ko12010

Weird, I always thought the opposite, that he's articulate when he speaks.

I don't agree that just because a couple future picks are gone that the situation would be a mess. That's an exaggeration. Whaley has put the team in a good short and long term position.

It really wasn't debatable. Clear pass interference. Kuechly is awesome, but I'm sure even he would admit he made a dumb play there.

I don't understand why we would jump to the conclusion he would be suspended for 4 games. Marshawn Lynch has had 3 strikes and STILL hasn't been suspended. Couldn't Marcell just get his lawyer to push back court dates the same way

Yeah, I think Fred knows his speed is going to be leaving him, so adding muscle will help his longevity. Spiller is the home run threat, now Fred will be our battering ram. I think it shows he knows his role is changing as he gets older.

Wow, I totally disagree with that. I actually think he has shown that he has the 'it' factor with his ability to be clutch and lead great 2 minute drills to close out halves and games. How much 'it' factor are you really expecting a rookie QB to have, especially on a team still rebuilding as we were last year? Obviously he has to improve, but I think Manuel showed more promise that he can become a special QB than any other one we've had since Kelly. Fitz had flashes of great play but was/is a journeyman type guy.

These hypothetical threads are useless and annoying.

We would've been overpaying for Byrd by a good amount. He's not worth Ed Reed and Polamalu $

Are there any sources for this?

I've been saying this for so long. The difference between how the game is called in regular season and in post season is night and day. Hockey can get this way too. In 2007 the refs had already gone back to pre lockout hockey which aided in the Sabres being handled by Ottawa. This is why 'defense wins championships.' It's why the Giants took down the mighty Pats with the best offense ever in 2008. It's why Peyton's Colts looked like little leaguers every time they stepped into Foxboro. The main change is with PI/defensive holding. DB's are suddenly allowed to be way way more physical and mug the WR's. It's dumb, like the OP said, what's the point if you play the regular season one way and the playoffs another. The best solution is to be a balanced team, though. Of all the ridiculous topics posted on this board, you think THIS is an unbelievable one? Wow. But let's have five cut Stevie threads and five Da'Rick threads after every loss.

Are you sure you have your stats correct? There is no possible way the Bills rushing offense was 5th to last. They were ranked 5th most of the season. And how was the Bills run D ranked 4th?

Because....wait for it....just maybe, MAYBE, it's a combination of the two of them? Is that possible? Maybe they both contribute to each other's success. No, it has to be one or the other. That makes more sense.

Is this a serious post?

Just wondering why you think this is? I think his torrid start with all the tackles, interceptions, and forced fumbles/fumble recoveries has made fans believe he tailed off because the latter two weren't happening. He still had 159 tackles, which was what, 3rd in the NFL? 2nd? That's a huge amount of tackles. It would've been impossible for him to keep the pace he had with int's and fumble recoveries. If he had, it would've been the best season in NFL history by an LB. He didn't really tail off as much as people think, he just had a ridiculous start. He's still ROY imo, or it's a dead tie with Richardson.

Like everything else in football, it's a combination, not one or the other. Let's just hope continuity with Crossman will yield better results next season and beyond.

Definitely some great games. What pisses me off, though, is how the PI/Defensive holding rules always change once the playoffs start. They've essentially made it impossible for d-backs to stop receivers during the regular season but all of a sudden they're allowed to maul them. I know the Indy/KC game was high scoring but the other games were more like football of old. This is partly why the Pats* of 2002-2005 were able to shut down the high flying Colts so easily once playoff time came. The refs stop calling PI/Defensive holding the same way. And then you hear the announcers go, "The refs are letting them play! I think that's good for a game like this." I agree that that's how football should be called, but when you call it one way all season you can't just change it up once the playoffs begin. The NHL did the same post-lockout, starting in 06-07. Call hooks/grabbing super tight all year, then swallow the whistles once it's post season. That totally f***s teams built around the rules, like the Sabres were.

I agree with you, but this isn't just how you neutralize Kiko, it's how you can neutralize pretty much all great linebackers. If opposing teams' o lineman are able to release into the second level and get hats on our lb's, it's not good for us. And you're right, maybe the penetration type players like KW are affecting our run defense negatively (while obviously being great for pass rush/pass situations and occasional great run stops in the backfield). I'm sure Pettine will focus on fixing this issue this offseason.

The NFL is like the NBA now in this regard. Superstar calls. It sucks, and gives more power to the refs to influence games

Well, many will argue that the blown leads are a direct result of Hackett's/the offense's shortcomings putting more pressure on the defense. Quick 3 and outs and turnovers via bad play calls are definitely a part of why we haven't been able to close out games.

Yeah it's a truly bizarre call. And some posters here have reviewed the all 22 and there were no penalties on any Bills on that play, so it wasn't a wrong number.

Marrone said in his press conference he was told it was on Williams, not a wrong number

Yeah, it was revealed the Pats taped the Rams days before the super bowl. I believe that was one of the tapes Goodell destroyed.

They knowingly broke the very clear rules in the NFL rules handbook. Belichek was also warned twice by the NFL to cease the illegal taping he was engaging in. And he didn't, obviously. Didn't care at all.

Absolutely don't buy that, at least not to the extent that is going on with NE. No team had had a game w 0 penalties in I believe 10 yrs before the Pats did it earlier this season. And now 2 times. Also, it's easier to be 'better' when you get away with as much as they do. Yes, they're well coached and disciplined, but what's going on with them and penalties is nothing short of criminal.

That's one of my biggest issues--the inconsistency. How do you have games like Bills/Jets week 3 where the Bills had what like 9 or 10 penalties and the Jets 20, and a game where a team has 0 and the other has 2? Obviously, there will be some fluctuation based on how the teams are playing. Some games there will be more penalties occurring--but not fluctuations like we see. And for a team to have 0 penalties twice in a season is just a joke. We all know that Olines hold essentially every play, and the refs sometimes call it and they don't. All 22 and game rewind reveals the Pats are no different in this case. Yet...they have 2 games with no penalties. How many close losses against the Pats have we had with phantom calls negating big offensive gains for us and their oline mauling our dline and no flags? The NFL is quickly becoming unwatchable for me, and it's sad because I love football.