Lothar
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Posts posted by Lothar
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I'm usually more optimistic but consider me completely underwhelmed.
Fitzgerald - An awful choice for a backup QB. If anything we desperately need someone with experience who can help guide Edwards when he has his 3-4 defense panic attacks.
Florence - 6+million? For what? 15 games started, 3 passes defensed, 0 INTs. This seems like a Kelsay signing all over again - sign a mediocre backup to above average pay. Please, even the Jaguars considered him woeful this past year.
Hangardner - I actually like this move but not if we also lose Preston - we're back to zero depth and a questionable interior again.
I guess if we get Coles and Kendall or Walters and lock up Peters and Jackson, I'll see forward progress. But right now, net-net, we are treading water while our competition pulls further ahead.
I know as fans we generally over-value whoever we sign and that seems to be the case with these mostly 3rd tier free agents. My only solace now is Jauron can't survive another losing season but who knows what that outcome will bring in the future.
2010 or bust!
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Peppers has been stating he is frustrated playing in a 4-3 scheme and wants to move to a 3-4. If anything, I think the other teams in our division are far more likely to pursue him than we are.
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ugggh!
3:21 [Comment From Mark]
Derrick Dockery has had a lousy year in pass protection. How long was his contract?
3:22 Chris Brown: 7 years.
3:22 [Comment From Shaun]
Why didn't they run it?
3:22 Chris Brown: I don't know.
3:23 [Comment From thrasher77]
That was awful playcalling., Would that have come from Turk or Jauron?
3:23 Chris Brown: I've given up trying to guess
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one of the members of the Ambiguously Gay duo from the SNL skits - full of vigor and yet, completely clueless.
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did you watch the first 4 games? his play has done a complete 180 since the consussion
Actually it's because we've started playing flexible 3-4 defenses like everyone in our division. What I'm frustrated about is the reversion to obviousness with regard to running the ball - I mean you can see 9 pats up on the line every time we call a running play - I still want to see us run out of the spread formation cause the OL seems so limited in its skill right now.
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At the espn coaches poll site they had our Total D at #7 and our Total Offensive rank at #2. That was shocking. Anyone know offhand what those ranks were last year near the midway point of the season.
That is a significant turnaround anyway you cut it.
Was that a poll? Statistically here's what the numbers say:
Offense:
ppg - 10th
ypg - 17th
3rd down % - 15th
1st downs pg - 21st
t.o.poss. - 12th
Defense:
ppg - 10th
ypg - 10th
3rd down % - 4th
1st downs pg - 12th
Special Teams:
kickoffs net - 15th
punt net - 9th
kickoff ret - 13th
punt ret - 2nd
Overall, as Tim Graham says, we've become a very balanced team. And despite the huge production from ST in game 1, we've settled into the middle of the pack. By all rights we should be about a middle of the road to slightly better than average team. I think the other factors here are we are a very disciplined team (ranking 2nd in fewest penalties) and the fact that we have an emerging leader at QB who can win close games in the 4th quarter. We are by no means dominant but we are certainly evolving into one of the better teams in the league.
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Brevity sweetie; brevity.
Women have a reputation for talking too much. This does not make your gender look any better.
Ummm I don't think Pyrite Gal is a gal, Crayonz ... see Dik Smub
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Arizona has a solid D? Is your definition of solid "not being within six yards of a receiver, allowing a quarterback to throw six easy touchdown passes?" I'm not much into predictions...I don't know if the Cardinals are going to score 3 or 33, or if we're going to score 0 or 50. But I would not call their D solid either way.
Be careful - even with the debaucle against the Jets, I believe they're ranked 9th in ypg which is a pretty reasonable stat. I read interviews with one of the Cards corners saying that they were all trying to cover for each other when their strong safety went down - it looked like a complete mess with guys running wide open. I definitely don't think that game was typical. You look at their defensive roster and it's not bad - they have quality players all over the place (Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle as a backup CB, Dockett at DT) - personally I think the one advantage we have against most other teams we play against now is better coaching adjustments. We haven't had that since Wade was the DC here.
I believe this game could go either way and if Boldin plays, I don't think we match up without McGee. Otherwise, an away game against an explosive offense and an embarrased defense playing at home, I'll only like our chances if we somehow manage to stay within a FG at the start of the 4th.
Pass rush, pass rush, pass rush.
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The sun doesn't come out unless there's something to Monday Morning QB around here.
yes because posts that aren't only happy-happy-joy-joy after a win can really mess up an addled brain. Hey I loved the way we won but this was simply a comment on a poor performance by a perceived strength of the team. Lindell was certainly clutch at the end and had one good kickoff but not recognizing the overall failings in coverage and decision-making is vacuous.
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Perhaps this can be read as a positive thread about our offense and defense because it used to be the only way we win a game was dominating this aspect of the game. But I do think maybe all that "we have the best special teams unit" talk went to the heads of the young kids. We got severely outplayed in the Raider game and maybe came close to even at best against Jacksonville. I love Bobby April but this was really a poor performance all the way around, from coverage to penalties to decision making. Especially since field position dictated the whole tone of the first half. I had thought Moorman was the AFC's best punter in years past but perhaps I really haven't given Lechler as much credit as he deserves. And while I love the way Lindell handles pressure, the fat one is probably a better kicker overall.
Against the more formidable teams in the league, we're gonna need this unit's A game.
It's been a long time since I've said we won a game despite our special teams performance so I'll take it as a glass half full sign.
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Lost in the haze of winning our first three games is the huge turnaround on 3rd down defense. Look up nfl.com stats and you'll see us at 18% which is a wee bit better than the Ravens. Admittedly we haven't played an injury-free passing powerhouse yet, but going from 50%+ whatever to where we lead the league is pretty telling. I'm thinking the 3-headed monster of Stroud, Mitchell and Poz seem the biggest reason for allowing our secondary to actually showcase their talents.
As an aside, it figures as soon as I credit Ko for not giving up a long pass in his time as a Bill, we give up a big play to the Raiders - though this was less of a long pass than a catch and run with a breakdown in coverage, not sure who was at fault on that one.
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I only bring this topic up because he's been bashed in the past by some of the more astute minds on this board. But when I think back to his rookie season where he was ordained the starter at free safety, I remember one stat that stood out to me in a mediocre year was the Bills gave up the fewest long passes in the league (not sure what qualified as a long pass - may be 30+ yards or something similar.) And I do remember that Ko was never beaten deep. I think with a more aggressive pass rush and Whitner's progression, you'll see either the same fear of throwing deep or more interceptions by Simpson. I'm sure as we start playing against better receivers, we'll find out if this same stat holds but I'm putting my money on Ko - except when we play Moss, but now there's no Brady so who knows?
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Senior editor over on the Jaguars.com site was asked about Edwards and this was his response:
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Fred from Buffalo, NY
What do you think of Trent Edwards as a quarterback?
Vic: I was wildly impressed. His pocket presence is fantastic. I saw some Tom Brady in him. The Bills may be on the verge of an extended run of good football.
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How can you help but smile?
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Beautiful city, wonderful music festival (Bumbershoot) but I did make time to catch the Hawk pre-season finale last week. Interesting to see the local TV announcers play down the Bills as the Hawks first opponent - something to the effect of "we're lucky to be playing the Bills in week 1 - they finished 31st in offense and 31st in defense last year." Umm ok. I know we all put homerville glasses on when we praise the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of our team but sheesh, that's just lazy reporting to not know what's transpired in the offseason or look at records.
My analysis of this matchup:
When Seahawks have the ball
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Their offense is pretty beat up. Both in terms of the QB and wideouts. Hasselback is a smart and savvy QB but he's been hurting for three works with a back issue. He did start practicing today so he will be playing, albeit rusty, on Sunday. Their RB situation has gone from a strength to a liability - Julius Jones, TJ Duckett and Maurice Morris are an adequate group but clearly not among the elite. In fact, the smallish Justin Forsett may be the best of the bunch based on preseason outings. They have a corps of uber-young wideouts who performed well in preseason but it remains to be seen just how they adapt to real bullets flying. Nate Burleson (good special teamer, mediocre receiver), Courtney Taylor and Ben Obamanu are the top three wideouts and I don't see them posing huge problems for our own revamped secondary. That said, their short passing game is the bread and butter of the WCO and Holmgren's tweak off it is to use the tight end down the middle more often. However, the TEs on their roster currently are really no better than the ones we have (rookie Carlson appears to have beat out Putzier for the starter's role) so it's hard to see them being a huge threat right now.
In Buffalo, their inexperienced wideouts and Hasselback's rust combined with the crowd noise WILL result in at least a couple turnovers.
When Bills have the ball
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The Hawks return all eleven starters from a solid defense. They fit the adage attributed to earlier Sabres teams, however, in that they play Ruff at home and Lindy on the road - all due respect, I do love our Sabres. They nearly set the franchise record for giving up the fewest points in their history last year. Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp and their first rounder from USC make for a formidable group of defensive ends. But the strength of the Hawk defense is now their linebacking corps - Lofa Totupu and Julian Peterson as well as an up and comer in Leroy Hill on the other side. Their starting DT just got suspended for the first game so there will be holes to be had in the middle of their line. Given these issues, it does seem to me that we should pound them as much as possible to get into manageable 3rd down situations. Trufant is a good corner but RCB Jennings is definitely the weak link of a strong secondary. Deion Grant and Brian Russell are solid, if not spectacular.
Edwards' own lack of playing time in the preseason combined with Peters' absence will make scoring on this defense tougher than we might expect. Again, though, opening at home against a banged up team may be all that's needed to score 2 touchdowns and a couple of field goals.
In the main, I really do like the matchup of our defense against their offense. Plus I believe our special teams will have a couple nice surprises for the opener. Early turnovers from our D and this could become what we all want for an opener. But our own issues on offense will make this closer than it should. I think Buffalo wins 23-13.
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"meager $3.5m exclusion", $7m for married couples. I love that... meager $3.5m. What's a multi-millionaire to do? Put the inheritance tax up for a referendum vote like gay marriage. I'm sure the average guy has a lot of sympathy.
Bingo! But call it a death tax and see the masses flock to repeal it.
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I just don't understand (or care to) death tax. It is blantan robbery.
This is what happens when Frank Luntz and his crew of wordscribes gets a hold of ways to manipulate the masses. Most people were in favor of the 'inheritance' tax because they ascribed to the theory that if you earn your money, you should be able to keep it and do with it as you will. However, keeping money 'in the family' from one generation to another - so to speak - is a sure fire way to build an aristocratic elite. This particular tax truly only affects a small segment of the very richest of society.
Just as Luntz and his crew got labels changed to present "healthy forest" and "blue sky" initiatives because he realized most Americans can't be bothered with understanding details of important legislation (as both pieces of the afore-mentioned initiatives were simply used to defile the environment), just give it a nice title and people will follow like sheep. It is interesting that Madison himself wrote that one of his greatest fears was the growth of a more direct democracy were people would be misled into doing what was not in their best interest.
Sorry, I didn't want this to devolve into a political rant (I've already seen the "open-mindedness" of folks in that section of TBD), simply wanted to point out that most Americans were in favor of an inheritance tax - but once the name changed to something more ominous like 'death tax', the majority of the populace screamed foul and wanted it repealed.
Are we not lemmings?
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I'm confused here - is this an attempt to make money off us? It seems as though PFC only comes over to mention a live or archived interview with a Bills related player / coach / alumni. That doesn't seem equivalent to selling memorabilia or pimping a book or even a fanblog. If Scott sees it otherwise, I would defer to him since this is his website. However, in my opinion, this seems well within the bounds of Stadium Wall propreity - perhaps the solution might be a link off the Bills Daily partner site?
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How about a million buck bonus for 10 sacks.....should be motivation enough.
Maybe I should have re-phrased the discussion. I hope his attitude and coachability will improve now that he will be getting a paycheck.
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I assume this means he has no further military obligation, and will be able to start his football career immediately? Wonder how that works? I always thought the Army players would have to fulfill a 2-4 year military commitment after graduation from the academy??
GO BILLS!
I think his military job is to serve as a recruiter (according to radio reports)
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I've heard some draftniks say that Ellis will be a good player when he understands he's not as good as he thinks he is.
Plus his motivation isn't necessarily on "playing a game that he loves" (which may just be a cliche anyway for these millionaires-to-be.)
Here are some interesting comments from a local newspaper article:
Even as a senior, a football paycheck was never far from his mind. He sometimes wore a T-shirt depicting an X-ray of a man's head with dollar bills floating around inside it -- a visual representation of the phrase "money on my mind."
Ellis was surprised the Bills picked him because they didn't seem to show much more interest than the 20 or so other teams he met with at the combine. When the Bills called his cell phone yesterday to tell him they wanted to select him, it marked his official transition from a college career in which Tech's coaches sometimes hoped he would change his attitude, something the unapologetic Ellis resisted.
"It's not that I don't want to change, because I plan on changing," he said in the fall. "I plan on changing my bank account."
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Checked out Fine's combine results compared to other TEs (for clues about selection):
5th strongest - according to reps
fastest in 3 cone drill
2nd fastest in 20 yard shuttle
Seems to have quick twitch but not very fast - short yardage option
It does seem as though Kellen Davis must have some serious issues that haven't come out.
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Any guesses on who we will pick?
I'm guessing Kellen Davis or Martin Rucker ... we need TE about now
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Man, Connor still out there. Can't believe that.
I know there's a lot of Nittany Lion fans out there but I've seen him ranked as a 3rd or 4th rounder by the War Room and other places. Frankly we have much bigger needs. Now if he drops into the end of the 4th ...
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I like the PFW review of the Hardy pick:
After landing the draft's top corner in the first round, the Bills were able to find another big receiver other than Devin Thomas to take some attention away from Lee Evans and open up the offense for Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch. Hardy would have been a Pittsburgh Steeler and the first receiver drafted had Rashard Mendenhall been off the board. He could be a dominant red zone player and create mismatches with his tremendous size.
Its Starting to Look Like
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
15 games played - couldn't crack the starting lineup for a somewhat depleted Jags secondary - plus locker room problems from paying someone too much who was essentially a backup ... gee, you think that might happen here?
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/jaguars/2009-02-11-porter-cut_N.htm?csp=34
The Jacksonville Jaguars essentially acknowledged two failed free agent acquisitions Wednesday by releasing receiver Jerry Porter and cornerback Drayton Florence. The Jaguars paid more than $23 million for Porter and Florence to step into starting roles last year, but both failed to make an impact on the field and may have been even less impressive in the locker room. Teammates privately blamed them for chemistry issues that plagued Jacksonville (5-11) all season.
"In going through our personnel evaluations and roster analysis we are making decisions that we believe will help improve our team for the 2009 season and beyond," Jaguars general manager Gene Smith said.
Florence signed a six-year, $36 million deal with about $12 million guaranteed. He also got $1 million in salary last season, but couldn't win a starting job. He spent most of the season playing in nickel and dime situations, and giving that much money to a backup raised eyebrows around the locker room.
"Obviously, I endorsed them or we wouldn't have done them, so I'm not going to go back and second guess what was done," team owner Wayne Weaver said last month. "We just have to learn from our mistakes and move on."
Weaver parted ways with personnel chief James "Shack" Harris in December, partly because of the two failed free agent signings. Cutting them will save the club about $8.3 million in salary in 2009. Florence was scheduled to make $1.9 million in base salary with a $2.5 million roster bonus. Porter was due to make $1.9 million in base salary with a $2 million roster bonus.