Buftex

Just for the hell of it, despite people telling me it wouldn't work, I just connected an HDMI cable to my laptop, and that into my "46 HDTV. Logged into NFL REWIND...wallah! Though the picture isn't HD, it is very good, and the sound is fine...though not true stereo...I am thrilled....no hassle...I am not a tech guy, and easily give up when something doesn't work! Perfect for me...the way life has been going as of late, this was a great way to start out the weekend..

Wow...this is crazy...it is up to $102! http://www.ebay.com/...984.m1423.l2649 Um...even if this guy turns into the next Joe Montana or Tom Brady, that card is not going to be worth a $102.00 a month from now, let alone 5 years from now!

Good point C!

Actually, I don't take any real issue with anything Steven A Smith said in that segment... the white guy (Skippy) is the one who will have crow to eat, if EJ Manuel turns out to be what the Bills (and most of us) hope he is. He is the one making definitive, and ridiculous statements there...Steven A, in the immediate aftermath of the draft, is just echoing the sentiment of many, who were surprised that the Bills went in so hard for Manuel at the #16 pick...he even says, right off, he is basing this off the opinions of people who study the draft, and draft prospects for a living. He does note, unlike Skipper, that if the Bills felt that strongly about Manuel (and obviously they did) you can't really question picking him there... I actually like Smith. He is definitely more of an NBA guy than an NFL guy, but I think he is being mis-characterized a bit here... his style on ESPN can be off putting to some, I realize, but if you ever listened to his morning radio show on FOX Sports radio, in his short time there, between ESPN stints, he is a pretty bright guy...and his "takes", I gather, are not as controversial as some would assume.

Okay, I know he didn't have a great rookie season, but I think some stats (drop percentage among them) can be misleading. There were times, particularly early in the season where I thought he looked pretty good...but as the season wore on, his strengths weren't accentuated, in part, because Fitz couldn't get him the ball...so yeah, he became a possession receiver...that little pass to the sideline that the Bills loved last season, the one that goes 2 yards past the line of the scrimmage on 3rd and 6, and the receiver either gets killed, or catches the pass, and has to fight for the extra 4 yards..that is not what TJ Graham should be doing...his numbers weren't great, and everybody is sure that he ran a bad rout against the Pats... but don't discount all the times, early in the season, when he had the DB beat on the sideline deep down field, only to have Fitz throw the ball 7 yards behind him, or 15 feet over his head...I may subsist on Bills hope (who here doesn't?), and I am not positive he is going to be a great receiver, but I suspect, if he is healthy this year, he will have some pretty decent moments. btw- I wasn't the advocating trading Graham to Seattle, or suggesting they would be interested in trading for him. I guess I just get tired of the rush to declare every player a bust... is there a prize for being the first one to declare that a player sucks? I would suggest, if there was an up and coming team (like Seattle) who was desperate for wide receiver help, they would likely be more interested in TJ Graham than Brad Smith.

Smith might be expendable for the Bills (might be), but I wonder if a team looking for wide receiver help would rate him that highly... Wow! I guess I am in the minority in beieving that TJ was not so great, in part, because he didn't have a QB who could play to his strenghts...he was, essentially, relegated to being a possession receiver, because Fitz couldn't take advantage of his speed. I seem to recall, especially early in the season, that TJ was getting open down field...

Had forgotten about this... Kevin Hogan (likely the Bills #5 or #6 WR this coming season) was one of the Dolphins final cuts last year, when they were featured on Hard Knocks. I remember thinking, at that time, he was going to be very good, on the show he was always open, so he was dubbed "7-11"...pretty funny. He got a lot of face time during the 2012 Hard Knocks show. I remember him being very humble.... I was surprised when he was cut last year by the phins. Would be nice to see him stick with the Bills, and contribute.

Just to give you an idea of how crazy Tuel-mania (or this Tuelishness?) has become: About 3 weeks ago, I purchased an autographed Jeff Tuel Upper Deck rookie card....for a whopping 4.99 + 2.50 for shipping...total: $7.49 I was the only bidder. Today, on EBAY, the same card (or ones just like it) have bids going up to $43.00 (22 bids) and rising! Another for $41.00 (7 bids) Both have 3 or 4 days left to bid...crazy! So, if this is a joke, not everyone, it appears, is in on it!

Just to give you an idea of how crazy Tuel-mania (or this Tuelishness?) has become: About 3 weeks ago, I purchased an autographed Jeff Tuel Upper Deck rookie card....for a whopping 4.99 + 2.50 for shipping...total: $7.49 I was the only bidder. Today, on EBAY, the same card (or ones just like it) have bids going up to $43.00 (22 bids) and rising! Another for $41.00 (7 bids) Both have 3 or 4 days left to bid...crazy! So, if this is a joke, not everyone, it appears, is in on it!

No "saulking" Jessie....just Badger's most excellent Star Trek adventure: http://io9.com/the-star-trek-saga-from-last-nights-breaking-bad-in-a-1109871958 Yup...I got a weird feeling the much anticipated showdown between Walt and Hank fizzles a bit...Hank knows what you said!

Speak for yourself!

So much for the notion that Buffalo fans are more knowledgeable than most NFL fans... jeezus....I am starting to understand why people who have been members here for year, rarely venture to the football threads...

This! The game is a mess, there are a lot of bad guys involved with it, none of them deserve any of the spoils of their success...that doesn't make Roses' transgressions against the game any less serious. It kills me to say it, but as a kid, when I still liked baseball, I loved Pete Rose... the Reds were "my team"...just like so many others... Now, I just think the guy is a pathetic weasel. But hey, the sport is littered with them....

Here we go...

What am I missing about the Byrd situation? I have to admit, more and more, I pay less attention to contract stuff...but to my understanding, once the deadline passed for him to sign his franchise tender, it made it impossible for the Bills to negotiate with him for a long term contract, correct? So, his only option, at this point, August 12th, 2013 is to sign the tendered offer, play out the season, and be free to go where he wants next year. IMO, he is only hurting himself, not to mention his team, at this point.... he has made his point...he wants a **** ton of money. The Bills are agreeing to pay him a **** ton of money to play for this one season, and that is all they can do right now. The only options for Byrd are to sign the deal, or sit out this season. It is obvious, at this point, he just does not want to be a Buffalo Bill. I am normally one to side with players in these sort of disputes, but the longer time passes, there is no question in my mind, Byrd, all along, had the desire to leave Buffalo. Fine...I think he is a great player, but I also don't think, at this point, losing him hurts them as significantly as some seem to feel. I believe it is possible for a player to be very good, and overrated at the same time... I kind of feel this way about Byrd. If the guy was openly saying he wanted to get a deal done with the Bills, at any point in this thing, I might feel differently. But, as a fan, I have moved on from Jairus Byrd...I think it getting close to the time where the Bills should too.

Actually, though I agree they were a little bland, I thought their coverage was pretty fair. They talked a lot about the Bills, and were pretty complimentary throughout.

We had the same issue on Friday night with the Raiders/Cowboys game. It was scheduled to show live on NFLN, but if you turned to NFLN, you just got a blue screen saying that the game was blacked out in our area. It was on a local affiliate. Only thing bad (though I didn't care) was that the game ran longer than three hours, so it pre-empted the broadcast of the Packers/Cardinals game on NFLN for about 15 minutes.

FWIW- don't know if anyone heard the "round-table" discussion on GR, prior to the game. I know people here don't put much stock in what they say very often, but these are all people who have been out at camp every day. One of them (I think it was Paul Hamilton, though everyone else agreed) made the observation that Rodgers flashes unbelievable skills, but seems to have lapses in concentration...he even said there were times when it seemed like Rodgers was ignoring, or perhaps not hearing, the instructions from coaches. They also mad the observation that Hogan was really making a pretty strong case for a roster spot....t seems like the Bills will be releasing some pretty talented receiver prospects this summer.

FYI: here is the Bills pre-season schedule for the NFL Network, with re-broadcast times included...all times eastern! Week 1: Bills @COLTS (1:30 pm LIVE- Sunday, August 11) Bills @COLTS (3:00 am re-broadcast- Tuesday August 13th) Week 2: Vikings @BILLS (10am- rebroadcast- Sunday, August 18th) Vikings @BILLS (1pm- rebroadcast- Monday, August 19th) Vikings @BILLS (3am- rebroadcast- Thursday, August 22nd) Week 3: Bills @REDSKINS (4:30pm- LIVE- Saturday, August 24th) Bills @REDSKINS (1pm- rebroadcast- Monday, August 26th) Week 4: Lions @BILLS (6:30pm- rebroadcast- Saturday, August 29th) There may be more broadcasts of the final, Bills/Lions game, but the NFL Network on-line schedule only goes through September 1st! I believe you will be able to watch games in your market (assuming they don't sell out) only after the fact...not live.

BRUUCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEE.......... greatest player in franchise history who didn't murder anyone...yet!

Funny...I am by no means a Time Warner zealot, but the Showtime and NFL Network squabbles aside, I don't really understand the hatred people have for Time Warner. I have had Time Warner for 20+ years, have only ever had my cable go out once (that I know of), customer service has always been excellent (IMO)...not crazy about the costs sometimes, but I just don't understand the perception that their product is somehow inferior. I had DirecTV once, briefly, for about 8 months. Other than the exclusive NFL Ticket option, I don't see anything that makes Direct TV better, or superior to TW. I have a few family members, both in Buffalo and Atlanta who experience frequent reception problems... my brother in Atlanta has a stretch of about 6 consecutive weeks where he missed chunks of Bills games due to signal issues. A friend here in Austin has the same complaint. From what I understand, from the frequent threads on this topic over the years, customer service from Direct TV is contracted out in different areas, so your customer service experiences can vary... Yes, same issue here...although, our local CBS affiliate, from what I can tell, is still broadcasting. But Showtime, and Showtime "On Demand" are blocked. They are substituting free Starz and Encore in the interim. I have a feeling TW will not charge you for Showtime as long as this is going on. I was on the road all weekend, and had no idea this was going on, until last night, whe I wanted to tune in for the late showing of "Dexter". I suspect it won't go on very long...

Buffalo may be dead...but probably not to the folks who still live there.