macaroni

Eventhough I've been a football fan for 50 years I'm a "casual" fan so sometimes I just can't figure out the terms we use, and the "truths" we all believe. My question for those more astute than me is exactly what the heck is the "spread offense" as compared to the "pro style offense" and why does it (the spread) not translate to the NFL??? To my way of thinking the basic game is pretty much blocking, running, throwing, catching, & tackling and if a player does these things well (no matter what "system") they should translate well into another "system". Granted a player may need to work on techniques of the specific system .... but if he is a good QB, Line man, reciever, etc he should be able to play in any system. What am I missing?

Judging from comments made by Nix when he was hired, I think that's pretty much the way he rolls too. I don't mean to say we won't draft Luck, but I think Buddy prefers players with more playing experiance under their belt.

IMHO .... If I were Buddy or Chan (and I'm not) .... Assuming neither one knew very many FACTS about this team other than we've been bad forever ... that we have had a number of high draft picks ... we've been REALLY bad forever ... prior coaching staffs have been suspect at the least ... we've redefined the term of bad the last ten years ... the offense (at least last year) was run by someone totally unprepaired to be an OC ... and did I mention how bad we've been. My plan would be that there was absolutly no way I could even figure out what was wrong with this team let alone how to fix it until I saw the players under fire in real game situations; so I would look at this season as a 20 game preseason to figure out who is worth saving and who isn't before making any drastic changes toward rebuilding. as far as the 3-4 ... they're shifting people around to see what is what .... Kelsay situation stumps me too as far as the O-line ... with the turmoil and rookies and injuries of last year could they really assess what we had??? as far as the QBs .... I must admit I liked what we had during training camp and preseason too ... I soon found out I really didn't like it as far as pass rush ... Maybin was supposed to be good wasn't he? Mcargo was supposed to be good wasn't he? (there had to be a reason we drafted them so high) Nobody knew Schobel was acually going to retire did we??? Before you all say Buddy and Chan SHOULD have known ... or at least learned quickly ... think about how much interest they SHOULD have had in following the Bills prior to them being hired. For all intense and purposes the Bills were not relevent in the NFL for a number of years, so unless you are a player on the team (or his mother) or a Bills fan, no one paid attention to what we did or who we were ... all they knew was we were disfunctional ... and bad Also IMHO ... they will get around to fixing the 3-4 holes ... they will get around to fixing the O-line ... they will get around to fixing the O-line ... they'll get around to finding a QB, but this year is more about figuring out what the problems are, not working on solutions

hey .... hey .... HEY .... quit with the macaroni jokes

I'm in a "bragging rights" league (no $$$ involved) and discovered I had no available player for my RB spot due to injuries/bye weeks so I picked up Freddie from the waiver wire and plugged him in. I try to never have any Bills on my FF team because I'm such a homer that I'm always tempted to start them because of my heart and not my head, and I couldn't stand the Bills breaking my heart on Sunday afternoon and again on tuesday morning when the ff standings come out. I had to break my long standing rule this week ...... here goes with my fingers crossed.

I'm a bit dense .... so I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic or not ... but I do agree if a guy can go from an undrafted tight end and even just play at an acceptable level at LT while we have "drafted" LTs on the team that can't break into the lineup .... it says quite a bit about his ability. I also agree with Coach Tuesday that the worst thing about the trade was the complete lack of any "Plan B"

Good post .... Now that I'm old and wise in the way of the world, all I ask from "my team" is that they entertain me ... I don't demand championships ... don't demand 16-0 ... don't even demand they win any particular game. Would I like any of the above .... youuuuuuu betcha But I understand it's just a game and all I want to do is be entertained. Now I also understand this team is not capable of entertaining me on Sunday afternoons this year (and probably for the next one or two), but I sure enjoy sitting back and watching the brain trust retooling. Will it work this time??? Heck I don't know, but it IS fun watching it unfold.

I see what you're saying ... but the Wang exclusivly at Guard item started all this. So ... if you plug him in at guard you have to find someplace for one of our other guards ... that's why I shifted Wood to center ... now combine that with Chann wanting more beef up front brought in Urbik (or Howard as someone else posted) leaving me to look for a possible spot for Levitre, and if he is capable of playing tackle, I'm all for replacing Green. I'm just looking at ways the "brain trust" may be trying to get more horses up front.

I noticed on another site that Wang is now practicing full time ... what I found interesting is he is working exclusively at Guard. So this started me thinking (always a bad thing). Chan reciently stated he didn't feel that the O-line had the horsepower or weight to succeed. I know Wood played center in college ... didn't Lavitre play tackle(old age, I can't remember)??? I know Urbik has good size. and Hangman can play all the interior positions(but seems to me to get pushed back into the pocket way too much) ... I know Green stinks, and even though everybody on TBD seems to feel Bell is improving, I'm just not astute enough to tell (so I think he stinks too). What I'm thinking we may see a line of Bell-Wang-Wood-Urbik-Levitre after the bye ... What do you guys who actually know what you are talking about when discussing O-line play think??? (I'm not proposing this, or predicting it will happen, I guess I'm tired about beating a dead hourse about trades we've made or should have made)

If you were selling something wouldn't you sell it to the highest bidder??? Why should the Wilsons do otherwise???? IMHO ... I think it's the other way around .... Ralph knows shortly after he sells his team the new owner will leave for greener pastures.

Maybe you don't ... maybe you do What if you not only have a sports car ... but you have three sports cars (with their inherent increased insurance costs, maintenance costs, etc) and you only have a one car garage so two of your sports cars are being neglected out in the elements ... and OH-by-the-way ... your wife has just told you she was pregnent with twins and therefore you feel your transportation needs have just changed from "sporty" two seaters into the relm of the soccer mom mini-van. Now you KNOW you are going to take a bath on a trade in .... but are you willing to trade one of those "sporty" cars in for a down payment on your new mini-van????

Yes it does make the team better .... for one it stabilizes the backfield ... we no longer have to cram a finite number of carries between three RBs, and we get an extra pick to possible fill a position of need.

I don't agree that it's a bad trade ... The Bills backfield is wayyyyyyy too crowded ... Spiller wasn't going anywhere ... so we either had to trade Lynch or Jackson, we at least got something, I would have rather got two picks next year ... or maybe just a third this year ... or maybe a player .... but we got something

The point I was trying to make with Joe-in-macungie was taht Wilson has shown loyalty to the fans of WNY by just keeping the team here ... and there are advantages that owners realize by moving the team ... it could be tax "credits", a new fancy new stadium (with more "luxury seating"), guarenteed sell outs or what ever ... the "new" city is always more than willing to sweeten the pot (for the owner) to move his team. It's strictly my opinion that the only reason we are not the Arizona Bills (before the cards got there),St Louis Bills (before the Rams got there), The Baltimore Bills (after the Colts left), The Indy Bills (before the Colts got there), The Clevlend Bills (after the Browns left), The Baltimore Bills again (before the Ravens got there), the L.A. Bills (before the Raiders got there), the Oakland Bills (after the Raiders left), the L.A. Bills again (after the Raders left), the Nashville Bills (before the Titans got there), or the Houston Bills (after the oilers left) is that promise Ralph made to western N.Y.

You really don't get it do you???? In these mega dollar days of the NFL where the money from local T.V. and corporate luxury suites and PSLs and rediculous ticket prices rule, Buffalo is a backwater hick town that just can not compete. Ralph Wilson has kept HIS team in Buffalo because he made a promise to never leave ... granted the product on the field is second rate, I can't argue that ... but at least we Bills fans still have a product. He could have left for greener pastures just like the Browns of old, Raiders, Rams, Cards, Colts, Titans. I propose Ralph HAS shown western NY loyalty by providing a local Football team for the last 50+ years ... now weather you choose to support that team is another matter. I think everybody understands a reluctance to spend hard earned money to attend the embaressment we call a Bills game, and no one would fault you for picking another team to root for on Sunday mornings ... But saying Ralph hasn't shown "loyalty" to the fans of WNY is just silly.

Gee I don't know .... but there has to be a reason most teams carry three QBs .... and with our line I'd recommend carrying about a dozen .... I'm just sayin' we all knew Trent was weak (and I liked Trent) the coaching staff HAD to feel they could correct his defects ... but they went from he's our starter and we'll coach him up on the fly, to, he's garbage and we don't even want him contaminating our locker room pretty darn quick. IMHO .... there is something afoot

If I were Nix (and I'm not) the only two positions I would feel a need to immediatly clear a roster spot for would be OLB and OT .... with the horrible showing our run defense gave us yesterday sealing the edge ..... I'm guessing OLB from somewhere.

didn't that tackle from San Deigo just sign his offer sheet clearing him for a trade????? I know nothing ..... just sayin'

I don't think anyone was saying that Spiller was a bust ... I think the opinions being expressed was that drafting Spiller was a bad move for the Bills at this time ... I don't thing anybody would deny that C.J. is an exceptional player, but we put him in a crowded backfield without "culling the herd" to better the team, and ended up with a rookie running back who needs work on picking up the blitz (they all pretty much do) sharing time with two other good running backs behind a suspect O-line.

I would have kept him around to be our backup .... or the backup to our backup. While I do agree with the thought process of T.E. not playing a part in our future, he does know our offense, he was on our roster, and it didn't cost us anything to keep him just in case we needed him. Now if we have a plan on what to do with that spot on the roster we just created to make the team better this season .... then it's a moot point ... but this move just scares me

As long as you keep paying for your ticket I don't think they will care what you wear on your head.

Then again, maybe C.J., being a rookie, is having problems picking up a blitzing player ..... and God knows, we need all of the help available to protect the QB.

IMHO .... The QB "game plan" for this year is not to necessarily see which one of the three will be our "QB of the future" but to try and pick at least one that will make the roster next year. No way do we get three new QBs in one year so the "brain trust" has to see who is coachable and who isn't. As much as it pains me (I really wanted to see Trent do well) I think Edwards got voted off the island this week because of his inability to chuck the rock downfield .... I know ... I know ... I know ... we had tape of his performances from the last few years and should have known .... but I think this coaching staff just HAD to see if they could coach him up & work some magic, and it took two games for them to decide no matter what they did or said to Trent either can not, or will not, mend his ways. Now for phase two the staff will see how "coachable" Fitz is .... if they can fix a thing or two he gets to stay ... if not ... he joins Trent in the cast off line and it's Brohm's turn to see if he can remedy some of his flaws. But I really think at this point they are looking to see if our #2, #3 QB is currently on the roster.

I did that by accident ... I actually intended to have those first two games reversed, when I reviewed my picks I decided it was "fate" that I had fumble fingers so I stuck with them on a whim. I actually, fully, with all my heart, expected to be eliminated on week one because I was convinced we were going to kill the dolphins and that didn't happen ... so let's see if logic follows because I actually, fully, with all my heart expect to be eliminated in week two because I am convinced Green Bay will kill us ... It's not much, but we Bills fans have to have something to hope for, no matter how illogical

Interesting take ... what has me depressed is the dolphins didn't look like they had any trouble putting pressure on Trent just using mostly three rushers and sometime four. I see your take on our "talent level" or lack there of, the same thing has always confused me ... for example ... let's take Left Tackle, now agreed it takes a special talent to play the position well. But if you look at the number of left tackles who've played at a high level for a major college, multiplied by the number of years of experiance the average NFL Left Tackle has it has to equal hundreds if not thousands of "eligable" players that may be able to fill the 32 spots (not to mention players converted from other positions). Why oh why can't we find somebody who can play the position ...