UConn James

I have reason to believe they were before they left for Paris....

They did play with a little heart. Very little.

The more they show Hurley's story.... your theory sounds more valid. Even tho Abrams and Lindelof said, among other theories, the whole minds-hooked-into-a-computer thing is not it. At this point, I'm just watching and absorbing, posting what I note visually or in literary connection, and trying not to make any outlandish interpretations. Anyway. Glad we could help you get lucky.

So... *ahem* I was right.

Brokeback Bills --- "I wish I could quit you!"

I'm not going to apologize for the size I use.... b/c you're just not getting it. It is not a matter of how much cap room we have. It is up to Nate where he goes. We could offer the entire $30M and he would probably STILL go to about 10 other teams for $7M/per before he would come back to Buffalo. EVERY single move that has been made by both sides are the tell-tale signs that Nate has no intention of re-signing with us and our FO knows it. This is like arguing with a brick wall.

Whew! For a second there, I thought we lost the game! Everyone can relax. JP's stats weren't bad. And Tom, if planes hadn't crashed into the WTC, the towers would still be standing. The point is, what happened did happen. You can't put your thumb over all the mistakes and say "Other than that, JP had a good game!" That is an Arizona and Detroit mentality. Which, sadly, this organization has sunk to.

I hear Ray Lucas is flush with cash since he signed a sponsorship deal with Kleenex.

IIRC, that was written into his one-year contract. Not that tagging him again is a realistic option, given the new CBA. Any player tagged two years in a row will receive a contract that is the avg of the top 10 salaries in the league. That's more than $10M, and is prohibitive for this team. I don't know why you're continuing down this path. Clements will NOT be talked down in his salary demands. Last I heard, he wants ~$8M/year with a $12-15M SB. Everything he and his agent have done and everything the Bills front office has done points to him being gone next year, with this year as a stopgap while the rookies get experience. He will be testing the waters, so you'd better get prepared to lose him on the first or second day of FA. Stop living in your dream world where Marv has any leverage and $6M will be enough.

The Bills will only be able to sign 10 players to our roster and we will only have 1 guy manning the snow cart! There's NO ONE AVAILABLE!! Haven't you heard?!!? DOOOOOOOMED!!!

Wrong, both teams have had lots of offensive performances in the last several years.

So, let's see. There's no one who can play CB. There's no OLmen. We have to keep playing JP in '07 b/c no one will be available. Wow. There will be NO UFAs, no surprise salary cap cuts, and no one is going to declare for the NFL Draft? OK, now we're screwed. Timmy the Ticket Boy is irreplaceable, too.

Seconded. MAN LAW!

Well, I'm going to put a bullet right to the heart of the issue. What makes your argument moot is: Does Nate want to be back here next year? Marv has said he will not use the FT on him again, meaning UFA. It is up to NC where he will go. If he wanted to stay in Buffalo, the time for him to make a deal was last offseason. Instead, he passed up on long-term security and risks getting $0 if he's injured this year. Guys forgo all this when they plan on testing the waters either b/c they know they're not going get as much as they want, or they want to be somewhere else. Other teams will pony up b/c they'll have plenty of cap room too. It's not the team's choice. Nate will be gone.

So then, what is the worth of signing NC and thereby not being able to afford a better surrounding cast so he can be worth what he's paid? B/c let's face it, there are a lot of holes on this team.

To me, it's an indication that the opposing team can only throw the ball to one player per play, and with McGee giving up the ghost more than anyone.... It is a coaching issue in that this CB placement scheme sucks. Anyone tell Fewell that we can bump WRs w/in 5 yards? But it's more than that. We've had the same 'CBs 10 yards off the LOS' problem for the past three coaches. They each say they're going to do different things, but it's the same sh--. At this point, I don't think Nate wants to be back, and I can't say I blame him. You shouldn't use a thoroughbred as a carthorse. But that also doesn't excuse his play this year. He wants to be paid like a Playmaker --- where are the plays?

I'm getting a little tired of the 'learn from his mistakes' excuses. These aren't so much mistakes of execution/inexperience as they are pure brain farts in the face of pressure. And I tell you, in my experience, people who regularly brain fart don't ever really stop brain farting.

Nope. The Caldwell 1st down was Clements' way. It was a short 3rd, Nate lined up way back, and even I knew where the ball was going. That's just one I do remember. Doesn't really matter, b/c Brady was busy picking McGee apart. But I just don't get how this proves much about Nate given what you say is a derth of data. You might as well try to prove that California won't have an earthquake over 8.0. I'm not saying the failure of the Defense is on Nate. Our D-line gets little more than the odd coverage sacks. The DEs are mostly matadored right out of the plays. Give any QB time and he'll complete passes. What I said in the game thread about 'heart' when he pulled up and started hopscotching when Dillion was at the 5 on the first TD.... You can call it what you want. The willpower to tackle anyone trying to score on your endzone, wanting to bust up whoever comes your way, whatever. Nate hasn't shown it in this, his contract year. He is going through the motions and trying not to get injured for wherever he ends up next year. (Which won't be in Buffalo, b/c if a long-term contract was going to happen, it would have.)

I don't know if it was just a bad day (or a bad month) for JP. But the more these things happen.... As much as I want him to succeed, JP seems to have that fart waft of failure around him as far as dealing with pressure, handling the game and handling the football. He's got 'til the end of the season to show something.

Wow. Nate makes his first Big Play of the year.

Anyone see the graphic that we have 22 penalties before the snap this season? Second most in the league.

Poor clock management there on JP. NE would give him that 10-yard cushion any day when it takes 20 seconds off the clock. A smart QB doesn't take it. Throw it away, save time, try again.

Sigh.

We need to score a TD here to have any realistic shot at winning.

That was a designed roll-out block, like we used to have the Counter-Tre. CV's job was to pick up the blitzer; he put in a weak block w/ his right shoulder.