Filed under: Brady Quinn, Buffalo Sports, News around Buffalo, idiots, linking it up | Tags: Really?
Too many things this week have made me say, “REALLY?!?”, so here’s a short list.
Really? 33 degrees? If my squash plants die it’s gonne get ugly ’round here.
REALLY? A key to the city? Impressively, I am more embarrassed by this move than any other Byron has made thus far. My favorite comment so far? – We’ve probably only got a few hours, then, until T.O. claims the key has some sort of secret collusion with another lock.
Really. $13,000 a day is a LOT. As much as I hate the whole, run away and cry about it thing, Golisano is as close to “I can’t blame him” as I’ve ever gotten. So as long as he leaves the Sabres here, I’m not going to complain.
REEEALLY? It’s okay to physically beat activists over the head with signs now (literally)? Take a note from Ghandi, you crazy West Senecans!
Filed under: Bills Obsession, linking it up | Tags: Buffalo Bills Offense, I'm into distribution, the New York Times can't do sports., Turk Schonert
Tangential sports reporters at the New York Times are skeptical that Turk Schonert’s “spread the ball around” philosophy will work with the Bills.
The same indignant comment could be made about the idea of finding ways to spread the ball around more, and my scouting eye wondered why Schonert would do this.
It’s odd that any sports reporter would question this philosophy, because just about every team that has won the Super Bowl recently has relied not on one particular offensive superstar to carry a team, but complete distribution of the ball, regardless of whether said team has one or more stars.
Check it:
Since 2000, every team that has won the Super Bowl has had their top three receivers separated by less than 400 yards, and their top two usually within 200 yards of each other, with notables like the 1999 St. Louis Rams (3 receivers within 300 yards of each other) and the 2006 Indianapolis Colts (top two receivers within 50 yards) hallmarked by extraordinary offense distribution. By comparison, teams that got close but lost (2003-4 Carolina Panthers, 2004-5 Philadelphia Eagles) had individual stars (Steve Smith, Terrell Owens, respectively) that were separated by 500+ yards from their second best receiver.
It’s not rocket science. The more players contributing to an offense, the more likely a team will be successful. The early ’90s Bills had Kelly, Reed, Thomas, Lofton, Metzelaars, Beebe and more contributing significant offensive numbers. Good teams have several good players getting good stats.
An individual superstar who you force the ball to can win you games, but to win it all, you gotta distribute the rock. If the Bills can successfully do so (and replacing Rock Hands Royal with a fast, young tight end) should lead to a successful year for the Bills.
Filed under: Bills Obsession
Since the Bills need a linebacker, it has been odd they have remained quiet on the free agent front for so long, and conspicuously did not draft an LB last month.
But Tim Graham tipped the world that the Bills are hosting a new FA linebacker with potential for the most polysyllabic jersey-stretching potential since London Fletcher-Baker added a hyphen and occupation to his name.
They’re hosting Pisa Tinoisamoa this week, the former Rams standout and all-time vowel holder.
Should the Bills sign this cat, they get a guy that, oddly enough, is the same kind of player Fletcher-Baker was, and one that would seriously fill gaps in the current LB corp. Tinoisamoa is a tackling machine, like F-B, and though undersized, was consistently effective and would shore up the weak side, where the Bills currently have the overmatched and under-spelled Keith Ellison.
Thus, I implore 289 to design a new fab four shirt with the Bills linebacking corp:
Pisa&
Kawika&
Corto& (or Costanzo& or DiGiorgio& but not Keith& cuz it’s boring)
Poz.
Filed under: Wow | Tags: braggadoccio, lawyer sports bloggers, WE ARE SO PROUD
Just a quick post to congratulate our resident female sports blogger, who is now our resident LAWYER blogger, which makes her far and away the most accomplished Duke of Awesome.
Congrats, pinkjerseyssuck, on passing the bar! Donte Whitner is now going to call you.
Filed under: Defence Mechanisms, Excessive violence, JIM KELLY = BADASS, Miami Sucks, Uncategorized | Tags: crazy sports fans, Defence Mechanisms, freud spelled it with a "c", painful memories
This continues a four part series on the way Buffalo fans, and Sports fans in general, cope with the ups, downs, and curveballs that inevitably come with the territory of making sports a priority in your life. Find Part one here.
Part two now addresses the “Level 2 Defence Mechanisms.”
Considered to some as the “teenage” mechanisms, the second level defences lessen distress and anxiety provoked by threatening people or by uncomfortable reality. In adults, however, they become annoyingly immature and out of touch with reality. This would, therefore, constitute your average participant in a Sunday morning tailgate.
These include:
1. Fantasy
Example: Truly believing that the no-huddle offense is what Edwards was born to do! He’’s the next Kelly! 15-1 Baby!
2. Projection
Definition: without becoming consciously aware of them, attributing one’s own unacknowledged unacceptable/unwanted thoughts and emotions to another. Wikipedia’s example includes “severe prejudice, severe jealousy, hypervigilance to external danger, and injustice collecting” Example: This embodies just about every Bills fan’s reaction to both the Dolphins (severe prejudice anyone?) and the Patriots (severe jealousy anyone?!?). As much as I want to pretend I’m not jealous and the Pats really are evil, let’s be serious. And some of you reading are thinking, “no, the Pats really are evil. They cheat. They suck. Blah blah.” It’s okay. Defense mechanisms are healthy.3. Hypochondriasis
Example: The tailgates at games in which the Bills are almost sure to lose always result in more arrests and hospitalizations. Look it up.
4. Passive aggression
Example(s): I’m pretty sure this could be a post in itself. But really, there is so much anger pent up at tailgate parties expressed in “savage brews” and playing “pass the charcoal” it’s ridiculous. The question is, who’s it supposed to be directed at? Ralph Wilson? The NFL? Scott Norwood? Whoever thought it was a good idea to but a thruway on the waterfront? Who knows. But it’s definitely inside us, expressing its ugly head every September.
5. “Acting out”
Example: the viral rumor that Ralph had died. Was this our collective subconscious, wishing for some sort of answers as to what will happen when he does kick the bucket? I am ashamed to say, it was both terrifying and exciting when I first heard the rumor. For those of you who frantically texted and facebooked away once you heard it- knowing full well it was only a rumor- perhaps you were acting out.
6. Idealization
Example: just about every player we have signed or drafted in the last 17 years. See, Fantasy, above
Parts 3 and 4 coming soon.
Filed under: Bills Obsession, Buffalo Bills, Hall of Awesome, Honorary Dukes | Tags: donte whitner, Facebook Athletes, Honorary Dukes, how to fix a bus
This just in from Facebook:
Donte Whitner is about to get another cell phone and call it the Fan Phone…as soon as I get it I’ll post the phone number on here…wont answer all the time but you guys can text and call me!!!! COOL?
Whitner, who really is active on Facebook, posted that today, and I’m hyper excited. This is how a star on a team really connects with his fans. I fully expect he’s going to get inundated with texts and calls and messages with little time to return them, but the effort is remarkable.
Whitner – our first current Duke of Awesome – is showing exactly how a player recovers his image after an unfortunate mistake.
Though realwiley asks: “although is he REALLY prepared to meet the fans? Things could get ugly if the team slides.”
I’d tend to agree, but Bills fans, for all their drunken hijinks, are incredibly loyal to their team:
UPDATE: Just to show he’s a good sport, this should be Donte’s voicemail message:
Filed under: Bills Obsession, Buffalo Bills, JIM KELLY = BADASS, engineering | Tags: Buffalo Bills No-Huddle Offense, Fred Jackson, Jim Kelly, K-Gun, OH MY GOD I'M EXCITED, Sam Wyche, Terrell Owens, Tim Graham
Tim Graham has a post today that should set any Bills fan who remembers the Super Bowl years shaking with excitement.
He forecasts the return of the no-huddle offense to Buffalo.
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.”
Wyche, of course, is Sam Wyche – the coach who installed the offense with the Boomer Esiason Bengals, who inspired the Kelly-years Bills to do the same.
With a glut of skill players and what looks like a potentially reborn offensive line (Hangartner roughly equals Hull?), it is entirely possible. The one potential weak link? QB Trent Edwards.
But the no-huddle offense plays directly into Edwards’ strengths – he’s a fast decision maker, a quick release, and he’s smart. In fact, when the Bills opened last year 4-0, the hallmarks of the offense – quick strike throws, up-tempo rushing – were incredibly similar to a no-huddle offense, just run with huddles. Imagine that offense with more playmakers and less time for the defense to recover.
I’m excited just thinking about it.
Need more convincing? Remember when the K-gun established itself:
Filed under: Bills Obsession | Tags: madden 10, ralph wilson stadium, we really aren't video game people, wii
As far as I know, the Dukes are not at all interested in playing Madden. Especially not on Wii (though I have one and it’s awesome for the most part, just not, you know, Madden). When I play video games, I want to do something that can’t be done in real life, and the Madden games got to the point where it was more simulation than fun – RBI Baseball, NBA Jam and TECMO Bowl were the sports game apex for me.
But for Madden 10, EA Sports is taking a slightly less realistic style in the Wii version – instead of being hyper realistic like on the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions, the less powerful Wii version will have a more cartoonish, stylized look.
To be perfectly honest, I could care less, though one image struck me – wouldn’t this stampeding buffalo scoreboard look BONKERS good at the Ralph?
Filed under: bitterness | Tags: Casablanca fit better than the Berlin Airlift, Favrian tears, Peter doing Bogart, Rex Ryan really should be the Nazi, SCREW BRETT FAVRE
EXT. HATTIESBURG AIRFIELD – NIGHT
A black Ford pickup truck with four doors, a lift kit, brush guard and giant tires wheels in front of a hangar. It is sparkling clean. PETER KING, REX RYAN, BRAD CHILDRESS and BRETT FAVRE emerge. MIKE FLORIO is standing at attention by a hangar door.
PETER: Rexy, have your men go with Mr. Childress and take care of his luggage.
REX: Certainly, Mr. King. [to FLORIO]Find Mr. Childress’ luggage and put it on the plane.
FLORIO: Yessir! [Exeunt]
PETER: [Hands REX official NFL release papers] If you don’t mind, you fill in the names, that’ll make it even more official.
REX: You think of everything, don’t you.
PETER: And the names are Mr. & Mr. Brett Favre.
BRETT: But, why my name, Peter?
PETER: Because you’re getting on that plane.
BRETT: But I don’t understand, what about. Hey, wait, did you say Mr. and Mr.?
PETER: Yes, but it’s not me – it’s Brad. I’m staying here with him until the plane gets safely away.
BRETT: No, Peter, no. I don’t know what’s happened to you but last night we said I wasn’t ga…
PETER: Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I’ve done a lot of it since then, and it all adds up to one thing: you’re getting on that plane with Brad where you belong.
BRETT: No, Peter, no…
PETER: Now, you’ve got to listen to me! You have any idea what you’d have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten, we’d both wind up naked in the mud together and contract swine flu. Isn’t that true, Louie?
REX: I’m afraid Commissioner Goodell would insist.
BRETT: You’re saying this only to make me go.
PETER: I’m saying it because it’s true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Brad. You’re part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
BRETT: But what about us?
PETER: We’ll always have Montclair. We didn’t have, we, we lost it until you came to Hattiesburg. We got it back last night.
BRETT: When I said I would never unretire…
PETER: And you never will. But I’ve got a job to do, too. Where I’m going, you can’t follow. What I’ve got to do, you can’t be any part of. Brett, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of coffee beans in this crazy world. Someday you’ll understand that. Now, now… Here’s looking at you kid.
[BRETT and BRAD board the plane departing for Minneapolis.]
FLORIO: Well, Peter, it might be a good idea for you to get out of Hattiesburg for a while.
PETER: I could use a good trip.
FLORIO: I could arrange for you to go back up to Boston – fly into Washington, then take the Acela. Maybe you’d like to see about switching to Sprint, too.
PETER: And it doesn’t make a difference about our bet – you still owe me a cup of coffee.
FLORIO: And it won’t be any coffee flavored water!
PETER: Florio, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Ralph Wilson’s daughter, Linda Bogdan, died today after a bout with cancer. She was 61.
Ralph Wilson has lived a long life, but it’s always sad to outlive a child.
Bogdan was one of two Wilson daughters involved with the Buffalo Bills, though she was the only one involved in football operations – Bogdan was the NFL’s first female scout.
We Dukes are saddened by her passing, especially to see someone as unpretentious yet pioneering as Bogdan was.
Her sister Christy Wilson Hoffman is a merchandising consultant with the team, and she is also survived by her other sister, Edith.
