Offside Number 76

I wouldn't mind the Bills actually spending some real coin on a 2-year deal for Heap, some real REAL coin on Gaither, retaining Poz (unless they can improve there, and I'm not sure they can), and calling it a day.

It's about Belichick. Geez. If he had called it "Between the Lines," instead of "Between the Lies," would it have been more freaking plain? (Only half kidding.)

Agreed to a point...he's a decent filler who might be good if surrounded with the right teammates. He's the Jochen Hecht of football.

He always was going to do it. The real shame lies in the fact that he absolutely could have floated their pay across the lockout, but didn't. These are people without millions of dollars. But apparently, a lot of NFL owners pulled the same ****, so whatever.

Of course there's Brett Favre talk. Seemingly there will be Brett Favre talk as long as (1) there's a football league and (2) he's alive. But there's something funny with Mike Florio's latest: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/23/report-eagles-interested-in-brett-favre/ That's not a picture of Favre. (Hover your mouse over the photo and you'll get the description, "favreimpersonator.") Instead, the website--on purpose or accidentally--references this video: I hope it's on purpose. That would be hilarious. Note: There's a word or two in the video that may (but probably shouldn't) be offensive to some; think of the first name of a former Bills head coach and you're on track...

You said it before I could. I know what the recent Supreme Court ruling said, and I also know that the reality is that it's one business, albeit one with franchises that compete against one another. Also, anyone who is against revenue sharing should take a serious look at MLB and the English Premier League. Is that what we want?

Well, his brand already is destroyed, isn't it? And even if it isn't, if he thinks he can make a point that athletes don't give up their right to express opinions simply because of sponsorship deals, and he wants to put his time and his money where his mouth is, I can admire his commitment to making the business world a little more friendly for other players (there's the Curt Flood comparison).

1. How many future deals is this really costing him? 2. Maybe he's the type of guy who would rather stick to HIS (not mine, yours, Champion's, but his) principles than get paid. Like a Curt Flood type. Nothing wrong with that.

I remember that very well. I was deeply offended... ...that anyone in my country is that stupid. (I have since been similarly offended on innumerable occasions.)

Without knowing what services the other counties provide, I'd guess there's a one-word answer to this: Medicaid.

Sevens is kind of like Arena football.

Only semi-pro, AFAIK. What I'm watching is English, and it's definitely a replay (since it's about 2am over there). It's still better than post-'94 baseball.

Since 1994, the game has been a freaking farce. I'm not watching; I think that ESPN missed a golden opportunity by showing Friday Night Lights instead of something live. TWC13 has rugby; I'm lovin' it.

Just watched it about five more times, because, well, why not? Anyway, look at Rapinoe after that kick; she looks JUST like a QB trying to see what happens with the pass. The whole damned thing was a football play but with a head, instead of hands at the end, and with the pass coming off of a foot and not an arm. And it was freaking perfect.

That's a good comparison.

So much. And not getting enough credit, IMO. If it were a different kind of football, Rapinoe would be the quarterback, and all we'd hear about is the beautiful pass just over the cornerback's hands and right on the receiver's numbers. (Now, imagine doing that with your foot.) To be sure, Wambach got to the right spot, called for the ball, and buried it, and she definitely deserves the credit she's getting. I just wish Rapinoe were receiving more attention than she appears to be receiving. That cross was absolutely SICK.

Losman wasn't overhyped. There was no hype.

"[N]o head coach is capable of doing more with less than Gailey." So he's the Lindy Ruff of the NFL. Hopefully his roster will improve like the Sabres' roster is improving.

Yeah, this is what's going to happen--but with fists instead of guns.

This, and West's post, are troubling. If the author can't stand the criticism, he should simply disable comments on the site.

Guess not.

Ditto.

Yes, but HSBC Arena found a way (I know Rich is larger, but they could set up several similar corrals). There are ways to accommodate both smokers and those who are over-sensitive to cigarette smoke--in fact, the smoking areas of years past were one such way--but the Bills have chosen not to. Which is fine by me (as I've said before) but I think there are going to be some really aggravated people who start trouble in the short term. In the long term, of course, people will just get used to it.

Here's the difference: When a smoker steps outside of one of those places to light up, they let him or her back in.