NewHampshireBillsFan

I would hope that would be true, but the impression I get from Goodell is that he was not a Bills fan growing up, even though he was from WNY. And that is kind of unusual for the Buffalo area. Even as a kid he was interested in some day being the commissioner and he was already thinking much bigger than the Buffalo Bills then. He certainly should understand the feelings of people in WNY about the Bills and what they mean to us, etc. But I think in his comments about whether the team stays here in the long run he always seems to indicate that financial viability trumps everything and the pressure is on the Buffalo area to make the team viable. In short, I don't think he is any real ally to us in his office, despite where he grew up. In some ways a commissioner from say Atlanta who traveled to Buffalo and saw how rabid the community was for the Bills would almost have more sympathy for the community, IMO. But I hope I'm wrong and I'm sure others know more about Goodell than I do and could hopefully contradict my thinking.

I live in New Hampshire and have to be around Patsie fans all day, every day. They think Bellicheat and the his team are super bowl contenders every year (and I guess they are every year). They automatically chalk up the Bills as two easy wins a year, including this year with TO. They have more respect for the Jets and Miami. So I would much rather drive 8 hours to OP to see the Bills even if we lose than have to sit with smug fans in Foxboro. I came to the last game of the season last year to see the 13-0 shutout and as bad as that was it would have been worse to see a game like that in Foxboro. Of course if we did upset the Pats on MNF, opening week, even without Lynch, it would be truly wonderful walking out of the stadium in Foxboro. OK, I have to think it over. This just might be our year at Foxboro!

This really sums up Bialy IMO. Because he does no interviews and has no inside information he is left with trying to create controversy out of things like TO's uniform number. His football analysis is much less thorough than some of the fine TSW writers, and maybe because of that his conclusions are often ridiculous. Self-indulgent prose is a great way of describing his writing style. In my case that is the only redeeming value of reading some of his articles in the past. I am working on a technical book in my field and after reading Bialy I learned how I definitely should not write!

Dick Jauron should be thrilled with having TO, IMO. It gives the Bills at least some chance to reach the postseason. If they don't reach the postseason most people think Jauron will be gone. He will never be a head coach again. If they do reach the postseason, Jauron will have "proved" to everyone he could do it and will be back again next year. Also, even if there is a minor squabble or two with TO, Jauron will have "proved" he could handle TO better than previous coaches, and he will get some credit for that also. Trent's success should improve next year with TO, although the line will have to be solid also, and Trent himself must play like he did early last year. If Trent has a good year, even if TO complains a little bit, Trent will be viewed as continuing his progression. So the TO move should be good for Trent as well. If Trent has a terrible year it won't likely be because of TO and he will face major questions about his future. The rest of the team I think will benefit from TO because we need more of a kick butt mentality on this team, refusing to accept defeat. Refusing to accept defeat is considered a major part of "character" in a competitive world.

This is a great move IMO. We needed a major infusion of proven talent in FA at some position at least. WR is a great spot to get this needed infusion. We also needed to add someone who worked hard, was also talented, and had a strong personality to shake things up a bit. The character thing was getting a bit old for the Bills. Character doesn't really mean anything in a competitive world unless it is coupled with excellence and the ability to achieve something. We need players on the Bills who refuse to accept defeat and get furious when other teams are able to manhandle them game after game, such as New England has done to our Bills for years. TO will be that sort of player. I live in New Hampshire, surrounded wall to wall by Patsie fans. They have supreme confidence in their team, year after year, and are often justified in that attitude. They never talk about character (they don't have any), only winning. I remember when Chuck Knox took over as the Bills head coach in 1978 and said as his first statement that the Buffalo Bills exist for only one purpose, to win football games. I hope TO is the start of a new emphasis on winning and that we start knocking the Patsies around like we used to before this hideous decade. Welcome TO! You are the man!