Buftex

Its' hard to say this, without sounding like a Steve Johnson "hater", but don't you think the Raiders could get more than that for the #5 pick in the draft. I know, it is only moving up 4 spots, but guys like Stevie are not going to garner a ton of trade value, IMO. If the Bills were to trade him, straight up, for a draft pick, I would be surprised if they got more than a 5th rounder for him...and I like the guy. I could see that trade with the Raiders, possibly, but I would bet the Raiders would want another pick as well...say a third rounder.

There may be more too! There is no snub, real or imagined, to minor for us to get upset about! All by Mike Florio...one from June, 2013 and the other from November...there may be a few more...but you get the point! http://profootballta...off-extra-rest/ http://profootballta...eek-scheduling/

Interesting. I hadn't though about the Browns. I still think they would want more than our #9, and Stevie to move up.

I think that most of the complaining is about the lack of prime-time games, than they are the difficulty of the schedule. Even though, intellectually we know better, most of us are guilty of putting too much value on public perception of the team we root for. We spend a lot of time, money and emotion on pulling for this team....I think we all just like to get some national notice sometimes, to kind of let us feel like we aren't completely wasting our time. But recognition or not, we are still watching every game... It does seem odd, with more national games than ever, that there isn't room for more teams. That Giants/Lions Monday Night opener looks like a snoozer... neither team coming off good seasons. I haven't checked, but I am sure the Giants (big market) will have at least 3 to 5 prime-time games...including Thanksgiving, I think the Lions have 3. Wouldn't that Bears/Bills game in week 1 be every bit as attractive as Giants/Lions in week 1? That is probably the strangest scheduling quirk that I noticed. Seems the NFL is starting to devalue the significance of the conferences. I am sure it is all tv network driven.

I am not a Steve Johnson hater. I think, If he gets his **** straight, that Mike Williams is going to be a pretty significant addition to the Bills roster. With Williams, Woods (seems to be getting overlooked by many), Goodwin...and to a lesser extent Graham, Hogan, etc etc...the Bills have a pretty decent set of receivers, with or without Steve Johnson. So, if the Bills could get something useful in return, I think I would be open to the idea of trading him. However, I just don't see that he, on his own, is going to net anything significant. We have seen countless guys over the last few years, with better credentials (perceived or real) than Steve Johnson net close to nothing in a trade. That doesn't mean, at all, to say I think he sucks, or has no value. I have little doubt, if the Bills released him, he would sign somewhere quickly and be productive....New England comes to mind. New Orleans..

So, I take it that means you are all-in on Miami then? I am fairly certain I will go to the Houston game...I realize the city has its' problems, but I have been to far worse cities....like a lot of places, great restaurants... and Reliant is a gorgeous stadium. It might not be my very top choice, but it is closest to me. If you co-ordinate it correctly, with Bills Backer groups, there is always a major Bills fan party the night before, and a great tailgate on Sunday morning. I will say, I have been to 4 games there (2 Bills games...both wins!) and I found the tailgate thing, for the non-Bills games, to be be pretty underwhelming... few places like the Ralph for a game-day experience.

I am disappointed with the Thanksgiving Day thing too, but otherwise, as they say, "it is what it is". The first half of the season looks manageable, so, if they have a strong first half of the season, they should be contending, at the very least, for a playoff spot going into the last few weeks. The last month does look tough, but remember, every year, teams that were good the previous year fall off...and teams that weren't so good, step up in the standings... this will be our year to step up...

Reason 427 that Colin Cowherd is a douche-bag. Not sure if it is true or not, but somebody says they have modified the rule. I suppose the Lions/Bears could be on NFLN? Remember, there are 3 Thanksgiving games now.

Like I said earlier (I think it was in this thread), I am still not completely sold on the coaches, but I don't necessarily dislike them either. Hackett did a commendable job, in some ways, playing musical QB's every few weeks. But, there were times when it seemed like logic dictated things that they weren't actually doing. Havining a gameplan and sticking to it is commendable, but so too, I think, is being able to change on the fly. Sounds as though Marrone went out and got Hackett a little more help this season...hopefully that pays off.

Yes...I held out that possibility. But, since he was playing with that injury most of the season, why didn't they try to throw more screen passes to him in open space, like Chan did the year before? His receiving yards and number of receptions dropped a bit from 2012 to 2013. I may be completely off, but I didn't see that he lost that much straight ahead speed, despite the ankle sprain...he did a lot of that east-west running for no yards, it seemed, in part, because he just couldn't cut as quickly as the year before. In retrospect, maybe they should have forced him to sit some, early in the season. .

Sorry...I guess there was probably a time when I might have too, but I am not sure...it is just rediculous. I hope they have their expert panel conduct a "fantasy draft" of the games they are most looking forward to... just sounds like 3 brutal hours of television. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to seeing the shcedule too...but not like that. I am somewhat fascinated by this. Not trying to be a snob...fug, I watch the Pro Bowl most years... I wonder how well this draws viewers, particularly with NBA and NHL playoffs in full rotation. Wonder if it makes a dent ih those broadcasts.

What a dirtbab, huh?

Ha ha..so the schedule will be released tonight...who is going to watch a 3 hour tv special where they roll it out, bit by bit, piece by piece? It's all too much... as somebody said, the NFL is getting "hoggy"! Wonder if they scheduled it tonight, to cut into the cable ratings for Cubans' Mavericks vs Spurs game!

I did notice, the day after they annoucned Alexadra Vitale being hired, the entire look of the web-site changed....

I have no doubt, if Spiller were on the trade market, there would be more than a few teams interested. What you can get for him, is another story. But, given the whole story about the Eagles interest, which never reached serious discussion, who knows where the Bills stand. it was rumored they were prepared to offer a 5th rounder for him...obviously the Bills aren't going to make that deal. But, if they had any interest at all in trading him, you would think all the rumors surrounding the situation would not have included the caveot that the Bills were not interested in even discussing it. Yeah...if he picks Parker, it may indicate that he doesn't view himself as the useless POS that so many Bills fans seem to think of him as. What a punk!

I saw a meme on Facebook, with Joffrey and Nellie from "Little House On the Prarie" side by side...the resemblence was pretty uncanny!

It seems that the "public perception" around the NFL, is that Spiller is not utilized properly, or is at least under-utililized in Buffalo. I lean toward that opinion too. Not sure if his spotty use in 2013 was the result of playcalling, or his ongoing injury situation, but we saw in 2012 that the guy can be a major playmaker. And, even with injury, he showed a some good stuff in 2013.

Well, from comments that Marrone made throughout the season, I get the feeling the current coaching staff doesn't completely buy into Spiller. For me, I am more sold on Spiller than I am the current coaching staff. People seem quick to forget the season that Spiller had in 2012 (under a different coaching staff), as well as the fact that Spiller played the majority of last season with a high ankle sprain. Now, if he goes out and has a season, more like 2012, will everyone still think we should run him out of town? We are getting at the point where any move that anybody makes is some indication that somebody is on their way out, or "needs to go".... the Bills sign a free-agent D-linemen? Okay, that is it...Dareus is as good as gone after this season...it is getting absurd.

I predict we open against Miami...in Buffalo.

You think he is hiring an agent, because he feels he will likely be traded, and needs an agent to work out a long-term contract with his next team? Jeez I hope not... Agreed...you have to get more than a 3rd Rounder for Spiller. I just hope it never comes to any of this! I am hoping it is the other scenario... he is looking for an agent, because the Bills and he want to get a long term deal done.

Not a big deal, in this day and age I suppose...but noteworthy nonetheless. As long as Colin Cowherd has nothing to do with it, I can live with this. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10821899/espn-air-1st-nfl-playoff-game-2015

Really? I think he is really good. Pulls off the perfect blend of sincerity and smarminess that the role calls for.

Yup! I am not 100% certain as to why JW is apologizing, though I think I know...and he certainly doesn't need to, in my eyes. There are a lot of people here who feel like they know how to do somebody esles' job, better than they do. When you are a reporter, and everyone else knows it, around here, I would imagine (I have read it with my own eyes) you take an awful lot of grief from people who, honestly, have no idea WTF they are talking about.

One of the (bad) results of an ownership change right now, could be a house-cleaning. I am not necessarily sold on Marrone (jury is still out for me), but I really like Whaley. I am not realistically expecting a Super Bowl win this year, but I think this team has enough talent, they should be, at the very least, in the playoff hunt for 14-15 weeks this season. Hell, they might even make it. If not, I might be a little more doubtful about Marrone. I want to see Whaley get a fair shot at the helm...for the first time since Tom Donohoe took over, I feel like the Bills are on the right track. I would hate for somebody to blow things up, just for the sake of making changes.

If by !@#$s, you mean !@#$s, I agree with you!