mjd1001

Ads are absolutley out of hand online. Youtube. Most videos now, multiple ads. You load a video and just want to skip forward..doesn't matter, you missed that ad we are going to make you watch it. Websites on the computer. You load the site and wait for the ads to load. 3-4 seconds later 5-6 ads load...so now its ok to click on the link you want? No way. Just as you think its safe, you click on that link you want and an ad opens RIGHT where you click and you load the ad. Now desperate to close the ad, you look for the little tiny 'x' to close it on that pop up, and at the moment you click it it moves because another ad loads on the page of the ad, and another pop up now opens. Even on my phone. I find an article I want to read, and you wait for the 2-4 ads to load, and then scroll down. Same as above, new ads load as you are scrolling and it takes you to those pages. Or how about the article that loads where 1/3 of the page is taken by an ad...then about 10 seconds later more ads load...until LITERALLY 80% of the screen is taken up by ads and I'm trying to read the article on less than 1 inch of space on my phone for the actual article. I've said it before...but when I am hammered with ads the ONLY thing I remember about the ads is to remember the name of the company and make sure I do NOT support them. I guess most ad companies and execs only know how to make money with the strategy of 'all gas, no brakes', shove our ads in front of people so much that eventually they will give in and buy from us!

So basically, IF he hits his ceiling (a big 'IF'), the prototype modern NHL D-man who you want on your team that isn't a 'star' but a top 4 guy.

Speaking of Johnson, I still don't know exactly what type of player he is/could be. A lot of people have spoken in generalities...or restated his scouting profile from the draft. But... What are his strengths? Weaknesses? Is he a good skater/fast skater? Is he good positionally? Or does he need a lot of improvement there. Does he hit a lot, or is he a guy more concerned about positioning and will not make some hits to maintain positioning? Win more battles on the boards/for loose pucks? How is his first pass out of the zone. Is he a guy who's PROBABLY ceiling is closer to a 5goal, 20 assist guy or a 15 goal, 40 assist guy. After reading about him and reading the discussions about him, I really don't know his strengths and weaknesses, his ceiling, etc.

Or you could bring up Jimmy Vesey, who they had a chance to sign but didn't. (A guy who scores about 13 goals per 82 games). Or remember out of college how Casey Nelson was a hyped prospect? How about Will Butcher choosing the Devils (originally) over the Sabres and people being upset over that a few years ago? There have been others of course.... But, it is the exception, not the rule, that a guy that you drafted (or is a free agent) coming out of college after a good college career that is available to any team turns out to be a great player. The Sabres signed Johnson this year, he elected to stay here, lets hope he is one of the good ones.

I would have liked it if they had given up less, but again, its just preseason. I think you can tell more about a hockey team from preseason than you can about an NFL team, but that isn't saying much. 90% of what this team will be we won't know from preseason. In the NHL, sometime you get seasons where you can't even tell how good a team is once the regular season starts, it can take 20+ games. So, while your point should be brought up and how they are playing on the back end is something to take notice of (and certainly talk about), I'm not too worried yet...if they are at the bottom of the league in goals around in December, then we have a big issue.

Me too. Don't buy them that much at the supermarket because they are a bit expensive, but I always viewed Johnny Ryan as a premium product. As a kid I liked cream soda, then sometime near my 20th birthday I kinda wondered what I was thinking as a kid because I thought cream soda was awful. But Johnny Ryan Cream soda, a whole different ballgame. One of the best 'treat' drinks I can have.

Personally, I think the team is thinking Rapp is better than Hamlin in the Defensive backfield. All the usual existing CB's on the 53 man get their playing time bumped up and Elam fills out the 53. Then you look for a free agent at each position unless you are pretty high on one of your existing practice squad guys. My guess is there probably isn't anyone out there who is a free agent who they think is better that what is on their roster. So I'm pretty sure they will just elevate from within, and any signings will be for 'security' in case of further injuries, and not to play on a regular basis. Unless of course, we get to the point where a team is clearly 'done' this year and wants to start unloading pieces for middle round picks.

I'm not going to say that I am not watching the NFL because of the whole Taylor Swift thing because that isn't true. What I will say is I was always a huge NFL and Bills fan. Watched every single NFL game I could growing up. I rooted for the Bills more than all my other favorite teams combined in every other sport just about. But that has changed. now I care about the Sabres 2x more than the Bills. Why? I haven't been able to figure out exactly why but a big factor is how the NFL is always there, I can't get away from it it seems. Its in your face. It's overhyped. I realize that is what probably brings in more casual fans and a lot more money. For me though, its just too much. This whole Taylor Swift thing is just another step in that direction.

I think for hes still good for 10-15 goals per 82 games. Toughness, leadership/great guy in the room. Is $4m a little bit much for someone who misses a lot of games and probably is at most a 15 goal scorer? Yes, but its also not going to break your cap.

It is a 'must win' for the fan base. If the Bills lose, much of the fan base will think/feel: -Miami has passed us, they beat us at home, we are 2 games plus a tiebreaker behind them in the division, they look bad against the Bengals with a healthy Burrow, they struggle with the Jets, and we still have to go to KC every year. No chance this team gets deep in the playoffs. If the Bills win: -They are still tops in the division, after beating the much-hyped Dolphins and being 3-1, they could very well be the best team in the league, I can't see them being outclassed by ANYONE. The truth will likely, as it almost always in, be better than the perception if they lose, and a bit lower than the perception if they win. The other things fan bases hardly ever do is realize teams DO get better OR worse as the season progresses. 90% (or more) comments or conversations I hear about a sports team just assume whatever path a team is on today will continue until the end of the year...that is rarely true.

I bought madden a few years ago, I don't play many games but I took the plunge after not having it for about a decade. I wanted to see how accurate the gameplay was. So I took some time and...I didn't "sim" the season but I let it run in the background to have the CPU actually play the CPU to see how close the stats were. It wasn't even close. Some QBs that had ratings in the 70's outperformed QBs with ratings in the 90's. The best rated Defenses in the game would often have 40+ points scored on them by average offenses. The Best pash rushing DE's in the league might go the first 4-5 games of the season with a sack, but someone I barely hears of before with ratings in the 70's would have 3 sacks in a game. Again, I know you can 'sim' games and their 'sim' engine gives you decent stats, but the whole point I tried this is to see the actual gameplay engine, so know that if I played a game the engine and the stats would give me realistic results. It wasn't close.

Saw both Barbie and Oppenheimer at the theater...not on the same day like others not even on the same weekend. Both were a little less than I hoped from the Hype. Barbie was just below average to me. Not awful, I wasn't the intended audience, but even if I put myself in the shoes of the intended audience, nothing special here. Below average plot, no acting that stood out as good. The thing that got me was in a lot of the reviews, they spoke about how it shows women can feel 'empowered', to me it was a hollow message because they ended up treating the guys in the movie just as bad as women feel they are treated sometime. Oppenheimer. It was good, but I didn't get great. It seemed like an above average, above budget documentary I would have seen at home. Good, again, but I didn't walk out of the theater thinking I saw one of the best movies ever.

Would Tampa be interested in UPL (They have 2 goalies that basically have never played in the NHL AND Jonas Johanson), and if so would KA be willing to trade him in the division?

I follow the team on this board all the time and I watch most of the game, but to a certain extent I am closer to a casual fan than a Die-hard (don't own much merch, if the team is bad I'll watch half the games and find something else to do instead, etc). I'm pretty happy watching the games at home. To get me to go to a game, it has to be a Fri, Sat, or Sunday game. I don't need the best seats but I don't want to be in the 300's or behind the net. So I'm kinda-picky-but-not-too-picky. I just looked at a couple of options for 2 tickets, don't care about the opponent. For me to go to one game, 2 tix with feels are approaching $300. Not including of course parking and any food or drink I could get there. I love that people enjoy going to the games and I want the place to be full....but after seeing that I'll stop complaining about MSG plus for $30 or month or upping my cable package from the basic tier to get the one with MSG on it for about $30-$40 more per month. If I paid $400 to see a Sabres game for 2 of us (tix plus parking and something to eat, either at the arena or just before the game), and I saw a game they lost and only scored a goal or two..I'd be beside myself for a while.

Not a particular song, but the entire musical score for "The Dark Knight" and also "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" totally fit the movies they were in.

Nothing this camp/preseason has changed my mind on goaltending. Don't go get a high priced guy or even another mid-priced vet that may require more than 1 year (if you get a low-to-mid priced guy willing to take a 1 year deal he likely won't be much better than what you have). That money can be used/saved for elsewhere. You have 3 goalies on this roster that can make the team. Let them fight it out in camp, preseason, and practice and you take the 2 that emerge as the best 2.

Which has always been my worry about Krebs and why I'm not as high on him as so many. As we got to the end of last year, he had started to play a lot better. But more often than now when I watch him, he has the heart, attitude, and knowledge of a first round prospect, but the physical tools don't often match. He was a first rounder for a reason though, I hope he makes this team and is a good player for a long time, but I can't shake the feeling that very often he is just a step to slow getting to where he needs to be or just a bit less physical than he needs to be to win a crucial battle.

There was an aritcle put out either by the Sabres or the NHL saying that all preseason games would be available on Sabres.com. Yet, no where to be found.

I lived in Boston years ago (early 2000's) at the time someone named Dale Arnold was doing the Bruins play by play. He wasn't spectacular, but he did a good job was easy to understand, and wasn't that much of a 'home', pretty respectful to other teams. I actually enjoyed him. Edwards must have taken over for him and is about 15x worse. He is very hard to listen to.

I like this. I don't need it but I like it. Nothing to me looks more un-natural and not like hockey than when a guy comes in on the shootout and just slows it down REALLY slow. Of course, what happens when its possibly a deciding shootout goal and you have a possible penalty (hooking, tripping) when the chaser takes down the shooter. What do you do when you get a penalty on a shootout, and what if it is a close/judgement call?

I'd just rather have them call the cheapshots AND if they missed issue heavy fines for them after the game. That would put an end to it. You don't see that much of it in the NFL, why? The NFL doesn't put up with it and there are fines when it happens.

This was brought up in another thread a month or two ago (maybe more?), but I think it at least is a discussion point.... Patrice Bergeron. There was an article right about the time he retired that talked about the way he was so good on defense from the forward position. One of the key points it brough up (and showed examples) was he would often turn away from a hit at the last minute, NOT finishing the check. Many times when the opposing player is stationary or along the boards and moving, they are not going to be in a position to join the rush forward, so by 'finishing your check' you don't do much to slow them down/take them out of the play, but what you do is you take yourself out of the play by insuring you are that 1-2 seconds later getting back. There was a radio show out of Canada that I personally listed to that talked about this. Now I'm not saying the team shouldn't hit. But when you see a guy have someone lined up along the boards and he turns away at the last minute, often times it might actually be a good thing if he gets back into the defensive zone more quickly.

He will be 34 when his next contract starts, what exactly does he want for his next deal is the question. If I'm Tampa, If he wants an increase in pay and/or more than 2-3 years on a deal, I'm walking away. Even a 3 year deal has him ending that deal when he will be 38 years old. I don't want to be going beyond that at all, and not paying even what he is getting paid now. If they are 100% SURE they will be a legit top 5 team in the league with him on a new deal and contending for the cup, then MAYBE...but I'd much rather re-tool than pay for a still-very-good-but-aging-into-his-late-30's guy.

Its not that big of a deal for me, but I agree overall. Maybe there is something else going on in the building later in the day or the day before? Or the Sabres preferred an earlier game so they could get back to Buffalo in the evening and have a morning training camp practice the next day?

I want them to be better each year than the last. All I really want/expect is for this season to be better than the last. The Cup? When they are 'close' to that, then I will have expectations for it. Right now I don't think they are close to the Cup, so I just want this year to be better than last.