Mike F

Not so much lazy thinking (of which I can do pretty well at times ), but more of an effort to think along the same lines as Ralph.......especially when you factor in the financial aspect of the situation. Buyouts are not cheap, so making a change and limiting the financial damage of the move is an attractive option, IMO. A change is needed, for sure................Modrak is not a bad option. Maybe not the best, but better then the status quo. Mike

It appears that the Bills, if they draft well (largely dependent on who the next GM is) can go a long way towards fixing a lot of the issues on the OL and DL (our biggest areas of need). We have four of the first seventy two picks, when you factor in the high third round pick that we "stole" from the Titans (for lunk head Travis). Include some money saved by reworking contracts (or dropping them all together), like Moulds (love you Eric, but you are overpaid now) and Mike Williams. That cache of picks, plus the money available under the cap for Free Agency should be used on both lines, period. We have solid skill players on offense, and a pretty good back seven on defense. Bulk up both lines and I think we are right back in the mix (and JP will actually have some time to look for a secondary receiver). If the rumors are true, and TD is gone, why not give Modrak the job? He has been here for a few years and is familiar with the team, the remaining staff and of course, Ralph. It would be a cheaper way to fill the slot, since he is already on the books, right? More on Modrak..........if he is truly the man (assuming he inherits the GM job), I look to the Eagles teams he had a hand in developing. In other words, he is really good at what he does, when he has final say (unlike the past few seasons). Modrak (drawing on the Eagles philosophy), may not be enamored with overpaying veterans. Say goodbye Nate, Jeff Posey and maybe Lawyer Milloy............oh, and take Mike Williams with you. We can do better with younger players, or up and coming Free Agents. I am still waiting for McGahee (and his butt head agent) to start clamoring for a new contract.............I hope I am wrong, but I can see this coming in the next few months. Losing to the Jets hurts, but I would rather pick 8th, after an otherwise lost season. Financially, Mularky stays................but I am not a fan and he is going to be on a short leash from this point foward. I do see a request from upper management for changes within his coaching staff, starting with the offensive coordinator. Could we see Sam Wyche taking over that side of the ball? Angelo Crowell, who will take Posey's place next year, will be a stud. A LB corp of TKO, Fletcher and Crowell looks nice to me. The 2006 schedule (yes, I know the order and such is yet to be determined), looks like it not as tough as 2005's slate. With a good offseason (and please God, better lines), I am looking foward to next year. Here's to that, and to all of you here on the Wall.................Mike

Actually, I just took the top eight teams in the most recent BCS ranking..........you could tweak it some and make sure the major conference champion(s) had an automatic bid. OR, have a "Selection Saturday" type process and unveil the field on TV, like they do for March Madness. Of course, to make it really fair, you could limit the regular season to eleven games, reduce bye weeks and have a sixteen team playoff.............using the same basic theory of the different bowls hosting the different rounds. In that scenario, you would have fifteen bowls involved. And it is really doable.................as I said, 1-AA had the same setup. Mike

Oh, yeah...............do you guys think this set up would still result in a Texas and USC final? Mike

I had to do something to take my mind off the train wreck that is our beloved Bills' season. Anyway, looking at the BCS games and the national title matchup in college football, I started thinking how much fun an actual playoff would be. You could use the current BCS standings to generate the top eight teams, for seeding purposes in a three round tournament. The first two rounds would be in mid-December (after exams and before the holiday break). For example, round one would be on 12/10/05 and would consist of four games. Round two (final four of sorts) would be on 12/17/05 and consist of two games. Taking a break for Christmas and New Year's Day, the final game for all the marbles would be on, or around the same time the current BCS title game is scheduled (1/4/06 in this case). Kind of like the Super Bowl break, and all of the associated media hype. The gap between the 17th and the title game could be filled with all of the other bowls and teams that did not make the top eight. For those who argue that a playoff would be too many games for college players, it would only be one more game for four teams and two more games for two teams. Hardly too much, IMO and still less then the Division 1-AA teams play (a sixteen team playoff). And, as stated above, the games would not interfere with exams and classes (OK, so athletes may not worry much about that, but the colleges may). Heck, this schedule would not interfere with the NFL that much, either. Would you rather watch a college playoff on Saturday, or an NFL game (that could be moved back to Sunday, since there would be meaningful college games on Saturday)? As far as sites are concerned (and to avoid upseting the current structure too much), select the top seven bowls and rotate the first, second and third round games between them, on a yearly basis. So every seventh year, each bowl would get the title game. Or, pick the top three or four from that seven and rotate the same way (spreading the wealth, so to speak). The top seven bowls might be; Gator, Capitol One, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar and Rose. The top eight teams for 2005, per the latest BCS rankings would be; USC, Texas, Penn St., Ohio St., Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia and Miami. They would be paired up in a classic 1 versus 8, 2 versus 7, etc. So, my "dream tournament" would break down like this; Saturday 12/10/05 Fiesta (Noon) 1) USC vs 8) Miami Gator (300 PM) 4) Ohio St. vs 5) Oregon Capitol One (600 PM) 2) Texas vs 7) Georgia Cotton (900 PM) 3) Penn St. vs 6) Notre Dame Saturday 12/17/05 Orange (400 PM) Winner of 1/8 vs Winner of 4/5 Sugar (700 PM) Winner of 2/7 vs Winner of 3/6 Wednesday 1/4/06 Rose (700 PM) Final two teams play for title OK, so two teams would play in three bowl games, but think of the money they would generate! You could even set up a sharing system, like the college basketball tournament, so all the teams benefit (and larger shares go to the teams that go farther). Look at the matchups! I would love to see that take place.................I mean, USC and Miami in Round One would be just the start of a great slate of games. Maybe some day Mike

It did appear that Shockey failed to get his second foot down, but if that was the case, the pass would have been incomplete (as opposed to a fumble). If he had possession in the endzone, even for a split second, it is a TD. It was a four point swing (TD versus a likely FG). Mike

Sad to say, but JP played about like I expected (I did not expect the D to give up the yardage and points it did, but they did spend the most of the game on the field, and it was HOT as Hell out there). I was hoping for a low scoring game, that our D and/or ST could win. Remember.............the Bucs made Culpepper look awful last week and he has much more in the way of experience then JP. At Tampa, in your second NFL game, in the heat............and against that D (who usually feasts on young QB's)...........not a big shock. IF you are going to lose a game early in the year, make it a road game, out of conference (like this one). As ugly as it was, it only counts as one loss (even though it feels like more) Lots of "good" film for Sam and MM to review and make some changes............JP will be better for it in the long run and the Bills will be OK. Mike

This is a re-post of my reply in the other thread. It was buried pretty deep and I wanted to make sure this one was closer to the top (i.e. actually looked at!) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, as one of the resident Police Officers on this board, I would like to comment. First off, it sounds like the incident occurred near Delray Beach..........possibly Florida, which gives me some additional insight (since I work in Florida, as well). Secondly, I am not sure what charges the Officer had on the subject (it was not clear from the video if she had a warrant for her arrest, or if she had a suspended license, etc). However, when the Officer approaches the vehicle, the female subject clearly disobeys his lawful commands (Obstruction/Resisting Arrest Without Violence). which is a misdemeanor, at least to start with. This type of resistance is known as "Active Physical Resistance" and the appropriate response is any and all force, up to and including "Intermediate Impact Weapons" (both terms come from a Force Matrix we have to know inside and out, to graduate from any academy or field training program). Intermediate Impact Weapons is a fancy term for most of the "tools" on our belts, such as Pepper Spray, the Baton and the Taser. Contrary to popular belief, the Taser is actually the best choice of the three. It is the most effective, which leads to immediate compliance and fewer injuries to the Officer(s) and the suspect(s). The effects are gone almost as soon as the five second cycle ends...........what is left is a desire on the suspect's part to NEVER feel that again (and I had to take a hit myself in order to carry it.....nasty to say the least). "Hands on techniques", Pepper Spray and/or the Baton are less effective and have longer lasting effects, such as injuries to all parties involved (I have experience with them, as well). And, remember, if you start rolling around on the ground with a suspect, you are putting yourself in extreme jeopardy (namely, we have a firearm to protect). Bottom line is the lady could have complied at any time. Instead, she chose to escalate the situation and the Officer handled himself well, right down to his verbalization techniques and the control he exercised. We are typically a "reactive entity", meaning we react to the actions of the suspects we are dealing with. On a side note, the type of attitude she displayed is pretty common, especially where I work and live. I guess you just get used to it, after a while when you see it day after day. Mike

Well, as one of the resident Police Officers on this board, I would like to comment. First off, it sounds like the incident occurred near Delray Beach..........possibly Florida, which gives me some additional insight (since I work in Florida, as well). Secondly, I am not sure what charges the Officer had on the subject (it was not clear from the video if she had a warrant for her arrest, or if she had a suspended license, etc). However, when the Officer approaches the vehicle, the female subject clearly disobeys his lawful commands (Obstruction/Resisting Arrest Without Violence). which is a misdemeanor, at least to start with. This type of resistance is known as "Active Physical Resistance" and the appropriate response is any and all force, up to and including "Intermediate Impact Weapons" (both terms come from a Force Matrix we have to know inside and out, to graduate from any academy or field training program). Intermediate Impact Weapons is a fancy term for most of the "tools" on our belts, such as Pepper Spray, the Baton and the Taser. Contrary to popular belief, the Taser is actually the best choice of the three. It is the most effective, which leads to immediate compliance and fewer injuries to the Officer(s) and the suspect(s). The effects are gone almost as soon as the five second cycle ends...........what is left is a desire on the suspect's part to NEVER feel that again (and I had to take a hit myself in order to carry it.....nasty to say the least). "Hands on techniques", Pepper Spray and/or the Baton are less effective and have longer lasting effects, such as injuries to all parties involved (I have experience with them, as well). And, remember, if you start rolling around on the ground with a suspect, you are putting yourself in extreme jeopardy (namely, we have a firearm to protect). Bottom line is the lady could have complied at any time. Instead, she chose to escalate the situation and the Officer handled himself well, right down to his verbalization techniques and the control he exercised. We are typically a "reactive entity", meaning we react to the actions of the suspects we are dealing with. On a side note, the type of attitude she displayed is pretty common, especially where I work and live. I guess you just get used to it, after a while when you see it day after day. Mike

Thanks, man! Work has been a bear of late. I would take another Conrad Dobler in heartbeat! Mike

OK.....I took a couple of days to digest this past weekend, and all of the opinions on this board (as well as in the media). To say there is a wide range of opinions is an understatement! 1) The Bills entire roster was pretty much set, before the draft. Yes, there are some question marks (DT, how JP plays, Teague at C or LT, who plays the spot Teague doesn't ), but how many starting positions were open that we could address with draft picks? The starters on this team are established, making our lack of a first rounder, less of an issue. I look at the draft as addressing depth, ST and the future, as most people probably do. We picked JP last year, at the expense of this year's #1 pick. In a way, we used our pick a year early.......a good move considering the lack of "superstar talent" in Round One. Not to mention, a young QB with a year under his belt is a better option to start the following year, instead of a true rookie. Would you rather have JP Losman or Aaron Rodgers at this point? 2) Are any of the picks after the first round or two, more guaranteed then UDFA's? I think we can all agree that player ratings are less reliable as the draft moves on. With so many schools and so many players, there are diamonds in the rough, everywhere. Look at the haul the Bills brought in as UDFA's this year, already. Look at the succes TD and Co. have had in year's past, with UDFA's! I am confident that the Bills will find a group of young players from this year's class that will have an impact. And when they do, does it really matter if they were draft picks, or not? (like Pat Williams, for example) 3) We did not deal Travis! I, for one, am not panicking. What could we have received for him leading up to the draft? LJ Shelton? The Bills brass was not overly impressed with him. Not to mention he was benched by the CARDINALS! (not exactly the model NFL franchise) Just because Shelton is a player at one of our perceived "need positions" does not make him the right player for us. Oh wait, how about a mid-round pick, instead? OK, that's fine, but review item #2 above. In a weak draft, how valuable would that have been? (even if it was offered, which is seems it was not). Why not hold onto Travis? Maybe he gets traded for more, later (a better player then Shelton, or a 2006 pick). Maybe he reports on time and provides solid depth at RB for one more year. Or, worst case scnenario, he holds out and we don't pay his salary. Either way, he only costs 1.25 million on the cap (not bad in this day and age). Even losing him at the end of the year for "nothing" is not the end of the world. Not much different then getting a marginal OT (Shelton), or a mid round 2005 draft pick, that is not guaranteed to work out. Keep Travis and look at UDFA's! 4) Why did we pick a WR and a TE when we needed help on the OL? I think the Bills have a large group of linemen to pick from already, and McNally thinks the pieces are aleady in place (not a major need, then). Parrish could be a monster in the slot as a #3 WR, not to mention on KR and PR. And, he becomes the #2 WR when Moulds decides to retire in a couple more years. Everett could be a stud TE, and he adds depth in case Campbell and Euhus don't come back fast enough. Long range, he becomes the starter in a few seasons (see item #1). Smart drafting, IMO. 5) Did our draft go as the "expert talking heads" (Clayton, Kiper) said it should? No, but that is why they work in the media and not for established NFL teams. They don't know any more then we do about the future. If they did, they would have other jobs and there would be fewer "busts" (for fun, look up some recent first rounders and their "draft grades" at the time they were picked.....Ryan Leaf for one). Overall, I like the new group of players coming in (regardless of where they were taken). I will continue to have faith in TD and Co., based on their past performance. But, JP Losman's development pending, we are in really good shape. Mike

I agree...............it makes TD's move to get Losman last year look pretty smart. Losman, if he was in this draft, would be a top ten pick. We got him a year early, lower in the draft and for less money then he would have cost in 2005. Not to mention he has a year of experience under his belt (minus the time he missed due to his injury). Mike

Put me down for the Bucs.....................I sent a reply to the listed link. Just in case you don't get it, I posted here, too. Mike

I may have missed the information, but.................when do you plan on doing the mock? I assume the day of the Draft. However, if I am wrong can you advise? I would like to join in, and put me down for the Tampa Bay Bucs (since I live down there and I have Bucs information force fed to me, daily ) Mike

The Bills management must feel like Drew had taken the Bills as far as he can (due to many factors, primarily age and declining skills). The most revealing statement on that fact is that the Bills had the #2 Defense and the #1 Special Teams Unit in 2004, yet, they were only 9-7 (after a horrid start). The offense was better in the second half, but that was due to Willis McGahee's emergence, more then anything Drew did differently, IMO. So, why not save a decent amount of money towards the salary cap and allow the "QB of the future" to get some playing time? Another year of Drew would probably result in a similar record for the Bills, compared to 2004. But, isn't the goal to win championships (instead of finishing .500)? Plus, it puts JP's developement back another year, too (affecting 2006 and beyond). JP has the ability to be as good as the 2004 version of Drew, and possibly better (his athletic ability is off the charts). His mobility alone will make the the offense more dangerous and it will actually help the OLine (since JP is a more elusive target.....remember how Flutie's mobility made our offense more dangerous when he was here). And, with Willis around, JP will not have as much pressure to carry the load on Offense by himself. Will the Bills be better in 2005? I think they can be...........especially with a full year of Willis (at 100% finally) and a similar showing from the D and ST. I don't see them being any worse, record wise, even if JP struggles a little bit. So, if overall performance potential is equal, with the possibility of being much better (now and in the future), you make the move and use the savings to address other areas of need. I say "good job, TD and Co." Mike

That is a lovely attitude................of course the actions of one person are a true representation of an entire profession Your attitude allows such lovely movements as racism and sexism to thrive. Care to share exactly why you feel that way about all of us? (and I'll bet your attitude will change the next time you need some help)

Make that "his job had less to do with his behavior, then his mental state"

Some of you know that I am a Law Enforcement Officer, some of you may not. Being in the profession, I would like to comment. The job can change a person, especially the longer you are in it. We literally see society at it's worst, on a daily basis. I have almost eleven years under my belt and I am not the same person I was, when I started. I am a bit more cynical and less trusting, as a rule. Subtle changes in your personality are common, but not to the extent that the officer in this case reached. It sounds like he had serious issues, even before he became an Officer. I am not surprised by the dark side of humanity, either. You might be surprised what some of the people you know and trust are capable of, under the right circumstances. With that being said, if you have a large enough sample of people, you are bound to have a few "really bad apples", so to speak. The percentages are consistent and Police Officers are no different......the Officer in this story is, thankfully, in the extreme minority. Heck, he could have been a teacher, a truck driver or mail carrier............his job had less to do with his profession, then his mental state. The Officer (an insult to even use that term with a subject like that) should have been investigated by his agency, long before the situation reached it's sad conclusion. I know that safeguards exist, for that reason. I can't speak for his department, but, I know that my agency is extremely aggressive when one of it's own, starts to display disturbing, or unusual behavior. For example, if one of us has too many "uses of force", in a listed time period (justified, or not), we are flagged and monitored to make sure it is an abberration and not a trend. Or, when an initial complaint, like the one listed in the story, is made. Essentially, he was stalking the female (at the very least), even before the shooting, and that is a crime in any State. Had that been done in my area (stalking, battery), his gun (or guns) and badge would have been taken, and he would have been put on administrative leave, pending the disposition of the case. He would have been scheduled for a fitness for duty evaluation, including a psychological profile, had he been found innocent (before he was allowed to return). Would it have been enough to stop the shooting from taking place? Hard to say, but it would have given the authorities a chance. I hope the victim(s) are able to recover and I hope the former officer is prosecuted to the fullest extent. And, if any of you are in a similar situation, don't wait to report it. Mike

I think so.........sounds like Marv! If we lose Modrak to Cleveland (rumored), wouldn't it be neat if Marv could join the front office, as an advisor?

By my math, the Bills will pick anywhere from 21st to 25th, depending on the outcome of the late games and the tiebreakers used to set the order. Dallas has our first, but we keep the rest of our picks.............plus, I still think dealing TH is going to get us a high third, or even a decent second. Back to the Dallas pick, for a second. Wasn't JP taken with the 23rd pick, in the first round, from Dallas, last year? Kind of ironic that the Bills will give Dallas a similar pick, this year. Not quite the high first rounder the Cowboys thought they were getting, after our 0-4 start. Essentially, the Bills picked JP a year early. Even though he was hurt, he learned a ton and will be ready next year (or more ready then a rookie would have been for next year). Not to mention, a similar player this year, would have cost more, due to contract inflation. What QB would have been around at 23 this year? I am guessing not one as talented, or one with as much potential as JP. TD's recent moves are looking better all the time. Mike

Ok, first and foremost, I love the Bills, regardless of the outcome today. Some folks on this board go to wild extremes, to say the least, depending on the outcome of the game. Consider this quote; "you are never as good as you look when you win, and you are never as bad as you look when you lose". I can't remember where I heard that first, but it sums up the Bills season, IMO. Overall, they finished 9-7, or a three game improvement over last year. Not a bad first season for Mularkey and staff. And, a great foundation for next year and beyond. Yes, the 0-4 start blows and the Jacksonville game cost us a wild card......but, we also finished 9-3 down the stretch and learned some valuable lessons for next year. Willis McGahee and Lee Evans are future stars. We have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, with only a few glaring areas of need (OG for one). Despite dealing our first round pick for JP, we can use our draft picks (and Travis Henry), plus Free Agency to address them. Drew is a below average QB that gets exposed against a decent defense. We needed him in the second half, to go 9-3, but at the same time, we put ourselves a bit behind for next year, by not getting JP any game action. I think Drew is our #2 next year, with JP getting the nod to start. Thanks for a one hell of a season, Bills..................I wouldn't expect anything less then the "roller coaster" you put me through.

Thanks for the information.......................I still think it will be difficult to catch the Jets, but it is nice to know that we would own a tie breaker against them, if we do. Mike

I was under the impression that we could post our opinions on this board. Hmm......if you don't like Bills playoff scenarios, don't read them (why I titled it that way). And, why would a Bills fan tire of reading about playoff chances? Anyway, I also thought that the first tie-breaker was head to head. Followed by Divisional record (if it applies) Followed by Conference record. In the Jets/Bills case, if the Jets lose to NE, we would be tied at 3-3 in the division. We also tied head to head, so........... Wouldn't the third tie breaker be AFC record (Jets 7-5, Bills 6-6)? I thought common opponents was a lower tie breaker (after conference record). Mike

OK, last night, I went over the Bills chances at making the playoffs (it was a slow night at work). Off the top, they can still qualify for the fifth or sixth playoff position. The top four seeds (division winners) are out of the question (obviously). With that being said, the fifth slot is an extreme longshot, so this discussion will center around the sixth, and final slot (and a likely road game in San Diego or Indianapolis). Upon closer examination, the losses to Jacksonville (damn) and in Oakland (double damn) are most likely going to be the reason we DON'T make it. However, if we do, this is what we need to have happen. The Bills need to run the table (@Cincy, @SF and Pittsburgh) and finish 10-6. If they do, they will have a 6-6 conference record. If that happens, the Jets would need to go 0-3 (Sea, NE and @StL), to finish 9-7. We would lost a tiebreaker to the Jets, based on conference record (the Jets are 7-4 and would finish no worse then 7-5.....better then our 6-6). Not likely, since the Jets will probably pound either Seattle or St Louis. Baltimore would need to go no better then 1-2 (@Indy, @Pittsburgh and Miami), to finish 9-7 (they have the head to head tiebreaker with us). Possible, with the two tough road games. Denver would need to go no better then 1-2 (@KC, @Ten and Indy), to finish 9-7 (they are 5-4 in conference, with all conference games left.....if they went 2-1 down the stretch, they would have a 7-5 conference record and they would win the tie breaker with us). We need an upset in either KC or Ten, and we need to hope that Indy has something to play for, in the final week. Jacksonville would need to lose one more game (@GB, Houston and @Oak), to finish 9-7 (since they also would win the head to head tiebreaker with us). I think it comes this week, in GB. I am not going to detail the Bengals, since our chances hinge on beating them (if we don't, we don't really have much to talk about, anyway). IF all of those things happen, we would be the fifth seed and we would open the playoffs on the road, against the number four seed (SD right now, or possibly Indy). I don't see all of that happening.......................so, we would not worry about the Jets, too much (two games is alot to make up in three games total, especially if that team had a tiebreaker advantage). We should focus on the sixth seed (still a road game, most likely in Indy), and the scenarios in Denver and Baltimore. That being said, what if we lose another game? If we do, we are most likely screwed. Losing to one of the AFC teams left on our schedule, puts our conference record at 5-7. But, if the loss is out of conference (@SF), we could still finish 9-7, and 6-6 in the AFC. However, Denver and Baltimore would have to go 0-3 down the stretch and Jacksonville would have to lose 2 of 3 (Jets are out of the question in this case). Unless Denver ties us at 9-7, with a 6-6 AFC record. Not sure how that tie breaker works out, but something tells me that Baltimore would pass both of us, anyway. SO............we need to root like hell against the Broncos and Ravens, while hoping we run the table. Damn tiebreakers! Damn Hail Mary pass! Imagine if we had won either of the Jacksonville, or Oakland games? Or both! Cya.................Mike

Good Lord! I opened the site and my wife was nearby.................Cripes! That would have gotten me into trouble She has got to be one of the hottest women I have ever seen. Damn..................Mike