Dave sent around an email to his BBR cohorts this past weekend upon returning from his vacation, and catching the Bills game on "tape" delay. To my genuine surprise, it was super positive! He even said if Peters comes back that the Bills are a playoff team!

Could it have simply been due to a great vacation, making the world look a bit rosier? Or could the Bills really be such a good team that even The Drake can see the upside?

I'm going with the latter!

I was (along with every Bills fan I've heard or read) quite impressed with the first team offense and defense. We mixed up the play calls, even opening with several passes that stretched the defense and opened up the running game. We had long sustained drives (even a 90 yarder!) that included converting third downs, and scoring red-zone TDs. We even had TEs catching TDs!

And the defense certainly held their own against a talented Pittsburgh offense. Their first score was really against our second-string guys. The first teamers got an INT, and held them to a punt, and were pitching a shut out!

Do I need to mention Leodis McKelvin? This guy looked fantastic before he returned that kickoff 95 yards for his first (unofficial) NFL TD!

Right now, exclamation points abound for hopeful, excited Bills fans. Our team could really be good this year!

One major positive aside from the great play of the starters is the quality depth that the Bills have assembled. Think about guys like Keith Ellison and John DiGiorgio, George Wilson, Ashton Youboty, Will James and even Leodis McKelvin. Our D-line includes rotation guys like (right now) John McCargo, Spencer Johson and Ryan Denney. And on offense, Dwayne Wright and Xavier Omon are pretty decent third and fourth string RBs!

The biggest question for this team is perhaps its head coach. I personally think Dick Jauron has done a fantastic job turning around this team in turmoil. Now it is a team with great potential. Moving Schonert to Offensive Coordinator looks like it may be a huge help, as well. The issue is not his personnel moves, it's his record. He has only had ONE winning season. Ever.

Let's hope (based on the team on paper, and what we saw from the starting units last week) that this is the year he gets his second winning season!

Labels: Coaching Staff, Games, Players, Pre-Season

Well the first pre-season game has come and gone, and does it perhaps tell you something when this BIG Bills Fan actually fell asleep at the end of a 3-point contest? Well, no, it probably doesn't. It's just been a long week. But honestly last night I did think of and use the word "boring" a couple times, as did a reluctant Steve Tasker who was calling the game.

Bills fans may have had expectations set a bit too high for this young offense, in the first game of the pre-season, against a team who had already gotten a pre-season game under their belt, but I did not expect boring.

We all know the outcome of the game is meaningless, and that coaches certainly do not come out with their best players nor their best playbooks, but might we have gone a bit too far when the first word that came to mind for this avid Bills supporter is "BORING"?

I believe I have made my point. But, let's look at some of the good things that happened before we rehash all that was "boring" (and worse) last night.

The Good

Leodis McKelvin
Hooooey! This guy is going to be exciting to watch! He looked a little silly on a couple defensive plays (overcommitting, out of position, etc) but on the return game, he looked right in his element. He brought one punt return back nearly all the way, except for a hustling big guy tripping him up. We already have McGee and Parrish... McKelvin is going to make our return game just that much more dangerous. (And potentially productive on the score board!) Now Roscoe is just going to change his name to McParrish...

Roscoe Parrish
Speaking of Roscoe... did anybody notice that he was way more noticeable as a receiver than a return guy last night? He was making many catches, and big catches, and looking like much more than a "4th" wide receiver! That is definitely one position where the Bills are not lacking. Good on ya, McParrish!

James Hardy
And, speaking of the receiver corps... for the rookie, it was the best of times... it was the worst of times. Hardy went from miscommunications with Edwards (on a 3rd down play near the goal line), to a bad drop on a pass from Losman, to catching a TD on the fade route - which everyone anticipates he will continue to do in the regular season - to bring the Bills within two points of tying the game. He looked great on that play, and coach Jauron had very good things to say about Hardy and his ability and his work ethic in a half-time interview... I can't wait to see what he can do for this team in the regular season, rookie mistakes and all.

POZ!
Paul Posluszny was back, and overall (though he didn't play much) looked like the tackling machine that he was through week three last season. He was in on most plays, and often made the tackle (ended with 3 solo tackles, including one for a loss). Poz was bowled over by Redskins RB Clinton Portis on a 4th and Goal play, but he got his hat in there on the guy... just couldn't stop the momentum that time. Nice to see Poz back at it!

Ashton Youboty
Really, I can't believe I am writing that. Youboty has been mostly inconspicuous over his first two seasons here with the Bills, though much more was expected of him. Last night (although only pre-season) he showed that "much more". He was in on many plays, including an interception, which he lateraled to his DB buddy, Reggie Corner, who took it a bit farther up the field. Youboty got plenty of playing time, and was making (noticeable) plays all over the field. That gets another "Good on ya!" from BBR-Greg!

JP Losman!
In pre-season, almost inevitably the back-up and often the third string guys can look much better than the starters. Most people credit that to the level of their competition (they are facing third stringers from the other team) but there is something to it. Edwards definitely looked better than Losman overall in the pre-season last year, and it carried over to the regular season. Well, the opposite was true last night as JP played the second quarter and a bit into the third (I believe...) and he had brought the Bills back to tie the game on the nice TD pass to James Hardy, as well as the two-point conversion pass to Justin Jenkins. Don't read too much into it, though. Perhaps the most telling play was when JP stood in the pocket and took a sack... showing a bit of the indecision we have come to know from Losman.

In Losman's defense, that two-point conversion was beautifully designed for him with a bit of a roll out to it. JP is wishing he had Schonert and Hardy a year or two ago...

And Now, The Bad

The Offense
Really, the starting offense looked the worst, but it was everyone. They were very sloppy, making many mental errors (false starts, bad formations, etc.) They did not look like they knew what they were doing at times, with all of the pre-snap motion seeming to confuse the offense as much as the defense. Obviously Trent Edwards going 1-5 for 18 yards is pretty ... abysmal. It was a very nice completion, but you gotta get more than that from your starting QB, and your starting offense. This will HAVE to be improved by Thursday, when the Bills play Pittsburgh in Toronto. I would expect to see the starters out there for much longer than you did in this first game.

The Defensive Play Calling
The Redskins rookie coach and his staff seemed to have our number. They ran a draw play (or some version of it) that helped rack up 155 yards on the ground. The Bills really could not stop it. Their over-aggressive play calls wound up having several Bills trapped back up field while that left plenty of blockers to pick off our LBs and DBs, leaving a clear path for the RB to gain 10 yards or so. Not a good plan, and moreover, not good adjusting to the plan. Must improve this.

Jason Peters
Can someone tell me where Jason Peters is? Has anyone talked to him? Does he know he is not only hurting his own stock with the Bills, but he is hurting his chances of playing with a decent team... so long as he joins them. The O-line was hurting without Peters in there. Guys playing positions they don't usually play, and not playing them that well. Peters needs to report to camp or I think the Bills should just sit on his contract. Keep him out of the league for three years. This is not the best way to negotiate, Mr. Peters.

No Foot
OK, so this is minor.. but, with time running down, No Foot had a chance to tie the game and he missed... badly. What's up with that? All kickers have to do in the pre-season is kick. And sit there. I guess he has done too much of the latter. Get out there and loosen up that leg, Lindell! You rock... but... that's your one miss for the year. ;-)

Overall

A very unimpressive debut for the Bills. Thankfully they can put that one to bed very quickly as they play in a few short days up in Toronto, Canada. The first of the eight games to be played there over the next five years. Will be watching to see if the offense has tightened things up, and if the defense can adjust to whatever game plan the Steelers bring to town.

Loving that Bills football is back!
Go Bills!

Labels: Games, Pre-Season

We are merely a few days away from the opening of the 2008 (pre)season for the Buffalo Bills. It's fair to say, I think, that the first pre-season game marks the first real test of the newly formed team. We've seen them in practice, in mini camps, in the OTAs, now in training camp.

But Saturday, we see them in live, game action.

Saturday night the Bills will face the Washington Redskins who were one of the two combatants in the official pre-season kickoff, the annual Hall of Fame game. Honestly, this was a very good game. The Bills will face not only the Redskins this pre-season, but the other team from last Sunday's matchup, the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams look like they will be a good test for the Bills, a sort of gauge for how the team has progressed, personnel-wise and coaching/system-wise.

I'm excited! I know it's only pre-season, and really doesn't matter much at all (usually) but I am hoping that with so many questions going into 2008, that the Bills really use these four games to see what they've got and get ready for what could be such a great year for the team.

The big story surrounding the Bills of course is still Jason Peters lingering hold out. How long will it last? Will he really hold out until they pay him more than the other linemen on the team? That would mean some pretty serious fines, and doesn't really work that much in his favor. Is he so sure they will break? Do the Bills think Peters will? I've said before, I really feel he should report to training camp and then the Bills will take care of him. Perhaps he knows something I do not.

Other news from St. John Fisher... seems the injury bug continues to bite. Thankfully, aside from rookie Alvin Bowen (a promising special teamer) the injuries - and subsequent absence from practice - have been mostly minor. The coaches are erring on the side of caution, especially with veteran players. James Hardy has been bothered by a hamstring injury and they have sat him for much of the first week and a half of training camp, only giving him light duty. He will likely see action on Saturday though.

Hardy is one player I will be watching Saturday, as well as the offensive line playing minus Jason Peters. Langston Walker has been seeing most of the action at left tackle in Peters' absence. Kirk Chambers moved to Walkers' spot at right tackle. Rookie Demetrius Bell has also been seeing some second team action at left tackle. Will be interesting to see what the Bills will try to do, especially since they face Washington on Saturday, with newly-acquired DE Jason Taylor, a premier pass rusher.

It will also be interesting to see if the offense will incorporate more throws to the RBs out of the backfield, or even lined up wide (saw that formation at training camp). Both Lynch and Fred Jackson can certainly be excellent offensive weapons in the aerial attack. I'm sure Schonert won't reveal his full arsenal in the pre-season (especially the first game) but it will be interesting to see how much different the Fairchild-less offense looks.

Other players to watch? Ko Simpson has been a tad hobbled... will he be back to form at free safety? Leodis McKelvin... how much action will he get? Bills running backs Dwayne Wright and Xavier Omon will likely see a lot of action in the second half, will be interesting to see how they do against a good Washington defense. Marcus Stroud and the rest of the D-line should see at least first-quarter action. Washington will be a good test for them as their RB position looked very talented, and deep.

Can't wait to see some live, game action! 7pm on Saturday night! Football is almost here!

Go Bills!

Labels: Games, Pre-Season, Training Camp

There's a disturbance in the force at Bills training camp this mid summer's eve. And it's no minor one. This disturbance could get downright ugly.

As Dave pointed out earlier the disturbance is emanating from our left tackle, Jason Peters.

Perhaps you could have guessed this, but I have a slightly different opinion on this than Dave. Not entirely. I completely agree with his points (except, not sure where he's going with the "Sabres..." one, perhaps just that they lose all their best players?) But I do not agree with who it seems he thinks is to blame.

See, I believe the Bills. From everything they have said, they have had no contact at all with Peters since the end of the 2007 season. What? What kind of negotiating tactic is that? How is that being a team player? Should there be some participation here? I could be wrong (I'm sure I have not seen everything that has been published on this) but I don't think I have ever seen where Peters' agent, or Peters himself have ever even asked for a contract extension!

If Jason Peters would like to be paid more money, I'm all for it. I think allowing the fewest sacks in the league last year, and the fewest for any Bills team in a decade, speaks for itself. Peters was selected by his peers to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl. He's definitely a great player, a great story, and from what I hear, a great man.

But is this his best strategy?

Peters has three years left on a very lucrative contract. He's making millions a year, and there's no reason to believe that the Bills won't restructure that to lock him up long term. Look what they have been doing. They signed Schobel and Kelsay to long term extensions last year. They are working on Lee Evans right now (although his contract is closer to its end) and they restructured Moorman, Lindell, Kyle Williams, and others. The Bills are very willing to reward players who show promise, and a commitment to the organization.

I do not believe Peters is serving his own best interest by not reporting to training camp.

Some have speculated that the hold out has something to do with the injury he suffered late last season, and a slow recovery from the subsequent surgery. Not sure if that's the case. It does seem like Peters just wants to be paid more. Traditionally the left tackle is the highest paid position, but the Bills shelled out mega dollars last season for LG Derrick Dockery and RT Langston Walker. Both of whom are integral pieces of the offensive line, and both of whom dwarf Peters' salary.

So he has a reason to be disgruntled. But he has no reason to believe the Bills will not extend the same offers (pro-active offers) that they have to several other players over the last several years.

My advice to Jason is to dump whoever the guy is who is advising him to hold out of training camp. It's a blemish on him, and as Dave said, a distraction to the team in an otherwise very promising pre-season. There could be very good things for Buffalo this year, but Peters' strangely silent quest for more money (or so we presume) will not help that at all.

It can only hurt.

Labels: Players, Pre-Season, Training Camp

The day started very early for me. Up at 6:30 to get some stuff done before leaving at 8:00am, and all for a very good reason..

The first day of Buffalo Bills Training Camp!!!

I brought my two boys with me, and we headed for the parking lot of Pittsford/Mendon High School where we would catch the shuttle bus to St. John Fisher College ... and see the Bills!

All went as planned (aside from getting slightly lost on the way to the shuttling spot) and we had a beautiful day to take in the return of Buffalo Bills football. Seriously, it was so great to see all the familiar faces out on the field (it feels like you're right there on the field with them at training camp) and it was great to see the new guys, too.

Just great to see NFL football.

A few thoughts from the first day before I hit the hay...

Offense
I can't say enough how excited I am about James Hardy. I think this kid is going to be great for us - and even this year. He's a quite a bit taller than his cohorts, and he runs good rounds, and from interviews I've seen, he's definitely got the right attitude. Great pick up by the Bills.

Edwards looks poised and confident as always. JP has a loose cannon. First toss in the 7 on 7s was a huge bomb down the field (broken up nicely by Ashton Youboty.) I was a little disappointed with how Trent checked down nearly every time though... even in 7 on 7 drill with no pads.

I was impressed with the pace, though. They were running at a somewhat "hurry-up" pace. I do think Schonert is going to take this offense into a higher gear.

Defense
It was fantastic to see Marcus Stroud wearing Bills blue. And not only that, he was definitely a vocal leader of the DL unit. He seemed to be instructing our young guys, and they were listening. I did also notice that John McCargo was with the starting unit, next to Stroud, but found out later that's because Kyle Williams was excused for the birth of a baby (he and his wife just had a baby) Williams will resume the starting role when he returns (though I think McCargo will challenge for that spot in camp.)

Will James intercepted JP Losman's first 11 on 11 drill pass. Then Alvin Bowen tipped his second pass. And as I said earlier, Youboty made a great play on JP's deep pass. JP may not have looked so hot (even bumped into Roscoe Parrish on a reverse handoff!!) but the new guys on defense did!

The atmosphere
Fans were excited to be there. There were just a couple thousand probably, but all who were there were ooo-ing and aah-ing with each play or missed play. Very into it. And, when the four preassigned players came to the autograph tent following practice, the crowd waiting to see them erupted in loud cheering! Too funny! We sure do love our Bills!

There was a new attraction at the kids interactive zone. It was a field goal kicking game. Seemed to be attracting more "big boys" than little boys. :-) My boys tried it of course, along with all the other fun interactive activities. Bills training camp is definitely a fun event all around - not just football.

Night Practices start next week. We'll be in attendance next Thursday night. Can't wait!

I took some photos today, will be posting them to our Facebook Page sometime this weekend.

For all the latest from training camp, definitely visit Chris Brown's blog and the Multimedia page at BuffaloBills.com. They do a great job of covering everything!

Bills football is here!!!

Labels: Pre-Season, Training Camp

We are under a week from the start of training camp, and there is a buzz around Bills land. It is the typical late-July buzz, but this year the din seems to be a bit louder. Players are excited, coaches are excited, and fans are excited. Even some of the media is starting to catch on, calling this Bills team a possible "Sleeper" in the 2008 season.

And for good reason, as I have mentioned before in parts 1 and 2 of my pre-pre-season preview of the 2008 Bills.

But something has been bothering me almost every time I hear any player talk about this upcoming season. Sure there is great optimism, and there are many good reasons to believe (returning players, new players, system is established, good talent level on this team, good depth) ... but what are they believing in?

"I want to be the best I can be and I want to take this team to the playoffs and I want to win some football games," said QB Trent Edwards.

Did you see it? What is it that Trent (and seemingly every other Buffalo Bill) wants from this season?

To make the playoffs.

Granted, when a franchise has not attained that level in nine seasons, that seems a respectable goal. But is it enough? Is it like in karate (I don't really know what I'm saying here) where you try to break a board, you have to envision your hand going through the board, not to the board. If the Bills dream of only the playoffs, might they only get that far... and miss the chance to advance in the post season?

To me, it seems they are not thinking far enough ahead. I have heard the popular sports adage, "Cross one river at a time." We often heard it coming from the mouth of our beloved Marv Levy. And I do understand that thinking also. But really, is it enough to only want to make the playoffs? Don't we want to at least win a playoff game? Shouldn't we be thinking we have as much right to that Lombardi Trophy as the other 31 teams? Maybe more??

As we enter training camp, I'd like to see the Bills language change slightly. It may be only a word, but I think it might be important. Once we see the players start thinking they really can win, they really are good... perhaps they will start to talk like they believe that too, and maybe that will bring about a change not only in language and thinking, but on the football field as well.

Labels: Current Bills, Playoffs, Pre-Season

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

This video was taken at The Ralph last Friday... the smallish pre-season crowd got the Wave going in the second half, and so I decided to record it. :-)

Labels: Bills Fans, Games, Pre-Season, Videos

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

Don't get me wrong. I have enjoyed each visit to training camp this season, as have my family. And friends. It's done fantastically, and it's a great, up-close football experience.

But it just seems silly.

I'm actually not talking about all the extra stuff. If you've ever been to Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College here in Rochester, you'll recall that it's quite a production. When you first arrive - by RTS bus, as there is no parking on campus - you are herded through a large, air-conditioned tent full of everything the Buffalo Bills Pro Shop sells. It's the mobile Bills store, conveniently placed at the entrance to the free training camp. Very good marketing. :-)

In addition to all the Bills gear, you get to stroll past maybe a dozen or so vendors/marketers who also have their booths set up to offer you their wares (or services) as you pass by. Once you do exit the tent, and head for the practice fields, there are still a few more vendors set up just outside the tent. Only four to six more perhaps. You're almost to the football part!

As you approach the main field, there are also a few food vendors on the right, however. :-)

Again, I actually really like all of this. It makes it feel fun. Big. Exciting. This Tuesday, Turkey Hill Dairy was represented there, and they were giving out FREE, decent-sized samples of their Buffalo Bills Stampede Sundae ice cream! That was awesome!! :-)

When you finally do get to the football - if you have kids with you - you will notice that there is a large "interactive area" set up just past the playing fields. It's chock full of inflated bouncy things, and more chock full of children. They can push through the Bills-colored inflatable obstacle courses, or toss footballs through big inflated football players hands, or even play basketball? (That one is sort of out of place...) :-) It's tons of fun, and well used by visitors ages 12 and under. (Including most of the Campbells!)

But again... this article is not about all of the extras that make Bills training camp one of the best free events you can be part of, and probably one of the best NFL training camps, at least for the fans.

Now, for the players - or, as a strictly football fan - each visit to training camp this year has just made me wonder, "What is the point?" Is it only for the marketing aspect? I mean, it certainly does that well. Bills fans come out in droves for this carnival experience where they get to be very up-close and personal with their favorite football team (the guys are literally only a few yards away from where you can sit or stand, and there are many opportunities to get autographs, photographs, or even chat briefly with the players.) and all of this is free. (Basically free. A $1 donation for folks over the age of 12 gets you free public transportation to and fro.)

But the practices almost seem silly.

First, the players are often not in pads. They are just "going through the motions". Motions are good. They are necessary. The players need to know how the plays unfold. They need to know where they should be. But do they really? If they are not actually in pads, they're not going full speed. And if they come close, they don't finish the plays. It's not the real deal. I'm know there's a place for that speed of practice, but it dominates training camp, and rightfully so. You don't want to go full speed against your own team. You want to save that for another team.

Which is precisely my point. Even when they are running at full speed, they don't finish the plays. The defense gets in position to make the tackle, but never gets to make it. The offense is running plays that the defense already knows. The defensive linemen never get to hit the QB.

(Funny story... there's a guy whom I do not think is a coach, but has been an on-field assistant for as many camps as I can remember. He's not big at all. He's a relatively small guy. But he's obviously tough. They put him in as the "QB" taking the snaps on a DL drill. Well, I guess he was trash talking, trying to get the linemen fired up. It worked. A couple of times these nearly 300-pound guys pancaked this tiny sub-200-pound guy. And he'd just get up and taunt them some more! I talked to him afterward and he said he kept asking them, "Where was that on Friday??" Crazy man.) :-)

What I suggested on our show was that instead of 5 or 6 weeks of training camp, cut it down to a maximum of three weeks. And, instead of four or even five meaningless pre-season games, cut that down to two (or a maximum of three, with those bonus games like the Hall of Fame game) and add two games to the regular season. Make the games count. Make it worth getting out there and risking injury. But even better, make it worth playing. Make it real football.

Interestingly, I am not alone in these thoughts. A reporter (not sure who) asked Jauron in a press conference this week what he thought about just that idea. Shortening training camp and pre-season, and making two of the pre-season game regular season games. Jauron hesitated and said, "You know what I'm going to say, right? (Another pause.) Talk to the league office." There was laughter, and when asked if he had an opinion, he said he did, but he was not going to share it.

Apparently, coach would like to see less meaningless football as well.

It only makes sense. How can you really practice if you're not really playing football?? But why would you play real football - against your own team for six weeks?? Of course you wouldn't. It makes sense to take it easy "until it counts". Well, MAKE IT COUNT.

And, let's not forget that we fans are shelling out the same amount of dollars to see this so-called football. Pre-season games are a step up from training camp practices, obviously, but they still carry that feeling of "meaninglessness". The "real" players don't play much - if at all, LT - and the goal of the game is almost never to win, unless it comes down to a two-minute drill situation at the end. Then they're still not trying to win, they're just practicing their two-minute drill. (I do have to admit, that is when is starts to be real football, as there is an actual goal in sight, even if the end result is "meaningless".)

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Camp is fun. Keep it. It's a great experience for the fans, and I'd have to imagine that a lot of good comes from it for the players and coaches. But you can probably get a lot more out of playing actual football. I would even keep the roster cut-down dates the way they are. Play two regular season games with maybe 70 players. See how the guys who are really right on the fringe do in a game that matters. You've seen all of the guys the entire off season in mini camps and other team activities. You know what they can do. If you as a coach don't want to put them in when the game really counts... then why would you keep them on the team, anyway?

It does sound a little crazy, but those were some of my main thoughts as I sat there watching pseudo-football at training camp this past week, and on our visit three weeks ago. Remember, it was totally enjoyable, and we're heading back for the Monday night practice - and I can't wait. But it seems like our team would be better served if they weren't in this "practice" mode for so long. If they're going to practice, shouldn't they actually be doing what they are practicing?

My vote is to make the practice more real by making the meaningless part shorter. And though he can't say it, it sounded like Coach Jauron is with me.

How about it, NFL?

Labels: Bills Fans, NFL, Pre-Season, Training Camp

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!

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

Labels: Current Bills, Games, Pre-Season