26CornerBlitz

Free Agency? Doesn't mean a thing at this point in 2018 when many of the premium guys will never hit the open market.

Derek Anderson has plenty of arm strength.

Good!

NFL Week 8 game picks: Saints nip Vikings, Rams top Packers By Elliot Harrison NFL.com Analyst MONDAY, OCT. 29 New England Patriots 31, Buffalo Bills 13 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN) | New Era Field (Orchard Park, N.Y.) Bills win by 30 ... I was wondering if any of you actually read these blurbs or simply glance at the score. If Buffalo is to have a chance Monday night, and not lose by 30, three things must happen: 1) The front seven shows up like it did vs. the Vikings, Titans and Texans, producing knockdowns, if not sacks. 2) From that pressure, must come turnovers. Move Tom Brady off his all-too-comfortable perch early. He's enjoyed the creature comforts of home in Buffalo over the lengthy course of his career. 3) If LeSean McCoy can't go (concussion), pound Chris Ivory in the first quarter, with another heavy dose late. Exactly nobody loves tackling that guy. I don't even like writing about tackling that guy. So ... James White scores thrice and the Pats win by 18.

By Elliot Harrison NFL.com Analyst New Orleans Saints 28, Minnesota Vikings 27 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC) | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis) You will see the Minneapolis Miracle more times this weekend than the Stefon Diggs' hands-stick-to-everything commercials. (Which, by the way ... Why wasn't Diggs walking with an unhinged door attached to his palm? Hey, how did he get outside!? Is he one of those tech cowboys in Santa Clara who wears low-rise Converse, shaggy jeans and has an automatic sliding door installed in his home?) The Saints are coming off an important road win at Baltimore, and will face another such test against a talented defense, with crowd noise an obvious factor. Talented, but not stronger than the Ravens' unit. The Vikings' key to winning is generating pressure in Brees' face (something Baltimore couldn't do enough) and Kirk Cousins challenging the Saints downfield. The Saints' secondary hasn't been stressed vertically much in the team's past two games, with Alex Smith and Joe Flacco going a combined 2-of-8 on deep passes (20-plus air yards) against New Orleans during that span.

One of the sources confirmed that Cruz was not “maintaining a very high level of performance over a sustained period,” while another told Football Zebras in March that Cruz’s future with the league was already in jeopardy. This is partially borne out by his lack of postseason assignments for the two seasons he would have qualified for, not counting assignment as an alternate last season. Another oddity that our sources could not find a reason for was that Cruz was assigned to a different crew for 3 of the 6 regular season games he has worked this year. He was assigned to Brad Allen’s crew in Week 6 when a crucial missed false start call should have nullified a Chargers touchdown (or, more accurately, the play would have been shut down long before that). Even though the miscall was very significant, no call on its own would prompt a firing. Basic human resources training would tell you that there is a document trail of transgressions that will make the case. It is, apparently, the last straw for senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron. Cruz was off last week, so the Week 6 Chargers-Browns game was his last. As surprising as a midseason firing is, any firing for that matter is a rare occurrence. Although there are cases of officials seemingly coerced into retirement, mostly to manage turnover, there have been very few outright terminations. In the last 10 years, one official was dismissed for an undisclosed off-field issue, and another was dismissed due to performance following a crucial error in the season finale. That’s it. Notably, the NFL attempted to terminate 8 officials due to performance issues in 2003; the NFLRA was able to successfully get most of them rehired or assigned to the replay booth. But one source said, as surprising as the move is, when an official does not perform well “there are consequences, which can include termination of employment.”

Lines and D pairings - October 25 BUFFALO - Here's a look at the forward lines and defense pairings featured at Thursday's morning skate at the KeyBank Center. Tatar - Danault - Gallagher Drouin - Domi - Lehkonen Byron - Kotkaniemi - Armia Deslauriers - Peca - Shaw Scherbak - Hudon Benn - Petry Reilly - Juulsen Mete - Ouellet Alzner Niemi Price Sabres Return Home Looking for 3rd-Straight Win Projected Lineup 53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville 43 Conor Sheary - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 23 Sam Reinhart 71 Evan Rodrigues - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 21 Kyle Okposo 10 Patrik Berglund - 22 Johan Larsson - 28 Zemgus Girgensons 19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 6 Marco Scandella - 4 Zach Bogosian 26 Rasmus Dahlin - 8 Casey Nelson 40 Carter Hutton 35 Linus Ullmark

The article in the OP states the reasons why.

They won't. Too much effort to repaint for one or two games per season.

Coffee with the Coach 10/25: Preparing for Buffalo (3:42) In this week's edition of Coffee with the Coach, Scott Zolak and Coach Belichick talk about the upcoming game against Buffalo and the unique atmosphere Bills fans create during game days. Scouting the Matchup: Defense Will Lead the Way News Blitz 10/25: Trade Talk, Injury Updates Throwback Thursday: Bills vs. Patriots Through the Years

He hasn't been good enough to be active on game days, but he's on the 53 not the PS. There's nothing to hear.

They have have expolited some of the weaker offensive lines like Houston in week 6.

The Colts OL dominated the game to neutralize the Bills front 7.

Football Zebras exclusive In a stunning move, the NFL has fired down judge Hugo Cruz, number 94, effective immediately, which has been confirmed by 7 sources who have firsthand knowledge of the situation. This is the first time in the Super Bowl era that the NFL has fired an official in the middle of the regular season. Previously, the NFL has suspended officials for major mistakes and, if warranted, dropped the official in the offseason. Others had their fate sealed early in the season, but completed the rest of the year, as had happened to a rookie official who fell asleep during a preseason clinic. (He never saw a second season.) The NFL Referees Association has not responded to our requests for comment, and an NFL spokesman declined to comment.