K-9

Such a fragile group of soft players. C’mon, Phil. Rally your troops. You can do it.

As many times as it takes. Gotta problem with that, you may want to put me on ignore because this head coach inspires no confidence whatsoever. Housley is a crap coach coaching crap players. Both can be true.

So, are we allowed to criticize Housley for the sorry state of our power play or is he immune to that as well? All I know is that the year before he arrived we had the best PP in the league and it has been in a steady decline ever since he stepped behind the bench. I know, I know, lack of talent yada yada yada. He won’t be a good coach until he has a roster full of all stars. What a crock that is.

Could they designate him to the LTIR list? Not sure how that works, exactly. Have they changed the rules since Philly did that with Pronger? I’m not sure if the Sabres get cap relief if he just up and retires, either. Didn’t Berglund have to agree with the Sabres on the issue of his realease for the team to realize cap relief? I got some reading to do.

Yeah, it’s sad news about KO. Not it sure I’m ready to blame the doctors for missing anything...yet. Symptoms manifest differently and can take several days to present. And players aren’t exactly forthcoming with information. I have to wonder about putting him on a flight home, especially a long one, after he presented those symptoms, but it may be a case of doctor’s weighing the benefits of being with a familiar team of doctors in Buffalo vs. down in Florida, especially considering his recent history here, vs. the drawbacks of a long flight, symptoms permitting. KO needs to hang up the skates.

When it comes to who to play on what line, that’s Housley's call, Botterill’s inability to provide great players at every position notwithstanding. And yeah, I get that the Amerks prospects aren’t NHL ready, but we need them on emergency call up bases from time to time, like now. If you’re gonna bring up a winger that you hope will develop into a top six scoring threat, then let him play with an Eichel, Reinhart, or Skinner, etc. instead of a non talent like Sobotka, like CJ Smith had to when called up initially. Housley is an idiot when it comes to player usage. So I look for him to ask Botterill to bring up Elie instead of a promising offensive prospect. On the bright side, Elie should feel right at home on a mucker line.

Yeah, you’re probably right. Really makes no difference though, as coach clueless will slot the called up player on a scrub line and promote a current scrubber to a higher line. God forbid we should see a call up from Roch play with more skilled wingers to see what he has. Much better to play him with Sobotka.

Olofsson, please.

.408 pace since the 10 game streak. That’s Housley regressing to the mean he established last year. Team is playing like they want their coach fired. Not saying that’s the case; just that it looks that way.

Level just below Dunkirk Don.

I know, maybe Housley can show’em some more film. This team is one giant defensive lapse. Doesn’t reflect well on a coach whose claim to fame is his defensive acumen. But hey, show ‘em enough film and they’re bound to get it sooner or later. Right, Phil?

It’s contagious. Bless’m.

3-3-1, but yeah. Poop stain none the less.

It’s usually because he’s had his top line out there for a long shift when the penalty was incurred.

It would be an extremely weak argument as NFL revenues keep increasing. Also, the league is extremely reluctant to have their books opened for examination. Green Bay’s financials, since they have to be disclosed by law, offer a good glimpse. Kaepernick and others who took a knee had no impact. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/packers-financials-show-that-nfl-made-billions-despite-national-anthem-controversy/

Gotta keep it in the playbook and show it from time to time to give defenses something to think about. Not saying it should become a staple, but it should be used.

Indeed. Did you read about what the Wisconsin legislature did? Members of their black caucus wanted to include him, as a Madison native, as an honoree during their Black History month celebration for his activism on various civil rights issues and moved to get the motion passed. Needless to say, the Republican majority voted it down, citing his “controversial” status. I can’t think of one prominent civil rights activist in the past that wasn’t controversial. I mean, that’s kind of the point.

Given his history of charitable donations and activism in social causes, I think he will use the money to speak louder than he did before. Which will continue to sow more goodwill in the various communities he supports. Which will give him even more credibility.

Tomsula was a riot though. Don’t recall anyone else in history who audibly passed gas at his presser.

“Feels like Favre. Feels like Elway.” I have to agree. What impressed me most this year was Allen’s personality on the field. He has a certain command out there. Hope he starts looking like Favre and Elway as well as feeling like them.

I don't care where he's ranked, either. I was genuinely curious as to who has had the most "success" in signing UFAs around the league. I suspect it's pretty even throughout, though. Just like draft success, etc. I'm hoping Murhpy is healthier this year, too. For the reasons you outlined. He just may be one of those guys who is perpetually hit by the injury bug.

Not an impressive list to be sure, but the jury is still out on Star and Murphy even though their value was below expectation. I'm not sure I'm gonna be too disappointed in Ivory who, like all or our backs, had to toil behind one of the worst lines in the league, yet still managed to produce some big plays in some big moments during the year as a role player. Do you include UDFAs in the analysis? What GM in the league is the best at judging UFAs?

That is the bottom line, regardless. Sometimes you get less production for the buck, sometimes more, and sometimes players give a little of each at various times. We're getting great value out of some players and less value out of others. The story of every team.

Great (twisted) minds think alike. What can I say?

Not for nothing, but we acquired Rob Johnson in a trade.