Category Archive

cygweb: What’s Next For The Bills?

The Bills finally break from my predictions, in a good way.  Thanks to a decent defensive performance, Rian Lindell’s leg, and Joe Gibbs’ overeagerness to freeze said leg, the Bills won 17-16 over the Redskins.

Going into Week 8, the teams that the Bills have played are a combined 25-15 and their remaining opponents (including two games against the Dolphins) are a combined 28-30 (not counting the 0-7 Dolphins twice).

I’ve got less time for TV these days, so shows that aren’t entertaining me are getting the boot. The first of this season is Heroes. It’s going absolutely nowhere and has too many characters. I’ve been checking out BBC America’s Torchwood, but it’s turning out to be more “fi” than “sci”. Might give it one more episode.

Why would a network affiliate bit-starve their flagship HD content to broadcast SD subchannels? That’s what WHP is doing. I used to chalk up macroblocking during CBS football games to the network’s transmission capabilities, but after years of following NFL HD discussion on AVS Forum I’m convinced that the games would look fine if WHP would either get rid of their SD subchannel (who’s watching it?) or bit-starve it and leave plenty of bandwidth for the HD content. I can forgive a little macroblocking during live fast-motion football shots, but when I see it in pre-recorded dramas like Numbers I think WHP (owned by Clear Channel) doesn’t really care what their programming looks like. On the forums, CBS is praised for their HD NFL coverage over NBC, Fox, and sometimes ESPN. However, the picture we’re getting in Harrisburg is being compromised by WHP.

I’m definitely interested in the over-the-air set-top-box (OTA STB) coupons that the government will be distributing to assist with the DTV transition. Namely, what kind of antenna and placement will be required for adequate reception with the boxes, and what kind of outputs will the boxes in the estimated price range have? The documentation is geared towards a box designed to connect to an analog standard-definition set via coax or composite video/audio, but I’m wondering if mid-tier (s-video, optical audio) and higher-end (component video, HDMI) options will be available and eligible for the coupon. With most of the HD programming we watch delivered by broadcast networks, I can’t help but think of investing in an over-the-air alternative to Comcast’s HD DVR service. Like other Comcast services, it never seems to get cheaper. Two HD OTA STBs connected to an HD Tivo or similar unit (or a carefully-crafted media PC) might seem like a lot of money in the short term, but after a year or two of Comcast bills are avoided, it would probably pay for itself.

Update (10/14): My post at AVS Forum: WHP Is Killing Cin @ KC

Update (10/19): I had thought WHP had two SD subchannels, one for weather and one for MyNetworkTV, but was mistaken.  They have just one SD subchannel for MyNetworkTV.  I’ve edited my previous comments.

…I don’t think it’ll be another 13 years before a Skycam hangs in Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Brian Moorman, Jabari Greer, Angelo Crowell, Trent Edwards, Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the guys gave us what may end up being the best MNF game of the season.  After the game, Tony Romo called his team “resilient” a number of times, but he should acknowledge their incredible luck at the end of the game.  A little more offense from the Bills and they probably would have won.

OK, the Bills are 1-3 after a quarter of the season. Can they get to 8-8? 9-7? Let’s look at the rest of their schedule:

Mon 10/8 Dallas 8:30 pm 1-4 (Correct, BUF 24 DAL 25 in a MNF nail-biter.)
Sun 10/21 Baltimore 1:00 pm 2-4 (Correct, BUF 19 BAL 14.)
Sun 10/28 at NY Jets 4:05 pm 3-4 (Correct, BUF 13 NYJ 3.)
Sun 11/4 Cincinnati 1:00 pm 4-4 (Correct, BUF 33 CIN 21.)
Sun 11/11 at Miami 1:00 pm 5-4 (Correct, BUF 13, MIA 10.)
Sun 11/18 New England 8:15 pm 5-5 (Sunday Night Football in Buffalo!) (Correct, BUF 10, NE 56. OUCH!)
Sun 11/25 at Jacksonville 1:00 pm 5-6 (Correct, BUF 14, JAX 36.)
Sun 12/2 at Washington 1:00 pm 5-7 (Incorrect! The Bills win a nailbiter: BUF 17, WAS 16.)
Sun 12/9 Miami 1:00 pm 6-7 (Correct, the Bills are 7-6 after squishing the fish: BUF 38, MIA 17.)
Sun 12/16 at Cleveland 1:00 pm 7-7 (Incorrect, the Bills lose the Snow Bowl.  BUF 0, CLE 8.)
Sun 12/23 NY Giants 1:00 pm 8-7 (Incorrect.  BUF 21, NYG 38.)
Sun 12/30 at Philadelphia 1:00 pm 8-8 (Correct.  BUF 9, PHI 17.)

It’s looking like 8-8 right now to me. We’ll see.

Update (10/22): Figured I’d update this entry, noting my predictions to date. The Bills are 2-4 after their upset of the Ravens.

Update (11/5): The Bills are back at .500 with their defeat of the Bengals. The rest of my predictions should hold up, except for the last two games of the season. I think those games’ results will be reversed. The Bills should definitely reach 8-8, and have a great shot at 9-7.\

Update (12/3): The Bills finally break from my predictions, in a good way. Thanks to a decent defensive performance, Rian Lindell’s leg, and Joe Gibbs’ overeagerness to freeze said leg, the Bills won 17-16 over the Redskins.

Update (1/1/2008): The Bills limp out of the season 7-9.  I correctly predicted all but one of the wins and all but two of the losses.

Scott hosted another great BDFL draft in his basement last night.  Thanks to Scott and Julie for their hospitality.  Here is the drafted lineup for the 2007 edition of my fantasy football team, Cyg’s Calorie Outlets:

QB    Donovan McNabb PHI (keeper from 2006)
RB    Jamal Lewis CLE (keeper from 2006)
RB    Marshawn Lynch BUF
WR    Deion Branch SEA
WR    Hines Ward PIT
TE    Dallas Clark IND
K    Shayne Graham CIN
D/ST    Bears CHI
RB    Ahman Green HOU
WR    Devery Henderson NO
QB    J.P. Losman BUF
RB    Ladell Betts WAS
D/ST    49ers SFO
WR    Muhsin Muhammad CHI

I was called a “homer” for my first-round pick of Marshawn Lynch, and, rightfully so, seeing as I had former Buffalo Bill Travis Henry (now the starter at Denver) available.  I wanted to draft at least one of the promising rookies this year since we have two keepers per year, so Lynch was my guy.

2006 Outlets QB J.P. Losman,  kicker Shayne Graham, and the Chicago defense/special teams found their way back to the team for this season.  I’m very pleased with my revamped receiving corps, and we’ll see what kind of noise my RBs will make.  I’m hoping Donovan has an injury-free season this year.

This was the first time I can recall recording or watching the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies. I tuned in mainly to see Thurman Thomas, who delivered a great speech, but also watched the activity surrounding the induction of Bruce Matthews and Michael Irvin, other players I’ve seen in my time. I wasn’t planning on watching Irvin’s speech, but after Jerry Jones’ introduction I was going to. Ironically, just as Irvin was coming up to speak, the end of the three-hour ESPN recording on my DVR was reached. I read the speech and I have to say that I liked it.

I got the fuzzies when Thomas expressed his love for the legions of Bills fans. I was in Buffalo for all the Super Bowls, and while I didn’t go to many games, I was a pretty big fan.

Another irony: the year I watch my first induction ceremony is the first year I’m unable to easily watch the Hall of Fame preseason kickoff game tonight, exclusively (let that word ring around a bit) on the NFL Network, which Comcast moved to a sports tier I’m not paying for. To honor the NFL Network’s decision to raise its carriage rate and Comcast’s decision to remove the channel from regular digital cable, I’m going to say something special during every BDFL podcast where we cover a game that was exclusively on the NFL Network:

The NFL Network kept this game a secret: good thing we have the stats!

I’ve set up leagues/groups for us to play the various free Yahoo! football-related games together this fall.  Check out this post at the Nitevilla forums for details:

Official BDFL/Cygweb/Nitevilla Yahoo Fantasy Football 2007 Groups!

Please join us!

The USA Today NFL feature I blogged about before is all but done. I guessed #1 Joe Montana correctly (not formally announced yet) and got close on Emmitt Smith, but I disagreed with many of the rankings. I guess that’s the point of these lists. Still a fun ride.

Update (7/23):  The voting results.  I was glad to see that Jim Kelly nearly made the list.  Darrell Green should have received more votes.  Shame on the voters (”10 NFL reporters and editors at USA TODAY”) for completely snubbing Art Monk.

I’ve been enjoying this USA Today series and agree with it so far (today they revealed #19 - Marshall Faulk). My guess at their top 5 10:

1. Joe Montana (ranked #1 by USA Today as well)
2. Tom Brady (ranked #9 by USA Today)
3. Barry Sanders (ranked #10 by USA Today)
4. Brett Favre (ranked #14 by USA Today)
5. Walter Payton (ranked #3 by USA Today)
6. Emmitt Smith (ranked #7 by USA Today — close!)
7. Dan Marino (ranked #11 by USA Today)
8. Reggie White (ranked #5 by USA Today)
9. John Elway (ranked #6 by USA Today)
10. Jerry Rice (ranked #2 by USA Today)

Defensive players will most likely be under-represented. Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor, and Bruce Smith should all make appearances. Thurman Thomas should be in there, but probably won’t. Since this list is being created by journalists, I’m thinking Art Monk will probably be snubbed.

Update (6/27): I extended my guesses from the top 5 to the top 10. Defensive player representation got a boost today from the inclusion of #18, Ray Lewis.

Update (7/3): After Bruce Smith’s appearance (part of four straight defensive players), I thought the list had hope. Ranking Brett Favre #14? The man may become the most prolific passer in history this season as he is set to eclipse some of Marino’s and Elway’s records. He was a three-time league MVP. The list is now irrelevant.

Update (7/10): Still following the series. Can’t believe Barry Sanders isn’t ranked higher.

Update (7/16): The Top 5 remain. 4 out of my orginal top 10 remain: Montana, Payton, White, and Rice. I think they plus Lawrence Taylor will comprise the Top 5.

Update (7/17): Reggie White at #5. Assuming my top 4 are correct, the 25 break down into 8 defensive and 17 offensive players. More than I though would make it, but still less than a third of the list. One offensive lineman: Anthony Muñoz. The remaining 16 players consist of 9 QBs, 6 RBs, and 1 WR.

Now that the 2007 NFL schedule is out and the doubleheader networks for each week are known, I figured I’d look at the schedule and attempt to determine what Sunday afternoon games will be shown by the Harrisburg area’s local CBS and FOX affiliates. I think it’s kind of pointless to predict all the 4pm games during the “flexible” portion of the schedule (weeks 11-17, starting Sunday, November 18th), so I’ll only attempt to predict the currently-scheduled 4pm games that involve regional teams.

For these predictions I’m assuming that we’re designated a secondary market for the following teams, in the following order: Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, and Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m also taking into account that traditionally our CBS affiliate (and presumably our FOX affiliate) will show a Steelers game in favor of a conflicting Ravens home game. (Reference.) There are surprisingly few Ravens/Steelers conflicts this season. Combine that with the fact that both local teams’ divisions are playing the AFC East, and you’ve got one happy Buffalo Bills fan here.

Here are my predictions (confirmed games in italics):

Week 1, Sunday, Sep. 9:
CBS: Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Philadelphia at Green Bay, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Chicago at San Diego, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 2, Sunday, Sep. 16:
CBS: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 1:00pm (HD)
CBS: NY Jets at Baltimore, 4:15pm (HD)
FOX: Green Bay at NY Giants, 1:00pm (HD)

Week 3, Sunday, Sep. 23:
CBS: Miami at NY Jets, 1:00pm (HD, or Buffalo at New England, 1:00pm, HD) Cincinnati at Seattle, 4:15pm (HD)
FOX: Detroit at Philadelphia, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: NY Giants at Washington, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 4, Sunday, Sep. 30:
CBS: Baltimore at Cleveland, 1:00pm
CBS: Pittsburgh at Arizona, 4:15pm (HD) (or Denver at Indianapolis, 4:15pm)
FOX: St. Louis at Dallas, 1:00pm (HD)

Week 5, Sunday, Oct. 7:
CBS: Cleveland at New England, 1:00pm (or NY Jets at NY Giants, 1:00pm (HD))
CBS: Baltimore at San Francisco, 4:15pm (HD)
FOX: Seattle at Pittsburgh, 1:00pm (HD)

Week 6, Sunday, Oct. 14:
CBS: Miami at Cleveland, 1:00pm (or Cincinnati at Kansas City, 1:00pm (HD))
CBS: New England at Dallas, 4:15pm (HD)
FOX: Philadelphia at NY Jets, 1:00pm (HD)

Week 7, Sunday, Oct. 21:
CBS: Baltimore at Buffalo, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Arizona at Washington, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Chicago at Philadelphia, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 8, Sunday, Oct. 28:
CBS: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Philadelphia at Minnesota, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Washington at New England, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 9, Sunday, Nov. 4:
CBS: Cincinnati at Buffalo, 1:00pm
CBS: New England at Indianapolis, 4:15pm (HD)
FOX: Washington at NY Jets, 1:00pm

Week 10, Sunday, Nov. 11:
CBS: Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Philadelphia at Washington, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Dallas at NY Giants, 4:15pm (HD)

(Flexible scheduling begins now; predictions will be less accurate. (Ed. 10/25: I’ll try to guess these anyways… )

Week 11, Sunday, Nov. 18:
CBS: Pittsburgh at NY Jets, 1:00pm Pittsburgh at NY Jets, 4:05pm (HD) (time change) (eclipses Cleveland at Baltimore, 1:00pm and Miami at Philadelphia, 1:00pm)
FOX: Washington at Dallas, 1:00pm NY Giants at Detroit, 1:00 pm (HD) (Miami at Philadelphia, 1:00pm won’t be covered by FOX)
FOX Doubleheader FOX: Washington at Dallas, 4:15pm (HD) (time change)

Week 12, Sunday, Nov. 25:
CBS: Tennessee at Cincinnati, 1:00pm (or Houston at Cleveland, 1:00pm (HD)) (Ed: Makes sense - Cleveland’s doing much better than Cincinnati right now.)
FOX: Washington at Tampa Bay, 1:00pm (HD)
CBS Doubleheader CBS: Baltimore at San Diego, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 13, Sunday, Dec. 2:
CBS: Buffalo at Washington, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Seattle at Philadelphia, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Doubleheader FOX: NY Giants at Chicago, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 14, Sunday, Dec. 9:
CBS: Pittsburgh at New England, 1:00pm (flexed to 4:15pm) Oakland at Green Bay, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: NY Giants at Philadelphia, 1:00pm (HD)
CBS: Doubleheader CBS: Kansas City at Denver, 4:15pm Pittsburgh at New England, 4:15pm (HD)

Week 15, Sunday, Dec. 16:
CBS: Baltimore at Miami, 1:00pm (HD) (eclipses Jacksonville at Pittsburgh, 1:00pm)
FOX: Green Bay at St. Louis, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:15pm (HD) (unless it moves to Sunday evening)

Week 16, Sunday, Dec. 23:
CBS: Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1:00pm (HD)
FOX: Philadelphia at New Orleans, 1:00pm (HD)
CBS: Baltimore at Seattle, 4:15pm (HD) (unless it moves to Sunday evening)

Week 17, Sunday, Dec. 30:
CBS: Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 1:00pm
FOX: Dallas at Washington, 1:00pm (Buffalo at Philadelphia, 1:00pm won’t be covered by FOX, and Pit@Bal will probably trump. Possible reference.)
CBS: Doubleheader CBS: San Diego at Oakland, 4:15pm
(NOT even going to bother trying to fix this one.  Both networks had doubleheaders, and games were moved around quite a bit since the schedule was first published.)
CBS: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 1pm (HD)
CBS:  Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 4:15pm (HD)
FOX: New Orleans at Chicago, 1pm (HD)
FOX: Dallas at Washington, 4:15pm (HD)

8/20: I’m going to update this entry occasionally to keep track of my accuracy. I’m also going to note which games were available in HD.

…Because that night the Bills will be hosting Monday Night Football! They are scheduled to play Dallas to cap Week 5 of the 2007 NFL season, in their only non-1PM-Eastern game (so far).

Peter King: Monday Morning Quarterback, Sunday, February 11, 2007

Late in the afternoon, we visited the physical therapy center [at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center] and chatted with soldiers getting used to their new prostheses. Just before we were going to leave, one soldier called me over.

“You’re Peter King, right?” he said.

“Yes,” I said.

“You guys ever going to put Art Monk in the Hall of Fame?”

“We’re trying,” I said.

If you don’t feel that after watching this video, you aren’t a football fan:

http://www.monk4thehall.com/

Scott (he’s given me the fever) and I will remind people of this until Art Monk gets in. He should be the next wide receiver in the Hall Of Fame, and deserved to get in well before Michael Irvin. Others feel similarly.

If Irvin chooses to use his HOF induction speech in August to call for Art Monk’s induction, that might help matters. The sports writers who vote for the Hall obviously hold him (Irvin) in high regard.

Former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas’ Wikipedia entry has already been updated to reflect that he’s been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2007.  Congratulations!

Go watch some Terry Tate, Office Linebacker commercials. 

Go Colts!

I’m watching the BCS Championship, and I’m wondering why the networks never provide synchronized split-screen replays in football games so that the viewer (and the officials) might be able to triangulate the position of the ball or the player in question at a critical moment.  The individual replays of the Gators’ Percy Harvin’s TD rush did nothing to establish the position of the ball when his knee was down, but the side and goal camera angles combined and synched would have easily done the job.

…I wouldn’t show up in Hawaii in February.

If I was a taxpayer that had helped fund a stadium for my local NFL team, I’d be pissed to learn that the league decided they were going to take regular-season home games away from my community. It’ll be interesting to see how the league or team owners will compensate fans and local businesses negatively affected by this decision.

Melissa and I had a great time going to see the Bills beat the Vikings yesterday.

Traffic in the area of Ralph Wilson Stadium was backed up, but no worse than I thought it’d be. We were in the thick of it for about 20-30 minutes and then parked in one of the outer lots off Abbott Road. I wasn’t thrilled by the idea of buying a window sticker for $7 or any of the other memorabilia I saw, so we headed into the Stadium about an hour before kickoff. That gave us time to get some food, find our seats, and settle in. We were pretty worried about both the tempature and the chance for rain; neither turned out to be a factor. Temps were in the low 60s, there was no rain, and the wind swirled around a bit. Great football weather.

Our seats turned out to be great. They were in the front row of section 200, nearly lined up with the goalposts. We had a great view of everything but the Jumbotron — it was behind us. I brought some binoculars with me, and they were a great help when play was at the other end of the field. The guys were plenty close when on our side. I didn’t mind seeing the game from that perspective; I liked seeing the formations head-on.

And the game? Great. Willis McGahee’s first TD of the season came in the end zone closest to us. We knew it would be a low-scoring game, but I didn’t think the Bills would let the Vikings come back late in the game. They kept it together and got a little bit of luck as well. One thing I was proud of was that the stadium got very noisy (I helped) every time the Vikings offense had the ball; I have to think that had an effect. Seeing the game in person reminded me that these guys are still human, and that media coverage of NFL games tends to over-amplify both the game and the players. But it’s all in good fun.

Thanks again to Melissa (I love you!) for treating me to a great early birthday present!

I already liked CBS’s pregame show more than the others, but with the addition of James Brown, a new studio, full HD production, it’s now quite good. I even liked the segment with Charlie Casserly. Subscribed.

There’s still time for you to join the BDFL/Nitevilla/Cygweb groups in the following free fantasy football games:

• Pro Football Pick ‘Em
• Salary Cap Football
• Survival Football

Signup details here.

BDFL: BD Podcast: 2006 Preseason 3:

This is our fourth 2006-season Brutal Deluxe football podcast. Scott and I review this week’s NFL preseason games and last Friday’s BDFL Draft. I talk about the new football-related movie Invincible. And we both are ready for the season to begin.

Thanks to Scott for hosting yet a another fun draft last night. His new basement handled the four of us in attendance quite well, and we even got to check out the Steelers-Eagles preseason game! I didn’t have enough time to set up an audio recording of the draft this year, but with only half of us owners available by voice (two were on our Skype call), it wouldn’t have represented the whole league anyways.

My team’s draft was good; my strategy was to pick based on our league’s unique scoring, which last year featured lots of defense/special teams units in the top 100. So my first pick was the Chicago Bears’ D/ST. After that I addressed RB, WR, TE, and K positions to fill out the skeleton, got a heck of a steal as my second QB, and got a good variety of players to fill out my team:

• QB MCNABB,DONOVAN PHI (keeper)
• QB WARNER,KURT ARI
• RB DILLON,COREY NE (keeper)
• RB DUCKETT,T.J. WAS
• RB JONES,KEVIN DET
• RB LEWIS,JAMAL BAL
• WR GALLOWAY,JOEY TB
• WR GIVENS,DAVID TEN
• WR JOHNSON,KEYSHAWN CAR
• WR MOSS,SANTANA WAS
• TE MILLER,HEATH PIT
• PK GRAHAM,SHAYNE CIN
• DEF CHICAGO CHI
• DEF DENVER DEN

Our complete draft is posted here.

BDFL: BD Podcast: 2006 Preseason 2:

This is our third 2006-season Brutal Deluxe football podcast. Scott and I review this week’s NFL preseason games. We continue to size up the fantasy landscape and look forward to this Friday’s BDFL Draft!

BDFL: BD Podcast: 2006 Preseason 1:

This is our second 2006-season Brutal Deluxe football podcast. Scott and I review the first full week of NFL preseason games. Some rookies made an impact, and some veterans looked good as well. Listen to see what we think. Also, Scott makes his yearly case for overlooked players who should be in the Hall Of Fame.

I’ve had the opportunity to power-watch assorted preseason games thanks to the DVR and the NFL Network’s re-transmissions. I caught some of the beginning of the Bills-Panthers preseason game and it showed two things: the Panthers look great and the Bills stink. I really hope they’re going to put a team on the field in week one that performs better than the one that played in the first quarter this week.

I’ve created groups in several of Yahoo’s Football-related games; please consider joining us to play along during the upcoming NFL season! The details are here.

BDFL: BD Podcast: 2006 Pre-Preseason:

This is our first official 2006-season Brutal Deluxe football podcast. Scott and I review the state of the NFL as the teams head off to minicamp. What faces in new places and rookies should you be looking at as preseason games begin? Listen to see what we think.

TSN: Flutie announces retirement

Doug Flutie retired Monday, ending a 21-year career in which the undersized Heisman Trophy winner threw one of college football’s most famous passes, won three Grey Cups and played a dozen seasons in the NFL.

“It’s just been a fun run for me,” the 43-year-old Flutie said.

The ageless wonder won’t be on the gridiron this coming season, and he’ll be missed. I wasn’t that into football during Doug Flutie’s college days, but I remember some of his first stint with the Patriots. Living in Buffalo in the late ’80s to late ’90s, I was certainly aware of his CFL accomplishments. And when he came to play for the Bills I was a big fan.

He will certainly be remembered for his passing, but I think he ranks among the best scrambling quarterbacks ever. He should get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (it’s not called the NFL Hall of Fame, is it?), but would he be inducted as a Patriot? Could he be the first official CFL enshrinee? After the press conference the Patriots hosted for his announcement today, combined with his Boston heritage, there seems little reason for him not to retire a Patriot. However, he’s one of the CFL’s most accomplished players and will certainly be inducted into its Hall of Fame.

He has been active off the field as well, with his son’s foundation, his band “The Flutie Gang”, and other football-related off-season activities.

Watching him play with Buffalo, I always remember him as a class act. I never forgave Wade Phillips for benching him in favor of Rob Johnson. He showed it as the sham it was when he played a full season as San Diego’s starter after leaving Buffalo.

It’s fitting that he punctuated his pro career with a Heisman at the beginning and an extremely rare drop kick at the end. Many football fans will never forget watching Doug Flutie play. Thanks for the memories!

Update: Scott commented on this post, but weighed in more eloquently in his forums.

Me in my linkblog (April 6th)

Due to a poor 2005 season and having no west-coast away games, the Bills are the only team in the league to play all their games at 1PM Eastern time this year. Will they do well enough to earn a berth to a late-season Sunday Night matchup? Time will tell.

Peter King: Sorting out the schedule

4. I think it has to be pretty deflating to be a Bills fan right now. Sixteen games, and all of them 1 p.m. Sunday starts. Not exactly a prime-time attraction the way the Bills of old were. How about this: The Bills do not play a game outside the Eastern or Central time zones. Weird. That’s going to be one invisible team.

Like I mentioned, the Bills have the hope of not being “invisible” if they can score one of the new flexibly-scheduled Sunday Night matchups near the end of the season. Go Bills!

Fire up those podcatchers. Scott and I will be recording a special free-agency edition of the BDFL podcast soon. Lots of stuff went down this last week and we’ll discuss the fantasy implications.

Congratulations to the Super Bowl XL Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. After the first half, I wasn’t so sure, but “Fast” Willie Parker’s long TD run at the beginning of the second half gave the Steelers the breathing room I thought would last them for the rest of the game. Not a perfect game, but a great game nonetheless. We will be talking about the game tonight at 8:30 while recording the BDFL podcast. Find “aharden” on Skype if you want to join us.

Some big game is happening tonight. I heard a Pennsylvania team is in it, just like last year. Cool.

Here are some things that will surprise me if they happen:

• Jerome Bettis or Shaun Alexander throw a TD pass
• Either team scores a TD on special teams
• KISS show up for the halftime show and play “Detroit Rock City” with the Stones
• Seattle wins

See you in the BDFL War Room, if for only a little bit! Enjoy the game!

Just whose 12th Man is it?:

On Monday, a restraining order was issued calling on [the] Seattle [Seahawks] to halt any usage of “12th Man,” or “12th Mania.” [Texas] A&M’s chief marketing officer Steve Moore said he didn’t want to ruin Seattle’s fun, he just wanted to protect the university’s trademarks.

What? Apparently the Aggies coined the term. Googling “12th man” yields a number of Aggie-related sites. However, I found this humorous:

The “12th man” term has been used by various American football teams including the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and the Chicago Bears. The Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears no longer use the term “12th man” at the request of Texas A&M. The Seattle Seahawks continue to use the phrase.

As a Bills fan, I know “THE 12TH MAN” is on the Wall Of Fame. Heck, voting is still open for the 3rd annual 12th Man Awards. The Bears held a 12th man contest last year. Defending their trademark? More like just trying to get in the news.

I don’t know what’s tougher — watching the Eagles get beat up (Seahawks lead 35-0 at the half) or the lame-duck MNF features (I don’t “Like It, Love It”…). At least Jimmy Kimmel was funny with “Which coach is it?” Turning it off early tonight. Looks like the Seahawks are earning their playoff berth this year.

Dick’s decision to go for a win rather than face the perils of overtime was supremely classy on a day when much of the press revolved around a particularly selfish player. On the last play of the KC-Oakland game, Larry Johnson punched it in for the game-winning TD. This is why we watch the game.

OK, I’m watching the MNF game and when I saw Jeff Triplette was officiating a knew we were going to be in for some interesting calls. The worst one so far is the “fair catch interference” call that took the ball away from a Pittsburgh recovery of a muffed fair catch. Sproles’ attempted fair catch bounced off his helmet and began going up and forward. Steeler Chidi Iwuoma went for the ball and recovered it. When I saw the replays, I thought Iwuoma’s possession of the ball might have been challenged, but Triplette called fair catch interference. That’s just bad refereeing.

I thought they really grasped to take that TD run-after-catch from Hines Ward, but I had to publicly complain after seeing one too many bad calls. Hopefully Pittsburgh hangs in there and wins; they’re currently up 14-10.

So I decided this morning, “I’ve got to try and pick a few upsets this week.” I switched two picks: Green Bay to win because of several trends, and Arizona because… when’s the last time a Dennis Green-coached team went 0-3? Green Bay’s game turned out very close, but the Cards got whacked by the ‘Hawks. Don’t know what I was thinking.

Got to watch the Bills lose to the Falcons in HD. Atlanta showed why they were the top rushing team last season; they ran all over the Bills. And they got the passes done when they needed to. The Bills offense is definitely suffering, and I can’t even put half of that on Losman. Bill Maas (the Fox analyst covering the game; one of my favorites) pointed out early, often, and correctly that the Bills O-line couldn’t put up a decent pass-block. The only bright spot was the fact that McGahee had a good day. The downer is that Takeo Spikes came out of the game with an Achilles tendon injury.

I switched between that game and the Eagles-Raiders contest. Closer game than I expected. The Eagles were definitely disrupted by David Akers’ hamstring problems; a smooth kicking game would have made it a lot easier for them. Akers is definitely one of the more reliable kickers in the league. After injuring himself last week, the Eagles signed a kicker to their practice squad (the five players who can be under contract but not a part of the active roster). However, they appeared to neglect to have a backup placekicker (whether dedicated or not) on the field today. Akers’ FG to win the game was something to see.

Can’t believe the Patriots overcame all kinds of adversity to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. That’s why they play the games.

I’m also very surprised by Miami beating Carolina. Ronnie Brown had a great day. I did make one good call here fantasy-wise; I picked up Jake Delhomme in my Yahoo FF league and started him over Vick and Favre. He passed for 283 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT.

My BDFL matchup against the Hated Legs doesn’t look so good. Eddie Kennison and 21 BDFL points against LJ, LT, and NK (Nate Kaeding). C’mon Kansas City passing game!

I know, I know. “Save it for the podcast.” Well, I have to have something that I can say “I blogged about this…” on the BDFL review.

I was busy with my family (and some other early-Sunday-evening duties) and haven’t been able to check out much of the games today. I’m reading about them now and some of them are really surprising:

• I’m really glad I stuck with Donovan McNabb as my starter in the BDFL despite his injury. Another career performance. It was good that he and Andy Reid both insisted he would be playing, or else I think more fantasy owners might have been skittish.
• I thought Chicago might beat Detroit. I didn’t think they’d pound Detroit. Note to self: consider picking the Lions again in week 7, when they face the Browns. That may be the only other W they earn this year. All of their other opponents don’t seem so beatable. Well, maybe the Vikings do.
• Speaking of Minnesota, Cincinnati is the real deal. This is the year where they go 9-7 or 10-6. No more 8-8 for this club, not with that offense. They and the Steelers will feast on the other divisional rivals, the Browns and the Ravens.
• Can’t believe the Bills collapsed in Tampa Bay. Are the throwbacks a good thing or not? Will they wear them the whole season? I remember seeing them play Atlanta at home about 11-12 years ago (maybe longer). When they face them next week, it’ll be a much tougher victory to earn than that one of yesteryear.
• Thought the Jaguars might be able to do it against the Colts. The Colts D is the real deal. Glad I have them in the BDFL. Though it’s tough to consider benching the Bills D.
• I though Carolina would beat New England. I did not think Cleveland would beat Green Bay on the day Reggie White’s number was retired.

Saving the rest for the podcast…

I’m always reminded why I like the NFL so much when the season starts. You think you can handicap these teams and some of them always surprise you. The two biggest upsets of the day were had by the Niners and the Dolphins. The only one of my upset picks that panned out was New Orleans beating Carolina. The Saints have been through a lot this preseason, undoubtedly the least-practiced team of the lot, but they were extremely motivated to win. Good job, guys.

Tonight’s game promises to be fun as well. My Yahoo! FFL game is already won, but my BDFL week 1 game pits Donovan McNabb and 11 BDFL points against Brian Westbrook. You know, the Hellions could win this week… NOT! I went 0-5 to start last season, so to get a win early against my divisional rival would be a good thing.

Our Yahoo! Pick’Em group’s game has changed drastically this year. The addition of confidence points makes the point totals quite wild. I don’t know if I’ll recommend using them again. I’m also participating in Rotoguru’s Football Pickoff again this season. (Ouch.)

I’m always reminded why I like the NFL so much when the season starts. You think you can handicap these teams and some of them always surprise you. The two biggest upsets of the day were had by the Niners and the Dolphins. The only one of my upset picks that panned out was New Orleans beating Carolina. The Saints have been through a lot this preseason, undoubtedly the least-practiced team of the lot, but they were extremely motivated to win. Good job, guys.

Tonight’s game promises to be fun as well. My Yahoo! FFL game is already won, but my BDFL week 1 game pits Donovan McNabb and 11 BDFL points against Brian Westbrook. You know, the Hellions could win this week… NOT! I went 0-5 to start last season, so to get a win early against my divisional rival would be a good thing.

Our Yahoo! Pick’Em group’s game has changed drastically this year. The addition of confidence points makes the point totals quite wild. I don’t know if I’ll recommend using them again. I’m also participating in Rotoguru’s Football Pickoff again this season. (Ouch.)

Tonight’s game is a great start to the season, but, alas, I must turn in at a normal hour. Lots of offense so far. I thought the Raiders offense would look nice, and they’ve delivered a lot of yards in the first half. But the Patriots lead 17-14 in the third quarter.

I’m listening to my first FantasySacs podcast of the season and I have to say that Bill has the second-best fantasy football podcast on the Net. Check him out; his blog is focused on FF and is fantastic for getting the latest info.

I’ve plugged him before but with the new season coming up I had to share some new linkage.

MNF to ESPN, NFL back on NBC

This is surprising. Monday Night Football on ABC is one of those things I thought would never change. Sure, personalities might come and go, but, hey, if it’s fall, Monday Night means prime time football. Well, I guess it still will, just on cable. This won’t happen until 2006, so we can give MNF a few moving parties this coming season.

The move of Sunday Night Football to NBC will be very interesting. With some slick marketing and flexible matchups, it’s sure to draw decent ratings. However, the one thing that made me think that having MNF as the league’s marquee game (let’s face it, MNF on cable network, even ESPN, downplays its significance) was that it was (usually) the only game played that day.

The linked article has a lot of info in it that I’ll be digesting later. Had to get my initial thoughts typed down.

Update (4/19): After reading the article again, it’s apparent that this was the league’s only way of achieving a flexibly-scheduled prime-time “game of the week” that guaranteed good matchups with minimal fuss. I think ratings will be quite high for Sunday Night Football. However, it doesn’t sound as if the Monday night game on ESPN will be flexibly scheduled.

This decision is a direct result of the parity the league has enjoyed (for the most part) for a while now due to free agency. The scheduling gods can no longer pick guaranteed marquee matchups in advance of the season.

Another fantasy football blogger, Dr. Soos, is podcasting. His current FantasySacs podcast features his analysis of the first week of free agent moves in the NFL. Check it out.

Cowboys reunite Bledsoe, Parcells

Apparently Drew (and/or his agent) made the right call in asking to be released from the Bills. From the looks of things, he will go to Dallas as the Cowboys’ unquestioned starter. It should be interesting to see how his play in the coming season compares to Testaverde’s performance last season. Both are pocket passers, although I would assume we’ll see more downfield passing from the Cowboys this season.

Bills will release QB Bledsoe; Losman to step up

Granting Bledsoe’s request to be cut, the Bills announced Wednesday they will waive the 12-year veteran Feb. 22, the first day NFL teams are allowed to officially release players. The decision came after the Bills informed him last week of their plans to give the starting job to J.P. Losman, Buffalo’s second of two first-round draft choices last year.

“I completely disagree and can’t understand their point of view,” Bledsoe said during a conference call from his home in Oregon. “Do I think this is fair? No, I don’t think it’s fair. But I’m also aware that that’s how it works, and I understand that.”

[..]

He will be one of several veteran quarterbacks on the market: Cleveland is releasing Jeff Garcia and Kurt Warner is leaving the New York Giants.

Bledsoe said Dallas would be a possible spot for him. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells chose him for New England with the first overall pick in the 1993 draft. The Bills have given him permission to negotiate with other teams.

I guess we knew a change was coming; Drew obviously thinks there are enough vacant starting QB spots in the league that he could fill. I wish him good luck and thank him for helping the Bills get back to at least .500 territory.

I’m very disappointed that ESPN isn’t carrying the Pro Bowl in HD.

It’s official. Bill Belichick is the new Blake Carrington.

It was a close game, but the Eagles weren’t able to take more advantage of the downfield passing game. I’m totally surprised at how big a factor T.O. was, and how bad the Eagles running game was.

We’ll break down more about the game in the next BDFL podcast.

What kind of a geek posts an entry during the Super Bowl halftime show? I’m sure there’s more than just a few of us…

Aside from the Eagles’ turnovers, it’s been a close game as expected. (Whoah! McCartney’s taking it off! Oh, just his coat… no nipplegate this year. ) I’m glad both teams’ defenses are playing as great as they both are. Go Eagles!

Best commercial so far: FedEx Kinko’s “10 Things…”. Worst: Ameriquest’s “Don’t Assume”. The most smackdown-deserving item so far. Most surprising commercial: Ford Mustang Convertible’s “Frozen Guy”.

The Fox HD coverage before and during the game has been quite good. No technical problems in the transmission. Haven’t been able to tell if any of the “turf cams” have been used. I like the fact that so much more of the non-game programming is in HD. A good 1/4 to 1/3 of the major commercials have been HD, and many of Fox’s promos have been.

Yes, I’m posting from home. Our plans to get together at our friends’ house fell through (they had to travel today and didn’t call over before the game). Still loving the game from here!

Back to football!

The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, has retired as was rumored the last few days. He made the announcement in Jacksonville today. As Scott mentioned in this week’s podcast, he doesn’t exactly go out with a whimper; he rushed for 937 yards and 9 touchdowns last season with the Arizona Cardinals.

Emmitt has always seemed like a class act to me. Even though two of his Super Bowl rings came against my beloved Bills, he was one of the few Cowboys players I enjoyed watching year to year. Congratulations to Emmitt on a record-setting career, and his certain trip to Canton.

CNN.com: Super Bowl to feature tiny ‘Turf Cam’

Fox Sports has planted so-called Turf Cams around Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida — including four on the field where the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles will play Super Bowl XXXIX. Eight more of the Turf Cams aren’t in the turf at all — they’ll be mounted at the end zones.

“They’re so tiny, they’re effectively the size of an eraser on a pencil,” says David Hill, chairman of Fox Sports and a driving force behind his network’s use of technology during sporting events.

[..]

Two of the Turf Cams will be placed around each 20-yard line facing the end zone, and the other two at the three-yard lines where snaps are done for extra points. The cameras will be placed at 45-degree angles prior to the game. Video will be fed to Fox’s production truck and, if it’s good, they’ll put it on the air.

This is Fox; I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to sneak some cameras under the cheerleaders. Seriously, this sounds like they could provide some interesting footage.

Bills: Losman may take over as starter

The Bills are giving strong consideration to inserting second-year quarterback J.P. Losman as their starter heading into the 2005 season, an NFL source told the Buffalo News. Losman and incumbent Drew Bledsoe are expected to compete for the job in training camp, assuming Bledsoe is willing to participate in the battle and potentially serve as a backup if Losman gets the nod. Bledsoe is under contract through 2006 and would cost the Bills $6.5 million if he stays or a $4.3 million cap hit if he’s released. Buffalo traded its first-round pick in 2004 to the Cowboys in order to select Losman 22nd overall.

The Bills offense could look much different next year with Travis Henry gone and Bledsoe potentially holding a clipboard. After watching their last game this season against the Steelers backups, I can’t say that I’d be sad to see what the Bills can do with Losman and Willis McGahee as starters. J.P. was going to have a lot of eyes on him in training camp regardless of this news, but it’s reassuring to hear that Drew is being challenged.

Philly looked like the real deal today against Minnesota (especially on defense); I think there’s now an excellent chance of a Turnpike Bowl. I think I called Freddie Mitchell’s kicking-it-up-a-notch (2 TDs, 65 yds receiving) in last week’s podcast quite well, thank you. It’s a pity that his excellent attempt to get into the endzone resulted in a fumble and Minnesota touchback; that was some shifty contortion.

Of course, that means the Steelers would have to beat the Patriots, who completely tore apart the Colts. How many more times will the Colts lose important outdoor, cold games? I’ll have to chew on all this weekend’s games a little more before the next podcast so that I can properly pontificate.

The Jets probably should have won yesterday. They had key defense/special teams plays that kept them in the game. Scott points out that Heinz Field may be the toughest place to kick in the NFL; between the wind I’ve heard about and the sometimes less-than-stellar field conditions (the Steelers share the field with the Pitt Panthers, and sometimes high school teams) I can believe it.

The Falcons rushed over the league’s 29th-ranked run defense and kept “The Greatest Show On Turf” at bay. Can they beat the Vikings at home? Yes. Can they beat the Eagles in Philly? No.

Looking forward to today’s matchups. My picks are the Eagles and the Colts.

Watched most of the game tonight - the Jets stuck it out and beat the Chargers by a field goal in OT. Not the prettiest game by any means - Doug Brien’s “double doink” (Madden’s words) FG was emblematic of the futility of certain periods of the game. But, they won on the road across the country in the playoffs, and could make a game out of it in Pittsburgh, where I believe they’ll be playing next week.

Peyton Manning just set the single-season passing TD record (49) with a toss to Brandon Stokely. Indy plays Denver next week, so he will probably edge up the record to 50 or more.

Speaking of Denver, with their win yesterday and Jacksonville & Baltimore losing today, the Bills need two wins (against SF today and Pittsburgh next week) and a Denver loss to take the sixth AFC playoff seed. With the Steelers locking up home field advantage today, they will probably not go all out against the Bills. This could happen.

Mike was the first local blogger I’m aware of to post about Reggie White’s passing. I wasn’t in the area when he was playing for the Eagles, so I ended up knowing about him more as a Packer and as the champion of modern-day NFL free agency. Rest in peace, Reggie.

Peter King (Citrus‘ favorite sports writer?) is now warming a seat on the Bills bandwagon:

[..] Buffalo has scored 37, 38, 42 and 37 in wins over St. Louis, Seattle, Miami and Cleveland the past month. Since starting 0-4, the Bills are 7-2. They’re rapidly becoming The AFC Team No One Wants To See Win The Second Wild Card.

Buffalo visits dangerous Cincinnati this week, then at San Francisco the following Sunday. The Bills then close at home against Pittsburgh in what’s shaping up to be the best game of Week 17. Both teams might need the win — the Steelers for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and the Bills to gain the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs. The latter task is eminently achievable, particularly because the teams ahead of Buffalo in the standings have zits.

Let’s go Buffalo!

I’ve submitted my ballot for the 2005 Pro Bowl. Go AFC!

Update (12/22): The offical rosters are out. I’ve bolded my picks that ended up on the roster.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cris Carter puts it succintly:

Tonight’s game is a perfect example of why the NFL should go to a flexible schedule. With it, we’d have better matchups than the Kansas City Chiefs against the Tennessee Titans late in the season on Monday Night Football.

Because of parity, the league has totally changed as far as which teams should be shown from year to year in prime time. A flexible schedule would ensure that we’re seeing the top teams. It’s best for the league and the fans.

Agreed. Even though the flexible prime-time matchups are in the new TV contract, the details still have to be worked out. Such as, how much lead time is acceptable to make changes to the league schedule? One week seems like too little; three weeks seems like too much. Perhaps two?

Even though it’s not a marquee matchup, there are still the fantasy implications of the game. Several of the players will play key roles in determining the winners of two of the games in the first playoff round of the BDFL.

The Bills are on a tear. They won 37-7 today and held Cleveland to 17 yards of offense (fifth-fewest in league history). Go Bills!

This is the first Sunday where I’m really feeling that HD coverage of the NFL has smoothed out to the point where I can watch the games and not worry about technical issues (usually on the carrier side rather than mine). The scheduling gods have graced me with HD Ravens, Steelers, and Eagles games today (no Buffalo, but hey…) and I’m taking some advantage of it. I really want to see all of the Steelers game, so I’ve done some chores in the first half of the Super Bowl XXXV rematch (looks like the 34-7 Ravens victory may be repeated). The single largest factor in the mainstreaming of HD NFL has to be FOX stepping up to the plate this season, offering 6 HD games each week. After some early-season glitches, their coverage now is quite nice and the games are a pleasure to watch. I hope CBS will increase their coverage next season to match.

Cyg’s Calorie Outlets played their hearts out this week, amassing the highest single-week point total of the BDFL season (185) in a drubbing of Theismann’s Legs; however, they didn’t get the help they needed to make it into this year’s playoffs. They ended up in third place in the hotly contested Mid Penn division.

The Outlets fared much better in the second half of this season than the first, finding a winning identity and scoring big point totals in three of the last four weeks of the regular season. Coming back from 0-5 to make the playoffs was improbable, but finishing 5-3 leaves the team with high hopes for next season. Among the positives for the Outlets:

• It will be tough for them to pick their keepers for next season. Having some of the league’s marquee players (QB Donovan McNabb, RB Corey Dillon) and up-and-comers (RB Julius Jones, TE Jason Witten) is a good situation for them to be in.
• They ranked fifth in Kurt Albin’s BDFL 2004 Power Rankings and were hailed by the coach of the league-leading Baltimore Banyanators as the winners of the “I DESERVE TO BE IN THE PLAYOFFS BUT AM NOT” award.
• They scored the fourth-highest number of points in the season and had the second-highest points-against total.

Outlets coach Alex Harden says he’s now ready to enjoy the BDFL playoffs and provide color commentary in his weekly podcast with Hanover Hellions coach Scott Buffington. “I fully expect us to come off the field with a win after the first week of next season,” said Harden. “Whatever it takes.”

(Cross-posted at the BDFL website.)

Man, I wish I had waitched the Bills-Seahawks game. They won 38-9. Will they go 10-6? Time will tell.

Never did I think that the Outlets’ Bengals would be so potent. Cincinnati and Cleveland combined for a huge offensive game, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh & Shayne Graham combined for 36 BDFL points. They helped the Outlets to another excellent, if fruitless, performance.

By Bills-Patriots standards, this game is a rout. It’s 20-0 New England at the half. Ugh. At least the Outlets will benefit.

Kordell just punted in the Ravens-Jets game.

Update: Jim Nantz just said Stewart is punting for the first time since high school, but he’s wrong. I remember watching a game in ‘98 or ‘99 where he punted. Check out this stat page.

NFL agrees to six-year extensions with Fox and CBS worth $8 billion:

A unique aspect of the extensions — and something Tagliabue has sought for several years — gives the NFL the option to move seven late-season games from Sunday to Monday night to feature more attractive matchups.

The NFL also can develop late-season prime-time satellite or cable packages of eight games, which would be televised on Thursdays and Saturdays. Or the league could take those eight games and show them regionally in prime-time telecasts on Sundays and Mondays.

“We got some protections,” Fox Sports chairman David Hill said. “The last several weeks of the season, the NFL has the right to pull a game for Monday Night Football and we’re still in conversation on (details).”

As a viewer of MNF, I’m pleased about this. However, if I was a season-ticket holder of a team that could potentially host a game that moved to another time than what was originally scheduled, I’d be a little perturbed.

With Joe Horn’s 7-yard TD reception just now, I believe Cyg’s Calorie Outlets have achieved their first victory of the 2004 BDFL season. It’s about time!

Whew…

OK, next week I start trying to pick more upsets. I’m staring at .500 this week if the Skins and the Pack win. Ugh.

This week was one of the two weeks per season where I don’t root for the Jets. (Sorry, Don.) They are for real, showing a lot of composure in the fourth quarter to beat the Bills today. Mark and Robin had us over for the game; their Dish network package includes the NY CBS station.

Now, if the Bills don’t beat the Dolphins next week, I may have to pack away my Bledsoe jersey. This is getting depressing.

I’m hopeful for my first BDFL win of the season this week.

It was tough to make picks this week. I picked Buffalo, Houston, and Arizona to upset. Go BILLS!

I didn’t get much of a chance to watch the 1PM TB-WAS game on TV, but the part of it I saw on WPMT-DT looked nice. There were a few video and audio burps, but by about the second quarter of NYG-PHI game it seemed like many of the kinks were out. I liked the PQ of the PHI game better than the WAS game.

Watching ESPN’s NFL PrimeTime in HD was great. ESPN’s presentation was glitch-free and included HD clips of the games that were available in HD. Over 70% of the games this year are going to be covered in HD; the investment has paid off! The KC-DEN game looks great so far - although it looks like the officiating may be interesting.

Now, about the games - I picked a lot of the Vegas favorites (which I mostly agreed with). I was most surprised by the Browns’ and Lions’ victories. This is shaping up to be a great football season.

I’ve created a “Fantasy Football” rightblock that summarizes my various NFL-related frivolity. Can’t wait for Thursday.

The top headline of The Plain Dealer’s Sports section today:

They’re not running on empty
Jackson, Brown among Browns’ surprise survivors

I didn’t watch many preseason games, so some of the cuts around the league surprised me. The Packers cut Tim Couch. The Bills cut Jason Gildon. And the release of Morten Andersen may trigger some minor fantasy waiver-wire activity.

Three more days…

The annual Brutal Deluxe Football League draft was held last night. With 12 teams and 14 rounds (with two keepers per team), keeping the draft under a minute per pick was a good thing. I think I did pretty well; we seem to have a pretty evenly balanced league this year. Here are my picks, by round:

Keepers from last season:

• QB Donovan McNabb PHI
• RB Travis Henry BUF

2004 Draft Picks:

1. RB Corey Dillon NE
2. WR Joe Horn NO
3. WR Steve Smith CAR
4. DT Eagles PHI
5. TE Marcus Pollard IND
6. QB Jake Delhomme CAR
7. K Aaron Elling MIN
8. WR Justin McCareins NYJ
9. RB Julius Jones DAL
10. DT Jaguars JAX
11. K Doug Brien NYJ
12. TE Jason Witten DAL
13. WR Josh Reed BUF
14. RB Tyrone Wheatley OAK

After seeing Scott’s Steelers tinybutton and not being able to find a similar Bills one, I made one:

Feel free to reproduce and use. Or make a better one.

In order of draft round:

1. RB Deuce McAllister NO
2. RB Jamal Lewis BAL (I know, I know, the trial… I have faith.)
3. QB Matt Hasselbeck SEA (I actually think this pick was a steal.)
4. TE Todd Heap BAL
5. WR Anquan Boldin ARI (This was a dumb pick, given that Boldin won’t be in until a few weeks into the season. I forgot about the diagnosis of his injury until after the pick.)
6. WR Chris Chambers MIA
7. WR Issac Bruce STL (My second steal.)
8. RB Thomas Jones CHI
9. K