SB Nation User Blog: XtrmeCarnage82

Jim Kelly to be on Sidlines tonight

XtrmeCarnage82 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:39:50 -0000

Jim Kelly to be on Sidlines tonight

Maybe he will be giving some pointers as a stand in Quarterbacks Coach. Just sayin.

Peters, Bills far apart on new contract

XtrmeCarnage82 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:26:27 -0000

Peters, Bills far apart on new contract

"It is clear there is a sense of desperation on the Bills' part to get something done. They don't want this to drag too far into April."

"Brandon is not sure if the Bills can bridge the considerable gap between them and Peters.

Brandon also is uncertain if Peters will stage another long holdout."

All tied up scenerio . . . How does that work?

XtrmeCarnage82 — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:35:22 -0000

What would happen if at the end of this weekend us, the Phils, and the Brewers are all tied?

Is the division determined first and then the wildcard?

Do we have the head to head advantage over the Phils?

Will they make us play for the division and then the loser have to play for the wildcard?

I have asked some cooworkers but no one is sure of how it would work. I hope it doesn't come to this but as we all know with our Mets anything is possible. Good or Bad !!

FLEMGEMS - Observations for the Bills-Jags game

XtrmeCarnage82 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:57:16 -0000

FLEMGEMS - Observations for the Bills-Jags game

"BBON9: When I heard Buff coach Dick Jauron say, "We have a sense that we have a chance to be a decent team, you know, we're playing OK so far," I wanted to yell out, "OH COME ON! YOU JUST BEAT TWO PLAYOFF TEAMS TO OPEN THE SEASON!" But ya know, I think he actually believes this and, more importantly, the team has bought into the attitude as well. Jauron seemed to use the phrases "suck it up" and "keep slogging" a dozen times Sunday."

"BBON12: Besides having, maybe, the best name in all of sports, Buff corner Ashton Youboty has already collected 11 tackles and a sack in 2008. Maybe the best open-field tackler I've seen so far this season, Youboty (pronounced, sadly: You-boatee) has a skinny 189-pound frame but a remarkable physical presence on the field and a high tolerance for pain. After the game, the left side of his face was swollen like he had just come from a bad dentist appointment and he had to shake with his left hand because his right was out of commission."

2008 team previews: Buffalo Bills by Sports Xchange

XtrmeCarnage82 — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:33:29 -0000

2008 team previews: Buffalo Bills by Sports Xchange

"PREDICTING: 2008 regular season record 10-6 (2nd in AFC East); lose in wild-card round."

How great would that be?

GO BILLS !!

Butler signs contract extension

XtrmeCarnage82 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:52:23 -0000

Butler signs contract extension

"CONTRACT EXTENSION: The Buffalo Bills today announced offensive lineman Brad Butler has signed a contract extension. In accordance with team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed."

Continued gaffes not helping Randolph's cause

XtrmeCarnage82 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:26:45 -0000

Continued gaffes not helping Randolph's cause

Article reads:

Even on a night when the Mets won, manager Willie Randolph lost.

Randolph made two more decisions Wednesday night that drew scrutiny from Mets management, according to major-league sources.

The decision on whether to fire Randolph rests with general manager Omar Minaya, and his status has become almost day-to-day, sources say.

The Mets chose to retain Randolph during a meeting on May 26 in which he met with Minaya, owner Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, the team's chief operating officer.

Since then, the team is 8-8, and it had lost five straight games before defeating the Diamondbacks 5-3 on Carlos Beltran's two-run walk-off homer in the 13th inning Wednesday night.

The Mets had taken a 3-0 lead into the ninth, but the Diamondbacks tied the score on a three-run homer by Mark Reynolds off closer Billy Wagner on a 3-2 count with two outs.

For Randolph, that was the fateful inning.

First, he allowed second-year right-hander Mike Pelfrey to start the ninth after Pelfrey had thrown 110 pitches.

Then, after a leadoff single by Stephen Drew, Randolph summoned Wagner, even though statistics suggest that Wagner is far better starting an inning than when summoned in the middle.

Since the start of 2007, Wagner has entered games 84 times at the start of an inning, but only seven times in the middle.

He is 44-for-50 in save opportunities when starting an inning, according to STATS, Inc. His ERA in those situations is 2.05 ERA, and he has allowed six homers in 88 innings.

When entering in the middle of an inning, Wagner is 3-for-6 in save chances. His ERA is 7.11, and he has allowed three homers in 6 1/3 innings.

Those statistics do not excuse Wagner for allowing the three-run homer by Reynolds. But Randolph's choice of Wagner in the middle of an inning — combined with his decision to start Pelfrey in the ninth — left him open to second-guessing.

According to the New York Daily News, Randolph apparently was prepared to pull Pelfrey for a pinch-hitter in the eighth, but the pitcher talked him out of it.

"I started to go up there to hit, and they told me I was done," Pelfrey said. "I was kind of mad at the time because I wanted to stay in the game and I wanted to keep pitching. He came up to me and said, 'You want this?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I want it.'"

Pelfrey had not pitched into the ninth in any of his 28 previous career starts, and had worked at least seven innings only three times. Randolph could have lifted him after the eighth, or even the seventh, and Pelfrey still would have had reason to be happy with his outing.

Instead, Pelfrey allowed the leadoff single to Drew, and the inning crumbled. The Mets rebounded, but Randolph remains an issue, as does management's indecisiveness on his status.

"The players have the look of, 'Hurry up, let's get this over with. If you're going to fire him, fire him,'" says one rival scout who saw the Mets this week.

"There's not the desire to save the guy's job. They realize the guy is going to go. It's like, 'Hurry up, let's turn the page."

Peters Not At Mandatory Minicamp

XtrmeCarnage82 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:15:14 -0000

Per buffalobills.com

Bills Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters did not attend any of the team's voluntary offseason training activities over the past four weeks. It was anticipated that would change come Wednesday when the Bills mandatory minicamp got underway.

It didn't.

Peters was not on hand to practice with his teammates at One Bills Drive as the three-day tuneup for training camp ensued. Bills head coach Dick Jauron when asked as recently as last Friday if he expected him to report on Wednesday this week answered in the affirmative.

"Yes, yes I do," said Jauron at the time.

Jauron has not spoken to Peters personally the entire offseason, though the Bills head coach does send a letter to every player on his roster asking them to consider attending the voluntary OTA sessions in May and June.

With this being a mandatory minicamp the Bills have the option to fine Peters for his absence being a player under contract. In the minicamp setting that fine is a lump sum. For training camp holdouts fines can be assessed day by day for practices missed.

There is widespread speculation that Peters' absence is due to a dissatisfaction with his current contract, but that has yet to be confirmed by the Bills or the Peters' camp.

What is clear is that distractions are not what a team priming for a playoff run needs right now.

"None of us need distractions although they make our lives very interesting," said Jauron. "But these things will pass."

Buffalo's head coach has had outstanding attendance from the balance of the roster through the OTA sessions, with only a few veterans missing more than a couple of practices during the voluntary portion of the offseason schedule.

That's why Jauron believes the club has made strides even with Peters not in attendance.

"It's not affecting our progress," said Jauron of Peters' absence. "We'd obviously like to have him here. We've had great participation and great attendance so we'll just keep moving forward."

What If Sports - 2008 AFC East Preview

XtrmeCarnage82 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:39:26 -0000

What If Sports - 2008 AFC East Preview

Buffalo Bills (9-7)
Buffalo spent money to add good, veteran players to the young and hungry defense that is vastly improved in 2008. Couple that with an offense starring two second year players and a rookie (among others), and the Bills make the two-game improvement they need to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card. The Bills average 23.9 points per game (#14) and allow 22.2 points (#13) against a schedule featuring six games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 9-7

Most Significant Newcomer: Marcus Stroud, DT - James Hardy is closely considered here for what the tall, rookie wide receiver should mean to Trent Edwards and Lee Evans; but, it can be much more difficult to find the kind of Pro Bowl defensive tackle/man-child that Stroud is capable of being (if and when healthy).

Biggest Strength: Running Offense - If "balance" were not such a cop-out, I would have said that. This team does not have many glaring strengths or weaknesses. That being said, the running attack has a lot of talent. Jason Peters and the offensive line are big and strong. Marshawn Lynch looks like the real deal (on the field at least). And Fred Jackson and rookie Xavier Omon are promising backups. If the Bills never have to rely on Dwayne Wright to carry the ball, they should run the ball effectively.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Youth - One of the most difficult things to program into a simulation is consistency. The Buffalo Bills appear to have a great deal of talent, but that does not always show up in the numbers. Lynch, Edwards, Donte Whitner, Ko Simpson and others tend to be inconsistent and can make some costly mistakes. Health is also a concern, especially for the defense with players like Stroud, Simpson, Chris Kelsay and Paul Posluszny.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: James Hardy, WR - If the Bills want to use a tight end/h-back more in the offense, Derek Schouman could be a deep sleeper. For now though, we will take Hardy, the second round pick out of Indiana who projects to 56 catches for 810 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Closest Game: San Francisco (Week 13) - Two young and improving teams go head-to-head in what is also Nate Clements' return to Buffalo. We will see how friendly Buffalo (and its weather) are to the 49ers in late November.

Fantasy Notables: Trent Edwards (19) 2,785 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs; Marshawn Lynch (9) 1,623 total yards, 13 TDs; Lee Evans (11) 76 receptions, 1,145 yards, 8 TDs; Robert Royal (34) 28 receptions, 283 yards, 2 TDs; Rian Lindell (7) 39/40 XPs, 30/37 FGs

Hardy allegedly pulls gun on father during altercation

XtrmeCarnage82 — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:25:41 -0000