Delete This Account

yes. as an undrafted free agent. the scouting department handles that. jw so as not to repeat myself, i refer you to my points made in another thread: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/130072-rank-the-modrak-first-round-picks/page__view__findpost__p__2160432 jw

are we to infer you're small and not so good looking and ... more important: how good looking is your girlfriend? of course, this scenario leaves open a number of unanswered and potentially icky questions: -- what's he mean by "visit"? -- did he wink when he said that? -- maybe he likes to watch? -- how did you two happen to meet in order to have this conversation? -- why did you lose your girlfriend in the first place? -- plumbing issues? -- i hope you're not the jealous pitiful type who'd say, 'Geez, you better not leave me for a bigger, better-looking guy,' cause that's just opening the door for a breakup? -- have you two been going out long? -- maybe you need a better-paying job? -- this wasn't one of those platonic relationships, in which you actually thought she was your girlfriend, even though she was seeing guys on the side, was it? -- i really hope that's not the case, cause those are the worst. -- is it possible you missed her birthday or something, like leaving the toilet seat up? man, some of that's unforgivable. -- or maybe you spent the whole weekend lying on the couch, watching sports, leaving her to go out with her friends with the potential to meet bigger, better-looking guys? well, hell, no wonder she left. what kind of putz are you. and now you're put in this embarrassing situation in which the guy is poking a finger in your eye egging you on to come over and see her, any time, without any worry about what might happen because he's confident nothing will. man, this is getting pathetic. no wonder she left. you pretty much pushed her out the door. jw

as i've noted in several posts over past few days, in various threads, my feeling is Modrak wound up being the odd-man out, and his role was being duplicated by Nix, who has far more influence on the draft since taking over. this has clearly become Buddy and Chan's show, negating Modrak's voice. it's also become clear that the Bills are stocking up with mostly Southern-based players, which is which is essentially Nix's territory. Modrak's ties were mostly northeast and midwest. it should also be noted that as my colleague Mark Gaughan pointed out, Modrak likely had a lot of say in Nix's hiring. jw you forget that we're dealing with the Bills here, who are coming off a dysfunctional decade, during which there's been a mass upheaval at the top, with the leading positions filled by various personalities: from the uber-controlling Donahoe, to the laissez-fair Levy, to the company man Brandon. add in Jauron, who worked his way into obtaining control to fill the vaccuum of power. each attempted to place his stamp on the team. and after Donahoe left, none had direct ties to Modrak, who essentially became a "draft consultant," which is how i see it. i'm not saying this is the way to manage a draft or manage a team. what i'm saying is that this more resembles the reality of how things worked. jw

are they Modrak's picks? he might make up the board, however, first-rounders being what they are, the chief scout has the least say in determining a team's direction here. General managers and coaches have more say here, because this is where the most impact on a team is made and where they generally are left on the hook. -- if Mike Williams is Modrak's pick, why did Tom Donahoe go out of his way to tout Williams over Bryan McKinnie well after the draft was over. -- c'mon, did Modrak make the decision to draft McGahee? i highly doubt that, given what was at stake? -- did Modrak make the decision to trade back into the first round to select Losman? i'd truly think Donahoe once again pulled the trigger on that move. -- Whitner's pick was regarded as a consensus and reach, as the Bills braintrust at the time was hot on landing a safety. any safety. -- Lynch, unsure. -- McKelvin was a Jauron pick. -- Maybin was a Jauron pick. -- Spiller was a Gailey/Nix pick. and, if he bombed on the first-rounders, what about the picks beyond, and undrafted free agents, who have made an impact? it's in the later rounds, i think, where chief scouts have more influence, as coaches and GMs now begin to follow the established board. coaches and GMs still have some say in directing what needs require addressing, but here's where the scouting staff is asked to shine. -- Josh Reed. Not bad. -- 2003 draft was very good, beyond McGahee. Kelsay, Crowell, McGee, Mario Haggan. -- 2004 draft was essentially a write off. and for every Dwayne Wright, there's a Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson (that signing's on Marv), Keith Ellison (they got more out of a 6th-rounder than most teams), Kyle Williams, and let's not forget Jason Peters. i'm not saying Modrak doesn't deserve criticism. just trying to balance the scales here. jw

i really don't see anything nefarious about it. Nix has had more influence on scouting and the draft, and relying on his own people. and then there's Gailey providing his own input as well, leaving Tom essentially the odd-man out. i like Tom. good guy. i maintain a lot of the first-round picks should be placed on other people. that said, his record does stand as being inconsistent. but that record shouldn't overlook some of the later-round picks that did pan out: Jason Peters comes to mind. and as colleague Mark Gaughan noted in his piece, if everyone wants to credit Buddy Nix for turning this thing around, then credit also must go to Modrak, who likely had plenty of influence in getting him hired as GM. jw

that would be The Associated Press. jw

my wife's Casa La Nova Hacienda jw

I'd bet Bills would've traded back into the first round if Blaine Gabbert was still available in the 20s. jw

food's good. most of the regular gang's here. jw don't see him being a Chan guy. jw

in the bills media room, awaiting next pick. jw

Mr. Wilson made his comments to The Associated Press during the Bills bye week, in the midst of the team's dreadful 0-8 start, when it was clearly evident at the time the team was in need of a franchise quarterback. Expectations and needs however changed, given how Fitzpatrick proved better than serviceable down the stretch and provided the offense a semblance of cohesion while also earning Gailey's respect for understanding the system. That didn't mean the Bills stopped looking for a franchise guy. And that was apparent when they seriously entertained the possibility of drafting Cam Newton if he was there at No. 3. There was also much consideration put into selecting Blaine Gabbert if both Newton and Dareus were taken with the first two picks. The Bills, however, went with Dareus, because they felt he has the best potential to be "a franchise" player. And for those who have criticized Mr. Wilson for being meddlesome, this is a clear example in which he let the people he hired make that decision. Did Mr. Wilson have input? Sure. Dareus, however, was a consensus choice, from what I understand. jw

they weren't bad. what i'm not a fan of, is someone with a superior sense of themselves (and, yes, i could be accused of that), blaming what's wrong with what's left of their music career on something other than themselves. what little influence bon jovi had on music, and how it stands up today, is incredibly negligible -- and i might be giving them a little too much at that. jw

couple of notes from an old bugger -- there was far more to vinyl than snap, crackle or pop. there was nothing like heading out to the record store (yes, that's what they were called), and rushing back home to get that thing home, tearing off the wrapping (much easier than it is opening a cd), pulling out the sleeve or maybe opening up the gateful and getting that thing on the record player (yes, that's what we called them). it was almost a religious-like experience, especially when this record was one you had been anticipating to hear for days or weeks. the cd experience is not entirely the same. and purchasing songs or albums on the internet is entirely different. i just downloaded Ida Maria's "Fortress 'Round My Heart," a great album that i couldn't find to buy anywhere. trouble was, there were no liner notes, no production notes, no thank you's, just a itunes screen listing the songs. bah, humbug. -- as for creed, i sit corrected. while i didn't know how or where they got their start, my life would have been more complete had they not started at all. as for them being self-made, well, now i know there's no one else to blame for their infilthtration (sic). jw

and, for the most part, dumb. jw

and after dinner, take her to McDonald's where they're offering free coffee (one per customer, and it's a small, but hey ... ) jw

here's the problem, the way i see it with a couple of what ifs? -- what if you had 12 requests like this a year, and you were able to meet 11 of them, does that make you a bad person, or are you obligated to hit all 12? -- when does this "entitlement" end? cancer, strep thoat, lyme disease? and does it make a difference that the person is 6? what if this were a 42 year old? -- how/why did this story get out, to embarrass this celebrity? is it also a shot across the bow to all personalities that if people don't get their wish, the celebrities shall pay the price? -- how much does the contessa contribute to charitable causes? if the answer is dunno, then it's hard to judge. if none, ok, there's a bit of a moral problem. if a lot, and she doesn't publicize it, then why must she be shamed like this. still, we don't know. judge however you like. i don't know enough of what the circumstances are to make that decision. jw

i've had ethiopian food, which is out of this world. and just because you can't stand Indian food, doesn't make it bad. my wife makes a great tandori chicken, and does a few things with curry that's simply mouth-watering. had dinner at some great indian place in Toronto a few years ago. and, a little off topic, geographically, but any chance i have to stop at a tried and true Mongolian grill, i make and you're wrong. in fact, i am trying to draw parallel's between some areas of North America and the places you mention. i shuddered last week when i had to venture out to a suburban bar -- some clean, manufactured joint -- and have to deal with the sloppy yokels. good god, some people are buffoons. and yet, while holding my nose, i did. you see, there is good and bad in all cultures, and appreciating the differences -- as the Cowboys did -- is what it's all about. jw

arbitrary actually. but, now that you point it out there might be something to that. curious how the subconscious works ... jw

hey, i like a good gwb bashing as the next liberal, but this is taking it a step -- or 12 million -- over the line. fruit to the loops. jw

late to this party. sub humans? please explain. jw oh, sorry, didn't realize had waded into a thread with racial overtones. for those keeping score. i don't like olives and find myself bigoted against bigots.

the food is bad? i guess i forgot to set the "taste" button on my TV. and my smell-o-meter is broken. "nothing good." that's a broad generalization, i think. nothing good? really? wonder if the same would be said about "Amazing Race" India if their competitors ventured into some North American slums. in my travels, i'll tell you where i had the worst food. England, of all places. bland, over-priced dinners. (lunches were good, though). jw

there are no lentils left, or so i've heard. jw

sure. i get that. i personally get that eerie feeling every time i venture into the suburbs. the whole idea of the suburbs frightens the bejeezus out of me. all these lawns, and no sidewalks, and people not wanting senior citizens to move in. it's so sterile and lacking in insipiration, of fat, pretentious ashley furniture inbreeding -- statues and big-legged dining room tables -- that it's a reflection of how doomed society has become in some places. jw

so's Buffalo. so is NYC. so's Tokyo. so are parts of London. so what. what i'm getting at is a person's appreciation of different cultures and different places, as opposed to expressing a knee-jerk personal bias by writing off a place simply because it's "different," and not like the suburban cul de sac, with the mini-mall plaza up the street that far too many north americans are comfortable with. jw

i for one, am giving up eating entirely as a result of this. jw