Lori

Linky: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-9-209...eason-loss.html Scroll down to the comments.

Time to revisit this -- and yes, heaven help me, I looked at the replay: Three running plays to Etukeren's side, 25 yards, 8.3 ypc. Ouch.

He implied (–adjective: involved, indicated, or suggested without being directly or explicitly stated) nothing. He explicitly stated, "Packers did score on the one series he was in," and he was absolutely right.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/articl...ORTS03/90824019 "High-motor." noooooooo ... (Like the hit on Fitzy, though.)

Stop that.

Waitaminute...

Not sure I'd be surprised by any of those three. As eball says, they're actively trying to replace Simpson.

Play does not = series. I have no desire to waste any more of my time checking the replay, but John is absolutely correct that the Packers scored on that series. Here's the mystical "gamebook" to which he referred: http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/5...GB_Gamebook.pdf This thread is truly the gift that keeps giving. Thanks for signing up for the board, Mr. Etukeren! Add: one more thing -- Etukeren is actually fourth among Bills d-linemen in tackles. The three ahead of him: Chris Ellis, Copeland Bryan, and Corey Mace. So we can keep those four DEs and get rid of Schobel, Kelsay, AND Denney, and switch Maybin to LB. Outstanding! source: NFL.com stats

You betcha. From Herald beat writer Jeff Darlington: "Ernest Wilford has been cut, his agent says. He earned more than $2 million per catch in Miami. Of course, he only caught three passes." Supposedly, it also cost them more to cut him than keep him. So, as of right now, his career highlight was the catch to beat Buffalo in the 2004 home opener. Just our luck.

This per his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. And before anyone asks, or drops the "git 'r dun!" reference .... no, he would NOT look good in a Bills uniform, so don't bother.

Oh, I imagine they'll run some plays vs. the 3-4 in practice the weeks of those regular-season games ... but if that's the first time they see it, how proficient can they get in one week?

Especially considering they still have an 80-man roster right now, no? At one of the practices I attended -- think it may have been the night Vick signed -- Bobby April took part of the session to run through seemingly everything in his playbook. Run the FG team out there as the clock ticks to 0:00, check. Fake FG, check. Lindell pooch-punting from FG formation, check. Mostly for show, but it made one aware that they were working on all the possibilities. On the other hand, the offense apparently spent the week practicing against "our defense" ... a defense that finished the 2008 season 20th or lower in: rushing yds allowed yds/carry passing yds/play interception rate sacks/pass att No wonder they looked confused last night. I dropped the Edwards quote into the replies of Tim's "Random thoughts from the game" post. He added this a couple of responses later: In other words, why should we prepare any differently? It's not like the Pats have won, let's see, 16 of the last 17 games, or that the Bills have failed to score more than one offensive TD against them in any one of those losses since the 2003 season opener ...

I wouldn't say "never," but they didn't last week: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Again -- not to get into preseason gameplanning, but wouldn't it make sense to practice just a little every week against a set they'll see at least six times this season? Trent has had problems reading the coverages in that formation, as did Losman before him. Perhaps now we know part of the reason why?

Okay, I can buy the premise that this is just one preseason game, and Lord knows I've seen plenty of crappy Bills games in August. (Some by teams that ended up in the Super Bowl that season.) That said, the idea that they didn't bother practicing against the 3-4, knowing that 1.) Dom Capers is now in GB, 2.) all three other AFC East teams run it, and 3.) they were 1-8 in games against 3-4 defenses last season, absolutely blows my mind. They didn't think that giving Trent Edwards -- who's been known to struggle against the formation -- a few 3-4 looks might, just might, possibly be a good idea? Oy.

I wish. That was on the original board, wasn't it? Maybe 10 years ago? Good Lord. I've known some of you people for 10 years. (Eleven, actually.) Frightening.

Billdo's body of work was lost in the Crash of '08, when our hard drive melted down and fried everything from the 2007 season, but the Retatta thread has a permanent home on the baseball sub-board: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/index.php?showtopic=25951 (The link in Darin's post no longer works, but here's the archived version: http://web.archive.org/web/20060522173609/...tegory=American ) Enter at your own risk. Ditto for the homework thread DC Tom mentioned.

Good point. Count me among those who wish Peters could have gotten a hand on Elam, but normally, I'd say it's Losman's responsibility to get the ball away before a blitzing DB can get there from that far outside. Bad playcall, bad execution. Seems like Bills QBs get to see more than their share of unimpeded outside blitzers, though. (Elam and Adrian Wilson last year, and Darrelle Revis in the second Jets game in '07 come to mind.) In fact, once the Jets figured out that the Bills weren't picking up Revis, it seemed like they sent him on every damn play. I'd call that a fundamental flaw in the offense, one that's going to get Edwards killed if they don't take steps to change it.

Makes one wonder, do they plan on not practicing vs. the 3-4 until the week of the opener? If that's the case, I think the Almighty may be willing to make an exception for us.

It gets better. 3-4? Why should we bother practicing against the 3-4? http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Heaven help us.

This team has been drafting players to fit this defense for four years now. If they don't have the right ones yet, when will they?

Stat of the week, from Mark Gaughan's deadline piece: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/772033.html Knew it was bad, but 1-8?!? Yikes.

Good answer. Better answer. Still forgot about Simon, though.

Get bent. (Kidding aside, if Raji and the 3-4 can help them stop the run a little better, Packers have a good shot at the division this year.)

Go back to California.