hondo in seattle

BOGO: Two random players in the same story: Min Max Anderson and the incomparable Preston Ridlehuber. When I was 10, the tv announcers reported that OJ's backup, Mini Max Anderson, was taken out of the game because he had broken some teeth and swallowed his tongue after being hit so hard that his facemask broke. I asked my mom if it was even possible to swallow a tongue. When she said 'yes,' for years I suffered a deep and irrational fear of swallowing my own. With both OJ and Mini Max out with injuries, third-stringer Preston Ridlehuber came in. Ridlehuber's main claim to fame was scoring the winning touchdown for the Raiders the previous season on a fumble return with 33 seconds left. But no one in TV Land witnessed the greatest play of Ridlehuber's otherwise dismal career because the broadcast had been preempted by the television presentation of "Heidi." In Buffalo, the Ridlehuber magic struck one last time. Late in the game with both his quick and exciting backs hurt, Coach Rauch drew up a halfback option in the dirt on a third-and-short situation. It was supposed to be a short pass to the TE but Ridlehuber heaved a pass downfield to Haven Moses for a 45-yard TD to win the game. Ridlehuber never touched a football again.

I agree with this. I think Saffold's replacement will be an improvement. We also seem to have better depth at guard this year. I don't agree with: "Brown makes a significant jump at RT" from your earlier post. I want to believe that but can't really justify such a belief.

I'm usually an empirical kind of guy. Facts sway me. But something about Dorsey's performance last year - particularly during the second half of the season (yes, when Josh was playing hurt) - that worried me. His game planning and play calling seemed off... predictable... unimaginative. I'm not ready to condemn the guy but I'd have trouble rating him in the Top Ten. Let's see what he does this year. I hope my misgivings are wrong and he coaches the offense to a stupendous SB victory.

Last preseason, I was confused by all the SB hype because I didn't know how we could overcome our crap OL (among other concerns). Then we started scoring like Wilt Chamberlain on a Friday night. For a while, I thought Dorsey was a genius to cover up our offensive front weaknesses. I think this year's line will be better. It might even be average. I don't expect it to be good but 'average' will be a significant improvement over last year.

It seems to me the attacks on Einstein are not because he "posted some intuitive facts." He's attacked because he sometimes presents himself as if he's superior to others. Right or wrong, hubris tends to attract negative responses. I suspect he'd be better treated by his mafia brothers & sisters if he practiced more humility and kindness. I personally agree with many of Einstein's take. Just not this one. I think it's unwise to fire the coach with the highest winning percentage in Bills history. If McD's record in the playoffs isn't stellar, let's admit his roster wasn't stellar. The playoff teams we lost to had just as much talent as we did. In fact, I don't think there's been a year yet when we entered the playoffs with the most talented roster in the AFC so Lombardi expectations were always a stretch in my opinion. You're right about this: people wear Bills blinders. Some fans are overestimating our roster's strengths while underestimating its weaknesses. With most of the HCs in Bills' history, I thought our chances of winning a SB were slim to none. In the three years since Josh has emerged, I felt our chances of winning a Lombardi have improved to maybe 10% or so - better than most teams but hardly a slam dunk. Both Beane and McD have unfinished work to do and I'd like to give them the opportunity to do it. I'm not calling McD the second coming of Knute Rockne and I don't think anyone else is either. Given the positive changes he's already wrought, we just want to give him more time.

Agreed. Motor's fans point out his comparatively high YPC despite playing behind a poor run-blocking line. Part of Motor's per-carry success was that he was the last weapon defensed. Defenses played pass first, run second. And our most feared runner has been Josh Allen.

I agree. That's why I didn't say the Browns would have surely won. The Bills had a chance. I remember Larry Felser saying Cookie in his prime was as good as Jim Brown. And the Bills' incredible run D would have slowed Brown down if they had played. If only the Super Bowl had started two years earlier - we would have had two appearances and maybe a championship to show for it. And maybe an early SB victory would have changed the trajectory of the franchise.

ESPN polled a bunch of execs, coaches, and players and came up with this Top Ten list for TEs: 1. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs 2. George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers 3. Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens 4. Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles 5. Darren Waller – Las Vegas Raiders 6. T.J. Hockenson – Minnesota Vikings 7. Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons 8. Evan Engram – New York Giants 9. Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers 10. Dawson Knox – Buffalo Bills I'm just a bit surprised to see Dawson squeak into the top ten. www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/best-tight-ends-in-nfl-ranked-by-executives-players-scouts-and-coaches-full-list-here/ar-AA1dOmSj?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5c96caba93df4f4999185e02244fd04c&ei=38

Nice work! Random thoughts... Blanton Collier being listed as a non-winner is a little misleading. He won the NFL championship with the Browns in 1964, before there was a Super Bowl. Had there been a SB that year, the Browns would have been heavy favorites. Marty Shottenheimer is a sad story. 21 years at .631 - you'd think he'd have at least one trophy to his name. Don Coryell win percentage was good but not fabulous: .572. But he would probably be in HOF if he had picked up a Lombardi in his 12 years. Still belongs in Canton because of his contributions to the passing game. Chuck Knox has the 10th most wins in NFL history. As Buffalo luck would have it, none of those wins was a SB.

Good interview. He's talkative and definitely has his own point of view. Clearly loves Buffalo. Funny how he gave the Jets-loving sidekick grief. Favorite quote: "We're a group of men that love each other, play with each other... there are no worries."

As a Buddhist, I'm confused by these Buddhist references.

I'm not sure how much I trust their rankings but maybe so. In any case, Booker was a good Bill. Here's a write-up from Buffalo Fanatics: "The Buffalo Bills signed the undrafted Edgerson as a free agent in 1962 and never looked back. He went on to feature on the AFL’s 1962 All-Rookie Team with a career-high 6 INTs, picking off HoF QB George Blanda twice in his first-ever game as a pro. His man coverage was some of the best in the AFL and his ability to lock down some of the best talents in a league flush with talented, future HoF WRs was vital to our dominant defense. It was he who made our secondary as difficult to throw at as it was. He locked up the opposition consistently in the AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, doing his part to take both trophies home. He was declared an AFL All-Star in 1965 and Second-Team All-AFL in 1969." thebuffalofanatics.com/walking-the-wall-of-fame-booker-edgerson/

I think Booker is on the Wall of Fame.

It's a surprisingly solid list. I was wondering what number I should take when the Bills sign me as the NFL's oldest FA (a mere 64). Seems my chances of being the best at any jersey number are pretty slim but Carwell Gardner might be the weak link.

I hope you're right. Even as someone who worries about their relationship, I think there's been a lot of questionable opinions circulating in the media without a lot of hard evidence. We know about Diggs blowing up on the sideline and having some kind of unspecified issue at training camp. The rest is circumstantial and speculative. Allen has already said there's no problem. I'd love for Diggs to publicly reinforce that. Or, better, see what you described, Diggs and Allen hugging after a big score and then laughing on the sidelines. I think, given our cap limitations, Beane did a nice job upgrading an already talented offensive roster. I'd hate for an interpersonal problem to slow us down.

I'm not sure how much Colin Cowherd ever knows what he talks about. But he's been talking about the Diggs-Allen relationship again: "Once a relationship between a quarterback and receiver goes south, you can't unsour the milk. You gotta throw the milk out and you’re not getting rid of quarterbacks, and in most cases the wide receivers leave. www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/colin-cowherd-bills-are-preparing-themselves-for-life-without-stefon-diggs/ar-AA1dJHiC?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=b392184f52c54283a2b6bdcab0b9bada&ei=24

When I watched OJ, Walter Payton, Joe Montana, or Payton Manning play, I knew I was privileged to observe a HOF talent do their work. I never felt that way about Luck, though I admit the stats are impressive. I vote no.

Years ago, a new coach was hired for an ailing basketball program. The coach quickly turned the team around and got them into the playoffs. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no knack for playoff competition. His team was consistently outcoached and outplayed when it became win-or-go-home. Although the team was winning more regular season games than before, some fans wanted the coach fired. The goal wasn't a playoff appearance. The goal was a championship and the coach wasn't delivering one. They had waited 15 years with this clown. If he was going to win a championship, he would have won one by now. Time for a change, they said. Well, Coach Wooden finally gave them a championship. In fact, he gave them 10 national championships in a period of 12 years. Happily, the UCLA AD hadn't listened to the fans who had wanted Wooden's head. To win a Lombardi, you need a good roster and you need a good coach. But you need the stars to align, too. Because there are variables outside the coach's control, there is no one path for coaches to get to the championship. There are guys like Pederson who won the Super Bowl in his 2nd year as a head coach and then fell into sustained mediocrity. And then there are guys like Andy Reid, who didn't win the Lombardi till his 21st season but has won twice now.

Aaron needs to come out of retirement.

Harris will have more carries than Cook. Sherfield with have more catches than Shakir.

The Bills reach the Super Bowl but many fans still call for McD's termination.

I don't remember this show but it had Scatman Crothers, Casey Kasem, Paul Winchell, Richard Dawson, and other star voice talents.

Agreed. Maybe we'll see some Big Nickel?

That's why we signed Rapp.

Emmit's greatest talent was longevity. He never had a season where I personally thought he was the best RB that year.