Buftex

The last couple of weeks been dealing with a unicyclist with an attitude, on my way home from work...this is always on a stretch of city street that is already too narrow for the four lanes of traffic, and two bicycle lanes...guy dosn't stay in the bike lane, weaves in and out of traffic, and curses people and filps them off if they get too close to him....it is one of those "big wheel" unicycles, so he is about 6 feet off the ground...can't explain it, but I think he thinks, in his mind, he is a disco..he kind of dances with the bike, putting his hands on his hips, running his fingers through his hair, clapping, singing along to some imaginary turntabel in his head...cuz you know, he has nothing else to do with his hands...at least he isn't texting anyone! He almost got into it with a motorcycle driver yesterday...for once, I would have sided with the motorcycle driver! The price we pay for "keeping Austin weird"! I can't tell you how much I hate this little prick!

Went through with the trade. Thanks guys... the Browns finally made the switch from Weeden to Campbell, which makes me feel even a little better. Just hoping Rice and/or Chris Johnson wake up and then I think I am fine at running back. The way I look at it, in retrospect, having the first waiver claim, if Josh Gordon was available, I would have nabbed him before Ivory...so it is kind of like getting a free starter-quality WR (maybe, they play KC this weekend) for a guy that I may or may not play from week to week. Of course, if Tom Brady doesn't start putting up even decent numbers, I am out of this anyways...I won't win the whole thing, that is for sure, but I love the challange of trying to scratch and claw my way into a playoff spot.

I do think there is somehting to a "culture of losing". With the Bills, and the Sabres (you live in Atlanta, maybe you don't follow them?), the years of futility are piling up. Of course, there is no way to prove any of this with statistics, but I don't think the Bills, or the Sabres have an inordinate number of bad players over the last decade, but there comes a point where losing doesn't have any real repercussions. Somebody on every team is always going to get paid a lot of money, when their production doesn't match their salary. Not to say that the players stop caring about winning, but they have dealt with it for so long, they become accustomed to it. We see guys walking off the field, after getting their asses handed to them, joking and laughing with the guy who just crushed them. They have been through it all before...they realize the sun does still come out tomorrow. It is all cliche, I guess, but something I think teams really need to guard against. You see a guy like Doc Rivers, with the Clippers, being called "petty" for wanting all Lakers logos and banners out of sight when the Clippers are playing their home games at the Staples Center. He knows, the expectations for the Clippers are always low, because they can never be compared to the Lakers...so he is removing the comparison. It is all about changing culture.

Agreed. Love the effort we are getting from Lewis, it has been a pleasent surprise. If the Bills can eek out some wins during that stretch, it would be awesome..but I still want to see Manuel play, and work out his issues...

I am in last place in my leauge. I am 2-5. However, I am still only 1 game out of the final playoff spot. It seems like the regular stalwarts in my leauge are all having off years, with underperforming players and injuries... So, today, I picked up Chris Ivory on the waiver wire. He had a big game this past Sunday (104 yrds & 1td), and had pretty much all the work, for the first time, this year, with the Jets. Somebody (the 4th seed right now), really in need of a running back, offered me Josh Gordon for Ivory. Ivory would help me this week, but beyond that I am not sure. My running backs are Ray Rice (bye), Chris Johnson (bye), Fred Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers and DeAngelo Williams. My WRs are: Wes Welker, James Jones, Julian Edleman, Eddie Royal, and Robert Woods. Not a stellar group, particularly in a standard, non-PPR league. Welker is solid, but not spectacular...the rest of the guys are hit and miss from week to week. I like Gordon, he has had 1 massive games this year, 2 really good games, and two duds (including last week) but I am worried that the Browns QB situation will make him more useless as the season goes on. Any insight is appreciated....I am leaning toward taking this deal...

There is an element amongst us who have the insatiable need to declare that someone sucks, or is a bust, before anyone else...most were happy with Manuel after the Panthers game...but there are always those people hanging around who will concentrate on all of his mistakes in that game, rather than what he did well..that old "great" argument, you know, "take away all the good things he did in that game, and he sucked"! These are people who have to see everything black and white, no gray area..sure, they say, they realize that he is a rookie, but look what Russell Wilson did last year? Andrew Luck? Then, on top of that, they take glee when Gino Smith has a really bad game cuz it is the Jets...but they take equal glee when he has a good game, because it means they can move forward with their "EJ is a bust" movement, and proclaim that it is the "same old Bils" its a win-win! For these people (and this is mostly, ultimately, the Bills fault) criticizing the Bills is the fun of the football season...who gives a **** about the games, as long as they lose? These folks can't deal with the fact that what Gino Smith does, has nothing to do with what EJ Manuel does. I would argue, while Manuel may not have had as many huge performances this early in his career as Smith..he has never looked as bad as Smith at his worst, either. Patience is not a virtue it seems. Whaley was stupid not to have a backup plan for Manuel, even though they knew all along he was a bust....yadda, yadda, yadda... people just seem to need instant gratification....an insatiable need to label things...I am guilty of it too...look, going off in a thread where the topic of discussion is how long do we have to wait to thank the previous GM for a great draft...and we aren't even half done with the season yet!

I wasn't trying to dis-credit Buddy Nix, for whatever credit he deserves. I have just noticed (not necessarily from you) a real reluctance on TBD, to give Whaley any credit for anything that has gone right this year. I have no doubt that Buddy and DW both had say in who was drafted... I think both guys experience is more in scouting/personnel than being an administrator. I have no doubt that both guys have a strong concept of the kind of players they want. I also think it is very likely that Whaley had a bigger role in this draft than in previous drafts. It is obvious that Nix's retirement was thought out ahead of time...going into that draft Whaley and Nix knew that it would be DW's team shortly thereafter. I find it hard to fathom Nix, knowing he is in his final days as GM, would override the wishes of Whaley. Anyways, I have no doubt, if the season ends with everyone disappointed, Whaley will get all the credit!

Of course we have no way of really knowing, but is it possible Doug Whaley had a bit of say in this draft? Is it too early to give him credit for anything?

Not a fan, but I think it has to be Rex Ryan. People forget, his Jets team was being mentioned, in the off-season as possibly one of the two or three worst teams in the league. The guy can't help but stick his foot in his mouth every two or three days (somebody else's the other day?) and the NY/national media seemed to really take a lot of glee in pouring it on, when it seemed that he, and the Jets were crashing and burning. I recall, before the first game of the season, one of the ESPN talking points for a day or two was "how long before Rex gets canned?" He had a QB controversy to deal with, and a rookie QB that everyone was expecting/wanting to see fail, and, at the same time trying to stay loyal to his vet QB.... there is a a long way to go, and the Jets are "only" 4-3...and yeah, Gino still has some kinks to work out... his defense, which was supposed to be tapped last year, is again, among the leagues better defensive squads. And, of course, we all remember when it looked like he was losing his mind, in a "meltdown" (the media called it) at a post-game press conference. I am no Jets fan...but I think you gotta give him his props. I am respecting him as a HC more than ever.

In the off-season, after the draft, I watched a replay of a game between Oregon and USC...I was watching, more than anything, to see Robert Woods. Instead, came away more impressed with Kiko Alonso and Nickell Robey. Woods had a pretty quiet game, but the other two were among the best defensive players on the field that day.

Bills in another close one 31-23

I heard Schoop talking about this, clearly he was joking...or so I though it was clear...

He was offensive rookie of the year, but it was a much different game then. I looked at his stats once, and he threw nearly 3 times as many pics as he did td's. I know, perhaps a fugged up td/int ratio was a bit more common then, but that isn't good in any era...but you are right, he was marginally successful. I am too young to remember Darragh and Kay Stephenson from more than just old football cards, but from what I gather, Darragh, especially, was pretty awful..funny, Darragh, Kay Stephonson, Sam Wyche and Tom Flores were all in the mix...before settling on utiltiy/emergency QB Ed Rutkowski...kind of like the QB scramble the Billls had this year...interesting too, Stephensen, Flores and Wyche would all go on to be Head Coaches...Ed Rutkowski remained locally relevnat...not sure what ever happened to Darragh.

Two guys who I thought were going to be sure fire stars: Nate Turner (FB 1991-1992-ish) and Corey Moore (LB around 2000... Va Tech legend). Turner was a pre-season all-star...and Moore was an undersized linebacker, great college player...Turner made the sqaud IIRC, but barely had an impact before being cut...Moore dressed for about 6 games for the Bills, and maybe a few more for the Dolphins, but never really played...

For me, it was Dennis Shaw. I was 7, and he was the only 'famous" person, besides Dennis the Menace that had the same first name as me. It was a big selling point...I took a lot of teasing (for some reasonconstantly being called "Dennis the Menace" really got under my skin)...growing up in Buffalo, I probably would have come around to it eventually...but Shaw was the man! Also, I think your case for Losman being misused, un-developed, could be made for a lot of the guys who have passed through Buffalo during the last decade or so...I don't believe that Chan Gailey, or Dick Jauron always fielded their best players...

Let McKelvin serve as an example of Bills fans being way too hasty to write guys off as "busts"...it really took him 4 seasons (and lots of crummy coaching) to turn into a solid starting corner. I am not convinced all the issues he had were him....but in general, we are way too quick to write guys off...

It may not be saying much, but I think Hamilton is the only guy who covers the Sabres that is any good, or offers any insight, whatsover, as to what is going on behind the scenes. I do agree, however, covering the Bills is not his strong suit. I believe (I could be wrong) that GR downsized about 2 years ago, and decided that a guy like Hamilton would have to do more than simply cover the Sabres to draw a paycheck...so he had more responsibilties in regards to covering the Bills. It is obviously not his game, and he doesn't seem to have any repore with the team, or any of the players.

Just curious, didn't see anything...what antics are you talking about...or simply referring to his hold-out? I would trade him now... I think not being a Buffalo Bill is almost as important to him, at this point, as contract numbers. Let him fly... I was with you at one point...but I think that ship has sailed.

You may be right...on all counts!

Check this out...from the same day...2:38 mark!

JW- I probably agree with you more often than not, on matters of taste, but you are really making this a "my taste is superior to your taste" kind of thing...it is inevitable when discussing this kind of stuff...

Yeah...I know where you are going... a really foxy red-head rubbed the helmet...I think that was what did it! It was like someting out of Ripley's!

Not from me. Calling a pass play on first down, incomplete...from there you have to take the amount of time on the clock, and the concede that there is a decent chance you may not get a first down...it would seem you would want to give the other team the ball back with as little time as possible on the clock...or make them burn some timeouts. But throwing a pass (incomplete) on 2nd down, and then another on 3rd down was not sound. You are, basically, handwrapping a gift for them. I understand you don't want to be negative, and I am with you on that...but I do think it was pretty glaring example of poor clock management. Sure, if they complete those passes, it is great...but they didin't...they called the second and third pass, knowing that the previous two were incomplete...when it is 2nd and 10, IMO, you have to start thinking about running out the clock. To just decide you are going to try to score on that drive, not taking into account the down, distance and time left after each play is the coaching equivalant of a QB locking onto a receiver.

I have no problem with Marrone not kissing his players asses win or lose. That has been the tact of the previous 3 coaches, and, in my opionion, is part of what has created the "atmosphere of losing" for the Bills. Ditto for the Sabres. There is a time and place for things like that...Marrone is trying to get these guys not to settle for "moral vicitories"... the Bills, as a whole, have been too soft for too long...he wants these guys to have pride, and want to get better, not simply settle for being "decent" or "pretty good". When this team starts winning 10 or 12 games a year, proving they know how to win, then, maybe back off a little bit.

Yeah, this was the one series that really bugged me. I won't say that clock management has outright cost the Bills a game just yet, but it is troublesome that there seemed to be no concern for what would happen if they went three and out at that point...calling three consecutive pass plays preserved the clock for Miami... instead of putting our foot on the throats at that point, we gave the Dolphins life... for no reason. I am not sure if this is Marrone, or Hackett, but it was a very curious set of plays...when there is 8 minutes left, it might not be as big a deal... strategy and play calling are that much more important inside the the last 3 minutes of a half.