BillsVet

Probably 1615 the way CBS airs their commercials. Last year, Buffalo narrowly defeated Miami 13-10, and it seemed like some fans were upset that others weren't convinced by a 3 point win against a then winless Miami team. The Bills can show they've improved on the road by wiping out the Dolphins. Maybe then, they'll get some respect from the national media. Not that their opinions count for anything.

The beauty of having Whitner is he has the speed to stay with just about any WR in the NFL. I'm not the first guy to sing his praises, but seeing him in the slot tells me the coaching staff does not even worry with Whitner in coverage. I'm sure that's big reason why he was so highly coveted. Not many safeties in the league are capable of going man to man on someone. Here, Whitner helps the defense in two ways: 1. He keeps a less experienced or not as talented corner off the field in nickel situations. 2. Allows guys like George Wilson and Bryan Scott to play back and minimize their chance to get beat over the top.

I recall seeing that note regarding the FS job. It comes down to a FS/SS combo of Whitner/Scott being better than a Simpson/Whitner pairing. Safety play is difficult to gauge by amateurs like most of us are, but this move doesn't sound like a short term fix for a premier TE as Gates is. Wilson is a hard worker, and I believe a fan favorite. He along with Trent and Moorman routinely come to our corner of the tunnel side enzone for high-fives. I'm thinking he's more of a special teamer/depth guy. If Simpson is having a probably fending him, then going with Scott at SS and moving Whitner to FS is the best move.

I have to believe this move was made to maximize Whitner's skills in coverage, and put a bigger body in run support on the field. It's a win-win if Bryan Scott is not detrimental to the secondary, and I don't think he is. Meanwhile, Buffalo is forced to go with Ellison playing the strong side LB at 230 pounds. He made a few plays on Sunday, but if a TE gets their hands on him, it's going to be bad for the Bills. If Scott makes opposing offenses honest in the run game, it's almost a necessity Buffalo make this move. And it's telling about how Simpson has fallen. Either way, the team has to do what allows them to win, whether or not the guy playing is a draft pick, or in Scott's case, a street free agent.

The NFLN clip showed Preston really trying to motivate the troops during the SD game. He sounds like a great leader. Obviously, this means he's a stellar player.

Baltimore, upon seeing the formation, blitzed and kept on blitzing. From Tony Sparano: ''Really, what they did was they tried to disrupt the timing, I think, by pressuring it a little bit inside,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. 'They brought an inside linebacker a few times right into the `A' gap one way or another and I think that's probably what they did.'' Balitmore v. Wildcat You can bet Miami's OC Mr. Henning (!) will throw some new things in there. It will take the same level of ingenuity from Jauron and Fewell to combat this gimmick offense. I hope they adapt if their initial plan isn't sufficient, but I think they'll be prepared.

Ngata is not a just 3-4 player, and allegations supporting this are garbage. He's nimble enough to play the 1 tech in a classic C2 defense while offering the versatility to handle the NT spot in a 3-4. By the way, what does Baltimore run? It's a 4-3! Look, there's nothing going to change what happened two and a half years ago re: Whitner versus Ngata. We can say that Whitner talks and plays well and he's not going to bust. That's true. But instead of blindly supporting the front office at every opportunity, it's necessary to know that teams win at the LOS more often than in the secondary. Heck, look at Denver. They've got two excellent CB's, and they can't stop the pass to save their lives. They didn't do that well when John Lynch was a legit pro bowler either. All elements of a defense work in tandem, especially in a C2. The pass rush and run stuffers set up the DB's whether it's 1970, 1990 or 2008.

There's no question the Bills are more talented after three drafts, three FA periods, and two plus seasons later. Believe it or not, the easy part is going from bad, as they were in 05 to marginal in 07. Taking the next leap will require the front office to find plenty of value in the 2-4th rounds from here on out. Edwards may well prove the best example of the three new regime drafts. It will also allow them to let good but not great potential UFA's to leave without a huge drop off in play. Crowell will be the first example, and I suspect others will follow. There is simply no way, once a team becomes successful as the Bills are becoming, to retain every UFA. Having someone waiting in the wings is the key to maintaining a high level of play. McGee and Youboty are signed through 09. Greer, after this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bills sign one of those guys when their contracts are up, with the intent of McKelvin and Corner replacing them as a starter and nickel. That's how good teams stay good.

The tackle stat continues to be overrated. Especially for a DB who lines up off the LOS 10 yards most of the time. Whitner's open field tackle happened about fifty yards in front of me on Sunday. It was a great play made by an up and coming player. Without it, SD gets a first down and marches on. I've yet to see the pass coverage part of being a dominant safety. The Bills went after him because they believed he gave them great versatility in coverage and run support. Lining him up against Gates two years ago versus Sunday was a huge difference. In fact, many teams are using their best cover guy against those TE's like Gates who are so dominant because they combine size and speed. I'd like to see more game changing plays from Whitner before annointing him. I still believe that a dominant DT makes more of a difference regardless of era than does a dominant safety. The LOS is too important to put the phyiscally lacking players that Buffalo put out there in 06 and 07. It's kinda like putting a roof on the house when there are no doors, windows, and the basement is flooding.

No, it shows that we play a Cover 2 that predominantly removes the deep passing game. It works at times (San Diego) and other times it doesn't (Arizona) I will admit this is a non-issue if Simpson is back out there at FS (with Whitner at SS) against Miami and for the remainder of the season. However, if Bryan Scott is paired with Whitner more often each week, you have an answer by default about Ko Simpson. The team isn't going to come out and say a player is benched, that's just not Jauron's style and I respect that. However, the notion that Simpson didn't play because of a slight hammy issue combined with Scott being both stronger in coverage on Gates and in run support is one thing. I happen to think it's Simpson who's just not as good as some think. We'll just have to wait. EDIT: The D and C article points out that it was George Wilson who came in during nickel situations, with Whitner moving to the nickel, Scott at SS, and Wilson at FS. I understand the first two, but Wilson in for Simpson? Was the hammy worse than probable or is Wilson that good? At this point I'm not sure.

Despite what the Bills are saying, I don't think it was Simpson's hammy which prevented him from playing. Why else would he be listed as "probable" on the injury report and then only play on special teams? I could see him not getting as much PT if he were questionable. If Bryan Scott continues to get more PT, that tells me plenty about Simpson.

The point is, in passing situations, your starting FS is not on the field. And my question is, if Simpson is suiting up and not playing next week, is that an indication the staff feels a Scott/Whitner tandem is better than Simpson/Whitner.

Chris Brown notes that the Bills wanted to go big at SS in starting Bryan Scott, thus allowing Whitner to play FS. Given SD's size at TE with Gates and Manumaleuna, that's not surprising. I have to wonder why Simpson wasn't on the field more in spite of SD's lineup. Earlier in the off-season there were reports Buffalo wanted to find a way to get Whitner playing FS. That's become reality, if only temporary. Question is: Do the Bills continue going with Scott at SS and Whitner roaming at FS? And if so, are Simpson's starting days numbered?

No TV timeouts may have been the best thing. CBS claims it aired all its commercials, so I guess they made up for almost half the game not being televised. Still, there was a flow when the game was played. Not knowing the yards needed for a first was strange.

No one's said much about Fred Jackson's block on "physical" CB Quentin Jammer. The definition of pancake. On blitzing, it should be noted that the Bills relented. I've always thought DJ to be very stubborm, but they're admitting some things by changin since last game. Granted they blitzed Rivers on at least one questionable down, but at least the coaches understand that with or without Schobel they've got to change things up. Their DL cannot generate a pass rush on its own. Anyone who wants to say Lee Evans isn't worth the money is being obtuse. In camp he was repeatedly getting open. That hasn't changed in the regular season. Some need to face reality and admit the cost of doing business at every position is going up. Without LE, this offense isn't nearly as successful. 24 receptions, 521 yards, and 3 TD through 6 games. Lastly, when the Bills get turnovers, their C2 works. When they don't, it can be ugly. Mitchell's INT takes away everything and it turns into 3 points, in addition to a huge momentum shift.

I sit in section 123, front row. The only word I could use to describe the atmosphere was surreal. No game clock, no play clock, no nothing. What we had was two teams just playing football. And that makes me wonder what it was like way back when. One of the guys in our row has been going to games since the Rockpile was alive. We jokingly asked him if this is how it was back then. Thank goodness the weather was stellar.

Despite the credit going to Marv, I still think Jauron was making many of those picks. Marv admitted he didn't have as much to do with that draft. Not because the first picks were DB's, but because Jauron wanted a safety first as opposed to a DT. The C2 looks for turnovers, and DT's aren't usually intercepting a lot of passes. And don't look now, but Brodrick Bunkley is becoming quite a player lining up next to Mike Patterson in Philly. That said, I don't know who is responsible for 07, but it's looking fabulous. Getting a hard running RB, excellent C2 MLB, and one of the best QB prospects to enter the league in recent years. Yeah, I'll take that.

Whitner is a good player, but Michael Huff's inability to succeed in Oakland doesn't make Donte better. Just for the heck of it, Lawyer Milloy's got 33 solo tackles, 5 assists, and one INT. He's also missed only 5 games in the past 4 1/2 seasons. No one's posting that the man Whitner replaced is playing as well or even better. Does that make Whitner an underacheiver? FWIW, I think Whitner will continue to improve, but I wouldn't have started with a SS over a DT to builld a team starting over again.

How much more motivation did he need than this off-season? Signing Marcus Stroud (admittedly to play the 1 tech position), seeing unheralded UFA Spencer Johnson come in AND Kyle Williams get a moderate extension. I really think the Bills have given up on the guy and will remain in the unenviable position of taking him back. He's not going to fetch a 4th rounder unless he plays real well and the market is a tad limited as well. He fits mainly with C2/T2 teams. As far as I can tell, this means teams like TB, IND, CHI, DET, PHI would be more interested in him than most. That also hurts is trade value.

McCargo's on life support with this team right now, and everyone knows it. They're practicing him in an attempt to prove he's healthy, but with the trade deadline passed, he's in no man's land. They could entertain a trade after the season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's cut. Let's all agree the guy was a bust, though not without some decent plays. It's bad when a player isn't capable of playing in the NFL. I think it's safe to say McCargo has great ability, but serious motivational issues. Then again, Indy drafted Quinn Pitcock in the third and he didn't want to play football. It happens to teams, just hopefully not with first rounders.

You pay a price, both literally and figuratively, when a franchise dips into FA too often. Especially when you allocate so much to a given area. Signing OL was necessary when it became obvious the team hadn't groomed anyone outside of Peters in the past eight years. Dockery and Walker are starters, and probably would be on most NFL teams. At the same time, spending a bunch on the OL prevents you from improving the team elsewhere. And if that UFA doesn't work out, it's an even bigger hit. Brad Butler might be more of a depth player, although he's in his second year of starting. Fowler still is a below average starter and always will be. Most startling about the OL's inability to run block this season: Those five have lined up together nineteen times since the beginning of 07. If they can't gel by now, it's not going to happen.

I admit, long ago I was reeled in by ieatcrayonz. but when he dropped Sarbanes-Oxley on someone, it was funny stuff. I couldn't tell you where it appeared first, but there were some tense moments earlier as people eagerly awaited Gonzalez news.

This first round issue, probably by virtue of having three separate (and four total) GM's since 2000 is also a reason behind it. All made mistakes, whether they were HOF coaches or guys who are loved only by Mortensen. It's not all Donahoe's fault. It's also not all Butler's or Levy's. Small market teams just can't afford to miss out on those picks as easier as larger markets can. It's a complete franchise issue, and the result is missing the playoffs. I believe that will change in 2008, largely on the successful drafting in 07 and a few free agent signings.

490 posts later, and yes you're caught up. You also missed the debate of Sarbanes-Oxley ieatcrayonz initiated. Funny stuff.

Check Ozzie Newsome's drafts since 1996. Or how about Indy's since Polian took over? Philly has a pretty good track record. The Giants are very good as well. Resigning yourself to the fact that there are busts is not an excuse for having more than your fair share. I'd say having four of your eight (2000-2006) is more than normal. Considering Winfield and Clements left in UFA, and McGahee was traded, Buffalo has only Evans and Whitner to show from nine first rounders between 1999-2006. It didn't matter which regime was in place, Butler, Donahoe, or Levauron calling the shots. Not all GM's/COO's are created equal.