dulles

The report from Chris Brown on bb.com says that Hogan wants to play against Detroit. To me, that indicates his uneasiness about his spot on the roster. At TC on Tuesday, he was working like a madman on the sideline. Seriously, I think he did as much work as the rest of the guys combined. He had an obvious limp, but he also was hanging out around the QB's and WR's when he could safely stand around. In between action, he'd play catch with the QBs. I really like his work ethic and the story. It'd be great if he could hang on, but obviously we need the best 53. It's nice to have some real depth at these positions. Looking at the historical stats was quite a depressing experience.

He was really impressed by Tyrod. He came over, gave him a high five and gave him an autograph. It was really cool. Richie was friendly too. He's working overtime to overcome his "bully" reputation. I'm glad the Bills are willing to give guys like RI a second (or third) chance. It was especially impressive because we weren't in any of the special areas - just average fans showing interest in the team. I'd rather bring him around slowly and have him be a fan for life, rather than force it on him only to have him relapse later in life.

Don't worry. You don't have to limit it to that one throw. There were plenty of ugly throws from this practice. The passing had the appearances of a 2-13 team entering the final weekend of the season, not the final practice of training camp.

Astro, thanks for the report. I went to TC today and noticed a lot of what you wrote. For those of you who couldn't make it to camp, Astro's work is impressive. Without being prompted by what he wrote, i couldn't remember 1/10th of what he remembered and recounted for us. Kudos Astro. Here are a couple things I noticed from my vantage point... Hogan is a workout animal. By far, Hogan was working harder than the others on the sideline. Is he always like that or is he really pushing hard to earn a spot on this team? It's easy to see why he's a fan favorite. IK Enemkpali was getting work on kickoff coverage. Pretty intimidating to see a guy that size flying down the field! He also was getting work on punt return team as an edge rusher. The ST guys were giving him some specific instructions about where to line up etc. I think he's a lock to make the team and they are coaching him up for special teams purposes. It looked really hard for the offense to accomplish anything with all the missing skill players. It reminded me of our running problems vs. Cleveland. It looked like our starting D could have blown up every play. Saturday is going to be fun and Sept 13 can't come soon enough! I was glad I got to go to TC. My sons got some autographs from Richie Incognito and Tyrod Taylor. Upon our return home, my wife was listening as the boys described their autograph experience. She said, "Oh the bully and the QB!" The training camp fan experience is just one step in the right direction for one of my boys who is confused and roots for another team. I'm hopeful that a successful season might win him over so we can cheer on the Bills as a whole family.

Have to agree with your observation. I too was there and I was NOT impressed by Cassel at all. He was really off. He was even off on a throw over the "net" they set up while Carpenter practiced with the FG team. For those of you who haven't seen the drill...they have a large net that they setup up at deep LB level and the QBs throw to a stationary receiver over the net. It helps them practice those 15-25 yard passes between the LB level and the Safety level of the D. Everyone else was easily completing the throws that I saw.

I agree. It is nice to have three guys in the running. It is also nice to know we don't have the same situation as we did three years ago, when we had more than three guys all of whom were not ready for various reasons (injuries, skill deficiencies, no experience, etc.). This trio is much more impressive than Tuel, Rookie EJ, Thad, slip-on-Matt-guy (what was his name???), Lienert, et al. A good first half on Saturday would be wonderful to see. I'd also love to see EJ light it up against Detroit's 3's and 4's the week after. I think there is still hope for him, but I hope we tap into that a year or two down the road.

I think the reason Dunne was so excited about that was it was the first good long pass in a good long time. This practice was like watching paint dry. I'm glad it was a nice cool morning. The quarterbacks looked like they were in a Trent Edwards impersonation contest. Everything was a dump off. EJ seemed willing to go deep. When he didn't, he looked poor. At least a couple potential INTs.

I was an eye witness. The throw made Goodwin turn around completely. I thought he still could have caught it, but to say it was a flat out drop is not accurate by any stretch of the imagination. It was not a well thrown ball. Some concern at Corner (until McKelvin returns) and LB depth, but otherwise I think they are going to make opposing offenses thankful for 3 and out!

+1 Definitely agree. Even if those throws were going to Hogan (on the post) and Thompson (on the fade/back shoulder), those would probably be catches. I thought his recovery of the shotgun snap on the 2-point conversion was big too.

They know what they've got from Matt. The key to the preseason is to find out what Taylor and possibly EJ have to offer. I think they might run EJ out with the Ones for awhile next week. If he bombs, that makes it easier on Rex to go with TT. They can always pull him quickly if it isn't going well.

Certainly possible. These are the aspects of preseason that make it interesting. What's going on behind the scenes when the Ws & Ls don't matter as much. The reason I asked about the collusion was because it felt like Cleveland didn't come after EJ as much on the last drive. Perhaps he handled it better. Perhaps the heat came from the edge, not the A-gap. All I know is the Guards and Backs couldn't stop pressure up the middle. Then, suddenly, EJ is making plays, not getting pressured right up the gut.

True. Maybe we should never practice against us. Shoot. Now I'm conflicted. Let's run the starters for the whole game in game 4. Then give them the whole week off from practice. Perfect solution..

Nothing like a good friend, helping you out along the way... As I watched all the blitzes last night, I thought, "Would the coaches communicate before or during the game in order to manufacture an environment that was helpful for assessing talent?" In other words, could Rex signal to Pettine to pull back on the blitz package since the Guards were giving EJ such a terrible pocket? I know it seems doubtful, but there seems to be potential for that with Pettine and Rex. I'd love to hear what Rex said to Pettine after the game.

I think you can get that time in practice with your own team. That way, you can manage the risk to players in light of specific injuries. You can't ask the Lions to take it easy on Harvin's hip or a running back's hammy, but you can demand that of your own players...especially scrubs. Timing doesn't have to be perfected against starters. If that were the case, those unofficial summer qb/receiver camps wouldn't do much good. I would give EJ the first half of action, after you pull the starters. Simms can run the second half. . I wouldn't be surprised if they come back with Cassel and give TT the day off in week 4. All he manages to do is risk life and limb every time the pocket collapses. If for no other reason, they should spare my heart the additional stress!

I saw this discussion pop up on the TBD homepage and I thought, "Wow! I thought his last drive was bad, but not that bad. He's already going into rehab? That was quick!" Then I realized this was the old thread... It's not looking to pretty down in Cleveland. I have to agree with Kelly the Dog. If I was Pettine, I'd go with Johnny. McCown looked like an overmatched rookie out there against our D. Manziel didn't look much better last season, but who knows what kind of trip he was on at the time. To be honest, Manziel reminds me of a cross between Flutie on the field and Marinovich off the field. It's kinda funny how Pettine has to make a Marone type decision. Do I go with the "safe" older guy or do I gamble on the youngster? Frankly, I think Pettine is a much better head coach that Marone, but we'll see how quickly he gets rehired if the Browns cut him loose. I am impressed that he has relinquished defensive play-calling in order to have a better feel for game management and offensive input. That is the mark of maturity on his part.

I think you are right about TT. He definitely gives the Bills the best immediate payoff. I just can't imagine him surviving a season. He's gotten up slowly several times in the two preseason games. Scares me. Cassel will get dinged too. Three QBs are a must. I'm comfortable with any of them. Darby certainly makes it easier to see us let McKelvin walk after this contract if money gets tight. I'd love to see them lock up Marcel before the season starts. Doesn't look promising.

It certainly looked like EJ was aware of what had happened. Can you imagine the response on TSW if the WR didn't catch the TD or if EJ didn't recover the bad snap on the 2 point conversion? Total Meltdown! The truth is, EJ was just running for his life all night. The RB's didn't do a bad job with blitz pickups but the guards were terrible. All the blown assignments appeared to be the RG (Kuppart?) and one was definitely Richardson. EJ looked relieved and relaxed once the proper pickups were happening along the line. It also appeared that Roman bailed on the running game and trusted EJ to navigate the last drive with a strong dependence on his arm. All three throws to the endzone were on target. For instance, Gruden said the throw on the post was "behind" the receiver. If that throw was "accurate" we may have witnessed an interception (a la Seahawks/Pats**). The safety was stepping in for the pick. I thought the pass was botched by the receiver. I liked it that Manuel came right back to the same throw/route/receiver. The fade/back shoulder throws were good. I thought EJ looked exceptional on the last drive. I can only imagine what would have happened to Cassel with that Oline debacle! Tyrod might have joined our starting RBs and WRs at the trainers' table. I thought EJ made good out of a messy situation. I hope to see EJ in with the first team this week. I think they need to know what he can do, even if they go with Cassel or TT. Those two are so injury prone, EJ is likely to see starters minutes along the way. Pittsburgh won't be afraid to bring some heat, so it would be good to see him perform in a more realistic situation. Thank goodness those guards aren't our starters! It reminded me of last year all over again!

You can't use that word. Gruden has a it trademarked. It is the only adjective he used all night to describe the Bills' D-Line. I think he used formidable once for each of our star lineman. I usually like Gruden, but I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to wearing out adjectives in the same piece of work. I can't agree with you more about Darby. I didn't even think that PI was all that bad. it definitely was no worse than the no call in the endzone on our failed scoring drive. Like you, I wasn't too concerned about what happened last week. That pretty much happens to every young, promising corner.

That's some fascinating high school scrimmage footage, but I can't deal with the suspense. Is he changing his name to bill or not?

I seem to remember another rookie from Florida St.getting lit up by the 49ers back in the day... What was his name? Oh yeah. Deion Sanders. It happens to all of them. This was a good experience for Darby. He responded well and progressed, even during the game. Gotta love watching them learn on the fly.

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm glad that Mario and Kyle are part of this line. Even if Marcel is dominant year after year, he has other very talented guys who can have an influence on how he lives off the field. Hopefully he and Jerry can find a track for their races in the future. It seems like the old dudes have really stable lives off the field (except for one particular engagement ring!).

a hunter of Waynes with experience? That's creepy. Didn't the Bills absolutely dominate him previously? I vaguely remember him being a turnstile for Mario.

I think Byrd will be solid, but I'd be concerned about his durability. If he isn't solid this year, I wouldn't be surprised if the Saints cut him loose.

That's kind of ironic..as I read the title of the thread, I thought it said, "Bills working EXCLUSIVELY on screen passes during practice." I would just groan on screens when our guards would fall flat on their face at the feet of a db, just a split second before a rb would need to cut. It was pretty embarrassing last year.

Do the right things ** man!