ThurmasThoman

This is going to be the way of it for the next year, if not longer, unfortunately. No new "news" has emerged, aside from the fact that Bon Jovi is interested in bidding on the Bills. The conjecture that the Bills are going to be sold to him, and move to Toronto, is purely speculative. For Tim Graham to state that the odds have gotten longer for the Bills to stay in Buffalo is irresponsible journalism. Next week there will be a new "story", and the week after that, and the week after that.

Lot of love for the Colts on here... sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't bought into Andrew Luck 100% yet. The Colts were, perennially, a dominant team with Peyton Manning--I've noticed that ESPN (and now fans) have put a tremendous emphasis on their awful 2011 campaign which led to Luck being drafted... but Manning didn't play at all that year. It was an aberration. If you take that season out of the equation, the team took a step backwards in drafting Luck from where they were when they had Manning under center. And against good QBs in the playoffs (Falco, Brady) Luck has been made to look absolutely pedestrian. So, to me, to sit here and say "this is the year Luck takes that big step and becomes elite"... that has just as much validity as saying "this is the year Brady falls off" or "this is the year EJ becomes elite." With that being said, the Broncos are pretty much the only team in the conference that can hold a candle to anyone in the National Conference. Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans... and then an AFC representative. Very similar to how the AFC/NFC looked in the 80s and 90s... those are some monster defenses in that conference.. I dont know whos going to win the Super Bowl, but it will definitely be an NFC team. And boy, we better hope EJ is the real deal. Peyton and Brady have a few years left, and then (possibly as soon as this year or next year) our conference is going to be WIDE open. Add in that extra wild card and it's only a matter of a year or two til Bills playoff football is back.

i would have given jauron 5 years if whaley was the gm. i would have given gailey 5 years with a qb that wasn't fitz.... and if whaley was the gm. what you're seeing with russ as president and whaley as gm is finally an organization with a plan... a vision. it feels like a cohesive unit, and next season is going to be interesting. take a look at the opponents (outside of the division): chiefs, chargers, packers, vikings, browns (home) broncos, raiders, bears, lions, texans (away) granted, it's still far, far too early to tell, but we should be favored, or within 2.5 points on the spread, for all but the packers game at home, and the broncos game on the road (possibly the bears on the road and chiefs at home, possibly.) that's 8 games outside of divisional play that we should have a vegas line inside 3, or be favored. I can't recall the Bills having a road to the playoffs that favorable in a long time. Combined with Russ advocating to the league last year on the Bills behalf for some equality in scheduling--ie, no more pats games with them coming off a bye--and it seems like we should have a dececnt shot at the playoffs, with just a split in the division.

Disagree. A quick sale would imply that an ownership group was already pre-selected, and known about by Bills management before Ralph passed. If that is the case, it's likely that group had a hand in promoting Russ Brandon to acting president last New Years Eve. It would have been quite simple for a "potential" owner at that time to hand select who they wanted in charge of football operations, which would facilitate an even easier transition in ownership. Russ's ties to the area, experience in marketing deals and regionalization of the brand, and familiarity with the organization from top to bottom, including from past to present, makes him a valuable asset to have in place for anyone taking over control of the team. With that being said though, when we get a new owner, it would be incredibly invigorating if they walked in the door and fired every single person in the organization, and started from absolute scratch.

couldn't disagree more. CJ was injured and still showed explosiveness on several occasions last season, behind a piss-poor oline. Fred is old. Would not be surprised at all to see the Bills sign Johnson in a few days and Fast Freddy not make the 53. It's sad to say I know, but we finally have a forward thinking front office.

no way. someday, probably, but there is not a human being in the world that would buy this team and turn around and sell the naming rights to the stadium after the (namesake) owner recently passed away.

honestly--the bills should pay him 10 million and just take a deep run in the playoffs. him, cj, freddy, stevie and our young wideouts, with that d, and a solid kicking game, could be enough for a very deep run in the playoffs. if it doesnt work out, cut him at the trim down to 53. if it does work out, resign him at the end of the season to a multi year deal. no reason to not sign the kid, its the nfl, not boy scouts.

. thank you. and here's what i fail to realize about people that think the sky is falling: the bills are 11th in terms of tv ratings in the league, and the middle of the pack for attendance. they are a popular franchise with a rabid fanbase. so let's say they move... there are going to be about 10 other nfl cities looking at the crater in western new york, and LINING UP the mayflower trucks to be the first to fill that void. ralph wilson is from detroit. he lived in detroit. if he could have moved the bills and made more money, he would have moved the bills and made more money. nfl owners are in the business of making money. the bills are a SURE BET. moving the team to LA is not. moving them to toronto is not. moving them to london is not. end of discussion. period. i hate talking about the bills leaving. people just have such a flawed understanding of how this process would work.

Take this with all the salt in the Atlantic. I'm sorry, but the issue of "what will happen to the Buffalo Bills when Ralph Wilson passes" has been asked for about 20 years now. To think La Canfora is privy to some "inside" knowledge is just absurd. Yes, I suppose that is ONE possibility that could happen. But a trillionaire from Saudi Arabia could show up tomorrow and offer 3 times the market rate. NO ONE on this planet has "inside" information, unless they are either a) going to buy the team or b) know that there is a succession plan in place I say this with your best interest at heart: disregard EVERY rumor you read over the next few days/weeks/months or you're going to drive yourself crazy. we pull the 11th highest tv ratings in the league and havent made the playoffs in a decade and a half. people love the bills. theyre not going anywhere, i promise you. they are in the top 3rd of the league in terms of popularity and they are god awful. they are the only team in new york. toronto is in their backyard. if the bills left buffalo on monday, the jaguars would move here on tuesday. no owner is giving up this market share or this fanbase. ever.

Bu..bu..bu..but every team cheats! not just the patriots! everyone respects his genius and is in awe of the patriot way!

One thing comes to mind: When I was growing up, I had a Jim Kelly home jersey--the "cheap" kind, with the numbers painted on. I could have cared less if it was cheap, to me it was priceless. I must have worn it 6 days a week, and the only reason I didn't wear it seven was because Saturday was laundry day. I wore and washed it so much the numbers peeled off. So I got another one the next year, because I just couldn't go without my Kelly jersey those days. The jersey probably cost around 50$ back then--which for a kid with a dad who had just been laid off was (I realize now) quite a bit of money. Eventually, the numbers peeled off that second jersey too. The name faded off the back, and that was the last jersey I ever owned--17 years ago. Since then, I've debated many times about buying another jersey. 2 things have held me back. I'm a grown man now, married, with real life expenses like car payments and a mortgage. The thought of spending 75-100$ on a shirt with another mans name on the back--a man who is younger than me by a decade--seems extravagant at best and pathetic at worst. But even if I decided to buy a jersey, the more pressing issue has always been WHAT jersey to buy? At one point I thought a Poz jersey would be nice. But seeing those around the stadium now just seems ridiculous. Will the same hold true for Alonso in 5 years? I hope not, but if history is any indication, we'll be seeing his name on the back of a Steelers jersey by 2018. Good thing I never got another QBs jersey--from Bledsoe to Edwards to Losman to Flutie to Manuel to Fitzpatrick. Each have had windows where they looked like they could be great... and some of them even were great for a few games... hell Manual might even become great eventually... but none of them transcend the field, transcend the team, or transcend the sport. So, today I'm going to spend the 150$ to get the only jersey a Bills fan should ever own: http://www.shopthebi...ntic-royal.aspx The authentic version of the jersey I wore as a kid. And I'll wear this one every game day for the rest of my life. Maybe that's excessive, but I don't much care. Jim Kelly has always been the Bills to me, and he always will be. So when the Bills are struggling through another 5-11 tragedy this year, at least I can look down at that jersey and remember the days when Ralph Wilson Stadium was Rich Stadium, when December games were about securing home field advantage if not the division, and a trip to the Super Bowl was just a few wins away. And when the Bills finally do win the Super Bowl, I'll be proud to be celebrating in a Jim Kelly jersey. Hopefully he'll be watching it too, in good health. But if he's not, I'll at least be able to remember him in that moment, because he deserves that too, as much as any of us fans. Just like all of you, the Bills are a part of my life. As a cancer survivor, cancer is part of my life. I'm proud to call Jim Kelly my hero.

lmao, as a gamer, i can appreciate this story.

This guy would be keeping track of my credibility. You have been following me from thread to thread for years. Aside from Mark Sanchez, honestly, wtf went wrong in your relationship with your father that led to such severe attachment issues with males? I can't help you man, I'm just words on your computer screen. Get the help you need, you and Jim Kelly are in my prayers!

lmao. this is probably the worst post i've ever read on here. he took that team to back to back conference championships in his first 2 years in the league. if that defense was the reason that team made it as far as it did, then we should sign sanchez for the simple fact that EJ couldnt take a very good defense to anything more than a 6-10 record. If you say that ej couldnt do more than that because he was injured all year, then we should sign sanchez because ej was injured all year, and might (likely will) be injured this year too. or if you say that maybe sanchez played a part in winning with those jets teams, then we should sign him, because, you know, he took them to back to back conference championship games, (including a win on the road against the patriots in the playoffs)... we havent beaten the pats on the road in that stadium since... actually, we've never beaten the pats in gillete. sanchez is 3-4 vs. the pats. you have to go back FOURTEEN YEARS to find 3 bills victories over the patriots. either way you cut it, theres no viable reason to not bring sanchez in. seriously. refute it any way you like, but your argument can be countered by any of the three counter-arguments i posted.

You want him too? Is there anyone here who doesn't want him? He would instantaneously be the best qb we've had since Bledsoe. He is still young too, my god, he could be our qb for the next 10 years. This is ridiculous. Throw all the monies at him.

ALSO: Don't forget--Sanchez BEAT OUT geno last year as the starter, despite everyone in that organization waiting for him to fail. If it wasnt for Rex throwing him in the game with 4 minutes to go in the preseason and losing him for the season, he would have been the starter. So, considering we could have the better qb on the team who split with us last year using the worse of the two qbs? It's like signing a guaranteed win over the Jets--which would have given us a 4-2 division record right there. Would Sanchez not have won the KC game? The Cleveland game? omg that first Patriots game??? How could I forget, my my my, how could I forget---DIDNT SANCHEZ GO INTO FOXBORO AND BEAT THE PATRIOTS IN THE PLAYOFFS?????????????????????????? we havent won in foxboro in what? 15 years????

In Buffalo: we have a top 10 defense, and couldn't make the playoffs and the story line is "when will we have a quarterback??? how can this team win without a superstar quarterback???? we're doomed!!!!" In New York: they had a top 10 quarterback, and made the conference title game in consecutive seasons, and the story line is: "that defense was SICK. that defense carried the team. Sanchez didn't matter" Can't have it both ways boys. Sanchez's story is everything that's wrong with sports these days. 20 years ago he'd still be the starter in New York, and they'd surround him with wideouts and a running back. But because he's in NYC, that piece is overlooked, and 2.5 bad seasons later he's garbage. People on this board still like FITZ for Gods sakes. How many times did Sanchez make Fitz look like a JV reject. Opening week 2012, for starters. Would cut EJ right now and sign Sanchez if I was Whaley. My god, Sanchez never had the talent we have at wideout, much less running back. That arm? Wait, I forgot "Butt fumble LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!" He has eviscerated us. On numerous occasions. IN OUR HOUSE.

would instantly make us better. sanchez rode top 10 defenses to the afc title game--twice. ej rode a top 10 defense to a 6-10 record.

This is a really great analysis of the situation, and I have never seen it presented from this angle before. Well done!

I'm the most optimistic homer out there, but if you can't see why the average NFL fan would compare their teams struggles to our legendary run of futility, IDK what to tell you. There was a question on ESPN the other night about whether or not the Detroit Tigers were turning into MLB's Buffalo Bills. Take your pick--for american males aged 34-62, we're the team that lost 4 straight Super Bowls and over stayed their welcome on the national stage--America's begrudged "lovable losers". For american males aged 18-34, we're the team that hasn't made the playoffs in 14 years, and hasn't won a playoff game since the 90s. Either way, we're losers. But, play enough seasons, and eventually, we'll be winners. And then ESPN will write articles about our cheating scandals, or how difficult it is to repeat as champions, or do we qualify as a dynasty, or is our QB the best ever. That's what sports is all about. Don't take offense to articles like that, or comments like that, enjoy it as part of the grand, epic tale. Star Wars isn't Star Wars without Darth Vadar...

Thanks. Let me also add: Jim Kelly always was, is, and always will be my favorite athlete of all time, let alone Bill. I wish him nothing but the best. I'm not a praying man, but he is certainly in the forefront of my thoughts at the moment, and I imagine I will think about him once or twice a day until he wins this battle, and hope nothing but the best for him. He has been blessed with so much, and even in his darkest hours has found the bright side of life. That is all a man can do, and I have no doubt he will be an exceptional role model in this newest journey of his.

Cancer is as much a part of the human experience as birth, death, aging, breathing, or anything else. Human beings themselves are a product of natural selection--but natural selection can only occur with mutations in our very DNA. DNA mutates when cells divide, and cell division is what propogates life, it's what got us to here... it's what makes us human. There was a poster earlier who said that one should eschew medical treatment and treat themselves, and they received a lot of criticism. I am a cancer survivor, and I went through a long chemo therapy and radiation cycle, and I would advise you to not brush aside that posters words so flippantly. YES those treatments are/were extremely effective, and are the reason that I am still alive today. However, they are only part of the reason, and there are many life-style changes that one can make to prevent cancer, and possibly cure it. As a cancer survivor, I would recommend the following resources to anyone who is interested: 1) Eat, Drink and Be Healthy (particularly the section on vitamins) 2) The Harvard Med School Guide to Men's Health (particularly the section on exercise) 3) Anti-Cancer (global approach to eating healthy and minimizing environmental toxins) 4) Heal Your Body (the mental approach to disease) 5) Feng Shui Your Life (how your living space can impact your health) and 6) Buy a Neti Pot immediately! (will virtually eliminate colds and flus from your life) I could write pages and pages on this, and I can respect those who disagree, but all I can tell you is my experience on this planet... you absolutely do have the power to prevent (idk about cure) these diseases on your own by modifying the way you interact with your environment... I believe that to the center of my being.

I have been wondering how the draft being moved to May 8th is going to affect the release of the schedule. Perhaps they will push it back a few weeks. Also, for a league that is so set on marketing itself, and selling absolutely every bit and piece of "the shield"... from televising the combine, to every round of the draft, to mini camps, to "Hard Knocks", to even broadcasting the parade for the Seahawks... you would think that they would just pick one damn date to announce the schedule, make it a prime time event, and market the hell out of it. It just simply doesn't mesh with the way the NFL works anymore, and quite frankly, its weird how diametrically opposed it is to the way the league does business. Every fan looks forward to the release of the schedule. What makes more sense: Q: When does the schedule come out? A: IDK... some time in April I think? Some time around the draft if I remember correctly... or Q: When does the schedule come out? A: Easter Sunday, prime time, 7pm! Just like every year! Come on man, get your head in the game!!

I have mixed emotions about it. I think that the way the NFL is now, with 12 out of 32 teams making the playoffs (37.5%) make the regular season that much more important. The regular season serves almost as a playoff unto itself. With 14 out of 32 teams making the playoffs (43.7%) it allows for that much more of a margin of error in the regular season. I do somewhat like the way that this will reward ONLY the best team in the conference--by giving them a bye. So now, have the best regular season in the conference--get a bye. I wonder, will they still re-seed after the wild card round? I hope the Bills make the playoffs this year--for many reasons. But maybe not the least of which is I would like for the team to break its playoff drought when they playoffs are still structured this way. I'd like the be BUILDING towards something as an organization before the playoffs expand. I'd rather go 10-6 this year, make the playoffs, lose in the wild card round, and KNOW that we're on to something... than go 8-8, miss the playoffs this year, make a minor change here or there (like this offseason), go 8-8 in 2015, and make the playoffs. If that makes sense?

Is anyone else mildly-to-immensely concerned that we will have to play 5 meaningless games this summer before the real action starts? Last year in the preseason we lost Gilmore for most of the season, EJ tweaked his knee (whether or not that was a problem for the duration of the season is open to interpretation), Spiller was injured by the first week of the season, Freddy is old as it is, Stevie had hammy issues, and our kicker got injured and it basically ended his career. I know this is a "next man up" league, but it seems every year we have more injuries than average. The fact that we now have to play an extra meaningless game in August has me worried that no matter who the Bills sign this week, we'll be behind the 8 ball before opening weekend.