Carmel Corn

Geez, the overall reaction on this board is depressing and ridiculous. Those who don't like the Allen pick obviously know much more about football than our front office and should have been in the war room instead. There was nothing we could do within reason to get Mayfield or Darnold, so it boils down to all of you being pissed about not getting Josh Rosen. Rosen is a good prospect, no doubt but given the status of our o-line, he may get hit again and again. Two concussions in one season is a big red "flag" concerning his durability. Believe what you want about his personality, but I wonder about how coachable he is. Not convinced he is a better long-term option for the Bills. I like Allen's size and abilities. He may take longer to develop, but you all need to give him, our GM and coaching staff a chance to show they know more than us fans.

Kay Stephenson, Hank Bullough, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Doug Marrone......the Bills have a great track record of picking 1st time head coaches. That being said, our record for picking experienced coaches isn't any better since Wade.

I've lived in Indy a long time, but still love the Bills from back in my Buffalo year when Kelly faced Marino. Manning has played on a team built for getting out of the gate fast with a well-coached and fairly well-stocked list of weapons to choose from. Both high draft picks (ex. James, Clark, Wayne, etc.) and lesser draft picks (ex. Collie, Garcon, etc.) have been good contributors. Yes some questionable ones too....Addai, Gonzalez. You could also perhaps question Polians committment to defense and special teams (coverage mainly). The defense was built to play with a lead and to play a system. They were small and fast, not bruisers. I remember a lot of people (including here) saying Polian was nuts for drafting Dwight Freeney as high as he did and based their opinion solely on how Bryant McKinney supposedly handled him in a bowl game (while we selected Mike "bust" Williams). My point is that Polian fielded strongly competitive teams until this year. I wish the Colts would have kept him. As far as Manning vs. Marino...IMHO Manning is a better field general/manager whereas Marino was the better pure passer. Both had lightning quick releases....maybe a very slight edge to Marino there. Yes Manning only won 1 SB but the one they lost to New Orleans was more of a defensive failure vs. an offensive one. If I had to pick which one I'd want on my team, I would still have to favor Manning.

Living in the Indy area...you can see this eventually building over time. 1. QB - already discussed...no quality replacement on the roster in the event the franchise quarterback went down. Earlier in the year, Irsay tweeted about going to visit Favre....wish he actually did. 2. O-line - definitely a problem right now. Part of it is through loss of starters to other teams, but I think a BIG factor is the loss of Howard Mudd as coach. The Indy line was pretty lousy last year too after Mudd retired. The darn Eagles actually brought Mudd out of retirement this year. 3. No running game. James Addai has not been very effective and has been often hurt. No quality depth behind him. 4. Offensive coach - although Tom Moore is still on the roster, he is not the offensive coordinator. That job belongs to Clyde Christensen (who???) 5. Linebackers - a glaring weakness for multiple seasons. Gary Brackett is not a superstar, but is the best they have...and is hurt Sure the injury bug is seemingly worse in other positions, but IMHO I am sorry to say that much of this collapse is self-inflicted.

I thought Willams and Dockery played effectively next to each other when they were Longhorns. Who knows....seems like a good gamble by the Skins to me.

Yes, it is not just a local Buffalo television market problem. LIN also owns WISH-TV in Indianapolis. Same issue for cable customers here. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...D=2008810030480 Glad I have a dish!

I don't think either team is going anywhere for a long time, but I completely agree with your winning statement. I've lived here nearly 20 years and feel that over time Indy has made some progress in moving away from being just a basketball town. The Pacers are actually lagging in attendance, due primarily to lousy teams and pubic disdain for several of the players who act more like criminals than professional athletes. That being said, there is no doubt it is still a strong collegiate sports town....having the NCAA headquartered here helps to maintain that amateur sports focus. As far as the stadium itself, no doubt it has that new car smell appeal....but if you get a chance to see it with you own eyes, it really is spectacular! Having lived in both places, I still believe that it is hard to match how much the Bills are part of the fabric of the WNY community. As much as Indy has going for it, it will never reach the same degree of following or spirit as the Bills & Buffalo. The best way I can put it is that I've never stopped being a Bills fan, even 20 years later. I like the Colts, but I LOVE the Bills.

I think Marv should have signed that "Bonaparte" Kid instead.

From a Local Media standpoint: Wil Wolford actually does a post game call in show on WIBC radio in Indianapolis now. Another former Bill - Joe Stasniak (sp?) is a regular radio sports commentator on the same station. Finally, Ted Marchibroda is the color analyst for all the Colts games radio broadcasts

I agree....first of all the Bills/Colts game was not a "classic" by any standard....Indy fans can be lulled to sleep during a boring game just like any other stadium. Second, the RCA dome can be extremely loud at times. When the fans are truly into the game, the sound seems to reflect back in and you walk out feeling like you've been to a concert. The key is whether the crowd is engaged or not. IMHO - Indy fans are generally quiet until they have something to cheer about.....actions on the field trigger the crowd noise, not the other way around. Indy is still enamored with college and amateur sports, which tends to sometimes distract local sports interest away from the pros. Therefore, when I compare living here vs. my years in Buffalo, I still say that there more passion for the Bills/Sabres than what you see here with the Colts/Pacers.

IMHO - fans here in Indy are a bit less involved with their professional sports teams than other alternatives (ex. college and high school sports). But you have to admit the Bills/Colts game was kind of a yawner for a good portion of it. That being said, Indianapolis is buzzing right now.

As a former WNY'er now living in Indy....Go Colts! Class organization, management (Polian), and coach.

Actually I do see him a lot...I live in Indy . I did error on the position , however I still stand by my opinion that he is too small and also disagree with you on his tackling ability. Despite the # tackles, his ability to be an effective run stopper is minimal at best. Here's an opinion from PFW: http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/A.../scouts2121.htm Yes he might be cheaper, but I'd prefer to see a more physical presence in the LB corp.

Cato June is not the answer. IMHO he's way too small for his position and cannot be effective unless he has monster DT's in front of him. Decent guy, but no better than Fletcher.

I support the Colts for 3 reasons: 1. I would like to see Bill Polian get a super bowl (I still wish he was running the Bills) 2. Tony Dungy is a class act 3. I live in Indiana (if the Bills can't win it, then I root for the Colts)

Yes...it's called eminent domain and the city of Baltimore was threatening to impose it. So you would be willing to be a Raven's fan (had you been a Colts) fan earlier, but does that differ from if you were a Brown's fan before Modell shipped them down to Baltimore? Granted not under a Mayflower scenario, but still an injustice in many people's mind? Doesn't make sense to me you would support being a Raven's fan when the Browns were shipped to Baltimore.

What a bunch of crap! That was 23 years ago! But you're right, it's a business!

Sgt. Slaughter - best chin in wrestling!

"Where else would you rather NOT be than right here, right now?" or You know, the pizza and chicken wings really suck in Indianapolis (I can personally vouch for this one!)

I'll be happy to admit that Manning got "happy feet" against the Steelers last year in a game they should have won.....call it choke or whatever. However, as others have stated....winning the super bowl is not the only criteria by which great quarterbacks are defined. Statistics are important too, but in the grand scheme of today's NFL, how many QB's today are actually running their offenses to the degree Manning is? Jim Kelly was that kind of quarterback in his prime and so is Manning today. Defenses are more complex than ever, which truly tests a QB's ability to think like an OC on the field. Manning's accomplishments this year (so far) are even greater in my opinion based his loss of the Edge (Edge was also a good pass protector) and limited play of Brandon Stokley. The Colts lack a defense, and so they have to win by his "laser rocket arm". Finally, I challenge you to find a more "durable" quarterback in the last 5 years. Could Manning achieve the same success with our beloved Bills?....No way, but I would like to think he would be the difference between 3 and 5 vs. 5 and 3 start. Polian was wise to build a team around him.

Leave our defense on the field for the whole game.....they may end up scoring more points than our offense by the time the season's over.

Manning's critics can trash all they want, but who here wouldn't trade Losman+ Holcomb+Nall for either of the Mannings. It must be nice to have a GM who knows what he's doing (Polian) and a quarterback who consistently gets you to the postseason. It's been so damm long since we've had either, I've forgotten what it feels like. Until Marv & Company rebuilds the line, none of our QB's will become playoff quarterbacks.

Sorry, as much as I still love the Bills....they typically never play well here in Indy. Everybody knows the Colts are vulnerable on their run defense....perhaps this is the only way the Bills may succeed (by keeping the Colts offense off the field). Sanders' return and is a huge factor at Safety. IMHO, Manning is having the best year of his career. I say this because he does not have the Edge in the backfield (besides his rushing ability, Edge was very good at pass protection) and has missed his 3rd receiver (Stokley) for most of the year. Whether or not he can keep this up remains to be seen, but I am more impressed this year than others. I predict that Freeney will finally have the game he has been looking for this season (0.5 sacks going into the NE game last night). But still, let's hope the Bills can pull one off....may not be the worse thing for the Colts to get beat (for their own good).

Never liked Shelton....I was unhappy the first time we lost Sam Gash....and then we let him go again (?) a second time. I'd like to see somebody else get a shot.

Hindsight is 20-20, but I sure remember thinking that TD blew it because we needed a LEFT tackle, not a right side player. McKinnie was at least a proven collegiate LT and was being highly touted for neutralizing Freeney. The Bills needed a LT more than a RT at that time (any maybe still do). I know McKinney may have had some baggage or attitude problems....but there's no question which has had a better NFL career to date. Picking MW may be right up there with another wasted high 1st rounder.....Tom Cousineau.