San Jose Bills Fan

Just awesome work, Sven!!! You articulated something I had kinda been feeling which is that all of our starting defensive linemen (all 6 of them) have completely different playing styles and I love that. They are all very distinctly different from each other. Also I would advise others to click on your link and view the photos… all 103 of them. Interesting that Aaron Williams was covering Scott Chandler in 7 on 7s. Thanks very much, Sven. Great Job!!! Photo #54: Michael Jasper and Mario Williams conversing.

And I think that if Stevie and Nelson remain healthy, that when combined with Chandler, Freddy, and Spiller, that it won't matter much who the other wideouts are. However if one of the two gets injured, it becomes a very different scenario, IMO.

And that's the question at wide receiver. Depth. Losing Nelson and then Johnson over the last few days has underscored that concern and to lose even one of them for any length of time would create a big pressure point for this team.

But this time it was accompanied by a dramatic, possibly unprecedented (for him) spending spree… so there's that.

Don't know poo. All I know is that LSU is always stacked with talent so I'm not sure how relevant Sheppard's familiarity with the Bills defensive system really is.

I have mixed feelings lolo. It's a poignant revelation but also, it begs the question "why did he wait so long?" The one plausible explanation is what someone else brought up in another thread (wish I could remember who because I liked the theory) which paraphrased Ralph as thinking, "I'd spend the money if I trusted you guys to spend my money." If that's the case it's also a bit tragic in that he finally made a good hire with Nix but did so too late in the 4th quarter of his own life.

I thought so but you went past the point where most people call their own bluff. You out-nerved me you son-of-a-gun!!!

How many did Fitz throw last year?

So then you admit you have a bad leg?

Should we merge this thread with the Josh Reed thread? I hear that people in the midwest are very friendly and in my limited experience, that is certainly the case.

Not totally though. The Chiefs used the non-exclusive franchise tag which I believe means that if they decide not to match an offer, are entitled to two (2) first round draft picks. Unless the Chiefs withdrew the franchise tag…

Good question. I do not know. Obviously I thought he was but…

And what of my theory that the offense is more complex at the advent of its 3rd season (referencing Gailey's remarks about Young being at a disadvantage because it's more advanced than it was in year one)? Anyways, all of our statements about the complexity of Gailey's offense are conjecture. I believe it's pretty complex. He seems like a bit of a mad scientist and he seems to put a premium on brainy football players. That is all.

Good stuff Hp though I'm not sure we're worthy of such an effort. I found the bolded parts particularly interesting and agree that our special teams are not gonna be a liability at all.

Sincerely, William Belichick

I thought his comments were fairly mild but there's this: Why did he feel compelled to mention the Buffalo Bills? Just because we're the week one opponent? Are we the only team this season who'll have to prepare for the Wildcat? Why even mention us? I personally don't think spitting towards the other dugout after striking out the side is a big deal. But disrespect is in the eye of the subject. We're not the subject. Why wouldn't he just say, "our opponents are gonna have to prepare for the Wildcat." Is Gailey or any other coach gonna make a similar statement as Rex did by suggesting that his team will provide a unique problem to a specific opponent?

I would only say that any player competing for a roster spot is gonna publicly say that the offense is not that hard. This is where I'm coming from, guys. A week ago when commenting on the backup QB position, Gailey said that Young was at a disadvantage because the offense is "so much more evolved" than it was two seasons earlier. I believe (can't prove it) that in the 3rd year of this program, there have been layers of complexity built up over time and for newcomers to the offense, that it's much harder to pick up in year 3 than it was for guys who got in on the ground floor and have grown with the offense.

http://www.buffalobills.com/media-center/videos/

It's nice that this happens in the context of a new offensive coordinator and a jumble at the QB position. Probably a good topic in-and-of-itself but our rivals in the AFC East have had generally bad things happen to them this offseason. When you tally all the injuries, retirements, and controversies, it's very arguable that not only have the Bills had a great offseason but that their divisional rivals have all had poor offseasons. It's not really a stretch to say this at all.

The bigger issue to me is that it seems that our passing offense is very complex and requires very studious and intelligent players. You see how Vince Young has struggled with picking up the offense and how some of the receivers do also. You read constantly how the wideouts on this team are expected to eventually be able to play every wide receiver position. I'm pretty convinced that this offense is more complex than many/most other NFL offenses. While a Jauron-simplified offense is a recipe for disaster in today's NFL, I think it can be reasonably stated that at some point, increasing complexity gets you to a point of diminishing returns. I sometimes wonder if this offense is a bit too complex… especially when you see how players like Chad Johnson have thrived in their careers operating in rather simplified schemes.

However, the counter argument comes straight from Buffalo. OJ Simpson was as great a runner as this league has every seen. In 9 seasons in Buffalo OJ led the Bills to 3 winning seasons and one playoff appearance, a loss. The inarguable point (IMO) is that no single player, no matter what position, is going to make a bad team into a good team. The NFL has rosters of over 50 players, play in 11 man units, etc. It is the ultimate team game. I don't buy the "you don't draft an O-lineman high" argument. If the team believes that he's clearly the best player available, you draft the O-lineman. Really in short, What good is any great player on a bad team?

Interestingly while talking about the goal-line session from today's practice, Gailey said something along the lines of "our run defense is not one of my biggest concerns" and he said it with a bit of a smile/smirk. I hope Gailey's right because both Miami and the Jets are talking about running the ball a lot more this year and the Cheaters**** are going to the double tight end as their base offense, I believe partly because it allows them to switch from a passing spread to a power run offense without substituting players. It could be that San Fran, Houston, and a few other teams might have started a counter-trend in football back towards the run after about 3 decades of increased emphasis on the pass.

Hey House, have you listened to the interviews on BB.com? While he was not candy-coating things, I think it might look worse in print than it sounded on the video audio. The silver lining is that with Stevie and Nelson being held out of practice, it gives the other guys more reps to improve their rapport with the QBs. I personally don't think this is a big deal.

But arguably, what good would Revis be on a bad team? I think a bad team should try to get the best player available regardless of position. That way you draft players most likely to succeed. Any draftee on a bad team is gonna marginally help the team because football is the ultimate team sport but you want to make sure you're drafting legitimate building blocks… guys with the combination of the highest upside and the least chance to bust. I'm sure the Browns have no regrets about drafting Joe Thomas. I suppose the Fins could have taken Matt Ryan instead of Jake Long but how good would Ryan be on this Miami team? They went worst to first in Long's rookie season but have regressed since then. This will be Long's 5th NFL season and the team has not been skillfully rebuilt since his rookie year.

I wonder if Terrence McGee doesn't improve if they would consider putting him on PUP in anticipation of him returning to good health and helping out in case of injuries by week 6. This would serve the dual purpose of giving Ron Brooks a roster spot. I also wonder if they would put Troup on IR as he apparently had a setback and didn't even practice today. Rather than give up on a 2nd rounder it would seem to make more sense to give him a year to rehab and rebuild and hope that next year he can be the player they thought they were getting when they drafted him. Just a thought on these two guys.