Delete This Account

made several calls, but nothing factual to report. don't want to dismiss them outright, because there's too much chatter out there, so difficult at this point to figure out if people are repeating the speculation or actually have direct knowledge to it. from what i gather from several folks, people might be over-reacting to Thurman's tweet as something that will have meaningful impact in the near future. i also know that one prominent agent, who represents several high-profile coaches, had not been contacted as of last Monday. jw

don't know if sports journalism is a mess. the trouble is, it might appear to be more of a mess than it is, given that so many people are speculating on everything, and there's more ways to speculate, and it's more immediate. there are things that i've heard and attempted to verify, and may believe to be somewhat true if not entirely, but i can't report them as of yet because i don't have someone with direct knowledge of the facts. i don't think that's irresponsible. i'm sure there are colleagues of mine in the same boat. you yourself pointed out that few things get out of the inner circle. and that is certainly the case. what happens, though, is someone tweets something, and someone else claims to have "inner sources" and many go riding roughshod speculating on what it means. it takes time and patience to track some of these things down. and many prove to be wrong. the AP for example has not reported anything because, at this point, there is nothing new and fact-based to report. doesn't mean we're not checking. jw as an example of one rumor/speculation that can be crossed off the list: i understand that a while back that the proposal for a stadium in Niagara Falls has long been off the table.

this from a "global moderator." way to set the tone. i need to go, and yet you can stay. that's bull. jw

this team has lacked identity. it's as if they thought they could catch lightning in a bottle from the start of last year again this year. there really didn't seem to be a focus on "team building." it was instead relying on Mario and the defense to bail out the offense this year. yikes. i really do think that Nelson's loss is being under-estimated, and something that set the entire offense back from the beginning. it's on Buddy and Chan for failing to recognize that and address it. and i think the team's decision to cut Hagan was a mistake. ... the problem is, Chan is open to criticism when it comes to leaning on players who understand his system. if it's that complex, then it's time to try something new and something far more pliable than rigid. Chandler became Nelson by default. keeping John Potter on the roster was a mistake. same with going with three qbs. that was very poor roster management. jw no, i'm tired with the scattershot, kneejerking comments being made in the media, by the media and on this board. if no one's going to stick up for Chan, i'll volunteer because though much of what's been said and written is fair comment, some of it is mean-spirited and off-base. i'm not in a position to make a campaign to keep Chan Gailey, but if he's on his way out, he deserves better, because he's been more genuine than many here will give him credit for. jw and with that, gotta run. see ya.

don't change the subject. you wrote Chan has lied and has not taken the blame. he has not lied, in fact he's been more open to a fault, which has resulted in more criticism, and taken the blame. his coaching decisions are open to second-guessing. have at it. but your accusations are off the mark. he has said that Choice was filling the role of Jackson, which was part of the game plan. i do believe Chan has been far too conservative in sticking and to intent on sticking to his game plan, which has made it difficult on the offense to make in-game adjustments. but to suggest he's lying and not taking the blame, well, stick to the point: you were wrong. jw no. as of today, Gailey's record is 15-32. jw

it's 15-32. jw

no, it's not. but no one has come to his defense, particularly the Bills front-office of late. and the argument has been so one-sided in my opinion that someone has to step in to say something. i've said all along, Gailey is open to plenty of criticism, but some of it's unwarranted and unfair. as for your Jets comparison: so? jw fair points. good case. i do think there is a system in place. the trouble is, no one envisioned the system would include no Nelson, Chandler, Jones and Jackson. and i do believe Buddy, when he's said no one believed it would take the defense this long to come together. and i do think the Bills ought to be openly criticized for failing to address the LB position. jw

wrong. he has been more upfront than many of his predecessors. and he's taken more of the blame -- at the expense of players -- than you suggest. let's be fair here, and this is my point because people are piling on with misdirected accusations and arguments such as this above. Chan has taken the blame each time he's been asked about it after every loss. it was the case after Tennessee, and it was certainly the case last week, when he said: "the buck stops with me." criticize him all you want, but don't start making things up. gregg williams never took the blame. and mularkey was squirmy with the facts during his time. this has not been the case with Chan. jw i haven't read all 18 of your posts, but based on this, i'm guessing i haven't missed much because this post adds nothing to any discussion. jw

since you asked, in my opinion, the team went wrong before the season began by failing to address two key positions of need: linebacker and receiver, and maybe not in that order it was evident in camp that both spots were thin. the belief was the d-line could overcome whatever problems there were at lb and yet, the bills front-office kind of middled it. they cut dwan edwards and merrriman and mckillop. one and possibly two of the three would have helped. same thing at receiver. here's the thing about Fitzpatrick, too, and those who have claimed that Gailey is "married" to the qb. that is not the case. since the beginning, both Chan and Buddy have consistenty said that if there is a qb there whom they believe is a "franchise guy" then they'll draft him. have they missed on a few? yes. were there questions about some of them that the bills have missed on, yes again. trouble is, there were so many holes to address on this roster that it's difficult to say that a qb would've fixed everything. defense was and still is a mess, but it's closer to being better than it was, i think. offense has a line and rb in place. that said, the bills didn't start at square 1 under buddy and chan. they were actually at about square minus-1 back then. some things have not panned out. that's true. and criticize the bills all you want. but i find too many people are basing their criticism on 13 years and not 3. and the headlong rush for change has it"s consequences. what, good folk, is your plan B should Chan and Buddy be fired? there's expected to be what i've been told as "a seismic shift" in the nfl coaching ranks this offseason, with as many as 10 teams making changes. you tell me, what top 5 -- nay, top 10 -- coaching candidates would choose Buffalo -- where dysfunction rules and coaches get no more than 3 years to prove themselves -- over other more favorable landing spots such as say Chicago, San Diego or New Orleans. have at it all you want. and if you get your wish that the coach is gone, let's have the whole thing blown up yet again, so that we can have this conversation in 2015. jw

i'm a professional after all. ... and it's time to pack it in. i will be back. jw

jeepers. we agree. ... sorry? jw

strange, eh? me seeking tolerance. jw

trying my best ... i've got a few more sips in me, Jim. jw

it's not banter. c'mon. let's be real here. it's pure and unadulterated cheapshots that have been exhanged far too many times on this board and in the media. banter does not get personal. banter does not compare a person to trash. banter does not go on for three weeks and running on WGR or in The Buffalo News. banter does not lead to the cheapshots taken by WGRZ a few night ago, when someone turned to Twitter to find three mean-spirited comments to share on air. there's banter and there's piling on, and i'm absolutely sick of it. someone had mentioned recently that Chan looked defeated. well, geez, no guff. after this season gone wrong and three weeks of questions and criticism, who wouldn't? quit pretending this is some kind of video game and there's not a person at the end of this hook. because, like it or not, there is. so i don't buy this acceptance that anyone could sign up for this. it's bad enough to deal with this losing, than to become a pinata for everyone to take a whack at without the defense of an owner, treasurer, CEO or GM these days. go ahead, bash away in consumation and see how far that gets you to feeling less empty. jw

wha? and please respond to your allegations to the lease not getting done because i'd have to suggest that your credibility is in question. jw hey, if the trash can fits. jw and you started this, not me.

why, are you a loser, too? jw your attempt at cheapshot humor has left me whelmed. i'm not kidding. i'm attempting to make one last stand at the far too many cheapshots that have been taken at a person's expense. this is wrong and mean and shameful.

the AP article doesn't make it seem like anything. the AP has reported that there have been no formal talks with Levitre and Byrd. jw

thanks, BPA. i'll report what i know, and so far what i know is that nothing has been decided. my folks could be wrong, but that's all i know. jw

none of this makes sense. something called the no spin zone reporting that "it's friends" at Si are reporting that a coach is going to be fired in Buffalo even though the article it references is speculative at best. i hope this isn't some dog chasing its tail. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy that is based on nothing concrete. i'm not saying it might not happen, but to base any conclusions on this is questionable. and i'm tired of folks piling on on Chan. this witch hunt has gone on long enough. let's have a little empathy here. Gailey's been swinging in the wind for far too long without any support from ownership, the CEO or Buddy Nix, who's suddenly gone silent. this topic has been beaten for far too long, with far too many people taking far too much pleasure out of it. let's remember this is an actual person who has tried his best to turn this franchise around and to a degree failed. i'm not saying Chan's not open to criticism but i'd hate to think no one here has never been wrong. i'm tired of this boring, dull topic, with one dozen threads popping up at a moment's notice. good god, have some respect. jw and yeah, i'm in a mood to start taking people on because enough of this is enough, and i'm tired of the mob-rule mentality that some in the media have taken. i'll remain contrarian and objective and question why this is being viewed through a 13-year prism and not a 3-year one. the team has been dysfunctional for longer than Chan and Buddy have been here. but few seems to want to acknowledge that, and instead lay all the blame on the current regime for the troubles past. for shame. for shame. i thought people here had better perspective.

not sure what is up, so won't speculate. jw

from what i've been told, the attendance figure from the game against the Seahawks was the closest accurate figure they're released in regards to tickets sold since the series debuted five years ago. ... also, the game is controlled by Rogers, not the Bills, so it is on them to provide attendance figures. i'm not entirely sure why you pin this on Russ. jw

that's right folks, "beacon of baloney." ... as for improvements, a new scoreboard for east end of end zone. moving the team store into a plaza fronting Abbott. looks like a new expanded concession/restaurant in east end. the money's upfront in the first year of the deal, so expect to see the enhancements sooner than later. jw oh, didn't realize he had been banned. jw

just wondering, has Joe W chimed in on this thread? either way, i'd like to point out that after all the back and forth he's had with numerous posters including myself that he was wrong. jw

i'd hesitate on using those numbers as Rogers officials have acknowledged this year that previous games were papered, and the attendance figures provided were tickets issued. this year, it was Rogers policy to reduce ticket giveaways to fill the house. the tickets sold were going to be the tickets sold. if Brandon is correct in suggesting this is the best Toronto's done in regards to ticket sales, than it's worrisome to imagine how many tickets they had actually sold for the previous games. jw

was told by Jones' agent, Cliff LaBoy, that the illness is related to the calf injury and not serious. did not expand on how Jones hurt his calf. jw