WhitewalkerInPhilly

The man is actually defending us today, and has been plugging us at every chance! Refreshing!

Well, I don't agree with everything Sully writes, but the man isn't completely wrong here. I would LOVE Chan to surprise everyone and make us a playoff contender. But I can be completely satisfied if everything he has done this preseason, he keeps on doing for the rest of the season: steady, consistent progress. There is ONE thing that will be absolutely essential: We don't blow games in the final five minutes. How many times did we watch victory slip away from the last minute in the last few years. As long as we don't blow games stupidly, we may stand a chance.

I'm not sure whether to thank you for posting this, as I am too young to remember it, or to wince knowing that I can't remember the last time I saw the Bills dominate a game instead of grasping defeat from the jaws of victory.

Well, I think the praise is nice even if it comes with the big caveat of "I don't think they're going to make the playoffs." To be completely frank, we probably won't this season. Teams with a brand new coach and systems don't usually make the playoffs. Still, as many people have mentioned on the boards here, the difference between this preseason and last years is night and day. We are going in with question marks, true. But we haven't fired our offensive coordinator days before the start of the season, Trent doesn't look like he still has a concussion, our starting RB hasn't been suspended and talent we've waited so long to kick in seems to finall start showing signs of life. GO BILLS!

Lori, you probably will never read this, but I am very sorry to see you go. Your pre-games were always insightful and enjoyable. I haven't been on here as long as many people, but even I knew they were something to look forward to. You are sorely missed!!! *SALUTE*

I think it's important, if not for all of the same reasons you guys have been mentioning. One, let's take a look at our schedule: after this week we play Green Bay, the Patriots and the Jets. Yikes. Miami is the first of a several division rivals right after the other. It also is the most winnable of games in that list. People are predicting this to be a close game, and it's a home game. We're still all fired up and hopeful. This game is going to set the tempo. I won't make any bones about the year: it looks rough as hell. We play a lot of the best teams in the league. Logic tell me that we won't have a good year. And then fan pride tells my logic to go f:censored:k itself. The result is the knowledge is that if we are going to be anywhere near halfway decent we have to win games that everyone thinks we are going to lose and win every game where they give us half a chance.

Actually, I think I'm ok if it pours sheets and gusts. Neither QB is what I would call "foul weather" material and I'm drooling at the thought of a running game duel. Their run game, from what Miami papers have reported, has been abysmal this preseason while ours has been the highlight.

I want to believe this. I really, really do. Trent showed enough flashes of greatness with that 4-0 start that I thought he could be special. It's possible that he, indeed, is now just recovering from that concussion. It is possible that Chan Gailey is experienced and clever enough to take stock of Trent's strengths and weaknesses and then devise a style of play that benefits him the greatest. It's possible that this preseason, orders of magnitude better than the previous, is an indicator of a better year. But until we actually step up and start winning games that we shouldn't I'm going to reserve some skepticism.

I have to agree with you. I have a feeling that if someone made a particularly good offer, they wouldn't hesitate to trade Marshawn. But, as many people in this thread have pointed out, Marshawn hasn't exactly been putting up impressive numbers or keeping his personal life under control enough to not be suspended. Therefore, no good offers are going to come and I really doubt Nix would stomach taking such a huge loss on a promising 1'st round pick. It would, however, make sense for Chan to try to jump-start Marshawn this season. This would have the following effects: Create a ground game that will take the pressure off Trent. Help limit the risk to the other RB's and keep them fresh all year. Actually give Marshawn some trade value, if we really do decide not to keep him next year.

...Yeah, I'll be honest. My first impulse was to take this in an utterly horrible direction. Or an UDDERLY horrible direction.

Who exactly would be who? I can definitely see Jackson as Earth, but I'm having a hand time saying for sure which name would go where. Maybe Wind for Lynch, considering how much he's blown lately.

I'm certainly not going to say "Oh, but Trent is so amazing, how could we boo him?" The man has not lived up to expectations, of that there can be no doubt. But it's still preseason.If we're tearing each other down now, can you imagine the furious mudslinging and backbiting among Buffalo Bills fans that will ensue. Oh right, we can look at this board for the past year.

Hell, I don't really care if he is summoning Beelzebub and putting his soul up for hock. If he gets us capable players at badly needed positions, that's a cause to celebrate. I mean, on paper the man looks perfect. I mean, we desperately needed someone who could block well with the run game that Chan seems to be planning, and we haven't had a strong TE corps in a while.

I have to agree with you. As usual, I'm drinking the Kool-Aid about the new head coach but I remember doing the exact same thing for Mularkey and Jauron. Chan...I don't think that he's worse than Mularkey and he's had some success in the past even but it's not mindblowing. If Chan and Nix are able to solve the problems of getting the players who have shown flashes of talent (Edwards, Bell, Wood, Byrd) to keep steady production we won't have a god-awful season. I'm feeling decent about our secondary, considering that we have Byrd and a team which ranked second in passing TD's allowed. But if your asking for, in one year, to definitively set a quarterback who can consistently make full use of his receivers, get a reliable 2nd receiver across from Evans, resolve the running back situation so we can make full use of the overabundance of talent we have, get the offensive line to not suck AND have the DL & LB corps to adjust to and excel at the 3-4 defense that's probably a bit much.

GOD FRAKKING DAMMIT! Not already! The poor sap hadn't even signed with us a week...

That seems like a fair analysis, even though I respectfully disagree on what I feel is our main priority But do I hope that we can agree on cautious optimism as training camp opens.

Ok, so I'm not quite drinking the Kool-aid yet about how Gailey is going to turn everything around. I seem to remember a guy by the name of Dick Jauron who was supposed to do that. And before that, Mike Mularkey. And before that a guy named Williams... So once burned, twice shy. Three times, and we should be learning our lesson. And yet, for some obscene reason I do see some hope. Gailey has a better track record than these guys, even though I do wish that we had gotten a big name coach. I can't say that I like everything so far (not picking up a quarterback we can count on, not filling the LT position with someone we're damn sure can do the job), but kicking our players asses in the offseason sounds like a half decent place to start. If we have lost our god-awful conditioning staff we can hopefully avoid having a bigger body count than Detroit. The city, not the team.

However old it takes for the 18 year old to not be willing to have sex with him. Seriously...the only thing I have against your friend is that the 18 year old won't be sleeping with me.

If this works can we sue Jauron for sucking so much?

Hopefully he will be when the season starts. Whoever is at QB is going to need protection.

Honestly, "Better than expected" isn't all that much. I want Edwards to be our guy, but we have some pretty big holes to fill and I don't see them getting satisfied. Bow-chicka-bow-wow.

You can start your obvious double entendres...now!

This is the sanest post I've found in this thread, even if I don't agree entirely. Personally, I'm not getting too bent out of shape about Marshawn not coming. It is voluntary. You don't see be sweating over Aaron being gone, because he has been consistently good. But Marshawn has every reason to come to as many practices as he can and few not to. Let's remember: the Bills as a business (as dysfunctional a one as they are). If you are working for a company and get arrested and lose time in the real world, you're probably worried about your future. If, while you're gone, your company hired replacement does better than you and does it for less than you (Fred Jackson) a real person would be worried for their job. And if then they hire a guy straight out of school, who seems to be everything you were two years ago(Spiller)...that's when you start retooling your resume. Marshawn doesn't have to show up, but he better have a f -ing amazing training camp, because at this point I'm scratching my head as to why we need him.

I don't know if it's time to break out the Kool-Aid just yet. But still, Fewell actually showed a little killer instinct, something that has been lacking lately.

...but right now I could bear his children. And I'm a dude. Whatever we're paying him, it's not enough. He's had five interceptions in three games. He's the single biggest reason why the Bills have managed to win the last two games. He's my new favorite member of the team.