Rocky Landing

Yes, really. I remember Trent coming back from a two week lay-off from a concussion and making a diving TD into the end zone. Trent didn't start his career as Captain Checkdown. He was set up to fail in Buffalo and developed some very bad habits as a result.

Even if I believed that you watched those first four games, that would be a delusional statement. Terrible idea. We didn't draft Manuel because he was a phenomenal talent. We drafted him because it was a position of need and we wanted to find someone who could develop into a franchise QB. Kolb should be a stopgap. Unless we don't care about winning games this season (and I'm pretty sure Marrone and co. does), we shouldn't push Manuel out onto the field until he is ready. Putting him out there too soon would be setting him up to fail, and possibly damaging his future potential.

In other news, plans for an NFL stadium in (or near) Los Angeles have ground to a halt. I actually live in L.A. (born and raised in Rochester), and I cringe every time I read that Buffalo is on the short list of teams that could move to L.A. It's a scary thought. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that league rules now state that teams that change locations are not allowed to keep their name. So the Bills would be gone forever. Even if they could, the thought of the "Los Angeles Bills" turns my stomach.

I'm not suggesting Amendola's going to start the season injured. But, when a player, especially a WR, gets injured so many times, their production definitely drops, especially against a decent secondary- which we might just have.

I believe that Skelton started the season opener last year for the Cardinals and was benched in the second half for Kolb who brought them back to win. Kolb started and won the next three games including a victory over the Patriots in week two. After that, he played injured before being replaced by Skelton. Kolb's biggest problem in Arizona was staying healthy. The Cardinal's front line was atrocious (as was Philly's while Kolb was starting). But, he played well in Philly and Arizona when he was healthy. He has an accurate arm, a decent deep ball, a quick throw, and great work ethic. And, most importantly, he has veteran experience. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he is a known commodity. In other words, when he goes out on the field in a real game, the coaches know what to expect from him. That's going to be an important asset for a new coaching staff, and a new system. Safe to say Kolb will be healthy at the beginning of the season. With a healthy Kolb, Marrone will not likely see any reason to rush EJ out onto the field. I'd be surprised to see EJ start before week five against the Browns.

There seems to be some confusion about the "any given Sunday" quote. It's meant as, "on any given Sunday, any team in the NFL can beat any other team." But, "any given Sunday" is not really the same as "EVERY given Sunday" An underdog is still an underdog. That being said, I think we have a serious shot. The Pats have a lot of concerns at the moment. Gronkowski, if he plays at all, will be subpar. Hernandez has issues. Their secondary is suspect. Their best receiver seems to be Danny Amendola, who is new to the team and injury prone. They lost Welker. IF our D plays up to their reported potential (like we all hoped they would this time last year). IF our young receivers step up and perform. IF Marrone knows how to utilize the run, and Spiller/Jackson can break into the secondary. And IF we get some decent QB play from whoever is the starter (I believe it will be Kolb), then this could be our "given Sunday." Why not? Go Bills!

I don’t know, but sometimes I think Bills fans are downright delusional. Before we easily traded down to acquire Manuel, he was generally considered to be around the fourth or fifth best QB in a remarkably weak QB class. Just about any description of him, pre-draft, included words like, “inconsistent,” and “project.” And now, after a handful of practices without pads, he’s the next Big Ben. Clearly. He has potential. I was happy with the pick and would have been quite disappointed with Geno Smith. But, throwing a project rookie into the fire week one against the Pats (as a 7.5 point underdog, currently) can have its own damaging affects. It will be much healthier to bench Kolb for Manuel than the other way around. Furthermore, I can’t imagine that Marrone, a first time NFL HC is going to rely on a project rookie in his very first game against a team like the Pats. Anyone who doesn’t think that Marrone wants to win his first game is crazy. Kolb has his flaws, but he is a known quantity, which makes things like play-calling a lot easier. Even if EJ lights it up in game three of the preseason (unlikely), starting him against the Pats is a higher risk. IMO- start Kolb.

There are some Vegas casinos that have odds on the opener, and we are currently 7.5 point underdogs.

The sky is falling... and landing in Los Angeles!

The opinions on this board regarding EJ Manuel are a testament to our fans’ optimism, short-term memory, and willingness to rewrite, and if necessary, completely ignore history. Before we easily traded down to acquire Manuel, he was generally considered to be around the fourth or fifth best QB in a remarkably weak QB class. Just about any description of him, pre-draft, included the words, “inconsistent,” and “project.” What’s really amazing to me is that the majority of Bills fans seem to have completely written off the season opener against the Pats. But, I have a hard time believing that Coach Marrone feels the same way. And, I have a hard time believing that a new coach with zero NFL HC experience, and a new staff is going to throw a rookie “project” into the mix against division rivals, the NE patriots. Could EJ explode in the preseason and turn into a genuine NFL starter with a better chance of beating the Pats than Kolb? I suppose. Is it likely? I doubt it. And, what is the potential damage to a “project” QB that we all hope is the future of the franchise if he is thrown into the fire before he is ready? Start Kolb.

Care to make a wager on that?

I've always thought that Edwards got a raw deal (as did we all) under Dick Jauron. A no-huddle offense with a weak O-line? Who ever thought that was a good idea? As far as I'm concerned, Edwards was set up to fail. Be that as it may, I'm more interested in the comparison between Kolb and Tarvaris Jackson.

I don't think there is any way Manuel will start in the season opener. Marrone isn't going to want to start his career in Buffalo with a loss to the Patriots. Manuel may very well be the long-term solution at QB. But, he's not the week one solution. I think we are going to see the QB that Marrone believes will have the best chance of winning in week one starting in week one. I would put Manuel third on that list. I would give Kolb the edge over Jackson.

Good to see that we are, once again, winning the offseason.

I don't think they are going to go for a QB in the first round. But, if they are planning on it, I think they could safely trade down to the bottom of the first round and still get whoever is available at #8.

If we're going to take one of these crappy QBs in the first, we better trade down.

We are 10 point underdogs.

I'm not going to put this on Fitz. Two of his ints were horrible. But, it's pretty hard to come back when the defense is allowing a TD on five possessions in a row. And, I'll even forgive Fitz's late int. He was in a position where risks were necessary.

OMFG

Since I live in LA, I was thinking that maybe it was just a West Coast thing. But, yeah, the reporting on the Bills is so sparse, that I am starting to wonder if maybe the NFL is gearing up to move the Bills to LA. Something else that I've been noticing: the Jags are getting a TON of press! WTF!!!

Careful what you wish for. They're going to start smacking us back!

Alcohol And I'm sorry some of us Given you bad name yeah o yeah, cause without you Nothing is the same Yeah o yeah i miss you so Every time we break up Just to hit a higher note Every time we make up Alcohol!

In LA, you can get on just about any freeway at 4am, and possibly find yourself in a traffic jam. The last time the President of the United States visited LA, it changed my commute time from 20 minutes to almost two hours. We have a situation here later this month where they are going to shut down the 405 for two days on a weekend. They are calling it "Carmageddon." That being said, I am actually all for the LA Stadium Project- as long as the Bills don't leave Buffalo!

48. Grew up in Rochester, but now live in Los Angeles. (And, no, I don't want to see the Los Angeles Bills!) But, here's the funny thing. My wife is from Boston. Patriots fan.(How did I come to marry a Pats fan? What can I say? She's totally hot!) Her father is downright rabid. The solution? My daughter, six, wears a Patriots jersey (Welker, at the moment). My son, two, wears a Spiller jersey. Good times.

I live in Los Angeles. The downtown stadium project is considered by most residents, even football fans, to be a really terrible idea. The congestion it will cause alone will be massive. However, it also represents such an enormous revenue stream coming into the city that I very much doubt that any number of sign wielding hippies, or lawyered up environmentalists will be able to derail the Stadium Train. That being said, I still don't think that the Bills will leave Upstate New York.