That Aud Smell

To be fair, there was a lot to unpack in the original post. It was helpful to break it down as you did.

Ah -- okay. Well, on this front, I can't and won't take issue with what you're saying. They're fun -- but those days are beat downs as well. And that's coming from someone who doesn't drink before or during the game. (Well, there is an obligatory good luck shot before we leave our parking area -- but it's not even a full shot and hardly counts.) I'm starting to look for someone to split my seasons, actually -- for this exact reason. You need some timeline/algorithm hygiene if you're getting recaps saying that the game was "underwhelming." That was one of the more fun games we've attended in the past 5 years. Fun Times Exhibit "A":

I’m of both minds with Josh’s Superman antics. We sit in the 300s right at that goal line — watching that play live was nearly transcendental — people all around me losing their minds, hands of their heads, mouths opened wide. Spectacular. Otoh, he’s *going* to get himself killed doing that. Hopefully his hand is okay. Being a STH, having been at that game, I can say: That game was an absolute blast and thrill ride. If you found it underwhelming and a drain of a day, I’ll submit that your experience was not a function of the game itself.

If only we could.

Agree. The current Sabres situation is a Rorschach test. I blink and rub my eyes, but I just see a roster being cost controlled (and being kept young) and a franchise that spends like a traditional poverty franchise. I know Friedman has crazy juice. But he’s got 32 teams to cover. It sounds to me like he and his league sources are talking out of their ***** regarding the Sabres.

And it wasn’t an extra pick. The Bills allowed KC to move up from 32 to 28 — and in exchange the Bills moved up from 4th to a 3rd and moved up within the 7th rd — in both cases, KC got lower picks in swaps.

Carter - the DL from Duke. Another try hard high character no splash play soldier in McDermott’s d-line rotation.

@Taro T: Is ur eye roll serious? The claimed need for a “trigger warning” for “s*lly” is one of my favorite pieces of lore here.

i don’t believe the ravens defender was flagged for PI on that end zone breakup. and agreed: worthy got bodied on that play.

Given that the Chiefs are working with what I think is the greatest offensive play caller-quarterback pairing in NFL history, I don't much want to have the Bills' WR plan compared to how things are going to work out for the Chiefs. I'm just hoping that Coleman can be a solid possession/red zone guy.

well, he did score on that run from the 21 yard line, so ... .

I gotta watch the replay. lol

Are there NHL teams that have featured three excellent d-men? In my brain, I'm stuck on the Chicago model -- where it was Keith and Seabrook. And my brain wends its way back around to the matter of whether there's a penny pinching approach here: Better to pay excellent d-men because they can be on the ice more? It's more expensive to keep a larger stable of top-6 forwards who can't skate as much?

Gonna be cool and breezy -- and most likely dry. There's a yucky pattern setting up for the weekend. Lake effect rain on Saturday. Thankfully, that looks to end by Sunday afternoon. I am of two or more minds on the Worthy situation. I didn't see the touchdown catch, but, yeah, sounds like a blown coverage. The run looked pretty special -- exactly why Reid went and got him at the end of the 1st round. I think it's a fair question to ask: Did Beane screw up when, in exchange for some additional draft capital, he ensured that his conference's top dog would get the player they wanted at the end of the first round? Is that a good deal to make? Could he have stood pat where they were, chosen Keon there, and then let randomness influence whether the Chiefs could get Worthy? He could have done that. What's worth more? Some additional draft capital or a chance to deny the Chiefs (i.e., Reid) a speed merchant that they (he) covet(s)? Fair question, imo.

What were the old tropes? Team Storm Cloud? Team ... Sunshine and Kittens?

What savings might otherwise be projected? Idk. I really don't. I appreciate your analysis. Given how Pegula's run this franchise, I no longer give him the benefit of the doubt. If there are two plausible explanations for a personnel decision -- and one of them is rooted in Pegula's being miserly -- I'll presume that the decision was principally motivated by a desire to conserve costs.

Adams may take the fall, but that trade can readily (and perhaps most logically) be seen through the prism of Pegula's being cheap with payroll. The further we get from the trade, the less sense it makes.

lol - appreciated. i'm just trying to contribute to the board's poetics.

There's no doubt that he needs to learn how to better use his body when defending. But he certainly doesn't need to be a crease-clearing gorilla (or even just a garden variety bruiser) in order to do that. I'm confident that he'll learn that part of the d-game as he matures.

In a game with a gajillion real time fluid variables, it's almost as though there are multiple ways to be really effective at accomplishing something.

the guy takes a lot of grief. but i try to keep things in perspective. he fairly ripped it up last year calling plays for a patchwork D.

It does not surprise me that the waived Bills players weren't claimed. Years gone by, you could count on several waived Bills players being claimed. This season, that distinction more belongs to Green Bay. The Bills are in the process of re-tooling and rebuilding on the fly. They have a massive dead cap hit this season. They are pretty thin.

Depending on which content you choose to focus on, sure.