JohnC

He had some disagreements with the league and other owners. He didn't follow the crowd. So he went through his attorneys or threatened to go through his attorneys to fight for his position. When you are in a high stakes business sometimes it gets a little rough and tough. Did it cost the league some money to fight back? Probably so. So what? That's how things are handled in that environment. Let's look at the positions Jerry took. First, taking the position that the payment deal for the commissioner was too rich was a defensible position to take. Whether you agree with it or not it was a reasonable position. And his position that the punishment for Elliot was too steep when there were valid concerns that the woman making the assault claims lacked credibility. Didn't Kraft challenge the league and the commissioner in the Brady and deflategate case? And weren't there legal costs involved in that slugfest? Kraft eventually backed off but initially he fought for his player and position.

Players play! It is as simple as that. What the organization does should have no influence on how hard the players prepare and play. The paying customer decides to spend money for a variety of reasons. If they feel that the product is not worth spending their hard earn dollars for then they respond accordingly. I have no criticism for the fans for tuning out. It would be hypocritical for me to be critical of the fans lack of support because I have also responded accordingly. The Sabres as they are presently constituted are unwatchable. So for the most part I don't watch.

The players have their jobs and the front office and coaching staff have their responsibilities. If the players perceive that the organization didn't do their jobs well, then so what? The players' job is simple: be prepared and play hard and give a maximum effort. Excuses are for losers. Oh, not surprising, the Sabres are losers.

If Jones gets fined it is wrong. What would he be fined for? For having a different opinion from the rest of the herd and pushing for his case? His claims could be legitimate or well off target. It doesn't matter. He is entitled to his view and is entitled to pursue it. Jones is an egotistical and bombastic person. He threatened to sue because he was on the losing side of the argument. Ultimately, he didn't sue. So how did he harm the league or any other owners, and the insufferable commissioner. Jones position that Goodell was going to be overpaid was not an unreasonable position. Goodell is the commissioner of the NFL. He's not Putin who disposes of people who challenge his authority. On this issue I'm on the side of the tiresome talker from Dallas.

When it comes to sports I have a simple philosophy when making an evaluation: Trust your eyes and not your heart. What you see is what you see. The silver lining is that Bonnie, Canisius, Niagara and UB are playing good ball. And all of these teams are entertaining.

You captured my thoughts. It's just time to move on from him. He is a terrific and diligent person. He deserves a fresh start and so do the Bills. The Bills would have a lot more flexibility in this draft if they would have drafted Mahomes (my preference) or Watson (your preference) last year. Because of the "just get by" qb philosophy the Bills have been a stagnant franchise. It's time to give it a jolt with some fresh faces.

To compound all their problems the worst thing about the Sabres is that they are insufferably boring. There is little passion and heart. The paying and viewing customer have tuned them out. They deserve to be ignored. I bought the Hockey Ice Center package. It was a waste of money.

I'm lurking so don't think that you can scream at me without a response. The failure of the team isn't because Kane hasn't played well, although he is currently struggling. The person who should be at the center of your whipping is the former GM. There was a lot of deals and miscalculations that happened during his tenure that when you added them up didn't mount to much. The roster is full of mish mash and little coherency. The roster in general that Murray assembled was slow and lacked scorers. Now under the new GM it seems that we are starting all over again. The cruel hard truth is that a few years ago we were in a better position than the Maple Leafs. They had a smart plan in how they wanted to build the roster. We failed and they succeeded. I don't believe that Kane Is a room killer. He had a history of being a distraction but he has been a responsible citizen, at least recently. To be brutally frank the heart of the problem is that this team lacks talent. It's simply not good enough. The problem has little to do with personalities as it does its inadequate talent level.

My position isn't too difficult to decipher. There are things you prefer to do and then options you take if you can't execute your ideal plan. My preference is to identify the top maybe three qbs you believe will be top tier prospects and can play sooner rather than later. Mayfield, Rosen and Darnold fall in the cateogory. However, there is a very good chance that no matter what the Bills are willing to give up those players won't be available to us. You then have to have a fallback position. The next tier of qbs might be players such as Jackson, Allen and Rudolph. Would they be good value drafting with one of our first round picks at the 21 or 22 spot? I would say yes with the realization that they would require more development time than the top tier prospects. There is another possible avenue to take if the draft does not fall the way you want it to fall. You can go the free agent route and maybe come up with a qb such as McCarron, Bridgewater, Bradford, Keenum etc. My point is that you can't be locked in because no one knows how things will develop in the draft. Teams that you would not expect to take a qb with a move up, such as the Steelers, could surprise you and take the prospect that you really coveted. When I say I am willing to gamble on a prospect what I'm implicitedly saying is that I'm willing to take a calculated risk. A player such as Allen or Jackson are physically talented. That doesn't mean that they can translate those talents to the pro game. But at the right spot in the draft it would be a good risk to take. I hope this clarifies what my position is. It comes down to being open to all options but do it in a calculated manner that is leans toward being a reasonable gamble than being an act of desperation and a far fetched gamble.

I don't want to be unfair to him. I realize he has had health issues that may explain his struggles. But I can't ever recall watching him for a sustained period of time play well. Again, his health issues may be a factor but more often than not he is overwhelmed.

Spot on. I agree with you that Riddick is one of the best, if not the best, in evaluating prospects. He is not a showman like Gruden. He is a no frills evaluator who concisely and clearly makes an assessment. He's very good at making pro comparisons to make his point.

How many years ago did he interview poorly? His attitude and work ethic in the pros should be the guide to judging his character. I really don't know much about him because he hasn't played much. He is entering the market in a good situation for him. There are plenty of teams that need competent qb play, including the Bills. While saying that I don't see him selecting a team that is going to use a high draft picket for a qb of the future.

I have often made the point on accuracy. But you are missing the point of my comment. My point with Allen was that if you are going to gamble on a player with an issue/liability then take a risk for a player who has talent. I'm not arguing that the Bills should deal off assets for him. However, I would be willing to take him at a lower first round or later because of his impressive physical skill set. In contrast, I would have no problem making a costly deal for qbs such as Darnold, Rosen and Mayfield. That's not something I would do for Allen. Another example to illustrate my point is that taking EJ in the first round was not very wise. But if selected in the third round it would have been a reasonable gamble because of his physical stature. I hope that clarifies what my stance is.

Usually your responses are well thought out and coherent. Your response is nonsensical and foolish.

The youngsters on this board don't have a clue what your talking about.

You and I are in accord. If you are going to gamble on a player then do it for a player with raw talent.

Trade Tyrod for what? What value does he have on the market? I would rather trade or cut Tryrod and move on. I'm not afraid of going with Peterman if that is the option. With the additional cap space you can have more roster flexibility. As you noted the hope is that the Bills acquire a high end qb prospect . Then hopefully in the immediate or not too distant future the prospect becomes the starting qb. Although the Bills fortuitously made the playoffs last year I still consider them in a rebuilding mode. So my preference is to get the prospect on the field sooner rather than later and continue on with the building process. The priority is getting the prospect in the pipeline as soon as possible. Whaley was ready to move on from Taylor but because he lost his authority he couldn't act on it. McDermott was only willing to retain TT on a cheapened contract. After scanning the market with no takers Taylor decided to stay with a lesser contract. He is a seven year veteran and a known quantity. His lack of value in the market is a reflection as to how he plays. I have had enough of this pop warner offense. It's time to move on. If you like Taylor as a player and a person then you should want him to move on and seek a better situation for himself. Being in a situation where the team wants a better option is an awkward situation for him and the teams.

Sometimes when you ignore the floor you fall through it. I certainly wouldn't move up to draft him. But if the Bills have a credible starting qb in place (currently we don't) I would not be hesitant to take him with one of our first round picks. In addition, if you have him on the roster you need to invest a lot of time working with him and coaching him up with no expectation of an immediate return on investment.

That is correct. The terminology isn't precise but the point is clear. How did the six year veteran look in the playoff game with Jacksonville?

We do agree that the Bills will probably use a high draft pick on a qb in this draft. So on that issue we are in accord. That's not to say that there won't be a surprise free agent pickup (not Cousins) who might allow us to get a qb prospect in a lower round. As of yet the Bills haven't picked up Taylor's option. I'm not as sure as you are that they will so. I said it before and I will say it again: Peterman is more likely to be on the roster than Taylor. Don't assume that the Charger game was a disqualifying game for how Peterman is perceived by the staff. I strongly believe that the TT era is over with. You believe less so. We shall see. side note: http://gogriffs.com/watch/?Archive=3356&type=Archive

You pointed out that replacing Taylor with Peterman sounds ridiculous. Well, not as much as you think. Against the Chargers in the second half of the season the coaching staff made the change from Taylor to Peterman. The coaching decision wasn't based on serendipity; it was based on how Taylor played in the previous games and how Peterman played in practice. That change certainly didn't work out in the Charger game but let's not make it out as if Tyrod played lights out was most responsible for leading this team to the playoffs. The best that can be said of his play is that he didn't lose games for us. Make no mistake what I'm saying here. I'm not blaming Taylor for all the struggles that this team has been subjected to. What I am saying and it is evident for everyone to see is that the organization is looking for a better option, even if it is a temporary option. Don't be so dismissive of those saying that Peterman may be a better option at qb than Taylor. The cap consideration may weigh in more than you think in this decision. You might be surprised at how what you believe is a logical and reasonable outcome at qb is not what the staff believes is a reasonable and logical outcome.

If I may let me turn this issue around to Incognito. His behavior in Miami and toward Martin was way out of line. It's debatable whether his severe punishment was warranted or not. But his involuntary time out of football was the best thing that happened to him. Incognito's life was careening out of control. His life was turbulent and on the verge of blowing up. It got to the dangerous point that he exploded and in a rage beat up a luxury car. I have heard Incognito talk about how he with much resistance finally faced up to his own demons. He sought counseling and stuck with it. He not only has turned his career around but also his life. I have seen some video of Incognito off the field. His conduct was raunchy and obnoxious. You don't have to be a professional in the mental health business to recognize that he was like a powder keg ready to explode. A while back I saw an interview with Incognito in which he revealed a very personable and engaging side. He was very bright, articulate and self-reflective. The point I'm making here is that with the right help people can turn things around and live a happy and meaningful life. I hope that Martin who now seems so lost can find the right path to health and happiness.

Martin seems to have issues that have little to do with Incognito and the Miami incident. It goes way beyond that incident. This is a situation where Incognito should wish him well and stay out of it. Martin needs professional help and his erratic behavior makes that very clear. This isn't a street issue and adapting to the tough world. This is an issue dealing with a troubled person with mental health issues. .

I'm confused as to who committed him. If the police believed that he is "a danger to himself or others" then he would be taken into custody and sent to a pysch facility to be examined. The hold is usually for 72 hours where the psych people can make a determination to release him or further examine him. In order to hold him beyond the limit there has to be another hearing before a judge. I don't have all the details but it sounds to me that the police went to where he was and interviewed him. After talking to him it appears that they determined that he should be committed in order to be examined by psych professionals. The paper work is relatively short and simple. It is basically reduced to the issue of the person being a danger to oneself and others.

Not if you want to participate in the playoffs.