JESSEFEFFER

It does seem to help make more sense of the situation. The story is written by former WGR 550 staffer Matt Coller.

Deep shots at New Era in November and December with 20+ mph winds are a real low % play. It's not like their opponents were hitting them either. Some don't even try.

I do not have a clear understanding of why he was not happy with the Vikings. Because the offense became more run focused? Without knowing how well he fits within the team culture, I can't see it as a slam dunk A. He is what the offense needed and is more likely to deliver than any rookie would be. I just wonder why he'd be happier as a Bill than what he appeared to be as a Viking and that could make a big difference in how well the trade actually plays out.

I appreciate the question but running faster is not a main concern for me. Running smarter is. Primarily with when it's a good idea to take chances with regard to ball security and taking on tacklers. He might run over DBs but taking an illegal headshot ruins that thinking. Running tall exposes the ball, making it a focused effort of the defenders. He does slide when it makes sense but his idea of when to take risks needs an adjustment. As for the rest, he is way faster than most all the exhausted pass rushers whom he can easily avoid one on one. About the time the LBs start to track him, he kicks it into another gear and all of a sudden their persuit angle is wrong (Barr, Kiko, etc.) but he needs some distance between him and them to allow it to happen. I hope he never looks like a slow pitch softball first baseman ala Roethlisberger, but it's probably inevitable. Just hope that the rest of his game is topnotch to compensate.

I thought "my girl" meant daughter, also. I immediatley thought of what I would or would not do for my daughter. She's on a travel competitive cheerleading team. Events usually require an overnight stay, last 4 hrs. and cost $15 to attend. Her one event lasts about 3 minutes. She has about 8 more of these left. It's a time/irritation/misery continuum that one must consider. Now, I could just leave after her event but if you are out-of-town the options are not plentiful, would require some research and you'd be limited by needing to return to gather them up. A lame celebrity singing show that we'd watch at home and lasts an hour does not seem so bad.

Tough to blame him in anyway for the ankle injury. I thought there was no way he'd play again this year as the way it was rolled looked almost as bad as could be.

I think it's pretty much a part time, Friday to Sunday gig for 24 weeks or so. Compared to the health risks of playing and the time dedicated to OTA's, minicamp, training camp and then the regular season weekly grind, I'd bet he could sell that to Liza real easy. I think Fitz would slay that job.

OK. That is an insane amount of money to throw at a color commentator. Here's how CBS should respond: Let Romo go and make a play for Fitz to replace Romo. Fitz is smarter, funnier, knows/has worked with more people throughout all levels of NFL franchises and probably has established more good will than most any other player currently in the league. His limitations in talent and "fearless, swimming in the cesspool" style of play should offer him plenty of perspective on NFL matters big and small, whether on the field or off. He probably knows more coaches, has been a teammate to more players and is on a first name basis with more NFL media professionals than anyone else. He has played in 5 of the 8 NFL divisions with 3 stints in the AFC East and 2 in the AFC South.

There were some days at New Era where punt catching was obviously a difficult thing. He made it look easy. i don't know what that chart shows but Andre handled most all the tough balls in bad weather and without much space so easily that it's easy to dismiss his contribution. But someone in that job who can't handle tough circumstances and we would all notice the muffs and/or balls that are not caught and are allowed to bounce and roll for 10 or 15 more yards.

Ravens game had bad drops by Knox, Beasley and Singletary. Generally, offenses struggled in an open air stadium located in the Great Lakes region during November and December weather conditions. Reputations credit the Bills D and blame Josh's accuracy.

Football Zebras had a game blog that celebrated the call made on the EZ non touchback as a common sense ruling and the penalty on Ford as legit as have you. I see Ford with his hands low, almost coming to a stop, the defender actually initiating the contact to Ford's upper arm as he is turned to face him and then Ford pushing with his hands extended. No forcible contact to the head, no blindside hit from the side, no force involved that is a threat to injure. This was no where near a "decleater" and the defender's "54" was facing him. This was a block that amounted to a push with the defender taking two steps back. Where is the common sense applied in this case? Not forcible = no injury threat = no call = no fine. Initiate with the head, shoulder or forearm and forcible are necessary parts to make the call and issue the fine and are standards not not met, imo.

Punting near midfield a relatively high percentage of the time would account for most all those stats. I wonder if it's actually the case. Seven touchbacks may not be bad normalized to those that were successfully downed inside the 10 or 20.

I've seen that penalty called when the receiver made the catch. Tre White on Adam Theilen last year for one.

Forcible = risking injury. Not even close to that threshold. I've seen legal screens in basketball that involved more force. In the video posted that the league prepared every hit was a "decleater." That seems to be their intent for forcible not the bump Cody gave.

I like Duke and what he could add to the offense but this was a drop. Maybe others have said so but I haven't read the entire thread yet. The elbow hook did not occur until after the ball was not secured on the first catch attempt. The hook prevented Duke from making a second attempt to secure it. So, bobble = no catch = drop, in my opinion. The other one on the sideline that some want to call a drop to me was a clear pbu. High ball above his head and in his hands ripped out by db's hand.

The receiving corp was remarkably healthy all year (as was the team as a whole) which is not normal. Otherwise, Duke would have played more, imo. I like what he brings to the table, his attitude seems properly adjusted, and, as he fights to establish a legitimate career in the NFL, I will continue to want him to show well. Seeing what people can achieve after it appears that they lost their best shot at their dream is one of the best storylines in sports.

Tre White had time to point to the play clock at .00 before the snap. Almost needed to come across the neutral zone at 0.00 to force them to make the call. It was not close. They gave Josh a TO after the playclock had run out but that was a 1st and 20 situation not 3rd and 18 in OT. Bills D dropped too deep on that play and reacted very slow to the underneath pass.

Delay of game not called.

Passing and kicking games suffer in windy conditions. There were 4 such games at home this year. It's tough to quantify the effects wind/weather have on those stats you cite but I think it explains much of the difference. I do not remember any tough weather conditions on the road.

Just saying that should create a more humble persona, I think. Makes sense to me.

Tracking a ball over one's shoulder and adjusting to it is not easy. Beasley had one hit him in the helmet in Jets1 and one through his hands vs Ravens. It seems to not be his thing. Brown is good at it I think. Zay was poor and Foster not so much either. I think Duke has shown to be pretty good at it in a few game settings and in some of the practice highlights we have seen. The EZ post TD against the Titans is another strong route for Duke. It is tough for a DB to make a play on the ball around Duke's wider body.

Joe Marino--Locked on Bills Very good podcast. Has a good, professional broadcast voice, his family lived on Grand Island for a time before moving to NC, he is a Bills fan and he does draft evaluations for the The Draft Network which I find to be better than most.

I'll trust Joe Marino's take. He says it's not Duke over McKenzie or Foster. It's Duke over Kurt Coleman as the roster choice. Also, I have not heard/read any evaluation of Duke's run blocking post Jets game but I thought it was very good against the Titans. I prefer physical tenacity over finesse in most offensive situations. I'd think he could win most any matchup vs. a DB3.

Graded against the measure of all NFL QBs I'd say C+. Redzone, 4th quarter, improved ball security and clutch running ability elevate his grade beyond his raw passing stats which aren't so impressive. Measured against last year or the standard of 2nd year NFL starting QBs, he rates a solid B. Some nice playoff performances could take the final grade higher.

Tracking the ball over the shoulder and adjusting to it is not easy. Maybe JB is the only other wr any good at it.