Rockinon

That was funny. The thing that is really intriguing is that when he was asked to get below 400lbs, he did and then some. It takes hard work and dedication to do that, but from watching the way he worked out, it seemed to me that he was just getting started. He is going to get stronger and faster and that is just plain scary.

You won't if he tackles the band wagon. Seriously though, how can you not be excited about this kid. After seeing the pick during the draft, i didn't think too much of it. After reading a couple of articles about him, I just raised my eyebrows a bit over all of the hype. Up to that point, a resisted actually looking at his training videos. But today I finally looked at them and all I can say is OMFG. This guy really is athletic and as Astrobot said "you can't teach big". The fact that he was drafted says a lot period. The article about the scout that worked him out was hilarious. He didn't have proper equipment to work him out so he used a shield and his own body. Hand said he was hit so hard it nearly knocked him out, literally saw stars. And it still hurt the next day. I'm sorry for anyone who isn't excited, because you are really missing out on some fun here. This guy is intriguing and if you aren't excited, you are a freakin' mushroom.

Williams, Jasper and Darius. That is more than 1000lbs of bull rush. Add Troupe on short yardage situations and you have well over 1300lbs. All of these guys are big and disruptive forces. Detroit doesn't have anything on this line. If there is an up and coming Defense in this league, it is Buffalo. Mark it down. We can revisit this thread later. Our team is getting better. Waaaaaaaaaaaay better.

We have one hell of a lot of young talent on the offensive line. I may be a bit optimistic, but it is my opinion that these young men will get it together this year. Our o-line struggled last year but they were pretty bad at run blocking and had some issues with injuries. I'm expecting a focus on getting the run game going this year and taking some pressure off of Fitz. The defense so aggressively added to in the draft and bringing in Wannstedt was brilliant. I think there is a very good chance that our record from last year is flipped. I am also very much looking forward to seeing what Fitz can do with the starting job right out of the gate. There are a lot of things to be optimistic about. And as far as I am concerned, there ain't nothing wrong with that. It gets real old listening to the doom and gloomers around here. To me they just sound like a bunch of pontificating, love to here themselves talk, white noise. I can't wait for this lockout crap to end so we begin the transition. People who talk this way just don't seem to get how powerful Billieving is. This is our team and if you want to see them get better then do something about it and get behind them.

I was reading through these posts and was thinking "where is the Senator when you need him". Scrolled down one more time and there you were.

Never is a strong word. Not very likely, yes. As for being better than Fitz, that still remains to be seen. He might actually like the idea.

Rexy always has been a loud mouth. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Someone might come along and squash them.

The 8-10 year prospect is not going to come from free agency. It's going to come from a future draft. Hasselbeck would be a good backup if he can be convinced to sign here. Admittedly, that isn't very likely but at least worth a try. As for the system, it really doesn't matter. He has a vast amount of experience and he is an above average QB. One really good thing about him is that his contract is expired in Seattle and we would not have to give up draft picks to get him. The other is that he can likely hold down the fort if Fitz gets hurt, unlike someone off the scrap heap.

That's the way I am looking at it. They are not going to give up future draft picks to get someone so the list is pretty much what it is. Trading for someone like Kolb is really not going to happen if we are giving up too much. Their draft strategy is pretty strait forward and their FA strategy, I think is too. They aren't going to get cute here and bet the farm on FA pickups. As for the competing part, that in my opinion is not so relevant. They should simply get the best QB they can in FA without selling the team's future with multiple draft picks. If they happen to land a QB that will actually compete with Fit'z, there is nothing wrong with that. My guess though, is that Fit'z is going to have the inside track on a starting position anyway. The idea should always be to put the best team on the field that you can. Everything else is simply secondary.

Bingo!!!! Ding Ding!!!! That is the real issue. He has to want to be here.

Here is the list of FA QBs; # Kyle Boller (OAK) # Marc Bulger (BAL) # Kellen Clemens (NYJ) # Kerry Collins (TEN) # Todd Collins (CHI) # Brodie Croyle (KC) # Dennis Dixon (PIT) # Trent Edwards (JAC) # Bruce Gradkowski (OAK) # Rex Grossman (WAS) # Caleb Hanie (CHI) # Tarvaris Jackson (MIN) # Matt Leinart (HOU) # Luke McCown (JAC) # Matt Moore (CAR) # Chad Pennington (MIA) # Brady Quinn (DEN) # Alex Smith (SF) # Troy Smith (SF) # Jim Sorgi (NYG) # Drew Stanton (DET) # Tyler Thigpen (MIA) # Billy Volek (SD) # Seneca Wallace (CL There is also a possibility that Matt Hasselbeck will be done in Seatle(he rejected the Seahawks contract offer) and Carson Palmer wants to be traded(threatens to retire if Cincy doesn't oblige).

There is no chance that Fitz is not named the starter. And there is no reason not to bring in the very best QB we can find. As long as we don't sell the farm to get him.

In all honesty, if Fitz has a top ten defense and a bit better offensive line play, yes. Try to understand also that this team has a lot of up and coming talent. Troupe, Carrington, Batten, Moats, Easley, Spiller, Steve Johnson, Wood, Levitre just to name a few that are getting better at their positions. That's not even counting this year's additions. This team is getting better. Fitz can get us there for sure and there is no guarantee that he himself won't improve. The notion that he can't get us there is what I find ridiculous. People seem to think that the bad throws he made last year is all on him. Every QB in the league makes bad throws but not all of them have had to do so under the same amount of pressure. If his supporting cast improves, so will his play. Unless of course he tanks. I just don't see that happening.

I wonder what is going to happen with Carson Palmer. Any new news?

I never could understand this ridiculous mentality. Under no circumstances whatsoever to you accept defeat. You never stop trying to get better this year in hopes that next year you can possibly get a high draft pick. What if we win 10 games and then lose Fitz at the end of the season? There goes your high draft pick. You go after the best players you can put on the field when you have the opportunity to do so and you worry about next year, next year.

IMHO, that is not the issue. We need a third QB simply because of the risk of injury. We need another QB and the front office should go after the best they can get in FA. Worrying over whether that QB is going to compete with Fitz is just not an issue either. The idea is to make the team as a whole better.

Lined up next to Kyle Williams is going to be fun to watch.

He isn't. And Aloha, very nice write up.

I smell the optimism........and it is good.

The original question was about smell. To put it into some kind of context, I used the sense of smell because it is a sense that humans have lost the ability to use properly. It is an animalistic sense capable of smelling fear like a speeding dart finds a bullseye. It is a sense capable of making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is a sense that allows you to close your eyes and feel everything around you. It is an awesome sense and I smell a distant storm gathering. I am in Potsdam, NY but he storm is coming from the direction of Buffalo. Can you smell it now?

That's a possibility but Fitz may surprise everyone and play like a top 5 QB. He got the ball rolling last year and might just be warming up.

Astro, nice post. I have noticed the same thing. I started a similar post but used my own observations rather than ESPN, Dallas News or NFL.com. Your right. Tougher is a good description. I said, "bigger and stronger". A definite theme of this draft. Look here: My link

Our team is getting bigger, tougher and more aggressive. I am so glad Jauron is gone with his speedy, small, finesse crap. This is football for cryin' out loud. And Buffalo football is supposed to be a dominant defense, smash mouth, in-your-face game. This draft is a definite step in the right direction.

Ack! Get that picture out of my head. NOW.

I smell Tom Brady. It smells like fear. I smell Ralph Wilson stadium packed to the gills on opening day. I smell the heightened sense of anticipation in the crowd around me. I smell the hairs standing on end as the opening kick off sails through the air. Oh, man do I smell optimism. I smell even the stadium wall message boarders starting to get excited about the upcoming season. I smell Fitz calling his team mates and putting in off the clock extra reps because he knows this is the last year on his contract and he wants a new one real bad. I smell the defense aching with the desire to crush any and all comers. I smell Gailey and Wannstedt putting their heads together to devise a plan before the game. I could go on but I think some of you all should tell us what you smell. It's coming. The turning point has arrived and now the momentum is beginning to build. Ah, the smell......... What do you smell?