IndyMark

Hi all, FWIW: I have been in Green Bay since yesterday, took the kids to Bay Beach (slightly overrated) and the Zoo (absolutely the most beautiful zoo I have seen). Yet, their highlight was swimming in the hotel pool - gotta love that. Ate at Brett Favre's steakhouse last night - great beer/cheese soup, pretty good steak (bone in ribeye) and decent "Favre Merlot" wine, yet the wings were horrible. It was a really nice place that dealt with kids pretty well. Nice ambiance, for lack of a better phrase. Watched this mornings practice (well up until 10:30) the practice field is across from Lambeau and is literally right off the street. Was super close the the QB's for a while, then the RB's, for a bit, then G and C's. First blush observations: 1. Mike Williams looks fit, very fit. And Bennie Anderson does not make him look small at all. They are about as mirror images as two guys can be. They are both huge and relatively "nimble"; evidence in their footwork drills and resulting comments from McNally. 2. McNally is an great communicator - he continually talks but is not "yappy" like so many big mouths. He always has something specific and useful to say. 3. The RB and QB drills were truly vanilla and did not offer anything that would allow cause for comment. 4. Our special teams coach April carries around a portable Mic / Speaker. It is slick and works real well. 5. Speaking of ST, our kickoff coverage (in the abreviated drills) seems strong. Great lane coverage and angles taken continually - 6. #2 (I do not have roster in front of me) is a pretty versatile player. Returned kicks, played Qb, and even caught some balls IIRC. 7. Lee Evans dropped a well thrown ball that would have resulted in a TD. 8. Josh Reed made two TD catches, one was expected and the other was actually a pretty good catch. 9. Kelly Holcomb was a great pick up - he has poise and confidence - what a smart move by TD. 10. JP moves nicely in the pocket and has a quick release. Nothing bad to report. 11. The offense had JP LEAD BLOCK on a reverse to #11 two plays in a row. I am ok with Jimbo having done this, but JP? They were the only two curious plays I saw all morning. 12. Green Bay is simply a fanatical place for football. Having been born and raised in WNY it is somewhat hard to believe there exists a bigger fan base than Buffalo...but I found it. You gotta give this community props. They shut off the main street for last night and all of today for this "scrimmage". Especially considering gates do not open until 4pm today. Life is good! I will try to post pictures later.

....the Bills? I am taking my wife and kids and am stoked! Lambeau Field, family night, the Bills and Packers - other than the fact it is pre-season, could it be any better? I was just checking in to see if anyone is going? Since I have moved here to East Central Wisconsin, I was not sure if I would be able to get to a Bills game this season, but after hearing about their visit to Green Bay, I made it a point to get tickets. It would also be great to meet up with any other area Bills fans. Back in the Fall some of you advised me about the new position I accepted. I got great advice on this board - thanks. If anyone cares, the division I oversee is now fully functional and I have all positions filled, it took considerably longer than I thought, but I am having a blast and have had a relatively smooth transition (new market, 32 new employees, etc). All is going well, I learn by the hour and have managed to deal with all hiccups to date. Hope to meet some of you in Green Bay! Mark

Some of us midwesterners say that about Ohio drivers and their driving ability or lack thereof. But they are not completely at fault as apparently car manufacturers do not put turn signals on the cars they sell in Ohio. By the way, I really like Ohio - and once they stop issuing drivers licenses at the local Wal-Marts and start making Ohio drivers actually take a test to drive I will start loving them! - All in good fun.

Sorry for the loss. For what it is worth, do not reply to those posters who are fishing for a response from you. It only satisfies them. Walk away from posts like his original one to you. Trust me, we all read his original post and it speaks volumes about him and those like him. It is better left unsaid.

So by not letting her kids watch "starwars" she is destroying their lives??? Jesus, I never saw any "starwars movie" (I am 38) and turned out alright. I think you need to take it down a notch Dr. Phil - do not be so judgemental. Life and parenting is not black and white with absolutes and generalities. Parenting is relative to a lot of circumstances and the fact you predict her kids to OD in college because she, as a parent, set limits is troubling and speaks volumes..... PS - it is spelled kindergarten, with a "t" not a "d". While "street smarts" is ok, I also think it is ok to be "book smart", for several reasons, as well.

Well said -

Actually, as it stands now we have a valuable RB (albiet backup for us) as an assest whose value (to other teams) will only increase as time goes by (see probablility of an injury to another teams RB). As such, the reality is that we will be getting something for him in the form of a coveted draft pick in '06 or in the form of a player who could contribute in '05. Both of which are good returns on our investment, no?

First, I have no clue as to cut and paste - I tried once and nothing good came of it. Please accept this version. Second, I think they make the playoffs with their respectable 10 & 6 ... honestly I think they will overperform more than not and MM coaching is the reason for an extra win or two.

I was about to type, almost, the exact words...TH has absolutely no leverage in this situation. To d wag, If he sits out the first 11 games it is NOT up to him to come back the last 5. Your inference is that TH can pick and choose his contract obligations. Do you honestly think if he sits out 11 games and then announces during week 12 "OK I am ready to return so I can earn 500K"....that TD or RW would let him? No way. TH is losing the battle, he will lose the war, and if he is not careful he can lose his livelihood. Everyone remotely connected to the NFL realizes the shelf life of a running back is 4-5 years. Especially in light of TH style, what year is he in? Exactly my point. Plus, he is just not that good to act like a prima donna.

Was Reuben really around that long? Ol' Reuben was a mainstay on the line during the time you cited. I agree we overlooked the line because we were lulled into thinking he was Pro-Bowl material (I know he made it but that is all popularity there). Yet, look at the line coaches during the time you cite....not real stellar huh? We now have a top flight coach and decent prospects - last year was a big improvement as will be this year. So are you arguing, with the time frame that you cite, that John Butler set us up for failure? If so, I agree 100%.

I generally agree with your points, except the last line which I cannot decipher. That said, looking at the Bills roster the potential for an adequate and competent offensive line is more reality than fiction. Certainly no one will mistake our line for perenial pro-bowlers, but with some decent coaching plus an agile QB combined with as tough a RB as Mcgahee is, our OL should not be the "red flag" of our season as some here want or predict. We got some big boys up front and with some above average coaching from McNally they very well could form into a solid group. Truly, this years draft regarding OL probably would not have offered better than what we have, by not heavily drafting the OL we did NOT take a step back like some here think. We landed a couple of solid prospects with a bit of nasty in them. Rather, we used our high picks to try and get JPL as many tools / weapons as possible. So we basically addressed our weakness - offense - clever I know, but needed nonetheless. Was the draft exciting for us? No. Is TH still here, in spite of the published reports? Yes. So what. It is what is - a draft with the potential to be very good or very bad (only time will tell). For all we know the Minn and Ariz drafts will be considered busts in three years and ours could be the strongest one.

The best take on TH yet....this is the smartest post to date and your second to last line pretty much is the truth as evidenced by the last 72 hours. Well said!

A center OL - no way what were they thinking???

our season officially ends with the apparent pathetic 4th round pick by TD.....right everyone? 'cause that's all the negative posters want to here right? ...we are DOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMED!!!!!! This fourth pick has got to be a joke....

Uh OL maybe......or maybe QB.

Does this baby poster need a diaper change or a bottle? Blah, blah, blah, your whining reminds me of a 2 year old. We are doomed because you say so!!!!!

Hey baby einstein, why does everything have to be black and white in your world? I typed three lines - your inference skills are lacking with your "witty retort". stfu.

Touche'.....I think.

Well said...I especially like the "fans" here who are now saying "I waited 8 hours for that!". As if the Bills owe them, or anyone an exciting draft. Geez get a life and move on until you see the guy play. That said, why does "Avion Black" and "Rodney Bellinger" sound familiar???

I sort of agree - but I use CHILDREN instead of PERSON as there are plenty of ADULTS that deserve this. Case in point, the ADULTS that did this crime.

What the heck kinda of "hair-do" does that moron have? It looks like some type of carpet. And I love the blood dripping on the protective mask - that is a nice touch. He should be thankful he is alive. Another prime example of ignorance breeding ignorance as evidenced by his mothers or aunts "cries" as they were escorted out of the police room. Would someone remind those idiots their "boy" killed someone. Ugh..

My exact thought upon reading this thread title then watching the video - no way is that an NFL lineman of any kind at any time in history. That said, it did look somewhat painful.

What he said.....

37 / 86.5 ----- interesting.