UticaBill

We got rid of Hangartner simply cause as a guard/center backup he made too much money compared with Urbik and Rhinehart. The Bills did not see much of a dropoff in talent when Urbik was playing compared to Hangartner so of course they went with the younger and lower cost talent. Hangartner wasn't going to get any better at his age, but the youngs kids could.... so as a business decision it does make sense. The other consideration is that Hangartner may not have been willing to accept a backup role because of his contract language. (costing him money not to start) To be honest, if the Bills FO thought they had a legitimate playoff team in the preseason the probably would have kept him.... vetrans can make a difference in the post season... but nobody was confident the Bills would make the playoffs this year, everyone had hopes, but only a confident few had "high hopes" way back in the preseason.

Not what I was going to reply with, but much more effective at communicating my position!

No doubt about it!! How many snaps...? Probably not many... they probably have him learning a base "package" which might have 4-5 plays they will run out of it and a few they will pass out of.... Depending on how the game plays out, injuries and how well those plays get executed we might actually see Jasper for 5-10 snaps.

Injury prone is a misnomer. Injuries are more about luck than anything else. Certain TYPES of injuries (Hamstrings come to mind) can point to a training problem, or some other problem within the player or coaching/training staff, but most of the injuries we see are just the result of dumb luck. History shows that "injury prone" labeled players can go on to have excellent even pro bowl careers once their luck changes. A good example of a talented but oft injured player being released and going on to have an outstanding career was Ted Washington. Denver labeled him injury prone and dumped him after 4 years.... we see how that turned out. Now as for Bell, he is worth starting LT money, no doubt about that. But is he worth #1 LT or #32 LT money? That is the real question. Considering there are roughly 11 LT's I have seen this season I would want LESS than D. Bell I think he is probably worth just below average type money and he'll probably have to agree to certain parameters to reach certain guarantees such as a minimum number of starts and such. Levitre and Wood are both worth above average starter money, and should be extended into their early 30's. Erik Pears has proven to be a lot better than anyone gave him credit for. Say what you will, but he has been the most solid RT we have had since Jason Peters manned the RT spot.... Craig Urbik is another pleasant surprise and his versatility is also welcome... a solid starter. Hope he is back and injury free. People who think Chris Hairston is a better LT than Bell must be blind! At this point, when Bell was in, the Running game took off to the left, and when Hairston was in it struggled... in pass blocking I've seen Hairston flagged more and has had his share of WHIFFS. That isn't to say that he can't improve, as all of the faults are correctable with time and coaching.... I'd just rather see more from him before I shuffle the line again.... and Bell is quite capable when healthy. Even Chad Rhinehart is an acceptable backup! When healthy, the starting 7 are pretty good and have lots of room to grow.... all in all I still expect the Bills to draft an OL probably a Tackle (which can also be converted to guard).

Thank God someone still understands what America is about....

if we do have an extra pick, we will use it to get another DB... "can never have too many of those " - Dick Jauron

OK so I was starting to think about the draft. I know most of you have been thinking about it for the past 6 weeks or so.... But I have been evaluating exactly what we do or don't have on the roster. I factored in guys coming back off injuries, and I made the assumption that with a healthy line and healthy Receivers and healthy Tight Ends that Fitz could easily return to the form he showed for over a season's worth of games. That being said, I still think you draft a QB with Fitz being 30 now. No need to draft high yet, a project is all that is needed at this point.... someone who at least can be a solid #2 needs to get groomed. Obviously the Bills need depth, every team does. So what are the positional weaknesses of the Bills? I think our biggest problem is pretty obvious. We lack the personnel to play the 3-4 or hybrid or whatever that putrid excuse for a defense was we had all year. (They have looked better since Wannstedt took over) So first is utilizing the personnel to its best.... Switch to the 4-3 and use both Kyle Williams and Dareus inside allowing us to plug the middle and force teams to devote two lineman to each! The next factor is a Pass Rusher.... we tried to fit Dareus into the role but he's just a much better player inside. I look at the prospects coming out and 'lo & Behold I see Quinton Coples (A natural end who shifted inside his senior year) projected as #8 overall... Since the Bills are picking inside the top 10 again, I am shooting for us to take Coples and finally get a 4-man pass rush other teams MUST deal with. OK I know, our LB's are seriously lacking.... True, but I think a switch to a 4-3 would help us a lot in the middle. I also think that Merriman is done. So an OLB is also a big need.... I don't see any Candidates on the Radar in the Draft, so it looks like a Free Agent pickup is needed. The OLB draft crop is pretty thin and unexciting this year. Mr. Wilson recently commented on getting a TE and while we have a good one in Scott Chandler, the Addition of Orson Charles in Round two could add some excitement to the mix. (Secretly I hope Dwayne Allen falls to us) Like the Patriots have shown, having TWO good TE's is a great idea. Now I don't think we have bad WR's at all but they all seem to have trouble staying healthy, not to mention that Roscoe Parrish is a Free Agent and won't be back. The Bills Draft at least one WR every year so a kid like Brian Quick who is 6-4 #220 and fits the Bills mold. WR's take 2-3 yrs to develop and this kid can play outside and be a red zone threat. We need to get the #2 WR spot solidified. after the 3rd round I always say Best Player Available. We will also take a DB, OLB, ILB, OL and a QB in the other spots... we have a an extra 4th for Lee Evans.... Do we have any other compensation out there?

Actually Ralph has only stated that the team will NOT be sold before his death. The rest has been theorized by people in the media and financial pundits. The big headache has ALWAYS been the incredible amount of Capital Gains Ralph would have to pay upon selling the team. He cannot afford to sell without liquidating other assets to pay for the Capital gains Taxes.... something he has said he will not do. He has also stated that his children have no interest in taking over the team and thus inferring the team will be sold. (No auction mentioned - but pundits expect this) Ralph has tried to run the Bills as a zero sum gain organization for the most part with profitability barely being acceptable compared to league averages. 'Ralph is CHEAP' is the old mantra, but I think 'Ralph is frugal' is more accurate in description. The sad part is, that he may be leveraging the price of the team not to increase his estates value, but to reduce its tax liability.

Ted Washington was a player who couldn't stay healthy his first 3 seasons and was cut for those reasons.... Sometimes players get injuries because their bodies are not yet ready to take the rigors of NFL caliber football. Depending on training habits, coaching and genetics some very gifted athletes can take 3+ years to adapt.

If the NFL wants to get serious, they should simply make the fines equal to 1 game check.... players will take that seriously.

That is the best description I have heard about freddie... I've always seen a bit of TT in him... not style but attitude... however your Allen comparison is spot on.

Yes, but he did that after their starting safety went down...

First it's an illness not an injury... people are confused because the NFL reports it as a non-football injury. The big rumor is that Marcus came down with Herpes. Which I suppose might make sense, but we all know how rumors go.... Whatever it is, we'll find out when we find out... until then we just need to wait it out.

New helmets are even slightly better than the old standing buffalo! BEST overall uni's since the 60's! (I still liked the old LONG-SLEEVE uni's from the sixties....) I love the Pearlescent white paint job.... I love the Widening Stripe.... I love the Bills Logo and name on the jersey.... I would have rather seen the shoulder stripe go around the arm/shoulder rather than stop.... I also have a problem with those socks....

Really he is only a major fail at the defensive system employed to date. Transitioning to a different position or scheme can add a year to development. With the Bills finally having a solid gut apparently, the out side defenders with speed will create mis-matches. Will Maybin Succeed? He is a superb athlete, and he has a chance.... it depends a lot on how this "hybrid" defense actually is used.

I have been trying to follow the legal wranglings of all this but I am having trouble understanding something.... Are the Players employees or private (sub-)contractors? My view is that they are each privately contracted under a global set of rules (CBA).... but does having the CBA make them employees? Wouldn't the distinction make a large difference in determining the outcome of any ruling on anti-trust??? Also, if the NFL takes its ball and goes home, would that be a violation of anti-trust laws?? ( I don't believe it is, but I've heard it might be...) Thanks for the opinions, Thanks for sharing!

I'd rather see a new stadium be built on the north side of the city that make access easier for both Canadians and Rochester (and east) travelers. The current location needlessly add 45+mins drive for both those regions. Somewhere closer to the I-90 Tollbooths would be optimal.... If we want a regional strategy then we need a regional location for the stadium, not moving home games to alternate sites. There is no business sense in the Toronto move unless it was say a Thanksgiving day game or something special like that. NFL networks game are NOT special and are in fact the WORST possible venue IMHO.

It doesn't bother me I'll chew.... watch your step!

NOPE!

Buress' parole requirements means that he can reside ONLY in NY State. That would mean a very limited set of teams that he could consider unless he;s chartering helicopters ala Deon Sanders. Besides the obvious three, Pittsburgh, New england, Cleveland, and maybe Philly too.... I just thought it was interesting to note.... He was stand up enough to admit what he did, took his punishment and hasn't complained in the media. Despite his mistakes I think he's not a character issue type player.

Nope that is a practice jersey.....

No, but it isn't promising. I have always believed that non-skill position players like O-linemen do not fully develop until they are in their late 20's so Pears being younger than those two and only being 29 doesn't mean its a backwards step. After competing with veterans and not showing the ability to beat them out for a starter role does seem to indicate that he's not going to blow you away with sudden new found talent either.... I would say that similar to Jonas Jennings, he can be a serviceable part of the line, but probably never a dominating part of it. Hairston on the other hand does have that "potential" so, even if we suffer through a season of Eric Pears/Mansfield Wrotto mediocrity, we could have a dominating cog the following season.

I would like to see Cam Jordan TE from USC !!!!!!!!!

Andy Dalton is my pick... though Bowers is intriguing... I would not be upset with Martez Wilson either. Dalton reminds me of Aaron Rodgers.

Brutal Schedule in October, but I think 7-9 is a fair pre-everything evaluation.