jad1

Again, your assesment of the Titans is just wrong. Their 8-8 seasons were rebuilding years, not underachieving years. They were aquiring players during that time period. Take a look at their drafts; they were building a strong team. And they didn't have guys on the "backside" of their careers in 2000. Kearse was a rookie that year. They were a young team back then. There was no move to dismantle the team years immediately years following the SB, in fact, they overpayed FA Kevin Carter. The salary cap issues are more recent and hit the team full force starting last year, 4 years after the SB appearance. McNair is talking retirement because of injuries, not because of the state of the team. The salary cap has caught with them recently, but it has been 4 years since they made the SB. Your accusation that Donahoe is slow to admit his mistakes is without merit. The drafting of Evans is proof that he addressed the mistake from the year before, as quickly as was possible. His drafting of Losman in the first round of 2004, after Bledsoe's bad season in 2003 is also evidence that he addressed a problem area as quickly as was possible. Your accuasation that Donahoe brings in "tired" veterens is ridiculous. In your opinion, who's a tired veteren on the roster? Spikes? Fletcher? Milloy? Adams? The facts don't support you here. You criticize Donahoe for relying on "unproven" players, but applaud Pittsburgh, forgetting that they started an "unproven" rookie QB last season. And somehow my belief that the Bills offense will be built on the running game makes me detached? I think the right side combo of Gandy and Anderson will be better run blockers than Jennings and Tucker/Smith. Maybe you don't. And the whole single coverage idea is that when teams load the box, the Bills will have the opportunity to make the one or two big plays down the field per game that you mention. Can Losman read the play and make the throw? If he can, the Bills will be OK. And get over the Steelers loss last year. It was one game. In 1987 the Bills needed to beat the Pats at home to make the playoffs. Even though they had a good team, they lost. The next year they went 12-4. I just don't see Gandy, or whoever the LT turns out to be, as standing on an island out there. The coaching staff will fit him into the system, and put the game into the playmakers on the offense. And I think the playmakers that are there, are pretty good.

Actually it's a poor take, because the Titans WERE a Super Bowl team, and WERE a strong playoff contender for several years. They were not a "conterfeit" contender. And TD seems to be following the same track as Philly and NE. Philly doesn't over pay for vets over 30 (like Williams). NE hasn't used high picks or FAs on the OL, and has let linemen leave (Woody) rather than overpaying them. Donahoe did make a mistake in not replacing Price's speed in 2003, which was worsened by Moulds missing games due to injury. But he's since corrected that mistake by drafting Evans and Parrish. By focusing improvement only on the Oline and Dline you miss the point that the Bills will immediately improve by having Evans and McGahee in the starting lineup 16 games. They were 0-5 with these guys on the bench, and 9-2 with them starting. While the LT position is a concern, I doubt Mularkey is going to have Losman drop back 35 times a game. He'll run McGahee and challenge defenses to single cover Moulds, Evans, and Parrish. And since the Bills are most likely building the offense around Willis, the Bills have upgraded the run-blocking ability of the line with Gandy and Anderson. If Losman (or Holcombe) can hit a single-covered receiver, the offense will be better than the one that started the 2004 season.

Jimbo shouldn't hate.

I don't know, the Browns thought enough of him to let Verba go without a fight. But this late in the offseason, there's no way Shelton (or Verba) are going to break the bank. And maybe the Bills just like Gandy. Maybe the coaches feel he's fits the system they're implementing. It's difficult to judge all this until we see these guys on the field.

Yeah, a buffalo with no schlong and no horns. Great mascot! Is it too late to replace that cow with the charging buffalo? Opening day is less than 100 days away. (By the way, I'm kidding.)

His story about former Patriot Darryl Stingley is sick and hilarious.

Somebody tell that dumbass that he put his suspenders on backwards. I guess the modern man needs help dressing himself.

Unless, of course, you were black.

The end result, regardless of the motive, is that in one case the victim is alive, and in the other, the victim is not. Taking a life is the most heinous crime that can be committed. Ask the family of the victims in each case which is worse.

Let's see, would I rather be molested or dead?

The Super Bowl? Right now I'm only concerned with the Bills being able to beat the Texans (in their throwback uniforms). After 14 or 15 more wins this year, we can have the Super Bowl fashion debate.

Should I ask all three of them?

Ahh the genius of Jerry Jones. Hard to imagine how the NFL existed for over 70 years before this bastion of industry decided to join the league and enlighten the unwashed "old school" owners. Ralph Wilson/Lamar Hunt: AFL; Pete Rozell: Super Bowl; Art Modell: TV contract; Paul Taglibue: Salary Cap/FA: Jerry Jones: Taco Bell patch on jock straps. This idea is almost as good as Snyder's charging fans to watch training camp. Where would the NFL be without the new school owners?

How can a uniform be a "failure?"

Rather than throwing anyone a bone, the Bills are just joining the several other NFL teams who have worn throwbacks over the past few years. The league has turned its Thanksgiving games into throwback events, with the Lions, Pats, Colts, Bears, and Cowboys among the teams who've worn throwback unis. The Chargers have worn their throwbacks more often than other teams, and the Bills have joined them in honoring a team milestones by wearing them, rather than only wearing them on "throwback" week. It is a way to make money, but it's a cool way to do it, since the Bills are calling to attention the 40+ years they've been in Buffalo. Teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB have also worn throwbacks over the past few years.

Yeah, I was there too. The 70's were a pretty sad time for the Bills (outside of 73 and 74, of course). I've had my fill of Jim Ringos and Stew Barbers. For a Bills fan, you're really sensitive to any criticism of the Bengals. I didn't think criticizing a team for 15 years of ineptitude was really going over the line.

Actually I don't dislike them. I drafted both the Johnson boys in the first round of my FFL draft last season, and they lead me to the championship. Believe me, outside of the Bills game, I rooted for these guys, and they delivered (for me, at least). However, despite their injury issues, they have more defensive problems than you let on. They gave up 48 and 34 points to the Browns, 27 to the Titans, 31 to the Jets, and 38 to the Eagles. That's not even counting the 33 points given up to the Bills, 7 of which came against the "decent" punting team. The defense has got to mature before the team can take the next step. In games I watched, they weren't always fundamentally sound, which is suprising considering who their head coach is. So they are promising, but they're young, mistake-prone, and inconsistant. They're going to have to take a big step foward to break out of the 8-8 rut they're in, and if the offense falters, they could easily slip back to a losing record. That's my objective take on them now, however, I think we can both agree that the team was a joke during the 90s.

I don't agree. We both know that NFL franchises follow cycles in terms eras of wins and losses, and that the rules and ecomonics of the league enforce this cyclical nature. 1999 was the final chapter of the SB era teams, and the talent was dry from a decade of drafting late compounded by poor decisions. The salary cap was a mess due to overpaying aging veterens for a last SB run. Donahoe came in at the bottom of the cycle in 2001, and despite the coaches and QBs who have been let go, there is no doubt that he is architect that led the team back to posting a winning record. The Bengals on the other hand, despite drafting high for 15 years, have been stuck at the bottom of the cycle for 15 years. So to compare the Bengals with the Bills during the last six years, while the Bills were declining and rebuilding, is misleading. The Bills have been navigating through a natural cycle common to all teams, while the Bengals have just flat-out sucked. That was the point of my post.

Post Cincy's record from the early 90's. That's the ugliest fact. Despite more than a decade of drafting early, this team has been in the perpetual dumper. Buffalo started rebuilding in 2001, and after 3 seasons, they posted a winning record. Rebuilding spans of 3-5 years are common in the NFL. The Bengals, however, haven't had a winning season since the first Bush administration. This is a crucial year for Cinci. If their defense doesn't deliver and the team finishes under .500, things could collapse on Lewis, making him the latest entrant in the parade of losers who have coached the Bengals since Sam Wyche. He'll need his defensive rookies to have steller seasons to avoid this.

I think it's great that the Bills are honoring the 1965 team with the throwback jerseys. There's nothing better than an organization recognizing the long-standing ties it has with its community. I've already alerted my wife that I'll be purchasing the throwback this weekend, and I hope I can buy an authentic one instead of the replica one. But I guess I'm not on board with the standing buffalo logo crew. I'm going to get a kick out of seeing it opening day, but after that, I really perfer the charging buffalo. Remember why they made the switch in the first place? They had OJ and were moving into Rich, and wanted a more dynamic representation of the team than a bison standing around like it was about to take a dump. And the standing buffalo doesn't even have horns, which in my opinion, is the bison's best feature. The white helmet doesn't excite me either. In the 70's, all five AFC East teams had white helmets. The white helmet back then was like the black hockey jersey is today: overplayed. Anyway, in the end I really don't care what they're wearing, I just want them to win.

Yeah, we could have gotten a 1st for Henry because Miami suffered a meltdown at RB in training camp. Could they have gotten a 1st rounder before Williams retired? Probably not. There are a lot of teams that are vulnerable at the RB position right now. There are a lot of things that could happen to increase the demand for a RB by the time training camp rolls around. For all his faults, Henry has performed well for a 2nd round pick. I don't mind Donahoe playing the waiting game to get similar value for him in a trade.

Yeah, because it worked for the Raiders and Rams, right? No doubt the NFL wants a team in LA. Whether the people of LA want a team or not is a different story. Seems that if LA really wanted a team, they could have easily edged out Houston during the last expansion. The local support was just not there.

The Falcons made it to the the NFC championship game last season, so he wins in the playoffs too. With Vick, the Falcons are a playoff team. Without him, they're a 5-11 team. Name one other starter on Atlanta's offense that could start for the Bills. Vick's been stupid off the field, on on the field there's no way he's overrated.

Sorry, but I have a hard time mustering any sympathy for new owners like Snyder and Jones. Snyder and Gibbs want to put the Redskins logo on NASCAR cars? Whoop-de-friggin-do. Jones wants to turn Cowboy stadium into an amusment park? Big deal. I'll side with the guys who created the Super Bowl over these two clowns. I'll side with the owners who have the networks kissing the NFL's ass every time a new TV contract is signed. I'll side with the owners who have figured out how to have successful franchises in Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and KC (has anyone heard from the Pirates, Brewers, or Royals lately?) If Snyder and Jones can't make back their investments owning two flagship franchises of the NFL, they should sell their teams. These guys can't hold the jocks of the old-school franchise owners. The NFL should cut these two idiots loose and let them try to make it on their own. Judging by their team's performance on the field, they'd go bankrupt in three seasons.