JohnC

The Colts had Peyton and the Packers had Favre and Rogers. All HOF qbs. None of those organizations with those great qbs were able to come close to accomplishing what the Pats accomplished. Without a doubt Brady is a primary reason for the sustained success of the Pats. However, you may not believe it. but I do, that the Pats are not only the best run organization in the game but also the most innovative in the way in which they run their organization.

I'm happy for Hogan and I'm happy for Andy Levitre who plays for the Falcons. I'm sad for Kyle Williams who will have a long and distinguished career with no playoff appearances. He deserves better.

He didn't work out. However, they continued to win.

The league takes away picks from the Pats but they still are able to compensate with their low cost pickups. Bennett was a terrific pickup for the Pats, even more so with Gronk being out. They brought in this mercurial player and person and he produced for them. On other teams he floundered. This extraordinary franchise has its own identity and method of operating. Regardless what the conventional wisdom is this franchise is ahead of the curve. Considering the restraints of the cap system they have maintained consistent success while most teams (even very good teams) have not been able to maintain such consistent excellence. You have to marvel at how they run their shop.

Arguing whether he is the second option or not isn't worth arguing over. What is impressive is that Belichick took a decent player from another team and got him to fit in well with the unit. Hogan added to the mix with Edeleman, Bennett and even Amendola helped to maintain the passing game, even with Gronk being out. Their brilliant HC has also made similar little moves without much draft investment for the running back grouping. While most of the teams play checkers the Pats are playing chess. The Bills with their peculiar logic try to keep up by hiring Rex Ryan. LOL

If you can't deal with the reality of the present then go ahead and drink yourself into a stupor. Things might not change for the better but in your condition you can create an illusion that makes you more content, at least until you sober up.

Refer to my post#2404 to Plenzmed1. It would be wrong to give up more prospects and picks to get a solid defenseman or ready prospect because of our situation this season. Be patient and engage in the market when more cap space is available. It would be a mistake to mortgage more of our future for a good defenseman when opportunities will be created when all teams have to address their cap situations. It's not about this season. With a wider perspective you should be more receptive to my thoughts in this issue. Exhibiting patience while under duress is also an exhibition of courage and intelligence. Most often being impetuous is being foolish. Don't panic! Trust the process because it is working.

So what you are suggesting is that you should dig a hole to fill another hole. You still have a hole and the one you created by letting a scorer go is more difficult to fill. The mistake you and others are making is that you are being shortsighted and viewing our situation as it stands. Let's put things in perspective. We are starting to emerge from the gut wrenching pain of an actual full rebuild to building a well-rounded roster that can seriously compete. You and I very well know that we are not there yet but we are unquestionably moving in the right direction. Immediate help is not coming this year. So what---what did you expect? What we do know about our team is that as the roster is currently constructed it doesn't have many natural scorers. What you are recommending is accentuating a weakness and make it even weaker for a quick fix that isn't really a quick fix. Do you really believe that another team is willing to give up a genuine top two pairing defenseman for a player that has a history of being a rogue when he is on his own time? Next year the Sabres will be able to cleanse some players from the roster and open up some cap space. That is the time to buy, We may not be able to get some premier players but we should be able to add some solid defensemen who can turn a source of liability to a level of stability. Next year Guhle will be a better prepared player to add to the blue line. The Kulivov for Pysyk deal still irritates me. However, even if we don't keep Kulikov we still have his valued cap space. Adding some quality (not top shelf) next year will stabilize the precarious situation we now find ourselves on the blue line. Don't panic. Don't rush to action. Be patient. Adding a building block a little later is better than taking away a building block and then going back again to address the problem that you created in order to address another issue. Don't take a step backward when by by being patient you can continue moving forward. I respectfully and sternly recommend patience. Kane is a legitimate 30 goal scorer on a team that has a paucity of scorers. Let's stop being caviller in trading a talent that isn't readily available when reasonable options for buttressing the defense will open up next year.

Aren't you aware? I have been weekly cutting off one of my toes until the currently vanished Beerball makes a return to this disreputable site. Despite my many pleadings for his return he stubbornly refuses to make an appearance. So now I no longer have toes. The story however does have a happy ending. I was recently adopted by a Native American family. They gave me the name of Johnny Round Foot. If you break down the season in increments over the last four games the Sabres have earned 6 out of 8 points. The Leaf game was a disappointment but when put in perspective the situation is much better than some indicate. The Sabres were considered a fringe playoff team before the season started. They are now in contention to be a fringe playoff team as this season moves on. The script is being followed.

It's not my fault. He needs to Americanize his name. Aren't you aware that this falls in line with the Trump America First declarations? I guarantee you that I will continue to falter with spelling. So please show more patience and kindness because I am a very slow person. I am confident that there will be plenty more opportunities for you to exhibit your fastidiousness.

For the chorus of posters who consistently clamor for Kane to be traded I want to point out that he had two assists in this game. He was instrumental in Gionta's goal. When he gets away from his impulse to play on the perimeter and instead gets involved in the muck around the net he creates scoring opportunities for himself and others. He still has a tendency to play an unruly game detached from the other players on the ice. But more and more you see him better coordinating his play with others. The increase in production is proof of that. I like Kane playing with Gergenson. Both are strong and gritty players who also have some skill. Wouldn't it be nice if Gergenson could find a useful role on a line? I suspect that eventually he will be traded. For the most part he has not found a consistent role on this Bylsma coached team. The player is a ying while the coach is a yang. Compatibility between them is a challenge. I see this as a bigger challenge for the coach to be a little more flexible in adjusting to the player rather than be resolutely married to his precious system.

Let me start off with your comment that I have over evaluated this roster portraying this team as being better than it is. You are are making an immense wrong characterization when stating that I have said that the team is close to being a complete team when I have for a very long time, including prior to the season, stated the opposite. What I have said is that this team is a fringe playoff team. And they are. I have never claimed that this roster is 2 or 3 players away from being a cup contender. How can that be when I have stated all along that our defensive corps still needs to add a few players and also that our top two lines still need additions? Let me point out to you that Lehner played a fabulous game in Montreal. I have expressed doubts on his acquisition but the primary criticism is that I felt that the GM over-paid for him. But you need to be more patient before coming to a final judgment on him. Tonight he demonstrated that he could be a number #1 goalie. But the story on him still has to unfold. But what I can say for sure from what I have seen so far is that he can play well at time with periodic excruciating lapses. So let's just wait and see. I think you are panicking because your out-sized expectations are not being met. As far as I'm concerned this team is on the right track. Be patient and less quick with your judgments because what you pessimistically think today can change to a more positive outlook as the season advances. Both goalies were terrific with many exceptional saves. This was a great game to watch. A lot of up and down skating and continuous action. For those who argued that the Sabres should resort to trapping more I say: Be silent. The Sabres got two goals from their defenseman, Franson and Bogo. That is a rarity. This was a gritty effort by a team whose defensive corps is depleted. For the past two games this the team has displayed a lot of character and resolve. They should be saluted for their efforts.

One of the top attorneys in the country is Abbe Lowell. He can take a complicated legal issue and with clarity explain in laymen terms the core legal issue involved that even a dullard like myself can understand. He was the lead attorney who represented John Edwards in the campaign finance fraud case that was brought up in North Carolina by the U.S. Attorney's Office and Justice Department. He shredded the prosecuting U.S. Attorney's position and legal reasoning in that high profile case zealously brought by them against his client. His clarity and incisiveness when talking about the law is very impressive.

The giant and volatile Lehner is going to have ample opportunities to demonstrate whether he is a #1 goalie or not. Tilting the scale when evaluating him because of the excessive cost is not the right approach to take. If he is a #1 goalie then his play should indicate it. Favoring him because the GM doesn't want to admit a possible mistake is the wrong course of action. What has clearly been demonstrated so far is that there isn't much to distinguish among the play of Nielsson, Chad Johnson or the volcanic tempered and biker tattooed big man. If after this season it isn't clear that he is a #1 goalie other teams will not make a big money commitment to him. Implicit in my assessment of his value on the market or with us is that I'm not overly impressed by him. He might turn out to be a good and consistent goalie but I wouldn't anchor this team with a long term commitment for someone who also has durability issues. The Vanek decision in some respects is similar to the TT decision for the Bills. Do you keep a player so you can struggle to be respectable or do you cut the chord and go all in to building a stronger foundation to compete for something meaningful in the future? This comes down to the fundamental question of what is your goal? This type of decision calls for a lot of fortitude and bravery to pursue the bigger goal over the more immediate lesser goal.

Is it because the insufferable arrogance permeating from the witness stand is not an appealing trait to the jury deciding the case? Or is it because obfuscation is not very clarifying? Just saying.

I disagree with the rotund Hamilton whose analysis is usually fair and good. Lehner is going to have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate that he is a #1 goalie or not this season. However, if Nielsson outplays him and is more consistent then his play should be rewarded. As I said in prior posts I am not as caught up in declaring and bestowing the title of #1 goalie on any particular player. If the position is better served with split play (even if it is not an even split) then do what's best for the team. Just because the brash talking GM gave up a lot for Lehner (too much in my estimation) that doesn't mean that the evaluation of the goalies should be automatically skewed. Compete and show your stuff! No one should be entitled to a position, especially if that particular player is being outperformed and is less durable. In hindsight, the GM would have been better off re-signing Chad Johnson and having him paired with the cheaper Nielsson instead of giving up a first round pick. That pick could have been used on an elite prospect who would have been ready in another couple of years. (Isn't hindsight beautiful? It makes one feel brilliant.)

I think you are being unfair. This is a rebuilding team that started the process not long ago. Getting enough quality players to play competitively is a big enough challenge let alone being able to establish a reserve of good players. The so called abundance of talent in the farm system was used up to an extent for acquisitions. How you do think we acquired O'Reilly? We traded off some young prospects to get him. It was well worth it. Most of us here have criticized the GM for the Lehner deal. And I felt that the trade by the crusty GM of Pysyk for Kulikov was a big mistake. So far that assessment seems accurate. But let's put things in perspective. Any GM who makes a lot of deals is not going to have all of them work out. That's the nature of making deals. If one takes a wider perspective on this franchise no one can deny that it is climbing up the ladder. Expectations were high prior to the season, just maybe too high and unrealistic. There is still much to be done. If you think the frustration level is high for the hockey fans wait until you see how the Bills' fans react if that lumbering franchise decides to go into a full throttle rebuild.

It's apparent to me that the issue for the organization is more than how good TT is. What's more important is the context in which factors beyond his talent level are factored in to decide whether to keep him or not. If the organization has come to the decision that they want to be involved in an authentic rebuild and that their goal is not to just qualify for a wild-card spot then letting him go makes a lot of sense. On the other hand if the front office is under pressure to, at the minimum, get into the playoffs for the sake of breaking that embarrassing and ignominious streak then the organization will keep TT, even under his current contract or with an adjustment. Let's not forget that the Pegulas are not thinking small as owners. They demonstrated with their hockey team that they aren't afraid of tearing it down in order to more properly build it back up. If it is accepted that the owners want to own a more serious and relevant team and it is concluded that TT is not the caliber of qb capable of leading such a challenging endeavor then letting him go is a reasonable approach to take from a talent and cap standpoint. Debating how good TT is in itself a reflection that the consensus is that he isn't good enough to get you where you want to go if it is more than being average. Cold calculations are part of the business. Some people find that harsh reality too daunting to be comfortable with. My recommendation to you is don't be so dismissive of people who are arguing for him to be let go. There are good arguments to be made for both sides of this vexing issue. And I will say with confidence that if the organization has decided to go for the gold rather than be satisfied with the bronze then in that context keeping TT makes little sense.

What other option is there? The blue line is so thin that it is invisible. McCabe is not going to make the trip to Montreal. So there is a good chance he might be out a while. Maybe Guhle on an emergency recall? I'm not particularly fond of Kulikov but his injury is putting this team in a hole that seems to get deeper.

McCabe got hurt in the Detroit game. The bottom of the barrel is visible. I hope the last man up defenseman knows how to skate backward?

Matt Ryan should be moved up to the elite category.

I'll be watching the game. Do what eball did and walk around naked. You will be easy to spot. Maybe the announcers will point you out to the curious viewership! I'll know that it is you.

Murray realized that there were no guarantees with the tank strategy because there was a lottery component to it. There were some young players in the system who were working their way up before he arrived. Murray used some of those assets as chips in his deals. Those prospects were acquired during the Regier regime. But that issue isn't worth debating . What Pegula learned when he took over as the new and unschooled owner was that buying your way into respectability with high cost free agents doesn't work. Even if there is some immediate success there isn't much long term success to that quick fix approach. The end result was that a couple of years of what could have been used for rebuilding was wasted in a futile attempt to buy one's way into respectability. Pegula also learned that hard lesson with the Bills. What Murray is doing with his rebuild is the time tested rebuild approach that is an almost standard approach for bottom feeding teams. The original discussion on this topic had to do with the comparison between the Sabres and Toronto. One can quibble when it started for each team but for the most part it should be conceded that they started near the same time. My point in my prior posts is that I felt that Toronto has done a better job negotiating their way through this excruciating process compared to the Sabres. Make no mistake on how I view this process from a Buffalo standpoint. This team is on track for the not too distant future to be a contending team. My original point was simply that Toronto was on a faster track. I stand by that assessment. I'm not gloomy about our prospects but I am more bullish on the Maple Leafs prospects as it currently stands.

If I recall the Bills were seriously considering drafting Gasteneau. Late in the process they switched to preferring Fred Smerlas over him. He was one of the first players to celebrate to the extent he did after a sack. It caused a lot of fights. I don't mean to say this in a mean-spirited way but he clearly wasn't the brightest light bulb in the room. With his prognosis dealing with the future has to be scary. I wish him well.

Excellent work. Eli is fading. Maybe he belongs in the down slope. Your ranking of TT is reasonable and fair. Considering your assessment you are making a case to let him go and not be bothered by it. I'm a little more generous with my ranking of Cousins. I wouldn't be reluctant to move him up to the next generation.