Rockinon

That's ridiculous. Becoming an Olympian and possibly winning the Gold is far from a hobby. It's a dream. He's pitting himself against the best the entire world has to offer. That is not something you can just give up on.

He's an Olympian. That is a life long dream that many will never achieve. You don't just throw away a dream like that. Not only that, his wife is an Olympian. He definitely has his priorities strait. Not so sure about some of the posters on this board though. Just don't get the negativity. It's sad to see.

What about Roman? Head coach material?

Read that article and thought good lord these media guys are like vultures circling. McCoy doesn't have to say anything. The media is going to blow a bunch of smoke up everyone's arses either way. I say screw 'em.

Rex will just have all the Dlinemen show blitz but then drop them all into coverage.....

Welcome back Seantrel!! Would be awesome if he comes back and plays at the level everyone thought he could.

I love it. If I were on the team right now I would be on a mission to make the media and the negative ninnies eat their words.

Hit the nail on the head. I grew up on sports....a lot of them, and there is no room for negativity in the game. It's all about believing. You set a goal. You go after it. You imagine yourself doing what you could never do before and work toward that end. Negativity in sports is a cancer that grows and destroys your resolve. Sorry, but I never would have broken our H.S. track team's 400 hurdles record at 54.6 seconds or run a mile in less than 4mins 30secs if I did anything other than believe. This is true of any sport. Gotta have that mindset. Trash talkers love to harp on what you can't do, until you actually do it. Wouldn't have it any other way though. That's the whole reason I love the game. The challenge drove me. As a fan, it inspires me. Even now at age 52, I still love a challenge. Don't have the speed I used to but I toss a mean horseshoe.

Sorry to hear that, Astrobot. But I am not so sure the media was doing their job in the first place. Those guys have been marketing themselves with over-the-top commentary for years. Free speech hasn't been taken away from them since the Bill's(a privately owned organization) does not have to release any news at all. Of course they won't help their own marketing that much if no one can report on them. I see this as a short term trial, anyway. The media though, has a responsibility to report the news accurately but instead use their power to prop themselves up. We want the news, but we don't really need their often inaccurate opinions and their need to drum up blog hits.

Personally, I think the local media deserve the treatment. We need reporters that simply report the news and don't get caught up with trying to speculate where performances will lead to a starting position or a whether the Bills are hurting in a particular area, etc. They should merely report what they see and nothing more. These guys have been reporting a bunch of nonsense and then patting each other on the back for stories that are further over the top than ever before. It's as if they are marketing themselves at the expense of true reporting. I am not worried at all over this. Training camp will be open soon and news will come out. The media is acting all butt hurt over this but who is going to keep their shenanigans in check if left to say what ever they want without consequence? If folks can't see the sorry state of propaganda coming from our news outlets these days, they really aught to try opening their eyes. The media is all about themselves and not the actual news itself. Why do you think they want to turn this into a circus now?

Maybe, but Taylor also had one of the highest yards per catch totals too. He was trowing some bombs and that doesn't happen when you are simply trying to move the chains. The Bills like stretching the field vertically. Actually their run 1st tendencies often sucked the defense in close to the line of scrimmage and then the pass would go over the top. There are a lot of reasons why Taylor led the league in holding the ball. Some of that can also be attributed to the OL holding up for him. Many factors to consider.

Say things? Seriously? Show me the quote. The guy went out and played a completely different role in the offense than what he was used to and did quite well....even hurt. Ever have a groin injury while still playing? It ain't much fun, but he did it. His role was not to be the pass catching, 1200yd/yr receiver last year, but because he wasn't, let's all throw him under the bus. And as for whether defensive coordinators are scared, maybe not until Wood lays out a defender to break free a team mate so he can score. That gets their attention in a hurry. I still stand by my assessment that Wood is more valuable than most #2 receivers. The very fact that he is out there blocking actually increases his value, but because he hasn't put up Sammy Watkins like numbers that automatically makes him a scrub or something. Mybe I should chip in in the "Nattering Nabobs" thread

Taylor says Woods came back explosive from the off season on BB.com. I also am in the party that thinks Woods is definitely a good #2 WR. He is not just another guy. That's just crazy talk. Dude played all season last year with a groin injury. Couldn't go full speed but still contributed in a big way as a blocking WR. This guy when healthy is also a great receiver. Maybe not a #1 but he is not far from it. I love how people assume a WR is no good just because they aren't putting up big numbers. Keep in mind that our offense does not rely as heavily on the passing attack as other teams. And with Sammy in there, of course he is going to be the go to receiver. Woods will get more opportunities with a healthier body and I am sure he will take advantage. This is one tough SOB and people should be glad to have him on our team.

Isn't that the year the world was supposed to come to an end?

Roman's offense does not rely on the quick passing game. They run early and often to get the defense to creep up. Then when the safeties move up enough they send receivers deep. They did this a lot. You can tell by the very high yards per catch numbers. The dink, dunk 4500yds per year QB is not going to be found here. The run will be the focus and when opposing defenses try to send everyone to stop it, the pass will open up. At least this is what they did last year. This year maybe they allow Taylor to pass more on 1st & 2nd down. I really don't see this happening much though if the run game keeps on clicking like it has been. I believe the Bills are intentionally building a bully of an offense and daring teams to try and stop the run. It's a good plan because the deep passing game was also clicking last year. The TEs and RBs can also come out of the backfield for passes, but again those types of plays cannot be run too often. Taylor has been doing a great job not making too many mistakes. Why set him up to fail by making him try to be Tom Brady. That just isn't his game. I see a run first team like last year and if the defense can get back on track, I think it will work surprisingly well. A dominant defense will keep the offense on the field more.

True, but I am trying to prevent people from pigeon-holing our new recruits. We need to give them an opportunity to grow and not just say this is what he does and leave it at that. I'm also trying to get people to think of other possibilities. Gotta keep it interesting. Can't have the board turning dull, unimaginative and boring.

I don't believe this at all. While it is true that he needs to work on stopping the run, it has been repeated over and over that the defense is predicated on keeping guys on the field and making them play multiple roles. When you rotate guys that have just one skill set, you are literally telling the offense exactly what you want to do on defense. Washington will play multiple downs and not just passing downs. Not doing that is a terrible idea. He may rotate with Kyle in order to stay fresh, but Ryan's defense does not give away where the pass rush is going to come from by rotating a guy in that specializes in that very role. Unless of course he rotates in as a decoy and an overload blitz comes from the other side of the defense. Remember that the Ryan defense is designed to keep the offense guessing. Washington will be required to play multiple roles. You can bank on that. That being said though, yes he will also be given opportunities to rush the passer. Just not as a situational(3rd down) rusher.

I think there is more to it than that. People like to say that his scheme was the problem but in an effort not to screw up a good thing, Rex tried to keep many aspects of the scheme the same and marry the prior year's scheme with his own. You have to be willing to try new things in this league, but obviously it didn't work. There are other things besides scheme too....like a player's willingness to buy in. I don't really think the problems the defense had last year will be repeated. I think the biggest challenge is getting the whole defense on the same page so they can begin to play without that little voice of doubt in the back of their minds. They have to trust the scheme and simply play fast and loose. The defense couldn't quite put it together last year but from day 1 this year, they have a clean slate....and a challenge to face.

Do some reading up on some of the talent Buffalo has brought in. Nearly every defensive player drafted and undrafted has a knack for getting to the QB. But there is a trend I am seeing. Until today, I mostly ignored Justin Zimmer but this kid is an athletic freak who lives in the opponents backfield. When I read some info about him lining up all over the DLine at Ferris State, I remembered reading the same thing about others doing the same. Striker also lined up at multiple spots and was productive getting to the QB from different angels as well. And talk about getting there quick, this kid puts a QB on his back before he can even finish a 3 step drop. Ragland also plays multiple LB positions and often rushed the passer on 3rd down rather than drop into coverage. He often did cover too and for the most part was successful doing that too. What is sticking out though, is that all of these guys can rush the passer from multiple positions. Ragland is special because he can be the guy calling the plays for the defense. Shaq is another one who is versatile enough to line up in different positions. He racked up a lot of sacks but his real strength is setting the edge and then working his way to the QB from there. This guy is special in that regard, but I don't see him getting to the QB as quickly as others. Washington is another penetrating DLineman that has experience playing 0-tech, 1-tech, 3-tech and 5-tech positions and in both a 3-4 and 4-3 alignments. This guy can shoot the gap and get in the backfield quick too. Many people have been bashing Rex Ryan for the way the defense struggled last year and certainly much of the blame falls on his shoulders. He is the so-called defensive guru. But when you start looking at who the Bills have added and pair them up with who was all ready here, things really start to look interesting. We know that Jerry Hughes, Marcel Darius and Kyle Williams have all had 10+ sack seasons. And these guys can also play multiple roles. There is no doubt in my mind that the Bills will be making life miserable for opposing QBs this year. The pressure can come from any number of directions on any given play. The talent brought in is not just special because of their productivity in college but because they have multiple talents and are versatile enough to do different things. Count me in on what the Bills are building on defense. You can blather on about Rex's scheme being too old for today's NFL. I get it. Rex gets on my nerves too, but don't forget to look around and see for yourself what is being done. This is going to be a fun season to watch. When these guys are all on the same page and begin playing fast, they are going to be extremely dominant.

The land they purchased is what some of us tailgaters affectionately call the "Mud Lot". Been going there for years. Now I have to find a new place.....damn.

Apparently pass rushers are supposed to be bigger. This guy made plays by never letting the OT lay a hand on him. He ran right around them and got to the QB. Did it a lot too. Did it in like 2 seconds too. No wonder a tackle couldn't get a hand on him. Interesting pick for sure.

We have a QB with a very high rating and the Bills led the league in rushing last year. Yep, power of prayer.....

Cowboys still have a good OL. Elliot will go on a tear. I also think Lawson has a chance to blossom, though I'll admit to being a bit apprehensive with what Rex does with him.

I see some people were scratching their heads with this pick. I went back a ways to look at another DT that really didn't grade out very well. Funny thing is, that same player has been to the pro bowl and played at an extremely high level for ten years. I'm sure some of you know just who I am talking about but in case you don't check this. Draft Profile

I've been watching yahoo sports live stream. Been fun.