smward8

They should add Drew Bledsoe to the immobile QB list

This thread is really interesting. You can discuss the value of statistics until the cows come home, but in the end, they're just a tool to narrow the field. Watching film of all the games is yet another tool to narrow that field some more, as are interviews, etc. In the end, Allen was an educated gamble, and thank our lucky stars, one that has paid off enormously. I believe that once he was in the Bills organization, they - and him - managed to do everything well in terms of developing his skills to go along with his natural abilities. If I remember correctly, Allen finally came to realize (1) you could throw a pass away rather than forcing it, (2) a drive is a series of steps, some small, some big, (3) you have to trust your teammates to do their jobs, something I'm not sure he did at Wyoming, and (4) you don't have to be a hero on every play. If nothing else, he has shown that extraordinary physical gifts are not enough. You still have to learn how to use them, seek out and accept constructive criticism to improve on them, and put in the effort to make those improvements part of your game. As an added bonus, the Bills coaches added structure and a reasonable set of expectations for his growth and continuity. The results are abundantly clear today. They were only hopes five years ago.

Comeback game. Louder than a jet engine. I was in the end zone where Steve Christie kicked the game winner and couldn't hear for about a day after

Ten to fifteen of us in the Dayton Ohio area get together at Franco's Italian Ristorante and have dinner, then watch the draft. We all pick the three we like/think will be picked...and groan/cheer when the pick is announced.

Well, Bob, I wouldn't say I was missing it, if you know what I mean

I called it before the snap

Until he throws out of the wildcat, it's not going to be very effective - the gains we saw yesterday could have come from a well-executed running play from a more standard set. I think the wildcat would be more effective if Fredex took the snap with Spiller moving -- that's a tougher play to defense, and Fred has shown he can throw some (remember his TD pass to Evans a couple years ago?)

Miamisburg, OH -- In the heart of Bengals territory

I think he stays at least through trainig camp, unless there is something about his recovery that isn't public. He was double teamed every time he was on the field last year, and being held (watch clips of the first Pats* game). He can be a force, and on obvious passing downs could mak a huge difference.

That is hilarious!! And, sadly, true...

Maybe Brady should have to wear a pink uniform and a tutu so that denfensive players can't mistake him for a football player

Don't forget "Attitude"

I had the good luck to be at the "Greatest Comeback in NFL History" and that was the loudest place I've ever been, including being 40 feet from an F-15 in full afterburner!! It was incredibly loud at the beginning of the game, dead silent just after half-time, then un-Billievably loud when Christie kicked the game winner

Absolutely -- Tim, this one was for you

In the Dayton Ohio area, a bunch of us get together each week at a place called Chappy's, just south of town. Great beer selection, great food. Varying numbers of folks, usually a minimum of 15-20 hard core fans....

Pryor may be athletic, but I'm not too sure how smart he is. I saw a lot of him on TV - his stats were padded when they played some small schools

I was at the game, end zone seats to the right of hte goal posts where Steve Christie kicked the game winning field goal. When the game started, it was the loudest place I had ever been in my life. By the end of the first half, it was a lot quieter and when the interception occurred in the beginning of the second half, I swear you could have heard a pin drop at midfield. My sister and her husband, who had driven us to the game came by and said "If it doesn't get better by the end of the third quarter, we're going to leave." All I could do was nod. And then it started. I don't remember most of the plays, but after the first touchdown (35-10), I had to use the restroom and went to the top of the stairs to watch the kickoff. Christie executed a perfect on-sides kick, Mark Pike obliterated the Oiler and Christie recovered the ball. I went to the restroom, dashing out just in time to see the second touchdown...35-17! The crowd really began to wake up, an you could feel it in your bones that something good was happening...but there was a long way to go and us Bills fans know better than to get our hopes up too high. Two more touchdowns later and what was left of the crowd was going out of their minds.... Of course, the Bills got the ball back again and scored to LEAD THE GAME! As loud as the stadium was at the beginning of the game, it was louder now. Of course, Houston woke up and scored a field goal to tie the game. Houston won the toss (I think) and started to move the ball, and then the real magic occurred - an interception by the Bills!!! A few plays later, Christie kicked the game winner -- and the place went absolutely wild!! We had all been witness to NFL history - the greatest comeback ever. I had been screaming from the middle of the third quarter all the way to the end of the game -- it took two days before I could speak again. I can only hope to experience that kind of euphoria again in my lifetime - at a Bills game, hopefully in the Superbowl...

Excellent observation...I spent a couple hours last night watching YouTube videos of games from the late 80's and 90's. The core of those teams had exactly the characteristics you described, plus one -- pursuit of excellence. Watch the execution on offense from the Super Bowl years, you'll see what I mean

Some pretty good insight into Buddy's thoughts. Personally, I'm rooting for Jasper -- I'd love to see him in a Bills uniform, terrorizing centers throughout the league. He sounds like he could be sort of like Ted Washington, if he's willing to work and is able to learn. He also sounds a little like Jason Peters - good athlete, and huge....

Now he needs to work with a sumo wrestling coach!!!

Reed deserves the HOF for a variety of reasons. He has the stats - there's no doubt about that. He made a career of the tough catches, especially across the middle. It appears he had two other qualities -- great route running and great field awareness -- that the great receivers display. He could read defenses very well - he knew exactly when thte blitz was coming, and where he had to be to take pressure off his QB, and he was there. Watch that video again with that in mind...especially the last catch. If Reed doesn;t get to the middle of the field, and get open, Kelly goes down like a sack of potatoes

Bruce Smith hitting Boomer Esiason in a Jets game. Bruce anticipated the snp, beat the tackle badly and knocked Esiason out. Later on I saw Esiason being interviewed and they asked him what he remembered about the game and he said "Getting off the bus"

I confess - before the season started, I was wort of hoping the Bills would pick up Delhomme -- I'm real glad they didn't

You can say a lot of things about T.O., but he has a big heart. This story is proof of that...I didn't see a news story about his generosity and thoughtfulness in this case, just as fans never heard much about how he cares for his grandmother. Much of the media is obsessed with the negative things related to professional athletes, and they often ignore the things they do off the field for no other reason than it's the right thing to do and the can bring some joy into the lives of others through small, unrecognzed acts.

I think the O-line may look like this mext year LT -- Bell LG -- Levitre C - Wood RG - Urbik RT - Wang