Bill from NYC

I agree, but Fitz and SJ had the very big (imo) advantage of working out together as second stringers. Fitz is VERY smart, and I am positive that Fitz taught SJ a few things. And, they used this time to develop a chemistry. We might be in for a rough year offensively, but it would have been rough with or without Lee Evans. This is not to say I like the trade, but they have greater needs than wideout.

I am not one to chastise disgruntled fans. Coach Tuesday makes an excellent point in this thread. Many are frustrated not just because of losing. Losing for the same reasons is tough to take for almost 2 decades. That said, the defense looks like it will be a strong one if they can stay healthy. I hope the offense can keep the ball and give them a rest.

1) The numbers might not suggest anything great, but I got good vibes from Fitz. Obviously, we need him to stay in one piece. 2) You can say that this was only preseason. Go ahead, tell me the Bears have a poor OL. That said, Merriman is for real. I know what I saw, and this man is going to wreak havoc. We all knew he was fast, but he was completely agile and he hits like a truck. Now, can he get hurt? Yes. Can he stop caring? I suppose. But as we speak he is a double digit sack man. Again, I know what I saw. 3) The first team OL had no real push. Once again, Levitre was the best of all of them. 4) The backup OL made me want to cry. Wrotto is weird. He sure is big enough to play RT, but he looked totally out of shape. Did anyone else notice that he looked as if he didn't have the wind to finish plays? 5) I don't like gadget players, but our best one is going to be Brad Smith imo. That's right, better than Spiller. We shall see. 6) Dareus looked great. It was his FIRST GAME and he was all over the place. Now HE is in shape! That's all I got folks. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not see the game, but I cannot understand the above. How could he look "decent" on pass protection if he was pushed back?

Batten and Easly were seriously injured. If either makes the team and contributes, this would be an amazing, wonderful scebario. Spiller is a gadget player. Expecting much from him is a reach imo, and I hope I am wrong. He was quite simply a very stupid draft selection. Carrington and Troup are our best hopes imo. Both of them have a chance to be good football players. They are big, strong kids and I am optimistic about them. If even one of them can play, it would help us a great deal. We might actually have a respectable defense. The offense is another story. Our running backs appear to be suspect, as does our receiving corps. The OL is a putrid, sub-par mess. I like Fitz more than most but he has just so little to work with. If we catch a break and some of our second year players develop, I am thinking that we can win as many as 6 or 7 games.

Have you changed your position on this issue KTFBD? When the Bills drafted Spiller you shot down the notion of the call being made froom upstairs. In any event, I agree with you this time. Although not as upset by the trade as are many, it would seem that they could have waited for a team to lose a receiver due to injury, and perhaps have picked up a 3rd. My hope is that one of the kids turns out to be good so they need not waste another first round pick on a flashy skill player.

I still wish we would have signed him over McKelvin. He was a guard in college and KC moved him to LT. And, he is certainly better than any of our OTs.

This is an unfair comment imo. Many here are incensed by the changes wrt the lots, but in favor of the smoking ban. Are you going to take them to task as you did OC? I have parked in Lot 1 for the last 17 years and am not affected by these changes. But, I sympathise with those who are. I think that they are being victimized, squeezed and villianized. Tailgates by themselves are not money producers. Brandon would much rather sell you a 12 dollar beer than have you enjoy one of your own. Jmo, but I see a danger in a smug jackass like Brandon costing WNY their franchise. He is taking some of the fun out of the game day experience, and this means a lot to fans. You see, this team sucks. And, I am talking long term. Yet fans like me still attend games for 17 consecutive years. It's great to get together with friends and have a beer in the lot. At the rate we are going, this will be a thing of the past. Brandon should be fired for this mess, and his role in the way that the team is simply awful.

Are you sure of this? Not one stadium in America has a designated smoking area? This would make RWS the very last stadium to do so. I rather doubt this.

Brandon taking "fun" away from fans! You don't say! As I predicted in the other threads, soon there will be no tailgates at all. There would seem to be no gain from allowing fans to cook food that they didn't buy from the Bills. Same thing wrt alcohol. And, how long before tobacco is banned in all lots? Brandon should be fired immediately. He is an abject failure. Please, name me 1 thing this man has done for the franchise, other than contribute to building a losing team and taking away rights of fans.

John, with ALL due respect, Jennings was a fine LT on the rare occasions he was healthy. He was signed away from us as a UFA for big bucks because of this. Jennings was as agile as Bell, and he was also bigger and much stronger. Remember, he played RT for a while and was a good player there as well. Apologists have been praising Bell for years now but he doesn't produce. We all hope that he does turn into a prominent LT but reality should tell us that the odds are slim. He isn't a kid. Our friend Badolbilz coined the phrase, "Jennings ala cart" because he was often injured and getting carted off the field. Bell appears to be to small, injury prone, and weak to be a dominant LT. And as you certainly know, dominant LTs are a good thing.

He mentions Spiller as a good receiver. I hope he is right, but last season he caught 24 for a 6.5 average, and 1 touchdown.

You are right. I have been refusing to face this issue for years.

Maybe he should have mentioned something before the draft. Did a seemingly minor injury to Bell make him suddenly realise that we are weak at OT? Everybody else seemed to know.

He probably will, I agree. But, at some point the Bills will have to make a decision whether he is big, strong, or durable enough to be counted on to play this very important position. He is given a lot of room because he is admittedly quite agile, and he is paid pennies. Bell has enabled the Bills to spend the big bucks on defensive backs, Spiller, etc. I think that if McKinnie is healthy, they should sign him today. Jmo.

Agreed. I was thinking the same thing.

I think that you and I are almost on the same page. I am full of praise for Buddy in terms of how he has devoted resources to the DL. Where I differ is your last sentence. In 2001, Steve Hutchinson (a guard) was drafted 17th. His teammate, Jeff Backus (a decent Left Tackle) was drafted 18th. http://www.drafthistory.com/years/2001.html I would much rather have Hutch on my team. My point is that IF there is a blocker out there who is going to protect your QB and open holes for the running game, you take him whether he is a LT, RT, OC or OG. Jon Runyon was a 4th round pick, but he was a great RT. His teams went to the playoffs and superbowl all the time. I make the case that if Runyon was picked in the first round, he would have been a worthwhile selection. As for RBs, it's easy to get one later in the draft. And, much of their success depends on the people up front. I hope Spiller is a superstar, but he is going to need blocking.

Actually, the above is laughable. Without good blocking, backs will not be successful. Drafting Spiller was putting the cart in front of the horse. But you know that right? Our record indicates that mistakes were made, as does our signing of yet another situational player.

Honestly, no. Nothing points to me and tells me that Spiller, even with good stats, is what the Buffalo Bills Football Team needs in order to win football games. Parrish, another gadget player, was our first pick of a draft. McKelvin was a #9. Lee Evans, a one trick pony, was a wasted pick as well in terms of when he was drafted imo. Spiller, a #9, sucked last season. His blocking hasn't improved and he is said to be stupid. What logical reason do either of us have have to think that he will be an impact player? Coach, I very respectfully urge you to remember that we did this before, in terms of building a defense. Butler/Wade concentrated heavily on defense. They signed Big Ted and Bryce. I make the case that they were both superstars for a period of time. But, the team didn't fully click because of players such as Ostroski and Fina. Do our current blockers really not remind you of these guys? The right side is stiff and Bell, like Fina, is agile but weak and undersized. In other words, nothing new. When the Bills decide to get strong and talented on both sides of the line, they will win football games. Until then, they will lose football games. Jmo.

It does, and I appreciate this. If you recall, I have often praised the 2010 draft other than the Spiller selection. If Carrington and/or Troup can play, this will mean a ton to this football team. Wrt Spiller, I am aware that he was highly rated. But, I am guessing that they could have traded down. Then, Bulaga would have been a steal. Marv could have traded down instead of taking Whitner. This year, Nix said that he had trade down offers in every round. I would have loved a trade down in round 2, but that's over and we will see what happens. My hope is that Nix will do as you said above for the offense. If he does, the Bills will be a good football team. Clabo and Boss would have helped a lot imo. It's a shame we missed out on these guys because again, imo they would have won us a coupe of games.

Exactly. Along those lines, I make the case that the 2006 draft was the biggest setback this team suffered since I have followed them. They drafted Whitner, spurned trade offers, and gave up picks for McCargo. They walked into that draft with the #8,a 2nd, and 2 early thirds on day one. They walked away with Whitner, McCargo and Youboty. Then they took Ko Simpson early in the 4th. So yes, I agree. It's not only about who you get. Who you pass up on counts too. We did get Kyle Williams in the 5th that season, and he is obviously a fine player. Still, this draft was stocked with very good players that we desperately needed, and we wound up with, for the most part, garbage. I agree John, but I submit that the Spiller selection was ill advised, and at the very least gave the impression of more of the same. The BPA philosophy about which you speak is sound indeed.....AFTER a team has a solid foundation. Jmo.

Look, that is a freeaking funny screen name!!! One who can play?

This is very sad news. 16 million? This is peanuts. We are talking about a big, strong tight end who could have helped cover our weakness at both OT positions. Oh well, what else is new?

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-08-02/nfl-power-poll-eagles-may-rule-offseason-but-packers-still-team-to-beat I for one disagree. They think the problem is at QB. I just don't think that Fitz is that bad and hope that he lasts the season.