Shaw66

Wow! That IS weird.

It's funny. I paid very little attention to when Campbell was on the field, but one play stood out. It was a nice, diving pass break up on a throw up the middle. It was a more athletic play on the ball than we're accustomed to seeing from Edmunds. Not that I'm drawing any conclusions about the guy, but it was a nice play.

I was trying out Sunday Ticket, so I watched something less than a quarter of the game. I was surprised to see him make several plays in the running game, not the classic guy who's joining a tackle. One where he just stuffed a running back in the hole and ended up on the bottom of the pile. A couple of stops, shared sometimes, outside the tackle. He looked more like the linebacker I'd always hoped he become, the Keuchel clone only taller and faster. He wasn't much of a factor in the passing game, so far as I saw. Makes me wonder whether his assignment is different in the Bears' defense. He looked much more like an old-fashioned middle linebacker.

Happy Birthday to our Founding Father!

If the Bills win tonight, the narrative will be the division comes down to Bills and Dolphins.

It worked fine, as I've said. But YouTube has screwed me on the price. Long story, but I bought Sunday ticket at the introductory price, and when I tried to login yesterday, I couldn't. After an hour, their help desk called back and told me my subscription had been canceled, they were issuing me a refund, and if I wanted to watch the games, I had to buy a new subscription. This after I had been told that my subscription was not cancelable. So, they issued a refund to my credit card and I bought a new subscription, (at the regular price) which cost me over $100 more. I spent 2 hours on the phone this morning to get them to refund the difference, and I got the usual runaround. I talked to an agent, a specialist, and his supervisor. They all agreed what they did was unfair, but they have do their own internal investigation. They said at some point, they would email me. BS.

Yeah! I played it when I chose the title!

It was a nice day under the roof in Los Angeles, too.

I liked it too. My wife and I went blind watching the four screen version, but apparently we can do split screen with just two views? One game plus red zone makes a lot of sense. Anyway, I was pleased with it. I bought it just to watch the Bills when I can't get them locally (probably5-6 games a year), but yesterday I quickly found that I will watch it for other games too. I get the Pats-Jets-Giants every weekend, so being able to watch other teams will be a plus.

I think a lot of us are low energy or whatever you want to call it. We're wait-and-see. I think there's solid determination in Orchard Park. It's focused energy, not hyped-up. Tonight will give us a good indication. I'm expecting/hoping for a "take care of business," workmanlike control of the game, with a solid but not overpowering win.

There's no Miller, and there are not a lot of new faces on the Dline, so it it's going to look different, it's going to be McDermott's doing.

I agree about the lines. Watching the Cowboys' lines last night was eye-opening. They were powerful on both sides of the ball. The Bills haven't approached anything like that for a long time. Torrence might help, but as you say, Dawkins (and Brown) needs to step up. Defensive line has to be more dominant.

I had two reactions to the game. First, I think the Chargers' problem is their head coach. I watch that team and I always think they are underprepared. The lack of discipline on the pass interference at the end of the half was astonishing. The Chargers always shoot themselves in the, foot, and usually it's with an AR-47 and not just a pistol. Second, Tua and the Dolphins are really good. Tua is smart and an excellent decision maker, and he is an extremely accurate thrower. It's remarkable how accurate his throws are, over and over. The two throws to Hill to win the game were just two examples, but every throw is on the money. And McDaniel is perfect for him. The Dolphins passing attack consistently gets receivers open over the middle, where Tua's accurate arm can find them. (Tua's arm strength is suspect, and throws to the boundary challenge him, so throwing over the middle is critical). He gets receivers open with unusual formations and routes. Yesterday he was starting a receiver in motion a half-count before the snap, so that the defense was caught reacting to the motion when the snap came. It was very clever - it gave the motion receiver an instantaneous advantage that helped open him up for a short throw. I don't know how good their defense is, but their offense is tough to stop.

You can change your vote. Slick Kincaid!

It was a great move by the Dolphins to be on top of it.

Dolphins called timeout.

Thanks for your help, everyone. I just got a call back from the YouTube help desk (an hour wait, but your can imagine how many calls they're getting) and they told me that they had canceled my Sunday Ticket account when I canceled YouTube TV. Of course, they didn't send me a refund, but the guy on the phone just fixed that. So, now I have to sign up again. Thanks for your help.

Youtube I've logged in. Seems to not now that I paid.

I tried getting on and couldn't. It won't show the locally televised games, and the other games it says I have to pay. I paid months ago. Any suggestions?

I voted for the Cooler, but if I were choosing I'd call him "Slick." Slick Kincaid.

But Chaos says all the evidence from last year says they won't be good enough. Did you watch a different season than he did?

Well, my reaction was that the Lions were running on a lot of positive energy. Their coach is like that, and there was so much hype about them since last season ended. I don't think any win can carry you through the season if you aren't a top team, and I don't think this win and an enthusiastic coach will do it, either.

Actually, that's not unlike how I've felt. I come here often to find out the news, but I'm not watching video or finding podcasts like I was doing last year at this time. Last year I was really wired. Amped up. This year I'm anxious. I don't know what the season will bring. But I've realized that part of the reason I'm feeling this way is that the team seems to be feeling different, too. Last year, early in the year, it felt like some big coming out party, and everyone was having a good time. This year, not so much. This isn't a party, it's a grind, and not just for the players. It is for the fans too, and I think that feeling your having is that you know it's starting - the grind and not the party. I think it was here that someone posted about Urban Meyer at Florida. He said winning was anticlimactic. The accomplishment wasn't the joy of winning the game; it was the satisfaction that comes from doing what needs to be done so that the winning happens. I think successful coaches and players focus on doing those things that need to be done, understanding that the winning will take care of itself. I felt that feeling last spring. I'm a UConn basketball fan, go to some games, watch a few games. Dan Hurley is a lot like McDermott - family ethic, constant improvement, positive mindset, etc. As the season went by, and as the team kept getting better and better, the winning was less and less of a surprise. They got into the tournament, and it became clear to me that no one was going to beat them. It was the result of the work they'd done for the previous six months. I've watched all their championships, and I was the least excited for this one. Maybe I'm just old.

You're just wrong about this. Bengals Chiefs and Eagles last season, best or among the very best in the regular season. Teams with the bye regularly have great playoff success.

It's amazing how much your view is strictly rear view mirror. Nothing wrong with that. "No reasonable analysis can be conducted before the playoffs are over." I get it. It's a different version of Parcells saying, "You are what your record says you are." However, that's analysis of games played. It is true that one can conduct a thorough analysis of 2022 and conclude that the Bills were the third best team in the conference, but that doesn't mean they can't be the best team in the conference in 2023 before the season is over. I can't argue personnel, and changes that teams have made, and the evolution of the game, and whatever, but I know there are plenty of arguments that can be made today that the Bills are better than the Chiefs. Arguments like their offensive line got worse and the Bills O line go better. Arguments like anyone who watched their receivers on Thursday has to wonder about the continuing effectiveness of their passing game. Arguments like they are weeks away, and could be months away, from getting Chris Jones back. What happened last season is a starting point, but there are objective facts that exist today that need to be factored into any analysis of the relative strength of teams.