This is what I'm thinking:



• Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will be part of a unique experiment during ESPN's Super Bowl weekend coverage.

Lynch is featured on a 30-minute "Sport Science" special at 7 p.m. Friday. An ESPN release

notes that Lynch is part of "a one-of-a-kind test of man versus machine" on the program.

The Emmy Award-winning series hosted by John Brenkus uses cutting-edge technology in

state-of-the-art scientific facilities "to test the limits of professional athletes and

challenge assumptions about them."



Lynch is part of an experiment that asks, "Can a running back generate as much power as a

diesel engine?"



I know what Bills fans are probably thinking. It is hard to imagine Lynch generating more

power this season, when he had about as much power as a lawn mower and only gained 450 yards.

In a separate segment, the two great catches that Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes made in last

year's Super Bowl "are analyzed and compared to uncover the differences in "circus' catches

that can't be practiced and "textbook' catches that are practiced every day." Who needs

science to know the difference?



• Here's what Time Warner Cable viewers will miss on Super Bowl week because the local

system doesn't carry NFL Network:



Appearances by former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and future former Bill Terrell Owens on

Thursday. More than 50 hours of live programming throughout the week. And an 8-hour

pregame show on game day.

If you're like me, you'll ignore all the pregame stuff on NFL Network, ESPN and CBS and

just enjoy the game.

• Had to laugh about the ads for the local car show that mention former Sabres great

Gilbert Perreault and present Sabre Patrick Kaleta will make appearances. The commercial is

worded in a way that makes it sound like Kaleta is a Sabres great, too.

• Steve Tasker, the former Bill turned CBS broadcaster, will be on the Super Bowl

sidelines during the game and part of the extensive pregame coverage. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

will call the game.

• A voice in the background said, "Say something nice about the guys on WGR sports

radio." OK, they inspired Channel 2 General Manager Jim Toellner to have his station play the

national anthem each morning at 4:59. Toellner said he heard some talk show hosts mention that

you only hear the anthem before games and school events. And then he heard listeners mention

the anthems used to be played when TV stations signed on and off. Toellner said the station

plans to have local musical renditions freshen the anthem up throughout the year.

It also might be a good idea to try and get the rights to the Whitney Houston version that

played before the Bills' first Super Bowl loss.

• Had to laugh at a report of a tweet by ESPN's Adam Schefter dealing with the ever-

changing roster for ESPN's telecast of Sunday's Pro Bowl, which for the first time will be

played before the Super Bowl: "ESPN could announce later that I am dropping out of the Pro

Bowl and being replaced by Buster Olney," wrote Schefter.

• How high can the ratings for the Super Bowl go between the New Orleans Saints and

Indianapolis Colts locally and nationally?



The sky may be the limit after looking at the record viewership for last Sunday's AFC and

NFC title games. They were the most viewed in decades. The Colts win on CBS had a 29.0 rating

in the metered markets and had the highest number of viewers in 24 years. Buffalo was in the

top 10 markets, averaging a 32.5 rating on WIVB, the local CBS affiliate.

The Saints' overtime win on Fox had a 34.7 in metered markets and was the most-watched

conference title game in 30 years. It had a 32.1 on WUTV, the local Fox affiliate, despite

airing opposite the Buffalo edition of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."



With local figures like that, it is safe to assume next Sunday's game on CBS will get a

local rating in the 40s and maybe even the high 40s. Nationally, the ratings had the potential

to be even higher if Brett Favre's Minnesota Vikings had made it, but New Orleans is a

terrific story, too.