Doohickie

More information about NFL jersey numbers and having to report as "eligible".

That's the way OTs work. If one team gets the puck and can control it for, say, 30-40 seconds, the other team gets gassed and drops into a passive shell.

Good for him. I wish him well but don't want him back.

That's why you hear about linemen reporting eligible in goal line offenses. If they are an offensive lineman, they are not allowed to catch a pass. But if they report eligible, they can catch a pass (and more importantly for most of these plays, they can line up as a receiver or tight end and it's not an illegal formation).

I asked my friends who has reffed amateur sports. He said there's some discretion there. The ball hitting a player isn't automatically an illegal touch and since the lineman had his back to Mahommes it wasn't considered an illegal touch. Illegal touch. A lineman is not allowed to catch the ball.

His best game as a BIll. Noticeable for all the right reasons.

Yep. One of two blunders that McDermott made (in my opinion). The other was the overly conservative play on the last set of downs. If they'd made a first down they would have had to attempt the field goal and KC never gets a last crack at tying it. Fortunately the defensive secondary held firm at the end and the Bills got the win.

Yeah, I feel ya. I mean, I want him in there over Bryson or Johnson or any other -son in the depth pool, but I see a guy who doesn't make mistakes but also doesn't make impactful plays. That might simply be him learning the system and as he gets used to the flow, the impactful plays will come. The last couple games were his training camp.

I thought Tage looked better last night. Maybe leave him at center until Norris returns. I don't think Tage is necessarily better at center than wing or vice versa. But I think shifting from one to the other when he's scuffling gives him a boost.

Last night was a player trying to score his 900th goal. That was certainly a draw. A few games back was the Maple Leaves. A lot of the fans were not home fans. But still, yeah, it is good to see a full house. That last nine games, they collected 72.2% of available standings points.

If you think of this season so far as two seasons, the Sabres got 0.000 standings points in the first 3 games. In the last nine games they got 13 / 18 possible points, or 72.2%. If the last nine games are what the Sabres really are, the get 72.2% of 158 possible points (164 total, minus 6 for the 3 game losing streak to start the season). That is a 114 point season. Are they the team that lost three at the start? Hopefully not anymore. Are they the team that got 13 points in their last 9 games? I find it hard to believe they will sustain that pace to be honest, but if they're more like the team of the last 9 games and less like the team of the 3 game start, the Buffalo Sabres will be in the playoffs. I said it earlier: The 0-3 start lit a fire under them. They started out behind, but they rose to the challenge (so far) and have played good hockey since then. Hopefully they fully overcome the slow start, and the Sabres that accomplish that are the Sabres we see for the rest of the season. Of course another 3 game pointless streak would wash all that down the drain. But I'm optimistic. The team is playing better as a team than they have in recent seasons. Upie gonna Upie.

Yeah I noticed that. I wonder how much Tuch really tunes into the contract talks or if he simply handed it over to his agent. He doesn't look like a guy who wants out.

But yeah, that line is better with Kozak at C and Krebs on the wing.

Dunne has been pulling his weight too though. Not making many mistakes, playing a physical game.

That's hogwash and you know it.

Yeah, I felt he would be an NHLer this year; he's proven he is in my mind. Since he's been out Krebs has done well centering the 4th line. I think the depth they've called upon from Rochester at the very least hasn't hurt them and often helps them.

In conversation, it's kind of a verbal tick that Rayzor has. Other announcer: "The team played well this period." Rayzor: "No, you're right." I think he doesn't do it as much as he used to, but he earned that meme. And yet here you are, dying on it.

I will say this: Even in the sequences where they were fighting it and the Caps were carrying the play, they were a lot harder to play against than in years past. Better positioning, better sticks on the lanes, more determination on loose pucks and even if they lost them, being disruptive enough that Washington had trouble doing anything with the puck.

True. I know you can't just throw away games, but are the Sabres the team that was 0-3 to start the season, or the team that has gathered points at a 72% clip since then? If we accept that latter, then we're looking at a 114 point team. Truth is, they're somewhere in between. They're not as bad as their start, and not as good as their last 9 games. I like the trend though. Yes, a few loser points can be (and has been) the difference between making the playoffs or not.

I also feel more comfortable rolling 4 lines than I have in a long time.

They're good enough. They're just having problems with consistency. They're closer to playing a full 60 minute game but not there yet. I'm almost willing to give them a pass due to the injuries they've been dealing with. I will say, Greenway imposed his will on the game while he was out there, even if it was primarily with physicality.

This is not the goal you're shooting at.

So.... UPL is our #1 now?