USAToday: It's never too early to predict

[BILLS02138]

USA Today

[shawnokeefe1]

Who the hell is this joker.....Miami Lost a bunch of close games>>>>> Miami will be lucky to win 4 games .....

[ganesh]

IF you read his AFC East comments, the teams are just too close and a few

games here and there can change this division completely....

 

This is going to be one of the exciting season ahead for the bills.

[BRH]

But clearly he has a hardon for the Dolphins. He writes more about them than about any other team, and he says this:

 

The biggest question is at quarterback, where two career backups, A.J. Feeley and Gus Frerotte, will battle it out. That's the only thing keeping me from picking the Dolphins first.

 

Meanwhile, he says Buffalo, which swept Miami last year and won five more games, is "headed in the right direction," but that "it will take quarterback J.P. Losman at least a year before he's ready to lead the Bills to the playoffs."

 

[BillsGuyInMalta]

So far, everything I've gathered from the early predictions in magazines and talkshows, the only thing holding back the Bills is JP Losman. I always hear they've got a dominating defense, the best special teams in the NFL, a stud RB, an electrifying WR corps and a drastically improved O-Line under McNally. Its just Losman's inexperience and mistakes that will doom us.

 

So by that reasoning, if Losman actually goes out and performs well instead of struggling, wouldnt that mean we are Super Bowl bound?

 

Thats what I love about the national media...everyone focuses on the negative and assumes we'll flop due toe Losman...but what if Losman instead turns out to be great, does that mean they'll start talking about us for the Super Bowl? Probably not...they'll find something else to slam us on.

[BRH]

He also appears to have skipped English 101 en route to his journalism career.

 

Three teams here will be serious playoff contenders. None of them are Cleveland.

[JimBob2232]

Probably not...they'll find something else to slam us on.

 

I dont know..a couple years ago we were 3-0, 4-0...and were #1 in some power rankings and getting great press...course we parlayed that into a #13 overall pick.

[canadian bill]

Ive read alot of slams on our O-line how thier even worse than last year.

[BRH]

Ive read alot of slams on our O-line how thier even worse than last year.

387388[/snapback]

But those slams ignore the facts that (1) a statue played quarterback for us last year and (2) McNally has now had the benefit of a full year to coach them.

 

These prediction columns are pretty humorous if you ask me. Very few of them are grounded in any kind of research or thought, and most of them are written by fans who -- like us -- have chubbies for certain teams and axes to grind with others. Even if you dog the Bills' chances on TSW, given a national spotlight you'd almost certainly talk them up just out of pride, and these guys are no different with "their" teams. This clown Coulston doesn't REALLY think Miami has a shot in hell this year, but he's just representing for his boys. Hell, I'd probably do the same.

 

Rarely do you ever read an objective, well-thought-out set of predictions.

[finknottle]

But those slams ignore the facts that (1) a statue played quarterback for us last year and (2) McNally has now had the benefit of a full year to coach them.

 

387392[/snapback]

 

Am I the only one getting worried about the cult-like worship of McNally that is emerging? He's respected around the league, and did a great job last year, but it's a little early to start calling him 'Dear Leader.' People are talking as if he can take other peoples rejects, sprinkle pixie dust, and get pro-bowlers. As impressed as I was with the O-line turnaround last year, I'd like to see more than one year before I start giving his mere presence the same weight as having talented players. I don't see people pointing to any other teams' units and saying "those guys are mediocre but assistant so-and-so is so good that they'll be first rate."