The Red King

Honestly? Yes, on both counts. I wasn't sold on Atlanta and KC was in a tailspin as bad as we were at the time. The Bolts shredded our D, same as the two weeks prior. Nothing on the other side of the ball was going to overcome that. It was winnable, but only if the D showed up, which they didn't. Starting QB had no bearing on that.

I dunno, the Titans went to black helmets, I think instead of doing the same, the Jags should have gone full gold. Still, credit for killing the half-and-half helmets. I think gold helmets would be more unique then black, and help establish a franchise identity. As for the 'phins, if you're going to change a uniform, make a significant change, colors, helmet logos or such, rather then just a couple subtle little tweaks. Ah well.

Buffalo wasn't winning that game with TT under center. Hell, given how badly the D got carved up I don't think Buffalo wins that game with Brady under center.

I have no desire to go into whether or not it was a good decision. People have their opinions and are pretty much locked into them at this point. Point remains that for good or for ill, starting Peterman that game worked out better (in the long run) for the Bills then starting Tyrod would have, unless you think the Bills would have actually outright won that game with TT under center, and precious few people here think that. Edit: Since the above post was edited after I posted... My opinion is just that. My opinion. I am as entitled to mine, and as entitled to post it as you are yours. I believe the staff made the right move, but I respect those fans who believe they got it wrong. I can see their (your) points and can see merit in them. I just happen to disagree with them. No need to go overdramatic.

If the Pats keep playing well, the NFL gets their powerhouse on prime time week after week. If the Pats crash and burn, we get to see the gory drama play out week after week in prime time. Either way, it's win-win for the league.

If Peterman hadn't started that game (or any others), the calls for him to start would have escalated as TT's performance continued on par and this board would currently have a good number of "We should be giving Peterman a chance! Don't draft a QB, draft a team around him!" threads. Whether or not it was ill-advised at the time (we share differing opinions on that), you cannot say the Bills would have and would be better off had they not started Peterman when they did.

They knew TT wasn't going to win a playoff game. They knew what they had in TT, they didn't in Peterman and so gave him a start. Thanks to that decision we have absolutely zero "Give Peterman the start and don't draft a QB" threads on the board right now. Let's say for arguement's sake TT started that game, and the rest. We'd still have gone 9-7, still lost to JAX, and Peterman would have been an unknown quality going into this draft. Hell, if TT didn't play well, there may have been more calls for Peterman to start against KC, a move that could have cost us that game and our playoff birth. How anyone could say starting TT that game would have made things better for the Bills with the advantage of hindsight is beyond me.

Given how Tyrod played vs. NO and the NYJs the weeks prior, do you honestly think he would have played any better vs. the Chargers? As for the INTs, the first actually bounced off the receiver, the second he was falling backwards. Following three were on Peterman, but let's not make it sound like he just threw five picks in a vacuum.

9-7, Bills snag a Wild Card slot with another Week 17 win against Miami, though this time they won't need help to get in.

Faster ball means less time for defenders to close on it. If he can keep his accuracy a faster ball might cut down on his INTs. Just look at that pick in the JAX game that had to go to video review. Had that ball been any faster, it wouldn't have been picked. Not saying this will automatically transform Peterman into our next starter or such, just pointing out that if he can indeed speed up delivery without sacrificing accuracy he will be a better QB then last year, with a chance to cut down on the INTs.

It's Rodak, that's about what I expected. Remember, this is the same guy that a year ago said Buffalo's season was over before it started. XD

The Bills knew TT was not going to win them a playoff game. They had no idea if Peterman could, and after TT absolutely stank up the field on my daughter's first live NFL game (birthday present on her birthday), they decided to see if Peterman was any better. He obviously wasn't, so they went back to TT and prayed that if they made the playoffs TT would play better then expected. He didn't. So, basically, what the coaching staff feared with TT came to pass...they were right about him, and thanks to them starting Peterman we sit here just before the draft with absolutely zero "Peterman should be our starter, don't draft a QB" posts on this board. There was no sabotage, just a staff that knew what they already had in TT, knew it wasn't good enough, and wanted to see what they had in Peterman. We are in a far better position now thanks to that decision.

...and their argument is immediately invalid. Also, the Bills did not make the playoffs because of the football gods, they made it thanks to coaching and a team that played with more guts, heart and pride then they had any right to. That culture will make them a little tougher then people think.

I hold by my prior prediction, 9-7 with (and this sounds familiar >.>) a Week 17 win against the Dolphins to sneak into a Wild Card (this time without help).

We went 9-7 and made it to the playoffs. Taylor elevates bad teams and drags good teams down. He is the ultimate median. If you need a QB that is not going to lose games, who can keep the ship sailing with consistency, TT is your man. When you get good enough to transition to a team that can win enough games and you reach a point where you need your QB to win a few games for you, TT has consistently shown he can't. The Bills finally crested the plain and reached a point where TT's mediocrity has gone from benefit to liability. The JAX game last season was the best example of it. Cleveland, however, has gone 1-31 the last two seasons. A strong leader at QB can elevate the play of those around him, and his ability to play near mistake-free football will make the Browns a better team next year. And to that team and it's fans, 6-8 wins this year will not only be acceptable, it will be welcome and even heralded. 6-8 wins here will be unacceptable. Trading TT to the Browns I think will work out well for the Bills, Browns and TT.

Going from bad to the textbook defenition of outright average is technically an improvement, but not a success. I want better then average, and TT is average. Precious little terrible, precious little amazing. We've finally outgrown that, Cleveland hasn't. They will be thrilled when he gets them to 8-8 eventually, then they will move on like we did.

No Thursday night, no Sunday night. One Monday night, but I feel that was setup to show off NE more then BUF. No love for the Bills. Understandable, though. The NFL is leery on the Bills. There was a 17-year drought. Far easier and safer for them to chalk last year up to a fluke and cute story...and expect us to go right back to sub-par but not terrible form this year. Going to take more then one big season to convince them. That being said, while the start of the schedule is definately tough, I'm not about to write them all off as losses. I'm not convinced the Vikes new QB is going to instantly gel with the team, and while the Ravens may have a chip on their shoulder about the no-playoff thing, I'm sure they blame the Bengals and themselves more then us. I like the fact that it looks like an easier end if we can just stay in the hunt earlier on.

Keep in mind Belli posted a record with Matt Cassel that would have gotten the Pats into the playoffs most any other year. The Pats are not dead in the water without Brady. I think Brady fears that, and it's why Jimmy G had to go, so his ego wouldn't be bruised by Belli succeeding without him.

Actually, give me NE before Bellie has too much tape on our newly retooled teams. Think about it, we haven't beaten NE much, but when we have? Weeks 1-3. (Not counting the game in NE where they pulled their starters). Big week 3 win to break the complete domination streak (and down went the goalposts), week 1 massive upset when Adams intercepted Brady and lumbered down the sideline like Frankenstein's monster for a pick-6. Hell, we almost/should have beaten them on MNF week 1 the year after Brady's injury, until we fumbled away a five point lead with two minutes to play. Look at it another way, if we end up in a dogfight for a playoff spot, don't you want as many NE games behind us as possible? I would highly prefer an early NE game.

Wants to keep the signing bonus without playing a down for it? Reminds me of a song... "Aw, that ain't working, that's the way you do it...get your money for nothing and your checks for free." ...or something like that. ;-)

If we cut him, we get absolutely nothing out of it, open the door for other players to try the same scumbag negotiating tactics and face the very real possibility of playing against him twice this season in a Pats uniform. You can't justify that. I agree with prior posters who suggest we package him up in a trade with the Giants to lighten the cost of their #2 overall draft pick.

Wait, I thought football was literally killing him. Isn't that why he was retiring? Was he misdiagnosed? Did his health issues miraculously clear up? If I didn't know better I'd almost think Richie was lying about his health as a negotiation tactic, but he wouldn't do something that scummy, right? :roll: The question of whether the renegotiation was fair or not is irrelevant. He signed the contract. That should count for something. Players shouldn't be able to just take a signing bonus then ask to be let go. That contract is signed in good faith by both sides, one party is agreeing to provide a service for a certain amount of time, in return for clearly noted compensation. That contract becomes binding when both parties sign it. If the Bills release him, they gain nothing for it, while Richie stands to gain a lot. Worse, he could go anywhere, including a divisional rival. Do you really want him in a Pats uniform protecting Brady this season? And even if the Bills were feeling generous, Richie's behavior is inexcusable. He didn't ask nicely or privately. First, he "retired" for health reasons, then magically recovered. Then he asks publically on Twitter with whimsical emoticons for a release? No. Just no. Hell no. I'm fine with trading him away, to a team we won't see soon or frequently. Get something for him at least. But just releasing him rewards his behavior and that opens the door for others players to pull this same kind of garbage.

Nothing wrong with nosebleeds, that's where we were, too. Once people started leaving, we debated moving down to lower seats, but it just didn't feel right. The upper seats were where we had sat all season, and worked well enough for us! The Raiders were actually two years prior. I was still in Omaha and remember watching the game at the bar we normally went to. I still chuckle when I think back. When Norwood missed that extra point I was thinking "I hope that doesn't come back to haunt us!" 51-3...yeah, it was about as haunting as the Scary Movie franchise. ;-) If I recall, after The Comeback, we went to Pitt and beat them, then went to Miami for the AFC Championship, avenging ourselves on the dasterdly Dolphins that had the audacity to swipe the AFC East championship from us the last week of the season.

Wilson had a close friendship with the owner of the Lions, and if I recall even lived part of each year in Detroit. As a result of that friendship, Buffalo always played Detroit the last preseason game. When Ralph passed away, the tradition apparently ended with him.

Well, the free agency whirlwind is dying down, and a lot of people are getting antsy about the draft, so I figure why not start a positive thread that has nothing to do with the offseason to help distract us all? The idea is simple, post your favorite Bills' memory here. Mine is the Greatest Comeback in NFL History, though not necessarily for obvious reasons. I was born here in Buffalo, but when I was 2 1/2 years old, the plant my dad worked at closed. He was offered a chance to transfer to one of two cities and took it, so we moved to Omaha, NE. My dad raised me a Bills fan, which was tough. Buffalo was not a good team (this was the late '70s, early '80s) and Omaha really wasn't close enough to an NFL city to be a devoted fanbase, so all of my friends and classmates all jumped on a different trendy, bandwagon team each year, then promptly gave me grief for sticking with Buffalo. My dad taught me loyalty, how being a fan meant sticking by your team, good or bad. When the '90s hit my dad and his fellow transfers even went half-in on a satellite dish for a local bar so we could all watch Bills games. The kicker was watching them lose Super Bowls XXV and XXVI. But then things aligned. I was set to graduate high school in '92. That same year, the company offered my dad a buyout. He was close to retirement anyway, and the timing meant a move would not disrupt me academically. So he took it, and we moved back to Buffalo. First thing dad did was buy us season tickets for the Bills, in a group with a number of his other retired co-workers. It was wonderful, we'd all meet at one co-worker's house, pile into his urban assault vehicle, swing by to pickup pizza and wings at Blasdell's, then get to the stadium good and early so we'd have time to tailgate before the game. Sure enough, the Bills made the playoffs, looking for a third straight Super Bowl appearance. It would be my first live playoff game. Little did I know what I was going to experience. Of course, this wasn't any ordinary playoff game. This was The Comeback, Oilers at Bills, one week after Houston wrecked the Bills in the regular season finale, costing them the AFC East title and forcing them into a Wild Card spot. The first half went much the same, the Bills got stomped, and after the second half opened with a pick-6 my dad was convinced it was over. I remained the eternal optimist though, and when Beebe tore down the sideline I excitedly nudged my dad and told him "Look! They're going to come back.", he gave me a tired smile and a "Yeah, right." Then the impossible happened and Buffalo clawed their way back in, yard by yard, point by point. Now you have to understand my dad was a quiet, reserved man. The only time I really saw him emote was when watching football or hockey, and that was normally just in small bursts when he got overexcited and shouted something out. This game was different. It wasn't a small burst. As the game went on, as the comeback mounted and the crowd somehow got louder, my dad let his guard down. He started to grin, get more excited, go wide-eyed like a kid. He would cheer and high-five people around him, talk to his former co-workers. But...what sticks with me to this day...is all the excitement, the nudging and such...it was mostly with me. Like all of us, he was sharing this experience with everyone around us, but...primarily with me. I knew my father loved me, I had lived my life with him. I knew how he said it, showed it. But this, it's hard to put into words. He was happy about the comeback, yes, but I could tell he was happiest because he was sharing it with me. Football was always a bonding experience for us, but in that moment, at that game it became so much more. I got to see him with his guard completely down, something that had not happened before, and would not happen after. And in that time, I got to see how much having me with him at the game meant to him. When the winning kick went through, the raw emotion was overwhelming. Of course we tailgated after the game. Hell, we didn't leave the parking lot until around 9 PM. That's my best Bills' memory. And now I get to carry on in his place. Thought I was out of luck when my son showed no interest in sports, but then my daughter surprised me. She's been watching the Bills' faithfully the last couple years. Celebrated her 10th Birthday last year and she asked to go to her first live Bills game. Her birthday fell on a Sunday, discovered they were actually playing a home game that day, so I ended up taking her. She loved it, even though the Bills got crushed. Brought back memories of my dad getting me into football, and the game above. So, to all of you, if you had to pick one, what are your favorite Bills' memories?