Typical TBD Guy

The more I think about Cincy, the more I suspect that they're a tad bit overrated. Look at the 4 teams they beat this year: Browns, Vikings, Bears, Texans Though they should still make the playoffs because the rest of their schedule is easy enough for a team with a 4-0 start to slip in...

Sure do. And while JP could be as good as Eli Manning or as bad as Ryan Leaf or something in between, Drew is Drew and will always be Drew. Cowboys finish 8-8 and just miss the playoffs.

You missed the point. JP is still an unknown; Drew is repeating history.

You say 4-4 at the bye and 10-6 overall, eh? Something like this? Miami - W Jets - W @ Oak - W @ NE - L KC – W @ SD - L Carolina - W @ Miami - W NE - W Denver - W @ Cin - L @ Jets - W If the 12th man becomes a factor in those last 4 home games, you never know!

Game 1 vs. SD: Bledsoe plays in Cowboy debut like he did in his first 8 games as a Bill. End result: W. Game 2 vs. Skins: Bledsoe faces a DC who knows his weaknesses well, and has a rather ho-hum performance. End result: L Game 3 vs. 49ers: Bledsoe beats up on the 49ers like he beat them up as a Bill last year. End result: W Game 4 vs. Raiders: Bledsoe plays in Oakland a lot like he did there last year as a Bill. End result: L Yawn. Next...

As soon as Crybaby Mike waddles back into the lineup, LT: Peters LG: Gandy C: Preston RG: Villarial RT: Williams backups: Teague, Anderson, Jerman, Geisinger This would not only eliminate the three biggest culprits (to me, at least) currently starting, but would be excellent preparation for next year to at least see what we've got in Preston and Peters. Also, Villarial may very well be overrated, but don't forget that he's sandwiched between incompetence right now - Teague to his left and Jerman to his right. So part of his problem may be because he's unsuccessfully trying to pick up the blocking slack from his teammates.

Correct you are, JC! Look at the next 2 weeks: Week 5: Bills vs. Dolphins in Buffalo Pats vs. Falcons in Atlanta Jets vs. Bucs in NJ Week 6: Bills vs. Jets in Buffalo Dolphins vs. Bucs in TB Pats vs. Broncos in Denver If we can win our next 2, it wouldn't be any stretch to say the division ends up like this: 1. Bills: 3-3 (we get the tiebreaker because of a 2-0 div. record/3-0 AFC record) 2. Pats: 3-3 3. Dolphins: 2-3 4. Jets: 1-5 Let's go, Bills! Wake the !@#$ up and take care of biz-nass!

In most divisional games involving 2 teams with relatively similar talent, the pressure is normally on the home team. Especially since a Fins loss may still keep them in first at 2-2, while a Bills loss will put us at 1-4 and pretty much end the season (when you realistically look at our difficult remaining schedule). So...no, the pressure isn't on Team Puhonix; it's on our Bumbling Bills.

That only applies for competent coaches like Marv. In Mularkey's case, the fans are right; we need to be a lot more committed to the run than we are currently.

FYI, for those reading these numbers, I don't think they include guaranteed money i.e. signing bonuses. So Eric's cap numbers are MUCH higher for his final 2 years under contract.

Anybody order a pizza?

Bizarro world?

I think you forgot Ralph Wilson. Plus the security guys, vendors, grounds crew, etc...

All of the recievers on the Patriots Super Bowl teams were short too. There are a few others around the league. It's not THAT uncommon, though I will admit most #1 guys are over 6 feet tall.

Body type? Evans is the same height as Marvin Harrison and only slightly heavier.

Bump, end of Week 4 for the AFC, with tie breakers now in effect: DL1. Colts: 4-0 DL2. Bengals: 4-0 DL3. Broncos: 3-1 DL4. Dolphins: 2-1 WC1: Steelers: 2-1 WC2: Chargers: 2-2 7. Chiefs: 2-2 8. Jaguars: 2-2 9. Patriots: 2-2 10. Ravens: 1-2 11. Browns: 1-2 12. Jets: 1-3 13. Bills: 1-3 14. Titans: 1-3 15. Raiders: 1-3 16. Texans: 0-3 Playoff Race Analysis: Of the current top 6, I expect the Broncos and Dolphins to fall, with the Chiefs and Patriots taking their place. Bills need to sweep their next 3 games (vs. Fins, vs. Jets, and @ Raiders) before anyone - including me - can take them seriously again as a playoff contender. Who to root for in Week 5: Bills (H) over Fins Lions (H) over Ravens Bears over Browns (H) Falcons (H) over Pats Bucs over Jets (H) Texans (H) over Titans 49ers (H) over Colts Foreskins over Broncos (H) Bengals over Jags (H) Steelers over Chargers (H)

Will we have to start posting here in Spanish if they become los Toros de la Ciudad de Mexico?

I like the way you think. Please send your resume to One Bills Drive.

If you only count the LB's and DB's, then yes this is a good to very good D. But a defense is only as good as its weakest link, and unfortunately the Bills' D is weakest at the worst possible place - the line. The good news, IMO, is that we are only 2 players away from being absolutely dominant - a consistent starter at DT and a pass-rushing specialist either at DE or at the Sammy LB spot. Oh yeah, and a healthy Spikes. And a DC who is willing to adjust the gameplan.

I don't think not having money is the issue with Ralph as much as it's not wanting to spend the money - and spend it in the right places. Up until the Super Bowl run, Ralph was a major cheapskate. Now, he's much less reluctant to spend the $$$ on players. The evidence is in the team's payrolls each year since the salary cap began, where we are routinely up to the allowed spending limit. The coaching staff on the other hand.... Yeah, it's all something to think about before we get upset each year when the NFL chooses not to put Ralph in the HOF. Ralphie's been good to the league's development and good to the city of Buffalo, but I can think of about 20 NFL franchises that have had a more successful overall history than the Bills

I agree with your assessment and like your suggestions, but there's one key problem: who's going to be drafting and signing these OL players next year?! Surely I hope you're not suggesting TD... Looking at his draft record to date: 2001: JJ, 3rd round 2001: Marques Sullivan, 5th round 2002: MW, 1st round 2002: Mike Pukecillo, 7th round, 2003: Ben Sobieski, 5th round 2004: Dylan McFarland, 7th round 2005: Duke Preston, 4th round 2005: Justin Geisinger, 6th round 8 of his 42 draft picks in 5 years went to the OL. Only 2 of these were Day 1 picks, and only 1 went within the first 2 rounds. Furthermore, no Day 1 pick has been made on the OL for 3 straight years. Only 3 of TD's OL picks remain on the current roster: 1 underachieving starter (MW) and 2 rookie backups (Preston and Geisinger). McFarland can't put on enough weight to make the roster (he's on our PS), Sobieski has found a permanent niche on our IR team, Pukey plays (poorly) for the Browns, JJ misses games with the 49ers over paper cuts, and Sullivan was promoted to Chief Custodian at your neighborhood Arby's. This draft record wouldn't be so miserable if TD was some sort of free agent whiz. But he's not. Looking at his free agent pickups currently on the team (and I can't think of any great ones in his first 4 years, though Marcus Price was a good backup): Trey Teague (2002) Chris Villarial (2004) Jasen Esposito (2004) - PS Lawrence Smith (2004) - IR Jason Peters (2004) Bennie Anderson (2005) Mike Gandy (2005) Greg Jerman (2005) Only 1 is a legitimate starter (Villarial, though at least for this year he's overpaid for the production), and only 1 other (Peters) has any real potential to become a consistent NFL starter. The others are either no better than backups in this league (Gandy and Teague) or shouldn't even be in this league in the first place (German and the two Ravens castoffs - Anderson and Lawrence Smith). Honestly now, can anyone say with a straight face that this OL is improved over the OL that TD inherited 5 offseasons ago? I can't. Fina, Brown, Ostroski, and the likes never looked so good But anyway, whoever the GM this offseason may be - TD, Modrak, Lori, Bill from NYC, etc... - my suggestion for a Bills line in 2006 looks something like this: LT: 1st rounder LG: Hutchinson C: 2nd rounder RG: CV or 3rd rounder if he doesn't step up his play this year RT: MW or free agent if he doesn't take a pay cut backups: Gandy, Geisinger, Peters, Preston I like the potential of Peters and Preston, but I still need to see more from them this year.

Most of the OL and DL are, as a whole, lacking some serious talent. So yes, I do believe that the Bills won't play much better along the line than they are doing right now. And a lack of talent is the GM's fault, not the coaches or players. Sorry for being just plain ignorant.

Sorry, but I don't. This defense will continue to choke against playoff-caliber competition until we get a consistent and respectable pass rush from the front four. We can't keep relying on complex blitz packages for the pass rush.

OK, so we need 2 DL and 3-4 OL depending on the MW cap situation next year. Agreed. But that's 5-6 new players right there! That's a lot to resolve in 1 offseason. Not to mention the QB and coaching situations which, to me, are anything but secure at this point in time.

Too bad it's not along the trenches.