Dawgg

A football neophyte? Wow, you are something else. What the hell do you know about football that allows you to call others a neophyte? Have you worked inthe personnel department of an NFL franchise? Have you worked as a talent scout? You constantly stroke your own jock as a self-proclaimed "football expert," yet performance on this thread indicates that you are anything but. You are hanging tightly to your one and only point that the offense faced 29% tougher opponents than the defense. While that point has been acknowledged, you are having difficulty comprehending the salient points of this thread. The stats from footballoutsiders.com take the "official" stats and weigh them according to the opponent. After removing that fact, the defense still remains a top-notch unit. The offense, on the other hand does not. With respect to Moulds: Moulds remains one of the most valuable weapons on the roster. It was quite clear last year when he went down with a groin injury that our offense couldnt' move the ball anywhere. Defenses commit 2 people to him on almost ever play, which played a major role in the success of Lee Evans' rookie sesaon. Moreover, nobody is saying that Bledsoe should necessarily be cut. Nobody is even complaining about his salary. The point here is that while Moulds is still an effective WR, Bledsoe is NO LONGER an effective starting quarterback. That is a fact. Can you refute that fact? :-)

I think Pat Williams has a solid 4 years left in his tank. Granted the Redskins rush defense was better than the Bills, I feel that losing Pat Williams will be more costly to the defense than Pat's value as an individual player. He brings a lot of energy and along with Sam Adams, ties up blockers allowing Fletch and Spikes to do their thing. I really think the defense starts with Pat Williams. Jennings, while a solid tackle, will garner a ton of interest in Free Agency and will likely be overpaid. I find his situation very similar to Antoine Winfield. Do I wish we could have kept him? Absolutely. But clearly, with a $10 million signing bonus and $25mm contract, he was overpaid. I'm hoping we can find someone solid in the draft. Afterall, Jennings was a 3rd rounder.

Easy choice. Pat Williams. NO QUESTION. There are 3 reasons for this. 1. Jennings is a great athlete but is not as durable as PW 2. Jennings is a solid Tackle. Williams is a disruptive force at center. He wreaks havoc. 3. Jennings will cost too much. We can find cheaper alternatives through free agency and the draft.

You always cry when you get no reply don't you

OK. There's not much of a difference between what you say and what I said. The bottom line here is that you were saying that the strength of opponent is a factor. A valid point indeed. In statistical analysis, nonuniform sample spaces are often compared using a weighted average or some other form of weighted metric in order to make them comparable. That is precisely what these weighted stats provide -- a reasonable basis of comparison between the offense and the defense. It was you who pointed out the discrepancy in quality of opponent faced. It is also you who bristles at the notion of stats that take that into account.

It was these facts you point out that were the reason for Coach Tues bringing up the "weighted" stats. - You claimed that stats dont tell the story because they don't take into account strength of opponent (and rightfully so on your part) - He countered with weighted stats that do in fact take that into account. - You contradict yourself by saying that weighted stats don't tell the story and the actual stats do.

And here's another: "But I'm waiting patiently for the first refutation of the FACT that our D skated almost the whole season while our O played the far tougher schedule- know anyone who might make the mistake of engaging me? ;-) "

On purpose? Yes. Because Flutie, unlike those QBs I mentioned, made plays, could sense the rush and knew when to get rid of the ball. Was he a great QB? No... but Moulds thrived with him under center. All this with a poor offensive line. It doesn't take much, folks. But Drew doesn't have it.

Agreed. It's unfortunate to see top WR's like Harrison, Moss and TO enjoy solid QB play on their teams while Moulds has had to suffer through the likes of Todd Collins, Van Pelt, Rob Johnson, and Bledsoe.

Perhaps you are right. Over the course of the season, the offense faced stiffer competition. Are you saying that on an equal field, if the offense faced the same competition that the defense faced, the offense would fare just as well? If so, I disagree. You don't need statistics for that one. The defense, as a unit, is FAR superior to the offense.

I actually do concur on Eric Moulds, though I don't think he has lost it. I think Eric Moulds needs to get back to the basics and regain his concentration and that is something that he can do. Defenses respect him, often devoting 2 players to him because they know he is still a game breaking receiver. To that end, he is a valuable player on this team. On the other hand, defenses do not respect Bledsoe. It is common knowledge throughout the league that if you get into his face and shake him up a bit, his mechanics tend to go south. He starts throwing off his back foot, he loses his accuracy and his pocket presence (whatever was left of it) is thrown to the curb. Yes. You are right. When Drew has all the time in the world and the blocking scheme is executed flawlessly he can really do some damage. But in today's NFL, where defensive players are stronger and faster than ever, that is a difficult task. Offenses need to live with the fact that the pocket can be broken at times, making it all the more imperative that an NFL quarterback can sense the rush.

Bill, there is no need to be bowing down to AKC. Just because his posts are inundated with prose and condescending drivel does not mean that there is any value to his points. His primary point is that the defense had it easy while the offense was faced with a much more daunting task. I disagree. This defense was extremely solid this year and should be given the credit that it deserves. They more than doubled the number of takeaways from the previous year and often gave the offense the ball on a short field. During the first 4 games, when the offense couldn't muster a single score the defense kept the team in the game despite being on the field for so long.

Wonderfuly authored post, Amazing Grant. I could not have said it better myself. I for one and sick and tired of constant drivel from AKC implicating various factions on this board as irrational, while placing himself on some high and mighty pedestel as someone with a special gift for being able to see the big picture. Frankly speaking, his ability to see the big picture is clouded by his severe impratiality towards Drew Bledsoe, who has been ineffective for the last two years. He can minimize the effect of the defense all he wants. He can place blame on players other than Drew Bledsoe -- we all can. But 2 statistics tell the story on Drew Bledsoe: 1) 21 turnovers. 16 intercepts and 5 fumbles lost. Only Kerry Collins and Vinny Testaverde exceeded this number. Considering the significant improvement in the offensive line's play, they should not take the brunt of the blame. 2) Extremely Inaccurate. He has below-NFL league average completion percentage of 57%. That simply does not cut it anymore. While Drew Bledsoe is not the sole reason for this team's problems, he is ONE of the problems. Perhaps some fans express it in different ways than others. Perhaps some fans, rather than speak condescendingly of other posters, are passionate about their team and express it as such. Nevertheless, the fact remains: Drew Bledsoe's honeymoon is over.

Sorry bout that. I edited my post and made it sexist instead

It is mostly unfounded. While the Bills were winning games with mikstake-free football and a conservative offense, most of Bills Nation was salivating over the female-in-waiting Rob Johnson because of his vast potential.

Based on your personal relationship with Flutie, I suppose (this is a play out of your playbook)

Stop it, you're making me cry.

By meaningless, I mean the game was meaningless to the Bills.

Wrong again. Wade wanted to start Flutie... it was Ralph Wilson who demanded that Rob Johnson start the game after watching him play lights out against Indy in a meaningless game. That is fact. I have even spoken to Wade about this personally. As for us starting 0-3 that year, think again. That was the season prior to the Tennessee game.

You obviously don't know what you're talking about. The "speech" you refer to was an offhanded comment in an interview. Not a good move, but it wasn't a speech. Second, his record was 29-19. 2 playoff appearances. Bad head coach? Think again. Gregg Williams was a bad head coach. Wade puts him to shame.

You wanna point that out one more time? Not sure what your stance is on that issue

Great to see you guys are having fun over there. I lived in NYC in 2003 and didn't miss a single game at McFaddens. Now that I'm in SF, I miss it!!!!

Gray you heading to NorthStar Sunday? I'll finally be there after a long break.

Solid O-Linemen are easier to find than dominating tackles. Pat Williams is a DOMINATING tackle. And you don't let dominating players go. Jonas is good, but not as good as Pat. Send him packing and find a solid replacement.

No way on Jonas. Pat Williams is more important to this team than most of those players, especially Jonas Jennings. In a choice btwn Pat and Jennings, the decision is easy. You go with the anchor of your defense.