hondo in seattle

Yeah. I'm impressed by the progress.

When was the last time the Bills were #2 or #3 in any of the big national power rankings? Did media outlets even do power rankings in the early 1990s? As Bills fans, we know good season starts don't mean squat. But they're still better than bad starts!

Nice analogy, GB.

Hi Josh, I'm not a subscriber to Buffalo Blitz so I'm not sure what's been going on behind your paywall. But I used to read BN (except Sully) before that and here are some of my thoughts about what you need to do to get me to become a paying subscriber... * More human interest type stories. In Tyler Dunne's brief tenure with the BN, he wrote some nice pieces on players and their backgrounds. * More inside information. No one at BN seems very well connected with One Bills Drive. BN writers rarely tell us things we don't already know from games, pressers, and national media. * More analysis. I really don't need a different take on facts I already know. I want articles that dig deeper and open my eyes to things I didn't figure out for myself. For example, tell me what the heck Rico is trying to do with the running attack? * Less whining. You have writers - at least one - who could find a dark cloud on the sunniest of days. The criticisms need to be balanced. By the way, I think it's great you're reaching out to the fan base. Good luck on your new job!

#1) You're right when you say Bills fans are funny. #2) You are wrong when you suggest we're complaining. See statement #1.

Good find. Thanks for posting. It'll be an interesting chess match. Hope McD and Rico are up to the task.

These sounds reasonable enough. But without consulting with the medical staff, I have no idea what's the best course of action.

These stats don't surprise me - or probably anyone else. We see it. I'm very worried about Dennison's run scheme. I get we've played against good run D's. I'd still expect better. Shady's fantastic in space and Rico's got to succeed in getting him some.

Led Zeppelin (Jason Bonham on drums), Stones, Who... pretty much everyone else I want is dead.

Each side claims to be more patriotic than the other. One side asks, "Don't real patriots stand to honor the ideal of America as well as our veterans?" The other side responds, "Don't real patriots respect the Constitution and the first amendment?" It all sadly reminds me of the forewarnings we've received from some smart folks in the past. Washington in one of his farewell address warned us of the dangers of partisanship and reminded us of the power of unity and common ground. Thomas Jefferson once said, "Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy." Lincoln warned us about a "house divided." Teddy Roosevelt warned us against "parochial patriotism." He also warned us that "It is of little use for us to pay lip-loyalty to the might men of the past" unless we also endeavor to practice their qualities. In other words, when Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln preach peace, friendship and unity, we should pay attention. It seems to me, the hostility in the debate spits on the faces of the great presidents enshrined on Mount Rushmore who hoped we'd behave differently. If we have to resort to binary thinking, here's how I would break it down: Bad: Hatred, divisiveness, disunity, ad hominem attacks. Good: Love, understanding, unity, expressions of brotherhood and sisterhood.

Good find. I nearly teared up.

I get what you're saying. But let's look at this from the other side. There are days when neither the defense nor the running attack is effective enough and you must pass to win. Some Sundays you need your QB to throw for 300 yards or more. If the team can win with the the QB just being a role player, great. But can your QB be the hero when you need production in the passing game? When the defense is looking for the pass, can your QB still drive the team down the field? Those are the questions people ask about TT and about all QBs. Timely "Passing Yards" do matter.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this before, or if anyone else cares. I personally think it's cool: The Falcons train with the former Navy Seals for a week during the offseason. Wish the Bills would do something like this. Embrace the suck! http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media-lounge/videos/Falcons-Train-With-Former-Navy-SEALs/f8a32bb8-3c95-40dd-bcf2-2176068b8a4e https://www.si.com/mmqb/2016/05/11/atlanta-falcons-nfl-training-navy-seals-dan-quinn-matt-ryan

I love JK, but this is a great observation. Borrowing the title of a famous book, I tell my teams all the time to "Build bridges, not walls." There can't be a pro-Shady camp and anti-Shady camp in the Bills organization. There can only be a pro-Bills camp. One team, one family.

I'm not worried about Tyrod as much as I'm worried about Dennison's running scheme. So far, Shady's averaging a pathetic 16 yards per game at 2.9 yards per carry.

Not to be negative but... We're #1 in scoring defense. But we're #24 in scoring offense. McD made the D better while Dennison made the O worse. Average the two ranks out and were #12.5 overall - slightly better than average.

"Veteran" is not some monolithic term - we're not all the same. We serve for different reasons. I don't like when non-veterans try to speak for us as if we're some unified group. I can tell you that when I went to war, I wasn't thinking about flag and country. I was thinking a lot about duty - especially my duty to my soldiers. I loved my men and there was no way I was going to let them down. That was my main motivation. Btw, thanks to Lurker for posting the oath - it's all about the Constitution which incidentally protects freedom of speech.

You've clearly chosen sides. I don't know why you have to. I respect Villanueva for standing for the anthem when no other Steelers were. And I respect JK for his patriotic feelings. But I respect Shady too. Shady wasn't disrespecting the flag. He was silently protesting a wrong. While I wouldn't choose to stretch during the anthem, I wish more people would silently protest societal wrongs.

Read their interviews. Most players understand that most cops are not racists who harass minorities for fun - or any other reason. In fact, many cops are minorities. However, it's a statistical reality that minorities are treated differently than whites overall. Many players aspire to a future color-blind America where this isn't true anymore. Because of the diversity that exists in locker rooms (country boys, city slickers, whites, blacks, etc), players are sensitive to issues of tolerance, acceptance and equality. Personally, I'd like to see us move past all the us-versus-them hostility: Democrats vs. Republicans, black suspects versus white cops, kneelers versus non-kneelers... We're stronger as a country when we see each other as brothers and sisters. We're weaker when we let people divide us. As someone else posted regarding police treatment of minorities... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/13/why-a-massive-new-study-on-police-shootings-of-whites-and-blacks-is-so-controversial/?utm_term=.fc68a36d2649

I think it took courage for the first kneelers to kneel. And I think it took courage for Villanueva to stand. Tomlin made it clear he wanted 100% participation unity in regards to the national anthem. But Villanueva followed his own moral compass and did what he thought was right. Given his background (West Point, Rangers, 3 tours in Afghanistan), you can't blame him. He defied his coach's wishes and stood with his hand over his heart. I respect both sides.

I originally predicted 9-7 while leaning more 8-8 than 10-6.. So far, the D is a little better than expected with the O is a little worse. I'll stick with 9-7.

I disagree with Kelly's take on Shady but his overall message is that we should all - 'lock arms and stand together - black and white.' Can't complain with that.

Fair enough. Stretching is a little crass. Shady could have come up with a better solution to his dilemma. But let me add this. During Desert Storm, I had an Arab-Muslim NCO working with me. He felt doubly honored to fight in the First Gulf War because he was serving his country (the USA) while saving his parents' country (Kuwait). And he fought well. After we came back to the States, he ran into some civilian yokels who told him to "go back home." He related to me that he merely told them, "You mean New Jersey?" and carried on with his business, avoiding a confrontation. Many of my friends and family are either vets or still serving now. So I'm sensitive to respecting those in uniform. Many of the people suffering racism in the United States are minority servicemen/woman and veterans like my Jersey NCO. That pisses me off far more than Shady stretching. Despite our progress since the civil rights movement, racism remains a blight on America. I don't think kneeling - or stretching - is the answer but I give the players some credit for trying to start a meaningful dialogue.

It's not an equal comparison. In the protesters eyes, the bad guys are the racists (especially the racists in uniform). In the uber-patriots eyes, the bad guys are the ones who kneel on Sunday. If I had to pick a villain to get upset about, it's the racist. People who kneel are not hurting the fabric of our society. Racists do.

I served in combat. I knew guys who died serving their country. That's why I stand and can empathize with your opinion. But I don't think these players are losers because they kneel during the anthem. They're not spitting on the flag. They're not burning it. They're merely kneeling. The Declaration of Independence says that "all men are created equal" and each has a right to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." These players, in their own way, are trying to help transform these noble ideas into lived realities for all of us. What's more American than that?