thewildrabbit

I get it that you love the Buffalo Bills and want to take a part in every game as I used to be that same guy with season tickets. I took my entire family to games every Sunday when the Bills were winning in the late 80's, early 90's. Kinda why now both my son and daughter buy their own season tickets every year. I always sat close to the field to hear the sounds of the NFL, and loved to endure the wind, rain and snow. My son has often invited me to games to sit with him in his club seats, and I decline. I stayed away from the team in the late 70's when they were losing, bought tickets when they hired Chuck Knox. I gave up going to games when they let Knox walk, and did so again in the 90's when Jim Kelly retired. I'm still a Bills fan even when they lose, although I suppose I'm a strange old bird that refuses to financially endorse a team that in my view isn't dedicated to winning a championship. Look what happened in the late 70's when the franchise was almost in its death throes. The owner went out and hired a top HC, and the team was in the playoffs in 3 short years. NFN, but the way I look at it...its because of fans like you that Ralph Wilson didn't hire Bill Cowher instead of Chan Gailey and I'd be a season ticket holder again.

John, first off this owner is a hellava lot smarter then anyone gives him credit for, even at his age.JMO. it is also crystal clear to me that this owner has an agenda to make as much profit each year that he possibly can rather then building a consistent winning team. Games are continuously sold out at the Ralph, save for a few later in the season each year. The team generates a huge profit every year. In 2011, "According to a Forbes Magazine analysis, the Bills are among the league's 10 most profitable teams. The data is part of the magazine's annual valuations of all NFL Franchises. Forbes ranks the Bills ninth, with an annual operating income of $40.9 million (that's after they pay the players)": "The team, according to Forbes, is worth $792 million, which is 29th in the league. " http://www.wgrz.com/...rofitable-Teams This owner has more then enough money to hire a Bill Cowher or Lovie Smith and chooses to keep his overhead as low as he can for the obvious reasons stated in the article. The problem as I see it is that way to many Bills fans are content with a losing team as long as they get to tailgate. So Bills fans keep buying season tickets in the hopes that a miracle will occur and the team will suddenly get lucky enough to find a top QB, HC, GM, and the team will start winning again. Sorry friend but that isn't how the NFL works as you need talent in the front office, the sidelines (coaches) and on the field. Then when the Bills do find an exceptional talent like Jairus Byrd, Jason Peters,and some good but not exceptional talent in Andy Levitre, Poz, Winfield et al, they let them walk away, and don't immediately replace them with equal talent. I'm not certain of the exact number, but I think the Bills currently have something like around 22 mill cap room left, which is more then enough to pay Byrd with an incentive laden contract. So if he plays like the best safety in the NFL he will be compensated for it. If he sucks, he won't. It was also enough to pay Levitre OR find a real decent FA replacement at LG. Like I said, same stuff, different year. As for my opening sentence, lets go back to 1977 and look at what was happening. The Bills were so bad at 3-11the old timers need to remember what it was like in Buffalo Back in the late 70's. An industrial wasteland, steel plants closing, High jobless rate, businesses closing. The Blizzard of 77. Too much snow, poisonous air and water. A bad bad football team with the stadium half filled during games. How bad you ask? So bad in fact that in a stadium that held 80 thousand plus fans, that they had only sold 18,000 season tickets, and the Bills could not even get a home preseason game because people would not come out to see it. (back then Rich Stadium had 80,000+ seats) Back then this owner was getting desperate because he knew if he didn't start winning he could possibly need to sell and lose his franchise. What did he do? He hired a known winning NFL head coach in Chuck Knox, and the team was winning and in the playoffs in 3 short years. Now will that happen with a first time NFL rookie HC, a rookie GM, a rookie QB (that was graded as a 4th round pick prior to the senior bowl)? I just don't see this franchise turning the corner anytime soon. Although, do I want them to, heck yea! EDIT: to add link

I look at Brandon as a money man and not as a football man, so in my view his priority is in making as much profit for the owner rather then building a winning organization. Granted that should be the focal point for any successful business model. The problem I have is here we are under new GM Whaley / CEO Brandon having the very same difficulty's in signing players that past regimes have had, meaning Levitre and Byrd. The Bills lost their most durable linemen in LG Andy Levitre who also graded out last season as their best O linemen. Now I can see why they didn't sign him and let him walk, but then they do the exact same crap they have been doing for the last 13 years when they let a top player leave... in not finding a decent replacement. Sorry but Doug Legursky graded as the worst linemen on a very average Steelers line, and because he is now a Buffalo Bill he isn't going to magically transform into another Levitre. Now they can't come to agreement with Safety Jairus Byrd and its the same old type story like Jason Peters here. The OP is right with his concerns about how quickly things are changing in terms of building a top team. They draft a decent player, and then once he is developed and playing at a high level he naturally wants top dollar. So Instead of finding a way to sign him, they let him leave. They fill one hole at one position and two or more holes manifest themselves. Doug Marrone / Nate Hackett might be the very best two people on earth to develop a rookie QB properly. But what good is it going to do them if the line can't protect the QB properly with oft injured players all over that line. No stability and no continuity. Plus the offense is again going to be limited in what they can do on the field with the deep drop back passing just like under Gailey / Jauron / Mularkey / Williams. The closest this franchise came to building and fielding a consistent winning team was with QB Drew Bledsoe at QB. They knew they needed to protect him better for the 5-7 step drop backs and instead of building him a top line they wanted him to suddenly change his style of play and get the ball out quicker. No matter how good this new HC & GM are they can't over come losing top talent year after year, and then not replacing them adequately, or then taking two to three years to even find a decent replacement. So yea, Same S#%T, different year.

Sorry John, I'm just not as optimistic as you are about this franchise just yet. Every regime change I keep hearing about how this franchise is now moving in the right direction. Ralph Wilson did step aside, which essentially means the new GM & HC won't be interrogated for hours every day during the season, and will be allowed to do their respective jobs under the watchful eye of Russ Brandon. Speaking of Brandon, I believe he is the one who was most instrumental in the hiring of new HC Doug Marrone. With Brandon now running the ship I can see why Wilson has the utmost confidence in him keeping the franchise "profitable" after the Toronto deal. Which seems to be the primary objective. Anyway, lets not forget that Wilson stepped aside for GM/ President Tom Donahoe, another former Pittsburgh Steeler from their front office, and look how that turned out For me, things are starting to take shape as the more things change, the more they stay the same. Meaning Byrd and levitre. I want both Doug Marrone to be a successful Bills HC and Doug Whaley to be a successful GM while bringing winning and respectability back to the organization. But then I've wanted that winning and respectability for the last decade.

Not in my view, just achieving a winning record is a successful season to me. That is, if you are in rebuilding mode for 13 years.

Probably a rookie QB starting for a new HC that has never been a head coach at the NFL level. We have seen in the past what happens to non NFL experienced HC's. Greg Williams 3-13 his first season. Mike Mularkey 9-7 with Drew Bledsoe to 5-11 starting 2nd year QB JP Losman. Then the experienced HC's in Jauron 7-9, Gailey 4-12. Lost arguably the best and most reliable O linemen. Is the only pro bowler in the secondary is going to sign his franchise tender or will he sit out of camp? Some odds makers have them winning between 4-6 games this season. While other are sorta optimistic at 6.5. I want to optimistic, but at this point I see only 4 wins.

What kind of Killer chews cotton candy Bubblicious gum....the stupid kind. Anyway, they found that gum next to a spent shell casing in the car the guy rented? I read another report that stated when AH returned the rental car an attendant found a shell casing and wrapper in the car and threw them in the garbage

You know what I learned about schedules when Chuck Knox took over the Bills. Schedule doesn't matter at all, what doesn't break you makes you stronger. If you have a good team you want to play the best to learn how to beat them and become the best. just my 2 cents.

Its going to be interesting to see what Cutler does in that new Chicago offense with new HC Marc Trestman calling the shots. Lets not forget that after OC Ron (sucks) Turner the Bears hired Mike (I'll get the QB killed) Martz and Mike (I don't have a clue) Tice as his OC's. Plus Cutler has played behind some of the very worst lines while in Chicago. The Buffalo Bills offense under Chan Gailey managed to put up some good numbers passing and rushing, but had great difficulty in winning games....kinda why Chan was fired. As intrigued as i am about the Bears new offense this season as I'm also very intrigued about what the Buffalo Bills will do.

I was thinking of almost the same thing the other day, and before the arrest and his release from the Patriots. It could be a good time to be a Bills fan knowing that all Brady has left to start the season is WR Danny Amendola in place of the 100+ catch player in Wes Welker. Danny boy being a player who can't stay healthy, and out of 42 games he started in only 17 in his 7 year career. However they do have ex NYG TE Jake Ballard. Lets not forget that Belichick lost his legend QB for 15 1/2 games and still managed to go 11-5 while beating the Bills 2x with a QB that hadn't started a game since high school. .

I'd rather see the Bills give Michael Turner a shot then Willis again. The Bills need a thumper for the goal line, and Turner knows how to get the ball in the endzone

Logic dictates the best predictor of future performance is past performance. The Bills hired new HC right out of college who came in 4th in the division with an 8-5 record, and with less NFL experience then the previous HCes. This man must now compete in the same division against the winning-est HC the division has seen the past 20 years. Not really a whole heck of a lot to get amped up about from an outside stand point. Bills fans don't have any accountability for anything. Sports writers deal with realism's and not dreams. That said, I'm very intrigued by this new regime, much more so then I have been in any the past decade or so. So far they have made some smart moves IMO. Cutting T-Jax was one good move because you really can't give 3 QB's enough reps to prepare them properly. Now, that may seem like an insignificant move, but it really matters. Not much happening between now and July 28th when camp opens, so I highly doubt any reporter anywhere is gonna go out on a limb and predict great things for this team this year. Really, its still to early to tell.

"6. Straight-forward here. If Da'Rick Rogers stays out of trouble, does he make the Bills roster and what type of contribution can Buffalo expect from him in Year 1 and beyond? I thought he was the top wide receiver talent in the draft. He can be as good as he wants to be. I'll leave it at that." Good stuff, and with SJ and the rookies the Bills could finally have a really great WR corps.

Gotta love the indomitable Bills fans faith and spirit. Never lose it! For me, I'd just be happy to see this new team play well and not get blown out.

Certainly the Jets defense declined since 2009 when they were #1 in both points allowed and yards allowed. That was big mouth Rex's first year. In 2010 they were #6 points & #3 yards respectively. 5th in takeaways In 2011 they were #20 points & #5 yards respectively. 19th in takeaways 2012 they were #20 points & #8 yards respectively. 29th in takeaways So yea, the defense has gone downhill the last 3 years from that lofty #1 ranking. But there might be a few reasons. The first could be that teams became aware of the type of scheme run by the Jets and countered it by watching film and making adjustments. Also, I look at the rosters for those years and have to think the GM was just fired for screwing the team into salary cap hell, along with bad personnel choices. C'mon Aaron Maybin for DE Shaun Ellis? Kyle Wilson for Revis island? I dunno, when a team has to pick up Aaron Maybin to try and generate a pass rush they are in trouble in my view. Mike Pettine has got to be better then George Edwards, Dave Wannstedt.

I highly doubt the most popular sport in America is going to go away anytime soon. Two sports are even more physically damaging then Football are hockey and boxing. With the latter having a primary goal of beating the hell out of your opponent. Racing is a deadly sport where a crash can cause death, and to not only the driver. I don't see the USA changing its ways in 10-20 years, Sorry Lem.

Great head coaches tend to find great QB's. So I would be surprised all all to see the Patriots keep winning without Tom Brady. Rememeber the year the lost him for 15 games, and still went 11-5.

From ESPN: "No. 4: Bills’ offense still work in progress Analysis: Buffalo’s offense struggled this week, and particularly the passing game. Quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and EJ Manuel did not perform well against the various and complex blitz packages of new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The pass protection also was shaky. Pettine is bringing the same formula that’s worked for the Jets the past several years, and Buffalo’s defense certainly had the advantage this week.New Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has about a month to fix some of their issues from minicamp." http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast Yea I know its practice with no pads. But then I think this isn't the 49ers, Texans, NY Giants pass rush.... Its the Buffalo Bills. So, while giving me some hope that the new scheme under Pettine is going to be pretty good this season. It also gives me pause to consider the protections for the rookie QB.

This move just shows that Doug Marrone is infinitely smarter then Chan Gailey who tried to give 3 QB's equal reps in his first year back in 2010. With Fitz, Edwards, Brian Brohm. Anyone else recall that Gailey stated that all three were about equal, and all would be getting equal reps. Now, giving Brohm any reps at all was a complete waste of those prescious reps. Then Gailey focused all the reps to Trent Edwards in pre season only to cut him after two regular season games. Kinda why the Bills went 0-8 to start the 2010 season as Fitz had to learn Gaileys system on the run...literally. NFL HC Chan Gailey was a farce, a supposed QB guru who couldn't distinguish the difference between a sorta decent NFL QB and an absolute bust like Brohm. I'm liking new Bills HC Doug Marrone more and more.

Whats kinda crazy in my view is how colleges don't start training players in proper throwing mechanics their first year in college. Seems like the different colleges just go with whatever style of throwing motion the QB's already have, and If its successful and working for them they don't try and work them into NFL type mechanics. Tim Tebow is a great example, because after throwing the same way all thu high school and college its difficult to re-train them once they hit the NFL. So, bringing in David Lee certainly looked like a boneheaded move last year as Fitz seemed to regress badly. Some QB's like Brady and Manning have had trainers / gurus since high school instructing them in the proper footwork, throwing motions, mechanics. So yea, IQ doesn't mean a lot if you don't work to perfect your craft.

Al Davis and his Raiders used to bring in just about every "bad guy" stereotype in the league and give them a job, its what he did. Now Jerry Jones and his Cowbows seems to have picked up where Davis left off. Still, very few humans on the planet are raised perfectly with no flaws, no mistakes, no bad history. Even the ones that grow up in that perfect environment seem to sometimes find trouble. The thing is, did they learn from their errors, mistakes and mature. Some do, some don't, and it is difficult to discern the difference sometimes with young people. The question is how many chances do you give them? I would suppose that would depend on the level of talent. Ex NYGiant LBer great Lawrence Taylor once stated "hey man" i just got paid and I have 98k in my pocket... time to find some drugs and hookers! Which meant he was doing this during the season. Kinda why the league now drug tests players to protect the shield. Buffalo Bills Marshawn Lynch was a supposed mamas boy when drafted, and he managed to find trouble in a small market city like Buffalo. One more brush with the law and he is suspended for a year. But then look back at the 90's Bills. Bill Polian had a fleet of undercover detectives following Bruce Smith around to make certain he stayed out of trouble. Again, one more brush and he would have been gone a year. What did he do? He pulled it together and became a hall of famer. Anyway, the Buffalo Bills took a chance on a few players this year that have a somewhat bad history. Did those players learn from their mistakes, who really knows whats in their respective hearts. Point is, nobody is perfect. Its what they do after their mistakes that defines them.

I have no love for the guy either, but I see that he was a winner in both college AND the NFL, which is a rarity in my view. Its also not getting the hate spewed by Bills fans in this forum. Yea i got sick of hearing about him also but i just simply watch something else rather then complain about it.

Allow me to reiterate, he also won in the NFL. Took over a 1-4 team, and then managed to guide them to the division title and the playoffs. Then managed to beat the Steelers in the playoffs. To me this kid is the anti-Trent Edwards who always looked great in practice, and then floundered once on the field. Tebow looks like crap in practice but manages play great at times, and inspire his team to wins Most of the Bills fans in this forum blame the QB for the majority of the teams failure to win games, and yet with Tebow, Bills fans want to say the team carried him to wins. Anyway, I'll be pissed if he turns out to be a play maker for the Patriots. Belichick did this to stick it to the Jets IMO.

College statistics and records At the end of his college career, Tebow held 5 NCAA 14 Southeastern Conference, and 28 University of Florida statistical records. He was the SEC's all-time leader in career passing efficiency (170.8), completion percentage (67.1%), passing touchdown to interception ratio (5.5 to 1), rushing yards by a quarterback (2947), rushing touchdowns (any position) (57), and total touchdowns responsible for (145) Among many mentions in the NCAA Division-I record book, Tebow is ranked second in career passing efficiency, third in career yards per attempt (9.33), 8th in career rushing touchdowns, and also owns the record for most consecutive games in which he both threw at least one touchdown pass and scored at least one rushing touchdown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tebow ATHLON ranks him #2 in the top 50 QB's of the BCS era 2. Tim Tebow, Florida (2006-09) Stats: 9,285 yds, 88 TD, 16 INT, 66.4%, 2,947 yds, 57 TD The top two quarterbacks are a cut above the rest as Tebow is the only player who can challenge Young for top honors. Four years of huge statistics makes him the all-time SEC leader in total yards, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and passing efficiency (170.8). He won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 as well as the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Award. He won the SEC Player of the Year, Manning and Maxwell Awards the following year in which he led Florida to its second national title in three years. He fell one game shy in 2009 of playing in — and likely winning — three national titles in four years. His speech following the loss to Ole Miss in '08 has been immortalized in Gator football lore. http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-top-50-quarterbacks-bcs-era NBC Sports has him at #2 http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32696409

TT is arguably one of the greatest college QB's ever, and the kid managed to not only take his NFL team to the playoffs. But win a playoff game against the notoriously always good Pittsburgh Steelers So there will always be some media hype to this guy, religion, no religion. I have no idea why the Jacksonville Jags whose fans love TT (the Jags have to cover part of their seats every game due to lack of attendance) didn't jump on the chance to sign him just to put butts in seats. Anyway, I'm pulling for the kid to do good....just not against the Bills.