ATBNG

Please don't make the mistake that the callers to 'EEI are representative of Patriots fans in any way, shape or form. Keep in mind these people calling in aren't at work. I think it's very easy at this point to be very confident in Belichick and the organization that they will again put the team in the very best position to contend for the title, but I agree - it is the players that ultimately must win the games. This is a day that most fans expected would come, but it is not a good day for the Patriots or a good time to be blase about how much of a loss this will be. Obviously, my heart breaks for Tedy Bruschi, but life does not always afford us the opportunity to do everything we wish on our own terms. If his career is over and this isn't a one year hiatus, he hopefully can take solace that his last season was his best as a professional. He also walks out as a much beloved champion who should never have to pay for a drink in New England the rest of his life for all he's given to us out there on the football field.

There is a clear rule here, Ganesh. Congress passed a law post 9/11 that 100% of all checked baggage must be screened either by a human or by a certified machine. Airport compliance to this law is not possible overnight - for many airports, this law altered their internal infrastructure radically. My guess is that Pittsburgh either is not fully automated or was having some issue with their xray/CT systems or network. In Philly, if the bag passes through the X-Ray/CT system and the system can't resolve it as being innocuous for whatever reason, they don't want to bust the lock since they then need to hand inspect it. Your nervousness is not unfounded; always try to carry precious or important items with you on the plane if at all possible. Even at the best of airports those bags get bounced around pretty freely on their trip.

I'm not taking the second bet - they really could be very bad. We actually agree there. Their pass defense was beyond hideous last year. I respect though what McNair brings to the table if he's 80-100% healthwise.

This is one of the strangest board dynamics I've ever seen. Antagonize all the people who didn't like Henry after they trade him, when clearly those people who didn't like Henry couldn't be happier about what had transpired. Again, this is pretty straightforward. No one argued that the Bills should cut Henry versus trading him. The argument was whether they should cut him versus keeping him on the roster as the backup to McGahee. I thought they'd get a fourth for him as well - instead they got a third. So, in my mind, great trade for the Bills - they got more for the player than what I thought he was worth.

I'll bet you 10,000 dollars to your one that Tennessee doesn't go 0-8 in the division.

"A (high) third?" Let's play the season first.

I think you're missing the point. There were three possible scenarios. 1. He gets traded. 2. He gets cut. 3. He stays on the team. No one argued that 2 was preferable to 1. That's illogical. Those that did argued that 2 was preferable to 3, feeling that Henry had the wrong game to be McGahee's backup (because of his personality, blocking, injury history, etc.). Great deal for the Bills - no question about that.

I would take this for what it is - good news. All these publications do is count heads like camp counselors during free swim.

How many actors/actresses from Oz have ended up on Law and Order? 50? I still can't get over Schillinger playing a psychatrist on L&O.

OK - how's this? I liked the old Lindsey Lohan - you know, the one with breasts. Get 'er done, TD!!!!

Dunkin' Donuts has stopped brewing its flavored coffees and now is putting "flavor shots" in them. The flavor is terrible. I want them to go back to the brewed French Vanilla. Get 'er done, TD!!!!!!!!

Actually, that's not true. The Pats fan in me would like it much better if the Bills kept Henry on the roster, because I think he's a very poor fit for you guys at backup RB and he'll be a distraction to Willis and how Mularkey and co. should use/develop him. You're probably not going to use him to spell McGahee on third down with Travis's lack of blocking and receiving skills. If you play Henry on first and second down, you risk Willis not getting the reps/carries he needs to find his rhythm with a new QB at the helm with a vastly different style than the previous one, and you also risk the offense becoming a little bit predictable when TH is in there ("They're gonna run"). Meanwhile, I don't see Henry as the type of guy who will accept 7-12 carries per game and devote himself to executing his role. For the Bills to threaten the Patriots, they have to build a better team than New England, and I think keeping Travis is antithetical to that mission. The Pats fan in me also wished they had kept Drew for what it's worth. I don't dislike the Bills though - I respect them as a good small market team that has a loyal fan base. That's why I post here. As for your psychology on the motivations of BiNYC and VA, I think it is a little insulting to their football acumen - especially coming from the anti-Nostradamus of the board . They're two of the better posters on here, and not because their views on Travis as a football player are in alignment with mine.

I'll use "hue and cry" next time. (Great name!)

No - not exactly. I've consistently said all along he doesn't have that much value. Back in February, you and some others were talking 1st and 2nd round picks for the guy. I also don't think Lamar Gordon is an appropriate analogy because it was a dumb trade by Miami that any of the 32 teams would be loath to repeat. It's like using the Herschel Walker trade as an analogy. Why not use the Faulk trade? Marshall went for a 2, so clearly Travis goes for a 5 or 6.... The sound and fury you have in combating people on something you were clearly incorrect about all along is amusing. BiNYC "gets it" on Travis. The best thing for the team would be to trade him, but at some point if it doesn't happen they should just let him go and focus on developing a young, cheap third down back who will compliment Willis to the fullest. Build a team and don't worry about Travis Henry - he's going to be the same flawed player elsewhere who gathers yards at the expense of extra sacks and turnovers for his team. Focus on doing what's right for McGahee - he is the key to the team's bright future. Keeping Henry also provides some risk to using Willis properly during the season.

MBD - you question the idea that less intelligent players have a harder time grasping the playbook? You think that we need NFL GMs to weigh in on this?

There's no evidence that any of this is true. For all you know, teams could have seen their rookie running backs and been impressed, thus making the trade value of veterans around the league go down. Even if your premise were true, Henry is not one of those running back options that will go "up" in value because he's not an intelligent player and can't just step onto a roster and learn an offense quickly. That's the type of RB that has value in a training camp scenario. The Lamar Gordon trade was ridiculous - can you find anyone that doesn't in retrospect think that was an atrocious deal for the Dolphins? Citing it as a historical precedent for future events is pretty silly.

I think props are more in order - well judged.

He should wear jockey silks.

He's had so many jobs, and so little success. He's a disgrace. I wonder if he and Archie will ever get into a scrap ala Buddy.

Again, this was your quote. Last year they paid around 15.2 million to Law and Brady on the cap - their top two players for 2004. Law, as you know, didn't even play the last 12 games, in which they went 11-1 and won a championship. In 2003, they paid the same two players just over 12 million. Next year, they'll pay Brady 8.5 and Law 3.2 in DM. So, right there they're 3.5 million ahead of where they were in 2004, and even ahead of where they were in 2003. Including the cap going up in value, they'll have more money to spend getting and keeping players than they did in 2004. It's not going to (sic) "effect" them. Have you ever made a post about the Patriots that was remotely accurate? Between that and Travis's 1600 yards next year....

Keep in mind that Ty Law comes off the books - they got almost nothing out of him for a 10 million cap figure last year and still won a championship. Brown was the third highest charge and also is gone. The team is in great financial shape. I don't think you'll find any Patriots' fans complaining - this seems like an outstanding deal. I think Brady could have gotten more on the open market.

Albany - great stuff. Thanks for the well analyzed post (the long one). I'm absolutely fascinated by this race. I also can't wait to see how Bellamy handles the early pace. It seems like most handicappers that I respect are going elsewhere figuring the public is going to pound Bellamy down way too far. I don't think he's going to be able to handle the adversity either. I'm on the High Fly bandwagon myself. Horse just flat out gets the job done, and his price is looking like it will be very attractive come tomorrow. I didn't think High Fly had to do too much to beat Bandini in the FOY. The horse seems to have versatile speed, and he has the best jockey around to take advantage of that. If High Fly has longer odds than Bandini, then I think the bettors are making a mistake just because of Bandini's breeding + connections.

Who do you think should be the third down running back? By calling Travis a two down RB, you're suggesting (something that I agree with) that he's not going to be a productive option as a third down back because his skills don't suit that. Williams and Burns have not shown the receiving productivity at this level to be third down backs, although that's no reason to write them off. Can either one of them do this? Is there another answer out there in free agency? There is some risk at giving McGahee the workload that they did last season, even though he is the team's best running back option on every down. Do you spot Henry in on 1st and 2nd down to mitigate this? Can Henry be effective in this role? Can Henry adapt adequately to having Losman back there in terms of blocking and valve routes? I'm guessing that will eventually be the first solution attempted if Henry is still with the team. Henry's cap number is certainly palatable if he's starting, but as a pure backup who does not play specials, he'll be overpaid, and it's very unlikely he'll be around after 2005.

Not true. You're thinking of Funny Cide. As far as anyone knows, Smarty's boys can swim.

Actually, Milloy is a Brady guy. Ever see "Stuck on You?"