Simon

A big CME has us set up for a potential borealis well south of normal. Check your northern horizons after dark this evening

Has anybody considered the possibility that all the $hit the Bills were doing two months ago (rumors that the staff loved Cassel, sheltering him in preseason games, cutting/re-signing him at half the price, dressing him as the back-up) were nothing more than an effort to drive up his trade value so some sucker would toss us a 5th rounder for him?

I don't when it's going to happen, but there is a day coming when the Penguins are going to be punching themselves in the face for dumping Dan Bylsma for no good reason.

I think they're trained to call anything even remotely close as a fumble. That way the play can continue the way it would if it were a fumble, then since replay is in effect on all turnovers, it will be simply be overturned if it wasn't an empty hand, was down by contact, etc. It works as a default position because it avoids them running into a situation where they whistled a play dead and replay shows it should have still been a live ball, and then you just have a big mess on your hands.

From the "Why the hell would he know that offhand" category: Today is actually Ted Fujita's birthday.

Yeah, apparently Duke Williams was the Bengals halftime adjustment

So we're down two receivers and a starting tackle so far? $* it, let's roll.

He's throwing across his body on a dead sprint and stuck it right on his man where no defender can make a play on it.

Yeah, he blew the read when he turned his back to the LOS and walked himself into pressure But do you think we can give the guy more than 1 quarter this year befopre we start telling the people rooting for him to STFU?

He does it all the time and its starting to drive me nuts

Hang in there, brother. We've got your back. You nail a retread to your feet and I'll pray for better weather.

Here are the Titans mounting "long drive after long drive" 41 yrds 17 yrds 52 yrds 18 yrds 8 yrds 0 yrds 1 yrd 39 yrds 72 yrds 17 yrds 0 yrds Sometimes I wonder what games people are watching

In that case, my bad as I misread your point.

We're on to Cincinnati?

The rule is not designed for an official to call a penalty every time two guys helmets happen to touch each other. If a guy is leading with his crown against a defenseless receiver, yeah call it. If a guy is loading up the chicken wing to deliver a kill shot, yeah call it. If a guy is bringing the pain after the ball is already gone by, then yeah call it. But for gawd's sake you don't throw a flag from 75 feet away 3 seconds after the play on either of the two guys who were getting down for a key, contested ball. That is well outside the confines of the rule, both in letter and spirit, and imo is a prime example of an officiating culture run amok with the implicit approval of the league.

I missed the second time he got called for it (must have been mixing one up) but I thought the first time he got called for it was also a weak call compared to what he'd already been up to on a couple downs previously. If Jerry has suddenly figured out how to draw calls instead of frothing about the ones he's not getting, that's even better than adding a new pass rush move!

I think this is the second toughest matchup our defense will have all year long. I've never had a lot of faith on Dalton, but he's really started making some smart, impactful plays outside the confines of the offense this year. I'm not afraid of anybody against our corners, but Bernard and Eifert are extremely problematic matchups for Bradham and Brown next week. If the offense pees down its leg in the first half like it's done the last couple weeks, I think it will be too much for us to overcome.

If Lewin was the guy wearing the 77, he deserved every call he got. I saw him jaw-jacking guys at least 2-3 times before the first time he finally got called for it.

That surprises me a little. None of them are going to run down the seam or be in somebody's jersey on the circle or the chair, but I feel like they are very solid if they're coached to attack routes and get home right on the break like the DB's have been doing for the most part. We may not have any track stars in the second level, but I think they're a very good fit for what we're doing.

Many thanks for the verification on a wildly hyperbolic guess It's a work in progress but Im really, really happy with how aggressive the DB's have been attacking routes in their early stages. The failure to do that is a significant pet peeve of mine and its been a widespread pandemic of bet-hedging on NFL defenses for a long time now. Props to the Bills for for having their defense work as a wholly involved unit instead of playing CYA.

What the &*$# you mean "sometimes"

We've got to lead the league in pass attempts against. These guys know Rex and they see Mario, Marcel, Bradham and Brown sitting in the front 7. They're not going to waste downs jamming the ball up in there; they're going to try and attck the edges as fast as they can get the ball out.

I had a coach who used to say "too many billy goats and not enough crabs". Dont try to punish him before you have him under control; get your claws on him and then make it hurt

We're usually on the same page (or chapter anyways) regarding football. It's everything else under the sun where we could drink whiskey and bicker for hours