CodeMonkey

I disagree completely. As long as the team gets tax breaks, governments pay for stadiums, or supply police or any other perks given to NFL teams free of charge, the people paying for all these perks via their taxes should have the right to watch the game on TV if they so choose even if the local team is selling less beer due to empty seats in the stadium.

It's a business decision pure and simple. Byrd needs to maximize his money because as eball rightly points out, this is more than likely the most important contract he will sign in his professional life. It has nothing to do with being an a-hole, or not a team player, or a locker room cancer or any of the other clichés often thrown around. It's simply business.

Though based on last years play it seemed that may have been Wannys pregame speech

Why not. They already have a coach for every possible position. Why not a head coach - coach.

What's next .... a no underwear rule to prevent underwear bombs? What are they really trying to discourage, people bringing in their own food and beverages?

To me this is just that they do not believe Geno will be ready to start on week one. So they will use Sanchez at first and Geno for some situations/packages. Then as Geno catches on and gets more comfortable the situations/packages he is in for grows until Sanchez is holding the clipboard. If it was the Bills doing this, the thread would be about how Marrone was a genius for bringing EJ along slowly

I agree with you about the commish. He definitely is on a crusade.

This post strikes me a monumentally naive. Say a team, for example, goes 13 years and counting without making the post season. If it happens again the next season and the GM goes to the owner and says "yes we were out of the playoffs yet again, but we have all character guys with no one being arrested, or accused of beating their wives and that is the important thing". Will the owner, or for that matter the teams fans, give that GM a pass or do they give him the boot? Character and ability are not necessarily mutually exclusive. But even so, you still have to remember that this is only football. A game where big strong fast men run around and violently knock each other down. There is no reason, in my opinion, to expect and certainly not demand that they live their lives by any ones measure other than their own. As long as what they do does not affect their ability to perform, their lives are their lives. And a team, and without any doubt the teams fans, have no right to expect any more than that. For some reason there are people that put football on a pedestal and think everyone involved needs to be Mother Theresa off the field. News flash, they don't. And this silly (again in my opinion) expectation is what needs to change.

I can see Mr. Wilson now ... "He did not dress for even 1 game and I gave him how much money?" A strange situation to be sure, but at the end of the day I have to believe that Kolb + EJ > Fitz + Pigpen so it's all good.

Not a bad move then. See if they can use him in 3rd and short, and/or line him up as a TE or in the slot or some other use for him. Maybe find out some information on the Jets offense. Worst case they cut him in or after camp and it doesn't have to cost them a dime or cap space. Seems to be all upside for the Pats* ... the bastards.

Ok so lets see if I got this right ... Geno is a bust and EJ is a major talent. Of course all of this being before day 1 of camp

They are probably also taking into account the big drops and juvenile penalties. It's all subjective anyway.

Yes, being outdoors during plate digestion is usually very wise The only *true* plate.

A red pinto.

Your definitions are flawed in my opinion. An optimist says it will happen. A pessimist says it won't happen. A realist says it may happen. The last 13 years have turned many realists into pessimists.

First, there are 16 games in a season. Second, there are 3 post season games they will win. So that makes it 19-0. That is all.

It amazes me how much they have complicated what in theory should be a simple process. But I guess this falls under the category of trying to achieve parity in the league.

A 6'1" center UDA from the Steelers practice squad gets 4 pages. Can you tell its early summer

One of my favorite cities. I used to try and go there weekends if I was staying in Europe. Never failed to have a good time there!

Wow, first one is on a Sunday night. Sending my wife for tickets, that one will run out quick. EDIT: Just called and no tickets available yet. Not until "a later date".

Always interesting to get a different perspective. Mine was from England, Spain and Germany. Of the people I knew and worked with (granted a small subset of the population), none cared about tackle football at all except as a curiosity. It did do very well in Germany though in areas with large numbers of displaced Americans like military bases.

The NFL tried to get a league going in Europe and it was a dismal failure. The NFL games that get played in Europe are more a novelty for Europeans. I was living outside London some years ago when there was a game and it was pretty entertaining. Generally for media day here all the interest is in QBs, RB's WR's etc. Over there all the media wanted to talk to was the huge lineman. They aren't used to athletes there that are so huge and in a lot of cases, with big guts. I understand the NFL wanting to expand it's market. They are going to need to in order to keep the profits and salaries skyrocketing. But tackle football becoming popular anywhere but North America is a big stretch in my opinion.

FWIW, Marrone was at SJF yesterday looking over the practice facilities.

Probably not code compliant anywhere, but it works

How about a temporary mount? Just keep the mount and mast outdoors and attach the antenna just for the Bills games. Or even a completely portable one. I built one for a satellite dish that works great.