Alright Bills fans I’m going to come right out and say it, we’re going to lose big this week and every week until we get rid of Steve Fairchild. I, like so many other Bills fans, have been holding out hope that somehow, perhaps magically, the coaching staff knew something I didn’t (after all, not only do I not work with the team on a daily basis, I don’t even live in the area).

Get this; an article published today by the Buffalo News describes how everybody is riding high on new (and most likely permanent) starting QB Trent Edwards. Even the late Bill Walsh praised the kid’s abilities. Robert Royal commented on how surprised he was to see Edwards demonstrate the high level of leadership that he did in practice this week. It would seem like this could be the spark the (nothing short of lame) offense needs to pull it’s not-really-affected-by-injuries self out of last place.

There’s only one key person who’s wary of Edwards. Steve Farichild. To quote Allen Wilson’s article:

“The play calling was limited when Edwards replaced Losman last week, but offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild said that had nothing to do with the game’s outcome.

Edwards should benefit from a full week of practice as the starter, but Fairchild admitted the game plan will be scaled back a little.

‘Trent hasn’t had the work or the experience that J.P. had at this point,’ Fairchild said. ‘He’s a fairly new guy, so it will affect us.’”

I had to read that twice. Can someone explain that to me? What exactly are they scaling back? Does Fairchild think the offense isn’t conservative enough? Question: what can we derive from a plan to scale back a playbook your below average pee wee QB could understand after two weeks of practice?

Answer: He’s covering himself for another lame offensive performance.

Let’s face it, the coaching staff either does not believe in our players, or is actually incapable of coming up with anything better.

It’s clear to the coaches that Edwards is not capable of throwing the ball too late, taking a bad sack, or putting the ball in the wrong spot as often as J.P. a master at all of those things. We wouldn’t want to overwhelm him with all those advanced QB techniques on his first day.

Would giving Edwards the full (or at least close to full) playbook really be that bad for him? What does the team possibly have to lose? What if we actually let Edwards call a few plays, what’s the worst that could happen, we go thee and out? Nobody would even notice. I also don’t see the profit in publicly saying we’re bringing the offense down unless this is all a ploy to get the Jet’s to ease up and surprise them. If that’s the case, great, I guess.

One of the dumbest things I keep hearing this week is, “Well Edwards did just as bad as Losman would have so that should quiet the cries for Edwards.”

Huh? If that does anything it should strengthen the cries for Edwards that much more. If his first NFL game against the best team in the NFL is as good as Losman’s play against a lesser team after four years experience, how does that say anything other than Losman’s not the guy? Edwards might not be the guy either, but if he’s as good/bad as Losman in 1/4 the time, imagine how good he could be after 4 years?

Denying we’re rebuilding this year is like denying the holocaust, let the rookie play. If he sucks, so what? It can only get better because it’s not possible to be any worse.

If nothing else it will be entertaining to see how one could scale back the last place, most predicable offense in the NFL. Something drastic needs to happen or it’s not going to change any time soon.

Marv, do the right thing and ditch this garbage.

-The John

LINK: I know, I know... they are hardly highlights, but.. check out the part where Losman's knee is hit. CLEAR video evidence that Wilfork was AIMING for Losman's knee. He dives straight at it with his ELBOW. Yikes. I hope some serious fines are levied. What is it with this team??? They are already by far the most talented... why must they cheat??

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Links, Videos

Seriously, folks... when have you EVER seen so many serious injuries to one team, and by only week three of the season??

JP Losman went down on the first play of the first series yesterday (and he should have stayed down, but that's another story...) and then we lose Poz not too much later. Like him or not, JP is as essential to the Bills as Poz. Both of those are big losses, and thankfully they are not season-ending as some originally speculated regarding the injury to Posluszny.

Add to these two guys the major injuries we have already sustained: Ryan Denney, Keith Ellison, Al Wallace, Aaron Merz, Coy Wire, Ko Simpson, Jason Webster, Kevin Everett. And, don't forget that Josh Reed missed last week's game, and Terrence McGee missed yesterday's game. Jason Whittle also left yesterday's game with a hamstring injury. We had one active, healthy QB on the roster yesterday when Losman went down, and just three CBs. When Poz went down, we had only four healthy LBs, with one of those guys (Leon Joe) being brand new to the system.

And don't forget our friend Anthony Hargrove, who decided to get himself in trouble, and is suspended through next week's game against the Jets. That leaves our active, healthy DEs at: Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Neill (our long snapper) and another new guy, Bryan Copeland.

With all of these injuries, our already young team is just that much younger and inexperienced. And in plain English - not as good. They can't be. We're playing our THIRD STRING defensive players in some cases. We are moving guys (John DiGiorgio) into positions they have never played before. Not just in the NFL... they have never played them before.

So in case you are thinking, "Yeah, I knew they were this bad!" You might want to consider that we have had some unprecedented roster shake ups thanks to injuries and the one suspension. The question is not really whether anyone saw this coming - since, no one could have - but really it's "Can the Bills recover the 2007 season?"

After week one's injuries, the Bills brought in a handful of available free agents, and at least CB Bryan Scott has been in on a few plays on the field already. Now with Losman gone for a couple weeks maybe, do the Bills bring Craig Nall back? Do they get someone else? Kevin Eakin is on the practice squad, and could be activated as an emergency option. Do we cut some of our excess at RB (Anthony Thomas, Josh Scobey) to make room for another LB or DL? I'm not even sure how much the Bills can do with salary cap and maybe roster move restrictions?

It's a mess. A real mess. One like I've never seen before.

The good news is, for the most part the offense is still in tact. JP's injury is short term, and with a week of practice, Edwards should fill in admirably. Aaron Merz was certainly a loss, but he was not a starter... just depth. Same goes for Kevin Everett. (TE was shored up with the additions of Michael Gaines and Matt Murphy after Everett's injury.) So the offense has been much less hampered by the injury bug.

The bad news? What in the world is wrong with the offense??? It's understandable that we are the #32 defense in the league. We barely have any starters left. Even some of our 2nd stringers are injured. But the offense does not have the luxury of such an excuse. The Buffalo Bills offense is ranked #32 of 32 because they have not executed, and from my observations, the game planning and in-game decision making of the coaching staff is just putrid.

When the Bills marched down the field on the first drive, many Bills fans figured that Trent Edwards was our savior. After all, the whole ineptitude of the offense in 2007 - and really the last four years - is 100% on the shoulders of JP Losman, right? Turns out, after that first drive, the NE coaches were able to adapt to what Edwards brought to the game, and they made him look worse than Losman. Why is that? If NE can adapt, why can the Bills NOT? What is wrong with these coaches?? They are not able to put our players in a position to win, or even to just make the play.

Injuries or not (and remember, on offense, it's mostly "not") the Buffalo Bills coaching staff has to find a way to produce some wins this year, or there will be some major shake ups. I don't know how much power Marv Levy really has at One Bills Drive, but I'd think he has enough to bend Mr. Wilson's ear and cause some turnover in a very inferior game planning staff. I think that's mostly on Steve Fairchild, but if there are others... they need to go as well.

Yes folks, thanks to the curse someone has put on the Buffalo Bills (maybe the city of Los Angeles?) it looks like it will be another loooong season here in Buffalo. But take heart. The Bills are coming home, and the Jets haven't looked much more impressive (though at #32 on offense and defense, EVERYONE has looked at least a little more impressive!) and we do stand a chance of grabbing our first win. With the JV Bills team.

Maybe we could dress some of the Jills for the game? :-)

Labels: Current Bills, Players

1. If the outcome of this game was a surprise to you, wake up...
2. Lynch continues to impress on an unimpressive offense.
3. Steve Fairchild has to go! The sooner the better.
4. This game was over the moment Poz went down. We are in real trouble with all the injuries on defense.
5. Expect to start hearing disgruntled talk from Lee Evans. Rightly so, Steve Fairchild is not trying to get Lee involved in the offensive play calling is horrible.
6. Rich Gannon was right our offense needs a lot of work and it starts with the coaches.
7. For a moment we all thought we can win this game (when it was 7-3). Then Poz goes down and Brady shows why he is a Super Bowl MVP.
8. The Pats may be cheaters, but they still are the best team in the NFL and we are one of the worst.
9. I thought we might be able to beat the Jets, but with all the injuries it is not possible. I think if we were healthy on defense a lot could be and would be different so far this year.

Its been a rough start to the 2007 season for the Buffalo Bills. So bad, in fact, that Bills fans are already starting to call for the head of their quarterback on a platter. Indeed J.P. Losman's 251 yards passing sounds like the stat for one game rather than a combined two game total. However, things are not quite as bad as they seem. Bills fans need to keep things in perspective before they panic and call for a quarterback change.

Fans are desperate for a winning season and rightly so. It's been a long time since the Bills sniffed the post season flowers. The Bills have not made it to the post season in this millennium. A change at quarterback to the rookie Trent Edwards would surely set the club back at least another two seasons. Is this really what fans want? The Bills' greatest chance of seeing the post season in the near future is to stick with J.P. Losman. A deeper look at the stats shows that this might not be such a bad idea.

All too often too much weight is put on yardage in the NFL. The weekly rankings of offense and defense are based purely on yardage and take absolutely nothing else into account. A glaring example of this would be week 1 for the Bills. The Bills defense allowed the Broncos to accumulate 470 yards of total offense. Thats a large number and certainly not a sign of good things, but they only allowed 15 points. By yardage the Bills were 31st in the league. By Points Allowed they were ranked 15th. Say what you want about it, but ultimately points are what matters. Even after getting dominated by the Steelers in week 2, the Bills defense is still 21st in the league for points allowed despite their 31st ranking for yards allowed. Bend but don't break at work. The Bills defense has allowed touchdowns in 3 out of 8 redzone situations. Thats only 37% of the time, a very commendable stat. Particularly considering that two of those touchdowns came late in the Pittsburgh game when the Bills Defense had been on the field for 40 minutes. Had the offense gotten a few first downs and gotten closer to sharing time of possession equally with their opponent, these scores would have never happened. In other words, despite the laundry list of injuries, the Bills defense is playing well enough to keep the team in games. There's a lot they could do to play better, but considering the youth on the field, the defense has played pretty well.

Which brings us back to the offense. The offense has been largely unproductive in the first two games. That much is certain, but all hope is not lost. The Bills have been rock solid on first downs, averaging 6 yards per rushing attempt on first down, it would seem that they ought to be in good shape to be moving the ball down the field. The team hasn't been able to string together three consecutive positive plays though. Fans are blaming Losman, and he has not looked sharp at times for sure. In reality though, despite claims from observers, Losman has completed 63% of his passes. Good enough for 16th in the league, better than e. Manning, Young, Garrard, Boller, Green, McNair, Roethlisberger, Leinart, Grossman, Campbell, Bulger, Romo, McNabb, Smith, Anderson, Jackson and Clemens. So the critics who claim Losman has been inaccurate are really full of it. The problem is that Losman's completions are for an average of 5.46 yards per attempt. He may have missed some reads that could have gotten him more yards at times (most quarterbacks do) but ultimately, the defense has taken away anything over 5 yards. Buffalo's receivers have been forced to take short out patterns and small gains in the middle and fight for yards. This was particularly a problem in Pittsburgh, when Josh Reed was out with an injury. Reed is the teams' best slot receiver both because of his smart play and ability to break tackles after the catch. In his absense, Roscoe Parrish got more balls thrown his way, and led the team in receptions for the game, but Roscoe is small and several times was tackled for a short gain because he was unable to break the initial tackle.

Losman was heavily criticized by the media for calling for a more open offense. The Media spun his comments into a direct criticism of the coaching staff. I don't think that was Losman's intention, but if it was, can you blame him? The Offensive play calling has been pathetic at best. I don't think the Bills have tried a reverse yet, audibled even once or done anything that is even remotely difficult to cover. Beyond Lee Evans, the Bills don't have a really dangerous second receiver, but several solid 3rd receivers. Bill Belichick often points out that its awfully hard to cover all four of Buffalo's receivers when the team goes 4 wide. Yet the Bills have mostly used 2 receiver sets, giving Losman minimal options even when the revamped line has given him time to throw. This doesn't put Losman in a position to succeed and makes it much easier for the opposing team to run blitz packages. It seems that Steve Fairchild has been so afraid of his opponents pass rush that he has left extra guys back to block, making it easier to cover the receivers and inviting the opposing team to do just what he is trying to stop them from doing, Blitz.

Fairchild needs to put more faith in his 100 million dollar offensive line and get more targets out running patterns for Losman. Perhaps it is because the line was so bad last year that he is hesitant to do so. The result is making it awfully hard for the Bills offense to perform. Losman wants Fairchild to open things up a bit and take the leash off his quarterback. Critics have argued that if Losman can't make the simple stuff work, what says he can handle himself in a more open offense. Hmm, lets see, maybe, last season? The first half of the season in 2006 Fairchild kept the leash on his offense and they struggled and mostly embarassed themselves. Then, after the bye week, he took the leash off and let Losman play football. Surprise surprise, the team suddenly had a powerful offense. The argument that Losman (or any quarterback) should be able to perform well in the NFL using only a rudimentary basic playbook is ridiculous. NFL defenses are way too good for any team to get away with calling bland and predictable plays. We will be waiting all season for success if this doesn't change.

Bills fans should also take into consideration that the Bills have started the season by facing the top defenses in the league. The top three defenses in the league going into week three are New England, Denver and Pittsburgh. And no, its not just because Denver and Pittsburgh played Buffalo that their stats are so good, they did the same thing to the other teams that they have played. This week the Bills face the Patriots who have shut down the Jets (who are worse than the Bills) and the Chargers who are very talented but suffered a huge drop off in coaching talent since last year (what were they thinking?). The Patriots are still one of the best, if not the best, team in the league. The Bills have a huge challenge ahead of them on Sunday.

On the positive side, Paul Posluszny is third in the league in tackles (it helps that he has had to play 40 minutes per game, more time on the field means more tackles). Marshawn Lynch has looked like a superstar. He hasn't had a 100 yard game yet but he was running against Denver (90 yards, was close) and Pittsburgh (65 yards but the Steelers haven't allowed a 100 yarder in 20+ games). If Fairchild can mix things up a bit better with the passing game to make things a bit less predictable, Lynch will have more of an impact.

The Bills haven't beat the Patriots in years and it looks unlikely that it will happen this week. However, this team is playing with a lot of heart and will make this a much closer game than the 16 point spread implies. (I think that's the largest spread I've ever seen in the NFL!) Aaron Schobel loves sacking Brady and has done so 10.5 times, more than any other player in the league. The Bills as a team have sacked Brady more than any team (30 times). Its a divisional matchup and anything can happen. There's always the possibility that Brady gets hit hard and loses some touch in the game as a result or that Randy Moss gets ejected for soem crazy infraction. Anything could happen. But in all likelihood, the Bills will give up a heartbreaking loss to the much better Patriots. If the Bills can at least put up a fight, it will go a long way to helping their season. Patriots 28 Bills 24.

Its brutal to have to start the season facing the three best defenses in the league, but hope is on the horizon. Next week the Bills play the Jets, ranked 24th, then Dallas ranked 26th, then Baltimore ranked 4th (doh!), then the Jets again, then Cincinnati ranked 30th, Miami ranked 25th, The Pats again, Jacksonvilel ranked 12th, Washington ranked 16th, Miami again, Cleveland ranked 32nd, The Giants ranked 29th and the Eagles ranked 6th.

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There is good news regarding Kevin Everett today! Not only is he making great progress, with doctors saying he could walk - even within the next couple weeks! - he was well enough to be moved home to a hospital in Houston, where he can be near family and friends. There are so many good reports, it's incredible. Wanted to share those links here. What an amazingly cool story!

Everett Transferred to Houston Hospital (BuffaloBills.com)
Everett’s Mother Confident In Son’s Determination
Everett Shirts Hit Store Shelves

Labels: News, Players

There is a football site that has us (the Buffalo Bills Review) on their mailing list. They have some interesting articles over there, including one I read today regarding "parity" in the NFL. The word is used a lot, and according to ColdHardFootballFacts.com, inaccurately. They have some interesting stats to back it up.

Check out their article: Our Pigskin Police Breaks Up The Parity

Labels: Links, NFL

Relax. We (the Bills) have everything under control. Everything is going just as we planned. The rest of the league won't know what hit them once we unleash our diabolical plan on those unsuspecting fools! Muhuhahahahaha!!!!

Perhaps that's what's going on at One Bills Drive? Maybe this 0-2 start, with the worst offense the NFL has seen in years, is all part of some grander scheme? Maybe JP is setting himself up to be "Comeback Player of the Year"?

OK, maybe not. But I do think it's too early to hit the panic button.

Chris Brown, of BuffaloBills.com had an interesting article on his blog today. He presented the history of recent 0-2 teams who made the playoffs, even won the Super Bowl. Certainly that is not out of the realm of possibilities for this year's Bills team, but is it likely?

In another article at BuffaloBills.com today, Aaron Schobel expressed his frustration at what he feels are very good Bills teams over the past seven years having very poor beginnings, and ultimately not making the playoffs. Obviously, the start to this season adds to that frustration. Here's what he said:

"To play as bad as we have, I played bad, it's irritating. It's been seven years where I feel like we're a good team and we haven't gotten it done. It is a bit irritating but the only way to change it is to start winning games and we've got find a way to do that."

It's good to see the frustration. It does mean they still care. Certainly we know that already, but sometimes you do wonder. I mean, how does this happen every year? In the article, Schobel pointed out that the Bills have only won ONE time in the last TWELVE tries against the Patriots! And this week's game might be tougher than any of the past 12! He's right that winning can turn things around, it can build confidence that gains momentum. But how do you begin?

I mentioned on our show this week that I really think the play calling needs to be "opened up". I agree with JP. We need to "let it rip", as Dave so thoroughly reminded us. But I do not mean that we just need to start throwing the ball deep on every play. I mean we need a wider variety of plays out there. Mix it up a bit more. Let JP do some roll outs. Some bootlegs. Work in some play-action. Get a screen to Marshawn to actually work. Get Roscoe the ball on a quick slant where he can keep running. Do some more 5-yard quick outs. Stop doing those quick throws to the WR who is two yards behind the line of scrimmage. Run more of those end-arounds with Reed, or Parrish, or even Evans.

There are a lot of ways to spice up this offense, and I think that will help this team a lot. Everything I am hearing from the players and coaches says that they are a lot closer than most people think. Close doesn't get it done, but it could mean we would see a very quick and complete change in the offensive output of the Bills.

JP Losman is very much under the gun once again, and I do think it's deserved, but not entirely. In a conversation this week with a friend and fellow football fan, we discussed how it seems so obvious that JP is the problem. It looks to our eyes like he can't hit the passes he is given. He throws high, low, behind, and just generally off target. He's skittish, jumpy, indicisive, and really looks like a rookie back there.

But he's no longer a rookie.

So, the simple solution - from our vantage point, and that of the media - is to replace the part that's not working. Lynch is looking great, the offensive line seems to be protecting Losman fairly well... the only thing left is the QB, right?

Apparently, that's not right. The coaches, and the other players are quick to defend JP. And I don't think that they're just taking care of their own. I really think they believe it. Lee Evans said when a QB struggles like that, it means the whole offense is not doing their job. JP also mentioned that the Bills would do well to open up the play calling a bit.

All of that leads me to believe that the Bills know something we don't know. These guys are not bound by some strange loyalty pact. Sure, they are a solid team, who enjoy being together even beyond the football field, but they have a job to do. They also want to win. (And if they don't win, they won't have a job to do for long!) They also know a thing or two about football, I'd say a good deal more than your average fan, or sports journalist. So, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt, and watch to see if what they think is there finally does materialize.

Only time will tell with that one. That being said, I'm pretty glad we have a very solid back-up plan in Edwards. :-)

It's very early in the season. We have played two very good teams (both of them are now 2-0) and one of those games we led for practically the entire game. We are about to play a third impossible team, in their own stadium. It is quite likely that the Bills will leave that field 0-3. Does that spell the end of the 2007 season? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Is it a sure thing that the Bills leave with a loss? Perhaps. But perhaps not.

The odds actually seem to be in our favor. Having won only 1 of the last 12, it would seem the Bills are due. (Although the Bills actually went 0-for-a-decade against the Dolphins in the 70s. Ouch.) Also, recent history includes two games in Foxboro that the Bills led until late in the game. Only to lose because they couldn't finish the game.

Schobel said regarding the Patriots, "To me it seems like the difference between us over the years is they have been able to finish games and we find a way to lose ours."

It's not time to panic yet, especially if the Bills can somehow put together a game plan - and a 110% effort - for a victory against the Patriots. That would certainly bring them back to the Ralph feeling much better about themselves, and perhaps set them on the road to finishing more games.

It can't happen until it happens. And it has to start somewhere. Why not this weekend in Foxboro? It's so completely improbable. But not impossible.

Stranger things have happened.

Labels: Current Bills

Losman sucks.

Full article coming.

Won't be a whole lot longer though.

Might be something like "Losman really sucks."

Have to give props to the defense.

Need to cool off now.

Losman sucks.


-The John

1. Yes, Bills fans we are that bad...
2. If JP continues to play this bad and especially next week we will start to hear rumblings of playing Edwards... I was really hoping JP would turn his poor play around, but alas he has not. It looked like the same guy we saw two years ago. He holds the ball to long and makes poor decisions. No Int's, which is good but we need to see consistent play from JP.
3. Our defense has to stop teams and force 3 and outs Pittsburgh punted once. They have to help themselves. Our defense was so tired to start the 3rd quarter. These guys are going to be in great shape by the end of the season...
4. It is a shame that Lynch has to play on such a bad offensive team. All his yards he earns himself. He is not getting much help from the multi-million dollar o-line. Yes, our offense is that bad.
5. Again our offense play calling in the first half was boring. We opened up the 3rd quarter with some nice play but no one seemed to have enough juice in the tanks to keep it flowing. Note to Dick you need to start a game this way...
6. I really don't think if we had been healthy on defense the outcome would have been any different.
7. Leonhard is on target for 16 int's and a probowl appearance :)
8. Expect another blowout next week. New England will convert redzone possessions into TD's.
9. It is going to be a long year. We may want to start lowering our expectations and start rooting for a #1 pick.

The rumors were true. Kevin does have movement in his legs and arms. It's minimal, but pretty encouraging. The doctors won't say that he will walk again, but it's not impossible. This is such good news. Better than I thought we'd hear.

You can read and watch more at the following links:
Everett's Improved Condition (BuffaloBills.com)
VIDEO: Everett Update (BuffaloBills.com)

Labels: News, Players

I want to start off by saying that my heart goes out to Kevin Everett and his family. Nobody should have to go through what he is going through. It is a terrible tragedy and hopefully something that the team can rally behind. That being said, all the injury coverage has made Bills vs Steelers coverage hard to come by, so I am going to try to stick to the football. Kevin our prayers are with you.


Week one did not go as planned for the Buffalo Bills. Not only did they play poorly in many aspects of the game, but they also suffered 4 major injuries. Besides the well publicized injury to 2nd Tight End Kevin Everett, the Bills lost Ko Simpson for the season at Free Safety, Coy Wire is out indefinitely at backup linebacker and Jason Webster is out potentially for the whole season at Corner Back. Its never good when a team suffers that many serious injuries, but it could have been worse.

Ko Simpson is really the only significant loss in the group and his loss was lessened by the outstanding play of Jim Leonard in his stead. Leonard finished the first game with a team leading 13 tackles and an Interception. You can't ask for much more than that. If Leonard can continue with that type of play, the Bills will have no trouble weathering Simpson's injury. Simpson being out for the season will be more damaging next season as the team was hoping to see some magic between Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson develop this year. Maybe Whitner and Leonard will be the tandem the Bills are looking for instead? It remains to be seen.

Coy Wire is an emotional player that brings a lot to the table especially on special teams. It will hurt the team not having him on the field, but he will likely be back later in the season depending on the severity of his knee sprain. Wire was already filling in for Keith Ellison who may be back before Wire. The Bills appear to have decided to play undrafted free agent John DiGiorgio on the weak side in his place. With DiGiorgio, Posluszny and Crowell, the Bills have a fast and fairly talented linebacking corps. They are inexperienced except for Crowell however so they will probably make some mistakes as the season progresses. Posluszny had a great first game as a starter, picking up 9 tackles. He made some mistakes too, but Poz seems like the kind of player that doesn't make the same mistake twice. He will just get better and better as the year progresses and he started off pretty strong.

Jason Webster looked a lot better in practice than he did in preseason games or in week 1. His injury forces the Bills to start Ashton Youboty. Youboty was drafted in 2006 to replace Nate Clements. He didn't play much last year due to the death of his mother. His development is a little behind, but he will probably improve a lot more rapidly by seeing more playing time. He is bound to make mistakes, but Webster wasn't exactly getting the job done, so I don't see any fall off here. There could end up being significant improvement depending on how Youboty does. Youboty gets a bit of a break in that he will mostly be covering Santonio Holmes on Sunday when they face the Steelers. Holmes is a solid receiver, but he is also a former teammate of Youboty's from Ohio State. Youboty is very familiar with Holmes and it will make his assignment a bit easier than it would be otherwise. I'm not saying Youboty will shut down Holmes, but he ought to be able to do respectably against a player he knows so well.

Going into week 2, the rest of the Bills need to step up their play. Week 1 was a sloppy performance, but it was sloppy for Denver too. Bills fans shouldn't give up on their team based on week 1. First of all, J.P. Losman had a bad game. This doesn't mean he regressed. It means he had a bad game. Thats all. If you actually go back and look at the film, Losman didn't make that many mistakes. The weather was wet which seems to effect Losman more than it should. Despite that, Losman completed 67% of his passes. That means he was on target. He wasn't throwing up lame ducks, the Denver cornerbacks (easily the best in the league) shut down the Bills' receivers. Losman took what he could get, which wasn't much. The ugly interception was the result of Denver grabbing the facemask of the intended receiver and getting away with it. Losman was not "crisp", which seems to be his goal, but he wasn't as bad as the numbers indicate. In week 1 all teams are still getting the wrinkles out, and the Broncos were able to get a jump on a Bills offense that needed a little more time together.

The Bills offensive line showed a lot of promise although they were inconsistent. At times they did a great job protecting Losman, especially in the first series. They also blocked for Marshawn Lynch well on several occassions. But there were also times when they looked confused and allowed the pass rush to come right through or did not get any blocks in for Lynch. These times will become less and less frequent as the season goes on and the Bills revamped line has more time to get comfortable playing together. The sooner the better, but it will probably be a few weeks before they are really in sync.

Marshawn Lynch looked outstanding in his debut. He came right out and had 3 back to back solid gainers in the first series. His only major error came on that first series when he blew a block that caused the 14 yard loss on the sack. Bills fans have got to be really excited about this kid. especially considering how unreliable the blocking was in this game. If the line can play just a little better this week than they did in week 1, Lynch will be well over 100 yards. My biggest complaint regarding Lynch was that the coaches only gave him 19 carries. After reviewing tape, it should be obvious that he will get nearly every carry in week 2. He looked that good. He also made at least 6 plays that were of the sort that we never saw from Willis McGahee. The 23 yard TD where he broke tackles and dragged a defender into the end zone would not have happened with Willis carrying the rock. Also the 4th and 1 play where Lynch got the first down with sheer will and determination was not typical of McGahee.

The Steelers are heavily favored over the Bills mostly because Losman had a terrible week 1 and Roethlisberger had a great week 1. But look at the opponents. Denver made a push for the playoffs last year and is expected to make a push this year as well. Cleveland went 4-12 last season and has been selected by many to come in dead last in the NFL this season. They are so bad that they fired their starting quarterback after week 1. Roethlisberger threw more interceptions last season than any other quarterback in the league. If the Bills can bring pressure on the quarterback with Schobel and Kelsay, they can count on some turnovers coming their way. Is Big Ben back? Maybe. Pounding on the worst team in the league isn't enough to convince me. Lets look a little deeper at Big Ben's performance last week. Yes he had 4 passing TD's but they were all short passes in the red zone. Overall he had 161 yards in the air. Nothing to get excited about. His completion percentage was 52% (compared to Losman's 67%).

No it wasn't Roethlisberger that won the game for them, it was their backs. The Steelers had 206 yards rushing. This looks like their Super Bowl formula. Rush the ball and only have Roethlisbereger pass when he has to. It worked against the worst team in the league. The Bills are a lot better than they looked in week 1, even with the defensive injuries. The Bills will still struggle against the run, but need to slow it up just enough to force the Steelers to the air. Roethlisberger is not what the Bills should be afraid of. Willie Parker is the player that can kill the Bills. If Losman can play well and get the offense rolling (which he should be able to do against a more forgiving Steelers secondary) the Bills have a chance in this game. The Bills defense needs to keep the Steelers out of the end zone and take field goals as they did in week 1. If they can do this, the Bills will be able to pull out an upset. It is critical that the Bills get an early lead. They have a slight advantage in that the world still hasn't seen the Bills offense functioning as it was designed. A few surprises get the Bills a much needed confidence boosting win in honor of their fallen comrade. Bills 21 Steelers 17. (either way you should pick the Bills against a 10 point spread, thats way too large for this early in the season)

Season record so far:
0-1
1-0 versus the spread

There has been some discussion lately over my former facebook profile picture. The short story is we were talking about German food in an email discussion revolving around our BBR game day coming up. Well I thought since we were talking about German food at a Bills’ game, why not Bills related German clothing? Since I’m an American, I’m stereotypically a culture ignoramus, and the only article of German clothing I could think of was a lederhosen, so I found a pic on the internet and photoshopped it to look like this:



There you have it, also those who have corrected us in saying Heineken was a Dutch beer are correct. Sadly, most Americans don’t even know they are two different countries and if they did, certainly could not point to either on a map.



Let’s hope she’s a Panther’s fan.

Well Bills fans we definitely got some answers this week. Some things thought during the preseason turned out to be wrong, others right. I’m just going to do a quick run down because we mentioned most of this on the show.

DEFENSE: Well POS has some big shoes to fill, but for his first time out I was really happy. I’m an outspoken POS fan and I’m looking for big things from him this year, he was worth the trade up. I know injuries are never something to cheer about (unless you’re a Jet’s fan) or ever something to laugh at, but you have to see the humor in Jason Webster. The Bills took a chance on a guy who has a reputation for getting hurt, and he goes out for most of the season during the first game.

During the preseason the Bills defense was criticized for being soft, they played about as soft as it gets, the only real aggression I saw today was from POS, Schobel , and McGee (although he had the hands of a Tyrannosaurus Rex). I’m not a coach, but I had the idea that if you actually tackled opposing teams, you would have a better chance.

OFFENSE: Talk about your lame-dash-oh. This offense is predictable, poorly planned, and ever more poorly executed. That said, Lynch is awesome, he alone was worth the price of admission. I know it’s only been one game, but he looks a lot like Thurman Thomas.

Champ Baily actually laughed when we went deep on the 4th quarter 3rd and 5 that lost us the game, as I’m sure God did too. “Silly Buffalo” said God, “Watching them run that play was like watching Britney Spears apply for Mother of the Year.”

Back to Lynch, would somebody explain the logic of “running back by committee?” I feel like Lynch is Paul Simon and Thomas is Art Garfunkel, how long until we shed the dead weight?

SPECIAL TEAMS: With Captian (and Master of the Universe) Brian Moorman at the helm, you can’t go wrong, if only Brad Butler knew the snap count. I’ve always thought Rosco as one of the most exciting players in the NFL and he proves it again.

Finally, I want to talk about Kevin Everett (or Keverett as I affectionately call him). The team prayer was one of the most inspiring things I have seen in professional sports. This injury is why mothers don’t let their sons play football. That said, this is going to be a major distraction, my only hope is the team uses this to band that much more together. Kevin, the millions of us Bills fans are praying and pulling for you, God bless.

-The John

640 x 480

These are some photos we took yesterday at the Bills/Broncos game. Music by Mel Jesse George (some friends of ours). Game images, Steve Tasker's Wall of Fame induction, and the injury to Kevin Everett. So sad.

Enjoy the photos.

Labels: Games, Videos

It's just a sad day. That happens after a Buffalo Bills loss. Any Monday after a loss is no fun. You replay the game in your head, and especially when it was close, you wonder, "What if they had just..." and myriad alternate realities dance through your head.

Today is no exception. But as I mentioned earlier, the day is sad on so many more levels than just the final outcome of the game.

Leaving the game minus four players with major injuries - TE Kevin Everett the most severe with a possibly career-ending injury - certainly added to a very down, depressed Bills lockeroom. Losing a game - in which you never trailed - by one point on a field goal that was kicked in an NFL record 11 seconds from the end of the previous play. Losing the home opener in front of 74,000 loud, excited fans. All of these add up to a pretty depressing day for players, coaches and fans alike.

But there were some highlights to yesterday's game. Perhaps, as usual, focusing on the good accomplishments from the day before can lift some of the sadness of the defeats.

HIGHS

• Marshawn Lynch
  One of the best performances yesterday - and most promising for the future of the Bills - was given by rookie RB Marshawn Lynch. Oft criticized in the pre-season, Lynch put a lot of that criticism to rest with 90 yards rushing on 19 carries, with 1 great TD run. Two plays stood out. The TD run where he carried several people with him into the end zone, and a 4th and 1 play where he drove forward and got the first down on a second and third and fourth effort. Those plays stood in stark contrast to the efforts we saw from Willis McGahee over the past couple years.
  
  Only downside of Lynch's play yesterday was a critical missed block on the opening drive. Bills were moving the ball well, but Lynch missed his man and gave up a big 14-yard sack that resulted in no points for the Bills offense. Bad way to start the game... rookie mistake. Lynch did make a few more rookie mistakes, and was noticeably - and unexpectedly - absent from the passing game, but overall was a bright spot in the loss.

• Special Teams on a Special Day
  It was fitting that on Steve Tasker's day, the Special Teams for the current Bills team were a big part of the game. Roscoe Parrish had a fantastic return for a TD. McGee almost broke a kickoff return for another TD. The kicking units covered kicks and punts very well, setting Denver up inside the 1 yard line for their first drive. There were some mistakes. Moorman had a bad kick or two, Lindell missed his only FG attempt. But as always, special teams played brilliantly and certainly gave us a great chance to win the game.
  
  Watch the half-time presentation (as well as some other bonus Steve Tasker highlight video) at BuffaloBills.com:
  
  
• Poz
  When the Broncos offense took the field for the first time, Paul Posluszny made his presence known. On nearly every play, the stadium announcer would name the Denver ball carrier, and then say, "Tackle made by Paul Posluszny!" The crowd would follow that with a supportive cheer. After about the fifth repetition of that sequence, you could hear the almost sarcastic tone with which the announcer said, "Tackle by... Paul Posluzny!", which the crowd responded to with an even louder cheer!! Poz ended the game second in tackles with 10, and was in position on most every play. He had some great penetration on a few running plays, and was just all over the field. I knew he was good, but yesterday Bills fans got to see that Poz may be something really special for years to come.

• Donte Whitner
  Actually, the defense overall played great. They made big plays when they needed to, and even given some rough circumstances, did very well overall. The stats don't say that, but my football sense does. I was there, and saw a unit that gave a LOT yesterday. Everything they had. Three starters went down in the game, including one who was replacing another starter! That's a lot to overcome. The flow of the game put them in some tough situations, which mostly they overcame. Overall, definitely a B+ (at least) for the Bills defense.
  
  One of the standouts was S Donte Whitner. Whitner was in on many plays, several for a loss. He was quite noticeable, and was living up to his #8 overall selection. Some Bills fans still question his being selected that high in the 2006 NFL draft, but Whitner has backed that up with some great play-making on the field, including yesterday's game against the Broncos.

LOWS

• JP Losman
  I have to cut JP a little slack in that the offense was put in some strange situations due to good drives by Denver, the punt return for a TD (which kept the offense off of the field), and some of the injuries. But really, he had a very bad game. He never got into any kind of rhythm. A lot of that can be attributed to play-calling. But some of it has to fall on JP. One of the critical plays he missed was on third down on the Bills' third possession. Parrish had beaten Bailey, and would have had the much-needed first down, but JP underthrew him. Pretty badly. Add to that the final possession where he overthrew a wide-open Lee Evans on a potential game-sealing bomb... and JP definitely did not contribute much to the game. He was 14-21 for 97 yards, 0 TDs and 1 strange INT. Not a good day for our signal caller.
  
  
• Bills Coaches
  As I said, JP does take a lot of the blame, but perhaps most of it goes to the Bills coaches? The offense was very predictable instead of the high-octane, spread formation that many Bills fans were expecting. Yes, Denver's defense did a good job shutting that down, but it did not appear the Bills were even trying to go that route. When they did spread out the defense, they went with short passes to the wideouts, hoping they could make something happen with the YAC. (Yards after catch.) That play was definitely not working for us.
  
  Then, there was the most questioned play of all. 3rd and 5 with just over 2 minutes to go. The Bills have the lead, and the ball, and just need a couple more first downs. Instead of going with Marshawn, who had been hot and had converted on some very big plays, they elected to throw deep for only the second or third time all day. Lee Evans definitely was open, but it's a low percentage play at best, and the percentages won. JP overthrew by a few yards (and threw to the wrong shoulder) and the Bills punt the ball. Had they made the play, the fans may be a bit more lenient, but that was NOT the call you make in that situation. In my opinion.
  
  
• Terrence McGee
  Yes, Terrence McGee. I know, he had a fabulous return, and he's always good for at least one of those per game. And, he actually made a couple good plays on defense, both on run and pass defense. He was defending that 2-point play that did not work for Denver. But I had a big beef with him yesterday. I counted two times that he outright DROPPED the ball and one more time where he was in position to make a play on the ball and did not. I know his main role is not to get the INT, but to defend against the pass. However, we need McGee to make those big plays. Especially on the ones that hit him in the hands!
  
  The first of the two glaring drops was the play before the Broncos only TD of the game. They Broncs had been driving, making our tired defense look silly, but McGee stepped in front of a Cutler pass, and had he caught it, would have probably gone the distance on the return. Great play on the ball, got both hands on it... but dropped it! ARGH! Next play, Denver scores. The other really bad one was a bootleg on which Cutler threw an ill-advised pass deep to Walker, but McGee had plenty of time to read the play, make his break, and got both hands on the ball. Our section was cheering on the obvious INT, until we noticed the ball rolling on the ground. That would have out a stop to a critical fourth quarter drive. (I think we got the ball back from them on that one anyway, but still... you have to make that catch when you get both hands on the ball!)
  
  
• Chris Kelsay
  This is pretty minor, but on one play, Bills DE Chris Kelsay had Cutler lined up for a big sack but did not wrap him up - and looked silly in the process. Cutler managed to get away, and even completed a pass for a first down on that drive. I believe it resulted in 3 points as well. That was really, really bad tackling.

THE UNFORTUNATE

• The Refs
  I do get tired of saying this - and really tire of sounding like I am whining, or making excuses - but the refs did have an adverse affect on the game yesterday, that they should not have had. There was a late facemask call that went against the Broncos that should not have been called, but I am pretty sure that was one of those "make up" calls, which doesn't ever really make up for the previously bad calls!
  
  The refs missed lots of holding calls, several facemask calls, and worst of all, they missed a timeout call from Angelo Crowell on the final Denver drive, which led to a Denver first down. It was fourth and two, and Crowell was signaling for a TO, and all the Bills were expecting the refs to call it. They somehow missed it, and the Bills defense was (at least slightly) caught off guard, and Cutler rushes around the right side for a critical first down.
  
  I'm quite tired of the refs having such a big (negative) impact on the Bills.
  
  
• The First Quarter
  I have already alluded to it, but as the Bills offense seemed to the casual observer to be sputtering in the first quarter, I noticed that there were circumstances that led to that. Oddly enough, they were initially a good thing for the Bills. The Bills began the game with a very good drive. It stalled when Lynch missed a block, and Losman was sacked. No points, but a great special teams play for the Bills put the Broncos inside their 1 yard line. Broncos called a great play to get out of that trouble, and got a couple first downs... but the defense held, and forced a punt. Roscoe Parrish runs that punt back for a TD, putting the Bills up 7-0! Fantastic, except that the defense who had just worked hard to shut down the Denver offense, has to go right back out and do it again.
  
  At this point they are tired, so they give up a few more first downs, but hold again, and only allow a field goal. Bills offense finally takes the field again after being off the field for about nine minutes. They run three plays, and have to punt, resulting in the defense taking the field again. The Bills stopped that drive, but already the Denver offense had 11:03 minutes of possession to the Bills 2:25, since their first drive. That tired out our defense, and never allowed our offense to develop any sort of rhythm.

• The Injuries
  Add to the circumstances above some very serious injuries to our defensive starters, and the emotionally draining injury to Kevin Everett to begin the third quarter, and the Bills were definitely in a really tough position to pull out a win, even being at home. Besides Everett, the Bills lost saftery Ko Simpson (broken ankle, lost for the year), Jason Webster (broken arm, out indefinitely) and replacement starting LB Coy Wire (knee sprain, out indefinitely). This is on top of some major injuries in the preseason to Ryan Denney and Keith Ellison. It's been a very rough start to the season for the Bills, health-wise.

My overall opinion of the game has not changed. In the stadium yesterday, it felt like the Bills fought hard, played a very solid game, and most certainly could have won that game. Questionable play calling, and the above unfortunate circumstances allowed Denver to pull out a win in a fantastic way (for them, at least), but overall, the Bills deserve a B+ for their effort yesterday. Most of the negative grade (for me) goes to the coaches and the refs. I was shocked when I saw the final stats and the Broncos had a 100 yard rusher (ok, that wasn't a shock), a 100 yard receiver, and a 300 yard passer. The defense - at least according to my perception at the game - seemed to have a fantastic game against a very good team.

The road ahead for the Bills is very, very tough. Both of their next two opponents won their opening games in very convincing fashion. The Bills have to go on the road, with a severely depleted roster - and very heavy hearts - and take on two of the better teams in the AFC, including their arch rivals, the New England Patriots. It is very possible, even likely, that the Bills begin 2007 at 0-3.

This team has some great talent. We saw a bit of it yesterday. Buffalo Bills Review is hoping that the coaches can learn to take better advantage of it. It'll be tough, but here's hoping! Go Bills!

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Players

Week one did not end as the Bills had hoped it would. Not at all.

It began as a rainy day in Orchard Park, NY, with rain expected throughout the day. That was the case, but the rain did not dampen the spirit of the 74,000 Bills fans in attendance. Not a bit. The parking lots were full of excited Bills football fans, and that carried over to the stands as the opening kickoff approached.

Though fans expected we might see a wide open, maybe even no-huddle offense, we were instead treated to a major change at running back. Instead of dancing up to the line of scrimmage and falling down at first contact, our running back yesterday slammed into the line, hit the holes, and pushed people forward. So, even though the lack of air attack was surprising, we were more than pleased by the rookie's performance.

As the game wore on, fans and players became worn down by the amount of times the stretchers - and sadly, an ambulance - came out on the field. First we lost Ko Simpson, who is part of a great safety tandem. It looked pretty bad. And it is bad. Then Coy Wire, who was filling in for the injured Keith Ellison. And Jason Webster left the game as well, with a broken forearm. Even one Denver Broncos player brought the stretcher team out on the field, but he left under his own power.

After all of the soaking and the sad injuries - and the sad play by our offensive unit - we Bills fans in attendance were greatly encouraged by our team's lead, which lasted up until 59:59 of the game. At 59:59, the Broncos offense finished their final drive, and their very well executed final play, with a 42-yard kick that split the uprights. As the entire Broncos sideline poured onto the field, 74,000 sad, soaked, and shocked Bills fans simply stood up, and filed out of the stadium in silence. I have never seen anything like it. It was not anger, not even really disappointment. It was just shock.

Perhaps the funniest moment of the day - at least in my eyes - was as we were all crowded together, filing out of the exits of the stadium (still mostly in silence) and like in the movies, when something bad has happened, the skies finally opened up and it started pouring down rain on us. Nice. Not only does our team lose, and we have tons of injuries, including a career-ending one... now we get soaked on the way to our cars. Perfect.

There were certainly highlights, which I would love to write about here, but I must get to some other things today. We'll be recording a show later tonight. Get your calls into the hotline. Send in your e-mails. We'll talk about all the ups and downs from Game One of the 2007 season.

Labels: Current Bills, Games

1. Lynch is the real deal! The 4th down conversion and the TD run was purely awesome. I look forward to more of Lynch he and Roscoe were the two best players on the field for the Bills (of course moorman was awesome, but we expect that).

2. Steve Fairchild needs to learn how to call a football game. Our offense looks lame... Not much different from last year's team we run for two downs and then try and throw... Denver was all over the play calling. The coaching staff needs to let JP audible when there are 10 guys in the box instead of handing off to lynch for 2-3 hard earned yards.

3. Defense is still spending too much time on the field to let Denver recover from 3rd and 23 and then two 4th down conversions. I think they were just tired.

4. We have the best special teams in the NFL. They are the reason this game was close until the last second.

5. Our offense needs to learn to not self destruct when we drive into the opponents side of the field. Lynch saved one drive but everything else was a dud from sacks to penalties. No fault to no foot on the miss, if bone head did not false start that field goal is good.

6. Steve Fairchild gets the dunce of the week for calling a long bomb on 3rd and 5. Duh, Steve we needed a first down.

7. Was i the only one who noticed POS was calling a TO on the 4th and 3 that Cutler ran for a 1st down. I saw him call it a few seconds before the snap. I think the NFL should let something like that get reviewed. Because POS was running towards the sideline judge and Cutler ran the other way the D was not ready because they called a TO. The announcers never mentioned it. Bad call by the refs. I guess in Buffalo we always need something to blame on a loss.

8. Finally, our thoughts and prayers are with K. Everret and his family. Sunday night he is in surgery. That does not sound well. I thought it was a great picture when the whole team gathered in a circle to pray for him. I think this speaks a lot to the unity Dick Jauron has created with this team. Kevin we hope and pray for a full recovery...

-Drake

And so it begins! After months of work the Buffalo Bills are finally ready to start their first official game of the 2007 season. At least they better be ready. The Bills schedule does not start soft. The Denver Broncos were a solid team last season and have some of the best corners in the league. Buffalo did not instill confidence in their fans during the preseason games, but the players are confident that when they unveil their full offensive package, fans will be surprised. Lets hope some of the tackling problems on defense were due to the preseason tendency to hold back and play safe. Drew Brees proved the other night that preseason has little to do with the regular season when his high powered preseason offense fell flat against a mediocre colts defense. Still the Bills left fans a bit concerned.

The 2007 season looks to be daunting for the Bills. Based on last season's records the Bills have the toughest schedule in the league.



Fortunately for the Bills, this is 2007 and last season's record is of little consequence. One need only look back to 2005 to see how quickly things can change in the NFL. Many of the Bills opponents had a worse record in 2006 than they did in 2005. While the Bills face many playoff teams from 2006, several of these matchups are against wildcard teams that were hardly daunting. (see the 8-8 Giants, 10-6 Eagles, 9-7 Cowboys and 10-6 Jets twice) In reality, the Bills only face 3 opponents that had daunting teams in 2006 and two of them are New England. The other would be Baltimore. On the other hand the Bills face 4 opponents that had 6 wins or fewer in 2006. The rest are in the 7-9 to 10-6 range. But thats all last year. Teams change.

The Bills certainly did their fair share of changing during the offseason. Buffalo cut lose 3 veterans on defense and totally revamped the offensive line. Fans were concerned that the Bills 75 million dollar o-line didn't look better in the preseason. It will probably take a couple games to work out the kinks, but the talent is there where it hasn't been in the past. Can they pull it together for the first game? Probably. The Denver defensive line is battered and not particularly menacing to begin with, so the pressure on the line will not be huge. Bills fans also barely got to see the true starting o-line during the pre-season. Jason Peters, Derrick Dockery, Melvin Fowler, Brad Butler and Langston Walker were rarely on the field at the same time during the preseason games. This was due to injuries to Butler and Fowler. No one should have been surprised when Butler was named the starter over Whittle (making veteran minimum and a career backup) and Duke Preston (was great in relief but not the answer as a starter). If the starting five can pull it together in time for the season opener, it will go a long way towards the Bills finding victory.

Losman has mostly looked like Losman through the preseason, but he has been running what the team calls "vanilla" offense. It would be nice to see better execution of the vanilla plays, but these kind of play calling really gives the defense the advantage. This is reflected in the preseason scores throughout the league. Despite the lack of game plan, Losman has been able to connect with all of his receivers for big gains. The Bills certainly look like the long ball champions. The question remains as to whether Losman can keep his head cool enough during games to make the short touch passes connect with their targets. If he can find a way to deliver the ball to more receivers the Bills offense could be explosive.

Lee Evans looks like he is ready to have a Pro Bowl season. He makes unbelievable plays for the ball, burns his defenders and seems to be in the zone with Losman. This is so obvious that teams are going to double team him without question. That means Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed and Peerless Price need to make more plays to help loosen up the coverage. Of the three, Roscoe Parrish seems to be the one poised for a breakout season. Josh Reed is always showing flashes, but never seems to be able to consistently contribute. If he can find a way to be a bigger part of the receiving game or if Peerless Price can find his old form, the Bills passing game will be deadly.

Added to the receiving mix will be a little larger dose of Tight End. Last season the tight ends had to stay back to help Terrence Pennington pass protect on the right side. Now Pennington is gone and so is Cieslak who was clearly a blocking tight end. This shows that the Bills are confident enough in their new linemen to stock the roster with receiving tight ends. Robert Royal is capable of having a big impact in the passing game if he doesn't have to block. Kevin Everett is supposedly a great receiving tight end who the Bills have hardly used because they mostly were using blockers at the position. We will see this season if he can really catch and run like they say he can.

Marshawn Lynch replaces Willis McGahee at running back and all of Buffalo is feeling good about the switch. McGahee had worn out his stay both by making obnoxious comments to the press and by underperforming on the field. The guy doesn't have game and Marshawn Lynch does. Lynch is quick and hard to take down. During the preseason, he struggled at times, but when he was able to get positive yardage, it was usually for 6 yards plus. He is also a significant threat receiving out of the backfield. It will be exciting to watch this kid run this year. He also loves the city of Buffalo which always helps.

The Bills didn't show much in the preseason games, but you could see signs of where it might be. It all hinges upon the line. If they can give Lynch a few holes and give Losman just a little time to pass, the Bills O will be tough to stop. I think the talent on this offensive line is strong enough that its a matter of when rather than if. This should be a pretty exciting offense.

The defense on the other hand is full of question marks. The defensive field general will be rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny. Already we see cause for concern. The Bills are depending on a rookie at the critical middle linebacker spot. Luckily for the Bills, Poz looks like the real deal and could end up a candidate for defensive rookie of the year. But the Bills are taking a big gamble here that will likely cost them at times even under best circumstances. With Angelo Crowell on the strong side and Coy Wire filling in for Keith Ellison on the weak side, the Bills have a fairly inexperienced linebacking corps. Will their youth and speed be a benefit or a hindrance? Like the offensive line, I think this group will be good by season's end, but, how many games will it take for them to find a groove?

The linebackers' inexperience would be less of a concern if the defensive line wasn't also such a concern. Going into the preseason it seemed as though the Bills were pretty well set at defensive end, but and injury to Ryan Denney and a 4 game suspension for Anthony Hargrove have left the Bills with only their starters and some very green backups. It could be worse, at least Schobel and Kelsay are the healthy ones. But it will prove interesting during the first four weeks until Hargrove comes back. Aside from depth concerns the Bills look good at End. However the defensive tackles are questionable. The closest thing to proven talent that the Bills have at tackle is Larry Tripplett. Tripplett had a disappointing first season with the Bills but the hope is that he will be more effective with one season under his belt. He was also playing with a lot of rookies last year who also now have a year in the system. John McCargo has looked good when he plays but has had injury troubles. If he can stay healthy it will make a big difference for the Bills. McCargo seemed to be disrupting the offensive line on every snap in the preseason. The Bills need that to continue. Kyle Williams, Tim Anderson and Jason Jefferson will be sharing time at the other tackle spot. Williams had a solid rookie season and the Bills are hoping he will pick up where he left off. Anderson struggled last season and Jefferson is a virtual unknown although the coaches are high on him.

In the secondary, the Bills have two solid players with lots of depth at Safety. Ko Simpson and Donte Whitner both had successful rookie campaigns and seem to be rocking at the start of the season. Hopefully the rest of the defense can play well enough for these young stars to shine. They are going to need to play their best ball because, after the departure of Nate Clements, the Bills are a bit thin at Cornerback. If Aston Youboty can take the next step and become a starter during the season, the Bills will be in better shape. But for now, they are starting Terrence McGee who is a lot better at returning kicks than playing corner and Jason Webster. This is an area that shoudl be heavily exploited by every team the Bills play. They will be counting on a solid pass rush to keep too many balls from making it to the wide receivers. Things could get ugly if Youboty, Kiwaukee Thomas or Jabari Greer don't breakout.

If you were going to use one word to describe the 2007 Buffalo Bills it would be "young". "Young" isn't necessarily bad but it leaves a lot of question marks and opens the door for stupid mistakes and sloppy play. Dick Jauron and his staff will have their work cut out for them. Regardless, I think the Bills will improve this season. The reason why is the fact that Jauron already showed last season that he can get production out of young players. The Bills had 6 rookies start last season at one point or another. In some cases they actually looked better than the veterans they replaced. This is why the team looks the way it does now. Out with the old, in with the new. Its going to be a thrilling ride because this is not the type of team that can be comfortable holding a lead in the fourth quarter. They will make mistakes, but they can win games. The schedule is not as bad as it looks. Here are my predictions prior to game 1.

Week 1. Denver. The Bills will actually win this one by a larger margin than most predict. Jay Cutler has only played in 5 NFL games. He lost 3. He's 2000 miles from his home stadium. It's kickoff sunday. The 12th man will be raging. Cutler will struggle and throw 3 interceptions despite gaining a fair number of yards. This is what the Bills' struggling defense needs. Marshawn Lynch gets 100 yards on a depleted Denver line. Lee Evans gets 2 TDs. Special teams shines. Losman looks "Crisp". Bills 31 Broncos 14

Week 2. Pittsburgh. Despite attempts by ESPN to brainwash all of America into thinking otherwise, the Steelers were 8-8 last year and struggled often, mostly because of Roethlisberger's interceptions, tops in the league. This year they have a new head coach. There is talent there but the Steelers play sloppy. Maybe later in the season this would turn out differently. The Bills have a slow start due to their cocky bravado after the dominant win the week before. Bills 21 Steelers 17

Week 3. New England. Every year the Bills come close to beating the Patriots in the first matchup of the season. This year the Bills catch the Pats on a bad week and get away with an ugly win in difficult weather conditions. Bills 10 Patriots 9

Week 4. NY Jets. The Jets got lucky last season. The Bills outplayed them twice but only came away with one win. This year will be different. Thomas Jones is no Hall of Famer. Mangini is over rated. The Bills will miss the 150 yards on the ground McGahee would bring to a jets game, but find Lynch's 100 yards on the ground and 75 in the air to be a suitable replacement. Bills 27 Jets 14

Week 5. Dallas. The Bills are getting a lot of press at this point for starting the season 4-0. Thats when the Bills let it get to their head and collapse embarassingly on the national stage in their first Monday night game in a long time. Cowboys 31 Bills 7

Week 6. BYE. The Bills lick their wounds after the embarassing defeat.

Week 7. Baltimore. The Bills put up a good fight but get outplayed by a better team in the Ravens. McGahee is a non factor and gets spelled heavily, as he will most of the season. Ravens 28 Bills 10

Week 8. NY Jets. Nothing like the jets to cheer up a team on a losing streak. Bills 21 Jets 3

Week 9. Cincinnati. I hate spelling Cincinnati. The Bills like playing the Bengals. They seem to have their number, even when the Bengals have a much better team. Turnovers and Special teams make this one a fun watch. Bills 28 Bengals 17

Week 10. Miami. The Dolphins are rebuilding and fairly well imploded by this point in the season. The Bills luck out by playing the Dolphins late. Bills 21 Dolphins 17

Week 11. New England. Usually the second time the Patriots play the Bills each year, the Bills get blown out. This year is no different. See Bill outcoach Dick. Patriots 38 Bills 14.

Week 12. Jacksonville. The Jaguars never are sure who their quarterback is, but they manage to beat the Bills anyway. It happens again in an exciting one. Jaguars 21 Bills 17

Week 13. Washington. The Redskins aren't that good. The Bills win this yawner. Bills 14 Redskins 10.

Week 14. Miami. The Dolphins put up a fight but turn the ball over too many times. The Bills steal a game with special teams. Bills 17 Dolphins 10

Week 15. Cleveland. Cleveland will be better than people think, but they will still be bad. Bills 28 Browns 24

Week 16. NY Giants. Eli has a rough season without Tiki Barber. The Giants are talking about getting a new coach and the Bills win pretty handily. Bills 21 Giants 7

Week 17. Philadelphia. With a shot at the division on the line the Bills lose dramatically and fin themselves a wildcard with broken confidence. Eagles 27 Bills 6

The Bills finish a surprising 11-5 but are still second in the division. They lose their first playoff game in the 21st century. Its not impossible for the Bills to sweep the Jets and the Dolphins. They nearly did last year. Going through the games its not out of the question. The Bills have to beat the Patriots once to truly be considered any kind of contender.

I'm pretty sure I have a lot of angry email coming my way. Send it to [email protected]
The season hasn't started yet, its anybody's guess.

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Schedule

(Counting down to Opening Day at The Ralph, I'm going to highlight four critical questions facing the Bills as we head into the 2007 season. This is the fourth of four articles, focusing on our team youth and inexperience.)

I've got to stop looking at our roster.

When I scanned down the vitals for our team, I saw a bunch of short guys. Fast, definitely. But still short. And when I focused on the "experience" column, I saw something that I knew, but when I really thought about it, it was staggering.

Of the 53 players on the Bills' active roster, only nine - NINE - players have more than 5 years experience in the NFL. Nine? Wow. Most of those guys are obviously starters, but two of them are our kickers, two more are substitutes, and one - Anthony Thomas - will likely not be a starter for long.

The youth movement definitely continues at One Bills Drive with more and more veterans being let go. This offseason the most well known were Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher, and Nate Clements. The season before it included Sam Adams, Lawyer Milloy and Troy Vincent. Add to that list Kelly Holcomb, Craig Nall, Mike Schneck, and a few others. Old guys, watch out. Marv is swinging his axe.

Last season we did OK with our rookies. Two rookies started at safety. Terrance Pennington came in at right guard and did very well, helping to turn around a putrid offensive line. Keith Ellison also did a great job as a starting linebacker. Even Kyle Williams deserves some props. Rookies all performing very well.

Now those guys are second year players, and Marshawn Lynch and Paul Posluszny and Dwayne Wright are hoping to get in on the action. John McCargo is hoping he stays healthy this year. Even JP Losman is really only in his second year as a starter. Everywhere you look there are guys with 5 years or less in the NFL.

I think we have seen that just going out and signing all the finest free agent veterans really does not work. (Ahem... Redskins, anyone?) but what of the lockeroom - and on-field - leadership? How much of a role does veteran experience play in a team's overall performance?

There is a verse in the Bible that I am reminded of. "Do not let them look down on you because of your youth." I am really hoping that we won't be disappointed by this very inexperienced team this year. Truthfully, I am of the opinion that while veteran experience is helpful, it is not necessary. A rookie needs to play smart, but he can be a superior player to a 7 or 8-year veteran. What remains to be seen is whether or not we have those talented though inexperienced players.

What I think we will see this year is the Buffalo Bills growing up. Starting with JP Losman. And Lee Evans. We'll see them become a regular, dominant offensive force. We'll see JP take charge of this team. It's already begun.

The national media stops at the roster. Where I began, they stop looking. They see the severe lack of experience and just write off our Bills. They certainly could be right. But I have sneaking suspicion that they will be eating their words as they tout this "Cinderella team from Buffalo" in 2007. This team has some great young talent.

This season, let's drop the "young", and just keep it "great".

Labels: Current Bills, Players

(Counting down to Opening Day at The Ralph, I'm going to highlight four critical questions facing the Bills as we head into the 2007 season. This is the third of four articles, focusing on our defensive backs.)

When I visited training camp this summer, one of the things I noticed in person, and perhaps even more on the printed roster, was the size of our football team. Or, more precisely, the lack of size. Aside from our behemoth offensive line, led by 6'8" 366 pound Langston Walker, our team is definitely on the lighter side of the NFL.

One of the more noticeable positions is defensive back. Our CBs are all either 5'9" or 5'11". Donte Whitner is 5'10". Our tallest DB, Ko Simpson, is 6'1". Jim Leonhard is only 5'8" and 185lbs!! These guys are not that beefy, either. McGee is the heftiest at CB - 198lbs. Our safeties are just over 200lbs.

But does that matter, if they can play the position well? I think it might.

When you look at our division, what do you see? Randy Moss of the Pats at 6'4" certainly stands out. But there are other star receivers who have a slight height edge on our DBs, and an even bigger apparent edge. Chris Chambers of the Dolphins knows how to make us look pretty bad, and Laveranues Coles does a fine job as well.

At the end of last season, when we all knew Nate Clements would be finding a new place to play cornerback, I said on our show that the scariest position to me was our defensive backfield. I just didn't know who we were going to put back there. And to tell the truth, after watching this pre-season... I'm still pretty concerned.

Terrence McGee is a fine athlete, and will get his share of INTs. But is he a solid, every down CB? Jason Webster has some experience in the NFL, but I'm still not convinced that he is a good answer for Clements' replacement. Then we have some decent depth guys, Jabari Greer - who had a great pre-season - Kiwuakee Thomas, and Ashton Youboty - who to this point, still only has "promise". Is that roster of guys going to be enough to stop Moss, and Chambers, and Coles?

Brady, Pennington, and maybe even Trent Green must be at least a little excited to go up against this very green unit. There are ten DBs on the roster, and the average experience is 3.4 years, bumped up by two guys entering their 8th year in the league. (Webster and Thomas.) The most experienced safety is Jim Leonhard, entering his third year in the NFL.

This is definitely a BIG question entering the 2007 season. One to which I do not have an answer. We hope the front seven can put enough pressure on the QB to give the DBs a bit of a break, but other than that, we'll just have to see.

Moss, and Chambers, and Coles... Oh My!!!

Tomorrow: Question #1 - "Are We Too Young?"

Labels: AFC East, Current Bills, Players

(Counting down to Opening Day at The Ralph, I'm going to highlight four critical questions facing the Bills as we head into the 2007 season. This is the second of four articles, focusing on our running game.)

We've heard it said over and over again by Dick Jauron and his staff, "We're going to take a running back by committee approach this season." When we first heard those words, Willis McGahee had just been shipped to Baltimore and the Bills were left with Anthony Thomas, Shaud Williams, and whoever they might be able to acquire in free agency and the draft. So, at that point a committee sounded pretty good.

But then they landed Marshawn Lynch with the #12 pick. He was very highly rated, maybe only second in the draft to Adrian Peterson. And not long after Lynch, we picked up another RB who seemed promising - Dwayne Wright. All of a sudden we have a premiere RB in Lynch, and a decent stable of backs with A-Train, Lynch, Williams, and Wright. Maybe the committee is the right way to go?

Add an amazing pre-season performance by I-AA college player, Fred Jackson, and maybe even throw Josh Scobey in the mix, and the coaches stick to their original prediction that we'd see a team of guys handling the ball this year rather than a feature back. Now Shaud Williams and Josh Scobey are gone, but we're left with four very good options in our backfield: Lynch, Thomas, Wright & Jackson.

But does a committee really work? Don't we need to get one guy "in a rhythm"?

I am reminded of 1988. The Bills did not have a feature back that year. Thurman Thomas was a rookie, and did get a good deal of the carries as the season wore on, but as I remember it, Thomas shared the carries with Robb Riddick, Ronnie Harmon, and even Jamie Mueller. He ended up with 881 yards that season, and had a decent rookie year not bearing the burden of being the feature back.

Perhaps that could be the best thing that could happen to Marshawn Lynch? He won't have the pressure of being the go-to guy. He's part of the committee. He's not even the chairman right now. That job - until further notice - belongs to the more seasoned "A-Train". (I believe he will begin to take over the bulk of the carries as the season wears on, but for now, Thomas gets the starts.)

Really, what will make the difference in the run game for the Bills is not whether Lynch is the featured back, or part of a running back committee. Really it comes down to our offensive line opening holes for one or all of those guys. In the pre-season we did not see much of that, and by the coaches' own admission, they just need more time to "come together".

Unfortunately, we only have three more days.

The Bills will take a committee approach at the running back position this fall. I do believe it can and will work. I think Lynch will develop very well in that system - where he does not bear the full burden. We'll just have to see how the big boys up front can "come together". And our rookie may just be elected chairman of the committee by the end of the year.

Tomorrow, Question #2: "Moss & Chambers & Coles, Oh My!"

Labels: Current Bills, Players

(Counting down to Opening Day at The Ralph, I'm going to highlight four critical questions facing the Bills as we head into the 2007 season. This is the first of four articles, focusing on our run defense.)

As you are well aware, the 2006 Buffalo Bills ranked among the league's worst in defending against the run. Teams piled up rushing yardage against us. It seemed we couldn't stop anyone. Or did it? If you think about it, teams did not score that many rushing TDs against us. The Bills knew how to stiffen up when it mattered. In overall points allowed, the Bills ranked 10th in the NFL in 2006.

But that was with London Fletcher, Nate Clements, and to an extent, Takeo Spikes.

Those guys are gone, and unfortunately after a rough pre-season, so are Ryan Denney, Keith Ellison, and even Al Wallace, who was brought in to add depth in Denney's absence. We could not afford to lose anyone there, and we have lost several players. They'll be back, but not for a while.

One of the biggest questions I have about this Buffalo Bills team is their ability to stop the run. Marv and Company have built a smaller, smarter, faster team... will their super-quick pursuit be enough to slow down the opponents' rushing attack? Can't tell that from the pre-season, we'll just have to see from the real thing, starting this Sunday. There will be some good tests this year. Travis Henry and the Broncos, Willie Parker and the Steelers, Maroney and the Pats, Jones and the Jets, the other Jones and the 'Boys. Then we get to face a fired-up Willis. Not going to be easy.

Might seem strange, but pass rush pressure might be helpful. If Kelsay and Schobel et al can put pressure on the passing game, that might force the offense to run, which the Bills would then at least be prepared for... and maybe then could stop. Blitzing linebackers could also do the trick. Hopefully Perry Fewell has a few things up his sleeves.

With four days to go, the run defense is BIG QUESTION #4 for the 2007 Buffalo Bills.

Question #3 tomorrow: "RB By Committee... Will It Work?"

Labels: Current Bills

Well, I have to admit, I am definitely surprised. Not that I didn't expect to be, but I am surprised at how I was surprised. Never would I have expected the Bills to cut one of the remaining QBs. Even thought Craig Nall was definitely going to be #3... he was certain to make the team.

But he didn't.

Nor did Shaud Williams, Mike Schneck and Terrence Pennington. All played pretty big roles in the 2006 Buffalo Bills team. Brad Cieslak is another relatively familiar name. Two rookies also did not make the cut, Derek Schoman and C.J. Ah You. Both of those guys will likely be signed to the practice squad, however, assuming they are not picked up by another team before tomorrow.

Nall is the most surprising because he did not play poorly. And, you just keep three QBs. Apparently the Bills are either needing to gamble, or are happy with their emergency backup, should Losman and Nall both go down.

Notable players who made the team include RB Fred Jackson, who had a fantastic - nearly perfect! - pre-season, as well as S George Wilson, who was converted from WR after barely missing the cut last season. Also new to the team, TE Matt Murphy, S John Wendling (rookie from Wyoming), and OL Kirk Chambers. Chambers apparently beat out Terrance Pennington, who started for the Bills the last half of last season.

There are always surprises, so I'm not sure why I am surprised... but I am definitely surprised.

Stay tuned for this week's BBR. We'll talk about the players who did and didn't make the team, and lots more!

Labels: Current Bills, Players