dezertbill

I for one love the Bills Blue uni's. But I have noticed that they have gone all white in two of three contests thus far in preseason. Considering their greatest victory last year was vs GB with blue on blue, I feel Ryan is holding out until the regular season. I anticipate them coming out vs. Indy in blue/blue combo to Indy's white/white, and expect a similar color theme (at the least blue jersey) for all home games. Wouldn't be surprised for them to go blue pants for all away games. The white/white look has been there/done that, and they need a fresh approach. I say the Bills come out blue/blue vs. Colts, and romp handily. With all the star players back for week one, I expect to see an electric offensive performance vs Luck and company in stylish fashion.

The report is trade talks have already been had, and no team bit, including the Bills. $16.1 million gtd is alot for a QB who can't stay healthy and doesn't have the mindset of an unselfish player. Six months ago I would have been giddy with a fourth round pick to acquire RG. Now with the emergence of TT and EJ I think we would be moving backwards.

Looking back, I wished the Steeler defender had held onto the pick six that Cassel telegraphed right to him. No way after EJ and TT's performance that Ryan would go with Cassel after that happened.

Here are my thoughts. Earlier this week there was a divide between Taylor & Manuel. It was reported in the press that the team was divided as to who they felt should be the starter, and i feel Ryan & Company's choice was Taylor, and Whaley & Monos wanted Manuel. I also believe that part of the discussion was that Manuel really hadn't gotten a fair shot with ones, and had earned at least that much prior to a final decision. I believe that is where Ryan did a 180 & made the decision to start Manuel, so that if he didn't live up to expectations he could tell Whaley & Monos "i told you so" and go with Taylor. That, however, didn't happen. Manuel exceeded what Ryan thought he would do. I know Whaley & Monos had a grin from ear to ear after Saturday's game. So Manuel was given an opportunity and he took advantage of it. I truly believe this is a two man race, Taylor vs Manuel. I feel that an attempt will be made to trade Cassel for a late round pick to a team that needs a veteran QB. Hence the reason why Ryan is claiming that three QB's will make the team. He doesn't want to make teams believe that Cassel will be released. But in the end if a trade isn't made, I don't see the Bills taking a $4 million cap hit for a 3rd string QB. Your better off keeping Simms on PS and go that route. So this will lead to a very interesting discussion Sunday between Ryan, his coaches, Whaley, Monos, and Pegula. It's down to Taylor vs. Manuel. The Bills vested a 1st round pick in Manuel, and even Ryan has fessed up that he was mistreated by the previous regime and his growth was stunted. It seems 3 preseason games away from Marone and Hackett, and Manuel looks to be a changed QB. That is why I truly feel that Manuel will be given the nod. Although I won't be surprised if they make it Taylor, I think Manuel has earned an opportunity to show what he can do with an OC that knows what the hell he is doing. I believe Manuel will be on a short leash though, and if he looks like the same ol' EJ after the first 3 games they'll insert Taylor. But opening day I see Manuel. This doesn't mean I see this as a slam dunk. I really like Taylor, and feel he has more to offer than Manuel. Honestly it's a toss up in my mind, and I'll defer to the coaches on this. I won't be disappointed by seeing either Manuel or Taylor under center. All I know is that if it's Cassel, there will be an uprising outside of One Bills Drive. And I might fly in to participate.

I know everyone wants to know who will be the Qb yesterday. But honestly until the bullets fly and we play multiple pre season games we just won't know

Wish the best for the guy. Hope he isn't one of those "if he only stayed healthy" talents.

Guy ran a 4.37 40 yard dash for 5'10 and 220, not bad. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=109897&draftyear=2015&genpos=RB

Touche

I thought this was a well written piece. Numbers don't lie, but more importantly I agree with writer that playcalling put EJ at a disadvantage while on the field. They weren't playing to his strengths, and his confidence went down the tubes which most likely lead to his failures on the field. While I doubt Ryan will be the leader of passing on first down, I don't think there will be such a stigma attached to it as there was last year. Plus, I truly believe that Manuel will be a more mobile QB, which I believe is also one of the weapons that Marrone stripped of EJ...his ability to decide to take off with the ball; instead forcing him to stay in the pocket. I still believe that Manuel can be a solid starting QB in this league. The only difference is this year he has two mountains to climb. One is trying to still learn how to be a starting QB in the NFL (with only 15 starts). The second is trying to unlearn all of the dumb rules that Marrone drilled in his head for two years. I think his success this year will depend way more on his mental side than physical.

That was your experience, I had mine. It's not like I came at him in the middle of dinner or while he was using the restroom. It was at a social function where he was there to smooze with fans. Sounds like you meet him a long time ago. Good for you. Wish he would have been the same to me, but he was the exact opposite.

prayers!

Andre Reed. Met him at a charity event this past spring which I attended purposely so I could meet him. Tried speaking to him a few times. He came off completely arrogant like he couldn't be bothered. Was more into hitting on the women around him. Actually introduced myself as a huge Bills fan from WNY and complimented him on HOF and told him how excited I was for him to finally make it in and if anyone deserved it he did. He responded by completely shrugged me off and started talking to a buddy next to him. Needless to say I ignored him the rest of the night, even though he was mingling with people in my group. I had a way better conversation with Steven Jackson and Jonathan Ogden, who both were super cool and down to earth. Extremely disappointing. But such is life.

Can't wait until pre-season to see who wins this thing. June certainly isn't going to solve anything.

I'm sure it had to do with the convo that Bills Brass had with Mathis agent during inquiring phase? Money or role he wanted probably turned them off.

I would agree with the spirit of your post. Has the emergency of Miller and Kouandjio along with the solid play of Incognito changed the Bills offense line outlook a bit since FA began? Sure it has. I think it was a best case scenario that the Bills would find a OG in the draft who had the smarts and could possibly come in day one and start, along with Kouandjio finally having the light bulb go on (or rather having a coaching staff have confidence in him, depending on how you look at it) and have Incognito become the player that they had hoped he could be when they signed him off the scrap heap. All have come to fruition thus far. But again, similar to the QB battle, this is all against air. Miller, Kouandjio, and Incognito haven't blocked anyone yet. When the real bullets fly is when we are going to see what these player are made of. Unfortunately for Buffalo, their last chance to seriously upgrade their OL may be off the market by then. My thoughts are if the Bills had the cap space to sign Harvin (who I agree is a great talent but yet has to be seen as a luxury addition) then they have to find the cap space to bring in a player like Mathis. As late as April, Ryan was speaking of his concern for the OL. He's been in coaching long enough to know as Bill Parcells once said "Potential can get a coach fired'. You need someone proven on the OL that you know can deliver this year, and not have growing pains. I believe Mathis was a gift that was dropped out of the sky at a time when Santa has his sleigh parked for the summer. The Bills had (and still have) a glaring need at guard, and for a team that needs to win now and make the playoffs, there can be nothing perceived as negative by adding him to our roster. Will it take away from Miller's reps and learning the system? Possibly. But if in the end Mathis outplays Miller regardless of how many reps Miller gets that's the whole point of why we added him. Granted, Buffalo is trying to get Dareus signed, but they can franchise him worse case scenario. You have a lineman (Williams) that's on the books for about $2.5 mil that is sitting at home not participating (injury or no injury) and a huge cap number with Mario that can be turned into signing bonus to save some $$ there. Add that to the $7 plus mill we have to play with and room can be made. The Bills need to solidify their OL with dependable players who can be counted on at a position where we are putting all of our eggs in one basket & will be the catalyst of our offense game plan (the running game). I don't look at Mathis as a luxury. I look at a Pro Bowl offensive guard on a front 5 that is young and inexperienced as a necessity.

I would agree with JW. Anyone coming out in June and saying that a QB is in the lead is just trying to grab a headline. Granted, one could see through OTA's if someone is stronger, in more shape, or more accurate per say than previous camps, but that is against air and shouldn't be considered anything that would put someone ahead in the QB race. When the bullets start flying for real is when the competition begins. I am a big EJ fan, and like the rest of us I would prefer EJ to win the job over a retread like Cassel. I would even prefer Taylor to win it over Cassel, who in my mind is another Orton. But we are months away from seeing headway in that battle, regardless what some writer from a publication that I have barely heard of wrote about "Manule".

Dolphins were looking to trade for him before he was cut. I would think they would be in the lead to sign him as a FA especially having more cap space than Bills at the moment. One would think they'd be more "all in"

Go to this page and choose the drop down box "Cut post June 1st" and tell me what it our cap savings is and what our dead money will be http://overthecap.com/player/chris-williams/2179/ What I'm saying is correct Your going off of Pre June 1st release

Honestly I would be surprised if a team ponied up and paid him a big contract right out of the gate. Most teams are set in their roster and salary cap space, and barring injuries big contracts aren't usually awarded to high priced FA in June. I think it might be a situation where he signs for a more reasonable price in order to pay. More GTD money and longer deal than what he had in Philly. I think Buffalo could be in that mix, and with their plans this season they should be.

Cutting chris williams gives them $9+ mil of total cap space Chris Williams cap hit after June 1st is $1.375. He is currently costing us $3.35, so cutting him will save us roughly $2 million. Your site overthecap says it saves us $2.475 million, but Spotrac.com says $1.98 mil

I don't think drafting of Miller and emergence of Kouandjio changes the need for help on OL. They knew they had the draft and Kouandjio when the went after Iupati and failed. I would cut Williams and his $3 mil cap hit and sign Matthis to a 3 year deal. The Bills wanted him earlier in the spring. As Greg Roman says bring more more more talented players in. Mathis would give the line a significant boost and take the pressure off of some young guys. I think its important to get it done.

Let me re-phrase my comments. Rex made it clear that he hadn't spoken with him. When Williams name came up with Kromer he simply said "Chris Williams isn't here" and moved on to another player. Whatever communication, if any, is obviously not satisfactory in Rex's or Aaron's mind. My point was it's obvious that the coaching staff is disappointed in Chris Williams not being present or being involved in learning the new system. Whether it's from afar or in the building, none of the coaches have stuck up for Chris and said anything like "Weve been in contact and Chris is doing everything he can to be out there healthy." Had that message been sent out, I would have a different point of view.

Regardless of whether he is still recovering from his back surgery, I find it hard for anyone who is trying to positively impress a new coaching staff to not even be in contact or show up. There is a lot of classroom stuff that Kromer and Roman have emphasized that Williams could benefit from being in the building. To not even be in contact with the coaches to me is not a smart move. Personally, I think Williams sees a cut in salary coming with Miller in the fold now and Kouandjio coming along nicely. Urbik had his salary cut and he was destined to be a backup. Williams was expected to be a starter and was being paid more. It wouldn't surprise me if Whaley told his agent before he steps onto the field he wants to lower his cap number, which Williams is balking at. Bottom line, this all comes across as Williams either hiding a more serious injury or he sees the writing on the wall. He has been a nightmare since he signed, and eyes have rolled ever since the Bills paid him an obscene amount of money for a rather mediocre career that has seen him more on the injury list than anything else. A season later, and nothing has changed. It will soon come to a head, and I think he'll more than likely take an injury settlement and sit the year out to get "healthy" so he can continue to be mediocre.

Playoff win

welcome! Go Bills!