Bilgewater

A fascinating article from today's NY Times on how to build a dynasty. I hope Buddy, Chan, everyone at OBD commits this to memory: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/sports/football/01linebackers.html?ref=sports The keys: draft quality humans, and teach them.

As long as you mute the sound, this is a great game.

To reduce concussions -- and injuries generally -- the league need do one thing: ban artificial turf. Head injuries, ACL/MCL tears, staph infections, etc., all would be reduced significantly on grass. Of course, players would get muddy, and domes would be obsolete, but the players would last much longer. And isn't that the point? Of course, this could never happen: TV fans prefer the bright green of nylon grass.

Concur. Too many marketing yahoos opt for what kids in the 'hood might buy, rather than respect for tradition. Whole marketing schemes are directed at 13 year-old boys. Look at the Saints' Championship hats: no one over the age of 25 would wear that abortion in public. But a plain black hat with a gold fleur-de-lis? Classic. Professional teams also like change for change's sale. Think of the Sabres' switch to Black and Red when the Rigases took over. All those fans in Cheektowaga had to put away their SabreJaks and buy new stuff. That put money right into the Rigases hands, even though the Blue and Gold had a winning and storied history. Nothing beats the throwback uniforms. Whatever Joe D. wore pulling around the end in the Rockpile is what we should wear today. A team's uniform is its identity. Winners do not screw around with tradition. They were the same clothers their fathers wore. They worry about how to get the job done, not what they look like on HD. Yankees, Red Sox, Steelers, Colts, Packers, Penn State, Alabama, etc., all win with uniforms that haven't changed in years. Change is for losers and expansion teams.

Whenever I focused on Posluszny this season, he did not impress. When he stunts, he is fine to very good. But he gets caught up in the wash when he flows, and I never saw him shed a block. We were terribly soft in the middle this season. Time after time, he was blocked by a pulling guard or tackle, and taken out of the play. It seemed like our safeties and DB's were making all our tackles on RB's. So if our LB's are getting blocked by O linemen in a 4-3, where we have 4 down linemen on their 5 or 6, isn't it just going to get worse if we switch to a 3-4? We have no DT that can occupy the guard and center every play. Nor do we have any speed burner DE's that will force the offense to keep in the TE or RB for pass protection. It seems to me that the 3-4 will just make Poz, Mitchell, Ellison, Draft and the rest of the Lollipop Guild dead men walking. What am I missing? Or is the thought that we start from scratch with all new bodies? Or am I wrong about Posluszny?

I am thinking about getting season tickets this year. I do not want the Bills to move when RW passes, and I want to help keep them here however I can. Are the club seats worth it? How much are they for a season? Is there also a long term contract or license required? Thanks, Bilgewater

The two best posts I've read on the hire have been by kzoomike and rpcolosi. Strong work, gentlemen. And this is the best thread of the day. Let's keep our powder dry and hold Gailey to his word: "You've got to win football games."

As Nix said -- and we should hold him to this -- you have to win football games. So we need to withhold final judgment until the whistle blows. But, I would argue that this hire is honest in many ways. Gailey, at least for now, may be a good fit for the team we have, if not for the team we wish we had. We have real weaknesses in our line and our QB. We have a young team. We made too many thoughtless mistakes, especially with penalties. We need, as Nix said, a coach who can teach and develop talent. The Bills are not yet a playoff team, but we have the talent at some spots to get there soon. Nix, I sense, knows our problems, and he is hiring a staff of teachers and discilplinarians, rather than innovators. Think Lombardi, not Leach. First, Gailey possesses many of the qualities Nix said he wanted in a coach at his first presser. That tells me Nix is a man of his word, and that he chooses his words carefully. The good ole' boy, aw shucks stuff masks a canny mind. Second, all of us on the Board know we need someone who can fix our QB problem. Gailey has done that in the past. He is obviously a teacher. Third, he wants to run the ball, which is also something everyone on this board demands. Fourth, he went out of his way to mention character, and how the players behave on and off the field. The Bills, thankfully, have not had the nightmares of other teams on this issue, but we do have problems. The Board has been very vocal about that, and I am impressed he feels it is part of a coach's job to work on that. Again, he needs to win games. For now, though, I am sold.

I am certain Dierdorf has no idea of the origin of the phrase, "It's your turn in the barrel."