pafan

Because they had a second WR in Crabtree this year. He stole a ton of targets from Davis. They were never going to target Vernon on every play when they had a combination of Crab, Stevie, Manningham and Randy Moss on the field over the past few years - while also feeding Boldin, and occasionally utilizing the 2nd TE/RB/FB in the passing game. Only so many balls to go around...

And while that experience isn't Buffalo, it isn't a bad thing. I've never gone to a Browns game but my wife and I go to quite a few Cavs games and we absolutely LOVE gameday. The area surrounding the Q is electric in the hours leading to tipoff. There are great opportunities to socialize when barhopping. The area is packed with people who aren't even going to the game (so the bars & restaurants stay busy after tipoff and well past the end of the game) and in our experience you end up talking to a more diverse crowd of people than you do at a Bills tailgate because you're just ponying up next to someone at a bar & not infringing on their personal property (or "private" party as a lot of tailgaters treat their area). I understand that going to this setup would ruin a lot of traditions, it would take a lot of adjustment for some people, and it's definitely not what most Bills fans want. In the end I think people would have just as much fun, though.

I would love it if Tottenham was at White Hart Lane the Saturday before or after! My trip would be organized around that with being able to cheer on the Bills as an added bonus... If, of course, my wife and I are making the journey.

Dang. I was hoping tickets wouldn't go on sale until more travel options were available. A lot of airlines won't sell tickets this far in advance so there's no opportunity to shop around, and I'm not paying a premium for an agent to book a trip.

Cart before the horse. We don't have an o-line.

I thought it was Buddy Nix. It's the perfect job for either of them.

Great post! I've always enjoyed reading your insights, Bill. 1. Next year is it for EJ. Let him chuck the ball around, put no restrictions on playcalling, and figure out what you have in him. We've been treading water with him for two years, partly due to injuries and partly due to Marrone's stubborn attitude. We need to bring somebody in who will pump EJ up with positive vibes and happily let him go out there and THROW THE BALL. Granted, this doesn't need to be in-game; if during camp and practice he isn't good enough, we need to be done with him. 2. Brandon does need to move on. I appreciate what he did with marketing and handling the transition from RWS to TMP but I don't believe for an instant that any other competent business-person would have done differently. I was raised to value family and respecting the old guard but, in my opinion, Russ has the stink of too many losing seasons on him. Due diligence in the hiring of his replacement will get us somebody just as qualified. Russ should move on to the league office which is where it looks like his career is headed. 3. I love Fred and I want him to retire here, but yes, he's carried the rushing load for too long and it's showing. God, I love the guy though. He has the heart of a warrior and he is EXACTLY the type of Bill that we need. I agree about Yeldon but I think as of right now we need to be in the late 30s-to-early 40s to get him. 4. I'm not a Whaley ass-kisser but I think he earned his spot here and I think he needs more time. It's been too short, and obviously things were hampered with Brandon in the building and a confrontational relationship with Marrone. Something that not a lot of people bring up anymore - although there was talk about it after the draft - is that maybe Whaley jumped for Sammy because Sammy wanted to be here or, equally as important, the other WRs didn't want to be here. I understand the desire to have a cornerstone, #1 WR and Sammy is definitely that. Yeah, we don't have a QB but QBs haven't been falling into our lap, either. 5. Agreed about Gilmore. 6. I would like to keep Hughes. I think it's important because Kyle W. isn't long for this team. I said at the end of last season that we needed a 12 month plan to find a replacement for him. If Stefan Charles is it - and he might be - we still need to find someone else for reliable depth. Either way, we can't sleep on our d-line. 7. Agreed about Searcy. 8. I love the big-play threat that CJ provides but we need a back who can block. Get me a guy who's not as flashy but rather an all-around talent and I'll be so, so much happier than I am with CJ. 9. My biggest desire is to find a guy who's willing to work under Whaley since he's already here and established, and who is okay with having strong coordinators - not yes men - under him. We have a unique opportunity to get a younger guy who can grow and really build a great foundation here, but at the same time we need to consider established coaches because we have talent on the roster today. It's not an easy situation, and it's part of the reason why I was okay with Marrone staying (but cutting ties with Hackett) until Marrone up and punted. 10. We do need Guards. Part of what bothers me is I think we're still two good offseasons away from having an offense that isn't a detriment to the team. 11. I'm not a GD fan, sorry! 12. I am not interested in Cutler at all. Every year people gush over his talent but he never does anything with it... And, I don't think that Mallet's one game against Cleveland is enough for anyone here to get too excited about him. The fact of the matter is, and I hate to say it because it's disappointing, I don't see a reasonable option at QB available to us. There are no potential free agents who I think could step in and get us deep into the playoffs, and there are no sure-thing QBs in the draft outside of Mariota who's almost assuredly going to Tampa. 13. Amen!

Marrone didn't put the defense together. They were pre-Whaley holdovers and guys brought in during the Whaley/Marrone experiment. They also performed better under Schwartz, this was the best defense in a decade. Marrone + Hackett didn't perform miracles with the offense. They absolutely proved that they could not get ANY offensive players to play above themselves, in many cases they showed that they actually allowed players to regress, and they failed at installing anything innovative which was a stated goal of the regime. They refused to gameplan for what we had on the field. Square peg, round hole. More than one 4th down call was questionable this season. Marrone had little feel for momentum. There were way too many times over the past 2 seasons where I - a self-described dunce who didn't even play high school ball - called the Bills offense before the snap. Imagine what paid, trained, eat-sleep-and-breath NFL-quality coaching opponents were able to predict. The media and fans didn't dislike him because he was dour, sour or at times astringent. They disliked him because he never held himself accountable for the team's failures. We're seeing it now on a much bigger stage. The Syracuse thing IS tiring. "St. Doug" is one of the most ridiculous things a person in his position should ever spew out publicly. He took a mediocre college team and allowed them to be mediocre. He doesn't deserve negative press for his time there but he certainly doesn't deserve praise. This team, these fans and the players didn't let him down. That's absurd. Here's the thing: I can find positives in his time here. He was tough on the players, something that was missing in previous regimes. I think he could be a motivator. I felt that he earned more years here and hoped that his faults - which all coaches have - would balance out. I wasn't against him staying and building on this season. But... If he wouldn't work with Whaley, if he refused to acknowledge deficiencies on the offense and give up control of it instead of forcing his vision, if he was going to grab for more power when he hasn't earned that right, and if he didn't hold his staff as accountable as he did the players, I'm glad he's gone. Leaving the team how he did shows that he isn't able to hold himself to the standards he expected of others, and that isn't a predictor of long-term success.

Totally on board with hiring Hue provided he a) clicks with Whaley & can operate within a clear chain of command and b) strong coordinators/leadership are brought in under him. As Coach Tuesday mentioned above, Hue isn't without fault - his power grab in Oakland left a bit of an off taste in my mouth.

St. Doug quit on this team well before it was announced yesterday. He quit when he refused to adapt his offensive philosophies to fit the players on the team. His way failed. I will forever remember the 2014 season as the year we had a Super Bowl-capable defense and an offense that was never coached to succeed. Good riddance.

I expect the most amazing football game of my adult life - win or lose. Tomorrow morning can't get here quickly enough, I absolutely cannot wait to be a part of this.

As pumped as I am about a divisional foe matchup, I am more pumped just to be in the stadium where, for the first time in 20 years, there will be no threat of a possible move to LA or Toronto. Whatever the scoreboard says at the end is secondary - this game will be a total win for Buffalo. I'm on board for the Pegula Party!

I'm excited to see this in person. I'll be driving by to check it out the weekend of the 4th since I'll be up there for the horse races.

I give that location a thumbs down since it'll interfere with me getting to Redlinski's.

1) There were some strong rumors that the Steelers wanted Fuller. He wasn't a reach at 8, especially considering that you're locking him up for a few years instead of a division rival doing so. There was also a chance that the Lions were going to take him. 2) Maybe the Jags were asking for a bit too much. But, with Bortles on the board, how do you know that Cleveland, Oakland or Minnesota wouldn't take him? 3) I don't like the prospects of having to deal with Pryor twice a year. I think the Dolphins reached a bit for the OT. The Patriots did what they do, taking a big boom or bust prospect. They thrive on guys with upside, and taking chances on those guys. Easley could be a very disruptive force if he can overcome his injuries.

You don't win guessing games by being safe, so here's my splash pick: We send Stevie home, with pick #9, and take Evans at #5. Oakland takes Ebron or Martin at #9.

Why? He's the most versatile lineman (a position of need) out of the Top 4 at that position, and the media is finally realizing that he's been high on actual draft boards - you know, the ones that count. If Mayock gets the first 8 picks right (not likely), who would you rather take out of the guys left on the board?

I predict that unless something crazy happens and one of their can't miss picks falls to 9, they do their best to move back to the 12-18 range... They brought in quite a few prospects that could land in that area, as well as guys who I think will be sprinkled throughout the 2nd round, so they know what they want to do with the extra ammunition that would come with a trade.

Not to make light of your post, and realizing that this contributes nothing to the conversation you're attempting to start, but I propose bringing the Clips back to Buffalo and letting one interest own both the Braves and the Bills... It's their destiny to make Buffalo whole again!

Unlike others here I don't think 38 QBs are going in the first 8 picks; realistically we're probably looking at Clowney, Mack, Watkins, Evans, Bortles, Matthews, Lewan and Robinson being taken before the Bills are up. If the organization has targeted one of those guys they need to be drafting before pick 9, but I don't think that's in the cards (for reasons I'll state further down). If not, they're sort of left with the "second tier" as far as the first round goes: Barr, Gilbert, Shazier, Donald, Clinton-Dix, Ebron, Beckham, Pryor, Mosley, Lee, Roby, Martin and Cooks. Five of those guys were at OBD on visits, so the Bills have done their homework and a) have their choice of this group or b) have the option to move back through the early 20s while still getting one of them. I'm liking a lot of the prospects in the next group of probably 25 picks or so, which I won't list here to save space. Many have been in Buffalo for visits, too... And that leads me to believe they aren't interested in trading up. Giving up a pick in the 25-40 range, when so many of those guys came in for visits, seems like really poor planning and a waste of efforts.

Bingo!

The smart thing, with Cordy's blessing, would be to do nothing but show interest in the Top 3 Tackles... Telegraph that that's the pick you're going to make so that nobody jumps in front of us to grab Evans. Given Minnesota's needs, I can see them happily dropping back a few and still getting one of their targets. The Titans, Giants and Rams all have to be viewing Evans as who they want & realistically can get out of the first round.

RIP Mr. Wilson. My condolences to your family. Thank you for giving my family - despite now being spread across the US - one reminder every Sunday of where we came from, and something for us to be prideful of. I am eternally grateful.

Even though they're a smidge farther away from me than the Steelers (who I could never, ever, EVER watch, let alone root for) and because they share a front-row seat, just like the Bills, to the toilet bowl that is Lake Erie, I have a soft spot for the Browns. It doesn't hurt that the fan base is very relatable, what with years of terrible play and less than stellar management. If the Bills ever pulled an Irsay and left in the middle of the night, I think it would be an easy transition to watching Browns games. I couldn't just up and stop watching football, and I would need someone to root for... At least I wouldn't be jumping to a popular team.