Nostradamus

I'm with you 100%. We let London Fletcher walk because he wasn't Brian Urlacher. We let Jabari Greer walk because he wasn't Darrell Revis. Our philosophy of cutting good players because they're not great is moronic. The flawed reasoning is really just a cover up for their cheapness. I've been a season ticket holder for 6 years because, in part, no matter how bad the Bills mess up the hours between 1-4, they can't screw up the hours between 9-1. Also, I've loved the Bills since I was a kid. They are part of the fabric of the community. They mean something to our friends and families, and transcend generations of Buffalonians. But, it literally hurts watching this inferior product the past few years. Faced with 10 more years of this or not having NFL football in Buffalo, I'd choose the latter. Letting Johnson walk would just be another, in a long line of moves, that would assure our status of a Triple A team playing big league ball.

It doesn't help that while other GM's are chartering private Jets around the country with Champagne and hookers at the stroke of midnight on the first day of free agency to try and land a prized free agent, Buddy admits to being home sleeping. What an arrogant prick. It's that same kind of arrogance that enabled him to draft Torell Troup over, the, I don't know, 100 other players that were, by consensus, thought to be better football players than the second team Conference USA defensive tackle.

I was referring to my link, a piece written by Patrick Moran that states Johnson would likely be franchised. Sorry for any confusion.

I think the Bills realize how much their legitimacy as an NFL organization is in question. Speaking for myself, as a long time season ticket holder, if they don't resign Stevie that would be my final straw in deciding to renew next year. By drafting a guy, developing him, and then letting him walk, they would be essentially conceding that they are in fact a minor league outfit playing in the big leagues. This seems like the more plausible scenario, and yes, I realize it's written by a guy whose journalistic ethics are very much in question. Still, as inept as they are at attracting free agents to come to Buffalo, I can't fathom that they would create another huge hole on a roster already full of them.

Right. I mean, what's another glaring hole on a roster that's already full of them? And, of course, why bother resigning any receiver unless they are Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson? It's that kind of twisted logic that explains why we didn't resign London Fletcher (because he isn't Brian Urlacher), Jabari Greer (because he isn't Darrell Revis).

Miami will probably be starting Losman next week, and Jake Long is probably out as well. Watch us get a garbage win that'll cost us a shot at RG III or Barkley, resigning us to 10 more years of this Sh$%.

Word is we weren't going to sign him but Ralph found him for 20 cents on the dollar on Canal St.

In a word, no. Who would you say our best pass rusher is? Moats, Kelsey? On most teams, Kelsey would probably be taken OFF the field on passing downs. Whoever our best pass rusher is, I guarantee you that 31 other teams have a better one. Most of them would have three or four better rushers than whoever our best guy is. Nix's plan A was to rely on an injury-riddled former superstar that hasn't been effective in 3-4 years. There was no plan B. While I am not a fan of George Edwards and think he is a hack, I do not think that there are any defensive coordinators that could generate a consistent pass rush with what we have. Though, I do think a good coordinator could dial up a successful blitz based on scheme for the opportune time, such as the Third and 11 the Jets converted when Edwards chose to rush a corner and Sanchez made the very obvious read. Instead, on passing down, recognizing how inept our rush is, I'd implement a scheme similar to what the Bills did in 1999 under Cottrell. Frequently, they'd only rush 3, drop 8, and more often than not there would be nowhere for a QB to throw the football. I think we have the personnel to do this, given that we have fast corners, good safeties, and guys like Barnett and Scott who can drop in coverage as well. Of course, as poor as our run defense is, it is not too often we get teams into 3rd and long situations. In short, I think the talent level on this defense is pretty weak, and we have a coordinator who amplifies our deficiencies instead of hiding them. Add it up, and we are watching one of the worst defenses in franchise history.

Anyone hear Stevie's interview on BB.com? I'm a huge Johnson fan, but it definitely concerned me. For one, it confirmed what I thought yesterday when he dropped the post over the middle... he blames Fitzy for it! As soon as he dropped it, I saw him motion back to Fitzy as if to say "what are you doing?" I thought I must have misread his movements, because it so clearly was a drop. But, in his interview, he states that "that wasn't a drop, it was a QB and receiver not being on the same page." He then goes on to say that he wished he had "superhuman instincts" so that he could have caught the ball the second he turned around for it." He then states that based on his route and that he split the safety's, he would have expected a ball with more air under it. My problems with his comment were that, watching the replay, he had turned around and saw it coming. Maybe he expected a slower ball, but he was facing the football with enough time to react. Also, there was another safety, Leonard, playing over the top. While Leonard was very late, a slower ball would have allowed him to possibly break up the pass or at least hit Johnson upon the completion. Fitzy's ball, perfectly thrown, split the coverage and would have allowed Johnson to catch it in stride and possibly take it into the end zone. Lastly, he came across in his interview as the same kind of guy that would take a 15 yard penalty at the expense of his team; as a me-first player that when pressed, will give lip service as to how he made a mistake, but really is wondering why people are hating on his swag. I like Johnson, and really want us to invest in him. I just wish he showed, in year 4 of his career, a little more maturity.

Raynor redeemed himself for his blunder. Johnson clearly did not. He was not the same player last year after the Pittsburgh game. This one may break him mentally.

I was surprised by how well Williams played. His size alone allows him to compete for balls way better than Mckelvin. I think Searcy can be a player, he just needs more polish. Rogers might end up being a pretty decent slot corner, he appears quick and has fluid hips. I'm not at all impressed by Sheppard, and think he is an average talent at best. And I'm really concerned with how average Dareus looks far too often. While I think he probably will end up being a good player, I think his ceiling is somewhat limited. He doesn't have the quickness to come off the edge, and doesn't have the technique to excel at dominating the nose position.

If the entire Jets team takes magic mushrooms around 12 p.m. Sunday, we have a legitimate shot.

Gailey handpicked Edwards, an average journeyman linebackers coach that noone saw as coordinator material. Edwards is an indictment on Gailey. Next year, we're lookin at a whole new defensive system, coordinator.... which will probably derail our perpetual rebuild.

I remember watching the Cinci game and seeing us hand it to Jackson and having Fitzy fake an end-around to Spiller. Each time, the edge was wide open for what looked like a big gain, and I was surprised that we never gave CJ a shot at what looked like a play that was tailor made for him. Also, with the likes of Brad Smith, CJ, and Jackson, there has to be more possible plays out of the wildcat than the draws we see out of Smith. The offense has certainly slowed down after the first 3 games. It's definitely time for Gailey to introduce some new wrinkles.

I haven't gambled for a while, but the line seems obscenely high. The Bills have lost by more than 3 once all season, and they're getting 5.5 against a 4-4 Cowboys team missing their #1 receiver and CB? Seems a little strange.

No one is saying the Bills played well, but this thread is about the refs. You can say the refs were atrocious without considering the Bills performance at all. Given the above explanations as to how the bad calls all resulted in point swings in favor of the Jets, one can safely say the game would have been much closer with even-handed refereeing.

The more I think about the officiating, the more upset I am. It really seemed like the refs had an agenda. I'm not saying the Bills win should the game have been called fairly, but I'm convinced it goes down to the wire. Consider: The phantom reversal on Wilson's interception. Did anyone see ANYTHING that could be construed as indisputable evidence that Wilson didn't catch the football? What's even stranger is the complete lack of an explanation by Hochuli. Every reversal that I've seen this season has come with an explanation as to the reasoning behind it. What is also bizarre is the fact they didn't play the replay at the stadium. Instead of the Bills having good field position in a scoreless tie, the Jets kicked a field goal to go up 3-0. Second half: Down 3-0, Fitzpatrick goes deep to Jackson on a 3rd and 5 from the Bills 6 yard line. Jackson is mugged. The pass interference against him is far more egregious than either of the two tick-tack calls that the refs later called on the Bills. What is more, the PI against Jackson was similar to the ones called against Mckelvin and Mcgee, just more egregious. The route was the same, but Eric Smith was all over Jackson on the fly route as the ball got there as opposed to Mckelvin and Mcgee who seemed to make incidental contact with the receivers just as the ball arrived. Instead of being down 3-0 with good field position, the Bills are forced to punt out of the shadow of their own end zone. As a result of the good field positon, the Jets kick another long field goal to go up 6-0. Jackson then fumbles the football, and the Burress play happens. If the play is called correctly, most likely the Jets kick another field goal, and the game is still within reach despite the already lopsided officiating and three Bills turnovers. But, another horrible call puts us down 13-0, and the rout is on. As mentioned above, two tick-tack long pass interference calls are made against the Bills, after two blatant calls were overlooked against the Jets, and the score becomes 27-3. The calls again put the Jets down at the Bills goal line and directly resulted in touchdowns for the Jets. Yes, I know the Bills played poorly, but that is not the subject of the thread. If anyone can think of a call or two that went the Bills way, let me know. But, to me, this looked beyond the sloppy officiating we are used to in the NFL, and truly makes me question the integrity of the league.

Definitely a big disappointment, but the question is how they respond. I don't know what the rest of the season holds, but I firmly believe this team comes out fighting. To look at one bad game and say that says more about us than the other seven is both illogical and cynical.

I think the obvious is being overlooked. Poloncarz is a democrat that has the backing of the most powerful man in New York State, Andrew Cuomo. It will be much easier for him to negotiate and secure funds from NYS than it would be for Collins.

I was of the opinion in '10, and still am, that the offense is one big time wide receiver away from being elite and dynamic. For that reason, I advocated for AJ Green and still think that would be the pick. Where would you rate some of the receivers this year? It seems to me it's a good year for receivers. Jeffery from SC, Blackman from Ok. St., and Broyles from Oklahoma all seem like studs and legitimate number 1 receivers in the NFL, and guys that would complement Johnson well. What are your thoughts on those guys and when they might go?

I mostly agree, though I will say this. He was actually getting pressure from the left side as the end split a double team and got pressure in Fitz's face, forcing him to throw off his back foot as opposed to stepping into the pass. This was in part due to the Hairston injury, as Levitre didn't have the footwork to stay with the Giants end. (Not a knock on Levitre, who, I think along with Jackson are our most valuable players so far this year.) Hindsight is 20/20, but, given the circumstance, I can at least understand the opposing point of view, that Gailey was being a little too aggressive. Either way, Fiztpatrick has to find a way to not make a mistake at that point of the game.

On a slightly different note, Johnson does seem to have great footwork. After 6 weeks, if I'm looking to extend either Fitzy or Johnson, it's Johnson and it's not even close.

My fault. If Fitz executed, the play had little risk. It would have been either a touchdown or an incompletion. Fitz made way too many mental errors today. Seeing his receiver with a step in that instance, an underthrown football is completely inexcusable. Also, taking back to back sacks with his team in field goal range is the functional equivalent of a turnover. I didn't mind the call today, because it seemed to me a primary example of Gailey allowing his play makers to make plays. Fitz failed. If he continues to fail in big situations, than it would be on the coach to take a far more conservative approach in those situations.

As stated, with a supposed second coach out there at QB, I am shocked that in such an important situation, he would duplicate his earlier mistake. That mistake was not due to physical limitations, the same way if Jackson were to fumble, that'd be on him and not the play call. I like the play call. The risk outweighed the reward in that case. Only horrible execution by Fitzpatrick would cost us in that case. And horrible execution is what we got.

It's safe to say Davis isn't a legitimate NFL starter. Haven't seen enough good things out of Sheppard yet to think that he is either, but I guess it's time to give him a chance.