Week 1 Preview: Patriots @ Bills

-Coast

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The Bills will open the season with their rookie, stud, guaranteed future pro bowl, rookie of the year, MVP, Super Bowl champion, future hall of fame quarterback, Erik James Manuel at home against the New England Patriots. Alright...that could be a stretch...but the reason why it awesome is for the first year in the past, I don't know, 27 years since Kelly's debut, it is actually NOT impossible.

Does anyone actually think the Bills are going to win this game? YEP...me, and here is why: the Bills are going to be better than 2012, and Patriots are going to be worse, they have to. Now, I am definitely not an expert on what the Patriots did in the off season, especially on defense, but I do know that they have lost basically their whole offense...Welker, the murderer, Gronk, Lloyd and whoever else they had that caught passes. Brady is playing with a bunch of no-namers. New England's receivers this weekend are Danny Amendola (who we will get to in a minute), Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater, Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce. Gronk might play even with his surgically repaired...entire body...but if he doesn't, their tight end will be Michael Hoomanawanui. Yep, that is his real last name.

Back to Amendola...I think it is HILARIOUS that anyone thinks this guy is going to step in and replace Wes Welker...who has torched the Bills since he has been on the Patriots. Here are Welker's numbers vs. the Bills in just the past two seasons: 37 receptions, 468 yards and 2 touchdowns. I understand that Amendola did not have Tom Brady, but his best season included 85 catches for a whopping 689 yards. He has 7 career touchdowns in 4 years. He has played 12 games total in the past 2 years and is ALREADY hurt with a groin injury. This guy is a bum. The Pats wide receiver corps are unproven to say the least...and Amendola is not even a poor man's Wes Welker. I know that the Bills secondary is banged up and basically sucks...but they might be BETTER than the patriots receivers.

Whatever, the Patriots have Brady, they will score 30 points if you line up Steve and I at WR and T-wreck at H back. If they don't, that Bill Belicheat defense will certainly shut down the Bills rookie quarterback. I say...not so fast. The Pats defense sucked in 2012 (25th in yards allowed per game). On top of that, the Bills offense has lit it up the past two years against the Cheatriots. They are averaging 442 yards per game in the past 4 games against the mastermind. Even more amazing, the 4th best QB in team history Ryan Fitzpatrick averaged 2.5 touchdowns and 341 yards per game. He threw for over 300 in all 4 games. The Bills also averaged 28.5 points per game. I think it is extremely possible this offense has a lot of success Sunday. First, EJ Manual COULD be better than Fitzpatrick (Fitz did throw 11 INTs in these games). Second, the Bills have better WRs. I would take Stevie, Woods, Graham & Goodman over Stevie, Don Jones, Nelson...I am done, I just puked. Third, the Bills will have the best player on the field UNQUESTIONABLY in CJ Spiller. In the game at Foxboro last year, Spiller had 13 touches for 131 yards. If my math is correct, that is 10 yards per touch. He lit them up (the funny part about this is that Fred Jackson had 20 touches for 115 yards and Spiller was on the bench the whole final drive). This time, Spiller won't get 1/3 of the touches. He will get 4/5 of the touches...and I am going out on a limb and predicting a 200 yard from scrimmage game from Spiller Sunday.

Another reason the Bills could (are going to) win the game is coaching. The Bills 2012 staff was probably one of the worst in the history of the league. Dave Wannstedt was the defensive coordinator. Chan Gailey was the head coach and the play caller. These guys were good coaches back in...never. I know the Bills defense under Gailey produced possibly the worst three year stretch in team history, but I blame a lot of that on coaching. The Bills starting defense (assuming Byrd is the starter and when Gilmore is healthy) includes 8 first and second round picks. Is there any way all of these guys suck? I hope not. Hopefully we see substantial improvement with a coaching staff that seems to have a clue. Mario Williams, Marcel Dareus, Aaron Williams and Alex Carrington can't possibly be worse than they were in 2012. Kiko Alonso has potential to be a stud. Kyle Williams is one year closer to retirement. McKelvin is about to turn the corner I can feel it. Brooks and Rogers are playing for their careers. Nigel Bradham is from FSU. Manny Lawson, Jerry Hughes...these guys are going to get after the quarterback. This defense is going to surprise some people...I guarantee it.

The Bills are getting 11 at some places. I am taking the Bills money line. Every year there is a team that surprises everyone and why can't this year's team be the Bills? They fit the mold...young team, rookie QB, lot of speed and talent on both sides of the ball, rookie/young coaching staff. Bills 38 Patriots 17 in a laugher. The game will be over mid 3rd quarter.