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Okay, listen up: This week I’m writing 10 Things I LIKE about the Bills (with some things I don’t like in parentheses).

Why am I writing 10 Things I LIKE? Because I can’t keep writing the same thing over and over. Last week, my first four things were (1) the offense clearly lost this game, (2) the passing game clearly lost this game, (3) quarterback is the most important position on the team, and Trent Edwards clearly didn’t get it done, (4) minimize mistakes. If you want to read about why the Bills lost to the Jets, read last week’s 10 Things. (And don’t tell me the defense lost the game. Yes, there were no sacks, yes there weren’t enough takeaways, yes, the defense didn’t stop the Pats after Jabari’s INT. I don’t care. The offense gave away 10 points. GAVE AWAY. The defense gave up less than 300 yards, gave up 16 points and scored 7. All the offense had to do is hold on to the ball and kick two field goals instead of throwing an INT for a touchdown and failing on 4th and 1. This defense is 10th in the league in yards per game and 13th in the league in points per game. 16 points allowed is enough to win a game in the NFL. The Bills can win with this defense.)

Here you go – 10 things I LIKE:

1. I like Trent Edwards. I like him. I like his brains, his size his mobility, his delivery. I like his potential.

After several games playing on another planet, Trent Edwards now has returned to his second season in the NFL. This was his second straight game with his inexperience showing. He needed two time outs in the first half when he was confused by the defense. He needed another in the second half, and he took a delay of game penalty. Some of the sacks were his fault, waiting too long to make a decision. The worst was late in the game, when he took a sack instead of leading Lee to the open part of the end zone. He knew he had to get rid of it, Lee had a half step on his man running across the end zone – hang it out there, Trent, and get the score or an incompletion.

The interception, of course, was a disaster. Great drive followed by an awful decision. He was looking right at the defense. Never should have thrown that ball. Never should have thrown the ugly one to Roscoe when he was double or triple or quadruple teamed. What was he doing? A month ago Trent wasn’t throwing those balls.

The fumble looked like it was McIntyre’s blown assignment on the blitz.

The final INT was badly under thrown. Hardy beat his man. The only way NOT to get the TD on that play was to under throw it, and that’s what Trent did. Yes Hardy could have broken it up – he made a good play on it, but not good enough. But the mistake was Trent’s, not Hardy’s.

91.3 passer rating on the day. Trent’s doing a lot right. He looks good. But he has a lot to learn, like any other second year QB. If Trent makes the plays a good quarterback should, the Bills beat the Jets. If the Bills and Jets had traded quarterbacks last Monday, the Bills would have won the game.

I said at the beginning of the season that 2009 is when the Bills should be good. Trent will be a real NFL quarterback next year. Right now, he’s still learning. I like Trent.

2. I like Jabari Greer. Best comment of this or any other game was Phil Simms inviting us to watch Greer’s footwork on the interception. “Looks like they’re doing dance steps.” And when you watched, it was exactly that. What a play.

You’re going to get beat at corner back on some plays. But he doesn’t get beat much. What a player.

3. I like Marshawn Lynch. Give him the ball when you need a yard. He always gets it for you. He did it again yesterday. Too bad he wasn’t able to go when the Bills were fourth and 1 in the red zone. He would have gotten it, somehow. And that’s no knock on Fred Jackson, who had another nice game (except for a his drop on the screen pass).

Marshawn running the length of the field on the interception: who else thought of Don Beebe?

The man has the heart of a champion. His offensive linemen are letting him down. (Time’s up; the offensive line rebuild has to be declared a failure. Yes, Butler is out, but I don’t care – if your offensive line is anchored by three guys who are making, or are about to make, millions of dollars to play the position, that should be enough to open an occasional hole for the running backs. Peters, Dockery and Walker should be enough for this line to be decent. They could not convert a crucial fourth and one – how many times have we seen Peters and Dockery fail to get any kind of push in critical short-yardage situations? They could not give the running backs any room to run. They could not protect Trent. The Jets do have one of the best pass rushes in the league, but they aren’t averaging FIVE a game. Jenkins is a monster, but he shouldn’t consistently beat double teams.)

4. I like Paul Posluszny. He’s around the ball. He’s a solid tackler. He’s still in his rookie year as a middle linebacker in the NFL.

He has the same heart beating in him that Marshawn has. Was it Poz and Marshawn who found each other at the combine and were raggin on each other a bit? Wasn’t that the story after the draft? Those guys and Trent are the future of this team.

5. I like Bryan Scott. I liked what I saw every time he got on the field last season, and I still like it. I like how he tackles. If we’ve lost Donte with is injury, Scott will make plays for the Bills. The problem won’t be Scott. It’ll be who’s at the nickel spot.

6. I’ve always liked the idea of Derek Fine, and I liked what I saw on the field. When the Bills drafted Fine, JayHawk, a long-time poster on the message boards at BuffaloBills.com, said he was a guy to watch. All he does is make plays. You could see it in how Fine got open and how Fine caught the ball.

I didn’t notice whether he was playing special teams against the Jets – he was a star special teamer at Kansas. But it was easy to notice him on offense.

I’m guessing he’ll be a better blocker than Schouman – who had a real nice block, by the way, when Marshawn bulled his way for a first down – and he’ll be a better receiver than Royal – who despite the brutal verbal beatings Bills fans have been administering lately was very effective in the passing game against the Jets. Derek Fine is a worker. He gets all the mechanics right. He’s a guy who will take advantage of opportunities on the field.

7. I like the Ball Burglar. Why? Because in the midst of that depressing outing, when Jabari took the ball and made the return, as hope was being rekindled, as all of the excitement of Buffalo Bills football was coming back, I could smile with pride knowing Jabari had just cost me another $2 – $1 for the takeaway and $1 for touchdown. Bills fans added over $600 to the Ball Burglar’s takeaway bounty with that play, and it all helps the kids.

Takeaways matter. Kids matter. The Ball Burglar is all about kids and takeaways.

8. I like Terence McGee. He wasn’t right last week, but he’s back. I loved the mini-flanker screen where Terence fought the blocker for three, four seconds before finally slipping the block and making the tackle. He’s smart, tough and a team player.

Okay, I’m running low. (I don’t know anything about coaching. I don’t understand Xs and Os. I don’t know how to motivate players. I do know what I see. One thing I see is that this team doesn’t know how to win. It looked like they knew earlier in the season, but the first six games are almost like preseason. November and December is when the big boys play, and the Bills have yet to stand up and be counted with the big boys. I watched the Giants and Steelers last week, and I watched the Colts and Pats last night. There is a level of hitting going on when the big boys play – serious hitting – that is absent from Bills games. If the Bills don’t increase their aggression next week, they will get run out of the ballpark.

One more thing: Turk Schoenert, time to step it up. Something’s gotta happen on offense, baby. You and your offensive coaches have your jobs on the line.)

9. I like the Bills’ nucleus of players. I’ve said for two years that the Bills are building for 2009, that the base would be more or less complete in 2008, that the draft and free agency in 2009 and beyond will be about putting the finishing touches on a team to make a championship run. I still think that’s true. The Bills have their quarterback, their running back and their middle linebacker. They have the core of their entire defense. They still need work on the offensive line, and they need a receiver to emerge or be acquired.

A Buffalo News article explained that with the salary cap, teams can afford only 13 to 15 high priced players. The Bills have theirs. A few will be replaced with newcomers, but the core of the team that will make a championship run is here.

10. I like the Bills’ logo. That flying Bison, those colors. Love it. Love it every time I see it on a bumper sticker, a sweat shirt, a flag. Love it. Even today.

Hard not to be down after a showing like that. The Pats will smell blood on Sunday. Could be the Bills last chance to prove they’re for real.

GO BILLS!!!

The NFL is a cruel league. You hang an L on your record in a game you should win, and it haunts you all season long. It stares at you as reminder of what could have been, what should have been. In the NFL you have to win the games you should win, and you need to win some of the games you shouldn’t win. The Bills lost an important opportunity against the Dolphins.

1. The offense clearly lost this game.

The NFL in 2008 is an offensive league. If all your offense can put on the board is 16 points (the Bills averaged 15.8 a game in 2007), you aren’t going to win enough games to compete for a championship. Three field goals and a touchdown against the Dolphins just does not do it. 17 points against the Cardinals didn’t do it.

The refrain from 2007 is now starting to sound equally true in 2008: The Bills would win if the offense would produce.

Why don’t the Bills score more? Hard to say exactly – some thoughts are below.

2. The Bills passing game clearly lost this game for the offense.

The NFL in 2008 is a passing league. One touchdown pass a game – all the Bills are getting in 2008, and more than they got in 2007 – doesn’t do it. 6.4 yards per pass attempt doesn’t do it. With only a few exceptions, in the NFL, if you aren’t throwing it effectively, you aren’t winning.

The Bills passing game gave up a safety, an interception and a fumble. That alone was enough to lose the game. But the Bills aren’t getting enough big gains out of the passing game. The Bills aren’t getting receivers into the end zone. The Bills were playing against one of the most porous pass defenses in the league, and they made those defensive backs look like Pro Bowlers.

We’re back to the 2007 questions – is it that we don’t have receivers who can get separation, or is it the patterns? I don’t know. All I know is that the Bills have to pass better than that.

3. Quarterback is the most important position on the team. Trent Edwards didn’t get it done. For the first time in 2008, he looked like a second-year quarterback. We’ve been saying for 10 months that we have to expect some games like this from Trent because, after all, he IS a second-year quarterback. But he’s been playing so well, I began to think he was mature beyond his years. No such luck. You can’t fool Mother Nature – there is no substitute for experience.

He probably lost the game on one play – the quarterback sneak. What was he doing? He has to know what happens when a ball carrier sticks the ball out there like that. At the goal line, maybe, because the play ends once the ball breaks the plane. In the middle of the field, never. Not in the middle of the defense like that. Total bonehead play.

The safety was nearly as bad. His job in the end zone is to avoid the safety. Get back, make a decision, unload it. That was two points and field position that resulted in a field goal. After that, it was a two possession game. Bonehead play.

The interception was unfortunate. He stood in, made the throw, and misjudged by just a split second when he would get hit.

Is Trent beginning to suffer from the same love affair with Lee Evans that troubled JP? Lee had seven catches and five more that he threw to Lee. Again, I’ll ask, is Lee the only receiver who can get close to open? Or is Trent locked on Lee? I don’t know. (I watched in a sports bar with a lot of noise and no audio, so I didn’t hear and didn’t notice that Reed left the game. I’m sure that made a difference.)

Trent’s vaunted accuracy failed him, too. He missed on several balls that he should have thrown better.

This was not the Trent Edwards we’ve seen earlier this season. If what see saw against the Dolphins is what we’ll see the rest of the season, the Bills will struggle. A passer rating of 77 doesn’t get teams to the playoffs.

4. When the Bills were winning games earlier this season, they did it in part by minimizing the mistakes. Not against the Dolphins. Neill’s snap over Moorman’s head. Royals’ fumble. Dockery’s hold (although it may have saved a sack). Preston’s unnecessary roughness.

5. As much as I like Fred Jackson, I do not understand why Marshawn Lynch is not in the game in the red zone. The man is a scoring machine. I don’t know how he does it, but he does it. I’m sure the coaches have some reason, and I’d love to hear it. All I know is that I’ve never seen a ball carrier who can pick up the scent of the end zone better than Marshawn Lynch. Put him in the game and give him the ball. Put him in the game and run play action. Put him in the game.

The running game was pretty good. Unfortunately, this is a passing league. (The Bills topped the run; the Dolphins stopped the pass. Dolphins won.)

6. During the week I heard some commentator say that the Colts defense was built to play with a lead. The Bills run the same defense. It’s a good defense. They played well enough against the Dolphins, especially in the points column. But this defense is NOT going to win games for the Bills week after week. It couldn’t win the game against the Dolphins.

The defense gave up two drives for touchdowns, and the Bills offense gave up a safety and three short fields for field goals. If the offense had held on to the ball, and if the offense could have scored one more touchdown, the Bills win.

7. The Bills’ efficient tackling abandoned them at times against the Dolphins. Greer, particularly, was missing the open field tackles he made last week against the Chargers.

Over all, however, the Bills did a good job taking ball carriers down. As good as Brown and Williams are, the Bills stopped them. Of course, it may have been that the Bills were so concerned about stopping those two that the Bills couldn’t stop the pass. That was certainly the case on the first touchdown, where Whitner and all his teammates bit on the play fake.

The Bills stopped the run. Unfortunately, this is a passing league. While the Bills were stopping the run, they fell asleep on the pass. Which leads me to another question …

8. How in the world could this defense make Ted Ginn, Jr. look like a Pro Bowl player? Really. McGee gets torched on the first play of the game, torched so badly that when Pennington – in classic Pennington fashion – underthrew the ball, McGee STILL couldn’t get there in time to break it up. 7 for 175, when the best he’d been able to so far this season was 7 for 55? 2 for 17 against the Jets? He puts up 175? Are you kidding me?

It looked like pure speed. I don’t think the Bills have a defender who can run with him. Maybe it was a break-out game for the guy. Maybe the Bills just thought they could handle him man-to-man; maybe every other team managed to cover him man-to-man. Maybe the Dolphins were running some new schemes. Whatever it was, the Bills coaches miscalculated somehow.

Ginn was the difference for the Dolphins offensively. Hold him to 100 and the Bills win, even with their offense sputtering.

9. Lee Evans was just short of brilliant. He didn’t get much separation on a few routes, Trent threw it anyway, and Lee couldn’t make the catch. But he’s clearly a challenge to cover man-to-man. He gets open, he catches the ball, he fights for yards. Impressive.

Hardy’s doing a little more each week. Reed made a spectacular run after catch for a first down – the Bills will miss if he’s gone for a while. Roscoe didn’t do much. I’m the one who will argue forever that tight ends aren’t that important, but even I have to admit that Royals has been a liability. All you need your tight end to do is get open once in a while, catch the ball when it arrives, and hold on to it. Royal’s second fumble in three games, plus a drop, suggests the Bills need another solution.

10. This was a killer game Sunday. Lose a division game on the same day the other two teams in the division win. The Bills are tied with the Patriots, a team that was in full view in the Bills’ rear-view mirror only a couple of weeks ago. The Bills have the worst in-division record. If they want to control their playoff destiny, they need to start with a win against the Jets next week.

Maybe the Colts will do the Bills a favor and take down the Pats next week. But if you want to win anything in this league, you have to win it yourself – you have to keep the ugly Ls off your record..

Memo to coaches: It’s a passing league.

If you’re looking for more on the Bills and Dolphins, check out the podcast at www.BuffaloBillsReview.com.

See you next week.

Impressive. Very impressive.

1. With two key defenders (McGee and Schobel) not able to go, the Bills shut down one of the best offenses in the league. Granted, it was a home game, and the Chargers had their share of injuries, too. Still, this was Phil Rivers, first in passer rating, 9th in yards per game. Antonio Gates. Ladainian Tomlinson. Darren Sproles. They gained 400 yards and scored 30 points against the Pats. They got 260 yards and 14 points against the Bills. It was impressive.

You could see Rivers’ indecision. He’d drop back, look, start to throw, stop. Look someplace else, eventually pull the trigger. Some plays, of course, worked for them as designed, but the Bills pass defense clearly made him uncomfortable. Then, in the fourth quarter, when it was time to win the game, the Bills dialed up some blitzes, increased the pressure on Rivers, and he gave the game to the Bills. It was impressive.

The tackling wasn’t just impressive; it was spectacular. The ball would be in the air to Tomlinson in the flat, with no one near him, and I’d think “we’re in trouble.” Then Jabari would leave the shallow zone and begin to close, and Tomlinson would catch the ball, turn and make a move or two. Then he’d go down. Poz tackled like that. McKelvin did. Whitner did. Tomlinson’s a Hall of Fame ball carrier, nicked up a bit, but still a star, and he went NOWHERE.

2. Please don’t tell me anyone out there still doubts Trent Edwards. Old School, a long-time poster on the message board at www.BuffaloBills.com, told me last week not to let the Arizona game bother me too much, because we didn’t have Edwards. Nice call, School – the single biggest reason there’s a 5 in the Bills’ record is that Edwards was on the field, and the single biggest reason there’s a 1 in the Bills record is that Edwards wasn’t on the field.

What was obvious against the Chargers was that Edwards knows what to do on every play. A couple of times at the snap Trent recognized that there would be an unblocked blitzer coming at him – he simply took a quick drop and unloaded the ball to his hot read. A couple of times he stood in the pocket until his protection – his unbelievably stout protection – finally was breaking down, and he calmly dumped the ball to the outlet he knew would be there. He found Jackson in the right flat for a nice gain on one of those.

I’ve never played quarterback, so I don’t know what it’s like to stand back there and try to think of all the things the QB is supposed to see and understand. I don’t know what it takes, but I do know Edwards has it. On the Jackson play, he checked down really quickly, because he saw something that told him Fred had running room and needed the ball NOW. He clearly knows where Lee Evans is going to be and where to put the ball for him. His only bad throw of the day was the deep out to Reed that was knocked down. He needed to unload that ball a little earlier, or he needed more on it – nearly was intercepted.

Outstanding performance by the young man.

3. Receiving. Remember when people used to say Lee Evans is a one-trick pony – all he can do is go deep? Well, if that’s true, someone else was wearing number 83 yesterday. That was one of Lee’s best days as a pro. He was getting open underneath all kinds of ways, and he caught everything that was catchable. We’re starting to see some run after the catch ability, too. BIG third down catch after the punt was downed at the goal line. And the touchdown catch was, well, it was the reason the Bills made Lee a wealthy man a few weeks ago.

Remember when people said the Bills needed a tight end? Robert Royal, 4 receptions for 53 yards. Antonio Gates, 4 for 55. Hmmm. Most tight ends make their receiving money by knowing where to be in a productive offense, and catching the ball when it arrives. That’s what we saw from Royal yesterday.

Nice to see Roscoe get that deep ball up the sideline. Send him deep and cut off the route; he can get open like that all day.

4. Yes, the Bills coaches are conservative, but they aren’t dumb. The no-big-plays defense rewarded the Bills again against the Chargers, but there was more to win than that. Listen to Kawika Mitchell explain after the game that his interception came on a play where the Bills had redesigned their defense. The Bills knew the Chargers liked to get Gates in single coverage on that play, and the Chargers knew that in the defense the Bills showed, they’d get single coverage. Unfortunately for Mr. Rivers, the Bills changed the assignments in that defense during the week to get Kawika underneath. Yes, it was a bad decision by Rivers, but the reason he made the decision was that on the film that he studied all week, Kawika was never there.

The Bills coaches also figured out how to stop the run.

They also figured out how to get the running backs wide against a defense that is tough up the middle.

The Bills were well prepared on Sunday.

5. The Bills running backs have heart. They keep pounding, no matter how many guys are trying to make the tackle. Best runs of the day were Marshawn’s touchdown – how many blockers did the Bills get outside the tackle? – and Freddy’s third down conversion at the two minute warning. No way he should have gotten past the sticks, but the line kept working and he squeezed himself through not much of a hole.

They caught 7 passes.

Marshawn also did a job on pass protection.

Their numbers weren’t great, but those guys contributed.

6. Rookie watch. McKelvin has a long way to go. He’s a serious tackler; I like that about him. But it’s clear that in man coverage, he plays too far off – he seems to think that when the ball’s in the air he’ll close on the receiver and make the play. Maybe in college, Leodis, but not here. In the NFL, if you’re 5 yards from the receiver when the ball is thrown, you’re going to be 5 yards from him when he catches it. Over the course of the game, Leodis tightened up the coverage – the second TD he gave up, he nearly made the play. The Bills are fortunate to have gotten him a full game of experience against a quality team without having gotten too badly burned. I think he’ll be fine, but he needs time.

Hardy didn’t seem to be in on any important plays. He was the fourth choice on every pattern, so far as I could tell. Like Leodis, it’s good for James to get on the field and start to figure things in games where the Bills don’t need him to win the game. The passing game looks so good, that I expect the Bills will find more opportunities for him to make plays as the season progresses.

Ellis. I didn’t notice him on the field. I saw a lot of Copeland Bryan running on and off, not much Ellis. Maybe I missed him.

Corner was out there from time to time.

7. Everyone keeps waiting for Donte’s break-out game. I don’t think it’s coming. I don’t think he’s the guy who’s going to be on Sports Center every week. What he is is an absolutely solid football player. Size, speed, technique, brains, heart. He was playing the nickel back in many packages yesterday. George Wilson and Bryan Scott were out there a lot with him.

I never saw Simpson on the field with the defense; he clearly could play, because for most of the game he was on the kickoff coverage team. Never saw Youboty, either.

8. Injuries. I was really sad to see DiGi go down. Initial reports don’t sound good, but if there’s a way for him to stay on the field. He will. Love the guy.

I didn’t notice that Butler had left the game the second time. Have to give Whittle credit for being ready, all the time, to play if needed.

Have to give Duke Preston credit, too. I don’t know how he did on run blocking, but he must have been doing something in the pass blocking schemes – no one came up the middle on Trent. He clearly wanted the opportunity to get on the field in his natural position. I wonder if this could become a permanent change.

What is it with Peters? Every few games he goes down and we all get nervous, and three plays later he’s back in the game. It certainly isn’t fair for me to call a man who can succeed in a man’s game a wimp, but it does seem to me that he doesn’t always bring to the game the heart that many great players have. Still, I’ll chalk that up to me wanting all my guys to be superstars; if Jason needs to take a play off now and then, I can live with that. It’s Jason being Jason.

9. Takeaway/giveaway wins games. It won for Arizona in game 5, and it won for the Bills in game 6. Nine takeaways for the Bills so far this year. You want more? Join the Ball Burglar at www.Ballburglar.com, and pledge to pay a dollar or two for every takeaway. Lots of Bills fans already are doing it; we’re over $300 per takeaway so far this year. Those nine takeaways are worth over $5000 for kids with serious childhood illnesses.

10. In case you haven’t heard, there was a power failure at Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday, so fans in the stadium were treated to old-fashioned football – no advertising, no music blaring from the loudspeakers, no out-of-town scores, no down and distance, no clock. Also no TV timeouts – guy returns a punt, offense and defense run onto the field, and they start the next play. That was refreshing. No replays and no challenges (so far as I could tell, there were no challengeable calls while the power was out).

It didn’t seem to matter to the players (except that they had to go back to hand signals for offensive and defensive calls). Didn’t matter to the fans. The sun was shining and the Bills were winning. Who needed electricity?

Great game.

Miami’s next. Good teams on the road beat teams like Miami. Next week is another opportunity for the Bills to prove they’re a good team. In this league you have to prove it every week – just ask the Cowboys.

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.

4-0. Didn’t see that coming two months ago.

1. Resilient. I used that word last week, and it’s easily the best word to describe this team and how it plays. They just don’t give up. They’re not the best team in the league; they can’t dominate teams like the Cowboys. But they’ll stay in every play, and they’ll stay in the game. Teams have to be good for sixty minutes to beat the Bills, and no one has done that yet. The Rams came out charged up, ready to save their coach’s job and save their season. They couldn’t do it against the Bills for 60 minutes.

2. Last week’s slow start didn’t bother me. This week’s did. The first half the Bills looked very much like a team we saw a lot of last year – the 2007 Bills. Ineffective offense, bend, don’t break defense that was breaking just enough to let the other team get the lead. It was pretty disturbing to watch. Can’t keep winning playing like that.

And still, this team is doing what I hoped they would. Many fans were moaning about 2007, 30th in offense and 30th in defense. But I saw it differently. The Bills had a pretty good defense last year. Around the middle of the league in points allowed, the defense was losing games mostly because the offense couldn’t stay on the field or score. After the season, I said the offense needed to improve to just an average NFL offense, and with that help the defense would be fine. So where are the Bills after four games? The offense is an average offense, in total yards and points, and the defense is top ten in both categories. Poz and Simpson came back, and Stroud, Mitchell and Johnson showed up, all big differences this year. But the most important thing is that the offense is now an average NFL offense. It puts together drives and finishes them. That play allows the defense to rest, and it also inspires the defense to put up those late-game three-and-outs that strangle the opponent and give the ball back to the offense.

3. Offensive line? Hello? Are you guys there? Do you have something against Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch? Are you trying to toughen them up? Let me clue you in: They’re plenty tough enough. They don’t need to get pounded like that, week after week. This team can be good, but those guys in the backfield need your help. I guess the second half was better; Trent wasn’t constantly picking himself off the carpet. But please, let’s protect the passer a bit, and maybe give Marshawn a chance to get past the first wave of tacklers. That was painful to watch; I can only imagine how it felt for our young stars.

4. The defense seems to be giving up more yards each week, but still, the defense is winning football games for the Bills. Once again in the second half, they shut down the opposition, and this time they got the go-ahead score themselves. They made it tough for the Rams to pass in the second half, and they made it tough to run, too. Only 157 yards in the second half, no scores. The depth on defense is proving valuable, too. They survived with McGee going to the bench, they played well when Stroud was out, and Denney was a presence today. A good defensive showing. We could get used to this.

5. Steven Jackson is one heckuva ball carrier. I wanted to stop the game and give a trophy to someone every time we stopped him for no gain. Speed, power, shiftiness. Big-time weapon, worth every dollar he got for his holdout. The Bills stopped him enough to win the game, but it wasn’t easy. I’m glad the guy isn’t playing in our division.

6. Hardy showed he isn’t ready. He isn’t NFL-tough yet. He has to catch at least one of those balls. He has to want the ball and go get it. He seems to be waiting for the ball to come to him; he hasn’t gotten used to the fact that almost every time the ball is thrown to him in teh NFL, there’ll be contact before it arrives. He’ll get better, but he isn’t ready yet.

7. I’m not sure Leodis is ready, either. He wasn’t close to his man on many completions – in the vicinity, but not close like Terence is. And he (and Whitner) got themselves out of position on Jackson’s touchdown run. The hit and fumble recovery showed that Leodis can make plays. He is a talent, and with Terence going down, it was good to have him there to step in. His education will accelerate if Terence is misses some time.

8. We’ve seen Trent-to-Lee up the left sideline several times now this season. It’s time that teams understand that all Lee needs is a half step – Trent is going to put the ball where it needs to be, and Lee is going to catch it. If you single cover him out there, the Bills are going to take 30-40 yards or more.

9. This was one of those games we knew we were going to get from Trent – one of those games where he looked like a second-year quarterback. Most disturbing part was how often he threw into double coverage, and not just on the interception. He lost some of the discipline that has made him so effective up to now. He got his foot caught under Fowler’s foot. He ran into Marshawn on a handoff. He held on to the ball too long in the face of a tough blitz. All the things young (and struggling) QBs do in this league. It wasn’t the kind of performance a winning team needs. But he ended with decent numbers – passer rating of 81.6 and a W. He doesn’t panic – he stays with his game, he hangs in, and he makes plays. This was his first ugly game this season, and it won’t be the last, but if that’s as ugly as it gets, the Bills have themselves a quarterback.

10. I like Poz. He seems to be around the ball all the time. He’s a sure tackler. He isn’t a star yet, maybe never will be. But he’s good now, and he’s going to get better with experience. He seems to be getting better from week to week. It’s so nice to have a guy in the middle making plays again.

Two more takeaways for the Ball Burglar this week, and one for a score counts double. The Ball Burglar is on his way to another big season. Right now he’s paying more than $290 for every takeaway, every nickel from Bills fans around the country. Add your dollar to the Burglar’s bounty today at www.Ballburglar.com.

So the big question for the coming week is this: Are the Jets that good, or are the Cardinals that bad? You didn’t have to be a Hall of Fame quarterback to find those open receivers. The Cards will be desperate for a win. Another tough road game for the resilient Bills.

Three-and-oh for the first time since 1992. Please pardon the understatement, but things have changed.

1. Of course it’s a cliché, but clichés become clichés because they’re true. Good teams find ways to win when they aren’t playing very well. For three quarters against the Raiders, the Bills simply kept making mistakes. They looked like they could win, the fans thought they could win, but as the game was slowly going down the drain, it seemed like they would lose. Then the team that fans had thought they had, or hoped they had, showed up. And the Bills found a way to win. Outstanding win for a young football team.

On the post game interviews, I heard two special comments from players. In the fourth quarter, when the defense was on the bench, Stroud was telling everyone that championship football teams win games like this. When the offense was on the bench, Edwards was telling his team that the game was not over, that everyone needed to get ready. Gotta love it.

2. Of course it’s a cliché, but clichés become clichés because they’re true. To win a football game, a team has to win in two of the three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. For three quarters against the Raiders, only the Bills defense was winning. In fact, a spectacular defensive performance was being wasted. Then, the offense that fans thought they had, or hoped they had, showed up. The defense and the offense won two phases, and that was that.

3. Driving home after the game I heard some guy from Scouts, Inc. talking about quarterbacks. He was asked what he thought about Trent Edwards. He said something like “I don’t think Edwards is a guy you can win with. I think he’s just a manager. He isn’t in a class with Cutler, etc.” Huh? I mean, huh? That guy must have been watching some of the other 1:00 games and just following the score.

Trent was workmanlike for three quarters, trying to avoid the toughest pass rush he’d seen so far this season. He had balls dropped. He threw a few bad passes. He was forced to throw some away. By halftime, Trent hadn’t played well, but he hadn’t hurt us, and the Bills were still in the game.

In the fourth quarter, Trent was everything you could want. He was getting better protection, and he was moving well in the pocket. He kept the team organized, getting the play call and getting the team to the line of scrimmage and in to the play efficiently. One play in the fourth quarter, two players joined the huddle late, just as the huddle was breaking, and Trent got everyone back into the huddle to be sure they all were on the same page. Another time Marshawn got in late, and Trent made sure Marshawn had the play before the snap count.

What was most impressive, when you look back on it, was that on those pass completions on three scoring drives, receivers weren’t making spectacular catches. Trent kept finding the open man and delivering completely catchable balls. He threw masterfully. He hit Reed repeatedly with balls Josh could do something with. He hit Roscoe perfectly, so that Roscoe could make the turn into the end zone. Hardy’s drop was right where the throw needed to be.

Trent Edwards is just a manager? Ten fourth-quarter points on the road to beat Jacksonville? Seventeen fourth-quarter points at home to beat the Raiders?

The guy is still learning, but – WOW!

4. I know he’s only in his second year, but Marshawn Lynch is one of the very best ball carriers in the clutch that I’ve ever seen. He must have had five carries yesterday (one on the shovel pass) either on third or fourth down or in the red zone when the Bills desperately needed the yardage. Marshawn got it every time. The guy will not quit until he gets what he needs. If you have a tape of the game, watch the shovel pass, the first touchdown, the second touchdown and a few of the third and short plays. The guy has unbelievable guts, heart and determination.

5. Sitting in the stadium, I saw no one who stood out on defense. And isn’t that the kind of defense we want to have? Look at the stats. EVERYONE had a lot of tackles. Look at the total yards. Take away the long touchdown pass, and what did the Raiders get? Nothing. Granted, the Raiders have decided that they can’t put the ball in Russell’s hands all day long, so their offense is a bit one-dimensional. Whatever. The Bills’ defense shut them down.

6. I liked Whitner’s penalty. Yes, it could have hurt the team, but winner’s need that attitude. They need pride in what they’re doing, and Whitner was showing his teammates and his fans that he has that pride. He’s a smart guy. It was a calculated move by a leader, calculated to show everyone what it takes. It said “I’m not afraid and I won’t back down.” I liked it. (May not have liked it so much if we had lost, I suppose, but we didn’t. In fact, that play may have helped the Bills win.)

7. The 12th Man was pretty quiet most the game. The offense and special teams certainly weren’t giving fans anything to yell about. But after the Lynch touchdown to get us to 16-14, the noise in the stadium was unbelievable. Maybe the loudest I’ve ever heard it. Easily as loud as the loudest noise at the Cowboys game last year. Stroud kept pumping his arms, pleading for more, and the crowd responded. Then the Raiders got the long TD, but no one thought it was over. As the defense returned, down 23-21, the noise came back. It was deafening. Russell had to be wondering what was going on. Magnificent.

8. The special teams got outplayed. The kickoff return to open the game, the missed field goal, and the punt run out of the end zone put the Bills in a hole each time. Their punter kept giving Roscoe deep, unreturnable balls.

*** Just like the special teams, the Ball Burglar barely showed up at the stadium yesterday. Not for lack of trying. Several times I saw defenders trying to strip balls, but it didn’t work. ***

*** Four takeaways on the season so far. People keep signing up. The Burglar is paying over $270 for every takeaway the Bills get; but if you want more takeaways, he’ll need to pay a lot more than that. Throw your buck or two into the kitty today. Go to www.Ballburglar.com, click on “Join” and sign up today. It’ll only take a couple of minutes, and you’ll be glad you did. ***

*** And watch these pages for an exciting announcement about the Burglar in the coming days. The Ball Burglar is on the move. ***

9. I haven’t seen an injury report, but I understand Langston Walker left the game at some point. I don’t know if he returned. I also didn’t see Darian Barnes in at fullback in the fourth quarter. That may have been because the Bills wanted Schouman, the better receiving threat, on the field when they lined up with a fullback. It would be a shame if Barnes were injured, because the guy made some spectacular runs. What a gamer.

10. The half-time was moving – unveiling Bruce’s name on the wall. Bruce spoke really nicely, from the heart. You could see in his face and hear in his voice how much his experience with the Bills fans meant to him. He was great. As I was leaving the stadium, filled with pride for my team and what they had just accomplished, I looked back and could see the Jumbotron. They were showing, for a few seconds each, short clips from the game, and it made me feel good. Then they froze a picture of Bruce on the screen, in his prime on the sidelines, in his blue (what we now call throwback) jersey, helmet off, big Bruce Smith smile, pointing his figure toward the camera, as if he were saying “Now, THAT’S what I’m talking about!” It was the perfect end to the afternoon.

There are no easy games in the NFL, expecially on the road. Enjoy the win, Bills, and then get ready for another battle this Sunday.

It’s only two games. It’s only two games. I keep telling myself, it’s only two games. It’s a long season. There are a lot of good teams. It’s only two games.

Two wins in two weeks against two playoff teams. What else can you ask for? Yes, it was the banged-up Seahawks from a weak division and it was the banged-up Jaguars. Still, it’s two wins in two weeks against two playoff teams.

Friends, we have a football team. We’ve waited for years for the right pieces and for the pieces to come together. It’s happening.

1. The Bills look like winners. This was an easy game to quit on, to throw in the towel and fly back home one-and-one, but winners don’t do that. After controlling the first half, the Bills gave up the TD on a long drive to open the second half, and then had the two plays the likes of which broke the Bills backs in year’s past. The recovered onside kick and the Edwards fumble. What happened? Two field goals. A touchdown might have put the game away, but the Bills defense said “NO.” Then the offense had the resiliency, the heart and the players to get the TD to go ahead.

It was simply a quality win on the road, the kind of games winners win.

2. And then, after the go-ahead TD and after the defense completely shut the door on the Jags, it was Roscoe’s turn to do his thing. Sooner or later teams will simply stop kicking to him, and that will be too bad, because it sure is fun when they do! This one clearly goes to the special teams, because Roscoe had a lot of open space to operate in. What I liked best was seeing Whitner in the middle of the field, about to make a block when he realized Roscoe had already passed him!

3. You believe in Youboty? You better. Seems like he’s always in position on the pass. He’s become an effective pass rusher (I think he missed Garrard once). The play I like the best was on third down, and his man in the slot went into the flat behind the wide-out. Ashton swung around Jabari and got there to make the tackle short of the first down. It was great recognition, great closing speed, and a solid tackle. He looks like he was worth waiting for.

4. Was it Wendling who committed a split second too early on the onside kick? He turned downfield to block and couldn’t get back in time to make a clean play on the ball before the Jags arrived. It was a great call at that time, but you know that April will make a point of making sure guys stay home next time.

5. Kevin Faulk has made a living catching balls out of the backfield for the Pats. Hello, Freddy Jackson. Talk about adding a new dimension to the offense. Seven catches, 83 yards. He’s a serious threat out there.

6. The offensive line stood out. The Jags were one of the best against the run last year, and they showed it today. There wasn’t much room for Marshawn and Freddy (except on Marshawn’s touchdown. Inside the 10, Marshawn is money.) But the pass protection was really solid. Trent took nice drops, set up, and had time to look and lanes to throw through. Jason the Prodigal Son Peters looked a little helpless on Trent’s fumble, but those plays will happen. And Butler and Fowler got completely outplayed on one sack. Still, the offensive line ought to get a game ball, because the passing game won it for the Bills, and the line made the passing game go.

7. Did someone say passing? Tough to complain about a 120 passer rating. Trent threw a couple of balls behind guys, where tipped balls could have resulted in interceptions. He threw into double coverage once or twice. But 20 times he found the right receiver and gave him a catchable ball. The long ball to Evans – who also starred today – was simply a great play. Lee ran a great route, Trent recognized the opportunity, and the line gave him the time to wait for Lee to get open. The pass was perfect.

The TD to Hardy wasn’t perfect, but the reason you want a 6’5″ receiver is to erase mistakes. What Trent did do correctly on that play was read the coverage and throw the ball where the defender had no play. Hardy’s catch was sure-handed, and his footwork superb.

8. Is this team that took no chances last year? Twice on the Bills final drive they passed when last year they would have run. The first was a critical first down to Schouman; the second was Trent’s last sack of the day. Even the sack was evidence of how much better this team has become. The coaches trusted Trent back there, Trent recognized his problem and nearly escaped, and Trent didn’t fumble or throw an interception. The Bills stay in field goal range, and they added on the important three points. (Nice hold, Brian.)

9. Two more takeaways. Bad, bad throw by Garrard to end the first half, and Terence was ready. The game-clinching fumble recovery was sweet – all about the pursuit that Perry Fewell preaches. There were a lot of Bills around that ball.

10. Hats off, again, to the coaches. Got this team ready to play a good team in a tough environment, called a good game, and came out with a win.

Back home for the Raiders. Another big quarterback, another good running back.

Back home for BRRRUUUUUUUUCE!!!!!! On the Wall of Fame, where he belongs.

The Ball Burglar – Bills fans helping kids – is paying over $265 for every takeaway the Bills get. That’s a good start, but not nearly where we want to end up. Fans around the country soon will be talking about the Ball Burglar, about how thousands of Bills fans came together, each paying only a dollar or two per takeaway, to do something really special for their team, for kids with serious illnesses and for western New York. Add your buck today.

http://www.ballburglar.com/.

Thanks.

John’s Quick Hits (working title until I can come up with something more creative for this type of article):

-Take away all our special teams (field goals and extra points included) and we still beat Seattle 12-10. That’s all offense.

-Our defense matches up really nicely with Jacksonville’s offense. With the middle of their O-Line banged up they will most likely throw quick slant passes and run to the outside. We should see what our DB’s are made of.

-Maybe it was just me, but it was nice to see the Colts get punished for taking the early months of the season for granted. Sure Manning didn’t play in the pre-season, but your defense made Kyle Orton look like John Elway.

-It pains me to say this, but I have to upgrade Tony Romo from mediocre to good. Congratulations buddy. Your promotion is contingent however, on Cleveland’s performance against Pittsburgh, if Big Ben has as easy of a time with “Believeland’s” defense then you might get demoted again.

-Tony Kornheiser is a terrible announcer. He simply parrots back uninformed NFL talking points from pre-training camp. His comments about the Packers, Farve and Rodgers Monday night simply highlight the fact he has never actually played the sport. Finding it hard to beleive that he is qualified for such a job I looked up his Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kornheiser) where it said (I swear I copy and pasted this incase it has been changed by the time you verify it): “Kornheiser has hosted The Tony Kornheiser Show on radio in various forms since 1992; … and served as an analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Football since 2006, where he has disgraced himself, ESPN, the NFL, and the human race in general.” Thank God for Jaws.

-Can somebody please tell me why the Oakland Raiders get so many nationally televised games every year? The Broncos are a decent team, but I’d be surprised to see them in the superbowl this year. Joakland should do the world a favor and drop their football team completely after that embarrassment.

UPDATE: The Kornheiser Wikipedia page has been changed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kornheiser I swear on my mother’s grave I didn’t make that up though