Tag / News

by Greg

Thoughts on the Buffalo Bills 2010 Draft

Buffalo Bills RB C.J. Spiller and Roger GoodellYou really never know right away how well a team fared with their draft selections. There are some who love every pick, some who love a few, and of course, many who hate everything about the picks. And all this despite the fact that you rarely know how a draft actually pans out for at least two or three years. It never matters, we all feel the need to “grade” or in some way rate the picks of our favorite teams.

Apparently, I am no different. 🙂

I was never on the “draft-a-QB” bandwagon. So that was not a disappointment to me, as it seems to be to some Bills fans. (Even though we DID draft a quarterback in round seven… that was not the guy most anyone wanted us to draft.) I was a bit surprised—though I should not have been—that they passed up some of the lineman that seemed like great choices, and were available at spots where they were selecting.

But overall, I really like it.

C.J. Spiller - Buffalo BillsHere’s the list of the 2010 picks:

  1. RB C. J. Spiller
  2. DT Torell Troup
  3. DE Alex Carrington
  4. WR Marcus Easley
  5. LT Ed Wang
  6. DE/LB Arthur Moats
  7. DE/LB Danny Batten
  8. QB Levi Brown
  9. G Kyle Calloway

Spiller, a running back, was a surprise to some, since the Bills have two better-than-average RBs already, but first, coach Chan Gailey has already said they wanted to add a third RB, and second, this guy is exactly what they were looking for. More of a “home run hitter” so to speak. He’s been compared to Reggie Bush and Chris Johnson. He compares himself to Warrick Dunn. And from the sounds of things, this guy will at the very least be exciting. His numbers are impressive (the only comparable player in the NCAA record books is Reggie Bush. That’s good company.

The first pick was not what many were expecting, but I think Spiller will be what the Bills were looking for: a TD scorer.

(I also think it may spell the end of Roscoe Parrish’s Buffalo Bills career… Spiller is also a kick returner with a record-tying 8 return TDs in his college career.)

The next two picks are not the DLs that most expected the Bills to draft, but both are rated fairly highly by scouts. They both also have experience and the skill set to fit into the new 3-4 defense that the Bills will be running in 2010. That was clearly a big consideration in drafting Troup and Carrington.

Marcus Easley is another tall, fast receiver. James Hardy was drafter a couple years ago. This offseason we signed free agent Chad Jackson from the Denver Broncos, another tall receiver. And of course there’s Steve Johnson who has shown some promise in the limited action he’s seen.

With Owens and Reed (and even Justin Jenkins) all allowed to go on their way this off season, that leaves the Bills with a rather inexperienced (though quite tall) team of receivers. After Lee Evans—whom some would call and “all pro”—the Bills have (in order of experience): Roscoe Parrish (5’9″), Chad Jackson (6’1″), Steve Johnson (6’2″), James Hardy (6’5″), and Felton Huggins (6’2”). That’s a fairly tall receiving corp. Aside from Parrish, whom I still feel is going to be expendable, with the addition of Spiller.

The Bills finally addressed their offensive line needs by drafting Ed Wang to fill the LT position. They are rather thin at that spot with Demetrius Bell being the “incumbent”. Wang is a big dude, with good “feet” (according to Bills’ GM, Buddy Nix) and should compete for the starting LT spot.

Moats and Batten are a couple more 3-4 defense guys, whom the Bills have been seeking out in their transition to the new defense. They are listed in some places as LBs, and in some places as DEs, so I’m not sure exactly what role they Bills drafted them for, but it was definitely for the 3-4 defense. And, apparently, special teams. (Check out this glowing review of the Bills draft from the NFL Network guys.)

Finally, in the seventh round, the Bills drafted their quarterback. There were some rumors that the Bills were trying desperately to trade up to get Tim Tebow in the first round, as the Denver Broncos did. However, the Bills deny this, and as was apparent from their passing up of both Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy, they really had their sights set on Levi Brown, their eventual 7th round pick.

Brown was the top player in his conference last season, and definitely comes from a winning program, which is something that has been lacking in recent QB selections by the team. But, it’s fairly rare to find a starting QB in the final round of the draft! (Many like to remind nay-sayers however that Tom Brady was a 6th round selection. Bills fans, though they may not much care for Brady, would love to see a similar outcome for their final-round pick.)

Gailey has already stated that Brown will be allowed to compete for the starting QB position along with the three incumbents from last season. Should be an interesting competition this offseason.

Lastly, the Bills drafted an OT whom I have read they intend to move to guard. Calloway may or may not make the team—the Bills drafted two (starting) guards in the 2009 draft—but it was good to see that six of their nine picks went toward linemen, offensive and defensive. (Due to his size, 6’7″ 323 lbs, I’m not sure about that move to guard. So perhaps he will compete more at the RT spot.)

Conclusion
The Bills did not select the players that anyone expected them too. Not even Spiller, whom some are calling the “best player in the 2010 draft.” However, they really did address all of the positions that they needed to. If the guys they got—whom they say are all guys they had targeted—turn out to be viable NFL players, well, then they did an excellent job!

But, that’s the thing. That’s the part we don’t know for a couple of years.

There’s some who think Spiller could be in the running for Rookie of the Year, based on his talents and work ethic, but of course you can’t really predict such a thing. If that’s the case however, then the Bills definitely already improved their team.

Overall, seems like a great job by the Bills! (How often do we Bills fans get to say that???)

by Greg

Buffalo Sabres: 2010 Northeast Division Champs

Buffalo Sabres LogoI would like to acknowledge the recent accomplishment of my favorite hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres: winning the Northeast division of the Eastern Conference! Nice job, guys!

For the past two years the Sabres have been just outside the top eight teams that make the playoffs (only missing by a few points!) and so this is not only a return to the playoffs, but complete with a large exclamation point!

They have three games left—all against playoff teams, and all on the road—and a good shot at claiming the second seed in the conference.

The star of the team this year has been their goalie, who became a bit more famous with his MVP play in the Olympic winter games. Ryan Miller has won 40 games this season, and a lot were certainly credited to him. He’s been fantastic.

Add some key young guys to the mix this year: rookies Tyler Myers, and lately, Tyler Ennis, and a veteran player on his second stint with the team: Mike Grier, and apparently you have a pretty good recipe for a victory.

Thankfully, they do not play their nemesis in the first round, the Ottawa Senators. So far this year the Sabres are 0-5-0 against them. (Yikes!) They have one more chance this weekend in Ottawa to at least beat them once in the 2009-2010 season.

Likely first round opponents would be Montreal or Philadelphia. There’s an outside chance that Boston or even the NY Rangers could move up to play the Sabres, but my guess is Montreal. (With the Sabres getting the #2 seed.)

Eventually, they may have to get past Ottawa, though. That will be the true test of this team, I suppose.

Looking forward to the playoffs… starting next week! Go Buffalo!

by Greg

Where Do You Get Your News?

NewsIn the olden days, Grandpa would read the newspaper every morning to catch up on the latest local, national, and world news. Our parents’ generation tuned their TV sets to the national news from their favorite of the three broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, or NBC. (And of course, just before bed there was the local TV news at Eleven.)

But that’s changing. Or more accurately, has changed.

Cable news networks (starting with CNN) changed how news was delivered. Still using the old medium of the television, the difference was that news was now available 24-hours a day. We were beginning to have access to breaking news as it happened. (I am neglecting radio here. Radio was another medium that was perhaps “closer” to the news prior to cable news. But as this is not an “exhaustive report”, you’ll allow me some wiggle room, I’m sure…)

Once news was available like this, it sort of conditioned us for what the internet would bring us. Dubbed the “information superhighway”—and for a good reason—news is now available not just 24/7, but often directly from the source of the news. And from many sources.

Even better than that, the internet is open to everyone. Anyone can have a website, and now multimedia-rich websites (podcasts) so with so many sources, there can be very specific subject matter. (Like one show on a network, I suppose… but far more “networks” and “time slots”.)

Even better than that is the advent of RSS, a technology that delivers electronic news (article by article, media item by media item) almost like the paper boy brought the newspaper to our Grandpa’s step. It’s fantastic!

This means we can get exactly the news we want to read or hear. For example, I enjoy following the latest tech trends, specifically from Apple, Inc. So I do. As well as my favorite sports teams. And a few other things I like to follow.

As great as this is, the downside to this way of getting the news is that you miss the stories that the news editors would find and “rank” for us by their position in the news paper. While the obvious flaw of this method of distributing news is the influence of the editors biases, there still was at least a broader swath of news available this way.

And so sites like the Drudge Report arose, with links to the latest headlines. But since Matt Drudge (the guy who runs the site) is one person, he obviously is susceptible to the same biases that an editor of a newspaper or media station would have. Perhaps a team of writers like the Huffington Post would limit the influence of biases? Not in that case, as the person who assembled the team of writers has very clear biases. Even a site like Newsvine offers news written by you (with a splash of articles pulled from the Associated Press) but there are biases evident there as well.

So then there are sources like Google News and Yahoo News and other search engines that theoretically pull news from every source, robotically. Even culling “news” from the “blogs” (which are typically more like “opinion columns”) and mixing that in with results from more established, traditional news agencies.

I found a website today, NewsandJava.com, that pulls in the top headlines from just about every source—with every bias—that I know of (including all I have mentioned above, and more.) That seems like a pretty good place to read the morning’s news. It’s always good to hear from every side. The truth is usually—but not always—somewhere in the middle.

And I haven’t even mentioned the social networks. Now Twitter and Facebook (and a smattering of others) are just as likely a source of news (even the exclusive source) for many folks.

Where do you get your news? What sources do you trust? Is anyone still watching TV news for their main source of the daily news? Do you not even care at all?

I would really like to hear from you readers on this one, so leave your comments below!

by Greg

The 2010 Census, The Constitution, and Government

How’s that for a title? 🙂

For some reason, any time I write on things that are purely political, I feel obligated to remind the reader that I generally avoid political discussions, and especially so on this website. However, this particular current events topic relates to something I’ve been thinking about for a long time regarding different ways of seeing and doing life with other people. You’ll see a post here soon titled Institutions and Individuals. Some really interesting stuff (at least to me…)

Now, to the census.

2010 Census EnvelopeSurely by now you have received the large envelope(s) from the US Census Bureau, with the very pleasant greeting—”YOUR RESPONSE IS REQUIRED BY LAW”—emblazoned on the front in a nice bold font. Makes you feel warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it?

Truthfully, such words make me want to not even open the envelope. When did our government become the boss of us? We the people? Apparently not.

But I think that is the issue. The issue is not the census. Though I do take issue with, as I said, being “required by law” to divulge information about my household. (If they would just ask nicely…) The issue is the powers of the government continuing to grow and extend. The reason people are bristling at this census at all is because there is (and has long been) a trend toward the government being more and more over the people rather than of the people.

The census is used in order to determine the appropriate number of representatives per state in the House of Representatives. The Senate has an equal two representatives per state, no matter how many people reside there, and then the House is based on state population. So the primary and only purpose of the census—according to the constitution—is so that each state has the appropriate number of representatives. That’s it.

Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution is where the census is mentioned:

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

(The language of “three fifths” regarding people who were then slaves was changed in the 14th amendment.)

The phrase that stands out is, “in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” So, one could read that as the congress can number the people in any manner they deem necessary, and require full compliance (by Law). However, if you read the context again, the only reason for this being allowed by the constitution is so that the total number of people (not their race, gender, name, and phone number) can be established for fair state representation in the House of Representatives.

And the biggest issue I see is the view of government. I mentioned it already. We the people are the ones who govern ourselves. The “Land of the free”, remember? It was true. But over many generations we have trained ourselves to think that our government rules over us. They do not. We elect representatives to represent us, not demand compliance.

When we get to the point that we think the government can make laws to bind the people, then we have become a different nation.

The constitution was to allow government certain, limited powers. And to then protect the liberties of the people, the individual.

So we will return the census, as it is part of the constitution, and as it is a good thing for our state to be correctly represented. And, I do recommend that we all do. However, the amount of information included should be up to you. Not “required by law” … that’s not who we are.

We are still in the land of the free. For now.

by Greg

iPad: Coming April 3rd

iPad - coming April 3rd

I have received a couple promo emails from Apple today, and thought perhaps I’d pass it along here.

The iPad will be shipping April 3rd.

Some of you can’t wait. I am going to wait. I am excited to play with it, but I really think that this will be a bit like the iPhone, and version two will be much improved. Early adopters and tech lovers should definitely pick up the first gen edition (the one coming April 3rd…) but it’s not a bad idea to wait, either.

That said, I definitely know where I’ll be on Saturday, April 3rd. 🙂

by Greg

Olympic Hockey: National Personalities?

Ryan Miller - Team USA
Team USA, on the strength of Ryan Miller’s shut out, and Zach Parise’s two goals, advanced to the Olympic “final four” yesterday. It was a fantastic day of hockey! The Canadian team looked super impressive, beating up on the Russians, 7-3… but making it look even easier than that. (And Russia is loaded with NHL all-stars!) Actually, all of the teams—not just the Russians—are loaded with NHL all-stars.

(Except for the United States team. Fascinating.)

Team USA has had superb goal tending—much like the Buffalo Sabres—and are the only undefeated team left in the tournament. They are also “scrappy” and physical, and they just play like they won’t accept losing. Aside from the Canadian players, it was interesting to see the “personalities” of each nation’s players. The United States players are as I described above. Mostly second and third-line players who are the “heart and soul”, the “grit” of their teams. You can’t win without them. (But usually, you can’t win if they are your whole team… So, we do have Patrick Kane and even Zach Parise, who are more “skilled players” and natural scorers.)

Then there is the Russian team. If you look at their roster, it’s just staggering how much fire power they have. Alexander Ovechkin is the leagues top goal scorer. And right behind him—sometimes in front of him—is Evgeni Malkin, and right behind them in the scoring column is Ilya Kovalchuk. All three are members of the Russian team, along with a handful of other amazing, all-star players.

But what I noticed about these guys was, they almost looked inept. They were definitely not the offensive machines that they are each night in the NHL. Yes, Canada had a good defensive scheme and some pretty talented defensemen (and a talented goalie) but, they face that from most teams in the NHL.

What they were missing was their teammates.

They needed the guys who are on Team USA. The grit guys. They needed the guys on Team Canada, the guys who set up their scoring. They need the skill and experience of the Fins and Swedes… the savvy veterans who set up their amazing scoring plays. Sadly, even their goalies (who are equally amazing) just looked silly, as all these highly skilled scorer try to play defense in front of them.

I just found it really intriguing to see how a country could have a hockey “personality.”

It’s certainly why the Russians lost. For the most part, every NHL team would want any of those top 6 or 7 guys on the Russian’s team… but with a few guys sprinkled in to help them thrive.

The four remaining teams seem to have a bit better balance. (Though, as I mentioned, Team USA is the most unbalanced, with hardly a “star” player on the roster.)

Really fun hockey being played these days. The semifinals are tomorrow. USA vs Finland, and surprising (but talented) Slovokia vs the homeland favorite, Canada. A rematch of USA vs Canada (which team USA won 4-3) would be a fantastic Gold Medal game … but all four of the remaining games should be fantastic. Can’t wait!

by Greg

iPad: Apple’s Most “Magical” Device?

the iPad - Apple's most magical device?
Well it is finally here. The long-awaited, oft-rumored Apple tablet. It’s called the iPad. (iPad? Is that really the best name for it?)

Though Apple calls this new gizmo “magical,” I must admit, I’m still not impressed.

I’ve never been one calling for the tablet. I just don’t get it. I don’t need such a device. Granted, it looks amazing, and seems like it’s a lot of fun… but I don’t need it. Why was/is there such a demand for this?

Some basics:

  1. 9.7″ display, Multi-touch interface
  2. 10-hour battery life
  3. Mac OS and iPhone OS combined, runs iWork suite, iPhoto, Mail, iCal, iTunes, etc
  4. Runs all applications from the App Store (for iPhone/iPod Touch)
  5. iBook app (and store) for reading ebooks (akin to Amazon Kindle)
  6. Wi-Fi and 3G models, from $499 to $829.
  7. Unlimited data from AT&T for $29.99/mo. (Or other plans, incl. free Wi-Fi access at AT&T hotspots.)
  8. DOES NOT have phone, camera, multi-tasking (using multiple apps at once)

So, one thing I will give them is the price. I think that’s lower than most people expected, and a tad lower than I did. A ton of functionality (including some accessories) and the great multi-touch interface, only better.

But I still don’t get it.

Check out the video demo at Apple’s site. (Maybe that will help me understand?)

The device will be available in 60 days (and 90 days for the 3G models).

I will at least be planning to test drive one at our local Apple store… 🙂

by Greg

Is The Apple Tablet Rumor About To Become Reality?

The Apple Tablet?
If you’ve followed this blog for very long, you know that I am a huge fan of all things Apple. In previous years (with fewer kids? fewer jobs?) I would follow the Apple rumor sites (like this one) and report diligently on the speculation of others, and even my own. (That was a pretty good one, actually… that I still think they will do… you just wait!)

Well, over all those years… a few rumors have persisted even though the rumored product or service never actually appeared. For example, the Apple phone was a long-rumored device before we were introduced to the iPhone in 2007. There are still a few unanswered rumors out there… the Beatles on iTunes… iTunes subscription service… my Apple TV… (OK, maybe that’s just my rumor.) 🙂

One that will apparently come true tomorrow is the verrrry long-awaited “Apple tablet” computer. It seems to be a perfect blend of laptop and iPhone, with the touch-screen interface and a super-portable design. Seems like it could be pretty amazing. (See leaked photo above…)

Tomorrow at 1PM ET (10AM PT, local time) Steve Jobs will be announcing the next great thing from Apple. I believe the Apple invite says, “Come see our latest creation.” Neat. I believe I will!

Follow along tomorrow at:
macrumorslive.com
live.gizmodo.com
engadget.com (probably… though can’t find direct link)

For a good “roundup” of the rumors, check out this article.

by Greg

Bills’ Choice Continues to Baffle

Marty Schottenheimer wanted Buffalo Bills gigAccording to this blog post, former NFL head coach Brian Billick was very interested in the Bills vacant head coaching spot—filled yesterday by Chan Gailey—but the Bills showed no interest in him. Marty Schottenheimer has said the same thing.

In Marty’s case it’s interesting in that he and Bills’ GM Buddy Nix are good friends, who have spoken since Nix took over and the search for a head coach was on (just not in regards to his being a candidate for the head coaching job.)

What’s most baffling is that the Bills did not even grant these fellas an interview. Seriously, Bills??? They say they have the guy they wanted all along. Again, we will only know if they start adding up some ‘W’s.

by Greg

Seriously, Bills?

Chan Gailey Buffalo BillsAfter all of the talk of Bill Cower, and Marty Schottenheimer, and Mike Shannahan. Even Jon Gruden and several more lesser known, but highly-qualified candidates. After all of the “due process”.

The Bills announced today that Chan Gailey will be their next head coach.

Chan Gailey. Former Dallas head coach (for only two seasons). Former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator. Former Kansas City offensive coordinator (who was let go before the season began last year, in much the same fashion as our own Turk Schonert.

Lots of “formers”.

Maybe this time will be different? Maybe he’ll become a legendary coach who “turned the Buffalo Bills around” much like Marv Levy, and Chuck Knox, and Lou Saban? Those guys took Bills teams who had been struggling near the bottom—much like the current Bills—and turned them around quickly. Within a year or two.

Could that be Chan Gailey?

That is apparently his history. In an article from the Buffalo News, Mark Gaughan listed some of Gailey’s accomplishments, and they were at least intriguing.

Gailey took the Miami Dolphins (as their offensive coordinator) to two straight 11 win seasons, after Dan Marino retired. They were the 8th ranked offense with Jay Fiedler at QB!

Also, in his only head coaching stint, Gailey took over the Dallas Cowboys after a 6-10 season, and in his first season with them they won their division with a 10-6 record. He made the playoffs his second season, too, even though they only managed an 8-8 record. Dallas owner Jerry Jones said this about Gailey this week:

“The most unfair that I’ve ever been in anything in sports and maybe in other parts was dismissing Chan after two years,” Jones said. “That wasn’t right. . . . That is one thing I look at today in my mirror and say you just weren’t as fair as you needed to be there to the team, the fans and certainly to Chan to make that change after two years.”

Huh. I’m still not convinced. But… huh.

Yes, Chan Gailey is the offensive-minded, experienced head coach that we need, but … what happened to the “big name” angle? Are they going to pay Gailey the same money they were reportedly offering to Bill Cowher? Hope not…

So, we’ll see what the new head coach can do. Who will he assemble as his coaching staff? Which players will make the cut, which will they get to perform much better than the Jauron regime could draw out of them? Will the Bills have the 8th ranked offense, even with their current players?

Will they be better?

I guess, in all honesty, you never know. You can’t know. You can’t predict 19 players in the injured reserve, either. So, the Bills are re-tooling, and perhaps they will get it right this time.

The pieces are being put into place: Buddy Nix at General Manager, Chan Gailey at Head Coach. Now the other coaches will be brought in … then maybe a QB?

For now, I’m not holding my breath. I think the Bills may have to go 10-0 in 2010 before I believe they’ve made the right choice…

A decade of losing will do that to any fan.