The Big Cat
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And thank you so so so so much for the updates!
TGIF! -
Note to self:
Lee Evans in last year of contract, coming off an injury, wants big raise and extension...on the field practicing with his teammates.
Jason Peters in middle of his contract, coming off an injury, wants big raise and extension...sitting at home.
I posed this question in another thread yesterday to no response:
Is it certain that Peters is back to full form? Did he rehab on his own? Are we to trust that he did? Do we know otherwise?
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IMO Whether or not Peters is the best player on the team is up for debate. Don't get me wrong, he can single handedly bring the offense to a higher level -- but I think the litmus test to which everyone is holding the reserves - Chambers, Walker, et al - is the Giants game when they were up against THE BEST PASS RUSHING DEFENSE LINE IN THE NFL. Remember when they made Brady look like a mash potato scarecrow? Perhaps Peters' presence wouldn't be quite as missed against some of the cakewalk 2008 opponents.
Further, Peters sustained an injury that required surgery. On his groin. To me that sounds like a lot of cutting and sawing around at some very tender ligaments and muscle, which means he's probably had a pretty rocky road to recovery -- one that's been in secret, evidently.
Are we even certain he's 100%?
Do we know if he can even PLAY football anymore?
I'm interested to see how this pans out. It's now 12:09 ET 7-25-08
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Which actually was his first, as Mr. Stain fails to point out, Edwards played as a true Rookie, JP did not. Edwards would have gotten the same yank job JP got his 2nd year had JP done anything with his chance last year. He imploded per usual, not once, but twice. But "he just didn't have a fair shot". As if pat, pat, pat sack is something you just "overcome". Wait, he's close, here it comes, all he needs is.....Heard that with Drew Bledsoe enough to know how that story ends up.
Why again does rooting for a Bills QB to be good make you a fan of the player more then the team?
Losman did in fact see the field during his rookie season. I believe his first pass attempt was a three yard shovel pass that landed square in arms of an unexpecting Patriots linebacker, who may have taken it to the house?
I remember thinking, well it can't get any worse!
Then he had his statistically mediocre first start against the then wet noodle Texans. And THEN he played in Tampa and ran out of the back of his own endzone.
Oh JP, if I didn't care so passionately about the Bills winning, you certainly would be entertaining!
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Suppose Edwards flops, just suppose, and that it becomes clear fairly early in the season that he's showing no improvement regarding the ability to lead the team's offense either downfield or into the end zone.
At what point do those of you supporting Edwards pull the plug permanently on the youngster?
Because in spite of my criticism for Edwards and insistence that he's never going to do anything here, partly for reasons of his own and partly for reasons having little to do with him, I still take the stance that you really need to give a QB a couple of solid full starting seasons to be fair.
Losman never got that, he got one. In '05 he and Holcomb were interchanged like pegs on an old time telephone switchboard. He had a shot in '06 where he outperformed Edwards by a long shot and with nearly a 2-to-1 TD/INT ratio at 17/9, yet the media and fans dismissed that in favor of the young Edwards who replaced him last season after just a handful of starts again. Clearly a Jauron thing since Edwards was their guy.
Edwards got the last half of last season and now starts this one.
So let's say that Edwards performs poorly again. He doesn't throw many TDs relative to even average NFL QBs, the team's red zone and scoring woes don't let up, etc.
At what point do you begin talking about replacement and with whom do you replace him?
As I see it the team, fans, and media now owe it to Edwards to give him at least two full seasons on his own before discarding hiim. That means through '09. But that hasn't been the pattern here outside of Bledsoe and he got way more time than necessary for a veteran with known issues.
I'm thinking if this happens, then most of those that support Edwards now will be the ones quick to pull the trigger on getting him out of there either during or immediately following the season. But IMO that's not fair in spite of the notion that I don't think he's ever going to amount to much in the NFL. IMO he, just like any QB, should be given an absolute minimum of two full starting seasons, which Losman did not get and what he did get was with a lesser cast of offensive talent than what Edwards has to work with.
Also, if this does happen, Losman isn't the guy to put in since we have all but burned our bridges with him, and honestly, he should leave after the way he's been treated here. So given an Edwards failure, what next and when? Who, Matt Baker?
Either way, we can't keep on giving QBs one season and parts of others. It's poor leadership.
Man, oh man. You just don't quit, do you?
First of all, take off the fan shoes and understand that your contention of success/failure at the QB position is based on very very limited information: stats and the game footage provided as provided by network television.
To my knowledge, you're not a practice, you're not at film sessions, you're not a chalk talk, and you're not in the huddle. For all we know, Losman could be a raging a-hole who's talent couldn't support his attitude. For all we know, he got drunk at a bar and made out with Perry Fewell's wife. For all we know, he's a complete bonehead and just couldn't figure it out (I think this is probably the case).
Nobody in their right mind (YES, this includes Jauron -- though may be not Murlarkey) makes the final decision about a starting NFL QB in haste. For us to pretend to understand the minutia which contributed to said decision is a bit presumptive, don't ya think?
I guarntee Jauron did not look at stats when picking one over the other. He probably didn't look at Madden ratings either. He didn't have to. He knows his players a WHOLE lot better than any of us do.
So the likelihood of sacking Edwards after this season: highly highly highly unlikely.
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If Peters holds out is it ethical to use him in Madden?
No.
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The Seahawks beat us in a close game. They are better at nearly every position except RB, which they aren't bad at. Both teams are strong at LB, but they are stronger. It will probably be similar to last year's season opener.
I see us as a better team than last year, but I think we will have fewer wins.
Sometimes I think you're pessimistic for popularity's sake.
Please tell me how their receivers, corners, and safeties are better than ours.
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How disappointed will you guys be if the Bills play well and show marked improvement on both sides of the ball, but they just do miss making the playoffs. In other words, is anyone out there going into this season with a 'playoffs or BUST' mentality or are you ok with a team that plays hungry, shows much improvement, but just falls a bit short because of all of talented/loaded teams in the AFC?
There is no such thing as a hungry Bills team that shows marked improvment on both sides of the ball that DOESN'T make the playoffs, IMO.
Remember, we still had a shot at the playoffs in week 15 last year AND the year prior. To NOTICABLY improve on both sides of the ball while sustaining the tenacity they've exhibited during the Jauron era is- at least -a 10 win season.
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We all know what ESPN is doing...just tell us your beloved Boston will win this 'award' and end the stroke fest already
Seriously. The only thing holding my suspense right now is whether it'll be Boston or NY.
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Your date was on the heavy side?
How else do you think I got her to come to a Bills bar in the middle of the day on a Sunday for wings and beer!?
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During the Broncos final drive last year, I was a freakin' moron! Cursing the team for not running on third down (as ML ran out of bounds the play earlier ) while simultameously screamin to encourage the defense to stop 'em! As the winning FG sailed through the uprights with the clock at 0:00, I fell to the floor completely crushed. I felt the season was lost.
Mrs. #81 wouldn't watch another game with me the rest of the season.
This year, I don't know what to expect with Seattle. They've been better than the Bills in recent years, though we beat them there last time we played. Hasselbeck is a great QB. If they win, it will be 'expected'. But I don't think we're that far apart from them.
Now, if we start Favre at QB...
There was a point in the last 3 minutes of the Broncos game where the old "here we go again" thoughts caused me such frustration that I slammed my fist onto the bar top, spilling drinks into at least two laps.
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When was the last time you were super excited after opening day? Super disappointed? What were your expectations for last years opening day? How about this year?
When the Bills beat the stuffing out of the Patriots, I think it was 31-0, I really thought Buffalo was going to make the playoffs and be a strong contender to win the AFC. Then two seasons ago when the Bills let the Patriots come back and steal the win after being behind for 3 quarters, I thought to myself, "here we go again, different season, same ole' Bills!".
Last season I was so excited to see what the Bills would do after hearing all the camp reports (especially the one from John Clayton) talking about how good JP looked running a more wide open attack. We all know how that panned out.
This season I am optimistic once again to see what Buffalo will showcase on Offense. For some reason I really do have a lot of confidence in Turk to open up the playbook and play to the strengths of this team. Just the fact that Farchild is gone is room for optimism I think. Also, the fact that everyone knows that a year in which the Bills backslide would doom Jauron, also provides me with some comfort. I think he will throw caution to the wind and not play so conservative.
Anyway, I'm just super amped for the season to get under way and I wanted to share these thoughts with you and hopefully some of you will respond.
Here is to a great season for the Bills and I know win, lose, or draw, we will all be wearing our hearts on our sleeves and supporting Buffalo no matte what happens on the field.
Go Bills!
John
If I had to name the three strongest (KNOWN) aspects of the Bills that Seattle will have to account for I'd say:
- Special Team
- The Ground Attack
- Passing Defense
I can't, however, accurately name the best aspects of the Seahawks. If I had to guess I'd say:
- QB Play
- Defensive Line
- Linebackers
Seattle likes to tout itself as the NFL's forgotten team (furthest distance to another NFL city, IIRC)- so I can't chalk up my ignorance to something not worth knowing anything about, but part of me believes if there was something to TRULY fear about the Seahawks (Shawn Alexander circa 3-4 years ago), I'd know about it.
Bills win, Bills win!
- Special Team
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I have stuck up for Brady, and the Patriots, as much as anyone here, before all the cheating allegations came out. I was even accused a few times of being a Patsy troll. Even at first, I thought the "spygate" thing was no big deal, as I suscribed tot he conventional wisdom that every team does it, the Pats just got caught. Then, the more that came out about how complex a cheating system the Pats had in place, the more I had to start to questioning the Pats, and Brady. I am not ready to say that Brady is not a great QB, but I want to see how he does, in his prime, with the "greatest coach" since Lombardi, and the greatest "team" team in modern football. If they didn't get an advantage from the videos, I wouldn't expect them to fall off much, any time soon...I will wait a few years to pass judgement on how great this team, and Brady really are.
As for Bledsoe, I think the Pats did try to help him. I don't know that Drew was comfortable with the set up. If you remember, when Drew came to Buffalo, it was widely reported that he was not a big fan of Belechik, mainly because he was "lied to"...but there were also referneces to "other things" about Belechik that bothered him. Think what you do of Drew, but I think he is a decent guy....is it possible that he wasn't thrilled with the cheating? The sixth round QB from Michigan embraced it, possibly, because it made him into a superstar, when nobody had very many expectations of him. So, you might say, the edge Brady had over Bledsoe, was he embraced the systematic cheating that his coach had devised, and played a key role in it. Bledsoe was an older vet, already set in his ways. When you hear great QB's of the past talk about the Pats situation (Marino, Elway, Kelly, Tarkington, all guys I have heard speak out) they all universally agree that if the allegations of what the Pats were doing would be a "huge advantage" for a QB, you have to at least give it some consideration that some of Brady's "greatness" was developed in dishonest ways.
Anyways, it is all speculation, but the asterik is not going away, in my mind, on the Patriots and Brady, unless that team somehow keeps up their pace for another couple of years. Brady certainly looked human against the Giants, who were not a great football team.
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I am feeling very ready...... so ready in fact I am rocking my Poz jersey at work today
Wow, 46 sounds glorious!
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Just reporting it. And it's more like a 1 in 3 shot.
I'm just being a d!ck.
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"The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that other teams potentially interested in Favre are the Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Falcons, Jets, Lions, Panthers, Redskins and Vikings."
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25802371/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/07/22/...ns-about-favre/
well good, since we're up against just UNDER half of the league's teams, may be we'll have a shot!
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Thanks for all the sound advice re: getting fitted, going to demos, taking lessons, etc. They're all very sensible ideas but aren't practical for me here in the hills of Western Pennsyltucky. I'm looking at a 2 hour round trip to find a decent pro and a 3-4 hour round trip for any kind of demo day or a fitting. I just wanted to know if anybody had one and how they liked it (thanx for the feedback Big Cat).
My irons are very long with a slight draw and I hit a fairway wood straight as an arrow and can carry it over 230. But for some reason I've been slicing any driver I hit for the last 25+ years. I can straighten it out by playing the ball about 6-8" off my front foot, rolling my right thumb back to the right and making a concerted effort to throw the head of the club out on my follow through, but all that tweaking of my regular swing saps me of any power I gain from hitting driver; then I don't end up any longer off the tee than I do with my inherited $9.99 K-Mart driving iron.
If I can find a driver that will help turn my natural slice into a controlled fade I can pick up the extra 30 yards that will prevent me from having to hit two clubs higher than my buddies. Those sumbitchces are starting to beat me and we can't have that.
I found a preowned r5 Draw driver online for under $100 that should be here in about a week. It will be the final piece in the new set I've just assembled, which is the first and only time I've ever bought clubs in my life. For the last quarter century I've been using the same rusty, bent up old hand-me-downs I had back in high school. Now maybe we'll see how my smart-assed friends like me attacking pins with a new 8-iron instead of trying to hit the center of the green with a dinged-up crooked old 5-iron.
Haha! Best of luck! Ever try shortening your back swing when you use your woods?
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Um, no. Fairchild had Losman progressing through his reads, looking off safeties, doing a whole bunch of stuff that a standard Bill Parcells QB doesn't ever have to concern himself with. Think Trent Dilfer playing QB for the Ravens when they won the SB. He threw for 152 yards and one TD, but NO INTS. They put in 5-10 pass plays a game. Ran Jamal Lewis the entire time = 45 carries and threw to a TE once in a while just to keep the defense honest. You might see a down field pass every 2nd game. That was nowhere near what Fairchild was trying to run in terms of philosophical approach.
The simple truth is we know Fairchild dumbed down his playbook to Techmo Bowl size. What we don't know is WHY! Was it because he and possibly DJ are so conservative? was it because they didn't trust JP?(if that was the case wtf did they put him out there for?) or, was it like McGahee all over again, they had to keep it to things JP could understand? or possibly a combination of all three? Clearly JP himself even came out and complained about the playbook being restricted, so it's a safe bet that at the very least there was a real passing attack on the books at least.
Who knows? What I do know is that if JP went to the Dolphins, no one would have any illusion of what his role would be. Execute what you are told, no thinking, hand the ball off 40 times, throw to RBs/TEs out of the backfield = the play design says: there is only one guy you are looking to throw to, he's open or he isn't, throw it away if he's covered. Like I said, Frankenstein football.
Okay, but under those conditions, NO NFL Quarterback could POSSIBLY fail! And furthermore, JP isn't the kind of quarterback who would be best used just handing it off and dumping to a TE, so I can't see how it would be in HIS best interest either.
And why did SF dumb the playbook down? Honestly, the fact that a rookie QB was able to beat out a 1.5 year starter indicates to me that JP was a bit of a mental midget. How is it that Trent was able to come in and at least LOOK like he got it while JP still looked like he was lost.
The best offensive environment for JP is one that attempts 40-50 passes a game, moves the pocket every other throw, and has set plays which allow him to take off running. And that to me doesn't sound at all like what you're describing.
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Died this morning at age 84.
Her Sophia character on The Golden Girls had some of the best one liners ever.
It was rumored, however, that dementia was setting in even before the show ended...Estelle often could not remember her lines, and needed cheat notes on the salt & pepper shakers on the kitchen table.
Interesting to note...she was only about 18 months older in real life than her TV daughter, Bea Arthur.
FUN FACTOID: She came to live with the "girls" because her nursing home burned down and was originally not meant to be a featured character (See: George Bluth).
However! A gay cook named Coco was ALSO supposed to live in the house (and can be seen only in the show's pilot), but network executives thought that at the time, the world wasn't ready for a prime-time gay.
So, Coco was cut and all the one-line quips which were intended for HIS character were then migrated to Sophia.
RIP- had it not been for ignorance and intolerence, you might never have gotten your big break!
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Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I happen to think that TB is a great QB. Are we to believe that BB started cheating when Brady took over or did our old pal Drew Bledsoe also get some help in that department? If he did, it sure didn't show.
According to Walsh, Bledsoe did get help.
Then Bledsoe came to Buffalo and crapped the bed tremendously. Then went to Dallas and lost the job to (un-drafted) Tony Romo.
There's no point projecting what TB would do on another team, so I'll just cling to my doubts.
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I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I'm gonna say it anyways. When I think about whom Trent Edwards reminds me of the most I can't help but think of Jay Fiedler. He reminds me of Jay in a lot of ways, such as smarts, on field leadership, overall calmness and poise in the pocket as well as arm strength. I'm not saying that he won't be better than Fiedler, but I do see a lot of similarities between the two QB's, AS OF NOW.
I've heard comparisons around here with Tom Brady but that is just ridiculous. A QB like Tom Brady doesn't grow on trees. He's one of the All-Time greats. Hopefully TE can become a great QB like Tom and he still can.
I'm not knocking TE in any way. JF won more than he lost and he was a perennial playoff QB with the Fish. I'm hoping TE will be better than JF, of course.
This is what Jay Fiedler's career stats look like:
G CMP ATT PCT YDS AVG TD LNG INT RAT
Career 77 1008 1717 58.7 11844 6.9 69 74 66 77.1
Here are Trent's:
151 269 56.1 1630 6.06 7 70 8 70.4
Why all the Brady love? I got flamed for saying this before, but I stick to it- he played in a system where (allegedly) he knew the defensive coverages within 7 seconds of them being called. He did his homework (whoopty doo, it's his job) and had an offensive line that enabled him to sit sit sit and toy with completely exposed defenses. Yaaaaaaawn!
On top of that, history has shown (most notably the SB Giants) when pressured in the pocket, he more or less breaks down.
On top of THAT, he's whiny and pouty and acts like a little kid.
So flame ME away if you must but I refuse to believe that Tom Brady is God's gift to football- or that it even requires a specific "tree" to produce a similar passer- just some roids, and some good old fashion cheating.
Sorry for the hijack! On your topic: I will start comparing Trent to anything NFL quarterback (this includes JP), AFTER this season for reasons I mentioned yesterday.
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I haven't carried a driver in my bag in over a decade because I was tired of cutting everything off the tee. I've now heard enough Linda Ronstadt and Wal-Mart jokes from my buddies and am ready to put a driver back in the bag. I've heard the R7 Draw does a nice job of minimizing slice (or at least turning it into a fade) and was wondering if anybody here uses one.
If so, whaddya think of it?
I use one and can really feel the difference adjusting the weights can make.
The driving range around the corner from where I live JUST opened for the season (began resurfacing in early May!
) so I hit for the first time on Friday (about three months later than I usually get out) and as you might imagine, I was pretty rusty. I've got an entire TaylorMade set from the first year the R7 came out and can usually keep them pretty straight. I was pushing everything left (I'm left-handed)- and decided (against my prior intention) to tee up the old driver for a couple balls. The club felt GREAT in my hands and I was amazed at how straight my hits were, especially since I was feeling tired and stiff as hell.I hit some pitch shots to finish it off (putt/chip for dough, I always say)- and in the spirit of tradition I teed up my driver for my final swing so I could light it up as hard as I could. I thought for sure I'd slice the crap out of it, but sure enough the ball played beautifully from left to right and carried about 270 yards. Probably would have gotten another 40 yards on the roll, given the right conditions.
I think the reason I hit it so well is because I have the weights set just where I like them and feel is of utmost importance to me.
Let me know what you decide/
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Do people just sit around thinking of questions to ask just for the sake of asking questions?
I don't know, you're the one asking the questions here.
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I'm a big fan of:
Trite
Phantasmagoria
Gait
Non-Sequitor
Banal
I just think they're fun to say. Didn't even give this topic much thought, just curious to see what responses come back:
Why NOT Kirk Chambers?
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
Terrence "I can only curl 15lb dumbells" Pennington?