JohnC

I would give up one of our first round picks, one of our second round picks, one of our third round picks and the rest of the draft and add Dareus to the deal. I would also include the following year's first round pick for Luck. The caveat is whether he is healthy. If that deal can be made I would then walk away and visit the local bar and treat everyone to a drink for the glorious heist.

Don't apologize for your weird line of reasoning! Your thinking may be weird to some but to me you are demonstrating your adroitness. You bring up a good point that hits at the core of what differentiates successful franchises from mediocre franchises in the cap system. It is the matching of salaries to talent. Smart organizations know how much to play players relative to their talent and they know how to balance out the roster from a cap standpoint. It's very complicated and tricky. The best way to manage in this financial system is having a good qb. By taking care of that position you can overcome your position deficiencies which all teams have to contend with.

The sack totals are not always reflective of effectiveness. If he is putting consistent pressure on the qb and he is containing the play on his side then he is doing his job. The failure rate for first round picks is high. Getting a good and responsible player is not something to fret over. He is not going to be an elite pass rusher but that doesn't mean that he won't be an effective player. I consider him to be a good draft selection with no regrets over the pick.

You accurately described who he is as a player. He is not explosive, and never was, even in college. He is a well rounded DE who is adept at playing both the run and putting decent pressure on the qb. He is a solid DE who will never be a great pass rusher. I'll gladly embrace what he is as a player.

I made this point in another post so I apologize for the redundancy. This new staff completely revamped the defensive backfield and also changed the defensive scheme from man coverage to zone coverage. They seamlessly made this transition through the draft pick, trade and free agent acquisitions. The coaches simplified the defense and the players held to their responsibilities. The coaches coached and the players played with no confusion and breakdowns. The moral of the story: Coaching matters.

I agree with your general position. I also agree with those who are making the assessment that our receiving corps is lacking. It is. But that doesn't mean that this organization should so quickly deviate from the roadmap they established when they took over. An incomplete team is not going to be made whole in one year. Being expedient for short term gain is the mentality that has derailed this franchise for more than a generation. The Bills have a plan and shouldn't abandon it after the first game against the worst team in the NFL. The posters who are recommending trading a second for Hylton are impulsively reacting as if this is a playoff team. I wish people would get off that major delusion. The first priority for this team is acquiring a top shelf qb prospect in next year's draft. Giving away chips to accomplish that task is foolish. The Bills are in a rebuild while trying to stay competitive. They have two picks in each of the first three rounds. This franchise is in a good position to get a stock of players and bolster this thin roster. Their primary strategy was to build through the draft; and they need to resolutely stick to the plan.

You should have asked if this is where the line forms. If so, then say that you were next in line.

A person who has Dolly Parton breasts should wear a bra. The droopy look is unfashionable.

It's obvious that you haven't run into Badol at the games.

Regardless of the caliber of opponent what is remarkable and a tribute to the coaching staff is not only was the defensive backfield completely changed but also the system changed to a zone system. This unit played cohesively and smartly. There was no confusion and broken assignments, as far as I could tell. The defense has been simplified and the players on the field know their assignments. If you watched the coaches on the sidelines there was little histrionics and more communicating with the players. The difference between a disciplined coach and an undisciplined coach is stark. While Rex tried to show how smart he was McDermott tried to put the players in the best position to succeed.

I can't recall anyone wishing for TT to get hurt. Although people have commented that he is more prone to being hurt because he runs more than most qbs and his stature. Where you might be uncertain about the Bills being involved in a rebuilding process under this new regime I believe otherwise. They are accumulating picks not only to what I believe to be a full out effort to draft a qb next year but also to add players. In addition, under the wrestling coach this roster has already gone through a major change. That to me signals a rebuild. Will the Bills be competitive this year? If playing hard and holding players accountable for their play, then yes. Will that translate into a lot of wins? Not enough to be serious playoff contenders (in my view).

I'm not rooting for anyone to get hurt. Never have for anyone on any team. Insulted by your comment. I'm not hoping that the team will fail but am clearheaded enough to realize the limitations of the roster for this rebuilding team.

I'm confident that he will be given an opportunity to play this season so the staff can see what he can do. Of course because of his inexperience he isn't presently accomplished in a more sophisticated offense. He's a rookie. What do you expect? To be an instant success? He was considered to be a smart player coming out of college with a not so strong arm. As the season advances and the team slides out of the running (as I expect) odds are that the staff will want to see what he can do. Do I think he is going to be our long-term answer at qb? Absolutely not. There was a reason why he was drafted in the fifth round. But what I already know is what TT can do. For me he is not the answer. My hope is that the organization uses their first round pick to get a more talented qb who will be significantly better than what they already have.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with the tenor of your response regarding TT. He is what he has been and has not grown from being Tyrod 1 to Tyrod 2. There are limitations to his game regarding reading defenses and going through progressions that are starkly evident. He has little ability to make anticipatory throws that are part and parcel of going through progressions. He can hit the open receiver but he can't consistently hit the receiver in stride ahead of him making his move. Was TT better than in prior seasons? Yes. But only incrementally better. The offense is geared toward what he can do well and not what he can't do well. That is the right approach to take. My prediction is that before the season is over Peterman will be given an opportunity to play in order to see what he can do. Peterman more so than TT has an ability to run a more rounded passing offense that uses more of the field.

In future games the wide receivers need to get more open because defenses are going to crowd Clay. Our passing game is relatively basic. And because our offense is run-centric the defenses are going to stack the line. TT played within himself and did it very well. But as the season advances his limitations will become more acute and evident.

I still don't understand the Williams cut. It's not that he is a prime player or that it is going to have a major impact but the move was perplexing. Tolbert is more of a straight line power runner with no wiggle. Williams had more versatility to his game. I thought he could have been an asset and good backup.

One of the best takeaways from this game was the demeanor of the coaches on the sidelines. There was order and maturity. There wasn't a lot of clownish behavior and ranting on the sidelines. Players weren't looking toward the sidelines for signals while the ball was being snapped. And players weren't confused as to who should be on the field because the fat coaches on the sidelines are changing the calls right up to the snap. I was watcing coaches conversing with their position groups. There was mature engagement without the histrionics between the parties. This team still has some major gaps that will take at least a couple of drafts and offseasons to fill. But for the long run there should be more optimism because the coaching staff is so much better. Coaching matters.

It's something that Jauron would do. The Jets are going to struggle this season. What's the point in being so cautious when you have so little to risk?

Jamel Adams, the rookie safety for the Jets, was one of the best players on the field. Our rookie CB, White, played like a veteran. Very mature and impressive player.

I respectfully disagree. He has a more powerful arm but more importantly uses the whole field. As I said in a prior post don't let his sterling athletic talents blind you to his marvelous passing ability. He is still a little raw from a pro standpoint but under the tutelage of his scoundrel coach, Petrino, he is learning how to play the position.

Bandit keep your eye on Jackson from Louisville. He is one of the most dynamic players I have ever seen. Don't allow his marvelous athletic abilities to distract you away from his magnificent throws. He is a polished Vick who has a good feel for the game. What I'm hoping for and see materializing is that there will be a number of legitimate qbs to chose from. With the deepening pool that increases the odds of us getting one, assuming that is what this new regime is planning on. The best case scenario is that the Bills will be in a good position to draft a prime qb prospect without having to give up any or too many of its draft picks. A lesson to be learned is that accumulating picks and better positioning your franchise is better than gratuitously giving up picks for players who don't last on your roster.

Your record is your record. Could have been/should have been/if only/unlucky this or that are losers lament.

Many people believe that I am a basher of TT. I'm not. We are fortunate that we have him. He has been far away our best option as a qb in a very long time. I don't think it is a radical thought to have that if he was our qb in Marrone's second year that the Bills playoff drought might have been over. The issue for this bedraggled franchise is whether it is going to use this "bargain" qb as an opportunity to give us the time to get a top shelf prospect. Or is it going to squander its opportunities to simply get by? TT, even as a backup and a change of pace qb, has an opportunity to carve out a long and lucrative career. One can argue that he has accomplished that already. Taylor is a far different qb than the cerebral and raggedly armed Fitz. To his credit what the vagabond Fitz has done is make a ton of money with severe limitations over a long period of time. Although survivors are not usually very prominent they can still leave this game very wealthy. That's not something to demean.

I firmly believe that with or without Watkins this team as it was built by Whaley was not a playoff team. Was it capable of being a fringe playoff team? Yes. But that means little because of the nature of the parity system where half the teams are fringe playoff teams. Watkins is a sterling talent. I have always acknowledged that. But because of the deficit at the qb position Watkins was never going to realize his abundant talent here. The Bills got a starting CB in the trade and more importantly got cap room to be more flexible in reworking the roster. If the Bills are able to use that second round pick gained in the deal to maneuver to get an elite qb prospect then who can complain? McDermott wants a competitive team but he is also determined to rebuild this poorly constructed roster that he inherited.

The preseason demonstrated what he can't do i.e. that he isn't and will never be a pocket qb who is capable of going through his progressions and adequately make anticipatory throws. The new staff knew before training camp began what he could do and now they know for sure what he will never be able to do. Without a doubt he should be much more effective in the regular season playing his more simplistic game but in the long run that type of play is too restrictive to amount to much for the prospects for the team. While he is an acceptable bridge qb he will never be a franchise qb. Don't be surprised if before the season is finished that Peterman will be getting the starting job just to see what he is capable of.