scribo

Just FYI http://sports.yahoo.com/top/odds.html Bills still by 4.5 and the over/under is 39.

Engineers took a look at the roof Saturday and estimated the outside portion alone will take about $50 million. Add that to what it will take to put in new turf, replace at least half the seats, get the smell out of there, and fix all the water damage, which is quite substantial, and you are talking about way more money than New Orleans residents will be willing to pay. Remember, the team is only still there (pre-Katrina) because the city and state kicked in a ton of cash. Now, the state and city have a whole lot of more important things to pay for. I spoke with several N.O. residents and they said there has been a strong movement for a while to get rid of the Superdome anyway.

I just got back from New Orleans last night. I was in the Superdome Sunday morning. It is destroyed. As soon as I walked in my senses were overloaded with the most disgusting ammonia smell I could imagine. Every inch is covered in trash, human waste and/or floodwaters. Human waste was running on the floor out of each of the bathrooms. I mean it is just unrepairable. The roof is really torn up on the outside, too. I first went in early Tuesday morning. I was able to walk around on the field (I am a reporter who covers the military). As a football fan, it was cool to be there and see the big sideline posters of the different players. To stand there at the 50-yard-line was cool. There were a lot of people in there then, but they were lying around on in the stands. I didn't get to go in again until Sunday. It was about 110 degrees in there. Parts of the field's new grassy artificial turf had been burned. All the posters were gone. Tha score board were smashed. There was what I believe to have been a dead body lying in a row about 10 rows up from the 40-yard-line (it was definately a person, but I couldn't tell for sure if he was dead). It was beyond disheartening.

Having dinner with Josh Reed and discussing what they're going to do now that their NFL career's are over.

Scare me? No, but concern me? Yep. There may not be another Week One game that means more to the two participating teams than this one. Both need to have decent starts, and both teams have a lot to prove. Both are talented, but both are in very tough divisions. Which ever team loses will very likely regret it big time in December. It should be a very good match up. Boith teams have talent at some key positions.

I may be way off base here, but does anyone else thingk JP and Eric still need to work on their timing? I would like them to enter the regular season very use to each other's style. That said, Moulds doesn't need the game and he certainly doesn't need to be uneccesarily exposed to possible injury.

Very informative. I am sure that was time consuming. Many thanks, Lori.

I agree 100%! Killdrive = RJ x2

I am not sure that LT is better than Willis, and LT seems to have just as many durablity issues. But I really like your thinking in bringing in a top-tier player with the intent of trading the guy we have in that position -- turning this dream pick into two picks.

Not very original, but he could just die.

I say that if he is voted in, he should be forced to fly to Canton for the ceremony.

Only one!

I'm all for throwing daggers at Pats fans. But, Mr. American Kennel Club, did this topic really need to become a new topic?

What if he proves to be as good as LT? Doesn't he then deserve that kind of money?

I would take McNabb over both. I think Brady is product of a very good system, much like Denver running backs. I am not confident that Brady would be nearly as good outside a Bellichick program. Manning is a great QB, but I don't think he coudl be nearly as productive behind the still questionable offensive line the Bills have. McNabb can thrive in any program.

Yeah, but I think I recall that it was reported (although I don't remember by what "creditable" source) that TD is already looking into extending McGahee's contract in the next off season anyway. Willis knows he has to produce this season to get paid next season. That is the way the game works. And it works to our advantage this year.

What's his time in the 40?

Just for fun, if you could bring any one player to the Bills, who would he be? For this question, lets forget about compensating the team losing the player, but I think we should consider salary cap implications. I am posing this question because I just couldn't come up with anyone when a friend asked me this. It is often said that our biggest questions mark right now is at quarterback, so does that mean the answer should be Peyton, Brady or McNabb? I want to give JP a chance, so I passed on QBs. Maybe a left tackle -- Ogden? Maybe a kicker -- but I don't think I'd use a dream pick on a kicker. I think I would settle on some offensive lineman.

Just about everyone on the current defense has said they believe they can be better than the past two years because of the fact that they are returning 10 of the 11 starters from last season. The importance of keeping the unit intact is something the players are claiming. Oh, and remeber that defense you mentioned had a very difficult time creating turnovers. Last year, after having played a full season together, they created a ton of turnovers.

Not really a Posey fan per se, but I think he needs to stay put for the sake of team chemistry. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That said, I believe that of the longtime starters, he has to be in the most danger of losing his starting job.

I think the D&C wins by a decent margin. How many times have you seen a national story about the Bills quoting a D&C article? It happens all the time, but I rarely see the BuffSnooze getting quoted. This should motivate the Buff rag to do more.

Well, the FFL angle makes for a good question. I think you can get a better deal by drafting Evans -- meaning you'll get better production for him in the spot he'll likely go. I would think Moulds would go much earlier in most leagues, but I think their stats will be pretty close.

I have to believe that TD and company envision Evans as our future #1. I just cannot see them spending a mid-first round pick on a guy who would spend his career as a #2. That said, IMHO, there is no way we have seen enough of Evans to make any conclusive judgements. He played very, very well for a rookie last year. He looks even better in camp this year, and he is fortnuate that he is not being asked now to take over the top spot in just his second year. Working with Moulds, I believe he'll be able to hone his skills well enough that he could become a solid #1 next year if needed. But, again, I hope Moulds is around at least through the '06-'07 season.

I have the Yahoo beta version, and I cannot get that to authenticate on my work server either.

I think the Bills may have a tougher schedule this year. Atlanta, Tampa, Carolina and Saints are a LOT tougher than the Seahwaks, Rams, Cards and 49ers. Plus, last year's team played the Browns. This year's team plays the Chiefs and Broncos.