FistingBot

Bates' recent resume: 2009: Bucs were 27th in total defense 2007: Broncos were 19th in total defense 2005: Packers were 7th in total defense 2004: Dolphins were 8th in total defense (and did well from 2000 to 2004) Hopefully the past two stints were just the result of not having the right players to fit the system (?)

I actually thought Ralph might change his stripes when he fired Jauron mid-season and talked about 'big changes." Silly me. Different clowns, same circus. I'm actually kind of sad because we all know we're in for more of the same until Ralph passes. And then the team is sure to move elsewhere. So, it feels like a no win situation. Have a chronically bad team or watch the team improve after moving elsewhere.

5-11 based on: (A) a general lack of talent, and (B) The fact that a new offense and defense will be installed by the new staff (whomever they might be), so there will be a learning curve ... once the team gets comfortable with the new systems, we're still left with (A)

I'm still holding out hope that Gailey comes here only as Cowher's offensive coordinator. Yeah, I know that's not likely, but a guy can dream, can't he?!

Interesting... very interesting. Could explain why things have been a bit "too" quiet lately. Also, throwing off the media is a herculean feat these days. If they actually pulled it off then I will bow down to Brandon as a marketing "genius."

Well said, fellas. Only one NFL head coaching job is available and no one even wants to interview for it? Is this not indicative that something is seriously wrong at the top of this franchise? This has nothing to do with Buffalo as a city and everything to do with a curmudgeon owner who impedes coaches and GMs from doing what they were hired to do. The NFL community is a small network where word travels quickly... if something is not right at a place, everyone will know in a matter of weeks. Yet, we the fans keep hoping for a miracle and dumping our money into a franchise that for the most part has been doomed to eternal mediocrity for the past 50 years under Wilson. It seems to me that Wilson couldn't care less about winning at this stage in his life. He's simply trying to maximize the book value of his asset for the impending sale of the franchise to the highest bidder after his death in order to ensure that his estate makes the most possible money.

This is just funny... "But in all due respect to Mr. Wilson, at 91-years old he’s not as sharp articulating a point as he used to be and I was told by someone knowledgeable to not much into the wording of the statement."

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Bill Cowher pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.

There sure does seem to be a lot of evidence pointing toward Cowher: * Stealth meeting this week * News that the recent meeting is the second between the Bills and Cowher * CBS and Cowher himself would not comment or speculate * Assistants such as Chan Gailey contacted by Cowher recently * Evidence pointing toward the Bucs retaining Morris, the Panthers retaining Fox, the Texans retaining Kubiak * The entire coaching staff fired today * New GM Nix hired AFTER the meeting with Cowher * Thurman and Jim Kelly mentioning Cowher in the Nix presser * A prior relationship between the new GM Nix, the college personnel guy Modrak, and Cowher * Ralph Wilson's disdain for Donahoe, who supposedly left Pittsburgh because he was at odds with Cowher (i.e. it fits Ralph's personality to hire the "anti-Donahoe") ... plus, Ralph Wilson and company aren't exactly known for their extensive and exhaustive interview processes (e.g. Nix was hired with only he and Guy interviewed). They have to interview Perry to satisfy the Rooney requirement, but it sure seems like they already have their man...

The rumor out here in Colorado is that he got caught smoking pot yet again. He appealed a 1 year suspension last year and won the case, but he may be facing a suspension this year for the same thing (again, just a rumor). Also, from a local Denver news article: "Court documents uncovered by FOX 31 show Travis Henry has fathered nine illegitimate children with nine women in four southern states and has been ordered to pay back child support for seven of those children." I guess you could say Travis works hard on and off the field.

I think the guy who is gay is the one standing there snapping the photos!

The fact that Malone is/was worth in the range of $100 million, knew he was the father, yet still wouldn't pay a lousy $200 a month is disgusting. Yet since he was good at shooting a ball through a hoop, people will continue to treat him like some sort of God. Such is the society we live in, I guess. BTW - if he really did impregnate Bell's mother when she was only 13... well that just takes him to a whole other level of scumbag!

Yes, Corey Moore was shot (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2001/06/13/bills_moore_ap/). The real problem with him was he played DE at Virginia Tech at 5'11" 225. He was too quick for most college offensive tackles, so he'd get a ton of sacks off the edge in college. But, he couldn't make the transition to linebacker in the pros. The word was he didn't have the lateral movement and change of direction necessary to play linebacker. As for the Tillman pick, Georgia Tech had about the worst college secondary I'd ever seen when he was there... receivers literally running uncovered all over the place! I'm not sure why Butler and company thought anyone from that secondary could possibly make a good pro!

I really like the pick - I live in Colorado so (unfortunately) get a lot of Big-12 North games on TV in the fall. Iowa State has been awful the past few years, but you can't watch an ISU game without noticing this guy because he's all over the field. Seems like he made every tackle for them the past few years (287 to be exact). He's one of those guys who just loves to run around and hit everything he sees. He plays with a ton of passion and heart on a really bad team... not a bad guy for the Bills to take IMHO.

So as a Virginia Tech season ticket holder, I've followed Ellis ever since his recruitment to Tech. Ellis is a hell of an athlete. Frankly, the scouting reports make every player seem like a huge risk and/or as having insurmountable flaws. I don't know where they get the stuff about Ellis not having a motor - he's a "heart and soul" type of player who plays "on the edge" with almost too much passion at times. His biggest problem (and I think any VT fan would agree) is that he gets so fired up in the big games that he takes the occasional dumb 15 yard personal foul penalty (i.e. he can't turn the motor off when the play ends). I also don't know where they get the stuff about Ellis not being solid against the run. Most would consider him to be a very good run defender - you don't play on VTs defense if you can't stop the run & he was arguably Tech's best run defender on the d-line. I don't argue that he took plays off against some weak opponents, but I never saw him dog it in a game that wasn't a Tech blowout. He did lose some upper body strength after the shoulder surgery, but should be fine now. IMHO he was brought in to play the role that Hargrave used to play. He's a fiery, nasty competitor and a very good pass rusher. This kid is a fighter by nature (not unlike Hargrave) and if that makes him a character issue, so be it. IMHO he should be an excellent addition to the d-end rotation.

If you'd like to read it, there is a copy of the working paper on Jaren's homepage: http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jcpope/working_papers.htm The econometric specification they used is fairly simple, but IMHO seems reasonable. BTW - The term "Flutie Effect" is only mentioned in a footnote in this paper (BC supposedly saw a 30% spike in applicants the year after Flutie won the Heismann)

Thanks for posting the stats - very interesting. I'm kind of surprised Calvin Johnson didn't have a bigger year in Detroit last year as a rookie - he's one of the three most dominant college wide receivers I've seen in the past 20 years or so (Larry Fitzgerald & Randy Moss being the others). But, then again, he was still a rookie and it IS the Lions.

From the Buffalo News a couple of days ago: "Seattle’s D.J. Hackett is the next best receiver on the market, but he’s primarily a slot receiver and the Bills are set there with Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish." Hackett seems similar skill-wise to Josh Reed. Obviously our coaches have something different in mind for the starting outside receiver. The recent comments to the effect of "receivers take a long time to develop" might well just be pre-draft posturing by our coaches?

I agree with you guys. There just doesn't seem to be that much of a talent difference between the guys who will be there at #11 and those who will be there at 18-20 or so. Plus, the rookie salaries drop quite a bit by sliding down even a few slots.

Kellen Davis actually ran a 4.6 at the Combine - very fast for a guy 6'6 and 250. He's very athletic, has nice hands, and his name is Kellen (aren't all guys named Kellen good TEs!)... the question on him is can he block?

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Little did the original poster know that Edwards would (1) end up a Bill, and (2) win the starter job as a rookie! I think this is why we're fans and we don't get paid to be NFL talent evaluators. On another note, I actually did watch Trent play in college on several occasions and I posted in a now-long-gone thread that I thought he was a real talent (#1 rated pro-style QB nationally coming out of HS) but got stuck playing behind maybe the worst offensive line in the history of college football at Stanford! He threw picks because his team was usually down by 30 at the half and he had to take chances with the ball to try to get his team back into games.