Dan

My nephew's first word was Bruuuce. So, yes it's possble to be a Bills fan before you know how to spell football. In my family, being a Bills fan is not a choice its a birth right.

Do you still get it on the radio (sirius or local) if it's blacked out? (just curious)

Using similar logic, wouldn't Freeney's sack numbers be inflated then, because teams are passing more late in the game; therefore a certain percentage of Freeney's sacks would be "garbage time" sacks. Therefore, Schobel is actually a better pass rusher than Freeney, because he has fewer oppurtunities per game to rush the passer.

This team has a great chance! And I've told everyone exactly what I want for Christmas... a Bills win and a Jet loss. That's it! Because that will give us an excellent chance going into the final week of the season. Man how much fun will that be! Ez: I completely agree we don't need to wast playoff shots, but I don't think this team is going to fold like others have. I truly feel this team is turning up and next year we'll be even better than this year. That still, by no means, guarantees a playoff game next year. Entirely too many things can happen during the course of a full season. But I do feel optimistic about this team; and I must admit going into the '05 season, I didn't feel the same. This team has me feeling hopeful again. Each week my hope and optimism grows. I actually had moments during the game last week where I thought, "JP's gonna do something here" Or when he threw long I actually expected a completion rather than an interception. It's been years since I could say something like that. Perhaps I'm the only one. But, this team is seeming to come together and truely play well together. I really think our success next season will depend largely on how much Marv can keep this team together and add to it in a few key areas. (read: Don't let Nate or Fletcher go)

Willis always plays his best with personal motivation. Just look at the Jets games with him going against Vilma as exhibit 1. I think playing against Travis will be enough to motivate him. I predict a big time, hard-hitting game from Willis. 125-150 yards.

For what its worth, my Aunts/Uncles in Buffalo aren't going to the game either. Reason: Christmas Eve is a time for family and long-standing family traditions and that doesn't include a trip to a Bills' game. Bottomline, this game won't sell out. But, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fanbase's commitment to the team. The Lions sell out the Thanksgiving game (for ex); but remember that game is played regularly there and for many of those fans, that is their family tradition. So, its a different situation.

I understand and truly appreciate the optimism in this thread, but the reality is the Bills are not likely to be in the playoffs. They have to win their last 2 games and multiple other teams have to lose, and must lose certain games not just 1 0f the last 2. That makes us a longshot. There are 4 teams at 8-6, if I recall correctly. The reality is all of those teams have much, much better chance of being in the playoffs. I'm not trying to be the wet blanket here, I'm just saying lets ground this thing in reality. If the Bills win out and several other teams lose certain games we can get in. And that is a great and hopeful thing. And I read this thread daily to remind me of who I need to root for this week (I'm still a little confused on whether I'm rooting for Denver or Cinci to win). More importantly, I think we should all congratulate this team for playing tough; thereby, allowing us to have these discussions!

I've never done a paypal thing over the net. Can you (or someone) else tell me what's involved? Also, how much should I donate, i.e. whats a typical amount? I'm not big on donations and all, usually. However, I visit this site all day every day and if there's anythig I can do to show my appreciation and ensure it continues to run, please let me know. I want to do my part.

I thought Buffalo started 2-4, not 0-4.

Big congrats to Schobel and Moorman! Maybe Fletcher will take out is frustration on the Titans this weekend and show everyone, yet again, why he should have been selected!

Exactly. First things first. And first off, to be even having a discussion like this is incredible. So we should be proud of this team's effort regardless. Second, we concentrate all our collective efforts on beating the Titans. That's a game that we obviously need to win and should be able to win all things considered. Third, if we win, we then sit back and hope for a few other wins. Finally, we see what's on the plate for the final week. One heck of a fun ride I hope.

I thought 9-7. So, we're still within reach. However, all my predictions come with a +/- of 1 game, so I'm feely pretty clairvoyant. I must admit though, at the buy I thought there was no way we'd make 9-7. So, I'm greatly impressed with the late season progress. I must also admit that my 9-7 call was an optimisitic one, I would have been (and still would be) happy with a 7-9 finish. At 9-7, I had no thoughts of an extended season. So that possibilty is just making these last few weeks incredible. (still can't say the p word for fear of jinx)

I guess 3 pts are better than no points.

1 down.... 2 to go!!!

Is it just me, or does Pacman Jones have like a really big head? Or at least a really big helmet? I mean seriously, look at him. His head dwarfs his body.

Definitely cannot be discounted.

I was unsure of the Jauron hire. I lived, drunken and distorted, in the Sherman camp. But, Jauron is definitely appearing to be just what this team needed. I've been behind JP all along. Although, I still think it was dumb to get rid of Bledsoe and think JP was gonna do it all last year. I thought it would have been much more prudent to let Bledsoe ride it out 1 more year then give JP the reigns after 2 full years of watching. What do I know? Clements - I've been up and down on, currently I'm more up than down. Willis - I appear to be one of the few that's been behind him. Although, I still wish he and Travis could have played nice together. (Actually probably wouldn't have drafted Willis. At the time I thought we had much greater needs) Always on the bandwagon. There is no other bandwagon. Perhaps I don't always roll the windows down and play the music loud; but I'm on this ride till the bitter end.

At this rate, we'll never get that coveted #1 draft pick. Fire Marv now!

That was my game plan last year.

I agree. Another thought... why not tarp it off and put some huge ad space on there? Fewer seats, no black outs, increased advertising revenue.

Marv is on record on numerous, numerous occasions as saying: FA is not the way to build a team. (or something to that effect) It doesn't surprise me at all that Marv and Ralph talk more highly on the importance of the draft. It doens't mean we won't go after free agents. If I'm not mistaken we were among the most active teams last off season in free agency, in hires and salaries. However, Marv clearly has a different philosophy than a Snyder-type (for ex). when it comes to signing FAs.

I wouldn't say that... ever. I'm just describing my miserable existence.

Smokin Man retired to San Diego. Seriously though, these numbers bring up some very interesting questions about what constitutes a sell out.

In Ozy I trust! Go KC!

It's often made me wonder... what's a truer sign of a fan? Someone that buys season tickets? Or someone that listens to streaming ESPN radio for score highlights one week, checks all the furniture stores in town the next week (sports bars cost money and poor grad students don't have lots of money), and refreshes the NFL play-by-play the next week? I know we're all great fans!! But, it certainly takes a wierd kinda dedication when every week you have to piece together a new way to get the game info. I've often sat back this year and thought of how lucky I am to have DirecTV and Sirius radio (best birthday present I ever got!). For the first time, I've actually watched or listened to every game every week.