hondo in seattle

Neither sarcastic nor naive. I don't know the Tuohy's personally, but I know people who do. You don't need to educate me about businessmen - I know many. To be more specific, I know a lot of successful Taco Bell franchisees. And they're like everyone else. Some are principled and good-hearted. Some aren't. From what I've heard even before the movie came out, the Tuohy's are among the good ones. Sean Tuohy's story makes sense to me: The studio bought the rights to The Blind Side (Michael Lewis) from the author, not the Tuohy's, so the family didn't make a lot of money from the movie. Sean's story is consistent with his reputation, and I think it's the most believable explanation in the media so far. You can disagree if you want but try to do it in a civil manner without the name-calling. Thanks.

Elsewhere, I read he sold for $213 million. And he still owns 11 Taco Bells which probably nets him roughly $2 million/year. He's not hurting for money. It's hard to imagine him, with the kind of financial resources he has, throwing his morals and values to the wind to screw his 'adopted' son for a little more money that he doesn't really need.

It's weird because the Tuohy's are wealthy and so is Oher (I would think). Neither side needs the cash. So why cheat, lie, and fight?

Makes absolute sense. I was thinking about the evolution of words... Jack Tatum once wrote a book called, "They Call Me Assassin." He got that nickname (gave it to himself?) because he was a hard-hitting safety. It had nothing to do with the original meaning of the word which had to do with a murderous medieval Persian religious sect. Sadly, the self-monikered 'Assassin' paralyzed Darryl Stingley with a vicious hit and I doubt if Stingley's family appreciated the nickname Tatum still embraced. I get your friend. But, for me, the word mafia which once meant 'swagger' evolved in Sicily to refer to a criminal organization. It further morphed in the U.S. to refer to a group of people bound together by their mutual and excessive enthusiasm for their team.

Professor, like your peer, I hated the expression "Bills Mafia" at first because of its association with the Italian mafia. But it's grown on me. Words take on new meanings over time. The word "mafia" didn't always refer to evil criminal organizations. From Wikipedia: The word mafia (English: /ˈmɑːfiə/; Italian: [ˈmaːfja]) derives from the Sicilian adjective mafiusu, which, roughly translated, means "swagger", but can also be translated as "boldness" or "bravado". In reference to a man, mafiusu (mafioso in Italian) in 19th century Sicily signified "fearless", "enterprising", and "proud", according to scholar Diego Gambetta.[4] In reference to a woman, however, the feminine-form adjective mafiusa means 'beautiful' or 'attractive'. I like the original meaning of the word a lot as the foundation of our nickname. Of course, in American parlance "mafia" now has two meanings, one having to do with criminal organization and the other having to do with the most rabid fans in the NFL. It's the second we embrace and honor.

It's hard to put the Bills in the top three... On defense, our star players have age/injury worries: Hyde, Poyer, Tre, Von. On offense, our OL still isn't good.

Thanks for the info! This is new to me. I have a Firestick. So if purchase Unlimited TV, I can register it in Buffalo and see live Buffalo TV? Including all Bills games? No need for Sunday Ticket? Great stuff if I'm understanding it right.

I think Shaw is right: we let Gabe walk and blame the cap. If Kincaid develops the way we hope, Josh will have two elite targets next year: Diggs and Kincaid. And then we'll fill the gaps with the other (affordable) guys we have who aren't bad. And maybe we draft a WR and enjoy his cheap rookie contract. If we hadn't signed Von for his big contract, we could have afforded a talented veteran WR and OL. Now we can't. I do get, btw, Beane's philosophy. It's a passing league so he gives out the biggest salaries to a star QB, star WR, star CB, and a star DE. We just can't afford two big-ticket players at any position. And personally, at this point, I'd rather spend money on the OL than on Gabe. I'm tired of our expensive, talented QB getting mauled. A better O line would give us a running game. And it would give Josh more time to scan for receivers. And that would make the passing game better, with or without Gabe.

I'm clueless. What's this???

I know far more about the Bills than the rosters of other teams. But if I had to rank them, it would be like this: 1. KC 2. Philly 3. Cincy 4. Bills 5. 49ers There are some other teams, particularly in the AFC (Ravens, Fins) knocking on the door of the Top Five. The Bills don't have the best roster but they're in the top 5 or 8, for sure, and that makes the Lombardi realistic if difficult.

I may not be a world traveler like Araiza Curse, but I have been to 20+ countries and 47 states and think his take is a bit harsh. It's true that Buffalo is not one of the great cities of the world. But it does have things to offer. As mentioned, if you're into architecture, Buffalo's got sights for you to see including two Frank Lloyd Wright houses (including the one in Derby). If you're into pizza, a lot of pizza connoisseurs rank Buffalo highly. If you're into Buffalo Wings, you must do a pilgrimage to the Anchor Bar even if the place itself is underwhelming. If you're into history, you can see where Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as president. There's also, I believe, a marker where is predecessor, McKinley, was shot. If you're a football fan, seeing a Bills game in person is something truly special. I've hosted friends and relatives from both France and the Philippines in Buffalo. Of course, Niagara Falls was the highlight, but we found other spots & activities that they enjoyed. The next time I'm in Buffalo, I'll probably visit the Penn Dixie Fossil Park because my son and I both like paleontology and I've never been there. (On the other hand, I haven't been there in a long while, but I do tend to think some Buffalonians over-rate the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. It's okay, nothing special. I just googled best art museums in the US/World and it didn't make any of the lists I looked at - not to my surprise).

You're right - to a point. "Man" can refer to men or can refer to humankind. Because it's not clear, some women find it offensive when they're left out by words like 'man' and 'mankind.' So, for example, many people now prefer the expression 'humankind' over 'mankind.' The expression "12th man" is vague. Does it refer to a man (since the first 11 men are clearly men) or to a fan of any gender?

And other schools used it before Texas A&M. The expression "12th man" has been around for more than 100 years. Lots of teams have used it.

I very rarely wish ill on people, but I confess that I rooted for Manziel to fail in the NFL. The stories of Johnny's partying, laziness, greed, and so forth made me dislike the guy. There are so many good kids doing things right who deserve success. I wanted them to succeed instead of him. Now I only wish him well. I hope he gets the help he needs and has the strength to follow a healthier, happier path.

According to Wikipedia, the first mention of the "12th man" occurred in 1900 at the University of Minnesota. Many fan bases have been called the "12th man" since. Are we honoring them too by putting "12th man" on the wall? I like changing what's on the wall to "Bills Mafia" because there's only one Bills Mafia. Additionally, the "12th man" is sexist and leaves out the Mafia Babes and our other female fans.

There are Bills fans who want McD fired. But I believe the biggest 'mistake' made by anyone in the organization is Beane's failure to build a good OL. Both teams in last year's SB had good OLs. Ours was poor. We weren't in last year's SB for a number of reasons and one of them was our roster wasn't among the best, particularly at OL. MLB might be the one position group that's worst this year than last. But OL is the position group that makes me think a Lombardi is - once again - unlikely.

The video was compelling. I didn't remember us getting screwed so badly.

When we signed Sherfield, I thought he'd be in the slot conversation. Apparently not.

Agreed! If we had the best OL in the league, we'd terrorize defenses. I'm humbly hoping we simply achieve mediocrity this year, which would be an improvement over the last few years. But I'm worried we won't even attain that.

I'm not sure why this thread exists.

Gonzo, I wish a great time in Buffalo. I hope the team puts on a show and you find the city agreeable. Don't forget to ARRIVE EARLY at the game. You don't want to miss out on the tailgating!

I agree with much that's already been said. Public transportation probably isn't as convenient as what you're used to. Rent a car if you can. I highly doubt if the food scene in Buffalo is as interesting as BA but I would recommend trying the local foods: Buffalo Wings and, less famously, Beef on Weck. Also, as has been mentioned, the pizza in Buffalo is very good if you go to the right place. I disagree with Machine Gun Kelly and would not recommend Mighty Taco. It's a local Mexican-American chain that used to be good decades ago, but IMHO has mostly deteriorated into Taco Bell. Niagara Falls is great. Ride the "Maid of the Mist' when you're there to really experience the grandeur and beauty of the falls. If visiting on the American side, take a walk out to Goal Island and visit: Terrapin Point, the Three Sisters, Cave of the Wind, and Luna Island. Other sights worth seeing depend on your interests. Many people consider Buffalo a 2nd or 3rd rate city. But that wasn't always the case. A hundred plus years ago, Buffalo was one of the largest, wealthiest, most exciting cities in the States. Architectural remnants, often decaying, of Buffalo's former glory are still standing. Frank Lloyd Wright (America's greatest architect) designed a house in Buffalo you can visit and there's another Wright house about a half-hour outside the city. There are other old buildings in Buffalo that were designed and built by prominent architects. Btw, there's a good Bills gift shop next to the stadium.

Tyler Dunne wrote a really nice article about Sherfield a few months ago: https://www.golongtd.com/p/the-trent-sherfield-prophecy

Whenever he's asked, he stays he's not going to rush things. To me, that means he's not playing at the beginning of the season. I'll guess Week 6.

Agreed. Although the starting lineup isn't much different; I think the depth of our receiving corps is much better than last year.