CodeMonkey

The Bills don't have any cheerleaders. The lost 2 home games. The correlation is undeniable.

Weren't many here saying this last week ...

You are too kind sir. They should go F themselves.

Logical in general. But if he had to go back to the tape to discuss the penalty situation yesterday he should retire immediately.

Great read, thanks! They really didn't seem to prove anything with the study one way or the other though. The fact that it was not accepted for publication speaks volumes. This quote from a reviewer sums it up for me: He also called the study's detected advantage for a team trailing in a playoff series "statistically insignificant." But the study was done by economics guys? I'd like to see Nate Silver take a crack at it

True for sure. My sister used to live in jersey and her family were all Yankee fans. It was cheaper for them to drive to Rochester, take the ferry (it existed then) to Toronto, and stay overnight to see a Yankee game there than to get 4 tickets at Yankee stadium.

I added some more content to my post as you apparently were entering yours. As I said, I'm sure it happens but on a individual referee basis.

You mean Tim Donaghy? The guy who went to prison for betting on games that he worked over 2 seasons? The guy who implied that the NBA applied "subtle" pressure to extend some high profile series ... in his book that he wrote and based on that got $5K speaking engagements? That extremely credible source? I believe that there are some refs fixing games in every sport. Human nature sadly when there is gambling and money involved. But it is not league sanctioned in my opinion in any sport. It simply does not make sense when you consider risk versus reward.

I have. And while I have noticed a trend to let more go later in the close games (probably similar to hockey and not wanting to decide the game) I haven't noticed obvious bias to extend a series. I also know some NBA fans and watch playoffs with them from time to time and that topic has never been raised (so far anyway). But I am not all seeing all knowing either, so maybe I'm just not seeing it when it is actually there. But I am not seeing it.

Stars getting the benefit of the doubt is logical and I can believe that happens regularly. And even though it is obvious that 7 game series make more money than 4 game ones, I find it almost impossible to believe that the league directs refs to deliberately favor a team to extend the series. The league has too much to lose if that got out, and it would get out were it true. As to the bolded, that doesn't make it fact. Otherwise it WOULD be true that the refs are against the Bills every game

That's another sport that is tough to call consistently game to game due to the rules. Some contact is permissible, but then at some point it becomes too much and is a foul. How much is up to the individual referees. Also charging versus blocking fouls ... did the defender establish position long enough and so on. Individual fouls rarely dictate the outcome of the games is the only saving grace.

There are actually 6 P's. Piss Poor Performance

i also watch hockey nearly every night during the season (much to the *delight" of my wife ). And I disagree completely. There are very few things that they can even be inconsistent about in hockey. They do let some ticky tack things go, particularly late in the game if the game is close as to not decide the game themselves. For things like offsides if you go look at the replays you will see that they make the correct call nearly every time. And since they now review every goal automatically that ends up being correct as well. I tend to find most NHL games to be very well officiated (though I do catch myself in homer mode sometimes thinking the Sabres are getting screwed ). As a side note, not sure how much I like the idea of challenges this season in hockey, or the new 3v3 overtime. I hope challenges don't slow down the game like they can in football. Only 1 challenge per game per team and if they are wrong they lose their only timeout so I am hopeful that makes the coaches use it very judiciously.

I've said it before and I will say it again. It all starts with the rules themselves. They are currently unenforceable in a consistent manner due to being too anal, and left up to interpretation by the individual referees. Simplify and remove the unnecessary rules. You can't blame the refs for doing the best they can with bull **** rules.

All show, no go. Whatever you want to call it, but that sums up Ryan so far as a head coach in the NFL. All his false bravado bull **** with the Jets, and proclaiming that the Bills would go to the playoffs earlier this season and he has yet to back any of it up on the field. The Bills are 2-2, not 0-4 so no reason to string him up just yet. And it is all new coaches, new system, blah blah blah ... you know the same excuses as every season it seems. But the facts are that they beat 2 bad teams and lost badly to a good team and a mediocre team due to bad play and worse coaching. If the Bills are to make the playoffs this season, and they certainly still could, Ryan needs to get his head out of his ass, get his team under control, and start coaching this team instead of making cute Tops and Dunn Tire commercials.

I think Tyrod is performing to the best of his ability. It just isn't enough. But not only the talent, the coaching also has to perform. Rex has been unimpressive to date. Well on the field anyway. He looks great in all his TV commercials and the interview with Terry Bradshaw today.

If you are really in Webster, go out to Bad to the Bone in Williamson. It's a dive but the BBQ there blows away Dino. So does Good Smoke in ER. But as stadium food goes, Dino would be pretty good.

Simpler than that. The Bills beat 2 bad teams and lost to a good team and another mediocre team. The Giants won because they have the better QB and coaching, particularly HC.

And ESPN just pulls stuff out of their butts

FWIW neither model, FiveThirtyEight or Cortana, have had a spectacular season thus far They should both get better now as more data is available.

These are the kinds of rules I hate. What is the purpose of the illegal formation rules such as this other than to slow down the game?

ESPN (partial) added.

Shady and Sammy likely out should tighten it up a bit.

That's what I found interesting about the CBS picks. Almost all expect the Bills to win, but almost none expect them to cover.

Confirmed. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2015/09/29/deflategate-appeal-tom-brady-suspension-hearing/73050352/