***Official Buffalo Bills Thread 2020 Version***

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

This article on Gilmore has me extremely excited. When he's being put just below Richard Sherman and Revis with the expectation that he'll be in that top tier, that's reason to be very happy.

http://presnapreads.com/2013/06/04/stephon-gilmore-an-elite-cornerback-lost-in-the-failings-of-the-buffalo-bills/#more-880

[BlueDredSo 132]

Free agent guards Tyronne Green and Doug Legursky "toured the facilities" today.

Great, so they just had some intern walk these guys around the stadium for some sight-seeing?

[Grigs Allmoon 971]

This article on Gilmore has me extremely excited. When he's being put just below Richard Sherman and Revis with the expectation that he'll be in that top tier, that's reason to be very happy.

http://presnapreads.com/2013/06/04/stephon-gilmore-an-elite-cornerback-lost-in-the-failings-of-the-buffalo-bills/#more-880

Unlike some of you I really liked what I saw from Gilmore last year. I'm not sure he'll ever be a Revis, but I do think he's got a real good shot at being a Pro Bowl caliber player.

[Gottabesweet 936]

Free agent guards Tyronne Green and Doug Legursky "toured the facilities" today.Great, so they just had some intern walk these guys around the stadium for some sight-seeing?

This must be the "crap we don't have a guard still, and the June 1st cuts didn't come like we thought, lets bring in Legursky and kick the tires"

[Faust 4,746]

Rotoworld:

BuffaloBills.com insists the club won't rush E.J. Manuel, but that the "opportunity is there" for him to start.

Manuel and Kevin Kolb split minicamp reps evenly after Tarvaris Jackson was cut loose. Manuel was encouraged by his performance. "I thought I got better every day," he said. "I feel very comfortable around the coaches, my teammates and the guys on offense as well as defense." We've believed all along that Kolb is the slight favorite for Week 1, but that Manuel will make starts as a rookie.

Source: buffalobills.com

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Sounds like Byrd isn't going to get signed which likely means he'll hold out until Week 10 and this starts all over next year. Also sounds like Buffalo hasn't even picked up the phone. Not too happy about that.

Not a huge surprise though since the Bills don't seem to value the S position that highly and they drafted several. Also, Eugene Parker is the absolute worst. It still sucks and will set the franchise back IMO. This team overpays mediocre guys like Fitzpatrick, Brad Smith, Kelsay, etc. and true stars like Byrd get treated like this and end up somewhere else like Winfield, Greer, Peters, Pat Williams, etc.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Great article on Coach Marrone:

http://mobile.buffalonews.com/?articleRedirect=1

[Steve Tasker 7,666]

This article on Gilmore has me extremely excited. When he's being put just below Richard Sherman and Revis with the expectation that he'll be in that top tier, that's reason to be very happy.

http://presnapreads.com/2013/06/04/stephon-gilmore-an-elite-cornerback-lost-in-the-failings-of-the-buffalo-bills/#more-880

Unlike some of you I really liked what I saw from Gilmore last year. I'm not sure he'll ever be a Revis, but I do think he's got a real good shot at being a Pro Bowl caliber player.

I really liked Gilmore last year, and said so in the many Bills threads. He genuinely appeared to be getting better on a weekly basis, IMO. Is he a shut-down corner right now? Probably not. But I think he could certainly be the best Bills CB since Clements/Winfield, and could be talked about among the league's best sooner rather than later..

[Steve Tasker 7,666]

Great article on Coach Marrone:

http://mobile.buffalonews.com/?articleRedirect=1

Assuming this is Mark Gaughan's article from this past Sunday's paper? Nice long newspaper read....I read that one this past weekend. Gaughan usually has some decent articles.

[SugarNuts 5]

Sounds like Byrd isn't going to get signed which likely means he'll hold out until Week 10 and this starts all over next year. Also sounds like Buffalo hasn't even picked up the phone. Not too happy about that.

Not a huge surprise though since the Bills don't seem to value the S position that highly and they drafted several. Also, Eugene Parker is the absolute worst. It still sucks and will set the franchise back IMO. This team overpays mediocre guys like Fitzpatrick, Brad Smith, Kelsay, etc. and true stars like Byrd get treated like this and end up somewhere else like Winfield, Greer, Peters, Pat Williams, etc.

I thought they did away with that week 10 thing when they redid the CBA.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Sounds like Byrd isn't going to get signed which likely means he'll hold out until Week 10 and this starts all over next year. Also sounds like Buffalo hasn't even picked up the phone. Not too happy about that.

Not a huge surprise though since the Bills don't seem to value the S position that highly and they drafted several. Also, Eugene Parker is the absolute worst. It still sucks and will set the franchise back IMO. This team overpays mediocre guys like Fitzpatrick, Brad Smith, Kelsay, etc. and true stars like Byrd get treated like this and end up somewhere else like Winfield, Greer, Peters, Pat Williams, etc.

I thought they did away with that week 10 thing when they redid the CBA.

I've read a few things that lead me to believe otherwise, but all indications seem to be that Byrd will show up the week before Game 1 so he doesn't miss those sweet $400k game checks.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Right now Byrd is taking a back seat to Mario Williams and his mysterious foot injury. This guy is starting to tick me off. WTF shows up to the first day of training camp and immediately announces that they have an injury that they haven't even had looked at? Apparently the guy that just underperformed in year 1 of his $100M contract. Marcel Dareus is close to that level of pathetic as well as he also seems to be nursing some injury. The guy is only taking about a third of the reps, if that. There's actually an outside chance at this point that this Jay Ross character wins a bigger role and Dareus becomes somewhat of an afterthought.

In other news, it sounds like the young Buffalo WRs have been lighting it up. Goodwin has burned guys for like 4 long TDs already. Graham has had his fair share and Woods is getting rave reviews. It wouldn't surprise me to see some packages with Graham, Goodwin and Spiller lined ip at WR. There is zero chance teams could defend all that speed at the same time.

And for any remaining Easley fans, he has dropped 2 long TDs and fumbled the ball already. He's as good as gone IMO. SJ, Woods, Graham, Goodwin, Brad Smith and Da'Rick will be the 6 WRs making the roster.

Edited July 30, 2013 by GroveDiesel

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Hmmm, I just read that Dareus did an interview with ESPN and said he was "healthy as a rock." That actually seems bad. Is is lack of reps a ploy to motivate him? Because he truly is losing ground? Or because the coaches know what they have in him but don't with Ross?

On to other parts of the defense. Marcus Downtin has been on fire through two days of camp. He has been all around the ball and blowing up the QB. He could very well win himself a starting ILB spot. Searcy has reportedly looked very good filling in for Byrd. So that's a good thing. On the flip side, the #2 CB spot has been a disaster so far. McKelvin hasn't even gotten a rep there yet after signing his puzzling new contract. Hopefully it's just because he missed time in the spring recovering from his surgery. If McKelvin can't win that job and be solid over there, QBs are going to work that side of the field really hard.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Good news on the Dareus front. Seems that he was getting over a viral infection and that is what was limiting him. The Bills really need him to bust out and be an all around stud.

For those wondering about the QB battle, I honestly don't think there's much to report. Kolb has reportedly looked pretty overwhelmed while Manuel has looked better, but Pettine has been throwing a whole lot more looks and blitzes at Kolb as well. They're trying to bring along Manuel slowly so it's really not an apples to apples comparison at this point. But Kolb certainly hasn't shown that he should be the unquestioned starter as the veteran either. So I'd say Manuel still has a very real chance of being the Day 1 starter.

[Steve Tasker 7,666]

Sounds like Manuel is ahead of Kolb already, though Manuel has been facing vanilla defenses.

Hoping to get out to Fisher for the 8/20 night practice...been keeping an eye out for when tickets become available, but nothing's been mentioned yet.

[Grigs Allmoon 971]

Sounds like Manuel is ahead of Kolb already, though Manuel has been facing vanilla defenses.

That makes a huge difference. The fact that they are throwing real defensive schemes at Kolb tells me they like where he's at.

[msommer 8,981]

Sounds like Manuel is ahead of Kolb already, though Manuel has been facing vanilla defenses.

That makes a huge difference. The fact that they are throwing real defensive schemes at Kolb tells me they like where he's at.

Latest is that they are stepping up the pressure now - but no guarantees that Manuel can handle it, obviously.

But I have yet to read a positive report from TC about Kolb's performance - no sure the coaches would dial it up for Manuel unless they either thought he could handle a more level playing field or they had to

[Tommy Collins 272]

Sounds like Manuel is ahead of Kolb already, though Manuel has been facing vanilla defenses.

That makes a huge difference. The fact that they are throwing real defensive schemes at Kolb tells me they like where he's at.

I don't believe that to be the case. Kolb has received the lion's share of the reps so far, so he has been given far more opportunities to separate himself, but he doesn't appear to be doing so. They started throwing the exotic looks at Manuel in yesterday's practice and he responded just as well. He was able to side step the blitz rather than scramble out of the pocket (like Kolb) and was able to make quick, decisive throws. Kolb is still plagued by inconsistency and poor decision making. That has been his label for a while and it has not changed in this system. A quick tempo offense is not going to improve that. If anything, he needs a slow moving offense that gives him plenty of time to make a smart throw.

They're still giving Kolb every opportunity to win the job, but at this point I would assume Manuel is the front runner. Perhaps they aren't giving Manuel the majority of the reps as they want it to appear as though he earned the job. But if he is already ahead of Kolb as a rookie, then he needs the majority of the reps now as it will only help him once the regular season comes.

[Sweetness_34 28]

What's the scoop on Fred Jackson?

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

What's the scoop on Fred Jackson?

He's good to go but will be lucky to get 25% of the carries.

[OC Zed 348]

Stevie went down with an apparent hamstring pull today. It didn't look good per the video: Link

[flysack 729]

Alonzo looking great against Colts, both against the run and pass.

[flysack 729]

Manual being treated with kid gloves by the coaches, and looking every bit like a rookie seeingthe NFL for the first time.

He had a nice scramble though. He has wheels.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

The secondary really is an abomination outside of Gilmore and Byrd (when he gets back). That #2 CB position is going to be awful.

I'm not sure who played and who didn't up front, but I don't remember reading about a single tackle being made by one of the first two units on the D-line. That's not good for a run unit that was really bad last year.

The LBers seemed to have trouble in coverage still. Alonso made one or two plays, but he was definitely the exception there.

I'm definitely glad that Manuel got going and looked so good in the 2 minute drill. I think when he just plays instead of doing too much thinking when he's nervous he'll be fine.

Spiller is freaking awesome.

Jeff Tuel may force the Bills to keep 3 QBs if he keeps playing like that in the preseason.

The WRs are going to be very good and very deep. That last cut could be a very tough one. For all the fanfare, I think there's an imcreasing chance that it's Rogers that is cut last.

[flysack 729]

The secondary really is an abomination outside of Gilmore and Byrd (when he gets back). That #2 CB position is going to be awful.

It's looking that way. They started Ron Brooks yesterday and he was completely schooled by T.Y. Hilton for a long TD. That was my first "Oh No Not Again" (ONNA) moment for the 2013 season.

The LBers seemed to have trouble in coverage still. Alonso made one or two plays, but he was definitely the exception there.

I said it above, but again, Alonso was really impressive. He was quick to read plays, react to the run, and made a hell of a play to disrupt a catch in the end zone, saving a TD. I heard great things about him coming out of Oregon, and looks like he may be a legit find at MLB. He definitely has the coverage ability that Poz lacked.

The WRs are going to be very good and very deep. That last cut could be a very tough one. For all the fanfare, I think there's an imcreasing chance that it's Rogers that is cut last.

I really hope not. Perennial preseason cocktease Marcus Easley better not trick the coaches into cutting Rogers instead of him. I could see him going to another team, developing over a couple years, and becoming a #1 threat for someone.

Lastly - Goodwin was a speed demon returning kicks! Wow.

[flysack 729]

I'm not sure who played and who didn't up front, but I don't remember reading about a single tackle being made by one of the first two units on the D-line. That's not good for a run unit that was really bad last year.

Mario's sack was a legit move against the Colts starting OT. He timed the snap perfectly and blew right by the OT untouched to level Luck. So there's that, at least. But again, the DTs got (inexplicably) pushed around by the Colts interior line. I just don't understand how those two can look so terrible against the run. They're both big, very athletic guys. It's too early to call Dareus a bust, but he's sliding toward being a disappointment. It's definitely a make or break season for him.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

I read this morning that Mario Williams yelled at Dareus to move over into another gap before one play, Dareus ignored him and the run ended up going straight through the gap Mario wanted him in. Mario was not pleased at all after the play.

It seems like Dareus either just prefers to rush the QB or is too much of a wuss to hold against the run. Either way, that's just not acceptable. If he can't get better against the run, he's going to start to see the bench.

Joe Buscaglia did say that Lawson did a great job setting the edge against the run yesterday. That's great news as the knock on him was he could only rush the passer. We could end up seeing a lot of LB rotation (which seems like a good thing)

Edited August 12, 2013 by GroveDiesel

[Tommy Collins 272]

I read this morning that Mario Williams yelled at Dareus to move over into another gap before one play, Dareus ignored him and the run ended up going straight through the gap Mario wanted him in. Mario was not pleased at all after the play.

I saw the play and was thinking the same thing. Mario made a read and was waving and yelling at Dareus to move. He slightly moved to his left, but it was a very minor adjustment.

[flysack 729]

I read this morning that Mario Williams yelled at Dareus to move over into another gap before one play, Dareus ignored him and the run ended up going straight through the gap Mario wanted him in. Mario was not pleased at all after the play.

It seems like Dareus either just prefers to rush the QB or is too much of a wuss to hold against the run. Either way, that's just not acceptable. If he can't get better against the run, he's going to start to see the bench.

Joe Buscaglia did say that Lawson did a great job setting the edge against the run yesterday. That's great news as the knock on him was he could only rush the passer. We could end up seeing a lot of LB rotation (which seems like a good thing)

[Bills_Fan11 26]

Manual being treated with kid gloves by the coaches, and looking every bit like a rookie seeingthe NFL for the first time.

He had a nice scramble though. He has wheels.

IDK if they treated him with kid gloves; I think he just took the checkdown on every throw.

The secondary really is an abomination outside of Gilmore and Byrd (when he gets back). That #2 CB position is going to be awful.

I feel/worry I'll make this point 1,001 times in the next few years, but:

Paying McKelvin as much as we did makes all the "Levitre would've cost way too much" points sound a little ridiculous imo. $8mill for a really good player seems like better value than $5mill for a replacement level CB that can be found on the street for the league minimum on Labor Day of every year.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Manual being treated with kid gloves by the coaches, and looking every bit like a rookie seeingthe NFL for the first time.

He had a nice scramble though. He has wheels.

IDK if they treated him with kid gloves; I think he just took the checkdown on every throw.

The secondary really is an abomination outside of Gilmore and Byrd (when he gets back). That #2 CB position is going to be awful.

I feel/worry I'll make this point 1,001 times in the next few years, but:

Paying McKelvin as much as we did makes all the "Levitre would've cost way too much" points sound a little ridiculous imo. $8mill for a really good player seems like better value than $5mill for a replacement level CB that can be found on the street for the league minimum on Labor Day of every year.

See, I'm still ultimately ok with letting Levitre go. But paying McKelvin all that money instead of bringing in a better veteran CB was foolish. They should have just let McKelvin walk, cut Brad Smith and used the money to bring in a better CB and lock up Byrd.

[Bills_Fan11 26]

I don't totally disagree re: Levitre. But these decisions aren't made in a vacuum - my point is those two moves in concert just don't make sense for either the short or long term. It's hard to take their supposed new commitment to new-age analytics seriously when they gave such a mediocre player all that $. It's like Chris Kelsay redux; not exactly moneyball-esque.

[Area51Inhabitant 42]

I think OBD is predisposed to not giving a Safety a big long term deal no matter how good he may be. This will be the last year for Byrd on the roster imo.

[Hoosier16 80]

And for any remaining Easley fans, he has dropped 2 long TDs and fumbled the ball already. He's as good as gone IMO. SJ, Woods, Graham, Goodwin, Brad Smith and Da'Rick will be the 6 WRs making the roster.

Not picking on your 2 week old opinion but it seems like Easley hasn't received any press from his game yesterday. I know he was playing against 2nd half players but catching 7 passes on 7 targets is still impressive. Have opinions on him changed in Buffalo?

Edited August 12, 2013 by Hoosier16

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

And for any remaining Easley fans, he has dropped 2 long TDs and fumbled the ball already. He's as good as gone IMO. SJ, Woods, Graham, Goodwin, Brad Smith and Da'Rick will be the 6 WRs making the roster.

Not picking on your 2 week old opinion but it seems like Easley hasn't received any press from his game yesterday. I know he was playing against 2nd half players but catching 7 passes on 7 targets is still impressive. Have opinions on him changed in Buffalo?

He looked very good yesterday. He's looked good in preseason before though. But he's making less mental mistakes than Rogers right now. He may still be in the mix depending on how much the Bills decide they want to actually keep Brad Smith.

[Grigs Allmoon 971]

I read this morning that Mario Williams yelled at Dareus to move over into another gap before one play, Dareus ignored him and the run ended up going straight through the gap Mario wanted him in. Mario was not pleased at all after the play.

Sapp pointed that play out at half time. It's encouraging to see Williams on the ball, and making adjustments, but very discouraging to see the DTs not adjust similarly.

[Grigs Allmoon 971]

And for any remaining Easley fans, he has dropped 2 long TDs and fumbled the ball already. He's as good as gone IMO. SJ, Woods, Graham, Goodwin, Brad Smith and Da'Rick will be the 6 WRs making the roster.

Not picking on your 2 week old opinion but it seems like Easley hasn't received any press from his game yesterday. I know he was playing against 2nd half players but catching 7 passes on 7 targets is still impressive. Have opinions on him changed in Buffalo?

He looked very good yesterday. He's looked good in preseason before though. But he's making less mental mistakes than Rogers right now.

Maybe it's been mentioned in this thread, but I think I only heard it on the pre-game radio yesterday... Apparently in practice earlier last week Rogers was pulling a Randy Moss and not giving any effort to run block, and Eric Wood came onto the field from the sideline where he was watching and reamed him out. I'm starting to think he's going to need to do A LOT more than a routine goal line slant TD in these upcoming games to make the squad.

[NYCGangGreen 3]

Tell me about T.J. Graham and what he is looking like/chances of getting any decent snaps this year?

[Gottabesweet 936]

Butler played well got first team reps at CB2 tonight at practice with McMelvin hurt and Rogers

[Steve Tasker 7,666]

Tell me about T.J. Graham and what he is looking like/chances of getting any decent snaps this year?

He'll get plenty of snaps. I'd expect him to be the #3 WR for at least this season. Stevie and Woods should hopefully start, but the Bills seem to be opening it up a lot more and I'd expect him to be on the field for the majority of the team's offensive plays. I haven't heard much talk about Goodwin, Rogers, whoever, passing him on the depth chart.

That said, it's pretty difficult to anticipate his production. Revamped offense with (presumably) a rookie QB, several other rookie WRs, new coaches. No idea.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

Thought this was a really interesting article about how the Bills are using technology to better track player health and help not only prevent injuries, but help recover quicker. They're using GPS devices on their jerseys to monitor all sorts of data. Kind of cool. And definitely needed in Buffalo where soft tissue injuries have happened WAY too often over the last decade.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Bills-player-monitoring-goes-high-tech/1e202806-30b1-4fd1-93c9-94c2b370fe2f?campaign=tw_buf_article

[werdnoynek 166]

Just saw on Total Access that EJ Manuel has to have a minor procedure on his knee and is out for the rest of preseason... Such a shame but good to hear it's minor and shouldn't miss significant time. I think it's pretty clear the starting job is his when he returns, based on what we've seen thus far from him and from Kolb.

[flysack 729]

Just saw on Total Access that EJ Manuel has to have a minor procedure on his knee and is out for the rest of preseason... Such a shame but good to hear it's minor and shouldn't miss significant time. I think it's pretty clear the starting job is his when he returns, based on what we've seen thus far from him and from Kolb.

Actually, unless Kolb is an absolute disaster the next two weeks, I could see the Bills starting Kolb week 1 to let Manuel get reps in practice again, then giving him the start week 2 or 3.

Edited August 18, 2013 by flysack

[flysack 729]

Wow. The Bills just released Rian Lindell.

Link.

Seems like the writing was on the wall, though it took me by surprise. Lindell made 83% of his kicks last year and is a good team guy, but the Florida State kid they took in the sixth round has been solid in preseason and has a much stronger leg.

New kicker = Dustin Hopkins, in case someone wants to take a flier on him in fantasy. I wouldn't. Don't see the Bills scoring a whole lot this year. If I owned Lindell, I'd keep him on my roster. He's too good not to end up with a starting job somewhere, hopefully on a team with a decent offense.

Edited August 19, 2013 by flysack

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

This is great news:

Offensive Line Settling in

If youre looking for reasons as to why Kolb struggled in this game, dont look at the offensive line. Kolb faced two pressures on 22 dropbacks in what was an impressive outing from the front five. Left guard Colin Brown (-1.3) was the only starter to grade out negatively as every other starter graded positively in both run and pass blocking. Cordy Glenn, Eric Wood, and Erik Pears all maintained unblemished pass-blocking records on the day and the starting offensive line combined for a grade of +9.7. It was an encouraging performance especially considering how talented the Vikings defensive line is.

PFF Game Ball

Cordy Glenn deserves this one. The second-year left tackle played about as clean a game as you can play. He didnt give up a pressure in a tough matchup with Jared Allen and tallied four quality run blocks with no negatives. Very promising sign for the Bills.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/08/18/refo-min-buf-preseason-wk-2/

Through 2 preseason games, Cordy Glenn is PFF's highest rated LT and Manuel is their highest rated qualifying QB.

Edited August 19, 2013 by GroveDiesel

[Donnybrook 537]

After watching Kolb perform against the Vikings, is there anychance Tuel can pass him on the depth chart? He should be getting a lot of playing time in the next two games.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

After watching Kolb perform against the Vikings, is there anychance Tuel can pass him on the depth chart? He should be getting a lot of playing time in the next two games.

If I was the GM/Coach, I'd seriously consider a page out of the 2012 Redskins playbook and keep 2 rookies while cutting Kolb. Save the salary and give Manuel and Tuel every opportunity possible to develop. If they plan on Manuel being the starter sooner rather than later, I don't see why doing that doesn't make sense.

But I'm not the GM/Coach and I have no idea what they'll do. I do think Tuel playing well makes it more likely he'll force them to keep him on the roster. If Tuel does make the roster, I think that's bad news for Brad Smith.

[OldMilwaukee 63]

After watching Kolb perform against the Vikings, is there anychance Tuel can pass him on the depth chart? He should be getting a lot of playing time in the next two games.

If I was the GM/Coach, I'd seriously consider a page out of the 2012 Redskins playbook and keep 2 rookies while cutting Kolb. Save the salary and give Manuel and Tuel every opportunity possible to develop. If they plan on Manuel being the starter sooner rather than later, I don't see why doing that doesn't make sense.

But I'm not the GM/Coach and I have no idea what they'll do. I do think Tuel playing well makes it more likely he'll force them to keep him on the roster. If Tuel does make the roster, I think that's bad news for Brad Smith.

If Tuel makes the roster and they cut Kolb, That would be great for Brad Smith!

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

After watching Kolb perform against the Vikings, is there anychance Tuel can pass him on the depth chart? He should be getting a lot of playing time in the next two games.

If I was the GM/Coach, I'd seriously consider a page out of the 2012 Redskins playbook and keep 2 rookies while cutting Kolb. Save the salary and give Manuel and Tuel every opportunity possible to develop. If they plan on Manuel being the starter sooner rather than later, I don't see why doing that doesn't make sense.

But I'm not the GM/Coach and I have no idea what they'll do. I do think Tuel playing well makes it more likely he'll force them to keep him on the roster. If Tuel does make the roster, I think that's bad news for Brad Smith.

If Tuel makes the roster and they cut Kolb, That would be great for Brad Smith!

Yes. I should have clarified that if Tuel makes the team and they keep Kolb, then Smith is toast. If they cut Kolb, then there is a spot for Smith.

[GroveDiesel 8,293]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/71569/packaged-plays-and-the-newest-form-of-option-football

This article should be required reading for Bills fans. Really, everyone should read it, but there are some huge takeaways for Buffalo fans here.

First is that Marrone and Hackett are on the forefront of new offensive techniques and are already diagnosing ways to blowup the new defensive planning for the read option. For all the "experts" (including coaches) who said that the read option was a gimmick and could easily be contained with an offseason of tape, they're going to find that it's going to be a lot harder than they think.

Secondly, and this is a big one, when the QB read takes place is of utmost importance when evaluating Manuel. One of the criticisms for Manuel pre-draft was that he didn't go through his progressions. That criticism seemed silly when it became obvious that the Seminole offense didn't have progressions like old style offenses. The read is made BEFORE the snap. The QB knows where he is going with the ball BEFORE the snap a huge majority of the time. So while there may be 3 WRs running routes, the QB knows before the snap that he's either going to throw it to the Z receiver or if the safety moves a certain way off the snap he immediately knows he's going to the X receiver. He's not ever going to drop back and look through a series of WRs to see if each one is open or not. That's the old way and it's way too slow for today's pass rushers. The offense is designed so that a smart QB can diagnose the defense BEFORE the snap and know right away where he's going.

I remember Brady making a comment that he knew where he was delivering the ball 99% of the time before the ball was snapped. Everyone acted like he wad some sort of super genius or mind reader. But the truth is that that's how the offense works and he is just good at understanding how the offense works and at diagnosing whichever defender they have marked as the key defender on the play.

So when you hear someone say that Manuel isn't going through his progression (and I've read that several times), you now know that that person has no idea what they're talking about. The correct criticism would be either that he didn't look off the defender and allowed the defense to react, or that he was too slow to make the throw.