Lori

Michael Vick is a phenomenal athlete, but will never be a great NFL quarterback. Anyone care to disagree?

Ah, 221. That's where I was in '99, the first year I had my own seasons. Now you know why I moved. Sounds like things haven't changed...

The same Spike Lee who spent most of the last year in New Orleans, shooting film and interviewing people for his documentary about Katrina and its aftereffects? One would think his opinion might hold a bit more relevance than the average celeb just dropping by for TV face-time. (I'm no fan of his either, but still.) What I find weird: last summer, the Saints' ticket sales were so bad they sent US (Bills season-ticket holders) order forms for the game down there. This year, with half the population, they sold out the entire season? Who bought all those tickets -- the construction workers?

Same as last year, I headed over to Lot 1 after we closed up Hammer's on Sunday. As usual, the Pinto crew were the last ones left in the lot. Shot the breeze with them for about half an hour before heading out to Amherst. Anyway... Ken said he reconsidered the wisdom of making another stop Saturday night when he remembered his alarm clock was set for 4:30AM Sunday. (And the NFL Films crew was on time, too, bright and really, really early.) Also as usual, he had some hilarious stories to tell about the whole experience. For all the directing and re-shooting they did, sounds like they at least owe him Equity scale...

Creemore/Spiked hails from north of Toronto, and looks absolutely nothing like Brian. (Yes, I've met both of them.) Just so you know...

Dunno about you New Yorkers, but around here a 'nuisance bear' is reported to the Game Commission, not the police. (Not much a policeman is going to be able to do vs. a 500-pounder with either a service-issue sidearm or a shotgun, anyway...)

Not a problem, thee.

Cox, by far. Domi got some points in my book when he pummeled the drunken Flyer fan that decided to join him in the penalty box... Youtube link: includes bonus footage of Tucker on the ice

Apparently, said players missed the five interceptions and four fumbles in Holcomb's last two starts of last season, then...

On the official injury report, the NFL defines 'missing practice' as missing any part of 11-on-11 drills. I heard the same thing 34-78-83 did, during Jauron's weekly appearance on Sirius this afternoon. From the official release:

Spent the last five years in 109/6, before moving up to row 15 this season. Jay's right -- they're GREAT seats when the ball is on our side of the 50, but once the line of scrimmage gets down inside the 30 on the tunnel end, you'll either be trying to see *through* the visiting team's sideline or watching the scoreboard. Great for harassing the visitors' bench, though. And if you're a Jills-watcher, they'll be right in front of you. (Down, boy... ) Honestly, though, the upper-vs.-lower-level debate depends on how you watch games. If you'd rather see plays develop, then the upper deck has a better view. But if this is your first trip here, there's no better way to introduce yourself to the atmosphere of an NFL game than the up-close-and-personal P.O.V. you'll get in row 5. Took a friend to his first game a few years back; the GB game where RJ hit Jay Riemersma for a sideline-tiptoeing TD right in front of us. Said friend was flat-out stunned at the speed/power of the game in person as opposed to watching it on TV. I don't think you get that upstairs. JMO...

Probably still ticked that the front office screwed the McNair situation up so badly.

NEW YORK JETS (1-1) at BUFFALO BILLS (1-1) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2006 – 1:00 PM EDT RALPH WILSON STADIUM, ORCHARD PARK, NY CBS / CBS HD: Dick Enberg, Randy Cross DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket: Channel 708 / Channel 719 (HD) RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck Sirius Sunday Drive: Channel 153 (Buffalo feed) Channel 155 (New York feed – Bob Wischusen play-by-play, Marty Lyons color) REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: Bills lead, 49-41. Buffalo has won more games versus the Jets than against any other opponent. PLAYOFF RECORD: Bills lead, 1-0. LAST MEETING: January 1, 2006 – Jets 30, Bills 26 Preview Willis McGahee recorded his third consecutive 100-yard game against New York and the defense played well enough to win, giving up only one offensive touchdown on the day. A five-turnover performance by Kelly Holcomb (including an interception returned for a touchdown) kept the game close, though, and an uncharacteristic breakdown by the Bills’ special teams gave the Jets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Bills fought back from a four-point halftime deficit to take a 23-20 lead into the fourth quarter. The teams traded three-pointers after that; Rian Lindell’s fourth FG of the day put Buffalo back in front momentarily, but with 6:13 remaining, rookie CB/KR Justin Miller’s 95-yard touchdown return stunned the top-ranked Bills kickoff-coverage squad. The offense got the ball back twice after that; the first possession ended on a fourth-down sack/fumble, and Ty Law’s third interception of the game finished off Buffalo’s final drive of the season. Passing the torch: Holcomb’s two touchdown passes went to Roscoe Parrish (the first score of his NFL career) and Eric Moulds (his 49th, and last, in a Bills uniform). Moulds left Buffalo firmly ensconced in the team-record book, trailing only Andre Reed in career receptions, yardage, and touchdown catches. LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: October 16, 2005 - Bills 27, Jets 17 Preview By the time Tim Anderson dropped Vinny Testaverde for the Bills’ fifth sack of the afternoon, Vinny had to be wishing he hadn’t decided to come out of retirement. Testaverde had a dreadful game: 12-26 for 161 yards, no touchdowns, and three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) to go with the physical pounding the Buffalo defense inflicted on him. Kelly Holcomb tossed touchdown passes to Jonathan Smith and Eric Moulds, and Willis McGahee ran for a career-high 143 yards on 29 carries in an efficient offensive performance that evened Buffalo’s record at 3-3. JETS OVERVIEW (2006 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#8 total yardage, #t26 rushing, #3 passing, #13 scoring): What’s wrong with this picture? Chad Pennington – he of the ungodly-high lifetime completion percentage, but not exactly known for throwing the ball deep even before recurring injuries to his throwing shoulder – is two-for-two in the three-hundred-yard game department, and is averaging 8.9 yards/attempt. How is this possible? Not that hard to believe after all, if you saw the incredible plays Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery made against New England. Cotchery’s 71-yard catch-and-run was originally a 19-yard completion. Coles’ 46-yard score? Five yards in the air, and another impressive effort after the catch. Scanning the play-by-play sheets unearths the following statistic: in two games, only six of Pennington’s seventy passing attempts traveled more than twenty yards downfield. So, expect what we’ve always seen from Pennington: a high-efficiency, dink-and-dunk gameplan, with a rare deep shot -- most likely to Coles, his favorite target -- mixed in about once per quarter. The speedy Cotchery is coming into his own as the #2, bumping last year’s starter, Justin McCareins, to part-time status. Tim Dwight was signed in the offseason, but a lingering thigh injury has kept him off the field. (Something else to keep an eye on: Coles missed practice today with a calf injury, and is listed as ‘questionable’.) Before breaking his ankle midway through last season, TE Chris Baker knocked Doug Jolley out of the starting lineup. He’ll get his share of looks, as will RB Derrick Blaylock coming out of the backfield. Gang Green needs all the production it can get from the passing game, because the rushing attack certainly won’t make Jets fans forget about Curtis Martin any time soon. The top two runners, Blaylock and Kevan Barlow (a late pickup via trade from the 49ers), have a combined 120 yards on 50 carries for a stunningly bad 2.4 yards-per-carry average. But wait, it gets worse: Jets RBs have more runs-for-loss (7) than rushing first downs (4, including a big fat zero against New England). After watching film of the 2005 offensive line that gave up 53 sacks and allowed their quarterbacks to be hit more than any team in the league, the new regime in the Meadowlands had to know it was time for a massive overhaul up front. Longtime fixtures Jason Fabini and Kevin Mawae moved on, replaced by first-round picks D’Brickashaw Ferguson at LT and Nick Mangold at center. The two have tons of potential, but judging by the abysmal rushing stats and the six sacks Pennington’s already absorbed, it’ll take the youngsters some time to get up to speed. That task didn’t get any easier when Pete Kendall left the Tennessee game with a hamstring injury; he missed the New England game and is questionable for this week, meaning Kendall’s backup, second-year man Norm Katnik, could get the second start of his NFL career at LG. (If he’s healthy enough to play, old friend Trey Teague could also see some time at the position. As of Wednesday, though, he’s listed as ‘doubtful’.) The other guard, Brandon Moore, is the only returning starter on the line; free agent pickup Anthony Clement (49ers) has replaced incumbent Adrian Jones at RT. DEFENSE (#24 total yardage, #19 rushing, #22 passing, #t17 scoring): One of the first moves new head coach Eric Mangini made was to switch to the 3-4 hybrid defense favored by his mentor, Bill Belichick. Franchise DE John Abraham was shipped off to Atlanta in a three-team trade, and veteran 3-4 linemen Kimo von Oelhoffen (Steelers) and Bobby Hamilton (Raiders) were signed to provide a stouter presence next to holdovers Dewayne Robertson and Shaun Ellis. Bryan Thomas isn’t on Jason Taylor’s level, but has the size/speed combination to play the same role: right end on one play, passrushing OLB the next. 2005 team MVP Jonathan Vilma isn’t the prototypical inside linebacker, but his intensity and sideline-to-sideline speed helped him lead the entire league in tackles last season. Victor Hobson and Eric Barton, recovered from a torn biceps muscle that cost him the second half of last season, are the other starters. When an eye injury knocked David Barrett out of action midway through the season, second-round pick Justin Miller moved into the CB slot opposite Ty Law. Barrett never got the starting job back, and Andre Dyson (Seahawks) was signed in free agency to replace Law. Safeties Erik Coleman and Kerry Rhodes both started all 16 games last season. Coleman finished second to Vilma in tackles, including 27 in the two games against Buffalo. SPECIAL TEAMS: Highly-touted kicker Mike Nugent put together a decent rookie reason, going 15-16 from inside 40 yards. He got off to a horrid start against Tennessee, though, missing an extra point and two field goals. The Jets responded by bringing in a few free agents for tryouts, but it should take more than one bad game for Nugent to get a pink slip. AFL veteran Ben Graham returns for his second season at the Jets’ punter. (The A stands for Australian, not Arena.) The former Geelong captain’s gross average is south of 40 yards per kick, but four of his nine attempts have landed inside the 20, with no touchbacks. Jerricho Cotchery and rookie RB Leon Washington have split time returning punts, with below-average results; expect Tim Dwight to claim that job when he’s healthy. As the Bills found out to their dismay last January, Justin Miller is a weapon at kick returner; his 25.8 yards-per-return average currently ranks ninth in the league. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUTLOOK: The Bills come into this game seeking their fourth straight home win in the series. If their pass rush looks anything like what we’ve seen the first two weeks, and if Willis McGahee continues his history of strong games against New York, they shouldn’t have much of a problem finding it. See you at the game, and Go Bills. Links: NFL.com: injury report / Jets depth chart / Jets team stats / Bills depth chart / Bills team stats Ourlads.com: Bills depth chart / Jets depth chart Official team website: NewYorkJets.com JetNation.com JetsInsider.com

Read the rules. You might learn something.

Aw, crap... I can't believe you actually posted this. Anybody gets hurt Sunday, we're blaming YOU. The history of "Nostradammit"

After the whomping ND put on my Nittany Kitties, I'm not expecting much positive news from the 'Shoe this Saturday. More likely, I'll be buying the Buckeyes fans a pitcher once the clock ticks to 0:00...

Their third possession started just before the end of the 3Q. That's where my count diverges from yours, then. Okeydokey....

Just out of curiosity, do you count Culpepper's 3rd-and-8 scramble as a called running play? I see 4 handoffs in 7 plays in that quarter. (Not that it matters much, since the line wasn't blocking either runs OR passes for s&$! at that point...)

I take it you've never met any at the stadium, then...

Read between the lines of Chris Brown's latest blog entry. No, I take that back -- you don't HAVE to read between the lines, because he puts everything right out in the open:

We've already seen two games; why wait for three? [/sarcasm] (To be fair, though, everyone's entitled to an opinion...)

It was caught behind the line of scrimmage, but was nowhere near a lateral. LOS was just outside the 15; Losman threw from the 23; Parrish made the reception at the 17. Reed definitely makes contact with the Miami DB (at the 12) while the ball is in the air... but that doesn't matter anyway. From the NFL Digest of Rules: If Reed had made contact behind the line of scrimmage, it would've been a touchdown: But since he was downfield, it's an easy call for the officials to make.

Thhhtptpt. (True story: I once bailed out of a wedding reception to catch the end of the '97 comeback win vs. OSU. Trouble was, I was one of the bridesmaids. Remarkably, my friends have since forgiven me....)

You know what that logo makes me think? "Damn, that's an ugly logo!" This, from the guy who (long time ago, still on WNSA) once spent his fifteen-minute opening trying to convince the listening public Hasek should have the captain's C. Mercifully, his producer (Cichon, maybe?) finally pointed out the obvious: Goalies aren't ALLOWED to be captains. Look it up BEFORE you go on the air next time, Mensa.

Good point. Oh, and that triceps tear has knocked Bennie Anderson out for the season. If he was one of their best five linemen, I hope (for his sake) Daunte Culpepper's insurance premiums are paid up...