Yahoo's Shutdown Corner: Buffalo Bills

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Sorry if this was already posted. I don't remember seeing it anywhere in these parts so here it is (again?).

 

Yahoo's Shutdown Corner which is a really good NFL blog featured the Bills today. This one is written by a guy named Brian McIntyre who I'm not familiar with. The guy I associate with the blog is Doug Farrar who does a good job.

 

Anyways, here it is and it includes an almost 6 minute video discussion of the Bills between Andrew Siciliano and Ian Rappaport.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/shutdown-countdown-buffalo-bills-playoff-drought-likely-continue-154531724.html

 

And some bonus Bills coverage from McIntyre:

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/author/brian-mcintyre/

[boyst]

Its so hard to read all of this stuff. Too many questions about this team. I am surprised Woods got the nod for biggest addition, though...

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Its so hard to read all of this stuff. Too many questions about this team. I am surprised Woods got the nod for biggest addition, though...

 

Woods? Biggest addition?

 

(insert lame childish joke here)

 

BTW Farmer, I too plan on attending this year's opener. I can't shake this feeling that it'll be a happy day for all of us.

[reddogblitz]

My main comment on this vid is why in the H E double hockey sticks don't we just pay Byrd what he wants and deserves. He is a great safety and we got cap room. I just don't get it. Hopefully we get him locked up this week.

 

As for the rest of it, not bad stuff. I like that the one dude says the Bills will blitz getting off the bus. Hopefully this will be the year that NFL network finally stops making fun of us because we are a good team and they'll be saying good things about us.

[Chandler#81]

Paraphrasing, 'If Brady & Tannehill have pre-season shoulder surgery and the Jets are the Jets, then the Bills make the playoffs..'

 

For as fecitious as that sounds, I think it likely only one team from the AFCE will be there. With 29 teams having the benefit of only 3 games against teams with 10 or more days to prepare, vs our 6 like games, the gauntlet is set for a young team in serious transition. With ChanPatrick gone, we'll now find out how well the OL can really pass block -essential for the brittle Kolb and/or Rookie, both of whom can air it out to a plethera of fast WR's. Skill positions appear set, including expectations of a sound running game. Defense simply HAS to be better than the teams' all-time worst displayed a year ago.

 

The key IMO for a surprising Playoff push lies in turnovers. It's the great unknown for every team every year, but playoff teams are all near the top in this ratio. It's also the 'easiest' aspect to overcome in one year. To Byrd's credit, he excels in this.

 

One last thing not discussed in this preview, is our available cap space. We haven't seen every contributing Bill for this season yet!

[Captain Hindsight]

Buddy built a fairly solid foundation IMO. Like they said in the video, on paper we are talented. Any semblance of a defense this year could equal a few more wins, especially considering the potential of Spiller to score anytime he touches the ball

[Dorkington]

The video... don't even know the name of one of, if not our best players on defense. This is why I have a hard time taking some of these "experts" seriously.

[8-8 Forever?]

My main comment on this vid is why in the H E double hockey sticks don't we just pay Byrd what he wants and deserves. He is a great safety and we got cap room. I just don't get it. Hopefully we get him locked up this week.

 

As for the rest of it, not bad stuff. I like that the one dude says the Bills will blitz getting off the bus. Hopefully this will be the year that NFL network finally stops making fun of us because we are a good team and they'll be saying good things about us.

 

1. My sense is Byrd and his agent simply want out of Dodge. Life is short in the NFL and the Bills are on a 3-5year rebuilding plan (again). Money is not the issue, He will get paid big by someone, that is for sure, unless he gets injured this year. This is his big (and maybe last) chance to do a "Whitner": get big $$ from a big time contender and go play in big games and have your play count for something. And he is better than Whitner, so do the math. The guy is outta here.

 

2. While the Bills have gone young and talented-with-upside and ditched the old wood (which is what it is), that does no good for wins and losses this coming season, where either Kolb will get sacked 30+ times and happy feet another 100 times or EJ throws 25 "growing pain" INTS, one or the other will likely happen in this particular coming season. So get ready for NFL Network to alternatively dis and ignore the Bills once again.

[8-8 Forever?]

The video... don't even know the name of one of, if not our best players on defense. This is why I have a hard time taking some of these "experts" seriously.

I would take them as seriously as they take the Bills, which means not much. The Bills have dropped out of the NFL conversation to the point where fringe media people have effectively forgotten the franchise exists, therefore their research on the team is minimal leading to "insights" that add nothing. That is bad, but missing the playoffs for 13 seasons will do that to you. The Bills have been for awhile and are still in bad shape. Plain and simple. If and when they start winning, people will start paying attention. But until then, they are the laughing stock of the league that rewards winning and not much else.

[The Big Cat]

1. My sense is Byrd and his agent simply want out of Dodge. Life is short in the NFL and the Bills are on a 3-5year rebuilding plan (again). Money is not the issue, He will get paid big by someone, that is for sure, unless he gets injured this year. This is his big (and maybe last) chance to do a "Whitner": get big $$ from a big time contender and go play in big games and have your play count for something. And he is better than Whitner, so do the math. The guy is outta here.

 

2. While the Bills have gone young and talented-with-upside and ditched the old wood (which is what it is), that does no good for wins and losses this coming season, where either Kolb will get sacked 30+ times and happy feet another 100 times or EJ throws 25 "growing pain" INTS, one or the other will likely happen in this particular coming season. So get ready for NFL Network to alternatively dis and ignore the Bills once again.

 

Life's not as short when you're a FS.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

My main comment on this vid is why in the H E double hockey sticks don't we just pay Byrd what he wants and deserves. He is a great safety and we got cap room. I just don't get it. Hopefully we get him locked up this week.

 

As for the rest of it, not bad stuff. I like that the one dude says the Bills will blitz getting off the bus. Hopefully this will be the year that NFL network finally stops making fun of us because we are a good team and they'll be saying good things about us.

 

I am not sure Byrd is the easy slam dunk decision everyone makes it out to be. If they do "just pay the man" it might mean letting Wood ( many might be find with) Spiller... Carrington, Darius or some combo thereof go.

 

And again I am not so sure his production is irreplaceable. He's very good, instinctive, and gets his hands on overthrown balls. He's not Ed Reed even though he is going to get paid like he is Ed Reed because his stats last year Were quite good.

 

 

 

Can the Bills afford to mortgage the future of the franchise on a free safety? Tough question.

[Orton's Arm]

My main comment on this vid is why in the H E double hockey sticks don't we just pay Byrd what he wants and deserves. He is a great safety and we got cap room. I just don't get it. Hopefully we get him locked up this week.

 

As for the rest of it, not bad stuff. I like that the one dude says the Bills will blitz getting off the bus. Hopefully this will be the year that NFL network finally stops making fun of us because we are a good team and they'll be saying good things about us.

 

I don't see how the Bills can afford to pay both Byrd and Brad Smith. Okay, granted, Brad Smith isn't much of a WR. Nor does he do anything in the return game that others on the roster can't replace. Nor is he much of a quarterback. Nor would it make sense to give him a lot of carries as a running back.

 

But even though all of that is true, his mere presence on the roster makes the coaching staff feel like they have more opportunities to be creative. With a player as versatile as this, surely there must be something innovative we can do with him! the coaches think to themselves.

 

It's a nice thought. But when the time comes to line someone up at quarterback, the coaching staff realizes they have better options than Brad Smith. Same with WR, RB, etc. Brad Smith doesn't get a lot of playing time, because he's never going to be the best option at any position in particular.

 

But this is a solvable problem. In quantum physics, an electron doesn't necessarily have to commit itself to one particular physical location; unless its location is being measured. The rest of the time, its physical location can be described as a probability field: with, say, a 10% chance of its being in one part of the field, a 20% chance of being in another, etc. Clearly, the Bills need to apply this same concept to Brad Smith. At the beginning of each play, the defense will see there's a 20% chance he just lined up at quarterback, a 15% chance he lined up at RB, a 35% chance he lined up at WR, and a 30% chance he lined up somewhere else. This will be very confusing to them; making Smith much more effective than he could have been, had he lined up in any one position in particular. Once the Bills' coaching staff figures out how to do this, Smith will undoubtedly start justifying his very high salary. If the Bills need to lose Byrd in order to make all this happen, then so be it.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Edwards' Arm

[boyst]

Woods? Biggest addition?

 

(insert lame childish joke here)

 

BTW Farmer, I too plan on attending this year's opener. I can't shake this feeling that it'll be a happy day for all of us.

best offseason acquisition.

 

 

I hope you're going to Hammers. I won't be wearing a name tag, so you will just have to find me. However, my Stetson might give me away. I'm going to wear it because why the F not?

[San Jose Bills Fan]

^^^^^^^^^

 

Looking forward to it Boyst.

[San-O]

I am not sure Byrd is the easy slam dunk decision everyone makes it out to be. If they do "just pay the man" it might mean letting Wood ( many might be find with) Spiller... Carrington, Darius or some combo thereof go.

 

And again I am not so sure his production is irreplaceable. He's very good, instinctive, and gets his hands on overthrown balls. He's not Ed Reed even though he is going to get paid like he is Ed Reed because his stats last year Were quite good.

 

 

 

Can the Bills afford to mortgage the future of the franchise on a free safety? Tough question.

 

One of the things the Bills aren't doing is paying big money to DBs. I like Byrd, however Buffalo can be a 6-10 without him just fine.

 

They have question marks and concerns all over the place, and I know you don't want to create another hole, but safeties are pretty easy to find.

 

It's more about the front seven, and Buffalo's was horrible last year.

[SWVABillsFan]

If I were Doug Whaley I would finf out what the kid's intentions are. Is it money, wins, what? If he wants to be here, pay him, if he wants out get a good contract signed and trade him. Now as far as Eric Woods is concerend I think he needs to be resigned as well. My only question with Woods is his durability. To me Byrd is a better player and on the field more. If he is resigned and traded I want a good, dependale OL. I just wish the best for him and know Buffalo sure could use him.

[chris heff]

If I were Doug Whaley I would finf out what the kid's intentions are. Is it money, wins, what? If he wants to be here, pay him, if he wants out get a good contract signed and trade him. Now as far as Eric Woods is concerend I think he needs to be resigned as well. My only question with Woods is his durability. To me Byrd is a better player and on the field more. If he is resigned and traded I want a good, dependale OL. I just wish the best for him and know Buffalo sure could use him.

Eric Wood OL

Robert Woods WR