BuffOrange

If you're going to accuse others of getting emotional and not looking at facts, it'd probably be good to specify where either the article or I did that. Ranting about additional key information the article left out in your opinion - like the opposing group being off their rocker (which I don't know if anyone disputes...I personally can't see myself ever attacking an NFL LB's posse) and saying "it was speculated that..." on your supposed 'fact sheet' doesn't really cut it. "He turned himself in!" Lol great - so after ditching his limo, fleeing his hotel & having the mistress burn stuff and pick up pieces from the hotel, the NFL LB opted not to change his name and flee to Europe, or go into hiding in North Dakota somewhere. Cool seems like a standup guy. Also I don't know why you're so adamant about his buddies having one, wielded the knife, and two, also having no record & having obviously acted in pure self defense. I mean when you're making that 3rd stab to the heart in self-preservation in a heroic effort to help the good guys while simultaneously dodging bullets Matrix style (who says you can't bring a knife to a gun fight?) why would you really care who did the stabbing?

Since I like to be an optimist, I will assume that every rational person reads that article and has a reaction along these lines: "Hmm, that's a bit hard to believe. OK it's certainly possible he didn't stab someone but really"? "Wow, that sounds like it might be a tad more than just self defense". "That's extremely odd. A cab when he paid $3k for a limo per night?" "Another odd tibit". "Dumping laundry bags, burning photos, asking mistress to pick up stuff at his hotel...more perfectly normal activities that don't deserve suspicion". This is the internet though, where everyone needs to try their hardest to be a contrarian, show everyone how smart they are, and prove they aren't a simpleton. So in this thread, people bring up the other party's prior record (I mean I'm sure they weren't choir boys but one of their records was pot possession...which most people I knew in college were guilty of), complain about the other 7 guys in his group not getting enough attention, and say if Ray Ray was a Bill we'd all be cool with it, and then compare him favorably to Bill Bellichick because he's learned from his mistakes. Oh and almost forgot blaming the media, 'cause ya know, ESPN & CBS are just so hard on him with the the tough questions and rough treatment they give him, basically campaigning on his behalf to win humanitarian awards on a weekly basis. Wow. Congratulations Mr WEO - I do not have the stomach to quote this garbage line by line and argue with people whose chances of being reasonable make Dick Jauron's future as a head coach look bright.

Well then, that sucked. According to Pomeroy we were a 97% favorite with the ball up 3. MCW WTF. Complete tire fire the last 5 min's. +1 on Cooney being the worst sharpshooter in history. Reminds me of that tall Nova white kid who transferred from Duke a few years ago - good reputation somehow but just consistent airballs. The analytics say Pitt is a much better team than what the polls say so it's likely we'll be a slight underdog on the road. We'll see if there's any truth to this idea that we play better in that role.

I will be there. Officially listed as questionable on the pregame festivities front given the early tip and tonight's drinking. Might check out that Xfinity place after the game though.

Something I've been wondering lately is how it is a QB grades out as a late 1st round pick. I understand how it happens with LB's and DB's and linemen. You're considered really really good among thousands of your peers but there's a few guys who are a bit better. QB is just so important, and you only have 1 on the field at a time. Don't teams see a guy on film and think "yah we can win with him" or "no we can't" or "meh, maybe"? In the latter two cases I don't see how they're 1st round picks. In the first case I don't see how they're not a top 10 pick at least. I won't really be thrilled with a QB pick 8th because I don't see a guy I like that much. But I won't be the guy saying we should've traded down to 20th or whatever. Obviously Marrone has to have liked him a lot. He just better be right as his career as a HC likely depends on it.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly on Tebow. I don't like him but also do not hate him or blame him because the media obsesses over him. Everyone says he's polarizing and interesting. Not to me - I just change the station because I don't want to listen to people talk about a backup. Ray Lewis can get hit by a bus for all I care. Remember when the justification for Vick being a scumbag was "what about Ray Lewis, he's worse"? Ya I dunno what to tell you, I'm not in the media portraying him a saint. Maybe the only smart thing TO has ever said was calling out what a punk he is and the media's kid glove treatment of him.

This exactly. Honestly I am the last guy in the world to "rip the guy who rips the Bills" but his grades/explanations are just all over the place. Implying they're going to stink because they have no QB is fair. Except that just about every team that just fired their coach don't have a qb (except maybe the Bears). He's clearly not grading based on how good he thinks the team will be next year anyway, because the least talented team in his opinion got a B. So maybe he's grading on how good of a fit the coach is (whatever that means); in which case Gus Bradley who coached good defensive players and never been a HC is a proven program builder? Uhh, yah ok. If you just don't think Marrone has the chops to get it done, then just say that. And I am on record as being a huge Chip Kelly fanboy. The anti-vagina 4th down coaching in this league is a hero in my book.

I just listened to both the Brown & Rice interviews. There are definitely some quotes you can cut&paste that sound like serious allegations. But both of them stopped short of saying the game was thrown when they were asked point blank by the interviewer. It was more "that's sorta what it looked like given his history with the Raiders" (whatever that means, Brown would not elaborate). So meh, I dunno. Why did he tank on the biggest stage when the whole world is watching instead of the playoff game against the Jets or Titans? Brown is a lot better spoken than your typical nitwit diva WR but that doesn't mean he's not just a guy who really hated his coach and was buddies with Rice.

I'm actually surprised JB doesn't make more offense/defense subs with Christmas/Keita at the end of these games. But I guess it's worked out ok with mostly Keita. And yah Triche was quietly $. Made two mid-range shots & found Grant for a dunk on 3 straight possessions at about the 5min mark. They needed to score on every one of those possessions to really stay in the game. I'd still like to see some offense out of Christmas (don't think it's ever gonna happen with Coleman this year), although I guess Grant looks capable enough to be a 3rd or 4th scorer. I have to admit Grant's play gives credence to the crowd that always gripes about JB's unwillingness to play deep. Would we really have lost the Providence game as he claims if Grant took some of Southerland's 38 minutes? Seems hard to believe.

I won't argue with the '04 defense being better than the recent versions but the 2001 defense wasn't good statistically. They did play well in the playoffs but that's hardly good evidence that they didn't cheat. And their pathetic defense gave up a combined 38 points in the two SB's against the Giants.

I think that often the best team doesn't win in a single elimination format. So while it's shortsighted to look at the SB wins before & after spygate, it's equally lame to pretend like the early 2000 teams were as good as the '07 team. You're talking about teams whose best weapons were Deion Branch & Troy Brown vs Randy freaking Moss and now Welker & the TE's plus Brady is way better than he was 10yrs ago (he basically never threw downfield until the '04 championship game in Pittsburgh). So I wouldn't say going 16-0 is any kind of proof that the previous/inferior teams didn't gain a significant edge via cheating. Normally I would say the burden of proof is on the conspiracy theorists to prove their point but when the league burns the tapes I don't think that's the case.

Awesome game. I guess you could blame the Bills sucking (and Cuse being really good lately as they've been favored in most games) but the MCW steal/dunk was the first "oh s**t yes" moment I've had as a sports fan in a long time. Was just content to be in the game & never really felt like we were actually winning the thing before then.

Statement would be just as true if you removed "college". It is incredible how so many fans can't grasp this. You have a sample size of what, 7, maybe 10 college coaches, most of whom coached in a completely different era? Including Saban who took over a 3-13 team and "failed miserably" because the team Doctor said they should avoid Drew Brees? And Spurrier, who failed no worse than every other Redskins coach under Dan Synder until they finally found a QB this year? So yah, avoiding them and sticking with the retreads and "hot coordinators" (who invariably had good players on their side of the ball) is clearly the blueprint. Since they've been given a zillion more chances, we can post examples of the ones who worked out on message boards!

Among the 501 things about this that are hard to believe - Nobody who knew the girl in the picture (friend, family, friend of a friend, professor, cashier at the coffee shop she frequents....whoever) recognized her in any of these stories espn/cbs ran and said "hey she's not dead"?

I can't wait to laugh at all the mouth-breathers on the radio to complain about the first time he goes for it on 4th down (probably correctly) and doesn't make it.

It really is amazing how coaches default to the conventional move without thinking at all. The fact that Smith is better than most in that department says a lot about how bad most coaches are. Especially after the offsides penalty, it was a no-brainer.

How does Smith not go for 2 after the offsides on the PAT. Am soooo hoping they lose by 1 now.

Yah, the increase in options today plus the Bills sucking plus the shows sucking = no reason to watch.

I was gonna say I get a kick out of announcers salivating like conservative is always good, but then knocking it the one time it makes since - when the other team needs a TD in 70sec's & no time outs, it actually made sense for Denver to run it... Then an all-time bad safety play.

So basically if you draft/evaluate players way better than somebody else you'll be in better shape...enlightening. Obviously proof that 'reaching' doesn't really exist!

Watched some of it online. Apparently the Nova game is on my ABC affiliate so that works. CJ Fair beasting. Still not looking like an elite team but I don't know who is besides Duke maybe. Kansas gets help from the refs and a banked 3 to win at home.

Missed the last couple games...MCW seems to be getting grilled a lot. Almost impossible to understand how they're boatracing these teams even if they're not very good because they have zero post game (I understand Triche has played well). Unfortunately the next couple games aren't on tv either, meh. Defense is ranked #1 in the country on kenpom now, so i'm sure that helps.

Lots of similarities w/ the Jets upset @NE a couple years ago & Houston. Both were 3-4pt underdogs in a late season Monday night game, both were blown out, now all the sudden they're getting 9-10 points? Weird 'cause lines don't normally move that much in that short a period barring some catastrophic injury. I like Houston ATS there a lot, though Schaub obv. needs to play better. Denver will romp. NFC games are coin flips imo.

Can we talk about Fitzpatrick's poli sci grades @Harvard? Seems about as relevant as all this arguing about recruiting. I know the Bills haven't looked like it in a while, but they are a pro team right?

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2013/bills-hire-doug-marrone-syracuse