Nostradamus

There's no way we could run the clock out in that scenario either. Gailey knew that play would be open. (It was). Also, with a suspect defense, it's obviously better to go up 7 than 3. There is no way Gailey could anticipate Fitz throwing a similarly horrible pass to what he did earlier. I can't fault the play call in that instance. I absolutely fault Fitzpatrick because, as a supposed second coach out there on the field, he should make a concerted effort that if he were to make a mistake on that pass, it'd be an overthrow, not an underthrow. In that instance, that mistake is 100% on him. He cost us the game today.

I think the OP brings up a good point. One thing that this team has going for them is they are all gamers, football players in the truest sense of the word. Consider: 1. Donald Jones. Going back to that game saving play against the Raiders, Jones showed as much effort to break up the pass as most receivers would to catch a ball in the endzone. Lee Evans does NOT make that play. 2. Fred Jackson. He puts as much effort in lead blocking and picking up a blitz as most RB's do to find the endzone on a fourth and goal. 3. Fitzy. He did make the tackle on the first INT, where Marcia stood back and watched Florence run into the endzone. Maybe the explanation for why the Bills have bucked the oddsmakers and got off to a 3-0 start is simpler than anyone can imagine. Maybe the Bills just try a little bit harder than their opponents.

Levitre has been playing like a man possessed all season. So has Bell. I'll be real interested to see how Bell matches up against the next two pass rushers he faces. Dunlap for Cinci is a beast, and Cole for Philly plays just the type of game that gives Bell trouble.

I have never been so happy for the Bills NOT to get a touchdown in my life. Then I was hoping Gailey would have Fitzy take a couple knees, and he did.

Anyone living in Buffalo who knows about that poor boy who killed himself should realize how much harm could come from one word. Try a different more appropriate adjective.

Are you serious??? The NFL has contrived a way to make us interesting?? What were they waiting on the last 12 years?? This is a young team that is growing each week. They might just keep getting better. If they could generate a pass rush, (that means you Merriman), who knows where this will go?

Yes, but there is no way that any County would negotiate a long term lease that would allow an owner to just skip town and leave them holding the bag. More to the point, what would Ralph get by negotiating a sweetheart escape clause?? Nothing. It would seem that the only plausible reason Ralph would have for seeking a long term lease is to keep the Bills in Buffalo.

I think this is a major story, which is being overlooked because the team's performance to this point has everybody firmly focused on their play as opposed to the long term viability of the franchise. What I think is even more interesting is that for the first time in maybe forever, Bills fans now actually have a voice in keeping the team in Buffalo. For Ralph to say he wants to secure a long term lease is essentially saying he wants to, for now, take a significant step in keeping the Bills in Buffalo. Bills fans have no method for influencing Ralph's decision to keep the team in Buffalo, sign a lease, sell the team to a Buffalo based owner, or anything else. (If we did, we would have made him sell the team to a Buffalo ownership group years ago. Essentially, we have been at his mercy as he does whatever he wants with this franchise. Collins, on the other hand, is an elected official who is hell bent on getting re-elected. My best bet is that he wants to push this off until after the election, because a failure to negotiate a lease while he is actually trying to do so could turn public sentiment... and the popular vote in a hurry. However, by dragging his heels, he figures that the deadline on this lease is far enough away that the failure to secure a new lease by November will be a non-story, or at worst, a slight negative upon him that won't turn an election one way or the other. Hence his quote about there being "no sense of urgency." We as Bills fans know that in fact, there IS urgency. Ralph is 92. The reality is that his body, or mind can give out at any point. Moreover, he has expressed a desire to hammer out a lease agreement now, and does not appear to be making any unreasonable demands. For the region, prompt action in securing funds and beginning to negotiate is by far the best course of action. However, Collins seems to feel it might not be the best for him politically. Ultimately, we control how much of a story this becomes. Petitions and letters could go a long way to raising awareness about the situation to the tax base and spurring Collins into action. Or, Poloncarz could seize upon this story as an opportunity to attack Collins for not doing more to lock down the Bills, the lifeblood of the community for so long.

Being a Bills fan, I generally am not about taking joy in the problem of others, we usually have our own problems. But this is pretty funny. What an unbelievable game, from both teams perspective.

That theory was originally set forth by John Wawrow

Although, the quote is now out there. Buddy wanted to publicize that playing Jasper at DT in preseason with the intention of moving him to OT was a strategic move. Let's hope that move doesn't cost them Jasper. If I was another GM who was intrigued by Jasper's athletic ability, that sound byte might be the final tipping point in pulling the trigger and signing Jasper.

Oh they will. The next crop of Wrotto's, Cordell Howards, Rhinehart's, and Urbik's is right around the corner. They will also unimpress, leading to next year's free agent crop of waiver wire O-linemen.

I think Johnny White is completely overmatched at the NFL level. I think he'll be next year's Ed Wang. (5th round pick that lasted one season in Buffalo). But for the fact that Nix is in no position to cut his draft picks in their first year, given the franchise's "Build through the Draft" mantra, I think he'd be cut already. Nothing against White personally, in fact I hope I'm wrong. But, he just looks slow, small, indecisive, and soft. And yes, I know the blocking in front of him was bad also.

Nevergiveup- what I have gathered from this thread is what we all fear; that Ralph is still involved with the day-to-day operations of the franchise. Since this has turned into a Q+A, and since your track record is impeccable, I might as well go with the big one. Do you have any knowledge of the long term plans of the franchise? Is Ralph to be taken at his word, that they will go up for sale upon his passing, or is there more to it than that?

Hubbard looks the part of a fringe NFL wide receiver. He may well catch on somewhere. I liked Elzy too, despite the bad drop last night. Seemed to be a pretty good all-purpose back. Oh well, no big surprises obviously.

Seems like it's official, unless he pulls a Donte Twitner.

This might not be the politically correct thing to say, but Ralph has had 93 years on this earth. Give him another 3, and he may well suck the blood out of this franchise which means so much to so many people. You do the math.

Aside from how terrible the protection was, the thing that was most concerning to me was how little separation our receivers were getting from their DB's, and how their corners were playing such tight press coverage against Jones, Roosevelt, etc. Drayton Florence's statement that the trade of Evans would change the way other teams play against us seems accurate. Had we maintained Evans and signed a quality RT like Clabo, I think our offense would be primed to take a step forward this year. As it is, it looks like they'll be taking a step back.

The thing that's scary is that all reports state that he's had a good camp. These Denver receivers are running crisp routes and beating him repeatedly. Meanwhile, our guys are being smothered by Denver's DB's. From that, I'm drawing the conclusion that our DB's are capable of covering our ragtag group of receivers... and noone else's.

I just heard Schlereth on the radio, who was covering Pryor's pro day. Said he ran a 4.36 40 yard dash, making him the second fastest quarterback of all time, only milliseconds behind Vick. Of course, he is much bigger and stronger than Vick. Pryor also supposedly said that he'd be open to playing another position aside from QB if that was what an NFL team wanted him to do. I'm still not sure if I'd take him given his baggage and that we already have numerous hybrid athletes. However, knowing Gailey and his preferences, I'm sure there is a lot of interesting conversation taking place at One Bills Drive about the possibility of selecting Pryor.

Sounds like he got deep. Let's see if any of the Bills undrafted free agents from last season can do that. I'm not a big Evans fan, but he would have provided a dimension to our offense that I don't think anyone else on this team is capable of doing. Trading Evans was a cost-cutting move pure and simple... on a team that needed a lot of things, and cutting cost wasn't one of them.

Not to mention, the plan is asinine in that he is hoping that a team would, right before the season begins, cut a good player capable of contributing. Most NFL GM's aren't stupid, and there is no reason for them to do that. It's like hoping to find a nice executive suit in a thrift store, it's unlikely to happen. For Nix to say he can't fix everything is a copout. If there was a year to fix everything, this would be it because of the expanded free agent class due to the new CBA. There were plenty of O-linemen out there who he could have signed. While he supposedly went after Clabo, it looks like they balked when they got into a slight bidding war with Atlanta. Never mind the fact that Buffalo was in a much better position to win a bidding war due to Atlanta being much closer to the cap and needing to sign many of their own players. I still think 6 million a season for Clabo, with an extra 5 million guaranteed over the life of the deal would have got it done. If not, 6.5 definitely would have and would still be a decent rate for a Pro Bowl RT that would have given our offense exactly what we needed. While the 'Ralph is cheap' moniker gets mocked on these boards, I can't think of one other reason why we didn't bolster our O line.

Not sure if Rob posted somewhere later in the 36 pages what the substance supposedly was. The reason that is important is, contrary to Moran's statement, all anabolic steroids are absolutely illegal to possess in New York State. They are considered controlled substances, and are classified as schedule 2 controlled substances under the public health law. The mere possession of them IS, at the very least, a Class A misdemeanor under under the New York State Penal Law. Any substantial weight of the substance would constitute a felony. I am sure there is a corresponding federal statute as well that punishes the transporting of them into the United States. However, like many controlled substances, many anabolic steroids can be prescribed by a doctor and therefore lawfully possessed by the user. (ie. Oxycodone, vicodin, etc.) So, the only way to reconcile Moran's and Guy's story and explain the fact that Merriman was not arrested, was if Merriman was prescribed the drugs by a friendly Canadian doctor, ala Anthony Galea. While that would absolve Merriman from criminal liability and explain his release from customs, it could still put him in a world of trouble with the NFL. If Moran and Guy are correct in their assertions, that is the only plausible explanation as to what is going on.

Gotcha. Doesn't sound good. In Rob's defense though, if he is being 100% honest, I appreciate his breaking as much of the story as he feels comfortable with and don't necessarily see where the criticism is from.