Going into yesterday's game, the Buffalo Bills had not scored a TD in three games – since their defeat of the Redskins in the third week of October. They did manage to break that drought with 2:08 to play in the first half yesterday meaning they went approximately 14 quarters without a TD. A couple of years ago, the Ravens had a similar stretch of offensive futility but went on to win the Super Bowl on the strength of its defense and the insertion of Trent Dilfer into the lineup. The Buffalo defense isn't up to that task.

The Atlanta Falcons are 2-9 for the year and may be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs already – but there are too many scenarios for me to try to work that out with a paper and pencil. Interestingly, they are 2-3 on the road and 0-6 at home. I think this is yet another example of the great support offered by those staunch pro sports fans in Atlanta. And I'll save you the time; Atlanta is indeed the only team in the NFL not to win a home game so far this year.

When I ran across a mention of this next item, I thought it was a joke; but I went to the website at www.jaguars.com and found that it was real. Next weekend is the tenth anniversary of the Jacksonville Jaguars' franchise; November 30th is the date on which the franchise was granted. Time flies when you're having fun – or as Kermit the Frog said, “Time's fun when you're having flies.” They are having a contest there to name the Top 10 moments in franchise history and the prize is Jags' tix. Given the attendance they've been getting, tickets are not hard for them to come by! They have 15 choices there to collect votes and they say that the Top 10 as voted by the fans will be “incorporated into promotions” for next year. Let's just say that this is not a long and storied franchise so the pickings are a bit on the thin side. Just to give you an idea, one of the “nominees” is:

Jan 5, 1997: “Jaguars return from Denver and are greeted by 40,000 fans at 1:30 AM.”

I hope that one wins the contest because I want to see how that is “incorporated into 2004 promotions.” I can see it now. Be the ninth caller to station WJAG and you can head out to the airport on 5 Jan to help re-enact the triumphant return of the Jags to Jax at 1:30AM. You'll get a gift certificate to Starbucks and a matching cap and t-shirt that says, “I Am A Moron”.

As police continued their investigation of the events that led up to William Green getting stabbed in the back, they searched his home/apartment because that is where the event happened and that is where the suspect in custody happens to live. Green is on a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy and the players association was going to protest that suspension because of some procedural irregularity that I frankly did not understand. However, I think that protest will be put on hold because the police found marijuana in the home/apartment. Just to be clear on this: that is not a good thing to have happen when you are on suspension.

Memo to William Green: The suspect in custody is your fiancée. You are out the cost of the ring, but you might want to think carefully and clearly about that wedding date. Clear and careful thinking might not work so well when you are doing the “wildwood weed”, so maybe a little time off would be useful?

Memo to Cleveland Browns: Next spring's draft is really deep in running backs – even if Maurice Clarett is unable to get himself onto the list.

After the Raiders lost to the Lions, Bill Callahan said that the Lions were “a great team”. As I peruse the standings at the moment, I see that the Lions are 3-8, which happens to be the exact same record that the Raiders have. Therefore, Callahan's assessment must be on the mark because obviously he thinks he has a great team of his own, right? I guess that means that San Diego, Jacksonville and Atlanta – with 2-9 records this year – should be considered as teams positioned on the cusp of greatness.

Last week the Broncos suspended Daryl Gardener and then Gardener went on a local radio show and went off on Mike Shannahan. Woody Paige's column in the Denver Post on 11/20/03 was less than fully positive about Gardener. Here is an excerpt:

“Gardener is syrup not substance, a pig in a blanket, more blintz than blitz, more muffin than stud. He has played like crepe.”

Gardener did show one bit of insight in his radio tirade. He said that his future was at stake and that this was a difficult time for him. In a moment of insight that must have come to him as a flash of light, he said:

“Right now, the way it's looking, this man [Shannahan] doesn't want me to be a Denver Bronco because he doesn't even want me around the facility or around the players.”

Memo to Daryl Gardener: What was your first clue, Sherlock?

The Cowboys played very well in their win over the Panthers yesterday but they have been shut out in each of their last two road games. No need for you to go and look this up; I'll save you the time. No other team has been shut out twice this year.

Ex-NFL QB, Chris Miller is now a high school football coach. He also owns a company that markets/sells a dietary supplement that contains creatine. Let's be clear on this: creatine is not an illegal substance and is freely available over the counter in lots of health food stores. However, Miller is moving into the fringes of ethical disputes because he sells his product to more than a dozen of his players. When questioned about that, he made sure that everyone understood that he gave them a discount and they got the stuff at wholesale prices. Miller also said, “It's all about getting an edge, no matter what level you're at.”

Mr. Miller … Mr. Chris Miller. Please pick up the white courtesy clue phone. We have one for you.

After the names of the four Oakland Raider players who had tested positive for THG use surfaced, rumors surfaced that no other players had tested positive. The LA Times cited unnamed sources for this info. The Raiders organization – ever paranoid – were less than happy with the league in releasing the names of the Raider players and then hinting that no one else had gotten caught. In Scott Ostler's column in the San Francisco Chronicle on 11/23, he had this observation:

“The Raiders are steamed, and rightfully so, that a league insider leaked the news of four Raiders testing positive for designer steroid THG. But the leaks the Raiders should be most concerned about are the ones those four players took.”

Finally, I wonder if Curry College (Milton, MA) ever plays Rice. If not, why not? These two schools go together.

But don't get me wrong, I love sports...

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