mrags
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Posts posted by mrags
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Very nice post. I agree with just about everything, except the "chicken little" comment. As you can tell from this thread, there are a few "chicken little's" or "the sky is falling" posters, but the majority are more positive, or at least require facts or a legitimate sourse before making assumptions. So I really have a hard time when people let the negative posters or negative attitudes of some determine the mind set of Buffalo as a whole. I am usually one of the more positive posters, or maybe it's just blind optimism, but at any rate the majority of Buffalonians are not chicken little's. The chicken little's may be a bit louder and stand out a bit more, but there are people like that everywhere. And actually most of the chicken little's and sky is falling people have left they area, yet they still continue to bash Buffalo on a regular basis. Ok, I am done with my rant. Again, nice post minus one sentence...GO BILLS!!!! GO BUFFALO!!!!
I agree with JW's post as well as yours Rico,
I think that the "chicken littles" on here have nothing better to do than bash the team and the city. I say why bother even following the Bills if you are that negative about them? Why not just jump on the Pats or Steelers band wagon where you know you have a winning franchise? And the same "chicken littles" that arent in the area anymore are the same ones that cant hack the winter weather here.
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Chuck Cecil of the Arizona Cardinals in an old school Cards jersey.
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I'd think San Antonio would come up against the same problem the Jaguars have faced - trying to gain football fan allegiance in an established market. In Jacksonville, the locals were/are already wrapped in Gator blue and orange, and the NFL team is always the Dolphins.
In San Antonio, the Cowboys are the longtime heros, and they've got the Aggies and Longhorns nearby too.
I don't believe the NFL team would do much better in San Antonio.
Dallas isn't that far to the north, and the expansion Houston Texans are even closer to the east.
Not much south (maybe Mexico?) or west of San Antonio to draw from. By all accounts, San Antonio is a really nice city, but I can't see they'd get great support, unless there are plenty of deep corporate pockets who will gladly fill the lucrative luxury suites and make it worthwhile. (sad, if that's what it's really come to)
Portland - it's about the same distance from Seattle as Buffalo is to Syracuse. Don't think the Seahawks would be too happy about a Portland team.
L.A. seems like the logical choice, if they have to go anywhere.
O.K. by me - that would be one more city we could cross off the list as a potential home to the Bills.
The USA metro areas are about saturated, and I think the NFL is running out of cities to run to. I think team owners are running out of places to use as a bargaining chip for new digs and other municipal concessions.
I just don't believe Toronto could support an NFL team. They can barely sell out the Bills games. Didn't they just about have to give away tickets for the Dolphins game last year?
getting off track here, but......
The more I hear, the more I think the Bills are safe and should be in the Buffalo/Niagara market for many more years.
I love the Niagara Falls stadium idea. A retractable dome (could be used for conventions, superbowls, etc.) in the falls would be convenient for Canadian fans, tourists, WNYers, and I believe would attract wealthy business people from NY, Toronto, Buffalo, and elsewhere to buy up the necessary luxury suites to keep the team competative. What a great weekend for entertaining clients - the background of Niagara Falls, wining and dining, and topped off with a catered NFL luxury box, with views of the falls from the suite. Picture that! Can you imagine the panoramic shots from the Metlife blimp?
That would be a must see venue for NFL fans doing the stadium circuit.
The Bills future could be very bright if handled properly. Jacksonville - screw 'em.
Strongly agree. I believe the NF stadium idea is absolutely great for the exact same reasons as well.
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He is not a Bills fan and as far as I can tell he never has been a Bills fan. From the time he was a kid he was interested in the business end of the NFL is what Goodell states in Fortune magazine. Anyway, perhaps I have not seen all the quotes by him and I would be happy to retract this statement if anyone has any evidence that he ever was a serious Bills fan. Growing up in Jamestown alone doesn't make him a Bills fan, although it really should have done so.
For what its worth, when I was at the draft in my shiny new T.O. Bills jersey I met Mr. Goodell. He seemed generally interested in knowing where I lived in Buffalo and if I go to Bills games.
He may not be any teams fan so much of the entire league. But he is from the WNY area and he does have ties here. That makes him closer to a Bills fan that not IMO.
BTW, he was a really cool guy.
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I believe that Patriots have made quite a nice living by drafting for talent over need. Also after reading several posts by Zazie I have determined that this person has a narrow understanding of football and has zero credibility.
agreed
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So losing Greer, a guy who missed over a third of the season last year and who was going to be replaced in the starting lineup anyway, will lead to the defense being no better, yet it will take a step backwards (
), and Schobel coming back, Ellison getting starting reps throughout, and the addition of Sanders mean nothing?As for Peters looking better, Mike Gandy was the starting LT for the Cards, and the Bills dumped him in favor of Peters. Obviously he was adequate enough at LT for them, and the Bills have talent on the order of the Cardinals now.
I agree, Greer wouldnt have been a starter over McKelvin this year anyway.
As much as I think Schobel is over rated he will be here and healthy (unless he has another injury) and that is a bonus over last year. Maybin may not be what everyone is hoping for, but hes a young guy that has a ton of speed and could assist in the sack dept. If not, that means that Schobel and Kelsey are back to the form they were in 2 years ago when Schobel went to the pro-bowl.
I might dislike Ellison even more than Schobel, but with a full offseason, mini camp, otas, training camp and pre-season under his belt he might show us fans that he belongs on the field. At the least he shouldnt get worse.
Williams, McCargo, and Johnson will all have another year together, and hopefully under Sanders they will be better. If anything else I dont see them getting any worse.
Back to the OL issue. Worst case scenario Handgartner is equal to Fowler and Preston. Butler sucks at RT and they move Walker back and plug in anyone else at LT (cant be worse than giving up 12 sacks which happened to be the most by any starting LT in the league in 08). Wood and Levitre should both be upgrades to guys like Dockery and Chambers. If they arent then we are in serious trouble.
T.O. absolutely opens things up for the entire offense which has had another year together, and Trent is in his make or break year.
We might have the best RB group in the league this season, and we might have a top 5 WR group.
I can understand someone not being overly excited at a newly assembled offensive line but they cant be much worse than they were last year. It must be all the twinkie cream that is going to everyones head now that they are able to buy them again since Peters left town.
In all Id say our defense stayed the same or got better, our offense (with the exception of the line) got better, and our OL is a big maybe but shouldnt be as bad as they were last year. Id also like to point out that the line changes so close to the beginning of the season most likely hurt their chemistry. With everyone working together from the beginning of camp, things should be much smother.
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I don't know who Mr. WEO is, and I object to joining any band.
Frankly, after a decade of not making the playoffs, you're either miserable, or a moron.
The question was whether we got better this year. There is quite simply not a single GM in this league who would tell you they would trade peters for Walker, walker for butler, and dockery for any of our rookies in the same year. It was O-Line suicide.
God help us.
Apparently someone would. Because Russ Brandon just did it.
If you really think that there isnt a better LG on this team than Dockery was then you have issues and need to watch more football. He was absolutely horrible, and may be part of the reason why Peters looked so bad this last season as well.
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It has been 3 games since it was handed down. He has filed an appeal but nothing has been done on that yet.
Speaking of the appeal, has anything been announced? Doesnt the NFL have so many days to address the issue? Its been a while.
Does anyone have any info? Maybe Mr. Graham is reading this one and can shed some light on the subject.
Thanks
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I tend to agree that Ralph Wilson will look to avoid paying Jauron the last two years if the team falls on its face this season, but that will not stop him from firing him if it goes really badly. Look at Al Davis, Shanahan is still trying to get his last 2 years out of his Raider contract. Owners can find ways and reasons to break a contract and not pay.
Lets not forget that he fired Wade Phillips for refusing to fire some assistant coaches and I seem to recall reading that RW never paid him the remainder of his contract.
I can only think of one person I'd go after If I owned the Buffalo Bills, the one guy who has a history of rebuilding broken teams and getting them motivated and into the playoffs after years of losing.
Martyball
+1 for Marty
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stop and think about the original question?
Yes, we lost Peters. He wanted way too much money. Don't get me wrong, I have honestly been a Jason Peters fan since the day I found him, searching for players coming out in the 2004 draft. I was looking for "surprise" players to tell my buddy about, and Peters was the guy I wanted Buffalo to get. Who would'nt want a 6'4 300 lb Tight End. Anyways, I would rather have kept the money for extentions like Fred Jackson, and the draft picks to get promising Rookies in Eric Wood and Shawn Nelson. I believe both of these guys will be dominant players at their positions, IF used correctly.
Ryan Fitzpatrick's performance down the stretch last year with a HORRIBLE team, proves he is better than Losman and Hamdan. Not to mention the fact, he has a job, and Losman...well, not so lucky.
Dominic Rhodes is a proven veteran who has been a winner. He starts the season as a decent #2 to Jackson, rounding out the crew as a great #3 back, giving this trio potential #1 status. I would sure rather have him than Xavier Omon.
Are you really going to argue that Terrell Owens will NOT make this team a better football team? Hopefully people follow his lead and listens to what he has to say. He is a proven veteran, one of the best all-time. HE WANTS TO WIN!
Geoff Hangartner is built for and has played against the 3-4 defenses. He is already is a better prospect than Melvin Fowler or Duke Preston. Hangartner has a nasty meanstreak to him, and he is a very cerebral player. Carolina could nice afford to keep all their players if they were going to re-sign Jordan Gross and Franchise Peppers. They WANTED him back, both players and coaches. He is the best Center we have had in a while.
McKinney, Florence and Thomas are all quality backups. Thomas brings some starting experience, and he has some size to go against the bigger lineman, compared to Digiorgio. They compliment eachother nicely behind Poz. Florence showed promise when he played in San Diego, until Jammer came along and they drafted Cromartie. I believe he would be a nice nickel-corner, and a great backup. However, I have faith in and like all of our young corners.
Nobody can say if we are better or not, until the pads go on and the games begin. But, how people can not think we are a better football team on paper, is a crazy crazy thing.
Agree with everything you said.
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Well I think you have to consider paying up money for McGee. Unless we come off of a disastrous season where we are rebuilding anyway than I think you can't give McGee up and be left with a hole at Corner. Even if McKelvin develops into a shut down guy we still need another guy opposite him. Now I would have kept Greer but he is gone and you have to pay up to keep McGee if we are a team that feels next year it can compete. Because our draft picks next year are going to be valuable
Now if you want to say a guy like Corner, Youboty, or Ellis Lankester could take over for McGee next year than that is going to be a option. Either McGee gets paid or you have the answer on your roster you can't spend a pick on another corner.
I like your thinking here. Personally, I think they have picked those corners in the past 2 years because they have been planning on McGee leaving. Personally I think they wanted to keep Greer but he became too good and wanted more than what they were willing to pay. I think they really like Corner, hope that Youboty can finally stay healthy and bank on possibly the 2 rookies to move into back up roles by next year. They also have Florence, Whitner, and Byrd who can all play at the nickle spot if needed and plug the safeties in just about any DB position with the exception of the starting CB spots.
So thats my take on it. Youll see McGee gone, and Corner/Youbody manning the 2nd position along side McKelvin. Then youve got plug and play players at the other positions in the backfield. I think they have far too many needs at other positions to be paying McGee big money that hes most likely going to want when you could be signing DE's, or DT's to FA contracts. It will all depend on how things look this year. I like McGee, but I wouldnt have a heart attack if he was gone as long as Corner is what they think he is.
Im leaving work for the day, we can continue this tomorrow if you want.
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Well do you rob Peter to pay Paul? Do you give a big money contract to Peters and have a good LT who is over paid. Or do you trade him for picks that you use to get Wood and Levitre who cost less and fill 2 less valuable spots on the offensive line?
Same goes for Clements and Winfield do you over pay for them and than be unable to sign a guy like Mitchelle or trade for Stroud.
Now I agree that at some point you have to sign one of these Defensive backs because you can't keep spinning your wheels. We passed on Greer and McGee is on his last year. I think we need to sign McGee long term we can't spend yet another pick on a Corner. But you have to get value for what you have and know when to hold and know when to let them walk away.
And if Wood and Levitre are worse than Dockery last year than I would be shocked because even if Wood and Levitre are average they are better than what Dockery was last year.
I agree with everything except with signing McGee. I think he is getting old and its showing. Hes been bruised up this past year and was taken off of KR because of it. That doesnt mean he wouldnt have lost it anyway (because McKelvin is sweat) but he did lose it. I like McGee a lot, im just not sure I want to dish out the money to him either. IMO Greer was the one to keep, hes 2 or 3 years younger, and just entering his prime. If we have to pay McGee more than what Greer got with N.O. then I say let him go. Id like to throw in a disclaimer about how if Corner and or Youboty play like crap then to keep McGee.
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I disagree when we're talking talent.. Clement and Winfield are far better on the field then their replacements. I'm not worried about money, all these guys are overpayed. The salaries , for the most part comes from TV , and it is equal. Ralph CHOOSES to be cheap, that's the problem. Is Peters overpaid ? probably , but he's far better than the stiff Walker? Even Dockery is probably better this year at least then the rookies that are PROJECTED to start.. Time will tell
I agree that talent wise Winfield and Clements are/were better then their replacements at the time. That still doesnt mean we should have paid Clements $80million. That contract is rediculous even now. Just because something is better that doesnt mean you should overpay for it. Peters was good, Ill agree with you. And we just tossed him out the door. That doesnt mean he wanted to, or was happy here. He admitted that he didnt care last year and he was playing not to get hurt after the 2nd half of the season. All this from a guy that didnt show up until 2 days before the season started.
So would he be worth the money? sure....if he just would have shown that he wanted to be here, and he was part of this team he might still be. Evans and Schobel both wanted more money when their contracts were up. They handled it with class and like real team players, and thats why they got large increases at the time.
And you cant throw it out there that anyone is better than the line that we have now because nobody has seen them play a single down. They were horrible with what they had last year. Dockery was next to a Pro-Bowl LT and still played like crap. Or was it him that made Peters give up 12+ sacks? The only way I see it is the entire left side of that line sucked. Im glad their both gone and welcome in the new OL. They cant get much worse than they were in 08.
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Sorry if the truth hurts..
When the season starts, I'll be like the rest of you cheering on every play, but the off season gives you time to reflect on this mess of a team. Whenever anyone actually is on the verge of becoming a star in this league with Buffalo, they are traded or lost (Peters, Winfield, Clemens, etc.) . We are counting on the 100+ draft pick to be a starter on the O-Line and waste our first pick on a DE with one year of college experience and severly undersized? We move players around like chess pieces because they're tweeners.
We have a coach who is a loser in 7 of 8 years and recently goes 2-8 , hell we don't even have a football GM ; and you expect optimism?
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As I understand your frustration, I dont think anyone can say anything about Peters at this point. It is unknown. As far as Winfield and Clements. You are incorrect. Neither of them have earned their (at the time) rediculous salaries. Winfield has come closer than Clements and is deserving of his contract now, but hes also unhappy and threatening to hold out until he gets more money. Who else would you like to throw into the mix? Spikes? McGahee? Fletcher? None of them have produced since they have been off this team. Yeah, sure they have lost some quality guys as well, but it sounds to me when looking at those names that we made the right choices. And Maybin maybe be undersized, and inexperienced but he was also projected as one of the best DE's in the draft. Time will tell on that one. With that said I hope that DJ gets the boot if he finishes anything short of a playoff birth.
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Get him here for a look. We still need another OLB and if hes that beastly he can split time for DE
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Yeah, Ive got t agree with Senator on this. Just because the Bill should fire DJ doesnt mean they will. They should have let him go after this past season but didnt. And just because those coaches are available doesnt mean that they wont just promote some assistant to HC. However I will be begging for Shannahan or Gruden if Dicky fails again.
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Ahh...the poster seems a good sort. No reason to be harsh...
look at some of the rest of them, youll see what i mean.
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truth
I just realized thats how you have so many posts over the last week. you post one word comments to just about anything to see your name.
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:D 
Do you just post just to see your name on the boards?
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Shouldn't your S/N be "msrags"? Seems like it's your time of the month, or somthin'
Shouldnt yours be "overlypessimisticpersonthatnobodywantsonthisboardbecauseIhavenothinginforma
tivetosay"?
Im sorry I couldnt come up with something as cool as "Billistic" and have a cool looking avatar of a silouette with Fonzy hair.
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Seriously...stalk someone else.
Hey...wait a minute...take off that suicide bomb vest thingy...you'll never sniff the virgins...
WTF?!?!? Dude make some sense or get off the board. I dont like you and I know others dont already too. Your not wanted here.
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By any chance, would you then be a rookie calling a rookie a rookie?
Youve been on this board a week, Ive been here for months and been a reader for years. I have multiple family and freinds that are on this board and keep up with it regularly. I dont consider the number of posts I have as a form of experience. Youve been a week and have an average of 22 posts a day. Im not going to bother taking the time to look at them, they are most likely people arguing with you and you coming up with rediculous "This team will never be good ever" answers.
I just dont understand why someone like yourself has so many negative things to say about the team and you still bother to follow. Just pick a new team if you hate them so much. No one knows how any team is going to do and thats why they play the game and dont award the Lombardi Trophy for having the best offseason. Seriously, just start following the Steelers this year and every year a new team wins the Super Bowl you can start following that team. It should work out well for you.
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I'm pretty sure that one violates the terms of service. You might want to be a little more careful. We'd sure hate to lose your insights...
Youve been on here a week and your threatening to get people booted? your debut is going over well. Let me guess, you play Everquest and World or Warcraft and have people banned for not inviting you into their groups too.
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Next you'll be passing out torches and pitchforks...
You're not Romanian by any chance, are you?
Im Hungarian. We use the poles of our fences to impale the heads of our enemies to freighten others away. This may not work with you because you seem too dumb to know when your not wanted.
What's the most random jersey you've ever seen?
in The Stadium Wall Archives
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Cecil maybe have been a Pro-Bowler but to me it just seemed odd.
I have one more that I forgot. When I was at the draft there was a huge guy with a custom Tampa Bay Bucs jersey. One side was away, and one side was home, I think the number was 33, and the name on the back read... "BLACK NASTY". Even Commissioner Goodell commented that he liked it. It was funny.