Category: Current Bills

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Thoughts From Week Seven: QBs, Willis, Toronto

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.

Trent EdwardsQB 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 McGaheeWillis 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.

Toronto, CanadaThe 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.) 🙂

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Are The Bills Better Off Without Losman?

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.

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Another Heartbreaking Loss

Terrence McGee Can't Believe ItLosing 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…

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The Trent Edwards Era

Trent Edwards first career startI 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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Trust Me: The Kid Stays In The Picture (Buffalo News)

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Buffalo @ New England Highlights Video

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??

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Current Bills Players

Who Put A Curse on the Buffalo Bills?

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? 🙂

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Current Bills

Just Where We Want Them

Bills DE Aaron SchobelRelax. 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.

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Current Bills Games Players

Week One Overview: Some Highs, Too Many Lows

Bills vs Broncos Sept 9th 2007
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.

Steve Tasker Wall of Fame Ceremony

  • 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.

Buffalo Bills Defense

  • 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.

    Roscoe Parrish Returns a Punt for a TD

  • 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.

Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett Injured

  • 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!

Categories
Current Bills Games

Shocked, Soaked… and Sad

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.

Categories
Current Bills Games Schedule

Bills Week 1/Season Preview

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 bplewak@yahoo.com
The season hasn’t started yet, its anybody’s guess.