Simon

As much as I loved the guy's game, he probably wasn't all that scheme diverse. He was a perfect fit for what Lebeau wanted to do on the edge, but he would have been pretty pedestrian as a 4-3 end. He would probably been effective as a DT in some 4-3 Unders and that's about it. But he wouldn't likely have been the same kind of impact guy he turned out to be. I see Lawson as the same kind of great fit for Rex, but with some added potential to be used in other roles. If Rex pukes on his shirt and is out of here in the next year or two, Lawson could probably still be effective in 3 different roles of virtually any 4-3 you want to run. He's strong enough at the POA to play outside or inside at anywhere but the Nose and he's going to be a handful for one guy in most passpro situations. He's not likely an athletic enough closer to put up big sack numbers but I think he'll be a factor in moving QB's off their spot and forcing them into more difficult throws; which could be a boon for a dangerous Bills secondary. Setting edges upfield is likely to be his forte, but if it came down to it, kicking him inside next to Dareus could still be a great tandem to build out from. Aside from the physical fit, I think you should give more credence to the fact that guy has great motor and really seems to take pride in winning physical battles. He's exactly the kind of ballplayer Whaley wants to stock this roster with and if he stays healthy he could spend years dominating matchups at a few different positions.

I think the Suggs comparison is wishful thinking; Lawson is just not carrying that kind of obscene natural ability. I guess neither is anybody else for that matter. I think the Bills view him sort of as a more versatile and athletic Aaron Smith. And if they can get Aaron Smith quality play out of him for the next 8-9 years, I'd call it a pick very well spent.

They were just as pumped with Washington still being available as they were with both of their first two picks being available. They think he might end up being one of the steals of the draft. I don't know if I'd go that far but I will say that the handful of times I watched OSU this year, Adolphus Washington was all over the freaking place blowing shlt up.

They're actually pretty close with Gilmore. Both sides get along well and are on the same page as far as expectations. They've just got to inch a little closer together and this should be done sooner rather than later. I think everybody involved would be stunned if it didn't work out.

I look at this as one of the most potentially interesting offseasons in Buffalo sports history. With that kind of wiggle room for the Sabres, that kind of burgeoning young corps and the number of legitimately good veteran players who are likely to be casualties of other teams' poorly thought out salary structures, there is actually potential for this team to go from historically bad to a divisional champion in just two seasons.

I guess for me it comes down to what his talent actually was. Was he a talented guitarist/musician? Sure. But I also think there are literally millions of musicians who are equally as or more talented. The idea that he was some sort of generational musical talent is wildly off the mark, imo. Now if we're talking about him being a uniquely talented performer/artist/dramatist/stage presence, then sure that is a worthy debate. But for those of us whom that sort of thing does not resonate with, his standing becomes greatly diminished, imo. Maybe you shouldn't believe everything you read on social media And the fact that people keep linking to a middling George Harrison inspired guitar solo as the apex of his musical skills says as much about my point as anything else. James Brown had one of the tightest bands to ever walk the face of this planet. Hendrix was an otherworldly guitar player regardless of what type of acid-induced mania he was compelled to on a stage. Sly also had a great band, but I don't consider any of the others you mentioned to be incredible musicians. I've never actually watched a halftime show so I can't comment on Prince's. The electrosynth pop stylings of "I would die for you" show exactly zero of any musical talent he had.

If it fits for you, great. Like I said, more power to our individual tastes. But maybe people should reconsider before suggesting that others are clueless for not recognizing it as great music

Yeah, but you think everyone is dopey. How the hell do you differentiate?

I stayed out of the Prince thread because I didn't want to be disrespectful, but this is not the Prince thread and this statement perfectly sums up how some of us feel about musical "performances". A lot of us couldn't care less about clothes, make-up, hair, art and how much a performer emotes for his audience. Every time I ever saw Prince do anything it was always about 90% style and 10% substance. I view him in the same category as a Madonna and would have walked out of either of their overwrought performances in under 15 minutes. I have to chuckle a little when I see people falling all over themselves about his big guitar solo covering George Harrison, when the truth of the matter was that he was doing nothing more than a little run that 2 million other guitar players could have done wearing a blindfold and Isotoners.. But he was twitching around oh so dramatically, so it must be great, right? Some of us just don't give a crap about his drama. I see it like painting flames on a Honda Fit and then trying to tell me it's a race car. I could sit for hours and watch a guy like Eric Clapton by himself sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar playing nothing but 12-bar blues standards without moving more than 6 inches and be utterly blown away by his talent. But watching Prince's posing and tawdry histrionics is boring to the point of being almost embarrassed for him. You all are welcome to your art, fashion and drama; more power to each of our individual tastes. But don't try to tell the rest of us that those things somehow make it great "music".

I have a subscription to the mag and saw it there, but it was last months issue and should let you read it online if you answer some poll question. It was a solid write-up, but not as good as seeing it redacted.

Hail to the Censor!

If he was dragging the kid in there or forcing him into things he didn't want to be involved in, then I totally agree with you. But if the kid was asking to come to the park for home games and he was just trying to spend some extra time with him before he grows up and disappears, then I'm not going to give him hell for it.

I was referring to the fact hat he preferred to act like a father as opposed to a child. But I'd also suggest that deciding how you want to live your own life as opposed to allowing others to dictate your actions is also acting like a man. That's fine; have yourself a good time. But calling a guy a "baby" because he's beyond that kids stuff strikes me as sort of stupid. If you feel compelled to insult somebody because they're different from you, at least make the insult fit. Call him a boring old fart instead........

I didn't question his choice or the team's choice; I don't really have a problem with either one. I was just pointing out the irony of calling a guy a "baby" because he preferred to act like a man rather than a little boy.

Yeah, he's clearly not mature enough to make dick jokes and brag about sex.......

Gee, it's too bad we don't know how Garland might view a case like DC v Heller. If only we knew what his position might be if he was ever to provide an opinion in a case like that.......

Seems like a solid choice. Although I'd like to see somebody who is maybe a little more supportive of the 2nd Amendment?

Which is why he will not be coming to Buffalo. If you look in a thesaurus under "football player" you'll find a picture of Mike Wallace........ under the antonyms.

Reason #7,984 that I don't own a cell phone. Although I guess I should just be thankful he actually had a shirt on.

Sarama's too busy keeping this place running to accept the nomination.

I never noticed the ending phonetics in that rhyme are the same as the Nationwide jingle.......

He also had a set of dancer's feet that I'm not sure I've ever seen on a man that size. Dude was an alien......

Ted was from my hometown here in Western Pennsyltucky; his brother was also a neighbor of mine for many years. As great a football coach as he was, he was an even better man. The whole family is a collection of world-class, quality human beings. Godspeed you Ted and thanks for everything. Look forward to sipping more of your beers on the other side.........

I dont know what you guys keep going on about. I clearly saw him retire to a tropical island on Kashyyk with a big pile of gold and 7 randy pirate maidens......

My favorite part was when Han retired to a tropical island on Kashyyk with a ginormous pile of gold and 7 randy pirate chicks......