John Gianelli

The population has plummeted. But according to Forbes we're the 10th best place in the U.S. to raise a family. http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/best-plac...s_slide_11.html (Rochester and Syracuse are even higher.)

Good choice! I'm enjoying one right now.

What I meant was, there seemed to be one identifiable person to pin our hopes on. I remember those eras well. I lived in Buffalo at the time, and it was exciting to think that there was a guy who either had the talent or the coaching ability to win a game that we should have lost, and bring out the talent of those around him. And of course there were a lot of talented athletes around those guys. I could still name most of the starters on offense and defense from those teams. Maybe I should have just asked the question, in 2010, is there anyone on the roster or the coaching staff who you can get excited about in the same way people got excited about OJ, Knox and Kelly?

I've been a fan since '63, and have never felt this sense of the Bills being unable to get back to the top of the heap, nor the lack of a "savior" figure to pull us out of the doldrums. After the terrible years of the late '60s we had the coming of O.J. After the awful late '70s there was a proven coach on the way in Chuck Knox. After the mid-'80s, Jim Kelly would be the man. But now, we lack any such charismatic figure or proven winner. Of course I'll be thrilled if we can get back to the top through a team concept, not having to rely on any single individual. Let's hope that starts happening now.

The NFL Draft Tracker gave him by far the lowest grade of the first 59 picks, 5.3. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/tracker#dt-by-round-input:2 Let's hope that our front office knows what they're doing.

Tough schedule for me. I'm a priest, and with 12:10 Mass not over until 1:15, the earliest I can get to a sports restaurant showing the Bills games here is about 2:15. I won't see a 1st half all year! By the time the wings and a cold beverage arrive, it'll be the start of the 4th quarter.

Cookie Gilchrist would have been better qualified for the Hall of Fame than Floyd Little, IMO. The thing is, he turned down the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Would he turn down ours as well? He was voted the fullback on the All-Time AFL team. Anyone know if the Senior Committee ever considered him? This was on the Wiki NFL site: The selectors have also been criticized for their unwillingness to acknowledge Canadian Football League (CFL) experience as a factor in qualifying potential inductees. For example, Cookie Gilchrist's six straight CFL All-Star selections (followed by four consecutive AFL All-Star picks) appear to bear no weight on his consideration. The most commonly cited reason for this is because there is already a Canadian Football Hall of Fame for that purpose. This, of course, puts players who played for a shorter time in both leagues, and had success in both (such as Gilchrist and Doug Flutie), at a significant disadvantage, and only one player is in both Halls: Warren Moon. (Coach Bud Grant is also in both Halls).

I remember a game back in 1968 when he killed us in a 34-32 loss to the Broncos. It looked like he was going to be the goat because he fumbled in the fourth quarter setting up a Bills field goal with under a minute left. But seconds later he beat double coverage for a 59-yard reception, and the Broncos kicked the winning field goal with seconds left.

Jon Runyan signed with the Chargers. I imagine he's happy he waited for a playoff team's offer. Probably makes more sense for him, for us, and for the Chargers. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/2009...o_Chargers.html

True that we want to give the young guys playing time. Since we're the least experienced line in the NFL, I thought his experience could be beneficial to their formation. I'd imagine he has a mental notebook of tips on how to handle different defensive linemen, albeit mostly in the NFC, that you might not always be able to pick up on film.

Living in the Philly area, saw this article this morning: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/2009...amily_time.html It says he got mixed reactions from the three teams that saw him work out. "I got no feedback at all from Buffalo," he said. "You know it's going to come," he said of another chance to play. "I have the ability to still play and I put all this work in, so I want to do it. There's no sense in going through what I went through in the last eight months and just quit."

Might be the funniest post I've ever seen here!

We're giving up 5.3 per carry, and 181.8 per game. Ouch.

I was reading the AP pregame reports in the local paper (South Jersey), and it said "A win by Bills would be 350th in franchise history, making them seventh NFL team to reach mark." That didn't sound right, so I googled it and it took me to http://mcubed.net/nfl/fwtot.shtml according to which we have only 301. But I question this as well. According to this the Bears have as many games played (319 wins 333 losses 4 ties) as Buffalo (301-351-4). No way the Bills have played as many games as the Bears, so this guy must just be compiling stats since 1960. Does anyone have a more definitive source?

It should be 26th ranked. I was wondering the same thing.

My fault. I was in Mexico on a service trip with a group of students from our university. We were staying in a parish, and instead of going with the group to visit the sick, I went to the rectory to watch the Bills-Titans playoff game on international cable. When we lost, I swore I would give up being a football fan. And I said that to the group when they got back later that day. I broke my promise to God and to them. All Bills fans have been punished as a result, and we haven't made the playoffs since. Sorry.

Hi. Just wondering if Scott or anyone else can answer this. Considering Jack Kemp and Lou Saban passed away recently, and they were the leaders who got the Bills to win league championships, could we get their pictures up on the Two Bills Drive banner? Nothing against Bruce Smith, but Jack and Lou actually took us all the way. Also, considering how bad most of us all feel after Monday night, it could give us a little boost. (If you have already done this, please disregard since I was out of the country for awhile.)

Have you seen "Buffalo 66"? It's not exactly what you're talking about, but I think it really captures some of the essence of being a Bills fan.

Yes. For those of us old enough to remember, that's a top 10 for sure. September 2, 1979 -- BILLS LOSE 19th STRAIGHT TO DOLPHINS Tom Dempsey missed a 34-yard field goal on the final play, preventing the Bills from beating Miami. The Dolphins escaped with their 19th straight victory over the Bills, 9-7, in front of 69,441 at rain-soaked Rich Stadium, which was deluged by a storm in the fourth quarter.

I agree, ho-hum. Not much gnashing of teeth over losing these guys. It makes me long for the late 80s/early 90s when there was a lot of suspense about who would be cut, because you knew they could start or at least compete on other teams.

Out: grammar police

I like the Braves jersey!

Gary Papa passed away today at 54 from cancer. http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?...;provider=gnews

Don't know if this was posted last week, but the Philadelphia Inquirer's funniest sports columnist takes some shots at Buffalonians here: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/...egular_guy.html

Are those the Bills playing Tampa Bay at the 1:02 mark? I can't read the names on the jerseys or see the insignias on the helmets, but 56 looks like Talley.