Lori

Classic. "Worst pick in the history of the Bills." "What a complete, freakin waste. I am pissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Fire Marv right now." "Two words: Utter. Incompetence." "!@#$ you Marv- you suck! " And that's just in the first two pages. What kind of BBQ sauce do y'all like with your crow? I'll make sure to have some for you at the tailgate Sunday...

Nothing on the official site (nflmedia says to check back Friday morning), but KFFL reported yesterday that Williams has been upgraded to probable.

Mass hysteria, if I recall correctly. Some of the rants provided great amusement to those of us at the JK Club party that day...

This NFL press release might be of interest:

Promise? No limo this time?

The d-line that has combined for exactly two sacks this season? (Now watch 'em double that, now that I've jinxed us by mentioning that stat...) The week after? Yeah, that's definitely different. Don't like that matchup against Chicago one little bit.

Sheeeeit, man, that's getting too close for comfort. I'll double Guff's "good luck and stay safe"...

No 'reaches' allowed on that list. Reggie Bush reacharounds, now, that's different....

(Must..resist..urge..to..punch..wall...) Yeah. Or, as I like to call that gutless cheap-shotting puke, Frank F$&*ing Middleton. Right there with ya, bizell.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-1) at BUFFALO BILLS (1-2) SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2006 – 1:00 PM EDT RALPH WILSON STADIUM, ORCHARD PARK, NY FOX: Ron Pitts, Terry Donahue DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket: Channel 708 / Channel 720 (HD) RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck Minnesota Vikings Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Paul Allen COLOR ANALYST: Joe Senser SIDELINE REPORTER: Greg Coleman Sirius Sunday Drive: Channel 146 (Buffalo feed) / Channel 158 (Minnesota feed) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: Vikings lead, 7-3. Buffalo is 2-4 against Minnesota at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium, with their last home win in 1988. PLAYOFF RECORD: none LAST MEETING: September 15, 2002 – Bills 45, Vikings 39 (OT) In a wild game which featured six second-half lead changes and a last-second 54-yard Mike Hollis FG that bounced over the crossbar to force overtime, Peerless Price’s thirteenth catch of the day proved to be good luck for the Bills. Following Minnesota’s second straight three-and-out possession in the extra session, it only took Drew Bledsoe two plays to hook up with Price for the game-winning 48-yard touchdown strike. Bledsoe’s 463 passing yards broke Joe Ferguson’s single-game franchise record, while Price’s receptions and yardage (185) remain his career highs. Good thing the passing game was in high gear, because the rushing attack managed just 31 yards on 14 carries, led (?) by Travis Henry’s 12 attempts for 30 yards. Daunte Culpepper threw three touchdown passes in a losing cause but also fumbled four times, including one Ron Edwards fell on for a touchdown. Minnesota’s Doug Brien helped the Bills’ cause by missing a field goal and two extra points. Gary Anderson was signed two days later, and Brien never tried another FG attempt in a Vikings uniform. LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: August 31, 1997 – Vikings 34, Bills 13 Todd Collins looked all right for the first three quarters of the post-Jim Kelly era, and the score was a manageable 13-10 early in the fourth quarter. Then, Vikings RB Robert Smith took a handoff from Brad Johnson – yes, the same Brad Johnson returning to the Ralph this weekend – and didn’t stop running until he hit the end zone 78 yards later. A few plays later, linebacker Jeff Brady visited the same end zone courtesy of a fumbled snap, and the rout was officially on. Collins threw two interceptions trying to lead the Bills back into the game, Johnson tacked on his second touchdown pass of the day to Cris Carter, and the Opening Day crowd filed quietly out of the stadium. Smith finished with a staggering 169 yards on just 16 carries to lead the Vikings offense. Johnson’s numbers weren’t spectacular (17-30, 218 yards, 1 interception and 3 sacks to go with the two TD passes), but they didn’t need to be. For Buffalo, Collins ended up throwing 39 passes on the day, completing 25 for 299 yards and Jay Riemersma’s first touchdown catch. With his 142 yards on seven receptions, this week’s Wall of Fame honoree, Andre Reed, became just the eighth player in league history to amass 11,000 receiving yards. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VIKINGS OVERVIEW (2006 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#18 total yardage, #17 rushing, #15 passing, #t17 scoring): Last Sunday, we saw what an efficient, low-risk, offensive gameplan could do against the Bills defense. Get ready for more of the same, because Brad Johnson’s game-management skills (career 61.9% completion rate and 84.3 passer rating) have kept him in the league past his 38th birthday. (Think Jon Gruden is now wishing he hadn’t dumped Johnson in favor of the Brian Griese / Chris Simms tandem? Oopsie.) Johnson’s backup, Brooks Bollinger, was acquired from the Jets just before the season started. Rookie Tarvaris Jackson flashed potential during the preseason, but is currently sidelined with a knee injury. This week’s FootballOutsiders.com stat: Wide receiver Troy Williamson led the league in yards-after-catch last season, but caught fewer than 50% of the passes aimed his way. Travis Taylor lines up on the other side. Marcus Robinson, still working his way back from a hamstring injury (and inactive against Chicago even though he practiced during the week), has the only touchdown among the WR corps. Tight end Jermaine Wiggins has led the team in receptions each of the last two seasons and will probably continue to be Johnson’s primary safety valve; the other TE, Jim Kleinsasser, is more of a blocker who can also line up in the backfield. Minnesota revamped their running game in the offseason, jettisoning Michael Bennett and Moe Williams in favor of Chester Taylor (Ravens) and Pro Bowl FB Tony Richardson (Chiefs). It looks like the new coaching staff has abolished the traditional Vikings RB-by-committee system: Taylor leads the league in carries (75), while backup Mewelde Moore – last year’s leading rusher -- only has six attempts in the first three games. The team signed All-Pro left guard Steve Hutchinson (Seahawks) to a huge contract early in free agency; he lines up between center Matt Birk and LT Bryant McKinnie to give the Vikings an imposing left side of the offensive line. Interestingly, though, that hasn’t automatically translated to run-game success: Taylor’s 3.7 yards per attempt matches the lowest average of his career, and the team has only scored one rushing touchdown so far this season. Right guard Artis Hicks (Eagles) and tackle Marcus Johnson round out the front five. DEFENSE (#13 total yardage, #11 rushing, #14 passing, #t10 scoring): Old friend Pat Williams and his running mate at DT, former Pro Bowler Kevin Williams, anchor a Vikings defensive line giving up fewer than four yards/carry for the first time since 1999. The line took a significant hit last week, though, when Erasmus James joined fellow first-round pick LB Chad Greenway on IR with a knee injury. Darrion Scott moves into the starting lineup at left end, with former #1 pick Kenechi Udeze shifting to the right side. SLB Ben Leber (Chargers) was another addition in the Vikings’ aggressive free-agent push, replacing 2005 team sack leader Lance Johnstone. (Leber is questionable with a sprained left knee, though, and didn’t practice Wednesday.) Napoleon Harris (middle) and E.J. Henderson (weak) are the other linebackers. Another familiar face roams the secondary, where CB Antoine Winfield scored the first touchdown of his eight-year career last Sunday. That puts him one ahead of Fred Smoot, who talks a good game at the other corner. Head coach Brad Childress is trying to instill some badly-needed discipline in the Minnesota locker room; after an undisclosed transgression, Cedric Griffin started in Smoot’s place last week. SS Darren Sharper led the team in interceptions last year and has had a long and distinguished career, but Bills fans may best remember him as the guy who cleaned Lonnie Johnson’s clock on a fake punt in the 1997 Bills-Packers game. He teams with FS Dwight Smith (Saints), a veteran of defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin’s Tampa 2 system, to give the Vikings a steady back line. SPECIAL TEAMS: Seems like the Vikings have been searching for a kicker ever since the first time Gary Anderson retired. After several years of mediocre results, they lured longtime rival Ryan Longwell away from Green Bay on the first day of the free-agent signing period. So far, so good: Longwell is a perfect 8-8 from inside 50 yards, including two game-winning kicks. (Oh, and he also has a perfect 158.3 passer rating, thanks to the touchdown pass he tossed to backup TE Richard Owens on a fake field goal attempt against Carolina.) Punter Chris Kluwe is a big guy (6-4, 215) with a big leg, but a mediocre (35.9 yard) net average. Koren Robinson was originally slotted as the KR, before his latest bout of off-field stupidity landed him on the waiver wire (and eventually in Green Bay). Since then, Williamson has split return duties with backup RBs Moore and Artose Pinner, with average results. Moore also handles punt returns. The punt-cover team is vastly improved over last year’s squad, only giving up 6.4 yards per return so far this season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OUTLOOK: Minnesota may be 2-1, but they’ve been living on the edge, depending on Ryan Longwell’s leg to eke out each of their wins. If the right side of the Bills defensive line can hold up against the Birk/Hutchinson/McKinnie combo, this is a winnable game for Buffalo. See you in Lot 1, and Go Bills. Links: NFL.com: injury report / Vikings depth chart / Vikings team stats / Bills depth chart / Bills team stats Ourlads.com: Bills depth chart / Vikings depth chart Official team website: Vikings.com

That's the one thing I noticed -- I grabbed the cheese and veggie trays, along with a second helping of dogs/sausages, once I found out about Bill and Pat. But I never once thought that there wouldn't be at least a few bags of chips/pretzels and such, so I didn't bother with those. Live and learn...

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT BUFFALO BILLS Minnesota Vikings OUT QB Tarvaris Jackson (Knee) QUESTIONABLE LB Ben Leber (Knee) PROBABLE DT Pat Williams (Ankle); RB Chester Taylor (Ankle) Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice: (Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work) WED Tarvaris Jackson; Ben Leber THURS Tarvaris Jackson; Ben Leber; Chester Taylor FRI Tarvaris Jackson Buffalo Bills QUESTIONABLE S Matt Bowen (Shin); LB Takeo Spikes (Hamstring); CB Kiwaukee Thomas (Back) Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice: (Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work) WED All Players Practiced THURS All Players Practiced FRI Takeo Spikes

219? Don't worry Rock, Harv and Petrino will protect you...

Clarification: the third sack wasn't the third-and-goal bootleg; that goes in the book as a -9 yard rushing attempt. The sack came later, on the last TD drive.

Easy on slappin' that stereotype brush around, friend. And what section were you sitting in again?

Kicking the one vs. the Jets (where they went for it from the 28) probably wasn't a viable option. Would've been a 45-yarder towards the scoreboard, and Lindell just barely made one from 36 into that end a few minutes later. Wasn't the worst wind game I've ever been to, but it was up there...

Delving deeper into the numbers... Unfortunately, GSIS doesn't compile leaguewide YAC stats. Here's a link you might find useful,though: Washington Post: team YAC Please note the Bills' #27 ranking in YAC compared to their #25 rank in total yards. Going by their stats, 26.1% of Buffalo's total receiving yards (150/575) have come after the catch. Here's what the top ten teams in overall receiving yardage look like: Eagles -- 325/960, 33.9% Colts ---- 231/895, 25.8% Giants -- 203/893, 22.7% Packers - 485/866, 56.0% Bears --- 219/830, 26.4% 49ers ---309/814, 37.96% Jets -----254/808, 31.4% Lions --- 427/801, 53.3% Cardinals 239/788, 30.3% Saints --287/714, 40.2% ...and the bottom 5: (Remember, some of them have only played two games; that will affect the total numbers, but not the percentage.) Cowboys - 179/483, 37.1% Falcons --- 103/369, 27.9% Chiefs ---- 198/363, 54.5% Chargers - 150/343, 43.7% Raiders ---- 66/258, 25.6% Judging by the data at hand, looks like Buffalo's actually on the low end, YAC-wise. (Whether 'tis due to pass placement, receivers, game situations, or some combination of all those factors, is subject to debate.) If anyone wants to go through and compile a leaguewide average, feel free. It's already Tuesday, and I've still got a preview to write...

Either that, or Dennis Green slept it off and came back to his senses. (Not that Warner's about to return to his MVP-era level of play, but throwing Leinart out there, behind that poor excuse for an offensive line and against a ticked-off Atlanta team, wouldn't be doing the kid any favors. Welcome back to sacrificial-lamb mode, Kurt...)

Darn. I miss ALL the fun.

Nah, he's already 25 and has yet to win a playoff game. Let's throw him under the bus. NEXT!!!! (As previously noted: when Kelly was 25, he was still a year away from playing his first game with the Bills...)

Really? Pennington's two passing TDs versus the Pats added up to 93 yards-after-catch, and 173 of his 306 total yards in that game came courtesy of his receivers. This week's other 300-yard passers with yac numbers (from GSIS): Kitna 342 - yac: 178 Brady 320 - yac: 177 Bulger 309 - yac: 147 You were saying?

You may want to re-examine your numbers. Looking at the play-by-play on NFL GSIS, I added up a grand total of 124 yards-after-catch. 328-124=204. 204 does NOT look similar to 83. Just sayin'.

Backing up KH's post with some leaguewide perspective: checking out the postgame chatter on the FootballOutsiders site (highly recommended, BTW), I found reports of both Brady and Roethlisberger being booed on their home fields yesterday. And I recall yet again that "fan" is short for "fanatic". JP hasn't convinced me he's going to be "The Guy". He also hasn't convinced me he won't be. Overall, this was already one of the younger teams in the league even before Troy Vincent went on IR; is anyone surprised they're a little rough around the edges? Some games might be fun to watch, others might be frustrating as all get-out, but at least this season shouldn't be boring. Just buckle the seatbelt and try to enjoy the roller-coaster ride... P.S.: Nice post, KTFABD.

Ditto that. And all of that. Liked it a lot. Would it still have worked as well with a larger crowd? Dunno, but I'd say keep it this way until we find a reason not to. If it's not too cost-prohibitive, the extra room is definitely nice to have. (And when the rains did come, we would've been in trouble trying to crowd under the 20x20. Good call on the switch.) Thought it was darned strange myself when I walked by the room Cindy had already told us we'd booked, at the appointed time, and saw it full of people I didn't recognize. When queried, the manager (NOT Danny) told me "there are only a couple of people here, and the room wasn't full last year", etc., etc. Seems to me if an agreement is made to reserve a room for a certain time, the establishment should honor said request. But maybe that's just me? Personally? I like the place, and it is convenient and easy to find. But if these difficulties continue, there ARE other options... The two factors you cited - weather and timing - probably do have a lot to do with it. How many people did we miss because of other commitments, conflicts that wouldn't have been a problem season-opener weekend? Guess we just got lucky, having a week-1 home game all those years in a row. The Jets aren't exactly a "sexy" opponent, either, which probably affected overall attendance. If some of our long-distance travelers can only make it to one game a year, a matchup of teams that both drafted in the top 10 this spring doesn't exactly have the same cachet as a Dolphins game... A massive tip of the hat to the three of you... as usual....

Umm, no. Football is played on the field. What some previous posters have described as taking place in the stands is asshattery, pure and simple, and deserves to be 'rewarded' with a trip to Orchard Park Town Court. Not too many gameday experiences suck worse than missing part of the game because the drunken frat brats right in front of you decide to start a knock-down, drag-out brawl with the equally-inebriated fellow Bills fans sitting right beside them, as happened during my last game in Section 221. JMO... and the reason I now have the Guest Services Gameday Hotline (716-312-8933) on speed-dial.