On Saturday morning in my car, just after 8.30am, I checked WGR 550, the Buffalo sports radio station where there is usually plenty of Bills talk to be heard, especially this season with the Bills off to a 5-1 start and Bills Nation thinking about the possibility of the team's second playoff berth in three seasons under head coach Sean McDermott. The programming carried by the station at that moment was an infomercial for a sport betting tout service, thinly disguised as a football talk show. The sell line for these services go something like this: "I have access to critical game-deciding information which will help you have a winning weekend in college football and the NFL....subscribe to my service and I will give you my guaranteed locks for this weekend..." I was about to turn to another station when the tout said that his red-hot NFL "lock" this week was his pick for the Eagles v. Bills game on Sunday: "A guaranteed cover and outright winner for this game is available free if you subscribe for the next three weeks", he said. He then promised that he was so certain about this that he would refund subscription fees if his guaranteed Eagles v. Bills result failed to deliver. Across the various sports books, the Bills were somewhere between a one and a three point favourite in the days leading up to yesterday's game but by kick-off, most books had moved the line to a pick 'em. I did not subscribe to the tout service who offered a guaranteed winner for the game for two reasons: first, because I would never subscribe to such a service anyway (I prefer to spend $20 every week on a long-shot Pro-line ticket) and, second, I knew that all indicators pointed to the service advising punters to take the Eagles plus one or two. The "sharp" money late last week and leading up to kick-off was clearly with the Eagles. I'm sure that the tout I heard on Saturday morning is issuing no refunds today.
I had a bad feeling going into the game. The Eagles, at 3-4 and a Superbowl winner two seasons ago, were in a desperate situation - or at least they were highly motivated to improve their record to 4-4, rather than let it slip to 3-5, especially after being blown out by the Cowboys last Sunday. The Bills were coasting with a 5-1 record, having enjoyed a easy schedule and still in search of anything close to a "signature win" to establish themselves as a credible threat in the AFC. With the mostly soft schedule they face for the rest of the season, the Bills appear to have two remaining opportunities to record this elusive signature win: the first will come on Thanksgiving Day at Dallas and the second will be in week 16 at New England.
This is my 16th season as a Bills season ticket holder. Yesterday's visit to Orchard Park by the Philadelphia Eagles was only the second in all of those years. The NFL schedule is constructed so that out-of-conference divisions are matched against each other every four years, switching from to home to away, which means that an NFC team will visit a particular AFC team only once every eight years. The Eagles played in Buffalo in 2003, 2011 and yesterday with their next visit scheduled for 2027. The Eagles won easily in 2003 with Donovan McNabb under centre (and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback for the Bills) but the Bills managed to win in the 2011 game which featured a key Ryan Fitzpatrick hard count which drew the Eagles offside giving the Bills a first down at a critical point late in the game which was played on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. The Eagles lead the all-time series 8-6. The other relevant connection between the two teams is that Sean McDermott began his NFL coaching career in Philadelphia under Andy Reid who remains a close friend and mentor to McDermott.
The Bills face Washington next week in their third consecutive home game. I have decided to stop using the name of the Washington football team for the same reason that long-time Blue Jays play-by-play broadcaster Jerry Howarth stopped using the name of Cleveland's baseball team. Daniel Snyder, the Washington team owner, responding to pressure from Native American groups demanding a name change, declared that the team's name will never be changed as long as he remains the owner. The team's name is particularly offensive - as is the logo which is similar to that of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Speaking of the BIackhawks, I recently saw an artist's rendering of a suggested culturally appropriate change to the Blackhawks logo which features a bird rather than a human head but with a similar design style and the same coloured feathers. I really like the image and if I were Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, I would change the team's logo to something like this. Easy for me to say but the change would not only leave the team's name in place but I suggest that it would generate significant positive public relations - and not just among Native Americans. Not to mention the potential sales revenue from an entire new line of Blackhawks branded jerseys and other clothing and swag.
Monday, 28 October 2019
Monday, 21 October 2019
Bills 31, Dolphins 21
Of the roughly 25,000 men who have ever suited up for an NFL game, for many reasons, few are more fascinating than one Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick. Born and raised in Arizona, Fitzpatrick studied economics at Harvard and also quarterbacked the school's Ivy League football team. In the 2004 season, he led the Crimson to a 10-0 record and and Ivy League championship. He scored 48 on the Wonderlic Personnel Test and that score is the highest ever recorded for an NFL quarterback. By comparison, current Bills quarterback Josh Allen scored a 37.
Fitzpatrick was drafted in the 7th round of the 2005 NFL draft as the 250th overall pick by the St. Louis Rams. Including his current team, the Miami Dolphins, he has played for eight NFL teams over his 15 year career. This included four seasons with the Buffalo Bills - from 2009 through 2012 - where he started all 16 regular season games in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Known in good times as "Fitzmagic" and in bad times as "Fitztragic", his play has swung wildly between brilliant and horrific - from season to season, game to game and within games, from series to series. Known as a risk-taking gunslinger of a quarterback, over his career he has been a paradox - often showing flashes of brilliance in an individual game only to eventually throw a critical interception at the most inopportune time to seal a loss. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a single game with five different teams (including the Bills). He has never played in an NFL playoff game as he seems to bounce around the league's bottom feeders as a capable back-up who always seems to have a notable impact on the fortunes of whatever team he finds himself on - usually a positive impact in the short term and negative one later on.
It was clear to me that Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins were motivated and well prepared going into yesterday's game in Orchard Park. For a team widely expected to complete the 2019 season without a win, the Dolphins played hard and at times played well. Fitzpatrick looked solid in the first half before fizzling out later in the game. For a 17 point underdog widely believed to be in "tank" mode this season, the Dolphins looked like a team which was long on effort and short on talent. This is a testament to the Dolphins coaching staff and probably to Fitzpatrick himself whose play yesterday replicated a common pattern he has shown over 15 years - strong play early on with his team well-positioned to pull off the biggest upset of the NFL season so far, then a crucial interception as his team was on the verge of another score. He even engineered a late touchdown, taking the ball to the endzone himself, to bring the Dolphins to within three points and a chance at recovering an onside kick.
Looking at the score this morning, a casual NFL fan might think that the Bills had built a comfortable lead before softening and allowing the Dolphins to rack up some garbage time points and earn a back-door cover. But the game was uncomfortably close for Bills fans until Micah Hyde sealed the win by returning an onside kick for a touchdown to restore a ten point margin. Good teams win close games and bad teams lose them.
The Bills play a much better Philadelphia Eagles team next week in the second of three consecutive home games in Orchard Park. The Eagles lost badly last night in Dallas and will present the Bills with the their second-biggest challenge of the season so far.
Canadians will elect a new government today in our 43rd general election. I'm glad that the campaign is over as it seemed to be far longer than needed with few interesting or relevant developments along the way. I predict the following: The Conservatives will not fair quite as well as expected and the Liberals will win the most seats but will fall short of the 170 needed for a majority. The NDP will win enough seats to hold the balance of power in a minority parliament and they will demand from the Liberals in exchange for their support, among other things, that the Trans-Mountain pipeline project be scrapped. How the Liberals decide to deal with this demand will be a large question - one with critical national unity and environmental implications.
Fitzpatrick was drafted in the 7th round of the 2005 NFL draft as the 250th overall pick by the St. Louis Rams. Including his current team, the Miami Dolphins, he has played for eight NFL teams over his 15 year career. This included four seasons with the Buffalo Bills - from 2009 through 2012 - where he started all 16 regular season games in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Known in good times as "Fitzmagic" and in bad times as "Fitztragic", his play has swung wildly between brilliant and horrific - from season to season, game to game and within games, from series to series. Known as a risk-taking gunslinger of a quarterback, over his career he has been a paradox - often showing flashes of brilliance in an individual game only to eventually throw a critical interception at the most inopportune time to seal a loss. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a single game with five different teams (including the Bills). He has never played in an NFL playoff game as he seems to bounce around the league's bottom feeders as a capable back-up who always seems to have a notable impact on the fortunes of whatever team he finds himself on - usually a positive impact in the short term and negative one later on.
It was clear to me that Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins were motivated and well prepared going into yesterday's game in Orchard Park. For a team widely expected to complete the 2019 season without a win, the Dolphins played hard and at times played well. Fitzpatrick looked solid in the first half before fizzling out later in the game. For a 17 point underdog widely believed to be in "tank" mode this season, the Dolphins looked like a team which was long on effort and short on talent. This is a testament to the Dolphins coaching staff and probably to Fitzpatrick himself whose play yesterday replicated a common pattern he has shown over 15 years - strong play early on with his team well-positioned to pull off the biggest upset of the NFL season so far, then a crucial interception as his team was on the verge of another score. He even engineered a late touchdown, taking the ball to the endzone himself, to bring the Dolphins to within three points and a chance at recovering an onside kick.
Looking at the score this morning, a casual NFL fan might think that the Bills had built a comfortable lead before softening and allowing the Dolphins to rack up some garbage time points and earn a back-door cover. But the game was uncomfortably close for Bills fans until Micah Hyde sealed the win by returning an onside kick for a touchdown to restore a ten point margin. Good teams win close games and bad teams lose them.
The Bills play a much better Philadelphia Eagles team next week in the second of three consecutive home games in Orchard Park. The Eagles lost badly last night in Dallas and will present the Bills with the their second-biggest challenge of the season so far.
Canadians will elect a new government today in our 43rd general election. I'm glad that the campaign is over as it seemed to be far longer than needed with few interesting or relevant developments along the way. I predict the following: The Conservatives will not fair quite as well as expected and the Liberals will win the most seats but will fall short of the 170 needed for a majority. The NDP will win enough seats to hold the balance of power in a minority parliament and they will demand from the Liberals in exchange for their support, among other things, that the Trans-Mountain pipeline project be scrapped. How the Liberals decide to deal with this demand will be a large question - one with critical national unity and environmental implications.
Monday, 7 October 2019
Bills 14, Titans 7
Few scenarios are more satisfying for a football team, its coaches and its fan base than closing out a game, while holding the lead and the ball, by gaining first downs on the ground, making the opponent use its remaining time-outs and, finally, lining up in victory formation and watching the game clock wind down to zero after the head coaches have already made their way to mid-field to shake hands. The reason why its so satisfying is that everyone watching, including the defensive team, knows that this is what you're going to do - thereby removing any element of surprise or uncertainty around your offensive play calling - and yet you are still able to exert your will and get it done. The Buffalo Bills achieved this objective yesterday in Nashville to seal another road win and improve their record to 4-1.
Most NFL head coaches would probably choose to have their bye week later in the season than earlier. Injuries and fatigue usually accumulate through October and November and a late bye week before a final push toward the playoffs - rather than on Canadian Thanksgiving - is generally preferred. But for the Bills, the two week break which they begin this morning is a welcome "blessing" according to head coach Sean McDermott whose team was bitten by the injury bug again yesterday on both sides of the ball. On the offensive line, centre Mitch Morse (ankle) and right tackle Cody Ford (head) went down but the back-ups performed admirably, particularly on the final game-sealing drive. On defence, linebackers Matt Milano (hamstring) and Trent Murphy (head) left the game but the Bills defence didn't miss a beat either. When the Bills next suit up, at home against the lowly Dolphins on October 20th, hopefully these players, along with rookie running back Devon Singletary, will be back.
Two more head injuries to Bills players yesterday continued a disturbing trend for the team and for the league. Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph suffered a devastating helmet-to-helmet hit yesterday against the Ravens and a close-up shot from an endzone camera appeared to show him lose consciousness before he collapsed to the turf where he lay motionless for longer than Josh Allen did last week. Rudolph was taken to hospital and later released. Expect him to miss some playing time from this. As for Bills players Ford and Murphy, they have two weeks to progress through the NFL concussion protocol. Josh Allen can help them understand what to expect.
Cairo Santos has had his share of tragedy in his life. The Brazilian born place-kicker's father, a pilot with the Brazilian airline Varig, died in plane crash in 2013, Santos' senior year at Tulane University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2014 by Kansas City where he played three seasons before bouncing around the league seeing time with the Bears, Rams and Bucs before being signed by the Tennessee Titans on the eve of the 2019 season. He missed four field goals yesterday, tying a post-merger league record. His final miss, on a 53 yard attempt, sailed laughably wide right. I was quite surprised when Titans coach Mike Vrabel chose to try the kick on a fourth down and four play with his team trailing by a touchdown. The Titans will likely be working out new kickers this week but there may be few to choose from as 2019 has not been kind to kickers with veterans Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostowski, among others having their struggles. The Titans are not the only team looking to upgrade at the place-kicker position.
The Bills defence continues to show that it is an elite one in the league - easily in the top three. This means that (1) the team will usually be able keep games close and, (2) offensive game planning can be pretty conservative - an ideal scenario for the continued development of their second year quarterback. If the Bills can get Devon Singletary back and continue to develop their running game with the fleet-footed and illusive rookie, offset by the straight-ahead veteran Frank Gore, Allen should find opportunities to make big gains down the field - something which he has been hesitant to try to do in the last couple of games.
After the Dolphins in two weeks, The Philadelphia Eagles visit to Orchard Park on the 27th could be a marquee match-up.
Most NFL head coaches would probably choose to have their bye week later in the season than earlier. Injuries and fatigue usually accumulate through October and November and a late bye week before a final push toward the playoffs - rather than on Canadian Thanksgiving - is generally preferred. But for the Bills, the two week break which they begin this morning is a welcome "blessing" according to head coach Sean McDermott whose team was bitten by the injury bug again yesterday on both sides of the ball. On the offensive line, centre Mitch Morse (ankle) and right tackle Cody Ford (head) went down but the back-ups performed admirably, particularly on the final game-sealing drive. On defence, linebackers Matt Milano (hamstring) and Trent Murphy (head) left the game but the Bills defence didn't miss a beat either. When the Bills next suit up, at home against the lowly Dolphins on October 20th, hopefully these players, along with rookie running back Devon Singletary, will be back.
Two more head injuries to Bills players yesterday continued a disturbing trend for the team and for the league. Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph suffered a devastating helmet-to-helmet hit yesterday against the Ravens and a close-up shot from an endzone camera appeared to show him lose consciousness before he collapsed to the turf where he lay motionless for longer than Josh Allen did last week. Rudolph was taken to hospital and later released. Expect him to miss some playing time from this. As for Bills players Ford and Murphy, they have two weeks to progress through the NFL concussion protocol. Josh Allen can help them understand what to expect.
Cairo Santos has had his share of tragedy in his life. The Brazilian born place-kicker's father, a pilot with the Brazilian airline Varig, died in plane crash in 2013, Santos' senior year at Tulane University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2014 by Kansas City where he played three seasons before bouncing around the league seeing time with the Bears, Rams and Bucs before being signed by the Tennessee Titans on the eve of the 2019 season. He missed four field goals yesterday, tying a post-merger league record. His final miss, on a 53 yard attempt, sailed laughably wide right. I was quite surprised when Titans coach Mike Vrabel chose to try the kick on a fourth down and four play with his team trailing by a touchdown. The Titans will likely be working out new kickers this week but there may be few to choose from as 2019 has not been kind to kickers with veterans Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostowski, among others having their struggles. The Titans are not the only team looking to upgrade at the place-kicker position.
The Bills defence continues to show that it is an elite one in the league - easily in the top three. This means that (1) the team will usually be able keep games close and, (2) offensive game planning can be pretty conservative - an ideal scenario for the continued development of their second year quarterback. If the Bills can get Devon Singletary back and continue to develop their running game with the fleet-footed and illusive rookie, offset by the straight-ahead veteran Frank Gore, Allen should find opportunities to make big gains down the field - something which he has been hesitant to try to do in the last couple of games.
After the Dolphins in two weeks, The Philadelphia Eagles visit to Orchard Park on the 27th could be a marquee match-up.
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