hondo in seattle

good stuff

I was running 50 miles a week when I developed a case of bad PF. I had to stop running for maybe 5 months. But (1) it affects everyone differently, and (2) I didn't have the same quality medical care that Byrd does. Also, PF really sucks when trying to run marathon distances. I'm not sure how much you can gut out in the jogging and short sprints of a football game.

Apparently, he's an athletic prodigy... http://espn.go.com/c...-seminoles-snap

You are right, this team is thin. If the 3 injuries were, for example, EJ, CJ and Feddy, we'd be unable to field a NFL calibre backfield. But if the IR-type injuries happened to journeymen who aren't much better than their backups, then we could still have a good season. The coaches aren't "rookies," they are merely new to the Bills and that's a great reason to be excited. Pettine's defenses were always in the top 5 when he was the Jets DC. Marrone's offenses when he was the Saints OC were highly productive. Watching the Bills last year, I got the impression that the NFL passed Gailey and - especially - Wanny by. But Pettine and Marrone/Hackett are younger coaches with creative minds who are well-versed in all the newest ideas being tried both in collegiate and professional football. It's hard not to expect better game planning than last year. And better game planning makes players perform better.

I wouldn't surprise me if Da'Rick had the worste career of any of these. I'll guess he ends up toward the bottom of this list in terms of production (career catches, yards). I'll guess Brooks ends up on top. Da'Rick has athleticism. He lacks almost everything else a WR needs to excel in the NFL: effort, concentration, diligence, coachability...

I barely knew who this guy was a couple days ago. Not he's on the almost-final roster. I still would have preferred to keep TJax. But that boat has already departed and life moves on.

And isn't he a part owner of the Dolphins? That disqualifies him from ever being allowed to wear a Bills uni.

7th rounder I would assume.

Never saw this before (thanks for posting). Makes me sad to see him go. I thought his tweener talents might be useful for a creative DC like Pettine. Guess not.

I'd be okay with this if... * Gilmore was healthy and stayed healthy all season long. * McKelvin also stayed healthy and, on top of that, learned how to play the ball.

I had hopes for Sanders too coming out of college too. But reports from camp say he's been struggling mightily. So his release isn't really a surprise.

I don't know Byrd personally and don't know if he's actually hurt. For all I know, he's fractured a metatarsal. I don't attend training camp nor do I talk to team doctors. All I know is what I see on the field and the results there tell me we don't have enough talent. They don't scream that the Bills don't work hard enough. Yep

I think we have too many injuries and too little talent to beat the Pats. But I'm excited anyway. New GM, HC, OC, DC and QB. It reminds me of the excitement at the very beginning of the Levy/Kelly era. We knew we didn't have all the pieces yet but it felt like we were on our way.

Wow. This is such a negative and unfounded rant I'm reluctant to wade in. But I will, only briefly. How do you know the Bills don't work hard? Have you attended camp at SJF and then compared that with the other 31 camps you've visited. To say that the Bills haven't had the best coaches or best players over the past decade plus is self-evident. But to say they don't work hard? It's just kind of silly.

Agree. I love Fred. He kept us in a lot of games a couple years ago with his unlikely personal heroics. But last year he was hurt and hasn't shown much this preseason. I'm really hoping that once the regular season starts, we see the 2011 Jackson return!

Win or lose, I'm excited. New GM, HC, DC, OC and QB. What a makeover! It will take more than one game to assess all the changes.

Most of us got the comparision. KTD just doesn't like Leinart as a QB and will shoot down any optimistic talk about him. GIven the possibility that Tuel will start against the Pats, it would be great for him to get some reps with the 1st team. I do expect EJ to actually start the season; still the possibility of Tuel playing remains. The more time he gets with the ones - even at the risk of injury - the better.

They have a great HC, a great QB, and so-so success with FAs and draft picks. That's enough.

+1 I think a lot of celebrities do good work anonymously. This smells a little of self-promotion. As you say "still a good deed, but..."

For some reason, this made me laugh when the original post didn't.

I had a warning once and I don't know why since I don't swear here or call my fellow posters turds (though I can understand the temptation). Then the warning went away and I don't know why that happened either.

None of us know what the 'minor procedure' was but if he's ready to play, play him. EJ is probably going to be our starter for a few years. Let's get this thing started. He probably gives us the best chance of winning the Pats game and he also needs the experience of real game action.

Tim didn't seem to get a lot of inside information, but he read all the news reports, copped an occassional interview, and stayed generally abreast of the Bills. The national media guys try to cover 32 teams. They do a fair job with the perennial winners but often don't know a lot about the Bills.

I don't hate anyone... certainly not someone so remote from my private life as a sportswriter. As far as sportswriters are concerned, I like Tim. He's reasonably objective and much better informed about the Bills than just about anyone in the national media.

If our goal is to have the first UDFA to start an opening game in the modern era, then the OP has a great plan. If our goal is to win, there might be some better ideas out there. I doubt if Belicheck will be thrown off balance by any lineup choices Marrone makes.