metzelaars_lives

It's such a different game now than it was in 1998 (let alone 1988). The game is so incredibly tailored to help the offensive players now that you simply don't see more than a few QB's throw more INT's than TD's in a season. Jim Kelly threw more INT's than TD's in 1988 when the Bills went 12-4. I remember when 3,000 yards was a milestone. Now if you start 16 games and don't throw for 3,000 yards, you're gonna be out of a job. Completion percentages are way up too. It's a different era man, you're talking about apples and oranges. Also, if EJ Manuel wasn't playing the most conservative brand of QB'ing I've ever seen, he would have thrown a few more INT's himself.

Dude it's from a movie. And I'd say that our WR corps is about as strong as Gaylord Focker's portfolio actually was at the time... https://www.youtube....h?v=_rTLZujmHXY

I'd say strong... to quite strong.

Agreed. Stevie Johnson would be a huge loss. And even if he does play, I'm getting the sense that he's kind of breaking down and fragile at this point anyway. The answer is in the form of #81 and I'm getting really frustrated with this staff not putting him on the field. Unlike Kiko Alonso jokes, I think this is something we could all agree on. AP reported yesterday that he's more or less questionable for Sunday.

Exactly. Someone put a cyber bag over their head when I said that the dropoff wouldn't be that bad. I'm not saying that Thad Lewis is going to set the world on fire, what I'm saying is that EJ Manuel was playing an INCREDIBLY conservative brand of QB and wasn't really doing that much special himself. Nonetheless he kept us in 5 straight football games. With our defense improving every week, there is no reason to think that Thad Lewis can't keep us in this football game.

I'm not saying that I want Thad Lewis as my franchise QB over EJ. I'm just saying that I think Thad Lewis has a chance this weekend to play at a level similar to that of EJ Manuel 5 games into his NFL career. Yes, Lewis has only played 1 game (as opposed to 4 1/2) but he's been around the game and digested quite a lot. And, for whatever the hell it's worth, my Bills connection- yes the one who got me the Mario Williams Buffalo visit info before John Clayton, Adam Schefter, Joe Buscaglia or, really, anyone else in the United States- has said that the players are 100% confident that Thad Lewis will be perfectly competent and are excited about playing along side him on Sunday.

Most of the parties I go to are attended by people who no longer think Chuck Norris jokes are amusing in 2013. But that's OK, it's nothing personal. I think Kiko Alonso is an outstanding young talent and the odds-on favorite for DROY at this point. I'm really excited about our defense here on out if everyone can stay healthy. I honestly think there's a good chance Thad is not even that big of a drop off from EJ and the Bills win this Sunday. Go Bills!

Ya know what would be so funny? Let's say Thad Lewis comes out and has a decent game against Cincinnati, makes a few key throws and they win- we could take all these old recycled Chuck Norris jokes and apply them to Thad Lewis! It would be so funny! Man, this never gets old. Like, Superman wears Thad Lewis pajamas. Ha! Whoops, don't want to get too ahead of myself!

The answer is simple: we don't know yet. Let the season play out. If Manuel comes back and really progresses, then maybe you take the top WR in the draft or maybe an OL. If he continues to play middling football, then a Taj Boyd may be too much to pass up. I think we'll have a clearer picture by January.

What are you talking about? So no good team would ever draft a safety in the first round? If you had the 32nd pick in next year's draft (which is what the Broncos will most likely have) and your biggest need was safety and you drafted one and he turned out to be Jairus Byrd, you wouldn't be happy with that? All that being said, I do not think they will get a first for him. But he will definitely get a 2nd if he agrees to a contract ahead of time.

typical WGR caller, let's call him Stan from Cheektowaga (In thick Buffalo accent): First thing they gotta do is fire Regehr. It all starts at the top. Then you go out and ya trade Stafford and Sekera and ya bring in Getzlaf...

It sure sounded like that's gonna be the case.

Oh give me a break. God the superlatives and hyperbole that is so carelessly tossed around on this site. What if- just what if- Lewis looks decent and they win? Jesus, let it unfold, would ya? I agree that it didn't make sense to have Lewis on the PS and Tuel on the active roster if he wasn't fit to be a #2 anyway. But that alone is not enough for me to declare it worse than going into the '85 season with Bruce Mathison and Vince Ferragamo. That is inside your 35 year fan window, right? What about choosing Rob Johnson to play over Flutie in Tennessee? They went out, got their franchise QB, it looks like that may work out, he's out for a couple weeks. They tried to get the best option available- Josh Freeman- and he signed elsewhere. What the hell did you want them to do after that? Trade for Peyton Manning?

No, no it's not. I'm not sure how old you are but Boomer Esiason vs. Bernie Kosar in about 1987 was some serious s***. Just because one or two teams aren't good for a stretch doesn't mean that you shuffle divisions. Who would've thought five years ago that Seattle-San Fran would be a good rivalry? For all we know, ten years from now Cleveland and Cincinnati are the two best teams in the AFC and those two games a year are insane.

The divisions, which take into account rivalry and geography are yet another reason why the NFL is so successful. The NHL on the other hand, continues to soot itself in the foot. They keep thinking that by tweaking things and messing with tradition that they're going to attract new fans. Unfortunately the players are too big, fast and strong and the ice surface is too small so what you have is a congested, often actionless game. All they're accomplishing is alienating their existing fans. But yeah, let's shuffle the divisions so that DETROIT AND CHICAGO ARE NOT IN THE SAME DIVISION?!? Are you kidding me? The NFL would never do that. That's why the Giants, Philly, Washington and Dallas will always be in the same division. It's called tradition and it sells.

Nope. For one, the Bills, Pats and Jets have been AFL rivals since 1960. For two, the Steelers-Ravens were the best rivalry in football until this year. Plus you have the Ravens-Browns-Art Modell thing, which will never die. You're upset because Buffalo is a few hours closer to Pittsburgh and Cleveland (not really Cincinnati) than it is New York and Boston? Well a few extra hours drive and a few extra minutes on a plane does not trump rivalry. Just think how you'd feel if you were a Dallas Cowboys fan. The NFL divisions are absolutely perfect just the way they are.

Well done sir.

It had already been stated. Kiko goes without saying. Just imagine if we can get everyone healthy for the Bengals game, 8 of our 11 starters will be: Mario, Kyle Williams, Dareus, Kiko, Lawson, Byrd, Gillmore and Aaron Williams at safety? On paper, that's an insane defense. Problem is, one will probably get hurt next week in practice, another one or two in the next game and one will more than likely get traded. Such is the life of a Bills fan.

Wow. If you don't think our run defense has been stout the last two games... Just wow.

I'd like to add that Dareus is busting out, Lawson looks like a great FA signing and Mario Williams is tied for the league lead with 7 1/2 sacks. If/when everyone is finally healthy (could come against Cincinnati) this defense is going to be one to be reckoned with.

It's not new. That's the whole point. It's played out now. Everyone is aware of breast cancer. Call me He Man, GI Joe, I don't care but I grew up watching this game I love and I freaking hate that the players wear pink for a quarter of the games. I'm sure we could place you in the "I don't care if they wear pink with purple poka dots as long as the win" camp but clearly, not everyone feels that way. I like tradition. I do not like black third jerseys, I did not like the new nike collars and I certainly do not like the pink thing.

So you would have no problem wearing pink to work for a quarter of your year- or 13 weeks?

I feel incredibly strong about this topic. Some teams will end up wearing pink for 5 out of their 16 games. It is the epitome of overkill. Years from now when people look back on NFL memorabilia from this era, nearly a 1/3 of the pictures will contain players wearing pink. It is utterly preposterous. 1 game would be PLENTY. And my aunt died from breast cancer. We're all aware of it by this point. How about an entire month where players wear brown to make people aware to get a colonoscopy to prevent colon cancer. I'm only half joking. I have Crohn's Disease and I need to get them every few years. They're not even a big deal and adults are supposed to get them every 7-10 years but many don't because they're afraid. See? This post just increased your awareness of colon cancer more than the stupid pink wrist bands are going to about the one cancer that everyone already knows about!!!

I am banned from posting on this subject. Oh well.

I'm not buyin it. I too am an avid football fan (does the OP really have to tell us this?) and I watch every Bills game in depth and it is rare that I walk away from a game and say that the Bills really got the short end of the stick or were the beneficiaries of suspect calls. Which isn't to say that I think the refereeing in the NFL is great; I just think that the calls sort of cancel each other out by the end of the game. Hey, people never want to acknowledge this, but the only reason we beat "Brady's Pats/the Cheatriots/the Pats*/whatever you guys call the Patriots back in 2011 was because we benefited from a laughable pass interference call in the endzone in the 4th quarter that gave us the ball at the 1. There are no conspiracy theories, let it go. Or go call the whiner line like Gus from Hamburg or Lou from Tonawanda.