SoMAn

Yeah, two minutes after posting I thought it through. The conversation probably would've gone something like this: Ralph: Here you go fellas - 20 big ones. Player 1: Wait. I thought it was $20 each. Ralph: Sorry if you misunderstood. I said $20. That's pretty good for manual labor. You 3 guys can split it however you like. Enjoy. Take your wives out on the town. Player 2: WTF are we supposed to do with $20? We can't even buy a decent lunch. Ralph: I supposed you can use coupons to get 1/2 off a meal if you buy drinks. Oh, by the way, you guys owe me $40 for parking.

Brilliant. Maybe he'd even suggest loading it in the trunk of his Taurus for the drive over to new Highmark and offering some practice squad guys $20 each to move it.

Speaking of statues, has there been any official word about the Ralph statue that currently stands outside Highmark? I assume it will be retained and moved closer proximity to the new stadium. In my perfect world, the troughs from the existing men's facilities are salvaged, bronzed, and mounted strategically in front of the Ralph statue. He already looks like he's got a two-handed grasp on his 'MVP'.

Again? My reply is redundant, but so is the topic. For perspective: Super Bowl winning NFL coaches still active: McVay (8 seasons), Tomlin (18 seasons), Harbaugh (17 seasons), Carroll(18 seasons), Sirianni (4 seasons), Sean Payton (17 seasons) Andy Reid was a head coach for around 20 seasons before finally winning it. Now has 3 of past 5 Super Bowl wins. Previously Mike McCarthy had 18 seasons as head coach with a single Super Bowl win. Total seasons by these respected head coaches : (+/-)125, Total Superbowl wins: 11 It's not easy to make it to the Super Bowl, and even harder to win it. Why would anyone with a lick of sense entertain the idea of dismissing the most successful coach (winning percentage) in team history? What guarantee is there that his replacement would get there? I suspect some of the comments are from the spoiled instant gratification generation who feel entitled for their dreams and desires always being realized. Tough world. p.s. - McDermott ain't going anywhere until he decides to move on.

The was one of the all-time great calls.

C Jacob Bayer (61) and OT Chase Lundt (77) are two candidates for that designation. Will be watching them tomorrow. Kristian Wilkerson (82), possible practice squad/developmental player addition

Could special-teamed/WR Shenault be on the WR list, making it 7, or replacing one of the 6?

Why the raincoat? I've got a friend who claims to have been there and swears it was raining. It was not. It was a beautiful late October night, 45 degrees, a bit windy. O.J. ran for a then-record, 47 carries on his way to breaking the 1,000 mark in game 7. BTW - I went to the Bills' first Monday Night game in Rich with my late older brother, and hoping to go their first Monday night game in the new stadium with my other brother. It would be fitting if it were against the Chiefs.

1973, Bills-Chiefs, Monday night, from the corner of Main & Transit. I wasn't old enough to drive legally. Don't if that service is still available. 🤪

I thought it was interesting where Bobby Babich, addressing the D, was telling them to "stay away from 17, JOEY" - making a point to let Bosa know we don't touch Allen, as if he doesn't have sense enough to put on the brakes. He may not. He doesn't give the impression that he could've been a Rhode's Scholar candidate.

No

And if the opposing team has a superior kicker, they'd have the advantage. In both cases I believe any advantage is minimal. For me, not enough to prefer a windy stadium when it's cold if I'm sitting in the stands.

I don't get why so many are fixated on weather-related advantages. It's a myth. Other than the sunny/shady side of the field differences for outdoor arenas, both teams have to play in the same conditions. When the Bills played the indoor-stadium Colts in 3 feet of snow a few years ago, they barely won, saved only by a spectacular Shady McCoy run. In the playoffs at home against the Bengals, a snow covered field didn't help the Bills to a win. I don't doubt severe cold can be a bit of a shock to a Miami team in late December, but I don't see wind, or lack of, being an advantage to either team.

I believe it's only 4 years, and they're averaging about 9 wins/season over the past 3 years in the lowly NFC South. Kudos.

As always...next man up. My hope is that our offense is explosive and forces opposition to be more one-dimensional, having to play catch-up. The Bills have in recent history managed to be effective, even when missing most of their secondary. Hoping greater pressure from a re-vamped D-line will make it easier for our DBs, regardless if they're first team or reserves.

I doubt Beane feels any need to hurry this up. Why? He doesn't really need Cook doing much before the season starts as long as he's in-house and in the classroom to absorb any new wrinkles. Once the cutdowns are done and the roster is established in a few weeks, Beane will have a clearer idea of exactly how much cap room he has and what maneuvers he can execute to make it happen for Cook - if they can come to terms. The Bills are in the driver's seat. If there's not a new agreement, Cook is still under contract for 2025. He can play out this year and after that test his worth in the market. The Bills may be in a better situation cap-wise by that time. I believe they could make him a restricted free agent (correct me if I'm wrong) at which time they can retain him by matching any offers. If I'm the Bills, I wait. What if he blows out his knee in week 12, and is basically no good to the team leading into the playoffs and in for the first half of 2026? By the time he's 100% rehabbed in 2027 and going on 28 years old, he's on the back side of his career and probably not worth top RB money. What if there's no agreement, free agency looms, and he's incentivized to play his ass off this year? I like that scenario. A supercharged Cook. Great! By not rushing into a new contract, the Bills are in better negotiating position. Cook is a valuable piece of this offense, but not at the expense of not being able sign WRs or O-linemen. Fortunately, the Bills are now a desirable destination. If Cook is willing to take a few million more so he can play for some POS cellar-dweller team, power to him. Good riddance.

I guess that’s one way to get a head.

And he absolutely hates kids.

If Tre stays healthy and is close to being pro-bowl Tre again, I don't expect Max will be starting this season. Even pre-injury, I saw him only in a reserve role until well into the regular season if not the entire season. He's still a rookie. The Bills are facing experienced QBs Jackson, Mahomes, Burrows, Rogers, et al. They could eat Hairston for lunch if he's still making typical rookie mental mistakes as he's learning.

ACL? Season ending if it is. Hopefully, nothing more serious than a sprain. But, when a teammate says "prayers", it's either overly-dramatic, or a real concern based on the seeing it first-hand.

My point was that the 'average Joe' has regular (free) broadcasted games, and the option to stream almost every other game. The cost to stream for an entire season will put less of a dent on the budget than a single live stadium game for a family of 4. For a Bills fan in the Buffalo area, they're able to see every game of their home team using an over-the-air antenna without spending another penny. If someone is so cash-strapped that they can't swing the cost of streaming, they have to accept that their financial situation limits certain luxuries. Someone in that situation probably couldn't afford too many family outings at a Bills game when tickets were under $20. The sad part is that many young people working entry-level jobs or for whatever reason, having access to limited funds, won't be able to spontaneously get together with friends, walk up to the ticket window, and go enjoy a few games during the season as I did when I was still in my teens, living at home. It was hardly any more of a deal than going to the movies.

True, as it relates to cost of attending live events. The high cost makes it difficult for the average blue collar family to enjoy going to a game unless it's a once a year special occasion they save up for. It's simple supply and demand. If people weren't willing to pay those prices, teams couldn't sell tickets at that rate. One benefit that's not often mentioned is that higher pricing is weeding out some of the riff-raff. When tickets were an affordable $10, the same obnoxious drunk nitwits that ruined our concert experiences were also going to Bills games for 'the party', exposing our kids and wives to foul language and rude behavior throughout the game. The flip side to the high costs is that there's now unlimited access to seeing every game of their favorite teams in glorious high definition in the comfort of their own living rooms, on their tablets, or phone. There was a time when games were blacked out and for many fans their only means of keeping up with the team was listening to the radio. If you were out of town or somewhere else without radio reception your lone option was reading the box score and write-ups in the newspaper the following day. So, yes, the live experience now caters to the affluent, but advanced technology has provided an option so that all fans can view games in real time.

The basics. Reading, math, and writing. I’ve rarely, if ever used Algebra, biology, or chemistry. Writing is probably the main skill I’ve been able to utilize for so long. I had a third grade teacher who preached good penmanship. I was eager to please and a perfectionist who attempted to execute cursive writing as it was displayed on the charts posted above the chalkboard. My very nice penmanship came in handy in high school when I frequently forged my mother’s writing to create get-out-of-class excuses. I still have great penmanship. Ironically, my wife’s writing is often illegible. We could make a fun party game out of guessing the words/items she’s written on her grocery list. I may sound like just another boomer here, but I think it’s a shame so many schools no longer teach cursive. I believe there will be few letters or personal written records saved in a drawer and read years later. The younger generations only send texts with little substance and most of their personal thoughts will be lost forever.

I find most press conferences filled with at least 50% of ridiculously stupid questions. It's as if the reporters need to justify their press pass access when they've got nothing interesting to report. I love the questions that are framed with "how happy were you....?", or "how satisfying was it to....?" or "how disappointed were you...?" ...As if there's a standard emotional metric that can be used for statistical analysis. Rarely do they inquired about actual strategy or techniques used to counter the other team. IMO, Maddy is no better or worse than the typical Bills beat reporter.

You may have touched on the part of his game that decided his fate with Buffalo. If the coaches lacked trust in his ability to consistently handle long snaps for Bass, he was expendable.