gobillsinytown

Three words: Billy - Joe - Hobert. Because he's more mature now.

I'd hate to be a team scout in the NFL. There's so much pressure to predict whether a guy can play or not, and everyone has to rely on your predictions based on what you see in a few game films and in the stands. Generally though, how a D or O lineman translates to the NFL depends on: 1. How he responds to the speed of the game. It's a big upgrade. In college, he's playing against maybe 4 or 5 NFL caliber players in any given game. In the NFL, everybody's big, strong, fast and smart. A lineman's responsibilities in the NFL are a lot more complicated. 2. How he responds to an NFL weightroom. A lot more challenging than college. 3. How his body responds to the increased tempo and hitting. 4. Most important, how his mind responds to the speed and complexity, and the distractions of the NFL lifestyle. There's no team assistant keeping him straight, and what he does on his own time is up to him, so long as it doesn't affect his play.

There's no questioning Willis' determination. VERY few people come back from the kind of knee injury he had and still be able to play, let alone walk without a limp. That being said, Willis is young and hopefully will learn to think before he says anything to a reporter. The "I'm the best runniing back" statement was taken out of context, but that's what reporters do. So here's hoping he will learn to be careful what he says. He is a great athlete and will be a good one provided he gets a line to run behind. This is the ultimate team sport, and any running back, Barry Sanders or not, needs a good line.

I just want the Patriots to go away. I hope the Colts beat them by 7000 points. Why? Because I just can't take anymore Brady and Brucshi wankfests.

Oh no............I feel a blasphemy coming up from the depths of my cold heart..........I don't think I can keep it in.................................... "SCREW TEDDY BRUSCHI! I HOPE HE GETS A RASH ON HIS HEROIC ASS!!!" There. I feel better.

The guy makes some good points, but what does he know of Ralph's finances? In fact, does anyone really know how much Ralph is worth? I'm not saying he's poor, because an owner has to have at least a certain amount of money to get into the "club", but I doubt Ralph's finances are out there for everyone to see. That being said, I think Ralph's reluctance to hire "name" coaches comes from bad experience. The last "name" coach Ralph hired was Chuck Knox and we all know how that went. Ralph might think that "name" coaches are the result of hype and of other ownes paying more than they should. Here's another thing: If all the owners are hiring "name" coaches all the time, how does a bright assistant coach with a lot of potential get a chance to prove himself? At one point, all of the "name" coaches were assistants. Ralph might be considered cheap by some, but would anyone, including the guy who wrote the article, want to pay someone for doing nothing? My only doubts about Ralph and Marv are their age (it's a fact that won't go away) and their ability to adapt to a changing league.

As much as I love Ralph and Marv, I don't know how open they'll be to change. The league's changed a lot since Marv has been involved and I don't know if he can adapt. Both Ralph and Marv and in superior physical condition and of course are very bright. But all this sounds like Ralph not wanting to bring "outsiders" into the organization who might challenge his mindset. Who was the last "big name" coach that Ralph brought in? Chuck Knox. I think Ralph's had a bad taste in his mouth ever since. At least some change was made. I also can't imagine Marv having to deal with contract negotiations and the more "business-type" stuff that the GM has to put up with. In Buffalo he focused only on coaching. Guess we're going to find out one way or the other.....

I say trade down also. The lower the better and get extra picks in the lower rounds if possible. Top ten draft picks are pricey and there's a higher chance of the dreaded bust.

...watch Ralph bring in that Todd Collins guy that just "resigned" in Cleveland. But wait! Then we'd have the Bills cheerleaders wearing uniforms that exposed a boobie!

Good point......and I can't imagine JP being any cockier than say, Jim Kelly when he was a rookie or 2nd year QB

....as a former Buffalonian now living in Youngstown, I would love to see Tressel as head coach, but unlikely. As far as the "crooked" aspects of his coaches or himself......it's all about winning. Tressel isn't doing anything every other major college (or small college for that matter) doesn't do to attract the best players. The difference between Tressel and other coaches is that he's smart and practical about it and doesn't get caught. I also think he's pretty clean compared to the excesses at some of the other major colleges across the country. Besides, the NCAA has got to be one of the most hypocritical organizations ever created.

Here's a quick exerpt from "profootballtalk.com": "....a strong turnaround after a bad start in 2004 saved him, but unfulfilled expectations in 2005 have come home to roost, so Donahoe is out after five seasons on the job. We've yet to hear whether this means that coach Mike Mularkey also will go..............but there's a chance Mularkey will get another year to prove himself, especially since there will be so many other open jobs to fill and not enough high-end coaches available" BTW, this is a great site that's pretty accurate and has a great sense of humor.

You know, you're right! I now wish I had never been to all those playoff games in the 1990's, and especially that game against Houston.......we were just going to lose in the long run anyway.

....anybody remember what happened to Chad Pennington? He kept playing with a similar type of injury when he shouldn't have, and now there's some question as to whether he'll be able to ever play again. The rotator cuff is critical for a QB to do anything. I think they're sitting JP because he has a tendency to put his body in harm's way when he shouldn't. It's out of a desire to win, but at this stage in the season why risk it.

Actually, it's more important that your team does better in the lower rounds than in round one, and that's where talent evaluators and the position coaches who develop them earn their pay. That's how the Bills of the 90's and the Patriots of this decade were able to stay successful. And that's especiially true in the salary cap era, where a premium is placed on developing lower round scouting.

If by "Take" they meant "Takeo", then they are inbred mutant morons from the bottom of the Ohio river. Ragging on a player who's suffered a significant injury is truly lame.

I think it's a combination of: age, lack of support from the other D-Line players, and a change of scheme forced by the loss of Pat Williams. Sam's a much better player when he's playing more of a pure DT as opposed to the hybrid-sort-of NT position that he plays now. Unfortunately it's been by necessity rather than by design. I don't know if he'll be here next year as age is catching up to him and his attitude has soured on MM.

I looked at the game stats and Clements led the team in tackles. I'm not saying this makes him great corner, but based on the stats it looks like he may have been more involved in run support today. I don't think he's an elite corner and he definitely needs to keep his mouth shut, but it's hard to tell from an individual game how good a player is.

I think top five is more of a risk because of the money involved, and because it seems that top five picks seem to hav a higher underachiever potential. But ultimately, it's more important what the team does with rounds 2 through 5 that make the difference, and I think if we're one of the first teams picking in those rounds, the better.

Here's the text: "Wilson’s choice to succeed Donahoe may already be on the staff in Buffalo, with assistant GM Tom Modrak, the ex-GM of the Eagles, arguably the top candidate available. Word is Modrak would be more likely to keep head coach Mike Mularkey (Donahoe’s second head-coaching hire with the Bills) than if someone from outside the organization were brought in. We hear Wilson, who at 87 wants to win sooner rather than later, would also not be averse to bringing in a big-name GM such as Ron Wolf, who is reportedly interested in returning to the NFL for the right price (including a piece of team ownership) and the opportunity to further his son’s career in the NFL. (Eliot Wolf is employed as a pro personnel assistant with the Packers.) Word is Wilson has been unhappy with the direction of the team since this past April’s draft, questioning the wisdom of Donahoe’s decision to select WR Roscoe Parrish with the Bills’ top pick (a second-round choice) and then following up that pick by selecting TE Kevin Everett in the third round when the Bills had more pressing needs along the offensive and defensive lines after the free-agency departures of OLT Jonas Jennings and DT Pat Williams."

The good news is that the auctions are for charity, so if I had the bucks I wouldn't mind getting one. Some of the jerseys are pretty bizarre, like: Jason Elam game jersey, Ray Roberts, Todd Collins (?!)

Mortensen's repliies indicate to me that he's on the defensive. And as far as Ralph not being able to find someone "qualified", I guess maybe he shouldn't have taken a chance on that unknown Bill Polian guy. Besides, I doesn't matter who is in the GM and HC offices. In the NFL, it's win and you're in. Lose.............

You could put Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders in their primes behind this line and it still wouldn't matter. In pro football, the best team wins. This is why the Patriots have had their dynasty. Bellicheck has been a master at building great teams out of good but not great talent. Last year, they were able to put a WIDEOUT in the secondary and still win.

Neither one is going to be effective behind this O-Line. Neither would Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, or Brett Farve. NFL football is the ultimate team sport and if one part of the team isn't performing, the rest of the team falls apart. Get a decent O-Line in front of Losman and he will do well, IF his confidence survives the transition from crap to quality. Bad O-lines, along with bad coaching and organizations, have destroyed the confidence of many first round draft picks at QB. The transition from college to the NFL is a big one.

Mike's cap number is huge next year. It's not a good situation, because if the Bills cut him, they take a huge cap hit for someone that's no longer there. However, I don't see Mike necessarily going to another team and doing any better. Coaching may be important, but we're tallking about professional athletes here and in the NFL they're expected to motivate themselves. There's a big difference between NFL coaching, which is more like managing, and college coaching which involves a lot more hand-holding. No NFL head coach is going to want to deal with someone who requires constant external motivation. Sad to say it, but I think that at the NFL level, a player is either motivated to deal with the daily stresses of being a professional football player or they're not. The competition is just too intense for someone to rely on their size and strength alone and only play when they feel like it. Draft history is full of big strong guys who end up bailing out.