ChanOverChin

It's unbelievable how injury prone Watkins has been. He can't help us if he can't stay on the field. Without Watkins the Bills don't stand a chance vs the Cards.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000708074/article/rex-on-sammy-watkins-doesnt-look-like-hell-play. If that's the case then I don't give the Bills much of a chance. That will certainly make Rex look bad, but with Sammy out his team is playing without Watkins/Dareus/Sh. Lawson/Henderson plus others.

I for one am willing to give Rex/Rob the entire year to show what they can do. Had the Bills won one of their first two games people on this board wouldn't be so negative. They're definitely in a tough spot now having to face Arizona (top 3 team in the league) and then the Pats (top 3 team). I remain positive because the schedule gets easier after Week #4 and the Bills will eventually get some important players back. Guys like Dareus, S. Henderson, Sh. Lawson, and M. Easley. I also like the idea that Rex decided to go in a different direction by letting A. Lynn call the plays on offense. Roman was too conservative and too complicated at the same time. Lynn will play at a faster pace, call plays with more time on the play clock to allow Tyrod to audible when necessary (could be a big diff.-maker - the better QBs do this), and will use different player groupings to try to create mismatches (for instance 4-5 WR sets when opposing defenses are not ver deep at CB). I think the Bills miss RB K. Williams. They need a big back for short yardage and goal line situations. Keep an eye on WR G. Salas. He's a lot better player than you think and could be a key guy towards converting more on third down.

Bills win 19-17. Tyrod and Shady both play well.

People, the season just started. The Bills will get Dareus, Sh. Lawson, S. Henderson, and M. Easley back very soon. Help is on the way.

Just pointing out the obvious....no Dareus, no Sh. Lawson, no S. Henderson, no M. Easley, no C. Glenn (vs Jets). Could these players possibly make a difference between winning and losing, especially in two games that were both decided by less than one score?? Me thinks so. The sky is not falling. Coaches are fired a lot. Let's not write off Rex just yet.

It was difficult to watch for sure. Scoring only 7 pts is not good. Baltimore was stacking the box and taking the run away. They were daring Tyrod to beat them with his arm. When Glenn got injured that took any advantage that the Bills O-line may have had away. Our defense was actually very good. They only made one bad mistake... the long TD pass to Wallace. When Flacco saw S D. Williams matched up on the speedy Wallace he said that he checked out of a run to a pass and exploited the obvious mismatch. I was disappointed with Roman's play calling. You have to take what the defense gives you. If they stack the box with eight players then you need to pass the ball. This is the kind of thing that separates the Patriots from the Bills. The Pats adjust to what the defense is doing to them, the Bills don't. Being without Dareus, Sh. Lawson, Henderson, Easley, C. Anderson, Seymour, Glenn (for one half), Dray (for one half) really hurt. I think the Bills will miss RB K. Williams as well. I still think the Bills need another go to WR. Opponents will double Watkins or shade to his side every game and take their chances with everyone else.

I think the Bills are comfortable with Mills and Kouandjio adequately filling the RT spot so there may not be a need to sign another OT. I think they'll sign a pass rusher. Why not DT/DE Q. Couples??

Rex is 6-1 in openers. Roman is 5-0. Tyrod has said all the right things this week, but he'll be out to prove that Balt. never should have let him go. It's gonna be the Tyrod and Shady show. Shady is in great shape and highly motivated this year. Tyrod: 2 TD passes for 278 yds, 1 TD run, 56 yds rushing. Shady: 122 yds rushing, 45 yds receiving, 1 receiving TD. Bills 34, Ravens 27.

Baltimore's weapons are average. The Bills need to pressure Flacco so that he can't throw the ball deep, which is what he is prone to do. The key to this game though will be ST. Baltimore is very good on ST, among the very best. HC J. Harbaugh started out as a ST coach so ST is greatly emphasized. if the Bills can match up on ST I think they win this game. I'd like to see Taylor outplay Flacco in this game. Bills need some big plays from Taylor, McCoy, Watkins, and Clay.

Just off the top of my head I would have placed the Bills around #14 to start the season so being placed at #15 is not too bad. However, when you look at some of the teams listed ahead of them you have to wonder if the Bills should be ranked higher. if the Bills can keep their best players healthy for most of the season they could be playoff bound this year. Players like Taylor, McCoy, Watkins, Clay, Bush, Glenn, Incognito, Wood, Woods on offense and Dareus, KW, Hughes, P. Brown, Gilmore, Darby, AW on defense need to stay healthy. My comments: 2016 NFL Power Rankings: Training Camp Edition Rank Team 2015 Record 1 Denver Broncos 12-4 - Outstanding defense by Simien ain't no P. Manning. 2 Carolina Panthers 15-1 - They lost their top CB, but this is probably the team most deserving of #1 at this point. 3 New England Patriots 12-4 - Without Brady this team should be ranked lower, possibly #8. 4 Seattle Seahawks 10-6 - Top 5 team. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6 - Great offense, terrible secondary. Should be ranked #10. 6 Green Bay Packers 10-6 - Good team with a great QB. Top 6 is about right. 7 Cincinnati Bengals 12-4 - Very good team with a slightly above average QB. Top 12. 8 Arizona Cardinals 13-3 - Very talented team with franchise QB. I would have them at #2. 9 Indianapolis Colts 8-8 - Not impressed by Luck. Their defense is poor. Rank should be #16-#20. 10 Kansas City Chiefs - Talented team with great HC. #10 about right. 11-5 11 Minnesota Vikings 11-5 - New QB Bradford. I'd move them back to #14-#16. 12 Oakland Raiders 7-9 - Talent has improved, but still much to prove. #15-#18. 13 New York Giants 6-10 - Good team, below average HC. #21-#24. 14 Dallas Cowboys 4-12 - No QB Romo. #22-#25. 15 Buffalo Bills 8-8 - Depends upon what you think of QB Taylor. I think #14 is about right. 16 Philadelphia Eagles 7-9 - Going with a rookie QB, rookie HC. #26-#28. 17 Baltimore Ravens 5-11 - Weak team last year, several players out this year. #26-#28. 18 Atlanta Falcons 8-8 - Talented RB/WR, aggressive defense. #16-#17. 19 Houston Texans 9-7 - New QB, lost RB Foster. #23-#26. 20 Washington Redskins 9-7 - Talented team, QB Cousins is better than you think. #18-#20. 21 Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11 - Improved their talent in the draft, can score. #20-#21. 22 New Orleans Saints 7-9 - Drees getting old, defense stinks. #26-#27. 23 New York Jets 10-6 - Strong team. Need Fitz to play well and stay healthy. #15-#16. 24 San Diego Chargers 4-12 - Lousy team. #29-#30. 25 Detroit Lions 7-9 - No real star power. #27-#29. 26 Miami Dolphins 6-10 - Improved team, need QB Tannehill to be more consistent. #22-#23. 27 Chicago Bears 6-10 - Weak team. #27-#30. 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-10 - QB has improved. #24-#27. 29 Los Angeles Rams 7-9 - No QB. Gurley can't do it all. #28-#30. 30 Tennessee Titans 3-13 - Low level talent overall. #29-#30. 31 San Francisco 49ers 5-11 - Bad team. #31. 32 Cleveland Browns 3-13 - Really bad team. #32.

Tate is actually a nice pickup for the Bills at this point. He's a proven veteran player who can play on ST coverage and possibly be a red zone threat because of his height. Mostly though he will be used to return kicks and punts as our primary KR and PR. With Tate on the roster that means that Bush does not have to return punts or kicks.......or at least contribute in that regard sparingly. That frees Bush up to contribute more on offense, which should be a nice boost. McCoy is going to be the primary RB, but Bush could eventually take over the #2 RB duties full-time. He could become the third down specialist. He could be used more on passing downs and as a third WR. He could also be paired with McCoy as part of a two RB set. I like the idea of playing Taylor/McCoy/Bush/Watkins/Clay/Woods at the same time. That's a lot of guys who can take it to the house on any given play.

It's really too early to predict since I expect the Bills to still do some roster shuffling before Week #1. We've already just recently cut K Gay and picked up LB McCray and LB Humber. Who's next?? ....nonetheless, I will play your game. If Tyrod plays all 16 games, I predict the following (best case scenario). If not, it could get ugly because this is a pretty tough schedule. 2016 SCHEDULE Ravens- W Jets- W Cardinals- L Patriots- W Rams- W 49ers- W Dolphins- W Patriots- L Seahawks- L Bengals- W Jaguars- L Raiders- L Steelers- W Browns- W Dolphins- W Jets- W Final reg. season record = 11-5

The Bills already trade for a LB (McCray). I expect them to make several more moves. They obviously need another dependable TE as well as depth at OC/OG, preferably a guy who can backup both positions. Bills cut: Cuts to 75: LB David Hawthorne, LS Reid Ferguson, C Robert Kugler, WR Greg Little, TE Jimmay Mundine, LB Eric Striker, DT Alameda Ta'amu, QB Austin Trainor, DT Justin Zimmer, CB Jonathan Dowling, TE Chris Gragg, T Justin Renfrow. ...from NFL.com.

Trainor is only being brought in to play in the final preseason game so that Rex doesn't have to play his other three QBs very much. He doesn't want to risk an injury. Trainor will be cut right after the game.

ugg. Add to it.

My 53 man roster as of 8-22-16: QB: T. Taylor; EJ Manuel; C. Jones (3) FB: J. Felton (1) RB: L. McCoy; R. Bush; M Gillislee; J. Williams (4) TE: C. Clay; C. Gragg; Dray (3) WR: S. Watkins; R. Woods; G. Salas; M. Goodwin; W. Powell; ​G. Little (6) OL: C. Glenn; R. Incognito; E. Wood; J. Miller; J. Mills; C. Kouandjio; S. Henderson; R. Groy; (8) DL: K. Williams; A. Washington; J. Worthy; C. Bryant; L. Douzable (5) OLB: J. Hughes; Sh. Lawson; M. Lawson; L. Alexander; E. Striker; K. Biermann (6) ILB: P. Brown; Z. Brown; D. Hawthorne; ​B. Spikes (4) CB: S. Gilmore; R. Darby; N. Robey-Coleman; K. Seymour; C. White (5) S: A. Williams; C. Graham; R. Blanton; D. Williams; C. Anderson (5) K: D. Carpenter (1) P. C. Schmidt (1) LS: G. Sanborn (1) Of course, DT M. Dareus will be added after Week #4. Sh. Lawson makes the final roster so that he doesn't have to miss 6 games. Guys on the bubble: J. Williams, Dray, Striker. Bill could replace J. Williams with M. Easley, Dray with Dareus, and Striker with Albright.

I've seen a lot of 53 man roster projections and this has to be the worst one. Gay is not going to make this team. Little has been too good to cut. R. Johnson sucks. He's not makin' it. C. Anderson has done nothing.

Goodwin makes me nervous. "If he stays healthy"??? That's a very big "if" given his history. He does seem to be a different player this year. Very determined. Because Goodwin is prone to injury though I think the Bills will look to keep some bigger, more durable WRs, like Boykin and/or Little. If Goodwin gets injured it doesn't really matter how good he is, he can't help us. Rex would be wise to keep him off of ST this year. His body can't take it. I listed above where I thought the WRs stood currently. However, my prediction is that the Bills' WR corps will end up as follows: 1. Watkins 2. Woods 3. Goodwin 4. Salas 5. Boykin 6. Little or Powell. They could keep Little and place Powell on the PS, thus keeping them both. Lewis to the PS. Listenbee and Easley to IR.

I have been pleasantly surprised to see WR Jarrett Boykin rise to the top of the crowded pack of no name WRs not named Watkins or Woods that the Bills currently have on their roster. It's obvious that Watkins and Woods will be the Bills' top two WRs. Woods had to play through an injury most of last year so he should be much more productive this year. It is Boykin who has demonstrated in practice and in the first preseason game that he can be a reliable, even clutch, NFL receiver. He adds good size, a lot of experience, and consistency to the Bills' WR corps. What's also interesting is that he and TT know each other well since the two played together at Virginia Tech. Right now I have the Bills' WR echelon as follows: 1. Watkins 2. Woods 3. Boykin 4. Goodwin 5. Little 6. Powell. Powell has especially been a big surprise. He has speed and a nice burst. He can play ST and be a primary KR as well as a backup PR behind R. Bush. I think he has a good shot, but will still need to fend off G. Salas and D. Lewis. Salas has been injured so he hasn't been able to show what he can do. Lewis showed well early on, but if he doesn't produce in the preseason games he's not going to make the final roster. There's a good chance that when Salas is finally healthy that he will unseat Powell for the 6th WR spot. Salas has the best hands on the roster and knows how to get open. He played well in the last game vs the Jets last season. Rex also seems to like him a lot. Listenbee and Easley may not become healthy enough to make the final roster. Your thoughts on Boykin and the status of the Bills' WR corps??

Thanks eball. You're awesome man. I will set my DVR accordingly.

Goodwin has exceptional speed and looks the part at WR, but his puny body just can't seem to stand up to the NFL pounding. I have high hopes for Goodwin, but I remain very skeptical that he can remain healthy for even 8 games. No matter his talent, if he can't stay healthy for the majority of the season then he can't help us.

Watkins and Woods will be givens. It sounds like Rex loves Salas (great hands, gets open regularly). After that it's a crapshoot. I think Little has shown some consistency and the Bills have to love his size. He was a go-to guy his rookie year in Cleveland. Goodwin has surprised. through today I would say that he is one of the favorites to make the final roster. there's no doubt that his speed is very attractive. What isn't attractive is the fact that his puny body just can't take the NFL pounding. D. Lewis did absolutely jack prior to the 2016 training camp. He's suddenly coming on, but I have to wonder if his lack of experience will be enough. Hankerson is a guy that I like better than Lewis. If you saw Hankerson play last year for Atlanta he was the #3 WR behind J. Jones and R. Smith. He actually outplayed Smith and was actually on the FFL radar for a good portion of the year. He's a legit NFL WR with good size and speed. I think he may move past both Goodwin and Lewis eventually. Listenbee is injury and may be placed on IR. Easley has a long way to go to come back from the devastating knee injury that he suffered. I expect him to be placed on IR. If the Bills keep only six WRs I project that they will keep Watkins, Woods, Salas, and Little with Goodwin, Lewis, and Hankerson fighting for the last two spots. I think Hankerson will earn one of the spots when given more opportunity in the preseason. Then it will come down to Goodwin and Lewis.

My 53 after the most recent signings: QB: Taylor/Manuel/Jones. RB: McCoy/Bush/Gillislee/J. Williams, FB: Felton. TE: Clay/Dray. WR: Watkins/Woods/Little/Hankerson/Goodwin/Salas. OT: Glenn/Mills/Henderson/C. Martin. OG: Incognito/Miller OC: Wood/Velasco. K: Carpenter. P: Schmidt. LS: Sanborn. DL: K. Williams/Dareus/Washington/Bryant/Worthy/Hughes/M. Lawson/Douzable/Enemkpali/Alexander. LB: P. Brown/Ragland/Spikes/Hawthorne/Z. Brown/Striker. CB: Gilmore/Darby/Robey-Coleman/Moore/White/Seymour. S: A. Williams/Graham/Blanton/Anderson. DL Sh. Lawson/RB K. Williams, and WR/ST M. Easley get added after Game #4.

Good topic. L. McCoy - He's a given. K. Williams - He's out for Game #1 through Game #4, but I expect him to be on the roster after that. He made a mistake and he's paying for it. Let's not forget that he's a very good ST player as well as a potential stud RB. He did have 9 TDs last year. R. Bush - He was signed to add some juice to the punt return and kick return game, but gives us another very versatile RB who can get to the edge and who can be an excellent outlet in the passing game. He doesn't need to gain 1,000 yds from scrimmage to have a big impact on offense. He can back up McCoy with very little drop off. Roman could also deploy both McCoy and Bush at the same time. If he can stay healthy he becomes the #1 backup to McCoy. M. Gillislee - I love what this guy did towards the end of last season. He looked like an every down back. He has the speed, moves, and vision to take it to the house on any play. I can see him returning kicks and providing excellent depth for the RB corps. J. Williams - He's just a rook, but he's a very talented one at that. Watch his highlight film at Arkansas. This guy was a steal in R5. I read reports that he could have been drafted as high as R2, but teams shied away from him because he missed all of last year. Because he's so young and talented the Bills are not going to give up on him easily. I see the Bills keeping McCoy/Bush/Gillislee/J. Williams at RB plus Felton at RB. They may end up keeping one less TE or WR as a result. After Game #4 it will be interesting to see what kind of shape K. Williams is in and how well the other four RBs mentioned above are playing at that point.