Buftex

Not a Knicks fan (Celtics for me), but I know a lot of them...it would nice to see the Knicks relevant. It has been a long, long time.

Interesting. I remember Peyton Manning throwing from the top of a skyscraper to Chris Carter, on "Peyton's Places" a year or two ago. Not sure what the distance was, but it took numerous attempts...and apparently it was pretty painful for Carter... I remember hearing him (Cater) on the radio not long after, and he said he seriously thought he had broken his hand.

I really liked JP and wanted him to succeed. Loved the way he embraced Buffalo. We all know that the organization was a mess...he wasn't in the best situation, but as I recall, he really never came up big when he had his chances, save the Houston game. He was just too erratic. Sure, you can blame the offensive line (to be honest, I barely remember the details of those seasons anymore, it is all a blur of mediocrity), but good QB's have a way of overcoming those things. QB's on bad teams will always have to overcome things like bad line play, and O-line struggles. If he is good, his play helps them overcome those things...coaches don't get fired, there is stability. JP had some nice moments, but he played like he had the proverbial "bumble bee" in his helmet all too often. He may have been a decent QB under better circumstances, but I think, in the end, he really wasn't any better, or treated any worse than EJ Manuel was.

It is the first, and only on-line subcription I have ever paid for. I get my use out of it.

Really?

Years ago, I was collecting autographs through the mail, from former Bills players. It was cool, you would send the player a couple of cards, and ask them to sign one, and keep the other for themselves. Those Chuck Knox era teams were (and probably still are) my favorite teams ever. Joe Ferguson, Jerry Butler and Steve Freeman were my favorites. They obviously never reached the heights of the 90's teams, but those were my first years as a Bills fan where it seemed we had a legit shot of making it to the Super Bowl. Prior to that, it was all OJ, all the time...which was great, but it never felt like we had an upper echelon team. At the time, Jerry Butler was working for the Bills, as head of their "Bills Alumni". He told me that he and Joe were still pretty close friends, and that he "would be thrilled" to hear from Bills fans. He gave me the address for a restaurant that Fergy owned in Louisiana at the time. Can't remember the name of the joint now...something like the Log Cabin Smokehouse. I sent him a few cards, and a nice note. He wrote back, and sent me a whole set of autographed cards (each of his Topps cards from 1973-1985, as well as a couple of collegiate Arkansas Razorback cards, and two oddball "QB Club" cards). And, an 8x10 photo! Pretty sweet. Happy birthday Joe!

12th Man?

Remember the days, not so long ago, where the release of the schedule was one of the most exciting days of the season for us?

I wouldn't be too hard on Chan for that particular thing. Edwards was a draft pick, the team was dismal, and very challenged. At that point, the cult of Fitz wasn't quite a thing...he was a journeyman, on his third NFL team in 4 years. As you recall, Chan didn't just bench Edwards in favor of Fitzpatrick, he outright released him after his miserable week 2 performance. That was pretty ballsy, in my opinion. I wish I could find the actual quote, but I will have to paraphrase...when asked during the week how he could release Edwards, after only 3 weeks earlier naming him his starter, and saying he saw great things for Edwards, Chan said something to the effect of: "Trent is a helluva good kid, smart, and a team player. As a the coach, I have to see what I can get out of a guy with those qualities....but then when the performance doesn't live up to that, I had to let him go, because I wasn't sensing it was going to improve....there was a body of work that goes with that final conclusion. And Trent is such a good guy, I was afraid if Fitz was struggling some Sunday along the way, I would be tempted to put Trent back in. That wouldn't be fair to the Buffalo Bills...we need to make progress, not tread water. You just can't stick with something that clearly isn't working. That's the point I felt we were at." In two decades of miserable football, Gaily, for me, was one of the highlights. Maybe not the greatest head coach, but the Bills were, at the very least watchable.

I loved 80's NBA hoops. As a kid in Buffalo, I was all about the Buffalo Braves. When they left town, I was crushed. Couldn't follow the Clippers in those days, on the east coast...so I had to find a new team. My family got cable in 1980...the Boston super station was included, showed all the Celtics games. They were so damn good...even though I knew it was wrong, I adopted them. Wasnt a bad time to watch....but I absolutely loath the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins....and I really don't care much for the city of Boston in general. However, in 1985 the Pats were just kind of non-entity to me...I hated the Jets and especially the Dolphins far more.

I hate Boston in general, but I love the Celtics! It is confusing...

I get that...though the 1985 Patriots weren't at quite the despicable level as they have become.

Love Dave Edmunds...and Rockpile. Edmunds is really underappreciated.

One of my best friends is a huge Bears fan. Consequently, I have seen way too many Bears games over the last 25 years or so. I know the Bills have been no great shakes during that time...but man, thee Bears have just been a dreadful team to watch all in all. I was not really a fan of the '85 Bears either... a team full of jerks, other than Walter and Fridge. Ditka was a blowhard (a less likable Rex Ryan), Buddy Ryan was classless... McMahon was an a-hole...McMichael, Hampton....Singletary. All insufferable egomaniacs. I know they had that one great season, but just a hard team to like. I would never say it to my friend, but I am glad I wasn't born into Beardom. I actually thought they might be on to something with Trubisky, but alas...same old Bears. Awful play calling... my buddy loathes the Packers... he gets pissed if I am rooting for them in a game that doesn't involve the Bears...feels the same way about Favre and Rodgers as most Bills fans feel about Tom Brady. I almost can't wait to hear his reaction to McMahon trashing the Bears, and praising the Packers!

When I still lived in WNY, I used to watch CFL football as a primer to the NFL. Always like Montreal Al's. I have to admit, I have lost track of the league over the last 20 years, but when some random game shows up on ESPN, I am all in. I actually find it more compelling than most college football games.

The reward for a front office doing a great job in constructing a strong roster over the last 3 years, is that they may be at the point where the quality of the picks can take precedence over the quantity of picks. It is part of what they worked for. Not saying they are now free to trade away top draft picks in coming years....but those later round picks can be used to move up in the early rounds, if there is a value there. Maybe you trade your 1st, fifth and sixth for a chance to move from #30 to #25 to get when of those top 3 corners? Something like that.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/04/12/bucs-signing-giovani-bernard/ Bucs signing Giovani Bernard - ProFootballTalk (nbcsports.com)

I do. All the highlight films, going back to 1960. I am only missing 2016.

I have been collecting them for years...have every season highlight film...great effort and some $ involved. But YouTube has mad my collection pretty obsolete I am afraid!

I find it much easier to hate coaches than players. If we are counting coaches, Jauron and Rex Ryan top my list. Hated when they hired Rex...I admit I was almost seduced, but ultimately, he was as big a train-wreck as I anticipated he would be. Jauron almost singlehandedly had me wondering if I should watch the Bills any more. I know they had worse teams, but Jauron just coached the fun and joy out of football, for me. I hated his tenure. To me, the one time TO popped off while he was in Buffalo, was to complain about the blandness of their game plans...Jauron got fired the next week. For that, I can never hate TO. Just as some say that Flutie "saved the Bills from leaving the Bills", Terrell Ownes may have saved me from ditching the Bills.

Funny you mention Price... he is one of my very favorite players of the "drought era". I was so excited when they re-signed him later. I forgot how many people hated Whitner. I think he was a guy who just wanted to fire his teammates with bold proclomations, but couldn't deliver on his own, and for the most part, the team around him pretty much sucked. He played his heart out as a Bill...no wonder he had more luck when he went to a better team.

I'm guessing it is because a large percentage of the folks here are too young to have seen him play. They likely know him more for his post career antics. As somebody who came of age as a Bills fan very much during the OJ era, it saddens me a bit that his greatness as a football player has really been downplayed so much by the NFL. I totally understand why, but it kills the Bills fan in me. I still think he is one of the top 5 running backs in my lifetime....and right up there was Bruce Smith as one of the two best players in franchise history. Now, when they talk about he all-time greats, he is an afterthought. When NFL Network did their all-tme coutndown, he ranked fairly high (can't remember where now) but only got cursary mention by the analysts. Like they want everyone to forget him. It really is kind of a scar for a lot of us older fans.

I know somebody who worked for the Bills from 1986, until the Pegulas took over. Flutie was a "Flutie guy" all the time. He wasnt very popular with some of his vet teammates, and did a lot to undermine "pretty boy". There really was a sense that Flutie put his own personal success above his teams success pretty consistently. I remember sitting behind the Bills bench in New Orleans, for the final game of the 1998 season. In a surprise move, Wade sat Flutie for the final game, as the team had already clinched a playoff spot. It was known a couple days earlier. The Bills pretty much rolled over the Saints...RJ had a near perfect game. At the time, there was some perception that Fluties arm was waring down late in the season...he looked terrible the week before in a loss to the Jets.. Flutie sulked on the sideline, about 10 yards from the rest of the team, for most of the game. Johnson was excited, at one point, after hitting Moulds for a 70 yard touchdown. He was high-fived by his temmates, but Flutie turned his back on him. It was such a weasley move. I knew of Flutie's reputation for having a huge ego, and a chip on his shoulder, but I got to see it up close. It was rediculous. He sulked around like a child...after it was clear that the Bills were going to roll, and Johnson was having a great game, Flutie pretty much froze himself off from the rest of the team. It was Christmas weekend, the Bills were heading to the playoffs...Bills fans had taken over the Super Dome. There were hundreds of fans crowding around the stands behind the Bills bench late in the game. It was a happy bunch on the sideline. Guys like Bruce, Thurman and Andre were interacting with the fans pretty freely, singing jerseys, programs...a lot of kids were holding out things for Flutie to sign...he would have none of it. Just stood there, back to everyone, looking pissed off. At one point a jubiliant Bruce Smtih took a box of Flutie Flakes from a kid in the stands, and marched it down for Flutie to sign. Bruce was playfully pushing him....trying to get him to lighten up some. But Doug wasnt having it. To his credit, I have heard Flutie, in recent years, admit that he did sometimes put his ego over the team. He even admitted he felt somewhat vindicated when the Rob Johnson led Bills lost to the Titans in that now infamous playoff game, a year later. If you ever see a replay of the game, you can kind of see him smirking in the aftermath of the loss. Regardless of whether Johnson should, or should not have been starting in that game, Flutie was not a great teammate. I know he had a chip on his shoulder in general, about the way he was shunned by the NFL. But guys with much better careers than Flutie, have handled being benched with much more grace. No doubt, he had some great moments...but I just never really liked his personality. I rooted for him because he was the Bills QB, but never got the warm and fuzzies for him.

I never truly hated any Bills player. Flutie, Richie Incognito, Fred Smerlas were all major a-holes, but I can't say they didn't give us some great moments, and did all they could to help the Bills win...can't hate them for that. But, not guys I would want to sit and drink beers with. I have a hard time hating guys who under-achieve, or don't live up to their draft hype... most of them want to achieve, and live up to expectations but don't for whatever reason. A lot of those reasons are things that are out of their control.

Allen is 24 years old, living in California. If he is like most of the people I know that are his age (I work with a lot of them) he isn't concerned with the vaccine, or hasn't been, because in a lot of places, people his age (especially pro athletes) don't qualify to get them. I believe Josh wouldn't be able to get one in California until April 15th. Much ado about nothing.