RuntheDamnBall

McKelvin's ball "skills" are a negative asset. All the talent in the world, coverage is actually fantastic, but he bumps the ball UP into the receiver's hands for crying out loud. He is so terrible for a top tier CB that he is actually a perfect lead role in the tragic comedy of 2000s Bills drafting.

Oh god, only if they are calling up Kamar Aiken is this possibly a good idea. If you like Donald jones at #2 you'll love Ruvell Martin in the slot.

Bill, can't disagree with most of what you've said here. I support Spiller because his success is necessary for the Bills, but he sure is looking like a bust. Making good on crucial opportunities like that bomb yesterday is crucial for him, and he is just not doing it. I feel for the guy because fans are going to start turning on him, which will only make matters worse. There is still a shred of hope that he begins to turn it around, and as a fan I'm holding onto that while acknowledging the sad truth of the present. The defense is ashambles and George Edwards is an unmitigated disaster. I would fire him today and see if Wannstedt can get more out of this very patchwork ensemble. That said, it is not his fault that upgrades are needed at rush OLB, CB, and probably another DE. That said, this team is without three Plan A personnel in Kyle Williams, chris Kelsay, and Shawne Merriman. They are also down Aaron Williams, who sadly is already better than at least one of the top three CBs with only three or so games under his belt. The bottom line is that they need real depth to compete in the AFC East. Mckelvin is a grade A talent with a ten cent head and the awareness level of a goldfish. I love David Nelson and would give serious thought to cloning him instead of wasting time with draft picks. Donald jones sucks. He sucks. Period. He should not be a starting receiver in this league and he would be a capable #4. He was given every shot to make plays yesterday and failed 90% of the time. Anyone who does not wish Lee evans were here at #2 is kidding themselves at best. Look past the current injury and ask yourself if even his lows of 600 yards production wouldn't be an upgrade. The bean counters need to stop raping this team, and they need to stop pointing to the good fortune of a pickup like Nelson as the rule and not the exception. One time Jones did shine was in his part in the lone misdirection play I saw yesterday. It was a success. I like chan, and he is the best HC this team has had in ages, but he needs to realize we lack the personnel to just dictate our will and run base plays no matter what the defense does. Especially with injuries on the OL, some deception is warranted. It works. I hope he will take notice. I need to see more adjustment based on what the defense is doing. Brady led a !@#$ing master class on this last night. They go big, you go with the slant or the screen, or to your TE. They go nickel, run it down their throats. Adjust. Fitz can do this, but we probably lack the WR corps to pull this off. Trusting the TEs more would help, but I am guessing they are being forced to help out the tackles right now. This leads me to a point that I know is near and dear to you, Bill. Chris Hairston may be a nice pick but he needs to get his ass back on the field. Levitre is out there playing at 75%, out of position, while our two top tackle options seem to be (surprise) soft and injury prone. As we've seen all along, talent that can't stay on the field is as good as no talent at all. We still need NFL depth at this position. And we need to get mean and tough. That includes playing through pain. It's clear levitre and wood will do this, but we need more from the others. This team will be tested without Wood, but if it can't hang points on Miami and force them to punt once in awhile, it doesn't deserve a .500 record, let alone a playoff berth. This is a time of relative crisis, and I hope they will step up and face it. I don't think it will start with the (necessary) removal of George Edwards, but somehow they need to get back some confidence heading back into new York in two weeks. Go Bills!

That's fine. Is either PFT's or Whitner's motive here to suggest that the 2009 Bills were a clusterf---? Because that strikes me as old news. It sounds to me like this is pointless bashing of the Bills (now and then) or Donte not letting go of some perceived slights here, when the fact is he was paid well, did OK, and was nothing special for a #8 pick. He is being outperformed by his successor, he gets to play in the NFC Creampuff division, and his screwups apparently aren't holding the team back from taking down those world-beaters. And he get$ real paid. Good for him. The past was a mess, but I think if Donte is intimating anything about the current team, it's more likely some disdain for the fact that smarter football men didn't view him as an integral, highly-paid part of their future.

But then he moves to the first year of a rebuild in SF that just happens to be going fairly well? Or maybe it's the commitment to winning against the "titans" of the NFC West like the 2-6 Cardinals, 2-6 Seahawks, and 1-7 Rams that's so alluring. Donte is a joke with a lousy punchline.

Donte didn't play for the Bills under Nix and Gailey in 2010?

Whitner is a tool. I loved the comment that he leads the league in tackles after touchdowns. I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt given the hate he received here, but that would be a lot easier to do it he performed, or if he hadnt seemed to buy into his own importance by virtue of his draft position. I am more forgiving than most on the twitter stuff, but the guy is a mercenary and not the brightest, either. We don't need that in buffalo.

Of course. I am just saying that every year you get some receiver whose agent is successful enough to get everyone to believe you are never going to see a talent the likes of his client again. It keeps the copy fresh and the machine running. In reality there is a superstar receiver every couple years.

Except for remember when Crabtree was a can't miss, once-in-a-generation receiver?

That's all well and good, but then you're giving up Dareus to get him. I would not trade Dareus for Green straight up in a million years. The relative quality of players the Bills passed on for Spiller is nowhere near the quality of either of these two. So I'm not sure what point this conversation is trying to advance, other than that you would draft Green over Spiller if they were both available at the same pick in a draft.

I think you're underestimating what Fred can do when the interior of the line is intact, but we can agree to disagree. The defense will certainly have to be stouter against the run if they are to have a shot, but I think there is a shot. If there weren't, I wouldn't watch the game. If I can say one last thing, though, I think we've seen how much a big turnover converted to points can change a game - as the winner of the battle and yesterday as the loser. Teams that look better on paper lose games that way, and it's how the Bills beat the Pats and Eagles. You can say they are better teams, but the record says the Bills did enough to beat them. Hopefully they can do the same against the Jets in the re-match.

I know what you're saying, but I think there are certain plays you can make with Spiller that are essentially out of the playbook when Jones is in there. Even when Jones was picking up his play, would you say he was picking it up to the level of an NFL #2, or to "acceptable" status? Take a look around the league and see who is slotted in at #2 on other teams. On any of them, is Donald Jones an upgrade? I like the kid as a #4 in the spread formations, but there is a need for game-breaking talent to be on the field. It's like putting a decent #7 hitter in the #2 hole in baseball. He might surprise now and then, but should he be getting the most at-bats?

Based on one game that they now have tape on, so they can fix the holes? Based on the notion that they were playing with a third-string LT, right string LG and no Kelsay or KW? I realize Kyle will probably be gone for the season, but the return of any of these pieces, plus Aaron Williams, plus more experience for the young guys, says to me that there is always a shot. The Bills could have had a sizable lead after all the first-half Jets mistakes. That is their game, and they failed at it yesterday. Execution will help in the rematch. I'm not saying it won't be a tough game to win, but it is winnable despite the factors in the Jets' favor.

This, this, this. Levitre needed way more help than he got yesterday. I hope he can heal up and that they can get one or both of Hairston and Bell back. They need them. The inside run game fared OK yesterday but we've seen lots better with the mauler trio opening things up for Fred. Levitre is a soldier but he needs to go back where he excels.

Isn't that a chicken-egg thing? Throw big block, get big play.

Without Green, this offense is doing decently, even though it lacks the kind of edge at WR we'd like to see. Without Dareus, this defense might as well be a pile of mulch with a big f---ing white flag stuck in it. Green is a fantastic talent, and Dalton could be a good one, but there is no other logical response to this question.

Wow, see, that's funny, because in a conversation regarding the Bills, Patriots and Jets, only one of those teams has beaten New England, and they don't play in New Jersey. And I seem to recall that this two-team race has already had one head-to-head game. Let the Jets act like a bunch of cocky jerks. Talent gets them far, coaching helps, but when it's all been on the line, Rex and co. haven't been able to make good on their guarantees. Being underestimated has helped the Bills. Let's hope opinions stay where they are so Buffalo can punch these guys in the mouth next time.

So... shut him the F--- up in three weeks. It's the only answer.

I think a few weeks ago you could have said that Donald Jones was a contributor that the team missed. Hopefully it was just rust, but Jones didn't impress me at all yesterday. I didn't see him throwing any vital blocks on big plays (a strength of his game) and he was out of sync with Fitz all day (partially #14's fault, but I think you have to distribute blame evenly). Jones has left 2-3 big plays on the field per game, and while he's redeemed himself with some late game-savers, he does not make enough positive contributions at this time to merit the most snaps at WR. Meanwhile, Jones' return put CJ on the bench for more of the day. I think that was a mistake. I know the future for CJ is not at receiver - at least not the way the team envisions it - but I think he has more home run potential than Jones ever will. And CJ was starting to do some of the little things well, too. I would liked to have seen Jones take another week to return against a less critical (non-divisional) opponent, rather than changing things up. In addition, CJ would have been a quick-strike mid-deep threat to account for when all the short-mid action was being shut down. That at least scored the Bills a big PI against the 'Skins. I like Chan and it's hard to take issue with most of the results, but going vanilla meant there were few extra variables to account for (BSmith, Spiller especially).

The Jets are a pretty-well-coached team (with caveat that Schottenheimer runs hot and cold). Add to that the nearly unlimited resources of a NY-based franchise, a number of draft hits in the first round, and strength and depth on both lines, and you see why they have made the AFC title game two years running. Like any NFL team, they can be beaten, and we've seen it happen three times this season. The ways to beat them are to force Sanchez into mistakes (check), capitalize on those mistakes (big ZERO there), sustain drives (fail) and limit the clock consumption, especially with a deficit (whoops).

I disagree. Carrington played pretty well, and so did the safeties. But Moats, Shep, and all of CBs got schooled today.

They need to start by beating Dallas next week. Winning 2 out of 3 games looks a lot better than the present situation. If they can somehow sweep this road trip, you are going to forget this post pretty quickly. That said, they need to stop playing (and coaching) conservatively. They had way too much respect for the Jets today and it cost them. At least the defense fought hard and created some opportunities before inevitability crept in.

How is he going to hear Rex, then?

Parcells was known more to berate his own players - especially his stars - and treat them like garbage, rather than lifting up part-time players that he recently cut for motivational purposes.

It might help, though. "Aaron, are you tackling?" "Yes, sir, Mr. Ryan." "Could you, um, tackle... harder?" "Sure thing, Boss." "Hey. Call me Rex."