BuffaloWings

That would be pretty much every pass play. My only guess is that the coaches are trying the same pocket-passer style with the re-vamped OL. If that doesn't work, then who knows. At the very least, they're giving JP every chance (read: the full season) to improve....for what that's worth.

I completely 100% disagree. Bledsoe was a good move *at the time* because we just came off a year of putrid, cover-your-eyes-awful QB play and being able to get a veteran with plenty of playing experience wasn't a bad move at all. Maybe he was really just a stop-gap for a few years while a drafted QB was given time to get ready, but the move was a definite upgrade...again, at the time. The biggest mistake the franchise made was Tom Donahoe ignoring upgrading the OL. Selecting Mike Williams also seemed like the right move, but he was a terrible bust and Donahoe (probably scarred from paying big money to get a lineman) tried to patch the line together by signing mediocre free agents and thinking a coach could make it all work. In general.....

What exactly was his explanation?

But they're still playing bad enough to get squashed by the Bears. Jason Taylor can publicly feel confident that they *can* beat the Bears, but I'd be shocked if they made it a game. I really hope the Bears roll in this one...they won't get to 16-0, but I don't want to hear about the "Dolphins mystique" anymore.

This was the only time Wade did something I was quite proud of. Our team got shafted and everyone knew it...it was the best way he could protest, regardless of what the gamblers and everyone in Vegas thought. I'd rather not discuss this game too much (my blood pressure usually skyrockets when thinking about it), but..... I also thought the game was overwith on the 4th down. I remember that the sideline view of the play gave pretty much no doubt that Jefferson was OB, even though you couldn't actually see where his feet touched the ground. If the play was reviewed today and the on-field call was a catch & first down, there's no way it would have been reversed. I think this game along with the playoff debacle in Miami led people to put replay back in the game. The Bills even got screwed during that game, though both times the penalties were judgement calls....albeit p*ss-poor judgement....and not reviewable.

I'm starting to see some biased writing/reporting from the Herald. This and the article about the Patriot fan getting beat up seem to be very one-sided. I'm not advocating a mob beating up an opposing team's fan, but the report seemed to only give one side of the story.

Taking advantage of the calls is one thing....the Patriots seem to do that better than anyone else. The problem still remains that they are getting the bad calls in their favor. I had been resigned to the fact that the officiating was just horrible and the referees looking at the replays were just incompetent. Then came the playoffs last year...starting with the Troy Polamalu INT that was reversed, the refs seemed to just give certain teams the "benefit of the doubt", especially during the Superbowl and through this season so far. The phantom interference call last night and the "non-catch" by Wiggins not being overturned were either blatant incompetence or blatant favoritism. I'm leaning toward the latter, since they could have easily called Jackson's fumble a non-fumble...they were right on that one, which could have been called the other way. Something clearly isn't right. If there's a conspiracy going on, someone high up in the NFL is in on it. If there isn't, then someone high up in the NFL offices better take some action now - be it discipline or replace half the officials out there. I'm sure the Vikings, Seahawks, and everyone else is tired of hearing "Sorry, we made a mistake...it won't happen again."

I agree with this....just because a coach doesn't yell & scream doesn't necessarily mean he's not fired up. Different coaches have different styles. I just want the coach to be realistic and not try to snow the media and fans with BS - just tell it like it is. I don't care what he does behind the scenes with the players, as long as everyone's prepared to play and the players are ready to play for him.

Sounds like the oddsmakers are thinking the teams are pretty even right now, since the home team is usually favored by 3 by default. Keep in mind that Green Bay has just beaten the likes of Miami and Arizona, neither of which are good teams. One can say they're playing well, but given the competition..... I'm not sure who I'd pick right now, to be honest.

I can understand why one wouldn't like the rule, but I think the NFL is on the right track with it. I've seen it a number of times where the ref blew the whistle far too early, thus negating a fumble recovery and change of possession. The one I'm reminded of is the Bills vs Packers in Lambeau in 2002 - Ahman Green fumbled the ball on a screen play, subsequently picked up by a Bills DB (I believe it was Winfield or Clements) and would have been returned for a TD. But since the whistle was blown, the play wasn't reviewable - the call on the field was an incompletion, but it looked to me like it was a catch and fumble, so this hurt the Bills in a hugely important game. IMO, the rule should have stayed as it was - once the whistle blows and the official calls the play dead, then it's done and not reviewable. However, the officials should also just let something like that play out...let the play finish and then go review it afterwards. This way, the referee can more clearly determine exactly what happened. Using my above example, the official lets Buffalo recover the "fumble" and run back for a TD. **Presuming GB is smart enough to challenge** (this being the key), the ref can then determine whether or not Ahman Green actually caught and had possession of the ball, then lost possession. If it was a legitimate fumble, then the play would stand as called. If it wasn't, Green Bay gets the ball at the previous line of scrimmage for the next down. I'd much rather see the officials let something close play out than to make a half-hearted and incorrect "down-by-contact-and-unreviewable" call. This is what video replay is there for.

I get this feeling that Peters will work at any spot on the OL. He seems to be athletic enough to play any position and do a serviceable job at worst. I'm tellin' ya......Jake Long. Get him at LT and move Peters back to RT.

Good post - thanks for the info. I really think this shows that drafting a QB is as much of a crapshoot as anything. You really need the front office to be smart enough to get the right guy (see: Bill Polian drafting Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf) that fits in with the right type of coaching staff and fellow players. This is why the odds of a drafted QB being successful go down the more you think about all of the factors involved. So, the Bills should draft Jake Long from Michigan....now.

I think Thurman, Andre, and Hull will all get in - eventually, if not first ballot. I don't know if he'd get enough votes from others, but Tasker has my vote hands down. And I think the Bills will only win a Superbowl *after* Ralph is voted in. In my mind, Ralph should get in before any of the contributors and most of the players. It's a sad world where Michael Irvin will probably get in before Ralph Wilson.

Not sure why you would say that....Hart is good, approaching excellent, but has an outstanding OL to help him. Jake Long does both - good blind side protector for Henne and an excellent run blocker. He's one of the mammoth guys, but he's agile & very athletic for a guy who's 6-7, 315. Marv should make this guy a #1 priority.

OK...I'll eat a little bit of crow on this one. Since it's likely to be ESPN v. Harold Reynolds, there's no point in letting him plead his case on the network against which he's filing the suit. Nonetheless, they still let Irvin defend himself on the air while the possession charge was still pending a year or so ago. That's unprecedented in my mind. Usually, stuff like that should be kept internal, since it's dealing with a legal issue. I'm sure Irvin's and ESPN's lawyers allowed only certain questions loaded in a specific direction to make Irvin look better.

What irks me about all of this is that Tiki gets criticized just for saying he'll probably retire, when it was probably dragged out of him. It's not as if he called a press conference to announce it or anything. I can usually respect Tom Jackson's opinion, but I think he's wrong about this one. I usually never listen to Michael Irvin, anyway. And why is it that ESPN allowed Irvin to give his story about the arrest last year on Sportscenter while Harold Reynolds was told to take a hike without a word?

And you weren't mildly encouraged by the win over the Vikings? I really don't think anyone could say that this team was done after week 3 - even knowing what we know now. I'm not saying I expected them to contend for the playoffs, but that got them back to 2-2 and all I was hoping for was to hear the ESPN "experts" say that Buffalo was playing better than expected.

I agree with this...get someone used to playing in the conditions and not someone who's been coddled by playing in Florida, southern California, and Arizona for 4 years. It's getting a bit old hearing some of these guys say how they don't like winter. And it seems like a lot of the good linemen come from the U of Michigan....John Runyan is one that comes to mind and I believe a few have played for the Broncos over the years - notice how they *usually* have a great running game?

Yes...this was a penalty and it was the right call. But this yutz apparently didn't look at the play close enough. Brady went down *immediately* before he was hit. Kelsay's momentum was going to make him hit Brady and Fletcher's momentum probably did, too. He doesn't need use this play to tell the Bills they deserve to be 2-5. This was more of a smart play by Brady than a stupid play by Fletcher, Kelsay, etc.

If you're looking for a big OL in the draft....Jake Long from Michigan. He's an Outland and Lombardi candidate and has great mobility for a 6-7, 316 lb. left tackle. The only problem is that he's a junior, so who knows if he'll be available this year. He's probably the main reason that Chad Henne has had time to throw and that Mike Hart is running like he is. Just remember that name.

I figure that the good news is how we've hit rock bottom, but that keeps getting lower every week. The other good news is that the Bills won't lose next week. The WGR post game hit the nail on the head. This team isn't exactly inspiring us or making us look forward to Sunday afternoon these days. As far as being a competitive team, we're more than a few linemen away. That will help significantly, but we're lacking consistent QB play, needing the DL to put pressure on the opposing QB *consistently*, the veterans to step up, and everyone to STOP MAKING STUPID MISTAKES. The Bills aren't close to being a competitive team right now. After week 4, I would have said they were, but they've regressed badly since the win over Minnesota.

Well, ok....I love the Sabres and the Bills, but let's put an end to the comparisons right now. The Sabres are winning because they have *the right talent* for the way the new NHL rules were laid out. They use their speed and quickness to out-skate the other team's defense, kill penalties, and score when given the man advantage. Guys like Briere, Drury, Afinogenov, Roy, Campbell, and Numminen are fast and (more importantly) quick to the puck. In addition, none of these players are huge stars and none of them really became huge stars after last year's playoff run. I'll guarantee you that if anyone wants to look at the faces of the NHL, none of the Sabres will be on that list. The NFL hasn't yet changed the rules so that the Bills (or anyone else) can take advantage with the personnel they have. It's all about being able to run and stop the run...and the Bills don't have the OL or DL to do either consistently. I like Aaron Schobel, but opposing teams can simply key in on him to stop the entire Bills' pash rush. Losing *both* Pat Williams and Sam Adams (thanks, TD ) killed the Bills chances of stopping the run for the next few years. The OL issues have been well-documented, also (can someone PLEASE protect the QB?!??!?). That's why the Sabres are winning and the Bills are losing. We can't just take the Sabres blueprint and apply it to the Bills....it's just not that simple.

And that's what society is reduced to these days...some yahoo does this as a joke just because they know the attention it will get. Next thing you know, there's a story about it on ESPN, ABC News, etc. and the entire country is worried about it. Enough people are paranoid these days that this will make them stop loving their lives. It's idiots like this that make more work for DHS and the FBI to consume resources so they can't actually research the plausible & legitimate threats.

And there's more reason not to worry....a co-worker just reminded me that there hasn't been a real bomb in Orchard Park since Jim Kelly retired.

I think whoever is winning will captivate the city at the time. I'm not implying at all that it's a fair-weather-fan city (every Bills/Sabres fan I know sticks by their team when the chips are down)....just that nobody ever expects the Buffalo teams to contend and we all make sure everyone knows about that chip on our shoulder when our teams start winning. This city is justifiably hungry for a winner and/or a championship. We were teased during the Superbowl years and last year with the Sabres run, which makes you want it more every year.