DaBills51

Please read so I don't feel like I wasted 10 minutes of my life....even if you think I'm an idiot I appreciate the time you took to read my rant Just saw that Moran accepted the challenge on Twitter: I don't understand how anyone can defend Donte in this situation. I have never heard of an athlete challenging a fan to a boxing match simply because of internet trash talk. Challenging someone to a fight over the internet is childish and the challenge alone shows how insecure of a man Donte is. Just from his comments over the years, you get the sense that Donte believes he is better than everyone simply because he plays in the NFL. The idolization of athletes and celebrities in America is sickening, and adds to their sense of superiority. While all of these athletes worked extremely hard to get where they are today, the main reason why they are professionals is because they were blessed with a gift. I'm sorry, but don't try to tell me that Donte Whitner worked harder than a medical doctor at his respective craft. Not to mention, during the course of their studies, a medical student will amass about $100,000 in debt, and will not begin work as a regular MD until they're about 30. Finally, the average salary for a MD is less than half of the rookie minimum in the NFL. Does anyone else see a problem here?? Hmm....what's more important...doctor who saves lives or NFL player who entertains us?? I realize not everyone is an MD, however this pertains to other jobs as well. I recall Kawika Mitchell arguing with a fan about the NFL labor situation, and he attempted to justify the players stance by declaring that if the players weren't paid then it's just extra income for the owners. However, why can't the administrative and operational workers see a pay increase? I would be willing to guarantee that a majority of an NFL team's operational staff makes less than $50,000 per year. I'm referring to the groundskeepers, maintenance, security, etc... Hell, not only are they paid substantially less, but they are on a much shorter leash then players. Here is an article about a worker who was fired for a facebook comment: http://sports.espn.g...ory?id=3965039. Current rant to be continued due to time constraints....

Wouldn't mind seeing Wannstedt brought onboard. His experience would give the Bills D an instant shot in the arm. I've had a lot of conversations with people who have tried to defend George Edwards and the excuse that comes up time and time again is that the Bills simply didn't have the talent to be a good defense. While I agree that the Bills currently don't have the talent to be a top ten defense, they should have been around the middle of the pack. Their d-line isn't as bad as some make it out to be, as Dwan Edwards, Kyle Williams, and Marcus Stroud would all start for a majority of teams in the NFL. However, in regards to their linebackers, while they aren't bad from a talent aspect, they really struggled with their run fits this year. If you watch some games over again you would see Torbor and others continually taking bad angles or trying to cut around blocks which left huge holes in the defense. With all that said, my two biggest problems with George Edwards were his inability to put players in a position to succeed, and the complete lack of blitzing during the early part of the year. Why did it take Edwards almost half the season to realize that Kelsay couldn't operate in space as an OLB? However, once Kelsay was brought back up to the line his play improved significantly. I would also say that a large reason why Byrd didn't a great season was due to how much Edwards had him in the box. For some reason Edwards decided to keep Donte in coverage and brought Byrd up in the box for a majority of plays during the second half of the season. In regards to blitzing Edwards sent five men or more on just 3 percent of pass downs against New England, 8 percent against Jacksonville and 9 percent against Baltimore (all according to unofficial News statistics). But the Bills blitzed 25 percent of pass downs at Kansas City (7 of 28) and 36 percent versus Chicago (12 of 33). Last year the Bills blitzed 28 percent overall, which is a little less than average. Not only did Edwards not call enough blitzes, but I rarely saw any creative packages to help generate pressure. There were a couple of plays were he called some DB blitzes, but other than that there were maybe three blitz calls that succeeded due to the call alone.

The Bills are probably in a tough spot here as Whitner will be able to command top dollar on the free agent market even though he isn't an elite safety. Just take a look at the contract that Antonio Bryant signed last year....the free agent market was fairly weak at WR and he signed a contract worth $7 million per year. The problem with free agency is that many teams do a decent job of looking their players in to long term deals, and if they can't they simply franchise them. This creates a lack of talent in the free agent pool and leads to players like Antonio Bryant and Derrick Dockery being overpaid. Some team with a need for a safety will scoop up Whitner for top 5 safety money....ala Gibril Wilson becoming one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL in 2008 or Antrel Rolle becoming the highest paid safety in the NFL last year (before Eric Berry signed his rookie deal) or Nate Clements becoming the highest paid CB in the NFL when he clearly wasn't the best corner in the league. This is why free agency is almost worthless nowadays and should only to be used to add solid vets like Andra Davis and Dwan Edwards for a reasonable price. Really when you think of it, only 1-3 stars hit free agency each year and they all get vastly overpaid. If the Bills really wanted to keep Whitner they should have attempted to lock him up last year. This is especially true when you consider his ego, as he has a me against the world mentality and believes he is god's gift to earth. Hopefully, the Bills will use the extra cash to throw some money at Lamarr Woodley or David Harris (although I doubt either hits free agency), since I would rather overpay at a position of extreme need. The NFL really needs to do away with the franchise tag, it would help the league spread talent around better, and create a more evenly matched league.

I love how you act as if every PS player is destined to be a bust. Now to prove that your entire theory (all players on a team's PS suck) is extremely idiotic and short sighted let me name some former practice squad players and or undrafted free agents (I mean if they were passed over by all 32 teams they gotta suck right?): James Harrison - Undrafted out of college and spent 2 years on Pittsburgh's PS...Was cut 3 times by Pittsburgh and later signed by the Ravens who sent him to play for the Rhein Fire. He was cut at the end of the year and then signed again by the Pittsburgh Steelers....if only they had known that all PS players sucked they wouldn't have that crappy reigning NFL MVP on their roster. Fred Jackson - Not sure if you heard of him, but after playing two years for the Sioux City Bandits and one year with the Rhein Fire he was signed to the Bills PS. Terrible signing...he sucks. Jason Peters - Undrafted out of college. Was signed and cut by the Buffalo Bills and then added to PS. Wes Weker - Undrafted out of college. Was signed and then cut by the San Diego Chargers. Garbage. Jeff Saturday - Undrafted out of college. Was signed and then cut by the Baltimore Ravens. Picked up by the Indianapolis Colts...what idiots. Tony Romo - Undrafted out of college and signed by the Dallas Cowboys. Miles Austin - Undrafted out of college and signed by the Dallas Cowboys.

I apologize if I am coming off as hostile....I am mainly just getting sick of posters like Philhansonfan who make ridiculous claims and back them up with zero logic. I just don't believe that players should be characterized by simply height and weight. If a player can play they can play. Kyle Williams is undersized for the position he is playing...so should we let go him too?? No, because the guy can play football...and that is all that matters. Using your logic is what led to the Bills drafting James Hardy in the first place. Everyone thought we needed a big tall receiver to help in the red zone....when the fact is, the undersized Desean Jackson (who was taken after Hardy) has outperformed almost all the WRs from that class. And for the record, I hated the Spiller pick and still don't understand it. The only way I can make sense of it, is by believing that Nix and Gailey didn't know what they had in Fred Jackson. Similarly, to the manner in which they mismanaged the QB position this year. I agree with you that the Bills have wasted picks in the 1st round on skill players, but that has nothing to do with cutting Roscoe after the season. I really don't understand how you transformed my stance from defending the value of Roscoe, to defending every undersized player in this organization. I'm too busy to argue the other points right now....I'll try to get back to it after work. But the reason why the Bills aren't a contender isn't because of their size and strength...it's because they don't have the talent. Size + strength does not equal talent. Also, regarding your little quip on if I see the scores on the end of the game. I never knew that Roscoe was the sole reason the Bills were losing....however, taking your advice I decided to look at the scores at the end of the game. Results: Since Fitz took over the Bills were averaging 22.1 PPG when Roscoe was in the lineup. This would have put them at 15th in the NFL.....I know how pathetic.

I noticed from your posts regarding CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson that you really put a heavy emphasis on TDs. Is there any reason for this...and don't tell me that it's because TDs win games. The fact is, touchdowns come from having a productive offense overall...not one player. You bash Fred Jackson in another topic for his lack of TD's, when in reality, Fred is a pretty good goal line back when given the chance. Notice what I included at the end there....."when given the chance". Hey have any of guys seen that Jamal Charles fella this year....yea he has 1,100 yards rushing and averages 6.2 YPC....but have you seen how many TDs he has?? Three!!.....what a scrub. Also, you tried to discredit another poster about Fred Jackson being a viable RB, by regurgitating his YPG average and discrediting his YPC average. Umm.....you do realize that there is a usually a direct relationship between YPG average and the amount of carries a running back has per game. Example: Maurice Jones Drew has rushed for 1,177 yards this year on 261 carries. Now to the most important stats (according to you) YPG and TDs....Jones Drew is averaging 98.1 YPG and has 4 TDs. Fred Jackon has rushed for 663 yards this year on 152 carries. He is also averaging 55.2 YPG and has 5 TDs. And now to the amazing world of math. If you noticed Jones Drew has 109 more carries then Fred Jackson. Believe it or not, that has an effect on his YPG average. Now by multiplying Fred Jackson's YPC average to the number of carries Jones Drew has....4.4 x 261 = 1148.4 yards. Now to compute Jackson's YPG you take that 1148.4 and divide it by 12 which is equal to 95.7....or only 2.4 less than Jones Drew. But...but...how can this be...I though that Fred Jackson is bad because he has a lower YPG average than Maurice Jones Drew.....right??

I really question whether many of you actually watch the games. What is the purpose of bringing past production into the discussion?? Different coach, different player...simple as that. Not only was Roscoe on pace to finish with 800 yards receiving on the year, but was also huge for the Bills in 3rd down situations. Before he was injured Roscoe was tied for 5th in the NFL in 3rd down receptions, and the Bills had one of the highest 3rd down conversion percentages in the league. Also, if you were watching the games, you would have noticed that many of these 3rd down receptions were amazing plays by Roscoe. Off the top of my head I can remember great diving catches against the Bears, Chiefs, and Ravens. http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/roscoe_gets_2_catch_of_week/3480921 But you guys are right....because Roscoe was poorly utilized in years past we should hold that against him. Also, I would like to apologize for bringing relevant facts into the discussion....I forgot that because Roscoe was short that means that he sucks. Those numbers would probably have finished in the top 5 for slot receivers in the NFL. I bet if you were GM the Bills would have three 1,000 yard receivers.

It really isn't just based off of this year though. The 49ers have sucked since 2002. The Rams have sucked since 2003. And aside from last year and their great run, the Cardinals have been perennially terrible. 49ers - 0 winning seasons over last 8 years. Cardinals - 3 winning seasons in 25 years Rams - 0 winning seasons over last 7 years. The Seahawks are the only team that doesn't go through prolonged periods of non-winning seasons....and the main reason for this is that someone needs to win the divisional games. Since the four-division NFC was created in 2002, the Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams have won just 37.5 percent of their games against non-divisional opponents. Does an 8 year period really count as one snapshot??

Just asked Gil Brandt the very same question on his live chat. I realize that the NFL wants to maintain the tradition and rivalries that exist in divisions, but how long does the AFC East have to be one of the best divisions in the NFL and the NFC West one of the worst. While people will argue that the Cardinals were just recently in the Super Bowl, they are missing the point, as it's the overall division that's weak.

A couple of weeks ago I would have agreed with you, but not today. I was extremely pissed at Edwards on that play, but in his defense, he has been doing a much better job as of late. Not to mention, it is the offenses job to create mismatches and therefore the blame can't totally fall on Edwards. My biggest concern with Edwards has been addressed and that was concerning the lack of creativity to create pressure. For weeks the Bills were playing a 4 man front, and were not sending a 5th rusher. Result....they got torched. Not only that, but it wasn't until recently that I have seen Byrd and Whitner, both up in the box in running situations. Here is an excerpt from what I thought was a great article by Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News: While the caliber of teams we have played certainly helps.....you can't deny that their is a positive correlation between Edwards propensity to send 5+ and the Bills overall defensive performance

http://sports.yahoo....intuesday072010 You should check out the article above...Woodley really lays into the Steelers, and it seems as if they applied their franchise tag things could get ugly. Not to mention, the article also discusses the possibility that there may not even be a franchise tag if a new CBA is reached.

Not sure how you don't understand that the outside linebacker is generally responisble for the C and/or D gap. If you don't know this already I'm not gonna waste too much of my time arguing with you. Like a DE in a 4-3, on most plays, an OLB in a 3-4 is responsible for contain....something that Kelsay failed to do on the one play in the video. You may wanna check out this link: http://football.abou...football101.htm

Thanks Mr. WEO...beat me to the punch. Don't forget about this gem though: So, did Jeremy Jacobs die or did he just not fit in with your agenda?? And yet again.....here is an excerpt from one of my previous posts regarding Jacobs: "I don't understand why so many people discredit Jeremy Jacobs as a potential buyer. Currently, his net worth would place him 4th highest among NFL owners, surpassing even Jerry Jones. While Jacobs hasn't been the most popular man in Boston, he has a proven track record of maximizing revenue as an owner, and from a purely investment standpoint, it wouldn't be a bad move on his part. While Delaware North is already the current concession vendor of the Buffalo Bills, as the owner of the Bills he would get a much greater return through concessions, and I'm sure he would be able to increase suite sales as well. The man has made a killing off the Boston Bruins, from his ownership of the team to the selling of concessions and his stake in the New England Sports Network, he has a proven track record of success though his investments in sports. Not to mention, the past couples of years have shown that Jacobs is investing more and more into new ventures, and is not one to merely rest on his laurels."

I don't think that was a terrible read by Poz on that play. Left guard sealed off of the inside and Mangold came down on Kyle Williams, sealing off the A gap. It looked like a standard 32 Iso from the get go. It was a nice play, but not one that you see often. I have been beating this topic to death all year, but our biggest need is OLB. People have been complaining about our entire front 7, but in reality, Davis and Poz are more than capable at ILB, and our front 3 is serviceable at the least. Anyone who has been watching the games has seen that the majority of big runs have been through the C gap, or runs that are designed to go up the middle and the player bounces the run to the outside. Kelsay and Torbor are always out of position or engaged with a lineman. How many times this year have you seen Kelsay get sucked into the middle only for the run to go to the outside. There isn't a starting OLB linebacker in the NFL who keeps contain as poorly as Kelsay. With a new DC (yes George Edwards is also a problem), and two above average players at OLB, our D could be middle of the pack. This is why if Luck doesn't declare, I would rather see the Bills take an impact player at outside, Robert Quinn comes to mind, and then sign Lamarr Woodley. Or if Luck does declare and we pick at 1, then you pick up Luck and Akeem Ayers in the 2nd (assuming he's still there).

The author lost all credibility with me after this statement: I would love to hear him scientifically explain how steroids have an effect on your motor. Steroids have no effect on your effort or your willingness to throw around your body, and anyone who believes differently is alarmingly ignorant. I love people who believe that steroid use mirrors what was shown in afternoon specials. If you don't know what I am referring to, check out the video below....you'll definitely recognize the two actors.... http://defamer.gawke...+raging-ralphie

Houston Texans game in 2006. Losman threw for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns, and we only had 70 yards rushing (14 of which were Losman's rushing yards). Losman ended up leading the Bills on a game winning drive and threw a 15 yard TD pass to Peerless Price with 10 seconds left. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d800f6448/Bills-24-Texans-21

In my opinion, OLB is our biggest need heading into the off-season. Most of our defense's problems can be absolved if we had 1 above average OLB and 1 stud as our rush linebacker. Our lack of pass rush is causing or secondary to be shredded, and our inability to cover TEs is because we have to match them up with safeties, as we don't have a weakside backer who can cover TEs. Even our run defense will improve because the majority of big gains have come from runs through the C gap and/or plays where the hole is plugged up and we the running back bounces it to the outside and breaks contain. If Lamarr Woodley and/or David Harris somehow manage to become free agents, the Bills need to make every effort to sign at least one of them. I would prefer Woodley because I believe Poz and Davis can be starters with the right supporting cast. However, Harris would be an instant upgrade over both players at ILB.

Fitzpatrick's current stats extrapolated over an entire season: 3880 YDS 44 TDS 16 INT .......now I realize that the chances of Fitz reaching these numbers are slim to none, but you can't deny it's fun to speculate.....especially considering how terrible our QB production has been over the years.

Why do people continue to ignore the existence of Jeremy Jacobs?? Here is an excerpt from one of my previous posts regarding Jacobs: "I don't understand why so many people discredit Jeremy Jacobs as a potential buyer. Currently, his net worth would place him 4th highest among NFL owners, surpassing even Jerry Jones. While Jacobs hasn't been the most popular man in Boston, he has a proven track record of maximizing revenue as an owner, and from a purely investment standpoint, it wouldn't be a bad move on his part. While Delaware North is already the current concession vendor of the Buffalo Bills, as the owner of the Bills he would get a much greater return through concessions, and I'm sure he would be able to increase suite sales as well. The man has made a killing off the Boston Bruins, from his ownership of the team to the selling of concessions and his stake in the New England Sports Network, he has a proven track record of success though his investments in sports. Not to mention, the past couples of years have shown that Jacobs is investing more and more into new ventures, and is not one to merely rest on his laurels."

How dare you bring logic to the discussion!! Haven't you read everyone's posts that Merriman hasn't been good since he was caught juicing?? Yes, he did have 12.5 sacks the year after he was caught using steroids, but without the steroid argument how else can I come up with a reason why the Bills shouldn't claim him?? Oh yea that's right....he is washed up from all of his injuries....yea I'll use that. If you really need proof just take a look at his stats from last year: 4 sacks in 14 games. I realize that he was hobbled by minor injuries the whole year but come on, only 4 sacks is pathetic. Oh wait....the only LBs with any sacks on our team are Poz and Scott with one each....damn. Sarcasm off. Realistically, the biggest weakness on this team is our lack of threat off the edge. I haven't been a fan of the play calling on D so far, but I don't think Edwards has any other options until we can get some pressure out of our 3-4 package. The Bills play a base 3-4 and get abused in the pass game because they can't get any pressure on the QB. The Bills then switch to a nickel package and get abused in the run game because they don't have the size they need on the field. The Bills then switch to a "big" nickel package and still get abused because they have even more guys playing out of position then in the 3-4. Now I know that many of you will claim that a rush linebacker has no effect on the run, but just here me out. When you have a player like Clay Matthews, Demarcus Ware, or James Harrison at OLB, they disrupt entire offensive game plans. Not just passing plays. I realize that Merriman is not playing at the level of any of the aforementioned players, however, I believe that with a year of rest and rehabilitation he can come close to being the player he was before the knee injury. My biggest concern is his contract. If Merriman truly believes that he is worth top pass rusher money then you don't bring him on. However, If the Bills could sign him for around $3-4 million per with an incentive laden contract, you have to make that move. Not to mention the chip he will have on his shoulder if no teams offer him top money (which they won't).

Thank you for bringing some logic to the discussion. Here is a quote from Jeff Ireland on having the #1 pick: "You can call around and try to trade it," Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said. "But at the end of the day you usually don't get a phone call back." And just in case that doesn't have you convinced, here is the link to the entire article: Who wants the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft? Nobody

Finally a voice of reason. Everyone is so quick to blame steroids for a players declining performance when the real factor is injuries. Now could his past steroid use have played a factor in the injuries....possibly. However, with all the poor FA decisions the Bills have made over the years I don't see how you can be opposed to this move, especially considering it would fill a glaring need for a rush linebacker. Not to mention, the only two 3-4 linebackers worth bringing in next offseason will be Lamarr Woodley and David Harris, and they probably won't even hit the free agent market.

Kawika Mitchell has never been as dominant a player as Shawne Merriman, so I don't know where you're getting that from. Considering that our team's biggest weakness right now is that we don't have a rush linebacker, I don't see what it would hurt to bring him in. If the Bills were to bring him in we could bring him along slowly, and hopefully he will be able to shake his nagging leg injuries....it isn't like we are fighting for a playoff spot. When healthy, Shawne Merriman would be the biggest playmaker in our LB core. You can't use the steroids excuse as a reason for his declining performance either, as the year after he was busted he finished the season with 12.5 sacks.

I couldn't agree more with having Fitz start the season next year. The Bills are last in TOP this year, and while some of the blame is due to the O's inability to sustain drives early in games, the majority of the blame goes to our D. If our defense doesn't have a miraculous turnaround by next season then we will be starting a rookie QB who will be playing from behind in most games and will have a limited amount of drives to work with.....this is not a great recipe for success.

Would be a dream come true if the Bills could fill a position of need early and then trade back into the first for Quinn (if he falls into the 20s).