metzelaars_lives

In fairness, every time a guy in the league isn't playing well, I wouldn't expect a guy whose job it is to evaluate football players to withhold criticism because there's a chance he might have inflammatory bowel disease.

Extremely rare. That's too bad, I'm sorry to hear that. Scares the s**t out of me.

I mentioned prednisone in an earlier post. You raise an interesting point- that would be insane if they didn't allow him to take and play with prednisone in his system. I have to think there's an exception to be had there. It's a quick fix and the closest thing to a cure all but is the opposite of a long term solution.

Again, as someone with Crohn's, he's going to be fine. Please stop with the prayers and the hoping he survives, etc. It's something he'll always have to deal with but I would be shocked if it dramatically affected his career at all. He does not have cancer, ok guys? You guys know Matt Light played his whole career with Crohn's, right? Theo Fleury, Kevin Dineen, David Garrard, Shannon Doherty, the list goes on and on.

I too have had Crohn's Disease for about 25 years now. The one thing I can tell everyone for certain is that there is a DRASTIC difference between a mild and severe case of the illness. I have been incredibly fortunate for the most part (KNOCK ON WOOD) to the point that most of my friends don't even know I have it. As for the person who said that he can't drink anymore, ha, I'm glad that's not the case. Alcohol has absolutely nothing to do with Crohn's whatsoever. 20 years ago they would say, here's what you can't eat and here's what you should eat. As we've learned more about it, the fact of the matter is that everybody's case is different. For instance, 20 years ago, they would tell you that the number one thing to avoid in the entire spectrum of food is popcorn. Doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me and most people I've met with Crohn's more than anything is gluten. But again, everybody is different. As far as managing it is concerned, that is a tricky word because everyone with Crohn's will go through stretches where they can eat whatever they want and nothing will bother them and then I'll go through stretches where water can make me bloated. When it wants to get ya, it's gonna get ya. But yeah, exercise, drink a lot of water and keep your fingers crossed. Good stuff. Yeah anyone can google all the athletes and celebrities who have it. The list will surprise you. It's rare that I meet anyone who, when I tell them I have it, doesn't know someone else who has had it. I am 36 and have been pretty much fine (AGAIN, KNOCK ON WOOD) my whole adult life- or the exact ages that professional athletes typically play so if I were good enough to play in the NFL, it wouldn't really have affected me at all. I definitely would have missed a few practices here or there and probably would have had to run to the locker room during a few games but other than that, it wouldn't have made a huge difference. But again, everybody is different. The worst part of it is the part that Henderson is going through right now. Once they get it under control (I would assume with prednisone initially) then they can see what long term meds might work for him and he'll figure it out.

When in God's name did I advocate anointing him the starter for the long haul or offering him a lucrative long term contract? My crusade on this thread has nothing to do with Tyrod Taylor whatsoever. It has everything to do with another poster (who I have already made amends with) making a post mistakenly assserting that Fitzpatrick's statistics were superior to Taylor's this season, when they are inferior across the board, and then you smugly coming on and saying "hmm facts suck don't they..." All I want from you is to say "whoops, I was wrong, Taylor's numbers are superior to Fitz's- that is a fact- but despite Fitz's inferior numbers, I think he is a better QB right now." Just say that and we can move on.

All fair. My bigger issue is with joe the six pack. The only thing I'd disagree with you on is that I think Fitz is pretty much playing like Fitz. I did say he's playing the best football of his career and I think that's pretty much undeniable. But if he had a LEGITMATE 1 and 2 WR like he does now AND the 5th ranked defense in the NFL when he started for the Bills from 2010-2012, I am quite confident that he would've been able to lead those Bills teams to a similar record. Since 2010 he's been exactly what he is right now: a top 20-25 QB on planet Earth. That is saying something. That means he's definitely worthy of being a starter for someone. And when that someone is a team with all the pieces in place, a QB of that caliber can very well take a team to the playoffs. That someone CANNOT lead his team to a Super Bowl victory in today's NFL. But back to your friend joe the six pack, his attitude was clearly "yup, Fitz is accomplishing something that Taylor's not, told ya so..." Well I would argue that Taylor is ALREADY a top 15-20 QB on planet Earth and has room to improve next year (as I pointed out that Fitz has improved greatly from the same stage in his career) and with the right pieces in place around him (AKA a defense that plays up to its capabilities) there is every reason to think that Taylor will be able to yield similar results. All that being said, the Jets are not making the playoffs.

Wasn't trying to call you out (read my last post). I was pointing out that your statistics regarding the lost fumbles were simply wrong. As I stated, Taylor has a 3.5 TD : turnover ratio, which is one of the best in the entire league. You said it was 1.something. You were incorrect. Two of Taylor's fumbles were on the one play in KC where he bounced it once, quickly regained it and then harmlessly fumbled it forward out of bounds. So no, fumbling the ball and losing it is the statistic that is key here. Yes he does get a pass on turning the ball over because he's ONLY TURNED THE BALL OVER SIX TIMES all season. We agree on Fitzpatrick. He was good here with very few legitimate weapons to work with. I got slammed last year for telling people I thought he was better than EJ Manuel. It turned into a whole thing where people were accusing me of trolling just for having that opinion. Of course there is a sour grapes element and of course people are unfairly biased against him because he has an unorthodox throwing motion, wasn't a high draft pick, etc. He is playing his best football as a pro this year but it doesn't surprise me at all. However, W-L record is simply a fool's way of judging a QB. Yes, Tom Brady can take a mediocre roster to 13-3. He is one of a kind. On the flipside, I don't think Fitz is better than Philip Rivers because the Chargers have been decimated by injuries this season. The Jets have the NFL's 5th ranked defense and the Bills have the 20th. Switch their defenses right now and of course Taylor has the better record. But back to the factual stuff- again, you cited Fitz's comp % and YPA as being impressive numbers and then mr. six pack jumps in and is all "ha the Taylor supporters hate seeing these facts..." Well a) as I pointed out, both of those figures are in the bottom third of the league for qualified QB's and b) you left out Taylor's numbers in both categories, which are way better than Fitz's and in the top half of the league. I just want people to be held accountable for what they post and yes, I'll point out when people post things that simply are not true or misleading. Bottom line, if you think Fitz is better than Taylor, that's fine and again, it's not that much of a stretch. But you tried using statistics to back up that claim that simply were not true at all. Taylor's numbers are better than Fitz's this season across the board. Passer rating, TD : INT, comp %, YPA, rushing statistics, etc., etc.

Thank you, someone is still aware of this thread. So the six fumbles are actually recovered fumbles. They are the complete opposite of unrecovered fumbles. They are not turnovers.

Still waiting to hear from you guys- I gotta bump this thread here. Hopeful, after reading your post again, I don't think you were going after Taylor so not looking to argue. But you cite Fitz's comp % (25th out of 33 qualified QB's) and his YPA (23rd out of 33 qualified QB's) and imply that he's better than Taylor in those categories (Taylor is 15th and 5th respectively). Also still curious where you go for your fumbling statistics. My bigger issue though, is with six pack who comes in and smugly says something about how the facts show that Fitzpatrick is better when they literally do the exact opposite. Six pack, if you want to argue that Fitzpatrick is better than Taylor today, that's fine, it's not that much of a stretch. But when you imply that "the jury is in" on Taylor, I think that's unfair. I would argue that Taylor is well ahead of where Fitzpatrick was after 11 games as a pro. After 23 starts, Fitz had 21 TD's and 27 INT's (and that's after five years in the league, just like Taylor). You do realize guys can get better with experience, right?

Why do you keep insisting that Taylor has lost six fumbles this year? You said the same thing in another post last week, I immediately called you out and then you disappeared, only to reappear saying the same thing in this thread. HE HAS LOST ONE FUMBLE THIS SEASON, making his TD to all turnovers ratio an even 3. If you factor in his 3 rushing TD's (why wouldn't you if you're counting lost fumbles) it is 3.5. You also laud Fitzpatrick's YPA and Comp % and then fail to mention Taylor's- WHICH ARE BOTH HIGHER. You then mention Fitz's rushing numbers and fail to mention Taylor's, which of course, are better too. The only statistic that Fitzpatrick is beating Taylor in is TD passes. Tyrod Taylor has better numbers than Ryan Fitzpatrick in literally every other category there is to measure a QB's efficiency. And I like Fitzpatrick. And then of course, you got the six pack guy praising your post like you guys have just proven something to everyone when your post is completely and utterly wrong and entirely misleading. But alas, neither of you will respond and around and around we go. Yes, when they are factually incorrect, they do suck.

You're not really paying attention to either of these teams are you? Spin, spin, spin, spin... The Bills would win that division this season walking away. Even with that loss, the Bills still have a better record than the Jaguars. Even though the poster you responded to didn't say anything about EJ, the fact remains that he did cost us that game and we would be 7-6 and very much alive if he didn't. But as I've stated numerous times, I'm over the Jax game and they've had every opportunity to make up for it.

I think it's a roster that is pretty banged up by injuries and even still, was/is a better roster than the Eagles. And I think that they were the better team yesterday and the reason they lost is because (as I stated in my original post), they do all the stupid things wrong that smart teams don't do. They need to learn how to win. I think they can. I think an entire offseason with little to no turnover and some cohesiveness for a change will do this team a lot of good. Also if someone insinuated that the Pegulas purchased the Bills or the Sabres as an investment in order to make a few bucks, that is one of the most ill-informed, out-there takes I have heard in some time.

That's a stretch and you know it. Doesn't matter. He sucked this year and has a lot to prove next year, that we can both agree on.

I'll hold you to that. Didn't he go 8-8 his second last year with the Jets when most agreed they had as little talent as any team in the league? Many called it his best coaching performance of his tenure there. I would argue that if a coach is judged by his team's performance relative to their perceived talent, then this year has been his worst coaching performance to date. I would also argue that he never underperformed relative to his talent in New York. Either way, barring an utterly disastrous 2016, this team would be wise to give him at least three years to see the whole thing through. It's what the good teams are doing now. Canning him after two years would be such a Browns move.

I agree that Rex was a disappointment THIS YEAR but I am willing to give him an entire offseason to mold his own defense in his vision and see what happens. I fully expect the defense to be better next season regardless of who is suiting up. And then there's no reason to think that with Taylor, McCoy and Watkins all returning that the offense shouldn't be just as good or better. I just think it's ludicrous that in other threads, people actually want Rex Ryan fired now. The one and only thing we know DOES NOT work is constant turnover. Thankfully it's a moot point because he's not getting fired one year into a lucrative five year contract. Come on man, this has been a good thread. Because someone mentioned that Dilfer won a SB with maybe the greatest defense ever does not mean that he or anyone else thinks that Taylor isn't already better than Dilfer ever was. This isn't about Taylor. Taylor has exceeded everyone's wildest, wettest expectations. No one is crowning him anything but everyone (I hope) should understand that he's our starting QB next year and should be optimistic that IF we can return to a top ten defense that Taylor with another year under his belt should put us in a pretty good spot. This is all about Rex figuring out a way- both personnel wise and scheme wise- to field an elite defense again next year. Call me crazy but I think it's possible.

We do have a real offensive line. Cordy Glenn and Incognito are two of the best in the league at their positions. The entire line had a great game last week against an elite front seven even with the injuries. Everyone knows they need to upgrade at right tackle. They will. But you make it sound like the entire line is in shambles and needs a complete overhaul. They're only a player away from having an excellent line.

First of all, Whaley has been a GOOD GM. As far as Rex, he disappointed this year, no doubt. But would it shock anyone if he had them much improved next year? And if they fire Rex and another coach goes 8-8 again next year, what do we fire that coach too? Give me a break. Firing Rex would be a move that losing organizations make. Give him a year to draft a stud linebacker and put his own defense together. Plus it's a moot point because no coach gets fired after year 1 one of a lucrative 5 year contract.

Ahh the perpetual myth that the offensive line always sucks. Our offensive line is at least NFL average right now. We are elite on the left side, Wood is Wood and we have a rookie starting at right guard who should only improve. We need a right tackle. Not an overhaul. They will address it no problem. The offensive line is not even remotely on my radar as a concern entering into the offseason. I agree with everything else you said.

End thread. Seriously.

Let's not turn this into a Taylor thread. You know as well as anyone that as a general rule (Brady and Roethlisberger excluded), the less a QB has to throw the football, the better the team's chance of winning. If you told me Taylor would either throw 25 times today or 40, I would tell you the Bills chances were better if he threw 25. It's a chicken and egg thing. No one wants their QB to do that. My biggest gripe with the gameplan today was that Taylor took too many shots and didn't take what the defense was giving him. Not sure if that falls on Taylor or Roman but my guess is it's on Taylor. Again, they could've dinked and dunked their way into FG range on that last drive in their sleep.

Not sure what point you are trying to make. I think everyone can agree that a) Taylor can achieve Alex Smith status and b) the Bills can field as good of a roster as the Chiefs next season.

Yes, that was one game. That is generally not his deal.

Don't disagree at all.

Look, I appear to like Taylor more than most. The bottom line is that Bills fans would have taken Taylor's production this year- and the entire offense's production for that matter- 100 times out of 100. Our defense kind of blows. Were they too decimated by injuries? Are Mario and Dareus suddenly not that good anymore? Was Kyle Williams a bigger loss than everyone thought? To a man, every last Bills fan said "hey worst case, our defense is top ten, if we can just get anything at all from our offense..." Well we got "anything at all" from our offense and then some. Believe me when I tell you that Rex Ryan is spending tis entire offseason figuring out a way to make sure his defense is elite again. And I think he can and will. Rex took two middling teams led by Mark Sanchez to the AFC Championship game. He OVERACHIEVED as the head coach of the Jets however you want to dice it. And this was not intended to be a pro-Rex Ryan thread. He absolutely underachieved this year. I'm just saying I want to see this thing through for a few years before I make up my mind on the guy. Correct.