The Avenger

If you look at a car accident on the side or the road don't complain about any blood or body parts you see

You're telling me that because Sullivan is published on the sports page you're forced to read his column?

I agree 100%. People don't like what Sullivan says or how he says it, so they complain: -He doesn't get any stories, all he does is critcize (well, that's his job - it's not reporting news as much as it's writing an opinion column) -He doesn't give any suggestions about what should be done, he only complians about what is wrong (again - not his job to find the solution) -He's a hack and works in a small market because he couldn't get a better job elsewhere (by that logic, everyone in jornalism in Buffalo is a hack because they don't have the talent/driveto work for the NY Times) -He's not qualified to criticize Wilson or Levy because he doesn't have their football experience (guess you have to be in the Hall of Fame to be able to criticize someone in the NFL - I guess just being a fan or someone who follows the Bills isn't enough to speak up - we should shut down the Wall and all go home). Here's a thought - if you think Sullivan's a hack, don't like what he has to say or they way he says it, don't read it. Judging by the folks on this message board, there are people who agree with what he has to say and may even like his writing. Hell, I hate Ann Coulter for her message, tone and what I feel is a lack of understanding about her subject matter, but I know others like her and she's got a right to do the job she's paid to do - give her opinion and sell her media product (I just choose not to read her column).

Actually, he works at the Bills Store...

I really don't see what the complaint is on TD. Sullivan, like most other people (myself included), said that the TD signing was a good one years ago when it was made. Now that TD has failed to build the organization into a winner and we've been through some painful years, most people look back and say that it was a bad choice. Sullivan says he changed his mind on the pick - I think most people have (I'll admit I have). People aren't satisfied unless he write a giant mea culpa, beg for forgiveness and lets each and every reader extract a pound of flesh for having a different opinion 5 years ago?

I disagree. I think most factual news people get from the newspaper (with the exception of local news) is from a large wire service like the AP or Reuters. Once the story hits the wire, the same story, word for word, appears in newspapers acros the country as well as every major news website (CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Fox, Newspaper website). When news happens, everybody reads the exact same story whether you read it 5 minutes after it happens or the next morning in the local paper.

That's just it - Sullivan isn't trying to tell you "the truth" - he's writing his column and giving you his opinion. If he was reporting a story as fact and wasn't honest with his facts there would be a problem, but that's not the complaint I'm hearing. As for declining circulation, I think you'll see that everywhere - it's the nature of Technology and the Internet. 15 years ago we'd all be arguing our Bills items amongst one another via letters to the newspaper instead of on a message board like this. I'm a news junkie, but even I don't read the paper much anymore - by the time the story is filed, printed and delivered to my door it is old news. Ironically, I think some of the value newspapers still have is not in their reporting of factual news, but in their opinion columns, which seem to get Jerry Sullivan and other "hacks" attacked.

And what is Jerry Sullivan's job? I think he's a guy paid to write about the Bills - uncover stories when there is actual news and write columns with a healthy bit of his own opinion in them. Like all other sportswriters, his job is to sell papers and generate talk around the water cooler about the team. Vague ideas about how to fix problems? It's not his job to fix the problems - if it was he'd be in line for the GM job and pull in more than 10 times the salary he's currently paid. If he did come up with ideas people would be blasting him as a guy who is a writer, not a GM. Pointing out that he works in a small market doesn't mean anything. Buffalo is a small market - that's just the way it is. By your logic, everyone who works in the Buffalo media is a no talent hack who doesn't have the skills to work in larger markets - guess WNY is doomed to be without decent jornalism because they aren't New York or Los Angeles. Could it be that there is some decent talent in the Buffalo media because people WANT to work and live there? For as much as people bash Buffalo, sure seems like people who live or have ever lived there love the place and think of it fondly (I know I do - it's a great place). I'm tired of people blasting the local media as a bunch of hacks for doing their job. Folks - there is no super journalist out there, in any market, who knows all, reports all (with attributed sources, of course), gives you just the facts without opinion and has a great bit of exciting team news every day. If you don't like opinion, lack of named sources, use of sports statistics and failure to lay out how to fix problems, don't read a column by a guy like Jerry Sullivan. Better yet, write your own damn column and let's see what you have to say.

You're right. I guess my blinding hatred for having wasted a #4 pick on a huge tackle with no heart and no sack who can't actually play tackle overshadowed that he was pretty universally thought of as the top OT in the draft. Doesn't make it suck and less, though.

THAT'S how we ended up with Mike Williams!

Yeah - its a sweet deal - you get 30% off on Bills Jerseys and an invite to sit in on all of Ralph Wilson's meetings with senior management. On employee appreciation day one lucky member of the grounds crew gets to select the next inductee to the Wall of Fame.

It could have been worse if those meaningless wins were an attempt to stave off the dismissal of an incompetent coach and GM, or to appease veteran players, (thus proving that the inmates run the asylum) and decisions on the overall future good of team take a backseat to smaller concerns. Oh wait...

Agree 100%. I find it scary given the circumstances that JP is not playing. Is this a reult, as the WIVB piece claims, that the coaches feel they already know JP doesn't have it? I'm not an NFL coach, but 7 starts doesn't seem like enough time to me. It's a bad situation of the coaches are judging him too early, and an even worse situation if he is indeed incapable of being the quarterback of the future.

I don't believe it's about the draft pick and the resulting money at all. The Bills are essentially going to have the same payroll (real dollars given out to players) as any other team - that's the salary cap era. If there was no salary cap (like baseball) I'd buy into your argument - you may not want a guy because he's going to cost you $10 million more so let someone else pay that. No way are the young players sitting because the Bills want to pay their #1 pick next year $3 million instead of $4 million.

I don't agree about MM needing a win bad. In all honesty, the powers that be have seen 15 games so far (most of them ugly) - the last game shouldn't really sway anyone too far to another viewpoint even if the Bills blow out the Jets or get pummeled by the Jets. With nothing to play for I am stunned at the lack of playing time the youngsters are getting right now. I like a Bills win as much as the next guy, but what does playing Holcomb and a number of vets who won't be here next season really get us?

That's a cool gift, particularly if a loved one personalized it like that! My wife gave me one of those toy buffaloes that takes 5 steps forward, stops and roars. She found some Bills ribbon and made something to go around its neck. It looks pretty cool when you fire it up after every Bills score - Shout song playing and the buffalo roaring...

Haven't seen it yet, but we hardly need a cartoon - they have so many heartbreaking losses I'm sure they could have had their pick of actual game footage as well as footage of Buffalo famies watching another Bills loss.

Wow - we're going to have a 2% advantage today! Tricky! That'll beat a good team like Cincy! I have to go - the thought of the Bills, MM, Mike Williams, TD is really depressing me - it's Christmas! Why put up with this?

Trade - yeah, that'll work. We'd be lucky to get a box of soiled jockstraps for that oft-injured, no desire-playin', can't beat out a street FA or Bennie Anderson for a spot on the worst o-line in football P.O.S. Damn I hate that guy - a bust on that scale really kills us. He should be stocking shelves at Wal-Mart, happy that his size allows him to do something.

I used to think that Keyshawn was an ahole, but last year I saw a game where he caught a TD and promptly walked over to a little kid in a wheel chair in the front row and presented him with a ball. Whether that was all show or not, I liked the move and always saw him as a slightly better person for that move.

I certainly didn't see 8-10 games with Pat Williams gone. I was expecting to see 6 wins and a whole lot of JP development.

I believe the original plan was to have Bledsoe mentor JP LAST season and get JP starting some games. That went out the window when JP got hurt. By the time he was ready to come back the team was on a roll and Drew stayed the starter. This set the plan back a year, but there was no provision for that - Drew was not affordable for another year and you weren't going to get him to take a pay cut to stay with teh team as a mentor. The turning point was when they went into this season telling everyone that we could have a QB learn on the job AND make a playoff run. We all knew that both things weren't going to happen, but I think we would have settled for one of those options. The Bilsl tried to do both, and this resulted in pulling JP which was a terrible mistake. He still doesn't have enough starts to be solid next year - he needs at least another half a season (see Carson Palmer).

For me it's Brian Moorman - I hate seeing that guy every 3 plays Seriously, I think it is Willis. I know the line is terrible, but he's not doing much to make things happen. He started out pretty well, but after he made that "best back in the NFL" comment he's been invisible. I'm also ticked that he doesn't seem to be very upset with his lack of carries/yards or upset that the team has no offense. Like I said, I know he's not wholly responsible, but when are the players themselves going to step up, get pissed and scream that the current situation is embarassing and unacceptable?

I guess that rules out Sam Crappyline, the current HC of Northeastern Idaho State...

Add Kaiser Sose and Tedy Bruschi to the list (and in April. Olof Pilar).