Lothar

PFF has us ranked 13th ... in the AFC! Yikes. https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/09/09/ranking-every-afc-team-by-projected-finish/#

I usually like your analysis but I think you're off on this, p-zoid. Darby is a man corner who can mirror the fastest wideouts. He's having issues with technique and timing, not unlike McKelvin in years past. His skill sets do not translate to safety (which requires vision and anticipation). If he washes out at corner (and I'd give him at least a couple years before coming down so heavy handed), he ain't making it as a safety. I'm pretty confident Rex will scheme around any perceived weakness here.

And here's an update about Jones, the one difference-maker on that line ... looks like they're considering the short term Pup list for him. If he can't play, that really is as big a loss to their team as Dareus is to ours (because we have the Bryant "brothers" to fill in). Defensive tackle Art Jones is a huge key to the Indianapolis Colts' defense. That's why a decision on how to proceed afterJones suffered a left ankle injury in Saturday night's preseason game against the St. Louis Rams is not being rushed. Deliberations continued Tuesday with multiple doctors evaluating Jones and trying to establish a timeline for his return to the field. Coach Chuck Pagano said that he had no update on Jones' status. But one option being discussed by the Colts, sources said, is placing Jones on the NFL's short-term injured reserve list, a move that would allow Jones to return to the lineup this season but would require Jones to miss half the regular season. http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2015/09/01/indianapolis-colts-art-jones-ankle-short-term-injured-reserve/71527002/

Their second corner, Toler, just got downgraded with a neck injury. http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/colts-insider/2015/08/27/indianapolis-colts-greg-toler-injury/71277278/

I'd like to start a thread like this (maybe YOLO or 26 can do this more justice) during the season as we prep for an opponent. I remember reading a few months back how the Colts were not a bad run defense while Arthur Jones was on the field last season. He was injured on the first drive during their preseason game against the Rams and is now in a walking boot. I don't wish bad luck on anyone but considering we'll be missing Dareus and McKelvin, I'd like all the help we can get week 1. Without him, we're talking a difference of nearly a yard more per carry. That's a big difference. Here’s a look at the type of impact Jones when he was on the field prior to the AFC Championship game last season. WITHOUT JONES ON THE FIELD 257 rushes for 1,201 yards (4.67 yards per rush) 3.12 yards before contact per rush 12 rushing TDs (4.7 percent of rushes) First downs allowed on 26 percent of rushes WITH JONES ON THE FIELD 165 rushes for 615 yards (3.73 yards per rush) 2.15 yards before contact per rush 2 rushing TDs (1.2 percent of rushes) First downs allowed on 22 percent of rushes http://scores.espn.go.com/blog/indianapolis-colts/post/_/id/13395/the-statistics-show-that-the-colts-need-art-jones-on-the-field-to-stop-the-run

Nice to see this as well ... Tyler Dunne ✔ @TyDunne EJ Manuel whistles a touchdown out of nowhere to Watkins in the back of the end zone this red zone drill. Then, an overthrow.

Hmmmm ... Jay Skurski @JaySkurski Now EJ airmails Sammy Watkins, who was open over the middle. Yikes. #Bills Retweeted by Bills Daily Expand 19m Sal Capaccio @SalSports I see progress from the Bills run game every day. They do a good job of using the D's own aggression/speed against themselves to open holes. Retweeted by Bills Daily Expand 17m Jay Skurski @JaySkurski Marquise Goodwin gets behind Ron Brooks and Tyrod Taylor finds him for a 65-yard TD. #Bills Retweeted by Bills Daily Expand 17m Mark Ludwiczak @MarkLud12 EJ Manuel is regressing at the worst possible time. Another poor showing today. Retweeted by Bills Daily

per Bucky Brooks. Whoa, that's a lot of hype coming our way. Same for the Jets and Dolphins though ... http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000493967/article/seahawks-jets-and-eagles-among-nfls-most-talented-teams

Again, I'm not sure why folks on multiple threads keep saying this but I believe we play them in game 2, not 3.

That's 34. But it's Friday. And your name is mead. So it's ok.

Mike Williams ✔ @CaveManMike19 Chill everybody I'm happy with being a buffalo bill....... I mean come on it's my dream my agent just did what a agent supposed to do ...

I thought this was a good breakdown of the Bills' strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly, Bruschi, despite the fact that our O-Line is one of the 3 biggest in the league, sees them using a "wall-off" and not "plow you over" type of running scheme. I still think the spread is the way to go if you want to unleash Spiller but Marrone and Hackett seem to have made up their mind with these inside runs. http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/page/bruschibreakdown-100914/new-england-patriots-vs-buffalo-bills?ex_cid=espnapi_public

His job was doomed as soon as he had to throw the rookie Carr to the wolves. http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=11615699

It was a 3 point game with less than 5 minutes to go despite how atrocious the Pats were playing. There's 2 ways to look at this result.

And perfect! http://dawgpounddaily.com/2014/09/12/breaking-report-josh-gordon-suspended-10-games-mary-kay-cabot-reports/

Hmmm, ok I stand corrected. Regardless, either Hughes or Mario will have a mismatch.

I don't think so. Mario usually plays RDE though they may move him around a bit. Frankly, I think I'd take Glenn over any LT in the league at the moment, given his age and talent level. But Albert is the pro-bowler. And I'm trying not to be a homer.

That Omar Kelly dude is such a homer. He thinks, even with all their injuries, the Dolphins are flat out more talented than the Bills. Other than Wake over Hughes and maybe Grimes over Leo as well as possibly at strong safety, I'd say we're better at most other defensive positions. And on offense, Albert and Cordy are a wash. As are James and Seantrel. The interior is a bit of a weakness for both teams, though Wood is an upgrade over their backup center. Clay >> Chandler and perhaps Wallace is better than any one of our wideouts for the moment, but Watkins and Williams are better than Hartline and whoever. Even with Moreno's week 1 performance, I'd take our RBs over theirs. And I'll give Tannehill an edge over a seemingly improving Manuel. Overall, I'd give Miami 6 wins (Wake, Wallace, Clay, Grimes, strong safety and Tannehill) at starter positions, the Bills 9 (Watkins, Wood, Graham/Williams, Gilmore, Robey, Spikes, Bradham, Carpenter, Spiller/Jackson) and a push on the remaining 8. No way they are a more talented team than us. Especially with their injuries.Not to say we can't lose, 'coz any given Sunday and all but the intangibles this weekend are completely on our side. I think the Dolphins are gonna be walking into a buzzsaw this week. And I'm NEVER this confident with the Bills.

Interesting. Preston Brown and Leodis apparently had even worse games than I thought.

Their line is underrated if you ask me. Allowed just 30 sacks - I know Trestman changed the offense to get the ball out of Cutler's hands quick but according to Marrone, the reason we really didn't send all out blitzes at the Bears is they did well against blitzing fronts last year. Forte is a stud but continuity and consistency from the Bears front is definitely a part of their running game's success.

Schwartz deliberately played guys off and forced Chicago to make lots of short throws with the idea that Cutler would eventually make mistakes. If you watched Marrone's PC, he said that watching film from last year, teams that blitzed did not have much luck against the Bears. This game should be different. I expect to see a page taken out of Pettine's defense on Sunday - lots of Robey and corner blitzes if we aren't getting enough pressure with the front 4.

Point taken. But our OL is definitely better than it was too, especially on the edges. And bigger. If you're counting on your defense to disrupt our offense more than the other way around, especially in Buffalo, I think you may be in for a surprise.

Also as Yolo pointed out in the shout box: Wake had 1 tackle and 1 QB Hit in the 1st meeting last year. Mario had 3 TFL, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits. In the 2nd game, Wake had 3 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 QB hits.Mario had 1 TFL, 1 sack and 1 QB hit. Now tell me again who should be more worried?

That's a reasonable expectation from a Dolphin backer. Starks and Odrick are good. Better than Kyle and Dareus? No. Wake and Vernon are probably equal to Williams and Hughes. Whose lines are really better? And the mismatches between your d-line and our o-line are almost identical when switched. Playing at home also gives that fractional advantage for the offense. If this game were in Miami, I'd maybe think differently. I still say that surprise 5-2 look and the heat were the main reasons for the Pats* collapse. The Bills are gonna have to chip and give Seantrel a little help all day even if he's a better tackle than James. But then conversely, James will be going up against Hughes and not Ninkovich so the Dolphins will need to help him as well. I also think our back 7 is definitely deeper and more talented than yours. The one advantage you have may have is at QB but the problem Tannehill has had with accuracy is not completely solved by Lazor's offense either. And our secondary is better than the Pats* ... or yours. Not surprisingly, because I'm a Bills fan, I think our offense will wear down your defense. We'll see whose week 1 performance was closer to a mirage.

Good point about Nigel being back. I think that takes away the tight end mismatch. Also, I really like Robey's blitzes - he just seems to hide behind the line and and suddenly pop up into the backfield. I look for him to have a disruptive day in both coverage and rushing.