Whites Bay

Well said, Dr. Trooth. I have to respect a person who starts a post with "Goodness Gracious". (No, for once I'm not being facetious). It's almost getting on my nerves when I hear the talking network suits describe J.P as a "Third-Year QB". Huh? Yep, he was damn quick dodging sacks that first year...in a cast. I have a running head-banging session with a co-worker from Lockport regarding J.P. While he's as big a Bills fan as anyone (even ME), he's solidly off the bandwagon. Fine. Be off the bandwagon. But put up or SHUT UP. Put the names on the board, boys. And then back it up with more than a couple of Labatts. Quinn in the draft? Or some mystery guest in Free Agency? (Remember, you're competing with places like Tampa Bay, and possibly Jacksonville, as venues. Still think you're going to bring in a superstar for workouts in western New York in February?). Like any fan, I grasped mightily at the rosy vision of Terrence Pennington blowing people off the line. Of Robert Royal streaking down the middle. Of Melvin Fowler grinding people to mincemeat up the gut. It ain't happening. I don't know why it isn't. They're probably good people who take their craft seriously. But it ain't happening. Do I scream at the TV for J.P. to GET RID OF THE DAMN BALL FASTER? Bet yer sweet @$$ I do. But I also know that the receivers have to get open....FAST. It's that awful team thing. So here's my question to those who would have Losman's head on a platter. First off...it's not going to happen, so get over it. Second, we have (in my not-so-humble-opinion) two glaring needs - another OLT (assuming you move Peters back over to ORT, and move Pennington back to bar bouncer), or a friggin' monster DT. I'm game - what do you think? Where do you go? Rebuild the OL, or put a near-convict in the middle? My call is to pick some DT dude who really likes farm animals in the first round, and find a ORT that knows how to run-block in the second round. Pass protection on the right side gets a lot easier when you're running people over. Thoughts?

Really. Like George Siefert was a sociopathic chainsaw-wielding maniac. And Barry Switzer was the ball bearing in the middle of that Cowboys machine in (what year was it?) 1994. Give me a break. It ain't the coach, home dog. It galls me to be thinking about NEXT YEAR in the eighth week, but I'm thinking monster DT so bad it hurts. Don't care if he's stupid, don't care if he's inbred. Just point him at the guy with the football over there with the different color jerseys and hit him like you did that guy that made that nasty comment about your momma.......

Oh, God, I've read this entire thread and have chosen this entry to which to respond. I'll reluctantly wear the "Old Fart" moniker - but, no, I didn't watch Starr. Only on the sidelines in the 70s during a horrible stretch. Thank God for community ownership, because it's the only way they kept the team in that town during those years. What are WE going to do? Weighing in on this thread, one can really begin to see the dichotomy between us "Old Farts" and the....well, "non-Old Farts". Here's my thought, you young fellers. We're the lucky ones, you're the saps. Why? Because we at least REMEMBER the black-and-white Zenith (yes, we had one of those as well), and we REMEMBER life before Michael Irvin's "commentary", and we REMEMBER Monday Night games that actually started at 9:06 P.M. without the GARBAGE GARBAGE GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All you poor little barstards are going to ever watch is the mahnuah that's fed to you, and the worst part is that you think it's "slick". Where's the "barf" icon for me to click here? It doesn't HAVE to be so processed, so slick, so cheese-food! I'm a reasoning, articulate human being who has (against all odds) learned to walk upright. So what? Here's what, pinheads at ESPN - I can tell you when a screen is being set up. I can tell by watching when the QB is nervous and is going to (attempt to) dump to the fullback. I can tell when the safety's grabbed the facemask. I don't need to have it explained to me with graphics, commentary, sideline updates (nice boobs, though) and screen bugs. And THAT'S why I feel bad for you "non-Old Farts". At least I got to watch a simpler game. I'm going to quote this from memory: I am gross and perverted I'm obsessed and deranged I have existed for years But very little has changed I'm vile and pernicious but you can't look away I make you think I'm delicious With the stuff that I say I'm the tool of the government and industry too For I am destined to rule, and regulate you I'm the best you can get Have you guessed me yet? I'm the slime oozing out from your TV set Okay, sports fans, let's see who remembers that one. And how true the great man was.

This post hits to the core of it all, and I couldn't agree more. What's posted on this board has all the meaning and staying power of a fart in a hurricane. Is Losman the next coming of Unitas? Montana? (Gulp) Brady? Who knows? Looking around the league, would I rather have Losman that all but 10-11 quarterbacks? Personally, I would. And in two years, I'm going to reduce that number to about 5-6. The decision-making is improving, the physical tools are there, and the coaching staff knows it. That's why they're focusing on the NEXT element of successful offensive production, and that's the supporting cast - in the case of the Bills, the O-line. Don't take your collective eyes off THAT ball. Losman's here, he's going to stay, he's going to improve. Next Sunday, I'm going to be watching - and holding my breath while doing it - both of our tackles. I'm not as concerned about Peters' ability to match footwork on the left side, but Pennington? It leaves me scratching my head. Butler's a 5th-rounder, Pennington's a 7th rounder, so they obviously valued Butler more than Pennington on Draft Day. Can someone shed any light on what's changed? And I don't mean "he must be playing better". I know that. What aspect about his play got him into the starting lineup as a 7th-rounder? Size? Strength? Footwork? Is Butler incompetent?

No, no, you missed it. It's not "Coy's Soldiers". It's "Coy's SOULDIERS". As in "soul". My guess is it has something to do with some sort of born-again crap. I find it about as irritating as some idiot who gets down on one knee and crosses himself in the end zone in front of 70,000 fans in the stadium and 5,000,000 viewers on TV....because he can. Get over it. The NFL needs a few more Barry Sanders in this league. Score the touchdown, hand the ball to the official, and get off the damn field. And how much am I loving Marvin Lewis telling Chad Johnson to cut the crap?

I can't say that I've participated in a lot of Irish wakes, nor did I particularly enjoy my Dad's Irish (sort of) wake. The closest I had was a detour off of a business trip last year from Belfast to Ballycastle, in the far north of Ireland. I was able to locate the WWI marker that commemorated my Grandfather's brother, who was KIA with about 4 days to go in that conflict. I guess my bloodline never learned to duck..... In any case, I'd admonish all who have Irish roots to make the pilgrimage. It's rather silly, chasing ghosts the way I did, but it does close a lot of circles. And it's a friggin' beautiful place, and if you get the right documentation in order, you can still get dual citizenship.

Like most of the folks on this board, I've watched far too much ESPN for far too many years. My not-so-humble opinion of the entire network is that they've really begun taking themselves far too seriously. And I don't mean "lately", I mean for pretty much all of recent memory. And since that's all I have left, let's walk down Memory Lane for a moment. Sal Paolantonio (sp?) was the lucky guy who typically drew the "Arizona-Detroit" matchup. It was an internal joke at ESPN about 10 years ago! Here's the depressing news - both of those franchises STILL suck after 10 years. The reason he carries McNabb's "WOOF" up his butt is that he's just so grateful that he's no longer tasked with barking about Matt Millen's Vision Of The Future. Good for Sal. Everyone gets his/her 15 minutes of fame, and his has run over its limit by about 9 years. It sure as $#!+ doesn't make him an expert on anything. Let's all deal with it - we're rebuilding. Is Marv the answer? Ask yourself this - would you rather have Marv where he is, or would you rather have TD? We perhaps would have drafted Leinhart (sp?....but I don't give a rat's @$$), but would be looking at yet another year of ignoring the DL. I'm getting off the subject here, I guess, but my point is that these people are about as knowledgeable as you and me. Which is to say, of course, that they probably couldn't manage a Pop Warner game without throwing a clot. Who really cares what a "B-team" ESPN reporter says about anything?

Not going to toot my horn, but I caught the Rochester D&C blurb about "Stopping The Run". That makes two of us stating the obvious! Once again, T.O./Randy Moss bashers (as well as those lusting after them for the Bills) - try a little decaf. First off, there's just no F-ing way that the Marv-ster would so much as bother to cancel a colonoscopy to even speak to these two, much less sign 'em up. He, like the rest of us, values his job, and even the fingerpainters that sometimes show up on this board know that Ralph would KILL the person responsible for bringing either of those pantloads onto the team. Being fired would be a blessing in comparison. Secondly, our wide receiver corps isn't bad. Let's all say it (c'mon - those of you in the back....) "Our wide receiver corps isn't bad". There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Think New England would be GRATEFUL to get Evans? Price? Reed? Bet they'd be happy with Parrish as a role player. I'm not going to get into a mindless diatribe regarding stats ad nauseum, but I'm addressing this point in the context of the team as a whole....... Which brings me to "Thirdly". Thirdly, we got a whole bunch more problems to fix than the wide receiver corps! Bringing either of those two inbred goobers to Buffalo would just add ANOTHER problem. I personally think Marv did a friggin' great job on the draft, and love rubbing that in the collective noses of my co-workers who wanted Leinart. THAT HAVING BEEN SAID.......wasn't Broderick Bunkley still available when McCargo came up? Perhaps not - too many beers ago. But, baby, am I missing a BIG FAST DT animal. I hate to be thinking about next year already, but even in my most optimistic beer-induced spasms, I don't see the DTs we currently have in the line up as being able to, well, step up. Beer time again.

I sort of see the point, but 5 Piltdown Men aren't going to give you a lot more horsepower than 4 Piltdown Men. These are svengali media whores who are going to bark the company line. Here's the bottom line - their offense is pretty hot. Gee, what a surprise - it's Martz. He'll get 400 yards in the air with Alfred E. Neuman at QB. Their offensive line has taken some shots on the right hand side, so watch for pressure - not necessarily from our left, because they're going to shift accordingly to cover the weakness. They're going to be susceptible to blizting on second down, because they don't have much of a run game. All in all, our CBs are going to have a long, long day. But if JP can get us in front by 10, or 14 points, bad things are going to happen to the Detroit offense. It really could turn into a classic shoot out in the first half. And THAT is a lot more detail and analysis than you will receive from the plant life that make more money in one year than you and I will make in our career. Justice will have to be served about three lifetimes from now.

Just checked in after a long day at the Salt Mine, and clicked on to this, the first post. Randy Moss, a Bill?!? Yet, as I read further, I see a running dialogue focused on the AntiChrist, Terrell Owens. On a Bills board. Gentlemen, you'll probably excoriate me for posting such heresy, because "after all, Dude, you're on a fan web board...." (meaning we should all expect the tripe that shows up here as gospel...) Here's the deal. Terrell Owens is a jerk. Get it? A jerk. A self-absorbed fathead that - if he didn't possess such amazing talents on the gridiron - NONE of you would invite to your next septic cleaning party. Well, maybe not most of you, anyway. He doesn't fit on the Bills, never would, never will. Case closed. A-hole. Think about the energy you've expended in your neural synapes and wrist muscles just thinking and writing about that A-munch. Your time would indeed be better spent both in terms of neural and wrist exercise by thinking about Ashlyn Gere. Trust me. What hoots me up is that the post started off about Randy Moss. Wait a minute - that's ANOTHER moron that won't be playing for the Bills! EVER! EVER! EVER! Take a deep breath and get over it! Focus your time on what the f**k we're going to do (a) Sunday against the P**sies - I mean "Lions" - and what the f**k we're going to do at DT! What is the point of screaming about "T.O" (woo) when we should be looking at keeping teams from gaining 200 yards on the ground? I need a beer.

I've been there. It's just to the west of "Coonrod" and "Boonville". Look THOSE up, northern New Yorkers.

I did the same review yesterday morning while trying desperately to kill the clock waiting for the weekend (a.k.a. Sunday 1300h). I'm in agreement with much of what you have here, but I started to get a little lightheaded when I tallied up the "wins" and started seeing 10-6. I've been accused at office of not just drinking the Kool-Aid, but swimming in it, so I'm trying to wipe some of the manure off my rose-colored glasses. That all having been said - ASSUMING THE BILLS WIN THE ONES THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO WIN (BIG ASSUMPTION HERE) - I'm having a hard time giving away home losses to the Pats and Fins. I'm going to hold out judgement on how we'll do in the second Jets game until I see us tomorrow. My gut call has been pretty good so far this year; I figured we'd play the Pats tough (frankly, I thought we'd win that one going IN to the game, not DURING it), and for some odd reason, I wasn't really worried about Miami. And I just think - THINK - we're going to come out big against the Jets. As in "cream 'em". If this is the case, I'm going to dive back into the Kool-Aid, and go with the 10-6. And that would be a damn good 10-6, because that's 5-1 in your own division, and 7 games in the conference. Let's all delete this E-mail, so it isn't rubbed in my face when they crater in November and go 6-10. But I just don't think it'll happen that way. These guys - the junior varsity on defense - just don't seem intimidated, and don't seem to care about what happened in the past.

I'll be up north near the Canadian border with some family, in front of the tube with a fire going. Listen for a howling from the North Country. RUN WILLIS RUN!!!

Absolutely. This stuff leaves me baffled, and I'm finding it easier simply not to rise to the bait. He's obviously living in a wierd parallel universe in which Chad Pennington completed that final pass of the game by throwing it to the back line of the end zone and the receiver caught it by dint of an unhuman leap....... J.P. is not Peyton Manning, okay? NEWS FLASH....Peyton Manning was not Peyton Manning! J.P.s accuracy isn't what all of us expect (or wish for)...yet, but that kid can WHIP IT!!! Are these the same people who were bitching him out for overthrowing Moulds by 15 yards on a fly last year? Don't worry - the kid can get it down the field. Relax. Try some decaf. This might be the game that he gets enough time (given the watered down pass rush he'll be facing) to let 'er rip. I'm with you. Bombs away this weekend, and I can't wait to say "I told you so".

My gut call? The odds are pretty damn good! There's a warped, sick and twisted part of me deep inside that's COUNTING on it. Let's get past the 7 sacks in Miami - everyone in the NFL is all abuzz about it, and the spinmeisters are already discounting it (B. Anderson tears a tricep, Culpepper's too slow, etc.). Look back the week before. Three sacks against New England in the first half against an offensive line that has its own commercial. THAT'S a good offensive line, and Marcia was tossed around like my beagle's squeaky toy. I give Pennington until the third quarter AT THE OUTSIDE. Our advantage seems to come in the first half, and then we slow down (or teams adjust to the hell they're facing).

Oh, don't be telling me things like that. I start thinking scary thoughts like 9-7 records and an outside shot at division titles........

Agreed, and not to mention the fact that it all happens in 15 minutes (in the first round). They have to be thinking sharp, and quick. I realize we're all on the same page or thereabouts, but can anyone REALLY criticize Whitner's performance? That 2-point conversion "stuff" was enough for me. Jesus, talk about closing speed. It makes me shake my head sardonically when I think about the press clippings we were reading (and Kool-Aid we were drinking) a couple of years ago about Vincent and Milloy. Remember how we were supposed to have this dynamite safety tandem because - combined - they had about three ice ages worth of experience between them? PLEASE spare me. I'll take this kid any day of the week. And so will everyone on this board.

Sorry to jump off topic, but it's Tuesday night, and the euphoria from Sunday's throttling is beginning to ebb, and it's time to begin directing thoughts towards NEXT Sunday. To tie it in with "What's the Difference This Year".....? Speed! Speed! Speed! Wow! The defense is.....well, it's just entertaining as hell! And that's what's starting to spook me about this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I think THINK we're going to murdulize 'em (to quote Bugs Bunny). But two great ways to play against a fast defense are: 1) Run on 'em 2) Screen 'em and play-action 'em to death I don't see a solid J-E-T-S running game, particularly when keyed by Trey Teague. No knock on the guy (well, I guess that's a straw-man argument), but the management decided that Fowler was an upgrade. But that's not a power running group. Problem for the Jets is that you-know-who can't throw more than 30 yards in the air, either. So what do they do? Suck us in, suck us in, suck us in. Hope the coaching staff keeps a leash on at least one linebacker. Or am I overanalyzing it all again? Should I just sit back and enjoy the ride?

I've had a day to RECOVER from a really pi$$ed afternoon. Here's the gig. We lost, we lost, we lost. Sucks. I'd be overstating things in dramatic fashion to say that this was a shot across the bow of the AFC East, and that a new dawn was rising on Lake Erie, etc. (and dawn comes up behind Lake Erie anyways). This disclaimer having been said, c'mon people. Only the bitterest and most mission-focused players in that locker room are continuing to kick themselves after a shocking performance on Sunday. No one in the country gave us a chance of finding midfield for the coin toss! Here's another way to look at it. How many people lost how much money by betting the line? What were we - an 8-point dog? A 9-point dog? A 10-point dog? The conventional wisdom got its cakes pounded on Sunday. Hope they're having fun sitting down tonight. You're all correct when you say that there are no Moral Victories in the NFL. No kidding. I'm still furious at the erosion of our run defense, the fatigue of the offensive line, and JP not getting back across the goal line (but....SOMEONE had to miss a block on the left side. Who blew it? It was off camera). For those of us in upstate New York, only the Super Bowl is going to get this chip off our shoulder. Perfection is always one step short, isn't it? But believe me - the coaching staff in Miami is saying "Holy $#!+". And if you think the Patriots team is getting a pat on the back from THAT coaching staff - sober up. I feel a LOT better after this opener than I have in years. Bring it on.

No. Another public school product from upstate New York where the teachers routinely skewered us for things like "alot"...and "to much", and the like. It's been about 28 hours and my stomach is still settling down after the last 10 minutes of that game. Fast Freddie wouldn't have made a difference had he been with the Bills or the Patriots. I'm happy for him as an individual that he's landed employment. That game pi$$ed me off more than any game I've seen in years. I applaud the 4th-and-1 call - real balls, and it's time we had those on the sidelines in this franchise. Damn, I hated the outcome. I have to think, however, that a number of coaches around the league are looking at that tape as a model for what THEY'LL try against the no-longer-almighty Patriots. What kills me is the thought that folks in New England are telling me that it would have been closer if Bruschi had been in! "In" what? A wheelchair with a bottle of Geritol? How many times was Seau's number called?

I just hate "alot". Jesus, I hate "alot". It's "a lot". The gap is created by using the spacer bar. It's just below all the little type-ee keys in the middle of the keyboard. Let's all try it....."a lot".......