Lori

I wasn't aware Bledsoe was covering Daniel Graham on the Pats' go-ahead TD. (Although he probably would've gotten beat in coverage...) Hmmm. Fourth-quarter come-from-ahead losses. 2002 - Jets, 31-37 (OT). 24-20 after 3. Jets score twice to go up 31-24. Bledsoe TD to Moulds with 0:26 left sends game to OT; Morton KR wins it for Jets. Raiders, 31-49. 31-28 after 3. 69-yd Gannon-to-Garner TD put the Raiders ahead; they tacked on two more TDs after that (one on an 81-yd INT return). Chiefs, 16-17. 16-10 after 3. 78-yard TD drive put Chiefs up 17-16 with 5:23 left; Bledsoe INT; Chiefs ran out clock. 2003 - Colts, 14-17: Colts scored to go ahead with 1:38 left. Bledsoe INT at 0:40. Titans, 26-28: up 17-14 after 3, before two Titans TDs sandwiched around a Lindell FG makes it 28-20. Bledsoe TD to Campbell with 0:24 left; Bobby Shaw drops tying 2-pt conversion trying to show the ball to the ref. 2004 - Jacksonville, 10-13: leading 10-6 when the offense left the field for the last time. Just depends on how many of those you want to blame on Bledsoe, or on the defense's inability to hold a lead, or on the refs. (Several questionable calls in those games, according to the media-guide writeups.) I could find no instance in which a Bledsoe 4th-quarter turnover led to a game-winning drive (or score) for the other team.

Yup. Aaron, he did say "AFC", but the '66 AFL Championship loss is duly noted as well.

ummm.... 4-1, but I like the sentiment anyway. And Z has hit us with the SI jinx before, picking us to win some of those Super Bowls. Ought to send him a nasty e-mail about that.

Dammit, I was going to beat you to the punch... "#1 Tom Brady, #2 who cares? Sincerely, Patriots fans" Just pickin'. To be deadly serious, though - he's gotten the job done, and the two guys Frez listed ahead of him haven't. Much as with Elway, I'm never going to like the guy, but have to (grudgingly) respect what he's done. And Rico? You're right, there's some real AFL2 talent on that list. Remember back when most every team had a decent QB? I miss that era.

I think he meant, cultural and linguistic diversity is OK as long as it doesn't affect French culture and language.....

I wonder if they just want everybody to THINK they can't get in before 9, so they don't have people pulling in at 7 or 7:30...

Really? Held him under 100 yards three out of the last four times they've played. I'm far more concerned about Pennington's accuracy against our lack of pass rush and backup DBs.

Houston 2002 (down 24-17, two 4th-quarter TD passes, final score 31-24) Cincinnati 2003 (drove to tying FG at the end of regulation, 57-yd drive to winning TD in OT, final score 22-16) Hey, I'm not going to try to convince anyone that Drew is still at the top of his game. I don't think anyone here believes that. The statement about comebacks, though, was factually incorrect.

But Hammer's Lot is already open..... What do the ones in the front of the line do, Hammer - just put on their turn signal and refuse to move until the traffic cops relent and let them in?

Some of your other points may be valid, but this? Simply incorrect.

Odd, I don't remember reading anything about Whisenhunt, and I'm not finding anything to back it up. But I do seem to recall reading in an issue of Bills Digest that at the beginning of the 2003 season, MM went to Clements and suggested he start thinking like a coordinator during games (i.e., what plays he'd consider for particular down/distance situations), while Mularkey was going to start gameplanning as if he was the HC (clock management, challenges, etc.). If Whisenhunt was his first choice, one would think MM would've made that suggestion to him instead.

Somehow, romance and the Benezette area don't seem to go together too well in my mind. (Not that part of PA, Gavin. Think Pennsyltucky redneck, not Amish. Yup, right in my neck of the woods.) Watch out for the rattlesnakes - the recent flooding down thataway might've washed them down the hillsides. And if you get down towards Quehanna, keep an eye out for the mutant deer out near Reactor Road..... Nah, seriously, hope you have a good time. As for me, I start 4-12s tomorrow. No trip to the Potter County Bicentennial celebration or Ellicotville Fall Fest, and no Bills game Sunday (although I'm sure I'll hear alllllllll about it from 7:00-11:30 Sunday night, if they lose)....

God love ya, Rudy - before the season started, we were the ones trying to convince you the sky wasn't falling. This place could use a pep rally right about now. And like the Marine says - IT COULD HAPPEN. Doesn't mean it will, but hey, ya never know....

Debatable whether Losman's agility makes the line "better", or merely covers up some of their faults. Only 27 sacks given up in 1999 (the year DF played all but the last game), but there were 97 rushing attempts by Bills QBs, and Bills RBs only averaged 3.6 ypc that season. Everyone thought the line was better, but it was only because Flutie was more adept at getting away...... Back to this year. I'd agree, the O-line has been taking some unwarranted flak. They certainly aren't the Hogs or the '67 Packers, but they could use a little help from RBs/TEs not blowing their blitz pickups, too. And we're well aware that Drew doesn't have Doug's wheels. The Bills might be giving up 5 sacks/game, but the line certainly isn't to blame for all of them... Considering that any chance of developing cohesiveness in camp/preseason was sabotaged by the Williams situation, I'm cautiously optimistic that they'll get better, not worse, as the season goes on. Optimistic, or maybe just hopeful.

Can't really include the Cardinals in that debate. Instead of "Best Player Never....", they're more like "oh, that guy still has his Tour card? Who knew?" Agree with the Eagles. 1960, I believe?

True. I think I had to find new springs for a couple of letters after Homejob Throwforward. Maybe I shouldn't have started pounding on the keyboard with a closed fist. Anyhow, welcome aboard, Peter. Hopefully the Bills can win a couple of games soon, and then maybe you'll see an easing of tensions around here. Or not.......

I believe he did. He must have missed the memo from when an AFL team beat an NFL team in Super Bowl III. Don't recall that happening with any WFL or ABA teams. But then, considering the (likely) source, our guest can be forgiven for that. I'm guessing his reaction would be different had the Patriots ever won an AFL championship.

I think they lied. I pulled into Drive 1 at 9:02, and you could tell they'd already been letting people in for probably 10-15 minutes. My guess is, once the traffic jam backs up to the 219 ramps, they bail. I go 219>20A. Clear sailing through that intersection, and probably about another 1/4 mile before I started catching up to the back of the line. (Maybe even past California Rd. before the lane on the berm started filling up.) In all, I probably spent no more than 10 minutes on Big Tree Rd. IMO, that's not too bad.... of course, there will probably be a few more cars for the Miami game, instead of 100 stinkin' buses full of Pats fans (or however many there were).

Caught it. Nice "this season is turning into an X-File" reference.

True. If I could only remember the last time we were actually 3-0, without looking it up... sigh... Peter, I think you'd find similar passion on many NFL or college message boards, not so much on, say, an NBA board. (The only exceptions might be a team like the Cards or Jaguars, one that doesn't have a longstanding base of die-hard fans.) And when the Bills aren't doing well, typing a rant on a computer keyboard is less destructive than rampaging through the house breaking stuff. Plus, as you've probably noticed, there are some people here that don't like each other much no matter what the subject. I'd suggest making use of the "Ignore" setting for them.

Nope, Marques graduated with a degree in psychology. How are Smush Parker's and Adrian Walton's studies going? See you in February, when you'll once again be looking up in the standings at the mighty Bonnies... Olivier, jjamie summed him up pretty well. Small - I'm 5'5", and he can't be much taller - but one of the fastest kids you'll ever see on the court. Although he can get more consistent with his 3s, his range goes out to about halfcourt - and he'll TAKE that shot, too. He left SBU with the school records for assists, steals, and 3-pointers, and was the top-scoring guard in Bonnies history. I've seen him strip the ball from the opposing PG and be halfway to the basket before the guy even realizes he doesn't have the ball any more..... Still trying to clean house after the Terrell/VBK disaster, SBU only won 7 games last season... but without Green stepping up and taking over at the ends of those games, they might not have won ANY. Marques Green bio, from gobonnies.com

I'm with you, Rich. But then, I stopped understanding American society a while ago - oooh wait, there's a Scott Peterson update on! Be right back.... ...sigh..... PS: Hey guys, thanks for some actual FOOTBALL talk in this thread. Haven't seen much of that lately. We'll just have to see how Prioleau looks covering TEs this Sunday (although Becht has never really lived up to expectations), and how much that will impact the Bills' overall defense. Gannon and Brady were both playing pitch-and-catch; between the two of them, their completion percentage was over 63%. Considering our lack of passrush, Milloy and Vincent on the sidelines, and Pennington's efficiency (70% so far this season), this could be a bad matchup for us no matter who plays SS. As for our TEs? Umm. Yeah. Anyone got Friggin' Lonnie's phone number?

(Otherwise known as Stuart Scott.) According to ESPN sources in Balto, Lewis will play against Washington this Sunday night, then be suspended for two games (Bills and Eagles) following the cRavens' Week 6 bye.

Yup - short-lived career as a kickoff specialist back in '98, wore #5. Must've signed him after the Raiders cut him in training camp. He was active for the Chargers game (even recorded a tackle), inactive for the next two, and off the roster before the San Fran game. Ah, here it is..... Relentless II, p. 121: Aug. 26 - The team claimed Cole Ford off waivers from Oakland with the idea of using him as a kickoff specialist. (Nothing about when they cut him, though.) Looks like they cut him loose during the bye week, about the same time they activated CB Donovan Greer from the practice squad. (Marlon Kerner shredded a knee against SD and went on IR, so they needed the DB help worse than a KO specialist...)

Oh, HECK yeah. Fun story. I'm reminded of it every time I drive into some fog......