hondo in seattle

Yep. I live in Seattle and know that Tacoma is not the size of Rochester but the point is valid. Seattle has all of Washington to itself. Denver has all of Colorado. Green Bay may be a smaller city than Buffalo but they enjoy the support of the whole state. Buffalo shares NY with 2 other NFL clubs in the more populous part of the state. If we don't regionalize into Canada, we're in trouble.

According to WGR: Thurman also talked about the running back position and remarked how the presence of both Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller reminds him of when he and Kenneth Davis were partners in the backfield. As were many Bills fans, Thomas was impressed with Spiller’s performance last season after Jackson went down with a season ending injury in week 11.

Dr. House, thanks for the link. I don't usually learn much from the national media types who seem to know a lot about the NFL in general but little about the Bills specifically. However, I thought Bucky's analysis, clips and screen grabs about how Chan uses CJ and FredEx differently were interesting and illuminating.

It seems like Chan likes players who bring unique gifts. Brad Smith isn't a Fitz clone, for example - his skill set allows Chan the Mad Scientist to play with different ideas. CJ and FredEx have very different running styles and are used somewhat differently thus making the Bills hard to prepare for. Etc. But maybe you are right in that TJ (and Easley) give Chan all the speed he needs outside making Clowney and his quick feet (not to mention his tweeted AIDS tests) expendable. It remains to be seen if the Bills have a valid #2 but we do seem to have a lot of depth. Some good WRs won't make this roster.

My argument may not be overwhelmingly compelling but it goes something like this. When Nix/Gailey cut Lee Evans I wondered if they didn't value speedy outside guys either because of Chan's offensive scheme or Fitz's weakish arm or the fact the Bills QBs didn't have a lot of time to throw deep. I now think differently. We've drafted a couple speedy receivers in higher rounds over the last few drafts, clearly needing someone to stretch the defense. It seems to me Chan does indeed value outside speed and Clowney has it. As I recall, he runs the 40 in something like 4.3. And btw, I think Hagan was the late season desperation pickup. We didn't sign Clowney until January to compete for a roster spot this season. Hagan won't beat out Jones for #2 but could be a competent back-up (nothing more or less). Clowney won't be a starter either but his elite speed will have situational value. I don't know Hagan very well but he seems to me just another guy. Clowney is a speedster and brings something special to the table.

I'm a Chris Kelsay fan for the same reason I'm a Vince Young fan - he wears a Bills uniform. I hope Chris proves all his detractors wrong this year.

I picked Clowney to stay instead of Hagan. Otherwise the same. Didn't we keep 5 WRs (plus Brad Smith and a couple on PS) last year? Considering the 4 WR sets we run - and the talent we have at WR - it seems like we ought to keep 6 + Brad.

Thanks for joining in... I appreciate your point of view. However, while Tim certainly didn't morph into Sully and wasn't entirely negative, he was more Negative Nancy than usual in his Florio interview. Tim's predicting 8-8 or 9-7... says playoffs are possible but doesn't seem optimistic.

I would say this is optimistic but then the Senator has 90 Bills being named to the Pro Bowl!

BuffaloBills.com asks a good question today: Who will go to the Pro Bowl this season? (Assuming, of course, there is a Pro Bowl). We haven't sent a lot of players to Hawaii over the past decade partly because we've been devoid of talent and partly because players on losing teams don't get noticed. But I think we solve both those handicaps this year. We have some elite talent this year and I think the Bills will finally post a winning record. Some guys I think might be candidates are FredEx, Stevie, the Williams twins, and Marcel. And our front four could help some of our LBs and DBs tally good seasons. Who would you add to the list?

I like Berman for all the times he predicted the Bills to win the Super Bowl. The guys alright with me.

One of the reasons that Buffalonians are die-hard football fans is because we don't have a major league baseball or basketball team to cheer for. For some reason, NBC Sports decided to rub a little salt in that wound today. Sadly, I'm old enough to remember when we had an NBA team and MLB dreams... Buffalo’s MLB team that wasn’t Craig Calcaterra Jul 10, 2012, 2:31 PM EDT 16 Comments Buffalo NY Great article about Coca-Cola Field – formerly known as Pilot Field — in Buffalo. The ballpark that, back in the late 80s and early 90s, was constantly outdrawing a couple of major league teams every years. Forgotten now was that the park was built to be expanded, with the specific intent of luring a major league team. But, as Mark Byrnes explains in The Atlantic, it was never to be: Ownership and the city did everything it was supposed to do. It built spectacular facilities and filled it up each game those first three and a half seasons, even outdrawing two Major League teams. So when June of 1991 came and Denver and Miami were given the two expansion franchises, the city’s pursuit of big time baseball ended as deflating heartbreak to a population just months into coping with ‘Wide Right.’ It was the right thing done at the wrong time, as the economics of Major League Baseball were on the brink of a fundamental shift, and smaller cities without major media and corporate power were no longer welcome at the big boy’s table. It’s a dynamic that, had it existed earlier, would have kept Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and a host of other cities out of Major League Baseball. http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/10/buffalos-mlb-team-that-wasnt/

Well, yep, he is. Why else would we be $7 million under the cap????

When I grew up in Cheektowaga, I was as much a Browns fan as a Bills fan. The first NFL game I watched maybe 40 years ago was between the Browns and the Cowboys. The Browns were losing by double-digits when I turned on the tube so - being a kid - I naturally rooted for them as the underdogs. And sure enough, they came back to win. In my high school days, I wouldn't care much who won in a Cleveland vs. Buffalo contest. But when I went out-of-state for college, I noticed that I started following the Bills more closely. It was my way, I think, of staying connected with my Buffalo and the people I left behind. Over the years, I've lived in Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Korea, Saudi Arabia, California and Washington. And, instead of dissipating, my loyalty to the Bills has only grown stronger. Even after all these losing seasons, I've never abandoned the Bills for the local favorite. And when I first moved away, I was desperate for news about the Bills. When I did get any, it was usually pretty general. Now I'm on TBD virtually every day and can name more players now than when I lived in Buffalo/Cheektowaga. So thanks to everyone here for keeping me informed and connected!

If I was invited, I probably would have gone. And, then I suppose, someone would ask "Who the hell does he think he is?" And I wouldn't care as long as I had fun.

The way Buddy and Chan have talked since drafting Glenn, I expect him to start at LT. Obviously, they say it's a competition. What else would they say? And I'm sure it actually is. I just think both Buddy and Chan expect Glenn to win that competition.

+1

This reminds me of the late 80s when good things were starting to happen and many fans had that feeling we were heading in the right direction. I like this coaching staff. I like the FO. We're assembling a lot of talented players who leave it all on the field. I don't think we're quite ready for Super Bowl run yet but the playoffs seem realistic for the first time in geologic eras.

I deleted the Jim Kelly story. By all accounts Jim is a devoted & good father and husband these days. But, by his own admission, Jim liked the ladies when he first came to Buffalo. Who can blame him? Personally, I think stories about misspent youth often can be amusing when we've grown and matured since then as Jim obviously have. However, some people were apparently offended when my story reminded them of Jim's youthful follies. So the little Kelly tidbit is gone. I have no desire to offend any Bill fan anywhere. And, yeah, I know the original post was not very meaty. But it's the offseason and I don't often meet people with personal, inside knowledge of the Bills or anyone on the Bills team/staff so I thought I'd share. It was nice to hear so many good things about Pete from someone who knows him. I hope hPete helps make our TEs more productive this year.

I had dinner tonight with someone who's known Pete Metzelaars since Wabash. Says Pete was recruited to play football at bigger schools (Bo Schembechler tried to get him to Michigan) but Pete wanted to play both football and basketball and so went to Wabash. Pete's nickname, at least on the basketball team, was "The Red Headed Woodpecker." The gentleman from Wabash says that, unlike a lot of other athletes who made a lot of money in sports, Pete stayed humble and down-to-earth. Says Pete's a solid human being.

I never knew we used Buffalo Bill as an icon for our Bills. These are cool program covers with flair and character. Your dad was a talented artist and I'm sure a worthy man in many other ways as well. Condolences to you and your family.

Personally, I HATED North Dallas Forty. I'm old enough that I saw that one in the theaters and quickly regretted wasting my money. I have no problems with the rest of your list. Brian's Song wasn't a great big Hollywood movie but I'll confess my eyes watered when first seeing it (the original) on TV. Rudy wasn't fascinating every minute but the ending was very moving and inspirational.

"Most of the holes" were filled. But this roster had so many problems, they couldn't fill all of them. The Bills are hardly the only team really hoping their starting QB doesn't get hurt. I'd rather praise the FO for what they did accomplish than criticize them for what they didn't. Not all draft picks or FA signing will work out. I hope VY does work out as a second-stringer. When you look at his physical skills and his 'resume,' there's some reason to believe he can be a good back-up, maybe more. But every signing is a gamble and perhaps we'll lose this one. I'm still really pleased with the FO and the offseason they just completed.

Good nicknames like "The Purple People Eaters" and "The Steel Curtain" have some specificity. There had been a song about "purple people eaters" but who else in the NFL at the time could have adopted that nickname? Only the Vikes. "Steel Curtain" is cool because curtains are usually soft but this one is made of steel. Only the Steelers could use this nickname. Some of the suggestions here for the Bills D Line (Boom & Doom, Beef Curtain) are too generic. My faves so far are Bill Collectors and Buffalo Stampede. The former is more clever, I think, but the latter is more dynamic and thus my #1 pick so far.

How Fitz can be better? Getting no broken/bruised ribs! Not trying to force the ball into tight windows when we're down (i.e. better decision making). Better accuracy on long balls (maybe Lee helps here).