Fan in Chicago

Nice post. Good to see you happy if just for a week. I missed most of the first half but from there on out was observing that: - This was a very disciplined performance in all aspects. The stat sheet shows 5-30 and that is not too bad considering the amount of time we had the ball - FJ is really really good. He set the tone and established the credibility of the run threat. That was very important considering we were going into a raucous stadium - I wouldn't yet consider the OL problem solved but this was a solid performance. - Troup and Easley were out and they can only make this team better Lets hope for no injuries and have a heck of a season

Ya, we remember ya big cheesehead Welcome back and thanks. Good to see your team opening the season in such fine form also. While the Pack is continuing their success, the Bills are just learning to win. Hope both teams continue to pound their opponents.

We cant measure the team by this game. After all, Cassel is playing hurt and that team really is not good. Next week, these pretenders will come down to earth

I am not against complaining and dont expect everyone to be blind fanboys and homers. But what grates is the constant harping on the same topics and turning of every argument in the same direction. Atleast come up with points of view on different topics. Not every thread has to be turned into a 'FO sucks', 'RW is cheap' and 'we should draft linemen'. This is football and there is so much else to talk about - both positively and negatively. And this was not directed just at you, Bill (apart from the sneaky reference to linemen above ).

IMHO, with a talent like PM at the helm, the Colts should have won more SBs.

Not sure if that was sarcasm, but I am serious with the same thought. The Colts team has masked a lot of deficiencies with PM's play. An excellent GM would have built a better overall team to the point that one player does not control the fortune of the franchise. At this point, we don't know how the Colts will play if PM does not return this year. But, it is a good test of Polian's team-building prowess. We will see - I think he was an excellent selector of talent but PM's success lulled him into a false sense of (over) confidence.

I am speculating here - Buddy probably benchmarks the player, identifies the next best and next worst alternatives from a skills perspective. Overdorf looks at the salaries of these comparaables and sets a range of compensation for the contract. Then he negotiates with the agent.

I think we should ignore his article and keep this thread very short. He gets off on the attention he garners by writing provocative statements and articles. Needless to say, there is no depth, insight or research in this article

Agree on the first two points. But if they are close to agreeing on a deal which pays him between a #1 and #2 WR, I think Buddy will hedge his bets and go for it. Alternately, an incentive laden contract would be a possibility

I wouldn't mind that one bit 20-16 Bills win

See description for 2007 and 2008 seasons: http://www.panthers.com/team/roster/geoff-hangartner/22ae8c15-52dd-4e91-8a01-345c6818704a/

Now you two go get a room.

I can help with your dead pool (that made no sense at all)

You say it shouldnt cause stress but are bent on discussing one comment from the FO about him. Granted, the approach "play him on D so we can sneakily save him for the O' sounds silly but dissecting that comment is even more so. If they said we played Brad Smith at RB and will start the season with him as the starting QB, there would be much to quibble over. Anyway, I have said all I have to say.

I missed it. What are you complaining about again ? A 7th rounder and the FO's comments regarding why he is on the PS ?

First of all, thanx for the effort in posting this transcript. Much appreciated. Secondly, I found the above sentence quite telling. On the one hand it is implying there was a lot of dead wood to be cleared last year and on the other it tells me that the roster is now getting to be where Nix wants it to be. I support you in your support of the current FO. There are quite a few on this board who just love to be miserable. I am guilty of being down on the organization occasionally but largely want to give this FO time to show results. e.g. Several people complain that the front D and O were too small before to play in Buffalo conditions. Well, Nix and Whaley concur and have made the front 7 of the D significantly bigger. He says as much and yet the same posters completely ignore that statement and pick and choose the ones they dont agree with while proceeding to bash Nix for that. Frustrating to see the unjustified negativity. If all else fails, point to the lost decade and justify their miserable view of the franchise ! There has to be continuous improvement else they are not doing their jobs and to that end this season will be quite interesting. If our D climbs into the mid rankings and O is in the low 20s, I would say that the rebuild is going well. Because, they retooled on the D side and it would show that the choices made were correct.

I don't buy that 'victim' card that Netflix plays. It is the big bad studios ! Fair enough that some of the studios pressured Netflix but there are a few things: - Netflix had built up a lot of power so they could have called the studios' bluff and negotiated harder. It is about the content and delivery. The studios could not have delivered the content any more efficiently than what Netflix was doing. JOintly, they could have changed the game by giving users a decidedly different way of consuming movies - offer $1 for early watching, stream faster in full HD video and sound etc. But instead they took away the convenience without adding any features. Consumers are most slighted when they are forced to give up something without getting anything in return (same thought as ajzepp's) - Netflix has done nothing new lately to attract new customers or retain their existing base. They could have said new customers would pay 60% more but we need to raise existing customers' price by say 20% but we will bring more acclaimed classics and newer movies online faster. I would have been okay with that price increase. - Heck, here is another idea. We watch Indian movies and original ones are very difficult to come by. Netflix started stocking many of them and some even on instant streaming. But there was a lot of activity last year and suddently the progress slowed significantly. I wouldn't mind if they (like the cable networks), added a 'Bollywood Tier' and charged me $5 per month while adding new movies faster

I agree with much of your post (though I think you meant Dareus up there) At this point though, we should realize that Jasper was picked very low and was expected to be a project. Your projections would be applicable earliest by next season if Jasper develops. I think the coaching staff is looking at him as a piece of soft clay and wondering what they can shape it into. Right now, we better not pin too many hopes on him at any position. The board has some irrational obsession with Jasper.

I was an early adopter of Netflix and loved their business model of mail-in movie rentals for a flat fee. I also liked their quick turnaround time. Then they started streaming and I embraced it enthusiastically. But then they started chipping away at the fun: - Deleted the community feature which allowed us to look at friends ratings and reviews - Delayed new releases by 30 days: part of the 'deal' with the studios was to have more streaming content. Well, streaming content did not change by much and is fairly limited in 'good' movie content - Increased prices (even before this latest round, prices went up by ~ $2 fairly recently) - This latest outrageous price increase - Lost Starz I have downgraded to streaming only. Using Redbox+ local Family Video for DVD/BD movie watching

I am pretty sure NGU had said that the FO is indifferent between the top 3. Would have been Miller if not Dareus. And seeing how Miller has been playing the preseason, that would not have been a bad choice (though I like Dareus better).

I didn't login for a few hours and just sw this conflagration. For some strange reason, I feel compelled to ask for white flags to be waved all around. I am sure I speak for many posters on this board when I say that we value both John W and NGU's contribution to this board. Whatever the truth is regarding the general power structure and the happenings around Evans' departure, is there any way you guys can just walk away with your heads held high ? As we respect you, perhaps showing the same to each other may calm tempers around here. Again, thanks for your contributions. More proof that we are all passionate fans. I am done, now I go to drink. Safe weekend to all and a Happy Labor Day.

I hesitate to say it is a strength until we see the performance of this corps in the regular season games. Sure, we have a lot more LBs many of who look great on paper and some in the preseason games. But let us see how much and where our D has improved before we say that this is an area of strength. Looks like right now, we over compensated on the LB side at the expense of some other need areas. But judgment needs to be reserved till atleast the mid point of the season.

Quite the opposite Dr., FJ produces despite all these factors hampering him. Roscoe has not. Only place I think FJ lacks is EZ production.

I beg to differ. Roscoe is an underachiever - always an excuse about why he has not lived up to his potential. FJ on the other hand has performed consistently no matter the situation and also blocks well - a strong requirement to support our weak OL and to account for blitzes.