Albany,n.y.

Rackers recently signed a long term deal with Arizona

One rule of gambling is never take somrthing at 100/110 odds with a 50-50 shot of being right.

There's a way around this. He can be cut & re-signed. Once he is cut, his contract is voided and he can be signed for the minimum or anything above minimum. Since he'll have 4 years in, he is not subject to waivers-he's a free agent who can sign with any team-including the Bills. Years ago the Bills cut Tasker for a game with a side deal he'd re-sign on Monday. If MW is willing to take a pay cut, he can stay with the Bills. Here's the definition of waivers. It was taken from a site that referenced 1999, although it quotes it comes from 2005: The following explanation was found in the 2005 NFL Record & Fact Book. "The waiver system is a procedure by which player contracts or NFL rights to players are made available by a club to other clubs in the league. During the procedure, the 30 other clubs either file claims to obtain the players or waive the opportunity to do so - thus the term "waiver." Claiming clubs are assigned players on a priority based on the inverse of won-and-lost standing. The claiming period is three business days from the beginning of the League Year through April 30, 10 days from May 1 through the last business day before July 4, and 24 hours after July 4 through the conclusion of the regular season. If a player passes through waivers unclaimed, he becomes a free agent. All waivers are no recall and no withdrawal. Under the CBA, from the beginning of the waiver system each year through the trading dealine (October 19 1999), any veteran who has acquired four years of pension credit is not subject to the waiver system if the club desires to release him. After the trading deadline, such players are subject to the waiver system."

The best solution might be to follow the Patriots philosophy no matter what you think of your starting QB. That is draft a late rounder virtually every year & hope you find a gem. The Patriots have drafted 5 QBs on day 2 in the last 7 years. So far only Brady has worked out, which considering the rounds picked, that isn't bad. Since the odds of getting a decent player in the 6th or 7th are less than 10% (source Casserly when he took Henson to trade his rights & said a 6th rounder is 10% ) why not try for a QB just about every year & see what happens. Most of the time the 6th & 7th round guys only last a year or 2 anyway.

The hidden danger is that if you're counting on a bust, but don't realize he's a bust, you don't draft his replacement. If JP busts & we don't draft a mid round QB or 2 this year, I'm going to join the angry mob calling for TD's firing.

Let's go back to 1998. Rob Johnson gets hurt, doesn't play much after Flutie takes over. 1999, Flutie starts the regular season & Johnson starts the last regular season game & the playoff game at Tennessee. So at the end of the 1999 season, the team feels pretty comfortable at QB, because they think Rob is going to be a good starter & Flutie a darn good backup. Add Van Pelt to the mix & they're all smiles at QB, looking for another QB is the furthest thing from their minds. Now let's change the scenario: Say Wade believes in his "Wade Phillips/Rob Johnson era" He starts Rob as soon as he's ready in 1998 and starts him in 1999. Eric Moulds gets pissed. In 1999 Price joins him as a disgruntled WR. At some point something becomes obvious to Wade-Rob is a bust and Flutie is the immediate future at QB, with a need for a developmental QB of the future. Fast forward to the 2000 draft. The Bills feel Flutie can get the job done, and AVP can be his backup. So say in about the 5th or 6th round they take a shot at a QB who, with proper coaching, could develop into Flutie's replacement. So, in the 5th round there are 2 "maybe" QBs on the board. Marc Bulger & Tom Brady. Butler, decides to take a flyer on 1 of them, let's say Brady. Now fast forward to 2005. We haven't spent 1st rounders on Bledsoe & Losman & who knows how good we are with an OL & DL taken with those 1st rounders. Reality again-we're in 2005, not playing JP Losman. Say we continue to hang in the division race, because the division is so bad-not because we're any good, we don't know what we've got at QB. Say JP is a bust, but gets lucky by playing lights out the last game of the season against a run for the bus Jets team. Suddenly, JP is 1999 Rob, and we're set at QB with JP & Holcomb. We don't draft any QBs. Meanwhile, around round 5, there are 2 NFL future starting QBs, maybe even a future HOFer. We're fat & happy at QB and instead, choose a player like Sammy Morris in the 5th or a Leif Larsen clone in the 6th. It's now 2011 and the Bills still suck. That's the hidden danger in not knowing if your young QB is good or a bust-due to lack of playing time. Obviously the danger is real if he is a bust, because not only do you delay finding out by seeing him in a game or two-where he actually might play well, but you miss out on the gem that could actually solve the QB situation. For the long term good of the team, JP must play at least 6 more games, so we can devise a plan for the QB spot, one way or another.

Wow, things are so bad that college teams can acquire our top free agent. It hasn't been this bad since we lost Cousineau to the CFL. What is Nate thinking?

It's painful to say this, but I expect Miami to have a better record than the Bills at the end of the season, so it may not matter if NE ties us, because if they do, the Dolphins will win the division. If JP plays well in the 2nd half, we know we've got a QB. If JP plays like he did in games 2-4, we know we have to have a plan in case JP is a bust. If Holcomb starts most of the remaining games, we know nothing about what to do with the QB position.

So far Holcomb hasn't done any better than JP in the W-L column. We've played 3 games at home we would have had a tough time losing & won all 3. JP started the 1st & Holcomb started the other 2. Big deal that Holcomb keeps the road games closer. This reminds me of the days when the Bills' head coach said "We keep beating ourselves, but we're getting better at it"

DeMulling was so bad Detroit benched him earlier this year. I don't know if he's back in their lineup or not, but the stats posted above show him only playing in 5 games. We were in a lose-lose situation with Tucker's replacement.

I'd draft a LT, not a DT. Look at available free agents. DTs are available every year if you're willing to pay the going rate for upper echelon DTs. LTs are franchised and almost never hit the free agent market. We need a top LT, and it looks like the only way to get one is grow your own-through the draft. That's also usually true at QB, although a QB can be obtained in trade more often than a LT can. Be very wary of giving up an early rounder for another team's backup who has played well in limited action. Over the years teams have given up high picks for the likes of original mid-late round draftees like Matt Robinson (Denver from Jets), Rob Johnson , and last year Miami gave what turned out to be a very high 2nd for A.J. Feeley, who has already been jettisoned. When you have as many holes as the Bills do, you can rebuild quickly if you're willing to put a plan together that recognizes which positions can be filled by free agents and which position must be filled in the draft. LT is one position that must be filled in the draft. Therefore, with a rich LT draft, the Bills must go LT in the 1st round. If a decent DT is left in the 2nd draft him, but first, look to the free agent market to upgrade the D line. I also think we have to get JP at least 4-6 more games this year, because if he doesn't show more than his 1st 4 games, the team better be willing to get a new QB of the future ASAP.

You lost me at the GM likes the weak coach part. When will you people get it through your skulls that TD has to choose his coaches handcuffed by Ralph Wilson's self imposed salary cap on coaches.

That's as funny as the Bills making the AFC championship game. Even I'm laughing at some of my predictions. I'm really rooting for Eli top bail me out.

Coughlin's 1st choice was always the Giants and unless the Giants turned him down, he wasn't about to come to Buffalo. I'm pretty sure he had a deal done with the Giants before Mularkey was named Bills coach.

While I was totally wrong on the Bills, check out my prediction for the Super Bowl http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?showtopic=29869

It's on Two Bills Drive homepage. Part 2 today, part 1 yesterday.

Anything cannot happen. Ive repeated this many times over the years. In the 39 year history of the Super Bowl no team has ever played in the game that was not within 2 wins of best record in the conference. Will it happen someday-probably only when a team with a superstar QB gets into the playoffs when said superstar QB has missed at least 4 games which were losses. Outside of that, I doubt the 0 for 78 streak will end. Anything can happen in the playoffs-HOGWASH!!!!

Best mid season report on the Bills. Tells it like it is & doesn't sugar coat things. I really liked the parts where he calls out the players who don't belong in the NFL or the starting lineup.

I've watched Wonderlics for years and I've come to one conclusion: You need more data to properly judge a players intelligence than just his score on the Wonderlic. Some problems that exist are that some of the real low scores are caused by players blowing off the test or some minor reading disabilty that shows up on a test like the Wonderlic, but has no effect on the player's intelligence or abilty to learn plays. An example of a guy with a false low Wonderlic is Randy thomas who had a single digit Wonderlic but was an honor student & graduated from college-he just didn't want to waste his time on the wonderlic. Also, some high scores are suspect due to training for the test. Some agents coach their guys to get them higher scores. Two examples are Akili Smith & JP. Both scored low the 1st time they took the test and then got over 30 the next time. JP made up some lame excuse that he had to pee when he took it the 1st time. So, to call Peters dumb based on his Wonderlic may be totally inaccurate.

They also didn't expect their starter, Quincy Carter, to coke himself off the team.

What indications do you have that Geisinger is not another Dylan McFarland-a guy who lasts 1 season because he was a draft choice & gets cut next camp? I wouldn't put Geisinger anywhere near the field from what he showed in preseason. He definitely will NOT be starting next season-he was a friggin 6th round pick who has shown less than nothing. In fact I'm shocked he's still here. Now Peters was a pleasant surprise in his 1st NFL start, but keep him at RT for now. If we're experimenting, the long overdue move of Mike Williams at LT should be tried 1st. Moving Gandy to his natural guard position makes 100 times more sense than moving Geisinger into the lineup.

A few seasons ago, NE was faced with a half ending hail mary possibility. BB went to his 3rd stringer (I think it was Bishop, but I'm at work & I can't look it up) to throw the hail mary because he had the strongest arm of the QBs. I can't understand why Holcomb was in there to throw short & try laterals (which ended with a FORWARD lateral). Even if JP is benched, they needed his arm in that situation. PS: I was stuck listening to ESPN because our local Bills network station pulled the broadcast half way through the pregame show & field pass had the Patriot announcers on both team's link. Worst announcing job I've heard. Best examples: 1) Theisman rambling on about the play where Reed shuffled it back to Shaud & they got a yard or 2. Theisman criticized the play call saying it didn't get enough yardage. Mcguire let him ramble through the measurement-which Joe didn't even notice & then said-that was for a 1st down after Theisman ran out of air. 2) Willis gets tackled with a hit to his upper thigh & they call it a direct shot to his knee. There are a lot more, I'll hand it off to others.

WTF, they switched to ESPN radio & field pass has the Patriots broadcast!

I just tried it & it is the Patriots network on the Bills side. They're so deep into our backfield they've taken over the web broadcast. I blame Bennie Anderson!!!

Philly is only down by 7 going into the 4th quarter. I won't be surprised if they win the game after being trounced in the 1st half. Edit: Since it's now 42-21, I concede defeat.