ax4782

The NO starting LT is out as well. Buffalo should bring Schobel/Maybin from that side all day long. Brees will get sacked at least twice this week with their starting LT out. That being said, I have a feeling this game is going to be a shoot out and our O is really going to have to put on a heck of a show to pull this one out. Still, stranger things have happened, and if we do manage to win this week, I think it shows that we really might have a legit team this year. That being said, I hope Nelson plays. When he is in with Jackson, it's like having a five receiver formation that you can run out of as well. Very dangerous for defenses, especially with the way AVP has been calling games. That comment about playing to the strengths of you individual players gives you all the insight needed into the offensive mentality he brings. Very refreshing.

Best offensive line play we've had in at least six or seven years. Maybe longer. Hangman is handling his job with excellence, something that Fowler and Preston never approached. Wood has been a stud, and looks to be one of the smartest guards in the league. He has executed every screen pass perfectly both while blocking down field and knowing just the right moment to let the D-Lineman through to execute the play. The interior O-Line has been a very pleasant surprise. If they keep playing at this level we could be a surprise team at the end of the season.

With that deal done, the odds that Maybin comes to camp this week are much more likely. His deal will most likely be something slightly higher than whatever Moreno got. The report on NFL.com didn't provide monetary details.

Looks like Ellis Lankster might have been a solid pick and value for where the team drafted him. Seems like he's playing above expectations. The thing that peaked my interest was the statement that Hardy had been spending a lot of time with TO. Frankly, I think that's an excellent thing for the youngster as they have similar pros to their games. Hopefully all that time and experience will rub off on Hardy and make him a long term threat for us.

I'm curious, did you pass the reading comprehension part of the SATs?

Everette Brown was another Maybin type. Not big and overpowering. However, their specialty is what we lack, pass rushing. Last year were were the 14th ranked D in the league. We've improved since then. I think if we play the way we did last year, with this defense, we could easily be a top ten or fifteen D again. Let's see what the rest of the offseason brings.

1. Peters didn't want to play here. The Bills offered him a deal that was by all accounts almost exactly like the one he got in Philly. When the Bills offered it, his agent wouldn't even sniff in their direction. Plus, no matter what you keep saying on the subject, Peters was not that good last year, regardless of whether he went to the pro bowl or not. The fact is if he is that motivated by money that he won't play for the Bills because he's busy thinking about his contract, he's not worth keeping around. If he wanted the money he should have performed at his best last season. The 11.5 sacks he gave up in 14 games speaks volumes. But of course, I'm sure you'll come back and say that somehow, none of those sacks were his fault. 2. Dockery was arguably worse than Peters on the left side. The fans at my local bar where we watch the game were referring to him as the swinging door by the end of the season. Getting rid of him wasn't a bad move, trade or no trade. The fact that the FO mishandled the move of Dockery, doesn't mean that suddenly their draft must have been terrible. That takes one heck of a leap of logic without much of a connection. 3. You assume that none of those players would be able to handle the assignment on the left side. The fact is, most plays depending on the down, distance, number of men in the box, and a bunch of other factors, on pass plays more than five yards, have the TE, RB, or FB playing as a chip man before breaking into their route. Walker played well at LT last year against Seattle, and against JAX. He didn't look as slow or "fat" as you seem to like to make him out to be. If it is Walker on the left side, I think he'll do better than you are giving him credit for. Only time will tell, since they haven't even hit OTAs. Keep in mind, Peters was fat, slow, and easily winded for most of the season last year, and you seem to think that he was worth every penny, even though his play didn't demonstrate anything of the sort. Lastly, RT is NOT a new position for Butler. He played that position for three years in college and has played there sparingly, but well for the Bills.

Nothing in my post said anything to that effect. What I said was that perhaps we should actually wait and see what the line looks like, say in preseason, or in an actual regular season game before we start saying they suck, are terrible and worthless. Many of the people now saying this are the same ones who have been bithcing for years that we haven't drafted any OL and haven't tried to make the line better in FA. Now, the Bills draft two of the best linemen in the draft to shore up an interior line that was shady at best last year at C and RG, and they complain that the team hasn't done anything to fix the line. Please. I'm not saying don't complain. I do my fair share on this board. But, hypocritical always negative, the sky is always falling, complaints are really just annoying. I'm sorry that you made the statement about Mike Williams and thought that no one would call you on it. The fact is, first round linemen, particularly those selected by the Bills, actually have a very solid success rate, particularly on the interior. If history is any signaly, Wood should be very good, and from all accounts Levitre likely will make a very successful switch from T to G. I'm not saying they won't suck. The line very well could be the worst ever. Of course, they could be one of the best ever as well. No one knows. They haven't even practiced together in OTAs, let alone played together on the field, even in preseason. Let's not rush to judgment before we see what we've got in these players. We saw what happened last year, and that didn't work. Let's see what we have in the team this year before making blanket, completely unfounded statements about how good or bad the line is going to be.

Wikipedia would not be the site I'd get my football info from. That being said, I hope this ends up being true. He would be a huge upgrade over Ellison as a starter.

When we drafted Eric Wood before Belicheat could do so. That was the last time it happened. Belicheat expressly stated that he wanted to draft Wood, and was disappointed that the Bills were able to get him before the Pats selected. Not quite the same, but you weren't exactly specific. The Pats were clearly interested in Pisa according to the report. I trust rotoworld and their sources a lot more than your opinion. Most players will go where the money is best and where they'll have a chance to start. If Buffalo offered him more money and the chance to be their full time starter, and the Pats* offered him less money and told him to ride the pine, he'd probably go to Buffalo, no matter how much your inflated ego thinks players only want to go to NE. Why don't you go post on a message board where people might actually care about what you have to say?

Perhaps that's because we're not fair-weather fans, like the ones who support the Pats*? Where were all of those die-hard Pats* fans when they were absolutely cruddy in the early 90's? Nowhere to be seen. No fan wants to see their team play with bad players, a big reason why on any team message board you can find people saying they want this person or that person off the team. As for Fred Jackson, do you watch football? Seriously. Look at his stats as a back up rusher compared to your teams best rusher last year. Sammy Morris had the highest total for a New England RB last year coming in with a whopping 156 Carries for 756 yds. That's a not bad 4.7yds per carry. Fred Jackson had 130 Carries for 531 yds for an also not bad 4.4yds per carry average. Here's the link. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/statistics?s...2&year=2008 I also recall him running all over that vaunted NE defense in the final game of the season last year, which was far from meaningless for the Pats*. He rushed 27 times in that game for 131 yds, a 5.0 yds per attempt. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/statistics?s...2&year=2008 Yeah, he really sucks. Most people who know anything about football think the Bills need to resign him because he is a very good combination back with Lynch. You were probably one of the few people who thought Michael Turner was terrible because he was a back up to LT. And in case you hadn't noticed, we did just draft the two best interior linemen available in the draft at their positions. I think we addressed the OL. We'll see what happens as the season progresses, but coming to a board and slinging insults isn't really something most people would do. And for the record, I don't really have an opinion of Peter King or Don Banks. Their columns are what they are. That being said, you never really answered the problems I posed to you about that Banks article, rather, you began making ad hominem attacks and focusing on points that weren't relevant or even an issue in the discussion. Anyway, please take you Pats* love to a board where people might actually care what you think.

Against the 3-4, the LT does not have to worry about the RDE much. The LG can cheat over and pick him up, freeing up the LT to focus on the rushing LB. Further, the TE can help seal the outside, and while he may not be able to completely dominate the RDE, he can buy the QB another half to full second to get rid of the football. that's all that is required. Understanding where teh blitz is coming from is the most important thing when facing the 3-4, which is why having and intelligent C and interior line is so important. Being able to realize what the defense is up to and adjust appropriately before the ball is snapped is the most important factor in winning the battle of the trenches against the 3-4. In that department we have made some serious strides. Keep in mind that the Seahawks have a pretty good speed RDE as do the Jaguars and Langston held up pretty well against them in his two starts at LT last year while JP was getting his stuff together.

http://www.rotoworld.com/Content/playerpag...id=382&nc=0 I'd rather have a player of his caliber in Buffalo solidifying our LB corps as Ellison's replacement, than see the Pats* get him. I'm not saying this is the only reason Buffalo should be interested. We need some help at WLB, but this would make getting him even better. Any time we can get someone the Pats* want just sweetens the deal.

Ah, yes, the old "glass half-empty resort to name-calling" trick. Actually, the success rate for Rookie OL is better than pretty much at any position. Using Mike Williams as an example is nice, but he had knocks coming out of college, namely, that he lacked motivation and drive to be an NFL starter. That turned out to be true. Keep in mind, the regime that drafted Williams isn't here anymore. I don't think this FO would have chosen Williams. Either way, to suggest that because Mike Williams was a dud, therefore all of our OL draft picks will be duds is absolutely irrational. So, because Walt Patulski didn't pan out, Aaron Maybin won't pan out, right? Give me a break. At least come up with an argument based on facts and with a logic tree that a normal person could follow. Plus the Bills didn't really do much to address the OL for years before or after the Mike Williams pick, at least not in the draft. Take a look at the Bills first round draft history in regards to OL. Joe DeLamielleure, very good in his entire career, including his rookie season. Jim Ritcher and Will Wolford, both were first round picks and had long careers with the Bills and played well in their Rookie seasons. John Fina and Rueben Brown were also solid picks who had long careers. Mike Williams was the last first round lineman drafted by the Bills and of their first round OL choices going back to the 70s, he's the only one that truly busted. I'm not saying that this track record means Wood and Levitre will pan out. I'm only saying that historically, at least for the Bills, OL have come in early in their careers and made a difference. Take the OL the Steelers played with in winning the Super Bowl last year. I believe they had one rookie who was starting on that line, and another who came in frequently as a backup. The fact is, your statement just doesn't cut muster and is, frankly irrational and logically inconsistent. Wood and Levitre are much more in the mould of Ritcher and Wolford. They are very good players, with solid college career numbers, who are both certainly better than what we had at LG last year in Dockery. Clearly if the Bills cut Dockery, they didn't think he was starter material on this team. So to say that he would be starting for a 100k salary, besides not making a lick of sense, is just imbicilic. Since you seem to hate the Bills so much and think they are "aimless" and "pathetic" why don't you go and root for some other team that you think has a chance of winning. Your attitude seems perfect for a Pats* message board. If you are this empty of hope in the offseason, I'd hate to see what you're like five or six games in.

Bellicheat has been doing that fake injury stuff for years. For a great example, if you can stand the pain, is to watch SB XXV. Notice all those fake injuries, mostly in the third and fourth quarter on the Giants' D?

I see that you've mastered the art of self-fulfilling prophecy. You stated that Bills fans are dumb, and proceeded to follow it up with a post that proved you right. Nice work.

Except, when he has played, he has looked much better than either Dockery or Reyes ever did in a Bills jersey or otherwise. I don't think anyone is claiming that he is the best OL on the team, or was the best OL available in FA. The point is that people say that our line is going to suck this year. That's premature, first of all, considering we haven't even had OTAs yet and haven't had a chance to see if they can gel as a unit. But second, people crow about how our line is not improved from last year. Hangartner is an improvement over Fowler/Preston, no matter how you slice it. Wood and Levitre as rookies look like they'll be better than Dockery ever was in a Bills uni. Whether Walker and Butler can make a smooth transition to the tackle position is up for debate. Butler was a very good RT in college and has better measureables at that position than he does as a guard. I think the plan was to put him at RT eventually anyway, but he needed work on his technique, which is what interior lineman have to focus on against larger players. Walker, well, he looked good over at LT when he started against Seattle and in his limited time there against the Jags, but whether he can man that spot alone all season is up for debate. I think overall we are better on the OL than we were last year, particularly on the interior. Rookie OLs usually don't have the college to pro transition issues that other positions have as the techniques and leverage skills aren't really all that different. The only change is the speed of the game, and for OL that is an easier thing to adjust to. The Ts are suspect, and not great, but they may be adequate to get the job done.

Normally I agree with you, Kelly, but this post seems a bit off target. The fact is, with a 3-4 alignment, Wood could be called on to block Jenkins or Seymour on 50% of his plays. Depending on which side of center the NT lines up, and on which side the 4LBs in the scheme are shifted, the G is required to block different personnel. If the LBs are to the weak side on a play calling for a run to the weak side, the guard on the weak side may have three potential responsibilities. If the tackle can seal the end, and the C is taking the NT with a good block, the G can push out and take on an interior LB, or and OLB near the line, allowing the back to get to the second level. If the T is not sealing the outside, the G may have to initially help to the outside and open the gap. If the C is not sealing the NT, then the G may have to help over. The fact is, you need players that know how to deal with interior linemen playing at the G position. Against the 3-4 type Ds we are facing, typically, two players will be assigned to deal with the NT. Typically that is the RG, given that the LG will need to be available to pick up the extra LB blitzers from the blind side, or in our case, to be available to help Walker with his responsibilities protecting TE on the inside. That means that Wood is going to see a lot of the NTs playing in the 3-4 schemes that we face. Further, against the 4-3 schemes we see, he will be likely single-handedly working with a DT or will be assisting the C to the inside, leaving Levitre with a 1-1 on the left side against a DT. Either way, he will have plenty of opportunities for knockdowns and pancakes at his position this year. Not sure exactly what your problem was with the post.

The guy is a solid player and would be an upgrade over Ellison. Tinoisamoa is best at WLB, where Buffalo's one glaring weakness at LB is in Ellison. He has good ball skills, is fast enough to play in our scheme and has good coverage skills, as clearly denoted by the number of INTs. Buffalo should take a long look at this guy.

Because he is. You are clearly another member of the board who has not seen Hangartner's stats, and clearly hasn't seen the guy play for Carolina. Perhaps you should do both of those before you open your yapper. His stats are as follows: http://www.buffalobills.com/team/roster/Ge...01-345c6818704a Please note that he started 15 games at center for Carolina in 2006. That means, looking at his stats, he has as much, and better experience playing at C than he does at guard. He also played both as a starter in college. Please take note that he has started half of the games he has appeared in and since his rookie season has started 27 out of the 48 games that Carolina has played in the regular season. That is 56.25% of the time. When you start more than half of the games in which you appear, you are starting material. Hangartner is smarter, bigger and much more solid at the pivot than Fowler or Preston ever could hope to be. Please actually watch players play and look at their stats before you decide to be completely negative on a subject you clearly know nothing about. As for Wood and Levitre, both are upgrades over Dockery who wasn't worth the 7mil a year that we were paying him and appeared to be a sieve on running and passing plays. He was partially responsible for at least half of the sacks that people credit to Peters last season. Both of them play with an attitude in the trenches that has been missing for years, particularly now against the big NTs in the division. Again, you clearly didn't watch how Wood handled his job as a center for Louisville, and how superbly he handled his competition. Go take a look at the number of putdowns and pancake blocks he had against his opponents in the past two seasons. Then picture what he can do against Seymour and Jenkins. Start looking at how guys have performed rather than spewing uneducated negativity. I don't mind bashing on a guy if the stats and his play show that he truly does suck. But to say that the line this year across the board is going to be worse, IMO is premature and not statistically accurate.

You cited an anecdote and some other fluff. How does that respond to the facts I stated? Byrd was a four year starter for Oregon. He was a All-PAC 10 as a junior and a senior. Byrd only played until his Junior year. If he had been a senior, everything based on his stats and measurables suggests that he would have been all conference his senior year as well. Chung may have been a vocal leader on the team, which was why he was voted captain. We don't know what the locker room was like at Oregon, but while that shows some potential leadership ability, it does not suggest in any way that his play on the field was actually better. The tackle stats were not misleading, unless you wanted them to be. Solo tackles to total tackles ratio is a big indicator of a players conditioning and game smarts. If you are out of position to make the play, you aren't going to make a solo tackle. As I indicated, in football the SS frequently plays up at the LOS in an 8 man formation in the box. This is done for a number of reasons, but is why a SS's tackle ratio is so high. Chung played SS at Oregon, regardless of what they called it. That was the role that he filled while he was there. The FS is not asked to play up at the line nearly as much, except in certain short yardage situations. Anyone who pays attention to football knows the significance behind that solo tackle/total tackle ratio, especially for a safety or a corner. I never cited any site that called him the second highest rated safety in the draft, but I'm sure if a person looked hard enough, they could find one. The fact is, you saying that Chung is clearly better than Byrd, is, at this point, not factually or statistically accurate.

But if we resigned Greer, everyone here would just complain that we wasted the money on resigning an overrated CB and didn't spend the money to resign Peters. Then Jauron would be at fault for Peters leaving because he had to keep one of his precious CBs. On this board, it's lose-lose for Jauron. He gets beat up for things he doesn't have control over and beat up for the things he does. I wanted him to be retained last season to see if he could do better than he had. He didn't. I think the team he has right now is one that should compete for a playoff spot, even with the tough schedule we have. If Buffalo doesn't win at least 9 games, which some think will take a miracle, I think, like him or not, he will be gone at the end of next season.

Many strong safeties are asked to fill a lot of those roles in the NFL in different situations. For example, in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, a safety acts as an extra linebacker on obvious running plays at the line, where they have to be able to "hit like a truck" as you stated, but also be quick enough to pick up a responsibility if the play turns into a pass against the 8 man front. Depending on the play, the SS may have to cheat up to become a "half" safety or a "middle safety." Nothing you have said suggests that he was a better player than Byrd, and you absolutely failed to address the factual argument that I made concerning their measurables. The fact is, I'm sure the Oregon coach had a lot of nice things to say about Byrd as well. What are they supposed to do? Bash their top players and say they were terrible picks and that they weren't special?

Foote was released because he is getting old and slowing down. I don't know that bringing in a slow and aging LB is what this team needs. That being said, if he still has a couple of years in the tank, and was willing to play MLB he might not be a bad option. Poz, however, is much better suited to the MLB position than the WOLB. Don't know how much that move would really help this team.