ax4782

Wow. For a guy who had so much talent playing in college and at the start of his pro career, this is one of the best examples of a person making terrible life choices. I watched the guy play football at NC State, where I also went to school, and he was amazing. The two years that he and Torry Holt played together, there was a lot of talent on that team. Both should have turned into top caliber WRs in the NFL. Unfortunately, only one of them has.

Josh Reed is not a number four receiver. That's where everyone gets it wrong. The guy played really well for us last season playing a role that he is not necessarily suited for; the number two receiver. He showed good hands and physical skills last year. Reed is the #3 guy this year and will be lining up in the slot where he is most comfortable. If any of the starting three were to be cut this offseason, it would be Parrish, IMO. He is expendable on PK as we now have McKelvin who is extremely dangerous, and with our focus on getting bigger and faster at WR, Parrish is the smallest and shortest member of that group. Plus, I think his contract is up at the end of the season and he is an old TD choice. As for Johnson he looked good in camp and I think he has a good shot at making the team as the #4 or #5 guy so long as he can play a bit of special teams. Buffalo's WRs are going to be pretty good this year and may help this team make a surprise run.

No response? I'm shocked.

Thanks. I find civility tends to lead to improved communication on issues, much more so than name calling and personal insults.

I'll again try to respond to your comments without resorting to name calling. Actually, the Bills did have a decent finish last season. I'm not going to defend SF's playcalling and I never said that Jauron was perfect. I said I thought he has done a good job. Not getting rid of SF when it was clear that he wasn't getting the job done. That being said, there could have been a lot of reasons for why SF wasn't dismissed during the season that aren't so easily articulable. I think you should go back and actually look at the statement that I made. I suppose that is why you have failed to actually cite to it when making your statements. I said that when players do not perform, they should be held accountable. Thus, if JP did not perform he should be held accountable for his failures. When any player does not perform, they should be held accountable. I never said, or even suggested that the defense was in any way responsible for the failings of the offense, or vice versa during last season. Players and coaches should be held responsible for what their failings, but most of the things that you have cited are much more clearly attributable to persons other than the HC. He has not been perfect, but he has the team on the right track. He deserves his chance with this team that he and the FO have put together. At least give him that chance. I get excited about every win, just like any Bills fan whether it's over a team that we should beat or those that we upset. The fact is, the first sign that a team is improving is when they start winning the games they're supposed to win. You can't beat the other teams on a consistent basis until you consistently beat the teams you are supposed to. I don't think that statement is anything but obvious. I'm glad to see that you spelled you insult correctly this time. However, your use of proper grammar while making such an insult could use some improvement.

I believe he was suggesting that the Cheatriots knew what our Defense was going to do in all of their sets on the field, not the offense. Still, the fact is that taping signals from anywhere on the field is illegal and it starts to get even worse considering we now know that they were taping playoff games.

While I won't resort to childish tactics and attempt to insult your intelligence, I will try and respond to your "substantive" points in a civil manner. What you have clearly failed to understand is that SF was on his way out. He resigned to take a job at CSU. The reason he had to leave was because he knew if he didn't he was going to be fired. That was because the organization realized that he was not what they thought he was. Sometimes resigning means fired. Something that any person who watches the news with any regularity can understand. Fairchild wasn't "fired" but he ended up gone, which in the long run is better for everyone involved. The team benefited from him being gone because he was responsible or a lot of the problems on the offensive side of the ball. And clearly, you didn't read what I posted. I said that when players underperform they should be held responsible. You may be able to stretch that to mean that the defense is somehow responsible for the failures of the offense, but a much more reasonable interpretation, and the one I intended is that when an individual underperforms, he should be responsible for what he does on the field. Again, Poz was on injured reserve all last season, a fact of which you must be aware, and thus cannot be held responsible for his play on the field. Like I said, the team played well above the level that anyone could have expected with twelve players on injured reserves and PS players in key positions on defense. In the Dallas game, Jauron did what you argue he fails to do, that being taking risks. Inside the Dallas redzone, when they had a sure opportunity to add another three points (which would eventually have provided the margin of victory had they made such a decision). Instead, Jauron chose to try and put the game away for good and ordered a passing play to Evans. Edwards didn't make the best of throws, and rather than making an effort to go for the ball, he watched Terrence Newman grab the INT. Notice that you were the one who was mistaken in your post citing the Jests and Phins games as low points or bad points for us during the season. Yet, we won all four of those games. Good teams have to start by beating the teams that they are supposed to beat, not just teams they aren't. You can't expect a new coach to turn a team around from what Mularkey left to a playoff team in two years with the players that existed on the roster. Anyone who thought that any coach was going to do that clearly doesn't understand the NFL and how the league functions. Also note, that teams have to show that they can compete with the best teams in the league before they can expect to beat them. Buffalo was competitive in almost every game last year, excepting the Patriots games. Cleveland didn't exactly spank us and the game was played in a blizzard. Not exactly the conditions I would have wanted to play in for such a pivotal game. Lastly, if you want to insult someone by calling them a MORON, try spelling it correctly. I am not a dark shade of red known as MAROON. Nor would that in some way even be an insulting statement, unless you have some problems with the darker shades of color in the reddish hues. Yet, that being said, I was able to read your INTENT clearly, something that you seemed to have missed in my post. Either way, discussion boards are a better place for everyone when we can have a civil conversation and not resort to name calling. I may not have stated my position as clearly as I should have, but that is no reason for you to resort to personal attacks against a person you do not know over a subject about which there is clearly room for disagreement.

Perhaps you need to check YOUR memory there pall. Buffalo WON all four of those games, including one game against the Jets on a great last minute drive that set up a game winning field goal. As for holding Poz responsible for anything that occured during last season, that would be stupid. He was on IR the whole season, if you'll recall. And furthermore, no one was suggesting that defensive players should be held responsible for anyone's mistakes but their own, and vice versa for offensive players. My point was, you want to blame the HC for everything that could possibly go wrong during a game or during the season without taking any factors known as reality into account. I never said the Jauron was the best coach ever, or that he didn't make mistakes. I just think people need to consider the reality of the situation rather than closing it off from what fits conveniently into their own world of whine.

No, players are held accountable when they don't play up to expectations and don't execute the offense. The problem is that coaches don't execute the plays. They call the plays. And many times they don't do that. For example, SF was in charge of the offensive play calling last year, not DJ. He was held accountable when he was fired. The fact is, the players we had last year did a heck of a job considering for lengthy parts of the season we had PS players starting on D. The fact that they played so hard as the season progressed I think demonstrates how good of a job DJ was able to do last year.

His numbers that year were 19-14 and about 2600 yds, but they didn't come close to winning ten games. His stats were very deceiving. There would be no comparison. If Buffalo wins ten games this year and he has a 3000yd+ season, he will be signed long term, particularly if they make the playoffs. Keep in mind, he was a rookie last year playing on a five year contract. No need to rush to judgment.

Yes, because there is no other reality beyond wins and losses. Circumstances off and on the field that are out of a person's control, like injuries, don't have any impact on a teams ability to win or lose. I guess when Belicheat was in Cleveland sucking it up on the football field his first time around as a coach, he should have been thrown out of the league. When Marv was losing all those games in KC, Buffalo should have only paid attention to his win loss record and never considered the other parts of his ability to coach that made him great. Many of the qualities that Marv had, I see in Jauron. He had horrendous teams in Chicago, and yet he still managed to go 13-3. I like how when a coach people don't like has a good season, it must have been done by smoke and mirrors, because there's no way it could have been a good coaching job. No way Chicago's 8-0 record that year in games where the differential was 7 points or less could have had anything to do with the coaching job. But hey, it's his fault when a team with 12 starters on IR can't win 12 games. Those injuries have nothing to do with whether the Bills win or lose, right? Give me a break.

Is hockey stupid?

Yeah, but I know it wasn't because of Josh Reed's play. He had solid numbers for a number three receiver last year, and he has played out of his natural position for almost his entire time in Buffalo. Just to point out, perhaps everyone here forgot how many clutch plays he had for his team last season, including that monster catch over the middle that set up a winning field goal. Sorry, but Josh Reed has nothing to do with why this team has been below average over the past couple years at WR.

Yet again it looks like our FO was right. Fine is working hard in the OTAs and is making a solid impression blocking and catching the ball. Looks like Davis is another typical Dan Snyder "Me" player.

Sounds like the FO made another good selection taking Hardy over Kelly. Along with the injury issues, this guy sounds like a premadonna who is only interested in what's good for him rather than the team. Should fit in on a Dan Snyder football team pretty well.

No way Josh Reed gets cut from this team. He had a solid year last year and he has three years left on his contract extension. Also, he will be able to play in the slot, the position to which he is much more naturally suited. Reed will play very well, and could be the surprise of the year in terms of veterans.

Actually, yes. That is the point. Jauron has never been a coach in a stable situation where he has a QB and an offense that he can trust. Point to one instance last season where there was any stability at the QB position. You won't. You had a veteran who had proven that he couldn't get the job done and a rookie. Which one would you trust to unleast that vicious passing attack? I choose neither and stick to a conservative philosophy that at least gives us a chance to stay in and win games. No, it wasn't pretty, but we were competitive with a lot of injuries and a lot of rookie talent. Keep in mind, Jauron wasn't making the offensive play calls. The inept Steve Fairchild was. So to suggest that the failure to take risks is all on Jauron is completely inaccurate. As for risks, I would direct you to the Dallas game that you seem to use as the bastion call for why Jauron is a bad coach. They took a number of risks on offense in that game, the players failed to execute and we lost. The best example, was on first an nine they called a pass to Evans in the endzone. The ball was not well thrown, but Evans had a shot at it. Instead of going for the ball he stood there and made no effort to get to it. Instead he watched Terrence Newman come down with pick and start back the other way. That was execution. It was a gutsy call when we were ahead 24-13, but he did take the risk. Keep in mind, we probably would have won the Denver game had it not been for poor offensive execution. And to say he won't throw long is ridiculous. I seem to recall a 70 yard pass play called in the Fourth Quarter of the Jests game last year that put the game away 13-3. To say that they won't call that play is ludicrous. And that they never take risks is ludicrous. When you have a young team with a rookie quarterback, the SMART coaching move is to be a bit more conservative. The funny thing is, this year they have all stated that there will be a greater reliance on the passing game and that they have a settled QB situation that is not going to change barring injury. If Buffalo wins 10 games and makes the playoffs this whole conversation will be nothing but vapor anyway. But until then, give the guy a shot to do something with the team he and the FO have so painstakingly put back together.

Point taken. I can admit that I made a mistake there. I recalled that he appeared in 16 games, but I didn't think he had started all 16 games. Either way, that doesn't change my point, which you adequately pointed out. Thanks for the correction.

Gandy and Schlegal are worth a look. Chris Leak was overrated going into college and it showed. He was not very good at Florida, and he won't be any good for us. Byrd was actually seen stabbing or trying to stab someone with a broken beer bottle. I believe that destroys him in the character department, even if the Bills would have been inclined to take a look at him.

I'm assuming this is sarcasm, however if it isn't you clearly haven't been watching any of Hardy's game film from Indiana. The guy got great separation from some of the top corners in the Big Ten, including burning Justin King from PSU for big yards. Also, Hardy runs great routes, particularly over the middle and has great hands. He also will GO UP FOR THE BALL in the endzone, something our current receivers have a lot of trouble doing. (See Lee Evans NOT even trying for a jump ball pass that was intercepted in front of him in the Dallas game last year). He also doesn't play slow. He looks slower than he moves because of his size and stride length. Like I said, I'm assuming your post was sarcastic, but felt the need to respond in the event that you were actually being serious. It's hard to tell on this board sometimes.

You didn't have to say that you disliked Jauron, because it was clear from your posts and your attitude that you hated him. And since you ducked the question, which was clearly asking why YOU, yes you, disliked him, you have confirmed the answer. The questions weren't hard or unclear, you just didn't want to answer them, so I'll pose them to you again. The second question too which you responded "hunh?" was contingent on the first. Do you not like him because he isn't a Parcels "in your face" kind of coach whose players don't like him? Easy enough to answer. As for the defense. Kyle Williams was NOT a starter. The only starters that were playing on D for most of the season were Schobel, Triplett, Kelsay, Whitner, Crowell. McGee was out for a total of four weeks last season with injuries too, IIRC. Whitner was also out for either three or four weeks as well. Kelsay was also out for a number of weeks, which is why Ryan Neill had to play. The only starters on defense that played every game last year were: Aaron Schobel Larry Triplett Angelo Crowell Players who replaced injuries in the secondary were: George Wilson (PS) Jon Corto (PS) John DiGiorgio (UDFA) John Wendling (PS) Ryan Neill (PS) Corey Mace (PS) There were others who came in only for a short time, but these four got significant playing time in the secondary. Such was the reason that our pass D was ranked 30th last year. Neill and Mace were called up while Kelsay, Denney, Al Wallace and Hargrove were out, leaving us with Schobel and Jason Jefferson as outside pass rushers. Thus, for a number of games, the MAJORITY of the defense were either UDFAs or PS players. I'm not saying they played poorly. They did not. They played admirably and kept the team in the playoff hunt, but some of that credit has to go to Jauron. He got all those players, who came in due to injury and were basically new to the system, and got them to play as a TEAM. That's how good teams win in the NFL. They all have some talent, but they play as a team and that is what Jauron has been able to do. He has been a good coach for this team and I have enjoyed watching them play under him. Much moreso than under Williams or Mularkey. Give him a real chance.

I hate jumping into these sorts of frackuses but on this one I'm going to. Everything that happened in Chicago is in the past. None of the QBs he had were good. Chandler was old enough to remember when Dinosaurs roamed the earth at the time he was playing in Chicago, and just because he played in a Super Bowl doesn't mean he was a great NFL QB. No one would say that Trent Dilfer was a great NFL QB and he won a Super Bowl, so try to keep your reality goggles on for just a moment. Grossman has been extremely inconsistent and was only a rookie in Jauron's last season as a coach. To say that the world should have been expected of Grossman at that time was ludicrous. Also, during his tenure, his QBs were getting hurt relatively more frequently than one would expect and none of those QBs was anything more than mediocre. He was not in charge of player personnel. He may have decided who plays, but he didn't control who they brought in in FA and in the draft. Also, Jauron proved he can be an exceptional coach in Chicago. In 2001, the team went 8-0 in games decided by 7 points or less. That requires good coaching and good defense. Now, looking at the present, let's see what Jauron has done. In his two years at the helm, the Bills have been a much better football team. Compared with Williams and Mularkey, Jauron is a fantastic coach. He gets his players to play hard every down and on a team that had 12 players each of whom had astared a game last year, we were still in the playoff hunt to the bitter end of the season. If Jauron was the one in charge of personnel here, he has done a heck of a job. However, he isn't. He's just the coach, just like he was in Chicago, and this year, if he can get the players to play at the same level that they did last year, Buffalo wins ten games and goes to the playoffs. You may not like the Jauron for your own personal reasons. So far you haven't made those clear. But using history from a completely different team in a completely different situation to say that Jauron is a bad coach now is a bit ridiculous. Norv Turner was a terrible coach for Oakland and Washington, but he did a pretty good job last year in San Diego. Maybe that has something to do with the players on those teams when Turner was the coach? But, I guess that's his fault anyway, right? So here's a few questions for you that maybe will clear some things up. What's the real reason you dislike Jauron? Because he doesn't play mind games like Parcells, and make all the players hate his guts? What did he do so poorly last season with half a defense filled with PS players while still winning 7 games? Will you say the same thing at the end of the season if Buffalo wins ten games? Eleven? Twelve? What if Buffalo makes the playoffs, will he still be a bad coach? What if they win the division? Go to the AFC Championship? Win the Super Bowl? Would you still say the same thing then? If so, hey, congratulations, you're a person of conviction. You have your beliefs and you stick to them. If not, you're a band wagon fan who will love Jauron when he's up and hate him when he's down. I guess that's all right to, but consistency counts for something. Perhaps if we all felt the way you do about Jauron we'd be Jets fans?

Agreed. The kid hasn't really had much of a chance to show if he's got the talent we expected. The last three games of last season he was starting to play well and had a really nice interception of McNabb that kept us in the game when Philly was driving. He could turn out to be pretty good at the position , and could be our fourth corner this year, a position that has needed a decent player on this team for a long time.

Right on. I also thought they would target a multifaceted guy, though I didn't think it would be Derek Fine. That being said, the kid has looked really good in the rookie OTAs. Buffalo would have done well to get a TE and Center earlier in the draft, but the way things turned out, we replenished our stock of players in all of our need areas: CB, WR, TE and STs. I'd also rather have Bowen, who is going to be a good STer and a solid backup option at LB, and Viti, who I believe is likely to start at FB and has the prototypical FB build and ability that the Bills are looking for in this offense.

I have a feeling that the biggest surprise player for us this year will be ... Steven Johnson, our seventh round pick in the draft. I know that sounds crazy, but here's my thinking. The starting three are going to be Evans, Hardy, and Reed in the slot. Parrish may start as the fourth man, but by the middle of the season, I think Johnson will be getting more time and could be a taller faster version of Welker. He has very good speed, decent height at 6'2'' and he has excellent hands. The other surprise, I think, is the obvious one. James Hardy. I think he will put up very good numbers with the Bills, better than most people actually think. I would guess that Hardy has a 50-850-7 year. This will have a serious impact with the team and allow for Evans to get back the numbers he enjoyed in 2005, something like 75-1200-9. Let's see what you all think.