Rocky Landing

I re-watched the Bills/Panthers game last night, and I'm starting to lean towards an opinion that will probably not be very popular. I think that Urbik is a better center than he is a guard. And, I think that Urbik may be a better center than Wood. Am I crazy? Edit: I may come back after Thursday and just completely rescind this post.

I think the league actually has more to "risk" (and I think that's a loose term) by settling under Brady*'s terms. By standing firm that Brady* at least knew that balls were being deflated (a fairly obvious assumption, imo), the worst case scenario for the league is that Brady*'s suspension is overturned. And, so what? In that case, they still get to say that they stood firm in defending the integrity of the game. What do they really care if Brady* plays, or not? Conversely, if they concede to Brady*'s claim that he knew nothing, and did nothing regarding deflated balls, and was only uncooperative, the league concedes to being petty, and vindictive, and ultimately uninterested in the game's integrity. I have to believe that public perception of the league is far more important to them than whether or not they lose this appeal.

Everyone?

Have you been paying attention??? QBs (all three of them) have performed better than expected vs Carolina. Are you calling Charles Clay a question mark? McCoy/Jackson/Williams "could be okay?" 9 Ws last season. Are you saying we have regressed? Really??? Edit: Ooops! You were being sarcastic, weren't you?

I know he's not going anywhere. But, as I said, I would't miss him. I feel like he loses his man too often. Maybe I have painted him unfairly for mistakes from last season, but I'm not so sure. He looks like he gets out-smarted in man coverage. I'd be happy to be wrong. Wasn't Thigpen a special teams powerhouse at the end of last season? I know he isn't as established as Easley. But, he sure has been visible this preseason. Kinda looks like they're neck and neck.

What's Spikes' status with the league? He must be facing suspension the second he is signed, right?

Hard to see Thigpen not making the team at this point. Easley on the bubble? I wouldn't be surprised if we carry 7 WRs, and Easley may not be one of them, contract extension be damned. I think it may be time to lose Gay. I know he looked pretty good against Carolina (horribly shanked FG attempt notwithstanding), but, as has been said every year, he is a luxury. I think Brooks is gone, and I wouldn't miss Duke Williams one bit. I think we have a lot of versatility in the defensive backfield, with Graham, Robey, and probably Rambo, and Leodis able to shift position. Add to this Rex's multi-look D, so maybe we don't need to be so deep in the backfield? I'm still clutching onto my prediction that we carry two fullbacks- Felton/Connor. It's in the cards. Does anyone know if Connor is playing vs. Browns?

Now that I've finally seen the game, there are a few things that struck me: --Could (should) Urbik pass Wood as starting center? He looked awfully good in that roll, and Wood has been having problems. --Dez Lewis is gone. --It would be easy to forgive EJ's first two snaps, which were off target by Kupper. But, they weren't that off target. EJ should have pulled them in. That being said, the competition isn't over. EJ looked pretty good in every other respect. I will say that his timing is off. Gray's drop, which the announcers put entirely on Gray, was late. Gray was in full stride, and the ball hit him just on his shoulder. It needed to be out in front of him just a little bit. --Kujo looked great to me. Anyone else feel that way? --I think this is becoming TT's job to lose. And, before this game, I thought Cassel was close to a lock to be on the team-- veteran presence, and all. I think it's not outrageous to think that he could be cut. I think EJ is better than many think. -- I'm starting to think that Duke Williams is a bum. -- I think Thigpen makes the team. -- As good as Goodwin looked on his two big plays, I think he may be a casualty. His early drop (from Cassel, I think?) seemed too typical of him. -- Even our second string D looks good. -- They had Gragg out there almost the whole game. But, I don't like his blocking. He was pushing the pile the wrong way on Williams' leaping touchdown.

I agree that Taylor has shown the most consistency, and improvement (although, I have only camp reports, etc,on which to base my opinion). But, the problem is (and the reason that Cassel has value on this roster), is that TT has never started a regular season game, and has only performed in the regular season during "garbage time." (I hate that phrase) Even if he shows well in preseason games, it will be hard to fully commit to him, without a veteran backup who can be relied upon as a known commodity. Be that as it may, I have to wonder: If the QB competition isn't going to be resolved until the start of the regular season (which, given Ryan's recent comments, is a very real possibility, if not likelihood), would we be better served by turning this from a three-way competition, into a two-way competition? Maybe it's become less about who pulls away, and more about who drops behind?

Maybe the Ws or Ls are more meaningless. But, to me, these games have only increased in relevance-- especially this season for this team. I'm really looking forward to seeing how some of our bubble players and rookies perform. I've been reading about how great Darby is, for example, but haven't seen any more than a vine. Can't wait to see him in action trying to prove something. Same goes for Karlos, Gray, Miller, Harvin, Kujo, Butler, et al. Oh yeah... I'm also looking forward to seeing how Cassel, and our other QBs do. Expectations are so low for Cassel, that it's getting annoying. Reading the arguments about our quarterbacks is like listening to an argument about which ice-cream flavor is better: Breyer's vanilla, Dreyers vanilla, or Perry's vanilla.

I completely disagree with this. The one thing you can say about Cassel is that he is a known commodity in a regular season game. Mediocre, sure. But, if we only carry two QBs, EJ/Taylor (or Taylor/EJ... whichever) could end up looking a lot like 2013. And, if we carry three, which seems likely to me, given our situation, it better not be EJ/Taylor/Simms. That would look even more like 2013! I believe that when the decision is made whether or not to keep Cassel, his price tag will not even enter the conversation. But, as far as "separation" is concerned, I think, in regards to Cassel, the question is more about consistency. Has Cassel become more consistent through TC? And, I think the answer is, yes. I don't think anyone was hoping, or expecting Cassel to turn into something other than Cassel. If EJ, or Tyrod were to pull away in TC, there is still no guarantee that they would consistently perform in the regular season. The reason for Cassel to be on the QB roster would be to provide some consistency, mediocre that may be. Because, consistently mediocre may end up being our best option, sad to say.

Written without a shred of irony...

I think it's early to call anyone other than Watkins, Woods, and Harvin a lock. But, obviously, we're not going to just carry three WRs. I think Hogan and Easley top the list behind them, and I think you may be right that Easley has a slight, if irrelevant, edge on Hogan-- if for no other reason that they have already signed Easley's contract. I'm a pretty big Hogan fan, though. He's gotten better, and stronger, and more consistent every season, and offseason, and has as a high a work ethic as anyone on the roster. He's the right kind of guy to have on the team.

I don't think Rex, and the Bills are going to be thinking about anybody but the Colts leading up to week one. The Colts are a greatly improved team from last season (on paper, anyway), and the Pats* have lost some key players, and (again, on paper), taken a serious step back. But, if you look at their record last season, they started off weak, and improved over the course of the season. Week two could be the best time to play them, with or without Brady*.

Don't agree on Hogan. He's not a lock, but I think he's close. I do agree on Gray. It's interesting how little press he's gotten, however-- even from Astro. From reading the camp updates, tweets, articles, etc, it's almost like he isn't there. Personally, I've been talking him up since the end of last season. I love his versatility, size, athleticism, and especially his intelligence. And it would seem that his major reported weakness-- his blocking ability-- has improved enormously. I also love his character, and I do admit that I am a bit of a character guy, as a fan.

I have to believe that Tom Brady* is responsible, in no small margin, for the building of three other powerhouse defenses in the AFCE. More than one pundit is calling the Bills' D as second best in the AFCE, with the Jets taking a close third. I take exception to this, of course, as we probably all do (Bills fans). But, one thing is certain: Tom Brady* is going to get his ass kicked this season. Personally, I hope the Brady* ass-whooping starts week two. I hope he gets a ONE game suspension, and that his name, along with the Patriots*, and Bellichick*, carries with it an asterisk that lasts right up until his first rejection into Canton. It is Tom Brady* who has much to fear.

Ahhh, but you're forgetting that the phrase, "... a fly on the wall," first appeared in 1921 in the Oakland Tribune. And, while it is reasonable that a fly, over several generations, could make its way, with prevailing winds, from Oakland CA to Upstate NY, the original trip from the SE to the West Coast would be brutal! Is this thing on?...

Pshaw! The fly you are referencing is the Ormia Ochracea, or "Parasitoid Fly," which is endemic to Florida, and the Southeast. But, as everyone knows, any fly on the wall of an Upstate New York sports facility will almost certainly be a Musca Domestica, member of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. Otherwise known as the common housefly. And those little bastards can only sense vibration. That might have been fine for the primitive grunting of Doug Marrone, et al, but certainly not the articulate verbiage of Dennis Thurman. BOOM!!!

It's my understanding that Gray has excelled in blocking in TC, which was his weak area going in.

Flies are disgusting. They puke up enzymes on their food, and digest it outside of their bodies. And, often their prime choice on the menu is feces. Plus-- and this is very important-- flies have no ears!!!

I think I disagree on Goodwin. He's had too many drops in TC to forgive his poor production last season. I would have disagreed on Gragg, were it not for his TC performance. I believe that we are going to carry two fullbacks-- Felton, and Connor. Weird, I know, but it wouldn't be the first time Rex has had two fullbacks on the roster, and he LOVES Connor. Another thing that wouldn't surprise me: If they can find a trade partner for EJ, and Simms is still PS eligible (I think he is?), I could see us with two QBs-- Cassel/Taylor-- with Simms on PS (Break Glass In Case Of Emergency). Brooks, imo. I think a lot of people believe Butler has a lot of potential/high ceiling. I agree completely on Cassel. I believe he is as close to a lock on the position as we have.

Unless, by some chance, EJ still has some trade value, and one of the teams with truly dreadful backups, and injury prone starters (Cowboys? Bears?), will offer us some late round draft pick. "Win now," sure. But, we should be doing whatever we can to start accumulating draft picks to use to trade up in the first next year for the best QB we can get.

The phraseology that Wells used, such as, "more likely than not," is used to indicate a preponderance of evidence, meaning that something is at least 51% likely. If the two sides really want to be done with this, Brady could admit to that preponderance of evidence, with the caveat that he falls into the 49% of likelihood. Of course, reasonable people understand that the evidence in this case is greater than 51%, but for the purposes of a settlement, that could be easily ignored. Suffice to say, Brady would be admitting to the appearance of guilt, without admitting to the guilt, itself. As far as a perjury case would be concerned, perjury, as a crime, does not rely on a preponderance of evidence. Criminal cases carry a much higher standard of proof in which guilt must be proven "beyond a reasonable doubt." Admitting that circumstances could amount to a preponderance of evidence without admitting guilt does nothing to add to that standard of proof required for a criminal case.

I could see this as giving an opening for Brady to save face, if he's smart. (Big "IF" if the way he has handled this issue thus far is any indication...) The wording in Wells' findings gives him this opportunity, i.e., "I'm not admitting guilt, but I could see how someone might see it as, "more likely than not" that I knew what was happening, but I didn't, so I'll accept the basic premise of the Wells Report in its terms of "more likely than not," so in that regard, I accept the findings of the Wells Report." Or, something to that effect. If Goodell is interested in ending this thing, and moving on (how could he not be?), I could see this sort of compromise, with some sort of reduced punishment-- two games, perhaps? Even just a fine. I wouldn't be surprised.

There's definitely a lot of unanswered questions here, and I don't think the order of some of the number twos, and lower should be taken at face value, but... -- I'm glad to see Marqueis Gray as the number two TE. -- I'm glad to see Corey Graham listed as a starting safety. I was pretty surprised when they moved him from CB (before we drafted Darby, IIRC), and was disappointed when it was suggested that he wouldn't be the starter at safety. I thought he did a great job at CB last season, although I understand that his role as such would be different than it was under Schwarz. -- Chris Hogan a lock? -- I would like to go on record as predicting that we will carry two FBs. -- Interesting to see Percy Harvin/Robert Woods sharing a space as starter. Fragile egos? -- Who thinks Darby will overtake McKelvin? -- Who thinks Karlos will overtake Bryce, and Boobie? (And, maybe even Fred?) -- How far could Butler move up the depth chart?