JohnC

You didn't respond to the Wade Phillips contract issue.

Spiller has proven to be a terrific pick He is not only the best player on the team but he is one of the best playmakers in the league. What makes his performances even more outstanding is he has done it on an offense without a credible qb. What could have enhanced the Spiller selecton even more (as you noted) is the selection of a credible qb. It didn't have to be made in his draft year because opportunities were available in the subsequent drafts. Just maybe EJ turns out to be the qb that opens up the offense that will allow CJ's runs not to go wasted? I have plenty of criticisms for Nix's drafts. What I'm not going to do is criticize a pick for a player who turned out to be one of the most dazzyling players in the league.

I didn't say that Dan Snyder was a wonderful person. Why are you making that interpretation? There is no need to follow that line of discussion because it is not the topic of discussion. The point I made with respect to Snyder is that he has payed his own way from the stadium to upgrades. That is a fact. The issue of his personality is a simply a diversion from the topic at hand. There was a comparison made to how Snyder managed his franchise and how Wilson has managed his franchise. There is a major difference. The personality issue is irrelevant. The original issue revolved around my point that Shanahan never serioulsly considered working for Wilson and the Bills because the way the franchise was structured and managed. I firmly stand by that position. These personality and behavioral characterizations regarding Snyder are non responsive to what was brought up. I'll repeat the original point that I made: Shanahan never seriously considered working for and owner such as Wilson and the type of franchise that he established. For Shanahan working for Snyder was a more appealing option.

Snyder has fired a lot of people just as Ralph has. But one thing he has never done is not honor a contract. Ask Wade Phillips how he feels toward Ralph after he was fired? The owner was told by people inside the franchise and outside the franchise that he was obligated to pay off Phillips's contract after he fired him. Out of anger and vindictiveness he refused to pay what he was obligated to pay. When the issue went to the arbitrator it was immediately determined that the owner was clearly wrong and was forced to pay. Dan Snyder might not always treat people well but he always honors his contracts. http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2001/Phillips-Awarded-Remainder-of-Salary/id-fad115108ede7d9b1c11ebce975d70b9

Shanahan was not going to work for an owner such as Wilson. The manner in which he ran his operation associated with his finacial management and business practicses with the franchise were a disqualifying factor for him. He did not and was not ever going to work for a Ralph Wilson run franchise. That is a fact.

Shanahan under no circumstances was going to agree to taking a job in Buffalo. How is that a gratuitous shot at Wilson?

Name a credible source. Or bring up a link.

Mike Shanahan was not going to work for Ralph and the Bills. It is as simple as that. I'm not criticizing anyone here. What I'm saying is that Shanahan had choices as to where he could go. He had a better situation for him in Washington compared to Buffalo. From his perspective it was not a difficult choice to make, especially since he had a backdoor relationship with Dan Snyder. Believe it or not I am very optimistic with the on the field prospects of this franchise. Since Brandon has taken over for the owner he has put together a quality team with Whaley/Marrone. It's going to take some time but the franchise is moving in the right direction. The systemic problem problem for this very troubled franchise had little to do with the cap to cash system. It had much more to do with a very perplexing owner hiring mediocre staff to run the football side of the business. The owner can't complain that the staff failed him because he was the one who hired them.

I live in the Maryland/DC area. I am very familiar with that time frame and the GM/ HCing pursuit. The Washington Post after the Shanahan hiring by Snyder did stories on the saga. Trust me when I say that Shanahan had absolutely no interest in accepting the job in Buffalo. If you want to call his visit to Orchard Park an interview then that is fine with me. But is it a real interview when one party, under no circumstances, was going to accept the job in Buffalo? In some respects it was a charade by both the Bills and by Shanahan. What a lot of people don't realize is that Snyder would periodically call Shanahan long before there was a job opening and ask him his advice regarding his franchise. It got to the point that it made Shanahan uncomfortable because he didn't want to, for ethical reasons, undercut the current incompetent Washington GM, Vince Cerrato. In additioin, Shanahan had a condition that the Bills would never accept. Whatever franchise Shanahan went to he demanded that Bruce Allen would also be allowed to join him and run the business side of the operation. Shanahan would have total control of the football operation and Bruce Allen would have control of the business side that included contracts and managing the cap. Shanahan had no interest in joining a Wilson franchise that included a cash to cap business model when he had an opportunity to join a franchise in Washington where the owner ran a looser cash flow operatiion. Wilson would never allow Bruce Allen to take over the cap and cash flow management away from his Michigan preatorian guard. It was never going to happen. Ralph Wilson is a known quantity. Shanahan would never tolerate the unceasing harrangues from the Michigan owner who knew little about the game. Dan Snyder does not now interfere with the football operation. He wants to be kept informed but he doesn't meddle into the operation like he used to do. The unsung hero with the franchise is Bruce Allen. He adroitly has managed the $36 Million cap penalty (split between last year and this year) administered by the league without allowing it to crimp the football side of the franchise. After the Skins hired Shanahan Ralph ended up hiring Buddy Nix. The rest is history. note: Russ Grimm, the assistant coach for the Cardinals, declined an offer to interview for the job I don't consider this a urinating contest. Just a friendly exchange.

The Bills did talk to Shanahn but he wasn't going to buffalo. At the time he was also in communication with Snyder and working on a deal there. He was never going to work in Buffalo. He was itching to get back into the football business but he wasn't going to work in Buffalo or for the owner because he had better options.

Jack Kent Cook and then Dan Snyder paid for the stadium the Skins are playing in. Last year Dan Snyder paid a lot of money to upgrade the stadium by taking seats out and putting in a party area. Compare that to the bills owner who has never put in a nickel for the facility he plays in. The talk about building a new stadium in DC or Virginia is a fanciful idea that no one takes seriously, at least at this point. Dan Snyder has garnered a lot of criticisms for a variety of reasons but he can't be criticized for not putting his own money where his mouth is. Compare that to the whiney owner of the Bills who will eventually auction off the team when he passes. I'll take a Danny Snyder type owner over a Ralph type owner any day of the week. The current HC and head of the football operation, Mike Shanahan, refused to even interview to work for the Bills and instead went to work for Dan Snyder. He made a smart decision and an easy decision.

Every year there is an unexpected low round star that generates a buzz from the "desperate to believe" fanbase. This year's version of the unexpected camp star is Rogers. The problem with that fictitious status is that Rogers hasn't played to the level that warrants being categorized as that type of surprising talent. He is being outperformed by other prospects that include a number of young receivers. If you want to discount WGR's Joe B's observations regarding Rogers, then that is not unreasonable position to take. He is simply a media reporter who is watching the proceedings and giving his views. That isn't the critical issue here. What is telling is that the coaches have relegated DR to the end of he receiver line and placed a number of other prospects ahead of him in practice and preseason games. Those same coaches are involved in deciding who makes the roster and who doesn't. Entering this year's draft Rogers was far from being an under the radar talent. Every organization knew of him and his undisciplined story-line. Many teams had him in for an interview to get a sense of who he is as a person. Every team in the league passed on him in the draft, including the Bills. Why? If Rogers was playing at a high level and diligently working then there is a case to be made on his behalf. But that isn't the case. Easly, Hogan and Kaufmann are outperfroming him on a roster that includes other young receivers in Woods, Goodwin and TJ Graham. As it stands Rogers ranks sixth or seventh best receiver on a non-playoff team. The notion that he is a special talent that this organization shouldn't gamble on losing to another team makes little sense. As it stands based on his performance he hasn't demonstrated that he deserves to make the Bills roster. I'm not being critical or Rogers because I don't want to see him do well. I'm not critical of him because I think he is a bad guy. I would love to see him excel. But that isn't the case here. The new regime is putting their stamp on this roster. They are trying to create an environment of accountability and merit. Based on his on field performances Rogers doesn't deserve to be on the active roster or even given a sport on the practice squad. As the season approaches roster decsions get to be more difficult. This is far from being a tough call to make.

I have a high regard for Joe B and his opinions. He goes to all the practices and has a good idea what is going on.Whether one agrees with his assessments or not he is fair with no axe to grind.. His observation is that Rogers lacks focus and doesn't have a good knowledge of the offense. At this point he is simply being outperformed by the other receivers. What is very telling is that so far Rogers has not gotten the reps that the other receivers have gotten in the preseason games. It is not too difficult to come up with an answer why. He hasn't earned the right to take away playing time from players who are outperfroming him in practice. The truth of the matter is that not one team, including the Bills, were willing to use a draft pick on him. What is also very telling is that prior to the draft a number of teams had him in for an interview. Meeting him in person in an interview setting had little affect in convincing them that he was worth a draft pick, a low one at that. The bottom line is that Rogers is a physical talent who lacks the acuity and discipline to play in the pro game. If he had trouble navigating the college game then how is he going to handle the greater responsibilities of the pro game? Marrone challenged Rogers right from the start on what it took to make it on to a pro roster. So far Rogers hasn't come close to living up to the challenge. I don't see Rogers making the active roster and I don't see Rogers making the practice squad. When you work in a production business you better out pruduce the people you are competing with. So far it hasn't happened and time is running out.

How is my comment on his Vol experience inaccurate? He failed multiple drug tests there? The school finally expelled him from the program. That is a fact. At the next school he played for there were concerns about his effort level at that program. His problem relates to his maturity and discipline level. Why do you think no one drafted him? Because he is such a dependable person? He was not drafted by any team in the league. They all passed on him in the regular draft, including the Bills. If he is a first round talent as many people claim then why didn't any team take a risk on him with a lower round selection? Right now he is a fringe player fighting for a roster spot. He is having trouble mastering the mental side of the game. He is simply too inconsistent to count on. As it stands he is he is near the bottom of the receiver corps rankings and merely hanging on .to a preseason roster spot. I doubt very much if he earns a regular roster spot. If he gets waived en route to the practice squad and another team takes it then so be it. No big loss.

If Rogers doesn't pass through waivers then so what? Right now he is battling for the #6 spot as a receiver. He is the type of player who periodically will make a "holy cow" play and then on the next play line up on the wrong side. There is no secret why he didn't get drafted at all. He is a "habitual smoker" who doesn't have the maturity to behave responsibly. What happens when as a pro he has more money in his pockets and he has more idle time? Is he more or less likely to get back into his habits? Having tantalizing potential means little if you can't consistently translate that talent into production. He isn't a player/person who made a single big mistake that derailed his career. He is a person who has a pattern of behavior that makes it very improbable that he can be counted on. I wouldn't risk a roster spot on him. I have no problem putting him on the practice squad. If someone snatches then so be it.

When the Bills signed Kolb they knew exactly what they were getting. They tried to keep Fitz at a reduced rate as a backup. He understandably declined the offer and left town. A smart move by him. The front offce didn't sign Kolb because he was a prospective starter because he never was considered a starting caliber qb. They signed the Arizona reject for a reasonable contract in order to cover themselves (albeit a very thin cover) to have a veteran presence at the qb position. The Bills predraft emphasis was scouting for a legitimate qb prospect who hopefully was good enough to play right away for a rebuilding team. When the Bills gave Fitz an extension they still should have been aggressively pursuing a replacement for him. Fitz is what Kolb is i.e. a backup qb. The difference is that the clueless Nix miscalulated in thinking that Fitz was more than adequate for the time being. He was stunningly wrong. That is why he is in my book a failure. Compare that to the aggressive pursuit of a franchise qb in this draft even before Kolb took to the field? The qb competition for the starting qb job was a fiction. There is no competition between them, and there never was one. The only issue for this coaching staff was whether Manuel was ready to play right away. If not, Kolb would serve as a place setter until Manuel was prepared enough to get on the field.My central point is that the Bills front office were not hoodwinked into over-estimating Kolb's talent level. They knew how pedestrian he was when they acquired him. They also knew that they had to be aggressive in finding a replacement for him before he took to the field. They executed their qb strategy very well when they drafted Manuel.

Gracias

I'm not always against public money for stadiums. But as you pointed out with the case for Detroit it makes little sense. If a family member was getting raped and you called 911 it takes an average of 45-60 minutes before the police will arrive to the scene. How crazy is that? Nearly half the street lights are not working. Retired government workers receiving a pensions of $18,000 or less are having them slashed. Using money to pay for schools and infrastructure is an investment. Subsidizing a billionaire for a sports facillity at this time and under the curresnt dire circumstances is a travesty. http://www.thenation.com/blog/175467/vultures-and-red-wings-billionaire-gets-new-sports-arena-bankrupt-detroit#

As you well know it is very difficult keeping two franchise caliber qbs on the roster at the same time. There are cap issues and also free agent issues after the expiration of either one of the contracts. Ddi Vick have more talent than Schaub? That is not a simple question that has an easy answer. Each qb has different skill sets and different strengths and liabilities. There is no doubt that Vick was more physically gifted while Schaub had a better mastery of the game. In addition, without question Schaub was the higher character person who also had the better work ethic. However, The Falcons committed themselves to making Vick the centerpiece of their franchise from both a football standpoint and marketing standpoint. There also was a racial component in their market that influenced their keeping Vick over Schaub. There were a few years in which Vick was one of the most dynamic players in the game. Reinforcing the point that letting Vick go and keeping Schaub would have been a very difficult decison to make. In another season or so the same scenario is going to play out in Washington with RGIII and Kirk Cousins. When Cousins contract runs out in a couple of years the Skins will have to deal him or he will be on the market as a free agent. Underscoring the point that franchises can't keep two quality qbs together on their roster for an extended period of time. There comes a point where the franchise has to decide which qb it will be invested in.

With respect to Kolb he is not a franchise qb, and never will be. He is a serviceable qb who can last a long time in the league as a backup, assuming he is willing to accept the role. The Kolb/Manuel competition is not a real competition. Whether Manuel starts or not has nothing to do with Kolb. It revolves around the issue of what is the best approach to take for EJ's development. I'm not saying that Kolb shouldn't be the starter when the season starts. He may or not be the starter. If he does it won't be for long because Manuel, not Kolb, is going to be our franchise qb. Kolb is simply a place holder until Manuel is ready. Let's be blunt here, even at the risk of alienating the "believers", the Bills are going to lose more games than they win this season. The purpose of this season is finding that "elusive' franchise qb and then building off of the recently drafted players. Another way of looking at is undoing the handiwork of the previous regimes and building off of their own vision. As I stated in the prior post I didn't watch much of the game. I did see a sequence of Tuel at the helm and was extremely impressed with his accuracy and quick rhythm passing. How refreshing was it after enduring the Fitz scatter shot throws to watch a Buffalo qb throwing accurate passes? However, my point regarding Tuel was not a diminishment of him but it dealt with the mentoring role that Kolb can serve to help Manuel develop.

Aren't you being a little quick on making your assessment on Kolb and his place on the roster? There is no doubt that EJ should start if he is prepared enough to handle the position. No one is arguing that the organization isn't invested in him as the franchise qb. However, jumping on the Tuel bandwagon off of the first preseason game in which he played against the scrubs is overreaching. From the little that I watched of this game I liked how Tuel handled himself. He looked like an accurate Fitz. But for me it is too much of a risk not having a veteran qb on the roster Before Kolb joined this team I'm confident that this front office told him that they were going to draft their futrue franchise qb in this draft and that his role was to be supportive of the young prospect. Kolb is smart enough to understand what his role is and what he needs to do to remain on the roster. In my view havng Kolb as a backup would be an asset for Manuel and his development.

There is a reason why no team in the league drafted Rogers. What you see is what you get. He has excellent physical skills but lacks concentration and consistent effort. I'm not a believer that the odds work in your faver to change who you are when you have a history of being who you are. The motivation for him to change existed when he wasn't drafted. If that wasn't the wake up call for him then why expect more urgency from him at this point. I'm not saying that Rogers is a bad guy but I am saying that as a player he lacks the maturity and work ethic to make it in this league. There are times that he shows brilliance, and then there are times he doesn't know where to line up. I get the impression that he has to have some authority hover over him to make sure he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. In the long run that type of person/player is unreliable. I don't see him making the active roster. He might be a good developmental player on the practice squad. When a new coaching staff takes over it wants to create an environment of hard work, consistency and accountability. Worrying about an immature player is not worth the bother when you have more mature and hard working players to choose from.

A red thong. You'll have to post a picture of your backside wearing the garment to claim your additional prize of a bikini wax job. Please don't squeal like a little girl when your prize is being administered. That would be so unmanly!

You are marvelous!

I vote for Flo. Not only is she stunningly beautiful but if you are naughty to her she will give you a good deal on your car insurance.