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the one flaw comes in the event a place-kicker or punter wind up being a need. i guess they could work that in during leap years. jw

barring Buffalo adding a corporate headquarters or two, and adding maybe 100,000 in population, i don't know if the numbers work without wide-scale regionalization. then again, it's a different story should the team stay within the family. jw

it has been suggested that the Bills would sink sooner than later if they restrict their games to WNY. say what you will of the current five-year deal, it has opened the door for more southern Ontario fans to plunk their money on tickets at the Ralph, and also led to further marketing spinoffs. all in one, it has made the Bills and Buffalo (Orchard Park) a more attractive market. i don't think it's any coincidence that Bills season-ticket sales have been among the franchise's best since the Bills in Toronto series began. and that comes even with what's been a perennial loser. as much as Bills fans don't like the T.O. experiment, i think it helps the franchise. jw

no, you miss my point. if you stock your entire team with offensive players, it should thus give you an altogether better chance to score points, as you'll always be on offense even if you don't have the ball. offensive players are trained to produce points, so it would be instinctive for them to score whether they were playing on offense or defense. just look at what George Wilson did when they moved him over. he had more catches as a DB than he did as an WR. why can't they do that with other players. i'm actually somewhat agreeing with you, though suggesting that you didn't go far enough with your argument. teams should stock their rosters with offensive players, that way they don't have to be defensive when it comes to fans criticizing them for their picks. jw

and yet you choose to concentrate on the negative. it's been noted in this thread that i had stated my belief is that i'm 65-70 percent confident the Bills will stay in WNY. the sky isn't always falling, you know. jw

why draft defense at all? if you would fill your entire roster with offensive players, then you would have a better chance of scoring whether you had the ball or not as they are more accustomed to finding the end zone and, thus, producing points. jw

no i wasn't chased away. i've been back posting since January. everything is speculation, but i'll stick to what i said on 'GR last season in regards to the chances of the Bills staying put. i'll even up it to 95 percent chance in projecting the Bills will stay in this region (including Toronto). jw

no problem. as for Modrak's thoughts on the Bills picks: he was a team player and always talked up the selections. though he'd occasionally express disappointment of the team's record, he was always positive and upbeat. i don't know what was said behind closed doors. Tom always played his cards close to the vest. but he would never rock the boat publicly, while accepting whatever blame was placed on him. again, a team player. jw

the OP made that claim by virtue of the title of this thread. as for your extensive post, there's not much there i could argue with. one thing that does need to be factored in is how the constant upheaval messed with the draft and the types of players the team chose. different coaches coming in wanting different types of players, with different coordinators, especially on the offensive side of the ball, certainly didn't lead to much stability or continuity. jw

baloney. jw

you're kidding, right. unless you actually believe canada revolves around the u.s., the 51st state and all, right? PET was more of a JFK figure in Canada, rather than an Obama figure to begin with. dumbed down? leftist cradle? ... oh, sorry, i forgot, the entire world revolves around sean hannity's hair and the tea party. after all, if palin can see russia from her house, i'm sure she can see canada. good god. what imperialistic delusion. let me then sum up your argument: jw

i'd love covering the NBA once again. Birmingham was the Barracudas. Shreveport Pirates. Sacramento Gold Miners. Las Vegas Posse ... lasted like three games before folding. Memphis Mad Dogs. the Baltimore franchise couldn't use the Colts. they went with the Stallions and also the Baltimore Football Club, i believe. and i forgot the San Antonio Texans. i wrote about this prior to the Bills first regular season game in Toronto. in fact, i still have media guides for a number of these teams, as i covered the CFL during my days in Vancouver. jw thanks. i'd like to thank the academy ... jw

years of sloppy experience. jw

little late, Joe. back in the 1990s, the CFL made a failed bid to expand into the U.S., attempting to plug teams into such high profile markets as Sacramento, Las Vegas, Birmingham, Shreveport (of all places), Memphis (i think) and Baltimore. the only market that worked proved to be Baltimore, which was still reeling from losing the Colts to Indy. in fact, the Colts band still marched at CFL games and Baltimore eventually became the first U.S. team to compete in the Grey Cup, and lose, before winning it (i think they won it), the following year. of course, the NFL caught on and brought football back to Baltimore, and that was the end of the CFL in the U.S. jw

mixed or neat, drinking whiskey eventually makes us sloppy. jw

i have personal knowledge, otherwise i wouldn't have written what i've written here. i hope you're not asking me to reveal sources. jw

screwjack* jw *hunter s. thompson short story.

and led zepplin yawned. jw (sorry, blz/pooj, the music snob in me couldn't resist.)

sorry, Mr. Ignatieff, you tried that tack in the election, and look where that got you. jw

i'll agree with you to a point on this one. i very much like Aztec Camera's version of this song, which came out a few years later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bzKzbucdnE jw

i took a more round-about approach in concurring with you. jw

thus my point: "again, i'm not saying Modrak is blameless. but he wasn't operating in a vacuum or from a position of true authority. blame him. blame everyone, no?" jw

believe what you will. and if you don't trust me and the people i've spoken to, then i refer you to colleague Mark Gaughan, who had this to write in his Modrak fired story: "Modrak did not champion Maybin's cause before the 2009 draft. Jauron wanted that pick." http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article412832.ece i did not share my insights with Mark, and Mark did not share his with me. and yet we have reached the same conclusions. jw

and yet, who said the bills are moving? jw

-- McCargo was part of draft in which the defense was going to small, athletic guys (Larry Triplett types). -- The team was hellbent on a safety, and Donte was the next one left on the board. The fact that he was rated 18th or 20th apparently didn't mean much. how is that Modrak's fault. -- Donahoe wanted a quarterback. he failed to move up to land Roesthlisberger, and elected to take a shot on Losman. he wanted a quarterback. how is this Modrak's fault. -- Jauron wanted a pass-rushing specialist. others in that room and on Jauron's staff were unsure about Maybin. the Bills took maybin. how is that Modrak's fault? -- Modrak did not have the final say in the room. the prospect of being over-ruled is thus rendered moot because Donahoe, Jauron and currently Nix had more authority over the first-round selections. again, i'm not saying Modrak is blameless. but he wasn't operating in a vacuum or from a position of true authority. blame him. blame everyone, no? jw