tennesseeboy

I'm comfortable with their predictions and understand how someone just looking at JP's performance last year, the loss of Molds and others might come to that conclusion. I think looking at the ENTIRE draft and the way they have performed in training camp, the apparent improvement of JP, the possibility that PP might again be a very good #2, our feeling that McGahee MIGHT prove to be a very high quality running back, Spikes probably coming back good as new and the replacement of Posey, the apparent contributions of draft choices at defensive tackle, we might sneak up on a lot of people. I'm thinking 8 or 9 wins. Not a playoff team, but one that is truly going be an improvement over last year. I have so much more confidence in DJ and ML than I did in their predecessors (then again I would have had more confidence in just about anyone over MM and TD.) Let the pundits talk, I think we'll be much better than they are predicting. I suppose the gamblers among us might want to take advantage of all the badmouthing.

Grew up in South Buffalo in the 60's. Read Tim Russert's book, Big Russ and Me, and see what it was like. On the one hand we were free of overbearing and overprotective parents (they worked), and relied on other baby boomers. Baseball and football without uniforms, insurance, parents or adult coaches! Ah those were the days. The lake Connors, and actually learning something in high school. The bad side included a government paid tour of Southeast Asia, and I'm glad my children didn't have to go through that kind of hell. I'll take the era when I grew up any day. I suspect most people prefer their own eras.

Sorry about that. I'm an old (very old) AFL fan and am still mad at the Giants for stealing Pete Gogolak, and haven't paid much attention to NFL teams. However Shockey is a one hell of a player and I should have remembered the guys first name for goodness sake.

Shulz was the best I've ever seen.

A friend was at Lombardo's in Albany recently and Jerome Shockley, tight end/bad boy of the Giants came in. Friend said Shockley was seated next to a family with two boys about 11 and 12 and Shockley joked with the kids and signed autographs for them. Also said an unbelievable number of people came by his table and he was very polite and never refused an autograph through dinner. Made a point of talking with the wait staff and kidded one of them about being a Philadelphia fan...("Oh yeah...what are your guy gonna do about receivers?" Obviously before the Stallworth signing.) Given the publicity as a wierdo I thought this was a nice and surprising report.

I think you get your offensive line through free agency (Steve Hutchinson comes to mind) through the draft and through trades. Our offensive line sucks. Getting good offensive linemen should be a priority. Or maybe Losman and McGahee can play just fine without an offensive line.

I think the posts about how good this draft is beginning to look is probably based on first impressions that the draft was weak and didn't address needs. I certainly felt that way immediately after the draft. I've been very pleasantly surprised by the way things are looking. Do I think the draft solved all of our problems? Hell no. However we have done some significant strengthening of the defense. Lots of unknowns as of this minute, but there is room for guarded optimism. Besides, I'm biased...I'm a Bills fan!

I suspect McCargo will be fine. Let's see what happens when he gets a full pre-season under his belt. I'm going to be SOOOO favorably impressed if he and Kyle Williams work out. Couple the two of them with the probable success of Whitner and we would have made some real progress on defense.

In my opinion receiving isn't the glaring weak spot on the team. Evans is going to be good (for sure) and I'm pretty comfortable that Reed, Price or Aiken will step up. I have wished for a killer tight end since the day Drew Bledsoe came to the Bills, but you can't have everything. I do agree with Adam Schein (so that's his name.) that its the o-line that is the Achilles (don't know his last name) heel on the team.

We had decided to get rid of Moulds and everyone knew it from jump street. Hence we didn't have much in thte way of bargaining leverage. Getting anyone who was good was a stroke of luck. We appeared to be somewhat lucky. In a mature and objective process we would have kept Moulds, but it has been a pretty bizarre period the last year or two.

Listening to Sirius on the way in, Adam mentioned that he didn't see the bills going anywhere because of its poor offensive line. Rice mentioned the loss of Moulds and his belief that the Bills receiving corps was not very good. He also seemed surprised that the Bills let Posey go. Spoke highly of Dick Jauron as an interviewee. Just didn't see the bills doing anything and did not mention the quarterback. The impression I got was "Even if Losman is good, don't expect the bills to go very far, since the o-line isn't much, the receivers are mediocre and there isn't much to crow about. I think the Bills are better than THAT...but I gotta admit this is not the year to bet the farm on us making the playoffs.

I 6hink so far a C is rather generous. I have been saying you build a team from the trenches. I hope I don't end up having tosay another I told you so when Losman goes down with an injury as a result of poor protection. Further, I think the run game is going to sink or swim on the O-line more than McGahee. That wise ass o-line coach who was badmouthing Losman had better look at his own area of responsibility pretty darn soon.

What about the ten year old pony?

Got to be MM. Many others caused trouble when MM lost control of the team and the coaches, but MM should have maintained control. He was indcecisive, vacillating and more and more isolated as the year progressed. I gotta give him the trophy, even though a lot of people would compete for runner up.

Well, the guy must have a clean bill of health. Remember he is under the tutelage of a truly magnificent offensive co-ordinator known for making very smart decisions.

Deny the cancer survivor the right to an at bat? I'd walk the power hitter and the right play calls for the cancer survivor to get the opportunity he deserves. Would I walk the kid, pitch slow to him? I don't think that's good for anyone, especially the kid. The kid gets a hit...fine. The kid strikes out...that's fine too. Its only a game and the kid wants to play. Let the kid play and don't assume he can't or that he needs some special attention.

Its certainly curious, but hey its too early to be reading any great strategy into it. Maybe KH is catching on to the offense quicker. Anyway, even though I'm not a KH fan, if he is performing considerably better than JP, I can see starting him. Kind of puts the JP evaluation program in a continuing limbo though.

Surprising.

I'm optimistic about WR, but understand that on paper the list is less than impressive. Evans, Reed, Aiken, Parrish and even Price may surprise people. I think whoever made the assessment was basing it on the loss of Moulds. If there is any position that may surprise people it will be the WR's on talent, assuming (BIG assumption) that the QB situation works out.

Never posed it as a First Amendment issue. See AD life isn't about banning folks you disagree with. It is about addressing concerns openly in frank discussion without fear of retribution. Banning the movie would be childish and non-productive and I wouldn't recommend it. Acknowledging that it will cause a problem and give us something of a bad image is what I was saying. Take a lesson here my dimwitted friend...Banning is not always the answer!

From your lips to God's ear. Actually, I think 11-5 would probably be a real challenge for God this year, unless He can play offensive line.

I think we MIGHT have a lot of talent (Evans, McGahee, Whitner, maybe McCargo and Whitner, Parrish, and conceivably even JP.) McKee, Spikes, Fletcher and Clements are definitely talented. On the other hand...if one weren't the Bills fan I am, I could see the argument that it isn't proven. On paper we look pretty bad, and it is up to the Bills to actually go out and show that we aren't very bad and might even be an interesting football team. I'm betting that is what will happen, and we'll be in for some pleasant surprises this year. However...until the bills get a chance to get out and show some stuff in the first few games, we aren't in much of a position to disagree with the naysayers. I'll just wait and gloat when we surpass expectations when the season starts.

I'm sure the Roman soldiers thought the crown was a hilarious gesture. If funny is an ultimate defense, I guess we really can't blame them.

Funny as an ultimate defense? Hadn't considered it. Guess the hilarious crown of thorns thing makes the crucifixion just fine?

Bingo! A very good running game could make this season a lot less painful for everyone concerned. Keeps other offenses off the field, eats time, opens up the passing game. If we can provide some power running life could be good again for us Bills fans. Not playoff good, mind you...but good enough to enjoy watching!