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coddled in college. coddled in the nfl. yes, coddling the quarterback is always the best move. really sends a good message to his teammates that a rookie -- a rookie -- is more important than them. i guess the big-bad media is far more intimidating than an oncoming defensive end or linebacker. jw

to answer a few questions here: -- sound quality was bad on my end, too. found it difficult hearing some of the questions. seems like the trouble was at their end. -- no, i don't get paid for this stuff. i do like to stick to speaking to folks i know or those whom i've dealt with in the past. Vic is a great guy, and he has me on occasionally through the year. as for the QB thoughts, it's something i've come up with on my own. but not surprised it's been discussed here. jw

these are all phenomenal. well done. jw

why do all these posters keep referring to Stevie being in Buffalo for 7 years? why do several posters keep referring to Johnson being here for 7 years. It's 6 (six). jw

LA is essentially not part of the discussion in regards to the Bills at this moment. unlikely it will be. and Toronto may soon be out of the picture, too. jw

Thanks, folks. I believe a beer or 3 might well be in my future, despite what my hororrscope says. jw

i wouldn't say "bristled." as for another poster here suggesting that players need time to get accustomed to the spotlight of the NFL, well, i'm not sure i would agree with that in this case here. i'm quite confident in saying that EJ dealt with far more members of the media playing in Florida than he does playing in Buffalo. and in my time, i've seen players, quarterbacks, included, show innate abilities of being comfortable in front of the cameras, and others who struggle. that said, i don't as much judge players by how they act in front of the media, as opposed to how they act when the cameras are not on. at times, on camera, EJ has talked a good game. at times, that talk has not reflected well on the field. as for off the field, i've not seen enough of EJ to allow me to form an opinion one way or another. ... that said, i know there are concerns being expressed regarding the QB, and how important this season is for EJ to start showing definitive signs of growth. jw

and ... ? jw

so, let me get this straight in regards to what counts for news at this time of year. Bills have the ninth pick. That suggest there will be better players available before it comes time to make a selection. Bills like better players. Best way to get better players is to consider trading up. Bills will then consider trading up, because it's the responsible thing to do. That said, no guarantee they will be able to get a deal done. Which means, Bills will then consider staying at No. 9. Or perhaps, trading down to add pick. The sky remains blue. jw

that's the question, no? any quarterback young or old is going to face this challenge and this pressure, whether it's in Buffalo or Cleveland or Oakland -- or replacing Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. the pressure and dealing with it comes with the job. that you suggest that it might have been "overwhelming" is not a good attribute for a quarterback. not sure if he was, in fact, overwhelmed, but there were enough times in practice and in games where it could have looked that way. again, not discounting him or the ability of anyone to grow and mature from one season -- especially a rookie season -- to the next. we'll know more about EJ by October. jw

first off, i'm going to be 51 on Saturday. second, i've devoted more than half my life covering athletes. and there comes a time in this business when you can figure out which youngster has signs of maturity and which one might still be lacking in that area. and that especially includes dealing with quarterbacks, of which there have been many -- young, old and inbetween -- that have been through this town over the past 15 years. are you suggesting that i am not in a position to judge maturity because i'm old? hmmm. does not being a fan of the Replacements count for nothin? is there an age of limitations in which we no longer are capable of judging character or maturity? c'mon. questions about EJ's sensitivity to criticism have been raised numerous times. and i also went out and placed blame on him for calling his injury in the Cleveland game as some kind of "fluke," as if he was not in a position to be blamed by failing to get out of bounds. that's being mature, too, given the position he holds on the team, and the fact that the Bills lacked any experienced depth behind him. i most recently noted EJ's sensitivity to criticism in my most recent story, a piece i wrote last week on EJ, and how he is eager to shed questions and concerns raised during his rookie season. linky: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bills-qb-manuel-eager-shed-rookie-questions The story included this graph, in which he was quoted as saying, "I had some success. And I had some bad games as well. It's obvious." Manuel wasn't kidding, and the bluntness he provided in assessing his up-and-down season was a departure from a player who had become defensive in the face of criticism last year. it's a good start to a new year. jw

never entirely specified. if you're referring to some of the rumors floating around, i've heard them, too, but they would be very difficult to pin down given how secretive everyone is about these things. jw and no, i have no intention of expanding on what i just wrote. sorry.

have absolutely loved Vikings from the beginning. Love. It. nerd alert: have always been intrigued by the actual Vikings and learned even more about them during a trip to Ireland a few years back. it's absolutely fascinating how this rag-tag civilization was so ahead of its time when it came to exploring by, essentially, necessity. jw

Apologies for being overly ornery. It's been a tough 2 months. jw

yep, too much effort to deal with you. easier to ignore. be happy, i think you're among the first for me. jw

but on a more serious note, i guess by your imploring, you don't appreciate the fact that there is not enough time in a day or a week to track down all this information, while spending time covering other matters, be it the trade for Mike Williams, the end of the Sabres season, spending what free time i have with my wife or rushing off to spend a weekend with a sick relative before rushing back to make sure i'm here to cover Ted Nolan's contract extension less than a week after Ralph Wilson's death. but why get into all those details, when all you demand are answers. a little touchy, gdam straight i am. jw

geez, the journalism profession you speak of seems so easy, where information just falls from the sky, and all the questions are tied up and answered so easily, as if by the wavef of some magic wand. you implore me you say. good for you. implore all you want, but you're imploring doesn't pay my bills. you demand answers to questions as if they are easily asked. as if we live in some sort of movie-version of journalism where you can go to the corner store and buy a deep throat off the shelf. how about you stop trying to insult me with your implorations and attempt to understand how my job works. thin-skinned, sure, with yahoos like you who have difficulty separating speculation and fact. i don't deal in speculation. i pin down the facts. but, of course, you know better. like WEO, you pretend to understand exactly who i've talked to and where my stories are coming from. perhaps, it's easy and convenient to be part of a message board where posts can be debated ad naseum. i don't deal with posts. i deal with people, and getting close to those people in the know. and there are times when someone may know something without direct knowledge and it takes days, perhaps weeks, to pin that information down. we at the AP would rather be cautious than wrong. if we're not first, at least we can be right. but you don't understand that, because you seem to think that we in the business have Mary Wilson on speed dial. good for you. call me thin-skinned. but keep in mind that i will argue that, based on your posts, you have no idea of where i'm coming from or what my job entails. so there, we're even. i'm regurgitating stuff, and you're speaking out of your blow-hole. there, i didn't hold back either. jw i'd even suggest that there was more to last weekend's story that, as a result of double-checking and asking questions, that we elected to take out. but you wouldn't believe that anyway because all we do here is sit around and interact with our critics on message boards. believe what you want.

amazing how many out-of-towners who have come through Buffalo over the past year have commented on the visible signs of change. heck, we can see it reflected in the value of our home and the amount of new restaurants and businesses popping up in our neighborhood. jw

some people choose to live in vacuums in which everything stays the same, bbb. jw

feel better about yourself, telling me off. odd, that there are some here on the board who do appreciate my postings. i'll continue despite you, and/or perhaps to spite you. jw

i know all the answers and more, but not willing to share them because of your attitude here. so you've spoiled it for everyone. jw

Jim has gone public with his cancer battle, and yet you suggest we leave him be, while he and his family are inviting reporters into his personal space and providing regular updates on social media platforms. aware of the sensitive nature of his illness, no one to my knowledge has gone directly to Jim to ask him questions about his ownership intentions. The AP and The Buffalo News directly approached Jim's brother and business partner, Dan, not Jim. the Bills will be going up for sale soon, and to suggest it's not newsworthy to determine the Kelly's intention is odd. the media would just as quickly be chided had it failed to ask these questions. as far as suggesting Jim hasn't put together a "long-rumored" Kelly group is also a bit specious and/or naive. Are you suggesting that no plans were put in place for Jim to prepare for the Bills to go on sale prior to Ralph Wilson's death? really think you're off on this. jw

happy 25th Jerry. jw

was just gonna post this. the Browns sale just broke $1 billion. unsure what this "just over half of" $1.5 billion is in reference to. but in WEO's mind, i've rarely been accurate about anything, so take this post with a grain of salt. jw

correct. jw