FLFan

Agreed. Jackson outplayed Lynch and it was not even close. Lynch did not want to be in Buffalo, was not motivated, and one more stupid mistake from disappearing for a year. They got what he was worth at the time. I doubt many, if any, head coaches besides Peter Carrol were lining up to rehabilitate Lynch. And oh, by the way, his mediocrity continued his first year with the Seahags.

Byrd wants to get paid and will play anywhere, for any team, that agrees to pay him the most. The Bills will certainly try to negotiate, but given past history with Byrd, and particularly with his agent, I think the expectation should be that no deal will be struck. I do not see the Bills simply ceding to a demand by another party who refuses to negotiate. This is bad business and bad precedent, especially since they own the biggest card - Franchise Tag. They can, and should use the tag again. He will then either negotiate or not. If not, so be it. The Bills still have options at that point with their asset, including keeping him on the roster. This is going to go on for a while, so I am sure this is one of many discussions on the topic this board will have over the next 6 months.

Keeping Snyder away is an impossibility. This is the worst job in the NFL. The ownership sucks, the media is a constant weight, the team is a divided mess, and the cupboard is bare. Good luck to him.

I read all of it. It still makes no sense.

I like Marrone and think he generally has this team headed in the right direction, but I just cannot find a decent argument to defend keeping Crossman. The ineptitude is alarming. I hope this does not become his (and the Bills) Achilles Heel.

None of whom were pro bowlers if the did not play with Kelly.

Even after the struggles at LG, I do not believe letting Levitre walk at that ridiculous price was a mistake. The Bills did place to much faith in the players they had for that position, but it doe not mean letting Levitre was a mistake. Far from it. People need to move on from the late, "great" Levitre.

+1 I suspect you will get your wish once Ralph passes and the team is sold. Some of us do not share your opinion and wish to enjoy the ride while we can. You can always become of fan of the Patriots I suppose if you are that miserable.

They actually were in the top third on TE. Chandler was 13th in catches with 53 and 12 th in yards with 655. That is not bad production at all from the TE. The problem is he was the Bills leading receiver. Chandler has been a very good player for this team. That said, I would not be opposed to moving on given his age and lack of overall athleticism but it will be difficult to replace his production. Given other priorities for top draft picks, I would not be surprised if he was brought back if reasonably priced while they develop the younger more explosive guys on the roster.

I would no call his efforts in Cleveland this year rest by any means. He is a dinosaur in the NFL. Time to put him out to pasture.

What a joke.

I agree with you on the 2 year life theory if Marrone and staff cannot turn around the QB/Offense situation. I do not believe Russ will have patience for a third year after 2 years of losing if that is what happens. This would actually be an interesting discussion. I think the original post is ridiculous. JMO.

Excellent job! Would not disagree with any of it.

Yes, tis the season for the "rose colored glasses" vs. "hard bitten realist" nonsense to begin.

Thanks for doing this Bill. One of the few posts worth reading on a weekly basis. That said, I think you are off base on EJ vs. Thad. Lewis played descent enough yesterday, but clearly not good enough to win. As others have pointed out, I do not see his indecision in the pocket or occasional lapses in ball security getting much better. His arm is just OK. I think he has shown enough to be a decent backup option. To my eyes, he has done nothing Manuel has not been able to to do, and lacks Manuel's poise, arm strength, and presence. I am frankly not sure how anyone can watch Lewis's performance and think he is a better option, even now. The loss was clearly on the special teams and run defense, not the QB, but there were certainly a number of plays Lewis failed to make, especially in the first half.

If you cannot see a vast difference in the Bills defense from the past several years you are simply either not paying attention or do not want to see the improvement. It has been a massive turnaround in one year. There have been significant improvements in the play of key players (Mario, Kyle, Dareus, McKelvin to name a few), outstanding secondary play when there key players have been he healthy, and some significant additions who have contributed greatly including Hughes and Lawson. By the way, all this with a rookie middle linebacker. Pettine and staff get credit for this. The run defense needs improvement clearly. Whether this is scheme, players, or a combination needs to be addressed but I am confident they will.

Pointing out that players have something to do with it does not make one a homer any more than a knee jerk reaction makes you rational. I am sure the Bills will fully evaluate all aspects of the team, including special teams. What we see on the surface may not be the entire picture. Special Teams needs to get better without question. I would point out that multiple Bills had opportunities to tackle Blount on those big returns yesterday and failed to do so. This speaks to poor play not scheme. The reason for the poor play is the issue. Better players or better coaching?

The Bills have an option to exercise for a fifth year which they need to decide on this spring. I would think it is highly unlikely they would not take the option. He did. Typical Parker BS. Carrington will likely regret that decision. I doubt the Bills will offer much, if anything, now that they have locked up that spot with Branch. Perhaps they make him an offer as depth but I suspect they will move on.

Thank you for the excellent rational analyis. Often lacking around here. In all of that, the biggest difference is the QB. Despite having a seasoned veteran in Vick to start the season, the offense did not really start to click until Foles came in and began to light it up. People need to remember that as you point out Foles is a veteran, with some starting experience. His starts prior to this year have been mediocre to promising, but his experience is the big difference to Buffalo's situation. We have not seen near what this offense is capable of. Had Manuel been able to stay on the field I firmly believe the Bills offense would be much better than what we are seeing so far, and it has been very decent at times. Patience is what is required here, not a new OC or QB.

"People are dumb, panicky animals and you know it." K to J, Men in Black

The Bills need a LG, but also need a quality right tackle. I would not be hurt by taking a RT number 1. Would love to have a big WR threat as well, but if Evans is gone, trade down may be best bet. Chandler will likely be gone after this year so the Bills will need to find a top quality tight end. Probably not number 1 though.

Probably not, but he was doing a fairly accurate representation of your lament. About the same level of reasoning anyway.

I hope you are kidding. I would hate to think the alternative. It was a no win situation with people of your mindset obviously.

I believe this happened earlier t his week. They rested him yesterday but Marrone said he expects him to play.

Too bad Peyton Manning is not in the draft next year, nor anyone else even remotely his caliber. Who is the mythical "franchise QB" in next year's draft? All look like big questions to me.