MRM33064

He's always dropped balls, but the drops are usually accompanied by game-breaking plays - and also a few good downfield blocks. Throwing at him just a few times a game just isn't playing to the strength of a (potential) first-ballot HOFer. The guy needs to be "in" the game. Virtually everyone watching the game knows this, including AVP, but Trent will just not throw it to him regularly. It would be interesting to hear what TO might be worth on the trade market, though draft picks in-and-of themselves (under our current administration) aren't exactly thrilling.

April has escaped a lot of criticism this season because the frame of reference is Jauron. More than one fan has even suggested April be moved up to head coach, despite coaching a unit that has made all sorts of key mistakes. April shows some emotion, true enough, but he's not exactly fielding a team-leading squad. Actually, he's got a little case of the Fitzes ... as in Fitzpatrick's very shaky performance yesterday (aside from one very well-executed play) is being viewed (by some) as favorable because the frame of reference is Trent. If it's not abysmal, it somehow seems tolerable.

Wow ... I thought Fitz looked horrible, albeit he did have one fantastic pass (the Evans TD, where he looked off the defense and threaded a laser), and he evidently did think it was worth throwing to WRs now and then.

Dick Jauron is now 1-0 in division games, and also 1-0 overall (100% wins), on games played on October 18, 2009 against the Jets.* Time for a few billboards calling for another 3 year extension! (* Please disregard all prior results.)

Maybe ... but in addition to my own (personal) repulsion to this thing, I have a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is going to split an otherwise unified community of fans and ... possibly ... players. I can see plenty of people in the "clean house" brigade that will feel so offended by this that they'll even start <shudder> siding a little with Jauron, etc.

I can't stand Jauron as our coach, I think he's horrid on so many different levels, and I wanted him gone last year. Similarly, Guy and Modrak have also earned a ticket out the door. All that said, my old hometown is better than this. This billboard is schlocky, childish, and pointless. If anything, it'll firm Ralph's resolve and rally more player support behind Jauron ... and it is an ugly way to draw attention to a "fan"tastic community, a place with some of the greatest fans in the league and the nicest people in the country. Shame on the billboard owner(s) for accepting it. Shame on them for selling out a piece of our integrity for few thousand bucks and a few mocking chuckles from national media. It's embarrassing.

The frozen head of Ted Williams just chimed in, and even he (it?) can't believe Jauron is still here.

Generally, I agree that one doesn't consider letting a team score ... unless the situation is utterly desperate and the alternatives (probability-wise) are grossly against you otherwise.

There are a zillion other things to complain about, agreed. A FG of that length - while by no means guaranteed - is extremely likely to be successful. The expiration of time off the clock is 100% guaranteed and is - technically - the only thing that ultimately determines whether a team loses the game (i.e. the game ends.) The JauronBall decision, generally, is to take the most conservative, boring, uncreative action. Considering letting a team score in that position (subtlely, of course ... because I believe that overtly letting a team score was made an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, specifically to address this type of situation), would be more akin to HoodieBall. CLE's decision to run plays in that situation was worse ... but BUF's decision was that they believed that they were better off: (a) Letting CLE run the game clock down to less than 30 seconds and attempt an 18-yrd FG, relying on CLE to either fail on the kick, or give us a chance to tie kicking our own FG (into the wind) with <30 seconds to do it; as opposed to (b) Having a full 1:50 on the clock to score a tying TD. I'm not sure in that case the correct answer is ... "you never let them score." And yes, there are far bigger issues, but these are the kind of game management decisions that have nothing to do with ... say ... Demetrius Bell's ineptitude on the OL.

The score is tied. The Bills have no timeouts. 1-5-BUF 5 (2:02) 31-J.Lewis up the middle to BUF 6 for -1 yards (95-K.Williams, 59-A.Palmer). *** Two-Minute Warning **** The clock stops. At this point, the umpteen coaches on the CLE sideline choose to kneel, run clock, then attempt a game-winning FG, essentially leaving the Bills no time to tie. Except they don't. 2-6-BUF 6 (1:56) 31-J.Lewis left guard to BUF 4 for 2 yards (99-M.Stroud). 3-4-BUF 4 (1:13) 31-J.Lewis up the middle to BUF 1 for 3 yards (90-C.Kelsay, 99-M.Stroud). They run a play ... no, they run two plays ... but wait a second .... we stop them both times. The BUF braintrust evidently determined that we'd be better off letting CLE run out the entire game and attempt a winning FG - leaving us with roughly 20 seconds score a tying FG (kicking into the wind, I believe) - than simply letting them score the TD and leaving us with about 1:50 remaining to score a tying TD. Tawwk amongst yaw-selves.

With Ralph Wilson as the financier, it wouldn't have been Columbus leading the expedition with the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria ... ... it would've been Columbus' 3rd junior assistant captain sailing a single used Pinto. With Modrak and Guy drawing the map, they'd have been lucky to even find water.

... and, our recent history with young California QBs hasn't been exactly confidence-inspiring.

How much ridicule (from the general public, newspaper reporters, fans, etc.) could you stomach for ... say ... another $6million or so ... especially considering that this might be your last NFL head coaching gig for a little while? Even for an NFL coach, that's a pretty signficant amount of cheddar.

Promo - you and Dave Thomas were a source of cartoon-filled joy for me as a kid growing up in WNY, and you obviously haven't lost an ounce of your magical mechanical wisdom ... except I want to say we won a game or two with the scabs?

Look up Roscoe's Wonderlic score. Unfortunately though, Roscoe's intellect level (or lack thereof) is about problem #28 on the priority list.

I haven't felt so depressed about a Bills team since .... well .... since the preseason.

Amen to that. Not even sure the Queer Eyes would attempt it though.

LOL ... not sure ... pretty sure he doesn't have me penciled in. And yes, the Ko Simpson line was for the board ...

A ridiculously good ESPN-related connection of mine has assured me an audience with Chuckie - Jon Gruden himself - this Monday down here in Miami. Not a formal "meet-and-greet" thing with a group of sponsors or whatnot - more like an informal "we work together all the time, stop by such-and-such at so-and-so time and I'll bring you in to meet him." So, if I'm lucky and do see him, and I get in sentence or two (and on the off chance he listens) ... I need to be prepared. This (self-aggrandized, imagined important) moment where a single lifelong fan tries to dramatically influence the future of our beloved Bills. What's THE killer, can't-say-no pitch to make him want to be the next coach/GM of the Bills? What's the sell that will make Chuckie beg his agent on Tuesday to wake Uncle Ralph from his afternoon nap? Assume: (1) I don't have $10mm in hand; (2) physical threats are ineffective; (3) blackmail wouldn't be looked upon too favorably - given that I'm a guest; and (4) I've got about 30 seconds, tops. Something like ... "with you, we'd get Ko Simpson back - and he's worth millions!" This will be good ...

I'm a bit partial to the "Groundhogs", given the repetitive, same-old-story nature of the team combined with its relative proximity to Punxsutawney Phil.

There's something uniquely Buffalo about how we (Bills fans) still think we matter. It's part of what makes Bills fans so special, and different from ... say ... Miami fans I see down here in South Florida. Bills fans want so badly to think they matter that they repeatedly ignore every piece of evidence to the contrary. Protests, walkouts, daily articles from the entire WNY media, ridicule on national television ... heck, we could use your Bic Lighters to light 80,000 of Ralph's old man walkin' far**, and he would neither notice nor care. Ralph does what he wants, when he wants, and his decisions are influenced primarily by the mirror. Had the Donohoe experiment worked, things might be different. Now, he prefers to be surrounded by calm, old (or otherwise non-threatening) people, who call him 2-3 times a week to run any relevant decision by the real boss. Once and awhile he feels enough pressure from actions by other owners to do something nominal - like ditching the Turk-ey - but he's probably not about to overhaul the biggest marketable asset in his estate when at 91 he's not even being advised to buy any green bananas. It's a shame because we deserve better, but despite decades of unparalled fan support, I wouldn't count on Ralph taking the podium to say that ... and then clean house and usher in the Gruden/Cowher era. Ralph feels as though he's already done his part just by keeping the team in WNY. It hurts, it's not right ... but it is what it is. Dats "our" Billz.

Nah ... the 3% approval vote consists of fans of every team that still remains on our schedule.

This was a very, very cruel thread .... Think of how many Las Vegas Locomotive fans you just dramatically disappointed!

Next marketing move ... hmm ... the return of the Whammy Weenie?

You know, in a way today I felt like Dick - in his very plodding way - was purposefully sticking it to the fans and the media a little in today's conference, in his very boring, Jauron-ish way. He's in the midst of what essentially amounts to a revolt, reinforced by the ESPN ratings, every media outlet is actively calling for his head, he's close to despised (as a coach) by the majority of the fans, and he reminds us that it's fun to coach football, to make $3million dollars a year (and have virtually no accountability) ... and the part he didn't say out loud ... that none of you blowhard jamokes can do anything about it. In a way, the only thing missing was him sticking his tongue out as us, pointing to the "scoreboard" that says: Jauron: 9,000,000, Fans: Zero.