Offside Number 76

He scored a pretty important touchdown on a run that started inside and moved to the outside. Any Texas or USC fan will tell you all about it. That said, I still can't stand the wildcat, no matter who is under center. It's a completely stupid proposition when teams don't throw out of the formation. Just direct snap to the running back and get on with it.

They can't direct-snap to Freddy or CJ? If you think he was automatic on third down because he has some special third-down mojo, then I don't know what to think.

You're not missing anything. The Wildcat was outdated the weekend after Miami started using it (does any team pass out of that formation more than 5% of the time?), and Brad Smith, while probably a great guy, has no purpose for this team.

Immediately get away from wherever I'm watching the game and go home. I live near Elmwood and I don't want to be near any riots. And then I would go to the parade down Delaware in the morning.

It may very well come from that. When I met him, he seemed somewhat shy and humble (of course, this was less than 24 hours after being drafted, so maybe he was overwhelmed by attention), and that also can be misinterpreted as a lack of intelligence. My bet is he's just fine.

Excellent change-of-pace back, and he was every bit as important to the comeback against Houston as Reich and Reed were.

It's not for everybody.

I'm sure it would. We can say whatever we want here. We can stay still when asked to move. We can be Americans. And I'm not anti-cop at all, not for a minute.

Yes. Something that, while classless, stupid, and counterproductive, is not and should not be a crime. We're allowed to be a-holes in this great free land of ours. Most, fortunately, choose not to.

It's Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005). Fing's quotation, "The Supreme Court ruled on Monday..." is from the 2005 NYT article.

I think cops are great. I long ago passed the point where I thought of them as the enemy. That said, if you think there aren't a few on every force who are just looking for a way to bring some "uppity" young black man down, you're naive. I don't believe the backfill story that Peterson pushed an officer, either. He'd be charged with more if he had.

He's black, famous, and didn't do exactly what the officers wanted him to do.

Well, not necessarily. There certainly are plenty, plenty of good charities that try to keep administrative costs low and benefits to the community as high as possible. A couple of things to look for: Is it named after a person? If so, is it locally based rather than nationally recognized? And is a family member of the person on the board or otherwise an administrator? Compare, for example, Gilda's Club or the Susan G. Komen foundation to some of the organizations in the article (and their local counterparts). Has it been around for a long time? Is the organizer or namesake (if alive) actively involved in philanthropy? Finally, and maybe most importantly, can you trace the organization's activities to a societal benefit? Two of my local favorites, Food Bank of WNY and Ronald McDonald house, have visible and tangible benefits. I can think of others, even some run by or on behalf of former Buffalo athletes, that seem to specialize in fundraising, advertising, lobbying, and golf tournaments--but I couldn't tell you what they actually do for the community. These, I avoid.

It's not a video. It's part of "Clayton's Mailbag," which sounds somewhat disturbing. It's about halfway down this page: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8119571/nfl-league-makes-right-call-blackout-requirements

Here, for those who don't want to go through a crappy BR slideshow: Cardinals: Kevin Kolb Falcons: Peria Jerry Ravens: LaQuan Williams Bills: Alex Carrington Panthers: Captain Munnerlyn Bears: Roberto Garza Bengals: Kevin Huber Browns: Ben Watson Cowboys: Orlando Scandrick Broncos: Ty Warren Lions: Gosder Cherilus Packers: Andrew Quarless Texans: Garrett Graham Colts: Jeff Linkenbach Jaguars: Cecil Shorts III Chiefs: Alex Tanney Dolphins: John Jerry Vikings: John Carlson Patriots: Devin McCourty Saints: Michael Higgins Giants: Ramses Barden Jets: Tim Tebow Raiders: Khalif Barnes Eagles: Dion Lewis Steelers: Shaun Suisham Chargers: Jeromey Clary 49ers: Randy Moss Seahawks: Tarvaris Jackson Rams: Kellen Clemens Buccaneers: Jeremy Trueblood Titans: Matt Hasselbeck Redskins: Lorenzo Alexander

Tell me I'm wrong: There is no better show in rock than Springsteen. The man brings it every time. And brings it for three-plus hours.

In the pit for Springsteen a couple of months ago. Technically, it's not a "seat," but when you can touch the stage, you don't care if you're standing.

Echo that. Anyway, I'll bet RW keeps the blackout percentage at 100. Not because he's cheap; because he's a traditionalist.

Did I win?!

Is TG a "beat reporter" now? I thought he was brought back to the News as an essayist / columnist.

Last figure I saw was ten and a half minutes. EDIT: Here's a WSJ article from 2010; 11 minutes: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575002852055561406.html

200.

I agree with most of what is written above. If the league wants to improve the in-stadium experience, it has to do so at the expense of TV timeouts and in-stadium advertising. An NFL game, in-person, is so slow. The San Diego "no charger" game is the last I went to, and it was great. It was like being at an untelevised college game. The pace was good and we entertained ourselves just fine without the loudspeakers blaring ads at us in between every play. Actual conversations took place with fans two rows away! But the NFL, of course, is not going to cannibalize its TV revenues for the sake of improving the in-stadium feel. To the contrary, the movement of late games back to 4:25pm means that the in-stadium experience will be worse; it's obvious that they are going to add more TV timeouts and such. So the league is turning to technology? Does the NFL really think that I'm going to bring my iPad into a stadium so it can get beer-soaked and broken? Does the NFL really think that I want to fiddle with a smartphone to find a replay, seven minutes later over an overloaded wifi connection, of some missed call? If the Bills want to improve the live game experience: 1. Widen traffic routes and/or increase public transportation so it doesn't take two hours to leave. 2. Expedite the entry process, and it is a process, by adding gates (as long as they're renovating) and staff. 3. Cut the in-stadium noise through the loudspeakers so that we can hear ourselves talk and cheer. 4. Cut the TV timeouts. MAYBE no. 2 will happen; the rest will not.

I have to disagree. And I wonder, if they had better QBs, whether you would think differently.

1) I remember it being an "old man" look, too. 2) I was at New Era HQ earlier today. Possibly the only offices I've ever been in where hats are acceptable. And yeah, the employees leave the stickers on the hats. Oh, and (3) if any New Era employees are reading this, tell the girl in the Brooklyn Nets hat that she has a fan.