SageAgainstTheMachine

I have to say, the whole thing is seeming rather like the Edwards-Fitz situation in 2010. Somebody in the Bills organization had a major conniption over the QB situation (and rightfully so) during the preseason. Only Lewis and Tuel were sent packing, but EJ isn't immune.

Here's why yesterday's game mattered to me - the last three quarters featured guys on both sides of the ball fighting for their careers, fighting to capture the 53rd spot on their team's roster and realize a dream. That's a strong motivation and the Bills reserves looked absolutely flat. Especially the offensive line. Doesn't that speak to some kind of team-wide culture problem? I was impressed by three Bills: Brandon Spikes, Anthony Dixon, and Landon Cohen . Three veterans who have been part of winning cultures.

Moorman is really puzzling me. I understand how age would affect his ability to boom it 65 yards from the end zone, but it's beyond me why a wily old punter would be getting worse at directional kicking and placing the ball at the 5. He's essentially a mascot at this point.

Dubs, you're definitely onto something, which is that teams should punt less frequently. I can't stand seeing a punt from the opponent's 40 yard line with 3 yards left to go. And coaches, for the most part, know that they're playing against the odds by punting. They also know that the typical football fan will want to crucify their ass if the smart tactic fails, so they play conservatively. One caveat I'd add is that game-situation plays a role. If you're ahead by 10 points with 6 minutes left to go, I think that the correct move is pinning the opponent at their own 10 yard line and letting the clock work against them.

Wouldn't you need a good OL to do that?

Guys on both sides of the ball are (theoretically) fighting tooth and nail for their team's 53rd roster spot, and the Bills are getting destroyed. That says something.

Note to all: Pick up Tim Wright in your fantasy league. He's immediately a top-20 tight end if he's filling Aaron Hernandez' past role, and he's potentially top-5 if Gronk goes down again.

This is my line of thinking too. The success or failure of that trade rests both on Watkins and Manuel. If Watkins is a star, but EJ plays us to a 3-13 record, then it would remain that a Top-3 pick is more valuable to a struggling team than a star wideout.

Their uniforms are some of the best in the NFL.

Fixed that.

If you were a real Spitoons fan, you would know that McDermott was cut in '33.

As I was watching the crawler on a couple of sports channels this morning at the gym, one of the top headlines was that Brian Hoyer would be the starter in Cleveland to begin the 2014 season, but that the team would be putting together short packages in order to get Johnny Manziel on the field. I couldn't help but think about the Bills' highly publicized (not necessarily on a national level) usage of the no-huddle offense a couple of years back. My question is, why the hell do NFL teams broadcast their intentions for player usage and offensive/defensive schemes? I know that the media will always be present at training camps, and that the Browns couldn't exactly hide who their starting QB would be. But what advantage does Pettine gain by announcing packages for Manziel? Would advantage did Chan Gailey gain by announcing the no-huddle? (Hint: The answer to that one is 'no advantage') While teams still enter Week 1 with tricks up their sleeve, it baffles me that head coach show ANY of their cards ahead of time in a game of tactical advantages. Why does this happen? Where's the spirit of the element of surprise. I realize that fans want to know EVERYTHING, but I'd gladly sacrifice insight into the team during pre-season if it meant knocking the Week 1 opponent on their butt.

I don't think this is necessarily a good thing, but remember that Jauron and Gailey were players' coaches held in very high esteem. Look at where that got us. It doesn't really bother me to see tempers flaring, and it sounds as though Marrone reacted appropriately.

Not as big of a sleeper as Tuel, though. If you draft Tuel first overall and he dominates, think of how smart all your friends will think you are!

Yes. If a top-3 all time quarterback were our quarterback then we'd be really good and our offensive skill players would realize the height of their potential. Thing is, nobody who's better than Manuel (who is...what? A top-621 all time quarterback?) is going to play QB for the Bills this year, so we better hope he has some upside.

A game changing player is worth two 1st round picks, and Watkins has the ability to be a game changer. But if he's a contributor and nothing more, then the trade will stink to high heaven.

The DB's and DL look to be first class units. Sad that Alonso's out, because that pushes our LB into subpar territory.

I too have been impressed by Brandon since RW's death. That said, he's still a gigantic part of the culture that's fielded a sub .400 team and zero playoff appearances. I'd be upset if Whaley doesn't get a fair shake with the new ownership, but would completely understand if Brandon's fazed out.

Sad that this thread has devolved into another discussion about taking offense, when it was supposed to be about the Coen brothers. To get back on track, I really think Barton Fink was their greatest accomplishment, though I imagine most people prefer Fargo. The wife and I watched A Serious Man a couple weeks ago and we thought that was really great too.

Wow, that makes me mad. I'm glad I didn't see it around the time of Wilson's death.

Could be the greatest Jewish player in Bills history.

Very sad, but at the same time worthy of a Darwin Award.

I'm going to think up a couple really good retorts for when I get my allotted internet time tomorrow.

I actually think Tuel will turn into a serviceable backup. He also single handedly torpedoed what was one of the best team efforts last season, so there's that.

Good to be back. I was busy getting married in the off season.