Dwight Drane

I think this says it best. 40 times DO matter, but don't matter as much on the field as they are pointed to. The GM's that draft on pure numbers are usually the least talented evaluators. It is an easy out to take a guy who runs a 4.4 because he can tell his big money owner "Look at that speed! He's should be a good one!" Then if the guy doesn't pan out, he at least has an alibi. "Well, the numbers were good...how were we to know?" It isn't how fast they run, but how they do it. I'll admit, I was impressed with Thomas at the combine and I can see why he is on the hot list right now. Because Kelly ran slow today doesn't mean he isn't a heck of a player. A racehorse is a racehorse. If the Bills do like Kelly as much as I do, I agree that they now can look at a CB or a G early on, and they can hope Kelly is there in the 2nd, or do what they did with Poz and move up 10-15 spots to get a guy they really like. I was hoping Kelly would have come in at 4.55 or so, just to shake off the numbers guys...but the way he ran, there are probably a bunch of scouts biting their lips and grumbling, because he isn't a slam dunk to take as a value pick anymore. Rumors of concerns just became more of actual concerns.

I'm disappointed in the time, but these lyin' eyes still see a top WR in Kelly. It is a real russian roulette situation with him now. He had a confirmed injury, plus injury rumors, plus rumors that he is slow. Did he push himself back to run fast and prove the doubters wrong? If he did, and he wasn't ready, he would have been better sitting out and some team would still grab him in the 1st off of on-field performance. Now he is confirmed slow, there are still injury rumors, and he may have aggrivated his quad. I give him credit for going out there, because I believe that he is a better player than what he showed. Logic says he took a gamble on himself in being fully ready. If you know you are slow, you don't get your bluff called like that. I still think he goes before the 2nd.

Very good point. Haggan is known to be a reved up trash talking guy, sort of in the mold of Hargrove. I wonder if the Bills wished they had Stamer signed now?

I hate to tell you...but they are one in the same. Quinn is the one who controls all of the money for the Erie Canal Project and the Harbor Front. Don't you think that is a conflict of interest considering he is part owner of the arena and the Sabres? Quinn was actually the head of the Buffalo Economic Development Agency under Jimmy Griffin in the late 70's.....Quinn's M/O is that he takes public money, contracts out to buddies, F's up a project so bad that it never makes money, leaves town for 5-10 years, then returns to repeat the cycle. He is all about making money for himself and his cronies, and if it happens to luck into doing something positive for the community...then great. Downtown is going to take 20 years to renew.....if we get the rat bastard out of the arena, the team might have a chance to succeed again in 2 years.

1) There's one guy who gets up to buy a beer and hit the John, 3 times a quarter. 2) There's one guy who is going to yell out what the penalty is before the ref gets a chance to tell us 3) There's one guy who's going to yell, "Edwards you suck" after every other incompletion 4) You will smell the sweet aroma of marajuana wafing in from nearby, yet you won't be able to tell where it is actually coming from 5) There's one guy who is going to pass out by the middle of the 3rd quarter 6) There's one guy who is going to vomit by halftime.....may also be the guy mentioned in #5 7) Some guy is going to pay more attention to his girlfriend than actually watching the game. You will be able to identify the two of them because they will be the only ones not standing up as Donte Whitner is running back an interception. 8) There is one guy who won't have a shirt on, and will turn around and yell at everybody to "Stand up and cheer people", as the Bills are on offense 9) There is one guy who will yell at you to "Sit down", when it is 4th and goal with 30 seconds left and the team is driving for a game winning touchdown 10) Some guy is going to want to High 5 you after every 1st down I may be missing a few......but at least you will be in the stands for 6 Bills victories.

The draft is about the future when you have no present. Buffalo has a present this year.

That was the first game I ever went to and the catch is the most vivid in my mind. About 5 years ago, 2 unused tickets to that came popped up on Ebay and I bought them for $2 or something like that. In the row in front of us in the endzone, some guy was going back to his seat and decided to sit on the lap of some girl he didn't know. The boyfriend threw him into the row below then started beating him down. A few other guys jumped in, and there was one guy trying to settle it down and break it up, yet he was the one that was arrested. A memorable time.

Sooner or Later The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Now the important stuff.... A) Was he limping in any way? B) Did anyone in his party smell of sweet Mary Jane? C) Did he play 100's or 25's? D) I'm going out on a limb and say....he was betting the Hard 10....yes?

I have no link....but someone here must have heard it. It was after Reed's first or second year, and he was on the phone with Empire Sports during the offseason....and he was LIT UP. He didn't sound drunk, he sounded stoned to the point he couldn't put a sentence together. Simon/Brinson were so shocked that they said on the air they hope that they were duped and that wasn't Josh Reed. If anyone heard it, they should remember it. It was that bad.

I agree fully. They got the guy on the phone at his home at dinner time as he's drinking some beers and grilling some steaks. He made rational sense to me. The guy is PO'd that word is coming out of camp that he is a problem and that his coach is disappointed. He goes on to say "What have I ever done off the field to cause a problem?" This coming on a team where 20 % of it's roster was arrested last year. He admits he has a colorful persona on the field, but that he's going to do what he always does and work hard, and catch balls, and try to go to Pro Bowl #6 in a row. This is a situation where I would trade for the guy in a heartbeat. He doesn't feel appreciated and he has always worked hard and produced. I bet if he does get traded, he will have a great year. I guess nobody heard Josh Reed's interview then. If the guys who are mocking Johnson heard Reed, their heads would have exploded on the spot.

He's on the phone so you don't know what he is doing. If you listen to the question posed to Johnson just before halfway through the video, Johnson burps lightly over the phone. Listen for it....he replies to the original question with a one word question (it was either change? or face?), then when the question is repeated, he burps. The guy is probably at home, drinking.....ESPN calls him on his cellphone, the agent isn't there to say no comment, and Chad did a little drunken ditty. He said nothing that revealed bad character, other than poor judgement to do an interview on national tv after 2 Old English 40's. He said he's going to work hard like he always has, and if that means putting on a happy face in a losing situation, so be it. He had a point....why is Cincy now posturing like Johnson is bad news when he has been a choirboy off the field? "So I celebrate and do a little dance, big deal." I agree. Is there anyone here that remembers the old interview on Empire Sports with Josh Reed? Howard Simon and probably Brinson have Reed on the phone at the exact same time 5-6PM or so, and Josh Reed was LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. He was babbling total nonsense and it sounded like a disaster. Here with Johnson, you can follow his story. Josh Reed went on about some crazy stuff....it was BAD. After Reed hung up, one of the guys said "I hope for the sake of Josh Reed and the Buffalo Bills, that we have been had and that wasn't really Josh Reed on the phone." Lori is a broadcast afficianado....I bet she remembers.

Did I say the Bills were on one of the greatest runs in sports history the past 5-6 years? It's amazing the BS that people will put up with and still defend a fraud. The freaking Owner and GM have been in hiding. As I have said, I will wager anyone here that the Bills do more damage in the playoffs over the next 3 years than the Sabres. Ralph F'd up by hiring Donahoe and letting him run the organization like a fascist. The same thing is going on now in Sabreland. How soon people forget. Ralph admitted his mistake and brought in intelligent, loyal and trustworthy people. It took 2 years of housecleaning, and now the Bills are ready to roll. Golisano is going to sell this team.....just watch. These guys are biding their time like a Fat Cat CEO with a golden parachute. There is no need to answer to the critics because Tommy G will slip out the back door with the cash. Ralph will still have the team here, and you will see the Mayflower trucks at HSBC arena. 18 months...tops.

Amen! The only negative I can see in him is that he rounds routes off, but he is so smooth and talented that he can get away with it in college. He'll just have to work harder at it in the NFL. A guy like Edwards is great for Kelly, because Kelly has a great short burst once the ball is in the air. Edwards will trust that he can get open and throw the ball before he breaks. In watching his video, there were many times he didn't look open, then pow...enough separation for a clean shot at the ball. Did you watch much of Keenan Burton? He isn't 1st round material, but he looks to me like he does everything well. Maybe late 3rd or early 4th. He seems like a leader and a smart special teams guy. Bring him in as a #5 and watch him sneak up the depth chart the next few years.

I went to the draft a few times and had a ball. It is actually a reasonable wait in line because of the fans from all over. This year should be really fun for Bills fans. I didn't know you could get tickets ahead of time. I went to day 2 the year Gretzky retired, because it was his last game in the Garden that night. There were only 50 people or so, and you didn't need a TV because you could actually hear the broadcast live, being a few rows up from it.

Really??????????????? Here's a little timeline that might show where the success came from: '98 Conference Finals '99 Stanley Cup '00 Playoffs -------------------------------------------------------- Hasek Traded!!!!! -------------------------------------------------------- '01 No Playoffs 10th in conference '02 No playoffs 72 pts '03 No Playoffs 85 pts -------------------------------------------------------- Rules Changes!!! -------------------------------------------------------- '05 ECF '06 ECF -------------------------------------------------------- Captains Walk!!!! -------------------------------------------------------- '07 No playoffs 10th? in conference Now, two conference finals coming directly after rules changes while missing the playoffs in the other 4 years doesn't really smack of a dynasty to me. Did you notice that other guy who walked out of town for pretty much nothing in the summer of '01? Well, I think he had a bit to do with some of that success early on. I know he was washed up......that's why 7 years later he is 23-9-3 with Detroit.

I have said that I would respect Regier more if he left the team. I know how frustrating it is to have to run a system with one hand tied behind your back. Sooner or later you get so tired of it you have to move on if you aren't just along for the ride yourself. If Quinn gets shipped off to Sabres Siberia, I would be willing to back off of Darcy and see what happens.

That is the obvious arguement. What we need to do now is look forward at what happens. Ralph made a mistake with Donahoe, but he admitted it was a mistake. The Sunday Night Broncos game to close out '05 was a disaster. It felt like you were in a war zone, being in the parking lot that night. People were angry, people were out for blood. It took 2 years to clean house and get a trustworthy system in place. I would be willing to give Golisano the same benefit of the doubt if he cleaned house. As it is now, if keeps the same system in place and they do not make the playoffs going forward, the support will evaporate. My prediction....the Bills will play in more rounds of the playoffs over the next 5 years than the Sabres if Golisano doesn't change philosophy. I love everything the Bills stand for...honesty, hard work, resilliance, the things that make up character. They are ready to explode with success. I am against everything the Sabres stand for...political cronieism, avoiding critics, passive on and off the ice, constant excuses and whining. They are on the verge of sinking to Adelphia levels if a change isn't made. Prediction #2....the Sabres are sold before the Bills are. Golisano may pull the parachute ripcord over the next 18 months.

Amen Republicans and Democrats are both right. The other side is full of s#!* I have always been a lifelong Republican, but I am pretty sure I will vote for Obama. It's sort of my version of Flight 93. We might as well bring ourselves down instead of siding with those who pretend to believe in conservative values, and free markets. That is if we even have the election in November. The way things are going economically and the way the Middle East is ready to explode, I wouldn't be shocked if we delay elections, "for our own protection".

As for the play returning to pre-lockout....it was headed that way by the 2nd half of last year. The '06 playoffs were called loose, but the Sabres had more grit then with Dumont, Grier, Pyatt, and McKee. After the All-Star numbers came in last year, and it was shown that reruns of Essence With Emeril outdrew the All-star game in viewers, and that was with 30% of the viewers from Buffalo.....Bettman gave the order to go to a more traditional game. While fans were showing up to the Arenas in terms of revenue, the real revenue stream, TV contracts, were in the dumps as fans couldn't even bother to try and find Versus on their system, if it was even carried in the first place. The NHL was actually losing long term revenue opportunities by trying to get too fancy. Instead of understanding what was happening, the Sabres closed their eyes, crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. You still hear them whine about how games are called. They got lucky with the rule changes for 18 months, then didn't adapt back to a more traditional game. As for signing Drury, Briere, Campbell, DuMont, McKee, (not Grier since he was gone no matter what)....true, they couldn't afford everyone at the prices the players were eventually signed to. BUT....if Regier had any foresight, all could currently be on the team. He makes trades for players that turn out to be good deals, yet he doesn't take advantage of that ability by signing guys to long term deals ahead of their breakout. If you are so confident the guy is better than what you are giving up....put your money where your mouth is. Darcy would look brilliant if he had any balls. He just sits back and watches. McKee...offered to sign for 4 years $10 million before his last season here. Ended up leaving for $4 mil per year. Briere....offered to sign for $5 million a year long term before his arbitration. Sabres said no. Briere wins case. Sabres panic and start signing all arbitration cases to contracts to avoid the process. Afinigenov, Connolly, Kotalik....$2.5-3 million each per year. WHich leads to: Dumont....offered to sign for $2.5 per year long term. Only player Sabres take to arbitration. He gets awarded and has to walk after Sabres opened the piggy bank out of fear. Dumont signed for $2 million at the end of free agency when teams were tapped out, but now just signed an extension for $4 million per. Drury...agreed to verbal 4 year $22 million. Sabres dallied around for 2 weeks as Drury went on a hot streak and risked injury as he led the Sabres to a 5-1 record by the time the front office came to him with a written contract. He said..no thanks..we'll talk later, as his stock continued to rise. The Sabres could have very well used that information of what Drury would sign for, and shopped around for prices on other potential free agents, or even shopped for a trade knowing they could commit a price on a contract to another club. Drury ends up signing for $7 mill per with NY. Campbell....offered to sign 5 years $25 mil before the season. Sabres balk, but offer same amount 7 months later after another AllStar game. If all these guys were in the fold, we could have let Vanek walk for 4 #1 picks, or there is a good chance Lowe wouldn't toss up a hail mary because we weren't in a position of weakness. In summary...here are the numbers we could have all of these players under contract for this year, and what they actually make. McKee $2.5 $4.0 Dumont $2.5 $4.0 Briere $5.0 $10.0 Drury $5.5 $7.0 Campbell $2.0/$5.0 next year.......will make $6-7 mil Vanek 4#1's $10 million Who would you rather have? Vanek, Connolly, Kotalik and Afinogenov? or: Drury, Briere, Campbell, Dumont, McKee, 4 1st round picks? Regier+Quinn chose Door#1

I'm behind Promo all the way. Do you not see any similarity in how the current Sabres front office mirrors the Bills' front office during the Donahoe years? I guess we are all stupid little Rubes who don't know how to tie our own shoes, let alone run a pro sports franchise. If it wasn't for a lockout that suddenly placed a premium on metrosexual hockey with it's rule changes, the Sabres would have been much closer to the middle of the pack. And for everyone that hum-zings Darcy and Ruff, take a look at what a 62 year old Dominik Hasek is doing today, then imagine how much more valuable he was in his prime. Maybe if Quinn or Regier would talk to the local media sometime in the past 8 months, we'd have a better understanding of what they were thinking.

Actually, it was $25 million in debt to Adelphia which was settled in bankruptcy for 30 cents on the dollar, and the other $22 million was the mortgage on the HSBC Arena. In return for that he gets to keep all the gate, merchandise and concession sales. Tell me again why I should ever so gently balance Tommy G's pocket of marbles on my tongue?

I was at the same point with Donahoe and Mularkey that I am now with Quinn and Darcy. The fans were constantly being talked down to, if you had a concern or a crticism you weren't a "real" fan, and they were worried about perceptions and marketing the team instead of the reality that they were actually F'ing the whole thing up. If Golisano does what Wilson did and cleans house, bringing in people we can trust like Levy and Jauron, then I will give him my support and buy tickets. It only took 2 years for the Bills to go from rock bottom, to a young, hard working playoff contender. They brought in people of character from top to bottom though. Marshawn Lynch doesn't cringe when he sees a tackler coming at him. Angelo Crowell gets up off the turf and tries to make a play when thrown down, he doesn't go crying to the refs. And most importantly, when the team could have quit week 4 because of all the crazy injuries, instead they tried harder and almost pulled of a shock in December. The difference is, Ralph at almost 90 cared enough about his reputation to make a change. I doubt anything will be done since Quinn and Golisano have been down in the Dick Cheney Bunker since the Ice Bowl.

Cook is more of a dramaqueen than a comedian. He does have an artistic flow to his act that I find funny, because not everyone can do something like that. I thought much more of him until it was clear he was an attention hound and as other comedians came out to say he took their act. To me, the best stand up is Chris Rock. He isn't the funniest person....he doesn't have the funniest material as a whole, but he has the best routine. He's another guy that wins with his delivery.

Thanks...my pleasure. The valuation game is what has everyone nervous right now. Nobody trusts that anyone else is going to be as creditworthy in the future. The NFL is so well run, that they are putting down the hammer to the teams before it becomes a public problem for them. As it is, it can't look good with Megastadiums on hold as municipalities can't borrow at a decent rate. It's going to be a hectic year for the economy in general. It is in the league's best interest to avoid a work stoppage, because weaker owners may end up having some problems hanging on to their teams. When you look at the scenario I just painted, there may be a few cases of that anyway. Who is going to pay $500 for a Dolphins clubseat the year after 1-15 and when your home just went from $800,000 to foreclosed on in 18 months? How many car commercials are going to be running during a game when we have $6/gallon gasoline, and GM and Ford are on the brink of bankruptcy? Good news is....less buyers with cash, less likely the Bills move anytime soon.