Lori

http://sportsline.com/cbssports/team/gjohnson Johnson was Tasker's play-by-play guy after CBS split up Tasker and Don Criqui last season. Looks like he's done a little bit of everything in his broadcast career, although mostly hoops. Something interesting I found while looking up Johnson: Tasker's going to be one of the sideline reporters for this year's Super Bowl. Congrats to Steve.... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lewis in preseason: Bengals finished 2-2 last year; haven't had a winning record in preseason since 1988. Here's a quote from one of last week's pressers:

CINCINNATI BENGALS at BUFFALO BILLS FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2006 – 7:00 PM EDT RALPH WILSON STADIUM – ORCHARD PARK, NY TELEVISION (LIVE, CINCINNATI AREA): Cincinnati (WKRC-TV Local 12), Dayton (WKEF-TV Ch. 22 and WRGT-TV Ch. 45), Columbus (WCMH-TV Ch. 4), Lexington, KY (WTVQ-TV Ch. 36) and Louisville, KY (WDRB-TV Ch. 41) PLAY-BY-PLAY: Paul Keels COLOR ANALYST: Anthony Munoz TELEVISION (TAPE-DELAY): NFL Network – AUGUST 19, 1:00 PM EDT WKBW (Channel 7 – Buffalo) / WHAM (Channel 13 – Rochester) / WTVH (Channel 5 – Syracuse) – AUGUST 19, 8:00 PM EDT PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gus Johnson COLOR ANALYST: Steve Tasker SIDELINE REPORTER: Mike Catalana RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck SIRIUS SUNDAY DRIVE (Buffalo feed): Channel 123 REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: Buffalo leads, 13-9. The Bills are 8-3 against Cincinnati at home, including 7-2 at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium. PLAYOFF RECORD: Cincinnati leads, 2-0. LAST MEETING: December 24, 2005 – Bills 37, Bengals 27 Kelly Holcomb threw for a season-high 308 yards, but the day belonged to Terrence McGee. The Bills CB/KR did something never before accomplished in NFL history -- returning both a kickoff and an interception for touchdowns to help the Bills, double-digit underdogs, pull off the upset before a stunned crowd in Cincinnati. LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: October 5, 2003 – Bills 22, Bengals 16 (OT) The Ralph Wilson Stadium windtunnel was open for business on a breezy October afternoon; Rian Lindell’s game-tying FG with 0:28 left in regulation marked the only points scored into the west (scoreboard) endzone. Cincinnati won the coin toss in OT and elected to receive, but a quick three-and-out against the wind gave Buffalo the ball at their own 43. Two Drew Bledsoe completions, the second good for twenty-eight yards to Eric Moulds, put the ball inside the Cincinnati 10. Travis Henry, playing with torn rib cartilage that knocked him out of the Philly game a week before, capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The bad news: Moulds suffered a groin injury on the catch in OT, missed the next two games, and wasn’t the same player the rest of the season. Without his favorite target, Bledsoe would throw only one TD pass (vs. six interceptions) in the next six games, and the Bills would finish the season 6-10. BENGALS OVERVIEW (2005 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#6 total yardage, #11 rushing, #5 passing, #4 scoring): The sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, of course, is the status of Carson Palmer’s rebuilt left knee. Last year, he became the first Bengal signal-caller to lead the league in touchdown passes (and earned what looks like the first of many Pro Bowl selections) before his season ended early in Cincinnati’s playoff loss to the Steelers. If he can return to full strength, the 2005 AFC North champions are likely to repeat last season’s playoff run. If not, the quarterback position becomes a huge question mark; neither Anthony Wright nor Doug Johnson is likely to inspire positive comparisons to Palmer any time soon. There aren’t many other questions about the potent Bengals offense. Remarkable in the era of free agency, all eleven projected starters return for the third consecutive season. Both Rudi and Chad Johnson are coming off career years, and the offensive line helped set a franchise record for fewest sacks allowed. Backup RB Chris Perry has plenty of speed and better receiving skills than Rudi; he’s had problems staying healthy, though. TE Reggie Kelly and FB Jeremi Johnson get a few touches now and then, but are primarily used as blockers. T.J. Houshmandzadeh combines with Chad Johnson to form a potent tandem at wideout. And if Chris Henry can stay out of jail – apparently a recurring theme on this squad – Cincinnati could have one of the best three-WR sets in the league. There’s solid depth at the position, with FA signee Antonio Chatman (Packers) joining holdovers Tab Perry and Kelley Washington in the fight for roster spots. DEFENSE (#28 total yardage, #20 rushing, #26 passing, #22 scoring): The Bengals beefed up a mediocre run defense – literally – by signing Sam Adams after Buffalo released him in March. Big Sam’s major dispute with the Mularkey regime centered on how he was being used; the coaches wanted him to be a stay-at-home runstuffer instead of trying to shoot gaps and disrupt plays upfield. It will be interesting to see how Marvin Lewis, Adams’ defensive coordinator during Baltimore’s Super Bowl season in 2000, handles the situation. (We probably won’t see it this Friday; at last report, Sam hasn’t been cleared to practice.) With Adams lining up next to John Thornton at tackle, Bryan Robinson moves out to end. Former first-round pick and 2005 team sack leader Justin Smith, last season’s starter at LE, flips to the right side. Veterans Robert Geathers (DE) and Shaun Smith (DT) provide depth. MLB Odell Thurman led the team in tackles last year, but will be sitting out the first month of the season thanks to a league substance-abuse-policy suspension. In his absence, Brian Simmons will move inside, while Landon Johnson fills in at Simmons' normal WLB spot. Last year’s #1 pick, David Pollack, is the projected starter on the strong side. He missed the first preseason game with a sore hamstring, though, so CFL alumnus Rashad Jeanty got the start instead. The team added A.J. Nicholson (FSU) in the regular draft, then selected Ahmad Brooks (Virginia) with a supplemental pick after Thurman’s suspension was announced. Both players have talent, but off-field issues. Ballhawking CBs Tory James and Deltha O’Neal combined for 15 INTs in 2005, helping the Cincinnati D finish #1 in turnover differential. O’Neal’s 10 pickoffs tied for the league lead and earned him a Pro Bowl berth. Keiwan Ratliff and first-round pick Johnathan Joseph are battling for the nickel position. The safety positions should improve with the addition of Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson, plus Madieu Williams’ return from a shoulder injury that cost him all but four games last season. SPECIAL TEAMS: Once upon a time, kicker Shayne Graham was a street free agent the Bills signed at midseason, then allowed to leave at the end of that year. Now, he’s regarded as one of the most consistent kickers in the league, and is coming off his first trip to the Pro Bowl. P Kyle Larson has a decent leg, but the coverage unit could be better. Tab Perry will probably be the primary KR again, while either Antonio Chatman or Keiwan Ratliff will handle punt returns. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUTLOOK: Anthony Wright is obviously no Carson Palmer; indeed, the Bengals will be fortunate if he turns out to be an adequate replacement for Jon Kitna. That said, the Cincinnati offense should still be a decent test for the youngsters on the Buffalo D. As for the Bills offense, we’ll see how J.P. Losman looks against the starters on a Bengals D that forces a lot of turnovers. I'm also hoping Lionel Gates' ankle is good enough to give him a long look as Willis McGahee's primary backup, and that we begin to see some of the WRs separate themselves from the competition. See you at the game, and as always, Go Bills. Links: Ourlads.com: Bengals depth chart Official team website: Bengals.com

Good stuff as always, Simonizer. I hope you're wrong re: Villarrial, but I'm afraid you're not. I think the heart is still there, but that thirtysomething body might not be willing to cooperate much longer...

They're reporters, not PR people. If his honest opinion is that the Bills will be lucky to win 5 games this year, I'd rather hear him say that than try to build up false hopes. The Bills' profitability does not hinge on local reporters saying nice things about the team, it comes down to success on the field. Continued failure to win will hurt attendance, regardless of whatever PR spin is put on it. Beat me to the punch, MRW. "Selling" the Bills is Russ Brandon's and Scott Berchtold's job, not Sal's or Sully's. Food for thought from the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics: Doesn't leave much room for "positive spin".

Yeah, all that interactive stuff is cool... IF you have a rig that can run it: Click at your own risk

Well-played. You're a man of few words, dan, but they're invariably wicked funny. As for some of the responses it garnered, they must have missed that particular thread....

Happy happy! [raising a legal beverage in your general direction]

A few years further back, I seem to recall a few preseason Pro Bowl predictions tossed in RJ's direction as well. Not saying that Doc K is wrong, just that preseason performance is not a guarantee of future success..

Have you and ***PiWF*** gone to training camp to harass watch him yet?

Depends on which stat you choose to use: #1 in passing yardage, yes. To be fair, that may have been a product of their 4-12 record and 23rd-ranked run D; only New Orleans faced fewer passing attempts. Easier to defend against the pass when the other team is trying to run out the clock. Looking at their 2005 stats: in 430 attempts, opposing QBs threw 22 TD passes vs. only 10 INTs and compiled an 86.2 QB rating (with an incredibly high 5.1% TDs-per-attempts percentage). Just a guess here - albeit one which would seem to be substantiated by the amount of cash they threw at FA DBs Charles Woodson and Marquand Manuel - but they're probably not bragging about that #1 ranking.

Still an upgrade from their current (C.Martin-less) depth chart, though.

Crap. NOW you tell me. </BillyJoeHobert>

The "official" NFL.com player page, perhaps? That has EM at 6-2, 225. And this year's Sporting News Pro Football Register lists him at 6-2, 210. Which means he somehow has grown two inches taller since the 1999 media guide claimed he was 6-0, 204. Curiouser and curiouser... T.O. and Andre are both 6-3 and solidly built. But Boston, that was the 'roids.

Reminded me of Shawn Bryson shredding his ACL in his first training camp. Ugh. Makes my knees hurt just thinking about it. Happened to a good kid, too -- Kerry Carter. (I've spoken to him a couple of times at Bonnies basketball games when his younger brother, Kern, played for SBU.) And he and fellow Stanford alum Coy Wire collaborate on the Most High clothing line...

Sorry I missed it. Hope you had a good one!

The kid just keeps making plays. Doubt he'd push Vincent off the roster -- still too raw -- but the other backup safeties should be VERY worried right now.

This just in: the Panthers front four is pretty good. (In fact, with a healthy Jenkins and Kemoeatu lining up at DT, they might just be #1 on my FFL draft board.) Not enough data just yet. Let's see what they look like the next couple of weeks.

Yeah, but Alex didn't cost us a second-round draft pick, either...

Nope, Jay, you were the first to call it -- and the play-by-play is wrong. I just re-racked the Tivo, and that was indeed Schneck on the field. As for Moorman's performance, I know at least one person who wasn't pleased -- Brian. He walked off the field shaking his head quite often last night.

(applause) Even though I want to see Losman start this year, I wish no ill to Kelly Holcomb or any other QB on the roster. Too many bad memories of the Flutie/Johnson mess, and its effect on the entire team...

I may owe Fowler an apology. The one thing that stuck in my mind about him at the camp sessions I attended, was the fact that he was struggling to hold off Kyle Williams in the one-on-one drills. Now that I've seen Williams in game action (albeit preseason), I'm thinking Fowler isn't the only one who will have trouble blocking him this year. And that's a GOOD thing....

The same Dr. Argovitz who later owned the Houston Gamblers and signed Jim Kelly out from under the Bills? You can look at it two different ways: either the Bills' tight pursestrings made the USFL an attractive alternative, or the USFL was willing to overbid for players in order to make inroads vs. the NFL in general. (IIRC, "The Donald" gave Doug Flutie the biggest rookie contract in pro football history to play for his New Jersey Generals.) Either way, we can thank the USFL for developing Jim Kelly... but also blame it in part for those horrific 1984-85 seasons.

Mad, I tell ya. Mad! Happy happy...

BUFFALO BILLS at CAROLINA PANTHERS SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006 – 7:30 PM EDT BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM – CHARLOTTE, NC TELEVISION: WKBW (Channel 7 – Buffalo) / WHAM (Channel 13 – Rochester) PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gus Johnson COLOR ANALYST: Steve Tasker RADIO: 97 Rock (96.9 FM) / 103.3 FM PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck SIRIUS SUNDAY DRIVE: Channel 130 REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: Buffalo leads, 3-1. LAST MEETING: November 27, 2005 – Panthers 13, Bills 9 Neither team could put the ball in the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, when a short Jake Delhomme-to-Michael Gaines pass with 2:16 remaining gave Carolina the lead for good. With the win, the 8-3 Panthers opened up a one-game lead over both Tampa Bay and Atlanta in the NFC South. Buffalo fell to 4-7. LAST TIME IN CHARLOTTE: October 25, 1998 – Bills 30, Panthers 14 Eric Moulds caught two touchdown passes from Doug Flutie in this ESPN prime-time tilt, including a dazzling 82-yard catch-and-run midway through the second quarter to give the Bills a 17-7 halftime lead. Buffalo added two more Steve Christie FGs and a 17-yard Thurman Thomas touchdown run in the second half to cap off their fourth straight win. The Panthers remained winless at 0-7; they’d finish the season -- and coach Dom Capers’s tenure in Carolina -- with a 4-12 record. Tarheel alumni Jonathan Linton and Thomas Smith enjoyed the trip home. Linton led a balanced rushing attack with 53 yards on 10 carries, while Smith tied for the team lead with six tackles and knocked down two Steve Beuerlein passes in the Bills’ end zone. PANTHERS OVERVIEW (2005 final rankings) OFFENSE (#22 total yardage, #19 rushing, #17 passing, #8 scoring): The Carolina offense was hampered by the lack of a serious receiving threat opposite Steve Smith last year, making his All-Pro season even more remarkable. Enter Keyshawn Johnson. Even though the former #1 overall pick is on the downside of his career, he should provide an immediate upgrade over 2005 starter Keary Colbert’s 25-catch, two-touchdown performance. Colbert might not even keep the #3 job; he'll be pushed by 2004 fifth-round selection Drew Carter, who averaged over twenty yards per catch in limited playing time last season. The Panthers TEs are decent blockers, but won’t remind anyone of Wesley Walls. I liked what I saw from fifth-round pick Jeff King at Virginia Tech; a decent preseason could earn him a spot on the 53-man roster. With the release of Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster inherits the full-time tailback job. He’s never managed to play a full sixteen-game season, though, so the team drafted Memphis RB DeAngelo Williams with their first-round pick. Last year’s second-rounder, Eric Shelton (Louisville), should see significant playing time during the preseason; he spent all of 2005 on I.R. with a foot injury. Nick Goings, special-teamer Jamal Robertson, and fullback Brad Hoover provide veteran depth at the position. UDFA/NFL Europe alumnus Jake Delhomme may not have the prototypical ‘pedigree’ at QB, but he’s led the team to two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance in the last three seasons. Chris Weinke returns as the backup, but his 1-15 career record as a starter should have Panthers fans hoping for Delhomme’s continued good health. Either Stefan LeFors (Louisville) or rookie Brett Basanez (Northwestern) will be the #3 QB. Tackles Jordan Gross and Travelle Wharton and Pro Bowl LG Mike Wahle return from last year’s line. The coaching staff thinks second-year player Evan Mathis is ready to step in at RG, so Tutan Reyes was allowed to leave in the offseason. Justin Hartwig (Titans) was signed to replace Jeff Mitchell at center. DEFENSE (#3 total yardage, #4 rushing, #9 passing, #5 scoring): If Marv Levy and Dick Jauron were looking for an early test for the revamped offensive line, they’ll certainly get one this week – three of the four projected starters on the Panthers’ defensive line have Pro Bowl appearances on their résumés. DT Kris Jenkins, coming back from a knee injury that ended his season after only one game, is on schedule to be ready for the 2006 opener. At DE, there aren’t many starting tandems better than Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker. (And just think -- if the Bills had lost to Carolina in 2001, they could have drafted Peppers instead of Mike Williams…) While Jordan Carstens played well in Jenkins’ absence, the team decided to upgrade their depth at tackle. Aging Brentson Buckner was released; massive Ma’ake Kemoeatu (Ravens) and former first-round pick Damione Lewis (Rams) were signed early in free agency. If Jenkins and Kemoeatu start, inside rushing yards will be tough to come by. Dan Morgan is the only returning starter at LB. Brandon Short is back with the Giants, while Will Witherspoon moves to MLB in St. Louis. 2005 first-round pick Thomas Davis is at the top of the depth chart at WLB; FA signees Na’il Diggs (Packers) and Keith Adams (Eagles) will compete for the SLB job. Former Falcons starter Chris Draft is a solid backup at MLB – an important consideration, since Morgan can’t seem to stay healthy. Three of the four secondary positions are set. CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble are talented, if sometimes inconsistent. Reggie Howard started Super Bowl XXXVIII at CB for the Panthers, but was released that offseason and spent the last two years in Miami. He’ll battle second-round pick Richard Marshall at nickel back. FS Mike Minter is back for his tenth season in a Carolina uniform; he hasn’t missed a start since 2001. Colin Branch returns from a torn ACL that wiped out his entire 2005 season, with Shaun Williams and rookie Nate Salley, Donte Whitner’s running mate at Ohio State, also in the mix. SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker John Kasay (the last original Panther) and punter Jason Baker already have their roster spots locked up. Kasay has missed some practice time with a sore leg, though, so MacKenzie Hoambrecker will probably handle the kicking duties Saturday night. With Rod Smart in Oakland and the team possibly looking to cut back on Steve Smith’s workload, both return jobs should be up for grabs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUTLOOK: The Panthers are a popular Super Bowl pick this season, with few holes to fill and nothing to prove during the preseason. Expect their starters to head for the bench early in this one. On the other sideline, the Bills still have too many questions and not enough answers. Competitions for several starting positions -- including center, where Melvin Fowler has yet to impress me -- make this game worth watching past the first commercial break. Links: Ourlads.com: Panthers depth chart Official team website: Panthers.com

Correct. I mean, c'mon - there's a pronunciation guide in last year's media guide, as well as in every single weekly game release. (Then again, considering the number of mistakes found in last year's media guide, maybe that isn't the most trustworthy point of reference... ) Addendum: the official pronunciation, direct from this week's press release, is "LAAS-man (like Los Angeles)".