Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

... and there also was a second shooter!

Personally I agree with you on #1 and 4, #3 a little bit, #2 don't really care much about at all either way. Even with #4, gives me something to complain about, not sure it would stop me from watching though

As to the declining ratings, I wonder if it could be the following: I'm sure the only think counted are people watching games on local TV or via ST. How many watch illegal streams of out of market games because their favorite team isn't on TV. Yes that is what ST is for, but many would figure if I can watch online for free, why pay. Granted this isn't something invented this year, but with increases in cost to ST and DTV seemingly less inclined to offer deals and download speeds increasing, and more people over the years moving away from their hometown, maybe more people are going the to the dark side. I know I came real close myself this year, even had the appointment scheduled with TWC before DTV finally offered me a deal worth taking so stuck with them one more year. As far as fines go and personal conduct stuff, I really care very little about what happens off the field, I'm watching the game for entertainment value on Sunday. just give me a good game to watch. I often wonder what the league would be like if players didn't have names and number on their uniforms to identify them by.

First year Flutie started he played great and helped win many games. 2nd season, I think the Bills won in spite of him. By then teams had figured him out, keep someone in to limit his ability to scramble and don't let him complete passes over the middle, make him throw outside which his arm wasn't able to handle very well. What I most disliked about him was his ability off the field to deflect all blame from himself, it was always something else. He'd never outright blame anyone else, but would turn it into a debate as to who or what was to blame. I can recall listening to him post game, I'm somewhat over-simplifying here but, if he was asked say about an interception he threw and what happened, he'd try to kind of spin it, well I don't know was it the throw, was the receiver not in the correct spot or not fight hard enough, or did something go wrong with the blocking scheme? Or imply the reporter is maybe asking the wrong question. Never blame anyone else directly, but would attempt to throw doubt out there as to what went wrong. I also recall the year after the Music City game, new coach and GM, Greg Williams asked both QB's to live in Buffalo off-season to work out more with the team (can you imagine in todays CBA asking such a thing, probably lose a draft pick for even asking ) RJ said absolutely, no problem. Flutie basically told the Bill's to pound salt, believe soon after he was gone. Maybe the years of never getting the chance he felt he deserved created the "chip on the shoulder" and the attitude, but never liked him that much off the field. In summary he likely was one of the greatest "ME" guys to ever wear a Bills uniform.

True, but then that is also the risk the kicker takes in getting hit. Exactly, and when did you ever see them call a penalty for that? If they did they'd call that on every play of every game. What Carp has to do with it is he didn't try to kick the ball he never would have been in the position to be hit.

I think the other thing you have to give him credit for is he can keep drives alive with his legs. That IMO makes up for SOME of his accuracy issues.

I really don't think it makes any difference whether that player gets a new big contract with his old team or goes elsewhere via FA. I'd probably even argue there are many more FA who go elsewhere that do poorly with the new team than do real well. I recall something Marv Levy stated years ago, "FA typically hurt the team they leave more than help the team they go to." The one thing I see with NE is they rarely ever go after the big name big $$ guys, that may be one clue.

Actually that is pretty much the same as the Cubs have done for the last 108 years. At a certain point though people just felt sorry for them. Which to a large part is also true in Buffalo except for the people who post on TBD

It doesn't work. As was pointed out the Jet's are using 4 roster spots on QB's and have no idea if any of them are any good except Fitz, is the only one they actually know what they have in (and not good) I've read more than once that typically a backup QB, the #2 guy not #3 get's like about six reps a week with the 1st team, so how do you ever develop that guy. These days with the new CBA with reduced off season work, it's even harder. It's fine to draft a guy every couple of years, or draft a guy solely as a development guy, like the Bills did this year with Jones. But drafting a player each year thinking he could become the answer will never work. Yes NE does it, but strictly as backup's you're not looking for a starter. And how many star QB's that NE drafts go to other teams and then fail i.e. Matt Cassell Fixed it. If these teams had really scouted these guys and knew they would be even half as good as they are, there's no way they ever would have let them fall as far as they did and not moved up and picked them earlier. Just like when the Bills drafted Thurman Thomas in Round #2. If they had known he'd become as good as he did, they'd have moved up and got him sooner. They got lucky that time.

Except it doesn't sound like he's all that great of a coach. If he's so good, why isn't he calling the plays. Maybe all your points about him being a motivational speaker works great for him to be a QB coach as he's great at patting the guy on the back to get him through it when the HC or OS are screaming at him. But that doesn't work when you're the HC One thing I do recall about him when he was with the Bills was his weekly Saturday night "meal" with Kelly, a vanilla milkshake and that seems to sum him up pretty well. Nothing against the guy, but would rather stick with Rex than him. If we want a new coach, I think we can do much better than him.

Wouldn't shock me that the whole contract thing leaves a real bad taste in his mouth and he bolts SD as soon as the rookie contract is up regardless of how good an offer they make.

While I agree TT has looked shaky at best, he needs to get some "bonus points" added to his overall value for scrambling and escapability and also for having to throw to likely the worst group of WR's in the league. Having said that I don't think a healthy Watkins and ODB as a #2 guy and Gronk as a TE would improve the accuracy. To me that's the biggest issue I have with him This idea of drafting a QB every year to me is just plain dumb as you'll never figure out if any of them are any good. See the NY Jets for example, 4 roster spots being taken up by QB's and have no idea if any of them can play other than Fitz. Backup QB's get like 6 snaps per week with the #1 team, not anywhere near enough to figure things out. With the new CBA that limits practice reps makes it tougher even the off season. I'm fine with drafting/acquiring a guy, but hand him the keys to the bus and let him drive it for two to three years and figure out what you have. Basically what was done with EJ and TT. If it works great, if not then move on. Maybe by year #3 you can draft another prospect if things aren't looking real high, but drafting every year will never work in the NFL unless it's solely for a backup. Hard to field a good team around QB when he takes up too much cap space. If you're truely elite, i.e. Brady, Rodgers, Manning you can make mediocre guys around you look real good. But a step below that Andrew Luck level, you are just sucking up too much cap space with not enough left over to put a strong enough team around him.

I'd be fine with resigning Gimore to a reasonable contract. But there is usually always some team dumb enough to pay crazy money to a FA that hasn't shown he's worth it.

Yes but Kubiak was a HC prior to Denver and got fired as wasn't very good, think he also was an OC?? Then comes to Denver, has a great roster and wins. That's a bit different than a guy who don't think he's ever been an actual OC or at least been in charge of offense. From what I recall there were also a lot of people in San Diego more than happy to see him leave. Dallas, seems every season they are ready to fire him. At this point, twenty years removed, is he any more passionate than the next guy about winning. And if you really get down to it, I really doubt you'd find a coach more passionate about winning than Rex. So if your main argument for bringing in an ex player is passion, how's that working out for you?

Good thing I dropped them as my fantasy D. The week they had their bye dropped them and picked up Buffalo. First two weeks was great move, last week, not so good.

That makes it tough to rip the Bills and Whaley

TT so far has accuracy problems and anticipating the WR getting open. That IS part of the problem. But unless you have a Tom Brady back there, this group of WR isn't going to scare anyone. If I were to assess blame I'd put our lack of top NFL caliper WR's at about 65% and maybe 35% is TT's fault. I'd put a disclaimer there too that maybe TT shares more of the blame, but so far haven't seen enough of him with a good WR group to know would he be doing much better with better players, or would it be the same identical results? Until that happens I'll put the bulk of the blame on probably the worst group of starting WR's in the league.

So how exactly is the training staff supposed to know his hamstring is bad if the player says he's fine and can go? Is there some device out there they stick into his leg and determine the hamstring is still injured? If a player is recovering fro ma broken bone or something, you could X-ray it and determine if still cracked but don't think there's any way to gauge something like a hamstring other than what the player tells you. In the case of a vet, in most cases you're going to give the benefit to the player. If he says he's fine, you let him play. Are players the best judge in that situation probably not, but that's the way life in the NFL works. As to the original theme of this tread and blaming the Bills training staff, was listening this morning on Mike & Mike and they were saying how it seems there are so many injuries league wide and they were blaming alot of that on the new CBA and it's limited practice time. Didn't the Bills training staff just win some award maybe two years ago for having the top training staff in the league?? Not saying they are great or anything, but kind of ironic that they now should be fired.

YES!! And you're lucky if you have one in 10 years. When was the last time Cleveland had a franchise QB, Tampa before Winston, and who knows if he'll pan out, Jets. Three weeks ago, people in Miami were suggesting the fish should trade for Cutler to replace Tanerhill. Daulton is another one they are ready to run out of town half the time. Can add Chicago to this list of teams gone more than 10 years, Oakland, (may have their guy now) Washington, Tenn (may have their guy now) but took them a long time. Houston is still a merry-go round and their latest $80 mil pickup is questionable, Denver got two good years out of Manning, but right now they may not be in any better shape than Buffalo. People make it sound like all the Bills need to do is decide to go and get a franchise QB and the problem is solved. More than half the teams in the league can't find one and about 1/2 of those with one was more the result of dumb luck than anything i.e. Brady, Romo. You can "suck for Luck" but if it's not the right year, may just as easily end up with a Ryan Leif or a guy like Russell from Oakland. So before you run TT out of town, decide what the answer is instead that you think may be better.

OK, os if 46.3% of 2 point conversions were successful, that means prior to changing the rules, too go for two all the time, you would have to be successful kicking from the two less than 92.6% I'm pretty certain extra points were like in the 98 to 99% range prior to the change. So that says it was much smarter to kick back then. Now that it's been moved back are kicks made greater or less than 92.6%? The answer to that likely varies by team. As far as stopping an offense from gaining two yards, huge difference between stopping a team from gaining two yards when you're at the 50 yard line or even the 20 yard line than from the two as you now have 11 guys only needing to defend 12 yards of turf.

Do you have any statistics to back that up? Even going back to the old rules, teams are all dat driven if there was better than a 50/50 chance of scoring from the 2 yard line on one play, they'd all have been doing it a long time ago. Think I one time saw a stat that put the odds at scoring at 43% from the two. So now from what it it the 20 or 25 yard line, itf the 43% was the correct number, then the odds would say there's more than an 86% chance of making the kick from that distance. If you feel your kicker is less than that, then yes go for two.

That is a problem. Not sayings the Bills are in any way wrong, but when a paper like the news (or radio station like WGR) writes what the team feels are bad unfounded things, the team will keep them at arms distance, probably not give them any scoops or do anything to make their job easier, so then what happens is the News or WGR will try even harder to fault them whenever they can and things just escalate from there.

Yes but it's not the national game. Fox has the doubleheader. Granted can't recall of situations where they flexed a 4:05 regional game to 4:25 national game. And I was responding to the specific comment about Bills games getting moved to 4:00 not primetime.

The problem with the Oakland game is Fox has the doubleheader that week. So to move the game to 4:00 I believe means Fox would need to give give up some other game in it's place so gets more complicated. CBS may feel they don't want to give up that game as that might be a better game than any game they'd get a return.

Agree, should have written it better, I'd trade him for a #1, but agree not likely we'd get that. Though he isa a top talent, so maybe someone would still take a chance. So without getting a #1 I'd take my chance on keeping him