espn.com poll

[Dicknoze69]

Who will have the best defense in the NFL this season?

Potential responses include:

Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers


Now is it just me, or is it foolish to not include the Bills or possibly even the Pats as a potential response? I think idiots work at espn sometimes.

[Bulldog]

Who will have the best defense in the NFL this season?

Potential responses include:

Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers


Now is it just me, or is it foolish to not include the Bills or possibly even the Pats as a potential response? I think idiots work at espn sometimes.

Why would they put Buffalo on that poll, I mean they were only the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL last year. So typical of ESPN.

[BAM]

Why would they put Buffalo on that poll, I mean they were only the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL last year. So typical of ESPN.

and what were we the year before that? #3 right?

[Billsman12]

C'mon its ESPN.... as much as I watch the Bills never get any respect form Espn unless Boomer is on..

[Billsman12]

watch it**

[madness]

I clicked on the sportsnation link right above the poll. Gary Horton of Scouts Inc. is partipating in a chat right NOW. Anybody want to flood him with Bills questions and why the heck weren't we on the poll?

Here's the link (http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/index). Mel Kiper is supposed to be on at 1pm.

[Pride]

spamming him now!

[JD]

Who will have the best defense in the NFL this season?

Potential responses include:

Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers

:lmao:

[Dicknoze69]

spamming him now!

me too

[madness]

Woohoo! Who's Tim?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Then they have the Jets on there. Did I miss something? When have the Jets been known for their d recently? Is it because they signed an aging ty law?

[madness]

Woohoo! Who's Tim?
Tim (Rochester, NY)
Willis McGahee is supposedly stronger than ever going into this season, but do you think he is durable enough for 350+ carries? The Bills don't really have a second option, and I'm worried his career could be shortened with overuse and his track will be more Fred Taylor than LaDanian Tomlinson.

GARY HORTON
That's a legitimate concern, and even though we know how unhappy Travis Henry was you have to worry about McGahee's ability to get through 16 games without a good backup and an unproven QB. But if he can stay healthy he looks like the real deal.

[Dicknoze69]

Then they have the Jets on there. Did I miss something? When have the Jets been known for their d recently? Is it because they signed an aging ty law?

That was another one of my issues there. If I had to pick the best defense from the AFC East, the Jets might finish 4th.

[HeadSquad69]

Guys,

A team that gives up 22 points to the Steelers scrubs and allows a 4th string RB running behind a scrub O-line to run all over us on an 8 minute possession in the 4th quarter cannot be considered one of the best defenses in the league. :sorry:

[mysticsoto]

Guys,

A team that gives up 22 points to the Steelers scrubs and allows a 4th string RB running behind a scrub O-line to run all over us on an 8 minute possession in the 4th quarter cannot be considered one of the best defenses in the league. :sorry:
Everybody is allowed an offgame, I mean...NE lost to Miami - does that mean Miami is better than them? Why does that one game count for so much vs the other 15 games we played which put us in 2nd place???

[HeadSquad69]

Everybody is allowed an offgame, I mean...NE lost to Miami - does that mean Miami is better than them? Why does that one game count for so much vs the other 15 games we played which put us in 2nd place???
Mystic,

Well true it is only one game. But with the playoffs on the line it was disappointing to see the Defense just collapse like that. Sure, the offense wasn't very good either and it was a team effort. My point is, great defenses rise to the occasion. I'd like to see our D come up with big stops in big games this year.

[Mudflap1]

Everybody is allowed an offgame, I mean...NE lost to Miami - does that mean Miami is better than them? Why does that one game count for so much vs the other 15 games we played which put us in 2nd place???
You can't have that attitude...... The Bills had a shot to go the playoffs, at home, and didn't come through, that's their fault, pure and simple, no 'off game' excuses will cut it.

Jon

[THATHURMANATOR]

We arent having any attitudes. We don't play for the Bills. Off games are had and that is fact..

[mysticsoto]

You can't have that attitude...... The Bills had a shot to go the playoffs, at home, and didn't come through, that's their fault, pure and simple, no 'off game' excuses will cut it.

Jon
I'm not making excuses for anyone. All I'm saying is that just b'cse they performed badly in one game, doesn't automatically mean that we have a terrible defense. The defense stood through and did well through all the other 15 games and that shouldn't be discounted and valued as less than the one game they performed poorly. Looking and evaluating one performance only is a poor way of determining the ability of a player or group of players. Jerry Rice only ran a 4.6 in the combine. Had the 49ers felt that that one performance should define him, they would have missed out on a great receiver!

[Dicknoze69]

I agree with Mystic. Did the Ravens have an awful defense last year because their playoff hopes got dashed by Carson Palmer and the Bengals?

Every one of those teams listed had some games where they got lit up or did not perform up to expectations.

[madness]

Wow, that poll didn't last long. It's already down.

BTW... Ranked defenses are based on stats, not blowing a chance to get into the playoffs.

[HeadSquad69]

Wow, that poll didn't last long. It's already down.

BTW... Ranked defenses are based on stats, not blowing a chance to get into the playoffs.
What a moronic comment. I guess in 2000 Gregg Williams Titans defense was better than the Ravens defense? According to the stats, they were ranked #1 so they must have been better right? Please.

The Steelers had the #1 defense in the NFL last year but they were shown that the Patriots truly had the best defense in football when they crushed them in the AFC Title game.

Stats do not mean squat.

[BuffaloRanger]

The refs had a hand in that loss to the steelers. That int call on Fletcher that kept there drive alive on 3rd and long. The pick called on the Bills. Many other BS calls. Go ahead and say refs don't make a difference. The game is alot easier when you get all the calls. Ask the Pats.

[ublinkwescore]

Mystic,

Well true it is only one game. But with the playoffs on the line it was disappointing to see the Defense just collapse like that. Sure, the offense wasn't very good either and it was a team effort. My point is, great defenses rise to the occasion. I'd like to see our D come up with big stops in big games this year.

One thing you gotta remember - it WASN'T OUR D that lost that game for us - in FACT - WE WERE WINNING UNTIL Drew Bledsoe handed the ball off to the steelers in our last drive while we were still leading - look at the score and now take into consideration that we were leading until our O came onto the field and Bledsoe came up with one of those wonderful chokes that have littered his career.

Fact is we probably would have won that game if we had anyone besides Bledsoe in at QB.

[madness]

What a moronic comment. I guess in 2000 Gregg Williams Titans defense was better than the Ravens defense? According to the stats, they were ranked #1 so they must have been better right? Please.

The Steelers had the #1 defense in the NFL last year but they were shown that the Patriots truly had the best defense in football when they crushed them in the AFC Title game.

Stats do not mean squat.:rolleyes: Okay if RANKED defenses aren't based on stats, then what are they based on?

You and I are talking about two totally different things. :shakeno:

[ublinkwescore]

Wow, that poll didn't last long. It's already down.

BTW... Ranked defenses are based on stats, not blowing a chance to get into the playoffs.

Maybe we shut him up, or he realized that he was severely jeopardizing his credibility by leaving us off of it.

[madness]

One thing you gotta remember - it WASN'T OUR D that lost that game for us - in FACT - WE WERE WINNING UNTIL Drew Bledsoe handed the ball off to the steelers in our last drive while we were still leading - look at the score and now take into consideration that we were leading until our O came onto the field and Bledsoe came up with one of those wonderful chokes that have littered his career.

Fact is we probably would have won that game if we had anyone besides Bledsoe in at QB.Ninja speak truth. :miyagi:

[jmb1099]

For those of you who think the defense didn't deserve to be on the list you really need to consider this...
After a season long over the top effort of compensating for Drew's mistakes, being on the field longer than they should have, our D was tired pure and simple. Stats do matter if you know how to unearth all of the hidden information inside them.

[FlyingDutchman]

Mystic,

Well true it is only one game. But with the playoffs on the line it was disappointing to see the Defense just collapse like that. Sure, the offense wasn't very good either and it was a team effort. My point is, great defenses rise to the occasion. I'd like to see our D come up with big stops in big games this year.
Defensive collapse?:whatthe:

[wchutalkinboutwillis]

Defensive collapse?:whatthe:That game was truly a "team loss". The Steelers clearly had the momementum prior to Clements pick and return for a TD. At that point, the Bills had the momentum in a big way and were already looking at the playoffs. Lindell misses a critical chip shot and the D does collapse on the ensuing drive. Who's fault was it? The D's for not stopping the 3rd string running back? Special Teams for not making a chip shot field goal? The Offense for not scoring enough points against 2nd and 3rd stringers? The coaching staff for not being aggressive enough against a bunch of scrubs with nothing to lose? All of the above. Although, personally, if I had to point a finger, it would be at Lindell.

[Hammertime]

The Bills didn't take a shot at the Steelers' rather suspect secondary until well into the 3rd quarter.
Drew Bledsoe was awful for the entire game.
The defense stacked the line and let a gaping hole open and a little known steeler 3rd string running back (who will get many more carries this year) darted through for a game-killing gain.
Lindell was his less-than-clutch self.
The crowd was nearly half Steeler fans thanks to ticket sales in Pittsburgh during their tear and our slump.
But mostly - Drew Bledsoe sucked.

[JD]

One thing you gotta remember - it WASN'T OUR D that lost that game for us - in FACT - WE WERE WINNING UNTIL Drew Bledsoe handed the ball off to the steelers in our last drive while we were still leading - look at the score and now take into consideration that we were leading until our O came onto the field and Bledsoe came up with one of those wonderful chokes that have littered his career.

Fact is we probably would have won that game if we had anyone besides Bledsoe in at QB.
While that did contribute greatly to our loss.....the kick Lindell missed from like 30 yards was the momentum shifter by far. We were in control up until this point.