Yoho

The people you are calling "old timers" probably can't even identify Bob Lamb or know what a Prodigy board is.

Bill Miller was a wide receiver. If I am not mistaken he was traded with Daryl Lamonica for Tom Flores and Art Powell in what turned out to be a disastrous trade for the Bills.

I have followed the Bills forever and the Bills have never had a very good tight end, If I had to vote on the all-time tight end, I would leave it blank and go for the 3 WR set. I can find 3 or 4 choices at every other position but we have never had a really above average tight end.

It is all about debt coverage people. Simply put, revenues must exceed the cost of covering the debt that the new owners will incur. The revenues are from television revenue (pretty much split), ticket sale revenues (we have the lowest prices in the league), corporate box revenues (we have had trouble selling out before undertaking our more regional approach) and personal seat licenses (we don't have). The debt is the cost of the purchase of the team and the cost of the stadium lease (the one thing we have going for us). In order for this team to stay in Buffalo, we need to get those revenues to exceed the debt by more that can could be obtained by moving the team. The Toronto idea is entirely about augmenting the revenue stream without incurring any more debt. This happens through increased revenue from ticket sales and the ability to sell more corporate boxes (to Canadian companies) in Buffalo. The good news is that there are very few cities with NFL ready stadiums and far less ability for growing municipalities to payroll a new stadium. Toronto games offer our best hope to remain competitive and keep the team. Emotional responses that get all nationalistic or proclaim that somehow Ralph Wilson does not care about Buffalo are just not facing the economic realties here.

I will chime in. Galloway is a high risk signing, probably with few guarantees in his contract. So, if he shows up in camp and his hamstring will still not cooperate, he may not even be there opening day. If, he stays healthy and if, he is a workout warrior that allows him to play at a high level at age 38 (name more than 2 receivers that have done that), he may make a contribution. New England can take chances like that because of their core talent. They can take flyers, but this is nothing more than that. Remember Jerry Rice in Denver

These are the exact same people who would have been ragging on the production of Justin Banaan and Jim Leonhard when they are Bills and then lamenting the front office when they have some success elsewhere surrounded by all-pros. I can only guess that trying to find the "ultimate insult" is a quest that keeps them busy and satisfied in life. Either that or they are people who think Jim Rome is funny.

Amazingly, I did miss Wrestlemania 15. Actually, I missed Wrestlemania 1 - 14 as well. But it seems to have played an important role in your development, but where do the jean shorts come from?

You get 13 macho points and four testosterone bonus points. Actually, let's subtract one for the "jean shorts".

Yes. That formula of signing big-name, older free agents has been an automatic road to success. Oops, sorry, the Redskins have signed about 30 ex all-pros, and as of last year, not one has been to the pro bowl after signing. Sorry, I did not check this year. And second round draft picks almost always make the pro bowl team, well, at least, some. sometimes start. As mundane as it is, the difference maker is usually how a 2nd, 3rd or 4th year pro develop. See Pittsburgh Steelers. Look for the teams with the guys this age that are ready to make the leap to pro bowl status.

Let me break from conventional wisdom here (mob mentality) and agree with you. Jauron is not a great (or even good) game day coach but I have never seen a team quit on him, they are loyal to him and work hard (great attendance in off season). I agree with Ralph, our best chance to be successful next year is to bring the final pieces into play through free agency and the draft, keep continuity in the organization and move forward. I know this does not appeal to the "blow it up and start all over" crowd but I believe it is the right way to move forward. Go Bills!

I started this thread, so I will attempt to summarize: If you could have any of the Bills QB's (at the age they were when they were with the Bills) who would you want to go in to the season with ahead of Trent Edwards? Clearly: Jim Kelly, Jack Kemp Almost Unanimously; Joe Ferguson, Darryl Lamonica Mixed Opinion: Frank Reich, Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsow There were a lot of other names thrown out but pretty much roundly rejected. Personally, I would go with the first four. After that I would take my shot at Edwards. We will find out in a few years. I hope he lives up to his potential. I am too old for him not to.

The Bills have never had a great tight end in 50 years. It is the one position that they will have a difficult time finding anyone decent for all the all time team. When Ernie Warlick and Pete Metzalaers are your best option, you really do not have much to choose from.

A serious question: How many quarterbacks that have ever been on the Bills roster would you want ahead of Trent Edwards going into next season? 1. Jim Kelly - no doubt 2. Joe Ferguson- great career 3. Jack Kemp - far more inconsistent that his rep, but was a winner 4. Darryl Lamonica - was shaky as a Bill, but OK 5. ????? -- Flutie? Dennis Shaw?, Todd Collins" 6. Frank Reich - I am sure I will hear this name, but seriously as a starter he was highly mediocre, loved him as a backup on a great team ( he had the right tempermant), but really was just a great fill in So, I am looking for better alternatives and dont give me the name of some future draft pick, until they prove themself in the NFL, I am going with Edwards.

if you have enjoyed going to a Bills game in Buffalo in the last 20 years, thank Ralph. If you think Buffalo wouldn't be the same city without the Bills, thank Ralph. If you think he could have not made more money to move to Houston (he had a great offer) or L.A., thank Ralph If you think anyone else would have ever brought a team to Buffalo after the AAFC Bills left in the late 40's, thank Ralph. If you dont think that the original AFL owners were heroic in taking on the NFL, thank Lamar and Ralph and Al Davis. I will agree he is not the greatest management owner in the league. You know what? If he was he would have never come to Buffalo in the first place and if he was worried about success, he would have left a long time ago. You know how hard it is to sell luxury boxes in Buffalo? That is where the money is my friends. So, to all of you who root for the L.A. Clipper or call Ralph a "pos owner" think for a moment about John Brown or Art Modell or Robert Irsay or the owner of the Seattle Supersonics or all the others that ran for the easy money. Ralph belongs in the Hall of Fame for a lot of reasons and I will not listen to the fair weather fans that think it is their right for Buffalo to have a pro football team. We are very lucky to have one and I thank Ralph for that.

I have been a fan since the beginning. I have seen some really horrible Bills teams. I have seen Kay Stephenson and Dan Darragh and Rob Johnson. I have watched the coaching of Hank Bullogh and Harvey Johnson. I remember in the 70's when 3 or 4 starters on opening day were picked off the waiver wire a few days before the opener. Going into next season, this team is several times better than most of these teams and can be a legitimate contender. Let me try to explain this heresy. Coach - Dick Jauron has made some horrible in game decisions but I never saw a player quit on him. He gets buy in from the players. I was disappointed that he was retained but we were young this year and it may be that continuity is more important than starting over. From everything I have heard the word of mouth among the players is that Jauron is a good coach to play for (I know some think that is because he is easy on the players), but it will serve us well in free agency. Quarterback - In 50 years of watching the Bills, I have only seen 3 other quarterbacks with the talent and smarts of Trent Edwards; Jim Kelly, Joe Ferguson and Dennis Shaw. Shaw ended up being a bust. The other two had great careers. I am worried about Edwards ability to stay healthy but we have a winning record when he starts. He has great presence and that is something that can not be taught (see- Rob Johnson, JP Losman, Todd Collins). Talent - We have a lot of top quality talent - Lynch, Evans, Peters (if he gets his head together), Posluzny, McGee, Whitner-- what we dont have now is that game breaker-- the guy that makes a play most every game that changes the course of the game (see Bruce Smith). Can one emerge? Can we draft one? Can we get one in free agency? That is what the off season is all about. Schedule - Doesn't anybody ever learn anything about this? You can not judge the difficulty of the schedule in the NFL by the results of the last season. This year, Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore would all look like easier games. Seattle, Dallas, San Diego would have looked like tough games. Owner - Ralph Wilson is 90. Frankly, I don't see him running this team much different than when he was 50. He has always been on the cheap side (that just may come with the territory of owning a small market, bad economy team) but every indication is that he wants to win. He spends money on players and probably meddles a little too much for my taste but then again there would be no such thing as the Buffalo Bills without him and most owners would have taken the money and left town years ago. So, I will take old Ralph with all his warts because he has provided me with a team in my home town for 50 years. I will keep my season tickets, watch the off season and look forward to next year. Try to remember it could be worse, you could have been a Detroit Lions fan all these years.

don't you ever get bored of it?

I'm sorry. You went to two night practices! And you are capable of judging Jauron's training camps with other head coaches? This board is turning into a total cluster #!*@

How come so many people throwing in the towel are "Fred in Alaska", "ColoradoCal", "BillsGuyInGeorgia" Or "Carolina Pete"? My guess is that a lot of these people throwing in the towel have not been to more than two games in ten years. At least the Western New York bashers have been bashing around here for a long time.

Lori, I really respect your opinion and your talent for writing. I am also baffled by the gameday breakdowns. We know Jauron is smart, he has been around football all his life. I am hopeful that Schonert's having been though it once and the team maturing will help in that regard. However, the fact that Jauron does "press conference speak" and rarely gives a good quote to reporters does not bother me at all. I don't think that has anything to do with his performance with the team. Must be frustrating for reporters however.

They essentailly added Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams as well because of injuries and lifestyle. Pennington played at a near Pro Bowl level this year. He made Ted Ginn look like a receiver. The change worked for them but coming off a 1-15 was there really any choice. There was no place to go but up. I remember 2-14 seasons, they are not fun.

Yes. That kind of turnaround with the same personnel is rare. Not coincidental that they both hit the jackpot with new quarterbacks. I think last years Miami quarterback contingent will go down as one of the worst in history. Lemon, Beck and who else? The NFL tends to be 2 or 3 players and a couple breaks from turning a 6-10 team into a 10-6 team. I am not thrilled with Dick Jauron on game day. Who could be? But they are young and hopefully improving. In my time as a Bills fan, I have seen a lot less talent on this team. Hopefully, we can fill some holes, build some depth and the players play hard for Jauron. I just wish he didnt look so much like a weasel.

In 2009, yes. They would tear apart the team and start anew. By 2011, we would probably be a contender. It may be one reason Wilson made the choice he did. At 90, your time horizon gets a little narrow.

I have never heard anyone in the organization that does not hold Jauron in the highest regard. I love how fans project their frustrations on others who have never indicated any of those feelings in the slightest. My favorite poster so far is the guy who is going to become a Detroit fan because of his frustration over the Management of the Bills. Good luck with that one. I believe we have a better chance at success in 2009 with Jauron than by blowing the whole thing up and starting again. We were the 2nd youngest team in the league last year and played several games with a quarterback who will soon be out of the NFL. The wailing and gnashing of teeth out there is understandable but as Marv Levy wisely said "if you listen to the fans, you will soon be one". Meanwhile, I remain a loyal Bills fan and thankful that Ralph Wilson has kept a team in Buffalo for close to 50 years.

Please don't let the facts get in the way. The lynch mob is out and justice will be done

You and Dan have nailed it perfectly. You can make a case for Ralph Wilson not being a great owner from a managment perspective but I said it on another thread Thank God for Ralph Wilson. The Bills would have been gone long ago with an owner that was truly money hungry.