Last Guy on the Bench

Thank you, oh fair and compassionate Moderator. (Seriously.)

Then you missed the whole point of the post. I'm not saying it was genius. Just that it was fair game in that anyone who bothered to read a little bit would know that it couldn't possibly be real. Just having a laugh. Anyway, don't want to argue. But can't agree with a moderating philosophy that doesn't even read the post. But you're the mod, so no worries. And in general, I do appreciate how well and fairly you guys moderate my favorite site. Just think you are wrong in this case.

What are you talking about? It's obvious from the first few sentences that it is not real. Just a little satire.

Beerball, dude, there is no link, because there is no copyright, because it is a joke, written by me, posted here. Might not be a good joke. But it is my joke, so can you put it back please?

It's linkless.

Bills Build Team in an Unusual Way The young Buffalo Bills are making a name for themselves. The recent success of their late round draft picks and undrafted free agents has put the team increasingly in the spotlight. Lost in the glare, however, is the Bills almost uncanny ability to find the occasional nugget of gold in the typical camp fodder of first and second round draft picks. General Manager Buddy Nix says that this is a direct result of a scouting philosophy that permeates the organization. Listen, Id love to have lots of seventh round picks every year, obviously. But thats not the way it works. You only get one. So you gotta look at everyone. Simple as that. You gotta look, no matter how high they are likely to be drafted. We try to put as much time into evaluating the first round as we do the seventh round. While the Bills may rely for the bulk of their roster on blue chip late-round picks like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson and glamorous undrafted players like Fred Jackson, David Nelson, and Donald Jones, the front office isnt too proud to take a long look at the occasional first or second round pick who shows promise. Doug Whaley, the Bills recently appointed Director of Player Personnel, points to 2011 first round pick Marcell Dareus as evidence of the success of this philosophy: Its refreshing frankly to be in an organization like this, where every player gets a chance. Now we are not naïve. We realize that your typical first or second rounder isnt going to be good enough to play in this league. We know that a guy like a Maybin or a McCargo is pretty much the norm for a high rounder they are good in college, but, unlike your average late rounder or UDFA, they just dont have that extra gear you need in the NFL. Sometimes, though, with a high pick you can find a guy like a Whitner or a Poz - a guy who basically stinks and wont win you any Super Bowls, but can at least get on the field and contribute to keeping your margin of defeat a little lower. And if you keep your eyes open, every ten years or so, you might stumble onto a first rounder like Dareus who can actually play. Its one in a thousand, but you never know. Scouting and drafting is just one part of the equation, however. The coaching staff also has to be prepared to give top picks a legitimate chance to get on the field in training camp and preseason. Head Coach Chan Gailey says simply, The best guy plays. Period. Thats how we do it. Gailey tells all of his staff early in camp to make sure they do not spend too much time with their late rounders and UDFAs at the expense of higher drafted players. And he agrees that the Bills may have found a first round keeper this year. You have to keep an open mind. Take a guy like Marcell Dareus. Frankly, I never heard of him before he got here to camp. And as the 3rd pick in the whole draft, you really dont expect much. But even though he is big and fast and was a superstar at a major college, Buddy and his guys saw something in him that they liked and to their credit they were right. I remember the first week of camp saying man this guy is playing better than some of our 5th and 6th rounders. He made you sit up and notice.

Mostly he was emitting these feral, soprano shrieks of joy. I love that guy. (Of course, I tend to love almost anyone who is mic-ed up. There is something refreshing about seeing behind the curtain. I am even starting to have a grudging appreciation for Belichick after watching the first part of "A Football Life" (though I have an even bigger appreciation for Derrick Mason - cackling and trash talking BB during the Ravens game). And after the Jets' Hard Knocks last year I love Rex Ryan. He's amusing as hell, and despite his bluster, he seems to be a very generous, open-hearted guy. He was very entertaining in the around the league mic-ed up thing the NFL Network did last night.)

I really liked the Benoit article. He actually points out nuances that most sports writers (and most fans, including me) have no clue about: i.e., Brady's strength in squaring up even under pressure, or Stevie J's ability to get open late in routes. A value-added piece for me.

Shouldn't it be the 'misfitz'? I love it as a team nickname.

I agree. I know we don't use him that way anymore, but I think he might be the best KO returner I've ever seen period, not just on the Bills. Others may have been faster or more juke-tacular, but he was so smooth and efficient - always seemed to make the right little cut or weight shift and would zip through the smallest gaps. He made it look effortless. If he wasn't the best KO returner in terms of athletic ability or production, he was certainly the most natural one I've ever seen. I like him as a CB too, but I would never have stopped using him on kickoffs. Also, he is only 30 (DBs can be good well past that), and he has played 14, 11, and 9 games the past three years. (Before that he was good for 15-16). If that's a trend because of aging, well, that sucks. But I think it's too early on the career arc to say that.

There are a bunch of good backs now. But it's not all about the YPC. Freddy gets all of those little yards that don't seem to be there. He is a very good blocker and a decent receiver. He is not as explosive as many of those guys, but he just feels so solid all around. I can't argue he's better than many of those guys, but in terms of who I would want starting for the Bills right now, there are probably only 3-5 guys I would take over him. Some of the others might make my pro bowl ballet ahead of Freddy, but Freddy makes my lineup sheet ahead of them.

That's true for guys that have been around a little bit, I agree, but not for rookies just learning a system (especially without minicamps). Most guys take a while to make the mental adjustment to the NFL in general and to their new team's scheme in particular.

I was less worried by all of his errant passes than by his body language. He had that kind of hang-dog, confused, frustrated, but not angry-enough-to-do-something-about-it look all night. Doesn't mean much maybe, but I feel like I've seen that look on QBs before, and never on a good one. I know he has only been around this offense for a handful of weeks, but he looks physically, intellectually, and emotionally bewildered out there to me.

It may be fair, but it is just so lazy. CNN/SI takes the trouble to send someone all the way to camp, and all he brings up are the usual tropes. Shawn Merriman. New guy from the Jets. Stevie Johnson now number 1. CJ Spiller needs to be better. Etc. If all you want to do is let people in other markets know a few generic things about the Bills then fine. But why go to camp then? You could write this piece by watching Sports Center and a few post-practice videos of Chan Gailey on buffalobills.com. I want someone like this to dig a little. Talk to people. Observe something that everyone else hasn't already observed a thousand times.

Also, if it works the same as Game Pass (the int'l package - I'm in South Africa and just got it - it's amazing), there is a toggle in the upper right hand corner of the small screen to turn scores off. If you do that, you don't even see the big play markers in the small screen. (Not positive that it's the same for Rewind, but I don't know why they wouldn't be using the same interface.)

Big thanks for doing this (and to Fitzbeardy too!). Absolutely my favorite thing about TSW is reading notes from people who break things down beyond the ****ty media coverage ("Merriman was great!" Yeah, he was, but people in Peru can see that.) either by taking the time to review the game play-by-play as you did or by paying attention to aspects of the game that many of us may not the see first time around (e.g., Simon, Bill in NYC, etc.). Love this stuff and my appreciation for and understanding of the game goes way up because of the many (well, handful of) wallers who actually know what they are talking about - or who at least see things from a non-predigested perspective.

+1 !

I was at the Ralph a few years ago in December. Standing at the troughs at halftime, the bathroom packed as usual, and this big fat guy next to me, after rooting around through the crotch layers for a couple of minutes, says, "I know it was there when I left the house this morning." The whole bathroom cracked up.

I'm with you. I'm not exactly raging with optimism, but this team has won 7, 7, 7, and 6 games the last four years, and it's hard for me to see why this year they would be any worse than the scrappy semi-losers we've come to "love." The last few years they've been devastated by injuries, had questionable coaching, etc., and still have managed to win almost half their games. I doubt they'll make the playoffs, but I don't get all of these 2-4 win predictions. What amazing players did we lose?

I had both games on (thank you CBC streaming). Slovenia tried the whole game. They knew that they were in a fragile position. The kept coming and had some decent chances, but overall, England were clearly the better team. Could have been 3 or 4 nil.

I think South Korea is that good. They play a precise, compact passing game. They've got some good finishers. They're surprisingly tough physically (given that they are not too large, and play more of a skilled game). And they have a world-class player in Park Ji-Sung. I doubt they'll beat Argentina, but they could. Should be an interesting game with lots of sweet passing.

It's not even close. NFL Network was excellent. Tons of insight. I've actually enjoyed ESPN over the years, but I found it painful to watch this year. Borderline unwatchable. Too many guys, low energy, lots of stumbling, no one seemed that well informed, and Steve Young almost single-handedly kills it - he is such a boor (loves to hear himself talk, interrupts, doesn't listen to anyone, offers nothing new - just godawful). I was really impressed with the NFL Network coverage.

The Sporting News said that he really came on the second part of the year as he adapted to the coaching. They seem to think a light switch went on and that he's going to keep developing into a pro style QB rapidly. TSN can be way off, but they do their own homework, and you have to admire the way they call 'em as they seem 'em, no matter what the other rags/mocks say. They think Crompton is a better bet in this draft than any QB but Bradford.

I've been thinking about Graham too. I would be way on on board with that pick. Especially if Schobel retires.