bartshan-83
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Posts posted by bartshan-83
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I'm sort of torn.
I think that it's the guy's own fault for not paying and if the FD had put it out, everyone is exactly right that there is no incentive to pay. EVER.
OTOH, to have the capability to save the guy's house and instead allow it to burn to the ground is a pretty cold policy. The firefighters aren't in the wrong...they were doing their jobs.
I'd offer that a good policy would be to put out a fire even if the person didn't pay, but slap a HEAVY punitive fine onto it. I'm talking $2K-$5K.
Sort of like medical insurance. If you decide to forgo coverage and you rip up your knee, a doctor isn't going to refuse to treat you. But you are gonna get tagged with that $20K bill when he's done.
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It would be sweet Cosmic Karma if:
A) We finished with the top draft pick this year
B) There was a lockout after the 2011 draft
C) There was a 2012 draft with the same draft order
D) A strict rookie cap in place so top 10 picks aren't woth $60MM
We, as Bills fans, deserve this. TWO consecutive top pick drafts with rookie pay scales.
That image is what I will choose to hold onto while we suffer through another miserable season.
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Glad this got some laughs. Just remember, things are never as good or as bad as they seem. Or, in the case of the Bills, as mediocre or bad as they seem.
Got me with that thread title!!
And this is a guy I can confirm was wearing his Bills shirt in public just two short months ago!And you'll remember I needed 5 Pints of Dogfish Head to stomach it.
I saw the thread listed on the main page, then saw it was Bartshan, and I thought to myself, "oh NO, things are much worst than I thought if BARTSHAN is going full-retard now!!"
Glad u were just foolin'
Everybody knows you never go full retard.
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I always thought 2000 and 2002 set the bar, but seeing that it's only been 3 years...that is depressing.
So to get more depressing, ignoring drafts 2008-2010 for the "3-year evaluation rule", by my count, this is what we have to show for from 1997-2007 (and I'm being GENEROUS):
Kyle Williams
Lee Evans
Terrence McGee
Willis McGahee
Nate Clements
Aaron Schobel
Travis Henry
Antoine Winfield
Sam Cowart
Antowain Smith
:doh: I count 1 great player (Cowart) and 3 very good ones (Schobel, Clements, Winfield).
Good god.
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I'm kidding...I've just always wanted to do that.
This definitely did not deserve its own thread and should probably be buried in the 'Lynch Traded' monster, but just a few thoughts:
1. There is no denying that this franchise is largely defined by overall mediocrity with a few fleeting periods of brightly-burning success. And there is no denying that the past decade has been one long colonoscopy as far as enjoyability is concerned. But, we have to play the hand we were dealt again and unfortunately it looks like about a 5-9 off-suit. So keeping that in mind...
2. We have jettisoned a QB who simply had no future on the Buffalo Bills. And unlike most professional sports teams, we did it as SOON as it became 100% clear. We can all say that we knew what Trent was before the season, but Chan and Co. had to see it for themselves. They did. And then they wasted no time.
3. We traded a RB who really just wasn't that great. You have to be honest. Enough with the "24-year old 1st Rounder" label like that means something. No one was calling him that when he was pouting during the off-season. Attaching a shiny name to an average player does nothing to reality. And reality was that Marshawn had his warts. Leaving his off-field stuff alone, he had sub-par vision, sub-par speed and not enough other talent to make up for that. I enjoyed how hard he ran and I loved his carefree attitude, but he was never going to be "the guy." And I think deep down, everyone knows this.
4. Fred Jackson is a better RB than Marshawn Lynch. On this day, October 5, 2010, this is a fact. I get that he is 30 and RBs notoriously break down. I too have my doubts that he can play at a high level for more than 2-4 years. But youth does not surpass talent. There is nothing about Lynch that makes me believe he would reached a level even moderately higher than what Jackson brings to the table RIGHT NOW. We know what it's like to have "average starting RBs"...we've collected them since Thurman was here. No need to keep another Antowain/Henry/McGahee around for another 5 years.
5. Now, more than ever, Spiller's "part-time player" knock seems to be surfacing. I don't know what the future holds for CJ. I know he was simply electric in college and has shown flashes in his limited role so far. Just remember that Pro-Bowls are filled every year with players who weren't fast enough, big enough or tough enough according to draft pundits. I'd like to leave you with a few notes from Pre-Draft evaluations on a certain 2008 projected-2nd rounder who just happened to run for 2006 yards last season.
#6 RB Chris Johnson: Led the NCAA in total yards from scrimmage. Receiving threat out of backfield and can return kicks. May never be an every down back, but if used correctly, he'll pile up yardage in NFL. -TY2K Productions and DraftIQ Inc.
An outstanding receiver out of the backfield, Johnson runs crisp routes and will extended his hands to catch the ball away from his body. Although, he is undersized, lacks height and needs to add strength to be a big contender in the next level. He gives next to nothing inside and needs to show more while blocking and stop running from contact. Durability is a concern at the next level....He is not projected as a full time tailback in the next level. Projected 2nd or 3rd round. -fftoolbox.com
Compares To: DAVE MEGGETT-ex-New York Giants/New England -nfl.com
A team that can afford a luxury item like Johnson will be able to maximize his big-play potential as a runner, receiver and return specialist. However, we are not convinced he’s capable of handling a fulltime role at running back in the NFL, which is why we don’t grade him out as high as some. Regardless, Johnson is vying to become the first senior running back off the board. He projects as a second or third round pick. -OTB Sports
Does not have a true position and is a bit of a WR/RB ‘tweener’. He is not a very physical runner. -Philly Sports Blog
What he brings: This is a reach in our opinion. At 197 pounds, there are concerns about Johnson's ability to take the kind of pounding NFL running backs endure. He's also not great between the tackles and has had fumble issues. His biggest strengths are his speed and versatility; Johnson can line up in the backfield or motion out to the slot. His rare speed (4.24) makes him a home run threat regardless of where he lines up. Johnson can also make an impact in the kickoff return game.
How he fits: The Titans have invested second-round picks on LenDale White and Chris Henry the past two years, so this makes no sense. Head coach Jeff Fisher places a heavy emphasis on the running game to protect QB Vince Young, but Young would have been helped by getting a true No. 1 receiver. This pick might be a result of Mike Heimerdinger's new offensive scheme because Johnson does give them an upgrade in the return game and he is flexible on offense. Johnson reminds us a lot of Henry, which makes this pick even more perplexing. -Scouts Inc.
GO BILLS!
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Cynical....you gonna weigh in on your own topic here? What was your thinking?
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The SEC is so damn overrated. They have the best team in the country, sure, but what about the rest of the conference? Georgia and UT are nothing. UF is a big question mark. LSU is sketchy at best. SC and Auburn have played decent, but thats about it. The SEC is NOT head and shoulders above as everyone else like the SEC fans would like to have everyone else believe.
By my count, they've got 1 great team, 1 really good team, and a couple more decent teams. Thats nothing more than most of the other conferences.
Further, far from being "head and shoulders" above the rest of the country, I don't even see how the SEC is definitively better than the PAC-10. Stanford is tough as nails, Arizona is holding it down and I think Oregon might be the best team in the country. I'd love to see them matched up with any of the SEC's finest.
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Exactly. If you are a 2d or 3d tier basketball team you are dying to get primier teams to come to your place (or even get them on your schedule at all).
As opposed to football, top basketball teams aren't afraid to schedule teams that might upset them because it's a 30 game season so an extra loss or two isn't going to derail the title hopes of Duke or Kansas.
That was my thinking.
And with basketball, it actually goes beyond that. One of the major ranking tools the NCAA selection committee uses when picking for March Madness is RPI. As long as you don't go into Duke (or Kansas) and lose 100-38, you are actually likely IMPROVING your postseason chances even with a loss.
Scheduling, playing and losing to a top 10 basketball team is almost a no-loss proposition for a lower tiered school. It improves your SOS, RPI and unless you get absolutely blown out of the building, the loss isn't even counted against you. Plus its OOC. And if you manage to keep it close (<6-8 points), you're likely to get points for a "quality loss."
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Damn...that sucks.
I saw him last thanksgiving in Philly. He was with Dave Attell and one of the other roast guys. He was by the far the funniest of the three I thought. He had this bit about thanksgiving dinner and how "tryptophan" has become the most annoying buzz word. How there's always one tool who likes to throw that word around like he's an intellectual. He had me crying I was laughing so hard.
I read he was a very, very accomplished student growing up. I think he went to Columbia undergrad and then Harvard law. Interesting career path for a circuit comedian...
RIP, Greg.
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Why is this so terrible?
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Thanks for one of the best posts I have ever read about the Bills QB situation on this board. Certainly there is more to discuss (lack of blocking, defenses at the time, etc.), but you certainly did well to sum up what was happening with these guys. Nice job!
PS: I fully agree with you wrt RJ having heart, and I gave him the best chance at success of the 3.
Fwiw, I am not the best judge of QBs, but I think that Ryan Mallet is going to be a superstar. That might not be a good sign for him.Thanks, Bill. I admit that, at the time, I probably grossly overrated both RJ and JP. They were probably never as good as I thought they were. But I also believe that neither were as bad as many claim.
I'm going off on a tangent now, but player development is almost as important as talent evaluation (probably even more important at the college level). The notion that guys who are good enough to make it to the NFL won't be affected very much by good or bad coaching is ridiculous. We are talking about 22 year olds who are still in a very impressionable stage of their career. A terrible coach (whether it be technique or motivation) can absolutely ruin a young talent. And few franchises have bungled the QB position like the Buffalo Bills.
I'd argue that each of the following QBs were mismanaged, poorly coached and detrimentally affected by our coaching staff, front office and/or ownership to a degree that it negatively affected their performance in Buffalo and/or beyond. And also that each QB had at least a reasonable chance of being a good QB (or better than they were here):
Todd Collins
Rob Johnson
Doug Flutie
Drew Bledsoe (maybe)
JP Losman
Trent Edwards
Is it some sort of sick coincidence that we haven't been able to find a good QB since Kelly? I know they don't grow on trees, but our problem goes beyond bad scouting or bad luck. The Bills are like a restaurant that might be buying average ingredients, but it doesn't matter because the cook sucks and the waiters suck. What little chance they have to make and serve a decent meal is always squandered.
I too like Mallett, but I haven't seen nearly enough of him to have an informed opinion. I made my feelings on Locker very clear last year when people were discussing him vs. Clausen. I don't think he has the accuracy to be an NFL QB. He's barely accurate enough at the college level. I've seen Luck a few times and he looks decent enough.
We will likely be in a position to draft a better talent QB than we've had since Drew or even Kelly. I just hope that for once, this franchise enhances their probability of success with some actual positive guidance.
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I originally had the following as part of a reply, but was afraid it might get buried.
You're the AD of a large university well known as a perennial football power. You're trying to fill in your football teams future schedule.
You contact a school like Duke (or Kansas if you prefer) looking for a game or two. Duke's (Kansas) AD says he's willing to do a home and home series under one condition: you have to schedule a home and home series between your basketball teams.
Do you pull the trigger?
This would seem like a no-brainer to me. I'm getting a schedule-filler for my football team and simultaneously locking up a premier home game draw for my basketball team. Unless there were some serious calendaring conflicts, I'd be happy to do this.
Sounds like maybe I'm missing something...?
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@ freaking Jerry World. Bah.
Same radio cast, he also expressed a desire to return to Atlanta in 2013 as an opener.
Interesting rumor (and strictly a rumor at this point), the Atlanta group supposedly has USC agreeing to play a game in the dome to open up a season, and that USC has given the group a list of schools they want to play. Alabama is one of those teams.
Michigan in 2012 and USC in 2013? Nice.
Interesting...you alluded to this awhile back I believe in a post about Jerry Jones looking for a replacement for the Big XII Champ Game. I'm with you that I don't like these neutral site games. But I don't have a problem if they accompany a home-and-home. Otherwise, they are just money grabs.
I always like it when teams schedule marquee-OOC games though.
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I don't think it's nearly as black and white as some people want to make it ("He just sucked" or "He never had a chance").
RJ:
I really wanted him to be the man. I agree that he just never had the right feel for the game and his mistakes were drive killers (just like JP). But I strongly disagree with those who said he had no heart. He lost his job due to injury and stayed ready for 2 years for another chance. He played tough in the playoffs and he played tough in 2000 when he got the starting nod. I was at the home opener "rematch" against Tennessee that year. His stats weren't great, but he played a hard game and gutted it out. That year he had more injury problems and Flutie came in and out. But I'll never forget his last win against KC. It took the Bills to 7-4. RJ scored the winning TD on a 12 yard run where he got absolutely layed out. For those who say he never had heart, you are just being bitter. The dude put his body out there all the time and, due to his own fault, took more hits than any Bills QB I can remember. He just never had the flow. I do think the wheels fell off the following week at Tampa Bay (the "Frank Middleton" game) and otherwise, that could have been a playoff team. That was also the infamous "Neither team has a chance" season when Wade basically wrote off the 6-7 Bills and Colts before their game. Colts dominated, finished with 3 wins and made the playoffs. The rest is history. What a decade it's been.
JP:
Seemed like he might just have had enough fire and physical talent to mask his faults. His 2006 season is by far the best QB season we've had since and probably 2nd best of the decade only to Bledsoe's 2002. He had some great performances and threw some of the prettiest bombs I've ever seen. The back to back Texans and Jaguars games of 2006 were the last two really great Bills games, IMO. The endings of those games were the last times any Bills QB stepped up in a big moment and willed a victory. The drive against Houston culminating with the TD to Price in back of the endzone and the drive against JAX the next week where JP hit Roscoe on that GORGEOUS out pattern (definitely the best catch of Parrish's career). Those two games made me believe JP was finally going to turn the corner. But it didn't last. He never quite got a hold on reading defenses and the mistakes he made outweighed his moments of brilliance. While he never salvaged his game elsewhere, I think the mismanagement of his career at the hands of our coaches and front office would have killed all but the strongest talents. He was probably never going to be a superstar, but the right coaching could have turned him into a playoff QB I think. And the wrong coaching (and I can't think of one single thing they did right with him) squandered what little chance he had to be successful and scarred him forever. I really believe that.
Trent:
I was most skeptical of him of the three, but by the end, had the highest hopes for him. I blast anyone who attacks RJ or JPs heart, but I can't say that I could defend Trent on that count here. The coaching has been terrible. The surrounding talent has been marginal. But something happened to him (or he only masked it occaisonally during his periods of success) and it goes beyond Xs and Os. I believe his problem is confidence and possibly lack of desire. But definitely confidence. Either:
(A) He is not confident enough in his arm to make NFL throws down the field or
(B) He does not understand what "open" is in the NFL
Evans is basically a one-trick pony and we've had precious little besides him. But guys are open on almost every play, every game in the NFL. "Open" means a 6-inch window oftentimes. "Open" means the guy is covered and hasn't turned yet but you trust he will get to his spot when you let go. I think Trent never got that feel and, in that way, he was no cerebral-superior to the two other guys on this list that are blasted for being too "dumb" to be QB.
Either way, yesterday marked the official end of 4 consecutive "High Hopes QB" careers in Buffalo. I think it naive to say that it is simply a matter of talent. The organization (from top to bottom) has always had its issues. But I also don't think that any of these guys were individually good enough to succeed without some good fortune or good help. Unfortunately, all three received neither.
Let's hope 2011 breaks that cycle. But be mindful that whether Andrew Luck, Ryan Mallett, Jake Locker or Drew Brees comes to Orchard Park next year, it's not always 100% on the guy with the green sticker on his helmet.
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One question...Boise St gets a bad rap for having 2-3 tough games and the rest cakewalks. Why does Notre Dame get a free pass for essentially having the same schedule breakdown?
Dude, I'm finding all your ND knocks today...you're nuts.
1. Find me a reputable SOS ranker that puts ND's schedule below Boise St.
2. I'll agree that our schedule THIS year is weaker than normal. You can thank our whore of a former-AD who thought pillaging small schools for cash was an honorable scheduling method. But we've already inked deals with OU, Miami AND Texas for future home-and-homes.
3. Despite our weak schedule, we:
a. Opened our schedule with SIX consecutive BCS-conference opponents. No JV-warmups. No Sisters of the Poor. No Samford.
b. Have played or will play teams currently ranked at: 13 (Utah), 17 (Stanford), 22 (Michigan), 23 (Michigan St.), 29 (Pitt) and 34 (Boston College).
I could go on and on. Pick a different "I Hate ND" battle...
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If you want to B word about conference officiating, join one first.
What kind of asinine logic is that? So because you are in the ACC, you can B word if an SEC crew jobs your Noles in the Swamp? But Independents give up that right?
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We talked about this a little in the North Carolina case thread awhile back.
It's not murder because murder requires malicious intent. So unless the mother intended to kill or cause serious injury to her child, there is nothing here.
It's not voluntary manslaughter because that is almost universally defined using the same criteria for murder, the only difference being an "adequate provocation" (i.e. finding your wife in bed with another man).
It may be involuntary manslaughter. That usually requires either "criminal negligence" which is basically gross negligence (ie recklessness) or "unlawful act manslaughter" which is basically committing a misdemeanor that causes the death even though there was no intent to kill.
It is possible that since she admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking (how much would be important), that her negligence in her treatment of her child could rise to that of recklessness.
However, from my very brief review of the VA code, there is not a whole lot of difference in the penalties between involuntary manslaughter and felony child neglect. In fact, if I'm reading it correctly, one form of felony child neglect is actually a higher class felony than involuntary manslaughter. So she could actually end up facing more time with that charge. Now this doesn't mean she shouldn't be charged with both if the facts fit, but rest assured that the crime she is currently being charged with is no more lenient than involuntary manslaughter.
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Stupid game to lose. Kelly made some weird choices (again). We put the ball on the turf like we did, we deserve to get beat. Plus our OLBs are ridiculously weak and our safeties are injured and exhausted. And it's not going to get any easier next week.
This is the kind of game you are supposed to take care of so a....ahem....lapse by the refs in a crucial moment doesn't even matter.
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Good call on that site, Dean. I bookmarked that page.
I tell you, as Fall approaches, there is nothing I like more than prepping a nice pot roast or chili and having that thing cook all day while I'm at work. Coming home to that smell filling the house is like a meat-flavored Valium. It just relaxes me right away and I can't wait to dig in.
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I respect the idea of the Tea Party movement insofar as it appears to want to be a vehicle for major change. I like that people aren't happy with the status quo and it's always great when people seem to identify the 'institution' as the problem instead of choosing sides in a fake struggle.
However, this Christine O'Donnell thing once again reminds me of the eternal "3rd Party Throwaway" conundrum. A lot of people seem to be in favor of voting for an alternative candidate, but are afraid of throwing away their vote and instead decide on the lesser of two evils where they think they can actually make a difference.
IMO, and I'm not alone, O'Donnell is pretty whacked. Her campaign has included bizarre accusations, pretty dirty politicking, financial complaints against her and strange story lines (her college degree situation comes to mind). And to call some of her views "antiquated" would be far, far too kind.
But who cares what I think...you don't have to agree. But understand that here in Delaware, the Democratic candidate, Chris Coons, was considered about a 10-to-1 underdog to Mike Castle in the general election. Even my father, a pretty passionate Democrat who has been volunteering for his campaign basically thought it would be a rout.
But now all of a sudden, public sentiment is that Coons is the favorite...and a pretty solid favorite at that. The harshest critics of O'Donnell to date have been Republicans. I'm not even sure Coons has even really addressed her yet as he was completely focused on Castle.
The point is, whether or not Mike Castle was a RINO or good conservative candidate, if conservatives were looking to win back seats, that goal took a step back. Delaware is a more Democratic state and only party members can vote in primaries. So from who I've spoken to and the general feeling I've gotten in these past few hours, a lot of people are shocked and a bit freaked out by her victory. She will now be fighting a two-front battle against a candidate who likely would have had no shot against Mike Castle.
It will be interesting to see how the next few months play out. I can't wait to her Sarah Palin's oh-so-pleasing voice on my answering machine some more.
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Simmons is my favorite ESPN writer...but his football stuff is his weakest. He's a monster with the NBA and very proficient with MLB, but his NFL stuff is lower-grade.
You can tell how much he knows about a subject by how much filler he inserts. That is his style anyway, but when he is talking about topics he truly understands, the content-to-fluff ratio is considerably less.
I thought that paragraph was a pretty good way to talk about fans in denial. The only problem is, it's not applicable to the Bills at all. The vast majority of Bills fans are pretty much done with Trent. This isn't a Drew Bledsoe "he needs more time" situation. It's a "he needs more talent" situation.
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:lol:
Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas!
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I'd make all the choices you listed the same way.
I absolutely love the team. Nice job.
Nice! Thanks.
I'm so ingrained in PPR so this was a learning experience. Plus, I've never been in a league that ran 3 WRs, a flex and a TE.
Is your boy Ceddy B gonna bring it for me this year?
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Ok here's what I do. Guess what is allowed through security? These babies. So I buy a bunch of these at the liquor store before I get to the airport and just order a coke or a virgin mary and use my own booze.
Nice. Definitely adding that to the packing list for next week's flight.
I love the added "F-U" of using "airplane" bottles to !@#$ the airport.
Before the limitations of liquid, I would fill a couple of water bottles up with booze for the flight. Now that is too big to take through security. I didn't use them in a bar or restaurant. But I might buy an OJ or something at the airport and spike it with vodka. On the airplane all bets were off. A couple glasses of ice and a bottle of water will do the trick most of the time.
I almost got hosed doing that once. I made the mistake of premixing a pretty stiff jack and coke into a 20 oz coke bottle. When I went through security, they told me to open it and take a sip (I guess to make sure its not something dangerous -- seemed standard). I thought no problem.
BUT...
When I untwisted the cap, the built up pressure let out this intense hiss and seconds later the entire area reeked of jack daniels. I was only 19 so I was waiting to get bent over twice. Thankfully the guy either pretended not to notice or didn't care.
But those 3 seconds post-hiss before anyone said anything felt like an hour.
I HATE DETROIT AIRPORT.
Last time the wife, kid and I flew to LA, we flew thru Detroit. Our plane was late (original flight delayed by 1 hour so what would have been a leisurely 1.5 hour layover was now a blistering 1/2 hour adventure. We had to get to the OTHER SIDE of that massive airport, so I grab all of our carry-ons, and the three of us run (yes, run) the length of the airport, get to the gate where the flight is SUPPOSED to be only to find it's been moved to another gate. Long story short, we made the plane by one minute. I'd have freaked if we'd been stuck in Detroit.
I'll never fly through Detroit again. This time, we're heading through DFW.
Hell yeah. That MFer is just one long ass hallway. Decent sushi place though. Of course, I usually end up at a gate 3 miles from it.
I had a few close calls almost being stuck in Detroit overnight (always Northwest Airlines....terrible experiences). Thankfully, I live pretty close to both Philly and Baltimore. I was able to ditch my busted Philly flight and hop on a BWI one more than once.
The prospect of spending a night in Detroit has a way of motivating you to find other options...
Draft implications of no 2011 season?
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
Interesting. I'd love to find out what the actual rules are. You remember where you read that?