I wonder if I'm the only one that thought it curious that the NFL commissioner attended Sunday's Bills-Eagles game in Buffalo? I know he visits games all the time, but with the flap over the alleged "counseling" of Michael Vick to sign with Philadelphia and not with certain other "less desirable" situations, it seems odd to me that he would show up at this particular game. If the commissioner was looking for some personal vindication that he had indeed helped Vick make the right "choice," I'm not sure he saw that yesterday in the Bills' feisty victory over the "Dream Team."

Further, in the obligatory TV booth interview he had little or nothing to say about the Bills and the way they were playing this year. Granted, the passing of Al Davis was rightly the main thrust of the emotions of the day, but still, the commissioner's appearance usually is his opportunity to offer some nod to the home fans and players of a great NFL city, especially if the game is a sell-out and the team is playing admirably. He was conspicuously silent on that score. Oversight? Time constraint? While the eulogizing of Al Davis was certainly appropriate, Goodell could easily have included the obvious parallels of Buffalo and Oakland being historic AFL cities, and having original visionary founders in Mr. Davis and Ralph Wilson, but he carefully dodged the chance to do so.

Maybe it's just me, but after a decade of the Buffalo Bills and their fans serving as everyone's favorite punchline, the commissioner's failure to publicly note the team's turn-around while camping right there in Orchard Park is yet another poke in the eye, especially given the commissioner's Western New York "roots." Regardless of recent statements to the contrary, could his apparent discomfort while on camera in Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday be because he was NOT witnessing the listless, half-empty stadium and lopsided loss to the Eagles that would help cement a future "small-market-teams-aren't-viable-just-look-at-Buffalo" argument for moving the team? Yesterday's win and the raucous playoff-type enthusiasm exhibited by the team and fans alike showed that Bills football is alive and well. Surely he can't dodge that.