San Jose Bills Fan

As a matter of fact Miami RB Daniel Thomas, returning in October from two concussions wore exterior padding on his helmet. So I think your belief in this point is in error: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/17/daniel-thomas-returns-from-second-concussion-with-oversized-helmet/ Take any argument to its logical extremes and then think about them. In this case guys running around with 6 foot foam orbs around their heads. I betcha the right kind of exo-padding would be effective but it would have to be slippery too so blows would glance off instead of adhere and turn the head and neck. I remember at the time of Tasker and Niners tackle Steve Wallace (who also wore one) that some players said they would never wear one because of how they looked. The linked article seems to back that claim. In other articles too I've seen the assertion made that many players make their helmet choices on aesthetics and not safety.

Ah, the ironic triple exclamation point "chill out!!!"

Hey Bill. Though one can never tell, I don't think there are supposed to be any Roethlisberger-type talents in this year's draft although I'm intrigued by EJ Manuel. His physical skills are very exceptional thus I think his upside is too. However I'm still troubled by the idea of taking the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best QB at #8, thus BPA. Given what's out there I think an elite type pass rusher will be available at that spot and I would love for the Bills to draft one. Specifically I'm in love with Dion Jordan at the moment. Double-digit pass rushers are very hard to come by and I think you pounce when you get that opportunity.

Hiring a what? What was that word?

Another good one.

Cherry Coke speaks for me. I also love Franz Kafka's sarcasm. The only thing I'll add is that Stevie should know that his weak attempts at humor are gonna be misconstrued and received negatively.

Beat me to it! Good job!

I've only seen a few plays by Barkley but it seems to me that he's a very ordinary prospect from a physical/measurables standpoint. That differs from Marino who everyone knew had immense natural talent for the position. Barkley's average measurables also means that he needs to have a lot of great intangibles to become a great quarterback. I don't know how well he's stocked in the intangible department. That's why I'm not sold on Barkley.

I'm against PEDs because it penalizes those people who want to compete honestly, who don't want to put rubbish in their bodies in order to fulfill their goals.

Unfortunately IMO, he didn't do enough imparting of his football knowledge. My recollection of his shtick was that of a bitter, angy, old man whose low-brow and demeaning manner caused the collective IQ of WNY to drop by several points. He had an axe to grind and he did that so many times that there was nothing left of it.

Welcome to the board, though I have to tell you, the initiation ritual here is pretty rough. Well done! I love the little touch at the end: "It's on"

Yep. This edition features their Cars of the Year.

Thanks Dibs.

John Holocek > Edgar Chandler

Good points. Now excuse me while I dive into the latest edition of Playboy to read the fascinating articles. There's a moral to this story. Just can't figure out what it is.

Also, how many safeties have had great seasons on bad defenses? While at the same time having to decline his first Pro Bowl invitation. Kollege Studnet?

As I said in an earlier special teams thread, I'm looking forward to seeing the Dallas Morning News' annual special teams rankings. I believe that they weigh 18 different special teams categories. As I said at the time, I think the people piling on DeHaven are probably off in their assessments and that people should be careful what they wish for. There's been about a dozen special teams coaches shuffled around this offseason and most of these guys are interchangeable. IMO, people complaining about the Bills special teams are just looking for something to B word about, and are bitching about the wrong thing. The biggest factor in special teams success is to what degree the head coach prioritizes them as far as which players he allows to play them and how much practice time he allots special teams. That said, DeHaven was perfectly adequate IMO but now we're stuck with a guy who seems to have a very bad track record and doesn't seem to have anything to recommend him for the Bills job except that he and Marrone go way back.

We shall see. Most free agents are overpriced. That's why I think that unless there's a clear upgrade, that you're better off keeping your own.

Cost us the game? He was the reason we were in that game. Again, Flutie was 21-9 with the same team that Rob Johnson went 8-10 with. And in Flutie's final season with the Bills (2000) he went 4-1. Flutie was the Bills best player in that game but some here would rather blame him for the loss. Again your hatred for Flutie has caused you to warp fact. In 2000, Rob Johnson started 3 consecutive late season losses (Tampa Bay, Miami, and Indy). Flutie started the second to last game, an OT loss to New England in which he played well, and the season ending victory against Seattle where he also played well. I don't mind you hating Flutie but please stop with all the fiction. Your not hurting Flutie's reputation, you're hurting your own.

Let me say in rebuttal: Whitner was named to the Pro Bowl this year. Now we all know he's not a great player but look what happens when he has talent around him. Poz is a darn good linebacker who like most starting MLBs (including Patrick Willis) gets exploited in coverage a bit. Point is these guys are quality players and if we had a competent DC last year and would have retained these players, maybe people here wouldn't be advocating burning our #8 pick on a "run-stuffing linebacker." There are exceptions of course but generally it's really bad for team building to not retain your good players. Bringing the discussion full circle, if the Bills have to overpay a bit to retain Levitre and Byrd, I'm all for it.

Who's this year's Honey Badger again?

So your suggested strategy is to insult them both with lowball offers?

Context please.

Where do you live, Playman?

I guess the silver lining for sucking the last two years is that the loss of Poz and Whitner didn't hurt us to the point of keeping us from the playoffs and that as a result their loss wasn't really as noticeable. Thus replacing Poz and Whitner 3 years after their departures (they both left after the 2010 season) ends up not being as big a deal as it could have been because the Bills sucked. It's still bad practice to lose good players (and create roster holes) and it's something Nix said he would try not to let happen on his watch.