SouthernMan

We've gotten to the point where technology exceeds demand. We have access to hundreds of TV channels, but there's just not enough content to give to the viewers. So, the method these broadcasters come up with to occupy broadcast time is "lists'!!!! ...or some other method to re-package existing archives, add commentary, and have a "whole new show". Whoopee! The NFL Network should re-label themselves as "The List Channel". They have totally run out of anything interesting. Most of their programming these days is centered around The Top (fill in the blank), The Greatest (fill in the blank), etc. Then they proceed to fill an hour of time with NFL footage and frat boy commentary from the talking heads on set. Those of you who don't get The NFL Network...trust me...you're not missing anything.

A waterfront (single use) stadium makes almost no sense. For comparison, would you, or anyone with limited resources build a $300,000 house to live in for only one day a month? Even if you had a covered stadium, do you think given a choice, convention goers would choose Buffalo over some sunny/sandy locale in mid February? The waterfron offers nothing. Wake up. Crytal Beach is a nice memory for nostalgic WNYers, but those days are over. Times change. People aren't going to go shopping on the waterfront. We have much more convenient suburban malls. Bass Pro Shop - niche market. Hardly the anchor to a waterfront sub-economy. Unless there were an enormous master plan with multiple developers, any proposal of a waterfront stadium is a foolish. And in the current economy, there's not exactly a big line of investors waiting to part with their money. Buffalo is already too stigmatized to be a major tourist destination. It's also too seasonal to be economically feasible. What fantastic attractions could be put on the waterfront that could survive with mostly summer activity? I've been hearing this BS for 30 years about the rest of NY State supporting NYC. It's crap. It's some myth started by envious upstaters years ago. NYC is dynamic, bustling, energetic machine and provides a huge portion of NY State tax revenue. If the rest of the state were to annex the Big Apple, do you think they could support themselves on their failing business plans and corrupt municipalities? I'm a native of the Queen City, love it, and consider it my hometown, but the politicians and constituency who elect them are largely a bunch of backward thinking idiots. The same breed of politicians keep getting put into office. Their solution to fiscal crunches is to raise taxes - exactly the opposite of what should be done to stimulate any economy. Something as simple as building a F-ing bridge to Canada or developing the waterfront are ideas that are argued over - not for months - but for decades. And nothing ever gets done! Meanwhile, the only people left in WNY are those who couldn't leave their aging parents, got jobs in the educational/University system, some other taxpayer funded position, or medical fields, or who just can't leave their favorite bar stool at the southside gin mill of choice. Suggesting NY City is somehow a drain on the rest of the state is like saying Disneyworld is taking resources and money that could be used for local hotels around Orlando. As far as lousy politicians go, keep in mind they're elected officials. Blame those who buy into their rhetoric and continue to re-elect them. Niagara Falls has millions of people and dollars pouring into it from outside the area every day. NY State should realize the potential revenue that can be gained from drawing some of the Canadian business back to the states. A multi-use stadium would be a good first step.

Great posts PTR. As long as there is ample tailgating space, I'm all for a NF site. It makes more economic sense than anything else. It's a shame the falls and the NYS border aren't configured in such a way that an open-ended stadium could have a view to the falls. (Giant mirrors on the Canadian side of the gorge?) Looking on the bright side, in another 10,000 years or so, the American falls should be really close to the parking lot. I'll bet that happens before the Peace Bridge thing is resolved.

2½ hours? Either somebody is driving very slow or they're taking at detour to the ballet.

Here's another

The timing was perfect for OJs mainstream celebrity, as the seeds planted during the civil rights movement of the early to mid 60s were coming to fruition in the late 60s and early 70s. Dr. King led the charge in the trenches fighting for social justice, and was assasinated just as the tide was beginning to turn. In the entertainment world, stars like Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Diahann Carroll, Ella Fitzgeral, Louis Armstrong, The Supremes, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, et al were busting down the barriers that previously had kept them chained to second class citizen status. I remember being surprised (and happy)to see Sly & The Family Stone playing on a lat 60s TV broadcast and having a mix of white and black musicians. Not sure I've ever read anything regarding the famous Rat Pack's role, but during a time when Jim Crow laws were still enforced in the south, the Rat Pack brethren, all huge stars in their own right, treated Sammy Davis Jr as an equal, not just as an entertainer, but as a man. I have no doubt that the martini drinking white audience took note of respect given to Sammy. OJ was so blessed and lucky in so many ways, and even after having the good fortune(for him)of being aquitted of the double murder, continued to tempt fate. I think his is a classic case of someone who had a lot of trouble with the sudden fame and adulation that came to him at a very young age, thought of women as possessions, and thought he would be forever untouchable. How sad that the brightest star in Buffalo sports history has forever tainted the legacy.

Take it from another who had the pleasure to see both in persone many times. It's a cliché to say it, but OJ was "poetry in motion". His running style was so fluid. He could make a cut and change direction like nobody, other than maybe Barry Sanders. All the more unusual because he wasn't as compact as Barry. He had the grace of ballet dancer. A previous poster described his running as like watching a thorobred racehorse run downhill - an apt description. Thurman on the other hand was a more complete back. He had the mind of a quarterback, would sacrifice his body on blitzes to give his QB more time in the pocket, could catch over the shoulder or with body extended as good as most wideouts, and as runner he was instinctive and knew when to make a cut. When it all comes down to it, Thurman was the right man at that time. With Smith, Kelly, etc., I don't know if the superbowl era Bills could have accomodated another ego as big OJs. The other thing younger readers/fans might not realize now, but OJ was a superstar before he ever put on a Bills uniform. Few players have come from the college ranks with as much star power as OJ. Before his pro career began, he already had commercial endorsements and a guest spot on a top rated network TV show. He had charisma like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Joe Namath, etc. People were drawn to him. The combination of his charisma and incredible running style made him one of the greatest ever. Thuman was a great blue collar workhorse back that was a great team player, and the perfect fit for the Kelly/Levy teams. Best pure runner was OJ, without question. Had he played on better teams and not had knee injuries, he might be considered the best ever.

Not surprisingly, I knew exactly what I'd see after clicking on that link. Supposedly, Marv and Co didn't want to re-fit the players with all new helmets that may have been uncomfortable before getting broken in. Funny, every other team that once had old style helmet colors and logos went with alternate headgear. I think it's more likely that Ralph's bean counters advised against spending an extra $20k on helmets that would be used for only one game. (couldn't they have used them throughout the season in practice?) The solution was to strip the charging buffalo logo and replace it with the white replica of the old red standing buffalo. As if none of the Bills faithful would notice the reversed colors. "Say Stan, dat der player looks just like Tom Sestak der, but sometings diffrent. Did he grow a mustache? Cant quite put my finger on it. Pass da pierogis, der".

If you've ever had to go through 5 layers of clothing just to get to your wiener for a piss, you just might be a Bills fan.

The paraphrasing was exactly the opposite of the Animal House line that was referenced, so you're* anology is exactly backwards. You should think "longer and harder". Isn't that what Mrs. Jauronimo is begging for? * notice the use of an apostrophe in a common contraction.

Wow, three really good responses. A first for TSW. Still don't know the actual answer to my question, but I liked the humor injected into it.

I'm still baffled over the players demands. Why are they collectively asking for more money when contracts are negotiated individually? They want better healthcare benefits when playing days are over? Why? Thy're fortunate to have any at all. The companies I used to work for no longer provide any benefits to me? Keep in mind that the few large corporations or union run companies that do offer post-employment benefits don't expect the beneficiaries to live (and collect benefits) for another 50-60 years. What other industry is responsible to it's employees for 50-60 years of benefits after only 4-5 years of service? The players have extremely generous salaries as compared to the average American worker in their 20's and 30's. They can't sock away a little of that income for better healthcare insurance in the future? Finally, if revenue sharing is the main point of contention, why don't owners just stop agreeing to those contracts. They're the ones setting the bar and forever getting into pissing contests that escalate salaries. All that said, I do wish they would come to a reasonable rookie cap. Giving oodles of money to players who haven't proven a thing seems frivolous and stealing from those who've already made the grade. They should have to endure a complete NFL season and let the teams assess their progress as legitimate NFL producers after one year. Make them restricted free agents after one season. Any money saved on high round picks could be used to compensate underpaid veterans.

Isn't the NFL Network owned and operated by the the NFL? If so, how is it that current players can affilate or appear on their telecasts during a lockout? Anyone know?

Funny how quick a lot of you are with half wit cracks about Belichick or Brady. You're the same folks I presume who'd be giddy and jumping for joy if either one of them somehow became employed at One Bills Drive. Y'all sound like bitter immature high school freshmen, envious of the varsity letterman with the new Corvette. If there's any hate for the beating the Bills have taken at the hands of the Beantown Bullies in recent years, it should be directed at the incompetent staff who've been running the show in Orchard Park since just prior to the arrival of the ink-stain-colored superman costumes the players wear for home games. As our hometown hero's rivals, I have total distain for B&B and the Pats as well, but I still respect the level of achievement and consistent play for the last decade. Don't know about you folks, but I'm a little sick of hearing about the 90's glory days and The Comeback Game - blah blah blah. It's getting further away in the rear view mirror everyday and becoming ancient history in my eyes. The Patriots are where we wish we could be, like it or not. BTW, ever notice how Belichick always wears vests to hide his man-boobs?

Did anyone check to see if Ralph is on his "friend" list? Haven't looked, but I think it's a fair bet that Dick Jauron is not.

It does seem like longer than that...oh wait a second, it's 3 seasons ago. No wonder!

Beyond the stupid "weak sisters" statement by the questioner, Clayton's comments are kind of stupid also. Those "10,000" (slight exaggeration) waiting to play, would without a doubt be primarily the more elite former college players. Aren't patrons already paying well over $100 a game to see Div I college teams that have even less talent than the hypothetical league comprised of all-stars?

Reading those evaluations reminds of the players from the Bills superbowl era. That was their commonality - toughness; competitiveness. In my estimation, toughness is a state of mind that comes from being a competitor. The superbowl Bills were guys who hated to lose. Not to start the Flutie/Johnson thing up again, but I always felt Flutie got the edge because he couldn't stand losing. Hopefully the new class of rookies will have enough talent and intelligence to go along with that toughness.

Ummmm...you don't exactly have to be divine to already have that answer. Yes, the lord knows, Satan knows, Gailey knows, we all know.....Maybin will not be on the Bills roster, and I'd be willing to bet a few bucks he won't be on any NFL roster. Maybe he'll workout somewhere in Canada - eh?

Hell no - that's the point! Maybin has as much chance (zero%) of making the team as I have humming on my hambone. Which, BTW, I wouldn't even if I could - not that there's anything wrong with it.

It is possible to have 2 wildcards in the same division. The other thing to remember is that the Pats and Jets play each other twice. Somewhere in there are going to be 2 losses. That's why I said if somehow we can go .500 in the division, or even get lucky and knock off the Jets and Pats once each (early season game against Pats), and sweep the Dolphins to go 4-2, a wildcard doesn't seem that out of the question. But .500 (in the division)doesn't sound out of the realm of possibility. 6 or 7 wins outside of the division, and a wildcard race could be reality. I hate they miss out on a real "home" games with that Toronto fiasco. Hopefully, they'll actually win there for once.

Ohhhh shiiiiit, here we go. Can we "talk" about something else?

I think you boneheads missed the gist of the question. Which one of these two (Miller or Clausen) was more pissed off? - the guy who didn't have the distinction of being a historical all-time # 1 pick (Miller), or the guy whose hopes of being a starter for his current team just got squashed (Clausen). No other replies are relevant to the original question. Oh BTW - Clausen is the correct answer. Miller is on his way on the "up" escalator, and passing him on the opposite "down" escalator is Jimmy.

You lost all credibility when you threw Maybin's name into the mix. I have a better chance at performing autofellatio than Maybin has of making the 2011 roster.

I think they've addressed the the weakest area of the team on defense. Now, it's time for the offensive-minded Gailey to get his choice - Kyle Rudolph. Nearly every championship team has a standout tight end. The Rodney Dangerfield position of the team perhaps. Not as flashy as a swift RB, WR, or savvy QB, but very often, it the grease that makes the motor purr. For years, New England has burned us with their TEs. The TE position is the best place to find a mismatch. It's why there was once an offense called the "K-gun". If opposing teams want to cover your WRs with their probowl corners, that might negate the effectiveness of those particular offensive weapons. But unless the opposing defenses want to play nickel all game long, a good atheletic TE with long arms and soft hands will burn the oppositions cover LBs on a consistent basis. So, let em play nickel or dime. Now we can be more effective running the ball if our wide bodies can neutralize the smaller DBs. A good tight end is the unsung hero, but a huge part of top flight offense. The Bills haven't had a decent TE in years. Rudolph has the potential to be very good - maybe a Metzelaars type of TE. He'll be one of the final puzzle pieces on offense, and he should transition nicely - having no character issues and being a smart kid. A little time in the weight room will go a long way towards making him the complete TE. I think they go with Rudolph at around 6:05pm tonight.