vegas55

Wow 70s and 80s? Really are you serious? How about a recent 16 year drought from playoffs, with a revolving door of coaches and GMs? And what decade, genius, was it in that the greedy billionaire gave up home field advantage by moving home games to Toronto for an extra 10 million. Money I am sure he needed. And the the Bills players hated that move - see Eric Wood. Was that 70s or 80s? Or was that very recent history - let us know

You have a terminally low level of understanding. Are you really too stupid to understand that there was no poison pill? The guy that bought this franchise was the guy (Pegula) who offered the most. By far. Just as Ralph designed. There was no other offer that came close to what Pegula paid. And the estate instructions Ralph left made it CLEAR that the team goes to highest bidder. How stupid are you that u that you cannot cannot understand that? Too dumb of course to address any of the greedy, dysfunctional moves your beloved owner made. Typical Buffalo loser. I notice of course that you are way too stupid to actually address any point made in the post. Tell me, genius, your defense of Ralph losing the #1 pick in the entire draft to the CFL. You cannot, and it's clear to anybody you are way over your head. But go ahead, give it your best shot, genius. Love to hear it.

It's about time. Ralph Wilson Jr., despite the man love of the folks that run this website, was, without question, the worst owner in the history of the NFL. He ran a mostly disfunctional organization for decade after decade. The ONLY owner in the history of the NFL to lose the #1 draft choice in the draft to the Canadian Football league. An organization so dysfunctional that Jim Kelly fled to the USFL. READ HIS BOOK. A man so greedy that he gives up home field advantage by selling two games to Toronto, because the one billion dollar profit he made in franchise appreciation just wasn't enough. A meddling owner who substituted the judgement of his daughter for that of great coach Chuck Knox. Too cheap too resign Amad Radhad and Joe Cribbs. The incompetence and outright greed of this loser go on and on. Hey guys, rather than censor this post, how about actually answering, point by point, the facts presented here. Start with being the only owner in NFL history to lose a #1 pick to the CFL. And then go from there. Good luck. Probably easier to censor. Right?

This of course reflects on Ralph Wilson; whose obsession with grinding out a yearly profit trumped paying for an expensive coaching or scouting structure. Because you see the billion dollars he made in franchise appreciation just wasn't enough. So he fires Polian, chases Butler out the door by paying him a miserly salary of $250,000; for an NFL GM!! So he turns to the likes of Marv Levy and Dick Jauron, both of whom came very cheap, and the results are the dysfunctional organization the Bills were for the vast majority of the time he owned the team. And the consequences of his cheapness and incompetence - a billion dollar payday and the most unearned entry of all time into the Hall of Fame.

I love this kind of take. Who cares what you think an athlete is worth? He is worth what the market says he is worth. You are the same kind of guy that has no problem with some movie star, with no measurable talent, getting paid 20 million to do a voice over for a cartoon movie. Or even worse, an incompetent NFL owner like Ralph Wilson, mismanaging a franchise for 50 years, making a billion dollar profit despite his incompetence. But this genius doesn't think a world class athlete playing the most popular, profitable sport in America could possibly be worth 20 million.

You would think someone who takes the time to post would at the very least take the time to research whether his basic premise has any basis in reality. A luxury tax in the NFL? Idiot!

So for you, the strategy for playing this "simple game" is the exact same as it was in 1965, 1985, 1995. For you, nothing has changed (although you are dead wrong about all incomplete passes and sideline catches always stopping the clock) . It doesn't matter how MANY rule changes they make to favor the passing game, the game and strategy stay the same. For you no matter what they do to tweak the game, it simply doesn't matter. It's funny, I remember a time when running backs dominated the first round, now you are lucky if one is drafted in round one. I remember when fullbacks were actually drafted in early rounds, now they aren't even drafted. I remember a time when QBs did NOT routinely throw for 4000 yards. But hey, according to you, nothing's changed. It is a simple game, but not quite as simple as you.

Wow "we weren't ground and pound" "yea we ran the ball a lot" - The Bills ran the ball more than anybody in the NFL. Ground and pound doesn't mean you run the ball on every play, nor does it have anything to do with the type of passes you throw. You do shorten the game, and you do keep the score close, regardless of how well you are playing. Sure if the D is fantastic that day and you get lots of turnovers you will roll some teams. Count on that happening every week and see so far that gets you. Or has gotten you. And just as I predicted not one response to ignoring a decades worth of rule changes favoring the passing game. Maybe, just maybe if they pass a rule where you are not allowed to tackle a receiver after he catches the ball, then it might spur some to examine the wisdom of emphasizing the run game in an era where everything favors the pass.

I was and am all for retaining Rex as our coach - continuity is something this team desperately needs. But I do have reservations, the least of which is that Rex will never embrace analytics, will forever be "gut feeling" type of coach. Big mistake, but hey most NFL coaches are in the same boat. It's troubling though how very little attention he pays to game management. His replay review system was so completely inadequate that it boggles the mind. All of his NFL head coaching experience and that was the best he could do - almost as bad as leaving your starting QB in the fourth quarter of a meaningless preseason game, getting him hurt and then explaining that you were going for the win. Just so little attention paid to the strategic big picture. The most troubling aspect of his coaching is the ground and pound philosophy. The only way that works is if you have a great defense, that is, a once in a decade defense which maintains its excellence year after year. It's the hardest thing in the NFL to do. Seattle has it. 49ers had it for a bit, but could not maintain it. Problem with ground and pound is even in those games where your team plays great football, that philosophy keeps the games close score wise, and any wacky thing can happen in the closing minutes of a close NFL game. In the NFL, you HAVE to win the games where you play extremely well. It's too often a crapshoot in close games, where the better team often loses. A consistently great D helps close the deal, but you can't count on that year after year. The perfect example was the Houston game this year. Home game, QB plays great, zero turnovers, superior talent level, good not great defensive play. Bills played great, at home, and with less than two minutes to go the score is tied. Anything could have happened, easily could have lost. Because g & p kept the game close. And that was Hoyer at QB, not Brady. And I know what the response is going to be - you have to have that strong running game. It's all you ever hear from WNY media. Whaley is the same way, he comes from "that Steelers tradition" of strong run game. Hey Doug check out the modern version of the Steelers. If you think their running game is getting them to the playoffs, you are not watching their games. The Bills had the best run game in the NFL in 2015, top three in 2013 but were lousy in the run game in 2014. It was in 2014 they won the most games. And here's the point to answer before you predictably jump on this post and trumpet the wonders of a great run game - you cannot, for over a decade now, have rule change after rule change favoring the pass game, no rule changes helping the run game, and then continue to emphasize the run game the same way it was done 10 years ago. Ignoring the way the game has been artificially changed is a great way to keep missing the playoffs

Hands down - Lofts on Pearl St. Your hotel room there is actually a two bedroom condo and is basically attached to the Pearl Street Grill. Just a ton of great restaurants in Buffalo, and lots to do downtown, including canal side, Riverworks etc etc etc

What a great hire Tyler Dunne was for the News. Finally a Bills reporter who gets it. We are not interested in the quarterback evaluations of Jerry Sullivan, Buscaglia etc. They are not qualified to make such evaluations, as there is not an NFL team that would even consider hiring them to evaluate or scout - they lack the qualifications. So when you read them, it's no different than an opinion offered by any drunk on any bar stool in WNY. Sullivan wrote earlier this year that Taylor does not pass his "eye test" as an NFL QB. His eye test! As if he knows anything about QB evaluations Dunne does it the right way - interviews sources and solicits the opinions of guys who have the credentials to evaluate. Is it just me, or doesn't everybody prefer an evaluation coming from a former NFL offensive coordinator, vs the opinion of Sullivan, Buscaglia and company. I know it takes more work than just tossing out your uninformed opinion, but that's what a good reporter does.

It's a fair question. If you told anyone (including the media) before the season that a Bills QB would post the numbers that Tyrod did they would have the Bills as an 11 win team and that QB as a solid, franchise QB. Instead, as his performance levels have varied from week to week (as they do with all QBs) the media has pounced. Sully - he doesn't pass the eyeball test - WGR genius Jeremy- we have to draft a QB in round one of next years draft etc etc. And the criticism really cranks up after Taylor has a relatively poor game. The second New England game especially, as the media whiners started their shrill calls for a "franchise QB", failing to recognize that Taylor faced a great defense, on the road, and while less than perfect, produced a better QB rating than Brady did that day. So you have to judge Taylor (and any other player) on their entire body of work, and not the week to week fluctuations that all players, even hall of famers, experience. And fortunately for Taylor, people outside the WNY media have done just that. He was named as a Pro Bowl alternate, despite playing his first year in this offense, on a losing team, in a small market. When was the last time that HAPPENED to a Bills QB? But the WNY media doesn't see it, as they measure everything against a perfection that does not exist. Maybe they can inform us where exactly they think the Bills could obtain a QB better or more promising than Taylor. Where do they think we find a QB who outsiders think so highly of that they make him a Pro Bowl alternate, in his very first year as a starting QB. They have no answers, just criticism.

Why speculate on who might be in the playoffs - look at last years 4 finalists - Green Bay, Pats, Colts and Seattle. Three of the four are pass first teams. Seattle has a hall of fame defense, and in their only Super Bowl win Lynch ran for a grand total of 36 yards This post is beyond hilarious. Despite what Marv said, those were not how his four Super Bowl teams played the game. Their famous no huddle offense was the ultimate pass first team. They used the pass to set up the run, as much of Thurmans success came from having teams sub an extra defensive back in and take a linebacker out. The only time Marv ever employed a ground and pound offense was in his stint as head coach of Kansas City. They stunk, he was fired, and the rest is history - that is, a history that shows his only success in the NFL came from a pass first offense. Y

It's great to see the Bills running game make such giant strides, but the NFL of 2015, with its rules so heavily favoring passing, makes this offensive philosophy problematic. The biggest problem with it is that in general no matter how much your team is dominating the game, this offensive style tends to keep the game close. In a game that is close as the 4th quarter winds down, anything can happen. And with the Bills that is generally a bad thing. Take Sunday's game for example. I listen to Chris Brown and Sal C. go on about how well the Bills played, how great the offensive design was etc etc. True enough, but with all that going for them, and all their talent, playing at home with zero turnovers, this game was TIED with less than two minutes to go. A blown coverage gets them the win, but we all know in that situation ANYTHING could happen, and a tipped ball or fumble could have cost them a game wherein they played so well and dominated. Why? Because a conservative, ground and pound O kept the score close, and even a journeyman QB like Hoyer, behind in the game and forced to air it out, brings them back to a toss up with less than two minutes to go. Doug Marone loved to pound the ball, and loved to tell everybody how important winning the turnover battle was. But check the Bills record under him, and you will see that they lost an inordinate amount of games when they WON the turnover battle, and squeaked out wins when they won that battle by a margin of two or three. Why - because his ground and pound kept the other team close, and an unlucky break or bad last half of fourth quarter cost them games they dominated in turnovers and play. Not dissing the run game, but simply pointing out the downside of that O philosophy, given the rules we have in NFL 2015.

Wow the WNY media, everybody from no nothing Jeremy at WGR to the negative nancy Sullivan at buffalo news took all week to beat up on Tyrod for his performance v Pats. Failed of course to ever mention that under very difficult circumstances, on the road, his QBR was better than Brady's, and the anemic Bills running game constantly left him in 2nd/3rd and long, as our OC persisted in calling one yard run plays on first down. So Rex Ryan produces what has to be the worst coaching performance in the sad history of bad Bills coaches, failing to challenge two HUGE plays that would have gone in the Bills favor, and at his post game press conference is never challenged on his horrible decisions. Even discloses that there is no process, no single coach in the booth who has the sole responsibility of advising Rex on these huge decisions. According to Rex, they "don't have a great view of the replay". So his multi multi million dollar coaching staff can't see what everybody sitting at home sees. The ex NFL officials assigned to the broadcast agreed that Rex was wrong not to challenge both calls, but the media never brought this up at his press conference. Cowards or fools? Does it matter? In the long, sad history of the Bills and horrific coaching, Rex managed to top them all. And at his press conference at least, the WNY media gave him a pass.

Okay Coach, you are not on the "drawing board" and Mario gets paid big bucks to rush the passer, not "disrupt" passing routes. Whatever scheme all you geniuses imagine, your boy Corey HAS to make that tackle. And tell me about the great play Corey made last night - I did not see it. I saw him missing an easy tackle and get called for a killer, game changing penalty. What brilliance did you see, other than vague references to "he played great". Unless you reviewed the game film, neither you or any Bills coach can tell you how well he played. You really think watching a game on tv qualifies you to judge the quality of safety play? Please!!

Yes "everybody" - if your definition of everybody is the 9 people who posted. Last I checked there was a few more Bills fans out there than the nine who responded here. There might even be a few that agree with me that a safety making several million dollars a year should be able to tackle a 5th string RB making the NFL minimum; in an incredibly big moment. Maybe, just maybe that's not expecting too much from a high paid safety. BTW, how many big tackles did the Pats safetys miss last night.

Of course he is not part of the problem. In a low scoring game, he completely gave up one touchdown to the Pats with his horrible coverage and tackling. Then committed a dumb penalty which negated Bills interception which would have had them in scoring position at New England 20 yard line. Two huge game changing plays in a very low scoring game. But according to you, "he's not even a part of the problem". Well how ever you spin it he was a HUGE part of the problem last night. But thanks - you made my point - Teflon Corey - above ANY criticism, no matter how huge his blunders are.

Little attention has been paid to the miscues of Graham. A fairly high priced free agent (for his position) gained favor with media/fans with a couple of good early season performances in the 2014 season. But things actually went south later in that season with several terrible miscues, specifically giving up long, game changing touchdowns against Houston and Oakland by employing inexplicably bad technique of looking into the backfield while covering the teams fastest receiver on a fly route. Last night was typical Corey. Caught holding a scrub receiver who makes a lot less money than him, a holding call which cost us that huge interception early in the game. Later in the half he is super slow in getting over to cover a running back on a simple swing pass, and then lets that same 5th string back break his sad ass attempt at a tackle to score a game changing TD. But Teflon Corey manages to escape criticism, in spite of a disturbing trend of bad plays in big situations.

How could the main point of the post been discussed "several months ago" ? Nobody, including you, had any idea how Rex was going to use his D lineman. The entire point of the post that Alberts talents were wasted by the wrong scheme. At that point in time, "several months ago" nobody had any idea that Rex was going to have Mario or Kyle drop into pass coverage so often. Certainly not Mario or Kyle, and certainly not you. Instead of policing this board for any perceived or imagined repetitive discussions, why don't you spend your efforts towards actually posting something of value.

Let me say I am in no way a fan of Albert - no way. But several months ago he penned a letter to his 16 year old self, in part explaining all the mistakes he made. One of the biggest mistakes he said he made was leaving the Titans to sign a huge contract with Redskins. Despite the fact that his greatest attribute was his combination of size and quickness, which made him such an impactful player with Titans. Redskins defensive scheme called for him to be more passive, tie up O lineman and allow linebackers to make the plays. He went several times to coaches and management saying in effect why pay me all this money to bring me here to do just this. Lots of guys can do that, that's not what makes me unique. The point of course is that Ryan appears to be using his high price D lineman in a similar fashion. Mario and Kyle dropping into coverage so often? Is that playing to their strength? I know that's not why they get paid the big bucks. One other tidbit from Albert's letter - another regret he had in leaving the Titans was that he said he left behind a defensive genius and the best defensive coach he ever had - Jim Schwartz.

Wow how much can I dumb this down for you? I never met Whaley or Lynch. Your kids should emulate YOU, if you are a decent person. But if a CHOICE is to be made between a gangster, multiple arrestee like Lynch, or a clean, stand up citizen, like Whaley, are you capable of making that choice? If you are still confused, please get that vasectomy.

My gosh I love this board. Here we have Marshawn Lynch, with multiple arrests, hit and runs, gun charges etc etc. On the other hand we have Doug Whaley, never been arrested, reliable executive who both Wilson and Pegula have relied on for solid advice. A stand up citizen and executive. And this MORON poster is still trying to figure out who his kids should emulate. Please get a vasectomy.