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Give me the guy that led his offense to 5 TD drives in his last 7 starts. Damn...that sucks

He hasn't He doesn't He won't And to think we could have drafted Flacco, but people thought Edwards had "poise" at the time. I hate Ozzie.

The run set up the pass from the get go. It was pretty clear the entire Miami D was drooling every time Spiller got the ball. The first pass attempt of more than 10 yards was with 12 seconds left in the first half. When they're crowding the line, you throw over them. We have a QB who won't.

No need to explain, Bill Walsh did the same thing in his books: "Rapidity is the essence of war; take advantage of the enemies' unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots." ~~Sun Tsu BTW, Belichick used Walsh's books as a turn around for him after the Cleveland debacle. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-walshinfluence073007 You're right, deception IS big part of game planning, especially when your talent level isn't quite there. It plays a bigger role when you have 3 guy on the field that run a sub 4.4 and can take it to the house if they are provided a crack. Using deception to open that crack is a necessity, not merely a good idea. As a bit of an offshoot of your original post, here is what I took out of the Cinci game, something we didn't see much of during the Jauron era..something I posted elsewhere... "From the Q and A with Chan Gailey: Q: On using the passing game to loosen up Cincinnati’s defense: They were playing the run very, very hard to start with. After we saw that, we figured we had to throw it a bunch to soften them up a bit. I thought we were able to do that. And from the Cinci color commentator after the 2nd screen pass, a 26 yard gain by Spiller: "They feel the pressure, they feel the pressure...screen pass, big gain They feel the pressure, they feel the pressure again...screen pass, another big gain." See it; Feel it; Adjust to it. The adjustments made were done from series to series and even within the series. They weren't made from half to half, or from game to game, but in some cases, from play to play. There was no..."we have to stay with our game plan" There was no..."we have to ram the ball down their throats when they are crowding the line" There was no..."we have to control the clock". There was no..."it is preseason, and we want to see what certain plays do." See it; Feel it; Adjust to it. Whitner's comments from opposing players confirmed the suspicions of most, "we know what you were going to do because you guys never adjusted". This offense isn't good enough to impose its will on another team, as much as I'd like it to. The O line isn't nearly good enough for that, nor is Edwards. But it does have the tools to adjust, and make a D pay for overcompensating in one area. It won't be as easy in the regular season, and there will be times when even the right play call will be flubbed. But based on how I've seen Gailey change things up in the last 2 games, I actually have a glimmer of hope for the O." Adjusting on the fly based on the conditions present, who would have thunk it?

Much of that will depend on who the new KU AD is going to be, after Perkins retires after next year, and what he's willing to do during his remaining tenure. Before Mangino, there wasn't a football program at KU. They sucked, the training facilities sucked and they couldn't recruit. Mangino built the program with a bunch of street players. Less than 2 years ago, they won the Orange Bowl and finished 12-1. Training facilities have improved vastly, the football budget increased dramatically, and they actually were able to recruit some decent players. The seeds were set to build upon what Mangino started. It fell apart last year due to a number of things, but it didn't need to destroy the program. Turner Gill has more to work with in continuing to build the program than people think. Much of it will depend on KU itself, but the biggest part of the equation is going to be Turner Gill himself. We'll see. When people in Kansas ask me about him, (being a transplanted Buffalonian), I always tell them he was extremely well respected at UB, and did a hell of a job building a program there. Will it be enough? I hope so.

He's not Mangino

He was Lew Perkins hand picked guy, that's why Mangino was forced out.

At Gates...ribs, any kind, or the combo platter if you're with a group. At Arthur Bryants...burnt ends. I've never had the pulled pork at Arthur Bryants, just the ribs and brisket. you won't be disappointed.

Don't worry about the Bills gear..I had my Bills starter jacket and my son wore my early 90's starter jacket. There were a bunch of Bills fans there. In fact, we met up in the parking lot with about 100 for that game. There were a hell of a lot more on the concourse. I can't speak for Jack Stack's BBQ, but Gates and Arthur Bryant's are the traditional ones. A NY Times writer once referred to AB's as the best restaurant in the country. There's a location downtown, one in North KC by the casino and a newer one by the NASCAR track. Gates has 6 locations, I think. Not trying one of those when in KC is heresy. (eh, hit 'em all). Good stadium atmosphere, friendly people. I've been there about 6 times over the years and never had a problem. http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/our_fans/index.htm

Nope, and beware of new members with names of country and western singers. Kind of a multiposter/personality deal going on with this guy.

No, just a Buffalo- Beijing series. They do have a cool stadium, and with or without Wang, should bring in more than the 2 dozen people Toronto does.

I think there were a few times where execution flubbed an otherwise well called play. (well, maybe more than a few times). There was the holding penalty, the missing the receiver, the missed block. But I think for the most part, it goes back to what Whitner relayed last week from opposing players "you guys never adjusted, we always knew what you were going to do." I think that was reinforced by the whole "Pop Warner offense" thing and the "he's been getting on my back about simplifying the offense" comments.

They did something that hasn't been seen for a few years... adjusting. From the Q and A with Chan Gailey: Q: On using the passing game to loosen up Cincinnati’s defense: They were playing the run very, very hard to start with. After we saw that, we figured we had to throw it a bunch to soften them up a bit. I thought we were able to do that." And from the Cinci color commentator after the 2nd screen pass, a 26 yard gain by Spiller: "They feel the pressure, they feel the pressure...screen pass, big gain They feel the pressure, they feel the pressure again...screen pass, another big gain." The adjustments made were done from series to series and even within the series. They weren't made from half to half, or from game to game, but in some cases, from play to play.

the Evans TD was out of a Power I.

If he's diving when he's tackling, teach him to move with his feet first. Its a natural reaction to move your upper body first, to lunge. But if you can get it into his head to move his feet first, (nicely of course), it might cut down on the diving. Its mental, the first thought in his head should be..."move my feet towards the ball". You can do this in the back yard, have him run sideways, and just say "feet first" when he begins to run, or something similar to that...whatever works. I did this with my son when he was that age, when I was teaching him to catch. After reminding him a few times, it finally sunk in. I threw the ball to the side, watched his feet take 2 steps, ball hit him in the chest. One of those proud parental moments when I saw the look of accomplishment on his face. He'll get the hang of it eventually Whatever position he's playing, teach him to bend his knees, stay low. Probably one of the hardest things a kid that age has to learn. It isn't a natural human movement to move while crouching, not in the post neanderthal world, at least. Have fun!

Yeah, when I saw the tread title, I couldn't resist, because I remembered reading Bill Snyder's statement to that effect. Fortunately for Buffalo, Nix-Gailey doesn't have nearly the job ahead of them as Snyder did. Kansas State was about as bad as a college football team could be at the time. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/art...68750/index.htm but to stay more to the point, and staying on an optimistic tone. It's the 30th anniversary... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBETnH4rB_Y I remember that team well, still one of my favorite Bills' teams of all times. And the little quotes that were made about predictions in the beginning of the video WERE what was said at the time. Most had the Bills finishing last in the AFC east. I remember Inside Sports predicting the Bills' use of the shotgun formation as the biggest flop of the season. Damn, they couldn't have possibly been more wrong.

That's the exact question Bill Snyder asked when he arrived at Kansas State in 1989. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2604585 (It is actually a good article if you like optimism) So why? Why would this 49-year-old highly successful offensive coordinator from the University of Iowa risk his football reputation by accepting the challenge in a location dubbed "Futility U." by "Sports Illustrated"? "A diminutive IQ," quips Snyder. But seriously, why? Interrupting the question, Snyder, 17 seasons removed from first saying "I do" to the Kansas State University program, explained: "I believed in the people. Yes, the program was down, but I guess I asked myself the question, 'Why couldn't Kansas State win? Why did the past have to dictate the future?' As far as having 500 losses and all the history that went with Kansas State football, I wasn't concerned with that."

Statistically, Bruce Mathison's 3rd year was probably his worst too. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MathBr00.htm

We had the 30th ranked offense in the league, and have added 1 player to the O....Spiller. Unless this is the most mismanaged offense in NFL history, Chan Gailey is Bill Walsh reincarnated, or Spiller is the next Barry Sanders...I'm not sure of the reason for the optimism. And please, if you're one of those talking about a 3 year rebuilding program, or saying you really don't expect much from the offense this season, or worse, hoping for a top 5 finish to draft a QB, I wouldn't call you an optimist.

Except that as a redshirt freshman, he played mostly under center in a 2 or 3 wide set, threw for 36 TD's and 3000+ yards. I figured a draft guru like Matt McGuire would have known that, especially when he's trying to analyze someone. Guess not. And fewer understand that a QB with quick decision making skills and a quick release can make an Oline look better than it really may be. Nearly every statement he made on Bradford was qualified in some manner. That's fine, he's entitled to his opinion. He's not right, but he's entitled to it.

The most Matt McGuire could say about Bradford was "what do you expect, he played behind the greatest Oline in the history of college sports". If he had really watched Bradford, he'd know that, except for roll outs, most of his passes came out in 3 seconds or less. He has a quick release and good recognition skills.

In 8 years at San Diego, he drafted 12 players that made the PB at one time or another. LaDainian Tomlinson Drew Brees Antonio Gates Shawne Merriman Marcus McNeill Nate Kaeding (special teams) Antonio Cromartie Kris Dielman Michael Turner Luis Castillo (alternate) Shawn Philips (alternate) Nick Hardwick (back up) That doesn't include the Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers pick(s). I might have forgotten one or 2. Only LT, Merriman and Cromartie were 1st round picks. He did pretty well in San Diego.

In these highlights, his jumping ability is obvious, his balance is very underrated, and he can do things that most WR's couldn't hope to try. And note how much better he gets from the beginning to the end of the video.

Not enough Big East or ACC players.

about 30 minutes per pound is what I've read, but that might be long. I put a 3 and 4 lbs sirloin in yesterday at 300 F, and it was done well before then. Use a meat thermometer, check it periodically after 90 minutes or so. 140 for rare, 160 med 170 for well done. It will keep cooking for a half hour or so after taking it out. Putting it in the fridge for an hour makes it a lot easier to slice. Mine's sitting in its juices right now...the kitchen smells like...victory.