stony

Good article. Of course it's going to focus on the negative because two people lost their lives. But everything he wrote about happens every week at Bills games. Being in my 20s, I've no problem admitting that it's this particular minority that sours it for the majority.

Read what I responded to. I was alluding to the fact that Belicheck doesn't need good QBs to be successful and pointed out that his coaching as the DC of the Giants stymied a great offense with an average QB on his side. It's generally his defenses that have made him such a great coach.

By all accounts, Levy was one of the smartest and articulate coaches in recent memory. Perhaps his age when he was with the Bills would be against him nowadays, but there weren't many guys that weren't willing to run through a wall for the guy. Belichick beat the Bills with Jeff Hostetler and still had a winning season with Cassel. He's a huge jerk, but he's also a great coach.

Read every word of it. You're very upset. I'm assuming the game yesterday put you over the proverbial tipping point. You're blaming Russ for everything you perceive to be wrong/bad about the Bills. You seem to infer some conspiracies are afoot. If Russ is responsible for everything, then he probably told EJ to throw all the picks. Right?

Lee was all about speed, and when he lost his legs he lost the most important element of his game. I wasn't worried about Lee's cutting coming back to haunt us. I'd be worried that cutting Stevie would make the team look stupid. But oh well. Not like it hasn't happened before.

So Russ made his rookie QB throw 4 INTS? Got it.

Didn't Hughes have two sacks last game on third downs? I can't remember the second but I know the first was. That's one of the most valuable plays in my mind. Get's the offense on, and it pushes the opposition back. Also, if the league is pass happy, which most on here would agree with, don't you want guys who can deter the oppositions QB from making plays?

No its not. You're comparing a play that's in process with the quarterback progressing through his reads to a play call at the line of scrimmage before the ball has been snapped. What you've presented is not the same in any way, shape, or form.

Yeah, I like it because of the draft implications you speak of. I'd prefer to keep adding to the defense earlier on and this hypothetically fills a hole.

My favorite Lee Smith 'move' was his trip during that awesome EJ play-action triple fake play where the goal line got him. RE: Moeaki, can't hurt. Like the risk/reward aspect of it.

Care to expand? What is this winning culture you speak of? Is it talented players? Fancy locker room signs that get you pumped up before a game? Good coaching? An owner who makes your locker room the nicest in the league? "Winning culture" is a broad term.

I didn't mean to dismiss your entire point regarding a winning culture. I think a winning mindset can be ingrained on a team's collective identity, but sometimes the talking heads overuse the cliche in describing why a team stinks. But I do think the ownership and front office are responsible for creating this identity more so than the players themselves. I think the 49s are a great example of this. Look at their record from 2003 to 2010. What changed in 2010? Aggressive new (kind of new, at least younger) ownership, new coach with winning pedigree, comes into a team that stunk. Alex Smith was a has been but begins playing well, all of a sudden our favorite whipping boy Donte Whitner is a Pro Bowler (BS by the way) and the team returns to prominence in a very short period of time. I can't say for sure what or who was responsible for the rapid transformation, but it's an interesting topic to ponder.

Totally agree. The winning mentality cliche is one of the most-overused in sports. Great organizations we associate with winning take their lumps just like the crappy ones do when they don't have good players. If anything, I'd argue the phrase could best be applied to the front office/owner more than the players.

What is so bad about their training and conditioning? That's a broad statement, I'm sure you have many examples of what's so piss-poor about it. Rookie OC: He'll take his lumps, I can deal with it. Special Teams: ehhh, they've been average. They certainly haven't lost us numerous games as you seem to be implying. I'm sure you'll quote the "ridiculous" amount of injuries we've sustained over the years, but contrary to Bills fan's memories, other teams (every team) suffers tons of injuries too. It's so natural for Bills fans to play the injury card, it's become this generation's "fisherman's story." Every year, the injury list just gets larger... Other widely held beliefs by Bills fans...1) Bruce Smith dominated on every single play (that's why Mario is a bust), 2) It was -10 degrees at every Bill's home game in Dec from 1990-1993 (naw) 3) The Bill's used to sell out every -10 degree home game (couldn't even sell out a Bill's playoff game) 4) Jim Kelly used to drink a fifth of Jack on the way to the stadium (well...)

Yes, the Bills have been horrible for a long time and the line has been questionable for many years during the streak of ineptitude, but do you really think (knowing what we know now) that with a top five line during some of those years the Bill's are a playoff team? And yes, I think think our line is adequate enough to win. And yes, I think we need an upgrade at LG stat, and a RT in the draft wouldn't be a bad idea. My point is, these are not mutually exclusive.

So if you have a good line, then you don't need a good QB? Where are all these crappy QBs winning SuperBowls? Our OL is more than adequate to win the big one.

But that's like saying Urbik is a competent G, so I'd pass on the Pro-Bowler in Mankins. I'd go for the guy who makes the largest impact on any given position. In this case it's Gronk IMO. As for scholarships, coaches most certainly have to prioritize their recruits. But it's easy to prioritize when you have the appeal of an Alabama. They're talking to the 10 best players at their position and realistically have a shot at getting multiple players at each position. The Bills have 7-8 picks every year and would be lucky to get one premiere player at any position; therefore, it's tougher to build a winning football team in the pros especially if you allocate all of your resources to one area while negating others. Just my opinion. Not really. I'd say respect is given to OTs given how they are one of the top paid positions in the league. OGs aren't being paid too shabby either. The Steelers and Packers have won the big one recently with horrible lines yet they both had one thing in common.

Meh. It's pretty easy to recruit to Alabama. Not saying LOS isn't important (it is), but when you get the pick of the litter, it's pretty easy to dominate at the point of contact. Easier said than done in the NFL.

It's actually a great idea. Love it. And as a penalty for the over-the-top belligerent fans, when ushered out of the stadium by security you are forced to endure five minutes in the cage with the Bison. This would clean up the game day experience for many.

Ahhhhhh, the Glory Year's when the Bills made it to four straight Super Bowls from 1998-2001. What was it about the egg nog again...

I'm completely happy with Urbik. Guy's a player. No doubt about LG and yes, RT would be a sound investment given Pear's age and injury history. I don't think TE is a need quite yet, I mean, do we have a QB who can hit a seem route?

Please don't blame him for that one. Your other points are sound logic, blaming him for the bolded seems like you have a agenda against him.

Did anyone happen to catch how fast the man crawled after the strip-sack fumble? Some seriously impressive and/or funny stuff there. Guy has been very solid this year. When more wins come, so will the pro-bowls.

There's some truth to that, no doubt. But yesterday he was hit in the backfield on 4-5 plays. Pathetic blocking, perhaps. Bad play-calling, maybe. Just didn't look good.

Totally agree. We're still a team where second rounders will be expected to start and contribute right away. A new LB or TE would impact this team perhaps just as much as AJ would for much longer and much cheaper.