BackInDaDay

3rd and short yardage is his bread and butter.. i don't know if Darby's quick enough to make up for sketchy rookie instincts.. he's certainly not big enough.. and his propensity to grab jerseys may catch a holding flag or two. Pats like to move him to keep anyone from getting a bead on him - even good technique guys are at a disadvantage there.. it's gonna be tough assignment all around, but as much as Gronk has become big play threat, i think Edelman is who B & B trust most in big downs.. frustrate him, and they stall.

for the life of me.. i can't understand why DBs aren't coached to do the following in a short field - setup no more than 2 yards off the los, on the inside shoulder of the receiver jam him if he tries to break inside immediately back pedal - maintaining position between him and the QB with eyes in the backfield - if he heads upfield contact is allowed within 5 yards, and this takes away the quick slant, and the timing of any rub intended for a teammate trailing a man inside of yours it also allows the db to keep position on a drag or other inside routes, and react to a fade i'm so sick of watching receivers catching balls over the heads of DBs with their backs turned to the ball.. down close, you don't need get your hips turned as quick to run, because there's nowhere to run.. with a 2 yard head start. most DBs can back-pedal 10 yards before reacting to a fade other other outside route guess it's me.. but i don't get it

what? are Fairbanks and Grogan at it again?

some folks get an extra $20 in change from a dopey bartender, and return it some folks get an extra $20 in change from a dopey bartender, and buy the bartender's girl flowers with it the lesson is.. don't be dopey

a great villain demands a great hero..

yeaH.. tell me about it..

very solid post, OC.. .. and it's this last point that has driven me crazy all pre-season, and will probably extend all year. The Buffalo sports media's inability to ask direct, relevant questions in order to get direct, relevant answers. unfortunately, a lack of knowledge about what's trying to be accomplished on the field, forces these folks to ask loaded questions that they hope will generate interest - rather than getting at the actual nuts and bolts of the team

i also liked their take on the recent 'Bombshell ESPN Report' on how elaborate the Patriots spy network was; the extent of the cover-up by the league; and how that that cover-up led to a strong league response to deflate-gate

touché ... but I was referring to the backup deferring his backup role to the man behind him in the depth chart

bartending rule 39 - when detecting a male patron using sarcasm in addressing another male patron, immediately diffuse the situation with a buy back and a comment regarding Kate Upton to bring them back to their natural, masculine state

the reading comprehension of some folks on this board is disturbing who should be the backup.. imo

"i believe Manuel earned a shot as the backup, but this doesn't bode well for his career. hoping i'm wrong, because the kid could have cashed 'em in and moped. even now, he's staying positive. just an easy guy to root for." - which part of this statement gives you the impression i want EJ to fail? as far as this recitation by many that in Manuel's case, 3rd string isn't really the "3rd string", and he'll get chances to lead the offense in season - i have to wonder where this fantasy comes from.. barring injury to Tyrod - which no Bills fan should want - Cassel starts, EJ will spend this season preparing the varsity defense with the JV offense. that's it.. some weeks he may not dress.. the idea that this staff wants Cassel as a backup QB in name only, and he will defer the starting job to the 3rd stringer if the starter falls, is something i've never seen happen in football - at any level - it's why depth charts are developed. and EJ is 3rd string in his 3rd year

i want mr brady to feel mr dareus caving in his center and guard as every ball in his possesion shrivels under pressure

'Air & Tear" - our passing game shreds the defense.. or.. 'Air, Tear & Tear' - our passing game shreds the defense, AND you cry

unfortunately for Manuel, this may be the perspective of potential GMs seeking QB depth in the future. i believe Manuel earned a shot as the backup, but this doesn't bode well for his career. hoping i'm wrong, because the kid could have cashed 'em in and moped. even now, he's staying positive. just an easy guy to root for. that said.. who's the last 3rd stringer with 3 years in the league who eventually became a starter?

Darby's ball skills aside, as a rookie, i think his biggest challenge will be recognizing and reacting to what his responsibilities are within the called coverage. where his help will be, and where he must give help.. and he won't be alone.. this will be our entire defense's challenge in a new system that will sacrifice congestion in the secondary for pressure on the ball. so expect a few blown coverages until everybody settles in and starts herding their assignments where they want them..

IR - torn ACL - a solid rotation player lost for season

jarius wynn

not to be argumentative Dean, but relieving Taylor with Cassel allows the D to open up their blitz packages because Cassel isn't a threat to out run anyone to the edge.. and with those packages come coverages that will compress the field - the idea being that the ball will come out before deeper routes can complete. everything is coordinated to defend what the offense can threaten you with. is there some major flaw in Manuel's game that makes him a risk? because all i've seen makes him the more difficult QB to defend.

all three are professional athletes, and their financial compensation should be more than enough to comfort their egos when they feel slighted by their coaches. as a pragmatic fan of this team, my only concern is that this staff deploys it's talent in the most efficient way. i understand that Roman and Harbaugh revived Alex Smith's career in Frisco, before catching Kaep lightning in a bottle. But as good as Ryan may be with a defense, he's no Harbaugh.. so hopefully he's deferring to Roman on which offensive personnel needs to be prepared for game day. the #2 gets reps with the starting O during the week - by all accounts, not many - but he gets them. the #3 gets none. leading the scout team doesn't prepare anyone for the opponent, so when and if Taylor leaves - Cassel goes in. so again, what does Roman see in Cassel's game that warrants his being the second option? the Buffalo media is a joke. if they understood a little bit about the game, they may ask the right questions, and not continue to be embarrassed when reality trumps their speculation. they may as well post here.. it's where they belong.

my surprise over the decision is that Rex must feel it's easier to defend an EJ led attack, and that Cassel presents more of a challenge.. i'm not getting it.. maybe our beat guys can ask Rex or Roman if that's the case, and why? what are the chances of that?

going from what i saw of their pre-season appearances - both Cassel's and Manuel's potential to make positive plays exceed their potential to make negative plays but Manuel's potential to make game-changing positive plays exceeds Cassel's i'm surprised by the decision to resign Cassel

don't know where Trapasso's getting his info on what he's describing as 'package plays'.. they've been installed in various collegiate offenses over the years as 'play option pass', or 'pop' plays. in fact the diagram offered in the OP's link can be seen executed here - http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/9/5/6110155/pop-pass-seahawks-pete-carroll-auburn- in an article where Carrol gives credit to Auburn's Malzahn as it's creator. i love this weapon, as it give the QB multiple run/ pass options, and referenced it often on the Wall.. the only concern is it's transformation from college to the pro game and the timing of the pass option read in connection with the blocking scheme of the called run - as downfield linemen will ruin it. but it's a perfect complement to IZ where D linemen will wash down the line. in my included link you can watch Russell make the following reads: 1. DE washing down the line - Russell pulls ball back out of mesh with Lynch 2. scraping LB exchanging outside contain with DE - Russell looks for pass option 3. crashing CB - Russell hits unattended #83 cool stuff, right? the OP's link gives a very good example of how Roman can beat you by formation, and understanding the defensive responsibilities on that play 1. the DE properly reacts to RT's inside combo block and steps up to force contain Kaep on the keeper 2. the LB properly reacts to pulling LG as possible 'power' to his gap and breaks down to engage 3. DBs are in one-on-one with three receivers the proper reactions of both the LB and DE left them no time to recover to defend the hand-off, and the three levels of defenders forced to shed blocks turns this into a punt return. just to add a wrinkle.. Kaep probably would have gotten positive yards by cutting inside his LG's block. and another wrinkle related to 'pop'.. if the flexed TE's defender aggressively attacks and makes a play here - the next time, the QB could pull up and hit the TE in the flat with the same two blockers upfield. just keep those linemen in their inside power schemes. it's definitely gonna be fun to watch how Roman tinkers with all this.

first off - thanks for taking the time to indulge our comments.. but regarding the amount of negative reports concerning Manuel's execution of the offense - throughout the competition - led many of us 'fans from afar' to conclude that this was a two horse race, only. certainly, EJ's improvement didn't come over night, yet here we were.. watching the kid make plays on television, when by many reports, he was embarrassing himself in camp. that's the disconnect i had with this, and why i would have liked one beat guy to take a few minutes of Roman's or Rex's time, and question them on where Manuel was in terms of where they wanted him to be, and what level of confidence they had in his closing the gap - my assumption being, that there was a gap - due to what was being reported. edit.. my point is that the only people interested in any of this - the fans - weren't given a clear picture of what was taking place with our team. i don't expect the Bills' beat guys to understand everything they're seeing, but i would think they could compensate by asking the opinions of those who do.