TimGraham

I think he's trying to manage the attention he's going to get by trying to come off as indifferent about it.

Wow.

I know Brian very well. He's one of my all-time favorite people and the reason I got the job at the Palm Beach Post. Now I see him all the time at the Dolphins complex.

The reason I haven't been answering the questions is because I've been away from the board for a few days. I'm at ESPN headquarters for skull sessions. But I don't have any inside knowledge on how Tonoisamoa's visit went or if the Bills plan to sign him. Sorry I can't provide an update at the moment.

I'm trying to post from blackberry for the first time ... This is only a test ... Beeeeeeeeeeep

I'm a member of a Dolphins board from my days covering the team, but I visit that site maybe once or twice a month. I rarely post anything there. Including my time at the Palm Beach Post, I think my post count is in the single digits. I come here because I like to hang out with Buffalo sports fans.

It's almost entirely about family and friends. I loved my time there. But there are several other benefits, including travel. I'm now an hour flight (with more direct options) from two of the three other AFC East teams and won't waste my Saturdays and Mondays getting from Point A to Point B. I can drive to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit if need be. The move should improve coverage.

Great answer. But I think Steve Johnson still qualifies for 2009. To say he was a surprise in 2008 suggests he was a significant contributor.

Always an Indians fan, but the mid-80s Mets were fun to watch. I was a huge fan of Dwight Gooden and Gary Carter.

I don't think it will be a joke in concept. How they run it as a business, I'm not sure. But if people accept it for what it is (a second-tier league with a combo of NFL fringe players and minor-league prospects) then I think they'll enjoy it. I envision it being like the old International Hockey League, which was heavy with veterans compared to the AHL. You'll have guys who've been in the NFL and trying to get back or would rather play than sit the bench or rot on a practice squad.

Thanks for giving a flip about what I have to say. I enjoy this.

I will be at minicamp, but not next week's OTAs. All of ESPN's bloggers will be in Bristol for meetings. Monday will be a big day in the AFC East (T.O., first Brady sighting, Sanchez' first practice with veterans), but I'll be holed up in a board room all day.

This will change 37 times between now and Week 3. 1. Patriots: 11 wins last year and Brady coming back. Upgraded secondary. 2. Dolphins: They overachieved a little last year and had a lot of things break just right. 3. Jets: Their defense should be fun to watch, but a question mark at QB and no receiver threat. 4. Bills: A lot of fun offensive weapons, but too much flux on the line for me.

White will need to have two helmets. Most of the defensive headset-wearers have two helmets, too, because it's common for the No. 1 and No. 2 guy to be on the field at the same time in different subpackages.

If Ellison rated a 5, then Mitchell must have been a 9. Where would that put Jon Beason? I have to be honest about Tinoisamoa: I only know what I've seen on TV, and I might have caught only three or four Rams games as a casual observer.

Here thee be: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-8-4/W...pth-chart-.html

The Jones camp said from the get-go they were going to take their time. I'm sure the injury plays a part in that. Much of his work between now and camp will be done on his own anyway.

Unfortunately, I don't have any more info on that. The Bills aren't going to be revealing that info. We'll have to glean whatever we can at training camp and the preseason games. The Bills weren't too keen on me writing that no-huddle story to begin with. I doubt they'll be divulging how they intend to make it work.

I contacted the league about the appeals process right when the Lynch announcement was made because the CBA specifies how they're handled in season. That suggests there are different rules for offseason. So I made a call and was told by the NFL it was 10 days. After 10 days I called to see if Lynch had notified them he wanted to appeal and was informed "He actually has 20 days. We didn't know that, either." It happens every now and then that even the team or the league doesn't know what's in that massive document. Another example: I recently tried to look up the rules for third QBs on game day because of Pat White. The rules for inactives are neither in the rule book nor the CBA. So I asked around and got a lot of shrugs before the Dolphins were able to produce a memo. A memo?

The CBA ensures players can appeal all suspensions.

Players have 20 days to notify the league they want to appeal a suspension during the offseason, 10 days during the season. But the appeal happens at a much later date. I spoke with Lynch's people a while ago, and they said they had notified the league. Now we wait.

Draftees who report for rookie camp or participate in other team activities before they are under contract are presented with a tender letter that binds the team in case something like this happens. The stipulations are that if the player suffers a serious injury, the team must negotiate a contract in good faith based on the contract signed by the player drafted in the same slot the previous year.

No sense of that at all. In fact, I'd never even thought of the notion until you raised it.

That is a great story. You can't accuse a guy of faking paleness. He turned into a helluva hitter (by a pitcher's standards) late in his career.

Buffalo News does provide laptops. But I've always used my own equipment.