Matt in KC

I think this is a great example of the "fire in the belly" this Bills team hasn't had since Bledsoe left....

I'lll guess we hear today or tomorrow that Kelly will start against Carolina and JP will start the second preseason game against Cincinnati. This will give them a chance to look at both QBs with the rest of the first string and gives JP a bit of an edge to take the lead heading into the season. I'll also guess that they set up the starter for good by PS game #3. And since I'm full of guesses this morning, I'll guess that QB is Losman.

Suggesting is not unreasonable, but I personally don't think it's accurate. When they first put up the interactive depth chart, only the clear starters were listed first, then the other players are listed alphabetically. When the QBs were posted: Holcolm, Losman, Nall, Ochs it was clear to me it was just an alphabetical listing and nothing more significant. It looks to me now that there are three tiers listed on the depth chart: Clear starters Players competing for a backup roll Players not in serious contention for a backup roll (Fodder) I thought this was going on at TE too, when they were first listed as: Royal (starter) Cieslak Everett Neufeld There was a big deal made about Cieslak unexpectedly being the 2nd TE. It looked/s to me, however that Cieslak, Everett and Neufeld are just listed alphabetically....

Wow, I can't believe I missed him! This certainly speaks to him being a good candidate for most under-appreciated, huh? The guy is solid. Please tell Aaron I'm sorry for forgetting him. You know, I originally Titled it "favorite Bill."

Oh good, another poll... I saw several posts recently saying things like "TKO is my favorite Bill." So, who is your favorite, and why? I personnaly like Jason Peters, because he is a beast physically, he was a long-shot to become a starter and I'm really enjoying watching him develop. I'm going to be thrilled if he catches a tackle-eligible catch or steamrolls someone on a ST play again this year. Terrence McGee is just barely behind Peters for me, though he is currently my favorite Bill to watch run with the ball. Hopefully this time next year Roscoe deserves the same consideration....

I can't believe you didn't list Pucillo. I do think that people are inherently optimistic or pessimistic, but that bitc#ing and moaning is addictive when you give in to it. I get your point and think that "fan" personalities will cause a new whipping boy to emerge, when the player would have been forgiven in a couple weeks if Pucillo (*or insert your pick here*) was still on the team. My guesses for this year's target: Daimon Shelton, if he makes the team (I thought he did great in 2004, but was on my s#it list last year) Jauron - If we lose games by less than a touchdown it will be a distinct improvement from last year, but the close ones always inspire more second-guessing Fewell - see above Whoever is the 2nd running back this year: probably A. Thomas or S. Williams. ...and unfortuantely, the obvious choice is Mr. Losman.

Wow, game plans and special information!? Now you really have to tell. I double promise I won't tell anyone else the insider information (please post it here).

I haven't been impressed with Hagaan at LB and think he's distinctly worse than Stamer and Crowell (to whom I've been comparing him for years). But, he actually IS a special teams demon for the Bills, unlike Wire. I too doubt he gets cut. Hagaan would have as good a chance as anyone to stick solely on his Special Team merits.

Well I'll go on record saying that I am VERY surprised. I can't really say I was Posey's biggest supporter here, because I've not been sure that I know the defense enough to judge him, but I have definitely given him as much latitude as anyone else I've read on TSW. From starter to early camp cut? Wow! I agree that Spikes must be 100% ...or else what the heck is going on? Posey definitely looked bad last year, but our whole defense did. I thought he looked proportionately worse than usual... It looks to me like we are trying to pay our salary cap dues this year, and will be in a position to be major players in free agency next year. Or, perhaps Posey wasn't spreading enough team spirit and it wasn't entirely about the money / (lack of) talent?

Well, it sounds like you can still get in if you only break one leg off of your tripod....

I think it's a bipod that's not divided. ...

So, at a certain point these guys are paid enough (for playing a boys game) that they ought to say what the fans / media want to hear? Or, more exactly, (I think you're saying) how they want to hear it? I think hearing a real person, weird parts and all, is much more entertaining. I can tune in any pregame show to hear the same old crap, but to see a realperson live the NFL and grow in it is a much richer experience.

Good job, Rockpile. Someone has prepare the next generation (and compete with the fast food advertisers). I have a very young baby (1 month). You have any advise for a first introduction to the Bills? Sorry to hijack. Great report as always, Mike!

If this means players ignoring whistles, this is an awful and unsafe rule. I think there is a fine line where down-by-contact can be reviewable, and not mean that play after the whistle will stand. Example: a RB stumbles and lunges forward, fumbling as they land. The ball pops out and right into the defenders hands, then the whistle blows, with the ref ruling that the RB was hit before or during his time on the ground, before the ball came out. If untouched, this ball should go to the defense. But NO WAY should anything after the whistle count. (Unless of course they're going to train all the ref's with an additional whistle that means you REALLY need to stop playing....)

Well, there's certainly more competition for the positions in the secondary this year. I liked King's performance last year and thought he was an exciting young player to watch grow. I'm curious how King is doing with the pressure / worry about all the new blood in the secondary. Also, how does he feel about the Whitner hold-out?

If we stick with him and he flops then it will play into our rebuilding for future years by supplying another high draft pick next year. If he turns it around by the end of the year, we're also in decent shape for next year. The only way we shoot ourselves is by not finding out if JP is going to emerge, or by making him the starter when he's clearly inferior, thus losing the confidence and committment of the rest of the team.

And Shaud Williams is a tennis ball, with pins sticking out of it... (you don't want to mess with him!).

If I remember right, Travis was described as a bowling ball covered in razor blades rolling downhill. I thought the same thing when I read that quote this morning.

Unfortunately, our AC died yesterday, and won't be fixed until tomorrow. With 110-115 heat index in DC today, and a 3-week-old in the house, we're in crisis mode. Time to go help my wife move the baby to a friend's house....

I think it is the lack of sleep. TA looked okay the end of last year, some plays better than others. Overall I still think he was a bit weak for a starter, but that's still good for a backup. Getting cut is more extreme than he deserves.

When he first started, we heard again and again that we had a top defense and ST unit and JP just needed to not make big mistakes for us to win. At first, JP seemed to be consistently placing the ball where the receiver had a shot at it, but not the defender. It's clear, however that he needs to throw the ball to the WR (not their feet) and let them battle the defenders from there. In a nutshell, I think JP may not be inaccurate, but a victim of past coaching that's made him risk-adverse. That in turn has solidified into a habit of throwing low balls, of which there have been several reports from camp ("worm-burns" I recall reading). But, reports of QB inaccuracy this early in TC are to be expected since so much is learning the receivers and "clicking" on the timing. A counter-point to the above: JP "set the Tulane career record for lowest interception percentage in school history with a mark of 2.73 (27 INTs in 987 attempts) " He ended up throwing less than half as many INTs as TDs (60) at Tulane. Unfortunately, this speaks to a long-established habit of playing it safe, or a cautious personality, which we're unlikely to be able to coach out of him in a year.

Was he better as a run blocker or in pass protection?

Good report. Thanks! I've heard several people say Fast Freddie looks better than anticipated. (Quick everyone, go find that WR prediction thread and update your choices!) The WR cuts are going to be interesting this year.

I think there's some posturing (Marv's comments, Donte not coming to camp) but both sides want to work this out (soon) I'm sure. In the big picture, a week of trainnig camp is a reasonable price for having a player feel like they got a fair deal they will be obliged to follow for the next 5-6 years, and the Bills get a rising star for many years to come.

I'm most concerned about the defensive line. We arguably improved our O-Line this off season, but it's hard to argue the D-Line will be any better. Yes, the Tampa 2 might help, but I still think we need big strong bodies to plug the middle, and someone to add pressure from LDE. I'm particularly concerned that I read the Dolphins are stocking up on big O-Linemen. It would be very frustrating to lose power-on-power (smashmouth) run-oriented games to the Dolphins.