hondo in seattle

I think the defense will be better than last year but the offense will be worse. Call it a wash. But we had some timely turnovers last year and I'm not expecting that this year. So maybe 7-9? I really want to see who the QB is, what's up with Shady, and what kind of OC Daboll is before going on record with a prediction.

San Francisco just might be my favorite city in the world: the scenic views, the quality, quantity and diversity of the restaurants, the cultural offerings, the activities and events, the phenomenal natural escapes nearby... I've been to two Bills games in San Fran and found that 49er fans are unusually polite to opposing fans which is both a plus and a minus.

Taste of Buffalo has 59 food & beverage vendors this year. The Seattle Street Food Festival has 150. Which is better? I'm not saying Buffalo doesn't have great festivals. I'm just saying we shouldn't be parochial homers. There's a lot of great stuff happening in other cities. I don't know - maybe things have changed but I lived in Buffalo for 20 years and never felt "awe" at the festival scene there. Though let me humbly concede the uniqueness of Buffalo's Dyngus Day celebration!

I've been to every NFL city at least once except for Green Bay. At different times of my life, I've lived in the NE, NW, SE, SW (sort of: California) and Midwest. And I personally think Buffalo is indeed one of the most boring cities in the NFL. But I will say, my wife and children are not Buffalonians and they always enjoy visiting WNY. They don't seem to find it boring.

Every place I've lived has lots of festivals. I was raised in Buffalo and never thought our festivals were particular special. When I think of great American festivals I think of Mardi Gras, Burning Man, Coachella, St. Patty's Day, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalouza, Sasquatch... not the Allentown Art or Friendship festivals. I confess, though, that I've never made it to the Buffalo Wing festival and really regret that. On the other hand, I grew up in the rock-n-roll 60s and 70s and despise disco so let's not mention that other famous Buffalo festival. What are the 3 you're referring to? Maybe I'm missing something??? P.S. I tried to google "biggest festivals in America" and didn't come up with a good list. I did, though, find an article in Travel & Leisure magazine on best cities in the country for festivals and Buffalo didn't make the top 20. https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/best-festivals-america-cities#20

I so disagree if we're talking about metro areas. The greater East Bay area is far from boring: multicultural, great eateries, museums, music venues, parks, etc. I've been to Indy many times and I think you sell it short. It's in the bottom half of the league, for sure, but not dead last.

And yet Landry - one of the great minds of NFL history - tried it. At one point in the 1971 season, Landry thought using two QBs was the best thing for his team. At least one game, he alternated them every play. Eventually, Staubach proved himself to be better than Morton and became the sole, undisputed starter. If a brilliant, HOF coach like Tom Landry thought having a starting duo was a good idea under certain circumstances, I can't blame the OP for considering it given our current circumstances. Then again, I wouldn't do it. Depending how everyone performs, I'd probably make AJ the starter until Allen starts looking in practice like the better man.

I remember this one really hurting at the time. But watching what Marv and Polian were doing, I was also confident the Bills would get back in the dance. That mitigated some of the pain. Funny. That one was painful but not desperately so for me. I had fully succumbed to BLES (Bills-low-expectation-syndrome) by then. Either the Bills would find a way to lose that game or they would find ways to lose other games that would keep us out of the playoffs. There could be no happy ending.

For me, most opposing players are just faceless guys. Just another name filling a position. Revis was different. He was such a master of his craft and a joy to watch - when he wasn't shutting down Bills WRs.

You guys win Super Bowls. We lose them. Until that changes, I would never talk smack to a Packer fan. Besides, I like your fans - good hard-working folks who show up in all kinds of weather to support their team.

What do you expect that? "The predictor of future performance is past performance."

True enough but times have changed nonetheless. Refs, medical staff, and coaches are far more likely to take a guy out because of a concussion. Players are far more likely to take themselves out - or even retire - because of concussions.

When your offense has only one weapon, you can't afford to lose it. Yep, the chances of Shady missing this season seem slim. Without direct, damning, smoking-gun evidence, this matter might takes some time to play out legally. But the drama of the legal battle and the fear of looming consequences could distract Shady. He may not be at his best when we need him to be.

Shady needs a dad to teach him what kind of woman to hang out with.

Yeah, that's not what happened. Here's what Cordon says: "He took my jewelry, my diamond bracelet off my wrist. He just kept asking for jewelry, I think it's got something to do with my ex-boyfriend... I really feel like, because we're breaking up and he wants all his jewelry back." https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/cbs-cordon-no-longer-certain-mccoy-was-involved-in-attack/1300798250 McCoy's been asking Cordon for the jewelry that was actually loaned by a jewelry store. He had not been asking for jewelry given to Cordon as gifts. Reportedly, the items stolen were not the loaned items McCoy wanted back. They were his gifts.

No doubt police officers sometimes get out of line. The solution, though, it not a good ass kicking.

The story hasn't changed. Some smart NFL folks love Allen. Other smart folks think he's a wasted pick. We'll know when we know.

An accusation is almost always compelling when you've only heard one side of a story. And that's all we've heard so far. The bits and pieces released by the police are all based on Cordon's statements. Her side is the only side we're hearing. And we don't know if she's being perfectly precise and accurate. For example, you say the intruder was demanding the "EXACT" jewelry that Shady had been asking for. That's not a fact. Cordon claims that the intruder asked for items Shady had asked for. Maybe the perp asked for the ring and bracelet she was wearing because they looked valuable (both gifts from Shady) while also asking for cash and other valuables that Shady never asked for. We have to be careful because Cordon may well have skewed her answers to the police to make Shady look guilty because she's convinced he is guilty. She's clearly not an objective reporter of the events that transpired. She's angry and biased. It's also not a fact that the intruder had keys. We only know that the police say there was no evidence of forced entry. Maybe Cordon left a door unlocked or a window open. I'm not saying Shady is innocent. There's enough circumstantial evidence to be concerned and I'm not feeling good about this. But let's not call people who are careful about not rushing to judgment "naive" "fan boys." The insults are unnecessary and unwise.

I'm disappointed too - but for a very different reason. I enjoyed this thread when it was offering new information, intelligent speculation, and spirited debate. It's seems to have gone off the rails a bit lately.

Who says the ONLY things the intruder took were the items McCoy wanted. Our only sources are one sided: the gf’s friend and attorney. Even the tidbits from the police are based solely on the gf’s statement.

Both the friend and lawyer of a woman who was beaten have stated/implied that McCoy was behind the beatings. Shady is popular with Bills fans and an integral part of our offense. So we're all very concerned about the truth of the allegations. Most - if not all - of us also have sympathy for the victim. How is this a race thing?

It certainly sounds that way. But the attorneys work for the victim and are not objective. For example, the press release mentions the assailant asked for jewelry that McCoy has requested for in the past. The assailant asked for cash, too. What we don't know is if the intruder asked for a numbers of things, including a couple of jewelry items McCoy wanted returned. Maybe those jewelry items were obvious because they were being worn and the intruder demanded them because they looked valuable. He might have demanded 10 different items - only a couple of which were items McCoy wanted returned. Did McCoy want cash, too? While I'm troubled and worried, we certainly don't know all the facts and the press release is bound to be one-sided.

So would he have the legal right to send someone into the house to retrieve his belongings?

DC Tom, you're absolutely right - even when you're disagreeing with me. There's no damning evidence in the public record. The victim hasn't said anything publicly. The friend blames Shady but offers no proof. Shady denies wrong-doing. The tidbits coming from the police don't tell a complete and compelling story. With the little we know right now, Shady could be completely innocent or completely guilty or something in-between. I'm hoping for the best, guessing the in-between, and fearing the worst.

Her side? That Shady had thugs beat her up? It's possible but it would be incredibly stupid when he's already in the process of having her evicted. Then again, athletes have done dumber things and no outcome to this story would shock me. But if I had to bet, I'd bet on a middle ground. Shady didn't have thugs assault her but he's not completely uninvolved either.