Bill from NYC

Actually, this is the best post in this sickening thread. Sickening in the sense that people's rights are being stripped away as others cheer. I have a decision to make. I, along with my 3 best friend of 45 years have attended a Bills game every year since the Bills/Miami game of 1994. Every year we leave on a Saturday and come home on Monday. It gets expensive. There is nobody we have ever partied with from this site that will tell you that we skimp. I have made true friends from TBD, and I don't do this easily. My inclination is to not attend a game this season. Brandon helped up the team, now he is ing up the game day experience. Hypocrisy abounds in this thread as well. I have done a few things too many for humanity to be treated as a criminal for wanting to smoke a cigarette on the ramp, away from those "offended." We have spent thousands of much needed dollars in the WNY economy. I am thinking at this point that the right thing to do is let the market sort itself out and keep the money in my pocket. Thanks again for a great post.

This post is offensive to the mentally challenged, and well beneath your intellect. Thanks for providing Bills fans with this forum. I am sorry about your mom and dad and hope that all is as ok as can be by you under the circumstances.

Can we consider this a call to ban all drinking in the stadium?

The smoking area at RWS is outside, and far away from the seating area. It isn't even around the concession stands. If this affects your breathing, I personally apologise because this is where I smoke. As for the intox person, they might affect you as well if they drive after the game, throw objects such as batteries (which I have seen), have bloody fights in front of your family members, etc. In short, I think that alcohol at games is a much bigger threat to your immediate, and even long term health than people smoking AWAY from your seats and concession stands. Someone mentioned grills as well. There are cars around, all with tanks of gasoline. Charcoal fumes are said to be pretty awful too as I recall. This ban is no different than the city of Boston's recent ban of "sugary" soda on public property. It is P.C. b.s. We are going around the world to promote "freedom" as our rights here wither away and the citizens react like trained seals. Either way, it would seem to me that we are all entitled to an opinion without being insulted.

Do you think that it affects your health? Also, do you feel affected when people get intoxicated at games?

I am the same way. A guy like him, assuming he is 90-95% of is capability, can win you a football game. If he is no good, he can be swiftly cut. Still, his history obviously raises a flag. I would be ok either way, but I am hoping for Trueblood and especially Kevin Boss as ufas. Boss can really block and could mask our holes at OT quite a bit imo.

Hyperbole notwithstanding, I'm not so sure. Johnson, unless he improves his concentration and drastically reduces dropped passes, will be a possession receiver with bad hands. Do I think he can improve? Yes, and I appreciate the fact that he gets open. I am of the opinion that Fitz and SJ practiced a lot on second teams, and this is a good thing. Evans? He is something of a one trick pony. And, he needs to get open more often. I think he would too if Fitz had more time to throw (obviously). Both are merely "good" imo, with SJ having more upside. Btw, Plax or no Plax?

The above is 100% true. It might not be saying much, but when Jason Peters was traded he was the best player on this team.

Actually, it makes me proud to be such a loyal fan. And think about it....we passed on Ngata, Mangold, and Branden Albert. When it comes to first round picks, the Bills don't care what color a player is. The important things are that they either lack talent, play at a position where they lack need, or both. I hope Dareus breaks this sad, insane pattern.

That probably is the best. I also thought, "Blood" Spiller was pretty good. Still, the funniest post I ever read on this board was a few months ago. A poster accused the Bills of passing over good black players due to racism. Another poster answered (in a serious manner) that the Bills pass on talented players of ALL races. Talk about bittersweet.

Nope. Levitre, easily their best blocker, was a LT in college. His biggest asset is finesse and mobility as a pass protector. I like him a lot at LG, but he is not, nor will he ever be a mauler. That was supposed to be Wood but truthfully, I don't see him ever manhandling opponents, but this could be due to his very serious injuries. What the above leaves us with is a team that there is no reason for opposing defensive lines to fear. We just don't have any crushing blockers. They have to address this issue next season. There really isn't any choice. Again, the damage done to this team by Levy/Jauron is almost beyond belief.

Watch games. Fitz runs for his life and is sacked at key moments. Spiller got nowhere; they couldn't run consistently. Levitre is good. We have no idea what we have with Wood. Bell is small and weak but he is agile so there is hope for him, but he is not one to play RT. He isn't a bruiser. RT? RG? You tell me. How do those positions shape up to you? Sign a good free agent RT, pay Kevin Boss more than he is worth (remember we don't have a TE who can really block), and the line might be decent. If Bell doesn't finally develop, we can address LT next season. Oh, and as for the comments about "balance," I agree that this is extremely important. The thing is, we don't have a glut of talent to make up for a poor OL (assuming this can be done). Look at our last 5 first round picks before Dareus. This will tell you all you need to know about a 4-12 record.

The Whitner pick was far worse. Levy said on Sirius that he had numerous offers to trade down. And, look at the players at need positions he passed on. Cutler, Mangold and Davin Joseph stick out. It was a great draft. To put the 2006 draft in perspective, we came into day 1 with the #8, a 2nd, and two early 3rds (4 picks). We came away with Whitner, McCargo and Youboty. On day 2, their early 4th round pick was Ko Simpson. Some of us here knew how much this draft would hurt this franchise. Other still defend Levy and Whitner. As for the present, much depends on Troup, Carrington and Dareus. I like that they went DL, but they need production from these kids. It's a healthy start. I left out Spiller because he has virtually no blocking, and was by any stretch a dumb selection. If they get production from the young def. linemen, and shore up the OL from free agency and with early 2012 picks, the Bills can be a playoff team. If not, they will continue to stink up the field. It's pretty simple imo.

Levy/Jauron built this team as if they play in a dome. They would have still been a bad team in a dome mind you, but they neglected the lines and drafted small, so-so players. RWS is a rough place to play. It's often hard to pass because of the wind, rain and snow. The Bills need to run and stop the run. The Levy/Jauron answer to this was players such as Whitner and McKelvin. A "finesse" team will not have long term success in WNY. It's impossible, and because of the Levy/Jauron damage we don't really even have a home field advantage, despite have loud, solid, enthusiastic fans. Maybe now we will have a solid defensive line. This would be a good start, but there's a lot more work to be done. They need to go after players such as Jeremy Trueblood and Kevin Boss, if of course there is a football season.

I look forward to his biting commentary.

I pale in comparison to many on this board wrt the drafts. But we have gone year after year passing on players such as Branden Albert in order to draft Leodis McKelvin, and this is why the team is weak, and now frequently ranked last. That said, at least we might have a good defensive front this year. This is a start. Next season we need an offensive front and probably a quarterback. It isn't so hard to figure out.

No, but you could perhaps spare us the insults, ya know? And you could perhaps come to grips with the fact that when a team is bad for more than a decade, fans are going to cite obviously dumb moves made by the organization. Not everyone is a blind sheep.

It is simple. Build a team that is strong. I would make sure to have a top QB, LT and a pass rush in place. I would build a team that can run the football successfully and stop the run. Then, I would worry about the secondary and running backs.

What on earth would make you say something like this? Just ask any QB just how important the LT position is and see what they say. You can't get a top LT in free agency or a trade (unless you are dealing with the Bills). In almost every draft, LTs shoot up the board. It is WAY more difficult to find a strong, fast, agile, smart 330 pound man than it is to find someone who can cover a receiver. The year before Manning came to Indy, Glenn and Meadows were drafted in rounds 1 and 2. And as E.A. said, Polian made recent statements about how he should have put more into his OL. Also, just why do you think the Bills are losing? Seriously, they certainly are drafting enough defensive backs to your liking, no? They have been losing because they have been weak up front on both sides. QB is also an issue, but only Fitz had a chance behind this mess because he is so elusive. A modern day Flutie in a sense. It's great that they shored up the DL. I am very happy with this. But, until they fix the OL they will not be a playoff level team. History has proven this, wouldn't you say?

Every word above is true, but people really don't want to hear this. Most fans prefer "exciting" players such as CJ Spiller but again, at least we have a chance at having a good defensive front this season.

I agree Mickey. Ralph is a businessman first and foremost. He is less of a football man than a money guy. Anyone who thinks otherwise would have to be something of an idiot imo. Think about it.....he fired a great football man (Polian), hired two inept losers (Levy/Jauron) and made mega millions during this time frame. Still, being a Bills fan is being part of a culture and I really do thank him for this. And, I think that overall he is a good man. The thing is, we need to start winning. The damage that Levy/Jauron did to this franchise is scary, and the problems need to be solved rapidly. Meanwhile, GO BILLS!!!!!!!

Great John. The cost of this was losing a very good left tackle and plugging in a sub-par Bell. Since then, what have they devoted to the OT position? We can pretend that Bell has played well but he has not. Maybe he will; I don't know. But at this point he has proven only that he is a small, weak OT. As I said, it's a great thing that they devoted resources to the defensive front. I am thrilled by this, but as we speak, they still have a weak offensive line, as they have for 15 or so years.

I have said the above for well over a decade. However, because Nix/Gailey DID devote so much in terms of draft resources to the defensive front, I am reluctantly giving them another year. The posters on this board know more about the Bills than do most in the national media. That said, I think that very few understand just how much damage was inflicted by Levy/Jauron. The list of excellent blockers that these guys passed on to select the likes of Whitner, McKelvin, Lynch, Maybin, Simpson, Byrd, Youboty, etc. is staggering. As for our existing OL, Wood is the most overrated player on this team as of now. Second would be Bell. Ask yourself what they would be worth in a trade. They have been injured and MIGHT improve, but this is no way to enter the season. And this is not to mention the dismal right side. Seattle addressed their OL in the last 2 seasons. Soon they will be a strong team, or so it would appear. Again, we strengthened our defensive front and this is a good thing, but there are no more excuses for Nix/Gailey neglecting our OL, especially at the OT position.

I agree, but thinking that he was a bad draft selection is not unreasonable.

Spiller was a #9. Troup was a second round pick from a small school, taken at a position where development generally takes longer than it does at running back. Thee is no need to write him off, but if he doesn't turn out to be more than a situational back, this selection will set us back a lot yet again. And sadly, at this point I am not liking the odds.