Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

I did root for them to beat Seattle mainly because of my dislike for Pete Carroll, and Marshon's presence didn't help any. Many more pounds of dislike on the Seattle side. Maybe if Seattle had a different coach would have rooted the other way..

I see ranked #43 is Chris Spielman, unless my eyes are getting real bad, doesn't that look like a picture of some black guy. Spielman looked pretty white to me the last time I saw him

Guy I know did something similar few years back with something other than a Slingbox, can't recall what it was called, but worked for him. His father lived in Pittsburgh and he wanted to watch Penguin games. He would tell me how he'd sometimes mess with his father, he'd call him up and while talking with him, he'd change the channel and listen to his father go nuts as to why the #&*@^+ stupid cable box changed channels without him touching the remote. So if you don't believe they don't have a contract, does that mean they do have one?

And what about 9 weeks to the first snowfall?? That's the one thing I always hated about start of training camp, meant the end of summer was fast approaching. Living down south now, not nearly as bad.

So it appears that every day Vic's column will be that Bills are worse than last year. I could buy some of his other columns, but he's he does appear to be on a mission to show every unit is worse and whatever point he can come up with to prove his point. Paying TT less is going to make him play worse?? Most times a player who feels he's underpaid will play better. Today though a unit that led the league last season in rushing is somehow worse at every position. That is a reach IMO. When he mentions Miller, he could have also commented as was stated here by many this might just be a motivational tool, or maybe this other guy is really good. But no comment on that. Sounds like Glenn will be out for the season from the way he's looking at it. Today he really does appear to be pushing an agenda.

Yeah that was what I was wondering, so is the answer still no to ST? That streaming ST is only available to people who can't get DTV

But is the streaming option still only for those who can't get DTV, or have they relaxed that requirement? DTV kind of has a dilemma, they can stick to their guns and not give the streaming out unless you can't get DTV, but they run the risk of totally losing viewers as many are "cutting the cord" So are they better off at least getting something in return in the way of a ST streaming fee. I do think since ATT bought DTV it's getting harder to get a good deal on ST.

So if Beane were hired in Jan and he then hired McDermott, you'd be happy? I really don't think it matters at all as to the order. What does matter is when you have coach hired that the GM wasn't in favor of like the rumors are that DW didn't want Ryan or the other way around like a few years back in Miami where the coach was already in place and you then brought in a new GM, then you have problems. Most of the front office hires by the Bills were all people currently under contract with other teams and many considered lateral moves. If you had tried to make these moves in Jan, most if not all would have been stopped by their current teams as teams won't let front office folks leave prior to the draft. Your only choices for GM in January would have been from current un-employed folks. You state like most teams hire the GM first. While I do agree that is true, it does appear the trend is reversing as in recent years there's been a handful of teams that did as the Bills did and let the coach select the GM. Considering the coach is often payed more, it does make sense to let the coach select the GM. I believe in five years the new normal will be coaches hiring the GM across most of the NFL. So could argue the Bills are forward thinking team!! What I don't like it coaches wanting to be coach and GM and the success rate of that is low.

I'm fine with the Bledsoe trade. Did it work out very well, no but at the time everyone was pretty excited and he was great for about ten games... Till they played NE. I've often wondered Bledsoe was deciding between Buffalo and Cinnci. Blesdoe was great till he played NE around game 10, after that other teams noticed what NE had done to him and dabbled with similar things a bit. Believe it was game 15 or 16 the Bills played NE again, same thing happened and after that every team the Bills played copied NE's game plan and Blesdoe was finished. But if he had gone to the Bengels, the way the scheudle worked out Cinnci didn't play NE for three seasons and then only one time. Would all that have been avoided and he would have done well for a number of years. Admittedly it's possible with Bledsoe in Cinnci, they may have played much better, won more games and the way the schedule is determined, could have meant they played each other sooner than in 3 seasons. Had to be named. I don't recall that being a demand of his to take the position. Seems I recall at the time RW realized he was getting too old to keep up with this stuff all the time so was ready to hand the reins over to TD. Worked OK for a couple years, then yes his paranoia and ego was his down fall. But don't see that as due to his insisting he be named president.

Stay away from the fist ten rows or so in the lower level as the players standing on the sidelines hides everything. I even tried to get them to sit but they wouldn't listen.

OR that could mean he takes us as first visit so he can shop it to others. Unless we were willing to way overpay, he was leaving here without signing. And likely if we did make a real high offer, then not tot say his agent would have come to conclusion, market is higher than we thought. We're now shopping high end.

Yeah, but that's because you'll be about 95, so everyone looks good to you!

Did I hear correctly that Polian lives in the Charlotte area, if so he probably has had a number of conversations with Panthers coaches and FO and know those guys better than every team outsdie of Buffalo.

I'd imagine these FA team visits are alot like buying a car. You have to walk out at least one time to get the best deal. If he can't get the deal he wants in Balt, the Bills will throw in free rust proof along with their next offer.

Every year at this time it's pointed out how we have a much tougher schedule this coming season than the year prior. So much can change between now and December. Likely one or two teams who are expected to be very good, will fall off, and someone else expected to win 4 or 5 games will be fighting for a playoff spot Last year at this time we were playing Cinnci a playoff team and Jax and up and coming star. How'd that work out?

Draft a QB every year like some people request is another way to waste draft picks!

Not really, The 32ndpick in every draft is still selected higher than every 2nd round pick and the 64 higher than and 3rd rounder and so on. So I don't buy "they draft lower" argument and excluding comparing the Bills last selection (assume 7th rounder)against NE's every other selection was still higher than the next round down the Bills selected. I'd think it would go to reason that NE's 2nd round selection should be a better player than the Bills 3rd round pick. So the fact that NE has no one left tells me they didn't draft any better.

I voted mildly optimistic as that was best choice to pick from. Overall long term I'm much more than mildly, but short term, don't expect playoffs this year. Folks in charge certainly seem to have a good handle on things based on what is being said and how things have been done in the very short term. Granted not much experience at the very top, but have people under them with good experience. Conversely not a bunch of people who are use to doing it the old way either which feel is a good thing. How well they do will be decided by QB play which is true for every team in the league. But also don't fualt them if they don't find one as more than half the teams in the league have been looking for one with less than good success. Just as Whaley before them and Nix before that, they can join the league wide club of front offices not lucky enough to stumble onto that guy. Though do feel good about NP, only concern is arm strength.

Are you under contract? Whole different ballgame! Sure what you're saying happens all the time, but not typically for people under contact. You could argue a fireman, or a teacher is under contract and they leave to take other jobs to, but I'd imagine these types of contracts are different and it's a contact exclusively with a person. Plus with the fireman, teacher, etc, if there were budget cuts and they had layoffs, they'd get severance pay, but wouldn't be paid the balance of their contract which again happens here. The one part I don't know is down at a scout level, are they under contract or just hired at will??

No it's just luck more than anything. If they had done such a great job of scouting, they'd have moved up to #2 or 3 to assure themselves of getting him. There were rumors he'd been picked earlier, but he wasn't. Are you telling me that NE did a better job of scouting Brady too? If so they'd have picked him a round or two earlier. QB more than any position just doesn't equate to scouting as too many things just don't translate from college to the NFL!

TP hasn't worked with anyone in NFL front offices prior to him buying the team and having Whaley as his GM. Can't help but wonder if TP was happy with Doug, planned to keep him around for awhile yet, Has DW determine new HC and he picks McDermott. Now McDermott is here, TP has many conversations with him and all of a sudden realizes, wow this is what a smart NFL leader is really like and how bad the front office really is. Decides then to let him go after the draft. Everyone wants to crucify Russ, but he really has limited experience too other than working with Marv and Buddy, neihter of which was a great front office guy, so Russ too could easily have been swayed by Whaley.

Use to be this way. Now the new model is the HC hires the GM and it's someone he's very comfortable working with. This is the direction teams are going in these days. Sorry!

Actually this is becoming the normal model around the league these days, so shouldn't be an issue at all. So just becasue that was publicly stated means it's 100% true. It's amazing how many people around here take things so literally about everything stated. What would you expect them to state publicly at that point.

I'd think the opposite. While I completely agree about great FA pick ups over the years, that was on the scouts finding these "gems". And agree Whaley made the final decision to sign them. Just as on the college side of things, the scouts likely gave him options to choose from, and while the players they picked weren't maybe bad choices, his lack of patience made him give up too much to often to get them. So I think he needed to go more than the scouts. And this draft while he was technically in charge, he likely was laying out the options for McDermott to choose from and wasn't making the final choice. All things considered I was in favor of keeping him, but don't have a problem with letting him go. As to your notion of we're not getting anyone better than Whaley at picking a QB, there is no one better out there at picking QB's If you think there's someone out there who really can find good QB's I have a bridge to sell you, it's about 80% being at the right place at the right time. So are you saying Bill B is better or they should hire his assistant as they know how to pick QB's. How did Matt Cassel work out once he left NE? Jimmy Grap... Lets see how he really looks if he's away from Belichick as I believe he makes them all look great.

Not really, that's typical. From what I've heard over the years front office contracts all typically expire May 1st, after the draft. Teams don't want to lose their continuity prior to the draft and the people spilling the beans to other teams. Just doesn't happen like that at a high level and why would Whaley agree to that. His contract was to be the GM, any other job, he'd need to agree to do it. With everything going on, why would he want to do that?