Dr. K

I am not a McGahee fan, but I agree with this. Unless they have some brilliant additional move planned, I don't see how this is going to give the Bills a better run game.

So far, so good. Looks to me like the situation is set up for the Bills to draft for strength up the middle. DT & LB mostly. I think they will draft a CB somewhere in the mix, but not in the first round (I think they will look for one of the CBs currently on the roster to move up to Clements' spot. After all, they drafted Youboty last year with expectation Nate might be gone this year). I expect them to pick a RB (though I expect Willis to stay and start). Maybe a WR.

Given the fact that Youboty was obviously drafted with this possibility in mind, WHY do you expect Marv & Co. will draft a cornerback in the first two rounds? Do you think they are stupid? You are really getting tiresome with your completely one-note posts on this and all line-related topics. I guess we all have our hobby horses, but could you try another tack?

The first one. The Chiefs had beaten the Bills to get into it, but I ws still pulling for them. Greean Bay made them look bad in the second half.

Thanks for putting Thurman Thomas, my favorite Bills player ever, up there. I still remember the many clutch runs, catches, and picked up blitzes he gave us. He left it all on the field. I think one reason I like him so much is that he seems to me to be a man who, despite his great accomplishments, has struggled against self doubt his entire life. I think a lot of us can relate to that. I know I can. I would be very pleased if you kept him up on hte banner indefinitely. It's great to see him honored.

I don't bet. It was looking like a pretty good call at the half. I am overjoyed to be proved wrong. What a game!

People misunderstand this up every year. The reason the Pats' schedule is less difficult than the Bills' schedule next year is that they play each other. That means that the Pats have two games next season against a 7-9 team (the Bills), where the Bills in those same slots have two games against a 12-4 team (the Pats). Therefore, the Bills schedule is much harder. It's really not htat hard to figure out.

Great post. You convince me that this is a likely analysis.

Nothing would please me more than to be wrong about this, and to see the Colts absolutely humiliate the Pats this weekend. From your lips to heaven's ear.

The way I feel about this game is the way I felt about the SuperBowl between Tampa Bay and Oakland a few years back. I jsut felt that the Raiders were going to come completely unglued in the game. I hope I am wrong. I am really really sick of the Pats, though I give them their due as a remarkable team. The only way they lose is if Manning and the Colt somehow keep their heads together and make no mistakes. I'm not expecting that.

Works for me!

I don't see the Colts beating them next week. And neither the Bears nor the Saints are going to beat them either. Makes me sick.

6"5", 210 pounds Very slow wide receiver. Very bad quarterback.

Geez, WM, wear a condom!

I like all of your picks. I would also call the Patriots over the Jet a lock. Plus, I give the Patriots the best chance to come out of the AFC for the Super Bowl, the Ravens second, the Chargers third, the Colts fourth.

Take out that unfortunate incident with his wife and OJ is a sterling citizen. Take out that one time that Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic and he's a nobody. etc.

I agree with you strongly. I think people are too ready to throw a player overboard if he isn't perfect. I have some problems with Willis's play, but replacing him with a player who won't have equivalent problems (if not necessarily the same ones) is by no means guaranteed. This same syndrome of "throw the bum out" was heard with Antowain Smith and Travis Henry. Neither of them is a great back, but both of them were very good backs when we dumped them. I remember us drafting guys like Sammy Morris and Shawn Bryson and expecting them to be Thurman Thomas--well, they weren't. Running back is definitely a position where you can find a gem after the frist two rounds, but coming up with a 1200-1400 year-per-year back is not as easy as people seem to think. I say draft a RB somewhere in the Spring, because Willis may not be here after next season. But don't trade Willis yet.

Absolutely.

My number one priority for thye off-season: Figuring out how to stop the run. We are terrible at stopping the run. We cannot get better until we do. It cost us most of our losses this year.

Though the very end was hard, we lost because the defense could not stop Young when the play broke down and he ijmprovised, or stop Henry consistently when he ran between the tackles. Bothe of the frirst two touchdowns were when the play broke down, the first one where Young looked to run then found a wide open receiver for the TD, the second at the end of the half when he scrambled for a 39 yard TD. I put this one squarely on the defense. The offense did more than enough to win in bad weather conditions. I knew that Young would give them fits. The Bills never play well against this kind of QB.

I also liked this piece a lot. Interesting to see what might go in in the mind of an NFL lineman. I had not thought to apply it to the Bills' situation. I was most interested in the comments on racial issues on teams. I wonder how the Bills rate for racial comity on the squad? Is there a sense that players can trust each other, and the coaches and management, over racial lines? Who are the lockerroom leaders? Are they different for white and black players?

I'm worried not only about Henry gashing us on the run, but the QB Vince Young taking advantage of our pass rush to find running lanes. We've been getting hurt real bad on draw plays, and a runnign QB like Young could make us look real bad. We need to force turnovers and cover Pacman on punts and kickoffs.

I gave two predictions, worst case and best case. They were: Worst case: 6-10 Best Case: 11-5 That second one might seem silly, but give the Bills a few breaks in the close games and it was a possibility.

I prefer it this way. The Chargers should be heavily favored. I don't care about "respect." Let them beat the Chargers, and keep winning, and the respect will take care of itself. This is just another golden oppoprtunity for the Bills to prove themselves.

I think he threatened to taze the next guy who dropped a pass.