MartyBall4Buffalo

Defensive End, WLB, and TE. Assuming Trent Edwards can solidify the qb spot. We still have no serious threat as an edge rusher. Schobel is over 30, Denney, and Kelsay are neither edge rushers or starting caliber. We need a guy to be not only a future starter, but a guy who poses a threat off the edge. I think our lb's are solid players. While Kawika Mitchell won't hurt us, and is better then Ellison, he's not much of an impact player. He's a bit of a stiff, and is not a game changer. Tight end I've all but given up on hoping the bills improve. They'll simply have to luck into any threat at the position. It seems they wouldn't know a good te, if they were forced to watch film of Jason Witten, Gates, and Winslow non stop. They would come out wanting to sign a Brandon Manumaleuna, or Steve Heiden.

I've been anti-kelsay since we drafted the guy. He makes plays few and far between, and hasn't really shown an ability as an edge rusher. I still think he would be best served in a reserve de role. However going strictly by 1 preseason game. I had heard how horrible he was, and he was anything but. He seemed to consistently apply pressure, and manage to be around the football. Hopefully he keeps that up. I'd still like to see Chris Ellis be that edge rusher we sorely lack.

I'll be watching the bills game hopefully if they show it at work.

Between 5-7 wins I say 6-10 and he'll throw more tds then ints. I just dont think that team is talented.

Thanks for bringing this up. I also expect Favre will play closer to his 05/06 level then last seasons level. Partly cause he's now with the jets partly, because the packers I do believe were a very talented team regardless of Favre. I think the group of wr's the packers have are top notch guys, who will continue to be good regardless of Favre no longer being there. Their defensive talent is also top notch. The jets don't touch the level of Driver/Jennings/Jones, and Ryan Grant while I'm not enamored with the guy at this point is a better rb then Thomas Jones.

well yeah. As long as it's not cheap, just a legal clean hit, I won't lose sleep over it. I'd just love to see a bills dline rough up a quarterback for once. It's been a long time coming.

All's fair in Football. Marcus Stroud planting Favre into the Turf would be a thing a beauty

Stats are irrelevant. Yards mean very little in the context of games. You say 30th ranked offense. I say we went 7-9 with 17 guys on IR, and expect with a healthy team, and more experience for Edwards, another year of the same oline together, adding hopefuly a wr who can use his size to cause matchup problems. That improvement will naturally follow. Peters isn't the first, and won't be the last NFL player to hold out. I expect he'll be back sooner rather then later. I dont expect us to be world beaters on offense, and honestly I'm not looking for that. I still am dissapointed by the lack of any real quality tight ends on the roster, as I feel that's a must in todays NFL. I do expect that with experience, Edwards will improve as a starter. I dont expect us to be the colts, but again you dont need that kind of offense. Control the clock, and pound the rock, and play good defense. I'd much rather have a top tier defense and middle of the pack offense, then the other way around. I'm not gonna throw hissy fits about the jets getting Favre. I just don't buy into the jets offseason, like a lot of others do. I think it's an old team, with no real game breakers. Thomas Jones is on his last legs. Damien Woody/Calvin Pace/Kris Jenkins? Jenkins is a 4-3 dt, who's being forced to be a nt in a 3-4. We'll see how that one works. Calvin Pace, was highly overpaid, and to say that the jets lb core, isn't as good what he played with in Arizona is an understatment. The guy isn't that explosive of an edge rusher, and lacks coverage skills. Roosevelt Colvin/Willie McGinnest he isn't. People can buy into the Jets hype all they want. I hear it daily here. I think gholston is going to be a beast for him. After Dorsey I feel he was the 2nd best player in this past draft. It won't happen for them overnight. I look at the jets and I see an old team, who while having some guys with talent, has put themselves in a position where they're saying "We have to win now", but the overall team just isn't in that kind of shape. By the time it is. Favre will be gone. So I simply don't worry. The Jets got a name. I move on hoping the guys the Bills got, keep them ahead of the Jets, while they should be concentrating on not getting rag dolled by the Patriots anymore. That's the Target. Think Catch New England Not Hold off New York.

If Edwards isn't good the bills aren't making the playoffs regardless, so it's a null argument. With that said. You give him the season. What If Edwards lights it up his first couple of games? And by *Lights it up* I mean the scoreboard. Same answer. You give him the season and judge the broad context of games, not the moment.

Call me crazy, but this is what I love about football. I want the jets to be good and challenge us. I don't want teams to be cupcakes. I want to see my team play the best week in and week out, with hopes that they're up to the challenge. I want divisional games to matter, and so ne also doesn't face cupcakes each and every week. I still believe. It's not about staying ahead of or worrying about the jets/dolphins, at this point it has to simply be about catching the Patriots. Win your divisional games, and your odds of making the playoffs are drastically improved. I'd rather their best then their worst. JMO

Favre is the jets 53 man roster now he's that good

Context of "hell of a lot better" Neither Cotchery or Coles possess the big play ability of Evans/and whoever you want to call our #2 receiver last year. Cotchery is a very good yac receiver. He knows how to stay low, and get extra yards after the catch. I wouldn't call either them game breakers in the sense Evans or Parrish can be on occasion. Yardage wise it's a difference of a little over 300 yards between evans/reed coles/cotchery. As a total group, I'd say its fairly even. Throw Hardy into the mix maybe lean in our favor. Personally I dont think coles is anything all that great. Cotchery at this stage is a better player, and can be a weapon for years to come. The guy is a terror posession receiver. Individualy Evans is more talented then any of them. I'd call it a toss up at this moment. Te isn't worth discussing. I've become convinced the only way the bills will ever have a good te is by complete accident lucking into one. Dustin Keller fwiw though won't see the field all that often, as he has zero blocking ability. Baker is a decent option. Franks at this stage, strictly a blocking te. The jets win this. Offensive line. Alan Faneca for all his praise, was in pretty serious regression. He's not all that astute in pass protection. At center they're in much better shape then we are. Damien Woody hasn't been good since he played for NE. We have them beat here. Dbrickshaw Ferguson is all hype. The guy gets balled over in the run game, and has problems handling speed rushers. He may be better with Faneca next to him, but he's nothing all that impressive, and certinaly not a guy you build an oline around.

very possible, I still think we're farther along then the jets though. Favre is a great stop gap option for them, but he doesn't put that team on a pedestal. Roster for Roster I'd take ours over NYJ.

Id much rather face Pennington or Clemens, but the jets are still not some talented team, and unless the jets are trading for donald driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones Ryan Grant, and the packers defense I dont think this makes them all that much better then a .500 team.

No real argument with the guys you listed so I cut that part out. As far as your overrated and overhyped list go. I disagree with it for the following reasons. 1. I don't follow the nba so I dont know if Stephen Jackson is overhyped or even part of the hype machine? Jk but really Steven Jackson is a quality rb. You can't expect anyone to realistically get you 1500 yards and 90 catches every season. He's still very shifty for a guy his size, who can cut a lb or db out of his cleats, or run you over, or run bye you. He can be a quality receiver, and he's an everydown back. Hardly overrated. 2. I wouldn't say Larry Johnson is overrated either, so much as his running style, and the abuse he received at the hands of Herm Edwards in 06, has severely hampered him. I dont have the article infront of me, but Football Outsiders, awhile back did a nice article on the decline of rb's when they have 375+ carries in a season. They never end up the same. A little over a year ago I suggested the Chiefs should trade LJ, and move on. The team, with his age/running style/That offense. It just didn't make sense to keep him around long term. Other then wasting money. They could've exploited his great season for quality picks from another team. He might be overrated, from the standpoint of people still list him as a top 10 back, but look for further decline in his production. 3. I've heard so many people say this, at this point I'm gonna say he's underrated. He's on a team with no qb/no wr's, barely an offensive line, a bust of a premiere athletic te, and yet somehow he's managed 2 thousand+ yard seasons and 2 years with over 50 receptions hardly what I'd consider a bust. The guy is the definition of a workhorse. Don't ever ask him to spell workhorse, but he's a beast all the same. 4. I was never a fan of Rudi Johnson. I always thought the guy was simply a product of the offensive talent the bengals had, and quite possibly the most boring rb I've ever watched. Now I just think he's done. I'm gonna agree with overrated on this. I guess my real beef comes with the "Expect quality years out of Brian Westbrook and Marion Barber and Clinton Portis" These 2 guys should never be grouped with Westbrook. Show me 1 rb in this league, sans LT who has showed the big play/game changing ability as a runner/receiver that Westbrook has. The guy is an amazing runner as well as a very natural receiver. Quite possibly the closest thing to Marshall Faulk since Faulk retired. By far the best player on the eagles, and a guy who can single handidly carry them, if Andy Reid ever realizes that the obvious that Westbrook is his best player, not McNabb. I expect him to again get over 1300 yards rushing and over 60 receptions. Maybe a 1000/1000 year out of him. As far as Tomlinson declining. That's a wait and see. The carries could really catch up to him, but he still had over 1400 yards, which again led the league in yards, also again led the league in tds. Yeah the yards were down from 06, but cmon. How far of a decline are we talking about? It just doesn't add up yet. The guy may have a lot of carries, but he doesnt take the kind of shots other rb's take, and has kept himself very healthy. It's a rare breed these days.

I would love to see that. I think Ray Rice was one of the better pure runners in this draft class. Not a break away guy by any stretch, but very quick thru the hole. Great between the numbers runner, who was a bowling ball to bring down. Had nothing but big games, against every good team Rutgers played, always bringing 100%. Improved as a receiver a bit this year as well. Kind of guy who can completely wear down a defense. I won't be suprised if by some chance he does become the Ravens starter by at least next season. The guy simply produces

I've been to The now extinct Vet, Giant Stadium and The Ralph. The Vet was pretty loud at least the few games I went to. I enjoyed my experience there, and for the most part the fans I encountered were pretty knowledgeable about the game. Which I like if I'm going to talk to people in a stadium. Rather then strictly rah rah types. Giant stadium is iffy. Overall noise generally isn't loud, but if you go to certain games it can be. Giants games tend to be louder then any jet game I ever intended. The only time I've ever see a stadium full of jets fans loud, is when their team is actually good. If they're average, or under .500 just forget about it. They never bring the noise. The J-E-T-S chant is the only time The Meadowlands will make noise during a jets game. Giants fans tend to be louder throughout the game. It's odd the stadium is all of 20 minutes away from where I live, but the difference between jets-giants fans is big. Giants fans are usually more aware, of the game, and situtations during, as well at other league stuff. I've never had bad experiences with giants fans. Jets fans tend to sit on their hands, waiting for Fireman Ed's brother to lift him on his shoulders, just for their 15 seconds of chanting, then it's back to sitting on their hands. I also realized theres a hell of a lot of Bills fans in New Jersey/NYC. Every jets/bills game I've gone to there since I started going to the game yearly in 93 has been no worse then a 60/40 split between jets/bills fans. The bills fans at these games have also been louder then jets fans. As much as they dont make noise for their team, jet fans will either talk sh-- to you through the entire game. Regardless of score, or they will empty the stadium by the 2nd half. Other then flyer fans, they're the worst fans I've encountered in any sporting event. As far as the Ralph goes. I've only been there twice 06 titans/bills and last year giants/bills. I was a little dissapointed with my in stadium experience for the titans game. The tailgaiting was awesome, and the people were even better. Offering me and my friends beer, and food, and just general chatting it up, and heckling of titans fans. Nothing vulgar, just good natured ribbing. In game however. I was actually stared at for being loud, and trying to generate crowd noise and at one point in the 4th quarter asked if I could stop screaming. Maybe it was the seats I was in, but it rubbed me wrong. The stadium occasionaly got loud on 3rd downs. And a complete angry mob walkout after the losman pick to end the game/ the unwillingness to try a fg. Even though that game was nothing but fg's. The giants game experience was much better. Even though I'm not a box seat kind of guy. I'd much rather be in the stands. Although I'm kind of glad I wasn't that day. The crowd seemed more into it. The people in the box were actually rowdy, and we had a sweet split of giants/bills fans.Which for some reason, in a competative game the back and forth sh-- talking is just fun to me. I felt I got a really good experience out of that game. Hopefully I can make it back for more games this year. I wanna try to at least get to 2-3. I know I veered off the loudness debates, but it was louder then giants stadium and the vet. With jets games being the nfl equal to Devils regular season games in terms of crowd noise.

That's some crazy stuff. thanks for linking that. I'm sorta suprised it seems to be pretty effective as well. You would think a simple base stay home defense, while droping your lb's maybe have a spy on the field would neutralize this offense. A team who could play contain defense would probably serve well against this kind of O. Seems they let the d crash in and it exposes some easy matchups to pick apart. A little gimmicky for my tastes. It'll be interesting to see if this new offense catches on, or is caught up to.

what he said. I also happen to believe unless you're a major force at lb, it's a position that's easy to fill via the top 4 rds of the nfl draft. Guys like Crowell come and go. It would be different if he was Keith Bulluck, or Lance Briggs, or someone of that ilk. He's an average player, who is a bit inconsistent, and can more then likely be replaced with very little problem. A strong point of Crowell is his covereage ability, he's an ok blitzer, who takes poor angles in run defense, and isn't a technically sound tackler. I really believe had Keith Rivers been available in this past draft, he'd be a bill this year. I'd look for the bills to address lb early in next years draft, and let Crowell walk.

With all this extra stressin The question I wonder is after death, after my last breath When will I finaly get to rest? Through this supression they punish the people that's askin questions And those that possess, steal from the ones without possesions The message I stress: to make it stop study your lessons Don't settle for less - even the genius asks- questions Be grateful for blessings Don't ever change, keep your essence The power is in the people and politics we address Always do your best, don't let the pressure make you panic And when you get stranded And things don't go the way you planned it Dreamin of riches, in a position of makin a difference Politicians and hypocrites, they don't wanna listen If I'm insane, it's the fame made a brother change It wasn't nothin like the game It's just me against the world Me Against the World- 2pac

Kids don't play with toys anymore. They dont know the meaning of the words outdoors. Scraped knees, a couple bumps and bruises forget about it. Everything is inside on a pc, or video game system. I grew up in the late 80's-90's and it's drastic to me how much kids have changed. I remember when I was a youngin, I was outside all the time playing sports with friends, and neighbor kids, or riding my bike around. Play tackle football no pads, right outside on the lawn in front of my old elementary school. Baseball in the park a block away from my home. Roller hockey. Nowadays you'd be hard pressed to find kids outside having anything that resembles fun. If you even see them outside at all. It's like a baseball mitt is a foreign entity to these kids. Don't even get me started on the crap cartoons kids have the unfortunate pleasure of growing up with.

When faced with a similar quandry I also went with the Lynch replica throwback. I want to get an official jersey, but I'm holding out on that. I dont wanna invest that much money in a players jersey who won't be around in 2 years.

eh I wouldn't consider Maroney a physical back. Granted occasionaly for the most part he can take some contact, but he's not physical in the same vein that say his former college teammate Marion Barber is, or how Marshawn Lynch is. Maroney tends to curl up at the sight of contact, it's why he's not an everydown #1 back. I haven't seen much of Jordan since his jets days, and very little of his stint with oakland. He's capable of being that straight ahead runner, but he's also a very good receiving back. Depending on how bad his back injury was, and how he has recovered, they'll be an alright tandem.

Peterson has come all the way back The last 2 years he has 19.5 sacks and 3 picks and 5 forced fumbles. 10 sacks in 06 which was a career high and 9.5 last year. I think it may have something to do with the body type as well. Julian Peterson was never an overly muscular or top heavy guy the way Spikes/Arrington were.

Cant take a list seriously that doesn't have Adrian Wilson listed over every safety in the league. Let alone not even on the list WTF?!? That guy is an absolute terror against the pass/run and blitzing. Yeah he commits a lot of unnecessary roughness penalties, but he plays the game, and the position the way it should be played. Woodson and Al Harris should've been higher on this list. Mcallister should be lower. As should DeAngelo Hall. Dawkins was a terrific safety at one time. He's nearing the end of that time. Asomugha should be higher on this list as well. Kerry Rhodes, Adam Jones, Ken Hamlin?!?!? People like Adrian Wilson, Nathan Vasher, Ike Taylor deserved some consideration, and in Wilson's case should've been in the top 5.