SouthernMan

They entertaining. Ultimately, isn't that why we watch? Prior to Fitzpatrick taking the reins at QB, the Bills had been so frustrating to watch, primarily because of the constant 3 and outs on offense and the lack of a field general who could read defenses or make proper audibles at the line. It's refreshing to see actual offensive drives that eat up clock -just like the other pro teams we get to see in prime time games! Keeping drives alive is also keeping the defense fresh, making them more effective and reducing risk of injury. I think there is a lot of optimism going into the offseason. As much as the term "rebuilding" gets thrown around, I want to hear it used in the past tense - as in "built". If they can add 3 or 4 impact players through the draft and free agency, have continued growth from their surprise youngsters FAs, and maintain their current momentum, this could be a team in 2011 that will be thinking playoffs. If I'd said that just 2 short months ago, you'd have said I was delusional, but now it doesn't seem so crazy. But the short answer is that for the moats part, they're fun to watch.

I don't disagree that Gailey is doing a good job running the offense, but when you make statements like "evans, who is inconsequential" and "a div.3 RB" - it sounds like spin intended to bolster the argument. I don't think it's fair to minimize the talent based on current stats or humble beginnings. What does Jackson's Div III college career have to do with what he is today? Evans inconsequential? Maybe he's part of the reason Stevie has been open. Fred is not a division 3 RB. He's an NFL running back - and a damn good one. As far as those scrub WR go, Nelson and Jones, though overlooked in the draft, are showing they're "ballers". I think Nelson is just getting revved up. I predict he could be a star - a go to guy - if that endzone catch is any indication. Yeah, give Kudos to Gailey for utilizing his talent, but irregardless of the wasted high draft picks in recent years, someone in the Bills scouting ranks is doing a hell of a job finding men who want to play ball. It's puzzling how they can do so well in later rounds (Stevie, Kyle) and free agency, yet missing so badly on "sure thing" draft choices.

I've heard this a few times now - about Wilson saying he wants a QB. Ok, fine, but when did he say it? After week 2? An awful lot has changed since the end of September. One of the few times in recent seasons that the pleasant surprises have outweighed the disappointments. Fitzpatrick's command and leadership fall into the pleasant surprises category. Even though they've struggled to find that winning edge, the Bills have been a reasonably entertaining team this year. For us veterans who've been around for a while, it's hard not to see similarities to 1986, when the Bills, a 4-12 squad, showed signs of a team beginning to play like a team. Sure, the win-loss column still sucks, but there are signs of hope. Light at the end of the tunnel. David Nelson, Moats, Stevie, Donald Jones. Even though he's been a TSW whipping boy, you could make an argument that Kelsay, when put in proper position, has been effective. Whatever Wilson said two months ago might require some revision after a full season of analysis.

Every year there is some college QB that Saturday armchair college fans go nuts over, sure that they'll be the next Brady, Montana, Manning, etc. It's a crapshoot whether they'll have the same level of success in the NFL. A few do. More are disappointments. The Jets bent over backwards to get the greatest player ever - Mark Sanchez. Sanchez is decent enough for a 2nd year guy, by he's hardly elite. How's that Leinhart kid doing? David Carr? Akili Smith? Russell? Palmer, Shuler, Leaf, etc etc etc. I know I know.. "yeah, but Luck is special, dude".....whatever. The same college draftnik guys had the same confidence in that short list of busts. Luck may turn out to be great, but give it up already. The Bills won't be in a position to take him anyway. If they were, they should find a team to make a trade and parlay the pick into multiple first round choices. At least they'd double their chances of making a hit on an impact player. True, the Bills could whiff on the badly needed defensive front 7 player they need, but at least they should get immediate playing time. Using an early pick on a QB would be as foolish as the running back pick in 2010. Too many other needs.

I think it'll be an interesting measure of the Bills 2010 progress, having played the 3 divisional opponent in the first 4 weeks, and again in the final 3. Of course they lost all 3 of the early games, and were embarrassed badly by the Jets and Patriots. I think they could well beat the Dolphins next week if they're on their game. Patriots at home - doubtful. Bills will probably have their asses handed to them. Jets in NY? Doubtful also, but it would make this season all worthwhile if we could knock them out of the playoffs, or at the very least, alter their positioning so they'd have to play on the road. I'd like to see Fireman Ed have a heart attack right there in the stands.

Piss off!

I'm baffled by the constant talk and desire to use a high draft pick on a QB. If Fitz continues playing as he's shown he can, Quarterback is far from being a position on which a high pick should be used. Though the defense is picking up steam and playing better as a unit, they are still lacking in the level of talent that puts teams in the superbowl conversation. They're still the leagues worst run defense. The Bills are lacking at least 3 quality defensive starters. Fitzpatrick has something the Bills haven't seen since the days of Jim Kelly - a quarterback with very good game management skills. What he lacks in natural passing talent, he makes up for with smarts. His mobility, cool under pressure poise, toughness, and the respect he gets from teammates shouldn't be quickly dismissed either. And btw, his passing isn't too bad. He can be hot and cold with the accuracy at times, but overall, he gets the job done. If you had a $5000 home improvement budget, you wouldn't go out and buy all new carpet if the roof were leaking buckets of water, right? Most people would consider the roof a priority before they would think about other luxuries that depend on the roof for their longterm soundness. As a man in charge of the Bills draft, why on earth would you bypass available top defensive talent to draft a QB that probably wouldn't play much in 2011 (assuming there's a season). They already pulled that stupid move by taking Spiller when there were greater needs. Defense. BTW - speaking of....what's going on with T Troup, who was supposed to be a needed addition to the d-line for plugging the middle? Haven't seen much of him. What gives?

Big deal. So the guy got a little chip as he was running down the sidelines. You could look at it that he was on someone else's turf. Clearly, he was running down the out of bounds line. Stay in the field of play if you don't want to worry about anyone giving you a noogie. It's a tough game for tough men. Quit yer cryin' already.

Apparently the administrators don't have a sense of humor. Eugene has been "unfriended" on TSW. Odd, since there was nothing remotely offensive posted. Perhaps the topics just weren't "german" enough. We now return you to your regularly schedeuled discussion about uniforms, favorite Bill of all time, mock drafts that will be wrong 99.9% of the time, Flutie vs Johnson, and all the other topics that have been beaten to a pulp. The mock draft people can now return to playing with your Star Wars figures and Warcraft video games.

As I'm reading this, I'm thinking about the cat we had as kids named OJ, when I realized the kitten my wife got last year she named T.O. He's got a brother named Boo, who came along as part of the package deal. He doesn't have any tail, and in retrospect, we should have named him Maybin.

I don't normally follow college ball too much, but I just happened to watch this past week's SEC Champeenship to look specifcally at 2 players who are rated highly - Cam Newton and Fairly. As I watched Fairly, I kept thinking, "what's special about this guy?" He looked slow and easily worn down. My problem with college ball has always been the lack of balance in competition. Some weeks, the top ranked team will be playing the Crimson Tide, the next week, it's the UB Bulls. It's like any given NFL team playing one of those NFL Europe teams. Even on any top college team you're going to have future NFL Pro Bowlers lined up next to next year's midnight shift burger chefs. Maybe Fairly looks great against the former Kenmore West standouts, but I'd bet money he won't make much noise in the NFL. At least not if last week's effort against the Gamecocks is any indication of his talent level. Bust.

I was there for that Rams game. It was surreal. It was such a bleak December day that faded into evening that faded into that weird Monday. We went from manic swing of euphoria to shock and depression that one of our childhood idols had been so senselessly attacked and murdered. During the Dolphins game (against the Stillers I believe) Cosell came on with the news of the attack at the Dakota, with the report being Lennon was being rushed to Roosevelt Hospital. Shocked, yet still hope that it wasn't serious. Shortly after came the news nobody wanted to hear. Those were "strange days indeed. (Most peculiar mama)".

I kind of speculated on that in one my posts a week or two ago. I mean, it nearly defies logic that they whiff so badly on what should statistically be lower risk picks, yet find these hidden gems through FA and later rounds. My theory was that the high money guys, i.e. the high draft picks and proven players up for contract extensions, get fast-tracked to Ralph C Wilson and his Detroit mafia beancounters who make final decisions on the "important" picks. I can almost picture Jeff Littman playing eenie-meanie-miney-moe with his Pro Weekly draft guide turned to page 168.

Of course Joe makes the excellent point about the steals like K Williams, Fitzpatrick, Stevie, Fred. He could even include in that group Moorman or Lindell, with big potential youngsters David Nelson and Donald Jones thrown in. Of course the other "steal" was Peters, who turned into a steal by converting him into Eric Woods. How's Peters doing by the way. I thought someone mentioned he kind of sucks for the Eagles. Does he? Maybe the Bills should make it a yearly tradition to trade their first 1 or 2 picks for multiple choices in later rounds. Just think how good they could be then! We can only imagine what if had the Bills chose high picks other than Maybe, Hardly, Mike Wont-iams, L'inch, Lostman, McCargone, etc. I'd love to see the ledger sheet on how much money was wasted on those high picks over the course of their tenure in Buffalo. I didn't even go back as far as Rob Johnson and the millions wasted on him. Amazingly, they extended his contract and gave him more money! It's like they have a monkey pressing a button to make personnel decisions. Joe looks pretty good for a guy who's pushing 60.

I think in that Magic Johnson interview, Jimmy Kimmel hit the nail on the head. It was said in jest, but not far from the truth when he said that he believed the NFL liked to have L.A. as a chronic threat to existing teams. Basically a bargaining chip to get NFL cities to build new stadiums and so forth. A threat the NFL always has at the ready to keep their boys in line. L.A. is the Father Baker of the NFL for crissakes!

Just curious - what's the source for this rating? And if accurate, kinda sad that one of the Bill's biggest needs - OLB - doesn't even crack the top 10.

Glad you included "leadership". That is one thing that has been absent since Kelly the fair and balanced quarterback took the field. One more I might add is "consistency". Fitzpatrick's better than expected performances and contributions to the team have at least made this season bearable, and often entertaining. Now, the key will be maintaining that presence and using it as a springboard for further growth as a QB. Will he have some bad games? Of course. Every player does. But can he continue to be counted on to be "the guy", or will he be nothing more than a one year wonder? Time will tell. Another trait that may or may not have been mentioned previously - competitive spirit. For those of us who experienced the glory days of the late 80s and 90s, those were teams populated with players who hated to lose. Regardless of your love or hate of Flutie, that was one of his greatest traits. When I saw Rob Johnson, I never got the impression he really cared if they won or lost. My sense of Fitzpatrick is that he's a competitor - much like Jim Kelly. Luck of Irish - Part II?

The key word is "if". The next question is "why?" The answer is more talent on the field. The point is that the Bills don't curently have the personnel to overcome "terrible mistakes". All teams make mistakes throughout the season, but it takes the right combination of players and talent that can overcome them, as well as the poor officiating calls that have a tendency to sway games at the least convenient times. Good teams don't let those things get in their way. The Bills are still in the "close but no cigar" category. We can only imaging the "what if" if the Bills carried 3 or 4 high contributing players in place of the warm bodies that were early round picks, but now merely occupying roster spots. Instead, they'll be looking to fill those voids in the next couple of years through the draft and FA.

The answer to improvement is obvious - Defense. No such thing as a team even thinking about playoffs that can't stop the run. Two things - get a run stuffer or two and someone (maybe the same person) who can pressure the crap out opposing QBs. The Bills offense will improve. The O-line, while not spectacular, is serviceable and will get better through playing together and experience. Including the injured Parrish and Easley, the Bills will have a good stable of receivers. They have good running backs. If there is one place on offense that needs an upgrade and marquee performer, it's Tight End. One or two top flight linebackers and dominating a defensive end would nice. I want to say defensive tackle, but Williams is a presence to be reckoned with, and we still have an unknown commodity with the still learning Terrell Troup. Finding a way to stop the run has got to be the primary focus this coming offseason. If the Bills can solve that problem, 9-7 or better is realistic in 2011.

You are aware that he is now on the Jaguar's roster, right? I supported Edwards and thought he might have the "it" factor, but eventually the "it" was preceded with an "s" and an "h". So what if he went to Stanford. Assuming he's an intelligent guy doesn't necessarily mean he has the temperment to be a great QB. His big weakness was his inability to find open receivers downfield. Worse than that, he never had any confidence in his receivers that they could outmanuver the defenders, so unless they were WIDE OPEN (translation: the DB slipped and fell)Edwards was prone to dump it off to someone in the backfield for a 2 yard gain. I honestly don't believe that it can be coached into a player. They tried with Johnson, Losman, and even went so far as to use a frigging alarm clock in practice, attempting to fix Bledsoes timing. Edwards had his chance. He's through with the Bills and probably as an NFL player before long.

If bumper stickers, decals, car magnets are any indication, the Stillers have a huge following. Here in Atlanta, I see Stillers fans out on the road nearly every day. They have a huge following. Of course, maybe that just means that everyone left Pittsburgh! :-) Their success in recent years probably has a lot to do with it too. I guess all the 49er's [bandwagon]"fans" from the 80s and 90s had to go somewhere. But there is a very large fan base here, no doubt.

Wee-oo cots is right. The obvious: Fitzpatrick is a very intelligent player. Fitzpatrick does not have the same accuracy as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Not too many NFL QBs possess both qualities. Fitzpatrick has now started the equivilent of about 2 full seasons. He's still learning. Like Manning and Brady, he's becoming a clutch QB when it comes to the mental part of the game. He may never have an arm like theirs, but it's still decent enough. The "drop"....it doesn't get more perfect than that! The Bills have had their share or "arms" since Kelly. Ones that unfortunately didn't have the "mind" part to go along with it. Bledsoe, Losman, R Johnson and maybe Edwards - all had "cannons". What they all had in common was a lack of field vision and sense of timing/pressure. Johnson had the added characteristic of being a China doll. Flutie had the mental part fairly well, but was limited by his physicality and his lockerroom divisivness. When it comes right down to it, Fitzpatrick may be the best QB since Kelly. Pluses: His ability to read defenses and call audilbles,(coach on the field) Be a leader (well liked and respected by teammates) Not injury prone Not afraid to take risks (has faith in his receivers to make the play) He's mobile (nice to have a QB with wheels and brains) He's got guts (we've seen the blocks) And yes, more often than not, throws a decent pass. There are moments of erratic ball handling or passing, in part attributed to being rushed. An improved O-line might help that to some extent. Both Brady and Manning have thrown some bad passes when pressured and off balance. Good arms are great, but I believe the mental part is a more precious commodity. There are tons of great arms that never make it. There are the previously mentioned Bills castoffs, as well as others like Jeff George. Jeff George was basically the anti-Ryan Fitzpatrick. Bottom line: We've had the "arms". They didn't work out. Now we've got the smarts and an adequate arm to go along with it. If there was a scorecard for QB traits, Fitzpatrick would have a pretty damn good rating. Like Brees, who took about 3 years to blossom, Fitzpatrick may be just starting to show his true colors as the guy who can be our long term solution at the QB position. The one thing most sorely missed in recent times - he's an on-field leader. Fitzpatrick reminds me somewhat of the only other Bills QB to lead them to be league champions - Jack Kemp.

Agreed. I wasn't say "poor Bills getting screwed again". They did a lousy job all the way around. I can't for the life of me figure out how these supposed best of the best football officials miss such obvious infractions. It's ironic how quick some are to blow the whistle, such as was the case here and I think one from last week also. Then there's the Shawn Nelson thing where he's being given the mosh pit treatment for what seemed like 15 seconds, until enough Ravens got into the scrum to pry the ball away. No whistle - no problem. I think inconsistency it what drives us mad.

I browsed through some of the posts but didn't see any mention of the piss-poor officiating. Not so much bad calls as it was missed calls. The Bills defense was being conspicuously blocked and tackled from behind on a regular basis without much notice from the officals. On the Rothlisberger 18 yard first down run, one of the Bills defenders (Maybin?) was blocked in the back, knocked to the turf, and then as if that wasn't enough, the blocker laid across the top of him to slow any recovery and make sure he was out of the play. The Bill defender would have been in good position to stop Big Ben, so it wasn't a non-relevant non-call. Of course there was the Dwan Edwards bent in half injurious dirty block - no call. Calls were bad both ways. The holding call, I believe on Kemoeatu against Kyle Williams was questionable, and somehow the officals totally missed Williams grabbing the facemask on the way to the ground. And can anyone tell me why the whistle was blown when Byrd stole the ball? I thought the spot on the Fitzpatrick 1 yard sneak was bad also. He clearly advanced forward, and yet it seemed the ball was spotted a few inches further back than where the play started. No first down - missed it by that much! ???? Any similar thoughts?

Got me thinking on that one. I don't know what Hardy's salary was, but as a high 2nd rounder, I gotta think at least 3 million each year, right? 10 receptions at that salary comes out to $600,000 per catch. So, for the average shmoe making $50k per year, it would take him 12 years to equal the earnings from a single James Hardy reception. That's 12 years of stress from a-hole clients, a-hole co-workers, a-hole bosses, thousands of semi coherent emails, half of which are nothing more than cya CC emails, BS phone calls, traffic jams, crappy hotels, diversity seminars, etc. 12 friggin years of those headaches for the same $$ Hardy earned from catching a single pass. There is no god.