JohnC

Last year, I had Center Ice I stopped watching the Sabres after the first half of the season. What was worse than being atrocious was that they were boring to watch. This year, I will again purchase the Center Ice. I may be foolish in my optimism but I do see the makings of a more entertaining product. The era of the Kaleta type player is over with. Teams can't any longer afford to include palooka players on their rosters. Kaleta was an earnest player who had no talent. Thankfully, that era vanished with the inception of modern hockey that for the most part has banished thuggery. For the neanderthals who still enjoy that brand of criminal play they should watch wrestling. I don't give a dam what anyone else thinks fighting should be banned!

Acting is a talent. When it is done by the home team embrace it; when it is done by the opposition be outraged. Sports are like politics: One's view is very much determined by what side of the fence you are standing on. Tribalism overwhelms objectivity.

You will shortly be getting a combative response from the Creek that is Crippled.

Just because the Brits have an antipathy toward the Irish that doesn't mean that they don't relish their Hibernian beer. Not having an affinity for certain people doesn't exclude you from having a taste for their brew. Are you aware that you are equivocating?

Lower standards for the home team players is acceptable if done sparingly.

I don't have a diagnosis but I do have a remedy: Stay away from this board. It has a lot of unlikable and unsavory characters.

This team was desperate for finishers. Because of injuries Okposo was not able to train the way he normally does last offseason. If he can regain his form that would be a big bonus. https://www.nhl.com/video/skinners-terrific-backhand-tally/t-277350912/c-59224703

You didn't direct the domestic abuse law to me but it has become standard practice that if the police are called to a domestic abuse call and there appears to be an assault the police are required to make an arrest. If they don't and in the aftermath there is a followup assault the police who responded to the original call will have criminal liability. The woman who was abused reached out to a number of people including the wife of the HC coach and the wives of the assistant coaches. There was systemic abuse going on. From what I understand it went back to the Urban Florida stint. I also learned that Meyer's wife is a professor in the nursing department. Nurses are required, in many if not most jurisdictions, to report to the authorities when they suspect that a domestic abuse situation is involved with their patient. Whether the reporting clause in Urban's contract was in effect is in question. What isn't in question is that Urban and his wife were aware for a long time that this woman was being abused. He is saying otherwise. Without referring to the legal issue it is not unfair to say that he didn't live up to a basic moral code. The victim is the wife. Many people didn't do right by her.

The situation with Urban is not very complex. The contract he signed stipulates that he is required to report cases of domestic abuse. Did he abide by the terms of the contract that he signed? That's what the investigation is going to determine. Do you know who isn't complaining about him being placed on administrative leave? Urban Meyer. He said it is the right thing to do so the facts can be determined. You may be outraged at how the process is working but that's your problem. The process he agreed to is the process he is being subjected to.

In general I would say no. As you noted the degree of injuries would be a consideration in this case. If the victim sought medical attention the medical staff (I believe in most jurisdictions) are required to report it to the police. In this case there is an absolute minimum that should have happened: (assuming the reported facts are true) Meyer should have taken immediate action by sidelining the coach and reporting it to a higher authority such as the AD. In that way a further investigation of the facts could have sooner taken place. I'm not gratuitously or casually making a judgment here. Urban knew the family and he knew the grandfather, Bruce Earle, of the coach. So I'm not going to automatically harshly condemn him. But in this case (in my view) the onus is on Meyer to more officially handle this issue by at the reporting it to a higher authority. Meyer is paid a lot of money and he has plenty of clout in the athletic department. When you have almost unlimited authority you should be held responsible to take the appropriate action with your immediate staff i.e. the staff that he personally hired.

WTF are you talking about?

He is not fired. He's placed on administrative leave until the facts come out. How else are you going to do it? If it comes out that he knew about the assaults and didn't take action then he should be held accountable. There is nothing inappropriate of placing someone on an administrative leave while an investigation is being conducted. So I don't know what you find so objectionable with what is going on. This isn't a complicated case for Urban. If it is brought to his attention that a coach with a history of domestic violence is again accused of domestic violence then Urban, who runs the football program, is obligated to take some action. He doesn't have to summarily fire the coach but he could/should suspend the coach until he finds out what happened.

I have a different perspective from you on the cost paid to get Allen. This brain trust was all in on getting a franchise qb in this draft. It started with last year's trade with KC to move down to get an extra first round pick. There was also the trade of Cordy Glenn to Cincinnati to move up the board. The Bills dealt Watson to LA Rams to get a second. When all the trade deals are calculated we used the extra picks that we acquired to put ourselves in a position to get our franchise qb prospect. The concluding trade in all these transactions was giving up two second round picks to make the Allen selection. So when all is said and done in the first three rounds we had three picks, two firsts and a third. The players added were Allen, Edmunds and Harrison Phillips. What makes it even more reasonable is that no picks were dealt from next year's draft. So the bottom line is we acquired (hopefully) our franchise qb and still had a full draft this year and so next year. In my opinion that is terrific wheeling and dealing.

Excellent analysis and post as usual. When McDermott took over it was with the intention of rebuilding the roster and also the organization. It was never going to be a quick fix project. That would be a fantasy. I still consider this a four year project. The team that McDermitt inherited was stripped with the emphasis directed toward the defense. Our big expenditures in the offseason were for Star, Murphy and Davis. Last year our defensive backfield was completely revamped. It's certainly not surprising that a defensive coach starts his rebuild on the defensive side of the ball. As you noted the offense has a very shallow talent base. That is not going to be fixed in one or two years. It's going to take time. The key to successfully constructing an effective offense is getting a legitimate franchise qb. Hopefully, that acquisition was made with the drafting of Allen. Will the offense struggle this year? Probably so, because our OL and receiver corps are so bland. What I'm hoping to see from Dabol this year is adapting better to the talent he has to work with. Most coaches in the pros can do a reasonably good job working with talent. The better coaches can adjust to their roster limitations and adequately make it work. I'm not expecting miracles. I want to see Allen smartly handled and an offense that can be run competently.

Putting aside the discussion over individual players what I would like to see from this organization is stability in the coaching ranks. The coaching change on defense from the Schwartz to Buddy was dramatic. Again, without discussing the talent on offense the repeated changes from Hackett, Roman and Dennison and their different systems not only didn't promote the talent on the roster it accentuated its weaknesses. I'm not a believer in a particular system because a variety of systems work in this league. One of the primary factors keeping this franchise mired in mediocrity is this repeated lurching back and forth with different systems. What McDermott has done mostly on defense is install a system and bring in players to fit that system. It seems that this offseason he has concentrated more on the defensive side of the ball to bring in players to match what he wants to run. Without question the offense is behind in the installation process compared to the defense. But with some coaching stability on that side of the ball I foresee the offense having a direction to build on. My sense of Dabol is that he isn't wedded to a system. I see him having a more eclectic approach toward running an offense. The longer he stays with the organization the more he can add on to his base offense. What this team doesn't need is for him to shuffle off after a short stint.

Why do you consider him arrogant?

I know I am opening myself to ridicule but I usually drink Light Beer. Amstel Light is in my fridge. I'm well aware that I am a minor league drinker who will never make it to the majors. I'm a peasant who will never be bumped up to a higher class. Not only do I know the lane I am driving in I'm also very comfortable with my downtrodden status.

I have tried. I just can't hack the wretched stuff. My first experience with that thick fluid was in an Irish bar filled with brogue accented alcohoholics. I nearly puked. The Irish inhabitants at the pub snickered and sneered at such amateurish behavior. I am forever biased against it.

Gunner is an all-star on this board. No one is beyond making misjudgments especially when one is so willing to enter the ever shifting arena of opinions. His batting average is at the top, or near the top, in this league made up of opinionated speculators. The only problem I have with him is his over the pond accent. He needs to Americanize it more so he can be understood. He's a good fellow who drinks that dark drudge called Guinness. That is an ugly brew!

Are you equivocating? Didn't you say that he was going to start right from the start?

Murph needs to check with the lost and found booth. He seems to have lost his neck? You are vindictive and merciless. Let your gambling partner go and show grace. Didn't you go to a Catholic College? Playing the odds it would be McCarron starting with Allen as the backup. The real bet is predicting what game will Allen get the starting nod or not?

You are fomenting trouble. That's what provocateurs do!

You like watching squabbles! No need to watch Jerry Springer and the girl fights when you can see the cat fights on this board. ?

I don't consider Benjamin a number #1 receiver. He can be a good number #2 receiver. My concern with him is that from college to the pros he was never known to be a worker. This year he is playing for a contract and should be motivated. What happens if he earns a big boy contract based on this season? Does he then fall into the Dareus syndrome of comfort andlassitude after he has secured a golden contract?

I mistakenly was thinking of John Kitna who was drafted in 1996 and played in the league for a number of teams until 2013. My mistake. Vagabond qbs have a tendency to look alike. ?