stewy23

He wants money: PFT & Buffalo News This is tough. He's worth more money, but as a bunch of people have stated: can we lower your salary if you're not playing well? Nope. It's a one way street which is why NFL teams are so quick to cut their losses and just release a guy who isn't performing.

Apparantly, Dick is going to address this today. I'm not trying to guess what's going on, I'm just curious. I hope that he is just working on his groin (sounds dirty, doesn't it?) but it might not be that simple. He does feel he is underpaid and the team seems all to willing to shell out big money to everyone else and let him play at pro-bowl caliber level while getting paid mediocre-level money. I want him to be happy because he just might be the most important player on the entire team.

Wrong! They only call them "voluntary" because the CBA agreement says that the teams can only force the players to attend X amount of minicamps. To counter that ruling, the teams call them "voluntary" and tell the players "You have to be there, or else!" The only people who can get away with skipping voluntary camps are pro-bowl tyep veterans because the teams know that Jason Taylor-ish guys don't NEED to be there. I'm not sure if you noticed but Odell Thurman is no Jason Taylor (as an athlete or a dancer.) I understand that his grandmother passed and that's sad. That's not why he got cut! If you don't believe me, here's what Marvin Lewis had to say: "His grandmother’s been buried for quite a while, don’t get into his whole family structure. He has not played football in two years. And we have people who will be better for our football team. We’ve been patient enough with Odell, and he’s no longer here. No big deal.” I don't know the timeline of when she died and when she was buried, but apparently he didn't explain himself well enough, or he just plain screwed up with his handling of this situation. What are you basing that on? That sounds to me like your personal opinion on the matter because I have not heard/seen anything that implied that. Finally, something we agree on (except the Chad Johnson comment...that's just completely off topic.) 1.)He has proven time and time again that he is a "me first" kind of guy who won't change his lifestyle. 2.)Corporations don't give a rat's ass about your personal life. You're being paid so they make money off of you. If you aren't making them money...you don't get paid. it sucks. But if you don't like it, you better own your own business. 3.)The team was fed up with his crap and they decided to cut him loose. I give them credit because that takes balls to cut a second round pick who is obviously extremely talented. I think Thurman could be a decent starter if he gets his act together. 4.) Rivers helps them, but their linebacking corps is still way below the NFL standards in terms of quality/talent. Losing Thurman really hurts them and one guy isn't going to make them forget about that waste of a second round pick. Side note: The 2005 Cincinnati Bengals Draft Round 1 David Pollack (retired) Round 2 Odell Thurman (released) Round 3 Chris Henry (released) OUCH!

Did anyone here even look up why Thurman was suspended for so long? HE FAILED A DRUG TEST! He got suspended for 4 games by the NFL for failing (or skipping) his drug test. That means that he probably failed more than one, am I right? So he gets suspended for 4 games and manages to get locked up for drinking and driving while he is on suspension from the league. That earned him a full years' suspension. Upon further review (and let's be honest, we don't know how it works) Goodell said "No thanks" to him coming back. There had to be a reason for that. So now people are saying "Poor Odell! He is an alcoholic and his grandmother died!" I can't believe you guys. He is yet another example of a player who refuses to get his crap together. His grandmothers' passing was just bad timing. If he was worth keeping around, they would have kept him on the team.

As per CB on BB.com: PETERS UPDATE EXPECTED THURSDAY: With Jason Peters not in attendance for the first week of voluntary OTAs there is widespread speculation as to why he's not in attendance. Some attribute it to his offseason sports hernia surgery, others believe it's contract related. This has me wondering... I saw something on PFT.com and I went poking around and came up empty. Why would he skip the OTA's? Do you really think he wants a new contract? I thought he just signed a new contract. I hope he's not disgruntled. He's quite possibly our best player.

Wasn't there a big deal when Jason Sehorn got hurt on special teams one year (one of the few where he was actually good)? You can't risk one of your star players on special teams. The chance of injury is there no matter where you are playing. The more plays you are involved in adds to fatigue. The more playing time + more fatigue = a bigger the risk of injury. Years ago I remember one of the Bills coaches saying that the best kick returner that he has ever seen was Eric Moulds. The reason he brought it up is because our KR got hurt and they put in Moulds (starting WR at the time) who promptly ran the kick back for a TD. The next kickoff, Moulds was back on the bench. You can't risk hurting key players on Special Teams no matter how good they are. I know that Terence McGee is a key player but I think that is why they took him off of punt returns - to limit his chances of being injured. The same would go for McKelvin. You play the two Micks on kick returns (yes, I just made that up) and keep Roscoe as the punt returner.

Maybe John Harbaugh (or Jim, or whoever for that matter) needs to get on McGahee and get him in shape. Willis is a phenomenal athlete who has gotten by without having to bust his arse. I find it hard to believe that anybody is dumb enough to slack off when it comes to conditioning when they have Ray Lewis roaming around. That's just plain stupid if you ask me.

I'm not going to "predict" anything for the year. I'm a card-carrying Homer of all trades! Every year I say that the Bills will go 10-6 or better. Every year I truly billieve that will happen. Sadly, every year I am dissappointed when it doesn't happen. My predictions: Trent Edwards gets hurt and JP comes in and wins us at least 1 game with a big play on a deep pass. Marshawn gets even better: 1300+ yards with 12 TD's. James Hardy doesn't go to jail or get suspended. Oh yeah and he catches 40+ with 7 TD's. Lee Evans catches around 80 balls and gets 1100+ yards with 10 TD's. Robert Royal doesn't cost us any games. Our pass defense and run defense both rank in the top 15 in the league. Our special teams don't miss a beat and remain one of the best in the NFL. Roscoe Parrish provides us with little or no productivity as a receiver. He is a special teamer, and a good one at that. But that's all. There you have it, folks! Stewy23 has spoken!

The Bills seem like the "pick" this year as one of the surprise teams. I don't care who believes in us or not. I just want to have a good year with a shot at the playoffs. The 49ers were the "pick" last year and it seems like the Cardinals are that "pick" every year. Anybody who understands football knows that any team that battled a ridiculous amount of injuries and played with a rookie QB for most of the year that still manages to go 7-9 can't be considered a surprise to make the playoffs the next year. Progress should not be looked at as a surprise! Go Bills! Is it football season yet?

I like that they are trying this kid out at center. It can't hurt him to learn how to play other OL positions. That said, I don't think this will have no effect on Melvin Fowler. McCaskill is going to be a backup, the coaches are just hoping to maximize a roster spot having a versatile O-lineman (like Whittle.)

It's sad that releasing him is the best thing that the Bills could do for him. If they keep him on the active roster, he gets his full salary but he takes a roster spot. Now that he's been cut, he is eligible to receive his disability compensation.

Here are two possible scenarios: Setup: Mothers' Day at the Hardy house - BBQ, Beers, Steak, Ribs, Burgers etc... Scene 1 - Take 1 - And....ACTION! Ex-convict Mr. Hardy gets belligerent and threatens Mrs. Hardy with a steak knife. James turns to his father and says "Put the knife down you low-life, pathetic excuse for a father!" [Mr. Hardy refuses and advances even further] James pulls his registered, legal handgun out and points at his father: "I swear if I have to do it I will! This isn't prison, dad. You can't go around threatening people! Gosh!" Father apologizes. Everyone is ok. They all eat cake. CUT! or... Scene 2 - Take 1 - And....ACTION! Mr. Hardy: This steak is perfect! Can you pass me the A1, please? James (pulls out gun): To hell with A1. I wanted KC Masterpiece! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Family screams and everyone runs for cover. CUT! I give you these two ridiculous scenarios (that are based on absolutely nothing) because that's what we know...nothing! We have no idea what the situation was before the altercation. All we know is "guns = bad" and we're ready to crucify the fan-proclaimed "Savior of the Bills." I'm reserving judgement until if/when we hear more details. A lot of people on these boards compare these stories to their own lives and are blown away. When you throw an ex-con and a handgun into any situation it can get pretty hairy very quickly. No charges have been filed. No problem.

I root against the Patriots, Dolphins and Jets because they are in our division and if they lose it helps us. I also root against the Red Sox because I'm a Yankee fan and I can't stand them. Plus they also play in our division. Other than that, I don't blindly dislike any particular team. There are certain players that I will never root for: NFL: Junior Seau & Rodney Harrison - I hated them long before they signed with the Pats NBA: Kevin Garnett - Dirty player who gets away with everything because he's "intense" MLB: Barry Bonds - Cheating scumbag

Bills season tickets are dirt cheap compared to other NFL teams. Plus it helps that season ticket holders are only paying for 8 games this year instead of 10. That helps you out in the wallet area which leads to more people signing up. I've had season tix for 5 of the last 6 years and I can't imagine any reason not to re-up (other than a move to Toronto) next year and the year after that. The only downside this year is that the season ticket packages did not include the Toronto games. That's B.S. if you ask me. Season ticket holders should be rewarded for purchasing tix ahead of time. At least they took away one of the preseason games that aren't worth going to. Those games are a joke because they should be charging $10 a seat instead of $40 because you're not watching an NFL game you're watching future Arena League players run around looking like idiots.

It's not a "terrible" article. The guy is bitching about the cost of tickets to see sub-par play and in the Bills' case (in his opinion) sub-par conditions. I don't see a problem with it. It's ridiculous how much money the Toronto tickets are being sold for. One of the best things about the Bills is that they have always been an affordable ticket for most people. Now they are taking games away from those regular fans at the Ralph and offering them to the fans who can afford to buy Yankees tickets. The problem with the author is that he's comparing two completely different entities. No one will ever confuse the Buffalo Bills for the New York Yankees. The Yankees can afford to jack their prices through the roof whenever they want. Those tickets will always sell. The Bills on the other hand aren't catering to the NYC crowd. They can't afford to raise the ticket prices because they would price out their fans in no time flat.

Mitchell has been a good linebacker for quite some time. He didn't "languish" in KC on the inside. He played pretty well inside and he plays really well on the outside. He's got good size (6' 1" 250+) and moves extremely well for that size. He's good against the run and he shows a knack for getting to the QB in blitz situations. All that and he's a decent cover linebacker as well. All in all, he's a good linebacker that takes nothing off the table which is what we need. He's not a superstar. He never was and he probably never will be. He's a good all around player and a great pickup for us.

It's amazing how someone can be so callous. I've always hated Karl Malone because I thought he was a cheap-shotting scumbag ON the court. Little did I know he was the same way off the court. What really bugs me is that he made himself available to his other kids. Was it because they attended his alma mater and gained notoriety for playing basketball? Why not do the same for your other child? It's a sad story but at the same time, I like this kids attitude and the fact that he is has come to terms with it. Unlike Jalen Rose, he doesn't carry it with him in the form of a chip on his shoulder. This kid just brushes it off and talks about how good he had it and how many other great people took part in his life growing up. I hope he succeeds in the NFL and continues to ignore that Malone is his father. It's too bad no one in the media is bashing Malone like they are Roger Clemens...Malone is an A-hole.

No way the Bills pick him up. It's not worth the risk, even if they sign him for cheap. The guy can't stay out of trouble, let some other team make that mistake.

I agree that the award should have been given to Gibril Wilson, but it's not considered "funny" when a writer bashes Oakland because everyone bashes Oakland. He tried to get his "funny" in but actually came out sounding like an idiot because the Bills didn't overpay for Mitchell. This is just typical of writers these days. Expecially the ones who try to do gimick columns like this each year.

I think Marshawn's TD was better than Lee's catch. That was by far my favorite play of last year! I can't wait to see more from Marshawn.

I may be ripped for this one but... Willis McGahee!!! He was a dick, I know. But he was/is a great running back. With the right team around him he could've been a darn good running back for us for a long time.

I saw the thread title and just figured that the Bengals had just swung a trade to pick Harrison up. They might as well...

Whitner was solid last year...which is a pretty strong endorsement considering how bad our pass defense was. As we all know, things were bad last season: - opposing QB's had all day to find open receivers - our defensive backfield was in shambles due to injury - our defense was on the field way too much due to an ineffective offense If the defense can improve on those three things we'll get a chance to see if Whitner has what it takes to be a premiere safety in the NFL. Right now, he's just plain good (which is a good thing.) I think he has the potential to be great and I really hope that everything around him doesn't fall apart this year and he gets a chance to shine.

Good point. Another good point. All you guys who keep saying that Reed is garbage and he should/will get cut are nuts. Reed is good (not great, not horrible) receiver when used properly. The proper use is in the slot where it gives him the most room to operate untouched. He's not a burner who's going to run by everyone like Lee and Roscoe. What he is, is a smart player who has a knack for getting open and making clutch catches. Plus, he always seems to get extra yards after the catch. He's not a game-breaker, but a steady contribution from him in our passing game could easily lead this team to a few more victories this year. No way he gets cut. Back to the original thread topic... Surprise player this year: Leodis McKelvin. He's going to be starting sooner rather than later and I'm predicting (boldly, if I say so myself...which I just did) 6+ picks this season. With at least 1 defensive TD.

No one said anything about being pissed. Pissed isn't the word. I feel jinxed.