Gray Beard

Didn't he hurt a shoulder a few weeks ago? I've always thought he was pretty good in spite of that infamous third down drop a few games ago that angered all the armchair hardasses on this forum because Fitz tried to console him rather than chew him out.

Martin our and Aiken in. That's interesting. Martin is a special teams guy, and he caught a couple passes in the last game. I know Martin has also dropped a few catchable balls, but I'm still kind of surprised.

My link In the spirit of this thread that was on the board a few days ago, Tebow for 200+ and McGahee for 100+ is certainly a possibility.

Can he throw on the run? Fitz's accuracy goes from bad to worse when he has to throw on the run. With the shaky pass protection of the current O-line, the Bills QB will have to be able to throw on the run, either because he is running for his life, or it's designed roll-out play. The O-line will get better over time (I hope) but for the next year or so, throwing on the run will become more of a standard operating procedure. If Kellen Moore can throw accurately on the run, then he could do well. It also helps that height isn't as much of as issue for a roll-out passer (e.g., Doug Flutie).

What I think: 1) The 2011 draft was pretty good, and addressed major needs, so let's hope it is a sign of good things to come. 2) The Bills have made too many bone-headed moves in the draft to completely dismiss the idea that they could do this. 3) While I think it would be a mistake to draft him in the first round, I would like the idea of Richardson as a "runner" on the Bills. 4) If they do this, I will curse a little and hope for better choices in other rounds. 5) I'll still be a fan

I think you could take any defender on the Bills, put him on a team with a good defense and creative coaches, and he would suddenly appear to be better than anyone would have expected based on his performance on the current Bills defense.

You make some excellent points, but you haven't addressed the play calling. Many posts on this board have expressed disappointment that the run game has been abandoned. The O-line shuffle seems to have resulted in shaky pass protection, but the run blocking is still pretty good. Spiller and Choice with McIntyre blocking seems to work pretty well, but for some reason as soon as the other team gets ahead by even a little bit, the play calling becomes almost exclusively pass oriented. A run oriented game would allow the defense to stay off the field longer, which prevents the other team's offense from getting on the field (since the other team's offense scores almost every time, this is a huge priority). The short pass game has been exposed, but the play calling doesn't change. Lack of adjustment to make use of the changing abilities of the guys on the field may not be the reason that the team has imploded, but it is a part of the problem.

I had the same reaction to the article and asked the same questions. I also came to the same conclusion that everybody has to put on a good face for the last two games, but after that anything goes.

Does Levitre count as having a mean streak? I always got the impression he was old school. Other than that, I agree that the team seems awfully polite to the opposition.

And they rarely show up for games.

All but the most fanatic Fitz supporters have to acknowledge that he is good and we like him for his guts and brains, but he is not the QB of the future. I think most posters on this forum have come to agreement on that issue. And agreement is a good thing, right?

I saw a review of the final drive on SportCenter. The ESPN guys reviewing the plays (I forget who they were) were really angry about the terrible ref calls. It made some of the terrible calls that Bills fans have whined about look like no big deal in comparison. The refs definitely won that game for the Colts. They didn't even try to disguise it.

If the Bills draft well this year and avoid some injuries next season, then they will win 8 or 9 games. If they do that, then they don't draft in the top ten in 2013. How do you get a top QB prospect if you don't draft in the top ten (or five)? You would have to gamble on a project at that point. And teams don't seem to trade up in the draft nearly as much as they used to.

I think a young QB that can run to stay alive and improvise could work until the line gets better. It would also help if he was big and hard to bring down. Cam Newton is an example of a big guy with mobility. RG3 isn't as big but he is very mobile. People like to dream about Peyton Manning coming to Buffalo if the Colts cut him. That would never happen for many reasons, but even if it did a pocket passer would definitely get killed with the way the O-line is at this point. Tom Brady also couldn't survive on the Bills for the same reasons. Get a young, mobile QB, and let him run for his life for a year or two. Meanwhile, work on improving the blocking so that when he gets a little older and/or more banged up, he doesn't have to run for his life as much. I think that's more or less what happened in Green Bay with Rogers.

Here's a news flash: if you think you are going to be picked in the top 10 (or maybe top 5) teams, you are going to end up on a team that has a reputation for being dysfunctional, and that is not just limited to the Bills. Is he really staying in school because a mock draft has him picked by a team like the Browns, Jaguars, Bills, etc? That would be silly. What makes him think the landscape will be any better next year?

As somebody who has lived in the Utica area for more than 30 years, I feel obligated to point out that there are probably several people who think Utica is a perfectly nice place. I also agree with your point that if the team packs up and leaves, it's unlikely that they will go somewhere less desirable from the point of view of a typical 20 something year old football player with high levels of testosterone. The only problem might be that if they go someplace with more women to choose from, they may become attracted to one in particular and end up with lower levels of testosterone and thus become a less effective football player. (reference "The Hidden Reason For The Lost Decade" by ICanSleepWhenI'mDead.)

Jets and Giants. Living in upstate NY, most people are Jets and Giants fans and LOVE to laugh at me when their teams win and the Bills lose. They laugh too often.

From this week's TMQ (I know he's a pompous ass, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while). "The Bills, who haven't made the playoffs in a league-worst dozen years, look like they've learned nothing in that span and yet again require a total housecleaning. Buffalo needs an aggressive young general manager who wants to make a career reputation for himself. Instead the Bills have had a succession of aging general managers (currently 72-year-old Buddy Nix) who seem content to pick up a few extra years of big paychecks before retiring, and don't mind low-profile losing since they'll never look for another job anyway."

The thing that stuck in my mind was the Reggie Bush would run into a pile of five or six guys, and look like he was stopped with almost no gain. All of a sudden he would emerge from the other side and keep going. ??? He is not a power running back, he should be brought down in a pile, not emerge from the other side. This happened at least three times. It seemed as though the defense was in the right position to make the stop, but they couldn't wrap up. Does coaching put them in position, but lack of ability prevent them from wrapping up? I guess it seemed as though the Dolphins punted more than other teams in recent games, which makes it seem as though the defense must have played better. Maybe it is because the Dolphins really aren't that good. I agree about Scott. He is a high motor guy who plays with a lot of heart (I chose those words because many people on this board feel as though a player described that way is doomed, but in his case I think it is actually appropriate).

Does anyone know the truth about Wannstedt making the calls in the Miami game? The defense was slightly better than usual in that game, other than not being able to wrap up Bush as he ran through several tackles. I feel that some of the fundamentals are lacking, and that could be more due to poor position coaches. Nobody wraps up low, which is why Bush was able to get through what seemed like five or six guys all at the same time. The DBs don't jam the receivers at the line, and there are several other observations that have been made by people on this board throughout the season. The lack of imagination with almost no disguised blitz packages, along with 300 pound guys in pass coverage are a couple of other aspects of the defense that don't add up. Edwards has certainly been dealt a poor hand, and I don't think he is playing it very well. I don't see humiliating Edwards as a good answer. There was talk of him going back to a college job for next season. I hope he is able to find a graceful way out. Buffalo doesn't need to get a reputation for treating coaches with a lack of respect (although it may be too late for that).

What we got here is... failure to communicate. -- Cool Hand Luke You fargin sneaky bastage. I'm gonna take your dwork. I'm gonna nail it to the wall. I'm gonna crush your boils in a meat grinder. I'm gonna cut off your arms. I'm gonna shove 'em up your icehole. Dirty son-a-ma-batches. My own club! -- Johnny Dangerously Your powers are weak, old man. -- Star Wars Squeal like a pig -- Deliverance Your women. I want to buy your women. The little girl, your daughters... sell them to me. Sell me your children! -- Blues Brothers

Great post. You are putting trading Evans in the category of a good thing. Some people might give you grief about that, but I agree with you. Fitz can't use Evans as a deep threat, and Evans wasn't inclined to fight for a poorly thrown ball, so why have him on the roster. If he fixes the OLB issues and gets a QB with some upside in the next draft, that would go pretty far at righting the ship. I gave him a C, mostly because I think the 2011 draft was pretty good.

Since you were near the dolphins bench... Did the Dolphins get down on themselves after Spiller scored? I doubt it. At what point in the game did it seem like the Dolphins knew they had a victory and started acting happy? From the beginning? Was it obvious that they believed in themselves, and showed enthusiasm and team spirit? For some reason, those things seem to be missing from the Bills lately.

It has been mentioned before that Stevie doesn't know when to transition from playing offense to playing defense. He might have saved at least one of the interceptions in the Giants game if he was more heads up about that. Coaching issue? I also give him props for playing hurt. Groin, shoulder, whatever else. Sometimes he looks as old as Ralph the way he gets up after being hit. Selling tickets... I think re-signing Stevie is important because there is an excitement with him. The Bills team needs all the excitement it can get, even if it is from a good but not great showboat receiver. I wish I knew how to put "good but not great" in autotype. I use it almost every time I talk about a player on this team.

Does anyone remember the second to last (or penultimate) game last year when Brohm played because Fitz was so banged up? That game proved once and for all that Brohm was not an NFL QB. I kind of hope they do that again this year, so it can become obvious that Thigpen is not an NFL QB. I thought Levi Brown had much more potential than Thigpen, but Gailey stuck with the guy he brought in and cut the better guy (at least, that's what it looked like in preseason). In my opinion, the second string QB next year could be the most enlightening move that this team makes. Will they stick with Thigpen, or draft somebody as an heir apparent? I hope they draft one of the top three or four QBs on everyone's list, but I would be a little optimistic even if they draft one in the middle or late rounds, to see if they can find the diamond in the rough.