That Aud Smell

Like I said initially, my initial amusement was "whoa Liger sorta be Inking." I don't do a good job - at all - of tracking regular posters' big picture views on the Sabres, hockey. I can recall bits and pieces, here and there. But I almost never have a complete picture of any regular poster at any given time. I gather that your crease-clearing-gorilla take on Power (my words, not yours) was in-line with things you've said in the past. It just struck me as a departure (in tone). classic joke

lol - ahhite. it's more the tone than the substance that i was talking about. but maybe i'm just refamiliarizing myself with the board.

has someone hacked this account? the vibe seems different.

I think this is correct, if I'm following you. I think Power will eventually be adequately physical as a d-man. But it's going to take some time (or has taken some time). I think he just needs to feel more like a man among men out there. Pronger was mean as hell.

Right. I’m saying that I hope he will play heavy and physical. It’s not semantics to distinguish playing physical and heavy from being “mean.”

Hear, hear. I was just confused over Liger's call for Power to be "mean." I've used the metaphor of a crease-clearing gorilla before. I've stuck with it because I just dig it. I think it's the combination of crease clearing (alliteration) and an inherently fun word gorilla. Anyhoo. Power's never gonna be mean. Maybe in flashes, here or there. But he's not gonna become a mean, nasty mofo. Set aside the example of an all-world player like Lidstrom. Can Power just be stout and tough in his own end like Billy Hajt was?

When did the Inkification of Liger occur? I don't think of Lidström as "mean" - by way of example. I'll settle for Power being heavy and physical in his own end. I don't think there's much, if any, "mean" to tap into with him.

You're unwittingly prodding me to share a story from my own life that illustrates this principle in (what I think is) striking fashion. I'll refrain, if you do the same.

Nah. Much bigger. I mean like those instances when you leave the house to go somewhere in your car, but then are just slightly delayed because your wife wants to make sure she locked the back door, and you thereby avoid a likely fatal t-bone accident caused by a speeding car thief who's about to run a red light 1/2 mile from your home. Dumb luck.

I can get immobilized with cosmic anxiety when I stop to really consider how good fortune, luck play massive, determining roles in our lives themselves as we trod around on this big blue ball that's spinning through our solar system.

And what of supporters? 🫣 Like all teams, the Bills have been unlucky plenty of times. I suppose it evens out, over time. I'm just trying to be (remain) realistic. There's often so much randomness and chance associated with a win or loss.

Lol.

Troubling evaluations of Bernard are out there on the web — played terribly, looks hobbled. Something to monitor. My theory: He’s not sturdy or big enough to stay healthy at the position he plays.

A bit awkward, eh?

I don't love it, of course. But I acknowledge that it's inevitable, unavoidable, etc. In order to keep their place in the modern NFL eco$y$tem, the Buffalo Bills need a chunk of Greater Toronto's corporate largesse. And the new stadium gives them the best point of leverage they've ever had. They can probably persuade monied Torontonians (corporate leaders) to come to Buffalo for a weekend and be hosted at a suite for a game (or several games). This plan looks more intentional, more thoughtful than what Russ Brandon slapped together. The admission of minority stake owners McGrady and Carter are of a piece with this. One final thought: The NFL still wants a dedicated NFL brand presence in the GTA. The Bills need to respond to that vacuum on the NFL's behalf.

I wish you well in your return to LaLa'ing, @PASabreFan. Please post a clip here if you get a good one on video/audio.

this is life in the NFL, man. you have a rookie playing a position that can be critically important to winning or losing a game. hopefully he learns from the mistake. i have little doubt that the ravens saw on tape that the bills had a rookie at that spot, and engineered something to confuse him and spring hamilton into the kicker's path. it was a wonderfully fun game. but the fact that the bills won on that kick mostly comes down to dumb luck. in a simulated environment running that exact scenario, that kick gets blocked 90% (?) of the time.

the guy is effing ancient - but he's a gamer, a deeply seasoned vet with an elite kicker's mindset. i don't doubt that he adjusted his swing in response to the oncoming, unblocked pressure.

it's coming. more seriously, though. i hear all of this. i'd just prefer to avoid D. Henry if possible.

credit to 91 -- he had a big game. the sack, the big TFL, the forced fumble. nice work, ed!

Nice recap/overview - I like the Q&A format too. As for the item above: The Eagles may want a word. But I take your point. I think that the Eagles and Ravens have the best two rosters in the NFL. Effin' birds.

For my part, I would not relish a playoff rematch with the Ravens. They are just a bad matchup for the Bills. Plus they have Lamar.

A post-game caller to WGR - who was surprisingly sober and coherent - observed that Harbaugh screwed up how he called his timeouts at the end. He basically played right into how the Bills wanted him to exhaust all three timeouts and let the Bills have a chance to kick a walk-off field goal. If Harbaugh had called his last timeout with maybe 12 seconds to go, the Bills would have been forced to kick during that timeout because they would not have had time to run another kneel down play and get the field goal off (although maybe then the Bills would have run a time-wasting pass play?).

Hamilton definitely got like a finger on the ball. He played a whale of a game.

Jesus Christ - yes. And now I have to fight off the urge to think about this as a possibility (which it isn't).