Lori

http://www.twobillsdrive.com/articles/game...me_day_preview/

Indeed. When there's work to be done for the gig that comes with paychecks and deadlines, well ... they have paychecks. Priorities, you know. Anyhoo, it's finally ready. Now I can go pack the car and leave for Buffalo. Oh, you wanted a link? All right ... http://www.twobillsdrive.com/articles/game...me_day_preview/

RIP to a legend in the field. If you haven't already done so, read "Working."

Oddly fitting? That's the exact line Magenta was singing when that picture was taken. At any rate, now that Halloween is over, she'll be leaving for another 364 days ...

AML championship game: Kane 7, Cameron County 6. That's what I watched tonight. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to thaw my toes ...

To follow on that, because they don't have the rights for the Bills, they can't use logos and names. They'll get a cease-and-desist letter if they do. It's happened before.

Now ... ??

Trying to remember -- Novacek retired because of concussions, correct?

Impressive, well-researched response.

Not talking about my TBD stuff, which (despite the lofty-but-undeserved title Scott bestowed upon me) doesn't fit the definition of a column anyway. Not talking about my own work at all, come to think of it, because I get far too little constructive criticism here. But even when you're writing opinion, if you choose to include facts, you're still supposed to get them right. That's just my opinion, though. And Mr. Ljunggren is a far more accomplished writer than I, so what do I know?

So in the next column I write, I don't have to worry about getting the details right? Whew, that makes things easier. Thanks. (And yes, I know full well that I'm brewing a tempest in a teapot. It just amuses me that some of the same people who think nothing of raking some writers over the coals for similar infractions, will excuse it in other work once they decide they like the overall story.)

Hope it's a good one, Rande.

I have to say, seeing "Mike Singletary dropped his pants ..." scroll across the bottom of ESPN earlier tonight was a definite WTF? moment for me.

Actually, I do write game stories and the occasional feature, the local newspaper prints them, and I draw a paycheck from them. And I double-check every score and every record before I hit "send," and I get pissed if I screw up and something wrong makes it into print, even if the readers don't notice it. So, speaking as a working journalist, is a modicum of research too much to request from someone else in the profession? As I said earlier: overall, I enjoyed the column. But those incorrect details distracted me, and made me wonder if Ljunggren didn't think it was worth the bother to check them before he filed the piece.

UPDATE: the little one arrived on Wednesday, and mother and daughter are doing well. Welcome to the world, Marlena, and congrats to the newly-expanded Graham family!

First time I've ever seen "statuesque" used as an insult.

Nice follow.

Two years after Montana left for Kansas City, and TEN years after Young first started a game for the USFL's L.A. Express. Bledsoe went out in the second game of that season. Took Brady until his third start to finally throw his first NFL touchdown pass. In 2006, the Cowboys were 3-3 when Romo was inserted into the starting lineup, and went 6-4 the rest of the way. Remarkable turnaround. And in Romo's only significant playing time as a backup that season, he threw 3 INTs in a loss to the Giants. Cowboys were down 12-7 at the half, and ended up losing that game by two touchdowns. Reich started those two games, correct? Spent the week taking the first-team snaps, in other words? Trent Green was injured in a preseason game, making Warner the opening-day starter. So, none of the examples you mention involved someone trying to come of the bench during a game, after getting the (sparse) backup QB's reps during that week's practices. You may want to choose some different ones ...

Where Bledsoe was concerned, there were two major differences between his first and second seasons in Buffalo. Their names were Peerless Price and Larry Centers, and they combined for 137 catches, 1640 yards, and 9 TDs in 2002. They were replaced in the starting lineup the following year by Josh Reed and Sam Gash (69-671, 2 TDs). When Reed struggled with his newfound responsibilities, Bledsoe no longer had a viable option at No. 2 receiver; and while Gash was a better blocker than Centers, he certainly wasn't the latter's equal in the passing game. To make matters worse, Bobby Shaw, who took over as the No. 3 when Reed moved into the starting lineup, sucked badly enough at hot reads that Donahoe cut him four games into the '04 season. I'd mention swapping Jay Riemersma for Mark Campbell, too, but that was essentially an even-up trade. Lesser weapons, different Bledsoe.

Grats!

Stop for a bit, and ask yourself how many of the players on those kick-coverage squads made their teams' 53-man rosters. Then consider the shakeup in the blocking both for McKelvin and for McGee, who averaged a pedestrian 20.7 yards per return before the switch was made. No, McKelvin hasn't exactly looked scintillating so far. Some of that's on him, some of it's not. Overall, as pointed out above, a 23.8-yard average isn't bad ...

Because his facts were wrong? Whether or not he got that 8-8 stat from the woman he talked to, it would have taken 60 seconds to check it online. Journalism 101. If we want people to trust us, WE HAVE TO GET THE FACTS RIGHT. Other than that (and my annoyance over the naming-rights issue, which also showed a lack of research), good read.

And with the coverage team getting a 50-yard running head start. If they hit him at full speed, they break him in two.

Guess we're not imagining things after all ...

But was he reading TBD when Donahoe told complaining Bills fans to "save the postage," then whacked the letters-to-the-editor section out of Bills Digest? I know I've posted it here before, but Chuck Pollock wrote the best summation I saw of the Donahoe era: Bills had no choice but to let Donahue go And here's two earlier columns, from before and after that Patriots game: Bills, Mularkey having problems on, off field Will attitude cost Bills coach, GM their jobs? Pollock was here. Mort wasn't. Maybe someone should send him copies of these ...