nodnarb

I'm glad we'll be facing a first-year coach next year but I'm bummed he's retiring. The NFL without Parcells doesn't feel quite right. I just hope they keep his 34 defense there, because if they, like the steelers, transition out of it, it's going to make many more 34 personnel available to the only division that runs that defense in 3 of 4 teams, our division. Thinking too much? Perhaps. But I know I don't want to see Demarcus Ware in the AFC East. For example. I can't BELIEVE that the steelers are giving up the 34, yet keeping LeBeau. It makes no sense to me to rebuild from scratch when they have the personnel for a 34 defense and the coach who invented the zone blitz. Asking LeBeau to coach Tomlin's Tampa-2 (anyone see a trend developing in the NFL? The 34 teams are pleased, as it makes more of their type of players available) seems insane to me. I read an article today that basically spells it out like that - Tomlin saying without saying it precisely, they're going to the Tampa-2. Both teams in the Super Bowl this year run it.

I'm surprised, too. But mainly because Tomlin brings a Cover-2 philosophy. The Steelers have been a 34 for a long time, and their personnel is not currently suited to a 43 Cover-2. Maybe he'll keep LeBeau; it wouldn't make any sense to let him go and totally revamp one of the best and most consistent defenses in the past 5 years. If they DO convert to a Cover-2 it will also be bad for us in a roundabout way. It means yet another team will be drafting players that fit our defense, and gunning for players in FA that fit our defense. The right cogs in our machine will be harder to get - more competition as more defenses shift to the 2. Meanwhile, disassembled 34s make a lot of talented players available to the teams that are dedicated to that style permanently; most notably New England and the Jets. And if Capers stays in Miami, them too. What we want as a team newly dedicated to the Tampa-2 is more teams going to the 34 defense, which thins out their available talent and gives us a deeper pool. But I see the opposite is starting to happen, with the Lions and Vikings and now Steelers joining that fray. We'll see. Still gotta play the games.

enough about crabcake okoye....we need to reschedule our sabres plan. Todd can't do that flyers game so let's have another looksee at what's available on a Feb weekend. If I don't hear from you in a few days I'll know you didn't see this.

Indeed.

you and me both, buddy. One of many reasons why Mel Kiper irritates the living sh-- out of me. Nobody makes more wrong assessments yet ESPN continues to throw the "genius" tag at him, and he smiles broadly. Is there any word more abused than 'genius'?

i wonder if mort even realizes that by snidely saying, 'that's why you sign these guys 2 years before their contract expires', he's actually spitting on his buddy Tom. Forget your timeline there Mort?

Idiotic post. Modrak is probably responsible for the better picks we've had. We know that Donahoe was responsible, and probably exacted veto power over objections, for Mike Williams and Willis McGahee. Both inconsistent players who are motivated by the wrong things, love of the game not being among them.

If you want a truly explosive offense, you need a #2 receiver who simply can't be taken for granted. I like peerless, that is I merely like him, but I don't think he scares any DBs in this league. Parrish is scary but it's hard for him to get off the bump consistently because he weighs eight pounds. Aiken still hasn't established himself as a WR capable of impacting at this level, and Reed you want as your slot guy, particularly when you want the option to run, as he's our best run blocker of the group. You also need a bigger pass catching TE threat than Royal. I like Royal. Merely like him. He dropped enough balls and lost focus enough for me to think that he SHOULD be the #2 TE on the roster. Problem is, we don't have a #1. If we had a Todd Heap on this team Lee Evans would have scored 62 touchdowns. They ALWAYS had their FS shaded to Evans. (And he still smoked 'em). The Bills need to be able to use the middle of the field more often to take pressure off the outside receivers. Fairchild probably wanted Peerless because he's a poor man's Isaac Bruce. That is to say, he's not as good as Bruce. Why would we think that our coaches believe that we have what we truly NEED at #2 WR to get to the playoffs and win there? The numbers don't support it. I would also rather that the Bills tackle their need for a RG and another C in free agency rather than the draft, unless a can't miss prospect falls to us. Steinbach is a FA and there are others. You don't have the bust risk because they're proven players. I'd re-sign gandy at LG and draft and/or bring in a FA to compete with him. That would solidify depth on the line. I have a really good feeling about Pennington; I can't believe the kid did as well as he did. I was concerned about that. But watch the games and he does a pretty amazing job for a rookie 7th round pick. He's a better right tackle right now than Mike Williams ever was. If Alan Branch, Mi DT falls to us at 12, I wonder what the Bills do. He was a beast this year. Can he impact immediately? We're going to have a lot of options with all the intriguing QBs coming out this year combining with the QB-less and rudderless teams at the top of the draft. I expect J. Russel will be gone long before the Bills pick (fine with me, we have a QB) and I'm sure Russel has sent Vince Young a fruit basket for instilling confidence in front offices about that TYPE of player. Russel has a pretty amazing arm - a flick of the wrist sends the ball 70 yards like it's a nerf. Hands the size of a head. Somebody is going to draft him high. But I digress. I think the Bills are going to be able to get the guy they want, or be in a position to trade down. I also think that RB Marshawn Lynch will fall to them, and it'll be interesting to see what they do there. Every team needs two #1 RBs, for injury insurance and to keep them fresh. A Train is an average back and I suspect that if we bring him back he'll be the #3 with S. Williams being released. I think the priorities this offseason, in no particular order, are G, C, DT, TE, RB, LB, and WR. Levy said something interesting the other day that really surprised me: There are more undrafted free agents STARTING in the NFL right now than there are 4th round draft picks starting. Certainly sheds some light on the difficulty that is the scouting profession.

All the more reason to let him play his contract season assuming all the risk and reward, and let him walk after next year. Willis' type of production is EASILY replaced.

that wasn't a meltdown...teams losses are meltdowns. Parcells had that game won and Romo did the unthinkable after playing a solid game. That game, like many playoff games, serve as a reminder that nothing is automatic. I feel bad for Parcells, personally. I thought he coached a good game and Dallas was the better team.

It also helps when you get 4 games per year to beat up on the browns and (pre-Palmer) Bengals. Not to diminish what Cowher has done cuz I think he's a great coach, but all things considered, the Bills in the past 6 years have played in an unrelentingly difficult division. To find the true status of teams I think you need to consider strength of schedule each year, and that would give the Bills a little positive padding on their record and the Steelers a little negative padding.

nobody deserves to be fired more than jim mora. what he said showed such an egregious lack of judgment I'm surprised he wasn't fired on the spot.

Hey, but happy new year.

a more interesting and revealing article about Gregggg WIlliams is this: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?id=2672668

The Bills need to find a running back to challenge McGahee in his contract year. Be honest: Are you really that impressed with him considering what was sacrificed? (Time) The idea was to take the risk and give up the 1.5 years he'd need to be back to his 'old self', that is, when he was deemed by Miami to be Frank Gore's backup before Gore tore his ACL. So...I still remember the scene from the BB.com video that shows Donahoe asking Ralph if he wanted to take a good player or try to hit a home run. McGahee isn't a home run because his first step isn't explosive enough. We can all see it. Willis is a really good back, don't get me wrong, and I think with consistent gaping holes he could be a top 5 back in yards and TDs. He's a good blocker and a good guy and I want to be fair to him, but I don't think you can doubt that it takes him too long to get back to the line of scrimmage compared to more explosive backs. Travis Henry even has a better first two steps than Willis, although Willis is better after step 4 and is much better in space. Problem is, our holes aren't wide and they need to be hit faster than Willis is hitting them. I just don't think a 3.9 average rush in year 3 is hitting a home run, and I don't want to hear the 'first year offense' thing. That's not a valid excuse for YPC. Think of all the really impressive backs that were taken well out of the first round since then. Don't need to go through the list - there are about 15 backs more impressive than McGahee right now. More complete. Faster to the hole. Better receivers. Better jukers. There's a slight clumsiness to McGahee's game, too. I don't know if it's the big, slightly pigeon toed feet or what, but we're not seeing him bounce off of guys and maintaining balance and getting ridiculously tough yards. "Home run" yards. We're seeing him mainly knife down in congestion. He has nice fakes at near full speed in space but he doesn't have a lateral bounce at 1/3 or half speed that makes people miss. And the home run backs do. Or they're bowling balls with great balance. He's not that good in short yardage, either. In other words, I believe the Bills will look for a back on day 1 this APril, if there are any worthwhile. McGahee needs internal competition, and the Bills need a change of pace back who can do the things that Willis does not excel at. If you look at the god awful play of Phillip Rivers in the 2nd half of the season, and the Chargers' torrid pace in spite of it, it's clear (to me) that JP Losman needs a better supporting cast, and it starts at RB. Other than that one big run vs the Jets, what truly explosive plays has McGahee given us that any other starting back couldn't have delivered? We'll see. I don't think Willis is enough.

y'know, I'd almost rather see us finish 7-9 than finish 9-7 and be out of the playoffs watching 1, possibly 2 NFC teams finish 8-8 and enter the contest. almost. The NFL playoffs should be seeded. Easterbrook is DEAD ON http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...terbrook/061219

the league has an opportunity here to do what's right and send a message that will stop this sort of thing once and for all: suspend him for the remainder of the year. But they won't, it'll be a 20-game suspension. Why? Because Spacek wasn't carted off on a stretcher and is most likely only mildly concussed. But the RESULT of the action should be irrelevant. The ACTION should determine the punishment. If someone brings an axe out onto the rink and takes a swipe at someone's neck and only grazes them, should they get a 20 game suspension? It's intent that matters. This only differs from the Bertuzzi hit in that fortunately Spacek didn't fracture a vertebrae. That's the same kid that gave Connolly his first concussion by the way.

my understanding of it is that he missed half of camp, if not more, and has not been able to overtake KT at nickel. I think it has less to do with Ashton and more to do with the coaches liking KT and the chemistry he has right now.

At this point, we should all realize that mcgahee is a disappointment. He was supposed to be worth the wait, but schit, who wouldn't have preferred to take larry johnson in that spot? Yes, hindsight cliches. But still, willis is one of the WORST short yardage backs in the entire league.

If Coy Wire is going to be a LB for this team long term, we're in trouble. The guy has proven over a long period of time that he lacks instincts. He doesn't have anything 'special' about him other than a special teams role, where he has excelled. When has Coy stepped into a lane to pick off a pass? When has Coy made a clutch, key tackle in a critical situation to turn a game? In the 4 years he has been a Bill, I count zero on all these counts, which points to a guy that you make due with this year and release next year after a new draft and slate of free agency.

Thumbs up. So true, and this is just from watching the highlights they post on nfl.com

EOM other than to say Miami: Fuggem

I don't think there's a fan on this board that wouldn't want to see JP get traded to the chargers straight up for Rivers. Won't happen, but JP has shown me enough to know what kind of quarterback he is. He's Jake Plummer in an offense that won't let him run around and try to make plays. He's not very accurate (yet), doesn't see the field well (yet) and makes dubious decisions in critical situations (still). I like the kid, but I do believe we have enough data to confirm that he's not likely to ever be the kind of stud that can put the team on his back and win the game with his own vision and decisions, ala Manning, Brady, Elway, Kelly, etc.

He missed a go-ahead field goal which would have taken it down to 2 minutes, and the bills D would at least have had a shot. That's about as close to "game winning FG" as you get. ANd if you do win, that FG is considered the "game winning FG" I like Lindell and think he's a good kicker, but I don't like him in critical situations. I know that he has missed critical tying or critical strategic kicks in the past but there's no way that I'm going to go look them up. They exist.

I thought the playcalling was damn good. We played the BEST TEAM IN THE NFL AND HAD A CHANCE TO WIN with a few minutes on the clock and our non-clutch kicker blew it AGAIN. This loss is primarily on that missed kick. JP was mediocre at best but we had too much pressure from the right side to give him the time he needed to make the plays down the field.