Reasons to be very optimistic about the season

[Kelly The Dog]

First, it's much more fun and healthy than to be pessimistic, and because no one has any idea how it is going to turn out, I choose to look at what could be. There are reasons to be pessimistic, too, and I'm sure we can get some here to provide them. But here is the state of the Bills, unit by unit.

1. Coaching. We really should be improved with Mularkey and Clements having a year under their belt, and the players (mainly Losman) with the skills they can use to their advantage, meaning creativity on offense. We didn't lose anyone as a coach and I find it hard to believe that our coaching will not improve.

2. DBs. We didn't have Vincent at safety until the last couple games and immediately he made an impact. Having him the whole year plus a training camp to learn the position should make us better back there. McGee was forced into a starting position a little before he was ready and it showed but he also should be much better than last year. He's a ballplayer and a playmaker. Thomas and Greer with an extra year, along with Baker as a reserve, should all make this a better unit overall, and it was pretty good to start with. Nate should excel as he came into his prime, is in contract year, and has Vincent behind him.

3. LBs. I see no reason to think this unit will perform at any different level than they did last year. They will, however, probably make a few more tackles 4 yards back instead of 2 because of the loss of Phat Pat, but there is no reason for any worry about one of the better units in the league. This unit stays the same as last year, when they were strong.

4. DL. Phat Pat may indeed be a big loss. That said, we should gain a little in the pass rush from Edwards. If Tim Anderson can stuff adequately we shouldn't lose much. I do see a gain, however, in Kelsay's play after a year as a starter and there is no reason to believe that Schobel will not be as good or slightly better coming into his prime. This is a small but not crucial loss on the line because of Pat...

But overall the defense should be as good as it was last year. A little less stout against the run and a little more efficient against the pass. The base unit is coming into their third year together and Jerry Gray proved his mettle last year as its coach.

5. WRs. We should be significantly better here this year simply because it took Evans about half the season to get up to speed, which is burning. Adding more speed with Parrish can create mismatches. We didn't lose anyone, we gained a half year of Evans at his best and we gained speed and play-making. This is a better unit than last.

6. TEs. All depends on injuries and how Campbell and Euhus return from them but we are being told they will be 100% by training camp and again, we simply should be a better unit with Everrett replacing Neufeld and with Jason Peters jumping in at the end of the line in double TE formations. Plus we only had TEs in our offense for 3/4 of the season because we lost both in the same 12th game. Losing Neufeld and gaining Everett who can run, as well as Euhus coming on after starting slow but showing promise makes this a better unit than last year.

7. RBs. We're better here, too. Willis for the entire year barring injury makes us a completely better team. Who knows what happens with Travis and who cares, unless Willis goes down but we're simply in better shape as a unit because Willis is a stud and will be healthy and start the season FAR better off than we were when we went 0-4. Shelton has a year in the system and no reason to think he won't play as well.

8. QB. Most here, myself included, think we're better off here, too, if only for addition by subtraction. I expect JP to be very Flutie-esque: Gain a lot of first downs with his smarts and his feet, have trouble throwing touchdowns in the red zone, make some bonehead plays and bad throws at inopportune times, but OVERALL provide better quarterbacking than we had. And he doesn't have the noodle arm that Flutie dd, so he can get the ball deep to Evans and Moulds and Parrish enough to keep the defense honest. Teams will not be able to blitz us as much in all likelihood. We will be able to do so many more things and get the ball to our playmakers because of his mobility and because of the way MM and TC and SW will use him when they couldn't get Drew to do it. I don't predict greatness or even good stats, but I expect production and moving the ball and scoring some points. I think we will get better quarterbacking than we had last year.

9. OL. We took a blow not replacing perhaps our best lineman which isn't saying much. We should be able to run the ball slightly better, however, with Willis healthy and Bennie Anderson and with most of them having a year under McNally's guidance. Teague improved significantly as did Big Mike. If our LT doesn't kill us, which is possible, we should be as good as we were last year based on three things: less skill because of JJ, a little better run blocking because of Anderson and McNally and Williams getting better, and mostly, because Willis's running threat and Losman's legs will mask some deep problems (like Flutie used to) that other teams used to be able to take great advantage of.

We should have better coaching on offense now that they have been here a year and know the players. We should be able to run a little better with a healthy Willis the whole year. We should get better QBing. We have more playmakers, more firepower, more weapons and better ways to use them than last year.

11. Special teams. There is simply no way that we are as good on special teams as we were last year but we can be close. It would be hard to believe we will get 5-6 touchdowns like we did last year but mostly it all comes back intact so we won't lose much. Parrish could be exciting and dangerous. Moorman and Lindell will likely be the same, one excellent and one dangerously inconsistent. Our coverage teams should do well. This is basically a wash or slight downgrade simply because it will be hard to match, not because we lost any talent.

Granted, this isn't counting injuries and things could completely fall apart, at any of these units, but we were a whisker from the playoffs last year, kept away by a bad start, a bonehead play by Nate, a bad slip by Travis, a bad call on a TH touchdown, some bad calls by the coaches and bad quarterbacking. And yet still should have been in the playoffs in the toughest division in football.

We're in good shape, we're better than last year, and this is going to be fun. Go ahead, bash away.

[ddaryl]

You had me at

"Reasons to be very optimistic about the season "

[Luisito23]

1st. I'm gonna start by saying :goodpost: ....I definetly agree with everything you said and if they bash you then they bash me cause this post makes alot of sense in every way..... 2nd. I wanna say............

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect:

[Tatonka]

you forgot one thing..

Coaching..

Mularkey and company will be better after a year learning the ropes and a year in which the players came to truely believe in the guys running the show.. no more rookie mistakes and the like..

great post though.

:posrep:

[Kelly The Dog]

you forgot one thing..

Coaching..

Mularkey and company will be better after a year learning the ropes and a year in which the players came to truely believe in the guys running the show.. no more rookie mistakes and the like..

great post though.

:posrep:
You mean except for my very first point and paragraph on my list? :D:

1. Coaching. We really should be improved with Mularkey and Clements having a year under their belt, and the players (mainly Losman) with the skills they can use to their advantage, meaning creativity on offense. We didn't lose anyone as a coach and I find it hard to believe that our coaching will not improve.

[Mr.Right]

Don't get your 'hopes up', Bills fans!
:nono:

The 2005 Buffalo Bills will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record! :sorry:

[Slim]

Don't get your 'hopes up', Bills fans!
:nono:

The 2005 Buffalo Bills will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record! :sorry:


i believe were a better team this year. And last year we went 9-7, we started off 0-4 last year, were not going to have a start like that again. And for all the Losman doubters, all he has to do this year is throw for 200yrds, 1 td per 1 int, pergame, and hes practicly outproducing Drew.... haha i doubt your niners will win 5 games :haha:

[Bill Brasky]

I am optimistic that ticket prices went up and our team will probably win less games :up:

[ShadowHawk7]

Yo, great analysis Kelly. :posrep:

[Bill Brasky]

1. Coaching. Yeah, that year under GW's belt really helped us. Apparently sitting on the sidelines for one year still hasn't helped TD or MM realize this team still hasn't fixed any of it's problem areas.

2. DB's need to start getting more INT's, and they're not getting any younger.

3. DL... the same DL that could stop Pitt's 3rd stringers from running all over us even when we had Williams and a playoff spot to fight for?. Get real, this DL is depleted... Edwards, over-paid Schobel who forgot how to pash rush when his wallet got bigger, and aging Sam Adams who will get double teamed to death. I hope our LB's are ready to carry even more of a load than they did last year.

4. TE's, probably even worse than our line situation. None of these bums can block or catch, and if they can, they haven't proven it yet.

5. RB's... as long as Willis stays healthy and we don't have to resort to whoever's behind Henry we should be ok. However, w/o decent blocking he could be in for a rough year as well.

6. QB. Losman hasn't proven anything yet. And behind this line, I doubt he'll get to prove anything this season other than his ability to take a bunch of sacks. Only thing it will help him with is he will learn how to scramble better.

7. OL. I really don't feel like beating this dead horse anymore. I'd rather take 5 of my largest dumps of all time instead of the line we have right now. At least the stench would deter some of the pass rush.

I'm normally very optimistic about the team, but TD has shown that he is completely inept at fixing or addressing any of the problems this team has had... I guarentee when the Bills take the field this season and continue to have the same problems we've been having (blocking, pass rushing, coming up w/ clutch plays when needed) fans will finally go into uproar mode... at least I hope they do. We've been "rebuilding" for the last 5-6 seasons, we're one of the few teams that haven't made the playoffs in the last 6 seasons, and we won't make it this season. Then we'll get to hear more of the same excuses during the offseason just like this year.

[Kelly The Dog]

1. Coaching. Yeah, that year under GW's belt really helped us. Apparently sitting on the sidelines for one year still hasn't helped TD or MM realize this team still hasn't fixed any of it's problem areas.


Except that GW looked bad coaching from the start. Mularkey looked better and better. I didn't base it on just the fact he has one extra year but on the fact the team got significantly better as did his calling of the games and the way the offense started to jell.

2. DB's need to start getting more INT's, and they're not getting any younger.

That is just nonsense, we led the league in takeaways and we added Vincent for an extra half season

3. DL... the same DL that could stop Pitt's 3rd stringers from running all over us even when we had Williams and a playoff spot to fight for?. Get real, this DL is depleted... Edwards, over-paid Schobel who forgot how to pash rush when his wallet got bigger, and aging Sam Adams who will get double teamed to death. I hope our LB's are ready to carry even more of a load than they did last year.

The DL is arguable how much of a decline there will be, if any. Losing one guy cannot be called depleted, especially when his replacement is better at one area. Kelsay should be better. Adams got double-teamed all the time and played better done the stretch than he did early. He shows no signs of aging.

4. TE's, probably even worse than our line situation. None of these bums can block or catch, and if they can, they haven't proven it yet.

These bums caught 7 TDs in 12 games, more than any TE unit since 98, and this was with a terrible passing team and bad quarterbacking. We just upgraded with a talented rookie over a useless nobody.

5. RB's... as long as Willis stays healthy and we don't have to resort to whoever's behind Henry we should be ok. However, w/o decent blocking he could be in for a rough year as well.

Hard to argue with someone who claims our RBs are lousy because if two of them go down we don't have a third guy to be a pro bowler. We will also have better run blocking then we had last year and he did pretty good

6. QB. Losman hasn't proven anything yet. And behind this line, I doubt he'll get to prove anything this season other than his ability to take a bunch of sacks. Only thing it will help him with is he will learn how to scramble better.

he doesnt have to be great, he only has to be better than drew and the 25th offense in the league.

7. OL. I really don't feel like beating this dead horse anymore. I'd rather take 5 of my largest dumps of all time instead of the line we have right now. At least the stench would deter some of the pass rush.

It will be reasonable, as it was last year. It gave holes to Willis and it gave Drew time to throw, he just couldn't do it well.

I'm normally very optimistic about the team, but TD has shown that he is completely inept at fixing or addressing any of the problems this team has had... I guarentee when the Bills take the field this season and continue to have the same problems we've been having (blocking, pass rushing, coming up w/ clutch plays when needed) fans will finally go into uproar mode... at least I hope they do. We've been "rebuilding" for the last 5-6 seasons, we're one of the few teams that haven't made the playoffs in the last 6 seasons, and we won't make it this season. Then we'll get to hear more of the same excuses during the offseason just like this year.[/QUOTE]

We were one bonehead just knock the ball down on fourth and forever play from being in the playoffs in the toughest division. We will be better this year.

[chubluv]

First, it's much more fun and healthy than to be pessimistic, and because no one has any idea how it is going to turn out, I choose to look at what could be. There are reasons to be pessimistic, too, and I'm sure we can get some here to provide them. But here is the state of the Bills, unit by unit.

1. Coaching. We really should be improved with Mularkey and Clements having a year under their belt, and the players (mainly Losman) with the skills they can use to their advantage, meaning creativity on offense. We didn't lose anyone as a coach and I find it hard to believe that our coaching will not improve.

2. DBs. We didn't have Vincent at safety until the last couple games and immediately he made an impact. Having him the whole year plus a training camp to learn the position should make us better back there. McGee was forced into a starting position a little before he was ready and it showed but he also should be much better than last year. He's a ballplayer and a playmaker. Thomas and Greer with an extra year, along with Baker as a reserve, should all make this a better unit overall, and it was pretty good to start with. Nate should excel as he came into his prime, is in contract year, and has Vincent behind him.

3. LBs. I see no reason to think this unit will perform at any different level than they did last year. They will, however, probably make a few more tackles 4 yards back instead of 2 because of the loss of Phat Pat, but there is no reason for any worry about one of the better units in the league. This unit stays the same as last year, when they were strong.

4. DL. Phat Pat may indeed be a big loss. That said, we should gain a little in the pass rush from Edwards. If Tim Anderson can stuff adequately we shouldn't lose much. I do see a gain, however, in Kelsay's play after a year as a starter and there is no reason to believe that Schobel will not be as good or slightly better coming into his prime. This is a small but not crucial loss on the line because of Pat...

But overall the defense should be as good as it was last year. A little less stout against the run and a little more efficient against the pass. The base unit is coming into their third year together and Jerry Gray proved his mettle last year as its coach.

5. WRs. We should be significantly better here this year simply because it took Evans about half the season to get up to speed, which is burning. Adding more speed with Parrish can create mismatches. We didn't lose anyone, we gained a half year of Evans at his best and we gained speed and play-making. This is a better unit than last.

6. TEs. All depends on injuries and how Campbell and Euhus return from them but we are being told they will be 100% by training camp and again, we simply should be a better unit with Everrett replacing Neufeld and with Jason Peters jumping in at the end of the line in double TE formations. Plus we only had TEs in our offense for 3/4 of the season because we lost both in the same 12th game. Losing Neufeld and gaining Everett who can run, as well as Euhus coming on after starting slow but showing promise makes this a better unit than last year.

7. RBs. We're better here, too. Willis for the entire year barring injury makes us a completely better team. Who knows what happens with Travis and who cares, unless Willis goes down but we're simply in better shape as a unit because Willis is a stud and will be healthy and start the season FAR better off than we were when we went 0-4. Shelton has a year in the system and no reason to think he won't play as well.

8. QB. Most here, myself included, think we're better off here, too, if only for addition by subtraction. I expect JP to be very Flutie-esque: Gain a lot of first downs with his smarts and his feet, have trouble throwing touchdowns in the red zone, make some bonehead plays and bad throws at inopportune times, but OVERALL provide better quarterbacking than we had. And he doesn't have the noodle arm that Flutie dd, so he can get the ball deep to Evans and Moulds and Parrish enough to keep the defense honest. Teams will not be able to blitz us as much in all likelihood. We will be able to do so many more things and get the ball to our playmakers because of his mobility and because of the way MM and TC and SW will use him when they couldn't get Drew to do it. I don't predict greatness or even good stats, but I expect production and moving the ball and scoring some points. I think we will get better quarterbacking than we had last year.

9. OL. We took a blow not replacing perhaps our best lineman which isn't saying much. We should be able to run the ball slightly better, however, with Willis healthy and Bennie Anderson and with most of them having a year under McNally's guidance. Teague improved significantly as did Big Mike. If our LT doesn't kill us, which is possible, we should be as good as we were last year based on three things: less skill because of JJ, a little better run blocking because of Anderson and McNally and Williams getting better, and mostly, because Willis's running threat and Losman's legs will mask some deep problems (like Flutie used to) that other teams used to be able to take great advantage of.

We should have better coaching on offense now that they have been here a year and know the players. We should be able to run a little better with a healthy Willis the whole year. We should get better QBing. We have more playmakers, more firepower, more weapons and better ways to use them than last year.

11. Special teams. There is simply no way that we are as good on special teams as we were last year but we can be close. It would be hard to believe we will get 5-6 touchdowns like we did last year but mostly it all comes back intact so we won't lose much. Parrish could be exciting and dangerous. Moorman and Lindell will likely be the same, one excellent and one dangerously inconsistent. Our coverage teams should do well. This is basically a wash or slight downgrade simply because it will be hard to match, not because we lost any talent.

Granted, this isn't counting injuries and things could completely fall apart, at any of these units, but we were a whisker from the playoffs last year, kept away by a bad start, a bonehead play by Nate, a bad slip by Travis, a bad call on a TH touchdown, some bad calls by the coaches and bad quarterbacking. And yet still should have been in the playoffs in the toughest division in football.

We're in good shape, we're better than last year, and this is going to be fun. Go ahead, bash away.

:bf1: :peace:

[finsrclowns]

1. Coaching. Yeah, that year under GW's belt really helped us. Apparently sitting on the sidelines for one year still hasn't helped TD or MM realize this team still hasn't fixed any of it's problem areas.

2. DB's need to start getting more INT's, and they're not getting any younger.

3. DL... the same DL that could stop Pitt's 3rd stringers from running all over us even when we had Williams and a playoff spot to fight for?. Get real, this DL is depleted... Edwards, over-paid Schobel who forgot how to pash rush when his wallet got bigger, and aging Sam Adams who will get double teamed to death. I hope our LB's are ready to carry even more of a load than they did last year.

4. TE's, probably even worse than our line situation. None of these bums can block or catch, and if they can, they haven't proven it yet.

5. RB's... as long as Willis stays healthy and we don't have to resort to whoever's behind Henry we should be ok. However, w/o decent blocking he could be in for a rough year as well.

6. QB. Losman hasn't proven anything yet. And behind this line, I doubt he'll get to prove anything this season other than his ability to take a bunch of sacks. Only thing it will help him with is he will learn how to scramble better.

7. OL. I really don't feel like beating this dead horse anymore. I'd rather take 5 of my largest dumps of all time instead of the line we have right now. At least the stench would deter some of the pass rush.

I'm normally very optimistic about the team, but TD has shown that he is completely inept at fixing or addressing any of the problems this team has had... I guarentee when the Bills take the field this season and continue to have the same problems we've been having (blocking, pass rushing, coming up w/ clutch plays when needed) fans will finally go into uproar mode... at least I hope they do. We've been "rebuilding" for the last 5-6 seasons, we're one of the few teams that haven't made the playoffs in the last 6 seasons, and we won't make it this season. Then we'll get to hear more of the same excuses during the offseason just like this year.

negged

[Bill Brasky]

Quote:
Except that GW looked bad coaching from the start. Mularkey looked better and better. I didn't base it on just the fact he has one extra year but on the fact the team got significantly better as did his calling of the games and the way the offense started to jell.

How did MM look better? Was it his brilliant coaching moves made against the sub-par part of the schedule we played? Name one brilliant coaching move he made against a decent opponent that really made a difference in the outcome?

Quote:
The DL is arguable how much of a decline there will be, if any. Losing one guy cannot be called depleted, especially when his replacement is better at one area. Kelsay should be better. Adams got double-teamed all the time and played better done the stretch than he did early. He shows no signs of aging.

How exactly is Edwards better than Pat Williams?

Quote:
These bums caught 7 TDs in 12 games, more than any TE unit since 98, and this was with a terrible passing team and bad quarterbacking. We just upgraded with a talented rookie over a useless nobody.

Of course it would be more than anybody from 98, cuz there hasn't been a legit TE on this team since JR. And the only reason they got 7 TD's, if you consider that a lot between 2 TE's, is because we couldn't run in the redzone, because of our OL. It's easy for defenses against ****ty OL's to pass rush the hell out of you in the redzone, esp when the QB was fitted w/ 30lb cement shoes in the backfield. And it's very easy for any TE to get easy dunk TD's in the red zone, in any passing offense, esp the one we had. I know cuz I used to play TE. I haven't seen anything from them that makes me confident. Hopefully the rook can come out and impress, but it won't be right away.

Quote:
Hard to argue with someone who claims our RBs are lousy because if two of them go down we don't have a third guy to be a pro bowler. We will also have better run blocking then we had last year and he did pretty good

I never said our RB's were lousy. And I never said TH would go down, he won't be here or he will hold out, which makes the guy behind him essentially our #2.

Quote:
he doesnt have to be great, he only has to be better than drew and the 25th offense in the league.

Still, he has very little pro-game experience, and he's never played behind this line for 16 games. He couldn't even make it through preseason last year. He needs time to adjust and learn and I don't think he'll be successful behind this line becaue they won't give him that time. A good QB knows that his OL is his best friend... when's the last time a team w/ a OL like this won a playoff game, let alone got to the playoffs. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have any protection you won't get anywhere.


Quote:
It will be reasonable, as it was last year. It gave holes to Willis and it gave Drew time to throw, he just couldn't do it well.

Willis made his holes, that's why he's better in this system over TH. Willis has more play making ability than TH. This OL will give us nothing but a headache and a bad case of larengitis (sp?) after every game.

Quote:
We were one bonehead just knock the ball down on fourth and forever play from being in the playoffs in the toughest division. We will be better this year.

And that bonehead plays in the vaunted secondary you've been praising this entire post.

[Bill Brasky]

You had me at

"Reasons to be very optimistic about the season "

:limp:

[djjimkelly]

wel said kelly i love the optimism im right with u i think we are far ahead of last year in many ways only thing i think will suffer a bit is run D at times but i think pass rush will grow this year with younger guys with motors at DT

[djjimkelly]

:posrep:

[Kelly The Dog]

How did MM look better? Was it his brilliant coaching moves made against the sub-par part of the schedule we played? Name one brilliant coaching move he made against a decent opponent that really made a difference in the outcome?
I am not talking about single brilliant moves. I'm talking about not having the team prepared and it showing with an 0-4 start? By taking a little time to get his feet wet and his team learning his system? By it taking 4-5 games for the offensive line to start to play as a unit? if you don't think this team was better in the second 2/3 of the season, I will be forced to assume you watched any games other than the Bills games.


How exactly is Edwards better than Pat Williams?

I said Edwards was better at one thing, which is rushing the passer.


Of course it would be more than anybody from 98, cuz there hasn't been a legit TE on this team since JR. And the only reason they got 7 TD's, if you consider that a lot between 2 TE's, is because we couldn't run in the redzone, because of our OL. It's easy for defenses against ****ty OL's to pass rush the hell out of you in the redzone, esp when the QB was fitted w/ 30lb cement shoes in the backfield. And it's very easy for any TE to get easy dunk TD's in the red zone, in any passing offense, esp the one we had. I know cuz I used to play TE. I haven't seen anything from them that makes me confident. Hopefully the rook can come out and impress, but it won't be right away.

That would be smart if it were true. The seven TDs were not just slam dunks. There were scores of 19, 16, 15, 12, 10, 5 and 5. And I wasn't saying they were great, they are not, but they are better than they were last year.


Still, he has very little pro-game experience, and he's never played behind this line for 16 games. He couldn't even make it through preseason last year. He needs time to adjust and learn and I don't think he'll be successful behind this line becaue they won't give him that time. A good QB knows that his OL is his best friend... when's the last time a team w/ a OL like this won a playoff game, let alone got to the playoffs. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have any protection you won't get anywhere.
Losman played behind a terrible line in college, which is why he spent his entire career running for his life. I believe as a senior he threw 33 TDs with 14 INTs or something like that. he is used to it. And again, I didn't say he would be great or even good, just the opposite in fact, but he will be better than what we had, and he will help Willis and the TEs by being able to move and roll out and throw short passes, which Drew couldn't.


Willis made his holes, that's why he's better in this system over TH. Willis has more play making ability than TH. This OL will give us nothing but a headache and a bad case of larengitis (sp?) after every game.

Even if this were true, which I don't believe at all, why wouldn't Willis be able to make his own holes this year? And if he can, as he should be healthier, he will also be in for the first six games which he wasn't last year. Anderson is an upgrade as a run blocker than Lawrence Smith or Tucker.


And that bonehead plays in the vaunted secondary you've been praising this entire post.

I would hazard a guess that if there is a 4th and 40 play this year with seconds left that Nate will knock it down. :D:

[ParanoidAndroid]

You know what, Kelly? That was a great post. I don't think you need to argue with Freeman. You made your point much much more sensibly and eloquently than he did. That is, if he had a point. I just don't understand the point of pessimism when it comes to following your favorite team. Even if a negative view is more realistic, as with the current state of the 49ers, there's just no fun in being a downer.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Quote:
How did MM look better? Was it his brilliant coaching moves made against the sub-par part of the schedule we played? Name one brilliant coaching move he made against a decent opponent that really made a difference in the outcome?
Unlike GW the previous season, MM did not lose his team when it went 0-4 or after the second game against the Pats when it looked like their playoff hopes were gone. He got them to believe and play like they still had a chance to make the playoffs until the last game of the season.

He also changed their routine on the road when his previous approach proved unsuccessful and the team responded to the change by winning on the road where they had been dreadful previously. While you can argue that the teams that they beat on the road weren't that good, neither were some of the teams that they had previously lost to on the road, either.

Reading your post and those of so many others, you would think that the Bills had a losing record last season. They were 9-7 for a rookie HC with no previous HC experience and could very easily have won two more games.

Excellent post Kelly!

[Spielmanrules54]

Kelly, finally a post that doesn't go over the Bills problems ad nauseum!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm definitely looking forward to the start of the season!

[BillsFanInMass]

When the the Bills are winning next year you will be able to be excited kelly but fans like JFreeman will have to bury there heads in the sand its good to be optimistic about your team it will feel alot better when they finally get it together.

[camelcowboy]

Don't get your 'hopes up', Bills fans!
:nono:

The 2005 Buffalo Bills will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record! :sorry:
Your just angry that York has flushed your once proud team into the toilet. Our you on the bills forum, because the bright pink back ground on the San Fransico forum hurtings your eyes?

[sb_bound]

I would like to add to the QB section the signing of Holcombe. We may have the best backup QB in football.

[BuffaloRanger]

Offensive line play, kicking and injuries will make or break this team.

McGahee, Spikes, or Fletcher get hurt and the Bills are in big trouble. A couple of the Olineman going down would kill us also.

JP, a DB, or a WR getting hurt would be bad but wouldn't ruin the season.

[ShadowHawk7]

You know what, Kelly? That was a great post. I don't think you need to argue with Freeman. You made your point much much more sensibly and eloquently than he did. That is, if he had a point.

Agreed.
:bf1:

[Bill Brasky]

If any of you new comers who have negged me or posted on this thread had been around the last year or so you'd realize I'm one of the most optimistic fans here, and I usually post optimistically, and I almost always call out the critical or pesimistic posts... however, the way TD has been drafting and dealing the past few seasons isn't very promising. He hasn't fixed any of our problems... if you need more proof look to our records (which have stayed the same or been worse) or playoff appearances (which have been nil).

I'm only trying to post from an unbiased point of view, a POV that nobody on this board has the balls to post from because they're all stuck in a fairytale land where they think this team is gonna win 10 games... and I guarentee those of you who think this team is gonna win that many games will be the first to ***** next season when they start tanking.

Eventhough I'd love to say this team would go 16-0, blow through the playoffs, and win a SB by 50 points, I guarentee this team goes 7-9... maybe 8-8 if they're lucky next season... however, any level-headed POV on this board is viewed as "negativity" and everytime I, or anyone else for that matter, tries to do so you all have the nuts to call me out as not being a "bills fan". What a crock. You're the ones w/ the heads in the sand.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Offensive line play, kicking and injuries will make or break this team.

McGahee, Spikes, or Fletcher get hurt and the Bills are in big trouble. A couple of the Olineman going down would kill us also.

JP, a DB, or a WR getting hurt would be bad but wouldn't ruin the season.
I agree with you on all three.

Injuries are something that not only can happen to anyone anytime, but they can kill just about any team's season as well. One or more critical injuries can make a good team look bad and a decent team look awful. That's why, no matter what kind of team the Bills look like, every year I really pray that they don't have one or more of those critical injuries.

[elltrain22]

Yo Kelly, great post dogg!!! You have just got me even more stoked about this year. Liked your analysis, and the only thing I am worried about is our offensive line.

Hey yo, SF fan, what a damn jackass...

[Kelly The Dog]

If any of you new comers who have negged me or posted on this thread had been around the last year or so you'd realize I'm one of the most optimistic fans here, and I usually post optimistically, and I almost always call out the critical or pesimistic posts... however, the way TD has been drafting and dealing the past few seasons isn't very promising. He hasn't fixed any of our problems... if you need more proof look to our records (which have stayed the same or been worse) or playoff appearances (which have been nil).

I'm only trying to post from an unbiased point of view, a POV that nobody on this board has the balls to post from because they're all stuck in a fairytale land where they think this team is gonna win 10 games... and I guarentee those of you who think this team is gonna win that many games will be the first to ***** next season when they start tanking.

Eventhough I'd love to say this team would go 16-0, blow through the playoffs, and win a SB by 50 points, I guarentee this team goes 7-9... maybe 8-8 if they're lucky next season... however, any level-headed POV on this board is viewed as "negativity" and everytime I, or anyone else for that matter, tries to do so you all have the nuts to call me out as not being a "bills fan". What a crock. You're the ones w/ the heads in the sand.
Perhaps if you didn't "guarentee this team goes 7-9" when neither you nor me nor anyone has any idea it would be a good, open, fair discussion. The team was one play away from being 10-6 and in the playoffs. They lost some and gained some from last year. No one knows what Losman is going to do. If a poster came on and said "I guarentee they will be 11-5" (two games from last years record) you would argue insanely that the poster was insane.

[ShadowHawk7]

I'm one of the most optimistic fans here, and I usually post optimistically, and I almost always call out the critical or pesimistic posts...


That's what I thought too. :scratch:

I think our line vastly improved last year over 2003, and will continue that trend. McNally WILL have a average to decent starter at LT (at least) by opening day, whoever that may be.