Last Guy on the Bench

Looks like Nelson had already stopped before the ball came down. I don't think he had to reverse any momentum. I do agree with you that getting around the DB would have been a helluva trick, but, like Kelly, it doesn't strike me as completely impossible. In general, I hate cheap pass interference calls (and yes, I do hate them in prinicple even when they go in the Bills' favor (though I like them then in practice)). So I probably wouldn't have called this PI. But I can see how a ref sorta reasonably could.

I think Bladiebla posted that vid in support of the idea that Nelson could have got back to the ball in time to at least knock it down, so he agrees with you. It's hard to tell in slow-motion, but Nelson does seem to locate the ball with his eyes and start working back toward it a bit before it actually comes down to the DB, suggesting the ball was not "uncatchable" for him and that the call was correct. On the other hand, he would have to go around his man to get to the ball - the guy is under no obligation to move, and that might have taken too long. I can see how the call could reasonably go either way. Don't think it's as obvious one way or the other as most people are making it out to be. And I think I would say the same thing if the team jerseys were reversed. Either way, like everyone else, I surely don't feel bad about it against the just-give-it-to-em Patriots. (Also known as the bull ****-Henry-Jones-pass-interference-on-a-cluster-!@#$-hail-mary Patriots.)

I only saw that one on TV, but even so you could tell it was fierce in the Ralph. That was another strange game to me. Maybe the most tense/intense game I've ever seen the Bills play (not the best or most dramatic or whatever, just . . . tense). Usually I have lots of emotional ups and downs during any given game, but that game I remember my stomach was just in this kind of grim knot the entire game. Like I was pushing a rock up a hill for three hours. I was exhausted afterward.

Yeah, that MNF game was bizarrely loud. I've been to maybe 40 games over the years (don't live in the area) including playoff games in the 90s and including the Jets division clinching game in 88, which I would have said was the loudest till the Dallas game. Don't know what it was about that Dallas game (I guess the Monday night atmosphere after so long?), but it was absolutely deafening. Literally. My 68-year old father's ears were actually ringing for WEEKS after that game. It messed him up (though he enjoyed it).

That is a great avatar, Nick. Where can I get that on a tee shirt?

Perfect. The perfect man. I think he just took over for the Old-Spice-on-a-horse-guy in my own personal pantheon.

"I'll tell you what," Lindell said with a smile. "I would have just ran up that tunnel and kept on running if I missed." espn afc east blog

Yeah, I thought that in the second half the middle of the Pats line was moving backward a lot and looking shaky. It made Brady a little uncomfortable. When he sees that he still doesn't get sacked, but he does let the ball fly maybe earlier than he wants to. Not exactly the 85 Bears, but I thought that was encouraging.

Agreed. Based on what we've seen so far, going into the bye 4-2 seems attainable and reasonable. The Bengals is the critical must-win. Then we just need to grab one win from NE/Philly/NYG. I think the Bills can beat anyone, including the Pats. But I also think they are very much still in the "can EASILY lose to almost anyone" zone. People who are just writing off various games as obvious wins are jumping the gun IMO. I'd be as happy as anyone to crush the Pats and head into the bye 6-0. But I will still feel great about the progress of the team if they can just get 2 wins in the next 4 games.

Glad we got that cleared up.

Me too. Somehow, unlike almost everything else in the world, it never gets old.

Thanks. But I'll keep my day job.

No problem. http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors?eref=sihp&sct=hp_bf2_a2

Thank you, oh fair and compassionate Moderator. (Seriously.)

Then you missed the whole point of the post. I'm not saying it was genius. Just that it was fair game in that anyone who bothered to read a little bit would know that it couldn't possibly be real. Just having a laugh. Anyway, don't want to argue. But can't agree with a moderating philosophy that doesn't even read the post. But you're the mod, so no worries. And in general, I do appreciate how well and fairly you guys moderate my favorite site. Just think you are wrong in this case.

What are you talking about? It's obvious from the first few sentences that it is not real. Just a little satire.

Beerball, dude, there is no link, because there is no copyright, because it is a joke, written by me, posted here. Might not be a good joke. But it is my joke, so can you put it back please?

It's linkless.

Bills Build Team in an Unusual Way The young Buffalo Bills are making a name for themselves. The recent success of their late round draft picks and undrafted free agents has put the team increasingly in the spotlight. Lost in the glare, however, is the Bills almost uncanny ability to find the occasional nugget of gold in the typical camp fodder of first and second round draft picks. General Manager Buddy Nix says that this is a direct result of a scouting philosophy that permeates the organization. Listen, Id love to have lots of seventh round picks every year, obviously. But thats not the way it works. You only get one. So you gotta look at everyone. Simple as that. You gotta look, no matter how high they are likely to be drafted. We try to put as much time into evaluating the first round as we do the seventh round. While the Bills may rely for the bulk of their roster on blue chip late-round picks like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson and glamorous undrafted players like Fred Jackson, David Nelson, and Donald Jones, the front office isnt too proud to take a long look at the occasional first or second round pick who shows promise. Doug Whaley, the Bills recently appointed Director of Player Personnel, points to 2011 first round pick Marcell Dareus as evidence of the success of this philosophy: Its refreshing frankly to be in an organization like this, where every player gets a chance. Now we are not naïve. We realize that your typical first or second rounder isnt going to be good enough to play in this league. We know that a guy like a Maybin or a McCargo is pretty much the norm for a high rounder they are good in college, but, unlike your average late rounder or UDFA, they just dont have that extra gear you need in the NFL. Sometimes, though, with a high pick you can find a guy like a Whitner or a Poz - a guy who basically stinks and wont win you any Super Bowls, but can at least get on the field and contribute to keeping your margin of defeat a little lower. And if you keep your eyes open, every ten years or so, you might stumble onto a first rounder like Dareus who can actually play. Its one in a thousand, but you never know. Scouting and drafting is just one part of the equation, however. The coaching staff also has to be prepared to give top picks a legitimate chance to get on the field in training camp and preseason. Head Coach Chan Gailey says simply, The best guy plays. Period. Thats how we do it. Gailey tells all of his staff early in camp to make sure they do not spend too much time with their late rounders and UDFAs at the expense of higher drafted players. And he agrees that the Bills may have found a first round keeper this year. You have to keep an open mind. Take a guy like Marcell Dareus. Frankly, I never heard of him before he got here to camp. And as the 3rd pick in the whole draft, you really dont expect much. But even though he is big and fast and was a superstar at a major college, Buddy and his guys saw something in him that they liked and to their credit they were right. I remember the first week of camp saying man this guy is playing better than some of our 5th and 6th rounders. He made you sit up and notice.

Mostly he was emitting these feral, soprano shrieks of joy. I love that guy. (Of course, I tend to love almost anyone who is mic-ed up. There is something refreshing about seeing behind the curtain. I am even starting to have a grudging appreciation for Belichick after watching the first part of "A Football Life" (though I have an even bigger appreciation for Derrick Mason - cackling and trash talking BB during the Ravens game). And after the Jets' Hard Knocks last year I love Rex Ryan. He's amusing as hell, and despite his bluster, he seems to be a very generous, open-hearted guy. He was very entertaining in the around the league mic-ed up thing the NFL Network did last night.)

I really liked the Benoit article. He actually points out nuances that most sports writers (and most fans, including me) have no clue about: i.e., Brady's strength in squaring up even under pressure, or Stevie J's ability to get open late in routes. A value-added piece for me.

Shouldn't it be the 'misfitz'? I love it as a team nickname.

I agree. I know we don't use him that way anymore, but I think he might be the best KO returner I've ever seen period, not just on the Bills. Others may have been faster or more juke-tacular, but he was so smooth and efficient - always seemed to make the right little cut or weight shift and would zip through the smallest gaps. He made it look effortless. If he wasn't the best KO returner in terms of athletic ability or production, he was certainly the most natural one I've ever seen. I like him as a CB too, but I would never have stopped using him on kickoffs. Also, he is only 30 (DBs can be good well past that), and he has played 14, 11, and 9 games the past three years. (Before that he was good for 15-16). If that's a trend because of aging, well, that sucks. But I think it's too early on the career arc to say that.