BuffaloWings

Please....if there's a God up in heaven, this won't happen.

Not crazy at all....I actually think he did allow them to score. Knowing Belichick, that's exactly the type of thing he'd do. That said, he would have been better served to try and stuff them once more - force Indy to run it and call the timeout if they stopped him. The only problem with that was the defense was exhausted and you're relying on the DL and LBs to stop the run. From Indy's side of things, NE would have been ready for a pass, so I had little confidence Indy could've scored if they threw it. Running the ball was the right play, IMO.

Peyton tried to shake hands with Belichick, but it clearly looked to me like BB brushed him off. Nobody will make anything of this (since there's probably not much to make of it, anyway), but Belichick could at least appear to show some congrats to Peyton.

Very nice! I think I prefer the royal, since it blends the team colors together. Great job, Nick!!

It typically depends on the week with me, but.... 1. Cowboys - because of the Superbowls, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Irvin, and an old boss of mine who is a huge Dallas fan and would never let me hear the end of his crap about how the Bills were losers 1a. Patriots - because Belichick is an arrogant arse and the media feels him up daily, their fans aren't exactly objective or the most professional, and Brady is....well, Brady (they may drop to 2a if they start losing soon) 2. Dolphins - because they're the Dolphins, 0-for-the-1970s, and Nick Saban 2a. Jets - because I live in a Jets market and can't stop hearing about how much of a God Eric Mangini is

He was also the OC a year later when Buddy Ryan punched him on the sidelines. I think we all know why....

If there's any justice....Manning will get hit and lose a fumble, but the Colts will retain possession after the ref calls the tuck rule. Wait.....didn't they throw that rule out AFTER the Patsies got the benefit of it (probably the only team in NFL history to do so)?

I think I picked the Panthers and someone in early September. Before the playoffs started, I picked the Colts beating the Saints. I'll stick with that. With help from the refs and the league, the Patriots will probably find a loophole in a rule and win.

I think hits the nail right on the head. Peyton Manning has had two forgettable games in the playoffs (for his standards), yet is a win away from the Superbowl. Tom Brady had a bad game against San Diego and he's also a win away. Guys like this get a pass because of their resume. Losman got better as the year went on, so there were no more calls for a new QB and Jauron went as far as naming him the starter 9 months in advance of Opening Sunday. Those who still thought in December that the Bills should draft a QB aren't paying attention. If JP starts the 2007 season on fire, he'll get national attention and his crappy games will soon be thought of as an "off day".

Along the lines of this argument, knocking the ball down here is like playing not to lose. The way things were going for SD, they would have gone 3 & out, punted, and watched Brady bring them down the field to score with less than a minute left. While this likely would have sent the game to OT (and we all know anything can happen there), the Pats would have fixed the coin flip to win the toss and go right down to kick the winning FG.

I'm commenting on the general story, since I don't have time to read through the entire thread... Sullivan is right in that Marv can't have it both ways. We want a stud RB, but one that shows professionalism and class in everything he does. Let's keep in mind that is a rare combination. His most recent comments/actions aside, Ladanian Tomlinson has arguably exhibited the most class of any stud RB I've ever seen. That said, I'd rather have the type of guy Marv is looking for than some egocentric, free-wheeling personality who will rack up the numbers. The former is more of a team player than the latter, IMO. So, I'd agree with Jerry Sullivan. Marv would be best suited to either let Willis go after next year or find a team to which he can trade him right now. This year's class of RBs is pretty good, so I figure if Marv can get a 2nd rounder for Willis, he should jump at the chance.

Thank you, AD. This wasn't a hail mary pass or anything remotely close to that. Brady was trying to gun the ball to Troy Brown (I think), but he was just trying to get a first down - not throw it up for grabs. McCree made a play by jumping the route and making the pick, since he was in perfect position to do so....the ball practically hit him between the numbers. I'd expect any DB to do the same thing. As for the play in 2004 by Clements, that was a jump ball between him and the WR. I vaguely remember seeing the replay, but I think it was just a case of the WR (Jimmy Smith, IIRC) out-jumping Nate. I don't remember that Nate tried for the interception, but his goal on that play would have been to knock it down, also.

I knew they were going to win when McCree fumbled the ball. The game is done if he just goes down. And how many times do we have to hear how great a player Troy Brown is? Just induct him & Tedy, already.

Given the Colts opponent next week, I think Manning will be motivated enough.

That is we all don't self-destruct during the 2-week hype.

Here's a thought....what if they just broadcasted the game?

This is Mel Kiper....doesn't mean it's going to be correct.

True, but my point was that I don't see the need (other than the NFL milking the world for the almighty $) for games to be played outside the US...especially overseas. I'm a big traditionalist in this regard, though I can see games being played in Canada or Mexico, given their proximity to the mainland. I think it really hurts a team, logistically speaking. After watching the Yankees make a jaunt to Japan for the beginning of the 2004 season, it probably took them a week to get themselves "back to normal" - this included jet lag, recovering from injuries and bizarre illnesses, and the stress of the spotlight around the whole trip. Granted, baseball is different than football, but I still can see some problems after a team returns from Europe. Would they play this game early in the season (like the opening Thursday night game)? That would seem to make the most sense - or at least on a particular Thursday night during the season....likely covered by a network that nobody gets, too.

ESPN doesn't hate us....they just laugh at us. They'll start paying attention to the Bills when the Bills start winning. Even then, they'll find some flaw to (attempt to) prove that the Bills aren't really that good. Can anyone say "bandwagon" network?

Early indications (at least what I saw yesterday) were that the NFL was leaning towards the Giants. That's fine by me...I want the Bills to be in the national spotlight, but just not this way.

Ian Johnson is my hero....scoring the winning 2-point conversion, then popping the question to the head cheerleader on national TV. That takes some serious intestinal fortitude.

Plus he's playing a QB that - for all intents and purposes - is a rookie. Yeah, Rivers sat on the bench for a couple of years, but he's now in the playoffs and a lot is expected of this team. For the most part, he should be able to just hand it off to LT, but if that doesn't work well enough, San Diego's in trouble. I might have to pick the Pats to win this one because you absolutely have no idea what they'll do on offense, so SD's defense might have trouble (despite how good they are). I think LABillzFan is right - the key is how much Merriman, et al can pressure GQ Boy. I hate to say it, but there are enough factors against the Chargers on this one to make me pick New England.

Along with desperation.

I never saw this coming at all. I thought it would be a close, back & forth shootout, but not this one-sided. Here's to Tim Tebow.

Too bad we didn't think of that a few years ago....we'd put Bledsoe up there. Oh wait, we did.