HappyDays

To me I would assume it means they aren't going to officially cut him until they know more. I guess they could just be waiting until McDermott's press conference to announce he's cut though.

Yeah every Bills reporter on Twitter is making it a point to mention that he's still on the team. That means something.

An obvious move from the Bills but still good to see.

There you go. He's probably going to be cut soon. That or they'll announce that they're collecting more info and keeping him away from the team in the meantime.

That would be incredibly weird and I doubt McDermott would allow this to happen. They're either standing by him or they're not. If he's practicing today that tells us their decision.

If he's practicing that means he's on the team and they're standing by him. If he isn't he's either off the team or they're taking him away while they collect more info. Either way we have a right to know as fans of the team.

Given all the attention around Araiza's spot on the roster I think it is only fair that the Bills make an exception to this rule. The fans deserve to know what's going on.

If he's still on the roster as practice starts that tells me they aren't cutting him. I'm really interested to see what the Bills say. If they're still sticking with him they must have pretty strong evidence that he had nothing to do with the alleged rape.

The way the civil lawsuit is very deliberately written to not directly accuse Araiza of participating in the gang rape, I believe there may be some truth to this. All they had to do was draw an implication between her hooking up with Araiza and later being allegedly gang raped and the media would run with that. I find it telling that Araiza's lawyer is out there publicly defending his client, while lawyers for others named in the lawsuit have said "no comment at this time."

Saying she lied about her age has nothing to do with her culpability for anything that happened that night. It is about Araiza's defense on the alleged statutory rape. High school seniors go to college parties and lie about their age all the time. No one is judging her character for that, but similarly you shouldn't inherently judge Araiza's character for having sex with a 17 year old at a college party. There is a ton of missing context involved that drastically changes the tone of that accusation. If for example he spiked her drink and knew she was a high schooler that is a very different narrative than if he hooked up with what he believed to be a college freshman who appeared to be in full control of her faculties. You're trying to ascribe a black and white narrative to something that everybody with a brain knows isn't black and white.

Huh? It's just a defense for the alleged statutory rape.

I understand that laws are black and white, but human experience is not. Tens of thousands of college students have random drunk sex on any given weekend. Within the specific borders of California a 17 year old cannot consent, but a few thousand miles to the east a 17 year old can. And anyways it is reasonable that he believed her to be older. So it is not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. If you ask the average person to define "rape" they would not define it as what Araiza did with the girl before the alleged gang rape happened.

The team didn't look the same. The passion we're used to seeing on the sidelines wasn't there. Players interviewed after the game were uncomfortable talking about it. I'm not talking about the result, I'm talking about the look and feel of the team. I got the sense that no one from the coaches down to the players really cared about what was happening on the field. Maybe after two weeks that feeling will dissipate on its own no matter what happens. McDermott needs to take the pulse of the locker room and make the right decision for the team.

The team looked flat last night and McDermott was clearly very shaken up. If they cut him now it won't derail the season. I fear that if they keep him around while the investigation continues the malaise will seep onto the field. The only way I can see us keeping him on the team at this point is if the Bills investigation turned up some kind of smoking gun that proves Araiza had nothing to do with the alleged gang rape. But the longer we go without them showing us that smoking gun, the less likely it is that it exists.

If Araiza is cut it won't be the Bills fault, especially if he lied to them at any point. If he resents us for it and decides to never come back in the future after being proved innocent, oh well. Players have had their careers ruined by stepping on the turf in the wrong way. If Araiza is totally innocent I sympathize with him. But ultimately we have to do what's best for the team's Super Bowl aspirations, and in a decision between really good punter and morale of the entire team you choose the entire team every time. You can't tell me you watched tonight's game and think it wasn't weighing on the team. If the Bills cut Araiza tomorrow the media will move on and the team can move on with them. Capable punters are found on the street.

Oh yeah I think that mid-game statement was the nail in the coffin. McDermott is already doing everything he can to get a handle on the situation and prepare his team for a game in the middle of a media storm, and then Araiza perpetuates the distraction while that game is being played.

After seeing how the team looked tonight and watching McDermott's presser I have done a complete 180 and come around to this view. It just isn't worth it. It will hang over the team for the whole season and I can't even imagine what the Ralph will be like whenever he comes out to punt. I'm not going to assume he's guilty of anything, the case will play itself out, but for right now let him go and if he is found to be completely innocent we can bring him back in the future.

Stuff like this makes me question anything Thad Brown ever reports.

Bernard looks really small out there. He needs some major strength and conditioning before he's ready to hang with the pros.

I watched Elam that whole drive and he was excellent. Sticky coverage all the way. Made a great play on the screen keeping outside leverage on the block. Didn't look as handsy as he did the last time we saw him. If it isn't him and Dane Jackson on opening night I'll be shocked.

#55 mistimes the snap and jumps offside. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Elam continues to impress. I think he has pulled away from Benford comfortably.