MattM

Remember, too, that Boston has at least 5 times the population of Buffalo and a much higher per capita income. Considering that, it's shameful that they can't sell out a playoff game, if that's indeed the case, high ticket prices or not. Methinks we're seeing the beginning of the end here--look at their roster for next year and you see holes all over. Among them: RB--three guys in their mid-30s (Taylor, Faulk and Morris) and one fumble-prone first round bust (Maroney). How many mid-30s backs are there in the ENTIRE LEAGUE? Anyone else suspect PED use here in New England, based on this stat alone? Seriously, I can't think of another 34 year old back in the League, but New England has two of them and I believe Morris is 32 or 33. WR--Who's behind Moss now that Welker's out until at least late October by most accounts? No one right now.... OL--I've read they may cut Light due to Volmer coming on and Light's salary ($4.5 million). If so, despite today's game, I say "welcome to B'lo", Matt! Their other guys like Koppen and Neal and Kaczur are no longer spring chickens, either. DL--Fat Vince is as good as gone, IMHO, and will probably command the biggest FA contract in the League this offseason. Brace has been a huge disappointment to replace him, not even dressing for most games. Warren's been injured and the rest are pedestrian. Need two to three new bodies here if they can't re-sign VW. If they do, there goes most of their FA budget. LB--Thomas is basically gone, leaving them with Mayo and a bunch of nobodies, since I believe TBC is also a FA. Mayo's looked slow this year (still hurt?) and folks who rip on Poz ought to realize that he's got 3 times as many big plays (INTs, FF, Sacks) as Mr. ROY..... Secondary--this group sucks to begin with and will lose Bodden (another FA), their best player. Springs is ancient (again, HGH only works so long) and the rest have been massively underwhelming despite being 2nd round draft choices in many cases. Where are all the Pats* fans talking smack about Chung over Byrd now? Seriously, absent Krafty Bob writing $50 million in SB checks this offseason (a possibility), I suspect they'll win maybe 8 games next year. You read it here first folks. Unfortunately, it's the Jets who are most likely to cash in on the Pats* weakness, but better the Jets than the Cheats* in my book......

What do you all expect with the refs? That was a complete garbage call wiping out the sack. I just hope that after the refs screw the Ravens out of this game that Lewis, Harbaugh, Reed, et al. let the media know what they really think about the thievery that goes on with the Pats* and the referees.....

Plus 1

....b-b-b-but, we're a D-D-D-Dynasty.....WAAAAHHHH!!!

I caught most of it on Showtime--really good stuff......

I hate the Pats* as much as the next non-Pats* fan, but I think this award is typically given to the player who came back from injury (i.e., that's what they mean by "comeback" here--not that they guy was in NFL oblivion for some other reason), but I could be wrong. If I'm not wrong, I actually don't have too much of a problem with his selection.....

Dude, you just gave yourself away as a Pats* fan--only Bizarro World Pats* fans have such hate for the Colts, Dungy and Polian. Most other folks just respect them and the job they've done building a team--like, for ex., last year's team having not a single starter that had played a down for another team. All home grown talent. Kinda the opposite of your team, who EVERYONE else in the League hates for being cheaters. That stuff about bad calls and rule changes is such a joke coming from a fan of the team that mysteriously comes up with more late game changing calls or no calls in their favor--BY FAR--than any other team in the League. Just off the top of my head comes the Tuck Rule, "Just Give It To Them", the complete screw job against the Bills in the first game in 2007 that was so bad it was written up as a joke in TMQ, not mention the 2007 Monday Nighter against the Ravens (make no mistake, if they can take your boys to the woodshed this weekend and rub your noses in it on national TV, they will) or worse yet, the Colts AFCCG in which said original Mr. Pollard was indeed held repeatedly with no calls late in the 4th quarter, right in front of refs, no less (I should know, I've got that one on TIVO). There are more, but time is short. Incredible....

That's a little harsh, considering he didn't do anything illegal, immoral or against the NFL rules on either play. He barely touched Welker and he got blocked into Brady. BTW, what did you think of Fat Boy Vince's hit on Losman then? Cry us a river.....

I hate the Pats* as much or more than the next Bills fan, but even I don't root for injuries, so, no, I wasn't happy to see this. That said, I don't really like Welker as a player, for some of the reasons above, plus the way he handled himself on the way out of Miami--he didn't thank them at all for taking a chance on him, and seemed to bad mouth them on his way out the door, which to me at least, showed very little class (similar to his overwrought displays on the field and his incessant whining to the refs, but that part may come with the New England* territory--after all, when you usually do get all the calls go your way, you may get used to that)......

What you're not factoring into the equation is that NE* is just not that good this year. There, I said it. That D will get blown out by the Chargers, who have a real axe to grind wtih the Patsies*, who have stomped them classlessly in the past.....

Me, too, on the GB bandwagon for next year. StubHub here I come.....

Really? Personally, I suspect that if they end up going out to San Diego, the Chargers beat them by about 30 and rub it in as much as possible, considering the bad blood between those two teams. I'm almost rooting for that to happen personally......

For a guy who relies on his quicks--cuts and the like--his career might be over as well.....

Did you see Football Night in America tonight where he said how special the fans here were to him and how they made him feel wanted and he wanted to thank them by giving high fives along the side line after the game? Didn't think so. He's been a model citizen here this year and those of you who say otherwise, I'm not sure what season you watched. You do realize that everyone grows up at some point, no? Maybe it took TO a bit longer than most, but I do think that a lot of his recent good behavior is just a part of that maturation process, but that's just me.....

None known to man.....

Plus 1

To follow up my last thought, TO gets roasted League-wide for being a "me first" punk, but I'll bet you dollars to donuts that when he leaves Buffalo, he will have something nice to say about the team and its fans......

You MUST be joking--that guy is the farthest thing from classy. Anyone else remember when he signed with New England*? No "thanks to the Dolphins and their fans for taking a chance on me and supporting me, but it's time to move on"--nope, none of that. Right away he started bad mouthing his old team and sucking up to his new one with quotes like "Boy, is this great--I, and all players, always wanted to play for such a great organization. Everyone else sucks in comparison" or some such (and it wasn't really far off of that actually, if I remember correctly). As others have said, I never root for injuries, but that guy is a punk.....

MLB, here we come. Who else likes the sound of the "Buffalo Expos"?

It may be harder in the NFL, but the simple fact that it's happened in the Donaghy case and twice in Europe in major soccer leagues in recent times (the current dustup is small potatoes compared to the Italian soccer league scandal two years ago in which a large number of refs was apparently involved) means it can happen in the NFL, and money is money, it doesn't have to be gamblers calling the shots. Many, many folks have a large economic stake in the NFL and a particular team or outcome. To get to the top in a manner to allow yourself to buy an NFL team you might have to be pretty ruthless, no? Do you think guys like that always stop where the rules tell them to?

See my comments above re: Donaghy, who said the same thing about the NBA. He's obviously got some credibility issues, but he may be right about that part at least. I've watched lots of Pats* games over the years and they get WAY more than their share of calls and players in the League seem to know it (witness Bart Scott and Ray Lewis's outbursts). If only you could get the media, most of whom work for outlets either with direct economic ties to the League via content deals or who need NFL access to do their jobs successfully, to look at this, even as a "it may not be true, but a lot of people seem to believe this", but I've long ago given up on even that......

I thought the PI calls were legit for the most part, but am still shaking my head at the obvious hold on Schobel that didn't get called and am also a bit incredulous on the false start on the TD that was called well after the play was run and over, unlike 99% of false starts which prevent a play from even being run. It just seems that all the flags are little bit "late" whenever we play these guys--ie., let's see if we need to throw a flag to stop a good play here.....

I loved the obvious hold on Schobel on a big pass play to Moss that went uncalled. One of the announcers started to mention it and then just trailed off for some odd reason (to discuss McGee's injury perhaps). It just sounded odd--almost like a producer was whispering into his ear "don't go there." As I noted yesterday in a post, Tim Donaghy on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago said that in the NBA it was common knowledge who the League wanted to win--large market teams--and the refs called games accordingly. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if there's something fishy going on with refs in the NFL, particularly with respect to certain teams like the Pats*. I've just seen way too much over the years watching their games that just did not compute....

In the words of my younger brethren, "Word up". I laughed, too, when I read the "I've been following this team for a decade part".......

Unless they step up their play considerably, they'll be one and done (and may even get really embarrassed by Indy or SD if they do win that first playoff game)......