SouthernMan

The Georgia Dome sucks. No tailgating to speak of and the atmosphere is downright pale compared to Buffalo or a good college venue. Apart from possibly San Diego, I don' think there's a better Autumn weather city in the NFL as Atlanta. As much as I hate the summer heat and humidity, the payoff is beautiful temps at the end of September on through November and sometimes even into December. Absolutely perfect football weather. It's a shame to sit in that over-sized circus tent and not be able to see the fabulous clear blue Fall skies during a game. Add to that the overly-loud hip-hop style music blasting from the suspended PA speakers that reverberates throughout the enclosure, and it's not a very "spectator-friendly" environment for an old timer like me who goes back to the Rockpile days and still likes to breath the crisp autumn air. If Buffalo should ever build a new stadium, I'd hope it would be open air, or at the very least, be a retractable roof facility so we can enjoy the perfect weather days. Indoor arenas are for hockey, basketball, and jalopy-driving clowns tossing buckets of confetti.

A run of the mill Aaron Rogers goal line TD run and subsequent Lambeau Leap made the top ten (only because it wasn't Favre), yet the perfectly executed fake field goal TD pass from the holder/punter doesn't crack the top ten.

Yes, but just right to be on a Democratic ticket! (sorry lib-demos - that was just such a great set-up, I couldn't resist)

Side note: It's difficult for me to have any sympathy for a player holding out for more money when we hear of NFL players casually forking out over $200k to change his jersey number. How many hours of physical labor and/or mental stress do each of you have endure to pocket $210,000, take home, or over $300k, gross? That's AT LEAST 6 years worth of work (at $50k/year) for the average fan - just to change a jersey number. Think about it. Six years of your job = a modification to a uniform for some spoiled athlete. I don't want to ever again hear that "I'm just looking out for my family" shiite. I love the sport of football, and particularly Bills football, but geez, what kind of monster have we created? These are probably the same don't know the value of a dollar idiots who'll be in the mission soup line 15 years from now.

Is there some hidden meaning we're supposed to get, or is that it? Did you see Jason Peters perhaps?

Atlanta Journal and good Sports section in the same sentence? I've lived here for over 20 years and don't remember ever seeing a sports section that could compare to a good New York or other northern paper. NFL news was practically absent with the exception of Falcons features and updates, which was typically stuck on page 2 behind any SEC/UGA topics. And hockey? Fahget about it. The Atlanta Journal & Contitution is commonly referred to in these parts as the Urinal & Constipation. They don't even attempt to mask their far left bias in their reporting and opinions. A funny aside and observation I need to mention: I think Buffalonians are married to their damn newspaper like nowhere else. It's amusing to me how WNYers still carry on the tradition of their daily delivery AND often get USA Today as well. Always looking in their local print media for that ray of hope that Adelphia, Bass Pro Shop, or some other savior is going to swoop in and revive the economy. Ah, the excitement generated when some company hires 75 new workers! They love their quaint little local yocal smalltown flavor. Who wouldn't? I guess it's easier to sit at the Cleaver breakfast table and read the whole thing back to front when there's no job to go to. I have to think real hard to come up with anyone around here (in ATL) that gets daily home delivery. The paper has to have regular subscription drives just to get people to have the Sunday paper delivered. I doubt that anyone outside of some avid news junkie gets the USA Today paper delivered to their homes in the Metro Atlanta area. BTW - great thread. We need more of these. We now return to our regularly scheduled Jason Peters or Bills' uniforms discussion?

Maybe the reporters did what I do when there's a late starting preseason game on ....they fell asleep. ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz. If there's still a glaring lack of coverage when the games start for real, I'll be concerned, but until then, just keep reminding yourself the band is still just tuning up. As far as the change in print coverage, time to put away your buggy whip Clark Kent. Lifestyle changes and Al Gore's incredible invention have changed the way people access information. At one point in time, journalists had newspapers and magazines as their sole outlet for their talents. Lifestyles have changed as well. With the multitude of TV outlets (local as well as cable-style channels), internet, etc., that local newspaper talent pool has been thinned out at the same time competition has increased. Working people in America just don't have time to sit at the breakfast table and read their morning paper front to back as they did in the days when June was serving coffee and getting Wally and Beaver off to school. They're no longer sitting fireside with the evening paper at 6:30 after consuming a roast, peas, and potatoes. They're still trying to get home from work so they can rush the kids off to some organized activity and cruise through the Mickey D's drive-through. Before you start getting too high and mighty about the poor Buffalo News coverage, take a look a little closer to home. Start with your employer, ESPN. My god, watching Sportscenter is like babysitting a kid with ADD. If I want to hear the NFL news, I have to sit through 45 minutes of other crap as NFL info is fed piecemeal in 20 second increments throughout the telecast. No continuity in the formatting. And that World Series of Poker - who couldn't get excited about that? Thanks a lot Al Gore, you bastard.

Haven't heard squat in the press anywhere else regarding 7th rounder, Demetrius Bell, who played a good bit of left tackle last week. After my brother pointed out how well he played, I went back and took a second look and specifically watched most of his offensive plays. For the most part, the guy played extremely well, especially considering it was only his second game as a pro. The other thing I really took notice of was that it's very obvious what one of JPs biggest problems is - after his intial dropback, he doesn't step up into the pocket when the D-lineman are coming around the outside. He gets that deer in the headlight freezeup and gets sacked. He could give himself that extra second to find a receiver or throw it away. He's taking sacks unnecessarily.

That was pretty much Levy's approach during the glory years of the 90's. There wasn't a huge playbook with tons of trickery and so forth. They had a few base plays that they executed to perfection. Nobody could stop them because of the mismatches in personnel. Hell, if you have one play you can run effectively everytime, that's all you need. It's all about skill level, matchups, and execution. Obviously, in the real world, there will be injuries and other factors that come into play, but an overly-complicated playbook can hurt the offense more than it helps. Better to have 20 plays perfected than 100 that they can execute "fairly well".

I was wondering what will happen next year after all programming is converted to digital. Will there be anything available other than HD for NFL games? If so, will that mean the end of forced Superfan packages at $99/year? I think if the NFL suddenly loses that Superfan revenue, they'll make it up with a higher NFL ticket price that approaches the $300.00 mark.

Couldn't have said it better. From a business standpoint, Wilson has been a correct side of things where the league as whole is concerned. I only wish some of his decisions concerning his own team where as well thought out. In a previous thread, someone else listed some of his screwups. Missing from the list was his decision to play R Johnson against the Titans in the famous playoff loss of 2000. Would it have been a different outcome with Flutie? Nobody can say for sure, but his track record was certainly better than Johnson's. I would have had to play the odds and left the guy in there who started and won most of the games that got you to the playoffs. Polian getting away was by far the worst mistake. On the other hand, give credit where it's due. Old Ralph has done everything possible to keep the beloved Bills in WNY. That alone should trump all the lousy decisions. At least we still have a chance for OUR team to win a superbowl. And anyway, at least we're not the Lions or Cardinals. Could be worse.

I understand what you're saying, but I still think it's a matter of fairness. The Bills should at least consider extending the contract. If it's written properly, it's a win-win for both sides. If the Bills pay him on a scale that reflects his level of play, he should be content. I don't think he'd be stupid enough to come back again in 2 years and demand more if he's already one of the top paid LTs. The issue now is that he feels he's underpaid. Peters has exceeded the expectations of everyone since he signed the last contract. I can see where he might feel that way. If you performed proportionally in your job, you'd expect the same. If you were working circles around Bill and Mickey, receiving commedations, and were a vital part of the company success, you'd certainly hope to be paid at a rate similar to your peers at the high end of your position. I don't think his desire is unreasonable with consideration to his level of play. Unfortunately for him, he just doesn't have much much leverage.

Force a trade? How? They have absolutely no leverage. He can't go play somewhere else. He's under contract. He's being fined. The ONLY leverage they have right now is his lack of services, which is being covered at least adequately at the moment. Their best hope for negotiating leverage is if the QBs blind side is consistently raided unobstructed by DEs and the threat of a QB injury becomes a big concern or if plays aren't able to be executed because of the substitute LT. Neither has happened to where it's become a common occurence in the worry department. Bruce Smith used to pull this summer stunt regularly. He was, well...Bruce Smith. Lock for first ballot HOF by the time this became his standard operating procedure. Jason, we knew Bruce Smith, and you're no Bruce Smith. Jason, cut the crap. Pack your duffle bag and get to camp.

I'd bet the move was made to protect the personal property of those who paid $25 to lease a parking space for the afternoon while they attend the game. First, they don't want to not have enough parking for those going into the stadium, and secondly, they want to keep loiterers, burglars, gasoline thieves, car theives, and other n'er-do-wells away from the property of the game patrons. What sort of element is just hangin around parking lots? A bunch of no goods who don't have their own digs or enough scratch to go to a local establishment full of rowdy fans? It'd bet it's the same bunch of losers who don't have a pot to piss in and invade our spaces like local parks and so forth. Good for Chicago. I wish they'd have better protection for my vehicle and property at the Orchard Park lots. Between Electronics, GPS units, and other valuables, it's not unlikely that many of these cars have hundreds of dollars worth of property inside. Reducing risk of criminal activity is a big plus as far as I'm concerned. It's families attending games who will ultimately keep the team in Buffalo - not a bunch of bums.

Agree. If he's really that good, can show that he's consistently dominating and not just one or two year phenom, he can play under his current contract for three years and hit the jackpot as a free agent when his contract is up. He'll still be a reasonably young player and should be able to secure a contract that will set him for life. If the Bills are smart and truly believe he is one of the best, they'll attempt to tie him up to a long term deal to keep him around, either this year or next. Either way, for the good of this team, he needs to be familiar with the playbook get some reps before the season starts. In a 16 game schedule, one win or loss can mean the difference between post season play or not. His prolonged absence could be that difference. Peters - If you're only following your agent's advice, fire him and get into camp - NOW! He's not helping you or the team.

Never happen? A real "Can Do" mentality ya got there Fong. It's naysayer attitudes like yours that has propelled Buffalo into the economic tailspin it's been in for 40 years. I can't for the life of me understand why there is such a prevelant small-thinking, negative mentality among Buffalonians. Always too scared of risk and progress. Nothing ever get done because of this attitude! How's that Peace Bridge and Waterfront project coming along? You see where it gets you? A great city like Buffalo falling into despair. I've said for years that the Green Bay model should be followed in Buffalo. I'd love to see it get challenged in a court of law. I really don't think there's any way the law could stop Wilson or any other owner from selling shares. The other owners might try to stop it, but the only way they could would be to leave the Bills off the schedule or stop sharing revenue. Don't think they'd ever do it. Especially with Goodell as the top banana. I think if it happened, the other owners would resign themselves to it, rather than fight it. Not even sure why they'd resist the idea of fan ownership.

I've got a friend here in Atlanta who comes over to watch Bills games on my NFL ticket. He's got Directv already. Cancelled his ticket since it's gotten expensive and he comes to my crib anyway. I'll be in Buffalo for the opener. Anyone know if I can give him my DVR to use? Any problem just hooking it up to his DTV cables/dish?

Disagree. Peters has total control. It's as simple as: "Uh, hello, Gene?...um...you're fired". Now where'd I put that plane ticket?

Ummm..the tv signal doesn't travel around Lake Ontario along the QEW. Using a point A to point B straight line model, the city centers of Buffalo and Toronto are about 58+ miles apart.

Corrected correction: Copied/Pasted From Current DirecTV schedule Duration:180 minutesCategories:Sports Future airings: Saturday, August 16 10:00 AM EDT 212NFL Saturday, August 16 4:00 PM EDT 212NFL Tuesday, August 19 9:00 AM EDT 212NFL I guess it's more relevant to show reruns of last season's games than current preseason games. Go figure. Additioanl Correction... Just found this: Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers NR (Not Rated) From Rogers Centre in Toronto. Channel: 212 Air Time: 12:00 AM - 3:00 AM So, after the Chargers Cheerleaders show (which is on at the same time as live Bills-Stillers game), NFL network shows the game at midnight Thursday (12am Fri). Good to know their priorities ar in order. Just hoping the regular season games don't get pre-empted for The Bachelor.

Like my father before me, I clean up ashes in the shipyard.

OK mr betard - who do you think is more qualidifed to no the truth - us internet twits after seeing 5 pases or the coching staff who haf been working with hime and watching traning camp. Its oviously us. Why argue the point. Were way snarter then evryubuddy. Were 2 billls drivers. The smartess peeple onm the plant!

So, when the games are on, are you just sitting at your computer screen, tapping away at the keyboard? Of course we watch the whole thing. I guarantee the vast majority of participants in this forum are here because we're FANaticS about the Bills. The entrenched starters are the least of my interest while watching the games. I want to see what the new kids can do. From a pure contest standpoint, they're usually a real snorefest. But with the exhibition games, you have to view them in a whole different light in order to enjoy them. It's a scouting assignment, not an edge of your seat matchup in which the outcome has meaning. You just need to look at it through a different paradigm. Or, you can go back to your interenet.

Get him a # 23 jersey, a dred wig, and let him drive a golf cart into the crowd of fans. Just like they do in the bigs!

Southern Man's Theme Time Internet Hour Correction... "Born under a Bad Sign" Not Clapton...originally recorded by Albert King. Co-Written by Booker T, of MGs fame (Green Onions) Clapton is a great interpreter of Chicago, Missisippi, and Memphis blues, but after you become familiar with the work of all the originals - Robert Johnson, Albert Lee, Albert King, BB King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, The Wolf, Hubert Sumlin, Muddy, etc.,... you quickly realize that there was little originality in much of Clapton's work. Clapton had technical advantages with better instruments, sustain, and amplification that helped modify the texture and sound, but the notes and the feel are all from his American blues idols. I don't think he'd deny it. Clapton's a smooth player, an underrated vocalist, and decent songwriter, but most of his licks are secondhand. Give credit where it's due - William Bell came up with the lyrics for Born Under a Bad Sign, including the classic "no luck at all" line, though it's probably an old saying used long before the song was penned. BTW - I saw Clapton and Winwood at the Garden in NYC last February. 10th Row Center Section. He's like a fine wine getting better with age.