Dan

To win, the Bills need (1) to be near perfect, (2) outplay the Refs bad calls, and (3) get heat on Brady. So far, they haven't done any one of those.

Stevie got nailed by Mayo and dropped the ball. Really good hit by Mayo, so I can't blame him. Still sucks though.. would have been a 1st down.

Absolutely, there's nothing out there on the interwebs to suggest that Chan and company don't like Brohm. In fact, all evidence (he made the team and moved up to season-long #2) suggests they're quite satisfied with him, IMO. It'll be very telling, to say the least, to see what they do in the draft regarding the QB position. I really can't see them bringing in a FA to backup Fitz. So, whether or not they draft someone could say everything about what the feeling is towards Brohm.

I'm sorry, probably didn't explain myself well enough. I agree Trent was shot, here. They almost had to get rid of him. But, they also had to have some confidence in Brohm as the backup because they didn't bring in someone else. In this league, it's almost a matter of when, not if, you're gonna play backup QB. So, you've got to have some level of confidence in your backup. Therefore, I think Chan is fine with Brohm as a backup.

I could very much agree with both of those statements. To think that firefighters, who are issued full face respirators as part of their gear and trained to use them and use them routinely in their job, would not use PPE and have respiratory problems seems nonsensical. All I can say from being there is that the stress and unique circumstances of working on the pile were unlike what most people experience in normal circumstances; therefore, I can live with some measure of "understanding". So, I don't completely disagree with the compensation fund either.

I'd suggest it's a little of both. Yeah, they almost had to cut Trent. When you have a marginal starting QB and bench him, the last thing you want is players second guessing the decision when you're 2, 3, 4 losses down the road and the former starter is sitting over there saying he's healthy and ready to play. So, you get rid of him and remove all doubt that you're moving forward - for better or worse. However, they had to have some amount of confidence in Brohm to think he could be a viable back up. Otherwise, you don't make the cut or you go and get a backup. You just can't go through the whole season with someone you have zero confidence in as your backup QB (unless you have Manning or Favre starting because they never miss a game). So, they had to like what they saw in Brohm enough to make him #2 and not bring in anyone to challenge him for that spot. Personally, I fully expected to see Brohm starting by the bye week. But, Fitz has been a very pleasant surprise and is making it awful hard for anyone to unseat him. At this point, I wouldn't be upset at all if they went into next season with Fitz and Brohm #1 and #2, respectively, again.

You are soooo right! Don't forget those that will lament the loss of another draft spot. But, I say to hell with 'em all. I'll be proud of my team.

I can very much agree with that. I don't want them to keep it close, to just be content with being competitive. I want them coming out playing hard and expecting to win. I hope to see some real emotion from them. I'm slowly changing my attitude about this team; that is, I've grown accustomed to just hoping to see them play competitively. But, last week (for example), I expected them to win. I thought they should win. It's been quite a while since I felt that way about a Bills team. I guess the reason for my original post is.. I just can't feel that way about the Pats* yet. Sure, on any given Sunday... yeah, yeah. But, will they win; do they expect to win? Do we as fans think they will win? I'm finding it hard to go there. IMO, if they somehow win this game... all bets are off. We finally have a real team. None of this they can't beat good teams stuff. A win and they've proven that no game is out of reach.

My wife reminded me of that on Monday when she realized we play the Pats* this week! She tried to calm me down proactively, saying you know the refs are going to make bad calls or something... try not to get too mad. The breaks the Pats* get are truly amazing.

He's a solid player... not great, but certainly good enough to be starting. Not re-signing him creates a hole on a team with several other holes. It's not my money. So.... up the offer to $6mill or give him more guaranteed cash.. I don't really care, just get him re-signed. I really don't understand how fans can blame Ralph for being cheap, but then they immediately start screaming about high salaries being paid to players. The only pertinent question is: are the Bills better with or without Whitner? I say better with him.. .therefore I hope they come to terms.

Someone would have to be insane to build a stadium for a football team without any signed guarantee of a team playing there. Furthermore, how do you build 2 stadiums without the guarantee of even a single team? Is this an either or situation; meaning just one of the stadiums would be built based upon whomever can lure the team in? So I guess we get news of a team moving to LA first, then news of which stadium would be built? I don't watch the final four, but is there precedence for basketball games being played in a stadium built for football? Seems really odd to me. I would think another incentive would be the possibility of the new LA stadium being a regular draw for the Super Bowl.

I love the fantasy football induced nature of what makes a game good to watch.... points and offense. If a game doesn't have lots of scoring, it's considered boring.

I can agree with your take on how to beat them. And that's what has me worried. Chan has rarely relied on running the ball. I'm not sure why he hates Fred Jackson (i joke); but he needs to run the ball alot. I also don't like the use of 4-5 wides with no RB on 3rd and short in this one. BB is too smart; take away a run and his defense will have the answer. So, given Chan's tendencies this season; I'm not hopeful. Also, we haven't blitzed consistently all season, either. Granted their blitzing more lately. But, I think they need to blitz 2 out of 3 plays and get some serious heat on Brady - penalties be damned. Not only does that - hopefully - pressure Brady; but known of our LBs are good in coverage. Play to their strengths and rush the passer, I say. We'll see I suppose. I like that fact!

I do understand the point you're making; however, a few points of background information: I assisted (and selected many of the sites) the EPA to monitor air quality at ground zero and in multiple other locations - some on the pile, some blocks away, some many, many blocks away, and at sites throughout the area (NYC/Jersey). I don't recall the exact data each day (we had daily briefings on air quality), of course, but within a week or so the air quality was vastly improved. However, the air quality on the pile was consistently poor. So, for individuals working in battery park, Staten Island, etc. (for example) there was little danger. However, for the rescuers and eventual construction crews on (and under) the pile the air quality was quite toxic. Hence I'd doubt anyone from Brooklyn or Long Island had much worry. Staten Island is a valid concern. However, we had a very strict policy of washing down all debris leaving the pile. This was set up within about 1.5 weeks. All truckloads of material were required to stop at one of 3 check points and literally hosed down with firehouses in an effort to diminish the dust leaving the site. Not, that there wasn't dust on Staten Island. But, SI was where the debris was actually sorted and sifted for evidence and eventually remains. Hence, it was a highly restricted place - even more so than ground zero. Mostly just CIA, FBI, NYPD (and perhaps a few other initials that we don't discuss) were allowed access, along with a few others (such as yours truly) from time to time. PPE there was mandatory and absolutely enforced. So, again, I'd expect there to be little concern with health problems in those individuals working on SI. Furthermore, the drop off and transit points on SI were directed in the dump, so the debris didn't travel on any public roads once it left the pile. Actually, I'd be worried about the debris that was trucked off prior to setting up SI as the dump site. There were 3 dumps, I believe 1 each in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Jersey. Although I was dealing with other problems in that first week, so don't hold me to those locations. Most of that debris was not washed down either. The concern about individuals living in (and I'd assume working in) lower Manhattan may not be so much about when they came back, but would be for that first day. We've all seen the images of people completely covered in dust walking away from lower Manhattan. They may have gotten out alive, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're able to live normal, healthy lives. But what most people don't realize, prior to opening up areas of lower Manhattan for people to come back; Fire and Sanitation would hose down and clean all the streets and buildings to remove the dust and debris. However, the residents and store owners would have to clean up the interiors. And there wasn't a square inch of lower Manhattan, inside or outside, that wasn't covered by an inch or more of dust/debris. I inspected many buildings and can attest to that. So, although outdoor air quality may have been fine; I'm certain indoor air quality was less than optimal. So, again, these people may have gotten out alive, but they came back to a house or business that was filled with debris. So, yes, perhaps just the first responders working the pile get all the attention. But, there's no doubt every resident and visitor in lower Manhattan on that morning suffered and quite possibly have long term health affects. Is it good to help all of them with their medical bills? I don't know the answer. But, I have no problem with trying. Again, will there be individuals trying to abuse this and gain unfairly from it - yes. But that, IMO, doesn't mean we shouldn't try to help the many, many people that have legitimate problems and need assistance.

We all know it's been a long and horrid run going against the Pats* this last decade. Horrid. Even in the games that were close, or we were leading... you just knew the Bills were going to find a way to blow it. And they have. But, for the first time in a long time, I'm beginning to believe in this team. I no longer see a 3rd and and goal from the 18 as an automatic FG try. For the first time in forever, they actually seem to make in-game adjustments. Do these young guys actually think they can beat the Patriots*? The Pat* defense is looking less than stellar, but that damn Brady and the offense is playing as well as they ever have. So how can our less than stellar defense stop them? And if by some Christmas miracle, the Bills could achieve victory, what does it do for this team's confidence? For the fans confidence in them? Does it once and for all end the doubts about Fitz and Chan? Does it wipe away a bad season? Or is it all just another cruel hoax to make us think this team is getting better when in actuality, they're just losing draft slots? I want to believe.

*slamming hand against computer screen* How do you like them apples?!

I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not. But, I'll take it! It does seem like leveler heads prevailed and a good compromise reached for the betterment of all. For that, I think we can all say good job. Being down there for the initial 4 months, and very much involved in the health and safety effort within the restricted zone as well as lower Manhattan, all I can say is I have very mixed feelings about all of this. On one hand jboyst62 makes some very valid points. On the other, the circumstances down there were quite unique in most every way possible. So, I can't completely just say they had respirators and should have worn them. In the end, I guess I can say that this was one of the more tragic events in America's history and the single most tragic event in many thousands of American's personal lives. Any comfort we, as a nation, can provide; I'm all for it. More than anything... I'm just sick and tired of politicians and pundits, on both sides, politicizing and profiting from the events of that day. Will there be people that try and abuse the bill and profit off of it? As with everything... Yes. But, that shouldn't let us detract from the many that truly do need this bill passed and will hopefully suffer just a little bit less.

While on the surface, I could completely agree with you. But, as bad as DET is on the road; they just beat a good Tampa Bay team... on the road. CLE as bad as they are, were still able to beat the Pats* and the Saints this year. MIA was still a division team, with a winning record. CIN.. well yeah... they suck. My point being that yes, they beat a few pretty bad teams. But, had they not shown up to play and been properly prepared, they could have and most likely would have lost to each of those teams. So, yes, it's not as impressive as beating the Steelers, Ravens, and Pats*; but they're wins none the less. Wins, also, that at the midway point of the season looked nearly impossible to get. For me, at least, it's going to take until the end of Sept. 2011 to know if Chan is really doing something. Because, you're right, he could be just lucking out a few wins against below average teams. In that case, these wins will mean nothing more than continued mediocrity. However, he could be slowly teaching these young guys how to win, how to play for a full 60 minutes, how to believe in themselves. If that is indeed the case, we could see a couple of wins next September and even further improvement away from mediocrity. Unfortunately, I just don't know how we'll be able to determine the difference until we see how this team plays next year. That's when we'll be able to determine if these "useless" wins over bad teams meant something or if they were just that.... useless wins over bad teams. If, however, I were to be so bold as to feel optimistic about this team, it would stem from the fact that unlike in the past; this team has shown steady improvement throughout the season. In the first quarter; they looked lost and just...bad. In the 2nd quarter; they took 2 division leading teams to overtime and lost 3 games by a FG. In the 3rd quarter of the season; they actually turned a couple of those close games into wins. Now, in the final act of the season; they've continued getting close wins by actually beating a division rival. At one point we were debating whether or not this team could beat a UFL team; 6 weeks later - few, if any, would consider the Bills the worst team in the league. It remains to be seen how they'll fair against the Pats* and Jets. But, the Pats* may be the most important game of the season. How much have they progressed? Are they able to contend with the best team in the league? Are they able to put 7 years of losing behind them? These are just a few of the questions we can perhaps answer this coming weekend.

Haven't we been doing that for several weeks, already? Stevie is our highest drafted WR - taken in the 7th round. Our QB, also a 7th rounder, started the season as a backup. Half our O line were UFA or started the season on someone's practice squad. I'm not even sure we have TE's on the team. Our best LB is a rookie. Outside of Kyle Williams, our Dline features 2 rookies (Troupe and Carrington) and all world Kelsay. I guess we could rests te secondary and give Youboty one more chance though.

The Bill has certainly gone through some revision, I'm sure it'll go through more. Then, yep, he'd be eligible. But, if he was in lower Manhattan after the attack; I have no problem with him being eligible. Just like I have no problem with all the other 10's of thousands of people that would also be eligible for coverage. This bill was first introduced in Feb. 2009. So, it's hardly being jammed through. Granted, I'm not sure of it's entire history; so there could have been significant revision since it's initial introduction (and I'm about to have to do some work so I can't look it up). I would agree, though, the atmosphere in Washington and politics is more polarized than I've ever seen as well. I'm not sure how we ever come back from the hard line stances and rhetoric for the sake of playing on sympathies. Perhaps we can't. I was hopeful more incumbents would have been voted out. That's the only way I can see a true change in the atmosphere. Although I'll admit, I'm not sure many of the individuals running on the "vote the incumbents out" rhetoric would have really done anything to depolarize Washington. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it.. until we see term limits for all; we're unlikely to see any real change.

I could agree with that. However, why don't the two sides sit down and work out a proper mechanism of funding the bill? I should also point out that this bill isn't being funded by creating taxes; it's primary mechanism of funding is making corporations pay their current taxes. OK, so there's a shortfall of funding in the later years of the bill; why not sit down together and figure a way to cut spending or close other loopholes to make up the difference? If anything, this bill and its"debate" over the last two years is a prime example of what's wrong with this country and our current political climate. Compromise and rational thought seem to be outside the boundaries of consideration. Even in a simple discussion, here, I get called an idiot for attempting to add some factual context to the discussion. (thanks, btw) Yes, everyone wants to take care of first responders, but no one wants to do anything about it - one side doesn't want to consider cutting waste from elsewhere; the other side doesn't want to take money away from corporate donors. So, in the end... nothing gets done and the country and its citizens are worse off. Meanwhile the politicians remain.

From a cost summary: "Under current law, certain payments (principally dividends, interest, and royalties) made by US-based entities to a parent company based overseas are subject to a 30 percent withholding tax. That requirement customarily is reduced or eliminated when the payment is made to a country with which the US has a tax treaty. Companies with parents based in tax haven countries are able to effectively bypass the withholding tax by routing payments through an affiliate in a tax treaty country, which then transfers the funds to the parent company. The provision would limit this practice by retaining the withholding tax on certain deductible payments (principally interest and royalties) to a foreign-based affiliate unless the tax would be reduced under a treaty if the payment were made directly to the company’s parent corporation." full text What am I missing? "The WTC program (as created by the bill) will provide: (1) medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and (2) initial health evaluation, monitoring, and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks." (again, from the summary) I don't know much about the guy building the Ground Zero Mosque, but I'd assume he can prove that he was directly and adversely impacted by the attack (as defined in the bill). If so, yes, he should be eligible for coverage.

Here's how I see it: The Bills are a much improved team in comparison to when we played earlier this season. In every aspect, we've progressed. I'm quite surprised and excited by that. However, the Pats* are also playing better. I'd venture that it's hard to find a better playing team right now than them. So, it's going to be a true litmus test for this young Bills team to see where they're at. In no way do I expect a win. I'm sorry, but the Pats* are just too efficient right now; unfortunately Brady is playing as well as he ever has. But, what I hope to see is a competitive game - a young team fighting hard to stay in it. But in the end, the Pats* really should win rather easily. Our defense has improved, but is no where near competent enough to slow down Brady and that offense. I will say this, for what it's worth... a good friend of mine is a big time Pats* fan. He told me this weekend that of their remaining games, this was the one he was worried about. Yeah, he expects a win (any sane person would), but he's even noticed the improvement in the Bills and knows they aren't just going to quit. So, again for what it's worth, it's kinda nice to start getting a little respect again.

Got a free trip to the game today and had a pretty good time. A few quick thoughts... Miami is a really bad place to see a game. The fans are horrible. I'm not even sure most of them knew a game was going on. Two dudes playing hip hop were actually funneling bud and doing the electric slide... by themselves....WTF?!? Pretty decent amount of Bills fans, though. It was really windy today. I don't know if they mentioned it during the game. But, maybe that's why the kicking games were so bad. Those FGs were definitely not gimmies in the wind. Love the win over the fish and knocking them out. Fun stuff. Go Bills!

You're not supposed to lock your checked luggage. Most of the times they'll ask. I never lock mine, but I assume they'd want you to unlock it or, as SpillerTime said, they'll unlock it (i.e. cut it open) for you. So, I wouldn't zip tie it. My strong suggestion, as a very frequent flyer and one that checks his luggage, don't put anything in the checked luggage that's of high value. Camcorders, laptops, etc. The baggage handlers are not at all trustworthy, as Joe6pack just found out. (Sorry, Joe, but my guess is the baggage handlers; not TSA as this kind of crap has been going on long before TSA was even initial that meant something.) If you have presents, don't wrap them, and carry them on (or FedEx./mail them). Laptops are not a problem. Put it in your carry on. They'll make you take it out and put it in a separate bin/bus pan to go through the xray, but you don't have to turn it on or anything. It's really a non issue. They'll probably want you to put your sirius radio in a separate bin as well. Again, no biggie. But, they really key in on electronics for whatever reason. The best way to get through security is travel light and just do what they ask. I always check a bag just so I go through security light and I don't have to deal with my shaving lotion being too big or anything like that. Plus it just makes getting through security a breeze. Plan to take your shoes off - no matter what kind they are. I usually put my watch, cell phone, ipod, etc. in my jacket pockets; that way I can just take my jacket off and put it in a bin and all my stuff is easier to keep track of. Otherwise, it's really common sense and do whatever they ask you to do - its easier and quicker than arguing. Pick a security line without a bunch of kids if at all possible.