve the defensive line will get better. If the defensive line gets better the DBs will start getting some INTs. Good things ahead and it is our turn for some good luck and we will win in INDY.

     

    I think the increased playing time for Moore and Searcy has also helped the defense.

  11. Ya gotta love the indomitable will to perceive the best in any situation. Bills fans eternal optimism has kept Ralph Wilson rolling in dough even when his team sucks year after year, and for over a decade now.

     

    Just like NYS lottery! Hey, you never know!

     

     

    In the voice of Jim Mora...PLAYOFFS!!....PLAYOFFS!!...PLAYOFFS!!...I just hope we can win a game!

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40mhBE5MpbA

     

     

    P.S. So the Bills finish 6-10 and draft in the middle of the pack again because they can't decide to be bad enough to garner a top 5 pick or be good enough to have a winning season. No worries tho, Gailey, Nix, Wannstedt will all be back next year to try again next season. You can bet as long as Ralph Wilson owns the team they will never make the playoffs, or even have a winning season.

     

    Wow! A complaint about Ralph bamboozling the fans, a Jim Mora "playoffs!?" clip, and a proclamation about how a top 5 pick equates to eventual success while picks #6 onward are irrelevant....You just completed the cliched pessimistic Bills fan trifecta! Congrats! And thank you for your novel contributions to the thread!

  12. The games I have bolded I definitely see happening, although a west coast trip for the Ravens could be tough.

     

    As for the other games: If the Jaguars play like they did today next week, then they should beat the Titans.

     

    The Steelers are banged up and the Browns are a lot tougher than their record indicates. Would not be surprised if the Browns won.

     

    The Raiders are a mess. If Carson Palmer wants to really stick it to the Bengals, then they have a chance, but I doubt it.

     

    The Seahawks are an up-and-down team, and they are horrible on the road. Beating the Dolphins will not be easy.

     

    Finally, you are correct in saying that the Colts game is a Must-Win game for the Bills. Although, EVERY game remaining on the schedule is a Must-Win game.

     

    All of the AFC games (Colts, Jags, Dolphins, Jets) are must-win. No doubt. They MIGHT be able to get away with a clunker against the Rams or Seahawks. It really depends on what's happening with the Steelers. If they choke away a couple of games because of Ben Ruthlessraper's injury, then both wildcard spots are in play and that would substantially improve the options for a 9-7 team with a 7-5 AFC record.

     

    Way too many playoff permutations to bother with at this point. All we know is that the Colts game is must-win. Consider this to be our playoff game for the season in the likely event that we don't get to see the real thing in January.

  13. The Bills received some help today!

     

    The AFC is now separating itself into 3 distinct groups:

     

    A. the 4 likely division winners: Texans, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots

    B. the 4 teams that are all but mathematically eliminated: Raiders, Browns, Chiefs, Jags

    C. the 8 wild-card contenders: Steelers (6-4), Colts (6-4), Bengals (5-5), Bills (4-6), Chargers (4-6), Jets (4-6), Dolphins (4-6), Titans (4-6)

     

    As I've said earlier, this Sunday's game against the Colts is quite clearly of the MUST-WIN type. No one disagrees about that.

     

    And for all the scoreboard watchers, we want the following to happen this week:

     

    Pats over Jets, 8:20pm, Thursday

    Jags over Titans, 1pm, Sunday

    Browns over Steelers, 1pm, Sunday

    Raiders over Bengals, 1pm, Sunday

    Seahawks over Dolphins, 1pm, Sunday

    Ravens over Chargers, 4pm, Sunday

  14. For the Sunday scoreboard watchers, we want:

     

    Chiefs over Bengals (1pm)

    Broncos over Chargers (4:25pm)

    Patriots over Colts (4:25pm)

    Ravens over Steelers (8:20pm)

     

    The latter two are the most important.

     

    Next Sunday's game against the Colts is must-win and should have a playoff game atmosphere for the Bills' coaches and players.

×
×
  • Create New...