I'm a little short on time, so here's just some food for thought for today. Let all of us hear your thoughts below.
JOHN BECK INTERVIEW
A local Utah affiliate recently got the chance to sit down with John Beck for a little interview. And while there isn't too much new information that John shares in this interview, some things certainly deserve to be pointed out.
First of all, John shares with us that the original plan that he was told after being drafted was that he would sit out the entire first year and just learn the offense. But then after 10 games or so, they told John to go in and play. Might he be hinting that he was ill-prepared? I think so. But he did say that getting some experience would help him as he moves forward, which we all would probably agree on.
John also confirms that none of the quarterbacks have been told who has a leg up or when a decision will be made. He did say that he's heard that the coaching staff would like to have a decision around the time of the 3rd preseason game.
One of the interesting things he tells us is how all of his throws this offseason were watched by both Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells. They were also taped for future viewing. He points out that he realizes that this new regime has no allegiance to him, even noting how some draft picks from 2007 are already on different teams. Clearly, John knows he has to impress if he wants to not only start to open this season but to also remain the starter for all of 2008 and beyond.
Be sure to check out the full interview right here. But really, John doesn't say anything that the coaching staff wouldn't want him to say. In other words, he basically spews the company lines and uses the typical cliches. But what would you expect? We know that this regime doesn't like guys who divulge too much inside info and John is trying to impress this regime. So he's going to say all the right things and, hopefully, let his actions speak for themselves.
BILLS' DONTE WHITNER MUST BE CRAZY
Donte Whitner, the Bill's young starting safety, has proven that he has to be nuts. He must be. Why else would he say this:
"Do I expect us to make the playoffs? I'm guaranteeing it."
Sure, in this day and age, guarantees mean nothing. But man, this is ridiculous. The safety of a 7-9 team, a team that hasn't made the playoffs at all in the 21st century, really has the nerve o guarantee the playoffs? The same team that only beat a Cleo Lemon-led Dolphins team (also without Ronnie Brown) by 3 points? And a 2nd year QB who only completed 56% of his passes and threw more interceptions than touchdowns is supposed to be the guy who leads this team to the playoffs?
Listen, sometimes athletes just need to shut the hell up. This is one of those times. I personally guarantee that there is no way the Bills will make the playoffs in 2008. Not a chance. Period.
There are 5 teams that are clearly far superior to the Bills. Those 5 teams are the Patriots, Colts, Jaguars, Steelers, and Chargers. So that means the Bills will have to battle with teams like the Browns, Bengals, Titans, Broncos, and Texans (at the very least) to make the playoffs. And I think I can confidently say that at least 2 or 3 of those teams will be better than Buffalo this season.
QUICK HITS
- Jason Taylor actually got one vote from a coach in a survey about who they would select in a league-wide NFL draft. Think it was Tony Sparano trying to drive up JT's trade value?
- Omar Kelly takes a stab at the defensive depth chart. Check it out here. I'll have my own in the not-so-distant future.
That's all for now. Your thoughts, as usual, below...