Peter

I doubt that the Toronto movers and shakers are particularly interested in paying to host a preseason game. We were able to get away with foisting a few of them on them in the first contract. That was not the case in the second contract as I recall. If they were willing to take preseason games, that would be great. I live out of town and am unable to attend preseason games. I had no luck whatsover trying to sell either game on the ticket exchange this year.

First, I would like the Bills to re-sign CJ. The problem with our running game is the guards not CJ or Fred. Both CJ and Fred are great teammates and it has already been posted how much CJ loves the team, the area, and the fans. Second, how many trade CJ threads do we need? I have never been one of these thread nazis who take such great delight in closing down threads or writing this subject is already being discussed elsewhere and you should use your search function etc. For whatever it is worth, it appears that the mods seem to be very quick in closing down some threads but, when it comes to the anti EJ threads or anti CJ threads (or even before that, for example, with what seemed like the almost daily get rid of Roscoe threads), they are not as quick. The standard for closing down threads always has been rather subjective and amorphous to me. Just my two cents.

Joe D. was one guy I wish Doug Marrone had taken the time to interview. He did a lot with less while with the Bills.

Go Bears. By the way, if any of you guys have not had a chance to see the Brandon Marshall Football Life program, you may want to check it out. Very interesting and presents him in a light we did not initially see or understood.

Wade looks good. Was that Buffalo or San Diego blue or something in between. I know a family that lived down the street from him and his family in Amherst. Scotty Bowman lived on the same street. Everyone I know he has met Wade thought he was a great guy. I know some disagree, but I would have liked to have seen what Wade would have done with the Bills if he had more time.

I would not have if you had asked me a few weeks or months ago. Now, I do not know if I would be against it provided he has done what he has needed to do to get his head on straight. I know that he is still friendly with Eric Wood (or was as of last year). The guard position really needs to be upgraded somehow.

His coaching history is included here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Reich

FWIW, I remember Frank Reich being interviewed on the radio before he he was hired by the Chargers. I do not remember the exact quotes, but it was apparent that he really would have liked to interview for a position on the Bills coaching staff.

That is the bit that kills me ("Flutie won games") as if there were 22 little Fluties on offense and defense winning those games. Flutie and JBJ belong together.

EJ will never be short or a douche bag like Flutie.

EJ is a great kid and has great parents. He is very, very easy to root for.

Flutie is dead to me. This is even worse: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/366832332120999367/

I wrote the following in another thread. Perhaps it belongs here: I realize that everyone apparently likes to jump on the bandwagon against the NFL and Goodell. My question is why would Goodell want to cover anything up? I understand why the Ravens may have wanted to do so. Goodell has a history of not hesitating to punish players for all sorts of things. Big Ben was was suspended for 6 games initially for an alleged sexual assault and he was not even indicted. It was later reduced to 4 games. Ricky Williams was suspended for a year for smoking pot. Nigel was suspended for a game a year after the fact and the charges had been dropped. Goodell suspended Ray Rice for two games. That is not a cover up. I thought that was too light even before I saw the video from inside the elevator. Suspending a guy - whether it is two games or indefinitely - is not a cover up. Before the release of the video from inside the elevator, most of us were shocked by what we saw from outside the elevator. Most of us thought two games was two light. Most of us also did not know what preceded Rice dragging his fiance out of the elevator. If Goodell had seen the video from inside or knew what happened, he clearly made a huge mistake and lied about it and should no longer be commissioner. If he did not, I do not think a suspension of just two games is cause (in and of itself) for firing Goodell. I realize that this is an unpopular opinion. Presuming he did not know, we can disagree with the length of the suspension (I still think that he should have been suspended for a longer period of time even without seeing the video from the outside). Yet, is the mistaken length of the suspension cause for firing Goodell? Taking a moment to try to look at it from Goodell's perspective: The specific allegation of the prosecutors in the state of New Jersey "Complaint - Court Summons" was that he struck "her with his hand, rendering her unconscious." http://www.cbssports...cee-unconscious It does NOT state that he punched her with his fist as we all now know he did. Interestingly, it is undisputed that the prosecutors saw the video. Why did they not allege that he "punched her with his fist" as opposed to striking her with his hand. After Rice plead not guilty to a third degree aggravated assault, the prosecutor agreed to allow him to enter a pre-trial diversionary program. This is how the prosecutor described it: “After considering all relevant information in light of applicable law it was determined this was the appropriate disposition,” acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain said in a statement. http://articles.balt...ce-janay-palmer For some reason, the prosecutor (who we know saw the video from inside the elevator) did not think that what had happened was serious enough to go forward with the case or seek any kind of real punishment. From the same article, its states that both Rice and his fiance were initially charged with simple assault. Also from the same article, Rice and his fiance were married "days later." So the question becomes, if this is what you know (both parties initially charged, no allegation of being punched or hit with a fist, no real punishment, and the parties get married days later), does Goodell deserve to get fired under those circumstances? We also do not know what Janay told Goodell about what happened when they met (I seem to recall that he met with both of them). We probably have a pretty good idea of how she portrayed what had happened based on her twitter response to the indefinite suspension. If Goodell actually saw the video or knew that Rice punched her with his fist the way he did prior to only giving him two games, then all of the above goes out the window and Goodell should go. If he did not know, I have a hard time concluding that he should be fired. I am NOT in any way condoning what Ray Rice did. It was absolutely horrible and goes against how I was brought up by my parents. I just don't understand how people seem to be transferring what Rice did on to Goodell. Are people being overly critical (based on what we actually know so far) in this instance because they have some other axe to grind with Goodell or the NFL? People also seem to be making these sweeping conclusions about NFL players. The vast majority of these guys are good guys. They should not all be tainted by guys like Ray Rice. I do not know this for a fact, but I dare say that the incidents of arrests etc. of NFL players probably is about the same of the general population of 20 something men in the US or not too far off. As an aside, some of you may recall that Deion Sanders and his wife continued to live in the same mammoth house a few years ago while they were going through a divorce. Apparently, they had an argument and she began to hit him. Deion ran away and some people accused him of being a wimp. I thought that Deion was VERY, VERY smart. I have told my older son this story to illustrate a point. Regardless of what a girl or woman may do to you, NEVER EVER hit a woman. You should just leave and/or cover up. Just my two cents.

I realize that everyone apparently likes to jump on the bandwagon against the NFL and Goodell. My question is why would Goodell want to cover anything up? I understand why the Ravens may have wanted to do so. Goodell has a history of not hesitating to punish players for all sorts of things. Big Ben was was suspended for 6 games initially for an alleged sexual assault and he was not even indicted. It was later reduced to 4 games. Ricky Williams was suspended for a year for smoking pot. Nigel was suspended for a game a year after the fact and the charges had been dropped. Goodell suspended Ray Rice for two games. That is not a cover up. I thought that was too light even before I saw the video from inside the elevator. Suspending a guy - whether it is two games or indefinitely - is not a cover up. Before the release of the video from inside the elevator, most of us were shocked by what we saw from outside the elevator. Most of us thought two games was two light. Most of us also did not know what preceded Rice dragging his fiance out of the elevator. If Goodell had seen the video from inside or knew what happened, he clearly made a huge mistake and lied about it and should no longer be commissioner. If he did not, I do not think a suspension of just two games is cause (in and of itself) for firing Goodell. I realize that this is an unpopular opinion. Presuming he did not know, we can disagree with the length of the suspension (I still think that he should have been suspended for a longer period of time even without seeing the video from the outside). Yet, is the mistaken length of the suspension cause for firing Goodell? Taking a moment to try to look at it from Goodell's perspective: The specific allegation of the prosecutors in the state of New Jersey "Complaint - Court Summons" was that he struck "her with his hand, rendering her unconscious." http://www.cbssports...cee-unconscious It does NOT state that he punched her with his fist as we all now know he did. Interestingly, it is undisputed that the prosecutors saw the video. Why did they not allege that he "punched her with his fist" as opposed to striking her with his hand. After Rice plead not guilty to a third degree aggravated assault, the prosecutor agreed to allow him to enter a pre-trial diversionary program. This is how the prosecutor described it: “After considering all relevant information in light of applicable law it was determined this was the appropriate disposition,” acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain said in a statement. http://articles.balt...ce-janay-palmer For some reason, the prosecutor (who we know saw the video from inside the elevator) did not think that what had happened was serious enough to go forward with the case or seek any kind of real punishment. From the same article, its states that both Rice and his fiance were initially charged with simple assault. Also from the same article, Rice and his fiance were married "days later." So the question becomes, if this is what you know (both parties initially charged, no allegation of being punched or hit with a fist, no real punishment, and the parties get married days later), does Goodell deserve to get fired under those circumstances? We also do not know what Janay told Goodell about what happened when they met (I seem to recall that he met with both of them). We probably have a pretty good idea of how she portrayed what had happened based on her twitter response to the indefinite suspension. If Goodell actually saw the video or knew that Rice punched her with his fist the way he did prior to only giving him two games, then all of the above goes out the window and Goodell should go. If he did not know, I have a hard time concluding that he should be fired. I am NOT in any way condoning what Ray Rice did. It was absolutely horrible and goes against how I was brought up by my parents. I just don't understand how people seem to be transferring what Rice did on to Goodell. Are people being overly critical (based on what we actually know so far) in this instance because they have some other axe to grind with Goodell or the NFL? People also seem to be making these sweeping conclusions about NFL players. The vast majority of these guys are good guys. They should not all be tainted by guys like Ray Rice. I do not know this for a fact, but I dare say that the incidents of arrests etc. of NFL players probably is about the same of the general population of 20 something men in the US or not too far off. As an aside, some of you may recall that Deion Sanders and his wife continued to live in the same mammoth house a few years ago while they were going through a divorce. Apparently, they had an argument and she began to hit him. Deion ran away and some people accused him of being a wimp. I thought that Deion was VERY, VERY smart. I have told my older son this story to illustrate a point. Regardless of what a girl or woman may do to you, NEVER EVER hit a woman. You should just leave and/or cover up. Just my two cents.

I am so glad that the Donald does not own the Buffalo Bills.

That really is awesome. The Pegulas are total class!!!

You are absolutely correct that the Bills should honor Joe Ferguson. He deserves much more credit that he has received.

A Buffalo Bills press release noted that this will be Lee Evans' first time in the middle of the field. It is a bit like seeing a unicorn.

Speaking for myself - it is quite the opposite. We suscribed to the Buffalo News rather than the Courier Express. The News had a tradition of great writers - particularly in their sports department. Sports writers such as Larry Felser, Milt Northrup, Jim Kelley, and Vic Carucci. Sullivan, Gleason, and Harrington do not follow in that great tradition. They all are way too snarky and try to push their own narrative and re-litigate the same, tired complaints that they have. The sad thing is that Sullivan actually can be a good writer when he wants to be. The article that he wrote after the Olympics was wonderful. The article he wrote about the young woman who died in the balloon accident was poignant. Other than the few and far between articles that demonstrate that the guy has some talent, he basically is lazy and writes the same article time and time again. It also is humorous to listen to post game press conferences. You always know when Sully is asking a question - from his voice as well as the question. He really has embarrassed himself with some of the things that he has written about Terry Pegula - insinuating that he was lucky in business and I won't even repeat what he wrote about a press conference that they had with Mayor Brown. Gleason may be the worst. At one time, he seemed to have some contacts around the NHL. One clearly was Brian Burke. They both shared a dislike for Darcy. To this day, I think that Gleason finds it difficult to write an article without including a dig at Darcy. We get it. You do not like Darcy. One criticism of Darcy (according to Bucky) was that Darcy would not give Ted Nolan more than a one year extension when Darcy took over for Muckler so that Darcy could see how well they worked together. In my mind that was perfectly understandable given what had happened with Nolan, Muckler, and Hasek. Curiously, Gleason never criticized Tim Murray for essentially doing the same thing this past year. It got so bad with the Sabres, I think that the News even realized it when Bucky stopped doing his Sunday NHL column. Lately, Gleason's new target is Kim Pegula. He has written at least two articles asserting that she is "meddling." Some have commented that he appears to be trying to inject this as an issue on behalf of his buddy PLF. In the end, Gleason comes off as sexist and small. Moreover, if I ever spent millions on a hockey team (or over a billion on a football team), I would be involved as I gather most people here would be. Harrington is basically useless. He appears to want to be a Gleason/Sullivan protege. One of the most embarrassing things I ever have seen on TV was Harrington at a Lindy press conference. That was only to be outdone by both Harrington and Gleason at a Sabres end of year press conference after the 2012/2013 season. As an aside, it is very interesting to watch/listen to Sabres post game press conferences and locker room interviews. I have noticed that most of the Buffalo press corp ride the coattails of Paul Hamilton. He seems to be the only one who can ask intelligent and knowledgeable questions. The News has some good writers. I would include Tim Graham, Mark Gaughn, and John Vogl in that category. I also liked Allen Wilson. I am also very happy that Vic Carucci is coming back. Compare anything that he has written to Gleason and Harrington in particular - there is no comparison. Sully can be a gifted writer when he wants to be, but mostly writes the same "hey kid, get off of my lawn" article. Just my two cents.

Some of you guys know that I am a season ticket holder that now lives in Miami. I did not get a chance to go to the home opener. Neverthless, I have made arrangements to fly up to Buffalo to attend the Sabres home opener and the Bills game against the Patriots (which will be the first game with the Pegulas as owners). I anticipate that weekend will be a great time to visit Buffalo for all of you out-of-town guys. It should be a great celebration - especially if we beat the Pats.

It is unanimous.

If Jerry had been paying attention, he would know that Lee Evans did not like going over the middle.

That is good. The reason why this isssue came up in the Eric Woods interview is that he mentioned that some Dolphins players were trying to trash talk about this, but they obviously did not know that he had a good score.

When in doubt, announcers should just say that "Williams" made the play.