Rubes

There's something to be said about doing that, but the problem is really how you go about defining some of these penalties. How do you define defensive holding? How much needs to be held to qualify for that? What about illegal contact, or pass interference for that matter? Does any tiny little bit of contact qualify? If not, how much? If the DB makes contact with the receiver one video frame before the ball arrives, does that make it PI? Do we really want to go there? I get the idea that we want to correct obviously bad calls, but for some of these, the line between legal and illegal can be so fuzzy and difficult to define as to make this exercise crazy.

Hmm, I don't know how you got that from what I said, I was just referring to the value of limited roster spaces and how the 2nd-3rd-4th string guys really need to contribute in multiple ways to justify the roster spot. That's not always true, of course (see: Gay, Jordan), but I would certainly think that is usually true for a #4 WR.

I don't disagree, the problem is that unless he's doing something on special teams (returning kicks), it's tough to use a roster spot on a guy who you only use a few snaps a game on one of the three groups.

He's a great running back, but I agree with most that we don't need to tie up that kind of cap money in a RB. From all that's being said, if we keep Spiller we're set with what we currently have and an upgraded offensive line. If Spiller leaves, it sounds like we'll grab a RB in round 3 or 4 who will still have an impact, and be set with that guy plus Jackson-Brown-Boobie.

Everybody who is even potentially available to us has significant flaws. There are no sure things out there. You just have to pick one or two guys that you think can get the job done with some consistency.

I like the guy too, and it would be nice to see him utilized more strategically. With a run-heavy offense, there is potentially the opportunity for some good play-action with Goodwin matched one-on-one, which is just about all you could ask for. The problem is getting him on the field, since right now he's the #4 WR.

Of course it remains out. The point is that we're not going to grab a top 6-8 QB this offseason, so in the absence of that, do what you can to make an average-at-best QB succeed.

His tweet was on Saturday, referring to this week. Did they start talking before this week? I thought it all started at the combine.

Just to note, as others have, that Bradford has two full 16-game seasons under his belt. We all think he's an injury waiting to happen, but look at Eric Wood. Guy couldn't finish a complete season his first four years in the league, now he's had two straight 16-game seasons.

This would make me happy. Fingers crossed. If this organization can make the OL and DL the strengths of the team, I would love to see what they can accomplish.

I don't think Qualcomm is as horrible as most think it is. If they move, I will miss going there for Bills games. Great city to visit and one of the greatest Bills Backers groups out there.

Browns may still possibly get Foles, but man, that one has to hurt a little.

It may very well be the case, but I'll mark this one down as "believe it when I see it."

I was responding to your comment that "my restraint in previous years regarding the offensive line ("of course they'll address it") was not rewarded." The point is that Whaley most definitely did try to address it, by signing a FA guard and drafting three offensive linemen. Four new offensive linement in one offseason, which is most certainly putting effort into addressing the offensive line. Now, you may object to the way he did it (eg, by relying too much on the draft) or you may criticize the players he brought in (eg, Williams), but the point is that Whaley didn't ignore the offensive line last year. You can criticize Whaley for not knowing how to build an offensive line, or for not being a good enough evaluator of offensive line talent. You can even say that you don't have trust in Whaley at this point to fix the offensive line because the guys he brings in are bums. But last year most of us were impressed with him grabbing Kujo in round 2, thought Richardson could excel at guard, and were excited about the potential for Henderson. It seemed like Whaley was building something potentially pretty good for the future. Now that we see that some of those guys aren't very good, or at least have a long way to go before being decent starters, you can criticize his talent evaluation. But that doesn't mean he isn't going to go out there again this year and try again to fix the problem. In fact, we've heard quite the opposite so far. You can feel bad about his ability to pick OL talent, but you can hardly criticize his effort to improve it. So the reason for your angst about addressing the offensive line again this year appears misguided, that's all.

So you're saying they didn't do a good job trying to address the OL last year when they drafted two tackles and a guard? Just because two of them ended up not performing up to expectations doesn't mean they didn't try to address it. I'll accept your argument as long as you knew at draft time that Kujo and Richardson were bad picks. Otherwise, we could very well have had two new guards and a new tackle with what seemed like a bright future. But, as everybody knows, sometimes guys just don't work out. Plus, we hear from several sources (including Rex) that they want to make the offensive line a strength and they're not done bringing people in. So you'd rather be anxious about some random, incomplete tweets from an unkown source?

If only your tired "what's name HC" routine was in any way clever or funny.

Make our offensive line as dominant as our defensive line. That's all I'm asking.

I was living with my girlfriend in north Chicago at the time. She was not around that day, probably because she knew how disturbing I can be while watching the Bills. I remember being disgusted at halftime, and I turned it off and went to do crap around the house. I thought maybe I would just watch the first drive of the second half, and if they didn't score, that would be it. When Reich threw the pick-6, I was really pissed off and turned off the TV for good. But as most Bills fans know, there is no "for good." After a few minutes I had to just check in to make sure, and I saw it all unfold. It was crazy to watch, especially with nobody around to experience it with. I was jumping around and screaming all by myself.

Precisely my feelings.

Well, I know I'm in the minority, but I think with some key additions on the line and at TE, I think EJ can get the job done. As for QB additions, I don't think they're looking at a high-profile high-price option, but that's based on nothing but my gut. That's how I'm doing it now!

This is why we can't have nice things.

I wonder if the recent success of our defense, attributable primarily to the defensive line, has altered Whaley's philosophy. By grabbing someone upper tier like Iupati, he would be building an offensive line as a strength of the team, much like the defensive line. Perhaps that is the philosophy that Rex brings that Whaley is on board with: build powerful offensive and defensive lines, and the rest will follow. Of course, if we can get a talented second-tier guy for less who is almost as good, I could see that. But I would like to see them spend the bucks on the line players (Iupati, Hughes) before guys like DBs.

Dude, that was like 5 or 6 pages back.

Only if "fine" means "healthy".

Just curious, why do you think signing RI means Iupati is out? Do you really think Revis will be available? The Pats** have something similar to a one-year franchise option on him.