Durham_Bills_Fan

The idea that the NFL hid something from players and is liable for their medical conditions is absurd. Below is an excerpt from a paper from the Congress of Neurologic Surgeons from 2002 stating that the research they have done is the FIRST to suggest severe or repeated concussions in high school atheletes can predict long term effects. The point of course being that research in the area is ongoing, and 10 years later it is no better understood why some people suffer repeated trauma without effects and others fall from standing and are impaired for the rest of their lives. There are many things in medicine that are poorly understood, and the pathophysiology of concussion is certainly one. I am sympathetic to anyone who suffers from a long term illness, but it is difficult to fathom a player from the early 90's (which many are) joining the lawsut. To debunk the argument that "players in the past didn't make much money", in 1991, the poverty line in America was $6,620/year (http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/figures-fed-reg.shtml) and the average NFL salary was $422,149/year (http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-12-27/sports/1991361086_1_dan-marino-nfl-players-quarterbacks), that is 6377% more. The average NFL career is short, only 3.5 years, but that means a person at the poverty line (of which about 35% of our citizens live at or below) would still need to work for 223 years to equal the average NFL payout. I concede there are taxes, agents, and numerous other variables that make the estimate very rough, but the point is simple, the Detroit Lions player Dominic Raiola was very apt to say "I think when you sign up for this job, you know what you're getting into. I don't know if I could justify suing the league when I am done. I have so much fun playing the game, I really don't worry about it. It's common knowledge that people are going to suffer. Memory loss is going to come. You're hitting every time you step on the field. I am ready for it. It's worth it -- totally worth it. This is the best job in the world. I would never trade it for anything." "Cumulative Effects of Concussion in High School Athletes Collins, Michael W. Ph.D.; Lovell, Mark R. Ph.D.; Iverson, Grant L. Ph.D.; Cantu, Robert C. M.D.; Maroon, Joseph C. M.D.; Field, Melvin M.D. CONCLUSION : This study is the first to suggest a cumulative effect of concussion in high school athletes. A more severe on-field presentation of concussion markers is evidenced in high school athletes with a pronounced history of concussion. This study's findings highlight the need for more long-term outcome studies in high school athletes who sustain sports-related concussions."

I agree completely, I think the Peerless Price experiment in Atlanta is a pretty apt comparison - Stevie is a great compliment, but not a leading man. The only problem is the Bills don't seem to have anyone who is anywhere close to a game-changer on our recieving corps. Late round draft picks, and undrafted free agents make fun stories, but without elite athletic talent (AJ Green, Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, etc.) we are stuck relying on our scheme to generate open recievers.

The Defense is awful, and the injuries on the offensive line don't help, but for my money Donald Jones should never touch the field again. An NFL wide reciever has to catch a ball that hits his hands. Between the two would-be touchdowns (deep middle overthrown, and in the end zone) and interception/ally-oop he did more than his fair share to lose this one. Is the $4 million dollar man Brad Smith or CJ Spiller really worse? Hard to believe.

It seems to me the defense this year is largely the same as last year, with the exception of big plays. They allow a ton of yards and can't pressure the quarterback (although I bet Merriman would do better if not blatantly held most plays). However, the journeyman brought in to replace the high round draft picks are making a difference rather than tackling the ball carrier 9 yards down the field. Take at look at the stat comparison through the first 5 games of 2011: Paul Posluszny (Jaguars) - 39 tackles, 1 sack, 5 passes defended Nick Barnett - 42 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 INT ( 1 TD), 3 passes defended Donte Whitner - (49ers)- 15 tackles, 1 INT, 5 passes defended George Wilson - 47 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 INT, 5 passes defended Looking back, in only five games the combination of Wilson and Barnett have 5 INT and 3 FF, as compared to the 9 INT and 7 FF, that Poz/Whitner created in 9 full seasons playing for the Bills.

I dislike Mel Kiper more than imaginable, and I am not sure if the title "draft expert" should exist, however, after watching the Bills consistently shock the onlooking "experts" year after year and then see the draft class wallow in anonymity, the experts may have some merit. In years past the Bills brass has ignored needs and selected unknown players from small schools, but I can honestly say I am very encouraged by the fact that the front office has thusfar decided to: 1. Draft one of the concensus best available players 2. Who plays a position where he could potentially be 1 or 2 on the depth chart at the start of the season (CJ Spiller) 3. With a track record of production in college (Maybin, McCargo) 4. From a power conference school (Troup, Carrington, McKelvin, Bell, Omon, Wright, Nelson, etc, etc, etc.) 5. With the ability to communicate effectively in the English language (Lynch, Losman, Ko Simpson - I am thankful to Carolina not to be able to add Cam Newton to this list) There is no recipe to select a great pro, but I think this could help...