Lori

Depends. What will they look like when they aren't blitzing on darn near every play? Because sooner or later, the Bills WILL play against a QB who can beat the blitz. (Until then, though, I'll enjoy watching them create chaos in opposing teams' backfields....... )

Oh? DO tell.

Valid point....

Too true, that. I think most of us try NOT to remember that one.....

One little VERY IMPORTANT thing, as the busted FG attempts both Saturday and Monday nights proved. Could be the difference between winning and losing a game someday. Agreed, though - better to find out whether or not Preston can adequately back up Dorenbos now, than to have to go looking for a Bradford Banta-type at midseason.

With reams upons reams of material to choose among from the man, the myth, the legend who gifted the TBD lexicon with "Flutopians", THAT's your "most memorable"? (Not that there's anything wrong with that. ) I think mine would have to be the "I'm GLAD they're gone !!!!!" post the day JB cut Bruce, Andre, and Thurman. That was one of the days the weathervane swung towards Butler's point of view....

Captain MacGillicuddy rules the seas!

Considering the Troy Vincent Watch last season - "maybe this week" for what, five or six weeks in a row? - you're not exactly paranoid for thinking MM and Co. may be hedging their bets a wee bit, Brad. Seems like the NFL in general is going the way of hockey, and sooner rather than later the only info we'll get is "undisclosed injury" and "out indefinitely". Tying it to season tix sales, though? With less than a week to go before the cutoff, I honestly can't see this having much of an effect. Yeah, there might still be some stragglers out there, but based on earlier data (with seat counts already approaching the totals from the Super Bowl era), I sincerely doubt the marketing department asked the coaches to have WMcG suit up Monday night just to nail down those last few potential accounts.... JMO.

WRT Reed: very possible, especially since his cap hit would be smaller than ever. If his play is roughly equivalent to Haddad/Aiken/Wilson, well, they're a lot cheaper to keep... and those Clements/McGee contracts ARE looming in the not-so-distant future. In my opinion, though, Denney's not going anywhere. Might interest you to know that the first-team D was using the Schobel/Adams/Kelsay/Denney lineup for part of practice again last night. (Speed kills. )

Some more random thoughts: I saw about what I expected from Losman. Some good, some not-so-good; he's still got some work to do. One trait he apparently shares with his role model, Brett Favre, is the tendency to get so pumped for the beginning of the game that he starts off wild - once he settled down, he played OK. This from Chuck Pollock's column yesterday (sadly, not on the TH website): Yeah, what he said. That play left me imagining good things this season... Disappointed in the O-line. I didn't really see the nasty, mauling runblocking I expected from a veteran line going up against a bunch of backups. And far too many penalties.... As I expected, the D started blitzing as soon as they got off the bus. I can just imagine what Tony Dungy was thinking, watching Spikes level Manning. (Something along the lines of, "Okay, that'll be enough of THAT - Peyton, you're done for the night.") King/Greer: If/when Kevin Thomas is re-activated, he's going to have some work to do to retake the #3 CB slot.

You've noticed that too, eh? That's why I'm watching the battle for #2 RB so closely...and also why I argued against trading Henry during the season last year (before HIS injury made that a moot point). I like Joe Burns, but I have no desire to see him start at RB again. What I think: Willis has proven his toughness by coming back not once, but twice, from ACL injuries. But I get the idea that he'll come off the field for any minor tweak, almost like he needs the docs to reassure him he's OK before he goes back in the game and starts pounding on the defense again. Remember how slowly Thurman used to get up from a tackle sometimes? Not so different than that, I think.....

Or, reasons not to change the channel once JP heads to the sideline... Bills on offense: -Although I'm disappointed we won't get to see Roscoe blaze through a mediocre (and nicked up) Colts secondary, his temporary absence will give the other backup WRs an opportunity to prove they deserve a roster spot. Whither Josh Reed? And is George Wilson just another traning-camp-All-Pro, or could he be the one who pushes Reed right off the roster? -#2 RB. I'm assuming Shaud Williams (wearing #20 now) gets the first shot here, but I like what I've seen so far from #25 Lionel Gates. The way I see it, they're both ahead of #30 ReShard Lee, the FA pickup from Dallas. Joe Burns? If he makes the 53-man roster, it'll be because of his ST work. Just my opinion. - OL catches a HUGE break, with most of the Colts' best D-linemen sitting this game out. I want to see the Bills consistently blowing the Colts off the line of scrimmage; really, there's no excuse for them NOT to. Bills on defense: -Colts have two new starters at G, and their center, TE, and #3-4 WRs are all out for this game. Considering that the Bills have spent most of their practice time ever since OTAs throwing blitzes at Losman, will they bring the house against Peyton the way they did against the Green Bay QBs? If so, I expect backups Jim Sorgi and our old friend Travis Brown to do plenty of scrambling..... -#3 CB. With Kevin Thomas still sidelined for an unknown amount of time, this could be a crucial decision by the coaching staff - Jabari Greer (#33), or Eric King(#29)? Greer has been steady, but I really like what I've seen from King. Or, could they flip Vincent back outside and bring in Rashad Baker as the nickel back? Enjoy the game!

Bull$&*!. Your car-wreck scenario is an unfortunate accident. Checking someone into the boards is "part of the game". This was a premeditated ATTACK, and Bertuzzi should have gotten jail time. JMO.

Good post, Kaz. To me, SAS is this generation's Cosell - either you like his style, or you absolutely cannot STAND him and would rather puncture your eardrums than listen to him. He's riding the wave of sportswriters-on-TV that gave us Woody Paige and Skip Clueless doing a morning show, the aforementioned "I, MAX", and the "Around The Horn" soundbite shoutfest. I admit being addicted to the original "Sports Reporters", and don't have a problem with PTI... but to me, the other shows are just overkill. (And mediocre overkill at that.) But then, starting next week SAS's lead-in show will be "ESPN Hollywood", so what does that tell you?

Hopper might have the facts straight, but I like your answer better. Wonder if they have a cute fuzzy baby chick mascot? Or if there's a chick logo on their helmets? Seriously - if you're the average testosterone-fueled high school football player, wouldn't you be absolutely mortified to play for a team named after baby chickens? I can just imagine some of the smacktalk those guys have to endure at the line of scrimmage....

Maybe so... but it is fun to imagine the possibility.....

In JJ's first or second season here, BADOL came up with the classic nickname "Jennings A La Cart". Sounds like it still applies. (Surprise, surprise....)

Not quite sure when this change was made; the last camp sked I printed out still had the morning practice listed. Confirmed by a call to the training camp information # (1-800-441-5942, for anyone who didn't already have it).... Buffalobills.com training camp schedule Guess that means I can sleep in tomorrow. (Well, later today....) For those of you looking for me at the evening practice, watch for the Moulds Pro Bowl jersey. Unless you have bad intentions, in which case it's NOT me wearing it...

WZZM 13 Grand Rapids Link is to a short writeup on the local ABC affiliate. He apparently didn't get any contract offers after the Stillers cut him, and the head coach at JR's alma mater had to quit for family reasons, so Jay took over as the interim HC. What I wanna know - help me out here, Michiganders - is what possible reason there could be for a high school to nickname their teams the "Chix". The Zeeland East CHIX. Ummm. Yeah. Okay.

That play was the exact moment when most of us gave up on Pucillo...

Supposedly, the ratings for the first few Stephen A. Smith shows are also worse than the reruns of the eating competitions. Quite frankly, I'm not surprised......

I prefer Ms. Thanks for asking. Looks like the Rock already hit on most of the pertinent details; I'll just add a few random thoughts... An amusing sight from STs: EVERYBODY got a chance to run through kickoff drills at least once - yes, including ALL our QBs. Losman lined up as the 'gunner' on the right side, but needless to say, there wasn't much contact on that runthrough.... For the talk about Woodbury at QB, it didn't look to me like he has much touch on the ball - he rifled one off Parrish's hands, then missed Lee badly on a swing pass. (Keep in mind, these are the only practices I've seen so far. Could have just been a bad day for him.) Eric King impressed me - cut underneath Moulds to knock down a Losman pass in the AM, and overall looked pretty solid for a rook. On the drive to Buffalo, I heard Schopp/Bulldog discuss whether he's pushing Greer for the nickel job. My opinion? Very possible. (And with Kevin Thomas still PUP-ed, that could be a critical decision.) Agree with Rockpile, Gates is also looking good. Needs work as a blocker, but surprised me a little with his quickness (for a bigger back). Definitely in the mix at #2 RB. From the PM practice - in pads, over on the grass fields: One-on-one LB/RB drills, Shelton stuffed Stamer. #57 came right back, though, and put Mark Campbell on the turf. Later, in the 7-on-7s, Stamer made a nice play knocking down a pass meant for Neufeld.... Chris Villarrial got the afternoon off, so Duke Preston lined up at RG with the starters. I took my share of shots at Terrence McGee last season, so I'll give him some well-deserved credit here. Two INTs yesterday, one in each session. Jumped Evans' route in the afternoon to make the pick; JP's lookoff could have been better.... The two-minute drill to end practice finished with some excitement. On 3rd and long from about midfield, Denney got a good push into the backfield. Losman scrambled right to avoid him, then fired a home run ball to Moulds, who made the leaping catch (while being hit) for the TD. The D got it back on the second play of Holcomb's series, though - his throw was tipped at the LOS, Sam Adams snagged the pop fly, then lateraled to Nate Clements for the TD return. Lots of hootin' and hollerin' by the defensive players as the whistle blew to end the session..... Staying in Amherst today, but I'll see y'all back out at SJF tomorrow.

In my opinion, Peter Jennings was the epitome of what a professional journalist should aspire to be. Too few like him anymore. R.I.P., Mr. Jennings.

Once upon a time, the Bolivar Bulldogs were one of the better teams around these parts. I miss the old Border Conference; there were some heated rivalries there (including a couple of on-field brawls at Port A - Bolivar games in the late 70s)... As I said - Konert was under heavy pressure most of the night, but you could still tell the kid has talent. Maybe not first-round NFL draft pick talent, but about as good as it gets out here in the sticks. Hopper, I think the game's future is more stable now than it might have been a couple years ago. There seemed to be far fewer players turning down invites or bailing out than in years past, and last night's game was well-attended. (Should have known better than to try to find a place to park half an hour before kickoff. )

For those Wallers who hail from the Twin Tiers (and I know there are several of us on here), a short recap of tonight's 32nd-annual Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic, matching graduated seniors from opposing sides of the PA-NY state line... What a glorious evening for a high school football game - low humidity, temps in the 70s at kickoff instead of the 90s we've been experiencing here lately, gorgeous sunset. Let's see if I can correctly predict Chuck Pollock's headline later this morning. The obvious choice is something along the lines of "Graham 'Terror'-izes N.Y. Defense".... Otto-Eldred Terrors RB Virgil Graham broke the Big 30 Game records for rushing yardage and touchdowns (10 carries - 158 yards - 5 TDs), as the Keystone ground game ran roughshod over the New York squad. I don't have the complete records here - they'll probably be in this morning's TH - but the 326 rushing yards racked up by the PA offense might also be a new record. Both teams hit their fair share of big plays in the passing game, but overall, I thought the PA offensive and defensive lines dominated the game. O-line was blowing open HUGE holes for the PA RBs; from my vantage point in the end zone, I could tell Graham was going to go in for his first touchdown before he even got to the line of scrimmage. When NY had the ball: Bolivar-Richburg QB Kirk Konert is a heck of a ballplayer, but it seemed like he had somebody in his face on just about every play. He still managed to make some nice plays, running for a long TD on an option. Overall, though, the Pennsy D applied heavy pressure on most passing downs, and did a good job of stringing out running plays to the sidelines. Don't look now, New Yorkers, but we're catching up.... (I *think* the overall record is now something like 17-14 NY, with one tie.) EDIT: TH has slightly different numbers than what I heard on the radio, and they have Konert with two rushing TDs, Portville's Brian Nitsche with the other, and no NY passing TDs. (I missed the first TD while I was circling the parking lot. Radio guys must have gotten their states mixed up on the passing TDs on the recap I heard, and I didn't catch the discrepancy. 'Ms. Information' regrets the error.)