Dan

Not even reading this. It's a disgrace. Perhaps he's not your favorite announcer, but to hate one of the better Bills to ever play the game is just wrong. Disagree with him; but give him credit for being a great player and a good announcer that still represents the Bills franchize in a positive light.

OK, I've been away a few days enjoying Christmas and I haven't had time to read all the game threads (I'll do that promptly), but this was my biggest pisser after the game. There was serious PI on #24 of the Titans, clearly blocking Reed and knocking him down. I know they never call PI on Hail Mary's, but that's because typically PI in that situation is of the everyone jumping up for the ball and shoving each other around variety. This was a defender not looking at the ball in any way and taking out an offensive receiver as the ball was coming down. Definite PI in any situation! I know there were plenty of other circumstances during the game such that it should have never come down to that single play. But, still, that was blatant PI and should have been called. We were hosed by a tremendous non call. Being at my parents house in TN, all the local stations were calling it another Miracle finish for the Titans. Which begged my question. Why do the Titans always have to beat us with some miracle play that, by its name, implies some sort of divine intervention that you just have to take on faith was legitimate even though all reason tells you otherwise?

What it seems to me he (Gandy, a lineman for the Falcons) is suggesting is that Vick and other black QBs don't get a fair shake by COACHES. Suggesting that black QBs are trained/coached differently. For ex., Manning has been taught to throw the ball away rather than take the sack. Vick has bee taught to run and make a play rather than take the sack. Consequently, black QBs have different expectations placed on them in comparison to white QBs as a direct result of them being more athletic than white guys. And because of these different expectation, black QBs are usually less succesful. In other words, Vick is having a bad year because he's black and therefore treated differently than white QBs. It's not because of his lack of abilities, his bad recievers, bad play calling, or anything like that; its merely boils down to him being black. I think this is pretty well atrocious. I guess the guy never watched Warren Moon play or Doug Williams. I think this article is a clear indication that racism is more prevalent than anyone cares to admit in our society and in the NFL.

I'll go out on a limb and say, this may be one of the few times that having a player not start due to injury is a good thing.

Get a load of this one... Downside to Athleticism just a tease: "In particular, Gandy has a pretty interesting take on why black quarterbacks such as current teammate Michael Vick undergo so much public scrutiny. Gandy has watched teammates – Vick, Aaron Brooks in New Orleans, Kordell Stewart in Pittsburgh, Tony Banks in St. Louis and Dameyune Craig at Auburn – operate under a different set of standards"

Actually started going to Quaker Steak and never made it. We saw Champs and went in there. But, I heard Quaker Steak was a great place to hang and drink.

I'd agree with much of what you've said. Although I don't think we'd have the same record. Perhaps 5 wins. I doubt Willis would have played with broken ribs and we'd probably not have A-train on the roster backing him up. Mularkey did not inspire his players to play. Most importantly, I think we'd have a continuation of last year's aura. That is a team that's spinning its wheels trying anything - gimmicks, trick plays, rash player substitutions, etc. - to get a few wins. The single biggest thing Jauron has done is provide a sense of direction, a sense of progress, a sense of stability to this team. That, along with Marv's emphasis on character and team, finally have this team thinking positively. We were dwelling in a repeating cycle of losing and Marv along with Jauron have managed to turn that around in a single season. Not only do the fans think we'll win or at least can win; but the players think they can win. And that is not to be underestimated or undevalued.

Now that's worth reading 8 pages of this thread. Thanks for the inspiration. Ohh.. how often I've wonderd about lickin her... oh nevermind.

Champs Sports Bar. (I think that's the name.) I been there a few times. Good bar with lots of TVs. It's near the Wal-mart, if memory serves correct.

I rememer watching that game with my family. It was like... well its just 1 touchdown. OK. 2, no problem. sh-- 3 touchdowns. 4 we can still.... crap, 5! damn. see all we need is 4, Just 3, now 2.... and the house was getting crazier and wilder as the game went on. At the end of the game we all ran out in the street in front of our house screaming and yelling. It was awaesome!

No way, I gotta know who to cheer for. I think its starting to all sink in for me finally, who needs to win what. I wish I had the brain to do all the permutations you playoff gurus are doing. It's great!

Considering what will have to transpire should the Jets win, there is no alternative. The Jets have to lose on Monday night. Hence, I think I'll be rooting for Denver. Provided of course we beat the Titans. If we don't, then I'll be too drunk to even care if a football game is being played.

So do I want Denver to win or not?

THANKS!!! Great to see the pregame!

Same here. DirecTV, Sunday Ticket, DVR service. Not even a phone line in my house, let alone one hooked up to the TV. Whatever anyone says... a phone is not needed.

I think McGehee will be pretty well motivated as well to prove he's better than Travis. Hopefully the 2 cancel each other out. Because I agree, Travis rushing worries me more than Young throwing.

Yes.

Especially when you consider there's been this exact same discussion for the last 2 weeks (?) now.

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!