Bruce and Ralph, Welcome to Football Immortality

-Coast

The Bills of the 1990s continue to get their due. Kelly, Thurman, Lofton, Marv and now Bruce and owner and founder Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Bruce Smith was a lock, a no doubt about it first ballot hall of famer. Ralph getting in this year came as a bit of a shock to me.

Bruce Smith: Defensive End, 1985-2003 (1985-1999 with the Bills)

• Bruce Smith is the best defensive end to have ever played in the National Football League. The Bills drafted him number one overall in 1985 out of Virginia Tech. From that day forward, the dude was a straight up beast. He amassed an NFL record 200 career sacks, 159.5 of which as a Bill. Excluding his rookie year, his final year as a Bill and his injury shortened '91 season, Smith had at least 10 sacks in every season. The Bills defensive line this year, as a unit, had 7 and as a defense had 22 total. Bruce had a career high 19 himself alone in 1990. Smith forced 43 fumbles in his career and eclipsed 100 tackles twice in his career. Aaron Schobel had 54 tackles in his best season. Bruce was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice, in 1990 and 1996. He made 11 pro bowls and 8 times was named a first team all pro. These are just staggering numbers. It begs the question...if Bruce suited up for the Bills right now, would he still be their best defensive end? Bruce Smith also played in 20 playoff games. In those games he had 14.5 sacks. He had the famous sack of Hostettler for a safety in super bowl XXV, although he gets criticized for this play for his failure to force a fumble. Bruce Smith could possibly be the best Bill of all time. He after all was the best player to ever play his position.

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., Bills founder and owner 1960-present

• I don't have much to say about Ralph Wilson...lately I know a lot of Bills fans, including myself, have been real fustrated with the decisions he has made. After all, he drove Bill Polian out of town, allowed AJ Smith to go, hired Tom Donahoe, left the football decisions to Russ Brandon, and retained Dick Jauron. But, in the grand scheme of things, Ralph has done a lot for this city. Without him, there would be no team here and never would have been probably. He brought football to Buffalo in 1960 and the team has been here since. Wilson's first choice ironically was Miami, who would later become the Bills biggest rival. Miami turned him down and finally on October 28, 1959, the Bills became the 7th AFL franchise. Wilson helped preserve the AFL before the merger by loaning money to the Oakland Raiders to keep them afloat. Ralph Wilson has done so much for the league and for the city of Buffalo, I just hope he finds a way to set something up so that the Bills remain in Buffalo after he passes away.

The Bills will represent 1/3 of the 2009 hall of fame class. The inductions are August 8, 2009 in Canton at 7 PM. I'll be there, no doubt about it.

Bruce and Ralph inducted

by Steve

Aug 8th, Saturday, be there. Wait did you know it costs money to be at the speech and shit? $28 for stadium seating and $60 for floor seats.. WTF am I lost cause I dont know it costs money to go to Canton or is it an outrage it costs so much. Who knows, I might be there, hopefully I am. The bills play the Titans in the first preseason game there also.

Bruce Smith is the greatest Bill of all time. Easy. Dude is and was a beast. Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce, wow I miss those days. A d-end people feared and had to game plan against. Rare. Hopefully we see a lot of 78's that day, myself included. But no one is shocked by him getting inducted, he was a lock. He does have the most sacks in NFL history...

Ralph C Wilson Jr getting in is a different story. The dude has never won a Super Bowl, he runs all his smart football minds out of town. He replaces them with cheap leftover scraps. He gave us the 90's so I'll take it. He has kept the team in town so I thank him for that. But is it so tough to just find a new owner once you die? Can we not just have some succession plans christ. I don't give a fuck about your ego. Get the ball rolling on a local investment group please. I beg of you. Congrats on getting in. Not exactly sure why though. Was it the merger? The Raiders loan? The sub mediocre product for 65% of the teams existence?

But hey, two Bills going in at once, woulda been insane if Andre got in. He deserved to, Buffalo deserved it, but I guess it was just Bob Hayes' time. Who ever the fuck that is.

Wait $28 ?!?? c'mon..


Buffalo to Canton
Estimated Time: 4 hours Estimated Distance: 234.30 miles

Lynch bowlin 'N other news

• Marshawn will be headed to the Pro Bowl Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is headed to Hawaii for the 2009 Pro Bowl. The second-year back will be replacing Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, who had to pull out of the game due to a high ankle sprain suffered in the Titans playoff loss to Baltimore on Jan. 12.
• Ex GB d-coordinator Bob Sanders has been brought as the Bills new d-line coach. Hopefully this dude eventually replaces Fewell, cause Fewell blows
• The Bills made a pair of future free agent signings Tuesday signing center Marvin Philip and receiver P.K. Sam.
• Greer wants to stay"I definitely want to get something done with Buffalo," said Greer, who will turn 27 next week. "It's a spot that I have so much appreciation for. I appreciate the opportunity that they gave me.

UB hoops continues to roll

UB won a close battle at MAC west rival western michigan 74-71 in a nail biter

why these games are not televised i'll never understand..

UB goes to 5-1 in the conference 13-5 overall. (5 straight wins in the MAC) and now has wins over three of the better teams in the conference.. This team might be for real.

don't forget they play on ESPN2 at home saturday at noon

Eye on the draft

Options @ eleven

chris brown:

Though the 2009 NFL draft is still three months away, the prospects at the Senior Bowl have kept draft talk on the front burner. The good news is at pick 11, Buffalo is virtually guaranteed to land an immediate impact player, and will likely have close to the pick of the litter at a few need positions.

There’s little debate that the Bills need a big boost for their pass rush. With a limited free agent market for pass rushing talent, the draft is the next logical place to turn. Often NFL teams have to grab a pass rusher early if they want an immediate impact, and after just 50 sacks over the last two seasons Buffalo has to address the need.

Fortunately in the pick 10 to 15 range it’s likely that two to three of the best candidates will still be on the board. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock believes teams in need of pass rush help in that range of the draft will benefit from some junior eligibles.

“(LSU’s) Tyson Jackson is a defensive end that could play in either scheme,” said Mayock. “At that level he’s a logical guy. Brian Orakpo is going to probably be a top 10 or 12 pick. Then you start getting into some of the underclassmen. I don’t think any of the other seniors are going to go that high as far as defensive ends.”

Mayock has Orakpo currently ranked as his best defensive end prospect followed by Florida State’s Everette Brown and then LSU’s Jackson.

In all likelihood the Seminoles’ Brown will be off the board not long after Orakpo, and likely followed by Jackson. Jackson isn’t the pure pass rusher that Orakpo or Brown are, but would be a powerful and disruptive presence at left defensive end and should be among the top 20 selections according to most draft “experts.”

Making the need for a pass rusher more interesting is the fact that San Francisco (10th pick), Washington (13th) and Houston (15th) are all looking to improve their pass rush as well. If some of these teams do not believe all of the aforementioned prospects are top 15 choices, jockeying for position on draft weekend could get very interesting.

A playmaking tight end is also an area the Bills would likely want to address at some point in the draft. Whether that comes at pick 11 is up for debate. If it is a position Buffalo wants filled early, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Pettigrew is widely considered the best all-around talent that the draft has to offer, and has put in some good work at the Senior Bowl this week.

“Brandon Pettigrew has just been dominant at the tight end position here,” said NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis. “He can run and catch. We watched him in a blocking drill and he won every rep that we saw. We saw three reps against high quality linebackers coming at him off the edge on the line of scrimmage and they played run blocking and pass blocking and all three situations that I saw it wasn’t even close. He also looked very good running. He was a lot more fluid than people might understand. When he runs I think he’ll surprise people with his 40 time. He’s the total package.”

Other top prospects at the tight end position after Pettigrew on Mayock’s list are Florida’s Cornelius Ingram, Rice’s James Casey, Wisconsin’s Travis Beckum and Missouri’s Chase Coffman, though none of these prospects are considered to be first-round possibilities by the so called draft “experts.”

Linebacker is another position where the Bills have a hole to fill. With Angelo Crowell an unrestricted free agent and still working his way back to full health, addressing that position in round one is not out of the question.

However, it would likely require Buffalo to trade down in round one to land a prospect of proper draft value. The only linebacker considered worthy of coming off the board in the top half of round one is Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry, who is expected by many to be a top five pick.

In the second half of round one a worthwhile outside linebacker prospect is USC’s Brian Cushing.

“Brian Cushing? Oh my,” said Mayock. “Is he going to be an outside linebacker on the strong side? He can play that. He can play inside linebacker in a 3-4. The kid is unafraid of anything, he’s very instinctive. I love the way he plays. He will light you up. To me his best football is ahead of him. When healthy he’s one of the top guys out there.”

“To me Brian Cushing is the prototype 4-3 SAM which means he’s a strong side linebacker, can play over the tight end, can set the edge, also has the ability to drop back in coverage,” said Davis. “A lot of teams think he can play the inside in a 3-4. Cushing provides scheme versatility because of what he can bring.”

Another candidate expected by the “experts” to come off the board in the second half of round one is Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis.

“Laurinaitis is one of the most consistent linebackers in the country,” said Mayock. “He’s instinctive, he’s smart, he’s tough and he doesn’t make major mistakes. I believe he could play all three positions in a 4-3. He’s not as explosive as Maualuga and doesn’t have as many big hits as some of the other big name guys, but what gets lost in that is his consistency. He’s durable, tough and smart and going to be a top level player.”

Obviously a lot will happen between now and the draft, most notably free agency, which will likely shift the priority of the positional needs for the Bills and the other NFL teams drafting around them in round one. But at 11, Buffalo is sitting in a good position to greatly improve their overall talent level.

UB hoops pwns?

by Steve

Can we say statement game? UB dismantled the top team in the MAC East today @ Miami (OH) 76-64. They controlled the game throughout. It was a joke. This could propel them to national prominence. Or at least respectability once again in the MAC. Any question yet as to whether the last year or so is the year of the University @ Buffalo?

UB is now alone in the MAc East at 4-1 and have already beaten both Miami and Ohio who are both tied for second at 3-2 in the division. UB is now 12-5 and the team is starting to gel nicely. Another great test will come Tuesday when UB goes at MAC West division leader Western Michigan. Rounding out the week, UB comes home Saturday for a match up vs Toledo at noon on ESPN2.

It is impossible to predict where the season is headed, but things are looking great right now. I left Reggie Witherspoon for dead after the last few years of futility. Then I gave the team another chance this season, well, because Uconn was coming to down. They didn't dissapoint. Well actually they did, losing a heart breaker they were winning for 30+ minutes.

See ya saturday at nooooooooooon

Sabres will be televised next week

I had a feeling these games wouldn't be blacked out, turns out I'm right. And it turns out the fans do have some say, if they complain enough

The Buffalo Sabres reached a deal today with MSG Network and the National Hockey League to televise four road games that were previously scheduled to be aired only on the radio.

Minority owner Larry Quinn struck a deal that calls for the Sabres and MSG to split the costs of having the NHL Network's feed during the upcoming four-game road trip to Edmonton, Calgary, Phoenix and Anaheim. The games will be aired on MSG or one of its alternate stations.

The decision to get the games on TV was, in part, a reaction to the backlash from fans. Sabres fans who have grown accustomed to watching every game were angry about them taking the road trip off of their TV schedule. The agreement was completed before the NHL board of governors meetings in Montreal as part of All-Star weekend.

"When you start looking at the All-Star break and the whole next week, without the Sabres out there for that long, was probably a mistake," Quinn said. "I'm glad that fans were mad that we weren't going to be on, and I'm glad that we're able to accommodate the fact that they have that much passion for it."

The Sabres initially had an agreement with MSG for 74 games, and four others were set to be televised on Versus. The team was looking to save money on production costs for the other four games that are played later in the evening and typically have a smaller audience.

Ralph busting moves

Halla, finally a personnel move that might make a difference

Orchard Park, NY - The Bills are dipping into their past, to beef up their scouting staff in the future. News 4 has learned that veteran NFL scout Buddy Nix is returning to the Bills, in the positon of National Scout.

Nix confirmed the appointment when we talked to him by phone, from his home in Tennessee. He spent eight years with the Bills as a scout and personnel expert, when John Butler was the team's general manager, and AJ Smith was the chief pro scout. When Butler and Smith left the Bills in 2001 for San Diego, Nix followed them West.

He eventually rose to the position of Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel with the Chargers, a position he held for five years. Nix stepped down from the job a year ago, after an apparent falling out with GM A.J. Smith.

Nix is 69-years old. He'll report to Bills VP of College Scouting Tom Modrak and act as a National Scout, looking over college talent.

LA stadium moving foward..

Not good for a few teams..

While Vikings officials hope their stadium issue will be addressed in the legislative session, they are keeping tabs on what is happening in California.

On Tuesday, voters in the small town of Industry approved a bond measure that would provide $150 million for infrastructure improvements at a 600-acre site where a stadium has been proposed. City officials must certify the plan. The goal is to lure an NFL team there.

"The Vikings are watching these developments with interest," said Lester Bagley, the team's vice president of public affairs and stadium development. "But we are currently focused on achieving a workable stadium plan to keep the Vikings here in Minnesota."

Billionaire real estate developer Ed Roski Jr. wants to build a privately financed $800 million stadium if a team agrees to move to Industry, 15 miles east of Los Angeles. The Vikings, whose Metrodome lease expires after the 2011 season, have been one of the teams mentioned as potential candidates for relocation. The Industry stadium would open in 2012.

The Vikings, who will push a plan to have a new venue on the site of the Metrodome, are last in the league in revenue. They were approached by Roski last summer, but owner Zygi Wilf turned down Roski's overtures to discuss moving the team. Wilf said last July that he wasn't "considering moving [the team]" and that "I'm not considering selling it."

More bullshit..

Voters approved a bond measure Tuesday that would provide $150 million for infrastructure improvements at a 600-acre site near Los Angeles where a stadium has been proposed to lure an NFL team.

Voters in Industry, a tiny town about 15 miles east of Los Angeles, passed the measure 60-1, though city officials have yet to certify the plan.

The results support a proposal by billionaire developer Ed Roski's Majestic Real Estate Co. to build an $800 million stadium if an NFL team agrees to move there.

Industry is hosting the latest in a long string of plans to bring an NFL team back to Los Angeles after the Rams and Raiders exited the nation's second-biggest market after the 1994 season.

The teams that could be targeted for a move include the Bills, the Jaguars, the Raiders, the Chargers, the Vikings, the Saints, the Rams, and the 49ers.

Sabres heating up

by Steve

Who would have thought just 3 games ago I'd be saying the Sabres are starting to come on, but they are starting to come on. Despite a stretch last week where the Sabres only scored 3 goals in 3 games and lost embarrassingly to the Blackhawks, the Sabres are now 7-2 in their last 9 games. True they're still teetering on the edge, as far as the playoffs go, they're 2 points out of 9th place and still 6 points out of 6th.

Much of the Sabres solid play the past two weeks can be directly attributed to one time punching bag Ryan :Millsie" Millers. He is 7-1 in his last 8 starts and has given up two goals or less in six of those games. Dude is finally bringing his play inline with his compensation.

Another spark plug for a team that has struggled to put the rubber in the cage is the playoff of oft injured weakling Tim "tin can" Connolly. True he only has 3 goals since returning to action Jan 9th but the dude is a force out there. He makes the other team account for him at all times, and is (barring an unforeseen injury) really starting to get his hockey legs back which could mean bad things for opposing defenses.

And not to over state one game, but the shootout thriller in Dallas last Thursday may be the one game everyone looks back at when this team is getting ready for the playoffs come April. They were down three nil in the second of two road games back to back. They got crushed by Soupy, Kane and co. and were looking primed to mail it in. They fought back and eventually won the game in a shootout that went 5 shooters deep.

Other than some injuries on the blue line the only other real concern at this point is the play of Vanek and Pominville. They have 1 goal combined in their last six games and haven't really done much. Pominville is in a much worse slump than Tom but neither is contributing lately.


Oh and as an aside it looks like three upcoming west coast games won't be televised locally. PHO EDM and CAL won't be on MSG. sssssssssshiat

Conference championship picks

Steve

Don't have time for a full analysis, but is anyone else sick of Birds yet? Oh and fuck the Steelers.

Ravens +6 @ Stillers
Of course I'm taking the Ravens. 6 points ? This game will be close.

Birds @ Birds +3.5

Take the Eagles, I couldn't stand it if the Cardinals actually got to the Super Bowl. How did like 20 other teams miss on Kurt Warner?

Bills Offseason, Part Deuce

-Coast

Let's break down what the Bills should do this offseason (not what they will do...but what they should do).

Let's face reality. This franchise is a complete joke from the owner on down. I still have not recovered from the Jauron decision...it will haunt me for the rest of my life. The Bills will never be good, ever, not with this owner...Wilson doesn't care about winning, if he did, it would have been a no brainer to fire the coach. He is going to die and the team may very well move...but in order for the Bills to ever be good, that is a chance we need to take.

The Bills biggest problem this year, outside of their head coach, was their pass rush. 24 sacks in 16 games is embarrassing. Aaron Schobel was hurt a lot of the year, but at $7.2 million, he is ridiculously overpaid. Chris Kelsay made $3.0 million last year. The fact that he is making above minimum wage is a joke. He had 2 sacks in 15 games. Ryan Denney actually made $3.2 million last year, more than Kelsay. He had 4 sacks. Both of these players are terrible and next year, Kelsay's salary will increase. If I was the GM, I would cut Kelsay without a doubt. I would keep Denney for depth purposes ONLY. In the first round I am drafting a defensive end, either Brown from FSU or Orakpu from Texas. Julius Peppers is unrestricted, I wouldn't mind bringing him in to check out the facilities, but let's face it, no legitimate free agent is going to want to come here, why would you?

The biggest issue this offseason will be the Jason Peters saga. Peters was only the 11th highest paid player on the team last year. I would have held out if I was him. Yeah, he may not have been as good in 2008 as he was in 2007, but he is still an elite left tackle, and losing him would be a disaster. It would make left tackle a huge need. Peters was the third highest paid player on our offensive line and actually makes less money than Roscoe Parrish and Spencer Johnson...those two players made huge impacts let me tell you (I would strongly consider releasing Spencer Johnson at that salary because of his lack of productivity, he had 2 sacks and 20 tackles this season). The Bills need to restructure Peters' contract and pay him Walter Jones money if they have to. Getting rid of Chris Kelsay and Spencer Johnson would help free up some room.

Robert Royal and his $1.8 million can take a hike as well. He has been a terrible player for three seasons and I, along with everyone else, has seen enough. What a bum he is. 33 catches for 351 yards and ten bonehead plays per year aren't worth jack. The Bills need a legitimate tight end. I would make a serious play for Tony Gonzalez...or draft a TE on day one. The Bills can get the same production out of Fine and Schoumann as they did out of Royal, without the blocks in the back and the fumbles and the 3 foot long leap out of the back of the end zone. I would cut Royal in a heart beat.

The Bills screwed themselves with this offensive line. Dockery and Langston walker made $5 million each last year. I don't think releasing either of these two will be in order, but God, what bad contracts. The Bills are in desperate need for a center. Matt Birk from Minnesota is a UFA, a veteran former pro bowler would be a great addition to this young team at the center position, but again, why would he want to waste the final years of his career playing for a pathetic franchise? I would try and bring him in, or else I would make something happen as early as round two of the draft. Melvin Fowler, Duke Preston and Jason Whittle would not be on my roster next season, no questions asked.

The Bills have many other needs as well. The number two receiver position is still up in the air. Hardy needs surgery and could miss training camp and the beginning of the season...he might be a bust. Reed is a slot guy. The Bills don't get the ball to Parrish. Is Steve Johnson the guy that is going to fill this void? I sure hope so. Also, the Bills need a safety. KO Simpson isn't the answer and Whitner is an average starting safety at best. Bryan Scott is OK, but not a game changer. Finally, the wild card here is OLB. If the Bills somehow bring Crowell back, which won't happen, they would be set at their starting line backer position. When they don't, OLB will become a pressing need that may need to be addressed in the first round of the draft. Keith Ellison just cannot see the field in 2009 on anything except special teams.

More to come...

Buffalo Bills offseason part 1

by Steve

It has been a few weeks since we all learned the horrific news that Richard will be returning. And although I am not ready to move on or brush that sad fact a side, I do have to move on in the offseason. Quick quip before I give you my players that need not bother trying to keep their parking space at RWS; since 1970 only 32% of new hire coaches had a winning record in the NFL their first season.

Unrestricted free agents:
Melvin Fowler, Angelo Crowell, Jason Whittle, Losman, Jabari Greer

Restricted
John Digiorgio, Keith Ellison

Players who played a prominent role that I want to keep as depth and nothing more:
Keith Ellison
Justin Jenkins
George Wilson (special teams maybe other than that peace out)
Dustin Fox (I guess for deep depth)

Bring Back Angelo Crowell if he is 100% healthy and is willing to come back relatively cheaply, but I doubt he will. Not sure about Whittle but I wouldn't mind bringing him back for depth. Greer will get paid big time ala Jim Leonhard.

Players I want cut:
Jon Corto
Blake Costanzo
Ryan Denney
Bruce Hall
Ryan Lindell
Chris Kelsay
Corey McIntyre
Corey Mace
Robert Royal


Players Who I would invite to camp and seriously consider replacing
George Wilson
John Wendling
Jonathan Stupar
Ko Simpson
Jonathan and Bryan Scott (Bryan is probably safe)
Roscoe Parrish (we're probably stuck with him so our piece of shit coordinator Schounert needs to actually use him in the god damn fuckin offense.)
Xavier Oman
Ryan Neil
Teddy Lehman
Copeland Bryan
Gibran Hamdan

Players that need to be brought back
Alvin Bowen
Fred Jackson (exclusive rights RFA)
Darian Barnes
Ashton Youboty
John McCargo
Chris Ellis
James Hardy

Anyone else not mentioned is safe or safely under contract. OBD you know my demands.. get crackin'.

Buffalo's #1 overalls

Not sure why it took two years to get these two legends together but we finally have a photo..




















Here's the write up from ESPN

Divisional Round preview

by Steve

Baltimore @ Tenn(-3) o/u 34
4:35pm Saturday

These two teams are about as boring as dirt. If you like defense and a bunch of terrible offense sit back pop open a 'weiser and get your football on. Really the only bet here is the under. Unless you are sold on Hansworth and co dismantling a rookie QB who will certainly make mistakes today.

Baltimore has a shit load of momentum Tenn was kind of smoke and mirrors and has been sitting around for a while. That is why I wouldn't really go with either team. My bet is under 34, they played in week 6 and the total was 23 and that was in warm conditions.


Cardinals @ Panthers (-10) o/u 49
8:20pm Saturday

Ten?!? I guess everyone knows Arizona can't come out east and play. I just hope you bet on them last week. That was easy money. This week I am still hesitant to say the Panthers are a definitive lock. Kurt "the whiley veteran" Warner is a big factor here. He's won playoff games, he's won a Super Bowl, it is nearly conceivable he could win today.

They played each other in week 7 and AZ lost by only 4 27-23 @ Carolina. With that in mind, I'm thinking 6 point teaser. Take the cardinals +16 and under 55. These teams will be a bit more tight. Not a whole lot of chucking the ball around early on.

In fact if I were a betting man I would seriously consider the cards at +10. They shut down Michael Turner when everyone thought he'd steam roll them and that is the only thing the Panthers have going for them. They can run and they have Steve Smith. DRC should give him a good run for his money, you contain the run put some pressure on Delhomme and this game could get out of hand. The Panthers are not a team that can play well from behind.


Eagles @ Giants (-4) o/u 39
1:00 sunday

Four seems small. It must be the love affair everyone is having with the Eagles. The Giants aren't getting any respect here. Well, they are without Plax, and are playing one of the hottest teams in football.

The Eagles just won in Giants New Jersey stadium on Dec 7 20-14. Now the Eagles may have needed it more but the game still meant something for the G-men. The real wild cards here are Andy Reid and possibly the best player in the league Brian Westbrook. If the Eagles don't make mistakes early, don't pass on every down and don't bench McNabb they'll win or at least cover.

I just can't see Eli winning back to back Super Bowls. I hate him. Whatever, look for a shootout and whatever team's defense makes the most plays wins this one. Eagles +4



Chargers @ Steelers (-6) o/u 37.5
4:40pm Sunday

Turn the private Jet around, hand in your jersey Bill Riviera and start planning for next year. This team's "magical 9-8 season" is about to end. How they won last week is still a mystery to me. How they were granted a home playoff game is a mystery to me. How this line is only 6 is a mystery to me.

All reports I am getting out of shitsburgh is that LDT aint playing. So that means that little piece of shit midget Sproules will be scooting all over the field. God I hate him. Rivers is a good QB but I just don't like his chances Sunday.

The only concern potentially is Benjamin's dome piece. But we all know he has had worse concussions than that WITHOUT a helmet on. Stay away from the over under unless you think SD will show up. Lay the points take Pitt.

Brian Roloff ballin

Local kid Brian Roloff, a junior foward for the Vermont hockey team is getting major run for tying their game vs BC with 1 second left. It was in ESPN's top ten and is one to remember. Here's the video..

College footbal suxxxxx

by Steve

OK, let me get this straight. Florida, a team with zero impressive wins, beats an overrated Alabama team and "earns" a birth in the BCS Championship. Mean while, Texas, who beat Oklahoma on a neutral field and has the same number of defeats as Okla, has to settle for runner up to the title game? Ohhhh buttt uhhh it is the BIG 12's problem cause of their tie breakers..

Give me a fuckin break.. I'm not going to delude my self or anyone else into thinking the MAC is real college football. But give me a god damn break. If I was a Utah fan I would be sending out death threats..

If you watched the game tonight you know Florida is a joke and got lucky. Tim Tebow is a "great" college football QB but his talents do not translate into the pro game. Basically he is garbage, Fuck 'em. Wowwwww I hope you had the under tonight..

Bottom line give me a 6+ team playoff, no one knows what bowl is what any more cause they are all named after rental cars, potato chips, or insurance companies. Don't give me the fucking tradition card. Don't give me the money card cause more money is to be made, and don't give me the "students" card cause obviously no one cares about them..

Bottom line it is the ol' boys club, don't fuck with us, don't change our ways, we win, you lose. Just like everything else in America...

Sabres starting to roll

by Steve

At least one team doesn't bite right now. (you'd get it if you watched the game) The 'bres hung around long enough to hold on for a victory against their division rivals, the Senators, tonight at home 4-2 after a Vanek empty netter. It is after all officially now Sabres season so lets take a gander..

Quick run down of the game..

• Chris err Matt Ellis is starting to ball. Dude has 3 goals in his last 2 games and will be tough to sit when Connolly allegedly comes back this weekend.
• Millsie was his typical self. Gave up a weak goal, made a big save in the third, looked shakey at times, and kept the Sabres ahead for the entirety of the match.
• Roysie put up 3 points with 1 goal that was graciously kicked in by an Ottawa defeseman during a scrum in front of Auld.
• Andrew Peters got bit by Ruutu through his glove right on the right thumb. Hahahaha
• Pominville was once again left off the score sheet
• Stafford is starting to look like the player many thought he would be heading into the season. Since the beginning of December(17 games ) he has 15 points and 6 goals.

The Sabres are starting to get health. This is certainly going to create some tough decisions for Ruff, Darc/quinny. Will Butler sit? What is Teppo's role on this team.. He is a minus player with 1 power play point and he is on like half the time during power plays. When will Kotalik or Max be moved? My guess is Sekera will sit because he hasn't shown me enough to keep playing above Butler.

9 of their next 11 games are on the road including a tough west coast swing. They play home vs the Rangers friday then @ DET Saturday. We will soon see if this 3 game winning streak is just a blip or a longer term trend.

Colt McCoy's sister is hot

by Steve

Damn Colt McCoy's sister is hot. Unfortunately there isn't much info about her right now on the intrawebz. However with all the run she got in the Toastito's Bowl Chips Fiesta, much more will be coming out shortly I'm sure. Oh yea, that reminds me. There was a game between Ohio State and Texas.

Did anyone win money on this game?!?! Anyone?? Teasers lose, Texas lost, the over lost, damn. I guess if you're an idiot and took OSU then you won money. Buy did anyone foolishly do something like that? I mean we all knew OSU wasn't gonna win. It was just going to come down to their defense in the 4th quarter. Would they give up or would they keep the game tight. I bet wrong.

Don't say ohh ohhhh that wasn't a first down with 30 seconds left. It clearly was a first down. The only thing any buckeye fan should be pissed about is not the miffed tackle by the safety but rather what kind of defense was on the field for that play? True it was pretty bang bang quick out and he was in the endzone but how are you not laying back a bit more? Sweatervest blew this one.

Oh and is this the best picture of lil' sis Colt we got?

Get to know your Buffalo Bulls Davote Shannon

by Steve

Davonte Shannon

Dude has been so good this year even Turner Gill is surprised by how much of a beast this true sophomore is. Not only has this balla of a strong safety stood out to his peers and coaches, he has stood on in the whole conference. He was the first player in UB history to be named First Team in the MAC as a true freshman. Oh yeah, he repeated as a first teamer again this year.

The dude just makes tackles. He is the first player in UB history to record 100+ tackles in back to back seasons. Donte Whitner who? The Jeannette, PA stand out hails from the same high school as Terrel Pryor, one of the higher touted prospects on last years signing day. The real question is how did this dude slip to the lowly University at Buffalo? People in the Big East should loser their jobs for missing on a player of Shannon's abilities.

At 6'0 there is zero doubt the dude has the size to ball on Sundays. Look for the hype machine to be ramped up a bit more next year as he is still a true sophomore. Already, NFL Draft scout.com has him rated #5 out of 88 strong safeties in the 2011 draft.

Positives: most tackles in the nation for a freshman in 2007, 4.49 40, first UB player to ever have 20+ tackles in a game

Negatives: too much hype, wait is that negative? Likes Superman.

Honorary mention of players that should/will be profiled when UB returns to a bowl game next year:
Domonic Cook, Mike Newton, Ernest Jackson, Brandon Thermilus, Brett Hamlin,. (Adekunle Akingba stepped up big time in the MAC Championship)

Get to know your Buffalo Bulls Naaman Roosevelt

by Steve

Naaman Roosevelt exploded onto the scene in 2008. He emerged as a legit #1 receiver and Drew Willy's favorite target. Not only did he nearly double his catches and receiving yards from 2007 (96 catches 1312 yards in 2008) he nearly quadrupled his touchdowns (13).

The St Joe's product was Turner Gill's number one priority when he took over the head coaching job in 2006. He was a raw dog coming out of prep school and was converted as yet another quarterback to wide out this time. He was only the second WR in UB history to gain 1,000+ receiving yards and has scouts turning heads.

He set a Western New York record by throwing 35 touchdown passes in just 10 games in high school and Gill knew he had a hard on for him. Moving to WR might be the greatest thing to happen to Roosevelt, a kid that grew up in Buffalo. He is currently ranked 30th of 333 WRs by NFL Draft scout. With a game to go Naaman has blown by former UB standout Drew Haddad's records for receptions and yards in a season.

Positives: 4.53 40, he is only a Junior, caught the hail mary pass against Temple, has 5 times more receiving yards than any receiver on the Huskies, didn’t crack the preseason top-50 but closed well inside the top 20.

Negatives: height 6'0, weight 187 however many have done a lot with less

Too early to predict his future draft prospects as he has exploded this year.

Get to know your Buffalo Bulls James Starks

by Steve

He's a beast, he's a dog, he's a motherf**kin problem. Junior running back James Starks has blossomed in 2008 after showing much promise as a sophomore last season. Originally this dude was brought in as a Quarterback the same season as Drew Willy.

Fortunately for UB he failed to grasp the playbook and struggled as a quarterback in Division 1 college football. He was redshirted. Step in Turner Gill, and boom, you have a future NFL stud. At 6'3 the dude has the size of a real force. He is showing it in the MAC conference and soon will show his capabilities on Sundays.

A balla comin out of Niagara Falls in 2005, Starks career has changed dramatically from his humble beginning under former Coach Hofher. Heading into the international bowl Starks has over 1,300 yards rushing and 15 tds. Not only as a force in the backfield, but James can make plays split wide. He has 41 catches and 300+ yards receiving. Dude is versatile. Kiper already has him slated for the late 1st or 2nd rounds of the 2010 draft!

Positives: Local product, changed positions as a redshirted freshman, first back to back 1,000 yard rushers in school history, improves as the season progresses.

Negatives: After going bust as a QB was moved to the secondary, 4.59 40, missed 2 games this season thus hurting his numbers.

Pro Prospects:
NFL Draft Scout has him rated 13 out of 188
Still only a Junior but Kiper has him in the early 2nd round in 2010.

Get to know your Buffalo Bulls Drew Willy

by Steve

This is my preview for the International Bowl. Since the Big East sucks, and I have no respect for the Huskies I'm just going to break down each important player on the Buffalo Bulls. The Bulls are getting 6.5 and will easily cover that. In fact I am predicting them to win 31-24. Here is my player break down... First Drew Willy.

Drew Willy has turned it on in 2008. At 6'3 214 he has the size to be a real NFL QB. He won't get a shot for at least 2 years but I digress.

He started 8 games as a true freshman back 2005. He was successfully recruited by Turner Gill's predecessor Jim Hofher. What a fricken steal! Not only is he the most successful QB in Bulls history but he may be the best player in Bulls history. (Until Starks pwns next year)

In Drew's last three years he has thrown a combined 17 interceptions in 33 games. Dude doesn't like to turn the ball over. This year he has 25 touchdown passes and is more poised in the pocket than any Bills quarterback since Kelly.

Pluses: Com major, runs a 4.79 40,semifinalist for the Johnny Unitas "Golden Arm" award, led his team to the teams first Bowl appearance and first Mac Championship

Negatives : He hails from New Jersey, is a Senior and will be leaving, he's #17.

Pro prospects:
Walterfootball has him rated the 19th best quarterback and slated for a 7th round draft pick.
NFLdraftdog has him ranked 16th
Todd McShay has Willy the 10th ranked qb as of 12/22/08
ESPN.com has him ranked the 143rd best prospect in the draft

Ko-J Simpson arrested

per pft

Whats more it is really embarrassing..

The New Year truly hasn’t started until an NFL player has been arrested.

And so, thanks to Bills safety Ko Simpson, 2009 officially has begun.

Early Thursday, Simpson was charged with hindering a police investigation. Per the Rock Hill Herald (via SportingNews.com), Simpson was a passenger in a car that had been stopped for speeding through a parking lot by police investigating a possible assault at a bar.

Simpson began arguing with police and refused to leave the area, repeatedly saying, “I’m Ko Simpson with the Buffalo Bills. I am worth millions!”

Actually, Simpson is worth perhaps hundreds of thousands, assuming he hasn’t pissed most of the money away. Selected in round four of the 2006 draft, Simpson’s base salary in 2008 was only $445,000.

Day(s) to Digest

-Coast

I have had a chance to reflect on this decision to keep Jauron a day after the worst moment in my life as a Bills fan and I am still in shock and disbelief. Ralph Wilson completely disregarded the public sentiment with this decision. 90 percent of people in a recent poll said to get rid of Jauron. The Broncos canned Shanahan in a move that would cost them $20 million. Our owner can't give up $5 million to get rid of a failure of a coach. What else can be said but Ralph Wilson completely doesn't care about the fans, about winning or about anything else really. He doesn't care about keeping this team in Buffalo. The countdown is on till his death and the movement of the team out of Buffalo. He is the number one problem. He failed by hiring Levy, a guy with zero experience as a general manager. That is what started this entire thing. Levy hired Jauron, a guy he was familar with and someone he thought reminded him of himself. Jauron is a collassal failure as a head coach, we all know that. Who is ultimately to blame? Ralph Wilson himself.

We have had some of the best personnel people in the business working for this team over the years. Arguably the best GM in the league, Bill Polian, was fired by Ralph. Polian does nothing but win. Ralph didn't like him or they didn't see eye to eye, so he got canned. AJ Smith was on staff, but we didn't offer him the GM job when Butler left. Smith left with Butler and has had nothing but success in San Diego. Instead, we hire Tom Donahoe who was a failure. Marv Levy was a failure, and Russ Brandon, who had his big shot to make a splash and fire Jauron, is a failure as well. You had to expect that though, Brandon is not a football guy, he is a marketing guy.

Wilson's statement is like a slap in the face. He talks about understanding the fans fustrations, but he says he wants to keep continuity in tact. He doesn't understand the fans fustrations, trust me. Every single person I know was borderline suicidal when we got the news that he was coming back. I was in complete shock. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the past three years with Jauron.

In 2006, the Bills went 7-9. The Bills choked away the first game Dick Jauron coached vs. New England as a sign of things to come. Jauron is a wimpy coach, he always will be. He punted against Houston with 2:25 left down by 4 (yeah, just because he got lucky because Houston sucks, it doesn't mean it wasn't a terrible move). Everyone remembers the infamous Chargers game. At the end of the first half, the Bills punted with 1:04 left. So what? Well, there was 25 seconds left on the play clock. San Diego scored with 29 seconds left. Then, early in the 4th Jauron lost me completely forever. With 13:19 to go, down 3, the Bills used their first timeout. Then this: The Bills challenged an incomplete pass call with 11:56 to go. They called a timeout before the challenge and then proceeded to lose the challenge. Please fine one other time this has ever happened in NFL history. 3 timeouts in the first 3 minutes of the 4th quarter in a 3 point football game. The Chargers went on an 8:01 drive to cement the game on their next drive. Then there was the Titans game. Complete lack of game management on full display. You need to know without hesitation what yard line you need to get to in order to attempt a field goal at the end of the game. We had no clue at all.

Things didn't improve in 2007. The Bills once again choked away an opening day conference game against Denver. Obviously everyone remembers the Dallas game. I think it was the Dallas game which brought to light how bad Jauron really was for many people. I knew after the Chargers game in 2006 I was done with Jauron, but for many people, this was the moment. Not covering the sideline at the end of the game is a fireable offense in itself. Then of course the 56-10 drubbing on national TV against New England. The Pats outscored the BIlls 94-17 in two games. Finally, the shutout loss at Cleveland. On a day when passing was nearly impossible, the Bills went for a 4th and 10 plus in the first half from the 23 yard line. The play had no chance. Later, on the same side of the field, Phil Dawson drilled a 49 yard field goal.

2008 really needs to discussion...everyone watched the games and knows how pathetic he was. The Bills had a complete lack of enthusiasm and zero confidence once the losing streak began. This can be attributed to the coach. The New England game was absolutely pathetic. The end of the Browns game was inexcusable. Scoring 3 points at home against the 49ers and Dolphins, again is inexcusable. Getting shut out at home vs. New England...again, 6 points in three home games. The list is infinite.

Everyone knows my opinion, so let's just look at the simple facts. The most important football games are played in December. The Bills in three years under Jauron are 5-9 in December. They lost their final 2 games in 2006, their final 3 in 2007 and 4 of their final 5 in 2008. The Bills did not perform when it mattered most, not even close.

The Bills have only beaten 2 teams that finished a season with a winning record. One was the obviously overrated Jets in 2006 who won 10 games because of an easy schedule. The other was Washington in 2007, 4 days after the passing of Sean Taylor. The combined record of all the teams the Bills have beaten in Jaurons tenure is a staggering 115-221. This is a winning percentage of .342.

Obviously, in order to win the division, you need to go through New England. Ever since that opening day collapse in 2006, Jauron hasn't even come close in going 0-6.

I could go on forever, but if you think about it, Dick Jauron has zero good qualities. The fact that the players like him is embarrassing. Jauron is an easy coach. He has easy training camps. The team practices inside in the winter. The team probably doesn't wear pads in practice as much as other teams. God it makes me sick. Our only hope is he receives enough hate mail and death threats to cause him to quit and move away.

Rose Bowl sucked

by Steve

Hopefully Brent and Herbie's boners have gone down.. the Rose Bowl is over. As per seemingly every friggen big bowl game between a warm city and a cold city played in ideal conditions it was a blow out. Everyone says the SEC Big 12 and Pac 10 are just superior conferences. Did anyone ever think it might be the northern teams have to travel farther and in conditions they are not necessarily used to?

According to the play by play guys USC has one of the greatest defenses in the history of college football. I guess the greatest defenses and supposed national champion caliber teams give up 17 points in the second half and get outscored. The final was 38-24 and might not have been as close as it seems. Or was it...

I just hope you had the Trojans and the over cause those were both obvious locks. But anyone who had money on this game had to be nervous when, with 40+ seconds left the Trojans attempted to punt from about mid field and the ball went sailing over the punters head. Immediately I thought, shit, back door covered. Then I thought maybe Vegas fixed the game and was about to make crazy bank since the money was going on the Trojans. But in the end I lucked out and USC covered. But I digress.

Basically USC isn't one of the greatest teams ever. They lost to an average Oregon State team and don't deserve to play in the National Championship. They played a team with a coach who is so old he can't even stand on the sidelines and they don't even have to recruit cause players come to them.

The Big 12 has had a superior season and probably deserves both teams from the conference to play in the Championship. Whatever, the whole system is stupid any way. There should be a playoff. But just don't compare this team to the 2004 Auburn team that went undefeated and were blocked from playing for the title.

Oh and note to Keyshawn.. STFU. Stop saying we. You were a decent player for a decade who was always a primadona and not worthy of the #1 overall pick.


And completely off topic. How was Stafford not awarded a goal in the 3rd period??!??