Bill from NYC

Any list that does not include Andy Levitre is bogus. Andy makes the same $615.00 in 2012. He isn't far from being the best guard in the NFL. SJB could be describing Levitre in his post above. He doesn't pancake too many people, but he does it all. He has good technique on running plays, and left tackle feet and balance on passing downs, in a passing league. And, he has proven to be both versatile and durable. Any money spent on him would be well spent, and it will be hard to keep him. They can slap the inexpensive franchis tag on Btrd. No problem. But guards get lumped in with OTs, so the tag would be very costly wrt Levitre. I know it ain't my money, but if it was, I would offer him a 40 plus million dollar contract for 6 years, to include a 15 or 20 million dollar signing bonus before he hits free agency. He is not far from being the best player on this team, and probably IS the most reliable.

I think that a bit of patience is in order. Whitner, in one of the most stupid moves I have ever seen, was drafted at #8. Levy turned down "multiple trade offers" to select him. Then, he held out. When he arrived in town, he had a domestic incident. He made a fortune, was a big mouth, and was so-so at best. He only looks ok now because of who is in front of him. Imo, Bills fans are entitled to be a bit hostile toward Whitner. That said, I hope it didn't hurt so much when he was tasered.

I'm with you. And I rarely if ever predict wins, but I am feeling one this week. The DL looked better, the Colts were riding on emotion (the head coach is sick), their team isn't good, and their very good qb is a ROOKIE, There is every opportunity for a win. So, I'm thinking that we will win this, and other games, and then blow an opportunity and not make the playoffs. Then, we will look towards the draft. We will do research, watch bowl games, youtube, etc. And, in April we will draft a db in the first round. Or no later than the 2nd. Btw, if I sound bitter, I don't mean too. Frustrated? Yes. I used to get much more angry. Now, I roll with it much more. But I will never give up. Never. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Imo, we need NE to win. They are going to make the playoffs. Period. For the Bills to have a glimmer of hope, they need the Jets and other marginal teams to lose.

Imo a move like this is more possible than many would believe. It would cost more than a 1st round pick. Perhaps 2, but it would instantly sell thousands of tickets. Now, would Rivers help in terms of football games? My guess is that he would be likely to win us 1 more game per season. MAYBE 2. But let the buyer beware. SD would not offer him to us unless there were problems imo. He disrespects his coach on national tv, and who knows if his skills are declining? Really, is any team shopping a very good qb since the rule chnges? Is Houston going to trade Schaub for 1st round picks? While we are at it, would Bellichick trade Mallett if he is in game shape and mentally fit? I suspect not. So, imho, Nix would have to ask himself what would win more games.....Rivers or 2 first round picks, ticket sales notwithstanding. But again, I wouldn't quickly discount the possibility of a deal like this simply because of the business aspect. Jmo.

Today's Moment of Faith: Message in a bottle found by Plattsburgh woman: Go Yankees I hope that we can gather up some karma and beat the Colts. I don't want to hex us, but I think we can win. These kids deserve it, and so do we. PS: I didn't write this. My daughter found it for me. I struggle enough with my , "thoughts." LOL GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In terms of style, I liken Spiller to a mixture of Sanders and Emmitt Smith. Every back is obviously at his best with big openings. Smith hit the hole as fast as anyone, and his OL was SO good that he often wasn't touched at all until he had run 5 yds (not necessarily from scrimage). Think about Spiller running right when he has a big opening. Someone with his speed explodes through holes and into space, where he is at his best. Plus, he and Smith both could block some. And, Spiller is now clutching the ball to avoid fumbles. Spiller has exceptional moves ala Sanders, but not quite as amazing. Only a few can be mentioned in the same breath as Sanders in terms of moves, to include Gale Sayers and yes, OJ. Then, there are the long striding speedsters. This would describe Dickerson and Peterson. Let's not forget the bruisers with outside speed. Franco Harris and Chuck Muncie come to mind, as well as a young John Riggins. The best at SEEING a hole and getting through it was our own Thurman Thomas. At his size and speed, he had no business putting up his numbes,but he did, because he could see creases to run through as they were developing. Although he was before my time, I suppose Jim Brown was the best ever in terms of being able to do anything and everything. Sorry to ramble, but in any event, Barry and Spiller are not quite the same style imo.

Good post Doc. I do however wish to make the point that given a choice, I would rather walk past a crowd of people smoking in a designated area than have someone assault a family member, smash into my car, puke on me, throw things at me, or attack me physically. THIS is where I see the hypocrisy of the system. But as you say, cash is king. They are not about to ban beer any time soon.

I always considered Pears better against the run than Hairston, giving Hairston an edge wrt pass protection. Hairston is far more agile, and this is why is does fairly well on the left side. That said, Wake is a good player. He has 37 sacks since 2009, with 9.5 coming this season alone. Obviously, he is hard to stop. In all, Hairston would seem more suited to play against Wake. What one would have hoped for from Pears is that he perhaps could have punished him physically on some running downs and taken some wind out of his sails. But remember, I am more fond of Pears than most posters seem to be. http://nyjetscap.com...Pears, Erik.php This is what I found wrt his contract. IF he can get healthy, I have zero problems with the deal.

I was just kidding re the smoking ban. It was/is utter hypocrisy. As for the booze, this is something that is still "in," but not by much. You can buy 24 ounce cans of beer for less than 2 dollars, so this is a prime area for the insuance companies to lobby their friendly radicals from both parties to step in and place HUGE taxes on it. They won't have widespread bans just yet, because politicians themslves are some of the biggest boozers. But it's going to happen, and not to worry.....soon weed will be legal (this too is "in), and the government will make, (and probably squander) billions of dollars on this as well. Strange days indeed. Can I take this to mean that you favor banning the use of alcohol at games, and in all parking lots?

Perhaps his tone was a bit harsh, but the content made sense . A 5 year old would have school the following day, and yes, people were getting plastered.Night games are not an appropriate setting for a 5 year old; Is this something new, or of importance?

Didn't the smoking ban serve to eliminate bad behavior?

It wasn't one of their better performancess, but times have changed. Not too long ago, this would have been considered a superior outing. From what I could see, Hairston had rough time. He had his hands full with Wake. Wood and Levitre played well, and it's a pleasure to watch Glenn develop. It really is. Again (and I'm not sue why), it's hard for me to see the RGs on television when they aren't pulling. and trust me, I try. As I pointed out, Wood might have saved the game by pouncing on Jones' fumble. This indicates all out effort. Remember, all too recently our OL lacked talent AND effort. And, they were playing without Pears, who is a very good run blocker. This partially would explain Spiller getting much of his yardage on his own. The offensive line on the Buffalo Bills is something that no longer is a concern to me, providing we keep Levitre, and of course stay healthy. I never thought I would be able to type those words.

Chandler isn't a blocking TE. He merely looks like one, much like Sam Adams wasn't a nose, but he looked like one. Chandler's assets are his ability to get open, and his hands. His size works for him in the end zone.

McKelvin is a legit home run threat on every kick. If he had better vision in terms of seeing openings, he would probably break touchdown records. Meanwhile, when he gets through an opening, he is virtually impossible to catch. It's a thrill to watch him return kicks, although I admittedly hold my breath in terms of fumbles.

My complaints about the draft is that the way we have drafted, year after year, has not produced wins. But this probably belongs in another thread.

Yes, Dareus and KW really did make things rough for Tannehill. Dareus was doubled on a majority of plays and stll held the middle, and KW played his penetrating game. WRT the open receivers, McKelvin is not a very good corner. Gilmore? I guess I will stay with the party line that he is just a rookie, but I want to see more production given where he was drafted.

1) A great poster on this board who isn't around these days constantly made the case that DT was the most important position on the defense. Not sure if I agree, but his words rang true last night. Dareus was in game shape, and along with Kyle Williams, disrupted the Miami offense all night. Carrington also blocked a pass. 2) His excellent first half notwithstanding, that pick by Byrd was a thing of beauty. He was fully extended and just made that pass his. 3) The punt to the one yard line was an instrumental play in this game. Big time kudos to Powell. 4) Speaking of key plays, my money says that if Wood didn't recover Jones' fumble, we would have found a way to lose this game. Imo, plays such as these are indicative of just how hard a player works to win a football game. Well, Wood hustled and went down for the football, and I for one sincerely appreciate big time effort such as this. 5) OK, so the win was less than inspirational, but check it out.....going into the season, didn't we expect wins such as this? Other than San Jose Bills Fan, not too many of us were sure of what we had at LT. Fitz is Fitz, and there were issues at WR. We knew this, but they DID spend a fortune on the defense. In other words, I'll take it, blowout or not. 6) Speaking of Fitz, he scared me all night. His stats were actually not so bad, and he had a clutch first down run, but he was once again forcing throws. But, we won!!!!! After Kelly, none of our QBs had a whole hell of a lot of wins in games that they started. To put this in perspective, Edwards had more than Losman. At this point I will take the W. 7) Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know Feels like it might be alright While Lady Lullaby sings plainly for you, Love still, rings true Midnight on a carousel ride, Reaching for the gold ring, Down inside Never could reach, It just slips away, But I try. 8) OK, it's fun time. Yep, time to discuss the play of our DEs. Mario had one sack, consistent pressure, and held his side quite well vs. the run. Too bad Moore had that facemask, because he too played well. MERRIMAN? Hello? On one play, he had not one, but TWO brutal hits on Long, an all pro. Is it possible that he is actually back in shape, ready to produce? Because if he is, the Bills DL is going to be awfully dificult to throw against. It's one of those things that looks too good to be true. Fingers crossed. 9) Well, Spiller stepped up today, and handled his increased number of snaps quite well. Once again, he also blocked when called upon, and held onto the football. He paid the price too. Much of that yardage came after contact. 10) Gailey's play calling continues to astound me at times. Late in the 2nd quarter, he went with a naked backfield on 3rd and 1. Why? I thought it was 2 down territory. 11) I know that the outcome of this game disappointed the "lose out and draft early" crowd. And while I understand, count me as one who is down with winning football games, however ugly. We have to get a quarterback no matter where we draft. Tannehill, a #8, might be good, and while I need to see much more of him to rate him, I wasn't very impressed. Sanchez went 6th as I recall, and isn't all that. Yeah, I would rather win football games and hope for the best. 12) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The truth is, your position is now extremely hard to dispute, given the rule changes. Tell me if you will, was Schaub trded before or after the rule changes? He is easily a top 10 qb. EASILY. Before the rule changes, he might not have survived. Chris Chandler (remember him?) would have led teams to the superbowl (well, he did this once) if he was protected the way qbs are today.Players now are fined huge money for illegal hits on the qb. And, they are no longer allowed to blast receivers over the middle, evn on incompletions. You still need to block for these guys, and now we can. If the OL stays together, it will probably get even better. And we can run successfully, which will always matter, especially in Buffalo. But the bottom line is that today, there is little chance of real success without a top 10, or perhaps top 12 qb. The 49ers might be an exception, but this is only one example. The rule changes have impacted the game just that much.

I want more from Dareus. He really did look like he was sucking wind midway through the second quarter. And they substituted for him quite a bit. On one of the long runs up the middle, Spencer Johnson was in, and he over-pursued. We drafted Dareus to prevent this stuff. He did make a play or 2 in the second half but my expectations are much higher for a #3 overall pick. Wrt Glenn, he is a rookie. I'm not worried about him. He hasn't even been a LT for a long time and is still learning. But his potential is limitless.

1) On the TD catch by Gronkowski late in the 2nd half, he was being covered by Kyle Moore. We need to take a closer look at this. Gronkowski, like him or hate him, might wind up in the Hall of Fame. He might even wind up as the best TE ever. Wanny had him covered by a defensive end. Consider this post a call for the NY State Troopers to escort Wanny out of the state of NY. He just won't stop with this insame scheme, and should be fired this second. He should have been fired weeks ago. 2) Donald Jones was amazing today. I saw two fully extended catches. If the Bills had a legit burner, Stevie, and now Jones, would reach amazing heights. Yes, I know about the qb issues all too well, but these guys can play. 3) Is anyone waiting for me to blast Spiller? Here ya go.....he was flat out amazing today imo. Much of the yardage he gained was on his own. And, he had the football sense to get out of bounds when he had too. Want more? With 11:40 left in the 4th qtr., he threw an amazing block which allowed Fitz to complete a pass. He caught passes and ran very well. He gave it all he had, and I was 100% impressed by both his production, and even more important, his effort. 4) Glenn had a rough outing. He's just a kid, and coming off an injury, but he allowed sacks and had some very ill-timed penalties. But, I think that he is a player, or at least will be one. 5) Lets shift to corners, shall we? McKelvin wasn't all that, but he was actually better than A. Williams. As many problems as the corners had, I think that they were actually not as bad as they would have been with Williams on the field. Gilmore? Sorry, I am not so impressed. 6) "Walk out of any doorway, feel your way, feel your way, like the day before. Maybe you'll find direction, Around some corner where it's been waiting to meet you. What do you want me to do, to watch for you while you are sleeping? The please don't be surprised, when you find, Me dreaming too." 7) Poor Fitz. He really had a great game, until that last pass. He btw had all the time he needed, and there was no reason to force that throw. 8) Darues? He looks to be out of shape. He was out of gas by the middle of the 2nd quarter. He helped out on the one sack, but he, imo, played a horrible game. 9) 14 penalties for 148 yards points to a team that lacks coaching and discipline. There is no other direction to look. 10) I was lucky enough to watch the game today with some of the greatest people on earth. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that my fellow Bills fans on this board were also as lucky. 11) We need a linebacker on this football team other than Barnett. I always was a fan of his, but he cannot cover Wes Welker. This is what he had to do several times. I can't stress enough how poorly this defense is coached. 12) Sure, the season is over, but in a weird way, I feel as if we accomplished something today. Is this insane? If I was one who wagered, I would bet on us to destroy Miami. Even if Dareus is shot (not sure he is), Carrington was trying hard today. Kyle Williams gave it his all as well. Mario at least played the run well. And the offense was as good as we would have a right to expect. In any event, I accept the fact this particular comment might not make sense. But I'm hanging in there because I really do love this football team, and being a Bills fan. This will never, ever change. And I extend my thatks to all of you for staying with this team, and yes, indulging my posts. 13) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost every qb can throw 50 or 60 yards with no problem. What matters most (imo) is what the ball is doing for the last 5 yards. On his deep throws, especially the 52 yarder, the receivers have to slow down to make the catch. He missed out on TDs because he couldn't hit the receiver in stride.

Not to overly defend Nix, but Urbik and Hairston are, "good." And I'm in the minority here, but imo a healthy Pears is at the very least an adequate RT. As for Dareus, Bills fans are depressed enough. Let's not eliminate the possibility that he can return to form. I am a HUGE Bama fan, and have been one for many decades. McCarron is a nice kid, but count me as one who is officially off the McCarron bandwagon. I don't think that he has enough of an arm, which is a shame, because he does have everything else.

Thanks so much!!! I didn't do so bad, but a few of my friends got hit very hard. What we now need is gasoline, and I can't understand the delay.

You nailed it. The truth is that Bell looked good when compared to Greg Jerman, an aging John Fina, etc. And, people hated Peters for how he held out, and were happy to see him go despite how good he was. Bell, whie agile, was weak. He did, as I recall, 9 reps with 225 at the combines. Corners do this amount. And btw I never believed his listed weight. He was small, and constantly injured. But on our team, he was better than anyone we had (other than peters) for a decade or more. We were too busy drafting RBs and DBs in round 1o take a LT or QB, except for the horror show that was JP Losman.