Rubes

I think the issue is that most folks here want to buy "The Champagne of Beers" in the hopes that they'll actually be getting champagne.

Marrone mentioned in one of his press conferences that he would be back, at least practicing. But I didn't hear anything about him playing on Sunday.

I thought I remember reading that he injured his back while blocking Haden on a play. Stevie's got some issues, but I will never doubt his abilities. We need him out there, badly.

I can't think of too many guys who went from Hot Commodity to NFL Scrap Heap faster than this dude.

http://youtu.be/SjbPi00k_ME

Do we EVER play a team this season that doesn't have a kick-ass defensive line? No, seriously?

I thought it was strange that Simms said that, because it sure looked like his one hand was inside the pad to me.

Strange, I actually think Chandler has done fairly well this year so far, especially considering he's still not all the way back from a pretty serious knee injury.

No, not really. I think it's best to just shake my head and walk away. A little too much melodrama for me.

Oh for God's sake.

I think that view shows pretty definitively that Hoyer didn't start sliding until it was too late. So in that respect, it was a legal hit, and the whiners in Ohio have no argument. Now, whether it was helmet-to-helmet is another story. But again, Kiko was low from the beginning, and Hoyer decended into the hit. He'll probably get fined for it, but from this obviously biased perspective, I think it was legitimate. I also think the hit on Manuel was legitimate. I think the Cleveland players and fans are a bunch of classless whiners, however.

I wonder how much of this is "EJ really won't be out that long, but we need to make it sound like it might be longer in order to attract better talent." Why would Freeman want to sign with us if he knew EJ would only be out one or two games? Just the conspiracist in me...

I'm with you on this one.

I would have said yes, prior to hearing about the LCL. It's always hard to know for sure, especially with elite athletes. But I think it's generally a good thing that it's only an LCL.

Yes.

Glad Wood has the balls to say it. I used to have a lot of respect for Cleveland and its fans, because they've suffered as badly as we have. Now I've lost that respect, both for the team and for its fans. There was a lot of cheering going on when Manuel was injured, including on the field and in the stands. It was really classless. I can get that they were reacting to what they thought was a cheap shot by Kiko on their QB, but really, it's not like Bills players and fans were whooping it up when Hoyer was folded like a pretzel. (Plus, I really didn't think it was a cheap shot.) Really a bummer, because I almost liked having another team just like our to commiserate with. On the Manuel front, the thing that looked encouraging to me (from a medical standpoint) is that the knee wasn't planted in the ground when it was hit. That's what often causes the ligaments to shred. It looked to me like a pop right on the knee, which isn't good, but not nearly as bad as if the foot was planted on the ground at the moment of impact. We'll see -- I think he'll be good to go with some extra rest, but you never know.

And what about Hoyer? If he plays the whole game, I'm sure we're still talking about how good the Browns are. Hoyer's no all-star, but he was playing very well, much better than Weeden. It works both ways.

True, but if you look at the teams from #11 (Cincinnati) all the way to #22 (Buffalo) — at least on the Yahoo Power Rankings — it's amazing how little difference there actually is among all of those teams. Is there really any major advantage for one of these teams over any other? Cincinnati Miami Houston Dallas Atlanta Tennessee Baltimore Carolina Cleveland San Diego New York Jets Buffalo Tell me the Bills wouldn't be matched up closely with any of those teams, certainly at home (on the road is a different story). And if we somehow beat Cleveland, that means we would have beaten three teams ranked above us right now, with the following two games against the Bengals at home and Miami on the road. These next three games are huge.

They're all hard.

Very intersting indeed.

Guys fight through injuries and get back on the field for many different reasons. They feel dedicated to the team to do so. They really really want to contribute and win. They want to improve their bargaining power next offseason, maybe because they're an average player. They feel they need to get back out there for fear of losing their starting spot, or of getting cut, or of getting cut the following training camp. Lots of reasons. So to use the others like Fred, CJ, Urbik, and others to compare...well, it doesn't always apply.

Ah, the unbridled enthusiasm after a win. So much better than the utter despair after a loss.

It's disappointing, but something tells me it's all part of Hackett's season-long plan. I think he's slowly implementing more plays as the season goes on, in order to keep things simple for EJ, but also to keep some things in his back pocket to release when the time comes.

Adam Cordo @AdamCordo In the Armageddon remake, Alonso intercepts the meteor in the first 5 minutes and bangs Liv Tyler for the last 1:55. #TheLegendOfKikoAlonso

God I hope so. We've been in a drought for a long time here. We need the snow for some good skiing.