Steelers 19, Bills 16

Rewind to January 6, 1990. I'm at the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Cleveland's ancient Municipal Stadium, sitting off the left corner of the endzone. Definitely the wildest crowd I've ever seen for anything. The Bills are down 34-30 with less than 30 seconds left in the 4th quarter but they are at the Browns 20 and driving for the winning score. Jim Kelly drops back to pass and Bills back-up running back Ronnie Harmon shakes his coverage and is wide open in the left corner of the endzone, about 25 yards from my seat. I can clearly see that he has no one within 5 yards of him. Kelly notices as well and throws a perfect ball to him right on the numbers. He drops it. On the next play, Clay Matthews intercepts Kelly. Game over. Bills lose 34-30.

Steve Johnson's drop against the Steelers 21 years later was also a perfect pass and also would have won the game. Obviously, there was less riding on it as the Bills were 2-8 and Harmon's drop was in a playoff game. NFL players take countless practice reps and regularly make spectacular catches but sometimes, passes are dropped for no apparent reason. It wasn't one of those situations where the receiver is concentrating on running after he makes the catch or is aware of a defender bearing down on him. Nope. He just dropped it. After his fantastic performance last week, Johnson also managed to drop 4 other passes yesterday. Someone on the post game WGR call-in suggested that he was thinking about pulling up his jersey to reveal this week's message.

So, they remain in good position to draft their franchise quarterback with only 2 wins. I am encouraged that they have been very competitive for each of the past 5 weeks, winning twice and losing the other 3 in overtime. They have only been blown out twice this season - at Green Bay and against the Jets. Although they are a bad team, there is reason for hope.

Ronnie Harmon never played another game for the Bills after the 1989 season. It seems safe to say that Steve Johnson has a bright career ahead of him with the Bills. He just has to move on and be thankful that it wasn't a very important game.

Bills 49, Bengals 31

The game was not available on our dish at the cottage and I was interested in the Argo game anyway. It was lopsided from the beginning so I got on the mountain bike and rode on the crunchy frozen trail to Keyhole lake, had a sauna and got in the car just as the Bills game ended. The last score I had seen was 28-7 for the Bengals in the second quarter.

The post-game discussion on WGR focused on 2 themes: Is Ryan Fitzpatrick the quarterback of the future and would the Bills have been better off by continuing to lose games and locking up the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. Mike Shope and the Bulldog feel that the Bills need to draft a "franchise" quarterback and that Fitzpatrick is better suited to be back-up. I tend to agree but some callers feel that Fitzpatrick's numbers since he was given the starting job in week 3 have been outstanding - even compared to other top quarterbacks in the league. The Harvard graduate is aggressive and seems to have a good feel for the offence and Chan Gailey has been able to design game plans which allow him to succeed. He would be an excellent mentor for a first round pick at quarterback.

At 2-8, the Bills are tied with 2 other teams and Carolina holds the worst record at 1-9. Hopes of picking first overall are fading fast. Right now, they are not the worst team in the league and I'm happy about that. As a fan, I always want the team to win. How could I hope for a loss just so they can draft a certain quarterback (Andrew Luck)? The Steelers come in this week and I have sold my tickets but this game now looks much more interesting that it did a couple of weeks ago. I hope they win. What else would a real fan want? Go Bills!

Bills 14, Lions 12

Someone asked on twobillsdrive.com if the game was available online and a link was provided in response. I clicked on it and found that it was a link to the FBI's Cybercrime Overview page. Is watching a blacked-out NFL game online really cybercrime? It's called a "television blackout" and prevents the game from being broadcast on television within a 75 mile radius of the stadium if the game is not sold out 72 hours prior to kick-off. Someone else provided a link to the FOX broadcast and I watched most of the fourth quarter that way.

I had a Proline ticket which blew up when Detroit scored the late touchdown. Fitting, I suppose that the Bills finally got their win but did not cover the 3 point spread. A sloppy affair it was but Fred Jackson had a big game and the fans went home happy.

Muskoka was beautiful on Saturday. I rode the Johnson Trail then along Clear Creek to Keyhole Lake wearing only cycling shorts and a light long-sleeved shirt and was soaked when I got back. Not a sole around on the lake so far as I could tell. Had a sauna and watched the Leafs and Raptors both lose.

I still can't help thinking that my friend Paul is never going to call me again. He's gone. That's it. It makes me sad. His sister Karen told me that they have found 54 pairs of shoes so far in his house. We wear the same size but I declined the offer to take some. Just can't do that.

Bears 22, Bills 19

My dear friend Paul Richardson died last Wednesday. I found his body in hs house at 9am. I had gone to check on him, walk his dog and pick up some groceries for him. He suffered from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome ans was experiencing a bout of it last week. The coroner determined that Paul suffered a massive heart attack which would have rendered him unconscious very quickly. it is unclear - and hardly matters - what the relationship was between his illness and his heart.

I, and only I (apart from the professional paramedics, police, coroner etc) saw him that morning. I insisted that his mother and brother not see him when they arrived at the house. The image of his lifeless body on the stairway landing will haunt me for some time but, as my mother reminded me, at least I saved his mother from being the one who found him. She easlily could have been.

Paul and I were room-mates in residence in first year university in 1981 and were close friends ever since. I was given the opportunity to speak at his Memorial Service yesterday. I tried to convey a sense of what it meant to be a friend of Paul's. His kindness, generosity and sense of humour touched all who knew him. I was the first speaker at the service and I tried to share some funny stories about Paul. People told me afterward that I helped ease the tension and sadness a little bit. I was most proud that I could get through my remarks without breaking down. Funny how people can "rise to the occaission" when they have to.

I will think of Paul every day. I was priviledged and honoured to have been his friend.

Chiefs 13, Bills 10

Awoke to a light dusting of snow Sunday morning in Muskoka. I did a 15km bike ride then cut some firewood, made lunch and sat down to watch some NFL football at 1pm. The Bills game was not available so I caught a bit of Jacksonville/Dallas, Miami/Cincinnati and Green Bay/Jets.

I did manage to see the first 8 minutes of overtime in Kansas City before CBS had to cut away due to "league rules". Probably for the best.

My Bills v. Detroit tickets sold on NFL TicketExchange. One less game to worry about. That leaves Cleveland and New England.

I can't wait to see what the crowd is like this Sunday at the Rogers Centre. I will be there - not so much because I want to be there but because I bought tickets for all 8 games. What a deal!