ny33

In 2007, we started 1-4 and ended 7-9. In 2008, we started 5-3 and ended 7-9. I think that we've made fundamental changes for the better- most evident in the players taken in the 2011 draft- and Gailey is a better head coach than Jauron. That being said, we really haven't accomplished anything until we get a winning season. I think we get 9-10 wins this season, but 7 or 8 are just as likely.

She can't write well. The first paragraph is tough to read, with sentences of disorienting length, and the subsequent ones aren't much better. Her article is fairly vapid; one part lamentation of her roots, another part soul-searching in a distant part of the world. There have been numerous articles worth reading on the decline of America's industrial economy and the Western New York region in particular, but this isn't one of them.

Last week's loss was tough, though I think the NFL is all about matchups and we simply don't have a good scheme/personnel for the Jets. I think this is a motivated, hungry team, and the Miami/Denver games should be no problem. If we don't beat Dallas, though, we're done; this is now a critical game for us. As for the Jets on the road, I don't think we stand a chance. We're far more likely to beat the Patriots in Foxboro, in my opinion, especially since our superior ground game will be a significant factor in week 17. Here's what I see happening: @Dallas- W @Miami- W @New York Jets- L Tennessee- W @San Diego- L Miami- W Denver- W @Patriots- L I see New England grabbing 11 wins- 12 if they can beat Philly or the Jets. The Jets will take 10 or 11; their schedule, unfortunately, is significantly easier than ours from here on. The Steelers are likely an 11 win team; Baltimore's schedule is a bit of a joke, and I see them grabbing 12 wins. Cincinnati has a fairly tough schedule, and will grab 9 or 10 wins depending on how they fare at home versus the Ravens and Steelers. To be honest, we're in a pretty bad spot given the schedule of our closest competitors, and that's not even factoring in a possible late-season surge by teams like the Chiefs, Raiders, or Titans. It's easy to count them out, but don't forget how most people thought the Bills would be a 3 win team at this point in the season, or the fact that we were 0-8 in our first half and 4-4 in the second half of last season. I don't think we make the playoffs, but a winning record with one of the youngest starting rosters in the league would be great progress.

I replied to the second part of your post because that is what I took issue with. Do the Bills have a large national following? Relative to, say, MLS teams, or the Florida Panthers, yes. In terms of the big four sports, in terms of finances (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL), I don't think it's an accurate statement to say that we have a "large national following," like the Cubs, Yankees, Cowboys, or Packers. As for the "global" reference, I was not attributing that to you, but rather stating that we certainly aren't like Manchester United or the Lakers, teams which can be accurately said to have a large world-wide following. I didn't post that to pick on you personally, but to say that a team has a large following outside of the regional fanbase implies that a significant amount of merchandise, T.V. revenue, and other financial benefits feed into that team. You did say the Bills have a "huge following nationwide"; that's simply not accurate in the scheme of professional sports, and matters because we don't get, say, prime time games like even a struggling Dallas team or the New York Knicks might, which affects the bottom line of the team. As a fan, this affects us for two reasons: primarily, and most concerning, it means that the NFL has less incentive to keep the team in Buffalo; secondly, the Bills' margins- particularly with home games not selling out- means that the management has less leeway to spend to the salary cap.

Especially given the fact that we'll probably pick somewhere between 16-23, it's tough to figure out who will be available when we draft. The top 10 doesn't shift that much from now until the draft, but figuring out who will be drafted in the middle of the first round is completely unpredictable. That being said, I do think last year's draft was one of the three or four best in the last ten years, and I think the same will be true of the 2012 draft. Here are the players who were drafted from 16-23 in 2011: Washington Redskins Ryan Kerrigan DE New England Patriots Nate Solder OT San Diego Chargers Corey Liuget DT New York Giants Prince Amukamara CB Tampa Bay Buccaneers Adrian Clayborn DE Cleveland Browns Phil Taylor DT Indianapolis Colts Anthony Castonzo OT Philadelphia Eagles Danny Watkins OG Kerrigan, Solder, Clayborn, and Taylor have all had excellent rookie seasons. Liuget has struggled, and Watkins did, early on, but has improved. I don't know much about Castonzo and Amukamara has been injured. 50% of the players drafted in that range have been worth more than their draft slot, and I think the rest, with the exception of Liuget, will prove to be worth their draft slot. I think we can be fairly optimistic about whom we draft in the first round next year, especially when considering that next year's batch of strong players in the middle of the first round look to be at OLB, CB, and WR, positions that I'd use a first round pick on.

Clearly your anecdotal experience is indicative of the Bills' "large national following." While I'm happy that you guys packed so many people into a Bills Backers bar, you're completely delusional if you think the Bills have a large national, and global, fan base compared to the Cubs.

As a fan who buys tickets to and watches games, the NFL would not exist without me (or millions of other people). All you need is a quick look at some soccer teams in the U.K. that have made poor personnel decisions or cut fan access, only to go bankrupt, as a prime example to why the NFL has to take fans' interests into considerations. Obviously I'm not suggesting that the league is on, or close to, the verge of collapse. Take a look at the NBA, though, which made huge strides the past two seasons and stands to lose a lot of the resurgence it made in viewership and ticket sales thanks to the lockout. I wouldn't be surprised if teams like the Hornets end up folding if the league goes a year without games. In regards to the All-22 angle, I doubt the league will release the footage; the cost-benefit is too low, as teams would (rightfully) get a lot of criticism from fans via the media for poor plays. As it stands, the only people who care enough about the angles are people who are really into analysis of the sport, and, unfortunately, there's not a large enough clamor for that information to be available. If something like blackouts became more prevalent, though, the NFL and CBS, FOX, NBC, etc. would be obliged to make some concessions for the sake of their own business and the fans. Again, to reiterate my point and that of many others in this thread: fans are part of the "we" in regards to teams we support, because without us there quite simply would not be a league.

That is the worst list I've ever seen. Jason Peters has been decent in pass-blocking, but he absolutely has not been one of the top-two tackles this year. He takes too many plays off. More ridiculous: Finley over Jimmy Graham, who is, by all measures, having a significantly better year. The worst inclusion, though, is easily Patrick Peterson (at CB). Peterson has been fantastic as a returner, but mediocre as a cornerback. How does this guy have a job?

What do you mean by your statement regarding Reed? From what I recall (and according to a quick Google search), the guy's been arrested multiple times and comes across as someone with a few screws missing in interviews. I don't see him as a good fit for our locker room.

23-20 Buffalo

This will be a very tough game for us. The NFL is about matchups; we don't matchup well against the Jets, particularly against their defense. If we can get Freddy and Spiller to rip runs to the outside, and make effective use of screens and short passes, we'll be in good shape. We'll also have to stop a recently-improving running game of the Jets. Do keep in mind that the Jets destroyed us last year. That being said, I think we can win a close one, but it won't be so easy.

From Tim Graham: "Bills DT Kyle Williams talking of his vague foot injury sounded ominous. That plus info I've heard suggests return for 2011 in serious doubt."

Kevin Kolb is not (relatively) young.

Are you really so dense? The Dolphins' loss means that they are one step closer to having the #1 pick in the draft. Regardless of what you think of Tebow, Bills fans should have been hoping for a Miami win today. The Dolphins have a very good chance to go 1-15 or 0-16 at this point.

The team with the top pick would never trade Luck to San Fran. At best, they'd get a late first round pick this year and two mid-to-late first rounders over the next two. That trade won't happen.

Actually, Maybin had a TFL and two QB hits. He's playing well, as much as I hate to say it. The key lesson I hope the Bills learned is that we're not a good fit for unmotivated players who don't want to be in Buffalo. Hopefully we continue to draft players like Dareus, who is the kind of guy that'll work hard at every stage and has had enough hardship to know that he has to earn his playing time.

Nevertheless, we get don't get a significant number of sacks or QB hits/TFL, which is indicative of the amount of time QBs have to throw.

There's no "moving on" because the issue is that we blew a recent first round pick on this guy. To all of those saying he's one-dimensional and a scheme player, he's proving to be very effective in that role. The main lesson that I hope Gailey and Nix learn from this disaster is to avoid drafting guys like Maybin, who aren't motivated to play in Buffalo and don't have a veteran, successful pass rush and quality defensive coaching like Baltimore, San Francisco, or the Jets. I think the players we've taken this year work much harder and are hungry to make an impact. The rookie salary cap helps keep rookies grounded, and I think it's a great thing for teams without quality veterans to motivate brash young players like Maybin or Whitner.

That's a pretty ridiculous lie on your part.

I don't understand why Oakland didn't just sign David Garrard. If Oakland misses the playoffs this season, this will go down as one of the most one-sided trades of all time.

I'd like to see Fitzpatrick sign a deal in the range of 5 years, $40 million, with $15 million guaranteed. Right now I'm more concerned that the Bills won't pull the trigger for some much needed WR and pass-rusher depth.

Let's hope that C.J. ends up being used in a role similar to (and as often as) Percy Harvin. I'd like to see him get more carries, though; I feel that if we'd gotten him involved in the first half, he would have been very effective in the second half with a tired offense; look how ineffective Jackson was in the second half, or on most of his carries besides the incredible breakout run.

Dude, do you understand the use of an ellipsis? I'd rather not criticize your grammar, but I had a tough time comprehending what you said.

While our defense has been terrible (which I'll also attribute in part to playing a zone defense), we got screwed over on one of the most obvious calls I've ever seen. When a non-call is evident and significant enough that the announcers remark on it, there is a major issue with the refereeing when the opposing team scores following a non-call like that.

I signed in just to say that the uncalled P.I. on Freddy last play was absolutely outrageous. That was blatant, with the referee clearly in the vicinity of the play.