Rockinon

You mean like Bruce Smith or Reggie White new school?

I find it kind of interesting that there have been comparisons to the Giant's NASCAR defense. As one poster pointed out, they employed 4 defensive ends....smaller guys able to penetrate the offensive line quickly. Yes, Marcel and Kyle are bigger, but that is the beauty of it. Both of those guys have had 5 sacks while playing Nose Tackle. That's two big men who are not only able to penetrate quickly enough to get after a QB, but also are powerful enough to get some push. If they can't shoot the gap and get the passer, they can collapse the pocket. Either way works. The Bills may be using a similar style because that is what works against NE. On the other hand, they don't have to follow the blueprint to a tee. They can put their own stamp on the plan. I like what this defense looks like. The upcoming season is going to be interesting. The front four also will have some tricks up their sleeve. It's not all about shooting the gap or collapsing the pocket. There are stunt moves that can be used to disrupt an offensive line's weaknesses. There is some serious talent here. All they have to do now is put in the work and they can dominate this league.

Captain Kirk? Mr. Scott? New name for the Bill's defense..... "The Enterprise".

Mario is playing LDE, right next to Dareus. That puts Kyle on his other side. That whole side of the line is going to be a handful. I can see that whole side of the line getting into the backfield and chasing QBs right into a speedy DE like Anderson.

Dareus is going to have Kyle Williams on one side of him and Mario Williams on the other side. This year is going to be fun to watch. Everyone is saying the team's success depends on Fitz. I can't help but laugh because this defense is going to give Fitz one hell of a lot of opportunities. Actually, I can see the defense putting up some points too.

I dunno about that. I think Chan will find a way to mold him into a better QB. Letting him just wing is definitely not going to be a part of the equation. That scenario has all ready played out with VY on other teams and will be avoided at all costs on this team. The Bills don't mind giving him a chance to prove himself but he will be on a short leash. He could win the backup job, and if so, he will have to get his reps in quick and learn. If the coaches don't think he can do that, the job will be Thigpen's.

It's some highlights of the Denver game and focuses on Dareus on and off the field. I love how Florence was talking some smack with him at the end. Linky

The answer to the OPs original question is simple. Fitz just needs to keep doing what he is doing right now. He is becoming very familiar with his receivers, learning their traits and how to get the ball to them. He has accepted that he has flaws and is taking the advice of his coach by trying to improve his mechanics. He is spreading the ball around and not putting all of his eggs in one basket, so to speak. Fitz knows how to use his strengths(like his ability to read a defense and his ability to get rid of the ball quickly). He has strengths that he can capitalize on and he has weaknesses that he can improve upon. He is taking a proactive approach to improving his game and is simply going forward, one step at a time, one day at a time. The whole stats thing is really not relevant. He is improving his game by putting in the work and that is what is most important. Stats? Those will improve with the work that he is doing right now.

Don't feel bad. I have to drive 2 1/2 hours from Potsdam, NY just to reach Syracuse before taking 90 west to get to the game. Because it's so far, I leave a day or two early and bring a camper. That way I can drink while I'm there and sleep it off before heading all the way home.

New England has to play Buffalo twice this year. We'll see how easy their strength of schedule really is soon enough. All this strength of schedule stuff is nonsense. Last year was last year. This year is this year.

Mario will be lined up next to Dareus. Think about that for a moment.... That side of the opposing team's offensive line will be collapsing a lot and the QB will have no choice but to back pedal. Now this is where speedy defensive ends like Anderson can come around from the other side and get to the QB. Anderson will have a lot of sacks because he likes to run around his man and then step in to get the QB. Mario and Dareus will be chasing the QB right into Anderson. Now here is where NASCAR comes to Buffalo.... The Giants like to put four defensive ends on the field at the same time on obvious passing downs. They call it the NASCAR defense and this is a copycat league. I can see Merriman roaming the line seeking out weak spots While Kyle Williams, Dareus and company are trying to shoot through gaps as well. There are a lot of different things the Bills can do. Variations of the NASCAR defense, variations of a 4-3 Tampa style defense or possibly even some new wrinkles. The thing that has me pumped, is that our Bills now actually have the personnel and depth to become perhaps one of the greatest defenses ever. I can't for them to put some pads on and start doing some real hitting. Here is an interesting read on "NASCAR coming to Buffalo".

That's going to be a tall order. Although this team had the fewest sacks in the league, it was very apparent last year that the line was not giving Fitz a lot of time. Hopefully that changes with the added depth on the line. I just hope Wood is back healthy and the tackles are strong this year. Maybe then a few more deep balls will hit their mark.

Meatball and the wrecking crew.

Fitz threw 2 interceptions in that game against the Giants? Yet we only lost by 3 points. I watched that game too and came away thinking we should have won that game. I may be a homer, but I will stick by my belief that Fitz is every bit as good as Eli, maybe even better. Sometimes I wonder if people are actually watching the games and not merely checking the score after it's over. Fitz was amazing until the defense let him down, he lost half of his receivers, and the offensive line crumbled. Oh yea, he lost Fred too. Sorry, but that was a record breaking number of injuries. A good QB can make up the difference if a couple of people go down but what happened last year was ridiculous. I'd still like to see Fitz and Eli's stats in the first 8 games of the season last year.

Can you get Eli's stats for the first half of the season and Fitz's stats for the first half? I'd like to see what the numbers looked like before Fitz lost half of his receivers, Freddy and key offensive linemen to injury. A lot of people like to place the whole drop off last year on Fitz's shoulders, but I think even great QBs need at least some talent around them in order to succeed.

He's also hitting Donald Jones and Dorin Dickerson over the middle. Last year was the first time in a long time that I saw the Bills attacking the middle of the field. I think it has a lot to do with Buffalo's recent offensive success. It was getting sickening watching nothing but screen passes, go routes and running plays. You have to attack all areas of the field to keep the defense guessing. You'll notice that some of the plays are over the middle short and others where the receiver is getting behind the defenders deep. It's really nice to see a good mixture of successful plays. After watching the offense regress late last year, I was concerned that the offense would take a step back this year. Now I'm pretty encouraged by what I'm seeing. Fitz looks great. The receivers look great and we know what we've got for running backs. The only questions now are can they continue when the pads go on? Will the offensive line be able to sustain blocks once those pads go on? So far, I'm impressed. We'll see soon enough.

Except, he's not talking about the OL.

I've noticed that as well, Eball. Nelson and Chandler appear to be feeding off of each other. That's a really good sign. I've also noticed that our running backs have been on the same page. Fitz and Young appear to be developing some good chemistry with the receivers. I know it's early, but the whole team looks like they mean business.

A while back, I moved to Northern New York, near Potsdam and I was very disappointed that I couldn't find kimmelwick rolls in our area. My wife found out that you could brush egg whites on a plain kaiser roll, sprinkle kosher(or sea) salt & caraway seed on them and then pop them in the oven for a few minutes. It works great!! A friend of mine found a place where horseradish has been growing for years. I helped him dig them up and man, they were huge! We canned a bunch of it. Best horseradish I have ever tasted. The AMVETS Post I belong to now regularly feasts on the best Beef on Weck within 100 miles. I still have family in western New York so when ever I visit, I will bring kimmelwick rolls home so we don't have to fart around making them. I've found that you can freeze them if you double bag them and take out the excess air before sealing them. They'll last quite a long time in the freezer. It's a hit around here now. You can get the beef pretty much anywhere, but I think I can honestly say, no one has better horseradish. The best horseradish is not grown in a single season. It takes years for it to develop right. I started growing my own last year and I don't think it will even be ready this year. Probably some, but I'm thinking the best harvests will be next year and on. It's great sandwich. I've actually been to Philly and though there's is a great sandwich, there is nothing that tastes more like home than a Beef on Weck.

Talking a little smack is OK with me. It's not like he started running off at the mouth with a bunch of crap like the Jet's coach. He was just showing his enthusiasm and nothing more. I can hardly blame him for that. If Dareus wants to send notice that this defense is going to be hard to handle, what's the harm? He's not guaranteeing a Superbowl, he's not picking a fight with any competing team member and he is not disrespecting anyone. What Marcel has done is make it known that the defense means business and I am happy to hear it.

It would be kind of silly to beat someone down and then say "Watch out". What good is a warning if it's done after the the fact? Tell them like it is Marcel.

Oh no! Did one of them break a nail?

I find it hard to believe that the Bills could have done a better job of getting more talent in here. What I am most concerned about right now is the move back to a 4-3 along with Wanny at the helm....hopefully it's a smooth transition. Something else that nags on me is bringing in a QB coach that likes to get in the QB's head. I know, these two things can just as easily be a positive thing but after this many years of no playoffs I just have a hard time drinking too much koolaid.

I agree that Wood is a critical piece. When he went down last year, a bunch of linemen had to be shuffled to another position. This ruins stability on the offensive line as a whole. Look at Levitre who had to play center and then later LT instead of his natural position(Guard). While Levitre was not in his natural position a second stringer had to come in and play in his spot. But it is true that Wood is not as critical as last year was because now we have more quality depth to replace him if he can't go. Still, Wood is a crucial piece of this line. He is the only center on this team who does not take a step back when facing the big nose tackles in this league....the only one. Now that I've got that out of the way, I say the most important to come back from injury.... Fred Jackson Kyle Williams Stevie Johnson Eric Wood Shawne Merriman Marcus Easly Fred Jackson because he is the heart and soul of the offense. Kyle Williams because he is the heart and soul of the defense. Stevie Johnson because Fitz needs him. Eric Wood, see above. Shawne Merriman because this team can't have too many pass rushers. Marcus Easly because I just did not like what I was seeing happen to the offense when we lost our top 2 WRs. We need depth at that position. Perhaps. I think that Fitzy's drop off last year had more to do with the loss of talent around him than his own injury. The offensive line was repetitively shuffled around, wide receivers were dropping like flies, the defense wasn't giving him many opportunities to get back on the field(leaving him with the tall task of trying to make something happen without those key players around him). He may have been hurt, but he was still in there. That would not have happened if he didn't think he could help the team. Oh yea, great post!

Look, all I have said is that the responses to this guy's original post have been an over reaction and that the criticism has been harsh. The fact that you have put more effort into defending the criticism here than the OP did in his original post just goes to show how hard it is for you to actually give someone the benefit of the doubt. This whole thread doesn't even deserve the amount of attention it has gotten but the determination here to get the last word in is nauseating. You guys are beating a dead horse. The guy hasn't even come back to follow up on his post and remark on what anyone has had to say. I'd say you you are the naive one here. Life is too short to be taking stuff so seriously. That can be said of the OP too. There, I criticized the OP too but I didn't go on to call the guy a troll or try to insult the guys intelligence(not that I actually am saying you personally called him a troll. I don't believe that I did any such thing.) Seriously, it's Memorial Day. I have some things to do today and my time isn't going to be spent here trying to get people to lighten up. I'm going to a Memorial service and read aloud about the meaning of Memorial Day to large gathering. Then I'm going to be a part of cooking up some hamburgers and hotdogs and spend some time with some fellow veterans. Signing off for now. Hope you guys actually take some time to remember what today is all about and get off of this board for a while too. By my reckoning, some of you could use the time off.