Matt in KC

I can't believe you didn't list Pucillo. I do think that people are inherently optimistic or pessimistic, but that bitc#ing and moaning is addictive when you give in to it. I get your point and think that "fan" personalities will cause a new whipping boy to emerge, when the player would have been forgiven in a couple weeks if Pucillo (*or insert your pick here*) was still on the team. My guesses for this year's target: Daimon Shelton, if he makes the team (I thought he did great in 2004, but was on my s#it list last year) Jauron - If we lose games by less than a touchdown it will be a distinct improvement from last year, but the close ones always inspire more second-guessing Fewell - see above Whoever is the 2nd running back this year: probably A. Thomas or S. Williams. ...and unfortuantely, the obvious choice is Mr. Losman.

Wow, game plans and special information!? Now you really have to tell. I double promise I won't tell anyone else the insider information (please post it here).

I haven't been impressed with Hagaan at LB and think he's distinctly worse than Stamer and Crowell (to whom I've been comparing him for years). But, he actually IS a special teams demon for the Bills, unlike Wire. I too doubt he gets cut. Hagaan would have as good a chance as anyone to stick solely on his Special Team merits.

Well I'll go on record saying that I am VERY surprised. I can't really say I was Posey's biggest supporter here, because I've not been sure that I know the defense enough to judge him, but I have definitely given him as much latitude as anyone else I've read on TSW. From starter to early camp cut? Wow! I agree that Spikes must be 100% ...or else what the heck is going on? Posey definitely looked bad last year, but our whole defense did. I thought he looked proportionately worse than usual... It looks to me like we are trying to pay our salary cap dues this year, and will be in a position to be major players in free agency next year. Or, perhaps Posey wasn't spreading enough team spirit and it wasn't entirely about the money / (lack of) talent?

Well, it sounds like you can still get in if you only break one leg off of your tripod....

I think it's a bipod that's not divided. ...

So, at a certain point these guys are paid enough (for playing a boys game) that they ought to say what the fans / media want to hear? Or, more exactly, (I think you're saying) how they want to hear it? I think hearing a real person, weird parts and all, is much more entertaining. I can tune in any pregame show to hear the same old crap, but to see a realperson live the NFL and grow in it is a much richer experience.

Good job, Rockpile. Someone has prepare the next generation (and compete with the fast food advertisers). I have a very young baby (1 month). You have any advise for a first introduction to the Bills? Sorry to hijack. Great report as always, Mike!

If this means players ignoring whistles, this is an awful and unsafe rule. I think there is a fine line where down-by-contact can be reviewable, and not mean that play after the whistle will stand. Example: a RB stumbles and lunges forward, fumbling as they land. The ball pops out and right into the defenders hands, then the whistle blows, with the ref ruling that the RB was hit before or during his time on the ground, before the ball came out. If untouched, this ball should go to the defense. But NO WAY should anything after the whistle count. (Unless of course they're going to train all the ref's with an additional whistle that means you REALLY need to stop playing....)

Well, there's certainly more competition for the positions in the secondary this year. I liked King's performance last year and thought he was an exciting young player to watch grow. I'm curious how King is doing with the pressure / worry about all the new blood in the secondary. Also, how does he feel about the Whitner hold-out?

If we stick with him and he flops then it will play into our rebuilding for future years by supplying another high draft pick next year. If he turns it around by the end of the year, we're also in decent shape for next year. The only way we shoot ourselves is by not finding out if JP is going to emerge, or by making him the starter when he's clearly inferior, thus losing the confidence and committment of the rest of the team.

And Shaud Williams is a tennis ball, with pins sticking out of it... (you don't want to mess with him!).

If I remember right, Travis was described as a bowling ball covered in razor blades rolling downhill. I thought the same thing when I read that quote this morning.

Unfortunately, our AC died yesterday, and won't be fixed until tomorrow. With 110-115 heat index in DC today, and a 3-week-old in the house, we're in crisis mode. Time to go help my wife move the baby to a friend's house....

I think it is the lack of sleep. TA looked okay the end of last year, some plays better than others. Overall I still think he was a bit weak for a starter, but that's still good for a backup. Getting cut is more extreme than he deserves.

When he first started, we heard again and again that we had a top defense and ST unit and JP just needed to not make big mistakes for us to win. At first, JP seemed to be consistently placing the ball where the receiver had a shot at it, but not the defender. It's clear, however that he needs to throw the ball to the WR (not their feet) and let them battle the defenders from there. In a nutshell, I think JP may not be inaccurate, but a victim of past coaching that's made him risk-adverse. That in turn has solidified into a habit of throwing low balls, of which there have been several reports from camp ("worm-burns" I recall reading). But, reports of QB inaccuracy this early in TC are to be expected since so much is learning the receivers and "clicking" on the timing. A counter-point to the above: JP "set the Tulane career record for lowest interception percentage in school history with a mark of 2.73 (27 INTs in 987 attempts) " He ended up throwing less than half as many INTs as TDs (60) at Tulane. Unfortunately, this speaks to a long-established habit of playing it safe, or a cautious personality, which we're unlikely to be able to coach out of him in a year.

Was he better as a run blocker or in pass protection?

Good report. Thanks! I've heard several people say Fast Freddie looks better than anticipated. (Quick everyone, go find that WR prediction thread and update your choices!) The WR cuts are going to be interesting this year.

I think there's some posturing (Marv's comments, Donte not coming to camp) but both sides want to work this out (soon) I'm sure. In the big picture, a week of trainnig camp is a reasonable price for having a player feel like they got a fair deal they will be obliged to follow for the next 5-6 years, and the Bills get a rising star for many years to come.

I'm most concerned about the defensive line. We arguably improved our O-Line this off season, but it's hard to argue the D-Line will be any better. Yes, the Tampa 2 might help, but I still think we need big strong bodies to plug the middle, and someone to add pressure from LDE. I'm particularly concerned that I read the Dolphins are stocking up on big O-Linemen. It would be very frustrating to lose power-on-power (smashmouth) run-oriented games to the Dolphins.

I think I'm a sbig a Jason Peters fan as anyone on TSW. But, I think there's no way he'll earn a pro bowl spot. There is an outside chance that he'll deserve one, but the selections, especially in the trenches, are largely based on reputation, and that will take a while for him to earn.

Welcome to the board. Thanks for sharing your optimism. The great thing about the modern NFL is, you never know who's going to be the surprise team. The Bills certainly appear to have many more hurdles to overcome than most teams, but they could be this year's surprise team. Who knows? More than any time in recent history, they are positioned to be unable to perform below expectations. One of the great joys of being a fan is to let yourself believe, and to visualise your team winning, rooting them each step of the way. I for one think that with the parity in today's NFL, coaching and team spirit are more important factors than ever. Players are able to cash in like never before, but it's the teams that gel together that seem harder to beat. Even if they aren't more competitive, I'll find it easier to cheer younger, hungrier players establishing themselves than established stars with dollar signs in their eyes.

Can anyone help me understand how the LB role is different in the Tampa 2? I thought it meant the LBs would need to be even stronger in coverage. If that's true, Posey looked stronger in coverage than Crowell to me. Of course, I just checked the stats and Crowell's are stronger for last year. Posey: 2 Passes defended, 0 INTs Crowell: 3 passes defended, 2 INTs

I can't help but notice Posey was neither retained nor cut. Also, I like Hagaan for ST, but having just Spikes and Hagaan on the strong side is a bit thin. I thought last year Hagaan was listed as backup weak-side LB, but didn't play when Spikes went down.... You're moving both to the other side? I think Posey will do well this year. He is a cut above any of our backup linebackers and deserves to keep the roster spot, even if it were to mean Hagaan gets cut. (I would find someone else to cut, however.)

It seems like everytime Wire somes up, stevewin posts some facts and discredits him. (I think he may have some tyupe of email trigger set up for when someone types something positive about Wire.) Here's a good one: At first I went with the flow, but after reading stevewin's numerous posts trying to debunk the Wire myth, I began to pay more attention, and believed him. I've seen Wire fly into the picture on special teams many times. He hustles. But, he's usually flying into the picture as / or just after the whistle blows. I went the other way with Hagaan. I spent a fair amount of time comparing Crowell, Hagaan and Stamer when they joined the team, and originally thought Hagaan played the best. Then two years ago he distinctly started looking a bit worse than the other two. I decided Hagaan was going to be the first of them dropped by the Bills. But, paying more attention, I've seen that Hagaan's ST performances have been VERY good recently. Wire seems to somehow have gotten the ST rep Hagaan actually deserves. Hagaan and Aiken are my top two ST keepers (I'm not counting McGee). I think Burns, Wire, Fasat Freddie and probably Wilson are gonners.