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OvrOfficiousJerk

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Posts posted by OvrOfficiousJerk

  1. As a previous poster said, corporate dollars are what drives sports today, not just the NFL but all sports. That is Buffalo's Achilles heel. Owners are all geared to the top and bottom line -- what generates the most revenue and how much of that do they keep. The passion of the fans doesn't mean squat unless it puts dollars -- A LOT OF DOLLARS -- in the owners' pockets. Look at the list. Buffalo is No. 11 out of 85 cities, even though it has only two major league sports teams. That's not a good place to be. It would help if there were more higher paying jobs in Buffalo. But it would be better if there were a lot more companies that were willing to spend money on luxury boxes. That's the gravy train for the owners.

     

    ...Aaaand, we wonder why our country's credit rating got downgraded. Corporate dollars not going toward job creation, or an exportable good, or anything else that actually has more of a direct impact on a business. Ultimately, one luxury box probably might not represent much toward those ends, but looking at advertising or stadium naming rights it's easy to see how things are getting out of proportion.

  2.  

    If anything it's certainly quantitative proof that there pro franchises in more dire straits than Buffalo as it relates to their status in their current market. Granted, we're still overextended, but there are other markets that are a lot worse, so the "sky has fallen on Buffalo" argument isn't exactly true in a relative sense. This study validates the obvious - the whole darn country spends too much $$ on sports.

     

    PS - who else noticed that Forbes considered the MLS a pro league!?

  3.  

    My point is, they seem to be more concerned with stocking up on players of this type, rather than in fixing some of the things that seem like glaring weaknesses.

     

    I can't disagree, mindful of two occasions in the past two years. First, the Spiller pick: maybe you reach for an O-lineman or trade down so you get one at a better place, but CJ was not what we needed. Second, the Smith signing: even if Clabo was never thinking Buffalo too seriously, that couple extra million that we would've saved from signing a glorified KR/wildcat QB could've gone to a Vito Corleone-type contract that maybe would've made Clabo think otherwise. Granted, that assumes we would've spent that money to begin with (which we did in the past with Dockery and Walker so it's actually not out of the question). Even if the FO was imposing austerity measures, Smith's contract could've gone to a reserve OT with some NFL experience.

     

    You're right: there is a record of stocking up on these players, and not for cheap, either.

  4. What did NYJ win with all those gimmicks? Nothing. All gimmicks get you is a trip to the altar with no bride! There's no substitute for real offense, people. This "wilcat" belongs with all the other widcats. -Run over on the side of the road.

     

    What the wildcat does bring you though is a stable of offensive plays that the other defense has to gameplan for. Even if that means one less blitz package that their base defense comes to the game with because they had to account for Brad Smith under center, that's one less look that our O-line has to handle, when it's already pretty stretched thin.

     

    Just like Patton chillin in Britain before D-Day with the jerries thinking he's going to town on Calais, I'm totally okay with Smith being a decoy.

  5. Why are they "trick plays"? I consider them more of speciality plays, like calling in a left handed pitcher for one batter or using a power play unit in hockey. Anything that increases the probablitity of picking up a third and short, keeping the drive alive, keeping the defense off the field. No trick about it, its just a different way of going about it. We need to get use to this

     

    Preaching to the choir, man. It's just that many posters believe that one QB needs to be under center the entire game, and that snapping the ball to someone else is a "trick"/gadget play. I'm totally cool with someone else getting a couple snaps to keep opposing defenses guessing and keeping our defense off the field.

  6. to build an offense around them is not the wisest thing, I think.

     

    I would hardly say that the couple trick-play snaps that went to Brad Smith and Nesbitt last night count as "building an offense around them." I do agree with your assessment that over-reliance on trick plays is a sign of a weak team. However, until our OLine develops, we will be a weak team, and so the best we can do in the interim is to play "small-ball" on offense with a couple gadget plays, and hope to steal a win or two.

  7. Ok, I'm liking the Brad Smith signing, but I'd like to see him throw some more to keep defenses honest when he's back there.

     

    He's been ripping off solid runs left and right. I hope they leave something special for the reg. season. Then again the secret's out on the wildcat anyway.

  8. Why is that so important to you?

     

    I was hoping to see flashes of his 2008 self upon being reunited with Chan. Guess not....

     

    Also, the fact that we have a backup with a) some degree of starting QB experience in the NFL and b) wasn't a former starter for the Bills. No more going back and forth between Edwards/Losman

  9. jim leonard? haven't heard his name mentioned since he left baltimore.

     

    In his defense, Leonard got injured last year with quite a bit of the season to go, that's probably why you didn't hear much of him. Before that though, and his first year with the Jets, he was pretty solid. But again, as I said before, even he wasn't a lock to be a big-time defensive back based on his performance in Buffalo.

  10. I saw a similar ranking from the Profootball Weekly [Fantasy football preview], who put us at 32. Granted, PFW was better before the Internet, but hey from the looks of the rotoworld geniuses, it's not like its competition is stiff.

     

    At any rate, I was modestly heartened by the number of playoff bound teams with below average OLs; PIT (28), SEA (29) and CHI (31) all have terrible lines. I especially remember CHI being terrible that SNF game when they allowed 7 or so sacks in the first half (or maybe quarter even?).

     

    Then again, unlike us, those three teams either play in craptacular divisions (SEA obvi, but even PIT and CHI had two easier teams in their respective divisions), have a solid defense and/or have a QB built like a tank. But here's hoping #2 comes true for the Bills this year!

  11. While it seems wrong to argue against safety, kick returns are such an exciting and influential part of the game, this rule change really puts a damper on that aspect.

     

    I know, right? The ST our 2004 (sole winning) season under Bobby April was insane, you couldn't go a game or two without McGee ripping off a long return.

     

    Oh well, our ST has gone down the drain since Bobby left, if the rule had to be changed, better now than a few years ago.

  12. People keep forgetting that our line was praised the last couple of years for being pretty good,the problem has been the injuries.

     

    That's what I'm concerned about this year too, especially with the lack of offseason workouts. In the same vein though we have a better defense/pass rush this year, so hopefully they get used to playing at a higher tempo with the higher quality of practice...

  13. I'm a fan of Nelson but correct me if I'm wrong but he seems more like a possession receiver/Josh Reed type of #3 WR (as opposed to a speedy Roscoe Parrish #3), and won't necessarily stretch the field with great speed, which we'll need opposite Stevie Johnson.

     

    Also, speaking of injuries to Buster Davis, how can we be so sure that Evans will be any more combat effective than Davis this year? Evans is coming off an ankle injury, let's not forget, so it's not like he'd be a great improvement over Davis from a medical standbpoint. Granted, I'm sure that the Ravens did their due diligence with Evans, but it seems like the guy playing opposite Stevie Johnson was always going to be a hospital case (either Davis, Easley or Evans), which is a point of concern for me.

  14. Qb-?

    Rb-lynch

    McGahee

    Henry

     

    Et al.

     

    Yeah almost

     

    Getting rid of vets can be divided into these categories

    Aging - Owens, Mitchell, Sam Adams, Vincent

    Who would've seen that coming? - Morris, Hargrove, Bannan, Leonhard (I would say he was more Rex's pet project), Ron Edwards

    Over-priced - Clements, McGahee, Poz

    Who cares? - Royal, Crowell, everyone else

     

    Probably should've kept him around - Peters, Williams, Greer, Winfield, Fletcher (borderline aging), Jennings, Spikes (both previous are borderline bc injury prone)

     

    With all the names that have been dropped, I would be surprised if there was more than these seven players (for that matter, only four unconditionally) that were worth keeping around after they left. Granted, many of these names were serviceable, and kept around if for no other reason so that draft picks could be used elsewhere, but you'd have a hard argument that you could "make a team" with all of our castoffs after they left.

     

    FWIW, here's my extended list -

     

    QB - Zero

    RB - Lynch (still too early to make a judgment call);

    [not worried about McGahee (other than 2007 Pro Bowl season, has been vulturing/leeching yrds. and TDs from Rice), Henry (one 1,000 season after he left, then child support and drug problems took over)]

    FB - Morris (only a factor bc Belicheck plugs him into a system that squeezes talent out of aging veterans)

    WR - Zero [Evans (still too early); Owens (old when he got her, older after he left; a couple solid games a good year does not make)]

    TE - Zero [royal (really? I'm in Cleveland now and people cringe everytime the ball is thrown his way; an okay TE but hardly the next coming of Pete Metzelaars)]

    T - Jennings (great talent, but wayyy too injury prone), Peters (yea, shoulda kept him around), J. Scott (serviceable, but hardly a starter. If Big Ben was 3" and 30lb. less, he'd be on IR after Week 2)

    [not worried about Chambers, Walker]

    G- Zero

    C - Zero

    De- Ron Edwards (still making his way around the league, surprisingly enough, but who would've seen that coming?)

  15. The Spikes signing was HUGE. He was a stud. Fletcher was excellent. Milloy was a very good player. Sam Adams had a couple outstanding seasons. TD did a lot in free agency. And he had to. After his first draft netted Clements/Schobel/Henry....three guys who played in pro bowls as Bills....as well as Jonas Jennings who was very good when healthy......his drafts got weak and he seemed to lose any sense of a gameplan on draft day....making luxury picks like McGahee and Parrish early despite plenty of needs and a lot of age at other positions.

     

     

     

    Oooh, yea I forgot about Milloy. I was too lazy to walk up to my 2004 Bills' team poster (FYI, which I hang lovingly as the best Bills team since I graduated from junior high -- I'm in grad school now) to check out the other free agents from that era, and I will say Milloy was pretty solid, and perhaps splash-worthy. Spikes was also huge, but again it could have been huge-er if we didn't lose most of a season from him due to injury. Sam Adams was solid but not as much a splash as Spikes/Fletcher/Milloy in the long run -- good player (who can forget his lumbering TD agst. the Pats?!), but I felt his stock dropped noticeably once Pat Williams left.

  16. I think they call him Senator because he is the team's NFLPA rep...

     

    Also bc he talks all the time and hogs the attention when the press comes into the locker room, lol. I like Wilson a lot, has his share of clutch INTs/pick sixes so I really like him for that.

     

    Speaking of being a leader, Whitner seemed to have gone out of his way to be somewhat of a leader for the defensive corps: I remember hearing about how he'd have his defense over for dinner, film sessions, etc. But the occasional jaw-shattering hit and camraderie a starting SS does not make, and he definitely didn't deserve the money he was asking for. Hopefully he can stay, but as many other posters have said, the Bills have plenty of safeties at the moment who are filling roster spots at a much more reasonable price.

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