Bills Broudly Wear Chips on Shoulders

[Casey D]

Wow, for a guy who casts lots of stones, you'd think Jerry Sullivan could avoid a typo in the banner of his story. And after complaining for years that the team has no talent, he's complaining that the Bills suck for not paying their players more. I know consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, but he's actually getting paid to do this sh#t? I mean there should be talk shows analyzing writers like we do sports, he'd be a major fail on this one--can't proofread and pivots on a dime with no apologies after one decent game. I think we should send out Jerry Seinfeld to heckle him.

[GOBILLS78]

He doesn't write headlines, copy edit or maintain the News website.

[Casey D]

He doesn't write headlines, copy edit or maintain the News website.

Of course. But if I used that excuse at my job, I'd be fired. It's got your name it, you own it. Fix it now at least.

[ALLEN1QB]

Wow, for a guy who casts lots of stones, you'd think Jerry Sullivan could avoid a typo in the banner of his story. And after complaining for years that the team has no talent, he's complaining that the Bills suck for not paying their players more. I know consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, but he's actually getting paid to do this sh#t? I mean there should be talk shows analyzing writers like we do sports, he'd be a major fail on this one--can't proofread and pivots on a dime with no apologies after one decent game. I think we should send out Jerry Seinfeld to heckle him.

 

 

He should try spell check

[jester43]

um, ok. once again this site is the online equivalent of the 8th grade girls cafeteria table...pretty much every thread that sullivan is mentioned in is like that, but now we're hissing because there was a typo on the website. what's next?

 

yeah casey, i'm sure you'd expect to be fired if you misspelled a word at your job.

[Casey D]

um, ok. once again this site is the online equivalent of the 8th grade girls cafeteria table...pretty much every thread that sullivan is mentioned in is like that, but now we're hissing because there was a typo on the website. what's next?

 

yeah casey, i'm sure you'd expect to be fired if you misspelled a word at your job.

Actually, my point was that if my name is on something, it won't fly for me to say that it was someone else's job as an excuse.

 

Sullivan is a nitpicker-- sauce for the goose and all that. My main point was simply that Sullivan in an instant flipped from "the team sucks and has no talent because it is being run by bean counters and we won't sign free agents" to "wow look at all these guys that we are underpaying." Now the team is bad because it won't pay it's star players? It's utterly inconsistent, and illustrates that complaining for complaining's sake is the theme. If you don't get it, that's OK.

 

Your invective sounds like him by the way.

[TC in St. Louis]

Wow, for a guy who casts lots of stones, you'd think Jerry Sullivan could avoid a typo in the banner of his story. And after complaining for years that the team has no talent, he's complaining that the Bills suck for not paying their players more. I know consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, but he's actually getting paid to do this sh#t? I mean there should be talk shows analyzing writers like we do sports, he'd be a major fail on this one--can't proofread and pivots on a dime with no apologies after one decent game. I think we should send out Jerry Seinfeld to heckle him.

 

That's funny. I was going to respond directly to him, but I guess he is already being pomparded with abuse. That's right, POMPARDED. Not a word.

 

I would like to amend your statement......what Emerson said was "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Doing good things consistently is fine. Doing foolish things consistently is a little kooky. Or is that cookie?

 

Also....shouldn't it read "Bills Proudly BEAR Chips on Shoulders"? The header reads "Bills Broudly Bare Chips on Shoulders"

[RTW2012]

Also....shouldn't it read "Bills Proudly BEAR Chips on Shoulders"? The header reads "Bills Broudly Bare Chips on Shoulders"

 

No, bare is correct. When you bare something you let everyone see it. The Bills are letting everyone see they have chips on their shoulders.

[Ramblin' Rob]

Sully sucks and should have written a mea culpa article, how ever this is the editors fault, period. The flow is from writer to editor(and head line writer) to print. Every journalist has had their words butchered by an editor at least once, just normally in the text, not the head line. Don't ruin a good point, his contradiction about our bad and now under paid players, with made up crap.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

Actually, my point was that if my name is on something, it won't fly for me to say that it was someone else's job as an excuse.

 

Sullivan is a nitpicker-- sauce for the goose and all that. My main point was simply that Sullivan in an instant flipped from "the team sucks and has no talent because it is being run by bean counters and we won't sign free agents" to "wow look at all these guys that we are underpaying." Now the team is bad because it won't pay it's star players? It's utterly inconsistent, and illustrates that complaining for complaining's sake is the theme. If you don't get it, that's OK.

 

Your invective sounds like him by the way.

 

You just don't get it, do you? All along he's been saying that our inability to help out who we have COMBINED with not paying guys like Fitz or Stevie points directly to a cheap organization. If there is a plan to pay them, then you had better do it, because frankly as each week passes their value INCREASES over time and we have to pay more and more to get them. NFL teams are by no means stupid- they can see when a 7-9 or 6-10 Bills team has stars on it they can pluck from us, and we can avoid all of this RIGHT FREAKIN NOW by extending them!!!!!

 

I am a PIRATES fan, I have seen this act time and time again- our young players are playing outstanding football, but it is never enough to get to .500, the playoffs and beyond. If you have a cheap organization or a mismanaged one, the end result is you win nothing.

[Casey D]

You just don't get it, do you? All along he's been saying that our inability to help out who we have COMBINED with not paying guys like Fitz or Stevie points directly to a cheap organization. If there is a plan to pay them, then you had better do it, because frankly as each week passes their value INCREASES over time and we have to pay more and more to get them. NFL teams are by no means stupid- they can see when a 7-9 or 6-10 Bills team has stars on it they can pluck from us, and we can avoid all of this RIGHT FREAKIN NOW by extending them!!!!!

 

I am a PIRATES fan, I have seen this act time and time again- our young players are playing outstanding football, but it is never enough to get to .500, the playoffs and beyond. If you have a cheap organization or a mismanaged one, the end result is you win nothing.

There is also risk in tying up money in guys who have not proven themselves--then you are stuck with bad players with big contracts. How about the Jauron deal--did you like that? Most people are saying Fitzpatrick is not very good, not a franchise guy. If that's true, why give him a franchise guy contract. You can't have it both ways-- which is what Sullivan is trying to do. There is no free ride on these kinds of things.

 

The Bills have been, lately, paying for performance-- e.g, Williams, Roscoe, Kelsay(perhaps misguided)etc. They have cap room to pay the guys they want to keep--smart planning there(just luck of course, because Ralph is cheap). Right now they are still trying to determine if Fitz can be the guy for 5 plus years, and Johnson a true #1(again with people complaining about trading Evans because now we don't have a #1 receiver). You can't say guys suck and then say we should have given them long term expensive contracts(well you can say it, but it does not make walkin around sense) Dime to donuts if these guys shine through 8 weeks-- they'll be given nice raises and will stay long term. And you are right, it may cost a bit more, but you also have more certainty on what you are paying for.

[TC in St. Louis]

No, bare is correct. When you bare something you let everyone see it. The Bills are letting everyone see they have chips on their shoulders.

 

If that's what he meant, great. If he meant they bear the chips, as in they are there and....well, you know the rest. I stand corrected. If that's what he meant.

[Casey D]

Sully sucks and should have written a mea culpa article, how ever this is the editors fault, period. The flow is from writer to editor(and head line writer) to print. Every journalist has had their words butchered by an editor at least once, just normally in the text, not the head line. Don't ruin a good point, his contradiction about our bad and now under paid players, with made up crap.

And read the NY Times piece posted on the front page. Talk about daylight and dark in the writing and thinking of the Times guy as compared to Sully. I mean wow... CD

 

If that's what he meant, great. If he meant they bear the chips, as in they are there and....well, you know the rest. I stand corrected. If that's what he meant.

I think the use of the word bare is quite strained. No one bares a chip on their shoulder-- they wear it. I think you were right in your original post-- IMO.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

The Bills have been, lately, paying for performance-- e.g, Williams, Roscoe, Kelsay(perhaps misguided)etc. They have cap room to pay the guys they want to keep--smart planning there(just luck of course, because Ralph is cheap). Right now they are still trying to determine if Fitz can be the guy for 5 plus years, and Johnson a true #1(again with people complaining about trading Evans because now we don't have a #1 receiver). You can't say guys suck and then say we should have given them long term expensive contracts(well you can say it, but it does not make walkin around sense) Dime to donuts if these guys shine through 8 weeks-- they'll be given nice raises and will stay long term. And you are right, it may cost a bit more, but you also have more certainty on what you are paying for.

 

This is a risk/reward business, and frankly speaking, the risk of losing millions of dollars and the possibility of Fitzpatrick or Johnson moving to another team is far greater a risk than extending them and paying out a reasonably, cap-friendly contract to someone who MIGHT turn out to be average or worse down the road. I'm not talking about Snyder contracts here, but ones that we can manage if the results are negative.

[Casey D]

This is a risk/reward business, and frankly speaking, the risk of losing millions of dollars and the possibility of Fitzpatrick or Johnson moving to another team is far greater a risk than extending them and paying out a reasonably, cap-friendly contract to someone who MIGHT turn out to be average or worse down the road. I'm not talking about Snyder contracts here, but ones that we can manage if the results are negative.

That's fair. I think it is a matter of calibrating the risk, and different people might see it differently. The Bills problem in recent years is not that they let talent flee, they have had little talent in the first instance. I don't think you will see Fitzpatrick or Johnson going anywhere if they are worth keeping-- and I think they are. There is plenty of time to lock them up.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

That's fair. I think it is a matter of calibrating the risk, and different people might see it differently. The Bills problem in recent years is not that they let talent flee, they have had little talent in the first instance. I don't think you will see Fitzpatrick or Johnson going anywhere if they are worth keeping-- and I think they are. There is plenty of time to lock them up.

 

It is up to the players on whether or not they perceive the organization as being fair and equitable. One benefit we enjoy is the stability at the coaching position, and this is a big positive. It could be that the Bills know they are comfortable with this, but what happened with Fred Jackson this summer was a step back, and we cannot afford any perception that we have no respect for our good players.

[Casey D]

It is up to the players on whether or not they perceive the organization as being fair and equitable. One benefit we enjoy is the stability at the coaching position, and this is a big positive. It could be that the Bills know they are comfortable with this, but what happened with Fred Jackson this summer was a step back, and we cannot afford any perception that we have no respect for our good players.

When did Jackson sign his last contract, was it one or two years ago?

[jester43]

Actually, my point was that if my name is on something, it won't fly for me to say that it was someone else's job as an excuse.

 

Sullivan is a nitpicker-- sauce for the goose and all that. My main point was simply that Sullivan in an instant flipped from "the team sucks and has no talent because it is being run by bean counters and we won't sign free agents" to "wow look at all these guys that we are underpaying." Now the team is bad because it won't pay it's star players? It's utterly inconsistent, and illustrates that complaining for complaining's sake is the theme. If you don't get it, that's OK.

 

Your invective sounds like him by the way.

haha...ok, i pray you for you that you will not be put on the unemployment line for getting one letter wrong.

 

he's a columnist. he's supposed to have an opinion. are you disputing that our starters are underpaid? ...that ralph had nickel and dimed this franchised into permanent mediocrity? we just dumped evans and hangartner because they made too much money, and it's a sin to point out the bills don't pay the going rate for their most productive players?

 

what is it with you guys who need to have smoke blown up your asses every day? for the record, assuming the worst about this team over the last 10-12 years is always the safest bet. one big win doesn't get the smell off this franchise, but i'm sure you boys will be right there to scapegoat the sports columnist for writing about the disaster when the injuries start and we are in a freefall due to lack of depth.

 

i am amped up over sunday's game too, but there is still a lot to be wary of. i just don't get why the pollyannas attack a columnist for expressing an opinion. it's so funny and predictable...it's like, you gotta drink the OBD kool-aid on this site OR ELSE!

 

i have been following this team for 40 years and personally i'm glad there's a guy writing for the buffalo news who's wiling to be honest about the way this team is run.