Dr. K

+1 Nice job--rational, balanced analysis. Why, you don't even write as if your hair is on fire.

+1 very rational analysis

+1 Good post. The problem in the last decade is that we've had QBs who had some real skills, but nobody (with the possible exception of Bledsoe) who were complete QBs, who when thwarted in the area of their greatest strength could switch to a different attack and succeed. The way Peyton Manning, for instance, does habitually.

+1 The McGahee pick, in particular, had all the earmarks of a Donohoe "I'm a genius" special. If you want to call anything a luxury pick in the last 10 years, that was the one. We'll see how the Spiller choice works out. I for one am tired of hearing how the Bills should have drafted an OT in that slot, or traded down. I don't see much point in arguing about it anymore. In my opinion, at least at this point, Nix and Gailey came up with an extremely savvy 2010 draft. Whether it all works out or not I don't know. But there's no point in trying to lay choices you didn't like at the feet of Ralph Wilson when there are direct and compelling reasons (in addition to the GM and coach's repeated explanations) to understand why they chose who they did. Cheers.

For whatever reason, I don't remember him (or any other Bills QB in a long time) making many of the type of throws you describe. I don't know what to think about Edwards. At times, as in the 5-1 start a few years ago, he looked sharp and in command. But since then there have been times it has been almost physically painful to watch his indecision and ineffectuality.

It has nothing to do with any party line, Bill. You have made your opinion about the offensive line abundantly clear over the last five years. We all know what the previous Bills' drafts have been like. But this "Wilson made Nix draft Spiller to fill seats" theory strikes me more as a production of your _own_ nervous frustration than of any theory based on evidence or rational analysis. It's a result of your own fixations and not on the logic of where Nix and Gailey were when the time came to pick at number nine, or what they had repeatedly said about what they were looking for in advance of the draft, or what Gailey as an offensive theorist has shown in the past, or who was available for them to draft at that spot, or who Spiller is and what his character and abilities are, or even, frankly, what was the best option for the team as a whole. I would never question your devotion to the team or sincerity. But you have what the French call an "idee fixe." With all due respect, as you and I both want the best for this team be both love.

Please give this a rest. What are you hoping to accomplish by continuing to repeat this theory? I do not consider this a serious question. You want a serious answer? A.

I don't think so. Teams whose key players are moving into their mid-30s inevitably suffer a decline. It happens to the best of them. It happened to the 49ers, to the Cowboys, to the Bills, all of whom dominated the 1990s and then declined when players like Aikman, Irvin, and Emmitt Smith, Montana/Young, Rice, Kelly, Thomas, Reed and Bruce Smith got past 32 or 33. You have some examples of QBs that play well into their late 30s, but a QB can't carry a team. Montana couldn't carry the Chiefs when he got traded to them. Aikman couldn't carry the Cowboys when Irvin and Smith declined. Brady will be 33 on August 3. Moss was 33 in February. Wilfork is 29. Welker is 29, has a lot of miles on him, and coming off a serious injury. The Pats record is resting heavily on the shoulders of Brady, Moss, Welker and a couple of linemen all of whom are getting long in the tooth. I'm not saying they will collapse in 2010, but then can and will sooner or later unless there is a huge infusion of first rate new talent. And I don't see that on their roster. Not of this is to say the Bills are as good or better than they, but that's beside the point.

+1 I laughed out loud at this.

Some of my Bills brothers need to chill a bit, IMHO. You're going to have a stroke. I can guarantee Nix and Gailey aren't lying awake nights fretting about this, sticking needles into a little Marshawn Lynch doll they keep in their offices.

NBA: one-on-one hack-a-thon all the time. Why not get rid of all the other teams and have the Celtics and Lakers play every game? Or play it like a shootout in hockey, with each team picking a single chosen player to go one-on-one against a chosen defender, turn-in turn out, for 100 attempts each, and tote it up at the end.

I agree with the "culture" comment a lot. Just watching Gailey talk about the team and the players, I get the feeling "This man LOVES football, he knows a lot about it, he really knows what he wants, and he has a plan to get it." The plan may not work right away, there will be potential setbacks, but if I were on Gailey's team I would trust the guy and do whatever it took to follow his lead.

What you say is very reasonable. I think the Dolphins are a rising team. I just don't trust the Jets chemistry, and they are depending on LT to play well on the downside of his career after giving away two of their runners. And it's hard to bet against the Pats, but all I'm saying is that none of these teams are without problems, and any of them could collapse. The Pats are where the Bills were in the late 90s, full of aging stars, with new players who have not established themselves at the same level. When the crash came, it came suddenly and hard. Not that they will.

"Across" only has one "c" in it. This is a joke, right? You're not really that dumb.

I remember walking into my classroom the day of the aquital and talking with my students about their reactions. The most outspoken black students pretty much universally were glad he was not convicted, and thought he was framed. The whites were, if not outraged, convinced of his guilt. There were some, both black and white, who did not want to speak about it, and it's tough for me to say what they thought. It really did emphasize the racial divide in the U.S. What it showed to me was how--I think rightly though in this case it led to the wrong verdict--Black people in our society have a deep (and warranted) distrust of the police and the legal system.

Oops--I meant to say he would not have any game tapes of Bell playing tackle from 2008.

Also, Gailey would not have any game tapes from 2008, so it would be easy for him to make this mistake that 2009 was his rookie year.

Bad idea. There already are too many injuries in a 16-game season.

I also got it last season. The picture quality was fine, I thought, on my Mac. But I didn't use it as much as I thought I would, since I generally knew the outcome of the games before they were available or I could get around to watching.

Can I hate both the Patriots and the Fins? With a sufficient amount left over to have contempt for the Jets?

+1 Count me on the bandwagon with the Biscuit. As I just posted in another thread: If the players and coaches had the attitude of these fans, they would never improve. The Pats are aging and have not drafted well for years--they are on the brink of a collapse. The Jets are a bad chemistry set in the hands of an over-enthusiastic screaming adolescent. The Fins are quarterbacked by nobody and just acquired the most poisonous locker room receiver in the game. The Bills will do no worse than 3-3 in the division this year, and finish above .500. Don't tell me to put down the crack pipe. It's better than sticking my head in the oven with the rest of you.

I didn't post this in order to increase your suicidal mood. Get a grip! Kiss your dog. Make love to your wife or girlfriend (don't let your wife find out). Take a deep breath, go for a walk, and enjoy the weather, which has got to be better than the 103 degree heat index here in Raleigh. If the players and coaches had the attitude of these fans, they would never improve. The Pats are aging and have not drafted well for years--they are on the brink of a collapse. The Jets are a bad chemistry set in the hands of an over-enthusiastic screaming adolescent. The Fins are quarterbacked by nobody and just acquired the most poisonous locker room receiver in the game. The Bills will do no worse than 3-3 in the division this year, and finish above .500. Don't tell me to put down the crack pipe. It's better than sticking my head in the oven with the rest of you.

That's right. Thanks. I think the Bills are not as bad as we often feel, but they've been pretty damn bad.

Count on Kelly the Totally Balanced and Sane Dog to bark sense.

Pretty bad. Before the Brady-Belichick years, I kind of had a soft spot in my heart for them. Except I hated Parcells, and I hated the "Just give it to them" game, and I didn't care for Bledsoe, and . . . forget what I just said.