jethro_tull

my thoughts go out to jim and his family. i am exactly 21 days older than he and mortality starts to become real and you feel blessed for your health.

ehh- call it an insurance policy. you pay for it and hope you won't need it. not exactly all state or farmers, but insurance regardless.

right on man, smith is totally worth every penny. the NFL is all about gimmick (read) plays these days. the 268 all purpose yards and one TD he had last season- you cannot put a dollar amouint on that kind of performance. the one issue i have is that chan should have used him more. i have never seen such a patient runner, especially in the wild cat. he would get the ball, wait wait wait and then pounce for the hole even though they ran it in a completely predictable fashion. chip kelly would be salivating if could get his hands on one brad smith.

wow. what do you guys think about the kevin kolb fan club? counted in or what?

I knew he was cut but read another headline about the bills parting ways with Jackson and i thought- oh on, not freddy too!

They sure did- it was actually funny how homely and out of shape they were. It made you appreciate king eddies. but bobeks was not about the strippers- it was kind of a last stop off for a last draft. Goose- gary g posts here too right?

Goose, glad you made it. Guilty as charged my friend. I see they moved us to the "OFF THE WALL" forum. I had trouble finding it and was about ready to write a nasty post filled with more asterisks than an edited rap song. Gentlemen, We are die hard BILLS FANS (except for Joma) that lost our other site- and it ain't coming back. We contribute here as well. My recent article thread about doug marronne being the next best hope since chuck knox was critically acclaimed! Jerry Jabber and DDD have post counts here in the thousands!

compared to us he is a king. ddd is up there too. btw thanks ddd i forgot about slh clown. he probably wouldmt be happy here though- by the time his posts were published you wouldnt find any complete words or sentences. joma, sorry to dissapoint you but t jack was cut. i know how much of a fan you are stemming from his time with the viques.

OK joma if you are the real joma what was your avatar on RF365? On second thought the tone of your post is proof enough! Besides you know everyone would return once camp and preseason starts- as soon as the Bills start winning again this year. Maybe C/G could ask Hugo about this little tidbit- RF365.com domain due to expire sept. 2013... http://www.mydomaind...football365.com Goose, I believe it's the real you, but what Tiger avatar? How's your friend, the one that married my cousin? Yes Joma, post away. Jerry Jabber is a king around here (look at his post count!) and he'll put in a good word if you're too negative although i've been reading here for a while and it ain't what it used to be. And if you try an post profanity it will be instantaneously asterisked - pretty neat trick too.

Yes and Russell Wislon also had a great showing at the senior bowl. Say, who was this year's senior bowl MVP?

Agreed Cinga, I remember you from RF365. Many did not appreciete the freedom that the site provided but the few that remained until the end believed that the very freedom of expression is what made it great. OK mr wonderful, welcome! what was your last avatar at RF365? Hey Steve- don't sell yourself short- you wrote some great articles!- so did I (if I may say so). THEY ARE LOST FOREVER IN THE GREAT RECYCLING BIN OF CYBER WORLD.

RF365ers- please feel free to post on this thread. JT / anello1960

hey jabber. i have not located anyone- i have a few e-mails and will try. tags realfootball365.com realfootball365 rf365

mikey, what was your avatar at RF365? i dunno, yeah bobeks is a hot dog brand. it's been a while eh? 8 and 8, yes i remember you. i do not suggest that TSW transforms into "all off topic, all the time". just a new subforum.

Well it had to happen sooner or later but our Bills fans semi-private meeting place known as Realfootball356.com has been off line for almost (2) weeks and had not been publishing user submitted articles for several weeks. Formerly a very active NFL and NCAA site since 2006 with a scattering of dedicated writers, the site has been user articles only for the last 3 or 4 years or so. The articles were submitted by members (sans compensation) and then published by the admin. Nearly 99% of these articles and the comments that followed (sometimes nearing 1000 comments) were submitted by a handful of Buffalo Bills fans. It was often commented on that we Bills fans were the only ones keeping the site alive- and we frequently questioned when the lights would be turned off. I guess we have an answer to that question. TSW is an awesome site for Bills fans, and is thriving like minnows in the Niagara river. But RF365 transcended Bills and football commentary. We knew each other- and nothing "off topic" was verbotten. I likened it to our virtual Wally Bobeks, a hole in the wall virtual tavern where we could speak our minds and vent some steam and often in politically incorrect (but friendly) dialogue. Politics, religion, WNY food, sports, family life, health issues, business, holiday greetings, jokes and humor- everything was on the table. I know many do participate on TSW under different names, and maybe we can all reconvene on this site in a new sub-forum. Please forgive me if I missed anyone, but here is a list of those who were still standing at the last call. Goose greg s Gary g Bflobob8 Bilzrock Cowgirl anello1960 ddd steveb joma mikey from colorado

Brad smith might be of value to other teams if he is cut to add cap margin. I do see the level of talent of the Bills projected cuts rising above that of recent years- e.g. to players who have seen the field with some regularity vs.not- but coveted is a strong word unless you mean for projects or special teams play. Tavaris Jackson would be on strike no. 3, but would be an upgraded cut over vince young or tyler thigpen. Tashard choice or dorin dickerson would possibly generate special teams interest. So yeah, some players the Bills cut might be better than past cut players, which is a good sign, and may possibly find jobs elsewhere rather than the minor leagues or obscurity- but coveted by other NFL teams seems unlikely.

Harbaugh's record is impressive. He must have been motivated by Mike Ditka's B-slapping! Marrone's record, while not nearly as extensive as Harbaugh's seems to show he is ready- confident and aggressive if nothing else- which usually go hand in hand with success. 3 year lettereman as an OL at Syracuse University 2 years NFL playing experience 1 year overseas pro football 9 years ass't college coaching 8 years NFL ass't coaching 4 years head college coach The thing I like most is his aggressive over achievement attitude, style and confidence. Qualities you want in a head NFL coach. I look at the challenge ahead of him WRT the Bills culture of losing and I don't see it being that daunting. We have to remember just how poor the quarterback situation has been- I've said this for the past (3) years that if the Bills had a top (10) QB they would be a bad playoff team. I'm not expecting miracles- this is going to take some time- but I believe (for the first time in a long time) that the ingredients are in place- coaching and talent- to build a team to make a run. They have the keys- let them drive for a few years- give them some rope.

interesting stuff. sounds like there is opinion out there that CK's offense will not work in the NFL and that he agrees with some of it! he may be a very good coach and eventually turn the eagles into a better team than they were but when you read things like the eagles will be a "laboratory for football ideas" it does not iseem to instill confidence. hiring NFL proven coordinators does seems like a smart move though.

DM finished up 8 and 5 (T-first in DIV) with a bowl victory in his final year. - IMHO Chip Kelly stands the most chance to bust. If you watched the Oregon games his offense was ridiculously simple, seems to rely on broken / improvised plays and I have concerns that it will work in the NFL. Most LBs and DBs are too strong and fast. Also, he has zero NFL experience- tall odds for his making it in the first few years without being sent back to the minors first. I NEVER wanted CK to come to the Bills.

On the other side of the coin is Marc Trestman the new Bear's coach. The guy had multiple stints at the NFL assistant level with more teams than you can mention and winds up a grey cup winner with montreal of the CFL so i guess you could say he is a successful college coach with NFL experience. he's being touted in chicago as the "anti-lovie" bringing his cerebral approach and offensive guru status credentials via his pass happy ways in the 3-down 110 yard league. i gotta say this could be extremely interesting to watch and bears GM phil emery will either look like a genius or fall flat on his face. the problem is that chicago is an impatient town with a predominantly old school football mentality and it could get ugly to an extreme degree before the trestman era has a chance to succeed.

Not that a new coach has to have players available to meet his system but good points nonetheless. Lovie's version of the 4-3 requires a LB who can do it all- run stuffing, blitzing and coverage. Luckily for him the bears had (2) of these players (Briggs and Urlacher) and the Bills have a void in this area. Seems like we may have dodged a bullet.

I'm very familiar with Lovie and actually wanted him to get fired long before the season was over just so the Bills would have a chance. He had worn out his welcome in Chicago- and unfairly so IMHO- but the long since mature fan lynch mob finally had enough momentum. I knew if the Bills hired Smith they would become competitive in short order. Yet in the back of my mind I knew he did not have what it takes to win a championship. Intelligent, reserved, professional and loyal - too a fault if you are a coach in the NFL. After the Bills hired DM I was not disappointed but yet a little concerned. Since then and after reading and hearing what he has done and has to say- DM is the coach and there is no looking back- and I am not regretting that the Bills did not hire Lovie. The fact that Smith was a defensive biased coach with no significant offensive minded contacts in a league where offense rules the land was the reason that he had no serious offers and remains unempoyed to date.

Ouch! Because hope is the essence of the offseason and a new coaching regime. The essence of the article is that THE BILLS picked with a trend that seems to have good odds lately- successful college coach with prior NFL coaching experience. I look at a Harbaugh and a Carroll and I get a little pumped at imagining a little of their success rubbing off on the Bills. He ain't a retread, he ain't an up and coming coordinator who was proven to not be good enough, DM fits the latest mold that offers the most hope. He did a lot- no doubt. The argument is should the Bills have won a championship? I believe yes- especially when you smack up against the game plan Parcells executed to stop the Bills in the first bowl. Levy did not anticpate or counter that plan. The Bills offense should have smoked the Giants IMHO. Don't we need to consider the less than ideal talent and recruiting prospects on the Orange? Kind of a cinderella story IMHO bringing that team to 8 and 5, 5 and 2 in the Big East and a bowl victory in 2012.

but he was not fired before he won a super bowl. only 6 previously fired coaches have ever won a super bowl. you don't want a fired coach running your team!

with the dust settled, is the answer yes? for myself at this particilar time the answer is yes- DM is the most hopeful coaching hire since Chuck Knox.