BillsfaninFl

Good point.

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Yes, I also hear a who (or several). Who among us was excited about one or more of the last half dozen coaching acquisitions? Who was excited about recent GM acquisitions? Who keeps defending Wilson against the mountain of evidence that he is financially screwing the Buffalo fans? Who actually believes the B.S. every year that "this year will be different" because of just one or two good players brought in? (No need to raise your hand, buddy, we already know who you are.) Who is a fool for believing their might be a real turnaround for this franchise announced today? I confess, I was one. grrrrrrr...

Ah... hope springs eternal. Count me in with the group that is waiting with baited breath, but after so many years of disappointment, I'm not going to open the beer until after I hear the news.

I feel sorry for this group of players, coaches and Nix. It's so easy to blast them, but they (either voluntarily or not) probably came to the Bills organization not knowing the whole story behind what's wrong with this organization. Now they are stuck in hell until they are released. We, however, are stuck in hell until the organization/ownership changes. Then we will no longer be in fan hell, but without a team in Buffalo, unless a miracle happens. Dear Santa: Here is what I want for Christmas...........

I have seen this movie plot before. Several fans refuse to believe that the front office is milking them for all they are worth. Minimal steps are taken each season: just enough to placate the majority of fans. After a few years, while the deluded think that the team is "almost there", they threaten revolt and demand a scapegoat. So the coaching and/or GM changes. Propoganda is rampant as the team is supposedly considering all sorts of highly qualified candidates, but in the end, the new leadership are rookies or castoffs available at a reduced price (just like their player acquisitions). The organization pumps up the fans with rhetoric that these replacements are diamonds in the rough and thousands buy it. The excitement builds as the season is about to start. But the season is a failure and the usual excuses are used to cover up the real reason: there is not enough talent on the field or the sidelines. Several fans refuse to believe that the front office is milking them for all they are worth. Minimal steps are taken....................................................... Think of the movie "Groundhog Day."

Pick your excuse for the next game (don't wait for the late afternoon rush): (_) They lost because they have too many injured starters. Just bad luck. After all, they did bring in one new quality player this year. (_) They lost because the defense sucks. I can't understand it. After all they did bring in one quality player this year. (_) They lost because the coaching is weak. It can't be because they do not have enough good players. Heck, they brought one in this year. (_) I still believe they didn't lose because the ownership is cheap. So what if they are still run by financial (not football) guys, the coaches come in off the scrap heap, we let talented players leave and refuse to pay to bring in more than one elite guy each year. I'm going to keep blindly supporting them because then the team will stay in Buffalo. (_) Real fans never encumber their team with reasonable expectations. They just keep accepting the mediocre entertainment. Survey copyright 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, ....., ...., ...., ...., ...., ....,

Each season I have been less enthusiastic about the Bills. What is shocking, is how many fans are so deluded that they get sucked in at the start of every season, believing the B.S. that the Bills "are going to be better this year." All it takes is the acquisition of one quality player or some other minimal step. Then these people excuse the inevitable collapse during the season because of "too many injuries." Don't they realize that the team is not competitive through an entire season because they will not pay the price to bring in enough quality players? Therefore, it is not bad luck that there are too few quality starters and even less quality backups. It is related to an organization that is all about profitability, rather than providing a quality product for their customers. The system works because there are so many suckers who "BILLIEVE." They enable the organization to continue screwing their fans without fear of having an empty stadium. These are the same folks who continue to go to games "so the Bills won't move out of Buffalo" or "they hate to give up good seats" or they are "true fans who will support their team win or lose." duh!

This is Groundhog Day: The Sequel. Once again the Bills go for a cornerback in the first round while they have more pressing needs. I believe Gilmore is good, but we have huge holes at OT and LB. Now we will be weeping about the ones that got away... again.

Hey it's one huge signing more than we have had in any year since the turn of the century. And there is plenty of time to add a few mid-range players before the draft. It's a little early to pose this question.

I am often critical of the Bills organization. But how can anyone be unhappy with this signing? We piss and moan when they don't fight for the elite players. (They haven't signed top talent in many years, unless the player was on the downside of his career.) So now they actually bring in a real "player" and some are unhappy? Give me a break!

Sucked in quite a few on that post.

You are right. Cash to the Cap is a convenient way to make it look like you are spending more than some other teams. However, even using this accounting method, the Bills have not actually spent up to the salary cap. So next year it will be cash to about 89% of the cap.

Recognizing the value of football players starts with hiring people at the top that have the knowledge required, then letting them have the authority to make the moves they feel are necessary to make the team a contender. Since that is against the Bills' organizational policies, the players drafted, brought in from free agency, overpaid or allowed to leave will always be poorly done because those two criteria are not important to Wilson and his representatives. The strongest evidence that the organization is either clueless about how to do it right, or doesn't want to, is Wilson's refusal to believe that the team should be run by elite football people. He has inadvertantly admitted that by some of the dumb things he has said over the years. Such as a few years back when he publicly stated that he believes getting the right players to win a championship is a matter of "luck." That's happened a couple of times in five decades but it may never happen again. We need an owner that will build an organization that appreciates the skills of top GMs and coaches, and makes hiring them the prelude to building a championship team.

It's 1958. Bills fans chip in to buy the franchise for $26,000 (beating out Ralph's $25,000 commitment). We have a community-owned team like Green Bay. It ain't perfect, but at least the motivation is to build winning teams as often as possible, instead of having one clod leach us for millions with his only priority the bottom line. Hell, if I include the tickets, drinks, food, merchandise, etc., I spent more than $26,000 in 51 years. ---or--- Instead of football I spend decades watching women's mud wrestling. In that sport the spectator is always happy with the results.

A lot of good points here. Plus, very suspicious that the league headquarters leveled such heavy penalties, then destroyed the evidence. To the accusations about offensive signals stolen, tapping into those frequencies is relatively easy if you really want to do it and will pay the price. So my question is, if someone is a known cheater whose activity was so blatant that the league hit him hard then covered up the evidence, do you think that person is capable of using electronic means to cheat in addition to the videotaping? I do. And the motivation is huge: Many millions of dollars at stake, being considered a genius at your occupation, having a portfolio of leading a dominant team during a spectacular stretch of winning seasons and championships. In an NFL where most coaches and players have relatively brief careers, the risks are not that great. Belicheat was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Did the organization dump him? Did the league ban him? The fine was chump change compared to how his pay has soared. And despite the grumbling, if he left New England, virtually all other teams would get in line to try to hire him. When he retires he will go down in NFL history as one of the best coaches ever. We may never know the extent of the things he did/does, but as stated in the comments above, there is plenty of evidence that it was bigtime cheating and changed the outcome of games.

If we must talk about the hated Patriots, then even though it hurts me to say it, Robert Kraft is the type of owner we wish Ralph was. In the latest (Feb. 6th) issue of Sports Illustrated, They have an article entitled How Robert Kraft Turned the Patriots into the NFL's Model Franchise. In the article it covers things like his obsession with wanting to own the local football team (as opposed to wanting to make a business investment). He wanted top coaching, so after Parcells left, he hired Belichick even though he had to pay a penalty to the Jets to get him. By comparison, Ralph never paid top dollar for a coach. He just told us he would, but didn't. Kraft made comments in the article regarding Bledsoe vs. Brady. Even though Bledsoe was one of the most prolific QBs in the league and Kraft said "I love the guy," Belichick wanted to go with Brady. So Kraft approved the trade with Buffalo, and said "That was a tough one. But you've got to back your key managers when they make a decision." We all know what has happened when Bills management did not agree with Wilson. I hate the Patriots and nothing would make me happier than to see them go into decline (as has been wrongly prophesized the last few years), but I wish our team's owner was driven by the desire to have a perrenial competitor, was willing to pay more to make it happen and after hiring football experts would support their attempts to make the team better, rather than creating constraints like "Cash to the Cap."

I must confess I paid a witch $50.00 and slept with her in exchange for a curse on the Pats in the fourth quarter. It worked and I was so happy (even though it was a rough night). The next morning, as I was getting ready to leave her hut, she said, "aren't you a little old to believe in witches?"

Almost impossible? That very thing happened to the Bills once. I'm sure of it. They have lost games every concievable way including an official sacking our quarterback in the end zone.

Nice try. Actually, that is a Bills fan after our fourth Super Bowl loss. He is wearing an Andre Reed shirt (after Andre had his number changed) and I was there. We all felt bad for him, but as I was leaving I suddenly realized it was my house.

If the Bills win the Super Bowl, the last thing I'll be thinking of is what will Jerry Sullivan say about it. More likely, I'll be waking up in a city far from where I live, it will be two months after the fact and I won't have any money to bail out of jail.

How can you say that. I'll bet Wilson has already been on the phone to Nix and asked him if he knows what team Manning is currently on and if he thinks Peyton will clear waivers.

Actually, the starting game plan does not indicate who a team really is. It simply shows who the coaches think it is. One reason why a coach may not use the best strategies for a team is his strong opinions of what works best. Coaches have reputations for their offensive or defensive "style" of play calling. Usually, when they take over a team, they strive to make the team into their preconcieved notion of what works best. Sucessful NFL organizations attempt to bring in coaches who have a portfolio of what they perceive as valuable skills and know the coach will attempt to have the team fit into his mold for success. Sometimes a Head Coach will concede that his way will not work with the personnel he has. He may change the play calling temporarily, but usually he only does this while he attempts to get people who will successfully work his schemes. A Head Coach without this confidence in his style will not last long.

Right now, Peyton is considering what is best for him and his family. His current options are... 1. Become the personal (passing) trainer for Tim Tebow. 2. Take over the Head Coaching job for Indianapolis, where he has been serving as Offensive Coordinator for years. 3. Become part of the group that is looking to buy the Bills. 4. Retire and move in with Eli to cut back on expenses. 5. Sign on to provide expert football analysis for one of the TV networks. 6. Merge with Madden for the football gaming franchise. It will be called "Maddening NFL." 7. Go back and play for the Colts for the next few years, ruining his spectacular playing legacy as they suffer as a mediocre team. Please, Peyton, don't choose number 7.

I have to admit that I am suspicious of any rumor that conveniently links Pegula and Kelly as part of a group to buy the Bills. Many here have wished for Pegula because he is willing to spend money on players. Kelly keeps implying that he is alligned with a group interested in buying the Bills. We all would love to see this become a reality. But the naysayers have multiple good points. Wilson has no reason to disclose all of his plans. The NFL is very picky about who they will allow into their club (and for years they have implied that there will never be another Green Bay (community) ownership. The league ownersahip has evolved into a pool of sharks (think about the most recent new owners) who are all about maximizing incoming revenue. They consider western New York as a poor source compared to other areas where corporate bucks are in abundance and populations are rising. All these and more are factors working against what we wish will happen. But as a wise man said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." I'll continue to hope for the best results.