San Jose Bills Fan

Ah, we were both beaten. I even scanned the thread before posting. A bit too hasty to be clever I guess. I never understood that expression.

This is a sampling of some of the good posts in this thread. Just like last year, the Bills O-line is one of the better units in the league, certainly top 3rd and certainly better than some O-line currently employed by playoff teams. The major factor which has limited the Bills success this year is the QB play. I am a huge EJ fan and think he will become an excellent QB but to this point this season, predictably the Bills have not gotten playoff caliber play from a combination of rookie and inexperienced QBs. As suggested in the above posts, no position has a bigger effect on making O-lines look good or bad than QB. Experienced QBs who can call protections and get balls out on time are an O-line's best friend. When the QB play improves, no one will be talking about the O-line.

Ridiculous rhetoric. "Conflate?" LOL. You love that one. Long is a 6'6" 313 pound guard who has a large frame. Not only is he a big body for a guard but he will gain weight as do nearly all offensive linemen who are NFL rookies. Pugh is a player that pro scouts agreed needed to get bigger and stronger. You'll never find lighter O-linemen than those that were recently drafted. Like players at all position groups, they get bigger and stronger as time passes. Back to the real discussion, you hold the Bills record of failure against them in a way that prevents you from being objective about the present. Your inability to be objective and your eagerness to criticize any and all aspect of the organization is well-documented. Now you're criticizing them for drafting big linemen instead of criticizing whether the player can play.

Yeah, whatever.

Stevie saying that he didn't train hard enough is the same category of statement as Billy Joe Hobert saying that he didn't study the playbook. Hobert said later on that he was just trying to get a rise from the media, that he said that just for effect. Stevie said that he trained much harder this offseason. The results? The same as before. What does this mean? What does it mean that Miles Austin can't stay healthy? What does it mean when any athlete can't stay healthy? 1) Is it always from undertraining? 2) Isn't it just as possible that some athletes can't stay healthy due to overtraining? 3) Isn't it possible that some athletes simply can't stand up to the rigors of NFL football regardless of their training regimen? Stevie has been extraordinarily productive for a 7th round pick. I wouldn't presume to know why he can't stay healthy but if I had to guess, I'd say that he's in that quite large 3rd category.

They're not out of the woods yet. There's always William Mattar. According to one report, this guy slid down the rail three times. What were the security guys and ushers in that section doing?

I agree with C.Biscuit. The pass rush is improved but so is the coverage. From what I can divine with my naked eyes I would say the sacks are almost a 50/50 split between improved pressure and improved coverage.

Trung Canidate was finally nominated?

Not sure what you mean by "the Fitz situation" but by some accounts, Fitz was so pissed off at Nix about the Dominick conversation that there was no way at all that he was going to remain with the Bills. I won't hold "losing" Fitz against Whaley but I'll certainly question the Kolb signing.

Let's review again: EJ played against one of the top defenses in the league. EJ had no running game upon which to lean on. EJ was without the team's two best wide receivers. EJ played on a very windy field. EJ was coming off the worst game of his career, a performance which just as easily could send a rookie into a confidence crisis-induced tailspin. EJ played a very strong game.

There's really no point in either of us trying to build an empirical argument. How do those players compare to players in the previous drafts? Will those players not gain weight as they become established NFL players? Is it not also true that some teams still value larger players? Is it not true that some teams believe in drafting tackles and moving them to guard? Is there compelling statistical evidence that shows that NFL linemen are getting smaller? How does your sample size of players compare to the 275-300 other offensive linemen in the league? Here's my point: This post makes two points and both of them are needlessly and subjectively negative.

Uh, you're the one who says that "Bills fans here in Syracuse" are the most knowledgeable Bills fans of all. Why are you asking us?

Dave. The poster twice posted about "Super Bowl-winning QBs" who were running QBs. The argument he was trying to make was quite clear so let's not go off on a semantic tangent. My point is very clear and it refutes his point: Doug Williams was not a running QB when he won the Super Bowl. As your link shows quite clearly, Williams averaged less than 3 rushing attempts per game over his career and and only three-tenths of a rushing attempt (17 rushing attempts in 51 games) while in Washington.

Well I don't think it's true and I'd like to hear what Billsvet has to say.

What you say might have merit had there not been a person below that he fell upon and injured. I have no problem with morons who only hurt themselves. When they hurt others, the math changes.

Is that a fact or just your opinion?

You can sort Bills transactions by year here: http://www.buffalobills.com/team/transactions.html

Doug Williams a running QB? :lol: :lol:

Thanks dubs. Here's another very relevant stat plucked from the Buffalo News today: "Buffalo ranks fifth in sacks per pass attempt faced, which is a more accurate way to rank pass rush than the actual sack totals."

^^^^^^^^^^ Yep. Calico Jack's Cantina.

I remember one particular instance when Dierdork was still on MNF and the Bills were on during the glory or post-glory years. He had obviously spent some time with some of our civic leaders earlier in the day or earlier in the week. Those hosts had clearly told him about some of the prouder distinctions of our area (ie - Buffalo is the birthplace of the grain elevator). Dierdorf with obvious derisiveness and in a mocking voice, parroted many of the facts he had learned earlier that day in brazen disrespect to his hosts. His voice was dripping with sarcasm and he was practically scoffing when he repeated the items of interest about the area that he had learned. It was the most classless display of broadcasting I have ever seen. In later years, it always seemed to me that even when he said nice things about the area or the team, that his tone was patronizing and insincere. His retirement comes as great news.

Agreed. However I've never really liked the idea of a defensive player being able to mug a receiver with impunity, especially on a critical play. I'm in the group (pneumonic, Dave McBride, Farmer) that thinks the pass interference call should have stood. I think you're confusing the issues here as are others based on their hatred for The Cheatriots***. I hate New England and always want them to lose. In spite of that, objectively critiquing the play is a different conversation. I'm glad the decision went against them. That doesn't mean I think it was a good (non) call.

I'm failing to understand the comparison of an undrafted free agent turned practice squad acquisition with a former 5th round pick and a former 7th round pick.

To build on your work: KC 3.60 sacks per game Ravens 3.40 sacks per game Bills 3.36 sacks per game Bengals 3.09 sacks per game Seahawks 3.00 sacks per game Pats, NO, Rams 3.2 sacks per game Bills 1.45 ints per game Seahawks 1.45 ints per game Cardinals 1.40 ints per game Panthers 1.40 ints per game Bears 1.40 ints per game Broncos 1.30 ints per game Eagles 1.30 ints per game So based on mean average, the Bills are 3rd in sacks and 1st in interceptions. Waiting for Max to make another annoyingly negative statement.

I remember reading the news that Mike-Mayer had joined the Bills but I had no idea how his name was pronounced. When I finally heard the pronunciation I was a bit surprised to say the least. Same with when the Sabres acquired Rene Robert. At that point in my life I had little experience with french names. To me he was Reen Robert, not Renay Robair. I guess I'd like to apologize to both these fellas.