Astrobot

It's all very simple. So Far, The Bills beat the Rams, who lost to the Seahawks, who lost to the 49'ers, who beat Seattle. We beat Seattle, who lost to the 49'ers, who beat Seattle. We beat Oakland, who beat Kansas City, who beat New England. Next we face the Cardinals, who lost to the Jets, who lost to New England, who lost to Miami, who lost to the Cardinals. After a bye, we face the Chargers, who lost to Denver, who lost to Kansas City, who lost to Oakland, who lost to us.

I don't hthink we see Johnson today at all. We will see 2 RB's a lot, and we'll see Hardy. In order, I predict the adjustments will be (in terms of nuumber of plays with each): (1) Jackson split wide, Lynch in backfield, Royal, Evans, Reed (2) Lynch, Royal, Evans, Reed, Hardy (3) Lynch, Royal, Evans, Jackson, Reed (3) Lynch, Royal, Evans, Jenkins, Jackson

"Get Brock up here; is he hiding under LeRoy Glover again?"

How about in this game? I'll bet Hardy catches more passes than Jenkins.

The way I read it, I think he's 100% sure that IF he scores a TD, he WILL in fact do a dance.

We are 3-0 ATS. We aint got no fargin' RESPECT. And that is a powerful motivator. 4-0, baby!

I agree with you. We'll be ready for their initial enthusiasm, which hsould ebb by the end of the first quarter. Bills 31-10.

I think Edwards' assessment of the effect of Jauron's personality is spot-on. Staying even-keeled when the seas get rough is a huge advantage, and we saw that in the last two comebacks late in the game. That steadiness starts at the top.

Great post. I would add to this that Favre isn't getting younger, he's not going to last 16 games, and they'll be right back where the were. Not deciding upon and developing a young QB prospect and picking up Favre has set the Jets back 2-3 more years. Which I'm fine with. Kevin O'Donnell has the tools to succeed Cassell, just not this year. Again, What happened to Brady could happen again; that line is still susceptible to the blitz. O'Donnell coming in this year won't lead them to the promised land no matter how good he might be. If I'm playing Pennington and the Fins, I blitz every which way. Who's going to catch it?

Welcome, silver and black! I don't think it's pathetic at all that you're here on an opponent's message board.

I think Hester, with our downfield blocking and our coaching, would be better than Parrish with their downfield blocking and their coaching. Parrish is very good at what he does, but is made great with what Bobby April and the emphasis on ST here in Buffalo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck_spf9a_vQ Here's the video

This play (click video on right hand side of the page and watch the line play of Peters, Fowler, Walker, Dockery at :39) is a work of art: http://www.nfl.com/teams/buffalobills/profile?team=BUF As this guy works his way into game shape again, he's going to be one indomitable MF.

Agree. I think that'd loosen things up for Marshawn. Also, now that they've seen the effects of splitting Jackson out wide, this'll help Lynch too. You can't just put a CB or a light Safety on Jackson out wide. And some LB's are too slow for him.

Player Tot Solo Assist Sck Fum Terrence McGee 13 11 2 0 0 Donte Whitner 12 11 1 0 0 Ashton Youboty 11 10 1 1 0 Paul Posluszny 12 8 4 0 0 Ko Simpson 9 7 2 0 0 Kawika Mitchell 7 6 1 1 0 Aaron Schobel 6 6 0 1 0 Marcus Stroud 7 5 2 2 0 Bryan Scott 5 5 0 0 1 Jabari Greer 7 4 3 0 0 Kyle Williams 6 4 2 1 0 Keith Ellison 4 2 2 0 0 1. If you told me Youboty would be 3rd on the team after Week 2, I'd have thought you were high. 2. I like seeing Kawicka Mitchell's name up high up there along with Poz. 3. The Stroud Effect on sacks will be huge. 4. Whitner is backing up his guarantee at this point.

Terrence McGee, who is tied for 2nd in INT's after 2 weeks. Lee Evans, whose 8 catches for 179 yards (22.4 ypc) is just obscene. And Trent Edwards. His 80% completion percentage moved the chains and let the D rest just enough.

I voted for the Hardy TD because it not only helped in this game, but it is a portent of things to come, got Hardy his 1st TD, showed he could do his thing with the fade pass, and opened up the arse nal.

Agree, John. Not only were they good D's, but we can also cite today's stifling heat and that new LT getting used to football.

1. Defensive pressure, create havoc in the backfield, giving Garrard no time to set up. 2. Tie up the Jax WR's at the line; no WR's make catches deep--no fades, no posts, no slants. 3. Field Position. A couple insane Moorman punts (or TD's!!!!) can help. 4. Time of Possession. Give the defense time to rest. We can't go 25% on third down and win this game. 5. Outplay the Jags on special Teams. They are decent at ST and can't be allowed cheap points.

Wow! I really appreciate all of your input. I made an Excel spreadsheet of all of your opinions, ranking a 1st Round position 7 points, 2nd Round 6 points, etc., all the way down to 7th Round suggestions getting 1 point. For example If 8 of you wanted OLB in the 1st Round (7 points), that got 56. In fact, 8 of you mentioned OLB as 1st Rounder. This is when it pays to have your very own Draft Droid. The Results Are: Round 1: OLB-56 pts., TE-28 pts., OC-14 pts., DE-14 pts. Round 2: TE-42 pts., OC-24 pts., OLB-18 pts., DE-6 pts. Round 3: OLB-20 pts., TE-20 pts., OC-15 pts., OL-10 pts. Round 4: OC-20 pts., DE--8 pts., WR-8 pts., OLB-4 pts. Round 5: OL-12 pts., QB-3 pts., OC-3 pts., DE-3 pts., TE-3 pts. Round 6: OL-6 pts., QB-4 pts., DE-2 pts., OC-2 pts. Round 7: WR-2 pts., TE-1 pt., OLB-1 pt., DE-1 pt., OL-1 pt. Most often mentioned: OLB (99 pts.), TE (94). These would be our Top Priority Needs. OC (70 pts.) is a Priority Need. DE (39 pts. ) is a Need. OL (19), QB (12), and WR(10) round out our Needs. Your subjective opinions were also great. It's a great point that the Bills might replace OLB, say, via FA and not the draft. Another great point was that a great OC like Mack might supercede the OLB availability in RD#1 and be better value. Our first draft is in October, but I wanted to dipstick the Wall (That doesn't sound dirty). I believe that the consensus of our group did very well picking our needs last year, and certainly beats one "expert" dictating our team's Positional Needs. Thanks! Astro Bills Correspondent www.DraftTek.com

As I turn my attention forward to next year's draft positional needs for DraftTek's first 2009 Draft in October (it's not an obsession; it's what I do for http://www.drafttek.com/ and my own amusement), I am ready to suggest an initial Positional Needs list to DraftTek. Round 1: TE Round 2: OC Round 3: WR Round 4: OLB Round 5: DT Round 6: SS Round 7: FB RATIONALE: CB ---In the 2008 Draft the Bills took 3 Corners to address a weaker CB position--Leodis McKelvin in RD#1, Reggie Corner in RD#4, and Kennard Cox in RD#7. Next year, I'll be surprised if the Bills take any CB's, because it has become one of the deeper positions on the team. With McGee, Greer, Youboty, McKelvin, and Corner, we now have a strong, deep stable of CB's. PREDICTION: NO CB's in the 2009 Draft for Buffalo, although a Safety could be a 6th-Round pick for depth. WR---Many thought our first drafted player would be a wide receiver, and the Bills braintrust did nothing to dispel the rumor that Devin Thomas would be a Bill. As it turned out, no WR's were picked until Round 2, then WR's went at Pick #33 (Donnie Avery to Houston), Pick #34 (Devin Thomas to Redskins), Pick #36 (Jordy Nelson to Packers) and then #41 (James Hardy to the Bills). Hardy looked promising though somewhat green in preseason, but showed enough so that the Bills have a decent stock of WR's. If Evans gets his new contract (and there's no evidence to the contrary), we'll have Evans, Hardy, Parrish, Reed, Jenkins, and Johnson. One more tall receiver might be needed, as Hardy and Johnson (6'2") are the only WR's over 6 feet. PREDICTION: One mid-Round WR, maybe 3rd Round in the 2009 Draft. TE---Royal is looking good after one game, and looked like the only TE available for a time last week. Schouman may become a good passing target, but he's 223 pounds and no blocker to speak of. We waived Courtney Anderson, who had the right specs without having the right ability to go with it. Likewise for Teyo Johnson and Tim Massaquoi. We still have Jonathan Stupar on the Practice Squad and an injured Derek Fine, our 4th Round pick last year. Anybody think we'd make a play for Shockey? TE will be a high priority in '09. PREDICTION: 1st Round in the 2009 Draft. Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma State is currently the best TE, but Chase Coffman, Travis Beckum, Ryan Purvis, and Bear Pascoe will all be Round 1-3 draftees. DT---We're feeling like we have a solid #1 in Stroud, who has been a menace in the backfield and occupier of 2 linemen on every play. We also have seen Kyle Williams beat out Johnson and McCargo. We even saw last year starter Tripplett and top pass rusher Jefferson released. Corey Mace is on the Practice Squad. It feels like we're one player away here, although we are 5th in the AFC in Rushing Defense (Source) and 7th in Pass Defense (Source). PREDICTION: DT in 5th Round in the 2009 Draft. O-Line---Jason Peters in back, but his understudy Kirk Chambers played well against All-Pro Kerney in Game 1. Peters is close to passing Walter Jones as the best LT in football. Langston Walker played well in his temporary LT role and can move back to his natural position at RT. LG Dockery moved to the 2nd level several times, and OT Demetrius Bell looks promising, particularly since Matt Murphy is injured. RG Brad Butler is keeping Jason Whittle on the bench, and signed an extension this past June. Butler has the talent to be among the top 6 RG's. Preston looked pretty good against some first string competition when in there in preseason, but is a backup at best. The jury is out on Melvin Fowler and his contribution to this line, particularly on 3rd and short. We still need a big, smart, tough Center. Antoine Caldwell of Alabama would currently be a good pick, with great size, high pancake blocks and low sack totals, although he was suspended for the receipt of free textbooks (I didn't know of a college center who reads textbooks, so this was a new one). Alex Mack will likely end up in Round 2. Jonathan Luigs could be a late 1st Rounder. All are Rimington Award watch list players. PREDICTION: OC will be 2nd Round in the 2009 Draft. Linebacker---The Bills may have one of the top 3 LB corps in football. Poz has played only 4 regular season games, but looks the part in the middle. Kawicka Mitchell, who turns 29 on October 10, is a monster. DiGiorgio and Ellison have valuable playing time as starters. While they are primarily backups, both play reliably when they're in there. Angelo Crowell and Alvin Bowen are on IR. Crowell may not be a Bill next year, and Bowen could be the heir apparent if he recovers fully. Costanzo and Corto look like nice backups. There's room for a sure fire OLB if Crowell is done, more likely a free agent because that's what Fewell and Jauron like. OLB will be 4th Round in the 2009 draft. Fullback--So far, no good. If the Bills stick with a fullback, he better catch the ball when it's thrown his way. That hasn't been the case with cartoonist Darian Barnes. Originally a UDFA signed by the Jersey Giants, he went on to play for the Bucs, Cowboys, Fins, and Jets. Maybe the other five teams knew what they were doing. PREDICTION: FB will be 7th Round in the 2009 draft. Chris Pressley of Wisconsin looks okay, but each prospect has a downside this year. Nevertheless, we can have our pick because FB's a dying breed. SUMMARY: Round 1: TE Round 2: OC Round 3: WR Round 4: OLB Round 5: DT Round 6: SS Round 7: FB Thanks in advance for your help. Astrobot Bills Correspondent www.DraftTek.com

One more piece of irony: After two failed attempts to make the Seattle roster, and two seasons performing in NFL Europe, Moorman signed with the Bills as a free agent in 2001.

Deere, Kreag Harvy, Its Moorman and nonchalantly Think Ewe. A Stroh Bought

From the Bills' Site: "Parrish got key blocks from John DiGiorgio, Jon Corto and Jabari Greer on the play, but avoided a few coverage players all by himself for his third career punt return for a score. It was also the second straight season opener in which he returned a punt for a touchdown making him the first such player in NFL history." Another kudo for Corto.

It's not exactly hate, it's more the exultation you feel when the wicked witch melts in the Wizard of Oz.