Fezmid

I'll flip your question around and ask: Could somebody please answer me this...Why does anyone feel the need to still bash Bledsoe? So what if he gets praised here at TBD? He's a goddam Cowboy and the Cowboys suck...every last one of them including their coach and owner. The bashers didn't mind starting threads during the first preseason game about how badly he played, and even started threads after one of the first plays of the first regular season game. But when he plays well, nobody should talk about him? CW

What did Holcomb's experience mean to the team? "Rallied around him. Looking for something to give not only the offense, but the entire team a spark." "Took pressure off of JPL." "Made some third downs, that's important." How do you get JPL on the field if KH keeps playing well? "Talked to both of them individually, and the team Wednesday, the reason we're 1-3 was not all QB. We havn't played well as a team. JP is a big part of the future of the team and we will work him in there at the right time, and that may be this week, I'm not putting a deadline on it. Any decisions we're making right now are for the team and winning games. We felt last week was a chance to take pressure off of JPL to see if KH could spark the offense." How did JPL take it? "Disappointed, as any player would be. We've made a change twice during a game, and throughout all of these situations, he has handled himself extremely well. Our team recognizes that he has not gone into the tank because of it, he's shown me more leadership because of it, and he understand that we took a step back last week, not in a negative way, but he can watch KH from the sidelines and learn from his experience." Does it work in your favor to not name a starter? "You have to look at their strengths. JPL is young, has some running ability, scrambles, 3rd downs making plays. KH has experience as a backup, as a starter, in the playoffs, you have a guy who has experience over athletic ability, so opponents have to gameplan differently." Division win, another division game this week, what does winning these mean? "It was a big game obviously. We lost 3, so had to find a way to win it. Big game at home, big rivalry, important for our team to get a little momentum. We're a game out, another game against the Jets this weekend, and we need a confidence builder so we can get something rolling, and hopefully this was the week to do it." How did the D do without TKO? Are they getting used to playing without him? "Yeah, Angelo has played well. No serious dropoff at that posistion, the players trust him and know he's capable of playing the position. He's shown it, and as time goes on, the more experience he gets, the better he'll be." Nothing earth shattering. Afterwards, the announcers said that the Bills aren't rebuilding, almost made the playoffs last year, and KH needs to stay in there as long as they're winning and JPL needs to learn by watching. CW

I'll post a recap.

If he makes it, are you going to organize a MSPBB trip to Canton? CW

2-1 team. Let's not give the Dolphins too much credit (and make it harder to catch 'em! ). CW

Tragic, yes, but nothing against officials and nothing during the football game. Don't party with the kids after the game and don't join a gang and you'll be fine. CW

And you meant "days" literally. All six of them. CW

How does watching a college or pro game prove that they watch the play, and not their area of responsibility? This is just silly talk. Also - if you think you can do better, go become a High School ref. It's lots of fun (really). CW

And with what facts are you making that basis? CW

Actually, the refs don't watch the play. The hardest part of being a ref (as I said, I did high school) is to learn to NOT follow the ball, and to only cover yoru area of responsibility. I did line judge a lot, and I had to learn not to watch the ball as it was thrown to a receiver, but instead of just watch the OL for holds, offsides, etc. The refs also do a lot more than "just show up for the game." They're watching game film and such all week as well. CW

I bet Freddy Smith probably counted as a fumble (the PR on the 5 yard line).... That's 4... CW

It's not ridiculous - if you touch the QB on the head, the refs can throw a flag. CW

I remember the first two first downs the Dolphins got were results of penelties on us as well. We had six first downs by penalty, they had two first downs by penalty. http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/teamstats/NFL_20051009_MIA@BUF We fumbled the ball 5 times (and lost 1)??? Wow... CW

Try being a ref at the highschool level and you'll gain a greater appreciation for what the refs do. I can point you in the right direction if you're interested. Overall, the refs do a great job with the games. Yes, they miss stuff, it happens. Moulds dropping a pass is no different than the ref missing a call - they're only human, and you'll never find a ref that is correct 100% of the time. Doesn't happen. Where I find fault is when it seems that the league is trying to help one team win over another. The "Just give it to 'em" game, for example. The first rule you learn as an official is, "If you didn't see it yourself, then it didn't happen." You may think someone was facemasked or held, but unless you saw the infraction, you don't throw the flag. You may think the guy got a first down, but if you didn't see it, it didn't happen. That's what I was taught when I started out (and the guy I worked with at the highschool level is/was an official for Big10 games, as well as smaller college games so I think he knows what he's talking about). Oh, and the refs DO get fined for making mistakes. CW

But it's not the same team beating you 2-0 every week. From what I've read here, one week does not a season make. CW

Yes, they were. Half of them seemed to be offsides! He did miss some though (including the holding on one of the Dolphins' TDs), but they missed some on us as well (including a bear hug against one of the Dolphins defensive players). CW

Buffalo's defense had five turnovers yesterday and only allowed 13 points. To me, that's a great defensive day. However, others are saying, "They had too many yards!" or "They had a high yards per play average!" That's my point regarding the "great defense" being whatever Buffalo didn't do that week. We're allowing 16.6 ppg, and the D has kept us close in every game. They havn't looked "great" every game, but they've definately been good. CW

So if you lose every game 2-0, you don't have a great defense? CW

I love how the definition of "great defense" changes around here. When we don't allow many points, a great defense is one that doesn't allow a lot of yards or one that gets a lot of turnovers. When we don't get many turnovers, a great defense is one that doesn't allow a lot of yards or points When we don't allow a lot of yards, a great defense is one that gets a lot of turnovers and doesn't allow a lot of points. Basically, the only way people around here will think we have a good defense is if they get eight turnovers, allow -14 yards, and get a shutout every week. CW

Exactly. And I did see that bear hug play that the Bills got away with. CW

Everyone else pretty much covered the topic, so I don't have much else to say on that, aside from pointing out that Holcomb was sacked three times and Bledsoe wasn't sacked at all against Philly (or Washington earlier in the year). Bledsoe hardly seems like a "sack magnet," any more than RJ, TC, or AVP were. It's our OL! CW

He's comparing NYC to Buffalo and saying that, in comparison, there isn't much to be distracted by in Buffalo. Why are you getting so upset, he's right! Name two or three things that an NFL player would be drawn to in Buffalo while there for a couple of days (assuming they go to the Ballet AFTER the game). CW

I still think our defense has been fine this year. They've worn down in the 4th qtr, but that's what happens when you're on the field all day. We havn't allowed very many points yet, and that's a very important stat. I don't think anyone can pin any of our losses on the defense this year (although that won't stop people from trying). CW

Yeah, an ankle sprain is a minor injury. Apparantly you didn't like the first rule of holes. See ya in China. CW