how many wins do the bills get and does this team remind you of the 05 chargers?

[NOT THE DUDE...]

seems we are heading toward a 8-8 9-7 year. are we similar to the 05 chargers team? assuming fitz gets a little more consistent.

[TMu11]

The offense is stagnant and our defense is unproven in regular season play.

No

[NOT THE DUDE...]

The offense is stagnant and our defense is unproven in regular season play.

No

i should clarify, what about from strictly a talent perspective?

[Ickybaluky]

I see:

- Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing the role of Drew Brees

- Fred Jackson is playing the role of LaDanian Tomlinson

- Scott Chandler is playing the role of Antonio Gates

Yeah... just like it.

[DraftBoy]

:shakeno:

[BillsWin]

I think if we get lucky we can win 8-9 games. But I don't think we are anywhere near the talent level of the '05 Chargers.

[ChristopherWalken]

No offense MDP, but you give the impression that you're a rather young poster of the zone.

Regardless on whether or not that is true, let's keep in mind that this is the 2011 Bills....trying to improve on the 2010 Bills...which weren't very good.

IMO, the run defense will be improved. The pass defense will have much to prove and the offense is not any different than it was last year...minus a Lee Evans.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

I see:

- Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing the role of Drew Brees

- Fred Jackson is playing the role of LaDanian Tomlinson

- Scott Chandler is playing the role of Antonio Gates

Yeah... just like it.

cj spiller has great talent, and could be just as good. jackson is at least close to his talent level. i see david nelson as our te threat. so that would be a better matchup. and fitz broke out last year similar to the way brees did in 04 except brees had more talent on his 04 team compared to the bills last year...

merriman, dareus, carrington, williams, shepp, barnett, troup- are d is very similar imo. i think you have to say our wrs are better than there wrs that year in 05. so that kinda makes up for the gates/chandler comparison. idk dude. its seems really close. look at their line too

jordan
dielman
hardwick
goff
olivea

bell
levitre
wood
urbik
pears

very close man...

like i said assume fitz is more consistent plus another year in gailey system and we are very close to that team... but i know it scares you because youre a pats fan...

[NOT THE DUDE...]

i think shaun phillips was in his 2nd year like batten and then broke out in 06 with 12 sacks...

[NOT THE DUDE...]

No offense MDP, but you give the impression that you're a rather young poster of the zone.

Regardless on whether or not that is true, let's keep in mind that this is the 2011 Bills....trying to improve on the 2010 Bills...which weren't very good.

IMO, the run defense will be improved. The pass defense will have much to prove and the offense is not any different than it was last year...minus a Lee Evans.

this seems short sighted. our pass d was 3rd last year and was pretty good. of course teams ran all over us so we were realistically middle of the road say 12th in reality in pass d. our run d will be way better. our pass rush with merriman healthy, dareus and carrington and batten in their 2nd years will be awesome!

then you said the o hasnt changed. i totally disagree.

1- 2nd year of system and whole training camp for qb
2 bell and wood are stronger and healthy
3- pears is way better than wrotto
4 wood moving to center makes us better
5 easley can do more than run a 9 route- better
6 spiller 2nd year, better.

and then you add brad smith. at the very least we should jump 10 spots or so and be around 10-15 in total o....

[NOT THE DUDE...]

look at brees numbers from 05, they are almost exactly like fitz...

[OpIv37]

this seems short sighted. our pass d was 3rd last year and was pretty good. of course teams ran all over us so we were realistically middle of the road say 12th in reality in pass d. our run d will be way better. our pass rush with merriman healthy, dareus and carrington and batten in their 2nd years will be awesome!

then you said the o hasnt changed. i totally disagree.

1- 2nd year of system and whole training camp for qb
2 bell and wood are stronger and healthy
3- pears is way better than wrotto
4 wood moving to center makes us better
5 easley can do more than run a 9 route- better
6 spiller 2nd year, better.

and then you add brad smith. at the very least we should jump 10 spots or so and be around 10-15 in total o....

This very short-sighted. First, our pass D isn't that good- as you said, teams ran all over us. If our run D actually improves, teams will look to exploit our pass D and the weakness will show. On top of that, it's a HUGE assumption that Merriman will be healthy and that Carrington and Batten will improve in their 2nd years. EVERY year someone says this 2nd year nonsense, and 9 out of 10 times, it never comes to fruition.

As far as your points about the offense:
1- More 2nd year crap, and the "full training camp" was partially mitigated by the lockout and lack of OTA's
2- Bell has looked BRUTAL in preseason so far and I haven't seen the game yet, but from what I heard, Wood didn't look great against the Jags
3. Pears may be better than Wrotto but he still sucks
4. See above
5. It's absolutely ridiculous to call Easley "better" than Evans. The guy has ONE good preseason game. That's it.
6. Again with the 2nd year nonsense. It's the 3rd time you mentioned it in one post. It's a myth.

And Brad Smith will help, but not that much.

This team is in for a world of hurt.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

This very short-sighted. First, our pass D isn't that good- as you said, teams ran all over us. If our run D actually improves, teams will look to exploit our pass D and the weakness will show. On top of that, it's a HUGE assumption that Merriman will be healthy and that Carrington and Batten will improve in their 2nd years. EVERY year someone says this 2nd year nonsense, and 9 out of 10 times, it never comes to fruition.

As far as your points about the offense:
1- More 2nd year crap, and the "full training camp" was partially mitigated by the lockout and lack of OTA's
2- Bell has looked BRUTAL in preseason so far and I haven't seen the game yet, but from what I heard, Wood didn't look great against the Jags
3. Pears may be better than Wrotto but he still sucks
4. See above
5. It's absolutely ridiculous to call Easley "better" than Evans. The guy has ONE good preseason game. That's it.
6. Again with the 2nd year nonsense. It's the 3rd time you mentioned it in one post. It's a myth.

And Brad Smith will help, but not that much.

This team is in for a world of hurt.

have you watched the games???? merriman look to be in lights out form, ill grant you it might be a little premature to say he plays all 16 games. but whatever, if he plays he will be awesome. batten, carrington and dareus have looked great... so yes they are better in their 2nd years, same with spiller

why does pears suck? based on what?
bell had a couple bad plays vs von miller on the road with a loud croud. who would have thought, doesnt mean he sucks.

wood looked great vs the jags, not sure what you are talking about, maybe out your ass!

[malvado78]

puff, puff, PASS.

I think you forgot to pass...

[OpIv37]

have you watched the games???? merriman look to be in lights out form, ill grant you it might be a little premature to say he plays all 16 games. but whatever, if he plays he will be awesome. batten, carrington and dareus have looked great... so yes they are better in their 2nd years, same with spiller

why does pears suck? based on what?
bell had a couple bad plays vs von miller on the road with a loud croud. who would have thought, doesnt mean he sucks.

wood looked great vs the jags, not sure what you are talking about, maybe out your ass!

So, you don't think Bell is going to have to face any other good players against loud crowds this year?

Pears sucks based on watching him play. He's just not not that good.

I haven't seen the Jags game yet because it wasn't on NFLN until yesterday and I was busy, but it's on my DVR. Several people on here commented that Wood didn't look good. For the moment, I'm basing that on other people's comments, but when several people on this board agree that a guy did bad, it's usually the truth.

Also, don't forget that in preseason, defenses are usually ahead of offenses, so don't be surprised if Dareus, Carrington and Batten don't look quite so great when offenses start game-planning.

[Dr. Lecter]

have you watched the games???? merriman look to be in lights out form, ill grant you it might be a little premature to say he plays all 16 games. but whatever, if he plays he will be awesome. batten, carrington and dareus have looked great... so yes they are better in their 2nd years, same with spiller

why does pears suck? based on what?
bell had a couple bad plays vs von miller on the road with a loud croud. who would have thought, doesnt mean he sucks.

wood looked great vs the jags, not sure what you are talking about, maybe out your ass!


I have watched the games.

Merriman played in ONE of them.

Wood was **** against the Jags.

I think that you really do not watch the same games other people do.

The only thing I will give you is that Pears is actually doing fairly well. I am a little surprised at that.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

i saw wood get knocked back on 2 plays in the 1st half. on one play it was a draw and the dt went inside when wood went outside. the other was a dead ball play and wood let up and knighton ran him over. outside of that he dominated.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

bills fans have no optimism. i feel sorry for nix because hes actually building a talented team and everyone is so cynical they dont realize it. thats what 10 years of **** will do to yah.... ****!

[NOT THE DUDE...]

we better sell out our home opener!

[Ickybaluky]

cj spiller has great talent, and could be just as good. jackson is at least close to his talent level.

Tomlinson is one of the greatest RB in NFL history and was in his prime then. Seriously, you are not comparing them, right? LT was one of the top 10 players in the game regardless of position during his prime. There is no comparison with anyone on the current Bills team. None.


i see david nelson as our te threat. so that would be a better matchup. and fitz broke out last year similar to the way brees did in 04 except brees had more talent on his 04 team compared to the bills last year...

David Nelson? You gotta be ****ting. Antonio Gates is a HOF player, one of the greatest TE ever. He had 1,100 Yds and 10 TD in 2005. You expecting that from Nelson?

Brees in 2004:

262-for-400 (65.5%), 3,159 Yds (7.9 yds/Att), 27 TD, 7 Int, 104.8 QB Rating

Brees in 2005:

323-for-500 (64.6%), 3,576 Yds (7.2 Yds/Att), 24 TD, 15 Int, 89.2 QB Rating

Fitzpatrick in 2010:

255-for-441 (57.8%), 3,000 Yds (6.8 Yds/Att), 23 TD, 15 Int, 81.8 QB Rating

Those aren't similar numbers. Fitzpatrick couldn't hold Brees jock, then or now.


merriman, dareus, carrington, williams, shepp, barnett, troup- are d is very similar imo. i think you have to say our wrs are better than there wrs that year in 05. so that kinda makes up for the gates/chandler comparison. idk dude. its seems really close. look at their line too

jordan
dielman
hardwick
goff
olivea

bell
levitre
wood
urbik
pears

very close man...

Yikes. Just... Yikes. Olivea was already an established NFL player by 2005. Deilman was a 4-time pro-bowler and 2-time All Pro. Hardwick was a solid NFL C who made 1 Pro Bowl. Goff had a 10-year NFL career as a starter.

The Chargers LT that year was Roman Oben. The guy started 130 NFL games.

Ouside of Woods, none of the Bills OL is even an established NFL player. LeVitre isn't even a guy who has established himself. Really?

Remember the Charges were 12-4 in 2004. It wasn't like 2005 was a year they came upon the scene. They were a good young team already.

Their defense had guys like Merriman (pre-injury), Luis Castillo, Ben Leber, Jamal Williams, Donnie Edwards, Randall Godfrey and Steve Foley. Nate Kaeding was a great K, and Darren Sproles was a ST demon.

I mean, there is no comparison. SD was already established as a young team with a lot of talent. The Billls.... aren't.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

Tomlinson is one of the greatest RB in NFL history and was in his prime then. Seriously, you are not comparing them, right? LT was one of the top 10 players in the game regardless of position during his prime. There is no comparison with anyone on the current Bills team. None.



David Nelson? You gotta be ****ting. Antonio Gates is a HOF player, one of the greatest TE ever. He had 1,100 Yds and 10 TD in 2005. You expecting that from Nelson?

Brees is 2004:

262-for-400 (65.5%), 3,159 Yds (7.9 yds/Att), 27 TD, 7 Int, 104.8 QB Rating

Brees in 2005:

323-for-500 (64.6%), 3,576 Yds (7.2 Yds/Att), 24 TD, 15 Int, 89.2 QB Rating

Fitzpatrick in 2010:

255-for-441 (57.*%), 3,000 Yds (6.8 Yds/Att), 23 TD, 15 Int, 81.8 QB Rating

Those aren't similar numbers. Fitzpatrick couldn't hold Brees jock, then or now.



Yikes. Just... Yikes. Olivea was already an established NFL player by 2005. Deilman was a 4-time pro-bowler and 2-time All Pro. Hardwick was a solid NFL C who made 1 Pro Bowl. Goff had a 10-year NFL career as a starter.

The Chargers LT that year was Roman Oben. The guy started 130 NFL games.

Ouside of Woods, none of the Bills OL is even an established NFL player. LeVitre isn't even a guy who has established himself. Really?

Remember the Charges were 12-4 in 2004. It wasn't like 2005 was a year they came upon the scene. They were a good young team already.

Their defense had guys like Merriman (pre-injury), Luis Castillo, Ben Leber, Jamal Williams, Donnie Edwards, Randall Godfrey and Steve Foley. Nate Kaeding was a great K, and Darren Sproles was a ST demon.

I mean, there is no comparison. SD was already established as a young team with a lot of talent. The Billls.... aren't.

dielman was in his 1st year in 05 i think

if you project fitz numbers over 16 games he has better numbers than brees outside of completion percentage. i didnt say nelson was as good as gates, i said that would be a better comparison and yes gates is better but we have better wrs. nelson is esentially our te... also urbik seems to have a similar skill set to goff, and pears was solid for 2 years and established before he got hurt. now he back. also levitre is where dielman was in 05, still developing. in fact levitre is very good.

i totally disagree on d, our d has tons of rich talent just waiting to kill brady. so suck it ! and btw, ben affleck and matt damon are homos!

jordan was their lt for 8 games that year.

[OpIv37]

bills fans have no optimism. i feel sorry for nix because hes actually building a talented team and everyone is so cynical they dont realize it. thats what 10 years of **** will do to yah.... ****!

There has to be a reason for optimism. Nix hasn't built a talent team- as usual, he has a bunch of journeymen and a bunch of unproven rookies. That's why there is no optimism.

You're falling into the usual trap- you want the Bills to do well, so you start with the conclusion that there is a reason to be optimistic, then work backwards to find any shred of hope to support that optimism while ignoring overwhelming evidence that this team simply isn't that good.

[OpIv37]

dielman was in his 1st year in 05 i think

if you project fitz numbers over 16 games he has better numbers than brees outside of completion percentage. i didnt say nelson was as good as gates, i said that would be a better comparison and yes gates is better but we have better wrs. nelson is esentially our te... also urbik seems to have a similar skill set to goff, and pears was solid for 2 years and established before he got hurt. now he back. also levitre is where dielman was in 05, still developing. in fact levitre is very good.

i totally disagree on d, our d has tons of rich talent just waiting to kill brady. so suck it ! and btw, ben affleck and matt damon are homos!

jordan was their lt for 8 games that year.

How do you conclude that we have better receivers? Johnson has one good season, Easley has 1 good PRESEASON game, Parrish looked good before getting hurt last year but he's too small to handle the rigors of an entire NFL season without getting hurt. You grossly overrate our WR's.

Our D isn't rich on talent yet. It's rich on potential. The D could be good if Dareus is good, Carrington and Batten improve, and Merriman stays healthy, but none of those things are guaranteed. You're confusing talent with potential.

[RoscoeMagic]

Someone should just ask Florence, Merriman or Buddy Nix if this team reminds them of the '05 Chargers.

Also does this mean Johnny White is Michael Turner? And Thigpen, Philip Rivers. :scratch:

[NOT THE DUDE...]

There has to be a reason for optimism. Nix hasn't built a talent team- as usual, he has a bunch of journeymen and a bunch of unproven rookies. That's why there is no optimism.

You're falling into the usual trap- you want the Bills to do well, so you start with the conclusion that there is a reason to be optimistic, then work backwards to find any shred of hope to support that optimism while ignoring overwhelming evidence that this team simply isn't that good.

so i guess all the positives ive been hearing about spiller troup carrington easley, batten, moats- why dont they move him to olb, dareus, williams, etc..

plus merriman is healthy, fitz looks really good, our oline will be better, 2nd year for the team. seriously, there are reasons for optimism.. these last 2 classes of draft picks are the best in 10 years.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

Someone should just ask Florence, Merriman or Buddy Nix if this team reminds them of the '05 Chargers.

Also does this mean Johnny White is Michael Turner? And Thigpen, Philip Rivers. :scratch:

dude i didnt mean exactly. i said similar.... close in potential and talent....

[RoscoeMagic]

so i guess all the positives ive been hearing about spiller troup carrington easley, batten, moats- why dont they move him to olb, dareus, williams, etc..

plus merriman is healthy, fitz looks really good, our oline will be better, 2nd year for the team. seriously, there are reasons for optimism.. these last 2 classes of draft picks are the best in 10 years.

I like the optimism and happen to share a similar view.

However, let's not compare this Bills team to any others. They're not the '05 Chargers, they're not the '10 Chiefs. They're the 2011 Bills and hopefully they can make their own unique mark on the league. Maybe one day fans from other teams will look back and say "is our team like the 2011 Bills??"

[Dr. Lecter]

so i guess all the positives ive been hearing about spiller troup carrington easley, batten, moats- why dont they move him to olb, dareus, williams, etc..

plus merriman is healthy, fitz looks really good, our oline will be better, 2nd year for the team. seriously, there are reasons for optimism.. these last 2 classes of draft picks are the best in 10 years.
Hearing and seeing positives are different.

And HTF do you figure Merriman is healthy when he is not playing any games?

How is last year's draft class any good? Last year, out of the draft picks, the Bills practically got NO contribution. The only rookie that had aa good contribution was a UDFA. Spiller, Troup, Carrington, Batten, etc. did very little. Moats was the best pick and he had 2.5 sacks.

[OpIv37]

so i guess all the positives ive been hearing about spiller troup carrington easley, batten, moats- why dont they move him to olb, dareus, williams, etc..

plus merriman is healthy, fitz looks really good, our oline will be better, 2nd year for the team. seriously, there are reasons for optimism.. these last 2 classes of draft picks are the best in 10 years.

All the positives you've been hearing about are POTENTIAL, which is just a fancy word for "haven't done **** yet." Unless all those guys turn out to be perfect, this team is going nowhere. And even if those guys turn out to be perfect, we still have a suspect OL, suspect LB's and suspect secondary.

And first, it's to early to say that these last two drafts are the best classes in 10 years. Second, our drafting has been such garbage that the 2 classes can be better than the previous 8 but still only be average.

And you keep saying our OL will be better, but there is no evidence to support that. We added no talent to the OL whatsoever and they've looked like **** in preseason.

[OpIv37]

Maybe one day fans from other teams will look back and say "is our team like the 2011 Bills??"

Oh they'll be saying that- when they're debating whether or not they think their team will wind up with the 1st pick in the draft the following season.

[ddaryl]

LMAO at the gloom an doom crew...

[FlyingDutchman]

Marcell how does this team remind you of anyone except the same old Bills? Front 7 should be improved but thats about it.

[Ickybaluky]

if you project fitz numbers over 16 games he has better numbers than brees outside of completion percentage.

Apparently, math isn't your strong suit.

Look, good for you having high hopes. You have eyes, right?

Have you watched LT play? Have you watched Drew Brees play? Have you watched Antonio Gates play? There is a difference between having a guy who has proven he can play and a guy who you think can play.

The Bills have upgraded their DL. They have upgraded their ILB. Their secondary is similar to a year ago. OLB is still an issue. Depth is still and issue. They will be toughter to run on, but that defense isn't "loaded with talent" like you think it is. They have added some pieces and are improving, and that should be enough.

Offensively, Fitz is a gutsy guy who did a good job last year. He has proven he can run an NFL offense. He is never going to be Drew Brees, though. Never. The Bills still need to find a QB long-term.

Fred Jackson is a good NFL RB, an underrated guy who does a lot of things well. Spiller has a lot of talent, but the jury is still out on whether he can play in the NFL. He really hasn't shown much, and the Bills desperately need him to add a big-play dimension to the offense, but he hasn't shown it yet so you can't count on it.

At TE there is nobody. Nelson has done nothing. Chandler is a journeyman.

The OL is an abortion. There is no other way to put it. Wood has established himself, but really I am not sure there is an NFL-caliber starter on the rest of the line. Levitre is versatile and could still prove he is more than a backup, and rest are just holding positions. Maybe one develops into an actual NFL player, but none have shown it so far.

Steve Johnson showed last year he can put up numbers. He is a core guy the Bills should keep around and build their WR corps around. Other than that, who has proven anything? Parish has flashed, but he can't stay on the field. The coaches are high on Donald Jones, and he may prove to be a starter this year. Easley has talent, but a lot of guys with talent never pan out. Nelson? Roosevelt? The point is, talking about what guys might do and them actually doing it are different things.

How many wins? I'm not sure.

I think the Bills will be much tougher to run on, and that is a plus. They are better up front and that will pay dividends, but I see more of a middle-of-the-pack defense. Still that is an improvement and will keep them in games.

Offensively, they will likely try to spread teams out like Gailey did in KC late in 2008. They have some weapons that will allow them to be successful doing that is spurts, but that puts a lot of pressure on Fitzpatrick to perform at a high level behind an OL that is suspect. That, to me, is the key to their season.

I could see the Bills being a tough out for a lot of teams, because they have some good players. However, they need some things to go right. I don't see a lot of depth, so as injuries happen they are going to struggle to fill in. I don't think they are a playoff team, but they are starting to put together a decent core of players. I think what you should be looking for is improvement, more than wins.

[trapezeus]

the biggest problem with the original post is that no one has won 8 games yet.

if the bills do, then we can have this discussion. theoretically, the bills could be like the 07 pats if we go 18-1. but since we have no idea how the bills will do, it's hard to compare them to anyone.

and for the most part, the bills have a better chance of sucking it and not having all the pieces come together than they do of having it work out in fantasy land and win 8 games.

[Pinkerton Security]

if you mean that we have football players on our team, then yes we look exactly like the 05 Chargers.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

Apparently, math isn't your strong suit.

Look, good for you having high hopes. You have eyes, right?

Have you watched LT play? Have you watched Drew Brees play? Have you watched Antonio Gates play? There is a difference between having a guy who has proven he can play and a guy who you think can play.

The Bills have upgraded their DL. They have upgraded their ILB. Their secondary is similar to a year ago. OLB is still an issue. Depth is still and issue. They will be toughter to run on, but that defense isn't "loaded with talent" like you think it is. They have added some pieces and are improving, and that should be enough.

Offensively, Fitz is a gutsy guy who did a good job last year. He has proven he can run an NFL offense. He is never going to be Drew Brees, though. Never. The Bills still need to find a QB long-term.

Fred Jackson is a good NFL RB, an underrated guy who does a lot of things well. Spiller has a lot of talent, but the jury is still out on whether he can play in the NFL. He really hasn't shown much, and the Bills desperately need him to add a big-play dimension to the offense, but he hasn't shown it yet so you can't count on it.

At TE there is nobody. Nelson has done nothing. Chandler is a journeyman.

The OL is an abortion. There is no other way to put it. Wood has established himself, but really I am not sure there is an NFL-caliber starter on the rest of the line. Levitre is versatile and could still prove he is more than a backup, and rest are just holding positions. Maybe one develops into an actual NFL player, but none have shown it so far.

Steve Johnson showed last year he can put up numbers. He is a core guy the Bills should keep around and build their WR corps around. Other than that, who has proven anything? Parish has flashed, but he can't stay on the field. The coaches are high on Donald Jones, and he may prove to be a starter this year. Easley has talent, but a lot of guys with talent never pan out. Nelson? Roosevelt? The point is, talking about what guys might do and them actually doing it are different things.

How many wins? I'm not sure.

I think the Bills will be much tougher to run on, and that is a plus. They are better up front and that will pay dividends, but I see more of a middle-of-the-pack defense. Still that is an improvement and will keep them in games.

Offensively, they will likely try to spread teams out like Gailey did in KC late in 2008. They have some weapons that will allow them to be successful doing that is spurts, but that puts a lot of pressure on Fitzpatrick to perform at a high level behind an OL that is suspect. That, to me, is the key to their season.

I could see the Bills being a tough out for a lot of teams, because they have some good players. However, they need some things to go right. I don't see a lot of depth, so as injuries happen they are going to struggle to fill in. I don't think they are a playoff team, but they are starting to put together a decent core of players. I think what you should be looking for is improvement, more than wins.

i agree, i will admit, its lots of potential, and not established. but talent is there, just look at the practices and the preseason etc and you can see it. keep in mind improvement doesnt go from 4-12, 7-9, 10-6, 12-4, it usually happens quick like the chargers in 03-04 when they went 4-12 and then 12-4. thats how the nfl is built.

[OpIv37]

LMAO at the gloom an doom crew...

LMAO at the people who accuse realistic posters of being the "doom and gloom crew" every year, only to get kicked in the nuts by the reality that the team sucks as soon as the games start.

Don't you ever get tired of being wrong?

[NOT THE DUDE...]

LMAO at the people who accuse realistic posters of being the "doom and gloom crew" every year, only to get kicked in the nuts by the reality that the team sucks as soon as the games start.

Don't you ever get tired of being wrong?

only problem is the team doesnt suck... not this year dude. there is way more talent.:air:

[Philagape]

LMAO at the gloom an doom crew...

Insanity will do that to you.

[OpIv37]

only problem is the team doesnt suck... not this year dude. there is way more talent.:air:

lmao. I hear this every year as well.

[malvado78]

Insanity will do that to you.

Actually I think sucking for 10 years has done it...

[NOT THE DUDE...]

lmao. I hear this every year as well.

YOU RESPECT KELSAY, HES THE BEST, 25 SACKS!

when he brings his lunch pail, its serious business!!!!!!!

[OpIv37]

YOU RESPECT KELSAY, HES THE BEST, 25 SACKS!

when he brings his lunch pail, its serious business!!!!!!!

unfortunately, every time he brings his lunch pail, Jasper takes it from him and eats the contents.

[DraftBoy]

puff, puff, PASS.

I think you forgot to pass...

This is WAY past smoking the dope, this is like tripping on shrooms or acid.

[Philagape]

Actually I think sucking for 10 years has done it...

Which leads to the insanity.

[Philagape]

YOU RESPECT KELSAY, HES THE BEST, 25 SACKS!

when he brings his lunch pail, its serious business!!!!!!!

I think we're all being punk'd ....

[ChristopherWalken]

This very short-sighted. First, our pass D isn't that good- as you said, teams ran all over us. If our run D actually improves, teams will look to exploit our pass D and the weakness will show. On top of that, it's a HUGE assumption that Merriman will be healthy and that Carrington and Batten will improve in their 2nd years. EVERY year someone says this 2nd year nonsense, and 9 out of 10 times, it never comes to fruition.

As far as your points about the offense:
1- More 2nd year crap, and the "full training camp" was partially mitigated by the lockout and lack of OTA's
2- Bell has looked BRUTAL in preseason so far and I haven't seen the game yet, but from what I heard, Wood didn't look great against the Jags
3. Pears may be better than Wrotto but he still sucks
4. See above
5. It's absolutely ridiculous to call Easley "better" than Evans. The guy has ONE good preseason game. That's it.
6. Again with the 2nd year nonsense. It's the 3rd time you mentioned it in one post. It's a myth.

And Brad Smith will help, but not that much.

This team is in for a world of hurt.


See no reason to expand on this. Perfectly stated!

[mrbojanglezs]

best case 8-8, worst case 5-11

[madness]

This thread is 2-3 years ahead of its time.

[TMu11]

This thread is 2-3 years ahead of its time.
He's a visionary!

[psubills62]

Don't tell me people are taking this thread seriously.

[YardRat]

Ignoring the attempt to compare this team to the '05 Chargers or anybody else, I like the direction the team is heading in. I won't be surprised if we win only 3 or 4 games again this season, but then I don't think it's ridiculous by any stretch to think that we could eke out 7-8-9 either.

If the defense can make some pretty huge strides (which is possible because of a couple of players they've added) and stay relatively healthy (*cough* Merriman/Dareus *cough*) the ball could actually bounce our way a few times this season. If you've got a decent defense (and yes, that remains to be seen) you're going to be in most of your games and maybe pull a few of them out.

I'm cautiously optimistic. Sometimes when you get a bunch of young guys together full of piss and vinegar that really don't understand much more than playing football on game days, good things happen.

[Mad Max]

http://thedailyeater.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kool-aid-oh-yeah2.jpg

[BillsFever21]

I hate it when people make these comparisons just because we have a sidekick from another successful teams front office as our GM now. We are nowhere near where the Chargers were. They had an established veteran QB and and up and coming highly touted QB to take his spot and they were far more talented across the board then we are.

We heard the same type of stories when we brought in Tom Modrak just because he was an assistant in the front office of the Eagles and some thought we would become a clone of the Eagles then.

Now we have an assistant in the front office of the Chargers and the comparisons start to come out again by some. Just because Buddy Nix worked with the Chargers doesn't mean he will bring that success here or that he even was a main reason for their success. The late John Butler and then AJ Smith were the GM's in San Diego and not Buddy Nix. Just because he was AJ Smith's assistant and/or head of scouting doesn't mean squat. He didn't make the final call on who was drafted or brought in as free agents.

Now if we actually had some other teams GM who built up a good young team from scratch then there might be some room for some legit comparisons but not with their assistants or head scouts. And even if we had their GM that wouldn't necessarily equal the same results.

We had Tom Donahoe who ran the show in Pittsburgh and didn't achieve the same success in the draft with us as he did with the Steelers when he was there and have continued to achieve after he left.

So in the end we're not even close to being the Chargers and just because we have some long time old assistant from their front office and scouting department doesn't mean jack. It's his job to make the final call now instead of just giving input. A GM will get input on players from many different people whether it be coaches, scouts or other front office personnel. It's up to him to make the final call. That was not his job in San Diego.

[Tbuffalobills]

Seriously- The Chargers had LT- mmmmm....before his prime...

[Mike]

Originally Posted by MARCELL DAREUS POWER
this seems short sighted. our pass d was 3rd last year and was pretty good. of course teams ran all over us so we were realistically middle of the road say 12th in reality in pass d. our run d will be way better. our pass rush with merriman healthy, dareus and carrington and batten in their 2nd years will be awesome!

then you said the o hasnt changed. i totally disagree.

1- 2nd year of system and whole training camp for qb
2 bell and wood are stronger and healthy
3- pears is way better than wrotto
4 wood moving to center makes us better
5 easley can do more than run a 9 route- better
6 spiller 2nd year, better.

and then you add brad smith. at the very least we should jump 10 spots or so and be around 10-15 in total o....

You have to Remember that All of the Other 32 Also had a 2nd, 3rd, 4th,etc years to improve and grow individually and as a unit. Also many of those other 32 teams have better coaches and better talent, so in retrospect we have competitively regressed in our second year.

This has been the case 9 our of 10 years as teams like the Jets, Dolphins, Bucs, Pats, etc... go from losers to winner and beat us year in and year out. The 2nd year argument hold more water for our opponents, and less water for us. If anything, things should get worst this year...

[Extremebillsfan247]

seems we are heading toward a 8-8 9-7 year. are we similar to the 05 chargers team? assuming fitz gets a little more consistent. They remind me a lot of the '08 Dolphins, decent on defense, gimmicky on offense. The difference between 2008, and 2011 is that everyone knows how to defend against the wildcat now. That is why we won't go 11-5 like they did. But, 8-8 isn't an unrealistic goal for this team in my opinion. It's definitely achievable.

[Extremebillsfan247]

You have to Remember that All of the Other 32 Also had a 2nd, 3rd, 4th,etc years to improve and grow individually and as a unit. Also many of those other 32 teams have better coaches and better talent, so in retrospect we have competitively regressed in our second year.

This has been the case 9 our of 10 years as teams like the Jets, Dolphins, Bucs, Pats, etc... go from losers to winner and beat us year in and year out. The 2nd year argument hold more water for our opponents, and less water for us. If anything, things should get worst this year... Not all of those 32 teams got better though. Some actually got worse, some are on the verge of collapse, some are still mediocre, and some continue to be bad franchises.

[BillsFever21]

You have to Remember that All of the Other 32 Also had a 2nd, 3rd, 4th,etc years to improve and grow individually and as a unit. Also many of those other 32 teams have better coaches and better talent, so in retrospect we have competitively regressed in our second year.

This has been the case 9 our of 10 years as teams like the Jets, Dolphins, Bucs, Pats, etc... go from losers to winner and beat us year in and year out. The 2nd year argument hold more water for our opponents, and less water for us. If anything, things should get worst this year...
Many people around here act like the Bills are the only team in the league with newly drafted rookies, 2nd year players that should improve, another year in the system, etc.. Them are the same reasons every year why we're going to be a winning team and on the brink of the playoffs.

Every team has these. The difference for the past decade has been that all the other teams except for the Lions and Texans have done it better then us. For our sake lets hope it is the case this time.