I only saw the highlights on NBC, but that looked like a really painful way to lose.

hey! this is OUR thread. Only WE may bump it

I'm fine with the Broncos thread being bumped by whomever.

you really need to install that sarcasm font

I'm actually used to these games now.

Very entertaining.

so at this point, Bon Jovi only wins this bid with the league making backroom deals, yeah?

Wild conspiracy theory that makes me nervous (but, hey, I was nervous anyways): once Brady really, really breaks down, Coach Bill lets his contract with the Pats lapse so he can work for his friend Bon Jovi.

one thing has to happen first and with all the toxicity involved with Bon Jovi and Buffalo, there is no way he wins the bid here without major public blowback. Also, Senator Chuck Schumer pretty much told the NFL to "not start this fight" by allowing an owner to buy the team who is likely to move them. Its pretty much "shots fired" from a government standpoint. They are essentially saying "take the only team in NY out of NY and we will start looking into these concussions more and reconsider your tax exemptions"

They should be looking into those things whether the Bills are being moved or not.

i actually hope they trade Spiller.

well yeah, but they aren't right now because congress

why? because they didn't extend his best kick out blocker in Levitre and his production suffered as a result?

i give way more credit to Chan Gailey than to Levitre.

if you're not going to use what you got, get rid of it. the Bills blocking now may be more advantageous to the pass game...doesn't mean you shouldn't use a dynamic talent like Spiller a lot more. plus, he's terrible at blocking and can only hit gaping holes. could still net a high round for him.

Fred is getting old but i actually like Brown and Dixon.

I have a feeling that he wasn't utilized because of the ankle injury he went into the season with; His whole game is making cuts at the right time. I can't be for sure, but from the sounds of training camp, there is a new system in place and considering Watkins is in the mix, I'd watch for CJ and Bryce Brown being used in a lot of swing plays and screens

and that would be very exciting. i just don't have a lot of faith in Hackett.

it's amazing how much talent this team has. or am i just being a typical fan and this team is just average??

no, a lot of people like their depth on both sides of the ball. EJ taking a step forward is the only thing holding them back at this point

you think he has what it takes? i think if he stays healthy this season he definitely will show a lot of improvement. i don't put a whole lot into that first preseason game, even if he was staring down receivers and those batted balls.

if Mike Williams didn't jump too soon, that would've been a TD and nobody would think much about EJ's night vs one of the better D-lines (especially when it comes to swatting balls). I think he has the potential to be a good starter, but his decision making is kinda poor (balls thrown and his decision to not go out of bounds against the Browns last season). He should get better with time and I think the team could make the playoffs with him at the helm. Aside from the one Jets game last season, I liked a lot of what I saw from him, especially against the Panthers.

i know it's 'only preseason'...

but man, EJ looks scared out there. offense looks pathetic.

Yikes if true.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jas ... -officials

Buffalo tension boils over in shouting match for Marrone, Bills officials
September 5, 2014 10:01 am ET
Jason La Canfora
CBS Sports NFL Insider

Tension between Bills coach Doug Marrone and the team's front office spilled over recently in a loud verbal altercation on the practice field between the head coach and several team officials, according to numerous sources with knowledge of the situation, punctuating what had been a tumultuous preseason for the franchise as it awaits word on new ownership.

The Bills, currently for sale after the passing of founding owner Ralph Wilson with formal bids due by mid-September, made news in the preseason when Marrone, who can be combustible, erupted publicly after two straight days of explosive training camp fights. Issues between the coach and the media have come to the fore as well, with him now using public relations officials to address injuries during his news conferences. Behind the scenes, things have been festering as well, sources said, with the blow-up between team officials shortly before the end of the preseason and final cuts, within earshot of players, shocking many who witnessed it.

The incident began with Marrone, who sources said has had a strained relationship with director of player personnel Jim Monos from their time together in New Orleans, getting into a loud exchange with Monos in which the men were cursing at each other to the point where others noticed ("they were more or less MFing each other," is how one source put it). General manager Doug Whaley then intervened. The expletives continued and finally team president and acting owner Russ Brandon tried to defuse the situation by getting involved in an attempt to get all parties to "shut up," as one source put it. But that too escalated into more yelling and hollering, with Brandon and Marrone ultimately separated by their peers and Marrone, in earshot of players, making remarks along the lines of "go ahead and fire me," before order was restored and the team took the field for practice.

Arguments are not uncommon within NFL meeting rooms, and disagreements and debate can be healthy, but the nature of this episode -- not quarantined to a back room, and within the vicinity of players at practice -- struck several witnesses as highly unusual, as well as the fact it escalated from one official to the next. Marrone has also clashed with some players this offseason, most frequently linebacker Jerry Hughes, team sources said, and has made comments around the team which have drawn the ire of some players. Sources said Marrone has referred to himself as "Saint Doug" at times, referencing the fact that it takes two miracles to be canonized as a saint, and that he already pulled off one miracle by winning at Syracuse and alluding to the fact it would take another miracle to win in Buffalo.

The front office has also bristled at how certain players are being used, sources said. Team executives believe tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, this year's second-round pick, warranted more of a long look this summer, were unhappy that emerging receiver Robert Woods was benched at times, and they were also at odds over guard Kraig Urbik, who the personnel side believes is a quality guard (he just received a contract extension a few years back) but who Marrone has soured on (the team explored trades for Urbik before roster cuts, league sources said).

There is obvious uncertainty within the ranks as well about the future of the team, and how much change and transition is imminent with the club's sale likely finalized by the October NFL owner's meeting, and a new ownership team coming in (which generally leads to sweeping changes in short enough order). If Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Sabres, has the winning bid -- and numerous league sources believe that's more or less a fait accompli --then it's less likely the franchise is overhauled right away, and could lead to fewer changes overall. Regardless, this is definitely a time when the entire organization is about to be more or less under review, a factor lost on no one there.

Expectations have been ratcheted up that this won't be another 6-10 season following successive bold moves in the first round to select under-fire quarterback EJ Manuel and then to deal next year's first-round pick as part of a package to move up and land receiver Sammy Watkins in May. But Manuel's progress remains very much in doubt, Watkins was banged up in the preseason and the offensive line could be a major cause of concern as well for Marrone, a former offensive coordinator in New Orleans, who will be expected to get things going on that side of the ball.

The Bills open their season Sunday against the Bears, and perhaps the series of events this summer will serve to bond them together. But there are also reasons for concern that some of these interpersonal dynamics will only end up leading to more issues through the season, particularly if the team struggles.