Rubes

I've been thinking for some time about getting into refereeing kids football around here, but every time I hear stories like this I wonder if I reallly want to take that kind of abuse....

I think that's a really great question, and Brees is probably licking his chops. Especially with Oakland in the running, his value is going through the roof. It would seem that Miami, Oakland, Tampa, and Arizona are probably the most likely teams, although to be honest I agree with you that Oakland and Miami are the most desperate. I don't think the Bears are in the running, since they have Grossman, and I think most folks there are pretty high on his potential. My personal opinion is that Oakland with throw the biggest boatload of cash at him and sign him to a long deal.

The problem came well before that. The play before the pass down to the 2 yard line, the receiver had a chance to go out of bounds, but didn't. We ended up taking a timeout. Then came the pass down to the 2. Time out again. Now we are without any timeouts. The run up the middle was NOT a good call, particularly without any timeouts. Mularkey's comment prior to the half was that we weren't prepared for him to get stuffed. Excuse me? The way I look at it, the first receiver gets out of bounds and we are okay. We call a run outside, instead of up the middle, and we are potentially okay since McGahee either scores or goes out of bounds. Those were two serious screw-ups, and I was livid at the time. I'm happy it all worked out in the end, and kudos to all of the Bills for getting the job done. But this was an example of why the team was losing games previously instead of winning them. It's a fine line between winning and losing, and taking a FG before the half instead of a TD is one of those things that can bite you in the ass in the end. But it didn't, and I'm ecstatic!

I think a lot of our woes earlier in the season stemmed from not being able to perform well in the second half of games. The past few weeks, probably starting with the first Jets game, I'm starting to see a team that is making some really good adjustments at the half. The defense is really starting to step it up in the second half, shutting down some very good teams. And the offensive line is really looking like a group that is starting to wear defenses down in the second half. If this team can figure out how to convert short-yardage situations consistently (particularly in goal-line situations), I think we are definitely on the right track.

If there is anything to complain about today (other than the obvious, Fast "to the bench" Freddie), it is our short-yardage offense. If these guys could figure out a way to consistently convert third-and-twos and third-and-ones, not to mention first-and-goals, this could be a powerful team.

I'm glad you said that, Kelly. I've had a hard time dealing with this place over the past year, because so often it becomes a place of intolerance, venom, and blind ignorance. I like politics (to a degree) and I like discussing it with people who are open to other points of view than their own. I am saddened by the direction our political system is taking, but I've also seen a tremendous number of people become more involved in political discussion and action than ever before, and that is, without question, a good thing.

Ah, I get it. Thanks.

Who was captain questionable supposed to be?

That screen pass play was pretty incredible. Most of the rest looked like a lot of crappy tackling! That said, the kid is pretty amazing.

Beg pardon? I've got some balls to accuse Dubya of trying to further split the country? I fail to see how I actually did that. Dubya's doing a great job of it all by his lonesome. I'm just pointing out what our Dubya said. He said he was going to reach out to his opponents. Then he reveals he's going to reach out to them just as long as they go along with his agenda. But somehow I have the balls to accuse him of something? Your subsequent referral to Moore just reeks of another Pavlovian response of the right whenever Dubya's comments, motivations, or agenda are questioned. As for Gavin's comment, I'm not even sure that requires a response. Unless you've got yourself a monarchy, politics is a give and take process, even with a majority. Just under half of this country doesn't agree with Dubya's agenda. If he wants to force it down everybody's throats, the response should be fairly predictable. As for Dubya's agenda... All during the campaign Dubya kept wailing about "Where's he gonna find the money?" when referring to Kerry's plans. Argue all you want about how Kerry's plans were or were not more expensive than Dubya's. Point is, Dubya claims he's now got a mess of political capital and he's planning on one hell of a spending spree. Those grand plans of his are going to cost a boatload of money that we just don't have. Where's he gonna find the money? Who's gonna get the bill? Not to worry, our kids and grandkids will figure out a way to deal with it. I wonder what real Republicans -- you know, the kind that could actually be called "Republicans" not too long ago -- are now thinking of this administration.

Well, what gets me is that the day after the election, he pledges to work with those who didn't support him. The day after that, he basically says he'll work with them as long as they go along with his plans. I see.

I was hoping he would take the Florida job, so Utah can keep Urban Meyer. Oh well.

Damn I almost spit out my drink when I read that!

Speaking of that, I found a map that shows how everything will eventually be drawn... welcome to the real world

How should I deal with the depression I'm feeling after this election?

Hey watch it buddy

Right now it looks like high of 53, 20% chance of rain, winds about 15 mph. We'll see!

Sue, have you been smoking something funny?

Damn, I was really counting on Rodney coming through for us this year and starting at RT once we move Big Mike over to guard. Plus, I'd get to yell at somebody named Rodney.

I think at this point I'd rather see Cowart out there against us as opposed to Vilma.

There's a difference?

I certainly don't watch it, but as some of you know, my stepbrother is in wrestling. I've heard a lot about wrestling from him, and even put myself through the torture of watching him in person once. It's a silly form of entertainment, but I have some respect for it (not much, but some) for a few reasons: 1. It gave him a great opportunity to make something out of his life. Without wrestling, he would almost certainly be in jail right now. 2. The people in wrestling, for the most part, are really good people; his ex-wife, Sable, is just a real sweetheart. 3. They really do beat the crap out of each other sometimes; he's had multiple (and severe) injuries and surgeries, and frequently gets his noggin cracked open. His body has taken some real punishment from this. That's about it, though. I definitely find it a fascinating yet somewhat sad form of entertainment.

The grandmother statement was classic!

It really is perplexing. You would think these are some of the most motivated individuals, but I guess that stereotype of the politically-motivated college kid is just way outdated. Nevertheless, while I can see the apathy that arises from both of these uninspiring candidates, there are still issues to be concerned with. While the average college kid may not have much to say about health care, the economy, taxes, or the like, you would think there still has to be something to motivate them to vote. The environment? The makeup of the Supreme Court? Views on abortion? It's hard to imagine that they would have so little interest on saying something, anything, about some of these issues. Ay carumba.

You can say that again!