Rocky Landing

It's amazing how little attention Clowney gets in the media (and on here!). Most articles you read about the Bills WRs and their lack of a #2 don't even mention Clowney, positive or negative, as if he isn't even there. I think that what we have heard about him since becoming a Bill is impressive. He seems to be Vince Young's favorite target (for whatever that's worth). And, he has a great attitude. I love how much emphasis Nix/Gailey put on character. It makes me proud to be a Bills fan. That may also partially explain his treatment under the Jets. They don't tend to concern themselves with character issues one way or the other. Clowney was in a tenuous situation in Jersey and I suspect his abilities are better than his Jets career would suggest. So, what is it about Clowney? Why no love?

Bring back Jauron!

I think a lot of this debate comes down to what you are willing to believe: -Was Fitz's rib injury part of the reason for his decline in the second half of the season? -Were the injuries to the front line, WRs, Jackson, et al, part of the reason for Fitz's decline? -Can the coaching of David Lee improve Fitz's performance? -Can the improvements in depth and personnel improve Fitz's performance? -Can Fitz play at the level he did for the first six games last season for the entire 2012 season? If your answer is "yes" to one or more of these questions, then Fitz has the potential to become an "upper echelon QB."

My bad. BTW- Jets have dropped to 4 point favorites for week one.

Just to be clear: You are saying that when Lee and Fitzpatrick, during interviews, have stated that his mechanics and accuracy have improved dramatically this offseason, they are- a) pandering to the media b) lying c) delusional d) mistaken (they're well-meaning, they just don't have the expertise that you possess, and your opinion should bear more weight).

Hilarious? A "sad effort?" eball uses stats and actual numbers to make his point and you blather in return. Seriously. Stop trolling.

Newton, Luck, and RGIII are very different discussions. I agree that "at some point you might have to take a step back in order to move forward." And, Newton, Luck and Griffin might be worth the step back- not Dalton. Plus, I'm tired of moving back. It's been what, three years since the miserable Dick Jauron, and everyone associated with him, was sent packing? It feels like Gailey/Nix have been building for this year. Not next year or the year after. I'll agree with this distinction. But, Chan wouldn't be a very good coach if he didn't modify his system around the strengths of his QB. Also, I take Chan at his word that he has faith in Fitz as their franchise QB. So, the distinction is largely semantic.

Let's not go there. This is football, not politics.

Of course, this is a purely academic exercise, BUT... I would definitely NOT trade Fitz for Dalton right now. Gailey has built the system around Fitz and every reasonable indicator gives Fitz a very good chance of performing at or above the level he played at during the first half of last season. If that happens, we have a winning team. Putting in another QB (save for the very few elite QBs) would be a step backwards- especially one with only one season under his belt. Perhaps moving forward with Fitz will be a step in the wrong direction, but we won't know until we start playing. It's a choice between moving forward or moving backward. Personally, I have very high hopes for Fitz. I say, move forward.

Using the QB (passer) rating really has very little meaning in your argument. For those who don’t know, the formula for the passer rating is: [(a + b + c + d)/6] x 100, whereas a = [(completions/attempts x 100) – 30] x 0.05; b = [(yards/att) – 3] x 0.25; c = (TD/att) x 20; and d = 2.375 – (interceptions/att x 25). Q: What’s missing from this equation? A: any variables that include the performance of any other player on the field other than the quarterback. So, if a QB has no offensive line to speak of and is only given an average of 1.6 seconds to get rid of the ball before being sacked, their rating will be low. Or, if a QB is playing a superior defense, their rating will be lower. That’s why Matt Stafford of the Lions could have a rating of 121.9 against the Panthers, and a 66.5 the following week against the Packers. Conversely, if a QB has great protection, like Tom Brady for most of his career, his rating will tend higher. In real statistical terms (as opposed to the armchair variety practiced by fans on these boards and pundits on ESPN), there are no published p-values, critical values, significance levels, or confidence intervals for the passer rating. Why? A: because it is statistically meaningless; it has no use for statistical analysis. I think that the only use for the passer rating is for (crudely) tracking a single QB's performance against weekly variables such as the one's mentioned above. It has almost no value for comparing different players on different teams. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is a better indicator of team performance than of QB performance.

I'm definitely not one of those "worried" fans. But, it does somehow make me feel a little more at ease to read an article that doesn't heap praise on the Bills. Like last season, I always felt a little better going into a game as an underdog- which were most of the games we won. We lost most of the games we were favored in. All that aside, this article reads like some high school kid's homework assignment. (no offense, Teen Insight.)

If he can't run, he's a below average QB.

I bet every season- I live in L.A., but do a lot of work in Vegas. I also Have a bookie who covers bets based on Vegas Insider consensus. Generally speaking, I don't bet on the Bills games (emotions will cloud judgment). I was surprised to see the LV Hilton had opened betting on the week one opener about seven weeks ago. They had the Jets favored by 5.5. How could I pass that up? At this moment, the spread has dropped to 4 points for the Jets. I would be surprised if it didn't continue to drop.

Finally, something to talk about.

F**K BUFFALO WILD WINGS.

Meh. It was just a Camry. Show me Darius lifting a Cadillac, or an SUV, or Rex Ryan's ego, or a Pats fan's mouth and I'll be impressed.

Great artwork. Very cool. Thanks, Guffalo, for sharing these with us.

In response to this, and many other threads, I have to ask: is there a difference between an "excuse" and a "reason?" At the beginning of last season, Fitz looked great. He looked like a franchise QB. He got a contract like a franchise QB. He started getting press and people like Jaws and Jon Grudin started singing his praise. Then his play fell off and he was back to being, "average at best," "inconsistent," "Buffalo needs to resolve their QB issues," etc, etc. etc... Even people on these boards are repeating these phrases- people who presumably are paying attention. There seems to be a near obsession with the zero tolerance concept of "no excuses" that causes willful amnesia. OK, I get it. No excuses. Fitz never made excuses. He said all the right things: "it all rests on me...," "I need to elevate my play...," "no excuses...," etc. BUT... as fans (and as amateur analysts), can we not agree that there is a difference between a reason and an excuse? There were reasons for Fitz's play dropping off. They are obvious. They are well documented. And, it's foolish to discount them all for the sake of the phrase, "no excuses." Let's see Brady, Brees, or even Ben Rothlisberger play with cracked ribs and missing key players.

Not from The Onion, but I'll take that as a compliment. Like the rest of us, I'm just getting a little stir crazy and pining for the start of the season.

I thought I’d share some interesting reports that I have recently read out of New Jersey. From: New York Jets Flight Crew Cheerleader Jets Experiment with New Form of Shotgun Position. “Since it is expected that QB Mark Sanchez will be spending much of his time on his back in the season opener against the Bills, HC Rex Ryan has been experimenting with a new form of the shotgun where, instead of Sanchez standing several feet back from center, he actually lies prone on the ground and dumps the ball to the nearest green jersey. In response to the new scheme, Sanchez has been seen at the MetLife Stadium gift shop looking at Jets beach towels.” From: The New Jersey Picayune New Jets Uniforms? “In preparation for the week one opener versus the Bills, Jets management has been adjusting the uniform’s shade of green to better blend in with the exact color of the MetLife Stadium turf. “We feel that the better Mark (Sanchez) can blend in, the better chance he will have of surviving out there,” said General Manager Mike Tannenbaum. “I just hope to God Marcell Dareus isn’t colorblind.”” From: Jersey Sports Beat: Tebow Working on his Passing Game. As part of Tony Sparano’s “collapsing pocket offense,” for week one against the Bills, Tim Tebow has been seen practicing his throw while running backwards at full speed. When asked about Tebow’s progress, Sparano stated optimistically, “they look about the same as all his other throws.”

I'm a life long Bills fan transplanted to Southern California for the last 20 years. And so I've had to endure the Chargers and their bitchy, pouty, whining, "elite" QB Phillip Rivers. And, let me assure you of this: never underestimate the ability of the Chargers to inexplicably lose games.

Great post. It's impossible to not be proud of the Bills! I just can't wait for the season to start so that we can be proud of them during the season!

I'm convinced that muscle memory and proprioception can be improved continually throughout one's life. I've been an avid skier since I was three and I never took lessons. A few years ago, in my mid forties, I went to a three day clinic taught by some world class skiers. My technique improved dramatically and it stuck. I am skiing better now than at any time in my life. Having watched the recent press conference where Fitz talked about working with Lee, and knowing Fitz's character and intelligence, I would be most surprised if his mechanics weren't improved.

I completely disagree with this. But, if, as you say, "his thowing stats tell the story," then look at his throwing stats! Vince Young has consistently thrown around a 60% completion rate, with a career average of 57.9%. His 2011 completion rate with the Eagles was 57.9%. Thigpen has thrown anywhere from the low 30s to the mid 50s. His best season was in '08 with a completion percentage of 54.8%. His completion rate for 2011 was a whopping 37.5%. The thowing stats tell the story indeed!

I believe that you do have to have a med note for that- I remember LaDainian Tomlinson talking about that once. But I don't think it's a hard thing to get. LT just told the doctor that the bright lights hurt his eyes and gave him a headache. Done.