Four pieces of Bills news today:
First, the passing of Ralph's daughter and VP Linda Bogdan. Linda was with the team for 23 years and also served as the assistant director of both college and pro scouting with the club. She was the first female scout in the NFL, and will surely be missed.
As expected, fifth round pick Nic Harris, out of Oklahoma, will play this season at outside linebacker. He should fit in nicely, and although Ellison will have a chance to get his old job back, I expect Harris to battle with Alvin Bowen for the opening at LB throughout camp.
All signs are pointing to the team moving right guard Brad Butler, a 2006 5th round pick for Buffalo, to right tackle for this season. Brad played RT at the University of Virginia, and all through pre-season last year. If it weren't for Peters and Walker, he'd have been a staple there already. As of now, the offensive line figures to be composed of Langston Walker at left tackle, Eric Wood at left guard, Geoff Hangartner at center, Andy Levitre at right guard, and Butler at right tackle. It's going to be a big, powerful line, but definitely not one chock full of athleticism, to say the least.
Finally, the biggest excitement for me; the team is finally going to turn the offense into a no-huddle attack. Schonert learned the attack as a quarterback for Sam Wyche's Bengals in the eighties, and it really plays to Trent Edwards' strengths of accuracy and intelligence, while taking attention off of the weaknesses in the offensive line. The upgrades the offense has made paired with this attack could be very dangerous this year if pulled off. I know they had mentioned running it last season when Schonert took over for Fairchild, but it never came to fruition because we didn't have the personnel. With Owens, Evans, Reed, Nelson, Lynch, and Jackson as weapons for Edwards, we finally have the right fits for the scheme, and I hope we can do something great with it.
In other news, Whitner pleaded not guilty and I could really not care less. One bit I do care about, though, is that Jairus Byrd is going to play free safety, allowing Donte to move back to strong and stay there.
I'm still thinking that we're going to see Parrish shipped off to Pittsburgh before training camp starts up, and the market is so low on players like Simpson and Kelsay that I don't expect them back with the team. Denney will most likely stay, as well as McCargo.
Friday, May 1, 2009
I jumped all over a bet from a friend that Orakpo will finish with more sacks than Maybin this season
Of course Maybin will have a small sack total, this is a Perry Fewell defense, and he doesn't blitz.
Some of you guys really seem to want to whine for the sake of whining. I've gone as far as to just completely avoid talking to Bills fans the past couple of days for fear of more crying over a good draft.
Orakpo would be a linebacker in our scheme, and this team seems very content with Alvin Bowen and Keith Ellison (Nic Harris, now, as well) to compete for the vacant linebacker slot.
And with the experience argument, you've gotta take into consideration how Penn State doles out playing time - Maybin didn't play as a full time starter these past couple of years because of the talent that they have had, and that they like to rotate to keep everyone fresh. Even still, if you want to tear apart that pick, so be it.
The Wood pick may seem like a reach to some, but for a guy that can come in and start immediately with his size in a division dominated by the 3-4 defensive scheme, it's a legitimate pick and totally valid.
Byrd will play Safety, and this has nothing to do with 'stockpiling the secondary' if you need a starter at safety (which, wake up, we do), drafting one should not be an issue. He is too slow to be a cornerback in this league, and I expect him to battle through camp with Bryan Scott for whichever safety role Whitner doesn't fill.
Levitre is a great pick, I really don't get any of the complaints about this. At all. The kid is solid at every offensive line position, and even plays a bit of tight end. Even if he can't start, we've lacked quality depth across the offensive line for years, and he will finally give us some stability.
Shawn Nelson is another top notch pick who I am surprised slipped as far as he did. Regardless, his blocking needs work, and I still wouldn't be surprised to see Fine get another chance to be the number one this year with Schouman being hit or miss in his limited action last year. I think this position will be wide open in camp with Nelson taking the starting role anyways because of the PR.
I absolutely love the Nic Harris pick. The kid was playing under his natural weight at safety, and has an uncanny ability to read an offense. When the Sooners were without their Mike linebacker this year, he was able to fill in with just a couple of days preparation and was all over the ball. I definitely like the versatility he offers being able to play multiple positions with a knack for being around the ball and delivering a solid hit.
Cary Harris and Ellis Lankster are the type of guys that aren't going to make it through camp. Don't get worked up over them, fellas - they were sixth and seventh round picks, respectively. Think of it as the Reggie Cox pick from last year - he was brought in to compete at corner and safety and to value his special teams usefulness, when it was found that he brought little to the table that we didn't already have on the roster, he was released. They are camp fodder, and there's really nowhere else besides possibly linebacker depth that I would have gone with those last two picks.
The fact is, our first six picks have a very good chance to start, and we went out and filled the needs we had with solid, versatile, young players. This is one of our best drafts in recent years as far as I'm concerned. Some of you need to just cool off and realize that Modrak and Brandon are not Donahoe. Breathe and enjoy the season for a change, guys.
Of course Maybin will have a small sack total, this is a Perry Fewell defense, and he doesn't blitz.
Some of you guys really seem to want to whine for the sake of whining. I've gone as far as to just completely avoid talking to Bills fans the past couple of days for fear of more crying over a good draft.
Orakpo would be a linebacker in our scheme, and this team seems very content with Alvin Bowen and Keith Ellison (Nic Harris, now, as well) to compete for the vacant linebacker slot.
And with the experience argument, you've gotta take into consideration how Penn State doles out playing time - Maybin didn't play as a full time starter these past couple of years because of the talent that they have had, and that they like to rotate to keep everyone fresh. Even still, if you want to tear apart that pick, so be it.
The Wood pick may seem like a reach to some, but for a guy that can come in and start immediately with his size in a division dominated by the 3-4 defensive scheme, it's a legitimate pick and totally valid.
Byrd will play Safety, and this has nothing to do with 'stockpiling the secondary' if you need a starter at safety (which, wake up, we do), drafting one should not be an issue. He is too slow to be a cornerback in this league, and I expect him to battle through camp with Bryan Scott for whichever safety role Whitner doesn't fill.
Levitre is a great pick, I really don't get any of the complaints about this. At all. The kid is solid at every offensive line position, and even plays a bit of tight end. Even if he can't start, we've lacked quality depth across the offensive line for years, and he will finally give us some stability.
Shawn Nelson is another top notch pick who I am surprised slipped as far as he did. Regardless, his blocking needs work, and I still wouldn't be surprised to see Fine get another chance to be the number one this year with Schouman being hit or miss in his limited action last year. I think this position will be wide open in camp with Nelson taking the starting role anyways because of the PR.
I absolutely love the Nic Harris pick. The kid was playing under his natural weight at safety, and has an uncanny ability to read an offense. When the Sooners were without their Mike linebacker this year, he was able to fill in with just a couple of days preparation and was all over the ball. I definitely like the versatility he offers being able to play multiple positions with a knack for being around the ball and delivering a solid hit.
Cary Harris and Ellis Lankster are the type of guys that aren't going to make it through camp. Don't get worked up over them, fellas - they were sixth and seventh round picks, respectively. Think of it as the Reggie Cox pick from last year - he was brought in to compete at corner and safety and to value his special teams usefulness, when it was found that he brought little to the table that we didn't already have on the roster, he was released. They are camp fodder, and there's really nowhere else besides possibly linebacker depth that I would have gone with those last two picks.
The fact is, our first six picks have a very good chance to start, and we went out and filled the needs we had with solid, versatile, young players. This is one of our best drafts in recent years as far as I'm concerned. Some of you need to just cool off and realize that Modrak and Brandon are not Donahoe. Breathe and enjoy the season for a change, guys.
Preseason
v TEN (Canton, OH)
v CHI
@ GB
@ PIT
v DET
My only concerns with the preseason schedule are that we are playing five games as opposed to four, and the first four games are against tough, power style defenses that could lay waste to our offensive players before the season gets started. Oh, that and the fact that we are closing with Detroit for the eighth straight year.... hooray.
Regular Season
@NE (MNF) - Will really test our defense early on. Could make us a laughingstock if we lose in wake of Brady's comeback, or could put all of the attention of us if we win and take these guys down to start the season off.
v TB - Tampa's first game in Buffalo...ever. Only thing I don't like here is that it's a late kickoff.
v NO - Another late kickoff will get to me, but should still be a good game.
@ MIA - I don't rather fancy playing them in Miami in early October, knowing full well that we'll be rocking the dark, all navy uniforms.
v CLE - This 'Series' is boring. I'm tired of seeing it already, after only two games.
@ NYJ
@ CAR
v HOU - We'll need this win to really carry on a positive attitude to the bye week and beyond. We have a history of falling off quickly after the bye.
BYE - 13 straight weeks of games before a bye week. I wonder how many injuries we will have by this point...
@ TEN - Best team on our schedule this year, I'd say, and it's nice to see that we play them right after the bye. This starts the difficult stretch to close out the season.
@ JAX
v MIA
v NYJ (Toronto, ON) - Still wish we would have played New Orleans or Indy up there. Not only would it help ticket sales and publicity, but it would give back the unreasonable theft of home field advantage for a divisional game.
@ KC - Potential to be the easiest game in this post-bye stretch, but they may be out for revenge after last year's massacre.
v NE - Another big game. If we are in contention, this will be the game that makes or breaks us.
@ ATL - Young team likely to be making a playoff push and will most likely be going at top speed to keep their momentum up.
v IND - If the past seven years are any indication, they'll be resting starters and our defense will get a taste of Jim Sorgi in this one. I just hope it doesn't end like our game against Pittsburgh's backups in 2004 where we couldn't beat them and missed out on the playoffs because of it.
Overall, the schedule isn't too bad. We don't play anyone right after their bye week, which is a plus. That final stretch could kill us, though. We need a durable team and some reliable backups to make it through thirteen straight weeks of football to start things off.
v TEN (Canton, OH)
v CHI
@ GB
@ PIT
v DET
My only concerns with the preseason schedule are that we are playing five games as opposed to four, and the first four games are against tough, power style defenses that could lay waste to our offensive players before the season gets started. Oh, that and the fact that we are closing with Detroit for the eighth straight year.... hooray.
Regular Season
@NE (MNF) - Will really test our defense early on. Could make us a laughingstock if we lose in wake of Brady's comeback, or could put all of the attention of us if we win and take these guys down to start the season off.
v TB - Tampa's first game in Buffalo...ever. Only thing I don't like here is that it's a late kickoff.
v NO - Another late kickoff will get to me, but should still be a good game.
@ MIA - I don't rather fancy playing them in Miami in early October, knowing full well that we'll be rocking the dark, all navy uniforms.
v CLE - This 'Series' is boring. I'm tired of seeing it already, after only two games.
@ NYJ
@ CAR
v HOU - We'll need this win to really carry on a positive attitude to the bye week and beyond. We have a history of falling off quickly after the bye.
BYE - 13 straight weeks of games before a bye week. I wonder how many injuries we will have by this point...
@ TEN - Best team on our schedule this year, I'd say, and it's nice to see that we play them right after the bye. This starts the difficult stretch to close out the season.
@ JAX
v MIA
v NYJ (Toronto, ON) - Still wish we would have played New Orleans or Indy up there. Not only would it help ticket sales and publicity, but it would give back the unreasonable theft of home field advantage for a divisional game.
@ KC - Potential to be the easiest game in this post-bye stretch, but they may be out for revenge after last year's massacre.
v NE - Another big game. If we are in contention, this will be the game that makes or breaks us.
@ ATL - Young team likely to be making a playoff push and will most likely be going at top speed to keep their momentum up.
v IND - If the past seven years are any indication, they'll be resting starters and our defense will get a taste of Jim Sorgi in this one. I just hope it doesn't end like our game against Pittsburgh's backups in 2004 where we couldn't beat them and missed out on the playoffs because of it.
Overall, the schedule isn't too bad. We don't play anyone right after their bye week, which is a plus. That final stretch could kill us, though. We need a durable team and some reliable backups to make it through thirteen straight weeks of football to start things off.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Vitty Kayshon
Vacation is here!
Finally, we get to leave later today. Brandi gets out of class around 2:45 and by then Randy and I should have the car packed so the three of us (and Heathy Bar) can shove off and start the twelve-hour-plus drive down to Charlotte.
This is gonna be the best - there 'til Sunday and going to a big 'ol concert to boot!
Time to pack :)
Finally, we get to leave later today. Brandi gets out of class around 2:45 and by then Randy and I should have the car packed so the three of us (and Heathy Bar) can shove off and start the twelve-hour-plus drive down to Charlotte.
This is gonna be the best - there 'til Sunday and going to a big 'ol concert to boot!
Time to pack :)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
2009 NFL Draft
I've got mixed feelings about this year's draft, as far as Buffalo is concerned at least.
There are so many directions we could potentially go with for the instant-upgrade early on - tackle, guard, center, tight end, defensive end, linebacker, safety... Really very few possibilities.
Yet, somehow, I know that this front office will find a way to screw it up. They're going to pick the Erik Flowers of this draft, the Mike Williams of this lottery. Whether it be Aaron Maybin - the slash shithead from PSU, one of the meathead linebackers from Southern Cal, Andre Smith from Alabama, or some ridiculous reach - we won't be pleased.
My ideal situation is for us to trade Jason Peters' freeloading ass and get the first and third compensation - from Philadelphia, realistically. That would open us up a bit more. That way we could take someone of value at eleven - which, really, unless Michael Oher falls to that point, there's hardly anyone really worth that pick for us just yet. I'd like to take that eleventh pick though, and trade back into the early twenties, so we have two picks in that range, and with that, we'd pick up another third, or a second and fifth. With that, we could make a couple of sound moves and take a pair like Arizona's Eben Britton and Tennessee's Robert Ayers, or Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew and Virginia's Clint Sintim, but that's just a pipe dream. Let's not make safe picks.
Don't let me down, Bills. I can't handle more disappointment.
There are so many directions we could potentially go with for the instant-upgrade early on - tackle, guard, center, tight end, defensive end, linebacker, safety... Really very few possibilities.
Yet, somehow, I know that this front office will find a way to screw it up. They're going to pick the Erik Flowers of this draft, the Mike Williams of this lottery. Whether it be Aaron Maybin - the slash shithead from PSU, one of the meathead linebackers from Southern Cal, Andre Smith from Alabama, or some ridiculous reach - we won't be pleased.
My ideal situation is for us to trade Jason Peters' freeloading ass and get the first and third compensation - from Philadelphia, realistically. That would open us up a bit more. That way we could take someone of value at eleven - which, really, unless Michael Oher falls to that point, there's hardly anyone really worth that pick for us just yet. I'd like to take that eleventh pick though, and trade back into the early twenties, so we have two picks in that range, and with that, we'd pick up another third, or a second and fifth. With that, we could make a couple of sound moves and take a pair like Arizona's Eben Britton and Tennessee's Robert Ayers, or Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew and Virginia's Clint Sintim, but that's just a pipe dream. Let's not make safe picks.
Don't let me down, Bills. I can't handle more disappointment.
Expensive expenses expending me...
The other day I had posted on my Facebook that I hate money.
That's not true. I don't mind money. It can buy nice things and make life wonderful for you and yours. Not having it can make life hell.
I mean, I don't have anyone to blame but myself, so don't think I'm trying to be all self-righteous and say that my situation is unique and I don't deserve this, because I do. I have the sixty-five dollar cell phone plan by choice, the exuberant and ridiculous spending fits brought upon by sadness, resulting in three fat credit card balances, two speeding tickets which were %100 avoidable, payments for a and an apartment all to my lonesome, that I could have easily shared the load with another had I not been so stubborn.
It's just a shitty situation and I want to get myself out of it. I'm running out of groceries and basic supplies in the house, but when Thursday comes and my check gets deposited, it'll be gone before I get to buy the little things that make life go smooth. The next check is already spent as well, and then some, so that week's comfort of living is based solely on whether or not I can eek any money out of the people that owe it to me. Not that I am really trying to put pressure out or anything, again, it was my fault thinking that I was the king of the world with my four digit bonus-laden paycheck last month that allowed me to loan money out, so I have no right or reason to have dissatisfaction with those folks, no worries there.
I just want to get this all taken care of so it's not such a burden. I want to pay off my credit cards now that I've cut them all up. I want to find a way to mentally and physically limit what I spend. For some reason, every attempt at that is a disgusting failure for me. Even when I don't have it, I pretend to think that I do and spend it just the same. I've gotta stop. I don't need the shoes. I don't need the clothes, the games, the movies, all the junk that I throw money at. I need to get squared away and pay this mess off so I can start living my life without the paycheck-to-paycheck worry.
I'm looking at two solid alternatives to re-upping my lease at the end of May, one being moving back home for a couple of months (Plan Z...really don't want it to come to that), and the other being moving in to a new place with a roommate or two again. While giving up the occasional joys of living by myself, it'd be a huge money saver to split rent, utilities, groceries, and all that jazz.
Don't take it as whining, don't take it as sadness, understand it for what it is to me : an accomplishment. It's huge for me to realize that this needs to end, and if I can keep up with the things I want to do to cut costs and improve my financial well-being, it's even bigger.
I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive.
That's not true. I don't mind money. It can buy nice things and make life wonderful for you and yours. Not having it can make life hell.
I mean, I don't have anyone to blame but myself, so don't think I'm trying to be all self-righteous and say that my situation is unique and I don't deserve this, because I do. I have the sixty-five dollar cell phone plan by choice, the exuberant and ridiculous spending fits brought upon by sadness, resulting in three fat credit card balances, two speeding tickets which were %100 avoidable, payments for a and an apartment all to my lonesome, that I could have easily shared the load with another had I not been so stubborn.
It's just a shitty situation and I want to get myself out of it. I'm running out of groceries and basic supplies in the house, but when Thursday comes and my check gets deposited, it'll be gone before I get to buy the little things that make life go smooth. The next check is already spent as well, and then some, so that week's comfort of living is based solely on whether or not I can eek any money out of the people that owe it to me. Not that I am really trying to put pressure out or anything, again, it was my fault thinking that I was the king of the world with my four digit bonus-laden paycheck last month that allowed me to loan money out, so I have no right or reason to have dissatisfaction with those folks, no worries there.
I just want to get this all taken care of so it's not such a burden. I want to pay off my credit cards now that I've cut them all up. I want to find a way to mentally and physically limit what I spend. For some reason, every attempt at that is a disgusting failure for me. Even when I don't have it, I pretend to think that I do and spend it just the same. I've gotta stop. I don't need the shoes. I don't need the clothes, the games, the movies, all the junk that I throw money at. I need to get squared away and pay this mess off so I can start living my life without the paycheck-to-paycheck worry.
I'm looking at two solid alternatives to re-upping my lease at the end of May, one being moving back home for a couple of months (Plan Z...really don't want it to come to that), and the other being moving in to a new place with a roommate or two again. While giving up the occasional joys of living by myself, it'd be a huge money saver to split rent, utilities, groceries, and all that jazz.
Don't take it as whining, don't take it as sadness, understand it for what it is to me : an accomplishment. It's huge for me to realize that this needs to end, and if I can keep up with the things I want to do to cut costs and improve my financial well-being, it's even bigger.
I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive.
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