smapdi

Love me some Jerry Hughes. I was pretty high on him when he was coming out of TCU & was a little surprised how he struggled in Indy. They're defense was a terrible fit for him which explains his struggles there. Yea, he may be a one trick pony right now but that is the most valuable trick for a DE. This d line is good, he will consistently see single teams & he has the speed to burn most OTs. Especially since he will be way out wide in the 9 tech. Slow RTs are going to have their hands full

No injuries first off. I really hope first play Is a play action bomb to Watkins. Let's see that gun Manuel has.

Henderson has definitely become my most intriguing player to watch in tonight's game and the rest of the preseason. He clearly has all the talent in the world and his an elite physical specimen of a NFL OT. All of his problems stem from poor decision making off the field. Marrone is definitely the type of coach that could help turn around his career & develop him into the next Jason Peters. They sat him down and told him straight up this is his one and only chance to make it the NFL. Hopefully he got the message and decides to cut out the knucklehead moves off the field.

Great post. Spiller brings a lot of explosiveness to the offense & that type of big play ability from your RB is very difficult to come by. 28 rushes of 20+ yards to go along with 6 TDs of 20+ is valuable. He has a career average of 5.1 ypc. He is in the prime of his career as well. I think he adds another much needed dimension to this offense and is primed to have a career year with all of the improvements made to the offense. Marrone and Hackett are committed to running the ball as well. Why even consider trading him?? Nothing you woukd get back would be as valuable as Spiller will he to this team.

Great write up Astro! Much appreciated. I love hearing Spikes is embracing a leadership role here. He was a major force in that position in Florida & took great pride in it. I know he has done some knucklehead stuff but maybe what went down in NE last season was a wake-up call to him. For anyone that doesn't know, BB put him on the IR for the playoffs even though Spikes claims he was ready to play. Pretty much said BB abused the injury reporting system and used it as a way to punish Spikes. I also suspect that BB did not want Spikes taking a big leadership role on the defense. This defense has been dying for a vocal leader like Spikes that can really motivate the guys during practice and game days. He is such an intense, physical, and aggressive player, that he will command respect from his fellow teammates- which is the first step of becoming a leader. If Spikes can impart even a fraction of his intensity to some of the younger kids, this defense will take a big step forward & be on the pinnacle of greatness. Once they get a handle on stopping the run and forcing teams into more obvious passing situations, our pro-bowl defensive line can really feast.

Meh. Standard article on a national site from a writer whom probably watched 1 Bills game last season in total and is basing most of his "opinions" on the hivemind. Oh, you mean the season where he gave up only 1.5 sacks on a line that allowed 48 in total? Plus he played next to the worst LG in all of pro-football in Colin Brown and whatever misfits replaced him Whaley spent all off-season addressing this and has made this offense into one that can win games. The addition of Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams gives us a tremendously better WR corp & if both realize their potential, a top 10 WR corp. This is a run first offense & they now have one of the best stable of RB's in the league: CJ Spiller (5.1 ypc), Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown, and Anthony Dixon. The additions of Brown and Dixon addresses the biggest hole in our run offense which was short yardage and goalline situations. Now add the improvements to the o-line in Chris Williams, Cyrus Kouandjio, and Cyril Richardson & this team should be able to take control of games with their running attack. Once teams load up the box, we have Sammy Watkins and Marquise Goodwin to blow the top off them. Once in the redzone, Mike Williams has shown he can catch nearly everything in a jump ball situation in the endzone- his 25 TD's in a little over 3 seasons of action prove that. Sammy Watkins is no slouch in that department either Yes, their are major question about Manuel but we don't need him to be Drew Brees or Peyton Manning. We just need some steady improvement from him & let his highly skilled skill players do most of the work. This isn't an offense that will have him throwing it 40 times a game. He was very raw coming out of FSU and missed a ton of valuable reps due to injury during his rookie TC. He has now had a full off-season in the NFL and has been able to work with his WR's. He has shown some nice improvement over the past few practices & if he stays healthy, I see good things ahead for this offense

Precisely. Why anyone would want to trade a RB that averages over 5 yards a clip when have the heaviest run oriented offense in the league baffles me. He's also entering a contract year which usually means good things. Then again, Spiller had also been a team first player and has never pulled any Byrd like antics. Then there is the entire depth issue. Yea, I love the Brown pickup but he really hasn't proven he can handle a 200+ carry workload. FJax is 33 and is one injury away from ending his career; he also is slowing down a bit. Anthony Dixon is also unproven & more of a short yardage guy. What happens when Jackson gets hurt in week 2? You really want to pin your hopes on Bryce Brown?

They're both going to take some time, especially Richardson. The NFL is a totally different ball of wax & the transition is not easy. Even for some like Kouandjio who played in the SEC. These guys are facing the very best of anyone they faced in college every single snap. NFL conditioning and strength is on a different level as well. From all reports, Eric Pears has actually looked outstanding so far. He had surgery in the offseason to clean up his knee & I guess it paid dividends for him. It will be tough for CK to unseat a vet like him week 1 of TC. Luckily we have Marrone as coach and I trust that he can really teach these kids somethings about playing offensive line in the NFL. Kouandjio, Richardson, and Henderson all have a lot to learn & Marrone is the perfect coach to help set them up for success. I will reserve judgement on these kids, especially Kouandjio, until camp closes and they get 3 or 4 preseason games under their belts. They all have a lot to learn and the preseason games are the culmination of that learning

The Bills would be crazy to trade Spiller at this point. He is a proven, dynamic playmaker on the most run oriented offense in the NFL. He is one year removed from averaging 6.0 ypc on over 200 carries. He is primed to have an absolute monster season with the improvememts to the oline and WR corp. I fully expect him to be the center piece of this offense & one of the most explosive players in the league. The Bills are one of the most run heavy teams in the league so moving their best RB makes zero sense. Even if Bryce Brown lights it up, I would still hang onto Spiller. He is a special player that can literally score anytime he touches the ball. He is also entering a contract year. I can't wait to see the damage he can do fully healthy & with an actual passing attack to prevent teams from loading up on from stopping the run. Not many offenses can roll out 2 dynamic playmakers like Spiller and Sammy Watkins every play. Those two should fees off each other and vault this offense into relevance

I think our run defense will be much better this season for the reasons you pointed out. Losing Byrd stinks but he was never a fearsome run stopping safety. Aaron Williams takes over for him & he is a bigger, more physical safety. Then you slide in Searcy to man the other spot. He has ideal size to be a run stuffing, in the box safety. He's nearly 220 lbs and his biggest strength coming out of UNC was his physical play. The biggest improvement will come from the LB corp. Yea, losing Alonso really hurts but luckily we have a GM who had a solid Plan B in place. Brandon Spikes is the center piece literally and figuratively. He has been the top rated ILB against the run the past 2 seasons and is in the prime of his career. He brings an aggressive "bring the pain" type mentality that this team had sorely missed. He is a very vocal leader as well which is another much needed asset. Pair that with the massive chip on his shoulder & we should see some fireworks from him. Some say he is a loose cannon but Whaley also brought in Pepper Johnson; his former coach. He also has never played behind a d line as good as ours. 3 pro bowlers occupying linemen leaving all types of open lanes for him to seek and destroy Keith Rivers was a very solid pick up. Former top 10 pick that has a ton of untapped potential. Hopefully being healthy & the change of scenery brings out a Jerry Hughes type season. Preston Brown looks like a really good pick now with the Alonso injury. He was a team leader & force @ Louisville: the nation's top defense. He is first and foremost a run stuffer which is exactly what this defense needs. Hopefully Spikes can take him under his wing & get him to play his style. I want a nasty, mean LB corp.

Spot on. This team is better off without him. The last thing a young team & new coaching staff needs is a player that doesn't want to be here/thinks he is above the rest of the team. His attitude going into last season was terrible and detriment to the team. If you're Marrone, you do not want all of your young players exposed to that type of toxic attitude from one your supposed "veteran leaders" Yea, he's a great safety but like everything else in life, attitude is everything.

Kelvin Benjamin over Sammy Watkins?! What are you smoking? Watkins is head and shoulders better then Benjamin in every single aspect other then height. Yea, he's 6'5" but runs like a TE. If CAR wasn't desperate for WR help, he's a 2nd round pick. Sammy Watkins was the consensus top WR/offensive player in the draft. He was a consensus First team All American as a true freshmen; only 4 players have ever accomplished that feat & they are all superstar NFL players. Watkins has a huge catch radius and plays just ad big as Benjamin. He also wpuld absolutely smoke him in a foot race with his 4.4 speed. Whaley took care of our red zone problem by stealing Mike Williams for a 6th round pick. Kid knows how to catch TDs with 25 in just over 3 season worth of games. He brings everything KB would've brought at a much lower price tag and he has actually proven himself in the NFL

Brandon Spikes. He was may be their biggest FA signing since Mario Williams. There is simply no better ILB against the run then Spikes right now. He has led the league the past 2 seasons and in the prime of his career. The scary thing is, he has never played behind a line as good as our current d line. 3 pro bowlers in front of him eating up blockers and letting him do his thing which is to destroy the ball carrier. He takes tremendous pride in that and is looking to bring the pain. He has a huge chip on his shoulder after the way things went down in NE and cannot wait to take it out on BB twice a year. This unfortunate injury to Alonso also opens the door for Spikes to show he can be more then just a 2 down ILB. He claims he wasnt given the chance in NE so hopefully he can step up and provide some 3rd down reps. He is also a natural leader. This team has been desperate for some vocal, fiery leaders on defense and Spikes brings that

Spot on assessment. Sammy Watkins is a special type of player simply put. WRs like him do not come around every year & when they do, it is very hard to get other team's to let you get into position to take them. I'm still shocked the Browns let him get away from them especially since Gordon is done. Watkins can do everything. You need someone to burn their man down the field on a go route? Watkins You need that first down on 3rd and 8? Throw Watkins a bubble screen. He can run over DBs or break their ankles You need that TD on 3rd and goal? Throw up a jump ball and Watkins can go up and get it. His catch radius is massive and he plays even bigger then his 6'1" frame WAtkins is so dangerous, he affects the way the entire defense has to play opening up all types of plays for his teammates. Defenses are going to learn pretty quick that they won't be able to play man coverage on him without safety help. This leads to the defense having to commit 2 DBs to shadowing him. That means they will have to have 2 safeties deep. If that's their plan, Spiller, Woods, and Goodwin will have all types of room underneath. Or our RBs will have plenty of room to run If they decide to just roll with one safety shadowing Watkins, that leaves Williams & Woods with single coverage. Both of those guys should be able to beat their man in single coverage

What a great pick by Whaley now that Alonso is done. A lot of us were scratching our heads when they took Brown in the 3rd but it has payed off. He has looked great in OTAs per reports. They said they envisioned him being able to play ever LB spot & he has just become the front runner to win the WLB spot. Louisville was the best defense in the nation so he obviously can play. Let's hope that Spikes, Rivers, and Alonso can get him up to speed quucklu5

I love the Spikes signing. I have no issues at all with him making statements like this because it shows confidence. I want players that expect to win & hate losing. He was a team leader at Florida and an integral part of their National Championship team. He was drafted by NE because he's a winner and has had exposure to winning at the NFL level. This team has been sorely lacking vocal team leaders during this 14 year playoff draught. He will hold his teammates accountable & fire them up on gamedays. I like Whaley's approach of bringING in winners. Watkins, Kouandjio, Brown, Cockrell, Alonso, Dareus, and Aaron Williams were all part of winning programs. All they kmnow is how to win & that should transfer to this team

I can't believe any fan that wants to see this team succeed woukd be in favor of cutting Dareus. He is a top 3 pick entering the prime of his career. Dominating DTs that can get after the QB like he can our very hard to find. He is an integral part of the front 7 that is going to take this team to the next level. He's a 24 year old kid- they will make mistakes. Past couple years haven't exactly been easy for him. This should serve as a wake up call and I have no doubt Marrone is the right coach for this situation

I'm not sweating the Jets. We split with them last season and if our secondary wasn't running on fumes, we probably sweep them. There will be no Justin Rodgers for thrm to pick on this time around. Yes, they made some improvements but the only one I'm impressed with is Decker. Then again, they don't really have anyone else at WR so we can stick Gilmore on him and put a safety over the top. Our terrible run defense was also a major factor in the loss. We have made major strides in correcting that with the addition of Brandon Spikes, Keith Rivers, and Preston Brown. I really do feel that upgrading the LB corp will be what puts this defense into elite territory. Once we show we can't be run over, there will be a lot more 3rd and longs that our defense will thrive on with their propensity for sacks and INTs

I really wish this misconception against Watkins would go somewhere and die a horrible death. I fear its been repeated out of ignorance so many times that people are just starting to believe it without actually reading up on the kid. As a true freshmen at Clemson, Sammy Watkins, in 13 put up: 82 rec / 1219 yards / 15 ypr / 12 TD ... 32 rush / 231 yards / 7.2 ypc He ran every route under the sun and dominated as an 18 year old. Just look at the company he keeps with his unanimous All-American selection as a true freshmen: Herschel Walker, Marshall Faulk, and Adrien Peterson- that is pretty outstanding company. Defenses had no answer for the way he dissected them down the field. He was truly a great player as a true freshmen. "Gimmick" players who can only catch screens don't get unanimously selected as a first team All-American as a true freshmen; you have to be outstanding to do that as a freshmen and beat out juniors and seniors that have earned their dues. Obviously defenses took notice on how dangerous he was down the field and did the only thing they could do: give him a massive cushion on the line (7-10 yards) and keep a safety deep. This led to him being wide open along the LOS and so Clemson took advantage of that. If Sammy Watkins is wide open, you better believe his QB is getting him the ball. He is just as dangerous 2 yards down the field as he is 40 yards. I'll leave you with his scouting report: There hasn't been a WR with his total package skill set too come along in a while. He will affect the way the defense plays every single time he is down the field. http://youtu.be/kiE2vjY9gso

He has at least another 3 seasons in him IF he stays healthy. That's a very big if though. I don't care who you are: the human body doesn't bounce back at 37 from injury/fatigue as quickly as it did in your mid 20's. The NFL is a young man's game and every year more athletic freaks are drafted into the league. Let's see how a 37 year old Brady handles 330 lbs of Marcell Dareus burying him into the turf. Putting Brady on the ground has really been the only effective way of stopping him. Consistent pressure and hits get to him. This defense has been built to do just that

Agreed. Summers is history IMO. Spiller isn't going anywhere; he's in the prime of his career and entering a contract year. We know PHI took a run at acquiring him and they were denied. CJ is primed to repeat his 2012 season. Fred Jackson is Fred Jackson. He's a team leader and incredibly consistent. He is the perfect veteran role model for a player like Bryce Brown & could teach him a ton of things. Also in contract year. Bryce Brown was just traded for at the draft. They've supposedly been after him for 18 months- I think Hackett/Marrone love his size and physicality in this offense. He picks up those tough 3rd and shorts. Anthony Dixon rounds out the roster. They just signed him and he will fill the FB role. Big, bruising back that can pick up the tough 1st downs. More talented and versatile then Summers. They aren't going to keep more then 4 RB/FB's. That means Summers is the odd man out unless Dixon really Has A Terrible camp

We definitely are in the top 3. If Spiller returns to 2012 form, we will finish the year with the top backfield. I think he does because he will be healthy and the line will be improved, greatly. Pears was the worst rated run blocking RT in the league. Colin Brown was the worst OG in the league; both are gone. They will also have some semblance of a passing attack this season which is something you couldn't say last year. Defenses knew they were going to run the ball and played it. It's easy to cheat like that when you have Jeff Tuel in there at QB. I think Bryce Brown puts them over the top by the end of the season. He is exactly what this staff has been looking for: a big, powerful back that can punish defenses up the middle. 220 lb'er that runs a 4.40 is exactly what the Dr ordered. The weakest facet of the run game was the short yardage game and that was addressed with Brown and Dixon. Hell, Brown had nearly 350 yards in his 2 starts last season when McCoy was out. Kid has a ton of talent.

I agree that Spiller will never be that ideal "#1 RB" that you can give 20 carries a game to and pound the defense into submission. That's not his game. We also don't need him to do that with FJax and Bryce Brown. 2012 was a perfect model of how he should be used. Around 200 carries and another 50 receptions. That's about 17 touches a game. He can dictate how the defense plays when he's on his game like he was in 2012. Last year was disappointing, there's no doubt about it. That injury played a major role; a high ankle sprain is one of the worst injuries a RB can get. Especially a back like Spiller whose best asset is his ability to cut on a dime and make guys miss. Then there was the poor line play. Along with terrible QB play after Manuel went down made the offense one dimensional. I see him returning to 2012 form with the way the offense is shaping up. If Manuel can stay healthy, they'll actually be able to pass the ball & defenses won't just be able to stack the box knowing they have to run ball

Wheel routes HB Flairs Motioning him out of the backfield and having him run a drag route or a quick slant They don't have to run a spread offense full time; I wouldn't want them to do that. With the addition of Watkins and Williams, they will want to run plenty of 4 WR sets I would think if they're smart. Watkins Williams Goodwin Woods Spiller in backfield The spread isn't a gimmick offense like a lot of you are trying to say. It's a legit offensive strategy used by pretty much every single NFL team in today's game. 4 and 5 WR sets have never been used more and for good reason: the rules and officiating is so skewed towards favoring the WR, why wouldn't you want to throw the ball? I don't see why you give Hackett a free pass. His play calling was atrocious for most of the season. The predictability was obscene and really limited what this offense could accomplish. It's tough for your RB's to be productive when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do & show no threat of passing down the field on top of it. I didn't say all those numbers were spectacular. The only numbers I said were spectacular was his 2012 season where he had over 1700 yards and averaged 6.0 ypc- something nobody managed to accomplish last season.

I'm sorry but I couldn't disagree more. "1 single solid season"; Averaging 6.0 ypc on over 200 carries is spectacular. Do you know how many of the top 20 RB's in yardage last season averaged 6.0 ypc? None of them did. How about 5.5 ypc? Zero again. Well how about 5.0 ypc? Just 3 players: LeSean McCoy, Jamall Charles, and DeMarco Murray. He had over 1700 yards from scrimmage and 8 TD's that season. Those are spectacular numbers. Guess what CJ "1 year, not even a, wonder- according to you" Spiller career average is... 5.1 ypc The hate this kid receives is irrational. He is one of the most explosive players in the NFL. This isn't 1972 anymore: Not every back is going slam up the middle and run LB's over. Why wouldn't you want to steal some ideas from Gailey's offense when he got that type of production out of a player? 6.0 ypc is almost unheard of production yet you just want to rush him out the door. I don't understand the fascination with pigeon holing players to fit a certain scheme; that's just bad coaching. I would fault Hackett for failing to utilize such an explosive talent then blaming Spiller for a coach's terrible play calling.