Die Hard Sports Fan

Hello Bills fans.  As per espn.com, the Bills trade involving John McCargo to the Colts for a 4th round pick has been voided due to a failed physical.  It has been reported that McCargo failed the physical because he has a herniated disc.  Maybe McCargo was not playing well because of this injury.  He showed flashes last season but just seem to disappear at times.  If this article is true, the Bills will have a disgruntled player on their hands.  Lets hope McCargo gets healthy and contributes this season so other teams will be interested in him for next season.  Go Bills. 

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Buffalo Bills defensive tackle John McCargo has played his last game in Buffalo as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 4^th round draft pick today at the trade deadline.

McCargo struggled in his 2-plus seasons with the Bills.  The former 1^st round pick played in 25 games with the Bills, amassing 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Many will label McCargo as a bust, seeing as the Bills traded up in the 2006 draft to select him in the 1^st round and he did not start one game in his time with the team.  He never played to his potential and was outshined by a 5^th round selection, Kyle Williams, who is currently the Bills starting DT next to Marcus Stroud.  McCargo was also injured frequently and even reported to camp overweight this off-season.

This trade is not going to greatly impact the team seeing as McCargo was barely playing.  It will just give the Bills another draft pick at the end of the year to try to build on an already strong nucleus of young talent.

Unless for some reason you went on and bought a John McCargo jersey, no one in Buffalo is going to be angry with this trade.

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The season is starting in just under 5 games with the Buffalo Bills home opener just around the corner.  The game is of course on Sunday, September 7^th when the Bills take on the Seattle Seahawks at the Ralph at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time).

So what am I going to do for you guys out there reading this?  Get you pumped for the regular season opener!  From now until Sunday I will be covering the Bills as a team and their chances of making the playoffs.  First, I will cover the Buffalo Bills defense.  I will list the depth chart of the position in my breakdown of the D position by position and give them an overall grade along with some commentary of the team. 

DE

1. Aaron Schobel

2. Chris Kelsey

3. Ryan Denney

4. Chris Ellis

5. Copeland Bryan

The Bills have a very solid group of defensive ends on the roster this year.  That means they will have a good duo out there on any play seeing as the Bills like to rotate in the freshest players on the D-line…  Schobel has made the pro bowl two years in a row but he is trying to improve his sack total for this year after only 6.5 sacks last year, the lowest in his career since his rookie season back in 2001…  Kelsey is trying to return to top form after he battled nagging injuries all last season.  He underwent off-season surgery on his torn tendon in his ankle…  Denney is also trying to return to top form after he had to undergo foot surgery.  He was only able to play in 7 games last year due to the injury… Chris Ellis is the rookie DE from Virginia Tech.  He was selected by the Bills in the 3^rd round.  Ellis could be used as a situational pass rusher and is also good against the run.  Fast fact, the last DE selected by the Bills from VT, Bruce Smith…  Bryan appeared in only 2 games last season and was later put on the IR in December.  Before joining the Bills last season, Bryan was on the Bear practice squad…     

GRADE: B

DT

1. Marcus Stroud

2. Kyle Williams

3. John McCargo

4. Spencer Johnson

            The Bills are hoping that a healthy Stroud can return to his former pro bowl form.  The 6’ 6’’, 306 lb. tackle was brought in to help improve the Bills D against the run which finished near the bottom of the league last season.  Stroud will also get some double team attention at the line giving the DEs and LBs some room to run and make plays…  The 25 yard old Williams just signed a contract extension this off-season for 3 more years in Buffalo…  McCargo, the former 1^st round pick (26^th overall) in the 2006 draft was fined this spring for being overweight.  He reported to camp in shape and looks to build into a starting DT…  Johnson came over in the off-season as a free agent from he Vikings.  He didn’t put up huge numbers because he played behind the monstrous Williamses in Minnesota…

GRADE: B- (Grade will improve after we see how Stroud plays)

MIDDLE LB

1. Paul Posluszny

2. John DiGiorgio

            Poz is BACK!  After fracturing his forearm in the Bills Week 3 game last year he is back at 100%.  The guy just has a nose for the ball and is a great tackler.  Through the first 3 games last year, he led the Bills with 26 tackles (remember he didn’t even finish the 3^rd game)… DiGiorgio had a very good year last year filling in for the injuried Posluzny.  He had 113 tackles last season to go along with 2 sacks and 1 INT.  Provides great depth at the MLB position…

GRADE: B+

WEAK-SIDE LB

1. Kawika Mitchell

2. Jon Corto

            Mitchell was an early free agent signing for the Bills.  The Superbowl Champion is highly underrated.  He had 86 tackles, 4 sacks and 1 INT to go along with 2 forced fumbles.  Something to remember, his last game in Buffalo on December 23^rd of last season, he had 2 sacks, forced a fumble, and returned an INT for a touchdown… Corto is the Orchard Park native now on his hometown Bills squad.  He was on the Bills practice squad last season…

GRADE: B

STRONG-SIDE LB

1. Angelo Crowell

2. Keith Ellison

            The 27 year old Crowell is entering his contract year with the Bills.  This is the last season of the 3 year deal he signed in 2005.  He too is another Bills LB that is highly underrated.  He had 126 tackles last season that led the team…  Ellison also played significant time last season.  He had 39 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 INT in 12 games last season…

GRADE: B+

CB

1. Terrence McGee

2. Jabari Greer

3. Ashton Youboty

4. Leodis McKelvin

5. Reggie Corner

            McGee was the clear choice for the #1 corner spot.  McGee has 78 tackles and 4 INTs last season in 15 games… Greer looked to be the odd man out with the Bills after they selected a bundle of corners in the draft.  He has played hard though and the Bills coaching staff is impressed.  He earned the #2 spot for at least the first half of the season…  Youboty was another guy that was as good as gone before the preseason but he played hard and had two very good games.  He won the nickel corner spot because of his great progress… McKelvin was the #11 pick in this years draft.  He has looked so-so in the preseason.  He has either made a good play or has completely messed it up.  It will be interesting to see whether he plays a lot at all this year.  A candidate to play in the dime and quarter packages for the Bills (which they don’t run very much at all)… Corner was a ball hawk in college and had a sharp preseason.  The rookie has even be rumored to be ahead of McKelvin on the depth chart…

GRADE: C+

FS

1. Ko Simpson

2. George Wilson

            Simpson is looking to rebound after he was injured in the Bills 1^st game last season against the Denver Broncos and then placed on the IR for the year.  The 4^th round draft pick from the 2006 draft is looking to have a breakout year and also continue the chemistry with SS Donte Whitner after the two started their entire rookie seasons together…  Wilson played in 12 games last season after Simpson and former Bills safety Brain Leonard went down, before of course he went down to injury also.  It occurred before the last week of the season.  He ended the year with 37 tackles and 2 picks…     

GRADE: C

SS

1. Donte Whitner

2. Bryan Scott

3. John Welding

            Whitner guaranteed that the Bills will make the playoffs this season.  He has been an unofficial team captain since he was drafted.  He shows great leadership and also builts team chemistry by having the team over for film watching and he even took McKelvin under his wing during the off-season  Hard qualities to find from a 23 year old entering his third season of NFL play…  Scott returns for another stint in Buffalo after he played in 15 games last season, most in a special teams role… Same goes for Welding.  Will play in the special teams role…

GRADE: B

Overall the Bills defense has a good mix of playmakers and role players.  Due to all of the injuries last season, the Bills now have good depth at almost all of their positions.  They are a young D that flys to the football.  Look for team to improve as an entire unit this year.

Here is the rundown on what I will be covering the rest of the week:

Weds: Bills Offense

Thurs: Bills Special Teams

Fri: Breakdown of the Bills Schedule and Chances of Making the Playoffs

Sat: Game Preview with my Picks of all of the Winners in Week 1

Sun: Game recap with Commentary 

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Hello Bills fans.  I came across this article on sportingnews.com that analyzes the Bills from a fantasy football prospective.  The article basically states that the Bills will open up the offense more under new coordinator Turk Schonert.  Marshawn Lynch will also be given more responsibility in the passing game.  Trent Edwards will be relied upon to take this team to the next level.  The Bills brass has a lot of faith as do I in Trent.  I feel that he has the brains and the tools to help this team get back to the playoffs.  I also feel with the additions of Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell, our defense can dominate especially at stopping the run.  A healthy Stroud means linebackers Paul Posluszny and Angelo Crowell flowing to the ball untouched.  Stroud will be doubled team which will also free up either John McCargo, Kyle Williams or Spencer Johnson.  This team is going to suprise many and I can’t wait for September 7th.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  We are only five weeks away from training camp at St. Johns Fisher College.  There is a ton of optimism by most Bills fans about the team this season.  Trent Edwards showed flashes last season that he could finally be our long term starter at quarterback.  He had some good games and helped the team win.  He also had some rough games which is totally normal for a rookie signal caller.  Trent showed his smarts and quick reaction when going to his second or third target.  He hardly ever locked on to one receiver and sensed when the heat was coming.  I am very excited about this upcoming season.  With offensive weapons such as Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed and rookie James Hardy along with Trent Edwards, I expect this team to make some noise.  Our defense is going to be much improved due to the additions of Kawika Mitchell, Marcus Stroud, and rookie Leodis McKelvin.  Mitchell is going to make an immediate impact on the weakside.  He is a big linebacker with a knack for the ball and can also help out in coverage.  Stroud will be a dominant force in the middle.  Stroud and John McCargo will help out our run defense tremendously.  This team has a bright future and will continue to improve under Coach Jauron.  Can you say playoffs?  I can.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  There have been rumors circulating around that defensive tackle Marcus Stroud is in Buffalo and a trade with the Jaguars is trying to be worked out.  Numerous reports show that he is still in Buffalo but some say that he is suppose to arrive today.  I hope the Bills can acquire Stroud.  When healthy, he is one of the best defensive tackles in the league.  This would do wonders for our run defense.  Signing Stroud and pairing him next to John McCargo would make many Bills fans very happy.  I love the signing of linebacker Kawika Mitchell.  Adding another piece such as Stroud to a young defense could help this team get back to the playoffs. 

On another note, free agent wide receiver Bryant Johnson and tight end Ben Troupe are scheduled to be in Buffalo this weekend.  Johnson would be a great addition to our wide receiver corps.  He is a big target that is under the radar because he was the #3 guy with Arizona.  Ben Troupe is a 270 lb. athletic tight end that had a great season in 2005.  He hasnt reached his full potential and couldnt stay on the field this year.  What an opening weekend of free agency it would be if we could add Stroud, Johnson and Troupe to our team.  Go Bills. 

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