Die Hard Sports Fan

The Buffalo Bills had pretty high expectation coming into this season this year as their fans were excited about the young team the Bills assembled.  Then the Bills started off the year 4-0 and gave Bills fans even higher one.  It was being talked on local shows how the Bills might even be reach the Superbowl as they were the top AFC East team and one of the tops in the entire AFC.  After a 1-3 stretch, and two straight losses in the division, I am starting to wonder if the Bills are indeed the weakest link in the AFC East.

 

Now I know it is only two games, and the Bills are still sitting at a very nice record of 5-3 (which is 7^th in the AFC which is one spot out of a wildcard berth and tied for 1st in the AFC East) but losses to the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have raised some eyebrows. 

 

The Bills have played terrible football in the last two weeks.  For starters the running game is no where to be seen.  Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 9 times yesterday for 16 yards.  16 yards!  Are you kidding me?  This guy is a 1^st round draft pick and in his 2^nd year in the pros, he has yet to go past 100 yards this season on the ground.  The running back suffered from some kind of illness for most of the game yesterday.  Hopefully he doesn’t take a look at his performance, because that will make him sick all over again.  It certainly has made me.

 

The offensive line is horrible and it has been for the entire season.  Pro bowl LT Jason Peters is not going to get that big money extension that he held out for and missed the 1^st game of the regular season with, like he wants.  He is letting guys go right by him.  The rest of the line is very mediocre also.  They block for running backs that get an average of 93.8 yards a game which is good for 26^th best in the league.  Not only can they not run block but they can’t pass block either.  They allowed 5 sacks yesterday with some very nice “look out” blocks.

 

I didn’t know that J.P. Losman was playing in the game against the Jets?  Hmm, let’s take a look how he did… O wait…  Trent Edwards has played very poorly the last two weeks and the offense has sputtered.  In his defense he doesn’t have a real threat at the WR position other than Lee Evans, the running game is awful and he is getting pressured like crazy, but 3 turnovers in this one?  An absolute ugly interception that went for a pick 6 was thrown that ended a promising Bills drive.  Sure you can play the pressure and Roscoe Parrish for slipping but as a QB you don’t throw that ball into double coverage.  It didn’t even look like Edwards looked at Roscoe, just threw it where he thought he would be.  Edwards needs to step up his game too if he wants to led the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. 

 

With many of these problems being with the offense, the defense has also lacked in one big part of the game, stopping the opponent’s offense when it is needed.  Now don’t get me wrong the pick six by Jabri Greer was a great play that brought the Bills back into the game but the Bills had to come out and get the ball back.  Instead the Jets went right down the field, taking 8 minutes off of the clock and adding another field goal to put the game away.  A playoff caliber defense needs to step up and make that stop. 

 

The Bills started off the year so great, 4-0 and then 5-1.  They had the entire city of Buffalo behind them, cheering them on every week.  Even if it meant going to a friends house, crowded bar or dusting off the rabbit ears to catch the Bills game with grainy reception.  The game next week against the New England Patriots on the road is a must win for this Bills team.  They cannot go 0-3 in this division because teams will pass them by.  How can they accomplish a win?  For starters the team needs to get healthy and play like they did early in the season.  When the Bills had the good record to start off the season, they were playing great on all three aspects of the game.  Their offense was clicking, defense was solid and their special teams unit was game changing.  Now nothing is working on all sides of the ball.  They have to get back to basics and go with what worked early in the season.  Holding onto the football and establishing a rushing game is a must.  They have already lost to the Jets and Dolphins.  A loss to the Pats this week, by default, would make the Bills the worst team in the AFC East.      

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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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The Buffalo Bills will face their division rival, the Miami Dolphins today at Dolphin Stadium.

Broadcast Info:

Game: Buffalo Bills (5-1) @ Miami Dolphins (2-4).
TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon)
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 on the Bills radio network.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

FOR BILLS FANS WATCHING THE GAME IN THE BUFFALO AREA:

Remember you will need to bust out the rabbit ears for this one if you have Time Warner Cable. With the local CBS channel being pulled off the air for the time being you will have to unplug your cable from the back of your TV and then plug in the antenna. The quality for this game won’t be too great though seeing as it is coming over the air. Try to find a friends house with satellite, as they will not be affected by this.

Game Notes:

·        The Bills have won the initial meeting in their season series with the Dolphins each of the last four years and five of the last six.

·        The Bills have beaten the Dolphins seven of the last eight times, yet Miami still leads the overall series, 49-34-1.

·        Trent Edwards proved last week that he is fully recovered from a concussion in Week 5, completing a club-record 83 percent of his passes in Bills’ win over the Chargers. Edwards was 6-of-7 for 66 yards on Buffalo’s two TD drives, outplaying Rivers. Edwards has a 98.8 passer rating on the season and is 8-1 when posting a rating of 80 or more.

·        The Bills have beaten the Dolphins four consecutive times in October.

·        Bills WR Lee Evans has eight TDs vs. Miami, the most he has vs. any opponent. Evans is averaging 21.7 yards per catch this season.

·        Miami aims for its fifth straight game with at least 350 yards of offense.

·        Lee Evans needs one touchdown to tie his career best four-game touchdown streak.

·        Rian Lindell (167) needs six extra points to surpass the longest PATs made streak in team history.

·        The Bills are the last team in the NFL that has yet to play a division game.

·        Need any more reason to like Mike Dikta?  On ESPN’s pregame show, Dikta called the Bills the team to beat in the AFC East by saying they have a better team position by position.

Injury Report:

Bills – Out of Game: G Brad Butler (knee), DE Aaron Schobel (foot), and LB John DiGiorgio (knee).  Questionable: CB Ashton Youboty (foot), C Melvin Fowler (elbow), and CB Terrence McGee (knee).  Probable: TE Derek Fine (hand).

Dolphins – Out of Game: RB Casey Cramer (ankle), and CB Michael Lehan (hamstring).  Questionable: DT Jason Ferguson (oblique).

Quote of the Week:

“If they want to pressure your quarterback, then some way, some how, there’s a void. I think that’s what we have to be able to find. When they try to put pressure on us, as a team, hold them off of the quarterback and let Trent (Edwards) find the open guy. There are opportunities there if we can execute well.”

-WR Lee Evans on Miami’s tendency to give up big plays

Open Thread:

Please feel free to comment below or in the tag board in the sidebar to chat with Bills fans from around the world.

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It is being reported by multiple sources that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez is being shopped around in the NFL trade market.  The Chiefs are talking to multiple teams about their star tight end, although no one team has been mentioned yet.

 

My question is why don’t the Buffalo Bills try to take a run at him?  So I am here to list my reasons why they should.

 

1. They have the Cap Room

Tony Gonzalez does come over with a pretty nice contract (in the Bills eyes).  He did sign a five year, $35 million deal back in 2006 but $17.75 million of that is guaranteed.  The rest of Gonzalez’s contract calls for him to make $1 million in 2008, $4 million in 2009, $4.5 million in 2010 and $5.75 million in 2011. 

 

Now the number isn’t exact, but the Bills have about $20 million in cap space that they can still work with.  The Bills have plenty of room to add Gonzalez’s contract. 

 

2.  The Bills Need a Good Tight End

Sorry Robert Royal but you just aren’t getting the job done.  You are a very mediocre tight end that really shouldn’t be starting in the NFL.  You are a good run blocker but are not really a threat in the passing game which is a shame for your QB. 

 

Trent Edwards loves throwing to the guys underneath, like his running backs and tight ends but he doesn’t really have a tight end to throw to.  The 6 foot 5, 251 pound Gonzalez would give Edwards a huge target to throw to and also another red zone target.  Let’s be honest the Bills need another target on offense.  Marshawn Lynch is in a little bit of a slump, and Lee Evans is still drawing double teams with the Bills lack of a true #2 wide receiver (Josh Reed is more of a slot guy, rookie James Hardy still is learning the game, and Roscoe Parrish is out for the next few weeks due to a thumb injury).       

 

3. The Bills have been looking for a Good TE

Not sure if any of you guys out their remember it or not, but the Bills were taking a hard look at now Tennessee Titans TE Alge Crumpler during the off season but were unable to sign him.  They then went after guys like Courtney Anderson and Tim Massaquoi and even drafted Derek Fine in the NFL Draft this year (Anderson and Massaquoi were cut, and Fine has not been activated yet because of a thumb injury).  

 

They know they need a tight end and hopefully they are still looking for one right now.

 

4.  Sure Tony is Getting Older, but He is Still an Elite TE

Sure people take a look at his number this year, 21 receptions for 193 yards and 2 TDs, and say the 32 year old is done but that is mostly because he is on such a bad team and hasn’t had one QB throwing to him this season.  The Chiefs are just throwing random QBs in there each week and Tony’s numbers are really hurting because of it. 

 

Remember this is a guy coming off a great 2007 campaign when he caught 99 passes for 1172 yards and 5 touchdowns. 

He is just off to a slow start and has plenty left in the tank to be elite in the next few years.

 

5. The Bills Could Use a Vet

The Bills are a young team just learning how to win games in this league.  Why not bring in a 12 year vet that has been there before?  The Bills oldest player on the offense is 30 year old Robert Royal who never been on a playoff team.  

 

The Bills could really use a smart veteran like Gonzalez that would not only open up the offense more, but also provide some leadership to the young guys in the locker room.

 

6.  He is a High Character Guy

The Bills love their players to be character guys, who are not only good at football but also stay out of trouble.  Gonzalez is very active in charitable organizations like the Tony Gonzalez Foundation, the United Way, and the Boys and Girls club just to name a few. 

 

Not only is he a great player, but a great person too. This is a guy that the Bills organization would love to have.

 

7.  All of This Could Be Yours for a Draft Pick

It is being reported that all the Chiefs are looking for is a decent draft pick (or picks) in exchange for their star TE.  Earlier in the off-season, Saints TE Jeremy Shockey was traded for a 2^nd round and 5^th round pick, something the Bills could easily muster up (also keep in mind that Shockey is four years younger at the age of 28).  The Bills already have their young, core players on the squad.  This season they can afford to give up a couple picks to better themselves for the next few years with a star TE in their offense.  

 

 

 

Gonzalez is still an elite tight end who currently holds the NFL tight end record for receptions, touchdown catches and yards receiving.  He has also gone to 9 pro bowls in his career and could still make the trip for a few more.  I would love to see the Bills go after him in an attempt to make a run for the playoffs, something the team hasn’t done for over a decade.  

 

Don’t agree at all?  Think I am nuts?  Want the Bills to try to get this guy today?  Please write your reactions in the comment box below or send over an email to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.  Your feedback is gr

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Hello Bills fans.  The bye week couldnt have come at a better time for the Bills.  With the horrible loss of the game and quarterback Trent Edwards to a concussion, the team can afford a few weeks to get healthy.  Hopefully when the Chargers come to town on October 19th, Edwards will be fully healed and ready to go.  Its amazing how as soon as Trent went down, the team just didn’t respond with J.P. Losman at the helm.  Although Losman did have an amazing 87 yard bomb to Lee Evans, the offense never seemed fluid and they couldnt overcome the four turnovers.  Im not going to blame JP for the loss because its extremely hard for a backup to come in and take over.  Edwards is the leader of the team and makes everyone around him believe that they can win any game.  Im hoping Trent is ok and helps this team get to the playoffs.  Go Bills.

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Sorry for writing about the same guy two days in a row, but lets be honest with ourselves.  This is HUGE news!  If Trent Edwards can’t go that means JP Loserman will have to play in the Bills next game against the San Diego Chargers.  That will be no small task. 

Here is the latest update, this time coming from Chris Brown at BuffaloBills.com:

…“We follow a routine for any of our players that suffer a concussion so that’s what we’ll do with Trent,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “And we’re into that routine and that protocol. He was pretty good after the game and I spoke to him then. We will follow it and continue to follow it through the week and we’ll continue to follow it as we move along and just see how it goes.”…

…“I don’t think it’s my place to start speculating on those things. I’m not a physician or a trainer so I’m not going to go there,” said Jauron. “I’m not going to anticipate anything. We’re just going to stay on the protocol and as I said we follow the same thing for any of our players that are in this situation and that’s exactly what we’ll do in this case.”…

…Edwards was at One Bills Drive during the morning hours on Monday, but did not stay for the entire work day with his teammates who reviewed film and did conditioning….

Now some of his teammates talked to him too, including his go to guy in WR Lee Evans:

…When asked if Edwards would be recovered from his concussion in time to prepare and play against San Diego in 13 days Evans was unsure. 

“We hope so,” said Evans. “Any time you’re dealing with a head type thing or a concussion you never know how it’s going to shake out. We just hope for the best for him and hopefully he’s getting better.”…

So I say for all of us Bills fans, GET WELL SOON TRENT!  We need you out there!

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The Buffalo Bills came out flat in this one and got blown out 41-17 by the Arizona Cardinals.  Not only did the Bills lose the game to drop to 4-1 on the season but they also lost QB Trent Edwards to a concussion early in the 1st quarter. 

1^st Quarter

After Edwards was lost for the game (and possibily even longer), the Bills offense could get nothing going.  The only score of the 1st, came when Cards QB Kurt Warner threw a TD pass to a wide open Larry Fitzgerald.  After 1, Cards lead 7-0.

2^nd Quarter

The Bills attempted to make this one a ball game but their defense could not stop the Cardinals offensive attack.  Rookie RB Tim Hightower added a 17 yard run for a TD and vetran Edgerrin James also had a short TD run in the quarter. 

The Bills would get two touchdowns this quarter as they tried to get back into it.  The first one came on an absolute strike by backup QB JP Losman to Lee Evans.  The play went for 86 yards and the Bills finally got on the board.  The 2nd TD came on a Losman QB draw from the 2 yard line.

The teams would head into the tunnel at halftime with the Cardinals leading by 10, 24-14 over the Bills after K Neil Rackers hit a 47 yard FG as time expired.

3^rd Quarter

The Bills were able to get the game back to a 1 score game when K Rian Lindell hit a 48 yard FG of his own.  The Cards would not be shut out though in this quarter.  Towards the end of it, Larry Fitz caught his 2nd TD pass of the game and Arizona still lead 31-17 going into the 4th.

4^th Quarter

The Bills would end the game putting up a goose egg in the 4th where they are usually very good.  Neil Rackers hit another FG and Hightower scored his 2nd TD of the game on a short run inside the redzone.  The Cards high power offense was able to overmatch the Bills, winning the game 41-17.

Game Notes

• JP Losman sucks (Sorry not really a stat just had to throw it out there.  I’ll get more into that with the post tomorrow)
• The Bills turned the ball over 4 times in this one, while Arizona didn’t have any. 
• Marshawn Lynch had anothe subpar game with 55 yards on 13 carries.  In his defense though, the Bills started passing more and more as the game went on.
• The Bills also got killed in the time of possesion battle with the Cards holding onto the football for 36:16.
• This is the Bills last game before the bye week.  They take on the San Diego Chargers at home in their next game.

More to come on this game tomorrow.  As you can tell I am not very happy with the outcome or the way the game was played by the Bills in general.

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Hello Bills fans.  The team announced around 5:30 this evening that they have reached a contract extension with star wide receiver Lee Evans.  Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting the extension is four years worth $37.25 million with $18.25 guaranteed.  The Bills and Evans have been in contract discussion over the last six months and have finally reached an agreement.  This is fantastic news because Evans was set to be a free agent after this season.  The team knew they had to lock up their best receiver long term before he hit the open market.  Im very happy for Lee because he is a true professional and a great leader.  The Bills have been locking up their young talent over the last few years which is a very positive sign.  It shows on the field every Sunday and that is a big reason why this team is off to a great start.  Congrats Lee and I hope you retire as a Buffalo Bill.  Go Bills. 

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The Buffalo Bills were given a scare by the winless St. Louis Rams, who actually held a lead in this game heading into the 4th quarter.  The Bills battled back again, and for the 3rd weekend in a row, the Bills came back in the 4th to gain the W.

1^st Quarter

The Buffalo Bills offense was not clicking well to start the game off, again.  Nothing really exciting happened in this one as both teams didn’t look very sharp.  Bills kicker Rian Lindell kicked two successful field goals but the quarter ended with a Rams lead.  A 37 yard reverse run by WR Donnie Avery was the only touchdown so far in this one.  Rams lead going into quarter #2 with a 7-6 lead.

2^nd Quarter

A very good run defense was scored on again.  This time Rams RB Steven Jackson broke one for 29 yards and the TD.  The Bills continued to struggle and the score was still in the home team’s favor at half-time, Rams now lead 14-6.

3^rd Quarter

A back and forth affair in this quarter.  Only one score was put on the board and this time it was in the favor of the good guys.  A decent drive by the Bills was ended with a Fred Jackson 22 yard run.  Jackson cut, juked and dove his way into the end zone.  Bills still down, but at least they are on the board, 14-13 in the Rams favor.

4^th Quarter

This quarter belonged to the Bills as they rallied again for win.  They scored 18 points in the final 15.  It all started just into the 4^th when Bills CB Jabari Greer had a pick 6 that gave the Bills the lead 21-14.  The Rams would not score again this game.  WR Lee Evans would get into the end zone though when he hooked up with QB Trent Edwards on a 39 yard TD pass.  The final scoring would end, when kicker Rian Lindell added another FG from 45 yards out in the end of the game.  Bills pick up the victory 31-14.

Game Notes

• The Bills start 4-0 for the sixth time since 1970
• The last two times they achieved the feat (1991-92), they went on to reach the Super Bowl.
• For the second straight year the Rams have started 0-4 (remember they started 0-8 last season before getting their first W)
• The Rams have now lost eight straight games dating back to last year.
• Trent Edwards went 15 for 25 for 197 yards, 1 TD and an INT.
• Evans only had 2 catches for 88 yards but also a TD.
• Bills rushing game struggled as they only gained 111 yards.  The offense only had 277 yards in total.  

 

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So we all know that #1 WR Lee Evans is in the final year of his contract but will he sign again with the Bills with their being so much to gain in free agency at the end of this year? Maybe. Listen to these comments made by Evans. The complete story is on WGR550.com.

“When you look at free agency and the market, there’s certainly possibilities to go somewhere else and see large pay days, but it’s also about trying to establish something and trying to win,” Evans said Thursday evening during The Lee Evans Show on WGR, with Jeremy White. “A lot of times, that gets lost in free agency. I think what we have here and what we’re growing here is special, and I think a lot of people are excited about it. I’m excited about it, so we want to try and keep it going as long as we can.”

The two sides are still talking about a contract extension which is a good sign. Evans is off to one of the fastest starts in his career so far this season. Through the Bills first 3 games, Evans has 12 catches for 244 yards. Check back on the site before the game on Sunday for the pregame writeup, stay on the site and chat about the game with other fans, and then come back in the evening for the postgame. Spend your day here with the Buffalo Bills and diehardsportsfan.net (Remember the game is a 4:05 kickoff against St. Louis).

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