Buffalo Rumblings

Buffalo Bills Are Clear On Quarterback Pecking Order

2012-05-16T17:30:11Z

While the Buffalo Bills were still in the process of recruiting free agent quarterback Vince Young, GM Buddy Nix made sure that he was on the same page with his starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, about the potential move.

"Buddy caught me in the hallway one day and said, 'Look, we're looking to create some competition for that No. 2 spot at quarterback. We're bringing in Vince Young, we made him an offer, we'll see if he comes,'" Fitzpatrick told SiriusXM Radio on Wednesday. "'Just to let you know, obviously you're our guy, and we're just trying to get better at every position.' When people are up front and honest with you, and telling you what's going on, then it makes everything go much smoother."

Fitzpatrick also told hosts Ross Tucker and Amani Toomer that he's not concerned about the potential for a quarterback controversy, citing the organization's faith in him - along with the fact that the controversy will only arise if Fitzpatrick can't perform - as rationale. But the third-year starter clearly appreciated Nix's candor.

"Buddy Nix has been a guy that's been very fair to all of his players," Fitzpatrick said. "He's been trying to create a competitive atmosphere."

Everyone is on the same page about this, right down to Young, who publicly pledged support for Fitzpatrick in a Tuesday news conference with local media.

"He's our starting quarterback and I'm behind him 100 percent," Young said.

Bills fans can obsess over hypothetical scenarios in which pressure to replace Fitzpatrick with Young will intensify, but for now, it doesn't exist - at least not at One Bills Drive, which is the place where it really counts. Until something changes on the field, there's no drama to be had here - but fans are correct to be nervous about the potential for drama arising quickly. The Bills are playing with fire here; here's hoping that Fitzpatrick plays well enough to avoid spontaneous combustion.

Buffalo Bills' Vince Young Addresses "Dream Team" Comment

2012-05-16T16:00:40Z

When quarterback Vince Young signed a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles last summer, he famously coined the Eagles a "dream team" - a proclamation that, however blown out of proportion, came back to blow up in his face when Philadelphia went 8-8 and missed the playoffs after several high-profile free agent signings.

In his introductory press conference with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, Young was asked to address those comments made nearly a year ago.

"I definitely won’t make that comment again because it was definitely blown out of proportion," Young explained. "It’s just to show you that it’s the respect I have for the players that were around in that locker room and to finally get a chance and sit in the locker room when you’ve got guys like we had out there. It's the same thing here."

Young used the phrase to describe the Eagles' acquisitions of Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Jason Babin last off-season (not to mention himself) - and while the intent may have been to show respect for the individual talent that the Eagles had assembled, he'd also provided fuel for the first sign of discontent. Discontent, as you may be aware, is abundant in Philly, and at the first sign of trouble, the "dream team" phrase took on a life of its own.

In fact, from the moment the comment was made, members of the Eagles' front office recognized the utterance as a "scary term," which was team president Joe Banner's description of the phrase.

This time around, Young is taking a more measured approach to heaping praise on his brand new teammates.

"What I was basically saying is just the respect of the players," Young said Tuesday. "Just like we have here we have a lot of respectable players on this team as well. From (Ryan Fitzpatrick), from (Fred Jackson), it’s a long list of guys... From (Mario Williams), you’ve got guys that used to chase me around. It’s a great thing to be on the same sideline with those guys now."

NFL Divisional Record And Playoff Berth Correlation, 2002-2011

2012-05-16T14:15:07Z

Editor's Note, by Brian Galliford: This has been bumped from the FanPost section, and the reason should be obvious: this is well-written and very interesting. Good on you, sir. End Note

Since the 2012 NFL Draft, I've daydreamed about how this might be the year the Buffalo Bills make the playoffs. As I enjoyed that sweet, sweet thought, I began to wonder how important a winning divisional record was to making the playoffs. To find an answer, I decided to look into how division records correlated to playoff berths since 2002.

I'm no statistician, and may have done some calculation wrong. Feel free to correct. Also, keep in mind that this discussion is only about correlation between divisional wins and playoff berths, not causation.

The Data (Divisional Records 2002-2011):

Div. Wins	Number of Teams By Year
Div. Wins	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	Total
	Total Playoff Teams
2	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	6
3	4	0	1	1	2	2	0	4	0	1	15
4+	7	11	10	10	9	9	12	8	12	11	99
	Division Winners
2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
3	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	5
4+	6	7	8	8	8	6	8	7	8	8	74
	Wild-Card Teams
2	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	5
3	2	0	1	1	2	0	0	3	0	1	10
4+	1	4	2	2	1	3	4	1	4	3	25
	Non-Playoff Teams
2	5	5	5	5	5	3	6	9	8	5	56
3	10	7	5	7	9	6	4	6	3	4	61
4+	2	2	4	4	1	5	2	1	2	3	26
	Buffalo Bills
	1-5	1-5	2-4	0-6	4-2	3-3	2-4	3-3	2-4	2-4	20-40
	6-10	4-12	6-10	7-9	7-9	7-9	5-11	9-7	6-10	8-8	65-95

The Percentages:

3 win teams: 19.7% made the playoffs (6.5% got a wild-card and 13.2% won the division).
4+ win teams: 79% made the playoffs (20% got a wild-card and 59% won the division). 4+ win teams accounted for 82.5% of all playoff teams.
2 win teams: 9.6% made the playoffs (8% got a wild-card and 1.6% won the division). In my opinion, these are aberrations (2006 DAL, 2007 JAX, 2008 PHI, 2009 NYJ, 2010 KC, 2011 CIN) explained by almost all of them playing in tough divisions and weak conferences.

The Verdict:

It's really quite simple: a winning divisional record is significantly correlated to making the playoffs. Get 4+ divisional wins and the odds are good (4 out of 5) you'll be playing playoff football. Get 3 and the odds reverse (1 out of 5). In other words, the difference between .500 and a winning record is a big deal. When it comes to being a wild-card, the odds shift from 1 out of 2 to 1 out of 7-not quite as drastic but still significant.

Briefly Pausing to Lament the 2002-2011 Bills:

Tragically, in 2007, the Bills were the lone 4-2 team that missed the playoffs.
Even worse, the best non-division record (7-3 in 2008) was complimented by us crapping the bed in the division (0-6).
The playoff drought is almost exclusively due to abysmal divisional records. 3-3 would've meant playoffs in 2008 and possibly 2002; while 4-2 would've possibly meant a wild-card in 2004 and, I'm fairly certain, a wild-card in 2011 (a maddening fact considering that after Week 3 we just needed to steal one game from the Jets and not lose to Matt Moore. Gross.).
It has only gotten worse: the 2008-2011 Bills have averaged one divisional win a year. Feel free to never read that sentence again.

The 2012 Bills, The AFC East, and The Playoffs:

The following is my interpretation of what this data means for 2012. Feel free to come to different conclusions. For the sake of argument, let's assume that the reigning AFC Champions will not be relinquishing the divisional title just yet. Can we get a wild-card? Let's assume this requires 10 wins (from 2002-2011 wild-cards averaged 10.1 wins and 70% of all wild-cards had 10+ wins).

The Bills almost certainly will not get a wild-card if they go 3-3. It's not impossible, but the odds are poor (1 out of 7). We would need to go 7-1 against KC, @CLE, @ARI, TEN, @IND, JAX, STL, and SEA (or upset a very good team in @SF or @HOU). Not impossible, but a tall order.

4-2 is not out of the question, but the Bills will struggle to pull it off. To go 4-2 a team must either a) beat each team at least once, or b) sweep two teams. In the last decade, perennial playoff teams have found a way to do one or both: like the Pats, who have not once been swept by a division rival, or the Steelers, who six times have gone 4-0 against CLE and CIN. For the Bills, this obviously means either stealing a game from New England or sweeping both the Jets and Dolphins. On a hopeful note, the Jets and Dolphins look beatable going into 2012. Barring catastrophic injuries, I for one would be thrilled-but not shocked-if we went 3-1 against them. But can we do that and beat New England? Possibly. It would be a big change from the recent norm.

If the Bills do go 4-2, they will probably make the playoffs in 2012. The odds are still only 50-50, but the Bills schedule is favorable. Six more wins will be needed, which seems doable if the team is playing well enough to go 4-2 in the division. Why shouldn't we win @CLE, @ARI, and @IND, and beat TEN, JAX, and STL at home? (Anyone who has rooted for this team for any length of time, shhhhhhhhh).

Finally, the Bills are heading in the right direction. One could argue that the Bills are the only AFC East team whose stock is rising. In general, I think Bills fans are more optimistic about the future (especially 2-3 years down the line) than either NYJ or MIA fans. The Patriots, meanwhile, have lost their aura of invincibility. Gailey's offense can score on Belichik's defense (a huge key to keeping those games competitive), and Nix is clearly building the Bills to stop Brady (by investing in the d-line and secondary). Perhaps all this means that in not-too-long the Bills will regularly post winning division records. When that happens, get ready to watch your Buffalo Bills play football into late January, and, perhaps, February.

What questions does this discussion raise for you?

How does it shape your outlook on the 2012 season?

Does it influence what a successful next step looks like in your mind?

Does it impact your opinion of the recent moves the Bills front office has made?

Bill Polian On Joining The Buffalo Bills Wall Of Fame

2012-05-16T14:01:09Z

In the wake of the announcement that former Buffalo Bills GM Bill Polian was to be inducted as the 28th member of the team's Wall of Fame, the former front office executive spoke with WGR 550 on Tuesday to share his thoughts on the honor and his time in Buffalo. You can listen to the full interview here.

Polian joined the Howard Simon Show, saying he was shocked to hear he was being honored. In fact, he was worried when he got the call from Scott Berchtold, the team's Senior VP of Communications, telling him to call Ralph Wilson's home. Once Mr. Wilson informed Polian that all was well, the news left Polian speechless.

"It means so much" Polian said. "In many respects Buffalo is home, our kids went to school there. The fondest memories we have as a family are all based around Buffalo. There’s so much emotion tied up with it, so many friends, so many great memories, to be able to come back and receive that kind of honor is an important thing for not only myself but the entire family."

It is also in the spirit of that family bond that Polian will be placed on the wall October 21 when the Tennessee Titans come to town. Polian's son, Dennis, is an assistant with the Titans, and will be on hand for the celebration.

The most intriguing story Polian told from his days assembling Super Bowl talent was from 1986. The Bills had drafted Jim Kelly in 1983, but he had opted instead to play in the USFL. With the USFL folding, Kelly's rights were still held by Buffalo, and it would take a massive contract for the successful pro quarterback to make his home in Western New York.

"We had an opportunity to trade the rights to Jim Kelly for what then would have been a very, very good return, including a young quarterback who never turned out to be nearly as good as Kelly," said Polian. "Mr. Wilson thought about it for 15 seconds and said 'No, I’m going to sign Jim Kelly.'"

Polian explained to Mr. Wilson that the contract would likely be the largest in league history.

"That’s alright. We’re going to sign Jim," said Wilson as recalled by Polian. The Bills did just that, and Kelly's number is still the only one officially retired by the team.

As most have speculated, Polian said the team did not want to add him to their Wall of Fame while he worked for another team, and that the delay did not stem from animosity between the owner and himself. After being fired by Indianapolis this off-season, the timing fit.

"[Our relationship has] always been great” Polian said. “I owe him an incredible debt of gratitude because he took a chance on a nobody to run this club, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. In addition, he gave Marv [Levy] and I all the support we could need to win championships.”

While Polian gave many heartfelt thanks to Levy and Mr. Wilson, he is most proud of the family that the Bills built during his tenure. He pointed out the number of people who were at Kent Hull's funeral with their families and the off-field accomplishments of Kelly and Steve Tasker, to name a few. It's a worthwhile listen for any fan of the Super Bowl era Bills.

State Of The Buffalo Bills Roster: Offensive Tackle

2012-05-16T12:00:51Z

Buffalo Rumblings is in the process of breaking down the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position. Installments you may have missed: CB.

When it become apparent in March that unrestricted free agent left tackle Demetress Bell wouldn't be returning to the Buffalo Bills, the team knew that it would be entering the 2012 NFL Draft with just three tackles on the roster. Clearly, the Bills had some work to do at the position just from a numbers standpoint; they ended up accomplishing more than simply finding bodies.

In 2011, we made a big deal about fourth-round pick Chris Hairston being the Bills' highest-drafted tackle since Mike Williams. A year later, that's already changed, with the team spending a second-round pick (and nearly spending a first-round pick) on Cordy Glenn.

ERIK PEARS
Age: 29 (30 in June 2012)
Contract: UFA in 2015. Signed a three-year, $9.3 million deal in December 2011.

Considered the weak link on the offensive line in the months leading up to the 2011 season, Pears proved to be a durable, reliable and consistent pass protector in his first full season as Buffalo's starting right tackle. He was good enough to earn a three-year contract extension, played well around very occasional penalties and miscues, and will be a mainstay at right tackle for the foreseeable future. Not bad for a street free agent signing in late 2010.

CORDY GLENN
Age: 22 (23 in September 2012)
Contract: Currently unsigned. Will likely get a modest four-year deal as a second-round pick.

The book on Glenn, the team's second-round pick: he's a massive dude with good athleticism for his size, has a ton of starting experience in a power conference, and though he has plenty of bad tape at the position he'll play in Buffalo (left tackle), he also got markedly better at said position throughout his senior season. Folks like to cite his versatility (he can play four spots on the line) as reasoning for touting his value to the team, but Glenn is here to become the long-term left tackle the team has been seeking since the trade of Jason Peters. Make no mistake about that.

CHRIS HAIRSTON
Age: 23
Contract: UFA in 2015. Entering the second year of a financially undisclosed four-year rookie contract.

Forced into action well before he was ready to play thanks to a Bell injury, Hairston showed well initially at left tackle, got hurt, and then struggled at the tail end of his rookie season. The Bills, however, remain very high on Hairston as a blind-side protector. Though he looks like the odd man out in terms of down-the-line starters (those are Glenn and Pears), Hairston at worst will be an experienced swing tackle with upside - and he'll get the chance to keep Glenn on the bench, as well.

ZEBRIE SANDERS
Age: 22 (23 in December 2012)
Contract: UFA in 2016. Signed a four-year rookie deal in early May.

Another tenured and consistent collegiate tackle, Sanders is viewed by Bills scouts as a right tackle - but he may have the athletic chops to play the left side down the line, as well. For now, Sanders is competing on the right side behind Pears, with the end goal of being the fourth tackle entering regular season play. The fourth tackle typically does not dress on game days, but it's tough to envision Sanders not making the 53-man roster at this point.

SAM YOUNG
Age: 24 (25 in June 2012)
Contract: UFA in 2014. Has two years and $1.065 million in base salaries due on his rookie contract.

Young is huge and smart, which is what the Bills like in their offensive linemen. He only appeared in three games for the team last season, however, and didn't see any time at tackle despite a rash of injuries in the middle portions of the season. He'll have his work cut out for him making the team with (at least) two highly-regarded rookies in the building.

PAUL MADSEN
Age: 26
Contract: Signed as an undrafted free agent in April. Contract parameters undisclosed.

When the Bills signed Madsen, GM Buddy Nix made it known that the brother of former NBA star Mark Madsen was a pre-draft favorite of offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris. That might explain away the fact that Madsen is significantly smaller than every other tackle on the roster at a puny 6'4" and 309 pounds. There's a chance that he'll play guard (or maybe even center) in camp this summer, but if D'Alessandris likes him, he's got practice squad potential.

JAMES CARMON
Age: 23
Contract: Undisclosed. Signed as an undrafted free agent in early May.

A massive and athletic undrafted free agent, Carmon is inexperienced as an offensive lineman, having played on the defensive line for most of his career at Mississippi State. He's purely a developmental player at this point, but could stick on the practice squad with a good summer.

POSITIONAL OUTLOOK: This is mercifully cut and dry, which is a nice change of pace for the Bills at the position - even if there are still matters to be resolved. Pears is the right tackle. Glenn will battle Hairston for the left tackle job in what should be one of the better training camp battles of the summer. Sanders will be developed, and he'll try to hold off Young for a roster spot. Madsen and Carmon are both intriguing prospects with practice squad potential. There is size, youth and talent here. There is size, youth and talent here. There is size, youth and talent here.

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 5/16

2012-05-16T10:51:37Z

Transcript: Vince Young Joins the Bills - BuffaloBills.com
See what Vince Young had to say at his press conference.

Bills Focus: Vince Young 1-on-1 Interview - BuffaloBills.com
"Chris Brown talks with the newest Bills quarterback about playing for coach Gailey, his past experience with coach Lee, and his 2006 game against the Bills in Ralph Wilson Stadium."

Respectful Young is here to learn - The Buffalo News
"Young spent about 10 minutes fielding questions from reporters on a variety of topics, from why he chose Buffalo, to how he's adjusting to a backup role and how he's matured over the years. He also explained exactly what he meant by "Dream Team.""

Expertise of Gailey, Lee sold Young - BuffaloBills.com
"I just really respect Coach Gailey and Coach Lee," Young told Buffalobills.com. "I got a chance to work with some great guys over my years. Coach (Mike) Heimerdinger, may he rest in peace, and coach Andy Reid and Marty Morhninweg, two guys that read their history, done some great things and coached some great quarterbacks. So I thought this was an opportunity for myself to come in and learn some more knowledge on being the best I can be as a quarterback. That’s the biggest thing I was thinking about to up my skill level some more working with these guys."

Vince Young Press Conference - BuffaloBills.com
"The new Bills QB addresses the media about his reasons for signing with Buffalo. "

Inside The Bills | VY not aware of Wildcat plans
"Not that I know of," said Young. "Right now I’m just learning the new terminology and just trying to get a lot of work in with Coach (David) Lee. The most that I can under the new rules that we have, that’s the biggest thing just trying to learn as much as I can right now."

Inside The Bills | Vince’s jersey number
"Young has worn 10 for as long as he can remember in honor of his mother, who was born on June 10th. Young himself celebrates a birthday this Friday when he turns 29."

Inside The Bills | VY: Bills fans all about passion
"The biggest thing was the fans," Young told Buffalobills.com. "I remember our bus getting egged and thing s like that and it shows you what the atmosphere is here and how much the fans really love their team. I’m just happy to be a part of it now. There are some great guys on this team and great coaches. I’m ready to get in here and get to work and help out in any way I can."

Inside The Bills | Vince likes Bills ball carriers
"We have a tremendous running back, two of the finest running backs," said Young. "I feel you always need a one-two punch and we have some very talented receivers on the outside. I saw a lot of their games last year and I got a chance to watch them a little bit. I just know that [Ryan Fitzpatrick] or whoever is working the offense that they have a great opportunity and great chance to do some big things. I’m happy to be a part of this team as well."

Video: Skurski, DiCesare talk about Young - The Buffalo News
"News Sports Reporters Jay Skurski and Bob DiCesare talk about the Bills' addition of backup quarterback Vince Young:"

WGR 550 - Humbled QB Young Happy To Backup For Bills
"All you can do is come in and work," Young said when he spoke to the media on Tuesday afternoon. "This league is crazy injury-wise. I’m not wishing that on him, he’s our starting quarterback and I’m behind him 100 percent so the biggest thing is not just at my position, at every position on the football field you have to be always ready because you never know what’s going to happen."

WGR 550 - HAMILTON: I Think This Young Thing Can Work
"I’m not naïve, I know the Bills organization will be under siege if #14 struggles. Fans love the backup quarterback, they always do. There will be a QB controversy outside the doors of One Bills Drive. Nix and Gailey have already gotten testy the first time they talked about their new QB. If they’re going to keep this running smoothly and not let Young be a distraction, they must do better than that, but I don’t think the distraction will be Young himself. He’s come too far to let that happen."

Vince Young eager to help Buffalo Bills | Democrat and Chronicle
"Sipping from a water bottle and dressed in a Bills’ red T-shirt, blue shorts and wearing a white team hat, Young said he signed with Buffalo because of the opportunity to play under an offensive-minded head coach in Chan Gailey. He said he’s also familiar with the team’s first-year quarterbacks coach David Lee, who recruited Young to play at Arkansas."

Bills bet rebounding Young has a lot in reserve - The Buffalo News
"The Buffalo Bills are betting on Young rebounding from those experiences. They introduced him Tuesday as the competition for Tyler Thigpen as backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick. That's what it's come to. The third overall pick in the 2006 draft, Young is with his third team in three years, on his second straight one-year contract, still striving to resurrect his career through the role of reserve."

Bill Polian To Wall of Fame
Game selected to honor Bills Wall of Famer Bill Polian - BuffaloBills.com
"Former Bills General Manager Bill Polian will be added to the prestigious list of names on the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame during a ceremony on October 21, 2012 against the Tennessee Titans at Ralph Wilson Stadium."

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Bill Polian
"Bill Polian talks about his wall of fame honor, his time in Buffalo, and more"

Inside The Bills | Polian picks Wall of Fame date
"The game date selected makes sense. One of Polian’s sons, Dennis, is an assistant to Titans head coach Mike Munchak."

WGR 550 - Polian Shares Bills Memories
The G-M from 1986-1992, Polian joined the WGR Morning show on Tuesday and said he was shocked when Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. called him with the news. "It means so much" Polian said. "In many respects Buffalo is home, our kids went to school there. The fondest memories we have as a family are all based around Buffalo. There’s so much emotion tied up with it, so many friends, so many great memories, to be able to come back and receive that kind of honor is an important thing for not only myself but the entire family."

Leo Roth: Could Bill Polian be the Buffalo Bills' next general manager? | Democrat and Chronicle
"I’d take a look at [another GM job]," he said. "You never say never in this business but it would have to be an absolutely ideal situation and it would have to be something the family was comfortable with."

More Bills News
OL Asper fares well in center of the action - BuffaloBills.com
"Day one it was all I could do to think about getting the ball to the quarterback and thinking about the plays and footwork and the defense and that stuff wasn’t really happening," he said. "I had some narrow tunnel vision, but as the days went on I didn’t have to think about the snap, it became automatic, so I could start looking to see where the defensive tackles were and then I could see where the linebackers were. The last day I felt real comfortable to see what the whole defense was doing."

2012 Rookie Tour - BuffaloBills.com
"Join the 2012 rookie tour, as we show these new Bills players what great things Buffalo has to offer."

WGR 550 - Bills' Toronto Series On NFL Committee Agenda
"League spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email that the Toronto series will be on the NFL International Committee's agenda for its next meeting. The meeting is scheduled to take place this month, but no date has been set."

Finding the Fits: Bills will get 1st-round play from OT Glenn; picked No. 41 - CBSSports
"Over the next several weeks, NFLDraftScout.com will be reviewing some of the more intriguing picks made during the 2012 NFL Draft through a series called "Finding the Fits." The goal of the series is to identify one relatively unheralded player per team who appears to be a good schematic fit and therefore more likely to be a surprise contributor early in his pro career."

Thurman Thomas To Be Recognized at Willowridge - Your Houston News
"Thurman Thomas, a former Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins running back, Houston football legend and Willowridge High School graduate, will be honored in his hometown community as part of a special program called "Hometown Hall of Famers™ presented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate.""

Buffalo Bills' Vince Young Not Aware Of Any Wildcat Plans

2012-05-15T22:37:01Z

Buffalo Bills quarterback Vince Young met and spoke with Bills beat reporters and local media for the first time this afternoon. One reporter - I wish I could tell who it was, to give him full credit - had the very bright idea of asking Young whether or not he knew of any special offensive packages (like the Wildcat) that head coach Chan Gailey or quarterbacks coach David Lee might be planning for him.

"Not that I know of," Young responded. "Right now I’m just learning new terminology and just feeding every day. I’m trying to get a lot of work in with Coach Lee the most that I can under the new rules that we have. That’s the biggest thing right now is just trying to learn as much as I can right now."

Note that this doesn't mean that the Bills don't or won't have Wildcat plans in place for Young when training camp begins; it could mean that, but it could also mean that they'd like Young to be familiar with the offense before letting him know about any alternate plans they might have.

In his six-year career - during which he's appeared in 61 games - Young has rushed for 1,459 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per rush. A large chunk of that production (552 yards and seven scores) came in his Pro Bowl rookie season in 2006.

Last year, the Bills signed Brad Smith to a four-year, $15 million contract - and when they did, Gailey likened Smith's skills to those of former protege Kordell Stewart. Smith spent early portions of the season running the Wildcat before injuries forced him to play receiver full-time; he finished the season with 20 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown out of the formation.

Knowing that Gailey had that specific role in mind for Smith a year ago makes it likely that the package is at least in play for next season - and Lee's presence increases that likelihood, as he's often credited for bringing the formation to the NFL. Whether or not Young will be featured before or more than Smith in the Wildcat, however, is very much debatable - and for now, it's clear that the team wants him to focus on his impending competition for the backup job with Tyler Thigpen.

Buffalo Bills' Ryan Fitzpatrick Versus AFC East Quarterbacks

2012-05-15T18:03:50Z

Buffalo Bills fans are bullish on their favorite team right now. Casual NFL fans seem to think the Bills are on the up, and media folks are routinely citing Buffalo as a "sleeper team" for the 2012 season. Among the myriad of reasons frequently cited for that label, the most cringe-worthy (at least to me) has to be when Ryan Fitzpatrick is called the second-best quarterback in the division.

Why does that make me cringe? Because Fitzpatrick, in his time with the Bills, has won just one game in nine tries (that's a 1-8 record for those counting) against teams led by Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez and Matt Moore.

Head-to-head comparisons of this nature don't tell the whole story, of course, but the fact remains: when the AFC East quarterbacks have gone head-to-head, Fitzpatrick has rarely come out on top, making any declarations about his being the runner-up to Brady in the division a stretch.

Let's make this easy for you and show you how Fitzpatrick has fared in head-to-head matchups against his divisional quarterbacking brethren:

Fitzpatrick vs. Brady
Player	Record	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Avg	TD	INT	Rate
Brady	3-1	89	134	66.4	1,117	8.34	13	5	109.0
Fitzpatrick	1-3	94	151	62.3	1,174	7.77	6	11	69.2
Fitzpatrick vs. Sanchez
Player	Record	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Avg	TD	INT	Rate
Sanchez	3-0	51	87	58.6	571	6.56	7	2	95.5
Fitzpatrick	0-3	53	97	54.6	583	6.01	6	2	84.7
Fitzpatrick vs. Moore
Player	Record	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Avg	TD	INT	Rate
Moore	2-0	24	40	60.0	377	9.43	5	0	130.9
Fitzpatrick	0-2	51	86	59.3	525	6.10	2	5	60.5

I know what you're thinking.

"Fitzpatrick has no control over how the other guy plays."

"Fitzpatrick's total body of work looks better compared to the other guys than this sampling."

"Buffalo's purported improvements on defense will make the stats of the other guys take a dip."

"Miami is transitioning offenses and has added Ryan Tannehill to distract Moore, while Tim Tebow has the potential to blow up Sanchez and the Jets from a distraction standpoint."

I get all of that. Really, I do; I promise you. And there's a chance, based on everything that has transpired this off-season, that Fitzpatrick emerges as the second-best quarterback in the division. Right now, however, I don't know how you can look at how the Bills, and Fitzpatrick in particular, have performed against this division and draw that conclusion. The Bills have flat-out sucked against the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins lately, and Fitzpatrick hasn't been far behind the team in that department.

The message here: be careful about making bold statements about the Bills' and Fitzpatrick's standing in the division. Buffalo hasn't finished .500 or better in the division since Dick Jauron's second year on the job, and Fitzpatrick - like the team he leads - has everything to prove when it comes to competing in this division.

UPDATE: Since some of you have complained about the narrow focus of this study (some far more respectfully than others), I added in some data that I hadn't quite finished by the time this post auto-published. The idea here was to get a slightly bigger picture: how each of the division's four starting quarterbacks fared in the division, as well as how the four defenses fared against the division's quarterbacks.

First, we'll start with the defenses, where the cheese stands alone in terms of letting other teams rip the cheese to shreds:

Team	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Avg	TD	INT	Rate
Dolphins	145	237	61.2	1,754	7.4	10	9	82.1
Jets	129	208	62.0	1,444	6.9	9	7	83.1
Patriots	138	232	59.5	1,845	8.0	12	10	84.1
Bills	114	183	62.3	1,512	8.3	17	7	103.4

Then we have the four quarterbacks within the division, where again, the cheese stands alone.

Player	G (W-L)	Comp	Att	%	Yds	Avg	TD	INT	Rate
Tom Brady	6 (5-1)	162	246	65.9	2,196	8.9	16	7	104.0
Matt Moore	5 (3-2)	78	138	56.5	997	7.2	9	5	85.9
Mark Sanchez	6 (3-3)	108	185	58.4	1,290	7.0	11	7	83.8
Ryan Fitzpatrick	6 (1-5)	148	242	61.2	1,656	6.8	10	13	73.0

The easy and plausible argument to make here is that because the Bills were so atrocious defending the division's quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick wasn't on an even playing field in trying to play on the level with those players against much better defenses. And that's true. The idea is that if the Bills are much more competitive defensively - which they are capable of being - then Fitzpatrick, too, will be much more competitive in the race against his peers.

The point I'm making, however, is that the Bills aren't better on defense yet, and based on what we've seen, there's not much firm ground to be found if you're making the argument that Fitzpatrick is the second best in this division. He has that potential, but he's not there yet.