A View from Calico Jack’s...
Week 6

by Phil Mann

“Never give in. Never, never, never…” – Sir Winston Churchill

“The ship be sinking” – former Knick, Michael Ray Richardson

Whose philosophy will Bills fans – particularly those who watch games at Calico Jack’s – cling to? Are Bills fans Churchillian or “Richardsonian”?

Certainly Dick Jauron and Marv Levy are more likely to invoke Winston than Michael Ray. Bills fans? Well, we’re probably all a little bit of both. I know that, for my part, I want to feel like Churchill. But, there’s a small part of me that can’t help but be like Mike. Not that, following a 5-11 season, there is really all that far for the ship to sink. Unlike the Knicks back in Richardson’s day; when he was asked how far the Knicks’ ship could sink, and replied, “The sky’s the limit.” Hey, if the team is going to stink, at least have some entertaining players around, right?

It’s remarkable how thin the line is in sports between success and failure, hopeful and hopeless. The Bills, despite being outplayed, were arguably one botched call of an end-zone interception from sending the game to overtime. Alas, not even the replay gods were on our side in this one. So, we’re disappointing 2-4 instead of a somewhat respectable 3-3.

So, why keep on watching?:

• To get the answer to the big question on everyone’s mind: Can Dick Jauron possibly lead the Bills to victory over one of his former teams (he once was an assistant with the Packers)?

OK, maybe that’s not a very compelling reason. How about?:

• It’s the Patriots next week, folks. Always a big deal.
• Will JP progress? He’s probably our QB for a while, for better or worse. Personally, I believe he should have had a full playing season under his belt going into this one, but that didn’t happen. He’s still learning on the job in what is for all intents and purposes his first year.
• Will the JP/Evans/McGahee trio jell this year? If so, we could be watching them for years to come. If not...will Willis be the Fish's lead back next year?
• Can the Bills catch up to the pack in an arguably diminished AFC East?
• Are we frontrunners, or do we watch regardless of team quality? I’m not knocking front-runners…Lord knows, I’m a Sabres front-runner. But, WNY-bred fans always pride themselves on NOT being front-runners ever. We’ll see….
• Where else can you get a weekly taste of home, other than at Calico Jack’s or McFadden’s every Sunday?
• And, finally, if all else fails, there’s always beer. Lots and lots of beer.

E-mail feedback and comments to Phil Mann at
pjmann at nyc.rr.com

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