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i don't cover the Dolphins. and i'm pretty sure during their 1-15 season i scathed them when they came up to play here. that said, they certainly went unscathed after their win at Toronto. ... as for spikes of success, i'm pretty certain long-suffering Bills fans would go for one of those spikes here (and i'm not referring to Takeo, though, i'm sure to your disappointment, i liked him). jw

how? based on what premise? that they've made the playoffs fewer times than the Bills? that they haven't won the AFC East, most recently as two years ago? in an upside down world you are perfectly correct. wha? as Kelly The Fair and Balanced pointed out, you've based your argument on the suggestion that the Dolphins are the joke of the AFC East. ... ummm, no (is that unconvolving enough for you?) jw

yes, that's right. i hate the bills and am awfully disappointing because my opinion differs from your own. they are a wonderful team that has been the model of NFL efficiency and success for too many years to count, and are destined to make the playoffs for a professional sports record 50th season, and vye for yet another Super Bowl appearance. in fact, commissioner Roger Goodell has recently considered to rename the Lombardi as "The Buffalo Bills Trophy," because of the franchise's utter and unblemished dominance. this, after all, is a team that's unquestionably led the NFL in offense and defense for decades, and it's remarkable how they've been able to maintain that consistency with one coach and while drafting no better than 28th all these years. the Halls at Canton have been painted in Bills colors, and there's a standing buffalo on every corner. ok, now, back in the real world, where teams that don't make the playoffs for 10 years, go through 5 coaches, 4 GMs, countless quarterbacks, have one winning record since 1999, are going with a patchwork offensive line, have made a major transformation on defense, have questions at quarterback and no established No. 2 receiver are among those who are -- for reasons outlined -- not given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to preseason projections. you are a fan. you think this team will be good. fantastic. i am a sports writer, who has followed this team now going on 11 years. i actually do believe the Bills have a chance to play a more entertaining game and show glimpses of significant imrpovement over last year (consider that a compliment despite how disfunctional last year was). and let me be clear: -- i am not the one who spraypainted McKelvin's lawn. -- i am not the one, as some here have, advocated the owner's demise. -- i am not the one who's questioned and criticized Tom Modrak's draft record by instead noting those picks do not all fall on him. -- i was not the one who criticized the Bills for hiring Chan Gailey, when many on this board went bonkers because it wasn't Cowher or Shanahan. right, but i am the one who, as you put it, "bashes" this team every chance i get. please, provide me one iota of proof that i have been unfair in my coverage, in which i've ceaselessly written negative articles that lack objectivity and foresight or any semblance of originality to suggest that i'm some sort of bandwagon jumper. so please, go ahead and dismiss me because i choose to be an individual and mysteriously have a point of view that differs from yours. if that's the case, let me join the large crowd of people who i'm guessing have disappointed you. jw

except for the 33-year-old runnning back part, i didn't know if you were refering to the Bills or the Dolphins. ... Miami is no longer a surprise to defenses? and the Bills are? jw

and the Bills have gone backward over the past four seasons. what's your point? i'm not following any trend. you conveniently cherry pick a stat by comparing the two franchises from 2004 and note the Bills have a better record since then. well, that's fine and dandy. though you leave out the fact that the Dolphins actually won the AFC East during that time while the Bills have not and now going on their third coach. as for my contention that the Dolphins are vying for the division title this season, well, just look at their track record and talent: they have two solid running backs. they've added a proven wide receiver to add a new dimension. and Chad Henne went 7-6 as a first-time starter last year. in fact, the Dolphins were in contention right through December. the Bills were not and, rather, were mired in the midst of another coaching change. by comparison, the Bills added C.J. Spiller to an offense that's been among the NFL's worst over the past seven years. and they're making a huge transition to a 3-4 defense with a front-7 that had difficulty stopping the run. let's not forget the Bills 11 times gave up 150 or more yards rushing last season. based on that, there stands a better chance for the Dolphins to be competitive than the Bills in this division. jw

they are not. the Bills are the team that deserves to be dismissed in the AFC East based on their record and perennial state of dysfunction over the past 10 years. the Dolphins have MADE the playoffs over that stretch. and they've done it with an unlikely group of quarterbacks. Jay Fiedler, Chad Pennington. the Bills have not, and they've gone through a carousel of posers and wannabes and busts at that position alone. the Dolphins also deserve credit for making a remarkable turnaround, going from 1-15 to 11-5 over the course of one year. the Bills can't make that claim. i'm not being negative just to be negative, but you have to objectively look at the facts. the Bills -- not the Dolphins -- are the one team tied with Detroit for the NFL's longest current playoff drought. it's never good to be included in the same sentence as the Lions. heck, even Bills players don't dismiss their past. until the Bills prove they can get their act together, they will be dismissed as also-rans. don't like it, too bad. and sure that's frustrating. but life's freakin' tough and unfair, and that's the way things work in a world without rose-colored glasses. jw what misconception? is it the misconception that the Bills carry little respect around the league? well, sorry fro being a realist, but that's the case. as i don't work for the Bills, i also don't work for the Dolphins, and i don't live in south Florida. and if i did, i don't know if i'd accept the case at this point that the Bills are the Dolphins biggest rivals. given that the Dolphins are competing with the Jets and Patriots for the AFC East title this year, I'd have to say their biggest rivals are, well, the Jets and Patriots. that's until the Bills finally show something different. jw

so, what you're saying is "Henne vs. Edwards" = "Marino vs. Kelly." and i'm sure you're also suggesting that should the Bills win on Sunday, fans will rush the field and tear the goal-posts down. obviously, we all must agree that Karlos Dansby will enter the stadium and greet the crowd with two certain fingers in the air. and it has been the Dolphins' domination of the Bills that has prevented Buffalo from making the playoffs for the past 10 years. of course, we can also point out that despite the Bills not making the playoffs, they've ruined the Dolphins' Super Bowl hopes since Van Pelt took over for Rob Johnson as starter -- yeah, that was a classic matchup Van Pelt vs. Fiedler: yikes. real Yankees-Red Sox stuff here. no, Buffalo's not Jacksonville, and this town does love the Bills. this rivalry however, at this point in time is, in fact, ho hum by any stretch of the imagination and given the comparisons of then vs. now. sure, bills fans don't like the Dolphins. i'm sure the newer fans hate the Browns just as much for they've had Buffalo's number of late. jw

i think i've explained myself quite clearly in this thread. the original poster suggested (and i'm paraphrasing here) that TSW was a far superior place for informed discussion than The Buffalo News, and then went on to disparage some of its writers. i disagreed and questioned whether this board's relevance is dropping given some of the "yahoos" that have been posting here of late. (and heck, i might be one of them.) some posters agreed with my observation. others then went on to prove my point by calling writers "hacks" and "morons" and one suggesting a newspaper should close. what exactly have i done wrong, but question the original poster's premise without calling anyone a moron, idiot or hack. if yahoo hits a little too close to home for some, well, pardon me. how this all makes me hypocritical is beyond me. what's apparent, is that i'm not the only one having concerns with an element of posters here with a disregard for good taste and a feeling of self-entitlement to believe they're free to post anything without fear of being called out for it. i called them out and suddenly i'm in the wrong? guess you got me then. jw

an example of what i find wrong with this board. and an example of what's right, how Ramius and KTFBD, took it upon it themselves to actually steer this into a sensible discussion. jw

well put, JohnC. jw

i don't have any trouble with you, and i'm not referring to you here in this post, but note that i don't provide opinions. i write as objectively as anyone can in pointing out what i see. the trouble i have is when some posters simply trash my colleagues for trashing's sake, and suggest that perhaps a newspaper should be shuttered. what's the point of that? too often, some posters here believe they have free reign in discussing their opinions without being challenged. well, i've challenged them by pointing out that they are mere drivel-ridden yahoos, who think they're adding to a discussion. if they don't like the stories, they don't have to read them. and better still, maybe write a letter to the editor. to go on anonymously bashing people that i know that work hard for a living and provide their own perspectives is pretty cowardly. i know hacks, and some posters on this board don't even measure up to that standard. so, as a member of this board, isn't it fair to call them out for bringing down the discussion to the level of a pre-schooler. saying something or someone "sucks" is easy. explaining that in a well thought out post is another. funny thing is, the yahoos can't see the irony that as much as they don't like the paper, they're still reading it. otherwise, why would they be posting about it. jw

well, if they can dish it out to sportswriters with an all-too-generalizing sweep of a brush, then i guess i'm free to respond in kind. to be fair, i did have one positive post in suggesting Bills fans have a chance to be No. 1 at something. why shoot for second? jw

who knows. shedding my cynical reputation, maybe this is one category in which the Bills (or their fans, at least) can really be considered No. 1. jw

how much bad can anyone realistically take, though? jw

given the number of yahoos showing up on this site, i'm starting to question its relevance. call me cynical, though. jw

if that's my choices, i'll stick with my double-D boob status. jw

would i rank as a half-boob or do i get the full boob treatment? jw

that's an astute point, which i had never thought of. but there's wisdom to it. jw

would hesitate to go as far as Perry Fewell on that pick. jw i'd go with TD on that one. Ralph has been on the record as hailing Tom Modrak on another quarterback, who's name escapes me. jw

why thanks. always glad to be included among the masses. and the pay is good, too. jw

what I do know is that the Bills were hot on picking a strong safety at that point, which leads me to believe that was a Jauron move, him being a defensive guy. Levy was brought in as a consensus-builder. i'm sure he had some input, not sure how much. jw

oh gawd, cry me a river. you absolutely contradict yourself here by making two counter-intuitive arguments by questioning Modrak for picks made before Buddy Nix and then hailing Buddy Nix without giving due credit to Modrak. and i'm not going to go through every pick. it's already been documented here that you're way off target. actually, that might be libelous to targets. you're not even in the same ballpark. and what's all this blubber about "those players drafted in the later rounds" should at least be part of the current roster ... four undrafted free agents actually made the freakin' team. who suggested them? Moses? oh, right, those were Buddy's guys. bulloney you. what's interesting is your criticisms toward Tom when some might actually fault John Butler's last draft as being a huge miss. ... but why bring perspective into all this when you're on some roll. for crying out loud, where do these people come from? and some, here question me using mostly lower case letters. it's BETTER than SHOUTING to PROVE a POINT, isn't it? jw but it's Tom Modrak's fault, right? ... i just got to the last line, and ignored the rest. come back with some crib notes, it's getting late. jw speaking of tightly wound ... what is it, a full moon out tonight? last call for the kindygartners before class starts? fart references? sheesh. i'm with nanker. jw

right, that's because one odds-maker gives the bills 150-1 shot to win the Super Bowl and a 60-1 shot to make the playoffs. that's pretty accountable if you ask me. but i'm just an unaccountable reporter, who knows very little in regards to what i do. jw

actually, that was more than one period. ........ jw i wasn't. jw

well, clearly, this has turned into an enlightening discussion in regards to the media and what they report. APV clearly believes this is a bunch of baloney. i tend to agree but, perhaps, for a different reason. jw