Logic

Have been thinking about Brian today and reading about his life. Many don't know, he suffered from lifelong auditory hallucinations. He was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. He suffered abuse at the hands of his father and later at the hands of his therapist, survived years of drug addiction and mental illness, and on-and-off estrangement from his former bandmates. Through all of it, he remained a singular genius. One need only read what OTHER musical geniuses (McCartney, Lennon, Dylan, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Roger Waters, Pete Townshend, Paul Simon, and on and on) have to say about him on his website to realize how truly brilliant he was. Pet Sounds was not only ahead of ITS time, it's probably also ahead of OUR time. It is surely one of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- pop albums ever recorded. I'll always listen to songs like "In My Room" and "I Guess I just Wasn't Made for These Times" with great appreciation and wonderment and fondness in my heart for Brian. What an ear, what a mind, what a talent.

The biggest win of this movie happening is Rick Moranis un-retiring for it. Absolute comedy gem. For anyone unfamiliar with his work prior to the 80s/90s family movie era....the dude is a legend. I'll watch it for him alone.

Two things: 1.) Dov Kleiman is one of the worst accounts on Twitter (this question of his proves it. $500? GTFO) and I will continue to advocate for everyone blocking him immediately and indefinitely. 2.) If the proposition is that they will NEVER win a Super Bowl in my lifetime if I take the money, then there is no amount you could offer that would get me to accept the deal. Call me foolish if you want, but my Bills fandom is such a fundamentally large part of my life and bring me so much joy that I just can't imagine taking that deal. My life is good. I'm healthy, I have a roof over my head and food in my fridge, a family and friends that love me, I get to travel here and there. So you're asking me to give up one of the things I love most in life for, what, a bigger house and more vacations? The ability to not have to go to work? Nah. I'm good. Gimme the Lombardi.

I'd be embarrassed if I was a Bengals fan. But the truth is this: Even though there's a salary cap that's the same for all 32 teams, the playing ground is not TRULY level for all teams. Teams with cash-rich owners have an inherent advantage over teams without them. Teams like the Bills have an advantage over teams like the Bengals, who admittedly don't make things better for themselves by pulling bush league stunts like this with players. I expect the NFL to find a way to address this sooner rather than later. The creative circumvention of the salary cap using void years, conversions to signing bonuses, etc, has caused the league to take notice, and I think changes will be on the way in the years to come.

One of the most brilliant (and troubled) songwriters and musicians of all time. There are probably not words adequate to the task of describing the depths of Wilson's musical genius, so I won't try. Gargantuan loss. May he merge into the peace of the great hereafter.

All our players are dying!

I bet he'll wind up on the practice squad as our "break glass in case of emergency", trusted veteran linebacker depth guy. Like AJ Klein, but a bit further removed from RV life.

Not at the price he's reportedly asking for, no. I've stated a few times on this forum the reasons I don't think he's worth a big second contract, and have not wavered from my general stance toward giving running backs second contracts unless they're truly elite, which I don't believe James Cook to be.

That's fair. I get what you're saying. I think pricing himself as the second highest paid running back in the league (as has been reported) and putting his house on the market seems....a bit much. On the other hand, staying away from all organized activities until the season starts seems reasonable to me. Why practice (and thus part yourself at risk of injury) if the team isn't willing to offer you the contract you think you deserve? It's a situation with a lot of nuance, and the sports talk world generally doesn't do nuance well. At the end of the day, I maintain that I support Cook's overall goal here, but I'm still not sure certain aspects of his methods of trying to achieve that goal are in his best interest. To be fair...I'm not an agent. I'm not a player. I'm just a goofball sitting on his couch playing armchair contract quarterback. I don't begrudge you saying I'm wrong on this one, and I very well might be.

I have no problem with any player chasing a payday. I ESPECIALLY have no problem with any running back chasing a payday, knowing the short shelf life of the position. That said, I don't think Cook has gone about this in the most strategically advantageous way. The Bills are an organization who has shown that if you operate in good faith, show up, continue to work hard and play well, they WILL pay you. On the other hand, they've also shown that if you make you make a public spectacle out of things, become a distraction, stop showing up, and become a potential detriment to team chemistry and culture, they will NOT pay you. I think the "push for your payday" advice that Cook received is fine. I think the WAY that he has been advised to go about pushing for said payday is ill-advised. The only way it makes sense to me is if he actively wants out of Buffalo. All of that said, I expect him to show up for the season, play well, and then get paid. Hopefully by some other team, but it won't shock me if its the Bills.

As Coach mentioned, the Bills had trade talks involving Alexander earlier this offseason, before the draft. Now that we have Hairston, White, Jackson, Strong, etc, there is no longer room for Alexander. Had this happened in March or April, I could see a world where the Bills had traded for or signed him and spent their first round pick elsewhere. Alas, that's not what happened. Will be interesting to see who Alexander ends up signing with.

Archie Bunker, is that you? I would ask you to read the post of @Sierra Foothills, who said it beautifully. Wealth inequality in America. The NFL pricing blue collar fans out of watching their product. He said it better than I could. Your post, I suppose, is the opposite viewpoint. The capitalism worshipping, greed excusing, "anybody who doesn't wanna bow to the power of the free market is just an immoral and un-patriotic hippie and can go sit outside when the games are on" side. To each their own. As for the "self made billionaires" stuff, 16 of the league's owners inherited their wealth or their teams, so the "business savvy" stuff is pretty rich with regard to NFL ownership. If you want to talk about some of the realities of end-stage free market capitalism in America, I'd be happy to do so in DMs so as not to further derail this thread. I'll only say that if you can't understand why some people are presently feeling a bit of "evil rich" and "capitalism bad" mentality, as you call it...you may want to poke your head out the window and look around from time to time.

I must have imagined him scooping a Lamar fumble and running it back half the length of the field in a playoff game the Bills won by two.

The expansion and change in rules for practice squads in recent years should change how fans look at NFL rosters and players. Essentially, even though NFL teams have 53 players on their roster, they have an additional 16 spots on the practice squad. Ten for rookies and second year players and six unrestricted spots. So whereas a guy like Wande Owens may not realistically have a great chance at a roster spot, he likely DOES have a good chance at a practice squad spot. Same guys for guys like Tyrell Shavers and Laviska Shenault. Sure, they may not be on your main roster, but they're practicing with the team, they have the playbook, they know the scheme, and they're ready on a moment's notice if you want to call them up. In terms of readiness to contribute, there's a world of difference between calling up a practice squad safety or receiver that's been with your team all season and signing a free agent off the streets. This thinking applies to both youngsters (like Wande Owens) and vets that may not make it through final cuts (a Leviska Shenault or a Dane Jackson). I believe that NFL teams have evolved their thinking with regard to rosters and practice squads, and I think fans should follow suit. As for Owens specifically: As I understand it, he's supremely athletically gifted. As with anyone looking to play safety in Sean McDermott's defense, his chance at success with the Bills will come down to his football IQ and mental processing. And that's where a year or two on the practice squad can do wonders for players like him.

I don't think that quote is real. HOWEVER...if Von DID feel this way, I would happily have him back. He had six sacks last year. It's probably time for the youth to step up. But if Javon Soloman and Landon Jackson don't have stellar camps and look like legitimate contributors, I'd be fine with a low cost Von Miller contract.