Olaf Fub

Of course, we've got the whole off-season ahead of us, so it's too early to tell, but I like the Chargers at 10-1. They have a lot of cap room, plus they were pretty good to begin with.

Yes, I've heard of what happened in 1919 because they got caught, which is exactly the point of my post. If the NFL was fixed, they would have been caught a long time ago. Pittsburgh has suffered population loss, job loss and lack of growth that mirrors Buffalo. But my point is, if the NFL was going to "pick" a city to win the Super Bowl there are sexier choices than Pittsburgh. Why not pick the Cowboys or the Giants? Bigger cities, bigger fan bases and more exposure for the league.

If the NFL is fixed, then why hasn't an ex-player written a tell all book about it? Second and thrid stringers could make a lot more money on a book like that than they could in an entire career. Why hasn't a muckraking journalist written a book like that. He'd also make a ton of money and make a huge name for himself. Why hasn't a politician used the "fixed" NFL as a politcal issue? A largely unknown Senator could suddenly be famous by calling a Congressional hearing on the subject, a la the steriod hearings in baseball. If the whole thing is scripted, then why did the Steelers beat the Colts? Peyton Manning finally getting to the Super Bowl and Tony Dungy winning one after the death of his son would have made a much better story than Bettis going back to his hometown. And why would the NFL choose a dying industrial city with a shrinking population as it's Super Bowl winner? A larger market would make more sense. Look, I'm sorry some of you had a lot of money or a good chunk of your ego invested in the Seahawks ,and I'm not trying to insult you by saying this, but you sound like a bunch of fools.

I thought he was in. It looked like he got the nose of the ball across the plain when he was in the air and he was pushed back when he was tackled. It was close though, I think the replay was inconclusive so the ref had to go with what was called on the field.

I don't really think it's fair to call it a "what if" question. They would have had to trade up to get him and then didn't. It's not like they passed on him. (I know Sullivan makes that point in the article.) But if we are going to play the game... I would rather have Big Ben than JP. Like a lot of people, I was hoping he'd fall to the Bills that year but didn't think it was likely. He was a good QB prospect and I thought having a MAC QB on the Bills would drum up interest for UB. What if the Bills traded up the year they took McGahee and drafted Troy Polamalu? If we're going to cherry pick off the Steelers, he's the guy I want. Polamalu is an absolute force. I agree though, we wouldn't be a Super Bowl team. We'd be better but that might also mean we'd still have TD as GM.

If the choice was lose the team or share them with Toronto, of course I'd share. However, I think it's completely unecessary. I rarely worry about the team moving. I really doubt it's going to happen. They fan base is too strong and the money is too significant. Irregardless of who owns the team, he'll be hard pressed to recreate the football market that is WNY and Southern Ontario. It takes generations to create the kind of loyalty the Bills presently enjoy. You can't create a customer base like that overnight. Cities that gave out sweetheart deals like Baltimore and Oakland have been burned by them. I think non-NFL cities are now doing a cost-benefit analysis of a pro sports team and realizing that they might not be worth it. Larger cities don't guarantee a larger fan base. LA is much larger but if people don't give a damn about the NFL, then they are not going to support the team.

I watched the entire career of almost everyone on that list. With the exception of Reggie White, Thurman Thomas was a better player than every single one of them. This is just plain wrong. Unfortunately, I think most of the older media guys who understood the game have retired and are no longer part of the HOF voting. (i.e. Larry Felser) The new generation of reporters have no interest in analysis. They just want to egg Joey Porter into money quotes and report the latest rumor. They should be ashamed of their collective laziness today. The HOF should seriously consider giving votes to ex-players and coaches, and minimizing the cluelessness of today's media.

If the Bills are considering giving up a home game, then I hope Mexico City wins. How about this though, the Bills play away at Arizona in 2008. Bills-Cards in Skydome. Arizona never sells out, they might make more money.

I've been a UB season ticket holder for the past 6 years. I hope you guys are right. I bought them, originally, because I thought they would be good in a few years-thought it might be cool to get in on the ground floor. I kept them because it's actually cheaper to see a UB Football game than it is to go to a movie. The Bills of the last five years look good compared to UB. It's really tough to be a fan of that team. If Gill can get them to .500, sometime in the next few years, he's a great coach. I'm cautiously optimistic that he can do it. Hopefully, Gill will stop Bulls fans from asking the question I hear the most on Saturdays in the Fall, "What U B doing?"

That thing is great. I like the skyline in the back, looks like the Liberty Bldg, City Hall and HSBC Tower.

I think you've got a lot of passion for the team. I admire that. However, I don't see what's wrong with criticizing the team, if that is how someone feels. I like the Jauron hire a lot. I don't think the times will be as tough in the next few years as you think they might. We might not make the playoffs next year but I think we'll see signs of improvement and some hope for 2007.

Well, there is always the river.

Excellent post. Thanks for you hard work.

I'd like to see the Bills hire James Lofton as OC. I know they could be dismissed as the token minority variety but he was interviewed twice for HC while he was still a position coach. I think he might make a good HC one day but he needs a few good years as an OC.

I'm sorry but this is too funny. This is the same stuff people were posting about the Sabres prior to this year. They are a joke, they are going to stink, they didn't sign free agents, don't buy tickets etc. The media was banging the same drum and the internet posters were ready to jump off the Peace Bridge. If you are filled with so much hate and the team brings you so much misery, Why do you watch them? I'm looking forward to free agency, the draft and next year. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm very optimistic about the direction the team is going. Hopefully, you sit near the 50 yard line so when you cancel, I can upgrade.

I'm excited. I think he's an excellent coach who had some lousy talent in Chicago. He's got a run-stop the run mentality. Plus, if anyone can identify who can be a good head coach in the league, it's a former coach who's in the HOF. Marv watched him a lot in Chicago, he must know exactly what were getting.

She's trying to paint every Bills fan with the same brush which is, of course, foolish. Where are all these articles and stories about fan behavior every week? The media does this once or twice a year. Plus, the stadium has never been a family friendly environment. I agree, also, that it has absolutely nothing to do with Buffalo, it's everywhere. I love tailgating but I do agree with her about some of the behavior. People that are so drunk that they have no clue a game is going on are a problem. I like to see the Bills take small, common sense steps to curb some of the behavior, i.e. some guy dropping f bombs in front of 10 year olds being ejected.

Jauron is my first choice. Levy watched him for years when he was with the Bears so he knows what kind coach he is. Going 13-3 with the talent they gave him in Chicago is amazing. Shane Matthews, for crying out loud, was his starting QB for a while.

Amen. I've been thinking the same thing. It's not hard to make these rumors up. James Lofton is interviewing for the Oakland job and wants to be a head coach. Lofton used to be a Bill. He used to play for Marv Levy. That must mean he's on the short list of candidates for HC. Is that true? Hell no, I just made it up. But Clayton and the rest of the media bozos are doing the same thing.

Dick Jauron

The Swanie is one of the best places to eat in Buffalo, IMO. I call it my "winter tailgate" because its where I usually go prior to Sabres games. If you go back, their fries are great, you get a huge plate of them super cheap. They also have the best chicken sandwich in town, I usually get the Greek one but they have a bunch of different choices. That bar is over 100 years old and it's as Buffalo a bar as you can get. (Which, again IMO, is the highest compliment you give a bar.) I love that place.

I'll agree that the Steelers have had less turnover than most teams but I just compared the depth chart on the Steelers web page to their drafts 2000-2005. They presently have 14 starters from those drafts (15 if you want to count Colcough the KR.) I still don't see how Pittsburgh in 2005 can be considered Donahoe's team. Compare that with the Bills. Only 11 of our starters we're drafted by the team. Moulds (pre-Donahoe), Jason Peters (undrafted FA), Losman, McGahee, Evans, Kelsay, Anderson, Schobel, A. Crowell (he'd be a backup if Spikes was healthy), McGee and Clements. The Bills drafted lower than the Steelers in every draft in the last 5 years save one. The Steelers have had plenty of success post-Donahoe and don't seem to miss him. I sorry, but I can't take Mort's dire warnings about firing Donahoe seriously.

The Steelers haven't changed their drafting style since he left. They still seem to get the same solid players in the draft. I'm starting to wonder how much Donahoe had to do with their picks in the 90s? Maybe it's Cowher, the scouting staff or the Rooneys that are the solid footballmen and Donahoe was just along for the ride as an expendable administrator. Turnover, over a five year period, is huge for every team in the NFL. I don't see how you can make the case that the Steelers are still Donahoe’s team. The Bills, on the other hand, are most definitely his team and I think their lack of success speaks for itself.

The Steelers are 53-24-1 over the five years TD has been our GM. If Mort thinks it's such a bad move firing him, then how does he explain the Steelers success? They were foolish enough to let go of one of the finest GMs in the league. ( At least that's how he describes TD) I think Mort, Peter King, et al are just glorified gossip columnist. Their job is the same as the person People Magazine employs to dig up rumors, except, instead of finding out who is dating Brad Pitt, they find out which team is courting Terrell Owens. They are fine to listen too in the off-season because of their sources but I don't think they know diddly about football.

Glad to see a UB Bull back in the NFL. Hopefully, there are many more to come now that Turner Gill is at the helm.