hondo in seattle

Even though we haven't made the playoffs in 631 years, I'm opposed to this. There's an inverse relationship at work here: the more teams that make the playoffs, the less meaningful the regular season.

Defenses run the nickel roughly 2 out of 3 plays. Seems like a good time to line up a power runner like KW.

In my mind, the statements of agents don't reflect on their clients - unless they're paraphrasing or quoting their clients. It's just business. If Bakari's statements create even one ounce of leverage for his client then they were worth saying. If not... well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. None of this has changed my perception of TT (or Bakari) one iota. It doesn't make me think TT is selfish or foolish. His agent is simply doing the job he's been paid to do. I hope TT has an awesome season this year. And if he does, he'll get his big payday.

Scott hasn't been blessed with great knees. But it seems he's been blessed with a loving family and that's far more important. Best wishes to him. Class act.

I'm with you. He was a good guy with game-breaking speed. I don't blame the guy for being injury-prone or not wanting to leave track behind when he was a world-class long jumper. When he suited up in that Bills uni, he competed with all he had for us.

"the constant harassment from Bills and Sabres fans who confuse reasoned criticism with negativity has sapped my spirit." Forgetting the date, I actually felt some hope when first reading this article. Sully's retiring??? Sully's replacement - whoever it may be - would have to be better! "Retire? 'Come on. Even the biggest fool wouldn’t fall for that one.'" People with hope are often foolish. I guess we're stuck with Sully's "reasoned criticism" for years to come.

I voted a qualified "Yes." I expect Hue to do a great job coaching him and preparing him for the season. I think RGIII will work hard. But I wonder if the Brownies will be able to field an OL that can protect him.

426 years since our last playoff appearance has made me just a tad cynical. I'll believe we'll challenge for the AFCE crown when it actually happens. And when it does, I'll cry tears of joy. In the meantime, I'll limit my expectations.

The new blood test detects proteins released into the blood stream after a head injury. In other words, blood tests can potentially give doctors some insight into the damage done that will lead to CTE. But any kind of concussion protocol is really closing the barn door after the horses have got out. Advances in helmet technology and rule changes are needed to reduce head injuries in the first place.

Video discussing blood test with photo of a dazed TE: https://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/43c5a80ed345fe6e4f6e771b6cfcbf4e.htm

I'm not sure if this was posted before (apologies if it has)... Quotes from interesting B/R article by Ian Wharton... "I took an eight-game sample against the Jets' top opponents to chart Fitzpatrick’s accuracy and pass-distribution tendencies, and the results were disturbingly poor. Only 63 percent of his 268 passing attempts could have been caught, which reinforces how inconsistent he is at performing even elementary throws.... Fitzpatrick is a reckless gunslinger with little regard of his surroundings... His weak arm often shows in tight passing lanes and downfield throws." Despite the improved statistics, it's reassuring to know Fitz is still Fitz. But you've got to give a lot of credit to Chan Gailey who knows how to utilize limited talents like Fitz and CJ.

It would be interesting to know what the Bills draft board looked like the past couple of years. I'd love, for instance, to know who we would have drafted if we hadn't traded up for Sammy. For the longest time, I thought the price we paid for Sammy was too high. But the recent thread suggesting that even top 5 picks have only a 50% hit rate lately made me rethink my position a little. Probabilistically, if we hadn't traded up for Sammy we wouldn't be any better off than we are now. One of the first round picks would likely have been a miss, if not both. Even the top of the 1st round is a crap shoot. Two 1st draft picks netted us one really good player. That seems to be a reasonable expectation and not an altogether bad deal.

I thought Dunne's article about Sammy was great. Much like his article about TT where he got together a panel of current and former NFL players, and a former coach. I'd much, much rather read the opinion of subject matter experts than suffer through another uninformed Sully rant. By putting together a panel, we get exposed to a variety of POVs. TV does this all the time but we don't often see this approach in print media. At least, not in Buffalo... not until Dunne joined the BN. Granted it's too many if's but... if TT takes the next step, if Sammy lives up to his awesome potential, and if Shady stays healthy, this offense could be very productive in '16.

Billion is a rough guestimate. But the NFL doesn't want to build stadiums that are simply a place to watch a game anymore. They want elaborate puzzle palaces - huge entertainment venues with multiple revenue streams and lots of high tech bells and whistles. That's why the recent trend is to build stadiums for price tags in excess of one billion. Levi's and At&T (Jerry World) both cost about $1.3 billion. Metlife cost about $1.6B. The new stadium in LA is reported being built for $2.6B. Lucas was built for $735 million 8 years ago. The NFL wants us to build our stadium 5-10 years in the future. Given cost inflation - and the inflation of expectations - we're not likely to build a stadium for under $1 billion that will make the NFL happy. When I hear the NFL is pushing the Bills to build a new stadium, I don't think they're envisioning Reliant Stadium. We could probably renovate the Ralph and reach that mark. The NFL is thinking something grander, I would think.

Chicago - a much wealthier city - still houses the Bears in Soldier Field, built in 1924. The Ralph is a much younger, better conceived stadium. We can get many more years out of it. I don't even live in Buffalo anymore but I'd hate to see what a new stadium would do to ticket prices. Blue collar Bills fans would largely be priced out. Sure, a beautiful new billion dollar stadium would be a great addition to WNY. But who's going to pay for it? And what will the unintended consequences be?

But is this the future of the QB market? Unproven guys with glimpses of potential getting high teens? Or even more next year? IF the QB market keeps getting more and more speculative and expensive, it's better to do deals now.

I'd just rather plan for success and get this done now. And I'm guessing we could sign TT for roughly $18m/yr right now and lock him up for 5 years. If we only had cap space. I'm hoping he as a great season. If he does, I doubt he'll look for ways to leave Buffalo - but he could. The more likely outcome is that - the way the QB market is going - we'll end up paying him $20m+++/yr instead. Good explanation. Makes me feel better about this.

Clearly he's physically fragile but why do you say he's mentally fragile? Do you know Percy well? Personally, I have no idea how tough he is mentally.

None of this is hard to understand. I just think it's smarter to lock him into a contract now rather than later. Based on Rex's comments, it seems like Rex feels that way too but the cap gets into the way. Who knows? Maybe we're actually dodging a bullet here. Maybe TT stinks it up this year and we all end up glad we haven't signed him to an expensive long term deal. At the other end of the continuum of possibility, maybe he plays exceptionally well and then we'll be forced to pay him top dollar. No one knows the future but we have to plan for it nonetheless. As you say, players want long term security and guaranteed money - both of which he could find elsewhere if he continues to play well for the Bills as his agent well knows. If we believe in TT, we ought to eliminate the possibility of elsewhere. Unfortunately, our poor cap management prevents that. 3?

Because if we tag him, we'll have to pay him roughly $20m and it will bind him to us for just one year. And then what? I'd rather sign him to a contract that pays him less per year which is what would be happening right now if cap money was available. And (guaranteed money aside) we'll always have the option of cutting him. Contracts commit a player to a team more than they commit a team to a player. So the risks are twofold, sin contract, (1) we might lose TT eventually, (2) we might end up paying a premium price for TT's services. Btw, here's what Rex says: "First off, our entire organization believes in Tyrod Taylor. There's no doubt. However, sometimes when you look at your situation cap wise or whatever, anything that would include an extension for him would have to be in the best interest of both Tyrod and the Bills and right now, it's probably hard to bring those two things together with our cap situation." In other words, our cap situation is indeed interfering with our ability to do the smart thing. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000646470/article/rex-tyrod-extension-hard-to-do-with-billls-cap-space

I like DW but this is a crappy situation. Not having a franchise QB, Whaley tried to build a playoff team without one. He spent heavily on DE, DT, RB, and other positions. (He also spent heavily in a different way to get Sammy). For all that, we went 8-8 last year and now can't afford to sign our QB to a competitive contract. Waiting to the end of the season is a risky play.

How much money are we wiling to place on a roll of the die? We all know Percy is dangerous when healthy. And we all know he has trouble staying healthy. What are his odds of remaining healthy this year? We can guess as much as we want, but if I was DW I'd be asking my medical staff detailed questions. We must have someone on staff who's an expert on the fragility of NFL players and the probabilities of getting hurt.

One of the strongest statements ever posted here. Wow.

I think it is fair. If he gets concussions and other injuries sacrificing himself for the sake of his team, he's a good team-player. If he damages himself with drugs and STDs, he's an idiot. Context and motivation matter, a lot. A soldier who blows his leg off stepping on IED serving his country is a hero. A terrorist who blows his leg off making a bomb intended to kill innocent people is not. Part of Johnny's problem is that he has an unrestrained interest in his own short-term pleasure. He comes across as a selfish, undisciplined kid with real psychological issues. My guess is that the best thing for Johnny is to spend a year away from football getting healthy in mind and body. If was a GM, I wouldn't look at him until that happened.

Taking shots at Buffalo is unnecessarily unkind. I visit Buffalo with my non-Buffalonian wife and kids every couple years. We find things to do and enjoy our stays there. Do any of us actually want to live there? Sadly, no. The weather is cold, the buildings are old, and the economy is slow. And I really enjoy the diversity and quality of ethnic restaurants we have here on the West Coast which Buffalo just can't match. But the transformation of Canalside is a wonder and hopefully a sign of things to come. If I was a billionaire like Pegs, I'd take a strong interest in preserving Buffalo's historical architecture. It's a shame that some of the mansions on Millionaires Row have already been torn down. And the old Century Theater. And bisecting Delaware Park with the Scajaquada Expressway was a monumental mistake. It would be great if part of Buffalo's "renaissance" included the restoration and preservation of some of the city's past beauty. But it would also be great to see new, modern buildings rise downtown. If I was an athlete, I'd probably rather live in San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami and a few other NFL cities. But if signed by the Bills, I'd easily find reasons to enjoy the place, and the ardor of our fans would probably be the biggest reason.