Lori

Never thought of it that way ...

True enough. Heck, some teams still mess with them during the season. I should still have a .pdf copy of the Bills' weekly release from 2005 when Mike Mularkey benched Losman for Holcomb ... All three QB slots are blank.

Okay, after watching the video clip (story linked in yesterday's Bills Beat on the TBD front page), it's even more obvious that the interviewer was asking specifically about Owens. It's a pity they edited out the question, so we couldn't hear the exact wording or tone of voice.

I haven't taken the time to research the context of this quote, but I'm going to assume he was merely answering a question posed to him, not forcing his way into the media workroom and commandeering the podium. My take: nothing to see here, move along.

Best of luck, Doc-to-be!

This may interest you: http://assets.espn.go.com/boxing/columns/graham/612133.html

Don't be too sure about that.

I wonder ... could they agree to guarantee only a certain percentage of the bigger contracts? Say, lock in the first $1-2 million per season, but go to a buyout clause after that? That's one of the things I don't like about MLB -- someone signs for $20 million/year, and the team's on the hook even if the guy ends up out of the league. Thinking Kevin Brown with the Yankees, not that I get depressed about #Yankees#fail. A related link: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2518991

To focus on this, I'd be interested to know how many of Jackson's runs were on third-and-long draw plays. A few years back, Shaud Williams had a great ypc average ... almost entirely because of seven-yard runs on third-and-10. Jackson filled that role on last year's team, while Lynch was more likely to be in the game on a short-yardage play.

An interesting thread from back in the day: http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?showtopic=44910 I'm still looking for the initial "CBA signed" discussion. More: http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?showtopic=42924

As I recall, the Bills were pretty much kicking ass in that game. Wasn't it 28-10 at one point? I was ticked off (and more than a little shellshocked) walking out of the stadium that day, but it certainly wasn't because of the Bills offense.

There are ways to deal with them if they do. And yes, I think their use would be warranted to keep this discussion alive. Agreed to a point, Kelly. But Ralph was arguing that they should give the deal a closer reading before signing off on it, and saying that he needed more time than the 45 minutes alluded to by Cincy. That, to me, suggests that he'd already seen something he couldn't agree to. JMO.

There's also a previous thread on this ... but considering the turn that one took, yeah, maybe I'd be better off NOT merging them.

I could be wrong, but I doubt you'd find any trolls in this thread -- their eyes would have glazed over at the subject matter long before now. Have to say, it's a refreshing change from the usual offseason frivolity. Enjoy that vacation, JW, and hoist a pint or two for me. (Shouldn't be a problem, right? ) Oh, and Happy Canada Day!

If you're speaking about T.O., they ALL do. There will be no Buffalo Bills logo on Bruce Smith's or Ralph Wilson's bust in Canton. Here -- since I'm obviously having trouble explaining this, I'll just quote the HOF site:

I admit we're getting a little sidetracked on the retired-players issue, because that's where Smith has focused the bulk of his attention so far. (Also because it's a subject near and dear to a few of us.) Their fate most likely wouldn't be a deal-breaker on a new CBA. KRC's right, though: Smith doesn't need them sniping at him from the side while he's trying to face off with the owners' well-paid legal staff. The players currently get 59.5 percent of total revenues, and the owners are the ones scrambling to redo the deal. What possible reason could the NFLPA have to agree to a deep cut in that number, without MAJOR concessions elsewhere? This isn't the auto or newspaper industry, where management can tell the workers, "Accept this new deal or we're going under" -- the players know the owners are making billions of dollars. So, I just don't see that percentage dropping by a significant amount.

Pro football doesn't. Baseball does -- players are pictured wearing the team cap of their choice on their plaque.

Unlike baseball, the Pro Football HOF doesn't enshrine its inductees as members of a particular team.

FIFTY percent, Gordio? Guaranteed contracts or no, the players would stay out until Doomsday. And yes, John, Smith has done am impressive job of fence-mending. I'm also interested to see how the new Alumni Association plays into it. Bruce Laird was one of the NFLPA's most outspoken critics; with the Fourth and Goal merger, has he officially gone over to the league's side? And how much pull does his group really have?

Good stuff. Agree with both you and John, a rookie cap is an absolute necessity -- but perhaps tougher to convince the star players of that fact than one might think, because they can use those rooks' inflated contracts as ammo when their own deals come due. And we already have some history of the mid-level players, much less the guys at the bottom of the roster, getting squeezed when free agency and the salary cap first hit the league. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't that help push guys like Kenneth Davis and Darryl Talley out of Buffalo? Re: Smith, I recently talked with -- well, typed at -- Jeff Nixon regarding the settlement on the licensing deal. He thinks DMS is saying the right things, but reminded me of Chuck Knox's quote, "Actions speak louder than words." Can't disagree. The settlement was an easy call to make (and one Upshaw should never have fought in the first place, IMO), but the CBA negotiations are where Smith's going to have to earn his salary.

Then again, weirdness obviously runs in that family. No wonder they (allegedly) didn't use his DNA to make the kids.

Except that the e-mail address he registered with tracks back to an Associated Press account with his name on it ...

Yeah, because that was the first time I ever said anything negative about him. Or not. I merely used that as an example because it was the closest I've ever come to punching a window out of my car. But keep trying; this is amusing ...

Yeah, because I'm obviously one of Jauron's biggest fans here. Ask anyone who saw me in Lot 1 after the Browns game about that one ...

Hmmm -- ESPN guy vs. small-town hack. Yeah, tough call.