starrymessenger

With respect, I disagree. The line is/was bad. RF was/is worse than the line.

Believe him, Mr. WEO. He is right. I was at the game, 24 rows behind the Bils bench exactly on the 50. RF really was that bad. Horrible. You are right Clemens was bad also, but he has an excuse (has not played all year). What's RF's excuse? Want of skill I think is his only excuse.

The line was not good. RF was/is worse than the line.

With a quarterback who has a prayer of delivering the ball properly TO and Evans each have touchdowns tonight.

NoNoNo- He was worsethan the line. He was horrible when he had time.

Cablelady Ryan Fitzpatrick sucked tonight - and believe me that is why we lost. A half way decent QB performance and we win tonight.

Mark Sanchez was the only quarterback who made half way decent decisions and good passes tonight. At least Clemens hasn't played this year. What Ryan Fitzpatricks excuse for serving up this total garbage?

Ryan Fitzpatrick is AWFUL. You are one of those robots who doesn't understand that with NO QUARTERBACK YOU CANNOT WIN. Where were those balls going????? He was awful EVEN WHEN HE HAD TIME. Thats the point Promo. He made one good pass to Evans - one- and then missed all of his receivers all night long. HORRIBLE.

QUATERBACK!!! THE BILLS DON'T HAVE A GOD@*#M QUARTERBACK!

Was at the game. Wake up Bills fans!!! What the Bills need is a quarterback. I don't think I have ever witnessed a more disgusting display. Ryan Fitzpatrick is horrible.. With anything close to half way quaterbacking the Bills would have won. WoW! Where the hell were those balls going?????

Looks like you are right. The leagues broke off negotiations in 2008 due to the Bills in Toronto series. Interestingly, the parts of the agreement dealing with NFL access to players in Canada entering the option year of their contracts appears to have survived the formal agreement that terminated in 2006 since it applied to Cam Wake who joined the Dolphins over the summer. Probably his contract was entered into when the agreement was still in place. The Agreement never dealt with the situation of coaches however.

Yes there are lots of other possibilities needless to say.

As some of you will know Trestman is under contract to the Montreal team for another year. Their GM has already said that they will not release him. A payment or other consideration could resolve this of course but without an agreement between the Bills and the Allouettes he is not going anywhere. Commisioner Goodell would definitely not permit it and there is a deal between the two leagues that I believe governs such matters.

ok, thanks. I suppose it makes more sense if Ted Rogers was getting something for his money. He was definitely one of the sharpest business heads ever up here.

Don't understand this relocation fee thing. If the Detroit Lions moved to Toronto, I might see Ralph being entitled to something because its in his market (maybe another 78MM). But if the Bills were bought and moved to Toronto don't see why there would be a fee payable to anyone. My take: the Bills are not moving to Toronto. After a couple of years whatever stadium they were playing out of would look like Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville did last week. As a business matter, the Bills best asset is its fanbase, which is Buffalo & Western NY, so why alienate it?

I live in Montreal but work at Front & Bay. Can't believe how dead this whole Bills thing in Toronto is. Brandon and Ralph are true geniuses. Incredible that Ted paid USD 78MM for this. And that stadium is the pits. Reminds me of the atmosphere in the Big O when the Expos were playing there. Its what killed the franchise.

While Brohm did not cost much (other than a roster spot and the resources that will be expended in trying to bring him along) it is right to avoid having high expectations. Had he come out his junior year there were some (Sporting News) that projected him as high as #1 overall. He had a lousy combine, particularly in the passing drills and wound up going late in the second round (56th I think). Some people think that he should have had a leg up because they think Louisville's offence was "pro-style". I think it was still very much a system. While his drops should be well rehearsed its when he comes out of them that you have a problem. B. Petrino's offence was a "one read" scheme for the QB, which is the farthest thing from replicating the demands that the pro-game (specifically NFL defences) impose on the QB position. And sure enough he has to date been unable to adjust to the speed of the game and been unable to read NFL defences or see the field. Hence lots of checkdowns and a reluctance to go downfield. Sound familiar? He obviously has some skills and here's hoping that he will be successful but he is probably facing an especially step learning curve because I suspect that he needs not only to learn to transition well but also perhaps unlearn certain things as well.

You are quite right in saying that the chance to turn this deadbeat franchise around has to be a powerful incentive for any man eager to cement his reputation as a football genius. The problem is that there are other deadbeat franchises, like Washington, where he would face a comparable challenge.

Yes, that is one problem. And the reason he had this problem is because he does not do a good job evaluating defensive talent.

Which is why they are making a big mistake. Just hire a good GM and let him hire a good coach. End of story. Stop chasing wannabe football czars and promising them the moon.

How about 50MM, a piece of the team and total control just to go 8-8 and miss the playoffs. Where's that on your misery index Promo? Re 50MM- I don't care. Its Ralph's money. Re a piece of Ralph's property- I don't care, its Ralph's property. Re total control, I don't like it. Shanny would be a great coach, but I don't want one person trying to do two jobs. Why not do it right, like KC for example. Go out and find a good GM and let him hire a good coach. Let both these guys focus on their respective assignments. That is the way to get best value for your buck. The tried and true way. Unless all this is just another brilliant R Brandon marketing ploy, Ralph appears to have lost his senses. Its starting to look like a recipe for disaster. Looks to me loke we are out there chasing big names to impress people, like the national football media, who despise us anyway.

All of this is true. If in fact he is permanently damaged goods or never really had it in the first place then really there is nothing more to be said. Just move on. If however there is anything there that can be salvaged or improved on, then there are also a few things worth thinking about. Playing the QB position well at the NFL level may be the most difficult thing to do in all of sport. Also the step up in degree of difficulty and complexity is exponential between the college and professional ranks. It is an enormous divide, the Grand Canyon of sports, into which many talented athletes who have played the position since childhood fall to disappear from sight forever. How many early first rounders. It also means that young pro quarterbacks have to learn their trade, and have to be brought along carefully, even those, like Joe Flacco, who can enjoy some success immediately (Ravens kept it simple for him last year and continue only to gradually add to his responsibilities). I take issue with the Trent- A. Rodgers comparisons. Rodgers had three years to sit and learn at the knee of the great one before he saw the field (and yes I know the Pack has a much more complex offence than we do-but the simplicity of our schemes engenders its own problems, for example total predictability, which in the NFL represents a kind of suicide). And he sucked pretty badly before he started to come into his own. He was not what he is today from the get go. I almost regret (though not really) to say that Chad Henne is the real deal. What a game he had against the Jets last month. But Sparano and the OC there have been extremely careful to bring him along in a very measured manner. They are also good coaches. Trent has had none of that, and it is crucial. Ron Jaworski has said many times how lucky he was to have Dick Vermeil. Then I look at guys like Jason Campbell. I see a ton of talent and little success. But I also see a dysfunctional organization featuring lousy coaches, just as we have had here. I don't think I am a Trent apologist. And there are things about his personality that turn my stomach too. I'm just tying to figure things out and find the truth. Many people, me included, think he has enough in the way of physical tools. He is also clearly intelligent, how much I don't know, but certainly smart enough to learn the playbook. So the problems are mental (as well as with the playbook itself) and perhaps attitudinal/psychological. He needs to find some balls and some nasty. He needs to hit Donte in the back of the head with his best fastball next practice - "sorry Donte, it just slipped out of my hand, and BTW if you run your f@#kin mouth again I'll kill you". Then go out and back it up with a good game. Maybe if all this doesn't kill Trent, it will make him stronger. Here's hoping (a forelorn hope, I expect). I am also with those who think TO has a lot to do with the QB change. TO is not a tolerant man, nor should he be. No great player is. Nice apple pie Tom Brady publicly dissed Joey Galloway, formerly an outstanding WR, with bad body language exactly like TO did Trent. Galloway was released. Trent has been benched. You cannot ignore TO. He is like a mountain in the middle of the road. He looks even bigger in a confined space like a clubhouse. It is easy for this future HOFmer, who can still get it done, to influence the views of his younger teammates on both sides of the ball. It is clear that this team was about to implode at the end of the Titan's game. The sideline hysterics were both a reflection of this and a catalyst for change. Whether you like the Tampa 2 or not, I get the impression that Perry Fewell is a man i.e. not a coward. After last week can't really see how he could start Trent this week. Once he gets things under better control (including TO) it will be interesting to see whether he reverts to Trent. Why should he? Because RF has zero upside and, though it might take a miracle, I think Trent might. "Its my job and I'm going to take it" -hilarious.

Agreed. One of the best coaches and finest men in the game (still don't know about Vick though).

Spartacus, this is a good board. There is another one thats good and a third that seems to be reserved for alchoholics.

Right, or maybe you're just a bonehead.