gobillsinytown

This thread exists because in the digital age, whether we like it or not, issues like this will be discussed down to the smallest detail. I think in most cases that's a good thing, but since this is a "hot button" issue, it's been talked into the ground. That being said, I'm glad to see that most people here really don't care one way or the other, which shows the proper perspective. For us, this is entertainment, and even though we're all very passionate about it, we need to remember that we have very little real connection to the lives of the players, and that's they way it should be. Whether a player is gay or not shouldn't matter at all.

The draft, especially at QB, is mostly a crap shoot. Most picks have about a 50-50 chance of making it. Even the so-called "can't miss" picks.....miss. In Oakland, they thought Jamarcus Russel was going to be their QB of the future, and most of the so-called experts agreed with the pick. On the other side......most people thought Russell Wilson didn't have what it took to be a starting QB. I'm not defending Buffalo's decisions in the draft, because the team's record shows that their decision making process hasn't been good. That being said, the draft is a combination of educated gambles and luck. Let's hope the new staff is educated enough and lucky enough to get it right.

You may be old and bitter, but with age comes forgetfulness. There's one 80's paragon of awesome that you're forgetting. I'm talking, of course, about the great Joe Dufek. (sp?)

There's a reason why the Superbowl is referred to as "The Big Game" on radio, TV and the internet, unless it's a station or website that is specifically news formatted. The NFL will not allow the words "Super Bowl" to be used in any type of promotion. I work for a group of radio stations (not Buffalo), and a few years ago we tried to have a "Road to the Superbowl" contest on one of our rock stations. The prize was something like a party for 30 people at a local bar. This station is a small FM that is an "also ran" in the ratings. Two days after we started the contest, we received a "Cease and Desist" letter from the NFL legal office. Whether we liked if or not, they own the trademark, and we stopped the contest. Obviously they're serious about it, and spend a lot of money enforcing it. The only way to change this is to change the trademark and patent laws. Good luck.........

This reminds me of the hissy fit Giselle had after that last superbowl they lost. People weren't treating her husband with the respect he deserved after the game. This team seems to have an aura of unrealistic expectations that turn into sore losing.

Some people, whether they're players or not, are just bitter when they have bad experiences. So for whatever reason, he probably felt that he was treated poorly by the front office, or wasn't given a fair chance to compete. Or maybe he didn't get along with someone in the front office. Either way I'm sure this kind of player is fairly common. The average career span of an NFL player is about four years, so I'm sure not every guy's time in the NFL is pleasant.

From his highlight reel on youtube, he's definitely got a good first step, and knows how to take advantage of the pressure and blocking that his d linemates are bringing. But, like most d line prospects, it will depend on how well he transitions to the next level, when the quality of o linemen he will be facing week in and week out will increase dramatically.

I really like RGIIII, but unless he changes his playing style he'll be the next Vick. I think what really did Vick in was the amount of hits he took over time. They start adding up, and it looks like they're already starting to add up for RGIII

This is the beginning of a long injury history for RGIII unless he gets smarter about when he runs. The NFL isn't college and he's going to get hurt if he thinks he can keep making spectacular runs against NFL safeties and linebackers. The only running QB in recent memory to have a long term successful career was Steve Young, and he only did it when he had to. Aaron Rodgers is the only other current QB that comes to mind that can run. When he runs, he almost always ends up running to the sideline or sliding. Running QB's sound exciting, but NFL defenses are just too big, fast and strong.

This is so much fun!! in a sad way, it makes up for a 6-10 season.

The whole post seems odd. I'm not sure what he means by "releasing control". To whom? He's the sole owner of the team. Any "releasing of control" would involve the NFL ownership paramaters. I'm not saying that changes arent' coming, but the "releasing control" bit seems a little far fetched. I think it's more about letting Gailey, Nix and the staff go and starting with a clean slate.

The whole post seems odd. I'm not sure what he means by "releasing control". To whom? He's the sole owner of the team. Any "releasing of control" would involve the NFL ownership paramaters. I'm not saying that changes arent' coming, but the "releasing control" bit seems a little far fetched. I think it's more about letting Gailey, Nix and the staff go and starting with a clean slate.

I think the blurb on Twitter is bogus, but the King mention is probably credible. Plus, this HC job is fairly attractive. There is some talent on this team. What's needed is a QB with enough consistency, and a staff that can take advantage of the rest of the talent that's there.

I know it's Pro Football Talk, but in this rare instance, it make sense: "Coaches who think they’ll possibly be in line for one of the many looming coaching vacancies are commencing the process of lining up potential coaching staffs while preparing for the final game of the regular season. And that necessarily creates distractions for assistant coaches who are currently working for playoff teams, since they’ll be among the most desirable candidates for jobs. For example, in Denver we’re told that offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio are each getting their ducks in a row, in the event that they are asked to interview for jobs during the upcoming bye week (if, of course, the Broncos earn a bye). In Cincinnati, the same thing is happening with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. The earliest they’ll be available to interview, however, would be after wild-card weekend. This creates a current land rush for potential assistant coaches to be hired by the potential head coaches, and it likewise creates a dilemma for the potential assistant coaches, who will be pulled in different directions and forced to prioritize (assuming they’re even being completely honest) about where they will go if a certain assistant gets hired as a head coach in a certain city. The end result is that it all becomes a mess — and the mess is bigger than usual this year, since there’s a belief that 10 or more jobs could come open." .....so as we can see, any coaching/GM changes that the Bills are going to make won't be done in a vacuum. I'm not arguing for or against firing Gailey/Nix, but it looks like things will be more chaotic than they have been in years. At least the offseason is going to be interesting!

I think a three year plan is possible only when the most important piece of the plan is in place: The QB. As much as I love Fitzy, he's just not the guy. He doesnt have the consistency to be a starting QB in the NFL. The rest of the team has some talent. Now, all they have to do is find a starter at the most critical position: QB. I'm not defending the current staff, because it's clear they need to move on, but if it were as simple as "just" getting a quality starter at QB, every team would be doing it. At this point, it might be better for the team to "reach" for a QB in the draft rather than bring in a free agent. The fish supposedly "reached" for Tannehill, and as of now it looks like it's working out for them. So the question is: Who do we reach for?

Actually, the proper way to refer to hated Dolphins is by their last name only. Real Bills fans block the first names out of their memory.

It's a very interesting article, but it does have a few holes in it. While there certainly is a "me first" mentality among some successful coaches in the league, that's not always the case. Up until this year, the Steelers have done quite well wth the loyalty concept. The players that buy into their system are usually treated quite well. Of course the downside is that they've kept some aging players on the team that should probably be let go. That being said, they've been successful for a long time through loyalty. I also don't think that Ryan is the only person in the mix in terms of who is making the personnel decisions. For example: I really doubt that he favored the aquisition of Tebow. He says all the right things, but Tebow doesn't fit their system at all. The other hole in the article is the lamenting tone. Pryce seems to be saying that today's NFL is somehow different that the recent past, and that's not true at all. The NFL has always had a cutthroat aspect to it. In any sport that's as competitive as football is, with the amount of money that's involved, there is always going to be a cold-hearted side to it, and I think that most of the people who work in the league understand that.

I hate the Pats as much as any other Bills fan, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize a good team when I see it. They're a good team, with balance on offense and a defense that seems to be coming together. The Texans couldn't run the ball, they couldn't throw the ball. And they have an offense that can do both. Their defense was picked apart by Brady, and it didn't matter what they tried to do. If they blitzed, he found the hot receiver almost every time. If they rushed four, he was able to go through his read progressions with plenty of time to spare. No amount of cheating can make that happen. That's their O-line just dominating. If they make it to the superbowl, I'll do what I've always done. I'll wait until the fourth quarter, hope the game is close, and hopefully watch them lose in some painful way, like a dropped pass or missed kick.

Every team has different code words, so I would doubt that "Kill Kill Kill" means the same thing with every team, or even the same thing with one team from week to week. Some teams have so much code talk that it's almost like a separate language, invented just for that season. And they have to keep changing the codes, because opposing teams will start figuring out what each code word means when they study film. I would bet that it's a real pain in the butt just trying to memorize the code words for each week.

I can see the posts now...........

Nice lively discussion here....but I still don't understand why anyone would expect Nix to say anything else. Whether he likes it or not, he's tied to both guys, and he'll never publicly express any misgivings he might have about them. I don't think any GM would do that, unless his team was 1-11, and even then he would try to put a positive spin on it. That's one of the things GMs get paid to do.

I've been to NFL games in Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Detroit and Philly. Rowdy fan behavior was about the same at all of these stadiums, and this is certainly not the first time someone has died at an NFL game. It's a sad fact that alcohol doesn't mix well with some people. However, that doesn't mute the pain that this young man's family is going through right now. They have a hole in their hearts that will never heal. They will be second-guessing themselves for the rest of their lives. They will be agonizing over what they should have done, or didn't do, to prevent it from happening. "Regret" will be a word that they will come to know very well. We should all remember to be sympathetic first and foremost. Then the discussion can move to what can be done to try to prevent this from happening again. I would suggest that during prime time games that alcohol be made as much of a non-factor as possible. No beer sales, and very limited tailgating. That won't solve the problem completely, but it will help.

I don't know if you were a fan "back in the day", but this is an argument that you'll never win. There were fans during the Super Bowl years who complained constantly because they were "only" going to the playoffs every year, and never won the Super Bowl. I would be at games and fans would be complaining that they weren't winning by a big enough margin. The only difference between then and now is that there was no significant internet, so no message boards.

Unfortunately, Jim Kelly did his share of whining also. The only difference is that the team was winning back then. Fitz was emotional about it and probably let his mouth get ahead of him. I'm not defending Fitz, but I understand why he said what he said. Ultimately, all Spikes has to do is point at the scoreboard.

I know that the Bills-Dolphins rivalry isn't really relevant anymore, but it always makes me feel better after a loss like this to know that the Dolphins, "WHO ARE A TEAM ON THE RISE WITH A GREAT YOUNG QB!", got thumped by a team that they were supposed to beat, since they were "POTENTIALLY A CONTENDER FOR THE AFC EAST!" I know it's bitter, but I'm taking it. After having seen so many great games against the Fish, I at least have my memories!