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it might be the other way around, but it's still ok to hail troup, i guess, even if that should happen. jw

that'll teach you for coming back! jw

well, there other terms to: muffed punt. double dribble. holding the stick. the end-around. tight end eligible. jw

it's well known that men -- well, boys, which is generally most men -- can make anything sound sexual. ac/dc and arrowsmith, in fact, made entire careers out of it. sports phrases also work, with my favorite involving a guy's significant other no longer using a certain contraceptive device to which she's now "pulled the goalie." jw

unfortunately, i live in the city. and goats -- like sheep -- are baaaaa-rred. jw

sheesh, the grass ain't getting any shorter around here. jw

good, that means you're rested up to help me with some yardwork. oh, and bring the beer. jw

i'd write with all due respect, but that's apparently out the window on this one, given the throwback namecalling and the continuing attempt to calcify the old status quo. jesus, that's wrong and hate-riddled and, as you would put it, slimy. there's nothing more unredeemingly mean and repellant than what you just wrote, which utterly voids any point you were attempting to make. it's beyond mean, ugly and wrong, it's ignorant. and i won't even make a point of arguing this because i'm not sure my loud voice could penetrate the deep cold hole you seem to live in. what you stand for is something no one should lie for. it's beneath anything anyone should ever post on what has been a respectable board and i'm ashamed for you, because apparently your head's screwed on far too tightly for reason to sink in, given the responses that you've made in this thread. you're wrong. you're hopelessly and blindly wrong. jw

sir, i demanded a yes or no answer. why must you make it so difficult! jw

oh, my mistake. here's essentially what happened. entering the 2007 season, Aaron Schobel had 3 years left on his contract when the Bills approached him to redo the deal. over the final three seasons of his deal at that time, he was scheduled to make about $8 million. under the terms of the new deal, he was guaranteed $20 million (not including bonuses). essentially, what he received was a $12 million raise. given that he was a pass-rushing specialist coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance, he got essentially market value. and the deal is HEAVILY back-loaded. through the past three years, he earned $5.75 million in base salary. if he is such a money-grubber as you say, why wouldn't he stick around and attempt to collect the $27.525 million in base salary he is due over the next four seasons -- includuing a "modest" $6.025 million this year? yeah, that's greed for you. a guy stands to make $8 million this year, and he's not sure if he wants to come back. and here's what's worse: upon signing the deal, Schobel then ripped the city of Buffalo by saying, and I quote: "I like it here. This is my kind of style. I'm a small-town guy. I like the organization, I like the fans." jw

Kelly, if that is your name: yes/no? jw

yes, and he doesn't want to debate San Jose but winds up throwing down the gauntlet in a bid to debate him. San Jose: it's your move. your first assignment is to define: Rhetorical. ... Go! jw

wrong, wrong, wrong. torbor can play both inside and outside. and, for your information, he's practiced at the outside spot this week. get your facts straight what kind of engine are we talking about, and how did we lose that oil. is it a persistent leak or did someone not fasten the plug properly. i'd personally get it to a mechanic, because this could lead to severe maintenance problems. i encountered this problem with my last car and the entire engine sezied up and i broke a rod. got $250 for it, so i'd suggest a mechanic, and i've got a real good one, who just happens to be down the road from Ralph Wilson Stadium. i can hook you up if you like, though i'm not sure what his opinion is of Aaron Schobel or whether he even worked on his cars. he might have, so i'll ask him, because he's got some brake work to do on my car next week. ... -- i don't recall him demanding a renegotiated contract. the bills, i believe, in fact approached him. -- one good year? really? (oh, sorry, you actually clarified your position in between brackets, so not to confuse your point) -- two good years, really? -- what do you mean he was never a good company man? when did he rip the Bills other than to say things were a little dysfunctional last season, which, for all intents and purposes they were. -- correct me if i'm wrong, but Gordie Howe was never captain of the Detroit Red Wings. man, he stunk. again, the Bills were aware of Schobel's uncertainty. why are you blaming him solely for this. fixed it for you. jw

drafted his replacement? the bills are/were well aware of Aaron Schobel's position. he informed the team of his uncertainty during end of year meetings. as noted in my story from yesterday, he spoke with management in March in hopes to work out a deal that would allow him to get certain days off to travel home to be with his family. the bills were certainly aware of Schobel's position, given that Buddy Nix in March noted the possibility that he'll retire. so what the heck are you going on about. this didn't come from left field. and why would you say he's tired of Buffalo? where do you get that. he's never said it. he's growing tired of football and the wear and tear on his body. he would've retired after last season if not for the fact that he surprised himself by being so productive. he likes Buffalo. in fact, if you check my story from yesterday, there was a note that he vows to return to Buffalo at some point because he can't resist the wings up here. too often, people like to make these things one-sided. either he stinks or he's great. well, there's a true gray area here and why not respect the fact that he spent 9 years here, marched to his own drumbeat, never caused a commotion and was a consistent producer. we get it. you don't like him. jw

yes, the moral of most of those stories is when to stop. still working on that part. jw

well, i didn't want you to be BLINDSIDEd. jw

because Aaron Schobel's family -- his parents, his wife's parents, his brothers, his friends -- live in Texas. that is where he is from and that's where he plans to live once he's finished playing. he wants his kids to be with his family, his entire family as they grow up. also, his children are now of school age. why should they be put in a position to make friends at schools in Buffalo when it's very apparent they won't be able to keep them as friends because they won't be living here in Buffalo for very long. it's a simple math equation. jw

in my opinion, morals are not entirely taught, but learned, grasped and formed. and no one is equal. the perception that all students will get the same message from on teacher because of his/her background is a little far-reaching, i think. learning morals and building one's own set of ideas is an individualistic thing and based on common-day occurances, traumatic situations and simply, merely falling out of one's bed. a teacher can teach 2 and 2 equaling 4, but it's not as easy when it comes to teaching something as vague and complex as morals. there's no arguing that a teacher has influence over his/her students, but there's far more to life to a child that happens outside the classroom. how, otherwise, do people grow up to become so different. it's not as if all the contrarians, like myself, were taught by one teacher, and all the follow-the-leader types by another? that's far too simplistic a notion, don't you think. it's easy, i think, for everyone to believe there should be one course curriculum taught and never strayed from. what's missed is that these courses aren't taught in vacuums or by robots. i didn't know the backgrounds of my elementary school teachers and really, nor did i care. at that time, it was all about me and recess, which i'm sure it was for many of us. personally, i'm against the whole suburban culture, finding it to be one stale, in-bred middle-class haven for stifling individualism. don't know how that fits here, but i like the sentence so i'll keep it. jw

sloppy seconds. heck, maybe thirds. dump her. jw

well, as noted before my 'GR gig this past week, i do admit to having a "radio" face. jw

quit feeding the troll (me) ... jw

correct. that's the same list that Jason Peters was on during his contract dispute with the Bills. jw

i think the question is somewhat slanted. the same question can be asked in this sense: was Schobel that bad? a better way to phrase it, to be objective, would be "Rate Schobel's tenure." but i'm picking nits, i guess. the answer, i think to all of those questions was he was better than average and worthy of his two Pro Bowl selections. adequate pass-rushing defensive ends are hard to find, especially ones that can average 8-plus sacks a season. given how messed up the Bills defense was during part of Schobel's tenure, i think it's a testament to how better than average that he was. was he in the Jason Taylor caliber? no. there's nothing wrong with that. and he wasn't in the Erik Flowers' caliber either. and that's not an altogether unfair comparison given that Flowers was a late first round pick and Schobel selected in the second. those posters, however, who label Schobel as "a tool" etc. seem to do so from the comfort of their knee-jerk anonymity because it's far easier to be negative, and especially on the intrawebs, where few really have to justify their opinions, so long as they have them, and so long they're as outrageous as possible to get noticed. but really, what's the point of having a reasoned discussion when being a blowhard is much easier. jw

buddy, please read this through carefully. he hasn't received one cent of the bonus money. jw

without knowing the details of the contract, i would guess -- and this is a guess -- that once a player in Schobel's case misses a reporting deadline, then there could well be some provisions written into the deal that require a certain amount of playing time. it's also very likely that there were already such provisions written into most -- all? -- standard contracts in regards to roster bonuses, preventing a player from reporting and then, say, retiring and/or holding out. i should have made this clearer in my piece, and will do so the next time this issue is revisited. and trust me it will be. jw