I have been meaning to write many articles this week. A thorough recap of the game this past Sunday against Baltimore, highlighting some of the pretty amazing things I see in our rookie quarterback, Trent Edwards. Another article breaking down the stats on how the Bills truly did shut down Willis McGahee on his first visit to his old stomping grounds—on his birthday no less. And, I have wanted to weigh in on the whole Bills-games-in-Toronto issue.

But I haven't. And, I won't.

(Quite) Unfortunately, I do not get paid to write about the Bills, and my work load at the moment seems insurmountable. Tack on the fact that we leave for California in less than 24 hours, and yeah... I'm feeling the pressure!

For that reason, here are a few quick thoughts on all of the above topics.

QB Trent Edwards
It is now official. Trent Edwards is the starting QB for the Buffalo Bills. Not just for this week. For good. Dick Jauron said, "Hopefully we won't have to make a change there," in his press conference yesterday. The Bills like what they see in Edwards, and for good reason.

Not only does Trent have a good arm, is very accurate, and can put some zip on the ball, he's also a very quick learner and very confident in the pocket. His abilities to handle the offensive schemes were showcased when the Bills ran the no-huddle offense for most of the game against Baltimore. The QB has to read the defense, and make the call from some pre-set plays in that situation. And he did a great job with it! His confidence and poise in the pocket are demonstrated by the number of sacks he has taken. Some of the credit goes to the offensive line, but much of it goes to Trent for knowing when to release the ball, and where to put it.

One of the more amazing things from Sunday's game was the FIVE offsides penalties Edwards was able to pull the Ravens into! It could have been six, but the call went against the Bills when Michael Gaines jumped at the same time as the Ravens defender. His cadence was excellent, keeping the Baltimore defense either moving backward by penalty, or at least a little hesitant to jump at the snap.

Add to his very good play for a rookie the fact that the team is now 2-1 when he starts (and could, almost should be 3-0, barring the miracle finish by Dallas) and you have a no-brainer decision. Edwards gives the team the best chance to win now, and most likely in the future.

Good decision by the Bills.

Willis Held In Check
When Willis came out on the Ravens' first drive of the second half and just started getting huge chunks of yards, I was definitely worried. I thought maybe he or the Ravens had figured out something, and it was going to be a long day. That was every Bills fan's worst nightmare... Willis running wild on us, leaving with the win.

But he didn't.

Really, the Bills did a great job stopping McGahee all day. An amazing job, actually. I knew what I saw, and what I saw was a great performance by the Bills defense, and a completely shut down performance by Willis. Well, almost completely.

So late that night I broke down the stats. I wanted to see if I had just imagined that we did shut him down. I did not.

On that one drive to open the third quarter, Willis had 4 carries for 72 yards, including the one TD run of 46 yards where the Bills only had ten guys on the field (but I don't think the eleventh would have mattered). Willis finished the day with 19 carries for 114 yards. Take away 46 and he has 18 for 68 yards. That's 3.7 yards/carry. Take away that drive (were the Bills still in the lockeroom or something?) and he has 14 carries for 42 yards! OUCH! That's 3 YPC.

More stats? The Bills held Willis to 1 yard on 2 receptions (and he also dropped one, that was thrown behind him). The Bills also held him to zero or negative yards on 4 carries. 9 of his remaining 15 carries were for 4 yards or less. Mostly less.

The Bills came into the game having done very well against the Jets runningbacks and the Cowboys runningbacks. They wanted to do the same against Baltimore, who are a run-oriented team. And, they wanted to shut down Willis.

They did.

The Move To Toronto
First of all, the Bills are not moving to Toronto. They are merely playing a game or two in Toronto—where many Bills fans reside. All of this speculation is definitely premature, and completely unnecessary. In my opinion, of course.

Here's what we know. The NFL decided that up to two regular season games per year would be played outside of the US through the 2011 season. Their hope is that each team would be able to participate in that. The Bills stated that they would like to be proactive in that experiment by suggesting that they play a game in very nearby Toronto, which is currently a major region that they draw from.

The Bills have played there before. In 1995 and 1997, the Bills played two preseason games in the Skydome. (They won both!) So they are no strangers to Toronto, and those games did not precipitate a move to Canada. They broaden the region that the Bills cover.

Seven years ago, the Bills made a similar move when they shifted their annual training camp to St. John Fisher College in Rochester. There are many Bills fans in the stadium on Sundays who make the drive from Rochester, and moving training camp to their city only made sense. It gave the Bills more of a presence in Rochester, and likely has won them some more fans.

That is precisely what the Bills are hoping would happen with a regular season game in Toronto each year.

This is not without NFL precedent, either. The Green Bay packers played several games a year in Madison, WI several years ago now. They are also a small-market, regional team, and wanted to have a more regional appeal. It worked just fine, as far as I know.

The Bills are not moving to Toronto. The NFL will not allow that. Ralph Wilson certainly won't. And I would say, as much as they are able, NY State will not allow it either. But one game in Toronto, even annually, makes a lot of sense for expanding the reach of this small-market team. Bring in more fans, more corporate luxury box buyers... and the Bills remain in Western New York.

The Bills will likely play a pre-season game in 2008 in Toronto. It remains to be seen what the NFL will decide as far as regular season games there. The Bills have crossed a few hurdles, getting approval on the first stages of this plan. Next is the NFL.

Seems like a great plan to me, and I hope they can make it happen. I'd love for them to play a game over here in Rochester, closer to where I live, but we don't have a facility like the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

So north of the border we go!

(But just for one game.) :-)

Labels: Bills History, Current Bills, Games, News, NFL, Players, Training Camp

With the NFL trade deadline fast approaching, some have suggested (even starting right here with Your Truly of the Buffalo Bills Review) that the Bills should trade JP Losman while they still can. Losman is under contract with the Bills through the end of the 2008 season. That means this season is very likely his "contract" year. His play in 2007 will determine the value of his next contract with Buffalo—or if he is even offered one.

Is it just crazy talk to be suggesting the Bills dump a guy whom they have developed for four years now? This was to be his "breakout" season. He was injured on the first play of the third game this year, so we only saw him play in two games, but it would certainly not qualify as a "breakout season".

In an article following Trent Edwards first start, I echoed the sentiments of Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News when I declared that game the beginning of the Trent Edwards Era. Of course that is premature, but I saw in one game what I have been wanting to see for three years from Losman. I have never been a JP basher. If you had to label me, I would likely fall in the "JP Supporter" camp. I do see the upside of Losman.

But in all of two starts I have seen way more upside from Trent Edwards. Poise, confidence, composure, quick release, quick decision making, accuracy, arm strength... I'd say on all but the last one Edwards possesses at least a slight edge over Losman. The main difference between the two is Losman's 30-plus NFL games to Edwards three. But so far that difference only appears to matter on paper.

Benefits of a Trade
I know trades don't happen that often in the NFL. They are especially rare during the season. However, let's look at some positives of moving JP Losman right now.

• Contract:
  The Bills will be making a decision this year whether or not to extend Losman's contract. Has he shown enough in his four years here to warrant an extension? Maybe the Bills are asking themselves right now, "Has Edwards shown us enough in just three games?" It makes sense to make a move now, if they are going to do it inevitably anyway.
  
  I think the Bills know what they are going to do with him. They know whether they will offer him an extension, or not. If they shop him around, and find a buyer now, they can get something in return. Not sure that happens in the off-season.
  
  
• Controversy:
  Buffalo has had way too many QB controversies since Jim Kelly retired. Flutie/Johnson, Bledsoe/Flutie, Bledsoe/Losman, Losman/Holcomb, and now the playoff-starved fans are sensing another following the excellent play from rookie Trent Edwards. Losman has never won the hearts of Buffalo fans. Not that they hate the kid, mind you. He's just never completely won the city over. Enter Edwards. Enter controversy.
  
  A swift and immediate trade would end said controversy. Trent Edwards has looked more than competent at the helm of the Bills ship. Without the option of going to Losman, there would be no QB controversy. There would be no distraction for the rest of the team.
  
  
• There is a Need:
  I was joking a week or two ago about Atlanta needing a QB (because of how awful Joey Harrington is) but now there are even more desperate teams to talk to. Desperate enough to bring in 43-year-old QB Vinny Testaverde in Carolina! Miami, Carolina, St. Louis, and others are all hurting for a good QB. JP has the physical talent to be that, which earned him his status as a first-round selection in the 2004 draft. Desperate teams may be willing to offer something for Losman based on his potential, despite his track record as a Bills starter.
  
  
• Do it for JP:
  As I stated above, Losman has never won the hearts of this city. He is a likable guy, and I think he is well liked in the locker room. But from what I have heard—and just my opinion from observing Edwards' play—there is more reason for confidence in Edwards as the QB than anything we've seen from Losman in his entire career here in Buffalo. Sometimes it's just good to move on. With a year left on his contract, JP needs to make a good showing, and perhaps with the QB shortage, trading him allows him to do just that, while offering the Bills some compensation for him. (Maybe more than they might get otherwise, since there is an immediate need on several teams.)

So the dilemma for the Bills becomes, do you take a chance on the kid (Edwards), or do you show some loyalty to a guy you have poured four years of development into, who also wears the big C on his jersey. Doesn't that mean something, too? He is one of the six captains of the 2007 Buffalo Bills. That has to count for something.

And I believe that is what Dick Jauron thinks as well.

My opinion is that the right move for the Bills—and for JP Losman—is to move him right now. There should be some willing takers, even in exchange for only a draft pick. (The way the Bills have been drafting the past two seasons, that could be a very valuable pick!) If Edwards is the guy, there's no reason not to.

That said, more than likely we will see JP back under center for the game against Baltimore, and then the NY Jets, and then I am not sure what will happen. If Losman plays up to his full potential, he keeps his job, and the Bills do have a QB "controversy" on their hands. If he's mediocre or worse, he rides the pine the rest of the year as the Bills develop Edwards.

The Bills have until October 16th to decide. My vote is to let the Edwards era begin.

We'll have to wait and see how Levy and Jauron vote.

Labels: Bills History, Current Bills, Players

Losing by one point on a long field goal in (literally) the last second of a football game after leading for the entire game (or most of it) is just plain wrong. It's too much for a football team and their fans to take. But how about two times in five weeks?

There are no words to describe it. It's just unbelieveable.

Some will say that they knew they Bills would lose this game. (If you listen to our show, you know that I am one of those "some"s.) But what you will not hear is that this Bills team, who is now 1-4 are without a doubt a much better team than their record indicates. I know, I know, everyone makes excuses, but you can not tell me that the Bills looked bad out there on the field under the Monday Night lights.

Despite putting together some nice long drives, and Trent Edwards again looking very efficient, the Bills offense receives most of the blame for losing this game. There was only one 3-and-out series the entire game. Unfortuantely it came when we needed first downs the most. The Bills had just intercepted another Tony Romo pass, and thwarted a sure scoring drive for the Cowboys, and just needed to churn out some first downs. They did not.

Third downs were also a major problem. Both for the offense, and the defense. On the offensive side, the Bills converted only 3 of 13. That's just unacceptable. Defensively, the Bills allowed 9 of 15 conversions. Not bad, but not good. Also, although Edwards was efficient (23/31 passing) and made very good decisions as he has so far this season, he did take three sacks (one was definitely his fault) and of course threw the interception that may have cost the Bills the game. (That can certainly be blamed on the coaches there as well, but Edwards did make the throw.)

With only 66 yards for Marshawn Lynch, and a total of 81 yards rushing (which includes Brian Moorman's 10 yards scamper on the fake punt) the Bills just had absolutely nothing on the ground all night. Lynch had a couple nice runs, and one great play through the air, but was not nearly enough to sustain more drives. And the most telling stat in the passing game is the 2.0 yard average per pass play. Ouch.

The performance by the offense—and the not spectacular one by Trent Edwards—does make for an interesting dilemma for the Bills coaching staff over the bye week. Assuming JP Losman is healthy, and ready to go, do they put him back in the starting lineup? Losman has not led as many productive drives for the Bills offense this year. (Edwards has had lots of long, sustained drives in his three games.) But points are what matter, and there are not many points being scored by the offense this season. Only three in the game last night. As I said, it's an interesting decision.

This game will be remembered by some Bills fans as a colossal collapse. Never trailing until the last second of the game. Allowing the TD drive, allowing them to recover the on-side kick. Colossal collapse. However, the team who was favored to win by so many points was shell-shocked by the performance of this anonymous defense. George Wilson incercepts the first pass for a TD??? John DiGiorgio saves the game with the FIFTH interception of the game??? And who in the world are Jeremetrius Butler and Bryan Scott???

Defense and special teams came to play. Special teams always does for Buffalo, so that was no surprise. It was nice to see Terrence McGee get his first TD return of the season. He's been close on a few. Maybe Brian Moorman should be in on more plays for this team. Even on the on-side kick by Dallas, it was just a great play by the other team, not really a mistake by the Bills. But I am still so impressed by the defense who was supposed to be shredded by the Cowboys, and instead played with such passion and incredible heart... only to lose because of no support from the offense. How sad.

But the Bills press on. They enter the bye week beaten and battered at a lowly 1-4 overall record. Certainly some positive things to be taken from the first five games, but also most certainly a very large hole to dig out of. Even with a three game winning streak, they only get themselves back to .500. That's not where you want to be. They do however continue the home streak with a game at the Ralph against Baltimore coming up on October 21st, and then another two weeks later against the Cincinnati Bengals. Four out of five games at The Ralph. So far, they are 1-1.

The bye week will allow the Bills to heal up, and return with a much deeper roster. Week eight will see the likely return of JP Losman, Ryan Denney, maybe even Coy Wire and Ashton Youboty. Assuming the Bills can muster the same level of emotional energy they had for Monday Night's game (Willis McGahee is making his return to Buffalo...) the Bills stand a very good chance of finally dominating a game—and winning it.

Bills fans are depressed today. But this team showed that they have heart, and character, and talent, and determination. Much more than anyone gave them credit for.

Now if we could only do something about the coaching...

Labels: Current Bills, Games

I think we may have witnessed history on Sunday, folks. It could be that from the ashes of this "lost" season full of broken players, we may have discovered what we have all been longing for since the retirement of our beloved Jim Kelly. It's possible that not only did Trent Edwards win the first game of the 2007 season for the Buffalo Bills, he may have won himself a job, as well as the hearts of the entire city of Buffalo, and Bills fans around the world.

You think I'm kidding?

When was the last time you felt confident when a Bills QB took the field? When was the last time you knew we could convert a third down play? How about a 4th and goal from inside the one... on a play-action, rollout pass to the TE??

Yeah, that's what I thought.

There are three things that I really noticed yesterday. (1) Better play calling, including - and especially - (2) the call to go for the TD on 4th and goal, and (3) the play of Trent Edwards. I do believe they are all interconnected, but let's look at each area individually.

Steve Fairchild Opens Up The Offense
Just last week I finally came around to my fellow BBR co-host, Dave's way of thinking. He has been on Jauron, and more specifically Fairchild's case since they got here. Bad play calling has been a frequent subject of the popular "See Dick Coach" segment. And last week, my biggest beef was just that - offensive play calling. I attributed that to Steve Fairchild, and stated that the Bills could not get rid of him soon enough! Horrible use of our talent, I thought.

What a difference a week makes.

I can't say I'm sold on the offensive genius of Steve Fairchild, but did you notice that they finally opened up the playbook this week? There were rollouts and play-action passes, there were misdirections, end-arounds, and yes... we threw passes to our tight ends! They had seven receptions between them! There were even a few Lee Evans sightings!! Six, to be precise!

The offense did a great job of mixing up the pass and the run, and sticking with the run even when the Jets were bottling up Lynch pretty effectively. The run game only averaged 3.1 yards per carry. (But did score a TD when Lynch ran one into the end zone in the third quarter.)

What brought about that sudden change of philosophy? Why did the playbook open up so much that our offense looked like a completely different group of players?

4th Down and Goal
We'll finish that thought in a moment. First, in continuing with the play calling theme, there was one play in particular that once the call was made, showed me that we were serious about winning.

With a precarious 10-7 lead, the Bills got the turnover they needed. Jabari Greer stepped in front of a Pennington pass and gave the Bills the ball at the NY Jets 25. Fantastic field position that they really needed to take advantage of. The Bills were on the good side of a penalty, which put them in a first and goal at the NY 9. From there, Lynch got back to back four yard carries, which set the Bills up with a third and goal at the one. Unfortunately, the Jets stopped Lynch for no gain on the third down play, and - much to my quite vociferous chagrin - the Bills sent out the kicking team.

Thankfully, the coaches had instructed Moorman to call a time out as the play clock ran down, which he did. This not only smartly used the clock... it gave them a chance to reconsider the decision.

The offense came back out, and my jaw hit the floor. It was the right call - it's what they should have done in the first place - but I still couldn't believe they were really doing it! Lynch had been able to get at least a yard on almost every carry that day, so with a 3-point lead, it made sense to go for it from inside the one. Barring a turnover, you either go up by two scores, or you give them the ball inside their own one, which still puts you in a very good spot. It was the right call, too, for a team that really needs confidence.

What I was not prepared for was the actual play that was called.

They sent Edwards onto the field with this call: a play-action, rollout pass to the TE Gaines. Every player I have heard, and the head coach as well, have all said that took guts. Calling a play action pass with a rookie QB starting his first game? Guts.

And that leads me to the final of three intertwined highlights from yesterday's game.

Trent Edwards
When Edwards came into the game against the Patriots, I told my family (with whom I was watching the game) that the game was lost. Not Trent's fault... you just can't expect a rookie who has not practiced as the starter all week, to come in and beat the best team in the league. And, aside from a quite welcome shock on the first drive, I was right. He was not able to do anything out there after that drive. They did a good job confusing him.

Not so this week. With a whole week to prepare, Edwards looked confident, made quick decisions, and threw accurate passes. He was sacked a time or two, and did throw an interception, but overall, there was definitely something different about our passing game.

To be fair, for much of the game I kept saying, "If they would open up the offense for JP, he might look like this too!" And, I understand that it was the Jets. They are not much better than the Bills. (Maybe they aren't better?) So, was I just seeing a mirage? Was this all inflated results due to a poor opponent, home field advantage, and (for some strange reason) better play calling?

By the end of the game, and especially when they called the play-action pass on 4th and goal, I knew that it was not.

See, I think I finally realized that maybe the reason the play calling looked so bad - so conservative, so vanilla - was more on the quarterback than on the coach? It could just be really, really bad timing for JP. All of it. They seemed to have thrown in some more wrinkles in the game he started in New England, but he didn't get to carry them out. And Trent's first start was at home against the Jets. But I gotta think it's more than that.

We've seen JP for four season. We've seen Trent for two games. Nearly every Bills fan I have read or heard or talked with sees that Edwards is the future, and should probably even be the present. That's so crazy, because Losman seemed to be "coming around" at the end of last season. But there's just something different about Edwards. And I think the play calls from his coaches proved that they know that too.

So, I'm off Fairchild's back, and big time on the Trent Edwards band wagon. I can't wait to see what the offense can do at home, on a Monday night, against the undefeated Dallas Cowboys! I don't imagine the Bills end the game on top on the scoreboard, but I do think we will give them a good challenge, if Edwards wasn't just smoke and mirrors.

Something tells me that he is not, and that is the best news Bills fans have had in a very long time!

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Labels: Current Bills, Games, Players

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

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

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

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

Hey folks. Have a couple Bills videos for you here. Well, they are really slideshows. I uploaded them to YouTube (why not use their bandwidth instead of ours!) and have posted them here. One is from the Bills/Falcons pre-season game, the other is a selection of photos from our visits to Training Camp at SJFC in Rochester. Fun times had by all.

Enjoy!

Bills Training Camp 2007


Falcons @ Bills - Aug 17, 2007

Labels: Bills Fans, Current Bills, Pre-Season, Training Camp, Videos

OK. I would first like to rescind some of the certainty with which I previously stated that pre-season and training camp are worthless. Having heard some remarks from the very coach I was quoting in support of a shorter (or non-existent?) pre-season, as well as some of his players, I know that there certainly is a place for training camp, and even pre-season games. (I still contend that a tad more contact in camp might be beneficial, but, that's not my point here.)

Nonetheless, might I point to the first three games of the pre-season as reasons why pre-season is COMPLETELY meaningless?

The Bills played rather poorly - sloppy was the word I chose - in their pre-season opener, and yet, pulled out the victory. They held the Saints to only 10 points. One week later, they had improved some, making several big plays, only to lose in the end by the reverse score from the previous week - 13-10. And then tonight they racked up 399 yards of offense, making some fantastic big plays, and lose 28-17.

Obviously, the outcome is not directly related to the level of play in pre-season. :-)

And although we have seen our Bills in three "games" so far this year, I still maintain that we do not know that much about how this team will do until we see them play a game that matters. If they look like this in the regular season, we're in trouble! But I don't think they will. They players do not seem very worried at all. Nor do the coaches. I think it's because they know that pre-season is not where you gauge what a team will do. You can gauge players... but not a team.

And yet... I watch the games. I even go to the games. What can I say? I'm a BIG Bills fan!!! :-)

There were some bright spots tonight, but let me quickly highlight the things that do concern me a tad - even though I am trying hard to remember that pre-season is NOT a good indicator of what the regular season will bring...

• Penalties and Turnovers
  Two things you do NOT want to see a lot of, and we had our share tonight. As the BTN announcers were quick (and frequent) to point out, several of the calls were pretty picky. Really, they were just bad calls. And even some non-calls. Still, 7 penalties for 60 yards... that'll hurt. And it would have been more, but the Titans refused several calls due to a better situation resulting from their good play against our D.
  
  One penalty even brought back a fantastic Roscoe Parrish punt return for TD. That was bad timing.
  
  Turnovers were a bit of a problem, too. Should have been much worse. I counted three passes that Titan DBs dropped. Definitely should have been INTs. As it was there were two turnovers, could have been five. Ouch. The defense didn't get any this week. Minus two is not where you want to be in this column.
  
  
• JP Losman
  The reason JP is here is just that he's scaring me a bit with how crazy erratic he is here this pre-season. He throws 3 horrible passes for every 2 good passes. Just super inconsistent. But man, when he's good... he's good. His pass to Evans was right on - from about 60 yards. He was hitting some great passes to Price tonight, too. But when he hit one long pass to Price, he didn't seem to care that much about getting down the field to set up for the next play.
  
  I'm hoping it's just that his head is not in the game in pre-season. Again, I must say, it's just pre-season. You can't judge a player or a team based on what you see in pre-season. You just can't. And yet... I do not much like his inconsistency...
  
  
• Defense, Where Art Thou?
  Bend but don't break, yes. But tonight we broke. Four times. And there was plenty of bending, too. We were the recipients of two missed FG gifts. But really, that didn't matter. The run defense would make 1 or 2 great plays at the line, and then they would let the back rip off a 15-20 yard carry. The pass rush was pretty ineffective against Young for sure, sort of the same against Collins. The defensive backs had some trouble covering. And, I know Young is hard to bring down, but the tackling looked pretty sloppy.
  
  You've got to wrap up. Got to.
  
  Can someone please remind me that pre-season is not really a good indicator of what we'll see in the regular season? Please?? :-)

Despite an 11-point loss, and an overall sloppy game with poor tackling, turnovers, and penalties... there were some really great things, too! Check these out:

• Evans, Price, and Parrish
  Three of our best WRs had some great numbers tonight. Peerless Price looked great. He hasn't, so that was nice to see. Made some great catches - including one on the sideline, and that long one down the middle that I mentioned earlier. Price ended with 78 yards receiving, Evans with 100 yards and a 64-yard TD. Parrish ended with 26 yards on 2 catches. Combined, the three had 204 yards receiving in the first half! Not bad for half a day's work!
  
  I really think Roscoe is going to be fun to watch this year. It will be fun to see how they work him into the offense a bit more.
  
  
• Fred Jackson
  What can you say about this guy? Is he for real? On the fourth quarter drive that ended with his rushing TD, he amassed well over 50 yards rushing and receiving. He ended with 31 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving. Nice work, Fred! I'm still trying to figure out if he just looks good because he is playing against inexperienced players who will soon be cut from the opposition's rosters. I really don't know yet. To me he looks great. He's big and powerful, always moving forward, yet he has some great moves that help him avoid tackles. He has incredible balance - never gets knocked down the first time. I don't see how the Bills cut this guy, but I'm not really sure what role he plays on the team, either. Will be interesting to see how they use him (or not?) this year.
  
  
• Aaron Schobel in the Endzone
  First of all, it was cool enough that Schobel was in pass coverage. But add to that the smart, athletic play he made to save a TD (at least on that play) was definitely worth mention. On a great play fake, the Titans had a receiver wide open in the endzone. Young floated the ball to him, which he caught in his hands. The TE failed to account for Aaron's speed and cleverness though. Schobel seeing the ball hit the receiver's hands instantly swatted at the ball, knocking it loose... knocking away a TD!! Great play!

As I keep saying... it's just pre-season. If the Bills looked fantastic, I would hope I would still temper my excitement with that phrase. Because I think it's true. We're not seeing the real Bills yet. The players remain confident in any interviews I hear/see.../give. :-) But that is admittedly hard to do, when we look pretty bad.

I will continue to reserve final judgment until we see 60 minutes of football against the visiting Denver Broncos. If we don't see a well-oiled machine scoring lots of points, and a defense that doesn't look completely inept that day, then we may be in trouble.

But we're not yet. Just about two more weeks until we get to find out what we really have. Can't wait!

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Pre-Season

Being in attendance at a game is definitely different than watching it on TV. In most ways it is far superior. It’s fun to watch it with so many other people cheering on your team. It’s great to get to see the whole field, watching plays develop live is way better than the limited TV version. The whole experience is just a lot more fun. And so, even for a pre-season contest, a great time was had by all.

Yes, the Bills lost the contest 13-10, giving up a late fourth quarter TD right down in front of us. Penalties helped the end of the drive a bit (more on that later...) but overall it was a good effort by our Bills, and again, it’s just pre-season.

Some thoughts from the game:

The New HD Screens!
This year, one of the more impressive things at The Ralph is going to be the amazing new high-definition display. It sits at the opposite end of the stadium from our seats and it’s incredible. Wow! It just blows away anything I’ve seen in a stadium before this. We found ourselves being drawn to watch the TV more than the real thing!! Too funny!

The only negative thing I could say about the new gigantic display was that the video would sometimes drop out, freeze up or just get choppy. In fact, on a replay of a pass to Peerless Price. It was a well-timed defensive play to break up a good pass from Losman, but it could have also been pass interference. The crowd watched the replay to see if a wave of disapproval needed to fall on the ears of the officials, but right at the very moment that the ball was reaching its target, the screen went blank, reappearing shortly after the play was over again. That drew a large moan from the crowd! :-)

They also installed those ribbon boards around the walls of the stadium. They stretch across the long sides of the stadium, just above the 200-level seats. There’s always something going on those as well, whether an ad, or a graphic to get the crowd cheering, or just the scores from another game. Overall, definitely enhanced the experience at the game.

Marshawn Lynch
I was actually super surprised to see Lynch’s stats at the end of the game. He had 7 carries for only 19 yards. I am not looking at them now, so I don’t know what (if any) his receiving stats were, but 9 of his 19 yards came on one play (his first carry), so that leaves 6 carries for the other 10 yards. From what I saw of Marshawn, it seemed like more. He was aggressively hitting the line of scrimmage, seemed to be pretty good at finding/hitting the hole (though, by his own admission in a post-game interview, he would have liked to have done that better) and he’s shifty and powerful at the same time. I liked what I saw, even if it was brief.

Defense Came Up Big
You can look at the final drive, or you can look at the yards allowed, and say, “Wow, the defense is in for a long season!” Or, you can look at three take-aways, and again, only allowing the first team to score 6 points. It’s still pre-season, so I think our defense was caught out of position a few times again. The TD to win the game (yes, scrubs on scrubs) fooled not only the players but everyone else in the stadium I think! Great play fake.

Despite the few blunders, the Bills managed to have a great goal-line stand in the first quarter, and Terrence McGee and Anthony Hargrove had interceptions, while Coy Wire forced a fumble with a bone-crushing hit on Atlanta RB Jason Snelling. Jabari Greer had some nice pass break-ups, and overall played well again. Poz got in on several tackles (again, not looking at stats here) and looks like he is going to be a force in the defense for years to come!

Our defense against the run wasn’t too bad overall. Had some nice plays for little to no gain. They did give up some big plays, too, though. So still not sure what we’re going to get in that area. Won’t know until they start playing football for real.

Fred Jackson and Dwayne Wright
I don’t know how Shaud Williams will make the team this year. It’s odd, since they just gave him a decent contract extension. Perhaps they weren’t counting on acquiring two excellent running backs in the draft? And they did know what they had in Fred Jackson, but perhaps he is exceeding their expectations in the pre-season? Coach Jauron specifically said that he is not (because they knew what they had), but he certainly is exceeding fan expectations! The guy runs really hard, has great balance, and just seems to move the ball forward. A lot. Dwayne Wright, our fourth round pick this year, seems to be a similar running back. He looks really good out there.

The only thing Shaud has going for him is that he’s different. He’s so small, quick, and has some great hands. He can do that for sure. And, he does have experience. Perhaps, due to lack of experience, Jackson or Wright gets cut, and the other makes the practice squad... but my vote now is that we cut Shaud. I really like what I see from these two guys.

No Turnovers
In two weeks of pre-season play, the Bills have not turned the ball over once. Not even once. They have taken it away 5 times. Plus five ain’t bad! Could be just getting lucky, but you gotta like that stat. You have a much better chance of winning when you don’t turn the ball over - and even more when you do take it away!

Trent Edwards
I have to say, this guy looks very impressive for a rookie. I know he’s playing against backups, but he’s also playing with backups! And he makes them look good! His TD pass to Roscoe Parrish was very, very impressive. It was improvised, as he was forced out of the pocket. He avoided the sack, got free enough to let a pass go as he was running left, and squeezed it in past two defenders! Great catch by Roscoe, too. I’d say from what we’ve seen so far, we will be just fine if JP is ever knocked out of a game or two this year. Great stuff from the rookie!

Negatives...

• Penalties:
  Last week we had one penalty for 10 yards. Last night we had a lot more. And they were drive killers. In the fourth quarter, the defense was called for holding, giving the Falcons a first and goal when I believe it was at least 3rd down, maybe even fourth. Also, I heard on the post-game show (while sitting in traffic) that there were two penalties on our centers for false starts. The CENTER? That’s pretty bad.
  
  
• Sloppiness
  I know, I know. It’s just pre-season. They’re supposed to be sloppy. But to the badly timed penalties, add a few bad snaps (one was jumped on by Lynch, the other was brought under control by Losman) and a few bad throws from JP... just sloppy. In fact, there was one throw to the endzone to Price that most definitely should have gone for a TD, but was either underthrown, or mis-read or something. It is definitely just pre-season, but most of the players said in interviews after the game that they felt sloppy. They were right.
  
  
• The Outcome
  OK, that’s not really a negative, but it is always more fun to win. :-) Overall, it felt like it could have been. The Bills played well, had some good stops on defense, and made a few good plays on offense. But, it’s still more fun to win!

The game will be televised in the WNY area again tonight. If you didn’t see it, you can catch it from Erie, PA to Syracuse, NY on your local channel (check the Buffalo Bills website for details). We may tune in to catch the plays we missed at the very beginning of the game.

We have lots of photos and a fun video from the game. If I have the time here this weekend I'll post them from my remote location. Otherwise look for several photo slideshows and a video or two from Bills training camp, and the pre-season home opener - right here at BuffaloBillsReview.com!

Two more pre-season contests to go. These get a bit more interesting as the starters will play a good deal more in the next game, and then the final game against the Lions will give the new guys the lions share of the snaps, letting the coaches make the tough final cuts just a few days later.

We’re almost to the good stuff! Bring on the Broncos!
Go Bills!

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Pre-Season

If I were to condense my thoughts on tonight's first pre-season game into two words, they would probably be "sloppy" and "promise".

It's Pre-season...
Let's get "sloppy" out of the way first. The first series or two especially were glaring examples of why pre-season tickets should not be priced the same as regular season tickets. We all expect it, but you hope it's sort of like riding a bike. You can't ever forget how to do it. But what I saw was first, giving credit where credit is due, an amazing sharp Drew Brees running an amazingly sharp New Orleans offense, against an amazingly out of position Bills defense. Yes, we held eventually, only allowing two FG attempts, and the interception in the end zone, but man did they have their way with our defense.

And offense wasn't much better. For all the beef we gained on the offensive line, you couldn't tell it. It looked like most of the RBs were running hard, but there was just nowhere to go.

But I'd say most of the sloppiness was on defense. The DBs were completely out of position on several plays. Jabari Greer might be competing for the starting CB slot, rather than the main nickel CB. I know Jason Webster has been impressive in camp, but man... he was getting smoked! Meanwhile, Greer had two obviously great plays on the two INTs. Actually, I noticed Ashton Youboty several times as well.

And, let's not forget... several of the times our defense looked silly it was at the hands of Drew Brees and/or Reggie Bush. There was a reason the Saints had the number one offense in 2006.

Bright Spots
There were several bright spots. First of all, how about a round of applause for the Bills second round draft pick, "POZ"??? (The announcers thought that Posluszny might be nick-named "PUZ"... but, that's par for the course with football commentators...) Nine tackles, and a sack. He looked ready to play and definitely attacked the play more than what I remember Fletcher doing. I'm sure he was made to look silly on several occasions, but I don't remember them. Poz was definitely a bright spot.

Then there was the entire Special Teams. Someone posted the following on the Buffalo Bills Message Boards during the game:

Bobby April = God

And, while I do not agree with the theology of that statement, I completely agree with the sentiment. :-) Our special teams is going to keep us in several games this season, and very likely could win a game or two. They are that good. Two punts... TWO PUNTS downed inside the FIVE??!?! Not the twenty. The five. Moorman is insane. The kick coverage is phenomenal. They are right there, and sure tacklers. And dare we forget to pay homage to our favorite Bills' kicker, Rian "Who You Callin' No Foot" Lindell?? A 54 yard FG?? And RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE. My goodness. McGee added a nice return as well. This unit is incredible. Even in the first pre-season game!

My wife noticed a cool stat that deserves "bright spot" mention as well. Our Buffalo Bills only committed a single penalty in the entire sixty minute game. One. That's impressive, especially for the first pre-season game.

Of course, you have to give some love to our rookie QB, Trent Edwards. His stats weren't that impressive - and he did look pretty green at times - but 10-11 ain't bad. And he had some nice completions to Fred Jackson, Roscoe Parrish, and Sam Aiken. Not bad for his first day on the job, even if it was against third and fourth stringers. ;-)

But how about our veteran QB? Even though I started getting a little scared, saying out loud to my TV, "Get dowwwwn... Get DOWN!", that was quite a scramble by Losman. He does have some "good wheels", as the saying goes. Perhaps, just save those "wheels" for the games that matter... :-)

Langston Walker did not impress me on the offensive line (when you're 6'8" and 365... blow some guys off the line, mister!) but he did block a field goal on his first attempt. Guess he was pretty good at that in Oakland (several last season) and perhaps that will be a secret weapon for the Bills this season.

Surprises

• I was surprised at how out of position Jason Webster was. He looked decent to me at camp, and I have heard nothing but praise for him. So... that was a surprise.
  
  
• Who was that guy wearing #23? I thought he was speedy, powerful, hits the hole hard, and a very confident, sure-handed running back? He was nowhere in the passing game... and carried just 2 times for 3 yards. That was definitely a surprise as I thought I read at BuffaloBills.com that he would be getting a good number of carries tonight.
  
  
• Fred Jackson was conversely a nice surprise at RB. He ran hard, and smart. Knew where the hole was and hit it. He also showed some great balance and strength, fighting through tackles. And, it doesn't hurt that he scored our only TD.
  
  
• Oh yeah... don't forget the best surprise of all... we're undefeated! The Bills came out with the win. Well deserved. Good work, lads!

Overall... we won... and got some good performances from a few young guys (and our special teams!) but in the end, it's just the first pre-season game. :-) Long way to go (for which I am very thankful!!) and it will hopefully start getting a bit more crisp from here on. I'm concerned (obviously) about our secondary. But if we can get some pressure on the QB (as they were toward the end) then we can take some pressure off the DBs. That would be a wise move, I think.

Bring on the real stuff! Less than four weeks!

Go Bills!

---

For Reference:
Game Stats from NFL.com
Game Summary from BuffaloBills.com

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Pre-Season

It’s ten minutes before the first Bills game of the year. Yes, it may only be pre-season, but it’s a game. A real game with pads, hitting, and even some semblance of a game plan. The action will be intense, the players will be playing for jobs, if not to win.

Football is back.

And the word of the hour is “Optimism”. How can it not be? We are on the threshold of a new Buffalo Bills season. We’ve seen the off-season moves, whether we agree with them or not, we know there is potential for a new start and a fresh run at the final prize... the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The most elusive goal for the Bills. Forty-one attempts, and only four almosts to show for it.

The “professionals” would have you think they know how the season will turn out. They know the Bills are too young. They know our defense will not be able to stop the run. They know a second wideout must emerge or Lee Evans doesn’t have a chance. They know that our schedule is just too tough.

They know.

But they don’t. They can’t. Here at the precipice of a new year of Bills football, no one knows. Any number of things could go wrong. Or, they could go right. As a Bills fan, I mean, someone who is a FAN of the Bills (as opposed to a “critic”) I tend to approach the first game with 100% optimism.

So as I get my snacks and head in to watch the Bills... I know I’m watching the first team that will go undefeated in pre-season, regular season, and the playoffs. Right now, we’re undefeated. Unbeatable. The 2007 season begins, and the Bills have every bit the chance to end the year with a ring and a trophy as the Indianapolis Colts did last season.

That is just a great place to be! Bring on the season!

Go Bills!!

Labels: Current Bills

I've always wanted to use the word "Fracas". :-)

Unfortunately, I did not want to use it in conjunction with the Buffalo Bills. It seems Mr. Hargrove (pictured above to the right) did not use his best discretion when choosing to be part of a gathering of 300-400 people on a sidewalk in downtown Rochester at 2:00am on a Saturday night.

Once police arrived, things happened... and Hargrove found himself in jail. Not good. Not like the Bills. It will be interesting to see what the Bills do with this.

Any thoughts? Comments? Leave them below.

Labels: Current Bills, News

The Buffalo Bills website has featured a 20-day countdown to Bills Training Camp with the top 20 questions facing the Bills as they prepare for the 2007 season. As always, the articles have been fantastic. I thought it would be of interest to you as a listener of the Buffalo Bills Review to have the complete list (with links) available here in one place! So, click below to read and prepare for the 2007 Buffalo Bills season!!! Training camps starts JULY 26th!!! WHOOOHOOO!!!!

Go BILLS!

#1: Will The Bills Make The Playoffs?
#2: Will J.P. Losman Become An Elite Quarterback?
#3: Will The Run Defense Be Better?
#4: Who Will Make The Greatest Impact As A Rookie?
#5: Will Peters Make The Pro Bowl?
#6: Who Will Be The Right Cornerback?
#7: Who Will Pull Attention Off Of Lee Evans?
#8: Will The Pass Protection Be Better?
#9: Will There Be A Featured Running Back?
#10: Who Are The Training Camp Sleepers?
#11: Who Will Start At H-Back?
#12: Can Moorman Net 40?
#13: Who Starts At Middle Linebacker?
#14: Will Special Teams Reclaim NFL Top Spot?
#15: How Much Will Whitner & Simpson Improve?
#16: Who Will Start At Right Guard?
#17: Who Leads On Defense?
#18: Will Kevin Everett Contribute More?
#19: Who Will Be The Backup Quarterback?
#20: Can McGee Be An Anchor In The Secondary?

Labels: BuffaloBills.com, Current Bills, Training Camp

[The following is from Chris Brown's blog at BuffaloBills.com]

IMPORTANT CAMP DATES:

• On Aug. 4 it's Junior Bills Backers day for the youngsters where a special day is planned for the kids at camp. So sign your kids up at Buffalobills.com.
  
  
• On Aug. 7 it's Alumni day where a lot of Bills alumni are expected to be in, so if you can make it out that day have your autograph books and cameras at the ready.
  
  
• On Aug. 13 Jim Kelly and J.P. Losman will be at camp to promote the Enlyten SportStrips product.
  
  
• On Aug. 14 it's the Turkey Hill ice cream sampling day.
  
  
• On Aug. 15 there will be a Jet Blue on field promotion and a Tim Horton's Iced Coffee giveaway.

Labels: Current Bills, Schedule, Training Camp

I got an e-mail from NFL.com today, promoting the upcoming Hall of Fame inductions. As a Bills fan, you know that Thurman Thomas will be one of those inductees on August 4th. If money were not an issue, I am pretty sure we'd be there. The e-mail that was sent had each player in their uniform as a collage of NFL players for the header of the e-mail. It was neat. Seeing Thurman with that group of great players... just brought back memories.

But one of those players, Bruce Matthews, is shown in a Tennessee Titans uniform. Now, I remember Bruce Matthews. I believe he mostly played for the Houston Oilers, am I correct? I realize that the Houston Oilers moved and are now the Tennessee Titans, but can't you give the Houston fans something to remember their team by? Yes, they have the Texans now... but come on. Do they even compare? Not yet, they don't.

That got me thinking about the Bills. Rumors have abounded since I first became a Buffalo Bills fan way back in 1988 that our team "might not be here much longer". Rumors of moving the team to L.A., to Toronto... and maybe some other places. But for now, the Bills remain in Western New York, and I remain a Big Bills Fan.

But what if Mr. Wilson passes on in the not-too-distant future? I'm sure he's making some plans... but, you can't know what will happen when someone else is calling the shots. Will they keep the team in Buffalo? With the new contracts that players are signing, I really don't see how the Bills can remain a viable franchise in this region. (Note. I am no financial wizard. So, take my "business sense" with a grain of salt...) I do know that as player price tags rise, the only way to compensate is to charge more money. Who mostly gets charged? Western New Yorkers. Bills fans.

If nothing changes, and the Bills get moved to a larger market to survive, what will you do Bills fan? Will you continue to follow the team? (Any Clippers fans out there still?) Or will you root for the Browns, the Steelers, or whatever team (if not the Bills) shows up just north of the border?

I have to say that if no team were here in Buffalo... I might follow them in whatever town they were moved to for a year, maybe two. But, I really don't think I would continue very long. I am a BUFFALO Bills fan. I am (sorry NFL) not an NFL football fan. Yes, I like football, but my allegience is to my team here in my area. I really don't care much at all about any other team. Ask my wife. She's the one watching the other games on weekends, while I find something else to do around the house.

What would you do if the Bills left town, and 10 years down the road they are still inducting members of those Buffalo Super Bowl teams into the NFL Hall of Fame, but instead they are shown as Toronto Loons, or Los Angeles Gang Members? "This year's Hall of Fame class includes Steve Tasker, from the Toronto Loons." Ouch.

No, Bills fans, I'm sad to say it... if the Bills ever left town, I would quickly forget about the NFL. I would move on to other things. (There actually is more to life than football, though with only nine days to training camp... it's hard to remember that!) I just wouldn't care if the NFL did not have a team in my area.

So listen up, NFL. If you want fans from this area... don't expect us to root for our Bills if they are based in Toronto. Don't certainly don't expect us to latch on to the Browns, Steelers, Jets, or Giants. We're Bills fans. BUFFALO Bills fans. I know I am. And forever shall be.

Go BILLS!

Labels: Bills History, Current Bills, Hall of Fame, NFL

Last week I posted an article on my blog at BuffaloBills.com stating five very good reasons to be optimistic about our offense. And I still believe all of those are true. I am very excited about the offense next year for those five (and MORE) reasons!

But what about the defense?

When you hear people talk about how the Bills are at best a long shot to make the playoffs in 2007, it mostly revolves around the loss of three key veteran players - all from the defensive side of the ball. Nate Clements, London Fletcher, and Takeo Spikes. Those three guys have had some serious impact for the Buffalo Bills over the past several years.

Fletcher has led the team in tackles (being named the 2006 Buffalo Bills Review Season MVP, and a closer runner up in 2007!) and was a leader in the locker room.

Spikes was another emotional team leader whom all the players respected and looked up to. His play on the field was mostly absent for 2006, even when he was dressed and playing. He wasn't the same TKO.

Clements is probably a different story. He will be missed to be sure. But the fact that the Bills did not go out and get another CB of similar ability... makes you think they must be at least somewhat satisfied with who they have now.

All three of those guys contributed while they were here in big, big ways. They were great Buffalo Bills, and we cheered for all of them. But now they're gone, and it's someone else's turn to step up. And if you really look at it, we're losing a player who was mostly gone (Spikes), a player that didn't fit the Bills' defensive scheme (Fletcher), and an overpriced DB ($80Million?!??!) When you look at it that way, it doesn't seem so bad.

Let's take a look at a few things that we can really look forward to this season on defense.

A Great, Young Defensive Line
Well, the first DL you might think of on our team is not really so young... but he is great. Pro Bowl DE, Aaron Schobel, returns to anchor the right side of our line, as does his bookend Chris Kelsay. Rumblings of grumblings regarding the contract Kelsay signed this off-season were likely a bit overblown as Schobel was at the mini-camps, and doesn't seem to have as much of a problem with his salary as everyone else does. Add to those guys Ryan Denney (similar player to Kelsay), a decent DE in Anthony Hargrove, and then a couple other guys for depth during training camp... and we're pretty good at DE.

The biggest problem last year was stopping the run consistently. That usually is up to your big ol' fat guys in the middle. Problem is, we don't have too many of those. In comes Darwin Walker via trade with the Eagles. Or, does he? Walker (as you all know) has not reported to the Bills yet, and it's looking like he never will. This was the one big move the Bills made to add depth to what most feel is a sorely lacking position, and so far it has not gone through.

Who does that leave them with? Well, a pretty good stable of guys, actually. Veteran Larry Triplett returns, along with youngsters Kyle Williams, a repaired John McCargo, and Tim Anderson. McCargo was a first-round choice last year, so if he's healthy, we could expect some great play from him. The other guys seem to be good enough that the coaching staff is happy with them. They all fit the mold of the light-but-quick DL the Bills scheme calls for.

Question is, with mostly no additions to this group, what will allow them to improve on a very bad run-stopping defense last year? One more year of experience, a healthy McCargo, and being more comfortable/familiar with the scheme may help... but again, will it be enough?

Great youth and talent at LB
Bills fans rejoiced when their team moved up in the second round to get Paul Posluszny from Penn State. Many hoped he would be our first round choice, but after landing Marshawn Lynch with that pick, perhaps gave up hope. After the trade, most Bills fans were elated beyond words. Lynch & Poz are an exciting start to the 2007 Buffalo Bills draft! And from the film I have seen of him, including interviews on BuffaloBills.com, he seems like the real deal. He was definitely worth trading up.

Beyond "Poz", the Bills have some great young depth at LB. Angelo Crowell returns along with Keith Ellison, both of whom played well as starters last season. Crowell now (by default) assumes the role of "leader" as he has the most experience of the group - going into his FIFTH season.

Add to those three (likely) starters Josh Stamer and John DiGiorgio, and a handful more for training camp, and there is some pretty raw talent in the linebacking corp for the Bills this coming season. The problem is they are SO green. We have no idea till they get out on the field whether that will help or not. Time will tell...

Great youth and talent at DB
But... I thought we lost our best DB? How can we still have "great youth and talent" at DB?

Remember last year's draft? The Bills picked SS Donte Whiter with the 8th overall pick. Donte Whitner??!? And then they picked Ko Simpson and Ashton Youboty. THREE DBs in the TOP FOUR PICKS? That seemed insane. But after watching Whitner and Simpson play together as perhaps one of the better safety tandems in the league last year - one has to be at least slightly optimistic. And add to those two this year's 6th round pick, John Wendling. Apparently quite the player himself.

But what about CB? With Nate gone... and McGee a bit suspect last year, aren't Tom Brady and Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Ben Watson, Wes Welker, and even Kyle Brady going to eat us alive??? Maybe. But maybe not.

(SIDENOTE: Do you think if Tom connects with Kyle more than once this season they might start calling the Pats the "Brady Bunch"?) :-)

If the Bills felt there was a hole at the CB spot for them, they sure didn't try very hard to fill it. We brought in Jason Webster from Atlanta, who has starting experience, but is relatively unknown. I guess we're expecting Ashton Youboty to step in and play well despite no NFL starts. Beyond that we have some depth returning from last season in Jabari Greer and Kiwaukee Thomas. Most of the other guys are complete unknowns.

This position (defensive backfield) seems to me to be the weakest spot on the D. (Perhaps rivaled by defensive tackle.) While our starting safeties seem great (and that rookie we drafted!) I can't help but wonder who's going to step up and take on the other team's number one receiver. Who's going to step up?

I'm not sure... but I am sure there are going to be a lot of guys trying!

There are certainly less reasons to be optimistic about the defense this year - at least, fewer proven reasons. This season is all about potential. Mostly on offense. Perhaps the team pulls it together and surprises everyone. Perhaps we make the playoffs on the backs of some very young, as yet unproven talent that will prove itself for the first time this season.

Perhaps.

Until we see them on the field, against other players in full pads and hitting full-on, we can only take our best guess. And if that's what we're doing, why would we not BILLieve? :-)

Labels: Current Bills

(Published to BBR @ BuffaloBills.com.)

My first reaction on Saturday was SHOCK. Seriously. I had said on our pre-draft show last week that the only thing I was certain of is that we wouldn't have any idea who the #1 pick was, or why in the world the Bills chose him. So, what happened? The Bills picked the #2 RB in the draft... which is what people thought they might do! The "experts" are never right about the Bills!!!

AND THEN...

The Bills Brain Trust wheeled and dealed (or is that dealt?) to get the second pick in the second round and we took "Poz" - ANOTHER player whom the Bills were "expected" to draft, and who has "name recognition".

"Are these really my Bills??" I thought.

Indeed they are. Quite a draft for Tom, Dick & Marvy this weekend. We got the top two players we were targeting (Of course, Peterson and Willis would have been nice, too) and we got some quality, intelligent, hard-working, character guys. Just like we always do.

Character, you say? I thought Marshawn Lynch has some "character issues"? Well, apparently not. I know that's the #1 thing for Marv at least, and I think Jauron as well. And if he says they looked into it and found nothing... then I think we can be sure that we don't have another "Willis" on our hands.

Phew! :-)

Now what about football? Can these guys play? Why in the world did we draft a QB??? And TWO RBs???

Let's take a quick glance at the draftees. (click their photos for an awesome in-depth bio from BuffaloBills.com!)

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This guy sounds great. You could tell before the draft that the Big Guys were pretty high on Lynch. Comparing him to Marshall Faulk and LT? (Well, at least Faulk... I think Lynch might have mentioned LT...)

If Fairchild, who worked with Faulk in St. Louis, can get similar production out of Lynch, this will be a fantastic pick up for the Bills. He's strong, quick, makes people miss, and he's got great hands... Jauron spoke very highly of him.

No, I don't think we're going to miss Willis at all... :-)




"Poz", as he is referred to (for good reason, since I still have to check the spelling of his name every time I type it here...) was a GREAT acquisition by the Bills in round 2. I'd imagine that he was in their sights at pick #12, but Lynch was rated higher, so they grabbed him. When Poz kept slipping further down, Levy said they were trying to trade up even earlier than the second pick in round two.

He's a heady, gutsy, hard-working, intelligent kid... compares to Shane Conland of his Alma Mater... and just seems like a great fit in Buffalo, and in our current defense. Fast, good tackler, all around great. He's a fantastic pick-up for the Bills.

Just based on picks one and two in the 2007 draft, the Bills had a successful draft! But, let's go on...



This pick surprised me in a couple ways. First, I had heard Edwards' name as a "sleeper" pick for a team looking for a QB. He was rated pretty high as a "second tier" QB. But, then, I didn't think the Bills were serious enough about getting a QB that they would spend a third round pick on him. What Jauron said was that he was so far above anyone else on the board at their pick they had to take him.

It's a good pick. We do need a backup QB, and apparently, Edwards will compete with Nall for that position. If nothing else, we could have a really good backup that could benefit us in a trade (Matt Schaub?) later on. Good pick by the Bills!



I have to admit... after the first two picks, I was expecting the Bills draft to go a bit more along the "Yeah, I thought they might do that" route. But... this pick was another "Huh?" pick.

After landing Lynch, I figured the Bills would concentrate the rest of their picks on perhaps a CB or two. Maybe another LB for depth. But apparently, they felt they were better off getting some depth at RB in the draft. With pick #4, the Bills selected another West Coast player - RB Dwayne Wright. Both Wright and Lynch are excited to be together in the Buffalo Bills backfield, looking forward to being an effective 1-2 punch. Lynch likes what he has seen of Wright, and vice versa.

The Bills weren't done bolstering their backfield, as we'll see in round seven below...



Bills' Blogger, wyORbilZfan posted an article today about John Wendling - who comes from her own back yard - that tells a lot about this pick. He's smart, the essential Levy-esque quality - and he's hard working... very talented. The Bills spoke very highly of not only his character and work ethic, but his athletic ability too. Apparently, he's quite a find at round six.

This was our only DB pick in the draft. That was a bit of a surprise to me, and he's not a corner, either. Levy said that means that the guys we have are going to have to step up and fill in. We'll see if Youboty and Greer and Co. are up to the challenge...



Read wyO's article for lots more about Wendling. Great stuff!


What is the deal with all these west coast guys?? :-) And, this was the third back taken by the Bills in this draft. Not to mention, he's a fullback, which the Bills seemed to say they had no use for in their offensive scheme. So what gives?

Apparently, this guy is very much in the mould of our current TEs, Cieslak and Neufeld. They can play multiple positions. They can catch passes from the TE spot, or line up and block in the backfield. They can even carry the ball if needed, but that will not be their main focus by any means.

This guy seems to fit the bill for a Buffalo Bill draft choice. Good athlete, hard worker, very intelligent... definitely paid off for us in the later rounds last year (Keith Ellison, Terrance Pennington, et al). I imagine we'll see the same thing from our late-rounders this year too.



Ah Who? This guy wins the "strange name" award hands down! Even with a guy who we have to call "Poz" in that list! Wow!

Turns out that Marv has some connections with CJ's uncle (they worked together in the past, I believe Marv coached a team he was on in Canada. Marv said he was the Canadian Bruce Smith) and they happened to run into each other somewhere, and that may have helped this selection happen. Not saying this is a nepotism thing... just that Ah You might have been more on the radar with Marv knowing a bit aobut his genes. (He mentioned that in his press conference too.)

Ah You seems to be no different than all the Bills' draft picks. Intelligent, hard-worker. There were some "character issues" ... but Marv said (similarly to the Lynch situation) that when they looked into it, they found nothing.

There might be some question about his knees as he has had some injury trouble, but the Bills medical staff cleared him, and Marv seemed happy with that. A healthy Ah You adds depth to a pretty solid position for the Bills: DE.

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Overall, I love this draft. I think that's a good thing. :-) I mean last year I wasn't really thrilled with the draft the day after, but the Bills staff were, and so I learned to love it. And then when they started playing, how can you argue with EVERY pick making the team and most everyone having some contribution, including several starters?

This year, I think the biggest thing is those top two picks. I'm sure we'll find some gems from the lower round picks, but you gotta love the way we landed two starters from the top two picks. Both Lynch and Poz should have an impact on the 2007 Buffalo Bills for sure.

There will likely be some more players added to the fold, but the 2007 Bills are pretty much assembled... now it's time for the off-season workouts and mini camps and all that... and we're only a few months away from Training Camp here in my back yard... I'm getting pretty excited!

I love the young group that Tom, Dick and Marvy have assembled, and can't wait to see them on the field! No coaching or front office changes, no scheme changes... they can just go out and do what they did last year... better.

Look out NFL... here come the BUFFALO BILLS!

Labels: Current Bills

The NFL released the 2007 schedule today, and I grabbed it as soon as it was posted to BuffaloBills.com. (Nice job, website guys!) I, like many Bills fans, was quite eager to see when we were playing and where, and which games were on national television, etc.

What I saw was intriguing. It was very nice to see that indeed we will be playing on Monday night this season. An event from which the Bills have been omitted for six seasons. The game against Dallas is a home game, which is even more rare. We have not been on MNF at home since 1994!

A few things stand out. Our first three games are against recent Super Bowl champs. (Recent being used quite elastically there...) We open against Denver, then we have back to back road games against Pittsburgh and New England. Granted, these teams are not what they used to be (some might argue that NE, possibly Denver, are much improved through free agency). However, at first glance, the names strike at least a little fear in the hearts of Bills fans.

Following that apparently tough start, the Bills have a stretch of three straight home games. Those include the previously mentioned Monday Night affair, as well as the most anticipated home game of the 2007 season - the return of Willis McGahee to The Ralph. We also play the NY Jets in that stretch.

What I see at the start of the season is teams who have been tough in the past, who may or may not be that tough in 2007. Assuming LOTS of things (Bills finding another RB in the draft or trades, at least one more LB, maybe a WR, and the other teams playing at least similarly to how they did in 2006...) the Bills could pretty easily go 4-2 in the first six games. Going 2-1 to start, and then 2-1 in the three home game stretch.

Of course, all such predicting is somewhat ludicrous. We have no idea what this team, or any other team is going to look like in 2007. We're just too far away from actual football!

It's fun to predict, and I'd have to say at first glance, we start out 4-2, maybe lose to the Jets, and probably one or two more... maybe climb to 7-4 or even 8-4. But in the end, we have no way of knowing that. My gut feeling is that this year we will see another team around .500 (7-9 to maybe 10-6). But so much could change before we get there.

One interesting thing about this schedule was the positioning of two of the four NFC games at the very end of the schedule. Non-conference games are much less important in determining playoff teams. Division, then conference records matter much more. So, it just seemed odd that we would finish the season with games against the NY Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. So, if the Bills are in the hunt, (you never know!) those games might not be that important?

Also, as we all know, in addition to facing Willis here in Buffalo, the Bills will also face former 2006 teammates in Washington on Dec 2nd, and then to end the season on Dec 30th.

And one final (good) thing about the schedule is that instead of 4 of our last 6 games being at The Ralph (where it was hard to sell out at such a time of year in 2006) this season the Bills will have 4 of their final 6 games on the road. We do get to play Miami at home in December, though. That's always a good thing!

Overall, though the opponents seem daunting, I think it's a fairly entertaining schedule. The Bills (assuming we fill in a bit more in the draft) will be competitive in every game on that list. Every one. We obviously won't win every one, but there isn't a team on there that they can't hang with.

I can't wait! Bring on Bills Football!!!!

Labels: Current Bills

Two posts in one day! Wow! Though, this one is more of a "flash back"...

When the Takeo talk ramped up recently, culminating in his trade to Philadelphia, I was reminded of an article I had posted here sometime mid-way through last season. I just pondered whether the Bills might consider trading him, while they could still get some value from him. Turns out I was right, and the Bills did deal Spikes.

As I was doing some "house keeping" on the ol' blog here today, I went to check out that article, and it was interesting reading the comments from Bills fans then. Most people thought me to be quite insane to even suggest such a thing. But is that still the case? If you've the interest, or the time, take a look at my article from October 16th, 2006 (link disabled) and consider what the Bills ended up getting for him (and giving up? Holcomb was part of the deal, too!). Comments are certainly welcome.

I do believe it was a good move by the Bills, for the team. I am still a Takeo fan, and will be rooting him on (as well as Kelly Holcomb) in the City of Brotherly Love (though I am definitely not a big fan of the Eagles...)

Enjoy the blast from the past... but I can't wait for the draft... and BUFFALO BILLS FOOTBALL! :-)

(Guess I'm starting to get that "off-season itch"...) :-)

Labels: Current Bills

I have been slightly amused lately hearing all of the "experts" (and I do use that term loosely) proclaiming that Buffalo is one of (if not THE) biggest losers in this year's free agency so far. They throw out the big names of the players who have moved on, whether by their choice or the Bills' decision makers. McGahee, Clements, Fletcher, Spikes, and the list goes on. And perhaps there is some merit to the claim that we have not "done well" in free agency... but maybe the Bills aren't playing that game.

I don't pretend to know what goes on in that well-aged head of our General Manager, but I gotta think he's got a plan. Obviously we have all seen that part of the plan is to pretty much refresh the entire team, as there was a good deal of player turnover last season, and there will be again this season. But what else is going on up there, Marv?

I was thinking recently about how Marv came to the Bills in mid-1986, and the Bills didn't win a division until 1988. So, it took Marv just a season and a half to get to the division crown. Even got to the AFC championship in 1988. Not bad.

For kicks today I did a little Buffalo Bills draft research. Now I skipped ahead past the "Bickering Bills" of 1989, and just focused on their 1990 roster... the one that got us to our first Super Bowl. On our Super Bowl roster were 23 players that we drafted, and only 8 of those were "pre-Marv". Now, obviously, Marv had a different role then, but check out our current roster. The current roster holds 24 players drafted by the Bills, and 14 of those are "pre-Marv". So, in one year, Marv has added 10 players to the roster that he drafted. (Yes... I cheated. Peerless Price was drafted by the Bills in 1999, but Marv brought him back, so...) :-)

What it seems like from my vantage point is that Marv likes to build a team from the ground up. Just as Shaw said on his blog earlier, football teams full of flashy guys do not always produce the championship teams. We were spoiled in the 1990s in this town by having a team that was very team-oriented, and yet filled with super stars. And most of those we had acquired through the draft.

Do you seasoned Bills fans recall the reaction to Marv's drafts in those days? I was a new football fan, but I knew enough that we "should" be drafting the best guys from college. I remember wanting us to draft Raghib Ishmail (I forget how to spell his name though...) and other big name guys. "Who ARE these guys???" I would ask when I saw names like Phil Hansen and Don Beebe and other guys from small schools like... Kutztown State? (Andre Reed's alma mater). Marv has a history of building a team of "unknowns".

Go back to the previous article I posted... about the similarities (perhaps) between the Bills and the Sabres. The Sabres came out of relative anonymity to be the top team in the NHL right now - mostly with up-and-coming young stars, not seasoned veterans. Perhaps the Bills are doing the same as they trim away at the older (more recognizeable) names on the roster, and invest in players who might be the next set of recognizeable names. Who knows if in the next couple years, folks might know the names Losman, Evans, Whitner, Ellison, Youboty, etc, just the same as Spikes, Fletcher, Clements, McGahee, Moulds, et. al.

The Bills definitely seem to be putting a lot more faith in the next generation of players than going out and hiring the "current" generation via free agency. I'm pretty sure we'll nab some gems in the 2007 draft as well, given Marv's track record.

Is that way of building a team still possible? Marv and Co. did a great job last year - every player we drafted made the team, and most made contributions. Can he do it again? Will we find players in the draft who can take us back to the playoffs... to winning our division... to dare I say it... THE SUPER BOWL?

It's impossible to know for sure, but I do know Marv has a plan. Free agency seems to keep you from building a team slowly through the draft, because any good players you land in the draft are gone in 5 years. It's almost like college football with the possible turnover from all your players graduating after 4 or 5 years. I don't think that's the best thing for football fans or teams, but it might be good for the players. And somehow... other teams are still winning the Super Bowl... so it can be done! :-)

I think we'll probably be shocked again by Marv's Draft Day shennanigans. Everyone will be aghast at the horribly unknown players filling up our draft roster. But Marv did OK last season, and I suspect he will again this year.

We're building a team here, and I really do look forward to watching the "experts" eat crow later in the 2007 season as the "surprising" Buffalo Bills are in playoff contention, and maybe even in contention for the AFC East crown? I don't think we're ready to win it all, but this team is going to do a lot better than "the experts" are seeing.

At least, that's my expert opinion. :-)

Labels: Bills History, Current Bills