Buftex

No, it is surprisingly effortless and simple, for some here...

It was a really good interview. I sense a little bit more of an "edge" to EJ. I like the fact that he said "I don't want to just sit here and talk about it, I want to do it..." Also, I like the fact that he was specific about the change in his throwing motion. He mentioned that he had always been coached to have a high, "over the top" delivery, and DeBerg helped him to correct it. He sounds confident that he hascorrected it. Maybe not a big deal, but it is something I have noticed over the course of his two years in the league, a tendency to throw the ball high, where nobody can catch it.

It seems like every year, we get a date, like this (saw April 23rd on PFT), and then it gets delayed a day or two...

Arrowhead..

And, many are idiots! The shark was still a ways off in the distance...they had about 5 more terrific albums in them before the "shark was jumped"...

I'll take your word on that...I haven't had season tickets since 1988. I just hear so many here complain about it, I assumed it to be true...

17

I have mixed feelings, but ultimately, it is the right move. Kinda like I felt when Lindy got fired. You would always like to see everyone go out on a high note, but that rarely happens. He wasn't going the guy to lead this "new era" of Sabres hockey, so better to end it now than, perhaps more fairly for him, letting him coach through December, and then firing him mid-stream.

As a kid, growing up in a large family (8 kids), and parents of medium income, I can tell you, pre-season games, as silly as they may seem, always meant the world to me. My dad was a cop, and a war vet. Every summer, he was bound to get some free tickets. He and my uncle would take me and my brother...it was right up there with Crystal Beach as an annual summer highlight for me. I always get nostalgic for August football...the last gasp of fun before the school and winter doldrums set in...sure regular season is better (absurd they charge full price for exhibition games)...all part of the pacing of the season...I'll never complain!

I think this was a big part of the ulitimate failure of the Wade Phillips era Bills. Antowain was, by far, the best running back they had...but he was in Pendry's dog-house...it used to amaze me how poorly they utilized Smith. He was the only RB we had, at that time, with any big-play ability...the kind of guy that got better the more he carried the ball....but Pendry would, instead, give him a few token carries...he would go for 4-5 yards a carry, only to be relegated back to the bench, for the Linton/Bryson snooze fest that was...

Makes sense. In general, when a team is perennially competitive (the winners circle), they have fewer glaring needs that good coaches/schemes can't hide to an extent. Perennially bad teams are always "chasing it", and more often than not, whiffing out. Winning solves many problems....

Has Spikes had any interest from anybody, other than the Bills? EDIT: Never mind...I just saw where the Vikings have expressed interest, but he wants more money than they are willing to pay him.

Only going on the pictures... I think foodbabe is kinda cute!

My first game too! Still have the coin, and my ticket stub! I had a blast...I was 8 at the time, too young to really know the difference between a pre-season game and a regular season game... the only downer for me was that OJ did not play!

I actually kind of worry about how Woods..is he going to take a back seat to all these other guys?

I meant 'free tv" as in not cable tv!

I like the Browns uniforms the way they were ...when they started doing the all brown unis about 2 years ago, a buddy of mine who is a Browns fan, used to call them their "tootsie roll" uniforms.

Just because a guy is aging, and his play might be in decline, it doesn't mean that he can't have any value. He could be as good, for one year (one which you are banking on making a playoff run), as a young guy who is still learning to play in the league. I don't think bringing in experience, in an are where depth is thin, is a bad idea at all. The Bears O-Line was awful the last two years or so...doesn't necessarily mean that all the parts were busted. Bears fans certainly loved the guy!

FWIW, CBS analyst Chris Simms (yes, that Chris Simms!) on the John Murphy show the other night said that "Matt Cassel is a much better QB than Kyle Orton. You will be pleasantly surprised." Not the first "talker" I have heard make that assessment. What I noticed (doing similar film work as JFH), is he has some odd mechanics...

Thing that always sucks about these arguments is that to make your point, it almost seems like you are criticizing one guy, to elevate the other. Anyone who thinks Thurman was better than OJ...seriously? Thurman was awesome, no doubt...I would argue he played behind a better line than OJ, and played in an offense that was worlds more sophisticated than what OJ played. When OJ played, there was no trickery, no "no-huddle", no running out of the shot-gun, using your future HOF receivers as decoys...it was OJ, all OJ. If you are analyzing who was the best running back, you can't really include all the accomplishments of the team he played on, as evidence that one player was better than the other. As much as Thurman contributed to the success of the Bills in the 1990's, he was helped by playing on team with an excellent offensive line, and a top notch passing game.

Anyone have any idea of when training camp will be held this summer?

Yeah...I just have some friends who really want to go see the Who (none of them have seen them before) and I don't want to be the nay-sayer. I really do love that band, but it just kind of hurt to see them the last time...like I wished I hadn't. As for Rich Stadium in 1981, it is a perfect illustration of how much things have changed, isn't it? I had Bills season tickets at that time too, and I remember, like you, the one gallon rule. I was a minor at that time (I was 15 in 1980), and I recall my older brother and his buddies taking me and a friend of mine (also 15) to a night-time Bills game (Thursday nighter against the Eagles)... can't remember all the details now, but somehow the group of 5 of us had more alcohol on us than was allowed....so the security guy says to me and my friend (both 15) "your gonna have to dump that, or drink it". Being 15, and invincible, we chose to chug a tank full of screw-drivers.... I am sure I was loaded, but the funny thing is, I don't really remember getting drunk at all...man, my tolerance level used to be so high back then! Now, at 50, three beers and all I want to do is sleep....

Believe me, I am no fan of tanking... but if you are going to do it for two seasons, you have to do it right. Your being silly if you can't see the advantages to the franchise, long term. What it says about sportsmanship, is a whole other matter. Consider though: does anyone kill the Colts for cutting one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and then losing as many games as they can, to land the best QB prospect in nearly a decade? No. Does anyone put an asterisk on the once irrelevant Pittsburgh Penguins accomplishments, because they tanked a season to land Mario Lemieux, arguably one of the greatest players in NHL history, certainly of his generation? No. Sure, in 1984 there were fans in Pittsburgh crying that the Penguins were losing on purpose... as there were Colts fans in 2011 crying about "suck for Luck"...but who in either of those towns is losing sleep over that now? Why should Buffalo, and Sabres fans, feel any different in 2015?

And, we are back to square one..Nolan has more control than any non-player involved...and with everybody assuming he is done after this season (I could see him quitting, even if he isn't fired), he is no motivation to do anything but win. Nolan is a fiery guy, it is part of what endeared him to most Sabres fans to begin with... just listening to him on the radio all season (and last) was painful... I love the guy, but if this doesn't work out the way management had planned, it might not be wrong to point the finger at Murray, for not firing Nolan sooner. How about Murray cans Ted today, and coaches the team the remaining 5 games? Put destiny in his own hands!

You know, Schopp sometimes has some interesting ideas...I heard him a few weeks ago talking about "how do you avoid the tank phenomenon"? He brought up the idea of simply rewarding teams in the draft, based on what percentage of their points (in hockey) or wins they got, after they were eliminated from contention. I realize that could be complicated, and you would have to draw the line on what the cut-off point is for elimination...but an interesting idea.