Die Hard Sports Fan

Wow.  That’s how I can sum up such a great game by the Buffalo Bills in this one.  It was an all-around team effort.  The special teams play was amazing.  The defense played very well too and the offense stepped up when needed.  In this article I will break down all of it, give out the game ball, top plays, and even cover some of the other top stories in the NFL and of course will give my opinions on all of those too.  First though I will start with the Bills vs. Seahawks game, with my thoughts on everything.

 

THINGS THAT WERE GREAT

• Special Teams: How could I write an article on the Bills and not talk about their special teams. Terrence McGee, on his only return of the game, went 27 yards to set up the Bills in good field position. Roscoe Parrish had the highlight reel return, 63 yards for a touchdown. He was great all day setting a Bills record for return yards. Parrish had 120 yards on 6 returns. That’s good for a 20.0 average! Rian Lindell went 2 for 3 on field goal attempts. On his only missed attempt, it was blocked which was the only downside to an incredible game from the special teams. Also, not only did punter/holder Brain Moorman throw for a 19 yard TD, he also averaged over 40 yards a punt, with 9 of them in this one. His great kicks pinned the Seahawks deep in their territory, which made it difficult for them to sustain drives. 46.6 yards a punt is amazing! That stat in this game will be overlooked due to the other great plays.
• Defense: So they couldn’t get a shutout but man did this group look great. The linebackers stepped up and Keith Ellison played a very good game (couldn’t even tell Angelo Crowell was gone which is incredible). The D-line was great and the coverage by the secondary was also very good. Just got beat on one TD play (should have been another one if the Seahawks could catch) and even that one was played decent by Jabari Greer. Newcomers played GREAT!
• NEWCOMERS: Welcome to the squad Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell. Stroud was a force all day and made his home in the Seahawks backfield. The big tackle also let the linebackers run free. Mitchell was great, and looked like he was everywhere on the field. He recorded a great sack on a two player A gap blitz. Even though he was on the team last year, I still consider Paul Poz a newcomer also. He also looked good. Even with Crowell out for the year, the Bills LB core looked solid.
• Kirk Chambers: Jason who? For a guy who never started a game at RT (and only one at LT) in his entire career he looked great. Kept one of the best DEs in the game off of Edwards. Really placed very well, especially because the Bills left him 1-on-1 most of the game. Will provide great depth with Peters back in the mix.
• Running game: In total the Bills rushed 29 times for 106 yards and a TD. Pretty good numbers for a good squad with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.
• 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Quarter Edwards: Trent Edwards struggled coming in to the game but shook off the rust to finish with a good performance. 19 for 30, 215 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTS. That will get the job done on most weeks.
• Kyle Williams: 1.5 sacks and stopped the run all game. Enough said.

 

THINGS THAT NEED WORK

• Kick Coverage:  Bills coverage teams did not look well at all.  Averaged 26.5 yards on kickoffs and 18 yards on punts.  Needs to improve.  Really the only bad note for a great game.

 

GAMEBALL

• Coaching Staff:  Sorry Mitchell, Stroud and Parrish but the Bills coaching staff was on fire this game.  Of course Bobby Aprils special teams played well and he was behind the fake FG for a TD call.  New Bills coordinator Turk Schonert opened up the offense.  Didn’t get into trick plays but got the ball to his playmakers.  The O wasn’t predictable and went to step on the ‘Hawks throat with the Trent play action TD pass, something that wouldn’t have happened a year ago.  Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell also did his job excellent.  He sent blitz all day that bottled up Seattle’s running game and also his secondary was great.  Hats off to all of the coaches involved in this one.

 

GRADING THE BILLS

• Running Game: B

      Lynch stepped up when needed including TD run in 1^st quarter.

• Passing Game: B+

            Not off the chart numbers but good enough to win the game.  Edwards managed the game well and did not turn the ball over.  Also made some good check offs.

• Run D: A

            Stroud, Kyle Williams and the rest of the line stood out while holding the Seahawks to 85 yards on the ground. 

• Pass D: A

            Pass rush was very good and secondary played well.  Got beat on just one play and also McGee was able to finally get his hand on the football in the 4^th quarter with an INT to seal the game.

• Special Teams: A+

            Two special team TDs, and good punting.  Hey even the bad kick coverage can’t bring this grade down.

• Coaching: A+

            Not only do they get the game ball but an A+ too.  Wow if only the Bills coaching staff cared about this blog…

 

TOP PLAYS

• Like the top plays for the Bills were even hard to pick.  Very easy to decide these two.  The Fake Field Goal for the TD (Moorman to Denney for 19 yards) and the Parrish return.

 

NO HUDDLE OFFENSE

This is the first time I am writing this so my no huddle offense is a quick rundown of the top stories of the week, and my thoughts on them.

• Tom Brady placed on IR.  He torn his ACL and as a Bills fan I am happy (does that make me wrong in the head or something).  Now the Pats are without their leader and best player.  I think anyone that they bring in will not come anywhere close.   Knock on wood but I think the Bills will have a good chance to take a run at the AFC East crown.
• Vince Young also is hurt.  Out for 2-4 weeks.  Titans still win their game and lets be honest, Young wasn’t very good anyways.  
• Brett Favre wins his first game as a Jet.  Also makes a Brett Favre throw.  Just threw the ball up in the air and the Jets came down with the TD.  
• Aaron Rodgers also wins his first game with the Packers as a starting QB.  Take that Brett!  Like the comparisons between the two continue.
• AFC GIANTS STRUGGLE:  Chargers lost to Carolina, Colts lost to Bears.  The AFC Giants struggled this week with only the Steelers picking up a win.
• NFC GIANTS DO FINE:  The defending Superbowl champs win their first game and the Cowboys take care of business against the Browns.

 

Can’t wait for Week 2 to begin already!  Let’s go BUFFALO!  Enjoy some Monday Night Football.

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The Buffalo Bills will face the Seattle Seahawks tomorrow afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

TV & Radio Info:

Game: Seattle Seahawks (0-0) @ Buffalo Bills (0-0) TV: FOX (Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli, Charissa Thompson) Radio: 97 Rock (Buffalo), 103.3 The EDGE (Buffalo), WHAM 1180 AM (Rochester), WNSS 1260 AM (Syracuse), FAN 590 AM (Toronto). All done by John Murphy, Mark Kelso and Paul Peck. Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• Before the game, former Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett will make his return to Ralph Wilson Stadium, the place where he suffered his life threatening spinal cord injury. Everett will be awarded the Professional Football Writers of America’s Halas Award, which goes to the individual in the NFL who overcame the most adversity to succeed last season. Everett overcame the odds and walked again after doctors feared he would never be able to do so.
• The Bills beat the Seahawks the last time the two teams met by a score of 38-9 back in 2004.
• The Bills have also beaten the Seahawks 2 out of the last 3 meetings. They also led the series 6-4 overall.
• Running back Marshawn Lynch has run for at least 70 yards on the ground in 7 of the last 8 games. He also averages 92.7 yards rushing at home.
• Matt Hasselbeck is trying to come back from a back injury and he doesn’t have much help in his receiving core with his top 2 targets out of the lineup.
• Finally, Bills OL Jason Peters ended his holdout and reported to the team today. He will not be in the lineup though so Kirk Chambers will be making just the 2^nd start of his career at RT (Langston Walker who is usually the RT had to move over to the left with Peters absence).
• Bills leading tackler of last season Angelo Crowell was placed on the IR just a few days ago. The strong side linebacker will be undergoing knee surgery and will be lost for the year for the Bills (he could be released, and then another team could pick him up and he could then play).
• Seattle is terrible on the road. The team went 3-5 on the road last season, including a 1-4 record when the game was being played in the eastern time zone.

Injury Report:

Bills - Out of Game: TE Derek Fine (Hand), OL Matt Murphy (Shoulder), LB Angelo Crowell. Questionable: LB Paul Posluszny (Ankle). Probable: DT Spencer Johnson (Back). Seahawks - Out of Game: WR Deion Branch (Knee), WR Bobby Engram (Shoulder). Doubtful: Sean Locklear (Knee). Probable: DE Baraka Atkins (Back), LB Lofa Tatupu (Knee).

Quote of the Week:

“We’re excited. Obviously, it has been a difficult time for the organization and for Jason. But he’s coming back, and we’re excited to have a player of his caliber back with us. Hopefully it won’t be too long before he’s on the field.” - Bills Defensive End Chris Kelsay Bills need the 12^th man tomorrow. First game of the year. Let’s be LOUD Buffalo!! Let’s GO BUFFALO!

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It is being reported by NFL.com that Jason Peters has told the Bills today that he will be ending his holdout and report to the team on Saturday.  The Pro Bowl left tackle will NOT be in Sundays game.  It will be interesting to see what kind of game shape he is in and how quick he can pick up the new offense.  Big news for the Bills who lost starting LB Angelo Crowell for the season yesterday.  The Bills will have a two week period to activate Peters.  Hopefully he will be ready for Week 2.  

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Hello Bills fans. The Buffalo Bills just announced that they have placed linebacker Angelo Crowell on injured reserve. Buffbillsfan posted earlier that Crowell would be out for Sunday’s game because he decided to have his knee scoped just three days before the season. Being placed on injured reserve is not going to sit well with Angelo because this is a contract year for him. The Bills decided to place him on IR because they are short handed at linebacker and were upset that Crowell waited this long for surgery. This is terrible news because Crowell is a great player and the leading tackler on this team. Keith Ellison is once again a starter and will be counted on to fill the shoes of Crowell. Lets hope this is the last of the injuries we will face. I can’t stomach another year like last when 1/3 of the team went down. Go Bills.

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It is being reported by rotoworld.com that the Bills starting strongside linebacker Angelo Crowell has had his knee scoped today and will be out for the season opener.  The time table for his return is 2-4 weeks.  The leading tackler on the Bills last season will be a huge loss to the D.  His backup, Keith Ellison will have to step up big time to help the Bills go after a Wildcard spot. 

In other injury news, starting middle linebacker Paul Posluszny was also not practicing today.  It is unclear wheteher or not he will be available in the game vs. the Seahawks. 

More news to come as the Bills get ready to open up the season on Sunday.  My Bills breakdown of the starting offense  will come later tonight.

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The season is starting in just under 5 games with the Buffalo Bills home opener just around the corner.  The game is of course on Sunday, September 7^th when the Bills take on the Seattle Seahawks at the Ralph at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time).

 

So what am I going to do for you guys out there reading this?  Get you pumped for the regular season opener!  From now until Sunday I will be covering the Bills as a team and their chances of making the playoffs.  First, I will cover the Buffalo Bills defense.  I will list the depth chart of the position in my breakdown of the D position by position and give them an overall grade along with some commentary of the team. 

 

DE

1. Aaron Schobel

2. Chris Kelsey

3. Ryan Denney

4. Chris Ellis

5. Copeland Bryan

The Bills have a very solid group of defensive ends on the roster this year.  That means they will have a good duo out there on any play seeing as the Bills like to rotate in the freshest players on the D-line…  Schobel has made the pro bowl two years in a row but he is trying to improve his sack total for this year after only 6.5 sacks last year, the lowest in his career since his rookie season back in 2001…  Kelsey is trying to return to top form after he battled nagging injuries all last season.  He underwent off-season surgery on his torn tendon in his ankle…  Denney is also trying to return to top form after he had to undergo foot surgery.  He was only able to play in 7 games last year due to the injury… Chris Ellis is the rookie DE from Virginia Tech.  He was selected by the Bills in the 3^rd round.  Ellis could be used as a situational pass rusher and is also good against the run.  Fast fact, the last DE selected by the Bills from VT, Bruce Smith…  Bryan appeared in only 2 games last season and was later put on the IR in December.  Before joining the Bills last season, Bryan was on the Bear practice squad…     

GRADE: B

 

DT

1. Marcus Stroud

2. Kyle Williams

3. John McCargo

4. Spencer Johnson

            The Bills are hoping that a healthy Stroud can return to his former pro bowl form.  The 6’ 6’’, 306 lb. tackle was brought in to help improve the Bills D against the run which finished near the bottom of the league last season.  Stroud will also get some double team attention at the line giving the DEs and LBs some room to run and make plays…  The 25 yard old Williams just signed a contract extension this off-season for 3 more years in Buffalo…  McCargo, the former 1^st round pick (26^th overall) in the 2006 draft was fined this spring for being overweight.  He reported to camp in shape and looks to build into a starting DT…  Johnson came over in the off-season as a free agent from he Vikings.  He didn’t put up huge numbers because he played behind the monstrous Williamses in Minnesota…

GRADE: B- (Grade will improve after we see how Stroud plays)

 

 

MIDDLE LB

1. Paul Posluszny

2. John DiGiorgio

            Poz is BACK!  After fracturing his forearm in the Bills Week 3 game last year he is back at 100%.  The guy just has a nose for the ball and is a great tackler.  Through the first 3 games last year, he led the Bills with 26 tackles (remember he didn’t even finish the 3^rd game)… DiGiorgio had a very good year last year filling in for the injuried Posluzny.  He had 113 tackles last season to go along with 2 sacks and 1 INT.  Provides great depth at the MLB position…

GRADE: B+

 

 

WEAK-SIDE LB

1. Kawika Mitchell

2. Jon Corto

            Mitchell was an early free agent signing for the Bills.  The Superbowl Champion is highly underrated.  He had 86 tackles, 4 sacks and 1 INT to go along with 2 forced fumbles.  Something to remember, his last game in Buffalo on December 23^rd of last season, he had 2 sacks, forced a fumble, and returned an INT for a touchdown… Corto is the Orchard Park native now on his hometown Bills squad.  He was on the Bills practice squad last season…

GRADE: B

 

STRONG-SIDE LB

1. Angelo Crowell

2. Keith Ellison

            The 27 year old Crowell is entering his contract year with the Bills.  This is the last season of the 3 year deal he signed in 2005.  He too is another Bills LB that is highly underrated.  He had 126 tackles last season that led the team…  Ellison also played significant time last season.  He had 39 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 INT in 12 games last season…

GRADE: B+

 

 

CB

1. Terrence McGee

2. Jabari Greer

3. Ashton Youboty

4. Leodis McKelvin

5. Reggie Corner

            McGee was the clear choice for the #1 corner spot.  McGee has 78 tackles and 4 INTs last season in 15 games… Greer looked to be the odd man out with the Bills after they selected a bundle of corners in the draft.  He has played hard though and the Bills coaching staff is impressed.  He earned the #2 spot for at least the first half of the season…  Youboty was another guy that was as good as gone before the preseason but he played hard and had two very good games.  He won the nickel corner spot because of his great progress… McKelvin was the #11 pick in this years draft.  He has looked so-so in the preseason.  He has either made a good play or has completely messed it up.  It will be interesting to see whether he plays a lot at all this year.  A candidate to play in the dime and quarter packages for the Bills (which they don’t run very much at all)… Corner was a ball hawk in college and had a sharp preseason.  The rookie has even be rumored to be ahead of McKelvin on the depth chart…

GRADE: C+

 

FS

1. Ko Simpson

2. George Wilson

            Simpson is looking to rebound after he was injured in the Bills 1^st game last season against the Denver Broncos and then placed on the IR for the year.  The 4^th round draft pick from the 2006 draft is looking to have a breakout year and also continue the chemistry with SS Donte Whitner after the two started their entire rookie seasons together…  Wilson played in 12 games last season after Simpson and former Bills safety Brain Leonard went down, before of course he went down to injury also.  It occurred before the last week of the season.  He ended the year with 37 tackles and 2 picks…     

GRADE: C

 

 

SS

1. Donte Whitner

2. Bryan Scott

3. John Welding

            Whitner guaranteed that the Bills will make the playoffs this season.  He has been an unofficial team captain since he was drafted.  He shows great leadership and also builts team chemistry by having the team over for film watching and he even took McKelvin under his wing during the off-season  Hard qualities to find from a 23 year old entering his third season of NFL play…  Scott returns for another stint in Buffalo after he played in 15 games last season, most in a special teams role… Same goes for Welding.  Will play in the special teams role…

GRADE: B

 

Overall the Bills defense has a good mix of playmakers and role players.  Due to all of the injuries last season, the Bills now have good depth at almost all of their positions.  They are a young D that flys to the football.  Look for team to improve as an entire unit this year.

 

Here is the rundown on what I will be covering the rest of the week:

Weds: Bills Offense

Thurs: Bills Special Teams

Fri: Breakdown of the Bills Schedule and Chances of Making the Playoffs

Sat: Game Preview with my Picks of all of the Winners in Week 1

Sun: Game recap with Commentary 

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Hello Bills fans.  The Buffalo Bills will face the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.  This is the first game out of eight scheduled in the next five years in Toronto.  I wish I was able to watch the game live but will be following it online.  The game also re-airs at midnight on NFL Network.  I hope Coach Dick Jauron lets Trent Edwards and the rest of the starting offense play the entire first quarter.  I want to see Trent attempt more than five passes like he did last week.  Josh Reed and Angelo Crowell will not play tonight.  James Hardy will start at wide receiver and Keith Ellison will start at linebacker for Crowell.  It looks like Donte Whitner will play this week after missing Saturdays game against Washington.  I hope our shortage at tackle doesnt effect some of our key guys playing time.  I dont want to see some of our starting o-line go deep into this one.  Its only the second preseason game so I would rather see our starting units ease into game condition.  Go Bills.   

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Hello Bills fans.  The Buffalo Bills fell to the Redskins 17-14 at Fedex field this past Saturday.  I was in attendance for the game and even though it didnt count, it was great to watch the Bills.  The starting offense didnt look so great and couldnt get into a flow.  Trent Edwards did have a nice 18 yard pass to Roscoe Parrish.  The offensive line had two false starts on the opening drive so we had to settle for three.  The defense didnt fare to well but was missing starters Donte Whitner, Angelo Crowell and Terrence McGee.  I take preseason for what its worth.  Its basically for the players that are on the bubble to show what they can do in game situations.  Cornerback Ashton Youboty had a nice interception and then flipped it to Reggie Corner who returned it to the 20 yard line. That setup J.P. Losman’s td pass to rookie receiver James Hardy.  Hardy made up for a drop with a nice 16 yard reception in the endzone.  Rookie Leodis McKelvin shined in the return game taking a punt back 45 yards.  If he would have cut to the right side, he would have scored.  McKelvin also had a 37 yard kickoff return.  He looked impressive.  As always the special teams played fantastic.  The unit forced a fumble on the opening kickoff which was recovered by kicker Rian Lindell.  Although we didnt pull out the victory, I saw some positive things from our team.  I cant wait to see us play at full strength.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fan.  Tomorrow the Buffalo Bills will travel to Washington to face the Redskins for their first preseason game of the 2008 NFL season.  Coach Dick Jauron stated that the starters will play between 10-20 snaps.  Donte Whitner, Josh Reed and Angelo Crowell are the only starters that will not play in this game.  Im upset that I will not be able to see those three because I want to see our offense and defense at full strength.  Rookie wide receiver James Hardy will play unless his hamstring tightens up before the game.  Im very excited to see how Trent Edwards has improved and added size since last season.  I cant wait to see some of the other rookies such as Leodis McKelvin, Chris Ellis and Reggie Corner in action.  I will report on my trip to Washington when I get back into town on Sunday night.  I cant believe the preseason is here already.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  I came across this article on sportingnews.com that analyzes the Bills from a fantasy football prospective.  The article basically states that the Bills will open up the offense more under new coordinator Turk Schonert.  Marshawn Lynch will also be given more responsibility in the passing game.  Trent Edwards will be relied upon to take this team to the next level.  The Bills brass has a lot of faith as do I in Trent.  I feel that he has the brains and the tools to help this team get back to the playoffs.  I also feel with the additions of Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell, our defense can dominate especially at stopping the run.  A healthy Stroud means linebackers Paul Posluszny and Angelo Crowell flowing to the ball untouched.  Stroud will be doubled team which will also free up either John McCargo, Kyle Williams or Spencer Johnson.  This team is going to suprise many and I can’t wait for September 7th.  Go Bills. 

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