The Senator

Always high on my list of favorite Bills alums, HOF right guard Joe DeLamielleure just moved to the top of my list... DeLamielleure's passion, though, is his fight on behalf of retired NFL players, specifically those who retired before the landmark 1993 collective bargaining agreement that led to an economic structure that sets up the league's biggest stars for life financially. DeLamielleure is among the hundreds of former players who don't enjoy that financial security. He draws a monthly pension of $1,247 -- before taxes -- barely above the federally-defined poverty line, has held jobs steadily since his retirement and insists he will need to continue to work "until I'm dead." As a result, DeLamielleure has become among the most outspoken of the NFL's vast alumni... The former leader of the Bills' "electric company" offensive line that paved the way for O.J. Simpson's 2,003-yard season in 1973, DeLamielleure takes particular exception to a 2010 quote by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Asked if he felt an obligation to provide financial help for retirees, Brees made it clear he felt little sympathy for former players coming forward and asking today's stars to "please make up for my bad judgment." "You little piece of crap," DeLamielleure said of Brees. "You haven't done anything. You get to throw the ball and no one hits you." Link - Never one to back down, DeLamielleure fights on

The player you are describing is neither Kalil nor Martin - nor a left tackle...it is Stanford right guard David DeCastro (think Joe DeLamielleure)... Stanford runs behind a pulling DeCastro on three out of four run plays because his prowess as a blocker on the move is impressive. Although he is not an elite athlete, the Washington native simply does get not beaten in pass protection, either. Sound technique, excellent toughness, and intelligence are all traits scouts look for in a first-round interior offensive line prospect--and DeCastro has them all in spades... Pass blocking: Doesn't get beat. Has enough of an anchor and resets hands to get leverage if beaten initially. Keeps feet churning and his head up. Capable of blocking down with one hand and sliding to help tackle. Very aware of late blitzers, can stonewall them or ride them out of the pocket. Usually keeps arms extended in pass pro to maintain distance with his man. Loses the hand-to-hand battle occasionally but works to quickly counter. Run blocking: Excels as a run blocker in power, zone and on the move. Plays with his eyes up. Takes defenders to the ground and doesn't let up. Rarely allows defenders to sidestep. Not dominant as a drive blocker but grinds to the whistle. Defensive tackles with elite power can anchor or move him off the snap. Pulling/trapping: Dominant leading on pulls outside and traps inside. Reaches second level instantly, has natural bend and flexibility to get correct angle. Does not always dominate smaller defenders after initial contact, falling off instead of latching on, but can take out multiple targets when he squares. Will miss inside target on occasion, giving max effort to cut or reach the linebacker. Initial Quickness: Very good off the snap. Gets hands up immediately, rarely beaten with an initial pass-rush move. Swims to reach second-level defenders. Generates push in goal-line situations, firing off hard and low. Downfield: Has enough -- but not great -- speed. Very effective negating targets seven or eight yards downfield. Inconsistent sustaining blocks against powerful linebackers and defensive backs, lowering his head to easily be disengaged. Intangibles: Solid work ethic and character. Known for his work on the practice field and weight room. Durable; could play every snap in any scheme. Chose Stanford for its academic standards. Link - NFL DraftScout/CBS Sports I know we have glaring needs at DE and LB, but we also saw our offensive line start to crumble under the weight of last season's injuries, mainly due to lack of depth. DeCastro's the real deal, probably will start as a rookie, and could well develop into the NFL's best guard. Some mocks have him going as high as #13 - and that could change after the combine, which starts on Wednesday. Right now, I still think 'bama OLB Courtney Upshaw's our guy - but if he's gone or has a bad combine and we're sticking to the philosophy of best-available player, DeCastro might be the pick. Personally, I'd have no problem with that. JMO.

Ralph is cheap.

If Markie Post married Marky Mark, would her married name become Markie Post-Mark?

He's a-scared tro go to the dentist, ferchrissakes! Sound's like he's turned into a real wimp... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-l2UOUteW8 (Hey, Jimbo...is it safe???) Just kidding...truly one of the greatest Bills of all time - perhaps THE greatest - the guy bleeds Bills blue!!! Best to Jim on his birthday, and always. Link - Hunter's Hope Foundation

Guess you didn't see me with them at the Grammy's the other night, then! Anyway, I'm not gonna get in a pissin' contest with you over who said what...to who...and when... BTW, you should know something else about those two...yeah, they dig the Hollywood types and all the glamor and all the bling and sh_t - but when they get all jacked up on the hooch, ANYONE will do. Bikers, truckers, milkmen, mailmen, the UPS guy...they don't care, so long as the guy's buyin'. And then they don't shut up. They'll tell you anything. That's how I found out that Manning to the Bills would never work out anyway, on account of he speaks in some kind of obscure Gaelic dialect that none of the Bills' players could understand... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQBwVFDULQg

OK - now that the cat is out of bag, maybe I should reveal that I am the one that knows the 2 younger Irsay daughters (Casey & Kalen) quite well, having spent some considerable time in 'The Circle City'. The younger one, Kalen (18 years old), has fake ID and loves to bar hop - she'll say and do just about anything once she gets all liquored up. She was the one that spilled the beans about Polian trying to work a deal with Ralph to trade Manning for Fitz, straight up. One night when we were all out together, I was puttin' the moves on Casey when Kalen got all jealous and started screamin' and hollerin' and carryin' on. I was trying hard to just ignore her, when finally she just blurted it out the entire Manning scenario that Crayonz described. I think she was just trying to win my affection, 'cause right after she said it she was all like, "Oh sh_t, I probably shouldn't have told you that!!!!" But hey, ya can't un-ring a bell, right? I am surprised none of you TSW perverts have asked for, "Pictures, please"...

Is that just a rhetorical question, or do you really need an answer?

Buddy drafted the guy, so I wouldn't be shocked if he landed here.

beard

So the Thanksgiving 12:30 PM and 4:00PM games will be played at night this year???

"To build a school on Kenmore Avenue, is to build no school at all." - Rev. James Van Dyke, S.J. I will grant, however, that the Christian Brothers do make a nice brandy. Ad majorem Dei gloriam, baby!!!!

Again with the 'presumably' And would that make them all Thursday night games, as the thread title states?

Wonderful - now you can change your thread title to accurately reflect what article explains, namely, 'All but four teams will play a Thu nite game.' I remain skeptical of any Chris Brown statements - particularly when he throws in the "presumably" qualifier... "That means 26 of the 32 NFL clubs will appear on the Thursday night schedule during the 2012 regular season along with the two that appear on Thursday night kickoff weekend in Week 1 on NBC which makes 28. Presumably the four that do not will appear either on Sunday or Monday night during the regular season."

Actually, the tread title is a vile canard - what Goodell said (and what was 'tweeted') is that expanding the # of Thu nite games will give all teams the chance to appear in prime time - not that all teams WILL appear in a prime time game, and also not specifically on Thursday nites... The NFL is increasing the number of Thursday night games so more of its teams can play in prime time...Commissioner Roger Goodell said that there will be Thursday night games on the NFL Network from the second to the 15th week of the season, giving all of the league's teams a chance to appear in prime time on some outlet...Those games will be in addition to the usual Sunday night and Monday night games, which tend to feature teams coming off good seasons. Link -Goodell says league expanding prime time games If the Bills do make it to prime time, I sure hope it's a road game. Personally, I hate staying up late to watch the Bills on TV, and I hope there's NEVER another nite game at The Ralph - the fans behave like animals at those nite games.

Hmmm - I wonder what flea-bag motel Bob* Kraft* rents for his* team* when they* play here? Regardless, *Brady's an idiot... Giants 52 Cheatriettes* 3 GO G-MEN!!!!!

What, no love for Monty Stickles??? link I had the great pleasure of quaffing a few ales with Monty on several occasions back in my SF days. He was retired from football, had a Labatt distributorship in the Bay area, and was actually introduced to me by the owner of an establishment I frequented as 'the dirtiest player in the NFL - a 'distinction' that apparently pleased him . When I joked that Conrad Dobler would argue with that description, Monty got a bit animated, insisting, "Dobler was nothin'...I was way dirtier than Conrad Dobler!!!" He really was a very nice and fun guy to be around, and a colorful character on and off the field... Linebackers always knew when Monty Stickles was coming. Bartenders, too... Former 49er tight end was a tough customer .

Perhaps that's what you infer (i.e., homosexuality is shameful), rather than it being the intended implication of the taunter. (Personally, I don't see why you'd think it's shameful for two guys to gobble each others' knobs, or give it to each other up the poop shoot!) Actually, it IS allowed - I hear it at Ralph Wilson Stadium all the time! I suppose the larger question (or digression) is, why is it OK for African-Americans to call each other 'nigga' openly and publicly - and even go so far as to mass market the word in in all of their crap-music - but considered racist if anyone else does? This is, of course, a correct and succinct distillation of one of those ridiculous and all-too-lengthy off-season threads we'll have to endure until draft-day arrives and OTA's begin... "The thing about the American language is, you can do wonderful things with it...it's a very useful tool for communicating, if you use it the right way, and one of the first rules of communication is that you try to talk to people in the language they can understand. And the words that some people become terrified over, a lot of people spend a fortune trying to keep out of other peoples' lives - with language-bound censorship and so forth - which is wasted, because those words are highly efficient and they get the point across right away - and I'm interested in getting my point across right away". - Frank Zappa

Vicki Hong just mentioned it on the WIVB noon news ("Bills press conference this afternoon to announce coaching changes - more details at 5 and 6") - maybe they're bringing in... Mike Leach

I had no idea Welker was so goofy-lookin' under the helmet - clearly she's attracted to his money and fame! (And he to her hooters!) BTW, only college coach that recognized Welker's talent and offered him a scholarship was none other than... Mike Leach

Great article - thanks erynthered!!! Yes, as recidivist program-wrecker Craig James' ill-conceived senate campaign goes down in flames, Coach Leach rises from the ashes - like the proverbial Phoenix... Link - Craig James: Worst Helicopter Dad in Texas (Huffington Post) And now it's looking like Leach's legal team may pursue perjury and obstruction (criminal) charges against James, in addition to the civil (financial) remedies already being adjudicated... Link - Craig James Made Conflicting Sworn Statements Regarding Mike Leach (Wall Street Journal) And James' miserable broadcasting career will likely meet the same end as his failed political aspirations, when it hits home that this whole Texas Tech bullcrap was nothing more than daddy Craig trying to coerce Leach & Co. to play give Adam James more playing time, and that daddy James was calling Texas Tech coaches from the ESPN broadcast booth during games - while actually broadcasting Texas Tech games - and telling them to play his son Adam more... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2pC7LCvPpA Meanwhile, it's great to see 'The Pirate' back on the scene, making his usual noise, and getting ready to shake up the PAC-12 status quo out there at 'Wazzu'... Seattle Times - Mike Leach's arrival will make Cougars fascinating Kitsap Sun - WSU football notebook: Money helping fill Martin Stadium seats

It's a crock of sh_t.

There is absolutely NOTHING on the web site of the idiot Walter Cherepinsky that could be described as a 'good read'. Never was, and never will be. Dude started the site as a high school project, and now brags that he makes $100K on ad revenue because he gets so many hits by repackgeing info from elasewhere, and adding his own caustic sarcasm. Don't waste your time.

No offense, but how (and why) in the world did you dream up such an imaginary issue, anyway? Whatever your motivation, it's quite untrue (and ridiculous) - as you probably know - for (at least) three reasons: 1) Craig James' opponent for the US Senate is not likely to demand equal time (I certainly would not - I would just let any references to Craig James speak for themselves, as they will most certainly be unflattering); 2) Any references to either James (Craig or Adam) would not be in a political context, but in the context of the supposed 'incident' at Texas Tech that led to Leach's controversial dismissal and subsequent lawsuit against James, Texas Tech, ESPN, and Spaeth Communications - events that James brought on himself by falsely accusing Leach and then (mis)using his own position as college football analyst on a national TV network to bring down a respected and successful coach that simply refused to give James' lazy and untalented kid some playing time; 3) As the article stated, the documentary would cover training camp thru the 'first few games of the season' - therefore, it will likely not even be completed, edited, released, and aired by election day - which is Nov. 6, 2012. At any rate, I'm sure the filming will proceed at a normal pace, with no issues at all regarding 'equal time', and I imagine the documentary will make passing references to the program-wrecking James family as necessary to tell the story of the only person of real interest in the entire project and sole reason for its undertaking, namely... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J3hTtgChWY BTW - does anyone know what really happened with Craig James and those 5 hookers he killed at SMU? (Link - The truth about Craig James and those hookers) .

Maybe Sione Pouha could slap some sense into Stevie's head? (Or, alternatively, just eat him?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFGSdYMQZc4