RobbRiddick

I like some of these rule changes too. I think some will definitely be adopted eventually by the NFL. The main one will be the sky judge. If they can overturn decisions QUICKLY without really detracting from the flow of the game I think they'll definitely adopt that. Maybe they'll only use it in the final 2 minutes, or maybe just the playoffs to begin with. I also like the 4th down play to replace an onside kick, though I think the yardage needed is maybe too short. Personally I'd extend it a bit. 4th and 25 makes the odds much much lower and therefore people are only really going to go for that when they absolutely have to.

I will say, Charlie Ebersol and Polian have been very clever in the way they've set this league up. I like that they've got NFL guys like Warner to do the announcing because it creates a bridge from one league to the other, especially when you think that the NFL ended last week. I think the presentation will be very much like the NFL. They don't want to be different (obviously the games themselves will be) to the NFL, they want to be a security blanket for all the hardcore fans who are down that the NFL has ended. If the games aren't sloppy and are well played I could see it doing quite well and having some longevity

Oh, it's Kraft in that video? I thought Jesus Brady was curing a leper.

Yes, all seven of them.

There's a conspiracy going around that the Pats had been messing with the language settings on Goff's earpiece, so all the pre-snap instructions from McVay were coming through in Spanish

I did have a disturbing dream last night involving Tom Brady and Bill Belichick dancing around poles in the BadaBing wearing nothing but thongs. I'd completely forgotten about it until reading this post. I tried to slip a dollar into Brady's pouch but one of the bouncers, who turned out to be Teddy Bruschi, grabbed my arm and said, "it costs a LOT more than that to buy Tom." And then I looked up and saw he was walking towards the VIP booth with Roger Goodell. I Googled this to see what it means and apparently I'm worried about failing an exam. Weird, I left college twenty years ago.

At this point a Bills loss is as normal as getting up for work on a Monday morning.

Giants beat Pats the second time Giants beat Pats the first time Broncos beat packers 49ers beat bengals in SB xxiii Honestly can't think of a fifth one that I loved and actually watched more than once. I always enjoyed SB xxx but o donnell blew it for the steelers. They should have won.

Part of me wants him to just get the ***** out of my face forever. The other part wants him to stick around long after his sell by date just so we get to see him have a couple of awful years. Plus the Bills might finally have a chance of beating him. People talk about the Flutie curse. I think it's the Brady curse. I know we went to the playoffs last year but I still don't believe we'll ever be out of the dark until Tom stops drinking virgin's blood or whatever it is he does to keep his body young. It's like Groundhog Day. Every year the bastard wakes up and sees a shadow... 6 more months of winter for Buffalo fans.

I guess cash wins out in the end, but what I would do is target OL in FA. I imagine linemen would love to play in Buffalo because they know we like to pound on teams with the run. Then I'd target WR with the draft... in other words a situation where they have no ***** choice either way!

What about all the times they HAVEN'T traded down and have bagged a pile of crap?

Surely it just means if you see a great player who is at the top of your board and he happens to fit into a hole on your team. Imagine if the only QB available with a 1st round grade was someone like EJ, would they have taken him or traded up to take him? Probably not. In that case they probably would have waited and either taken a guy in the later rounds with less risk or waited until the following year. And as far as Edmunds goes, they must have thought he was either the BPA or one of the very top guys because otherwise they wouldn't have traded up to get him. They probably could have stuck where they were and still got a MLB. Of course, then they might have ended up grabbing someone with a 2nd round grade... which would have been drafting for need.

As much as I'd like to re-shoe my horse with his head, there comes a point when you just have to admit that he's amazing. It's just a fact. Years ago I insisted that Montana was better because he played against defences that were actually allowed to hit and bump receivers etc. And while I still think that's true to an extent, you just can't deny his greatness. The list of achievements kind of makes me sick because I can't see anyone ever getting close to it. 9 SBs. NINE. 5 wins so far, 4 SB MVPs, 13 AFC championships including the last 8! Those numbers are just mind boggling. The one thing I do find interesting is that in all those years they have never dominated their way through the playoffs and then destroyed their opponent in the SB. Montana had the close games, but he also helped humiliate Denver, who I believe had the best defense in the league that year. Brady and the Pats have never done that, all their SBs have been tight. Of course that means they could have won them all, but they've also never been the absolute clear cut best that's miles above the next best team. They'll probably put 56 up against the Rams next week now I've said that.

Yeah, I'm kind of confused by how down on him the media seems to be. They're down on Allen in the same way they were in love with Tyrod. I guess it just confirms the belief that they don't watch the games and just stick to highlights and box scores.

I don't follow college ball so know nothing about him. I don't think they'll go RB and don't want them to (I want OL and WR, in that order depending on what they do in FA) but if they do go RB I hope he's good out of the backfield. It'd be good to give Allen another safety valve to go along with a new TE. Imagine what it might do to shut up all the crap about completion percentage we have to listen to every day!

Yeah, I certainly feel that way about defensive players because they've found some gems in the later rounds. McDermott seems to have a good instinct for knowing which guys will do well in his system. If they can do the same with offensive players I'll be as happy as Harvey Weinstein in an audition room full of women.

Does anyone feel a lot more relaxed during the build-up to this draft? Last year I was obsessed with the idea of them getting a QB. Now that we've got that piece out of the way (if you believe, like me, that Allen is a good'un) I feel like this one will be more fun

I saw him being interviewed a couple of months ago and hadn't seen him since his surgery. I was actually relieved that he looked so well. I was thinking that maybe his face would be messed up from all the surgeries but to be honest he didn't look (or sound) too different to how he always did. I'd ***** love it if the Bills won the SB and Allen handed the trophy to Jim during the victory parade. Maybe in a couple of years when it's the 30th anniversary of SB XXV His life journey is pretty amazing actually. When you see the footage of him when he was a cocky kid, saying all the stuff about "would you rather be in Houston or Buffalo", then see the way he is now, how much he loves the city he once cried about getting drafted by, and how he's come through all the adversity thrown at him. That young guy playing in the USFL and having fun with the ladies can't possibly have imagined how it would all turn out

So how do you explain his improvements since Anderson got on board? He's the epitome of marginal. Quite often the marginal guys make the best teachers because they were longtime backups and spent more time working on film or imitating the opposing QB in practice

It's true that EJ put in a lot of off season work, so did JP, but the point is that off season work on its own isn't a cure all. However, when you combine it with the right attitude on the field, mental toughness etc. (which I believe Allen has and those other guys did not) then it can only help him.

We should file one for having to sit through all those years of Jauron ball.

I'm going to throw a light sabre in the direction of his neck during the Super Bowl

Actually, even though every atom of my being want NE to get annihilated next week, it's actually Brady I hate the most. In a weird way I don't mind Belichick as much. When he appears on things like A Football Life and talks about players from history etc. he is very interesting and isn't as much of a grump. He's obviously very passionate about the sport and is happy to talk about people other than himself.

Last year I saw a guy walking down my street who looked a lot like Tom Brady. He's now locked in my basement and receives electric 'therapy' every time New England wins. Despite not even being a football fan he ironically now hates the Patriots more than I do.

Don't worry, we'll beat them in the AFC championship. Also, I get some consolation from the fact that the Pats lost last year and aren't looking at the threepeat. At least that's one record the pats won't get