SouthernMan

Edwards..... has written for a number of publications, including Ancestry.com, Cars Direct and the San Francisco Chronicle's website, Sfgate.com. -Not exactly Larry Felser or Vic Carruci http://www.jagsreport.com/wp-content/authors/edwardrjenkins-4.jpg Consider the source. Why would you waste your time. The guy just wanted the game over so he could get back to his X-Box and bong.

After Bills game, watched a few minutes of 49er-Texans pre-season game on NFL network. There was one of those trivia questions...what team won the most AFL championships. Both announcer "guessed" at it. The first commentator said he thought it was the Baltimore Colts, and his colleague stated he was going to guess the same. WHAT?!?!?!? Real football historians we have here, huh? You'd think they could at least guess a team that was in the AFL. After providing the answer (Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs - who won 3 AFL championships), they went on to praise Tex Schram (twice)for the great teams he fielded. Ummmm....you think maybe they meant Hank Stram? Ya sure it wasn't Jack Ham, Brad Lamb, or Sam Bam Cunningham? WTF? That was all within about 2 minutes of viewing. Couldn't watch any more. What are the qualifications for being a TV announcer for preseason games? Obviously, having your facts straight isn't one of them. So, next time you beat up on the jobs done by Bentley, Tasker, Wilcotts, or whoever....it could be worse.

And yet, they coddle the inferior high-paid player (Spiller) and piss off the absolute bargain (Jackson). Since they've more or less conceded this to be (another) re-building* year, why not see what they can get for Spiller in a trade (probably a 2nd or 3rd)** * doesn't re-building suggest that they were at one time "built" and will be that way again soon? ** amazing how player's draft value plummets after some seasoning with the Bills

If Fred is a little upset, it's understandable. FJ is, at this time, a better RB. Unfortunately, in too many cases, a player's contract is based more on college performance and potential than actual output. Fred had to work his way up, and in a side by side comparison, is underpaid compared to Spiller. It's almost the same as an employee lacking much in the way of formal education, working their ass off from the loading docks and making it into a management position. Chances are that guy with all the right stuff who came up through the school of hard knocks is gonna get stiffed pay-wise over the fratboy varsity letterman coming from UGA. Not fair, but that's the way it is sometime. Didn't the new CBA address some of these issues? i.e. - better compensation for vets and a cap on unproven rookies?

Why does everyone always assume any trade is for future draft choices? Isn't it possible the Bills could find a team with excess at a "need" position of the Bills, who happen to be light on WRs? e.g. - a team with 3 starting caliber OTs who need another offensive weapon like Evans. Trade Evans for a starting tackle. I'd go for that if they feel confident enough in their current wideouts.

I think you make a good point. The LA Jaguars (it even sounds right somehow)make the most sense. The southern migration has ended, and the once booming state of Florida is overloaded with football - college and pros. The Dolphins and Gators have the longtime local allegiance of football fans. The covered stadium seats for Jag homes games are an embarrassment to the league. L.A. has had enough trouble trying to support one NFL team in the past. I can't imagine any scenerio where two teams would make much sense. From a business perspective, having two new teams fight for the same fan dollars sounds like suicide for both. Don't know how a new owner could make money with the Bills if they are saddled with huge debt. WNY just can't compete with the teams that are supported by mega corporate dollars. Hope somebody has a plan for the inevitable ownership change.

Interesting tidbit on Kyle Williams further down in the piece. The guy must be incredibly athletic Factoids: Short version... Shot a 66 at the University [golf]Club in Baton Rouge two summers ago. Seven birdies and an eagle. Last year took batting practice at Rogers Centre before a Blue Jays game. He hit a home run an estimated 400 feet. Marshawn Lynch challenged Williams to a swimming race in the team's rehab pool. Williams beat him easily. His golf handicap...."Zero,'' he said.

Excellent question SIASL... Because of an HD DVR receiver we got in Jan 2010 (hell, we're leasing it for crying out loud!), we're still "under contract" through February 2012. Don't think it mattered at all as far as negotiations were concerned. First rep offered the usual $20 off for 6 months. Ha! Wanna try again sister? Next tried to offer consolation prize of NFL To Go. So, let me get this straight...I'm paying for HD DVRs and I've got a couple of nice large flat screen HD TVs, but I'm gonna watch games on my friggin phone? That aint gonna happen. Try again... Finally got someone who was receptive to some smooth talking and voila! - Free Sunday ticket, plus some HD movie package I'll never watch, and $30 per month off through January, and no additional obligation. Don't care about any movie packages since I've pretty much seen every movie I ever want to watch (I'm finished with "stories"), so I was happy to have $30 off of my $102 bill and free comfort-of-my-own-mancave Buffalo Bills/NFL in high def and surround. Bring on the season!

I think the Bills have many of the pieces in place to have a dynamic offense, though still concerned about a few things. The tackle positions are a concern, though Bell has shown steady progress and my hope is he's ready for the next step. RT is a little more of a concern, but hopefully the position will be handled with some level of competence, if not greatness. My real concern is tight end, a position the Bills have seemingly ignored for years. Almost every championship level team has something in common - a proven threat at tight end. A player who can create mismatches in the secondary, or create running room for a back. What's puzzling is that there have been proven TEs available through FA and the Bills never seem to make an effort to add them to the squad. Tony Gonzales, Shockey, and most recently Heap et al. Meanwhile the Pats, a team that makes a hobby out of burning the Bills with TEs, add 2 rookies in 2010, one from Williamsville, who both appear more capable than anyone on the Bills.

He's by far the best regular Bills beat writer/columnist on staff at the Buff News. Allen, you're in our prayers.

Why on earth is this guy still on the roster? Everyone with half a brain knows that within 5 weeks he'll be out of NFL football. For some reason which I'll never understand, teams feel like they have to save face by holding on to first round busts longer than they should. The jig is up. Erin, start making plans for the rest of your life - NFL football ain't gonna be part of it.

FINALLY, someone mentions NFL To Go through Directv. I don't think you have to be a subscriber to a Directv tv package to get it, right? I believe you can subscribe to NFL To Go a la carte. It astounds me how many people don't have any issues with "stealing" video, music, etc off the internet when there are legitimate ways to subscribe. You wouldn't go into a Target store and walk out with a handful of electronic goods without paying, would you?

Let's review first round picks over past 10 drafts - shall we? Marcell Dareus - 2011 CJ Spiller 2010 Eric Wood, Erin Maybe 2009 Leodis McLovin 2008 Marsha L'inch 2007 John McCargone,Donte Whitner 2006 Nobody (see Maybin) 2005 JP Losman 2004 Lee Evans 2003 Mike Williams 2002 11 picks 2 for sure starters going into 2011 (Wood/Evans) 2-3 other possible or likely starters including rookie (McLovin/Spiller/Dareus) at least 5 total busts - everyone else, other than Marshawn, who was a reach, but somewhat productive, still a wasted 1st round pick. Ironically, one of the better 1st round picks was one of the later picks (Wood) I'm convinced that a consensus from the readers of this forum could have made better choices prior to 2009. What a bunch of nitwits they had occupying the offices at One Bills Drive.

Mystery solved: Ralph Wilson quoted as saying he "didn't even know Springsteen played football, but understood The Boss still liked New Jersey and is a fine young man" - end quote.

I like the original standing Buffalo, mostly for nostalgic reasons. But in a fast-paced 21st century world, the standing Buffalo is a bit too sedate. It looks like the WBEN channel 4 logo from 1968, or something to that effect. When the first charging Buffalo arrived in 1973, it looked awful on TV, especially if you didn't have perfect reception. Most of us didn't have cable yet. The logo was smaller, and on long shots, it looked more like a fish. But today, the logo is larger, and with better stadium lighting and incredible clarity with high def, the logo pops like crazy against the white helmet. Love it.

Note that there will be several other nationally televised games on netowrk TV, locally, etc. The 50 or so games not shown live will be on the NFL Network, and most will be shown within 24 hours of the actual game. Some will be delayed by only a few hours. Haven't seen the schedule, so I don't know this for fact, but this is how it's typically done. And for those whiners who ask why isn't it included in the NFL Sunday Ticket...the games are not broadcast by the major networks nor are they included in the big TV deal with the NFL. We're lucky to have the opportunity to se them at all. The games are meaningless, so for me, it's not a big deal even if I know the outcome before I have a chance to watch. I'm more interested in seeing developmental players and others who are competing for a roster spot.

Funny, I was gonna post the same thing earlier, but thought there'd been enough uniform talk. I think everyone other that one barbarian dungeons and dragons, goth adoring, death metal geek with the 12 year old brain agree that the white helmets with the lighter blue jerseys are more of a classic "football" look. Look forward to seeing live full speed action with the full "home" uni in glorious high def. That's how football should look. Those indigo unitards looked like children's pjs. Should have had same colored shoes to look like footies.

It's the host's job to engage their listeners to the extent that they're motivated to share their opinions and call the show. If nobody is calling about football/The Bills*, the hosts aren't being provocative enough. So they're either biased or incompetent - take your pick. *BTW - if Bills talk starts getting overly redundant (again, the hosts job to steer the dialogue), there's still 31 other NFL teams and college ball converstaion that could easily fill hours of air time. It's the time of year when football fanatics start geting restless and all geared up for the sights, sounds, and smells of football. We want to talk football now! As far as hockey goes, didn't the season just end like 2 weeks ago? I have no interest in sports radio. I can streamline my time committment right here at TSW and other internet sites that cater only to the items I actually care about. I know if I go to NFL.com, I know 100% for sure I won't see the latest Roger Ebert musings. If I'm in the car, I'd rather hear silence that the nitwit talking heads at GR. Talking about movies only shows their ignorance and disinterest regarding the vast world of sports as well as their affinity for the glamour side of entertainment. Movies = gay. Can't imagine being so ingterested in movies that I'd call a radio show. Right up there with the Dungeons and Dragsons geeks. Not that there's anything wrong with talking movies, but then they should not characterize the radio station as a Sports Radio station. Tell it like it is. Come of the closet for crying out loud.

Bull. As if they can't control the topic. That's why radio stations have call screeners and "dump" buttons.

Right? There are only so many roster spots, and when that final cutdown comes and it's between Maybin and Evans...well, sorry Lee, but you're odd man out. Most intelligent readers would immediately realize that last statement was peppered with a heavy dose of sarcasm, but some of you are a little slow on the uptake. This thread should be all the proof anyone needs to know there are some major league knuckleheads opining here.

As soon as I got to the letters M-A-Y-B-I-N, your post lost all credibility and I stopped reading. Back to the pumpkin patch Linus. Yes. I have a feeling David Nelson could be a great player. Something about him tells me he has a lot more to give. He's tall, but a bit lean. Hope his body can take the hits of a full season. But man, the guy has monster magnet hands. Look forward to seeing his play this year.

How is it that he is still on the roster and taking up valuable dorm space at St John Fisher? Someone needs to start a "dead pool" to predict the date and time that the official announcement is made, making Maybin a "former Bill" and unseating Mike Williams as the all-time worst Bills draft pick. (at least Williams got some playing time and started games). I wonder if his old buddy and rookie mentor, Ray Lewis, will suggest he come tryout for the Ravens.

I live in Atlanta, raised in Buffalo. Buffalo weather is superior. That's right....day for day, it has more better weather days than Atlanta - unless of course you like heat so stifling 4-5 months of the year that you can't stand to be outside after 10am. Yes, Buffalo has measureable snow for around 4 months of the year. During the holiday season, it's perfect. January, skiing, skating, sledding, etc. Sure, by the end of February you're over it, but the payoff is the fantastic spring, summer, and fall. In Atlanta, we have nice temps in early spring and fall. October is simply beautiful here. But our spring temps and outdoor experiences are ruined by the off the charts pollen levels we get in the months leading up to summer. In my estimation, Buffalo is a lot nicer place to live. BTW - southern hospitality is a huge myth, unless it means people with phony smiles who wish Yankees stayed up north. That's not to say there aren't a lot of nice southen natives - there are. But by far the most outgoing, get-together people I've met are transplants from Buffalo, NY, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, etc. Atlanta has more appeal to some ball players because of culture many of them are more familiar with. Large percentage of players come from the deep south. Buffalo will have greater appeal to the ones who prefer the small town atmosphere. All that said, I think money, playing time, and the direction of the team that's making an offer will have far more impact on a FA decision than whether there's 2 feet of snow in Janunary. The biggest obstacle the Bills may face is their recent history and unwillingness to committ resources to top tier players. IMO - the Bills will not sign Clabo or get any other top name impact player to come to them. Ralph only throws the big money at marginally productive FA players.

Condolences to you and your family. No less than 6 of my friends or acquaintances have loss their mothers in the past year, not including my own, who suffered and battled just as your mom did, finally succumbing last fall. The hours of joy and communion we all share at TBD would not have been possible if she hadn't given life to you. Her imprint carries on through her children and all the lives they touch. God bless you.

Did I mention that Buffalonians are naturaly paranoid and thin-skinned? I agree that Buffalo is a great place. Believe me - I am not knocking the parental caregivers and those who've managed to find gainful employment in WNY. God bless 'em all. That statement was made to express my exasperation that there isn't more opportunity for everyone else.