Buffalo Bills could present a threat next season

[Afterlifemobile-86]

The difference in the division depends on Brady and Co. otherwise the Bills have a very legit chance to end the Pats 5 year division win streak.

That sounds pretty Gaytarted. We go 18-1 and now the sky is falling.

 

[DaBruinz]

I hope you are right but I am a bit worried on the defensive side of the ball

What happened in 2007 is irelevant - this is NOT the same 18-1 team and players have come and gone,Last years record means NOTHING now,BB and any Patriots player would tell you this.

Losing Colvin hurt the team down the stretch as games were much closer as soon as he went on IR because the team had virtually no pass rush from the outside once he went down - now he is gone

Asante was overated but still the cornerstone of the DBs on this team and the biggest threat to INTs - Now he is gone

Our linebackers scare no one right now and are all over 30 and our best LB in Adalius was quiet in several key games last year,He needs to be involved much more with more on his shoulders in year 2 in NE - It is a RARE thing in the NFL when 30 year + players are as good or better than in previous years,for most guys in mid 30s they usually slow down a bit and thier play diminishes slowly till finally retiring its just the way it is.

While the team has been able to overcome losses to key players in the past 7 years for some reason I think this is a major job to get the defense back to where it was and IMO the only way is to hope to get an absolute stud at LB and Corner or make a blockbuster trade soon.

It will take BB and Capers thier absolute best to get it done this time and maybe make the toughest decisions on the final squad in August then they have had ever in thier respective careers.

Is my feelings about this team in panic mode yet? - no because I have seen this team win with scrub players before,but it seems the NFL is more talented every year so yes,I am very concerned of what this defense is going to be and will probably feel this way till kickoff in September - but on the brighter side I think the offense will be better than most,not as good as last year but better than most..

I read crap about Thomas supposedly being quiet in games and I just have to LAUGH at the ignorance portrayed. Everyone forgets that Thomas was playing in a new position with the Patriots. The Strong Inside Linebacker position. He'd never played that before. Then, when he was finally getting comfortable there, he got moved back outside.

People forget that the Patriots scheme is different than other teams because of the 2 GAP assignments. If you think that doesn't take getting used to, you know absolutely nothing about the game.

Also, as I've pointed out on numerous occasions, the Patriots played less snaps than anyone in the league. So, the tackle numbers are NOT going to be big.

Lets also not forget that Thomas was injured at one point during the season. It was an ankle sprain. They usually take 2-4 weeks to recover from. And that is if you aren't using it. Yet, Thomas was out there. He wasn't nearly as effective, but he was playing.

 

[Afterlifemobile-86]

I read crap about Thomas supposedly being quiet in games and I just have to LAUGH at the ignorance portrayed. Everyone forgets that Thomas was playing in a new position with the Patriots. The Strong Inside Linebacker position. He'd never played that before. Then, when he was finally getting comfortable there, he got moved back outside.

People forget that the Patriots scheme is different than other teams because of the 2 GAP assignments. If you think that doesn't take getting used to, you know absolutely nothing about the game.

Also, as I've pointed out on numerous occasions, the Patriots played less snaps than anyone in the league. So, the tackle numbers are NOT going to be big.

Lets also not forget that Thomas was injured at one point during the season. It was an ankle sprain. They usually take 2-4 weeks to recover from. And that is if you aren't using it. Yet, Thomas was out there. He wasn't nearly as effective, but he was playing.

I agree completely. Wait till next season i'm positive that A. Thomas is going to really excel in the Pats scheme.

 

[primetime]

Frankly, to me Edwards looked pretty horrendous in every game except for his first couple of drives against the Patriots (surprisingly). Worse for the Patriots, the stinker he laid in New York despite the Giants giving him every attempt to win the game allowed the Giants into the playoffs. Losman is an underrated talent who I think was on his way to being a top-10-to-15 QB (which I suppose with the general lack of talent in the NFL QB pool doesn't really mean much) last year but was unsettled by the poor choice of the Bills to draft a QB early with Edwards and then basically giving the job to him after the Patriots injured Losman. The Bills are actually my second favorite team, and I root for them in all but two games every year. I think they're better off with Losman than Edwards, who lacks mobility and does not make particularly good reads. Too many three-and-outs from the guy.

That said, I don't think next year is the year they get dangerous. I think they'll be a wild card with 10 wins, but I don't think they're remotely a threat to steal the division. The Patriots are still one of the strongest teams in the NFL, possibly of all-time.

 

[MassPats38]

I will agree that the Bills are the second best team in the division. I also agree that as a young team it will be better this year on defense if defense were considered in isolation. As defense is not considered in isolation, statistically it will remain inferior to the Pats, whether improved from last year or not. The Pats did not see many three and outs over the course of the season, the Bills did, which means the defense gets worn down over the course of the game and statistics reflect that occurrence. Unless the defense improves to such a degree that it can stop the Patriots' drives (and I am sure Bills fans will cling to the Superbowl performance in the hopes that the Bills can consistently play like the Giants defense in that game) and the Bills' offense can sustain drives, the improvement means little.

I like what the Bills have done with Jauron and think it is a talented young team, but I do not know if I would call it a better defensive team. Just as its new pieces will show true colors in the second year, so will all the new Patriot accessions from last year. I am interested in seeing what happens with Merriwether and Thomas, and suspect Hobbs was gimpy and did not perform up to speed (I do not think he played at the level he did against the Colts in the AFCCG). As much of next year's Patriot defense will be affected by remaining free agency and draft moves, I think it is still too early to tell. I do think it's safe to say the Lossman/Edwards debate had better not arise again next season for the Bills or mediocrity will be the operative theme.

 

[TigerJ]

I'm a Bills fan. I'm not here to argue what the Bills are going to do in 2008. I just thought I'd insert a little factual information. Jim Leonhard is no longer a Buffalo Bill. I don't believe his contract expired. I think he was released, so any discussion about Leonhard starting ahead of Ko Simpson is a moot point. Ain't gonna happen. What the Bills have done is re-sign Byron Scott. Speculation is that he's going to play some downs at strong safety so they can roll Donte Whitner over into the FS spot. It seems the Bills think Whitner has the ability to be a real playmaker, but doesn't really have much opportunity to show that given the way the Tampa 2 system defines the role of the strong safety. Leonhard was said to be a smart instinctive player and a good special teamer. His downside was in his measurables. He's small and slow. I think most Bills fans will tell you they were more impressed with George Wilson's play at FS given that he was making a switch from the WR position where he's been trying to catch on for years. He proved to be a pretty competent free safety, a little faster and a good bit bigger than Leonhard. Moreover, he made some big plays. If there's any competition at safety, it's liable to be between Wilson and Simpson.

 

[ne5patsfan4]

just because they got people does not mean they are going to be better, we still don't know if edwards can lead the team and thats a big hole if he can't. while i think their defense may be better, the pats are still going to come out on top.

 

[Lampshade]

I'm a Bills fan. I'm not here to argue what the Bills are going to do in 2008. I just thought I'd insert a little factual information. Jim Leonhard is no longer a Buffalo Bill. I don't believe his contract expired. I think he was released, so any discussion about Leonhard starting ahead of Ko Simpson is a moot point. Ain't gonna happen. What the Bills have done is re-sign Byron Scott. Speculation is that he's going to play some downs at strong safety so they can roll Donte Whitner over into the FS spot. It seems the Bills think Whitner has the ability to be a real playmaker, but doesn't really have much opportunity to show that given the way the Tampa 2 system defines the role of the strong safety. Leonhard was said to be a smart instinctive player and a good special teamer. His downside was in his measurables. He's small and slow. I think most Bills fans will tell you they were more impressed with George Wilson's play at FS given that he was making a switch from the WR position where he's been trying to catch on for years. He proved to be a pretty competent free safety, a little faster and a good bit bigger than Leonhard. Moreover, he made some big plays. If there's any competition at safety, it's liable to be between Wilson and Simpson.

Thanks for the info.

Two questions: Do you have any news on how Ko Simpson's rehab has been going? Do you think the Will James signing puts you out of the running for a CB early in the draft?

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Sorry to sounds like a simpleton but we beat them a combined 94-17 last year. I know they were without Lynch in the second game but combing what we did to them and seeing that they only beat one playoff team last year (Washington by 1 point), I will have to see it to believe it that they'll be a threat to us.

i think we should all be pretty careful here. the 2000 patriots only beat two teams with winning records. i'm not saying anything like "the Bills will be in the SB," but they're not going to be pushovers and we're fools if we don't respect them enough to consider them a challenge to our dominance of the division.

the lesson of the SB for me is that a good team that brings its best game will beat a very good team that has a bad day (or "chokes" or "doesn't show up" or however else you may have defined the SB loss for yourself) every time. the bill's aren't "good" yet, but they're getting better. we need to worry about getting better ourselves this offseason and then compare ourselves to other teams when we play them.