COMMENTARY
Passive Bills needed to go downfield
Updated: 08/11/08 7:11 AM
Fast food for thought . . .
• Why didn’t the Bills go up top right away after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff against the Washington Redskins on Saturday night? It seemed like an ideal opportunity for offensive coordinator Turk Schonert to show both his players and the fans that he’s willing to be more aggressive and creative than his predecessor, Steve Fairchild.
Spare me the explanation that the Bills don’t want to show too much too early. The focus should be on establishing an offensive identity, something missing since Drew Bledsoe’s first year with the team.
• It’s become commonplace for golfers to grouse about the difficulty of the four majors, but at least they’re becoming witty in their assessments. In case you missed it, here’s Paul Goydos on course architect Rees Jones, who redesigned Oakland Hills and amped up the challenge: “If you had Rees Jones redo scrabble, he’d leave out the vowels.”
I’m in agreement. The majors have become a test of survival instead of a celebration of skills. Watching the world’s best hack out of angry rough and try to negotiate diabolical greens loses its appeal by the start of the second round.
• No doubt the Sabres were needful of depth on defense, but is Teppo Numminen really an answer considering he’s 40 and missed virtually all of last year? I thought Numminen had lost a step during his last full season with the team.
• CC Sabathia’s revival with Milwaukee underscores the pressures he was feeling in Cleveland as a pending free agent with a deep loyalty to the franchise but a desire to maximize his value on the open market. He’s prospered upon being relieved of that burden and reestablished himself as a coveted prize in the upcoming market.
• Chad Pennington to the Dolphins is less worrisome for the Bills than Brett Favre to the Jets. Pennington’s presence fails to put the kind vertical threat into the Miami passing game that makes opponents less likely to key on Ronnie Brown.
• Charlie Weis has taken a clean-the-slate approach at Notre Dame by refusing to discuss last year’s embarrassing 3-9 campaign. That’s fine before the opener, but the present will quickly be tied to the past unless the Irish turn it around. Can Notre Dame football regain its national relevance? This year’s recruiting class, ranked No. 2 in the nation by Rivals.com, is an eye-opener at a time when independent Notre Dame seemed to have become a secondary player to the major conferences.
• Kobe Bryant is saying he’ll consider offers from Europe before signing with the Lakers again. Jaromir Jagr’s headed off to play in Russia. Given the depressed state of the U. S. economy, and the desire of foreign leagues to heighten interest, this could be the start of a trend. No longer can the U. S. be considered a magnet for the best players in the world. And is there any doubt that Kobe signing in Europe (or Asia) would have a far greater impact on the sport than U. S. soccer realized from David Beckham signing with the L. A. Galaxy?
• Apparently Manny Ramirez is fueling speculation that he desires to hook on with the Yankees after this season in order to get back at the Red Sox. Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez in the same clubhouse? That’s when Derek Jeter asks for a private room.
• Ray Schnittker’s victory in the Hambletonian makes him a lock for the next class of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, right? The Pendleton native had proven his worthiness even before Deweycheatumnhowe became the first unbeaten to win the Ham.
• The NCAA Executive Committee has decided to ignore the request of more than 200 athletic directors, 100 university presidents and numerous high-profile coaches and allow beer advertising to remain part of their sports TV broadcasts. Let’s face it. Although it fancies itself as an altruistic organization concerned most with the welfare of student-athletes, what the NCAA really cares most about is the revenue sheet.
