Those were the words used so eloquently by Terry Murray when the Flyers didn't show up in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals.

Yet, what we are witnessing here could be far worse.

At least that Flyers team made it to the Finals and gave fans reason to hope.

This team doesn't seem to instill any hope at all.

Five straight losses have cost them the top spot in the East that they coveted for so long.

One more loss would likely cost them the Atlantic Division crown too.

There's nothing about how the Flyers are playing right now that instills any confidence in any observer to pick them to do anything of substance in the playoffs.

None of their possible first round opponents strike fear into the heart, but neither do the Flyers seem really ready to beat anyone at this point, be it Montreal, Buffalo or Tampa Bay in the first round.

There's no question that the Flyers are more talented than all three of those teams, but talent only goes so far. At some point you have to put in honest work to flaunt that talent. Problem is too few players are bringing the lunch pail and punching the clock.

The loss to Buffalo Friday wasn't ugly. The flyers actually played well for most of it - but they still lost- and have done so 15 times in the last 21 games - sometimes spectacularly and sometimes while looking disinterested.

You don't just turn that off and turn on the A game overnight. It's a process. It takes time.

And that's something the Flyers have just about run out of.