Dan

I completely agree with you, on all points. But my point remains... If your boss said you have to behave a certain way at work, you have to do that. I can't use my company car for personal trips to the sex store? If I'm caught wearing my work shirt in a bar, I'm fired. Some other owner may not care, but mine does. I think too many people on this discussion are wrapped up in what the players are protesting. I'm saying it doesn't matter what they're protesting... They are employees and when they are wearing the company uniform, they should be expected to represent the company. Right now, in February, on their own time... Protest away! Call a news conference a day. Do what you want. But, don't do it at the office.

I don't. But given the way most of the owners and the league are responding, they at the least seem to not want the players protesting like this. And ultimately that's all that matters. If they supported it and wanted the players to protest it, then this wouldn't be an issue, Take another example, the breast cancer awareness. All the players wear pink in October. Now maybe they like that, maybe they don't. But, I would guess the league strongly suggests that you'll be wearing your pink flare if you want to be a team player.

I think you have no idea what my problems are. Yes, the NFL stage is used to suuport lotst of causes and things. But, that's the NFL deciding what they want to do. Not the players. The players are the employees, the NFL (and owners) are the boss. As an employee, you follow the company policies and procedures or you get fired. Personally, I think the players can protest whatever they want... On their own time. But that is the key, do it on thier time not the team's. I don't think they should be protesting police brutality and oppression any more than they should be holding up a sign to buy girl scout cookies during the game.

I think she makes a solid, rational point. And its the way to approach this or any issue. However, with that said, you should not put your work uniform on, go to the office and then publicly protest or state opinions contrary to the organziation you work for. That's just the way it is. The players, any of us, have the right to say and protest all we want on our own time. But they're using the stage the NFL and the Bills organization (in this case) provided them to state a personal opinion. That's the problem I have with it..and its the point I think the players need to understand.

Yeah! Totally remember that guy. LOL. Thanks.

What was that guys name? I can't remember, but he was ridiculous.

The bolded sentence is not at all accurate. He confirmed just the opposite. Conducting walk throughs have enough value that the team still did them...just in the hotel where NE couldn't spy on them. If the walk through is meaningless, why go through all the trouble to rent extra space in a hotel just to do it? Furthermore, If BB would never spy on another team's walk through why stage a fake one? You do that because you have reason to believe he might.

Knowing what I know about that team...of course not. But I would go a step further. I'd have fake paybooks drawn up and leave them out. I'd have fake signals throughout the game. I'd call down fake plays in the headset. I'd have several new plays that we hadn't run all year ready to go, just like they did. I'd give all the groundcrew free Eagles gear to wear. I'd hire player look alikes and have them seen at bars all night, hoping BB would see it and suspend the real player. I'd have 10 people who did nothing but coming up with crap like this to screw with BB's head as much as possible.

Which question is that? Lol

You said: "You think BB walks through his play book in the dome before a SB? Of course not." That is tacit admission that BB wouldn't do it because he knows you can gain an advantage from watching another team's walk through. "If you think that Pete Carroll or Tom Coughlin or even Kyle Shanahan were showing the choreographed play plan out in the open of the SB turf, especially after the accusations by the Rams year ago..." Another admission that it is general knowledge that after the Rams Super Bowl, you know or expect NE to record or watch your walk through, which they're not supposed to be doing. "if your were a HC facing NE in a SB, would you be showing your real plays in a walk through?" Again a tacit admission that if you are facing NE, you shouldn't show plays in a walk through, because you're allowing them to watch them and gain an advantage. In each instance, you specifically refenced NE. Not other teams in general, why? Because the idea of watching another teams practice sessions has never been an issue, until the Patriots made it one. They do this, not every team in the league. And it clearly gives them some advantage, because other teams have to resort to faking their practices, in an effort to throw them off.

So you admit that BB and New Engand would tape these practices to get an advatage. Thank you.

So..why exactly do you think teams do walk throughs? Do you think this was just a silly practice ritual of allowing your players to wander around the field for a day to look for loose change? The fact is... Teams have been doing walk throughs as a form of game preparation for years and yes, they are the real plays they intend to run during the game. That's why this guy was quoted as saying it was a fake walk through. And its a headline. Because normally, they wouldn't have to do a walk through with fake plays. But you want to dismiss yet another form of your team cheating, because... No one really walks through their plays, so what information does your team get from it. I guess BB just wants to watch their walk throughs because there's nothing good on TV. The Patriots have cheated their way to 8 Super Bowl appearances and 5 wins, the league is aware of that, and teams have to adjust their routines and practices because of it. And then people like you want to try and argue it hasn't happend, that other teams don't change their practices.... When we have a direct quote from a player saying they did just that. Yet, I'm sure you'll conclude I'm the dillusional one here.

Exactly how it looks to me. What's the rule exactly? He's at most a half yard behind the RT. The entire line is a full yard or so off the ball, so does he have to be within a yard of the ball, or a the tackle at the end of the line? I honestly don't know, but this alignment doesn't seem any more egregious than you see every Sunday in the league. It's the very definition of much ado about nothing.

It's only a conspiracy theory...if its not true. ?

Exactly... And what does it say when we're all surprised that the game was called fairly? That's kind of my point. And its a shame. I'm not saying the game was rigged, but half the games leading up to it... Allowing the Pats to get into the Super Bowl... Clearly favored them. How many games did they win in the regular season in which an opponents TD was taken off the board, or they got extremely favorable PI calls that went their way?? It was quite apparent in their 2 playoff games in comparison to the other games, if you watched them. The teams were allowed to play and decide the outcome... In the Pats game, the flags were evident. But that's OK, you don't have to believe me. You can continue to watch and cheer for them. It's all good, to each his own. I'm not trying to change your mind; I'm just saying I didn't watch the game..and why.

That's just it... I love football. Have always watched as much as I can. Hell, I'm on a football team's message board right now. But.. I don't want to support a product I see as rigged. About the only way I can show my dislike with the way the league is going is not watching. So, that was my choice. It sucks. I'd rather watch the Super Bowl like I always have. Maybe be next year.. .we'll see.

I didn't watch. I might later on a replay. But, if the league is going to allow the refs to continually give that one team every break possible, just so they can be the greatest dynasty of ever... Then I have zero interest in watching them play. ...other than when they play the Bills.

Have you considered that McD is playing 4D chess with the coaching positions while we're all thinking checkers?

For me... amd my small circle of die hard NFL friends. It's a lot of this. The appearance of rigged games through poor officiating that always seems to favor specific teams (i.e. larger markets) with non calls and bogus calls against the underdog. Why watch a game when over and over you turn the TV off thinking, so and so team just got robbed? It used to be every once in a while, now... It feels like every week. I watch fewer and fewer nonBills games every year because of this. So, yeah, I think a lot of the true NFL fans are tuning out because the league seems to be less about the play on the field and more about who the refs and the league want to favor. Then you have the newer, casual fans that are being turned off due several factors, likely. The player protests piss people off not just because people believe the cause or not, but because no one wants to watch football and talk politics, period. Today you can stream games and watch however you want, not just on Sunday afternoon. There's definitely an oversaturation effect with games every Thursday, all day sunday (with London games happening at whatever time in the morning), monday night double headers, saturday games. So individual game ratings mught be down, but overall market coverage might actually be up. And casual fans are just that... Casual. They're viewing interests will change depending on who knows what. The NFL has targetted them in recent years and rode that wave to the top, but its not a sustainable wave.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Bills need a true franchise QB to consistently compete in today's NFL. Do whatever it takes to find that guy... Trade away all your picks and move up, pick a QB with every pick, give some FA all the money he asks for plus 10%. I don't care, just find him. In the past, I had no faith in the FO. So I was a proponent of the shotgun approach. Draft one with every pick and hope one of those 6 or 7 turned out ok. This year, I'm willing to give these guys a fresh start and would hope... They've done whatever it takes to properly scout and select a QB that can be succesful. Either way, I still say... Sign a good FA QB. Very few QBs light it up in year one, and I think the bust rate is considerably higher if they have the pressure of winning now as a rookie. So, sign a FA to carry the team for 2–3yrs and continue winning while you're properly grooming, teaching, and preparing your guy to lead the team for the next 15+ years. So... I wouldn't waste picks and trade up unless I was sure that the guy I was going after would be the guy. If he is... Like I said, trade the entire draft. Every other position be damned... Get a QB. If your guy is off the board, then pick as many as you can to hope you find one. And hopefully everyone here remembers, you can't just say sign Cousins and its done. There's a lot of other teams bidding and the player has say so in the matter. So, the FA answer may or may not be viable. By all accounts, this offseason there is likely to be a solid few FA QBs, so getting you veteran "bridge" guy seems doable. And the draft seems to have a few solid options. So, getting your franchise guy seems doable. But to get both, will require the scouts to have done their jobs properly, Beane to work the agents and draft board properly, and yes, some luck. It's going to be interesting this off season for sure. P.S. I hope they don't just sign a FA and consider the job done, nor do I hope they put all their eggs in a rookie draft pick. IMO, they need to go after both to ensure they get a true NFL QB that can run whatever offense they want to run for the next decade.

Once again... A team is up on the Pats, late 2nd quarter. Moving the ball. Suddenly penalty, penalty, punt. Pats get the ball, pentalty, penalty, 1st and goal they score. How many of times have we all seen it. The league takes all momentum and drive from one team and gives it to the Pats. They then get on a roll and win. Sure they're good. Sure they got great coaches. Sure blah blah. How many games do they win when all the calls go against them? When was the last time even the majority of calls in a game went against them? Call it what you want, but the league has done more to help that team than any other team..ever. Period. I'll watch a This is Us marathon in 2 weeks before I watch them handed another win and glorified for cheating and bending every rule possible as the league glosses over the poor officiating. As you might imagine, I voted yes.

Wow.... Regardless of how the Refs steal this game, I will say that this is exactly why so many people here need to be patient and give our current coaches and FO some time to build and develop. We were all too happy to see DM & NH leave town, and somewhere along the way...they figured it out and and are doing a good job in the Championship game.

I'm sure it mattered to ..a lot.. of people considering the betting lines on the game. But I don't expect, nor want, coaches and players to check with Vegas to see if they should try to score one more time in a game.

Moral is... When the game is essentially over and the other team runs off the field.. But the refs say you have to kick the extra point. Show some class, don't add insult to injury...take a knee and be decent in victory.

I turned it off after the 4th and 5 ...give them a first down. And watched ..The Layover.. Horrific movie. But still better than watching a fixed football game.