Cotton Fitzsimmons

Kirby, my good fellow, YE OLE can neither confirm nor deny said information.

Who is this Kevin Massare fellow?

Jimmyo, my good man, you are spot on! Is it really a so called "tough" question more so than just a ridiculous question? Either EJ gives the company line and says something like "That's not my call, my job is to get ready and prepare and be the best player I can be, etc." OR he pushes back and makes Tim Graham part of the story as he did. There's really no way to get something productive out of a question like that.

No Saint, my good friend, you are spot on per usual! Schwartz has done something right to have been continuously employed as a DC and HC for the past 13 seasons. But at the same time when you break down the track record, he seemingly has not consistently led good defensive units. In fact, you could argue the opposite. In all fairness, YE OLE's first pick was Wade (whether that was doable or not for reasons we've all hashed out, who knows) and Schwartz would've been the next best option. On the surface there's a lot to like about the hire. He was certainly one of the biggest names out there, and many of the good folks here on the board were like "YE OLE! This is a good hire! He had real top notch defenses in Tennessee! Top 10 every year!" It was only when YE OLE went to look this up as a point of fact, that it appears Schwartz has had very few top 10 defensive units, and many more bottom 10 defensive units.

Schwartz had 2 really solid years as a DC (2007 and 2008). Prior to that he had 6 years where his defenses were mediocre to bad. From 2001-2006 the Titans defense under Schwartz averaged 23rd in the league in points against and averaged 21st in yards against. The Titans in Schwartz' final 2 years as DC were 8th and 2nd in points and 5th and 7th in yards respectively. Certainly those two seasons in Tennessee put his name on the map for a HC gig. As the Lions HC, the Lions average ranked 23rd in points against and 21st in yards against during Schwartz' 5 years with the club. Now, YE OLE, acknowledges that Gunther Cunningham was running the D in Detroit as some have pointed out, but is it fair that we give some responsibility to Schwartz being a defensive mind? What seems striking is that save for the 2007-2008 seasons, the defensive units Schwartz has been associated with mirror each other in overall rank (23rd in points/21st in yards). That's 11 seasons total vs. 2 seasons where his units were very good. What do we make of this data, gents? Does it mean anything?

This is certainly the best Pro Bowl in recent memory. The defense is really laying some hits and playing hard. Being able to play man coverage is a big improvement as well. All of that said, it is an all star game so there's only so much at stake no matter what you do, however, the changes they've made for this game have all been positive.

YE OLE was in the office one day when that Locked Out of Heaven song came on. Our secretary was trying to relay a message to one of YE's associates and the guy held his finger up and was like "shhh wait..." and then when that "HUHHHH!" Part came on that fellow made a loud "HUHHHHH!" himself accompanied by a little pelvic thrust kind of thing.It was only after this that our secretary was afforded the courtesy of speaking. Now this is the same fellow who would go around our office and emit large quantities of gas and yell "ALOHA!" after each incident. Some of you may recall YE OLE telling that anecdote before.

Now that's a trophy right there, gents! Something you can really grab on to.

Perhaps it is a dumb question, but what ever happened to Deano? He was one of YE OLE's favorite folks on this board. He was good people.

Woods needs to control himself... BUT there should've been a penalty called on the DB he was locked up with who drove him back into the pile after the play which started the whole thing.

You want Johnny Football rolling into Foxborough, slinging it into tight windows for game winning TDs and looking over at Belichik and making hand gestures.

"Hacksaw" Dan Carpenter is THE WHIP... FACT!

Yes. It is likely that none of the teams battling for this 6th seed will finish the year 3-1 over the next 4 weeks. What will probably happen is the Bills bounce back to whip us all into a frenzy needing a win in NE to claim the last wildcard. Then for good measure, we'll be treated to an ill timed muffed punt return, drop, fumble... maybe Tuel weasels into the game to chuck a pick 6.

YE OLE must concur. This is similar to the phenomena that existed during the Flutie Johnson era when the team was something like 4-1 when Marcus Spriggs was starting. It was never about Flutie or Johnson... it was always about Marcus Spriggs

Steve O, my good man, you are spot on per usual! The more we get to know Kiko and all of this Twitter toomfoolery takes on a life of it's own, the more comical the whole Kiko passing out on the strange couch anecdote becomes. Putting one self in that scenario... just how do you rectify that situation when you find Kiko passed out on your couch?

Big Cat, my good friend... YE OLE would have to say yes. It's not that Thad is a terrific option under center, but when Tuel couldn't come in the Browns game and muster a first down most lost all confidence in him. The way Tuel started hopping balls off the turf, it became apparent that he wasn't a threat to complete a pass. Thad on the other hand, while he has made mistakes, he's also led the offense on scoring drives and has proven a threat to connect on deep balls. Now it's possible, Tuel just wasn't ready for the spotlight and maybe given another chance to prepare will be better. But, as bad as he was in the Browns game, nobody wants to take that chance.

YE OLE loves this response to that article from some fellow named Billbo Ballbaggins: "Sing us a song, you're the Schiano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for some misery And you've got us feeling like shite"

Over there!

Maybe during the Cincinnati game the team can entice Byrd to participate by nixing all team intros in lieu of a Jairus Byrd exclusive. We'll put together a nice clip of Jairus' greatest plays, and that will culminate him flying out of the tunnel to the adoring masses whilst the PA rings out "BYYYYYRRRRD MAAAAAAAN" Something classy like the old cartoon:

Pete, my good friend, YE OLE is right with you here. It does sound like Byrd is close to coming back. And if our secondary is lining up with Gilmore, McKelvin, Byrd, and Williams... this defense is really going to get nasty. And with all the talk about Pettine's schemes, our secondary, and the force of nature that is Kiko Alonso... YE OLE would like to give a tip of the hat to Manny Lawson. Have you gents been watching this character? He will go stride for stride with WR's down field too!

If the front office sticks to their guns and they do franchise Byrd again, at some point Parker has overplayed his hand. Is Jairus really going to hit it big in free agency 2015, after sitting out 2 years? Byrd and Parker really don't have any leverage here... either Byrd agrees to whatever the Bills are offering in regard to a long term deal or Byrd has to get in and play, and play well while he is under the tag. Nobody is paying top 3 safety money to a guy in 2015 who is pointing to his 2012 pro bowl and has sat out for 2 years due to PF.

Kiko is THE WHP! Rest of team is not THE WHIP! What does it all mean?

The Jets DC is calling for Wilson to get payback at Stevie at some point in the future. "“The football gods will allow you to get even with a guy, especially if he’s wronged,” Thurman said Thursday. “It may not happen in that game, it may not happen the next time you play him. But as some point along the line, you’ll get a chance — with a fair, clean hit — you’ll get an opportunity to get him back. You have to wait and be patient. “Trust me, when guys have been wronged on the football field by someone … ask anyone if they got a chance to get revenge. They’ll tell you yes. It happens that way. That’s the way it’s supposed to happen.” The full article can be seen here: http://nypost.com/2013/09/26/jets-coordinator-wilson-will-get-back-at-bills-wr/ What say you, gents?

EJ is THE WHIP!

YE OLE is with you on this one C. Biscuit. Everyone acts like Seattle is some powerhouse now and obviously they had this great depth of talent around Russ Wilson. The reality is prior to Russ Wilson stepping in they were coming off back to back 7-9 seasons under Pete Carroll.