yungmack

The Bills have depth up the wazoo at all of those positions. Depth ain't the problem,quality is. And training camp is all about finding out if they've got it or not.

And that's my point.

I believe he was just cut by NE.

Thanks. Keep 'em coming.

Stop making sense. It confuses the little nippy creatures who dwell in the underbrush around here.

Remind me: what round was Pat Williams drafted?

Does anyone know who scouted him? A scout doing due diligence should have at least weighed him.

A bar in Wisconsin where drugs were plentiful? I spend time in Wisconsin, city and country, and I'd say that describes the majority of bars.

I know there are still some Bills fans who think the team stinks, that Nix is an idiot, that Ralph is a senile miser, and so on. Even a casual visitor to TSW would pick up enough of those sentiments going around. Fortunately, there are far more fans who I believe "get it," the "it" being the underlying philosophy and plan behind building this latest version of the Buffalo Bills. This is the first time since almost back in Bill Polian's day that the Bills seem to have a coherent plan that is being followed throughout the organization, from scouts to coaches to fitness staff and marketing. I mean, just having a plan and sticking to it is heartening to this longtime fan. That's what NE and Pittsburgh do, for example, and what the current Cowboys or Bengals don't seem to be doing. Among the things that distinguish the "new Bills" is a certain quality of character among their signings. I can't help but be struck by how bright so many of these kids are, how thoughtful their comments often are, how much they want to play, how much they think "team," how optimistic and, well, just plain pleasant they are. And that includes several who have come from difficult life situations. This stands out even more by contrasting it with the type of guy they don't seem to have: the "Me first" sort of player, the negative prima donna, the locker room cancer, the party hearty crew, the "angry young man," the "chip on his shoulder" sort. If they're there, they do a darned good job of pretending to be good guys Now this might be a little controversial, but I believe this change actually began the season before Nixley took over. Yep, back under Brandon. Other than the huge error of picking Maybin over Clay Matthews (it still rankles me), they picked Levitre and Wood -- those two alone would have made that a good draft. But they also added Jairus Byrd, Shawn Nelson and Demetrius Bell. I know Nelson hasn't worked out quite like they hoped, but he was a great choice at the time, and still might blossom into a great TE if his health permits. And Bell has been getting better and better and will, I think, have a very good season this year. Not the greatest draft in Bills history, but a good one, especially coming after years of Donohue and Levy, and their incomprehensible "strategy." I don't believe that 2009 draft was "just by accident." I think it was well-thought out and done with a long-term plan in place. My guess is that sometime in the Levy GM administration, someone or a group of "someones" noted with alarm that things were going to hell in a handbasket with no relief in sight and began a "palace revolt" that led to Marv leaving and the beginnings of a new approach to the team. I also suspect that the Maybin pick was probably insisted upon by Jauron and when that turned out so poorly, his doom was sealed. Other pieces of "evidence" that the changes we are now seeing were stirring at least by 2008 and were done intentionally was having that new approach ready for the scouts and for draft day early in 2009; the hiring of Buddy Nix in '09; the quick, no regrets firing of Jauron in midseason; the quick elevation of Buddy Nix to the GM position, and the hiring of Chan Gailey because he fit the style of coaching the front office envisioned. This is all pretty much deductive reasoning -- aka, "guess work" -- on my part and might not be at all what's been going on at One Bills Drive. But it sure seems like it's correct.

Very thorough. Thanks.

The Bills seem to feel they have their Big Game TE on the roster already and who can say with certainty that they don't? The same seems to hold true for RT. Where they seem concerned right now is at LB, and I think they should be. That seems to be at the top of the list of uncertainty.

Sorry, guys, but all remaining free agents have been signed by the Eagles.

So the Bills not signing a mediocre MLB for star money is grounds for dissing the FO? And Clabo? The guy bounced around the league for a few years and is now so highly regarded that he is The One To Save The Bills? San Diego had Wood, Levitre and Urbik as the top 3 at their positions coming out of college and the Bills now have all three of them. And they're real young. As to people laughing at the Bills every week, well, I doubt it. With a first year coaching staff, lots of turmoil on the line, injuries, QB changes, running back injuries, etc., they still did pretty well overall. They certainly weren't the worst line in the league and the direction it's headed is very positive.

Nicely written piece.

You, Mr. Robotical One, are the winner of The Best Post Of The Week.

You could have saved yourself all that writing by some deft editing so let me do it for you: "Bills suck, Ralph cheap, Nix old."

Why does Nails in particular have such a difficult time understanding WTF the Bills are up to? Is he that misinformed or is he intentionally dogging the team? So let me help him out: Nix has said it, Gailey has said it, Edwards has said it, Wannie has said it...THE BILLS ARE GOING TO RUN A HYBRID!!! Unless they're all lying through their teeth, then a hybrid is what we'll see. 4-3, 3-4, maybe the old 4-6, and who knows, why not the 2-9 (okay, probably not that one). Dareus will be used in different positions depending on the defensive scheme at that moment. And he'll be moved around no matter the scheme, as his head coach and his GM have suggested since they drafted him. So, yeah, Nails and The Big Sapp are correct that he will play in the 5-technique...SOMETIMES!! There are those who criticize Gailey. But I don't recall anybody ever saying he was stupid. He will put Dareus in the position for the team to succeed. I can't wait until the kid has 3 or 4 games under his belt and we see how he's used. That's the only way to shut up those two knuckleheads. BTW, play the Chris Brown video with Dareus. Then play the one with Jasper. Either Brown shrunk or that kid is humongous.

I think you're on the money. Also, no question there will be a wildcat option. Because of Smith's versatility, any time he's on the field there will be confusion and hesitation in the defenders minds, which is a great advantage for an offense. He is a genuine "freak" who's good at all he does. Keep in mind that one of the key things about Gailey is that he tailors the game plans to the players he has rather than forcing a preconceived "system" on them. Chan must be jumping up and down thinking about what he can do with him. This has the potential to be a tremendous addition.

Time to refill your meds.

Being the first to sign kind of fits neatly with the whole Jasper saga, which has made him the de facto TSW mascot/underdog fan favorite. The kid wants to play!

Excellent!!!

Yeah, Buddy's old and cranky, Ralph's cheap, yadda yadda yadda. Did it occur to any of the Negative Nellies around here that, um, Buddy's in the middle of the free agency periodand maybe, just maybe, doesn't think it makes a whole lot of sense to reveal all the juicy insider details of his thinking for the edification of GMs and agents?

According to his agent, Poz chose Jax because they play the 4-3. It seems like that was the deciding factor.

Some see the glass half full; some see it half empty. You, it seems, do not even see a glass.

Always a tough loss. You and yours are in my prayers.