offsides#76FredSmerlas

I don't care what the Bills do. They can keep Rex and Doug or they can fire both or get rid of one or the other. I am worn out. My spirits like so many others have been ripped from my soul. I will never drink the cool aide again. For now on the only time I will get excited is when I see them perform on the field. The Bills act is getting old. Rex did such a crap job this season. All he had to do was maintain a decent defense and have the offense marginally improve. The defense was pathetic. The players on defense hate Rex's D. I get sick of this clown and him always trying to get a laugh during his press conferences. There is no room to be a buffoon and a goof ball when your team has no self control, and can't even be focussed on game day. 16 damn seasons... I like Doug Whaley but I seriously don't care if they cut ties with him either. We have had two bad head coaching choices and he couldn't get along with either guy. If the Pegula's truly picked Rex and not Doug then they need to hire a guy they trust to make football decisions and they need to stick to the oil business. Owners who make football decisions always fail...

The Jets never had a penalty problem. They were never great but always right in the middle of the league. Ryan never had a team commit this many penalties.

All I know is Rex took a team that looked to be a few pieces away from being a playoff contender. The Bills went out and made some good moves and somehow we digressed. A coach who was suppose to be a defensive stud made our defense worse. It went from a defense that looked to have few holes to a defense that might need a total rebuild. If Rex wants to talk smack then he needs to back it up. 4th place D wasn't good enough for him, wonder how he feels now.... He is a buffoon!

The more I read this crap the more I realize how dumb so many Bills fans are. We are 7 games in to a season and right away several fans want Whaley's and Ryan's head. I hope the Bills make a run so you can all eat some crow for jumping the gun. I'm not saying I am happy so far with Rex but I am astute enough to know that turning over coaches every year is not a smart thing to do. Whaley IMO has done nothing but a great job with this organization. He has brought in a lot of top rated talent both through trades and free agency. He has also done a very credible job in the draft. Thank God he had the foresight to listen to Rex and go after Tyrod. The Pegula's are smart people and there is no way they let this GM go. sorry fans, not going to happen...

I wrote this on another page about Whaley but I thought it fits here as well. I disagree with just about everything you wrote except for the coaching staff. The defensive line is proven and they deserve the money they got. Are they being coach right, that is something even the players are expressing there feelings about. The front line though is full of Pro Bowlers, sorry R2ITRich. First of all I would like to thank Doug Whaley for the job he has done. No GM hits on all his selections but he has hit on most and has brought in some top level talent in Free agency. After many many years of watching a team with no talent on its roster he has brought hope to this organization and for that he should be applauded. 3 Players the fans love to complain about when it comes to Whaley. EJ Manuel - I am reading several of you complaining that DW does not know how to evaluate quarterbacks. He took a shot on EJ and there wasn't a better quarterback in that draft to take a risk on. There has been no one in free agency and if there was he would have done every sales pitch to get him. Why people are angry for taking a risk on EJ is beyond me. At some point after years without a QB he had to roll the dice. Just because it hasn't worked doesn't mean it was not worth the gamble. The bottom line is we had to draft one that year and they all blow in my opinion. EJ just had the arm and stature to try and make something work even though it hasn't. Sammy Watkins - Sammy Watkins unfortunately cannot stay healthy and yes it gets aggravating but I think we should watch more of his career before we jump on Whaley. Watkins was the #1 WR in the draft by everyone, including the fans, experts, and scouts. I think he has shown flashes when healthy that he is the real deal and to give up draft picks (unproven college players) for a guy most feel has star potential is not a bad move. I know there have been several proven WR's that came out of the draft but no one has a crystal ball if so 32 teams would have taken Russell Wilson instead of passing up on him 3 times. Fred Jackson - The easiest move of them all. He was old, injury prone and making over 2 million dollars. I love Fred Jackson but he is not better than Mccoy and he wasn't worth stealing carries from Karlos Williams. Again if DW had a crystal ball he would have known Mccoy and Williams would be hurt and would have kept Jackson. Boobie was kept over Fred because 3rd string running backs needs to help on special teams and not just sit the bench. DW of course would of rather had Fred run the ball over Boobie but how many 3rd string guys are kept because the front office thinks they will have to run the ball. 2.5 million to sit the bench and not play special teams, "seriously folks". By the way, has Fred been playing a whole lot in Seattle? Doug Whaley has improved our secondary, our offensive line, our tight ends, our wide receivers, our running backs and our depth. I also feel he has upgraded our QB with Tyrod Taylor, another terrific find and a QB many teams wished they had. If there is a major knock on Whaley at this point it's that he hasn't hit on a coach yet unless Rex can turn things around.

First of all I would like to thank Doug Whaley for the job he has done. No GM hits on all his selections but he has hit on most and has brought in some top level talent in Free agency. After many many years of watching a team with no talent on its roster he has brought hope to this organization and for that he should be applauded. 3 Players the fans love to complain about when it comes to Whaley. EJ Manuel - I am reading several of you complaining that DW does not know how to evaluate quarterbacks. He took a shot on EJ and there wasn't a better quarterback in that draft to take a risk on. There has been no one in free agency and if there was he would have done every sales pitch to get him. Why people are angry for taking a risk on EJ is beyond me. At some point after years without a QB he had to roll the dice. Just because it hasn't worked doesn't mean it was not worth the gamble. The bottom line is we had to draft one that year and they all blow in my opinion. EJ just had the arm and stature to try and make something work even though it hasn't. Sammy Watkins - Sammy Watkins unfortunately cannot stay healthy and yes it gets aggravating but I think we should watch more of his career before we jump on Whaley. Watkins was the #1 WR in the draft by everyone, including the fans, experts, and scouts. I think he has shown flashes when healthy that he is the real deal and to give up draft picks (unproven college players) for a guy most feel has star potential is not a bad move. I know there have been several proven WR's that came out of the draft but no one has a crystal ball if so 32 teams would have taken Russell Wilson instead of passing up on him 3 times. Fred Jackson - The easiest move of them all. He was old, injury prone and making over 2 million dollars. I love Fred Jackson but he is not better than Mccoy and he wasn't worth stealing carries from Karlos Williams. Again if DW had a crystal ball he would have known Mccoy and Williams would be hurt and would have kept Jackson. Boobie was kept over Fred because 3rd string running backs needs to help on special teams and not just sit the bench. DW of course would of rather had Fred run the ball over Boobie but how many 3rd string guys are kept because the front office thinks they will have to run the ball. 2.5 million to sit the bench and not play special teams, "seriously folks". By the way, has Fred been playing a whole lot in Seattle? Doug Whaley has improved our secondary, our offensive line, our tight ends, our wide receivers, our running backs and our depth. I also feel he has upgraded our QB with Tyrod Taylor, another terrific find and a QB many teams wished they had. If there is a major knock on Whaley at this point it's that he hasn't hit on a coach yet unless Rex can turn things around.

If the Pats lose tonight and then we handle business the next week the Bills could be 2 games up on them. Go Steelers!!!

I have the NFL ticket but I can't figure out how to stream this game tonight. A few people have said they received emails saying that they would be able to watch the final preseason game online but I don't see it when I look. Any help would be great, thanks guys...

Frank Reich- super guy, down to earth, real Carl Bynum- awesome guy, always greeted me with a friendly hello and smile Doug Flutie- very nice and held my new born for a great picture Marty Schottenheimer- total class act, loves Buffalo and wanted the job real bad when Gailey got hired Paul Maquire- loves his booze, but was genuine, foul mouth but was hilarious and real Bruce Smith- lost me as a fan a long time ago, totally self centered, rude, disrespectful and arrogant Jim Kelly- back in the day, not the nicest guy but seems to have really changed and humbled himself Brandon Spikes- hate that he makes bad choices, but when I met him he was a super nice guy and totally wanted to stay in Buffalo Eric Moulds- never met him but did meet his ex father in law who said he physically abused is daughter and was a real jerk Cory McIntyre- super guy and great family Perry Tuttle- awesome guy who has some sad health issues, actually goes to my church and does a lot of classes for men Fred Jackson- treated my daughter great and signed her an autograph, made a good impression Jeff Nixon-very nice man, cordial and friendly ***all I can think of but I am sure I forgot a few

I hope he does well. +1

All you Tuel Bashers are pretty funny. You all talk like we have such great QB play in front of him. Tuel probably is the worst of the 4 but let's have the coaches make that decision. I know I haven't seen much from any QB, including Orton in the last several years. The guy played with limited practice time because he wasn't the starter and he was only a rookie when he got his starts. Like EJ, he is young and doesn't have much experience. I guess if he was that bad he wouldn't be on an NFL roster like all you arm chair critics. If he gets cut so be it but don't act like just because you see a stat line you know more about evaluating QB's than the coaching staff and GM.

I did talk about his games during the season. What are pre-season games for if you don't evaluate players? It must be doing something right to stick on this team this long. All I'm saying is why not give him a shot. It's not like we great QB's in front of him.

I would have to say I agree. I have seen a lot worse then Jeff Tuel. He had a great pre season not to long ago and he performed decently in the few games that he started. He was moving the ball and reading the defense better than EJ ever did against KC. I know he had a game changing pick that made me cuss his name out loud but that is what you get from a young QB. I think he deserves a chance and I don't think he played as bad as Bills fans like to think. If EJ gets another shot this kid should as well. Give him 10 games under his belt and I think his numbers show better than EJ.

He gets an "A" without hesitation. All the guy has done sense he has been here is build on our talent pool. The talent he has collected is as good as any in the NFL. How long have we been waiting to turn things around? Whaley goes after it, he finds good draft picks, free agents and does a solid job and finding quality players throughout the season. He has hired the best coach and staff since the Marv Levy days. I know he wants a QB bad like we all do and I am sure he is working every angle to get one. It is a tough find with so few good ones out there but I am fully confident if EJ or Taylor don't emerge this season he will get a winning QB in a Bills uniform very soon. The offensive line will most likely be addressed again in this years draft. I wouldn't want any other GM in the league. When we finally settle on a QB this team will be among the best in the NFL. I am not drinking the kool-aid, it is obvious we are stacked and ready to win...

He could have helped himself out if he would have stopped giving his balls to the other team.

Adam Caplan ✔ @caplannfl #Browns have wanted Clay from day one. Was considered to be their top target for free agency. Transition tag complicated the situation. I guess Clay is not even giving Cleveland an opportunity it sounds like. "GOOD"

I hope that this all works out or the money might have been better spent on some offensive linemen that got snagged up already. Although it seems like most of them re-signed with their original teams.

ok, thanks for clearing that up for me Kirby.

Everyone is worried about Miami but I thought I heard that Clay was Cleveland's #1 guy they wanted in free agency. Do we need to worry about them just as much if not more than Miami?

Did you hear CJ Spiller talk about EJ and how the team didn't respond to him because he lacked the ability to get in guys faces and be tough when he needed to be tough? Fred is the type of guy that is not afraid to speak his mind. Teammates respect him and this not only carries on the field but in the film room and practice field. He also is the type of player that others look up to because he puts the work in and gives it everything he's got even during the tough times. I have been a coach for 21 years and believe me these types of players are vital to have on every roster. Teams need leaders or else why ever elect captains. Fred often spoke to the coach when the team needed issues addressed and this what publicly noted. Besides his leadership he is also still a productive player. They guy makes something out of nothing every time he runs it seems. He had 66 catches last year and he is a solid blocker. I will agree it looked like he lost a step but I know he played the season injured and I am hoping for more of a bounce in his step this season. I am not ready to give up on him yet and I hope the Bills feel the same way.

I guess his 66 catches shouldn't be overblown either.

Dixon didn't get retained when Roman was his OC in Frisco and Brown didn't show me he was that great last season. I just hope Freddy can hang with the team. I think his leadership should not be undervalued and of course he can block and is still a very good receiver out of the backfield.

Everyone on every channel is saying all the Eagles got was a LB who had a bum knee last season and that is was crazy that they received no draft picks, "What is Chip Kelly thinking?" The Bills fans are all thinking Whaley is an idiot. I am hearing things from Bills fans like we had a superstar and that we are getting a player on the decline. Since when do we deem players superstars after 1 season. In my opinion his play tailored the last 1/3 of the season and then he got hurt. I am not 100% but I think he had surgery on his knee in college too. I get that many fans fall in love with players but we still have a top rated defense and our offense which was pitiful just improved considerably. We landed the superstar!!! Even if we only get 3 or 4 years out of him I would do this trade all day long. I am glad Whaley doesn't listen to fans and their hearts. He made a great move and this should be just the boost we need to make the playoffs. If Mccoy was here last season we would have been a playoff team even with Orten. Now lets get Locklear and let him battle with EJ for the job. I'm ready for some playoffs. excited!!!

I shared this before but I know for a fact Brandon Spikes wants Buffalo to resign him. He loves the hire of Rex and couldn't stand Marrone. He said that he was a very distant coach and didn't talk or relate to the players. He is sad to see Swartz leave and said that last year was the most fun playing football that he has ever had and that includes his super bowl and college championship years. Spikes really enjoys the group of guys on the defense on and off the field; gets along great with them all. In conclusion he noted that the fans deserve better than Marrone and that Rex is great hire and one that the fans should be proud of.

I don't think this is overblown and they should lose a 5th or 6th round draft pick. They should feel something that stings a little bit for cheating. If it was a 1 point game people would be a lot more upset. You can grip the ball better in colder weather when it is smaller and you also have better accuracy on your field goal kicks when there is some give to the ball and it is not a blown up rock. They do it for better feel. Obviously, they have a reason for deflating the balls and it is not fair and against NFL rules.