The Dean

I never said it wasn't' serious. It is, and it's very very stupid. But I doubt he was being "a dick" (your words). He just screwed up, big time. Being "a dick", typically involves intent, IMO.

I thought it was clear he simply forgot it was in the bag. No? If not, then perhaps he is a dick. Clearly a violation, but not unheard of. Barry Switzer did it once. Many people have. I actually was stopped with a really big knife in my carry on. Was working with a friend in his warehouse, and there was a lot of box opening. This was the knife he gave me, Just totally spaced out before I hit the airport. Wasn't a "dick" move. Just stupidity on my part. Wasn't thinking.

The Twitter link is working now. But the snappy TV link is not, whether I click it or copy past it, Weird.

The links don't work for me. Sorry.

Clearly, you were the MVF (Most Valuable Fan) this week. I applaud your commitment. And I hope you don't watch a Bills game for a nice long stretch.

That's true dedication. Going above and beyond, Steve. I salute you. Northstar? Never heard of it. Probably have an egg sandwich (with hot capocollo and extra sharp provolone) and a vodka smoothie for breakfast. Then take the 2 minute walk to the bar at the entrance of the condo. Then watch the Bill (with a few Bills fans and way too many obnoxious Pats* fans) take their twice yearly beating from the Cheats. Drink more bourbon (probably Knob Creek, at this bar) than I should drink, or can afford. Take a 10-15 minute stumble/crawl back to my condo. Or maybe, this week, I'll walk 10 minutes to a bar that just got the NFL ticket and might be free of some of the obnoxious Pats* fans. But then the walk home could take 30 minutes and the crawl would destroy my knees.

Like I said, I don't know the guy personally. But he trashed his teammates, the city of Buffalo and the fans, viciously, on the radio when he was in Boston. Then when he's come to WNY he's suck up, as though everything was fine. Even Bryan Cox had more self-respect than that. Not the real Smerlas? Fine. Then I despise his worthless radio persona---and the very idea he'd adopt a "persona". He isn't an actor in a role.

Typically I resist responding to trolls---but I'll make this exception. First, I'm not sure it matters since I believe the gist of my post was, it is hard to criticize the pickup, given the available alternatives. At least this one has a fairly high upside, if his athletic potential is reached. But is that potential higher than Goodwin? Well, yes, I think. Hunter is 6'4", with 20 lbs more weight on his body and a big wingspan, and nearly as fast as Goodwin. He out produced Goodwin in his first three years--but let's face it, neither of them had world-class offenses or QBs to work with. And, while having struggled with the injury bug, I don't think he's quite as fragile as Marquis. So yes, his absolute top end is probably higher than Goodwin's. Of course, that doesn't mean the probability of his reaching level X, Y or Z is higher than Goodwin's. Or that either will reach a level that means anything of importance. Seriously. how hard is that to understand? The rule changed this year. They can only bring back one player from IR, but they don't have to designate which one beforehand. Oh, and Lawson isn't on IR, but PUP. I believe they can activate him between week 6 and week 11. But I might be off on that.

Hard to criticize this move, IMO. There aren't many quality options and the guy has a huge upside. Any production would be helpful. Seriously, WTF is the issue here?

Have I mentioned lately how much I despise Fred Smerlas? I really don't have deeply negative feelings about too many people. Fred (or at least the persona he has exhibited since leaving the Bills---I don't know the person, so won't comment on that) is one of the few. A real POS.

Gotcha. My bad, then.

Well, it is being prescribed, with actual prescriptions, in certain states. And those states recognize it as legal. At the same time, the Federal Government is NOT enforcing the Federal law, in those states. So it is, defacto, legal---at least for now. Changes like this typically come state-by-state, at first....then Nationally, all of a sudden. As an aside, Florida has a Medical Marijuana Dispensary (low THC only) in Tallahassee. But the MM law has not been passed yet (let's change that, this year!). Just further evidence MM is "being prescribed" and that the law, isn't necessarily The Law. sometimes. I'll say it again, I don't think Sentreal is the right guy (for several reasons) for a case like this. My point is, I believe a case like this is coming and winnable by the NFLPA. And I'm not even concluding Sentreal is legitimately using marijuana for his Chron's. None of us knows the real story. But the argument he couldn't be using marijuana for treat his condition, because he used it in the past (seemingly) for recreation, is completely with out merit. As Jackie Chiles might say, "It's ignorant, idiotic, psychotic."

??? Ed Reed isn't "in between" he is the assistant defensive backs coach of the Buffalo Bills. Not an intern. Not an "interim coach", but a full-fledged coach.

There is a HUGE legal case coming against the NFL. And I believe they will have to adjust their policy to avoid it---or in response to what I see will be the inevitable decision (at least some day). I'm not sure what the NY laws are, at the moment, with respect to medical marijuana. so perhaps Sentreal isn't the right guy to pursue this suit. Plus, he isn't good/high profile enough to make it a big enough case. But here's the crux of what I'm thinking. In a state, where medical marijuana is legal, a player with a debilitating condition (such as Chron's) will have respected, also high profile, doctors, saying this is the best course of medication for his condition. Let's face it. Compared to most medications, marijuana has far fewer negative side effects. Plus there is zero evidence it is performance enhancing product, so the idea a player as an advantage by using it is absurd. The argument (in my feeble mind) would be, "can the NFL ban ACL surgery, if it wishes"? To prohibit a legitimate medical treatment simply because the old farts at the NFL don't like it, is prejudicial at the least. (And if your argument is "respected/high profile doctors would NEVER prescribe marijuana for ANY condition, you are wrong.) Obviously, if it is legalized nationwide, it should be a non-issue. But I still think a suit in a medical marijuana friendly state would be hard to win for the NFL. So, if a player used opiates at one time in his life for recreation, the use of opiates for legitimate pain relief should be denied. Do I have that right? You do understand (as far as I can tell) opiate pain killers are regularly used in the NFL. But CLEARLY anyone who used them for other reasons is ONLY using the to get high. Right? Don't be a bigot.

Exactly. We don't KNOW s#it---we can only speculate. And, even if some of his previous use was strictly recreational, that doesn't preclude the possibility his current use (if indeed he has been using it recently) might be for strictly medicinal purposes. The situation is likely very complex. Binary thinkers (black/white) have trouble with issues like this, I know.

Terrible story, Gungy. And very similar to one of the people I know, who suffers from this disease. Indeed. But we have some people here who scoff at that idea, apparently.

Just a quick comment here. Yes, you can probably "survive" Chron's with NO medication. The life you live (depending on how bad your Chron's is) could be devastatingly miserable---but hey, you're alive. Perhaps one of the dumbest arguments I've ever encountered.

Well, I guess we'll never know until he responds with some coherent answer, unlike the rant he gave to John. As I said earlier, I don't dislike BADO (notice the all caps name?). But he can be a bit dickish. IMO, if you are going to make accusations about someone faking injury/disease/etc, you should come with some actual evidence.

Are you suggesting marijuana use CAUSED his Chron's disease or that he is faking it? I see no evidence Chron's can be caused by marijuana use. And I see ample evidence (though not accepted by everyone) that marijuana can be used as a treatment for it. Chron's disease can be diagnosed through a series tests. And it can present itself at any time, during one's life. It is NOT unusual for it to appear in one's 20's, for example. I expect team doctor's have examined him, and concurred with the diagnosis. I know two people who found out they had the disease later in life (one in their 20's, one in their 30's). For one, cannabinoids helps their symptoms. For the other, it does not. Assuming someone fakes something as serious as Chron's, with NO evidence, is something you should be ashamed of. And, by the way, I don't dislike you, particularly, and I respect your football acumen (in general). I just think you can be a huge dick, sometimes. This is one case where that is evident.

No! You saying he's a fake buffalo? It's still real to me, dammit!

WEO is a troll, plain and simple. The classic example. I find it hard to believe this community treats him as a legitimate member, but then again, at first I did, too. Yes, it is possible. It is also highly unlikely and a fairly moronic statement on your part.

Aikman is a straight-ahead sports' broadcaster. He's not flashy, or hip---or particularly interesting, IMO. But that's OK, because he typically gets it right, for the most part. And he tends not to "force" controversy. These days, that's about as much as you can ask for. That he even made this comment about douchebag Bayless, is a bit out of character for him. But he REALLY DESPISES Bayless. Hating on him as a broadcaster because he played for the Cowboys is stupid and immature. But exactly the kind of comments you get these days on radio and the Internet. Bayless is one of the bottom feeders of sports' "journalism". He's happy to engage in forced controversy, faked extreme arguments, hyperbole, etc. IMO, this approach rarely works. (An exception is Pardon the Interruption, which works because of the personalities---and their willingness to actually agree with each other. But the success of PTO is partly to blame for the proliferation of this format, I think.) I've been out of TV for quite a few years, so I don't have direct access to the ratings of these shows. With that said, I seriously doubt the presence of Skip helps to attract viewers, in any significant way---and I expect it probably repels more. But he has experience with TV and the format, so as long as TV executives continue to push this format, there will be a job, somewhere, for worthless Skip. It's WEO, Of course he was trolling. That's what WEO does.

I'm with you, for the most part. Not really all that funny. But I will give credit for the Bills acknowledging this stuff, and having a bit of fun with it. It just should have been done by someone with a better comedic sense, IMO.

I honestly don't think Woods is overrated by most Bills fans, I know. In fact, he may be slightly underrated, since he's rarely mentioned. He isn't a #1 WR (kind of becoming a nonsense thing, IMO, with multiple receiver sets---but I'll play along). He runs his routes well. Has terrific hands (rarely drops passes). Plays tough when it counts. And is a GREAT blocker---which I covet in a WR more than Kirby, I suppose, particularly in a team that wants to have a power running offense. I hardly call that "just another guy", as few can check all those boxes. Remember, when looking at a WR's number of catches. He doesn't throw the ball to himself!

I have already expressed my pessimism going into this season. But I'm relatively optimistic about Clay. I think he could have a very nice season, providing he and Tyrod stay healthy. Hard to contribute when not in uniform on game day. And another stupid use of "upstate New York" by a national media idiot.