Matt in KC

I'd second this. Someone else mentioned "fake fat sammy" which is of course a mis-remembered "Fake Fat Sunny", who was the same person. He was Barry Brady before that. Anyone know if he still posts? If so, his style has changed and I haven't figured out the new handle yet. The others mentioned (most of them) also deserve credit of course. I have no doubt the very first person on the TBD / TSW Wall of Fame should be Scott however.

My point was meant to be absurd (which is why I flagged it as such). TDs as the end-all-be-all for assessing a player in any position does not really make sense. Talent getting first downs or TDs is indeed a valuable skill, but it's nowhere near the whole story when viewed in isolation. Yes, now we're getting somewhere. What are those things the rest of the team does to help win? Do the RBs do anything that helps the team win besides score TDs? Are receptions or blitz pick ups important? Here's a good rehash of the "and goal" stats (and more) I was referencing:Lynch-Goal Line Specialist? thread: So yes, I'll concede that Lynch scored TDs 5% more than Jackson when given "and goal" opportunities. And yes, perhaps the coaches gave him more opportunities because they thought he'd have a beter chance of scoring.

<absurd>So how many points did Eric Wood score last year? Does that mean he has no value to the team, or less than whoever carries the ball over the goal line? Why stop with TD? Points only matter if they help you win the game. How many games did Lynch win for us? ...and field goals also score points. So according to the only stat that matters (OSTM), if a RB helps the team drive from their 2 yard line to the opponent's 2, and a different player scores a TD from there, then the other player is more important to the team. Brian Westbrook going down at the 1 yard line hurt his OSTM total and showed he was less valuable than if he racked up another TD? </absurd> Also, your defense of Lynch based on his opportunities to score (stats based on total carries) is weak. Over a season a players owns his number of opportunities. His number gets called based on what he's shown on the field and off ( suspensions). I do like normalizing the numbers to see if they (on average) perform differently in similar circumstances, but you're not doing that. The other poster (whenever that was) that posted the "and goal" stats showed the two were very close to each other as to how often they scored from outside the goal line. Do us all a favor and stop the name calling. Calling people retards, idiots etc. isn't helping anything, it just makes this a less pleasant place to spend time. Don't chase off the posters that have good points to make.

I'll chime in: we don't have to tear down one RB to build up another. I agree the undervaluing Lynch is annoying and uncalled for. But, I think you are ridiculously hung up on the TD count. I'd be all for your comments if you simply chimed in with something like "Don't hate on Lynch, he's an asset to the team" or even "Lynch has a role to play and has a nose for the end zone." I'm working, so I don't have time to loook up stats, but I think Jackson was clearly the better RB last year and the end of the year before. He had better field vision and situational awareness. I suspect Jackson had a much higher percentage of throws to him caught and did more with them when he caught the ball. Still, I love Lynch's play and hope he keeps growing and improving. Goodness knows I wouldn't want him beating up our D.

Sorry, I'm not usually like this, but would you please turn down the volume on the Lynch touchdown crusade? Wasn't your position pretty effectively debunked by the "__ and goal" TD percentage stats someone posted? (Similarly, people are collectively overdoing the Lynch = worthless crapola).

Popular? I'd say Levi Brown since he hasn't screwed up anything yet and is all potential. Oh, who would I want to start given the very little information available and the uncertainty ahead? That's different. ...Brohm? I'd like to see for myself how he performs. Right now I give him the edge over Trent because I want to see more of him. Fitzpatrick seems to have the right mental side, but I'm not convinced he can get it where he's thinking. For Trent I think he's physically fine, but I'm not convinced on the mental side. I'm 1-2 Deer-in-headlights games from writing him off. Brown... well I'm not down on him in any way, except NFL experience.

Well, we sem to have bi-modal responses. A group seem to think he was very good, but not elite, and others think he was overrated getting primarily sacks that meant little. Definitely count me in the first group. Yes, of course he was no Bruce Smith (who was?). I wish people would stop even saying things like that. Schobel was our best or one of the top few defenders on the field almost every game for the last 10 years, seldom getting hurt and regularly giving a solid performance. He was consistent, well rounded, and had a great attitude. Losing Schobel makes our team worse (but was inevitable). Thanks for all the good plays, Aaron!

Well done! It's rare that someone takes that kind of initiative when he has no personal steak in the matter.

Now Kyle Williams Fred Jackson Drayton Florence Lee Evans Terrence McGee End of Year Fred Jackson Lee Evans CJ Spiller Drayton Florence Felton Huggins (kidding) Starting QB at end of year (your guess is as good as mine)

Byrd YouTube Highlights Watching that, it's clear there were a number of very poorly thrown balls that Byrd picked off. But, it's also clear that he has excellent field awareness and is very good in traffic, aggressively snagging the ball and taking off. I refuse to believe that other (say, Whitner) had fewer opportunities to be as close to the ball as he did. He put himself in good positions and absolutely made the best of each opportunity. One of the bet parts of that highlight reel was seeing him slide after the pick at the end of the KC game, another reflection of his awareness, and beyond what I expect to see in a rookie. Regardless of his final stats, it's going to be fun to watch the kid continue to grow in the NFL.

Evans, McGee, Florence (or do you mean found as a UDFA?), McKelvin?, Levitre, Wood?

That sounds like James Hardy to me, except I'm not sure he'll contribute on Special Teams.... Of course, I'd love to be poven wrong.

I think Josh Reed takes a lot more crap from Bills fans than he deserves. He was disappointing last year, but was one of the only bright spots for us the previous couple years, and on and off since he was drafted. Was he ever a viable #1 receiver? No. But he consistently ran good routes, blocked aggressively, and had enough awareness to come back to his QB when he scrambled and was a popular outlet for Trent and JP. Josh Reed earned us many many first downs, and was certainly an assset to the team. I don't know wht happened last year, if he was hurt, slowing down or what. But, if he can perform at the level he played 2 years ago he'd be a solid #3 receiver on almost any team in the league. I think he's most likely to land a one year contract somewhere, and i would not be at all disappointed if it was with the Bills. We could use the competition/depth at WR.

I think he is not a lock to not get cut.

Dan, actually I don't think that is right. I think first year players typically means undrafted players coming out of college, while rookikes means drafted players coming out of college. In this context, first year players may also mean all players without a year of accrued service (due to being inactive during time on the roster).

Yes, these questions are kind of stupid, but I think they're also fine. This is better than saying something like "talk about something else; tell me what kind of person you are" in the 15 minutes you have to chat with a prospect. I really like this answer from Moats, and feel like I learned something about him. He's grounded, and not some jacked up hothead. He's not answering questions with what he thinks the asker wants to hear. His first instinct is to be a good teammate, not prove he's the strongest and winner in every interaction.

I stand corrected. Thanks for linking.

Ozzie Newsome did not say there were "no substantial trade offers". The quote says a Ravens' official says "they haven't received trade offers that would prompt them to move offensive tackled Jared Gaither ". In other words, they haven't been offered anything worth agreeing to (yet). Actually, since they say they haven't received offers, perhaps they have received just one, from the Bills.

I sure hope Gaither is coming our way and just needs a change in scenery! After a few years with the Buffalo Bills praying he wouldn't get his quarterback killed, Duke Preston has decided to attend divinity school....

A change in direction from your Gaither post for sure, but I also see this on that NFL news feed:

Winning would be better than not winning, but nowhere near what it would be like to win it all in a real season. Winning would do the following: The Bills would no longer be mentioned in brief commentarites on losing streaks. They might be mentioned, but with the lockout season caveat. I'm convinced Ralph would want to win, and winning may be an indication Ralph did not get in the way of that happening, as many have suggested he does. It would also indicate the rest of the staff can coach a winner given the right players. Winning would generate more interest and money for the Bills and Buffalo.

...and show me how fast our DBs can backpeddle 10 yards. Actually, forget using any stats to predict how current players will perform when we have real experience watching them. We don't need a number to help us see how well Youboty covers someone. 40 times only matter a little, as a part of a larger portrait, and only for rookies where you're not sure how their skills will translate to the NFL.

Thanks, Scott, and everyone else who keeps the board and discussions on track. There are (almost) always good information and opinion shared here once you figure out who knows what they're talking about. I really value this website. THANK YOU! I think the customary tip is 10-15% of what you pay for the site.

1. DB's - Rank between 6-10 I'd say. But, I'm not sure our LBs will be in the right place for pass coverage this year, so we'll probably end up middle-of-the-pack for pass D yards. 2. RB's - Rank somewhere between 5-10 if Spiller can pick up the blitz and is strong enough to power through NFL arm tackles in his first year. 3. DL - Rank between 10 -15 4. LB's - Rank between 25 - 32 5. TE's - Rank between 20-25 - I think they are a good group of pass-catching TEs on a team that will need them to block. 6. OL - Rank between 25 - 30 I doubt we're dead last, but this is a project at best. 7. WR - Rank between 20-25 - Lee Evans, Spiller, Fred jackson and pass-catching TEs keep this group out of the cellar stats-wise. 8. QB - Rank between 25 - 30 - I'm very intersted to see if they bottom out, or if our backup-QB-of-the-future is on the roster yet. I'm convinced we seek a franchise QB next off-season barring a miracle.

Week 1 Buffalo vs. Miami Dolphins W Week 2 Buffalo @ Green Bay Packers L Week 3 Buffalo @ New England Patriots* L Week 4 Buffalo vs. NY Jets W Week 5 Buffalo vs. Jacksonville Jaguars L Week 6 BYE Week 7 Buffalo @ Baltimore Ravens L Week 8 Buffalo @ Kansas City Chiefs W Week 9 Buffalo vs. Chicago Bears L Week 10 Buffalo vs. Detroit Lions L Week 11 Buffalo @ Cincinnati Bengals W Week 12 Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh Steelers L Week 13 Buffalo @ Minnesota Vikings L Week 14 Buffalo vs. Cleveland Browns W Week 15 Buffalo @ Miami Dolphins L Week 16 Buffalo vs. New England Patriots* L Week 17 Buffalo @ NY Jets L 5-11