Rocky Landing

Good post. I've held since the pandemic started that continuity from 2019 to 2020 would be a distinct advantage for this season. That bodes very well for the Bills in the AFCE division, where all three of our rivals will have far more turnover than the Bills.

You are the one deflecting. If you read my post, I made it clear that it was not about stats. Instead, I gave what I hope you would agree was a thoughtful response of what I believe to be the essence of systemic racism, with examples-- all of which you have chosen to ignore. In fact, you have ignored the entire post, and instead engaged in straw-man argument. Frankly, I don't really think statistics are all that important to recognize systemic racism. If you don't understand its precepts, I don't know that stats are going to help all that much. Be that as it may, I did exactly what I suggested you do, and googled "stats for systemic racism," and immediately found this WaPo article with a bunch: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/if-you-dont-believe-systemic-racism-is-real-explain-these-statistics/2020/06/12/ce0dff6e-acc7-11ea-94d2-d7bc43b26bf9_story.html I suspect this will be my last response to this. I don't think you're really interested in an honest discussion.

Did you not read the post? I apologize if it was too long. But, don't hold your breath for me to post stats. Anyone can find them. Google "stats for systemic racism," and I'll bet plenty will come up.

I think a lot of people have a problem with the concept of systemic racism because they may take it to imply that racism is specifically written into law, and code. That’s obviously not the case. I could do some quick (very quick) research, and cite stats about how black Americans are treated differently in everywhere from the workplace, schools, the justice system, etc., or I could go on about this country’s 400+ year history of racism. But, historic racism, and statistics don’t seem to be enough to illustrate how it is systemic. That word, “systemic,” defined as “fundamental to a predominant social, economic, or political practice,” leaves a lot to interpretation. So, consider the following occurrences: In 2015, two armed men walked into a sheriff’s station in Oregon, leaving two men guarding the station’s front door armed with shotguns, and demanded that the sheriff not take two convicted arsonists into custody to serve their sentences, threatening the sheriff with massive retaliation were he not to comply. They left without incident, and no charges were filed. A few weeks ago, a group of protesters, armed with assault rifles, entered the Michigan Statehouse, shouted at police within a foot of their faces, and impeded the movement of police, and government officials. They left without incident, and no charges were filed. In the above two cases, no other information is necessary to know exactly the complexion of those involved. But, “systemic” goes beyond just law enforcement. It’s pervasive. A systemic disease affects the whole body. Ten days ago, CNN reported on some new information regarding a child who had gone missing over a decade ago. Not one more word of information is needed— every person reading this knows exactly what this child looks like. It’s almost as if black lives just don’t matter as much. But, to your last point, I just don't accept your equivalence. Saying "no offense, but..." and then saying something offensive, is a clear path to disrespect. Kneeling, in and of itself, is not an offensive gesture. The anthem, and the flag are symbols of the country as a whole. And, honestly, I can't shake the suspicion that the vast majority of people who are so stubbornly clinging onto the "kneeling disrespects our vets" narrative truly want this protest to be disrespecting vets. It's a much safer position to be against disrespecting vets than it is to be against protesting systemic racism.

I will say that I would proudly support McD kneeling in what should, in my opinion, be considered a respectful, silent protest in solidarity with fellow Americans' struggle for civil liberties, and the end to systemic racism-- ideals that are rooted in the constitution, and for which countless veterans have given their lives.

The United States flag is not a symbol of the military, but a symbol of the entire country, as a whole. The same goes for the National Anthem. That is literally a fact. It always has been. Until Kaepernick took a knee, it had never been suggested otherwise. Grenada, Lichtenstein, and Samoa also have flags, and anthems, and they don't even have armed forces. I cannot take the opinion that Kaepernick's silent protest during the national anthem disrespects the military, because it disrespects the flag, or the anthem any more seriously than if people were saying that his protest disrespects Denny's, or Micheal Phelps. And, honestly, I can't shake the suspicion that the vast majority of people who are so stubbornly clinging onto the "kneeling disrespects out vets" narrative truly want this protest to be disrespecting vets. Because it is a much safer position to be against disrespecting vets than it is to be against protesting systemic racism. But, as I mentioned in another thread, if you have a problem with players kneeling during the anthem, you best get over it. There's going to be a lot of kneeling going on this season.

So, it's down to the Bills vs. the Syracuse Stallions....

Cosplayers, I call them.

Giants lost to the Syracuse Crunch, and the Jets lost to the NY Islanders, LOL!

I actually own that same jersey-- Lynch #23. I now live in LA. If I had been at the Seahawks @ Rams game last season, I absolutely would have worn that Jersey, and I may have worn a Rams hat as well, if someone gave me one. I wouldn't have much cared who won, but I likely would have found myself cheering had I felt like I was watching good football. And, I wouldn't have felt at all worried about my safety.

I know that I am in the minority here, but I love the preseason games. I love them. It's a chance to get a real bead on the depth of our players. It's the best chance we have to know the player who is stepping on the field when one of the starters goes down, and we have to start relying on third stringers to step up. These games are also responsible for creating "dark horse" buzz around certain players who would otherwise fall into obscurity. Who here remembers Christian Wade's first NFL touch when he ran it 65 yards to the house? That was preseason vs. the Colts, and no one would even know who he was were it not for the preseason. Bottom line, though: If they cut a preseason game, and don't add a regular season game? That's one less game of football to watch.

I have mixed feelings. I'm certainly not big on indoctrination, nationalism, or overt acts of patriotism. But, I will say that over the last few months, as my kids had to endure online schooling from home, I have come to appreciate it. The principle of their school started every morning with it, and always made it weirdly fun and entertaining. It kind of anchored the day for them. It was the starting point of the day, and it helped them shift into academic mode, and focus. It helped them stay connected to the school, and their community. Maintaining that connection was a challenge.

Maybe you guys don't have kids, idk, but they've got my children reciting the pledge of allegiance every morning, including during the virtual schooling of the last few months.

They didn't have the Rochester Americans, or the Rochester Redwings, but they had the New Jersey Jets, and Giants. What's up with that?

And did you not listen to the press conference by Erie County District Attorney John Flynn on the top of the very page that you linked? I suggest you do. At one point during the press conference, which is not included in your TMZ clip, Flynn states very directly that if the guy had broken the law, then you arrest him, and what you don't do is hold your baton out, and knock him to the ground. He considers this case against the cops quite obvious.

This will be my one, and only post to you. If you truly have no idea of what systemic racism means, or what the concepts of white privilege are, then I'm going to assume a certain amount of willful ignorance on your part. But, to answer your assertion of "no evidence of systemic racism," here are several links, which took me all of ten seconds to find: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-06-04/Numbers-behind-anger-U-S-racism-inequality-in-stats-R39PKBLwty/index.html https://inequality.org/facts/racial-inequality/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/09/18/theres-overwhelming-evidence-that-the-criminal-justice-system-is-racist-heres-the-proof/ https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/un-report-on-racial-disparities/ Honestly, considering the tone of your posts, I don't expect you to take a single one of these seriously. But, I didn't want your cherry-picked, context-lacking "evidence" to be anywhere near the last word, just for the sake of the otherwise rational discussion that has been occurring on this thread.

OMG!

Out of curiosity, do you live in Los Angeles?

I would bet money that week one of the regular season (assuming it happens, and there are people in the stands) Drew Brees takes a knee during the anthem.

Yeah, one thing is for sure: If the NFL season goes forward with people in the stands, and you still have an issue with players taking a knee during the anthem, ya better get over it.

Whenever a Bills player screws up off the field, there are often discussions in the subsequent threads that take the opposing sides of "I don't care what kind of person a player is, as long as he can play his position" vs. "I want the players on my team to be people we can be proud of." I generally find myself tending towards the latter. But, the question really boils down to entertainment value. Do we enjoy the drama? Does the game day benefit from the drama? I would be pretty disappointed if Allen had come out and said what Brees did. But, at the same time, when Brady* took a shot in the ribs from Kyle Williams, knowing that Brady* is kind of a cheating douche, we all cheered a little louder. Brees' opinion, misguided though it may be, doesn't hurt the discussion about Kaepernick's protest, or the current BLM protests, because it gives people another opportunity for civil discussion where they may find fault in their own positions. But, I also don't think it hurts the NFL, either. Even in New Orleans-- let the drama unfold. It's something for people to follow, and when Brees comes out with his apologies, and back-pedaling (or not), it's just one more story on the sports page.

I'm often frustrated in these discussions by the blurring of fact vs. opinion. A fact is a fact, regardless of how it affects someone's narrative. If an opinion is in direct opposition to a fact, then that opinion is wrong. I shouldn't be able to say, "in my opinion, one plus one equals three," and expect to be taken seriously, or even have my opinion respected. And, if I'm too stubborn to adjust my opinion on the basis of solid fact, then that is my problem, and no one should have to waste breath arguing with me. The United States flag is not a symbol of the military, but a symbol of the entire country, as a whole. That is literally a fact. It always has been. Until Kaepernick took a knee, it had never been suggested otherwise. Grenada, Lichtenstein, and Samoa also have flags, and they don't even have any armed forces. I cannot take the opinion that Kaepernick's silent protest during the national anthem disrespects the military, because it disrespects the flag any more seriously than if people were saying that his protest disrespects Denny's.

If the NFL had a normal offseason, and training camp, it's not unlikely that Fromm would be our backup come September. Could still happen.

To be fair, he also had that throw to Scott Chandler that was about 3 feet in front of him, which, as everyone knows, was way beyond his catch radius.

I still have a Lynch Jersey.