Dan

You forgot to mention... and build a world class, retractable roof stadium on the lake; revitalize the downtown; and make all our wildest dreams come true. Yes, if only a new ownership group could save us all....

I'll admit to only giving a cursory glance to a quote/article about Dallas. Point remains the same, however. If not King, someone thinks he's going to be good because he's finally decided to care.

So you're suggesting we win the coin toss, then punt on 1st down?

You, sir, are very correct. However, you're completely forgetting all the Dallas and TO hype talk. I fully expect half the TO highlights will split to Romo throwing the ball to TO. There will be half a dozen segways into TO and Romo's "feud". I also fully expect it'll be at least mid 2nd quarter before they actually acknowledge in some fashion that the Bills are playing the game. Because, as you say, any play good or bad that our defense makes will be discussed and replayed from Brady's perspective. Any play on offense will be followed by TOs reaction and a clip to how he reacted in Dallas. By mid 2nd quarter, I'll openly wonder why aren't the Bills playing this week. They have TO and Brady in one game, all they'll have to do is work in Favre - which I'm certain they'll do - and they'll have all they need for a great night of completely unrelated football talk.

I very much dislike the constant discussion of the Cowboys, Favre or Brady/Pats* when the Cowboys, Favre or Brady/Pats* aren't playing. I'd prefer the announcers just stick to the game at hand. Ya know the one that we're all actually watching. Not some other game last week or last year. I swear sometimes they make up stats just as an excuse to put a Favre graphic/clip on the screen.

That only proves that the majority of coaches are smart. Jauron still blows for doing it. Don't you know anything? To the original poster: There are literally several dozens reasons to criticize Jauron. All of them justified and true. Deferring the kickoff; however, is not one of them. First of all, if you don't score on your opening drive, your point of forcing the other team to play from behind is suddenly null and void. Secondly, if you get the ball last in the last and score; then if you've deferred, you get the ball to start the 3rd - essentially giving your offense an extra possession. That is why the majority of coaches defer if given the chance. However, as suggested, the winds of the day should also be taken into consideration (IMO).

Years ago, I had an old truck in similar shape. I donated mine to charity.

So all of a sudden lifting weights is going to allow him to have a good year? That's what I find most interesting. If the guy has had questionable work ethics in the past, as this report would indicate, can we not also assume that he's had questionable commitment to learning playbooks, running routes, etc. Yet, now all of a sudden, he lifts a few weights and King is convinced he's set for a great year? Maybe, but I'll wait to see it during a game first.

I've seen this point made by several posters. But, what people are neglecting is that when Flutie got to the Chargers he was on his last leg, both his age and skills were diminishing. Going by this logic, could we assume that Favre is not that great of a QB because last year he threw too many interceptions and couldn't get the Jets to the playoffs? Of course not. We can only conclude that Favre is getting old and needs to retire. Really no different than Flutie in San Diego. By the time he got there he was well past his prime and should have retired. But it really shouldn't reflect his play with any of his previous teams.

That's the beauty of this place. Anyone on the team is either overpaid or not good enough to play elsewhere. Anyone not on this team should have been paid more because they're obviously the best ever. In other words, whatever the Bills do... it's wrong.

You'd think that with all the people around here that have sources deep within the organization, that it would be easy to talk to someone at OBD about this.

I'm going. But, my room is filled with the wife and a sister.

Thank you. TO, regardless of his desire to be in the public eye, has all the right in the world to be upset at a realtor that lets a news castor into his house to film for a spot on the nightly news. If TO invites all the cameras in, that's one thing. But, it's not her place to allow access to his soon to be home.

The thing I don't get is... you agree to rent/buy/lease/whatever, a short time later there are TV cameras in your future living room! Maybe its different there, but in most places aren't the Realtors the only ones with keys to the place prior to signing the deal. If so, there's really only one way for the TV cameras to get in, and if so, then yes its extremely unprofessional to allow someone else to access a house that you're about to sign on, in particular if they're just there to put pictures on the nightly news. Personally, I'd be pissed as well.

DC and Boston definitely deserve to be high on that list. Driving in Chicago the last 2 summers, I find the drivers not aggressive at all. I'm usually the worst one on the road up here... when I want/need to be. LA seems to have toned down, maybe too many cameras taking pictures. Or at least it seemed to me when I was there this spring. Honorable mention to Memphis. Agree with some... how can eating while driving be considered aggressive? Or talking on the phone? Careless, perhaps, but not usually aggressive.

1979 Ford Fairmont Futura When I turned 16, my Dad said you want a car... get a job. So I did. A year later, I walked onto a used car lot and drove off in a smooth ride. It was light blue. The seat didn't move - luckily it was perfectly positioned for my leg length. I had that car just over 5 years; through high school and well into college from my first girlfriend to my eventual wife. On my first date with the girl that would become my wife the car was getting up there in age and the passenger door wouldn't shut all the time and she had to hold it closed all the way from the restaurant to her house. Second date, it died in the parking lot and we had to call a friend to give us a ride back. Lord only know what she ever saw in me - it certainly wasn't my car. But, I loved that car.

Agreed. For me, personally, I want every player that ever steps on the field in any way wearing a Bills helmet on to succeed and become a future HOFer. I hope for that; I follow them; I try to find the good in what they do; I look forward to seeing their success. If and when they don't make it, ala Bell, I readily wish them well and move on to the next new guy. In my mind, that's what being a fan is all about. Always hoping for the best, even though you may know there's little to no chance for success.

I don't care what anyone says... that kick was good, and Thurmal was the MVP.

I would beg to differ. It was not only considered, but openly suggested by many a Bills' fan at the time.

I've got one word for you... Chroise. Yeah, I know. I know. Concerns need not apply any more.

I agree. Even with all the wasted late round picks (just my opinion, of course), I loved our draft. We selected what should be 3 solid starting linemen (Maybin, Wood, Levitre) within a couple of years. Is it a coincidence that Nix was hired just a few months prior to the draft? Maybe. But, if I were to guess, I'd say Russ sees some of these long standing problems and is slowly but surely taking steps to correct them. Hiring Nix and getting some early linemen is my only source though. I know some here very much dislike Russ and his lack of experience. But, most would have to admit, he's certainly made some decent moves in the last 2 years. Will they pan out? Who knows.

On one level, I completely agree with your post. However, it goes back to the "there's many ways to build a team" argument. If they're drafting linemen every year, then they'd be signing average CBs and getting urned for long touch downs, repeatedly. So, it 6 in one hand, half a dozen in the other for me. My concern is that they keep bringing in bad players. If the FA linemen actually worked out, then we wouldn't be having this discussion at all. So who's job is it to scout these FA players?

"Can we win with our number two QB?" When Hamdan is named number 2, yes, we can.

I must say, by and large, a great thread (although a little pissy here in the end). I hadn't read this thinking it would be full of moaning about Felser but glad I finally got bored enough to read it. Now, if I may add a few thoughts... There are certainly many ways to build a contending team. The conclusion that the Bills are doing it wrong is an obvious one, due to their lack of success over the past decade. However, I'd offer the Bills' biggest problem isn't in the drafting or re-signing of DBs/linemen. It's in Head Coaching and QBs. Very few, very few teams go far without a good HC and good QB. And the Bills have failed miserably in these departments. If you watch some of the old highlights surfacing around here of the Kelly teams, ya know the ones with great O-lines. What's the one thing you should notice? Kelly got rid of the ball quick! Rarely do you see him drop back, pat the ball, and look around. If we had a QB that could read a defense that quickly, take 3 steps and fire the ball out without hesitation... the line suddenly looks very good. Do that and the team starts winning. And winning teams are teams that young players are more likely to re-sign with. So, in my opinion, get a good QB and we suddenly jump from the ranks of the mediocre. Of course, I'll say that goes hand in hand with coaching. Good coaches put their players in a position to do well and inspire them to be better than they are. When was the last time we had a coach at any of the 3 key positions (HC, OC, DC) that we could honestly say was good. I'll add that the one thing that has been consistent on this team through all of the recent mediocrity - the talent evaluators. Why do they still have jobs if they routinely fail to find quality players? Many like to say we haven't really addressed the lines. To that I say, look it up, each year we bring in new guys. The problem is... each year these guys are average at best. So, why can't our scouts and personnel department find above average linemen? And more importantly, why do they still have jobs if none of their signings pan out? If there's any glimmer of hope for this team, it's that Trent has shown flashes of being a good QB and that Russ hired Buddy Nix. As I've stated before, I have little hope for this team this upcoming year. But maybe, just maybe, those are the first inklings of a franchise that's starting to turn itself around. I'm not at all convinced we have the coaching to get the job done, but I guess time will tell.

Nope. There's at least 2.