Florida Bills Fanatic

I think your memory is correct. I believe he had problems with his right ankle and had at least one surgery.

Even though big chunk pass plays are what peaks the fan's enthusiasm. It is the ability to run the ball that allows teams to protect a lead and burn up the clock. Atlanta would have won a Super Bowl, if they had been able to run the ball to churn out a first down late in the fourth quarter. Good teams are balanced and can take advantage of what the defense is conceding. Sometimes that means being able to run the ball.

You've got that right. Williams has been the guy that sees a lot of double teams. He's a decent kid and is a steady performer. I guess that makes him a target for Waste Gase. If he becomes available, there will be no shortage of teams wanting to trade for him.

If you watched many SEC games, calling him a marginal talent is a bit harsh. His behavior has always been the issue with him. By many accounts, he was coddled and many people looked the other way during his many transgressions. They didn't do the kid any good. If he is able to stay sober and out of trouble, he may still carve out a career as a backup. I doubt that any owner will ever give him the keys to a franchise.

I'm not writing off the Cheatriots just yet but when the wheels come off an old QB, bad things happen quickly. They have been the masters of creating mismatches with opposing defenses. Gronk was a big part of that. I expect them to use a strong run game to keep teams in their base defense to create their mismatches that way. Brady doesn't seem to have the big play ability that he used to have but he is still very accurate in the short to medium range passing game.

Just a typical national media slant. They're just trying to draw the most readers/watchers. Fox Sports writers and pundits are generally a joke. Practically unwatchable as someone already observed. The Bills just need to let their play define the national narrative.

Good observation! It is a good advantage as long as the scheme is effective. Based on McD's history in Carolina and the first two years in Buffalo, I think the scheme is effective.

Is this really worthy of a thread?

I agree that Bills fans should not be laughing too much. because our past results have not been good either. I think the Jets situation is a bit different. Watkins was truly a bust by most accounts. He wasn't durable and was not worth the price. It was the right decision to let him walk. He has done very little with the Rams or the Chiefs. He was a good young guy but missed too many games. Cordy Glenn had injury issues as well and is on the downward slope of his career. Cordy was a high priced guy that couldn't be depended upon to be on the field. He was hurt a lot. He didn't exactly tear it up in Cincinnati. Dareus was an overpaid, under performing player. His behavior was a problem. In Jacksonville, he has been mainly a rotational player but clearly not worth the value of his contract. The common thread here is there was not enough value vs. the salary cost. Lee doesn't fit this same pattern. My point was that Gase has a history of having bad relationships within an organization (got him fired in Miami) and got rid of decent players for less than good reasons. Furthermore, Gase is alleged to have made comments that Bell and Mosley aren't worth the value of their contracts. Not the way to start building a working relationship with the guys that are likely to be the cornerstones and leaders of the offense and defense. The Jets seem to be mired in this kind of crap frequently. It goes beyond just having a bad team like previous Bills teams.

He was played out of position by the Jets. As indicated in another post, he could be a weak side backer in a 4-3. It looks like Gase is pulling the same thing he did in Miami. Get rid of good players that he doesn't like and put inferior talent on the field. Just another sad chapter in Jets football.

Actually, firing GM's after the draft is not all that uncommon. There are two schools of thought. One being that you do it right at the end of the season when you dump the head coach. The second is do it right after the draft so that you don't disrupt the draft preparation and free agency signing process. I prefer at the end of the season and don't touch the Personnel and Scouting Departments until after the draft. Gase couldn't get along in Miami and now it has started in New York. Losers will act like losers! I love the fact that the New York media is totally apoplectic over the bumbling of both of their teams.

Jackson is going to have his hands full just learning his position in an NFL offense. I doubt the Bills would seriously consider doing this in the foreseeable future. You can tell it's a slow time in the off season when we start daydreaming about this kind of stuff.

In addition, Morse will get the o-line into the correct protection calls. This was a problem last year. I think this improvement will give Cole the chance to do his thing underneath.

Apple and Microsoft

Actually, dips like this are the times when smart people buy. For every "Chicken Little" running around saying the sky is falling, guys like Warren Buffet pull out the check book and take advantage of low prices. I'm glad EJ is hanging them up. He was a decent guy but a pitiful QB.

I agree with you. Given his salary, I doubt that the Bills are in the market for Gerald McCoy. I envision the D-line in passing situations being Hughes, Oliver, Lawson at d-tackle, and either Murphy or Alexander at D-end. The price to acquire and pay McCoy is probably too high when there may be more pressing needs. I was in Indianapolis last week and there is talk there that the Colts may have an interest and a need for McCoy. They also have the cap space to take him. If he is made available, it could develop into competing bids which would drive up the cost to get him. I don't see Beane being interested in that scenario.

You may be right but it may just be that none of these guys have much of a history of actual on field performance. They may be playing it safe by bringing in a larger number of guys hoping to hit it on a couple of them. Similar to their approach on the o-line.

Good post! I also remember thinking the the o-line would be horrendous. The unexpected loss of Eric Woods was the biggest single factor in the demise of the o-line. Unfortunately, I wasn't wrong. I was also concerned about the corner playing opposite White but that situation turned out okay. I don't think many fans understood how bad the cap situation was. I remember reading posts wanting to sign numerous high value free agents. Beane had to manage things last year with little money. We did get to see the coaching staff do a good job with a poor roster. If they can repeat that level of coaching performance with this improved pool of talent, the Bills will be a dangerous opponent.

Good info. Clearly, the process includes gathering physical talent that isn't going to get pushed around in a street fight. I remember seeing Aaron Williams on the ground after a cheap hit by Jarvis Landry and wondering why a team mate wasn't in the process of kicking the sh__ out of Landry. I have a feeling that this version of the Bills won't a be bunch of pansies that will be physically intimidated by anyone. This change has been too long in coming.

Great work compiling the list. There are some definite future cap casualties on it. Some of the better players are likely to restructure existing deals to stay where they are. Guys like Harris are being difficult to get more cash and probably don't care where they play next year. As other posters have indicated, there are a few that would be great fits for our Bills. I think there will be some surprises that aren't on the list, maybe a couple of Bills. I'm sure Beane is on top of this and will be ready to move if the right guy becomes available.

Right, he’s the guy fighting in the “three and under class”............lol

I agree with you about the height phobia. Think about M.Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, or Warrick Dunn. Joe Cribbs was fairly short. Emit Smith and Walter Payton didn't have great size either. None of these guys were giants but were very good. I'd take a repeat of MJD's career for the Bills in a heart beat.

You may very well be right but I believe that Beane and McD were not pleased with the performance of the reserves ( Ford and Murphy) when injuries hit last year. They weren't about to repeat that experience. I also believe that they want to get some experience for a talented younger player before the 2020 season. If he shows that he isn't a viable high volume replacement for McCoy, they will have made a bad pick.

For the most part, I agree with you. The biggest exception is down close in the red zone. Space is restrictive and throws over the top or the corner fade are still major weapons in the end zone.

Unfortunately, most of the national sports news media output originates from NYC. It has a systemic slant toward NYC teams. That means that their opponents are disproportionately trashed and the NYC teams are presented favorably. This shifts slightly as the season goes along and the win/loss record for NYC teams heads for the dumpster. I have learned to be very selective when choosing sports news media outlets to use. Forums like this one with the informed participants provides as much valuable insight as any of the major sports news outlets. We air the good and the bad and are not shy about disagreeing with divergent points of view. The best way to turn off the news media crap is for JA and the Bills to come out and kick some a__. The media seldom takes shots at a winner.