Richard Noggin

Russell's does not REQUIRE a specific dress code. But I could see their FOH team giving someone a hard time for certain things. It's not yet 2021 everywhere. His sons do a pretty good job down the road, yes. I mean, w/r/t giant Italian steakhouse-genre concepts that appeal to broad masses. There are much better food and beverage programs to enjoy in WNY than these kinds of old-school institutions. We like to celebrate locally-owned favorites, yet often fall victim to favoring generationally-relevant businesses without meaningful re-evaluations. PM for more nuanced suggestions, if you dare.

Tempo never reopened after the pandemic. (I worked there until it closed.) But more importantly: no one mentioning The Pink yet is ludicrous. Shameful. Go to the Pink if you're out late in Allentown. Best dive in town. Great music (not live), solid steak sandwiches, and no bro-vibes (mostly just a bunch of drunken weirdos, as it should be).

Flutie's offense had also become a bit inconsistent and bogged down by the time he was benched, so it's difficult to pick a side in hindsight. Johnson DID drive down the field and get the lead. That DID happen. And in 99.9% of NFL contests, that would have been enough to secure the win. So we cannot deny that. Then again, we lost.

Like Denver all those years, or San Fran more recently. That offensive system, with the right coaching and linemen, produces on the ground with just about any league-worthy RBs.

Just ask Bob Kraft.

Such a prescient question, given what leaked next. Good for you...

The audible to the sneak was the wrong call. The Titans D-line had just reduced down to jam up the interior gaps, essentially daring the Bills to do anything BUT sneak it up the gut. You want Allen with the ball in his hand, moving, and scanning for a receiver to tattoo with a fastball.

And unless the Bills offense can capitalize early and often, the Titans gradually punch away and drag you down into THEIR game.

It's super obvious and he was definitely short. No debate, unfortunately.

For sure he holds it and makes big chunk plays all the time. But on THAT drive, in THAT game, we needed to possess the ball and get first downs (and ideally score some points). And on the play I originally cited, we really needed Josh to come off his aggressive intentions and move up in the damned pocket (as the Titans rush left a RARE lane right up the gut for him), and either run for 4-10 yards or toss it to Sweeney for 4-10 yards. I had been praising his measured approach and willingness to bring his eyes back to his outlets for much of the game. But he went myopic on us there.

He didn't, though. The ball was not extended when his initial arm/elbow hit, spotting the ball short. They got that call right, unfortunately. You don't get his rolling momentum. You get the initial ball location when he is first down or out of bounds.

That was KINDA my point. It was a bad series at a bad time in the game, when the offense could have sealed the deal by simply doing what they'd been doing previously. But of course it happens. Just can't happen then when the defense is getting run over. He was so composed and under control for the most part. Taking check downs, avoiding bad plays (despite poor line play and Titans scheming the Bills seemed a bit unprepared for). The same kind of approach would have worked on that drive, seemed like.

Huh? Growing up involves being both a fan of the team and a fan of good, entertaining football. That game had everything. I effing HATE the Bills' squandered opportunities and the broadcast-led national ball chugging of Derrick Henry, but that was a classic battle.

Allen had ONE bad drive, late in the game, where he stopped taking what the D gave him and got greedy (the bad 3-and-out). He could've climbed the pocket and run or found Sweeney to the right flat wide open when instead he drifted right into pressure and got sacked. That was old school, inexcusable Josh play. And put us behind the sticks. Otherwise he was mostly a stud.

Grow up. That was exciting back and forth football! The Bills left some points out there on offense, and the defense fell victim to the Henry effect as the game remained close. But it was good, entertaining football. Don't be blinded by fandom.

Could it be in part because Josh Allen is the enemy of analytics-based scouting, and Collinsworth is financially tied to...a conflict of interest?

Best outcome for Bills. Strength of schedule tiebreakers and all...

So...do the Titans want to stop "our run game" overall, as posited in your article summary, or...are they saying (in the actual quote you cite from the Titans DC) what every opponent continues to say leading up to facing the Bills, which is that they need to stop JOSH ALLEN'S running? The DC (in that quote cited...I'm about to actually read the entire piece) is repeating tired tropes about Allen being a big QB who functions like an RB blah blah blah. Didn't we hear that exact same thing in the leadup to last week's game? (Now I'll read the actual article in its full context.) Edit: looking at the actual published piece, there isn't a single primary source indicating an emphasis on stopping the Bills running game. The actual quotes are about Allen's tools exclusively (obviously his running is part of that).

Perhaps the bye week in your example disqualifies the Pats on some level? Maybe...eff them and they can just suffer the indignity of not owning this particular record? I mean, ya hate to see it.

Right, which is why I'm idiotically arguing a point that no one else is, and now trying to steer you all into my fun world of tangents. Won't you join me?

That's all smart stuff, and of course I'm with you. But what I'm thinking about (and doing a poor job of representing clearly) is when a team is down two scores and NEEDS a 2-pt conversion just to TIE (this can be either an 11 or 15 point deficit). You take the sure thing the first time around (FG or TD+PAT) to stay alive for a chance after the second score. I think this is a case of miscommunication on my part.

But if you miss the 2-pt conversion immediately after the first TD that pulls you within two scores (a range that can vary from 9 to 16 points, but in this case means at least 15 points), you're suddenly down MORE than 8. Whereas if you kick the extra point, you're still alive for a one-score comeback. Kinda like if you're down 10, you go ahead and kick the FG early sometimes to preserve the clock and ensure you actually have a chance at a final possession win/tie. If you fail to score the TD instead of kicking the FG, the game effectively ends then.

But don't you go for it on the 2nd one to ensure that you're not statistically out of it right away if you fail to convert? Stay alive as long as you can, which means keep them within one score (plus 2-pt conversion) as long as possible.

I'm just here for my delicious crow. And I'm hungry.

Little tip moving forward: you mean to type "through" here. "Threw" is the past-tense of the verb "to throw," (whereas "through" is a multi-faceted word indicating passage, progression, or movement, in either literal or figurative ways) as in: Josh Allen THREW a 40-yard laser beam to Emmanuel Sanders for the Bills's first TD THROUGH the air.