The BUFFALO Sports Bar

[Nickdfresh]

http://pgrose.tripod.com/60s/NFL_Standing_Buffalo.JPG
http://www.sports-collectibles-store.com/store/files/images/small/t_772.jpg
Article 1. Tom Donahoe's gotta' go...

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051204/1072681.asp

Clock may be ticking on the Donahoe era

Modrak could get job if Bills dismiss GM

By MARK GAUGHAN
News Sports Reporter
12/4/2005

http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2005/12/04/1204twotoms.jpg
Buffalo News file photo
Tom Modrak, foreground, is Tom Donahoe's assistant general manager.

The Buffalo Bills are staring at a big shake-up this offseason, and it's looking like it may cost President and General Manager Tom Donahoe his job.

Barring a dramatic turnaround over the final month of the season, the Bills are going to finish with a losing record, and miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, five of them under Donahoe.

That's not a shock in a season in which they are breaking in a new quarterback, and if the Bills were just a couple of tweaks away from title contention it likely would be acceptable to team owner Ralph Wilson.

However, it's apparent the Bills will need to make numerous major personnel changes in order to challenge the powers in the AFC. That does not bode well for Donahoe. All signs point to a possible change at the top.

Wilson is very disappointed by the way the season has gone. He's a realist. He doesn't want to mortgage the future in a desperate attempt to win. But he wants to win every bit as much at age 87 as he ever has in his tenure as Bills owner. Contrary to what some might suggest, he's not at all content to sell a lot of tickets and be marginally competitive.

So Wilson must decide whether to let Donahoe make the major decisions that will dictate where the team goes the next several years or to find an exit strategy.

Wilson would not comment on Donahoe's future or on any evaluations of the team when contacted recently by The News. He said he wants to wait until the end of the season before reaching any firm conclusions on what the team needs.

However, it's not a good sign for the GM that Wilson has not been throwing bouquets Donahoe's way the past year. Even when he revealed this summer that Donahoe got a contract extension, Wilson was far from effusive in his praise of his top football executive.

It's also not a good sign for Donahoe that Wilson has a convenient alternative that doesn't require a total overhaul of the front office.

Wilson's likeliest exit strategy is this: put Assistant General Manager Tom Modrak in charge of the football department and place Russ Brandon, currently the head of business development and marketing, in charge of all non-football operations. Modrak would become general manager; Brandon would move up to executive vice president.

Only Wilson knows if his patience is going to run out with Donahoe's tenure when the regular season ends Jan. 1. Obviously, a strong Bills finish might change the outlook.

But the Modrak-Brandon option is one that several people within the Bills' administration consider to be a real possibility if the season continues on its current disappointing path. The fact Donahoe received a contract extension last year of either one or two years is not likely to save him if Wilson concludes a change is necessary.

Head coach Mike Mularkey is safe. Wilson likes Mularkey's style, his presence and his straight-shooting approach. Mularkey has a respected group of teachers on his staff. He also has three years to go on his contract. Mularkey has a working relationship with Modrak. The problem with replacing Donahoe with someone outside the organization is it's likely that person eventually would want to bring in his own coach and start from scratch.

Modrak has a good relationship with Wilson and is a respected football man. He got high marks for running the Philadelphia Eagles football operation for three years before losing out in a power struggle in 2001.

Brandon, 38, arguably has been the most valuable off-the-field person in the organization. He is a rising star in NFL administration who has done an outstanding job in overseeing the team's marketing, sponsorships and ticket sales. While Brandon is not a football man and isn't in a position to be involved in football personnel, he has worked hard to familiarize himself with football operations under John Butler and Donahoe the past eight years. He's on track to become an NFL team president, sooner rather than later. Wilson fully appreciates his value to the organization.

Obviously, Modrak's fingerprints are on the current Bills team. He has been in charge of the Bills' college scouting since June 2001. But he has not been the man making the final decisions.

Donahoe has made a lot of good decisions in personnel, starting with the Willis McGahee draft pick. They also include letting Sam Cowart, Marcellus Wiley and Peerless Price leave. They include good free-agent signings, such as Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher, Sam Adams and Chris Villarrial.

Donahoe's problem has been some big decisions: Gregg Williams, Drew Bledsoe, Mike Williams. His attempts to make the offensive line an above average unit have failed. And the Bills still are not a title contender. Through almost five years of the Donahoe reign, the team is 30-45.

Now the Bills are staring at an offseason in which, at the very minimum, they will need to acquire: a left tackle, a starting receiver, a No. 1 defensive tackle, a cornerback (if Nate Clements doesn't get the franchise tag) and a strong-side linebacker (to replace Jeff Posey). One or both of the starting safeties, given their age and their large contracts, could be gone. But their fate may be tied to how much dead salary cap space the Bills want. Releasing Mike Williams is going to be a huge cap hit that wasn't in the financial plan.

The coaching staff is likely to change, too. Offensive coordinator Tom Clements is not believed to be thrilled with his diminished role. Defensive coordinator Jerry Gray should be a candidate for several of what may be nine head-coaching openings. Even if he doesn't get one, he could be lured away by one of the new coaches seeking a defensive coordinator.

Whether Donahoe will be around to oversee all this change is in serious doubt.

e-mail: mgaughan@buffnews.com

[POJO_Risin]

Yo Nick...the minute you start passing around drinks...and turn it into one of those gay fucking threads...lmfao...

I'm deleting it...

Donahoe...wow how is life has changed in the past 10 years...

[Rebel]

drinks are on me!!!!!! :D

[ALinChainz]

Does that include coffee?

lol

[Nickdfresh]

Uhuhuhuhuh!

No cyber-beer here, just the real thing on game day.

And if any fucker even mentions coffee, they're getting destroyed...

Donahoe's done. Stick a fork in him, for six years he really has managed to build a team that has very little identity. They're a "power-running" team with a shitty line and flashy wide receiver corp. They're also old. MOULDS, CLEMENTS, and WILLIAMS are gone at the end of the season.

I think his main downfall here is hiring crony, newbie headcoaches that couldn't at any point challenge him. Greg WILLIAMS was a complete dope and a hapless coach, and MULARKEY is better, but he's still maddeningly prone to making stupid calls (he just loves F-ing trick plays).

Donahoe's final albatross was the supposed lineman phenom Mike WILLIAMS. The guys a total stiff, making huge money. He's a number one pick riding the pine and grossing more than most of the other lineman combined. Unforgivable, he never built a decent O-line.

I guess there's a reason why COWHER won the Pittsburgh power struggle...

[Romeo Delight]

Bills are going down today

fins will rush for over 200 yards, Losman will get sacked 4 times

Ricky is preparing for game in his backyard...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Rebel
drinks are on me!!!!!! :D

Shut up!:mad:

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Does that include coffee?

lol

Listen ALICE!!!!:mad:

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/brady-bunch-alice.jpg

:p

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
Bills are going down today

fins will rush for over 200 yards, Losman will get sacked 4 times

Ricky is preparing for game in his backyard...

Uhuhuhuh! RICKY will be smokin' today...

We'll see how the DOLPHINs take the cold, not a lot of snow, but it's about 25 here...

[POJO_Risin]

I think Buffalo will win today...

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
I think Buffalo will win today...

Uh, no.

Game is in Miami, isn't it?

[Rebel]

shit, they ought to, look at fuckin Ricky up there lmfao!

I'm still not sold on Losman, tons of talent, but he's gotta get his shit together and go to work. He IS NOT the next Favray as many said, mark my words on that one.

[POJO_Risin]

Losman sucks...he always looks like he's on crack...kinda like Delhomme...

[Rebel]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Does that include coffee?

lol

A big cup of java for the big man :D

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/images/mocha_frap.jpg

Alright Nick, that's it, I'm done lol....couldn't pass it up

[Rebel]

Back on topic, I guess playing down at Tulane brought the comparisons, Losman is a gunslinger no doubt, but his heart just ain't in it like Favre.

His talent is worth keeping him around though, and seeing what develops.

[ALinChainz]

Seems like they run block well enough, but pass blocking is a different story ... and most young QBs struggle ...

Decent receivers and running game though ... and the Bills defense has fallen short of expectations this season.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
Uh, no.

Game is in Miami, isn't it?

Why shit, I stand corrected...

It is in MIAMI. I think Buffalo is a little better in meaningful games (winner still alive in the playoff hunt even though neither should be) than MIAMI is, still, they both suck. And MIAMI has the better coaching staff...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Christ, I've seen it all now...

Where's the Alberquerque sports thread ????

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Yo Nick...the minute you start passing around drinks...and turn it into one of those gay fucking threads...lmfao...



LMMFAO
:D

What's a guy gotta do to get some wings in this joint ? ;)

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan
Christ, I've seen it all now...

Where's the Alberquerque sports thread ????

We all wanted it....

But no one could spell Albekue er Albekwer......er that place in New Mexico

:cool:

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Rebel
shit, they ought to, look at fuckin Ricky up there lmfao!

I'm still not sold on Losman, tons of talent, but he's gotta get his shit together and go to work. He IS NOT the next Favray as many said, mark my words on that one.


Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Losman sucks...he always looks like he's on crack...kinda like Delhomme...

You know, I was ready to give up on him as another Buffalo QB bust (Todd Collins, Billy Joe "I didn't look at the game plan" HOBERT, Rob JOHNSON...).

But after having his ass handed to him, and playing behind a less-than-mediocre line, he's shown a little fire and leadership. I think he'll be a good one in another year. I mean, this offensive staff sucks. MULARKY, the head coach, is now calling the plays over his coordinater, and Drew BLEDSOE was run out of town as over-the-hill...

But look at him now. It makes you wonder.

They also have the muzzle on LOSMAN and are keeping him from throwing too often, I think they'll start to open it up though....

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Uhuhuhuh! RICKY will be smokin' today...

We'll see how the DOLPHINs take the cold, not a lot of snow, but it's about 25 here...

Most bar owners are somewhat aware of oh, say.....



WHERE THE GAME IS PLAYED


LMMFAO :D ;)

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan
Christ, I've seen it all now...

Where's the Alberquerque sports thread ????

Shut up!:(

How's those VA Beach...er...East Coast League Hockey team?:)

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by LoungeMachine
Most bar owners are somewhat aware of oh, say.....



WHERE THE GAME IS PLAYED


LMMFAO :D ;)

Uhuhuhuhuh! The bar I work(ed?) at has had recurring "problems," so it's closed for now.:D

We do a lot of business around the home games, so I should know better.:D

[Rebel]

well, Losman has shut me up, for today lmfao

[Rebel]

td Housh!!!

wrong thread lmfao

[Romeo Delight]

wtf! 21-0 already!

wait, soon Losman will be Jonesing

[Romeo Delight]

I'm not even going to watch anymore of this...down 21-0 and a field goal?
Got to convert these.

[POJO_Risin]

LMFAO...Miami came back to win...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
LMFAO...Miami came back to win...

I'm speechless...


Typical...


LOSMAN and EVANS connect deep three times in the first qtr. So, what do we do?

Let's get really, really conservative!! (except when we do the trick plays, like having the wide receiver throw the ball instead of the QB)...

Brilliant!

Fire the GM and the coaching staff.

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
LMFAO...Miami came back to win...

Drinks on the House :D

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by LoungeMachine
Drinks on the House :D

:mad:

Oh foir fuck sake, please take bar out of the thread title!

Oh, and your mocha latte is up sir.http://members.home.nl/koenmh/cc/gay.gif
http://yann.co.nz/archives/stuff/030529-0101-38-thumb.jpg

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
:mad:

Oh foir fuck sake, please take bar out of the thread title!

Oh, and your mocha latte is up sir.http://members.home.nl/koenmh/cc/gay.gif
http://yann.co.nz/archives/stuff/030529-0101-38-thumb.jpg

LMMFAO:D :D :D

[ I mean, actual, real life, Laughing My Mother Fucking Ass Off ]

:cool:

[LoungeMachine]

Hey, Nick...

My Seahawks are on Monday Night Football this week....

Can you check the Bar Calendar and tell me which night of the week that's scheduled for?

[DrMaddVibe]

Originally posted by LoungeMachine
Hey, Nick...

My Seahawks are on Monday Night Football this week....

Can you check the Bar Calendar and tell me which night of the week that's scheduled for?


Night? More like what town!

:lol:

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Night? More like what town!

:lol:

:D

[Romeo Delight]

Fuck!

I went somewhere without a tv, but I had laptop

"Watched" game on comcast or whatever where you have to wait for results of play.

Excruciating, to say the least.

I told you so
:rolleyes:

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
wtf! 21-0 already!

wait, soon Losman will be Jonesing


"I've seen it happen many times on TV, but to have it happen to you really smacks you in the face," quarterback J.P. Losman said. "Nobody will know how this feels unless they've been in the locker room. I can't really describe it, because I'm no Shakespeare."

Losman hit Evans for touchdown passes of 46, 56 and 4 yards but missed chances to close out the victory, losing a fumble on a sack and throwing an interception to end scoring threats. The Bills failed to score on their final 10 possessions.

:D

[Nickdfresh]

Shitty coaching...MULARKY's worst game here yet (he calls the offense, so now we get his "Inspector Gadget" trick play crap)...

All they had to do was run the ball and make a few first downs.

[Romeo Delight]

.

[twonabomber]

is this the Bar-Bill?

[ALinChainz]

Moulds could be suspended by Mularkey

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer

December 7, 2005

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Buffalo Bills receiver Eric Moulds could be suspended by coach Mike Mularkey for undisclosed reasons.

Mularkey told Moulds of his plan to suspend him during a meeting Monday, a person who has been directly informed of the discussion told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced plans to suspend Moulds. The person said Moulds, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was shocked and confused following the meeting with Mularkey.


The Buffalo News, citing an unidentified NFL source, on Wednesday disclosed Mularkey's intention. The final decision, however, will be up to team owner Ralph Wilson, the newspaper reported.

Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said he expected Mularkey to address Moulds' status during his weekly news conference later Wednesday.

Moulds and agent Harold Harrison could not be reached for comment. In his 10th season with Buffalo, Moulds is the team's senior player and second to Andre Reed in most of the Bills' career receiving categories.

The Bills (4-8), on the verge of missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season, play the New England Patriots on Sunday.

The dispute comes after Moulds carefully expressed his frustrations and questioned the team's play-calling after he was benched for most of the final three quarters of Buffalo's 24-23 loss at Miami on Sunday.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-moulds&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Nickdfresh]

COMMENTARY
Mularkey's done enough to get fired
By LARRY FELSER

12/11/2005

At this point last season, the Bills were in the middle of a six-game winning streak that would propel them to a 9-7 season after an 0-4 start. They had just come from Miami where they overcame a 10-point Dolphins lead to win by 10.

People were convinced that Mike Mularkey, the new coach, really knew what he was doing and that the team's big enchilada, Tom Donahoe, had finally gotten it right after his Gregg Williams debacle.

The Bills had veteran leadership, some promising kids, and Mularkey hired good coaches like Sam Wyche, Bobby April, Jim McNally and Don Blackmon to create the idea the team had a sunny future.

In the last 14 days Mularkey has done enough to get himself fired despite having three years left on his contract. The latest was the Eric Moulds fiasco, which in all likelihood cost him the respect of his team. Whether or not Mularkey actually spoke the word "suspension" to Moulds in their frosty meeting Monday, it's obvious the coach wants to shove the 10-year veteran out the door with a mere month remaining on his career in Buffalo.

Mularkey's beef with the player is that Moulds publicly second-guessed the coach's play-calling in the loss to Miami and complained that he was being ignored in the game plan. Is there anyone left along the Niagara Frontier who isn't second-guessing Mularkey's play calling? An NFL receiver complaining about not getting the ball? Stop the presses! During the Bills' Super Bowl period, Jim Kelly once threw four touchdown passes to Don Beebe against the Steelers. Andre Reed didn't speak to Kelly for a month.

Compared to Terrell Owens, Keyshawn Johnson, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson and others too gaseous to mention, Moulds is a Trappist monk. Salary cap realities will put him in another uniform next season. He deserves to leave with his dignity intact.

Mularkey has displayed a leaden hand when dealing with his players. Sam Adams, recovering from an injury, wanted to play against Carolina two weeks ago. Instead Mularkey gave him the news he would be inactive just a few minutes before the kickoff. Adams' work ethic may need polishing, but he was a Pro Bowl player for the Bills a year ago and his teammates know how he would have helped in a close loss to Carolina. Frankly, I don't think Mularkey is in position to put the squeeze on anyone. Will someone explain why he removed the play-calling from Tom Clements, his offensive coordinator, early in the season? Since Mularkey took over the task we've been treated to Daimon Shelton, the blocking fullback who hadn't carried the football in five seasons, getting the ball on an unsuccessful fourth-down gamble from the Raiders' 1-yard line in the turnaround play of that loss; Mularkey's continuing obsession with gadget plays that backfire; and finally the coup de grace opportunity in Miami that turned into a football suicide.

With a 20-point lead with just over a quarter to play and Buffalo enjoying a first down on the Dolphins' 3-yard line, there was only one thing for a coach in touch with his reasoning powers to do: tell his young, inexperienced and excitable quarterback, "We're running Willis McGahee three times between the tackles. If we don't score a touchdown we kick a gimme field goal for a 23-point lead and there is no way the Dolphins can beat us in the time remaining. Besides, J.P., if you even appear to be getting ready to throw a pass, I'll come out on the field and throttle you."

Carnage followed. The Moulds suspension has made Mularkey nuclear waste in his own locker room. McGahee, his young meal ticket, described the situation as "chaos." Troy Vincent, as strong a leader as the Bills possess, pointedly remarked how difficult it would be to replace a player like Moulds.

Who knows what's going through J.P. Losman's head? After the interception of his pass which turned around the game, the young quarterback went into mourning on his bench during the rest of the game. There was no sign of Mularkey showing up to talk him out of his funk, which is a bigger part of a coach's job than calling plays. Losman's future, after all, is also Mularkey's future.

Since that time what Mularkey has been doing is stonewalling the media.

"This is an in-house matter," he says. He doesn't even know what kind of business he's in. If he worked for Procter and Gamble it would be "an in-house matter." He's in the entertainment business, which operates in a fish bowl. His peers are Britney Spears, Siegfried and Roy, the Goo Goo Dolls, Eminem and Cirque du Soleil. These days the enterprise with which he is involved is not very entertaining.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051211/1073431.asp

Larry Felser, former News columnist,
appears in Sunday's editions.

[Nickdfresh]

COMMENTARY
A tale of two teams: Sabres have upside, Bills do not

Where the Sabres have learned humility, the football team under Donahoe has become suspicious, distant and condescending

12/11/2005
By JERRY SULLIVAN

This past Thursday, I was settling in at a party when a huge roar went up in the room. It took me about two seconds to realize the Sabres had just scored in overtime to beat the Mighty Ducks. There is no mistaking the shared, spontaneous joy of Buffalo sports fans when one of their beloved teams does well.

After a week of bumbling incompetence at One Bills Drive, it was nice to be reminded that one of our major sports teams is doing things right. Over the past month, the Sabres have been a revelation, winning 10 of 12 while demonstrating a laudable work ethic and team morale.

Attendance hasn't caught up yet, but there is a rising sense of optimism about the Sabres, a feeling that wondrous things could be in store. Meanwhile, the Bills have become an object of intense public loathing, an organization that has alienated and disgusted its far-flung, faithful fan base.

The suspension of Eric Moulds was an utter embarrassment for the team and its owner, Ralph Wilson, who was forced to arbitrate a dispute between his coach and star receiver. Wilson seemed apologetic about having to support Mike Mularkey and suspend Moulds, whom he called his "friend."

Tom Donahoe, the president and general manager, was conspicuously absent during the Moulds affair. That is not a good sign for the embattled GM. Donahoe's cronies in the national media are already pushing him for his next job. I'm sure there's some gullible NFL owner out there who can be convinced he'd be lucky to get a man of Donahoe's surpassing talents.

Most Bills fans are angry. They're embarrassed to root for a team that has become a hapless reflection of their hometown. Thanks to the wonders of e-mail, I've heard from hundreds of disillusioned fans, many of them transplants who cling to the Bills as an emotional link to their Buffalo heritage.

The other day, a friend told me it must be tough to write harsh things about the Bills' players and management. Actually, it's easy at a time like this. The organization's flaws are numerous and clear. I'm merely giving voice to the frustrations of others.

It's the fans I feel sorry for. They deserve better. They miss having a team that's capable of competing for the championship. It was a delight to cover the Bills during the Super Bowl years, to chronicle the achievements of a great team for a loving community. The same thing goes for the Sabres during their Stanley Cup run in 1999.

Above all, those teams were fun. That's the worst thing about these Bills. There's no fun. They've sapped out most of the joy. It has been fun this year on the few occasions when J.P. Losman played well, which makes it even more infuriating that they pulled the plug on him for a month.

For much of the Donahoe era, the Bills have been a bummer to follow. There's been something essentially hollow and dysfunctional about them. Donahoe has created a siege mentality in the organization. He's run the show with an unwarranted air of arrogance and superiority.

The Sabres are a breath of fresh air by comparison. I've had my disagreements with Larry Quinn and Darcy Regier over the years. I felt it was a mistake for Tom Golisano to re-empower Quinn and to keep Regier in the general manager's job. They still have much to prove.

But they've figured some things out. The Sabres have been humbled by difficult times, by an ownership scandal and an NHL lockout. Like their league, they learned the hard way not to take their fans for granted - to treat them like discerning customers.

The Sabres are finally giving fans a team worth supporting, one that plays with determination and accountability. You get the sense that management had a clear vision for the product it wanted to put on the ice when the NHL began anew. Regier deserves credit for that. He used to whine all the time about the league's economics. It came off as an excuse for his own lack of initiative. But he promised the Sabres would thrive in the new NHL, if the league enforced the rules, and it looks like he was right.

The Sabres have no real stars, just a bunch of resourceful players who reflect this town's blue-collar ethos - while managing to entertain. Thursday's game was dull for two periods, but the third period and overtime were breathtaking, a fan's delight.

For the holidays, the Sabres have released a CD of Rick Jeanneret's greatest calls. It's a terrific idea, an inspired nod to the team's rich hockey heritage.

The Bills seem to be trampling on their own tradition. Where the Sabres have learned humility, the football team under Donahoe has become suspicious, distant and condescending. They are threatening to fumble away their most precious asset - the soul of the community that has supported them.

Wilson must know this. He must realize how this season is playing with his fans. I suspect he'll be get some harsh reminders at today's game with the Patriots, in the stadium that bears his name. There will be plenty of angry customers, many of whom are expected to bring signs that reflect their discontent.

It would not surprise me to see a sign or two that simply read, "Give us back our team."

BuffaloNews (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051211/1020955.asp)

e-mail: jsullivan@buffnews.com

[Nickdfresh]

STREAKING SABRES

Strong goaltending and diverse scoring ignite hot streak

By TIM GRAHAM
News Sports Reporter
12/22/2005


Satisfaction isn't the right word.

That would connote a sense of finality for a job well done, a premature mission accomplished, as it were.

Instead, whenever defenseman Jay McKee stops to consider just how much the Buffalo Sabres have achieved so far this season, he feels a reaffirmation for what they're working toward.

"I think everyone on the team feels awful proud of what we've accomplished so far," McKee said. "It's all hard work that's paying off. It feels very rewarding."

An NHL season can seem like a relentless string of games, a constant preparation for the next city, the next opponent. As the 2005-06 campaign blurs past - the midway point is days away - Sabres fans might want to pause and try to fully comprehend all this team has done during a most astonishing run of success.

"When we look at the standings and see our record at 23 wins and 10 losses," said McKee, "my reaction is, "Wow, did that ever come fast.' "

The Sabres are on a borderline-obnoxious roll heading into tonight's game against the Florida Panthers in the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The Sabres have won seven in a row, and a victory tonight would give them 10 straight on the road to tie their NHL record from 1983-84.

Their remarkable 15-1-1 run encompasses exactly half of their games played so far. It dates back a month and a week, and has banked them more than a third of the 90 points teams shoot for to make the playoffs.

The Sabres have skyrocketed in the standings. They became the second team in the league to reach 23 wins and entered Wednesday night only two points behind the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings for the most points in the league.

"We expected to be a good team, but nobody expects something like this," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We're almost at the point where we don't even want to talk about it."

Perhaps most impressive is how the Sabres have found ways to win so many nail-biters. On Monday night, after a shootout with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres broke the league record by winning their sixth consecutive one-goal game. Two of them were in sudden death, one in a shootout.

"There have been games that in the past we would have lost," Ruff said. "This team's good enough now where that doesn't happen anymore."

Buffalo is an astounding 13 games over .500 but has outscored the opposition by only seven goals.

Much of that anomaly can be attributed to two factors: a lull in which Buffalo lost six out of seven, and Northeast Division nemesis Ottawa. Take away Buffalo's three losses to Ottawa - by a combined margin of 21-5 - and the Sabres have outscored opponents by 23 goals.

Prior to Philadelphia, the Sabres had averaged four goals a game in their previous six.

"We're really confident that the things we have done right are the reasons for our good success," said goalie Martin Biron, who has won a club-record 13 straight starts. "We also know a lot of good bounces and lucky bounces have gone our way to make that streak continue, but everybody in the locker room is confident they can contribute to this run. It's not relying on any one group of guys."

Over their past 15 victories, 10 Sabres have scored the winning goal.

More incredible yet, co-captain Daniel Briere has played in only six of those wins, while integral winger J.P. Dumont played in two. McKee claimed the Sabres have remained grounded despite their success. He has been amazed at the blue-collar atmosphere that permeates the Sabres' dressing room after a victory.

"We've had games we've won and come back to the room and guys aren't hooting and hollering," McKee said. "In Philadelphia we were (pumped) because it was an emotional win, but guys are going from that to right back to business.

"Guys are pretty humble about what we've done. Everything just seems to get put behind us after each win. We just look forward to the next one."

STREAKING SABRES

Strong goaltending and diverse scoring ignite hot streak

By TIM GRAHAM
News Sports Reporter
12/22/2005


Satisfaction isn't the right word.

That would connote a sense of finality for a job well done, a premature mission accomplished, as it were.

Instead, whenever defenseman Jay McKee stops to consider just how much the Buffalo Sabres have achieved so far this season, he feels a reaffirmation for what they're working toward.

"I think everyone on the team feels awful proud of what we've accomplished so far," McKee said. "It's all hard work that's paying off. It feels very rewarding."

An NHL season can seem like a relentless string of games, a constant preparation for the next city, the next opponent. As the 2005-06 campaign blurs past - the midway point is days away - Sabres fans might want to pause and try to fully comprehend all this team has done during a most astonishing run of success.

"When we look at the standings and see our record at 23 wins and 10 losses," said McKee, "my reaction is, "Wow, did that ever come fast.' "

The Sabres are on a borderline-obnoxious roll heading into tonight's game against the Florida Panthers in the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The Sabres have won seven in a row, and a victory tonight would give them 10 straight on the road to tie their NHL record from 1983-84.

Their remarkable 15-1-1 run encompasses exactly half of their games played so far. It dates back a month and a week, and has banked them more than a third of the 90 points teams shoot for to make the playoffs.

The Sabres have skyrocketed in the standings. They became the second team in the league to reach 23 wins and entered Wednesday night only two points behind the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings for the most points in the league.

"We expected to be a good team, but nobody expects something like this," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We're almost at the point where we don't even want to talk about it."

Perhaps most impressive is how the Sabres have found ways to win so many nail-biters. On Monday night, after a shootout with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres broke the league record by winning their sixth consecutive one-goal game. Two of them were in sudden death, one in a shootout.

"There have been games that in the past we would have lost," Ruff said. "This team's good enough now where that doesn't happen anymore."

Buffalo is an astounding 13 games over .500 but has outscored the opposition by only seven goals.

Much of that anomaly can be attributed to two factors: a lull in which Buffalo lost six out of seven, and Northeast Division nemesis Ottawa. Take away Buffalo's three losses to Ottawa - by a combined margin of 21-5 - and the Sabres have outscored opponents by 23 goals.

Prior to Philadelphia, the Sabres had averaged four goals a game in their previous six.

"We're really confident that the things we have done right are the reasons for our good success," said goalie Martin Biron, who has won a club-record 13 straight starts. "We also know a lot of good bounces and lucky bounces have gone our way to make that streak continue, but everybody in the locker room is confident they can contribute to this run. It's not relying on any one group of guys."

Over their past 15 victories, 10 Sabres have scored the winning goal.

More incredible yet, co-captain Daniel Briere has played in only six of those wins, while integral winger J.P. Dumont played in two. McKee claimed the Sabres have remained grounded despite their success. He has been amazed at the blue-collar atmosphere that permeates the Sabres' dressing room after a victory.

"We've had games we've won and come back to the room and guys aren't hooting and hollering," McKee said. "In Philadelphia we were (pumped) because it was an emotional win, but guys are going from that to right back to business.

"Guys are pretty humble about what we've done. Everything just seems to get put behind us after each win. We just look forward to the next one."

e-mail: tgraham@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051222/1054467.asp

[Romeo Delight]

Buffalo's streak is quite the accomplishment, especially considering Buffalo has a core of hardworking, but otherwise not possessing all-star quality personnel.

But I just can't get too excited over any streak, given the retarded scheduling system Bettman has implemented. Buffalo did have to play some tough teams in that stretch and so I am not discounting their efforts.

Until the schedule includes more games outside the conference, I am only looking at head to head results, rather than trying to discern who is playing the best from streaks.

Truly, it is unfortunate. It is nice to compare results from regular season from year to year to see how teams measure up both to other teams that year and in previous years.

First Bettman changed the names of the divisions from those who shaped and founded this great league to the geographical (yawn) context. Now he is diminishing the accomplishments of current teams due to his attempt to validate his BRUTAL choices in expansion.

Owners should have cut their losses with this guy, even though league is finally doing better after (finally) implementing the player's suggestions from the last 10 years.

Couldn't "open up" game without a salary cap, mind you...$$$$$$$

[Nickdfresh]

They were talking about this on the radio last night...

The split opinions are that BUFFALO could take it all based on their hardwork, great goaltending, and depth of goaltending (as of now, barring any trades) The goalies are sort of their "superstar players." I think a couple SABRES are on the brink of superstardom also...

DANIEL BRIERE is both a playmaker and scorer, a little on the smallish side in the "old NHL," his speed and skill are flourishing now, so talent isn't the problem, in fact, I think it's a great strength that BUFFALO's scoring is so dispersed throughout the line up, they come at you in waves. You can't pin down any one player. Briere's problem is that he's had an abdominal injury that has hamstrung him severely. And the SABRES keep on winning without him, but are clearly better with DANNY in the lineup. I think he'd be in the tops of the scoring if he was completely healthy and not game-to-game decision each night...He's also immensely popular in town since he's a nice, charismatic Francophone Canadian boy (shades of Gil PERRAULT) and a great family man...

But...

Tha argumant against them: as far as going all the way, that's a different story. This team reminds me of another BUFFALO team that was burning up the stats and standings about 15-years ago. I think the 89'-90' SABRES were one of the best regular season teams, until the playoffs, where they were knocked out in the first round by a wily, veteran MONTREAL Canadian team because they were all very young. That's the problem with this team, they have little playoff experience, but we'll see...

The SABRES need to plow through OTTAWA first (who've outscored thjem 16-4 so far and own them 3-0), but they have defeated some Western conference teams, they handled DALLAS at home recently, the real question is: Can they do it in a seven game series?"

[DrMaddVibe]

Having nicker00 as a fan is a kiss of Death!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Having nicker00 as a fan is a kiss of Death!

Your prescript run out ASSVIBE?

[DrMaddVibe]

Looks like I'm dead!!!!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Looks like I'm dead!!!!

Next time, send some of that shit this way....

[DrMaddVibe]

!!!!!!!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Looks like I'm braindead!!!!

[Nickdfresh]

Rumors a'flyin'....

RALPH WILSON is holding meetings with the BILLS' staff in his home HQ of Detroit, MI...

A.) ESPN reports that Tom DONAHOE was not invited, and that BILLS' Team President, and ex-Philadelphia EAGLES' GM Tom MODRAK was acting in his place...

B.) It has been stated that WILSON likes head coach Mike MULARKY and doesn't want to have to pay most or all of his remaining three years on a five year cuntract...

But, the meeting has become contentious over which of the the assistant coaches was to be let go and was to stay...And that Mularky may be on the block as well...

Oh yeah, MARV LEVY may return to a front office position...

[Romeo Delight]

Damn, Sabres are doing so well, no chance they are trading ANY goalie this year.

I think King Richard can still play.

One of the Best Stanley Cups in the last 20 years with Rangers

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
Damn, Sabres are doing so well, no chance they are trading ANY goalie this year.

I think King Richard can still play.

One of the Best Stanley Cups in the last 20 years with Rangers

The fantasy rumor is BIRON to VANCOUVER for JOVO-COP....

How's that one suit ya' DF?

[Nickdfresh]

Wilson takes command, keeps Mularkey as coach
By MARK GAUGHAN
News Sports Reporter
1/5/2006

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. took matters into his own hands Wednesday.

The Buffalo Bills' 87-year-old owner named himself president of his football team. He reshuffled his front office. And he took his case straight to the fans.

"I want to apologize to the fans of Buffalo, who are great fans," Wilson said. "We haven't done a very good job for them. . . . I haven't given them a very good product, and I apologize for that."

For the record, the fallout from the Bills' 5-11 season is this:

President and General Manager Tom Donahoe officially was fired.

Head coach Mike Mularkey found out he will return for a third season, albeit with changes to his coaching staff that are still to come.

Assistant General Manager Tom Modrak will have more power over picking players.

And Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy will be back as general manager, giving the Bills an octogenarian tandem atop the organization.

The hiring of Levy, 80, wasn't official Wednesday. But Levy's return is a done deal and is expected to be announced this week, league sources told The News.

Most of the moves were announced in a news conference that was vintage Wilson.

Wilson put himself front and center in a 25-minute address, shooting straight from the hip, as is his style.

"I just don't feel we've made enough progress in the last five years," Wilson said. "I take responsibility for this organization, and if there are any bullets to be fired, I want you to fire them at me."

There was no script, no sanitized corporate statement, as one might expect from the head of a company that's worth roughly $500 million.

It was hardly slick, but it was sincere. Wilson was part apologetic grandfather and part determined executive, with some rambling stand-up comedy thrown in.

"I started out the season and the doctor told me, "Wilson, you don't look so good.' I said, "What do you mean, Doc?' He said, "You look depressed.' I said, "What do you suggest?' He suggested that I take 20 milligrams of Prozac every day. And I'm up to 100 milligrams of Prozac now."

It wasn't clear how much truth there was to the story, but Wilson loves a good joke.

One thing is certain: The Bills' owner finds the state of his football team not the least bit funny.

Wilson has lived and died with the ups and downs of his franchise since he founded the club 46 years ago. In 2001 he stepped back and put full faith in Donahoe, the first man besides himself to hold the president's title.

As any Bills fan can attest, it went badly. So now Wilson has concluded he must take a more active role, and he needs someone he trusts completely to be at his side. Enter Levy, the man who led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls and who has been out of the game since 1997.

"I am going to be the president, and I'm going to be much more active than I have been in the last five years," Wilson promised.

Bills fans can only hope the new Bills' reshuffled team - Wilson, Levy, Modrak, Mularkey - can put an end to what has been six straight years of non-playoff football.

"I think for the fans' sake we've got to try - I'm not saying we're going to improve - but we've got to try to improve this franchise and give the fans of Buffalo and Western New York a better product."

e-mail: mgaughan@buffnews.com

WOOO-HOOOOOOO!!! We're gonna' have an 80-year old Marv LEVY as our GM! *sigh*:rolleyes:

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060105/1028910.asp

'Fresh start' leaves stale aftertaste

1/5/2006
By JERRY SULLIVAN

Around midafternoon Wednesday, Ralph Wilson walked into a packed media room at One Bills Drive and confirmed that Tom Donahoe was out as president and general manager. Wilson said he was making the change because the Bills needed "a fresh start."

Three hours later, the owner returned with Mike Mularkey and Tom Modrak at his side. More good news. Mularkey, smiling ear to ear, was still the Bills' head coach. Modrak was still assistant general manager, with an expanded role. Meanwhile, reports were swirling that Marv Levy, the Bills' erstwhile general manager, had landed in town.

This is what qualifies as a fresh start in Wilson's world. Order the head coach to fire a couple of assistant coaches and tell us what a great job he's done. Re-empower the veteran personnel guy who spent five years helping Donahoe run the team into the ground. And bring in an 80-year-old coaching legend to oversee the operation.

Wilson did the right thing getting rid of Donahoe. He admitted it was a mistake to give him control over football and administration. But a fresh start? It's a step backward for the football team. Making Levy the GM is a desperate attempt to borrow from the Bills' glorious past and curry favor with a disgruntled fan base.

Does Wilson really think fans are that gullible, that they'll rally behind a dysfunctional team because he sticks an artifact in his front office? This doesn't make a bad team better. It makes the Bills the joke of the league.

It's clear Wilson felt distanced from the football operation. He gave Donahoe unprecedented power, then felt he was out of the loop. He wanted a GM he could trust, a pipeline. So he turned to Levy, who was savvy enough to keep Wilson involved during his years as coach.

But that's a weak reason to hire a GM. Wilson needed a fresh set of outside eyes, a current personnel man who could tell him where his franchise had failed. He did it with Donahoe and got burned, but that doesn't justify handing the job to someone who has been out of the league for eight years. I don't buy the notion that Levy is significantly wired-in to today's league.

Of course, what self-respecting NFL personnel man would walk into the GM job, knowing he had to accept Mularkey as his coach? Asked if his new GM would have to keep Mularkey, Wilson answered with a flat "Yes." That was a clear sign that Levy was his guy, and all that remained was to iron out a deal.

Levy is desperate to get back in the NFL; he'll come cheap, just like Mularkey. A few weeks back, Levy said he wasn't interested in serving as a consultant, looking over people's shoulders. But as Bills GM, he'll be doing just that - looking over the shoulders of Mularkey and Modrak.

Modrak remains the key personnel guy, in charge of scouting and the draft. He's respected around the league. But then, so was Donahoe. Levy isn't coming here to serve as some organizational hood ornament. Modrak's fingerprints are all over this roster. Levy will be his boss, and he'll want a say in personnel. Levy has said for years that he wants to coach again. He's a coach. It's who he is. But Wilson denied that his new GM would be a threat to the head coach.

Fine. But if we're supposed to take Levy seriously as a GM, we have to take him seriously as Mularkey's boss. Levy might not take Mularkey's job, but he can take it away. Levy will have power. I'm sorry, that doesn't strike me as progress.

The Bills are adrift. Wilson believes Levy will steer the ship back on course. What he's really doing with these moves is losing more time. Legitimate GM candidates will go unexplored. A vast field of available head coaches will go untapped.

Wilson has gotten the benefit of the doubt on a lot of moves in recent years, but he can't blame Levy if this one blows up in his face. From here on, blame goes right where it belongs. With the owner.

e-mail: jsullivan@buffnews.com

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
The fantasy rumor is BIRON to VANCOUVER for JOVO-COP....

How's that one suit ya' DF?

Can't see trading ANY of our top 5 D for any reason.

Only way is trade we have been hearing about all year...Jovo and Cloutier for Luongo and Bowmeister

Still, can't see that either.

No way Buffalo trades either goalie now.

People are wanting our last pick Luc Bourdon, who is currently leading Cdn. juniors to Gold. Untouchable.

Trades will happen closer to deadline

[Nickdfresh]

Bad apples can spoil Bills' bunch

1/12/2006
By JERRY SULLIVAN

Column as I see 'em:

Ralph Wilson and Marv Levy are standing behind their coach, Mike Mularkey. They allowed Mularkey to gut his coaching staff, making it appear as if the assistants were the real problem. They are determined to make him a better coach and more effective communicator.

But if the Golden Boys want to show a real commitment to the coach, they ought to go after some players, too. They should get rid of the two prominent veterans who challenged Mularkey's authority in a big way this past season. They should show Eric Moulds and Sam Adams the door - and save the organization about $9 million on the cap while they're at it.

Moulds is on the books for $10.8 million next year, $7.1 million in salary. His skills are in decline. His average per catch has dropped seven straight years. He embarrassed Mularkey by taking himself out of the Miami game and involving Wilson in his suspension. Moulds' criticisms of the play-calling were warranted, but if Mularkey is the guy, Moulds has to go.

The same goes for Adams, who left the stadium after learning he had been deactivated for the Carolina game. Adams is due to make $3.9 million next season, $3.5 million in salary. He has challenged the coaches ever since coming to Buffalo.

After the Bickering Bills season of 1989, Bill Polian ran off some disruptive personalities to improve team chemistry. It was a turning point in the development of a Super Bowl team. Levy the general manager should do the same for his coach. Bruce Sutter made the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 13th year of eligibility. He was the only player chosen. Did Sutter make it because he was worthy, or because it was a weak field and the writers figured they had to vote for someone? That's no reason to put a player in the Hall. Either you're deserving or not.

...

My vote for the NFL's Most Valuable Player would have been Carolina's Steve Smith. Smith had 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 TDs on one of the league's most challenged offenses. The Panthers averaged just 3.4 yards a rush. Their next-leading receiver (DeShaun Foster) had 34 catches. Smith outgained the next-leading guy on his team by more than 1,000 yards! Ricky Proehl had 441 receiving yards.

It's hard to believe a wideout could have such an impact with such a weak supporting cast. No way Carolina is a playoff team without Smith.

---

Now that Minnesota has fired Mike Tice, Mularkey might be the lowest-paid head coach in the NFL. Tice was the bottom man at $1 million a season. Mularkey got a shade more than that in the second year of his five-year deal. As they say, you get what you pay for.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060112/1035622.asp

e-mail: jsullivan@buffnews.com

[ALinChainz]

Coach Mularkey submits resignation to Bills

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer


January 12, 2006

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Mike Mularkey submitted his resignation to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, a person familiar with discussions between the coach and the team told The Associated Press.

The Bills will formally announce the coach's resignation during a press conference scheduled for Friday morning. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not been made.

ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, first reported that Mularkey had reached a settlement with the team to cover the final three years of his contract. ESPN.com also reported that Mularkey's decision to leave the team was because of undisclosed family reasons.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator, who completed his second season with Buffalo, is married and has two boys.

Reached by The Associated Press, Mularkey declined to comment on the report, except to say: "Right now is not the best time to talk."

He added that he was aware of the press conference being scheduled and preferred that the news come then.

Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold declined comment.

Mularkey's departure is a major surprise after team owner Ralph Wilson announced last week that Mularkey would be retained. Wilson went out of his way to back Mularkey, holding a second press conference on Jan. 4, hours after he announced the firing of team president and general manager Tom Donahoe.

A day later, Wilson replaced Donahoe by luring Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy out of retirement to take over as GM. Thursday was Levy's first full day on the job.

Mularkey, however, was forced to dismiss five assistants, including offensive coordinator Tom Clements. He also faced the possibility of losing defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, who is a candidate for several open head coaching jobs.

Mularkey was 14-18 in two seasons with Buffalo.

He was partly faulted for Buffalo's 5-11 finish this season, as the team missed the playoffs for a sixth straight year to match its longest drought since the NFL merger.

The Bills failed to build off their 2004 season when they rallied from a 1-5 start to finish 9-7. They missed the playoffs with a season-ending collapse, losing 29-24 to Pittsburgh, a team that fielded mostly reserves after having already secured a postseason berth.

The Bills are now forced to find a new coach, their third in five years and fourth since Levy retired after the 1997 season.

The possible candidates include Gray, who completed his fifth season with Buffalo, recently fired New Orleans coach Jim Haslett, Detroit's interim coach Dick Jauron and Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

Gray, who's interviewed with Houston, would be considered a strong candidate should the Bills determine they want to maintain some continuity by hiring someone familiar with the team. Although the Bills defense struggled this season, finishing 29th in the NFL, the unit was slowed by injuries.

Gray told The AP he is unaware of Mularkey's resignation but would want to have a fair chance at being considered for the job.

"I've been here five years and I know the guys so I don't have to re-evaluate anything, we would just have to take off and run from there," Gray said. "You don't want to take steps backward, you want to take steps forward, and that's what Mr. Wilson has been doing."

Gray added he's been contacted by Lions president Matt Millen, but an interview has not yet been scheduled.

Haslett is a former linebacker who played for the Bills from 1979-85.

Jauron and Rivera, meanwhile, are familiar to Levy, who maintains a home in Chicago and has worked broadcasting Bears games. Jauron joined the Lions in 2004 after he was dismissed as the Bears head coach.

The Bills will have to catch up quickly because six other teams are also looking for coaches.




http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AlncQbklrMHoQF4Ou_Uz62U5nYcB?slug=ap-bills-mularkey3rdld-writethru&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Nickdfresh]

Stunning move actually. He had three-years left (at $1M a season?). I think he would have waited, and made them they fired him, like current San DIEGO def. coor. Wade PHILIPS did...

[POJO_Risin]

The next head coach for Buffalo...

Marv Levy...120 years old...

I remember listening to him on ESPN radio last year talking about how he wanted to coach one more time...

and he won't rule himself out...

fucker's 80...

I could see him rollin' for a year...

[POJO_Risin]

Bills moving forward after Mularkey quits as coach
Jan. 13, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Coach Mike Mularkey's abrupt resignation came as a shock to the Buffalo Bills. An even bigger surprise might be who refused to rule himself out as a candidate for the job -- Marv Levy.

A week after taking over as the Bills general manager, and despite owner Ralph Wilson insisting Levy wouldn't be considered to replace Mularkey, the 80-year-old Hall of Fame coach declined to say he wasn't interested.

"I really, sort of, don't even want to comment," Levy said Friday at a news conference. "I can't answer it because I want to talk the whole situation over. But we're going to address it swiftly."

Levy added that he didn't plan on being the coach when he accepted the GM job, but said the situation has changed with Mularkey's unexpected departure.

His comments, however, contradicted what Wilson stated minutes earlier after announcing Mularkey's resignation. Asked whether Levy, who was standing off to the side, would be a candidate, Wilson said: "Absolutely not."

Wilson had a chance to restate his position after listening to Levy, but declined to do so.


Marv Levy, who led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls, is the team's new general manager. (AP)
What might seem curious to those hearing Levy contradict his boss is becoming par for the course for an operation that can't get its story straight since Wilson fired president/general manager Tom Donahoe last week.

Upon luring Levy out of retirement, Wilson and Levy couldn't agree on a title before eventually settling on general manager/football operations.

Now comes Mularkey's resignation, which came eight days after Wilson said Mularkey would return.

Something changed, Wilson said, when Mularkey first approached him Wednesday to inform the owner of his intention to resign.

The two met again Thursday when Wilson accepted Mularkey's resignation.

"Of course I was completely surprised by his statement. He seemed very firm about it," Wilson said. "It's an abrupt setback. But we're going to move forward."

Wilson said Mularkey expressed concern about Bills fans who criticized him last year.

[POJO_Risin]

Bills moving forward after Mularkey quits as coach

And despite Wilson's assurances, Mularkey's future beyond next season remained in doubt. Mularkey dismissed five assistants last week and his uncertain status made it difficult for the coach to hire experienced replacements.

Mularkey was 14-18 in two seasons and had three years left on his contract. The move leaves the Bills searching for their third coach in five years.

Not known is why Mularkey didn't raise his concerns after he met with Wilson twice last week.

"I did not reach this decision lightly," Mularkey said in a statement released by the Bills. "But after much thought, I have concluded that for my own personal reasons and in the best interests of my family, on balance, outweigh any future benefits that may accrue to me by continuing in this position."

Mularkey did not return a message left by the Associated Press.

Wilson and Levy declined to list any potential candidates or provide details as to the type of coach they're seeking.

Among the early front-runners -- besides, perhaps, Levy -- are Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, who completed his fifth season with Buffalo; recently fired New Orleans coach Jim Haslett; Dick Jauron, Detroit's interim coach; and Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

Haslett has ties to the Bills, a former linebacker who played for the team from 1979-85.

Reached by telephone Friday, Haslett said he's interested but has not yet been contacted.

"Obviously, I have great interest in the job, there's lot of good things about it," Haslett said. "I know the organization, I know Mr. Wilson. And it's a great place to live."

Mularkey's resignation, while unusual, is not unprecedented. Bobby Ross abruptly walked out as the Detroit Lions' coach midway through the 2000 season. Former Bills coach Lou Saban twice quit on the team in the 1960s and early 1970s.

A former NFL tight end, Mularkey was a first-time head coach who joined Buffalo after serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator. In his first season, the Bills rebounded from a 1-5 start to finish 9-7.

[Warham]

Ralph Wilson Stadium will be renamed Geriatric Park next year.

[POJO_Risin]

Maybe the Bills will sign Jerry Rice...

[Warham]

He's too busy on Dancing With the Stars.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
The next head coach for Buffalo...

Marv Levy...120 years old...

I remember listening to him on ESPN radio last year talking about how he wanted to coach one more time...

and he won't rule himself out...

fucker's 80...

I could see him rollin' for a year...

He's out of his mind, and a lot of people are pretty pissed here, myself included.

I swear to god, and I'm not making this up, I had a dream this morning that LEVY was on the sidelines of a BILLS game.

The dude's 80! He was basically forced to resign the first time around because the team was losing it's best "no-huddle" guys. So he's the answer??

But I really don't think they'll let him coach, in fact, I think WILSON brought him back as community relations and to deflect criticism that he's a big cheapskate (which is one of the reasons BILL POLIAN left) and has been all along. I think, but can't be sure yet, that TOM MODRAK is the real power behind the BILLS Front-office. But LEVY is sort of a 'grand old man' of a human shield... A nostalgic trip down (selective) memory lane. People forget that LEVY was overrated in many ways, and fucked up at least two Superbowls we could have won. He largely let the players and assistants run the team. Well, he had some great players, and lackluster assistants...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Maybe the Bills will sign Jerry Rice...

Maybe Terry BRADSHAW is the answer at quarterback?:D

Fuck, maybe they'll dig up RED GRANGE...

[Warham]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Maybe Terry BRADSHAW is the answer at quarterback?:D

Fuck, maybe they'll dig up RED GRANGE...

Bradshaw's too busy asking Deion Sanders which three people in history he'd like to have over for dinner (Redd Foxx, Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor), and whether he prefers extra crispy or original KFC. ;)

[POJO_Risin]

Is Bradshaw at this stage of the game...

really that much worse than Losman and Holcomb?

[Nickdfresh]

"Wilson said Mularkey expressed concern about Bills fans who criticized him last year."

Well boo-hoo MIKE. Maybe if you didn't have some special fucking trick play every game that you could call at the most inappropriate possible moment, and actually handed the ball off to get an actual running game going? And gee, if you didn't play rotating QB because your damn veterans think they can make the Superbowl with KELLY HOLCOMB, potentially endangering any chance that J.P. LOSMAN might actually develop into a starting-NFL QB?

"This really takes the sails out of your wind." --Mike Mularkey...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Is Bradshaw at this stage of the game...

really that much worse than Losman and Holcomb?

LMAO:D Probably not much worse. There's a sliver of hope with LOSMAN, but I'm losing patience. Maybe if DONAHOE actually tried to get a real O-line together that didn't feature Mike WILLIAMS, fast becoming the largest bust in franchise history, I'd be a little more optimistic...

[POJO_Risin]

I agree...any coach that bitches about the fucking fans...

needs to be nursemaiding babies in the faggot wing of the hospital...

and when are teams going to realize that the anchor of any good team...is the offensive line...and consistency...

look at every good team...

ever...

[POJO_Risin]

I don't know what to think of Losman...he shows flashes of moxie...

we'll see for sure next year...

reminds me a bit of Plummer...

[Nickdfresh]

That's what I think. But he forces it too much and "locks-on" to one or two receivers, but God knows this staff was not giving him much help.

I mean, when the head coach takes away the play-calling duties from the O-coordinator (Tom Clements), and fucks it up even worse, what can you say?

He needs a good year at least before any epitaph is written.

In Mularkey's defense, the fans here can be tough, and it's a small town with big football. Not unlike Green Bay or something. But he came across (much like the guy before him, Greg WILLIAMS) to be a bit thick when at the podium, and he did lose the team. I think the article I read in the Buffalo News stated that he was afraid also that he was being set up on a third-year probation, and that he wouldn't get good assistants and free-agents as a result...

[POJO_Risin]

You know Nick...your description of Mularkey in front of the Mic is a lot like how Browns fans described Belichick his first go around...

not comparing Mularkey to Belichick by any stretch....lmfao...

That being said...they need a good young mind in there...that actually has coaching experience...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
You know Nick...your description of Mularkey in front of the Mic is a lot like how Browns fans described Belichick his first go around...

not comparing Mularkey to Belichick by any stretch....lmfao...

That being said...they need a good young mind in there...that actually has coaching experience...

There's some truth to that, but some of Mularkey's problems here stem from his ties to DONAHOE, and the "Pittsburgh" crony label and the fact that GREG WILLIAMS was a complete, pompous flop...

And he committed a sin that was unforgivable here. BUFFALO once had a coach named HANK BULLOUGH that routinely mangled all language while on the podium, and is known to be the dumbest guy ever to coach an NFL team. Mularkey's quote I posted above, which was replayed here on local sports-talk radio nearly everyday, didn't help his case much.

[POJO_Risin]

Oh...I'm not siding with Mularkey by any stretch...

I'm just saying...you can't judge a book by it's cover...

Mularkey is an excellent offensive coach...who will find another job in a couple of years...

my bet...is that Whisenhunt gets a job somewhere...and Mularkey lands back in Pittsburgh...

like I said...Levy would do good in finding a young guy with previous head coaching experience...

I'd actually be banging on Mariucci's door...although I doubt very much he'll coach in another administrative clusterfuck like in Detroit....

[Nickdfresh]

That's the rap here, we need a coach that's been around. But part of the problem goes back to RALPH WILSON, he's always tried to do it in the cheap...

The guy tried suing WADE PHILIPS, to try to get his get his money back, after he fired him because he had a year or two left on his contract...

BILL POLIAN also had a lot of problems with WILSON money wise (low-balling player contract offers, and not paying him what he was worth)...

[POJO_Risin]

Maybe they should hire Levy...

I've always said that you need to hire the best...and pay the best...because coaches salaries don't fall under the cap...a good coach will save you money by coaching better...

but you'll see the Bills get another coordinator...

Hell...if they were smart...they'd call the guy in Louisville...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Maybe they should hire Levy...

I've always said that you need to hire the best...and pay the best...because coaches salaries don't fall under the cap...a good coach will save you money by coaching better...

but you'll see the Bills get another coordinator...

Hell...if they were smart...they'd call the guy in Louisville...

Honestly, I'd love to see ex-VIKES/JETS/BILLS' def. coor. TED COTTRAL get a shot. There's a guy that's been overlooked by this league...

First he was too black, now he's too old. LOL

[POJO_Risin]

yeah...but compared to fucking Levy...he's a fucking kid...

[POJO_Risin]

Christ...compared to Levy...he's ALIVE...

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
yeah...but compared to fucking Levy...he's a fucking kid...

Oh I know. In fact I think his age is not an issue at all (after 70, then we're worrying about that).

I just mean that team GM's are the same as any HR-dolts that all want a 40-something guy that looks exactly like a suave PETE CARROLL. I mean, didn't ROMEO CRENNEL, or the other Pat's coordinator, get his stomach stapled so he could get a job by looking thinner?

[TLR]

At the risk of being coined "stalker" by posting in this thread, here's a story on the Sabres I just found on espn.com:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2290162

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by TLR
At the risk of being coined "stalker" by posting in this thread, here's a story on the Sabres I just found on espn.com:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2290162

Posting in threads doesn't make you a stalker...

Especially good articles...

Yes, the SABRES are a nice little success story (for any sport and any team) that show a good team shouldn't have to break the bank if they draft very well and get a good coach.

Unfortunately, they have more injuries that a US Marine Company in RAMADI at this point...

And they're not sneaking up on people anymore...

[POJO_Risin]

Similar to the Canes...

they aren't still sneaking up on anyone...healthy...

and still winning...

yeah...Charlie Weis had his stomach stapled...Crennell is still a fat ass...

but Weis did it so that he didn't die...not to get a job...although being alive certainly helps you getting a job...

[Nickdfresh]

This is true. Being alive improves one's employment prospects...


Why Mularkey walked away from his remaining three-years...

Bills Insider (http://www.billsinsider.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=7784&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0) Chris Barili

As if Marv Levy's new job wasn't hard enough already, Head Coach Mike Mularkey decided Wednesday night to inform Ralph Wilson of his resignation. So now the Bills are tossed into the head coach hunt a couple of weeks behind the rest of the coach-less teams.

So while Marv fishes around for a new leader, fans are left wondering what the hell just happened. Did their head coach resign for personal reasons, or is he just a quitter.

We'll probably never know for sure, but here's how I see it.

First, if the reports of his wife and children are being harassed around Buffalo are true, shame on the fans that did that. His family should have been treated no differently than anyone else in the Buffalo community, and anyone who dished out verbal abuse to them should go root for the Raiders or the Eagles or some other team whose fans are known for being uncivil. Real Bills fans don't want that kind of rubbish around.

That said, there were much better ways of dealing with that kind of thing than quitting. Many head coaches live away from their team's hometown for just such a reason, and Mularkey probably could have done the same. School bullies can be dealt with, and harassment can be handled as well. While I understand Moo's concern for his family, I fear that the lesson he just taught his kids is that when the going gets tough, run away. Quit. Take the easy road. Don't face your problems. Did Andy Reid run away under fire in Philly? How about Jim Haslett in New Orleans? Nope. They rode it out until someone else told them their services were no longer wanted.

But I suspect Mularkey's reasons for quitting went far deeper than concern for his family. Mr. Wilson mentioned over and over again the "detractors" around Buffalo, the negativity from the fans and media. If that really factored into Mularkey's decision, then I'm afraid head coaching just isn't for him. Hell, any public life probably isn't for him. Imagine if he'd been in New York City, Philly, or Chicago--he'd have been reduced to tears in his first press conference. Marv Levy said it best today, when he said that there would always be criticism when a team is losing. You silence that by "getting back on track." By winning. Not by running away.

Finally, numerous news outlets are reporting that Mularkey didn't like the direction the team is headed, and didn't want to compromise his character. Couple that with the fact that he went to Wilson instead of new GM Levy, and that it all follows the dismissal of his good friend Tom Donahoe, and it looks to me like Mularkey has a problem with the way the GM situation was handled. If that were the case, he should have followed TD out the same day, rather than waiting until the team was behind the power curve looking for a replacement.

So if you ask me, Mularkey's decision was based on three things.

1. His family was taking crap--unacceptable, but quitting is not how you deal with that.

2. He got tired of the fans and media wanting a winning team--something a real head coach ought to be able to handle.

3. He didn't like the way his friend Tom Donahoe was fired--sounds like a personal problem to me. If your loyalty is with Donahoe more than the team, you're not needed here anyway.

So in my opinion, Mike Mularkey quit. He didn't resign, but he took the easy way. The going got tough and he whimped out. Granted, we don't have all the information. But you know, he can change that too. He could make more than a minimal statement himself, saying why. He could come out and tell the fans what his reasons are in something other than the vague, ethereal crap-talk he gave in his short letter.

He won't, though. Just like he did with his resignation, and just like the team he led did so many times this season, he gave up. It was easier to walk away, blaming the fans and the media like his buddy TD did than face the truth like a man and confront the issues head-on.

So good riddance Moo; I was one of your supporters. I thought giving you a second chance was a good idea. Now I know I was wrong. This team needs a winner. Not a quitter.

Another Marv Levy quote says something about your actions speaking so loudly that no one can hear what you say. That applies particularly well in this case.

[Nickdfresh]

For anyone that cares, the BILLS confirmed interviews of Dick Jauron & Mike Sherman for this week. It's assumed they will talk to HASLETT...

[POJO_Risin]

Dick Jauron...to be next Bills coach...

Jauron in Buffalo to discuss final details of contract
Jan. 22, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Former Chicago Bears coach Dick Jauron was in Buffalo and preparing to become the Bills head coach on Sunday, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press.

Reached on his cell phone, Jauron told the AP that he was in town but declined to comment, referring questions to the team.

A person with direct knowledge of the decision told the AP that Jauron arrived to finish up some details on his contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made.

A message left with Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold was not immediately returned.

Jauron went 35-46 in five seasons with the Bears and was the NFL coach of the year in 2001, following a 13-3 finish.


Dick Jauron won the coach of the year in 2001, but was 1-4 as interim coach with Detroit. (Getty Images)
Jauron spent the past two years as the Lions defensive coordinator and finished last season as the team's interim coach after Steve Mariucci was fired in late November.

Jauron also was an assistant coach with Jacksonville and Green Bay.

When he accepts the job, Jauron will take over a Bills team that underachieved in going 5-11 last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year -- the Bills' longest drought since the NFL merger.

He replaces Mike Mularkey, who abruptly resigned on Jan. 13, a week after Bills owner Ralph Wilson announced his coach would be back for next season.

Jauron will become the Bills' fourth head coach since current GM and Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy retired following the 1997 season.

Levy is back with the Bills, replacing team president and general manager Tom Donahoe, who was fired earlier this month.

Wilson and Levy interviewed five other candidates for the job in a weeklong search that focused mostly on those with previous head coaching experience. Among those also interviewed were former Green Bay coach Mike Sherman and former Houston coach Dom Capers.

Jauron and Sherman were considered the front-runners throughout the process.

[Nickdfresh]

Ugly man, very ugly. I was hoping for SHERMAN...

[Romeo Delight]

Tim Connoly was hurt when noted cheap-shot artist Kasparitis hit him with a hip-check that went awry.

Now I don't like Kasparitis. He has tried to hurt people in the past. But this time the hit was clean, although the end result was unfortunate.

Dude should have answered the bell to Sabres who tried to exact some revenge with hard hits eyt. Instead he flopped around the ice like he was trying out for Skating With the Stars.

Ruff was out of line calling the hit dirty. If anything you could question the hip check as being inherently risky, given that it is hard to be accurate trying to line a player up when you are skating laterally while a player is moving up the ice.

I think the league has let the game get pussified enough, so the hip check should stay.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
Tim Connoly was hurt when noted cheap-shot artist Kasparitis hit him with a hip-check that went awry.

Now I don't like Kasparitis. He has tried to hurt people in the past. But this time the hit was clean, although the end result was unfortunate.

Dude should have answered the bell to Sabres who tried to exact some revenge with hard hits eyt. Instead he flopped around the ice like he was trying out for Skating With the Stars.

Ruff was out of line calling the hit dirty. If anything you could question the hip check as being inherently risky, given that it is hard to be accurate trying to line a player up when you are skating laterally while a player is moving up the ice.

I think the league has let the game get pussified enough, so the hip check should stay.

I agree it's a clean hit. I love a good hip check, and according to this poll (http://www.sabres.com/index.cfm), most fans here agree. But that being said, KASPARITIS (with his long history) better watch his back if the SABRES and Rangers meet in the first round of the playoffs...

I think RUFF, and the fans, are just frustrated, because every time we turn the corner and get some injured guys back (DUMONT returned from a sports-abdominal hernia early), somebody gets blown apart for four to six weeks...

Connolly's injury means that the top three scorers on the BUFFALO SABRES have been injured for a significant amount of time this season, (including DANIEL BRIERE, their best player). This in addition to integral role players like PYATT, Ryan MILLER, and Adam MAIR...

This team has really fought through some serious injury problems this season, which makes their record even more of an accomplishment...

[Nickdfresh]

FLYER's goalie Robert Esche on the Buffalo SABRES:



http://cbs.sportsline.com/nhl/gamecenter/recap/NHL_20060202_PHI@BUF

Esche made 33 saves in the loss, the Flyers' third in the last four games. Esche was making his fourth start since returning from a groin injury.

"With a talented team like they are, they make you move so much," he said. "Those forwards on that team are very underrated. I think they are some of the best in the game right now."

[Romeo Delight]

With so many Sabres and Canucks injured, it should be noted that The Nucks Manitoba Moose beat the Sabres farm team, Rochester in the playoffs last year.

Our grinders are better than your grinders:cool:

[Nickdfresh]

Funny thing is though, the SABRES have found some guys that would never have gotten the chance they have if it weren't for those injuries. JASON POMINVILLE (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060202/1022280.asp) has been a absolute shock, he's a goal scorer that was waived last year...

And TIM CONNOLLY has reached potential and grown into a second line play-making centerman...

I hoping, and this is true for VANCOUVER as well, that the injury luck of the draw will change down the stretch, and teams like OTTAWA will start to have their luck run out...

[Romeo Delight]

I think that any Stanley Cup run, due to its marathon-like nature, necessitates a certain relentless element that the younger, fringe player may bring.

How can a vet give a half-assed shift when some rookie is fighting Iginla and scoring goals! Every Cup run has the eventual winner with a hot goalie, but more importantly a team dedicated to helping him look good through hard work.

Buffalo is a shining example.

[Dave's PA Rental]

Nick...

So the Bruins/Sabes game was on last night and I wasnt really paying attention to it at the beginning, but they sang the CANADIAN national anthem before the game.

What the fuck is up with that? Do they always do that?

[Nickdfresh]

Yup. It's a long standing tradition since Buffalo is a border-town and a major traffic area with the Peace Bridge and all. A river separates Buffalo from Ft. Erie, ONT. The SABRES have a significant Canadian fan base, and a lot of Hockey starved Torontonians that can't get LEAF tickets come down on bus packages. In fact, when the Sabres play the Maple Leafs, it's almost as loud in the bldg. when the Leafs score as when the Sabres score.

And DON CHERRY adopted BUFFALO has an honorary Canadian town...

[Dave's PA Rental]

How the flyin' Ethel Merman did I miss this fact? I go back to the depths of the Adams Division in the mid-late 80's...watching EVERY Bruins game on TV38, back when hockey was the greatest game around...how did I miss the fact that they sing O Canada? Please tell me that it;s only been for the last 10 years or so and I will feel better about myself...

[Nickdfresh]

Nope...

I think it's always been...

Maybe you ignored that fact as the Bruins owned the Sabres until 1993...

[Romeo Delight]

Hey Nickd!

Can Mika Noronen play?

Has Golden Awe seen him play?

I like the pickup for the Nucks.

[Nickdfresh]

NORONEN can play... He's a solid goalie that has skill. But he's been riding the pine here and was getting very unhappy about it, only because MILLER's a top-shelf goalie, and BIRON played his ass off when Miller went down. There was talk of wanting to trade BIRON and of keeping Noronen, thinking he'd be a better backup for Ryan MILLER. Mainly because Mika can play better in spot-duty than Marty, who needs two games just to warm up...

He's the only goalie ever to be the Hockey News' prospect of the year, twice...

[Nickdfresh]

Sabres keep on marching

There's panic in the state of New York ...

Oh, calm down Rangers fans, your team isn't out of it yet. But there's another New York team that isn't showing any kind of weakness heading into the home stretch: the Buffalo Sabres.

Lindy Ruff's crew is hotter than those suicide wings at Duff's (you locals know what we're talkin' about!) as the Sabres have won seven straight games and are in a tight battle for the Northeast Division lead (and important playoff positioning) with the Ottawa Senators.

We wish we could say that fortunes were the same for Vancouver and Tampa Bay ...

Read on, hockey fans, read on!

SABRES are number TWO on the ESPN NHL power rankings as of week 24

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/powerranking

[Romeo Delight]

Good for Buffalo.

Nucks need to put anyone but Morrison on that line.

They have no puck possession. Can't win an offensive face-off if their lives depended on it...especially Morrison.

I still have some faith but it isn't looking good

[Dave's PA Rental]

Dude, are you afraid you might jinx 'em?

Good for the Sabes...and mother FUCK the Bruins and their new douche-bag Adolf Hitler look-alike coach...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by Dave's PA Rental
Dude, are you afraid you might jinx 'em?

Good for the Sabes...and mother FUCK the Bruins and their new douche-bag Adolf Hitler look-alike coach...

Yeah bro, I watched some of that game until they took the 4-1 lead, and thought was in the bag...

Silly me....

[Dave's PA Rental]

I was reviving this thread regardless, because the Sabes are legit...

I think that Nick doesnt want to jinx them...

That game last night could have been a Bruins telecast from last year...they couldnt hold third period leads then either. And i'm pretty sure that the B's have NEVER won a shootout.

Sorry, this is a Buffalo sports thread isnt it...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Most definitely, the Sabres have "IT" this year....

I can't wait until the Sabres start playing the Pens, talk about some open ice hockey....

[Nickdfresh]

Well, congratulations to the winners of the President's Trophy, the 2006-2007 Buffalo Sabres compiling a 54-21-7 record with 115 pts...

But, does this mean we can't win the Cup?:confused:

[Romeo Delight]

I think Buffalo is one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NHL.

BUT...here is another situation where a big fucking asterisk needs to be put beside this President's Cup.

Look at the conference you play in. I guess the Northeast has Ottawa:rolleyes:

It just doesn't mean anything anymore, with this ridiculous schedule.

Look at the Canuck's division...Van, Minesota, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton.

In their conference is Detroit, Nashville, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas.

It would have been a complete joke if Detroit would have won the President's cup...with that weak division and the schedule...St. Louis, Columbus, Chicago.

What happened to the history...why is the divison called Northeast? So some casual American fans can make sense of it?

I'd like to see home run contests decide MLB games.

[Nickdfresh]

Sabres-Penguins in The Ralph a go
NBC will televise New Year’s Day Ice Bowl
By Tim Graham NEWS SPORTS REPORTER (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabresnhl/story/148324.html)
Updated: 08/25/07 6:25 AM

Over the past two seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have grown in importance so much their games have become about more than mere hockey. They’re community events.

On New Year’s Day, the party is going to get a whole lot bigger.

The much-talked-about outdoor game between the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins in Ralph Wilson Stadium finally is a go for 1 p.m. Jan. 1, multiple sources have told The Buffalo News. The game will be nationally televised by NBC.

Sources close to the Sabres claimed the Ice Bowl event was in jeopardy of being scrapped because financing construction and maintenance of an outdoor hockey rink was difficult, but a deal apparently came together this week.

The NHL is expected to make an official announcement Sept. 10 in Buffalo.

NHL spokesman Frank Brown on Friday would not confirm the game had been finalized.

“When and if we have something to announce we’ll make sure it’s announced loudly,” Brown said. The Sabres declined to comment.

Over the past 35 years, the average high temperature in Buffalo has been 38.3 degrees on New Year’s Day. In the past eight years, however, the temperature has reached 50 degrees three times, including a high of 52 this year.

But there are no guarantees when it comes to winter weather in Western New York. The high temperature was a bonenumbing 19 degrees in 1999.

Ralph Wilson Stadium seats 73,967 for football. Crowd capacity for a hockey game, with room for additional field seating, could be greater. It’s unknown if bleachers will be constructed to bring fans closer to the boards.

The Ice Bowl would be the first outdoor NHL game since the Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens in November 2003. Despite a minus-18 degree wind chill, 57,167 watched in Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

tgraham@buffnews.com

Well, this could be interesting!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Bumped....

[Nickdfresh]

Ha! Didn't know ya' bumped it. In any case:

Bruce Smith, Woodson highlight new Hall class

Updated: January 31, 2009, 7:43 PM EST
131 comments
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson and Derrick Thomas, all witnesses for the defense. All Pro Football Hall of Famers.

The three were elected on Saturday along with longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, who at age 90 will be the oldest person ever inducted; former Minnesota guard Randall McDaniel; and the late Bob Hayes, a standout wide receiver for Dallas and the 1964 Olympic 100 meters gold medalist.

Inductions will be Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.

The only candidate among the seven finalists who didn't get in was former Falcons and Eagles defensive end Claude Humphrey.

Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue was denied entry for the third straight year, not even making it past the first round of cuts.

Tagliabue, who retired in 2006 after 17 years in the job, has met strong resistance in his three years of eligibility despite the profitability and labor peace the league enjoyed during his tenure.

No such problem for Smith and Woodson in their first year on the ballot.

"I am overjoyed," said Smith, the career sacks leader who spent most of his career with the Bills.

"It's a great honor, a great feat," said Woodson, the former defensive back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, among other teams. "I'm still pinching myself a little bit, thinking it's surreal."

Canton's calling
Electee

Teams

Position
Bob Hayes

DAL, SF

WR
Randall McDaniel

MIN, TB

G
Bruce Smith

BUF, WAS

DE
Derrick Thomas

KC

LB
Ralph Wilson

BUF

Owner
Rod Woodson

PIT, SF, BAL, OAK

S/CB

The moist poignant moment, however, came when Hayes' sister, Lucille Hester, read from a thank-you letter Hayes left in case he made the hall. He died in 2002.

"It didn't matter how long it took. ... The day is here, and it is historic," she said.

A defensive end, Smith retired five years ago with 200 sacks and made two all-decade teams. Drafted No. 1 overall in 1985, Smith had the most seasons with double-digit sacks (13) and the most postseason sacks (14 1/2). He earned defensive player of the year honors in 1990 and 1996 with Buffalo and concluded his 19-season career with four seasons as a Redskin.

Smith previously said making the hall would be a bigger honor if two other Bills, Wilson and wide receiver Andre Reed, also got in the same year. He got half of his wish.

"What a phenomenal class, and especially with having Ralph Wilson, the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills, to be inducted in the '09 class as well," Smith said. "This is truly special."

Then his thoughts turned to his family.

"Just thinking about my father and all the sacrifices he and my mother made when I was a child growing up to be a man," Smith added, tearfully. "How he wanted me to have a life better than he had. I just wish he was here. He would be extremely proud of this day."

Wilson and the Titans' Bud Adams are the only original AFL members who still own their franchises. Their teams will meet in the Hall of Fame game the day after the inductions.

Wilson has steadfastly kept his team in a small market while other owners bolted for the bright lights and big bucks of mega stadiums. He drew the biggest ovation at the announcement and mentioned that he'd seen every hall enshrinee perform at some point.

"Pro football to me is not about making money. It's a matter of competition, the flow of the game," he said. "People in the community become attached to a team. It gives them a quality of life.

"I had a chance to move that team. I think it would be crazy to do that."

Woodson, the 1993 defensive player of the year, also made the 1990s all-decade team. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1999 and 2002 with Baltimore, and in kickoff returns (27.3-yard average) in 1989 with Pittsburgh. He played cornerback and safety for the Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and Raiders in a 17-season career, winning the NFL championship with Baltimore in the 2001 game and making Super Bowls with Pittsburgh and Oakland.

Woodson is the career leader in interception returns for touchdowns with 12.

"I don't think any of us started playing football because we wanted to be in the Hall of Fame," Woodson added. "I started playing football because my brothers played."

Thomas, who died nine years ago after an auto accident while still an active player, also was on the 1990s all-decade team and was the 1989 defensive rookie of the year. He is 11th in career sacks with 126 1/2.

A rushing outside linebacker who also had responsibilities in pass coverage for Kansas City, Thomas set an NFL mark with seven sacks in one game against Seattle on Nov. 11, 1990, a year in which he paced the NFL with 20 sacks.

"Derrick Thomas was the cornerstone of the modern era of the Kansas City Chiefs and one of the most feared performers of his era," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. "Every head coach and offensive coordinator who faced the Chiefs during the 1990s knew when they came to Arrowhead Stadium they had to account for Derrick Thomas."

McDaniel was that rare guard as effective in pass protection as run blocking and could handle even the best defensive linemen singlehandedly. He missed only two games in his 14-season career and was yet another member of the 1990s all-decade team.

"Randall was a beast," Smith said. "Once he locked on to you, you couldn't go anywhere."

Hayes was the most dangerous deep threat in pro football from 1965-75. Nicknamed "Bullet Bob," he twice he led the NFL in touchdown catches and in average yards per reception. He also was a brilliant kick returner.

The long wait for Hayes to get into the hall - he was a senior committee choice - had much to do with problems he had off the field.

Hayes served 10 months in a Texas prison after pleading guilty in 1979 to delivering narcotics to an undercover officer. That "destroyed my life" Hayes wrote in his autobiography, "Run, Bullet, Run: The Rise, Fall, and Recovery of Bob Hayes." The prison term ended at about the same time he first became eligible for the hall.

Tagliabue's day still has not arrived. Critics cited his inability to place a team back in Los Angeles after the Rams and Raiders left in 1995, and said the labor agreement he pushed through in 2006 was cast aside by the owners last year.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9157152/Bruce-Smith,-Woodson-highlight-new-Hall-class?MSNHPHMA

You non-Bills fans, what do you think of WR Andre Reed? He was up and wasn't inducted, but has some solid numbers...

[Nickdfresh]

Bills grab attention with T.O. signing
By Jerry Sullivan
NEWS SPORTS COLUMNIST

Updated: 03/07/09 9:55 PM

It would be easy, of course, to climb up on my soapbox and rip the Bills for this move.

Really, Terrell Owens? Are you kidding me? On Dick Jauron's football team? Terrell Owens, the NFL's most notorious diva, a man who has divided every locker room he's ever set foot in? Terrell Owens, who burns with jealousy over his tight end?

What happened to character, chemistry and camaraderie? Has Ralph Wilson finally gone off the deep end? Would Marv Levy want to be right here, right now? T.O. signing with the Bills is like Rush Limbaugh signing up with the ACLU. It just doesn't fit. It goes against everything the Bills claim to stand for.

You know what, though? I love it. Once I recovered from the initial shock, I realized it was the most interesting thing to happen to the Bills since they acquired Drew Bledsoe in 2002. All right, so that didn't turn out so well in the long run. And yes, this is a desperate move, a sure sign that Jauron, the embattled head coach, needs to win this year and will do anything necessary to get there.

But what the heck. At least they're willing to try something bold and daring. A lot of Bills fans have grown weary of following a team without a real pulse or personality, a team without any distinguishable star power, a franchise that hasn't shot for the moon very often since the Super Bowl years.

Well, no one can say that now. You can't accuse the Bills of being unwilling to sign big-name players, or take a chance on a player with a sketchy history. Owens might be the biggest name of them all right now, a fading superstar who still has the talent and charisma to dominate the American sports pages for days at a time.

It really was amazing after the Cowboys cut him this past week. It was T.O. talk, all the time. Hockey, basketball, spring training, even Alex Rodriguez ... nothing else mattered once Jerry Jones decided he could no longer coexist with Owens. Like a raging house fire, he commands your full attention.

Maybe it'll blow up in the Bills' faces and they'll be the laughingstock of the league. Oh, wait a minute. They already were the joke of the NFL. So what the heck. At least in the short term, signing T.O. makes the Bills relevant again.

For the first time in years, they're a team that makes a nation sit up and watch, a franchise that actually matters.

Why not give it a shot? What do they have to lose? Tranquility and calm in the locker room, among a bunch of nice guys who haven't won a damn thing?

Owens had become a distraction in Dallas. There's no question about that. But it's not as if he was the only problem (Wade Phillips, anyone?). The Cowboys haven't won, despite Jones' money and ambition. So it was a convenient time to make T.O. the villain, just in time for Jones to open his new gridiron palace out in Texas.

At least Owens hasn't been arrested for leaving the scene of an accident or carrying a concealed weapon. Marshawn Lynch should be dancing in his kitchen today. Suddenly, his off- field indiscretions are a mere footnote. By the time Buffalo stops talking about Owens, Lynch will probably be done serving his suspension.

And let's be honest, this makes the Bills better. I'm not sure how much better. Maybe Owens is the difference between 6-10 and 8-8. They still have a lot of holes, an inferior head coach and a much more demanding schedule. But T.O. gives them the viable second receiver they've been seeking, oh, since Peerless Price left Buffalo the first time.

Yes, T.O. is 35 years old, and he isn't the wide receiver he used to be. But he's a lot better than anything else they have. Owens had 69 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. That's better than anyone on the Bills last year. Let me elaborate on that: That's more yards and TD catches than Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, James Hardy and Steve Johnson combined last season. If that's the performance of a player in decline, the Bills should get more of them. What, you'd rather cross your fingers and hope Hardy figures out how to run a pass route between now and September?

It could get ugly, sure. One month into the season, the Bills might be 1-3 and Owens might start trashing Trent Edwards for not throwing him the ball enough and Turk Schonert for not getting him enough touches in the offense. There's a history. Just ask Donovan McNabb, or Jeff Garcia, or Tony Romo.

Then imagine this: Lee Evans split out left, Owens out to the right, Josh Reed in the slot. That's what you call an upgrade. They've been in the bottom quarter of the league in offense six years in a row. Maybe mixing in a Hall of Fame wideout will make them average or better. Last season, Edwards went into his first full season as the starter, and they didn't add a receiver of any consequence to help speed his development. It was an outrage, a huge miscalculation. Jauron said before the season they had no choice but to expect solid production from Hardy. They got virtually nothing. They need to find out if Edwards can be a star, and he needs the weapons to do it.

I didn't think they would pay elite money to a second wide receiver. Remember, that's why they let Price go six years ago. But they're only committing one year and $6.5 million to Owens. This doesn't break the bank. Wilson has the money. It gives them a year of cushion while waiting to find out if Hardy and Johnson are genuine NFL options.

Owens hasn't broken any laws. His major crime is one of ego. He has an insatiable need to be the center of attention and the focus of the offense. But in his first year with a new team (Philadelphia, Dallas), he has subjugated his ego to some extent to prove he could be part of a team.

That's likely to be a prime motivation for him now, to prove he can be a team guy on a young team that is learning how to win. Owens is determined to show he's still a difference-maker in the NFL. Jauron is desperate to prove he can be a winning coach. It's an odd marriage, born of necessity and desperation.

Chances are, it'll be a circus. But after nine dreary years, maybe that locker room could use a jolt of personality and life. All I know is it promises to be fun. I never thought I'd say this, but I can hardly wait for minicamp.

jsullivan@buffnews.com


Find this article at: The Buffalo News (http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns/jerrysullivan/story/600569.html)

[Romeo Delight]

Hey Nick...if the Sabres make the playoffs will there be tickets available?

We should go if so.

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

Good luck, It sounds good on paper, I know. Evans, Reed and T.O should help Edwards tremendously, but......

[Nickdfresh]

Hey Nick...if the Sabres make the playoffs will there be tickets available?

We should go if so.

The Sabres probably won't make the playoffs, and I doubt tix will be available if they do, but I can check...

[Top Jimmy]

I thought this was a thread about The Buffalo Bar in in Las Vegas,
a well-known hangout for gay guys..........:hitch:

you queers.

[Nickdfresh]

I thought this was a thread about The Buffalo Bar in in Las Vegas,
a well-known hangout for gay guys..........:hitch:

you queers.

What's it like inside?

[Top Jimmy]

that was the best ya could do,
when I gave you a softball like that?:biggrin:

[Nickdfresh]

that was the best ya could do,
when I gave you a softball like that?:biggrin:


This is sports talk, not gay-bar-tours-USA...

Get out of my thread, PowerBottom Jimmy!

[Nickdfresh]

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I didn't even know he was a Bills fan. :biggrin:

[Nickdfresh]

Are the Buffalo Bills thinking of returning to the No-Huddle, "hurry-up" offense? Without Jim Kelly? I dunno...

April 30, 2009 4:33 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-7-176/No-huddle-offense-makes-perfect-sense-for-Bills.html)

After several years of offensive tedium, the Buffalo Bills might actually be changing the way they operate.

A team source says the Bills are gearing up to run a no-huddle offense in 2009. It would maximize their skill players and perhaps neutralize any offensive-line deficiencies by wearing out defenders.

Sam Wyche, the coach who pioneered the up-tempo, three-receiver offense, thinks the Bills have assembled the components to support such a transformation.


Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
According to a source, Bills quarterback Trent Edwards will be operating the no-huddle offense this season.
"Buffalo's sitting pretty with all those guys," Wyche said from his home in South Carolina. "Believe me."

Wyche installed the entertaining no-huddle offense as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1980s. Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert learned the no-huddle as quarterback Boomer Esiason's backup. Schonert also was Wyche's quarterbacks coach when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran the no-huddle in the 1990s.

Bills fans became enamored with a no-huddle offense known as the K-Gun, which Jim Kelly so masterfully conducted during their Super Bowl years. A significant reason the Bills tried it was because Wyche's no-huddle Bengals beat them in the 1988 AFC title game.

The timing would be right for a reprise.

The Bills have dangerous receivers Terrell Owens, Lee Evans and Josh Reed, versatile running backs Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson and Dominic Rhodes and quarterback Trent Edwards, who they believe can make quick decisions at the line of scrimmage.

"The no-huddle lends itself to guys that are big-play guys," Wyche said, "because if you get a defense that's just a little fatigued, just a little off their first-step quickness, and you get the explosive guys, they can hit the home run.

"They have those quick-strike guys."

The Bills also signed a brainy center to make the line calls. Geoff Hangartner scored 47 out of 50 on his Wonderlic intelligence test before the 2005 draft. That's supposedly the record among offensive linemen.

The Bills declined to draft a potential replacement for Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, choosing instead to select guards Eric Wood and Andy Levitre.

Jim Ritcher, Buffalo's left guard on those K-Gun teams, noted the importance of mobility in a no-huddle offense.

"We were sort of smaller and could run better than some of the other lineman in the league that were much bigger than us," Ritcher said from his home in North Carolina.

Wyche said the no-huddle offense works on three levels.

"No. 1, you cut down the recovery time and the defense wears down," Wyche said. "No. 2, the defense has a real tough time getting substitutes in, and the offense gets natural mismatches. No. 3, defensive coordinators have a hard time sending in intricate blitzes because of the time it takes, and you never know when it's going to be a quick snap. So you simplify the defenses you're going to see."

Defenses usually can keep up for about a quarter before they begin to fatigue against a persistent no-huddle attack.

"Every 20 seconds we were getting off a play," Ritcher said. "It's not really difficult, but you have to be in good shape. Defense is so much tougher than offense anyways, when you're running all over the field like a defensive player has to do. It's much more tiring.

"Teams saw that they couldn't replace their defense or change their schemes. They stayed in their defense the whole series until there was a timeout or a penalty. We could just exploit whatever they were in with Jim Kelly and Frank Reich knowing what to do."

Wyche is familiar with much of the Bills' personnel. He was their quarterbacks coach under Mike Mularkey in 2004 and 2005. Wyche did not work with Edwards, who was drafted in 2007, but thinks highly of him.

"You always look for two things in quarterbacks: They've got to be smart, and they've got to be accurate," Wyche said. "If they're tall, that's a plus. If they can run, that's a plus. If they got a rifle arm, that's a plus. But if they're smart and accurate you can figure out a way to win."

Edwards, a Stanford graduate, completed 65.5 percent of his passes last year. That was the NFL's seventh-best efficiency rate.

One of the overlooked elements of a no-huddle offense is a sure-handed tight end. The Bills released the droptastic Robert Royal and drafted Shawn Nelson out of Southern Miss in the fourth round. Nelson is balanced, but known more for his catching ability than his blocking.

"Where the no-huddle is most effective is if you got a tight end that can step out a few yards and be a quick receiver and you've got a running back who can cheat out to the weak side and be a quick receiver out of the backfield," Wyche said.

"You don't have to substitute to get four wide receivers. You can get your third and fourth receiver from your tight end or your backs. That's when you really optimize your offense."

All three Buffalo backs can catch. Lynch had 47 receptions for 300 yards and a touchdown last year. Jackson had 37 catches for 317 yards. Rhodes caught 45 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns as a part-time starter for the Indianapolis Colts, the preeminent no-huddle team.

"It's not that hard, and the players get to really like it because they get more involved in the offense," Wyche said. "They get to feel like they're more in charge.

"In the no-huddle everything is lining up at a much faster tempo. You're not in a two-minute mode, but you're not in slow-mo either. The Bills' opponents can't practice that tempo."


Incidentally, Graham used to write for the Buffalo News, so he does have sources...

[Nickdfresh]

Bills fire offensive coordinator Schonert

Associated Press

Updated: September 4, 2009, 2:20 PM EDT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert has been fired after the offense's dismal performance in the preseason.

The move was announced by coach Dick Jauron on Friday, less than a day after the Bills (1-4) closed their preseason with a 17-6 loss to Detroit.

Quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt will take over as the Bills prepare to open the season at New England on Sept. 14.

Schonert was responsible for installing a no-huddle offense this year in a bid to keep defenses guessing and to take advantage of new receiver Terrell Owens. The plan has so far failed to work for a first-team offense that generated 279 yards, 15 first downs and 3 points in 15 series this preseason.

Overall, the Bills were outscored 75-12 in the first half and failed to score a touchdown in their final eight-plus quarters, including a 17-0 loss at Pittsburgh last weekend.

"It didn't seem like we were progressing," Jauron said, adding he consulted with team owner Ralph Wilson earlier in the day. Jauron said Wilson told him it was up to him. "It was a decision I needed to make and I did it."

Jauron said he began considering the move over the past day.

The offense's struggles were partly due to the absence of Owens, who missed the final four preseason games with a sprained toe. Another factor was the team's decision to completely retool its offensive line, which is projected to include two rookie starters at guard, first-round pick Eric Wood and second-rounder Andy Levitre.

Schonert was entering his second year as the team's coordinator after serving as Buffalo's quarterbacks coach. He was spotted leaving the Bills facility about 30 minutes before the team's official announcement.

Schonert becomes the third offensive coordinator fired this week, after Kansas City's Chan Gailey was fired on Monday and Tampa Bay's Jeff Jagodzinski was let go on Thursday. Schonert was regarded as a key supporter of quarterback Trent Edwards, as the two are Stanford alums.

Van Pelt is entering his fourth season with the team as coach and previously spent nine seasons playing for the Bills as a backup quarterback. He's familiar with Edwards and also familiar with the no-huddle scheme, having played behind Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly, who ran the no-huddle K-Gun attack.

The Bills now move on to their sixth offensive coordinator since the start of the 2001 season.

The decision to fire Schonert shouldn't have come as a surprise after the unit's struggles this preseason, and after Wilson expressed concern about the offense after last season when he elected to retain Jauron and his staff.

Wilson, at the time, said he shared "many of the fans' dissatisfaction with our offensive game management," and added he would not be complacent in seeking improvement.

The Bills offense finished 25th in total yards in the NFL last season, the sixth straight year the unit finished 25th or worse.

[chefcraig]

Wow, three offensive coordinators fired in a single week. The Chiefs, Buccaneers and now Buffalo. I question the thinking here. I mean a week before the season starts, you finally figure out that your OC is no good? Granted, better now than once the season is underway, but still you have to wonder why this wasn't hashed out in training camp or even earlier in the off-season.

[Nickdfresh]

What's really fascinating here is the fact that (rumor has it) Ralph Wilson wanted Turk gone because if his mismanagement of the Bills offense during the pre-season (no touchdowns by the first string running a semi-no-huddle popgun attack generaled by a skittish QB).

But Dick Jauron gets to keep his job after three seasons of 7-9...

[POJO_Risin]

Jauron keeps his job because there's some Marv Levy to him. He runs a tight ship...although I'm sure that will be tested some.

I think Jauron is crap as a coach...but Levy and Wilson both like him...so he stays.

This is his last chance though.

Thing is...if TO pays off...that team has a chance to be good. We shall see though. If they struggle...

Get ready to ride the TO train into the fiery depths of hell.

[Nickdfresh]

Jauron keeps his job because there's some Marv Levy to him. He runs a tight ship...although I'm sure that will be tested some.

I think Jauron is crap as a coach...but Levy and Wilson both like him...so he stays.

This is his last chance though.

Thing is...if TO pays off...that team has a chance to be good. We shall see though. If they struggle...

Get ready to ride the TO train into the fiery depths of hell.


That may be true. But he also works for less, which is also why he stays. Wilson and Levy, the geriatric corp, want to control everything and have yes-men at the helm.

The Bills don't even have a real GM, just some marketing guy with the title...

[chefcraig]

To tell you the truth Nick, I'll be watching a few more Bills games this year, in addition to the regular two meetings between your squad and the Dolphins. This new "no-huddle" offense should be an interesting experiment. I first saw it used during the Hall Of Fame game against Tennessee a few weeks ago, and it was quite effective.

[Nickdfresh]

To tell you the truth Nick, I'll be watching a few more Bills games this year, in addition to the regular two meetings between your squad and the Dolphins. This new "no-huddle" offense should be an interesting experiment. I first saw it used during the Hall Of Fame game against Tennessee a few weeks ago, and it was quite effective.

Yup! An interesting experiment in three-and-out, and a pretty solid defense spending record minutes on the field...

Don't get me wrong, I love the no-huddle, and various other outside-the-box football as 95&#37; of the league runs the same boring schemes. But the reason it worked before started with the line. Buffalo's line was monstrous in the 1990s with Will Wolford, Kent Hull, and House Ballard. That's where it started. Then you had Kelly who was fearless, one of the best all purpose backs ever (Thomas), a consistently very good receiving corp.

Right now, all the BILLS have is a really good receiving corp, an overrated running back that can't stay out of trouble, a patchwork line more known for getting shoved into their own QB than for run-blocking, and a quarterback that looks gun-shy and without any confidence. And the whole point of the no-huddle is to have the QB call the plays, not the ex-QB OC...

[POJO_Risin]

The line can be the best in the league...but if a QB doesn't know how to audible well...the no huddle is pointless.

Yes, the line is important for any team...but I just don't think Edwards is the guy you want running any sort of no huddle.

Kelly had called his own plays since college...and ran a no-huddle at times under Mouse Davis with the Houston Gamblers in the USFL. Davis created the run and shoot, and often allowed Kelly to no huddle to help created receiving mismatches.

Kelly was a better player...and had two years of practice with a faster paced philosophy.

[Nickdfresh]

Bills CB McKelvin's lawn vandalized after Pats loss
Associated Press
add this RSS email print
Updated: September 15, 2009, 7:56 PM EDT

HAMBURG, N.Y. (AP) - The front lawn of a home belonging to Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin was vandalized following Buffalo's season-opening loss to New England.

Leodis McKelvin didn't have too much to smile about after Monday night's game. (Jim Rogash / Getty Images)

Hamburg police on Tuesday confirmed the home of a Bills player was vandalized, but declined to release details of their investigation after an obscenity and the score of Monday night's game — a 25-24 loss to the Patriots — were painted in white on the player's lawn in suburban Buffalo.

McKelvin fumbled a kickoff return with under two minutes to play and the Bills leading 24-19. Three plays later, New England's Tom Brady hit Benjamin Watson for the go-ahead touchdown as the Patriots overcome an 11-point deficit in the final 2:O6.

Bills CB McKelvin's lawn vandalized after Pats loss - NFL News - FOX Sports on MSN (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/10076556/Bills-CB-McKelvin&#37;27s-lawn-vandalized-after-Pats-loss)

Not cool man. Not cool. Leave the man's home alone!

But WTF was he thinking not taking a knee? or at least hitting the deck the second he was touched? LOL

[POJO_Risin]

The Fucking Bills...seriously Nick...wanted to throw my 50" out the fucking window after that bullshit...

[Little Texan]

How in the hell did the Bills fuck that one up? 11 point lead with 3 minutes to go in the game and they choke! WTF? Of course, they choked in a similar fashion against my Cowboys a couple of years back, also on Monday Night Football. Regardless, the Patriots look very vulnerable this year and will lose a few games, even with Brady back in the fold. At least I'm hoping so.

[ODShowtime]

that was a big pile of dogshit Monday night. Thanks buffalo.

[Nickdfresh]

The Fucking Bills...seriously Nick...wanted to throw my 50" out the fucking window after that bullshit...

I wanted to go over and shit on his lawn!! But I guess the giant silver lining to that shitstorm of a cloud is that the offensive line looked WAAAAYYY better than anyone anticipated, Edwards looked good, the defense was solid, and Alex Van Pelt might be a real find as an offensive coordinator...

If, and I mean IF they can play like that most Sundays, the Bills could be dangerous - especially if Trent Edwards finds his pair and starts to make long throws to Lee and Terrell....

[ODShowtime]

I wanted to go over and shit on his lawn!! But I guess the giant silver lining to that shitstorm of a cloud is that the offensive line looked WAAAAYYY better than anyone anticipated


Well you guys still get them in Buffalo later. Maybe you can get them there.

[Nickdfresh]

Bills’ woes nobody’s fault but theirown(er)
COMMENTARY
Jerry Sullivan
October 11, 2009, 7:18 AM /

A few days before the season began, I asked Ralph Wilson to speculate on the future of his beleaguered coach, Dick Jauron. What if he starts off 0-5?

“I’ll hope he doesn’t go 0-6,” Wilson said with a laugh.

So here we are, one month into Jauron’s “must-win” season. The Bills nearly upset the Patriots; they beat a bad Tampa Bay team; they fell apart late against the Saints; and last week, they were annihilated in Miami in the most distressing loss of the dreary Jauron era.

Today, they host a winless Browns team in what some believe could be Jauron’s last stand. As the thinking goes, if the Bills can’t beat a wretched, winless team that

just traded away its best player, Wilson will come to his senses and fire Jauron.

I’m not so sure. What does Wilson need to find out about Jauron that he didn’t know in January? Is 1-4 any worse than 2-8, which is how the Bills finished last season?

I can’t pretend to predict Wilson’s moods. He turns 91 next Saturday. He does things his own way. Today, he will get his Hall of Fame ring in a halftime ceremony at the stadium bearing his name.

It will be an ambivalent day for Bills fans. Wilson’s induction to Canton was a celebration of 50 years of Bills football. But while fans are grateful to Wilson for the team’s continued existence in Buffalo, they hold the owner chiefly responsible for the Bills’ decade-long run of futility. Some are even rooting against the Bills,

hoping a loss might mean the end of Jauron. Wilson might be booed. The ring ceremony could turn ugly. It could push Wilson into firing his unpopular coach.

Still, I doubt it. The Bills brought back Jauron in the name of continuity. Firing him after five games would make the decision seem even more ill-advised.

It would have cost $9 million to fire Jauron after extending his contract (Wilson fought with Wade Phillips for one-tenth of that). The remaining $8 million or so would be a lot to swallow.

Wilson traded Jason Peters, because he didn’t want to pay top dollar. He cut Langston Walker, a $25 million mistake, to save money. He saved money by not bringing in a veteran linebacker and leaving Jauron without any experienced backups. Looks to me as if saving money was a bigger consideration than saving Jauron’s job.

You almost feel sorry for Jauron. He’s a career failure as a head coach. But how can you judge the guy on the team’s performance this year?

If Jauron was on the hot seat, why did management turn the burner up to high? It’s almost as if Russ Brandon and Co. created a trail of excuses, so Wilson wouldn’t have to fire Jauron this season.

Jauron is the perfect coach for this situation, a man who stands up in the worst of times and tells us all is well. His players work hard. He loves them, and they love him. They even sang him “Happy Birthday!”

The Bills have bought Jauron’s silence. To borrow a quote from one of Terrell Owens’ former advisers, Jauron has 9 million reasons not to complain about the hand he’s been dealt. Why make a fuss about inferior backups when you got the deal of a lifetime for losing eight out of 10?

The closest anyone has come to questioning management lately was Perry Fewell, the defensive coordinator. Fewell said last week’s effort against Miami was unacceptable. He showed his players 26 plays on film, and there was a mistake on every one.

“So I’m not going to stand there and say, ‘Well, that’s OK, fellas,’ ” Fewell said. “We’re not going to put the same guys on the field and do the same thing again. Bull crap. We’re going to get it right.”

They weren’t going to stand for it, no siree. Fewell took out middle linebacker Marcus Buggs, an undrafted free agent whose only previous NFL experience had been on special teams. He put in Ashlee Palmer, an undrafted rookie, and moved Kawika Mitchell to the middle.

Fewell gave his front four a pass, saying they were “decent” in Miami. They give up 472 yards rushing over two games, and they’re not really the problem.

Mitchell said it wasn’t as if they were getting run over. Really?How many times do we have to hear that Jauron’s brilliant schemes have been compromised by someone not “filling his gap?” Somebody make a tackle once in awhile. How about Aaron Maybin, the first-round pick, making a contribution?

Mitchell said, “A lot of people just have to take ownership.” Funny he should use the term “ownership.”

Chances are, the Bills will make it a happy occasion by beating Cleveland, giving Jauron another notch on his belt against bad teams. Beat the bad teams, lose to the good ones. That’s continuity.

Fire Jauron? It seems to me that things are going according to plan.

jsullivan@buffnews.com

Bills’ woes nobody’s fault but theirown(er) : Jerry Sullivan : The Buffalo News (http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns/jerrysullivan/story/824421.html)

[POJO_Risin]

Well...if the first half is any indication...

You'll have a new coach in no time...

What about Chucky?

[damngoodtimes]

the Browns are a true benchmark...

if you lose to them, you're shitty.

now, the Browns have two quarters left to fuck this up, so Bills fans shouldn't worry just yet.

[twonabomber]

one of the local writers said the Browns are a better team than the Raiders, and i'm thinking maybe but the Raiders managed to win a game this season.

[damngoodtimes]

Ok, Buffalo fans, you guys are officially shitty now!!

[chefcraig]

I thought you'd get a kick out of this one, Nick. :biggrin:


Bills fans rent billboard to advertise discontent

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer Oct 14, 8: 07 pm EDT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)—It didn’t take long for Ryan Abshagen to discover how many Buffalo Bills fans are unhappy with their team and want owner Ralph Wilson to make sweeping changes.

In a little more than a week, Abshagen, an unemployed 18-year-old from New Freedom, Pa., raised enough money—$1,402 and counting as of Wednesday— through an Internet campaign to rent a billboard and advertise a message of discontent for everyone in Buffalo to see.

“I honestly never thought it would ever be this big,” Abshagen said. “Fans are disgruntled. It’s out there. It’s big. People are going to hear about it.”

Starting early Monday and running for a week, the message will be flashed up to 3,000 times a day on a digital billboard overlooking Interstate 190 on the south side of the city, said Abshagen after signing a contract with an advertising company.

The display will feature a message that reads, “It’s time to clean house, RALPH,” referring to Wilson. Next to that will be a checklist of three names: Jauron; the team’s chief college scout Tom Modrak; and vice president of pro personnel John Guy.

The level of fan frustration in Buffalo has been evident since the Bills missed the playoffs for a ninth straight season with their third consecutive 7-9 finish a year ago. It’s reached a boiling point again with Buffalo at 1-4 and coming off an ugly 6-3 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.

Bills fans showed their displeasure by booing the team numerous times during a game in which the team’s offense failed to score a touchdown for the second time in three weeks. Some fans were spotted wearing paper bags on their heads, while one group stood up to display matching white T-shirts with letters on them that spelled: “FIRE DICK NOW!”

Jauron, in his fourth season, is on the hot seat for the team’s dreadful start. Modrak and Guy are being blamed for failing to build a competitive roster.

The Bills declined comment when asked about the billboard.

Jauron has declined to discuss his status, but has previously acknowledged the criticism.

Bills punter Brian Moorman(notes) rallied to Jauron’s support when informed of the billboard.

“It doesn’t discourage me because I know there’s a lot more people out there that wouldn’t do something like that. But it is a free country,” Moorman said. “The important thing is that inside these walls, (Jauron) has our support. We believe in him.”

Abshagen said he first proposed the billboard idea on a Bills fan message board following the team’s 38-10 loss at Miami on Oct. 4.

A few days later, he designed a web site and began seeking donations. Abshagen said the site attracted little attention until several media outlets mentioned the campaign in stories, particularly after the loss to the Browns.

“That was the one that tilted the scales,” he said. “That was embarrassing.”

The response was so overwhelming that Abshagen said he raised the necessary $1,125 to rent the billboard for a week by Tuesday night. He’s now begun a second campaign to raise another $1,125 to extend the rental for one more week or rent a second billboard.

Any leftover money, he said, will be donated to charity.

“We don’t hate anybody,” Abshagen said, when asked about how the message might be interpreted. “The donors and myself included, we don’t mean any harm or wish to insult anyone. We simply just want to get our voice out as fans.”

And he doesn’t think it’ll make any difference among fans should the Bills win on Sunday when they travel to play the New York Jets.

“I think the fans are fed up enough that it won’t even have an effect,” Abshagen said. “We are in too deep at this point.”

Bills fans rent billboard to advertise discontent - NFL - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-fanbillboard&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Also: http://www.twobillsdrive.com/

[Nickdfresh]

Well...if the first half is any indication...

You'll have a new coach in no time...

What about Chucky?

'Cept Ralph and the retards at "One Bills Drive" were actually fucking stupid enough to extend his contract last year for three more years at $3 million a pop, which means that Ralph is too cheap to even fire him. But who can blame the Bills for resigning a coach that lost almost all his games in the second half of the season?:talktothehand:

[Nickdfresh]

the Browns are a true benchmark...

if you lose to them, you're shitty.

now, the Browns have two quarters left to fuck this up, so Bills fans shouldn't worry just yet.

I figured out that the Bills were shitty when they: fired their O-coordinator two weeks before the season, completely gutted their offensive line by starting rookies have are by far the least experienced in games played in the NFL, have a PR-man masquerading as their GM, a stodgy owner too old to figure out where he is and too cheap to get a decent organization in here, extended a coach who looks like a lifeless cliche with all the passion of a Halloween dummy at the podium, and with some exceptions on their defense and special teams, seem to resemble a rudderless ship sailing in circles as an organization repeating the same mistakes over and over...

Oh yeah, I forgot Trent (AKA "Captain Checkdown") Edwards is our QB of the future...

[Nickdfresh]

I thought you'd get a kick out of this one, Nick. :biggrin:


Bills fans rent billboard to advertise discontent

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer Oct 14, 8: 07 pm EDT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)—It didn’t take long for Ryan Abshagen to discover how many Buffalo Bills fans are unhappy with their team and want owner Ralph Wilson to make sweeping changes.

In a little more than a week, Abshagen, an unemployed 18-year-old from New Freedom, Pa., raised enough money—$1,402 and counting as of Wednesday— through an Internet campaign to rent a billboard and advertise a message of discontent for everyone in Buffalo to see.

“I honestly never thought it would ever be this big,” Abshagen said. “Fans are disgruntled. It’s out there. It’s big. People are going to hear about it.”

Starting early Monday and running for a week, the message will be flashed up to 3,000 times a day on a digital billboard overlooking Interstate 190 on the south side of the city, said Abshagen after signing a contract with an advertising company.

The display will feature a message that reads, “It’s time to clean house, RALPH,” referring to Wilson. Next to that will be a checklist of three names: Jauron; the team’s chief college scout Tom Modrak; and vice president of pro personnel John Guy.

The level of fan frustration in Buffalo has been evident since the Bills missed the playoffs for a ninth straight season with their third consecutive 7-9 finish a year ago. It’s reached a boiling point again with Buffalo at 1-4 and coming off an ugly 6-3 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.

Bills fans showed their displeasure by booing the team numerous times during a game in which the team’s offense failed to score a touchdown for the second time in three weeks. Some fans were spotted wearing paper bags on their heads, while one group stood up to display matching white T-shirts with letters on them that spelled: “FIRE DICK NOW!”

Jauron, in his fourth season, is on the hot seat for the team’s dreadful start. Modrak and Guy are being blamed for failing to build a competitive roster.

The Bills declined comment when asked about the billboard.

Jauron has declined to discuss his status, but has previously acknowledged the criticism.

Bills punter Brian Moorman(notes) rallied to Jauron’s support when informed of the billboard.

“It doesn’t discourage me because I know there’s a lot more people out there that wouldn’t do something like that. But it is a free country,” Moorman said. “The important thing is that inside these walls, (Jauron) has our support. We believe in him.”

Abshagen said he first proposed the billboard idea on a Bills fan message board following the team’s 38-10 loss at Miami on Oct. 4.

A few days later, he designed a web site and began seeking donations. Abshagen said the site attracted little attention until several media outlets mentioned the campaign in stories, particularly after the loss to the Browns.

“That was the one that tilted the scales,” he said. “That was embarrassing.”

The response was so overwhelming that Abshagen said he raised the necessary $1,125 to rent the billboard for a week by Tuesday night. He’s now begun a second campaign to raise another $1,125 to extend the rental for one more week or rent a second billboard.

Any leftover money, he said, will be donated to charity.

“We don’t hate anybody,” Abshagen said, when asked about how the message might be interpreted. “The donors and myself included, we don’t mean any harm or wish to insult anyone. We simply just want to get our voice out as fans.”

And he doesn’t think it’ll make any difference among fans should the Bills win on Sunday when they travel to play the New York Jets.

“I think the fans are fed up enough that it won’t even have an effect,” Abshagen said. “We are in too deep at this point.”

Bills fans rent billboard to advertise discontent - NFL - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-fanbillboard&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Also: Buffalo Bills News and Discussion (Two Bills Drive) (http://www.twobillsdrive.com/)

Yeah, this is all over the talk radio today. I'm not really that happy about it and just makes everyone look bad. I do think Jauron is about out of here though...

[Nickdfresh]

Buffalo Bills Coach Search: Pursuing Bill Cowher, Leslie Frazier
Aaron Saykin
1/6/2010 2:37:08 PM

A source tells 2 On Your Side's Adam Benigni that the Buffalo Bills continue to pursue former Steelers Coach Bill Cowher to become the team's next head coach.

BUFFALO, NY - A source tells 2 On Your Side's Adam Benigni that the Buffalo Bills continue to pursue former Steelers Coach Bill Cowher to become the team's next head coach.

The revelation comes after reports that team management quietly met with Cowher last week. In recent days, speculation has grown that the Bills could potentially lure Cowher to Buffalo if owner Ralph Wilson makes Cowher a massive offer.

NFL.com writer Vic Carucci said, while it remains unlikely Cowher will land in Buffalo, it will not be for lack of effort by the Bills.

"I do know that the Bills have not let up in their pursuit and have tried very hard - and are trying very hard - to convince him to come to the Bills," Carucci said. "But based on everything I'm hearing, it's not necessarily [that] he sees [this] as something he wants to do."

Several published reports indicate Cowher may be interested in coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, if the job opens up.

If the Bills do not land Cowher, they may have to turn to a less experienced coordinator candidate. A source also tells 2 On Your Side's Adam Benigni that the Buffalo Bills are in the process of setting up an interview with Leslie Frazier about the team's head coaching vacancy.

Frazier is the Minnesota Vikings Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator.

The Bills need to be granted permission by the Vikings before speaking with Frazier.

The source did not know how soon the interview would happen, but said it could be as early as Thursday.

"He is imminently qualified for the job," Carucci said of Frazier. "He has really earned his way through the league as an assistant coach, and he is one of the most highly-respected coordinators in the league."

While respected around the league, Frazier does not exactly fit the coaching profile laid out by Bills General Manager Buddy Nix, who said he is looking for a coach with head coaching experience. Frazier has no such experience in the NFL. The team is also believed to be searching for an offensive-minded coach.

Channel 2 Sports Director Ed Kilgore reported that former Ravens Coach Brian Billick appears to be very interested in the job, although it is unclear if the Bills are showing mutual interest.

Several published reports indicate the Bills may also interview Jets Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Chargers Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera, and Cardinals Offensive Line Coach Russ Grimm.

Former Chargers Coach Marty Schottenheimer recently said that it is unlikely he would coach the Bills; however, he previously had ruled out a return to coaching altogether.

wgrz.com | Buffalo, NY | Buffalo Bills Coach Search: Pursuing Bill Cowher, Leslie Frazier (http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=73324&provider=gnews)

[Sensible Shoes]

Benigni = jerk

[PETE'S BROTHER]

the bills are movin' to l.a.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

There's a company that plans to build a stadium outside of L.A., and that company also has plans to steal a couple of NFL teams from other cities. Their intended targets of thievery: the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. From the AP:

Majestic Realty Co. managing partner John Semcken said the company is still considering at least seven franchises for a new stadium some 25 miles east of Los Angeles.

They also include the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.

But he said the Jaguars and the Bills are at the top of the list because they play in small markets that tamp down their earning potential and because they have little hope of building larger venues in their home regions

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Los Angeles announces intentions to poach the Jaguars or Bills - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Los-Angeles-announces-intentions-to-poach-the-Ja?urn=nfl,212070)

[Sensible Shoes]

If they poach the Bills, Buffalo (the city) might as well pack up and shut the doors

[Nickdfresh]

the bills are movin' to l.a.

Um, not quite yet. They're more likely to go to Toronto, ONT than L.A. And how many teams would that be that L.A. has by now?

In any case, I'd say the Jags are far more of a likely short term target as the fans there hardly notice them anymore...

[Nickdfresh]

There's a company that plans to build a stadium outside of L.A., and that company also has plans to steal a couple of NFL teams from other cities. Their intended targets of thievery: the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. From the AP:

Majestic Realty Co. managing partner John Semcken said the company is still considering at least seven franchises for a new stadium some 25 miles east of Los Angeles.

They also include the San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.

But he said the Jaguars and the Bills are at the top of the list because they play in small markets that tamp down their earning potential and because they have little hope of building larger venues in their home regions

The Bills don't need a "larger venue." They've one of the higher capacity stadiums in the NFL (around 73,000 IIRC). They will need a newer stadium eventually, but that's years down the road possibly along a revitalized Waterfront...

And I just don't think LA is really an NFL city, too much to do or something? Or maybe the proximity of three other NFL franchises make people not care as much...

You left out this part:

There's no reason to panic yet, though, as we're a long way from anything like that happening. A lot of people have wanted to put a team in L.A., and every single one of them has failed to get their act together. When it comes to landing an NFL team, L.A., for about fifteen years now, has been all talk.

Yeah, let's get excited about bringing a franchise to a city that could give a fuck...

I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet, Bills and Jags fans. Of course, it probably wouldn't hurt to start, you know, filling your stadium, either.

The assclown who wrote this article obviously didn't check his facts--the Bills have one of the highest attendances in the NFL, even though they've basically sucked since 2001...

[Nickdfresh]

If they poach the Bills, Buffalo (the city) might as well pack up and shut the doors

I dunno. Despite the fact that the games still usually sell out after a decade of shittyness, there seems to be an increasing frustration here as to whether it's worth it on Sunday to watch this grab-ass organization that is a borderline laughingstock that no one wants to come too anymore...

[Nickdfresh]

Report: Lynch Allegedly Took $20 From Police Officer's Wife

WGR Newsroom

Buffalo, NY -- According to a report in Saturday's edition of The Buffalo News, Bills running back Marshawn Lynch has been accused of stealing $20 from a woman last month. The report states that a complaint was filed by Buffalo Police Sgt. William Crawford with Hamburg police, after Lynch allegedly took the money from his wife while she and a friend were at TGI Friday's at McKinley Mall.

According to the story, Lynch took the $20 bill from Crawford's wife as she prepared to pay the check. When approached by his wife's friend about the money, Lynch allegedly said "Do you know who I am? There's going to be consequences."

The complaint was filed just one day after the incident, but Crawford waited until recently to make the story public because, as he told the News, his wife is "terrified" of Lynch.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Home of the Buffalo Sabres - Report: Lynch Allegedly Took $20 From Police Officer's Wife (http://www.wgr550.com/Report--Lynch-Allegedly-Took--20-From-Police-Offic/6075554)

Get this guy the fuck out of here...

[Sensible Shoes]

Only in Hamburg. LMAO. For starters, I'm shocked TGIF is still open!

[Sensible Shoes]

I dunno. Despite the fact that the games still usually sell out after a decade of shittyness, there seems to be an increasing frustration here as to whether it's worth it on Sunday to watch this grab-ass organization that is a borderline laughingstock that no one wants to come too anymore...

Well I agree, I hear it from my friends at home all the time, but there WILL be economic consequences to the decision. And a BIG honkin' plot of land out in OP that will go dark.

And probably because I'm older - I was around before the superbowl run when the Bills were this unpopular and people were as disgusted as they are now - and only then did Ralph cough up the money to beef up the team and staff. Of course, this time, the climate of football has changed so significantly , and he's dotty as a giraffe.

[Nickdfresh]

Only in Hamburg. LMAO. For starters, I'm shocked TGIF is still open!

Some are now saying that it was complete bullshit designed to hop onto the lawsuit bandwagon over the incident (from were he ran over some girl on Chippewa)...

That mall complex as about 50 restaurants around it--and I'm shocked they do was well as they seem to do...

[Nickdfresh]

Well I agree, I hear it from my friends at home all the time, but there WILL be economic consequences to the decision. And a BIG honkin' plot of land out in OP that will go dark.

It's gonna go dark anyways, eventually. Even if they stay, they'll be a huge taxpayer funded stadium by the waterfront in the next 10 to 15 years...


And probably because I'm older - I was around before the superbowl run when the Bills were this unpopular and people were as disgusted as they are now - and only then did Ralph cough up the money to beef up the team and staff. Of course, this time, the climate of football has changed so significantly , and he's dotty as a giraffe.

They were good to great in the 1960s and the late 1980s to around 2000. Ralph will cough up money in places, but then he robs Peter to pay Paul. He'll finally spend on a new coach after years of doing it on the cheap, then let go of some of his best players at the league is littered with very good Bill's draft picks...

[chefcraig]

You have got to be kidding me. Rather than waiting for Minnesota's defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to become available, the Bills went with Chan Gailey? http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-scared-smileys-265.gif (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/Free-Computer-Smileys/)

Bills hire Gailey as coach

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Chan Gailey was hired by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, getting a second chance to prove himself as an NFL coach and inheriting a team that has missed the playoffs for 10 straight years.

Gailey was introduced by general manager Buddy Nix at a new conference which ended a two-month search to replace Dick Jauron, who was fired in November. Gailey takes over a team that finished 6-10 and becomes the Bills' fifth coach since Marv Levy retired after the 1997 season.

Gailey has spent 15 of his 38 years of coaching in the NFL. In his two years coaching the Dallas Cowboys, he went 18-14 and led the team to consecutive playoff appearances -- both losses. He was dismissed after the 1999 season, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged his mistake in firing Gailey.

The 58-year-old Gailey acknowledged he didn't know if he'd get another opportunity to be a head coach again.

"If you sit there and say you lose confidence in yourself, no you don't. But then you see opportunities go by. And you hope that your body of work will speak for itself," Gailey said.

For Nix, it was Gailey's extensive background that impressed him and met most of the criteria the GM set out when he took over the search two weeks ago.

Nix was eager to find someone with previous head-coaching experience and an offensive background.

"This guy met more of the criteria than I thought we could find," Nix said. "And this guy's won everywhere he's been. ... He'll get us back to winning and get to where we want to go."

Gailey said he intends to serve as the team's offensive coordinator, and is now assembling a staff.

Gailey has been out of football since he was removed as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator in August, two weeks before the season opener. He was entering his second season with Kansas City after a six-year stretch as Georgia Tech's coach, during which he went 44-33 before being fired in 2007.

The Bills hit several bumps during their coaching search. They spoke with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher in an attempt to lure him out of broadcasting. The team also interviewed former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who instead chose to coach the Washington Redskins. Last week, New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer rejected the Bills' request for an interview.

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was considered the top candidate after interviewing two weeks ago. Frazier's stock appeared to climb even further after his defense shut down the Cowboys in Minnesota's 34-3 win in the playoffs Sunday.

Gailey has run college and pro teams, including a two-year stint as coach of the World League of American Football Birmingham Fire in 1991-92. He also coached Troy State (1983-84) and Samford (1993).

At Georgia Tech, Gailey led the Yellow Jackets to six bowl appearances, but his time there ended after a 7-5 finish and going 0-6 against rival Georgia.

With Buffalo, Gailey's top priority will be sparking an offense that has finished 25th or worst in yards gained in each of the past seven seasons.

Finding a franchise quarterback would help, too. A combination of injuries and futility led to the Bills to go through three starters this past year. The team has not had a starting quarterback stay for more than three years since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired following the 1996 season.

Gailey would also need to warm up to Bills fans, who spent the past two weeks clamoring for the team to hire Cowher. Fans raised $1,125 to rent a billboard in Buffalo last week urging team owner Ralph Wilson to hire Cowher.

Buffalo Bills hire ex-Dallas Cowboys, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey as coach - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4838361)

[PETE'S BROTHER]

ouch, not the greatest choice.

[Sensible Shoes]

My Buffalo folk on Facebook are talking about pandas and obscure chinese actors....

[Nickdfresh]

I don't think they had too many choices. The Bills were turned down by many, and they wanted an offensive guy and someone with experience. Apparently Jerry Jones gave him a glowing recommendation. But then, maybe he was just fucking with us? :D

[Sensible Shoes]

Oh c'mon - who would fuck with Ralph Wilson? And would he know if they did?

[Nickdfresh]

Oh c'mon - who would fuck with Ralph Wilson? And would he know if they did?

http://beachweasel.com/PeerMediators/SimpsonsMr.Burns.gif
Excellent!

[Blackflag]

Buffalo.




That's all I have to say on this topic.

[Sensible Shoes]

Don't be trashin' my hometown. Even if I did say something nasty.

[Blackflag]

I can't trash it, somebody else beat me to it.

[Unchainme]

I'm pulling for the Bills to land McNabb.

am tired of the Raiders pulling everything good into that tornado of suck.

Al Davis needs to retire...and has needed to do that since 2003.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

I'm pulling for the Bills to land McNabb.

am tired of the Raiders pulling everything good into that tornado of suck.

Al Davis needs to retire...and has needed to do that since 2003.

sammy hagar must be part of that team, the suck is unreal.

[Unchainme]

sammy hagar must be part of that team, the suck is unreal.

It's a disgrace.

The Browns and the Raiders have been one of the best in the NFL back in the day and now both are complete shiite

At least Lerner has manned up and owned it that the past couple of regimes havn't worked.

fucking Davis keeps repeating doing the same shit over and over again.

I've considered that a new rule in the NFL, if you don't have a good offensive line and/or a good ground game, you shouldn't be allowed to draft a QB in the first round, period.

[Unchainme]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbLN2z_-VkE&NR=1

Bump

not to bring up any bad memories nick, but look what I found.

Also, fuck this game, it's because of this, Modell chose Belichick over Bill Cowher to coach the Browns, setting off the chain of events that led to the move. Lace out Scott, Laces out indeed.

[Sensible Shoes]

FUCK YOU Unchainme - I'm suing you for bringing on another PTSD episode. You simply don't put that clip where people from Buffalo can see it. May small prickly burrs infest your urethra.

[Nickdfresh]

Pegula edges closer to buying Sabres

Updated: November 30, 2010, 11:57 PM

Billionaire businessman Terrence Pegula appeared to be moving toward an agreement Tuesday that would make him the next owner of the Buffalo Sabres in a deal that could be finalized in a matter of weeks.

The Buffalo News has learned that the former Western New York resident and longtime Sabres fan traveled to Manhattan on Tuesday night, presumably to sign a letter of intent to purchase the franchise from Rochester billionaire Tom Golisano and possibly meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Pegula, 59, spent much of the day in western Pennsylvania, where he founded his oil and natural gas company before selling it for $4.7 billion last summer.

A source said he later traveled to New York and was expected to meet with league officials Tuesday night or early Wednesday. NHL offices are located in midtown Manhattan.

The league in the past has held important meetings in the late evening, when employees are gone for the day. It was not clear Tuesday night whether Pegula was gathering with NHL officials Tuesday evening or Wednesday.

Pegula was believed to have signed, or will sign Wednesday, a deal that would give him the franchise for an undisclosed amount. Regardless, virtually all signs pointed toward him taking over the franchise within the next two months.

The Hockey News reported Tuesday that he signed a letter of intent to buy the Sabres for $150 million, which the organization denied. A source said the only error in the report was the purchase price. It's believed to be considerably higher.

Another report suggested that Pegula would be introduced at the NHL Board of Governors meetings next week in Palm Beach, Fla. That could not be confirmed Tuesday night. Any new ownership agreement would need approval from 23 owners, which doesn't figure to be a problem for Pegula given his reputation and wealth.

Pegula, 59, whose wealth was pegged at $3 billion by Forbes magazine, did not return calls to his office in Boca Raton, Fla., seeking comment from him or his wife, Kim, on Tuesday.

The Pegulas, who for several years lived in Orchard Park, are longtime Sabres fans and former season-ticket holders. Kim Pegula is from Fairport.

BuffaloNews.com (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabres-nhl/article270207.ece)

bgleason@buffnews.com

[Nickdfresh]

Jerry Sullivan
Once an afterthought, Gailey's the ideal leader for these Bills
Coach has earned respect this season, just like his team

Updated: October 15, 2011, 11:57 PM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- On Saturday morning, I was driving to work and listening to one of those NFL preview radio shows when the hosts turned their attention to this afternoon's showdown between the surprising Lions and 49ers.

"One of these two coaches, Jim Schwartz or Jim Harbaugh, is going to be coach of the year," said James Lofton, the Hall of Fame receiver and former Bill.

No mention of Chan Gailey. It figures. The two Jims are the hot new thing, first-time head coaches in their 40s. Gailey is a colorless coaching retread, a self-effacing football lifer who is presumably getting his last kick at the can in a big-time head job.

Gailey is a virtual afterthought when people around the country marvel at this 4-1 Bills team. He was an afterthought when the Bills were looking for a coach, too. We wanted hot names, big resumes, borrowed legacies. How many big names turned them down before they turned to this no-name?

Well, if I were putting together a coach of the year list after five weeks, Gailey's name would be right at the top. There's a lot of good coaching being done in the league, but it's hard to imagine anyone changing the competitive culture of a team is such a dramatic way. Ignored and underestimated, Gailey is the ideal man to lead this Buffalo team. However he arrived at the choice, Nix got the coach right.

"We're all kind of looked at the same, as afterthoughts," said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. "Guys are no-names and all that. But a lot of times, teams take on the personality of their coach. Chan is not going to be too fiery and he's not going to get down when we're losing. He knows there's a certain amount of respect we're trying to earn."

Gailey has earned a lot of respect this season, just like his team. He outcoached two of the sport's giants, Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, in the last two wins. Belichick and Reid are among four active NFL coaches among the top 25 all-time in coaching wins. The other two: Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan, who coach the Bills' next two opponents.

So if the Bills win their next two, Gailey will sweep the board against the Mount Rushmore of active coaches. Players often talk about wanting to measure themselves against the best. Does it mean a little extra for Gailey to beat the big-name guys?

"No. Zero," Gailey said. "Good try, though."

Typical Chan. He's not about to toot his own horn. But Gailey has done a marvelous job with this team. All coaches try to motivate. The good ones foster belief by giving their players the knowledge and tactics to become better. Gailey kept the Bills' spirits alive when they were 0-8 last year. He told them in training camp to work toward a higher standard, and to expect to win. The players refer back to their coach's summer exhortations.

There's a level of trust involved. The players have bought in to Gailey's system. They see it channeled through Fitzpatrick, a tough, cerebral quarterback. It says a lot that Gailey allowed Fitz to drop back into his own end zone late in last week's game, with the Eagles mounting a furious comeback, and throw a slant to a marginal pro like Naaman Roosevelt.

The defense has issues, and it gets worse today with Shawne Merriman out and Kyle Williams questionable. But they've been in the right spots, which allows them to take advantage of the opposition's mistakes and get more turnovers than any other team in the league.

But Gailey is an offensive mind by trade, and the offense is the most vivid expression of his coaching vision. We take it for granted after awhile, but it's amazing how many members of the Bills offense were overlooked and disregarded at various points of their careers.

I looked out there last Sunday and realized there was only one first-round draft pick on the offense: Eric Wood, who went 28th overall in 2009. Undrafted players were all over the place: Fred Jackson, Roosevelt, David Nelson, Donald Jones, Erik Pears. Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson were seventh-rounders, left tackle Chris Hairston a fourth-round pick.

Even Gailey wondered about his offensive line in the summer. They've been terrific. There has been one false start by an O-lineman this season. You don't think coaching has a little to do with it? In 2009, they had nine in one game here, that ghastly 6-3 loss to the Browns.

That Cleveland game was almost two years ago to the day. Sorry to dredge it up again, but it's remarkable how far they've come offensively in so short a time. Dick Jauron was the coach that day, Trent Edwards the quarterback, Marshawn Lynch the featured back, Terrell Owens the top wideout. They had no idea Stevie Johnson could play.

Gailey has turned a bunch of misfits into an offensive machine that averages 33 points a game. I'm still not sure how. But it gets more difficult now. With Jones gone for at least a month, they're down three receivers from the start of camp. Sure, at times you'd swear Gailey could throw one of the Jills into a four-wide set and she'd make a play.

"He has a knack, an understanding," said Brad Smith. "It's hard to describe. Sometimes, he gets back to basics. Other times, he gets fancy with stuff and formations and guys. But he finds a way to get it done. The numbers speak for themselves."

But attrition will test the nerve and capacity of any general. The NFL is an unforgiving sport. At some point, injuries catch up to you. If you don't have receivers with the speed to stretch the field, defenses will cheat up and dare you to throw deep. Perry Fewell, who coaches the Giants' defense, wanted to be the head coach here. You can bet he'll relish the chance to outwit the man who was picked instead.

Knowing Gailey, he'll take the dare. The Bills beat the Eagles without completing anything long, but you need to keep defenses honest. They plan to use Brad Smith more at wideout, and it would be a good idea to get C.J. Spiller stretching defenses as a receiver.

Don't let Gailey's folksy manner fool you. The guy is sly like a fox. He might not be the first name on any lists, but no one is doing it better right now. Still, I can't help wonder what he could do with a little more talent.

jsullivan@buffnews.com

TheBuffaloNews (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/jerry-sullivan/article595538.ece)

[Nickdfresh]

Welp, I think the Buffalo Bills' big free agent splash deserves a mention here:


Mario Williams and Bills’ high-priced defensive line gets off to dominating start
By Associated Press, Published: July 29

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Giggling uncontrollably, Marcell Dareus was still having a difficult time containing his excitement Sunday, a day after getting a first glimpse of the Buffalo Bills’ revamped, high-priced defensive line’s potential.

There’s no question, Mario Williams and Co. looked impressive in their first practice in shoulder pads Saturday, three days into camp.

“Shut your mouth,” Dareus, the second-year defensive tackle said, before bursting into a fit of laughter. “There’s really not much I can say except, what you see is what you get. I don’t think we’re over-rated. I don’t think we’re under-rated. I think we’re right where we’re supposed to be.”

And that could well spell trouble for opposing offenses after the Bills spent considerable time and money upgrading what had been a porous line that also had difficulty generating a pass rush.

None of the problems of the past were evident in a practice that left coach Chan Gailey calling his defense’s performance “dominating.”

No surprise, Williams — the Bills’ newly signed $100-million defensive end — was in the thick of creating much of the havoc.

He and tackle Kyle Williams disrupted a running play so quickly that Fred Jackson barely got the handoff when Mario Williams stopped him in his tracks by grabbing him by the shoulder pad.

Jackson was so surprised that he went up to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and joked: “I think Mario could’ve taken the handoff before I did.”

And that was just one of numerous highlights.

A few plays later, Williams wasn’t fooled by a misdirection play, staying to his left and forcing Fitzpatrick to throw the ball away.

Then Williams and Dareus teamed up by bursting into the backfield to get what would’ve been a sure sack.

Kyle Williams was cautiously impressed, noting this was only one practice.

“We’re still building, but you know it’s always nice to have good days,” he said. “We’ve talked about what it looks like by just looking at the names written down. Sure that looks good. But can we take it and put it on the field? And that’s what we’re trying to do now.”

The list of names are easily recognizable on a starting line made up of the two Williams, Dareus and Mark Anderson, another free agent addition, who’s penciled in on the right side. And then there’s a solid group of established veterans filling backup positions such as defensive ends Shawne Merriman, Chris Kelsay and Spencer Johnson, and tackle Dwan Edwards.

Kelsay considers both the line and defense as a whole as the most talented and depth-laden the Bills have had since he arrived in 2003.

And that’s saying something considering the Bills finished ranked second in the NFL both 2003 and 2004 with a defense that included tackles Pat Williams and Sam Adams, pass-rusher Aaron Schobel, linebackers Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher and a defensive backfield that featured Nate Clements and Lawyer Milloy.

“We had a good defense then, but I think depth-wise, that’s what’s really going to push us over the edge,” Kelsay said. “First day, we are encouraged. We know we have great potential. But it’s all for naught if you don’t put the work in.”

The Bills’ defenders have plenty to shoot for in a bid to improve on last year’s dreadful numbers. Buffalo allowed a franchise-worst 5,938 yards, managed just 29 sacks — 10 of which came in one game — and gave up an average 27 points a game in contributing to the team’s 6-10 finish.

The lack of a pass-rush has been a familiar problem. Buffalo hasn’t averaged more than two sacks per game in a season since 2006, when they had 40.

Mario Williams, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year in 2006, and Anderson were brought in to help provide pressure.

At 6-foot-6 and 292 pounds, Williams’ size and speed have wowed his teammates.

“He’s a man-child,” Jackson said.

And Williams’ presence is what has Dareus giggling.

“He has to be the strongest guy I’ve ever met in my life,” Dareus said. “Phenomenal football player, hands, feet. It’s crazy. We’re going to have fun this year, hee, hee, hee.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© The Washington Post Company (http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/mario-williams-and-bills-high-priced-defensive-line-gets-off-to-dominating-start/2012/07/29/gJQARlpsIX_story.html)

[lesfunk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mdoGGKEdAM

[Nickdfresh]

You're a bad man, Lesfunk. I guess Brady only sucks cock against the Giants...

[Nickdfresh]

I drove by Ralph Wilson Stadium today and can still smell the massive turd they laid yesterday...

[Nickdfresh]

This just in: the Buffalo Bills really, really SUCK big, stinky donkey balls! We have a GM no one else would hire as a GM, a coach promoted to his level of incompetence, a defensive coordinator who's comatose. And an owner that is ancient and meddling. Bill Polian, wherefore art thou?

[Nickdfresh]

Bills appear set to dismiss Gailey and Nix this week

BY: Mark Gaughan / The Buffalo News (http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121230/SPORTS/121239936/1082) | @gggaughan

Rumors were swirling in NFL circles Saturday that the Buffalo Bills would clean house and fire not only head coach Chan Gailey but General Manager Buddy Nix as well.

However, high ranking Bills sources insisted the decision on the team's top two football men remained, as always, with owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. and that Wilson had yet to tell any of his employees in Western New York of his verdict.

Nix, contacted Saturday night, told The News he had not been given any indication of any change in his job status.

There is widespread expectation among the organization that Gailey will be ousted due to the Bills' disappointing season, which concludes today against the New York Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills (5-10) have clinched last place in the AFC East.

Wilson was in town for the team's holiday party Friday night. He returned afterward to his Detroit-area home.

Bills officials say their expectation is Wilson will hold a meeting of his top executives, including Nix, at some point this week to assess the season. That has been standard operating procedure for Wilson for decades.

Wilson, 94, remains very much in charge of charting the team's course.

An executive on another team and another league source both said Saturday they were hearing of a full house-cleaning by the Bills.

Nevertheless, the removal of Nix would be a surprise. He has maintained a strong relationship with Wilson, and the owner has stated that he handed Nix a long-term building job when he put him atop the football operation in 2010. Nix has been given full authority to hand-pick his football department and put his scouts in place on the college and pro sides of the organization.

The Bills will miss the playoffs for a 13th straight season, the longest drought in the NFL and the longest in franchise history.

Gailey has received strong vocal support from Nix through much of this season, but the general manager cancelled his radio show Friday, thereby avoiding discussing Gailey's job security.

The Bills stood 3-3 in mid-October, but they have lost seven of their last nine and repeatedly have looked ugly in losing.

Gailey's three-year record is 15-32, and few NFL coaches have survived such futility to start a tenure. Over the past 25 years, only 11 NFL head coaches have survived after starting their tenures with three losing seasons. Dick Jauron did it in Buffalo in 2009, but his three-year record with the Bills was 21-27.

Over the past 25 years, 72 coaches have lost their jobs after three or fewer seasons on the job. The last coach to have as few as 15 wins in three seasons and survive to see a fourth year was Bruce Coslet in Cincinnati. He won 14 games through 1999, then got fired during the next season.



email: mgaughan@buffnews.com

[Nickdfresh]

News sports reporters talk about it all...

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[Nickdfresh]

Doug Marrone formerly of Syracuse U is the new Bills Coach...


Brandon makes bold play on Bills' new coach

BY: Jerry Sullivan / News Senior Sports Columnist (http://buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130106/CITYANDREGION/130109516/1004)| @TBNSully

Newly empowered as president of the Bills, Russ Brandon sat on the dais Tuesday and promised to take the franchise in a new direction. As it turned out, the direction was 140 miles due east, to his hometown of Syracuse.

Brandon is sure to take heat for hiring Doug Marrone as his new head coach. Some will dismiss it as a parochial, small-time move. They'll say he reached for a .500 college coach because he couldn't attract the top names in the market and wouldn't surrender total control of the operation.

Some of that might be true. Still, this doesn't feel the way it did when the Bills hired Dick Jauron, Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey. For once, I'm resisting the impulse to trot out my favorite Bills adjective and label it uninspired.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not doing handstands over Marrone, either. He wouldn't have been my first choice. I would have preferred Jon Gruden or Chip Kelly, who is probably heading back to Oregon. But at least they're not making the safe choice, the one least likely to get them buried by the critics later.

Above all, I was hoping they would surprise me this time, that they wouldn't bring out some tired retread and tell me it was progress. They succeeded.

This is a bold pick, a risky pick. Brandon, a fine baseball player in his day, is swinging for the fences here. Give him credit for that. It would have been easier to settle for the stand-up double, a former NFL head coach with an established record for being average.

Yes, Ken Whisenhunt and Lovie Smith are proven head coaches who reached the Super Bowl. They're old ideas to me. Whisenhunt is too conservative. Smith won more than he lost, but his teams were consistently bad on offense. He's not the guy for a team desperate to find and develop a franchise quarterback.

I don't know if Marrone will be a great NFL head man. Most coaches fail when they reach that level, whether they come from college or the assistant coaching ranks. Who knew that Sean Payton would be a success in his first NFL head job, or Mike Tomlin, or Mike McCarthy?

Jim Harbaugh was a risk when he took over the Niners two years ago. Harbaugh had engineered a remarkable turnaround at Stanford. Critics wondered if his methods could work in the pros. He has been a rousing success in the NFL.

So if you're looking to put a positive spin on it, Marrone could be the Bills' Jim Harbaugh. They're roughly the same age. Both are hard-nosed disciplinarians who are open-minded enough to evolve with the times.

Marrone completely changed the culture of a staggering Syracuse program when he took over in 2009. The Orange had gone 10-37 under Greg Robinson and suffered through seven consecutive nonwinning seasons. They were the joke of the Big East, one of the worst major-college programs in the country, a team with inferior personnel and a disaffected fan base.

Sound familiar, Bills fans?

The program quickly returned to respectability. Syracuse won two bowls in his four seasons. His overall record was 25-25. That's not quite earth-shaking, but seasoned observers of the Orange called it a miraculous turnaround. It's not as if he had blue-chip recruits or great facilities.

Brandon is putting his reputation on the line here. It would be easy to dismiss him as a salesman who is out of his depth on football matters. But for an organization that is always trying to keep up in the NFL, this hire represents a fresh idea, a refusal to simply reach for the tried-and-true.

It's not as if Chip Kelly and Nick Saban are the only college coaches worthy of being NFL head men. Marrone was seen as one of the top half dozen or so who might be ready for the jump. He has a lot of the qualities the Bills were looking for, including a dynamic personality and a tireless work ethic.

Marrone once told a Syracuse reporter he had worked every day but one during his first year as coach. He took Christmas off for his family. That's a little scary, I must admit. But he sounds like a coach who will actually know what yard line he's on when it's time to kick a field goal.

Dave Rahme, who covered SU for the Post-Standard, said Marrone had charts and graphs for every eventuality. Rahme described Marrone as “very analytical,” a coach who would point out on a film when an opposing offensive lineman moved his foot 2 inches, and what it signified.

That was surely a selling point with Brandon. He intends to create a new department of analytics, which will bring a more sophisticated and scientific approach to the football operation. It's cutting-edge stuff, which hasn't been Ralph Wilson's trademark, to say the least.

That doesn't mean they'll win. In the end, you need players. You need a franchise quarterback. McCarthy, Payton and Tomlin won the Super Bowl in their first NFL head job. It's no coincidence that they had Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger playing quarterback.

The decision on the next quarterback could determine the success of the Bills for the next decade. It's probably more important than the coach. It'll be good to have Marrone helping evaluate the college talent. The less input Nix has on the next quarterback, the better.

Marrone worked with Brees as offensive coordinator with the Saints, though he didn't call the plays. He developed Ryan Nassib from a raw prospect to a star at SU. He knows what a great quarterback looks like, and what sort of transition is required from the college game to the pros.

It's not all about the head coach, either. The Bills need to hire a staff of top assistant coaches. That means going to other NFL teams and plucking some of their rising talent, not grabbing eager college coaches on the cheap. Marrone has an NFL pedigree. He should get the best staff available.

This is on Brandon now. He was fully empowered by the owner to hire the right guy. He came back with Marrone, a daring and unconventional choice. He could be a flop. He could be great. The odds say he'll wind up like most NFL coaches, in that vast, unremarkable area in between.

No one knows right now. But it's usually the people who reach high, refusing to settle for the safe choice, who find their way to great.



email: jsullivan@buffnews.com

[Nickdfresh]

Stevie Johnson, foot-in-mouth disease on Jim Rome's show:



Stevie Johnson On Jim Rome: "I'm Actually Going To Work Out"

By Brian Galliford on Feb 1,

Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson ruffled a few feathers on Friday in discussing his off-season workout plans in a radio interview with Jim Rome.


Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson raised some eyebrows in Western New York on Friday with comments made from Super Bowl XLVII's radio row in New Orleans on The Jim Rome Show. You should listen here if you're interested in breaking down the controversial remarks yourself; we've also got a transcript to follow.

Jim Rome: "What are you doing this off-season? Are you still getting caught up in some local runs? Are you changing up your basketball routine? What are you doing to stay in shape and get ready for the new season?"

Stevie Johnson: "I'm actually - it's funny - I'm actually going to work out."

JR: "No way, really? You mean actually lift weights?"

SJ: "I usually never work out. I just, like, play basketball and run around the block."

JR: "How does that work? You don't hit the weights out of season at all?"

SJ: "The only time I worked out was my rookie year from after (the) combine, just to get in the league. I went down to L.A. and worked with Travelle Gaines, and ever since then, I've only did work with my wife running around the block and playing basketball. That was all I did."

JR: "Why? Do they not insist you have some kind of off-season conditioning program? Throw the weights around?"

SJ: "I probably shouldn't be saying this. Yeah, they give us the booklet and stuff, but I get it and I put it in a drawer. I really don't do it."

JR: "Stevie, you made it through an entire interview without getting into trouble man, until right there, I think."

SJ: "I'm sorry, I'm just being honest, man. This year we've got a new staff, and you know, I've had three seasons with a thousand yards, and that's like without doing, like, real football work. So you know, who knows what happens if I really put in work? Maybe I can eclipse a thousand and go into twelve hundred, you know, maybe thirteen. Maybe I'll be even more energized to finish out games, and we'll get things done, you know. So I'm going to be working hard from next Sunday to April 1st when we go back."

Rome and Johnson did an awful lot of laughing during this particular portion of the interview, with Rome speaking sarcastically at times and Johnson making light of his previous off-season habits while admitting that he plans to do more on that front than he's done before. Seriously: it would behoove you to listen to the interview. (http://jimrome.com/2013/02/01/stevie-johnson-2/)

The immediate reaction to the remarks was largely negative; talk radio stations were practically aghast that Johnson would admit that he didn't follow the team's off-season program in years past, and that he'd statistically project where he might end up if he does start working out. Some stated that Johnson was admitting that he's "coasted" over the last two years, and that he doesn't have the ambition to be the best player he can be.

Those people, in our opinion, weren't listening to enough of the exchange. Maybe it bothers you that Johnson hasn't seemingly done all that's been asked of him as a professional athlete; that's fine, but it's also where the criticism logically should stop. Johnson says he'll be working out this off-season - probably because there's a new coaching staff in place - and we'll see if he's right about a potential statistical jump that might result from the extra work. Until then, it's probably overreacting if anyone's opinion changes on the man from one light-hearted interview.

Link @ buffalorumblings.com (http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/2/1/3942564/stevie-johnson-jim-rome-workouts-buffalo-bills)

[Nickdfresh]

LOL The Bills just signed Matt Leinart after Kevin Kolb got kneed in the head and EJ Manuel had a "minor" knee procedure. WHHHEEEEEWWWW!! Superbowl, here we come!

[Nickdfresh]

Holy shit! We traded for Thaddeus Lewis! The Bills now have incredible depth at QB! If any other teams have QB's they don't want, the Bills are entertaining all offers. Send us your meek and unwanted... :)

[Nickdfresh]

Not to make light of this, because it looks like Kevin Kolbs career might be over. The hit he took didn't "look" that bad, and he got up slow but played four more downs after that. Now they're the concussion was serious enough to jeopardize his career...

[Nickdfresh]

Bills coaches want to change training staff

By Tim Graham | News Sports Reporter | @ByTimGraham | Google+

on Sunday, February 23, 2014 11:24 PM, updated: 9:38 PM
http://billsblitz.wp.buffalonews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/02/112454-600x442.jpg
"Now sit still while I put these leeches on ya' to bleed out your choleric spleen!"

INDIANAPOLIS — Buffalo Bills coaches want to change the organization’s old-school culture, but they seem to be encountering internal resistance.

Key members of the staff have told The News they want to update the training staff by replacing long-time head athletic trainer Bud Carpenter, but the front office is reluctant to support a switch.

Within the past few days at the NFL Scouting Combine, coach Doug Marrone and General Manager Doug Whaley have stressed player health is a top priority for the organization in 2014.

Marrone and Whaley also are said to be highly interested in changing the Bills’ this-is-the-way-we’ve-always-done-it culture.

Carpenter has been a fixture with the Bills. He’s entering his 30th season with the team and his 19th as its head trainer.

But the Bills’ coaching staff is much younger than Carpenter is. When Carpenter was getting his start with the Bills, most of the current coaches were teenagers.

Sources said at the combine that the coaching staff is weary of Carpenter’s old-school methodology. These sources believe Carpenter’s “stim and ice” therapy is too outdated for today’s athlete.

“Stim and ice” refers to electrical stimulation to the injured area and ice treatments.

The Bills have struggled with injuries previously, although last year was a relatively healthy one.

Still, rookie quarterback EJ Manuel missed eight games (two preseason, six regular season) with three knee injuries.

Marrone declared after the third knee injury that Manuel would start the season finale against the New England Patriots and stated the medical staff told him Manuel would not require surgery.

Manuel did not play against the Patriots and revealed three weeks ago he had another knee surgery.

Marrone and Whaley have indicated the Bills want to make sure Manuel has all the tools he’ll need. The Bills have hired additional coaches and have spoken about bolstering his supporting cast.

Running back C.J. Spiller, safety Jairus Byrd and cornerback Stephon Gilmore also dealt with nagging injuries throughout the season.

The Pro Football Athletic Trainers Society honored Carpenter’s staff with its annual award in 2007 for its response to tight end Kevin Everett’s catastrophic injury, although team orthopedist Andrew Cappuccino and rehab specialists largely were responsible for Everett’s recovery.

Prior to joining the Bills in 1985, Carpenter worked for one year with the Boston Bruins and served eight years as Fredonia State’s trainer and intramurals director.

The Buffalo News (http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/02/23/bills-coaches-want-to-change-training-staff/)

email: tgraham@buffnews.com

[Sensible Shoes]

YOu must be posting all this just for me. :)

[Nickdfresh]

You and the other guy from Buffalo, Golden Boy. :)

[Sensible Shoes]

Hey did you see Von?

[Nickdfresh]

There was actually a follow up article posting "unnamed sources" as saying the new Bills' coaches and GM are sick of not being able to make decisions that are common place in other organizations that do things like --well, make the playoffs once in a while-- and that they cede responsibilities to guys that were hired in the mid to late 1980's for contract negotiations and personnel decisions. It sounds like a total clusterfuck at One Bills Dr. down the street...

And Von now drinks in Buffalo sports bars :)

[twonabomber]

Will the Bills be okay without Pettine...or can the Browns be any worse WITH Pettine?

[Nickdfresh]

I think the Browns will benefit from him there, I think he's a good coach. He used Buffalo to get out from under that fat-ass at the Jets and make a name for himself. His defenses never quit and they set a Bills' record for sacks. On the negative side, they were one of the worst defenses against good running backs. I would add that he also seemed to be good at developing young players...

[Nickdfresh]

Longtime superstar Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller, as well as gritty center Steve Ott, have been traded to the St. Louis Blues for presumably Halek and other players. Breaking now...

Here's the story:



Sabres trade Miller and Ott to the Blues


Ryan Miller and Steve Ott were in the building preparing to play against the San Jose Sharks when they were called back.

There was good reason as both were traded to the St. Louis Blues for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, William Carrier, a first round pick in 2015 and a third rounder in 2016.

The prospect Carrier was the Blues second round pick in 2013, 57th overall. He's 6'2, 198 and has 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points in the QMJHL this season.

Stewart was a first round pick for Colorado in 2006. In 377 NHL games for St. Louis and Colorado he has 115 goals and 113 assists for 228 points. That's a 25 goal pace over 82 games. He's scored 28 goals twice in his career and will also mix it up.

Halak's career has taken him to Montreal and St. Louis. He's played 260 NHL games going 139-81-26 with a 2.38 goals against and .917 save percentage.

http://www.wgr550.com/pages/18493115.php?contentType=4&contentId=14796893

[chefcraig]

Andre Reed was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Below is the transcript of his speech, courtesy of the Hall of Fame:
As I have stated over the years at several sites, the finest football I have ever witnessed (on both sides if the line) took place between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills a few scant decades ago. Seeing Andre Reed catch a final pass from Jim Kelly the other night really shook me, not only for the memories, yet for Kelly's own plight with cancer.

Good on you guys.

Transcript of Andre Reed's speech at Pro Football Hall of Fame induction

LINK (http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2014/08/transcript_andre_reed_speech_hall_of_fame_inductio n.html)


First, I first want to give thanks to the creator of all things in this world, all things possible and blessed to be here tonight. As I stand here in the midst of the NFL's 95th season, I'd be remiss not to talk about these guys to the right and these guys to the left of me. I pay homage to you guys because you represent what this game is about, the excellence on the field and off the field. Your sacrifices have laid the foundation that we call football today. I applaud you guys. I consider you brothers for life.

You have opened so many doors for me. You're an inspiration to many all over the country, all over the world. Now, I know you know what I'm going to say next, "Where would you rather be than right here, right now?"

Allentown, Pennsylvania, stand up. I know you're here. Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Buffalo, New York, I know you're here. Canton, Ohio. These are blue collared towns that dot the road map of an amazing journey. They're connected by blood, sweat, tears and cheers of a football life I proudly led the last four decades. It's a life defined by many things, but none more important than hard work. When you grow up in Allentown, PA, you learn the meaning of that pretty fast, especially in the household of Joyce and Calvin Reid. My brothers Tyrone and Dion, and my beautiful sister, Teshia, we're bonded by the values we were taught at home, and that we carry with us today. My father, Calvin, was a 5'8" fireplug of a man who worked construction and concrete. I can remember the days before I went to school, I'd look at his hands and they were so clean when he left. But when he came home, I remember how dirty those hands were. You could strike a match in the middle of his hand. That's how dirty they were. Just as the forms he carried every day, do as I say, not always as I do. If you put in a hundred percent, you're guaranteed to get a hundred percent out, and patience is a virtue, and believe me, I waited nine long years for this patience. That's what Calvin would always tell us. That's what he'd tell us four kids in the house. He had a lot of sayings. I can't say all of them because we'd be here all night.

As I stand here today experiencing one of the best things of my life on football's biggest stage, all I can say is, Dad, you were right. You definitely were right. I love and miss you so much. I talk to you a lot. I want to thank you for your wisdom. Life's lessons are so tough, but you taught me what the right path was about.

On hot summer days when I was younger, when all the kids were swimming in the swimming pool, having fun, in the community pool my dad would have me and my brothers out there running laps, 95° outside. Do we want to be in the pool? Oh, you darn right, we did. We sure did. How long did we run? Until he said stop.

One time this woman asked my mom, she said, Calvin, what are you doing to them kids? My mom replied, Calvin's getting those kids ready. He's getting those kids ready for life. Thank you, Daddy. You're the best.

Now don't get me wrong now. My mom was a nose to the grindstone kind of woman too. She worked 12 hours a day when I was little in the garment factory. She did everything she could to keep the family together. There were a lot of times I walked past that factory and I'd see her at that sewing machine, and I'd say, “You know what, Mom? One day that sewing stuff is going to be over with. You're never going to sew ever again.” Mom, I love you so much. You're my inspiration of my heart. Thank you for your unconditional love. Tonight you're in the Hall of Fame too.

I didn't grow up in the easiest of childhoods. For all the great things that my dad did, he had his faults just like we all do. And my dad's biggest fault, he was an alcoholic. In his life growing up there were many challenges that anybody would have trouble conquering. I saw things growing up no child should see. So sports became my safe haven, my shield, my guard.

When I was at the Boys & Girls Club in Allentown, PA, which I continue to support today with my foundation, I felt that shield around me every single day. Invincible I felt, indestructible, you know it, fearful of nothing. Me and my brothers, we all wanted to take anybody on. Whoever wanted to play. We got you. You want to play us? Let's go. That's how we worked. Any sport, basketball, football, baseball, didn't matter. They were important in my life, not only for my development as a football player, but as a person, and for that I'm very grateful to them.

The same could be said for my Pop Warner coaches. Roy Sekoch and Gene Legath. They saw this little skinny kid with a big afro, and they believed in me. Thank you for all your unconditional love also.

My brother, Ty, was a star wide receiver at Dieruff High School. I wanted to be just like you, Ty. Wanted to be just like you. That led me to becoming an option quarterback on the JV team at Dieruff High School. That's where I learned my running skills because I had to run away from all these big guys. Back then they used to call me a deer, and as you know deer spelled backwards is Reed. But sometimes, like any deer, you get caught in them headlights and you get hit, and I got hit pretty hard.

My mom sometimes would see me laying on the ground, didn't think I'd get up. She'd look at my dad and say I wonder if he's going to get up. And of course my dad as raw as he is, he said if he gets up, he's all right. My dad was just raw that way. That's how he was. I always did manage to get up though.

I owe so much to my Dieruff coaches in high school who helped shape me as a player. Bruce Trotter, Larry Little, Ted Phillips, Bill Wood, and Ted Steiner. I love you guys all. Thank you very much.

After Dieruff High School, I enrolled in small, tiny Kutztown University. Nobody knows where that is on the map. But they know now. There was a coach named Geno Calcagni that came to me as we were starting two a days and asked me to switch to wide receiver. Yes, it was. Ain't no doubt about that.

He said we need you man, at wide receiver. We have a quarterback that's an All American. That was Greg Gristick.

I want to thank Gary Klein too. He taught me everything. He was my quarterback in college too. I said, Coach, you know what? Wherever you need me to play, I've got your back.

As a player in 1981, my freshman year, the first NFL scout came up to me from the Seattle Seahawks, Walt. He said to me we're here watching another player because we're looking at him. He's a defensive back. We think we might draft him or be a free agent, but we're watching you. The next three years we're going to watch you and see what you do.

Was I scared? Oh, yeah, I was scared a little bit. But I said, okay, I hope you do watch me, because I'm going to be on an NFL roster the following year.

As my skills improved, as I got older with the help of coaching from Al Leonzi and Geno, and head coach George Baldwin, more scouts started coming to see me, working me out. It was almost every week after a while. But the biggest thing they wanted to know was, can I, from a Division II school make the transition to the big time?

My coach said, you know what? Just give him the opportunity. That's all we wanted in life was an opportunity.

Then one of the teams that came at me late was the Buffalo Bills. I had no idea where Buffalo was. They said, “New York.” I said, “New York City?” They said, no. They said, “Western, New York.” I said, okay. That was wild. On that first trip in mini-camp I was on a plane, that's when I met Bruce Smith, the top overall pick at Virginia Tech. Bruce was standing there on a plane, all 6'4", 300 pounds of him. He had the intimidation factor with his sunglasses on. What an intimidating presence he was.

I introduced myself to him. I said, hey, “I'm Andre Reed.” I'm a fourth round draft choice. He said, yeah, I know who you are. I said to him, I said, after we land, where we going to go? I said are we going to the hotel, you know, because we have to go to the hotel. He said no, we're not going to the hotel. I said where we going? He said don't worry about it. You're coming with me. It was that day that the Big Tree became etched in my life.

If you guys don't know what the Big Tree is, you need to go. Bruce, you know what, man? When you were here in 2009 I was sitting right here in the audience as you and Ralph Wilson were getting elected. And you mentioned to me that day that my day was near to joining the Hall of Fame here. I believed you, and now it's a reality. I love you as a teammate. I love you as a friend. And most of all, I love you as a family member.

It was also at the Big Tree where I met Darryl Talley. Darryl was drafted in 1983 out of West Virginia. I remember one thing he told me as a rookie. He said, “You know what? You don't even know how excited I am about this year's team because I feel right now we have the right players coming in at the right time to put us on the winning path.” Darryl, what can I say about you, man? You were the emotional glue to this team, the heart and soul of us. You kept us all in check, man. I don't know how you did it, but you kept us all in check, man. You said, “You open these doors here in Buffalo, you better check your ego at the door.” I believed you, man. Thank you. I love you.

I also had a great example to follow as a rookie in Jerry Butler. When I first came into the organization, the coaches said, hey, if you want to be good, watch number 80, he'll teach you how to be a professional on and off the field. I remember Jerry saying to me, if you play this game the right way, you can play it a long time. Thank you, Jerry.

I also learned lessons from watching some great receivers that came before me such as fellow Hall of Famer James Lofton.

James is more than a teammate to me. I can always confide in him and talk to him about anything. Growing up as a Steeler fan, I admired players like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, my idols, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. They're up here for a reason.

Another example of greatness is a guy that went into the Hall of Fame last year that I admire tremendously, and that is Cris Carter. Michael Irvin, I respect you so much. You told me about the wait. You said be patient, and I believed you, man. I love you.

What can I say about this next dude? Squatty, Thurman Thomas. From the first day, from the first day you sat at One Bills Drive, I instantly knew how much passion you had for the game of football. You displayed leadership beyond leadership, tenacity beyond tenacity, and it would never quit at any cost regardless the situation. Did you speak your mind? Yeah, you did. Sometimes when he shouldn't have.

But I always knew one thing about Thurman, he believed in what he said, and he made you listen whether it be good or bad. He made me a better player, and definitely made us a better damn team. You held us accountable, man, for everything we did. And one thing that I realized about you is family. Family is important to you. I've known your kids since they were babies. You and Patti have done such a great job with them, I consider you a friend for life. I love you all.

My career didn't take off until something called the K Gun came out of nowhere. Ask Dan Marino about it.

An offensive guru named Ted Marchibroda was the guru of this offense, and he knew enough to give the reigns to No. 12. Allowing him to get back to them USFL days where he used to throw for 9 million yards. I was known for my toughness, I was known for my toughness going across the middle, making that catch, breaking tackles.

But the toughest individual I've ever met in my life is Jim Kelly, No. 12. How do I find the words, man, to say anything about you? You're the reason why I'm standing here today. Your belief in me that I could get the job done at any time will resonate with me the rest of my life. Every time I looked into your eyes in the huddle I knew we could get it done. I knew we had a chance to win. Leadership beyond reasonable doubt. Those around you gravitated to your leadership and what you said. You taught us not to quit.

We always joked about what I would say every time I left the huddle whether it was a run or a pass play. "Right here, Bro'." I said that every time. I didn't care if it was a run or a pass. I was open.

But we laugh about it now because I wanted the ball. That was my passion. I wanted the ball every single time. I wanted you to be proud of me and know that you could count on me at any time. You know our old saying, Bro', 12 plus 83 always equals 6.

Jim, you have endured a lot in your life, the loss of a son, and most recently your battle with cancer. You're an inspiration to all those you touch. I'm honored to call you my teammate, my friend, and my family member, and now a fellow Hall of Famer. I love you, man.

There wasn't a better teacher than our head coach Marv Levy. He was a definition of, speak softly, but carry a big stick. He became our father figure, very much of a father figure, and he became even more of a father figure to me when I lost mine. In 1996, when I lost my father, he told me just take as much time as you need. Marv, I'll always remember those words, your compassion you gave me when I needed it the most. You had to deal with so many egos, I don't know how in the heck you did it. Those big words you used, yeah, we needed dictionaries. We actually needed a thesaurus, too.

But one thing we admired about you as a coach was that word respect. We respected the heck out of you. When you respect your coach, you'll do anything to win for him. I love you, Marv.

I want to thank all my other coaches, my receiver coaches, Kay Stephenson, Hank Bullough, Wade Phillips, Elijah Pitts, these were my other coaches. And my receiver coaches, yes. Joe Daniels, Bob Leahy, Ted Tollner, Nick Nicolau, and fellow Hall of Famer, Charlie Joiner over here.

Six months ago the Bills lost their patriarch, Ralph Wilson, Jr., to me the greatest owner in sports history. He lives on here as a member of the Hall. I want to thank him for giving a small town kid the opportunity. He's part of one of the biggest legacies in NFL history, and the building behind us bears his name.

You gave me a chance to live out a dream, Ralph, that very few people attain. I can't thank you enough for that. And Mary, I can see how much passion you have for the game. The same passion that Ralph had. I've come to know you as a friend and I respect you and love you very much. Oh, yeah, and the Bills will stay in Buffalo too (Cheering).

I want to thank, also, the chief architect of our run to four straight Super Bowls, Bill Polian. Bill, I'm going to reiterate what Bruce Smith said to me five years ago. Very soon you will be up here on this podium as one of the greatest GMs of all time.

I also want to thank the late John Butler, whose strong handshake was just so strong. He had so much confidence in us. And Bill Munson who I've known for years with the Buffalo Bills organization. Bill would always ask me if I was in shape every year coming to camp. I always would answer, do I look like I'm in shape? Bill, I finally figured out why you always asked me that, because you always knew I would be in shape.

I also want to thank our trainers, Dave and Bud, our equipment staff, Hojo, Woody, everyone else there who kept me healthy and ready to go every single season.

I want to thank all the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee, especially Mark Gaughan whose due diligence for nine years got me here finally.

I want to thank Vic Carucci, thank you for your support and especially your friendship, and Jimmy Goldsmith and Steve Foster. I appreciate everything you guys have done and continue to do for me.

Finally, I want to talk about my own family. Starting with the first woman I ever loved in my life, who I ever fell in love with first. Cindy, we've been through a lot. It's tough being a football wife. You've had to deal with a lot of ego, a lot of push and pull. But through the whole thing, through the good and the bad, you were the rock of that family, and you continue to be the rock today. You gave us two great kids, and you were always there to hear my voice when it was needed. Today, you're in the Hall of Fame too.

My daughter, Auburn, as you try to find your way and peace in life within yourself, I want you to know how important you are to me. Life is full of ups and downs, peaks and valleys, but if you continue to live out your life, forget the past and go forward, there is definitely going to be a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. We're all in this together, babe. We love you, and we're proud of you.

My son, Andre, so compassionate, so respectful. I think he learned that from his mom, not me. I've watch you grow into a tremendous young man. Over the past four or five years you've shown me a lot about your character. Whatever you do in life, if you continue to work hard, it's attainable, definitely. I'm proud of you, bro'. I love you.

As I look back on my career, again, I see a small town kid with a dream of someday being great, making a difference in his community, and most of all, making his parents the proudest people on the planet.

Well, I'm here to say tonight I've done all three of those things, no more routes to run, no more passes to catch, no more DBs to beat. The journey is complete.

Dad, I can still feel that hand on my shoulder. Thank you, Allentown. Thank you Kutztown. Thank you Canton. And most of all, thank you Buffalo. I love you.

[Nickdfresh]

That's how much being inducted meant to that guy - because for a long time it was a sure bet he wasn't going to be...

LMFAO, I haven't been to that bar, the Big Tree, for about 23 years. I met Darryl Talley one night and was asked if I was related to a famous Hollywood director by one of his hot, female entourage...

[Nickdfresh]

Jim Kelly is in complete cancer remission and is apparently cancer free :)



Jim Kelly's fight against cancer just got even more inspiring

By: Chris Strauss August 21, 2014 9:23 am ET

In a week full of terrible front page headlines, this refreshing news was incredibly well timed.

The executive director of the New York Head and Neck Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan released a statement Wednesday that the former Buffalo Bills quarterback “has no evidence of the [sinus] cancer” that he had been receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatments for over the past three months.

Since taking his fight public following a recurrence of the disease in March, “Kelly Tough” has become an inspirational slogan for both his family and for thousands of other families who’ve gone through something similar. The willingness of Kelly’s wife Jill and daughter Erin to document the good, bad and the ugly of their struggle on social media has made plenty of people who’ve never met the man feel like they have a personal stake in his recovery.

As anyone who has watched someone close to them deal with a terminal illness knows, there’s a constant give and take between hoping and praying for the best but bracing yourself for the worst. When a tired but enthusiastic Kelly appeared at NFL Hall of Fame weekend several weeks ago, he had completed treatment and was waiting several weeks to take this week’s test. It was hard not to wonder if this was the final time we’d see him on stage in Canton.

After receiving the positive scan results, Jill Kelly was guardedly optimistic in an Instagram message Wednesday,

“We have come away from our checkup visit in NYC encouraged and hopeful,” she posted. “Preliminary scan results have necessitated the need for biopsies to be done in order to confirm what we hope to be true…that the cancer has been eradicated. We will not know the outcome until this procedure is completed. And so… We continue to PRAY, rejoice, live…wait and trust GOD who holds ALL things together.”

While Kelly has inspired so many people as a cancer patient, he stands to do so much more as a cancer survivor. State of mind is so incredibly important when dealing with a disease that saps your strength and constantly threatens your mortality.

If Kelly’s sheer presence as an example that there’s a potential positive ending can serve as some sort of motivation for the thousands of people who’ll face similarly grueling treatments, this great news affects so many more people than just him.

USA Today (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/jim-kelly-cancer-battle-winning-buffalo-bills)

[Nickdfresh]

Bon Jovi's Group's chances of buying the Bills is on "life support" after cancelling a Stadium tour this week. Sources have said it's Sabres' owner Terry Pegula's "to lose"...

[Nickdfresh]

Liquor store owners and breweries are rejoicing over the Bill's signing of Kyle Orton as "backup" QB...

[Nickdfresh]

Jim Kelly is in complete cancer remission and is apparently cancer free :)



USA Today (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/jim-kelly-cancer-battle-winning-buffalo-bills)


Kelly was confirmed cancer free after biopsies show he has beaten the disease.... :)

[VetteLS5]

Kelly was confirmed cancer free after biopsies show he has beaten the disease.... :)

In the spirit of Joan Rivers.... it's nice to see he could beat something when it counted.













Ok, that was in really poor taste. Glad he's ok.

[Nickdfresh]

In the spirit of Joan Rivers.... it's nice to see he could beat something when it counted.













Ok, that was in really poor taste. Glad he's ok.

LOL :D


In all seriousness, a few have said he should have died. I thought he was gone...

[Nickdfresh]

A national story brewing here.

Bills' coach Doug Marrone was in a big, somewhat public shouting match (that almost escalated into fisticuffs) with Bills' management including the GM Doug Whaley and team President Russ Brandon over personnel choices and the feeling that he isn't allowed to make the ultimate personnel choices. Marrone has apparently bad blood with the head of Bills' scouting from their time in New Orleans. I think there is weird shit coming out here, but not sure who is the bad guy here because the article I'm citing sounds a bit like the Bills releasing stuff to justify their firing of Marrone or something.

Part of this involves Marrone calling himself "Saint Doug": meaning to be sainted he needs to pull off two miracles, the first was winning in Syracuse. The other would be winning here. LOL As the Bills Turn... ;)

[Von Halen]

Bring back Marv Levy!

[Nickdfresh]

LOL They tried that already as GM :D

[Nickdfresh]

Current Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is buying the Buffalo Bills for cas$h: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2014/09/09/buffalo-bills-terry-pegula-purchase/15330821/

[VetteLS5]

That should make the unwashed masses happy. Moving a sports franchise out of an area does really have an impact on the whole attitude of a city. Buffalo is easy to bust on, but they are loyal fans.

[Nickdfresh]

It's a playoffs-on-crack atmosphere here today. They closed the RV parking area around the stadium for the first time ever a day before the game. Everywhere was packed last night up until now...

[Sensible Shoes]

God I wish I was home. :(

[Von Halen]

God I wish I was home. :(

Bandwagon fan!

[Sensible Shoes]

Jerk.

[Nickdfresh]

Kyle Orton is now the starting QB of the Bills!
http://img.pandawhale.com/post-34362-Kyle-Orton-Jack-Daniels-gif-ITjz.gif

[VetteLS5]

Kyle Orton is now the starting QB of the Bills!
http://img.pandawhale.com/post-34362-Kyle-Orton-Jack-Daniels-gif-ITjz.gif

My condolences.

[Nickdfresh]

Sammy Watkins: Ball comes out faster with Kyle Orton
Posted by Josh Alper on October 2, 2014, 7:08 AM EDT

The Bills handed the keys to the offense to quarterback Kyle Orton this week and it hasn’t taken long for Orton’s teammates to notice the differences from the way things ran with EJ Manuel.

Wide receivers Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins have both picked up on the new things that Orton brings to the table. Woods noted Orton’s “directness” and the way he tells the other members of the offense what to look for when they break the huddle and line up for the play. Watkins has noticed that as well and also pointed out some other ways that Orton’s experience has revealed itself during recent practices.

“We just had a different approach to practice. [Orton] demands what he wants out of us,” Watkins said, via ESPN.com. “He’s more of a veteran guy. The way he talked, the way he handles business, the way he looks at plays and breaks down defenses, it’s kind of different than EJ. He reads it quicker, the ball is coming out faster. That’s just some things that we have to adjust to.”

Orton wasn’t taking the bait when it came to questions about what he will do better than Manuel, but the comments from the wide receivers suggest that Orton’s going to be more advanced when it comes to reading defenses and more able to direct his younger teammates in the offense. Both should benefit the Bills as long as Orton’s physical abilities are up to snuff.

LINK (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/02/sammy-watkins-ball-comes-out-faster-with-kyle-orton/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs)

[Nickdfresh]

Kyle Orton – The Bills quiet warrior
http://billsmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/orton-wgrz.jpg
Bills quarterback Kyle Orton is a man of few words around the football field. But those who know him portray a deep and independent thinker fraught with conviction.

Bills quarterback Kyle Orton is not interested in talking about himself, but a former coach says he is one of the hardest working players he has ever coached, some who is committed to excellence and who will raise the level of play of those around him. Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
By Tim Graham | News Sports Reporter | @ByTimGraham | Google+

on October 25, 2014 - 11:28 PM

Of the NFL’s 32 starting quarterbacks, none is known less by his fan base than Kyle Orton.

Orton joined the Buffalo Bills eight days before the season began. As a backup the first four games, he wasn’t interviewed much. He hasn’t been too talkative since he took over for EJ Manuel three weeks ago either.

We can look at Orton’s statistics over the past decade to gain insight into the type of player he is. Bills fans have watched him turn the ball over too much, but also lead the offense on last-second victory drives in two of his three starts.

But what is he like as a person? What drives him? How is he wired? What matters to him?

Turns out he’s uninterested in discussing himself that way. He respectfully declined two interview requests this week. His father also declined to chat – as Orton predicted he would – but did recommend other people to contact. Orton’s marketing representative didn’t respond to an email.

When the man’s marketing agent doesn’t have anything to tell the media, then maybe there’s just not much to say.

“He’s a low-key guy,” said Joe Tiller, Orton’s coach at Purdue. “Some guys know where the camera is at all times. He couldn’t care less about that. He wants to play the game of football.”

That, however, is not what Orton is all about. Tiller also called him “an unusual cat” because of a philosophical mind rarely encountered in a locker room.

Anyone who has interacted with Orton on a significant level can attest he is a man of passionate convictions away from the field. He’s known as erudite, cultured and politically inspired. He’s an advocate for social causes and worker’s rights. He’s a deep thinker.

“I didn’t know what he was talking about half the time,” said Ron Turner, his offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears.

That’s where Orton is a paradox. He’s an unassuming athlete who’s tough for fans or the media to know, the opposite of former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Yet there are few athletes whose positions on the death penalty, abortion, the environment and labor are known and fewer yet who aspire to run for the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, like former Bills quarterback Jack Kemp.

Orton learned from his father. Byron Orton worked in Iowa state government for 30 years and served as its labor commissioner. Byron Orton enforced child labor laws, minimum wage and workplace safety.

Every night, the Orton family would watch Dan Rather anchor the “CBS Evening News” and discuss current events.

Now he’s the starting quarterback in one of America’s most unionized cities. Last year, 22.4 percent of Western New York’s workforce belonged to a union.

“His life is not just about football,” said Turner, now the head coach at Florida International University. “He’s a professional, so he works at his craft. He’ll work his butt off for it. He prepares. He makes everyone around him better.

“But he’s got other interests. He had some very strong opinions, well-founded opinions. Some guys say, ‘I think this.’ Well, why do you think so? ‘I don’t know. I just do.’

“That wasn’t Kyle. He would have reasons why he had his opinions and wasn’t shy to discuss them.”

The deep thinker

In many ways, Kyle Raymond Orton is no different than the average 31-year-old Midwesterner.

He has simpler interests such as trout fishing, golf and “Seinfeld.” He wouldn’t mind if his wardrobe consisted of nothing but classic rock ’n’ roll T-shirts, jeans and boots. He regrets the Purdue Pete mascot on his left shoulder because it was a waste of $100.

Google searches turn up photos of Orton enjoying nightlife and jokes about how much he resembles Uncle Rico, the pathetic quarterback wannabe from the film “Napoleon Dynamite.”

“He’s a regular guy,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said. “You can go in Buffalo and meet a guy with his personality anywhere, in a bar, in a bowling alley, in a poolroom or in a place where your family is.”

Orton clearly doesn’t like to talk about himself. He submits to the news conferences mandated by NFL media guidelines, his answers delivered in staccato style.

Teammates and coaches have raved about Orton’s professional drive since his college years.

“He’s extremely hard working,” Bills center and captain Eric Wood said. “There’s no player that puts in more hours at the facility than him, and it shows in his preparation and his play.

“He’s a fun guy to be around, cracks jokes from time to time. But he’s about the business and working hard, and he holds people accountable.”

Then there’s that other side of Orton, the one that orbits on a different plane than his peers.

He majored in history at Purdue and designed his own independent study on postwar liberalism. The framework for his coursework included 15 books about Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy.

The last time Orton spoke so readily about his political beliefs and goals was in 2004, when Purdue mounted a modest Heisman Trophy campaign for him. A New York Times headline called him “the thinking man’s passer.” The Chicago Tribune headline declared “Orton wants your vote” for Congress more than for the Heisman.

Congress “is definitely something that I want to do when I get older,” Orton told the New York Times. “I think I’d be good at it for the sole fact that I wouldn’t be a career politician.”

The 21-year-old Orton also addressed his unwillingness to seek the spotlight or to use his celebrity to push an agenda.

“I don’t think there’s any reason why a politician has to be fake,” Orton told the Chicago Tribune. “This is who I am. People have tried to change me, to make me more attractive to media, but this is how I’m going to say it.”

Asked on Thursday if remains as passionate about politics as he was back then, Orton replied, “Definitely.”

Then he walked away.

A man of convictions

In his 44 years of coaching, Tiller never had met a player like Orton before. In spite of their 40-year age difference, they became close. They connected on so many levels.

“We had great conversations, everything from life to romance to politics,” Tiller said from his home in Buffalo, Wyo., “They were the conversations you would have if he was your own son.

“I miss him. But, to tell you the truth, I miss the conversations also.”

Their relationship began in Tiller’s office. As the years passed, their chats would occur at their homes, sometimes “over a beverage for medicinal purposes,” as the retired coach put it.

Orton was vehemently against the Iraq war. Tiller, a staunch Republican and Bush supporter, said “I tried to turn him from the dark side.”

“Most young people are not that interested in politics,” Tiller said. “They want to know what microbrewery is opening in town and ‘How quickly can I get there?’ They grab a hold of a political cause, but it’s a fashionable thing for most young people.

“For him, it was serious. He’s the only player I’d have a conversation like that with. I’d occasionally have conversations about conservatism and liberalism and progressivism and any other kind of ism you’d want from socialism to communism.

“They’ve always been short conversations with a guy here or a guy there. For Kyle, it became a running dialogue between he and I.”

Put me in, coach

Orton naturally has been an influential member of the NFL Players Association. He was the Denver Broncos’ union steward and a strong league-wide voice during the 2011 lockout.

Orton’s late arrival didn’t prevent him from becoming one of the Bills’ three alternate union representatives.

“He was a union rep at the most pivotal time,” Wood said. “He played a big role.”

When NFL owners opted out of the previous collective-bargaining agreement, Orton was among those most affected.

He was about to become an unrestricted free agent, but a clause reduced his rights to restricted free agency. Rather than hit the open market, the Broncos retained him for a $2.62 million qualifying offer. Bills running back Fred Jackson was similarly affected.

So Orton likely felt no sympathy for management when he maneuvered his way off the Dallas Cowboys roster this summer.

Orton signed there in 2012 because he anticipated having a chance to start. Tony Romo had trouble staying healthy and battled inconsistency. But in Orton’s two seasons, Romo missed only one game, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones repeatedly backed Romo as the no-doubt starter.

“He’s competitive, and he wants to be on the field,” Tiller said. “If there’s anything that is not low-key about him, is he gets emotional when it comes to playing the game, which I think is a good quality.

“I always wondered about the guys that weren’t playing and didn’t care that they weren’t playing. That’s not him.”

Orton didn’t show up for offseason workouts, incurring $70,000 in fines. He suggested he might retire, a decision that would let the Cowboys recoup $3.25 million of his prorated signing bonus.

Right before Cowboys training camp was to begin, Orton announced he was going to show up. Now the Cowboys had a decision to make: Welcome back a quarterback who doesn’t want to be there and pay him a $3.25 million base salary in addition to any other bonuses, or release him.

Labor got what it wanted out of management.

Glowing record with Bears

Orton waited until training camp and all five preseason games were over before he signed a two-year contract with the Bills. They gave him a $3 million signing bonus, a $2.5 million base salary this season and $5.4 million next season.

The numbers belied that of a clear-cut backup. But the Bills reiterated their commitment to Manuel until it became clear they couldn’t compete effectively with the second-year quarterback.

When the Bills promoted Orton for their Week Five game against the Detroit Lions, it was just another example of Orton’s ability to survive.

“He just kind of hangs around with his blue-collar work ethic,” Tiller said. “He’s not supposed to be the guy, but he ends up being the guy.”

Orton shouldn’t have been Chicago’s starter as a 2005 rookie. He was a fourth-round draft choice, but Rex Grossman was injured and Chad Hutchinson wasn’t any good.

The Bears featured the NFL’s best scoring defense, and Orton managed them to a 10-5 record and a first-round playoff bye as their starter. He went 21-12 in his three years as Bears starter.

“He’s a winner,” Turner said. “It’s his intelligence and his willingness to work. He’ll study the game. He’ll know.

“When he started as a rookie, the guys in the locker room had a tremendous amount of respect for him because they saw how hard he worked. They saw him get in the huddle poised and calm, and he knew what he was doing.

“He earned his respect by being focused and doing his job.”

Perhaps Orton was too workmanlike.

Turner admitted that without flash, there always was a temptation to improve on Orton. The Bears traded him, two first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Broncos for Jay Cutler in April 2009.

“People are always looking for more,” Turner said. “In Chicago, we tried to get somebody bigger, stronger, more talented or whatever.”

Orton went 8-7 his first season in Denver, but 3-10 the next. With so much money tied up in Tim Tebow, the club made a change in 2011. Orton asked for his release and eventually got his wish in November.

The Kansas City Chiefs snagged him off waivers. He started their last three games, winning two. He led them to a victory over the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers and then beat Tebow and the Broncos to finish the year.

Orton signed with the Cowboys that offseason. He didn’t play a snap in 2012 and waited until last year’s regular-season finale to finally start for an injured Romo.

Orton completed 66 percent of his throws for 358 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Then it was time to move on.

“He’s never bitched about things,” Tiller said. “He just rolls his sleeves up and goes to work again.”

A worker’s mentality is what Orton wants to focus on.

And he’s satisfied to let his work speak for him.

email: tgraham@buffnews.com

The Buffalo News (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/kyle-orton-x2013-the-bills-quiet-warrior-20141025)

[TFM_Dale]

Nick has officially went gay for Window Licker Orton.

[Nickdfresh]

Yup. total mancrush. You can have your brainless choke artist in Stafford!!

[TFM_Dale]

Yup. total mancrush. You can have your brainless choke artist in Stafford!!

Might want to rethink that choke artist label buddy :bigwink: Go Lions!!!!!!

[Nickdfresh]

Might want to rethink that choke artist label buddy :bigwink: Go Lions!!!!!!

We'll see this weekend, won't we? :)

[Nickdfresh]

So, Kyle Orton told reporters he was just picking up his phat money-clip (the only thing left in his locker) and would be back after a meeting. He quit and drove out of town never to return to the NFL. "Saint" Doug Marrone (or Morron) has also quit, and speculation that ex-Bill QB and San Diego O-coordinator Frank Reich might be getting the job.

And Sabres future star and #1 draft pick Sam Rheinhart is lighting up the World Juniors and out playing Connor McDavid and Matthew Eckel... :)

[Nickdfresh]

Good luck to whomever hires "Saint" Doug Morron: http://m.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-jets-candidate-marrone-not-well-liked-bills-article-1.2064861

[twonabomber]

If he's as thin skinned as the article says, he's got no business interviewing for the Jets. The NYC fans and media would eat him alive.

Looks like Mike Pettine's gonna keep his job.

[Fairwrning]

Rex Ryan..ouch

[Nickdfresh]

yup. A hiring straight from the owners box as the current GM Doug Whaley had almost no input according to one reporter. Some shakeups coming to 1 Bills Drive...

[Nickdfresh]

The Buffalo Bills have set a single season record of about 55,000 season tickets and multi-game packages and may actually stop selling them. That means that three quarters of the stadium is season ticket holders...

[Nickdfresh]

Now if we only had a real QB. :)

[Von Halen]

Now if we only had a real QB. :)

If only you had a real city!

[Nickdfresh]

If only you had a real city!

Thanks guy from Detroit!

[Nickdfresh]

Bills just canned Sexxy Rexxy Ryan! Thank you baby Jesus!!

[Fairwrning]

And his brother..

[Nickdfresh]

And his brother..

They paid him under the table to get Rex's pot!

[Nickdfresh]

http://image.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/saints_impact/photo/rob2jpg-034077cb3e8f1013.jpg

[Nickdfresh]

The owners of the Bills and Sabres, Terry and Kim Pegula have cleaned house on both teams and hired Jason Botterill, formerly of the Pittsburgh Penguins as Ass't GM, as Sabres GM. The hired Brandon Beane as GM of the Bills yesterday largely due to his association at Carolina with Sean McDermott. Hopefully one of these teams makes the fucking playoffs....

[twonabomber]

Waiting until after the draft to fire the GM? The Browns aren't even that dysfunctional.

[Nickdfresh]

Waiting until after the draft to fire the GM? The Browns aren't even that dysfunctional.

LOL Someone had to get the coffee and make beer runs! :)

I think they wanted to use him since he had done some of the scouting, but it was on the wall that he was gone for a while now and that McDermott has all the power...

Whaley should have been gone after his Watkin's draft pick that was effectively two first round picks gone...

[Nickdfresh]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/134vVkHV9wQtaw/giphy.gif
Just getting ready for another Bills season...

[Nitro Express]

http://image.nola.com/home/nola-media/pgmain/img/saints_impact/photo/rob2jpg-034077cb3e8f1013.jpg

Is that Sammy Hagar on the left? Looks like him and he's got red swim trunks. Yup. That's the Red Rocker.

[Nitro Express]

Must be the prick's birthday bash down in Cabo. He's face down in Cabo sucking some Mexican bus boy's dick.

[Nickdfresh]

Is that Sammy Hagar on the left? Looks like him and he's got red swim trunks. Yup. That's the Red Rocker.

Somewhere, they're fucking up a Little-loop football defense...

[Nickdfresh]

17122

[Nickdfresh]

Well big day in the AFC East. Brady officially leaving the Pats and Buffalo trades for star receiver Stefan Diggs to form one of the best WR corps in the NFL (on paper)....

[Nickdfresh]

The new Buffalo Sabres Mafia fan logo:
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/161114272_10219626063704975_6294893374996491692_n. jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8631f5&_nc_ohc=2PV1LmL5U2kAX91Ro9u&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=96e77d8d7645bf949d073532c281e19e&oe=607BD8F0