Lothar

Yah, this is a non-starter. He's scheduled to get 9.5 million. And I'm just guessing here but if he restructures, he'll still want boatloads of money. And he's past his prime. I don't think he's a good fit for our youth movement.

Big, strong USC (oops) LB that can play 4 positions and is a fluid athlete. Between him, Kuechly, Floyd, Martin and possibly Gilmore, it'll be interesting to see which way we go. http://sportsillustr...days/index.html Melvin Ingram continues to receive rave reviews for his display of athleticism and football ability. Ingram was worked through defensive line and linebacker drills today and, according to one source at the workout, it was an A+ performance. He was described today as being a "freakish athlete" combining quickness, balance and tremendous movement skills. During coverage drills Ingram's ability to swivel his hips and transition from moving backward to running forward was comparable to many of the defensive backs who worked out. His explosion and ability to stay on his feet while swiftly moving in every direction wowed the teams in attendance. Ingram has solidified himself as a top-10 pick, but the question is, will the playmaking defender break into the draft's first six picks?

I did read it. It sounds like he's thinking of getting an immediate starter (of which there's only 2 or 3), then maybe taking a second tackle that might not be ready for a year.

Even though I'd like us to go with a wideout here, I get the impression Nix is thinking about picking up a couple tackles, including a first rounder. http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2012/03/26/will-bills-draft-more-than-1-ot/ “Depth at tackle is problem,” said Nix. ”We’ve got depth inside. We’ve got guards and centers that can play in there. Last year we lost two left tackles and Levitre moved out there and he did a commendable job, but we’ve got to have at least one top tackle in the draft and another guy that we can develop.” Nix believes there are “two or three” offensive tackles in the draft class that can start on day one. He obviously would not divulge the names of those prospects. What’s interesting is the Bills GM may it sound as if the club may take a second tackle in the draft even if they take one early.

Honestly, after Blackmon, I think there are a dozen receivers that bring different strengths to the fore. I had been leaning towards Floyd myself, but his game speed and separation skills aren't that much better than many others. I'd prefer to go after Randle, McNutt, Childs or Fuller in the 2nd thru 5th and focus on still more pass rush and an OT for the early picks.

When asked about the possibility of making other major free agent additions Nix said the following. “I told you guys earlier this week that we may be out of the business by Friday,” said Nix. “Did you see (Mario’s) contract? We may be out of the business.” I doubt we're signing anyone else ...

lol - but if there's one guy I'll cut some slack with working out, it's Wood.

buffalobills “@EWood70: I love the aggressiveness of the Bills in FA.Apparently the front office feels as strongly about our chances next yr as players”

Here's to a healthy O-line at the start of training camp ... RT @ewood70: Ran at 100% body weight for the first time since surgery and it felt great. Little recovery now then on to NY with my cards!

The franchise number is the greater of the average top 5 at the position or current pay + 20%. Given that he will have unlocked that 14mil + salary based on incentive targets he's already hit, dude is in for a well-deserved kind-of-insane payday.

John Beck ain't no Jeff Beck

Since when did the Wall Street Journal have so many football articles anyway? Buffalo Secret I love Chan's twist to the stacked formation by running Fred out wide and using "double" stacks with a tight end in motion. Obviously all this only works with a smart, quick-decision-making QB. After three games this season, it's clear that the Buffalo Bills haven't just stolen that part of Belichick's playbook, they've made it their offensive strategy. For nearly the entire game Sunday, the Bills had four wide receivers on the field, and often used five. (A traditional NFL alignment consists of two wide receivers.) They also sometimes lined up their tight ends as wide receivers and flung their running backs off to the corners.

I agree to a certain extent, Simon, but we run a lot of empty sets as well. I think the key has been Fitz's ability to make quick reads and get the ball out fast. I do think what will help the O is Donald Jones gaining confidence as a deep threat. Once that part of the game comes into play - assuming Fitzy's deep throws are reasonable - I don't see why the Bills' offense can't be as potent as any of the other top teams. Also, the more success Fitz has in completing short throws, the more likely he'll be able to take an occasional 5-7 step drop. I always thought that was how Marchibroda coached up Peyton when he first got to the league. Lots of short throws to the point that the DL almost gives up going after the QB and then boom! I remember Bruce being pissed because Peyton didn't really even worry if the throw got a first down or not, it was just out of his hand quickly. I always wondered why more coaches don't follow that recipe when bringing a new QB up to speed. Now you do need to have a smart and accurate QB to pull that off - I think we all had doubts about the latter attribute for Fitz - but he seems to be proving a lot of us wrong.

I really think Cincy has a solid defense. Now whether they can cover the Bills' 4 and 5 wide sets is a whole 'nother story. What I'd really like to see is the defense come to play from the get-go and dominate this game against a rookie QB. No looking ahead!

Talk about Johnson or Jackson all you want but to me the reason we are becoming a tough out on offense - besides the Chan-Fitzmagic genius is the play of the line. Freddie is Freddie and on of my all time favorite Bills but have you seen the size of some of the holes he's been getting? And the way they dominated the big bad Raider DL? There was an interesting article written before the second game that alluded to our line being one of the biggest in the league. And holy smoke, they can play! I know our schemes tend to be based on shorter drops and multiple receivers but there's no denying how teams are having trouble getting to Fitz or choking off our run-game. After all the gnashing and gnawing about losing Hangardner, Chan obviously realized - better than all of us - that center was the weak link. Now with Wood and Levitre in the middle, we're actually getting 2nd and 3rd level blocking instead of just holding our ground. If the resident O-line experts on the board had their way, we'd have run these guys out of town after the preseason. Instead, I'd argue that we have one of the more solid lines in all the league - especially after watching contenders like Pittsburgh & Philly struggle up front. Props to the front office for finding some diamonds in the scrap heap (Pears, Urbik and Rinehart) to augment our higher round picks. Who knew we'd now be clamoring to draft DBs and pass-rushers after the preseason we had. I used to think our team's achilles heel was depth, and it probably is at several key positions. But if we can keep the primary 7 guys up front reasonably healthy, I like the odds of Fitz surviving the year and as long as he's up, Chan can continue to work magic with this offense. I really do think the talent infusion on defense will show up as the season progresses and when that happens, look out. Belief and confidence goes a long way in a parity-filled league.

I thought they did a nice job on Miller as well but they did run a lot to his side and also passed for less than 5 yards an attempt on average. In essence, they didn't really test the pass rushers in Denver much because they didn't have to. I'm thinking they'll have to this week. Let's see how our revamped front 7 fares.

Ok, so more than half your drives lasted 4 plays or less. 10 of your points came from starting inside the Denver 42. I have loads of respect for the Raider running game. What part of scoring 13 points on long(?) makes this team an offensive juggernaut? We're not that different with regard to potential but I just like our balance. It's all about matchups. Last year, your team would have been our worst nightmare physically. There was an interesting article in the local papers that showed both our lines are actually bigger than the Raider lines. Perception is a funny thing. And I guess we'll find out how things have changed on Sunday. START QTR POSS. YARD PLAYS YARDS RESULT 10:59 1 00:00 OAK 10 1 0 Fumble Recovery (Opponent) 09:55 1 03:55 OAK 20 6 15 Punt 03:02 1 04:34 DEN 42 8 42 Touchdown 13:23 2 02:09 DEN 23 4 4 Field Goal 08:05 2 01:23 OAK 2 3 6 Punt 04:12 2 02:45 OAK 46 11 51 Field Goal 00:24 2 00:24 OAK 24 3 31 Field Goal 00:00 2 00:00 DEN 0 1 0 End of Half 15:00 3 02:29 OAK 20 4 13 Punt 12:31 3 05:29 OAK 20 8 26 Punt 01:55 3 01:30 OAK 20 3 -2 Punt 14:11 4 01:38 OAK 35 3 65 Touchdown 09:17 4 01:29 OAK 20 3 3 Punt 03:43 4 03:43 OAK 20 8 28 End of Game

Roped 'em in again, eh Hogboy? Nice work. But couldn't you wait till the offseason for these "science" posts?

I actually thought he made a few good plays in the game but it looks like the Dolphins are looking for a scapegoat. Sapp gets the axe

Help for LB corps .... but nothing for the OL yet?

uh oh http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2011/08/16/merriman-s-day-over/

Actually, living in the Northwest, I've probably seen more of his games than most on here. Believe me, 2 years ago I was hoping this kid would progress and I secretly wished he'd become a Bill. I couldn't have a more different opinion of him now. I think, in effect, he's a taller JP Losman. He has all the physical tools and none of the intangibles. Frankly, I'd rather have a Fitz - or Dalton - or Ponder who lack in the skills department but have many more of the leadership qualities, including the ability to actually make your team better - pretty much a prerequisite for me in evaluating QBs. If we're going to take a flyer on an athletic QB, I hope it's on someone who showed stretches of accuracy as well as improvement (like Kaepernick). I too am intrigued by Mallett but character concerns leave him wanting. I trust Gailey to see which of these guys can translate athletic prowess and that stuff between the ears into being a good QB.

As was Brees ... terrible QB, no chance for success there. Obviously you'd like to pick the guy with tangibles as well as intangibles. but if you don't have smarts in the NFL, you have no chance. I'm not sold on Ponder either but risk/reward is better for him than the guys who run 4.5 forties and throw the ball 80 yards. From the same site ... Christian Ponder, Florida State Ponder was very accurate all throwing session. I was looking forward to watching Florida State QB Christian Ponder throw live Sunday at the NFL Combine and he did not fail to impress. Looking through the entire QB group I thought Ponder had the best day of all the signal callers. His arm looked plenty live enough to make all the throws, he was balanced in his drop, got the ball out quickly and was very accurate during the session. He showcased good ball location in the three step game, getting the ball out on time while allowing his receivers to consistently run through the throw. Ponder also showcased plenty of zip on his throws in the five step game and was capable of sticking the dig. The one area where he did struggle was on bucket throws when trying to toss the nine (fade), but he did a nice job later in the workout on the post-corner, dropping his first pass into the outstretched arms of the receiver. Ponder seems to be getting stronger and stronger the further he gets away from his injury-riddled senior season and with the improvements to his footwork, he's still the guy who I like the most in this quarterback class.

Here's what the NFL Post analysts added, however: Overall, I thought Washington QB Jake Lockerthrew the best of any quarterback in group one. He showcased good touch down the field, had a strong arm and spinned the football cleanly on all levels of the field. The only time he was a bit inconsistent with his accuracy was on the dig route where he not only had to take his five step drop from under center, but also get the ball out on time. Again, it seems like anytime Locker is asked to process any info into a route his accuracy runs cold. http://www.nationalf...consistent.html Accuracy in a vaccuum is what we had with Edwards. Processing information and translating that accuracy is a whole 'nother thing. I live out west and followed Locker's hype in the hope he might be a target of the Bills one day. The first criterion I'd use in choosing a QB is how good a leader he is and how quickly he can progress through his reads. I've come to realize that Locker is more like JP Losman than a Aaron Rodgers. Ponder is probably the most ready but I don't think he'd be better than Fitz ... perhaps in a couple years. I trust Mayock's judgment on Gabbert but think that's too risky a pick for a non-pro style QB at 3. I'd rather pick Kapernick or Ponder in Round 3 and focus on defense early.

Ya - he's thrown for 74 yards today. We should have picked him.