Typical TBD Guy

What were your thoughts on the Bucs' D?

No, I won't flame. I'd just rather play conservative offense against a great D in their own house. That's all.

Yes, the Bucs should be feared. On defense, not a whole lot has changed since 2002 when they won the Super Bowl. I wouldn't expect JP to do much against them, but the key (like always) is to be nearly perfect in the turnover category. Lots of FG's in this game will be fine; I wouldn't go for many 4th and shorts. On offense, Cadillac Williams gives the Bucs the running game that they have sorely lacked for so long. He, along with TE Alex Smith, will be a challenge - but a manageable one - for Milloy and our 3 LB's. Michael Clayton is good, but Clements can shut him down. I'd leave McGee to handle their faster WR, Joey Galloway, who can be doubled against with Vincent on deep routes. IMO, the best general defensive strategy against West Coast Offenses is to not blitz but instead contain and confuse with LB's. This should play well to our LB strengths. Even better if Schobel, Kelsay, and Edwards can beat their men one on one, which is very possible given the supposed crappiness of the Bucs' line. The difference in this game could very well come down to field position and special teams returns. I know nothing about the Bucs' ST, but ours should still be better. But in all honesty, I wouldn't be surprised to see us lose this one. Not trying to be a doom and gloomer; we should expect JP to have some rough times this season, and an NFC road game is an ideal time to get the screw-ups out of the system anyway. Then again, my football evaluation could be COMPLETELY wrong here. After all, this is coming from the same guy who once predicted Josh Reed would replace Moulds as our #1 by his 4th year

I didn't want to get sucked into this discussion, but here I go: Posts like these make me understand why the Drew Apologists get so livid. I watched all 60 minutes of the Cowboys game, and saying that Drew "did EVERYTHING TO LOSE" is so far from the truth that it's scary. Drew lit up the Chargers and may have been the single biggest reason why the Cowboys won. 225 yds passing, 3 TD's, no turnovers...that's pretty good against a team that went 12-4 last year. And this is coming from one of the most vehement TBD Drew Bashers of 2004! Stretching the truth to make a point should be discouraged and kept in check around here. Many of us have done it from time to time, but that still doesn't make it right. IMO, the relentless Drew bashing that continues 7 months after he left our team has become nauseating. It'd be OK if it was confined to one thread like this one, but I see it scattered throughout. It stinks of insecurity. Are my fellow Drew Bashers not confident of the decision TD made at QB? I am, though not in the sense that JP WILL necessarily be the savior who routinely takes us to the chosen land (playoffs), but rather that Drew WAS NOT going to be the type of QB to do so. Hey, and I'll even go so far as to say that the Cowboys under Drew WILL make the playoffs this year. The NFC is so much weaker than the AFC, and Drew - while 5-7 and mostly pathetic against the AFC last season - simply dominated the NFC opponents, all 4 of which could reasonably be considered playoff contenders this year (yes, even the Cards and 49ers). Sooner or later, though, some team will expose Drew for the very mediocre starting QB he is (in the same way that the Pats did to us in 2002, Game 9), and Drew and the Cowboys won't be the same again as they are right now. Anyway, sorry for my little rant on this very tired subject. So far it looks like a promising enough Bills season ahead of us, but even if it isn't let's try to remain obsessed with our own team's concerns and not that of the Cowboys. As another poster already mentioned, there are better places for that than here; they're called Dallas Cowboys message boards. EDIT: sorry, Exiled, I didn't read your reply to Puhonix before I posted.

Seriously. If Bills fans aren't justified in complaining about this (pay particular attention to the stats for '03 and '04 beyond the 40), then what CAN we complain about, oh wise Coach Dick?

Bumpity-bump...it's the end of Week 1 in the AFC: 1. Bills: 1-0 1. Patriots: 1-0 1. Dolphins: 1-0 1. Steelers: 1-0 1. Bengals: 1-0 1. Colts: 1-0 1. Jaguars: 1-0 1. Chiefs: 1-0 9. Jets: 0-1 9. Ravens: 0-1 9. Browns: 0-1 9. Titans: 0-1 9. Texans: 0-1 9. Chargers: 0-1 9. Broncos: 0-1 9. Raiders: 0-1 Interesting fact I heard today: 11 of the 12 teams who made the playoffs last season won their first game (only the Colts didn't).

Maybe so, though for what it's worth he did get 1 sack today. But on the issue of the Bucs, take a look at these offensive ROY predictions: Cadillac Williams Adding those almost unanimous opinions to his 148 yds today, I'm thinking not an easy W.

Agreed. We don't need people telling us it's only the first game. No stevestojan! Really?! With 9/11, Katrina, Iraq, etc... in the back of everybody's minds today, it's ok to be overly positive an hour after our team wins. We have all week to fairly critique the game. BTW, the Texans may not be the Patriots, but they're not exactly the Browns either. They have a strong defense and a pretty decent trio (Carr, Davis, Johnson). We played a respectable opponent, and we played them well.

I didn't get to see the game, but looking at the game stats: 1 sack given up McGahee rushing for 117 yds 0 turnovers 22 points Can I safely say that Gandy, Anderson, and Preston held up well against a good Texans D!? If so, I owe TD a big fat apology for severely doubting his offseason moves on the OL. I'm sorry, TD. Please don't drink my baby's blood!

Let's stop beating this dead horse, please. That was last season. This thread is about this season.

I'll be bumping this every Monday with updates. As of 9/10/05... 1. Patriots: 1-0 2. Bills: 0-0 2. Jets: 0-0 2. Dolphins: 0-0 2. Steelers: 0-0 2. Ravens: 0-0 2. Bengals: 0-0 2. Browns: 0-0 2. Colts: 0-0 2. Titans: 0-0 2. Jaguars: 0-0 2. Texans: 0-0 2. Chargers: 0-0 2. Chiefs: 0-0 2. Broncos: 0-0 16. Raiders: 0-1 Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's go BUFFALO!!!!

Next year's free agents: LS Mike Schneck QB Shane Matthews FB Joe Burns WR Josh Reed C Trey Teague G Lawrence Smith (IR list) DE Ryan Denney DT Ron Edwards DT Justin Bannan CB Nate Clements CB Terrence McGee (RFA) CB Kevin Thomas (currently on PUP list) I'm not sure about our exact salary cap standing for next year (you'll have to ask clumping platelets for the latest details), but I think it's good enough that we can sign Clements for whatever he wants. The catch, however, is that we won't have the money to do much else in free agency. So any remaining weak spots (mostly OL) on the team will have to be filled up with draft picks and veteran minimum guys.

Points well taken, BiB, but there is a huge difference between hard work and efficient hard work. Our government (from federal on down to local) engages all too often in the former and not the latter. Could a Herculean finish on the part of our government make up for a pathetically slow start? In the case of maybe up to 1000+ dead people and their families, the answer is "no." Too little too late for them. The federal government poorly managed the funding to support Louisiana's wetlands and NO's levees, and the local/state government poorly executed an evacuation plan for the hundreds of thousands of poor people and elderly people who couldn't leave NO up to 72 hours before Katrina struck. Noble federal workers like yourself appear to be victims of a giant government machine that seems hopelessly jammed from red tape. The solution is to downsize, consolidate, and streamline various areas of the federal bureaucracy so guys like you can become more efficient contributors. The hardest part, I suspect, is finding political leaders who would be willing to make that happen... certainly the Bush administration hasn't (not saying the Dems would either). Government is more bloated than ever since he took office in 2000. Not to mention that his appointed leaders seem more incompetent and less qualified for their respective positions than in governments past (examples of this abound with all sorts of religious fanatics in science government positions who believe evolution and global warming are still up for debate... ). And finally, FWIW, I think your media criticism is a little over the top. With the exception of the talking heads pulling out the race card in this disaster, I think they are doing an EXCELLENT job. We can't, as a nation, prevent future calamities if we don't get down to the dirty details of why this one happened like it did. America currently has no faith in the Department of Homeland Security, but it's not because the media is being too inflammatory; it's because the evidence is too damning. Sorry for the somewhat long post. Try to keep your spirits up, Bib. Watch some Bills football this weekend.

...has TD given up on extending their contracts? Even 1 would have been nice. I thought that Clements would be more likely to extend after his injury scare last weekend. Oh well.

Good post, tater. Short and to the point! Any so-called Bills fan who cheers for the Cowboys is either not actually a Bills fan or has a terrible knowledge/recollection of history. Two humiliating Super Bowl losses and the arrogance that came along with it from Jerry Jones' crew should override any present-day love affair with Drew and Peerless. And why would a Bills fan even WANT to cheer for Drew and Peerless? Drew set this franchise back three years*, and Peerless was a 1-season wonder whose questionable competitive nature can be summed up with his pathetic reputation for run blocking. * - Don't tell me Drew was the one who helped bring in our wave of defensive free agents in 2003, because money talks in this league and those caliber of players were destined to come here anyway.

No, not fair. But then again, the NFL has been unfair to us too: 1. Refs in Homerun Throwback game 2. Refs in "Just Give It To Them" game 3. 49ers and Broncos winning Super Bowls despite screwing with salary cap rules in the 90's I don't understand why every Bills fan is not excited about this possibility! 5 homes games in the first 6 weeks would be a huge early boost for JP and our offense. I feel terrible for the Saints and their fans, but is it such a crime to root against them for just 1 week in the season???

Check out Lindell's career stats... In his past 2 years with the Bills, Lindell's averaged 2 completed field goals and 6 attempted field goals PER SEASON beyond the 40 yard line!

5 WR is the norm. In your standard pro set, you have the 2 starters and the 2 backups, plus 1 extra who is usually some sort of kick/punt return specialist. NFL teams that keep 6-7 WR's usually fall under these categories: A. Pass-happy teams that sub out their FB's and TE's a lot for 3-WR and 4-WR formations (not applicable to the Bills, unless Mularkey and Co. plan to surprise us all by letting Losman loose). B. Teams with injuries to WR's who haven't been placed on IR or PUP lists (like the Bills with Parrish). C. Teams whose kick/punt returners and other special teamers happen to mostly be WR's (maybe like the Bills if Clements and McGee are to be gradually relieved from their return duties). D. Teams who couldn't make their mind up on cutting certain players or risk losing certain guys if placing them on the practice squad (could be the case with Wilson...but I have no idea).

Hells yeah!! Congrats to all the LS Fan Club Members for keeping the faith! We all knew Sape could make the team on talent and willpower alone, but I'd still like to think that the piercing rituals of my C. Ritzmann/George Gause/O. Osunde/Lawaylan Brown voodoo dolls sealed the deal.

OK, but Haddad couldn't even beat out George Wilson (an undrafted free agent) for a roster spot. So even if your theory is 100% correct about TD favoring his draft picks (though I thought the coaches were the ones who make the cut decisions), we at least know that Haddad wasn't THAT big of a loss if he couldn't even beat out Wilson. And especially if - as of today - not 1 of the other 31 NFL teams have decided to take a chance on the "can't miss" WR prospect that is Drew Haddad.

Thank you! Up until this thread, it seemed like everyone around here had been overly obsessed with bashing a backup safety (Wire) and a backup WR (Reed) while letting our starting LG fall under the radar. But BA may end up doing more damage to the Bills' playoff chances this season than any backup will do. Next to Lindell, he's got to be our worst starter. I never understood Bennie's "hype" in the first place. The Ravens didn't want him because he sucked at pass protection and commited too many penalties. And now that he's in Buffalo, he's added "poor run blocker" to his pathetic resume. He's had 4 preseason games to show his worth, but each game he's actually gotten worse instead of better. My prediction: Preston or a healthy Tucker will replace this giant turd by October.

Your pal, Kelso, is aiming for a perfect 14/14: 1. Kevin Thompson, QB 2. Jon Goldsberry, FB 3. George Wilson, WR 4. Jonathan Smith, WR 5. Rod Trafford, TE 6. Brad Cieslak, TE 7. Greg Jerman, G 8. Justin Geisinger, G 9. Jasen Esposito, C 10. George Gause, DE 11. Liam Ezekiel, MLB 12. Wendell Hunter, OLB 13. Evan Oglesby, CB 14. Lawrence Richardson, CB We all seem to have some pretty good lists, though I think Lauvale Sape, Rashad Baker, and Josh Reed all make the team. Ezekiel and Richardson haven't impressed me enough to warrant a roster spot.

Moulds (since '96) and Haddad (since '00, when he was mostly on the practice squad) are the only pre-TD Bills players still on the roster.

I'd lose a lot of respect for Tagliabue and the NFL owners if they were to let that happen. Couldn't each of the other 28 owners chip in a little $$$ (yes, I intentionally left out Snyder, Jones, and Modell) to help repair the Superdome or even get a whole new stadium in NO? This is just so mother!@#$ing sad.

Solid post. I have to laugh at anyone who is criticizing Polian's money management. He knows what his top priority is as a GM - winning games, not balancing checkbooks. The Patriots may be the only serious hurdle that's keeping the Colts from winning the Super Bowl, and with the Pats losing their coordinators, this is the perfect year for the Colts to take risks and overspend. PS: How can I sign up for the Lauvale Sape Fan Club?