JohnC

Simple explanation: the callers lie when telling what topic they are going to ask about.

Cleveland is not going to take a qb with their first pick and San Fran is probably not going to take a qb with their first pick because the top two players in this draft are top tier defensive linemen. The top three ranked qbs (so far) are good prospects but not the type of prospects to gamble on when the players at the top of the draft are substantially more highly touted players. From what I have read the Jets are very interested in Trubinsky, especially their owner. The Bills will be in a good position to select one of the top three qbs in this draft. Odds are they won't. Instead they will select a highly rated DB who will not have an appreciable effect on the team. A patching the holes mentality is what has kept this franchise an irrelevant and invisible franchise. It's a reprise of the Levy/Jauron reasoning for drafting of Whitner.

There is no need to trade up. There are three good qb prospects in this draft. Each has different strengths and weaknesses. There is no perfect pick that if unavailable should make this laggard and unimaginative franchise fall into a state of despair. Last year, the Cowboys strongly preferred Lynch and Connor Cook over the qb they selected. They especially coveted Lynch but were caught flat footed when the Broncos traded back up to select him. The Cowboys lamented but they then took the next best option in Prescott in the fourth round. Do you think they are now complaining over not getting their first preference? Too many people (not saying you) have this fanciful notion of making a perfect pick or if not available pursue a different position. Or another way of saying it is "making perfection the enemy of the good." We got to get away from that concept that is not tethered to the real world. The Bills have not had a legitimate franchise qb since the departure of Jim Kelly, two decades ago. That is an absurdity. Don't misinterpret my position on this issue. It is not related to keeping or not keeping TT. That is a separate issue in itself and calls for consideration on its own merits.

I've started with my toes. So far I cut two toes. For the sake of balance and symmetry I started with the right foot and then went to the left. The sequence is easy to remember: right/left, right/left, right/left, right/left and right/left. Will someone tell that rat basturd Beerball to get back in action? Being toothless can be aggravating but going toeless is worse because it affects my mobility. It makes it difficult to go to 7/11 to buy my lottery tickets.

John, What's the latest exotic beer you are infatuated with? While idling around waiting for a morsel of news from OBD do you sometimes sneak out to your car and drink some of your fine stash? I've noticed that some of your recent postings are not as sober as they usually are. Do you share any of your good stuff with your colleagues?

He has enough time to get his exhausted wife repeatedly pregnant.

You've come close to the reason Beerball has disappeared. His wife bought him a bidet. He has luxuriated in it to the extent that his wife can't get him off the bidet. He has isolated himself to the world for the sake of the pleasure of having a warm stream of water cleansing and stimulating his lower aperture. The reason for his isolation is he is addicted to getting his arse massaged. http://bidetking.com/alpha-jx-bidet-toilet-seat-review

Rumor has it that Beerball won't come back to the scene unless he is sufficiently stroked. He is such a dirty old man.

Scheifele did respond to the hit by immediately going after McCabe. But if you watched the other Winnipeg players they didn't respond with authentic anger. Players were pairing off with little intention of paying back for a clean hit that was obvious to all. I realize you are talking about a separate issue that relates to players sticking up for their teammates as reflected by your Eichel hit example. For me fighting doesn't belong in the game. It is a neanderthal mentality that isn't tolerated in any of the other standard pro sports. Especially in this era of concussion awareness punching (mostly to the head) shouldn't be part of the game. Kane is one of our better fighters and scorers. What is to be gained by him punching someone and then breaking his hand for the sake of upholding the outdated code of retribution? Fighting is not part of the college games and its not part of the Olympic games. And make no mistake about it both are still a tough brand of hockey and both have a greater and more aesthetic flow to their respective sports.

If you watched the post game fight it was more like a pro wrestling match than an actual payback fight. It was mostly pro forma and staged. It was an obligatory act of support for Laine. Byfugllien is one of the toughest and best fighters in the NHL. If he wanted to exact revenge for the hit he would have actually hit someone instead of allowing himself to be tied up and have Gionta act like a monkey on his back blindly swinging and mostly hitting the air. There was plenty of girly giggling from both teams when the theatrics were concluded. Lehner is a big dude. And he periodically goes through his crazy man act. If he was matched up against Byfugllien he would get his elephant size asss kicked in by arguably the toughest guy in the league.

When is Beerball going to make an appearnce? I just cut off my second toe in my self-mutilating act to force him to appear. On the positive side my shoes don't feel too tight.

I respectfully disagree. Whaley is the main driver in this hiring process. Monos works under Whaley and they certainly collaborate with Whaley being the higher authority. The owner has the final say to the ranking of the candidates. All the people you described being in the interview room should be in the room. As you know pure clarity in any complex organization is a textbook fiction that doesn't exist in the real world. As far as the issue of who the HC reports to I'm not bothered by the fuzziness of the lines because there should be constant communication between all these parties. On the issue of Rex and the lines of communication for him let me put it bluntly: When you hire an incompetent buffoon you should expect chaos, confusion, finger pointing and a lack of willingness to be held accountable. The owner made a grievous mistake when he hired this obnoxious fraud. Now he is trying to have a more professional process. For that I praise him.

Lynn would have been a fool if he didn't want TT to start in the Jet game because it unquestionably would have given him the best chance to win. But in this case it wasn't the right thing to do for the organization. Whether it was a Whaley or owner decision or a collaboration it wasn't the right decision for the franchise. There is no doubt that the Bills' franchise has been considered a dysfunctional franchise because it is basically true. You can't acquire its historical record of failure without a history of ineptitude in the front office and prior ownership involvement. But let's look at what is currently going on without being worried about the perception. The organization got rid of a buffoonish HC who was not going to make things better. Stopping the bleeding is not solution but it is a start. Giving the GM a clear status of authority, no matter what one thinks of him, is the right thing to do from an organizational standpoint. Those are positive steps. Although done in a climate of lamenting from the fan base and media (which is understandable after another season of disappointment) the bottom line is that these decisions are the right decisions. That's the point! Those decisions are reasons to be optimistic ---not fret over. If you want the GM and coaching staff to become instantly smart and the ownership to become instantly wise there is a quick pathway to that desire. As a pugnacious and irascible and irritable and sometimes prickly sage named badol has often stated : Get a good qb and the many wrongs will be quickly made right!

With respect to the highlighted area I don't know if the Pegulas' or Whaley were most involved in the benching of TT in the last game. Regardless, it was the right decision. It was a meaningless game in which if TT got seriously hurt there would have been a needless financial loss on a player who may not even be back next year. As it turned out TT was playing hurt with an abdominal injury that resulted in surgery immediately after the season. What would be the point in risking a more serious injury in a meaningless game? From a career standpoint it was in TT's interest not to play and risk a more serious injury. So the bottom line was that the TT sit down was the right thing for the organization and the right thing for the player. You pointed out that Whaley had no knowledge that the owner was going to fire the coach. Rex the magnificent mouth asked the owner prior to the Jet game that if he was going to be fired after the season finished that he just should do it now before the game. So the owner did it. You don't think that Whaley wasn't happy that his HC was fired? Anyone who believes that after an post season assessment was done that this clownish HC was not going to be dispatched didn't watch the games. Rex was going to be fired either sooner or later for due cause. Stupendous incompetence is not easy to hide! Ultimately the owner has the final say. On this issue of whether Whaley was involved or not or to what extent he was involved it is a fruitless discussion because what is said in private between the parties involved is usually not stated in public for diplomatic reasons. No question the situation in Buffalo was messy. But the bottom line is in the end the right decisions were made. The boisterous coach was relieved of his duties, and rightly so, and Whaley's line of authority was more clearly established, and rightly so.

There is a business side to the sports business. This isn't fantasy football--- it is an actual business.The notion that by putting effort into promoting your business takes away from the effort of running the football operation makes little sense to me. Let's get real here. When the Pegulas' acquired the franchise they didn't acquire a gold star franchise with a history of winning. They didn't acquire a sterling football operation that had a history of success. So for those fans who had high expectations and wanted instant success welcome to the real world where new and inexperienced owners go through a learning process just like everyone else would. There are many people who repeatedly bring up the Dan Snyder interfering method of ownership. Their perception of what is happening in Washington is outdated. He, for the most part, doesn't involve himself in the football side of the business. He leaves it up to the GM. It's been that way since he hired Scot McCloughan as his GM. As it stands the model that the Pegulas should be following is the current Snyder model.

You are right about the out-sized importance of having a good qb. The first thing the new owners should have done when they bought the team is ask the GM what is his strategy to address that position. Even a novice to the business can quickly recognize that the pathway to success is directly related to the qb position. Even during this early stage of new ownership the GM has bypassed opportunities to acquire franchise changing qbs. There are no guarantees other than if you don't seriously try the odds of failing are high. In general, I consider Whaley to be a good GM. His best work is in bringing mid-level free agents and get good value production from him. He is not afraid to take risks, exhibited by his maneuver to acquire Watkins, a receiver. But that transaction represents to me a major fault. If he was going to make a bold move it should have been for a qb, a position that gives you disproportionate return on a gamble. What's the point of paying a premium for a dynamic receiver when the receiver is neutered because the qb isn't up to standard. As far as the Pegulas' as owner discussion I'm ecstatic that they bought the team. They are learning. They acted impulsively in hiring the huckster coach. They wanted to add some pizazzzz to this sleepy organization but what they got was a boatload of bulllsssshiiit! To their credit they acted quickly to cleanse the stench of that mistake. Ralph would have waited for the contract to run out before dispatching the blustering coach because he wouldn't want to have eaten the contract. What the Pegulas' have done with the firing of Rex is give Whaley the clear authority to run the football operation without interference. He is responsible for the team. He no longer can hide behind the claim that there was a mixture of authorities that tied his hands. This instituting of a clear line of authority and responsibility is a demonstration that they are learning as they get more ownership experience. As far as I am concerned the Pegulas are the best thing that could have happened to this franchise and region.

Thinner coaches on the sidelines.

You are very often astute and perspicacious. But don't get too cocky because sometimes you do have your slumps.

I was only able to watch the third period. It was a terrific to watch. No doubt that O'Reilly was one of the best players on the ice for us (from the part that I witnessed) but the most positive takeaway was the play of Girgenson. The Gionta goal was a nifty goal from a veteran who exhibited patience that put him in position to score. If we can get some scoring from our secondary scorers that will make a big difference. Armia looked good in this game. Good skater with skill.

There's never one reason why a person fails in a complex job. To blame the GM is a cop out excuse for a failed coach. Did the GM and the coach in NY totally agree on the roster? No. Did the GM and the coach in Buffalo totally agree on the roster? No. That is the norm in the NFL. Our last draft and offseason were dedicated to securing Rex type of players. That didn't stop the decline on defense. What happened was that the decline accelerated. The word discipline is not associated with Rex Ryan. The word intelligent is not associated with Rex Ryan. The words flexible and adaptable are not associated with Rex Ryan. The words attention to detail are not associated with Rex Ryan. The words most associated with this huckster have to do with being loud, obnoxious, braggadocio and faux pas tough guy. I'm not into excuses. He set this franchise back. And that is a shame!

Gracias. As I said in a prior post I'm not worried about having my qb prospect start right away. My approach would be to get the qb on the roster and start working with him.

The highlighted area is where I strenuously but respectfully disagree with your approach to the draft. I not only don't expect a first round qb to help us next season---I don't care either. My position (as you know from my ad nauseam posts) is that this organization needs to get its franchise qb prospect on board sooner rather than later. As far as I'm concerned TT is adequate as a stopgap qb. When you watch him play compared to a complete qb there is a qualitative difference that is stark. The Bills haven't had a legitimate franchise qb for twenty years. Enough is enough! You can't fix a problem if you don't address it. For too many people fear of using a high pick on a qb that doesn't work out makes them freeze in acting. That's not my approach. If it doesn't work out then try again. If the second try doesn't work out the try again. Etc, etc. There are many first round picks at other positions that fail. So why be crippled with fear over a qb selection? You can draft a highly rated safety or corner (top of the draft board) but when all is said and done that selection only incrementally improves the team. You can draft the third rated qb with a low first round or high second round rating and have it make a dramatic effect on the team. As I cited before Derek Carr, a qp, dramatically changed the fortunes of the Raiders while Mack, a DE/LB who was at the top of the board and is one of the best defensive players in the league has a significantly less effect on the franchise.

How do you compare Watson to Kizer? Which one is more accurate?

I have been a critic of Tryrod because I don't believe he is a complete qb. But if I had to bet it would be that he remains with the team if he is willing to modify his contract. Even if he stays or not my preference would be to draft a qb in the first round.

There is no need to force the issue in this draft. There are three good qb prospects in Trubisky, Kiser and Watson. One of them should be available. I don't believe that the Jets will draft a qb in the first round because they stashed Hackenberg for the expressed purpose of grooming. San Fran needs to do a major rebuild. So they may just opt for one of the highly rated defensive players. One of the three top qb prospects should be available. My recommendation is to snatch one of them and get the player on the roster. I wouldn't even be bothered if the prospect doesn't play in his rookie year. Last year's first round pick, Lawson, didn't play until the end of the season due to an injury. For those who argue that Cardale is a good prospect my response is simple: Compete and win the job.