Die Hard Sports Fan

A whole boatload of information came out today on the Buffalo Bills as they prepare themselves to take on division foe, New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon.  Here is the latest from WGR550.com:

Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550)  — The Bills did not have Aaron Schobel or Josh Reed in attendance as preparations begin for New England. Schobel is seeing a specialist today for a consultation. Dick Jauron says he hasn’t heard that Schobel could miss the rest of the season. LB Kawika Mitchell was watching from the sideline. Jauron says Mitchell injured his ankle in the Jets game. He hopes to have him in practice tomorrow. Brad Butler, Jason Whittle and Ashton Youboty all took regular reps in individual drills. Jauron says they were limited in team drills. The NFL injury report submitted by the Bills said Youboty did not practice.

Sometimes after a concussion a person can be “foggy” or have their reflexes slowed. I asked Trent Edwards if he has experienced that and he said no. It just seems like his decision making has been slower the past two weeks.

Langston Walker admitted that the offensive line must have the mentality to be physical to get a running game going. Jauron danced around the question saying a number of factors have to be addressed.

 

 

 

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Well after a few days to process the game (and some time to vent), I will now rationally express some of my thoughts (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that came from the Buffalo Bills 25-16 loss to AFC East rival Miami Dolphins.  Today we will take a look on the bright side of the game by looking at the good things that happened for the Bills (tomorrow will come the more upsetting side, when we take a look at the bad and the ugly).   

Big special teams play from Langston Walker.  The monstrous 6’ 8”, 366 pound offensive tackle broke through the Dolphins special teams line, and blocked a field goal early in the game.  The block came early in the 1^st half on a 46 yard attempt by ‘fins kicker Dan Carpenter.  The game was still very close and the block was a huge momentum changer. 

Lee Evans continued his dominance catching the ball and had himself a very strong game against the Dolphins secondary.  Evans had 7 receptions for 116 yards.  Looks like the new 4 year, $37.25 million contract isn’t making the wide receiver lazy at all.  The guy is a great football player who leaves it all out on the field each week and his performance has showed it.  Evans has now topped 80 yards in four straight games and hasn’t been held under 65 yards all season.   

The Bills top ranked run defense was on top of its game again.  The Bills must have looked at my advice on how to stop the “wildcat” offense, or they just listened to their coaches.  Either way it is fine with me seeing as the Bills only let up only 59 yards on the ground to running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams (in total the Dolphins only had 56 yards rushing).  That is not exactly an esay task seeing as the two have averaged a combined total of over 100 yards a game (103.3 yard average through the first half of the season).

The Bills running backs played well themselves.  Running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson combined for 102 yards on 23 attempts (good for 4.4 yards a carry).  Not only was there performance as a duo strong on the ground but they also produced through the air.  Lynch caught 5 passes for 34 yards showing that the Bills will try to get their back involved in the passing game also (NOTE: Personally I don’t think that the Bills are using their feature back, Lynch, the right way but that will come more in depth in tomorrows article).  

The punter and kicker of the Bills squad also did their part in this one.  Kicker Rian Lindell went 3 for 3 on his field goal attempts (1-1 on extra points) while punter Brian Moorman had 3 punts that went for an average of 40.7 yards.  Both of these players are consistent for the Bills week in and week out so I didn’t expect that to change this week.

Head Coach Dick Jauron got a contract extension.  I will get more into him and his staff tomorrow but the Bills locked up their man for 3 more years.  It has not yet been confirmed yet by Jauron or the Bills, but it is being reported by multiple sources that it has indeed happened.

How does tied for 1^st place sound?  Not sure about some people but it sure sounds pretty good to me.  Even with the loss in the division, the Bills are still tied for 1^st place in the AFC East.  That can easily change for the better (or the worse) as the Bills next two opponents are division foes.  Not time to panic yet Buffalo!

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Who wants to read about how the Bills got killed yesterday?  I will get more indepth on that game on Tuesday but for now watch a very interesting story about Big Men in the NFL, featuring Buffalo Bills OL Langston Walker.
 

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Hello Bills fans. Tonight is the last preseason game as the Buffalo Bills take on the Detroit Lions at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Coach Dick Jauron stated yesterday that it is a game-time decision regarding who will play in this game. I don’t think Trent Edwards or Langston Walker will be suiting up for this one being that the regular season is right around the corner. The fourth preseason game is usually for players that are on the bubble and coaches looking to see who will fill out the final roster spots. This is also for players to show their potential and winning a spot on the practice squad. The roster must be cut down to 53 on August 30th. It will be interesting to see who makes the final cut. I have a feeling there will be a few surprises. Last years #3 running back Dwayne Wright might lose his job to rookie Xavier Omon. If Omon has a big game tonight and Wright gets shutdown like last week, it will be an easy decision for the coaches. The countdown is at 10 days and the season is amongst us. Go Bills

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Hello Bills fans.  The Buffalo Bills defeated the Colts last night at the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  J.P. Losman led the first team offense to two scoring drives.  The most impressive was the 18 play 94 yard which took over 10 minutes off of the clock.  The drive was capped off by a one-yard by rookie Xavier Omon.  Losman looked great in this game.  He made quick decisions and released the ball on time to his wideouts.  Its comforting to know that we have a more than capable backup quarterback.  Losman should good command and only had one bad throw.  Lee Evans and Josh Reed were his go to guys and Justin Jenkins made a nice grab for a first down.  The offensive line played well and gave Losman plenty of time to throw the ball.  Left tackle Langston Walker held Dwight Freeney in check and is getting better at his new position.  It was scary when he left the field but x-rays were negative on his forearm.  I still would love to see Jason Peters report one of these days so Walker could move back to the right side.  The Defense had a fantastic game last night getting four interceptions.  Ashton Youboty, Keith Ellison, John Wendling, and Reggie Corner all had picks on the night.  The defensive line played well and on the first play of the game Chris Kelsay sacked Jared Lorenzen.  I cant wait to see this team hit the field on September 7th.  Check out the highlights of the game on nfl.com.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  As training camp rolls on, the team has still not heard from starting left tackle Jason Peters.  It is not known whether they have even tried to contact him but some teammates have said they have tried and can’t reach him.  First thing, I hope he is ok.  Second, I would like for his agent to come out and say that his client is looking for a contract extension.  Peters has three years remaining on his current contract and is being fined everyday for missing practice.  Bills COO Russ Brandon has said that he would like to see Peters in camp and then they can discuss his contract.  It is starting to worry me that our best offensive lineman is no where to be found.  He needs to be in camp asap working with his team.  Coach Jauron has now decided to give starting right tackle Langston Walker some reps at left tackle.  Coach is hopeful that Peters will eventually show up and Walker can stay at the position he played last season.  Walker did a good job last year on the right side but I fear that he might be a little less agile on the left blocking opponents best pass rushers.  Lets hope this situation gets resolved soon and we can focus on improving other areas.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  Today the team announced that it has come to terms with seventh round draft pick  offensive tackle Demetrius Bell.  Bell is a developmental prospect said to have great hands and feet to play tackle in the NFL.  Bell is currently the fourth tackle on the roster.  The Bills will be able to bring him along slowly and have him learn from Jason Peters and Langston Walker.  The team also announced today that they have released fullback Mike Viti from Army.  Viti was third on the depth chart at fullback.  I really wanted him to make the team because I watched him play in college.  He was a great blocker and leader for Army Football.  It looks like the fullback job is between veterans Jonathan Evans and Darian Barnes.  I think Barnes has the edge to win the job due to more experience.  Check out the article on buffalobills.com.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  The team announced that they have come to terms with fourth round pick Derek Fine.  Fine will compete for a backup spot at the tight end position.  He is an experienced special teams player and will contribute in that phase right away.  He isn’t the biggest guy but set records at Kansas for most receptions for a tight end.  I liked when the Bills picked Fine and feel he will contribute right away. 

Shortly after the signing of Fine was announced, the team reach a contract extension with starting right guard Brad Butler.  Butler still had two years left on his rookie deal but showed last season that he can be a full-time starter on the offensive line.  The team did not release details of the contract but Im sure Butler will be getting a raise.  He started all 16 games last season after winning the position battle in training camp.  Butler showed me a lot last season.  He formed a strong tandem with right tackle Langston Walker.  If the Bills can sign Jason Peters to a long term deal, we will have four out of the five starters on the o-line locked up for a long time.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans.  Tomorrow starts the second week of offseason team activities.  The team had a tremendous turnout last week and it will be interesting to see if Jason Peters is in attendance.  There have been rumors circulating that Peters is looking for a new contract.  I knew this would happen eventually since he is a pro bowler and starting left guard Derrick Dockery and right guard Langston Walker signed huge contracts last offseason.  Peters is only 26 and is viewed by many as the best young tackle in the league.  The Bills need to step up and pay the man so he will anchor our line for his entire career.  Also check out Trent Edwards interview on buffalobills.com.  He discusses the offense under new coordinator Turk Schonert as well as the impact James Hardy will make on the offense.  Is it September yet?  Go Bills. 

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