It's not just Bills fans. The vast majority of the media feel the Bills will finish ahead of the Jets and be the Pats major competition in the AFCE this year.
That's for 2 reasons: 1) the Bills made a big splash in FA and every year "experts" look for a new team. The past 5-6 years it's been Houston, they finally made it last year after losing Mario Williams. 2) the way 2011 ended for the Jets and the backlash against the Jets b/c of rex's mouth smart money would be on the Jets finishing ahead of Buffalo.
I was expecting better from you. Tell me, which Off-season winner actually won it all? (Patriots rarely wins the big one during the off-season either, if you didn't notice.) Jets learned their hard lesson last year.
I think you are absolutely correct. The Bills seem to be the media darlings this year. But seriously, who cares what the media has to say before the first game is even played.
I'll answer that question around 4:00PM September 9th. But seriously, I hated the Bills getting Mario Williams. The guy is just so damn disruptive in both the running and passing game.
He makes them better but he's not the pass rusher most believe he is, or at least he hasn't been through 6 seasons and you know them getting mark Anderson isn't a big deal. Their D will be better, they have a good run game but they lack depth at WR(like us), have a QB who has never played in a big game let alone won one, a HC that has never won a playoff game. They will obviously be better but I will believe it when I see as far as them being better than us.
Mario Williams is a good not great pass rusher but I don't get where people think he will help their run D too. He's below average there.
How many games have you watched Mario play? To say he is "below average" in the run game is a ludicrous statement.
the bills havent really had WR's I think Lee Evans was underrated but spent the prime of his career being the only WR worth mentioning until Stevie Johnson had his first legit season last year. Ive been a fan of Fitzpatrick since he rolled off the bench for Palmer in Cincy. it depends who you talk to hes either underrated or overrated. its kind of odd for someone whos had as much time in the league as him be so hard to show who he consistently is. This is put up or shut up year for Sanchez. I think he has a higher ceiling than Fitzpatrick but that remains to be seen.
This is true, but he’s not an elite player like Jared Allen, Ware, or JPP, where they can disrupt the game every single play. He’s very good, yes; but he’s no where near the money that they gave him. Thinking he’s going to improve that defense to where its one of the best in the game is pretty funny.
I watch mostly ACC/SEC football and pretty much his whole career, the guy is a freak. He is overrated though, he went from being underrated cause of his overall draft pick expectations. to being immensely overpaid. I'm a fan of his though, but by no means am I losing sleep over him on BUF. youd think they brought a 23 yr old Bruce Smith out of a science lab the way they talk.
if the Bills didnt have such a patchwork LB core and some erratic play in the defensive backfield id have to disagree. their LB unit is almost like a pro bowl roster from 05. fast forward with numerous injuries and failed attempts to ressurect their careers. their DL would be the catalyst to a top 10 D if they had some consistency at either LB or DB. im a huge Stephon Gilmore fan but he is a gambler sometimes and while I think he ends up a pro bowl talent in the long haul he will take his lumps this year.
I think Jet fans are hearing footsteps from upstate and are getting a little nervous. The Bills did much more in the off season to get better than the Jets. In fact more than any team in the division. They played the Jets tough last season and gave one game away (you can thank Stevie Johnson for that one) All in a year where their injury situation was far worse than the Jets. Remember the Jets didn't lose a single offensive player for more than 2 games (IIRC) Be wary Jet fans the Bill will be much better this year. As for the OP, I think Cossell hit the mark on both guys. But the key difference between the two QB's is their decision making process. Its an area where Fitzpatrick excels and Sanchez doesn't. If the Jets don't show that they can effectively run the ball, it takes away Sanchez's best attribute, the play action pass. Its an area where Sanchez excels, and if he doesn't have it, just exposes his weaknesses further. But all this falls on deaf ears here, because as DCM constantly tells us, Sanchez is an elite ball handler, and elite deep passer, and an elite 4th quarter QB, and that below average completion rate, and below average turn over rate and that below average yards per catch rate are just anomalies and should be ignored Should the Jets incur just the average amount of injuries to their offense, it could shut down completely and they will find them selves looking up at BOTH the Bills and Pats ans struggling to keep the Phins at bay.
I'm definitely concerned about Buf for the first time in a long time but I wouldn't say worried. Buf had much more room to get better than we did so I hope they improved more w/ all the money they spent but they still aren't as good as us talent wise or coaching wise. They played us tough one game, the other game we crushed them. Stevie is known for dropping big passes.
I do not agree on the talent front. I think we are close. I think the Bills offense is better when healthy. We had the most injuries in the league last year. Jets definitively have a better secondary and linebackers. However, our secondary is good and probably good enough. Bills have a better defensive line and RB's. The rest is debatable IMO.
I hear about injuries from Buf fans every year, it's part of the game. Good teams overcome, you weren't really beat up until later in the year after you started getting killed every week. offensively you have better RBs, we get the edge at QB, TE, WRs are close, OL close. defensively you have a better DL, we have better LBs and DBs You have better P, we have better coverage and returns we are better coached
I agree on some of your assessment. I think Fitz is better and I think the luster is wearing thin on the Big Sexy. No, we suffered injuries early and often. We started losing when we lost our center, QB broke ribs and sternum and Kyle Williams went down. Then from week 7-10 we lost like 10 more guys, it was ridiculous. You lost almost no one on Offense last year and still had a brutal offense. The Defense for NY was good as usual. That said, overcoming injuries is critical, you are right. I feel like for the first time in a long while this team has a lot of depth in several areas. Most notably at RB, O-Line, D-Line and secondary. Losing 11 guys to season ending IR helps you develop the young guys. We will see...the first game is gonna be a doosey.
