JohnC

She is not a paying customer. She walks in for free. You must have forgotten she owns the building.

Do you know how much tickets are for a UFC event? Was this event also on pay per view?

Whether there was a mistake or not by the airlines the passenger acted like a spoiled brat. If he wanted to file a complaint (and he should) he should have just gotten off the plane and then addressed the issue at the airport. This doctor is a fool who I would want nothing to do with if I was seeking medical attention. What a freaking jerk! Creating a chaotic scene over a mistake is asinine. If someone had hotel reservations and for some reason there was a mix up creating a scene at the lobby to the point that police have to be called in is ridiculous. Mistakes are made and adjustments need to be also made. It's part of life. What an arsehole!

When he took over for Donahoe and became the GM with Jauron as his coaching hire they made drafting defensive backs a priority. Their approach is that defense starts with the back end as a priority.

I'm not saying anything until a qb is selected. I don't want the jinx to be in play. Just stay hopeful and silent with one's fingers crossed. If Kirby is the last person to whisper in the owner's ear it is going to be a DB. Dam that troublemaker--- he never gives up!

I don't give a dam who the adoptive parent is if it is a qb selection be happy and rejoice. Just maybe the Jauron/Levy roster building mentality has been washed away from this struggling franchise.

I hope you are right. You know what my position is so there is no need to elaborate.

The Rex firing was an easy call. He was a hideous incompetent who the longer he was associated with the team the more it regressed. Bylsma was working with a flawed roster, especially the back end. Even the GM admitted to his culpability in the way he built the roster. Next year I suspect will be a "no excuse" year for both the GM and coach.

You don't sound like a broken record so there is no need to be reluctant to restate your position. The owner isn't going to make the determination who to select. What he will be doing is acquiring as much information so he can intelligently asks the staff questions about players and their reasoning. There is nothing wrong with that. Quite the contrary it is refreshing and it shows that he cares. Where I'm confident that I disagree with you is that I hope that with his presence he is sending a blunt and forceful message to his football staff that they need to demonstrate a greater degree of urgency in addressing the qb issue. The same shameful and ridiculous issue that has plagued this backwater franchise for more than two consecutive decades. While you have qualms over Pegula being at a qb workout I on the other hand salute him for his presence. This is the year to select a serious qb prospect. As far as I am concerned not doing so is an act of malfeasance. If it takes an owner to get his dithering staff to act on a generational problem that has sunk this franchise then he should be robustly praised. How do you know that the GM hasn't already made the call? At this point the qb rankings and player rankings in general should be close to be completed. The owner has a right to see for himself what the GM is proposing.

I don't understand your criticism of the owner being at the workout. If the Bills are serious on using their first pick on a qb (I hope) then meeting him at a workout and at an interview session in Buffalo will give the owner a good sense of the player as a person. It's certainly not a secret that the Bills don't currently have a franchise qb. Shamefully, the Bills haven't had a franchise qb for over twenty years. And I guarantee you that everyone in the league and outside of it are aware of that fact. So everyone in the league is aware that the Bills might use a high pick on a qb. The qb position is different from all the other positions. It is the face of the franchise. So the owner wanting to get a better feel of the qb as a person is a relevant issue for him to be involved in. The more the owner can meet with the player the better judgment he can make on the player beyond his football abilities.

If you work hard to find faults and emphasize them you can do it with almost all prospects. It is rare to find a gilded qb prospect in any draft. Aaron Rogers is one of the best qbs in the game. There were criticisms of his game coming out of college. Derek Carr had questions about his game. He has turned out to be one of the best upcoming qbs in the game. Russell Wilson had every quality one would want out of a qb prospect other than height. How do you think he would look in a Buffalo uniform? Kirk Cousins wasn't an elite prospect. It took time to develop his game. There was talk that Buddy Nix was eyeing him in the upcoming round before Washington took him even after drafting Griffin with their first pick in the same draft year. The pick that could have been used on him was used on a track receiver from North Carolina State who was a bust. It was reported that Whaley liked Prescott last year. Instead he used a third round pick on Washington, a lazy and immature DT from Ohio State. I don't know about your preference but I would have preferred Prescott over Washington. My point is dithering and not acting with urgency on the qb issue is one of the prime reasons why this is a failed franchise. So what is the clarion call that many people are advocating for? Continue doing that which has led this franchise to being a generational failure. How does that make sense? It makes no rational sense for a franchise that hasn't had a franchise qb for over two decades to be so reluctant to draft a high ranking qb prospect because of some flaws. Flaws to an extent that exist in all qbs eligible for the draft. Dithering is not a solution; it is the problem. If the qb that Buffalo drafts selects with a high pick turns out to be an average franchise qb I can assure you that that player would have a greater positive impact than drafting a safety or corner who turn out to be an all-pro player. This cowardly cautiousness to drafting a qb has gotten to the level of an organizational neuroses. What's perplexing is that so many people ardently support the Jauron/Levy mentality to roster building? If more than a generation of mediocrity is not enough to change your minds then nothing will. The line you are standing in is the line I am proudly not standing in.

When I read the analysis of Mahommes, positives and negatives, my takeaway is that this is the type of talent worth taking a calculated gamble on. The positive characteristics so very much overwhelm the negative characteristics. What is noticeable about the negative traits mostly dealing with mechanics is that they are all correctable with good coaching and a player's desire to learn. For a failed franchise that has not had a franchise qb in over twenty years there is no excuse for this organization to be so passive in addressing the qb position. It's a shame and an embarrassment that this void has existed for so long.

What was so obnoxious about the manner in which the GM announced his selection? He went up to the podium and simply stated the name of the player that everyone knew he was going to select. There was no phony drama or silly chatter before the announcement. What do you want: A Rex Ryan clown act of going to the podium with his helmet on? There are many things you can validly criticize the GM for but this is not one of them.

The brother issue is over-blown as a factor in the chaos environment that Rex created. Rex didn't need his brother to cultivate an environment lacking discipline and intelligence in New York. Rex didn't need his brother around to create a loose environment that had players working against one another rather with one another in either of his coaching locations. A marginal player punches the starting qb in the locker room breaking the players jaw and knocking him out for much of the season. Rex was so impressed with that type of thuggish behavior that he brought him on board to his new team in western NY. Rex was a loudmouth fraud before he came to Buffalo and before he had a chance to add his brother to his staff. His clown act and record was on display before he was hired. The owner made an inexplicable boneheaded mistake with the hire who left his previous team in shambles. In the two short years that the talkative coached worked in Buffalo he set the franchise back by years. Rex was an incompetent without his brother on the staff and he was an incompetent with his brother on the staff. The brother certainly didn't help to improve the situation but the disaster was all due to the fool on the sidelines wearing the cool sunglasses. So let's not blame the sloppy looking brother for Rex's predictable demise as a coach.

There were stories that Whaley liked Prescott a lot. The problem was that he gave up a pick to move up in the Ragland deal that made us lose out to Dallas. There is no doubt that Prescott would not have been as successful with Buffalo as he was with Dallas. But it is indisputable that the Bills would have had a legitimate qb prospect on board already and allowed the front office to go on address other needs this year and the following years. Wouldn't it have been smarter to take Prescott in the third round rather than Washington the DT from Ohio State? I'm not making a hindsight judgment. My core argument on the qb issue is that because this organization doesn't have a franchise qb it needs to make it a priority in getting one. That's my fundamental complaint. The dithering and hesitating has hurt this franchise when opportunities existed. That bothers me a lot! With respect to the highlighted area if a draft pick doesn't work out, then so be it. At least you tried. There are no guarantees for any player regardless of position to work out, even highly rated players. That's the nature of the business that all organizations have to deal with.

With the follow-up discussion it indicates that our positions are not so divergent. Where I have a respectful fundamental disagreement with you is that I do believe that there are good qb prospects in this draft. I readily acknowledge that none of the top qb prospects are going to be ready in their rookie years. That's not unusual---it is the norm. My position is to get that caliber of prospect on the roster sooner than later. I have a strenuous disagreement with many posters who promote the "wait until next year" strategy for a better buy. That makes little sense to me because next year we probably won't be in a position to draft a highly rated qb. There is a good chance that this year we could be in position to make the first or second qb selection. In my view it not only is a favorable position to be it would be foolish to wait any longer. The reality is that the Bills are stuck in the muck of mediocrity. We are built to be a 6 to 8 win team. So if an elite prospect such as Andrew Luck is in the market the Bills will not be in a position to select that caliber of qb. You brought up a Dalton caliber of prospect vs an elite DB prospect and indicated you would prefer taking the defensive back if a choice had to be made. I would not hesitate to take the Dalton caliber qb because although he is not an elite qb he is a legitimate franchise qb who can proficiently run a full offense. There is no question in my mind that a franchise qb will have a more significant impact on the team than even an all pro CB. To make your position even less favorable is that this franchise has a history of allowing our highly touted CBs to leave when their first contract is up due to financial considerations. If a second round rated qb is a franchise qb you should still decide to select sooner rather than later.

The Rex that was fired by the Jets was the same one hired by our owner. The outcome was predictable. To the owners' credit he acted rather quickly in correcting his mistake. That demonstrates that he is serious in creating a winner. What's refreshing is the dramatic change of atmosphere with the new coaching hire and the staff he has assembled. There is a maturity, seriousness and intelligence that wasn't present under the prior circus act. I don't see McDermott tolerating players coming late to meetings or not being attentive (sleeping) while they are going on. I'm confident that because the coach is disciplined the players will also behave in a more disciplined manner. The one player who should be helped with this more accountable environment is Dareus. If he doesn't adjust to this more rigorous environment I don't see him lasting with this team.

With respect to the highlighted area you are making my point. You have to rely on your scouting to come to a sensible judgment. No one is arguing that you should make a pick simply out of desperation. If you believe that there is a good franchise qb prospect in the draft and if you are a team lacking in such a caliber player then you should act. You are portraying my position as if it is promoting taking a lottery ticket gamble on a player. That is a gross distortion of what I am suggesting. The Bills have not had a franchise qb since the retirement of Jim Kelly, at least twenty years ago. One of the reasons of having a void at the most important position is certainly not due to being overly aggressive in its pursuit of addressing the issue that is most influential in determining success. The Bills have not been in the playoffs for a quarter of a century (conservative projection) because of not demonstrating an urgency that needs to be exhibited. The Bills drafted Gilmore who was a top ten player in the draft and a good pro CB. Was it a difference maker? To add insult to injury when his contract expired the team wasn't willing to give him a second contract. Now he is with the Pats. The Jauron/Levy Whitner first round selection did little to upgrade the team. What about the McKelving pick. The Clement first round selection did little to upgrade the team. And he like Gilmore were dispatched when their respective first contracts expired. That is a losing draft strategy for a team that hasn't adequately addressed the qb position. The Bills will be in a position to select a good qb prospect when our turn comes up in the first round. None of the prospects will be immediately ready to play. So what. Until this historically losing franchise acquires a franchise caliber qb the ignominious non-playoff streak will continue entering another generation. Using a first round pick on a qb in this draft does not sabotage the rest of the draft as you make it out to be. What it does is give this franchise a better chance to succeed in the not too distant future. You can cite all the mediocre qbs you want to demonstrate why you are so fearful of drafting a qb with a high pick. The same argument of failed players can be made for every position. The Bills are in a good position to get a very good qb prospect in this draft. If they don't they will again allow another team to seize an opportunity that we failed to act on.

High draft pick.

There are miscalls on every position. As a second round pick Kujo was a damaging mistake. Whitner was a safety and a first round pick. What was the real value of that pick? Dareus was a high first round pick. Has he consistently played up to his lofty draft and contract status? The Browns used a high first round pick on Gilbert, a speedy and undisciplined CB. That was a disastrous and wasteful pick. How many high pick receivers have been duds? etc., etc. The argument that we should shy away from drafting a qb because of the risk of failure is an argument to continue the more than a generation of failure because of a lack of an adequate qb. Derek Carr and Russel Wilson and Cousins and Prescott and Bridgewater were not elite prospects; they were good prospects. We passed on all of them. Any one of them would have been good enough to be a franchise qb for us and allowed this lagging franchise to be more competitive. The lesson to be learned is that dithering and acting without a greater degree of urgency doesn't solve the issue that can make your team a serious team.

I don't see O'Brien giving up a first round for TT under any circumstances. That is not to say that he wouldn't want him at a lesser price as a temporary option at qb. O'Brien is one of the most demanding coaches any qb can play for. A qb who struggles at making reads, throwing accurately and make anticipatory throws is not going to be warmly embraced by such a tough taskmaster. Ask Osweiller how tolerant of a coach the volatile Irish coach was with his limitations? I'm not suggesting that TT is a disaster as a qb because he is not. The Bills are fortunate to have him as a qb because the position has previously been filled by bottom of the barrel impostors. What it comes down to is that being an adequate qb is not good enough for a team wanting to be a contending team. Until that issue is addressed and the position is upgraded mediocrity is going to be part of the franchise's identity.

The Dak Prescott situation is a completely different situation. Their starter got hurt and the team had no other choice. Prescott fell into a good situation with having one of the best, if not the best, OL in the game. Dak's performance as a rookie was more of an exception than the rule for rookie qbs. The Bills are not a qb starved team in that TT is a decent bridge qb. What would be the purpose of putting out a rookie qb who isn't ready to play at an acceptable level and the result is the team struggling even further than need be. With respect to the highlighted segment I'm arguing the opposite of what you believe I said. My position is draft the best prospect and then coach the player up. I've said it before that no qb prospect in this draft is ready to play immediately. On the flip side of that position is that I believe that there are a number of qbs in this draft who are capable of being franchise qbs in this league. The first task is to draft the right prospect and then move on to the next stage of developing the player.

The notion that a rookie qb can be written off is short-sighted. Goff was drafted with the intention that he would mostly sit in his inaugural season and prepare himself for the transition to the pro game. That's exactly what happened. Instant stardom is mostly a fantasy. There is a major adjustment to the pro game and some qbs have a faster pace of adapting. If the Bills draft a qb in the first round (probably won't) the rookie is most likely not going to get a lot of playing time, at least until the end of the season when we predictably are out of the running for the postseason. The first priority for the Bills is to draft a credible prospect. And the next stage is to coach the player up so that when he gets an opportunity to play he will be ready to play.

Go back and re-read what I said. I'm not sure if you accurately read my response. I stated that Crosby should have been suspended for the slash that resulted in an injury.

Pegula is using an intermediary. He told Whaley to check with McDermott because he is the new voice in town. If Whaley selected or got whoever to select Watson my opinion of him would take a dramatic turn upwards.