Cash

And got WIDE OPEN, too! I was shocked.

At least the uniforms look good.

This is turning into a Trent Edwards-style offense. I.e., it's a shock when we complete a downfield pass to a WR.

Didn't we hear the same "it's just preseason" nonsense last year? How'd that work out? Guys, if your hopes are still up, this season is going to be very disappointing for you.

I would like to see Ralph and/or Nix answer for the combo of pathetic talent, cheapo coaches, and having the fifth-most cap space. It's kind of insulting. I think Bob Matthews is right when he says that the Bills think we should be happy just to have an NFL team, and not expect to see any real winning. Good luck to Donald Jones and Johnny White.

True, plus they're book-ended by commercials. All the more reason to take a leak after a TD.

I think Troup has been pushed back on every run play so far.

Yes, but remember that in the real world, Luck is entering his senior year at Stanford. It's only in the bizarro world of college athletics that he was a sophomore last year. He has 1 year left to get his degree in architecture. I thought my man McGee was gonna take that to the house. Not sure if he stumbled towards the end, or if he was gassed from playing CB the entire drive, or if he's truly lost a step. But no matter what, he's our only DB that didn't get lit up in the first half. I don't think I'll feel ashamed if I keep rocking his jersey this year. Ugh. I couldn't stand all the comments (both from fans and Bills employees) worrying about the O-line "depth." HOW ABOUT THE STARTERS, NUMBNUTS?! Just because Demetrius Bell is a lot better than his backup, that doesn't mean he's anywhere near adequate as a starting LT. The O in general looks really putrid. Remember that we finished 28th in scoring last year, and basically switched out Lee Evans for Brad Smith. Right now, I expect another bottom 5 offense this year. I think the D has maybe gone from last year's historically bad to just regular bad this year. So that's a step in the right direction.

Verne Lundquist just quoted Wheel of Fish. The only thing not disappointing about this game is the vodka.

That Evans trade is looking better and better.

Wow, our D was awesome on that TD. 4 man rush, no man coverage on the RB, but also no one playing zone anywhere on the sideline. Torbor started in a middle zone, reacted to the play, but couldn't get over in time to do anything about it. That defensive call was basically designed to let a swing pass go for a huge gain. But with only a 4 man rush. How ridiculous.

Early thoughts: -Orton is not bad. You could do a lot worse at QB. -Chandler was WIDE OPEN on that 3rd down blitz that almost got picked. Had about 20 yards between him and the safety, and only that safety to beat for the TD. Fitz could have given him a little touch pass for an easy first down. -I've seen Bell make exactly 1 block in the 4 plays I've focused on him. I'm quite concerned about the O this year. -As a guy who drafted Fred Jackson today, I'm a bit concerned how much Spiller is on the field with the ones. Not very concerned. -I like Denver's play by play guy. -Barnett looks pretty good. Definitely faster than Poz and better in coverage. Did miss a tackle already. Plus he made a tackle 5 yards downfield, so I guess he sucks. But screw it, I like him. -Love Dareus & KW! Think they look better as tackles in the 4 man line. Nice push up the middle, but no one's done anything around the edge. Unless you count Kelsay sort of beating his man, but falling down in the process. Orton was not pressured in any way, so I don't count it. -HATE the 3 man line on pass downs. The D has more talent this year, but I think the coaching still stinks. And I don't care how good Batten is in practice - can we please get Arthur Moats back on the edge? -For that guy who posted that thread comparing Fitz to Rich Gannon, I think the dream might be dead. I still like Fitz, but he is who we thought he was. Not the best QB on the field tonight. -Levitre did a great job on that middle screen to Chandler on the first drive. Only play I focused on him. -Our D is basically getting carved up by Orton. If not for some bad drops and flukey penalties, they might have a TD on every drive.

I think it's important to distinguish between pessimism and negativity. not all negativity seems from pessimism. Some of it is reluctant rationality. I prefer to be hopeful and have high expectations when it comes to the Bills, but I can't unless the Bills give me some solid reasons to expect success. There haven't been many lately, which is why I've been mostly pretty negative for a while. The "pessimism" will turn to "optimism" when the team starts winning. That's it. A decade of history has shown that the Bills stink, and only actual success can change that.

Absolutely they discussed the impact at length. However, a lot of times coaches can convince themselves of something just because they want it to be true. For example: "I can make Trent Edwards a good QB." We'll see how the loss of Lee affects the offense. I know we looked miserable once he got hurt last year, but that doesn't guarantee that we'll be bad this year. (I think we will be bad, but hopefully I'm wrong.) One thing's for sure: Steve Johnson is going to see a lot more coverage rolled his way this year. Someone else will have to do some damage before defenses get off Stevie's back.

Very good points about the Jets. They also lost Shaun Ellis, who might be over the hill, but looked great in the playoff win over the Pats. The Jets' season will mostly hinge on the development of Sanchez, I think. I actually disagree about his QB profile. I feel like he's been at his best in big games/big moments, and that's why everyone's so high on him even though he plays like a young QB the rest of the time. If he can put it together in his 3rd season, the Jets will be terrifying. I think they've got a couple young guys on the D-line that might be good as well.

+1!

I don't think it takes any particular football savvy to know that Calloway at least can't play in the NFL. He was an early cut in training camp last year, was not offered a spot on the practice squad, and (to my knowledge) has not been signed by another NFL team. I don't know what more you need than that. As for Wang, yes he's still on an NFL roster, but would you be willing to bet that he makes any NFL team's opening day roster in 2012? That's not a rhetorical question, by the way. I'm legitimately curious. There's a chance Wang develops into a real NFL player, but he's not on pace to do so. I agree with the previous poster that Wang won't ever be able to play (well) in the NFL, but I wonder if there are any Wang supporters out there. Besides jockey shorts, I mean. (Sorry couldn't resist)

Urbik is a stud.

I dunno, I wouldn't be surprised to see the draft thread of any TBD-era player bumped if he had some sort of major positive milestone. Certainly if one made the Hall of Fame

And the other factor is that you have to re-sign 100% of your good draft picks. They only get 3-5 year deals (counting the options on 1st-rounders), so building through the draft is useless if you let any of them walk.

Big time. If the Bills are serious about not signing free agents, not trading for players, and not trading down, then they need to spend heavily on scouting, because their 7 picks need to be a lot better than everyone else's 7 picks.

Maybe take a nap before posting?

Bigger isn't necessarily better, especially if it's too slow, but you're right that Jauron's philosophy was always doomed to fail. I like the part where you want fast guys, but not the bizarre obsession with SMALL fast guys. In fact, sometimes the small part seemed to be more important than the fast part. Maybin over Orakpo, of course, is the epitome of Jauron's crazy small-guy obsession. I think that what you want are guys who are big, strong, fast, and smart. (Duh.) This. People frequently mistook Trent's high completion percentage as indicative of accuracy. Wrong. He was a fairly inaccurate passer who typically attempted low-risk, low-reward passes. Edwards was always very poor at hitting moving targets in stride, particularly if there were defenders nearby.

Hi Mr. Nix!

Why is it a fait accompli that 1.) Evans will be washed up very soon (he's 30, not 35), and 2.) There's no chance the Bills re-sign Evans when his contract is up? Especially point #2. We know the Bills have little interest in signing other teams' free agents. But can't they at least sign their own? How long is this rebuilding project supposed to last? Do we spend 3 years getting rid of everyone over 30, and only then start trying to lock up talented players?