BCS Bowl Game Picks

Our experts predict the outcome of the five BCS Bowl games:

Steve
Michigan State +6.5 v Stanford
UCF +17 v Baylor
Oklahoma +15 v Alabama
Clemson +2.5 v OSU
Auburn +8 v FSU


Coast

Stanford -6.5 v Michigan State
UCF +17 v Baylor
Oklahoma +15 v Alabama
Clemson +2.5 v OSU
FSU -8 v Auburn


Katman

Michigan State +6.5 v Stanford
Baylor - 17 v UCF
Alabama -15 v Oklahoma
OSU -2.5 v Clemson
Auburn +8 v FSU


Wreck

2013 in Review: Buffalo Sports

by Steve

Yet another banner year of losing for Buffalo sports. Then again would we ever expect anything different?  From the UB Bulls to the Bills and Sabres, even throw in Canisius and Niagara basketball failing in the MAAC tournament and it was an utter clusterfuck of ineptitude losing and despair. How depressing..

The Bills basically doubled down on ineptitude and losing in 2013 unsurprisingly.  Of course, they went their typical 6-10 (third straight year and four out of five[last in the division for the sixth straight year]).  Not only was the AFC down in general but even the Patriots weren't as dominant as usually but the Bills nevertheless lost a lot more than they one making things taste just that much worse. 

How did they double down?  By hiring what appears to be an inept buffoon of a head coach.  He didn't bring in a qualified QB coach, he hired his cronies from pathetic Syracuse and had the quote of the year right near the end, "I am 110% certain EJ Manuel will play against the Patriots" ouch. The un-ironic thing about it all is that the coach's name almost spells moron (Doug Marrone). Not only did the Bills bungle the coach they apparently bungled the quarterback too.  They reached for a guy they weren't certain enough about to take at their original draft position and instead gambled on Manuel being available at 16 instead of 8.

Erik James was uninspiring for large portions of the season yet worse he barely played a majority of the season.  He missed two preseason and six regular season games because of three, yes THREE, different knee injuries in a four month span. Harrumph.

Let's move on to the Sabres.  They fired not one but two coaches, are an embarrassing laughing stock in the league (currently 30th out of 30 teams in points, 28 points out of first in their division) and are still waiting on novice "president" Pat LaFontaine to hire a GM.  But hey at least they have a lot of draft picks that may or may not work out in a few seasons.  Oh and we're still waiting to hear anything substantive from Terry Pegula.

Not depressed enough yet?  A couple quick hits:

• There were rumors Jon Bon Jovi (with connections to billionaires in Toronto) was interested in buying the Bills.
• Canisius and Niagara flamed out in the MAAC tournament even though both teams had high seeds and veteran players.
• Niagara doubled down the sadness by losing Joe Mihalich to prestigious Hofstra.  Not only did he leave but he took young stud guard Jaun'Ya Green (first team all-maac as a sophomore and maac freshman of the year) and Ameen Tanksley with him.
• UB flamed out in the semifinals of the MAC tournament and fired Reggie Witherspoon (a surprising highlight of '13).
• The UB football team was on a roll for several weeks before flaming out embarrassingly to Bowl Green at "home" in Ralph Wilson Stadium and then got stomped in their second ever bowl game to SD State.  I'm still waiting on another extension for Jeff Quinn.

Holy god damn shit what a terrible awful year for Buffalo Sports.  I say it seemingly every year, things can't get worse, but who knows if this is the bottom?

The Bills draft scenarios today

By Steve

This is yet again another completely useless meaningless game in week 17 dor the Buffalo Bills. Except it is a must that they lose.

Seasons do not carry over from one year to the next. There is no solace in going 4-2 in the division. There is no momentum going into next September.

The highest the Bills could draft is 9th with a loss today. They could drop to at least 13th. Whats the difference between drafting 9th and 13th?

How about in 2004 when the bills drafted 13th and were stuck taking Lee Evans instead of Ben Roethlisburger who went 11th. How about in 2007 when the Bills drafted Marshawn Lynch 12th when Patrick Willis was taken 11th. Or in 2012 when Luke Kuechly was taken one spot ahead of bum Steph Gilmore selected 10th.

The Bills better lose today luckily they have Doug Marrone on their side line.

Week 17 NFL Picks

Steve 40-39-1 Best Bet 10-6

Eagles -7 @ Cowboys
Chargers -9.5 v Chiefs
Buccaneers +12.5 @ Saints
Redskins @ Giants over 46.5
Vikings -3 v Lions


Coast 38-40-2 Best Bet 7-9

Cowboys +7 v Eagles
Bills +9 @ Patriots
Jaguars +10.5 @ Colts
Bears +3 v Packers
Cardinals +1.5 v 49ers


Wreck 43-38 Best Bet 9-7

Cowboys +7 v Eagles
Bears +3 v Packers
Ravens +6.5 @ Bengals
Dolphins -6 v Jets
Rams +11.5 @ Seahawks

EJ Manuel, a Bust

by Steve

After the announcement this afternoon (as I predicted) that Erik "EJ" Manuel would not be starting Sunday's finale against the Cheatriots, it is time to call a spade a spade, Erik is a bust.  Yes, the first quarterback taken in the 2013 NFL draft, after one "season" is on my bust list.

Why?

Well, let's see.  He got hurt three times in four+ months, all knee injuries, his QBR is 42.3 and his QB rating is 77.7 he failed to win one game on the road and got out played by fellow rookies two out of three times.  He had merely one more touchdown than turnovers this season and finished a whole nine out of sixteen football games.  He is soft, injury prone and couldn't afford to miss so much time as an overdrafted quarterback with limited skills.

His down field passing has been horrendous, he is tentative, has seemingly regressed since the beginning of the season and at best finishes the season with an INCOMPLETE as his grade. On a team that hasn't made the playoffs since it was still cool to name your son Osama, in a league where rookies aren't paid nearly as much as they used to be and in a league where a QB can be found anywhere, Erik is already a bust.

The Bills need to draft another quarterback next year.  They are desperate for a franchise quarterback.  Drafting someone new next year may seem like last year was a failure but that's only because it was. Buffalo is already a laughing stock with zero positive press and non-existent on the national stage.  Who cares what critics will say, they weren't saying anything positive any way.

Before this announcement I wasn't down on Erik as much as say coast. But I was never high on him even when he was draft.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt because I needed to (again because the Bills are pathetic and desperate).  But playing barely 50% of the season, having three significant knee injuries AND not playing all that well?  The benefit of the doubt is gone.

Not only wouldn't I be opposed to drafting a quarterback in the first round, now I am demanding it. Why the hell not?  Unless there is absolutely no one there at 12 or where ever the Bills will pick and see someone falling to them in the second round.

Finally, after fourteen years, I say enough is enough. (ha) Start stock piling young QB talent.  That means no Jeff Tuel next year, that means no Thaddy "Daddy" Lewis next year, that means no Erik is the starter bullshit, bring in a few new guys (Keith Price?) and let's go.

Obviously, the best case scenario is I regret this embarrassing post in two years when Erik is balling in Foxboro but as of right now that idea seems insane at best.


TIME TO DIEEEEEEE

Week 16 NFL Picks

Steve 36-38-1 Best Bet 9-6

Broncos -10.5 @ Texans
Redskins +3 v Cowboys
Rams -4 v Buccaneers
Bears @ Eagles over 55.5
Seahawks -10.5 v Cardinals

Wreck 40-36 Best Bet 8-7

Falcons +14 @49ers
Colts +7 @ Chiefs
Jaguars +5 v Titans
Vikings +8.5 @ Bengals
Vikings @ Bengals under 48.5

Coast 35-38-2  Best Bet 6-9

Patriots +2 @ Ravens
Dolphins -3 @ Bills
Texans +10.5 v Broncos
Falcons +14 @ 49ers
Jaguars +5 v Titans

EJ Manuel and Miami Dolphins Podcast

Steve and Coast breakdown the debacle that is EJ Manuel's career, his ability to be injury prone and look ahead to the Dolphins game

Bills 27 Jaguars 20

by Steve

Holy smokes that was an ugly game.  One of the few teams in the NFL that is worse than the Buffalo Bills is, quite clearly, the Jacksonville Jaguars.  That game was heinous.

The defense seemed to play pretty alright but they gave up a ton of rushing yards (109) to someone named Jordan Todman.  They gave up 20 points to a Chad Henne quarterbacked team. Butttt, they did cause a couple of timely fumbles, had two timely interceptions and tallied five sacks.  They just don't have any good linebackers and can't stop anyone on long 3rd down plays.

On the offensive side of the ball, aka Erik James Manuel, it was a mixed bag just like the entire game for the entire team.  He had some awful throws and inaccuracies (one INT one fumble lost) but had some nice throws and succeeded in the red zone.  "EJ" had a QB rating of 105 but had classic (recent) Bills QB stats 17/24 193 yards 2 TDs 1 INT (and a rushing TD).  At times he was awful, at times he was better than competent.

The game didn't do anything to assuage my dislike/lack of faith of Doug "Morrone".  The play calling was mundane, uninspiring and bad.  They ran the ball well, they didn't get CJ the ball in space, still no wheel routes or trick plays and the team didn't try to end the game, they chose to put the ball back in Henne's hands (which may actually be a good idea) at the end.  The team didn't play like a well coached team.  For christ sake they almost lost to the Jaguars.

If Russ Brandon and co. were serious when they said that Morrone was their first choice over someone like Chip Kelly or any other guy out there I strongly question their judgement.  This team is bad and not getting any better.  They have a severe lack of playmakers on offense and the defense has the same leaks they always have.

The future isn't any brighter today than it was in July. 'nough said.

Week 15 NFL Picks

Steve with a late season surge as Wreck and Coast languish, week fifteen NFL Picks:

Steve 34-35-1 Best Bet 9-5

Saints -6.5 @ Rams
Seahawks -7 @ Giants
49ers @ Buccaneers under 41
Colts -5.5 v Texans
Bengals @ Steelers under 41


Wreck 36-35 Best Bet 7-7

Bills -2.5 @ Jaguars
Rams +6.5 v Saints
Giants +7 v Seahawks
Vikings +6.5 v Eagles
Patriots @ Dolphins under 45.5


Coast 32-36-2  Best Bet 6-8

Patriots -1 @ Dolphins
Bears -1 @ Browns
Bills -2.5 @ Jaguars
Vikings +6.5 v Eagles
Raiders +6 v Chiefs

Bills @ Jaguars Preview Podcast

(right click save as to download)

Bucs 27 Bills 6

By steve

Was Sunday a dream where I traveled back in time and was forced to watch every single December Bills game of the last 13 years? Seriously what the fuck was that?

The team wasn't ready to play. They did diddly poo offensively and were down by two touchdowns before I cracked my first beer! Not only was the team awful in every aspect of the game but it showed Doug Marrone is a bad coach and EJ Manuel is probably a bust.

When a team comes out that horribly and clearly did not shake off the devastating loss from the week before that is a clear reflection on Doug Marrone's coaching "abilities". They are quite obviously the same old Bills. NOTHING has changed. It could be 2002, 2008 or 2013 there are no differences.

Anyone that isn't questioning the GM, coach and the quarterback at this point is either not paying attention or in denial. Who would have thought they would sit down and watch one of the worst performances by a Bills team during this 14 year streak? Its just incredible.

Nate Hacket is a bum. He is not qualified to be an offensive coordinator. He really cant get the ball in Spillers hands in space? Maybe he should watch Shane Vereen and the fuckin Patriots. Can I get a wheel routen split him out wide vs a linebacker or a trick play? This isnt rocket science.

And what about the defense? Are they required to give up a long rushing td every week now? Ha so much for Mike Pettine getting head coaching offers, wtf?

This team is in turmoil. The players dont know how to win the coach doesn't know how to prepare and the front office looks as buffonish and inept as ever.

4-9 folks four and nine.

Week 14 NFL Picks

Steve 31-33-1 Best Bet 8-5

Broncos -13 v Titans
Chiefs -3 @ Redskins
Raiders +3 @ Jets
Eagles -2.5 v Lions
Ravens -7 v Vikings


Coast 31-32-2 Best Bet 5-8

Saints -3.5 v Panthers
Redskins +3 v Chiefs
Raiders +3 @ Jets
Colts+7 @ Bengals
Rams +5 @ Cardinals


Wreck 36-29 Best Bet 7-6

Steelers -3.5 v Dolphins
Titans +13 @ Broncos
Colts+7 @ Bengals
Colts @ Bengals under 43.5
Bills @ Buccaneers over 43

Bills @ Buccaneers Podcast Preview

Steve Coast and Wreck breakdown the failure of a Buffalo Bills season and look ahead:

Bills Playoff Hopes Are ALIVE!

-Coast

As the many thousands of you have heard (or will hear) on this week's podcast, I am not giving up hope on the playoffs. Utilizing the ESPN NFL playoff machine (maybe the only great thing the 4 letter network has produced besides Grantland in the past 15 years) I picked every game over the next three weeks, being very realistic, and if the Bills win their next three (I know, I know...) they COULD be in 6th heading into Foxboro. He is how:

Currently it is looking very bleak, obviously, sitting at 4-8 and behind a whole mess of teams. Here are the important games and my picks, beginning in week 14:

Browns at Patriots: Patriots
Raiders at Jets: Raiders (come on, is there a worst team in the league than the NY-A right now?)
Dolphins at Steelers: Steelers
Bills at Bucs: Bills
Vikings at Ravens: Ravens
Titans at Broncos: Broncos
Giants at Chargers: Giants (this is a dicey one, I know, but the Chargers suck)

After week 14, the Bills would be 5-8, 2 games behind the Ravens who hold 6th place at 7-6. Miami and Pittsburgh sit at 6-7. Also at 5-8 are the Jets, Raiders, Chargers and Titans.

Week 15:

Chargers at Broncos: Broncos
Patriots at Dolphins: Dolphins (because New England struggles in Miami)
Bills at Jags: Bills
Chiefs at Raiders: Raiders
Jets at Panthers: Panthers
Arizona at Tennessee: Tennessee
Bengals at Steelers: Bengals (this could end up being a huge game when it is all said and done)
Ravens at Lions: Lions (this is another game that is a must loss for Baltimore)

After week 15, the Ravens still sit in 6th at 7-7 with the Dolphins also at 7-7 (who lost to Baltimore). The Bills, Raiders, Steelers and Titans all sit at 6-8 just one game back.

Week 16:

Dolphins at Bills: Bills
Titans at Jags: Jags (this is a HUGE game also...Jags are playing better, and, well, Fitz plays QB for Tennessee)
Steelers at Packers: Steelers...although if Rodgers is back this could swing and a Packer win would be huge for the Bills
Patriots at Ravens: Patriots...obviously, this is a must lose for Baltimore...but by the way New England has destroyed us over the past 13 years they will probably lose to Baltimore to eliminate us and then beat us by 35 week 17.

After week 16, if all of the above happens, the Buffalo Bills will be in 6th place at 7-8. Miami, Baltimore and Pittsburgh will also be 7-8, but with tiebreakers the Bills will be in 6th and controlling their own destiny.

Hey, you never know...

Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

Let's see where the Bills rank after that pitiful L versus the FailClowns:

ESPN 24:
No movement for this turd burger of a team:
"C.J. Spiller had 131 total rushing yards before contact Sunday, the fourth-highest total by a running back this season. Spiller's 140 yards between the tackles was a season high."


CBS 30:
Prisco pulling no punches, the Bills drop five spots
"They might want to work on fumbling drills. How does that happen against Atlanta?"


WalterFootball 24:
Walt wins the day yet again with some poignant commentary:
"I have no idea how the Bills blew that game. They should have beaten Atlanta. But hey, at least Ralph Wilson profited off another game in Toronto.

Can we all vote that having a team play its home games in Canada is a stupid idea? The Bills are now 1-4 in Toronto, and some a**hole in the stands kept blowing an annoying horn throughout the first half. Hopefully the Canadian authorities found that douche and took all of his vanilla pudding away."


PFT 24:
Rob Ford blast and no change:
"In defense of Stevie Johnson and Scott Chandler, Mayor Rob Ford was spotted with some of the game balls after devouring a basket of greasy chicken wings."


Yahoo! Sports 22:
 The Bills are moved up two spots after a loss, nice.
"That’s what happens when you sell out your home-field advantage for Toronto games. They probably beat the Falcons on Sunday if the game was at Buffalo and not on a neutral field."


Fox Sports 25:
One spot drop:
"The Bills had their second-highest point total of the season but had back-to-back fumbles that cost them the game."


Little or no movement this week with one site moving the Bills up and the rest leaving them the same or dropping a spot or two.  This might be the last week of these rankings cause the Bills blow.

Bills Go Bills and Lose

By Steve

Of course the Bills would lose to a team playing for nothing after being up 14 early, 7 late and driving for the win in the 4th and overtime. Oh how very Bills of them.

This team isn't any different than any other year with any other defense, coach, QB, WR or coordinators. This was the definition of an easy must win and the team folded like they always have the last 14 years.

Blame? Sure. The secondary blows. Steph Gilmore's next big play will be his first. He's the most overrated player on the team and it isn't even close. This team simultaneously ressurrected the careers of not one but two guys (White, Jackson) and invented another (smith). When they had to get off the field they couldnt. Just like always.

Then again the offense always fucks up at the end and gives the other team the ball in BUF territory to win. The fumble by Stevie Johnson did cost the team the game but at least he was trying to make a play. The more egregious fumble was resident bum Scott Chandler just getting the ball knocked out of his hands.

Dont blame the refs. There are awful calls that go both ways in every game. It may seem like more go against the Bills but they dont.

Why would anyone let the opposing team have an extra crack at the endzone inside the twenty with less than 2 minutes left and the team needs a touchdown? Classic loser coaching decision by a loser coach from the big east. Of course they are going to throw the ball up in the end zone and hope for PI. Thats how the games go!

As per usual the Bills suck you back in just to stomp on you. EJ played decent, cut Stevie Johnson, fire Hacket, find a real tight end, get another linebacker, hope for 9-7 next year being enough for a wildcard.

Week 13 NFL Picks

Full of turkey and full of casheee, get it:

Steve 27-32-1 Best Bet 7-5

Broncos @ Chiefs over 49
Colts -4 v Titans
Seahawks -5 v Saints
Gaints @ Redskins over 46

Jaguars +7 @ Browns


Coast 31-27-2 Best Bet 5-7

Bills -3.5 v Falcons
Rams +8.5 v 49ers
Buccaneers +7.5 @ Panthers
Chiefs +6 v Broncos
Titans +4 @ Colts


Wreck 35-25 Best Bet 7-5

Rams +8.5 v 49ers
Jets -2 v Dolphins
Bears +1 @ Vikings
Saints +5 @ Seahawks
Bills v Falcons @ Toronto over 48

Week 13 Buffalo Bills Power Ranking Compilation

ESPN 24:
The Bills leap frog the Browns and move up a spot yet still are behind the Jets, hmm.
"Buffalo had a plus-4 turnover margin in the Week 11 win over the Jets. The Bills hadn't posted a plus-4 since Week 16 of 2011 against Denver."


CBS 25:
No movement after the bye but still a few spots behind the Jets AND the Browns, ouch.
"It's all about EJ Manuel's improvement in the last five games. They need to build on that."


Fox Sports 24:
Buffalo took a major step backward during the bye falling two spots, they are also behind the Jets and Dolphins.  Literally all Billick did this week was put the teams in order of their schedule.  Does he get paid?
"The Bills have a favorable three-game stretch with the Falcons, Bucs and Jags on the horizon."


Walterfootball doesn't give us much this week except dropping the Bills two spots:
"22. Buffalo Bills (4-7). Previously: #20 "


PFT 24:
No movement after the bye and evidently the D&B story still has legs:
"I wonder if any of the Bills players made a bye-week trip to Dave & Buster’s?"


Yahoo! Sports 24:
Three spot plummet while being idle yet optimism:
"With their schedule, I'm still not ruling out the Bills being 8-7 going into the finale and hoping the Patriots have their playoff seeding locked up."


Average spot 23.8 with 3 sites moving the Bills down lower in their rankings after the bye, one up and two in the same position. Huh?  And how are the Jets ahead in all but one?

Week 12 NFL Picks

Wedding weekend gotta put the picks up on a Friday, get it:

Steve Best 24-30-1 Bet 6-5

Steelers +1 @ Browns
Jaguars +10 @ Texans
Chiefs -5.5 v Chargers
Broncos @ Patriots over 54
Bears +1 @ Rams

Coast 27-26-2 Best Bet 5-6

Jets +3.5 @ Ravens
Jaguars +10 v Texans
Chargers +5.5 @Chiefs
Steelers +1 @ Browns
Patriots +2.5 v Broncos

Wreck 32-23 Best Bet 6-5

Dolphins +4.5 v Panthers
Browns -1 v Steelers
Patriots +2.5 v Broncos
Titans -1 @ raiders
Ravens v Jets over 39

Week 12 Buffalo Bills Power Rankings Compilation

Skipped last week but that's aighttt, here is the 4-7 Bills power rankings:


ESPN 25 :
A full 9 spots behind the Jets, moved up one spot from last week.

"EJ Manuel's first pass against the blitz was swatted away by Muhammad Wilkerson. Then he went 8-for-8 for 111 yards and two touchdowns to finish the game."

CBS 25:
Exact same thing as ESPN except moved up a few more spots. (Miami is 16 lol)

" Beating the Jets the way they did was impressive. EJ Manuel did some good things. The defense did even more."


Fox Sports 22:
 A full 9 spots behind the Jets who are 13th some how.  Some dap for EJ.

"EJ Manuel finished 20 for 28 for 245 yards and two touchdowns with his two best receivers inactive in the game. This kid has a bright future."


Walterfootball 20. Buffalo Bills (4-7). Previously: #26Ahead of the Jets!


PFT 22:
A five spot jump but still six spots behind the beloved Jets. Did anyone watch the game last week?

"With the next three opponents at 2-8, 2-8, and 1-9, the Bills could make things interesting down the stretch."


Yahoo! Sports 21:

Eight spots behind the Jets who are 13th!!!

"The Bills will play the Falcons, Buccaneers, Jaguars and Dolphins before finishing at New England, which could have its seed clinched by Week 17. Hmmmm ...."


Bazaar love for the jets still.  Dunno. Average spot 22.5 Highest 21 lowest 25.

Bills 37 Jets 14

By Steve

Wait, there was a fun day at the Ralph against Rex Ryan and the Jets? There was a meaningless fourth quarter because the Bills so clearly had the win locked down? Rare

EJ so clearly out played Geno smith it almost, almost, made me completely forget about their first matchup. But in fact these two Jets Bills games were almost identical with the home team beating down their opponent.

I'm not going to say the Bills played a perfect game because they didn't (like Marrone messing up the clock, the running game and specifically Spiller doing diddly poo and a guy falling from the sky) but this was indeed a great game and a great win. The Jets looked lost in all aspects of the game except their run decense and Geno looked like, well, a Bills quarterback.

Manuel finally hit some deep balls, even if one was a duck the beleagured TJ Graham had to make a nice play on just to catch, but Erik actually looked a bit like a balla.

Some quick hits:

Have the Bills contacted Byrd's agent yet (even tho they technically cant)?

Does Scott Chandler need new gloves? Geez

How bad do those losses to the Bengals and Chiefs feel now?  Ugh.

2-2 in the division this late in the season? Rare.

Go 8-8 and I wont hate my life

Week 11 NFL Picks

Steve 21-28-1 Best Bet 6-4

Chargers -2 @ Dolphins
Browns @ Bengals under 41
Eagles -4.5 v Redskins
Buccaneers pick v Falcons
Lions @ Steelers over 45.5


Wreck 29-21 Best Bet 6-4

Patriots +2.5 @ Panthers
Bills +1.5 v Jets
Buccaneers pick v Falcons
Raiders +9.5 @ Texans
Jaguars +9.5 v Cardinals


Coast 25-23-2 Best Bet 5-5

Jaguars +9.5 v Cardinals
Raiders +9.5 @ Texans
Browns +6 @ Bengals
Patriots +2.5 @ Panthers
Giants -4.5 v Packers

Doug Marrone hilarious presser 11/11/13

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets podcast Preview

Steve and Coast review the season and look forward to the jets with some Doug Marrone humor

Farewell Darcy Regier

By Steve

Honestly I never thought I would ever be able to write this blog. The hatred and vitriol I have for this man has almost faded in time. The guy even out lasted my ire. I gave up. Death, taxes, Darc as Sabres gm. I don't remember anything else.

But today he was finally canned. Fanboy Terrance finally woke up and realized he had to fire his beloved failure of a GM. What changed, why now, what took so long? We'll probably never know but finally that boil was burned off even if it was 2 years 6 months and 21 days (or whatever Ted blacks's count was) too late.

Lets face it, Pegula should have done this on day one. Knox should have done this in 2000 after the Peca debacle. He even survived when the NHL owed the team. Golisano should have done this after 7/1/2007. This guy would have survived the holocast, the plague and the Noah's ark flood on the same day!

How was he employed for 16+ years?!??!?
Yeah he made a few good trades (Drury, Briere, Moulson) and rebuilt teams in to contenders. But he botched so many things, tanked so many seasons and moved too slowly too many times. He needed to be removed many times over if only for the simple idea of a new set of eyes on the franchise.

Finally it happened. I wouldn't be surprised if students study his tenure here in the future and write thousand page dissertations on how and why he survived so long. All I know is I may never forget 11/13/2013.WO0T

Season's Over

by Coast

My annual "Season's Over" post has become a pre-Thanksgiving November tradition over the past, I don't know, 9 years?

The Steelers absolutely embarrassed the Bills today. This game was an absolute debacle. I have defended this team all season. I have defended Marrone. I have defended Manuel. I think I even defended Hackett last week. This game was no better than any bills road performance under the past 4 head coaches. It was just disgusting to watch.

I will start with Manuel. He was obviously atrocious today. His accuracy was horrible. His threw a horrendous interception. He really made no good plays the entire game. That being said, I am not giving up on Manuel yet. Rookie quarterbacks have awful games all the time. He showed me enough through the first 4 games that he has potential and now that the season is over the rest of the season will be an opportunity to evaluate Manuel.

Now on to Marrone. I have really liked Marrone through the first 9 games despite the record. I cannot defend Doug Marrone after today's game. Punting on 4th down and 5 inside the Steelers 40 down 14 in the 4th quarter is an embarrassingly gutless decision. It made me sick watching. All I have done in defending Marrone all season has gone out the window. I no longer will defend him. He is on watch the rest of the season as much as anyone else in the organization. Punting in that situation is conceding a loss and doing it once is all it takes for me to completely lose respect for you. I am completely sick about it.

Nate Hackett had another terrible game. The game plan was so vanilla. The Bills scored 3 real points against a defense that has been terrible all year. Where was CJ Spiller? Was he not involved in the game plan? He should be the focal point of the game plan. The play calling inside the 10 was suspect again. Spiller coming out of the game inside the red zone every time the team gets there is questionable. I really felt like I was watching the 2012 Bills wondering where CJ was half the game. It wasn't like Jackson was out there ripping off big runs.

Some other quick thoughts from the game:

• The Bills should not keep Steve Johnson on the team. How many times has he left games early because of injury? Take a real potential #1 WR in the first round. Good riddance.
• I thought the defense played pretty well. The Steelers only had 300 yards of offense. The defense did not quit on the Steelers' last 2 drives when the Bills offense turned it over deep.
• The punting and punt coverage was atrocious. Brown killed them. This is obviously a trend and a problem that needs addressing. 
• When it was 17-3 Steelers, Ben threw a swing pass to Brown...it was a lateral but no one seemed to even pay attention (except Pettine).

I don't know...there will be more later this week, but that is all I got for now. Maybe next year.

Week 10 NFL Picks

Finally week ten and here are the expert picks

Steve 19-25-1 Best Bet 5-4

Cowboys @ Saints over 54
Buccaneers +3 v Dolphins
Falcons +5 v Seahawks
Bears pick v Lions
49ers -6.5 v Panthers


Wreck 25-20 Best Bet 6-3


Falcons +5 v Seahawks
Jaguars +13 @ Titans
Ravens +1.5 v Bengals
Steelers -3 v Bills
Texans +2.5 @ Cardinals


Coast 23-20-2 Best Bet 5-4

Bills +3 @ Steelers
Packers +1.5 v Eagles
Jaguars +13 @ Titans
Giants -7.5 v Raiders
Lions pick @ Bears

Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers Podcast

Steve and Coast breakdown the Steelers v Bills match up

Rob Gronkowski rap song ?

Week 10 Bills Power Rankings Compilation

The Bills are 3-6 and they are who we thought they were, here is the round up:

ESPN 23:

A respectable three spot drop and then Spiller stats for some reason.
"Despite playing with Jeff Tuel at QB, C.J. Spiller finished with a season-high 155 yards from scrimmage Sunday, including season highs in rushing yards (116) and rush yards after contact (64)."


CBS 25:

Two spot fall and Prickly Pete isn't sure where Tuel was on the depth chart.
"It's hard to win with a third-team passer, or was it a fourth-team guy? The turnovers killed them against the Chiefs."


Fox Sports 23:
Billick still loving him some Bills but plummeted them seven notches.
"I've been saying it all along: the Bills, particularly with a healthy EJ Manuel, are going to spoil someone's season over the course of the next eight weeks. They almost did it on Sunday."


Walter Football 23:

Someone that actually watched the game?? And the Bills moved up a spot and positivity?
"I will forever hate Thaddeus Lewis for ruining my October NFL Pick of the Month. Why did he have to suffer rib injuries and contract an illness? How selfish. If he cared about me, he would've played through everything.

By the way, I was asked why I postponed my October NFL Pick of the Month because of Lewis' absence. Jeff Tuel's 100-yard pick-six was exactly why. The Bills would've beaten Kansas City with a healthy Lewis under center."


Yahoo! Sports 20:

Highest ranking of the week and um does Coast work for Yahoo! now?
"Completely outplayed the undefeated Chiefs despite being on their fourth option at quarterback. A couple of bad turnovers ruined it. Still, watch out for this team in the second half and definitely in 2014."

PFT 25:
Down two but at this point I feel bad for Matt Flynn.  What did he ever do to anyone?
"At least Matt Flynn didn’t blow the starting job before he was cut."

Average location 23.16666 highest is twenty and kindest remarks shockingly by Walterfootball.

Coast's Bills Chefs Reaction

Since this playoff drought began, each season has produced at least one loss that has felt more painful than the result of a sporting even should ever feel.

2004: Week 17 loss to the Steelers

2005: Halloween loss in Foxboro where Holcombe threw the 3 yard out to Moulds on 4th and 7

2006: Christmas Eve loss to the Titans when Dick Jauron infamously didn't know if his team was in field goal range or not

2007: The Dallas game on Monday Night Football

2008: The Browns game on Monday Night Football

2009: The Patriots opener...you guessed it...on Monday Night Football

2010: The team sucked...but we still had the Ravens and Steelers overtime heartbreakers

2011: The loss in New Jersey where Stevie dropped the potential game winning pass

2012: The loss in Foxboro when Fitz threw the INT in the end zone

These name only a few of the many brutal losses this team has faced over the years. This year has had its share...weeks 1 and 7 produced last second or overtime heartbreaking losses.

Then there came the week 9 match up with the 8-0 Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were 2-14 last year, picked up Alex Smith and Andy Reid and all of a sudden were 8-0. I have been claiming all year that they were a fraudulent team. They have squeaked out wins vs. bad teams and then other bad teams without their starting quarterbacks. Coming in to the Bills game today, the Chiefs have faced the likes of Gabbert, Fitzpatrick, Keenum, Pryor,  and Campbell. Their other three games came against the wildly inconsistent and under performing NFC East. In other words, I truly felt that the Chiefs were the WORST team the Bills have faced so far. Maybe I am being sour because the Bills can never luck out or have the good fortune to start 9-0 when we have beeen mediocre the past 13 years. Well...the Chiefs won 23-13 and according to CBS, which flashed the headline "Chiefs roll past Bills to go to 9-0" during the Patriots Steelers game, I must have been way wrong. about them.

Well, I WASN'T. The CHIEFS WERE AWFUL. The Bills DOMINATED the Kansas City Chiefs on BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL. It really was one of the most one sided football games I have ever watched the Bills play. Let's just look at some of the stats (Bills stat shown first).

First Downs: 25-15

Plays: 77-54

Yards: 470-210

Yards Per Play: 6.1-3.9

Passing Yards: 229-115

Rushing: 241-95!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YPC: 6.3-4.1

That is incredibly lop sided. I want someone to figure out if there has even been a more one sided affair that resulted in the team that got thoroughly dominated win by 10...it is truly amazing.

So why did the Bills lose? I attribute 95% of the blame to Jeff Tuel and 4% of the blame to TJ Graham. The other 1% of the blame can go to a variety of different things.

Jeff Tuel sucks. I had no expectations coming into the game, but he even disappointed me. Yeah, he started out decent and threw a nice deep ball to Goodwin (but, like I have said many times, the deep ball is the easiest throw for a QB to attempt...high reward/low risk). The Bills led 10-3 at halftime and got the ball 1st to start the 2nd half. The only reason why the Chiefs had any points in the first half is Tuel threw a horrendous interception in the Bills territory that didn't seem to be intended for anyone. The first drive of the 2nd half featured a 61 yard exciting run by Spiller. Eventually, the Bills had 1st and goal from the 1 yard line. Jackson stuffed on back to back plays and here were go with another 3rd and 1. The Bills run a pass play. Stevie Johnson breaks WIDE OPEN into the back of the end zone...I mean WIDE OPEN. Tuel never even looks...at anything. In fact, I am pretty sure he threw with his eyes closed. He got the snap, closed his eyes, and just chucked it. Sean Smith completely blew his coverage on Johnson, who broke WIDE OPEN if I hadn't mentioned that yet. How was Sean Smith rewarded? It wasn't by Tuel finding Johnson for the touchdown...rather Tuel threw the ball right into Sean Smith's arms standing at the goal line. Smith returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, a 14 points swing and a 10-10 game.

I have made many outlandish comments in my career as a Bills fan, but I feel pretty confident about this one. That Tuel pick 6 was the worst play I have ever seen a Buffalo Bills football player make in my entire life. He showed complete ineptitude and proved that he never should have been allowed on an NFL roster or let alone start an NFL game. Tuel was inaccurate all day...yeah he hit Goodwin on one deep ball, but he was off on the other 10 he tried. People are saying balls were dropped...I guess you can consider TJ Graham or Robert Woods not making acrobatic over the shoulder catches drops. Tuel was AWFUL, just awful.

TJ Graham has been a huge disappointment his whole career in my opinion. He has not developed into any sort of reliable wide receiver. Today he finally killed the Bills in a big way. On a 3rd down and long, Graham ran an underneath route, caught the ball, got stripped, and the Chiefs returned the fumble for a touchdown.

As I mentioned, the Bills dominated the game. I truly believe if Tuel doesn't throw that pick 6 the Bills win. If Graham doesn't fumble, who knows, we could win. In a game where your team is 100% completely dominated the opposition, you need to do whatever it takes to not turn the ball over. Jeff Tuel was 4-22 in college. He embarrassed himself in Cleveland. His lone bright spot was literally the 2nd half of week 1 of the preseason since he was playing high school football. He never should have started this game. Matt Flynn should have started. He may not know the offense, but the Bills could have run a dummied down offense that required Flynn to simply not throw an interception. There is no way possible Flynn throws that pick 6...no other human with a brain or eyes would have.

The other 1% of the blame can go to a variety of areas, so here are my thoughts.

• Scott Chandler sucks and had about 10 drops
• The refs sucked again and in my (un)biased opinion, the Bills got screwed. Let's look at the Goodwin "incomplete" pass. Goodwin comes down with the ball. The ref closest to the play calls it a catch. Then, a 2nd ref comes in and waives it off. Then, according to replay, it looks like Goodwin makes the catch, bounces twice, rolls over and then Flowers knocks it out of his hands. IT WAS A CATCH and if called a catch on the field, as it was initially, it would not have been overturned. Further, Graham was being absolutely mugged on the Smith pick 6...he was basically carrying a guy...should have been pass interference. The Bills had a punt return touchdown called back on a block in he back and I have seen not called before, even if it was probably a penalty. Byrd got called with a pretty atrocious personal foul (although so did KC on one roughing the passer). Whatever, the refs sucked.
• Special teams TD called back on a block in the back was killer
• McKelvin tries picking up a fumble and returning it 2 yards rather than just jumping on it...KC ends up recovering. This reminds me how lucky KC is...they have recovered more fumbles than they have FORCED (you do the math)
• Hackett play calling inside the 5? I DISAGREE...they drew up a play on 3rd and goal from the 1 that resulted in their best WR being WIDE OPENNNNNNNNN and Tuel threw it to the wrong team

I could go on forever complaining about this game. The Bills dominated a 8-0 team. They should be 4-5 and in the hunt. Instead they are 3-6 and in the same situation they have been in for like 13 years in a row...basically out of it before Thanksgiving. Now I find myself saying oh well if we beat the Steelers then the Jets, then the Falcons...nah...forget it, I don't care how easy the schedule is...we are the Bills and are destined for heartbreak. 

If the punt return isn't called back, Tuel doesn't throw the TAINT (and Bills get a FG...let's be conservative) and Graham doesn't fumble and the Bills punt, the Bills win the game 23-6. That score would have been indicative of how lopsided the game was. Whatever, I am keeping the faith. Hopefully EJ comes back and the team continues to improve. Win the next two games going into the bye and the Bills will be one game back of the wild card. That is all we can hope for now...extend the season as long as possible.

Week 9 NFL Picks

Steve  18-21-1 Best Bet 4-4

Colts @ Texans over 44
Packers -10.5 v Bears
Ravens -3 @ Browns
Falcons +7.5 @ Panthers
Saints -7 @ Jets


Wreck  22-18 Best Bet 5-3

Bears +10.5 @ Packers
Buccaneers +16 @ Seahawks
Raiders -2.5 v Eagles
Bills +4 v Chiefs
Jets +7 v Saints


Coast  21-18-1 Best Bet 5-3

Bills +4 v Chiefs
Panthers -7.5 v Falcons
Packers -10.5 v Bears
Cowboys v Vikings over 49
Saints @ Jets over 46


Katman 5-5 Best Bet 1-1

Saints -7 @ Jets
Cowboys -10 v Vikings
Chargers @ Redskins over 51
Colts -3 @ Texans
Browns  +3 v Ravens

Bills First Half Season Review

By Coast

The 2013 Buffalo Bills season has hit the halfway point and the Bills are a less than impressive 3-5. Unlike many of my colleagues on this blog however, I am not ready to "fire everyone". I think the first half of this Bills season has been promising and actually gives me a lot of hope for the future.

Going into this season, the most important thing to figure out was whether or not EJ Manuel was the future of the franchise. Through 4 games, the Bills were 2-2 and midway through the 5th game, the Bills held the lead...until EJ hurt his knee, the team collapsed and the season instantly seemed ruined. As mentioned in an earlier blog, EJ Manuel performed very well when compared to his 2012 rookie counterparts. His numbers were on par with the big three of Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin. EJ also added a 90 second no timeout touchdown drive to beat Carolina, who also sports the 2nd best defense in the NFL in points allowed through 8 weeks. EJ has done enough through 4.5 games to keep the hope alive that he can and will be a franchise quarterback.

The 2nd major unknown going into the season was the coaching staff. The coaching staff has aclimated themselves pretty well through the first 8 games. This team has shown up each and every week and has been competitive, that shows that Doug Marrone is a good coach, especially considering the injuries that have plagued this team at quarterback. Think about what this team has gone through this year: Kolb and Manuel each get hurt in preseason. Bills sign Thad Lewis and Matt Leinart. Neither make the team. Bills go into season with Manuel and Jeff Tuel, an undrafted rookie. The Bills sign Lewis to the practice squad. Manuel gets hurt in week 5, Tuel goes in and plays awful. Lewis promoted from the practice squad to starter and then the Bills sign Matt Flynn. Now Lewis is hurt and Tuel will probably start against an 8-0 team...can it get any worse?

Nate Hackett, the 33 year old offensive coordinator, has looked in over his head at some points this season. That being said, given the circumstances surrounding his quarterback (and MIA CJ Spiller), he has gotten the most out of this offense. Thad Lewis has been respectable. The Bills scored at least 20 points in the first 7 games, one of two teams to do that. The Bills are averaging 22 points per game, which is 18th in the NFL. The Bills have averaged 22 or more points per game only once since 2004. 

Mike Pettine has brought a completely new attitude to the Bills defensively. The Bills attack infinitely more than they have in the past few years. The Bills are tied for 4th in the NFL with 28 sacks. The Bills had 30 sacks in all of 2012. Unfortunately, the Bills have been allowing a lot of points. The Bills have allowed 26.6 points per game this season, which ranks 25th in the NFL and is not an improvement over the "historically bad" defenses under Chan Gailey. I do attribute much of this to the Bills offense being in hurry mode all the time and thus the Bills defense is on the field much much more. The Bills rank 29th in the NFL with 27:13 time of possession per game.

First Half Awards:

Most Valuable Player of the first half: This has to go to Mario Williams. Mario has been a stud this year. He has 11 sacks through 8 games and was instrumental in two of the Bills 3 wins (Carolina and Miami). If Mario can keep this up for the rest of the season, it will warrant him getting at least some of his $100M contract.

Least Valuable Player of the first half: CJ Spiller, enough said. Spiller has been a colossal disappointment. Spiller has 398 TOTAL yards and 1 touchdown thus far. CJ has not played well when he has been out there and to make matters worse he has been nursing an ankle sprain for 4 weeks. Terrible. (Honorable mention to Justin Rogers...but when you compare performance to expectations, it has to be Spiller).

Rookie of the first half: Kiko Alonso...obviously. His 4 interceptions is tied for the lead in the NFL and his 81 tackles is tied for 2nd in the NFL. Best Coach of the first half: Mike Pettine. The defense has made a complete 180 since last year and despite the high PPG allowed, I love the attacking mentality. Don't forget, this defense has been decimated by injuries this year, especially in the secondary. It was so bad that Justin Rogers was the number 1 corner against the Jets.

Worst game of the first half: Justin Rogers against the Jets. He single handedly lost us the game. 6-9 for 250 yards for balls thrown at Rogers and 10-21 for 70 yards for balls thrown away from Rogers (estimated). Either way, pathetic.

Worst coaching moment of the first half: Making Jeff Tuel the backup when Thad Lewis was clearly better. Made no sense. Best moment of the first half: Obviously the comeback against Carolina.

First Half Grades:

Coaching: B...Love Pettine and Marrone...Hackett has gotten a lot out of bad players

Receivers: C...Stevie is a number 2, Goodwin missed half the year, Woods was developing some good chemistry with Manuel, but has been invisible since EJ's injury, Graham sucks, Hogan doesn't play and Easley is a decent special teamer...we need a WR in the first round next year big time

RBs: C...Fred Jackson has been good, but Spiller brings this unit down big time. The Bills rank 7th in rush YPG but are 15th in yards per attempt...just average and that is how I would rate them.

QBs: C-...QB play this year has been mediocre...EJ had a promising start and now we are stuck with Thad Lewis, Jeff Tuel and Matt Flynn...puke

D Line: A-...A lot of sacks...Mario has been a monster...Rush YPA allowed is 3.9, 14th in the league...this is a significant improvement (5.0 in 2012)

LB: B+...Kiko is the real deal but other than him, who has really done much?

Secondary: C...unit hasn't been helped by injuries, but that Jet game alone lowers this grade to a C at best...They do have 12 interceptions as a defense which ranks 2nd in the AFC.

Special Teams: D...we cut our punter and signed the guy who we cut last year for the guy who we cut this year...what? Punt returns cost us big time in Browns and Bengals losses...kick returns have been few and far between and ineffective when we do get a chance...lone bright spot has been Carpenter. 

2nd half prediction: The Bills have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL the rest of the way. If they can beat KC this weekend, they could get hot. I like the Bills to go 6-2 in the 2nd half and significantly factor in to that final wild card battle.

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills Podcast Preview

Week 9 Bills Power Rankings Compilation

Mid way through the season and the Bills are 3-5.  Here is a compilation of their rankings on our fav websitezzz:

ESPN 20:
The Bills move up a spot after losing by 18 points to the 'aints.  Some how they are still behind the Dolphins.

"There's no time to lick the wounds from a 35-17 loss in New Orleans. Buffalo returns home to face the Chiefs, the last of the league's undefeated teams."


CBS Sports 22:
A two spot jump from Prisco and a good luck because they play KC this week.

"That was a tough second game of a road trip at New Orleans. Now they get the Chiefs. Good luck."


Foxsports 18:
Man Billick loves him some Bills even if he dropped them two spots.

"For a team that is playing with its third-string QB, the Bills are fighting like dogs and are going to be a tough out down the stretch."


Walter Football 24:
A nice pithy comment yet again from Walter as he keeps the Bills at 24.

"I don't have much to say about the Bills, so let me post something e-mailer Joe B. sent to me. Joe pretty much summed up what any NFL game sounded like for me this month:

"Unsportsmanlike conduct. Offense. The quarterback spoke his pre-snap cadence in English, which is illegal during Hispanic Heritage Month. That's a 15-yard penalty, and the player is suspended for the remainder of Hispanic Heritage Month. He is eligible to return for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but only if he conforms to the strict uniform regulations: pink gloves, pink shoes, pink ankle tape, pink towel and a pink skull cap. First down!"

I suppose this fake referee's announcement is still better than those weird Drew Brees false starts. I'm still trying to figure out what was going on with that."


Yahoo! Sports 21:
A one spot jump and a truthy Mario Williams comment yum.

"Mario Williams has 11 sacks in eight games. Maybe Buffalo overpaid for him in free agency last year, but that's what they had to do to get him, and he's earning his money."


PFT 23:
Ouch the Bills experience their biggest drop of the week from twenty last week and Florio has some hate in his heart.

"After the Chiefs come to town, the Bills have six straight winnable games to lose."


The average spot for the week 21.3, the highest 18 and lowest 24.  Are these starting to get a bit boring?

Week 8 NFL Picks

Steve 14-20-1 Best Bet 3-4

49ers -16 v Jaguars
Bengals -6 v Jets
Dolphins +7 @ Patriots
Broncos -12 v Redskins
Cowboys +3 @ lions

Wreck 21-14 Best Bet 5-2

Vikings +9.5 v Packers
Rams +11.5 v Seahawks
Redskins @ Broncos under 59
Jets +6 @ Bengals
Browns @ Chiefs over 39.5

Coast 19-15-1 Best Bet 4-3

Browns +7.5 @ Chiefs
Broncos -12 v Redskins
Bills +12 @  Saints
Dolphins +7 @ Patriots
Jets +6 @ Bengals

Katman 3-2 Best bet 0-1

Patriots -7 v Dolphins
Steelers -3 @ Raiders
Redskins +12 v Broncos
Bills @ Saints over 49
Chiefs -7.5 v Browns

Bills @ New Orleans Saints Podcast Preview

Steve and Wreck and guests break down the Bills epic win in Miami and look towards the over rated aints

   




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The Bills After 7 Weeks

By Steve

Thaddy Daddy wins a division game on the road in his second start thirteen days from being on the practice squad? Rare.

Why is Jeff Tuel still on the roster? Why was he on the roster to begin with? Who would have thought the Bills would have 3x more wins than the Sabres at this point?

Doug Marrone and Natty Daddy Hackett still haven't earned the benefit of the doubt but the Bills are (vaguely) in the playoff hunt, have scored at least 20 points in every game and are no longer a laughing stock. Shit, even Mario Williams is silencing critics.

However, things aren't all roses and blow jobs yet. Buffalo has yet to blow anyone out causing us to change our underwear after every game and they have L's to Clev, Cinci and NYJ. Not to mention N.O. and KC are stairing them in the face over the next ten days (combined 12-1). Moreover, the rb's are all banged up and Stevie Johnson is no no. 1 but there are glimmers of hope.

Thaddeius is not the answer at qb but appears to be an adequate place holder until Mr. injury Erik James returns (11/17 hopefully). The guy can throw the ball down field, runs a decent read option and hasn't made an egregious error. I don't hate the guy!

If the defense continues to make plays the Bills will continue to be in most games.  After the aints there isn't an unwinnable game left on the schedule.

The Bills have new expectations. I expect this team to compete for a playoff spot until the last day of the season. Yes the coach is a bit lost some times, Hackett leaves us scratching our head a lot and the receivers suck but this team isn't the Chan Gailey Bills.

True they haven't been favored in a game yet this season and won't be for another month but this team has some swag.  Of course it is quite possible I will regret this post when they get boat raced in the next three games but I might bench the negativity until that happens. Leggo

Buffalo Bills Week 8 Power Rankings Compilation

Here are this week's Bills power rankings from our beloved sports blogs:

Walter Football 24:
A six spot leap but a realistic criticism of the Bills in the past present and future.

"Poor Buffalo fans. Thad Lewis isn't good enough to lead the team into the playoffs, but he's not incompetent, so he's helping the team win enough games to take them out of the running for Jadeveon Clowney and Anthony Barr. The front office will draft a decent player, but he won't be enough to get the organization over the hump. Then, the same thing will happen next year, and the year after that, and the year after that... It's sad, but Bills' backers are used to this endless cycle of mediocrity."


ESPN 21:
A jump of four from last week and a Mario Williams sack that is, gasp, positive.

"Mario Williams has now reached double-digit sack totals in each of his two seasons in Buffalo, something he did only twice in six seasons with the Texans."


Fox Sports 16:
 Another big jump this time by six spots, and fuckin shockingly logical position ahead of the Dolphins for the first time.

"Thaddeus Lewis earned his first win as a starter in the NFL, but the game ball should go to the defense who forced three turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown."


CBS Sports 24:
Ol' Prickly Pete not giving much love but to his credit he dropped the Dolphins thirteen spots to 27.

"That was an impressive victory at Miami. The defense made some big plays. Thad Lewis got his first victory because of it."


PFT 20:
A four spot boost and while I don't mind the Mario crack back I don't really understand it.

"Mario Williams is playing well enough to afford a lot more six-figure engagement rings that his future former fiancee’s don’t give back to him."

 

 

Yahoo! Sport 22:

Five spot jump and a hint at Thaddy Daddy usurping Erik James?

"Quarterback Thad Lewis has now played two good games in a row. EJ Manuel will get his job back when he returns (right?), but Lewis could make things really interesting."

 

 

The average spot was 21.16666666666666 with the highest spot at 16 (of course Billick and Foxsports and tie at 24 for the lowest with CBS and Walter Football.  Four websites have the Dolphins still ranked ahead of the Bills inexplicably.

Week 7 NFL Picks

Yeah, we added "katman" here are the week 7 nfl picks against the spread:

Steve 13-16-1 Best Bet 3-3

Patriots -4 @ Jets
Chiefs -7 v Texans
Titans +3.5 v 49ers
Broncos -7 @ Colts
Broncos @ Colts over 57
Dolphins +6 @ Bills


Wreck 17-13 Best Bet 4-2

Steelers -1 v Ravens
Bills +6 @ Dolphins
Lions -3 v Bengals
Giants -3.5 v Vikings
Eagles v Cowboys under 56


Coast 16-13-1 Best Bet 3-3

Bills +6 @ Dolphins
Lions -3 v Bengals
Jets +4 v Patriots
Steelers -1 v Ravens
Broncos -7 @ Colts


Katman 0-0-0 Best Bet 0-0

Bears -1 @ Redskins
Buccaneers @ Falcons under 43
Bills +6 @ Dolphins
Cowboys +3 @ Eagles
Steelers -1 v Ravens

Podcast: Bills at Dolphins Preview

Steve and Coast review the Bills contest against the Bengals and look forward to the Dolphins contest in Miami, do it.

   




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The Buffalo Bills After 6 Weeks

By Steve

The Buffalo Bills after six weeks are 2-4 and behind schedule in terms of wins, development and growth. Even as pessimistic as I am I had this team at 3-3 right now. Noe they have 4 straight L's stairing them in the face and their rookie first round pick is injury prone and out 6 more weeks. Ouch.

First the good, because this will be brief:

Kiko Alonso appears to be a great second round pick. He makes plays, runs around like a mad man and is in line for defensive ROY.

The offense is scoring, for the most part. They are 16th in total offense (yards) 17th in PPG and 2nd in plays from scrimage.  Nate Hackett has left a lot to be desired but the offense is playing admirably especially considering they have used 3 different quarterbacks, have no good wide receivers and both running backs are banged up.

Now the bad:

The defense is gruesome. They made the likes of the Bengals and Browns look like the 2013 Broncos. The Bengals matched their scoring average 17 minutes into the game last Sunday. Brandon Weeden yes that Weeden came in after a Brian Hoyer first quarter injury and drove the Browns up and down the field seemingly at will. The Bills lost both games.

EJ Manuel looked decent in his 4.5 games but its tough to argue he has been a bit of a dissapointment. He has hurt his knee twice in two months, has lost to fellow rookie (and my prefered pick) Geno Smith while being out played badly and has struggle with his down field accuracy. Moreover, he is scheduled to be out at least four more weeks just about washing out his rookie season. Don't get me wrong he has shown promise but he may need to beat out Thad Lewis just to get back in the line up if he's ever healthy again.

The wide receivers are horrible. I pointed this out all offseason that the wr position was a huge hole on offense. Stevie Johnson gets hurt every single game and even when he plays (20 254 2tds) he hasn't been effective. Robert Woods shows flashes but where has he been the last two weeks (7 73 0 tds) when SJ13 was ailing? They need to go WR in multiple rounds in next years draft.

Doug Marrone. The guy has shown why he was a head coach in a lowly conference in a mediocre football program. He is in over his head. Useless challenges, questionable decision making and has lost double the games he's won. This organization is stuck with him for at least another 26 games or so so oh well.

Overview
How can anyone, at this point, not be dissapointed? The Bills have lost games they should have won and are a bad 2-4 football team. It seems like the more things change the more they stay the same. Its not to say there havent been bright spots or that there havent been excuses (like a ton of injuries) but this team has been a let down. The schedule gets much worse before it gets better and this team might be in for a free fall starting on Sunday. How does 0-3 in the division sound?

Week 7 Bills Power Rankings Compilation

Here is the Bills week 7 power rankings comp. from our "favorite" websites:

Walter football 30:
No change from our boy Walt with a crack again at ol' Tuel

"I dropped the Bills to No. 30 last week because E.J. Manuel was declared out for at least six weeks. He may not be effective when he returns anyway. Thaddeus Lewis handled himself well, but now he's hurt. The poor Bills may have to turn to Matt Flynn. Anyone but Jeff Tuel, who hasn't left his room in protest recently because his parents decreased his allowance from $50,000 to $49,000 per week."


ESPN 25:
The Bills drop two spots but obviously the person that left this comment did not watch the game:

"Thad Lewis had 233 yards of offense and three touchdowns Sunday, but one lost fumble on a scramble was the difference. A Bengals touchdown nine plays later hurt in a three-point loss."


Fox Sports 22:
The Bills move up a spot and Billick continues to love this team for some reason:

"The Bills have four losses by an average of just 6.3 points. No one is going to want to play the Bills when they are healthy."


CBS Sports 28:
Down two spots with two rhetorical questions:

"When do the quarterback problems end? Is anybody left to start?"


PFT 24:
 No change in position but some Matt Flynn hate which I like:

 "There are bad quarterback situations, and then there are quarterback situations so bad that Matt Flynn gets a spot on the depth chart."


Yahoo! Sports 27:
A one spot jump with a lot of positivity:

"The record doesn't matter. Bills fans should be very excited what is happening with this team. A foundation is being set. They just need to be patient and let it grow."


Overview:
The Bills average spot this week was 26 with the best comment coming from Walterfootball and the least valuable coming from ESPN, so basically no surprises.

Bungals 27 Bills 24 - Coast's Reaction

Thaddeus Lewis threw 2 touchdown passes and rushed for another. He threw for 212 yards and did not throw an interception. His QB rating was over 100. He completed a deep ball to Graham AND Goodwin (for a TD). If you would have told me Saturday that all of this would have happened, I would have given the Bills a 95% chance of winning. The other 5% was the Bills defense just completely laying an egg.

Unfortunately, the Bills D didn't show up until the 4th quarter. Prior to that, they were a complete disaster. Andy Dalton threw for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sounds like a great day...but I disagree, Andy Dalton is average at best. The Bills defense played like it had never seen a screen pass before. AJ Green had a 54 yard reception on a WR screen. Marvin Jones had a 42 yard reception on a WR screen (and a 34 yard run on a reverse). Gio Bernard had a 23 yard reception on a swing pass and another 20 yard reception for a TD on a shovel pass. You add all of that up and you get 139 yards on 4 passes that traveled a combined 5 yards from scrimmage in the air. The remainder of Dalton's 22 completions were for less than 200 yards combined. The Bills also could not stop the run. They allowed 165 yards rushing. Benjarvis Green-Ellis averaged 4.8 YPC which is 1.9 YPC more than his season average up until this game. In all, the Bengals had 483 yards of offense and kept the ball for 42 minutes, compared to 25 for the Bills. I will give the Bills some (very little) credit for stiffening in the 4th quarter, but at the same time, they were going up against Marvin Lewis who tries to lose whenever possible & they were due for at least one stop after going three quarters without even forcing a punt.

So why did the defense suck so bad? Some may blame Byrd and Gilmore for impacting the "chemistry". That is garbage...if you can get pro bowl caliber players back, you take them. I do question Gilmore's effectiveness though playing with just one hand. Did that contribute to the long WR screen plays? I know he was out there for at least one & the play was thrown towards his side of the field. It was just a poor performance by a defense that had high expectations from me coming in...very disappointing. I will say, although not really jumping off the screen yesterday, Kiko Alonso had 22 tackles. He seems to constantly be around the ball (he did get burnt on a Andy Dalton scramble though for a first down).

On offense, the Bills scored 24 points with a guy that was on the practice squad 9 days prior at quarterback. CJ Spiller was obviously not 100%. Steve Johnson didn't play. They were going up against a very good defense. All in all, they did their job. The worst moment of the game for the offense was the goal line stand. 1st and goal from the 2...run right, run right, run right, play action pass. Not once did they QB sneak (2nd and 3rd down were from the 1). Not once did the spread it out. They ran the play action on 4th down, not 2nd or 3rd. It was a horrendous job by Nate Hackett...just absolutely terrible. To make matters worse, the Bengals marched 98 yards for a touchdown after that stop. I do 1000% completely agree with Marrone to go for it there. You go for it 100% of the time from the 1 yard line in that situation.

Lewis did well throwing the deep ball, no question about it. That being said, I cannot wait for EJ Manuel to get healthy. Lewis was not accurate on the short/intermediate passes. I have never played quarterback, but I would imagine the deep ball is the least risky/easiest pass to make. You see man coverage, and just throw it up. If it is caught, great. If it is incomplete, fine. If it is intercepted then you defend it by saying you gave your guy a chance. Lewis did not show me that he could read a defense and complete 10-20 yard passes in the middle of the field into tight windows. Teams had no film on Lewis. I am nervous after a few games, teams will figure him out, take away the deep ball, and he could then struggle.

The officiating was horrible. The missed PI call on the Goodwin deep pass was incredible. He was basically horse collared by Pac Man Jones & they didn't call it. The penalty on Kyle Williams for unsportsmanlike conduct was terrible. Calling Moorman's first punt a touchback was embarrassing. The ref was literally right next to the ball. It was clear it landed out of bounds yet he somehow still called it a touchdown. I know they got the call right, but the fact he missed it was brutal.

The punt coverage sucked. Easley whiffed on the tackle on the final long punt return setting up the game winning field goal. The punt coverage killed them in Cleveland. New punter (who did punt better than Powell) but same result. Punt team killed them.

Finally, I will cave in and agree with some people who killed the Bills front office/coaching staff for the Tuel situation. Thad Lewis proved on one drive he was better than Tuel. He was definitely good enough to win the Browns game for the Bills as all they needed was one play. Now Matt Flynn is getting worked out presumably to replace Jeff Tuel. If Jeff Tuel was so good that they didn't want to lose him, why are they completely giving up on him after one half of play. The more I think about it now after yesterday's performance, the more maddening it is. I gave them the benefit of the doubt until yesterday, but Lewis' performance proved he is substantially better than Tuel.

The Bills are now 2-4. The season is probably over. They will be without Manuel for another 3 games at least, all against good teams. The fact that they brought Flynn in for a workout can mean one of two things. First, it could mean Tuel might be history. Second, it could mean Manuel is going to be out much longer than we hope. Let's hope it is the former.

Next week is a must win...not for the playoffs, but for keeping things at least somewhat interesting for another week. Plus I hate the Dolphins. Go Bills.

Coast's Bills vs. Bengals Preview

HUGE football game tomorrow afternoon. The 2-3 Buffalo Bills will host the 3-2 Cincinnati Bengals, whom many picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl (not sure why). The Bungals are laying a TD on the road. I don't care who the opponent (other than maybe the Jags), but the Cincinnati Bungals are not good enough to be laying a touchdown on the road. Yet another slap in the face to the Bills organization. I guess Vegas thinks that Thad Lewis is a significant drop off from EJ Manuel.

Let's take a look at the Bungals body of work so far. First, they have lost each of their road games this year, at Chicago and at Cleveland. They scored only 6 points in Cleveland and have scored a combined 19 in their last two games. They have home wins against New England and Green Bay (although fluky). They have been terrible on offense and good on defense. Because of how bad their division is, they are still probably the favorite to win the division and host a playoff game.

Let's break down the match ups on each side of the ball:

Defensively, the Bungals have been solid. They are 8th in the league in yards per game allowed and they are 7th in points per game allowed. The key to the Bungal defense are its defensive tackles Geno Atkins and Domata Peko. With all of the struggles the Bills have had at guard this season, this could be their toughest match up of all. The Bengals are allowing less than 100 yards per game on the ground this season and whoever is starting at LG is going to have their hands full all day. The Bills on offense will most likely try and run the ball early and often and establishing the run against this tough defense will be imperative to their success on offense. The Bills offense has been surprisingly average this season, ranking 16th in yards per game and 19th in points per game (better than the 32nd and 30th we typically rank). The Bills "strength" this season though has been its running game as they rank 3rd in rush yards per game. I put strength in quotes though because I still definitely do not think they have ran the ball efficiently. They ran for 155 yards against the Browns on 31 attempts. That is good...but 54 came on one run. The remainder of the day they averaged 3.3 ypc and I don't recall them consistently running the ball effectively throughout the game. Against the Ravens, the Bills ran the ball 55 times for 203 yards and only threw 22 passes. We may see even more of a lopsided run/pass ratio this week with Thaddydaddy Thadwick Thaddeus Lewis making his first start as a Buffalo Bill. Until Thad Lewis sucks on the field, I am keeping an open mind. He is allegedly athletic and can make the throws necessary. He is short, which is a downfall. He has started one NFL game and wasn't horrible. Stranger things have happened. Doug Flutie was 5'6" and was good...so why not Thad. The Bills should have their full arsenal of weapons on offense. Robert Woods is emerging. Marquis Goodwin is back. Spiller hopefully will start to find his stride (has been most disappointing Bill and maybe player in the league this year). Let's all give Thad a chance. If he sucks, I am with all of you who want to kill Whaley for entering the season with such horrible back up QBs. Advantage: Bengals

The Bills have been a pleasant surprise on defense. Coming after a historically bad stretch on defense under Chan Gailey, the Bills defense has turned the page completely and is now an attacking, opportunistic unit. Mario Williams 7.5 sacks leads a unit that ranks 7th in the league with 15 sacks. The Bills also have been successful at taking the ball away, ranking 2nd in the AFC with 11 takeaways. Leading the charge in that regard is rookie stud phenom beast Kiko Alonso. The guy is a straight up animal, flying over the line of scrimmage, intercepting passes left and right, the guy is a stud. He also is 10th in the league with 44 tackles. Helping on the defensive side of the ball is the return of Jairus Byrd and the hopeful return of Stephon Gilmore. The thought of Gilmore, McKelvin, Byrd and Williams in the secondary with a full arsenal (except Carrington) of pass rushers is certainly exciting. The Bills defense could carry this team through this stretch of games without Manuel. The Bungals offense on the other hand has been brutal. As mentioned, they have scored 19 points combined in the past two games. They rank worst than the Bills offense in basically all important offensive statistical categories, 22nd in YPC and 25th in PPG. I don't know about any of you, but the law firm and rookie Giovani Bernard don't exactly strike fear into me. Gio's 62 yards vs. the Pats was his best game all year. The law firm is averaging a stellar 2.9 yards per carry, but for some inexplicable reason, actually plays more than Bernard. AJ Green hasn't lived up to his ridiculous standards this year and Andy Dalton is a very marginally better version of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Advantage: Bills.

The two defenses have the advantage over their opposing offenses tomorrow afternoon. That being said, I think the Bills defense will be able to stop the run, pressure Dalton, force some interceptions. Bills 17 Bengals 14 as the Bills move to 3-3 and after the Jets and Patriots lose, the AFC will look like this:

Pats 4-2

Phins 3-2

Jets 3-3

Bills 3-3

The Bills will then head to South Beach for an enormous AFC East ball game. Let's keep the hope alive for one more week as we strive to play meaningful football in November.

Go Bills!!

Week 6 NFL Picks

Week 6 of the NFL season here our teams picks against the spread with best bets and season records:

Steve 10-14-1  Best bet 2-3

Eagles -3 @ Buccaneers
Raiders @ Chiefs over 41
Ravens +3 v Packers
Redskins +6 @ Cowboys
Rams +7.5 @ @Texans

Wreck 13-12 Best bet 3-2

Jaguars +26.5 @ Broncos
Titans +14 @ Seahawks
Bills +6.5 v Bengals
Steelers pick @ Jets
Buccaneers +3 v Eagles

Coast 13-11-1 Best bet 2-3

Bills +6.5 v Bengals
Steelers pick @ Jets
Raiders +9.5 @ Chiefs
Broncos -26.5 v Jaguars
Chargers +2 v Colts

Bengals at Bills Podcast Preview

Steve and Coast breakdown the Buffalo Bills v Browns Thursday debacle, preview the upcoming Cincinnati Bengals game and we check out the latest NFL odds for the game and give our picks.

   




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Week 6 Buffalo Bills Power Rankings Compilation

by Steve

Here are our "favorite" websites and their week 6 Bills power rankings

Walter football 30:
A nice seven spot drop from last week, but did Tuel go to Duke?

"I'm dropping the Bills to No. 30 because E.J. Manuel will be out for at least six weeks and may not be effective when he returns. Jeff Tuel stepped in and was so horrendous that Buffalo is opting to start someone named Thaddeus Lewis this weekend.

To illustrate how awful Tuel was, forum member HappyDays had this to say: "Jeff Tuel is my least favorite Bills player of all time. What a whiny little p***y dip****. Spoiled rich white Duke ******."

Tuel was pretty bad. He spent the entire time crying and complaining to the coaching staff and officials. It seemed like he was some rich, trust-fund kid who was told he couldn't have a Rolls-Royce for his 16th birthday."


ESPN 23:
No movement here and some Thaddy Daddy stats
"Thad Lewis' only career start wasn't terrible. Lewis was 22-of-32 for 204 yards, a touchdown and interception in a 24-10 loss to the Steelers as a Brown last year."


Fox Sports 23:
Three spot drop with a crack on ol' Tuel
"Let's hope Thad Lewis is better than Jeff Tuel because that wasn't even fun to watch."


CBS Sports 26 :
Rhetorical question and a three spot drop, but god damn that video auto playing is unbearable.
"The quarterback situation isn't good with EJ Manuel out. Is the season done?"


PFT 24:
Six spot drop and a quick quip.
"They say if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any.  The Bills say please shut the hell up about that."


Yahoo Sports 28 :
Six spot drop and doom and gloom for Thaddy Daddy.
"Sorry for this low ranking, because there are some things to like about this team. But it's going to get ugly with Thad Lewis at quarterback."


Average spot after five games is 25.66666666666.  Highest ranking is 23 and lowest is 30. Again Walterfootball with the longest comment, I'll take it!.

Bills Name Thad Lewis Starter, WTF?

by Steve

Did I open my eyes this morning to a nightmare of which I can't escape or is this a sick joke?  The Bills genius front office and coaching staff are in love with the "read option" but they also love Jeff Tuel.  The Dougs and Co are in love with EJ Manuel but don't draft him at the first opportunity.  They know he is injury prone but they don't try to attain a competent back up. Manuel gets hurt and they say they are going to bring in a quarterback from outside the organization.

Do I have all of that correct?  So then what do they do?  They bypass Jeff Tuel, (their alleged boy) bring up a practice squader named Thaddy "Daddy" Lewis and name him the starter on Monday after they fail to sign Josh Freeman? Huh?

Why is Jeff Tuel on the team?  Why did the Bills aggressively (allegedly) try to sign Freeman and bring in other QBs (Pat White, Dennis Dixon) then magically come to the conclusion that the answer to their QB problem was right there at OBD from the beginning?

If this whole situation doesn't reek of incompetency I don't know what does.  Even if Thaddy Daddy is the best option "because he knows the system already" (of which I disagree) why was Jeff Tuel ever included on the 53 man roster and continued (and continues) to keep a roster spot?  Jeff Tuel doesn't run the read option, he is a nobody, and would not be signed by anyone.

How many snaps does anyone think Lewis took with the first team players?  My guess is zero.  How many second string snaps has Lewis taken during practice?  My guess is zero.  You are telling me no other QB out there could not hand the ball off and throw some normal passes (ie not the read option) ?

The only real questions at this point are, a.) what quarterback(s) do the Bills draft next year b.) will Manuel every play 10+ games in a season ever c.) who are some GM/coach options in three years d.) is Kevin Sumlin + John Manziel a viable option in 2014?

 Thaddy Daddy 6'2 220 25 years old, played 47 games in college only missing one in four seasons from 06-09, started one game for the Browns in the NFL.

Bills Fail to Sign Freeman, Tank the Season

by Steve

Josh Freeman to Minnesota, probably Pat White to Buffalo, three sell outs, four black outs and another waste of a season for the Buffalo Bills.

With Mr. injury prone the only capable quarterback on the Bills roster and a complete failure from the top on down to sign Freeman the only question to be answered is who is running this pathetic franchise, Al Davis?  Holy shit.

The Bills are an absolute joke.  They knew that Erik James Manuel was injury prone and had zero chance to play 16 games.  So what was their plan?  Jeff Tuel? WTF?  Jeez.

The AFC East is a joke and so are the Bills.  They have wasted yet another season finishing 6-10ish with zero hope and less reason for existence. What is the point of rooting for this franchise, Jeff Tuel?

Not signing Freeman is more disappointing than Manuel getting hurt because that was inevitable.  The only thing to look forward to is the hope that moron "GM" Doug Whaley has enough foresight to draft Keith Price in the second round next year.

Pathetic.

Week 5 NFL Picks

Week five NFL picks against the spread

Steve 8-11-1 Best Bet 1-3

Seahawks @ Colts over 44
Lions +7 @ Packers
Saints @ Bears over 50.5
Texans @ 49ers over 41.5
Ravens +3 @ Dolphins


Wreck 9-11 Best Bet 3-1

Titans +3 v Chiefs
Eagles +1 @ Giants
Cowboys +8.5 v Broncos
Colts +3 v Seahawks
Ravens +3 @ Dolphins


Coast 12-7-1 Best Bet 2-2

Titans +3 v Chiefs
Patriots -1.5 @ Bengals
Falcons -10 v Jets
Ravens +3 @ Dolphins
Broncos -8.5 @ Cowboys

Bills 23 Ravens 20 Reaction & Bills Browns Preview

-Coast

Good Lord what an epic sports week upcoming. The Bills play on Thursday night, the Tribe play on Wednesday night and Friday night (ideally). Heck, even the Sabres season opens up this week, although this post won't preview the Sabres. I will leave that preview to Andrew Schrum. This post will react to the Ravens win and take a look ahead at the Browns game tomorrow night.

Bills Ravens Reaction

I will start by providing my slightly delayed reaction to Sunday's win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills were the better football team Sunday. If you followed my Twitter rant from Monday, you already know my thoughts on this game. The Bills beat the Ravens because they were better, not because "Joe Flacco played his worst game as a pro". Give me a break. Kiko Alonso made a great play on Flacco's 5th interception. Yeah, it was a tipped ball, but it was still a great interception. Some people may say Kiko's first interception was lucky because Flacco threw it right to him. How about giving Kiko some credit for being in the proper position. Aaron Williams' 2nd interception was a great athletic play in the end zone. Jim Leonhard's interception was another great play on a tipped ball. The Bills defense played great and made plays, as it did against Carolina and New England. It wasn't a fluke, it was a good performance by a defensive unit and they deserve credit for the Bills beating the defending champions.

Joe Flacco is an average quarterback. He should certainly not be making the amount of money that he is making. He can throw a bomb and won a Super Bowl because of his ability to throw a bomb, but other than that, he is average. John Harbaugh and his coaching staff had a terrible game as well. It is somewhat amazing to me that this coaching staff won a Super Bowl. The Ravens completely abandoned the run game in the 2nd half. Why? It was 20-14 with half of the 3rd quarter remaining. The Bills just allowed 150 yards rushing to Bilal Powell and the Ravens may have two running backs better than Bilal Powell. Inexplicable. In total, Flacco threw 50 passes and the Ravens ran the ball 9 times. Harbaugh also coached scared. Down 6 in the 4th quarter, the Ravens opted to kick a short 24 yard field goal rather than try and score the touchdown to take the lead. According to advanced stats, the Ravens probability of winning actually would have been higher had they gone for it and not converted than it was after making the field goal. With 4:04 to go in the game and you need a touchdown to take the lead and you are at the 6 yard line, you go for the lead, every time. Why kick the ball away and depend on your team getting the ball back. That is just coaching scared.

Some also are making the argument about the Bills only winning by 3 despite all of the Ravens mistakes. Well, Baltimore was lucky they lost by only 3, the Bills weren't lucky to win by 3. Every single significant borderline call went the Ravens way. Jim Leonhard forced and recovered a fumble in Ravens territory. This was called a fumble on the field and was overturned. Deep in their own end, EJ Manuel hit Chandler on a long 25 yard pass. This was called a catch on the field and also overturned. EJ Manuel hiit Robert Woods for a touchdown in the corner of the end zone. This was called a touchdown on the field and was overturned. Three big calls OVERTURNED. This never happens and cost the Bills at least 7 points. Further, the Bills butchered a few situations, including the end of the first half. They had 3rd and 1 in field goal range, ran and got stuffed as usual, decided to go for it and got called for holding...next thing you know they are punting. Just awful. Further, Nate Hackett making me lose faith more and more every week. His play calling is ultra conservative & predictable. When the Bills were up 23-20 in the 4th quarter they faced a 3rd and 11 with under 3 minutes to go. The Ravens had 1 timeout left. The Bills elected to run a draw that got stuffed. Why not throw there and try to win the game? We saw from the Carolina game that time still wasn't a factor. This was a scared coaching decision that I hated more than any other during the game. Try and win the game...period.

Oh...and one more thing...I predicted the result of this game EXACTLY. I know football.

Bills Browns Preview

In what all of a sudden has become a mildly interesting game the Bills will take on the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland Thursday night. The Bills are coming off a big win against the defending champs and the Browns are coming off back to back wins against the Vikings and then the Bengals, whom many tabbed as a Super Bowl contender. What has sparked this Browns reincarnation? Well, there are two things...the trade of mediocre 2012 first round pick Trent Richardson for a 1st rounder & the benching of Brandon Weeden for Brian Hoyer. Hoyer has 5 touchdown passes through 2 games & is averaging nearly 300 yards per game. He has also thrown 3 interceptions in the two games, which could be an issue against the Bills ball hawking defense.

The unit that scares me for the Browns is the defense. Through 4 games, the Browns defense is 4th in yards allowed and 8th in points per game allowed. On the contrary, the Browns offense has struggled. They rank 24th in yards per game and 29th in points per game. The key matchup Thursday night will be Steve Johnson vs. Joe Haden. Johnson claims no one can cover him and he proved that in a BIG way against Baltimore...with 1 catch for -1 yards. Haden just held AJ Green to 51 yards...so good luck SJ.

The key for the Bills as usual is to establish the run to make life easier for EJ Manuel. The Bills are 2nd in the NFL in rush yards thus far, however, they have also had the most attempts. If you watched any Bills' games this year, you would agree that they are not running the football with any efficiency. Spiller has been about 1% as good as he was last year. Jackson has been better but still not great. Spiller is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, which is awful compared to last year. Making matters worse is he is hurt and not sure if he will even play.

On the defensive side of the ball, it is looking like McKelvin will be a game time decision. Byrd practiced with the defense, but odds are good he won't play. Looks like the Bills will be facing the red hot Brian Hoyer with Rogers and Williams at corner (WIlliams is banged up too). The Bills secondary is in shambles, but Kiko is healthy & that may be all that matters.

This is going to be a low scoring defensive struggle. The lack of time to prepare plus the injuries/young players for both teams will probably lead to a sloppy game. I love the Bills +4 this week as the Browns may be the worst opponent they have faced thus far. Bills 20 Browns 10 and yep, the Bills will be 3-2, who would have thought?