SouthernMan

I thought I commented on this in another thread, but I can't find it. If he's so adversely effected by the knot on the noggin, how come in his first game back he breaks the all-time Bill's record for throwing percentage in a game? He was something like 13 of 14 to start the game. Maybe he just needs another whack on the old mellon to get him ready for the Pats.

Sustain drives on offense and come away with 7 points. That oughta do it.

So now we have to rely on a weak run defense to have a productive running game? Great. Maybe we should rename the Lynch running attack "Yeast Mode". Come to think of it, maybe that's why he runs with his legs so far apart.

Excellent point. There was no call, so how could it be challenged. Since when do the zebras go back and review any play a coach chooses and subsequently call a penalty that was outright missed by them? I didn't think it was a very good officiating job. I've seen worse, but It sure seemed like there was a whole lot of holding going on by the Jets O-line. When I see Williams and Stroud being tackled and falling to the ground, I gotta figure they're being held or else they're very klutzy and tripping over themselves. There outta be a rule that O-linemen have to wear no-finger/no-thumb mittens. That should eliminate 90% of holding (and non-calls).

In a nutshell, the Bills were effectively penalized 25 yards for placing a kickoff "kinda close" to the sideline. By that logic, the Bills should be awarded a victory in Superbowl XXV.

Were the playoffs to start today, the Bills would be extending their streak of non-playoff seasons. hard to believe that just 8 days ago, they were riding high with a 5-1 record and tied with the second best record in the league. 8 Days later? - out of playoff position. The good news is that it can turn back the other way just as quickly. With at least 4 of their final 8 games against rivals for playoff position (2 against the Pats, Jets, Broncos), their fate is in their own hands. Dare I even mention the games against Miami and Cleveland as having playoff implications? I said a couple of weeks ago that the Bills would have to totally implode to miss the playoffs. If they can get halfway heathy, maybe they'll be able to get a few key wins. If not...well, business as usual in January. Back to talking about the draft.

It's stupid rule. A team could have Stretch Armstrong, Gumby, or Robert Wadlow as a special team kick receiver specialist who keeps one foot on the white line and can reach for the ball well inside the out-of-bounds lines, getting the ball at the 40 on a regular basis. The only way it makes any sense is if a kick returner has no other choice but to step out of bounds in order to get the ball. That wasn't the case. The ball was rolling dead IN BOUNDS and the Jet player very deliberately stepped out of bounds unnecessarily for the sole purpose of having a penalty called. It wasn't in the spirit of the rule. Is there any other action in the game in which an opposing player can get a penalty called by their action rather than that of the penalized team? In other words, it required the Jet player to step out of bounds and touch the ball in order to be a penalty. If he simply downs the ball where it went dead - no penalty. Talk about unsportsmanlike conduct. Yep, it was heads up on the part of the Jet, but that doesn't diminish the stupidity of the rule as it's written.

Yeah, I got all that. My point was in the sequence of events, the challenge came AFTER the penalty was already declined. Why should the Jets get a mulligan for not challenging the spot themselves. Would it be fair? No. But neither was the stupid "near-sideline" kickoff rule.

Don't know if this has been covered already, but can anyone explain why the Jets were allowed to benefit from the Bills challenge? On the fake punt, the officials rule that Moorman was short of the first down marker. THEN, Jets decline the holding penalty. AFTER they decline the penalty, Jauron challenges the spot. Following review, the ball is spotted after the first down marker, giving the Bills a first down - except that there was a holding penalty - that had already been declined by the Jets. Seems to me, if the Jets thought it was a first down and wanted to decline the penalty, THEY should have challenged the spot. Why should they benefit from the Bills challenge? They declined the penalty, Bills challenge spot, win challenge. Should be first down, Bills. It may seem unfair to the Jets, but certainly more fair than the play where a kicker places a kickoff in-bounds, but because the receiving team player can (deliberately) touch his toe out of bounds and still reach the ball, it's a penalty that costs the kicking team around 25 yards when placed at the 40 yard line. What kind of F'd up rule is that? They get a penalty for the ball being CLOSE to the sideline? Someone please explain. I guess we can now say "Close Only Counts" in horseshoes and kickoffs.

Sure, that's why in his first game back he had the best passing percentage in Bills history - because he wasn't ready to return yet.

Lynch hesitates too much at the point of attack. He doesn't hit the hole fast at all. This may have been fine in college, but in the NFL the defenders are too fast and can close quickly. It doesn't help that the O-line isn't opening huge holes and holding their blocks, but how come Fred Jackson seems to get through the holes faster than Lynch? Lynch starts his runs with his legs very wide, giving him great balance as he makes his cuts, but it slows down his initial burst. Imagine a sprinter trying to get a jump from the starting blocks with his feet spread wide apart. Once he gets going and has an opening, he's off to the races, but I don't think he's that quick after the handoff. He relies on raw power to get past the line. Thurman, OJ, Sanders - they could make that intial stop, cut, and quick accelerate move. I don't think 2 out of 3 is working for Lynch. Just my opinion and observations.

Singletary is a lot of rah-rah and hot air. Sound goods on the surface, but there's not really anything worhwhile there. May be a good motivational speaker, but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of being the top gun, he's in over his head. Mark my words - he will be a bust as a head coach in the NFL.

Spare me all the hand-wringing. It's all even-steven. If the Bills deserve the division title and/or high playoff seeding, they'll have to prove it by beating their main rivals for those lofty positions. If the Bills lose, they don't deserve the rewards that come with it. If the Bills split with each of their division teams, they should still be in decent shape to at least make the playoffs. If they get swept by any of those teams, they probably don't deserve much more than a wildcard, if that. They're 5-2 and still in real good position to take the division. But so are the Patriots. That matchup will determine the outcome of the division, I predict.

Reed has been the unsung hero this year. He's made several clutch grabs for 1st downs, and has has been simply outstanding at blocking DBs and keeping them out of the play. Not having Reed is BIG. Hardy is not even close to being a decent replacement. Johnson? He hasn't even been able to crack the 47 man active list. Give me a break.

Shoe shopping on Yonge St?

I don't remember that game specifically, but I'll take your word for it. Another Dolphin loss in the 70's that is included in 20 game Bills' losing streak involved Bills DE Pat Toomay, who recovered a 'Fin fumble, only to have the offical say the whistle had blown, or something to that effect. (help me here if you remember the story) Anyway, it always seemed the Dolphins had the officials in their back pocket. Many fans thought it was no coincidence that Coach Don Shula served on the Rules commitee and was quite chummy with the league officials - the assumption being that his Dolphins sure seemed to get a lot of timely calls that went their way. The Greene non-touchdown may have fallen into that category. Again, I don't recall that play or game. The Toomay recovery was a classic case of the Bills getting jobbed. I believe it would have allowed the Bills to run out the clock and preserve a win. I might be wrong, but I believe it would likely have led to a Bills' victory. Don't remember all the details. This is a reminder as to why the Dolphins were so hated. They were smug and it seemed they were the NFLs little darling of the early 70's - sort of like the Patriots today. Needless to say, it was sheer joy the day I sat in the upper deck at Rich Stadium in September 1980 for the home opener, when the curse was lifted and the evil Dolphins were finally defeated. In the following years, there would be many more Bills victories. For a while we owned Joe Robbie Stadium. After the new stadium opened, I think it was a few years before the Dolphins finally beat us there. Thanks for bearing with me as I veered completely off track. Go Bills!

Huh??? Donnie Green was 6' 8" and a O tackle with The Electric Co, clearing a path for OJ to gain 2000 yds. Tony Greene was a smallish CB, at around 5' 9". Without looking it up, it'd guess he's 2nd behind Butch Byrd on the Bills all-time interception list. No relation between Green and Greene.

I think you spelled it wrong. There's no r-e-a-t after the "g". It's spelled g-a-y-e-s-t. Slighty more masculine that kickball - I'll give you that.

And that Mr all-world coach was spanked regularly by Marv & Company. I'll never forget the sourpuss look on Shula's face during Marv's HOF induction ceremony. Shula was seated behind the podium, directly in camera view during the proceedings, and the whole time Shula looked like he just got a whiff of one of Tony Siragusa's farts.

Likewise. Signatures too.

Some of the most impressive offensive stats come from teams who are desperate and forever playing catchup in the 4th quarter. The only stat that really matters at this point for the Bills......5-1

Most of us old-timers knew about Tony Hunter being drafted ahead of Kelly in '83. What you may not know youngun', is the connection with the draft pick that gave us Jimbo, and the lousy 1968 season in which the Bills lone win was against the eventual superbowl champion NY Jets. The answer lies with 2 different players selected 1st overall in the NFL draft, 10 years apart. See if you can figure that one out. Bonus points for naming the former coach who recruited Jim Kelly to play for the Hurricanes. You old farts keep out of this while the greenhorn does his homework.

A couple of less than average games should not label Trent as a fair-weather QB. Geez, the guy was a friggin' rookie with what, 4 or 5 starts under his belt. First times in WNY wind-whipped stadium and a hostile Cleveland stadium in terrible weather. We play New England Dec 28. Unless NY and Denver offer up similar conditions to last years' games, there's a small chance that Edwards will have to face similar weather. It could happen, but chance are slim. If you look back at the Bills games over the past several years, I don't think they've played more than a couple of games in bad winter weather conditions. In fact, The Ralph has hosted some downright balmy December games recently. It was unusual to have 2 games like that last year. I'm not worried.

It's a given that Bruce will be selected in the upcoming HOF class during superbowl week. One more omen for the upstart Bills? Superbowl week? Tampa? Bruuuuce? Tim Russert? Yes, the planets are lining up and it's all coming together. Art Monk just got in. It'll be a couple of more years before Andre gets selected.

Exactly. It doesn't matter THAT much which one is elected. The system of checks and balances will keep things realtively the same. Any change made by the new administration's policies can be reversed just as quickly in the next election cycle. In the end, it's all about our pursuit of happiness. Neither candidate is going to make me THAT much happier or miserable. You know what will make me eternally happy? Trent Edwards holding the Lombardi trophy over his head in victory this coming February. As giddy as everyone is after this week's win - multiply that by about 50 if the Bills win a superbowl. Whoever is elected is only temporary. A superbowl victory is forever. As a Bills fan from days before OJ was drafted, I'd like to experience the joy of my team winning the big one - just once! I'd love for all of Buffalo to finally have that sense of pride that would last a lifetime, and forever wipe out any stigma of 4 losses. Who knows? - that may be just the shot in the arm Western New York needs to turn itself around economically. Forget the empty promises of our new president. I'd like to have that feeling just one time before the world as we know it is ended by the nitwit who might be elected in 2 weeks.