Ask Tim Graham

[Wiz]

If you found out what I drove, it might undercut my credibility. But three more months and it's paid for. And I highly recommend Towne Ford in Orchard Park.

That's okay, SKOOBY has proven that there is no correlation between car ownership and football knowledge. Keep the info flowing.

[BEAST MODE BABY!]

I know that the Taurus SHO, which went out of production in 1999 or 2000, was a badass car. I have an uncle who worked at the Ford assembly plant in Cleveland, and he said it was the most powerful model he's ever driven. I guess the V8 engine in that thing (they had them specially made in Japan by Yamaha or Toyota) put police cruisers to shame. He told me that in tests one year they tried to max it out on the track and the body blew apart before they could reach the top-end.

 

SHO stood for super high output. It was actually a V6 built by Yamaha, but it was the most powerful engine to be put in a FWD car up until that time. People thought the torque steer would be a problem, but it wasn't too bad.

 

I know lots of silly stuff about cars

 

 

Now back to the show

[TimGraham]

SHO stood for super high output. It was actually a V6 built by Yamaha, but it was the most powerful engine to be put in a FWD car up until that time. People thought the torque steer would be a problem, but it wasn't too bad.

 

I know lots of silly stuff about cars

 

 

Now back to the show

 

I'm pretty sure there was a V8 version. Then again my uncle drank a lot.

[TimGraham]

Perhaps. And perhaps LT is an overrated position?

 

Perhaps you're a contrarian.

[TimGraham]

Tim,

 

How does one go about getting a job like yours? I have my English Degree and looked around for jobs in journalism after school, but everything was the equivelant of a mailboy. With so many people having jobs today as Bloggers and online columnists, how does someone really go about breaking into this business; even with something like free-lance assignments?

 

My first newspaper assignment was covering an all-day tee-ball tournament in rural Ohio for a paper smaller than the Lockport Journal. I think my hourly wage worked out to be about $2.47 that day.

 

The absolute ground floor is where 95 percent of all sportswriters start. Some young superstars emerge from journalism schools and big-time internships before graduation and land at a major metro paper, but that's rare. On-line publishers are getting their writers from newspapers.

 

My advice would be to take that mailboy-level newspaper job and keep climbing the ladder. Don't think twice about moving across the country for another position that builds your career. If you insist on finding work in one place or refuse to leave a certain region, then you're not giving yourself a legitimate chance.

[Taro T]

I'm pretty sure there was a V8 version. Then again my uncle drank a lot.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

 

Tim, have you heard any reaction from the (Bills or Eagles) players on Peters being traded? Sorry, I haven't read through all 90 threads on the trade, so if you have already adressed that, my bad.

[TimGraham]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

 

Tim, have you heard any reaction from the (Bills or Eagles) players on Peters being traded? Sorry, I haven't read through all 90 threads on the trade, so if you have already adressed that, my bad.

 

I would NEVER say that like it was a bad thing.

 

I'm actually trying to put together a blog of Peters trade reaction sent to my AFC East mailbag. The responses have been passionate but not plentiful.

[Taro T]

I would NEVER say that like it was a bad thing.

 

I'm actually trying to put together a blog of Peters trade reaction sent to my AFC East mailbag. The responses have been passionate but not plentiful.

Cool. A man who definitely knows his audience.

 

I look forward to the article/blog. Thanks.

[TimGraham]

Cool. A man who definitely knows his audience.

 

I look forward to the article/blog. Thanks.

 

I don't know if I can cull together enough responses for a Peters reaction blog. I think that's one of the drawbacks of being on The Stadium Wall, all the comments take place here and not at my blog.

[Jeffery Lester]

Tim I think the subtraction of Peters is a very good thing for the Bills. He laid down and the Bills refused to pay for that. I have no problem with the compensation that the bills got for Peters, I actually think they did quite well. Do you know if anyother team was offering any where near what the Eagles were?

[TimGraham]

Tim I think the subtraction of Peters is a very good thing for the Bills. He laid down and the Bills refused to pay for that. I have no problem with the compensation that the bills got for Peters, I actually think they did quite well. Do you know if anyother team was offering any where near what the Eagles were?

 

Other teams were interested, but I don't know what the offers were at this time.

[Thurman#1]

Right Sisyphean. Like every "replaceable part" on the team, you should show up to work. Most here know that I am far from sold on Trent Edwards, but the guy is unquestionably the starting Qb for the Buffalo Bills. He is not paid like one. He has just as much room to gripe as Peters, IMO. Lee Evans had more room. Marcus Stroud felt he deserved a little more. These other players, show up and do their job. How dare the Bills expect the almighty Jason Peters to follow suit and act like the other "replaceable parts".

 

 

Have to disagree with this. Trent has certainly not ever proven that he ranks with the best at the position. Peters had a bad year when he missed camp, but there's no question that in 2006 and 2007 he was among the absolute best at the position.

 

And yeah, there are some players who for some reason act like prima donnas. We brought one in at WR this year, so we don't appear to have anything against them. And if you try to treat those guys like replaceable parts, you lose them. If they are average players, you don't lose much. If they are at Peters level, with Peters-level impact, you had better just trade him before there is a problem, or understand that he is actually a different kind of person than most, and deal with it.

 

You have to treat people like individuals, particularly the more "individual" ones like Peters.

[Thurman#1]

You don't reward any player who doesn't act like making your team a winner is their goal. Why do you even want a player like that on your team? They could be the greatest ever but if they don't care about the team or their teammates what good are they? Blowing off training camp, showing up fat and out of shape, and then quitting on the team with two games left is the ultimate show of disrespect. You'd have to be an idiot to give that kind of player a mega-salary. Maybe Peters fly right with Philly but he was done with the Bills.

 

PTR

 

 

1) He wasn't fat.

2) He was injured at the end of the year. He didn't quit.

 

3) Why do you want a player like that on your team? Because a team with Jason Peters on it, and under contract, is simply more likely to win than a team without Jason Peters. That's why.

 

My opinion anyway. Don't act like this is some kind of black and white issue, that Peters had to go from the beginning. There is fault on both sides. And there's a reason that the response to this trade around the league is that Philly got the better of us.

 

Sorry, it's Tim's thread, I should shut up, but this nonsense frustrates the heck out of me.

[The Rev.Mattb74 ESQ.]

1) He wasn't fat.

2) He was injured at the end of the year. He didn't quit.

 

3) Why do you want a player like that on your team? Because a team with Jason Peters on it, and under contract, is simply more likely to win than a team without Jason Peters. That's why.

 

My opinion anyway. Don't act like this is some kind of black and white issue, that Peters had to go from the beginning. There is fault on both sides. And there's a reason that the response to this trade around the league is that Philly got the better of us.

 

Sorry, it's Tim's thread, I should shut up, but this nonsense frustrates the heck out of me.

While I agree with 1 and 2, I disagree with number three. While Jason Peters is a good player and I would have rather him stay, the team with Jason Peters has gone 7-9 for three years in a row. So it is safe to presume the Bills lose with Jason Peters, maybe mix things up and see what happens. This team has no Bruce Smith everyone is capable of being replaced. I hold little hope with this front office and coaching staff though.

[Steely Dan]

I know that the Taurus SHO, which went out of production in 1999 or 2000, was a badass car. I have an uncle who worked at the Ford assembly plant in Cleveland, and he said it was the most powerful model he's ever driven. I guess the V8 engine in that thing (they had them specially made in Japan by Yamaha or Toyota) put police cruisers to shame. He told me that in tests one year they tried to max it out on the track and the body blew apart before they could reach the top-end.

 

With that, I have exhausted all of my car knowledge. I can change a tire and fill the gas tank. That's about it.

 

But Tauruses were very roomy sedans before they were shrunk. My dad owned three of them (the base model, not the SHO), and I could see if it were black and had tinted windows, it could pass as chauffeur-worthy without many giggles.

 

But it sure does sound tacky.

 

The original design Ford Taurus SHO

 

 

The 2010 Taurus SHO!

 

The SHO must go on. SHO me the money. It's SHO time!

 

We've heard them all during the months of speculation leading up to this moment. Without further ado, we present to you the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO. That's right, Ford has decided to revive the moniker once affixed to the sports sedan that wowed the automotive world way back in 1989. The original SHO survived three generations of Taurus models, was sold for 10 years straight and attracted over 100,000 buyers. But just as the Taurus itself devolved from America's best-selling car to a rental fleet afterthought, the original SHO ended production in 1999 having gone from a budget sports sedan to an overpriced, underpowered executive whip.

 

Ford is working on rehabilitating the Taurus name with a significant redesign that debuted last month at the Detroit Auto Show. Using that sedan as its canvas, the new SHO may also restore respect to a name that has fallen too far. A 365-hp twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, all-wheel-drive and plenty of upgrades is a good place to start. Follow the jump to learn everything there is to know about the return of the SHO.

 

__________________________________________________

 

That model designation originally meant Super High Output, which definitely applies to the modern version. Whereas the original SHO used a high-revving 220-hp 3.0L V6 (later a 235-hp 3.4L V8) developed and built by Yamaha, the new SHO's advanced engine turns a relatively small 3.5 liters of displacement displacement and a lot of pressure into 365 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 ft.-lb of torque at 3,500 rpm. That makes this version of Ford's 3.5L EcoBoost V6 the most powerful one available with 10 more horsepower than its other applications.

 

 

IMO, there is no such thing as a badass sedan. Only coupes are badass. The sedan can have all the power under the hood but they look funny, like Dodge's so called Charger. The sedan Charger is a disgrace to the original design. The new Charger is just a car with a plate on the side that says Charger and nothing more.

 

The new Challenger is badass. It sticks closely to the old design giving a retro feel to a 21st century car.

 

There's also the Buick Grand National that was the fastest production car GM had ever built to that time. I don't know if anything has surpassed it yet. They used to have bumper stickers for those things that said; "I brake for Corvettes".

 

Those are badass cars IMHO.

[PromoTheRobot]

I don't know if I can cull together enough responses for a Peters reaction blog. I think that's one of the drawbacks of being on The Stadium Wall, all the comments take place here and not at my blog.

Just let us know when you need input for something on ESPN and we'll be there.

 

PTR

[jahnyc]

This is the most depressed and angry I have been as a Bills fan. I really don't understand the muted response from Bills fans about the trade of Peters (and the possible trade of Parrish). Peters was the most talented football player on the team's roster, and the chances that our new first round pick will be an equivalent replacement are very slim. Prior to Jason Peters, it had been more than 15 years since the Bills had a good LT.

 

I also don't understand the agruments that the Bills would have been overpaying for Peters or that he could not have had much of an impact since the Bills have been 7-9 the past couple of years. The reality is that this team has a ton of cap room and has been overpaying for other players on an all too consistent basis (Dockery, K. Williams, Johnson and even Evans). If 7-9 looks bad with Peters, I am dreading what the team's record will look like without him.

 

Finally, I don't get the support for the FO and the patience fans seem to have. It has been 10 years since our last visit to the playoffs, and the same people who have made poor free agent acquisitions during this time are still employed by the Bills (John Guy).

 

Tim, what is the perception of our front office (i.e., the competency) in league circles?

[Sisyphean Bills]

This is the most depressed and angry I have been as a Bills fan. I really don't understand the muted response from Bills fans about the trade of Peters (and the possible trade of Parrish). Peters was the most talented football player on the team's roster, and the chances that our new first round pick will be an equivalent replacement are very slim. Prior to Jason Peters, it had been more than 15 years since the Bills had a good LT.

 

I also don't understand the agruments that the Bills would have been overpaying for Peters or that he could not have had much of an impact since the Bills have been 7-9 the past couple of years. The reality is that this team has a ton of cap room and has been overpaying for other players on an all too consistent basis (Dockery, K. Williams, Johnson and even Evans). If 7-9 looks bad with Peters, I am dreading what the team's record will look like without him.

 

Finally, I don't get the support for the FO and the patience fans seem to have. It has been 10 years since our last visit to the playoffs, and the same people who have made poor free agent acquisitions during this time are still employed by the Bills (John Guy).

 

Tim, what is the perception of our front office (i.e., the competency) in league circles?

Maybe Peters read the same memo that Mike Mularkey did and decided, "I gotta get out of here!"

[PromoTheRobot]

Have to disagree with this. Trent has certainly not ever proven that he ranks with the best at the position. Peters had a bad year when he missed camp, but there's no question that in 2006 and 2007 he was among the absolute best at the position.

 

Let's see if that holds up. Here are Jason's stats since 2005:

 

(courtesy fo fantasy stats advantage)

YEAR: GMS STRT PENS SCKS

2005 16 10 3 1.5

2006 16 16 6 2.0

2007 15 15 6 6.0

2008 13 13 8 11.5

 

Forgetting this is Jason Peters for a second, if you asked Bills fans if they would pay $12.5M for a player whose performance declined three straight years, most would say no. There is no statistical basis showing Peters is an elite LT. It's just the opinion of talking heads and message board posters.

 

PTR

[PromoTheRobot]

This is the most depressed and angry I have been as a Bills fan. I really don't understand the muted response from Bills fans about the trade of Peters (and the possible trade of Parrish). Peters was the most talented football player on the team's roster, and the chances that our new first round pick will be an equivalent replacement are very slim. Prior to Jason Peters, it had been more than 15 years since the Bills had a good LT.

 

I also don't understand the agruments that the Bills would have been overpaying for Peters or that he could not have had much of an impact since the Bills have been 7-9 the past couple of years. The reality is that this team has a ton of cap room and has been overpaying for other players on an all too consistent basis (Dockery, K. Williams, Johnson and even Evans). If 7-9 looks bad with Peters, I am dreading what the team's record will look like without him.

 

Finally, I don't get the support for the FO and the patience fans seem to have. It has been 10 years since our last visit to the playoffs, and the same people who have made poor free agent acquisitions during this time are still employed by the Bills (John Guy).

 

Tim, what is the perception of our front office (i.e., the competency) in league circles?

 

First of all Peters put the Bills in a bad spot by disappearing in 2008. He never even asked for a new deal. He was disrespectful to a team that up to then treated him very well. Then he holds out and his performance hurts the team. More disrespect. If the Bills paid him what he wanted it would have painted the Bills front office as a bunch of pansies. Here's a player who literally pisses on his team and expects to be rewarded handsomely for it. If the Bills paid Peters no one on the Bills roster would respect this team ever again. The Bills reward players who are loyal to the team. IMO the Bills did the right thing.

 

PTR