Your One Stop Shop To Discuss the Season 6 Premiere. ***SPOILER ALERT*** If you have yet to watch proceed with caution.
Maybe he will be giving some pointers as a stand in Quarterbacks Coach. Just sayin.
"It is clear there is a sense of desperation on the Bills' part to get something done. They don't want this to drag too far into April." "Brandon is not sure if the Bills can bridge the considerable gap between them and Peters. Brandon also is uncertain if Peters will stage another long holdout."
What would happen if at the end of this weekend us, the Phils, and the Brewers are all tied? Is the division determined first and then the wildcard? Do we have the head to head advantage over...
"BBON9: When I heard Buff coach Dick Jauron say, "We have a sense that we have a chance to be a decent team, you know, we're playing OK so far," I wanted to yell out, "OH COME ON! YOU JUST BEAT TWO PLAYOFF TEAMS TO OPEN THE SEASON!" But ya know, I think he actually believes this and, more importantly, the team has bought into the attitude as well. Jauron seemed to use the phrases "suck it up" and "keep slogging" a dozen times Sunday." "BBON12: Besides having, maybe, the best name in all of sports, Buff corner Ashton Youboty has already collected 11 tackles and a sack in 2008. Maybe the best open-field tackler I've seen so far this season, Youboty (pronounced, sadly: You-boatee) has a skinny 189-pound frame but a remarkable physical presence on the field and a high tolerance for pain. After the game, the left side of his face was swollen like he had just come from a bad dentist appointment and he had to shake with his left hand because his right was out of commission."
"PREDICTING: 2008 regular season record 10-6 (2nd in AFC East); lose in wild-card round." How great would that be? GO BILLS !!
"CONTRACT EXTENSION: The Buffalo Bills today announced offensive lineman Brad Butler has signed a contract extension. In accordance with team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed."
Article reads: Even on a night when the Mets won, manager Willie Randolph lost. Randolph made two more decisions Wednesday night that drew scrutiny from Mets management, according to major-league sources. The decision on whether to fire Randolph rests with general manager Omar Minaya, and his status has become almost day-to-day, sources say. The Mets chose to retain Randolph during a meeting on May 26 in which he met with Minaya, owner Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, the team's chief operating officer. Since then, the team is 8-8, and it had lost five straight games before defeating the Diamondbacks 5-3 on Carlos Beltran's two-run walk-off homer in the 13th inning Wednesday night. The Mets had taken a 3-0 lead into the ninth, but the Diamondbacks tied the score on a three-run homer by Mark Reynolds off closer Billy Wagner on a 3-2 count with two outs. For Randolph, that was the fateful inning. First, he allowed second-year right-hander Mike Pelfrey to start the ninth after Pelfrey had thrown 110 pitches. Then, after a leadoff single by Stephen Drew, Randolph summoned Wagner, even though statistics suggest that Wagner is far better starting an inning than when summoned in the middle. Since the start of 2007, Wagner has entered games 84 times at the start of an inning, but only seven times in the middle. He is 44-for-50 in save opportunities when starting an inning, according to STATS, Inc. His ERA in those situations is 2.05 ERA, and he has allowed six homers in 88 innings. When entering in the middle of an inning, Wagner is 3-for-6 in save chances. His ERA is 7.11, and he has allowed three homers in 6 1/3 innings. Those statistics do not excuse Wagner for allowing the three-run homer by Reynolds. But Randolph's choice of Wagner in the middle of an inning — combined with his decision to start Pelfrey in the ninth — left him open to second-guessing. According to the New York Daily News, Randolph apparently was prepared to pull Pelfrey for a pinch-hitter in the eighth, but the pitcher talked him out of it. "I started to go up there to hit, and they told me I was done," Pelfrey said. "I was kind of mad at the time because I wanted to stay in the game and I wanted to keep pitching. He came up to me and said, 'You want this?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I want it.'" Pelfrey had not pitched into the ninth in any of his 28 previous career starts, and had worked at least seven innings only three times. Randolph could have lifted him after the eighth, or even the seventh, and Pelfrey still would have had reason to be happy with his outing. Instead, Pelfrey allowed the leadoff single to Drew, and the inning crumbled. The Mets rebounded, but Randolph remains an issue, as does management's indecisiveness on his status. "The players have the look of, 'Hurry up, let's get this over with. If you're going to fire him, fire him,'" says one rival scout who saw the Mets this week. "There's not the desire to save the guy's job. They realize the guy is going to go. It's like, 'Hurry up, let's turn the page."
Per buffalobills.com Bills Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters did not attend any of the team's voluntary offseason training activities over the past four weeks. It was anticipated that would change...
Buffalo Bills (9-7) Buffalo spent money to add good, veteran players to the young and hungry defense that is vastly improved in 2008. Couple that with an offense starring two second year players and a rookie (among others), and the Bills make the two-game improvement they need to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card. The Bills average 23.9 points per game (#14) and allow 22.2 points (#13) against a schedule featuring six games against 2007 playoff teams. Absolute Record: 9-7 Most Significant Newcomer: Marcus Stroud, DT - James Hardy is closely considered here for what the tall, rookie wide receiver should mean to Trent Edwards and Lee Evans; but, it can be much more difficult to find the kind of Pro Bowl defensive tackle/man-child that Stroud is capable of being (if and when healthy). Biggest Strength: Running Offense - If "balance" were not such a cop-out, I would have said that. This team does not have many glaring strengths or weaknesses. That being said, the running attack has a lot of talent. Jason Peters and the offensive line are big and strong. Marshawn Lynch looks like the real deal (on the field at least). And Fred Jackson and rookie Xavier Omon are promising backups. If the Bills never have to rely on Dwayne Wright to carry the ball, they should run the ball effectively. Most Exploitable Weakness: Youth - One of the most difficult things to program into a simulation is consistency. The Buffalo Bills appear to have a great deal of talent, but that does not always show up in the numbers. Lynch, Edwards, Donte Whitner, Ko Simpson and others tend to be inconsistent and can make some costly mistakes. Health is also a concern, especially for the defense with players like Stroud, Simpson, Chris Kelsay and Paul Posluszny. Possible Fantasy Sleeper: James Hardy, WR - If the Bills want to use a tight end/h-back more in the offense, Derek Schouman could be a deep sleeper. For now though, we will take Hardy, the second round pick out of Indiana who projects to 56 catches for 810 yards and 5 touchdowns. Closest Game: San Francisco (Week 13) - Two young and improving teams go head-to-head in what is also Nate Clements' return to Buffalo. We will see how friendly Buffalo (and its weather) are to the 49ers in late November. Fantasy Notables: Trent Edwards (19) 2,785 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs; Marshawn Lynch (9) 1,623 total yards, 13 TDs; Lee Evans (11) 76 receptions, 1,145 yards, 8 TDs; Robert Royal (34) 28 receptions, 283 yards, 2 TDs; Rian Lindell (7) 39/40 XPs, 30/37 FGs
2. I think mid-May is the right time to start jotting down potential playoff teams for an upcoming season, right after free agency, the draft and rookie minicamps. It's a fun time to search for a potential playoff shocker. As of right now, I believe the Buffalo Bills will be the surprise postseason team in the AFC. Trent Edwards has experience under his belt. Marshawn Lynch is a budding star. The offensive line is very strong. The defense is supremely coached under the vastly underrated Dick Jauron. The special teams are incredibly strong. And I think Buffalo, in relatively quiet fashion, cleaned up this offseason. The Bills had needs at cornerback, linebacker, defensive tackle and wide receiver. They filled them all. Jauron was borderline giddy when I talked to the Buffalo coach after the Bills smartly plucked cornerback/return specialist Leodis McKelvin in the first round. He will make an immediate impact in both phases. Trading for defensive tackle Marcus Stroud was the savviest deal of the offseason. Stroud, teamed with John McCargo inside and Chris Kelsay and Aaron Schobel on the outside, will form a dominant defensive line. While Buffalo overpaid for Kawika Mitchell, he is an upgrade at linebacker. And Paul Posluszny is back at linebacker, returning from his injury that curtailed his rookie season. Plus, Jauron and the Bills stole James Hardy in Round 2. The tall receiver with fly-paper hands has a great knack for scoring touchdowns and compliments Lee Evans incredibly well.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8127462/Nine-nuggets-for-the-NFL-offseason