My unofficial over/under was 10 on how many times NFL Network analyst Matt Millen would say

"well done" or "very well done" after a play in the Buffalo Bills' 19-13 loss to the New York

Jets on Thursday night.

He used the phrase when remarking about plays made by the Jets' Darrelle Revis and Mark

Sanchez and the Bills' Andy Levitre and Donte Whitner. But I stopped counting and am not sure

if Millen actually hit double figures.

However, the former general manager of the Detroit Lions exceeded my over/under of three on

how many times he would say something enlightening. He noted that:

Film study indicated that the Bills' Marcus Stroud was having a disappointing year.

Revis is faster than Bills receiver Terrell Owens, whom he mostly shut down.

Film study also revealed that the Bills' defense has been inspired to be "all over

the place" since Perry Fewell was named interim coach.

The Bills' little-used first-round draft choice Aaron Maybin "needs to get bigger

and stronger" to defend the run.

The Bills need to use more motion to get Owens the ball.

Millen is one of the more technical analysts on TV. He explained things like the "Double A"

blitzing gap and a linebacker technique called "robbing."

Unfortunately, the lifeless atmosphere inside the Rogers Centre in Toronto was "robbing"

the telecast of much excitement.

If this game was supposed to showcase Toronto as a future NFL city, it certainly didn't

make much of an impression. It also wasn't likely to put any pressure on Time Warner Cable to

give in and make a deal to carry The NFL Network. Let's face it, it's doubtful that fans

throughout the United States and Canada couldn't survive without this game.

The NFL Network also loses any leverage it might have because its schedule of games is

carried in the home markets like Buffalo and New York when their teams are playing. If the

Bills game hadn't been on Channel 7, there might have been enough local outrage to pressure

TWC. But it's a national decision anyway.

We're not talking Thursday night must-see TV. The audio from the stands was barely at a

noticeable level throughout most of the game, though at one point Stroud appeared to try to

whip up some crowd enthusiasm.

Bob Papa is a decent play-by-play man, but he isn't exactly in the Dick Enberg or Mike

Tirico excitement range. And this game would have challenged Enberg and Tirico to sound

exciting.

At one point early, Papa noted that Toronto has fans of many NFL teams, but he smartly

didn't go overboard in hyping the enthusiasm.

Papa had a few noticeable problems. He didn't see a couple of fumbles that viewers could

clearly see, making you wonder how far away his seat was from the action. He also "traded"

Bills special teamer Justin Jenkins to the Jets. However, he does his homework well,

effortlessly drops in details about players and he and Millen were on the money predicting the

outcome of three possible replay reversals. Well done.

The best part of The NFL Network coverage was its use of obscure statistics like how

infrequently the Jets lose when up by eight points in the fourth quarter; how many players

since 1970 have had a 30-yard run and thrown a 50-yard completion like the Bills' Ryan

Fitzpatrick did in the win over Miami; how often Bills' opponents use running plays inside the

red zone (66 percent of the time); and how many yards running back Fred Jackson averages after

contact (2.6).

Of course, the statistic that best measures interest in the Bills is the Nielsen rating.

Channel 7 doesn't subscribe to Nielsen, but one of its competitors said that the game averaged

a 25.7 rating on Channel 7 and another 2.5 rating on The NFL Network, which is carried on

satellite services and FiOS here.

The combined 28.2 rating represents 28.2 percent of area viewers. That's not in the usual

prime time range of the 30s or 40s for Bills games. But considering the Bills' 4-8 record, a

28.2 rating is still "very well done" by TV standards.