maddenboy

I hate to say it, but I would take Wilfork over TW. Only because I see him as more of a leader. Close call though. But the point is, there are guys out there that make it a discussion.

Some quotes that make me un-excited about our coming season. Mostly because there is some truth there: 1) "Most schemes, and especially a fairly simplistic, straightforward one like Schwartz’s, are as good as their lineup." 2) "Working against [DE Jerry] Hughes is the fact that he’ll now operate with a hand in the dirt, which he never excelled at as a first-round bust in Indianapolis." (uh, what's the point of changing to a defense where one of our stars cant do what he does best?) ---- Why cant the Shwartz just run Pettine's defense instead of his own simplistic one? We still own the playbook. The players still know it. It worked. What's the problem? (I mean, I know the Shwartz wants another head coaching job, and wants to show he is a defensive mastermind by running his own 1990s defensive scheme, but isnt he better off learning a system that worked, being successful at it, and THEN getting national attention?)

These make my day. And my week. And my month. You didnt say anything about the Defensive front 7 (other than Spikes in drills and on ST). Did they get any work in? Can you tell a big difference between Pettine and the Shwartz w/r/t the fronts, looks, stunts, blitzes, etc?

. . . so you're saying there's a chance.

Not so fast, Batman. A trustee is not an auction house. Generally, a trustee has a fiduciary duty to the trust and, ultimately, to the beneficiaries. However, the trustee's primary duty / allegiance / purpose / motive is to effect the terms of the trust. So, until we see the trust (which we probably never will), we wont know if there are terms in there that would override any general fiduciary obligation. For example, Mr. Ralph may have included discretion, or even obligation, to accept less money to keep the team in Buffalo. Or maybe Erie County is one of the named beneficiaries (as owner of the Ralph) and it would of course be in that beneficiary's financial interest to accept (a little) less $$ to keep the team here. Or dozens of other possibilities.

Objection: Assumes facts not in evidence. I dont think there's a rule requiring this. Just ask the Ravens.

The only mediocre one that even comes to mind is Jeff George.

nice. And the part where he called his own play, coaches-be-damned, because he saw something on the previous play (and it worked) gives me more hope than the rest of the video combined. Come on EJ. THIS is what I need. Actual quarterbacking. Me likey.

I mean, if he's good, throw more. If he isnt good, throw less. Surely you can see why I expected another Bash EJ thread before I came in. We have great RBs so we "can" run if we want to. If we have to. But in today's NFL, you dont want to, unless you have to (either to burn clock to seal a win, or else because you cant throw). I want him to be so good that we only run to keep the defense honest. But I dont see that happening this year, with EJ. (I wanted EJ and screamed with joy when they took him, but at this point I secretly am cheating on him with Tuel. Tuel is ready/willing/able to fire the ball, which is the qb's job. EJ is only able, so far, and even when he does unleash hell, he aims more than fires)

"How many ways can you entitle a BASH EJ thread?"

^^ Just wanted to have the original link (to the article) available to those who just scrolled to the end of this post/string. It is a fair and even-handed analysis of EJ. Some of it will sound familiar. All of it will give us things to look for in his development.

This is why I was bummed last year when he hurt his knee. Hard to work on lower body mechanics when you are rehabbing a lower body injury. Wish it had been a collarbone or something.

Uh, i'll take that as a "no" to my question. It took about 10 minutes, but its really one of the best articles i've read in a while. Good stuff, good food for thought.

but did you read the article? We dont know if its the nature of FSU's offense. They stressed that its not clear whether the offense was too simple for NFL translation, or whether it was, instead, "dumbed down" for EJ. [as an aside, w/r/t dumbed-down offense, I remember maybe 10 yrs ago during a probowl qb competition they asked the QBs what their favorite play was. Aikman (or somebody): "J right slot double trips X fly right Z read" Manning (or somebody): "33 jet flat Z waggle slide X post" Aaron Brooks of the Saints (notoriously rumored to be not too bright): "XY go." Yes, that was the entire name of his favorite play. XY go.]

wow. Very well written. I really hope a lot of this isnt true. But some is definitely accurate, such as: "Manuel also struggles to throw with anticipation. The next time he bangs the post route before the receiver breaks open will be the first. He is very much a rudimentary "see it, throw it" player. That doesn't work well in the NFL. In the league, certain routes demand that the ball comes out before the receiver is open or out of his break." Ugh.

Wait. Whoa. Are you saying you want the NFL to have guaranteed contracts? Like all the stupid sports not named Football? Nice. Just . . . nice.

The problem with SWAT is it makes you think of exactly the opposite of what you want in a WR. you dont want him to swat anything.. Maybe its a good nickname for a DB.

Pass. Not a Whaley-type, methinks. English wasnt just a bad system fit (as Jerry Hughes was with the Colts). English was just bad. And I assume SD tried to trade him for a stale bag of peanuts before releasing him, so I'd say 30 other teams are not very excited either.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2014/07/22/robert-newhouse-dallas-cowboys/13027433/

Maybe the same reason they traded for Trent Richardson.

As phrased, I hope TUEL wins the job. More upside. I like that he goes out there to throw the ball, instead of waiting to make the perfect read. Give the playmakers a chance to make plays. Lewis is okay in this area too, with EJ a distant 3rd. But if I had to fill out the roster today, I would choose Lewis, because Tuel hasnt won it yet. Yes. Spot on, sir.

A small point about the article. The author kept mentioning "tires." Unga had the biggest tires, and Ron Brooks had the most expensive. I suppose he meant Wheels, and not Tires. I dont think NFL players drop thousands on tires.

This

This. And this reminds me of something else. I was very young when the Braves left. I remember going to a game once. And having basketball player cards. And the Braves were my team, even if I didnt know much about basketball. But I never grew up with the slightest interest in the NBA, without a local team during my actual buffalo life (24 years). I tried very hard to get into the Knicks, and I still try, but its just not the same. I dont care about NBA basketball at all. And I live in Los Angeles (and the Braves=Clippers are right here) but it just doesnt work for me. So, if the Bills leave, will the next generations of Buffalo kids have any interest in the NFL? Growing up without a team to root for?

I'm sure we could find something for a Safety who runs 4.44 to do. Special teams coverage at a minimum. And as a Safety by trade, he should be able to drop that hammer when he arrives at the ball.