10 reasons to be so excited about 09 season

[elltrain22]

:rockout: :rockout: :rockout: :rockout: I have been a loyal member to this board since 2003, and I really must say, this board has been the most pessimistic since I have ever been here. I can understand, to a certain extent, how a fan of this team might be a bit leary of this team, but IMO, I think there is a lot to be excited about next season. Here are my 10 reasons to be excited about next season.

In no particular order....

1.) We will have a healthy Defense, w/ some pretty good depth. Not one person on this board can argue that our defense was not at all the same when Schobel went down, not to mention also who much our secondary suffered when Youboty went down. This season, we'll have a healthy Schobel, we'll also have Youboty, Digi is gonna give us some depth at linebacker, and we'll probably add some more good depth once the draft is complete.

2.) We have 3 of the top 42 picks in this years NFL draft. I like our potential, and I also like our positioning on the board. We're in a prime area to trade down, and also in a position that will yield us a very talented player, if we don't trade down.

3.) This team was 5-1 last year at one point. That means this is a team that knows how to put it together, and I think if we stay healthy, I think people will see that that start was no fluke.

4.) We got T.O. I cannot wait to see how much better our offense will do next season. Our offense lost so many games for us last year, and this year, if TE can stay healthy, I expect our offense to be top 10 offense, and if thats the case, we got something here.

5.) TE & Turk Schonert have 1 year under there belt in this offense. Offensive continuity takes time, and I think everyone kinda expected ups and downs given that Turk & TE both were rookies in the NFL last season. (rookies as in there 1st full NFL season).

6.) Leodis McKelvin is about to break out. Not just in the return game either, but he will prove to a very legit CB in this league.

7.) Our running game will be off the hook!! Teams no have to respect our passing game, which will open things up for our running game. IMO, Fred Jackson will have a big season for the Bills, and wouldn't even be surprised if he still continued to be 10-15 carries even when Lynch comes back.

8.) We still will have the top special teams unit in the league. Nuff said about that.

9.) Not saying our O-line is better w/o Peters, but I like the potential it has. Kinda hard to evaluate the line at this point, b/c I see us getting at least 2 big pieces via the NFL draft. I think our depth w/o question is better, and I think we will also have a quicker moving and more athletic line, as opposed to a bunch of really fat, slow guys. I am also very excited to see Demetrius Bell. IMO, he is a big reason why we made the Peters deal. I think our organization is confident that they have something w/ Bell.

10.) We still do, still have had, and always will have the best fans in all of sports.

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kernowboy]

In 100% agreement with you.

If we can pick up Kendall for a year or two then I'd be very happy with the OL

[elltrain22]

I think people will argue viamently w/ my comments about the o-line, but I really have never thought of Peters as our "messiah". He had 1 really good season, 1 average season, and 2 pretty awful seasons. He's a good player, don't get me wrong, but I definetly was NOT on board w/ us keeping him for 10+mill/year. I have faith we'll draft accordingly, and I also have faith that Demetrius Bell will be able to contribute for us this season.

[Mitchell55]

I love you.

#10 is a little off lol.

[Syderick]

i'm all for a winning season

[Mitchell55]

Look at what we had to be excited last year

McKelvin, Hardy, Ellis, Stroud, Mitchell,

This year

3 1st day picks, Owens, Florence, Hangartner, McKinney only 6 sacks in career. Hangartner was a part of Carolinas major rushing attack.

[X-Era]

In 100% agreement with you.

If we can pick up Kendall for a year or two then I'd be very happy with the OL

I assume you mean Simmons and if we made that move I would feel much much better.

I dont mind starting a rookie LB, or a situational pass rusher. However, I have never liked starting an O linemen, much less two.

As for TE, I think even a rookie TE could come in here and stretch the field for us. Im good with a rookie here to.

But the OL has me scared ****less. We have no depth, and no quality starters on the left side.

[kernowboy]

I assume you mean Simmons and if we made that move I would feel much much better.

I dont mind starting a rookie LB, or a situational pass rusher. However, I have never liked starting an O linemen, much less two.

As for TE, I think even a rookie TE could come in here and stretch the field for us. Im good with a rookie here to.

But the OL has me scared ****less. We have no depth, and no quality starters on the left side.

I met Pete Kendall. Even though he is 36, he is still in great shape and has a bit of gas left in the tank. He'd be a great mentor for the LT if a rookie.

[Nighthawk]

I assume you mean Simmons and if we made that move I would feel much much better.

I dont mind starting a rookie LB, or a situational pass rusher. However, I have never liked starting an O linemen, much less two.

As for TE, I think even a rookie TE could come in here and stretch the field for us. Im good with a rookie here to.

But the OL has me scared ****less. We have no depth, and no quality starters on the left side.

No, I think he meant Pete Kendall and he would be a nice pickup to play the LG spot for a year or two while a young guy gets more experience.

[Night Train]

Optimism Sucks

[RandolphDuke]

Optimism Sucks
You just distilled the entire city of Buffalo into two words.

[OpIv37]

:rockout: :rockout: :rockout: :rockout: I have been a loyal member to this board since 2003, and I really must say, this board has been the most pessimistic since I have ever been here. I can understand, to a certain extent, how a fan of this team might be a bit leary of this team, but IMO, I think there is a lot to be excited about next season. Here are my 10 reasons to be excited about next season.

In no particular order....

1.) We will have a healthy Defense, w/ some pretty good depth. Not one person on this board can argue that our defense was not at all the same when Schobel went down, not to mention also who much our secondary suffered when Youboty went down. This season, we'll have a healthy Schobel, we'll also have Youboty, Digi is gonna give us some depth at linebacker, and we'll probably add some more good depth once the draft is complete.

2.) We have 3 of the top 42 picks in this years NFL draft. I like our potential, and I also like our positioning on the board. We're in a prime area to trade down, and also in a position that will yield us a very talented player, if we don't trade down.

3.) This team was 5-1 last year at one point. That means this is a team that knows how to put it together, and I think if we stay healthy, I think people will see that that start was no fluke.

4.) We got T.O. I cannot wait to see how much better our offense will do next season. Our offense lost so many games for us last year, and this year, if TE can stay healthy, I expect our offense to be top 10 offense, and if thats the case, we got something here.

5.) TE & Turk Schonert have 1 year under there belt in this offense. Offensive continuity takes time, and I think everyone kinda expected ups and downs given that Turk & TE both were rookies in the NFL last season. (rookies as in there 1st full NFL season).

6.) Leodis McKelvin is about to break out. Not just in the return game either, but he will prove to a very legit CB in this league.

7.) Our running game will be off the hook!! Teams no have to respect our passing game, which will open things up for our running game. IMO, Fred Jackson will have a big season for the Bills, and wouldn't even be surprised if he still continued to be 10-15 carries even when Lynch comes back.

8.) We still will have the top special teams unit in the league. Nuff said about that.

9.) Not saying our O-line is better w/o Peters, but I like the potential it has. Kinda hard to evaluate the line at this point, b/c I see us getting at least 2 big pieces via the NFL draft. I think our depth w/o question is better, and I think we will also have a quicker moving and more athletic line, as opposed to a bunch of really fat, slow guys. I am also very excited to see Demetrius Bell. IMO, he is a big reason why we made the Peters deal. I think our organization is confident that they have something w/ Bell.

10.) We still do, still have had, and always will have the best fans in all of sports.

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Our pash rush was below average with Shobel. It absolutely bit without him. The guy is old and overrated. People talk like our D was so great before he went down- the reality is that we were just playing weak teams. And how do you even know the D will be healthy? We could still suffer a rash of injuries like we did in 07.

2. Draft picks will NOT help in 09, even if this FO somehow gets it right and makes smart picks for once. Don't forget that we need to close the talent gap between us and the other teams in our division and- get this- THEY GET TO DRAFT TOO!

3. We don't know how to put it together- we just got lucky and started against some weak teams. Not ONE of those 5 teams we beat finished better than .500.

4. TO will make very little difference because Trent won't have the chance to throw him the ball.

5. How are we supposed to have continuity on offense with 3 new starting offensive linemen, a new starting WR and our starting RB suspended? Throw in Royal being cut and 6 of 11 starters on O will be new.

6. Agreed, but he has work to do just to get up to Greer's level.

7. See point #4- the running game is only as good as the OL, and at this point I can't even say the OL sucks. It simply doesn't even exist.

8. We've had the top special teams in the league since 2003 or so. Where has it gotten us so far?

9. Again, the potential of what? We don't even know who the starters will be. This line will be putrid. They'll probably improve over the course of the season, but not before we've dug ourselves into an impossible hole.

10. Agreed, but once again, how many wins have good fans gotten us over the last 10 years?

You're really grasping at straws here. I don't entirely blame you- at this point everyone is supposed to be excited about their team and think they have a chance, but in reality, there is WAY too much working against this team. Trying to look at it objectively, this team is a disaster.

[OpIv37]

Optimism Sucks

Optimism doesn't suck.

Optimism without valid reason sucks. See my previous post.

[elltrain22]

1. Our pash rush was below average with Shobel. It absolutely bit without him. The guy is old and overrated. People talk like our D was so great before he went down- the reality is that we were just playing weak teams. And how do you even know the D will be healthy? We could still suffer a rash of injuries like we did in 07.

-- I don't think he is overrated, but I do think he is oft-injured, as for him being old, I will admit, he's no spring chicken, but he still is a good NFL-caliber d-lineman, when healthy. I don't know that we'll be healthy, but hey, I doubt it'll be worse than last year.

2. Draft picks will NOT help in 09, even if this FO somehow gets it right and makes smart picks for once. Don't forget that we need to close the talent gap between us and the other teams in our division and- get this- THEY GET TO DRAFT TOO!

-- You can't say draft picks will not help us this year. Thats being overally synical IMO. I think at least 2 of our picks this year will be contributors to this team.

3. We don't know how to put it together- we just got lucky and started against some weak teams. Not ONE of those 5 teams we beat finished better than .500.

- We still won the games. The NFL is no guarantee any week you play, and we still won the games. We also lost 3-4 games that we easily could've won. IMO, until TE got hurt against Arizona I honestly thought we were a very legit team, and I certainly feel like alot of NFL fans felt that way too.

4. TO will make very little difference because Trent won't have the chance to throw him the ball.

- I think you, and everyone else who doubts this line, will be very surprised at how they play this year. I think you're gonna eat your words here.

5. How are we supposed to have continuity on offense with 3 new starting offensive linemen, a new starting WR and our starting RB suspended? Throw in Royal being cut and 6 of 11 starters on O will be new.

- First off, our o-line should be set from day 1, and not have to wait on anyone holding out. A new starting WR who creates matchup problems all over the field, a RB that is suspended but has a damn good replacement, and not even gonna touch Royal b/c he's one of the worst players ever. I see what you're saying, yeah they is a significant personal turnover, but I think we'll be able to adjust.

6. Agreed, but he has work to do just to get up to Greer's level.

- agreed
7. See point #4- the running game is only as good as the OL, and at this point I can't even say the OL sucks. It simply doesn't even exist.

- I don't think our line is gonna be that bad.

8. We've had the top special teams in the league since 2003 or so. Where has it gotten us so far?

- It'll be helpful when we finally can put offensive efficiency into the equation.


9. Again, the potential of what? We don't even know who the starters will be. This line will be putrid. They'll probably improve over the course of the season, but not before we've dug ourselves into an impossible hole.

-I agree to disagree w/ you or anyone about next years O-line.

10. Agreed, but once again, how many wins have good fans gotten us over the last 10 years?




You're really grasping at straws here. I don't entirely blame you- at this point everyone is supposed to be excited about their team and think they have a chance, but in reality, there is WAY too much working against this team. Trying to look at it objectively, this team is a disaster.

I'm a very optimistic person, and I know that some of my points maybe a bit farfetched, and I'm sure I'm not 100% correct, but I really love the potential this team for the upcoming season. We'll just have to wait and see. Lets hope I'm right, and you're wrong.

[BILLSROCK1212]

I love you.

#10 is a little off lol.
no homo??

[jmb1099]

This is the weirdest offseason I can remember in a long time. Truth be told, love it or hate it this has exciting. As far as our line goes what we had wasn't working, we all know it wasn't so change was inevitable. We could argue all day about Peters and regardless of which side of the fence you're on he's gone, he didn't want to be here and we got some picks for him. Where the oline goes from here is a guess but it had to change and it has, we'll know soon ennough for better or worse.

The defense needs to be addressed but I am confident that LM will continue to improve and will do well this year. The line has to be addressed, no one should be happy with our current situation. Schobel is fading away and kelsay has never been stellar. The linebacking core needs one more impact player. Also Poz has played his legitimate rookie year now and this is the year he needs to play lights out.
I could go on, but bottom line is that givenlast years self destruction massive change should have been expected.
The question I continually ask myself is does the team want to win this year and what have they done to demonstrate this...
The first indicator that they might finally want to do what it takes to win is Owens. It could be said that this is a move of desperation and it is, but it is a move that demonstrates a willingness to take a risk and do what it takes.
The we one thing that demonstrates a willingness to win is the nuts to cut perceived dead weight. We may not agree with one another over who is and isn't dead weight, but the fact that they are willing to take some risks is notable.

Finally we have acquired some decent picks for this years draft and the next. Now I will be the first to agree that the draft could go horribly wrong, but it could also go very well. I have no idea how this year will turn out, but I am more intrigued this year than I have been in a long time. Not optimistic, not pessimistic, but very intrigued. We will see

[kid mickey]

I hope Bell turns out to be good. I think that he will be a RT though. Reason for that is because the Bills can draft a LT at 11 now. I think Michael Oher is really a good idea. I have been bouncing around with a lot of different ideas, but I think it stops here. Michael Oher is ready now. Bell is not ready now to play LT.

[Mitchell55]

1. Our pash rush was below average with Shobel. It absolutely bit without him. The guy is old and overrated. People talk like our D was so great before he went down- the reality is that we were just playing weak teams. And how do you even know the D will be healthy? We could still suffer a rash of injuries like we did in 07.

2. Draft picks will NOT help in 09, even if this FO somehow gets it right and makes smart picks for once. Don't forget that we need to close the talent gap between us and the other teams in our division and- get this- THEY GET TO DRAFT TOO!

3. We don't know how to put it together- we just got lucky and started against some weak teams. Not ONE of those 5 teams we beat finished better than .500.

4. TO will make very little difference because Trent won't have the chance to throw him the ball.

5. How are we supposed to have continuity on offense with 3 new starting offensive linemen, a new starting WR and our starting RB suspended? Throw in Royal being cut and 6 of 11 starters on O will be new.

6. Agreed, but he has work to do just to get up to Greer's level.

7. See point #4- the running game is only as good as the OL, and at this point I can't even say the OL sucks. It simply doesn't even exist.

8. We've had the top special teams in the league since 2003 or so. Where has it gotten us so far?

9. Again, the potential of what? We don't even know who the starters will be. This line will be putrid. They'll probably improve over the course of the season, but not before we've dug ourselves into an impossible hole.

10. Agreed, but once again, how many wins have good fans gotten us over the last 10 years?

You're really grasping at straws here. I don't entirely blame you- at this point everyone is supposed to be excited about their team and think they have a chance, but in reality, there is WAY too much working against this team. Trying to look at it objectively, this team is a disaster.
Your number 5 is very hypocritical. You have bashed us for using the same players year after year and want us to always get rid of all our bad players. We do that and now its one of the issues this OS? You point makes no sense.

[OpIv37]

Your number 5 is very hypocritical. You have bashed us for using the same players year after year and want us to always get rid of all our bad players. We do that and now its one of the issues this OS? You point makes no sense.

His argument is that there will be continuity on the offense. My response is that we'll have 6 new starters on opening day so there can't be continuity. My personal stance on continuity is irrelevant to this discussion.

Don't accuse me of being hypocritical- my stance has always been that we need to cut some of the junk and add more talent. I've never bought into the argument that continuity alone will make this team better, and I've always argued that we need more talent. So far, we've cut a lot of the dead weight but we have yet to add more talent.

[Mitchell55]

His argument is that there will be continuity on the offense. My response is that we'll have 6 new starters on opening day so there can't be continuity. My personal stance on continuity is irrelevant to this discussion.

Don't accuse me of being hypocritical- my stance has always been that we need to cut some of the junk and add more talent. I've never bought into the argument that continuity alone will make this team better, and I've always argued that we need more talent. So far, we've cut a lot of the dead weight but we have yet to add more talent.
Doc- Han and McKinneyPreston- Han and McKinneyRoyal- already a problem to be replacedCrow- AgreeGreer- McKelvin/Florence

[OpIv37]

Doc- Han and McKinneyPreston- Han and McKinneyRoyal- already a problem to be replacedCrow- AgreeGreer- McKelvin/Florence

were you absent the day that they taught sentences? A sentence is a complete thought that includes at minimum both nouns and verbs (verbs are action words). So, please re-write this into something coherent.

[raphael120]

-- You can't say draft picks will not help us this year. Thats being overally synical IMO. I think at least 2 of our picks this year will be contributors to this team.

Uh, yeah he can.

Since when in the Bills recent past has any rookie been an impact player aside from Lynch? Even Lynch didn't help us get past the 7 win barrier. Neither did McKelvin returning punts.

I think it's stretching it to think that rookies alone will help this team. BUilding through the draft has made us go 7-9, 7-9, and 7-9.

Our scouting department is garbage anyways. Out of all of our past few years draft picks, name one game changer. Lynch arguably is one, but he's a moron off the field.

[Mitchell55]

were you absent the day that they taught sentences? A sentence is a complete thought that includes at minimum both nouns and verbs (verbs are action words). So, please re-write this into something coherent.


Sorry. Once again the CPU did the bunch thing. My CPU bunches things together. It was listed as a list, for some reason this CPU doesnt let me do that.