JohnC

I wasn't able to watch the first two periods. How did Guhle play? And how did Hundwick play? The part of the game that I watched Ullmark was outstanding.

Griffin is on the roster. It is a good situation for the organization because they can have an offense geared to both players. Griffin is not going to be sought out by any other team to be a starter. So the wise move is to stay with the Ravens and if Jackson gets hurt or struggles he would be the next man up.

The problem with this type of suggestive plate is if the driver robbed a bank plenty of witnesses would be able to remember the license plate and correctly give it to the police. And it a woman was driving the car at every red light someone would yell out and say look at that c*nt.

When you watch the condensed games clip it is reinforced how well Hutton played in this game. Other than that one mishap give away he was outstanding. If one watches the Sabres on a regular basis you can see Dahlin steadily being more involved in the offense.

Can you refer me to your trainer because he does miraculous work? ?

If I were giving out stars for the Sabres Hutton would get the first star for us and Jack would get my second star. The Capitals were the stronger and better team. However, if this is a measuring stick game it again shows that the Sabres can keep up with the best teams. The Capitals are again going to be serious contenders for the Cup. I don't understand why Pilut didn't play. I thought Jack was the best player on the ice. We were fortunate to get a point. I'll take it. Plenzmd1, I think I saw you on TV. Are you bald, have a big nose and elephant sized ears and weigh around 325 lbs? It appears you sweat a lot because when on camera you glistened.

If you want to endear yourself to Bill from NYC tell him you hate the Tide and that you want the Bills to use their first round pick on a CB. I'm sure he will give you a man hug and buy you a beer. Or just maybe he might punch you in the mouth and throw the beer into your face. He's a sensitive southern soul. ?

What system would be better suited for him? I was listening to a radio show talking about coaches and which position coaches are the most important. The person made the point that the OL coach is the most important coach and the most sought out. Coaching changes and system changes have been the bane of this fluctuating franchise.

Is John Miller irredeemable? What happened to him? I thought he was going to be a solid pro. Is he in the wrong system or simply not good enough?

Empirical evidence indicates you may be right. As they say on the street it meets the smell test.

If the ventilation system wasn't working properly I would have suspended your card for 60 days.

For some people this is the sound of music: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fart+sounds&view=detail&mid=5D9FBE91DC3A7973561B5D9FBE91DC3A7973561B&FORM=VIRE

I always have this fear about him when I watch him play: Getting hurt. He's a tough guy and an enforcer. However, I don't want him to get in fights and increase his risk for getting hurt. I said this in a prior post but with the return of Bogo, the drafting of Dahlin and the addition of Pilut added to McCabe and Risto you can see a good unit forming. And if you consider that Guhle is in the short pipeline then that back unit is starting to emerge. You make an excellent observation about the passing. Paul Hamilton from WGR has often stated in prior years that this team was the worst passing team in the league. He pointed out that it was a reflection of the lack of talent. This team certainly can pass. In my opinion the two best passers are Dahlin and Reinhart. Reinhart's saucer pass to Jack for the Skinner score was exquisite. As you pointed out last year's team was unwatchable. I stopped watching them last year. It was gruesome to consume. This year for the most part the games are entertaining. What makes them watching is that players like Jack, Skinner, Dahlin, etc make top shelf plays that are to be admired and enjoyed.

This game wasn't especially entertaining but it was a good workmanlike game. The Sabres played a tight game. As with almost every game we received solid goaltending. The pass from Reinhart to Jack to Skinner for the score was a beauty to behold. Few players could make that saucer pass to start the scoring play. Getting Skinner to finish plays was a bonanza for this team and for Jack. Bogo is a tough player. He plays a hard and rugged game. But it shouldn't be forgotten that he can skate and pass so he really fits in well with Housley's defensive scheme. Mittlestadt has recently struggled but in this game he and his line played well. Okoposo was really feisty in this game. If this line could click a little more on offense it would give this team a boost. Tage shows glimpses of how much offensive talent he has. He can skate and shoot. He is also putting in the effort to play a solid defensive game. In or year or two when this young guy physically matures from having a lanky body to a more muscular body he is going to be a very good player for us. He's only 20 yrs old so the future is bright. I don't see Pilut going back down to Rochester even when McCabe and Scandella return. He's really impressive and very poised. Our defensive unit with Risto, Dahlin, Bogo, Pilut and McCabe form a very good unit. Housley has a group that fits in with the style of play he wants to install. And don't forget about Guhle in Rochester.

I'm the Forrest Gump of TBD. You can mock and ridicule me all you want. It won't affect me because I'm too dense to absorb the barbs. And I like chocolate.

When you figure out the joke would you please let me in on it. I feel left out. It's not surprising because I am easy to befuddle. What was cracked more the cup or the nuts?

It's an obscure rule in the rule book. Puck ricocheting off the ref's nuts is not permissible. https://deadspin.com/goal-disallowed-after-puck-ricochets-off-unfortunate-re-1831030475

Botterill was much more thoughtful than the crackpot Murray. It's not surprising that Botterill used his first year to thoroughly analyze the operation from top to bottom, including the minor league system. After the review he made a series of moves. I point this out simply as a contrast to Murray. Of course we both can agree that you have to have an eye for talent. As you noted it doesn't take too much talent to select Dahlin in this draft or Eichel in his draft. One of the differences between Botterill and Murray is that Botterill is less reactive when making a personal decision. I still can't get over giving up a first round pick for Lehner, a goalie that Ottawa probably wasn't even going to keep. Another major difference between the GMs is that I believe that Botterill is very much committed to player development more so than Murray. I always seriously consider what you are saying. I then take the opposite position. I find that very comforting. My motto is: What would Shrader do?/ Then do the opposite.

It's indisputable that the Bills need to improve the OL. Few will argue over something so blatantly obvious. But the market for free agent linemen is going to be challenging. There are a number of teams with Jacksonville most prominent and a host of others who will be vying for linemen and bidding up the price. My sense is that we will have to use both the draft and free agency to upgrade the line. As I said in the prior post the main focus of the offseason should be putting the young qb we invested in to be in the best position to succeed. First and foremost that is upgrading our OL.

Thank you for your kind comment. The reality is my knowledge about hockey compared to some of the other people who post here is at best superficial. But it is fun and rewarding to follow a team that has a plan and is executing it. The organization is being run by a GM who has a road map and a vision that you can see it being intelligently implemented. In the past number of years the Sabres were unwatchable. Decisions seemed to be made on an ad hoc and short term basis. That's not the case now. You can disagree with some of the decisions but at least there is an understandable rationale for them. Now this is a competitive team with an upside. And they are fun to watch. I'm hoping that the Bills can follow the same script.

The bigger mistake that was made was not bringing in a veteran qb right from the start to tutor and guide him. I'm glad that he got playing time this year. It will certainly serve him well in his development. But if you recall when he first played he was somewhat overwhelmed. To a certain extent he getting hurt allowed him more time to sit back and observe and continue to learn so that when he got back in action he was better prepared to play.

They also produce a lot of offensive linemen which is the Frentz's specialty.

If this organization doesn't act with dispatch this offseason to upgrade the OL and acquire some younger, tough inside the tackle runners they will be making a big mistake. The Bills made a major investment to acquire this physically strapping qb. The major theme of our offseason is to put him in a position to succeed. I agree with K-9's assessment that it is obvious that he is steadily improving with his pocket presence as he plays more. His playing time this season should better equip him for next season. But he has a long road to go before he can become a consistent qb.

I'm a believer in JA. But that is not to say that I'm confident that he is going to be a good franchise qb. I just don't know for sure whether he will ever be able to proficiently make the reads and go through progressions? Will he be able to make throws with the appropriate touch? The trap with judging a qb with such eye popping tools is that you don't know if the physical tools will be harnessed with the mental side of the position, the most important part of playing the position. What Barkley demonstrated in the Jet game is that if you know how to play the position and have good accuracy then for the short term even a qb with limited throwing talents can get by. With physical limitations you are not going to be a long term solution but you can see the difference between a more refined qb from a raw qb.

I like this Iowa TE a lot. I don't see him as a first round pick. More likely a third round selection but possibly a second round pick.