Bills 21, Packers 13

On the final meaningful play from scrimmage in yesterday's memorable game in Orchard Park, Mario Williams got enough of his fingertips on the ball to knock it out of Aaron Rodgers hand. It spun back and landed about 2 yards deep in the endzone and it looked it would sit there for a while since no one on the line of scrimmage seemed to know where it was. So, I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and when I returned to the TV, Rodgers was still looking for the ball around the 5 yard line. Packers running back Eddie Lacey finally picked it up, tried to advance it and was tackled just outside the goal line. The play resulted in a safety which gave the Bills an 8 point lead and, since Green Bay had exhausted its time-outs and the Bills would get the ball back again, the game was over.

Why a safety, then? After all, Lacey appeared to advance the ball out of the endzone before being tackled. NFL rules are complex by any standard and I had to look up the one which caused the play to be called a safety. In the last 2 minutes of a half (or on 4th down), a fumble by the offensive team can only be advanced by the offensive player who originally fumbled it (or by any player on the defense - obviously). Otherwise, the ball is deemed to be dead at the point of recovery. Lacey picked it up (recovered it) in the endzone. Dead ball at that spot. Safety. Only Rodgers could have picked it up and advanced it and he was still conducting an investigation as to the whereabouts of the ball around the 5 yard line. The rule exists to eliminate the possibility of the ball being intentionally fumbled to a team-mate who could then advance it. Think of those crazy rugby type final plays of the game with desperate lateral passing as the clock runs out. The rule prevents "fumbling" to a team-mate on such a play who could advance the ball. Anyway, strange play, strange call but great result. Terry Pegula approved of the play and the ruling.

If the Packers don't win the Superbowl this year (or don't get to the big game at all) Jordy Nelson will surely remember the ball he dropped in the 3rd quarter yesterday on which he would have likely scored. Deep in their own end and trailing the Bills 16-10, Nelson made a double move at the line of scrimmage and was wide open. Rodgers pass couldn't have been better but it hit Nelson's hands and bounced away. It seemed like a turning point in the game. Packers receivers had a few drops yesterday and Rodgers uncharacteristically missed some throws which he almost always makes. The Packers come to Buffalo only every 8 years and they're probably happy about that as they have never won in Orchard Park. Not once in 6 tries darting back to 1979. Mike McCarthy will surely have his team prepared for their next chance in 2022.

So, at 8-6, the Bills will not have a losing season - their first in 10 years. If they can win in Oakland next week, they can match 2004's 9-7 record, assuming that they will not win at New England in week 17. There is a logjam of teams at 8-6 and the 2 AFC wildcard spots are currently occupied by 9-5 teams so the playoffs are still extremely unlikely. But Bills fans have to be encouraged as their team has one of the best defenses in the league and possibly the best front 4. Questions that come to mind now include: Will the defense be as good next year? Who will play quarterback next year? Will Kiko Alonso return and pick up where his rookie season left off? Will CJ Spiller be on the team? With the Giants and Cowboys coming to Orchard Park next year, will they get a Monday night home game? I'm betting that they will - against Dallas.

Broncos 24, Bills 17

This game was not nearly as close as the score would imply. Despite a solid defensive effort which ended Payton Manning's streak of 51 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass, the Bills fell rather easily to the Broncos who ran for three touchdowns and were never really in danger of losing this game. They built a 24-3 third quarter lead before simply letting the Bills run out the clock and score a couple of late touchdowns in the process.

Kyle Orton returned to Denver where he famously lost his starting job to Tim Tebow at the end of the 2011 season. That led one Denver sports writer at the time to create an amusing headline to describe Orton's performance: "Orton hears a boo". He might have heard more boos had the game been played in Buffalo as he did what he had done a good job of not doing so far this season: throwing interceptions. For his part, Payton Manning did not have a great day throwing the ball either but the Broncos earned the win with their defence and running game - two things that the Bills were also expected to rely on as the season began.

The AFC playoff picture is no more clear than it was a week ago, There are now three teams at 8-5 (and two of them are likely to earn playoff spots) and five teams at 7-6, including the Bills. With three games remaining and two of them against the two teams favoured to earn Superbowl births in Green Bay and New England, Buffalo's playoff hopes are now dead. Even the winnable looking trip the Black Hole in Oakland looks a little less winnable now after the Raiders took care of the 49ers there yesterday. Even an 8-8 season looks tough now.

I felt sorry for the Cleveland Browns and their fans yesterday. Losing their game by one point to the Colts dropped them to 7-6 and reduced their playoff hopes to slim at best. As I nursed a hangover from a rockin' house party the night before (thanks Jen and Martin), I watched the Browns dominate the Colts for most of the game and I ended up missing a good portion of the first quarter of the Bills game because I stuck with the Browns until the bitter end. Despite both the Bills and the Browns losing yesterday, this morning I feel hangover free and fantastic.

I wrote an article about my experience working on the Toronto election and it was published in the December issue of True North Perspective. Here is the link. My account may represent one of the final impacts that the Fords have had on Toronto politics and it was almost as chaotic and crazy as any of the others. I recently saw Robyn Doolittle speak and I'm now about halfway through her account of the Ford story called Crazy Town.

 

Bills 26, Browns 10

The AFC playoff scenarios after week 13 (with one game to go) are as complex as they could be. With 5 teams, including the Bills, at 7-5 (and likely a 6th in the Miami Dolphins if they can beat the Jets tonight), the 5th and 6th playoff seeds are up for grabs and will likely be determined by the NFL's tie-breaker formula. Yesterday's loss in Buffalo was particularly tough for the Cleveland Browns who allowed the Bills to tie them at 7-5 and would now lose the tie-breaker to them as head-to-head competition is the first metric of the tie-breaker. The Chiefs loss last night to Denver also brings them to 7-5 but they hold the tie-breaker over the Bills, having beaten them 3 weeks ago. The Ravens and Steelers are not on the Bills schedule this year so each team's record within the conference would be the first tie-breaker should either of them end up tied with Buffalo. The most important thing to focus on is to keep winning games. The fact remains that if the Bills are ever going to play a home playoff game (something they have not done since the 1996 season, Jim Kelly's last), they must win the AFC East. The Patriots lost yesterday at Lambeau Field to fall to 9-3 and they face the Bills in week 17. So, it is possible. But a huge test awaits the Bills this week with a game in Denver before returning home to play the Packers in 2 weeks. Of their remaining 4 games, the only truly winnable looking one is a trip to the Black Hole against the hapless Raiders in week 16.

The Buffalo News published a story last week about the tough times which have befallen former Bills linebacker Daryl Talley. He is broke and he is not well. He now thinks that the concussions he suffered over 14 NFL seasons hardly seem worth it now as he is a broken man, plagued by memory loss, mood swings, family and financial issues and depression. A fund raising website was created by a thoughtful Bills fan after the story was published and it has raised more than $100,000 and counting. The NFL wishes that these stories would go away but yesterday, but Jim Kelly showed his support for his former teammate by wearing Talley's jersey as he led the team onto the field. Talley played in the late 80's and 90's when concussion protocols were not what they are now but how much difference did that make? There are many players who played as long as Talley did and are fine but I suspect that there will always be some who end up like Talley regardless of the NFL's improved policies on head trauma. It's a dangerous game and you take your chances.

The CRTC and Canada's cable and satellite TV providers estimate that over-the-air (OTA) TV watchers in Canada make up about 8% of the total. The Toronto area, which overlooks the "Lake Ontario Broadcast Basin", is one of the best locations in North America for antenna TV viewing and more and more of us are ditching our pricey cable and satellite subscriptions. Combined with internet based services like Netflix, we can watch most of what we could with cable - and in full 1080 HD. Most but certainly not all. Like yesterday's Grey Cup. Broadcast only on TSN, I saw not a single snap. I would have tuned in (after the Packers/Patriots game was over) but had to follow it through Steve Paikin's twitter updates which were frequent. If the Grey Cup is still the most watched broadcast in Canada every year, and if the CFL wants to maintain that top spot, it might consider arranging for its showcase game to also be broadcast on a non-cable broadcaster. CTV is the obvious choice. There's another 8% of the TV audience - and growing - up for grabs.

Bills 38, Jets 3

Terry Pegula's first choice for the relocation of last night's game was, apparently, Beaver Stadium at University Park which is in State College, Pennsylvania in an area also known as Happy Valley. It's where the Penn State Nittany Lions play their home games on Saturdays and where Jerry Sandusky perpetrated his evil deeds against young boys, under the not-so-watchful eye of Joe Paterno. PSU is Pegula's Alma Mater and Happy Valley is about a 2 hour drive from Orchard Park. It seemed like a good choice but the league would not approve it because the stadium lacks the communication and video infrastructure for NFL coaching staffs and CBS broadcast requirements. The Rogers Centre was also considered but it was in mid-preparation mode for a music and dance event called "Sensation: Into the Wild". The Carrier Dome in Syracuse was hosting several indoor hockey games over the weekend and logistical considerations would have made it impossible to host the game before today, Tuesday, at the earliest. So, the league settled on Ford Field in Detroit, an modern indoor facility which was available and able to accommodate the Bills requirements for the usual video review and analysis which is part of any team's weekly game preparation. The team and its 53 players, coaches and staff extricated themselves from the snow in Buffalo and flew to Detroit on Friday. Roger Goodell looked a bit nervous in a sideline interview with Steve Tasker as he emphasized that the league did not want a football game to interfere with the needs of western New York citizens.

I liked Scott Chandler's touchdown celebration which was a snow shoveling motion, after he spiked the ball. Then, the disaster that is the New York Jets did the rest as the Bills cruised to their easy win in their first, albeit unscheduled, appearance on a Monday night since 2009. Robert Woods had by far the best game of his career with 9 catches, including a spectacular one-handed grab along the sidelines which wasn't quite as impressive as Odell Beckham Jr.'s catch on Sunday night but was still worthy of inclusion in this season's Bills highlight reel. The defence was solid once again and the Bills had their first blocked punt for a touchdown since 2004. EJ Manuel even came in and performed three successful hand-offs on the last offensive series.

Around 9.30pm, CBS scrolled the result of the Ferguson, MO grand jury deliberations which were that no charges would be laid against the white police officer who shot an un-armed black teenager in August. Overnight riots would ensue in the St. Louis suburb as they would in other US cities. Race relations still have a long way to go in the US, regardless of the specific facts in this case.  

The next challenge for Ralph Wilson Stadium and for Erie County is to get the stadium and surrounding area in condition to host a game five days from now. Temperatures reached 65F in the Buffalo area yesterday and there is just no way that the satellite parking lots (most of which are grass fields) can be in any condition to have cars parking on them on Sunday after seven feet of snow has melted on them. The stadium will probably be fine as will the paved lots directly surrounding it but for those going to the game (which I'm hoping will not include me), I would suggest that parking will be limited and extra time should be allowed.

The Bills are now 6-5 and were certainly hoping that the Saints could knock off the Ravens last night, one of the many four loss teams in the AFC playoff hunt. The Ravens won and remain a four loss team. The Bills chances at a playoff spot remain slim but still alive as their Lake Erie cousins, the Cleveland Browns come to Orchard Park on Sunday. The Browns, coached by former Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, are another one of those four loss teams and obviously have a lot to play for.
 

Dolphins 22, Bills 9

November is often a bleak month with little daylight and miserable weather. Its a shoulder season in Muskoka where biking is usually wet and muddy and skiing is still down the road. It is also the only season where we get significant snowfall before the lake freezes, making for often stunning photography - especially when the sun shines on the fresh snow. The photo above was taken this past Friday morning after about 20cm of snow fell on Wednesday overnight and during the day Thursday. The reflections of the snow laden trees on the water makes for memorable late season paddling.

Since CBS decided to carry only the first half of this season's Thursday night games, I was forced to go north for the game. There was no snow on the ground until Gravenhurst on Thursday morning and then I got one of the last bike rides of the season in later in the afternoon in a heavy squall. Then a sauna, dinner and some Thursday night Bills football. This game was going to determine if the Bills long run of non-playoff appearances would continue or if they could make a statement in south Florida and preserve their post-season chances at 6-4. I was not feeling at all confident but through the first half, the offence was decent but was still unable to convert red zone opportunities. The season came apart in the second half which was bleak for Bills fans as Kyle Orton and the Bills offence had no solution for Miami's pass rush. He played his worst game of the six he has started, prompting calls for a return to EJ Manuel. I turned it off when Miami went up 19-9.

Now, the question I have is, once again, how in the world am I going to find anyone interested in seeing the Bills play either the Jets on Sunday or the Cleveland Browns the following week? The Green Bay Packers, one of the league's elite teams, make their once every eight years trip to Orchard Park in week 15 in mid-December and I'm a little less concerned about moving tickets for that game. But, the Jets on Sunday? Really, I ask, who is going to want to go? And, how many more years will I be willing to eat these tickets for late season games after all (or almost all) hope is lost? They would have to go 5-1 over the remaining six games to have a chance at a wildcard and that's just not going to happen.

I saw bits of the games yesterday and the first half of the Patriots game in Indianapolis. I am now really hoping that the Patriots can get to another Superbowl as I just think it would be a good story. After all, its now been 10 years since they won a championship, having lost the big game twice to the New York Giants since then. A New England vs. Green Bay Superbowl is what I would be betting on now and the Bills can help with that as they play each of the those teams in the final six weeks. I'm also hoping that the Browns can grab a playoff spot and the Bills can help with that too.

So, the J-E-T-S come to Orchard Park this weekend. Don't look for CBS to assign its top crew to this one. The game will probably be blacked out and I will listen to a bit of it on the radio in Muskoka. At least, with no paper tickets this year, I won't have to burn them.  

Chiefs 17, Bills 13

I was feeling a little down yesterday before the game. Despite my best efforts at working my network, reducing the list price on NFL TicketExchange every day since Monday and even dropping by a couple of sports bars in my neighbourhood to canvass interest, I was unable to sell my tickets to yesterday's game. And it wasn't a December game against Jacksonville where both teams were 2-12 either; this was a big conference game between two 5-3 AFC teams played in perfectly good weather and not on a holiday weekend on either side of the border. So, in the end, I emailed my tickets to my fine Buffalo friend and fellow season ticket holder, Joe, who tried to sell them at the stadium but with no luck. Why? One reason, I honestly believe, is that this year we received no printed tickets - just 2 credit cards with the games loaded on them and the ability to email individual "tickets"to third parties who would then print them on their own paper and take the paper to the stadium gate. I had one guy interested on Saturday evening at Gabby's on Yonge Street but when I said that I would have to email him the tickets, he remembered that he had to change the oil in his car on Sunday. Joe tells me that he had the same kind of problem yesterday. A piece of 20lb paper from a home printer, purported to be "tickets" to the game, just doesn't carry the same weight or look nearly as legitimate as printed tickets on card stock with professional imagery - ie, actual tickets. I think I'll call my account rep today to share the feedback. It's not really the $200 value which I forfeited but the idea that seats at the 30 yard line, 19 rows above the Chiefs bench for a sold out game went unused.

On the opening drive of the second half, leading the Chiefs 10-3, the Bills drove down the field and, just as they were about to score to take two touchdown lead, Bills quarterback Jeff Tuell threw an interception at the goal line which was returned for a touchdown and they then went on to lose the game. That was in early November last year. Yesterday's game was eerily similar, except that the Chiefs, rather than intercepting a pass, made Bryce Brown fumble as he was about to rumble into the endzone to put his team up 17-3. After the fumble, Brown's momentum sent the ball bouncing into the endzone where it flipped up and right into Scott Chandler's sure hands. But he dropped it and it bounced out of the endzone for a touchback. The Chiefs would themselves score two touchdowns which would be all they would need.

The problem with these big games is that one team has to lose. And lose the Bills did. I blame myself in a sense as the Bills record with me in the stands is 2-0 and, without me, it's 0-3. Or, maybe it's the dark home uniforms - also 0-3 while with the home white uniforms, their record is 2-0. The Bills dominated the game statistically and could have and should have won. But, as Bill Parcells used to say, you are what your record says you are. And they lost the game to go to 5-4 while the Chiefs capitalized on two fumbles to go to 6-3 and now obviously hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Buffalo. Now, the Bills have a short week and trip to south Florida to face the Dolphins on Thursday night. Miami also lost yesterday and also stands at 5-4. They will be motivated not to let the Bills sweep the season series from them and seriously jeopardize their playoff aspirations.

There was an Andy Reid lookalike sitting somewhere in the first row yesterday. The similarity was uncanny as he had a red Chiefs jacket, headset, glasses, moustache, clipboard and the perfect body shape. CBS showed him several times on their broadcast. His name is Chris Wilhelm and he's from Lancaster PA. He has been a Chiefs fan for many years and drove 5 hours to the game. He must have been ecstatic when Reid was named Chiefs coach before last season because, although the body shape would still work well, he would have had a hard time looking much like Romeo Crennel.

Bills 43, Jets 23

When the Bills were scoring multiple touchdowns yesterday in the Meadowlands, they were messing up my ballot count. I have more than 1,000 ballots in my possession for today's election in Ward 18 and yesterday I had to count them and initial the top of of half of them before I take them to Wallace Emerson Community Centre on Dufferin Street, just south of Dupont this morning, where I will be working as a Managing Deputy Returning Officer, responsible for 10 staff and serving up to 2,000 voters today. The never-ending mayoralty campaign has now ended and, this evening, we will have elected a new mayor. I will hold off on any predictions in order to maintain my impartiality as I sit here at my desk early on election day morning.

I watched the Thursday night game between the Jets and the Patriots 11 days ago and, since the Jets played well enough to win the game and lost it by 2 points after a blocked potentially game winning field goal, I was worried about playing a dangerous looking 1-6 team the following week. Then the Jets traded for malcontent speedster wide wide receiver Percy Harvin during the week and I really thought that it could be a long day for the Bills. But the Jets and their starting quarterback Geno Smith were about as bad as they could have possibly been yesterday before switching to Michael Vick who was at least able to generate some semblance of an offense. Riding no less than 6 Jets turnovers, the Bills racked up more points yesterday than they have in 4 years on their way to pre-bye week win to bring them to 5-3 at the mid-point of the season.

I have been very impressed with Bills rookie receiver Sammy Watkins who had another strong game yesterday. Since the Bills scored a touchdown on the drive and won the game easily, the mental error Watkins made on a long first half pass can easily be forgotten but I don't he will soon forget it. Thinking that he was cruising easily into the endzone on a long pass from Kyle Orton, Watkins eased up and raised his arms in touchdown celebration mode just before Jets defender Saalim Hakim caught up and tackled him at about the 4 yard line. He was lucky not to have dropped the ball on the play as others in that position have done while being chopped from behind. Bills coach Doug Marrone said afterward that "we don't have time for that". Watkins scored a touchdown in the second half but he will likely have a more lasting memory of the one he didn't score yesterday.

I'm rather stunned by the Jian Ghomeshi developments over the weekend and I'm really not sure what to think about it. He will apparently file a $50 million lawsuit against the CBC today (after he votes, I presume) and seek reinstatement of his position as host of the very popular weekday morning program "Q" under the collective bargaining agreement. The CBC fired him after learning of certain details relating to his sex life. He claims that a jilted lover, with whom he engaged in consensual "rough sex", is now trying to advance a claim that aspects of the sex were not consensual and generally expose his private sexual preferences. The CBC says that they deliberated thoroughly before deciding to end its relationship with him. There is likely more to this story than what the CBC has said in a brief press release and what Ghomeshi posted on Facebook yesterday but, at this point, I'm not sure than I really want to know anything more about it.