Lori

You don't say. True, that. I love me all those shiny Lord Stanleys my Habs have won, but fully realize this is the same team that once bought the rights to an entire LEAGUE so they could get their hands on Beliveau...

Maybe so, but BADOL dubbed him "Jennings A La Cart" long before that...

Dear 49ers: Hate to say "we told you so", but....

Good to see ya, Pyrite.

Surely you jest. I keep hoping the young'uns will grow out of it. (A few of the older ones, I've given up on... )

I love Mondays, especially after a loss as fugly as this one... (BTW: fixed your typo. No thanks necessary. )

Bills went 5-11 last year and still sold over 40,000 seasons. Just sayin'.

Tackles about as well as Deion Sanders, but that's about the only resemblance. His nickname on the houstonprofootball.com board has been "P-Burnt" ever since shortly after they traded for him. That should tell you all you need to know. If not, how about the fact that it only took 14 games for his second team -- one that gave up a #2 and a #3 pick to get him during the 2005 draft -- to kick him to the curb? Post Patterns: P-Burnt Sent Packing

If you're talking damage as opposed to total loss, I'd guess MORE than that in some places. Surreal ride to Amherst and back Friday night. Mom called my brother at work Friday, said water was coming in the sump pit almost as fast as they could bail, so we loaded the 4wd with generator/extension cords/gas cans and made the four-hour round trip after work... would have posted when I got home last night, but yesterday was a long friggin' day. As I sit here back in PA with lights/heat/TV/etc., my thoughts/best wishes go out to everyone dealing with this right now. Got to Holland, stopped to fill the gas cans, found out everything that far north was out, had to backtrack to Yorkshire Corners. Passed several tree-trimming rigs parked in South Wales, probably grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading north... Then, got to the bottom of the 400... and not a single flake of snow on the ground. Nada. Zip. Zilch. A couple of miles up, started to see a dusting... couple more miles, roads were still bare/dry, but you could see where they had been plowed... couple miles after THAT, cars down in the median and snow plowed to the top of the guardrails. Classic lake-effect banding. On 90: Weird to see the Buffalo skyline lit up, but nothing in the neighborhoods on either side of the road. Galleria parking lots were lit, but the only cars there had obviously been abandoned the day before... Seeing a few planes overhead clued us in that the airport had re-opened. Overpasses were still kind of sloppy (mostly just wet from the snowmelt), but the front-end loader/dumptruck crews were out trying to get the berms cleared out. For those of you coming in for the Pats game, the Marriott and Hampton off Millersport were up and running. (Dunno if they were on generators, though.) Didn't get over Transit way to see how things looked, but the 11pm news tonight showed cars floating in that one underpass that always floods out... UB also had some power -- noticed the lights were even on at the football field. (I'd forgotten they had a home game scheduled this weekend; probably out trying to get stuff cleaned up, see how soon they could make it playable. Hear it's been rescheduled for 1pm Sunday.) We'd seen some busted-up trees and such all the way from the 400 north, but the full extent of the devastation didn't hit us until we made the right turn from the 990 onto Sweet Home Road. (Even then, we knew we weren't seeing the worst of it; we could tell crews had been through to plow/clear trees out of the roadways, and some of the snow had already melted.) Our headlights, and those of the other few cars on the road, were the only light sources showing us all the downed trees and wires right out to the edge of the street. And that was on Sweet Home; most side streets were still a mess. Can't imagine what it's going to look like in daylight, although I imagine their neighborhood will be similar to the pictures I've seen on the TV/Web... Reminder to anyone using a generator: MAKE SURE IT'S OUTSIDE. Another part of the family made a trip to the ER today with a dose of CO poisoning from the one they were using. (Thankfully, everyone's OK... but I've heard other people weren't as fortunate.) I wouldn't even risk putting it in an attached garage.

I liked what I saw from Jefferson in his limited action last season. Nothing spectacular, but I though he showed more than Anderson... (To save y'all the trouble: I realize that isn't saying much.)

John freakin' Gianelli. My stepdad had seasons as well, and I think he STILL hasn't forgiven Snyder and Brown. The official reason given for moving Malone? He wasn't good enough to make the team. Yeah, riiiiiiight. I don't believe the Pistons ever let Bona Bob hit free agency. The Braves were already in California by the time he got sick of Dickie V's losing tenure in Detroit and requested a trade during the 79-80 season.

I believe Tasker's been working with Johnson since early last season, when they moved Don Criqui to work with Steve Beuerlein. Saw Steve at the airport (but didn't get a chance to talk to him) on my way to San Antonio last year, a game he and Criqui were originally scheduled for; found out the next day he'd been re-assigned to do the Bengals game that weekend instead... Johnson's not bad. Got to chat with him for a couple of secs right after the Cleveland preseason game; he liked the progress Losman was showing - and his attitude - and was hoping he'd turn out OK for us (team/fans).

After listening to Brad's "War Of The Worlds"-ish broadcast, I talked to my mom in Amherst about an hour ago. They'd heard a rumor about not getting power back until Monday. As of 11pm: Airport is closed. Kensington (Rt. 33) is closed. Most schools closed tomorrow. State of emergency in Town of Tonawanda, NT. No unnecessary travel in Amherst, Buffalo, City of Tonawanda. Driving ban in Lackawanna. Classic lake-effect band ripping through the northtowns, earliest ever on record.

WGR is broadcasting via generator - trees/wires down, power out in many areas of WNY. Say hi to Brad Riter, weatherman...

Francesa, to put it politely, is an ass. Good read: Francesa feels haunted by Lidle interview 'Bout friggin' time he actually gave some thought to his on-air persona. Too bad it took someone dying for that to happen.

BUFFALO BILLS (2-3) at DETROIT LIONS (0-5) SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2006 – 1:00 PM EDT FORD FIELD -- DETROIT, MICHIGAN CBS: Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket: Channel 705 RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck Detroit Lions Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Dan Miller COLOR: Jim Brandstatter SIDELINE REPORTER: Tony Ortiz Sirius Sunday Drive: Channel 146 (Buffalo feed) / Channel 119 (Detroit feed) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: 3-3-1. The Bills are 1-2 in three visits to the Pontiac Silverdome, including two Thanksgiving Day losses. This game will be their first regular-season trip into the Lions’ new den since it opened for business in 2002. LAST MEETING: October 27, 2002 – Bills 24, Lions 17 Two five-yard Travis Henry touchdown runs gave Buffalo a 24-14 lead late in the third quarter, but his fourth-quarter fumble gave the Bills a scare. With Detroit driving toward the tying touchdown, London Fletcher turned in the play of the day by stuffing James Stewart on fourth-and-inches at the Buffalo 20 to seal the win. Drew Bledsoe’s fourth 300-yard game of the season included a 59-yard touchdown pass to Peerless Price. Price finished the afternoon with 101 receiving yards, the fourth of five times he would top the century mark that season. LAST TIME IN DETROIT: November 24, 1994 – Lions 35, Bills 21 (Instead of merely rehashing the recap from the preseason-game preview, I thought you might appreciate a different take. Incidentally, David Staba is now a colleague of ChevyVanMiller’s at the Niagara Falls Reporter.) Krieg ended up shredding the Bills’ D for 351 yards and three touchdown passes, the last one capping a 97-yard drive to give the Lions a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead. One note of interest: Jim Kelly set a single-game team record by completing 29 of 35 passes, for an 82.86 completion percentage. (Unfortunately, two of his six ‘incompletions’ ended up in the hands of Detroit safety Willie Clay, including one returned for the Lions’ final touchdown.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LIONS OVERVIEW (2006 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#17 total yardage, #32 rushing, #6 passing, #t19 scoring): Jon Kitna easily won the offseason quarterback competition, and has thrown the ball often enough to be on pace for only the second 4,000-yard season in Lions history. (He leads the league in completions, and only Brett Favre has more passing attempts.) But after he handed the Vikings two gift-wrapped touchdowns in last weekend’s come-from-ahead loss, could offensive coordinator Mike Martz be thinking about giving youngsters Josh McCown and Dan Orlovsky a second look? They’ll probably stick with the veteran Kitna as long as his health holds up… which is a point of concern, considering the beating he’s been taking so far this year. The offensive line was crippled by injuries even before a sprained foot landed right guard Damien Woody on I.R.; when the Lions take the field Sunday, left tackle Jeff Backus and center Dominic Raiola will become the only two linemen to start each of Detroit’s first six games. Rex Tucker (knee) and Ross Verba (hamstring) have been in and out of the lineup ever since training camp. Reserve guard Frank Davis sustained what appeared at first to be a serious neck injury against the Rams; fortunately, it turned out to be just a ‘stinger’, and he returned to practice this week. The unit took further hits in Minnesota, when both Woody and Barry Stokes (ankle) were forced to the sideline. Fifth-round pick Jonathan Scott has already started two games in Tucker’s spot at right tackle and could be there again Sunday, depending on Stokes’ availability. Rick DeMulling has been filling in for Verba at left guard. Blaine Saipaia, signed as a ‘street’ free agent two weeks ago, finished the Vikings game in Woody’s place. Roy Williams, voted the team’s 2005 Offensive MVP, remains the only one of Detroit’s three recent first-round WRs to make a significant impact. Despite fighting through double-teams all season, his 391 receiving yards rank fifth in the league. Darren Sharper’s hard hit knocked him out of the Vikings game early in the first quarter, but he’s expected to play this week. Mike Furrey has been everywhere from the XFL to the Arena League to the St. Louis Rams’ defensive backfield. (He started the final eleven games of 2005 at free safety, leading the team with four interceptions.) Furrey’s work ethic, combined with his familiarity with Martz’s offense, helped him earn the starting WR slot opposite Williams. Az-Zahir Hakim, another ex-Ram who had his most productive seasons in St. Louis before spending 2002-04 with the Lions, was re-signed after the team cut ties with former #2 overall pick Charles Rogers. The most recent top-ten pick at the position, Mike Williams, is still trying to find his way out of Martz’s doghouse and back on the field. Eddie Drummond, Shaun Bodiford, and Devale Ellis -- just re-signed to the active roster -- round out the depth chart at WR. Starting TE Dan Campbell has always been a solid blocker, but is seeing a surprising amount of work in the passing game. The eighth-year vet already has more receptions than in his last two seasons in Dallas combined, including a career-high four catches of over twenty yards. Longtime Colt Marcus Pollard is the backup. Martz is up to his old tricks: five weeks into the season, running back Kevin Jones already has 25 receptions but has yet to post a 20-carry game. (It’s not a matter of RB-by-committee, either; backups Brian Calhoun and Shawn Bryson have combined for a grand total of four carries.) No surprise, then, that Detroit is dead last in the league with 59.6 rushing yards/game. Bryson is still a credible target out of the backfield, with a 37-yard touchdown catch versus the Packers. Fullback Cory Schlesinger, a bruising lead blocker who doesn’t touch the ball often, is one of only two Lions who were on the active roster for the team’s last playoff appearance in 1999. (Kicker Jason Hanson is the other one.) DEFENSE (#28 total yardage, #14 rushing, #30 passing, #29 scoring): Considering the track records of new head coach Rod Marinelli and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, one would expect to see some improvement from last year’s subpar unit. The run defense is better, allowing only one rushing touchdown and 3.3 yards per carry so far, but the pass D has disintegrated: in the first five games, opposing quarterbacks completed a stunning 72.4% of their passes for 11 touchdowns and a stellar 115.2 QB rating. Shaun Rogers -- the team’s only Pro Bowl representative last season -- blocked the eighth FG attempt of his career and sacked Matt Hasselback twice in the season opener, and has at least one tackle-for-loss in each game. Fellow tackle Shaun Cody dislocated a toe in the Minnesota game; with backup Tyoka Jackson inactive, left end Cory Redding was forced to shift inside. Cody definitely won’t play this week; his long-term status is uncertain. Jackson and Marcus Bell will rotate with Rogers until Cody returns. The right end, James Hall, has two of the team’s six sacks; designated passrusher Kalimba Edwards, who led the team with seven sacks last year, has yet to record his first this season. #9 overall pick Ernie Sims is living up to his billing; the small-but-swift WLB currently leads the conference in tackles. Boss Bailey, slow to recover from a 2005 ankle injury and learning a new position, is still trying to find his comfort zone in the middle. Alex Lewis opened the season in Bailey’s old strongside spot, but has missed the last three games with a sprained knee ligament; he’s out again this week. Paris Lenon, who started the first two games at MLB, moved back outside when Lewis was injured. Lee Evans will probably see a steady dose of top corner Dré Bly; Fernando Bryant starts on the other side. Jamar Fletcher, who filled in for Bryant against Green Bay and St. Louis, has the Lions’ only interception. Hard-hitting SS Kenoy Kennedy will miss his fourth straight game with a foot injury, pushing second-round pick Daniel Bullocks into the lineup. Nickel back Jon McGraw started at FS in place of Terrence Holt (back) against the Vikings. SPECIAL TEAMS: Jason Hanson, the team’s all-time leading scorer, appears to be fully recovered from the hamstring injury that cost him part of the 2005 season. He’s perfect from 40 and in, nailed a 53-yarder against the Vikings, and already has six touchbacks out of 21 kickoffs. The punter, Nick Harris, is off to a slow start. His 35.7-yard net average includes six touchbacks on 26 punts, with only four kicks downed inside the 20. Eddie Drummond finally broke a kickoff return for a touchdown last week for the first time since 2004, only to have it called back on a penalty. He’s averaging a decent 24.2 yards per KR but only 7.2 yards on punt returns. The punt-cover team is pretty good, the kickoff-cover team average, but here’s something to keep an eye on: the Lions have already blocked two FG attempts and an extra point, tops in the league. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OUTLOOK: Five games into the Rod Marinelli era, some distraught Detroit fans are ready to crank up the “Fire Millen” bandwagon for another ride. (And you thought the atmosphere at the Ralph was toxic late last season… well, okay, it was. But did you know that banners and permanent markers are on the official list of prohibited items at Ford Field?) No matter how good Marinelli’s plan to turn around the team may be, it’s going to take more than one season to revive this moribund franchise. Dick Jauron has a 6-4 record against Detroit. With the reeling Lions spending more time in the training room than on the field, there's a decent chance for that record to improve to 7-4 this weekend. Go Bills. Links: NFL.com: injury report / Lions depth chart / Lions team stats / Bills depth chart / Bills team stats Ourlads.com: Bills depth chart / Lions depth chart Official team website: DetroitLions.com

Ugh. Thanks for that mental image.

Because the MLB playoff$ are locked into the TV $chedule, no matter who's playing. Game 2 of the World Serie$ is $unday, October 22, 7:30 Eastern, at the AL champion's park. That's why there won't be an NFL game on NBC that night. (Did I mention $$$?) Looks like it might not matter anyway, since the Tigers are up 2-0 and heading home for the next three games.

I liked Adams, but he was never a run-stuffer. Never wanted to be. WITH Adams, the Bills ranked #31 in total rushing yardage allowed last year, #29 in yards-per-carry. Two years ago, one of the local beat reporters gave me an interesting remark about Adams' attitude. According to an assistant coach for one of Adams' previous teams, Big Sam was THE most disruptive locker-room influence he'd ever seen. I miss watching him jump the snap every now and then to flatten a shocked QB, but he's probably not a guy you'd want around for the type of rebuilding project the Bills are implementing. And as was previously mentioned, he doesn't seem to be having much of an impact in Bengal-land, where their run-D stats are actually worse than last season. P. Williams, on the other hand... yeah, we could use Pat right now. Did you see him blow up Saipaia to cause Kitna's fumble last week?

How about we just ban Phillips instead. Hard to believe there were actually calls on TBD for John Butler to sign him, back in the day... (Thankfully, I believe most of those posters are gone.)

Have you actually watched the Bills play the last 6 years? Good one, VA. Painful, but still funny in a warped kind of way... (Of course, one could reasonably question how many of the current suite occupants actually watch the games in between visits to the bar and/or buffet. Not all of 'em are like that, but there are definitely some who wouldn't be able to tell you who Buffalo was playing that day...) TreeSweet OJ ads! Just barely remember that amber board from my first couple of trips up there. Also remember the first "color" scoreboard that didn't HAVE replay capability. But while the current RWS board is an improvement over what it replaced, there's still no comparing it with the new ones. I can live without a ribbon board, but a nice big hi-def board above BOTH endzones should be high on the list of upgrades.

BB.com might have been down temporarily. Pretty sure the 'official' Miami boards went the way of Detroit's, though... and far as I know, the Lions.com boards have been down since LAST season.

This thread will not end well. (Seriously, though, I wish they'd actually enforce that policy. "Emergencies" are one thing, but do people really need to make a beer run DURING a play?)

Pierson Prioleau's shining moment in a Bills uniform. Blocked a punt out of the end zone on KC's first possession. The beatdown commenced shortly thereafter...

Umm. You guys did check out some of the other posts on that blog, didn't you? Think thebrushback.com.