Rocky Landing

Well, now that this thread has been moved, I have to express my frustration that all issues related to conservation are "liberal-only" issues. It's foolish. I will admit that I know little about fracking issues as they relate to NYS (and I assume that the relevance varies between states), but I can say that fracking in California, where I live, is quickly becoming an unmitigated disaster. And, when I say "unmitigated," I mean that literally. The oil industry recently spent $1.5 million in less than three months in lobbying efforts to squash a moratorium bill (which had close to 70% public approval). It is clearly exacerbating the drought, and damaging agriculture. Many almond trees, for example, will be lost this year. It pumps millions of gallons of chemically tainted water (chemicals that the oil companies will not disclose under the guise of proprietary secrecy) into the ground, threatening the water supply. There is also mounting evidence that it is contributing to increased seismic activity. And when anything like this is brought up, it is received by a chorus from the right of "environmental extremists!" "liberal bias!" or "leftist hacks!" Why? When did conservation (a word that shares the same root as conservative) become anathema to the conservative movement? Is the conservative movement that married to corporate entitlement that all environmental concerns must be dismissed off hand?

A win in Chicago would be huge. Clearly, we are underdogs in that game, but it will be a great game to have Schwarz as our DC. Also, I think (or maybe just hope) that facing the Patriots, and the Jets later in the season (week 6 & 8, respectively) will work to our advantage. Be that as it may, I think the Jets and Patriots will be battling for the division. And, while I believe we will be much improved, I see scant chance for a playoff berth, or even second place in our division.

Which word did you have trouble with?

Wow, Mark80. This is an outstanding post-- germane, compelling, and adroit. And, it answers OC's unhinged rant perfectly, although, by his standards, George Washington was likely a bleeding-heart lib. I doubt he will bother to answer it-- or understand it, for that matter. Again, well done. I would like to suggest that if it is germane to the discussion regarding the next owner of the Bills, then it is a valid thread.

About fifteen years ago, a good friend of mine (Mike) bought a really beautiful, 1950's Nash Rambler. It leaked oil like a sieve. The first thing he did was to give it a gorgeous, and expensive paint job- a move that I criticized as foolish and backwards. On the second day that he had it back from the body shop, we stopped at a friend's house. Mike wanted to check the oil. He opened the hood, and pulled out the dipstick. "Down two quarts, already," he complained. As he lowered the dipstick in despair, the end of it touched the positive battery terminal which caused a bright, and loud spark. The spark was significant enough that it caused us both to take a couple steps back. Which was fortunate, because about nine seconds later, the engine blew sky high, the car ignited, and it burned to a smelly, black pile of slag right there in the driveway. If EJ craps out, that is what it is going to feel like.

To be entirely honest, I've had similar thoughts, myself. I don't watch a lot of college ball, and I never saw him play in a game. I've watched his highlights. And, yes, he's explosive, great hands, amazing acceleration, etc. But, what I also saw in the highlight reel was plenty of coverage that would be laughable by NFL standards. Clearly, he's a talented, and gifted athlete. Clearly, he has a great future in the NFL. But, there is going to be an adjustment in facing down NFL defenses week after week. If EJ's play is only mediocre, I doubt he's going to have a 1,000 yard season his rookie year.

I saw bad games on EJ's part. But, I don't believe I saw fear, just inexperience, and inconsistency. Not the Trent Edwards, "holy crap, I've got 2.2 seconds to get rid of this ball before I get smashed" syndrome. (Which, IMO, was entirely understandable, considering our poor O-line, and worse coaching at the time.) But, that's not really what this thread is about. If EJ doesn't finish the season, it won't likely be a result of poor play. It would be foolish and weird to assume that EJ will be worse this season, than last. If his play is the same this season as it was last season, I don't see him getting benched. He would have to be much worse (IMO) to get benched for the likes of Lewis, or Tuel. If he doesn't finish the season, it will be because of injury, at which point we will limp to the end of the season with Lewis, or Tuel- neither of whom are likely to be anything resembling a long term solution. BUT: If EJ has not progressed by season's end, or is (once again) sidelined by injury... what then?

It's a shame how the media utterly destroyed what could have been a perfectly mediocre career.

I think Lewis may very well be underestimated. It's easy to forget that before he became our starter last season, he hadn't even become a Bill until late August, and was pulled off the practice squad in early October. And, when he hit the field, he knew the playbook better than anyone could have hoped. When he won his first game as a starter, he had been off the practice squad less than three weeks. I'm sorry, but that's pretty impressive. That's not just "great heart." That's brains, and ability, as well. It is certainly possible that he has almost reached his ceiling. But, I don't see any reason to just assume that. Quarterbacks can exist in the league for years before getting their opportunity. Lewis got his opportunity in his fourth season- his first in Buffalo- and it was rife with what has to be considered some pretty extreme challenges. And, he stepped up admirably in my opinion. Why should we assume that's as good as he gets? Be that as it may, I have stated on these boards several times that I can't believe anybody would be happy to keep our QB roster the same as last season.

This is just trolling.

Yep.

It sounds like they are playing Lewis like he is the presumptive #2. Accurate? Or does Tuel have a shot at the #2 spot? Also, it sounds like Hogan is solid, no?

Has Elliot been seeing a lot of play? How does he look?

I assume it's designed to benefit the owners. But, how does it hurt the fans?

Rex has been very slow to bench his starting QBs in the past. If Vick takes over as starter, it will likely be late in the season, and Geno will really have to crap the bed. Especially if they are a run-heavy team this year, which seems likely.

Honestly, I think this thread is a bit silly. Love him, or hate him, the NFL has enjoyed enormous growth during Goodell's tenure-- even during the worst of the recession. Goodell is not going anywhere.

Die thread, die!

Football fans, on general, are always allergic to change. But, todays' change will be tradition in ten years.

"I SAID, d = 6 + vt - 16t2 whereas velocity equals 48 feet per second and t equals 1.3! What's so hard about that!!!"

That's really funny that we both mentioned the Aloha and Tiny Bubbles. That place rivaled any tiki bar in the country that I've ever been to-- and I've been to quite a few!

Also from ESPN: they have EJ ranked #25 in fantasy football rankings. Brady at #12, Vick at #27, and Geno at #29. Of course, these are valuations of production, rather than talent, and are also taken out of all active QBs (over 100 of them). Hence, Brady's low ranking. But, as I mentioned in another thread, I actually think that there are more analyses and intellectual muscle going into fantasy football rankings than in the pablum that is served up by blathering heads like Jaws. The former is a prediction of results, whereas the latter is based on subjective, and popular perception. EDIT: Henne, btw, is ranked #31 on this list. Fitz is #32; Cassel is #33.

For some weird perspective on that site, they have Brady at #12, Tannehill at #22, Manuel at #25, Vick at #27, and Geno at #29. I think that fantasy rankings are more a valuation of production rather than talent. Of course, the two go hand in hand, and there is a lot of analysis that goes into them. I would certainly put a lot more stock in the intellectual muscle that goes into fantasy football rankings than I would something like Ron "Jaws" Jaworski's list of quarterbacks (to cite another thread). They have Watkins at #30 among WRs-- not surprisingly, the highest ranked rookie WR.

I feel so ashamed... Hey, man! Stay out of my fantasy!

I knew it was too good to be true. I'm not sure how old you are, but if you're as old, or older than me (50), do you remember their house band back in the early eighties and before? The owner used to sing a rendition of "Tiny Bubbles" with them, and they would take requests. They were as old as the hills back then, and chain-smokers all. My friends, and I, drinking at 17 with our fake IDs, would get a hoot out of requesting "Tequila," because the sax player would get so out of breath that he could barely keep up. Good times.

Yes. These girls are beautiful by just about any standard. Probably, even by standards of inner beauty. I'm sure they're all really nice and would let me buy them a drink at a bar. I'll be in my room...