JohnC

Bill, I've turned the corner on Whaley. I'm no longer making excuses for him. On so many levels he has failed. His cap management is recklessly undisciplined. The roster he has assembled lacks coherency and balance. His drafting certainly has been mediocre. His patchwork approach toward putting together a roster is a shortsighted tactical approach as opposed to a more strategical.approach. He for little reason gratuitously gives up picks that take him out of position to select other good players. It's a hodgepoge and impulsive approach that lacks depth in thought. My harshest criticism for him is his lack of effort in addressing the qb issue. There have been numerous opportunities for him to add good qb prospects but he for some neurotical reason refuses to act on securing the position that is the most influential in determining success. There is no question that Whaley has lost authority to the new HC. The new HC, not he, had the final say on whether to keep Tyrod or not. There is no conspiracy to undermine Whaley. He did it to himself. The basis for his loss of authority is that he simply has not done a good enough job to merit having the full authority to make the personnel decisions. I personally don't like the organizational structure but one makes adjustments when trying to cover up for weaknesses. I wholeheartedly agree with the Jerry Sullivan column. How could anyone disagree with it? What is so controversial in pointing out the obvious. It simply comes down to holding people accountable. What is wrong with that?

Watching this game the most positive thing I took away from it is that our defense played soundly. They played a very simple and sound game. Kulikov played well, especially for someone who has been out of the lineup for quite a while. I thought Bogo also played a simple and efficient game. While Toronto is a fast skating team the Sabres are a much stronger team. Carrier did a lot of hitting. Lernher was the first star for me. I have been a critic of Murray's deal for him but watching him tonight it seems to be a more reasonable deal. Last year and in the beginning of this season Kane played a perimeter game that was not attached to his linemates. Now he is doing a lot of work near the net and it has made him a much better player. Are you afraid to acknowledge that tonight we were the better team? A little graciousness would serve you well.

Is Bridgewater out for this upcoming season?

They are alone in having 18 consecutive years of not making the playoffs. An ignominious accomplishment. That's embarrassing! Not being aggressive in his pursuit of a franchise qb is DW's biggest failure. If it is true that Whaley has lost some influence to the HC within the organization it is due to the fact that he hasn't done an admirable job. His record is his record----mediocrity is mediocrity. The point that a number of teams don't have formerly drafted players on their roster tells you little. Many of the players who moved on are on other teams. Player movement is just part of the landscape of the NFL of today.

St. Joe is a good fall back school when you can't get into your first choice school. There is no shame not getting into the more exclusive and challenging school. Obviously, since your school is not so rigorous you have plenty of free time for gallivanting around the area. If Chad Kelly can successfully meet the academic and behavior standards at your lenient school then you know your standards are closer to the floor than the ceiling! Seriously, you did do an excellent job. If I didn't know who the author was I would have thought it was done by a professional reporter who not only is a good writer but also has a good eye and feel for the story.

Well written piece. Your description gives a sense how downtrodden the area is and also the promise of it. Outsiders don't realize that there is a resilient and lively community surrounded by worn out buildings. I'm hoping that the proposed development of the train station facility and the selection of it for a train station gives a boost to that area. As a former Canisius Crusader I have to give you the credit you deserve on this project. Well done!

Murray came in two plus years ago. Your timeline is well off the mark.

Risto should have been suspended. The standard for those types of hits has been established. The league applied the standard in a consistent manner. Marty Biron and I think Rob Ray predicted before the ruling that he would be suspended. Marty Biron thought it would be a two game suspension.

I have no clue what your point is in relationship to what I stated. My point was simply that at this time of year an organization can't pluck another front office person from another organization and add it to its front office for conflict of interest reasons. I cited the Redskin situation with their fired GM. Your response makes absolutely no sense to what I brought up.

Is that the Donahoe influence?

The green hat you were wearing is ugly.

There is a difference between exhibiting one's anger in a private setting than being flummoxed in a public setting because of an anger or intensity issue. It is not an easy task to communicate with the media when things aren't working out as well as possible and especially when there is some discord (some of it philosophical) within the staff. No doubt it is a challenge to contain oneself when you believe that the roster you put together is not smartly being used by the incompetence of a HC that you not only didn't want but you have little regard for. However, swimming in turbulent waters goes with the responsibilities of the job.

The league would not allow someone from one front office moving to another front office at this time because of a conflict of issue considerations. This scenario is already in play with the Redskins. They let their GM go under unclear circumstances but can't hire another GM or personnel person from another organization at this time. They can do it later but not now. Their in-house staff is handling the draft and free agency and at a later time someone else would be brought it.

I always appreciate your commentary on evaluating players and prospects. So I want to express my respect for your judgments in general. However, on the Kujo and Glenn discussion I have problems with how Kujo is rated as a LT. It seems to me that the evaluation of him as a LT is inflated because it is compared to his poor play at RT. On the right side he is over-matched and overwhelmed. On that side he is lumbering and awkward. He demonstrates some athleticism on the left side while he shows little athleticism on the right side. On the left side he is adequate but far from being good. I'm flexible as to how Kujo should be used. I see him more of an acceptable swing tackle than a capable LT. Mills may not be the best option at RT but maybe moving Groy to the RT position might be a better option. Glenn is a top ten LT (8-10 range). He being matched with Incognito is a good pairing, especially in the run game. So far, the reality is that Kujo was a wasted high pick that hasn't come close to meeting the expectation for him. Some teams didn't have him on their draft board because of concerns with his knee. That issue has certainly been a factor in how he has played. The accumulated misses in the draft is weighing this franchise down. That is a Whaley issue.

Craig Button was on WGR on the Instigator Show today and talked about the draft. Where we are drafting we should be able to come up with a good defenseman. Will the prospect be immediately ready? I can't say---but probably not. Craig Button is a former GM and he is interesting to listen to. The below link is about 17 minutes long. http://www.wgr550.com/media/audio-channel/03-22-tsns-craig-button-instigatorsmp3

Anaheim offered Fowler for a first round pick last offseason. Murray said no. They made the same proposal to Montreal. They also said no. Our first round pick was Nylander. He is at least another year away but I'm glad that Murray didn't bite on the deal. I'm against trading Kane for a top tier defenseman because he is a goal scorer in a sport where it is difficult to score because of the defensive focus and caliber of goaltending. It is going to be a challenge to find a top tier player to pair with Risto. So the next best option is to add good second and third pairing players who can elevate the overall defensive play to respestable level. That is achievable. My point with the Gorges comment is not so much about him as it was about when you have a third or fourth pairing caliber of player and ask that type of player to play a role beyond his talent level. When you do that you are not only diminishing him as a player but also general weakening the defense. If Anaheim traded Fowler and their first round pick for our first round pick and one of our big and fast young players such as Bailey, Fashing or Carrier I would make that deal. I would rather see a couple or few good defensive players added to the mix which will include Guhle. That is the approach I would take rather than making a big splash deal giving up a player such as Kane or Reinhart to add a top pair defenseman. I understand why someone would make such a deal but I don't advocate for it.

The Sabres were less than an expansion team a couple of years ago. Although their record now is disappointing the team is demonstrably better. If you can't see the quantum leap in improvement from a couple of years ago then you weren't watching the product then and now.

It has been talked about that the expansion team in this upcoming expansion draft might select a number of defensemen in order to deal them to other teams, or another way of saying it is using their selections as currency. Our GM is well aware of this team's deficiency and he is on record that he is going to address that problem. Will he add enough new talent to make it a top defensive unt? Of course not. But what he can do is upgrade that unit to the point that it is a solidly functioning unit. That in itself is should make a major difference.

The players I highlighted are all good, big, young and fast players who are promising players. I'm a little more strict in my evaluations because I don't believe any one of them is a top two line player. I consider them all very good third line players and below with one or two of them maybe slipping into the second line. I agree with you that the additions for the defense will come in from the outside. If we can get two solid to good defensemen and add in Guhle then you have a decent (not upper tier) blue line unit. Gorges when playing 15 minutes or less is an effective player. Anything longer he becomes a liability. With the addition of a few defesnemen you end up putting the lower players in a better position to fulfill their more limited roles. I like McCabe but for me he is more of a second pairing player than a first pairing caliber of player. What Murray has to do at a minimum is bolster the defense to the point that it is a solid unit rather than a major liability. That is doable.

Is that now the standard? Not being in the bottom of the league for the past three years? If you don't want to call him bad that's fine because I don't consider him to be bad. But I'm not going to put him in the category of being good. Mediocre is a fair categorizing of him. Whaley's drafts have been below average. His propensity to gratuitously give up picks on draft day maneuvers has not only not paid off but has hurt in adding more talent to the roster. Whaley has been given credit for bringing in good mid-level free agents at reasonable prices. He deserves credit in that area. But make no mistake about evaluating pro players---it is much easier to evaluate players who are already in the league. You already know what they can do. The bigger challenge is evaluating college players and determining if they can be good pros. In that area his performance is below average in my estimation. Where I give Whaley an unadulterated F grade is in his ability to find a franchise qb from the draft. He has passed on many quality prospects. Where he has really failed in that endeavor is his lack of initiative and passivity in trying to address that position. For me that is inexcusable bordering on malfeasance. I was once a strong supporter of Whaley. No longer. Until he addresses the qb issue, most likely through the draft, he is a failure. This team regardless how the roster is bolstered will not succeed until he secures a capable qb. If you want to lower the standards to accommodate your lenient grading curve that is your business. I'm not going to be involved in such pitiful grading shenanigans. Mediocrity may be your preferred standard but it is not mine. No more excuses.

Jeremy is all over the place. He has been advocating for a change of coaching as if that is the central problem with this team. It simply lacks talent, especially on defense. Without a doubt I'm disappointed how this season has materialized. But the deficiencies on defense can be addressed this offseason. Bringing in a couple of solid defensemen with the addition of Guhle should stabilize the defense. The biggest improvement next year is not going to be from the new players on the roster but from the younger players getting better. I have much more optimism with the hockey team than I do with the football team. Trust the process. It actually is working with more to do.

I never liked giving up a first round pick for Lehner. However, if he becomes our established number #1 goalie then no one can say that it was an unreasonable deal. I still unhappy with the deal but less so than before.

That's the point! Whaley was part of the Nix regime and he has assumed sole responsibility directing the franchise for the past three years. There have been numerous opportunities for him to make a play on a good qb prospect. He lost the opportunities by waiting and being timid. When your team hasn't had a franchise qb for twenty years (since Kelly) and the GM in his capacity doesn't aggressively pursue solidifying the position that mostly determines success then that person can't be considered to be successful.

My brain surgery would have gone well except the surgeon's Parkinson problems acted up during the procedure. The doctor did an excellent job amputating my leg. The only problem was that he cut off the wrong leg. My trip to the Arctic went well except for the minor detail that we ended up in Antarctica. I had great hopes on this first date with a stunningly beautiful babe who was wearing a revealing outfit. I couldn't hide my boner. When I said hello her response was I want you to know that I am a lesbian. I got on a plane for a twenty four hour ride to Australia. The person who sat next to me after I was already seated was a four hundred pound fellow who disgustingly stunk like a two week dead deer carcass. He sweated so profusely it was like he was in a rain forest. Other than that it was an enjoyable flight. I recently had the police break down my door and arrest me on a warrant for murder. I was taken to the holding center where I was repeatedly raped. It was eventually determined that the warrant was for Jose Gonzales, a 5'6'' Hispanic career criminal. I am 6'5" and white as a snow flake. After it was determined that the raiding police made a mistake the DA told me that it was just an innocent mistake that sometimes happens. Other than that I had a good day. Anyone who thinks that a GM is doing a good job when he not only hasn't acquired a franchise qb but has hardly made an effort to get a franchise qb is using the wrong standard.

As a GM Marv was simply incompetent. He was out of his depth and he was wise enough to know it. However, many of the players that you mentioned who departed were not all the result of Marv wanting to create a loyal choir boy atmosphere. When Marv took over that was the time that Ralph imposed strangling financial restrictions that were enforced through Littman. During that period of time the Bills went back to their mom and pop operation while the rest of the league was in the modern age. There was no way that the Buffalo horse and buggy could keep pace with the race cars.