BillsfaninFl

Seriously, you bring to mind a sobering thought: How many quarterbacks have the Bills had in recent years who have not regressed while playing for us? The answer is zero. Bledsoe, Losman, Edwards, etc. Perhaps it is more related to the coaching talent than to the skills of the player. If Tom Brady were on this team he might have been considered a bust after a year or two.

Okay, I'll admit that there were some positives. Just a few add-on comments: 1. After the game, the O-line celebrated with a case of O'doels. Only Hangartner is old enough to drink alcohol. 2. Byrd looked good. If he is the real deal, he will soon be playing for San Diego, Minnesota or some other pro team. 3. True, Meredith was not noticeable. But neither was the entire offense. 4. Trying to get the ball to Evans and T.O. is a good thing. However in T.O.'s case, you have to hand it to him behind the line of scrimmage or toss it when he is just three yards away from the line. 5. Yep. No big implosions. Just boring football more like erosion. 6. There were no big time management mistakes because we have no big time management. 7. Fitz is good at counting opponents from the sidelines, so he used that skill during the game. 8. His 40% completion rate showed his mastery of the offense. 9. Brady must be shaking in his boots, thinking about having to play in Buffalo soon. 10. The team did bounce back. Maybe they will again when they only need to score one touchdown to have a chance to win. 11. A divisional win is not important when it still leaves you in the division cellar. Sorry. I couldn't help poking a little fun at your "blue sky" opinions.

You don't understand. I saw a close up of Trent's wrist band with the plays listed on it. His two choices were "hand off for one yard run up the middle" and "fake long but throw the checkoff pass." Then when I noticed the plays on Fitz's wrist it said "hold clipboard." Fitz didn't have the clipboard, so he was free to try whatever he wanted.

I AM a T.O. hater, but he is not successful here because of the plays called. He needs to be on a team that takes chances with the long ball.

Yes, those 13 yards gave him an average of just over 4 per catch. Royal averaged more than that.

You are right on. The play calling in this game was typical of so many others. The only thing more obvious than the "play not to lose" strategy was first down runs up the middle for one or two yards. Fortunately, after so many last minute losses (attributable to the play calling as much as the execution on the field), this game was the rare exception, where the strategy actually produced a win. Of course, we needed a little help, like Sanchez's worst performance ever, a total of six interceptions, a missed field goal, a dozen opponent penalties, and a few key injuries (especially Jennings and Woody). In spite of the coaching decisions, the players did just enough to squeak one out. Now in the euphoric aftermath of this game, is anyone willing to bet that they will reach the same lofty record (7 & 9) as the last three seasons? If so, I've got some Florida swampland for sale for you. Come to think of it, my house is right next to it. Hmmmm...

Not to worry... you're wish will be granted. In a few years, all of the team will be gone.

There are no backup linemen. But maybe a couple of the Jills...

That's right. Polian pulled off a miraculous feat. He built a really strong team while working for a miser. Once Wilson corrected his mistake by sending Bill packing, the team settled back into the same mediocrity mode that has been its reputation for more than four decades. But please don't shoot our players or coaches. They may also be victims, because they were placed in a situation where they could not succeed. Many probably would be much better at their jobs if they were in a better organization. But even if not, they were brought here for one reason: to bilk the local population out of millions of their hard-earned dollars under the illusion that this owner wanted to field a winning team. In reality, there were just two brief periods in 50 years that the team has been among the elite in the AFL and NFL. This fact is all the proof needed to show how much Ralph cares about winning football games, or the Bills fans or the team's representation of western New York. When he plunked down $25,000 for the team in 1959, he didn't want it to be assigned to Buffalo. He took Buffalo because there wasn't anything else available that looked better (financially), not realizing that it would continue to be a depressed economic area. His only motive in buying a franchise was to make money with it, the same as his other business ventures. He's not the devil, just a businessman who has fleeced us.

Good one. I'm planning to bet Alphadawg7 my entire nest egg that Ralph cares very much about money. How about it, Alpha, my $17.40 against your considerable resources?

Amen. I am currently pissed at the way Wilson is keeping his dubloons in the Bills vault, screwing the loyal fans and community. But I will not root against the team. And please... don't anyone say that we can get a higher draft choice. We have seen what the Bills do with high draft choices. Sell the team, Ralph. Go out on a high note.

Team names should be fanciful. They can't use "Goats" because it is an accurate portrayal. And don't pick on Billy Mays he shared his coke with me before he died.

This is refreshing. Not long ago, anyone criticizing the Bills would be crucified by the illogically loyal guardians of the Stadium Wall. Now it's okay to tell how you really feel (until they win another game). This therapy helps me get over the gut-wrenching feeling in just a few days (instead of seven). Still, since I live in the shadow of Disney World, there is still an idiot inside me who hopes that a white knight will appear in Buffalo and buy the Bills and keep them there. Then hire a top five coach and build a winning organization. With a competitive team, the stands will be filled, the media attention and peripheral income will be awesome, and the population and corporate presence in Buffalo will begin to increase again. I made the mistake of telling my doctor about this secret desire. He told me to go back to thinking about commiting suicide.

Are you crazy? Pay him for the rest of the year and pay someone else as well? You want my family to have to live on dog food? signed Ralph

Please. Tell me that we play Oakland half a dozen times during the second half of the season.

I have been as angry at... and hard on... the Bills players and organization as anyone. But the more I think about the decades I have spent watching football players, the more evidence I can site for the snowball rolling down the hill syndrome. In other words, when the organization and players are declining, everyone involved is much more vulnerable for a decline in performance. One has only to look at the players who have left us and are successful to see that when here, they had less of a chance to succeed. There are linemen who appeared to be bad when in Buffalo, that are now happily working in Atlanta, Washington, San Diego, etc. Linebackers and defensive backs who we let go who have prospered in New England, Minnesota, Sand Diego, Washington, New York, San Francisco, etc. Running backs like Sammy Morris lasted several years in Miami and New England. I could display a huge list. Granted, they are not all Pat Williams or Antoine Winfield, but you can ruin the growth of a good player by placing him on a sick team, under mediocre coaching. IMO Edwards and several of our other young players have the potential to be much better than they now appear, under the right conditions and with good training. Those conditions and training are controlled by the man who decides who is hired. End of story.

There's a rumor going around that one of the cheerleaders is seriously being considered for the job.

Hark... I hear the comments of preseason returning to me. Those who grabbed at straws that Buffalo might have a decent year refused to believe that having the cheapest salaries in the NFL would bring about doom. Ralph actually was beginning to fold up the tent when the millenium turned. He has consistently hired the cheapest coaches available and refused to pay outstanding veterans. Therefore, we have the closest to an "all rookie and journeyman" team as you can get. But there is a positive to every negative. We can be entertained by those who will swear that it's not Ralph's fault. The only time I can say that Ralph did not consider the bottom line first, was when he refused to let Rich continue to have the naming rights to the stadium. His rationale for passing up the million dollars was that he didn't want the stadium to be named for an individual. Of course, it became Ralph Wilson stadium. Which is why other owners bring that issue up (of selling stadium naming rights) every time Ralph wants a bigger share of the NFL pot.

amen. There are examples every year to provide evidence that you are right on.

Now that's a funny line.

I think it's the opposite. Everyone understands him. And everyone not in denial understands why he is here. The Bills brought him in to quiet the grumbling of the fans who are beginning to realize they are being taken for a ride. T.O. is here because his manager advised him to take any job he can get and show that he can play on a team without being a cancer to their morale. (That's why he's keeping his mouth shut.) Without a year of behavior, there will be no more big paydays for Owens. The reporters know he is "on parole" and would love to make him crack. T.O. would like to have a super year to make teams feel that they NEED him and will pay the price to get him. He has no plans to resign with the Bills and they have no plans to try to sign him. The Bills are not rebuilding, they are coasting until the inevitable sale of the team. Shoot all the arrows you wish guys, but deep down you know it's true.

What "pie in the sky" fantasy will make you happy? Take your pick. But while considering what genius will be the next head coach, keep in mind... 1. The only coach Ralph will hire must work for the coaching equivalent of minimum wage. 2. Highly successful coaches want full power. Ralph is in the "I'm 90 and I'm not giving away control of my money" mode. On the other side of the coin, if the team is sold and becomes the Toronto Wolverines, suddenly all of those coaches on the wish list will be interested. Assuming Rogers will open his formidable purse strings, They might do crazy things like... Pay for a real head coach, sign an expensive free agent, pay the going rate to keep our own stars, etc.

Amen. Maybe it's time to take an oath that we will treat each other with respect. Jab all you want about an opinion, but let's cut out the personal crap. By this post I am making a commitment to do so in the future. Regulars, will you sign on or not? Why? Because the very thing we want... a variety of ideas and opinions... is declining because of the back stabbing. It's not about being thick skinned or not. It's about people with intelligent comments to make saying it's not worth it, because you get slammed no matter what you say. Then they leave. We are losing valuable input and that will eventually kill this board.

In the end, it is the fans who get screwed, whatever ends up being in the CBA. The entire financial situation in the NFL has been spiraling out of control for years. Retired players keep mentioning they can't believe how player salaries have skyrocketed. Greedy owners made it happen and the just as greedy "stars" want to keep it going. Realizing that 100% of NFL players get injured during their careers, and the suffering they have to endure both during and long after their careers, all players should be paid well. That being said, there is no justification in my mind for a star player to receive ten times (or more) what a slightly lesser player gets. Each year, good players are forced to leave their team (and sometimes the NFL) because of the huge amount being paid to the few at the top of the payroll. The salary cap did that. But the bottom line is whatever increases are generated in the "agreement / league expenses" will be passed on to the poor shmucks attending games, buying team paraphenalia, etc. We are the source of the money, without a vote. And the problem will only get fixed when the cash cow dies (i.e. the fans say "I'm not paying what you are asking for this entertainment"). I cannot care about the plight of the star players or the owners who, while so many people have lost income or investment money during this recession, will ask us to pay more for their product. And they will!

Please send me some of whatever you have been drinking. We have gone a decade without a quality offensive line and now we are starting all over again. Not one player will be in the position he played last year, including the draftees. We will be treated to the "When the Oline gets Enough Time Together I Think They Will be Fine" song from Jauron all preseason. Then we will get crushed in game 1 and the song will be "But They're Improving." I wish it weren't reality, but it is.