So, how are they doing?

Well we're almost 2 months into the season, so its a good amount of time to see how you know those other guys are doing. The big 2 and Marty, because Sabre fans love Marty.

We'll start with Marty.

My opinion the reason for the Flyers turnaround. The Flyers have been missing solid netminding for a few years, especially last year. Marty finally is getting his chance to shine with talent around him, is taking it and putting up good numbers for the resurgent Flyers.

This year Marty 12-6-2-2 with a 2.56GAA and a .925Sv%. All better numbers then Ryan Miller. Especially the win/loss record. But different situations for both goaltenders.

And if you want to get some good Marty action, this video on the Flyers site, is all about Marty. Since hes the cameraman documenting the Father/Son trip to Carolina this week. Around 9:40 of the video Mr. Biron makes an appearance, though they converse in French, so I have no idea what he is telling his dad. Plus Danny Briere looks scared that Marty is going to do something to him. This video almost makes me like the Flyers until they joke around with Hartnell about being suspended.

Speaking of Danny, how is he doing?

Well Mr. Briere is having quite the year. He is tied for the most points on the team with 30, with 12 goals and 18 assists. But his lack of a defensive game is still there with -4 rating. Obviously his big contract hasn't put any pressure on him and is still productive as last year. If he was on another team I'd be super happy for him. The Sabres showed him the door, so really I have no hard feelings for Danny. He took the money and he is playing great, good for him.

Hey if you want to do something for my birthday you can bid on this prize for the December 11th game against Pittsburgh. You get a meet and greet with Danny, autograph stuff, warmup passes and a ZAMBONI RIDE!!!!!!! Awesome.

Now onto Chris Drury

Well the "most coveted" free agent last year is having an alright season. Nothing to make you go wow I wish the Sabres gave him a truck load of money. He has 17 points this year, 6 goals 11 assists, and is a -1. Plus a paltry 7.3 shooting percentage. He has Thomas Vanek numbers this year. And don't kid yourself, the reason the Rangers are winning is because of their goaltending. Both goalies have great numbers.

You can tell by my tone how I feel about Chris Drury. Sure he was a good leader and what not, but this town built him up to some gigantic legend. This guy was in nowheresville in Calgary, and they couldn't wait to ship him out. The Sabres gave him the opportunity to shine and lead. Then of course that contract thing got out. I don't believe there was a deal, contract offer sure, but no deal before the season. His agent would have to be stupid to let him sign that one, knowing how much Drury was going to make in the open market.

He left because he wanted to go somewhere else. Simple.as.that

NHL Changes Schedule format

Well the NHL loves to change, whether for the better, or for the worse. But they hate leaving things the same. This change is for the better. They voted to change the schedule back to something they used to have pre lockout.

Under the new format, approved at the League meetings in Pebble Beach, Calif., and scheduled to begin in 2008-09, teams will play each club in their division six times, a total of 24 games, and the 10 other clubs in their conference four times, a total of 40 games.

The remaining 18 games in the 82-game schedule will involve each club playing all 15 clubs in the other conference at least once, home or away. The three remaining games will be devoted to inter-conference “at-large” scheduling.

Thank God! Playing the Bruins 8 times a year is boring and isn't good for anyone. I would love to see the Sabres play the Canucks or Coyotes every year. I love late hockey games in LA. (Which is happening next Thursday) I also love variety. So playing all the teams in the year, shakes things up. This is good for the other teams because now every team gets Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin every year.

I'll be first in line for that home game against Edmonton next year. Because it will be cheap and low demand.

I'm not Optimistic about him, but we like the guy.

I love comments by Dick Jauron, you look at them and go, what the hell is he talking about. But at the same time you feel good about what hes saying. He always tries to put a positive spin on everything. And talking about the Running Back situation he uses some of his favorite lines.

"I'm not optimistic about Anthony," said head coach Dick Jauron. "It's a torn muscle and he's very sore and it's swollen."

Hey Dick just say hes not going to play. Nobody will go into a panic if Thomas can't play.

When asked if Thomas could be out of action for a period of time Jauron didn't rule it out.

"Potentially, yes," Jauron said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Might as well have added, I'm not a doctor so I don't know how these things work, but who knows.

And now one of my favorite Dick Jauron answers about a guy on the team.

But it does mean that Fred Jackson will likely start at running back Sunday with Dwayne Wright contributing as well.

"We like both of those guys," said Jauron. "Fred had an expanded role last week and he played well in that role and he played well in his limited role against the Patriots. If that's where it takes us we feel okay with that."

WHAT? We like the guys? Thats nice, thats like a pretty girl talking about a average looking guy. Might as well add they have good personalities. Just say we rather have Marshawn running the ball, but we'll deal with the guys we got.

Well so what else is Dick Jauron not optimistic about?

It being 70 degrees this week
The Sabres and Amerks working out a deal
Getting a Playstation for Christmas
Steve Tasker getting in the Hall of Fame this year
Making the Playoffs

But who does he like, but honestly rather have someone else

Steve Fairchild
Andrew Peters
George W Bush
Getting Caught From Behind

Hey! I swear Dick Jauron has it out for me.

Sabres Hurricanes Preview

Hey its everyones favorite team to hate for no real reason, the Carolina Hurricanes. Somehow during the ECF of 2006, Sabres fans starting to hate the Hurricanes, a team we Sabre fans barely knew existed before. Well here we go again, and its on a Saturday night, so the arena should be rocking, because the hurricanes get Sabre fans all riled up. Me? Not really other then they are a good team and it will be interesting to see how the Sabres play against them.

Last Matchup

The last time these teams met, was a 6-2 spanking by the Hurricanes. Showing how good they are against a slumping Sabre team. It was that game that Dmitri Kalinin hurt his knee in, he is still out over 5 weeks later.

Whats going on with the Hurricanes

Well the Canes are in a bit of a funk of late going 3-5 in their last 8, but are still 3rd in the conference and leading the Southeast Division by 4 points. They are tied for most goals in the league with 81, but also have given up 75. So it looks like this game could turn into a shootout if defense breaks down.

Who does what

Well most Sabre fans know the weapons on the Canes, but their stats are pretty impressive. Cory Stillman leads in points with 30(12g 18asts), Capt'n Ugly is second with 29(11g 18asts) and Justin Williams (9g 16asts) and Ray Whitney (11g 14asts) are third with 25 points. Matt Cullen and Eric Staal aren't far behind with 24 points and 23 Points. The Canes have 2 very strong lines. Plus 2 decent checking lines. They are loaded with veteran talent. Cam Ward is having an alright year with a 2.67 GAA and a .909 sv%. But if he doesn't go the crappy John Grahame is there backing him up.

Typical Buffalo Slam about Carolina Fan Base

Well looks like the Canes are doing something special for the holidays. On certain days if you donate toys, food or clothes you get a buy one get one free ticket coupon. For a Senators, Leafs or Thrashers game. DO NOT LET LEAF KNOW ABOUT THIS. Other wise you will get a building completely full of leaf fans. Its a good thing, but the Sabres would just hold the drive before games and go, give something out for you donating? No, we don't give out free tickets anymore. Thats what Carolina does, since we don't have troubles. But I could see how Sabre fan could use this to slam on the Carolina fan base, something that Sabre fan gets much pleasure out of somehow.

Outlook

I see this one being a fun back and forth game, but I'll probably miss this one since I'll be busy.

The LQ runs into a fan

The LQ decides to take a stroll down the street from his office overlooking his "empire" and bumps into a fan.

LQ: WOAH What the fuck no one touches the LQ!

Fan: Sorry man, wait you're Larry Quinn!

LQ: Thats Mr Quinn to you.

Fan: Sorry Mr Quinn, hey can you get me some tickets. (said in joking manner)

LQ: Yeah, they are at the box office, you can pay for them there.

Fan: Hey just a joke man, no need to be a dick.

LQ: A what? What did you call the LQ? NO ONE talks to me like that. Before me, this team did nothing, the Canal project was a fucking joke. And now they are clearing out the Aud. Thats all because of the LQ.

Fan: Well I'm sure others were part of that, but I'm still sticking with calling you a dick.

LQ: How do you know? Are you in the shit? Are you on the phones making deals and making things happen. This city would fall into the lake without the LQ.

Fan: Jeez, Ive heard you have an ego, but you might be delusional as well.

LQ: Delusional? Delusional is you thinking you can get tickets to the Winter Classic somehow. The LQ, can sit on the fucking ice if he wants to.

Fan: Well thats an out right lie.

LQ: Is it? How do you know? Gary Bettman is scared of the LQ. And by the way you should buy tickets to the Ronan Tynan concert on 12/30. Because "I can't think of a better way for families to kickoff the New Year and the outdoor Winter Classic weekend"

The fan stares straight ahead, shakes head and walks away

LQ: Whew! Survived another encounter with a rogue on the street. Someone get Darcy to clear all these people out of the way.

Sabres Blues Preview

Hey I haven't done a preview for like a week, due to my vacation. But I come back and what do I get? A game against the Blues who I know nothing about. The Blues are one of those teams I know exist, but rarely see. They are like the Giant Squid, except these guys are from St Louis and not the from deep under water.

So what are the Blues up to?

Well the Blues are much better then previous years, sitting 4th in the Western Conference with 26 points. Which isn't surprising since they have a lot of young talent mixed in with veterans. But good news for the Sabres the Blues are much better at home, then the road. Only at 4-5 on the road. And don't seem offensive with scoring only 53 times in 21 games. Less then 3 goals a game. But only haven given up 46 goals this year, lowest in the league. So tonight should be a tight close game.

Who does what

Not knowing anything about the Blues, I did a little research on the Blues website. I was a little bit surprised to see Paul Kariya leading the team in scoring, since I didn't know he played for them. He has 22 points on the season, 6 g 16 assts. Brad Boyes is second in points, but first in goals with 13 on the season. Keith Tkachuk is third on the team with 17 points. Then the team is littered with low scoring forwards and defensemen. They really don't get much offense from the blue line with Steve Wagner(who the fuck is Steve Wagner) leading them with 8 points. The real stars of the team are the net minders. The career backup Manny Legace is really having a good year with a 2.13 GAA and a .922sv%. And Hannu Toivenen, who the Sabres really liked to score on when he was on the Bruins, is even better with a 1.99 GAA and a .927 Sv%.

Anything else?

Well this game is the much heralded return of shot blocking master Jay Mckee, I always felt his shot blocking led to more goals being deflected in, but whatever. I guess its something, though hes fallen out of favor with the coach who benches him, when hes not injured.

Everyone ones favorite Doug Weight will be in attendance who is pretty much dead weight on the Blues roster, till he gets traded to a cup contender at the deadline.

Interesting tidbit Buffalo hasn't beaten St Louis at home in 12 years. Of course they don't play often so that doesn't mean much.

Um enjoy the game.

A Pair of Losses for Canisius

The men and women of Blue and Gold, went into action last night, and both came out with losses. One a pretty obvious result, the other another disappointing loss.

We'll start with the Men who march on for the 0 win season, with another loss this one to Buffalo 68-59 last night at Alumni Arena. The Griffs now stand at 0-5. Willie Hassell once again led the Griffs with points with 12, but of course shot 4 for 19 from the floor and 2 for 13 from behind the arc. So Willie wasn't to shy about putting the ball up last night, of course he couldn't hit a thing, so maybe he should have gave the ball to someone else. The only other player in double digits was Frank Turner with 10 points, and he only had 5 turnovers last night, thats an improvement. The Griffs shot a decent 33% last night but were only 19% from behind the arc. The Griffs seem to be cutting down on the turnovers with only 14 last night, but still can't shoot on a consistent basis so until they put every aspect of a game together, they won't win. This team won't win until they play perfect. Thats not a good sign.

Next up St Bonaventure on 12/1

The ladies rode into Notre Dame on a pretty good streak, beating teams they should and only losing to West Virginia, so playing the 22nd team in the country is only going to help them, right?. And just like you would expect got soundly beaten, 93-46. It also didn't help that Notre Dame shot over 50% for the game, at least they Griffs could have gotten was a cold team. Laura Buetow and Amanda Cavo led the Griffs with 10 points a piece. This drops the Lady Griffs to 3-2 on the season, but both losses to Big East teams. And big losses to Big East teams. The talent difference from mid major to major major in womens basketball is staggering at times.

Next up at Wright St on 12/1

The Sabre Amerk Relationship Drama

Well thanks to loyal reader and long time friend of GCFB, Jason Downer, there was a article in Tuesdays D&C about Sabres owner Tom Golisano commenting about the floundering relationship between the teams.

Tom Golisano, the billionaire owner of the Buffalo Sabres, said it pains him to see the affiliation between the Rochester Americans and his NHL team end, but that he doubts the 29-year marriage can be saved.

“I think it may be too late,” Golisano said this afternoon, following his speech to the Rochester branch of the American Marketing Association at the Riverside Convention Center.

Mr Golisano follows this with

“The cash position of the Rochester Americans hasn’t been the greatest,” Golisano said. “We think it affects their attendance, our attendance, we think it affects our players’ morale (in Rochester).

“We send them our players (the prospects); we don’t want to have them unhappy.”

I honestly don't know what Steve Donner is doing, I see the pride he has with owning the franchise and doesn't want to be bullied around. But hes not dealing with some two bit man here. Tom Golisano wields some power in the area. Take the deal and just run the teams. Its gotta be less stress in the long run. The Sabres don't want a bad farm team, at least not in my opinion. The best players in Rochester are Sabre prospects. The Panthers usually have piss poor prospects.

Well its sad to see, but it always seemed nice to have the farm team an hour away and if you really wanted to see the kids you wouldn't have to travel far. But who knows who the Sabres will have an agreement with now. Unless some last minute deal comes down the pike, but seeing how stubborn Steve Donner is, I doubt something will happen.

Money always seems to be the issue in the breakup of a long term relationship.

While I was out (part 3)

(a random shot of downtown Philly)

It was the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but that didn't mean that our beloved Canisius College Athletic teams were on Holiday. The big 3 were in action and except for the ladies things didn't go so well.

The Men continued their march for a 0 win season. With a 70-63 loss to Long Island on Saturday. Willie Hassell led the way with 19 points, FrankTurner and Robinson both were 2nd with 11 points a piece. Tomas Vazquez Simmons continued his season long block party with 7 blocks in the game. His presence inside of late with 15 blocks in the last two games, earned him MAAC Co rookie of the week. Well the the obvious players are coming forward so far with Frank Turner being the playmaker, leading in assists and turnovers. Vazquez Simmons is the man in the middle with 20 blocks in 4 games and only 1 start. And Elton Frazier is the all around man. Leading the team in rebounds and shooting percentage. But they need more production from everyone if they want to make this a season.


The Women continued their solid play against similar opponents. With a 70-62 win over Buffalo on Saturday. They are now 3-1 with their lone loss to West Virginia. Amanda Cavo continues to be the one leading the way for the Lady Griffs with 16 points. Russell with 15, Drysdale with 14 and Buetow with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Now thats what I call all around scoring. Plus they shot 48% for the game now thats some good shooting. The ladies are positioning themselves well for the MAAC run later in the season, after some non conference games to make them better. I like what I'm seeing from Terry Zeh and the Lady Griffs.

The Hockey team on the other hand, went to Oxford Oh, to play the Number 1 team in the country Miami Redhawks, and they promptly got beaten soundly both games. On friday they were a little competitive losing only 4-0, getting outshot 33-15. The game on saturday, oh boy, talk about not in the contest. The Redhawks pasted the Griffs 11-1, with Eric Rex (1) getting the only Griff goal on the night. The Griffs were outshot on the night 41-10. Oooo thats bad. The back to back losses move the Griffs to 2-9-2 on the season.

The mens teams aren't doing so well this year. So keep it up ladies.

While I was out (part 2)

(Inside Eastern State Penitentiary)

I selected that picture because it looks like the Bills season, dingy, not pretty, not something you like to look at for any long stretch of time, but there was light at the end of the tunnel. But that light is pretty far away now. And after Sunday, the Bills playoff hopes have been locked away for another year. With a bad 36-14 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday. (ed. note, didn't watch a single play and haven't seen a highlight)

I'm looking through the stats, and everything is quite even, until you get to total yards, 416 to 292 and turnovers 3-0.

Also the Jags scored on 8 drives, so the defense didn't do a great job in stopping them. The good teams in the AFC march all over the Bills Defense.

Plus all the turnovers were committed by a one JP Losman, who is now, backup JP Losman. Because Mr. Edwards is back in the starting role. Which isn't a total shock, I'd thought he'd be the starter for the Miami game, but it doesn't matter, JP Losman is done for this team. Never delivered what was promised, showed glimpses of brilliance (brilliance for JP Losman) and had too many bad games. Edwards is the guy for Levy and Jauron and they might as well leave him in for the final 5 games no matter how badly he plays. This team is out of the playoffs. 6 losses are too many in my book.

I'm glad I missed this game, and trying to check the score on a IPhone I learned is hard since the links are so fucking small. NO I DON'T WANT MLB SCORES! NFL SCORES! DAMN YOU TECHNOLOGY!!!!!!

While I was out part 1

(a shot of inside 30th Street station in Philadelphia)

So while I was in the city of Brotherly Love and on the train. I missed a ton of local sports. I saw the results but no highlights and could only read recaps from the news and local blogs. Lets start with the good news.

The Sabres

Well I will include Wednesday's game in this bit, since I was having a Thanksgiving type celebration with my dad before I left on Thursday. The Sabres won 4 games and now have won 5 in a row. Hey maybe I should leave town more often.

A 4 to 2 win over the Sens

A 4 to 2 win over the Canadiens

A 3 to 0 win over the Canadiens

A 3 to 1 win over the Capitals

And from the look of things Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek have decided to play of late. Plus scoring from all over. And Jochen Hecht has 8 goals on the year, he's on pace to break that 20 goal barrier he has set for himself. But the big reason for all the winning, solid goaltending and defense. It looks like the Sabres are playing all around good hockey, which will only suit them later in the season. Getting leads, making it tough for the other team to score and Ryan Miller making the saves. Thats playoff hockey. Thats winning playoff hockey. Last year they got out to such a early lead that it didn't help them when it counted. Now they have to scramble just to get out of the cellar. Which they have accomplished to leave the Leafs in their rightful place. Now onto overtake the Bruins and the Canadiens not that far ahead, who've they beat 3 straight times by the way. Plus the once mighty Senators are just 5-4-1 over their last 10. And 1-3-1 in their last 5. Some people have lofty goals for the Sabres this year.

The Blues and Hurricanes are next at home, with a 3 game west coast swing starting Dec 5.

Gone to Philly

I'm off to Philadelphia until Monday. So GCFB will be in somewhat hibernation until then. Who knows I might shoot off a whats it like being a Buffalo fan in Philly post. Well until then.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Sabres Sens Preview

Hey look another game vs the Senators didn't we just play them (looks at schedule) oh yeah last Thursday. Ugh, more Northeast opponents. Yeah this 32 games against 4 teams really is a good thing, more like a really boring thing. Really why would I want to see the Sabres play the Red Wings a couple times a year, who would like that? HALF OF THE SABRES GAMES THIS YEAR HAVE BEEN DIVISION GAMES! But here we go again. These previews kinda just write themselves, like see last Thursday.

Whats new from Thursday?

Well not much, the teams are in the same position. One of conference giant, the other trying to just get their feet under them for the rest of the year. Since Thursday, the Sens have gone 1-1 with a 3-0 loss on Saturday and a 4-2 win against the Canadiens on Monday. The Sabres have gone 1-0 with a 4-1 over the Canadiens on Friday. So both teams beat the Habs since last Thursday. Tim Connolly maybe back tonight, which would help things out greatly. And if they could keep Macarthur up, that would also help the offense. Hes the Jason Pominville of 2 years ago. The guy who is sent down tears up the AHL and due to injuries gets called up to only keep his spot. Anything to keep Peters or Ryan out of the lineup the better.

Stats

If you want a good list of stats on either team, this PDF the Sabres put out is pretty good and should show you all you need and show you all you don't.

Interesting trend

Reading the general game preview put out on all networks there was an interesting add on near the end, when talking of Ryan Miller starting.

Miller has a 1.83 goals-against average in his last six starts, but has won only twice in that span.

Mmm, well obviously that goal drought came at a bad time, since Ryan is back on his game. Plus the defense is getting healthier. Well if Ryan keeps on playing well, the goals will come back and the Sabres can really start moving up the standings. Things have been bad for the Sabres, but they have the talent, the goaltending is back and the defense is only going to get better. But Max Afinogenov? I don't see hope for him, already a -10? It might be time to move him for a gritty 3rd liner.

Anyway Sabres Sens 730pm at the HSBC Arena and Mr Ronan Tynan makes an appearance.

Two teams, two different directions

The Men's and Women's basketball teams seem to be going in two different directions this year. Both are young. But one seems to be going in the right direction. The other seems to heading for a very terrible year. Worse then I thought. Some times you gotta go backwards to go forward I guess.

Lets talk about the good team, the Lady Griffs defeated Binghamton yesterday 65-56. This makes their record 2-1 so far this year. Amanda Cavo led the way with 25 points, Brittane Russell was right behind her with 15 points and 4 steals, also while playing the entire 40 minutes. The players Canisius needs to score are scoring this can only belead to good things later when they reach MAAC schedule. They shot a respectable 37.5 % from the field and a very good 71.4% from the line. The Lady Griffs will start a long road trip and start off this bad boy, with cross town rival UB at Alumni Arena.

Now the Men, the good news, they broke 50 points. The bad news, they lost to Navy. They dropped this one 71-60 in Annapolis, making their record on the year 0-3. The game was tied late into the second half, but of course like a typical Canisius team, collapse when the game is on the line. Well Frank Turner tries his best to lead the team, with 19 points. But he also led the team with 7 turnovers. The team also a total of 30 turnovers. This is looking like a major problem. Though one good sign is their shooting percentage went up to 45.1% for the game. Of course they shot twice as well as before, but still lost by double digits. They need to learn to control the ball. But this quote seems kind of troubling to me.

“We did a good job of holding some good scorers in check, but the 30 turnovers really says a lot,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “At times it was like we were fighting against ourselves, but to their credit, our guys played as hard tonight as they have all year. I’m very proud of the effort we saw tonight because that effort hasn’t always been there.”

You mean they tried hard? And still lost by 11? They aren't playing a tough team, last time I checked Navy isn't a mid major power. I'm not quite sure if this team can win a game now. They are young and will get better, but this year could be a 4 or 5 win season. The program has been struggling for years and this won't bring in recruits. I always have lofty goals, but those goals are being put in check by this Griffs team.

Next game is on the Island next saturday against LIU.

Film Session with Perry Fewell

Coach Fewell, had a film session with the defense on monday, but only did half the game, GCFB has learned why it was cut short. This is a transcript of the meeting.

Coach Fewell: Okay fellas, I know you don't want to, but we gotta watch some of the film from last night.

(collective sigh)

Coach Fewell: Lets look at the first Patriot possession.

Keith Ellison: Why? That fucking Losman pretty much gave them a TD with that pick. Even Kiwaukee Thomas would have got that one.

Kiwaukee Thomas: HEY! OWWWWW MY GROIN! Screw you Keith.

Coach Fewell: Fellas come on. Well first a pass to Gaffney, nice tackle Angelo.

Angelo Crowell: Thanks Coach

Coach Fewell: Now Maroney runs right up the middle, for a TD. Does anyone see what went wrong?

(everyone looks around, says nothing)

Coach Fewell: Well none of you fucks put a hand on him. What is that? Don't say good blocking, either Kyle, you gotta at least bring him down before the goal line.

Coach Fewell: Ok next possession, mmm completion to Watson, Donte good thing you can tackle, because you can't cover for shit.

Donte Whitner: I think my coverage is getting better.

Coach Fewell: Really do we just want to watch the Watson TD now? Or later?

Donte Whitner says nothing

Coach Fewell: Yeah not so mouthy now. Whew those were some nice drops. Then a long TD to Moss. George, what were you doing?

George Wilson: Well I saw Welker crossing and I thought Brady was going to him.

Coach Fewell: Oh yeah, because why would Brady miss Moss, running down the sideline by himself, to throw to a covered receiver. Nice read.

George Wilson: Sorry coach I'll be in better position next time.

Coach Fewell:Yeah, because the next position you'll be in is the unemployment position.
Next possession. Oh boy they are just ripping right through us. Hey D lineman are you actually playing are just standing around hoping Brady runs right into you? At least we are kinda stopping the run. Oh, another touchdown to Moss. I know the holidays are coming, but talk about being in the season of giving, season of giving up on plays.

Aaron Schobel: Hey coach, we were trying out there. The Patriots are just really good.

Coach Fewell: Holy shit who was that? Schobel? You're still on this team? I thought you were on IR with half the defense. Anyway back to business.

Coach Fewell: Lets just fast forward, ooo another TD to Moss nice job Jabari of pushing Moss into position.

Jabari Greer: HE PUSHED OFF!

Coach Fewell: Spoken like every average corner.

Jabari gives Coach Fewell the death glare

Coach Fewell: Well and finally we end the half with another TD Moss. 4 in a half. Wow, you guys really know how to make a guy feel welcome in Buffalo. I'm sure Randy would love to come back with this kind of hospitality.

John Digiorgio: Hey! You gave us the game plan, we only followed what you called. So you're also to blame Coach.

Coach Fewell: Who in the fuck said that. Digiorgio? Who are you to question the Genius that is Perry Fewell? Thats it, everyone out! Just for that that, you don't get the pleasure of me ridiculing you for another hour. You made me look bad. NO ONE MAKES PERRY FEWELL LOOK BAD, NO ONE!

players walk out of film room, rolling eyes and shaking heads

Coach Fewell: You embarrass me in Jacksonville, HEADS WILL ROLLLLLLLL!

JP Losman to start against Jags

After two shaky starts in a row, Jauron, instead of waiting till Tuesday has announced that JP Losman will start against the Jags on Sunday.

I guess this makes sense, or is Jauron putting Losman out there to fail, making it easier to make the case to put Edwards back in? The Jags defense is rough and its at home. The next two games are road games against pretty decent defenses, Jacksonville and Washington. If Losman is out there for both and lays an egg in both it would be 4 straight games of pretty poor QB play. This leaves Jauron, with a 5-7 team, at home against the Dolphins and with no real hope of the playoffs. Its the perfect situation to put Edwards back in for the rest of the year. Leaving games against Miami, Cleveland, NY Giants and the Eagles, a pretty good 4 game test for the rookie.

Which leaves you to ask, is the coaching staff setting up Losman for failure? Or do they think he's just the best option and Edwards wrist is still not right?

Ice Griffs drop a pair in Springfield

The ice griffs, went into Springfield, Ma this weekend to take on American International for a pair of games and lost both of them. American International sounds like a phony made up school for a movie.

On Friday they dropped the first game one 3-1, with Josh Heidinger scoring the only goal for the Griffs on Friday. It is the 5th goal on the season for Heidinger who seems to be the only real threat on the Griffs night in night out so far this season. Andrew Loewen made 23 saves in the loss. And according to the box score, the Griffs had an empty net for almost 4 minutes of the game and AIC didn't score. Mmmm, maybe the Griffs should just stick 6 skaters out there and see what happens.

On Saturday, the result wasn't much different. Getting out to a 0-3 start and finally losing 4-2 to AIC. Derek Danowski and yes Josh Heidinger scored for the Griffs. The Griffs fought back to 3-2 until AIC iced the game with a Empty netter. Luker let in 3 goals on 11 shots and was pulled for Loewen in the 2nd. Who came in and didn't let any goals in, but also only had 6 shots in 2 periods. The Griffs obviously locked things down during the game, but it was a little too late to win the game.

This drops the Griffs to 2-7-2 overall and 2-5-1 in the league, which places them dead last. Josh Heidinger is the leading scorer with 6 goals and 12 points. And both goalies have identical stats so neither is better then each other. Their stats are also not so good, probably a reason why the Griffs are hanging in the basement.

Next weekend the Griffs head to Miami (oh) to play a pair against the 11-1 Redhawks. Ooo boy, talk about a bad weekend coming.

Ooo boy that was not close

I don't like talking about the past but I'll do it here. Man, was that a mismatch. The score was 56-10 and it could have been worse. The Patriots are such a machine. I never felt they were trying to run up the score since most of the damage was done early. Tom Brady is at a level so much higher then any other QB, that its almost unfair. It didn't help that JP Losman didn't have a good day either. Rev up the bring in Edwards talk. I use to hate the Patriots I really did. But they are so good, and its almost a work of art how their offense operates. So many different options. You just have to watch and go wow, I wish the Bills were something like that. Well lets take a look at the stats, and examine the damage.

Game Stats

Total Yards Patriots 510 Bills 229
3rd Down Eff. Patriots 8-11 Bills 4-10

Tom Brady 31-39 375yards 5tds and a completion % of 79.5

JP Losman 15-26 173 yards 1 Td 1 Int 57.7 completion percentage and 4 sacks.

Randy Moss 10 catches 128 yards 4 TDS (all in the first half)

Punts Patriots 1 Bills 4 (they only punted 4 times? seemed a lot more)

Gain per play Patriots 7.3 Bills 4.7

First Downs Patriots 30 Bills 14 No way they got 14 first downs. Seems like way to many.


The funny thing is the Bills weren't careless, 2 turnovers and 5 penalties, really isn't bad. But to beat the Patriots you have to be more then perfect. No drops, no penalties, no sacks, nothing bad. Even then you'll probably lose. Really teams should be spotted points just to be fair.

Well I'm glad the official girlfriend of GCFB was there (there isn't an unofficial one by the way), she even bought the pizza. She gladly distracted me from this beat down, made her dislike of JP Losman known (she's a Edwards gal) which somehow makes me like her more, though I don't have an opinion of who I want to start. And was very symbolic of the game by falling asleep on me, literally.

Anyway the Bills are still at 5-5 and have a good chance at the playoffs, so not all is lost. But man was that a thrashing.

Sabres Amerks relationship at a Crossroads

Well the situation between the two clubs appears to be more dire then I thought. And that the split is highly more likely, unless Steve Donner decides to sell the Amerks to the Sabres. Plus the minority owner is starting a power struggle with Donner trying to state the Amerks are on the verge of Bankruptcy. This isn't some idle threat as stated in this article in the D&C.

"In court, Joseph Zdarsky, the lawyer representing Amerks minority partner Randall Latona, said he was told by Sabres management that if majority owner Steve Donner won't sell the franchise, the Sabres will place their prospects with another AHL team."

Also, an e-mail from the city of Rochester to the Amerks referenced the Sabres intention to leave if a new affiliation agreement wasn't in place by Nov. 1 (there is none in place) or if Donner's group didn't sell the financially troubled franchise to Buffalo.

The Sabres' desire to own the franchise may also coincide with their plan to operate Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The management contract between the city and SMG expires in June. The Sabres operate their home rink in Buffalo, HSBC Arena, and have made overtures about doing the same in Rochester.

Wow I didn't know the Sabres had this master plan with the Amerks, drive them low, keep them in financial trouble and buy them low, to only buy and operate them later. Mmm, Mr Golisano is a shrewd businessman I must say myself.

The courts didn't remove Amerks management so this fight should be going on for some time. Only making the relationship between the two even worse. Well its only bad between the Sabres and Donner. So if they get their way, and install their own people, the relationship will continue. If not, then its a new AHL affiliation. Most Sabre fans could care less if good prospects still come flowing through.

Personally I hope things work out, the closeness and length of the relationship really shouldn't come to an end like this.

Bills Patriots Preview

Hey here we are Bills Pats on Sunday night. Who knew how excited this town would be for this game from a month ago. People have really turned on the Bills this year. Its like yeah, I forgot the Bills can excite the town again. Say things like hey that Jabari Greer, is pretty good. Earlier it would have been Jabari Greer? Who the fuck is that. The game got bumped to Primetime from its earlier start, probably since NBC want the Patriots and CBS was willing to let this one go, and probably wanted snow. Its November it'll snow right? (checks forecast) Nope, just cloudy and cold. Well the Patriots somehow always come off a bye week to play the Bills. Like they need to. But still Bills fans are hoping that miracles can happen and that the Bills can beat the Patriots on national TV. Along with the '72 Dolphins. Lets break this one down a bit.

Previous matchup

It was week 3 probably the low point of the year with a 38-7 beatdown by the Patriots at Foxboro. Losman got hurt on the first drive and Pozluszny was put down for the year. The Bills were outgained 485 to 195 in the game and Tom Brady had his way with the defense.

Some facts that make you go, oh boy
(taken from Patriots website)

• The Patriots have defeated the Bills 13 times in the last 14 games between the teams - a feat never before achieved in franchise history against any opponent.
• The Patriots defense has held the Bills to a touchdown or less in five of the last eight games between the teams.
• The Patriots have recorded 54 wins over the Bills, the most against any opponent.
• New England has won eight straight games against Buffalo and has swept the season series in each of the last three seasons.
• Bill Belichick holds a 13-3 career record against Buffalo, including a 13-2 record as head coach of the Patriots.

I knew things were bad, but not that bad of late against the Patriots. A touchdown or less in five of the last 8 games? Thats terrible. And this nugget. Tom Brady has thrown more TD's (25) against the Bills then any other opponent. Even more then the Jets? And this stat is amazing since it really debunks that soft California QB myth.

Tom Brady is 21-2 as a starter when the temperature is less than 40 degrees.

Some one pray it warms up.

Major Injury News

Well we all know Marshawn Lynch won't be playing for the Bills on sunday, unless divine intervention steps in, ankle sprains are a bitch. And Kiwaukee Thomas is gone for the year, putting another guy on the IR, I'm pretty sure its 100 players at this point.

For the Patriots, G Stephen Neal and S Eugene Wilson are out. Mike Vrabel is questionable and Tom Brady is probable with a shoulder.

Statistical comparison time

The Patriots have the number 1 offense in the league and its not even close. Getting 428 ypg and scoring 39.4 ppg. Staggering numbers all across the board. And a +11 turnover margin

The Bills on the other hand are near the bottom at 31st. With 268 ypg and 15.9 ppg. But yet a +6 turnover margin. Probably the main reason why they are at 5-4.

The Patriots on the defensive side are 4th in the league with giving up 275.2 ypg and 16.3 ppg but 436 yards in penalties.

The Bills are slightly moving up the defensive category sitting at 28th. Giving up 359 ypg and 18.4 ppg, only have taken 357 yards in penalties. Their discipline is why they don't give up many points.

Anyway this is a statistical blowout for the Patriots.

Anything Else?

Well reading over pre game stuff on the Pats website, I came across this article. About the Pats preparing for 2 Bills QB's, like it really matters, but reading it, tells me they aren't doing that great of a job.

In the midst of a four-game winning streak, the Bills have looked good of late with both Edwards and Losman calling signals. On Thursday, Pats head coach Bill Belichick was asked how much different Buffalo’s offense is with the one player or the other. The perception being perhaps that Losman has the ability to throw deep more so than Edwards.

“No, I think Edwards has done a good job of going down there, too,” Belichick countered. “He, for example, hit them on that big play against the Jets, kind of won that game there in the fourth quarter, the 85-yarder.

Wait, wasn't that JP Losman? Looks up Youtube. Um yep, It was JP Losman not Edwards. The Patriots aren't preparing at all, its a big ruse. They are just gonna go out there thinking they are going to kick ass and take names later.

Interesting tidbit from Chris Brown's Tipsheet

Best advantage: Red zone offense - This might make someone scratch their head knowing Buffalo is 29th in the league in red zone offense, but New England ranks last in the AFC and is 31st in the NFL in red zone defense. The Patriots have allowed opponents to score touchdowns 66-percent of the time once they've penetrated their 20-yard line (14-21). Getting down there won't be easy, but the one time they did in the first meeting with the Pats, Buffalo punched it in for a touchdown.

Mmm, just drive the field and you'll have a good chance at scoring. Good thing the Bills put it in the..... oh nevermind.

Outlook

I don't see the Bills winning, really I don't. Especially if Marshawn Lynch isn't playing. They can open up the offense all they want, but the Patriots are a absolute buzzsaw. Losing to them is not a big deal. A loss here doesn't ruin playoff hopes. The bigger game is next week, against the Jags in Jacksonville. That game is HUGE. Its great to see the Bills on national tv, getting some good exposure, and if its close its gonna be a great thing to watch. But I say the Pats win this one 31-17.

Brian Dux update

Well I wish I could say I have some good news, but things aren't looking good for Brian Dux.

"Guildford Heat Basketball Club this morning confirms that the injuries sustained by point guard Brian Dux in the early hours of Saturday morning appear to be potentially far worse than previously thought. Discussions between Dux family members and Frimley Park Hospital consultants have now taken into consideration the possibility that Brian Dux may have suffered permanent disability from his single car automobile accident."

"After speaking with Brian Dux’s parents, Mark and Lynda last night, Heat head coach Paul James had this to say, “Last night I spoke at great length with Brian’s family and the news I received left me very shaken. While there still remains a great degree of uncertainty about the extent of Brian’s long term injuries the fact is clear that they are now indeed very serious. His brain has suffered significant trauma and doctors are concerned with the amount of time Brian remained untreated in his car before he was rescued. He has yet to regain consciousness and the wait for this to occur may go on for quite some time. Brian is still in a stable condition, and the hospital are carrying out more procedures to aid recovery and to keep him comfortable.”

Well thats some news I didn't want to hear, but it seems he will survive so thats a positive, and he can fight back from there. He obviously didn't quit on his basketball dream, so I don't see why he would give up here. Well my thoughts and prayers are out for you Brian.

Well heres a nice article on Yahoo about Brian, written by a former Bona Grad.

GET BETTER BRIAN!

Canisius gets blasted by Penn State

The 2nd year of the Parrotta era is getting off to a horrible start. With the loss to Colgate earlier, then on Friday night, got blasted. Thats right they lost 93-40, the worse loss in the history of Canisius basketball. Wow! Mike McDonald must be like mmmm, how bad was I. The new youth movement is definitely trying to find itself. This game was never close not that anybody thought it would be. And obviously Canisius has some offensive issues, scoring below 50 points in both games this year.

Troubling signs

Only one guy scored in double digits, Elton Frazier with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

They shot 26.3% from the floor on Friday. Penn St shot 43%, oh boy.

It wasn't much better from the 3 point line or the free throw line. Shooting only 13.8 % from outside and 54.5 from the charity stripe. Thats embarrassing.

Committed 23 turnovers! Come on secure the ball boys.

Tom Vazquez Simmons 27 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks. What is he doing out there? Standing around?

Well the Griffs next play tuesday vs Navy, maybe they can beat a service academy. Mmmm, probably not.

Sabres Habs Preview

Well here we go again another Northeast Opponent, another must win game. I feel like I've gotten use to writing this of late. Well last nights must win vs Northeast opponent game didn't go as planned with a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Juggernauts. Well here we go another game against the Habs tonight at 730pm at the HSBC Arena.

Season Series

11/5/07 2-0 Loss at Montreal
10/20/07 4-2 Loss at Montreal

So whats going on with the Canadiens

Since the last matchup, the Canadiens have gone 2-1 with wins over Boston and Toronto and a loss to Ottawa. Their Power play is still on fire hitting at a almost 30%! Kovalev is leading the team in Points(16) and goals(9). With Markov(15), Plekanec(15), Koivu(15) and Higgins(11) all in double digits for points. But the Canadiens will only go as far as their goaltending, both Huet and Price are playing outstanding, so it doesn't matter who is net, especially with the Sabres of late. It will be beat the Habs any given night this year. Especially if you are undisciplined.

Outlook

Well at this point I have no idea whats gonna happen. They have been playing hard I guess, but can't score. If they they finally learn to convert. They just might explode for a week, where they score 6 goals a game and everyone gets excited again. But if this scoring issue continues, especially playing from behind at all times, they will only lose ground and it will be too late to make a move. These are very critical games and the Sabres need to do something, or just start preparing for next year.

Anyway enjoy your friday.

Friday Farm Report

Yeah yeah yeah, I forgot last week. Some people have things to do, and not waste their time looking through a week of Amerk play. Well lets do this thing.

The last two weeks

Well over the last two weeks as the parent club couldn't beat a baby seal the Amerks have gone to 3-2 to improve their record to 7-8-1-2 so basically 7-11, not great, but they are getting their feet under them. Plus with the Sabres getting healthier, more players will be coming back strengthening the lineup. But they are 5-5 over the last 10, so they could be just a .500 team that doesn't really go anywhere. But time to look at individuals which for Sabre fans much more important then team play.

Who's doing what?

Clarke Macarthur was called up but, still leading the team with 18 points.
Dylan Hunter is starting to emerge as a real talent as he is now tied for 2nd in points with 13, with 6 goals and 7 assists.
Marc Mancari, still playing strong sitting also at 13 points, 2 goals and 11 assists.
Marek Zagrapan is fourth in points with 11, 7 goals and 4 assists.

The defense prospects are oh boy, well Sekera and Weber are the two top guys. And Mike Weber is one of the few Amerks with a + rating. Sekera has been up in Buffalo too long to really be judged on Amerk stats. The two Mikes, are are a combined -13 and all by himself Marc Andre Gragnani is beating them single handedly with a -16.

Adam Dennis (who they should just call up and get rid of Thibault) is 7-4-1 with a .905 sv% and a 3.04 GAA. And from the looks of it playing in front of a crappy defense.

Fan Favorite Pat Kaleta is um doing something. Has only played in 5 games with 0 points and 9 PIM. So hes not fighting or doing anything.

Ill try to bring this back next week

Hey there Sabre fan.

Hey there Sabre fan, its me GCFB, we're both Sabre Fans. Sure you might be down now with the play of the team. You came into the season, saying we don't need those bums Briere and Drury. Screw them, yeah we got Vanek, Roy and Connolly. We have plenty of scoring. WOOOO look out SENS! Well we're almost 20 games in. And the Sabres are in last place of the conference, can't score and the buzz isn't good. Making that new years day game a potential embarrassment to the franchise. Instead of 18,000 booing, 70,000 booing.

Well I'm here to say not all is lost. Theres plenty of season left. They are showing effort. They are just in a collective slump. Its like a virus. Or maybe they are cursed. Who knows. But instead of sitting down and watching every game. Being frustrated and angry over a game you have no control of, I have a suggestion. Do what the GCFB is doing. Getting out of the house and doing something else.

Sure you may say, hey real fans don't give up the ship! Well I'm not, I'm just doing other things. Living my life. Hey I went out to a benefit yesterday and hung out the girlfriend of GCFB. I had a wonderful night. I came home found out they lost and was like oh well, my night was great. So tonight instead of staying home and watching the Sabres lose to the Habs. Here are some other plans.

Go see a movie, Beowulf is out, I've heard American Gangster is really good

Go to a bar and watch the game. Sure you're watching the game but you're around others and can strike up conversation and distract yourself from the game. Girls will like it if you ignore the game for her.

Take the wife/husband/gf/bf to a nice dinner. You know where tv's aren't in sight and you have a great dinner with nice conversation. It will be 10pm before you know it and you'll feel great.

Clean the house

Go to the Mall and get started on that Christmas shopping.

Take the kids somewhere

Well those are some suggestions, to make your Friday nice and pleasant and not let outside forces bring down your night.

So where will GCFB be? He'll be at the bar while the official GF of GCFB chats with a former co worker, hoping later we can sit on the couch at Staples on Allen and kinda watch the end of the game.

So keep the faith Sabre fan, but don't neglect yourself.

Chris Brown needs to cool it.

Ok I like to read Inside the Bills by Chris Brown on a daily basis, its a good update on whats going on with the Bills. Small details and whatnot. Its his job, so he gets bored and posts stuff. But he is paid by the Bills, most times he seems pretty partial, but like today he gets all homer. And gets angry over stuff that doesn't make sense.

Today its about Pro Bowl voting, which is a joke anyway, but Ill break it down sentence by sentence

Well there’s just four weeks of fan voting left for the Pro Bowl and not a single Bills player is among the leading vote getters

Ok, not a shock, but only 4 weeks left, mmm.

Adrian Peterson is the leader at running back for the NFC, but Lynch isn’t close in the AFC with Indy’s Joseph Addai leading the way

Well I wouldn't compare Peterson with Lynch, and Adrian Peterson should be leading the NFC, and Joseph Addai leading the AFC isn't a surprise, actually thats a good sign from NFL fans. But looking at the roster, I could see a quagmire that Lynch is in. Small market, not a lot of press for Marshawn.

Even worse is Indy’s Dwight Freeney, now out for the season is leading the vote tally for AFC defensive ends.

HE JUST GOT HURT AND EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO HE IS! OF COURSE HE'S GONNA BE A LEADER! Who should it be Aaron Schobel?

New England’s Matt Light is the leader for offensive tackles ahead of Jason Peters.

Yeah, Tom Brady stays pretty upright and barely gets touch. I can see Matt Light leading. Jason Peters isn't having the best of seasons, especially when they can't push for the run. Once again the voters making some sense here.

And Wes Welker is leading in fan votes for returner over Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish. Ridiculous.

Wes Welker is a excellent returner always has been and he plays for the Patriots so he gets a lot of publicity. Yes he only has 6 kickoff returns for less average yards then McGee, but more chances he'd probably have a better average. And yes Roscoe is 2nd in the league in return average for punts. But come on. They don't have stats next to these names. Its all a popularity contest. People know Wes Welker and people don't know Roscoe Parrish. Plus Welker does both duties for the Pats. Ridiculous? Not quite.

Chris the pro bowl voting is too early and a joke, but learn where to pick your battles.

The World's Most Dangerous Job

Crab fisherman in Alaska?
Police Officer?
Firefighter?

Nope, its Buffalo Bills Tight End.

The Bills have gone through a ton of them this year and in fact have just brought back an old friend in Brad Cieslak, who is most known for having a line about him in a rap song, done by a local radio show. Who is either going to stay a Bill or get out of the NFL. Since no one else picked him up after he got cut. Hes like that guy in the office, who is there, doesn't do much, gets laid off when things get light, then they bring him back when the office gets busy again or when people leave. So another TE on the Injured Reserve, time to give Cieslak a call.

Lets see the Tight Ends this year.

Robert Royal,-having another average year, but currently battling a concussion.

Ryan Neufeld- somehow still on the team, doesn't catch the ball (13 catches in 7 years) I guess he blocks well, but his value is on special teams. Somehow doesn't get hurt.

Kevin Everett - Was supposed to have a good year, but tragedy struck and currently trying to fight to get back to normal.

Michael Gaines - Signed after the Everett injury has 15 catches on the year with a 1 td. A nice dump off option for both Losman and Edwards. Has remained relatively intact

Matt Murphy- Practice squad type guy, but with injuries almost made the lineup, until he tore his calf in practice. Now on the IR.

Derek Schouman- Drafted in the 7th round by the Bills, cut, brought back, played in games due to injury. Suffered bad ankle injury, now on the IR. At least he can watch that Fiesta Bowl Game where he caught the final td in OT. See you next year Derek.

Tim Massaquoi- just signed this week along with Cieslak. Will probably trip down some stairs and rip up his knee.

So GCFB wanted to know how Gaines and Neufeld remain healthy. Here is what I found.

Michael Gaines, has a special voodoo doll in his locker, which he says keeps the injury bug away. Marshawn Lynch made fun of it last week, look what happened to him. Other then that he eats right and works out regularly. Also wraps himself in bubble wrap off the field.

Ryan Neufeld, has someone convinced others hes invisible. Not on the team. But other teams, with his theory you can't hurt what you can't see. Tends just to run around players. But when faced with the idea of a tackle, he just lets others make it, because he might hurt himself. Takes the bubble wrap one step further, and in fact rolls around in a big plastic bubble. And if your lucky you can see him roll home down Abbott.

Sabres Sens Preview

Well here we are 16 games into the season and the Sabres are already 15 points behind the Senators in the standings. But thats kinda unfair because the Sens are absolutely rolling over everyone this year, standing at 14-2. Its like the opposite of last year. The Sabres were rolling to start the season. The Sens were struggling and we Sabre fans enjoyed them struggling. But look what happened at the end of the year. It shows the beginning of the season is meaningless. This should be a interesting matchup when these two hook up at the Scotiabank Place at 730 tonight.

So whats been happening with the Senators

They are absolutely cruising through the competition, by going 9-1 in their last 10, and are a +22 in goal differential on the year. Meanwhile, the Sabres are tied for last in the conference and are a -6 in goal differential. We Sabre fans know the big guns on the Senators. Daniel Alfredsson is leading the team with 23 points, followed by Dany Heatley with 19 points, Mike Fisher with 13 points and Jason Spezza with 13 points. So they are obviously getting production from their big guns, and getting some points from Mike Fisher, who is a player I really like. Phillips and Volchenkov are really locking it down this year with a combined +27. Marty Gerber will be getting the start and really is showing why they brought him in to start last year, with a GAA 1.73 and a .943 SV%.

Those excited to see Mike Foligno's kid, have to wait, with the return of Jason Spezza from a groin injury, he was just sent down.

Hey this is a neat idea, but that seems like a bit much to watch a regular season hockey game. Almost 11 bucks to watch the Senators to play the Bruins? Sure its on a big screen and cool, but the bruins? You would have to pay me to watch that team play. But if you have nothing better to do on Thanksgiving, head up to Ottawa and watch them play the Penguins on a large screen for 11 Canadian.

Outlook

Well common sense heading into this matchup, is that the Sabres are gonna get worked. A team that can score at will versus one that couldn't throw the puck in the net. But not so fast Sabre fan. These teams don't like one another. They are practically the same teams as last year, minus a few key players. But the animosity is still there, plus the Sabres really want to break out of their slump. So anything can happen. I would expect Derek Roy to do something tonight since he tends to play well in his hometown. Tim Connolly isn't going to play, Nolan Pratt might and Max has found himself between Peters and Ryan. Well the team is getting healthier, and poor Max, how far have you fallen.

All I know is I'll be at some benefit and out with GCFB's new lady. So have fun watching.

Jauron "not optimistic" about Lynch playing on Sunday.

Dick Jauron spoke today about the status of Marshawn Lynch on Sunday. So what did he say?

"It's very sore right now," said head coach Dick Jauron."I would say we're not overly optimistic. We'll just kind of go through the week and see what happens, but we're not optimistic about it."

"We've all seen things happen real fast and people heal real fast particularly when they're that young and he's a little bit different," said Jauron. "So we'll hope and see what happens, but if he can't go then we'll go on to our three guys and we like them all."

Its no big shock the loss of Lynch against the Patriots would be a big blow. Since Lynch is pretty much what drives the offense. And if the Pats don't have to respect the run, JP is going to have a long night.

Lets change those statements.

We're not very hopeful, but we'll wait and see, but I'm not hopeful

And young guys heal fast, and Lynch is young. But we'll wait and see and we like those other guys whatever their names are.

To sum things up, they aren't hopeful but they'll wait and see.

Other things that Dick Jauron isn't very optimistic about but he'll wait and see.

Social Security
National Healthcare
Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign
Iraq
The Pirates winning the world series next year.
Getting Caught From Behind Blog

Hey! Watch yourself Dick, this blog is reaching for the stars.

Colgate came to town.

The Colgate Raiders came to town to play the men and the women. So, I got some good news and I got some bad news for Griff fans.

Lets start with the good news. The women pasted the Lady Raiders on Monday 78-33. Which is a nice comeback from a lopsided loss to West Virginia. Laura Buetow led the ladies with 12 points and 8 rebounds. But Brittane Russell was the real star of the show with a full effort on both sides of the court. She had 8 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and the most impressive stat 9 STEALS! Someone call a Cop! Cavo, Mullins and Drysdale all had double digits in points. The game was really put out of reach when the Griffs went on a 27-0 run in the 1st half. If I were the TMQ, I'd write down game over in my notebook. This was the biggest margin of victory in Ladies Basketball history.

And now the bad news. The Men? Not so good. They lost their opener 61-47 to Colgate. With all the new players you would expect some struggles but not that much struggling. This team shouldn't be losing to Colgate. The young guys weren't very productive and very bad from the floor. The team shot 26.9% for the game which is abysmal and not a good sign. They shot better behind the arc, then from the floor, oy. Another bad sign the Polish Rifle Pawel Malesa leading the team in points, with 16. Frank Turner was second with 8 points. Junior College transfer Willie Hassell 23 minutes 0 points. Nice, keep a guy who couldn't hit the side of a barn, on the floor for more then half the game. Things only get worse for the Griffs when they embark on a 5 game road trip, with the first stop being Penn State on Friday. They better learn how to shoot by then. Or they are going to be in for a long game.

Fun fact. Colgate hasn't won in Buffalo since 1947. 60 years of futility snapped.