fergie's ire

....and that is the problem with fantasy football mentality. It fails to recognize that Sammy may have been the most valuable player on Sunday...certainly the most valuable receiver...because he drew so much attention that it freed up players like Harvin and Wood.

I've heard a lot of people talking about Pittsburgh being a Super Bow contender. People talk about how great their offense was last year and that they had a pretty good record. However, NOBODY seems to remember the schedule that AFC North teams played last year (AFC and NFC south). Only two of those teams had a winning record (and the only really good team was Indy). That was a ridiculously easy schedule. When all the prognosticators talk about Pittsburgh (and Cinti and Baltimore), they seem to forget how inflated those teams records were last year.

Patriots against a team of Satans? I'm taking the Satans and giving the points.

I think some of the most underrated plays were the good runs when EJ was playing. I've noticed over the years that when a more experienced quarterback comes into the game the running game gets better. I remember this was the case when Fitz took over, for example. Not sure if it is the footwork, hiding the ball, calling the right blocking (probably a combination of all of the above) but some quarterbacks seem to be able to create better running games. That wasn't the case with EJ in the past but last night it was. He just seemed smooth and calm. Not sure if it will be TT or EJ... and not sure I care...as long as it is one of those two.

Yes, now that we let CJ Spiller go.

Two years ago a rockies pitcher was going to be out "up to three weeks" because of an appendectomy. Three to four for football does not seem out of the question. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9495509/colorado-rockies-place-rafael-betancourt-dl-appendectomy

The more I watch this competition the less sure I am as to what will happen at the start of the season. I have a sneaking suspicion that Rex and company are screwing with us. Yes, I THINK Meh is in the driver's seat...but I also think that Rex has a history of trying to hide who he wants as a starter. I listen to WFAN from time to time and I remember that a year or two ago the NY media was annoyed that Rex seemed to prize hiding who his starter was over actually preparing the eventual starter by giving him more reps. So, while I agree it SEEMS EJ is fading from the picture...I have this nagging feeling we are being played. It will be interesting to see if EJ gets his turn to start in the third game. Also, I think Rex and company are more comfortable with their quarterback situation than we suspect. Rex loves to defend his players and particularly quarterbacks (remember the Sanchez tattoo) but has almost been bashing the qbs on this team....but maybe that means he thinks they won't need defending? Or maybe this is one of the things he learned from his time with the Jets. I just don't know.

Where are the 2s? Last week they described it as Cassel and EJ working with the 1s (with Cassel getting about 3/4 of the reps) and Taylor with the 2s. If they are just running the same rotation based on seniority, it would seem Taylor and Cassel would work with the 1s, with Taylor getting most of the reps and EJ with the twos....but apparently there are no 2s today.

Understate much?

The only player I ever met was one Kirby Jackson at a Montgomery Ward opening in Watertown, NY. Even though it was one of those autograph signing events, and he was in the middle of rehabbing (a knee, I think), he was very friendly and gracious. I was one of those handlers he speaks of and was put in a bad situation because the people running the event posted the wrong time in certain places and he was gracious enough to stay longer because of the mixup and saved the store (and me) from having to face some pissed off members of the public. Very nice guy.

Tuel time, baby!

I seem to remember that at one point two years ago, despite all the Kiko love, that there was some talk that Manny Lawson was our defensive MVP. Last year, he just seemed lost.

I keep thinking back to EJs first pre-season. I remember a game when the offense was terrible and couldn't do anything. Then EJ ran a great two minute drill. It came out afterwards that the communication to EJs helmet had gone out and so EJ had to run the offense on his own...and it was the best they looked all pre-season. That should have told us something right there.

Yes, and Bill Polian was on Mike and Mike saying that "more probable than not" is standard phrasing that the NFL uses in these reports in order to say that that standard has been met. In other words, "more probable than not" is there way of saying "guilty" based on their standard. It is not "dubious" wording in the way that Brady's agent, among others, has tried to characterize it.

Everybody seems to be missing the real earth shattering news from that Baton Rouge news clip. Apparently, our new coach is this guy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/rex-reed-vhs-2-review_n_3574972.html Dang it. That is NOT who I thought the Pegulas signed.

I'm thinking Charlemagne at Roncesvalles.

I would agree. In fact, I think the general perception is that Eric Wood is one of those "good guys." My nephew, who is the type who gets along with just about everyone, went to high school with him. When the Bills drafted him, his comment to me was "not a fan." He made it clear he thinks Wood is a big time jerk. Wouldn't go into details...but for my nephew to act that way, I suspect he was not a very nice guy. I went to the University of Kentucky with Carwell Gardner...a great fullback during the Bills glory years. At Kentucky he played defense and was a walking 15 unnecessary roughness penalty and then got booted off the team for beating a kid with a vacuum cleaner pipe during a frat party. Oh yeah....and let's not forget the man who was the face of our franchise for a while...and generally considered to be a model citizen....one Orenthal James. You can't worry too much about liking a team because they are "good guys" because, for one thing, you just don't know....and for another...you watch them play football, not be citizens.

Seems there has been a real shortage of rumors this year. Seems like last year...and in the strike year when they started the 3 day negotiating period...there were a lot more rumors flying about. For our part, do we have teams staking out the airport around the clock? Who is tracking Pegula's plane? I'm jonesin' for some news.

Easley has been a great special teams player and, as a receiver, we have seen flashes in pre-season and training camp. Honestly, I think if we had a guy who could get him the ball he could be an effective receiver. So, really whether we re-sign him or not is really much more about EJ and his abilities than it is about Easley.

Prior to the 2013 season, most considered the Jets to have less talent than any team in the league, but somehow managed to go 8-8. This past year, the did make some additions with free agents and trade, but by all accounts had a terrible draft. It seems the lack of talent caught up with them.

And the NFL doesn't require teams to hire minority coaches....only to interview them...so why not?

+1 I thought it was a stupid rule when it was first enacted for the reasons cited above...but it was soon clear it worked. One of the problems was not so much overt racism as an ol' boys network. What happened is that front offices would decide on a coach...usually a big name...but be forced to bring someone in for a token interview to comply with the rule...and often they were impressed. Even though they would go ahead and hire who they had predetermined they would hire, they would spread the word that this guy they had in was really impressive...and very soon there were a lot more minority hires.

While I don't think that his problem with the media is what made him quit, I do think that his thin skin led to some of his coaching struggles. He received a lot of criticism about fourth down...and then went for it on a fourth and four early in the game...and when it didn't work out, he refused to go for it late in the game. A number of times, it seemed like Marrone would do something based on criticism he was receiving...but didn't really believe in it and would revert back. He never seemed to have a strong and clear philosophy, which I think is part of his/Hackett's problem. Though, on the other hand, other times he seemed unwilling to "cave" to popular consensus (as with refusing to put Urbik for such a long time). And then there was the weird press conference personality change into a monosyllabic Bill Belichick clone. He just seemed too worried about what the media/fans had to say about him.

I remember Lynch commenting that he was a prisoner in his own apartment in Buffalo. He felt like he was under a microscope and was constantly watched and if he put his toe over a curb he would get arrested for jaywalking. Now, he may not have really been under such scrutiny but he FELT that he was...and made it very clear he was really unhappy in Buffalo. The Bills could have backed up a truck full of money and unloaded it on him, and he still wasn't going to stay here. So, regardless of what kind of runner he has become...it was never going to be for the Bills. The front office managed to get something for him, which, under the circumstances, was about the best we could have hoped for.