BillsVet

I really don't think any secondary in the AFC East is all that good. Miami, and NY Jets were 25th and 29th against the pass. NE was 11th, but yielded 7.3 ypa which happens to be among the worst in the NFL. NE is clearly the best of those three, but Ellis Hobbs and Terrence Wheatley aren't exactly Champ Bailey and Nnamdi Asomugha. Their starting safeties, Sanders and Meriweather, aren't elite either. From a pass rushing standpoint, NE's rushers, Adalius Thomas and Seymour aren't what they've been. Thomas is returning from a broken arm and Seymour doesn't get to the QB as often anymore. Belichick is still going to come up with something, but he's not infallible either.

I would think they'll turn their attention to finding that elusive LG. Then again, I figured they wouldn't pursue Terrell Owens. Everything still begins with the offensive line clearing running lanes and providing pass protection. I believe Edwards can make the throws as long as he's got some time. The offense should be fun to watch for the first time in about 7 years.

For the last week we've seen other AFCE teams adding players or in the case of NE, most likely getting their QB back into the fold. But no team in the AFC East is especially strong in their secondary. That's why I like the TO move even more. New England has struggled since CB Asante Samuel departed for Philly and Rodney Harrison isn't coming back. They counted on a host of now unemployed DB's and it didn't work out as well. They're somewhat older in the front 7 and even though Belichick is a defensive whiz, he can't cover both Evans and Owens. Miami signed Gibril Wilson, late of Oakland and was rumored to have said he was going to quit. Wilson is an instinctive safety, but I'm not sure their cornerbacks are the types who can keep an Evans/Owens combination. The Jets have Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes, but Lito Sheppard seems past his prime. They were poor against the pass last season, and unless they can pressure the QB that doesn't figure to improve. I think Buffalo made the right move, as long as the pass protection holds up and Edwards improves in his second full season as starter.

Thanks for the heads-up Lori.

They say time heals all wounds, and apparently it also helps people forget how brutal DJ was on gameday last season. We know DJ's been given an ultimatum to win or he's done, but he's had a huge hand in building this team since 2006. Going after TO is not a DJ type move. He's ultra conservative, and even when things became horrible at the end of 08, he wouldn't yield that it was he who caused a good many of them or admit fault. I wouldn't put it past the front office to give credit to DJ in an effort to prop him up for the 09 season. Crazy theory, sure. But it was crazy to think TO would come to Buffalo in the first place.

DJ needs to be called out when he makes those boneheaded calls. Rumor has it that Stroud remarked after the Jets game walking into the locker room something to the effect of "run the damn ball" after that debacle in the Meadowlands. TO would probably have been a lot more vocal. Or the coaching staff would have used him rather than throwing to the FB. I too like this signing.

I sit in the front row of one of the tunnel side endzones. After TO signed, I thought about having him catching TD's in our corner, and I think that'll influence it. His signing isn't a cure-all, and the Bills need help on the OL and rushing the passer. But yes, they're relevant again. I hope he's used correctly and Schonert doesn't get pass happy to placate TO. But it makes the decision a little easier.

I think he'll be off the board in the second, but Shawn Nelson seems to be a late riser. He had a fine Senior Bowl, and pancaked Maualuga in drills. Casey will be a 25 year old rookie, and doesn't seem to have the blocking ability Buffalo might want. He had great production, but it was Rice. Ingram put on 15 pounds and is coming off the ACL tear, but he's the type who if recovered, has the speed to stretch the field. I still believe any receivers coming out of UF need to prove they're capable of playing in a NFL offense and not the spread.

Unless Owens can be a pass rusher, I think they've got to look defense in the first round, especially on the DL.

Give you a lot of credit for coming back and saying this. I've been thinking about giving up my season ticket, but I'm leaning toward going back now.

Tim, I've heard in separate articles that Dick Jauron either did or didn't have much say in the decision to sign. What do you know about his role in all of this. In all honestly, I can't see DJ wanting TO, despite this being a make or break season for the HC. I've said it before, if DJ doesn't like this move then I love it.

SB, I've got to believe DJ wasn't thrilled with this move. But if DJ doesn't like it, then I love it. TO will be the antithesis of what DJ does: say nothing, publicly don't accept responsibility for screwing up on gameday, and giving PC's which are brutally boring. TO changes the entire dynamic, and the coaching staff should be concerned because he's going to make them accountable. Perhaps not in the most professional way, but he's someone who will say something when things go bad. And that's a far cry from what they've done between 06-08.

What makes you think Dead Dick was in favor of signing one of the biggest personalities in the NFL? If I had to guess, it was not DJ who gave the go-ahead to get TO. Frankly speaking those two are about as different as oil and water. This move was made when RW and Brandon had the chance to improve their team, at their price, and increase the team's visibility. Selling tickets probably went up, but it wasn't DJ who made this call.

I can't imagine Jauron liked this move and in all probability it was Wilson and Brandon who gave the green light to sign Owens. Therefore, if DJ doesn't like it then I'm all for it. I had zero faith in Jauron getting this team into the playoffs with the talent on the roster prior to the Owens signing. DJ had his chance from 06-08 to get this team into the playoffs his way. I believe DJ lost some of his personnel control after the 2-8 finish last year.

This sort of move has a huge domino effect throughout the team and division. TO obviously gives Evans more breathing room, but Reed as a true slot receiver should excel in 3 receiver sets. I imagine Schonert will use more of these in the offense. One thing that fans can't forget is that NE, NYJ, and MIA aren't strong in the secondary. They've all been putting resources into their secondaries, and this sort of move can expose weaknesses real fast.

I'd love to know who green-lighted this move. Probably Brandon over DJ's objections. Wouldn't it be funny to see Owens and Schonert sniping at each other. TS: "I knew Bill Walsh" TO: "Who's that? I don't care anyway, I'm a HOF'er!"

Isn't that amazing...and they're doing hockey pregame Ridiculous.

I think plenty of the optimists come from one of two categories: 1. Younger fans who've only started watching in the past few years and haven't witnessed the ways of RW. Or 2. Fans who would be classified as casual fans, and don't understand when the hard-core fans complain. They're on a different wavelength and if the team loses, no big deal. There aren't many places where the fans are more loyal, yet have less results-wise. I don't care for the mentality of "we have a team, better support it because they could move." Most of the teams who haven't done well in recent years have made changes, i.e. Miami, Atlanta, Kansas City, even Cleveland. But Buffalo keeps chugging along with the same cast of characters. If more Bills fans looked around the league at what's happening, they'd realize the Bills are in a small minority of losers. I would hope fans demand more, but I'm not a casual fan who doesn't care about W's and L's.

A lot of fans, myself included, complain about DJ and Fewell's handling of the defense. It's clear all they know is T2, yet don't have the horses to run it. For two years we heard about lighter, quicker, and faster DLineman. After allowing 140 rypg in 06 and 125 rypg in 07, they finally acquired Stroud. They should know the weakness to playing T2 is yielding yards in the running game and wearing it down. That happened for two seasons before they admitted Tripplett and Williams weren't good enough and made a change. DJ is going to sink or swim with this defense. Yet they don't have the pass rushers like Indy has in Mathis and Freeney or TB had about 6-8 years ago. It doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon, but getting to the QB is the most important aspect of this defense. You can have a secondary of All-Pro's, and they'll be lit up without constant pressure. Drafting secondary and skilled players is nice, but it's been the undoing of TD and the Levy/Brandon era. As long as DJ has any say in personnel, he's going to go with what he knows. And that's not much.

Good old Chris Brown, lead cheerleader for the minor league Buffalo Bills . Even he must go home at night convinced he's a sell-out. After all, it's gotta be pretty tough to spin this team. And after DJ's presser back at the combine, CB wrote that he gave the HC a lot of credit. Credit for what? Losing 2 out of 10 and wiping out a 5-1 start in less than a four weeks? Brown specializes in puff pieces and hype.

Deuce's knees are not good. 2 ACL tears in the last four years IIRC. He's a high character player, but I haven't heard his name mentioned in a long time.

This thread has 31 posts in it including this one. And 12 of them are from Bravofrog. Talk about arrogance. I'd like to complain that Bravofrog is posting way too much. But I didn't see that as an option to select.

Babin was, "limited due to playing time opportunities?" Amazing spin work there from Chris Brown. I'll translate and say he was a first round bust looking for his fourth team in 7 seasons. Have to give CB some credit there.

Evidently nine straight seasons without a playoff appearance is appealing to you. As are: 13 seasons since the last playoff win. 1 winning record in 9 seasons. Having a HC with 1 winning record in 9 seasons Going 2-8 in their last 10 games of 2008 Couple that with the other NFL franchises in the same boat-Detroit-and if you're still optimistic, you're probably thinking the stock market will turn around any day now. The schedule will be harder in 09 than it was in 08. Unless the Bills have the easiest schedule next year, which is highly doubtful. But keep going on being optimistic. The others will read the writing on the wall from the team.

And in 2009, the Bills schedule won't be a bunch of pushovers they found a way to lose to as in 08. They'll face off against their division rivals, along with the AFC and NFC South. If that's not sobering, I don't know what is. Being at the Cleveland and SF games, Buffalo was handed the game many times and could not find a way to score. I have a feeling the team will see a lot of people walk away, especially with the combination of keeping DJ and doing practically nothing in free agency. Can't wait to hype the draft that they're depending on.