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00:00At Buffalo, Lions-Bills, a momentous occasion, Kelvin Shepard revenge game, and the new stadium,
00:10by the way. I forgot about that for a minute. That's kind of cool, too. You know what happened
00:15for a lot of the summer, especially as it got maybe right before training camp or into training
00:21camp? I remember thinking, we had a lot of time where we were working solo in those weeks.
00:27This is when we need to talk about the stadium, and people are starting to go in there for
00:31the first time, either for preseason games or tours or whatever. It's really there. Because
00:37once the season starts, then... It's about the season. But today and tomorrow are really
00:43both. This game will be a trivia question for decades with the Bills, the first game in
00:51there. And so everything, every first there, I mean, you know, you can go as wild as you
00:57want with that. First completion, but like first touchdown. Like when we were reminiscing
01:03about the old stadium as it was on the way out, and then once it was on the way out,
01:08there
01:08was a lot of talk about, well, wait, what was Wallace Francis? No, wait, was that a preseason
01:15game? There was all this, you know, sort of, I don't want to say confusion, misinformation,
01:20like we remembered things wrong. You know, that happens when something happened in 1973
01:25and you're talking about it in 2025 or 26. It's like, that's not how I remember that.
01:31I don't know. What happened again? So yeah, I mean, it'll be something that, you know, I
01:39know, maybe if the, if there are these kinds of shows 30 years from now, 40 years from now,
01:46something that happens tomorrow night in that stadium will be talked about when a new stadium
01:52is being built or whatever. Regular season is all that matters. Like for any kind of
01:57trivia, what Wallace Francis would have been a preseason game when I think maybe that's
02:02right. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, that is, it was a kickoff return, right? And that is
02:07remembered, but would not be the real answer. Both of the, both the first touchdown and last
02:16touchdown scored there were by jets. Jerome Barkham in 1973, the bills won the game nine
02:24to seven, but did not score a touchdown. And everybody walked out going, how could you not
02:29score one touchdown in your first game? Imagine if that happened tomorrow. And then last year,
02:35the guy's name was Andrew Beck on a two yard pass from Brady cook. That's the last touchdown
02:41scored at the old place. 2025. I mean, really obscure Brady cook, Brady cook to Andrew Beck
02:49to make the score 35 to six. And then Jelani woods for two for 35 to eight. That's the last
02:57score in the state of Jelani woods on a two point conversion. But today, I mean, I think
03:04and tomorrow it really is about the stadium at least as much as it is about the game and
03:12the bills had a great start in Houston and maybe the outcome of this game will be really
03:19important down the road. It is an NFC game though. And I'm certainly not trying to minimize
03:25it's important. So I'm not feeling that at all, but the stadium is really the story
03:31tomorrow. I think it finally is here talking to Al Michaels about it. You know, you asked
03:36him, did you ever think you'd see the day? And he said, if they didn't build one, they'd
03:41be gone. Yeah. So here it is, which, you know, yeah, I think we need, he even said like
03:46you guys were following it all along. You, you know, that that's, you know, most definitely
03:51true. Like probably. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so yeah, and it is, you know, it's one thing even for
03:59of course, and, and maybe emotional and way more meaningful for people. I'm sure like not
04:06everyone who's going to be going to this game tomorrow, went to the open practice or went
04:10to the preseason games, you know, just schedules in the summer or whatever. Like, yeah, I'd love
04:15to go. It's just not convenient. My kids got this or that or whatever. Yeah. I'll just wait
04:19until opening night. So there's going to be plenty of that. Um, and likewise for people
04:24watching on TV, you know, like I, I, I saw a fair amount of the Carolina game. Uh, I was
04:30on a road trip, but I, I had it. My son was driving. I was able to watch a lot
04:33of it on
04:34my, on my phone as we were driving. And then, um, you know, the other, the, the, the pit
04:39it was Pittsburgh, right? Was the same, um, I saw plenty of that as well. Um, but it's
04:45not the same, like your, your level of attention is just different when it's the summer and
04:54you know, it's a preseason game and everybody's not playing. So I think even for fans sitting
04:58down to watch on TV tomorrow, again, you've seen the pictures, you've been maybe involved
05:03in the discussion about the railings and the glass and the whatever. But tomorrow is, there's
05:10a game that you are going to be emotionally invested in. And when you sit down and turn
05:16on prime or channel seven, which you don't have to have prime, you can watch it locally
05:20on channel seven. I'm saying this largely for the benefit of my parents. Should they
05:24be listening? Yes. Uh, to make sure they know all parents, uh, all parents, channel
05:28seven, everybody, channel seven, that's ABC. Anybody, anyone our age or older should pay
05:34close attention. I don't think Eric and Tom are there anymore, but still it's channel
05:37stuff. Anyway. Um, wow. You're going to, the coverage is going to begin and it's going
05:43to be that like, there'll be, you know, all sorts of drone shots from, you know, outside
05:50and just the, the whole scene is completely different for you. Like it's no longer the,
05:57the familiar across the street. And like you've said, you said to Al, when we talked to him,
06:01like I'm just saying Al so casually now, like we're such good friends. Um, you know, it's,
06:07it's gone already. It's not even there. You might've thought all year you'd be looking
06:11across the street at it. Like you were looking across the street from the old one to the new
06:14one last year, but that's gone now. So I don't know. It's going to be a different experience.
06:20I don't know. It doesn't have to be jarring or anything, but like, wow, look at, look at,
06:27maybe you'd even want to say it like this. Look at us, look at us, look at this place.
06:33What did we do? What did you do? Holy cow. Um, cause it did feel like, you know, I know
06:40we,
06:40we knew for many years now, it took a while to construct the thing. We knew it was coming,
06:46but the, the, it's the finality of like, I'm watching a game, a real game in this place that
06:53maybe I never thought would be built. Sure. It's, it's, you know, I'll stop short of saying
07:00profound, but it's a, it's a big deal, man. It is a big deal. Um, and then I'll bet people
07:08might even be surprised at how it makes them feel when they see it, you know, just, I don't
07:14know. I mean, it just, it could be like, wow, I'm, I'm feeling emotional about this and
07:20I never expected to, you know, it just sort of snuck up on me like, wow. I can't bring
07:25myself to just fall into only a good mood about it. I just really can't because of how
07:33dirty it all can be and how many better ideas, how many more ways there would be to spend
07:39money that would benefit more people. And just every time with this, and it's always like
07:43you're pushed into it by the league. There's so many facets of it that I think just make
07:47me so uncomfortable that I can appreciate it. And I'm happy for Bill's fans and the
07:55Bill's organization that they have it, or else maybe they're all just, you know, people
07:59tell me whenever I make a point like this and now there's no reason to make it anymore
08:03because the stadium is up, but you know, you know, you wouldn't have a job, right? Like
08:07yup, but there's a thing called principle. Um, but it looks great. And tomorrow will be an
08:16incredible momentous occasion for them and for the fans. And with that, I'm finding myself
08:26and this is, you know, objectively when I kind of decide to turn the car around, I'm finding
08:33myself way too confident in the bills tomorrow. Hmm. Just like it's the peripherals, you know,
08:40it's the stadium. Yup. And come on, you can't possibly lay an egg in your first game in the
08:46new place. Who would, right? That never happens. You can't be flat. I mean, I know it's a short
08:50week, but come on. Of course it has happened. Of course it has. There's that. Here are the
08:56Lions. We just had their New Orleans game, their week one game on TV in here. And wow. I mean,
09:02they were pushed all the way to the end of overtime by the Saints. Their defense was on the
09:06field for 86 plays, which was by far the most in the league last week and gave up 30 points
09:14and had to survive a two point conversion attempt late in overtime to win. And they've got injuries
09:20and then they're going to travel here and play on a Thursday. I don't know. I mean, that should
09:25be a pretty easy mark for a team that's been as good as the Lions. There always are these
09:31stories about their injuries. And now it's in this situation, travel Thursday, new stadium
09:38vibes, that game that they just played. I mean, even Gibbs on offense carried 29 times,
09:45right? Five catches to go with it too. Okay. Yeah. I mean, like a lot of touches who wants
09:49that from their star running back in week one, but they probably felt like they had to do it.
09:55And Pacheco was the backup. He went on IR. They're not like all set behind Gibbs. Montgomery
10:01left and scored three touchdowns against the Bills as it happened. So I think I'm a little
10:07bit too watching the Bills in Houston. This game with the Saints, every time I seemed to look
10:16up, it was a downfield pass that the Saints hit. Olave, Devon Vele, Bryce Lance, Jawan Johnson.
10:24I mean, they're not all household names. And it's Tyler Shuck throwing the ball. You know,
10:28he may turn out to be really, really, really good. He's off to a great use for over 400 yards
10:33in
10:33this game. Again, overtime, you know, helped boost that, I think, but whatever. Why shouldn't the
10:38Bills be able to do the same? Right. Of course. I mean, it's very hard to, you know, look at
10:44it and
10:45arrive anywhere else. Like I, I'm at home. I'm playing a team that even when they're healthy,
10:52maybe defensively isn't anywhere close to what Houston is purported to be, you know, we'll see
10:58who, who they end up and what they end up actually being this year. Once we get, get, you know,
11:04into the year. But yeah, I mean, last week seemed like a much harder test and, you know,
11:11offensively you practically aced it. I mean, you did, it's a good thing you were able to erase
11:16your first answers. You know what I mean? Allen had a couple, you know, the, the, the past near
11:20the end that preceded the winning touchdown could have cost them any opportunity to win the game.
11:26So they weren't completely flawless, but still anybody who follows the league, I think objectively
11:34would tell you doing, scoring 36 points and throwing for 300 and whatever yards that Allen did,
11:40200 yard receivers, all of it. That's a much harder, much bigger ask in Houston. Frankly,
11:48it's a much bigger ask, you know, in your place, whatever it's Houston than it is Detroit. Like
11:53Detroit just can't there. There's, they sort of feel like it must be very familiar to them
11:57with the way last season, even the season before when they had a great year, but they were just
12:03completely broken down by injuries by the time the playoffs rolled around. Just one of the reasons
12:09I think, you know, Campbell believes in it and does it anyway, like going for it on fourth downs as
12:14aggressively as he does. But in a situation like they were in, in the playoffs, I think it was in
12:19San Francisco. Like we're just going to, this is, this is, we're good over here. We got good players,
12:24great players. Like this is, this is the only pitch we've got. This defense is not, I'm not putting
12:31them back on the field and expecting a stop. So I'm going to try to keep the ball. So that's
12:36it.
12:36That's, they've been living like that for almost two years now and really successfully for the most
12:42part. Yeah. I mean, they, they, you know, they still won nine games last year. They just, you know,
12:45the division was tougher and Chicago elevated and they couldn't get there. But so all of it is just
12:51to say, like it's, if being overconfident is ever allowed, like this is a game where you should feel
13:00that way, uh, despite the challenges. I mean, the, the, the other side of this is that Detroit,
13:06I don't know what the saints are supposed to be defensively. Um, I haven't followed that as
13:12aggressively. Um, but the lions did, I mean, whatever they wanted on offense in this game,
13:18just about, I mean, they, they got out to a big lead and then suddenly they were in a dog
13:22fight,
13:22but they still came through. They just kept making plays. Um, you know, Gibbs had a huge day running,
13:27um, and they, they got, they got there.
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