Bills appear headed for more lean times
Once upon a time, one of the NFL's best and proudest franchises inhabited western New York.
A team that was perennially in the playoffs, including four straight Super Bowl appearances, carried the economically downtrodden city on its back.
The current team competing in Orchard Park shares a name and team colors, but little else resembles those Buffalo Bills.
The hiring of Chan Gailey by new general manager Buddy Nix appears to be just the latest in a long line of botched decisions by an organization that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999.
Gailey hardly inspires confidence in fans that he will be the one to turn around that trend. In fact, he seemed to concede he was far from the top choice at the news conference introducing him as coach.
"I can't say anything to change anybody's mind," he said. "All I can do is go try to help us win football games. If we win football games, everybody's mind will be changed, right?
"Now I will say this: There's a lot of sixth- and seventh-round draft picks that have become Pro Bowlers. Right? It's what you do with the opportunity when you get it."
There's the kind of inspiration you are looking for from an NFL coach. Get your season tickets early, Bills fans.
It's difficult to comprehend, just a decade after the "Music City Miracle," that the most unbelievable part of that play is that the Bills were actually in a playoff game.
• NO THANKS -- The All-American Basketball Alliance used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to announce its intentions to start a league in 12 southern cities.
The league has little chance of success, but its concept is even less likely to make it a hit in other parts of the country.
"Only players that are natural-born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league," read a statement announcing the league.
Augusta, Ga., was listed as one of the potential locations for a franchise, but the city's mayor said he's not interested.
"As a sports enthusiast, I have always supported bringing more sporting activities to Augusta," Deke Copenhaver told the Augusta Chronicle. "However, in this instance, I could not support in good conscience bringing in a team that did not fit the spirit of inclusiveness that I, along with many others, have worked so hard to foster in our city."
When the town that is home to Augusta National Golf Course tells you that your policy is discriminatory, it's time to rethink things.
• LOOK OUT BELOW -- Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell will be crowned King Elexis I at the coronation of the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association on Feb. 14.
If the honor involves Russell riding on a float and throwing out beads, parade-goers should be prepared to chase the wayward strands in all directions.
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