Bills 35 Bungals 20

-Coast

There is a point in every season where I write a post in which I praise the Bills. I figure I should get it over with now since this could be the high point of the season. Honestly though, there is something about this team and this head coach that makes me think it won’t be. The offense seems like it could be exciting to watch, but that could be because we watched paint dry for 4 years under Jauron/Fairchild/Schonert/Van Pelt.

I am going to start by talking about CJ Spiller. I know it is only the preseason, but CJ Spiller is legitimate and is making the case that getting him with the 8th pick in the draft was a steal. He had 12 carried for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns tonight. That 12 for 52 included two runs in which he literally rushed for negative 18 yards. He also had 2 catches for 33 yards. This guy is so fast and so quick. The Bills have not had a player this talented since I can remember, honestly, not even close. The Bills need to keep him on the field as much as possible this year. Obviously, he can’t touch the ball on every single play, but as long as he is out there, the defense will worry about him. There was a play where Edwards was in the shot gun with McIntyre and Spiller back there with him. Edwards faked a pass to Spiller who was in the right flat and then turned around and threw to McIntyre who ran for about 15 yards until anyone touched him. If you have ever saw McIntyre run, you know how open he had to be to run that far until anyone touched him. That could be attributed to Spiller taking up so much attention on the opposite side of the field. The Bills need to find a way to get rid of Lynch or Jackson. Any player on the team who takes carries or playing time away from Spiller needs to be gotten rid of. I don’t care if the Bills cut Lynch or cut Fred Jackson, but they need to do something because there isn’t room on the team for both of them. Keep Spiller, keep lynch OR Jackson, keep Chad Simpson…get rid of everyone else.

I have said so many times how much I hate Trent Edwards. I know this is only one game and only a pre season game, but I will admit that my hatred for Trent decreased slightly. I still think he is a tool but not as much of a tool as I did 5 hours ago. 13-17 for 153 and a touchdown in the first half are numbers I would take any day. He showed some pocket presence and multiple times was able to find his 3rd and 4th options. He nearly missed on a nice deep ball to Evans that would have made his numbers look even better. Edwards found a way to get Roscoe Parrish involved in the offense as well. Parrish had 4 catches for 56 yards in the game. You know how many total receptions Roscoe Parrish had all season in 2009? 3. How is that even possible? Honestly, everyone has seen this guy return punts. He is a play maker. How can you have an offense so bad and have coaching so bad that he only had three catches on the entire season? Incredible! The offensive line held up well for Trent after the first drive and also did an OK job in run blocking after the early going when Spiller had 2 carries for negative 18 yards. As a whole, the starting offense has impressed me the past two weeks, no question about it.

While the offense impressed, the defense and special team’s starters did not. This special teams led by Bruce DeHaven has been so bad. The Bengals returned the opening kickoff to the Bills 45 and then the Bengals marched way too easily. Jermaine Gresham caught a touchdown pass from about 10 or so yards and might have been more wide open than I have even seen a player in my life. Another long kick return set up another Bengal touchdown later in the first half. Basically, every single kick returner for the Bengals was getting to the Bills 30 before he was even touched.

Other notes from the game:

· Aaron Maybin had 2 sacks in the 2nd half. He still celebrates mediocre plays way too much but it was nice to see him actually do something.

· James Hardy made a nice catch on the sideline for a big gain, but then later had two drops. He is on the outside looking in to make the team I would think. 1. Evans, 2. Johnson, 3. Parrish, 4. David Nelson, 5. Chad Jackson, 6. Naaman Roosevelt. That would be my depth chart.

· Fitzpatrick played as the number 2 Qb and then Brohm came in with about 4 minutes left. I am confused as to what their plan is with the quarterbacks, but it seems like Edwards and Fitz will be 1-2. Fitz played well tonight with a nice TD pass to David Nelson, who makes play after play.

· I posed the question of who is the Bills MVP of the decade 2001-2010. It has to be Aaron Schobel, which is pathetic.

· The crowd was pathetic. It was kid’s day at the stadium. Tickets for kids were $15. This game has been sold out every single time since I can remember. Today, the attendance was around $57K.

· People in my section right behind the Bungals bench kept yelling “TO, You suck!” Every time he heard them, he turned around smiled and waved…he was loving it. We should have re-signed him.

· Kyle Williams didn’t play but is fine. He missed practices this week because he was banged up but it was nothing serious.

The Bills finish their preseason against the Lions. It should be interesting to see if any starters play. I think they will get at least a drive or two.