Bill from NYC

5) Yes, it sure looked easy for Bryce Brown. Put it this way.....I am thinking that he isn't too worried about getting his snaps. Why should he be? 9) Found money indeed!!! Put it this way.....if the Bills suddenly cut him today, I think that every team in the league would want to pick him up. Hyperbole? Not really. The kid is the size of a mountain, agile, and strong enough to push defensive ends away by extending his arms. Not many humans can be described as such. I wasn't too pleased when Marrone was hired, but I like some of the things he is doing. A few weeks ago he was on Sirius and said that Henderson was looking good but had a lot to prove. The implication was that the leash would not be a long one. I praise this. As for EJ, I am putting my eggs in the basket (once again) that he needs to, and CAN run. It will buy him time to learn what to do.

EJ needs to run. Not so much in preseason mind you, but the threat of him running (which he seems good at) might just buy him time to figure things out. He might be one some day, but he doesn't appear to be a pocket passer imo.

1) Nice to see Duke Williams get his number called a few times. I have no concerns about the secondary on this football team, at least not yet. 2) Nigel Bradham played as if he had something to prove, and he does. I am going to credit Marrone and the staff for this. 3) I have a feeling that Cordy Glenn will soon have a miracle recovery. Yes, I'm feeling it. Seantral Henderson was special to watch last night. 7th round pick? First game??? He will remind many of Glenn, but not me. I liken him more to Jason Peters; I kid you not. He extended his arms and sent people such as JPP flying!!! More on him later. 4) Thad was very disappointing. On one play late in the game he had tons of space to run and got sacked. Yeah, I am bummed out about his performance. 5) Bryce Brown looks like a keeper. I think he might even win us a game or 2. 6) No Hunter lyrics today. I have them but I'm saving them. 7) Tuel was Tuel. He has no fastball. Fitz has to put his entire body into a pass to throw it hard but he can do it at times. In other words, I doubt that he will ever be as good as Fitz. BUT, I think that his read option run was a VERY impressive play. They need to call this play for EJ and/or Thad during the season. It works. 8) Watching EJ was depressing. Not much more to say. 9) The Bills should hire off duty canine cops and post them outside the door of Henderson's room. If this kid gets in better shape and stays clean, his potential is simply HUGE!!! 10) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I strongly disagree. At Bama, Fluker and Warmack were the road graders. Koundjio played LT and is somewhat agile. I truly hope that he can produce for the Bills.

Nah, I was busy kissing his ass about the great job he has done, and praising him for banning smoking in designated areas. We sure are lucky to have Brandon, no?

As a Tide fan, I warned you guys about Koundjio. In 2012, he was the 4th best player on the Crimson Tide OL. Yes, 4th best. I am not saying that he won't get better. He might, and he is a great kid from what I have heard. I am pulling for this kid in a huge way but I suspect he needs some work, which isn't unusual.

I get your point, but Marrone and Whaley went all in with EJ and now Watkins in a HUGE way. I can't emphasize this enough. No #1 draft selection in 2015!!!!! So Promo, if they really do tank the season, should we keep Marrone? Should we really? Absolutely.

Sad but 100% true.

I completely agree with this post except for the last sentence.

If his third ranking that you speak of made much of a difference, he would be universally acclaimed as a great player. He isn't. Spiller doesn't score many touchdowns, does he? He cannot block and he might be just a bit mentally challenged. Toss injuries into the mix and a third is a good deal. A 2nd would be an absolute score and let's remember, he will be gone when his contract expires, or so I think.

This team needs draft selections.

A third would be a nice score for Spiller in a trade. Sure, they wasted a #9 on him but that isn't the issue right now. The team just got finished depleting our 2015 draft for a wide receiver. They need to get some picks back. If they can get a 3rd round pick for a situational running back, I'm all for it. And if Watkins is as good as advertised, it won't hurt much, if at all.

Promo, your question is fair. That said, the Bills put themselves in this position by: 1) Not placing enough emphasis on the QB position. 2) Making poor decisions when they did allocate resources to the position (RJ and Losman). The latter caused moves such as drafting Whitner over Cutler. Again, your question is valid. But if we are to be honest, the Bills sealed their own destiny by devoting their best resources to running backs and the secondary. The damage that Levy/Jauron caused to this team should not be under estimated.

I agree with this. Did you notice that he, and a slew of other Bama players are fine when they are playing under Saban? It might sound corny to you but I think that he acts as a strict parental figure to many of these kids, and this is precisely what many young athletes need. Dareus might be 25 but he is acting like a spoiled 18 year old. And you are correct in that he isn't as much of a criminal as he is a knucklehead. The problem is that he really isn't that far from throwing his career away. This is one kid that I truly hope seeks help and gets his life together before time runs out.

I hope you are right and his name is worthy of mention in this thread. The problem is, he also might belong on the list of the most overrated. If he lives up to the potential you describe, he could win us some football games. This is what we need.

I like and can relate to this post. I also would like to point out that this is a very big part of the reason that I (and I think many others) was against the Watkins trade. We have already lost one of our top 3 players imo, and maybe two (btw Mario would round out my top 3), and the preseason has not even started. Will Kiko ever be 100%? Thankfully medicine has advanced, but Spikes went from hall of fame level to average. If Glenn is very sick, how do we replace one of the best draft selections the Bills ever made? If the injuries mount and the Bills tank, how good will Watkins have to be for this to be a beneficial deal for our beloved franchise? And what will become of those who made this trade? Just something to think about.

I see your point. A case could be made that the very strong showing from Robey, and for that matter Searcy were due to the excellent coaching of Pettine. That said, the same could be said wrt McKelvin. I think that he was an actual liability before last season. How about you? The Bills passed on Clady and Branden Albert to draft McKelvin. Before last season, he looked like just another dumb draft selection. That said, McKelvin was tremendous in 2013 imo. Remember, the team was 28th in time of possession. This places way too much pressure on the defense. Losing Pettine really does suck, but hopefully the offense will improve and make the team more balanced. Call me crazy, but I think that this defense will be pretty good, loss of Kiko notwithstanding.

I disagree. BV said that he doesn't trust EJ and the coaching staff. What should we do? Lecture him about why he should? What we know about EJ is that he has God given talent. We also know that he can throw picks and get his ass kicked. We knew the same about RJ and Losman (although I don't think JP was as smart as EJ). What we know about Marrone is that he was horrible at challenges and clock management. The above worries me more than losing Kiko, and I am a huge fan of his. Sure, they were both rookies, so this leaves us with hope, right? But we always have hope entering a season. Well, almost every season. In any event, I think you and others are being rough on BV who imo raises valid points for discussion.

What has NOT remained stable is the rule changes. EA, what were the stats on Chris Chandler. His nickname was "Chandelier," but he could really throw. I liken him to Drew Brees. Ferguson and Chandler would do very well today in my respectful opinion. QBs themselves are protected and back in the day, there were safeties such as George Atkinnson, Steve Atwater, Ronnie Lott, etc. who would KILL receivers over the middle. Receivers now own the middle. Players such as Cutler, and soon Dalton will make 18 million dollars per season. Stats notwithstanding, are the really THAT much better than Ferguson and Chandler? Seriously.

It's ok Promo. You and I have WAY different tolerance levels. It doesn't make either of us more of a fan. The truth is, I applaud Bills Fans. As a group, we are as loyal as it gets. No matter what stupid thing the Bills brass does, I will support the team and the fans. You seem to be more supportive of the organization than the fans, or so it would seem. When I write my weekly "thoughts," most of the time, the Bills have lost the game. I try to mix in humor with analysis. But there is also anger. We deserve better Promo, and I think that deep down you agree. Either way, do be well.

I was with you until the last sentence. That was mean spirited and totally uncalled for.

And I think that the theme of virtually all of your posts is to insult Bills Fans who won't stand in the streets with you waving pom-poms. That said, I sincerely hope that your 4th was pleasant.

John, the above IS my point. You seem to question whether or not EJ will be "competent," yet you think it's ok to give up the Bills best resource for a wide receiver. And btw, I think he will probably be at least competent if they let him run the read option. If.....IF he isn't a top quality passer there is no reason to baby him. Sorry, but I completely disagree with the above. Another losing season and heads will roll, with Marrone being first on the list.

But when your OL sucks and you pass on Clady and Branden Albert for McKelvin, you have found a sure fire way to lose football games. Whitner was a complete waste of a premium draft choice. Given who was there to be selected, it ranks as one of the dumbest picks in the Bills history, and that is quite the distinction.

I ask you to consider the following for the sake of good dialogue..... When the Bills drafted EJ, they traded down 8 spots. This tell me that the Bills were either not entirely sold on him as a franchise OR, they had someone (Smith?) rated about as high. Then, in his rookie season, he has a mediocre year and multiple injuries to boot. What to do? Trade away a potential top 5 future pick for a wideout. I can easily agree to disagree, but from where I sit this makes no sense. And if you don't even suspect at all that this move was more about the brass trying to save their jobs than to build a solid franchise, I don't really know what to say. Bottom line imo is that someone has to get the ball to Watkins. I hope EJ can do it. As you said, time will tell.