SBNation.com User Blog: Gesome77

Our Power Play is Hilariously Bad

Gesome77 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:07:55 -0000

This is my first time posting on DieByTheBlade, I usually frequent the fellow Buffallo team blog, BuffaloRumblings to discuss my extremely optimistic view on the Bills. I would call myself a casual hockey fan in general because I don't know much about any other teams, but I am a HUGE Sabres fan. It kills me to watch our team when we are on the power play, I almost prefer to have the other team at full strength than down a player. It seem like every power play we are on we either can't even get the puck into the zone or turn it over resulting in a scoring chance for the other team (and a lot of times give up a goal on that chance) I know it is bad that I am actually more worried now that we are going to give up a short handed goal than score when we have a power play.

I am fine with missing some shots or getting them blocked when we are on the power play, as long as we are putting some pressure on the other team. But night in and night out every time we get a power play it seems like it is still 5 on 5. I don't understand how we actually score goals at full strength if we can't do it with a man advantage.

I actually stopped watching the game last night when we had a power play in the 3rd and the puck spent more time at our end of the ice than it did theirs. It is just pathetic to watch, I can't even be angry at it anymore I started laughing last night when we tried for probably the 3rd time to get the puck into their end and immediately turned it over just to see it go back down to Miller. Something has to change because our players take forever to get set up for the PP rush and just sit behind the net with the puck for a few seconds then we make some dumb pass and turn it over or just dump it in to a spot where the other team can clear it before we get anyone to the puck.

I love hockey, I love the Sabres, I don't know much about different strategies or plays in hockey but I see the same thing every time we have a power play. I don't know the stats but from just watching us we have to be the worst team in the NHL on the power play. It is just so pathetic I don't understand. I want to know if people agree with me or maybe I am missing something. I just want to get the fans' thoughts on this subject because it makes me sick.

4 reasons we NEED to sign Bernard Pollard

Gesome77 — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:24:03 -0000

Ravens just released him and we NEED to get him, you know why?

1. He took out Tom Brady.

2. He took out Wes Welker.

3. He took out Gronk.

4. He took out Steven Ridley.

The guy is a PATRIOT KILLER!!! He would be perfect... along with the fact that he is a very good and hard hitting safety he would benefit us in more ways than just being able to take out the Pats, but I'd be happy with him if that is all he can do too.

Ravens just released him and we NEED to get him, you know why?

1. He took out Tom Brady.

2. He took out Wes Welker.

3. He took out Gronk.

4. He took out Steven Ridley.

Mr. Optimistic

Gesome77 — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:19:09 -0000

I have to say, I have been one of the most optimistic Bills fans over the past few years. I have been very discouraged this year so far as well, at least in our team's losses. I noticed the morale of the fans is pretty low so I'm gonna try to give everyone a boost, including myself.

First things first, we are 2-3 right now. There is only 1 team that is 3-2 who is in the wild card hunt and that is the Bengals. We are only 5 games into the season and we are 1/2 game behind for a tie for a wild card spot. The season is long so a lot will change and everyone knows that anything can happen any given Sunday.

I know the last 2 weeks were very bad. However, I don't think how we played is really a testiment to how good we are. Yes the coaches need to get it together and they are the keys for everything to work. But look at our losses, the Jets we weren't ready to play in that game, it was bad, we won 2 after that to make up for it. But the last 2 weeks we played the Patriots and the 49ers. Let me say that again, the PATRIOTS and the 49ERS. These are 2 of the best, if not, the best teams in the NFL. Did ANYONE have us actually winning either of those 2 games? (I did cause I'm a crazy optimist). But those were 2 games we were supposed to lose. It doesnt matter if we get crushed or lose by 1 in heartbreaking fashion (I for one prefer getting crushed) but at the end of the day this is a new week this week and if we can stay focused for a full 60 minutes I think we can beat the cards and get back to .500. I know a lot of people are losing faith but anything can happen, especially with Fitz at QB. He's had 2 bad games, it's time for him to bounce back with a few good ones, that is his pattern. I think the D is gonna come out with something to prove and Gilmore will lock down Larry Fitzgerald with his physical play. We need to make Spiller the primary back again, love Freddy as much as anyone but Spiller averaged 10 yards a carry through the first 3 games and has barely seen the ball the last 2. If we have his explosiveness in the backfield I think we can get to the Cards tough D. COME ON BILLS FANS, THE SEASON IS YOUNG, YOU GOTTA BILLIEVE!!!!

Red, White, and Blue (Just in case you missed it)

Gesome77 — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:06:13 -0000

Hey everyone, this video was posted on BuffaloBills.com on the 4th of July and I didn't see anything on here about it so I figured I would post it. It is a song called Red, White, and Blue and it is about our beloved Bills. To be honest I got goosebumps listening to it because I think that it truly captures how we all feel to be diehard Bills fans. I know that the first verse about going to my first game is pretty much true of my first Bills game and probably many of you as well. So if you didn't check it out earlier then I really recommend you do because it will hit the heart of every Bills fan.

Here is the link and I hope you all enjoy.
http://www.buffalobills.com/media-center/videos/Red-White-and-Blue-Music-Video/7aedd23c-ab43-414c-9a9d-7d0529e8500f

My Final Draft Thoughts

Gesome77 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:23:59 -0000

So it's about that time again. We are two days before the draft and it is time for my mind dump about this draft. I will start by saying that this is the most unsure that I have ever been about the last 4 drafts that the Bills have had. But we are in a great position here at #10.

Back before free agency my thought was always "WE NEED D ENDS". I wanted to grab one in the first and then another in the second and then I would've been content with taking yet another in the third. However, the brilliant moves by CHIX to get Super Mario and Mark Anderson were absolutely the best things that could have happened to this team. Our biggest need became one of our biggest strengths. Now I will say that it would be nice to grab a day 1 every down starter at #10, but fortunately for us, we don't have any glaring weaknesses where we are in a position that we HAVE to do that. Yes, we need a left tackle, but we don't need a starter from day 1 because we have a guy in Hairston that played pretty well last year for getting thrown into the fire as a 4th round pick. Receiver, yes we don't have a true number 2, although if Easley is healthy I believe he will be a VERY good receiver in this league and can be a number 1 down the road but that of course is not something I am counting on it is just me being hopeful. And finally, cornerback is another position where we have some veteran depth with Mcgee and Flo, and some good young talent in Rogers and Williams. Again we will need some more depth there.

Fortunately for us, players from two of those positions of "need" will most likely be there for us at 10. Either Floyd or Blackmon will likely be there when we pick. If either of these guys falls to us and we pull the trigger on them then nobody can really be upset about it. Stevie and one of these guys across from them will make one hell of a receiving duo, nobody can deny that.

Another one of these "need" need guys will probably be there too and that's Gilmore. For the record I am predicting GIlmore as the actual selection approximately 48 hours from now. Not only will he fill a need but he wouldn't be a reach at 10. This guy can play and with our improved pass rush he could thrive as a rookie.

I am under the firm belief now that we will NOT take a left tackle at 10 that is not named Matt Kalil. If he falls to us it will be tough to pass him up. I am not saying we will not in the first round because if we trade down then I could very well see us taking Glenn. I think he is the top rated tackle for the Bills have other than Kalil. If the Bills take Riley Reiff I will take something breakable, go outside my house, and smash it on a rock. Then I will most likely do that again.

If we take Tannehill, I will do the same thing except probably smash 3 or 4 things and maybe throw them into the TV instead. He would be a waste of a pick because he is not going to be a good quarterback in the NFL and I am sick of everyone talking him up because I am not at all sold on him. Give me Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, or even Kellen Moore in the late rounds. All of those guys I see as better than Tannehill in college and as future pros.

My last thoughts are on both Mark Barron and Luke Keuchly. I would be happy with taking either of these two players. Luke can play all 3 LB positions in our defense which means he can be an every down LB and with the aging group of LBs we have it would be good to have more depth and some future potential. The biggest doubt for me about this is that we play the nickle so often that the LB position is becoming less and less important. That is why I would rather take Barron over Luke if they are both there. I see Barron as a superstar safety in the NFL. Yes we have some good ones and a good young one but why have a good one when you can have a great one. One of his biggest strength coming out of college is his ability to cover the tight end position. Do you see where this could come in handy for our beloved Buffalo Bills.

So for my final thoughts, I will say that I believe the pick will be between Stephon Gilmore, Mark Barron, Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, and Luke Keuchly. I can see potentially 3 of these guys being there at the 10 spot but the pick the Bills will actually make depends completely on the way the first 9 picks go. I am going to say that I think the pick will be Gilmore but we all know that anything could happen on draft day. All we can really do is just sit back, enjoy, and hope that the Bills don't make an Aaron Maybin type of decision.

The top 2 BPA for us at 10

Gesome77 — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:20:50 -0000

This is who the Bills are going to be deciding between at 10. Stephon Gilmore and Mark Barron. I have some inside info about it that one of these guys will be the pick. Gilmore is 1 and Barron is 2.

I would like either of these two players. Gilmore is a very good corner and Barron is a very good safety. I love the fact that we are thinking secondary and I think either of these two players are going to be a fine addition to a much improved defense. I am just thrilled that Riley Reiff is not in the discussion. Also I want to say that this could change because I am assuming Blackmon, Kalil, and Claiborne are all gone. However, we could still trade down and grab one of these two players. I think that would be the best case scenario, to trade back and still grab one of these guys. I am very excited to see what happens on Thursday. GO BILLS!!!

First Round Mock Draft that beats all of the "experts"

Gesome77 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:28:44 -0000

http://pjrball77.hubpages.com/hub/2012-NFL-Mock-Draft-that-beats-all-of-the-experts

Hey everyone, I made a mock and this is the link to it. I want you all to know that the way I approached this from every team is a combination of what I would do and what I think the teams will do. It took me a while to complete so I didn't want to rewrite the entire thing on this site but please take a look at it and let me know what you think.

http://pjrball77.hubpages.com/hub/2012-NFL-Mock-Draft-that-beats-all-of-the-experts

Happy Draft, and not so happy draft

Gesome77 — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:05:46 -0000

So this is my first draft post, I'm sure I will come out with a mock a little bit later. But here is the deal. There are so many different directions that the Bills can go this year at 10 and I wanted to make a post saying what I would be happy with and what I would be not so happy with. I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to your comments.

Alright so I will start with the players and situations I would be happy with.

Trade Down- I think this is ultimately what I am hoping for because there are not a lot of players that I like at the top of this draft aside from Luck, RG3, Kalil, Blackmon, Claiborne, and Richardson. If we trade back we can pick up more picks in a draft that seems to be very deep at a lot of our needed positions but having no great players at 10 sitting there for us.

Kirkpatrick or GIlmore- We have a need at CB, These two guys are both tall, have long arms, and are fast. I would actually prefer Kirkpatrick over Gilmore. But if either of their names were called on draft day I would be fine with it. I have to say that I think our secondary will be good this year regardless of this pick because of the pass rush. The last few years I have gotten very frustrated with watching QB's sit in the pocket against us for 5-8 seconds and pick us apart without getting touched. I think our coverage has been very underrated because of the lack of pass rush. But I could go on for a full post about that so I will stop and continue. We have an aging CB in Mcgee, Mckelvin can't make a play on the ball to save his life, Rogers still has a LOT of work to do at the CB position (I am not as high on him as much as a lot of people are), but Williams and Florence are solid as starters. (See Pass Rush Comment from before).

Floyd or Hill- I am definitely more in favor in the Floyd choice, but I have watched highlights of Hill and he is a beast, he is tall and he is very fast which is what we need across from Stevie. However, I would rather see Floyd because he came from a more pro ready offense (although I do hate Notre Dame), he is VERY good, tall fast, good hands, everything you want in a receiver. As for his "character issues" I am not big on the whole character issue thing. These guys are college kids, they drink, they smoke, they party when they aren't playing football, its just college life. Some people get caught, some don't, I am not concerned. If you all recall, Aaron Maybin had no character flaws but Brian Orakpo occasionally took a play off and had some sort of trouble off the field at some point I believe but look how that turned out for us. And to be honest, I have a funny feeling that Hill could be the pick here, I know CHIX likes him and he's a Georgia Tech product.

Coples, Ingram, or Mercilus- YES... THAT IS CORRECT... ANOTHER DEFENSIVE END. I would not be shocked at all, nor would I be upset at all. Look at the Giants, you can never have enough pass rushers. The Giants have at least 4 guys that are crazy pass rushers and they have 2 Super Bowls in the last 5 years. So you know how to build a team and stop Tom Brady, get pass rushers pass rushers and more pass rushers. I love Anderson and Williams, but depth would not hurt at all. If Coples is there I actually kind of hope we take him and I can almost guarantee that Buddy will pull the trigger on that one. Ingram from what I hear could potentially play OLB which wouldn't hurt to have a versatile player like that. And Mercilus has also been connected to the Bills and he is a guy like Hill who it would not shock me at all if he was the guy on draft day. But come on, a pass rusher named Mercilus, you gotta love that. I know I will get his jersey if that happens.

Now onto the players that I would be unhappy with

Reiff, Martin, Adams, or Glenn- I do not like any of these players at 10. I have heard rumors of Adams or Glenn falling to us in the 2nd possibly. I know Brian picked Adams for his mocking the draft selection which I am sorry, it made no sense to me. Here is the deal. When a tackle is taken this high he is expected to start right away. I would not want any of these guys starting over Hairston. Hairston was a rookie 4th rounder thrown into the fire last year with Bell getting injured. We gave up the least amount of sacks in the NFL last year. We throw a lot of quick passes on offense so the LT isn't required to hold his block for a ton of time. Also, Hairston did not play bad last year. remember he was beat up too at the end of the season when the whole team was beat up. I agree that we NEED to get another tackle because we need depth. But Buddy has proven to be able to find O line talent later in the draft, plus he likes to have monstrous human beings on our line, and although by my standards all of these guys are monstrous, they are not Buddy Nix monstrous. I also think that left tackle is a VERY overrated position on offense. Yes it is important but people treat it like if a team doesn't have a GREAT LT then they can't be good. Well lets ask the Browns and Dolphins how those elite left tackles are treating them. Then lets see how a team like Pittsburgh with a revolving door on the left side with former below average Bills LT Jonathan Scott is doing. I couldn't tell you who Peyton Manning's LT was for the last 10 years because that line played together well as a unit. That is what we have right now in Buffalo with our line. They play well together in Chan's system and they are really high on Hairston too so I don't think we go with it in the first. Now after all of that, the main reason I would be unhappy with this pick is that I don't think any of these guys are very good.

Tannehill or Osweiler- I put Osweiler in here because I heard somewhere that someone picked him for the Bills at 10. I would hate that, I would also hate taking Tannehill. I watched both of these guys play last year and I don't see what is so special about either of them. Tannehill has a weird throwing motion and he has only been a QB for a little while. Tannehill is the guy in the draft that someone (I am hoping the Dolphins) will take WAYYYYYYYY too early and he won't even come close to beating out Matt Moore or David Garrard. We have a young QB in Fitz that we just gave a 5 year deal to. We can't waste a 1st rounder on a project QB when this team is in my mind a playoff team this coming season.

Kuechley- This one is simple, the NFL is a passing league, we will be in the nickle or dime a lot of the time and he will only be a 2 down player, which we can find later in the draft. Also, Boston College sucked last year and this guy just tackles. He doesn't make any big plays, he was the best player on a terrible defense and who knows how that will translate into the NFL. I see him as a London Fletcher, he makes tackles 5-10 yards down the field and he makes a lot of them. I think that with our D line this year we can take a LB later in the draft who can contribute rotating in occasionally because don't forget, we have 3 starting LBs with Barnett, Sheppard, and Morrison. So this guy would back up one of them and play special teams. I want my 10 overall pick contributing more than that from the start.

Kendall Wright- If he falls to us in the 2nd I would be alright with taking him. I just don't see him as a worthy 10 pick. He is too short and he isn't as fast as I thought he was going to be. We need a big fast receiver to help stretch the field. I think a lot of people agree this is way to early for him but I have seen people make the argument for him at 10.

Upshaw- If we were in the 3-4 still I would be fine with him but seeing that he is a 3-4 OLB I just don't like the fit for him in our defense. I don't think we will go this route either but I have seen him mocked to us even after the Williams and Anderson signings.

I am going to add another category and it is my I have no idea how I feel about it category-

Decastro- This guy is a beast, but our interior offensive line is great. I love the guys we have there, we already have depth at guard too with Rhinehart behind Urbik and Levitre. That is why I am so torn on this. He seems like a sure fire great player which is difficult to go against. But we have some VERY good young interior linemen that are coming into their prime and blocked for the leagues leading rusher until everyone started getting injured. So if I have to swing this pick one way or the other, I would say that I am more towards not happy with it just because of the fact that we have so much talent and talented depth at guard.

Well, there you go. I know some of you will disagree with me on some of my points and some of my picks but I welcome the criticism. These are my opinions and please feel free to agree or disagree with anything that I said. As the draft gets closer I will probably create a mock, I usually do. But this is a difficult year because there are SO MANY options for us. I will say though that this is the best problem that the Bills have had in a long time. I would rather have this problem than a glaring weakness that we NEED to upgrade in the first round no matter what. That is why I would be happy with so many different scenarios. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the read. GO BILLS!!!!

A little story about Stevie (and some opinion)

Gesome77 — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:27:44 -0000

I would just like to share this little story about when the Bills drafted Stevie Johnson, and why he is my favorite player on the Bills, and in the NFL. Plus I think it might pump up some people about his resigning (As if anyone isn't insanely pumped up about it already).

Back in 2008 the Bills draft was possibly the most pathetic one to date. We all know how Mckelvin turned out as a 1st rounder. Then James Hardy UGGHHHHH. But in the 7th round we took Steve Johnson out of Kentucky. Nobody pays attention to 7th round picks this is just the receiver who has a ton of flaws and MAYBE can work his way into the practice squad. Of course I did my research on this guy and afterwards I was a bit shocked. All I could ask myself was "HOW IS HE A 7th ROUND PICK?!?!" My first thought was look at his size and speed. His speed wasn't spectacular running a 4.59 at the combine. I thought, ok he isn't a deep threat, but you don't need crazy speed to be a great receiver in the NFL. After I saw that he was 6'2", 200 lbs. I knew he was more of a big receiver which I was fine with, in fact I liked that more than just a speed threat. Then I looked at his stats, he had over 1,000 yards and 13 tds his senior year at Kentucky which was the best receiving season in Kentucky history. That is when I knew. Kentucky is not a football school, very true, but they are in the SEC. And having that type of season receiving on a bad team against the defenses in the SEC is when I realized we might have stumbled onto someone special here.

A few weeks after the draft after it all sank in, I said to my friends at college "Give this Steve Johnson guy 3 years, and I guarantee he will be a very good receiver in this league." Of course they all laughed at me and said I was crazy. Through the next couple seasons he would have a few catches and a touchdown here and there and all of my friends would jokingly go crazy because they knew how much I likes this guy. Then 2010 came around (which we all would like to forget as Bills fans) and he is in the starting lineup and playing every down. He has 82 catches, 1,073 yards, and 10 tds. After the Bengals game where he caught 8 balls for 137 yards and 3 tds in the comeback victory I looked at all of my friends calmly and said "I told you". He was probably my favorite Bill at the time.

Then last year came along and showed me what this guy is truly made of and even though he had a coupe of stupid penalties, he will outgrow that stuff and I loved Gailey for benching him the last game I think that sent a strong message and I think Stevie realizes that and won't pull any of that crap again. The first thing I loved about him this year, he torched Revis both games. I went to college in NY and I hated the Jets before, but now they are my most hated franchise in sports so any Bill that can burn Revis is great. But people thought he had character issues from the celebrations. But I always thought he was just having fun, of course the No Fun League prohibits that so he has to cut back on the fun. But watching him every game this year, watching how he plays, watching him give it his all on every play made me fall in love with him as a player. There were games that he took insanely hard hits and I thought "Oh no, he's done for the game". He would come off the field for a play after being on the ground, then he would run right back to the huddle, CLEARLY in a lot of pain, and he would give it his all on the next play. Seeing him in the huddle wincing in pain then running to the line and running his route, getting hit hard again and gong right back to the huddle in pain and doing it again is the definition of HEART in football.

Everyone who reads this think back to the second half of the season. To be honest, I thought he was going to be out at the end of a lot of games this year. Those games at the end of the year when the receiving core was hurting BADLY and we had like 3 healthy receivers, Spiller had to play wideout a lot of the time. I remember a few of those games where in the 2nd half Stevie would take a big hit and clearly be hurt and in a lot of pain. I remember thinking "We need this game to end because our guys are just getting beat up out there, Stevie is done after that hit we have no more healthy receivers." There would be so many players in this league that would give up in that situation, they're on a bad team, they're injured, they're team is beat up, nothing seems to be going right. But Stevie fought through the pain, he battled the injuries and got back on the field every time he seemed to get injured or knocked down hard. I can tell he wants the Bills to win so badly. Watching him after losses, he seems heartbroken every time these guys lose. He leaves everything out on the field and plays as hard as he can and plays his heart out on every play. PLUS the fact that he gave the Bills a hometown discount tells me even more that he is not some money hungry scumbag receiver like Desean Jackson. He gave the Bills a great deal for both sides which shows me just how much he loves this team and these fans. He is the type of guy that every Bills fan should love.

I just wanted to share that with everyone because I am insanely pumped about this!!

GO BILLS!!!!!!

The Bills season and moving forward

Gesome77 — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:47:59 -0000

I have not posted anything for a while so I figured it was time to give some Bills fans some comfort and hope moving forward. I am an optimistic fan, maybe the most optimistic fan out there. I want to give my take on this season and what we should do in the upcoming months in the draft and free agency. I decided to wait a few days to digest the final game and the season in general before I wrote this so I would be a lot more calm and looking at the positives, so here we go!

First off, I am obviously disappointed with how this season turned out especially after the start we had. I feel like there were several games we not only could have won, but should have won (Giants and 2nd Jets game mainly). But ultimately if we had won those games we would have missed the playoffs anyway and had a lower draft pick. My view is that we were able to compete with a lot of good teams this year, Yes I know we went on that losing streak but not all of those games were terrible losses (Only like 4 or 5 haha). I know every team has their issues and excuses can be made but this Bills team was devastated by injuries this year, in fact, devastated might be a bit of an understatement. That is not talked about very much. Looking at the first 7 games when this team was healthy, we were able to compete with anyone. We lost our our Center, and Defensive Tackle, the two players that anchored the lines on both sides of the ball. And those two were badly missed after they went out. Not to mention there is the obvious injury with Jackson that killed our offense because he was turning in an MVP type season. Besides them there are the injuries to Merriman (who was playing well and getting pressure), All of the receivers, Demetrius Bell (Who I will touch on in a bit), Wilson, Williams, Mcgee. ALl of these players are starters. We had the most starters on injured reserve out of any team in the league this year. To me I look at that stat as lots of young players got a lot of game experience so the depth of this team next year will be phenomenal.

Now looking at the upcoming months. A lot of people are calling out Chan and Buddy and I say you need to stop. They are implementing a 3 year plan. 3 years does not mean 2 years, give them another year and see how it goes. If next year is a 7-9 year or 6-10 year again (which I am confident it will not be barring another slew of injuries) then that is a different story. They have been building this team the right way in my opinion, there are a few more pieces that need to be in place for this team to jump to the level of playoff team. First and foremost, we absolutely NEED a pass rusher. We had 29 sacks this year which was tied for 3rd worst in the league and 10 came in one game against a sorry Redskins team with John Beck at the helm so that game was a fluke and a half. We have to draft pass rushers in 2 out of the first 3 rounds. That is how desperate we are for a pass rush. It sickens me to see every quarterback we face have 10 seconds in the pocket. Our coverage down field is generally fantastic but receivers that have 10 seconds to run a route will eventually find a hole and get open. Hopefully with Williams and Darius at full strength next year and putting a good pass rusher and hopefully a situational 3rd down rusher in Merriman we can have a good pass rush.

As for the offensive line now. I have seen a lot of people call out the o line and say that we need another tackle or guard. I just ask you to rewatch some of these games and look at the stats for the offensive lines. We averaged 4.9 yards/rush this year which is 4th best in the NFL and that comes down to the offensive line. We only gave up 23 sacks this year which is 1st in the NFL. 4th best in rushing and 1st in pass protection, NOBODY should be calling out this line and asking for someone in the 2nd round of the draft. If anything I think we need to resign Demetrius Bell, this guy was great when he played. I saw every game this year and he impressed me a lot, especially when he was going up against some really good pass rushers. But with all of the injuries and rotations on the line, to put up those kind of offensive line stats is unbelievable. I for one am VERY excited about this young and very big offensive line.

The last specific topic I want to cover is receiver. I know Stevie has had his ups and downs but I say we get him back. He is asking for 7.8 million a year I believe and that is 15th among receivers. He is a top 15 receiver no questions about it. In fact, he is the ONLY receiver in the NFL who can beat Revis, and not only did he beat Revis, but he OWNED Revis this year. Having to play the Jets twice a year alone should be enough incentive to bring him back. I know he had a couple dumb penalties but this last one I think he really learned from. He saw first hand how his immaturity and stupidity cost this team in 2 games this year. I know the Pats killed us but I think if Stevie is in the game our offense keeps putting up some points. Here is another thing that bothers me though. A lot of people have been saying to draft a receiver in the 1st round. This would be very stupid to me, unless somehow Blackmon falls to us, but even then I think we have more pressing issues on the defensive side. But our receivers were so injured this year and it all started with Easley in the preseason. I honestly think that if this guy can be healthy he will be a very good number 2 receiver across from Stevie. Our other starters were hurt for most of the season. I know people like Naaman, but seriously, he is small, slow, and doesn't have great hands, he will not be on the team next year. I think Johnson, Easley, Jones, Nelson, Smith, FA receiver or maybe 3rd or 4th round receiver should be the roster next year.

Finally I just want to summarize my opinion on the rest of the positions for next year. QB we are set with Fitz at least for one more year, although Thigpen is awful he needs to go. RB we are set with Jackson and Spiller that is a given. I wish we would use a FB more because Mac is a BEAST, hopefully he stays. WR I already gave my view on that. TE, I like Chandler, I think we should grab someone in the mid rounds maybe 4th or 5th, or FA. O Line already talked about. D line, depending on what Wannstedt is running we need pass rushers pass rushers and more pass rushers. 2 out of the first 3 rounds need to line or outside linebackers who can rush. As for the interior, Williams and Daruis are the guys and hopefully Troup can be back healthy next year. Linebackers, I like Shepperd and Barnett but we need some more depth there I would like a young guy in the draft. Safety we are set, Wilson and Byrd are a couple of very good players plus with Scott and Searcy backing them up they have no issues there. Finally, CB is a position I think we need to get in the draft too, Florence is fine, Williams is turning out to be a great pick after a lot of people questioned it, and Rogers has even shown some promise. Mcgee is old and always injured he might even be cut next year. and Mckelvin although he can stick with any receiver he gets beat a lot and can't ever make a play on the ball even when he does have perfect coverage, but I think he can still be valuable as a nickle corner and special teamer because special teams is a place where he thrives. Also a quick note on special teams, we NEED Lindell back, these backup kickers are pathetic.

Those are my thoughts on the season and moving forward, I hope everyone enjoyed it and I welcome all comments and criticism. I will definitely be posting more about the draft as it gets closer too so try not to get caught up in my general off season FA and draft comments because those will get addressed later I promise you all that. GO BILLS!!!!

Lee Evans, it was his time.

Gesome77 — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:36:47 -0000

I know many of you are upset to see the Bills part with fan favorite receiver Lee Evans. I am not going to lie, I loved Evans and I will continue to root for him when he is with Baltimore. He was a very good player for us for several years. And unlike most players who leave town, he had a great attitude and a great work ethic. It makes me very happy to see that he got traded to a contending team, and one that I have no problems with too. With the Bills he has not sniffed the playoffs his entire career and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that if Baltimore is in the playoffs this year, most if not all Bills fans will be pulling for Lee to win the big one.

Now on the the issue that many of you have with the Bills getting rid of Evans. This has happened to the Bills' number one receivers for the last 3 that we've had. Moulds eclipsed Reed, Evans eclipsed Moulds, and Stevie Johnson last year eclipsed Evans. Now I hope Evans can stay healthy in Baltimore, but for the Bills it was time to part ways. We are a rebuilding team in our 2nd year. A rebuilding team needs to see what they have for young talent at all positions. In this case we are actually in the best position we can be in. We have a good number 1 receiver in Stevie Johnson. We have a strong competition for the number 2 spot between 4 guys. That is what I like to call a very good problem to have. Yes, we might not get the production right away from these guys that Evans gave us. But by mid season (If we can avoid injuries of course) I see this young group of receivers making some noise out of the spread offense. Also when looking at these guys, we have so many young talented guys that if we kept Lee we would have had to cut 2 of them. Those 2 would have been Easley, Naaman, or Davis obviously. Personally I don't like to see Evans go, but it is in the best interest of the franchise for making us a good team again.

Just a couple more things to add, I have high expectations this year for the Bills (as I do every year), looking at the schedule I think we can win 9 games. Most of you will call me crazy for this (I get it from my uncle, Optimist John who calls WGR all the time) but if you take a look at the schedule it is possible. Looking how we finished last year at 4-4 and with the players going into the 2nd year of the system, on top of that add in a healthy Merriman and Barnett (hopefully), AND a better run D with Dareus, we can do it.

A couple final thoughts, my dad always says this, receivers are a dime a dozen. Good receivers come and go all the time in the NFL and it is not hard to find a good one. I have to remind you all of T.O. We signed him and all of a sudden we were supposed to be playoff contenders and he didn't do much to help with that. Receiver is the easiest position to fill in the NFL, and we are lucky because we have a lot of young talent.

I will leave all of you with this. We are all going to miss seeing #83 on the field for the Bills this year. And I know we will all be rooting for him to do well in Baltimore (Unless of course they are playing the Bills) But I guarantee that as time goes by nobody will be saying "All we need is Lee Evans to put this team over the top."

Are the 2010 Bills the 2006 Saints?

Gesome77 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:54:41 -0000

Ok so I have been doing some thinking in the past week or so. I haven't posted anything for a while but I realized that the Bills this year could be very similar to the Saints in 2006. Obviously there is nothing compared to the Katrina disaster that made the team bad last season but we were in disarray last year with the firing of the offensive coordinator, the no huddle disaster, Firing Jauron, and the ridiculous amount of injuries at several key positions. After all of that I have been thinking about the similarities between the Bills this coming season and the Saints of '06.

Spiller and Bush

The Bills drafted CJ Spiller 9th overall this year in the draft. Before the 2006 season, the Saints took Bush at 2nd overall. The Saints at the time were a bit criticized because they already had a very good runningback in Deuce McCallister. If I had to compare Spiller to any runningback in the NFL it would be Reggie Bush. Look at his speed, quick moves, and college stats. He was a great college runningback like Reggie, and has the ability to take it to the house on every touch. Similar to Reggie his rookie year, I see the Bills giving him a good amount of touches, plus kick and punt returns. Also, Reggie was a diversion a lot of times on offense and it worked out pretty well for them. I see CJ having a very similar role in the Bills offense this year which brought the Saints a lot of success in 2006.

Easley and Colston

The Saints had a rookie receiver in 2006 who was 6'4", 220 lbs, a good route runner, pretty good speed, and great hands. Anyone see a similarity there with the Bills' 4th round draft pick this year, Marcus Easley? 6'3", 210 lbs, a good route runner, pretty good speed, and great hands. Now I'm not saying that Easley will get 1000 yards his first season, but he could very well be the #2 receiver opposite of Lee Evans on opening day. If that is the case, he could have a very productive first season.

Edwards and Brees

Now I am not going to pretend that Trent is anywhere near Drew Brees status. However, look at Brees's first few seasons in the NFL. He had a QB rating of 76.9 in 2002 and 67.5 in 2003. After that, everyone had counted Drew Brees out as a good quarterback in the NFL. After Trent's last few years people have counted him off as having the possibility of being a successful NFL quarterback. But he has shown potential at times (the first 5 games of the 2008 season). I seriously doubt Edwards will become the passer that Brees is, but I am just saying that the beginning of their careers were kind of similar.

Gailey and Payton

Sean Payton was hired before the 2006 season, and you all know the rest of that story. He has been a very good offensive minded coach for the Saints and has had a lot of success. Gailey is an offensive minded coach as everyone knows pretty well by now. With the addition of Spiller and Easley maybe he can turn Edwards into a decent quarterback in this league.

The Defense

Here is the big difference in the teams. The Saints' defense in 2006 was 11th in the NFL. The Bills' defense this year will be very good. Judging from the Bills excellent pass defense last year that is already covered. The run defense, because of the switch to the 3-4 and the free agent additions to the front 7, will be not just improved this year, but very good. I think the Bills' defense will be in the top 10 in the league, and possibly even the top 5.

Overall

I don't know if the Bills will be able to be quite as successful as the 2006 Saints because of the division that we play in. It will be very tough for our offense because of the question mark at the quarterback and offensive line positions to be as good as the Saints #1 offense in 2006, but our offense will be better than last year, that is certain. The way it could even out is because of the defense. The Saints in 2006 had a pretty good defense, and a great offense. The Bills I see as having a better shot at having a great defense and a pretty good offense. However, with the offensive mind of Gailey and hopefully a few less injuries than the last few years, our offense can be surprisingly good this year.

My good friend who knows me as the crazy optimistic Bills fan that is always talking about the Bills having a great year next year was actually on board with this idea when I was explaining it to him.

Final Roster Prediction

Gesome77 — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:38:15 -0000

Okay, so I have been getting a little bored with nothing really going on now in football, except some OTA's and training camp ahead. So I figured I would make my prediction about the final 53 man roster and who I think will be on it. I'll try to explain some of the decisions as best I can. The obvious ones, clearly won't need explaining. Let the criticisms begin!!

Offense-

Quarterback- Trent Edwards (Starter), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Levi Brown.

I am sorry for all of you Brohm fans out there. I would absolutely LOVE to see him prove me wrong and come out and shine in training camp and preseason, but I just don't see it happening. I think Edwards will win the starting job and Fitz is the reliable backup that he has been his entire career, with Levi taking the 3rd string.

Runningback- Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller, Marshawn Lynch, Corey McIntyre

The three headed monster of Jackson, Lynch, and Spiller, should be enough for the runningbacks that make the roster. Plus of course a fullback in McIntyre if we are going to be a run heavy team like Gailey says we are going to be.

Wide Receiver- Lee Evans, James Hardy, Steve Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, Marcus Easley, Felton Huggins.

Receiver was not a very easy position to figure out. Evans, Hardy, Johnson, Easley, and Parrish are all locks to make the team. The difficult thing was the final spot. As much as i would like Roosevelt to go there I think he will end up on the practice squad and Huggins will beat out Chad Jackson for the final receiving spot. Huggins does have some talent and can contribute on special teams. i don't know how many opportunities he will get as the 6th receiver but I think Gailey will keep him on an use him occasionally.

Tight End- Shawn Nelson, Jonathan Stupar, Michael Matthews.

This was difficult for me because Derek Schouman is one of my favorite Bills, I loved him in college and I was so happy when the Bills signed him. But I tried to remain unbiased here, i think his injury problems and a lack of size will keep him from making the team. Nelson and Stupar can catch, while Stupar can block pretty well, and Matthews is a big blocking tight end from Georgia Tech, is tough to see Gailey not take him.

Offensive Tackle- Jamon Meredith, Demetrius Bell, Ed Wang, Cornell Green, Kirk Chambers

These guys are all pretty much locks to make the team in my opinion, Chambers can play every position so I could have listed him at guard too. I will predict however, that Meredith is the opening day starting left tackle over Bell, and not just because Bell is coming back from an injury.

Offensive Guard- Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, Kyle Calloway

This is an obvious one, Wood and Levitre are two bright young spots on our line and hopefully Wood can come back healthy and be ready for opening day so these two can each have another good season, hopefully even better than last.

Center- Geoff Hangartner

Don't really need to explain this, he is the only center on the roster with any experience and that isn't a long shot rookie. Although maybe Wood will move here eventually.

Defense-

Defensive End- Marcus Stroud, Alex Carrington, Dwan Edwards, Spencer Johnson

Nobody should be too surprised about this list. McCargo finally out of Buffalo after little to no production. I don't know where he would fit in this defense... to be honest I'm not sure where he fit in our last defense either. But these four are locks to not only make the team, but from the looks of it, be a pretty good rotation of ends that I have to say I am excited about.

Defensive Tackle- Kyle Williams, Torell Troup.

These two are obvious to make it and both see serious time at Nose Tackle. Lonnie Harvey is an interesting candidate, if Schobel retires I see it being between him and Chris Ellis for the final spot, I think Ellis will take the final spot but it could go either way.

Outside Linebacker- Aaron Schobel (If he doesn't retire), Aaron Maybin, Chris Kelsay, Danny Batten, Antonio Coleman. (If Schobel retires, Chris Ellis)

This is where it gets tricky, Schobel (If he doesn't retire), Maybin, and Kelsay are locks, Batten I figure will make it because he was drafted for this position. Coleman is the surprise candidate. Not to make the team, but to actually get some playing time this year and have some impact. I don't know how this guy flew under the radar so much but to lead the top college conference (SEC) in sacks is pretty impressive. And I have to say that he will be on the team and get some sacks this year. Chris Ellis I don't have making the team, however, if Schobel retires I have him beating out Lonnie Harvey for the final spot. I think LOLB will be a good fit for Ellis, and seeing how Kelsay is the only other LOLB we have, I give Ellis the spot over Harvey, it is very close though it could really go either way.

Inside Linebacker- Paul Posluszny, Andra Davis, Kawika Mitchell, Arthur Moats.

Once again, no surprises, three experienced players and a rookie who is changing positions. Moats I don't see having a problem changing positions especially with these guys and our new coordinator helping him out. He has all the physical tools to play inside in our defense.

Cornerback- Terrence Mcgee, Leodis McKelvin, Drayton Florence, Reggie Corner, Ashton Youboty, Lydell Sargeant

Yes, you see correctly, Ashton Youboty on the final roster. He has shown that when healthy he can be a good player. With the new strength and conditioning coaches I see Youboty actually making it through camp and preseason healthy and playing well. I can also see him beating out Corner for the number 4 spot possibly. As for Sargeant, it was between him and Ellis Lankster, but Sargeant wins it because of his size i think. With the receivers in our division it is good to have size and skill at the corner position.

Safety- Jairus Byrd, Donte Whitner, George WIlson, Bryan Scott.

Doesn't need explaining. Maybe our most talented position on the team.

Special Teams- Doesn't need any explaining

Kicker- Ryan Lindell

Punter- Brian Moorman

Long Snapper- Garrison Sanborn

There you have it. My 2010 Buffalo Bills 53 man roster prediction. This is all just my opinion of what Gailey will do. I tried to remain as unbiased as possible in making these choices but this is just my guess based on what I think I know about Gailey and the players that are going into training camp. Please let me know what you think of it.

Faneca?

Gesome77 — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:06:14 -0000

So apparently the Jets will be releasing Alan Faneca after drafting an offensive lineman in the 2nd round. Any thoughts on bringing him in to play a little guard for us and provide some veteran leadership on the offensive line. I don't really know why the Jets want to get rid of him so badly, he was a pro bowler this year and helped the Jets rushing offense become one of the best in the league. I don't know if there are any issues we would need to worry about but I know he is a solid lineman and we could go Faneca, Wood, Levitre on the interior line. Any thoughts?

Bills Draft Woes Have Been Resolved

Gesome77 — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:33:30 -0000

This pick could not have been better. Let me explain. The last few drafts Bills fans have come away disappointed because we have reached for players that were a need for us. Whitner, Maybin, Mckelvin, all of these guys were ranked as first round prospects but we took them too high because they were such critical needs.

The new CHIX regime has clearly brought a new attitude to the draft. Take the best player available. This is a great way to approach the draft and why we haven't made the playoffs in ten years. I see all of these disappointed Bills fans saying "Yea Spiller will definitely be a great player for us, but its not who I wanted." Someone explain how this makes sense because I sure don't understand. Why would you pass on a great player early when you can fill the needs later on in the draft with quality players as well. Some people would rather take the 3rd best player available at a position (LT, DT, QB) at #9 overall rather than drafting an explosive player that could very well turn into a superstar.

Lets take a look at all of the players people wanted us to draft. Brian Bulaga- didn't go until #22 as the 4th tackle off the board. Anthony Davis- #11 overall, I cannot say this would have been a bad pick because he is very talented so Davis is my exception. Dan Williams- #26 overall. And finally the big one, Jimmy Clausen- Still available. Clearly not only us, but all NFL teams did not value these guys very highly on their draft boards. The new regime did the right thing and went with someone who was available that fit the value of the pick.

Also remember that when Nix was in San Diego, they built a quality offensive line with players in later rounds of the draft, so don't think that because we passed on players that some people liked, we won't get a good linemen later in the draft.

And for all of you opposed to this pick, I think you are feeling the effects of the previous regime still. Just being used to reaching for a need and now that it didn't happen you are confused. I'm sure a lot of people are more confused than upset with the pick. Because when it comes down to it, C.J. Spiller is a great college player, and it has been a long time since the Bills took a great player as dynamic, and with the great potential of Spiller.

GO BILLS!!

Changing My Draft Views

Gesome77 — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:13:02 -0000

Ok so I have always been a firm believer in build the O and D lines and you don't need to have a great QB or RB. I was on board the entire off season so far with getting an offensive tackle for our first pick. But lately I have been thinking that if we have the opportunity to get C.J. Spiller we take it if he is there at 9. Every day I have been thinking about this more. He is such a playmaker and big play threat, we haven't had anyone like that in the backfield in a very long time (O.J. Simpson). If we can get a Chris Johnson type player for our offense, then I think it would be stupid not to take him. Also I say if Spiller is gone then I we should trade down and get some more picks. If we trade down I say we should really try to make a run at Terrence Cody. A lot of people are saying Dan Williams at 9. But look at Cody, he has been losing weight, proving to me that he getting very serious about his career in the NFL. If we trade down in the first round we can take him then, because I think his stock is seriously rising and he is the PERFECT nose tackle for a 3-4. I watched him play at Alabama a lot last year. He is a beast and just plugs up holes, exactly what we need in a nose tackle. With all of the depth this year on the O line and linebackers we can grab some of them later on, especially with potentially more draft picks. What does everyone think of these ideas?

Mccoy or Suh anyone?

Gesome77 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:36:07 -0000

Ok this may sound a little bit crazy. I'm not even sure how I would feel about this yet but I have thought about it and I wanted to see what everyone else thinks about it. If the Rams pass on Suh and Mccoy and go with a QB. The Bills trade their #9 pick, Kyle Williams, and Donte Whitner to the Bucs for their #3 pick. Then we take either Suh or Mccoy depending on who gets taken 2nd by the Lions. I don't know exactly how they would fit into the 3-4 we are trying to implement, meaning if they would be a nose tackle or end. But all of the mocks i have looked at has a one of those DTs or Eric Berry going to the Bucs. And with this trade the Bucs get a solid DT and Safety that can start for them along with the #9 pick which I'm sure they could use. I have very mixed feelings about this because we do need tackles badly but maybe players like these two would be worth it. This is my first fan post so please take it easy on me I just would like to hear everyone's thoughts on this.