thurst44

They've been in the backfield multiple times already...admittedly on run plays

It was my summer before high school, and the only one where I went to camp. We were on day two of a five day hike to the Delaware Water Gap, and while I love hiking now, at that point I was barely 5 feet tall and well over 150 lbs, so on the first day I was struggling (to the point of wanting to go home. However, the next day I settled into it and while one group went way ahead and the other lagged behind, I enjoyed my solitude listening on my Walkman to what my memory recalls as the FAN, but since the station didn't adopt that format until the next year, it must have just some sort of sports radio out of NYC. They were announcing upcoming guest Nuu Faaola when they broke in with the news of Kelly's contract and I did my pudgy 13-year-old version of a touchdown dance in the middle of a New Jersey forest. This was my first day with any sort of outside signal in weeks, so I had no idea it was even close, and it made me long even more for the end of camp when I could finally elate in this potential new era with the fellow Bills fans in my family (they are from Buffalo, but I was born and grew up in NYC).

Well, first off, even questioning the fact that the Browns are more messed up shows how Bills-myopic you're being here. One of their only star players is coming back from having tested positive about 3x what Dareus did (and they are standing by him - as they should), they recently cut ties with a first round QB who is non-stop partying and will be lucky to make it to 2017, they lost most of their offensive line, and their closest thing to star players are the aforementioned WR who's barely played the last 3 years, a top-flight tackle, and a 30-year-old tight end with one great year. Then there's the Cowboys whose suspensions beat us in both quantity and quality (how many of the people calling for Hardy are also criticizing the bills for being a mess - the guy assaulted a woman on a bed of guns, fercryingoutloud) and are banking on an aging QB and injury-prone WR to pull them out of it. Did you see the 49ers mess last year? And now they're bringing in Chip Kelly. That'll calm the waters. They are favored in exactly zero games last time I checked. And then there's that team Kelly left in Philly, where their right tackle's ten-game suspension is just the start of their troubles. I'm sure if you look close enough at the Ravens, Texans, Titans, Jags, etc., you'll find issues you're not thinking of... We're freaking out about two players smoking weed. It was stupid b/c they know the rules and with the penalties and other things, and Rex being Rex, I'm not going to say there's not at least some mess. However, they're also signing their players, and just signed a QB to one of the most smartly architected deals I've ever seen, had the best running game last year and even without K. Williams that should stay the same, Watkins is likely to show why he's one of the best receivers in the league, defense may have lost some elements, but the Williamses should be back, they have a case for the best CB tandem in the league, Hughes is no slouch, and Preston Brown could still build on the promise of his rookie year. The last week has been deflating and is concerning, but this "biggest s&*(show in league" "0-6" (when playing the 49ers even), "there goes the season" mentality is overblown and silly.

You really can't possibly see any scenario where the Bills beat that unstoppable juggernaut: the San Francisco 49ers - a team that Vegas has favored in zero games this year - a team whose coach makes Rexy look like Bill Belichick? And in a game that isn't even relevant to the main reasons everyone's freaking out today as Dareus will be back by then. The Jets at home is very winnable (we've beat them five games in a row); trust me, I'm in NYC and people don't have much more hope for that team than we do (and they were 10-6). The Rams anywhere are very beatable. The Ravens aren't exactly worldbeaters, even if they are healthier than last year, and the Pats have, believe it or not, pretty well mirrored what we are going through, with injuries and a 4-game suspension to their best player. The Cardinals ... well, any given Sunday is about all I've got there. Look, it's been a bad few days, but if you take a breath and a step back, you'll realize the team hasn't been savaged quite to the degree it seems. We tend to put ourselves in a bubble, where we only see our own train riding on one rail, not noticing other fans freaking out about their own trainwrecks. If we go by recent history, it's more likely we're talking about a 3-3 team (and considering our tendencies, one that somehow beat the Cardinals then lost an absolutely atrocious game to the 49ers).

It didn't start out that way; it was launched as a home for upscale arts, a fact which inspired one of the best (at least, one of my favorite) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt lines: [With all this drama] I feel like I'm on Bravo. They still show operas, right? Ok, it's better in context.

Agreed. It's not without its moments of overwhelming cliche, but The Rock and Rob Corddry have a fun chemistry, and the guys cast as the players, including Washington, are compelling enough (although i would not want Jarrett on my team either - he seems a Percy Harvin/DeSean Jackson type at the end of his career).

Ricky Jarrett is clearly going through some sort of mid-life crisis and is not going to be satisfied with anything. He asked about New Orleans: "where is the love?" so I wouldn't take it personally. I suspect some writer on the show likes the Bills (but i have yet to see last night's episode).

Look, I'm not an active EJ defender at this point, and not sure that I trust him overall, but why does he get zero credit for gaining composure after his complete mental/skills breakdown, and getting it together and coming back from a 28-3 deficit to win the game (if it weren't for one of the worst phantom PI calls I've ever witnessed).

So, we'll go 11-5 and possibly have a playoff run (i have no doubt flutie would have beat tennessee - they were very beatable that day if our qb hadn't spent the first half getting sacked)?

If I had voted in this before, it would have been Ragland, so in his absence, I'll go with Striker and Zach Brown (or Brandon Spikes) will have the most positive impact by making up for his loss {shrug}.

Refreshing. I'm still excited too. I'm also sad that we will not see Reggie Ragland. I wanted him with the first pick and he will be great. However, there's still a lot of reasons to be excited - Tyrod's second year, running game particularly if Shady stays healthy Watkins could explode, love the speed guys if they can stay healthy, the secondary particularly if A. Williams stays healthy, K. Williams was still at the top of his game when he went down, Hughes may be poised for a breakout season, Preston Brown may return to form and build on 2014 rookie season, and haven't even mentioned Marcell Dareus. Ok, I surely jinxed all these players now. I'll go!

Again, pretty much the same bunch were doing just that in 2014, so I don't really see why they can't stop RBs & TEs to the level of "lost cause."

How were Spikes and Brown exposed in 2014? I went game by game, and no tight end topped 100 yards, and only two running backs got more than 30 yds through the air (Forte destroyed them in the opener and Foster got 55 - i may have missed someone who got between 30-50). Overall the pass defense was 3rd in yardage and 1st in TDs allowed. I also think Manny Lawson had a lot to do with those numbers as he had a rep for being able to cover the tight end. Although, I will cop to the fact it's embarrassing Jim Dray got 44 yards against them .

Wow, this is a low, even for Sully. Just stupidly tweeted back at him that i wish he covered a different team, which is probably exactly what he wanted anyway.

This thread got me looking to see which players use Twitter well, and Preston Brown just gained a world of new respect from me for his response to Karlos: https://twitter.com/Karlos_29_SR/status/763194591524757504

Is insanity a team making a 5th year guy with 22 catches, and a Browns castoff 5th year guy who had roughly 60-700 the year before but before that also just 20-something catches, starters? That team was clearly not serious about making the playoffs, right? That team actually painfully sent our favorite team home in 1997, as the Jaguars went on a run to the AFC Championship game, and both Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell wound up with over 10000 yards in their career. Is it likely Goodwin and, say, Greg Little will do the same next year and in their careers (and besides we have Watkins who will hopefully be sucking up a gigantic share of Tyrod's passing yards), but blithely dismissing it as impossible is closer to insanity than letting coaches evaluate young players at a position that is notorious for late bloomers (remember how many people were ready to toss Eric Moulds in the Niagara after his first couple seasons, and how many catches did SJ13 have before notching three consecutive 1k turns). When healthy, Goodwin has shown flashes of brilliance. 1:10 on the below Tyrod pre-season highlight reminds of the potential he brings. There's also a shot of him making a solid grab for a first down against the Browns while taking a ferocious hit (might be the one that sidelined him for the season as he went out in that quarter) around 2:48. That being said, I suspect it's quite likely that he won't remain upright to the opening day bell. However, as a fan, I sure hope he does.

Great story and was really hoping we'd sign him back when he first came in

They should try to lure D'Brickashaw and Michael Huff out of retirement and sign AJ Hawk - perhaps see what the Skins will take for Vernon Davis.

I'm so tired of this absolute stupidity (at best laziness, at worst fabrication for clicks) that the Bills aren't giving Tyrod a big contract this off-season b/c they don't want him or value him. This season they have limited salary cap space, but they have the room next year. They don't have to pay him this year (a major difference from the mediocre QBs getting ridiculous contracts this off-season), so it would make zero sense to throw money at him now, risk having to cut a player or two (although they do have some room now), and hampering any other late moves.

I disagree and think it will be Lawson or Brown

Ha, at least you admit you're stirring the pot . One piece of delicious irony (in the vaguest, alanis-iest sense of irony) in your reasoning, the very reason Dan Carpenter is currently our kicker is because the last kicker we drafted, Dustin Hopkins, was hurt in training camp and scheduled to miss some of the season.

If he's left out of this year's list, Marcell Dareus will return next year in the top 40. Hughes could also return. There's a lot of candidates, led by Darby and Taylor. Glenn and Gilmore seem to be starting to build a rumble of respect around the league, and a standout season could propel them onto the Top 100. Of the rookies, Ragland is one of the best bets in the league to have an immediate impact.

Ha, we're probably pretty close on this, although I don't think Kyle is particularly overrated, at least not throughout the league (maybe here, but i obviously don't feel that way as i am rating him highly ). If Kyle has an off year this year, I'll be zen with their releasing him. He'll be 33/34 and his salary cap number would not justify his presence. If he plays at 2012-14 levels, then I'd hope they'd extend at a reasonable rate. We let Pat Williams go at about the same time in his career and regretted it. Was actually thinking about Fred during this exchange, as I was definitely upset when they cut him, but after a few days, I could understand why. What side were you on about Pat Williams? Honest question. And I'm sorry, but I'll take my own eyes (faulty as they may be), and the opinions of players, analysts, etc., over a fan whose opinions tend to skew negative (and i'll respect that you might feel the same about someone who tends to be positive -- although you may not have any opinion since i don't really post that much). Sometimes players on bad teams will look better than they are (Evans, Byrd, Clements, etc.)...sometimes they're just good and have bad luck. He should be on this roster this year and the team will be better for it (again, my opinion), they were (even if they were not great) much better on run D before he was hurt, and that was in Rex's system. That's why I defend him, and want him on my favorite team. Coincidence, maybe, but I don't feel like my expertise is any less valid than yours.

I'm clearly in a "love fest" with the guy, that's the only reason I could possibly think a player many fans, writers, analysts, and fellow players think is one of the better players in the game might be pretty good. That's the only possible reason, because I'm blinded by my overwhelming passion for the guy...and so are they? I presented my argument, you presented yours. You think he's average, and as you said about opinions... Sacks are not the primary stat for defensive tackles. Cortez Kennedy had 4 and change per year, and is in the Hall of Fame? First six games, the Bills run defense was solid...strangely after game 6, they only held the opposing team to three digit rushing once. Kyle's not the only guy on D, but that's not the only argument I made. I did go back 4 years, I went back his whole damn career...apparently you don't "understand" this. He had two season ending injuries, and otherwise missed three games...that's in 11 seasons. If you call that "consistently injured," ok. I disagree. But it's just that I don't "understand." We can disagree, it doesn't mean I don't "understand." For the record, I own one jersey; I bought it in a rush of fandom when at the Hall of Fame for Reed's induction...the only choices were Manuel and Watkins, so I took Watkins and still feel a bit silly when I wear it b/c I'm not really a jersey sort of guy. Had a bunch of AFC Champion sweatshirts back in the day. I'm not defending Kyle b/c I'm blinded, but b/c from what I can see and verify. he has been an above average player, and many "experts" (and surely some "idiots") agree. I just don't like it when we tear down our players, especially unnecessarily when the logic seems ridiculous to me (sorry). It's not blind fandom, and it's not particularly about Kyle. If I "dream" about Kyle in 10 years, hopefully it's because he sacked Cam Newton or stopped Thomas Rawls for a loss to clinch a Super Bowl, and I'd think you should hope that too . Anyway, talk about tl:dr. I sincerely apologize for the novel. Happy Memorial Day to you as well. Yes, I don't think PFF is necessarily gospel, but it hits a point where you guys are really playing whack-a-mole to say everyone else's opinion is wrong to make the case one of our better players for over a decade is not especially good. My experience between my own eyes, stats, writers, other players opinions, is that he is above average and deserves defending. Also, saw the convo at top of page, hope you feel better.

I present stats and the opinion of experts, you say I have a "love fest" and make childish gay jokes...fine, you clearly have some sort of weird jeremiad for him, rather than appreciating what a player has done for the team you supposedly root for. Did Kyle kick down your sand fort? It's a specious argument to say that Mario & Marcel raised Kyle, b/c it helps everyone to have great players next to you. It is not particularly hilarious to stop at three years, because you said consistently injury prone. In all the seasons before the only other season he had a serious injury, he missed all of 2 games going back to 2007. If he stayed healthy for the past 3 years, considering the injury rate in the whole league, it seems a bit of a stretch to call him "consistently injury prone" You, yourself, contradict yourself by quoting his recent stats and saying he was not "ready to start"...he sure did ok. Comparing him to Spiller, Parrish, and Edwards...really?!?! You make your own argument look stupid there. The Pro Bowl may be silly, but that wasn't the only argument I made. Once there's a preponderance of evidence, I'm going to go with the facts and not on some random fan who wants to attack a player on his favorite team for whatever reason.