JohnC

What makes the Sabres a compelling local team to follow is that they have a GM who is transparent as to his strategy to rebuild the team and you can see him following the script. He's not passive and he is ready to deal. The flip side is that he is not so desperate to make a deal that doesn't make sense for what he wants to accomplish. Most GMs in all the major sports speak in cliches and offer little as to what they are thinking and what they are willing to do. Not him. He was on WGR talking about Moulson. He wasn't afraid to be specific in criticizing Moulson for his off and on season preparation. Most coaches/GMs don't publicly offer their stinging thoughts to the media. Not him.

Where Goodell often gets in trouble with his rulings is not that he is out of bounds in punishing players but very often he is wrong in the scale of his punishment, and in the consistency from his prior rulings. For the sake of argument if Roger gave McCoy a one game suspension or a fine the union would be in a weak position to successfully challenge the ruling by the very erratic commissioner. Going back to your original question whether McCoy connected or not being involved in a bar room brawl is enough for him to invoke the off field conduct clause. The same issue of off duty behavior and repercussions will be addressed by the department the officers work for.(That's my opinion.)

I know that I sound like a broken record but even when the Sabres lose you have to be encouraged. Even against the good teams they lose to you can't say that the Sabres are outclassed, even when they are not playing with a full complement of their players. Next year it is reasonable to believe that with their healthy cap situation the GM should be in a good position to bring in another 2 to 3 good players. When you see a young player such as Reinhart dramatically improve over one offseason then the prospects for such in-house improvement is another factor for the team making a step up. Next year Ennis should be healthy and hopefully he can recapture his scoring touch. As I have stated in prior posts I would prefer that the GM use the cap space to bring in a few good players than break the vault for Stamkos. I recognize how good he is but I would rather bolster the overall roster so when injuries do happen there will be more depth to absorb the player losses.

Are you suggesting he has Trumpish hair?

Beerball is not a captain---he is a sheriff.

It wouldn't be difficult for most people in and out of the football business to enthusiastically support Roger in his efforts to make the bad actors (players) accountable for their behavior on and off the field, including banning the recalcitrant degenerates. The problem is that Goodell is too often incapable of being measured and consistent in how he deals with disciplinary issues. There are too many occasions where his visceral responses overtake his ability to adjudicate a problem The deflategate case, among many cases, reflects his vindictive side dominating his ability to be objective. The way Roger handled the Ray Rice case caused an outcry. And rightly so. But to his credit there is now in place a no tolerance policy and a quick response policy to deal with domestic assault cases. It was the NFL's first poor response and then corrective follow-up that has influenced all sports to take this issue more seriously.

If Roger wanted to suspend McCoy for a game or fine him citing the tape of his participation in the brawl he could do so, regardless if he or his associates are charged. Bandit referred to the text that gives him the authority to do so. Will he? Who knows? Roger does whatever he wants. Being consistent and judicious are not his strong points.

Isn't that a Bernie campaign slogan and bumper sticker?

As Koolaid stated the union leader does what most union leaders do, loudly supporting its members no matter what. No one needed to prompt the FOP into its response. Neither the mayor or the FOP had all the facts. That didn't stop them from reflexively talking tough in their support of the officers. It's not surprising that these squawk boxes have gone silent. I wouldn't be surprised if the DA's office has more than enough information to make a determination. For them a bar brawl is a bar brawl with the usual characteristic that there are no angels in the late night drinking establishment. The embers of intensity have cooled to the point that it has become a forgotten story. That's the setting that the DA's office wants when it gives its judgment. For that lightening rod office being politically wise is as important as being legally wise.

It's my belief that they filed the case because the injuries that they incurred in the bar fight had ramifications for them on the job. If none of them would have gotten injured to the extent that it affected their ability to work there would have been no charges filed. (My opinion.) If you recall charges weren't filed immediately and medical attention wasn't quickly sought, and when it finally happened it was at a hospital not near the incident location. What they were trying to do is not let the department know what they got themselves involved in. These guys are cops, not civilians. They are required to report injuries on and off the job. They were in a bind with their employers because they had to explain what happened. Reporting that they were in some type of bar brawl would have gotten them in trouble at work. So they came up with a story (day or two later) that they were victims with the hope that it would put them in a better situation at work.

No one has to tell the cop side that if this case goes to trial that their conduct will be brought to light because it is assumed by all parties that is what will happen if the case was taken to a court room setting. No one has to tell the cop side or the DA side how ferociously McCoy's expensive attorney will attack the credibility of the opposition because it is assumed that is how this case would be pursued. I'm confident that whether this case goes to trial or not the officers are going to be subjected to internal department scrutiny. That in-house scrutiny probably is being delayed because the police authorities do not want to unduly influence the possible court case. But it will go into hard core action at the appropriate time. The biggest transgression is publicly embarrassing the department. For that notorious attention there will be severe consequences.

Now that is an unacceptable thought! The Taliban members on this board would have you strung up by your testicles until you relent from your heresy. And if you cry like a baby when justice is being administered your vocal chords would be cut. I am a TT advocate. So you should be confident that I would be in the frenzied crowd screaming and throwing rocks at you until you become more receptive to the wisdom of the true believers.

Can I express my opinion on Rex on that site without being called a hater?

What's PPP?

To protect the officers from what? No one filed a criminal complaint against them. If it is determined that any of the off duty officers were more in the wrong or just as in the wrong than any of the McCoy crew then there would be no arrest warrants for the bar brawl. What is being reviewed by the DA's office is the criminal complaint made by the partying cops against the McCoy's party. I don't believe that McCoy and his crew would be interested in filing a complaint against the police if the follow up investigation indicated that the cops were the primary instigators in the fracas. What would be gained? McCoy wants this episode to be over with as soon as possible? As far as I know none of his crew were hurt. They certainly don't want to be involved in any court action.

This guy was following her around city to city. She is lucky that she wasn't raped or killed. The hotels have common sense and easy to follow rules about giving out information regarding their customers. They didn't follow it. During the trial at a dinner one of the corporate officials of the hotel with friends was watching some of the Andrew clips on a phone in front of the restaurant customers and staff. They weren't very discreet about their video viewing. This upset some of the customers and staff to the point that the media were alerted about their cavalier attitude toward an issue that not only affected Andrews but was also a serious issue for the company he worked for. I wonder what this fool's attitude would be if his wife, daughters, sisters were on the receiving end of a multi-city stalking and video that will forever be on the internet? I wonder if this fool has an updated resume when he looks for his next job.

When one watched the Sabres play the Rangers last night one couldn't come away and say that the Rangers were a noticeably superior team to Buffalo. In yesterday's game I thought the Sabres out played the Rangers. The scoring chances were there but they just didn't convert enough. The Rangers are definitely a superior and more complete team. I'm not saying otherwise. My point is that this team is not too far away from being a good team. Because of its lack of depth injuries have more of an effect on them than a fuller team such as the Rangers. What's obvious and a cause for optimism is that our best players are our younger players. What I am now focusing on is watching to see how our secondary young players steadily get better. Larrson has recently stepped up his game. Foligno shows glimpses of being a good player but at the minimum he is a physical presence on the ice. Pysck is one of the least noticeable players on defense but he is one of the most efficient players on defense. A young defenseman who is stepping up is McCabe. He is more of a banger than I expected and he is getting more confident as each game goes by. I'm expecting by the end of the season that the Sabres will be in the range of 20 points better than last season. But that isn't an accurate reflection of how much better team this team is from last year. When you watch them this year their level of play is qualitatively so much better. The level of passing is immensely better. The scoring passes to Larrson and Rheinhart were beautiful to watch.

As the draft approaches the consensus increases that he is one of the best players in this draft. Any team that doesn't love him as a prospect is a team whose scouting department is incompetent. The more his talent is acknowledged the probability increases that he is a top five to seven player which means that the cost will be extremely high. This draft is loaded with a lot of good defensive players. Our first two selections, if they are defensive players, should be receiving meaningful playing time. The reality is that our defense is being reconfigured and as many others are saying there are a number of needs on defense. Going against the grain I wouldn't complain if Whaley used his first round pick for an OT. Our right side is a major problem area. The missing on Kujo was a set back for our OL. And I wouldn't complain if Whaley traded down to add another pick or two.

I agree with your well stated take on this issue. The more important story is not Mario's lack of effort. It's the coach's response to his disinterested play. Let's call it what it is: coaching malfeasance or nonfeasance. In all levels of coaching from pop warner to high school to college to the pro ranks coaches deal with a small number of players who are selfish and simply don't care about the team. At every level the appropriate response is the same: take the player off the field and if need be take the player off the squad. As you point out the issue isn't only about Mario---it is also the message you are sending to the rest of the squad. If a player is not held accountable for blatant insubordinate conduct on the field then how much authority and respect are the coach/es going to have with the rest of the team. The Bills were one of the most penalized teams in the league last year and they were one of the most undisciplined teams in the league. No one should be surprised. Coaching matters!

The highlighted point indirectly makes my point. You make decisions on what you want to do, not what others nostalgically recommend for you. Whether Mathis had bank full of money or if he was a pauper he made a decision that he felt was in his own best interest. That's what Mario is doing and that is what Incognito is going to do. It's not unfair to presume that Peyton Manning is going to be considered one of the top qbs in the history of the game. He was released by the Colts because they felt it was in their best interest to move on and draft Andrew Luck. It was both a long term football and business decision. So much for loyalty and sentimentality! I'm not criticizing anyone for making self-interested corporate or individual decisions. I'm simply pointing out that is the way the this particular business functions. Wherever Mario ends up is fine with me because I simply don't care where he ends up. That is his business. Whether he gets a rich contract or a small contract is fine with me. That is his business. Why do you think Mario Williams first signed with the Bills? The weather? The winning tradition? The brilliant coaching? The astute front office? The good deer hunting? The mind-set he has now is the same mind-set he had when we first signed him. Criticizing a football player whose career can end on one hit or whose post career can be full of health complications (perpetual pain) for trying to maximize their earning power while playing makes little sense to me.

I don't understand your stance of being disappointed in him because he wants to get as much money as possible. Maybe you are being sarcastic, or maybe not? But why do you think he signed with the Bills in the first place, a team noted for its historical malaise? It was for the money. I don't have much regard for Mario as a person. He is a mercenary. I say that not as a criticism. It is the right approach to take in a ruthless business. I'll say the same thing abut Incognito if he leaves for a better offer. For the most part the notion of player loyalty is a myth as it is for the notion of team loyalty. Each side of the table makes decisions for what is in their best interests. If Mario doesn't go to a team that gives him the best deal he is a fool. The one thing we know about Mario is that he acts in his own best interest. What else does anyone expect him to do?

I agree that Ryan O'Reilly will be the next captain. He is one of the best two way hockey players in the game. Although his stats are good they don't reflect how important he is to the team because his play at the defensive end. His unparalleled work ethic in practice and in the games sets the bar high for everyone else. My problem with officiating is that it is not consistent throughout the game. The third period is called differently than the first period. If interference was more strictly enforced their would be more unobstructed skating in the game. The goalies have gotten bigger and better. There is so little space for the shooters to shoot at. I'm really optimistic about the prospects for this team. The GM and the organization had a plan to rebuild the team.It is steadily being executed. Their draft strategy of unofficially tanking (and that is what they did) worked out with the selections of Reinhart and Eichel. The trades for Kane and O'Reilly were also transactions that were primary pieces that added to the talent base. This offseason the franchise has cap space for good quality additions. And maybe they will still be in a good position to draft a high end talent who can be in the NHL rather quickly. It's my belief that in two more years this team is going to be a serious team.

Chip was invited to a going away champagne party at the Recess Lounge. He decided to decline the McCoy invitation because he suspected it was a set up to have the room pounce on him. Moral of the story: Follow your instincts!

I appreciate your insight in hockey and the team bonding associated with the game. Although I do not like fighting in the game I think because of that the concept of sticking up for one another and coming to support a player being harassed reinforces team unity. As you well stated the notion of being designated a captain is an honor bestowed on a player who is not only a respected presence but also has the stature that allows the player to lead others. As you pointed out in football designated the captains is more of a pro forma designation. In all team sports the notion of chemistry can't be measured but it certainly is an important factor in the level of success. Another factor in all team sports is having role players that allow your primary players to succeed. Getting the right mixture of players is more important than just adding talent without a consideration to having support/role players. The best part of the Eichel score is that Moulson got an assist on the play.

McCoy made a number of plays because he was a very good back, if not an elite back. The injury issue is valid but you can bring up that same issue for every player at every position. I agree with you that how the organization spent money is not a cut and dry issue. My point in the prior post is that if you are going to spend a lot of money it isn't foolish to spend it on playmakers. There are some solid offensive linemen available that may be brought in for a reasonable price. So the purchasing process is not over yet.