Mikie2times

I imagine Keith Lincoln also remembers that game

That would be my guess. The Bills are probably going for a 6th year, and shorting him the 600K. You keep players around by keeping them happy and treating them fairly. If the Bills are going to demand an additional year they probably should have come threw with an offer that’s slightly above the difference between 7 and 9, not below it.

Somewhere between the Giants and Redskins Super Bowl is when I became a fan. I know this because I remember crying after the Washington game, but can't recall the same feelings after the Giants (a feeling I know I would remember). I was around 8 at the time. As a fellow out of state fan the fact that the Bills were such an exciting offensive team, and the TV exposure NBC gave them played the biggest role for me. What's kept me a fan is the fan base and atmosphere that surrounds the team. I hate the fair weather attitude, and enjoy the blue collar fan base and elements the Bills play in. Bottom line, I will never be a fan of another team like I am with the Bills.

You're entitled to your opinion but let's not exaggerate the talent disparity that much. Often times the games that are actually televised have fairly even talent levels. Just as you probably wouldn't want to watch the Colts play the Cardinals, I wouldn't want to watch Texas play Rice. I remember last season flicking back and fourth between Michigan/Penn State, and Notre Damn/USC, both games finishing on the final play of the game. That's when I knew I turned. I just love the playoff type atmosphere that exists every week in the college game, and IMO the OT system is more exciting.

I think we can expect a slow start regardless of the final result. I see little hope at NE, and Miami might be 0-1 heading into week 2 after opening in Pittsburgh. That means it could be a desperation game for both of us, and it's hard to not give them the nod at home. Hopefully as the season progresses the players remain focused and we can improve in the areas you talk about. Fortunately for us the schedule also softens up a bit later in the year. I think we can optimistically hope for a .500 year, but anything over that would be a serious reach. Either way it doesn't make the anticipation any easier to deal with this time of year.

Everything is hit or miss depending on your situation. You sound a lot like me the first couple of years I was DTV customer. I sold them dozens of people because I was so happy with the service, then I moved and it all went to hell. Regardless of our opinions of DTV, if they lose exclusive rights to the ticket they will be forced to take drastic measures. That’s what makes them who they're. They know it, and that’s why they've basically put every marketing cent they have into the Ticket. But compared to cable disadvantages exist in the service they provide. Cable is a more efficient way of transmitting a TV signal. Cable offers free DVR's, Direct TV does not Cable offers VOD, Direct TV does not Cable can easily reach most rental units Cable offers broadband Besides the ticket, what allowed DTV to thrive in the beginning was cable raising rates. It was a cable monopoly in most cities’s leaving us zero options if we wanted all the channels. But competition has forced cable to respond, and now the rates for most cable providers and DTV are very similar. DTV has also taken on a very cable like approach with the ticket, raising the price annually, and charging an outrageous fee for the HD package. The commitment contract they force you to sign is also a complete joke. Both DTV and cable are far from perfect so hopefully the NFL can eventually work out a way for both providers to get the ticket, just like every other professional sport has. All exclusive rights means is the consumer losses.

That’s what negations are about, especially when you’re at a stand still. Buffalo holds the chips, not Whitner. Whitner has two options, either sign the current deal which Levy said was on par for his draft position, or sit out and enter the draft next year. In the first scenario he accepts his contract, and a salary that puts him in line with the 8th overall pick. In the second he is out of football for a year, and also get's labeled a pain in A$$ to work with. He would lose millions if he chooses option two. No doubt it would hurt the Bills, but the Bills will move on. Whitner would face the type of financial repercussions that could effect him the rest of his life. The time for hardball is now.

Instructions for the twobillsdrive.com preview ---------------------------------------------------- I will create a poll every few days, but voting and comments can go on until the preview deadline (August 27). The poll will be set up for each position, with each player who plays that position listed. You vote for who you think should start, and explain your decision in a preview oriented structure, one that also includes analysis of the players you didn’t vote for. Please also include your group value for the position on a 1-10 scale using this as a rough guideline. 1= Worst 5= Average 10= Elite I will tally up the cumulative ratings, for the final values. If the editors decide people are just throwing around bogus numbers they will not be calculated in the rankings. The editors will then take these poll results, and mini previews, and use the best ones for the final preview. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following criteria will be used by the editors in selecting the posts to use. 1. Overall ability of the poster in capturing the poll results, and majority view (optimisim etc). EX- JP Losman wins the poll, Holcomb 2nd, Nail 3rd. We will not use a post describing why Kelly Holcomb should start, even if it is superior in content. We will be looking for posts describing why JP Losman should start. 2. Clarity- How well does the poster justify his rational, and explain himself 3. Structure- This is a preview, so people need to explain themselves in such a format. That means writing like I think, or I feel should be avoided. We've all read previews, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep it in that format. I will pick two more editors as things progress, so including myself we will have 3 total editors(unless nobody else wants to it, then I'm the almighty). I still need people, so PM me, and I will keep you in mind. This will represent the majority view, and not the editors.

Count me in. I thought the most recent Batman was excellent, and I was really looking forward to the next one.

I would gladly watch the Bills over any other team in sports. That said as a NFL historian/football purist the NBA mentality of today's game has been a huge turn off to me. For games not involving the Bills I would gladly take the pageantry and enthusiasm of the college game over the NFL. I also think the disparity of talent in college football makes for a more interesting game. Which one do you prefer?

He's just making an observation, and a pretty obvious one at that. The extended time is a great advantage to those that want to cook, and truly enjoy the tailgating experience. But for those going for no other reason then to get lit up, the extra hour is certainly enough time to fill some fans with some more liquid courage.

I hated how cable was raising my rates, and I felt the overall treatment I received from cable providers paled in comparison to DTV. That was until recently. The installation teams for DTV are now very inexperienced, and the customer service people are not properly trained. I had to set up three separate appointments when I moved last year because some 18 year old kid who clearly lacked training had no clue what the hell he was doing. Later in the year I was double billed for 5 consecutive months, despite dozens of attempts to notify them of the problem. Because of this I was sent to collections and repeatedly hassled by collectors. The new automated system they use is a maze of BS, often connecting you several different departments, none of which have a clue. I also experienced signal loss or distortion at even the first hint of rain for most of last year (probably because the install kid). I admit I probably got the worst of what DTV has to offer last year because they were pretty solid the years prior. I just feel that this type of experience is not so much an isolated event but a trend in degrading quality of service.

Good post. It really stinks for Time Warner subscribers to lose NFL network, but I fully support Time Warners stance if this is about the Ticket. I had DTV the last few years and recently moved to a place that I can't use a dish (line of sight). My favorite time of the year, and I can't even watch my team, It really blows. Thousands exist in similar situations. If cable could offer the package it would extend to far more viewers.

I'll admit this is surprising but I can understand the logic. Crowell has a bright future, and is healthy, why force him to play out of position for a player with so many question marks. Even if it is Takeo.

According to ESPN Parcells said Ellis could either play for Dallas or retire.

Thats what I'm looking for, all posters please follow this format. Thanks for starting us off with a great post.

It took me about a second to realize those weren't Jills. I know I'd bust out the John Holmes cup on that day.

I appreciate the response but this isn't exactly what I was looking for. I just wanted to jump on it before the masses followed suit. The ratings are fine, but the posts need to be in a preview format, ala ESPN, SI etc. That way the ones that best suit the selection criteria can just be plugged in for that positions preview. If you just wanted to share your thoughts then I apologize. EDIT- I stole this portion of LevysEraII preview as an example from the orginal thread Original Thread QUARTERBACKS In a three way battle the Bills' JP Losman, Kelly Holcomb and Craig Nall will have to win the job outright and earn the trust and respect from his peers. JP Losman, the fan favorite and most talented of the three quarterbacks, appears to have the edge this off-season as reports out of Buffalo regarding Losman's progress are very encouraging. You know what you're getting out of Kelly Holcomb, the most experienced of the trio, Kelly is the type of guy that will move the chains with short to intermediate passes but has trouble with the deep ball, due to his weak arm strength. That can be trouble for Holcomb because the Bills will be throwing the ball down the field more this season than in years' past. The Bills made Fairchild (the former offensive coordinator for St. Louis), their offensive coordinator. The wild card of the group is Craig Nall. The front office liked what they saw out of Nall and signed him with the promise for a fair chance for the starting job. Rating 6

I blame Stewart Scott’s lazy eye, and Bennie Anderson.

You don't even need a johnson to get laid in that thing.

Example ------------ -VOTE FIRST- QB Group Rating- 4 Quarterbacks-Preview (Taken from SI.COM)- Unlike a year ago when the Bills cut veteran Drew Bledsoe and handed the job to untested 2004 first-round pick J.P. Losman, the new regime wants the cream to rise and team harmony to cement itself through competition. It means Losman will have to beat out veteran Kelly Holcomb, whom he split starts with a year ago, and free agent Craig Nall, who backed up Brett Favre in Green Bay the past four years. Being yanked in and out of the lineup by former coach Mike Mularkey set back Losman's development. But the Bills recognize that eight starts and a 49.6 completion percentage isn't enough to judge him on, and he should benefit from last season's humbling experience. Holcomb is known for solid play and the occasional monster game. But in nine previous NFL seasons, he hasn't been able to stay healthy or consistent long enough to hang on to a starting role

Seems like we have enough interest to start this thing. Please read how this is going to work before you post. Instructions for the twobillsdrive.com preview ---------------------------------------------------- I will create a poll every few days, but voting and comments can go on until the preview deadline (August 27). The poll will be set up for each position, with each player who plays that position listed. You vote for who you think should start, and explain your decision in a preview oriented structure, one that also includes analysis of the players you didn’t vote for. Please also include your group value for the position on a 1-10 scale using this as a rough guideline. 1= Worst 5= Average 10= Elite I will tally up the cumulative ratings, for the final values. If the editors decide people are just throwing around bogus numbers they will not be calculated in the rankings. The editors will then take these poll results, and mini previews, and use the best ones for the final preview. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following criteria will be used by the editors in selecting the posts to use. 1. Overall ability of the poster in capturing the poll results, and majority view (optimisim etc). EX- JP Losman wins the poll, Holcomb 2nd, Nail 3rd. We will not use a post describing why Kelly Holcomb should start, even if it is superior in content. We will be looking for posts describing why JP Losman should start. 2. Clarity- How well does the poster justify his rational, and explain himself 3. Structure- This is a preview, so people need to explain themselves in such a format. That means writing like I think, or I feel should be avoided. We've all read previews, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep it in that format. I will pick two more editors as things progress, so including myself we will have 3 total editors. I already PM'ed some senior members to assist me that responded to the original thread. If they don't want to be editors I will still need people, so PM me, and I will keep you in mind. This will represent the majority view, and not the editors.

Very good analysis, I'm excited to see what we can come up with. I bet we end up with the most informative previews available.

I'm glad we have some interest, I was getting worried after nobody posted in the thread for awhile. For those that question my intentions, I would just like to come up with a respectable preview based on the majority of the twobillsdrive following, for US. It's a boring time, so why not? Considering the outpouring of hatred toward the recent national previews I figured this could be a fun way to pass the time. After some thought this is what I would like to do. I will create a poll every three days or so. The poll will be set up for each position, with each player who plays that position listed. When you vote explain your decision in a preview oriented structure, one that also includes analysis on the other players you didn’t vote for. The editors will then take those poll results, and mini previews, and use the best ones in the preview (to be judged by the editors). The editor’s job will be capturing the majority’s opinion in the poll results, and to pick a poster whose individual thoughts best describe the majority’s view (not the editor’s view). Ideally I would like the editors to be long established members of twobillsdrive. I want 2 more "opinions", so including me we would have 3 editors all together. I don't know anybody on here personally, so I won't have any bias in picking the other two people. Just let me know on here if you’re interested, and I will pick the other two editors based on longevity, posts, and a general display of sanity. Eventually I hope it can become an honor for posters to make the twobillsdrive preview, and this can become something we put together each year.