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.
Commentary on the Buffalo Bills, politics and whatever else is on my mind
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.
Monday, 30 September 2019
Patriots 16, Bills 10
There is only one scenario where an NFL team can play a home playoff game without winning their division. And its about as unlikely as the Miami Dolphins winning a game this season. It involves the fifth and sixth seeded teams playing in a conference championship game which would take place at the home of the fifth seeded team. Win your division - and there are eight of them - and you will have a home playoff game. Make the playoffs as a wild card team and you will be on the road for all of your playoff games (except as mentioned above). The New England Patriots have enjoyed what seems like a perpetual stranglehold on the AFC East since Tom Brady began his career as their quarterback in 2001. Over that almost 20 year period, the Patriots have won the division every season except for two. The Buffalo Bills last home playoff game was in December, 1996, back when fewer teams made the playoffs and each conference's two wild card teams met in the first round. The Bills lost that game, the last of Jim Kelly's career, to Jacksonville.
Yesterday in Orchard Park, the Bills had their best opportunity in more than 20 years to lay the foundation for their first division title since 1995. But they couldn't quite get it done. A blocked punt which was returned for a touchdown was the difference in the game which saw the Bills in position to steal the game as they drove for the winning touchdown before the Patriots ended the game with their fourth interception late in the fourth quarter. The loss came despite the Bills defence holding the Patriots to 11 first downs and 224 total yards and the offence managing to the score the first and only touchdown against the Patriots through a full quarter of the season. In a game dominated by defence, the Bills went toe-to toe with the Patriots but fell short again, sending their fans home disappointed but perhaps not as disillusioned as they have been after previous blow-out losses to the Patriots in Orchard Park over the last 20 years.
Micah Hyde said after the game that if one of his teammates had hit Tom Brady the way that Jonathan Jones hit Josh Allen early in the fourth quarter (sending him into the league's concussion protocol where he would remain for the rest of the game) they would have been ejected from the game. Head Coach Sean McDermott said after the game that "there is no room in football for a hit like that" and also suggested that Jones should have been ejected for the hit. The NFL's senior vice-president of officiating Al Riveron, reached by Buffalo News reporter Vic Carucci after the game, disagreed. He said "we looked at it and in this situation, we didn't feel that contact rose to the level of ejection.......we have standards for ejection and this did not rise to that standard". Jones, for his part explained that "there is never intent to hurt anyone. We were running around playing football." And maybe that's the problem.
During the CBS broadcast, Dan Fouts commented after Allen's injury that they are trying to coach helmet-to-helmet hits out of football. Well, I'm skeptical. It just might not be possible to remove these hits from tackle football, regardless of instructional changes in junior football or the severity of penalties handed out to the offenders at the college or NFL level. It's part of football and always has been. Legendary ABC college football play-by-play broadcaster Keith Jackson used to look forward to teams "cracking some heads" when previewing an important rivalry game. If Josh Allen had been playing in the NFL 20 or 30 years ago, he probably would have missed one play after the hit he took yesterday. "You had your bell rung; get back out there" the coaches might have said to him. After the play which laid him out, Allen jogged to the locker room after being evaluated under the blue tent by an independent neurologist and was seen walking around and talking with team officials after the game. It is too early to say but I predict that he will play next week.
Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL in March and is now promoting his new CBD product line which he says has helped him become pain free for the first time in many years. At a promotional press conference earlier this month, Gronkowski explained (presumably to give context to the efficacy of his CBD products) that in his football career he had nine surgeries and 20 concussions, including five black-out incidents. He also suggested that any injury, including CTE, the affliction which can result from repeated head trauma, can be fixed and that the CBD product which he now promotes (as an investor and a consumer) has cured his headaches and "fixed" his issues with head trauma. After Gronkowski made this claim, a prominent behavioural neurologist publicly called him out, saying that neurodegenerative diseases like CTE or Alzheimers can not be fixed and will eventually win.
I like throwing and catching a football but I never played the sport in an organized setting. I do enjoy the game as a spectator and the fact that it is dangerous for those who play has not changed that, even as we learn more about just how dangerous it might be in the long term. For now anyway. So, on to next week where the Bills travel to Nashville, the scene of Homerun Throwback, one of the most infamous and devastating plays in Bills playoff history.
Yesterday in Orchard Park, the Bills had their best opportunity in more than 20 years to lay the foundation for their first division title since 1995. But they couldn't quite get it done. A blocked punt which was returned for a touchdown was the difference in the game which saw the Bills in position to steal the game as they drove for the winning touchdown before the Patriots ended the game with their fourth interception late in the fourth quarter. The loss came despite the Bills defence holding the Patriots to 11 first downs and 224 total yards and the offence managing to the score the first and only touchdown against the Patriots through a full quarter of the season. In a game dominated by defence, the Bills went toe-to toe with the Patriots but fell short again, sending their fans home disappointed but perhaps not as disillusioned as they have been after previous blow-out losses to the Patriots in Orchard Park over the last 20 years.
Micah Hyde said after the game that if one of his teammates had hit Tom Brady the way that Jonathan Jones hit Josh Allen early in the fourth quarter (sending him into the league's concussion protocol where he would remain for the rest of the game) they would have been ejected from the game. Head Coach Sean McDermott said after the game that "there is no room in football for a hit like that" and also suggested that Jones should have been ejected for the hit. The NFL's senior vice-president of officiating Al Riveron, reached by Buffalo News reporter Vic Carucci after the game, disagreed. He said "we looked at it and in this situation, we didn't feel that contact rose to the level of ejection.......we have standards for ejection and this did not rise to that standard". Jones, for his part explained that "there is never intent to hurt anyone. We were running around playing football." And maybe that's the problem.
During the CBS broadcast, Dan Fouts commented after Allen's injury that they are trying to coach helmet-to-helmet hits out of football. Well, I'm skeptical. It just might not be possible to remove these hits from tackle football, regardless of instructional changes in junior football or the severity of penalties handed out to the offenders at the college or NFL level. It's part of football and always has been. Legendary ABC college football play-by-play broadcaster Keith Jackson used to look forward to teams "cracking some heads" when previewing an important rivalry game. If Josh Allen had been playing in the NFL 20 or 30 years ago, he probably would have missed one play after the hit he took yesterday. "You had your bell rung; get back out there" the coaches might have said to him. After the play which laid him out, Allen jogged to the locker room after being evaluated under the blue tent by an independent neurologist and was seen walking around and talking with team officials after the game. It is too early to say but I predict that he will play next week.
Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL in March and is now promoting his new CBD product line which he says has helped him become pain free for the first time in many years. At a promotional press conference earlier this month, Gronkowski explained (presumably to give context to the efficacy of his CBD products) that in his football career he had nine surgeries and 20 concussions, including five black-out incidents. He also suggested that any injury, including CTE, the affliction which can result from repeated head trauma, can be fixed and that the CBD product which he now promotes (as an investor and a consumer) has cured his headaches and "fixed" his issues with head trauma. After Gronkowski made this claim, a prominent behavioural neurologist publicly called him out, saying that neurodegenerative diseases like CTE or Alzheimers can not be fixed and will eventually win.
I like throwing and catching a football but I never played the sport in an organized setting. I do enjoy the game as a spectator and the fact that it is dangerous for those who play has not changed that, even as we learn more about just how dangerous it might be in the long term. For now anyway. So, on to next week where the Bills travel to Nashville, the scene of Homerun Throwback, one of the most infamous and devastating plays in Bills playoff history.
Monday, 23 September 2019
Bills 21, Bengals 17
The Knox family name has been prominent in Buffalo, NY for well over a century. Seymour Horace Knox made his fortune in five-and-dime stores which were eventually merged with similar stores owned by Frank Winfield Woolworth. Knox was an early board member of the Marine Trust Co. which became Marine Midland Bank. His grandson, Seymour H. Knox III, along with brother Northrup Knox and attorney Robert Swados, successfully applied for an NHL franchise for Buffalo which began play as the Sabres in 1970. Buffalo sports fans are now getting to know the latest Knox to arrive in town - one Dawson Knox - and they are liking what they see so far.
Dawson Knox hails from Brentwood, TN, where he played quarterback and wide receiver for Brentwood Academy. He suffered an ankle injury in his senior year and was overlooked by major college recruiters. He made the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) team as a walk-on, converted to the position of tight end and "red-shirted" for the 2015 season. Despite his impressive physical attributes (6 ft 4 in and 237 pounds), in three seasons with the Rebels, he caught an uninspiring 39 passes for just over 600 yards. After his junior season, Knox declared for the 2019 NFL draft and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 3rd round as the 96th overall pick. He had not scored a touchdown at any level of football since his junior year at Brentwood Academy. Until yesterday in Orchard Park.
Knox caught a one yard pass from Josh Allen in the first quarter yesterday afternoon - one of three catches he made - but his 49 yard reception late in the 4th quarter is what Bills fans will remember this morning. After giving up a 14-0 lead and now trailing 17-14 to the winless and desperate Cincinnati Bengals, Allen hit a wide open Knox near the left sideline. Knox proceeded to bowl over defenders and break tackles, taking the ball all the way to the Bengals 22 yard line. A few plays later, Frank Gore dived into the endzone with the winning score, sending 70,000 sun-baked Bills fans home happy.
Effective tight end play can benefit an NFL offence in may ways - some of them more noticeable than others. The recently retired Rob Gronkowski was the most prolific pass-catching tight end in recent history but he wasn't exactly known for his run blocking. Dawson Knox now has three NFL games under his belt and it seems clear that he can run routes, catch the ball and break tackles. Based on what the rookie tight end has shown so far and in particular his performance before the home fans yesterday, the story of the Knox name, well-known in Buffalo for business success, philanthropy and professional sports, has the beginnings of an exciting new chapter being written by Dawson Knox.
I have been to plenty of early season games in Orchard Park but none hotter than yesterday's. Without the breeze which provided some relief from time to time, the visitor side of the stadium would have been unbearable as it baked in the late summer sun all afternoon. As did the parking lot beforehand. The spectacular weather (and the Bills 2-0 start to the season) meant an early arriving crowd and an absolutely full stadium with no empty seats to be seen. My new seats at the 44 yard line, 23 rows above the visitor bench were everything I expected in terms of sight lines and the civility with which older, long-standing season ticket holders enjoy their afternoon of football. No drunk or disorderly behaviour in section 111, that's for sure. Both teams scored touchdowns at each end of the field and we had an excellent vantage point for every snap of the game.
Next Sunday's game will present a monumentally larger challenge for the Bills than any of their opponents have through the first three games. Amazingly, the Patriots seem to have an even stronger team this season and could easily go 16-0. I know that my seats are highly desireable - particularly for fans of the visiting team. With both the Bills and Patriots at 3-0, interest in Sunday's game is as high as it could be for any week 4 game. So high in fact that within a couple of hours of the end of the game yesterday, my tickets which have been listed on NFL TicketExchange for a few weeks now, sold for almost $800 CAD for the pair. I hope that the Bills make me wish I had gone to the game.
Dawson Knox hails from Brentwood, TN, where he played quarterback and wide receiver for Brentwood Academy. He suffered an ankle injury in his senior year and was overlooked by major college recruiters. He made the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) team as a walk-on, converted to the position of tight end and "red-shirted" for the 2015 season. Despite his impressive physical attributes (6 ft 4 in and 237 pounds), in three seasons with the Rebels, he caught an uninspiring 39 passes for just over 600 yards. After his junior season, Knox declared for the 2019 NFL draft and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 3rd round as the 96th overall pick. He had not scored a touchdown at any level of football since his junior year at Brentwood Academy. Until yesterday in Orchard Park.
Knox caught a one yard pass from Josh Allen in the first quarter yesterday afternoon - one of three catches he made - but his 49 yard reception late in the 4th quarter is what Bills fans will remember this morning. After giving up a 14-0 lead and now trailing 17-14 to the winless and desperate Cincinnati Bengals, Allen hit a wide open Knox near the left sideline. Knox proceeded to bowl over defenders and break tackles, taking the ball all the way to the Bengals 22 yard line. A few plays later, Frank Gore dived into the endzone with the winning score, sending 70,000 sun-baked Bills fans home happy.
Effective tight end play can benefit an NFL offence in may ways - some of them more noticeable than others. The recently retired Rob Gronkowski was the most prolific pass-catching tight end in recent history but he wasn't exactly known for his run blocking. Dawson Knox now has three NFL games under his belt and it seems clear that he can run routes, catch the ball and break tackles. Based on what the rookie tight end has shown so far and in particular his performance before the home fans yesterday, the story of the Knox name, well-known in Buffalo for business success, philanthropy and professional sports, has the beginnings of an exciting new chapter being written by Dawson Knox.
I have been to plenty of early season games in Orchard Park but none hotter than yesterday's. Without the breeze which provided some relief from time to time, the visitor side of the stadium would have been unbearable as it baked in the late summer sun all afternoon. As did the parking lot beforehand. The spectacular weather (and the Bills 2-0 start to the season) meant an early arriving crowd and an absolutely full stadium with no empty seats to be seen. My new seats at the 44 yard line, 23 rows above the visitor bench were everything I expected in terms of sight lines and the civility with which older, long-standing season ticket holders enjoy their afternoon of football. No drunk or disorderly behaviour in section 111, that's for sure. Both teams scored touchdowns at each end of the field and we had an excellent vantage point for every snap of the game.
Next Sunday's game will present a monumentally larger challenge for the Bills than any of their opponents have through the first three games. Amazingly, the Patriots seem to have an even stronger team this season and could easily go 16-0. I know that my seats are highly desireable - particularly for fans of the visiting team. With both the Bills and Patriots at 3-0, interest in Sunday's game is as high as it could be for any week 4 game. So high in fact that within a couple of hours of the end of the game yesterday, my tickets which have been listed on NFL TicketExchange for a few weeks now, sold for almost $800 CAD for the pair. I hope that the Bills make me wish I had gone to the game.
Monday, 16 September 2019
Bills 28, Giants 14
The Buffalo Bills began play in the AFL in 1960 and, until yesterday, the team has never posted two consecutive road wins to begin a season. In a quirky scheduling anomaly, both wins took place in the same stadium in New Jersey, meaning that the Bills may well finish the season with more wins in the Meadowlands than the New York Giants will be able to register through their seven remaining home games. Let's hope that the Bills can replicate their winning ways in New York state with five of their next six games in Orchard Park.
It felt that the Bills were in complete control of the game, even as they gave up an opening drive touchdown to Saquon Barkley whose five carries took the Giants 75 yards to the endzone. With efficient play on both sides of the ball for the remainder of the first half, the Bills posted three touchdowns and took a lead which they would not relinquish. Perhaps channeling a bit of Tyrod Taylor, Josh Allen reduced his turnovers from four last week to zero yesterday. Along with his ball protection instincts, his passing accuracy was likely the best we've seen in any of his starts. With some decent receivers to throw to and with Brian Daboll's creative play calling, he is really showing what the team's brain trust saw when they drafted him last year.
The game produced a couple of notable injuries. Of concern to Bills fans will be the state of Devin Singletary's hamstring. The rookie running back clearly pulled it on a fourth quarter play as he ran toward the left sideline. Head coach Sean McDermott had no update after the game. Hamstring injuries can range from a mild strain to something which could keep Singletary out for a while.
The injury which concerned me the most as a football fan was the apparent concussion suffered by Giants receiver Cody Latimer. Latimer caught a pass in the redzone and was hit by Bills safety Jordan Poyer a half nanosecond after the ball reached his hands. The league has been trying to rid the game of helmet-to-helmet hits but not only did Poyer's helmet connect directly with Latimer's on the hit, no penalty was called on the play. I know that even if a defender leads with his shoulder in initiating contact (the "right" technique and the one that is being emphasized in high school and college football), if the intended target turns or lowers his head before contact, helmets can and often do collide - sometimes with devastating consequences. Poyer (and his teammate Micah Hyde) is a talented and hard-hitting safety for the Bills and his ability to deliver punishing hits keeps opposing receivers honest on certain kinds of passing routes but the kind of hit he put on Latimer yesterday is one of a few glaring elements of tackle football which makes North American parents register their kids in soccer rather than in junior football.
At least Latimer was removed from the game and, after being subjected to what the NFL calls its "concussion protocol", was ruled out for the rest of the afternoon. Last week, the Giants top receiver Sterling Shepard wasn't so lucky. After taking a hit to the head, he appeared woozy but waved off the team's training staff, stayed in the game and ended up on the field for all but one of the team's 69 offensive snaps. Only after the game was he subjected to the "protocol" and then eventually ruled out for yesterday's game.
After two successful trips to New Jersey, the Bills return to western New York for their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills are an early six point favourite and should find themselves at 3-0 a week from now. With the Patriots home to the Jets next week, the schedule sets up a likely week four showdown in Orchard Park between two undefeated teams for the outright lead in the AFC East.
To mark the new Ken Burns 18 hour film on country music, a friend reminded me of a great Bob Newhart line: "I don't like country music but I also don't want to denigrate those who do. For those who like country music, denigrate means to put down."
It felt that the Bills were in complete control of the game, even as they gave up an opening drive touchdown to Saquon Barkley whose five carries took the Giants 75 yards to the endzone. With efficient play on both sides of the ball for the remainder of the first half, the Bills posted three touchdowns and took a lead which they would not relinquish. Perhaps channeling a bit of Tyrod Taylor, Josh Allen reduced his turnovers from four last week to zero yesterday. Along with his ball protection instincts, his passing accuracy was likely the best we've seen in any of his starts. With some decent receivers to throw to and with Brian Daboll's creative play calling, he is really showing what the team's brain trust saw when they drafted him last year.
The game produced a couple of notable injuries. Of concern to Bills fans will be the state of Devin Singletary's hamstring. The rookie running back clearly pulled it on a fourth quarter play as he ran toward the left sideline. Head coach Sean McDermott had no update after the game. Hamstring injuries can range from a mild strain to something which could keep Singletary out for a while.
The injury which concerned me the most as a football fan was the apparent concussion suffered by Giants receiver Cody Latimer. Latimer caught a pass in the redzone and was hit by Bills safety Jordan Poyer a half nanosecond after the ball reached his hands. The league has been trying to rid the game of helmet-to-helmet hits but not only did Poyer's helmet connect directly with Latimer's on the hit, no penalty was called on the play. I know that even if a defender leads with his shoulder in initiating contact (the "right" technique and the one that is being emphasized in high school and college football), if the intended target turns or lowers his head before contact, helmets can and often do collide - sometimes with devastating consequences. Poyer (and his teammate Micah Hyde) is a talented and hard-hitting safety for the Bills and his ability to deliver punishing hits keeps opposing receivers honest on certain kinds of passing routes but the kind of hit he put on Latimer yesterday is one of a few glaring elements of tackle football which makes North American parents register their kids in soccer rather than in junior football.
At least Latimer was removed from the game and, after being subjected to what the NFL calls its "concussion protocol", was ruled out for the rest of the afternoon. Last week, the Giants top receiver Sterling Shepard wasn't so lucky. After taking a hit to the head, he appeared woozy but waved off the team's training staff, stayed in the game and ended up on the field for all but one of the team's 69 offensive snaps. Only after the game was he subjected to the "protocol" and then eventually ruled out for yesterday's game.
After two successful trips to New Jersey, the Bills return to western New York for their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills are an early six point favourite and should find themselves at 3-0 a week from now. With the Patriots home to the Jets next week, the schedule sets up a likely week four showdown in Orchard Park between two undefeated teams for the outright lead in the AFC East.
To mark the new Ken Burns 18 hour film on country music, a friend reminded me of a great Bob Newhart line: "I don't like country music but I also don't want to denigrate those who do. For those who like country music, denigrate means to put down."
Monday, 9 September 2019
Bills 17, Jets 16
For the first 10 or so years of my tenure as a Bills season ticket holder, each August I received from team, by way of an inconvenient trip to the FedEx pick-up depot in a nondescript industrial area near York Mills and Don Mills, a new ball cap, a t-shirt, a pin, a bumper sticker, a flag or some other piece of Bills branded gear. A few years ago, the pre-selected and directly shipped swag changed to a gift card which is redeemable at the Bills online store or at the stadium concession stands. Since I don't usually buy anything in the stadium, I pick and order items from the Bills online store and then pay a somewhat mysterious customs brokerage fee to FedEx when I pick up my package. Inconvenience aside, after all these years, I am certainly quite well equipped with Bills gear including shirts, jackets, shorts, a collection of ball caps, winter hats, scarfs, mugs, neoprene beer coolers, shot glasses and towels so this year, I chose a few small and more eccentric items, including licence plate holders and a pair of Bills branded socks.
As the excruciating first half of the NFL season opening game in the Meadowlands of New Jersey came to and end yesterday afternoon, I realized that I had somehow managed to sit down to watch the game without wearing a single piece of Bills branded clothing - something I rarely, if ever, do. So, realizing that the team really needed a re-start on offense as they entered the second half, I decided to don the socks at halftime. They ended up doing the job in the end but not before the Bills had dug themselves into a much larger hole - a 16-0 deficit - after giving up a safety (I still think Frank Gore made it out of the endzone on the first down play), a touchdown and a two point convert to the Jets in the third quarter.
Near the end of the game, CBS colour analyst Rich Gannon pulled out a stat which caught my attention: he said that, statistically, if a road team gives up 4 turnovers while the home team registers none, the chances of the road team winning the game are less than 1%. I have not independently verified this data point but it seems credible enough to me. As unlikely as the the Bills eventual victory was, and even though Josh Allen led the team to two 4th quarter touchdowns to steal the one point win, the Bills defence was the reason why the team finds itself at 1-0 this morning.
As bad as the Bills offense was in the first half, the defence was fantastic all day, holding the Jets to 223 total yards. Le'Veon Bell, who hadn't taken a hand-off in a year and a half, carried the ball 17 times for the Jets but only for 60 yards - an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Contrast that with the performance of Bills rookie Devin Singletary who rode the pines for the entire first half and then made the most of his 4 second half carries, earning 70 yards for an average of 17.5 yards. If he can maintain that per carry average throughout his career (and carry the ball 20 or more times every week), the Bills can trade all of their receivers away and run the ball on every down like teams did 100 years ago when the NFL began play. LeSean who?
The Bills could just stay in New Jersey this week if they wanted to. Next up is another game at the Meadowlands, this time against the Giants who were beaten soundly in Dallas yesterday and whose prospects for this season are not looking good. The Bills therefore have a good chance of starting the season with two road wins before coming home in two weeks to face the Bengals. I may order more socks.
As the excruciating first half of the NFL season opening game in the Meadowlands of New Jersey came to and end yesterday afternoon, I realized that I had somehow managed to sit down to watch the game without wearing a single piece of Bills branded clothing - something I rarely, if ever, do. So, realizing that the team really needed a re-start on offense as they entered the second half, I decided to don the socks at halftime. They ended up doing the job in the end but not before the Bills had dug themselves into a much larger hole - a 16-0 deficit - after giving up a safety (I still think Frank Gore made it out of the endzone on the first down play), a touchdown and a two point convert to the Jets in the third quarter.
Near the end of the game, CBS colour analyst Rich Gannon pulled out a stat which caught my attention: he said that, statistically, if a road team gives up 4 turnovers while the home team registers none, the chances of the road team winning the game are less than 1%. I have not independently verified this data point but it seems credible enough to me. As unlikely as the the Bills eventual victory was, and even though Josh Allen led the team to two 4th quarter touchdowns to steal the one point win, the Bills defence was the reason why the team finds itself at 1-0 this morning.
As bad as the Bills offense was in the first half, the defence was fantastic all day, holding the Jets to 223 total yards. Le'Veon Bell, who hadn't taken a hand-off in a year and a half, carried the ball 17 times for the Jets but only for 60 yards - an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Contrast that with the performance of Bills rookie Devin Singletary who rode the pines for the entire first half and then made the most of his 4 second half carries, earning 70 yards for an average of 17.5 yards. If he can maintain that per carry average throughout his career (and carry the ball 20 or more times every week), the Bills can trade all of their receivers away and run the ball on every down like teams did 100 years ago when the NFL began play. LeSean who?
The Bills could just stay in New Jersey this week if they wanted to. Next up is another game at the Meadowlands, this time against the Giants who were beaten soundly in Dallas yesterday and whose prospects for this season are not looking good. The Bills therefore have a good chance of starting the season with two road wins before coming home in two weeks to face the Bengals. I may order more socks.
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