Rubes

Here's a toast to CodeMonkey being right. Hell I'd probably pay for another dinner for him if we run the table. (For the record, I had us at 3-6 and running the table as well. I just mixed up the ARI and TEN games.)

That's not the point. Here, I'll type it out. The point is this: Every NFL game consists of scores of plays. Take the game yesterday -- there were about 140 offensive plays by each team, and throw a dozen more or so in there for special teams plays. Some games have less, but not by that much. In general, there are somewhere around 125-150 plays per game. If you take the low end (125), and we've now played 9 games, that's around 1125 plays so far this year. Over one thousand plays during the season so far, and if just two—two!—had turned out just a wee bit different, that would be the difference right now between first place and last place. Despite the fact that our defense has been historically bad, despite all the hand-wringing and whining about the play calling, despite all of the injuries, bad bounces, and !@#$ing Bryan Scott having all day to himself to try and catch a ball dropping right into his hands. No matter how good or bad we have been, or have looked, of all the hundreds of plays that I've wanted to punch my hand through a wall (like every time a defensive end drops into coverage), it's still just amazing to me that altering two tiny little plays at the end of two games could have such a significant and dramatic impact on how we perceive things. Even for a team as ****ty as this one. (And note that these are plays at the end of games, not at the beginning, and thus they wouldn't have had any real downstream impact on the game -- in the game against TEN, stopping the fourth down play wins the game; against the Pats*, getting the touchdown wins the game. The Bryan Scott INT, had he not dropped it, would have changed the outcome of the game in ways that we could not possibly know.) Yes, it's entirely valid to say that one or two plays would have the exact opposite effect—Carrington's block against ARI, for instance, or the two plays you mentioned for NE making them 8-1. People who say "So what? It can happen to anybody, not just us" are missing the point. In a season of thousands and thousands of plays, it's just amazing to me how the way things are perceived can change in dramatic ways just by changing the outcome of one or two. Even though we suck—and we do suck—we are only two tiny little plays away form being tied for first place. Instead, we are mired in the cellar, as usual. That's all. You may all now return to your regularly scheduled team and media bashing.

Seriously, if we had a defense that was even middle of the road, completely average...we'd probably be sitting in first place and everybody would be singing Chan's praises, particularly for the offense. I don't think it really sinks in for some people how historically bad this defense has been.

I like the stationary/standby generator idea, never really knew anything about them. We have a fairly small house (about 2500 sq ft total), but I know next to nothing about the load of the things we use. I don't know if we'd need to run the AC off of the generator, but it would be good to be able to run the furnace (along with the rest). I have no idea how to calculate the amps/watts needed.

Read the post again. The point is there. In fact, you just made the same point.

I would just like one person from the media to ask the question, "Is Kirk Morrison really so bad that he is inactive every week?" Seriously, the guy had a pretty decent career up to the time he was picked up by Buffalo, and he's been on the shelf ever since. Given how God awful our LBs are, is he really worse than what we're putting out there? I feel bad for the guy, his career is going down the drain sitting on this Bills roster. I just want to know if he's really that bad, or if he just slept with somebody's wife. Wawrow, can you toss us a bone here?

I've been thinking of investing in a small generator for a while now, but I never really went beyond that. Now that we just had a crazy three-day snowstorm here in Salt Lake, it got me thinking again. I'm only looking for one to help keep the fridge going, and maybe a couple of lights and a space heater. The power goes out here maybe once a year at most, for a day or two, so it's primarily just a convenience thing, although it would be nice to have if it ever gets worse than that. The one thing that has always held me back, and I know this is kind of silly, but I have no idea what to do with them when they're not being used, which obviously can be for many months or longer. Since they have gas and oil in them, I assume it's not good to leave them for long periods of time like that, but what else do you do? Drain them? Run them periodically? How often? Thanks from a real n00b.

Find a doctor in the morning. In fact, find a primary care physician and see him or her regularly, not just once. It will probably cost you a lot less in the end, if money is the concern for you.

Do you mean stand up, or get a great rush? They definitely did the former a few times, not so much the latter. And Bill, I was saying the same thing to my uncle when the TD pass to Gronkowski happened. Probably the best TE in the NFL, maybe in the end one of the best of all time, and we're covering him with a !@#$ing defensive end. A rookie defensive end at that. I agree, Wanny should be driven to the NY state border, dropped off, and told never to come back.

That's okay, I didn't expect anyone to get it.

Not that I think we deserve it or anything, but... - a late fourth down stop against TEN - a late TD instead of an INT today We get those two plays, and we're 5-4 and tied with NE for first. Crazy to think that things can be so different based on just two plays...especially considing how bad this defense has played. The difference between first and last is that close. Sucks for us. If only we had even an average defense...

I have no idea...I didn't know it was a book.

Going to Lumpy's downtown with my uncle. Occasionally there's one or two other Bills fans...

The players should believe this game is their Super Bowl -- win or else. Every game from here on out should be that way, at least the next two games, because two more divisional losses and this season is officially over. Anything less is unacceptable.

No kidding. Not that anyone thinks they are a competitive team, but at least being 4-4 at the halfway mark and being only a game out of first would give some semblance of achievement. Even if nobody really believed they could compete for the division title.

Two games against two divisional opponents coming up. If we lose both, we're at 3-7 with no divisional wins and the season is over. Even one win leaves us at 4-6 with only the slimmest hope of any playoffs. This team needs two wins or its over, and we're only halfway through November. Not that I seriously expect two wins, or even one for that matter. This team has just been horrible. But if there was ever a time to dig down and find out if anything is really there, this is it. They all have to know it, and dropping both would just solidify the monumental failure of this team and regime. I know many of you are already there. Problem is, we've heard this story time and again, year after year, with the same disappointing result. I expect nothing different. But there's always hope...

From today's Buff News: Sounds to me like a transition is basically occurring. If Searcy does reasonably well, I'm not sure we see George as a starter much longer. At least that's how I read that.

Cool! Thanks for the heads up.

On the NFL Network they were talking about the AFC playoff picture, and they had Oakland and the Jets "in the hunt" at 3-5. Not that I think the Bills are really in the hunt, of course.

My two girls. Both mutts from the Humane Society, both are 14 years old and still act like puppies. Ginger is part schnauzer, Misha is...anyone's guess. Two incredible dogs.

Sure, will do. I don't arrive until Wednesday, though.

I'm actually going to be in Manhattan next week starting on Wednesday. I don't know if people still go to McFadden's or how well it survived the storm, but I'd love to try to catch the game if possible. Anyone here go there for games?

And to think how much grief the Dolphins got for drafting a kick returner with their first round pick a few years back.

Wait, that's three guys dropped, and one brought up. Does that mean we have two open roster spots?

I'll consider it a success if we can hold them under 45.