JohnC

No, you are misreading my position. The primary person who is responsible for this sad situation is the drinker. The organisation didn't handle it as well as it could have been handled but the onus is on the employee who acted outside the established code of conduct.

I agree that the Skins didn't handle the McCl**** situation very well. But there was no way that the reason for his dismissal was not going to come out, even if the organization was sealed tight against leaks. This GM has now been relieved of his duties by three teams. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what the cause was. Cousin complaining about not getting an extension last year and this offseason is childish. The organization miscalculated by not acting sooner. Because of the failure to sign him sooner he is now in a better position to make more money. The organization acted with the system and so did he. He is going to be the beneficiary of how the system works. He's pouting because his feelings are hurt. Tough! The employee got fired by his superiors for cause. It is as simple as that. There is a code of conduct that he didn't meet. The same type of code that applies to everyone in the work world.

If Eichel played for the Rangers he would be much more promoted. His lack of exposure has more to do with playing on an inconsequential team that is not of much of a factor in the league. I'm not arguing that playing in Toronto doesn't result in more coverage because it obviously does. But this big league Buffalo talent is less visible because he plays on a lackluster team that lacks relevancy. In Chicago both Toews and Kane are well known to all of North America because they are playing for a team that consistently contends for the Cup. Would they get even more attention if they played in Toronto? Absolutely. But without a doubt the Canadian market is acutely aware of those Chicago players because of the caliber of the team they play for. The same line of thinking applies to Sid the Kid in Pittsburgh.

McCloughan got fired from Seattle for drinking problems. McCloughan got fired form Seattle for drinking problems. McCloughan got fired from Washington for drinking problems. The organization handled this case clumsily and one can argue with a lack of class. But the reality is that McCoughan is not a victim here. He is an alcoholic who hasn't accepted the reality that he is an alcoholic. He created the predicament for himself and the organization. Based on his history the outcome was inevitable because he was never able to deal with the demons associated with his addiction. It's a sad situation.

Cousins is acting like a spoiled brat and a rejected teenager. What he doesn't understand is this is a business. The irony is that he is complaining that the Skins didn't demonstrate their loyalty to him by signing him to a long term deal. The problem with that juvenile thinking is that because the Skins miscalculated and delayed signing him the cost for him is now significantly higher. If he would have signed a long term deal last year it would have averaged out to $18 M a year, Osweiller money. Because the Skins waited he could end up signing a deal that is closer to $25 M a year. Cousins has the leverage and the organization, because of its hesitancy, has less of it. He is pouting now because the organization didn't show him the respect that he believes he is entitled to. Give me a freaking break! He's in a stronger negotiating position but because the organization acted within its rights and within the system this little baby wants out because his feelings got hurt. How ridiculous can you get!

Your position makes little sense to me. Eichel is not getting the attention he deserves not because he isn't a Canadian but because he is playing on a downtrodden organization that isn't a serious team. Matthews is an American and gets a lot of public attention. Surely playing for Toronto, a Canadian city, is a factor but the bigger factor is that he is playing on an emerging team. Team success breeds player recognition. The best way for Boston Jack to get more North American attention is for him to play on a competitive team. When the playoffs start Jack will be invisible not because he is not worthy of attention but because his team is out of the more meaningful and dramatic post season.

As more information has come out in this sad affair my position has shifted. The Skins hired an alcoholic who before hiring him was fired by two franchises over the same issue of problem drinking. They knew that in advance. But they were willing to take a risk on him because he is recognized as one of the best talent evaluators in the league. To this day McClu*** has not come to grips with his condition of being an alcoholic. He wrongly believes that he could still drink and control his drinking impulses. His self-denial of his problem is a classic signature of his addiction. The Skins handled this delicate and tragic situation very clumsily. They hired a person who was an alcoholic yet didn't provide the proper support system for that problem. The Skins can be criticized for not handling this issue in a more sophisticated and sensitive manner. But the reality is that the former GM conducted himself in such a way that he could not be kept on the job. This isn't a story that one should chortle over. It is a sad story of a person who is addicted and is still contending with his demons. I hope that he will get the help that he needs. But until he recognizes his problem he will not be able to deal with his problem. For the former GM the issue isn't so much about a job as it is about life and survival. I wish him the best.

They buy the tires in bulk, get inside of them, have people pour gasoline on themselves and then smoke a big Havana cigar. The outcome is predictable.

There was talk. Was it true? I don't know. He also had wife problems. https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/09/03/redskins-jessica-mccloughan-dianna-russini-explained/

That was part of the problem. He is an alcoholic who shouldn't be drinking at all.

It was a stupid explanation for what really was a tawdry affair. The decision was alreday made to cut him loose. Much effort was exerted to make the organization look like the aggrieved party. For the sake of argument because there may have been (or not) an issue with his drinking it was a despicable act to deliberately bring up the issue on the owner's radio station. The organization used a former player, Cooley, a radio host to drop this rumor on air. Whether it is true or not it is a disgustingly unethical thing to do.

At this point he was frozen out of the operation. The organization was trying to get him to quit. He had a contract so it was in his interest to be fired rather than quit. This was an ugly smear job that demonstrated the internal viciousness and machinations within this classless organization.

The highlighted area is a good summary of what the problem was.

I was the one in the shoutbox who was discussing the issue. Drinking issues may have been a factor but the core problem had to do with the conflict between Bruce Allen and McClu****. An example of the finger pointing that caused a rift was that McClu was accused of leaking to others that it was Allen who declined giving Cousins the extended contract last year while he was for it. Now the cost has exponentially gone up. This is a case of not having clear lines of authority. You can't have a mixture of voices and expect to always have agreement. Friction is inevitable and it doesn't get milder, it escalates until there is a combustion.

You are right. This is a terrific deal for the Browns and it also helps out the Texans. The Browns have no obligation to him after the season and they get a second round pick that they can use for a good prospect. Osweiller can be used as a backup so they get some utility out of him.

I agree with your comment. The reason for being in such a cap bind is that the Bills didn't wisely manage theie cap. As I said in other posts the team with more talent managed their cap more smartly than our team that has less talent. That is why the Pats were in position to sign him and the Bills were not in a position to keep him.

I'm aware that a transaction that involves the Pats is going to draw more attention from the locals. But that isn't what my point is. It's that an immensely better team got better while an inferior team got weaker. The cacophonous noise is irrelevant. It's the standard discordant noise. What really matters is that the end result is the weaker team that is competing with the superior team got worse.

What the Pats have understood for a long time is that pro football is a brutal sport where injuries are inevitable. When they look at a position they don't alone judge it by who starts but also by who is behind the starter. It's the next man up mentality that is predicated on the totality of the roster. This is where coaching and preparation come into play (as you smartly noted). For the most part you are not going to be a Patriot if you are a dumb person and player. You have to be versatile, and especially on the OL play more than one position. No player on the Pats, including Brady, is the highest paid player at their position. They are spreading the money around so that when a starter goes down there is a player behind him is good enough to step in. As I said in other posts the Bills front office has a patchwork approach to assembling a roster while the Pats have a more conceptual aspect to roster building. Where I slightly disagree with you is that I understand why the Pats were interested in Gilmore. He is simply a talented player who will fill the void left by the departure of other players. He is more than a lunch bucket player; he is a top tier CB whose talents will be wisely used.

You are missing the point. The weaker franchise couldn't afford to keep him because of cap restrictions while the more accomplished franchise had plenty of cap space to bring him in. The issue is more than an individual transaction. It goes directly to the heart of the Bills lack of success i.e. poor organizational decisions.

I made this point in a prior post so excuse me for the repetition. The Pats have a demonstrably better roster that just won a SB. Yet they are significantly under the cap while the Bills with a much lesser roster are cap squeezed. The Pats have a history of letting very good players go (Traded LB Collins) and fill the gap with cheaper and just as effective players. They do it all the time. You have to marvel how the Pats under Belichick manage and maneuver under the system that all teams abide by. While the Bills are a team in motion, as all teams are at this time of year, it ends up when all is said and done that we are actually standing still instead of moving forward.

It's especially not a push if the Gilmore acquisition allows them to also trade Butler for Cook. Also, the Pats traded their all-star LB in Collins in-season and get a pick for him while the younger player who replaced him played just as well or almost as well for a much cheaper price. The end result of the deal is that the Pats get a third round pick and more cap space to maneuver. Being a maestro is better than a person playing in a garage band. And by the way they just won the SB. You might not be impressed but I am.

If there was a good source within the organization why would the reporter or whoever expose their source or place them in jeopardy? Let's face it the football people were intensely debating the TT issue that included the contract issue. It was not a simple issue. The parties involved had various positions that involved qualifications. There wasn't the intrigue as many people were making it out to be. The leak issue is a an overblown issue that signifies little. You and I were not in the room but both of us know what Whaley's position and general terms were. It didn't take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out what McCermott's position was. He wanted the best qb option for him with less concern about the cost that the GM would have. The leak issue tells us little about the organization and how it is run. Rumors swirl around all teams at this time of year when so many personnel decisions are being made. Too much is being made of something so little.

This can't be true. Bill is not much of a dancer. However, whenever he walks in any Manhattan bar the bartenders call him by his nickname, Mr. Crimson Tide.

Some organizations are tactical while others are strategic. Checker players playing in a chess game with the masters.

It's a rhetorical comment pointing out the obvious.