CosmicBills

Let's just get this back on the first page for the game ... Go Bills!

I'm not disputing that. I'm saying that if a rebuilding project like Merriman is only worth 2.5 to 31 other teams on the open market, then most of the personnel people in the NFL think there's no chance of Merriman making any semblance of a comeback. So we probably shouldn't hold our breaths and expect anything from Merriman. Then, if he proves those 31 other teams wrong, good for him and good for Buffalo. I just don't think it's gonna happen.

Meh. Who cares. There's a %0.1 chance Merriman ever sees a Pro Bowl again, and I think the guy is an ass personally -- not that that matters. But if the money really only is 2.5, roll the dice. But if he signed for 2.5 million, that means his agent knows that's how little the rest of the league values him. And that can't be a good sign.

I'm working on it!

This thread is amazing. On many, many, levels. I hope it never ends.

You're "realistic" stance is one of hopelessness. You're raising the white flag, saying that this team won't win with Ralph at the helm. That's just incredibly depressing. Why do that to yourself? It's also not really what being a fan is about. In fact, it's the opposite. It's worse than doom and gloom. It's hopelessness. Sheer and utter hopelessness. As you said, this is entertainment. So if you're so convinced that this team offers no chance to be a winning franchise, then why do you "entertain yourself" with it when you could do countless other things like read a book. Pick some flowers. Run a marathon. No one cares if the Bills win Sunday. Not the Jets. Not the Jets' fans. Not the media. Half the Bills' fans don't either. So why do you? If you are resigned to the fact that this team is hopeless, why do you care? It's a bit backwards to me. The point of being a fan is to have hope. Is to believe in your team. Now, you can be a fan of football in general. There are plenty of those. But you're claiming to be a Bills fan. But are you really? It sure sounds like you're just bitter and pissed off. That's not how I'd want to spend my free time. You can stand by your realistic stance. As I said, there's plenty of evidence to support it. But since this is entertainment and nothing more, I refuse to believe that it's impossible for the Bills to catch lightning in the bottle -- even with Ralph. The moment I believe that cheering for the Bills is hopeless is the day I stop watching them play. Because let's be real. We all have better things to do with our time. But maybe you disagree. Maybe you like wasting your time. Or maybe you care more about being proven right than you do about seeing the Bills turn things around. Either way, it's not my style.

You're basing that on what exactly? The only draft he's run was below average at best -- catastrophic at worst. The OP reminds me of last year. Around this time there was a similar post saying that CJ Spiller should be given a look despite having not one, but two thousand yard rushers already on the roster. I remember laughing, thinking that would never happen. They couldn't be that thick. But then, that idea became more and more popular. Then finally, the Bills actually did it. So, that being said, it wouldn't shock me that they did pick him. And it wouldn't shock me if this idea spawns a legion of followers that will explain the logic of it and tell us all to trust in Nix's plan. But, like the Spiller pick, it'd be further proof that this Front Office just doesn't understand how to build a winning football team.

Ron Howard would not be my first choice for this. And Goldsman would certainly not be anywhere near my list -- even though I like his early stuff. I was far more comfortable thinking Damon Lindelof was going to do it.

You're right in regards to how the league is structured. The draft is designed to prolong "parity" in the NFL by giving the teams with the worst records a better chance to restock their cupboards than the teams that make the Playoffs. Certainly this is true. But you're comparing the Bills to the Pats which is faulty in both logic and execution. First, the Pats have been masters of the draft for the past decade. They continually wheel and deal and stockpile extra picks to counterbalance exactly what you're talking about. They have had 2 picks in the first round multiple times, sometimes they've had 2 picks in the first three rounds (or at least it seems). They do this so they have the ammunition to move up (or down) in the draft and get the players they covet. The Bills have been unable to do this for multiple reasons. In this specific case, getting SEVEN higher draft picks with a loss gives them the ability to do the same. Higher picks means they will have more opportunity to get the players they want, or more freedom to wheel and deal and either stockpile picks or make a couple moves to get the players they deem worthy. Finally, your comparison to the Pats is faulty because the Bills aren't the Pats. The Pats have had the success they've had because of Tom Brady. End of story. They got lucky with a 6th round pick and nabbed what turned out to be one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game. They have a franchise QB and continue to show why QB is the most important position in sports. You cannot win a championship in the modern NFL without a franchise QB. The Pats got lucky in the 6th round ... I'm hoping the Bills get lucky in this draft too. Not just at the QB spot, but at any number of endless holes on this roster from LB, DE, DT, OT, OG (assuming Wood stays at Center), TE, etc. etc. And aren't the odds of getting lucky once or twice in the draft improved if they're picking from a higher position? How can you not see THAT logic?

I didn't call you personally a loser, or mean to imply as much. Sorry if that's how it was interpreted. I was trying to say your theory that this team will never win as long as Ralph is in charge is well founded. There are plenty of folks that would agree with you and plenty of evidence to make your point. It's a thought that I've had cross my mind more than once. But I refuse to believe it's actually true. Because believing that means that you're resigned to the fact that the Bills will never win until he dies. That's the definition of a loser mentality, isn't it? You go into every season with Ralph at the helm KNOWING they're going to lose. Expecting them to lose. How is that anything BUT a losing mentality? It's certainly not a winning one. Let me put it to you another way ... if you're so certain this team can never win with Ralph in charge, why do you continue to watch? Are you a masochist? Is it "in your blood"? Unless the reason is because you enjoy watching the team lose (which I don't think it is), then isn't it fair to admit that having seven higher draft picks improves the chances of this team finding one or more impact players that will help turn this team around? And if the front office is as inept as you say they are (and again, I tend to think Nix is a disaster myself) -- wouldn't it be better to give them MORE options on Draft day rather than less? Wouldn't that do more to improve the long term health of the franchise than one meaningless win? We've already established that momentum doesn't carry over from one season to the next -- there's too much changeover from year to year in professional sports. So what does a win do for the 2011 Bills? What does it do for the 2010 Bills? If this was a finely tuned front office, I'd argue it wouldn't matter where they picked in the draft because they will find the best value and the best players for their system no matter where they pick. The Bills obviously have shown they can't do that -- at least not in the past few years. So it would follow that having a higher draft pick would improve the chances for this front office, no matter how inept, to finally get lucky, right?

I didn't say that Bills' chances are "dead in the water if they don't secure that #3 pick". Not even close. I said the odds of the team improving quicker are better with a higher draft pick than they are from just a meaningless win against the Jets. It's not that complicated. A higher draft position gives your team more options. Whether that be in the form of better players to choose from to more ammunition to move around in the draft to get the players you deem worthy etc. There's really no argument against that logic.

Your missing the point. No one is saying the players should tank. The players would never tank because they're playing for their own jobs. Their family's food. They have to go out and play hard and they will. Nothing can be done about that. Nor should it. But that doesn't mean, in this instance, that a win helps with the bigger goal. The team goal. Namely, helping the Buffalo Bills out of their playoff slumber. In fact, very good arguments have been made that a win in this particular instance could potentially hurt said goal. I'm not saying that you should root for the team to lose. But I am saying that any rational person can clearly see that the only ones who benefit from a Bills win are the fans who crave nothing more than instant gratification because "it's the Jets! They're our rival! blah blah ...". 'Cause truth is, that is all bs anyway. The players don't care about this "rivalry", the nation doesn't care about this rivalry, hell the Jets don't even consider it a rivalry because this organization has been a cellar dweller for a DECADE. The only way to change that is to build a team that can compete for more than a 7 win season. We need to build a team that can seriously contend for the AFC East year in and year out. Like the Pats. Like the Steelers. Like the Colts. Like the Ravens. Like the (bad year to use them) Chargers. And while the draft isn't the only way, nor is it even a guaranteed way, to build the team -- it certainly improves your odds if you have 7 higher draft picks. At least more than winning the last game of the season to bring your record up to 5-11. But go on believing that this rivalry means anything to anyone BUT the Bills fans. The players don't see it as a rivalry. The Coaches don't. Jets fans don't. The list goes on ... GO BILLS!

(Bows) Thank you, kind sir.

See? That's why you and I get along AJ. I totally respect that stance. You don't want to actively root for the Bills to lose (nor do I) but you see the benefits if they do lose. That's called being rational. Must mean you need one of these ...

Well actually your outlook is far more bleak and grim. You're essentially saying that this team will never improve until Ralph dies -- since we know that's the only way he's going to give up control. And thus, you just want to win because no matter who the Bills pick in April, the team will still suck and you want to feel good for just one more Sunday. That's way worse than hoping for a loss in a meaningless game. There's nothing that can be improved with a win since momentum does not carry over from season to season. There's no hope for a playoff birth. There's no hope for a winning record. There's no hope for a winning record within the division even. There's NOTHING to be gained by a win for the Bills as an organization this weekend. There's only something for the fans who refuse to see, or perhaps don't care to see, the big picture. Still, your viewpoint is way more grim and far more of a loser mentality. I'm not saying you're wrong. Hell, I think those same thoughts every day. Still, I can't come to grips with it. Apparently you can. You have deemed it impossible for this team to turn a corner even with Ralph at the helm. I haven't. You are seemingly content with a few wins every year, a few glimmers of hope splashed in for good measure. I'm not. See, I just can't admit that it's impossible for this team to turn a corner. With Ralph, even Nix and Modrak -- hell, even with Fitz! There's still hope. Getting SEVEN higher draft picks (or however many total picks we have) provides even more of a foundation for realistic hope than simply winning one meaningless game against the Jets. A rivalry that's more dead than Disco. Yeah, I said that cheesy line in an effort to make a point ... (did you buy that? whew) The fans that want a win on Sunday are short sighted. They are not seeing the forest through the trees. While there's no guarantee that these higher draft picks will improve the long term future of this team, there's a far greater chance of these picks doing just that than there is of a meaningless win at the end of a miserable season. Instead, all a win guarantees is momentary satisfaction for those short sighted fan's. Immediate gratification has its benefits and is certainly a big part of being a fan. But it's fleeting. That doesn't mean I expect the Bills to come out and try to lose on purpose. They won't and shouldn't. The players are playing for their own jobs. Coaches too. There's no way they come out with anything but the best they can muster. And if they win, they win. I won't celebrate it for more than 24 hours because it means nothing in the grand scheme of trying to elevate this proud franchise out of the utter sh*thole it has been mired in for over a decade. So you can keep your grim thoughts. I'll stick with the far more optimistic approach. Go Bills!

See the post below you. I believe that's you getting served. Thank you, and goodnight.

The problem with that is how do you convince the players to do that? Or the coaches? These are guys who make a living playing a sport where the average career lasts just over 3 years. They cannot afford to "tank" a game. They're looking to perform at the highest possible level they can, put up as many stats as they can to justify a bigger contract next time they negotiate. Coaches are the same. There is ZERO chance a professional team "throws" a game. Ever. The only way you can do it is to order the coaches NOT to play certain people. But that won't happen either. Throwing the game is stupid. It won't happen. But that doesn't mean that we should root for a win. Or hope for one. A win this weekend is meaningless to the franchise, meaningless to the future of the team. But it damn sure means something to the current players and coaches on the roster.

I've never been one to root for the Bills to lose. I've been okay with loses this year because let's face it, they were never going to compete for a playoff birth and the thought of a high draft pick provided some comfort loss after loss after loss. But this week, it's the Jets. Yes, they're a division rival. I hate the Jets. I want to beat the Jets every time we play them. Still ... this is one game where a win could tangibly hurt this franchise. Yes. A win could hurt. It could cost them up to 5 spots in the draft. That's 5 impact players they could miss out on. It means less leverage to trade down (if they so desire) to stock up on more picks. It means less of a chance to find the defensive playmaker this team sorely needs. It makes me want to vomit to type that. But it's true. Still, it makes no difference. The team can't (and won't) lie down. They're pros and they're playing for their own jobs and coaching for their own jobs. They will play to win. As they should. Still, the intelligent fans should look at this game as a gimme. If they win, awesome. Beating the Jets is always a good feeling. But that's as far as it goes. Momentum does NOT carry from one season to the next (no matter what people here try to tell you). So all a win will do is make the FANS happy for one more week. And that's great. But even a loss should make the fans happy as it means a potential #2 pick. It's win win.

Wow, you're delusional. Bradford inherited a 1-15 team and has led them to playoff contention in his first year. It helps that they play in the worst division in football, but there is less talent on the Rams than there is on the Bills. By a mile. He's a difference maker. And Dilfer and Hostleter won almost a decade ago. A DECADE. The game has changed. You cannot win a super bowl without an elite QB.

You're making a lot of definitive statements. You must be psychic to know how every player in the draft is going to pan out in December.

Yeah, that Sam Bradford guy is sure terrible as a rookie. Matt Ryan and Big Ben were even worse.

And another Fitz turnover.

Both sides are overreacting as per usual. Fitz is NOT a franchise QB as many on here would have you believe. Nor is he a bad QB that others will have you believe. He's average to slightly above. But look at the games he's played against good teams and you'll see the truth. He makes bad mistakes at the worst possible moments. He doesn't have "it". He's not clutch. But he's not the biggest problem on this team by a long shot.

Hardest hit Poz has made in the NFL comes after the whistle on a defenseless under 6 foot WR. Awesome.