klos63

i guess that explains why they are so obnoxious.

I wouldn't consider him a steal just yet. We all heard that he had first round talent , so the fact the he is playing well shouldn't be a surprise. The surprise right now is that he hasn't failed a drug test yet. The reason he lasted until the 7th round had nothing to do with talent, it's that every team in the league expected him to self destruct at some point. I think it would be a couple years of good play and no drugs before we consider him a steal.

Right, and even if he was good enough to start, what's the point in trading him. We are finally building a roster with much needed depth, and some want to trade it away, especially a find in the 7th round. Crazy. We should want to keep our good players.

I think the simple answer is you want as much talent on the team as you can get. You will always hear about how important depth is, now we have a team that has that critical aspect to the team. Wait until late in the season and look at how we use the players. Injuries happen, matchups make for different lineups.... lots of things change over the course of a season. As for the philosophy, I think it's still run first, pass second. We have a offensive line that still isn't settled yet and Manuel is still in the learning stage. We will run the ball more than last year, but if the line improves and EJ does as well, we become a very difficult offense to face because of the WR talent we have. This isn't anything to worry about, it's a very good thing.

I liked Pettine, but let's not make him out to be something he's not. His defense ranked near the bottom in many key statistical catagories. He fell in love with the sack, but we never did anything to improve on the run defense. He had an MLB play out of position and we suffered for it. I think Pettine was hoping the big sack numbers would help him land a HC job - which it did , but I think Schwartz as DC will focus on the run defense as well as attacking the QB - I think our defense will be much better this year.

Why would he sign now for less than he could make later?Never understood why fans would think a player on the verge of a monster contract would sign for less for no good reason.

I think a point that many people miss is that even the best owners make mistakes , or even if they aren't making big mistakes, you don't always win. I think the Sabres are on the right track now, but even that is no guarantee of a cup. I think the Bills are way ahead of the Sabres in terms of playoff quality, but still no guarantee of anything. Sometimes, you need some luck on your side.

I guess I just don't see the point of keeping 7. When will we possibly need a 7th WR?

Whoever it is, let's hope we never need to be using our 6th WR in a game.

they are paying him for future performance , based on past performance. Long term contracts are a poor business model but that's how the game is played. No way out of that one. You want the top players you need to shell out the cash. MIght as well give it to a player with a proven record of success. whatever his size is, it hasn't caused him any problems, he is a terrific tackler and yes, a ball hawk. Makes him very worthy of pro bowls and large contracts. We will miss him this year.

I think we would be a much better team with Byrd than without him. I'm sure the Saints were aware of his back situation and were comfortable with it. It sounds like he will be ready to practice soon. He is a top player in this league, people may not like him because he held out but make no mistake, he's a superstar.

Do you think that was a weakness of Kiko as a rookie also?

please don't , who will I have to argue with?

I'm sure they can address the punter situation along with any other roster issues. We have quality starters from last year, we brought in more this year via draft and free agency. I believe they are attempting to address their weaknesses very aggressively this year.

No, but that doesn't diminish the importance of a good punter or the negative effects of a bad one.

Just curious, who are the better options out there(and why are they better). Why do you think the Bills have this punter from Harvard in camp?

I think he had a good year, with some great moments, but some very bad moments too. I like him, don't get me wrong, but I think many fans realized he couldn't help the team long term in the middle. I'm expecting good things from him, but would have to say from many fans perspective, still overrated. Still good though.When fans ignore the negatives and only focus on the positives - that equals over rating someone. That's my perspective on this.

you've made my point.

Kiko- most fans have him in the hall of fame already. Not big/strong enough to play in the middle. Let's see what he does outside.

Not strange at all. Fred is old and FA after this year, CJ is FA after this year. It is a wise move to bring in others. Brown has potential starters ability.Staff has made a commitment to EJ, and even if they wanted competition, there isn't much out there. We have a starter and competent backups at QB, that's acceptable. Not many QB's unsigned with #1 long term QB potential.

The line is certainly intriguing, I'm just concerned about 3 possible new starters - especially if the RG and RT are rookies. Still expecting improvement , but wondering how long it will take.

Does anyone know what a 'retrofit' would entail? Can't judge how long it would take if we don't know what needs to be done. Does it need a total makeover??? I have no idea what a retrofit would change - more suites , different location for the suites.....

I'm not a big Esmonde fan, however this article makes a lot of sense.

How a player like Hughes is used is usually dictated by the situation - passing situations , it's a lot easier to get him involved - running situations, you might see someone else in there. I think the 4-3 v 3-4 discussion gets overdone a bit. Players line up all over and the coaches react to that particular game, situation , down...., and many players are capable of handling multiple responsibilities. I don't think we should worry about Hughes too much. Defense should be solid barring injuries. Schwartz is a good coach, he'll know best how to play this.

Because as most people here have noted, yet don't feel it's an issue. His play declined considerably last season, our run defense up the middle suffered greatly and management felt we needed to make a change at inside LB. I'm not against Kiko, but I think the hype has covered up much of the performance issues we saw last year. It's become sort of a sin to do anything but praise him. The facts are, most of his impressive stats with sacks and take aways happened in the first few games of the season, in the second half he wasn't very effective. I'm sorry that I will upset a lot of people but I think that's the case. If he doesn't improve on his second half performance from last year, it will be a problem. I like Kiko, I expect him to improve and play well, I'm just admitting to what everyone saw but are afraid to say. Nobody blocks outside linebackers? He just gets to run free all day - nice.