R. Rich

Sorry; no room.

I didn't vote. I also didn't watch. Willingham did get a bit of a raw deal by that school, but if he was going to go to UW to prove he can get it done, so far he hasn't. Of course, that school continues to show they're a second tier team in college football. That won't remain the case forever, but I feel that it will 'til they get more talent and maybe once they get a better coaching staff. I'm still not sold on Weis as a head football coach.

FINALLY! A win @ the shoe!! As critical as I've been of the linebackers this season, I have to give Navorro Bowman his props for a stellar performance last night. TOSU's defense was as good as I've seen this year. A team that has looked listless and unathletic in other games (Ohio U comes to mind) really got after it last night. The D line gave PENN STATE's O line fits all day, and that's something I didn't expect to happen. This was a great game to watch if you love defense like I do. Now they've got to go to Iowa and take care of business. The Hawkeyes have dealt out some heartbreaking losses to PSU over the years, so they'd better stay focused.

I dunno, Ned. I'd say 80% of the people @ RICH, during a game, spend their time getting up to go to the restroom, then back to their seats, then back to the concesison stand to get more of that watered down filth they claim is beer, then back to the restroom in their weekly Sunday ritual. And of that group, I'm quite sure most of them are under 30. Of course, I don't know how much of the game they actually see, but...

Sorry 'bout that, old timer. Forgot my place.

To each his own. If it's not all that to you, that's fine. To many, myself included, it is a rivalry. It can be all things to all people, you know.

Aside from the obvious ones this week (like PENN STATE-TOSU and Georgia-LSU), here's a few I'll watch/tape/tivo: Game #1: Boston College @ North Carolina Why this game?: The Heels are a fun team to watch. Butch Davis is another one of those guys who is probably a better fit for the college game than the pro game (Pete Carroll, Chan Gailey, Nick Saban also come to mind) due to their ability to recruit and upgrade a program's talent. BC isn't too shabby either. For a team that lost the conference's player of the year, they're putting up some points and playing well defensively, too. It should make for a fun game. Player(s) To Watch Out For: Chris Crane is not of Matt Ryan's caliber, but he's shown in flashes the ability to make big plays for the Eagles. UNC's Cameron Sexton choked down the stretch last week, but is still their leader and is a solid QB. Sucks that BC's Brian Toal broke his leg and is done for the year. They will miss that guy, for sure. Prediction: After keeping Va Tech to just over 200 yards last week, they get to deal w/ UNC's talented young group of playmakers. W/ Toal out for the year, it's a tall order and I don't know if they can accomplish it. North Carolina 30-Boston College 17. Game #2: Oklahoma State @ Texas Why this game?: Texas is on a roll. Offensively and defensively, they're playing very well. Their defense will get tested for sure by Ok State's offense. It should be a great matchup. Player(s) To Watch Out For: Is there any QB in the country playing as well as Texas' Colt McCoy right now? I don't think so. Man, this conference is loaded w/ QBs! Zac Robinson may not be playing as well as McCoy is now, but he's not playing poorly by any means. Unless you consider nearly 1,500 yards and 14 TDs to only 4 picks is "poorly". Watch also for Dez Bryant, the playmaking wideout for the Cowboys. Also, from a selfish Bills fan standpoint, I'll be watching to see if this is the game where OSU's TE Brandon Pettigrew comes back to his 2007 form. He's got the size, hands, and athleticism to be a very good receiving TE in the pros. We'll just have to see if he can put it all together. Prediction: It's hard to see the Cowboys coming up w/ this win, considering the roll the Horns are now on. They may be young and dumb enough to do it, as they won't know they're not supposed to beat the top ranked team. Still, I think Texas will have just a bit too much for them. Texas 37-Oklahoma State 24 Game #3: South Florida @ Louisville Why this game?: Hey, USF is the team I said I was going to try to watch when I could this year, and I'm sticking w/ that. The Pitt loss notwithstanding, they are still a pretty damn good team and they could get back up into the top 10 w/ an impressive enough win this week vs the Cardinals. Player(s) To Watch Out For: USF QB Matt Groethe isn't flashy, but finds a way to just get things done. He's also pretty versatile, w/ 1,500 yards passing and another 300 rushing this year. Louisville signal caller Hunter Cantwell is struggling a bit, but can light it up if USF isn't careful. I like to watch the entire USF defense, in particular DE George Selvie, 'cause they are tough! Only 6 teams in the nation and none in the Big (L)East keep opponents to fewer yards per game than the Bulls. They also got LB Brouce Mompremier back from his neck injury. I'm wondering what the deal is w/ LB Lucas Darr and DB Danny Verpaale. Both are out and may be out for quite a while. Prediction: I don't see this one being too close. USF is loaded on D, and Groethe is having a pretty good year leading their offense. I guess anything can happen, but I'll believe Louisville can get this win when I see it. South Florida 34-Louisville 13. Game #4: Virginia Tech @ Florida State Why this game?: Two of the ACC's top teams going head to head for the division lead. Yeah, yeah, the ACC isn't what it was, but there's still some quality teams in there. Both of these teams are playing well right now and this game should really be competitive. Watch for the 'Noles to continue to add balance to their offense, as they are starting to get more stability form the QB position to go w/ their formidable running game. Player(s) To Watch Out For: FSU QB Christian Ponder has picked up his play and helped to elevate the offense by doing so. He has over 300 rushing yards to go w/ his 900-plus passing yards. Only a sophomore, this kid may just be scratching the surface in terms of his ability. Va Tech's Tyrod Taylor also can run and throw, but can still be a bit erratic in terms of his passing. When he's got his confidence going though, he's a pretty effective weapon for the Hokies. Defensively, I liked what I saw out of FSU's DE Kendrick Stewart earlier this year. He's up to a couple sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss on the year. Considering how screwed up their D line was w/ suspensions and all, he's done well. The guy who you really should watch though is senior LB Toddrick Verdell. This guy is a flat out stud of an athlete who can make big plays @ any time. Prediction: We'll see how much the loss to BC has effected Va Tech this week, but I have a feeling that it did a lot to, as former Buffalo Bills head coach/philosopher Hank Bullough would say, take the "sails out of their wind". FSU is playing very well defensively and I think this could come down to the two QBs: one who seems to be on the rise in Ponder and one in Taylor who can hurt a team, but is a bit of a loose cannon in terms of consistency. Florida State 24-Va Tech 16

Has the game started yet? I can't see; I need my reading glasses. Somebody bring me a blanket. I'm cold. Where's the Metamucil?

For some of us Bills fans, it will always be THE rivalry. Period. 0 for the 1970s

The weather was fantastic for Sunday's game! Considering how damn cold it was the day before when I went to the UB-Army game, I was pleasantly surprised. The power outage thingy kinda sucked, but then again, we (my friend Mike and I) got there a few minutes after kickoff, so we didn't miss much action. Thanks, tards w/ balloons. Trent Edwards really did a great job of moving the chains and minimizing mistakes. That's exactly what the Bills need to go from pretenders to contenders. I also like how they're spreading the ball 'round and using the backs and TE more. Speaking of, props to Robert Royal on his performance! Sure you players don't read the papers, watch TV, or surf the 'net to hear what people are saying. Ya think the passion he showed wasn't in any way fueled by the Gonzalez rumors? Marshawn Lynch is really impressive. I can't kick it on the O line this week too much (usually I'm blasting 'em for not opening the rush lanes for Lynch enough), as the opportunities were there this week. Duke Preston, another TBD whipping boy, did an admirable job @ center this week. It certainly looked like Edwards had more of a throwing lane in the A gap than he's had recently. Langston Walker did a good job of getting out on Lynch's TD run. Of course, Fred Jackson's planting of Quentin Jammer was even more impressive on that play. What a novel idea it was to bring some heat up the middle this time instead of relying on our outside guys (DEs, OLBs) to beat people off the edge. Kawika Mitchell owned the Chargers due in large part to this strategy. I also liked how they mixed it up a bit. There were a couple plays where I saw Mitchell fake a delayed blitz and dropped back into coverage. On one of those, the slot receiver caught the ball but Mitchell was there to stop the YAC from getting ridiculous. The other one? That pick @ the goal line that went a long way toward getting the Bills the win. Great job. Is Fred Jackson a great weapon for this offense or what? The block was great, but also his running is a great asset and makes for a terrific one-two punch w/ Lynch. He's becoming as versatile and vaulable to the Bills' offense as Kevin Faulk has been for so long w/ New England's. Nice effort from Ryan Denney too. It's refreshing to see the RDE go inside a few times and either get the pressure or stymie a running play. Hopefully we'll see more of that from Schobel when he's ready to go. Speaking of run defense, is it really true that LaDainian Tomlinson is a running back for the Chargers??? Props to the outside guys on eliminating what has been a glaring weakness of the Bills' defense: the running plays to the outside. Keith Ellison and Mitchell were outstanding in keeping things contained and Posluszny did a nice job of pursuing plays all day. This may be the best overall effort from our LB unit all season. I noticed a few comments on McKelvin's play after the game. I'd love to see his guy end up w/ 0 catches too, but we cannot expect him to cover for 6-8 seconds and still make the stop. While our D did a tremendous job of keeping the running game in check, we still need more heat from the outside guys, especially on obvious passing downs. Once we see that w/ a high frequency, then I think we'll see guys like McKelvin, McGee, and Greer get after it and maybe even come up w/ some game changing turnovers. Welcome back, Roscoe Parrish. You were missed. Hopefully, you'll come up w/ some daggers to the hearts of our division opponents in the coming weeks. So, the Bills are 5-1, eh?

I'm on my way up to Buffalo for the UB-Army game and tomorrow's Bills-Chargers game. Man, do I love football season! Don't be so sure 'bout PENN STATE beating your Wolves. I'll believe it when I see it, as they've lost 9 straight to Michigan. I sure hope w/ this year's team that they will win, but I'm not counting it 'til it's over and they've scored more points. The Michigan State-TOSU game is also one to keep track of. Both teams are upcoming on PENN STATE's schedule, and they will be tough games. This 3 game stretch coming up, Michigan, @ TOSU, @ Iowa, really concerns me. Those teams have been the biggest thorns in PENN STATE's side in terms of Big 11 play in recent years. No mention of Mississippi State-Tennessee? I know they're not dominant programs, but I really like how hard the Bulldogs play for Sly Croom. They give teams fits (see Vanderbilt), and are entertaining to watch. Sometimes you get to see great games 'tween not so highly ranked teams. Case in point: the East Carolina-NC State game earlier this year was the best college game I've seen this season. Good post, MV. Everyone enjoy Week 8! I'm outta here.

A co worker just told me that he read that Levi Stubbs, lead singer of the Four Tops, also passed away today.

Nah. That's the overrated receiver Michael Crabtree. Yeah, yeah I know; he's no Jeremy Maclin, but...

Draft a corner? We should just trade that pick for 5 2nd round picks and 3 3rd round picks, plus snag an All Pro caliber TE and center in the process.

Mmm......perch!

Fidelio

High Anxiety is an underappreciated favorite of mine. "Forget 'bout the Wentworth murder...accident, I said accident!"

I tend to think of it more along the lines of my favorite film, "The Hustler". Two guys play a big money pool game. When the stakes get real high, one guy asks for a bottle of whisky and a glass w/ ice in it. The other guy asks for a bottle of whisky, no glass, no ice. Both of them drink heavily during that game, but one of them, the one who asked for the glass w/ ice, walks away w/ all of the cash @ the end of the game. How does that equate to this discussion? It is possible to drink and not drink to the point of nausea. It's possible to enjoy many alcoholic beverages and yet still be aware enough to actually watch a game and know what's going on. I go to games and tailgate and drink as much as anyone, but I don't go there looking to drink a certain amount or to try to drink faster than anyone. By the end of the day, I've enjoyed not only the alcohol, but also the game.

Their defensive failures, in particular the head coach's impatience w/ any defensive system (hence his defensive coordinator carousel) is one of the main reasons Denver hasn't been the elite team many think they should be. Drafting Trueblood and Joseph instead of signing Dockery and Walker still doesn't fix the glaring deficiency on the O line: the center position. I know you like the moves, William, but if the Bills make those instead of the Bucs, we still have a smart but physically weak center who can't hold up @ the point of attack.

I think the better question is why would anyone want to "drink to get drunk" and then try to watch a football game in the first place? Seems like a colossal waste of time and money to me.

Verbal abuse is fine, but when it goes over that line and drunken idiots do things like toss lit cigarettes in the direction of opposing fans or throw beer on them, that's stupid. Too many times I've seen that kinda crap @ Bills games. If someone wants to verbally tease my wife (a Bills season ticket holder, by the way) when she attends Bills games in her Steeler gear, that's okay. I don't recommend it going any further than that though.

Well said.

Nobody pukes up their guts prior to the start of a game like Bills fans.

dyeing

It's a shade less silly than taking any of this stuff seriously, I believe.