BillsVet

In a big game, the Bills did something I haven't seen them do on the road in a long time - they opened with a lengthy drive capped by a touchdown to get the early lead. I was also impressed that the defense stopped Jones-Drew and Taylor from running wild. I'm sure the defenders from last season remember Taylor ripping off the 50 yarder last season. The defense knew coming in they needed to force Garrard to throw, and they did it. Props to Fewell on that note. This teams wins games when the defense and special teams play well. I think the running game improves as defenses are forced to respect their passing game.

Love the picture of Posluszny just before he practically takes MJD's head off. On an additional note, they are in good cap position to keep Evans AND Peters. Besides Evans, the only other starters with contracts expiring soon are McGee in 2009, Greer in 2008, and Crowell this season. It's clear that drafting CB's, as much as I initially hated it, may have a benefit down the road. I have a feeling they'll be talking to Edwards' rep after the season. All in all, the future seems bright. Now, it's about getting into and winning in the playoffs.

Leadership from the HC isn't limited to just the players, it includes the coordinators and position coaches. I didn't see DJ intercede when things on offense were clearly lacking. Instead, it seemed like most weeks were eerily similar with Buffalo scoring 20 points or less in 12 games. DJ's strategy to keep games close has been his calling card for his entire career. He departed briefly from that against Seattle. I would hope he now trusts his defense more to enable the offense to take a chance now and then. They've got some quality opponents down the road who they can't afford to go ultra conservative with.

Stability alone does not a winner make. There are several examples of unchanged front offices which continue to lose. Oakland and Detroit come to mind. San Francisco has been similar for a few years. At the same time, you've got a team like the Giants who transitioned at GM when Ernie Accorsi retired and Jerry Reese entered. It's more than continuity or stability, it's having a front office that routinely makes good decisions and finds the right players and coaches.

Watching people fall over each other to apologize is so comical. I will say, there are a few who have summed up the DJ issue quite well. I've never been a big fan of DJ for a few reasons, namely his inability to find quality coordinators. Crowton, Shoop, and Fairchild were not ready for their promotions to OC. Fewell as a DC has more weapons to work with in 08, but I think he needs to demonstrate some more success, especially after last season's debacles against Denver and Dallas As for DJ, the true test begins now. They've got lightweights on the roster next with Oakland and at St. Louis. If DJ is the coach some are making him out to be, then I'd expect to see Buffalo win convincingly. Not like they did at Miami and the Jets last year when they scored 13 points in each game and barely came away with a "W." As much as DJ apologists want us to forget and discount the past, it's who DJ was, and right now all of us are hoping he's changed. Coaches who are 50-67 entering the season need to win more than 2 games to show they're not what history suggests. With two games in the can, I'd like to see how DJ, Schonert, and Fewell can keep opponents guessing and tweak their gameplans.

Giving up 37 points to a Eagles team minus their top wideouts is not what I'd call being at the top of the NFL. They're very good offensively, but defensively aren't great-yet.

I was in error. Evans has those 8 catches for 179 yards, a 22.4 average. After six months plus of negotiations, the Bills need to get an agreement done with Evans.

The same OL on the field today was there for 15 of 16 games last season. Peters returned, but where Buffalo has serious issues is running up the middle. That was the case last season, and early on, it's an issue this season. Count me among those who believe Fowler will never be more than an average NFL center. Buffalo is his third team in 7 seasons and there's a reason for it. He couldn't start in Cleveland, and only played FT in Minnesota when Matt Birk went down. Fowler has good mobility, but lacks the functional strength and technique to move larger DT's. I would hope the Bills improve the position in the off-season, because it's been up the middle where this team has struggled. The away Miami game comes to mind from 07 when the Bills couldn't run against one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

With grammar like this, who needs to argue? Edit: Baseball and football arm mechanics aren't the same.

BS. Schonert runs a quasi West Coast Offense that requires a great deal of timing and enables players to run after the catch. It seemed like today I saw a good deal of YAC, something we haven't seen in a long time. As for the long ball, there aren't many deep 50 yard+ throws in the WCO. Jerry Rice wasn't catching bombs, but getting the ball in the middle of the field and running. Montana didn't have a cannon, but was deadly accurate and with guys like Rice, Taylor, Brent Jones, Roger Craig, et al, he didn't have to throw deep. To say it's just Trent's arm strength which prevents him from throwing deep is shortsighted.

Bill, excellent points all around. One thing I noticed today was Lee Evans' ability to get open. Call it separation, call it savvy, but he showed why he's a top flight receiver today. This season, he's caught 11 passes for 185 yards. The 37 yard reception to set up the TD to Hardy was an excellent double move in coverage and if he doesn't make that play, I'm not sure Buffalo scores the TD. That's just my initial addition to your list. Great as always Bill. Edit: Can Buffalo and Evans come to an agreement soon?

Most rookie WR's aren't ready for the pro game, and Hardy is no different. He physically overwhelmed college CB's, but he's learning that things are different in the NFL. No one should be surprised, but I expect he'll improve his route running and strength. He needs to do a better job of separating and being physical off the LOS. Hardy may contribute in the RZ, but he's not going to catch 60 balls this year. If he ends up with 40 and 5TDs, that's a good rookie season for a wideout.

Jacksonville seems to be the place disgraced former HC's go. I can't see any of them ever getting another HC job in the league. Williams is a good defensive coordinator or he'd be doing QC for some team. But he'll never get the reigns as a HC for an NFL team.

Not every team can get away with what the Cowgirls do. It's not the standard of how things are done league-wide, and most markets cannot support it. I daresay most of the teams in the lower half of the league revenue list on Forbes couldn't get close to Dallas' ambitious PSL plan. Big market teams are quickly distancing themselves from the smaller ones. When a new stadium opens, teams can charge much more for tickets, particularly luxury boxes. Comparing Dallas, the NYC teams, and Washington to Buffalo is a non-sequitur.

Not all new stadiums have PSL's. The Giants/Jets new field won't charge PSL's in the same way either. NYG will have PSL's for the entire place, while NYJ will only charge the lower bowl. Besides, someone mentioned that the bubble could burst for the NFL in the next few years. I'd say if teams can't win year after year (and few can) that PSL's might push enough fans away. Some NFL owners act as though their product is bulletproof and PSL's will be bought up regardless. I can see that changing in the next few years. New stadiums equate to greater revenue. It's why the Colts are worth $1B+ this season, when last year they were in the 20s.

It's noteworthy that there are only 8 franchises that by 2010 will have stadiums 25 years or older. Those eight teams, Buffalo, Minnesota, Oakland, San Fran, San Diego, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Green Bay have an average team value of 914M. The league average is 1.04B, or about 125M above those eight teams. Teams by 2010 which will have parks younger than 25 have an average value of 1.082B, or approximately 170M more than teams with old fields in 2008 dollars. As good as it is to have a low debt to value ratio as Buffalo has, it's apparent the NFL is pushing teams to build new stadiums to increase revenue. Many of those teams with higher debt to value ratio also have new stadiums, which helps reduce debt faster. Owners themselves realize this, and the disparity between rich and poor teams continues to grow. It's no wonder Ralph had no issues from owners about playing games in Toronto because the other 31 know that when teams at the bottom succeed, they all win. Revenue sharing alone does not solve the problem, and neither does a salary cap. There's obviously a huge gap between franchises like Dallas and Washington versus Buffalo, and San Diego. Stadiums go a long way toward reducing that, but I can't see a new stadium built nearby anytime soon, especially with the owner's age and situation.

Teams are already reduced to carrying 80 players on their rosters in the preseason. That may sound like a lot, but with all four, sometimes five preseason games, teams quickly run short at certain positions. Polian admitted he made a bad call volunteering for the HOF game, because it's just an opportunity for further injury. On paper, that's still a reach. Already, the SB is the first week in February, and as other have noted, makes the season longer than it already is. I don't think the playoffs need tweaking, and six teams is enough. That's especially the case in the NFC, in which 8-8 teams seem to flirt with the playoffs each year. That may not be the case in the AFC, but no .500 team should ever make the postseason. BTW, there's already a wild card weekend, followed by the divisional round, the conference championship, a bye week, and finally the SB.

Chris Spencer of Seattle, Jeff Faine originally from New Orleans, and Damien Woody first of New England* all have gone in the first in recent years. It's a small sample size, but those three are pretty good, though Woody is the RT with NYJ now. I'd like to see a center with mobility and the ability to handle bigger DT's. Running up the middle has been an issue, and even though Fowler isn't the only reason, he's a liability in run blocking. Mack is most likely the top talent at the position next April. It's a long way off, but C may be the team's weakness, and that's not a bad thing.

Yes, the owners and players are raking in the dollars, especially with the recent CBA pushed through by Tagliabue. The point is, the next CBA will be even more difficult to negotiate with players getting something around 59% of league revenue. As much as players liked that deal, it was obvious the owners weren't happy. So much so, that it was overwhelmingly rejected earlier this year. Goodell understands there's a looming situation with the next CBA. He's looking for a compromise, and having 1-2 additional games may (or may not) alleviate what is probably going to be tough talks when owners demand more for themselves. I have a feeling the players won't be eager to give any percentage of revenue back to the owners. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business that seemingly has no limit to its growth. IMO, the players association will point to injuries as a means of shooting down Goodell's move to expand the regular season. A 16 game grind is already a long season.

True. My point is that more games equal more injuries, and with marquee names hitting the IR and injury report, I can't see the players association wanting more. Every year the pre-season claims a few name guys, but 16 games seems to be enough.

I'd go 1. TE 2. C 3. OLB It'll be interesting to see how the class of 2009 pans out, but at this point, if C Alex Mack of Cal is half as good some are saying, he's worthy of a first round selection. I know center's aren't normally first rounders, but he'll be a starter from Day 1. TE Brandon Pettigrew has some character concerns, but is a physical player with very good hands. Buffalo needs size at the TE position and Pettigrew provides that. I think we're overestimating the LB position, especially given how LB's can be replaced in the C2 defense. I think the Bills rely less on FA as the team is built. That's not to say I think Ellison is the answer, but plenty of players have stepped into the position and performed well. IMO, LB's out of college are more apt to be available than TE or C.

There's been a lot of talk about expanding the NFL season, in essence to increase revenue for owners as a compromise when the CBA comes up later this year. At this point (and Roger Goodell has said it won't happen before 2010) I can't see the NFLPA ever agreeing to a 17 or 18 game season and shortening the preseason. There's too much risk for injuries. It's alarming again how many players are hurt already this year, and this morning the list grew even larger. Seattle lost starting guard Rob Sims, to go along with their three receivers of Branch, Burleson, and Engram. Miami and Jacksonville lost starting guards. Marques Colston is out 4-6 weeks, (edit: Rams) WR Drew Bennett the same time as Colston, and of course everyone's favorite man to hate, Tom Brady, is done for the season. Throw in the Vince Young's injury (he could be mentally and physically hurt), and in one week, the NFL has lost a host of name players. Of course, this happens every year, but with teams spending more money and expectations high, losing key players seems to be at an all-time high.

Everytime I see Royal try to run after the catch, I'm just hoping he doesn't put it on the ground. Last year versus the Jets and then against Washington he had crucial fumbles. His career high in receptions is 25, but I think he'll eclipse that this season.

Welcome back Dean

As a fan, it has to make you appreciate Moorman and Lindell even more. They've obviously got the advantage having RWS as their home field, but it wasn't real windy on Sunday. You'd think Plackemeier could handle the rain because he kicks in Seattle though.