Ned Flanders

This is great, never saw it before. Thanks for the find!

I want to join the chorus and thank you for putting together a very comprehensive list. Some of my rants on today's game, shared previously by others: Bad quarterback play: NFL caliber quarterbacks playing today you can count on one hand. Heck, when I was a kid, even the woeful Eagles had Norm Snead. Injuries: Look at the Bills situation and every NFL team has its own version of a MASH unit. I get that injuries are part of the game, but it just seems so rampant these days. Sunday Ticket is a god-send, but why a list price of $360???? I've haggled every August with DTV and gotten the price down, but sheesh, make it more affordable and accessible. Concussions. Use to be somebody just "got his bell rung." Well, we've lived and learned...almost. Is there a way to make the game safer? I doubt it. But for every retirement, there's 50 guys waiting in the wings. Wait until Troy Aikman starts show signs of head trauma...on the air. It's coming. The "criminal element" isn't getting better. Who was caught with a gun/bag of drugs/getting a DUI today? I know the NFL is made up of about 3000 individuals and you can count on that behavior within any 3000 person demographic, but with the money today's players are making, at such a young age, their posses/groupies/hangers-on are steering the athlete in every direction and it's actually surprising there isn't more bad behavior. I think the five percent are ruining it for the 95 percent who are genuinely good guys. Back to TV: it's over-saturated to the point that often times the late afternoon game between Tennessee and Jacksonville can't draw flys. Why is the NFL in Tennessee and Jacksonville in the first place? Stadium experience: Look what happened in Baltimore last weekend. I enjoy a few cold ones at the stadium and always stay within good behavior when wearing Bills colors on the road, but it's scary out there. Jeeziz, after a Bills-Browns game in Cleveland several years ago, a game Cleveland won, getting out of the stadium was like running a gauntlet. Sorry to carry on...end of rant.

My thoughts as well...16-14 Bills.

Long range forecast calling for a hot one: sunny, 87 degrees.

Good deal. Earlier this month, I got the $50 off for 12 months plus the free 4 month Showtime. I cancelled ST because the best they could do was $6 off/month. Looks like it's time to soon call again.

The retention reps all seem to be on the same page here. Seems odd though that they are telling people to "call back" in late August or early September for ST "deals." I have a feeling though they'll be calling me before September to renew ST.

Just made "the call." Mixed results. They shaved $50/month off the bill with free Showtime. But the best they could do for ST was $36 off ($6/month for 6 months). Was told "better deals for ST come out in late August." I cancelled ST, because I'll be at the opener in Baltimore (and DTV gives everyone ST for free the first week) and the second game is the Thursday night national broadcast. I'll either call back in late August or after Week 2 for ST. Spent a lot of time on hold, all together about a 20 minute call.

Is it me; am I the only one who reads these fine reports with Van Miller's voice running through my head?

Ravens single game tix go on sale Friday: http://www.baltimoreravens.com/gameday/tickets/single-game-tickets.html

I received a VERY generous deal last year, paid about $85/month all year which included ST Max. The start of training camp usually prompts me to "make the call," so I'll do so again soon. FWIW, I usually blame the wife, telling the rep she's badgering me to cut the cord...for special effects, I usually have the wife yelling at me from the next room over; I tell the rep, "Can you hear what I'm up against here?" LOL!

They just switch the decals on their regular white helmets...no hard task.

I like this list, would substitute Tasker for Christie though.

I go back to '73 at then-Rich Stadium and I'm trying to remember if the Bills ever sold beer through vendors in the stands. My old, feeble mind doesn't think so. Can any of the old-timers recall?

Here in Fairfax County Virginia, I have leverage playing the competition card with Cox and FIOS both available and oozing with offers/deals. My call this year was very successful. I recommend focusing on the broadcast options available to you when making the call to DTV.

So, I guess it's settled: We now hate Peter King...carry on.

I was thinking the same thing...Brown took over OJ's HB slot when OJ was traded to SF and was a member of the '80-'81 Knox playoff teams. Brown had a nice, solid career in Buffalo and was taken much too soon.

I think it's time for Thurman and Freddy to pay Shady a visit and have a discussion on what it means to be a professional football player.

I may be in for as many as a dozen.

Hopefully, your coolers are safe at Hammer's?

Make sure to keep an eye on your cooler out there...

The time management...if can call it that...at the end of the first half was awful Me and my friend watching were screaming for EJ to spike the ball, Ray Charles could have seen that that was the right play. Bills lost at least two additional plays because of that blunder.

"The Scrounger"

Haven't seen the Wegmans' name mentioned anywhere...don't they have the available assets to make a run also?

I was at the '93 Jets game and remember watching HBO's "This Week in the NFL" later that week and it opened the game's highlights with Marv and Jets coach Bruce Coslett talking at midfield before the game. Marv: "It's brutal today, I don't think we'll have many people here." Coslett: "I just looked out at your parking lot, it's packed!" Marv: "These people are amazing..." I also remember on Christmas Eve the Bills put out a call to come clear the stadium for $5/hour I believe and many showed up...and more then a few were not dressed for the weather. Seeing this, Marv went into the locker room and grabbed hats, gloves and other gear to give to the folks clearing the snow. In my view, Marv made the Hall of Fame on that day.

I go back to the D & C message board days (of which this site was born) and Bob Lamb deserves a hat tip, along with Scott, for creating this site. Bob helped me out back in '99 in getting a version of Shout! on CD (high tech back then). He was a great source on Bills history and alawys kept his posts informative and classy.