bartshan-83

1. Abandoned his players at OSU after committing to them in favor of the job at the U. This is not a unique discrepancy but in this case one of the players he jilted was one of my all time favorites, Thurman Thomas. 2. Cheated at the U with the recruiting violations that led to sanctions put on the university conviently after JJ skipped town for the NFL. 3. Coached the Cowboys AND the Dolphins. Christ... 4. Repeatedly took shots with players like Lawrence Phillips and Cecil Collins who are not the kind of players I would ever want in a Bills uniform. Maybe I am being unfair, but I think he represents a lot that is wrong with sports and I would never want him to be part of a team that I supported.

Well I didn't know that Hull had a "ridiculously freakish weight." And of course I was very young in the mid-80s, but I never suspected Hull of steroids until I read what Haslett said. And even it was implied (of which I disagree but I won't argue with you), what sense is there making it so much more public? You want to admit you did it, fine. No need to bring anyone else into it. MHO....

Well his whole 3 games as ATL's head coach is probably a good measuring stick. He went 2-1 btw... Playoffs 3 times in 5 years....indeed horrible. He wouldn't be my first choice, and there is not even any way it is possible...but you we could (and have done) a lot worse. (See every year since he left...)

Yeah like getting Polian back....imagine how much that would suck.

Wade?

I don't believe it...

Everyone remember that? What are your feelings? Not a big deal? He did break a very serious unspoken code of ethics among players IMO. You think Marv would want to work with him? What is Kent's relationship with Ralph, Marv and the Bills? Food for thought.. Haslett - Hull....scroll down to end of story

That happened? You're kidding?? I said I wouldn't mind it happening. Never said it was a probability.

Actually they made it 3 times out of the 4 years he was there. He was 2-3 all-time in the playoffs with Miami ending of course with that gem of a 62-7 loss. However, the dolphins had also made it to the playoffs in 3 of the previous 4 years as well before his arrival. You see improvement?

Hey man, you aren't gonna get any argument from me in terms of their performance. I think Haslett was an average coach with an average team. Not anything to get too excited about. I just don't think that having an above average D-Line, a very good RB and an aging very good WR and little else puts them in the NFL elite in terms of talent. I'm not really in Haslett's corner...but maybe a change of scenery would do him good. I mean it's not like he broke any serious code of ethics among players and ratted out a former teammate (for steroids) who happens to be one of the best and most popular players for the franchise for which he might want to join....

Wouldn't mind that either...think about how far we have fallen. 2000: Playoffs, top rated defense every year....but doesn't wear a headset. CUT! 2006: Hmmm...maybe Gene Hackman is available.

I'll give you Smith and Grant (although he had a weak year)...both nice up and comers. Howard is decent but quite inconsistent. Can't comment on Sullivan b/c I don't know enough about him. But I hope he is a run stopping DT and not a pass rusher b/c 1.5 sacks in three years doesn't scream talent. Stallworth is talented, but hasn't lived up to it. He put up decent #s this year but Horn was out for a few games. Being a high pick doesn't mean anything. Even if all those guys you mentioned were better, that still doesn't put them amongst the "most talented teams in the NFL." I had just never heard that mentioned before.

Integrity doesn't mean success. For the most part we seemed to keep bringing in high character players. We don't take chances on criminals or collect them like some franchises.... Yeah it has possibly gotten worse and we aren't perfect, but no reason to dig the hole deeper by hiring someone of JJ's 'caliber.'

While I don't really want Haslett and think he did a bad job in NO, I've never heard that. Where is all this talent outside Deuce McAllister and a 34 year old Joe Horn?

I might actually stop rooting for the Bills. Why any Bills fan would sell out the integrity of this franchise for that piece of sh-- is beyond me. Plus, what a bang up job he did in Miami. And to clarify, I didn't mean University of Miami where he cheated....I meant the phins.

Robert Edwards....yeah thats the first name I thought of too when they mentioned knee-cap dislocation too. Edwards almost had to get his leg amputated. Nasty stuff.

For those who said it was a routine ACL.....oops. Sound TERRIBLE. I feel bad for him and the Bengals if it doesn't work out. Finally claw their way out of that 15 year nightmare and then this. Oh yeah and there's that tiny little thing about just recently extending him till 2014... One a scale of 1 to 3....its a 4

I'm pissed the Bills didn't get him, but he would have gotten a pro job eventually. And in the mean time, the Pats could very well have been on their way to their 3rd SB in a row (they aren't doing too bad as it is) and that would be too much to bear. I'm glad ND snatched him up when the Bills management showed that they were going to play with themselves instead. But as far as college being the easier job, in this case, no way. The pressures the head coach of Notre Dame football faces are second to none in all of sports. Yankees manager maybe being a distant runner-up. Pressures a Buffalo Bills coach could never dream of.... I almost throw up in my mouth everytime I think about how close Tom Clements came to being ND's coach over Weis.

Who would you vote as your top 5 or 10 teams for next year? I put some thought into it and here goes: 1. Ohio St. -- Takes over top spot after Vince declared. If the QB situation wasn't such a mess at the beginning of the season, maybe Buckeyes would have been in the title game instead of Tejas. Gonna miss those LBs and Santonio, but plenty of talent left. And maybe the Fiesta Bowl clinic still stings, but Troy Smith impresses the hell out of me. 2. Notre Dame -- Homerish? Maybe, but I have my reasons. Best QB in the nation in probably the best offense. Stovall will be offset and exceeded by McKnight's return, defense lost it's heart (Hoyte), but thats about it. The rest of the unit should improve (and if you are listening Charlie, chain Ambrose Wooden to the bench). Experienced team, great recruiting class and favorable schedule (PSU, Michigan, UCLA @ South Bend). Very much looking forward to season finale re-match vs. Southern Cal. 3. LSU -- IF, IF they can settle the QB controversy that they will have, I like them very much. They did lose a couple good players, but I just loved the way they bounced back from SEC title game (which was basically a home game for UG) and smacked the sh-- out the Canes. 4. Florida -- I don't think Urban knew what he was getting into in the SEC, and I don't think Leak was ready for new offense. The growing pains are gone and UF has plenty of talent. Tough losses last year were all on the road. I think their 2006 schedule is easier and supposedly they have a very good recruiting class (says ESPN at least). 5. OU -- I think the Sooners reclaim the Big 12. I can't comment on UT's QB situation but I read the only other QB they have is a redshit freshman. Not gonna replace Vince in any capacity. Bomar will be better and AP should be in the Heisman running again (if he stays healthy he is the best back in the country IMO). The defense is solid and they finished on an upswing (a last second loss at ranked Texas Tech away from winning their final seven games in a row). And Stoops can coach a little... Next couple (in somewhat order, kind of... ) Southern Cal Texas WVU Auburn Miami/Michigan/PSU Final note...In case any of you missed it, Pat Forde from ESPN did a run-down as well of the top 25 (before Vince declared however). 2006 Top 25

Absolutely coming back, as far as I've heard. He is also probably our best pitcher for the baseball team so he has no reason to jump school now before baseball season. After next year he will get drafted into both leagues and can probably have his pick. I'm pissed about Fasano though. With Rhema coming back with an injury redshirt, our passing game could have been even deadlier. As impressive as Mo Stov was, and he REALLY stepped his sh-- up, McKnight is 10x the natural WR he is. I can't wait to see what he can do once he is unleashed in Weis's spread offense.

1. Brady Quinn - With Vince gone, its his trophy to lose IMO. Weis's offense allows him to put up monster numbers. We are getting our best WR back (Rhema McKnight) from injury and hopefully he will more than fill the shoes of Stovall. Losing Fasano was big though, he was Quinn's safety valve on many occasions. 2. Adrian Peterson - He is still a stud and probably the best back in the nation if he can stay healthy. If OU can settle the offense and keep building on last year, then he could be hard to beat. 3. Troy Smith - If he can string together an entire season like the last two games of 05 and OSU is in NATL champ contention, then he is definitely in the mix. Wildcard - Ted Ginn. If he and Troy can develop some chemistry and he steps up and fills the void left by Holmes, then who knows? He sure as hell will have plenty of media coverage behind him.

Palmer didn't seem to have a problem with the hit.

Only two things truly keep TO from being a major distraction: Attention and Winning (the latter being more important IMO). He would never want to come here and if you think the vets messed up the JP situation this year, just imagine the ways Owens would rip into him. He doesn't even think McNabb is worth a sh--.... As far a Tampa goes, good luck Chucky....

All good things come to an end. Just be grateful that you escaped with a championship that Mack Brown didn't putz away. Very curious to see how well Vince does at the next level. I think he could be special, but it will take at least a year. On a bright note, slide ND up one more spot on the preseason rankings...

I'm not really trying to argue with you about it because you probably saw him more and actually I don't really feel strongly about it either way. However, my opinion that he had a disappointing season is well supported I think. 50 catches for 700 yds. and 4 TDs is pretty unimpressive for someone who was a darkhorse Heisman candidate this year. Yes, the expectations were probably unrealistic, but the bar was set nonetheless. Before Michigan and Notre Dame, he had 34 catches for 547 yds and 3 TDs in 10 games. He did shine in the next two considerably, but the bulk of his season was a huge flop. Double covered or not, he was playing opposite a 1st team All-American WR who will be the first WR taken in the draft. I'll have to take your word the Smith did not look at him, because I only saw 3 OSU games this year. And also, the fact that his dad is a high school coach does not really convince me that he is a football genius. My comment about getting his head into the game wasn't really about his lack of knowledge, but more his lack of performance. Maybe it was Smith, maybe it was the double-teams, but he did not come close to the hype that surrounded him for the end of last year and all summer long. He has a lot to learn about the WR position and if he does develop, I agree with you that he will be an extremely electifying player in the league.