hondo in seattle

I've conducted an informal poll of folks in little Silverdale, WA, and most people around here don't even know who Josh Allen is. I think maybe that portents bad things. Then again the opinions of ill-informed people might be meaningless guides to the future. I'm not sure.

When I watched Aikman during the regular season, I felt like I was watching a good-not-great QB. But in the playoffs, I was always really impressed with his poise and accuracy. He did play like a HOFer in the playoffs and I think that matters.

This is a good point. While the LAPD deserved consequences for some of their poor behavior, letting a killer go free was not the best way to do it IMHO. Blacks shouldn't get prosecuted for being black. But neither should blacks like OJ go unpunished for being black. While the former happens far, far, far more than the latter (and I can't emphasize that enough), both are wrong. Sadly, I won't live long enough to see a color-blind society here in America where people are universally judged by the 'content of their character, not by the color of their skin.' But hopefully I do live long enough to see OJ's name taken off the wall and the Bills win a Super Bowl.

Many prayers... The Sun Sentinel reported that Norton, 22, had to have his left arm amputated at the scene of the multiple-car accident to extricate him from the truck. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alex Camacho says the Ford F250 Norton was driving crashed into a concrete barrier and overturned early Thursday on State Road 836 near Miami. The Miami Herald reported that, according to a family friend, Norton's truck was cut off and wound up flipping as a result.

You are I generally agree but I'm not sure about your opinion that this was textbook jury nullification. That term usually means that the jury didn't convict because they don't like the consequences of the conviction. To me the textbook example would be a dad who is accused of killing his daughter's rapist. Should he be convicted of murder? By law, if he is indeed the killer, yes. But the jury doesn't want to see the guy punished for doing a very understandable thing. So they find not guilty. I think OJ's case was all about reasonable doubt. I think Cochran very adeptly played the race card and made the jury believe that white cops like Fuhrman may have manufactured some of the evidence against OJ. And I think Scheck was masterful in casting doubt on the forensic evidence. And there might have been some hanky-panky in the the glove fiasco. All in all, OJ's "Dream Team" did what they needed to do against an over-matched duo of prosecutors. And a guilty man walked free. If one of my children were butchered by a scumbag like OJ, I wouldn't want to see his name on the Wall of Fame or listen to him pleasantly chit-chatting with TG.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Well said, billsfan1959. When I watched OJ play, I thought he might be the best football player who ever lived. He was a man among boys. My admiration for his skills is immense. But now I wouldn't give him the time of day. While I suspect he's suffering from CTE, I still can't think of him as anything but evil. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a football legend.

Yep. Bill Walsh talks about Greg Cook, his injury, Virgil Carter, and the origins of the West Coast offense in his book, The Score Takes Care of Itself. I remember Cook mostly because I had his trading card when I was a kid. Here's what Walsh wrote about him. "...a young quarterback with a great arm. I have seen very few quarterbacks with his talent." But I wouldn't expect the average fan to know about him.

Exactly. I love Shady as a player. He's a team first guy. He rarely complains. He supports other players. And I think he's still an elusive running back. But I'm far more a Bills fan than a Shady fan. I don't care who's getting the yards if we're moving the ball down the field and scoring.

Fired. Hard to imagine it happening this year. But 10 or more losses this season would certainly generate a conversation about switching coaches. Extended. If he gets 1 or more playoff wins, you have to extend him.

For anyone interested, the professor explains his logic here: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/esma/2019/06/24/nfl-fandom-report-2019/ I remain unimpressed.

Dr. Lewis's methodology is just plain wrong. As ddaryl points out, Fan Equity, Social Equity, and Road Equity don't measure the right things. And to add to ddaryl's criticisms, how well a team draws on the road has little to do with the team's fans. People go to Pats games when they're on the road for many reasons other than they're Pats fans. If I were to rank NFL fans, I'd try to measure two unmeasureable traits: loyalty and mania. Loyalty - How much do fans support the team in bad years? Do the fans stay loyal to their team when circumstances change (place of residence, marriage, etc)? Mania - How rabid are the fans? How emotionally invested? How loud and crazy? I can't objectively prove my point but my subjective impression is that the Bills mafia rates high in both areas.

In regards to the coaching changes, no HC starts with his ideal staff. Most of the guys a new HC wants are already under contract with another team. So you grab who you can until you can get who you want. In regards to the picks, do you believe McD is actually running the Bills draft? Personally I believe our GM is running drafts and no GM is mistake-free. Anyway, you don't total up the number of mistakes when grading a HC. You total up the wins. You look at the roster and ask: Is the coach optimizing his win total with the roster he's been given? Last year, the Bills fielded the lowest paid - and arguably, worst talented - roster in the NFL. Yet we didn't have the worst record. McD's win totals are exceeding the roster talent. So far, I'm giving McD a passing grade.

PFF called Levi Wallace "a star in the making" and he's getting paid beans.

And I thought Kolby Listenbee had a chance. Darn!

When I got married, I told my Filipina wife that part of the deal was that she had to be a Bills fan. It was not negotiable. Not knowing much about American football, or any sport, she easily agreed. Over the years, though, she's come to realize what I got her into: all the false dreams, scorched hopes, and ruined Sundays. A couple years ago, after commenting on the all the negative consequences of being a Bills fan, she suggested, "Why don't we root for the Seahawks instead?" I just silently glared at her with the most evil expression I could muster. More recently, however, she's developed an appreciation for the loyalty & camaraderie of the Bills mafia. Sometimes we hang out with the Bills Backers of Seattle and she feeds off the good will and unfounded optimism. And whenever we visit my relatives in Buffalo, she makes sure we include a stop at the Bills gift store at the stadium and she proudly wears the gear she buys. She'd probably think renewing our vows at halftime would be a great idea - if that was allowed.

This is a great breakdown.... but you're breaking down a raw rookie - one with obvious physical upside. No one at One Bills Drive, Two Bills Drive, PFF, or anywhere else knows how much progress JA will make this year. Some choose to be optimistic. Some pessimistic. But it's all speculation. I'm hopeful but I need to see more before jumping on the JA fan bus or joining the Negative Nancy River of Tears Club.

PFF now has 500 employees. That surprised me. I still think context matters. Is the player in the right system receiving the right coaching? Are the players around him bringing out his best - or worst? Did he have nagging injuries or personal problems that impacted his play? How committed, disciplined and coachable is the player - will he get better? Stats don't tell you the whole story but they do have an important story to tell.

It's been so many years, I don't remember much of that game - except for those last two remarkable plays. Those were unforgettable. Hooks, already one of my favorite Bills, was a hero that day.

The flu of 1918 killed something like 75 million people. If any of them were football players, I would have demanded that they postpone their deaths to suit up and play. Real men don't let a simple flu keep them from the gridiron.

IMHO, people would be talking about Brees as a GOAT candidate if he had played his entire career under Belichek.

Eli Harold. Was drafted in the 3rd round by the 9ers in 2015 when he was just 21 years. He has done little since, though he did have 4 sacks and 4 hurries playing just 19% of the snaps for the Lions last year. Has played mostly as a 3-4 OLB in the NFL but the Bills will use him as a 4-3 DE which might be more natural for him.

I think yards are an underutilized statistic for quarterbacks. As Hank Stram famously said, the job of the offense is to "matriculate" the ball down the field. And that's what Fouts did. He piled up the yards. In 1981, for example, Fouts passed for nearly 5,000 yards in a season where no other QB passed for over 4,000 - not Montana, Bradshaw, Theisman, Manning, Stabler, Jaworski, Andersen, Plunkett or anyone else. I don't dismiss Rivers' skills. But Fouts was special in his era.

It's easier to get sacks as a DE in a 4-3 than a 3-4. Reggie was great. Bruce was greater.

I hope the Bills win a lot because I'm a Bills fan. I don't care about proving anybody wrong.

Memory is a funny thing... but I remember Brown as an overrated penalty machine.