Who's going to replace Mighty Eric's 816 Yards?

[BuffaloBilliever]

To answer the question. Lee Evans

[drnykterstein]

Roscoe will have more than PP.

705032[/snapback]

Roscoe will be injured for the season by the end of week 3.

[H2o]

I don't know who is going to be the 2nd reciever this year, but it might not even matter if JP, Kelly, Craig, and the offensive line have a year like last year. I think Evans will have a break-out year because him and JP started to build a chemistry last year. He'll have a 1,000+ yard season and 8-12 touchdowns. As for the other side, I think it will be almost by committee with Davis, Parrish, Price, Reed, Aiken, Nance, Denny, or whoever else. There will probably be a couple of guys who have 400-500 yards and a couple with 300-400. Then there will be a couple who chip in with another couple hundred on the side. The question is at Tight End. Somebody has to step up and get it done, both blocking and receiving. Hopefully Everett turns out to be a beast or Cieslak comes out on fire like he's Antonio Gates of 2 years ago. If the TE gets it going for JP, it'll take alot of pressure off of the receivers. Heck, we may even be able to get back to throwin a deep ball then. Oh, hold on, I don't want to let myself get too optimistic.

[Nanker]

Roscoe will be injured for the season by the end of week 3.

705283[/snapback]

 

That's the spirit!

[Pyrite Gal]

I don't know who is going to be the 2nd reciever this year, but it might not even matter if JP, Kelly, Craig, and the offensive line have a year like last year. I think Evans will have a break-out year because him and JP started to build a chemistry last year. He'll have a 1,000+ yard season and 8-12 touchdowns. As for the other side, I think it will be almost by committee with Davis, Parrish, Price, Reed, Aiken, Nance, Denny, or whoever else. There will probably be a couple of guys who have 400-500 yards and a couple with 300-400. Then there will be a couple who chip in with another couple hundred on the side. The question is at Tight End. Somebody has to step up and get it done, both blocking and receiving. Hopefully Everett turns out to be a beast or Cieslak comes out on fire like he's Antonio Gates of 2 years ago. If the TE gets it going for JP, it'll take alot of pressure off of the receivers. Heck, we may even be able to get back to throwin a deep ball then. Oh, hold on, I don't want to let myself get too optimistic.

705285[/snapback]

 

I think it looks likely they will be better in both regards:

 

OL-

 

The 06 starters should be am upgrade at 4 of 5 starting positions.

 

(If you disagree then please say who)

 

MW-Peters- Definite upgrade even though Peters brings the uncertainty of any youth, but right from the start MW was troubled and not productive

 

Villarial-Villarial- I suspect this will be a downgrade as CV is a year older on the backside of his career. i did like Preston as a fill in for CV last year though as things that would have formerly been nicks are injuries for CV now.

 

Fowler-Teague- Fowler apparently was pretty good replacing an injured Birk several times last season. There is a question how Fowler will do being relied upon for 16 games, but he was not resigned by the Vikes not because he sucked but it was clearthe market was gonna pay him starter money in his FA year and the Vikes were committed to mutl-Pro Bowler Nirk so Fowler was gonna det back-up $ if he stayed. Teague is not a natural center having been moved there by the Bills and I think Fowler should be an upgrade unless you want to make a case for Teague.

 

Reyes-Anderson- again a clear upgrade as Anderson was inattentive and inconsistent. Reyes was solid at RG last year as Carolina was psyched for the youngster at back-up RG but the team was productive and reyes was solid so no switch was made. Lime Fowler, Reyes was gonna get starter money and as they were going with the youngster it was notthat he sucked last year its that Carolina was not gonna meet Reyes market proce.

 

Gandy-Gandy- He young enough that this adequate starter should at least remain adequate

 

The key for the Bills is for JMac to find adequate back-ups from thr multiple candidates we have.

 

The OL will not be great but should be much improved unless you have good things to say about the 05 OL.

 

QB

 

Losman probably will not be adequate but he might be and I give him at least a 33% if not 40% chance of being a good enough starter.

 

Holcomb remains a solid back-up and I put his chances of being a productive starter for an entire season at 25%.

 

Nall is a wildcard, but even a 10% the combined chances of these three mke it a probabiluity that one of these players will be an adequate starter.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

OL-

 

MW-Peters- Definite upgrade even though Peters brings the uncertainty of any youth, but right from the start MW was troubled and not productive

 

As a pass blocker Peters is far better then Mike Williams, as a run blocker when Mike Williams was on he was on. Its no mere coincidence that McGahee went from averaging 4.8ypc during the games Mike Williams started to sub 4 when Peters was inserted into the lineup. Peters has a long way to go in that department, but I have good hope he'll improve.

 

 

Villarial-Villarial- I suspect this will be a downgrade as CV is a year older on the backside of his career. i did like Preston as a fill in for CV last year though as things that would have formerly been nicks are injuries for CV now.

 

I agree, and I really hope Preston can push Villarrial for playing time and or right out of the lineup. I'd like to see a youth movement built on the oline where we can start to have continuity on the line for years to come. At this point Villarial is a stop gap.

 

 

Fowler-Teague- Fowler apparently was pretty good replacing an injured Birk several times last season. There is a question how Fowler will do being relied upon for 16 games, but he was not resigned by the Vikes not because he sucked but it was clearthe market was gonna pay him starter money in his FA year and the Vikes were committed to mutl-Pro Bowler Nirk so Fowler was gonna det back-up $ if he stayed. Teague is not a natural center having been moved there by the Bills and I think Fowler should be an upgrade unless you want to make a case for Teague.

 

Also Agree. Fowler is a lot like teague athletically but unlike teague he's a natural center. I doubt we'll see Fowler thrown into the pocket like we did when teague lined up at center.

 

Reyes-Anderson- again a clear upgrade as Anderson was inattentive and inconsistent. Reyes was solid at RG last year as Carolina was psyched for the youngster at back-up RG but the team was productive and reyes was solid so no switch was made. Lime Fowler, Reyes was gonna get starter money and as they were going with the youngster it was notthat he sucked last year its that Carolina was not gonna meet Reyes market proce.

 

 

I'm not exactaly sure on this one. Reyes is quicker and better in space, but Anderson did seem to come on during the end of the season. It was his first year playing lg, and when he gets his hands on a defender he's a great drive blocker. I'd need to see reyes beat out anderson first. Right now I have to give this to benny.

 

Gandy-Gandy- He young enough that this adequate starter should at least remain adequate

 

Another guy playing out of position. I would've truly loved to have seen a lt brought in via the draft so gandy could've been moved to guard. I can live with him at tackle for another year but yeah he'll never be confused with the likes of a walter jones or willie roaf.

 

 

all in all I think they're headed in a good direction in fixing the oline, at least on the interior which was our biggest problem last season, but its far from a done deal. I'm not asking for the greatest oline ever, but a consistent unit who dont trip over their own feet, or commit stupid penalties in the redzone will be a nice start.

 

 

QB

 

Losman probably will not be adequate but he might be and I give him at least a 33% if not 40% chance of being a good enough starter.

 

 

Im by no means a fan of JP Losman. he reminds me far to much of Jake Plummer, and looking at what we gave up for him I just expect him to prove me wrong and be much better then Plummer, but thats the kind of ceiling I belive he has. I'm more then willing to give him a shot, but giving up numerous picks for a guy who can only occasionaly make plays, and not win you games, but has to be placed in a certain system which will minimize mistakes is just not something that excites me considering donahoe invested so much into him.

 

 

Holcomb remains a solid back-up and I put his chances of being a productive starter for an entire season at 25%.

 

I like kelly holcomb. I think he's undervalued by a lot of people on this board, but he's aging and definitly not a long term solution, You have to let the veteran play his way out of the job. Which I think will be the case. He's by no means flashy, but he's consistent. I dont like to hear this well he only throws 5 yard passes bs. He had a higher yards per attempt avg then losman, better completion pct. and we avged more points under holcomb then with Losman. Unless Losman is significantly better then Holcomb. I think Holcomb will get the job, until he plays his way out of it.

 

I'm not familiar with craig nall, so I'll reseve comment for a later time. None of these qb's leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling but Holcomb as of right now is the best of this bunch.

[Pyrite Gal]

 

As a pass blocker Peters is far better then Mike Williams, as a run blocker when Mike Williams was on he was on.  Its no mere coincidence that McGahee went from averaging 4.8ypc during the games Mike Williams started to sub 4 when Peters was inserted into the lineup.  Peters has a long way to go in that department, but I have good hope he'll improve.

 

I agree, and I really hope Preston can push Villarrial for playing time and or right out of the lineup.  I'd like to see a youth movement built on the oline where we can start to have continuity on the line for years to come. At this point Villarial is a stop gap.

 

Also Agree. Fowler is a lot like teague athletically but unlike teague he's a natural center.  I doubt we'll see Fowler thrown into the pocket like we did when teague lined up at center.

 

I'm not exactaly sure on this one.  Reyes is quicker and better in space, but Anderson did seem to come on during the end of the season. It was his first year playing lg, and when he gets his hands on a defender he's a great drive blocker. I'd need to see reyes beat out anderson first. Right now I have to give this to benny.

 

 

Another guy playing out of position. I would've truly loved to have seen a lt brought in via the draft so gandy could've been moved to guard.  I can live with him at tackle for another year but yeah he'll never be confused with the likes of a walter jones or willie roaf.

all in all I think they're headed in a good direction in fixing the oline, at least on the interior which was our biggest problem last season, but its far from a done deal.  I'm not asking for the greatest oline ever, but  a consistent unit who dont trip over their own feet, or commit stupid penalties in the redzone will be a nice start.

QB

 

Im by no means a fan of JP Losman. he reminds me far to much of Jake Plummer, and looking at what we gave up for him I just expect him to prove me wrong and be much better then Plummer, but thats the kind of ceiling I belive he has.  I'm more then willing to give him a shot, but giving up numerous picks for a guy who can only occasionaly make plays, and  not win you games, but has to be placed in a certain system which will minimize mistakes is just not something that excites me considering donahoe  invested so much into him.

 

I like kelly holcomb. I think he's undervalued by a lot of people on this board, but he's aging and definitly not a long term solution,  You have to let the veteran play his way out of the job.  Which I think will be the case.  He's by no means flashy, but he's consistent.  I dont like to hear this well he only throws 5 yard passes bs.  He had a higher yards per attempt avg then losman, better completion pct. and we avged more points under holcomb then with Losman.  Unless Losman is significantly better then Holcomb. I think Holcomb will get the job, until he plays his way out of it. 

 

I'm not familiar with craig nall, so I'll reseve comment for  a later time.  None of these qb's leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling but Holcomb as of right now is the best of this bunch.

705623[/snapback]

 

Thanks for the thoughtful commentary.

 

My response to some of your notions are:

 

1. The MW to Peters comparison strikes me as an upgrade in large part not due to Peters strengths (yet we hope) but MWs weaknesses as a player/person. JMac seemed to have to work overtime his first season applying sticks (threatening to move him to Guard) and carrots (the gameball for one of his games) in 2004 to shke him out of the lethargy caused by the death of the grandma who raised him.

 

It seems a better use of his time and skills for the Bills for him to teach football to players rather than have to spend time doing the Svengali act to get even an adequate performance and a professional approach out of a player.

 

My guess is that he like Peters simply because he is a sponge compared to MW in terms of learning and applying football lessons.

 

2. The Anderson situation is interesting to watch. The frustration for me with his play last year (particularly after we had spent the big bucks on him) was that his several false start penalties and a few plays where he got beat seemed to be simple inattention and a lack of focus on his part.

 

Physical mistakes happen to the best of them from time to time and are forgivable for me as a fan (unless they happen all the time), but mental mistakes (particularly after you have agreed to a big contract) are pretty difficult to take or escape getting blamed for.

 

Still, it is amazing how some folks can have a sudden epiphany often seemingly triggered by weird little things as we get older (for example, I'm not sure what got into Sam Adams but he proved to be a different player initially for us as he took far fewer vacations during the game for us and really gave a big effort. Ultimately his basic personality emerged and he proved to be a me first player who would not play a less effective for him stay at home style even though it made the Bills a better team. Edwards was simply not the wall PW was which gave Adams more of a chance to freelance. Our prime need last year was not his extraordinarily quick first step but his big body clogging the middle. I think the irony here is that Adams was probably the prototypical body we need for the Cover 2 as he coul clog the middle against the run with his big body, but still shoot the gap from time to time with is great first step. However, in the end, one cannot count on him to do what he is told and I think he was cut as not really a coachable player in the twilight of his career).

 

If Anderson had some moment of clarity this off-season which results in him playing up to his capability, the Bills OL may actually be awesome to behold. A revived Anderson could either be a back-up which gives us great flexibility at G/C with Anderson/Reyes/Villarial/Fowler and Preston giving us as many as 5 reasonable players at these spots or if he makes a total revival and plays like we expected him to play when we gave him the big bucks G may turn from a problem area to a deep area for us. We'll see.

 

If Losman actually proved to be as good as a performer as flawed Jake Plummer rather than give more like Todd Collins like performances you can mark me down as pleased.

 

As far as KH, the key to his production being very good strikes me as being if the speed of our WRs plays out well.

 

 

If opponents are forced to give Evans, Price and Parrish ample cushion in the routes due to their speed and thus make it easier for them to cut off routes and allow KH to make good vet reads and dump it off to them where they Run After the Catch bigtime, this O will be very dangerous.

 

Thanks again.

[Sisyphean Bills]

The answer is obvious. Roscoe Parrish was Donahoe's plan to replace Moulds all along. Stick with the grand master's plan. Little Boy Blue can get 'er done.

[Pyrite Gal]

The answer is obvious.  Roscoe Parrish was Donahoe's plan to replace Moulds all along.  Stick with the grand master's plan.  Little Boy Blue can get 'er done.

705700[/snapback]

My question is that if funny bounces of the ball and dumb luck leads to the Bills improving or being competitive in 06 does TD deserve any credit?

 

I'm sure that he won;t get any credit and I am sure that if the likely happens and this team is sub .500 he will get a lot of the blame.

 

However, the two conclusions would seem contradictory to some extent (unless the gains or losses are all performed by Marv insired acquisitions). Folks migjt want to step up now and state whether they think that the '06 squad is primarily or at least substantially a TD creation and deserves the primary or substantial blame if they suck and also credit if they prosper.

 

Alternately, one can decide the team is different enought that in essence the TD era is done with his dismissal and blame/credit goes generally to Marv.

 

I think that the players are substantially TD acquistions and he deserves a big chunk of the blame if they continue to struggle but also will deserve some props if the team improves.

[Mark Long Beach]

Don't forget we've been as active as I can remember this offseason. Granted they haven't been big name signings, but none-the-less we've had a reasonable roster turnover. ...so how much can you really ascribe to TD?

[ch19079]

Evans will have 900

Price will have 750

Reed will have 400

Parish will have 400

 

i dont care what anyone says. Price will be the #2 WR this comming season.

 

I think Evans can step up. between him and price, teams cant double them both.

 

but its not a question of who will replace Mould's yards. its who will replace his presence on the field. i dont see price doing it. so i hope somone can stand up and be the leader.

[Nanker]

My question is that if funny bounces of the ball and dumb luck leads to the Bills improving or being competitive in 06 does TD deserve any credit?

 

I'm sure that he won;t get any credit and I am sure that if the likely happens and this team is sub .500 he will get a lot of the blame.

 

However, the two conclusions would seem contradictory to some extent (unless the gains or losses are all performed by Marv insired acquisitions).  Folks migjt want to step up now and state whether they think that the '06 squad is primarily or at least substantially a TD creation and deserves the primary or substantial blame if they suck and also credit if they prosper.

 

Alternately, one can decide the team is different enought that in essence the TD era is done with his dismissal and blame/credit goes generally to Marv.

 

I think that the players are substantially TD acquistions and he deserves a big chunk of the blame if they continue to struggle but also will deserve some props if the team improves.

705998[/snapback]

 

PG, it's too late to worry about TD's legacy. He's gone and none too soon in my view.

 

How 'bout this. We'll give him the same amount of credit we gave to John Butler for the roster TD inherited from him. I'm not going to worry at all about TD. He was paid handsomely for the time he spent in Buffalo. He was brought in to fix things and it didn't work out. Now he's outta here. The same will happen to Marv if he doesn't fix things too, and the next guy, and the next guy...

 

I can't say that I enjoy one bit having a revolving door on the front office of OBD. But there comes a point when you've got a train wreck on your hands that someone's got to step in and say, "Enough!"

 

Unquestionably the worst TD decisions were his HC choices. Give Marv some credit for knowing enough to hire someone with experience. Not that Jauron's a lock to succeed, but the two previous occupants of the job failed so a change in direction is not a shocking thing.

 

As far as the player personnel are concerned, Marv has made his mark on this team already but he's not likely to purge any player from the roster that he didn't sign like his predecessor did. I think he's got a prudent thoughtful plan for building HIS team and is going about doing just that. He's smart enough to know that you get good players from wherever you can and if there are some on this roster (Lord, there must be some) he'll keep 'em. But if he has to get them via TRADE (when was the last Player-for-Player TRADE that TD did?), Free Agency, Draft or in the pool halls of America - he'll get 'em.

[Astrobot]

If anyone can "replace" Moulds this season, it's George Wilson. Great size (6'0" 210#), 4.5 speed, dedicated, and catches everything in sight, plus he has his rookie year behind him. Maybe next year it's Nance.

 

I agree. Wilson will not only make the team, he'll beat the season yardage of teammates Price, Aiken, Fast Freddie and Parrish (Evans will be #1, Davis #2). Just a hunch.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

I wouldn't go that far, but I'd say that Wilson could be like a David Givens-type of WR. Givens never put up huge numbers, but he absorbed coverage.

[Kelly the Dog]

You guys mean George Wilson the undrafted free agent from a big school whose next catch will be his first?

[MadBuffaloDisease]

Gotta start somewhere. And playing at a big school helps. Just ask Jason Peters.

[Dawgg]

I hope you're right but I tend to doubt it. He is simply not ready to be a #1 receiver.

 

PS I also think Evans will make everyone forget Moulds, he is a stud and will prove to be a far-better #1.

705165[/snapback]

[/dev/null]

Roscoe will be injured for the season by the end of week 3.

705283[/snapback]

 

That's the spirit!

705321[/snapback]

 

At least it's an improvement over last year

[obie_wan]

. so i hope somone can stand up and be the leader.

706056[/snapback]

 

You mean be the lead whiner.

 

we really don't need one of those.

[BillsCelticsAngelsBama]

 

It's not hard at all to believe the O production will exceed that of last year. Last year was pathetic.

705143[/snapback]

And we have done so much to improve our offense in the off season. Let's see , we drafted uh..... three practice player lineman(we may have the strongest O-Line in practice player history).

We got Andre Davis who was heavily desired by... ??

Melvin Fowler and Tutan Reyes... who may be practicing their Bennie Anderson/ Mike Gandy impersonations as we speak.

Oh and Robert Royal.. who's nickname was oops in Washington.. as in "ooops I dropped another pass".

Finally, having a QB like KH who doesn't mind throwing a three yard pass on third and nine.

I see very little reason for optimism about the offense other than the fact that the defense should be better.. allowing the Offense better field position, which, in reality, cannot be overrated.

Given time, we have enough off. weapons.. but I don't see us giving Losman, Holcomb etc. enough time to get our burners open or create holes for Willis.

But I'm just a fan like the rest of you and I hope someone can flag this post and talk about what an idiot I am the Week before we Play the Bucs in the Superbowl this year. Take Care All.