MVJim

Airfare Research: Looking for the best deal for your airfare...go though Toronto with their non-stop flights. We will be going to Buffalo first from Orange County CA (hopefully they play at home the week before the London game) and then we leave for London via Toronto on Wednesday October 21 in the morning and arriving in London around 9 pm London time that day. Staying in London through Tuesday, October 27 where we will take a train to Edinburgh, Scotland for 4 nights and then on Saturday October 31 (Halloween) fly from Edinburgh to Dublin, Ireland for 4 nights before returning to Toronto on Wednesday November 4. The price of the airfare going from Toronto to London (Air Canada); Edinburgh to Dublin (Aer Lingus); and then Dublin to Toronto (Air Canada) was $655 through Cheaptickets.com and all are nonstop flights. We have seats in the lower bow in section 102; row 27; seats 62-69. One tip. Try to avoid coming back from Heathrow as there is a large tariff they add on the the tickets (around $200). Looking forward to meeting up with a number of the Bills Backers. Go Bills...should be an exciting and entertaining season with Rex!

I totally agree. I could never see why he was on the field. I went to the Bills-Cardinals game a few years ago in Glendale, AZ and Smith was on the filed for one play and he got an unsportsmanlike 15 yard penalty. But he outdid himself this past year when he was inactive but received a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty on a long Spiller TD run for running into an official as Smith ran down the sidelines...and Smith was not even in the game. He had hands of stone and was way overrated as a blocker. And he is going to get big $$$. The team that signs him should get a 4 game suspension for being under the influence.

With David Harris resigning with the Jets for a bloated contract (3 years, $21.5 mill; $15 mill guaranteed), we would not have been a player at that price anyways. I still believe their #1 free agent target is Mike Lupati. I do not see Vernon Davis as i believe he wore out his welcome in SF where Roman was the OC. I can see a TE not named Julius Thomas although I would be leery of Jordan Cameron and his 3 concussions. I do not believe we make a play for Charles Clay as it would be in excess of $7 million. Lastly, I believe we get another QB to compete that has a chance to develop like a Jake Locker if he can stay healthy. We may also revisit resigning Brandon Spikes. That all stated, I believe they only announce one free agent signing on Tuesday...Mike Lupati. Then they let the FA frenzy clear and get some depth at reasonable prices.

1. Harris would be a real good fit as he knows the defense and could be a great QB of our defense. So, at least we will have one solid QB. I believe the Bills knew they could get Harris as by waiting until today to pull off the trade, it is also the day after the franchise and transition tags were handed out to ensure Harris hits the free agent market. Look for a price around $3-4 million. 2. We then need to get another offensive guard with any of the following three being a good fit...Mike Lupati (SF); Clint Boling (Cinc) or Orlando Franklin (Denv who can play G or OT). This will cost about $5 million. 3. Next, they need a QB by either trading for Bradford, Cousins or possible Shaun Hill or in FA with the likes of Matt Moore, Jake Locker, Mark Sanchez or Ryan Mallett. In any case, the QB we get should not cost more than $5-6 million. 4. Lastly, a TE who does not bankrupt you. I would say look for Gresham (Cinc) or Virgil Green (Denv) with a price around $2.5 - 3.5 million. With all the cap space available (Jags have $66 mill), there will be a lot of overpaying. So, buyer beware. Remember, these are players who teams let go for a variety of reasons.

I think they will go with a TE like Clive Walfold of Miami who is a pretty good run blocker yet can go up in the redzone to haul in a pass. They also can look at the guard position with Laken Tomlinson of Duke. If it is a QB, I think that Brett Hundley will be available and, if the Bills get themselves a bridge QB, it gives Hundley time to develop. I am not sure Petty can transfer his skills to the NFL.

Cameron has had 3 concussions and that is a huge concern. Thomas may have benefited from Manning but I watched him quite a bit and he would be an excellent red zone target while also having the speed of a WR.

Eric Pears, Craig Urbik (we can definitely do better in free agency and the draft) & please Lee Smith who I cannot figure out why he is still on the team. Freddie stays as he is the leader in the locker room and had over 60 catches last season. I would keep Chris Williams just to see what he has got as we didn't really get a good look at him in 2014.

We are in section 102, row 27, seats 62-69. We plan on spending about 5 days in London; 4 days in Scotland (Edinborough) and 5 days in Ireland (Dublin). Stopping in Buffalo first and hope to catch a home game before the London game. Flying out of Toronto. Probably staying with my nephew in Notting Hills where he and his wife live.

Here is how I look at it with what I see as a longshot at each job. Jets - Dan Quinn as Doug Marrone supposedly did not do well in interview; longshot Jim Mora Oakland - Jack Del Rio; longshot Darrell Bevell Bears - Todd Bowles; longshot Adam Gase Atlanta - Rex Ryan or Josh McDaniels; longshot Doug Marrone SF - Mike Shanahan or Dan Quinn; longshot Jim Tomsula, SF DL coach Bills - Mike Shanahan or Frank Reich. If Shanahan, his son Kyle would come over as OC; longshot Pep Hamilton. In all cases, Jim Schwartz may get promotion to assistant head coach. I only see an offensive minded HC for the Bills. Doug Whaley will get canned, especially after dictating that E.J. Manuel must be groomed. If Shanahan is the one, look for Bills to trade for Kirk Cousins who Shanahan had in Washington or Jay Cutler who had his best years under Shanahan. If Reich is selected, look for Brandon also to leave and Polian to take over after the HOF voting. Then Bills go aggressive after Sam Bradford and/or Chase Daniels. Possible GM - A.J. Smith

I just got off the phone with Direct TV and was able to get the following with my Premier package with a one year subscription commitment (cancellation is $10/mo or $120 total): NFL Sunday Ticket for free $100 prepaid VISA gift card One-time $25 credit Sports Pack - $10 off for 6 mos Base fee discount of $5/mo for 24 mos HBO, Cinemax & Showtime - free for 3 mos My strategy was similar to last year. I would first call and discuss switching service and cancelling. They would then give me some nominal credits and reduce the cost of NFL ticket from $240 to $192. I stated I needed to assess the cost and do a comparison. After a few days, I called back and stated I decided to cancel as the cost was still too much. That is when they made the offer above. My overall bill went down by $67 and in 3 months, I will either move my programming to the Ultimate package or renegotiate the Premium package. I feel satisfied and now I am ready for the Bills 2014-2015 season (I am optimistic they will play a game next year).

I have also heard from many analysts that a future year pick needs to be discounted by a round. Some reasons given is you can have a player now rather than what the unknown future holds plus future picks will generally be more costly. I believe discounting them a complete round is too much since the rookie contracts are now slotted. Thus, valueing the #9 pick this year to equate to the #9 pick in the 2nd round next year would represent a factor of 36.3% (490/1350) of the current year pick value based upon devaluing of a full round. I believe the pick should be discounted not at 36.3 % or 50% but more like 60%. Thus, the future 2015 1st round pick (assuming the 9th position) would be 1350 X .60 = 810; the 4th round pick would be 84 X .60 = 50. Thus, the total value given (assuming staying at the 9th spot) would be 1350+810+50 or 2,210 which emans we overpaid by a potential 2nd round pick. Based upon this 60% valuation, the breakeven point would need to be if we picked 26th in the 1st round which means we made the playoffs with an exceptional record. The 26th pick for the first & 4th round would be 700 (1st round)+50(4ht round)=750 x .60 = 450; the difference between the 2014 first round picks trade (1,800-1,350). With this all stated, the draft is not an exact science. If Watkins turns out as most believe he will and we are able to retain him when his 1st contract expires, what we gave up for him will be meaningless. Remember, what have we drafted in past years that were busts. We drafted Aaron Maybin at #11 in 2009; J.P. Losman at #22 in 2004; Mike Williams at #4 in 2002; Eric Flowers at #26 in 2000; Tony Hunter at #12 (ahead of Jim Kelly who was picked at #14) in 1983; Perry Tuttle at #19 in 1982; Booker Moore at #28 in 1981 and, finally, Phil Dokes at #12 in 1977. Thus, first round picks are not always sure things. Only time will tell. But, I am excited that we decided to be bold and not just settle for the status quo since we have not been to the playoffs in 14 years. Go Sammy & Go Bills!!

I believe they may pick up a more veteran QB once one is released, such as Christian Ponder who may need a change of scenery. If EJ goes down with our new "win now" attitude, a rookie 5th through 7th round QB will not be able to step in. Jeff Tuel is not a viable option. Jason Campbell also may be released. However, remember, all our chips are on EJ which they should be when you expend a first round draft pick. EJ will only be entering his 2nd year so we need not panic at the moment but shoudl recognize the need fr a veteran backup in case of injury.

Thanks Diane for your usual hard work. We are coming in on Thursday and coming back on Tuesday. We had already booked our rooms at the Hotel St Marie (1/2 block from Bourbon Street on Toulouse St) and got our tickets through www.vividseats.com. We are in terrace section 607, row 20 on the Bills side. The tickets were just shy of $100 with fees as we needed to purchase 8. Southwest has a airfare sale going on and we booked flights from Orange County, CA to NO for $424 roundtrip. Posting this for information purposes only. Looking forward to a great time and seeing everyone on Bourbon Street.

I believe we should look to QB Tyler Bray who is a project with a very strong arm and he needs to mature. I also believe TE Joseph Fauria from UCLA would be a great pick up and he has great hands, very tall, and was a stud for UCLA the last two years. We also need to look at the guard position.

I believe the Bills are taking a step in the right direction. HC Marrone was coveted by multiple teams and the Bills beat them all to the punch. he brings in a fresh look built on discipline and accountability. His selections of Mike Pettine as DC and Nathaniel Hackett as OC are in my opinions very good selections. We needed a strong DC with NFL experience and Pettine meets that requirement. The fact that he is extremely familiar with the AFC East is a huge bonus as that is where we really need to improve if we are to become a bonafide contender. Also, bringing over the Jets DB coach is a big plus as the Jets secondary was one of the best in the league. While the selection of Hackett may bring some criticism from some fans, remember that one thing many criticized Chan Gailey for was not be aware of his HC duties on game day since he was so immersed in his play calling. Since coach Marrone is one with a very successful background on the offensive side, for him to feel comfortable not calling the plays requires having an OC on the same page as him. Hackett and Marrone worked side-by-side for 2 years at Syracuse and while Marrone will still have significant input on the offensive game plan, he can trust Hackett to follow through with it and, thus, leave Coach Marrone to manage the entire team on game day which is something we have sorely missed. I like the direction.