dpberr

Easy keys to Bills success IMO (alone): No expensive FAs over the age of 30. No FAs with just one great contract year of production to show you. No first round draftees, especially guys who rely on speed and twitch, with blown out knees, and who won't be ready to show you anything before draft day. No first round draftees with known chronic injuries or chronic health issues. No first round draftees you plan on playing out of their natural position. No first round draftees who have never been in shape or have a difficult time staying in football shape.

I don't know who they feel believes what they are selling. The gas prices and inflation hit everyone hard, but they especially hit seniors, lower income families and single parent households with sledgehammers. 61% of the US lives paycheck to paycheck, and that's nearly 2/3rds of our citizens just grinding it out daily, not really getting ahead. Go out and buy an electric car? Really??? I'm amazed at the lack of the doing absolutely anything about it either or offering a path forward, or offering any confidence that things will get better. The President for the most part shrugs his shoulders, mutters "eh, what are you going to do, right?", and goes on with his day.

Poland had no intention of starting a world war, regardless of US strong arming. The question is why the US is going out of its way to intensify, not de-escalate this conflict. See any ambassador meetings on the news? Nope. Any Biden-Putin calls? Nope.

No, for two reasons. 1. Pedestrian production. Bucs were using him as a blocker. With TB12 and his 5,000 passing yards at the helm. 2. Not many players come completely back from a full tear of the Achilles.

Russia will respond by shutting Nord Stream 1.

I think the government will find a "reason" to stop prosecuting this case. Quietly. One, the facts of the case will be lay bare that federal agents largely created the scenario. Two, it requires identifying agents. Three, it'll expose tactics and strategies, and they really don't want to do that.

The irony is that the US will likely use more coal to generate electricity in 2021 and 2022 than we did in the last decade, and I'll speculate that the four years in the Biden administration will see record coal consumption for generation. Coal companies here in PA can't find enough workers and can't fill the orders fast enough. Just like President Obama was the best salesperson a gun company could ever have, Biden will be the President that brings back the coal industry.

I think the Jags will trade that for the cornucopia of picks. There's no Bruce Smith there and I'd never take an OL #1 overall. They don't move the needle that much. I also wouldn't want to pay back to back #1 picks in the event they both turn out to be great. Hard to build a good team around them financially.

I remember that. ...and coincidentally, the hundreds of billions of dollars in free federal money has also ran out. ...and coincidentally, just like its cousins MERS and SARS that also faded out after two years, a natural source of COVID remains elusive. MERS only reappeared with a brief outbreak after a Chinese scientist lost containment of it in a lab as he was studying it.

Changing Steeler fan demographics (younger, far, far, far less disposable income than previous generations, older fans like retirees start restricting spending) Gambling. The sportsbook experience offers something new for the die hard fan that enjoys FF and gambling. Steep increase in costs for parking, food, etc., which leads you back to #1. I personally don't think it has much to do with the product on the field and I don't' think the Steelers are alone with attendance issues. I know many of you spend a lot of your hard earned money on the Bills for seasons tickets, and the Bills should be thankful for every one of you, especially in these challenging economic times.

I agree although he doesn't have a lot of talent to throw to behind an ok line. I could see him taking a lot of sacks next year if he's a Steeler.

I thought I was pretty in the know on NFL players until I read this thread. I've never heard of this player. 😀

He and Jaylon Smith lost their passion for playing football. Perhaps being on the Cowboys does that. If I were his agent, I'd be looking to sign a 1-year prove it deal where he goes out and performs to his very capable level, and then go out and get another contract. But not in Buffalo.

The other component in the US is the nation's declining refining capacity. In 2014, the last gas price spike, the US had 142 operating gasoline refineries. In 2021, it's 129. Refining crude oil through a straw. In 1990, the US had 205 gasoline refineries in operation. https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=8_NA_8O0_NUS_C&f=A

$6/gal. gas for months is going to change minds if the absurdity at the grocery store hasn't already.

That's my big problem with weak sauce NATO. They are content on giving them defensive weapons only like anti-air, anti-tank weapons straight out of the Afghanistan 1980 playbook. I think the Poles and a couple other countries wanted to send them some fighter jets and NATO stepped in and stopped it because it'd be too "aggressive."

I voted no trade, primarily because I see a Marcel Dareus situation if you want him to be the RB. You'll get one great year out of him to get that contract and then the production will fall precipitously. Besides the major injury concerns, I think those injuries have mentally got to him, which is 100% understandable. If you pay him, you pay him as a receiver from the backfield with a lot less RB runs.

This conflict is about natural gas reserves and pipelines. I think everything else is just story. Russia pays $7billion (over 5 years) to push their gas through Ukraine to Europe. They also have untold billions of natural gas deposits in their part of the Black Sea. If you're Russia, imagine the control you'd have with the supply and means to deliver the supply by cutting out the middle man, not to mention you no longer have to pay Ukraine the rent for your sub base. If you're the West, imagine if you could get Ukraine to hand over their pipelines to a Western company. It's happened before. The whole Iranian mess begins with the US and UK overthrowing the elected leader of Iran in the 50s (Operation Ajax) because he didn't want to give the West the Iranian oil infrastructure.

If the Biden administration had any interest in "healing" the country as they often said they were interested in doing during the campaign, all you had to do was some summary trespassing charges, be done with it and move on. However, just like COVID, they will wait until their polling is on fire to realize its a huge nothing burger for anyone but the most hardcore Democrat.

Aren't we really discussing generational "wealth"? I don't think there's such a thing as generational money. Money is an input into wealth but it's not the only input. It's just the income. You can make $10 million dollars a year. The person who blows it all on conspicuous consumption is a different wealthy from the one that hides it all in the walls of his house as cash or the one who takes that same money and invests it into real estate, the stock market, etc. The wealthy in this country, even historically, weren't Scrooge McDuck swimming in a room full of greenbacks. Their wealth was in lots of things. Any NFL player can be generationally wealthy - it depends on what he does with that income.

He's the type of all-in signing the Bills will need to look at over the next 1-3 years. You need a home run hitter in that unit.

The Europeans are slaves to Russian energy. The persistent closures of coal and nuclear plants have strategic consequences. I don't think the Germans, for example, are stupid. They want to save the planet, and they traded their sovereignty for it. Energy independence should be the top strategic initiative for any sovereign nation. You're not exactly calling your own shots if you aren't. The Germans (and Europe) won't do anything. They freeze to death if the Russians shut the gas off.

Oh I'm with you on this one. I'd enjoy the games without the announcers, and they are no longer a necessary feature of the broadcast.

I'm still amused Aikman is considered on-air "talent."

I don't expect Michigan to do what needs doing.