Year: 2008

No football this weekend, but I’m still thinking 10 Things.

1. It’s been a very unsettling week. If the Bills had beaten the Cards, I would have been completely wired, frustrated that we have to wait an extra week for another game. If they’d lost a close one, I would have been disappointed but still optimistic, glad to have the week off. Instead, I’m worried. I’m filled with unsettling questions. Here are five:

2. Is Trent okay? Is this the beginning of a string of concussions that could end his career much too early? Can he play next week? Is next week too early? I like Trent more and more each week, and the thought that we somehow could find the Bills back in the quarterback market is very disturbing. I think Trent’s a winner. I hope, for his sake and ours, he’s fine, but I can’t stop worrying.

3. Does this defense really have what it takes? That was a pretty ugly showing against the Cards. As I wrote last week, it was a lot like 2006. Could not get off the field. Was it a sign of fundamental problems? Was it just a bad matchup on the road? Would it have been different if Trent had stayed in the game? Would it have been different without the four turnovers? How is Simpson? I think he’s an important part of the package. Is he going to be out long?

4. Should I blame the defensive woes on the coaches? After all, they set up the defense to stop the long ball, and they knew that the Cards couldn’t run, so why were our defenders giving the receivers so much cushion? Second half the defense did better – they got up tight, and they either broke up the pass or made the tackle as the ball arrived. But first half, the Bills simply let the Cards march down the field with short balls. It’s not like the Cards had some rookie at QB who might not have recognized where the opportunities were – they had Kurt Warner, who has killed defenses with his brain and his arm for a long time.

5. Was I premature in deciding during the off-season that our offensive line was set and would continue to improve? Will this offensive line EVER consistently create running room for the backs? Is this line susceptible to stunts, blitzes and exotic games by the defense? A well designed blitz took out Trent. Quality stunts have created several sacks. Is this line still learning how to work together to handle the totality of the rush, wherever it comes from, or are these guys just not good enough?

6. Some of you may have been wondering who I am and why I write 10 Things every week. Who am I? I was born in Buffalo in 1947. I remember looking forward to the very first Buffalo Bills draft. I went to the first Bills game at War Memorial Stadium. I attended the first Bills playoff game there in in 1963 and saw the Bills win the AFL championship there in 1964. I was at the opening of Rich (now Ralph Wilson) Stadium. I went to Super Bowl XXV. I haven’t lived in Buffalo for almost 40 years. I’ve been a season ticket holder for a couple of years and I drive over six hours, one way, to Bills games. What else do you need to know?

7. Why do I write 10 Things? Two reasons: I love the Bills, and I want you to join the Ball Burglar.

I figure about 2000 people read 10 Things every week. Most of of them haven’t joined the Ball Burglar yet. So now I’m going to ask you to do it. I write 10 Things for you; joining the Ball Burglar is what you can do for me. Go to www.Ballburglar.com, click on “Join” and do it. It only takes a minute or two, and it only will cost you a dollar (more if you want) for every takeaway, about $30 on the season. You’ll be glad you did.

Some of you know what the Ball Burglar is; for the rest of you, here’s the short version: The Ball Burglar is gang of Bills fans around the country who pay $1 or more (some pay as much as $5 or $10) for every takeaway the Bills get. We take the money and give it to great Western New York children’s charities like Hunter’s Hope and Carly’s Club. Last season we raised over $10,000; so far this season fans are paying over $300 per takeaway and we’re ahead of last season’s pace.

We’re a legitimate charity; payments to the Ball Burglar are tax deductible. We’re all volunteers; none of us makes any money on this.

Oh, and we wear burglar masks at the Stadium. Why do we wear masks? To encourage the Bills to take the ball from the other team.

But the Ball Burglar is more than another charity. It’s a movement. The point of the Ball Burglar is get thousands of fans to pay a buck a ball, so that every time the Bills get a takeaway, it will mean thousands of dollars to help kids. The point of the Ball Burglar is to get thousands of fans, not just a few loonies, to wear burglar masks in the stadium. When that happens, everyone in the country will see the masks and learn that people in Western New York, and Bills fans in particular, are special. We’re special because this is more than wearing a cheesehead or a hog’s nose, this is Bills fans caring about our team AND helping others. And, when the players know that WE (not McDonalds, not Coca Cola, but WE – ordinary, every day Buffalo Bills fans) are paying thousands of dollars for takeaways, the Bills will get more takeaways. There will be Ball Burglar chants in the Stadium when fans want takeaways, there will be Ball Burglar signs all over, including on the Jumbo-Tron, the Ball Burglar Song will blast from the loudspeakers.

Bills fans say they love being Ball Burglars. Every time the Bills get a takeaway, besides the great joy they already experience, there’s more. They feel pride that they and lots of other Bills fans just ponied up to help sick kids have a better life. It’s hard to imagine being even happier about a Bills takeaway, but it’s true. Try it. You’ll see.

Thanks.

8. I AM worried, but I’m starting to feel better. The Cards looked awfully good against the Cowboys. Warner was outstanding again. The Jags ARE good. The Rams aren’t as bad as everyone thought. And I have a lot of positive thoughts, too. I’m excited about our receivers. It’s not hard to be excited about Lee, of course, and Josh is a stud. What’s new that has me excited is that Hardy came alive, a bit, last week. I noticed that one of the Bills coaches explained that Hardy was never asked to read coverages in college. All he did was hear the play call, run the route and catch the ball. What we’ve seen from him this season is what reasonable people expected – a little growth each week. So it still will take time. As he gets a feel for what’s going on and learns to make his reads, he’s going to create serious problems when packaged with the other receivers. Roscoe should be back in a week or two. And I’m excited to see Fine. He’s supposed to be a smart route runner. Combine him with our wideouts (all of whom know their jobs except Hardy) and a good decision maker with the ball, and I think we’re going to see the passing game come alive.

9. I’m excited about the continuing development of the Bills. We are seeing AT LEAST what I thought we would see this season: a collection of good young players learning the game and learning to play together. It’s a serious team, and every opponent knows it. It’s a team that will be even better next season, after one more year of quality draft picks and a free agent pick up or two. There is a masterful building process underway, and the Bills are approaching the finishing touches. It’s exciting to watch.

10. What I really like about this team is that it’s full of guys who seem to be genuinely nice guys. How can you not like Lee Evans? Upright, supportive team player. How can you not like Trent Edwards? Hardworking, humble. How can you not like Whitner and Stroud and Mitchell and Greer and Walker and Marshawn? It’s a team we can be proud of, and they can play, too.

Okay, it’s time to start preparing for the Chargers. It’s time for this team to show it belongs on the big stage. It’s time for this team to say to me that there’s no need to worry.

Don’t forget – www.Ballburglar.com. It’ll only take a minute. Thanks.

GO BILLS!!!

LAST WEEK: 8-6 :: OVERALL: 43-31

Well, our Buffalo Bills are not playing this week, but there are still plenty of interesting matchups to follow in week six. Including a couple in our own division. New England plays at San Diego (both teams just lost to the Miami Dolphins!) and the resurgent Dolphins head to Houston to face a team that, in my opinion, is much better than 0-4.

Plenty to cover… let’s take a look at week six!

Really, did you think before the season started that this would be one of the great games of the week? Carolina at Tampa Bay?? Probably not. But it is now, even with Jeff Garcia starting for the injured Brian Griese in Tampa Bay. Both have tough defenses. Both have adequate offenses, but I think the edge goes to the Panthers. They have a great ground game, Delhomme is playing well, and Steve Smith is… Steve Smith. So, even on the road in a tough place to win… WINNER: Carolina.

Being a Bills fan, I know that desperate teams play tough. The Rams really want to win. But, really… it’s just not going to happen. This should be a blowout. Washington is too good. WINNER: Washington

Same thing here. Detroit may be hungry but we saw Minnesota play a very tough game in New Orleans last week, and I would expect even more from them at home… WINNER: Minnesota

Now, I know I am in the minority here, but I really think Cincinnati is both due for a win, and talented enough to pull it off. The Jets play tough, and smart. But the Bengals still have offensive weapons. Look for a very close game either way, but in the end, the Bengals leave New Jersey with their first win of the season. WINNER: Cincinnati

If you saw the game on Monday night, you’ll recall that the New Orleans Saints have quite a good team this year. And they (usually) play well at home. The Oakland Raiders have a better team than recent years… but are still in disarray. I’d say if the Saints can minimize the mistakes (turnovers) then they win this one by a couple scores. WINNER: New Orleans

Old Baltimore (Indy) vs new Baltimore. A battle of offense (Colts) vs Defense (Ravens). I keep wanting to count the Colts out, but Manning won’t let me. I was wrong to pick against them last week, and so this week, even though they are facing the #1 overall defense… WINNER: Indianapolis

How can Miami be 2-2?? And by only using the same play over and over?? And how can Houston be winless?? They are much better than that. It ends this week. Houston puts it all together at home, and they stop Miami’s one play… WINNER: Houston

This is another interestingly intriguing matchup. All of a sudden, Chicago seems to have some offense. They still have a great defense. But don’t forget that Atlanta went into Green Bay last week and won! That’s impressive. Michael Turner has been great so far this year, and rookie Matt Ryan has matched that greatness for the most part. They have won convincingly at home this year so far, but will be tougher against the Bears. Still… WINNER: Atlanta

If Jacksonville’s running game could be trusted, this game would be really, really tough for Denver to win. Even at home, where they almost always win. The Jags still have a solid defense, a super-efficient passer (though less efficient this year) and two of the best RBs in the game. But Denver is 4-1 for a reason. They are tough, and tougher at home. Should be a fantastic game, and in the end, the home team wins. WINNER: Denver

San Francisco gave New England a game last week, and now they host another team from New England, the Eagles. The Eagles are stumbling, and need to win badly to keep pace with the crazy good NFC East. San Francisco has talent on both sides of the ball, but I’d imagine Philly won’t accept an “L” at the end of this one. WINNER: Philly

Green Bay has got to be pretty mad. They started out 2-0, but after a close loss to Atlanta last week at home, they are now 2-3. Aaron Rodgers played (and did well) last week, but he is playing injured. Seattle on the other hand is getting healthier. WRs are coming back. They are still a good team, despite their awful performance against the Giants last week. I can’t explain it really, I just have a feeling about this one. WINNER: Seattle

Granted, everything changed when Edwards was taken out of the game on the third play last week. But all advantages and disadvantages aside, the Cardinals looked good. They even looked pretty amazing (offensively in the second half) against the Jets the week before. And on the flip side, Dallas has not looked great the past two weeks. They did what they had to against Cincy, but as I predicted here, it was a very, very close game against the winless Bengals. I think this could be a really good game! Both offenses figure on scoring points… 42-41 would not be out of the question. Even though the Cards play so tough at home, still gotta go with the ‘Boys… WINNER: Dallas

The big rematch of the AFC Championship game from last season. But who’d have guessed it would be Matt Cassel behind center for the Pats, and the Chargers limping home from a loss to the worst team from 2007, the Miami Dolphins? The Chargers are better than their record, but you have to question the loss last week. Were they looking ahead to the game against New England? Probably not. The Chargers have a lot of talent, and so do the Pats. But the Chargers are home, and have a little more. Tough game to call, gotta go with the Bolts, though. WINNER: San Diego

The NFL schedule makers are kicking themselves. A LOT. Cleveland has five nationally televised games this season, and they probably shouldn’t have any. New York has continued their late season success of 2007, and remain undefeated at 4-0. Even though they are heading to Cleveland, and the Browns do still have talent, I just can’t even imagine a scenario where the Browns can do enough to pull out the win. WINNER: NY Giants

Some really great games this week! Holy cow! Definitely looking forward to the NE @ SD game. Go Bolts! (They used to be the “Bills West”… maybe easier to root for them?) Dallas at Arizona… really could be more like 63-60! Baltimore/Indy, Jacksonville/Denver, even Chicago/Atlanta could be good.

Ain’t the NFL great???

Enjoy the bye week folks. Go Bills!

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You know how you have bad dreams that recur?

1. That looked like 2006. Painful long drives against our defense. On offense, running plays going nowhere, short passes, an occasional deep ball, and JP making a few bad decisions. Throw in a good measure of penalties and other mistakes. That was hard to watch. It’s interesting that statistically, the Bills outplayed the Cardinals. Better yards gained per play, better in a lot of categories. Moorman had a great day kicking, but he only kicked it twice, because most of the time the Bills turned the ball over before they had a chance to punt.

2. Winning starts at the line of scrimmage. So does losing. As excited as I was last season with the Bills’ progress on the offensive line, I’m that disappointed this season. It’s time to declare the Bills’ running game a major failure. It’s a miracle for a Bills running back to get to the line of scrimmage without being touched, let alone getting PAST the line untouched. There is is no push, there are no holes. Nothing. Watch the game in a sports bar, where you can see other games going on. Every running back on every other team sees daylight, at least once in a while.

And the pass protection isn’t much better. Losman had his problems, to be sure, but some of them were because he had too little time. All that good pass protection we saw last year has evaporated. The Bills cannot win consistently without better line play. It looked like 2006.

3. Defensive line was no better. Couldn’t stop the run in critical situations – average yardage wasn’t bad, but on big plays, the Bills rarely held. Couldn’t get to the passer, ever. There was no blitzing for most of the game, and there was no pressure on the passer, either. (Clearly, Fewell’s game plan was to keep the linebackers in pass defense, and clearly it didn’t work. No pressure on the quarterback, and not enough linebacker-stops in shallow zones.) No line penetration up the middle, nothing on the edges. Looked like 2006. All you really know need to know about the game is to look at the tackling stats. Leading tacklers for the Bills were, in order, Greer (!), Whitner, Poz, Mitchell, McKelvin, Youboty. When your defensive backs are making all the tackles, something isn’t right.

4. One thing I like about the Bills defense is how well they tackle. The Bills had a lot of open field tackles; their problem was that receivers and ball carriers were running free for yards before anyone got close enough to make the tackle.

5. Ko Simpson is a player. He makes good, solid plays all over the field. When he’s out of the game, all I see is George Wilson late to the play. I hope this is a minor hammy, not a major one.

6. Trent looked good. Just didn’t see him long enough. Nice read and throw on the play where he got hurt.

JP, on the other hand, showed us vintage JP. JP just doesn’t do enough right to make up for the things he does wrong. And the things he does wrong are the same things he’s been doing wrong for years. He holds on to the ball too long, which turns into sacks, fumbles and interceptions. He doesn’t make good decisions.
One fumble and one interception is tough to overcome with good plays. It looked like 2006. (Can’t blame the first fumble on JP – that d-lineman was in there in an instant, and Marshawn freaked when he saw the defender there. Maybe, maybe JP could have seen it quickly enough and pulled the ball back, but I didn’t think so.)

7. Nice to see Hardy make a few plays. Nothing spectacular, but he found found some space underneath and caught the ball.

8. When the Ball Burglar doesn’t show up, it’s tough to win. The Bills weren’t close to a takeaway any time in the game.

9. How come the Cardinals can run those quick slants for 8-9-10 yards, and the Bills can’t? It took Jabari most of the game to find a way to stop that play, but they picked up some crucial yards with it early. What happened to the deep out routes the Bills have run with success? What happened to 15-20-yard throws down field over the middle? Does JP not find the receivers on those routes? Does Turk not call those plays for JP? How could the Jets throw all over the field against the Cardinals, and the Bills couldn’t throw at all? Take away the deep throw to Evans (JP can get it downfield, can’t he?), and the Bills threw at about a 6.5 yards-per-attempt. Looked like 2006 out there.

10. The Bills did not look like a playoff team against the Cardinals. They didn’t look like an 8-8 team. They looked like a team with no playmakers, no way for the defense to get off the field, and no answer at quarterback. It looked like 2006.

Good time for a bye. Time for Trent’s head to clear, time for McGee and Roscoe and Ko to heal, time for the lines to look themselves in the mirror. The schedule gets tougher the rest of the way.