Sound_n_Fury

Per Economy.com about an hour ago: The front-month [crude oil] contract had added $3 to trade at $70.20 on Nymex a few moments ago. The contract had previously marked a fresh record high of $70.85. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Concerns are focused particularly on the vast system of pipelines that are used to pump crude oil ashore. According to the US Mineral Management Service, some 91.7% of total crude production has been shut down resulting in a total loss in output of some 1.38 million barrels per day. Traders have also been concerned about refined product prices as the hurricane has forced the closure of refineries along the Gulf coast. As a result of refinery downtime, unleaded gasoline for September delivery reached a record $2.36 on Nymex earlier today before retreating slightly. The contract was trading $2.34 a few moments ago. Spot prices were significantly higher as traders are trying to acquire physical gasoline. Meanwhile, September heating oil contracts were trading up some 12 cents to reach a new record high of $2.03. Natural gas prices followed crude higher as well. Katrina shut down about 83% of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, prompting natural gas futures to soar. As a result, natural gas for October delivery at the Henry Hub was up 56 cents a few moments ago at $11.70 per million Btu. It remains unclear when production of crude oil and natural gas in the Gulf will resume and how long it will take to repair the damaged oil infrastructure. Thus, it could take weeks to restore output to the level before the storm. Just as pressing is the need to restart refining operations. Refineries were operating at full capacity to meet strong demand for refined products and the shut-down of much needed capacity will continue to be felt in markets. While the loss in crude oil production could be compensated by loans from the Strategic Petroleum release or increased sales by OPEC, the lack of refining capacity, which has already driven prices for refined products sharply higher, is potentially a much more serious problem. The next few days will be spent assessing the damage caused by Katrina, but until markets get a better picture of the actual damage, uncertainty about the state of the energy infrastructure in the Gulf will keep energy prices at record levels. Risk adverse investors as well as businesses that need physical oil and gasoline will continue to bid up prices.

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan...

Per Economy.com Before Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana coast with 145-mph winds, it shut down crude oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico for an as-yet unknown length of time. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the nation’s refining, storage and transportation infrastructure exists in the area, concentrated in Louisiana, which bore the brunt of the storm. The potential impact on the nation’s energy supplies is enormous. Operations in the Gulf of Mexico account for approximately one-third of the nation’s oil and natural gas production. The three states in Katrina’s path, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, are home to 24 petroleum refineries with a combined daily capacity of 3.3 million barrels. Of these facilities, 16 are on or very near the coast, exposing them not only to the force of the storm, but to subsequent flooding that could keep them closed for an extended period of time. Prior to making landfall, an estimated one million barrels of refining capacity in the Gulf was shut down. More closings pushed capacity closures to an estimated two million barrels by Monday afternoon. In addition to concerns about offshore rigs, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Platform (LOOP), the largest U.S. oil import terminal was the focus of attention. Damage to that facility could severely curtail imports for an extended period of time, exacerbating persistently elevated oil prices. Sixty percent of oil imports come through the Gulf of Mexico. More than one-quarter of the nation’s oil passes through coastal Louisiana alone. Prices of crude oil spiked to nearly $71 per barrel Monday morning shortly after the storm made landfall, but receded to below $68 by midday, suggesting that damage to Gulf platforms and rigs was minimal and that production could resume once crews can return to them. Oil traders and analysts suggested that prices would stabilize until damage to drilling platforms and refineries in the area was reported. The fact that it edged down suggests that speculators are being about as optimistic as possible, given the circumstances. Reliable information is not expected until at least Wednesday morning. In the event of damage to oil rigs, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve could be dipped into, as it was following Hurricane Ivan last year. Such an action could provide short-term stabilization of oil markets. Even with minimal disruption to oil and natural gas production, prices of refined products could still see substantial upside movements if terminals, pipelines, refineries and/or storage facilities are affected. Damage anywhere along distribution channels could have serious consequences. As the storm was still raging in the area, gasoline prices traded up 12% and heating oil jumped 7%. OPEC is reportedly ready to fill the void of any lost oil production, but also indicated that it would wait to see what refinery damage, if any, exists. If refinery capacity is significantly curtailed, thereby reducing demand for crude, the cartel is not likely to sell more oil and drive its prices down. Henry Hub, the pricing point for natural gas, closed Sunday in advance of the storm. Futures prices rose sharply early Monday, but by the afternoon, Henry Hub was reopened, reportedly avoiding major damage from the storm. However, until assessments can be made of rigs in the Gulf, the impacts on natural gas supplies will be unknown. Katrina’s path was through the heart of the natural gas producing region. Energy markets are surprisingly calm as they await solid information on the impact of Katrina to production, refining, storage and distribution infrastructure that is vital to the nation. So far, the small amount of information trickling in suggests that damage to key components of the supply and distribution channels have not been severely damaged. If fortune is indeed with us, impacts on energy markets will be short-term in nature.

The Bills do a good marketing job in southern Ontario. When I had seasons tix in the 90s, about 10% of the seats were filled by drunken Canadians!

Yep, that must be why he's released by his third team in six years... elusive

All you need to know about Jerry Jones: Just consider, Mr. Jones says, that Mr. Brown decided to name his team's new stadium after his father, the legendary NFL coach Paul Brown -- sacrificing millions of dollars he could have earned selling the name to a corporation. "And that's just the difference between us," Mr. Jones said at one recent meeting, according to a person who was present.

I agree with your revised roster. Fast Freddie (or Wilson, if he gets the #7 WR nod instead of Smith) gets bumped the moment either of the two guys come off PUP. It'll be interesting to see if KE gets activated or put on IR. I'm betting IR if they get off to a good start. If they activate him, it could be trouble for Haddad at the # 6 WR slot.

That'd be my guess, too. Sort of like a "rental player" free agent in the NHL. If he has a great year, he'll be set up for a big contract in 2006. That said, he'd probably want to play on a great defense this year so he could have the "halo" effect of his teammates making him look good. Playing next to SA sure might be something he'd consider....

Good investment, that! "A Sports reporter's median salary was $18,000 a year and ranging from $12,500 to $30,600 in largest markets." So what if I can't pay my student loans back, at least I can score some free sideline tix...

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 17:27:15 -0700 The Philadelphia Eagles announced they have withdrawn the franchise tag designation on DT Corey Simon. Simon now becomes an unrestricted free agent. "We appreciate all that Corey has done for this organization over the last five years," said head coach Andy Reid. "With the great amount of depth and talent we have along the defensive line, we chose to give Corey an opportunity to sign with another team."

Same with Carson Palmer: Game 1: 4 of 11 for 37 yards, 1 INT, QB rating = 8.5 Game 2: 12 of 24 for 152 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, QB rating = 80.6 Game 3: 13 of 25 for 136 yards, QB rating = 68.1 TOTAL: 29 of 60 for 325 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, QB rating = 62.2 (20th overall)

Yep, I'm sure the Stillers fans are screaming. Big Ben's numbers over the first three preseason games look a lot worse than JPs. Game 1: 2 of 4 for 51 yards, QB rating = 57.3 Game 2: 6 of 11 for 51 yards, QB rating = 29.0 Game 3: 6 of 15 for 57 yards, QB rating = 57.0 TOTAL 14 of 30 for 121 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int, QB rating ~ 50.

He threw one in the Indy game. Stats are for losers, but JP's preseason QB rating ranks 13th overall...better than Carson Palmer, who had a good second half last year. Rank Player Team Yds Att Cmp TDs Ints Long Rating 1 Donovan McNabb PHI 495 51 34 5 2 64 114.4 2 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 429 58 40 4 1 36 106.2 3 Kerry Collins OAK 448 55 39 3 1 70 105.7 4 Tim Rattay SF 326 44 26 3 0 58 104.9 5 Billy Volek TEN 422 46 32 2 1 76 103.7 6 Jake Delhomme CAR 336 42 30 3 2 30 98.9 7 Mark Brunell WAS 303 42 27 0 0 24 85.7 8 Kurt Warner ARI 368 60 37 2 1 31 83.2 9 Byron Leftwich JAC 336 48 28 0 0 48 79.9 10 Seneca Wallace SEA 310 52 28 1 0 33 78.2 11 Steve McNair TEN 266 45 31 1 2 34 73.0 12 Aaron Brooks NO 311 52 29 1 1 47 71.9 13 J.P. Losman BUF 229 51 27 1 0 26 71.4 14 Chris Weinke CAR 236 46 22 2 1 26 68.8 15 Anthony Wright BAL 277 55 30 0 0 28 68.5 16 Matt Schaub ATL 284 58 30 3 2 36 68.5 17 Patrick Ramsey WAS 408 49 29 2 4 46 65.7 18 Jim Sorgi IND 412 69 38 1 2 32 65.6 19 Tim Hasselbeck NYG 268 47 24 2 2 34 64.8 20 Carson Palmer CIN 325 60 29 2 2 45 62.2 21 Gus Frerotte MIA 384 74 33 1 1 44 59.7 22 Dan Orlovsky DET 207 31 17 0 2 25 48.7

I think Esposito's had a pretty good camp, especially since they moved him to C when Preston's been lining up at guard. I'd keep Trafford over Ceislak, myself. Trafford's a good movement/h-back kind of guy who might be better for a more mobile QB like JP than the more stationary Cieslak. Jason Peters can play the blocking TE roll, which it appeared the Bills were working on in the Bears game.

I believe the second guy (Holcomb) practices the gameplan with the starters a limited number of plays, gives JP a blow in practice, etc. The limited snap count is why the Bills are so fortunate to have a guy as experienced as Holcomb, who doen't need a lot of reps to get ready.

He also had two very nice third down conversion throws while moving around that got wiped out by penalties, one when Haddad didn't establish position after stepping out of bounds and one to George Wilson called back by an illegal touch by Evans. He misfired on a potential TD to Campbell while rolling out as well. Still, I agree to some extent JP has to show a little more patience before using his scrambling ability. But on the other hand, his game is NOT about being a pocket passer and I suspect MM/TC have not designed the offense to have him stationary very often. Let's see how Friday goes. I want to see how he responds now that he's put some pressure on himself with his post-game comments vs. the Bears.

The 3rd QB plays a lot more important roll than just sitting in the pressbox. They generally run the scout team during the weekly practice and, in Matthews case, can provide important input in meetings, etc. A guy like Woodbury can only run around a lot and probably couldn't mimic a starting-caliber NFL QB in practice nearly as well as Shane.

My guess: Therrian Fontenot, CB Evan Oglesby, CB Lawrence Richardson, CB Uyi Osunde, DE Jon Goldsberry, FB Steve Baker, K/P Wendell Hunter, LB Daryl Towns, LB Kevin Thompson, QB Tory Woodbury, QB Brad Ceislak, TE Tony Brown, WR Trafford has shown more than Ceislak, as far as I can tell Matthews is a lock at the #3 QB simply because he can be a good mentor for JP (Wyche doesn't have time to be tutoring Woodbury, as well)

AVP and Burris are already under contract to the flagship Bills broadcasting network...no way they get to help a competitor station out. Marv and Jim most likely, although I wonder what Levy must think about being on the same "team" as Dickerson again....

Huh??? Here's the source. What's doctored? Appended: Deleted your post I see....hummmm

Everybody had an opinion about the Coach," said Roth. "That made him must-listen-to radio I wonder how many of those opinions were "the guy's an !@#$?"

Let's look at the second half replay: Chicago Bears at 10:28, (1st play from scrimmage 10:18) 1-10-CHI 19 (10:18) 20-T.Jones left end pushed ob at CHI 24 for 5 yards (27-C.Wire). 2-5-CHI 24 (9:56) 18-K.Orton pass to 12-J.Gage to CHI 28 for 4 yards (33-J.Greer). 3-1-CHI 28 (9:19) PENALTY on CHI-69-F.Miller, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at CHI 28 - No Play. 3-6-CHI 23 (8:54) 18-K.Orton pass to 12-J.Gage to CHI 42 for 19 yards (42-J.Leonhard). 1-10-CHI 42 (8:19) 18-K.Orton pass incomplete to 87-M.Muhammad. 2-10-CHI 42 (8:13) 18-K.Orton pass to 87-M.Muhammad pushed ob at BUF 48 for 10 yards (33-J.Greer). 1-10-BUF 48 (7:56) 20-T.Jones right guard to BUF 43 for 5 yards (27-C.Wire). 2-5-BUF 43 (7:21) 18-K.Orton pass to 88-D.Clark to BUF 32 for 11 yards (57-J.Stamer). 1-10-BUF 32 (6:40) 18-K.Orton pass to 48O-G.Reid to BUF 16 for 16 yards (27-C.Wire). 1-10-BUF 16 (5:53) 20-T.Jones left end to BUF 14 for 2 yards (27-C.Wire). 2-8-BUF 14 (5:07) 18-K.Orton pass incomplete to 87-M.Muhammad. 3-8-BUF 14 (5:02) 18-K.Orton pass to 84-B.Wade to BUF 2 for 12 yards (26-R.Baker). 1-2-BUF 2 (4:15) 18-K.Orton pass to 88-D.Clark for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Chicago Bears at 11:21 1-10-CHI 30 (11:21) 29-A.Peterson left tackle to CHI 31 for 1 yard (97-J.Bannan). 2-9-CHI 31 (10:47) 15-K.Kittner pass to 16-M.Bradley to CHI 41 for 10 yards (33-J.Greer). 1-10-CHI 41 (10:12) 15-K.Kittner pass to 81-R.Johnson to BUF 29 for 30 yards (33-J.Greer). 1-10-CHI 41 (9:48) 29-A.Peterson left end to CHI 46 for 5 yards (27-C.Wire). 2-5-CHI 46 (9:27) 29-A.Peterson left tackle to CHI 47 for 1 yard (53-M.Haggan). 3-4-CHI 47 (8:51) 15-K.Kittner pass incomplete to 16-M.Bradley. 4-4-CHI 47 (8:47) (Punt formation) 6-G.Lindstrom punts 35 yards to BUF 18 Chicago Bears at 3:29 1-10-50 (3:29) 11-J.Blake pass incomplete to 16-M.Bradley. 2-10-50 (3:25) 11-J.Blake pass to 16-M.Bradley to BUF 33 for 17 yards (42-J.Leonhard, 33-J.Greer). P11 1-10-BUF 33 (2:46) 29-A.Peterson right guard to BUF 24 for 9 yards (55-A.Crowell). 2-6-BUF 29 (2:00) 11-J.Blake pass incomplete to 81-R.Johnson. 3-6-BUF 29 (1:56) 29-A.Peterson right tackle to BUF 8 for 21 yards (27-C.Wire). 1-8-BUF 8 (1:45) 29-A.Peterson right guard to BUF 3 for 5 yards (26-R.Baker, 57-J.Stamer). 2-3-BUF 3 (1:37) 29-A.Peterson right guard for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Yep. I want effective play from my backups. CW's learned nothing in the time he's spent in the position and is the same player he was three years ago. At some point in the season he's going to be on the field, guaranteed (remember the Jax game?). If we keep getting the same results, that called insanity, BTW. Tackle stats don't mean much if they're never difference makers. You can make all the tackles you want, but if you can't get the other team off the field you're a loser (sort of like that 77-yard TD drive the Bears had last night...).

Not thrilled, but not panicing yet. The Bears were stacking 8 guys against the run and daring the Bills to back them off with the pass. Didn't seem like MM/TC were that interested in accomodating them, though. Still nothing long to Evans this preseason...which is my vote for the first offensive play of the Houston game, BTW!