Now onto your e-mails, the first of which came to me from a Bills' fan buddy I used to know in college early this morning.

WHAT WERE THE BILLS THINKING? From Tim Cormier, of Manhattan: "I'm dying here. The Bills were up by eight midway through the fourth quarter and were in position for a chip-shot field goal to put the game out of reach. What in the world are they doing having a rookie quarterback throw the ball down there instead of just taking the field goal?''

That's the question I was asking when Terence Newman grabbed the interception and ran downfield with it. Buffalo could have kicked a 29-yard field goal with six minutes left to go up 27-16. That would have iced the game. that's the call that should haunt the Bills for the rest of this lost season.

YOU ASK A GOOD QUESTION, TODD. From Todd Swanson, of Dodgeville, Wis.: "Do you think that the Packers lost because of the turnovers, or because the coaching staff instituted the prevent offense upon the start of the second half?''

I was asking about the Packers' offensive play-calling midway through the second half too. Sometimes I think coaches get a lead in the second half and think: Our defense is good enough to hold on. We've just got to bleed the clock. Well, after Green Bay ran for 102 yards in the first half, you just knew the options were going to be run first, run second, run third. And in the first 17 minutes of the second half, Green Bay threw it twice. (It didn't help that one was an interception, a silly one by Brett Favre to Brian Urlacher.) But overall, Green Bay lost this game because it didn't take care of the ball, not because Mike McCarthy got so right-wing.

IT'S NOT THE PACKERS' STYLE. From Greg, of Alameda, Calif.: "Question of the day: Why are the Packers not offering a first-round pick and one of their defensive tackles for Michael Turner right now? They might be easily replaced, but not at mid-season when you have a good shot at making a run deep in the playoffs in one of Brett Favre's final seasons.''

Interesting thought, and I'm not saying an impossible idea. But Ted Thompson, the Packers' GM, is one of the two or three most conservative franchise architects in the league. He was slow to act in the pursuit of Randy Moss last spring, and it cost the Packers the chance to acquire and sign Moss. Thompson's going to hang onto his first-round pick, and his stable of defensive tackles. I wouldn't dismiss DeShawn Wynn as a big rushing factor this year for the Packers, either.

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE -- THE BEARS TRADED THE WRONG GUY. From Sheila Woodward, of Yankton, S.D.: "Last night during the Bears-Packers game, Andrea Kremer reported she had spoken to Bears GM Jerry Angelo about the Thomas Jones trade. According to Kremer, Angelo said he had to make the trade because Jones and [Cedric] Benson couldn't get along and the locker room was divided. From everything I've read and heard, it sounds like Jones had the support of at least 90 percent of the team while Benson was the outcast. Explain to me, please, why they decided to trade Jones? I suspect it is because Angelo has a huge ego and couldn't admit that he blew it by drafting Benson in the first place. The pick made no sense to me when it happened, and it makes even less sense now. I don't care that Jones isn't having a great year in NY, he was the heart of the Bears' offense and trading him was a huge blunder. Angelo should apologize instead of making it seem like Jones was a malcontent. Your thoughts, please.''

I think Jones is a better runner and better football player than Benson. Period. He's a tougher runner, too, which is why the coaching staff chose to play him for the two years he and Benson shared the job. In those two years, Jones ran the ball 610 times for a 4.2-yard average; Benson ran it 224 times for a 4.1-yard average -- and fewer than half the touchdowns. Now, with the bullseye solely on him, Benson is rushing for 3.0 yards a tote. Understand that when a team picks a player in the top 10 of a draft -- and Benson was the fourth overall choice in 2005 -- he's going to eventually get the starting job. If he doesn't, the GM and coach look like fools for taking a bust so high in the draft.

I STAND BY MY CHOICE OF CALIENDO. From Mike Murray, of Chico, Calif.: "Peter, Peter, Peter! Caliendo better than Belushi? Belushi was an incredible comedian and performer. Caliendo is nothing more than an impressionist, albeit a good one. He's Rich Little, modern day. Nothing more.''

How about Belushi, as a zit, in Animal House? You may be right. You probably are right. There's no accounting for taste. Caliendo is the funniest guy in America right now.