they didn’t want to resign him regardless. In fact, Crowell will probably file a grievance and try to get an injury settlement for his release, assuming the injury is what it’s reported as.

It’s just a spiteful, stupid move by the team to put him on IR if it’s true that it would have only taken him 2-4 weeks to recover. If they were trying to send a message to him for having the surgery now, then fine him or suspend, don’t hurt the whole D by taking him out for the season. Just idiotic if that’s the case….

the Bills are getting irritated with player shinanigans. The way Chris Brown reported the story, he made it sound as if the Bills didn’t know he had the surgery until it was over. It just isn’t a good thing when the HEAD COACH is SURPRISED that one of his players decides to get surgery. It’s not a team move by Crowell, and placing him on IR is a team move by the team itself. It’s not a good thing from a fan perspective, but if I was coaching a team on any level I wouldn’t want that type of selfishness on my roster. Why do you think Peters has not been ushered back in here by the front office? This coaching staff just doesn’t care which players show up as long as the players that show up are team/character guys.

We also have to remember that the front office and coaching staff know the situation a bit more intimately than we do.

or (with what has happened with Peters and now Crowell) are the Bills intentionally trying to run a very promising season into the ground?

Hopefully there is someone on the Free Ageny List that we can pick up to replace him. I’ve said this all of last season and I’ll say it again now that issue has risen…ELLISON AND DIGIORGIO ARE WORTHLESS WHEN IT COMES TO THE STARTING LINE UP!!! They are the exact type of line backers that this coaching staff has moved away from to try and bolster our defense…small and speedy! They’re ok in open space but get eaten up by blockers. If Ellison replaces Crowell for the entire season our defense is at a LARGE disadvantage. Get your draft boards ready folks because if Crowell is gone at the end of this year hopefully we can replace him with James Laurinaitis! I know that is way too far in advance to look but we need a beast to replace a beast and he’s #1 in my book of this years draft class. I don’t like to bash players on my favorite team but Ellison and DiGiorgio deserve it because they’re terrible!

Crowell put the Bills in a horrible position. If he really didn’t tell the team he was going to have surgery and then didn’t tell them he was having it until it was over then he had to expect the organization to respond in an uncharitable manner. He, and we, can’t expect the team to simply let him piss in their collective face. I’m not sure I see the logic of fining him (as was suggested) or even the legality of it. His doctor obviously thought he needed the surgery so that’s not the issue. His handling of the surgery is the issue. The knee has been bugging him for a while so he could have had the surgery and been back in time for the season opener.

Crowell knew the team was counting on him to be a starter. The team kept 6 LBs on the roster and it is now down to 5. The team really can’t afford to go with just 5 LBs (3 starters—1 of whom plays special teams, and 2 back ups who both play special teams) so the Bills have to add another LB. The only other option is to cut another position and add a LB until Crowell gets back. The team didn’t like door #2, which would have cost them one of the developmental players (like Bell) they are hoping to turn into future starters. Instead, they chose to drop Crowell onto the IR list and add a 6th LB ASAP. Crowell can whine but he can’t seriously think he’d win a grievance. Jauron can simply point to the numbers and say that the spot was needed for a LB who could contribute before October. He can point back to last season when the team put Poz on IR, even though he could have been back around week 11 or so.

This leaves a bad taste but I see it as being largely Crowell’s fault if what is being reported is accurate. We may find out new and relevant facts that change that impression. For example, perhaps Crowell and/or his doctor talked to Buffalo’s doctors weeks ago and were rebuffed.

In any case, Crowell is done as a Bill. From what many have written about him, I’m a little surprised to see the reaction here. (I suspect it’s mainly due to Ellison getting playing time.) The team wasn’t gung-ho about getting him re-signed so that may have been an indication that they were going to let him go anyway. It also means there’s one less vet for the Bills to re-sign. Now perhaps Evans’ deal can finally be done. Maybe, just maybe, Peters will see the millions Evans is awash in and finally shuffle off to Buffalo.

This, to me, seems so calculated on Crowell’s part. What better way to prove his worth and garner at least conversation for an extension. Sit out a couple of weeksand show the Bills how much of an upgrade he is to Ellison. I mean, he went through OTA’s and training camp and not once did we hear about his knee. You have to be Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles to not see this as staged or very gullible.

This is where Keith Ellison has to elevate his game. Whitner, Edwards and gang are trying to bring a winning mentality back to OBD, just listen to their interviews. They will be counting on him to leave it on the field every game. If he can’t, give Roosevelt Colvin a call. He’s probably not the dominating pass rusher he once was, but he is better than Donnie Spragan and could probably be comparable to Crowell on this defense.

If you are watching the Giants game and see what Plaxico Burress is doing, I beg the Bills to give Lee Evans the money. He is putting on a clinic in the first half. Besides, as I posted in a fanpost he is the classiest, most professional athlete I’ve come across in a long time and if it has the same effect on him as Plax it will be worth every cent.

a lot of ills can be cured with a nice win Sunday…

I’m guessing we sign someone like Blake Costanzo, who will do nothing more than play on ST’s, unfortunately. We need to bring in someone capable of playing defensively.

I would play DiGi too. I’m so sick of watching Ellison play. We may see Julius Jones running wild on Sunday if he doesn’t play better. EEEEKKKK

…but did anyone else think that something might have been up when Crowell was stripped of his captaincy? If a player still has his starting job, I would think it might be a little unusual to see it happen. We sort of expected JP to lose his since he lost the starting job but I think Crowell losing his while still securely having the starting job should have sent up some red flags.

James Lauranitis watch!

I really wish our fans took the hard stance with this organization that Wilson’s lap dog front office takes with its players. Instead, we set records for season tickets for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs this decade. Oh well, I’m sure glad we’re saving money by drawing a line in the sand with these greedy players. Give me a break…And who gives a crap about the draft, 4 days before the season. I feel like we’re sheep as Bills fans and it makes me sick. I just got this news and I can’t wait to read Chris Brown’s spin. That should be rich (like Wilson).

that occurred at OBD today, I will post the following:

Quotes from past gridiron legends have added to football’s lore and should be passed on to today’s youth to increase their wisdom.

#1. ’Football is only a game. Spiritual things are eternal. Nevertheless, Beat Texas ’ Seen on a church sign in Arkansas prior to the 1969 game.

#2. ‘After you retire, there’s only one big event left… and I ain’t ready for that.’ Bobby Bowden / Florida State

#3. ‘The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.’ Lou Holtz / Arkansas

#4. ‘When you win, nothing hurts.’ Joe Namath / Alabama

#5. ‘Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who are not motivated.’ Lou Holtz / Arkansas

#6. ‘If you want to walk the heavenly streets of gold, you gotta know the password, ’Roll, tide, roll!’ Bear Bryant / Alabama

#7. ‘A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall.’ Frank Leahy / Notre Dame

#8. ’There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.’ Woody Hayes / Ohio State

#9. ‘I don’t expect to win enough games to be put on NCAA probation. I just want to win enough to warrant an investigation.’ Bob Devaney / Nebraska

#10. ‘In Alabama , an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in Bear Bryant.’ Wally Butts / Georgia

#11. ‘You can learn more character on the two-yard line than anywhere else in life.’ Paul Dietzel / LSU

#12. ’It’s kind of hard to rally around a math class.’ Bear Bryant / Alabama

#13. When asked if Fayetteville was the end of the world. ‘No, but you can see it from here.’ Lou Holtz / Arkansas.

#14. ‘I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game.’ Bear Bryant / Alabama

#15. ’There’s one sure way to stop us from scoring-give us the ball near the goal line.’ Matty Bell / SMU

#16. ‘Lads, you’re not to miss practice unless your parents died or you died.’ Frank Leahy / Notre Dame

#17. ‘I never graduated from Iowa , but I was only there for two terms – Truman’s and Eisenhower’s.’ Alex Karras / Iowa

#18. ‘My advice to defensive players: Take the shortest route to the ball and arrive in a bad humor.’ Bowden Wyatt / Tennessee

#19. ‘I could have been a Rhodes Scholar, except for my grades.’ Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State

#20. ‘Always remember… Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David.’ Shug Jordan / Auburn

#21. ‘They cut us up like boarding house pie. And that’s real small pieces.’ Darrell Royal / Texas

#22. ‘Show me a good and gracious loser, and I’ll show you a failure.’ Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

#23. ‘They whipped us like a tied up goat.’ Spike Dykes / Texas Tech

#24. ‘I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn’t recruit me and he said: ‘Well, Walt, we took a look at you and you weren’t any good.’ Walt Garrison / Oklahoma State

#25. ‘Son, you’ve got a good engine, but your hands aren’t on the steering wheel.’ Bobby Bowden / Florida State

#26. ‘Football is not a contact sport – it is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.’ Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State

#27. After USC lost 51-0 to Notre Dame, his postgame message to his team: ‘All those who need showers, take them.’ John McKay / USC

#28. ‘If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education.’ Murray Warmath / Minnesota

#29. ‘The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb. To be a back, you only have to be dumb.’ Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

#30. ‘Oh, we played about like three tons of buzzard puke this afternoon.’ Spike Dykes / Texas Tech

#31. ‘It isn’t necessary to see a good tackle. You can hear it.’ Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

#32. ‘We live one day at a time and scratch where it itches.’ Darrell Royal / Texas

#33. ‘We didn’t tackle well today but we made up for it by not blocking.’ Wilson Matthews / Little Rock Central High School

#34. ’Three things can happen when you throw the ball, and two of them are bad. Darrell Royal / University of Texas

#35. ’I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.’ Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

#36. ‘Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football.’ John Heisman’

forgetting that Keith Ellison played really well as a rookie on the strong side. Strong side backers (when they read a run key) usually just go down-hill and take on blocks/fill a gap. Ellison struggled on the weak side because he couldn’t defeat blocks and was poor in pursuit and working through trash. I’m hoping when his role is simplified and reduced in the defense it will prevent teams from exploiting him.

I always liked Crowell, he was very productive for the Bills. But he does not really fit our defense… which is probably why he’s not being esteemed by the Bills. He’s not fast, poor in coverage, and now is injury-prone. Another reason he may have ended up on IR is because those same doctors who supposedly told him to get this surgery may have also told the Bills that there is little likelihood that arthroscopic knee surgery will fix the problem (it’s a simple procedure that has little efficacy sometimes). So, if that’s the case, why would the Bills waist a roster spot on him for the next few weeks if they think this is going to be a season-long nagging injury?

While Troy VIncent was near retirement, and there was a very capable rookie to step in, (therefore making, his and the Crowell situation very different, they are similar in one respect); That the Bills traded or released Vincent shortly after. I think, the Bills might trade off Crowell if they can, seeing as a team with needs at LB, or at least in need of an upgrade, would take a chance on Crowell for a 5th maybe.
However, like I said elsewhere, we could package the deal for something better, to fill another need. I don’t know, but we might just go with this as the team, hope Peters comes back (maybe also a ploy to show that the team is saving $ room for Peters at the end of the season without actually saying it) and see how we do.

I agree with Brian that no matter what, the LBs are still better.

Like I said, I think this was a calculated move by Crowell and that’s my opinion. Also reported by Chris Brown that Crowell was not at practice today. Sounds as if it was an unexcused absence because Chris said more will be learned after practice.

the window for a knee scope is 2-4 weeks? couldn’t the Bills have slept on this before pulling the IR gun out of the holster?

The only way this makes any sense is if the Bills really think they would be better off without Crowell and it could mean that they will try and sign a FA LB.

He’d be a good back-up option to Ellison. Well, he’s better than the alternative at this point…or maybe we could get Gabe Northern back

Superfan82, for someone who thought that James Hardy was trouble, I can’t see how you don’t perceive Crowell as a “cancer.” Read what PFT is saying about this situation. I think they read our conversations last night. This guy pulled this stunt because (IMO) he didn’t get offered an extension. He wanted to show the Bills that he was a better option than Ellison/Corto/Digiorgio and the only way to do it was to sit out. He made this decision without consenting with the organization. Why wasn’t he at practice yesterday (according to Chris Brown)? Was it an unexcused absence? Where was he (at a doctor office getting his knee looked at)? I hope the media asks these questions today. It will be real interesting to see if he is around the team while he is rehabbing. If any of the above is true, I wouldn’t want him around either.

Can we all step back, breath and relax a bit. One Crowell does not a season make. If this team really was only one player away from total disaster, than we had absolutely no business putting any faith in this 2008 team in the first place.

I trust DJ, Fewell, Modrak, Brandon (to a lesser extent on strict personnel decisions), et al for the simple fact that: 1) they are around those players every day, and most importantly, 2) they get freaking paid to ensure that they put the best freaking football team they can on that field. You need to prove to me otherwise if you disagree with that…I mean, what incentive is there to suck? They are pros, and no matter how great we are at being techies, lawyers, bible salesmen or car mechanics, we come to this blog to discuss Bills football because we’re not front office men and most likely not skilled or truly knowledgeable to run a pro franchise, no matter how much we fool ourselves into thinking otherwise because we had a good fantasy football draft.

 And seeing that, and honestly step back on this one, this cannot, no matter how you slice it, be a money-related decision. You just gotta defer to them on this one because we are completely ignorant of the real reason behind this move. We just are, and no amount of speculating or complaining about OBD changes that in any way. Don’t be so willing to jump off the bridge before Sunday. There are no dark clouds, guys. Football is about to begin again! See what product they put on the field first. I gotta feeling we’ll be ok. Now as for Peters…

Don’t draft LB #1 this year. We have far more pressing needs than to waste a pick on outside linebacker when we already have two great LBs. Just play Ellison when you have to, and play more nickel, that’s the best way to do it. If you play DiGiorgio then you have no capable reserves.

Number one order of battle: Always keep a reserve.