JohnC

With the expansion draft there are going to be a lot of side deals. Many of these preconceived deals will be for exposed players who will by agreement not be taken. The Sabres should be able to come up with a defenseman or two from deals associated with the expansion. Supposedly, Murray had a deal arranged with Vegas. It will be interesting to see what it is and if it is still in play.

The interesting issue regarding the goalie position is the value the GM places on Lehner. If he decides that he is not worth an upscale contract then that can trigger additional transactions. Overall, Lehner had a good year. However, as with the Bills whenever there is a change of regime the newly installed regime has less attachment to the players acquired by the previous regime. It will be interesting to observe if the GM wants to invest in the big goalie with the big temper?

We are talking past one another. I agree with you that drunken drivers are arrested. That wasn't my point. I simply stated that the tickets are included in the arrest case, not in lieu of. That's all.

I agree with you that if you have to rely on your backup for extended playing time then your team is severely diminished. The best you can ask for with a backup is not to hurt you more than to benefit you. Playing a backup is resorting to a stopgap remedy, usually nothing more. But that doesn't mean that it isn't an important role. With respect to the highlighted area my sense is that the wrestling coach is not going to keep both Cardale and Peterman. I just don't see it. In my view Peterman is more of a backup type qb than Cardale is. And in my estimation neither is a starting caliber of qb. Why do you think that he was a fifth round draft pick instead of a second to third round type prospect?

As Kirby and some others have stated if Peterman becomes an adequate backup then that pick was a good value pick. Getting a reasonably priced backup for a lower round pick is not something to lament, it is something to be happy with. As Kirby also pointed out if you get a McCarron type backup from where he was drafted then that was a productive pick. One way to focus on this discussion is ask who would be a better backup prospect between Cardale of Peterman: The physical specimen with the canon arm whose play is erratic or the less physically imposing qb who can better run an offense? For the backup role the latter player better fits the role.

Bill, You are partially right. In most cases you do issue tickets to a drunk driver and then make the arrest. By issuing tickets for a traffic infraction you establish probable cause for the stop. In the DC system the tickets are included in the arrest paper work for court. If you go to court without the tickets establishing probable cause for the stop your case usually will be "no papered". A checkpoint stop is a different situation.

No. You can't fail a test that you don't take. However, there is a penalty (suspension of license) for not doing so.

One person who had a stake in not being biased and having preconceived notions is Urban Meyers. He replaced the big qb with the canon arm because he felt that his replacement gave the team a better chance to succeed. There is no doubt that Cardale was a better pro prospect than the qb who replaced him because of his physical attributes. But given the chance to play he didn't come close to solidifying his starting job. Cardale is going to have an opportunity to display his talents in training camp and preseason. If he shows promise he will remain on the roster. If not, he will be dispatched. My prediction is that Peterman is going to move ahead of him in the qb rankings for this team. If that happens I don't see Cardale securing a roster spot.

Stats can be very deceiving when comparing college stats to the pro game. It's simply a different game. I'm not biased against him or rooting against. I just think his game is too raw and is too far away from being a polished player. I believe (opinion) that the wrestling coach is not going to keep two young developmental qbs on the roster. As I said in a prior post there is a tendency for newly installed HCs to prefer the players they selected over players associated with the former regime. It is widely believed that next year the franchise is going to be much more focused in finding a top shelf qb prospect. If that is the case I don't see both of the younger qbs currently on the roster remaining on the roster this year. The inclination (my opinion) will be for McDermott to favor his selection over Whaley's selection.

You can have all the tools in the world and be a physical specimen. But for a qb if you are inaccurate it is a fatal flaw that can't be overcome. The windows in the NFL are so tight and timing and rhythm throws are required at a much higher level compared to the pro game. In college you can throw to receivers but in the pros you have to make more throws to tight spots. I just don't see him taking that leap. There is no doubt that he has a canon arm. But that isn't going to get you very far without good accuracy. Cardale is a good kid and he is a smart kid. The description of him not being smart is an unfair stereotype due mainly because of his imposing physical size and playful personality. If Peterman outperforms Cardale in camp I don't see him making the roster. It is not unusual for a new HC and staff to favor their drafted player over a drafted player by the prior regime. I'm not rooting against any player. It's a competition and the better player will become evident sooner rather than later. Whaley preferred Prescott over Cardale in last year's draft. He waited a round too long. Now Whaley is out of a job. Dithering on the qb position by a GM is not an attribute that helps you maintain your job. Yolo, I agree with you that Buffalo under this new staff is not the best situation for his long term development. As you stated Arizona would be a much better situation for him. As I stated in a prior post whenever a new regime takes over it has a tendency to value their drafted players over the players selected by the prior regime.

You need to prepare how to respond to the question of the circumstances of your departure from your last job. This is a delicate and complex issue. You need to be truthful but also provide a good explanation that doesn't put you in a bad light. On the other hand if you come off too critical of the other parties and too harshly blame your former supervisors you might come off as not willing to accept some responsibility for what happened. In a very diplomatic manner you might want to stress the point that it wasn't a right fit for you and a good mix with the personnel. Again, you don't want to come off as being too caustic and critical. People who interview prospective employees and do the hiring recognize the variety of reasons why people leave their current jobs. You need to be very professional and point out that not only that you left the other job but stress how you can make a contribution to the job you are seeking. The more positive you are and the more you show how your talents can be exploited for the benefit of the new company the better chance you will have in getting the job. The focus should not be on the past rather than the future for you and the employer.

Because of the recording the sobriety check is a compelling piece of evidence. Not too long ago these tests were not filmed but mostly just documented on a police form. That's not so much the case now with ubiquitous police cameras. Juries seeing the action rather than hearing the evidence is much more convincing.

My asss blew up on draft night! Whaley finally saw the light but Pegula took the bulb away from him. The life of a Bills fan can be gut wrenching.

So did I!

As far as I know the player assumes responsibility for his intake. The team does provide guidance but when all is said and done the player is responsible for his intake. However, I'm confident that if the training staff recommends a product that it is a product that they know is acceptable. The players who are getting caught and penalized are not taking the team recommended products. For the most part they are taking a questionable product because they believe (falsely) that it will give them an edge over players who are taking approved products.

What if the player who took banned substances and had his career advanced could have had the same career without taking the banned substance? Would the risk be worth it? How do you think Powell would answer your question?

The player can think what he wants to think. The disqualifying product is not going to provide better results than the non-disqualifying product. The reality is stretching the boundaries of training methods creates a situation where one's career can be placed in jeopardy. All this player has to do is open his eyes and see how going outside the lines, intentionally or not, for so many other players can destroy one's career. Over the years how many times have players been warned about taking products not on the approved list? Being stupid is never being smart! He's a case in point. The team would be less likely to make a mistake. They would recommend products that they know for sure meet the standard. Why take the risk of taking some of these exotic products with questionable ingredients when there are products on the acceptable list? There is simply too much at stake for the players to free lance in their selection of what they believe to be enhancers.

Option one is penalized and the approved option two is not. The person takes option one. The player should be banished for stupidity. Marginal player with marginal brain power.

You bring up an intriguing question with your stat on his playing time. If he plays and receives increased targets and plays well to very well will the wrestling coach consider him to be an elite receiver worthy of what an elite receiver gets? As DriveFor1out5 points out so far he doesn't seem to be the same type of explosive player he was in college. I get the sense that this new regime will not be afraid to make the cold-blooded Belickian football/contract decisions. That point was illustrated by the franchise not making a tender to Watkins as most of the other players in his draft year received. Without a doubt this is an important year for Watkins in making a determination of his status with the team.

I would go farther than not. The team should make the purchase and then ship it out to the player. There is simply no rational reason why a player should risk jeopardizing one's career for such a marginal benefit (if that) when there are other optional products that would give you the same benefit, if there is a benefit to be had.

I agree with you that Sammy is not the same player that he was with Clemson. Just think that if he is good while being plagued with the foot injury how good can he be when fully healthy? I always understood why Whaley coveted Watkins to the extent that he was willing to give up an additional first round pick in a receiver draft rich year. My criticism of the move was that the Bills didn't have the caliber of qb to maximize his talents. In my estimation when completely healthy that Watson although not as good as Julio Jones but near the same elite category of the Falcon receiver who has Matt Ryan throwing to him.

I don't understand why players, deliberately or not, continue to use PEDs. There is a simple solution. Teams should make it mandatory for their players to acquire supplements only from their teams. Any player who then goes outside of the system is then considered a cheater when caught when tested. There is such an astonishing level of stupidity on the part of some of these players.

You can be on the field for most of the games and still be impaired as a player. I consider him to be a special talent. He needs to be smarter about his training regimen and more prudent about how he prepares. Training hard and going full throttle doesn't always mean that you are properly preparing yourself under your current physical condition.

I'll take a position that I know WEO would argue against: There was insufficient evidence to prove that he was legally drunk. He smartly didn't take the breath test so there is no proof of alcohol blood level. His sobriety test was somewhat shaky but we only saw a small portion of the three to four stage test. He was coherent and able to capably communicate and respond to the officers. Did the officers pull him over because he was driving erratically? Was he issued tickets? If the amount of alcohol he stated that he drank is accurate then there is an imprecise manner to compute how much alcohol it would take for someone of his size to be unofficially affected. I'm guessing that the amount he drank relative to his size didn't clearly indicate that he was beyond the limit. Let's put this incidence in context from a justice standpoint. Because he didn't take the breath test his license was suspended for a period of time. If he was given tickets then that was a penalty for his driving. When all is said and done if you can't prove beyond a reason of a doubt then justice was served in this case. And one other point that relates to his character and intentions. As he stated the woman he was with was not in a condition to drive so he assumed that responsibility to take her out of jeopardy. That is an indication that he was aware of the drinking and driving concerns. My point being that he wasn't oblivious to that concern. The moral of the story is that it is never wrong to seek legal counsel when in a legal situation.

I like both Fasching and Bailey. However, I don't consider them top two line players because they are not adequate finishers. The one young player I will be closely watching with is Baptiste. He is a terrific scorer and has demonstrated that he can score in the minors. Whether he can do it with the big club is the issue. How does one clear the above mentioned players? Gorges I believe has one more year on his deal? Although Bogosian is demonstrably over-paid if he can modify his gorilla game and become more of a finesse puck mover he can be useful as a third pairing defenseman. Moulson is an adequate finisher who can't skate. In hindsight that was a bad deal. With respect to Ennis he needs a fresh start somewhere else to reinvigorate his game.