Pass the Pipe

My feeling is that we don't need the powerpolls to confirm that things are headed in the right direction at One Bills Drive. The game tells me that they are making progress, but then again, we were probably not as bad as everyone thought nor is New England as good as everyone thought, the league is very average today.

The speed with which these guys pulled Coy Wire out of the lineup this past Sunday speaks volumes. CW can kiss April's backside for the paycheck he gets every week, the guy is easily the worst safety in the league.

I feel JP had a good game, but my concern is that I don't see him making those big time throws like Brady did, like the 30 yard seam route to a receiver or tightend in tight coverage. Those kinds of throws separate the pretenders from the real deals and I would like to see more of that out of him. For example, the laser to Reed after the fumble, if he starts making plays like that in crunch time then I can say we have our man for the future.

You're searching deep man. Worried about movement in the bottom half of some worthless PowerRating poll compiled by a journalist that had Robert Gallery listed as the second coming?

Your rambling is right on the money, well said! He was no longer a factor. He is also getting paid a fair amount of money for his limited activity.

I have no problem with it, how many games have we won with the other two in the lineup over the last two seasons? We will miss Spikes, but I am not sure he will ever be the same again. Remember the old song "the hip bone is connected to the -----" when one has a material breakdown such as he did other parts of the body try to compensate, which increases the odds of failure in those other parts.

I have to hand it to Marv, he saw an opportunity and quickly removed a guy that should have been cut two weeks ago. I wish TV well he has been a good solider, but his time has certainly come. This organization can't afford to take reps away from a guy like Ko Simpson, he has too much upside to waste a year on the bench. For a good reference check out Eugene Wilson and S. Samuels, both played huge as rookies. Experience means nothing if one can't get to the ball carrier and then take him down once he arrives, which is exactly TV's problem. A tweak of the hamstring and the guy is on IR? TV's real injury was the tape showing Ko's nine tackles, speed, and instincts. I have news for TKO, stop your crying over TV and tend to business otherwise you will be holding a clipboard next to TV, luckily for you we didn't draft AJ Hawk or that kid from FS in Cleveland because you might be on IR today as well.

You're the one who is smoking something if you think the trio of Price, Reed, and that sprinter free agent are going to produce. We need a solid number 2 or 1 b and it is not on the roster today. Remember, we will not see the 2nd and 3rd stringers from the Detroit Lions every day.

If the price is not too severe the Bills should make a play for him. They need a weapon like him to open the field up.

It was evident to me today that Levy has made progress with this organization. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a team in the bottom 25% of the league, but I think things are headed in the proper direction. What I Like: Whitner and Simpson should start the rest of the year, they’re terrific; and once the other OSU rookie gets in condition he can replace Clemens, an $8 mil. stiff. Larry Tripplet was a solid pick-up, all we need is a steady performer next to him I like the fact that this coaching staff has drilled some solid fundamentals into Losman’s head, the check offs were good today and his accuracy appears to be improving Finally we have an athletic center that can pull On the 4th down play at least we didn’t try a flea-flicker or a reverse; this coaching staff appears to be fundamentally solid What I Don’t Like: Losman appears to lock on a receiver and his ball handling skills are dreadful (Note how Brady always keeps the safeties honest by looking one way and going another) The linebacking core is too small; if Losman progresses, this is where we need to go in next year’s draft. The hamstring could only be the beginning of TKOs problems; see Sam Cowhart Mr. Number One receiver was AWOL against a ho-hum secondary today I would like to see this coaching staff use Losman outside of the pocket a lot more; the guy can throw on the run and/or shotgun. 3rd and long under center???? Still no production out of the tightends, which is the biggest trend in the NFL today How did Coy Wire and Troy Vincent make the team ahead of Eric King? Watching the painful re-run of Wire whiffing on the rookie RB was pure comedy; at least the coaching staff recognized the error in starting Wire after one series, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for Gregg, Mulurkey, and Jerry Grey.

I for one am looking more forward to the action on Saturdays rather then Sundays this upcoming fall; hence I have compiled a list of prospects that could bring help to the Red, White, and Blue. Gentlemen, I strongly recommend keeping this cheat sheet handy during your Saturday viewings. QBs If Losman’s “bust” title becomes official at year-end then: Brady Quinn, ND (two years with Weiss, the only baggage might be his sister) Drew Staton, Mich St (over 3,000 yards last yr) Brian Brohm, Louisville (injured late last year, but runs a high flying NFL offense) Jeff Rowe, Nevada (6’5”, 225 and 4.6 speed) Troy Smith, OSU (size is a major question, but does nothing buy make plays) Offensive Line If Losman makes it, no doubt Levy will go here: Dan Mozes, C West Virgina (bad attitude, what we like in a lineman) Justin Blalock, T Texas (forget Mike Williams, this guy is the real deal) Joe Thomas, T Wisconsin (6’8”, 313, and 4.85 40 need I say more?) Sam Baker, T USC (pre-season All-American) Mike Jones, G Iowa (can play G or T, All-Big Ten performer) Doug Free, T Northern Illinois (two time All-MAC, preseason Outland nominee) Josh Beekman, G Boston College (All ACC performer, preseason All-American) Levy Brown, Penn State (concerned about his quickness) RB If Willis flees for South Beach then: Adrian Peterson Oklahoma (the King, however not much of a pass catcher) Michael Bush, Louisville (touchdown machine) Kenny Irons, Auburn (quickly becoming RB U) Marshawn Lynch, CAL (second to only Peterson) WR My money is on Evans not being a number 1, these guys are: Dwayne Jarrett, USC (the best in the country; plenty of size and speed) Jeff Samardizija, Notre Dame (instant fan favorite in Buffalo, especially in the Polish community) Tedd Ginn Jr, OSU (not ideal size, but speed to burn) Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech (6’5” 228, makes Moulds look small) Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt (life after Cutler?) Defensive Line A pure breed sack master would be nice, no coverage sack guys on this list: Quentin Moses, Georgia (v2 of Julius Peppers) Gaines Adams, Clemson (8.5 sacks last year, high character guy) Brian Robison, Texas (great all around athlete) Adam Carriker, Nebraska (4.68 40, registered 9.5 sacks last season) Chris Long, Virgina (Howie’s kid) Kenny Iwebema, Iowa (put up nice numbers last year) Brian Smith, Missouri (later round guy, super fast, but small) Lawrence Jackson, USC (real deal, not exactly what Levy had in mind for character) Linebacker Jauron’s next pet project is to rebuild this unit and here are the blocks: Stephen Nicholas, South Florida (undersized, but resides in the opponent’s back field) Justin Warren, Texas A&M (wears 10, anyone recall Derrick Johnson, the Texas great) Patrick Willis, Ole Miss (listen to Metallica’s Seek and Destroy and you will get the picture) Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma (Fletcher type, but 11 years younger) Anthony Waters, Clemson (tackling machine) Paul Posluszny, Penn State (not high on my list) Vince Hall, Virgina Tech (if TKO becomes KO’d this guy has it all) HB Blades, Pittsburgh (son of Miami great Bennie Blades, my favorite U safety of all time)

HC: We are just going to have to wait and see. Preseason has never been a good indication, especially for Levy teams. My expectation regarding Losman was to have this job in the bag by week one of camp, there is no contest based on physical skills and the facts are Nall and Holcomb are very below average. It shouldn't have taken him this long. I bet Lienhart would have displaced this type of competition by now. We are talking about Kelly Holcomb and Craig Nall??? Come on man! I haven't completely thrown JP overboard, I actually think he might come through, but the odds are against him with this current line and group of receivers. I agree with all your comments regarding TKO, but the fact remains this is a brutal injury to come back from and I heard stories regarding a possible week 3 return, which concerns me because my expectation was that he would be ready to go by now. A prediction is just that, a prediction, I don't see this team winning many games and this is the same guy that never bought into Mulukey, Bledsoe, Donahoe, Mike Williams and the rest of the junk this team has been feeding us the last 4 or 5 years, while the rest of this site was annually making superbowl arrangements in August I accept the fact we are rebuilding and once we put together a good offensive line and find a productive quarterback only then will I declare we are back in business.

After a beautiful summer with Italy’s triumphant forth World Cup title and Tiger’s masterpiece 4th round at Hoylake, it is now that I turn my attention to the Buffalo Bills. First of all, I sincerely want to thank the posters that have provided the prompt commentary from Rochester, N.Y., it is a life line to us Bills fans on the West Coast. Let me start out with the good: It is a pleasure to see pictures of Marv Levy in Bill’s attire strolling the sidelines in Rochester. There is something about that guy that exudes clarity, confidence, and a sense that the game is really about having fun. I think he is a positive addition, but he is also above the mean life span in this country, hence the longevity of his contributions will be a constant question. The Secondary appears to be the team’s strongest unit and for all the talk about the rookie class I feel that Baker and King may be big contributors as well. Larry Tripplet appears to be a solid free agent acquisition. Can Kyle Williams be the “high” motor guy we have all been waiting for? Unfortunately that is it in this category! The Bad The inability of JP Losman to separate himself from the likes of Nall and Holcomb is a major concern. This is the guy’s third time through an NFL training camp and with his physical attributes it has become obvious to me that his mental ability to execute this job must be off the charts in a negative direction; we can thank Donahoe again for his lack of due diligence in the mental facet of players (see Mike Williams). By the end of September this season can and most likely will become the Brady Quinn sweepstakes. TKO might become KO’d this season, as it appears that his ability to bounce back from this injury will be like many others, including the great Achilles, in that it becomes an inability and results in the premature termination of another great career. For the customers of his spirited t-shirt comeback campaign, please reference this quote next spring when you use those same shirts to wax your car or clean the windows; and for the salary cap experts out there, what is the hit if we cut this guy at season’s end? The fact that I have read many camp posters extolling the shiftiness of Shaud Williams and no quotes on “Willis looks faster” means that Willis probably lost his speed for good that tragic day in the Arizona desert. Granted, he may turn out to be a strong power back, but he will never materialize into the home run running back Donahoe told us he took with the 23rd pick overall. Without the serious upgrade to the o-line, I guess we will have to watch another bunch of stops behind our line of scrimmage? If JP does somehow turn the corner, watch Adrian Peterson from OU closely, he will be our pick come April 2007. The Ugly Please stop with the Josh Reed is catching everything in sight quotes. The only thing this confirms is that a.) he is a big kitty and is afraid to get hit in real games, b.) he would be a great addition in the Eastside touch league, and/or c.) practice is just that “practice’ and AI was right! If this guy starts opposite of Lee Evans we’re in really big trouble and also, can someone please issue a warrant on Price’s agent who just robbed the Bills of some serious money. The offensive line is still offensive. Mark my words; we should have taken Winston Justice instead of MaCargo! Until management gets this unit fixed, we will be a fixture in the top 10 of the collegiate draft. 2-14 here we come!

Is this really a surprise?

I am glad we didn't draft this guy; I don't think he is fully committed to football. She is obviously a great lay, but he doesn't need to date that layup at this point in his career. For the record, JP told this whore to take a hike last year.

Your thinking here is exactly right. This illustrates the whole problem with this weekend's activities.

The Tim Anderson's of the world, to whom the middle round guy from LSU was compared to, couldn't run through a paper bag and I would lump in guys like FAs Royales and Bowen into that category as well. When the Super Bowl champs can come away with the best receiver in the draft and followed by NE getting a guy who ran a 4.29 and has produced in two different systems and we end up with McCargo, you have answered your own question about why we get are "lazy" asses kicked.

In all honesty, didn't watch a second of coverage this weekend. I just don't understand how the defensive and offensive lines were not first priorities. Deon Sanders is not going to prevent completions if a quarterback can go through 3 or 4 different reads everytime he steps back to pass or when the running game gashes you for 5 or 6 per carry. Outside of Peters and Schobel, our quality is quite low. Any guy that puts up 43 reps and plays at a high level at Florida State makes sense to me. Again, just see what Andy Ried did from the 14 or 15th spot and you will know why the Eagles have been competitive for a very long time.

Exactly, Philadelphia's selections are what blew it for me regarding Levy's work this weekend. Both men are big physical players that set the table for everyone else.

After watching this weekend’s action, the Pipe gives the Levy Administration a solid grade of D. The potential for a very big weekend was lost by what appears to be inexperience and a surprising lack of football knowledge that big men in the trenches set the foundation of a football team. Levy was in a perfect situation to trade down and pick-up a potential combination of Brodrick Bunkley/Winston Justice and either a Jimmy Williams or Chad Jackson Jr. for good measure, but instead settled for a solid prospect in Donte Whitner, overpaid at the 8th slot and a safety none the less, and took a complete crap shoot in McCargo. I don’t put much faith in Modrak’s charts since he has overseen college recruiting for 6 seasons now, and outside of some free agent pick-ups and Terrance McGee, his body of work has been dubious. No wonder we haven’t been in the playoffs since 1999. After seeing some of the monster hauls at places like NYJ and New England, it is amazing that Ralph Wilson just can’t get his sh-- together and hire competent managers. Watching Levy stumble and bumble through the weekend, it begs the question was his overly conservative decision making front and center in the head coach interviewing process? Because what I see here is a gross propensity to select “stay at home” conservative types, which is ok in moderation, but will prohibit the organization from reaching its ultimately goal. Remember True Believers you make love to your wife, but get laid by your girlfriend! If I recall correctly, Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, C. Bennett, and Thurman Thomas weren’t exactly choir boys.

One NFL Scout called him a monster

Fumbles, Your desperate plea has been answered. In complete honestly, the actions at One Bills Drive do not surprise me in the slightest bit. On a positive note, I am happy to see that Levy did not compound his mistake in losing the big FA defensive tackle to Green Bay by signing some “Johnny come lately” to appease the constituents in Western New York. It appears to me that he has defaulted to rebuilding mode and, as a result, properly jettisoned Moulds and his contract. Levy’s big examination comes next Saturday and if he listens to me, and you (I saw your mock post), he deals the pick to get another player in the top 50. This team has more perforations than the chest and neck areas of Dick Cheaney’s hunting partner, 2 & 14 or 1 & 15 is a very realistic forecast. On the comedy side, trying to misrepresent the abilities of Craig Nall and extolling the virtues of a blocking tight-end in our morbid offensive deserves the grade of F from a Buffalo State professor let alone Harvard. The Price signing doesn’t warrant a response, the energy in my fingertips is better spent picking my ass. Regarding Mr. Wilson, the more he opens his mouth the less I like him. Seeking guidance from any politician in NYS is pure insanity. I read an article recently in the Economist that referred to the economy of Upstate NY as Appalachia and all thanks to the local and state governments and this is whom our owner is reaching out to? Believe the Pipe, this is a Wilson smoke screen to ease the criticism his family will receive when the sell the team Anscwitz (sp?) in Los Angeles. As far as I am concern, let them move the current product is no longer digestible. I live in LA and would enjoy the fact the Bills and Braves have joined me in this wonderful place. I echo your opinion of North Carolina women, some of the finest in the land.

You really don't know what your talking about. Put yourself in the shoes of player who had hall of fame abilities, but could never reach that potential because of the organization around him. He has given his best years to this team, which has given him nothing in return. Anyone would be excited to join the Texans at this point with a great new head coach, Reggie Bush, no state tax, and arguably the nicest stadium in league. That team lost 6 games by one touchdown or less, with guys like Moulds and Bush coming onboard that statistic is very likely to change. Go drink another Genny screamer to further dilute your mental facilities.

Very nice post, a good read I must say. Your comment regarding U.S. Foreign Policy is sadly accurate, but Viva, you do have serious domestic problems in your beloved France and the World Cup is shaping up to be house of horrors for the once proud "Blue." The only thing France can currently hang their hat on is Tony Parker's conquest of America's most beautiful female. That said, welcome aboard, I enjoy the infusion of IQ to this dreadful board.

Mould's opinions really doesn't matter much at this point. He is not exactly Jerry Rice and it appears the rest of the league doesn't think much of his abilities at 33 years old. The only person talking right now is his advisory and not NFL GMs. Remember, Jimmy Smith is 35 or 36 and still kicks a lot of ass. I agree that JP must be a handful in locker room because these rumors date back to draft day. In addition, he was kicked off of the UCLA team his freshman year for similar problems. Combine him with Mike Williams and it really brings into question what in the hell were Tom Donahoe and are current director of college scouting asking during the interview process?