Sierra Foothills

My wife is the same way and it drives me crazy. Back in May, we had the opportunity to cash out our retirement accounts and place a bet in the Kentucky Derby. I just knew that Sovereignty was gonna win. Call it a strong conviction. We would have won and the bet would have paid 7:1. Things are kind of back to normal now but I was pretty sore for a few months. She just doesn't get it.

Thanks for volunteering to do this @machine gun kelly. When you transcribe the interviews, please try to characterize the conversation by using parentheses to note things. For instance (irony) or (facetious). Thanks! To the bolded, I hate when sports guys interview celebrities that don't necessarily have any more insight than you or I. I also don't like individuals who make up their own naming conventions because they have an inflated sense of self. I'm pretty sure it doesn't say "I terest g" on his birth certificate. Egotistical idiot. What is he anyways? One of those "rap artists?" (air quotes for added emphasis)

You're wrong. The Bills didn't even re-sign Defnede after the 2023 season... his 3rd season on the practice squad. Per the rules governing the NFL's International Pathway Program (IPP), Defnede no longer qualified for the program and he's not even in the league anymore. Last I heard he had returned to his native Mauritania and was pursuing a degree in water table management.

Yes, there's no question that the Bills are a better run organization than are the Cowboys. You've made some strong posts in this topic but I wish you wouldn't play the Stevie Wonder card. Imagine if he was a Bills fan and read this forum and he read your post... how that would make him feel???

From the Buffalo News (excerpted from behind their paywall): "A few drops early in the practice seemed foreboding for Keon Coleman. The Buffalo Bills' wide receiver was playing in front of a busy Highmark Stadium in the Return of the Blue and Red, and he was off to a rocky start. Coleman first dropped a pass right to him from quarterback Josh Allen. Later, he couldn't haul in a throw from Mitch Trubisky, letting it bounce off his upper body before it fell to the ground. But Coleman persisted and he rebounded. Coleman had a few huge catches Friday in front of the reported crowd of 39,224 fans. His first was a deep ball down the right sideline from Mike White with cornerback Christian Benford in coverage. Then, when the Bills worked on their hurry-up offense, Coleman had two highlight-reel worthy catches from Trubisky over cornerback Dane Jackson on the same drive. But the strong finish to his day didn’t erase the drops from Coleman’s memory. “You don’t move on, that (expletive) is still (ticking) me off,” Coleman said. “But it’s just, you gotta make the next play. You gotta go on. “But I keep it in the back of my head. Like, I’ve got anger problems when it comes to that. So, you just, you don’t drop it. That’s the only thing that can get over it. You just keep going.” And keep going he did. Coleman felt he was hitting on all cylinders Friday night. “Pretty much everything (was working),” Coleman said. “Working my release, getting open and then quarterback giving me a catchable ball.” https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/article_082ce9c6-1e88-4608-8362-383cc5fbf535.html

Yeah, I would have been pleased with a Nick Chubb signing though I'm not sure it would have been a wise move, roster-wise. Also I think when the Bills signed Latavius Murray a few years ago, they were going for that type of player but he proved to either not have much left in the tank or was possibly a bad fit for the Bills run scheme.

The Texans value those guys because they have two... Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb, who any team could have signed and I would have been happy if the Bills had. AJ Dillon was drafted for that purpose. James Connor is a power back. Every year for the past 4 years, D'Onta Foreman has been a free agent. Those guys are still out there and available though they don't seem to be valued very much in today's NFL. Though he's not tall, I believe Ray Davis, who's built like a fire hydrant (5'8" 220 lbs), can play that role.

Keon is his own strongest critic... equaled only by a handful of posters here. In the interviews following yesterday's Blue and Red scrimmage, Keon was "angry" (his words) about his 2 drops. He atoned with 3 catches later on including 2 of the very difficult variety. His critics on this site are beating the "consistency drum" but the media corps following training camp are pretty unanimous that he's showing well and that he's the main focus of the passing offense. Phrases like "The Summer of Keon" are being thrown around liberally by those whose job it is to report on the team. It's factually accurate to say that thus far, he's having a great camp.

Posted on X, via PFT, Micah Parsons breaks his silence: "In a statement posted on Twitter, linebacker Micah Parsons tells the team — and the rest of the world — that he wants out. “Yes I wanted to be here,” Parson said. “I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this Americas [sic] team once again. The team my pops and I grew up cheering for way up in Harrisburg, PA. “Unfortunately I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization[,] our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me. I had purposely stayed quiet in hopes of getting something done. But since there is confusion out there let me clear some things up. “I had my agent reach out to the Cowboys last off season after my 3rd year in hopes of getting a deal done early. Unfortunately the team did not want to start any negotiations at that point. I was ok with that[,] didn’t complain and focused on the 2024 season. After the season I told my agent once again to let the team know we were open to negotiate when they met at the combine. My agent informed me I should wait for other deals to get done because the price would only go up but I didn’t care and wanted to secure myself as a Cowboy long term. This was before anv of the other pass rushers deals got done this off season. I knew I would be leaving money on the table but again I was ok with that. “Again radio silence as far as my extension. In March I met with Mr. Jones to talk about leadership. Somehow the conversation turned into him talking contract with me. Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done. But when my agent reached out and spoke to Adam he was told the deal was pretty much already done. My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case and also reached out to Stephen Jones. Again the team decided to go silent. At that point we decided we would allow the team to reach out to us whenever they decided they wanted to talk. Yet still not a call[,] email or text to my agent about starting a negotiation. Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract. Not one demand has been made by my agent about money[,] years or anything else. “Still I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.” https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/micah-parsons-requests-a-trade-from-the-cowboys

I appreciate you putting some numbers out there. How many TDs are you thinking?

This is kind of silly... we're having the same endless debate about why we've fallen short of the Super Bowl and to what degree the wide receiver room is responsible. This conversation encompasses dozens of topics and thousands of responses over several years... and no one's opinion is being swayed. Excellent post and a lot of the discussion comes down to the bolded (including hoping for a healthy season from Curtis Samuel). There are those who think the Bills have finally done enough to surround Josh with skill position weapons and there are those who think they haven't. And then there are those who aren't sure. There are those who want to debate it and there are those who are willing to wait it out. It'll be interesting to see who gets to say "I told you so."

Good one. What do you project his season totals to be this year?

Regarding current or future employment, if you need any character references, we've got your back. 🙃

And also Chris... ah never mind.

Not if you're Christian Wilkins...

Yeah except in Shreveport, Steamers meant steamship where in Cleveland, Steamers meant... something else. "Mike Repole, who cofounded Vitaminwater, Smartwater, and BodyArmor before selling them to Coca-Cola for more than $12 billion, joins RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, ESPN, Dany Garcia, and Dwayne Johnson as owners of the league." Son of working class, immigrant family, first in his family to attend college. He's bullish on the UFL.

Did he play at Navy? He'd look good on the bridge of a battleship. We should ask someone who's been there... @JakeFrommStateFarm...

If one of the top 3 O-lines in the NFL isn't looking good, it could mean good things about the new, revamped D-line.

I'm sorry to hear about that Sooner. I pray that you enjoy the very best spleen health! 🍻

I'm happily married and blessed to have a life better than I deserve... other than kids not being in the cards. I meet that disappointment by trying to be a good son to Mom (I miss Dad every day), a good uncle, sibling, stepdad, etc. My current and hopefully last job allows me to mentor many construction Apprentices so all of that softens the blow of not having any of my own. Outside of work and hopefully into retirement I'll continue transforming our hillside property into our version of paradise. That includes agricultural as well as water and land management projects. Like the OP I enjoy woodworking but lean towards natural/greenwood methods using tools like a froe, timber slick, drawknife, spokeshave, and assorted axes, adzes, wood chisels and augers. I need to make a shave horse pretty soon. Being in construction I love building things big and small and have a tool fetish, most recently Buffalo-made antique tools. At some point I started to take my own life seriously and stopped living vicariously through sports fandom and now only follow the Bills and the NFL.

Those were Christian Wilkins' exact words!

Yes, but while it lasted it was a fountain of mirth in an endless desert of grimness.