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hondo in seattle

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Everything posted by hondo in seattle

  1. But this comes from a very small sample. How many 37 year old NFL QBs did they actually analyze? It's easier to be an outlier of a small sample set than a large one.
  2. We need a new stadium mostly because the NFL says we do. Otherwise, I don't think the stadium is vital to the financial viability of a NFL franchise in Buffalo. TV revenue is shared equally among the 32 NFL clubs. So are NFL licensed products. Together, I believe, they account for something like 70% of a team's revenue. Even gate receipts are shared with, as I recall, 60% of ticket sales going to the home team and 40% to the visiting team. What the Bills make at the Ralph is only a small portion of their overall income. The sale of luxury suites is a big thing for teams because I believe the home team gets all the revenue from luxury suites. In Dallas, for example, that can be a very big deal. Nonetheless, thanks mostly to revenue sharing, the Bills pulled in revenues of about $256 million last year (despite not fielding a winning team since woolly mammoths walked the earth) which is average-ish and more than viable teams like the 49ers, the Vikes, Chargers, Chiefs, Falcons, Raiders, etc. Our new owners can make more money somewhere like L.A. where they could fill more luxury suites. But they'll make money in Buffalo too, regardless of what happens with the stadium debate.
  3. Polian's opinion is interesting because obviously he knows both the NFL and Buffalo. I believe if Poloncarz keeps his mouth shut, he's not doing his job as an elected official. He should advocate for Erie County because the future of the stadium - and the fate of the Bills - are hugely important to his constituency. I just hope his counsel is wise and that his work effectively helps the process.
  4. We gave up a lot of rushing yards simply because we faced a lot of rushing attempts. Bills opponents ran against the Bills 507 times last year - most in the league. This was partly because we ran a up-tempo offense that didn't stay on the field long and partly because our opponents were often comfortable to sit on their lead given our offense rarely did much. Bills opponents averaged 4.4 yards per rush which is a little worse than then NFL average. But now we have Brandon Spikes. And if Hackett can find a way to build an offense that moves the chains and actually score once in a while, our D won't face so many rushing attempts this season.
  5. When it comes to on-the-field behavior, I'd rather have Williams mentor Watkins than Stevie. Hopefully Williams will prove a good tutor to all our young wideouts.
  6. Exactly, it was a nice analysis but didn't come up with any real conclusions. Without comparative data, you can't.
  7. I don't know how anyone - Bills coaches included - could have an accurate read on EJ's future just yet. He's had streaks when he played well. He had streaks when he played poorly. Fortunately, his attitude and work ethic are both good which gives me hope. I remember a scout once explained why NFL teams - despite the big scouting departments and enormous resources - miss so often when drafting college QBs. He said that you have to make predictions because no college QB has the skills yet to excel at the NFL level. So scouts make educated guesses on which QBs will develop those skills and which won't. You never really know. Will EJ develop his missing skills? Only time will tell. But if he - and young WRs around him - live up to their potential it could be a fun few years.
  8. Although I also worry about the high price paid for Sammy, I disagree with this. It might be unreasonable to expect a rookie to be a team's dominant WR right away. I think we need to wait a few years to rate this - or any - draft.
  9. I actually think the OP's question is an interesting one. We have a lot of guys who supposedly have "potential." Williams is the only guy who has a decent number of NFL receptions but those are all with another team. I think it will be interesting to see who lives up to his potential and who develops some chemistry with EJ. EJ is young. The WR corps is young. If this all comes together, the Bills could have a potent passing attack for years to come.
  10. I think this is it exactly. I don't think OBD was happy with our guard play last year. And I don't think at this moment Whaley knows who will start at guard, or who will be cut. He does know that more competition at the position is likely to make the team better.
  11. If Rod Stewart bought the Bills, I'd worry he'd relocate the franchise to a warmer place: "Oh the snow fell without a break Buffalo died in the frozen fields you know Through the coldest winter in almost fourteen years..."
  12. Billy Sheehan of Talas for his Buffalo roots. Or Jimmy Page for the off chance he'd reunite Zeppelin for a halftime show.
  13. After being disappointed by the OL play last season, I'm really hoping this draft produces 2 starters. All three of the OL draftees seem to have starter potential if they discipline themselves and learn what they need to learn.
  14. I get that there's a lot of tradition behind the Redskins name and it was never meant to be pejorative in the first place. However, the National Council of American Indians, the Oneida Nation, the Navajo Nation, the Heart of America Indian Center, and other Indian organizations have condemned the name as offensive. Even Merriam-Webster defines "redskin" as a "usually offensive" word for an American Indian. If you were talking with a group of full-blooded American Indians would you say, "I think American Indians should..." or, "I think Redskins should..." Personally, I wouldn't refer to Indians as "Redskins" for fear of offending them. It's time for the name to be changed.
  15. Even if the allegations were true, why would the court issue a restraining order? This makes no sense.
  16. Thanks for the info about Jeffrey Miller's book. I'll have to check it out. There's something fascinating about the early, cowboy days of pro football.
  17. Ken, good luck and have fun on Murph's show. Sadly, I haven't read your book yet though it is on my Amazon Wish List. As a pro football researcher, I think it would be cool if you expanded the topic and wrote a book on the history of professional football in Buffalo prior to Ralph Wilson. I'd buy that right away. For anyone wondering about KRC's book, you can learn more and order it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-Buffalo-Bills-All-America/dp/0786446196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400785096&sr=8-1&keywords=%22Original+Buffalo+Bills%22
  18. The analysis provided in the article also shows that: "Historically quarterbacks start to hit their stride at 25..." EJ turned 24 in March.
  19. I'd say it was the 1920s when the NFL was new and exciting - and players played for the love the game and not for riches - except I'm still upset about the Staley Swindle when the Buffalo All-Americans were cheated out of the NFL title. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1921_NFL_Championship_controversy
  20. You're right. That's why Steve Largent never played in the NFL or was inducted in the Hall of Fame. Oh, wait... Largent was also clocked at 4.6 coming out of college and was once called "The Caucasian Clydesdale" be Lester "They Call Me Assassin" Hayes. Curiously, despite being slower than a 3 legged hippo, Largent averaged 23.5 yards on his 100 TD receptions. Holley's vertical, 3 cone drill and broad jump are all better than most the numbers posted by the WRs invited to the combine. He might not be fast but he is an athlete. http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2014/05/20/a-bit-more-on-wr-holley/ http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft/combine/_/id/1/sort/broad/order/true
  21. I think the Bills have had a good draft and off-season in general. I was really glad we selected 3 OL in the draft - all with potential to be starters. Our offensive line needs to get better. The talents of good skill position players can be negated by bad line play. While I'm excited about Sammy Watkins, I do wonder if the price was too high. Using two first-round draft picks to acquire one first-round talent isn't a sound draft strategy. Apparently, though, Whaley thinks Watkins will be special as a pro. I hope he's right. A lot, obviously, is riding on EJ. If EJ plays well, our draft will look better because we'll earn some wins. I think the opinion that Whaley wants to win now is both right and wrong. Of course he wants to win this season. He should be fired if he doesn't. But Whaley is clearly thinking long term, surrounding EJ with a lot of young talent. Pollock is simply writing about his experience receiving a lot of negative commentary. None of it really matters. We fans typically don't know jack about the quality of a draft. Let's see what happens in the fall.
  22. If the Fountain of Youth was relocated to Niagara Square, I'd choose Manning, Brady or Brees. But given their ages, I chose Andrew Luck though I was sorely tempted to go with Rodgers.
  23. I voted that it's too soon to tell. Every year the pundits rate everyone's draft. And often even the most knowledgeable draft gurus will give out some low grades to what turns out to be great drafts and high grades to what turns out to be poor drafts. If the smartest draft gurus don't actually know, I won't pretend to know how Whaley did on this - his only - draft. But if I had to take a stand, I'd say I like that Whaley went out and aggressively pursued some good FAs who didn't break the bank. And while the trade for Watkins was awfully expensive, I like a GM who believes in his evaluations and will do what it takes to acquire difference makers. But I really need to see the product on the field before judging Whaley.
  24. A nice article for a 22 year old college kid. OTAs and preseason will be interesting this year. A lot of guys are in tough competitions for starting positions and roster slots.
  25. I know it's a highlight reel but, man, he looks like a starter.
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