Taro T

They'll try to time it; I'd expect the horse will be well out of the barn by the time Bernanke sees inflation on the horizon.

I wouldn't include Anderson on that list. He was a rookie when he was cut, and didn't beat out an incumbent, though there was a widely held perception that Anderson intentionally performed poorly in camp for the Bills because the Bills wouldn't give him a reasonable contract. He reluctantly signed what they offered, couldn't (wouldn't?) make any kicks, was cut at the end of the preseason, and then promptly was signed by the Steelers and played great for them for a VERY long time.

True. The article's author certainly comes across as a dink in his article. That, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily invalidate the research. Unfortunately, I don't have a subscription to Nature to read the original article.

To answer your bolded question: absolutely. Why do I say "absolutely?" Because Lou Saban was the reason his team made it to the 2 AFL championship runs, and he and Lou couldn't keep that together and because Bill Polian was the reason they made it to 4 consecutive Superbowls and he fired him in the middle of that run. IF Ralph has lucked into a keeper in Buddy Nix, he sure as heck will screw it up (if he lives that long). His past history shows that he (and his lackeys such as Littman) can't coexist w/ guys that know what they're doing. He screwed it up w/ Saban twice, he screwed it up w/ Knox, he screwed it up w/ Polian in spades, he screwed it up w/ Butler (who was nowhere nearly as talented as those others); and I have no reason to believe he won't mess it up again in the future given the chance. There is absolutely no LEGITIMATE excuse for having fired Polian. That guy has been 1 of the top 3 best GM's in his entire tenure in the league, and he'd be here today if Ralph hadn't been an idiot. If you can come up with a legitimate reason to have fired Polian (and I don't consider his butting heads w/ Littman nor calling Ralph's daughter a nasty name when she reported to him but was playing the 'my daddy owns the team' card legitimate reasons for firing him), then I might agree that Ralph gets criticism he doesn't deserve. But until I see that reason, I will stick with the belief that Ralph has earned all (well, most of it at any rate) the criticism he gets.

Well, they were also helped by reduced DoD spending as a result of the end of the Cold War. But even w/ all that, as you alluded to w/ your "surpluses;" we have not had a true budget surplus in my lifetime.

Not sure about south, but everything in the Syracuse market is blacked out to your East when the Bills don't sell out. Prior to CBS taking over the AFC, the dividing line was the Monroe County / Wayne County border.

Kelly, I didn't mean to imply that he can't throw the ball at all nor did I state that the wildcat couldn't work if it has a guy running it that can throw the ball. Actually, I think that his skill set can make the wildcat work as a change up to the normal package and had stated that in the post you took exception to. I think he'll give the Bills 2-4 extra 1st downs per game than they'd get using just their base defense. I also don't see him having a good enough arm to be a legit starter, but I am not the guy that doesn't think he's smart (I haven't actually seen anybody take the position that he isn't smart in this thread) nor am I the guy that is imagining others don't think he's smart. And, even with someone like Smith running the wildcat, I don't see it working over a full season as a team's base package because eventually the guy running it will get too banged up. But as a change of pace, where it isn't the thing the other team has been gameplanning against all week, especially when a pass is a legit threat 1/3 - 40% of the time, it could not just work but be reasonably successful. And for Smith to run the wildcat successfully especially the way it seems to be envisioned this season here, being smart is a definite positive and pretty much a necessity. Which is just one more strike against the original straw man.

That would be a reasonable explanation. Thanks.

And as Kelly and others have pointed out, the reason Smith isn't considered in the discussion as a starter isn't because of any lack of intellectual skills, but rather because he doesn't have the throwing / passing skills that are expected of an NFL caliber starting QB. The Fish have shown that once the gimmick of the wildcat wears off, it isn't a particularly useful primary offense because it is highly predisposed to the run. A Randall Cunningham, Steve Young, or even a Michael Vick could probably be effective with it because they have (had) the ability to make NFL starting quarterback quality throws. Of course, their coaches wouldn't likely put them into a wildcat offense on a regular basis because they wouldn't want their passer getting the pounding that Ronnie Brown took. Smith hasn't shown anybody (except perhaps you and a handful of others) that he can throw the football well enough to be a starter at this level. Hopefully, he'll show enough throwing ability that between making the opposing D defend a regular O and the regular wildcat that it can work for Buffalo as a change up to the normal package(s). Again, not considering him as starting material has nothing to do with what's in his head, it's what's not in his arm that's the issue.

OK, even if the team is trying to pinch Ralph's pennies, in what bizarro world would a 4th be a preferable return to that? The news / banter just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.

That Tebow will likely be a bust at the NFL level and there are people that don't believe nor expect that doesn't effect Brad Smith's intelligence level; it more likely is indicative of their intelligence level. It also doesn't alter your having set up a very bizarre straw man regarding Smith.

How in the world did you make the logical progression from 'some people would like to see the Bills acquire Tebow' to 'people think Brad Smith is dumb?'

What? That Maxine's a loon? You won't get much argument about that.

GR had a quote from him stating essentially that he didn't understand what was going on w/ Spiller and him being 1 & 1A and he did not sound happy about it. The actual quote is probably in their audio vault.

How in the world do you come up with that?!? Jackson, flat out, is better than CJ NOW. CJ looks very scary in picking up blitzes NOW. He isn't where Jackson is NOW. While he MAY turn out to be a bust, he could also become a really good back. Other than attempting to tank games to have a better chance of getting 'better through the draft' next year, I don't see a legitimate reason to consider CJ to be a 'co #1' or '1A.' While it's troubling that Spiller hasn't appeared to pick up on things he'll need to do better, it is only his 2nd season and he had no contact w/ the coaching staff until about 3 weeks ago this off-season. Hopefully, he'll get it in time. He could, but he's not there yet; the good news is that Fred is there. It's a shame for guys like Spiller that the lockout took place, because a full off-season of OTA's and mini-camps would likely do him a world of good.

2 things PTR. 1. We know what Fred can do - he can be successful w/ what he has to work around him and he's one of the very few running backs that the Bills have had since Thurman that can pick up respectable yardage running between the tackles. 2. If CJ can't figure out a blitz pickup any better than he did in Denver, I don't want to give him enough work to 'get a sense of what he's capable of doing.' I don't expect that Fitz could survive 2 games of his learning. While I hope CJ can get better at not getting Fitz killed, right now if he gets serious time on the field I expect that Fitz will get serious time in the trainer's room.

Yep, the only reason to put it in this game was to make sure others know it's possible, which theoretically should reduce the pressure on Moorman as a rusher gets put in the role of spying on Smith, or make the coverage men's job a little easier as they get singled up more often, or both. They also got to see that the blockers on the punt unit can actually create a hole big enough for Smith to get through in a game that doesn't count. Which wasn't necessarily a given considering the depth on the O-line.

Been doin' well. Hope you are too. Unfortunately if tonight's game was an indicator of how they'll play in the games Merriman misses, I probably won't be posting in this forum much this year. I typically prefer to do my cursing under my breath, rather than shouting it loud for all the world to hear. And unfortunately, I don't think he'll play in more than 8 games this year. Hope I'm wrong on that one.

2000: Hall of Famers, we don't need no stinkin' Hall of Famers. or: Who needs Smith, Reed, and Thomas when we've got Flowers, Black, and Morris?

Yep, they said since I hadn't been to a game in 3 years, I could get an autographed Maybin jersey, as he hadn't been to one either. I just have to hope the Jest will let him have that night off. Shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Really? By anyone other than Hannity and his crowd? It's painfully stupid to blame the President for taking a vacation, especially when he's never truly ON vacation. But to claim that he's been called out on vaca's, golf outings, etc. a LOT (your emphasis, not mine) seems a bit off the mark, especially when compared to the last occupant of the WH.

Wouldn't be surprised at all to see both programs get the SMU treatment. It'll be interesting to see if any reporters try to dig up some dirt similar to this at other programs. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that most (if not all) programs are dirty, but I can't see any exceeding this one.

Not sure actually. Probably something more along the lines of '2+2=-3.5' I didn't expect to see him knock that one out of the ballpark. Sorry 'bout that. Should've known the googlebot would take issue. Would you have preferred 'moo goo gai pan?'

So, by being a 'member of the corporation' she necessarily becomes an equity holder in the company but somehow her equity is paid to her as wages? That's truly impressive, you took his posting of '2+2=4;' disputed it; and came up instead w/ '2+2=kumquat.'

He's got a better chance of being converted into Trent Edwards than an NFL caliber tight end. He has more or less the right size to be a safety. Unfortunately, he was drafted as a defensive end. I'd be surprised if he could learn how to play safety and don't expect to see the Bills try to find out if he could do it. I'd much rather see his roster spot (or McCargo's for that matter) wasted on Jasper. At least he is the right size and might be able to learn his projected position.