JohnC

Do you see the irony here? A championship team with an immensely better roster has the cap space to bring in a good player. A persistently losing franchise with a less talented roster can't afford to keep a good player because it is in a tight cap situation. Which organization is better managed? No one can deny that the Pats are the gold standard in this league.

The issue of leaks representing the quality of management is over-blown. Self-serving leaks come from agents, players and within the organizations trying to put themselves in a good light or better position themselves when negotiating. There is little significance to them. What really counts is the quality of decisions being made that contribute to success. When there is persistent failure it is inevitable that internal leaks are going to spew out because it is part of the standard blame game, everyone pointing the fingers outward. The bottom line is that the issue of leaks is a small side-issue that deflects from the real issue of good organizational decision-making.

Female toughie! http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2696768-meet-the-ripped-female-fighter-whos-serving-up-a-can-of-whoop-ass-on-all-levels?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

I deleted my post because it appeared that it was outdated as soon as it was posted. I just can't keep up!

It's a perpetual state of chaos and failure from the pro sports teams that they have no choice but to adapt to. The local media in general have a sour tone. It is understandable. When you are enveloped by generations of wretched mediocrity you naturally become more critical than exuberant. The product is the issue--- not the people who are commenting on it.

This is a WGR clip with Simon and White. It is about four minutes long. As the losses mount and the season slips away it is getting testy at WGR with callers. The frustration with Buffalo pro sports is increasing. I agree with the hosts' position. http://media.wgr550.com/a/118650031/03-08-caller-brad-thinks-howard-and-jeremy-are-ludicrous-defends-bylsma-s-post-game-comments.htm

I took your posting literally and now my guts are spilling out. What do I do? Is there a ritual chant that will bring me back to health? Or am I doomed?

Thank you for your post. You just made me more infuriated! What I don't understand about the Murray trade for Lehner is that Ottawa was clearly moving away from him due to injury concerns and a surplus of alternative goalies. A deal could be justified but not at a first round price. It made no sense from a market standpoint. The Sabres were not competing with any team willing to come close to our offer. The Senators were involved in a daylight criminal heist. I got to salute the Senators. For the past few years they have been undergoing a quiet rebuild. They have done a good job of rebuilding their roster and getting back into the competitive fray. The Uncle has not only out schooled the nephew---he has spanked him and sent him to the dunce corner.

eball, At times you are a magician at wielding that stiletto and sticking the unsuspecting victim. Maybe a tad bit ruthless but always purposeful.

Gotham Bill, Are you aware that you treat all the Crimson Tide attendees as if they are all your precious sons? You are such a loving and devoted PaPa!

You better not be talking about me! I'm a very sensitive person who becomes distraught when maligned.

Success is predicated on a well balanced roster. Eichel is a star but what happens when the star goes down? Winning rosters are deep well balanced rosters. This roster has to add a lot more pieces to seriously compete.

Simply not enough talent on the team. As already mentioned Risto and O'Reilly are being used up like old like rented mules. Ease up on them before they break. What's the point at this point. Foligno, Bailey and Carrier are big and fast players but they are not top two line players. Nothing more can be said about our defensive corp that hasn't already been said. Instead of giving up talent on a talent shallow team go after maybe two solid to good defensemen who could patch the gaping hole. The first round pick that Murray gave up for Lehner was used for the top rated prospect in Ottawa's system who should be ready in a year or so. That transaction was felonious theft. This team plays as if it knows that it is not good enough. Their heart lacks the pumping capacity to keep up.

Don't you dare bring up Evander's name!

I'm not looking for the cap draining splash top tier defenseman additon to the roster. I would prefer getting maybe two good young defensemen who not only add talent to the barren group that we have but also add numbers to the backside that turn a major liability into at the minimum credible. If you add in Guhle then defense grouping will have undergone a major upgrade. There is another story that doesn't get enough attention when discussing our defensive problem. The forwards also are contributing to the defensive lapses with their own defensive lapses. A little more responsible play by them will also enhance our overall defense.

Your analysis regarding the necessity of adjusting to the pro game is accurate. It also applies to every qb in this draft and every draft. None of this year's crop is a plug in and play type of qb. I'm fine with that. For the most part (not all) there is an adjustment period for all rookie players. Good coaching and a stellar work ethic are part of the grooming process. Especially for qbs expecting instant gratification and an immediate return on an investment is not rooted in the demanding reality of the NFL.

The Sabres couldn't afford to give up any of their limited assets for a rental. There should be some trade action at the time of the draft. More activity will be stimulated because of teams maneuvering to handle the expansion draft.

I don't care what horse you are riding as long as it is a qb horse.

You are illuminating, astute and perspicacious. You bring a lot to the table.

When you haven't had a franchise qb in over twenty years and you refuse to aggressively secure that position it becomes tantamount to dereliction of duty. You can take any prospect and dissect the player to the point that you can convince yourself that selecting the player isn't worth the risk. In the end what does that obsessive scrutiny get you? Reverting to the standby response of drafting an attractive DB who will depart after the first contract due to prohibitive costs i.e. (Clements/Gilmore) That hesitant approach gets you placed in the history books for the ignominious distinction of a quarter century of consecutive years out of the playoffs in a system designed for parity. (I'm confidently assuming more years of non-playoff seasons.) Go back and review the scouting book on Derek Carr. He wasn't an elite prospect that teams were coveting. Yet this top of the second round selection has done more to elevate a deeply buried franchise that was prone to being mocked for being such an erratic franchise. Now they are contending team. Do I have to ask you why? Dak Prescott wasn't an elite prospect. Yet he was able to come in and competently take over when the starter got hurt. Do you think the Cowboys regret drafting Dak, a qb who was their third or fourth preference on their draft list? Instead of examining a qb from the perspective what the prospect doesn't do well how about altering one's scouting framework and viewing what the qb does do well and how that translates to the pro game. A few days ago I was listening to a podcast where the GM of the Eagles was being interviewed. The host asked the GM why they took such a big risk and give up a lot for the drafting of Wentz? His response was illuminating. He said absolutely not. He explained that the risk was not in doing what you had to do to taking a qb, the risk was not doing what you had to do to get a qb. If you don't act in securing that position you have little chance to succeed. Compare that attitude to the passive mentality of the Bills? My point is obvious to the fans of this archaic franchise. If this pathetic organization continues to act with timidity on the qb issue and allows other teams to pass it by it richly deserves the scorn and mocking that is directed at it. You are astute and perspicacious. The problem with the approach that a lot of people take when evaluating qbs is that they focus on the shortcomings without balancing it out with what they do well. They are taking a static approach when scouting a player instead of taking a more dynamic approach and projecting what the player is capable of doing with good coaching and work ethic.

One report had the Eagles interested in Kenny Britt who is a Ram and an UFA.

Do you want to know where you won't find solid content? The Bills organization. Wretched systemic mediocrity that passes through the generations. It's so sad.

Without a doubt the GM scanned the market and didn't see any deals that could be made to help the team. He is not a passive GM. He's not going to make a deal that hurts the team just for the sake of giving the appearance that he is doing something. He did field some offers for Kulikov but teams backed off because they were concerned about his health status. Let's face it the Sabres don't have a surplus of talent that can be parlayed for good players in deals. However, I wouldn't be surprised if prior to the draft there were some deals. Make no mistake I'm disappointed how the season has unfolded. As frustrating as it may seem not making transactions out of frustration and desperation is smart course of action to take.

Things haven't worked out at the pace that people expected. I understand why expectations were raised. The rebuild is going to take more time. That's a reality that many people don't want to face. As I said before entering this season this team was a fringe playoff team. That is exactly where they are at. Not all the deals that Murray made have worked out. But in the real world any GM who makes a lot of deals is going to have some of them not work out as well as expected. I rather have him be an active GM than a passive GM. It would be a horrible mistake to get so frustrated and get rid of the GM or coach or both and start the process over. Being patient is sometimes tough to take. That's life.

I salute them. The coach did a fantastic job. They deserve more local recognition for their accomplishment. In addition to being good they play an entertaining brand of ball. They are fun to watch.