hondo in seattle

Yikes... your suggestion sounds like waaaaay too much work. I'm pleased the OP did as much as he did because I wouldn't have spent that much time on a post. And, while the sample is small, it does hint at something. And, by the way, the Saints and Pack scored a lot in preseason and then scored a lot in the regular season. They got to the SB on the strenght of their offenses. But that's not the only way to get the SB. I'm just hoping our balance of competent O, competent D, and competent ST is enough to get us into the playoffs. Our lack of scoring doesn't concern me yet.

But you forget! Smith is multidimensional. He can run the wildcat, play wideout AND take a knee on kickoffs.

My apologies then. I agree the Bills need better QB & WR play. Yet the Bills averaged around 30 points per game for the first 7 games last year. Even with our talent limitations, we put up points until the wheels fell of the wagon either because of (1) injuries, or (2) defenses figured us out. Even if you subscribe to #2, you have to admit #1 was a contributor as well. I don't think the Bills will have a great O this year exactly because of your concerns (WR and QB) and I have my own concerns about the O Line. But, for all that, we ought to have a competent offense. Gailey proved early last year what he's capable of even without a bevy of Pro Bowlers. It's really hard to evaluate our defense which has been vanilla in preseason. It might be that, once the regular season starts, Wanny's schemes don't allow the middle to be as weak as you think. Good coordinators make players look better. You said the Jets are a mystery. I think to an extant - especially regards to our defense - we are too. Not only do we have a new coordinator and a new scheme, we have new players as well. Like many fans, I'm hoping for great things from our D and there are facts and reasons to justify this hope. But until the season starts, we just don't know. The arguments in favor of pessimism just aren't compelling enough for me. Instead I choose to be optimistic - because maybe this is the only time of year I can be!

Do I understand this right? Since you played, coached and know football, your evaluation of the Bills is superior to everyone else's here? Because none of the rest of us have ever played or coached football and don't know it? Yikes, I hope I misunderstand.

+1 I think OJ made McKenzie look great moreso than the other way around. IMHO, the Wall of Fame is for the great, not for the very good.

Fair question. I will retract my statement and pray for the real offcials to get back on the field!

I think Chan's mind is already made up and nothing TT does against Detroit will convince Chan to move TT up the depth chart. One good night doesn't much alter two years of mediocrity. I think this is how Chan sees things... Fitz is the starter because he's the best we have. TJack is the #2 because he's better than TT. Brad Smith is the #3 because teams get to dress an emergency QB who doesn't count against your game day total. So you want someone in that spot who will see the field even if (as is likely) both #1 and #2 don't get hurt. Smith can contribute in other ways. It's like having an extra player for free as long as you can legitmately label him a QB. So where does that leave Thigpen? Option 1: Keep him as the temporary #2 until T Jack learns the offense well enough to perform that role. Option 2: Cut TT now confident that no one will sign him - he'll still be available if Fitz gets injured early in the season. Option 3: Keep him on the roster because - god forbid - Fitz or TJack get hurt tonight.

This reminds me that some fans here wanted Brohm to start instead of Fitz just as this year some posters wanted VY to start instead of Fitz. In both cases, some of the misplaced fandom was based on college accomplishments and draft reports. I believe both Brohm and VY are currently unemployed though Brohm did have a job last year as the 2nd string QB for the Las Vegas Locomotives. In retrospect, neither of these guys deserved a starting role under center for the Bills. I guess unless your QB is a Pro Bowler, there's a tendency to fallaciously assume the backup is better.

Replacement refs will make more mistakes than the normal ones. There's a 50-50 chances the mistakes will be in our favor.

Hindsight is 20-20 as they say. Not only did the draft gurus in the media not rank Wilson that high, neither did most franchise scouting departments - despite all their film study, personal observation and interviews. It's not only Nix. Apparently a lot of people saw flaws in Wilson's game and I doubt his only shortcoming was stature. I don't think less of Nix if Wilson overcomes his shortcomings and succeeds in the NFL. No GM gets it right all the time - or even close.

That is scary. Maybe Gilmore is an exceptional rookie and ready for prime time. But I'm not sure how confident I am in any of the others. I'm really not sure how confident I am in Gilmore. A healthy McGee would be great for this squad. When asked if the setback could put McGee’s roster spot in jeopardy come final cuts on Friday, Gailey indicated that would not be the case. “I don’t see that right now,” said Gailey. “No, I don’t see that.”

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Cooley missed 11 games in '11 because of a severe knee injury, and while he's only 30, there are questions about his ability to keep that left knee healthy. In addition, of course, the Redskins have Fred Davis ensconced as their starting tight end, which would make Cooley an awfully expensive ($3.8 million) backup. A PPR-friendly but TD-challenged TE from way back, Cooley is destined for a backup role this year, either in D.C. or elsewhere. He was the first TE in NFL history to have at least 6 TDs in his first 6 seasons. Made the Pro Bowl in 2006 & 2008 (?). 77 receptions in 2010. Injured in 2011, but supposedly completely recovered in 2012. The most prolific TE in Redskins history with 428 career receptions. Has some H back and fulback experience. Supposedly, he was released so he'd have the chance to compete for a starting position somewhere rather than being a backup in Washington. Called "Captain Chaos" for his "Animal House persona"

A lot has been written about the Bills short passing game and how opponents figured it out in the 2nd half of the season. With Lee Evans gone and Easley hurt, we didn't have anyone to stretch the field last season. I think Nix considered a speedy wideout a bigger priority than QB. I don't remember the stats anymore but most QBs picked in the early rounds don't become franchise QBs. Many/most don't even become mediocre starters. It's really hard to figure out which QBs will suceed in the NFL. There are no sure things in the draft but the probabilities vary by position. The success of a lineman or, in this case, a WR is easier to predict. With so many holes to fill, we couldn't afford to gamble on a QB who may or may not ever take the field in a regular season game.

Ah yes. Our high-powered Trent Edwards led offense! McKelvin had a punt return for a TD and Thigpen led the Chiefs to 31 points. I remember now. Let's hope McKelvin scores against the Jets, too.

The BIlls over the Jets, 74-0. Gosh, I would love to see that. What are the most points the Bills ever scored in a game? The most I remember off the top of my very small head is the 51-3 whipping we laid on the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game.

I hope the optimists are right. Can't wait for the season to start.

Yep.

The Bills were either last in the league or close to it in 3rd-and-1 and 3rd-and-2 situations last year. The offensive line just didn't produce a lot of push when it was obvious we needed to run. But maybe you are right that having a healthy (is he?) Wood will change things.

II don't think Fitz & Stevie are good enough to have productive games against Revis & Co. every time. I would love to be wrong, though.

Good research! And, don't forget, T Jack completed 60% of his passes last year despite a torn pec. Seattle fans all rave about this guy being a "warrior" who's willing to play hurt. T Jack is a borderline starter. Both Minnesota and Seattle made him a starter then decided to move on with a better option. In other words, he's a good back up. And your stats bear that out.

I think Chan is sophisticated enough to create a passing game that isn't entirely dependent on the quick slant. People who say that defenses finally figured out the Bills at midseason last year are really simplifiying things. Lombardi acts like the Defensive Coordinators we faced in the first half of the year were idiots. They were not. They knew the Bills tendencies. Furthermore, Lombardi makes it seem like the Bills failure in the second half of the year were driven entirely by the decision-making of opposing Defensive Coordinators and not our own issues. We had a QB with cracked ribs and signifcant injuries to our offensive line and WR corps. There isn't one reason for the Bills demise, there are many. Gailey has had a nice career as an Offensive Coordinator. I think he can draw up more plays than the quick slant. I do think, however, that concerns about our lack of talent in the passing game are somewhat valid. And this limits what Gailey can do.

VY was beat out for the back up spot by TRENT EDWARDS in Philly. And, thus far, he's been beat out by TYLER THIGPEN in Bufalo. VY is 30 years old. There is no more upside. This is who he is - a poor NFL QB. T Jack is here because he's better than VY.

I'd like to read your thoughts concerning the Bills first game. Here, briefly, are mine: When the Bills have the ball. We have two backs who averaged over 5 ypc last year but fans hoping to see us pound the ball will be disappointed. The Bills offensive line just isn't that physical and, anyway, Chan is going to be Chan. Gailey likes to throw out of a spread offense because it forces the opposing team to defend every part of the field. You could say - somewhat simplistically but accurately - that Chan uses the pass to open up the run. So despite the strength of the Jets secondary, Fitz will put the ball in the air but not with great success. When the Jets have the ball. The Jets O has looked pathetic in preseason so far and they have personnel issues that will be hard to overcome. But it will be interesting to see what Rex does with Tebow's unique but flawed skill set. Rex has said that an advantage of having Tebow is that it forces opponents to waste valuable preparation time on him rather than the base offense. To keep that threat credible, Rex will have to use a good amount of Tebow against the Bills. And we haven't seen Rex's best Tebow ideas in preseason - he's saving them for the Bills game. Prediction Although we'll see some breakdowns, the Bills D will play well enough that the Bills will eke out a close win in a low scoring game. Fitz's stat line won't be pretty, however, and his critics will be howling that we should have picked QB X (whoever looks good in Week One) in 2011/2012.

You really think you know more about offensive football than Chan Gailey? Really? You really think you have insights into the Bills offense that Chan hasn't seen for himself?

I don't know the exact odds but a 47 yard FG is something like a 50-50 proposition. If Norwood had hit it, we wouldn't be reading all this negative stuff about Scotty, Marv, Kelly. But the fact that the game came down to an iffy 47 yarders indicates that the team failed to do enough. So, in fact, Marv, Kelly et al do deserve the "blame." I hate to blame anyone, though, because we Bills fans were treated to a wonderful season that year.