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I understood your initial query, and I kinda of used that to swing into my own personal tirade. I think we are in agreement here. I just wish the league would be more clear, no concise is the better choice of words here, to the players and fans on things like this. Like I said, guys have had these crazy face masks for years...why the ban now? Most likely because they seem to be getting more popular....

A guy's finger's shouldn't be in that area in the first place IMHO. If your fingers get snagged in a guy's face mask, you probably already looking at a 15 yard penalty. But it is pro football, isht happens. That is a quite possible, and a valid concern. And that could very well be the reason why the league all of sudden banned specialize face mask. But I don't personally feel that is the case here. Guys have been wearing these things for years. God forbid everybody starts wearing them. There seems to have been an upswing in the last couple of years. Nip it in the bud Roger. I think Roger is truly on a mission to "soften" the league, and banning these "Bane-ish" menacing, intimidating face mask is just another way of doing such. But if guys are claiming (again claiming) that it helps keep finger out of their eyes, nose, and mouth...and I'll jump to a conclusion here, make it in theory harder to grab the face mask in general...wouldn't that make it even more difficult to pull a guy down by his face mask and rotate his head 180 degrees? Now that's player safety. Not poking out eyeballs or snapping a guy's neck. Just playing devil's advocate here. It's more so the issues I have with Roger and the direction he is taking the league overall.

You have to remember how much the league is trending for player safety. Can you imagine the impact that the added weight of these radical new face masks, coupled with them also being weighed down with extra ounces of individualism, will have on the players bodies? This new rule is obviously about keeping guys fresh for an 18 game season.....oh wait....Well played Roger...well played.

Yes.

"Dave! Been a long time bro...how's the fami....wait...you wear that Bills hoodie....in public?!!! "Yeah Pete...it's gets cold up there in that both all by yourself" 'Well, have a good game Dave' "A good game...what's that?"

My God.

Ridiculous statement IMHO. So you are telling me that if I spend $34.99 on a well constructed flatbrimmed hat and proudly display my Bills gear outside of a game, then I am a douchebag, as well as not a true football fan? I just want to make sure I understand you correctly. It's a style choice. Simple as that. Some like it, some don't. I purchase the New Era hat, apply a slight, somewhat noticeable bend, and size it up just hair bigger than my actual size. It works for me. I would never question your fandom if you had a ratty, v-shape billed, "faded 1960" hat like Ralph wears. Different strokes for different folks. I guess I prefer to be in the middle of the trend. Being only 30yrs old...I guess that makes sense. There are some undertones and connotations in this thread that just don't sit well with me. Who cares? Support your team how you see fit. I have that one as well. Love it.

You should at least give the original author credit and provide a direct link to his post. http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2012/7/12/3154382/buffalo-bills-training-camp-draft-picks Ever since this article came out, I've wondered if the Bills knew about Troup's back or not prior to the draft... http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article704679.ece

My God, thank you man! Finally a bit of sense injected into this entire debate. Roger and the NFL don't care about about the players, just the bottom line. And this pending lawsuit affects the bottom line. They could have been mandated the use of helmets that are proven to lower the risk of concussions. These "player safety rules" are in place to simply increase the scoring output. I wonder if the parents who "won't let their kids play football" will also stop throwing their babies up and down in the air, eliciting cooing, drooling, and that "off in the distance look from them (sound familiar ex-nfler's and dementia patients?). We need to redesign the skull first... *Edit* I should have read further, but I see there are a few folks that realize that there really isn't any way to stop the brain from banging off both sides of you skull once your body is moving at a high speed, and is stopped suddenly, there for potentially causing a concussion, regardless of technique or currently available technology. Someone mentioned injecting the brain w/ cement, but yeah you'll probably die. How about botox? That stuff will make your entire face stop moving.

Ha ha...this is so true. I have no idea who this Wilson kid is, but after reading that post, I knew immediately he was a black QB.

Hi, Hater here. Let's pass judgement on Fitz after his tenth year in the league. He's only been in the NFL for 7 seasons. He has room to grow. Unlike Cam Newton and Andy Dalton, he had no offseason to prepare for last year. Sucks he got hurt last year though, cuz it's not like T. Romo played with broken ribs or a punctured lung or anything like that. I would love to drink a beer with Fitz. He seems like a great guy. Do I want him as our starting QB? No. Stop gap? No choice. Draft a high round QB? This year? No. Next year? A must. We have a ton of reasons why we collapsed last season, but we have to stop offering up excuses. Fitz and his poor play were a major part of why we fell off last year. Even when we were so high because we were winning games early, I was the skeptic waiting expecting for the flop. I wasn't vocal because I don't post very often. Fitz just showed us his true colors. Inconfitztancy. But alas...I would love if Ryan turned out to be the QB that we need...I do root for the guy, but I have no faith in him whatsoever. Neither do the Bills long term...evidenced by the type of contract they gave him. I hope I am proven wrong next year and I am accepting crow recipies from this point foward. Don't think i will need them though... I feel better now.

Been lurking this board since '03ish, and rarely post, but I had to crawl out and give kudos to your nephew on a well written article. Thanks for sharing. I was thinking the same thing when I read it as well. Back to my hole...

LMAO! Well played Sir.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/9163246/ns/today-entertainment/t/diddy-jay-z-give-million-red-cross/ http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/200-jay-z http://urbanmecca.net/news/2009/08/31/jay-z-donates-100-of-concert-proceeds-to-charitable-organization/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/beyonce-and-jay-z-raise-one-million-dollars-for-charity_n_993937.html http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/amplifier/kanye-west-and-jay-z-auctioning-off-mutilated-373000-maybach-for-charity.html Ehh...you get the idea. Why do we care so much about how other people spend their money?

Thanks. I will do my best not to start a thread such as this. I know how brutal you guys can be

My bad. I was a little drunk when I decided to make my debut. I apparently misread John's comments. I thought he was blaming Brandon for our abysmal performance of the last decade. I totally agree that Ralph is this organization's problem. He, as the owner, is solely responsible for putting together the front office personnel,whether it be via hiring or firings, & in turn, the front office has let us, the fans, down for a very long time. I will however give him credit for trying to right the ship by bring in Marv, & I personally feel that Russ is doing a pretty decent job as our pseudo GM. It just really, really bothers me when people claim that Ralph is cheap when it comes to players and also when Brandon is demonize as our GM because he's a PR/money guy. Especially when he is just starting out. Notice I italicized players....

Jesus....I've been lurking on this board for a good 4-5yrs. now and I can't billieve I'm wasting my first post on this thread.... Google is your friend OP 1. Google how much my Ralph spends on players compared to the rest of league. Not just this year either....go back a few "The problem with the organization is that they have not been able to assemble a quality front office. The Packers GM is Ted Thompson. The Colts GM is Bill Polian. The Patriots GM is mostly BB. The Ravens GM is Ossie Newsome. These are all quality personnel people who know how to build a successful franchise. The Chiefs recently hired the primary personnel man of the Pats, Scot Pioli, to take over the struggling Chiefs' operation. The head of the Bills football operation is a marketing specialist. Two of the most influential members in the organization are Littman and Oberdofer (sic) finance people. There should be no surprise why the Bills rank 29 out of 32 in wins over the past decade." 2. Google how long Russ has been our GM. Are you seriously going to blame him for the past 10 years JOHN? I actually think he's done a pretty ok job so far (psst... google him!!!) 3. Google is your friend. It will save you lot of trouble and at the same time & embarrassment. 4. Here's an idea...lets sign Bruce to help the pass rush & LT for LB depth... 5. ...Nevermind...my keyboard is running out of ink..