purple haze

But “at this point” is meaningless. Sammy has shown enough to display the impact he is capable of. This years first could have gotten a better QB in what way? Where the Bills will pick, there will be no obvious difference maker at the QB position to draft. Would you advocate trading a first round pick for any of the QB’s who could potentially be available (Not that I think it will take that to get a Cutler, et al.) I’m glad Whaley gambled. Bills sat back for years and played it straight and went nowhere. We’re all disappointed with the end result of no playoffs, but the team is better than it had been. And Whaley has stocked the team with a lot of talent.

Here, here...

I wouldn't be opposed to it, as you say, at the right price, but Levitre doesn't seem to fit the size that the current regime likes.

The NFL is a more prestigious job. Ask Saban if he would have went back to college if he was having more success as an NFL HC, and his job wasn't on the line.

I wouldn't mind. If he left it would tell that a couple things are possible: 1. He prefers the "stability" of the college game. 2. The conflict between him and the front office is real. He's done some good things, but, at the same time, he does some foolish things too (training camp w/Hughes, Woods; uses of Mike Williams, his conversations with the media at times, and Hackett in general) and there is no reason for the offsense to be this poor. If he stayed that would be optimal from a continuity standpoint. However, in my heart of hearts, I believe if he left we could do better at the HC position based on the talent on hand and Pegula's ownership. We wouldn't be in the position we were in when we hired Gailey or even Marrone. I think the Bills job would be more desireable than when Marrone interviewed. I also think him going to Michigan would allow him and the organization to "save face". If the conflict is real, they don't have to fire him and he doesn't have to re-sign. It might be more "prestigious", but there is a reason they would be on to less than their top choices for the gig.

Yep. I'm in SoCal too. There are many football fans here, but most are transplants form other places. If they are native Angeleno's it seems, anecdotally, the Raiders are the team of choice. If a team was put in L.A. and it is starts losing though? Stadium will be empty. Hollywood will make a joke out of them amongst non-football fans across the country. And the state will not foot the bill for a new stadium. There would have to be a massive amount of private money involved, like 80% of it. A team in L.A.? I'll believe it when I see it. How many years have we heard L.A. is going to build a new stadium and get a team..?

You raise good points, but I would point to last season. He played well. He was playing better in Indy his last year there before he got traded. He does benefit from the other players on the line, but that same thing can be said about the others as well. Hughes has elite physical gifts, in terms of speed and quickness, paired with a great on-field work ethic, that allows him to take advantage of one on one match-ups. Another player, without those physical traits or desire, will not necessarily be able to match his numbers. Leon Seals and Art Still were good NFL players, but they weren't difference makers like Hughes has been and they were playing across from, arguably, the best DE in the history of the shield. Hughes is a good thing and there is no reason to talk ourselves out of it. Lets appreciate it and hopefully the front office keeps him. I don't like the idea of giving up what they've built in that front seven. That D has kept the Bills in every game. Even when the D was uneven against the Chargers and Pats the offense still had opportunities to help win the game.

Please. It's not a wall of good people. On the field he did things that had never been done before. That's why he's on the wall and the only reason. Except he was not convicted of that in the court of law. Vacating records, removing names etc, is pointless. Everybody knows what players did what, how and when in some form or fashion. Unless you also want to create a mechanism for erasing the memories from humans. Why waste the time? Many players and contributors across hall/wall of fames in various sports could be removed if you want to make it about more than the playing field. If they try to give OJ a Nobel Peace prize then talk to me about protesting that.

Bills 27 Packers 23

Probably not. It's the most important position in football. If teams think they can get a good one they will take the chance. And in the rookie wage scael era it's not that big of a deal to take a chance in the draft like it used to be. RGIII needs to go somewhere where he's not friends with the owner of the team. Newton's GM did him dirty getting rid of Steve Smith and not building up that offensive line. Kaepernick... I have no idea what's going on with him. His physical talent is still elite. I'm thinking if Harbaugh leaves or he goes elswhere we will see Keapernick back at a higher level.

If the Ralph were an indoor facility, the game still would have been moved because of the driving ban/people snowed in, no?

I respect your opinion. However, good health is everything. Worth more than money. With Darryl's health issues whatever money he has can be quickly eaten up. I think it makes sense to help if one feels so led, whatever their individual circumstances might or might not be. As I said before, a person can give $1 and that can have a tremendous impact. No one is saying people have to give anything or give any specific amount. There will be those who feel led to. And that makes sense for them.

I agree. I think the Pegula's will reach out to him, BUT it won't be something we hear about publically. Being owners in the league they have responsibilities to the league. That's the cost of doing business. However, if the way they treat Sabres alumni is any indication, they won't leave D. Talley hanging. I think they could help him, but other individuals or "foundations" would be the front for it. Darryl Talley was a great Buffalo Bill. He repped the organization, and even moreso the city with everything he had to give. And I know I was one of thousands of fans who never wanted to see him miss a game or stay out of game for long if he got dinged up. And he rarely, if ever, did. His own pride, will and our encouragement and desire sparked him on. I wasn't thinking about what that would mean to his health once he retired, as I'm sure he wasn't. Who knew of CTE back then? He wanted to win for himself, the organization and us, the fans. If you have even an extra $1 to spare that will help. I really believe this is a case of no amount is too small. For example, If everyone at the Ralph gave $1 this Sunday that is $73,000. I'm sure that would be helpful to his situation. I love Bruce, Thurman, Biscuit helping him out, but who's to say they can keep sparing that money. They probably have health issues too. If you feel so led to help, in whatever amount, please do.

Thank you for breaking it down. I get it. But I still prefer it to be outside. Indoor facilities, when the roof is closed is not a great atmosphere.

New Yankee stadium doesn't have the history or charm of the old place, but I think they did a nice job with it. Except for that part of the bleachers with a blocked view. The rest of it though is nice. And the concourses actually have room to walk. The old stadium was like walking through a house party every time you had to take leak or get drink.

If that game is played in today's configuration of the stadium it's a sell out. It wasn't sold out, but it wasn't like the place was half full either. 80,000 seats and they had, what, about 75,000? Still a great crowd for what was a raw day. A new stadium is probably going to be smaller than what we have now. I'd say 65-66,000. Similar to what they have in Pittsburgh and Detroit. Once that new stadium is downtown and at that seat number, I don't believe sell outs will much of an an issue again.

The business community is sitting with the "regulars" now? Seems to me the business community is what suites/skyboxes are made for. Dome atmospheres are terrible in general. Why does Buffalo need one as opposed to every other teams on the east coast? New England, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Jersey, DC, Philly all open air. Green Bay, Chicago are just as cold as B-Lo. Were none of those organizations concerned with business people? There is no need for a dome. None. J-Ville was considered the worst Super Bowl experience in years. The NFL won't repeat that mistake.

NFL scouts and execs would. Watkins was said by many to be the best WR or offensive player in the draft. Beckham is excellent though. The truth this conversation has no real weight until a few years from now.

But we don't know who is paying for it yet. Might not be as much public money involved as people think. Even if there is a retractable roof that doesn't guarantee events year around. Have to have events interested in coming to use the place. Which gets into transportation infrastructure, hotel room availability, and entertainment options outside whatever the even would provide. I think, there will be public money involved, but it won't be public money for a stadium only. I think we see public money partly funding a stadium, infrastructure changes and an entertainment/retail district around the stadium. I think we see a new convention center. I think we see the subway taken off Main Street and put totally underground and expanded. I think we see Central Terminal brought back with train service. I think the Pegula's/Mayor/County Exec/Governor are going to use this stadium as the center piece for redevelopment of the downtown area. I don't think we're really going to see a retractable roof stadium for the Bills. Just a hunch. I think too many people enjoy that outdoor exeprience. The Pegulas owns First Niagara? What events do they have there that they would want to have in a football stadium or that would draw significantly more people? I think what we see is a stadium where the seats are covered, but the field is open. Something like the old Cowboys stadium.

If EJ is good enough to be part of a trade package why wouldn't we keep him? If he's a bad as everyone wants to say he won't have any value, or if he does, it would be 5-7th round. Not worth trading him in that case.

I hear you. But all of the coaches you named were, at one time, the Alex Van Pelt's, George Edwards and Nate Hackett's. They were respected assistants or a college coach who were highly thought of. They could just as easily have failed as succeeded. There is no magic formula. Football, becuase of these new rules, gives a tremendous advantage to the offense (Even more reason Hackett is terrible). Giving up points, unlike in years prior, might not be the best indicator of defensive effectiveness. Games across college football are routinely scoring in the 30's and 40's. I think it's terrible, but this the world we live in now. I loved the Bama 6 - LSU 9 game from a few years back. Those days are done for the most part though until the rules stop favoring offensive production.

I voted Malzahn, but Sumlin and Briles would also be cool with me. We need aggressive coaching, particularly on offense. Marrone is weak. But I have a feeling Marrone ain't going away yet. Hackett might get thrown under the bus though. We can only hope. This is cyclical. The Big Ten has to be rebuilt for a modern brand of football. The SEC wasn't always the SEC. Conferences ebb and flow. Talent and timing have a lot to do with hit. TV exposure has also factored in. Players are more spread out than they used to be because they can be on TV playing in any conference. The Big 10 can come back though. All about getting the right coaches, with the right systems, and the right salesmanship.

Troll.

Leodis can play. Is he great? No. But he's a good football player. More athletic than a good many. He's improved since he's been in the league, always plays with passion, does whatever he's asked by the team, never hear him complain, and doesn't even fire back at jack-ass fans who paint foolishness on his property. The Bills will miss him on the field. There's no doubt about it.

I wouldn't say delusional. They replaced EJ because they felt Orton was better for a roster ready to make a playoff push. IF they are out of playoff contention they should definitely play EJ. See if he improves. If so, he competes w/ Orton next off-season/camp. If not, draft another QB or get another QB in free agency and let them all compete. But if playoffs are not happening they have to see if EJ shows something for the future.