"Never felt so good about a loss" someone posted on twobillsdrive.com an hour or so after the game. I do not feel good right now but it's because of last night's Ronin Warriors dragonboat team end-of-season party. Too much red wine. Way too much. Thanks to our hosts Agenes and William for opening their swanky condo to all of us. Lots of fun.
So, I figured I would nap on the couch as the Ravens opened up a big lead and put the game out of reach early in the second quarter then I might be feeling a bit better for the Patriots game at San Diego. But I didn't nap at all as the Bills played way over their heads and almost won this game. Ryan Fitzpatrick shredded the Ravens fearsome defence in the first half as the Bills took a 24-10 lead before Baltimore scored 10 points leading into halftime. Then, after their usual 3rd quarter collapse, they answered the Ravens with 10 points of their own to send the game to overtime. A questionable call on a turnover (and the meaning of "forward progress" will be debated for the next few days) and they lost again but it was a very entertaining game.
The season is going nowhere anyway so the loss was not nearly as dissapointing as it would have been if the Bills were decent and still had a shot. The Panthers won so the Bills have the inside track on the first pick in April's draft. They are hard at work trying to find the next Peyton Manning so let's hope that they do not end up picking the next Ryan Leaf. Having the first pick overall creates pressure to pick the right player but also presents numerous other challenges like getting the player signed. Having the first pick also means having the 33rd and 65th (and 97th and so on at the top of each of the 7 rounds) overall picks so a good draft class for 2011 is certainly possible and much needed.
The Bills are at Kansas City next week then "home" to the Chicago Bears at the Rogers Centre. I am virtually certain that they will not go winless this year. Today's effort is evidence that they do have some talent and they have not given up.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Jaguars 36, Bills 26
A beautiful weekend in the County. I rode maybe 100km over three days - from Lake on the Mountain to the north, Little Bluff Conservation area to the east and the foot of Brewers Road to the south. We had a lovely turkey dinner on Sunday but I ate too much once again and felt bloated for hours afterward.
We left around 1pm Monday and encountered heavy stop and go traffic on the 401 all the way to Oshawa. Then the engine on my brand new (5 months) Mazda 5 quit about 500 metres east of Harmony Road. I was in the left lane and the accelerator just stopped having any effect as the engine was suddenly starved of fuel. I had only my remaining momentum to get off the road so I had to pull off on the left side - in the middle of the divided roadway. The east bound lanes were travelling at full speed 10 feet to our left and there were 3 completely full lanes of holiday weekend traffic in the west bound lanes so we were trapped in our vehicle. The only way out was by towtruck.
An OPP officer tapped on my window as I was tring to call Mazda Roadside Assist. He explained that we were in a very dangerous position and that I should call a towtruck and request priority or he would have to do it for me. I got through and a CAA truck was dispatched with an ETA of 30-40 minutes. I made sure that the towtruck on its way had room to accomodate 6 souls - 3 people and 3 dogs. The officer had to leave "to deal with people on the roadway" somehere ahead so we were left to wait. And wait we did. The dispatched truck arrived after about an hour but not before 2 other roaming towtrucks stopped and tried to "help us" with our predicament. The traffic was both interesting and scary to watch as we waited. The speed changed constantly and ranged from about 20 to 80km/hr or faster at times and when it got to 80, with hundreds of cars whizzing past every minute and clearing our right side by about 3 feet, I was really missing having the OPP cruiser behind me.
2 of the dogs ended up riding in the car and appeared none the worse for wear afterward. We were able to get a tow right to Gyro Mazda on Laird and took a cab home from there. The whole journey took 6 hours.
At no time during the hour or so that I spent watching a constant stream of traffic in my rearview mirror did I think about the Bills and all of those tickets I have for their remaining home games.
We left around 1pm Monday and encountered heavy stop and go traffic on the 401 all the way to Oshawa. Then the engine on my brand new (5 months) Mazda 5 quit about 500 metres east of Harmony Road. I was in the left lane and the accelerator just stopped having any effect as the engine was suddenly starved of fuel. I had only my remaining momentum to get off the road so I had to pull off on the left side - in the middle of the divided roadway. The east bound lanes were travelling at full speed 10 feet to our left and there were 3 completely full lanes of holiday weekend traffic in the west bound lanes so we were trapped in our vehicle. The only way out was by towtruck.
An OPP officer tapped on my window as I was tring to call Mazda Roadside Assist. He explained that we were in a very dangerous position and that I should call a towtruck and request priority or he would have to do it for me. I got through and a CAA truck was dispatched with an ETA of 30-40 minutes. I made sure that the towtruck on its way had room to accomodate 6 souls - 3 people and 3 dogs. The officer had to leave "to deal with people on the roadway" somehere ahead so we were left to wait. And wait we did. The dispatched truck arrived after about an hour but not before 2 other roaming towtrucks stopped and tried to "help us" with our predicament. The traffic was both interesting and scary to watch as we waited. The speed changed constantly and ranged from about 20 to 80km/hr or faster at times and when it got to 80, with hundreds of cars whizzing past every minute and clearing our right side by about 3 feet, I was really missing having the OPP cruiser behind me.
2 of the dogs ended up riding in the car and appeared none the worse for wear afterward. We were able to get a tow right to Gyro Mazda on Laird and took a cab home from there. The whole journey took 6 hours.
At no time during the hour or so that I spent watching a constant stream of traffic in my rearview mirror did I think about the Bills and all of those tickets I have for their remaining home games.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Jets 38, Bills 14
This was my first trip to Orchard Park this year. A rainy, grey and cool day that seemed more like November weather. And the Bills season can't get to November fast enough as it feels like the team's spirits and those of its fans have reached an all time low ebb. The WGR guys said it best: if you look at their roster, they just don't have any good players. CJ Spiller is really the only player who could be considered safe as they spent their first pick on him this year. As Dick Jauron used to say, it's hard to win in the NFL but it's even harder without at least a few good players.
As I try to make sense of the train wreck of a team, the most glaring thing now seems to be all of the draft busts. Spiller has great potential for sure but last years's No. 1, the pass rushing specialist Aaron Maybin, is total crap and could be out of the league by next year. Leodis Mckelvin looked awful against Braylon Edwards today and Donte Whitner looks bad now as well. Then there's Trent Edwards, John McCargo, JP Losman, Mike Williams - and many more. The team looks like a collection of second stringers who provide no reason at all to be even slightly optimistic. Could Buffalo be heading toward the first pick overall in 2011? Could they be the second team in the last three years to go winless over 16 games?
We used the Whirlpool Bridge both ways on this trip which worked well to remove the stress of potential delays. The view up the vast gorge to the north with the churning rapids below is really spectacular. We left (along with many others) at 31-7 and we were home by 6pm. Is there any way that I will even be able to give the Jacksonville tickets away? And How about Detroit or Cleveland?
As I try to make sense of the train wreck of a team, the most glaring thing now seems to be all of the draft busts. Spiller has great potential for sure but last years's No. 1, the pass rushing specialist Aaron Maybin, is total crap and could be out of the league by next year. Leodis Mckelvin looked awful against Braylon Edwards today and Donte Whitner looks bad now as well. Then there's Trent Edwards, John McCargo, JP Losman, Mike Williams - and many more. The team looks like a collection of second stringers who provide no reason at all to be even slightly optimistic. Could Buffalo be heading toward the first pick overall in 2011? Could they be the second team in the last three years to go winless over 16 games?
We used the Whirlpool Bridge both ways on this trip which worked well to remove the stress of potential delays. The view up the vast gorge to the north with the churning rapids below is really spectacular. We left (along with many others) at 31-7 and we were home by 6pm. Is there any way that I will even be able to give the Jacksonville tickets away? And How about Detroit or Cleveland?
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