JohnC

It's obvious why Dahlin's is the center of attention at this prospect camp. But the player I will be closely following is Nylander. He is still young and it is too early to make a judgment on him. But for the most part the reports on him have not been encouraging. The issue for me isn't whether he starts with the big club right away as it is whether he advances his game to the point that there is hope that he could be a good NHL player. Most of the reports on him from last year were that there was nothing special and distinguishable about his game that would translate well to the big club. Paul Hamilton of WGR, who I consider to be a fair minded evaluator of players, has on more than a few occasions commented on Nylander's play in Rochester. His general assessment is that he is very unimpressed with him. I find that to be very worrisome.

He's married now and has a child. The schedule for maturity is not the same for everyone. Some people are simply late bloomers. The problem with ROR is because of his personality he has a tendency to internalize pressure as compared to Jack the Ripper Eichel who is better at externalizing his frustrations and venting it out. As I have said before consistent losing can be corrosive. It can create an oppressive and dispiriting environment to work in. It might be better for ROR to be moved and have a fresh start somewhere else. However, if the trade value isn't there then he will stay. If that is the case then it will require him to suck it up and more positively channel his efforts.

What I know for sure is that Star is going to come into camp in shape. That can't be said for Dareus. What I also know for sure is that Star is going to be diligent in preparing to play. That can't be said for Dareus. What I know for sure is that Star is going to stay awake in the film room. That can't be said for Dareus. Moving Dareus sooner rather than later was the right thing for the team and for Dareus.

Winning at a regular rate will do a lot to invigorate a depleted personality. Your response has left me befuddled. I don't know what you are referring to?

What principle are you clinging to? You do what you have to do to get a deal done. If paying the bonus makes him easier to move then why be so resistant to that option? Our GM is not obligated to trade O'Reilly. If he can get a fair-value deal done then it will materialize. If he can't then O'Reilly will be kept. That in itself is not a bad option. What complicates getting a deal done has as much to do with the length of the contract coming back for a player that is already locked up. That's the challenge in making a deal. My sense is that JB wants to move ROR. But he is not going to move him for the sake of shaking things up and risking diminishing the roster. One factor causing pause to a deal is whether a young player such as Mittlestadt is ready to be a second line center and a replacement for ROR. I'm not so sure that he is. Very often what you don't do turns out to be better than what you could have done. I have no problem with keeping ROR and hope that his batteries get recharged.

Dareus was shipped out and Lotulellei was brought in. Without question Dareus is the more talented player. But being more talented doesn't mean that he is going to be more prepared and productive than the Carolina player who was brought in to replace him. Beane and McDermott want a roster populated with players who are mature and dedicated to their profession. In contrast the former Bama player had slothful work habits. Sadly to say Dareus in Buffalo didn't fit in within this regime's established parameters. I'm hoping that Dareus playing under Marrone will regain his form that made him one of the best interior linemen in the game. It wasn't happening here.

McDermott and Beane took over the operation with the intention of rebuilding the roster with their type of players/people. They wanted dedicated and self-motivated players who didn't need cajoling to practice and play with full effort. It is acknowledged that Dareus is a tremendous talent but clearly he can't be counted on to play to his abilities. I have no doubt that Dareus is much more talented than Star Lotulelei but not close to being as diligent and dependable than the former Panther is. Beane was able to draft Allen and Edmunds because he got picks for shedding some of his talented players and using those picks to maneuver to get these two highly touted prospects. And in rather short order the GM was able to put this team in a very good situation with respect to the cap. Next year this team is going to have a lot of cap space and flexibility to continue with reworking and upgrading the roster. It still is very premature to know whether collectively Beane's transactions will pan out. But in my view because of his bold moves the rebuilding process has been accelerated and is on course. Overall, I'm very positive at what he has done.

What do you expect these qbs to do with the lineup each has to work with? Refuse to go in and allow someone else to take a pummeling? You just do your best with what you have to work with and appreciate the opportunity to play and show what you got to offer. Very often lineups are not as good as expected and contrarily lineups are often not as bad as expected.

The first half of the season schedule is brutal. I don't believe that McDermott wants to expose Allen so quickly to the better teams in the league. I do see Allen getting playing time this year but it will probably be in the second half to the last third part of the season. Even if Peterman and McCarron are only vying as a care taker starting qb for Allen it will be interesting to see how each of those qbs play.

If the Sabres trade O'Reilly they are going to want a bone fide scorer. Pacioretty from Montreal or Skinner from Carolina would be reasonable deals for O'Reilly. My sense is that Boterill is determined to change the makeup of the room. The Sabres need scorers for their impotent offense. And they need a scorer to play on a line with Jack so his stunning passes don't get wasted by a winger who can't handle them. https://mynhltraderumors.com/nhl-rumors-montreal-canadiens-buffalo-sabres-ryan-oreilly/2018/04/14/ https://puckprose.com/2018/06/06/nhl-trade-rumors-buffalo-sabres-ryan-o-reilly/

Was the event in the practice facility located at the stadium?

Absolutely not! If you can't get a value deal for him then he should be retained. This situation is demonstrably different from the Evander Kane situation where he was going to be a free agent and that he was carrying some smelly baggage. The bottom line is when you have an asset then it should be properly utilized. Make no mistake that keeping him is also part of the options when considering the deals on the market.

There is another aspect to Cleveland's acquisition of Taylor that some people aren't considering. It was nearly a universal given that the Browns were going to use the first pick in the draft on a qb. The Brown have been in this situation before when they selected Tim Couch with the first pick in his draft year. After undergoing the mistake of immediately exposing the top picked qb when he wasn't ready to start it is apparent that they learned something about handling a young qb. Kizer is another high round qb selection that the Browns put on the field before he was ready. It didn't promote his development----it damaged his development. Without question playing qbs before they are ready to play were a major factor why both of them failed. Both qbs took a physical battering and both were overwhelmed. I have been a critic of Taylor but what can't be denied is that he is a high character guy with a tremendous work ethic. That is the type of player and person that you would want Mayfield to emulate and be an understudy to.

Keep your eyes on St. Louis. According to WGR they were very interested in Tavares but the Blues were not on his list. This might be a good landing spot for ROR and this is a team that has some appealing assets that can be used in a trade. I like ROR a lot. But for his sake I think a trade and a fresh start could invigorate him as a player. Perennial losing can have a corrosive affect, You can see it in his stale play. The Sabres need to change the dynamic in the locker room. Moving him in a reasonably balanced deal would be the right thing to do for him and the organization.

Cleveland knew exactly what they were getting when they traded for Taylor. They wanted a veteran qb who can protect the ball and be a place holder for the rookie qb they were going to select with the first pick in the draft. He's far from being an elite qb or even fall in the category of being good. What the Browns got is a veteran qb who can be adequate enough to give this team a chance to compete. Cleveland is in the same situation as Buffalo is with respect to the qb situation. As soon as each team's highly drafted rookie qb is ready to play he will replace the current placeholder qb. Last year the Browns didn't win a game. If they would have had adequate qb play that Taylor can provide they could have won at least four games last year. That's why they went out and got him, even if it is only as a short term starter.

You deserved the recognition for the constructive way you have expressed yourself on behalf of the paying customers. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have the same thoughts you have with respect to how the fans should be treated. What sets you apart is that your interaction with the organization is highly regarded because of the intelligent and diplomatic way you conduct yourself. You deserve to be saluted!

The devoted fans of Mantle, Ford, Yogi etc are long gone and have had little relevance for the fans for quite awhile. Those fans are from a bygone era. I agree with you that they are an important part of the history of that illustrious franchise but those past players mean little to this texting generation of fans. What is generating excitement and new fans in NY is the resurgence of success with a new generation of players. My point is that success breeds success and refreshes and invigorates the market with a new generation of fans. I don't want to come off as a grouch but I have little interest in looking back especially because the product was for so long tarnished. Bill Polian is a HOF GM. He was most responsible for creating a dynasty in our most glorious era. But when I hear him commenting on today's game he seems so out of touch. As I said before I'm excited about the now and the future. That is where my focus is directed.

Time passes on and the nostalgia for the good old SB days becomes less meaningful because a large segment of that population involved in that exciting era has passed on to another pasture. Those who have not passed have become very weathered and are less likely to attend such nostalgic festivities. The reality is that more than a generation has passed since that successful era and thus there is a smaller population of gray beards attached to those players associated with that very memorable period. I'm less interested in looking back and more focused on watching the building of a franchise that creates its own successes and memories. A generation of fans have withered because the team was so irrelevant for so long. It's better not to look back and focus more on the future and reconnect with this younger and lost generation of fans. For me the Polian era was exciting and enjoyable. However, I have little interest in looking back. I'm now very hopeful and excited about the present and the not too distant future.

As you noted the real issue wasn't so much about his injury status as it was how he was evaluated. To a lesser extent than with EJ Manuel he was over-valued as a prospect. This regime has demonstrated that they are not committed to the players that the previous regime brought in. Signing Trent Murphy may indicate that this staff has a replacement player already in place if Lawson doesn't elevate his game. Where I disagree with you in this discussion is that I don't believe that the injury issue that plagued the player in college was as influential in other teams bypassing him in the draft. It was simply a case that there was simply a case where their evaluations were different from Whaley's evaluation. If Lawson can improve his game to the point where he becomes a dependable rotational lineman then I will be more than satisfied.

I doubt that Buffalo was the only team that cleared him that was interested in him. You are making an assumption based on what? There is no doubt that some teams bypassed him because of the shoulder issue. But that doesn't mean that every team that had an interest in him wasn't willing to select him at what they believed to be a reasonable spot. Whether he needed an operation or not doesn't bother me too much. What bothered me more is that it should have been done sooner rather than later. When all is said and done having a medical issue in his rookie year isn't the real issue. The issue is can he be a good player in this league now and in the future. That is what we are going to find out in camp. If he can't play at a contributing level he will be moved. While you have already seemed to have made a conclusive judgment on him I have not.

As you well know medical opinions on players with an injury history are usually not clear cut. You are probably correct that some teams may have passed on Lawson because of shoulder concerns. On the other hand I'm sure that there were teams that were willing to draft him because their concerns were allayed based on their medical staffs' judgments. Judging a player with a medical history is not an easy call. The medical staff in Miami didn't clear Brees while the staff in New Orleans did. I'm sure there were dissenting views from the respective organizations. The book on Lawson isn't complete. Is he going to turn out to be a contributing player for the Bills or end up being dispatched? I don't know for sure but I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be a solid to good player for us. It that level of play materializes I will be more than happy.

I agree with you that in the Charger game the rookie was simply overwhelmed. That game was last year. The issue of whether it represented his future play means little in comparison how he plays this year in camp and entering the season. My belief is that Allen is eventually going to start sometime this season. Even if the big armed rookie qb doesn't get much playing time this year it is recognized that he is going to be our franchise qb. I'm not as down on Peterman as you are. I still see a role for him as a backup this year. As far as his long term prospects with the Bills it is at best as a backup qb. If he attains that role then I will be more than satisfied with it.

Taylor was a veteran qb where there was no progression to his game. What you saw is what you get. His limitations were such that he was not going to grow out of them. Defenses were adapting to his limitations and forcing him to do things that he wasn't very accomplished at. When you have a qb that isn't very accurate and can't go through progressions what options does your OC have at his disposal to work around those limitations? You don't think those same limitations will be exhibited in Cleveland? Is McCarron a better short term option to Taylor? I would say yes because I believe he can run a pro style offense, something the veteran running couldn't could do. Taylor was fortunate that for the most part he didn't have much of a backup to challenge him. In Cleveland, the qb behind him will be the first pick in the draft noted for his accuracy. How long do you think it will take before there is a loud chorus singing to replace him? I'm confident that before the season is over with Mayfield will be taking the starting snaps. It wouldn't surprise me that if Mayfield plays well in camp and preseason that the Browns have the rambunctious rookie as their on opening day. From a Buffalo standpoint the Taylor debate should be finished; it lacks relevancy.

You just made my point with your last sentence. Just so you know I have never said that your opinions are invalid. It just seems that you have a tendency to challenge the person for an opposing position. Just an observation.

I'm not saying this in a harsh way so I hope you don't take it as so but you have an inability to separate a person's critical opinions from the person. Too often you consider a critical comment, whether merited or not, as a personal assault on your favored object. Your instincts toward criticisms is a reflexive attack on whom it comes from. You are too worried about protecting the tribe rather than listening to what is actually being said. You can do better.