Whites Bay

Question, Mickey, and I have no straw-man argument here. Is it better to build the line from the Inside-Out, or from the Outside-In? I realize this discussion could go a few directions, and believe me, I have no answers. But my question seems to go to the heart of your point. The Bills seem to have watched the way the pocket collapsed over-and-over-and-over since 2007 and had friggin' had enough of it, so they drafted two arguably Blue-Chip guards, and signed a very intelligent center whom most of the posters on this board seem to believe will be an upgrade over Fowler. They've chosen the "Inside-Out" route. Naively speaking, the last time the Bills tried to rebuild from the Outside-In in a BIG way (big pick in the draft - clearly a "statement" move) was Mike Williams. Maybe people in the front office are still schit-scared from that disaster. Or maybe they think that what they have (Walker at LT) is serviceable enough to get them through the season, keep their jobs, and pluck one of the top LTs in next year's draft. Provide your evidence. Inside-Out, or Outside-In. Or just B word.

I'm missing the point as well. Because I've been on one-too-many of those buses that carry you from the remotely-parked plane to the terminal after having traveled all night to Europe. Me, with 90 of my closest friends, 20 hours since everyday bathing. It ain't workin', yadig? The only flocking the women are doing is racing towards the barf bags.

Easy now, cowboy. Let's not grind him into dirt today. Perhaps tomorrow, but not today. I must say I say I'm in the same camp vis-a-vis the front four. My "Must-make-it-happen-NOW" player in 2009 is McCargo. I'm VERY nervous about the Bills' push up the middle, and I've BEEN very nervous about the Bills' push up the middle since the Williams/Washington days. I can't believe the Bills have pulled all they can pull from Kyle Williams over the years, but....SHEESH! The guy's a 5th rounder DT! Come On! I'm grateful for every down he plays, but I live with nightmares of 3rd-and-5 and 3rd-and-7 being converted over and over and over ad nauseum. Nail the new poster if you must - we've all been there. But it doesn't take away from the fact that the center of the D-Line is NOT Pro-Bowl calibre. I wanted Wendell Bryant. Call it desperation. Fine. But until the Bills can stop the fuggin' Pats* in the fourth quarter when they start inhaling the clock like my Hoover sucks up dog hair on the carpet, get used to blaming DJ, the FO, and the antichrist. Except the culprit is going to be the D-Line.

I'm a dope. I don't understand your "Dime" thing. 3 DLs, 3 LBs, 4 CBs, 2 S = 12 players on the field. Or did you mean.....urghh, I don't know. I'm sorry. You're right about the activation on game days though. That raises another point. If a team is going against the Bills, one would think that teams would have to juggle their respective rosters, wouldn't they? I mean, I suppose they do anyway, but that adds another wrinkle.

Thanks for playing. What else? I'm not trying to be a dick. I want to know what I'm watching on Monday Night Football other than "They're going to pressure the QB and create mismatches". I know they're going to pressure the QB and create mismatches. That's why they're paid a LOT more than I'm paid. That's why they suit up, and why I'm in a hotel room posting on a web board.

I'll start by saying that I'm not an "X and O" geek. I've learned a lot about football from this board (as well as how to better deal with children, but that's another post), so rather than to spend time on Football 101 and read THAT idiot's ideas, I thought I'd look for ideas from OTHER idiots. Here's a question that's been kicking around the three or four functioning synapses in my brain. Defending against Evans has been, well, fairly easy. Roll another safety over that direction, and you've eliminated 75% of the deep threat the Bills could muster. (Probably closer to 100%). OBD has now added Owens to the other side. I personally don't care WHICH one of them is the Number 1 receiver! The Bills now have two legitimate threats on the outside who can out run almost...well....no...let's say "anyone" in the league. I understand the Pats* trolls on this board will posture accordingly, but in their respective hearts-of-hearts, they must know that this is going to be a problem. How does the opponent defend against a combination like that? 1) Does the opponent double-cover both outside WRs? Do that and Fred Jackson, Josh Reed and/or Roscoe Parrish in the middle are singled up on a LB. THAT would be hell, particularly if Edwards drops the ball behind the LB. To repeat, THAT would be hell. 2) Will the Bills be seeing more Nickel? That would be the obvious choice. Since all the AFC East opponents are 3-4 teams, however, doesn't that leave them with 3 DL, 3 LB, 2 CB, 3 S? Fairly easy on which to run? 3) Will the Bills be seeing a predominance of Dime? Once again, in a 3-4 formation, wouldn't the Bills be seeing 3 DL, 2 LB, 2 CB, 4S? If this is the case, don't we have to ask how many teams are actually CARRYING that many DBs? (And, before you start, I don't fuggin' want to hear about Jauron having so many goddamn DBs, blah, blah, blah). Additionally, wouldn't a Dime package be shredded by a solid running game? I mean, a lot worse than the nickel, I would think, right? Or possibly susceptible to the short pass? I'm not trying to be a gushing "homer". I'm studying the chess board, and it looks like - against all odds - OBD has actually put a decent offensive package together. Apologies if this is too cerebral...or if it's too naive. I could start another post that would allow us all to say "You Suck", followed by replies of "No, you suck", followed by replies of "Stop calling me names". And, who knows? Maybe this post will end up there. But for those of you who actually have played the game, and who actually know your subject matter, I throw the post open. Because I'm just obsessing on this stuff. ASSUMING THE INTERIOR OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE HOLDS, a guy like Trent Edwards could be a kid in a candy shop. If I'm a Defensive Coordinator, I'm paid to make sure he gets cavities. How does one game plan against it?

I had to scratch my head on that one for a few minutes. Let's think about this. The odds are that NO ONE, not even the Pats*, are going to put more than five (5) receivers on the field on any one play. As such, even if the Bills DID have 10 cornerbacks, one would assume that half of them would be picking splinters out of their collective backsides on even the most pass-happy of formations. Is this musclehead thinking, therefore, that the Pats* are going to run a 10-receiver set? I mean....Brady* and 10 receivers? I'm a patient man who views things in the long term, but I could see death occuring within seconds. I would, of course, be happy. How do these homers keep drawing a paycheck?

You've missed the point. It isn't what happens when the Bills are DOWN by 7 just before the half. I actually believe they'd be scrapping along as hard as they are able if they're put in that position. They have to. They're competitors, and they're on national TV. The POINT is.....what are they doing when they're UP by 7...or 9...at the end of the half. That's what you should be asking. What will DJ/TS be attempting? Question - What would Parcells attempt? Question - What would (may he rest in peace) Walsh attempt? Question - What would Johnson attempt? Per another thread, I'm looking for a killer instinct this year. Because if it's not here...well, I'll still be looking for a killer instinct. DJ and TS will be looking for employment.

Further to your point, will there be a "killer instinct" on the part of the coaching staff? I'm not advocating that the Bills go to the extent of the Pats* two years ago and rub everyone's collective nose in their respective feces, but I would like to see a little less gentlemanliness. If the Bills actually get up on an opponent this year (that's an optimist!), I sure hope the coaching staff doesn't see fit to half-heartedly run the ball in hopes of burning up the clock. Note to Jauron and Schonert - putting more points on the board and extending a lead is probably a more effective way to win a game than simply keeping the ball out of the hands of your opponent. To answer my own question, I doubt it. Sadly.

To H2O's point, I know it's corny as hell, but flowers are KILLER. I don't know why women like this so much, but they do, so like the salmon swimming upstream, I just "do", I don't "think". Another thing I used to do when I was a-courtin', was to make sure my (now-wife) had extra pillows in her hotel room on a business trip. Because she liked it, that's all. Simple stuff, actually. Staying in the Hilton, baby? Call the damn Hilton, ask for housekeeping, tell them to put extra pillows on the bed. 25 years now. "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" - Louden Wainwright III

Skoobster, I'll give you credit. You're very good at rolling the grenade down the aisle, and then screaming "Fire". It's the off-season, and crayonz is occupied.

I don't mean to pee on any barbecues, but don't kid yourself on that one. When I lived out in Salt Lake from '93-'03, there was a massive microchip plant built in Alpine, UT - just south of Salt Lake, just north of Provo. And I mean massive. They JUST got the last coat of paint on the place and the company bailed because the bottom fell out of the chip market (again). I Googled it before I wrote this post. You can see the thing from space. It's huge. And I believe very strongly that it's still empty nearly 10 years later. I think the company was Micron. (Side note - another thing that left it in a precarious position was the fact that they were trying to make chips - an aggressively water-intensive process - in a desert. They ought to make THOSE in WNY, particularly now that the Great Lakes Compact has been signed). This having been said, I caught the Yahoo announcement the other day on Channel 10 (TW Cable). That is such great news. Truly truly great news. The next big one that I'm watching is the wind turbine company that's in talks with New Process Gear in Syracuse to build turbines instead of auto transmissions. To echo another poster....."PLEASE DON'T 'F' IT UP"!!!!

Not meaning to get too far off the topic of the thread, but I would respectfully argue that the Bills' pass-blocking is...well, passable (no pun intended). Not great, but an improvement over two years ago (Peters being the exception). The problem with the passing game is that it's been too simplistic for too long - roll an extra safety over to Evans, put your feet up, and relax. It's the run-blocking that is just terrible, particularly on the right side. Just God-awful. Carry on.

First off, I have to admit it. I have no fuggin' idea of how you guys isolate a paragraph of text as a quote. Click and drag? No clue. The point is that I'm only responding to Bill's point about being able to write a legible paragraph. I hate to be the grammar/syntax/composition Nazi in this place, but tell the truth, Bill - don't you see that ineptitude in 99% of the posts and responses on this board? Jesus, I'm not that old (I don't think so, I guess). I can't believe I've reached that point where I'm saying "Kids these days......", but I've done the teenage daughter thing, and WTLF is with these fuggin' kids? LEARN HOW TO COMPOSE A GODDAMN SENTENCE! I might be your next boss. I will read your resume. I will not hire you if you "f" it up, because that piece of paper is YOU. If I hire you, and you write like crap, I will withold the opportunity for you to present yourself to higher ups because you will reflect badly upon me for being the worlds biggest moron for hiring your #%$@ing stupid ass. Take one note to heart - we ALL write for a living. Learn it, for God's sake. Learn it. Communication separates you from the lower primates. That and the fact that chimpanzees don't use Ipods.

My thinking is that the best way to take down a guy of Nelson's size is to have a linebacker going low on him as he comes out of his break. You don't want that size and speed getting turned upfield. As such, what's the solution? Throw the damn ball behind the LBs about 8' high. Nelson would barely have to raise his arms. Getting Nelson behind the LBs into the secondary is a horrible prospect for a 5' 10" SS or CB. The arms alone on that guy would keep a DB from getting to the body, leaving the DB trying to arm tackle while giving up about 50 pounds. Not a good deal. It would be like a chipmunk taking down a giraffe. I guess it's possible, but my money's on the giraffe. So what's his real value? Run that play once, maybe twice. Every time he's on the field thereafter, you'll watch the LB backpedalling as fast as he can move (sorry - side note. Delicious visual. Tedy Bruschi backpedalling over and over in a no-huddle offense. He'll have his name on a brass plaque on the cart by the end of the game.). THAT'S where you run the damn ball. Man, I'm spending way too much time thinking about this schit.

No. Just....just....just....purge thoughts like that from your head. Lynch is the-tip-of-the-iceberg at this point in his career. As I've said on a number of posts, it's going to come down to the interior of the offensive line this year. Let's hope like hell they run-block better than the LAST iteration. But if they do, Lynch is going to go nuts this year. That's half the argument. The other half - just as nebulous - relates to Dominic Rhodes. Big name? Yep? Good reputation? Yep. So why do I have this awful deja vu feeling as though I'm watching the second coming of Anthony Thomas? Great name, great pedigree, great locker room presence. Oh, God, he was awful. Feet of concrete. Had all the cutback moves of a glacier in January. He himself was the second coming of Olandis Gary....and wasn't THAT a notable stint in a Bills uniform? This is a long way of warning you NOT to get too hot-and-bothered about Dominic Rhodes. There's a reason people get insurance policies. And why they cancel them. Rhodes is here because Lynch is going to sit a few games. Lynch will be back early in the season, and Rhodes will be cut to make room for someone promising coming in off the practice squad.

Your passion is commendable. I don't know if Kelly has an ace up his sleeve, or whether he's blowing smoke up 10,000,000 collective rectae, including yours and mine. My guess, and it's only a guess, is that someone with Kelly's ego, drive and passion isn't going to have mouthed off as much as he's mouthed off without having one or two bullets in the gun. Who knows? Perhaps he needs three or four bullets in the gun, and as such perhaps should have kept his mouth shut. But in matters like this, the LAST thing he's going to do - and, quite frankly, the last thing I'D do - is give someone like you, me, or anyone else on this board ANY inkling of what I planned to do simply so that Jax Bill Backer can sleep a little better at night. Believe me, your angst and insomnia is YOUR problem, not his. Fasten your seat belt, enjoy the ride, and wish Mr. Kelly all the best. The karma you bring may keep the Bills in Buffalo. "Digging in the dirt" - Peter Gabriel

So if I read this correctly and follow it to the logical conclusion, it sounds like the Bills are going to get significantly better, but everyone else the Bills play will get even more significantly better, resulting in the Bills getting worse. Right?

I'm reminded of the line from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail": "Um, I'm not dead yet......" "Madison Avenue Man" - Greg Kihn Band

Damn. That's a lot of potential turnover. They'll retain some, and their drafting has always been pretty good, but...damn. That's going to leave a mark. My guess is that Gostkowski and Kaczur are back. My guess - an uninformed one at that - is that they don't want to cave to Wilfork. They probably have to, and it's going to be pricey.

Dean, the nice thing about your analysis (maybe that's overstating it, but it's a boatload more analytical than the craptastic post on CBS Sportsline that got me going on this issue), is that it makes me realize how deep we are at safety. That's a great line up to juggle. Almost like....er.....the front office....you know...PLANNED IT. (Don't get me going on linebackers - I'm trying to enjoy a glass of Aussie chardonnay, and LBs are a total buzzkiller subject.) I agree that Simpson is probably toast, but a lot of people wrote Yobouty off last July, and a lot of people ate a lot of turd-burgers. Man, we're not even talking about Wilson and Wendling. I'd hate to lose Wilson, but he may be the odd man out here. Maybe there's a position for him on the Ravens or Jets, like Leonhard. I wish idiots like the anonymous dolt on CBS Sportsline could provide a little more justification (or at least have the nut sack to post their byline), but that's asking too much, I guess.

I know it's the depths of the off-season, and I know these board writers are churning the same old material as they struggle in vain to justify their salaries. But I read this note about Byrd, and.....well, it started out okay. And then came the part about our starting safety lineup being Scott and Byrd, with Whitner relegated to the bench. "Rookie safety Jairus Byrd missed OTA and minicamp work due to his college exam schedule, leaving Donte Whitner to take most of the first-unit reps at free safety. But the coaching staff is eager to see Byrd, a ball-hawking cornerback at Oregon drafted in the second round, in training camp at free. If he beats Whitner out, then Whitner, who is being supplanted at strong safety where he has started three seasons by veteran Bryan Scott, will be relegated to a utility role." I know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but does this seem clinically insane to more than just me? You're going to put your #1 overall pick from just three years ago on the pine for a journeyman and a raw rookie? Anyway, go ahead and flame away, I guess. My take on it is (1) it's The Million-Dollar-Man Ko Simpson that ought to be worried and (2) whomever wrote this seems to have swallowed his brain along with a pound of ExLax.

Oh, goddamit, goddamit, goddamit...... I always hated the Bay Area for a reason. "Exposure" - Peter Gabriel (ever hear the Robert Fripp/Daryl Hall version? 'E-X-P-O-S-U-R-E'.....)

Here's what is going to happen on the first Monday Night Football game. Ready? The AntiChrist Belichump will run the No-Huddle Offense on the Bills. Watch for it, and remember this post. "Fear is the Mother of Violence" - Peter Gabriel

You got me. Ahhhh....gain. You bahstahd. But Jesus, it's still funny as hell. I'm still chuckling, and am still befuzzled that ANYONE would allow photos of themselves in that outfit.