2020 Our Year For Sure

Six out of those eight players are pure pass rushers, an area of the game where physical ability can reasonably overcome inexperience. Only one of them was asked to play middle linebacker in a cover 2 defense. This does nothing to prove that anyone other than the freakish Brian Urlacher can play MLB in the cover 2 as a rookie.

Not to me, at least. No disrespect intended, but I can't see how someone can complain with the way this line performed in pass protection. In my belief pass protection in the NFL just doesn't get much better than we had the 2nd half of the year. JP consistently had time to drop back and make his reads. It was a pleasant surprise after the shift on the line. Run blocking is a different story, of course, and I agree with you in that improvements must be made at Guard this offseason.

Using that logic it makes just as much sense to say we should have taken Marques Colston at #8, and he was selected 4 picks before the draft ended. Second guessing a pick based on the fact that in hindsight a whole season later you think someone else would have been a better pick is pointless. We got a guy who looks like he'll be a good player at an important position in our defense and at a spot that was a position of need for us. I'll watch him develop, and judge him after 3-4 years in the league, just as I would any other 1st round pick.

We DO emulate the Patriots. I don't see how that means we don't hate them, though.

Watching the Patriots lose is a consolation prize, thats all. Doesn't make the Bills any better, just makes me feel a bit better.

Why do we want a 19-year old with potential? So he can walk when he's ready to become a player?

Did you watch this team the 2nd half of the year? Pass protection doesn't get a whole lot better in the NFL than we had it from the bye week through week 16. As for run blocking, I agree that its weak, however I don't see us taking a tackle in the first round. Obviously we're set with Peters, and I wouldn't understand wanting to draft somebody 12th overall to replace Pennington when he was so solid in pass protection as a 7th round rookie, and with the size he has. Let McNally work with him. I think they'll be bringing Gandy back as well as we did have some success running left. I want Preston replaced this offseason but not with a Guard picked 12th overall. I highly doubt we'd take a center there as well. There's nothing wrong with grabbing Dwayne Jarrett if he's around...

Does the Tampa 2 really call for the middle linebacker to be charging into the backfield? I believe our system relies on the defensive line to be the attackers against the run, and Fletch is given the task of getting to the ball carrier if he gets to the second level, which happened quite a bit this year. His tackle numbers show he's handling that task just about as well as we could hope for. Add to that his coverage skills which are important in this system, and he seems like a good option, at least for a couple more seasons. Correct me if I'm wrong with my understanding of the system as I'm no expert.

Uh...why? Losman has ONE solid option to get the ball to. Good offenses have more than one weapon. Having Peerless Price starting at reciever is an embarrassment. It's okay to start scrubs in that spot when you've got Tom Brady or when you have Tomlinson and Gates on your offense. It is not okay when you're the Bills with their non-existant running game and total lack of production from TE/FB in the passing game. We have to give Losman another solid target this offseason one way or another. If there's no DTs Marv likes and Jarrett falls to 12, I can't fault Marv for pulling the trigger. The matchup problems a guy like him could present would allow JP to stop locking onto Evans, which would be huge for this offense. Sure, we have other needs, but the draft is more than one round. Just because WR is the sexy pick, it isn't necessarily a bad pick.

Aye, but there's a reason why we don't have the technology. I have to think if we had made it a priority during these last two terms to find alternative energy sources we'd be in better position now to become marginally less dependent on oil. There's no way to know for sure, but I don't agree with the lack of emphasis we've put into alternative energy and the environment. Instead of stopping the gays from marrying and worrying about spying on our own citizens, we should be trying to make oil obsolete. Just a humble opinion.

I don't see Calvin Johnson getting out of the top 5. I predict Cleveland will trade out of their #3 spot and someone will come up to grab him. I love your pick for the Bills. This is my ideal result for the first round. I'm nervously hoping this guy is still there at 12.

The fact is successful cover 2 teams need good offenses. Indy and St. Louis have had success because of their high-powered offenses and the Bears will go nowhere because they don't have one. And if you want a big-time offense, you need more than one playmaker. Think about that: of the 15 or so guys that play on the offensive side of the ball, only one of them has shown he can consistently make plays in crunch time. Can you think of any other good offenses that only have one playmaker? Cincinatti (Ocho Cinco, T.J. Housh, Rudi Johnson), Kansas City (LJ, Gonzo), San Deigo (Gates, LT), Indianapolis (Harrison, Clark, Wayne), St. Louis (Holt, Bruce, Jackson), New Orleans (Bush, Deuce, Colston)...all of the league's top offenses have multiple playmakers for the quarterback to utilize. And there's the Bills with Lee Evans, and...well, we do have Lee Evans... I still think its more important for us to improve our run defense by picking up one of the highly-rated middle linebackers in the Draft, but if we don't go MLB I think the next place we should look is wideout. Dwayne Jarrett would look spectacular in a Bills uniform.

If our current administration had an alternative energy policy, we wouldn't need to ruin our planet by drilling in Alaska and building more oil refineries. What the hell are we doing? There's no reason why we don't have practical use of solar energy at this point. Oh, and if you want to cut down on gas prices step 1 would be to outlaw Nascar.

Unless they were Oilers fans.

For those who are interested DirecTV tells me the show is on again at 3pm tomorrow, I'm guessing it'll be a replay.

Thats probably the same way Dolphins fans reacted when Bills fans told them Jason Peters would contain Jason Taylor.

Any idea if they'll ever replay this?

Are you talking about the Titans or the Bills?

6 or 7 wins. Glad to see them poised to top that.

Clever.

I think its good. Think about it: this team started 2-5, and then at the bye week alot of things changed. Specifically Losman was unleashed and allowed to play to his full potential and 4 positions on the O-line saw new starters. Since then, we're 5-2! Doesn't that 5-2 record since the changes mean that the team in the state it is now is already a legitimate contender? Add to that we'll have more experience for guys like Kyle Williams, JP Losman, Whitner, Simpson, Ellison, Pennington, etc. And we get McCargo back. The team the way it is right now should be competing for the division title next year. We should use the draft to improve a couple of weak positions. Other than that, we should use available cap space to try to re-sign our own players...bring back Fletcher, Clements, Kelsay and Gandy. Just use our resources to keep this team together for our run next year.

That's right, those numbers are terrible. The only number that isn't terrible is that the Titans are tied for 8th in the NFL in takeaways. The only way they beat us this Sunday is if we turn the ball over. DJ will find a way to take away Vince Young's running game. He took away Indy and Houston's downfield passing game, the Jets' and Dolphins' short passing games, etc. We'll find a way to eliminate VY running (tennesseeboy already has a thread specifically talking about how we'll do it). And really, should we do that, do you see his arm taking them the length of the field? Let Willis run the ball and pick up some first downs, throw short, quick passes, and let Moorman do his thing and make them start with a long field in front of them. Parrish should have plenty of oppurtunities to break a return and Willis should be effective. If we keep playing the field position game we will eventually end up with field position so good we can open it up and go for points. Schobel forces a fumble, McGahee breaks a run, Roscoe hits a big return, Losman finds Evans deep (we can take a couple of shots with play action), VY makes a mistake with his arm...just be patient. Let's make it so that the team tied for 8th in takeaways can't get their hands on the ball! Again, the only way Tennessee beats us is if we turn the ball over.

If their defense is really THAT bad, then while we're constantly running the ball trying to be conservative, we'll find ourselves picking up 1st downs in the process. We should continuously pound the ball, chew up clock, and wear down that run defense for Willis in the second half. Our defense and/or special teams WILL make a play in this game if we successfully take away VY's running.

It worked with the Colts. We sat back, ran the ball and waited for our defense to get a turnover, and we nearly won a game we were supposed to get blown out of because of Terrence McGee's fumble and kickoff returns. Additionally, VY has 12 fumbles and 11 INTs in a bit over 12 games this season.

I think this Tennessee game will be our most conservative game of the entire season, and considering our other gameplans that's saying something. Considering the way the Titans beat Jacksonville (24 points w/ no offensive touchdowns), I think Dick Jauron will be sure that Fairchild's number one concern is to take care of the ball. Jauron will want to sit back and let his defense and special teams make plays. This is how he likes to run his team anyway, but it'll be even moreso in this game. DJ will work all week and come out Sunday with the defensive gameplan that he believes has the best chance of eliminating Vince Young's running game. He's shown when he wants to take an element away from an offense, he's capable of it. With this accomplished, Jauron will sit back and wait for Young to make a mistake with his arm, or for our special teams to set up the offense with indeniably beneficial field position. Therefore, on offense we should expect a whole lot of the ground game, whether its working or not. Jauron will be patient and wait as long as it takes for Young to make a mistake or for our special teams to make a play. In the meantime, our offense will be keeping the ball away from situations that would create turnovers, and will use Moorman and Parrish to win the field position game. This will be a long, boring, drawn-out affair. If we win, I could see something like a 13-6 final score. AnthonyF, don't even bother watching, if I'm right you'll be pulling your hair out this Sunday.