Dibs

That one wasn't. He was out of the pocket & it went past the LOS.

You mean like running Spiller up the middle? It helps when the players produce a bit.

He's getting a bit of time to throw too.

And it really shouldn't be. The rules on it are quite definitive.....not open to interpretation.

It should have been. Nobody was within 5 yards....

OUTstanding!

... ... ...

Even mediocre ones would be an upgrade.

Expected by the fans and media.....not by reality though. The reality is that more than half of 1st round selections don't become good players......let alone play as good players as rookies.....let alone become great players. It comes down to percentages. In every draft there is usually between 3 and 6 elite prospects. These guys have not only a much higher chance of becoming good NFL starters but a much higher chance of becoming great NFL players than the rest of the draft prospects. When one of the non elite prospects becomes a great NFL player it does not relate in any way to the selections of the elite prospects. Using some invented numbers..... If SW was thought to have an 90% chance of becoming a good player and a 75% chance of becoming great.....and the other WRs were considered to have a 50% chance of becoming good with a 25% of greatness......you would pick SW every time. ....and if one or more of the other WRs hit their percentages and became good or great.....well that is just good luck for the teams drafting them. It isn't bad drafting by the team who selects SW.....particularly if he indeed becomes great himself.

This is a reductive argument(and a sad indictment on professional sports analysts IMO). One cannot logically judge a draft pick based upon how well the other later draftees of that position performed(unless all were similarly rated prior to the draft). If a player plays above expectations, it should not influence the assessments of those drafted above them. This would be like saying that all of the teams who drafted LBs ahead of Kiko in 2013 made mistakes......or those who drafted QBs ahead of Brady made mistakes.....etc, etc, etc. If Watkins turns into a first class player, then his selection becomes an astute one. As he was resoundingly considered to be at least a cut above his nearest WR draftee rival, it becomes totally irrelevant if said rivals also become first class players. This should not reflect badly on the Bills' GM at all. Quite the contrary. It would show that the Bills targeted and obtained a player that they correctly felt would become a star......whereas the GMs who selected the other star WRs essentially got lucky(in that the players panned out well above expectations).

Over 5.6 posts a day since you've joined......that certainly is something.

Too little too late.

Not a good effort against the NFL's #32 Offense & #32 rush Offense.

Any question about the Bills' Offense is highpathetical.

It's actually 11 for 8 yards.

Eli MannINg

Yeah, you could be right. Assuming the decision by the Bears is to cut him......and since it costs the same to the team to cut him in 2016 as it does in 2015......the question becomes, "Do the positives outweigh the negatives to keep him on the roster in 2015?" I can easily see that it could be viewed as a negative.

If the Bears cut cutler they will be up for a $19.5M cap hit($3M worse off than if they keep him). They would be better off IMO to keep him for 1 season and cut him in 2016 instead. The overall money for doing that would be exactly the same($19.5M) as cutting him in 2015. If they trade him they will be up for a $4M dead cap hit, and the trading team would have to pay Cutler $15.5M in 2015 and $16M in 2016. If trading team wants to cut him after 2015 season they would be up for a $6M dead hit. After 2016 they could cut him without incurring a dead cap hit. Essentially this means that any team trading for Cutler would be taking a 1 year $21.5M gamble....or a 2 year $31.5M gamble......and if he pans out would be up for an average/year of $18.175M for the rest of his contract(2017-2021). That is a lot of money to gamble on a player that has just been benched IMO.

I consider it to nulify anything that RB has to say on the issue.......though there is still plenty of good discussion here aside from the OP's original RB points. On a side note......in regards to the OL, I would say there has been a decent improvement there since Orton first took over (improving from putrid to mediocre).

Perhaps it took half a season for the entire defense to fully feel comfortable with the new defensive system.....and we can expect more of the same in the future(regardless of McKelvin, Graham, Searcy, D.Williams or Rambo being the starters).......touch wood.

It seems that you have concluded that EJs regression is here to stay. As he used to be able to make those throws etc, I personally see no reason was it isn't possible that he has worked through those mental issues and theoretically be able to make those throws again.

I was actually expecting better play from Orton....and I wasn't expecting much in the first place. I don't really recall how he has played throughout his career but I'd be pretty sure it was a damned sight better than he has played for us over the last bunch of weeks.

I love the whole "My opinion is right and anyone who disagrees is wrong!" thing myself. It's what makes the internet such a wonderful place to live in.

He should certainly be in the discussions about Defensive MVP IMO. He won't win it.....but he should definitely be one of the finalists.

Thanks for that.....and I think it is a good question(hell, it seems to be THE question at the moment). Regardless of how badly Orton has played, EJ's last game(against Texans) was without doubt one of the worst QB performances I have ever seen. I think that many Bills fans have forgotten just how badly he had regressed when he was replaced......but I also think that many other Bills fans have forgotten that his play prior to his last two starts was at worst as good as Orton has been(likely better). As we cannot see EJ practicing, we really don't know if he has overcome his yips. I call it "the yips" because it seemed clear in that last start that his brain had somehow totally frozen. The problem as I see it for the coaches is that even seeing him practice, it likely doesn't alleviate concerns that he won't have a repeat performance of the Texans game(that he isn't over the yips). Orton has shown consistently that he cannot run this offense at all. Apart from his issues of being unable to handle pressure, I feel that Orton is virtually incapable of passing deep(apart from bullet strikes)......and is at best as inaccurate as EJ typically was......with strangely worse decision making(apart from when EJ froze). It really would be a tough decision for the coaches as we still have a shot at the playoffs. Do you put in EJ and hope/pray that he has overcome the yips(thus being a better QB option than Orton.....with the added benefit of assessing potential future for EJ)? If they put EJ in and he has not overcome his mental issues it could be risking an easy win against the Raiders. I guess I would go with EJ at this point(as I have no faith in Orton at all & at least EJ has the potential to make some of the plays that this offense seems designed for)......but I would be ready to bench him early if he showed signs that he has not overcome those "yips".