Mikie2times

Birdbrain, Parrot, Moron!!

Whatever you say Favre

Sounds like Toledo, maybe it's got something to do with Ohio

I think it matters but not to the soap opera proportion some posters make it out to be. The fact is we really don't know how much better Willis MaGahee could be, or even further the Buffalo Bills, if most our starters showed up to set an example. We see a player’s performance on the field and we compare it against the rest of the league. In Bruce Smith's case he was a dominant player, and one of the best of all time, so when he never showed up for these OTAs it didn't bother us. But what I wonder is what if Bruce Smith did attend these OTAs could he perhaps been even better? If he cared more about making the Bills the best TEAM possible would he become as dominant as Reggie White? I just feel like if we had more of those guys back in the early 90’s we might have a ring right now.

The gurus examined our draft based on perceived talent of the players, and based on that perceived talent they gave us a horrible grade. The reason we went in the direction we did is because we didn't have the players to run the Cover 2 before the draft. We also have a defensive coach, and as you pointed out New England has the players and system to really hurt a cover 2 look with who we had. Without Whitner and Simpson as prospects we would have nothing past Vincent and Wire as our starters. The cover 2 demands it's saftey's be athletic versatile players that can cover large zone areas. Its main weakness is against teams that can stretch the outside parts of the field with speed and middle area with athletic TE's. That is NE, and Wire and Vincent as a pair would have been disastrous in that role. I don't suspect the offensive line will improve immensely this year, and like many I was disappointed we didn’t do more to improve it. But at the same time major needs were addressed, and hopefully those still upset about our selections will give this regime one more off-season to improve the line.

Munich Memento Office Space Van Wilder

Not enough alligator teeth in the world to capture that advantage.

Pistons gone As for the ratings they seem fair. The only thing I kind of disagree with is a section in the summary. Not that I expect the Bills to get great QB play but I feel our problems at that position in 06 will be more to do with WR and OL being in transition then a QB simply not emerging. The improvement the QB's make will probably just be canceled out by lack of experience and quality in at other offensive positions. Hopefully fans stay patient if that goes down. Just my .02

Of course you must know Nance is a bust because nobody drafted him, and all your draft guides say so. But for whatever reason Geisinger a former 6th round pick is going to end up anchoring the Bills line for years to come. Excuse me if I can't understand such sound logic. You keep talking as if I suggested Wilford should be an every down receiver, or that Nance should be an every down receiver. That means you probably never read the thread to begin with, or more likely decided to make up things because you have nothing else to say. Keep screaming about the playoff game in NE, or Wilford's separation and speed. Football can be a simple game LaDarius, all the intangibles like skills and stats bow to one simple rule. How many points does a player contribute to your team. Wilford was 1 of 26 WR's last year to score 7 TD's or more, and it's because the Jaguars go to him so often in the Red Zone. I could give two craps less if he's a one legged pogo stick, 7 TD's a year will help you win games. If you can’t see that you’re not very bright, but then again I think we already established that about 4 posts ago.

You have no clue what you’re talking about. In that St Louis game Wilford made a miraculous TD catch off a deflection before the 2nd half. If you took that score away the score would have been 24-14 St Louis before Wilfords deflected INT. But even if you want to place the blame of that loss on the deflection you would most certainly have to give him credit for his winning catch in 04. Then you have the 42 points he scored last year for the Jaguars, as a 2nd year 4th round pick. Tell me LaDarius what has your expectations been like for our former 4th rounders? This is about the time you should stop talking

Wilford is not an every down receiver you moron, if you read the post I never said Nance would be either. Like Wilford he is an oversized RZ target, nothing more. But when your QB is either going to be Nail, Holcomb , or Losman, and your receivers are all dwarfs, and your offensive line probably won't be great, you might think a tall WR could come in handy in the Red Zone. Wilford kept us out of the playoffs in 2004, and I'm sure in the scheme of things his 42 points last year mattered more to the Jags then his 19.6% drop rate.

Nance is not fast, or extremely agile, he also didn’t post a huge vertical, and played in the MAC. On 95% of the teams in this league he would not make an intriguing prospect simply because he will likely never be an every down receiver. His skill set right now pretty much consists of him being able to use his height to defeat CB's that are usually 4-6 inches shorter then him. Most NFL teams already have a guy like Nance who either is much better and plays every down or that can run the fade pattern in the RZ. Jacksonville’s guy is Ernest Wilford, and regardless of the drops the type of RZ production a player like Wilford brings is outstanding. 7 TD's and the guy only started 8 games. Nobody on this team is capable of being that large RZ target. That’s why we signed Nance, and that's why the rest of the league didn't want him.

Did the same, seemed like every time I started him I got no love, and when I didn’t he would put up some solid numbers. Nobody saying he's the second coming or anything but as a 4th round 2nd year guy I would be thrilled with his production.

Let’s try this for a second. A 2nd year 4th round pick makes 8 starts nearly goes for 700 yards and 7 TD’s and he sucks because he went into New England IN THE PLAYOFFS and had a bad game. Makes Sense. By the way just out of curiosity do you live in MAC country, or is your infinite wisdom based solely on your draft guides? In MAC world if you’re not from Ohio or Michigan, odds are you never watched much Miami (OH) ball, and if you did it certainly wasn’t enough to pretend you know everything about freaking Martin Nance.

Valid point, but at the same time that doesn't mean those teams from the past went unaffected by this. As much as people want to make a mockery of these sessions they DO matter to the overall improvement of the team. The Bills need to install a brand new offense and defense, while other teams may be returning 75% of their starters and remain in the same system. The point is you only have so many days until kickoff and everyday of preparation does matter in a game with such a small margin for error.

I agree that he is not NFL ready in those areas, all of which play a critical role to an every down receiver. But what I see happening with Nance is him making this team because he can provide our receivers with a dimension we just don't have right now. In the past we haven't run many fade patterns and if we did it was to Moulds. With Moulds gone we have no WR on this roster that can run that pattern around the goal line. With the RZ problems we had last year that dimension could win Nance a spot he probably wouldn't win on a team with larger WR's.

At 6'4 with his arm length that should be more then enough VJ.

Reggie Germany

Just came across this thread. Like many I never met Paul, but I've always enjoyed his posts. He and his wife obviously shared a very special connection, one that is rare in today’s world. Rest in peace TBD brother.

Its almost 3:30am, can't you at least wait for the morning crew to divert my thread

I know he's a UDFA so spare me the line about he has to make the roster first. Being a Western Michigan Alum I witnessed Nance's jump ball skill first hand. Needless to say the guy can elevate, and he does a fantastic job catching the ball at it's highest point. If done right the fade is a very difficult move for DB to defend and virtually impossible to defend against someone with Nance’s height and leaping ability. His route running/speed/agility is not NFL caliber yet, but for the time being if Nance can just become our jump ball man in the Red Zone it could make the difference between making the playoffs and being at home. Ernest Wilford

4.05 On grass right?

I'm going with a good friend from college, also a Bears fan. I'm also thinking the Detroit game should get a good Bills turn out.

On PASSING downs the cover two generally turns into a cover 3 with the two safeties covering the outside 1/3 of the field, and the Mike LB covering the deep middle 1/3 of the field. So if it is a passing down, such as 3rd and 5 or longer how does London’s play recognition or tackling ability outweigh his less then ideal cover skills? In a zone defense in passing situations the defenders job is to get into his zone as fast as possible and defend everything within that area. London’s short, doesn't have a big vertical, and doesn't have a tremendous amount of athleticism in the passing game. What he does well is stop the run, and with situational subs available it just doesn't make sense to assign him such a critical part of real estate in the passing game

In passing situations the cover 2 defenses relies on a linebacker strong enough in coverage to turn the cover two into a three deep look. The Mike linebacker is often the player looked at to fill this requirement. London Fletcher will be our Mike LB in running situations but in passing situations the role will probably be up for grabs. Here is an early look at the camp battle for this important role. London Fletcher- London will be the Mike linebacker in running situations, but having him stay in at the Mike LB in passing situations might become a liability. London's short stature, and less then ideal coverage skills would make him a target of athletic TE's and WR's posts down the seem. Takeo Spikes- A healthy Takeo Spikes would be perfect in this role, a fast strong LB with great coverage skills. But as we all know he is coming off an injury many don't recover from. If he does eventually return to 100% his speed will still be reduced during at least the early portion of the 2006, year and probably the whole season. Keith Ellison- Being a late draft picks it was difficult to consider Ellison in this role so early, but at the same time it was clear the Bills drafted him for his pass coverage skills. Most pundits said he wouldn't be a full time LB in the NFL, but that's fine for us if he can become a strong Mike LB in passing situations. Angelo Crowell- Crowell came in last year and had to replace the best player on this defense. He did that rather admirably, and showed enough coverage and athleticism for me to believe he can play the Mike on passing downs. IMO London won't under any circumstances remain at middle LB in passing situations. In this system it would be like fitting a square peg in a round hole. So essentially it's a three man race between TKO, Ellison, and Crowell. If TKO is fully recovered he is the best fit but I can’t see that happening in just one year. Given Ellison’s lack of experience it would lead me to believe Crowell is the early leader for this role.