OvrOfficiousJerk

They are rapidly evolving, losing their accent and generally nice demeanor to walk amongst us more effectively. I, for one, welcome our new Canadian overlords! Seriously, better we give one game a year to the hosers than eight to the posers in LA

The study ends in 1988, and I think we'd see different results for the players who were in the league after that. Yea this study includes Duerson and McMahon who suffered ill effects from their time in the league but the study is diluted with decades of players who, while having inferior safety and medical equipment, weren't playing against 350lb linemen with sub-5" 40 times. The game changed from the 60s to the 1980s, and it would be interesting to see if the study results would change if the 60s were replaced with the 90s

You're right in that it's a potential problem, but I doubt that would happen. The former VP for stadium operations or some such (Joe Frandina), went on the record in the Buffalo News saying that won't be a problem in the forseeable future: as long as it recieves the necessary maintenance, he said, "it'll outlast you and me."

BLAKE COSTANZO SIGHTING?!?!?!

Nice article J-Dubs!

+1 to everything from The Senator. Reeves didn't pull a McGahee on us and say there's nothing to do, in which case I would've joined you with my pitchforks. But to say a) it's cold and b) there's a lack of industry is simply stating facts, and that's all he did. Verified by his reply, that's all he really meant. Maybe I'm not one to read in between the lines, but if this article didn't stoke my inferiority complex then it must not've been that bad.

Here's the link you were talking about: http://www.wgrz.com/news/investigative/youpaidforit/story.aspx?storyid=65435&catid=220 Also, speaking of the MetLife stadium construction, can ANYONE verify if NYS funds were used? John Murphy explictly said as much (that NYS paid for the building) during last year's season finale, and I'd like someone who can know for sure. Even if it's false I think it'd be pretty cool to make it a trope to work in the Bills' favor. Say something that's patently false but say it enough times so it becomes true. That's why I love politics.

Especially since they were coming off the Europe trip for the NHL season opener(s). I think the family follows the Steelers (at least JPegula does), so it's not like they were there to see the Iggles either.

Not that the owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets is in play but I doubt that it would be "home territory" for either Cleveland or Cincy, for the sake of argument. I dabble in NFL broadcasting as a minor hobby, and the506 dude says that it's not a secondary market for either of them (like Rochester is for Buffalo). We get Blue Jackets games up here in Cleveland but according to the map it's not vice versa for the Brownies.

Icansleepwhenimdead and everyone else with the tax insights, thanks for all the info. Your double taxation point is well thought out. For you guys though I have a question -- A couple months (maybe even a year) ago, CNBC reported on a football owner that was selling off a significant chunk (~30%) of his team to someone else for "estate planning purposes" (many believed this to be Dean Spanos of the SD Chargers). If selling an asset in one's lifetime would result in double taxation (capital then estate), why would a rationally acting individual attempt to sell off such as asset explicitly for estate planning implications?

As a great man once said: it's not personal, it's strictly business. Having said that, it would've been "strictly business" to sell the team to LA investors, but you bring up a good point about a lot of money being on the line depending on how it will be taxed.

for the versus-impaired amongst us, anyone know what he said?

Not sure if it's true or not (not gonna lie, I have hurt myself up trying out his lights out dance... it's best left to the professionals). Whatever it was, I don't think it affected his practice schedule this week, as the Bills didn't include him on the injury tweet they sent out today.

Thanks for the link JJ, the article makes it little bit more plausible for me that it was named after McKeller. I guess by "agile" they mean that McKeller was a good pass-catcher as well as blocker (I was just getting out of diapers during the start of the Bills' glory years, so I don't have much recollection of McKeller's abilities), so having someone that could serve in both roles makes a run play a credible threat when you can't make subs. At any rate, again to go back on topic.... For exactly that reason, I am giving serious consideration to a Fitzpatrick-Nelson-Jackson-Chandler axis for one of my fantasy teams (FYI, I have Vick who's Questionable at the moment, totally blew my WR picks and my TE just might be involved in a blowout). For the past few years, NE's D has not been what it used to be. If you look at the NE glory years, with McGinest-Vrabel-Bruschi et al as LBs, Ty Law-Rodney Harrison in the secondary, they had a dominant D. You knew exactly who you were up against. Now, when I was watching the MNF game, I needed Google on hand to get their D straight: all I know now is Wilfork because he's dirty, a bloated Albert Haynesworth bc of the contract issue and then "everybody, [Pat] Chung tonight" because of a crappy 80s song. Far cry from 2001-04 Pats.

It was Kevin Harlan (without checking the506, I'm pretty sure he's paired with Wilcots). I caught that Thigpen screw-up too; Harlan sounds so much like Marv Albert for a second I thought it was ol' Marv getting used to fooseball again (that definitely showed Week 1 when he called the KC game), but no it was Harlan working the Oakland game. (Lindell for three... YES!!!)

Why was it named after Keith McKeller? I feel I heard that before, and (apologize to the Open Source types on the board) from a better source than Wikipedia. Back on topic, I checked Pats' message boards too, and I got the same feeling -- Bills are different this year. They also took a couple cheap shots at Buffalo but hey that's to be expected.

I didn't see much of the first half and a good chunk of the third (and, for that matter, not in a good mental state for the balance of the game). Have we been blitzing at all? I wouldn't be surprised if Chan-stachedt didn't want to show anything that Belicheat could gameplan against.

I was stuck listening to the game on radio, so I was hearing Kelso really go off on the refs. I thought he was being a huge homer but hey maybe he had a point.

I did a quick glance through a Geriatrics textbook on the subject, and most of the morbidity/mortality from hip fractures is secondary to a lack of mobility (e.g., deep vein thrombosis, septicemia -- I assume from bed sores -- pneumonia, etc.), which may not be applicable to Ralph. And it looks like many of the complications occur relatively early on (e.g., first few weeks). If he is as active as he says he is with rehab, God willing he is slowly but surely making his way out of the woods as we speak.

At least from him talking, he definitely sounds like he's in good mental shape. He remembers what he was doing three months ago? Half the time, I forget what I did three days ago. Get better soon Mr. Wilson!

Very true, but all the effort poured into Team Teal was pretty telling -- former Jag Tony Boselli spearheaded this massive effort to increase season ticket sales after the blackout-laden 2009 season, the mayor got in on it and everything I think. Granted it may be all in the name of PR, but at the same time it really seemed modestly desperate for a team that shouldn't have to worry about relocation for a couple cycles of the Mayan calendar. Perhaps there is a clear and present danger of the "losing money" clause kicking in? 1% chance of staying is a mite overdramatic. TG bangs this point home whenever he's on an TBN chat: there could be a random billionaire who comes out of nowhere to buy the team and keep it in Buffalo. I defy anyone on this board to tell me they knew the name Terry Pegula -- well, unless you were some anti-fracking hippie or a PSU alum/hockey player -- in fall 2010. After the Golisano years (mind you, which were critical in saving the franchise), I would never believe anyone who told me that the Sabres who had an owner who threw Vito Corleone type money at free agents so I wouldn't have to cringe every time July 1 rolled around, who is pouring millions in improving our arena, who cried when he saw the French Connection, who has his team president chatting with fans every other week for suggestions. Granted, the asking price would be four- to five-times higher for the Bills than the Sabres, but the point remains -- there are people out there that we've never heard of who have plenty of money to throw around. I don't want Ralph to pass either, but I'm more likely to agree w/ jw, who puts the odds of the Bills staying at 70%. Not a sure thing, but not wholly unlikely.

I would give anything for a Fergie jersey, when the new ones came out I had heard they were an homage to that era's jerseys (1973-1980s) but unfortunately they look too different to act as an option.

In the same vein, we've played the Brownies at home the last three times (the fourth time, the 2007 snow bowl, was in CLE). Two of these times were the "finishing place-dependent" games where you play the team that finished the prior season in the same place in you [in the other two divisions that you didn't play that year]. If you play one of these two games at home, the other necessarily must be away. It would've been nice though, like this year when we play the whole AFC West, the schedulers would've seen the three-odd straight years at arrowhead and mixed things up a bit. To bring it back to topic, I feel you pick a team that is a) geographically close (as other posters have posted) and b) you don't play regularly in the regular season so you don't tip your hand as to certain plays or personnel. Why we are playing DEN this year I do not know. So in that respect preseason is hardly random.

Heh, I must admit I probably did. But when you get a chance to quote Lloyd Christmas, you don't turn away.

...you're telling me, there's a chance!