Buffalo Bills @ Washington Redskins podcast

Hosted by Steve. A breakdown of the up coming game between the Redskins and the Buffalo Bills. Sean Taylor, Bills injuries, Marshawn Lynch, Dick Jauron, everything dissected.

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Double Podcast Sabres and Buffalo Bills

Special double Podcast tonight. Part 1 Bills talk hosted by Steve with guest Coast. Part 2 Sabres talk hosted by Steve with special guest Ark. First is 18 minutes 2nd is 10 minutes.

Part1

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Part 2

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Trent Edwards QB of the present

by Steve

In a move that was largely anticipated, although not until at least Wednesday, Tricky Dicky J today pulled the plug on Johnathan Paul Losman and his career as a Buffalo Bill. Somewhat sadly and extremely disappointingly, JP's career in Buffalo is unofficially officially over. He didn't do enough, he didn't improve enough, he flat out didn't win enough.

I don't want to get into numbers, or the first round draft pick, or the broken leg controversy, or the gardening jokes, or his perceived cocky attitude, or the bullshit comparisons to ROJO(Rob Johnson [fuck you Doug Flutie]) I just wanna say, peace out dude wish you were better.

Trent Edwards is the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills for the rest of the 2007 season. He will also be the only quarterback currently on the roster that will be brought back for the 2008 season. Hopefully as the starter, and as a baller, and as a playoff performing quarterback he will take over the reigns of this embarrassingly playoffless team for many years to come.

There are five games left, hopefully he can stay healthy enough to start them all. Who the hell knows exactly what we and more importantly the Bills front office needs to see in these remaining games for them to fully throw their hat in the TE ring. A win on the road? Just a win? Respectability? Game management? The ability to throw down the field? I'll stick with look at least as good if not better than Losman has thus far in his career.

What I certainly don't want to hear is that Trent Edwards is not the quarterback of the future. Or, that he can't or never will be the future in Buffalo. BECAUSE IT IS INFRICKIN POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THAT. Sure he hasn't looked great, he has 5 picks and 1 touchdown, but he is a third round rookie, he has started 4 games in his career. And don't even god damn bring up Stanford or his record there, because quite frankly that is absolutely meaningless and irrelevant to his current career in the NFL.

Also this column is anything but a glowing endorsement of Trent, because I along with all of us have no clue what this dude is going to do in the NFL. You can't. But lets give him a chance, and a chance he will get. Redskins, Dolphins, Browns, Giants, Eagles. Those are the remaining games, and none are impossible to win.

If Edwards severely shits the bed in these final five I will not only be pissed off I'll be suicidal. I cannot for the life of me picture a scenario in which I will cheer for the Buffalo Bills if they waste another first round pick on a quarterback. If Trent does shit his pants the Bills may not have any recourse. Thankfully it is very unlikely that he does completely self destruct.

It starts this Sunday @ Washington against a team that has suddenly become either very vulnerable or very inspired after the shooting and (for now) near death of a cornerstone of their franchise in Sean Taylor. Who knows how they'll react, but either way in Washington (err Maryland) it is always a tough place to play, especially for a rookie quarterback. Furthermore ffffrickin Marshawn is probably going to again miss this game. FAUCK.

PS
Lets goooooo Trent Edwards, Bills are +5

PPS
Do not I repeat do not use a first round pick on a quarterback whatever you do.

Seasons All But Over

Jacksonville 36
Bills 14

by Coast

Another embarrassing performance by our offense. JP Losman's career as the starter of the Buffalo Bills is over. He had a shot today but again the offense was embarrassing and he was inaccurate. Yeah I agree he doesn't have any weapons, no tight end, no running game and no wide receivers. What is the point of still playing him? I am the biggest Losman backer but what is the point of playing him? He isn't going to get an extension and no he hasn't played well enough to deserve one. Is Trent Edwards the answer? Probably not but why not find out I guess. I don't even know or care as of right now to be honest.

How bad is our defense? I don't care about this bend and don't break shit. We gave up 29 points to David Garrard. Give me a break. Reggie Williams and Earnest Wilford?

(On a side note, I just saw the most embarrassing and ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life. JP Losman just threw a pass to Josh Reed and Reed literally saw a defender and ducked. That was the most pathetic play I have seen in my life. Was that some kind of joke?)

(Side not number 2: Score update Jacksonville now leads 36-14)

Back to the defense. In the past 2 games the Bills have faced 19 drives and the opponents have scored on 15 of them. This is unofficial, I just figured that out off the top of my head but it is close to that and that is pathetic. Again no sacks. Again not even close to a sack. Actually I think we got credit for one sack because Garrard ran out of bounds but the point is our front 4 is awful. Why do we give receivers 8 yard cushions every play? Are our safeties that bad? I guess they are. It isn't like you need to worry about Reggie Williams and Earnest Wilford running by you. Jacksonville will finish this game with 416 total yards of offense. The third down defense is the worst I have ever seen. They were 9 for 16 on third downs and converted numerous third and 10 or longers. They had to have converted at least 5 third and 10 plus situations. How can you let that happen if you are a defense? The Bills have the 31st ranked defense in the league and it is starting to show. They aren't playing the Ravens and Jets and Dolphins anymore.

The offense was pathetic. Losman made bad throw after bad throw. He turned it over 3 times and all were critical. I have defended this guy all season and I can't even do it anymore. They have to make the change just to see if Edwards is good enough because if not they need to try and make a move for another quarterback if possible. Lee Evans just caught his 2nd ball. The offensive staff can't come up with something to get him the ball more. Fred Jackson was the leading receiver on our team today and he didn't even play until the second half. This defense was ranked 23rd coming into the game today and our offense looked terrible against them. Is Marshawn Lynch really that critical to our offense? I don't even know what to say really. We are running a play with 0 seconds left. Nothing to lose and we threw a 6 yard out. I really hope Steve Fairchild gets fired after the season. Have you ever seen an offense which has allegedly improved personnel wise get this much worse from one season to the next. Who did we lose from last year? Willis McGahee? Lynch is a way better player. Apparently Peerless Price was the most important part of this offense. He is the only difference I think. Steve Fairchild is the worst coordinator in recent memory. Worse than Tom Clements, worse than Kevin Gilbride, this guy is awful.

The special teams was awful today. McGee got stopped before the 20 yard line on numerous occasions. A 12 men on the field penalty on a punt was devastating as it gave Jacksonville a first down and then a 50 yard touchdown on the next play. The Bills wasted a timeout on a punt. How do you waste a timeout on a punt in the third quarter of a tight football game? Jauron just wastes timeouts and he always has. A punt is the same play every time. Just go out there and kick the football. Why would a timeout ever be needed? The Bills went offsides on a kickoff today. Jones Drew returned the kick to the 12. After the penalty Lindell kicked it out of bounds. Jacksonville got the ball at the 45. That is a 33 yard penalty and just can't happen. Who should you blame for that? The players? The special teams coach? Well all these guys work under one guy, the head coach and that who deserves the blame for the terrible play on Sundays. Brian Moorman had another embarrassing game. He has shanked an unbelievable number of punts this year. Moorman doesn't have a free pass anymore in my opinion. I am sick of seeing balls bounce in front of return men. His last punt in which he was kicking from the 40, he needed to pin them, and the ball bounced at the 25 and went out of bounds. This has been a theme this season.

I hate Dick Jauron and have wanted him to be fired all season. He won't be and therefore this team will never be a winning team. The head coach is a loser. He had one lucky winning season in his career and every other season has been a loser. The GM is a loser. Yeah we went to some super bowls but choked in every one of them. That makes him a loser in my book. I don't think guys who go places with multiple hall of famers on the roster and choke in big games should be considered a winner.

So where do the Bills go from here? The season is over. Put in Trent Edwards, maybe he is good who knows, but they need to find out.

Bills @ Jaguars podcast

PODCAST hosted by Steve

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars.. What is a high ankle sprain, this game is tainted, 7-3 vs 5-5 can't even sell out? Just listen for the preview of Sunday's game..
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Sabres on a war path who ha

By Steve

Alllll a board! The Buffalo Sabres bandwagon might be making a few extra trips this week if the Sabres continue to (gasp) score and win games. Sure they are still in 2nd last place in the conference and are 14 points out of first place, but they are on a three game winnings streak.

The Sabres won again last night in HSBC arena against the Habs to push a modest winnings streak to 3 games. Granted two of the games were sandwiched between a major holiday and perhaps the opposing team playing on the road had more of a disadvantage but the Sabres highly paid scorers actually showed up for a change. That and only that is some small cause of celebration. Well that and the long awaited return of point producer Tin Can Connolly.

Even more on the bright side is the fact that the Sabres have played the second fewest games in the Conference AND its only November. So there is still plenty of time for the team to, ya know, get into the playoff picture at least.

Tonight might be a bit more of a litmus test for this team, as they play on the road in an electric atmosphere after playing the night before. If they win this win, then I'd be brave enough to say they have truly turned the proverbial corner at least a tad.

BUT if they lose, and in embarrassing fashion, which isn't necessarily probable or likely it could happen. Then everyone will be calling for Maxi Pad's head. Or they will point out that their $10 million man Tommy Vanek is on pace for 20 goals a fourth of the way through the season.

Either way you can pretty much guarantee Darc/Quinny are going to fuck it up some how. They'll bide their time with their thumbs up their asses, pretend to negotiate with Brian Cambell posture about Maxi's status around the trade deadline and eventually pick up Bob Corkum out of the East Coast hockey league or somethin.

I'm not saying by any stretch of the imagination that tonight is a must win especially with two following games against St Louis and Washington, but then they go out a tough far west road trip and a real barn burner Dec 1 at home against Carolina.

Damn it though, I was gonna rag on how they couldn't sell out cause there was a rumor there were still tickets available Friday afternoon but it appears from nhl.com and espn.com that the game did in fact sell out. Congrats Tommy G!

Bills podcast? Don't hold your breath but we'll see.

PODCAST: Bills,Sabres,baseball,College hoops

Tuesday podcast hosted by Steve discusses the Bills embarrassment on Sunday night JAX this Sunday huge contest. Sabres important week, college hoops and some baseball hot stove too.

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Embarassed but still 5-5

by Steve

What can you say, it was embarrassing. The worst loss at home in the NFL in 30 years or something. Patriots are good, they cheat, they get calls, they whine, but they put up numbers and tom tom has enough time back there to blow and rim job his running back and OT.

The Bills are alive, Losman for some reason is playing next week, Marshawn is doubtful but its only Jacksonville. It isn't the Patriots again. Tennessee lost, the Bills basically control their own destiny.

F The Cheating Gaytriots their fans their coach etc.

Here's some pictures from the game..

Jim Kelly our savior. Keep the Bills in Buffalo.












Chick getting out of the hot tub before the game.














me before the game pumping up the fans














oh and Jimbo's guarantee

FUCK THE PATRIOTS

ME AT THE PATS GAME 2 YEARS AGO SON
by steve

But I digress. Alright, this is Superbowl 29 for the Buffalo Bills. Sure we lost 25-28, embarrassingly for the most part, but this is where the franchise known as the Buffalo Bills can completely reverse the course it seems to be destined for, failure.

Sure the line has gone up and up and presently sits at 16 points. And sure the Patriots cheated er have "won" 3 Super Bowls this decade and everyone loves Tom Brady and is a heterosexual. Alright well most of those things are true but if the Bills some how upset the Patriots at home on Sunday Night Football in their own barn WITHOUT Marshawn Lynch ending the Gaytriot's dreams of an undefeated season it would be like winning the Super Bowl. Or about as close as the Bills will get for the foreseeable future.

I personally am not anticipating an upset of magnificent proportions, mostly because you can't predict things like that. However, if there was a money line available to bet on I surely would throw a few bucks on it. Crazier shit has happened, has it not? This is the NFL where allegedly any team could win on any given Sunday yadda yadda yadda. Look at the Cowboys MNF game, 11+ point under dogs...

Here's why it could happen...

• The Patriots are coming off a bye. They were the hottest most dominant team for 9 straight weeks. They got a 13 day layoff to think about it, cool down, get too comfortable.
• New England is due to lose. No one can be that good for that long, hopefully.
• Their linebackers are older than dust. This deep in a grueling NFL season, those old MFers have got to be sore. Junior Seau is older than our entire linebacking core combined for Christ's sake.
• Larry Maroney has 417 yards and 0 touchdowns. He isn't good and Sammy Morris is worse.
• The Bills actually have depth at running back. Sure Marshawn Lynch is a perennial hall of famer but we still have Fred Jackson and and and .. Anthony Thomas! Yeah, hopefully Dwayne Wright gets most of the carries and shows he is worth a 4th round draft pick.
• This will be Randy Moss' first true cold weather game. Sure he usually tears it up on a big stage but it will be below freezing and he is a pussy.
• JP Losman has never played in a prime time game. So we don't have any history of sucktatude and idiot/erratic play yet. Maybe he doesn't suck in big games, because to be honest he hasn't seen a game this big in his career and he actually played admirably in the Titans game week 16 last year.
• This is a free game for the Bills. There really shouldn't be any pressure on them to win. Everyone circled this as a loss. Actually the pressure is on the Patriots and their perfect season.
  
• PLUS There is always that chance Brady gets injured too..

Prediction
Look for the Bills to keep the audience tuned in until the 2nd half. Unless the special teams goes nuts and Brady turns into Romo circa week 5 this one won't come down to a score late in the 4th quarter.

Bills 9 Patriots 28 (Keeping it under 20 which is all I'm hoping for, but not covering the spread)

Next week is hugggggggggge "Playoffs?!?"

Podcast: Buffalo Bills v. New England Patriots

Here's the weekly podcast hosted by Steve. A break down of the most anticipated game in Buffalo since at least 2004 vs Shitsburgh. Lynch, Brady, Losman, everything is touched on. (right click save as to download)

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NCAA preview top 10 teams top 5 "rookies"

by A Schrum

Top 10 NCAA Men’s Basketball Preseason/Week 1:

1 - UNC. This hurts because I hate the Tar Heels but with Tyler Hansbourgh manning the middle and Ellington and Lawson in the backcourt … this team is hard not to put at 1. The lose of Wright will hurt but Roy Williams has this team ready for a run at the final 4.

2 - UCLA. Howland shouldn’t worry to much about losing Arron Afflalo, he didn’t show up in March anyways. With Darren Collison being the best PG in the country and a break out season for Josh Shipp last year the Bruins are in good shape. Senior leadership from Mbah a Moute will keep this team grounded and poised for a great year. Oh yea and the addition of the Gatorade Male Athlete of the year 6’10, 260 center Kevin Love will help. A LOT!

3 - Memphis. Joey Dorsey is a monster in the middle. Hopefully he won’t guarantee anything this year like he did against Greg Oden last year though. Chris Douglas-Roberts is an All American and with Derrick Rose stepping in at point guard, this team is an instant contender. Johnny Calipari might have his best chance for a national title this year.

4 - Kansas. Brandon Rush entered then withdrew from the draft, good move on his part. As a junior he will again be their leading scorer and go to guy on defense. He is recovering from ACL surgery, but should be back by Christmas. No big deal though,; guards Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers and big man Darrell Arthur will hold down the fort until Rush returns just in time for conference play.

5 - Georgetown. Roy Hibbert is 7’2. You can’t teach height and size. Stick him in the middle with Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp and this team is ready. Jeff Green is gone, and its hard to replace the Big East Player of the Year, but a guy to ready to fill his shoes is DaJaun Summers. JT3 went out and also brought in a pretty solid freshman class. Look for them to compete with Louisville for the Big East title this year.

6 - Louisville. If Derrick Caracter can stay healthy and out of trouble this year, this team is going to be a major threat come March. Terrence Williams had a break out season last year, especially in the Big East Tourney. Guard Edgar Sosa and center David Padgett round out 4 out of 7 leading scorers that return this year for the Cardinals.

7 - Indiana. That’s right, Indiana. The return of the glory days are back in basketball country. If Calvin Sampson can leave his fingers of the phones and just coach this team is primed for excitement. Eric Gordon, number 2 ranked recruit will need some discipline at first but look for this kid to be a superstar in the backcourt. I don’t think much needs to be said about D.J. White except that he was smart to leave the draft and come back to school. Just wait D.J., you’ll see why it was a good idea.

8 - Tennessee. We all know how Bruce Pearl gets down. Think painted chest at women’s basketball game. Anyways, with the best pure shooter in the NCAA, Chris Lofton, and Iowa transfer Tyler Smith the Vols could make a serious run at the SEC title this year. Their big men are strong and aggressive, which makes this one of the most complete teams in basketball. Remember, this team lost no one and almost beat OSU last year in March. A year under their belt means serious trouble for opponents as long as everyone stays healthy.

9 - Washington State. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver lead last years surprise team this year to a top 10 ranking. Head coach Tony Bennett has this team playing the best defense in the country and unfortunately wont be able to stay under the radar screen this year. Look for teams to be better prepared against this tenacious defense but not fairing so well. Should be able to compete close with UCLA in the PAC-10.

10 - Duke. Gotta do it. I’m a Cameron Crazy. Lets go DUKE. Who’s your daddy Battier. You know everyone loves to hate Duke but with freshman Kyle Singler and the return of stand out PG Greg Paulus this team should fair better than last year. DeMarcus Nelson returns as their leading scorer and Marcus Henderson should be healthy (one of the best all around athletes in basketball). They’ll play scrappy Coach K defense and their scoring should be up. Look for seven footer Brian Zoubek and shooter Jon Scheyer to make huge improvements in their games.

Teams to watch out for:

Michigan State, Mississippi State, Kansas State, Marquette, Oregon, and Arizona to keep the top 10 on their toes.

Top 5 Diaper Dandies

1. Derrick Rose, Memphis:17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 2 blocks in 102-71 win over UT-Martin; 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks in 80-63 win over Richmond.

2. Kevin Love, UCLA:22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers in 69-48 win over Portland State; 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals in 83-52 win over Youngstown State.

3. Eric Gordon, Indiana: 33 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 steals in 99-79 win over Chattanooga.

4. Michael Beasley, Kansas State: 32 points, 24 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 turnovers, 2 steals, 4 blocks in 94-63 win over Sacramento State; 30 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers in 76-66 win over Pittsburgh State.

5. OJ Mayo, USC: 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 turnovers in 96-81 loss to Mercer.

editors note

OJ Mayo is an effen pimp son.. rep your hood. chea holllllla

WNY College hoops

by Steve

I figured this place was way over due for a college basketball post and with some exciting developments already this week its the perfect time. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Niagara Falls and for that matter all of Western New York has been producing some highly touted and sought after basketball talent for a while now, from Greg Oden to Paul Harris and now the next great hope Johnny Flynn.

The Niagara Falls product has already taken college basketball by storm by breaking Carmelo Anthony's freshman single game scoring record in his first game. And what did he do for an encore? Only get mentioned in the same breath as Kevin Durant and the aforementioned Oden on Sportscenter tonight. Granted they said he wasn't necessarily as good as them yet but he was mentioned. Well, to follow up on his 28 point record breaking night, he was held to only 5 points BUT it was his three pointer with less than 6 seconds left to break a tie game and give the Orange the victory.

Here's what DraftExpress has to say about the 6'0 Flynn " A bit undersized, but very athletic, Flynn is an excellent ball-handler with both hands, a quick point guard who can split defenses pretty easily and feed his teammates. He shows very nice footwork in his slashing attempts, as well as excellent ability to finish near the rim by elevating for layups and finish even through contact. In Novi Sad, he seemed to be a pretty solid shooter, with off-the-dribble skills and range out to the three-point line. "

Also aiding in the win was the other Niagara Falls stand out guard, Harris, who has 32 points and 28 rebounds in Syracuse's first 2 games, averaging well over a double-double per. The all Niagara Falls back court for 25th ranked 'cuse should be reeking havoc throughout the Big East all season, and I for one can not wait to be a witness.


Now on to the actual local teams.
University of Buffalo Bulls

Expectations are low for the University at Buffalo Bulls heading into the 2007/08 campaign. Just two years removed from finishing 46th in the RPI, this Bulls team has pretty much zero resemblance to that team with no seniors in the starting lineup and only one fifth year senior even on the roster. The starting line up looks something like this: Junior Greg Gamble G/F, Sophomore Max Boudreau F, Junior Vadim Fedotov F/C, Junior Andy Robinson G, and sophomore transfer Rodney Pierce G.

Here's the good news, the Bulls are already 2-1 and tonight upset(UB was favored by 1 but it seems like it was an upset) South Florida of the Big East at Alumni Arena. Junior guard Sean Smiley gave 16 big points off the bench while Pierce tossed in 20 as the Bulls defeated USF 76-69. Who the hell knows how the Bulls season will end up, they're winning games early and if they can ride players like Gamble and Pierce, this team could compete in the MAC East.

ESPN's Blue Ribbon said this about their 07/08 season "The Bulls are likely one- to two years away from once again being a factor in the Mid-American Conference title chase and will have a hard time putting up the kind of rebounding numbers from last season that saved them in several games. Combine that with a young team that will be prone to mistakes, and it could be a long season in Buffalo." Bulletin board material? You better F'n believe it.

Season highlights include 11/20 @ Niagara, 11/23 @ Pitt, and 11/27 vs Canisius. Their conference schedule starts January 6th so I guess, go big blue.

MAAAAAAAAAAAC
Niagara University
Niagara, Canisius does anyone really care that much? Niagara DID make it to the big dance but have lost 4 starters from last year. They should still be highly competitive again this year, they got the coach in Mihalich, they have last years hot streak, they still have Charron Fisher look for them to roll in the MAAC again. Plus next year they have two Big East transfers in Bilal Benn, a 6-5 wing from Villanova, and Rob Garrison, a 6-2 guard from Connecticut.
Highlights: vs UB 11/20, vs Bona 11/28, @ St. John's 12/15

Canisius College
Canisius does have the co-maac rookie of the year in Frank Turner but lack experience from what I hear, they'll be around .500 in the conference is my prediction.
Highlights : Canisius vs. WVU in HSBC Arena 12/22, @ Bona 12/1, vs Niagara 1/18, @ Niagara 3/2

by Steve

Here is the compilation of power rankings by the "leading" sports websites and opinionated mediocrity heading into Week 11:

ESPN

(15) Of the Bills' five wins this season, four have come despite scoring less than 20 points. That doesn't exactly inspire much confidence going against Sunday night's opponent -- the Patriots. Say goodbye to that winning streak.

The Bills are the worst 5-4 team in the league according to ESPN. San Diego which played awful on SNF is 9th and well it's ESPN plus they give the Bills 0 chance against the Pats, but I guess that shouldn't be surprising.

FOX Sports

(11)It was by no means pretty, but Bills fans will take Sunday's 13-10 victory over the Dolphins any day of the week. Buffalo struggled on offense, as the Bills had just 219 yards of total offense — but got just enough when it mattered to improve to 5-4 on the season. The win was the Bills' fourth straight, and put them right in the AFC Wild Card picture. Notching a fifth straight win this weekend could be difficult; the Bills host the 9-0 Patriots.

Intelligently ahead of three NFC 5-4 teams. Although they didn't move down the Giants after that embarrassing loss to the Cowboys and the Chargers are at 7, yikes!


CBS Sportsline

(13)They've won four in a row to get to 5-4. Wow. Now they get a chance to knock off the Patriots. Good luck.

Not much to complain about with Prickly Pete today but what is with everyone mentioning the god damn Cheatriots in every Bills ranking.


USA Today

(14)On 5-1 roll, but New England reality check could be on the way.

Fourteen is a little low but not as bad as ESPN. Brutal, the two worst teams Jets 31 Dolphins 32, more than half the Bills wins thus far.

NBC Sports

16. BUFFALO (5-4, previous rank: 18) – Bills are 5-4 despite the fact that their leading sackers boasts just two QB takedowns each (Chris Kelsay and Aaron Schobel).

Crack back on Kelsay and Scobel the two highly touted highly unproductive highly overrated D-ends on the Bills but 16? c'mon. Some how Philly is ahead of the Bills on this ranking ahead of the Aints too. No mention of the Gheytriots though!


Notes

• Still no word on Marshawn Lynch's further testing of that ankle.
  
• The Bills will not be wearing their throw back jerseys Sunday night
  
• Allegedly Channing Crowder said on local Miami radio Monday that the phins knew what plays were coming from the training wheel offense the Bills put on the field Sunday just by watching film. Not ideal to hear heading into New England week.
  
• Bills are +15.5 this Sunday in the Ralph
  
• JP Losman was announced the starter this Sunday as well.

The Bills Escape South Florida

Bills 13
Dolphins 10

by Coast

Was it pretty? Definitely not. But as the old saying goes, "A win's a win." The Bills survived an ugly performance for three quarters to steal one from the now 0-9 Dolphins 13-10. The Bills are remarkably at 5-4, one game behind 2 teams for the wild card, have a 5-3 conference record, have won four in a row and Bills fever is once again sweeping through Western New York.

The Bills had anything but their A game today. Good teams however find ways to win games when they are off their game. Am I saying this Bills team is good? It just might be true. They have a young defense with a bunch of no name guys holding teams week in and week out out of the end zone. A 2nd year player in Dante Whitner is emerging as the vocal leader of the defense and he is starting to play like it too. They have an offense led by JP Losman, a guy who for no reason is hated by the fans and media who would love nothing more for him to lose his job. The only problem is, he won't let it happen. Their rookie running back Marshawn Lynch plays every down like it is February in Tempe. He is emerging as not only a good back but a top 5 back in this league.

Once again the defense played a solid game. The Dolphins played like they had nothing to lose on offense. Their running back had a solid game (27 carries for 124 yards for Jesse Chatman). They controlled the time of possession (36:59 to 23:01). All that said, the Dolphins only scored 10 points and mustered only 269 yards of offense. In fact, the Dolphins offense is the worst offense in the NFL hands down that I have seen. They struggled for every single first down. Their touchdown drive was 18 plays 80 yards for an agonizing 9 plus minutes. Yeah this was agonizing to watch and was a march but was probably the luckiest drive in NFL history. On once occasion on a 4th and 1 inside their territory, which was asinine to even go for given the way the Bills offense was playing, Cleo Lemon reached his one arm flailing the ball in the air to get the first down. The ball seemed like it was hanging there forever and it was a miracle for him that it wasn't knocked out of his hands. The Dolphins receivers dropped crucial passes when they needed them. Cleo Lemon threw the ball 50 rows into the stands after his touchdown scramble like he just won the Super Bowl. I guess when it is that rare for you to score a touchdown or to even be winning it is such a relief when it happens that you just want to throw the ball into the crowd.

First off let me say for the first half of this game, the entire offense including the quarterback was absolutely awful. There is no denying that. The offense looked asleep for the first 30 minutes. They went 3 and out 4 consecutive possessions and a lot of that can be blamed on the quarterback. But let's look past that. There was no running game during this stretch. Josh Reed made a bad play not getting his feet down. The pass to Evans in the end zone was under thrown big time. For the blunder at the end of the first half however, you can't blame Losman entirely for the Bills not scoring. After completing a pass to Reed for a first down around the Bills 45, why was a timeout not used. There would have been a minute left, first and 10 with still another timeout. Instead we got to the line no huddle when we didn't need to be doing that and Losman ended up getting sacked, we called a timeout and it was 2nd and 13 with 33 seconds left. Mismanaging timeouts is among other things a major shortcoming for the head coach. On the final play of the half, the receiver needs to run a rout that doesn't take as long as the one Reed ran, even though there was still time remaining.

The 2nd half was a different story however. The Bills got the key safety and after the Phins 18 play 80 yard drive, the offense had to answer. The defense was tired and once again JP Losman had 15 minutes to play for his career and once again he got the job done. He led the Bills on a 65 yard march that included an agonizing 4th down conversion by one inch that saved the game. Lynch scored the touchdown and the Bills gave it to him for 2 and on a great 2nd effort, like he does so often, he scored to give the Bills the lead. Then JP led them into field goal range after a great punt return from Parrish to set up Lindell's game winning field goal. Losman was 6-7 for 74 yards in the 4th quarter. Since his return as starter, JP is 10-14 198 yards and 1 td in the fourth quarter. More importantly, the Bills have outscored their opponents 38-0 in this frame including 2 fourth quarter come from behind wins. People still want to bash the quarterback but he is doing what a good quarterback does and what a good leader does. He is getting the job done when it matters most. As far as Lynch, he is proving every week that he is a guy that this team can depend on in crunch time to get tough yards, unlike the last guy that played the position here.

So the stage is set. The 9-0 New England Patriots @ the suddenly red hot 5-4 Buffalo Bills. The Bills have won 4 in a row and now have the 2nd longest winning streak in the NFL (tied with Green Bay). It does not get any bigger than this game and it will be the biggest game in nearly every single player on the Bills rosters life. This can be the win that marks the emergence of this team for real.

Quick Hits

• Commentary was awful. Steve Tasker is awful. They talked up Miami hardcore the whole game and then with the Bills down 8 first and goal on the three Tasker says "You know this game isn't over." Thanks Steve. Also, Tasker was calling for the Bills to put in Edwards in the middle of the third quarter. Yeah good idea, put in a rookie who has been injured and not getting many reps in practice when your team is losing a close game in the 2nd half on the road. I was just embarrassed that he used to play for the Bills.
• Gaines had a game he would like to forget. Dropped a probable touchdown on a nice seem route when JP laid it in there for him. He also could have picked up a first down on the Bills last drive but for some reason just stopped running and ended up a yard short.
• Cleo Lemon is a disgrace and so is Marty Booker and Cam Cameron. Nice hiring. Cleo Lemon is reigned in so much playing quarterback that there is little doubt that the rookie Beck could run the offense just as effectively. So, why not play him?
• Jesse Chatman seems like a good player. He is tough to tackle.
• You gotta love saying the Bills played bad and need to play better after a win. I haven't said that this millennium.
  

Sunday 8:15 biggest game in OP since 99 (yes, bigger than that Steelers game with that shitty quarterback and running back and coach we had).

UPDATE: Jim Kelly confident about Bills future

Here is an update on the recent news about Jim Kelly getting a group together to try and buy the Bills:

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/11170436.html

Jim Kelly talked openly tonight about his goal of buying the Buffalo Bills football franchise from current owner Ralph Wilson. He tried to calm fears expressed by some Western New Yorkers, that the Bills will be sold and move out of Buffalo once Wilson passes away. Kelly says Wilson is committed to keeping the Bills in Buffalo, and he is working on a plan to make that happen.

Jim Kelly is banking on big bucks to buy the Buffalo Bills and he's quarterbacking a team of investors to make it happen. Kelly said, "Trust me, there's a lot of people that have that kind of money. I don't. But I know the people who do. The thing is, I can't name names right now. I won't do it." The franchise is estimated at over $800 million.

Another former Bills quarterback, and former county executive, Ed Rutkowski said, "I think the Buffalo Bills will be here forever. I think the plans to play a game in Canada next season, makes sense, to bring to brand name into Toronto."

Kelly agreed with that statement, saying extending the Bills fan base is only a good thing for the team and Western New York. "When you see that we are having games in Canada, that's a great thing, bringing people from Canada down to Buffalo. But I don't think there's anything more to it than that."

And..
http://www.wgr550.com/fullstory.php?id=2811

CLARENCE, NY - Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly spoke before the Media tonight at the 10th Annual Hunters Hope Candlelight Ball, commenting on the possibility of purchasing the Bills.

Earlier in the week Kelly mentioned that he knew of a number of possible suitors who would team up and buy the club if owner Ralph Wilson should choose to sell.

Kelly has been contacted by several people interested in putting together a group of buyers to ensure the Bills remain in Buffalo, but all they can do now is talk.

At the press conference Kelly made it clear that Ralph Wilson has not said anything about selling the team, but assured he does not want the Bills anywhere but in Western New York.

"I will give every effort in my power to make sure the Bills stay here but until Mr. Wilson is ready to talk, I'm on his side," said Kelly.

Kelly also said that Mr. Wilson has no intent on moving the team and that if he did, "it would have happened a long time ago."

Kelly also touched briefly on the idea of a stadium being built downtown calling it a "great idea."

This can all only be taken as GREAT news to any Buffalo Bills fan. Of course, it doesn't really matter all that much until Wilson decides to sell the team or at least part of the team. Furthermore, Wilson has stated previously that he would never sell the team while he is alive. BUT with Jim Kelly, his once great former quarterback chirping in his ear, that can only help.

The stuff about a waterfront stadium I don't buy into much at all but who cares I just want the Bills to stay in Buffalo and if Jimbo says he has investors then he has investors. Granted if Wilson passes before a transfer of ownership occurs, the highest bidder presumably gets the team, but who's to say these investors couldn't be the "high bidder". I also struggle with the idea of a high bidder, because the NFL isn't going to let some asshole off the street buy into their prestigious and exclusive league.

Nothing more we can do now so fuck it, the Bills have some mammal meat to cook up tomorrow to push their record to 5-4. Miss Cleo? Samkon Gado? Cam-cam and mularkchuck? Bring it.

Podcast: Bills week in review and Dolphins

Here is the latest podcast hosted by Steve. A wrap up of the week that was the Buffalo Bills and a preview of the Miami Dolphins.

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Bills Aren't Goin Anywhere

Good news on the Bills staying in Buffalo front. Jim Kelly and Mr. Kemp have a plan.

It's not concrete but you have to love it either way.

Bills Power Ranking compilation

by Steve

Here is the compilation of power rankings by the "leading" sports websites and opinionated mediocrity:

ESPN

(18) For the first time in five years, the Bills are .500 at the midway point of the season. And the 479 yards of offense Sunday was the team's highest total in five years. Anybody else thinking the AFC East might have two playoff teams this season?

Some how the Ravens and Chiefs are both ahead of the Bills. The Bills are also the 2nd lowest ranked 4-4 team on the rankings but C'mon ESPN you have no credibility as it is and NOW you're gonna jump on the Bills bandwagon?

FOX Sports

(16)Marshawn Lynch has been quietly solid all season. He had an explosive coming out party on Sunday, ripping up the Bengals for 153 yards on the ground. Lynch had a 56-yard TD run that put the game away late in the fourth quarter. He also threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal with six minutes left. Many folks wrote the Bills off after starting the season with a 1-4 record. But since that devastating Monday night loss to Dallas, Buffalo's won three straight games and has improved to 4-4 on the year. In the thick of the AFC Wild Card chase, the young Bills take on the winless Dolphins this weekend.

Some logic to these power rankings at least. The Bills moved up only 1 spot from last week but are at least ahead of the Ravens. Just now you're noticing Lynch?


CBS Sportsline

(15)Can it be? The Bills are .500. Give Dick Jauron loads of credit for keeping this team moving forward.

Prickly Pete Prisco giving loads of credit to Jauron? Alright I guess he really does deserve it. Ahead of New Orleans, I like it, but I don't see the Bills being hotter than them right now. Jumping 8 positions after a victory over the Bungals? Get your story straight Sportsline.


USA Today

(18)Bills could be even better. They lost twice on walk-off kicks.

Lowest ranking of all thus far. Thanks for pointing out the obvious but, obviously you suck at compiling power rankings, Ravens at 14? Seahawks at 16? Chiefs lose at home and stay ahead of the Bills?

NBC Sports

18. BUFFALO (4-4, previous rank: 22) – Despite being outgained by 767 yards, out first-downed by 39 and outscored by 26, the Bills are .500. Why? They've committed only nine turnovers in eight games.

By far the least respect shown in the PR compilation. Give me a break ripping a team that has won three in a row? KC Minny Seattle all ahead of the Bills?


Notes

• Marshawn Lynch was on First and 10 on ESPN Tuesday morning.
• Marshawn Lynch will be on Rome is Burning at 430 Thursday.
• Interesting stuff from TMQ on ESPN Page 2
• Bills are -3 this Sunday @ Miami.
  
• JP Losman was announced the starter this Sunday as well.
  

can you spot the ball?

PRIME TIME BILLS

by Steve

WOWOWWWW What a turn around. God I hope you already heard..

"

Bills/ Pats Game Moved To Sunday Night
Greg Bauch - Monday, November 5, 2007 - 12:39 PM

WGR550- The NFL "flexible" schedule begins on Sunday November 18th and Buffalo will be bumped to prime time.

The League announced today that the game between the Bills and Patriots in Buffalo will now begin at 8:15. It was originally scheduled to be a 1 o'clock game.

The league had originally released Chicago @ Seattle as the "placeholder" game that night, but it will now be rescheduled as an afternoon contest."

Yes the Buffalo Bills will be getting moved to prime time at home in 2007! Sure its probably just because the Gay-triots are 9-0 or something but still, the game is being played in Buffalo in prime time on NBC in November.

Who would have thought just 4 games ago this would ever have occurred? The Bills started out 0-2, everyone was thinking after the Dallas game they would be 0-5 and the laughing stock of the league. NOW, the NFL and the major network actually want to showcase the Bills at home in prime time.

The raucous exciting experience the fans gave on Monday Night could have had a little to do with it, the Bills 3 game winning streak, Lynch, who knows but I doubt this game was moved for the sole purpose of showcasing the Patriots in prime time.

Another worry is that the Bills will get embarrassed in prime time at home. But isn't that what we all thought when Tony Homo and Co came to town? It was one of the most exciting games of the season to say the least.

Whatever the reason, Bills Nation will be ready next Sunday partying all day, louder than ever and I can not wait. (Now hopefully the Bills take care of business this Sunday vs Miss Cleo and Co.)

Great Day to be a Bills Fan

by Coast

Bengals: 21
Bills: 33

Let's get to the point. Any quarterback controversy should be gone for good this season after today. Our offense looked drastically better from the opening gun than it has in a long time. The Bills had a killer instinct on offense in the fourth quarter. They put up 17 fourth quarter points and put the nail in the coffin on offense with Lynch's 56 yard touchdown run. I don't care about the opponent. The Bengals defense is bad but so was the Jets defense (who allowed 196 yards to Portis today) and our offense looked light years better. Losman shows an uncanny ability to get the ball to our best player in Lee Evans. Evans racked up 165 yards on 9 catches and a touchdown. He can be a top echelon player when Losman is in there.

Lynch had his best game of his career even before the long run. Do you think the threat of a downfield passing attack had anything to do with that? Lynch had 153 yards and the game clinching touchdown as well as the touchdown pass to Robert Royal to get us the lead. The offense racked up 480 yards. Most importantly, they controlled the clock and left the Bengals high powered offense on the sideline. Everything that everyone knocked Losman for he showed he could do today. He took no sacks. The offense kept the ball for 35 minutes and 14 seconds. They converted 8 of 13 first downs including a clutch third down pass to Evans that led to the long Lynch TD run. The offense came out and played like they were expected to play this year and now the coaches have no choice but to keep JP under center.

How about the time to throw JP had on a lot of instances today? The offensive line's pass protection was great today and finally they were able to get a push on the ground. On the Bills drive to take the lead, the Bills went 32 yards on 7 plays. They ran Lynch 6 consecutive times and then gave it to Lynch for the touchdown pass. For the first time all season, I can say what a play call by Fairchild. The halfback pass there was as perfect a situation for that play as you can imagine.

Enough about the offense and the quarterback because anyone who thinks Edwards should be playing still needs to go get their heads examined. The Bills defense held one of the best offenses in the NFL to 14 offensive points. They held them to under 300 yards. Chad Johnson was a non factor and had a drop that he probably would have taken in for a touchdown. Perry Fewell has been fantastic this season after the first two games and this week you can't even use the excuse that the opposing offense was bad. The Bengals were averaging over 25 points per game and were for the most part shut down. The defense had huge stops in back to back fourth quarter possessions to lead to two Bills fourth quarter touchdowns. And what can you say about the Bills run defense. The Bengals had 28 yards rushing in this game on 17 carries. This is with guys like McCargo, Kyle Williams, DiGiorgio and Ellison playing significant roles. What a job by these young guys. It is exciting to think about the young core of players on this team and maybe they are moving in the right direction.

Some quick thoughts about the game:

• Finally Lynch breaks out and shows what a great rookie running back he is. Unfortunately his fellow first round pick Adrian Peterson had 296 yards rushing on 30 carries and 3 touchdowns to overshadow Lynch. This is a league rushing record and this guy is only a rookie.
• Huge losses around the league today for the Bills fellow AFC wild card hopefuls. The Jags, Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers all lose. I can't figure out the Chargers. You think they are going to get hot and then they lose 35-17 against the 2-5 Vikings. The Bills are one game back in the AFC wild card hunt right now.
• The Titans never play a good team except the Colts. They won today against the Panthers with VY having something like 110 yards passing. He had 43 in a win last week against the Raiders. Will this team fall apart like they should? Are the Browns for real? Wow we are in the playoff hunt after 8 games.
• The Bills are .500 at the halfway point for the first time since 2003 (after they started 4-3, they lost 4 in a row). Even better, the Bills are playing the 0-8 Miami Dolphins next week with a chance to get to 5-4. Then it's the Patriots.

What a win.

Keys to Bills victory

by Steve

• Contain Chad Johnson and Whosyamomma and limit big plays in the secondary
  
• Pressure Carson Palmer with blitzes and the highly paid defensive ends.
• Force mistakes and turnovers, Palmer has thrown 9 picks already this year.
• JP manage the game make a play or two downfield. He needs to move the changes get first downs and keep the high powered offense of Cinci off the field and limit their time of possession.
• Lynch breaks out in the National Football League. He needs to get 90+ yards to open up the passing game.
• Special teams needs to make a big play. The Bengals are 2-5 but are still some how favored, so someone likes their chances.
• The game is going to be close, and will probably be decided by the coaches Dick Jauron and Marvin Lewis. Bills fans can't like their chances.
• The 12th man will be stoked for this game. Decent opponent, decent weather, chance to go back to .500, important football in November, gotta love it!

Prediction
The game isn't as high scoring as some anticipate Bills win 20-14. Lynch fails to reach 100 yards but the Bills pressure Palmer enough and they get down early. The crowd will be a factor and Marvin Lewis is on the hot seat.

Buffalo Sabres officially suck

by Steve

I'm not positive, but I don't think its possible to drive home the fact that Darcy Regier and Lawrence Quinn ruined the most exciting, profitable, successful hockey team in the history of the Buffalo Sabres in 1 day. Well, it wasn't just in one day it was over a span of about two years but it boiled down to the start of free agency this past July and those two hacks failed us miserably.

By failing to sign either Drury or Briere or even both before they became free agents, Darc/Quinny destroyed something "magical". The Sabres currently sit in a tie for 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points. They're dead last in the Northeast division, milking a two game losing streak and are playing like shit.

Yes, it is still really early, only twelve games in, but can anyone argue this team is even a shell of its former self? Twelve games in last season they were 11-1. Granted that was one of if not the hottest streaks in franchise history, but 6 games worse? The team has no true leader, no consistent captain, no one to replace either Drury or Briere.

"But bu.. the leaders will come from within, there is still a lot of talent on this roster" Bullshit, Roy(5 goals 10 points) Vanek(4g 10p) and Afinogenov (3g 5p) are gripping tighter than Andrew Peters to the final days of his NHL career. Two of the three of them just got paid big time and none are playing worth their contracts and certainly don't look ready to step up as the leader of this team. Tim Connolly? One goal, the next great thing Drew "Staffinfection" Stafford? Two goals and four points.

Scoring isn't even the main concern right now either. Ryan Miller is looking as mediocre as it gets and the team defense while with injuries and a few rookies playing, looks as bad as it ever has. They are lacking physicality and at times just seem to be going through the motions out on the ice. The problems are many and the solutions are few, someone needs to step up ASAP and I honestly can't picture anyone doing so. Hecht? Gaustad? Pick your poison neither one has shown me much.

Things aren't going to get any easier for this once proud franchise either. Their next 9 games are against division opponents and all 8 games remain against the division leading Ottawa Senators. November is a crucial month for the 'bres and if they don't start winning the season could be in an irreversible tailspin.

Bengals @ Bills podcast

A breakdown of the Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills week 9 NFL match up hosted by Steve with guest Coast. right click save as to download

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