hondo in seattle

Let's say we have one of the top five rosters in the league. Theoretically, the best two rosters go to the SB so that leaves us cold. On offense, we only have two elite players: Allen and Diggs. The rest of our offense has been composed of jags. We haven't had any elite linemen and overall, our OL is below average. To maximize Josh's talents, and keep him healthy, we need a much better OL. Our secondary could have been good last year if it hadn't been obliterated by injury. Our DL couldn't get pressure once Von got hurt. I'm not sure where you see all this roster greatness. It's a good roster for sure - just not SB quality. Given the injuries, we weren't even 13-3 quality last year yet McD got us 13 wins. I know your mind's made up and I respect your knowledge of the Bills. But on McD, you and I (and others) will just have to disagree.

McD has taken a lot of criticism from the fans over the past couple years, some of it well-deserved. But Beane has yet to give him a Super Bowl quality roster. Just take one position group as an example: OL.

Since you mentioned sample size, let's talk about it. Last year, we McD won 13 of 16 regular season games. Yesterday, we played poorly in a preseason game.

Younger folks don't understand how preternaturally special OJ was as a player (ignoring for a moment how horrible he was as a human being). While today we talk about franchise quarterbacks, in the old days most offenses were built around running backs. RBs won more Heismans than QBs and were the #1 overall draft pick more often. In those day, the best athletes became RBs. Back then defenses were designed to stop RBs unlike the defenses of today that are schemed more for the pass. So forget nickel and dime. You needed more guys at the line of scrimmage to prevent the likes of Jim Brown and OJ from getting into the open field where they'd destroy you. And LBs back then weren't small rangy guys with good coverage skills. They were hulking, violent thumpers like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, and Jack Lambert who would hit you so hard that your internal organs would burst out your anus. And rules favored the defense back then. For example, hash marks were spread further apart, making sweeps and other wide plays predictable. And blockers couldn't use their hands like they can today. Rules allowed for more brutal tackling back then, too (you could lead with your helmet, etc.). In his time - at the tail end of the golden era of RBs - OJ stood head-and-shoulders above his talented peers. In 1973, OJ nearly doubled the rushing output of the next-best guy (2003 yards vs. 1144). What RB, before or since, has ever been that dominant? As a matter of fact, what QB has ever been that statistically dominant? Certainly not Brady, the consensus GOAT - he was never close to OJ's level of superiority. OJ's dominance was unmatched. Bills opponents schemed, practiced, and planned with one thing in mind: slow OJ down. They put Pro Bowl spies on him. But OJ was an unstoppable Force of Nature.

First of all, I agree with you that the Bills will still have a good season. And I have not given up on the SB. In fact, I probably consider our chances somewhat better than last year. But as far as having your cake and eating it too... Obviously, it's a challenge to build a good roster with the constraints of the salary cap. But if I could change just one of Beane's choices, it would be the signing of Von Miller. As much as I like Von, I think that money could have been better spent elsewhere - like on the offensive line. Considering your avatar, I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say the OL is that important. A good OL would create holes for our backs which would make our offense more multifaceted and dangerous (and more potent on bad weather days). It would give more time for Josh to throw which would give the receivers more time to get open. And, importantly, it would protect Josh from injury. I'm not whining about MLB or WR#2 or RB#1 or our other roster shortfalls. Just OL. I think it should be a bigger priority.

Of course, this is true. But if you have Lombardi aspirations, I think you want a better OL than the one you have right now. Josh Allen is both the most expensive player on the field and the most valuable. He needs a capable bodyguard. I wasn't hoping for a good OL this year, merely an average one. With our OTs, I question if we can even attain mediocrity. And if Dawkins gets hurt... well, that's a frightening thought.

If they were content, I don't think they would have signed Shell if the offseason. With Shell's sudden retirement, I imagine they are discontent - as they should be.

Some quotes from Lewis... “Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system. Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.” “What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close. They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”

Really?

The story keeps getting sadder and sadder.

I don't know, LeGOATski. I've been following football for 50+ years. From what I've seen, players - including good ones - sometimes get into scraps in camp for all sorts of reasons. I don't think you can read a lot into it.

I agree it's nonsensical, but I'm not convinced it's entirely about the money. I think maybe Oher feels hurt because someone convinced him the Touhy family used him. But it's hard to know motivation unless you know Oher personally. In any case, it's a sad situation. Oher used to be family with the Tuohy's. Seems that's over. Bad for all sides.

Neither sarcastic nor naive. I don't know the Tuohy's personally, but I know people who do. You don't need to educate me about businessmen - I know many. To be more specific, I know a lot of successful Taco Bell franchisees. And they're like everyone else. Some are principled and good-hearted. Some aren't. From what I've heard even before the movie came out, the Tuohy's are among the good ones. Sean Tuohy's story makes sense to me: The studio bought the rights to The Blind Side (Michael Lewis) from the author, not the Tuohy's, so the family didn't make a lot of money from the movie. Sean's story is consistent with his reputation, and I think it's the most believable explanation in the media so far. You can disagree if you want but try to do it in a civil manner without the name-calling. Thanks.

Elsewhere, I read he sold for $213 million. And he still owns 11 Taco Bells which probably nets him roughly $2 million/year. He's not hurting for money. It's hard to imagine him, with the kind of financial resources he has, throwing his morals and values to the wind to screw his 'adopted' son for a little more money that he doesn't really need.

It's weird because the Tuohy's are wealthy and so is Oher (I would think). Neither side needs the cash. So why cheat, lie, and fight?

Makes absolute sense. I was thinking about the evolution of words... Jack Tatum once wrote a book called, "They Call Me Assassin." He got that nickname (gave it to himself?) because he was a hard-hitting safety. It had nothing to do with the original meaning of the word which had to do with a murderous medieval Persian religious sect. Sadly, the self-monikered 'Assassin' paralyzed Darryl Stingley with a vicious hit and I doubt if Stingley's family appreciated the nickname Tatum still embraced. I get your friend. But, for me, the word mafia which once meant 'swagger' evolved in Sicily to refer to a criminal organization. It further morphed in the U.S. to refer to a group of people bound together by their mutual and excessive enthusiasm for their team.

Professor, like your peer, I hated the expression "Bills Mafia" at first because of its association with the Italian mafia. But it's grown on me. Words take on new meanings over time. The word "mafia" didn't always refer to evil criminal organizations. From Wikipedia: The word mafia (English: /ˈmɑːfiə/; Italian: [ˈmaːfja]) derives from the Sicilian adjective mafiusu, which, roughly translated, means "swagger", but can also be translated as "boldness" or "bravado". In reference to a man, mafiusu (mafioso in Italian) in 19th century Sicily signified "fearless", "enterprising", and "proud", according to scholar Diego Gambetta.[4] In reference to a woman, however, the feminine-form adjective mafiusa means 'beautiful' or 'attractive'. I like the original meaning of the word a lot as the foundation of our nickname. Of course, in American parlance "mafia" now has two meanings, one having to do with criminal organization and the other having to do with the most rabid fans in the NFL. It's the second we embrace and honor.

It's hard to put the Bills in the top three... On defense, our star players have age/injury worries: Hyde, Poyer, Tre, Von. On offense, our OL still isn't good.

Thanks for the info! This is new to me. I have a Firestick. So if purchase Unlimited TV, I can register it in Buffalo and see live Buffalo TV? Including all Bills games? No need for Sunday Ticket? Great stuff if I'm understanding it right.

I think Shaw is right: we let Gabe walk and blame the cap. If Kincaid develops the way we hope, Josh will have two elite targets next year: Diggs and Kincaid. And then we'll fill the gaps with the other (affordable) guys we have who aren't bad. And maybe we draft a WR and enjoy his cheap rookie contract. If we hadn't signed Von for his big contract, we could have afforded a talented veteran WR and OL. Now we can't. I do get, btw, Beane's philosophy. It's a passing league so he gives out the biggest salaries to a star QB, star WR, star CB, and a star DE. We just can't afford two big-ticket players at any position. And personally, at this point, I'd rather spend money on the OL than on Gabe. I'm tired of our expensive, talented QB getting mauled. A better O line would give us a running game. And it would give Josh more time to scan for receivers. And that would make the passing game better, with or without Gabe.

I'm clueless. What's this???

I know far more about the Bills than the rosters of other teams. But if I had to rank them, it would be like this: 1. KC 2. Philly 3. Cincy 4. Bills 5. 49ers There are some other teams, particularly in the AFC (Ravens, Fins) knocking on the door of the Top Five. The Bills don't have the best roster but they're in the top 5 or 8, for sure, and that makes the Lombardi realistic if difficult.

I may not be a world traveler like Araiza Curse, but I have been to 20+ countries and 47 states and think his take is a bit harsh. It's true that Buffalo is not one of the great cities of the world. But it does have things to offer. As mentioned, if you're into architecture, Buffalo's got sights for you to see including two Frank Lloyd Wright houses (including the one in Derby). If you're into pizza, a lot of pizza connoisseurs rank Buffalo highly. If you're into Buffalo Wings, you must do a pilgrimage to the Anchor Bar even if the place itself is underwhelming. If you're into history, you can see where Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as president. There's also, I believe, a marker where is predecessor, McKinley, was shot. If you're a football fan, seeing a Bills game in person is something truly special. I've hosted friends and relatives from both France and the Philippines in Buffalo. Of course, Niagara Falls was the highlight, but we found other spots & activities that they enjoyed. The next time I'm in Buffalo, I'll probably visit the Penn Dixie Fossil Park because my son and I both like paleontology and I've never been there. (On the other hand, I haven't been there in a long while, but I do tend to think some Buffalonians over-rate the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. It's okay, nothing special. I just googled best art museums in the US/World and it didn't make any of the lists I looked at - not to my surprise).

You're right - to a point. "Man" can refer to men or can refer to humankind. Because it's not clear, some women find it offensive when they're left out by words like 'man' and 'mankind.' So, for example, many people now prefer the expression 'humankind' over 'mankind.' The expression "12th man" is vague. Does it refer to a man (since the first 11 men are clearly men) or to a fan of any gender?

And other schools used it before Texas A&M. The expression "12th man" has been around for more than 100 years. Lots of teams have used it.