cusebob

Last season where? What the hell are you talking about?

Watch the AFC game. Bills beat both teams -- and Denver quite handily.

Tom Cousineau. Jim Kelly.

Three December games, including Christmas eve. Coming off a horrid home loss. They have to do something to move the merchandise. I'll be there either way.

One has absolutely, positively nothing to do with the other. I think. And next week: Giants-Seahawks, not Bills-Eagles, on Syracuse TV at 1 p.m., according to Ch. 68 web site. Start calling now!!

I have to admit, I was standing in the john at halftime and listening to the Raiders fans jaw at Bills fans and I wondered for a minute Why the hell do I keep doing this?" They're down 21-3. One decent game. That's all we get. One game! I returned to my seat in time for the second half kickoff and felt a little down. There were a few Raiders fans around whooping it up. That iriitates me, but not for the reason you may think. Root for your team, fine, but the damn game isn't over yet. And then Freddie scored. And the place came alive again. High-fiving and hugging the guys behind me (that's the great part of a Bills game, right? PDA with people you don't even know?) And then McFadden fumbled and the place was rocking again. It felt good. It felt right. There's a reason why we love the Bills. It's all rooted in hope that some day this damn cursed franchise can finally win something. Yesterday felt good. Like the old days.

I hear ya, Tex. I've got a sister in Austin. I've been there. It's great. I have a hard time believing those folks would go head-over-heels for the NFL when the Longhorns are their passion. And if San Antonio counts (as well it should), then so do Toronto, Rochester, Syracuse, etc. If the Broncos can get fans from Idaho, a 2-hour drive for the NFL isn't a big deal. I know. I make it eight times a year.

I get that this is a big-market, big-money game, I really do. The Jerry Jones and Dan Snyders call the shots. But they all need somebody to play, correct? Or is the theory that there will eventually be three teams in NY, Chicago, LA, Dallas and, of course, the Packers will survive. I know there's no love for the small-market teams in the current negotiations, but the league isn't shrinking either.

Jack's right. Only sure things in the world are death, taxes and the Packers.

This will likely all go away. Sounds like a harmless snafu. One coincidence: Sean and Judge Schroeder are both Timon alums.

Leo was a journalism major in school. He studied the basics of his craft and then went out and got a job. That's how it's done. It's not a popularity contest. Most people don't start out as the Bills beat writer. Working in media (especially newspapers) is a little like minor-league baseball, as you get more experience, you move to a larger city/paper. Eventually, you get to a place you like and you start raising a family and suddenly that's where you are. Leo has had a variety of assignments at the D&C through the years. By the way, not every staff member is chomping at the bit for that beat. It's very time consuming and has become nearly year-round. Leo and Sal (and the News guys) do it well. It was stated that the game story isn't a big part of what readers want anymore. That may be true, but try and find any media outlet that doesn't have some version of one online or in print the next day. Those things are cranked out very quickly, even on an NFL game day, because the reporter has a handful of things to take care of (sidebars, video wrapup, notebooks, etc.). Night games are more challenging when a deadline looms or even passes as the game is winding down, and you still have to get to the locker room. As for athletes taking over, that's a slippery slope. Yes, they have access, provided by a mega-TV network. That's good. But how well do they use it? Do they have the ability to ask a tough question, more than "talk about ... ?" Merrell Hoge is one of the best, IMO, but he rarely -- if ever -- speaks to players on camera. As an athlete, you probably let your guard down when you see Warren Sapp coming because you know it's not going to be the most demanding interview of your life. I'm pretty sure those things are prepared by someone else and Marcellus Wiley just has to walk in and turn on that smile. Having been in the middle of those press gaggles, I can pretty much guarantee that 95 percent of the quotes that get played over and over again on ESPN or wherever came as the result of a question from a newspaper reporter. Why? Because they know how to ask a question. Probably learned it in school.

Let's give Chan a chance, eh? But, if we're going to play along, Harbaugh is likely going to end up back at his alma mater Michigan when they send Rich Rodriguez packing in the next year or so.

Yes. The answer is no. Fox is showing the Giants at 4 p.m. and CBS has the doubleheader. the506.com map should help. I figured we covered all of that already.

Yes. The point was that CBS-5 in Syracuse wouldn't choose the Bills this season either if it didn't have a contractual obligation to show the games. Lazy's got nothing to do with it. If next week's Lions game were to sell out (and I know it won't), Syracuse would likely be in the same situation.

CBS is the AFC network. There's no question that it sucks, but the Syracuse area actually benefits when the team is having a bad year. Otherwise, it would be like Albany, which dumps out of the Bills every chance it gets. And we get an alternate game when there's no sellout, rather than a movie or some other crap like the home market. Yeah, except it isn't. That;s why this game isn't on. Local Fox affiliate can choose to show another game. CBS (Ch. 5) cannot when it's sold out. And how many SU games would be on TV if they had to sell out?