hondo in seattle

It's going to be an interesting afternoon. Every game that matters in the AFC wildcard race is on at the same time. I've been completely indifferent to the Bengals for 50 years. Today I'm a huge fan!

You start with an unfounded opinion (Kyle has little impact on the locker room) and then build speculation upon that. I remain unconvinced.

Whatever you think of IK, I don't think you can really know Rex's motivation for signing him.

Exactly what I thought. His audience was his players. I doubt if he cares what anyone else thinks about what he said. I doubt if he actually cares much about the change in start time. He's just doing the us-against-the-world thing. Let's come together as a team because if we don't care about each other, no one else will.

Peerless Price only had 31 receptions for 393 yards his rookie year. A few years later, he tallied 94 receptions for 1252 yards. Some receivers need time to adjust to the NFL and take their skills to the next level. There's little doubt that Taylor has trouble getting the ball to his WRs. There's equally little doubt that Zay has been unimpressive. Both are at fault. But I'm not ready to give up on Zay just yet.

Maybe he'll prove me wrong eventually but right now he gets my vote for worst poster. He's kind of surly and argumentative. Though I do get your point about the entertaining discussions.

Yeah, 26CB gets my vote for best poster. He gives us links to good articles and adds in his own informative takes. Yolo is another great poster.

If by "franchise," you mean the GM and personnel staff, I agree. We've not had strong rosters since the 90s.

The good news is that the teams were competing with for the final wildcard spot are all pretty average and very capable of losing.

It did seem like the team lost some steam when the KB touchdown was incorrectly overturned. Sort of like Thurman's SB fumble, there may have been a Here-We-Go-Again reaction. Anticipating failure does indeed tend to bring failure. But I've never heard a Bills player say he expects to lose against the Pats or anyone else.

The craziest freaking optimism since the Senator used to predict 16-0 seasons - and would hold to his prediction even after the Bills first loss. But I'll be honest. I like it!

Agreed. MD's flaws are obvious. But - considering how atrocious we've been - it's hard to imagine that our run D wouldn't have been better with Marcel.

We looked like a real football team that first half, whatever the angle. And from any vantage point, we didn't in the second half.

Look at this roster. I'm excited McD even got us into the playoff hunt. I'm not going to nitpick one decision versus a season of overachieving. But just one more win - against anyone - would change the playoff picture dramatically.

It's better than what I got... a Buffalo Bills ugly sweater.

I'm not sure we need another thread on the need for a franchise QB. And I don't think we're "one QB away from being a really good play off contender." Our defense has looked awfully porous at times. Our WR corps doesn't exactly strike fear in our opponents. And our OL has shortcomings. I'm not sure how I feel about the totality of the coaching staff but I certainly entertain reservations about Rico.

I didn't believe we'd win until I saw the first half unfold. I was yelling and my hopes were beginning to soar. But when Clay dropped that pass and KB was ruled out of bounds, all my enthusiasm drained out of me and I knew this would be just another Patriot heartbreaker.

Somewhere I saw a website that compiled 43 predictions for the game. Only two NFL media guys predicted the Bills to win. Even as a Bills homer, I can't imagine what drugs they were taking that would be that powerful to mess with their intellects so profoundly. But let's say the Bills have a roughly 5% chance of winning. If that comes to pass, it'll be because of turnovers. Tyrod will play error free football and make a few plays with both his legs and his arm. Shady will run hard. Brady, suffering from the flu, will throw 3 picks. Gronk will contribute a lost fumble. And even with all that, the Bills will only win by 3.

Football is a kids game. Kids make mistakes. The better ones learn from their mistakes and grow up. Richie is one of the better ones.

In my memory, I'd have to say the Pats. Its far easier to hate Belichick/Brady than Shula/Marino.

I'm rooting for the win-out 99% option. If we beat the Pats tomorrow (a gigantic "if," I know), I think it puts us on a different course. Goliath has been defeated, long live David! A win in Foxboro would elevate the players' confidence in themselves, in the coaching staff, and in the "process." It would therefore, I think, improve the odds of winning the Miami game and launching us into the playoffs. And I say that knowing full well that Miami's victory over the Pats didn't help them at all in their next game. Different team, different circumstances.

The Miami rivalry felt different to me. While I never hated either team, I do think the Pats are far more despised than the Fins ever were (Bryan Cox aside). And then there's that sense of pathetic hopelessness when we play the Pats. Yep, during the 70s, we lost to the Fins 20 times in a row. But that was more of a matter of us being bad than them being unbeatable. And after that, it was more fun than rancorous. Many of the games in the 80s and 90s had playoff implications for both teams. That's not true of the Pats games. Another difference is that the rivalry was one of two cities as well as two teams. There was the contrast between a sunny resort town and a snowy rust belt city. I was in South Florida for a playoff game and one of the Miami news stations had a story about why so many Bills fans travel to Florida for games. They showed scenes of people knee deep in snow on a gray December day in Buffalo and compared that to folks in Miami frolicking on the beaches. They suggested we weren't loyal fans, we just liked Miami better. Is the Pats-Buffalo rivalry even a thing? The Pats are the bogeyman to many Buffalonians. But Bostonians hardly notice us.

I'm just not into bashing the Bills - or John Murphy. But I think Bills fans are less negative than most sports fans would be after 17 years of disappointment.

I still kind of miss MG. But the bang-for-the-buck wasn't there at that price. And it is kind of funny to watch the Pats pay him all that money to sit around in street clothes. I barely noticed when we signed Cadet but have been impressed with him as a back up.

I love the terseness of some of his responses. I don't think he ever read "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Or he just doesn't care for reporters.