Offside Number 76

They are almost the same age.

First off, thanks for posting something that doesn't consider Jauron. On QB: I like Edwards, he'll be ok, and I think JP will get a backup shot somewhere, or perhaps a starting job in Hamilton, but certainly, Johnson led a remarkable 4th quarter comeback against a certain Titans team, only to have the special teams coach screw it all up by not kicking out of bounds on a day when the Bills defense was amazing. RB: Forget Omon. Nothing to see there. Hope we can get Jackson back. Lynch showed something during the second half of the year, when he wasn't leaving games due to mysterious stomach problems. He's going to be a good back. WR: I don't know what happened to Reed, but you're right: he's not "Mr. Drop" anymore, he's more like "Mr. Clutch." Lee Evans has the skills, but just didn't show as much desire this year as I would have liked. Steve Johnson may or may not become something special, we don't know yet, and it's way too early to write off Hardy. OL: Run blocking started off ok, and just got better from there. Still too many penalties and too much cluelessness. The pass protection is ok for Trent, horrible for JP, and probably not so good overall. DL: A D+ is way too generous. LB: Wow. Just not a great unit. I'm a fan of the 3-4 defense, but there's no way the Bills could pull that off in the next three years. As bad as the D-line is, the Bills need 4 up there to make up for the weaknesses at linebacker. DB: Your remarks are right on. ST: Returning and coverage are solid, and Moorman is the team MVP for about the fifth year in a row. I'm still too upset over the Lindell miss in the Cleveland game to discuss the placekicking situation. One spot that wasn't mentioned--TE: F, or F-, or maybe even G or H. Royal just can't freaking catch, and he's nothing better than an adequate blocker. Schouman and Fine weren't used enough at all, although they appear to be better. I realize that the Bills were counting on Kevin Everett as the future starter at the position, but that excuse doesn't work for me after the end of 2007. There are teams that win without good tight ends, but they are few and far between. The Bills might not need an instant all-pro at the position, but they certainly need a guy who can catch a football.

1. New England (by letting Miami win twice). 2. Denver (by beating them last week). Devilishly clever planning. I can see where it's headed. Next year, eliminate 4 teams. The year after, 8. Then 16. In four more years, the Bills will eliminate everyone--even themselves.

He's every bit as good as Cooley, and the only reason he's not a Gonzalez, Gates, or Whitten is because he hasn't started for as long. Boss is kickass. Damn, I miss Metzelaars. Actually, right now, I even miss Butch Rolle.

Tell you what: if for some reason the Pats go deep in the playoffs, maybe make the Super Bowl or something, I can see the Cheat choosing Cassel instead of Brady. He's made that type of move before (Milloy, Bledsoe, Vinatieri, for three quick examples), and he's been successful, so he won't be shy about doing it again (whether or not it ultimately proves to be a good move). Plus, the Cheat will have information about Brady's health that no one else will have. Without a deep playoff run, forget it. Brady will return.

A few weeks ago, I put up a post about how most QBs take a little time to develop...guys like Aikman (winless his first year), Eli, etc. I'm not going to find it; it's there. And it echos what you said. But it's the Edwards-bashers that it was meant for; whether JP got a fair chance here or not (he didn't, IMO), is now irrelevant. He was ruined (cf. Leaf) and now is done. Let's hope that people give Edwards a little more of a chance. (ON EDIT: there's a current thread about how Edwards "isn't a bust yet" here; are these people completely ignorant of how new he is to the league?) He shows signs of being a very good QB at times, and he still is developing.

And a lot classier. Made his point without getting personal, himself.

I don't think Leinart is that good.

I would much rather watch the Saints-Lions game. And to address the topic, the Pats might have gotten a break on one hands-to-the-face call, but that's not really why they're up 31-0 at the half, is it?

none of us know what he really is, yet.

2 questions: 1. Why no choice for interior linebackers? Are we assuming happiness with the 4-3 and/or Poz as the MLB? 2. Why "OG" and "OC"? Is there another kind of center besides offensive?

brilliantly done

How about this: We still lose, and it's still Jauron's fault. Works for me, as long as there's a change.

(1) The word is "past," not "passed." PAST. How the hell are we supposed to take you seriously? (2) Trent is not afraid to throw past the line of scrimmage.

I generally like Schopp. Today, though, it was almost as if he was blaming the loss on the folks calling in. A number of his remarks weren't just condescending (which usually amuses me); they were downright mean-spirited.

Chapter 3? (EDIT: Later in the day, with more rest...did you mean Chapter 13? That's for folks like you and me. The auto companies have to go through Chapter 11.)

What is wrong with some of you people? A team can't go changing rookie QBs every couple of years and expect success. Where was Eli Manning a few seasons ago? Drew Brees? Hell, what was Kelly's first season like? How about Aikman? (That was no wins in 11 starts; I'll save you all the google search.) Look, Edwards has been far from stellar, but the Bills haven't given a rookie QB a legitimate shot since 1986--and that's if Kelly qualified as a true "rookie." That's a huge problem. It takes time to develop a player at that position. And it's not like they've surrounded their rookie QBs with a lot of talent, either. Yeah, a couple of teams have had some success right out of the gate recently with quarterbacks--New England (I STILL say Brady's a product of the system, and Cassel isn't making that any tougher to believe), and Pittsburgh are the most notable. But the vast majority of the time, it takes a little while. How about some legitimate front-seven men on D, or a tight end who can catch a pass and still remain on his feet? Edwards may or may not be the answer; we don't know yet. I may even be leaning towards "no, he isn't the answer." But there are other players on this team who definitely are NOT NFL-quality starters, and I think the Bills should start there first.

Moorman and soccer. Parrish and track. Peters and competitive eating. Lynch and demolition derby.

A fair amount. Next year will be the first year that Graham will play a lot of his own recruits, but even then, his seniors will be Kragthorpe guys.

It wasn't meant to be a JP vs Trent comparison. Does everyone on this board read that into everything?

Just saw Tulsa pull what I think would be called a "Double Jauron with a Losman Twist," were it a gymnastics maneuver: On fourth-and-9 from the ECU 30, Tulsa can't get the play off, so they call a timeout. After the timeout, they STILL can't get the play off (only 10 men on the field), so they call ANOTHER timeout (their last). When the ball finally is snapped, it's a beautiful 25-yard pass...right to a defensive back.

yep

Amen.

Read above. Several people gave the reasons. You might not like 'em, but why ask what the reasons are, after they've been articulated clearly above?

Exactly. Start having double-digit win seasons, thereby attracting higher quality free agents and creating some optimism in the locker room, and then get someone else for the final push (we all know Marty can't do it). I'd have him here tomorrow if it were up to me.