The Buffalo Bills 2010 Superbowl

by Coast

The Bills are 4-10. They are playing for nothing except pride and their careers in the National Football League. The Bills are being led by a bunch of low draft picks playing their hearts out in Steve Johnson, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson. On Sunday, the Bills have a chance to salvage their 2010 season by beating the Patriots who are 12-2 and will clinch the AFC East and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win in Orchard Park.

Do the Bills have a chance to win this game? No, probably not. The chances are less than 1%. The Patriots have beaten the Bills 19 out of the last 20 and have won 14 consecutive. This is one of the most one sided rivalries, if you can even call it a rivalry, in sports right now.

The 2nd game against New England has been even more troubling for the Bills since this streak began. Since the 2000 season, the Patriots are 10-0 in the 2nd meeting of the year. They have outscored the Bills 261-75 in those games for an average margin of victory of 18.6 points. The Patriots have been able to figure the Bills out in the first meeting and then demolish the Bills in the 2nd meeting while the Bills coaches and players apparently figured out nothing.

The major different between these two teams is obviously coaching. Bill Belichick vs. Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Dick Jauron and Chan Gailey. The 2nd major difference is quarterback play. Tom Brady vs. Rob Johnson, Drew Bledsoe, JP Losman, Kelly Holcombe, Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and probably Alex Van Pelt back in 2001.

The front office led by owner Robert Kraft, has actually drafted good players in the first round. Since the 2000 draft, the New England patriots have had 10 first round picks. 6 of those picks currently start for their team: McCourtey, Meyo, Meriweather, Mankins, Wilfork and Warren. The other 4, Maroney, Watson, Graham and Seymour, all were starters have left via trade or free agency. Seymour was traded for another first round draft pick.

The Bills are a different story. Their first round picks since 2000 have been Spiller, Maybin, Wood, McKelvin, Lynch, McCargo, Whitner, Losman, Evans, McGahee, Mike Williams, Clements and Erik Flowers. Of these picks, Flowers, Williams, Losman, McCargo and Maybin are 100% complete busts. The Bills have given up draft picks to draft players like JP Losman and John McCargo. They have completely given away players like Marshawn Lynch and have overpaid average players like Lee Evans. My point is, these two franchises may be the two most polar opposite franchises in sports. It is completely embarrassing.

What about the 2010 teams? The Patriots are led by a 6th round pick in Tom Brady. The Bills are led by a 7th round pick in Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Patriots running game is led by an undrafted rookie free agent in Benjarvus Green Ellis. The Bills running game is led by an undrafted rookie free agent in Fred Jackson. That is where the similarities end. The Patriots average 31.9 points per game, 1st in the league. The Bills allow 25.2, 25th in the NFL. In the last 6 games, New England has embarrassed two division leaders at the time in the Jets and Bears and defeated playoff contenders Green Bay, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. The Bills have beaten 4 playoff teams since 2003.

What the Bills must do, somehow, to win this game is run the football and run it often. If this game turns into a shootout, the Bills stand no chance. The Bills need to keep New England’s offense off the field and they may be able to do just that. New England ranks in the middle of the pack in running defense. Peyton Hillis shredded the Patriots defense in New England’s last loss against the Browns. The Bills need to feed Fred Jackson as much as possible. Yeah, I would like them to just feed CJ Spiller but we all know that isn’t going to happen. Each week that draft pick looks worse and worse. The Bills also need to blitz Brady often. Brady normally isn’t touched by Bills defenders which allow him to pick the Bills apart. Too bad the Bills don’t have the personnel to actually pressure Brady because of the lack of real NFL players at linebacker.

This season has been brutal, 11th straight season without the playoffs. The only thing that can make this season worthwhile is beating New England at home when they can clinch the division and home field advantage. 37-29 Bills, you heard it here first.