"There's a clause in the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement that would allow the owners to cut the preseason schedule to two games in 2013. Clearly, the owners haven't given up on an 18-game schedule and want the players to revisit the idea.

I'm not in favor of an 18-game regular season. But the thought of a shortened preseason seemed awfully enticing Thursday evening, when the Bills closed the preseason with a 16-6 loss at home to the Detroit Lions in an exhibition that had all the drama of a city school board rerun.

Five minutes before kickoff, reporters were trying to count the house by hand. The crowd was so small and uninspired, Mom probably didn't care one way or another about the behavior.

The Lions' offensive and defensive starters played four plays each. The Bills' starters were on for seven plays. And the NFL has the nerve to charge full price for these games. It's like showing up for the Philharmonic, then having the middle school orchestra take over a few minutes into the concerto."