MRW

Going for it on 4th and 11 from the 40 with 30 seconds left is not "playing to win", it's setting your team up for failure. I think in fact that punting the ball gave the Bills the best chance to stay in the game (as seen by them closing within 2 before Losman's big mistake).

If he's a moron, maybe. Why on earth would he ever leave USC? Especially for Arizona.

It was the right call. We were not down 14-0 needing to trim the lead before the half. 4th and 11 against the Ravens defense when down less than a touchdown is not a situation for taking chances. if we take a shot and miss, I doubt the Ravens just sit on the ball from the 40. They're not an explosive O, true, but they would've had time to set up a field goal.

What call/game is this in reference to? Curious to know if it's something I saw but didn't really register...

What other people have said. Plus, there will never be any doubt that you're top dog on a college team. No one player will ever be bigger than the team.

Yeah, I think there's a bit of a "reverse homer" effect for some people when it comes to Nate. They watch him so intently they see every mistake he makes, but don't really have a basis for comparison. IMO Nate's been playing lights-out for most of the year, some of the best play at corner I can remember seeing. It's gonna suck seeing him leave, especially when we're $25 million under the cap.

Well, it depends. If Jason Peters (for example) continues his strong play at tackle and becomes a fixture of this franchise I think it's quite reasonable for him to say he's succeeded beyond expectations and deserves consideration. For Willis to demand a big payday when he's performed at merely an adequate level for an RB is another thing. However, I don't really have a problem with it if he and Rosenhaus are approaching it from the standpoint of seeking an extension and don't go the holdout route. I think the Bills would be crazy to give him a huge contract (although I'm not as down on him as some of the WM-bashers in these parts) but I don't have a problem with him saying "I'd like to stay with the team past next year, here's what I'm looking for."

I'd be fine with that if teams had to honor the commitment as well, but the truth is they don't, and I don't think it's fair to hold players to a different standard than teams.

Who are the hot assistant coaches this year? I was trying to think of them, but the only one I could come up with who could be a name tossed around for vacancies was Cam Cameron of San Diego. Who else is out there who would draw attention?

I'd be upset about it if it was a guaranteed contract, but given that a team can (and will) cut a guy loose when it suits them, I can't blame a player for looking to improve his deal when he has the opportunity.

If we could find a player that DeLuca and Hammond both hated, imagine the fun we could have!

The Colts should never punt on 4th and 6 or less.

Purely subjective of course, but Young looks like more of a natural pocket passer than Vick. I think it's a lot more likely that he'll take the steps he needs to to develop into a complete QB.

I wouldn't be averse to trying to find a real playmaker at TE, but calls to cut Royal are pretty poorly thought out, considering what the other TEs on the roster have shown.

I place the blame for the end of the FIRST half breakdown on both the O and D, though. Giving up the TD to Young on 4th and 2 with one second left is inexcusable, but there was also no reason for the way the offense managed the clock on the drive right before that. Just a couple of things the offense could've done differently would've given this game a different complexion, since the D was able to come out in the second half and at least get a couple of stops.

You're all right. For a Jets fan.

Those decisions to punt struck me as the kinds of decisions that make a coach lose his team. Down 21 with 8 minutes left and a makeable 4th down, how do you not go for it? Easterbrook beats the "preposterous punt" drum too often but he's dead-on here. Fortunately it's the Dolphins' coach doing it, so I'm happy.

It's not like eating someone else's vomit would be better, though.

Given the Bills' inability to shut down the running game reliably, taking away the big play is the only way for the defense to get off the field. Stretch out the number of plays in a drive, give yourself opportunities to string together a couple of stops in a row, and break up the play on third down. I think the defensive coaches have done a great job considering the weakness of the run D.

That is absolutely the reason I think they're playing better. As you say, it's very difficult to quantify, but my subjective impression is that while Losman may not have an extreme amount of time, he rarely has rushers in his face right after the snap, and he is not taking the devastating blindside hits he was before.

I didn't see Brett Favre on your list.

They still kept trying to run, the Bills just stopped them. It got a lot easier when they realized that Harrington couldn't hit an open receiver to save his life, and if he did there was a 50% chance of it being dropped anyway.

Did you watch the game? You saw those ducks Harrington was throwing, right? I doubt he would've hit one of those TDs.

Wow, you're a piece of work. I wouldn't think many people would continue with their inane criticisms of Losman as he consistently puts up 67% completion rates with 2 or 3 TDs.

But don't dare call Vick a coach-killer!