Bmwolf21

Thank you.

With all the bad we've seen this half it's a little tougher to be optimistic, but that really is good news. In terms of the game situation we're in good shape heading into the 2nd half. I'm really disappointed with the play of the O-line, specifically Peters; Trent has looked very average; Marshawn has looked good on some plays and bad on others; the run defense is also rolling Jekyll-and-Hyde; and the clock management seemed shaky at the end of the half. We have to play one half of decent football to escape with a win.

Agreed.

Lots of reasons, not just the weather. A big part is the economy and the timing around the holidays, IMO. Less disposable income around that time of the year, people traveling for holiday stuff, etc. Please stop flirting with me.

Nice try at hyperbole, but we don't play in Alaska. We're also not the Bears - THANK GOD. The economic standpoint stuff matters not. Buffalo IS NOT getting a Super Bowl, dome or no dome. Most fans can handle sitting in the snow and cold for three hours. Maybe some princesses can't, but that's no reason to build a dome. I also don't care how hard some people's mothers think it is to throw in RWS. If they're not lining up under center, I couldn't care less about their opinion. Players and fans have to be tough to hack it in Orchard Park in November - January. So if a player can't hack it in a home playoff game in January, get rid of him.

Well he's clearly on pace to be an elite QB, then.

Rack him. Just stop with the dome crap. This is frigging Buffalo. We don't need no stinking domes. Hell, they should get rid of the field house and practice bubble. If the players can't hack it in the cold, then trade their azzes to Arizona. We don't need 'em.

He was crying all the way to the bank.

All in all it has been a pretty solid offseason for the Slugs. Locked up Miller and Pominville, added Rivet and found a new backup goalie, got away from Donner the Hutt's Amerks disaster, stocked Portland with some very good young players, and are set to unveil the third jerseys with the original crest on Saturday...at the risk of starting a flame war, the only way to seal the deal is moving Max and adding a reliable second-line center.

Is he hanging out with Mark Ingram?

In Jerry's eyes, maybe. Despite Jerry's massive ego believing otherwise, Jerry doesn't really speak for the entire league, so Jones pissing and moaning about Hochuli from his owner's box does not necessarily equate to "he's one of the most criticized refs in the league."

On a somewhat related note, there was a good story around the Olympics about how Michael Redd drove from Milwaukee to Chicago after practice to interview with Jerry Colangelo for a spot on Team USA basketball: For a scheduled meeting with USA Basketball chief Jerry Colangelo last winter, he drove from Milwaukee to Chicago after a Bucks practice and then jumped into a rest room to change into a suit for the interview. "I wanted to dress the part," Redd says. I'd say that it never hurts to overdress a little, rather than under-dress.

Good point about the zip on the ball in bad weather. Obviously the two bad-weather games he struggled in last year were much worse conditions than your garden-variety winter games, but it will be interesting to see if he can make adjustments to be effective in the late November/early December Buffalo conditions. Fair enough. My point was that if Trent can add "improved arm strength" to his current skill set, it will go a long way toward propelling him to "elite QB" status. Obviously there are/have been QB's with passable arms and excellent skill sets in other areas, and I'm not saying he needs to have a Jeff George/JP rocket arm, but improving his arm strength is something he can do and in all likelihood won't hurt his game.

No one is saying he sucks because he doesn't have a JP arm, and no one is saying that we have to pick one or the other. I think what a lot of us are saying is that while Trent has shown exceptional abilities in the areas you mentioned (plus a couple others) - reading defenses, quick release, good decision-making, taking care of the ball, and putting it in a good spot for the receiver -- his arm is passable but nothing to write home about. But like Marcia Brady, Trent can continue working on his mechanics and improve his arm strength, and having a stronger arm can only help his play.

No problemo.

Here's the link.

Orwellian concerns aside, one would think this program could get pretty expensive. How big would the fines have to be to cover costs?

Someone posted a link last week about what Peerless is doing now, and he said he got a call from the Browns last week when Donte Stallworth went down in the warmups. I think he also got a call from Seattle as well. EDIT: here's the quote (thanks to Beerball for posting the story): "After the surgery and rehab, the Doctor told me that he would give me the OK to play again, but that if I wasn't in a financial need to play that I should consider retiring. "Al Wilson retired this week because of the same thing, a neck injury. Everyone I know says that I shouldn't play again, but I'm still working out every day and running routes every morning still wanting to play again. "I still have a desire to play. I just don't think that I could play 80 to 90 snaps a game like I have for all these years. Financially I don't need to play anymore. We got a call last week from the Browns when Donte Stallworth got hurt. But, I haven't been cleared to play and I just don't know that I'm going to play again. Seattle also called last week, but I will not play that far away from home. If I'm going to be laid up because of football, I want it to happen on this coast." LINK

Yeah that was ridiculous. After Simms' third or fourth annoying "Stuttering John" impression I had enough and tapped out. Good post, and WRT the bolded section - that should give everyone hope that Trent will be able to work on his mechanics, get his hips and core involved, and improve his arm strength a la Marcia Brady.

You seem to have some serious issues with Ed's physique. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

That link was obnoxious as !@#$.

Great, so our choices are bad (Mets) and worse (Jays)? Awesome.

This makes me think that Jones is just running off at the mouth: "He feels sick," Pereira said. "He's one of the most respected officials in NFL history; he's refereed two Super Bowls. He made a terrible mistake." and "I hope this doesn't counter everything he's done for 17 years," said Pereira. "We won't fine him, we won't suspend him. He'll be graded for his effort, just like everyone else. And he'll be back on the field on Sunday." LINK

I voted Mets, because I looked at Syracuse's recent history while being affiliated with Toronto and was underwhelmed to say the least. No division titles since 1989, no league championships since 1976, while the Zephyrs (NY Mets' last AAA team) won a division and conference championship in 2007. I also don't like the Jays.