SouthernMan

Have to disagree with your assessment of the team. They won 4 games, but there were several in which a player or two could have meant a victory. They came within a dropped pass of beating the eventual AFC superbowl representative. If they can stay healthy, they'll have a formidable receiving corp - the best in years. What was one of the weaker links a few short years ago, has become a strength. This is amazing, especially considering that player (Hardy) they chose to strengthen the receiving ranks never panned out. Instead, the 7th rounder from the same year (Stevie Johnson) looks like the real deal, at the very least a very good # 2. Then there's pleasant surprises like (never drop a pass) David Nelson and Donald Jones. These are the type of role player that playoff teams have poplulating their rosters. If Easley turns out ot be as good as his early reviews suggest, we've got one hell of a receiving line-up to compliment Lee Evan's experience and talent. The Bills have a good running game with Jackson and Spiller, who should develop further. The O-line should be good, though not great. Wood will move to center, and Levitre is now a veteran. The coaching staff has confidence in Bell at tackle. There's still Wang, Wrotto, Hangartner (who they should move to guard)on the O-line. They'll probably address this unit through FA or he draft, though a draft O-lineman won't contribute much in 2011. Fitzpatrick's heady play will make the O-line better than they are. With the exception of a standout TE, the O is fairly solid. Maybe not great, but certainly not pathetic either. The offense has the potential to score points and control the ball. With the addition of Dareus to the defense, many of the run-stopping issues may be on the way to being resolved. A little more pressure on the opposing QBs will be a nice change as well. After a full season in Gailey's system, and with the continued growth of players already on the roster, and the new additions, if they avoid the injury bug, this team could well be better than .500, and fighting for a wildcard spot. The biggest obstacle for the Bills is the strength of the AFC East division. The Patriots aren't going away anytime soon, and the Jets are incredibly confident. The Bills can win games and I don't see them as being in the ealy stages of "rebuilding". IF they can somehow be at least 3-3 in the division, they'll have a chance to make the playoffs. RIght now, that's a bif "if". But you never know - the Jets and/or Pats could have a rash of unexpected injuries, sabatoging their effectiveness. If I'm Gailey, I'm spending 90% of my strategic efforts figuring out how to beat the Pats and Jets. If only they could be in the NFC West!

Exactly right Promo. If it's a tendon, muscle tear, or even a fracture, these conditions can all be resolved with good medical attention, rehab, and training. But worn out cartlidge - it only gets worse. There's no fix beyond transplant surgery. That's why there are knee and hip replacements. If it's a cartlidge or ongoing degenerative condition, you pass. Too much risk.

I didn't buy it when I first read it. Sounds like the FO is still playing poker - if the quote is even accurate. Somehow mysteriously, Gabbert flew up the draft chart rankings since the end of the bowl season, but before that, he was not anyone's choice for a top 5 player. Without question, a porous defense was the Bills biggest issue. While Fitzpatrick doesn't have the level of prestige more recognizable QBs, his intelligence, leadership, and mobility make him far from being the weakest link on the squad. He played very well at times. If Troup can develop into the playermaker he was expected to be, and Dareus comes on like gangbusters, we might finally have a defense that can get Fitz & Co back on the field to score point. Would love to see them keep adding to the "D" with the 34th pick - maybe LB or another DL. Could translate into a quick turnaround for our defense.

Then for your taste, yeah, they need to be cooked to a crisp. My wife is like that - she likes her chicken (actually most meat) cooked until it's like shoe leather. I don't get it. The juices are what give it flavor. I like the wings crispy on the outside, but still somewhat moist on the inside. But anyway, my point regarding the cooking is that it doesn't take a lot of extra time to get them crisp. Drain the residual oil off of them. Enjoy your chicken wing jerky.

I didn't say I was born in Buffalo. You're fired! You know it's funny the way these kids today are raised on this food. I never had a chicken wing until I worked in a pizza place at the age of 17 (back in the day). Never seen such a thing. I thought, "what the hell are those things?" Now, they're a worldwide phenomenon. Don't think I tried pizza until I was around 9 or 10 years of age. We had the traditional stay at home mom making pork chops, chicken, steak, or whatever. It was a rare occasion that we ate out and had any sort of fast food, and then it was usually something like Pat's or Ted's hot dogs. Once in while Gleason's drive-in on da Boulevard dere(remember dat one!) The kids today are raised on fast food. Disgusting!

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!! This is why I cannot get good wings. The simplest f-ing recipe in the world and every place screws it up. Here's the "secret" - the trick to crispy wings is NOT over cooking them. That just makes them dry as a fart. They key is cooking them until they get a crispy (not for another 10 minutes AFTER they get crispy), and taking the deep fryer basket out of the deep fryer and hanging it over he hot oil for a couple of minutes before saucing them up. The cooked wings need to drain thoroughly after being bathed in hot oil. You know why the wings you get are all rubbery? It's because the 18 year old "fry chef" has never been trained properly, and in one move, he takes the wings dripping with hot oil out of the fryer, throws 'em in the mixing bowl with sauce, and puts them on a plate or basket to go out to your table. They're not gonna be crisp. The real Buffalo sauce - Franks hot sauce & margerine (or butter). THAT's it!!!! No need for worstershire, cayenne pepper, BBQ sauce, vinegar, or whatever else. I mean, there's no law against it, but the real recipe is nothing more than 2 ingredients. Really! Trust me.

You're absolutely right. I had one and never went back.

I grew up in Buffalo, and as much as they have great food, I'm not at all crazy about the standard Buffalo pizzeria pies. Buffalonians love that Bocce pizza. Yuck! In Buffalo, they grease an aluminum pan that looks like one of them saucers kids used to slide down snowy hill. After greasing the metal tray with Crisco or some other kind of shortening, they stretch the dough on it and sauce it up with sugary sweet tomato sauce and top it with quarter-sized margheritta pepperoni that's spicy and shrinks, gets crispy, and curls up like bacon. After the pie is ¾ done cooking in their double decker Bloggett ovens, the baker slides it off the snow saucer to crisp up the bottom on the oven bricks, since it's all greasy and soggy from the snow saucer grease bath. They do have good mozzerella cheese - I'll give 'em that. Otherwise, I'll take a nice thin pie stretched out over a traditional wooden peel and cooked directly on hot bricks - NY style. Don't even get me started on that half a loaf of bread crap from Chicago they call pizza.

What city? THE city - the big apple? What part? It's a big place. East side, west side, Brooklyn? Food is one of those things that's so subjective. Amazingly, many people actually like Pizza Hut's version of pizza. I say, "fuh-get-about-it"!

ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding Thank you. Now, would you please help explain this to the readers here who advocate the CB pick. It just doesn' make any sense when there are so many weak spots in the front 7. As a reminder to those amnesiatic CB proponents reading this - the last time the Bills even sniffed the playoffs was when they had top rated defenses. Now, what did those top defenses have that was lacking so glaringly with recent editions? Wide bodies in the middle stuffing the run (Sam Adams, big Pat, Washington) and speed and penetration from the outside. When the QB is getting pressured, it's a lot harder to get long pass plays develop. At the very least, pressure from D-linemen will frequently cause turnovers. If opposing offenses are forced to throw dink and dunk stuff to counter the mad pass rush, why the hell does a team need to spend premium dollars on another Deion Sanders for 10 yard pass plays? As I said eariler, someone on the front 7 is likly going to be a catalyst and factor on every defensive play. Half the time, all a corner is doing is effortlessly getting cleared out of the play by a decoy wideout sprinting downfield. It's gotta be a DE or LB. Gotta be. IF they go DT, they must either think Troup isn't gonna fill the bill or that K Wiliams will work on the end. I think they're order of preference is V Miller, Dareus, Quinn or Jordan. My suprise pick is Robert Quinn. I think he'll be a good one. Fairly will be a huge bust. Mark my words.

Exactly how do you expect Maybin to tackle someone when on gameday he's sitting in his La-Z-Boy with a bowl of popcorn? You must have meant when he's playing Madden or something along those lines.

I still think you build from the inside and go from there. With a stellar D-lineman, you have support for both the run and pass. A shutdown corner doesn't contribute much on runs up the middle or off tackle. This has been the Bills achilles heal - their inability to stop the run. Why would opposing offenses want to pass when they can run all over the Bills and eat up the clock, keeping the Bills offense off the field. If the Bills go with a corner, I'll think Jauron is still lurking in the warroom doing a Cyrano de Bergerac act with Nix & Co. When there's pressure on the QB and they don't have time for a designed pass play to develop, the D-backs suddenly look like stars. With no pressure, give a QB plenty of time to checkoff, and eventually they'll find somebody open no matter how good the corner is. Think back to the last several seasons when Brady, Sanchez, et al, just stood there playing catch. It's a whole different game when they're running for their lives and a D-lineman is creating havoc. When you have a disruptive force on the D line that requires double teaming, the rest of the D line becomes mroe effectve. Bang for the buck you go D-line or at least somewhere in the front 7.

Not sure I follow the logic. Why would they have to be frozen? Can't they come back with us through whatever mechanism (time machine, worm hole, etc)was used to get back there in the first place? Or did you mean, freeze them, keep 'em in the cooler for 20 years, and thaw them? If somehow you could take a one way trip back, I assume you'd have to freeze yourself too? Sounds risky. And what about their 21st century salary demands? When they find out what Kelsey's getting, they're bound to ask for the sun and moon. Do we freeze Ralph too? Need more details. Let us know how the plan is coming along.

What a scoop!!! My inside source has sent these images of the new uniforms along with the pennant that's being given out at fan appreciation day for the unveiling!!! As with the draft and everything Buffalo Bills, Ralph had to put his stamp on it and had a big role in the design. He's the boss, so's who's gonna argue with him. Rumor is McKelvin made a failed attempt and tried to dissuade him, but was turned away at the stadium gate by Wally, the retired rent a cop.

For whatever reason, Kiper is not charismatic or instantly likable, as say Chris Berman, for example. He's just one of those guys. Maybe too serious for sports entertainment coverage. But you know what?...if we'd gone with his picks over the last several years rather than those chosen by the Bills brass, we'd be a better team right now. Like him or not, the guy does his homework, and I wish our geniuses at One Bills Drive would gone along with his top ranked players.

I'd love to have a video of the reaction in the Ravens or Patriots war room when the Bills drafted Erin Maybe. I'll bet they had to call the trainer for oxygen after running out of breath, laughing at those hapless Bills.

Anyone who thinks Maybin will ever see an NFL field again must still be sitting in the pumpkin patch waiting for The Great Pumpkin every October. Try to imagine that he was not a high round draft pick then develop a (realistic) opinion. If Maybin has any smarts, he's now studying up for a state real estate or insurance licensing exam so he can move on with his life. There were numerous posts and threads over the years discussing Bills biggest draft busts. Whatever those conclusions were, it's fairly undisputable that Maybin is at the top of the heap for biggest ever first round busts by the Bills. At least players like Patulski, Tuttle, Flowers, Tom Ruud, Terry Miller, even Mike Williams, actually were on the active roster for most of their tenture. This clown is in street clothes most of the time. When they do let him "dress up in a Bills costume", he gets shoved around like a rag doll. Erin, better start crackin those books so you can pass that exam.

It's been my opinion for ages that the "cannon arm" thing is incredibly overrated in the NFL game. Break it down and ask yourself "how often during the course of game is it necessary to have that cannon arm?". Seems to me that that aspect of the game is most often employed by loser teams desperately attempting to gain ground quickly after getting down by more than a couple of TDs. I don't know statistically how often the long ball is thrown, but I'll bet it's less than 10% of the offensive plays. In place of Joe Athlete who can wing the ball 80 yards, I'll take a smart field general who can read defenses (and call audibles), inspire confidence in his teammates, has good instincts (can sense backside pressure), and has a good understanding of the pro game. If the offense is managed properly and most efficiently, the QB and offense should be able to grind it out, eat up the clock, and ultimately get points on the board while keeping the other team's offense off the the field. Other than the occasional "keeping 'em honest" long bomb, there should be very little need for throwing it great distances. Sure, it's impressive - probably the coolest play in football. But the grind it out approach serves the dual purpose of getting first downs and resting your team's defense. Obviously, the QB has to be able to throw with some velocity and accuracy, but what QB that was high school star, came through the Div I college ranks, and made it on an NFL roster can't throw a football? If anyone need further proof, all you need to do is think back to our one-time hope for the future - the rocket armed Rob Johnson. Case closed.

Anyone else ever notice how much Vince Gallo looks like Jerry's Uncle Leo?

Just when I thought nobody could come up with something uglier than the current blue on blue Superman pajama outfits they wear in Orchard Park.... They look Canadian - go ahead conspiracy theorists - have a field day with that notion. The element of the helmet logo that's never made any sense to me if the streak that originates from the bison horns. It's supposed to portray motion, right? So why is the color red? Is it blood? If the horns (and the rest of the animal) are moving at a rapid speed, shouldn't the streak be white - same as the horns? Still have to proud of the fact that we have the only NFL logo that suggests the mascots reproductive organ, as seen in the underside of the bison. Attached is Eugene Kowalski's vintage 2001 logo design, never fully embraced by the marketing dept at One Bills Drive, and quickly rejected.

I've been saying all along Fairley will be a huge bust in the NFL. Mark my words. I'm always amazed at how poor some of you are at evaluating talent. If the Bills take Fairlady, I'll be shocked.

Oooo, hidden clues!!!! Those sneaky Bills. You're reading wayyyy too much into a web site design modification. Is it so hard to believe that the Bills colors and graphics on the web site look better over a light blue background as opposed to plain white? Can't confirm it, but I've heard if you play the "Shout!" song backwards, you can hear the words "Ralph is cheap". Don't bogart that joint, dude.

You people read wayyy too much into a simple statement. You must have gotten bored with the "Paul is dead" album cover clues. Simply put, the GM, coach, and personnel people decide collectively and come to a consensus on who to draft. Obviously, as owner and boss of everyone getting a paycheck with a Bills logo on it, Ralph can stick his nose in and trade up to the first pick in the draft and take the kicker from Buff State if he so chooses, but as of now, he lets the people he hired do their job (we hope). Cranberry sauce

Fairly will be a huge bust - that's what I think. Mark my words.

The Real Estate market would never have had the problems it experienced if those oh so smart bureaucrats had stayed the hell out of the lending biz in the first place. Back in the day when mom and pop lenders had accountability to their shareholders and acted responsibly with their lending practices, there was never a problem. Once upon a time, a group of politician, looking out for their own careers no doubt, decided it would be great if your tax dollars guaranteed loans. What a swell idea!!! After a while, many unscrupulous mortgage brokers and shady lenders stopped acting responsibly, realizing that their Uncle Sam would be there to save their hide if things went south with the risky loans. It is a free country. Nothing stopping any one of you from getting wealthy. What this thread was about had to do with the greed of the NFL. It's a leisure activity - nothing more. If it's too pricey, do something else. If enough people aren't interested, the price will come down. If you were selling something on Ebay, don't you want to get the highest price possible? Any kind of smart business works that way. Why be pissed off at the owners. Apparently there are still enough patrons willing to part with the ticket prices, etc. (probably those manipulative 1% Richie Rich fokkers)