I have seen the optimism overflow here on Rumblings after yesterdays trouncing of the Chiefs. I am not going to say that it is without good reason, that was as dominant of a win that the Bills have had in a long, long time. I will say however that there are two things this Bills team needs to do before I join in the optimism parade.

1st ) This team needs to beat the Raiders. This is the ultimate trap game. The Bills are coming off a big win on the road and have the Patriots after. It would be very easy to look past Oakland. If the Bills get beat it will be a big sign that this team still lacks the maturity that good teams have to avoid these type of "traps." So step one; Avoid the trap and beat the Raiders. Lets not forget that the Raiders swept the AFC West last year. I know that is still the worst division in the NFL, but that means they still are a capable team. This team is not to be taken lightly and certainly cannot to be overlooked by the Bills. They haven't even come close to earning the right to look past anybody yet, especially a team that finished with more wins then them last year.

2nd ) Hold your own with the Patriots. I am willing to remain optimistic even after a loss to the Pats, but they would have to be competitive. If the Bills get blown out 45 - 10 like they have in the past it will be a huge sign that the Bills simply aren't ready to compete with the big boys of the NFL yet. A close hard fought game that results in a loss will still give me hope for the outcome of the season. The Bills cannot get swept by the Pats however. If this team is going to be playoff bound and take the step forward that we all want to believe that they have then they need to beat the Pats at least once this year. They don't have to do it in week 3, but they need to at least show they can hang with the big boys.

I don't know about any of you but when I get inundated with a ton of advertising about the same thing it almost has the opposite affect that the advertiser wants. For example when I see the same annoying commercial come on over and over again it begins to irritate me to the point that I wouldn't buy your product even if it was an anti fat pill and I looked like Jabba the Hut. So when I log onto Rumblings and I see not one, not two but count them 6 advertisements for degree, it is kind of an eye sore for me. I mean did Bear Grylls just buy stock in SBNation or something? The last time I saw that much overkill in advertising was when SBNation announced it's iphone deal. Even then one of their guys admitted it was a bit much but said it was only for a little bit. I guess he just meant that the iphone plug was limited, the eyesores will continue.

 It makes me long for the days of the punching kitten......(p.s. by saying that I am really hoping that somebody posts one in the comments section)

- There are a few things that I simply just don't understand.

1) We all knew that this team had lots of players at OLB and WR. So why is it so crazy to think that the Bills would have to make some hard decisions and cut players that we all (for whatever reason) like? I mean losing Coleman and Roosevelt isn't exactly crippling to this team at this point. Yes it would have been great to see them go to the practice squad but they would also have to agree to sign with the Bills and stay with them in that capacity. Maybe the Bills tried to sign them and they said, "No thanks I think I will try and find a job on an active roster somewhere." It just seems like the Bills still kept good players, it isn't like they kept guys that are worse. Why does everyone point their angst towards the Bills for cutting two guys who were undrafted free agents just one year ago? I don't get it.

1-A) On a side note do we even think that the 6th WR will even be on the field on Sundays? with Brad Smith as the 3rd QB/5th WR I am willing to bet that on most Sundays the Bills only keep 4 active WRs. Lets not forget that both Jackson and Spiller can line up wide vs a linebacker and create match up issues, (see Fred's catch over Poz in pre-season game vs Jags.) So all of the disappointment over losing what? A guy that wouldn't even play? I don't get it.

2) Why does everyone think that Levitre was in jeopardy of losing his job? Is it so inconceivable to think that Gailey wanted to reward Reinhardt for his good play and rather then take some much needed reps from a guy like Urbik, who needed them, he took them from his most experienced and possibly best lineman? Show me one quote from Gailey where he said that he was less then pleased with Levitre's play and that is why he was "demoted". Quite the opposite, when asked directly if he was unhappy with Andy's play Chan said he was not and that he was quite happy with it. Can we drop that ridiculousness please?

3) While I get that losing Pianalto kinda stinks, why is no one excited about picking up Lee Smith? Kid was a very sought after player once he was cut from the Pats. Five teams put in a claim for him. This kid could very well turn into the stud this team has been looking for since Pete Metzelaars left. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself but again this seems like fans are harping on the Bills for losing an undrafted kid that we only got to see play in a few pre-season games.  He has an injury history from college, (one of the main reasons he went undrafted) and I can't remember anybody having him making the roster in any of their predictions. But now that he is lost it is a huge blow? What?

4) I have seem on several occasions were somebody has aid that the Aaron Williams pick was pointless. What? Really? At the time of the draft the only CBs the Bills had under contract were an aging McGee, an inconsistent and still unproven McKelvin, and Reggie Corner. That pick made a ton of sense. I don't get it.

5) And on that subject why do people insist on calling Spiller a bust? Dude has had one injury plagued year. Maybin was a bust, he was healthy and couldn't get on the field. Spiller may not have been the pick you or even I for that matter wanted. Yes I would have preferred a big lineman or really almost anything other then a RB, but that doesn't make Spiller a bust. Do I think Spiller could be an every down back in the NFL? I have my doubts. Do I think the Bills should have spent the 9th overall pick on a guy who might just be nothing more then a 3rd down scat back type player his whole career? No. Does that make Spiller a bust? Not in the slightest. 

Maybe somebody can help me understand some of this silliness.

 I have read a bunch of comments and posts lately where Rumblers have been arguing back and forth over how we as fans should be acting. Some think that we should be super positive and support the team through think and thin regardless of the outcome. Others are far more cynical, most likely jaded from the past decade plus of sub-par football and questionable personnel decisions. Here is the thing:

 We are all Bills fans and in the end we all want the same thing.

 So why are we fighting with each other? I get that the years of losing have caused plenty of frustration but we need to get past all that and treat each other a little better. Stop with personnel attacks, stop taking your frustrations out on other Rumblers and if you disagree with a point somebody makes, try to disprove them with facts that back up your opposing opinion.

 I have been guilty of this myself. I have been very critical of others when they "act negative" about the goings on at One Bills Drive. But I now realize that not only does everyone have a right to follow the team however they want, but just because they are expressing their frustration differently doesn't make them less of a fan. I think that we all need to start behaving better and I will take the first step towards that and hopefully others will follow here:

Port Royal; You and I have had plenty of disagreements in the past right along these same lines. You are far more jaded about the team then I am, but that in no way makes you less of a fan or means that you care less then I do. The unhappiness that you seem to have with the team is well earned. This team has done nothing but make bad draft picks, poor free agent signings and even handled the front office changes amateurishly. While we both get frustrated you handle it differently then I do, and that should be okay. I have made it a problem. For that I apologize.

 My hope is that if I can say I am sorry to Port Royal and that he and I can act more civilly with each other, then the rest of this community can also.

Time to suck it up Rumblers and act more like adults and deal with each other better, because it is getting out of hand.

 To me the draft was something special, an event.  A two day man-fest were I could sit back, relax and spend time with my television enjoying some NFL in April. Now it is has been watered down, distorted and warped simply to placate those few fair-weather draft watchers that only stick around for the first few rounds and at the expense of those of us that are purists, and have a love for what was.

 Rewind two years ago. My wife, knowing that I am about to embark on a weekend of holding down the couch, offers to take our daughter and go for a weekend trip to visit her friend in Pennsylvania. So it will be just me, the tv, and Rumblings watching the draft.....sign me up!. Saturday morning comes and five minutes after they walk out the door I head to the store. Steak - CHECK! Nachos - CHECK! Pizza bites - CHECK! Beer - CHECK!. Houston we have lift off. 

 After I get home and put my goods away, off come the pants, they would stay off until Monday morning when I had to go to work.

It was a great weekend, even if I didn't agree with every pick the Bills made I still had a great time chatting it up with my fellow Rumblers. Now that is all gone. Thanks to the new draft schedule I will miss the first 3 rounds of the draft because I will be working. Yeah it is prime time for those of you who have 9-5 jobs, but those of us that work nights....well, we are S.O.L. I can no longer enjoy the draft in it's entirety. The days of my weekends holding down the coach are gone. And why is it gone? because Mr Goodell saw fit to rearrange the draft times just put it all more into "prime watching hours" I call foul. I say leave it the way it was...but maybe I am in the minority. All I know is that I used to have a weekend to myself and that is now gone....you have ruined it Mr Goodell.

So I got a little bored today and decided to check out some ridiculously early mock drafts in an attempt to familiarize myself with some of the names that are getting kicked around the top of the draft boards at this early stage. My first stop was Walter Football. Walt is typically pretty good and it just so happened to be the first site in my mock draft folder of my bookmarks. Here is his latest mock. As I scrolled down to the Bills pick I was amazed at what I read. Here is the very first sentence for those of you who are too lazy to click the link:

The Bills have ruined their chances of becoming a playoff contender in the first half of this decade by winning themselves out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

So let me get this straight; the only way the Bills have any chance at making the playoffs in the next five years is if they get their hands on Luck.?!?!?! I admit that I haven't watched Luck play at all, but I do understand that he is very highly thought of and as of right now he is the consensus top pick and by leaps and bounds the top QB in the draft. But that is a pretty bold statement. I mean you are telling me that this is the only chance the Bills will have in the next five years to acquire a QB capable of bringing them to the playoffs? FIVE YEARS?!?!?!

As they say on ESPN: Come On Man!

Walt may have just been being factious here but he comes across pretty fatuous and quite frankly makes me question his football acumen a bit.  Maybe I should move him down a few spaces in my folder....

A few things I have on my mind.

- I can honestly say that I saw this season coming. That said it is still kinda tough to stomach. I claimed and still stand by the fact that all I want to see this year is improvement as the season progresses. Well, it should be very easy to improve over this garbage we have been seeing. I have gotten to the point where I don't even care if this team loses or not. I just want to see them be competitive.

- Spiller has to touch the ball more. Brian just posted something about this and I totally agree. Why draft a guy that high and then barely give him the ball?

- Does the national media remember how bad Mike Vick sucked before he went to jail? I understand that he is playing very well right now, but he did that at times with the Falcons. I keep hearing all the same stuff. "Nobody has his ability", "Nobody changes the game like him", and my favorite, "He is the hardest QB in the league to plan for." All of this very same stuff was said about Vick before he went to jail. He also stunk for long stretches of time with the Falcons. Do they think that his time in jail made him a better QB? I bet he will have some good games, earn himself a starting job somewhere, then start to play poorly just like he did in Atlanta.

- I want to say thank you to Tim Hightower, Donovan McNabb, and Clinton Portis for having good games for me and picking up Chris Johnson's slack to help me win my FF game this week.  I also want to thank Ryan Mathews and Mike Turner for getting hurt and not returning to their games. If Kevin Kolb and Shonn Greene had given me anything better then the combined -1 they gave me last week I would be 2-0.

- Am I the only one who thinks Lee Evans is vastly overrated? I know that he is held back by the crappy offense but when I hear somebody say that he is a top talent at WR in the league I can't help but wonder if we are watching the same guy.

- speaking of Bills WRs, is there any doubt that this team needs at least 2 veteran WRs this off-season? I am not saying that WR is a top need, not by any stretch, but it is clearly a need.

- Is baseball still being played? I haven't cared less about baseball in a long time. It isn't even because my team stinks, they have stunk many times before and I have still cared. I simply have zero desire to watch any baseball what-so-ever.

I made a bet with Poz and Keysh and I lost. I bet that come cut down day, when the Bills determined their 53 man roster, that for whatever the reason, Marshawn Lynch was not going to be on the roster. Please note that before you make any comments about this that you should know A) why I made this bet, and B) that this bet was made even before the draft. Now there are a great many reasons why I made this bet and even though some of the very people I debated this subject with still apparently have no clue what my point was, a bet is a bet. So here it goes.

Poz - While your loyalty to the Bills can reach zealot like status at times, you are a true Bills fan. Loyal to the end. You are the Hachiko of the Buffalo Bills. Your faith in the Bills will hopefully be rewarded some day.

Keysh - While you have never demonstrated the true faith to the level of Poz, you have shown an amazing amount of trust in Bills draft picks. Your desire to hold onto draft picks until the bitter end and never compromise on cutting your losses, instead hoping that they pan out is commendable.

You are both incredibly wise beyond your years and when many not just myself thought Marshawn was a goner, you stood by him. Congrats and for all of our sakes lets hope that this was the correct decision by Buddy Nix.

Welcome to the Buffalo Rumblings Tuesday Morning Bills Trivia season finale. Two weeks ago, I asked for suggestions for a good season finale theme. I received two quality suggestions; no, K, I did not consider your suggestion to do a Zubaz themed TMBT to be quality. It took me a few minutes of deliberating over which theme to use before I had the epiphany to combine them. Normally, I would let everyone know what those themes are, but then that would be giving away extra hints; we can't have that, can we? On with the show.

Mystery Bill 1
- I attended Mississippi
- I was an AFL All-Star for four straight seasons
- I wore jersey number 78
- I played for two NFL teams during my career

Mystery Bill 2
- I was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro selection
- As a child, I developed rickets and had to wear braces on my legs
- I was once a spokesman for Pioneer Chicken
- I won the Walter Camp award

Mystery Bill 3
- I attended Southern University
- I won Defensive Rookie of the Year
- I wore number 58 for both NFL teams for which I played
- I was a six-time Pro Bowl selection

Mystery Bill 4
- I was a first ballot Hall Of Famer
- I graduated from Booker T. Washington High School
- I won the Outland Trophy
- I played in 279 career games in the NFL

Mystery Bill 5
- I was a Gamecock
- I was the Freshman of the Year in the SEC
- I was a two-time All-American
- My first name is Yukota

Extra Credit
What are the two themes that I combined?

Well Rumblers, this is the next to last TMBT of the year; next week is our grand finale. I really only got two suggestions for our finale next week, and I thought that I would combine them. It will prove a bit of a challenge, but for you guys, I will give it a shot... should be interesting. This week, I have a submission from our own BuffaloRepresent, and that one will fill Mystery Bill 1's spot. Have at it.

Mystery Bill 1
- I wore two different jersey numbers as a Bill
- I was a Tusker
- I was undrafted
- I was once interviewed by Bruno on Da Ali G Show

Mystery Bill 2
- I played my collegiate home games in Beaver Stadium
- I played for two NFL teams during my playing days, the Bills and the Giants
- I was in the same draft class as Bills Wall-of-Famer Joe D
- When I retired I was replaced by a Hall of Famer

Mystery Bill 3
- I was a Yellow Jacket
- I played for both the Bills and Browns during my playing career
- Was a six year winner and two year runner-up of the Milledgeville mean-mug award.
- The Bills drafted me in 1978

Mystery Bill 4
- My first name is Charles
- I am a Pro Football Hall Of Famer
- I attended Ohio State University
- I was a three time Pro Bowler

Love it or hate it, Rumblers, there are only two more TMBT posts left before the season starts. If you haven't gotten any right yet, you are running out of opportunities to do so. As always, I am also up to any suggestions. In this case, I am looking for good themes and/or ways that we could do the season finale. Let me know what you want to see.

Mystery Bill 1
- I spent five years with the Bills
- I was the head football coach of a Division II college
- I am currently an assistant for the New York Sentinels of the UFL
- I coached in NFL Europa for teams like the Berlin Thunder and Amsterdam Admirals

Mystery Bill 2
- During one of my years with the Bills I led the team in receiving
- I played for four NFL teams
- I made three Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl during my playing days
- I attended SFA

Mystery Bill 3
- I played in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII
- I attended SMU
- I wore jersey numbers 62, 70, and 71 during my playing days
- I am currently a college football color analyst for Versus Network

Mystery Bill 4
- Despite being from Dayton, OH, I attended the University of Tennessee
- I played for three NFL teams - one of them twice
- I was the Co-MVP of the SEC Championship game my senior year
- I was twice named Academic All-SEC

Good morning, Rumblers! It is that time of the week once again. I know that you all eagerly anticipate my posting of the TMBT, so here comes your fix. My creative well is really running dry right now; can't you tell? You all know the rules, so here comes the trivia.

Mystery Bill 1
- I attended Duke
- I have been a coach for six different NFL teams
- My birthday is ten days before sireric's
- I coached for the Florida Gators on two different occasions

Mystery Bill 2
- My nickname is "Golden"
- I currently work for a team in the UFL
- I enjoyed my most notable success at USC
- I played the same position that I coached while with the Bills

Mystery Bill 3
- I attended Penn State
- I wasn't a linebacker in the pros
- I wore number 77
- I was drafted in the seventh round

Mystery Bill 4
- I was a Buckeye (surprise!)
- I was a third-round pick of the Bills
- I wore jersey number 46
- I played only for the Bills during my playing days

It's that time of the week again, time for some Bills trivia. I honestly cannot remember if anybody put in a request for anything special this week, so I am going to wing it. Remember, if you would like to see a anything in particular, just shoot me an email and I will make it happen.

Mystery Bill 1
- I returned the opening kickoff for a TD in the Miami Dolphins' first ever game
- I now own Competitive Edge Motorsports
- I was a Yellow Jacket
- I played for three NFL/AFL teams in my professional career

Mystery Bill 2
- I was a Spartan
- I was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1954
- I played in four games for the Bills before an arm injury ended my career
- I was the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger Cats for a while

Mystery Bill 3
- I attended USC
- I started my career with the Raiders
- I played one game for the Bills before going AWOL from professional football
- I apparently don't care for Siegfried and Roy

Mystery Bill 4
- My middle name is Edward
- I attended East Brady High School
- I am a member of the University of Miami Hall of Fame
- I played for two professional football franchises

I hope you all had a nice long weekend, are well-rested, and are ready to tackle some Bills trivia. Hopefully your head is clear and you are able to focus properly. I got quite possibly the worst case of sunburn I have ever had, and spent my holiday weekend helping my brother-in-law build his new deck in some scorching heat. I am pretty exhausted, so if I screwed anything up here I will simply blame that. Have at it folks.

Mystery Bill 1
- I am the only man to have been head coach of both Baltimore franchises
- I am a member of the Colts' ring of honor
- I got my first coaching job under George Allen with the Washington Redskins
- I was a first round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but left after one year of play to join the Army

Mystery Bill 2
- I was drafted by the Bills in the tenth round
- I was a Golden Hurricane
- I spent my entire career with the Bills
- A Rumbler uses my likeness as his avatar

Mystery Bill 3
- I was a Nittany Lion
- My brother Keith also played in the NFL
- I was a second-round draft choice of the Chiefs
- I spent the last five years of my career with the Colts

Mystery Bill 4
- I attended Indiana University
- I played for the Cleveland Browns
- I coached at Miami, UCF and Northwestern, among other teams
- As a player I was All-Big Ten as both a quarterback and a fullback, but played linebacker in the pros

It's Tuesday again, and that means it is TMBT time. Last week we did a 1990s-focused trivia, and this week we have two contributions from Kurupt. Mystery Bills 1 and 2 both came excursively from K, so he will be handling the answers for those. In the future, if you ever want to take a stab at this and want to send me some mystery players, just email me and I will make it happen.

Mystery Bill 1
- I was an All-American in college
- I went on to play for five different NFL teams
- I've been on the set of movies with actors such as Vince Vaughn, Bruce Willis and Halle Berry
- I'm more known for something that took place long after my playing career ended

Mystery Bill 2
- I was drafted by the Bills, but never played for them.
- I went on to have a successful coaching career, including winning one championship
- I was a Falcon
- One of my sons was a successful NFL player, another successful as a coach; my son-in-law is also quite famous

Mystery Bill 3
- I was the head coach of a Conference USA NCAA football team
- I was a high school teammate of Merrill Hodge
- I have a 1-2 record coaching bowl games
- I was a quarterback in college

Mystery Bill 4
- I attended the University of Tennessee
- I was drafted in the 13th round
- I was a six-time AFL All Star
- I wore jersey number 58

As per the request of TMBT fan and fellow Rumbler Gpluehri, all Mystery Bills this week will be members of the Bills from the 1990s. If you think that means I was going to make it easy, then you are just being silly. Knowing that all of these guys are from the '90s is a clue, is it not? That means I am reducing the number of clues from four to three. I think that is only fair. Normal rules still apply, but since we had a suspected cheater a few weeks ago, I will re-state them. 

Do not cheat and post. If you are stumped and feel the need to look up certain facts, please keep your ill-begotten answers to yourself. It is very uncool to look up answers then post it and ruin it for everyone else. On with the show.

Mystery Bill 1
- "The Alpha Male"
- I attended Ferris State University
- Marquis Cor Von

Mystery Bill 2
- I attended the University of Iowa
- I currently teach Choy Li Fut Kung Fu
- I started my career with the Chargers

Mystery Bill 3
- I attended Portland State University
- I wore jersey number 44
- I played for three different NFL teams

Mystery Bill 4
- I played collegiality at Benedictine
- I only played for one NFL organization
- I wore number 39

Sorry for the late edition, sometimes life can be a pain. Normal rules still apply, and you know them by now.

Mystery Bill 1
- I was a Longhorn
- I started my career with the Baltimore Colts
- I was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005
- I scored 32 career touchdowns

Mystery Bill 2
- I was one of the players to don the most-worn jersey number in team history
- I was born in Compton, CA
- I played for four NFL teams
- I made the Pro Bowl despite only recording two career interceptions

Mystery Bill 3
- I attended William and Mary College
- I was part of the 1964 AFL Championship game
- While I was a coach in college, I uncovered a sports betting scandal that resulted in six player suspensions
- I have been involved with over 17 different NFL and collegiate teams

Mystery Bill 4
- I attended Bowling Green University
- I played in four straight Pro Bowls during the '70s
- I was on the roster of the Super Bowl XI champions
- I wore number 41

True story: last Tuesday I woke up, did my morning routine, made my daughter some breakfast, then logged onto Buffalo Rumblings. When I looked at the front page and began reading, it slowly dawned on me... today was Tuesday! I had totally dropped the ball and forgotten to post a TMBT. I felt like a dope. I immediately emailed Brian and apologized. The return email from Brian went something like, "What? It's Tuesday?"

Moral of the story is this: three-day weekends are nice, but they tend to screw with weekly routines. So this week, I am going to do five Mystery Bills, and I've added in some tricky extra credit questions that were provided by MRW.

Mystery Bill 1
- I attended UAB
- I played for three different NFL teams
- I played for two seasons with the Bills
- I was a sixth-round pick

Mystery Bill 2
- I am currently a coach at the collegiate level
- I attended West Virgina University
- I spent three years with the Bills
- I recently coached on a national champion team

Mystery Bill 3
- I played linebacker for Northern Michigan University
- I have been a head coach on both the NCAA and NFL levels
- I owned a Craftsman Truck Series team
- I once correctly predicted that Daffy Duck would beat Bugs Bunny

Mystery Bill 4
- I was a member of the Wolfpack
- My entire NFL playing career was spent with the Buffalo Bills
- I was a tenth-round draft choice
- I scored four touchdowns in one half of a game, on my first four carries

Mystery Bill 5
- I was a Sooner
- I was an eighth-round draft choice
- I was the Bills ROY my rookie season
- Del City High School's football stadium bears my name

EXTRA CREDIT!
- What jersey number has been only worn by one player in the history of the Bills, and who is that player?
- What jersey number has been worn by the greatest amount of players? Name at least five of them.

It's Tuesday morning, and that means it's Buffalo Bills trivia time here at Rumblings. In honor of the New York Mets taking two out of three from the Evil Empire that is the Yankees, I will... well, I couldn't think of anyway to parlay that into something special but I wanted to get that in somewhere. As usual, please do not cheat; if you feel the need to, save your answers and don't ruin it for the ones that want to do it honestly. Also, I will be using former Buffalo players and or coaches this year and occasionally I will screw up put in a false clue. Good luck.

Mystery Bill 1
- I attended BGSU
- I played for five different NFL teams, one of them twice
- I was a fourth round draft choice
- I spent time on the Houston Texans coaching staff

Mystery Bill 2
- I was the Bills' all-time leading rusher for the AFL years
- I attended Duke University
- I played for the Argonauts
- I only played four games in Canada before refusing a trade and quitting

Mystery Bill 3
- I was a Maverick
- I currently own a chain of furniture stores
- I played for two NFL teams
- I was drafted by the Bills in the fifth round

Mystery Bill 4
- I am a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
- I was drafted in the top five of the NFL draft by the Washington Redskins
- I won the Maxwell Award
- I was runner up for the Heisman Trophy

It's Tuesday, so that means it is time for another edition of the beloved TMBT. Normal rules still apply; do not cheat to find the mystery former Bills coach or player. Have at it.

Mystery Bill 1
- My father played professional football
- My first name is Raymond
- I recently retired
- I attended Illinois

Mystery Bill 2
- I played for the Berlin Thunder
- I was born in Hawaii
- I played on a UFL championship team
- I played for 3 different NFL teams

Mystery Bill 3
- I was a ten time Pro Bowler
- I played for Syracuse University (bleh)
- I was drafted in the seventh round
- I played for two different NFL teams, but coached only one.

Mystery Bill 4
- I have coached in the NFL for 7 years
- I played for four NFL franchises
- I did not play for the team I coached
- I was born in the 1960s

Okay Rumblers, as you may or may not know, today is Tuesday. That means it is time for a TMBT. I won't be around most of the day, so I am emailing the answers to Brian. Don't really have anything else to add, so have at it.

Mystery Bill 1
- I was a Longhorn
- I was a first round draft choice
- I was a pro bowl MVP
- I played for three different NFL teams

Mystery Bill 2
- I attended Southern Illinois
- I was a thirteenth round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts
- I played in back-to-back AFC Championship games
- I played for four NFL franchises

Mystery Bill 3
- I too was a Longhorn
- I was the first player ever to leave one of Mack Brown's UT teams with college eligibility remaining
- I went undrafted
- I spent the majority of my playing career in Canada, being watched by CBF.

Mystery Bill 4
- I attended Louisville
- I was drafted in the seventh round
- I scored 22 touchdown during my college career
- I played for two NFL franchises

This is the third such poll we have done. The first was done back on February 13, 2010 and the second was posted on April 19, 2010 just before the 2010 NFL Draft. The purpose is to get a feel for how the fans feel about the job that new Buffalo Bills GM Buddy Nix is doing in his quest to bring the Bills from the edge of obscurity back into prominence. Since there was a little debate about this last time, I will now list some things that Nix hasn't done that some might view as a negative, in an effort to hear less whining and complaining not give the false pretense of being biased. So in the five and a half months that Buddy Nix has been on the job he has:

• He fired former Vice President of Pro Personnel John Guy
• He hired Pittsburgh's Doug Whaley as the team's new Assistant GM and Director of Pro Personnel
• He hired Chan Gailey as the Bills' new head coach; this was Nix's first-ever coaching hire
• Singed free agents DE Dwan Edwards, LB Andra Davis, and OT Cornell Green to be starters
• Heavily pursued Donovan McNabb, the best veteran QB available this off season.
• Hired Darrell Moody to be his replacement as national scout
• Oversaw his first draft as general manager where the Bills drafted C.J. Spiller, Torell Troup, Alex Carrington, and Ed Wang among others.
• Chose to forgo addressing QB or LT with high-round picks in the NFL Draft
• Signed a boat load of undrafted free agents including Antonio Coleman, Cord Howard, Naaman Roosevelt, and Joique Bell.
• To this point, has kept much of the previous scouting department intact
  

I put this line in the last poll and some chose to completely ignore it, so I will put it up again. Your assignment is to let us know what you think of the job that Buddy Nix has done so far. Again, this isn't about what you think or hope will happen, but if you like what has been done, or in some cases strategically not done so far by Nix.

So way back in January I did a mock draft. I had planned to do others but as it turns out this one was pretty good. So good in fact that five of the nine players that i had the Bills taking eventually made it to the team as either draftees or undrafted free agents.

Torell Troup, Kyle Calloway, Antonio Coleman, Cord Howard, and Naaman Roosevelt all landed with the Bills and all were in my mock draft. Now I realize that none of the rounds I had them going in and the rounds they actually went in are really close but still, 5 out of nine is pretty darn good if you ask me.

Also of note is the fact that I had a running back being drafted high and I also caught flak for not addressing the OT situation adequately. but then neither did the Bills.

I felt I needed to brag about this a little.....

Another Tuesday, another Tuesday Morning Bills Trivia. Normal disclaimer: feel free to try and look up facts and cheat, but all I ask is this: If you do feel the need to cheat, please do not post your ill-begotten answers in the comments section. Give others the chance to figure them out honestly. It really annoys me to see all the answers filled out early by somebody who cheated. Cheat if you must, just hold off on posting your answer.

Also, a side note; I will now be using former Bills coaches as well. I have been doing this long enough that it can get tough to find players that I haven't already used, so I will now throw coaches into the mix. Good luck.

Mystery Player/Coach 1
- I attended Furman College.
- I was involved in the 1988 AFC championship game.
- I played for five different NFL teams during my career.
- I played for the Wheeling Ironmen.

Mystery Player/Coach 2
- I attended IUP.
- I was originally a fifth round draft choice.
- I played for two NFL teams, finishing my career with the Bills.
- I am currently the head coach of a NCAA Division I FCS school.

Mystery Player/Coach 3
- I attended EMCC.
- I scored 54 career touchdowns.
- I was a first round draft choice.
- I was on two Super Bowl winning teams.

Mystery Player/Coach 4
- I was a Gator.
- I played for two different NFL teams.
- I scored nine career touchdowns.
- I was drafted in the ninth round.

Last week we started up the TMBT again with a twist. Last week, I used prospective draftees for the Bills. This week, it is back to the norm.

In case you are new around here, I will spell out the way this works. I will post up four "Mystery Players" and give you four clues as to their identity. Sometimes I sneak in a false clue, because that is a good way to cover up a screw up. You are tasked with trying to figure out whom the players are. All players have one thing in common: they played and/or coached for the Buffalo Bills. You then post you guesses in the comments section.

Feel free to try and look up facts and cheat, but all I ask is this: If you do feel the need to cheat, please do not post your ill-begotten answers in the comments section. Give others the chance to figure them out honestly. It really annoys me to see all the answers filled out early by somebody who cheated. Cheat if you must, just hold off on posting your answer. On with the show.

Mystery Player #1
- I am currently a practicing attorney.
- I played quarterback under Marv Levy.
- I wore jersey number 10.
- I was drafted in the 13th round.

Mystery Player #2
- I won AFL rookie of the year.
- I attended Villanova.
- I am a member of the College Football Hall Of Fame.
- I am currently the head coach for a Collegiate football team.

Mystery Player #3
- I am a member of the Washington State University Hall of Fame.
- I am currently the director of alumni relations for WSU.
- I was involved in one of the most memorable plays in Buffalo Bills history.
- I ended my career with the same team I started it with.

Mystery Player #4
- I attended ISU.
- I was drafted n the 14th round by the Bills.
- I played in the USFL for the Tampa Bay Bandits.
- I wore jersey number 52.

 If the last 5 hours is any indication, there is going to be a flood of new fan posts hitting the boards. In the last 5 hours there have been 12 new fan posts, and the draft hasn't even started yet. Most of the new ones coming in will be good quality but some, not so much. I mention this because I think we as a community do not use the rec system enough. If you see a new fan post go up and you think that it should stand out and last up there for longer then 2 hours, hit the rec button.

 Also I want to take a second to point out that I think this year more then any other year, there is a tremendous amount of debate over the way this draft will go. I am willing to bet that with every pick there will be many who  love and many who hate that pick at the same time. There are very few players that this Bills team can draft that will appease everyone. Tensions will run high. I cannot preach patience enough. Let me just say that after Jarius Byrd was drafted one well known Rumbler posted the comment, "I hate this team". Proof is right here, you just need to scroll down a bit. I know that many will have immediate opinions, but lets just be calm civil and use you best judgment  when posting because I remember everything and I will bring stuff like that up again to embarrass you.

 Lets just have some fun, be kind to others in there, (remember we are all rooting for the same thing, we just have different ideas about how to go about it) and as always Go Bills!

So with the 2010 NFL Draft just days away, it's time to bust out a brand new edition of Tuesday Morning Bills Trivia, or TMBT for short. This edition will surely be written with a slant so that you fall ravenously in love with the Bills organization get you thinking.

What I decided to do (actually Brian e-mailed me and said "what do you think of this?" and I said "okay"), is instead of using current or former Buffalo Bills, I am going to use draft prospect that have been linked to the Bills in some way. That means it could be a player that the team has met with, or a guy that always seems to end up in users mock drafts however illogical the pick may be, (I had to include that just so you couldn't rule out any mock done by Joe P.). Normally I include what college the player I am using went to, but that would be a big give away now, wouldn't it? So I am cutting the clues to three from the normal four, and I am also doing away with the sometimes false clue. All these clues are correct unless I messed something up, which is of course entirely possible. And so it begins.

Mystery possible draftee 1
- I went to high school in New Jersey.
- I turned down Ohio State to attend my current college.
 - I came out early, entering the draft as a Junior.

Mystery possible draftee 2
- I attended Salesian High School.
- I received scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, USC, and Washington.
- Three players who shared my position in college all went on to play in the NFL.

Mystery possible draftee 3
- I attended Austin High School.
- I was born in Sugar Land, Texas.
- I won the Lott Trophy and the Ted Hendricks award in 2009.

Mystery possible draftee 4
- I play on the same team as my brother.
- I play in the Patriot League.
- I wear jersey number 19.