leh-nerd skin-erd

and that was all before, when he was a real man who had an appendix. roethlisberger is so 2005.

Of course Simon, it's explainable. I was just a kid, my 32nd birthday was still a few months off. I kid you not, I'm a Bills fan.

I think the play was going at full speed, I think the return man doesn't know definitively where the ball is going to land, or what the cover man is going to do, and he hits him because that's what he's supposed to do. My recollection was that Leonard was around the 5, but it could have been the 8. Doesn't change anything for me. And frankly, I hate the fins as much as anyone on this board, or anyone in the city of Buffalo, etc. In 1992, I was down in the Miami area on business after the hurricane. I was riding with some people from work and we were within a few miles of Joe Robbie stadium. I mentioned I wanted to swing by, we did, I got out of the car, went over, and spit on the stadium wall. So, it pains me to say it, but I'd bet you the only people who think it was a cheap shot are a select few bills fans.

He didn't signal for a fair catch.

and there was a second shooter dressed like a hobo on a grassy knoll in dallas that day....

I'm not looking for a fight, really, but I looked in the dictionary for the definition of "cheap" and it said: knocking the sauce out of someone who isn't fair game. How can it be cheap if he was fair game? if the ball bounces at the one, Leonard dives into the end zone and knocks it back in and it's downed at the one, Welcher (sp?) gets booed by the Miami faithful. i'm sure he heard them booing Culpepper, and figured "Damn, they'd booing the guy maing $8 mill a year, they'll tear me up".

I can only hope your abnormally large and square-shaped head holds within it a brain twice the size of mortal men. If so, you might well be right.

He's fair game there. Good hit, Leonhard got up, and MOORMAN DROPPED IT IN AT THE ONE!

and while dierdork was blathering about the hit, I was screaming at the television..."IT'S AT THE ONE, DIERDORK...WHAT A PUNT!" Moorman killed 'em yesterday. Jimmy L was simply a scrifice to the god(s) of special teams. It happens.

Interesting point. I as reading an article today and if mentioned PF held a few stunts/packages out of his playbook last week and ran them against the fish. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I had this odd psychic vision where Jerry Gray reads the article late at night, sits up, dials the phone and asks "Can you do that, Gregg? Can you mix up the blitz package like that???". Maybe it's just me.

In a different senario, I'd agree with you 100%. I agree that 16 points wasn't enough production with what all we had going for us yesterday, and that won't be enough in other games. We need to improve the line, and as they continue to play together, I'm confident they will. I don't see it as "lucky", I see it as strategic decision-making. It's like that non-field goal last week (and I supported the decision to go for it), we could have taken half-a-loaf, the coaches wanted to put the pats away. This week, slow and steady was the course. Certainly, one would hope the defense could maintain/contain the fins in Q4 given the play in Q1-3. It wasn't flashy, but it worked. Anyways, I felt our past coaching staff(s) struggled to adjust. After two games, I feel like this collective unit does. Perhapos that's why I'm willing to accept the conservative mindset yesterday. Plus, I have two friends who are fins fans and I always find cause to run into them after a win.

Disagree. Why force something that's not needed? The defense was controlling their side of the ball. It's the second game of the season, on the road, against a division rival. The game plan was effective, it worked, and in week three, we continue to work on rebuilding at 1-1.

[ Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd like to believe that it is possible to be: a) excited as heck about beating Miami on the road, and b) concerned that Losman doesn't appear to be where we would want him to be at this stage of his development, given his contract, his draft status, and our other options at QB all at the same time. JDG 778729[/snapback] You've taken time to write a pretty thorough analysis. Everything written seems fair. As an objective person, the only issue I'd take is that if you're going to keep a Losman meter, it should be updated to be accurate. It's like Dan Blather and his report on the President a while back--it might all be true, but but your motives come into question when certain facts are inaccurate... And regarding his development and where we would want him to be---I'd agree it'd be nice to see him further down the road, but that team last year was in shambles.

Mularkey failed as head coach in Buffalo. I think he showed promise at times, but in the end, he lost the faith of the owner of the team, after or perhaps simultaneously with losing the faith of the faithful. His play-calling here was predictable, it was just uncoventional. 1st and goal from the 2? Why, let's pass it. It didn't seem to work often enough. Honestly, if it had worked, and the Bills flourished, who cares? It didn't work. He had an opportunity to stick around one more year, and if this was his year, and his style worked, who cares? He chose to leave, ipso facto failure-o. So, since leaving Pittsburg, he struggled, finished strong, lost a football team the next year, and is part of a struggling Dolfink offense. It's only 2 games into the season, so maybe he turns it around down there. It's happened before, just not very often. What else matters?

On the other hand, if you have a weapon, you might as well use it. I think we should have used the second round pick we used for RP to pick a coach that knew how to coach. Since we couldn't and didn't, let's let the little feller show us what he can do. It was nice to see some moves yesterday.

I think there are times when I'm an unreasonable fan. But overanalyzing yesterday's game as it relates to JP's performance is a mistake. Evan's had a play on the ball down the sidelines and didn't make it. He had a shot at another one across the middle and missed that one. The interference was called because it was the right call, clearly, and the worst thing you can say about the pass was it would have been close. The TD toss to Parrish was called back, but it was a completion and it would have padded the stats. The way I see, the swing if those plays break our way is another few completions and 60 or 70 more yards passing for JP. While it didn't go that way, we won the game. The defense has given us two chances in two game to compete, we won yesterday and lost last week. Brady and the Pats scored 24 points yesterday, and Miami scored 17 against the defending world champs last week. More work is needed, but it's trending in the right direction.

pearl harbor day...1961. My son commented on my spazariffic reaction to many of the plays of todays game. When I scream at the television "block in the back! block in the back!", when I chant rhythmically "Daun----tay!...Daun----tay!....Daun---tay!", and yes, when I try and do the quick math when we're up 16-0 to reassure myself that the fish are running out of time.... Amen. These Bills are playing hard.

I'm telling you guys, I saw it yesterday in New England and I'll be saying it at the end of the year. Our team played with heart, and while I recognize the need for venting, keep an eye on our team. We played a good offensive line and two good backs (that Rick James lookin mo'fo from New England can roll) with our new defensive system and did alright. Not great, but ok. If the benchmark is perfection, we screwed the pooch. If the benchmark is 90s K-Gun offensive explosivery (a made up word but I'm using it in the proper context here), we sucked eggs. If the benchmark is number one defense in the league, we blow chunks. If, however, the benchmark is a team that played with heart and played to win but was outmatched/out manned, well, we hit the benchmark. It's not time to annoint them as "competitive" or "scrappy" or whatever, but I enjoyed yesterdays game more than virtually any win from last season. I liked most of what I saw from JP yesterday, and the safety aside he had a decent day. I liked alot of what I saw out of the defense, but they came up short, especially on the 93 yard drive that nevery should have been. And, I liked the coaching for the most part, I liked the plan, and it appeared the players like the plan as well. Week One, so far, so good. disclaimer-if the Bills totally suck the rest of the year, someone stole my password.

I give up on the 4th and 1 call. It is not the reason we lost but it sure was a turning point. Time to move on to the next game. 768945[/snapback] Fair enough on 4th and 1. So Teddy is a pilot in too!! No Bob---that's the thing. He's not a pilot, he has no training. The real pilot had fallen out of the plane just before the flyover. Tedy was parking cars for the elderly in the handicapped section when he and he alone saw this. He ran to the top of the stadium and jumped mightily--as only a Bruschi could---and wrestled his way into the cockpit. Once he got in there, he just knew what to do, like, uh, like Flutie just knew how to win, you know? That's why it's so strange....

Geez--I was in the end zone, and here are my thoughts: 1. Absolutely. I was commenting to my son how nice the stadium is. It appears quite massive. 2. There was some of that, but I have to say most around us were decent people. They were pretty engaging, although one drunk Pats fan I can quote as saying "I shwear izz gonna be 35 to nutshin..". At $7.50 a beer, he spent around $77.50, I'd say. 3. True. Like last year with the hit on Holcomb. 4. I struggle with one penalty on the Pats, and crucial penalties at crucial times on the Bills. I swear I saw Schoebel being held a few times, but no one would listen to me! 5-6-7 All dead on. It was a nice day for an upset. One other thought---was the spot on 4th and 1 horrible? I thought it was a bad spot, but can only assume it was ok because I haven't seen anyone on the ledge over this one.

i swore i was leaving this alone. we lost the game. the bills played with heart against a better team. it is never really the missed calls that drive me up the wall, it's the timing of the other calls. the interception/whistleblow/dead play call was horrible and lends itself to supporting conspiracy buffs like me. you can't call a play dead because there are so many things that can happen afterward. fumbles, offsetting penalites, etc. the Royal block to the back on the third and two I acknowledge not seeing. if it's blatant and obvious, it should be called. if it's not called the 95% of the time it happens, why call it in the heat of battle when it can turn games around? the illegal block on the kickoff putting the bills deep in their end, 4th quarter, game on the line....again, those are every game, every kickoff penalties if you want to call them. i saw the play but didn't see any illegal block from where I was sitting. if it was there and obvious, you gotta call it. finally, here was the stat I was looking for...New England-----1 penalty? What an exceptional football team. Holding is incidental in Massachusets.

I just got back from the game at Gillette and was really interested on what the fan's response to the game would be. It's tough to get perspective on all the plays from the stands, and our replay angle was pretty bad. There were a number of things to complain about, if copmplaining is your forte (and mine often is). I left the game pleased with what I saw, understanding this is a rebuilding process. JP handled most of the pressure situations early, although he was on the run in the second half (obviously). The defense was Bradyized at times, but from my angle the two toughdown passes were well covered and Brady threw the ball well. There was a coverage mismatch on the Faulk TD, it seems, but that was at the other end of the field and hard to get the full picture. The Spikes sack was worth the trip alone. The Pats fans were dumbfounded. My observation was the Bills stuck together and were trying to figure out how to win this game. I was tentative about the going for it on 4th and 1, but in the end I liked the call. Last year, I watched them pussyfoot around the Pats all game. They went into the Pats house, went for the knockout blow and missed. No shame in that.; The Pats fans were pretty stumped most of the game, and while it would have been great to leave with a win, it was nice to tell more than a few Pats fans on the way out that "Your team is beatable, we'll see you in Buffalo...". FYI, and keep it between us chickens, I swear I saw Tedy Bruschi french kiss (in a supernatural way, not man-on-man love way) that Warren fellow before the sack/safety. He also was piloting the stealth bomber that flew overhead during the pregame. Let's build on this. There's work to do...

RJ was many things, virtually all recapped here, positive and negative. A wuss, he was not. He was prone to injury, but he always tried to bring his A game. I'm not a Flutie fan, but will acknowledge he was exciting to watc from time to time. Exciting to watch, a large number of fans in his corner, and almost circus-like atmosphere around him....and he still wasn't chosen as the heir apparent to lead the team. Bottom line for me, he was pegged as a guy who couldn't lead long term, and off he went. If Flutie got screwed here, and I don't think he did, the fable is written that he was screwed before that and after it as well. He was overlooked by the NFL. He never got a fair shot. Blah blah blah. The end result is he played a few years, got some shots, and ultimately wasn't deemed consistently good enough to start in the league. I wasn't either, I just found out a heck of a lot earlier in life, and never got the coin that he did.

i attended the pats-bills game last year at gillete, vowing never again to actually go to an opposing stadium and see the bills lose. the worst part last year was not the loss, it was the nickel and dime b-s offensive play calling. i actually had a line of sight on the hit where holcomb fumbled, and see it about every 6-9 days in my dream sequence I have titled "Being a Bills Fan Brings Such Sweet Agony to my restless nights every 6-9 days", or ("BABFBSSATMRNE6-9D" for short). i swore off mularkey. i swore off clements. i wished only that, should we lose, we lose like men, not like girls scouts or those female indian guides. of course, i was back enjoying the agony before long, and will again visit gillette stadium for opening day with my 11 year old. this time, i'm confident we'll at least lose like men, and i'm hopeful for the future. good day, comrades. i think we're outmatched here, too early for the o-line to gel against a well-coached defensive team. brady is as brady does, and that usually means pain. timmo

well, when logic dictates, i really beleive there are 3 sides to every story. in this case, it's ralph's side, cousineau's side, and somewhere in the middle is the truth. this is an interesting story, from his side, and if true would make me rethink his being dead to me. sounds pretty disrespectful, and one could see how a pro athlete's ego would be damaged when treated this way. throw in a lot more money, and it's recipe for a trip to Canada. thanks for that additional information.