RJ (not THAT RJ)

Golly whiz... when I posted this message I just knew this thread would happen.... http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?s=&am...t&p=1494263

His problem is a knee-jerk reaction to anything that might be sympathetic to the Bills as an organization. That is why he is on so many people's "ignore" lists. Try it yourself, you will feel much better.

Those numbers on Ballard are either misleading or inaccurate, or both. As we all know, even if he did not start, he played quite a bit in 1989. One game in particular against the Colts comes to mind...

I have to say that in some way such news makes me happy. People involved with professional sports leagues have operated for years on the assumption that the money would always be there, since people desperate for sports entertainment would keep spending. The folding of the occasional league should act as a reminder that there are indeed limits. In a perfect world, such realizations would also play a role in the planning and management of the major sports leagues as well, though I am not holding my breath.

I know you want to believe, Bill, and I hope your faith will be rewarded....

we are BILLSFANONE! [A little blast from the past to all my homies out there... ]

No man, this is terrible news. It proves that Stroud sucks, and that our DL sucks, and the FO sucks for signing Stroud and neglecting the D-Line and that DJ sucks for allowing the DL to suck and... and.... and.... [/spartacus]

You are merely human, my Bills brother. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't watch ESPN, but I don't find it hard at all to understand why fans of a particular team would want to see that team receive national exposure, or why they would be defensive when they feel that their team has been unduly criticized. That is what being a fan means. What I do not understand is what drives a person to call himself a fan of a team and then go onto a fan message board with a constant stream of abuse and criticism for the team, the front office, and his fellow fans. That is what I think it weird. But that's just me....

Fuggin A!

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean... and suspect that you don't either, outside of an unfocused desire to make a political point where none can sensibly made. If that pleases you, then more power to you. Frankly, I have no idea why anyone should have any positive feelings about any player once he no longer plays for the team one follows. That does not mean one has to wish them ill (I do not wish any of them ill personally, even if I feel no need to root for them to succeed). These are strangers making millions playing a game, and they have no connection to us at all.

Different strokes, my Bills brother. Then again, I have only lived here for six years, so I have not gotten tired of the accent yet.

I can't listen to them for long either, but I switch over from NPR (no, really!) when they are on a boring story on my way back from dropping my son at school. Today I got lucky. And I have a crush on Rhea Hughes, but that is another issue.

This morning it was such a pleasure to listen to Angelo Cataldi on WIP sports radio, who was so excited about the Peters signing and the great OLine the Iggles had, worry about the lack of "character" on the line with Shawn Andrews and Jason Peters. I loves me some sweet sweet Schadenfreude with my coffee.

Good idea. After all, you might not be flexible enough to bust a cap in your own a$$...

Being smart is never a bad thing. American culture tries to avoid that basic fact with a lot of silliness denigrating "book smarts," but I cannot think of a single actual case when someone would say "let's let that dumb person decide." Of course you need the physical skills, but assuming that anyone in the NFL has those skills, intelligence is the decisive element.

Excellent points, K. One more reason why I have little patience for those posters (not that I am calling you one of them) who want to pronounce once and forever upon a player's suckiness, or for those who presume that the failure of a player to pan out is proof of the venality or stupidity of management. There are so many variables that go into selecting players and developing a team, not all of which are controllable and few of which are predictable. One would think that examples like Ziegler would help people become educated, but alas....

Of course, when Z was here the OL experts at TSW spent all their time saying how badly he sucked.....

Gosh, I just can't get enough of guys who spend their time sitting in front of a computer keyboard singing the praises of physical conditioning....

A minor league? Besides the NCAA?

Just wait for the first headline that says Levitre has been signed to "stiffen the OL."

Thank you! I can't believe I had to get to post #17 in this thread before someone noticed that. Nothing indicates the decline of reading in this culture more decisively than the misuse of homophones. Then again, that misuse reflects the depth of thought behind the suggestion to sign Michael Vick,,,,

I'm guessing he does not realize that at all.

I have thought that might be the case too. Either way, this "just in time" system creates drama every year, and not just for the Bills.

An excellent question. I am no expert, but my understanding from years of observation is that thanks to various legal commitments there is little interest in having someone under contract before camp begins. No one wants to pay a signing bonus until one has to, after all. The first pick is always different, but in general, the situation leads to last-minute decisions, which means that the smallest disagreement can lead to a hold out. That is annoying for fans, but it has been the pattern for at least the last decade, so I would not expect it to change.