Utah John

I'm a little concerned about chemistry. -- Freddy Jackson is a leader in the locker room and has been the team's #1 RB for several years. McCoy is obviously the #1 now. Jackson is a pro but this might be tough to deal with for him, or for other players to accept. If McCoy struggles behind the O line, I can see this situation dividing the team. -- Adding Percy Harvin could be a great move, with three outstanding athletes (Watkins, Harvin, and Clay) and a very skilled professional (Woods) challenging defenses. But Harvin has been poison for locker rooms. Last year Jackson would have taken him aside and told him what's what -- but with Jackson's role reduced, will that still work? Who will be the guy to keep Harvin in line? I'm also worried about depth. Kiko would have been a great fit in Ryan's defense. I get it that they gave up some defensive skill (a whole lot of defensive skill) to get a threat at RB. Also that we have really good starters across the board on defense, possibly excepting safety where Duke Williams still has to convince me. But no team gets through a year without injuries. I think we're lacking good depth at LB, DE, and even DT. When Dareus went out late last year, the D line was not nearly as good. Losing Mario or Marcel or Kyle would make the defense a lot less dangerous. Losing two of those three would make it pretty average or worse.

So if they're going to wear orange jerseys instead of brown ones, will they change their name to the Cleveland Oranges?

When the Bills left Fredonia, they said how great the facilities were there, just like people are saying the facilities are great at SJF. There's another aspect to this that's being overlooked. Fredonia and the other towns in the southern tier are full of nice small bars. The players and coaches used to get together at the bars. There's only so much that can be done on the practice field, but real team bonding takes place when guys are hanging together with a cold beer in their hand. I haven't been to SJF but I don't believe the bar situation is nearly as good as around Fredonia.

The nice words for Cortland were almost the same as the nice words the Bills said when they left Fredonia for St John Fisher. Fredonia went all-out to support the training camps and did a great job. The move north was just an attempt to sell more season tickets. And by the way the Bills haven't made the playoffs since the move. Coincidence, or the curse of Fredonia?

If Grayson can play guard, I'm all in.

I've hated the Patriots since 1963, but what they did was technically not cheating. It was sneaky and unsportsmanlike, but not against the rules. There's no reason to think they'll be punished.

I would like to play the Patriots the first week of the season. The reason being, it's a Thursday night game which gives the Bills a few extra days to prepare for their Week 2 game, and to figure out what worked and didn't work in the first game.

That seems like a lot for a tight end. But then again, we haven't had a really good TE since.......Remiersma? Nope. Metzelaars? Not really. Tony Hunter? Didn't stick around. Keith McKellars? Biggest contribution was his initial for the K Gun. Over 50 years and we're getting the best guy at this position we've ever had, unless I just can't remember who else might have been better.

Stevie's career team records: 2008 (Bills) 7-9 2009 (Bills) 6-10 2010 (Bills) 4-12 2011 (Bills) 6-10 2012 (Bills) 6-10 2013 (Bills) 6-10 2014 (49ers) 8-8 Some guys make their teams winners. Stevie's teams' best record was last year, at 8-8. Good luck with that, Pats.

The Pats realize he's the only WR in the league who can dominate Revis. This signing is important for four games a year, two each with the Jets (and Revis) and the Bills (who no longer will care, but still...).

EJ is still an unknown. He was trending down badly last year after the first couple of games. I think his lousy coaches got him thinking about too much and he just locked up. He has made good plays but missed so many open receivers. Last year there was an analysis of RGIII on a Redskins website that showed he was just totally not getting it. Not reading defenses, not making easy plays. EJ was getting into that situation. I don't think it's time to pull the plug on either of them. Give EJ a chance with good coaches and a decent O-line, and let him play safe if necessary dealing the ball to the skill players the Bills have accumulated. Right now I think Cassel has the edge from his experience, but I think EJ has a better arm and more upside. I would trade EJ for Tannahill, of course I would. I'm not sure Tannahill has reached his potential, and he's demonstrated that at least he gets it. That might be all the Bills need right now, is a QB who gets it. And a guard and a TE.

Wynn is a key guy for the Bills. I think he's actually worth more $ than he signed for, but he's in a spot here where he's valued, knows how to fit in, and doesn't have to risk going to a new team and maybe not fitting in. What if he gets nicked in training camp? The Bills know what he can do and will carry him until he's well. Another team might not. I am amazed though at the difference in salary between a guy like Wynn and a guy like Mario Williams. Mario is better no doubt, but THAT MUCH better? I guess you're worth what someone will pay you. Mario's signing is turning out like Reggie White's signing in Green Bay. He helped to turn that franchise around, continuing long after he retired.

Ryan has been evaluating the Bills personnel from the perspective of a good coach who had to try to beat them. He has fresh eyes, not having fallen in love with or gotten used to the players he inherited. So the Harvin signing makes sense from the perspective that Ryan doesn't think Goodwin is good for wins (see what I did there?), and that beyond Watkins and Woods we have no one who's a real threat. I like Hogan's desire and competitiveness, and he's improved a lot, but he probably has a ceiling far below what Harvin walks in the door with. Ryan coached Harvin in NJ. Harvin isn't very bright and didn't have a training camp to learn the offense. That won't be a problem with the Bills this year. Ryan also evaluated Harvin as a person and apparently figured the bad times are behind him. Maybe he's matured. Also Ryan is looking at the Jets with two really good CBs and he needs to be able to have a passing game to win those two key division games. I think the Bills go with 6 WRs -- Watkins, Woods, Harvin, Goodwin (maybe), Hogan, and Easely for STs.

The Bills let Chandler go, so that increases Clay's bargaining position. The fish signed Jordan Cameron, so that reduces Clay's bargaining position. I think both sides are playing poker right now. The backup strategy for the Bills is to do nothing about Clay, and force the fish to keep two expensive players at a secondary position. That hurts the fish more than the Bills but still leaves a big question mark at TE. Maybe MarQueis Gray is as good as he looked at the end of last year and the Bills are just screwing both Clay and the fish.

Cassel has been very good at times and bad at other times. Probably has a lot to do with the coaches and personnel around him. You could put younger Peyton Manning into a bad situation, and he'd struggle. I don't know how much of Cassel's success or troubles have to do with raw talent. At this point in his career, he's going with experience and smarts, not so much raw talent. I think he's intended to be the starter, EJ as his backup, and Tyrod as a shot in the dark. I think Tuel time is over.

It's incredible with the money flowing through the NFL these days that there's an actual shortage of real dollars. Thanks heavens for the Pegula bankroll.

Spiller is great when he gets into space, and when he's healthy. He has a history of being banged up -- even when he's playing, his bumps and bruises really diminish his abilities. He and Jarius Byrd can sit in the training room and reminisce about WNY.

The topic of the thread is, if we had a D when Gailey was here. The thing is, the Bills tried. They put together M Williams - Dareus - K Williams and figured with a great D line like that, everything would fall into place. But Mario hurt his wrist and couldn't play his game, the replacement refs let opposing O linemen do whatever they wanted, and the D never got itself aligned. The main difference between now and then is the LBs are much better now. And of course so is the coaching.

Chandler has been the kind of good-effort, low-talent player that fans of bad teams love. He seems like a really nice guy from the interviews I've seen. He got downfield with speed measured by calendars, not stop watches, but he got open a lot, was a good target, and made several big plays over the course of a season. But he was not a threat to burn a defense, or someone who could take the heat off our WRs. There are much more athletic TEs out there, who can also get open and make big plays, but who can force a defense to adjust its coverage. No one adjusted to cover Chandler. Maybe that's why he got so open -- the other team lost interest.

Fitz is a big upgrade over Geno, and could either start if necessary or mentor a rookie. Good move by the Jets. Fitz had a good year with Gailey, and Gailey seemed able to find ways to put Fitz in a position to succeed. Good move for Fitz. Fitz is a great guy and I wish him the best, except when playing the Bills. I don't think the Jets will be very good this year but they have added several important pieces to some they already had. I think they'll pick up CJ Spiller but not Fred Jackson -- they already have Chris Ivory who in some ways is a younger version of Fred.

The Jets are adding a lot of parts but still need a QB. I've been worried they'd get Mariotta along with Chris Ivory, giving them a very good backfield. The amount of money tied up in Revis will (I hope) prevent them from patching everything else that's wrong.

The fact that the Bills gave up a really good young LB and a lot of cap space to trade for McCoy indicates they don't think Jackson is the future as far as actual playing goes. He's a great leader. So is Kyle Williams. So where was that leadership when the Bills went to Oakland with a chance to solidify their playoff position, and dropped an absolute stinker to the lousy Raiders? Where was the leadership when the Bills gave up winnable games against Houston and KC? Sometimes people get into a comfort zone with what they know, and it holds them back from their potential. I absolutely love Freddie's game and his attributes as a man. But the Bills traded OJ Simpson when his skills were on the way down. Simpson was a much better player, and even he went. The Bills cut Thurman Thomas when his skills were on the way down (also due to cap problems). Thomas was also much better than Jackson. These things happen. It's part of life, and definitely part of football.

The trade is a done deal. Both teams gave up a lot. The Bills had a great defense last year without Alonso and figured they could give up some defensive talent to get an upgrade on offense. The Bills get a great RB, and lose a very promising yet often-injured LB and also give up a lot of cap space. I personally would have preferred help at other offensive positions and not losing the cap space, but that's my only gripe about the trade. The Bills have worked out a new contract with McCoy. There is no way they're walking this one back.

Keeping, cutting, or trading Freddie should be made for the sake of the team's best interests, this year and the next few years. It was clear that he had lost a step last year, but he had lost none of his toughness, desire, or heart. What's in the team's best interest, to keep a declining-ability yet stalwart leader, or to look elsewhere? Clearly bringing in McCoy and letting Spiller go indicates the Bills see the need for a shift. It's the other guys I wonder about. The Bills traded for Brown -- if Jackson is better, do they man up and admit the Brown trade wasn't a good idea? But Jackson costs a lot more than Brown and Dixon, and with so many holes on the offense maybe that indicates Jackson should go. The interest in the Jets' RB is surprising, other than that Ryan likes him. I think Jackson is a much better player. Maybe Ryan isn't sure Jackson has Ryan's back, and a strong leader who doesn't follow the coach could be a problem. At some point, maybe this year, Jackson will have to retire. Everyone does.