cwater10

Good grief! Or maybe the year hanging around one of the top receivers of all time hepled him emerge as one of the top receivers in the league. You want "been there before guy"? You already got him. He wears #83. Good luck with that. I'll take the guy who plays with passion and isn't afraid to have some fun with it.

OK, so every so often... perhaps once a year, Charles Manson goes before the parole board and does his very best to pass himself off as sane, if only for the day. Unfortunately for Charles, the parole board knows his history and has the advantage of viewing his behavior over a period of many years. Invariably, in unison, the board rolls their eyes and declare their unanimous conclusion that although the effort is appreciated, one day of appearing rational does make you fit to rejoin our society. We need to see much, much more of this over a much longer period of time, before we will even begin consider your request. Disclaimer for the analogy impaired: I am not comparing poor journalism with the atrocities put forward by a psychotic mass murderer... </outrage>

JohnC, I don't believe that anyone is missing that facet of your post. It is neither abstract nor difficult to digest. Yes, it is clear that there are currently teams that appear to have a leg up on the Bills moving forward. They do appear on the surface to be both organizationally superior and talent rick beyond the current offerings down in Orchard Park. Fortunately for The Bills, their fans and the NFL as a whole, future success in this league is dynamic and neither success nor failure are assured by current trends, appearances or results. Seriously... think back to when Ralph Wilson made those remarks. Only six weeks ago, very few of us would have believed that even the limited success The Bills have achieved in that time was possible. The notion of Ryan Fitzpatrick as a QB to build around could not have been even pondered. Now, at the very least, it is a debate worth taking on. The notion of rival teams having superior organizations is similar. Yes, New England has enjoyed a tremendous decade of success, as did the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's. This too shall pass... Who would have believed that the vaunted Bill Belichick defense would EVER find itselft ranked 32 out of 32? Did Tom Brady's exploding knee of 2008 not illustrate how quickly opportunities for success can come and go in this league? The NY Jets are humming along nicely in November 2010. No doubt... But a roster built on All Pro free agents can quickly be torn about by internal strife, aging stars, injuries and quirks of fate. That is a team built for the NOW, not the later. The 2007 Miami Dolphins needed to go to OT to pull out their only win en route to a 1 - 15 season. But they had the fortitude to move forward with a positive attitude and a bit of wildcat creativity for 2008. In doing so, they were prepared to answer when opportunity knocked. There is nothing it that scenario that screams "not available at One Bills Drive". There will be an unexpected opportunity in 2011 for some AFC team to step forward and be counted. Will it be Buffalo? If they continue on thier current path, there is no reason it cannot be.

Yep, differing points of view are fine. They make boards like this worthwhile. For what it is worth, Ralph Wilson made certain statements about the quarterback and the developement of the team, back in early October when the team was 0 - 5 and coming off embarrasing home losses to Jacksonville and NY Jets. If you are going to offer those statements to support your opinion, please acknowledgethat those statements were made prior to current events which have shown dramatic improvement in on the field performance by the entire team, a couple of wins sandwiched between 4 close calls against playoff caliber competion, and the emergence of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson as viable offensive weapons. Yes, they are a work in progress. But the progress is visible and tangible for any willing to look honestly and acknowledge the developement of this team, despite the unexpected nature of that progress. I certainly don't speak for Mr. Wilson, but I suspect that his opinions have shifted since he made those remarks.

Tell the 2009/2010 Cowboys, Vikings and Buccaneers about this logic. I think they all missed the lesson...

I still believe that I saw John Y. Brown, Phyllis George, Paul Snyder, Bird Averitt and Elmore Smith all dancing on stage during a 1978 Grateful Dead performance of "Shakedown Street". So what? It is not the accuracy of the belief , but the capacity to believe that holds the power. I think Van Miller and/or some guy named Rick Jeanneret may have suggested something similar once or twice. For what it is worth, as a newcomer, I have to say this has been a fun thread in an introspective and historical way. I didn't see that coming and thanks to the OP for the opportunity to look both forward as well as back. I am in the process of returning to Buffalo permanently after many years spent in what are supposedly more attractive and/or glamorous locales. I can't wait to get back to the people and places that time has revealed to me, to be my true home. For whatever reason, this thread has triggered an opportunity to revisit some very fond memories and I look forward to throwing many new ones on to the pile upon returning there later this fall. You guys are great! Keep doing what you do and keep having fun!

I paid money to watch Perry Tuttle play football. I called Ralph Wilson "cheap" for his hesitation to do the same...

-- Once, at a Bills game, I hugged my wife... and together we dared to dream that our son would grow up to be just like O.J. Simpson

To date I have been content to accept this as a football fan site. After digesting this thread, taking a good honest look in the mirror and subsequently executing a scathing and fearless assessment of my own relative moral inventory, I must come clean. Much like the whispered sounds of contrition are met with an initial reluctance, the requisite keystrokes for this, my personal day of reckoning, come with considerable internal strife. But, I can no longer live this lie. Please forgive me oh great pure and righteous OP, but I have taken part in the frivolous liberties associated with free thought. It is true... I have sinned. As recently as Thursday of the week just passed, I entertained an impure thought inclusive of a linebacking corps sans Kawika Mitchell. I only request that my penance be carried out in a swift and forceful manner, lest I forget this lesson of accountability. Act now and spare me from that inevitable downward spiral where I always seem to tumble back through Alice's (tramp) looking glass, and into a tawdry place where accountability is a silly word that is seldom applied to whimsical pursuits. Do it now...