vincec

I'm not lawyer, but I just don't get the anti- trust issues. If the NFL was proceeding with games and certain players were being blacklisted by the Owners from participating or if the Owners were instituting a wage scale without player consent, then that is obviously an anti-trust violation. But if there are no games then what's the problem? It's like a business which has closed (e.g. Wendy's has just indefinitely shut down all of their stores). How can the courts force them to open back up and start operations again? If the players want to play then I'm sure the UFL or some minor league team would be very happy to take them at a reduced salary.

I would assume that it's because without a CBA between the players and the Owners it's collusion for business owners to team up and decide who is allowed to hire who in the business world. Frankly, even with a CBA it has always been a little sketchy to me.

No, that's Charlie Brown. Levi is the "Godfather of Soul", the hardest working man in show business.

I didn't realize that Jeremy Stevens was such a nice guy.

Me too. I wouldn't be upset if Fairley was picked either. If they take Peterson, he'd better be the next Revis or it'll be a major waste given the current roster. I'm not sure the Bills can afford to risk this.

Either that or it's a memento.

Saying it in public is the problem. It can only really be an effort to look tough to the public or to hurt the players reputation, which is below the belt IMO. It's fine if he tells the players what he expects and then cuts them if they don't provide it, but why take it to the media? It's his job to produce wins. If the Bills are winning, then I don't care what he is telling them. If they are losing, then I don't are what he is telling them. It's all really just tabloid fodder. Here's an article that sums up how I think a head coach (or any leader) should behave in assigning blame or credit to his players. It's the philosophy I try and live by with my company. http://www.weldingandgasestoday.org/index.php/2010/08/the-wisdom-of-bear-bryant/

How about he calls himself out next. If you are a part of a team and you are looking for where to place responsibility for a lousy season, the first place you look is in the mirror. "Calling out" players in public is a cop out.

Talk is cheap. Head coaches in the NFL are judged by wins and losses. I don't give a rat's behind what he says. So far, Gailey is 4-12. Show me the baby.

Palmer is nothing special and getting worse every year, IMO. They'd be crazy to trade anything good for him.

You can pause the action on the TV to allow the sound from the audio to catch up. I usually synch it to a whistle for maximum accuracy (pause the TV when you hear the whistle then unpause it when you hear the same whistle on the streaming audio then mute the tv). Anal, I know, but definitely need the HD and the opposing broadcast is usually very annoying. The only problem is that you have to resynch it at the start of each period because they manipulate the break on the audio to fit commercials in and mess up the timing.

I know that it will not happen, but they really should just build a new state of the art stadium close to the downtown. There is nothing architecturally significant about "The Ralph" and its age and lack of amenities make it pale by comparison with other newer stadiums. What would it take to do this?

This

"The claim will be that now that the players are not represented by a union, and therefore are independent employees, any lockout attempts by the owners is ostensibly an organized boycott of workers by 32 businesses working in concert, a violation of antitrust law." http://bizoffootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=784:unable-to-breach-gap-with-nflpa-dissolves-files-antitrust-lawsuit&catid=34:nfl-news&Itemid=53 What I don't understand is: How can the players force the owners to conduct business? If the league continued playing but barred players in the union from participating then I would understand, but If the league shuts down for a year then what is the players case? Can they force the owners to continue conducting business? Also, the owners are certainly correct in their assertion that the union decertification is a sham and that the players are still acting in concert with each other. I don't know if this means anything legally though. Anyway, just curious if anyone has an explanation for this.

Famous last words...

Are you really wringing your hands over Stroud? After watching him play last year and barely contribute on one of the worst defenses in the NFL? Is there no end to what people will complain about?

Maybe he's happy because he just got laid. Wait, isn't Jauron the DC for the Browns? Maybe he's working on moving the lynchpin of the vaunted Bills D to Cleveland...

This.

This. Resign him, then draft some linemen. The only guy on this list that disappoints me a little is Youboty. He hasn't played much over the past few seasons but he has looked pretty good when he has. If the Bills don't sign Florence, there will be a shortage in the secondary.

Frankly, Spencer Johnson played better last season than Stroud, IMO. Maybe the Pats can wrench another year out of his as a backup, but I doubt he's going to contribute very much to their fortunes.

I agree that many things have changed in the NFL in the last 40 years, but one thing has not changed- football is first and foremost a physical game. That will never change. The Bills need to be looking for big, physical players. Quick and nimble is nice and all, but big and physical should be the goal. The only thing remotely surprising about this article is that so few LBs in a 3-4 league are high draft picks. Back in the 90s with Conlan, Bennett and Talley, the Bills had some high picks playing.

This.

It's very hard to choose sides in a fight over money between millionaires and billionaires while I struggle on a monthly basis with basic expenses. F*** them both. The money's there so they can fight over it all they like, but it's not my money and they haven't gotten any of mine in a very long time.

Recently been to the new Cowboys stadium and the University of Phoenix stadium. They are awesome and make the Ralph look pretty sad by comparison. It doesn't really feel like football when it's inside though.