hondo in seattle

I don't get all the Tim Graham negativity regarding this article. Some see this as Bills-bashing, Maybin-kissing. But I agree with Steve that Maybin doesn't look particularly great in Tim's portrayal. TG gives us the POV of one of the great draft busts of Bills history. The article is a good peak under the tent into Maybin's surreal kaleidoscope world. Maybin comes across as an interesting young man - certainly not the stereotypical jock. But I don't like the Bills any less or Maybin any more because of Tim's article.

Yep. We already have good pass rushers. Why sign someone with his character issues to add so little?

Wow. You don't have much faith in Pegula's business acumen! Yep, Terry grew a multibillion dollar business from nothing because he's poor at evaluating the business acumen of the people in his organizations.

Can't disagree. Athletes do stuff like this all the time. They're young, rich, immature and horny. I'm not defending the behavior - I just don't think we should make too big a deal about this. It's not illegal and other players have done far worse. I wish every Bill was as classy as Fred Jackson. Realistically, that'll never happen.

Yep, it's complicated. Yet sandlot football players seem to get it right. It's a catch if you catch the ball. It's not if you don't.

For many, playing in the NFL is a dream job. Not for Maybin. And while Maybin brings up some good points, you wonder about the psychology of a man who feels being a NFL player is anything akin to being a slave. Every job has its pros and cons. Maybe seems to delve into the cons of being a professional athlete far more than the pros. The dark side of professional sports effects him more deeply than it effects other players. And yet he's been a huge beneficiary of one of the pros of the being a NFL player - money - and he's used his money well. Really good article by TG. TheLynchTrain wanted more fact-checking by Graham. It's a fair request - some of Maybin's claims stretch credulity. But I don't think Tim's aim was to write a balanced, objective article. I think he was attempting to give a glimpse of Maybin's life through Maybin's eyes. And I think he succeeded.

I would prefer Bills players to be virtuous. But Shady's vices are hardly unique - or very serious. I've heard stories that some single Bills players once season pitched in their money to fund a bachelor pad for these kinds of parties. Young men will be young men. I like Fred Jackson better and respect him more. But these kinds of antics from Shady won't make me cheer any less enthusiastically when he breaks lose into NE's secondary.

The problem with Rodak isn't that he's always wrong. He's not. Rodak knows more about the Bills than the average NFL fan - but less about the Bills than many Bills fans. And that's the problem.

I get the basic argument that Kiko was good value while Shady is not. Shady is a premium player at a premium price. A NFL team has to limit how many premium priced players they have. You want value - for example like the Seahawks have with Russel Wilson who has been terribly underpaid for his level of contribution. Nonetheless, Whaley had few options. We don't have a franchise QB and none were available. Well, if you can't pass, you need to be able to run. If you don't have a franchise QB, you must have a franchise RB if you expect to compete.

I'm getting the same vibe about Lal. He's big on route-running technique but also good at the interpersonal part of coaching. From what I've been reading, I'm not expecting either Harvin or Incognito to be locker room cancers. And I expect both to do well on the field this year.

I tend to agree with quinn early's ghost. I'm certain we have a good DLine. I'm uncertain about Rivers, how much he has left, and how well he would perform in Roman's offense. To trade away a certainty for an uncertainty would make me nervous.

I know others feel differently, but that's why I'm not into fantasy football. I don't want to spend my time analyzing player statistics. I'd be into analytics if I was a coach. But as a fan, I'll read the occasional stats-guru article but that's it. The game itself is exciting and is full of human drama. The numbers, not so much. Anyway, most authors of analytics based articles don't seem to understand statistics, or the flaws in their methodology, or just don't care. Often someone just wants some numbers, no matter how flawed, to back a pre-existing opinion.

Nice play! I'm actually surprised it took 4 pages to come out.

Welcome to the forum, BuffJim. Thanks for your first post. And I don't disagree. But don't get used to that. However rational and well-supported your opinion may be, someone will nearly always offer a contrary point of view.

Chan Gailey made a bad offensive line look better. Roman will do the same. But can he turn EJ into the latter version of Alex Smith?

When Rex 'forgot' Brown's name, I figured he was the odd man out. I still think so, though it wouldn't totally shock me if Boobie was released instead. I'd be sorely disappointed if it was Fred who was bumped from the roster. I've never seen Karlos play, but the more I read about him, the more I expect to see him in a Bills uni during the regular season. Good point. There's a realistic possibility that one of these five guys will get hurt.

I can see injuries leading a coach to call a player done. But ego? Leopards don't change their spots - I get that. But RG3 is only 25 and still maturing as a man. His desire to succeed can still overcome his resistance to feedback (if true).

There's some wisdom in here. But I would never take a job if I didn't have the resources to excel.

Supposedly, Pettine had something to do with the firing of Dr. Jamil Northcutt who apparently didn't always getting along well with the coaching staff. Northcutt was the Director of Player Engagement and a favorite of Farmer. What does a "Director of Player Engagement" actually do for a living? http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Browns-name-Jamil-Northcutt-director-of-player-engagement/2bbbbd18-060d-419e-af71-080bd54324f3

I admit I never thought of this either. It makes sense. Looking back, we know that Marrone didn't endear himself to everyone. In retrospect, he certainly doesn't appear like a competent HC. Pettine could have easily decided that the Cleveland opportunity, despite its flaws and dangers, was still better than hanging out with Marrone indefinitely in Buffalo.

It was probably pointless but I had to try.

I usually tip about 10% for really poor service and 25 to 30% for really good service. If you give me bad service, there's a penalty. But not as harsh as what Shady did. Nonetheless, you can't judge the guy by one bad tip. This is just one moment in the big totality of his life. Is there a pattern here?

Here's my take on this debate... The season will answer many of our questions. All the name calling supporting one position or the other isn't helpful or polite. It doesn't persuade anyone and at this point I don't think anyone's changing their mind until the season gets underway. Regardless of what we think the likelihood of EJ developing into a franchise QB, we should all support the guy as long as he dons a Bills uni every Sunday.

Drew Brees. I'm partial because I'm a Purdue alum but I enjoy his game and how he throws guys open. His skills, however, are probably in decline. While we're on the Saints, I hope CJ does well this year. And I second Khalil Mack because of the Buffalo connection and it's good to see a MAC guy do well in the pros.

When you look at our top 3 WRs and top TE, it looks like we ought to be a passing team. We have the weapons. And, btw, our starting RB one season pulled in 78 catches. But then we have Roman for an OC and ? for a QB. I guess if I was a WR, I'd be disappointed.