CarwellGardner

Let me just say this... consider my comments for a moment before replying and then please respond accordingly... It seems to me, not knowing you personally or regularly following your posts on this board, that you, my friend, have fallen victim to the illness that plagues many of our beloved fanbase. You have contracted the dreaded disease commonly referred to in the Buffalo area as "Chronic Buffalonian Pessimism"... It's a horrible condition that is believed to have originated in the Orchard Park area of the city through the late 90's and early 2000's. If this is the case, regretfully, the prognosis for you is not good... but it is curable. The first step is admitting that there is a problem - not with the team (we already all know that...) the problem lies within you... Just to be certain, please respond to the following questions: - do you sleep well on nights before Bills games? - do you currently or have previously owned an animal that was named after a Bills player or other personnel? - have you, on multiple occasions, drafted a Bill in a fantasy league only to have said player underperform and corrupt the morale of your otherwise legitimate squad? - have you ever dated a woman that owns a Bills jersey and can drink most men under the table... and her name ends in a vowel? - do you own more than 4 versions of John Madden NFL football (regardless of gaming system)? - do you regularly re-watch Bills losses on NFL Rewind just so you can come back to this board and play GM and fire at least one player per week? - when is the last time you laughed while watching a Bills game - not one of those "OMG that guy is horrrrrriiiiibbbbblllleee" laughs but a "gosh, I'm so happy" laughs? - LeBatts Blue or Molson if you had to pick one to drink... on a deserted island... for the next 2 years... with your only friend a banged-up volleyball you affectionately named "Ralph Wilson"?? Once you've completed the above exam please take a moment to reflect upon your place in life, the role that sports and specifically Buffalo Bills football plays in it and ask yourself this one question... "Am I fulfilled?" It is only then that the clouds the follow you may lift, the skies open, the chirping of birds be heard by your naked ears - perhaps for the first time and you realize.... "you know, I don't have it so bad... these guys play hard on Sunday... sure their play at times leaves me frustrated... are they overpaid, sure...but you know what - how damn lucky am I to have a professional football franchise represent my city, my home, my family & friends? I get to share this with so many people of similar ties & values - many I'll never meet in person. Damn it, I LOVE THE BILLS for what they do for me... and you know what?!?!? I LOVE BUFFALO, NEW YORK. I LOVE THE BILLS. Screw the Patriots, Dolphins & Jets - screw them and their scumball fans. Screw em all!!!! They're all slime on the bottom of your shoe!!! We are going to beat the Saints on Sunday. We may or may not make the playoffs again soon. But there is no denying the character of the guys on this team or their coach. I BELIEVE IN THE BILLS. I BELIEVE IN THE BILLS. I BELIEVE IN THE BILLS. Now, get up, stick your chest out, grab the nearest woman of legal age, dip her like Rhett Butler did Scarlet in Gone with the Wind, and kiss that lass open mouth!! Then head but your boss. Twice. You're going to be ok now. Carry on. You are a warrior. (please forward this message to any one else you care about that you feel may also suffer from this treacherous condition) -Carwell

Although I rarely post I so enjoyed this that I had to comment - this is perhaps the greatest post I've ever read on this board.... thank you very much for posting it... Awesome

My point was either/any of these guys gets killed behind this o-line and you end up wasting a lot of money (the most possible by position for a 1st round pick) and dig yourself into an even deeper hole. Just want a player that has a chance to make a difference and isnt handicapped immediately because of the lack of talent around him. No other position is more reliant on supporting cast than the QB. Period.

Saw this kid's bowl game performance this year and have to tell you - he is ALREADY better than anyone on our roster at this position currently. Although I wouldn't be surprised if the word spreads on him quickly - he's not secret now. Once he gets into the combine work and interviews w teams IMO that he'll be the 2-3 QB off the board... No way he's there by late 2nd round.

Couldn't agree more... look at it this way - which team left in the playoffs DOESN'T have an overproductive o-line???

Drafting a rookie QB (especially Clausen) and putting him behind this line would be an even larger mistake than the Maybin pick... when you have an o-line like the Jets (hate to say it) you can afford to invest a high pick in one of those guys, if you don't you're never going to see his potential bc he's going to get the #$& beat out of him before he can learn anything. Further as tight as Wilson is can you really tell me he's going to stroke a check for a high 1st round QB?!? No way. We HAVE to address both o-tackle spots (Butler, Bell & Scott?!?) and we don't even know what's going to happen w Wood (met him at a Louisville bball game a couple of weeks ago and spoke with him - it's obvious, even he's very unsure as to when he'll be ready to play football again; love this kid!) In so far as the "look at Clausen's #s talk" - IMO you can throw out any #s a Charlie Weiss QB puts up (ie Brady Quinn) much as you would with the Texas Tech QBs! They run a gimmick non-pro style offense that we don't even have the personnel to run anyway.... want an example? Exhibit A: the KC Chiefs Let's hope we just use the pick on someone who can make a difference NOW! We have sooooo many difficiencies (LB, DT, OT, QB, DE) at key spots on both sides - we are not one pick or even two away from being a playoff football team again. I'm not dogging our guys hustle and effort (maybe their ability to stay healthy a little...) but many of the players that you saw in the last 1/4 of the season wont be on this team next year - they were signed to fill spots. How we handle free agency this off season, to me, is a larger factor than the draft. Where we end up blowing close games is because of our lack of quality DEPTH. Now in defense of this year - NO TEAM IN THE LEAGUE could possibly prepare for 21 guys on IR - still can't believe that number! How does that happen - still can't figure it out! I do believe we will be better this year but it does concern me that the notion of a rookie QB should be our first fix. We should take the best player available - that's not a DB - and try to build depth w some veteran FAs. Check this site out for a bdown of players projected to be available: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/fa/ol.html GO BILLS! COACH EM UP CHAN! THEY ARE STARVING FOR IT!!

Completely agree.

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&seasonType=REG&d-447263-o=2&conference=null&statisticCategory=SACKS&d-447263-s=DEFENSIVE_COMBINE_TACKLES&experience=0&d-447263-n=1&season=2009&Submit=Go&qualified=true&tabSeq=0&d-447263-p=2 THE MAN HAS 2 MORE TACKLES YTD THAN GLEN COFFEE, THE ROOKIE RB FOR THE 49ERS?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?!? Being undersized and not getting around OTs that outweigh him by 60+ lbs is one thing; the guy is never around the ball! He's played in 8 games for Christ sake!!! Football is football - especially on defense - especially on the defensive line! That's the one position you usually see rookies that have had success in college experience succeed the earliest because of the lack of reads and now situational substitutions for passing downs! He's only got 2 ASSISTS for crying out loud!!! Get in on some plays son!!! Special teams??? Some of you guys want to give him credit for "hustle" - if you've ever played any team sport you've heard coaches talk about "false hustle" or hustle after the whistle... That's what I see when I watch him play. That's good in Pop Warner - it is meaningless and a con in the NFL. Now I will say, some of the blame for his lack of productivity should fall on the coaching staff and, yes, Fewell. Only way this guy gets any better is with live rounds in games. Maybe Perry sees this and knows it too and just doesn't feel he can count on him?? We'll see how this plays out?? But do yourself a favor before you respond and just look at the list I linked above and read some of the guys in front of him and see what they HELD OUT FOR and where they went in the draft. It's early but this man has the strong resemblance of a bust and a horrible pick and allocation of funds by Modrak and our brass. (Not completely dogging them mind you - really think the other picks this year have been solid and will be strong players for several years. God, please watch over Eric Wood and help him along!) GO BILLS! SMACK THE JETS! C'mon Freddy!!!

"Holy Savior" (if that handle is your real name I apologize for the sarcasm) - to you I solute you I think we can ALL agree on one thing - whether your an optimist or pessimistic about the upcoming Bills season...The Bills are a community team. They were built as such and remain a team supported by the dollars and love of the working people of W NY and beyond. If you want to suggest people should try to have a more open, healthy and positive outlook on football/life that's one thing but how can you not expect to find frustration on the message boards of a Buffalo Bills website?!? That's being unrealistic! If this was high school sports I'd see your point. They're professionals - paid by the incoming dollars and shared revenue stream of the fanbase. Their no different than politicians paid by the working taxpayer. You - the fan - are ultimately also the client of the team and the league. Are you suggesting that a PAYING CLIENT does not reserve the right to say that this product is not satisfactory and SUBPAR compared to others?!? As far as suggesting we should "just find another team" that is not an option any one wants to consider!!! This has been and should always be WESTERN NY's TEAM. So if you guys want to B word - B word away!!! If you don't want to hear/read it you should strongly revisit why you are currently participating in a board of BILLS FANS considering the underperformance and mismanagment of this team since Bill Polian left! (one possibly exception of the Shoeless Rob Johnson year - Homerun Throwback? (ouch)) We all love them - everyone here - it's rather obvious since we're posting in the middle of the freakin' work day instead of doing our jobs! LOL! Go Bills!

Terrific take.

Great take - agree with you on most all of your points. Except this - the o-line has not shown the ability to push the line yet in a single series. And before you say it - I know it's only preseason... I'm not saying they wont be that by the middle/end of the year but they are all still learning to play together. I'm not giving up on them or saying will be worse or better than last year - simply suggesting that based upon what we've seen so far we're going to be in a lot of 3rd and longs this year - not TE's specialty or strength. Thanks dude.

couldn't agree more on the Butler call! RIP

Thanks for that story Dog! He was/is a very good man. Hated him in high school - he and his brother, Donny, used to dominate my high school every year - men amongst boys. Great career as a Cardinal and always in good graces and out of trouble! Really respect him. Our current squad could really use his attitude in the run game...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Polian Unbelievable what that man did! With all due respect to Marv, it was his fingerprints that were all over those 4 AFC Champ trophies. You can have Lombardi as your head coach but if you cant find and keep talent you cant win. We haven't been able to do that since he left. Russ Brandon is still cutting his teeth.

"junior operator's license" - Hilarious Do you think Bill Polian coming back is out of the question?

Love the handle and the pic - huge E. Wood fan!!! He should be our starting C though... either way, he'll be here a very long time. Tireless worker and great kid!

Love Big Tree - prefer Barbell in Elma. Some of the best Beef on Weck outside of Charlie the Butcher. God I miss B'lo food! Steal of our draft will be Nic Harris. Starting by week 4??

Everybody's on this board for the same obvious reason you are Slim - we all love Buffalo. Robot-man, first off I respect your passion but you're way out of line citing ANYBODY for not being satisfied with middle of the pack professional sports - especially when we've tasted winning. You've been on this board for a long time obviously (judging from your post count) - too long to be so off about one fact... Asking for better and not being satisfied with C- doesn't mean anyone is LESS of a fan - especially less of a fan than you! Just because you chose sarcasm and to be condicending when others want to express their displeasure with mediocrity you take offense?!!? Take a break fella. That's what message boards are built on - opinions. You don't want to read this stuff? Then don't blog a Bills message board until they get better. This franchise belongs as much to those that are unsatisfied with losing as it does to the "rosecolored glasses" fan who wants to police comments on this board. Nobody's quitting on this team. I, and many others, have every right to be realistic and expect more. I respect your passion. Go Bills!

Great call - BUT he also had Bill Polian. You want to compare Marv to Juron or Polian to Russ Brandon??? Difference between then and now is when the Bills were bad back then they used their position in the draft to bring in PLAYMAKERS (ie Bruce, Biscuit, Thurman, ect)... Our last ten years?!? Mike Williams? Donte? Not saying we've completely wiffed but bad and mediocre teams get better via free agency and identifying IMMEDIATE IMPACT talent through the draft. We have failed misarably at both. ...and cant keep a GM or hire anything but a retread mediocre (but high character mind you!!!) head coach. It is a broken record.

Love the "E. Flowers" handle. Sweet call. Not for the real question - is Maybin another Flowers?!?

I'm with you Big Cat. I'm not suggesting that this is a matter of just replacing the coach but he is what he is - he's a lifetime sub .500 football coach. In football it always 100% of the time comes down to the HC. Just ask the Cowboys.

Here's a rather obvious point I'd like to offer as we continue to disect this team through the preseason... and remember, it is the preseason. I so respect the enthusiasm and love that is consistently displayed on this board. It is one of the reasons I am so proud to be a lifelong Bills fan. Even though my family and I live very far away from Buffalo both myself and my kids know the Bills to be our team. Here's my two cents - One key aspect of winning in football at ALL LEVELS is those positions and schemes CLOSET TO THE BALL. Simply stated, if we do not improve in the area at the line of scrimmage we will not improve this year and will continue to struggle in this division. Each of our rivals approach the game with a very physical, tough, punch you in the f'ing mouth attitude and as of yet neither our players, head coach or mgmt embody that attitude or ability. Do we have a few that have it within themselves (Poz, Whitner, Marshawn)? - yes. The bulk of our guys? Average at best, high character, Dick Juron/Marv kind of people... good citizens and great for Wegmans commercials and March of Dimes functions. So what's my point - simply this, please let's all be very honest with what we have here talent-wise before we spend anymore time bashing our Bills to be more than they are capable of for the year. The teams that are regularly successful in the playoffs are the teams that are the most physical. They have depth and talent and grit CLOSEST TO THE BALL. We, as of yet, are not built this way. Couple that with our lack of cohesiveness and leadership in the front office and you have a middle of the road team not positioned to do anymore that in recent year's past. O-Line: the NEW center was a guard, one ROOKIE guard was a center in college, the other ROOKIE guard a tackle, the left tackle is a right tackle, and the right tackle is a guard (I know he played it in college). Not only is everyone on this group either learning or re-learning a new position but two of them are rookies. It is a complete overhaul. It is also one of the few areas during the preseason where you can really get an accurate sneak peek at what you can expect during the regular season. If guys are getting rolled because of poor technique and scheme then that is not something that you can fix during the season with personnel moves - only playcalling. The Green Bay game was a prime example of what I am speaking of... man to man, at the snap, 1st team (key point) players being overwhelmed and beaten - regularly. D-Line: Finished '08 #22 vs Run; T-3rd worst (28th) in sacks @ 24 Kelsay: finished 41st for D-lineman in tackles 41st Chris Kelsay BUF DE 47 tkls 33 solo 14 ast 2.0 sacks 1 FF Stroud: 48th Marcus Stroud BUF DT 45 tkls 29 solo 16 ast 2.5 sacks 1 ff Williams (the best of the group!): 16th Kyle Williams BUF DT 55 tkls 37 solo 18 ast 2.0 sacks 1 ff NOTE: he actually finished 8th amongst all interior lineman in tkls! Denney: 58 tkls 40 solo 18 ast 4.0 sacks 1 ff NOTE: actually much better than I would have guessed and notably better than Kelsay!?! Schobel: obviously w the injury the jury is still out on how effective he can be... Maybin: undersized (250) and young (came out after soph year) but very athletic and raw - great upside Finally, examine the actions of those that we must beat to succeed and move forward. They DO MORE TO IMPROVE consistently that our owner and management are willing to do. This is a fact and it is unfortunate. This team once embodied the attitude and spirit of the hard working people of Western NY - those prodominantly blue-collar people that pay exorbident amounts of money to watch and support them... but that is no longer the case. I have the utmost respect for Ralph and what he has meant to the game and the area but until their is some sense of urgency that is passed down from those between him and the field we will remain - stagnant and average. Guys, I hope I'm wrong. I love this team, its fans and its owner. But neither you or I or even Ralph can control the product on the field on Sundays. Only the players and their coach can do that. So be fair with your assesments - watch other teams. Listen to how successfull coaches address the media - especially after losses or poor performance. I don't doubt our team - I am just to a point as a die-hard fan that I want to be realistic with what I believe this team can achieve. That being said - Dick, feel free to surprise me. Jim Kelly, Thurman, Bruce, Andre, Talley, Bennett and best of all Carwell are not "walking through that door" anymore. Buffalove in KY for ever. Go Bills!

Great call! It starts at the top w the persona of the HC and everything else comes from that... DJ is a re-tread, never-won, high character guy that our beloved owner has a propensity for gravitating to unfortunately. Fewell and Schonert would not have jobs anywhere else. (Maybe Detroit)

Ko Simpson Youboty Wendling

How is this that much of a surprise to ANY veteran Bills fan who is really honest with where our team is currently!?!? Couple of points to consider here: 1) GB has one of the best (and most physical) secondaries (specifically starting corners) in the league - 3 players in '08 Pro Bowl 2) we will all have to remember this each and every game - 5 NEW STARTERS on the o-line (3 of which have been asked to make position changes!?!) 3) is it any real surprise that Edwards struggled with reads against a 3-4 in light of last years results vs same?? 4) you're #1 offensive weapon (that would completely dictate coverage changes) did not play - TO 5) GB's offense will be one of the top 5 this year IMO 6) GB's coaching is (Capers - Def/McCarthy - Off) superior to what we have currently It's all well and good to be passionate about our Bills but (and I struggle with this as much as anyone) we have to be realistic with what to expect. 7-9?