Whites Bay

I had a pathological desire to stay up last night in hopes of catching Trent Edwards in an acutal game situation for the first time since he was cut from the Bills. No, I can't explain it, and I'm paying for having stayed up until the Fourth Quarter. But be that as it may, I have to say that I wanted to see him succeed. I wanted him to shove it up the collective @$$ of everyone on this board that derided him for not being able to have the "stones" to throw the damn thing down the field, consequences-be-damned. It didn't happen. It...just...didn't...happen. And I started to realize that it had nothing to do with "executing the play that's been called". That excuse works when you're 3 months into the NFL, and you're trying not to be a bouncer next week at Clancey's Bar. When you're five years into the league, it's pre-season, the entire quarter is YOURS - because you're the veteran quarterback out there among 21-year-old receivers and backs who are DESPERATE for a chance to get their hands on the ball so as to make the team... YOU F-ING HEAVE IT. You HEAVE it as far as your arm will allow. Goodbye, Trent. Thanks for closing the chapter. Goodbye.

Something to keep in mind, fellow TSWers. Chuck Schumer is NOT up for re-election this cycle. He's locked-and-loaded until 2016. Kristin Gillibrand is up for re-election this cycle. I'm a little surprised she's not trying to elbow that cute little nose into the spot light.

I know everyone in the Jets camp is trying to make sure all the heads are nodding in unison at the same time, but puh-leeze. There's no way that Sanchez can be happy that Coach is talking up Tebow one week into training camp. Seriously? Especially after last season's dismantling of Tebow by a team that was practically leading the league in "Players on IR". And you're blabbering about Tebow? Let the circus begin....

You're dead-on with this one, Shoretalk. This is the point in the off-season where I feel like the guy buried in the sand up to his head with the tide coming in. Jesus. We just have to hang in there 48 more hours and there will be real news to talk about. There was another thread out there talking about Travis Henry wanting to come back into the league. What a pair. Henry and Burris. I can see Buddy leaping for the phone as I write this......

Last year it was Tiki Barber, if I recall. This year it's Travis Henry. Who's going to come out of the woodwork next year? Maurice Clarett?

Not meaning to poop on the thought behind this thread, but the Bills play the Pats* in Week 4. I'm a LOT more concerned about the Jets in Week 1. THAT'S the statement game. If the Bills come out in the Meadowlands (or whatever the hell they call it these days) like...well, the Bills we've watched for the past 10 years, it's going to be a LONG season, and that Pats* matchup is going to have an air of hyperventilating desperation about it. But if the Bills come out and dismantle - and I mean dismantle - the Jets, the entire paradigm shifts. Their self-confidence shifts, the trust of the coaching staff shifts, the view of the Bills by the TV tongue-waggers shifts, the respect they command within the division shifts, the calculation over a playoff appearance shifts. I'll worry about the Pats* about 5 minutes after the gun sounds in Cleveland.

How about "Wunweekaddatime"? Sort of has a Western New York Native American "zing" to it. And that was in NO way meant as a knock in any way, shape, manner or form, for the screamers in the audience. It just came out that way when I typed it.

Glenn-Levitre-Wood-Urbik-Hairston-(and maybe Chandler). No, I guess I'm not too worried about Aaron Maybin getting to Fitz anytime soon.

Christ, that was funny.

As I recall, it was Ralph Wilson who pushed to keep the Miami rivalry in place with the realignment. The other aspect to be kept in mind, however, was that he wanted to keep little Buffalo playing on major stages such as Boston, New York and Miami, as opposed to the "Rust Belt" division that would have been Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Not exactly Broadway. Echoing some thoughts from earlier in the thread, I do indeed like the idea of an O-Line of Glenn-Levitre-Wood-Urbik-Hairston, and I do indeed think they could run on people all day long, particularly on those defenses that might be a little smaller. I'm going to take another look at the schedule to see what teams those might be. This all having been said, the NFL Schedule Gods didn't do the Bills a lot of favors by having them open AT the Jets. That game is HUGE. I mean, that's a real statement game. If the Bills can go down to New Jersey and really push that defense around on the ground, it's going to set the tone for (a) the entire season and (b) how the league views what Nix and Gailey and company have done during the off-season. My hope and belief is that the Bills O-Line isn't going to be intimidated by ANYONE. Particularly the Pats*. If New England hasn't done anything substantial to upgrade their defense from last year, it's going to turn into a long day of pounding for them.

Three shows come to mind: 1) Internship in San Diego Spring 1979. A friend of a friend had an extra ticket to this U.K. band called Dire Straits. At the Roxy in San Diego before the renovation. There were no more than 400 seats in the place at the time, and we were 12 rows back from stage, dead center. Knopfler blew everyone out of their seats. 2) Can't remember the name of the bar/club in Huntington Beach, but some college friends and I caught Stanley Clarke. Our table was next to the stage, and was at the same height. He started jamming with "School Daze" and charged off the stage and marched right down our table. It was a frenzied moment of grabbing beer bottles, I can assure you. 3) Now I am grown, and back in upstate NY. I have two beautiful daughters who are grown (and you will NEVER see pictures posted here, dirtbags), who grew up listening to The Barenaked Ladies with Dad. I scored tickets at Turning Stone Thanksgiving weekend 2011. We had second row seats, but stood at the stage the entire show. Just a wonderful, wonderful experience.

Do you remember watching the longest game in NFL history? That Dolphins - Chiefs monstrosity. Man, that seemed to go on forever.

It has to be the offseason for me to put any effort into this, but just the mention of Ko Simpson made me think of the cavalcade of mediocrity that has washed through this organization from 2001 - 2010. Ko Simpson. What happened to him? Looks like we dumped him for a 7th rounder with the Lions, from whom he's since been cut, and is now a "free agent" (a.k.a "he's out of football"). What did we get for that draft pick? Levi Brown, now with Saskatchewan. What does this have to do with TJ Graham? Not a lot. Let's hope we do better with TJ Graham in the third round than we did with Ko Simpson in the fourth.

I don't know if that was serious or not. Okay, I doubt it. Had to have been "The Onion". But I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Such a refreshing burst of sarcastic optimism on this board. What a hoot. I'm going to read it again.

You should have been around here during the days of Pyrite Gal. You think the OP's topic was long? Sheesh. You've farted quicker. "You're Early" - Ellen Reid

Absolutely correct. Here's the thing, however. There was a time back in 1993? 1996? 1997? If you were a Pats* fan. all you saw on the schedule when "Buffalo" was involved was a big, fat "L". That was a long time ago. You don't remember it, I barely do, and the majority of the Pats* Nation certainly doesn't. But times changed, didn't they? I don't care about the Pats* being in the AFC East. Here's the gig - this may be the year that the Bills start their own winning streak. I'm thinking about sweeping the Pats* in the regular season, and then spanking their loose-lipped fairy bottoms in a Wild Card game. That would be three in a row, and four of the last five. Would you start to believe then? Because the odds of that happening are greater than getting swept by the Pats * this year. Deal with it. "Tomorrow's Girls" - Donald Fagan

Look, mate, I'm not a doctor, but it's clear that you aren't either. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I'm a clinical biologist, and I work with anesthesiologists on a daily basis, and watch ass clowns like you get filleted like a bass in the OR every morning. Are all doctors geniuses? No. Are they saints? Not that I've seen. But here's my opinion. Take your neurologist name-dropping and ram it sideways. You aren't worthy. Anyone here who IS a clinician, or anyone here who WORKS with clinicians, couldn't care less that a mouthbreather like yourself tells us that your neurologist "Joe So-and-So" says that his acne is itching. I'm not saying that Doc is right. I'm not saying that Doc is wrong. But when you've earned it, you have a right to criticize it. You don't. I'll see you on the operating table.

I just had to stop in for 30 seconds to say that this was the funniest thing I'd seen today. What a visual. Matt Millen behind a desk without pants. Now I'm going to go throw up. "Living in America" - James Brown

Thank you so much for posting this, but more thanks should go to the knob-gobbling mouthbreather that put it together. I hated the Spiller pick, but this game definitely showed the promise. And the Bills are going to beat the snot out of this guy with next year's line. His style of play is a first class ticket to a concusssion by the 2014 season. "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" - Tommy Dorsey

A safety? FU. And I don't mean fluorouracil. "Geronimo's Cadillac" - Michael M. Murphy

I honestly don't mean to hijack the thread, but nothing beats the Cleveland Cavs' "World B.Free". One of the best names in ANY sport. Period.

Your well-written article hit the nail on the head. The best part about the Mario signing for me was the fact that I heard about it from a friend in New Hampshire - a HUGE Pats* fan. "Mario Williams signs with Bills"????? He couldn't believe it. Okay, I couldn't believe it either. After a few back-and-forths on the SMS, his last text said it all: "That's a hell of a defensive line". I didn't bother responding. He knows what's coming this autumn. "This Magic Moment" - Jay and the Americans

Not that One Bills Drive is calling ME for advice, but if it WERE my shot, I'm thinking it's the best OLT in the draft still available at #10. Why? Because the Front Office has spent 2+ years rebuilding the lines, one step at a time, and it's a project that is one step away from completion. 1) Looking at the D-Line, the Bills are essentially done. Am I thrilled about Kelsay or Carrington at RDE? Not necessarily, but I'm not going to address that "glaring need" with the #10 pick. They'll suffice. 2) As for the O-Line, Hairston's acceptable at RT, and I'm not going to burn the #10 on a ORT. The Urbik/Reinhart are solid, Wood is well above average, and Levitre is also well above average (I just don't want him at center ever, ever, ever again). The only thing missing is a top-flight OLT. Make that pick, and you've put together two lines with very solid talent that are (a) young and under multi-year contracts and (b) going to be able to play together and gel and mesh together for at least 3-4 years. That part of the overhaul - which, quite frankly, I believe to be the KEY part of the overhaul - is complete. The lines are done with an OLT.

You beat me to it. The Pats* might be more dangerous with a legitimate downfield threat...but not to the Bills. Not with the pass rush they're about to get from that line. What I DO see, however, is a lot more pressure on the linebackers and strong safety. With that upfront push, Marcia's going to have to dump the rock quickly, and more than likely it's going to go to Welker or a tight end on one of those never-ending little bubble screens. Frankly, Marcia's not going to have time to go more than 15 yards. (Side thought - I was at Rich Stadium the day Montana's career was ended during the Chiefs game a million years ago. Just sayin'.....). I believe the strength of the Bills D-Line is now going to ironically expose the linebacking corps. Add to this the fact that we're reading that one of the things that attracted Williams to the Bills was the fact that Wannstedt's 4-3 wasn't going to force the D-Line to drop into coverage. Okay, so who's going to drop into that coverage? A long-ball threat on the Pats* is the least of the Bills' worries.

My $0.02 (and that's in U.S. dollars)... I believe a large part of the apathy on the part of the Toronto fans is that the product has sucked to the point of retching over the past three years. Come on. Let's be adults and admit it. We live-and-die the Bills, we love the entire liver-hammering tailgating experience, we don't B word about the cold in late December. But there ain't been a lot of games in January of late, have there? Certainly not after the first week of January. Would YOU support this product coming to YOUR backyard? If you're answering "Yes", your nose just cracked the screen. I'm not going to be at the game; I wish I was, and might try one in the future. But I'm going to be watching the crowd very closely on the high-def this Sunday to see how much blue-and-red are in the stands, versus maroon-and-gold. Who knows? At 4-2 (hopefully 5-2 by 7:30 P.M.), you might get a little more interest. This game could be a watershed going forward. The telling sign will be when the Bills, or the NFL (and I have NO idea who makes the call) actually give the Toronto game a match-up that is worth a damn. But that's another thread. "Talk to you later" - The Tubes