Mikie2times

I was in Vegas two years ago when the Lions played at Philly, it was a memorable game for me as I was visiting the old man and hand't seen him in a few years. The snow was as bad as the Bills game at Cleveland about 6-7 years ago that Edwards started in. Players couldn't move. In the second half McCoy was making cuts that seemed to defy logic. He was untouchable. It reminded me of the 6 TD performance Gale Sayers had in the rain. His ability to maintain his balance was just so far ahead of any other player on the field in those conditions. After seeing that performance, thinking about about the type of weather we get, it's going to be exciting to watch this guy in December. McCoy rushed for 217 yards in that game against a very good Lions run defense.

While serviceable backs could be had in the draft, did we have any guarantee we would be able to land a guy in the 2nd round or after that we would trust to get 25 touches in game? Did we have any guarantee Kiko would return 100% and be one of the best LB's in football, as hat seems to be his perceived value to many on the forum.. What guarantee we do have is one of the top 3 RB's in the NFL plays for the Bills and he's 26 years old. We had one of the best defenses in football last year without Kiko and we all know Rex is going to turn this defense into a nightmare. He always does every place he has gone, with less talent to work with in some instances. RB parity seems to be the consensus outlook, but a few backs stand out above the rest and can nearly have QB impact levels. McCoy is ether in that class or as close to it as you could possibly get. He's the centerpiece of the offense instantly and no other player in FA or in the draft is capable of fitting that description. Great trade.

Rex is a players coach because he uses a ton of positive reinforcement in the locker room and in the media about his players. I don't think I've ever heard a coach say as many positive things about his players as Rex does. I don't mind it, a lot of these guys need a confidence boast. Tell them they're elite, they become elite, or raise that expectation. It's a different style and I like it. If he has to drop the hammer I feel confident he can and will.

This...^ I'm not trying to say my job is even remotely close to what a CEO or NFL QB faces, but I do manage in a difficult setting, with difficult people. I have seen a couple people before me just get destroyed doing the same thing. I'm not a very alpha type person, I don't evoke fear in people, so I can empathize with people who struggle with taking on that role. That said, I was at my job 8 years before I was promoted and did more business for my company then anybody else in it's history. Almost by default people listen and respect me. So if you perform well, its very easy to lead. If you don't or aren't established, it certainly takes a very unique individual. Especially if those people your trying to lead are more tenured/experienced/etc.

Couple thoughts...Are these incidents actually occurring at a higher rate or is our ability to capture them just that much better? How often is this actually happening with it going undetected? I ask that because we vilify a lot of NFL players for past discretion's assuming our beloved player are somehow squeaky clean. So many of these guys come from broken homes, violence, and poverty....

That would imply Peyton was either better or more clutch. I certainly don't think he was more clutch. I really don't think he was all that better either. Just played in an era a little more friendly on stats (at least for more of his career)

All we hear on the forums all the time is if you have an elite QB your going to the playoffs. If you don't, you might, but it's unlikely. What this thread is proposing is an elite QB partnered with an elite defense. New England doesn't have the WR's. They have one TE. Seattle doesn't have the WR's, they have beast and a great defense. This Bills team would roll thru people if it had Jimbo. As all these deficiencies being brought up get greatly minimized by the play of an exceptional QB

Divide his attempts by fumbles and I imagine that stat doesn't looks nearly as bad. You also have to factor in how many of those fumbles happened on option exchanges, did the correct credit go to the correct player? He fights for every inch on every run. If he is deemed to have a ball security issue I think he can be taught better ball protection if that's the main concern. As for his size. Somebody pushing 200 pounds and certain to go over that weight at the next level, while being 5 foot 9, is hardly small. He's short, but thick, a combination a lot of backs have done very well with over the years.

Wondering how many people who said "no thank you" in this thread have watched him consistently. He's a dominating physical runner. Look at what he did to MSU his Junior season, if you recall, that was the year MSU won the Rose Bowl and that defense was as good as any in the country. The guy has a 24/7 chip on his shoulder for people who have used his size to minimize him. No pun intended. Yes I would take him in two seconds.

That was an excellent article. Thank you for sharing!

To clarify Kelly, what I meant was it's pretty obvious he was using this interview as a means to speak directly to his players. Not that he is actually talking to them on the side. I thought his comments on Hughes and Gilmore seemed to be the most obvious. Regardless, you can tell why his players would kill for him. He's so complimentary of them.

I think it's pretty obvious he's talking directly to the players in this interview.

I'm not the least bit worried about Incognito. I think that was calculated risk and we came out way ahead. I have no problem taking a guy with potentially massive upside who has no choice but to walk on egg shells. This wasn't like before. He knows his NFL career is over if he has any semblance of a screw up. I also think he's a locker room leader. Pricks, especially in football, can often times take on leadership roles (Big Ben). People who played with him do not share the same opinion of him as the rest of the general population. I also don't think he's as hideous as he's made out to be, to go back to Big Ben, you want to talk about a SOB? Try Rape and dozens of accounts of sexually aggressive exploits. Nobody discusses him in the same way as Incognito. Hell, Ray Lewis got away with murder and now he's revered as a saint (thank you jesus, thank you jesus, thank you jesus).

My response would be why would he make the kick harder? A overinflated ball travels a shorter distance vs a ball that is either at normal or low inflation levels in the kicking game.

I wonder if Vegas had odds up, Rex Ryan developing a franchise QB or Mark Brunell knowing the game better than anyone, which would be the bigger long shot. To your credit I would say in that context Ryan wouldn't be the underdog.

I think the logic makes sense, but I also think it has too much of a vacuum disposition. X's and O's, yes I think Rex understands offense. At the level the NFL plays, as far as coaching offensive players to give them that microscopic advantage, one that is absolutely required for success, no, I don't think Rex has any understanding of that. For example, is he going to watch a QB drop and notice that the footwork was just a shade off, the arm angle wasn't high enough, the motion is somewhat flawed, the Receiver was not using the correct footwork out of certain breaks, the lineman not using the correct footwork out of blocks. I know he can answer all those types of things as they relate to defensive players. He knows the X's and O's and he knows the proper technique and how to coach it. While it's just an opinion, I don't think he understands offensive technique at an NFL level, he might understand the X's and O's, but not all the millions of details within it. Which is likely what makes him such a great defensive guy, that complete understanding of the entire side of the ball.

-I would make Spikes a priority resigning. He led our defense emotionally, if you watch any of the inside type footage he is always leading the team and discussion. So I think he brings a lot to the table from a leadership and nastiness standpoint. -After Spikes I would like us retain Searcy, he seems to have a very good thing going with Williams, again, more inside TV footage, I just liked how they interacted and I like Searcy as a player. -Easily is a ST beast so I'm on board for him. - I would let Jerry go, rather use the money elsewhere. We have a lot of cap space and a GM ready wanting and able to make multiple splashes. I think he will do just that. - With Roman coming on and our need at Guard, I feel very confident the Bills will add Lupati who is an absolute mauler. - We absolutely must have a RZ target/large target, as well as a good TE in Romans system. I expect us to get Thomas and pay big to do it. - We need a power running back, Murray will be available IMO, as the Cowboys focus on Dez, but I see that as an overpay deal compared to Ingram. Fill in the rest with some solid under the radar guys, a good draft, and playoffs it is!

Yes and I think now is the perfect time to implement it. Football schemes go in and out of style based on how many teams are using it. Once so many teams adopt the same style that style becomes easier to defend as you prepare for it all the time. The historical response for NFL teams is either to reinvent or rewind. Right now teams are building defensive rosters more suitable for stopping the pass. It's inevitable some teams will eventually break away from this pass happy approach. With that, you generally hear coaches reference strong defense. It's just an all around physical style that isn't the norm right now for NFL teams. We seem like we could be one of the potential drastic teams to play this way. I think it's silly we haven't seen it sooner as these teams can go deep and you don't need an elite QB and as we know very few elite QB's exist.

I think this could be a fun thread. So many opinions and predictions have been thrown around these forums over the years. Almost all of us have played MMQB. So in the spirit of the TBD forum genius I encourage you to locate the post that made you look like and NFL shark. I'm not looking for the posts that predicted Dick Jauron would eventually be fired. Only the great calls you have made over the years, maybe about future draft picks, players, coaches, situations, anything in which you got it right like a boss. If you can't find the link, just post the story, obviously the link is the fun part. I like to read the old threads, the nostalgia, how the board was in the past. I forget just how many heated topics have come and gone. I loved Ngata but I think that was pretty common, so I will say my best MMQB moment was Kyle Williams. I predicted good things, others did as well, but this was the white guy high energy era for the Buffalo defense and a lot of people wanted to put Williams in that group. He was also a late draft pick. I will say, I never thought he would be this incredible. Circa 2006, makes me feel old. http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/49689-kyle-williams-will-start-at-nt/

At what point did I say I know everything? Do I know more compared to somebody who is willing to dismiss an entire post based on a grammatical error? I find it likely. It's not certain. My grammar is pathetic, does that mean every aspect of my intelligence is? The spell checkers have always bothered me. It's douchery at it's finest. It's a GD internet forum. Simple typo, ask yourself, did you understand what I meant? Sounds like you did. I also guarantee the original poster did in fact read the whole thing. He just wanted to make a point about a grammatical error because that's how those people act on the internet. Which adds what as far as conversational value? Ok, I agree he hasn't had the player to groom. But nothing in his coaching background suggests any offensive experience, let alone QB coaching experience. He's universally described as a defensive guru. As some have pointed out, this idea of grooming a QB might even be a flawed notion as the cream will rise to the top. Further, I think you took my post a little off it's intended path. I think Roman will get us outstanding QB play, I just don't think it will be based on him turning a QB we have into this franchise concept. It will be because he runs a very QB friendly system and we will get good QB play as a result of that system. It's all just opinion, but as far as Ryan goes, you would probably have to ask 100 experts if his skill set is designed to "groom QB's" before one of them says yes. Not just the talking heads either. He's about the most obvious one way (defensive) coach in the league. The thought of Rex Ryan grooming a QB seems as likely as his father "grooming" a QB. Why does QB development sound like a day at the dog salon?

That's really the point of the thread Chris. I know for myself, I have had the "we need a franchise QB" mindset for probably ten years. I suppose the next best thing to having a franchise QB is having unified system between the HC/OC/DC, that is designed to be competitive if you lack that franchise QB so few people have. I don't think we have ever had such a unified approach since the drought started. The combination of outstanding run game and outstanding defense has won plenty of Super Bowls. Certainly got plenty of teams to the playoffs. A franchise guy would be icing on the cake at this point, but I expect we will make the playoffs next year and we will do it without major changes at QB. It might not be Manuel starting, but somebody without a huge profile or the typical franchise aspirations is what I see happening.

People like you top the scale of annoying. It's a message board, late night post. I'm typing fast and getting on with it. "I" Formation. Is that better? How about focus on the content. If you would like to talk X's and O's and not make this English 101, I would happily circle around you like the 90's Bills circled the wagons.

Your right, he wasn't. In one interview I saw, he said he had been waiting for an OC gig to open up while he was taking some lay low time coaching High School. Then he said Harbaugh contacted him, which is when he went to Stanford. I assumed that OC gig had indeed been what he signed on for. Still I wouldn't dismiss his work at Stanford, I assume he played a big role in the offense seeing that Harbaugh felt fit to bring him from a non OC college role to a NFL OC role.

Smooth: Not happy with the signing of David Lee, thought we could have done better. Skycap: I think we need more focus on a TE and some offensive lineman, maybe a bruising running back, all realistic things we can add vs so much Franchise QB focus, something that is unlikely to be obtained based on what we have to obtain it this season. I think we could add another mobile late round QB. Kelly: I agree, it's the player first and foremost, but when you don't have the player I think some coaches are better at making it look like you do vs others. I feel Roman is that guy. Perhaps not the best developer of passing QB's, but his system is phenomenal at making average QB's play better. Hondo: So much has been posted, I'm sure my points have been covered. I still see literally everything from the press focused on franchise QB which is why I wanted to speak my peace. I think Smith did well with Roman because I think any QB improves tenfold with a running game. Throw Kap in, Roman was able to focus on his incredible mobility. He also got the same benefits Smith did by just having a very good ground game.

After we signed Rex Ryan, all my attention shifted to OC. Ryan has never developed a franchise QB and he won’t all of a sudden develop into a sharp offensive mind. What does Ryan bring to the table? Ryan is the best defensive mind in the NFL, which is certainly valuable enough to warrant a HC position. Still, with no QB, his detractors have a point, is the best defensive coach in the league the right fit for a team that needs so much offensive help? A lot of discussion from the introductory Press conference laid out the path this team will take. Ryan said he appreciated Brian Billicks approach, basically said here are the keys; go do what you do best. He was hands off and allowed Ryan to grow the defense under his direction. He said he believes in that same philosophy. The Bills liked Roman, they liked him enough to interview him for the HC. Over and over we heard Ryan say how in sync he is with Roman. Ryan kept saying he wanted to build a bully, Pegula referenced Roman making the statement of being a “nightmare” to play. Hand and hand with the Rex Ryan approach to football is a power running game. It's clear to me Ryan has no problem giving Roman the keys to the offense in the same way Billick gave Ryan the keys to the defense and that's exactly what I expect him to do. I watched a lot of Stanford when Greg Roman was the offensive coordinator. Then you follow Roman to San Francisco and what he implemented there. Stanford ran a pro style run heavy offense under Roman. I often remember 2 and 3 TE sets, a ton of eye formation. They just pounded the ball repeatedly. The 49ers ran a lot of similar personal groupings as far as FB’s and multiple TE’s, but they would often split those players out and motion them into a more normal alignment like the eye formation. Roman’s offensive line concepts are regarded as some of the more complex in the NFL. His run block action simulates spread concepts, but often times manifest themselves into power rushing concepts. We saw the 49ers go to a lot of read option and Pistol formations. In one of his press conferences a few years ago prior to the Super Bowl, Roman glowingly speaks about the Pistol offense and its versatility. What started as a question about Romans ability to develop a franchise QB (this word we keep hearing all the time), ended in a completely different direction. No, I don't believe Roman is best at developing a franchise QB, at the least, QB passing is not his strong suit. That said, he doesn't need to develop a franchise QB to get to the level we want to achieve. Kap is not a franchise QB in a traditional sense, Romans system made his skill set into a very productive QB, so productive it gave the appearance of being a potential franchise guy. But Roman does not care about QB development in the way most OCs cling to it as life or death and having to be thru the air. He values production, namely ground production. He reduces the reads a QB has, he runs an inordinate amount of times, and has a scheme that provides better angled blocking assignments vs defenders compared to his counterparts. Essentially, he provides the most user friendly QB system possible and in that reduces the need for the QB to have to be elite in the passing game. As Ryan is the zen of defense, Roman is one of the top zens of running. Just as Ryan pointed out in the presser, the two have such a perfect blend of style. So perfect, it’s my opinion a franchise QB is not required, nor will that be the profile of this team. We will focus on being the best punch you in the face team on defense, which is a given, and on offense we will do the same. For me that’s exciting. Franchise QB or not, this staff seems to be completely united in playing a demoralizing brand of football. Something I have seen people begging for years for on these forums.