Homey D. Clown

When did we sign Cosmic K. Forces? I bet we got him on the cheap....

Thanks for the well wishes, the Packers have always been one of my favorite NFC teams as well. Good luck this season!

I love the helmet's new look, but really did want the standing loge to return, but this is so sharp looking I am more than happy. Now as long as they don't bring back the blue pants I'll be very happy.

Miami Dolphins at the Ralph. No matter what the team's records are, it will feel like a playoff game. You really can't go wrong.

I like Moats, I really do, but his height and playing weight was a factor at OLB, and just because Bills nation has a man crush on him for making a few noteworthy plays doesn't make him a game changer yet. Quite simply he was probably the best LB on the team a year ago, but that's simply not the case this year with players like Merriman showing strong signs of recovery from injury. There's plenty to like about the guy, and it just might make sense that he can do more damage as an ILB in the 3-4 set, and have strong play calling skills as the defensive signal caller playing MLB in the 4-3 set. I see this as a good thing, when a guy is talented, coaches will move you around a bit.

I have to say though about Easley that most of us who saw what he was about last year are pretty concerned, simply because it really looks like this kid can play, and play well. he was easily the most notable presence on the practice field prior to his injury. Stevie was not even a discussion at that point, and since he has emerged, it has a lot of fans excited about Easley's potential. I'm not panicking, but was seriously annoyed that he already has an issue with the same knee. a hyper extension in a surgically repaired knee is more serious than people want to admit. It can mean that there is more movement than there should be. I hope it's nothing, I really want to see this kid turn into the next big play maker.

you can't win without great players, but great players have to come from somewhere, and even more-so they have to work well within your system, and the other 52 guys on the roster. I am not ecstatic that we haven't gone out and spent some money on some big name offensive linemen either. But great players have to start somewhere, and we have a ton of young, unproven players on the roster. Since Buddy Nix is building through the draft, all we can do now is sit back and see what develops. Regardless of what happens in the rest of the division, I think, just for now, I'd like to see some of these guys play ball that we have on our roster. Geez, half of the roster hasn't even completed a full season yet so it's hard to want to give up on them. Good original post, i am still on the wagon(more like shackled to it) for now, but these guys better show me the baby soon.

just say no. Drugs and over the hill players are bad MMM-KAY??

I remember that game and could not believe they didn't call pass interference. I sometimes wonder what the hell these refs see when they're out there.

I'm not holding my breath for any of the big issues being handled via free agency. This team simply does not offer enough money to the players that matter, and they almost always sign elsewhere. Other than Takeo Spikes, who can you name that the team signed that we wrestled away from the other team? Please don't say T.O. because nobody really wanted him other than us. let me preface this by saying, getting players from other teams, not retaining them...

I believe a poorly designed 3-4 defense was the true reason the guy left, the money wasn't much better than what the Bills had on the table. What the people of Buffalo have been exposed to recently by a real owner dedicated to winning in Terry Pegula has shortened the tolerance of the miserly Bills organization, and the mindless decisions that seem to flow out of One Bills Drive. Lower your expectations people, winning will not happen with the current owner in place. If you think the Ralph Wilson game plan will bring a winning season again you're just not living in the real world. The definition of insane is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Why do people around here think this team will win by doing what has always been done for the last 50 years? the Bill Polian era was an anomaly, once you come to terms with that, you'll be fine.

This couldn't be said any better, and to add that we seem to be following the Buddy Nix plan of developing our own talent, and to be honest, Pozluzny was average at best, and even a backup caliber player, but when you let your drafted players walk, what plan are we really following? I'll answer that for you, the Ralph Wilson plan. It's simple, keep the profits up, costs down, and winning? ehhh let's hope we win some. Go ahead and look at the river of talent this team has hemorrhaged over the last 50 years and it makes you furious to see how much better this team could have been year in and year out if the owner was seriously committed to winning. It's time to stop kidding yourselves. I love watching the team because they are my home town team, and always hope for the best, but I no longer kid myself that this team will ever be a winner again as long as RW owns the team.

It's sad really that we have to hope these types of players develop into super stars because the owner of the team isn't really committed to doing anything to improve the team.

You simply won't get a resurgence in his career like say, a Michael Vick, and this is based solely on how he looks in games even when he is winning. Just in case anyone doesn't know, the majority of his wins as a starter came when Chris Johnson was blowing up the league. His stats may be similar to Ryan Fitzpatrick, but there's no question how he actually achieved those numbers. JP threw for 3000 yards in 2006, but looked quite pedestrian in doing it. I'll be willing to bet good money this guy gets picked up, but is out of the league as a starter in less than 3 seasons. I simply don't want a head case in our locker room, and that's my main reason for not wanting the guy in a Bills uniform.

Seeing McGahee getting cut is like that first sip of a freshly opened can of beer.... soo satisfying....

Something that comes to mind when i think of the NFL's ownership structure is how similar in concept it is to buying into a franchise, like Subway or a Firestone tire center. Except Firestone has been moving away from the independent owner structure, and more towards corporate ownership. As a corporation, tire centers can share the profits of those stores that are blessed with a great location, but remain in other areas that can use a store, but not necessarily support the location independently. This is a good thing overall for the success of Firestone as a whole, since they can be located in areas that would normally not be able to support it, but still have the market presence and still bring in money to the corporation. This allows the bottom line(overall profit) to be the main factor, while servicing areas that could still use it's product. The NFL is a far more lucrative venture, and could literally support a team anywhere collectively, and that's what I think the league should be all about. I don't agree that teams should only be located in large markets, it then becomes an exclusive membership, or elitist club, and to me that goes against what the sport was initially intended for, the fans. Does it suck for the Jerry Jones' of the league, sort of, but to ensure the overall success of the league is really what they should focus on, something Ralph did for his beloved AFL buddies in the early days.

YES!!! Gradkowski even sounds like a mayor's name in WNY. Love it

I live and work In the Nashville area and can tell you that regardless of the winning percentage he appears to have, there is no doubt he is not a capable passer, team leader, or even capable of handling the level of pressure and effort it takes to succeed in the NFL. Just watch his game film, he has no on field presence what-so-ever, and simply less talented than other well known running QBs. Bringing this guy to Buffalo would make less sense than fielding the team in Hockey Skates for the opener. What say you?

I have been quite vocal against his 50 year method of trying to field a winner, but he did lead the fight on those profit sharing measures. If I am not mistaken, I read several comments on buffalorumblings.com, and also heard several comments on NFL network that commented directly to the effect that RW was the driving force. Sorry though, no actual link to provide. I think you and I share the exact same sentiment, we want to root for anything good he does for the city of Buffalo, but have to swallow the bitter 50 year pill.

+1 The defense alone will more than likely win a few more games over last year's squad, while I think the offense will look very much like it did when all the receivers were healthy. Very good at times, but some untimely Fitz interceptions hampered the teams ability to stay on the field. I see that happening less, and the defense actually stepping up when it does.

If anyone has seen some of my posts regarding Ralph Wilson you'd know where I stand regarding his management of the team over the years, and also how I feel about what he is doing to the city of Buffalo by not having a succession plan in place. I am not going to engage in any of that here in this thread, but rather take a different tone with my views of the old man. After reading through the details of what Ralph Wilson fought for in this new CBA, I have to applaud him for his diligence in getting better and more in depth profit sharing measures included in this newest iteration. For what it's worth, he has been the unquestioned leader in helping smaller market teams get more of the money the NFL's larger teams can generate. These things will no doubt allow the Buffalo Bills compete financially, and for that I say my thanks. If you care to comment, or share your view on this subject, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

I would definitely welcome Golisano over Wilson, but would I rather have Golisano over others? Not sure, but I do like his strong stance of how important this team is to WNY, and as much RW love that is tossed around here over the years, one thing is undeniable, Ralph Wilson has never publicly acknowledged that fact. And for the record, it has been far more profitable for Ralph Wilson to keep the team in Western New York, the county maintains the stadium, and the state and local funding he gets would never happen anywhere else. It would have cost him MILLIONS to relocate, there is no other reason this team is still here, plain and simple.

I think this is as good a response as any I have read. It's not an attack on him as a person, he's just not any good at the pro level, and got lucky getting drafted. He has very little time left as a Bill and probably a good thing the team moves on like it did so swiftly with Trent Edwards and marshawn lynch. At some point you have to dump the dead wood.

Seriously, and not with any vindictive motivation: #1 - seeing a coaching staff grow a sack and flat out dump Trent Edwards. Cap'n check down would never develop, and enough time was wasted on hoping. He had a strong arm and nice accuracy, but happy feet and ZERO confidence. #2 - trading Marshawn Lynch for a busted helmet and a half empty roll of ankle tape. This was probably the best thing this team has done in more than 20 years, actually getting rid of below average talent early enough instead of "hoping" the guy develops. I will of course be stunned if he even gets a third of the touches in Seattle, and honestly expect him to be cut or traded. Nothing personal here, I just never saw him as a great runner. #3 - drafting Marcel Dareus. This feels a lot like the bruce Smith pick, and the team will only be better with him on the roster. #4 - Discovering the talents of Freddie Jackson. This guy can flat out play, and the Bills found him. I honestly hold my chest out knowing he plays for us, and that alone should probably qualify him as my #1, but I just can't ever not smile wildly on the dumping of the Cap'n. #5 - The last second, game winning touchdown pass to Peerless Price in Houston in '06. ahh the optimism of Losman developing into a great QB... man that was a good day.

I had mentioned several months ago in one of these threads that Golisano had made a statement like this, but to respond to some comments about ralph wilson, I think it's not rational to look at what he did to keep the team in Buffalo in the past, but rather what is he doing now. What he is doing now is holding on to his team till he passes, and not planning on anything other than an auction to the highest bidder. That doesn't sound like a great plan to me, and if you think this team has no chance of relocating, you're seriously kidding yourselves. It's great to keep a positive outlook on what will happen post ralph, but it really drives me nuts when I hear and read people saying Ralph is doing what he can to ensure this team stays here. Make no mistake about it, the only thing he is ensuring is that his survivors don't get hit with capital gains taxes, sorry of the truth rains on your optimism. The best I can do with this situation is hope for the best, but expect the worst, but I am in now way thanking Ralph any longer.