RJ (not THAT RJ)

Lots of kids are more sprightly than 40-year olds. ;-) Enjoy the day with your boys!

Amen, 3rd and 12!

I am pulling for a win because that's what I do every Sunday. Whatever comes next will come next…. I did, however, have a thought today that I wanted to share. I was trying to think of the last time the Bills defeated the Patriots in a game in which the Bills went in with a worse record than the Patriots. Neither the 2011 nor 2003 win would count, since they were so early in a season, and once I started thinking back it just kept on going… in the Levy/Kelly Era, the Bills were generally better than the Pats, and actually lost a couple of games they should not have in 1989 and 1991; in the 1980s, they were generally better when they won, so the search for such a game takes us all the way back to 1979, when the Bills defeated NE in Foxboro in OT, 16-13 in week 13. That is a very long time for there to be no odd bounces, no surprises that favor the Bills. Much too long. Let's change that today. Go Bills!

Hopeful really nailed it in his comment. I think that is the choice that many players face. Nate Clements (not a Parker client, of course) is another example of a player who made a ton of bucks, but did not build much of a brand. I hope he invested well... Hopeful's post below [my quoting function is busted… again! Thanks, Safari!] Fair questions, and in many ways touches on intangibles. I'm sure the players think he's a good guy, and not intending to imply that I think he does anything but represent his players best interest, as he sees it. In many ways it comes down to the question "what is the players best interest, overall" or "is it always in the best interest of players to go for the biggest contract they can get, to "get his asking price"? You point out one of the factors yourself- an NFL career is relatively short, and after-football earnings depend a lot upon the name recognition, the "brand", a player builds. For one example of what I mean, Dan Dierdorf had huge name recognition in St Louis which led to a lucrative and prolonged post-career income as a St Louis advertising shill and enterprenuer. For a player to "jump teams" following the $$ may be a good thing for their short-term football earning potential, but may hamper their ability to "build their brand" and enable their post-career earnings, especially if they are not able to be as successful or have as much of a name with the new team. Crabtree, whom you bring up, is one example. I'm sure it's what Crabtree wanted to do, which begs the question "why did he want to do it?" I don't think we can slough off Parker's influence there too easily, especially as Deion Saunders, who was a "confidante", is also a noteable Parker client. It took Crabtree until 2012 to have the kind of season expected of a #10 overall draftpick. Did holding out for the contract Parker thought he deserved hurt his short-term football income, no. Did it hurt his ability to make a name and build his "brand" to position himself as a top receiver in the league and win endorsement deals etc, quite plausibly. Did it really help Steven Jackson, in terms of brand, to void the last year of his Rams contract and jump to the Falcons? Again, you can ask "was it what Jackson wanted to do?" but I don't think you can slough off the influence of the "lifetime agent" Parker "regarded as a good guy" by the players. It got him a new 3 year contract with a worse team than the Rams, as it turned out, and instead of riding his 8 years of St Louis "name recognition" for being one of the few amazing players on a mediocre team into home-town endorsement fervor a la Dierdorf, he now seems poised to slither into mediocre post-NFL obscurity, making headlines only as "is Steven Jackson still an elite talent?" Third potential example, did it help Tyson Jackson to hold out for KC in 2009? It took him until this year to stop wearing the "bust" tag. DId it hurt him to hold out from his rookie training camp? Again, intangibles - team around him, scheme, coaching - but it surely didn't help him. And that's 3 years of "brand building" that's lost. Distinctions he blurs - free safety money vs strong safety money comes to mind. I'm sure Byrd can get the $$ Parker wants somewhere in the league. Will it be to his long term benefit over sticking with a Buffalo team that appears on the verge of building a nationally ranked D, and building a brand in Buffalo? Hard to tell. My point is that "earning the most $$ as an NFL player" and "long term benefit of the player" may not be as synchronous as Parker and his clients appear to believe.

I'm all in for Team Asteroid to hit MetLife stadium. Go Asteroid!

I listen to pretty much every game on the radio (either through my Sirius or on my laptop) since getting TV time at home is a struggle. It has such an old school feel, reminding me of the days when every home game was blacked out (kids, ask your parents!). That said, I like Kelso, but your comment made me laugh out loud in recognition. I also note that he is always talking about how this or that player "dips his shoulder" or "sticks his foot in the ground." Somebody needs to get him a revised edition Color Man Cliche Thesaurus for Christmas so he can add to his supply. I also like Murph well enough, but I do get irritated with how he calls running plays. So often he spends a lot of time describing a play that goes nowhere, and will give cursory statements about plays that gain substantial yardage. I know it ain't easy to do what he does, though, and he at least does not do Van Miller's famous "caught… no dropped!" as often. On another note, I see that the latest update to Safari is allowing me to quote and comment again. Huzzah!

As usual, the same people who say there are no positives from a loss are more than happy to find negatives in a win….

They run too much! They suck!!! They panic and pass too much! They suck!!! Sigh. I do agree that the team needs to see what they have in EJ during this last quarter of the season, which means loosening up the playbook. Next two weeks will be games in ideal weather conditions for that, so we shall see.

Don't forget that other RJ either, SJBF.

Fumbling the snap was the cherry on top of the thanksgiving sundae of feculence for Matt Flynn….

Amen, Sage.

Flynn's pocket awareness is catastrophic. The shot of the Packer D-Line on the bench at the safety spoke volumes. This team needs Rodgers back ASAP or their season is over.

Geno wilts in cold weather… again!

Right on, kas23. Geno wilted again in bad weather. Playing true to form.

I agree with aristocrat, but he is helped a lot by the dilatory police behavior, which will make it harder to establish the facts.

Of course there is a vast difference between Arena League and NFL, Doc. My point was that JBJ has been an enthusiastic owner. For what it's worth, he is not likely to become New Sugar Packets.

I have no idea how Bon Jovi would work out for the Bills, but I do know that he has been a very enthusiastic owner of the Arena team in Philly. He wants to win.

My friends, every time we have a discussion about domes (in Toronto or in some fantasy Buffalo downtown future), we hear the same suggestion: open the roof in cold weather! That is just never going to happen, ever. It has never, and will never. It defeats the purpose of having a dome. I say this not because I am happy about the fact, but only because any discussion about domed stadia should be based on the reality of what a dome means. If you get a dome, you will never see a home game outside again. If that's what you want, that's great, but don't delude yourself about an open roof in bad weather. Save the delusions for better things, like dreaming of a Bills Super Bowl win.

Dave Casper was a great TE drafted high, but then there are Junior Miller, Lonnie Johnson, Kyle Brady, Paul Coffman, Tony Hunter (As noted above).. drafting TEs high is a crap shoot.

I'm with you, Hopeful. Jock-sniffing police and public officials, and craven university administrators, are not doing these young men any favors.

I applaud this latest effort to use a magnifying glass to discover things to complain about after a great big win against a division opponent. Bravo. http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/riker.gif

I hear that, eball. But I do hold out hope that all Bills fans will be happy someday. I'm crazy like that.

I predicted in the shout box that even a win would result in the complainers complaining about draft position. Sometimes I wish I was wrong about the infinite capacity of human beings for pointless negativity.

He needed a change of scenery, and the Bills needed to move on. It's silly to try to make it into a mistake on the part of either side.

Shanny will not be fired, but I think it is quite possible he decides not to come back next year. That Skins team has a lot of holes, and I rather doubt he has the patience to wait two or three drafts to get a team together. He may pull the plug so he can give the job to his son….