The BUFFALO Sports Bar

[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*

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