MattM

That's part of the point--like this year, when many have us as a rising team, quite possibly 2nd in the AFCE, that's exactly who the frontrunner would want after the bye. (Us or the Nyets, and no way that happens since the NY media would rip it apart.). Remember my example above of them getting the Fish after the bye, too, the year after the Fish took the division. This stinks to high heaven, as most things involving the Cheats* does.....

It's actually pretty easy--division games are the most valuable games (divisional tie breakers, for ex.), so you'd just about always want a bye against one, preferably your closest competitor if you're division frontrunner. Perhaps that's why the Cheats(must never forget the asterisk)* broke their Bills post-bye streak with the Fins a few years ago the year after Miami won the division.....

Plus one......

I believe it was 4 in a row actually. Odds of that happening randomly--about 4,000 to 1. Someone really ought to investigate this. If I recall correctly after our 4 years in a row (years like this year more often than not when folks thought (wrongly as it turns out) that we were the biggest threat to the Pats*) the cheats got the Fins after their bye--of course that was after Miami had won the AFCE the year prior. Something's rotten in Denmark....

Would love to see it be a non-holiday Sunday nighter--I may go to that one as well in such case.....

Well saiid.....

Plus one--despite some of his foibles, I enjoyed reading his columns, perhaps as a tie to both my youth and hometown, both long since gone. He also seemed like a good guy, so I, too, wish him well in his retirement....

Plus 1--I've lived in the NYC area more or less since the mid-80's and agree that there are few casual Bills fans here. In fact, we're all somewhat of a curio to the native locals....

Interesting comments to that article (these days often more interesting than the article itself), particularly the one by a woman who was at WSU when Leaf was and who says he was an incredible jerk when there. Reminds me of the story making the rounds about Leaf around the time he came out when he allegedly tried to put the moves on some other NFL QB's wife, telling her her hubby was washed up and Leaf was the new sheriff in town or some such. I don't wish him ill, but what goes around comes around. Sounds like karma's whacked him, but good. If that story is true, it would be funny for him to run into that QB and his wife today.....

He's also only 21 years old this past December, IIRC. That bodes well for (a) an even better 2012, as he grows into his body and (b) a steep physical performance curve with some upside left. (Fingers crossed, touching wood), I think they may have potentially hit a real home run here last year....

In my recollection, yes, it is. In the past they've always seemed to have gotten more than their share of comp picks (kind of like getting to play us off the bye week an astounding 4 years in a row (mathematical odds of that happening by accident, about 4,000 to 1), but that may have just been my opinion.....

I'd love to see us trade back about 10 spots, pick up an extra 2, grab Martin or Adams in the 1st, and go OLB and WR with the two 2's and BPA thereafter (which hopefully includes a CB and TE somewhere in Rds 3-5).....

Great column that put into words how a lot of us feel--many thanks.....

After the last couple of days only one thing to say---Group Hug!!!

Plus 12 to the power of infinity......

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/14/mario-williams-is-scheduled-to-leave-buffalo-tonight/

Maybe they did--someone in the shoutbox referenced a Bucky Gleason tweet about "watch for around 5 or 6 so they can go on the air live with the breaking news". Take it FWIW....

May mean Peyton is headed to Miami--I'd read somewhere this week that he didn't want to play with Brandon....

That's what I'm starting to think, too. Either that, or Coy needs the attention now that he's no longer in the NFL....

5 of Mincey's 8 sacks came against a bad Colts team last year if I recall correctly--not worth that dough to me....

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/12/remaining-2011-cap-space-by-team/ This might help us this year, should we actually have an interest in spending in FA (unlikely, but a guy can dream, can't he?).....

Some interesting thoughts. On further reflection, and factoring in time/number of plays into the equation, I back off my original conclusion slightly considering that a great pass rusher will get about a sack and a pressure or two a game on average, meaning that if a QB goes back 30 times in a game and the pass rusher plays on 20-25 of those plays he gets to the QB only about 10% to 20% of the time he's in the game vs a CB who, while he only shuts down one QB option, can do that repeatedly on a larger percentage of the opposition's passing plays....

Sorry if this idea has been posted before, but it struck me recently that despite the fact that both CB and DE/pass rushing OLB are high cost players the smart play strategy-wise is to go for the DE/OLB over the CB largely because at most a shutdown corner can only take up to 1/3rd of a QB's options out of a play on any given play while all a DE/OLB has to do is win his matchup to get to the QB. Basically, all you need is one DL or LB to beat his man and get to the QB to either force a sack or a bad throw while the best a corner can do is take away a portion of the available options for the QB to throw to. Seems like an asymmetrical payout to me. In light of that, I'm not sure why teams go CB before they go DE/OLB. As noted in the title thread that may be symptomatic of weak strategy over the years on the part of the Bills, who seem to love drafting CBs high in the draft. Thoughts?

I'd like to think I'd know if I had a brother....

That's funny, my daughter was born that same day. I watched the extra innings at home with my in-laws that night after leaving the hospital....