Nigel's Bills Blog

Jets 38, Bills 7

2011-01-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Our dog Sally died on Wednesday. Made it through Christmas but not into 2011. I met Sally in April 2006 when she was already 8 years old. In the four and a half years I knew her, we shared a bond which was remarkable indeed. She was, among many other things, the ultimate cottage dog - she swam voluntarily, chased squirrels effectively (and worked in tandem with her partner Poppy) and liked to lie in the snow and observe and smell the forest. I will miss her but my wife Siobhan shared her life with this animal for 13 years. It was a sad day but it was time.

Patriots 34, Bills 3

2010-12-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

Maybe not quite ready to compete on the Patriots level? Maybe a few more missing pieces than we thought last week? Maybe Ryan Fitzpatrick's fast and loose, turnover producing quarterback play isn't good enough to carry the team to the playoffs? Yeah, looks that way. One game left: at the Jets next Sunday then my 2011 season ticket invoice will arrive the day after the Pro Bowl.

The brined turkey was awesome: so flavourful and moist and just really good. And everything else went off wiothout a hitch. After my parent left, Siobhan and I and my sister, brother-in-law and neices went skating at the Harourfront rink across the street for an hour. A nice way to burn off some of the calories.

Headed to Muskoka Monday morning until probably Wednesday then to Picton for New Year's Eve.

Bills 17, Dolphins 14

2010-12-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

Some will say that the Bills lose when we want them to win (as in the first 8 games of the season), and win when they want them to lose (once the season is lost and the draft order is being determined). I, on the other hand, always want them to win so I was happy to hear on my car radio on the way home from Muskoka that they won their 4th game of the season.

The Patriots come to Orchard Park on Boxing Day. It would be nice to finally beat them for the first time in 15 games (dating back to Opening Day 2003 - the Gregg Williams coached Bills with Takeo Spikes making an interception and Drew Bledsoe lighting it up with Eric Moulds as they won 31-0......then the last game of that season, in which New England won their second Superbowl, The Bills travelled to Foxborough and, in perfect symetry, lost 31-0 and finished 5-11).

Lots of snow at the cottage now. The skiing is excellent but the lakes still have plenty of slush under the snow in places. I've been out 10 times now this season. Winter starts Tuesday.

I'll be brining a turkey starting Tuesday then cooking it Saturday. Family and friends will be headed to our condo looking for brined turkey as I've been talking up the whole brining thing. It's all about managing expectations.

Wishing everyone (Mark, I guess I really just mean you) the Merriest possible Christmas and so on and so forth. Go Bills!

Bills 13, Browns 6

2010-12-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday at 6am, the snow started in Muskoka. The temperature sat at minus one and stayed there as it snowed relentlessly until about 5pm and then the wind picked from the north and, as the snow continued, it started to drop. It was minus 5 by 9pm. By Monday morning, we had at least 30cm of new snow and strong north winds continued with the temperature at minus 17. Ski conditions are excellent. I went 5 times to Keyhole Lake along the Johnson Trail.

The only highlight from the Bills game I saw was the Fitzpatrick to Nelson touchdown. Fred Jackson had over 100 yards rushing. Specualtion is that actual attendance was in the range of 30-35,000. I watched some of the Steelers game and some of the Patriots game but found neither especially interesting. The Eagles/Cowboys game was much better.

This week, I am going to take action on brining a turkey for Christmas - something I have talked about for the past couple of years. First to Home Depot to get a big plastic pail.

Vikings 38, Bills 14

2010-12-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Time to look ahead to the draft. It seems clear that Stanford's Andrew Luck has broken away from the pack and will go first overall. Although the Carolina Panthers enjoyed an early lead against Seattle yesterday, they folded in the 3rd quarter and still have the inside track on the first pick with a 1-11 record. But with Jimmy Clausen, would they want Luck? Would Detroit want him after drafting Matthew Stafford? These teams could trade the first pick to a team looking for a franchise quarterback. Luck will go first overall but not necessarily to the team with the number one pick. In the event of a tie for worst record, the first pick is determined by way of strength of schedule: the team whose opponents have the worst combined record gets the pick - a sort of a secondary determination of ineptitude.

Would or should the Bills trade to get the right to pick Luck if they don't finish with the first pick? Is quarterback really their biggest need? Ryan Fitzpatrick has shown himself to be capable althought not spectacular. Would they be better off drafting a pass rushing defensive end or a linebacker with their first pick? Or an offensive lineman?

Luck seems like a can't miss pick and the Bills recent history of first round picks does not instill confidence: Whitner in 2006 - a solid safety but has he been worthy of the 8th overall pick? Lynch in 2007 - traded to Seattle earlier this year for a 4th round pick. McKelvin in 2008 - has shown flashes of greatness but has had a number of very poor games - including yesterday. Maybin in 2009 - an absolute and complete bust - what a joke. Spiller in 2010 - this one still mystifies me because they already had Lynch and Fred Jackson so it was fair to expect that he would be electrifying (like Adrian Peterson has been and was yesterday) but he has clearly not been (7 carries for 35 yards yesterday). I say that they should do whatever it takes to get Luck and then build around him.

I had my first ski of the season yesterday. It took 2 hours to get to Keyhole Lake and back as the coverage was sparse - 10 inches in the open areas and much less in the canopied areas and lots of downed brush which I cleared. Highway 400 south of Barrie was in bad shape - full winter driving conditions with many drivers still going the same speed as they do in July. That's what made it dangerous.

Steelers 19, Bills 16

2010-11-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-22T03:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-08T04:52:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Ravens 37, Bills 34

2010-10-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

"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.

Jaguars 36, Bills 26

2010-10-11T18:12:00.001-07:00

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.

Jets 38, Bills 14

2010-10-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

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?

Patriots 38, Bills 30

2010-09-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

One of the criticisms of Trent Edwards before he was benched, once again, was that he is too conservative. He seems reluctant to take chances and throw the ball down the field, thereby earning the moniker "Captain Checkdown". Enter Ryan Fitzpatrick. He likes to open up the passing game and involve the skilled players (the Bills do have a few) by being aggressive and allowing them to make plays. He does, however, have a fatal flaw which it seems is the reason why he is not a franchise starting quaterback. He sometimes makes terrible throws - often at critical times. Yesterday at New England, the fatal flaw emerged again as he overthrew receivers quite badly, twice, in the second half. Both were interceptions. That was after a much improved offensive performance where the Bills gained over 370 total yards. But they lost again to move to 0-3 on the season and 0 for the last 14 against the Patriots.

I find the post game call-in show on WGR quite entertaining as I drive home from the cottage. Mike Schop and the Bulldog have learned that it's easier and funnier to just let the drunks make their stupid points, agree with them and then move on. Some callers seemed pleased with the improved offense and the much closer game than was expected. Schop reminded one caller that he sometimes feels that way after his nephew's little league game: it was exciting, interesting, there was lots of scoring and the fact that they lost is secondary. But this is pro football where the only measure of success is wins and the Bills have failed the last 14 times against this team. Some of the games have been close (last year's season opener. for example) and some have not but they need to beat the Patriots to claim any measure of success and we are still waiting. Their coach is better, their team is better and their quarterback is a lot better. New England comes to Orchard Park on Boxing Day looking for number 15.

Being a fan is about always having hope. The radio guys complimented one optimistic caller who pointed out that if they can beat the Jets next week at home, then Jacksonville comes in and we could be 2-3 at the bye week and ready to make a run for the playoffs. I'm a fan too and as the caller was saying these things, I was, for a split second, agreeing with the logic. I can still hope it happens and expect that it won't. It's called managing expectations. That's an important part of being a Bills fan in 2010.

Packers 34, Bills 7

2010-09-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

A new poll was published today (Monday Sept 20th) and it loks like Rob Ford is for real. Apparently, people are angry, and, as the theory goes, this often leads to a knee-jerk reaction which, in this case, has come out of right field. Toronto voters appear set to elect another buffoon. Mel Lastman, someone else seems to have discovered your secret formula.

Ford has the support of almost 46% of decided voters, a full 24 percentage points ahead of George Smitherman who stands second at 21%. Joe Pants is a close third, less than 5 points behind Smitherman. Rosseau Rocky and Sarah Thomson are out of it. I thought that Rocky might have fared a little better after his recent announcement about wanting a tunnel between the Allen and the Gardiner but apparently not. A quarter of voters remain undecided but this is down from about 40% a month ago. There is no good news in this poll for any candidate other than Ford. His message is resonating and as undecided voters make up their minds, his support is growing. I had sort of dismissed the mid August poll where he had a lead which represented the poll's margin of error and no one was really paying much attention. There would be movement in the next poll I said. I was right about the movement but wrong about the direction. It looks like Ford will have to stumble badly (and maybe multiple times) to blow the lead he now has. Rest assured, he is more than capable of doing this, and, if he does, it will be remembered as one of the greatest political collapses in Toronto politics. I hope it happens but I doubt that it will.

I listened to Smitherman's sound bites from today and, frankly, he just didn't sound like his heart was in it. He is the candidate who can stop Ford and unite the city, he said. He didn't say it with much conviction and it occurred to me that for a guy who clearly has had his sights on this job for a long time, his campaign has been profoundly lacking in energy and imagination. If he really wants to be the mayor, he has a month to generate some excitement and spark around his campaign and tell the voters why he wants this job and why he would be a good choice. So far, Ford has been the one defining the issues and setting the agenda. That's what a legitimate front runner does.

Dolphins 15, Bills 10

2010-09-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our dragonboat team finished 37th out of about 100 teams in this weekend's GWN Draogonboat Challenge held at Marilyn Bell Park on Toronto's western waterfront. Our first race Saturday morning scuttled us as we had a poor lane and a very poor race overall. We did win the D division championship on Sunday afternoon with a time which was better than some of the C division teams so we did end on a high note. Dropping from 18th last year to 37th this year is dissapointing but the filed was stronger and our performance was not as good. So it goes. Great excercise all season regardless of results.

I was checking the score at RWS from time to time and the Bills were down 3 then 7 then 10 points so it seemed like a close defensive battle until I read the post game reports in the evening after the beer tent festivites at Marilyn Bell Park. Apparently, Trent Edwards was about as bad as he has ever been after a somewhat promising pre-season. The defence was not too bad overall, giving up only 13 points. I had thought that the Bills would have difficulty stopping the run but would score points with a strong running game, improved quarterback play and an offensive specialist head coach. This could still become the pattern.

Heading in to the not quite frozen tundra of Lambeau Field next week to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, I can not help wondering how I am going to find anyone to go see the Jaguars, Lions or Browns later in the season if the losses keep piling up as they surely will.

My 2010 Bills Forecast

2010-09-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Chan Gailey had just been named Bills head coach when I last posted here in January. There has not really been much to be excited about over the last 8 months, let alone write about. But, the season is about to start so I thought what the hell.

On August 19th, my friend and I took our $125 seats (half the original price I paid 2 years ago) in the 500 level of the sleepy Rogers Centre for pre-season game number 2 and game number 4 in what seems to have become an sort of "white elephant" of sports promotions called the Bills Toronto Series . We planned on have a beer, chatting and leaving at halftime. The Bills treated us to 3 first quarter touchdowns on their way to a 24-21 lead over the Colts when the first stringers left near halftime. I had watched the entire (sorry to say) debacle in Washington the previous week and my expectations were low. CJ Spiller electrified the crowd (ok, "electrify" is way too strong but I found it mildly electrifying) with a long TD run and Edwards hit a wide open Lee Evans with a long bomb as well. Payton Manning played well into the second quarter, the roof was open on a nice evening and I left at halftime (I caught the whole game later in the week on NFL Network) feeling better than I thought I would.

The 53 man roster was announced this past weekend and, looking at this year's depth chart, there realy is no reason to think that the team will even challenge to be .500. The most glaring area is the offensive line which has no proven top flight players and a very thin reserve list. The defencive backfield, on the other hand looks very good by league standards. Would we rather have a good O line and a weak secondary? I'd probably say yes to that.

As always, we'll see. One of the NFL's most appealing phenomenons is that teams can change profoundly in the course of a year. In addition to being too short on talent to realistically hope for anything much this season, the Bills appear to have a very tough schedule, especially early on, but maybe some of those teams which were very good last year will fall off as veteran players age, injuries mount etc. What looks like a relatively easy schedule can be a brutal one too. Maybe this year, somehow, the Bills can be one of those teams that makes other teams schedules more difficult. It could happen.

But it probably won't. I say they will finish 5-11 and win against the Bears - their first regular season win in Toronto.

Bills Introduce New Head Coach

2010-01-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Chan Gailey. Ever been to Toronto? I guess you'll be coming in August, if not before.

I have been reading about your coaching credentials. And, I have been reading about Bills season ticket holders who are planning to cancel, boycott and generally give up now that you have been named head coach. They wanted Cowher or maybe Billick. I will be renewing and hoping to move to section 112. We'll see.

Back to your coaching credentials. Pretty impressive I'd say. The Chiefs gig was just not meant to be and you were fired as OC in the pre-season. Head Coach at Georgia Tech for 5 years before that and various other NFL positions including 2 years with the Cowboys where you made the playoffs both years. Bills fans would take a playoff season in 2010 but we're going to need a great draft and some luck - something we have not had much of the last 10 years.

Good luck to you Chan Gailey. Buffalo needs you to be successful. If you are, they will give you the rusting key to the city and they will love you. In 1987, The Bills made what was considered to be a similarly questionable hire: an aging coach who had been around the block a few times in different leagues and who was out of work at the time after having been fired by the Kansas City Chiefs. He's in the Hall of Fame now and remains one of the most popular sports figues in Western New York and Southern Ontario. Something to shoot for.

Bills 30, Colts 7

2010-01-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

We spent the last 5 days in Muskoka. Excellent skiing, saunas and burning lots of firewood - especially Saturday and Sunday. It was -5 on Wednesday at lunchtime then it warmed up to zero on New Years Eve and stayed there for about 24 hours before the cold air moved in. Saturday morning at 6.30am, it was -22 and the high reached -16. Had a quick skate on Wednesday afternoon. The ice was about 7 inches thick. The snow was sticky on the fish-scale skis on New Years Day but became powdery and fast with the cold.

The Fan 590 carried the wintery Bills game and we listened to all of it as we crept down Hwy 400 through the snow and heavy holiday traffic. I also heard large chunks of the post-game press conferences including Perry Fewell's. He is a likeable guy and, although he is considered a long shot to get the permanent coaching job, I hope he stays with the team either way.

As always, the Bills off-season is sure to be a busy one and, like most of the last 10 years, more exciting then the season itself. New GM Buddy Nix has lots of work to do. Let's hope he knows what he's doing.

Falcons 31, Bills 3

2009-12-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

The Colts lost yesterday, making my tickets to the last game virtually worthless. I will not be going and I am doubtful that I will find anyone else willing to go. Why would they? This trainwreck of a season for the Bills in almost over. Just tell me when then have a GM and a coach and a quarterback. I'm not really interested in hearing about much else at the moment.

We felt the effects of the security hype last night coming into Pearson from Moncton. Air Canada ground ops took 75 minutes to get the bags from our flight onto the carousel. That was after a 20 minute taxi to the apron where we waited another 15 minutes for a gate. We touched down at 8.45pm and left the airport around 10.30. The flight itself was about 90 minutes. On the way out, we saw a line-up of maybe 1,500 to 2,000 miserable people with bags, children and no idea if they were going to be able to fly out to their selected US destination.

We are off to Muskoka on Wednesday morning. It will be my 16th consecutive New Year's at the cottage.

Patriots 17, Bills 10

2009-12-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Spent the weekend in the city except we drove to St. Catharines on Sunday morning to see my mom after her latest surgery. 8 operations on her right arm alone since 2002. This was an important one and she's doing pretty well considering everything.

Siobhan has struggled for days now with a 750 word column on the latest developments in research in a journal for library professionals. She says she needs to de-politicize it or tone down the opinions in it so as not to throw off the readership with a return to the old capital/labour struggle. These are librarians after all. She reads me excerpts and then re-drafted excerpts. I say that they represent her research perspective. She says that the field of librarianship is short on Marxists right now so it's a sort of a tough audience for this kind of dialogue. Maybe I'm just used to it.

Well, the Bills last beat the Patriots in the 2003 season opening game. 13 in a row and 19 of 20 now. Moving right along then - next up: at Atlanta to face the Falcons who are also not going to the playoffs. We will be in Moncton, New Brunswick over Christmas then in Muskoka from the 30th to January 3rd, 2010, the date of the last game of the season against Indianapolis.

Bills 16, Chiefs 10

2009-12-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

The OPP asked drivers to avoid the Gravenhurst/Bracebridge/Huntsville area on Friday morning as some areas were forecast to receive 80cm of snow in a 24 hour period. Strong and cold winds blowing over the relatively warm water of Georgian Bay made for perfect lake effect snow conditions with narrow but long bands which reached as far east as Bancroft. Jack-knifed tractor trailers had necessitated periodic highway closures and the police got the message out loud and clear. We left at 10.30am.

We reached Orillia before it even clouded over but at Washago the nasty stuff started. We had made very good time to this point, having completed all of the grocery shopping in Orillia. We hit Washago shortly around 1pm and from there, Highway 11 was a single file line of trucks, 4 x 4's and a few cars inching along through the snow. For all of the remaining hours in the day until when we went to sleep, it snowed very heavily and did not let up for a second. Washago to Gravenhurst took almost an hour but the logjam broke after Gravenhurst as many drivers aborted their journey there - but not us. We carried on and reached the Highway 118 offramp before long but there were several vehicles stopped behind a tractor trailer which was stuck. After about 30 minutes, someone was able to plow around the truck and we were on our way but the adventure had really just begun.

The left turn onto Black River Road from 118 was blocked by a 5 foot tall plow windrow so we started digging with our plastic trunk shovel. I wanted to get the car off the highway as quickly as possible so we dug until I could get most of it out of the westbound lane. Then I put the chains on and the destination was Joe Trinka's driveway - only about 100 metres along - but the snow was too deep for my low clearance car and it just couldn't do more than 10 or 20 feet without a 20 minute excavation exercise every time. A few people live along the Black River Road and before long 3 of them were lined up behind us wondering what has possessed us to even try to drive this car on this road at this time. They tried to pull us but could not. Joe arrived home from negotiating various road closures in Bracebridge in his eventually successful attempt to buy more diesel fuel. He got me out with his heavy duty tractor and plowed enough to allow me to make it to his driveway. The traffic moved, the dogs got out in the snow and we were ready to prepare for the last leg of our journey - walking in to the cottage - 6km through deep snow in the dark with as much of our groceries and clothes as we could manage.

We dragged our stuff into Joe and Amy's mud room from our snow filled car and sorted through everything, packed my old packsack (which I keep in the trunk for this very purpose) and left the rest there. We had frozen lasagne and salad and a bit of milk for breakfast. I had a headlamp. Our winter boots were at the cottage and Siobhan had only running shoes. Joe had plowed the road at lunchtime but there was another 14 inches of snow to trudge through. Our 13 year old Westie, Poppy, had to be carried pretty much the whole way. At about 20 pounds, she's a bit awkward to carry - especially for 6km. We arrived just before 7.30pm or 9 hours after we departed the condo.

Muskoka is an incredible winter wonderland right now as more than a metre of snow had fallen when we left Sunday morning at 10.30am. Outside our lakefront condo: none. It was like we had been in another world for 2 days. Needless to day, it looks like we will have a good ski season again.

The Bills have probably moved down in the draft with their 5th win. The Colts game looks like it could be a chance to see a team trying to finish 16-0. Maybe the Bills will deny them. That would be our Superbowl this year, I guess.

Jets 19, Bills 13

2009-12-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

I traded our tickets to the game to Dennis for a pair of good Raptors tickets. Then, Brian asked me to go with him so I saw the game from the endzone. A much better game than last year's excruciating JP Losman debacle against Miami. And, I think I heard the crowd making a faint but noticeable murmur on Jets third downs - something which was absent last year. The Bills scored a touchdown for heaven's sake in this game and it was close until the last interception with around 2 minutes left. It looked to me like the number of empty seats was about the same as last year. Overall, if last year's game was a 1 out of ten, this one was a 3.5. A long way to go before it offers a home field advantage for the Bills but I would very cautiously say that it's going in the right direction.

The Bills are 4-8 now. Perry Fewell is 1-1. The Shanahan speculation has tailed off. I don't know what to think or what to hope for over the last 4 games. I still have the tickets for the Colts game on January 3rd.

We arrived Friday night at the cottage to find about an inch of snow - not enough to effect the road but enough to transform the look of the forest. Another inch overnight Saturday night and then 6 more inches in a couple of hours in the early afternoon. With the temperature around -2, I couldn't get up the driveway so it was on with the chains and out we went. Full winter conditions along Hwy 118 but no snow south of Orillia really. The biking season should be over now. I hope we have to get the skis out next time we're up.

Bills 31, Dolphins 14

2009-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Star Choice no longer provides the Buffalo network affiliates. This is why I saw none of the game live. All of the CBS and CTV affiliates I could find on the guide were carrying the Colts and the Texans. So, we exercised, watched a little basketball, checked the out of town scores and left the cottage around 3.30pm with the score tied at 14.

The WGR crew was fixated on the last touchdown - as in, were they "running up the score" when they could have taken a knee and run the clock down leading by 10. It's been so long since this has been a consideration that I think the Bills coaching staff simply kept calling plays right until the end. This week's preparations did not include a plan for whether or not to run up the score. Wins are always good - even if they cost you 2 or 3 places in the draft.

I did see the end of the Titans game and Vince Young converted on 4th down 3 times, including on the last play of the game. They could finish 10-6 after starting 0-6. Peter King said emphatically that the Colts would lose at Houston yesterday but they did not. Monday night features a great match up with the Patriots at New Orleans. And, Saskatchewan is up on Montreal in the 3rd quarter of the Grey Cup.

I have traded my tickets for Thursday's game for a pair of good Raptors tickets. I'm sure I will watch it on TV - as long as it sells out by Monday at 8.20pm.

Jaguars 18, Bills 15

2009-11-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

The Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals annual conference and expo is underway and I worked both days this weekend on our expo booth, giveaways, draws, prizes, computer/TV looping video and on happily meeting clients and others who attended the expo on Sunday afternoon. I chaired the conference planning committee for our company and I'm happy to say that everything is fine so far. Better than fine, actually. I had many compliments on the booth so I'm happy about that. On Monday, we give away the TV.

I have just moments ago seen the Youtube video of Eric Wood's leg fracture. About as gruesome as you see with these things - maybe not quite as bad as Theisman's but not far from it. A clean tib/fib break, as someone wrote, and it's now a question of whether he will play in the NFL again. The Bills number 2 pick this year has played very well on the interior offensive line and it would be a shame for him if his promising career ended today. Best wishes to him for a full recovery, starting with walking again.

Missed all of the game at the expo today. In chatting with those in attendance, I heard more than a few people grumbling about having to miss football today - which was certainly a feeling I had too. We had a TV in our booth playing a looping corporate promotional video which admittedly was of little interest to anyone. Someone said that if we were showing football instead, we would attract a large number of delegates with it. I sort of dismissed the idea at first but then it started to make sense: Driving people to your booth is a primary goal at these trade shows. And, we could carry it one step further: During the plentiful TV commercial breaks which are an unpleasant feature of NFL TV viewing, we could insert portions of our corporate video rather than the network TV commercials. Viewers would miss none of the game and we would get our messages out to a significant audience who would actually be watching at the time. Don't know what we would play for the Monday evening portion of the expo. Need to work on that.

Perry Fewell is 0-1 as a head coach. The Bills are now 3-7 on the season. Our offensive line is deteriorating with each game. Where do we go from here? I guess the answer is we go to Orchard Park to face the Dolphins and go with best team we can field and see what happens. The 2010 draft is a good quarterback draft, apparently, so it would be nice to get a high pick now that nothing else really matters.

Titans 41, Bills 17

2009-11-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

An unseasonably mild weekend in Muskoka but it was the first one since last April where there was pretty much nobody around on the lake. No lights, no leaf blowers, no ATV's. It takes longer every fall to get to this point but we have arrived. We exercised a lot and my legs are sore as I sit in the condo Sunday evening. We went riding when Tennessee went ahead 27-17 and missed the last 2 touchdowns. Then we jumped in the lake right after. It has to be quick and you have to be hot but it's worth it.

Tomorrow begins a busy week at the office and it will begin with some big and rather unexpected news. Then, the conference and trade show this coming weekend and I'm looking forward to it being over. I hope we have a good showing. I have worked hard to put it together and we need a successful event and the momentum it would bring heading into next year.

The international news this evening after the APEC Conference is that a new comprehensive agreement on GHG emmissions is unlikely, heading into the Copenhagen Summit next month. Our Prime Minister points out that "We're in the middle of a recession" and we must keep that in mind in tackling this problem. Too bad that atmospheric CO2 levels don't seem to go down during a recession.

Well, the Bills continue to stumble their way through this joke of a season. Up next: at Jacksonville. I wonder how many empty seats there will be for that one. It now seems very unlikely that that they will even get to 7-9 so Dick Jauron will at least have produced a different result this season. And that's what's important. 7-9 would have been so predictable.

Texans 31, Bills 10

2009-11-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

After Houston went ahead 24-10 in the 4th quarter, Siobhan and I went running and mountain biking around Clear Lake, respectively, hoping for a miracle come-back but knowing that it was highly unlikely. We were on the road by 4:30pm and home by 7pm.

We listened to the call in show on WGR 550 for a little while if only to get a break from the wall to wall swine flu coverage. "Why doesn't Jauron just quit?", asked one caller who thought that he should admit failure now and let someone else give it a try. "We need a new coach, a new quarterback and a new offensive line" revealed another - as if it were possible to rotate these in and out until we get the right formula. WGR's Mike Schope, who has to try intelligently respond without appearing to blow off every caller, tries to find someone - anyone with something constructive to say. "Owens is dogging it. Bench him and let Steve Johnson get some reps" said another and, with this, he agreed. It does seem like he gives up too quickly on some balls and generally looks like he would rather be somewhere else. Isn't Owens the kind of player you go after if you think you're one or two pieces away from being a Superbowl contender?

At least I sawed a lot of wood this weekend. We're in good shape for the winter. High winds brought down some trees on Saturday afternoon. More firewood for next year.

After 8 games, now comes the bye week. I'd rather just get on with it really. Like we need more ruminating about what changes are needed for next year. Ralph turned 91 recently. Maybe he should quit now as owner, admit that the team can not succeed with him calling the shots anymore and see what someone else can do. Or sit Owens.

Bills 20, Panthers 9

2009-10-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

After a rather rainy three days, it cleared in Muskoka yesterday afternoon and as I sat down at 4pm to watch football, the late October sun was streaming in the southwest windows in the rich yellow colour you only see in the last hour or so before sunset. As the game progressed, I left the lights off and, as the sun set, the orange dusk slowly turned to darkness over the lake with the waxing half moon rising in the eastern sky. A beautiful evening indeed. And a football game which will not be remembered for anything much, especially by fans of the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers outgained Buffalo 425 yards to 167. They earned 20 first downs to the Bills 9. However, they turned the ball over 4 times, missed 2 makeable field goals and lost an ugly game in the process.

The Bills have generated 10 turnovers in their past 2 games - an unsustainable rate probably, but a key factor in their 2 consecutive road wins. Jarius Byrd now has 5 interceptions over these 2 games and stands only 1 off the league lead. He was touted as a "ball hawk" coming out of Oregon in the second round of this year's draft and he is clearly showing why.

Ryan Fitzpatrick looked brutal for much of this game and completed only 11 passes. What he did not do was turn the ball over and, with quarterbacking as mediocre as the Bills have, that's a necessity. This team is not in the bottom rung of the NFL (which is pretty big this year) and has not been in the entire four years of the Dick Jauron regime. He has them just where he wants them - en route to another 7-9 season. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like things were really changing and they were heading toward 4-12. Up next: a chance to even their season record with a home date against the Houston Texans.

Bills 16, Jets 13

2009-10-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

I rode my bike to Dennis and Cathy's place around noon on Saturday to scope out the walking distances from the Queensway and Bloor Street. I decided that Jane Station was the best option for later. Just a 10 minute walk.

The end-of-season dragonboat party was a rip-roaring affair - for me at least. Plenty of red wine and I lost track of time. The last of us left after 1.30am, stumbling down to the Queensway and a eventually onto a streetcar and back downtown. I got home around 2.30am. Thanks to Dennis and Cathy again for putting up with us. Great party!

And so we now look ahead to 2010 and I foresee a high return rate as all of the indicators are positive coming out of this past season. Everyone on our team is between the ages of 34 and 48. I'm the third oldest. I kept asking everyone about this until I got the answers.

Ok, after the Bills recorded their fifth interception of Mark Sanchez, I started thinking about how ridiculous it would be if they lost the game anyway - and they obviously almost did. But, despite what I thought was a bad call on the review of the Evans catch, Rian Lindell came through in overtime and the Bills have their first division win in ages. Next up: at Carolina.

Browns 6, Bills 3

2009-10-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

This was the fourth Thanksgiving weekend I have spent in Prince Edward County after spending the last 40+ in Muskoka. I think I have adjusted. I have learned my way around some of the scenic parts of the County on my bike and the pastoral landscape has really grown on me.

The County is known for cycling - not for extreme mountain biking or serious racing - but for pleasure cycling. An extensive network of lightly traveled roads lead to a multitude of scenic vistas of Lake Ontario and its coves, inlets and bays which extend around the series of peninsulas where the land has been farmed for over 2 centuries. I did a 40km ride each day and took some nice photos at Little Bluff Conservation Area on Saturday and at Point Petre on Sunday in a howling west wind.

Grapes and wine are the relatively new rage in the County and an Australian fellow named Norman Hardie is a rapidly rising star who is generating recognition and credibility for the PEC wine business. His 2007 County Pinot Noir is highly regarded and available only at the winery and in a few restaurants who carry it. At $35 per bottle, I was interested enough to buy 3 - one for the Thanksgiving dinner, one for my dad and one for the cottage this fall. I really liked it but, compared to the Pinot Noirs available from the LCBO, I think it's probably about $10 too much. He has done a great job of building demand for a wine which is made in limited quantities and, hey, I'm glad that I have another bottle. We'll have it with grilled salmon.

Our end-of-season dragonboat team party is next weekend and then we'll be into 4 straight cottage weekends before the weekend of the CAAMP Conference which will require me to be in town. Fall is a great time of year. It's a busy time too - busy in the business world, busy in the academic world, busy in the city and busy in the sports world with all of the major sports in action. Few people take holidays over the next 10 weeks. A lot of stuff gets done between now and the end of the year.

Dolphins 38, Bills 10

2009-10-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

In May of last year, when I paid the $3,500 for all eight Toronto games, I was at least hopeful that one of them would be meaningful - and sometime soon. For 2010, I'm predicting another partial refund like we had this year and I know that we will have to wait at least that long for a December game at the Rogers Centre which has playoff implications for the Bills. They will be well out of contention by the time Jets roll into town. The Jets look like they might have something to play for so that will create some sense of relevance for the game but it will be another quiet and disengaged gathering on that Thursday evening.

After the New England game, I thought that they might finally be a good team - one capable of at least playing a meaningful game in the month of December - let alone one which could make the playoffs or earn a home playoff game or a first round bye. I don't think that wanting your team to still be in the hunt for the playoffs in the last month of the season is really being unreasonable. It's now been 5 years since we've had that - when the Steelers 3rd stringers stopped our late season drive for the last wildcard spot in the 2004 season under Mike Mularkey. Does it seem like longer than that?

When Miami made it 31 - 3, I went for a bike ride and saw no more of the game. I had seen enough. Injured, young, not enough talent - the offensive line is a huge problem, among many.

Will Dick be gone if they lose to Cleveland? No. Ralph is paying him $3 million this year - whether he lasts the year or not.

Saints 27, Bills 7

2009-09-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Brian Moorman's annual touchdown pass to Ryan Denney, always a nice surprise, helped the Bills stay in this game. That and the defence which, until it could not stop the run in the 4th quarter, pretty much held Drew Brees and the Saints offence in check. Too bad the Bills offence couldn't rise to the occassion today. The Saints secondary was apparently their weak spot but the Bills had little success against it or in any offensive category. New Orleans literally ran away with this game in the 4th quarter.

This was the best defensive performance of the year. The 2 big interior linemen - Williams and Stroud - were outstanding and the rest of the group looked inspired and effective until the offence stalled completely and they could hold on no more. Give credit to the Saints defence. This team looks like it will contend for a top seed in the NFC playoff picture.

The Dolphins lost at San Diego yesterday. They are 0-3 now coming home to face the Bills. They know that going 0-4 is a tough hole to climb out of. They were 11-5 last year. Is it reasonable to think Buffalo can go into Miami and win? The Dolphins are nowhere near the kind of team that New Orleans is. Chad Pennington was injured and Chad Henne could be starting next week. Their third string QB is not named Chad. Either way, I'm not feeling that confident about it.

TO's streak, which began in 1996, of 185 games with a reception is over. His "press conference" afterward featured him saying "just going with the plays that are called" about 10 times in the 2 minutes it lasted. Why does he bother?

Bills 33, Buccaneers 20

2009-09-21T04:56:00.000-07:00

After hearing from a friend about an unpleasant 90 minute wait coming back into Canada one Sunday evening at the Queenston - Lewiston Bridge last fall, I decided, along with a friend, to apply for the Nexus Card late last year. My wife objected. Apart from issues she had with me providing my biometric data to the United States government, she doubted that it would be worthwhile. We travel to the US by air usually every spring but we travel together which means that I stay with her and stand in all of the usual line-ups and go through US Border Security with her. I maintained that if it saved me an hour long wait afer a football game only once, that it was worth the $50 and whatever other potential risks existed. Last night, we saved upwards of 2 hours by finding the somewhat remote US entrance to the Whirlpool Bridge and zipping over with no wait at all. Still got home after 10.30pm - really don't like the 4pm games - but it would have been a whole lot worse without those cards.

Apart from the benefits of the Nexus Card, what else did we learn from yesterday? The Bills are better than Tampa Bay, I guess. We knew that anyway or at least we certainly hoped that they were not in the bottom tier of the NFL, as the Bucs seem to be. We will have a much better idea after next week's match-up against the red hot Saints.

The Bills have met the Bucs only 9 times since they joined as an expansion team in 1976 and this week I was racking my brain trying to remember the last time they came to Orchard Park. I gave up and figured that it must have been in 1980's. Well, yesterday was actually the very first time. They are probably thankful that this game was not played in a December blizzard and that it will be another 8 years until they return (if the league schedule follows the same methodology then as it does now).

The Bills had a good game overall. A 4th quarter touchdown toss to T.O. brought the house down and Fred Jackson proved, again, that he should share running back duties at least equally with Marshawn Lynch when he returns Oct 4th agaisnt the Dolphins. Buffalo's injury situation is grim with starting right guard Brad Butler, cornerback and kick return man Leodis McKelvin and tight ends Derek Schouman and Shawn Nelson all leaving the game and not returning. Butler's looks to be the most serious. He was replaced by 3rd year man Jonathan Scott who looked pretty good but, with him in the line-up, the offensive line consists of three rookies, Scott and centre Geoff Hangartner.

It was nice to see Donte Whitner pick off Byron Leftwich's lame duck and score easily to give the Bills and early 14-0 lead........on the visitor side, the sun was absolutely blinding before it finally dropped below the southwest stands late in the 4th quarter.......... Jackson's fumble into mid air late in the second quarter created what was potentially a 14 point swing as the Bucs returned it from one end of the field to the other and then punched it in to close to within 6 points....... I really think that Kyle Williams gets almost no recognition as the force that he is at defensive tackle. I guess that's mostly because he plays beside Marcus Stroud.

If the Bills can somehow manage to control Drew Brees and the Saints, then we can say that this team could go somewhere. Another 4pm game at the Ralph. For those without Nexus cards, get lots of sleep on Saturday night.

Patriots 25, Bills 24

2009-09-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

On a Monday night in early October, 2007, just before the Bills snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Dallas on that emotional return to MNF in Orchard Park, when the Cowboys onside kick was successful, I said "and this is how we lose this game". In what seems to be a sort of a Monday night tradition, I said it again last night as Leodis McKelvin fumbled the kick-off return. I can't recall saying it last year against Cleveland but I am sure that there would have been a perfect time to have said it. The league should schedule Buffalo to play 3 or 4 Monday night games every year. For fans of the opposing teams or casual observers, they are very entertaining games - and in a league which features more than its share of klunkers, the ESPN gang would welcome it too.

Buffalo's offense could not have much confidence after their anemic performance in the pre-season. They were committed to the no-huddle approach with 3 starting offensive linemen who had never played a down in a real NFL game. Vince Wolfork was really looking forward to this game and a chance to pad his stats. The Bills would be down bt at least 3 touchdowns by halftime and I would be able to get a few things done around the condo.

I don't think I have ever heard it suggested that Dick Jauron's teams don't play hard. His game management is poor at times, players are undisciplined (and they could use some better players - and a real GM) but the effort is always there. Last night was no exception. They tried hard, played well above expectations in this game but were one key error from pulling a huge upset. They committed that error and Tom Brady made them pay.

How good was Fred Jackson in this game? This guy is incredible....... Can someone please show Demetrius Bell where the line of scrimmage is? ......There were at least three key dropped passes tonight..... I officially don't understand the rules around tackling a quarterback. There were two penalties called on the Patriots for roughing the quarterback which seemed questionable........ Trent Edwards looked comfortable and confident running the no huddle offense..........Dick Jauron's facial expressions and body language, however, do not convey a feeling of confidence........ Paul Pozluzny's left arm needs a permanent cast now it seems..... Jon Gruden is a great additition to the MNF broadcast team........

This wears thin over 10 years but the Bills have many positives to take from this game. The Patriots visit Orchard Park on December 20th. Imagine if that game means anything for the Bills - other than a chance at revenge.

Next up, 2 home games against NFC South teams starting with the home opener against one of the weaker teams in the league, the Tampa Bay Bucs, who also fired their offensive coordinator last week. I can't remember the last time they visited Buffalo but it has been many years. Then, a big test as Drew Brees and the high flying Saints come in for their first visit since 2001.

Another dragonboat season in the books

2009-09-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Early April, 2005 - I work in the marketing department of a mortgage company and my colleague tells me that he has agreed to sponsor a dragonboat team. "That's the war canoe thing, isn't it", I ask.

"Something like that. Nadia knows more about it. She pitched it to me".

"When is it?", I ask, thinking that this is a one time event where bank employees get in these war canoes, have some fun and raise some money for a good cause.

"Sounds like it goes on all summer and it's like a sport", he says.

"I'll ask Nadia next time I see her", not really giving it much more thought.

Fast forward to September 13, 2009 - We, Ronin Warriors, have just finished our season with a 21st place finish at the biggest event of the year - 3rd in the B Division Final. We're very happy with our performance. Some of us stay around and close down the beer tent. Looks like we'll have a team party sometime in the next few weeks. Right now, it's over. Tuesday and Thursday evenings are free. No more prime summer weekend regattas. We ride our bikes home one last time from the beer tent. 30 or so weeks from now, we will start again. Good.

Politics, poor communication, lack of consensus, attendance issues - these are the seeds of discontent which can fester and lead to the downfall of many competitive dragonboat teams. After co-managing a team in 2006, my second year of paddling, and almost giving up halfway through, I sat out the 2007 season in a bitter contract dispute with myself.

I came back refreshed and much more care-free in 2008 for what was a mixed (and the last) season for our team. As the season came to a close, high level merger negotiations were well underway with Ronin representatives. The merger was completed over the winter and we entered 2009 hopeful and maybe a little apprehensive. Would the merger take? Would we like it? Would we be the outsiders? Well, the season is over and the answers are in: yes, yes and no.

I think that I speak for those of us who joined Ronin this year in saying how much fun it was. Thanks to Jennifer and Kevin for managing the team so well and to Dom for his patience, perseverance and positive encouragement. This team has a pretty long history, comparatively, and I am happy to be part of it.

Hall of Fame Induction / Game Notes

2009-08-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

Ralph Wilson grew up in Detroit, attended the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan Law School and then took over his father's succesful insurance business before acquiring a number of other business interests, including radio stations and a minority position in the NFL's Detroit Lions. In 1959, he jumped at the opportunity to join Lamar Hunt's new professional football league, the AFL, and, with an initial $25,000 investment, Wilson has been the only owner that the Buffalo Bills have ever had as they now enter their 50th season. The current value of the franchise is probably in the range of $800 million. At age 90, he is the oldest NFL owner. Ralph Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday August 8th.

Joining Mr. Wilson in this years Hall of Fame class was Norfolk, Virginia native and Bills star defensive end for 15 seasons, Bruce Smith. After finishing 2-14 in 1984 to earn the first pick overall in the 1985 draft, Buffalo picked Smith from Virginia Tech and he played a key role in leading the 1990's most dominant team to 4 consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Smith became the Bills all time sack leader by 1989 and is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time.

After Saturday's ceremonies and speeches, the NFL season kicked off with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton between the Bills and the Tennessee Titans. Buffalo lost the game 21-18. Bills fans had to tune in early if they wanted to see the first stringers play. Trent Edwards completed 2 passes to Terrell Owens but both saw only one offensive series. The Titans scored the game's opening points on a trick fake punt play which resulted in a touchdown run by the punter.

This was the first of 5 pre-season games for Buffalo who will face Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears this Saturday in Orchard Park. Arrive early if you want to see Cutler, TO or any of the first team players from either team.

Trip Report

2009-07-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

We're back. 3,200 km on the car, a couple of minor bruises and scrapes and lots of video and photos. It was really a tour of northern Ontario which included a 6 day Wabakimi canoe trip. We had planned the canoe trip for about 10 days and had enough food for 12 but ended up, for the second time, using the satellite phone to order an air-lift a little earlier than planned - not because we had completed the route (as we had in 2007), but due to very uncomfortable weather conditions. They changed, of course, right after we left.

One of the really interesting parts of driving to Thunder Bay is that there are two road routes to take and we have always made the driving trip a loop. The only back-tracked parts of the drive are the 240 kms to and from Armstrong and the 100 km or so between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. The outbound leg was on the "southern" route through Sault Ste. Marie which took us to Pancake Bay PP north of the Sault and then Rainbow Falls PP a little west of Shrieber on the north shore of Lake Superior. Both were excellent and we had time for a strenuous hike each day after arriving.

The Beaver dropped us at 8.30am on Burntrock Lake on a sunny and very windy Monday morning. After re-packing the canoe on a small island, the very first paddling was quite demanding - a crossing of a large open stretch of the lake from west to east with a strong north wind which required what I call "tacking" - also known as "quartering" - the waves to avoid broadside exposure. No issues with that and we camped on a beautiful island on the Palisade River after 3 portages. The weather was ideal: sunny and 21 degrees. We baked bread and made a very nice sweet and sour brown rice dinner, swam and then paddled 5 minutes back to a pool below a falls to fish for Pickerel. We caught 3 fish in rather short order: the first was a little too small so we released him; the second was a pike who pretty much swallowed the lure and suffered considerably from the removal of the hooks; the third was a beautiful Pickerel which I had on our fish stringer with the hooks removed. It got away when we tried to untangle the stringer, making us zero for three on the day.

Day 2 was another perfectly clear day and 22 degrees as we camped on a really nice site with a large sloping rock in an un-named lake west of Scragg Lake. A wall of cloud was building in the western sky as we turned in and then it rained in the night. Except for a brief glimpse before bed on day 5, that would the last we would see of the sun until the day we left the park.

Days 3, 4 and 5 were a constant mix of rain and wind with morning lows of 8 or 9 and highs of 11 or 12. Our fancy tarp from Madison worked well, as did the tent, but weather like that takes its toll eventually. We pushed hard on day 4 to make the northwestern tip of Whitewater Lake, one of the large lakes in Wabakimi. We arrived around 8.30pm and found enough dry wood to make tuna helper on the fire. We hunkered down on day 5 at the same site, continued to dry firewood and baked bread and chocolate cake. Just before bed, the sun broke through and it seemed like the nuclear winter was ending. We went to bed feeling optimistic about the rest of the trip, having endured 3 days of cold, wind and wet. The rain then woke us in the middle of the night - again.

Day 6 dawned windy and wet and 8 degrees. We made tea and set out at 8am onto the big lake hoping to warm up by hard paddling. By mid morning, I had floated the idea of an early exit and once this idea had taken hold, it gained a momentum which would not stop. We arrived on Best Island and the fomer home of noted recluse Wendell Beckwith around noon and called for the plane shortly afterward. We had lunch and toured the cabins before meeting the plane at a fishing outpost at 4pm. By that time, it was mostly sunny and had warmed considerably. The Beckwith cabins are fascinating in their design and details. They are, however, falling apart. A tree fell through the roof of the main cabin and a ragged blue tarp now covers it. This site is a fantastic potential restoration project waiting for a sponsor and funding. It is in a remote and inaccessible area (except by air) and time is running out on the life of the buildings. With a corporate sonsor, I can see it now: "Welcome to the Abitibi-Consolidated Wendell Beckwith Cabins on Best Island".

We checked into the Prince Arthur hotel in Thunder Bay at 8.30pm. It is purported to be the nicest hotel in downtown Thunder Bay - and we did not see any which looked any better - but it was quite disapointing. We later learned that the nicest hotel in town is the Valhalla at the airport. Too bad.

We shopped and poked around town before heading up the road 25 minutes to Kakabeka Falls PP, a large, well managed park with excellent hiking and views of the falls. We read the accounts of the strenuous portage around the falls during the fur trading era. The Kaministiquia River was part of the route which connected Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods and the west. Men carried two 90 pound "bales" on each trip and some apparently carried as many as four. We do this stuff for fun now. I can not imagine how demanding this occupation would have been for these voyageurs - no modern insect or water proof clothing or tents , no kevlar canoes and certainly no satellite phones or float planes to call in if the weather turned foul for a couple of days.

The next day, we logged some distance and pushed to Fushimi Lake PP, north of Hearst. It is a small park with many seasonal RV campers with motorized boats and ATV's. It's a nice big lake and is good for fishing, apparently.

Next up was Greenwater PP, outside Cochrane. What a gem this little-used park is. It features excellent hiking and swimming and four different camping loops, each on a clear and deep kettle lake but, according to the staff who do an excellent job maintaining the park, it is at risk of closure due to very low usage levels. The campsites seemed to be about 10 per cent occupied and the two hiking trails we explored were overgrown and showed no signs of use at all. We will write to Ontario Parks to share our impression of the park and recommend perhaps a name change to build interest. If it is still open when we next travel this route, we will stop there for sure.

From Greenwater, we drove to Muskoka, Picton and then home. Good holiday. We love northern Ontario and look forward to returing soon.

2009-07-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

9.40pm Wednesday July 8th, in the condo clearing up the last few loose ends before we leave tomorrow for points north and the 2009 Wabakimi trip.

Here is our itinerary as best we can say.

July 9th - drive to Muskoka after dragon boat practice.
July 10th - drive to Pancake Bay PP - site reserved in my name
July 11th - drive in the general direction of Thunder Bay and maybe camp at Sleeping Giant PP
July 12th - drive to Armstrong and arrive at the lodge mid afternoon.

Our hosts, outfitters and really the people with the best chance of knowing our whereabouts are:

Bert and Brenda
Wabakimi Wilderness Adventures
Frontier Trail, Hwy 527
Armstrong, Ontario
807-583-2626

July 13th - fly to Burntrock Lake and start in SE direction on Palisade River
July 14th - July 22, 23 or 24th - Scrag Lake, Grayson River, Arril Lake, Whitewater Lake, McKinley Lake, Smoothrock Lake (Lonebreast Bay and Caribou Bay), Funger Lake, Caribou River, Caribou Lake, Little Caribou Lake then a bridge and a van followed shortly by a cold drink.

July 22, 23, 24, 25 - driving to Muskoka via Hwy 11 from Nipigon. Possible PP's include McLeod and Fushimi Lake or maybe a hotel.

Our route takes us past Wendel Beckwith's cabin on Best Island in Whitewater Lake. We travel generally from northwest to southeast - this might mean favourable winds and it might not. Once we enter Caribou Lake, we will have left the park.

All of the planning, shopping, organizing and most of the packing are done. All that's really left is the actual completion of the trip. It's usually the best part.

2009-04-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

Just back from the US Southwest last night. It was even better than I had hoped. We camped the first seven nights and had only one hotel night - on the last night in Sedona.

Land travel always presents the transitions of the landscape as they flow past the window but one of the remarkable things about jet travel is that it just drops you into new and very different places with no transition at all. After landing in Phoenix, the 10 minute shuttle bus ride to the car rental "terminal" took us past Saguaro cactus set against the deep blue sky which we would quickly take for granted - along with other things like the good management and cleanliness of the state and national parks we visited and the consistent and genuine friendliness and generosity of the many Americans we met along the way.

After finding a very fortuitous alternative to what looked like a disastrous bottle neck at Fox Car Rental, we were soon on I 10 South toward Tucson and the beginning of our adventurous loop through southeastern and central Arizona and southwestern and central New Mexico. The route featured a much more diverse landscape than I had anticipated, from remnants of snow among the Ponderosa Pine in Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe to the heat of the Tucson area.

Southeast Arizona is Sonoran desert country with huge Saguaro cactus, an amazing number of birds (including a certain one called a Roadrunner) and a parched, baked landscape of steep yet gentle mountains and wide sweeping valleys. We hiked for about 4 hours in Catalina State Park on our first full day and the Saguaro were both impressive and omnipresent - so much so that we agreed that their novelty would soon wear off - but we saw no more after that until the day we flew home.

We entered New Mexico and we were impressed with its landscape and its slower and more understated pace - which feels like it includes a richer and deeper mix of hispanic and Indian culture. After a brief stop at White Sands National Monument, a vast deposit of gypsum sand in the Talarusa Basin, we made our way to Oliver Lee State Park, south of Alamagordo. After camping on the edge of the wilderness at the foot of the full western slope of the Sacramento Mountains, we hiked Dog Canyon on a beautiful Monday morning. 4.5 miles one way and 3,000 feet of climbing to over 10,000 feet brought us to the top and a spectacular view of White Sands and the basin below.

We drove to Santa Fe with a notable stop at Villaneuva State Park, tucked beside the Pecos River and the sleepy village of the same name, along scenic NM road No. 3. After an hour or so in the vibrant old centre of the city, we changed our plans for a hotel night and instead headed northeast and up the hill into the Santa Fe National Forest and Hyde State Park where we had an excellent and vigourous hike, followed by a cold night in the tent. We weren't cold but it was zero celsius.

Back into Arizona then and a quick stop at Petrified Forest National Park before settling at a surreal desert campsite at Homolovi Ruins State Park. Up early and on to an outstanding breakfast at the refurbished and elegant La Posada Hotel in Winslow. It was one of the most luxurious hotels in the country during the golden age of rail travel and then as a roadside stopover on historic Route 66. But, after train travel declined and the interstate system was built, it closed in 1957 and stayed dormant for 40 years.

Continuing westward, we hiked to the top of Elden Lookout overlooking Flagstaff before camping at Pine Flats in the Coconino National Forest 10 miles north of Sedona. When we stay at hotels, we like to check in early but we set a new standard this time with our 9am check-in at Orchards Inn of Sedona. We were committed to more hiking on this our last full day so we stopped by the local UPS Store to ship the kitchen box on the way to 2 different hills in the red rocks, both overlooking the picturesque but somewhat yuppified and overly "branded" little town. The drive to Phoenix was downhill most of the way and the Saguaros re-appeared lower in the valley. All logistics were problem free on this tour in every respect.

Despite missing the Grand Canyon, the nuclear stuff at Los Alomos, the Hoover Dam, southern Utah and Las Vegas, all of which we considered to be possible destinations, we had a thoroughly enjoyable, rejuvenating and memorable visit to this part of the United States. Next time (and there will be a next time), we'll get to some of those places - and others too. Dragonboat paddling begins this week on Lake Ontario and the ice will be off Clear Lake by next weekend (if it isn't already) so we will have jump-started the spring/summer season in style.

And, finally, the Bills traded Jason Peters to the Eagles for the 28th pick in this weekend's NFL draft and, with it, landed OL Eric Wood from Louisville after taking DE Aaron Maybin from Penn State 11th overall. Let's hope they can help. And this year's Toronto game is a Prime Time Thursday night match-up against the Jets which is as good an opportunity for this game to succeed as it's going to get - and it will if they are still contending in early December.

2009-04-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

I've never had a near death experience - not one involving my own life at least - but, this past Thursday evening, I experienced one which involved the life our little dog, Poppy. I rescued her from a hole in the ice on our lake. She's fine. We came very close to losing her though.

We drove up Thursday afternoon, fought through one of the busiest shopping days of the year and arrived around 7.30pm in fine clear weather. The road was in surprisingly good shape. We were set for a sunny long weekend. What could be better? We warmed up the cottage and ate around 9pm - our usual "Friday night" routine. I went out to prime the pump at the side of the cottage around 10.20pm. Siobhan let the 2 dogs out shortly afterward. Sally is terrified of the ice and will not go near it in uncertain conditions but Poppy, the 12 year old Westie, has no instinctive sense of danger about ice or about anything else. She usually does not venture far, and especially not in colder weather and especially not at night.

As I finished priming and turned on the pump to fill the water heater, I thought I heard splashing from the other side of the bay at our deep water dock but there are otters and ducks active as the ice melts away from the shore and then I saw Sally walk by me and she could easily have gone in the water as well but my radar sensed nothing out of the ordinary. Siobhan came out a minute or so later and asked if I had seen Poppy. Thinking that she was inside, I asked if she was sure that Poppy was outside. She has a remarkable ability to find little corners to hide in so she was probably inside. We did a quick search and saw no sign of her. I walked down to the dock to see if she was poking around underneath as she sometimes does and then I heard the noise. A grunting noise coming from across the bay but I could see nothing in the dark. I thought that it was an owl or another bird. There are lots of critters around. Siobhan heard it too. The first thing she said was "That's not Poppy". Later, she realized that she had never heard Poppy's distress noises. Westies are known for their ability to "talk" by using a variety of intonations in their voices as they "ask" for treats or a snuggle. This was a low pitched, plaintive sound - like no other we had ever heard from her.

After a bit more searching with a flashlight, I was getting concerned. Poppy is small, old and vulnerable and we are usually well aware of her whereabouts but she has nowhere to be seen. A subconscious instinct of some kind told me to run over toward the sound that this creature was making - if only to rule it out. I sprinted the 200 metres through the snow, made my way down onto the neighbours dock, shined the light out onto the lake and there she was with her front paws clinging to the ice and her little black eyes peering at me. She had fallen into a hole in the ice about 15 feet from the dock in deep water. The ice had melted, in the usual way, about 3 or 4 feet from the shore but she was another 10 feet beyond that - in a hole in the thicker ice - and she was barely hanging on. The grunting noise was very faint now as about 15 minutes had passed from when I first heard the splashing. I was convinced that she was only a minute or two from death. I yelled to Siobhan as I paced back and forth wondering how this rescue could be done without risking my own life. She arrived and screamed when she saw her precious little dog near death. I told her to calm down and hold the light. Wearing hiking shoes, sweat pants and a t-shirt, I went in. I could touch bottom for the first 4 feet or so, then it was deep water after that. I had to break a channel through the ice with my arms (and I've got the bruises and scrapes to show for it) to get to her. It was weak ice and broke away easily and I punched through in a few seconds. When I reached her, I pushed her back toward the shore as I struggled with the heavy clothing I was wearing. Her almost lifeless body was barely floating and her nose went beneath the water for a second. I got her to the dock and Siobhan grabbed her. I got out and took Poppy back. We wrapped Siobhan's jacket around her and ran back to the warm cottage. When I put her on the floor in front of the woodstove, she was completely seized up from the cold and could not stand. Siobhan wrapped her in a dry towel and held her there. For the next 45 minutes, she made the same grunting noise that she was making from the ice. With every breath she took, she breathed in and exhaled with that grunt until it got a little stronger and louder and then it finally stopped. It was two full hours until she was warm and dry. I recalled later that I didn't feel the cold at all. With the adrenaline rush, it just didn't register. I sat down and had 2 ounces of scotch. We stayed up until after 1am, reflecting, rejoicing and processing this event.

Dogs have memories. They recognize people they know. They remember places they have been and experiences they have had. I don't think that their brains are capable of reflection, however, because, as soon as Poppy was fully warmed up, she was absolutely normal in every respect. She ate a treat. She went out and peed. She curled up in front of the fire as she has done so may times before as the two of us regained our composure, recounted our luck and talked through the guilt of not having recognized the suffering sound earlier than we did. It was a close call. Very close. 15 minutes in the icy water with a body that small is about at the survival limit. Poppy, on the other had, seemed oblivious to the trauma she had just endured. Dogs live in the present. This is where I am right now. No point in wondering what might happen in the future or in looking back on events from the past - no matter how significant. We were still shaking. She was sound asleep.

What a spectacular weekend in Muskoka. Sunny every day. Good mountain biking and running. We took the ABS canoe to the Muskoka River on Saturday afternoon and paddled for the first time in 2009. We are thankful for so much. We are lucky to have our little dog still with us. Her time almost came.

2009-04-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

I had to go to a corporate event on Friday night which would have been much more difficult to endure if Steve Patterson had not been the MC. We made sure to listen to "The Debaters" on Saturday morning. I like his positive energy.

So, we left at 7.30am Saturday after heavy rains and winds but it looked benign enough, although that would change. It has felt like spring in Toronto on and off for a couple of weeks so we weren't looking forward to snow but that's what we got after the Holland Marsh. And, going through Barrie, there was heavy slush on the road in the left lane and the traffic was moving cautiously at 75km/hr - sort of like a cycling peloton - in the 2 right lanes which were slush free. But, of course, someone had to roar up on my left and spray so much slush on my windshield that I was driving blind for 4 or 5 seconds. It was terrifying but I'm sure that it was worth it for them to arrive a couple of minutes ahead of the rest of us.

The road was soft with holes but nothing bad enough to stop us. It's king of like rally driving where you need to maintain speed in places while searching for the sink holes and ruts. It started to snow steadily just after lunch with strong winds from the NW and that's what we got for the rest of the day. It felt like November except with daylight until 8pm.

The skiing is pretty much over. I'm sure that we could walk to the Clear Creek trail with our skis and do it but I'm also sure that we won't so it's on the next season's sports. I did 2 circuits of the lake on the mountain bike in driving snow and Siobhan walked/jogged. Peddling through 5cm of snow on top of soft sand or mud is tough going.

Spring is taking hold - even on what seemed like a winter day. The south facing shore has about 10 feet of open water and most of the snow is gone. The Black River is raging. We stopped at the Falls at Vankoughnet and it was as high as I've ever seen it. The road is underwater just downstream which cuts off about 10 houses.

We were able to get all of the camping equipment out in the car. I will ship the kitchen box by ground to Phoenix on Tuesday. We're heading back up to the cottage Good Friday morning.

2009-03-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday's cobalt sky was about as crystal clear as it ever can be. Conditions in Muskoka at 10.00am when we departed for a 2 hour ski were mid-winter cold - around minus 6 with a good breeze from the north. We walked down the big hill, across the bridge and started along the creek towards Saw lake. This particular terrain on either side of the creek is flooded and swampy from April until December and it takes the full winter snowpack to build and form itself before entering the daily thaw/freeze cycle in March to make it accessible on skis. As the sun begins to expose the structure of the snowpack, we can see underneath it in places and the alder bushes are pushed right over in clumps with the snowpack sitting on top like a lid just barely containing the pent up branches. The clumps provide a beautiful, gently undulating surface to ski on. Always a highlight, and to get it on such a perfect day as this. Then a full loop of Saw Lake at record speed on the thin skiff of softer ice and snow on top of the 2 feet of solid ice. Changing to interior, shaded terrain, we negotiated the trail to Keyhole Lake and came back to the road on the Johnson Trail. A full sampling of very challenging trails under these conditions. Siobhan has a purple bruise on her hip from Saturday morning.

March offers some of the best and most challenging skiing of the season. The snowpack is very hard in the morning and softer later on, especially in the south facing areas. There's still 40 or 50 cm of snow in the shaded areas of the bush and, when it's cold like it was today, our ski trail is like little luge tracks and falling is like falling on concrete. It's fast and unforgiving. It seems like we know, and maybe we subconsciously hope, that the skiing season will soon give way to paddling and biking in our corner of Muskoka, but I really do love the cross country skiing that we can do from our cottage door.

4 weeks to go before we go to the US Southwest. We sketched out our tentative route on Friday night and it looks really good. We'll head from Phoenix to the Tucson area and visit Seguaro National Park and then we're going to spend some time in New Mexico. There's an off-grid, hippy town called Truth or Consequences, New Mexico which caught our attention but we want to see White Sands National Park and Santa Fe so we have some decisions to make as we can't see everything in 8 days.

Hoping for big things to come, blog wise. I am going to get a new computer and probably a new video camera and I will be posting video and really taking this up a few notches. I may even separate the football from our outdoor pursuits. Stay Tuned.

2009-03-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

For a league with a season which lasts for all of 5 months, the NFL has a remarkable ability to maintain fan interest during the other 7 months which follow the Super Bowl. March features free agency signings and multiple roster moves, as teams prepare for the April draft. Have the Bills been active in this year's free agency bidding frenzy? Absolutely. How about the signing of CB Drayton Florence from San Diego to counter the loss of Jabari Greer to the Saints? Or, C Geoff Hangartner from Carolina? Don't forget former Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick who will have his work cut out for him if he wants to be worse than JP Losman. Re-signing with the team was OL Kirk Chambers and gone are TE Robert Royal and OL Derrick Dockery. RB Marshawn Lynch plead guilty to being an idiot for having been caught in an expensive car in Oakland with a bag of pot and a gun. He will likely not be suspended by the league. So, until Saturday March 7, the Bills were going about their regular off-season business, shuffling their roster - as were the other 31 teams in the league - and generating media coverage of the various no-name player visits to One Bills Drive, and generally doing little to change the team's fortunes.

I had heard, last Thursday I think, that Cowboys President and GM Gerry Jones and Terrell Owens had decided to part ways and then, on Saturday at the cottage, I heard the very end of a radio report about Owens signing a one year deal but I missed the name of the team. Probably Oakland or maybe Washington, I thought, but I never suspected what I learned on Sunday when I got home and logged on to the chattering posts about the Bills that I read when there's stuff going on with the roster. So, it's actually happened - they have signed him to a one-year, $6.5 million deal. The circus has come to town and it's not going to be boring. Even Dick Jauron will seem interesting now that TO is in the fold. I can't wait for the first OTA's next month. Maybe he will bungee jump off Niagara Falls.

So, why make this move? Were season ticket sales a little slow this winter? Was this an opportunity to energize the fan base? Will this put the small market Buffalo Bills on the national media radar like they have not been since the Music City Miracle? Yes, yes and yes but is this a good move for the football team going into 2009? Aside from the concerns about his attitude and propensity to be an attention seeking and selfish cancer in the locker room (which may be greatly over estimated - both in terms of what his attitude is actually like and in terms of how much it really matters anyway), this guy can play. Yes, he's 35 now but he can still run, get open and score touchdowns. He has always done this and he sure looked pretty strong to me with Dallas last year. Defensive coordinators will now have to defend Lee Evans and TO at the same time and they can't both be double-teamed, can they?

I remember Marv Levy being asked once about whether or not a certain player was "a good guy in the locker room". He replied by saying that he had never really understood what that meant and that the characteristics which he always looked for in a player were talent and commitment, and that success in football came from combining those with practice and execution. "The Equipment Manager - now there's a good guy in the locker room", is how he wrapped up his answer. So, will TO be a good guy in the locker room? We'll see. I don't know that it really matters though. If he is healthy, his production should speak for itself and, hey, whatever happens, it's going to be fun.

Well, spring is on its way in Muskoka. The skiing was challenging as the snowpack has lost its structure, has developed sink holes and the tracks we have worked on all season are becoming unstable. Perfect conditions for pulling a hamstring. We are reading travel books and studying maps of Arizona and neighbouring states as we go in mid April for 8 days.

2009-02-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

Those of us in Ontario now have two Family Day weekends under our belts but I sense that the traditions are developing slowly. Maybe most of us are just happy to have a winter long weekend and perhaps even spend a little time with our, well, with our families. That's what we did. The four of us - Siobhan and I and our two dogs, Sally (11 years old - mosty Sheppard with some Collie) and Poppy (a 12 year old Westie) - headed north. Our tradition, as with virtually all holidays and most other regular weekends at any time of year, is to go to our family cottage near Bracebridge, Ontario.

Left the office shortly before noon Friday and, after a couple of stops and a drive straight up through the city, we were headed north on 400 by 1.15pm in surprisingly light traffic and, after shopping in Orillia, we arrived around 4.15pm under clear skies and a temperature of minus 3 or so. The February thaw earlier in the week had reduced the snow pack significantly (thankfully it was pretty big to begin with) and had created excellent skating conditions on the lake. So, after stoking the fire for an hour, we laced them up and skated east along the north shore with Sally in tow. Poppy had, we guessed, stayed behind to putter around as she often does. We stopped to soak up the sun about 1km from our dock when we saw her coming. A sight to behold - the Westie was running full-out through the snow on a bee-line towards us - as if she suddenly had an epiphany about her energy level and her ability to join in the fun. That was just the beginning of Poppy's energy output this weekend.

Saturday morning brought more sun and a morning low of minus 15. After some tea and an orange, we took another skate along the lake - not quite all the way around as we encountered some crusty conditions near the south shore. The dogs came along and I carried Poppy a little as we skate faster than she can run. The ice had frozen slightly unevenly in places with ridges and waves which were undectable under the thin layer of snow - but conditions were quite good overall. After lunch, we got the skis out and headed across Clear Lake to Saw Lake with just Sally as we thought that the distance and pace would be too much for the little Westie. We skied the entire length of Saw Lake and started on the trail along Clear Creek to Keyhole Lake. The snow pack was very hard but our ski tracks were well established from before the thaw which made it fast and sometimes trecherous in places. Sally could roam freely with no fear of falling through the snow. When we arrived at Keyhole Lake, we could see bare ice on the north part of the lake so we set out to investigate. A vast section - about a third the size of lake itself - had frozen after the snow had fallen, leaving pristine, bare, smooth ice with only a few waves and imperfections. Perfect skating conditions but we were on skis. Hmmm.....

On Sunday, which was a carbon copy of Saturday - minus 15 and clear, we packed our skates, cameras and water and set off for the great skating on Keyhole Lake, with both dogs in tow. Poppy fared very well as we skied the entire length of Saw Lake and Clear Creek. We skated, flimed and relaxed beside a massive white pine tree which had fallen into the lake this past fall. The warm mid-February sunshine of the early afternoon reminded us that Spring is getting closer. The video looks spectacular. We enjoyed it so much that we went back on Monday and did it all again.

There were also the rituals of sauna, wine and fine meals that we always have at the cottage. I said to Siobhan at one point as we skated on Keyhole Lake (and here's where I begin the transition to football, in case you were wondering if we were ever going to get there, with the following quote from Marv Levy, which he used to say right before kick-off), "Where else would you rather be than right here right now?".

So, since this is a Bills blog, here's a litte bit on that. This is really the doldrums for football fans. The Pro Bowl was last weekend. The Souting Combines start this week. The Bills have the 11th pick in the April college entry draft (as they did last year) and the mock drafts I have seen show them picking a tight end (Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma State). We'll see. I just got my season ticket renewal notice in the mail - 9 home games, including 2 pre-season. At least we will not have a $255 per seat pre-season game in Toronto this year. We will have to wait until next year for that. So, I will renew. I wonder how many will not. I am sensing a seat upgrade opportunity.

2008-12-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

After a successful Christmas dinner which we hosted at the condo, we headed to the cottage Boxing Day. Minus 2 when we arrived at 2.30pm - shovelled, sawed the swimming hole and stoked the fire before the sauna and dinner. In the absence of weather forecasts which told us that big changes were coming, everything seemed fine - a big snowpack, pretty thick ice for late December, calm winds - all signs pointed to the beginning of a great winter. As was forecast, Saturday brought warm breezes and showers which became torrential rain and a balmy 10 degrees. By Sunday at 8am, half of the huge snowpack was gone and the temperature was holding at 10. Then, the winds came. Power went out at 9.15am and we were ready to go by 10.30am. The road was an luge track except with many large downed branches which we had to get out and clear. Had to wait until Barrie to find a Tim Hortons with power. Home just after kick-off in Buffalo.

The Bills looked like they were going to be able to run the ball effectively but also looked like they might not be able to stop the Patriots from doing the same. In the end, poor clock management and play-calling, among other things, were their undoing on this day when the wind severely limited offensive options and really simplified each team's game-plan. What a great call on Cassell's punt down to Bills one yard line in the fourth quarter. The "quick kick" which my dad talks about from old time CFL games - a perfect call at this point in this game with the wind at their backs. Gotta respect Belichick. As for Dick Jauron, well, not much to respect in this game but he has been very consistent in his 3 years in Buffalo, posting 7-9 records each season. That's 21 wins in 48 games. Are we not entitled to results better than that?

So, we will head back up to Muskoka Tuesday night for New Years Eve and a 5 day weekend. The long range forecast is for much colder towards New Years Day with a low of minus 23. That means the potential for excellent skating on the lake if it freezes evenly with little or no snow. We need more snow to soften the snowpack for skiing so, either way, I am happy as long as it stays cold.

Happy New Year to everyone.

2008-12-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

Friday was a snow day in Toronto. It was also the day that the new Clint Eastwood film, Gran Torino, opened, so, at lunchtime, I headed out in the storm to buy tickets for the 7.40pm show. Mostly to avoid lining up later to buy tickets but some screenings sell out on opening night (most recently, as I recall, for Snakes on a Plane, which I admit seeing on its opening night) but there were about only 25 people willing to venture out in the wind and snow this time. And, it was way better than Snakes on a Plane, too. For Clint fans, it's obviously a must see but, I recommend it even for casual Clint fans. At 78, Clint stills knows his craft. We liked it. My grandfather drove a yellow Gran Torino for a couple of years when I was about 11 or 12 - might have been just a Torino.

Got up early Saturday and drove to the Queens Quay Loblaws to get the turkey. We're having my family to the condo for Christmas Dinner this year. Got a fresh turkey and loads of other stuff, just beat the huge line-ups and were home in time to get 2 messages from Siobhan's mother advising us to wait until Tuesday to buy the turkey. We could have waited and picked up the same turkey on Tuesday but our fridge is as good as Loblaws fridge, isn't it?

Sunday, I was cleaning up and ruminating on Christmas details during the early games and my Pro-line ticket blew up early as the Lions failed to win for the 15th time this year. Then, I watched the first quarter of the Bills game. It inspired me to go skating across the street at the Harbourfront rink as the second quarter started. The first quarter was a disaster - the kind that poor teams - especially those with "nothing" to play for - very rarely can turn around, but, as was anticipated by some, the team seems to like and respect Dick Jauron and, in the second half, it showed. I don't know if that's counter-productive in the long term but it's not a bad thing. I am also certain that, psychologically, once you have been eliminated from the playoffs, the pressure is relieved - or re-focused on your individual job, next year, free agency - whatever - but not on getting a birth in the tournament and seeing where you can go. Teams play differently once they are out. Some better and some worse and it's sometimes hard to know what it means but its different when you are just playing out the schedule.

Not to take away from what was a really good effort against a playoff calibre Broncos team (who must now travel to San Diego to decide the AFC West in what might be next week's best game). The Bills played 3 quarters of pretty good football yesterday and what I liked most besides Fred Jackson, was Edwards, who looked like he is not as scared to throw the ball down the field as he was through the month of November.

So, one more game next Sunday against the Patriots with a chance to go 8-8 and show the home fans that there might be hope for next year. The Patriots will have something to play for so it could be fun to play the spoiler again. I want Edwards to continue to build for next year. Next year - yeah, that's it. Next year will be the year.

Here's hoping that whatever we all do for the holidays, that we enjoy it as much as we can. As I write this, the winter solstice is some 15 hours past and each day will now grow longer, the sun will rise a little higher in the sky and the Stonehenge druids can take most of the next 12 months off. We will be off to the cottage Friday. Maybe we will take the ABS canoe to the creek for some December paddling.

2008-12-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

MCAP Party Friday night which was fun. Went to the cottage Saturday morning. No snow in the city to speak of but Muskoka has about 60 cm on the ground already. Joe, who plows the road and our driveway, has done so 6 times now, including Sunday morning as we had another 8cm overnight. Winter begins in a week.

Skied into Keyhole Lake along the Johnson trail to Saw lake then along Clear Creek - about 7km return - once Saturday and once yesterday. The first one was tough through 25cm of untracked powdery dry snow. My cousin Pete was on snowshoes and we traded the lead several times, stopping to knock the caked on snow off the hemlock boughs along Clear Creek. Sunday's ski was a bit easier through the 8cm of new snow and took 90 minutes - 20 less than Saturday's. The forest looks transformed - like a surreal movie set - with all the trees heavily laden with so much snow. Many smaller trees are still bent over from the rain then ice then heavy wet snow which fell overnight on November 9th.

With rain in the forecast, I decided to shovel the roof. I did this once last year - in February, I think, and one other time in the last 5 years but certainly never in mid December. An even bigger workout than the skiing actually, and it's a bit more dangerous too. I survived and got the whole north leaf done which is where it had drifted up to 80 to 100cm in places. I then had to shovel the snow off the back porch which creates a cool sort of tunnel effect leading from the driveway to the back door. It was a fairly heavy calorie burning couple of days.

The Bills lost again. Dick Jauron personally took responsibility for calling the fateful play on second down with 2:06 to go in the game and Bills leading by 3. JP Losman executed it in his own special way (I used to think, mistakenly, that Drew Bledsoe was the best at this), and the Bills are now 6-8 after showing some promising signs in the running game on this day in the Meadowlands, but finding another way to lose in the end. Going from 5-1 to 6-8 isn't necessarily indicative of a coaching problem but it would not make you want to sign him to three year extension, would it?

At Denver next Sunday if anyone cares, as we begin thinking now about our position in the April draft and, once again, about the revenue disparity and the team's long term future in Buffalo.

We will will go next to the cottage on Boxing day - 2 days before the Bills last game of the season against the Patriots.

2008 Season Week 14

2008-12-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

I like riding my bike so much that I went for a ride yesterday at noon from my place at Queens Quay and Lower Simcoe to High Park and back. It was sunny, about minus 8 and the winds were gusting to about 70km I think. Tough ride westbound then a gift eastbound. I realized early on the westbound leg that trying to light the bar-b-que in the parking lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday would have been quite a challenge, not to mention the challenge of staying warm for 6 hours in those conditions. I've been to plenty of cold weather games in Orchard Park over the years but I was happy to walk into the Rogers Centre around 3.15pm to soak up the "atmosphere" leading up to the first ever real NFL game in Canada.

I am surprised that we were able to breathe at all because there was no atmosphere. None. About 5 minutes before kick-off, I looked around from my $255 seats in the 500 level (I paid $215 but the "face" value on the ticket was $255 - I presume this was to point out that I actually could have paid more than I did) and the place was only two thirds full and most certainly did not feel like anyone's "home" game. The introduction of the Bills offence was met with only half hearted applause. The Dolphin fans weren't any better either. It just felt dead. Dead, but warm.

The Bills season is now officially over. JP Losman played the way we want to remember him after he leaves, mercifully, at the conclusion of this now lost season. Indecision, sacks and fumbles - just the way we like them. The defence was OK but gave up some key third down passes. But the offence was pathetic once again. Forget the quarterbacking, the line broke down numerous times, Lynch couldn't break out and generally, it was crap. The most promising moment came right before the most disappointing moment- so at least we got a couple of important plays close together which held off the overall boredom for a while. Josh Reed made a nice one-handed catch and broke down deep into Miami territory but, on first and goal from the 3, they tried a corner fade to Lee Evans which was intercepted for a touchback. The Bills never threatened to score again as they continued their virtual free-fall through the sub 500 barrier to 6-7.

The SkyDome (with no dis-respect intended to the recently departed Ted Rogers), with the roof closed, has always been and continues to be a facility whose vast steel and concrete ceiling just seems to suck the life from the crowd inside the comfortable, anti-septic pod. Even with the stands approaching full in the second quarter (no matter how much Toronto sports fans pay, they still show up late), the mood seemed quiet and disinterested - even on Miami's third downs. I had hoped for more from the crowd - a buzz of any kind - but the game offered nothing and the crowd offered nothing in return. It just seemed like a gathering of casual NFL fans sitting in the warm dome and chatting with each-other as the ugly game played itself out - kind of like a bad baseball game where the home team just can't generate any offence. This league, despite producing some of the most compelling sports entertainment every season, can sometimes offer a brand of football, as we saw in Toronto today, which is almost unwatchable.

And so the first real NFL game in Canada is history. Was it a success? For Ralph Wilson's bottom line, yes it was a success but, apart from the Miami Dolphins (who, after finishing 1-15 last year have turned their fortunes around dramatically), I can't think of anyone who was happy with this day, for a long list of reasons. It was warm in there though. That was nice.

2009 Season Week 12

2008-11-24T11:48:00.001-08:00

Turns out all the Buffalo Bills needed was a trip to Kansas City to face the hapless Chiefs who have lost 19 or their past 20 games. Despite giving up over 460 yards yesterday, the Bills managed to secure 5 takeaways on their way to a 54 point explosion. Needless to say, the Chiefs have some issues on defence.

Trent Edwards did not continue his rapid downward spiral and was a relatively efficient 20 of 28 with 2 touchdown passes and he earned another 2 himself on the ground. The tandem of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson was very effective again and Lee Evans was back from the wilderness with 5 catches for over 100 yards. Josh Reed returned after a lengthy absence with a touchdown pass.

How good can Leodis McKelvin be? Well, he's scored 2 return touchdowns in 2 consecutive games and he looked comfortable playing the corner as well. Speaking of Corner, he looked good too but maybe everyone looks against the Chiefs.

So, here we are 11 games into the season and one game over .500 with the 49ers coming to Buffalo next. The Jets look like the best team in the AFC East right now but that can all change. It looks like the Bills will have to "run the table" to make the playoffs as the Colts and the Steelers are coming on strong. There will almost certanly be a 10-6 team left out again this year. Running the table would put thme at 11-5 and 3-3 in the division which could win the division if the Jets and Pats falter (beyond losing once each to the Bills). So, it's tough and they might regret the missed field goal against Cleveland if they do end up at 10-6. 9-7 is more likely.

The Bills have their Toronto game on Dec 7th against Miami. I'm looking forward to the 5 minute walk rather than the 3 hour drive but something tells me we are doing the Dolphins a favour by playing this game indoors. We'll see. So, both teams should be 7-5 going into that game as the Dolphins visit St. Louis this week.

2008 Season Week 10

2008-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Didn't see any of the game. Good thing, too.

If they don't beat Cleveland at home next Monday, they are done, if they aren't already.

2008 Season Week 9

2008-11-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

After Marshawn Lynch gained 40+ yards on an early first quarter screen pass which found him as wide open as an NFL defence will ever allow, he was overcome by nausea and returned only in a limited role in the second half of yesterday's AFC East battle between the Bills and the Jets at a sun drenched RWS. For the 71,000+ on hand, the weather was much more enjoyable than the home team's effort and, although nauseating is too strong a word, the Bills game plan and execution was uninspired and sloppy. Losses in 3 of their last 4 games, including 2 straight division contests have now brought them to the half way point of the season and clearly to a crossroads.

The teams traded interceptions returned for touchdowns - the Jets in the first quarter and Buffalo's midway in the 4th - but the Bills lost the turnover battle and the interior battles on both sides of the ball. The Jets moved effectively with a short passing game and the running of veteran Thomas Jones while the Bills offensive line is getting worse each week in both run blocking and pass protection as they were unable to run the ball or find plays down the field. Their highly rated special teams fared no better as Rian Lindell kicked the ball out of bounds on a kick-off (or at least into the hands of a Jets player standing out of bounds) and missed a 43 yard field goal while Brian Moorman shanked a punt. This game generated very little to encourage Bills fans that their team is any better than one of many average teams.

So, the mid point if the season - and at 5-3, it would feel a lot better if they had won 3 of the last 4 rather than vice versa. The dominating effort against Seattle seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? They need a boost - something to re-energize them. How about this? Tuesday is usually an off day for NFL players, leaving plenty of time to, say, vote. Despite probably receiving the tax advice to the contrary, most NFL players and the rest of America are about to elect their first black President and hopefully Bills players will mark that moment with a special effort in New England next week to jump start the second half of their season. It's a big week for America and for the Bills before they return home for a Monday night match-up against their Lake Erie cousins, the Cleveland Browns.

2008 Season Week 8

2008-10-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

The Buffalo Bills had four 4th quarter possessions yesterday in south Florida against the Dolphins but they will regret each one of them as they unravelled in spectacular fashion with the following results from those possessions: interception, fumble, safety against, fumble. Four turnovers on four consecutive possessions will usually make it impossible to win in the NFL and this game got away from them quickly. They now stand at 5-2 .

Were there good things to build on from this loss? If there were, they will be overshadowed by some trends which should concern Bills fans. Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 13 times for 61 yards - not enough for the featured back. Trent Edwards seemed to lose his focus on protecting the ball - especially on his third down carry which lead to the first fumble as he stretched out his hand with the ball as if on the goal-line but, with his knee not down, Joey Porter simply grabbed it from him. Terrance McGee's knee is not in game shape as he was unable to cover receivers closely and the fact the he played the whole game speaks volumes about the coaching staff's comfort level with their rookie first rounder Leodis McKelvin who returned kick-offs only. Without Aaron Schobel, Buffalo's pass rush was muted as Chad Pennington had plenty of time to find his targets. They had no solution for Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. who had the first 100 yard day of his short career and showed that his controversial selection at 9th overall in this spring's draft might turn out to be justified.

They now find themselves tied with the Patriots on top the AFC East - something that would have sounded good on opening day but now seems a little dissapointing after their first division game. Next up: the New York Jets and Brett Favre come to Orchard Park. The Bills are early 5 to 6 point favourites and should rebound and move to 6-2 before travelling to new England on November 9th.

2008 Season Week 7

2008-10-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Good old fashioned football yesterday in Western New York. No headsets, no helmet speakers, no 40 second clock and no television for about 40% of the game but most importantly for the Buffalo Bills, no turn-overs and no sacks allowed as they handled the hard luck San Diego Chargers 23-14 at a sun drenched Ralph Wilson Stadium. Apparently, some mylar balloons got loose (as they so often do) and somehow caused an electrical transformer near the stadium to fail shortly before game time causing recurring black-outs which cut out almost half of the game for home viewers.

Those at the stadium witnessed an impressive display of quarterbacking as both Philip Rivers and Trent Edwards moved their teams skillfully and combined for over 630 yards in total offence but the game turned on Rivers pass in the red zone late in the game which was intercepted by Kawika Mitchell who would also cause another turnover 2 minutes later with a sack/fumble on Rivers. Chargers coach Norv Turner's punt call on 4th and 1 at the Bills 40 yard line earlier in the 4th quarter was the subject of much discussion on the call-in shows after the game - mostly in terms of the message to the team - and, although they punted the Bills down to their half yard line, Bills fans were probably relieved to see Rivers, Tomlinson and Gates coming off and the punter coming on.

Bills coach Dick Jauron said afterward that the coaching staff and the players saw this game as critical in establishing the team as a true contender in the AFC and really one of the few tough match-ups on this year's otherwise relatively favourable schedule (I'm embellishing his words here) and he has to be happy with how they responded without defensive starters Terrance McGee and Aaron Schobel. As for the Chargers, they now travel to London for their next game against New Orleans before the bye. Now 3-4, how long will they continue to be regarded as one of the AFC's top teams?

Now 5-1, Buffalo's schedule turns to divisional games for the next 3 weeks - beginning at Miami next Sunday. Trent Edwards seems to be the key for this team and if he can stay healthy, which he has not been able to do over the past season or in his career at Stanford, Buffalo can easily challenge for one of the top 2 seeds in the AFC. The cold weather is around the corner and there is a lot of football left. For the first time in almost 10 years, the chances seem good that the Bills will be playing meaningful games in late December.

2008 Season Week 5

2008-10-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

With hopes of an undefeated season evaporated in the desert air yesterday in the land of John McCain, The Buffalo Bills have 2 weeks to show their fans just how well they can handle adversity. Their first loss came at a time and in a way that presents a crossroads for them: they could have their confidence shattered and realize that they are only an average team who learned how to beat weak teams over the first 4 weeks of the season - or they could clear their groggy heads and simply recognize that the Cardinals were the better team yesterday and that getting spanked by a strong home side is something that happens to almost every NFL team, no matter how good, at least once during the 16 game schedule.

Bills quarterback Trent Edwards stood in the pocket and delivered a first down strike to James Hardy just before getting his jaw crunched between the ground and the helmet of Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson. It was third down. It was the game's third play from scrimmage. It was also the last play Edwards remembers if he remembers anything at all from this game as his day ended with the sound of cardinals chirping in his ears. Enter J.P. Losman - the man who has the uncanny ability to remind us all why we had such high hopes for him as he found a wide open Lee Evans on an 87 yard touchdown bomb to get the Bills right back in the game. Unfortunately, in the second half, he demonstrated why we found him so frustrating to watch with his dithering approach to standing in the pocket as the Cardinals defence got to him again and again.

The story of yesterday's game was that the Bills defence could not stop Kurt Warner and company. Before the game was out of reach, the only time that Arizona's offence did not have their way was on the first possession of the second half. Buffalo generated only a field goal on their next possession and they would not score again. The Cardinals had an excellent offensive game plan which, combined with the Bills poor tackling, let them move the ball at will as they gained 28 first downs on the day.

So, which Bills team will we see against the Chargers in 2 weeks? Hopefully, the Bills will learn from this defeat and if Edwards concussion is mild enough for him to recover and prepare for this game, look for Buffalo to rebound with a strong showing in front of their home fans. If he can't go, J.P. will get another chance to learn to get rid of the ball early enough not to cost his team too dearly.

2008 Season Week 4

2008-09-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's game technically qualifies as a fourth quarter comeback because the Buffalo Bills trailed the St. Louis Rams 14-13 at the end of the third quarter. Jabari Greer intercepted Trent Green's pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills a lead for good as they cruised to their first 4-0 record since 1992 when Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith were the core of that dominant team.

Give the Rams credit. Personal pride, professionalism - call it whatever you want - but it carried them through 3 quarters yesterday as they tried to avoid their fourth loss in as many games but, in the end, they just don't have enough talent. Running back Stephen Jackson is their best player and, while he still needs to get fully up to game speed after a long contract hold-out, he broke into the secondary several times on his way to a 110 yard day.

Buffalo looks like a team which now knows how to win. After taking the lead on the Greer interception, on their next possession, Trent Edwards went for the Rams jugular by finding Lee Evans on a 39 yard touchdown pass and then finding him again for a 2 point conversion to put them up 28-14. As coach Dick Jauron said afterwards, the Bills "ended up making more plays at the end and that's what the game's all about". Yes, that's what it's all about but it's also about having the confidence to make those plays and to know how to close out a game.

Up next: the Arizona Cardinals in the desert. The Cardinals allowed Brett Favre to throw no less than 6 touchdown passes against them yesterday as they gave up 56 points to the Jets. If the Bills can find a way to win this one, they have their bye week before hosting one of the AFC's top teams, the San Diego Chargers.

2008 Season Week 3

2008-09-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

When a quarterback is inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame, one of the most often mentioned statistical accomplishments of a typical Hall of Famer's career is his fourth quarter comeback wins. All of the great quarterbacks have the ability to lead their team to victory late in a game when everything is on the line. While it is absurd at this early stage to think that Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards could be Canton bound, he already has three of these comebacks under his belt, including one in each of the past two weeks. With only 14 NFL starts, if he can continue this ratio over, say, ten years, his place in the H of F should be a certainty.

For three quarters at a misty Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, the Bills seemed sluggish and looked like they might have under-estimated the Oakland Raiders who came into this contest with their head coach perhaps only hours away from being fired. The Raiders played well for him and the Bills found themselves down by nine points twice in the fourth quarter. Edwards engineered three drives, two for touchdowns and one for the winning field goal as time expired to eke out a 24-23 victory. After a Marshawn Lynch touchdown brought Buffalo to within two points, on the next possession, Raiders receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins caught a pass on a slant pattern, avoided Paul Pozluzny's tackle, broke free and then taunted Bills safety Donte Whitner by slowing down around the 25 yard line as he cruised toward the endzone. Whitner kept coming and then tackled Higgins hard at the back of the end zone, earning himself a personal foul but also demonstrating that the Bills have some pride as a team - something we may not have seen a few seasons ago.

The Bills would then score ten more points over the last five minutes of the game - lead by the surprisingly poised Edwards who distributed the ball, managed the clock and lead the team to within easy field goal range for Rian Lindell's winning kick on the game's final play. This was another close game which good teams win and bad teams lose. Wins like this build confidence for the winners and seem devastating for the losers. The 3-0 Bills travel next to St. Louis to face the 0-3 Rams who have just announced a quarterback change for this game.

2008 Season Week 1

2008-09-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

With the Buffalo Bills leading the Seattle Seahawks by 10 points in the
third quarter of yesterday's NFL regular season kick-off at Ralph Wilson
Stadium, Bills defensive end Ryan Denney reported eligible on a fourth
down play with the Bills within easy field goal range for kicker Rian
Lindell. He then moved toward the sidelines but not off the field. The
ball was snapped to holder Brian Moorman who stood up and lofted an easy
pass to a wide open Denney who walked into the end zone to give Buffalo a
17 point lead on their way to a 34-10 rout of the 'hawks.

This dominating opening day performance was a welcome sight for Bills fans
who had seen their team lose two of its past three opening games at home
on the final play of the game. Does this bode well for the rest of the
season? Recent history indicates that it does not. The opening game of the
2003 season saw the Bills clobber the Patriots 31-0 but by January,
Buffalo had finished well out of the playoffs at 6-10 and the Patriots
were Super Bowl winners. The 2005 season began with an over-powering
defensive performance against the inept Houston Texans but Buffalo only
won 4 more times that season.

History, although interesting, is probably irrelevant - especially in
light of the team's performance in all three aspects of the game and
against a quality opponent like Seattle. The defence looked strong. The
offence, with Jason Peters out of the line-up but due to play next week,
ran and passed effectively and protected the ball. Buffalo's special teams
may be the best in the league with the electrifying Roscoe Parrish
returning punts and coach Bobby April devising trick plays which seem to
work much more often than not. All indications are that the 2008 Bills are
a talented, motivated and well coached team which should be able to make
it to the post-season for the first time since the Music City Miracle.

Weeks 3,4 and 5 of this season provide good opportunities for wins as the
Bills host Oakland before travelling to St. Louis and Arizona. Next week,
however, presents one of the toughest challenges on the schedule as
Buffalo visits steamy Jacksonville. The Jaguars, who lost yesterday at
Tennessee, will be motivated to win their home opener and avoid starting
0-2. If the Bills can get a win in this game, they will certainly be in
very good shape going into the bye week in week 6.

2008 Season Week 2

2008-09-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

James Hardy and Terrance McGee both caught balls on the right side of the
same end zone in sweltering Jacksonville, Florida and each catch
represented a critical moment in the Buffalo Bills victory yesterday over
the Jaguars. McGee's interception at the end of the first half stalled a
threatening Jacksonville drive and Hardy, the rookie second rounder from
Illinois who was drafted as a tall "possession" receiver, leapt high to
catch a Trent Edwards pass in the corner of the endzone and managed to
keep his toes just inside the white lines as the Bills took the lead for
good late in the game.

This was a hard fought game which ebbed and flowed with each team having
offensive success at different times. Buffalo did an excellent job of
dealing with the near 100 degree F heat by rotating their personnel,
particularly their big men and especially all-pro offensive tackle Jason
Peters, in and out to fend off cramping and exhaustion. Jacksonville
presents one of the league's best combinations of running backs in Fred
Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew and, although they were quite effective in
the second half, the Bills defence stepped up late in the game to shut
them down. Special teams were important again with Roscoe Parrish's last
punt return setting up the field goal which would give the Bills a 4 point
cushion. Trent Edwards was efficient once more, going 20 for 25 with no
interceptions and hitting Lee Evans with a 30+ yard pass on third down to
set up the winning touchdown.

This was a close game - the kind that good teams tend to win - and a
significant step toward the Bills becoming a decent and confident team
this season. Wins over two of last year's playoff teams now lead them to
two games which they should win. Oakland won yesterday in Kansas City but
will be at least 7 point underdogs in Buffalo next Sunday. Then the Bills
travel to St. Louis where they will also be favoured. The NFL season is a
marathon but after 2 weeks, the Bills are in a great position - relatively
injury free with upcoming opportunities to build their confidence and
establish themselves as one of the AFC's better teams.