Paup 1995MVP

Why so many questions? Use some common sense. Don't worry so much. Why do you care about the media? They don't care about you. Tony Romo and Jim Nantz will drive to whatever game they are assigned if they have to. And so will Gus Johnson and Chris Spielman and Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. (Would love to be in a car with all 6) I am sure Roger Goodell and his arsenal of lieutenants will make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Worry about your family being safe, making a living and getting laid. That's what I think about whether there is a Corona Virus or not. Life is only as hard as you make brother. And what's with your user name? Are you Adam Gase in disguise? Or the ghost of Walt Michaels. Remember him?

Good points Machine Gun. How many yards does Gore need to catch Sweetness? Payton played from 1975-1987. 13 seasons. He did not hang around for a few extra years. Ironically in my first year after college I was in Chicago Christmas break 1987 hanging w friends and watched Payton's last game on TV there. Also met Ben Davidson (old NFLer from the Raiders) doing a promotion for Miller Lite (he was in some of their earlier ads) at a bar on Rush Street that vacation. That was a fun few days. Dam it was cold out. Emmett did have some great O lines to block for him. And the hype machine that was the Cowboys was tops back in that era. Gore is an alltime great. But going to a marginal Jets team with a marginal O line (signing George Fant doesn't move the meter in my estimation) when he looked washed up the second half of last year does nothing for his legacy. But he has always been a class act. And outlasted a lot of Miami RB's who seemed to have more talent. (McGhahee and Portis come to mind) Remember how great and colorful the Miami teams of the 80' 90's and early 2000's were? Talk about a program that fell into the abyss. I love talking football. Nothing better. Only other thing that comes close is Heavy Metal music!! And I know my hockey history prior to the past 7-8 years pretty well also. LOL

Frank Gore will certainly be enshrined in Canton one day. But first ballot? Isn't that a bit generous? He has been a very good player (and a good guy) throughout his career. But he certainly did not transcend the game of football. I don't think he was ever the dominant RB of his era. A very good player. But not at the level of Emmit Smith Barry Sanders or Walter Payton. The amount of yards he has gotten mean something. But a lot of that is because he has played for a long time. Where would you put him on the all time great list of RB's? Better and more talented then Thurman? What about AP? What about Terrell Davis-4 great years and he is in the Hall? Chris Johnson? Jamal Lewis? Curtis Martin? Just saying. Where does Frank stand?

THOSE were the hookers?? Wow come on Bob. Seriously.....Not good!!

Exactly. It embarrassing for Frank Gore that he just can't walk away. And its embarrassing for the Jets that they have signed him. This locker room culture stuff is so overblown. The only leaders that matter are the ones that produce on the field. Winning breads a good culture. These guys are getting paid well to play a game. If you can not motivate yourself to be the best you can be, you won't be for very long. Its that simple.

Thanks man. Not down on the hookers. Just down on Kraft. Don't like the man. But the hookers may have been hot. I didn't see them.

The anger towards Bill Belichick Brady and the Patriots in general is over the top on this board. They have been far better then us for the past two decades. Simple as that. They have been better then everyone for that matter. We have basically been ***** until McDermott came on board. And even he has not been good enuf....yet to beat the Pats. I think that is about to change. You have to respect greatness in anything. You get your ass kicked, you tip your hat and go back to the drawing board. Belichick has been great, Brady has been great. The guy who annoys me the most is Robert Kraft. Talk about a smug old SOB. Can't stand him. But he is a winner at running a football franchise. So he gets his props, even if he can't be more discrete about the hookers he associates with. LOL Its the same with Michigan v Ohio State. I can't stand the Buckeyes. But they have kicked our ass for the past two decades. While I hate them, I have the utmost respect for Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer. Both great coaches. In fact, I wish Tressel was coaching the Wolverines right now. Again, you can not disrespect greatness. As for the coaching list, I am a big George Allen and George Seifert fan. Both great coaches that are underrated. Allen should be much higher then 25th. The guy was innovative and an incredible motivator. The old Redskin teams were awesome. Kind of guy I would have loved to play for. Seifert took over for Walsh and led the 49ers to two Super Bowls. He wasn't a look at me guy. But did an excellent job keeping the 49ers from missing a beat. The guys record in SF was 98-30. Unbelievable. I would put him on the list and take off Tomlin. Why is he there instead of John Harbaugh? I was also a Big Bum Phillips fan as a kid. Just a completely different kind of coach. Was a riot with his sayings and his Texan hokieness. But dam the guy could coach too. Tom Flores was another great coach. Won two Super Bowls with the Raiders. (Funny how Gruden thinks he knows how to coach. That ended when he left Tampa. He should take some lessons from Madden and Flores. Gruden is a brand. Not a coach. LOL)

Agree with everything you said EXCEPT getting to 12 wins if Josh plays modestly better. 12 wins is a great season in today's NFL. I think Josh Allen will have to improve considerably against what looks to be a much more difficult schedule for us to be a 12 win team. He can do it. But he will have to improve his deep ball dramatically and process things a whole lot quicker. He is a gunslinger. He needs to get back to that mentality. And he should run when he can. He is a great running QB. Basically don't be afraid to make mistakes. Let it rip. We did not draft him to be a game manager. If he stays cautious, that's on the coaches.

I will disagree as far as significantly better. He played on a lot of bad teams and I probably have forgotten a lot of Aaron Schobel hilites. I would at least put them in the same discussion though.

McKelvin had one big fumble in 2009 on a kickoff return opening nite against New England. I get that. He also was the best punt returner we have had in the last two decades. (McGhee returned kickoffs primarily) If you can direct me to a better one, please do. Roberts was not that last year.

Insiteful take on Duke DO. I hope you are right. If he can become a professional NFL receiver, that would be awesome for our passing game. Agree about the other 3, except McKenzie brings a little juice with his game. But Taiwan Jones can do what he does, and play special teams.

Hodgins has great hands AND is tall. He has ability. He put up huge numbers last season in the PAC 12, I think he and Davis bring a new dynamic to the passing game. I don't have data on the rest of the kick returners in the NFL because I can't watch every game. I was underwhelmed by his returns last year. He did not give the impression that he could break one every time he touched the ball. Terrence McGhee and Leodis McKelvin gave that vibe Just saying that his explosiveness and elusiveness looks done to me. I hope he proves me wrong if he is on the team.

Thanks for the response w the good news on Talley Seasons 1992. He was a tremendous player and leader for the Bills. And a great player at West Virginia as well.

Stidham doesn't suck. Kid is smart. And not a statue. You don't start at Auburn for Gus Malzahn for very long if you suck. Remains to be seen what he can do in the pros. Hoyer isn't starting. He is terrible. Should not be on an NFL roster. Bills offense has been lousy against the Pats for so long. Probably since Fitzie's big day in 2011 when we won on the last second FG. Brady didn't play offense. Josh and the gameplan has to be better when we play the Pats regardless of who they have at QB.

Watching Hodgins film, he looked pretty dominant at Oregon State last year. 6'4 with great hands gives him a chance. We have noone close to his size on the team. Can't have the smallest receiver group every year. Roberts avg per return is inflated because he was always returning from 8 yards deep in the end zone. His elusiveness was nil on punt returns. He doesn't suck. But another example of McDermott liking marginal veteran players on offense or special teams. McGhee and McKelvin in their prime were much better at return Kickoffs and punts respectively then Roberts.

Is Darryl Talley on the wall? He had a great career. And was a big time leader on the team for many years. Schobel was good for the nine years he played for us. But I don't think he dominated game in and game out. Was he better then Jerry Hughes? Interesting debate there. Bennett was tremendous. Made many big plays for many years. Was a great athlete. Didn't he return a blocked FG against the Broncos late in a game at Rich in 90 that got us going in our first Super Bowl Season? I have this memory in my head going nuts watching that. He should be on the Wall for sure! Moulds was a beast at WR. Yes he should get serious consideration. Butch Byrd was before my time. But his numbers look tremendous. So was Edgerson. Heard he was really good also. Bills had a lot of really good players in the 60's it sounds like. Aren't George Saimes and Tom Sestak on the wall. Anyone know much about them? One of my favorites from the draught years was Terrence McGhee. Tremendous Kickoff return man. Very good DB. Good team leader. Just a very good football player. If he was around today, would be a great slot corner this decade also. Injuries took their toll at the end on him, like they do to so many in the sport. I always thought Ruben Brown was a bit overrated. Took a lot of penalties. Jim Ritcher was a dam good O lineman. That Super Bowl line was tremendous. As a kid I remember watching Bob Chandler. He was special. He was our Fred Bilitnekoff. Jerry Butler had some great games also. Too bad injuries cut his career short. If Antoine Winfield had not been allowed to leave, he would be on the wall today. And of course Kyle. He will be on the wall at some point in the next 5 years.

I don't think Andre Roberts did much of anything last year to automatically claim a roster spot. I believe he had one big kickoff return all season. I think Taiwan Jones can replace him just fine if needed. As can Isaiah McKenzie. I would think the WR's are Diggs Brown Beasley Davis Hodgins and McKenzie. Really surprised what happened to Robert Foster last year. Guy caught 3 passes all season. Duke will get a chance, but he just has to get better all around. Better at making the tougher catch. Better at getting separation. Get a little more explosive. Get more athletic. I wonder what his ceiling is. Not sure yet. We definitely will have a much deeper group which is great for the team.

Interesting thought New Era. No Dak is not worth the $35 mill. Dalton is just as good except for the mobility for one fifth the price. If Dalton plays well, Jerry signs him to a 3 year extension. And they draft the future guy in the next year or two. Now the big question is who would be in the market for Dak Prescott? Who is going to want to pay Dak big money? And what will the Cowboys fetch for him? A 2nd and a 4th maybe?

Even first round QB's have red flags. There is no certainty of success from any draft pick. These are young men that are going up to a higher level of competition. It is certainly not easy to succeed as an NFL QB. But agreed taking Jake Fromm in the 5th round, the downside is minimal. The kid is a winner. He is a gamer. He competes hard, is smart and can make plays. Does he have amazing physical tools? Not to the level of some QB prospects. But that's not a necessity to being a solid NFL QB. Joe Montana did not have a cannon for an arm, the fastest 40, or was 6'5 250 pounds. But he was an amazing QB in an era where the defense was allowed to beat the snot out of the QB w impunity. (look up the hit he took from Jim Burt in the Meadowlands in the playoff game against the Giants in 86 or 87. My goodness) Physical tools are great but understanding the nuances of the game and using the mental side to always have the edge is what separates the champions of every sport. A quick example: The best starting pitcher of the modern baseball era (since 1980's) was.....Greg Maddux. From a physical perspective he was maybe 5'11 and 180 pounds. The most normal looking guy ever. Guy won over 350 games!! He barely ever threw above 88-89 mph. But he knew how to pitch better then anyone, and his ball was always moving. Anyone who watched him knows what I mean. He took his physical ability and combined that with superior knowledge of how to pitch, and an amazing grit and competitiveness. Loved watching him. Not saying that Fromm is that. But you all should get the point. He will make the Bills better at the least because he will be much better then Matt Barkley. Anything further then that remains to be seen. But for anyone to say he is trash or a scrub (my kids included) are sorely mistaken.

Thank you Hampton. I really appreciate that. You sound like quite a fan yourself. One of my most cherished memories was going to Jim Kelly's HOF induction in Canton in 2002. My ex wife and I flew up to Buffalo. And then drove down to Canton for the day. I was so proud to be there with my new #12 jersey on, (special HOF edition) cheering on the legend. I remember the speech he gave about his son Hunter. Still chokes me up thinking about that. Bills nation was strong and proud that day!! The Kelly Bills teams were absolutely tremendous. So many talented players across the roster. Hard to have a favorite. But I have a fondness for Andre Reed. Just a tough talented receiver. If he had played in this era, his stats would have been as good as anybody's. Had great hands catching the football. And what a competitor he was. On defense I loved Darryl Talley. A bad ass tough dude. Great leader. Great player. And even the teams later on in the 90's had some great players. My namesake Bryce Paup had two amazing years w the Bills (95 and 96) But the best player hands down to ever wear a Bills uni was BRUCE!! Noone dominated the NFL game from the DE position like Bruce. Him LT Reggie White Ronnie Lott and Ray Lewis. That is the pantheon of defense in the modern era. It all starts w those guys. Lots of other greats. But it starts there for me.

Is Star really THAT slow? Good god. That is awful. Was he walking?

That's awesome. When my daughter was young during the draught years. And we would watch the Bills every Sunday she would say. Why do we root for the Bills? We suck!

JJ I don't think that all Bills fans would like to see us resign Dawkins yet. He has work to do to show that he is an upper echelon player, worthy of a big contract. Just because a guy doesn't suck, doesn't mean he is worth $15+ mill per year. Of course White will deserve top money, and hopefully Allen as well. Milano is a nice player. But not sure where his game translates into being a top end game changer. He is a solid NFL player. But he needs to improve as a tackler. I can not see Beane giving Milano a 10+ million per year contract. If he wasn't giving it to Shaq or Phillips, he won't give it to Milano unless he takes it to another level this year and plays ridiculously well. I like Milano, but he is a guy who can be replaced if he gets too pricey.

Gunner you know a lot about Football. I respect your opinions. I hope you are right about Dawkins That would be great if he played like a top 10-12 tackle. Agree about the rest of the O line as well. But still do not agree about your love for Dimarco. Don't think he is athletic enuf to be on an NFL roster at this point.

Thanks Hampton. I appreciate the response. Football has been a huge constant in my life since I was 8 years old living in Pennsylvania. I moved to Buffalo New Years 1976 when I was 10 and been a Bills fan ever since. I have not missed a game on TV since the last game of the 94 season. (when I go on vacation in the fall, it is usually to Vegas to bet on games) My three kids who are either young adults or close to it grew up with the NFL and the Bills on the Sunday Ticket every Sunday. My daughter used to wear a Brian Moorman jersey when she was young (he was the best player on team for years) My older son would only wear NFL jerseys to school when he was in elementary school. Football was a way of life in our house. My mother who did not grow up a big football fan became hooked watching the Bills-Chargers playoff game at the end of the 1980 season. She had season tickets for years after she moved to Toronto. She would make the trek with her boyfriend to every game. Her last one was the blizzard game against the Colts. She was in the middle of that at age 77. She gave her tickets away after that because her boyfriend had heart issues. But she still watches every game in Toronto. And the rest of my family all spread out across America does too. I went to the first and third Bills Super Bowls. Took my two boys down to Jacksonville for the Bills-Jags playoff game. We are all very loyal to the team. I was watching the draft with two boys last Thursday nite. And my younger who is 17 says to me. I remember when I was little, you would always be yelling at Trent Edwards, that he was always dumping it off instead of throwing down the field. That cracked me up.