Mikie2times

I'm not disputing the validity of what he's saying. Lots of teams try and follow this strategy and aren't successful in locking up everybody. We've even followed this strategy with players like McGee and Schobel, and probably tried unannounced to us with others. The way I read his comments implied it was some sort of Bills error that led us to these circumstances. That if we dealt with these contracts two years ago we wouldn’t be in this position. It came off like that because of the context he's used in previous chat sessions regarding our team. If it was a general comment regarding the strategy all teams should use then so be it. I just don't find similar league lessons explained when he discusses the rest of the teams. The Bills and our fans have a clear inferiority complex but this is one of the examples where I actually believe a writer has an agenda with us, and it's not a positive one.

His comments insinuated a Bills error by not signing our guys two years ago. It wouldn’t bother some so much if it wasn’t part of a routine we see week after week from Mort. He injects comments like this for us, while rarely passing similar judgment for other teams. It doesn't make everything he says unreliable, but he's not impartial when discussing the Bills, so what he says regarding our team isn't exactly reliable either. His insights both good and bad, are no more valid then many of the posters on this board.

What professional injects a comment like that? It's as if he's the one Buffalo let go. It's real simple Mort, your guy TD might have brought in some good players but he couldn't pick a coach to save his life.

In hindsight I believe Buffalo would choose Ngata over Whitner. At the time I don't believe Ngata was Jaurons ideal fit for a DT, and Whitner was for a S. I felt he choose wrong, and still do. But Whitner is going to be a very good player.

All those years the Bills have shown profitability have been years in which league wide revenue sharing was intact. It allowed the Bills to have the cheapest prices, while still having enough for the cap and profit. With the new CBA Buffalo will no longer qualify for all of the revenue sharing they received in the past. Even worse the salary cap is rising at a rate reflecting the entire league, most of whom qualify for all of the revenue sharing. If we want to remain competitive and meet the demands of the increasing cap we will have to raise prices. Eventually we won't be able to raise prices anymore because the Buffalo economy dictates such. We would either lose profits by overspending or spend less then other teams and try and stay competitive. Either situation isn't exactly enticing for Ralph, and I imagine it's even less enticing for a buyer. These are the real problems that face us over the next 5 to 10 years. We need to continue acknowledging them and get creative in how we can keep our team profitable and competitive in Buffalo.

At some point over the next ten years Ralph will most likely not be the owner of the Bills. It's sad, but he's getting older and those are the facts we have to deal with. Whoever it is that takes over will be inheriting a team that is either way under fulfilling the entire cap allotment, or barely reaching it by squeezing out every last possible source of revenue from the Western New York market. The cap won't then just level off, it will only continue to rise, and it will continue rising at a rate much higher then the Bills revenue can or ever will keep up with in the WNY market. No matter what we do now to nickel and dime our way above water something will eventually give, and that most likely happens without Ralph around to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Buffalo will stay loyal to the Bills and do whatever it takes to keep the team. With the NFL going international Canada seems like our only real hope of keeping the Bills 10 or 15 years down the road. If we can successfully become Canada’s most followed NFL team we have a long term outlook, when right now all we can try and do is fight to keep up with the cap. That’s not a situation many new owners would love to stay in. If this comes at the expense of a couple home games a year its hell of a lot better then the Bills leaving Buffalo, both for fans and the WNY economy.

Please explain to me then how we will be able to keep spending up to the cap? We probably won't even come close this year.

We (The Bills) wouldn't want Plexico anyway; he's a complete head case and polar opposite of the Marv player.

Ever since the new CBA the idea of Buffalo being in trouble isn't for the paranoid. Politicians can talk about sell outs, but sell outs won't save us. We could sell out every game for the next 5 years and it won't save us. As each year passes the gap between what we spend on players and the salary cap will grow. It will continue happening under the rosiest attendance scenario we can come up with. How can we remain competitive under such circumstances? This isn't baseball.

It's safe to say this franchise is doomed unless we become Canada's main NFL team. How else could we survive? We pay a fraction of what other fans pay to go see a game and still barely fill it up. Sure if we win we can sell out, but how can we consistently win if we can't spend to the cap. Even then selling out won't be enough to keep the Bills in Buffalo 10 or 15 years from now. Promo's idea might be drastic but drastic is what we will eventually need. Perhaps we could lay out a strategy targeting the Canadian market but not going as far as to move the team or change the team name. Maybe stick with renaming the Ralph , and doing some sort of split for Home games between Buffalo and Canada.

I can only speak for the 360 as that’s the only one I own. Good The premium system is pretty amazing for all it can do. I can stream music from my computer while playing other games, upload pictures, movies, download game demos or movie trailers. For these reasons hooking it up online is a must. The controllers are also very comfortable which was important for me coming from Sony land. Everything else I'm sure you've read about. Graphics are right on par with PS3, good selection of games, and some very addicting first person shooters. Bad I bought my premium system in late November. Two weeks after buying it the system took a crap. I received the three red lights of death error as it's known by many in the 360 community. I didn't even know the systems had any issues when I bought it otherwise I would have bought the warranty from the store. To make a long story short these babies get REAL hot and some systems overheat. Obviously Microsoft hasn't pulled everyone of these systems otherwise I wouldn’t have got one in November. Microsoft did send me a new console which seems to run much cooler then the other one, and I'm yet to have a problem. You can get the error lights for a whole host of other reasons, so they don't necessarily mean your systems done, just sometimes. I would purchase the in store warranty that way you don't have to wait a couple weeks to get your new console from Microsoft if your 360 craps out. It probably won't happen, but I really regret not doing that. The last gripe I have is the lack of good sports games. I think we can blame EA's exclusive rights BS partially for this, but in general the first person shooters and other games blow away the sports games right now.

By this logic no team would ever start a rookie MLB. It's not written in stone that the MLB calls the plays anyway. They usually do, and London was a very smart and prepared player, so he called them. Everything you find on Willis says he is in the mold of London in terms of preparation. He could probably do it his first year but if we didn't feel comfortable with him Takeo Spikes would do just fine.

BALT/IND Under 20.5 half, Under 41 game New Orleans -5.5 Chicago -9.5

But what if he isn't? I'm really starting to think that's possible. He looks very Marshall Faulk like to me and has good size. His YPA career averages against USC are all very solid, so he performs up. Depending on what he runs he might not even be around at 12.

I don't like the idea of drafting a RB when we still have Willis and all these holes, but if the Bills feel Lynch is that rare talent that can make up for the line then you have to consider him. Just because RB isn't a glaring need now it probably will be next year so it's not as if we couldn't still use a long term option. The best way to play this could be to wait until about the 7th or 8th pick and if Lynch is available start making some calls to trade for Willis. I would look for a 2nd round pick. If a team is willing to accept the trade and Lynch remains available when we pick then move forward with both. If Lynch isn't available go ahead and draft Patrick Willis.

Funny you mention college being what the NFL used to be. I wish I could be a fan of a college team like I'm a fan of the Bills. I enjoy watching the college game so much more. I just don't think being a true fan of a team is something we choose, more like the team chooses us.

Back around 1990 I remember taping all the NFL Films shows, going to the hall with my dad and using the research facility, compiling book after book. Now we have access to full game historical tapes which is even better. It's not the same as living in the times, but it can be much more then statistics if you want it to be. I also think if you experienced the 90's you got a decent taste of the way the league was intended to be. The 90's resembled previous generations more then the 2000’s have resembled the 90's.

I can empathize with the players, especially in comparison to other sports. At the same time the players would have no game to play if it weren't for the many brilliant minds and visions which are no longer being respected.

Studying football has always been my only real hobby. I've been what you would call an NFL historian since I was old enough to research. I don't need to be in my 40's to recall a much different game, because the one I fell in love with is preserved in history, and was still very much alive in the early and even late 90's. If you want to talk about the history of this game shoot.

IMO the league was more enjoyable before Free Agency even started. Some hated the dynasties, but to me the chase to knock those teams off the pedestal was a hell of a lot more exciting then watching a league full of 9-7 teams playing parity ball. I liked the David vs. Goliath match ups each year, knowing exactly which players I hated most, and most importantly which players I could love because I knew they would remain Bills. When Free Agency started many of these things I enjoyed about NFL football started to subside. The saving grace in all of it was knowing that every year no matter how bad your team was you had a chance to turn things around the next season. It was a strong selling point for the fans, and something that partially made up for no longer being able to identify players with teams, and knowing who was the hunter and the hunted. Now following the new labor agreement it seems like many fans are not only losing those great pre free agency concepts, but all of the post free agency concepts as well. How else could you describe the situation when you have a team like Buffalo that has more cap room then just about any team in football, yet will most likely lose the best FA they have? People have come up with a thousand ways we could potentially sign Nate, but if it was really viable in the long run for us to spend that much on a player then why haven't we already signed him? Again we have just about more cap room then any team in football. The contracts we will see over the next few years will be shocking. The days of us bringing in marquee players or even bringing back our own are over. Eventually agents won’t allow players to renegotiate for peanuts knowing that millions more can be had by waiting. To survive we will have to become the Oakland A's of the NFL, and still draw some of the best crowds in football. We will have to spend less and win the same. Small market teams and non giants face similar yet less catastrophic issues as Buffalo. The people that lose the most are the same people who made the NFL what it is today, the fans. F-You for what you did to the game I love.

Pennington may have a noodle arm, and we may have a defense perfect for defending noodle arms, but he's still the best QB on the Jets. A switch next year would all but guarantee a big Jets drop off. I really don't understand why Mangini would publicly declare this. If he's worth a crap his players should know that every year they will have to earn it. To let it be known publicly that a certain player needs to earn it his spot next year singles that guy out. That can't look good to the Vets, especially when it's your QB, and they just made the playoffs.

Traditional logic would not have us using such a high pick on a MLB. Then again if we followed traditional logic we wouldn't have drafted a SS so high last year. It seems like Marv and Co. want the guy that fits the Cover 2 the best, and brings the most intangible qualities like leadership, character, and athleticism. I don't see anybody that fits that description more then Willis. On a personal note I feel he's pretty close to a sure thing, which might be better then reaching at position of more importance/greater need.

Ellison is a poor mans June. He's a pass coverage LB who doesn't have the athletic ability to dominate the passing game like June does. With Nate probably leaving and Fletcher all but gone, we might just find our pass defense in desperate need of help. Junes in the top 3 LB's in terms of pass coverage in football, and might be the best overall. LB plays a critical role in our pass coverage schemes. It's not a need like G, MLB, or CB but the Bills might feel sandwiching MLB with a couple vets at OLB could help make up for losing London. If we brought June in Patrick Willis probably jumps to the top of our list for London’s replacement.

I would be happy with any of these players RB- Michael Turner- If we wan't to replace Willis WR- Drew Bennent- #2 WR TE- Eric Johnson- If fully healthy OG Kris Dielman, or Eric Steinbach- Must sign one of the two DT- Vonnie Holiday- Run Stopping help OLB- Cato June- Best Cover 2 pass LB in football CB- Nate Clements, or Asaunte Samuel- TM is not a #1 corner

Your right, that’s what I was implying. If we switch uniforms we will magically win the super bowl and fairy’s will fly out of JP's ass.