JohnC

As WEO pointed out and you have also acknowledged that if the ring was given as a gift and he bolstered her position by making comments referring to her keeping the item then he is undercutting his position that he ring should be returned to him. Retracting his original position by later saying that he now wanted the gift back emphasizes the fact that the ring was given as a gift. The longer this legal wrangling continues the more he comes off as a vindictive jerk. He was going with this woman for a number of years. So it belies the argument that she was from the start a conniving gold digger who always intended on capitalizing on his new found wealth, which he didn't have (to his current level) when they began as a couple. She has also made claims that during the relationship he wasn't always faithful to her. That is another factor that one of the reasons for the split was due to his behavior. Mario Williams is going to lose this case. The more he goes to the podium to explain his position the more it becomes evident to me that his ex-fiancee was smart in terminating her relationship with this self-absorbed and unappealing man. This public fight demonstrates that there is little relationship between having wealth and having character.

Did Ozzie miscalculate in his contract dealings with Flacco? In hindsight you can say yes. But the bottom line is that after the SB Newsome got Flacco signed in quick order. In my view Flacco is not a top tier qb; he is more of a second tier caliber of qb. But there is more to Flacco's game than that is revealed by his stats. He has demonstrated over the past few years that he is a clutch qb who is better than his stats. Ozzie Newsome is one of the best, if not the best, GM's in the game. This offseason he shed and lost some high priced players. He rebounded with a sterling draft class and a cadre of smart free agent pickups that included the acquisition of Dumervil. The bottom line is that his roster got younger and cheaper which allowed him to offset the expensive Flacco contract. All organizations have to deal with the challenge of figuring out the cap puzzle for their respective teams. Good teams with a lot of good players have a more difficult task of apportioning their cap amount to fit their cap allotment. Newsome is one of the smartest at figuring out the best approach to take with this complex issue of the relationship between talent and cost. There are some stalworth Nix supporters on this board. When you compare Buddy to Ozzie you come away very humbled and understand the stark difference between a mediocre and backwater operation to a sterling and forward thinking operation.

I'm sure there are many acts of kindness that people are not aware of . He's a cool dude.

There was a back story to the Polian era. He was constantly battling Littman and fighting for more flexibility and less restraint from the money side of the operation. . Were there player transactions that he would have wanted to make to get the Bills over the hump? I believe so. Polian is far from being an angel. His combative style can become very troublesome in an organizational setting. The owner got tired of the battles between the combustable Polian and his financial guardian of the business, Littman. The owner simply got tired of the rambunctious GM and his challenging behavior. After the Polian saga John Butler took over the football operation. Eventually, he also got worn down by the constant internal battles with the business side of the franchise. There is no doubt that Polian has some very negative personal traits. Has he made mistakes in guiding the franchises he has been involved with? Absolutely. But his overall record at all of his stops (Colts, Bills and Panthers) has been superb, especially compared to the franchise he left in western NY.

Some people act as if this troubled franchise is a sacred institution and should be immune from criticism. They have appointed themselves as the preatorian guards and the protectors from what they consider to be the disloyal and ungrateful fan base. I have no problem with people who have differing views and who respond back in a robust way. What I find offensive and irritating is when people respond in such a way that they act to stifle exchanges instead of engage in exchanges. Your observations on the issue of debating topics are spot on. You are exhibiting a wisdom and maturity that some of the "guardians" of this board lack.

It's not difficult. It was my point: Citing Shanahan's more encompassing authority in running the football operation.

You missed the point. But that's okay.

Shanahan's large compensation has a lot to do with the fact that he is not only the HC but also in reality the GM. Bruce Allen has the title of being a GM but he is mostly involved with the business and management side of the operation. Shanahan has the full authority in running the football operation. His salary is commensurate with his wide ranging football authority within the franchise. Jim Harbaugh is a terrific HC. He also works with and under an excellent GM in Trent Baalke.

There is a meaningful change that has happened over the past few months that lends itself to realistic optimism. In your post you stated (maybe without recognizing it) the reason why there should be cautious optimism. You are correct that Wilson has not been as involved with the operation over the past few years as he has previously been. But without a doubt the structure of the organization was still a Ralph Wilson created structure. No longer will the owner hire people he is simply comfortable with and he personally knows to run the football operation, such as Nix and Levy. Due to age and infirmity (not intending to be disrespectful) he is no longer involved in making his usual mercurial killer decisions. In Whaley and Marrone under Brandon there will be a fresh set of eyes and new energy working to put this franchise back onto a more respectable path. There is no quick fix for a generation of stagnation. I get a sense that the environment of constant staff churning and lurching back and forth with no clear direction has changed to a philosophy of knowing who you are and what you want to do. You rightly pointed out that Brandon as a GM was not an appropriate position for this marketing person. But that doesn't mean that Brandon being the president of the operation isn't the right job for him. So far he has smartly transitioned this very backwater organization into a more modern forward looking franchise. Based on history I understand the skepticism. However, I feel that the tide has changed for the good. Patience will still be required.

Buddy is acutely aware how the football business is run. He is an upstanding person and has a lot of pride. He knew the direction the organization was evolving and that this was the best time for him to leave on his own term. Why stretch out the inevitable and be in the uncomfortable position of having your influence diminish within the organization? As you noted the Whaley announcement was delayed until some subordinate positions were filled by Whaley. The point of my prior post is that all the parties involved in the GM transition handled themselves with diginity and class. Sometimes those types of "transitions" turn out to be very awkward with a lot of hurt feelings. I thought the organization handled itself very well.

The Buddy departure was handled with class and dignity. Did Brandon lie regarding how long Buddy was going to stay? Absolutely. Should Brandon be castigated for telling an obvious fib? Of course not. Brandon handled the situation with a lot of humanity and Buddy acted like a trooper who knows how the football business operates. Nix has no reason to be bitter. He was given an opportunity to be a GM, the top job in a profession in which he was involved in for most of his life. Nix is 73 yrs old. When he took the job as a 70 yr old man he knew his tenure was not going to be for very long. The organization has done right by him. He will continue to be on the payroll (an act of generosity and respect) and he will do most of his work watching tape back home in Chatanooga, Tenn. The organization has transitioned from the backwater Wilson era to a more modern approach to managing a NFL franchise under Brandon. While Ralph Wilson was involved with the francise it clinged to the past with the expected results. Now a younger core of staffers are operating the franchise with fresh eyes and new vigor. It is going to take time to move up the ranks but at least now there is a reason to be optimistic.

For the most part we are in accord. I agree with you that the organization didn't throw out a wide net and solicit all bidders. They focused on a selected group of candidates and went quickly through the vetting process. As you also noted other teams were involved in the hiring process. So they wisely made their hire before some of the other franchises could hire away one of their preferred candidates. I'm sure you will agree that this focused approach certainly was better than going the lazy and comfortable route of hiring a retread HC who appealed to no other franchise other than your own backwater franchise. I'm not saying you are wrong but Kelly had a prior offer with Cleveland that he tentatively accepted and then declined. There is no doubt that Marrone was being considered by multiple teams. That doesn't mean that he was going to be hired by other teams. Kelly had two offers and accepted the Philly job.

I agree with you that he was the hottest prospect and the most interesting prospect this offseason because of his unique "fast paced" approach to the game. My main point in the prior post is that a good HCing selection for one franchise isn't necessarily the right selection for another franchise. My secondary point was that even if Kelly was this franchise's first choice that doesn't mean that there aren't good fall back selections that won't turn out just as well if not better.

There is no doubt that Kelly was hottest HCing prospect this past offseason. That doesn't mean that he would have been the best fit for the Bills. Just because you don't or can't hire a particular HC that doesn't mean that the HC you do select won't do a superb job for you. The Bills conducted a tight and thorough HCing search that examined a number of good candidates. The process was demonstrably more professional and focused than was conducted when Gailey was hired. Marrone was selected. He accepted the job while he was still under serious consideration by other franchises. He wanted to be in Buffalo knowing full well that he would be faced with a challenging rebuilding project. Since his hire he has put together a quality staff. With his staff he has thoroughly analyzied the roster and has since steadily reworked the roster with the type of players he wants. So far there is a coherency with what is being done. I'm certainly at this point not declairing Marrone a success. But so far he and his staff are doing things the right way in a process that is going to take time. So much time has been squandered by the previous regimes. The organization has moved out the outdated old guard and is moving forward with a refresing infusion of new blood. What is not to like?

That is not accurate. http://www.mercurynews.com/southbayfootball/ci_23198944/levis-stadium-49ers-new-santa-clara-home-gets?source=rss This is a quote taken from the above link: "The deal calls for revenue between the public agency created to build the stadium and the 49ers."

I didn't blame Nix for the franchise's long term struggles. I criticized him for his three year tenure, now entering the fourth year. The owner is now not involved with the franchise. The torch was passed to Brandon who is acting on behalf of the owner.

The owner is not involved in the operation any longer. If you think I have not been critical of the owner in the past you are very mistaken. What do you specifically disagree with regarding my position that Nix has done a poor job as a GM in his first three years?

Your research does show that I said he is incompent. So I stand corrected. Even with the correction (I appreciate the research) my position on him still stands that he as a GM is very ineffective. Am I being harsh in my judgment on him? Absolutely. However, I don't consider my assessment of his performance as being unfair. He is the person who is responsible for the drafts, free agency, HC hires, contracts etc. I'm aware that running a football operation is a collaborative effort. But he is the one who ultimately makes the decisions and signs off. What intensifies my view of him as a GM is that he followed the Levy/Brandon era. He had to clean up three years of poor decisons. After another three years of his stewardship how much more is the roster advanced and how much more could it have been advanced with someone more accomplished running the football operation? As I pointed out in the prior post during the same three year period GMs for the Redskins and Seahawks dramatically changed the fortunes of their franchises while the Bills continued on with their legacy of mediocrity. Who is most responsible? Clearly you are irritiated with the repetitive nature of the Nix criticism. There is a good reason why he is the focus of my attention: He is the most influential person in this long-term struggling franchise. If he isn't the most responsible person then who is? If you consider my posting trolling then you are entitled to your opinion.

Let's be accurate. I haven't said he is an incompetent. I have said that he is a very mediocre GM.

If I'm cutting up a post it is because I am responding to that particular segment. I was in general responding to the body of work issue associated with the draft. For me and I suspect most people Nix's first round picks were solid and reasonable. My main point is that in general his drafts were average at best. For a team trying to move up the ranks it doesn't get you to where you want to be.

Not many people put CJ in the bust category The brunt of the criticism of the pick had to do with the position he played, not the ability of the player. I have been from the start a staunch supportor of the pick and the player. (NYC Bill will verify my zealotry on this issue.) Last year he was the best and most impactful player on the team. Dareus has been somewhat of a disappointment. But because of the multiple personal tragedies he had to deal with( as you noted) I'm going to give him a pass. I expect that he will be an anchor type lineman for us with a more hardened coaching approach. As with you I think Gilmore is a stud CB. Regularly drafting in the top quarter of the draft isn't much of a challenge when making your first round pick. When judging a draft you have to look at the body of work. Nix's handiwork is not too impressive. His second and thrid round selections as a group have been poor. Where Nix has also performed at a very poor level is in lower round picks. I can't recall him hitting on one of them. Take a look at Mike Shanahan's drafts. His record for hitting the jackpot with lower round picks is astounding. His very effective RB, Morris, was a low round selection that turned into a mainstay on offense. The GM for the Seahawks, Sneider, became a GM at the same time that Nix did. Compare his drafts and roster. Last year he had his team competing to get into the SB. When the Seahawks played the Bills in Toronto his team beat the Bills 50-17, His impressive rookie qb who Nix passed on for a track receiver might turn out to be an upper tier qb in this league for a very long time. You judge the comparison on performances by the respective GMs. Mike Shanahan took over the football operation of the Redskins about the same time that Nix took over for the Bills. Shanahan had a bigger challenge because he had to contend with an ugly cap situation and a boatload of foolish contracts such as the Haynesworth contract. On top of that cap issue his team was subjected to a cap punishment of $36 M, split into $18M last year and $18M this year, for their contract transgressions associated with the lockout and labor conflict. His team last year was playing in the playoffs. Compare the job Shanahan has done over the past three years to what Nix has done in Buffalo. I thought Nix's offseason this year was solid and his draft this year was encouraging. But that doesn't excuse him for his mediocre performance as a GM in his first three years. This team by now, even without a young qb on the roster, should have had a stronger fondation to build on. Instead of having the stage set up for success he unecessarily extended the time frame for the rebuild process to be completed or at least be more advanced.

Call your insurance agent. There is a good probability that he will tell you that no additiional action will be required from you. The amount you are talking about is considered to be miniscule as far as claims go. Odds are the insurance company will not want to get involved with taking back property and then disposing of it. Following up on such a low level reimbursal would be considered nuisance work that their overworked claims people need not get involved with. There are too many claims stacking up and waiting to be processed for them to go back to your already processed claim.

He is probably going to celebrate this milestone by drinking some exotic brew. At your age you should be more concerned with the caloric level. Try Miller Light. It is better for you.HBD!

You don't need to respond to me because this topic has been exhausted. Going in circles is going in circles. Go back and read your response. You are essentially saying what I have been saying on this topic. My basic point is that over the past three years prior to this draft he has done a mediocre job. I haven't accused him of being a buffoon or grossly incompetent. His performance is reflected in his record. As far as the issue of redemption regarding his future performance that is beside the point. If he did a better job in rebuilding this team in his first three years as the boss of the football operation there would now be a stronger foundation for this franchise to build on. Those responders arguing that he is an average or less GM are certainly not making the case that he has done a good job. That is exactly my point.

I believe in accountability for one's performance. How long has Regier been the GM of the Sabres? His record is his record. He should have been fired a long time ago. I haven't said he is a buffoon. He is a fine fellow. What I have unequivocally said is as a GM he is mediocre. Not getting everything wrong doesn't mean you are doing a good job. His record is 16-32. Making a judgment on him doesn't require cherry picking.