TC in St. Louis

We will be a good team this year. Chan Gailey is a seasoned professional who knows how to build an offense around the talents on the team. The change to 3-4 was a great idea. This is going to be a fun year.

The team had some horrible outings last year, but I maintain that a lot of that junk was due to poor coaching and poor leadership....when it came down to conditioning, we were a joke. 20 guys in the IR two years in a row? It seems like we were missing half the starters!! And the game planning.....no huddle? with this group of ragamuffins? That was the dumbest idea Jauron ever had. He fired the OC a week before the season, and threw Van Pelt into the fray with zero experience. TO had a game without a catch for the first time in his life!! How can you not get the ball to T.O.? That whole season was a joke. I am surprised they won 6 games. All said, I think it's absurd to rank them second worst in the league. But that's my opinion, and despite all the doom and gloom, I am optimistic about this year. And I think they should take the season one game at a time. Get ready for Miami, and that's it. Don't look beyond game one. If they are 1-0, they will be at the top of the league.

That is utter nonsense. This team won 6 games last year with a decimated squad and a lousy coach. We easily could've won 9. To lump this squad with the Rams and the Lions and others of that ilk, is shortsighted and absolutely ridiculous. We've got 20 guys coming back from IR, a strong draft, and a smart coach. Look out. I will be astonished if we are in the bottom 10 in the league. I expect to win 10 games.

We are not the worst team in the league. That's ridiculous. We've got 20 guys coming back from IR, a strong defense, and an offensive minded coach. Good, solid draft. I like the way they are piecing together this team with these free agent signings. What, was Jimmy Clausen going to come in and take charge of the team? preposterous. We've got 3 guys right now better equipped than him.

Lynch has tons of talent. Maybe Gailey has visions of a multi-pronged attack making use of 3 different styles of RB's. Lynch came out of college with the reputation of being a good pass-catcher. Maybe Zombie Jauron and his numerous offensive coordinators failed in making full use of this man's skills. I wouldn't give him up for a 3rd round pick. I'd try to design an offense to make use of his talents. And then, after seeing what you have with him, Freddie and CJ, perhaps then you can move him along. Look what Atlanta paid for that San Diego back, who was LT's backup. Turner. He hadn't played much, yet his talent got them a 2nd round pick, right?

Maybe by your definition. I set the bar higher. They were in nearly every game last year, with a decimated squad and a zombie head coach. Their offense was 31 of 32, and they still won 6 games.

I don't think these people are putting in any effort in these predictions. The Bills are poised for a run at the playoffs. They've got a head coach who knows how to build an offense around the talent on the team....and 2 years ago Trent led the team to 4-0 before being slaughtered by Wilson. He will reconnect his synaptic gaps with his arm. The team had 20 guys on IR, and as it turns out they had a country club workout regime. This is fixed. 32 out of 32 is ridiculous.

Niagara Falls is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I was musing on his wording, that it is the "seventh." And that it's fortunate that the Falls are part of the city. Sort of the same way that Lou Gehrig died of Lou Gehrig's disease. What a coincidence that Niagara Falls contains Niagara Falls.

Jim Kelly spoke at the commencement at NCCC, and thinks that Niagara Falls would be a good spot for a new stadium. "They have the seventh wonder of the world, casinos, ...." I didn't know they ranked them, but in a way it makes sense that the city of Niagara Falls contains the actual Niagara Falls itself. Otherwise, they might have called the town Casinos or "shut down Plant" I actually grew up in Pekin, a suburb of Sanborn, home of NCCC. We're talkin' proud.

Everybody starts the season undefeated and in first place. We had New England beat last year, and when that thing blew up, the season was over. Jauron and company blew it. They changed OC's a minute before the opener and canned the LT. Ran the no-huddle, perhaps the worst idea Jauron ever had. Their conditioning was horrid. 20 guys out for the year. Fresh start, offensive minded coach, new weapons, healthy people coming back. This team has the potential to make a lot of noise, and that's why I tune into this page every day of my life.

I don't understand why there is so much negativity and pessimism about this team. We had a bad year last year. We had 20 guys on IR, including a bunch of quality starters (db's, lb's, most of the OL, qb, etc) and a first round pick who was playing out of position. We had a coach who in perhaps the worst move in the history of the team, decided to go with a no-huddle offense that accomplished absolutely nothing. He fired the OC a week before the season and cut the LT. His strength and conditioning coach was a disaster. That regime is gone. I believe that Trent Edwards can be coached back into the player we once trusted...the guy who was 4-0 two years ago, and the guy who had New England on the ropes in the opener last year. That guy is in dire need of a coach with a plan, and now he has one. We drafted the most explosive player in quite some time, and we also got a bunch of players who will help to make the 3-4 a tough scheme to run against. We already have a great defensive backfield. Now we will have a better defense that you cannot run against. We played just about everybody tough last year, including New England twice. We beat the Jets. Despite having all those injuries and a coach with no direction, we still managed to have some quality performances on the field. This will be a playoff team.

Shanahan had John Elway for years. I think he'll be an improvement in Washington. But I don't think he would have done any better here in Buffalo than what we have. We don't need an undersized bunch of chop-blockers. I think he's a good coach, but without Elway, I don't think he would have be worshipped like this. My post is more of an affirmation of my belief in our regime than a trashing of Shanahan. I wish him well till we meet on the field.

I am not sad that Washington hired Shanahan. Without Elway, who knows what he would've done? And where is Belicheat without Brady? Look what the New England coordinators have done since they moseyed along. Romeo Crennel? Notre Dame Coach? Denver coach? KC coach? WTF? It's all Brady. I like Gailey and Nix. I like their approach. I think with a healthy team and a creative offense, nobody will want to play us. We will be tough.

The up and comers.

The whole season turned on one play when Leodis fumbled that kickoff return. We were on the verge of beating New England on the road, and blew it. After that, it was all over. We've got plenty of talent to get the job done. It's a matter of coaching and game planning.

I am parading around the "we're going to the Playoffs" banner. If we can keep our IR list to single digits, and have a cogent offensive game plan, we're going. I love the draft. I'm stoked. We've got Aaron Maybin ready to dominate in the 3-4. If Schobel comes back, the defense will be huge. Like Nix says, we won't be tackling guys 4-5 yards downfield. We're going.

The Bills will be vastly improved simply by changing regimes and getting healthy. We had, what, 20 guys on IR at the end of the year, including half of the starting defensive backfield, 2 of the 3 starting linebackers, most of the OL. Maybin was out of place, so having him in the right position is like having a free number one draft choice. Hardy is like having another number 2 pick. Our defense was solid, and it will be better. I like our chances. Let's prove this guy wrong.

Maybin was projected by all experts last year as first round talent....and he has that, I believe. He was in the wrong defense. You can't have a 240 lb. DE in this league. I was at the KC game and he absolutely throttled this one guy in the 4th quarter....I thought he broke him in half. So I think he'll be a big part of the 3-4. I think having him as a full time outside LB this fall will be the equivalent of having an extra first round pick this year. When we first got Gailey I was upset. But now I believe he is the right guy. He's got a history of developing an offense around the skills of the players on the squad. And he put in new strength and conditioning coaches...no more tv's and country club atmosphere. This brother is serious. So I think he'll trade Marshawn and probably Whitner, to draft and develop his own squad. I read a lengthy piece on Clausen in ESPN the magazine, and the guy has the tools to be a SUPERSTAR in this league. If he falls in our lap, we need to take him. If we can stockpile a couple extra picks, maybe we can trade back into the first and get a stud LT to protect him. We get a lot of guys back from injuries, and to me I believe we can turn this around. I also happen to believe that Trent Edwards and Brian Brohm have the potential to be really good players. Under the proper tutelage. Look what Gailey did with Feeley in Miami, Kordell in Pittsburgh and that no-name guy in KC. I am very very optimistic.

I cannot believe that anybody would argue that Leodis should take that ball out of the endzone. I was in a bar with a bunch of Bills Backers, and I swear that when Leodis exited the endzone, half of us turned around and headed for the exit. I was on my way to the restroom when I heard a bunch of screams. I looked back and said, "Where did he fumble?" Didn't even have to watch the rest of the game. The entire season went down the tubes on that play by Leodis. And it was a coachable decision. You take no chances at that point. People at work the next day were incredulous about the Bills loss. I don't have any trouble believing that they would've protected that lead had they taken possession at the 20. It's not a fantasy. It's reality. Dreams of a good season ended on that play.

Whoops. I meant 2009. And I do believe had they just handled that kick they would've run down the clock. New England had, I believe, 1 timeout left and the two minute warning. Meaning if the Bills just took 3 knees they would punt with about 1:10 left. Or maybe gotten a first down. And the world would be a better place. I also liked the way Brohm looked in that one game. I think we are in decent shape, qb wise, especially if we pick up McCoy or Tebow in the second, or maybe one of the other secondary talents like that guy from Michigan.

Imagine, if you will, one night in New England when the Bills had the game in their hands, and millions of fans nationwide were biting their nails knowing full well they would find a way to lose. Imagine Bobby April pulling Leodis McKelvin aside and telling him, "Son, I don't care what happens out there. You take a knee." The Bills win that game, the entire season takes a different direction. We finished 6-10. That win alone would've made us at least 7-9, and losing the worst game in football history to the Browns....turn that around and the team would have been .500. Throw in another win or two, and suddenly that year was not as disgusting as it turned out to be. I'm glad it went down that way, because Jauron had to go. I believe Gailey will find a way to get Trent back to the form he had when he beat Denver on the road, and he was 25-30 vs. San Diego. I believe that Gailey will isolate what made Maybin a top round pick, and utilize those talents and skills. I believe that getting the team healthy is the key to turning things back on track. I'm optimistic. We are in the hands of football people.

No offense, but it's gettin' old. I check in here about 10 times a day, looking for news, and I get Scott's header about McNabb. Whether I agree with him or not is, as the dopes in the midwest say, a "mute" point. Like I said, no offense. I'm feeling weird about this team....a little optimistic, but a little scared with the cuts this week and the retirement of the mediocre, oft-injured Butler.

who is that girl in your avatar? holy smokes.

I won the raffle, and I plan on wearing them whenever I damn well please. But they are ridiculous looking to the point that they are actually a source of pride. My wife suggested sending them to Haiti, but I told her they would likely send them back to me.

I wore my Reebok Buffalo Bills shoes, as mentioned on this page, to a Super Bowl party. They stood out. We had a raffle to see who got to set them on fire at the end of the game.