Some of these questions will be answered this week

• Can the Bills bounce back after a crushing loss?
• Can the Bills beat a top tier team?
• Will the defense be able to stop the run?
• Are the Bills mentally tough?

It always pains me to write these blogs when the Bills get embarrassed and even more when it’s against the Patriots.  So here the gist of it. The Bills lost 52-18! They lead 21-7, then Brady and the running game took over and scored a million points in a row.

To simplify things, here are things I foresaw in my last blog and what really happened!

• When is it a good time to face the Patriots? - When Brady, Welker, Gronkowski and Billichick retire
• I also expect our Buffalo defense to put Brady on the ground. – What happened to the D! They were playing well, then BLAMO! OH OH the Red Sea parted and the Patriots ran right up the middle.
• Momentum will play a big part on Sunday. - It sure did, but not in the Bills favor
• Jackson, Spiller or Choice… does it matter? - No it didn’t, the Patriots D ate them up and hit them hard
• I do not expect a cake walk by Buffalo but I expect a win. – I really did and for a while thought they could and until they figure a way to cover Welker they will not win this division.

A Complete Game!

I’m angry and disappointed but it’s not the end of the world. At the beginning of the year I predicted they would be 3-1 with the loss coming against the Patriots, but I tell you, I really felt they could have won that game. It’s frustrating enough to be a Bills fan but what grinds my gears is that they could have gone up two scores at the end of the half but fumbled. It’s those little things that sits in the pit of my stomach all week and I play the “What if” game. I believe this team is good, I believe this team can be really good, but I have a hard time right now BILLIEVING that this team is great. The next 3 weeks are not as easy as I thought they would be (really Arizona!) but these games will certainly show us how good or great the Buffalo Bills can be.

When is it a good time to face the Patriots? After they have dropped under .500 for the first time in a decade or after they start undefeated? For Bills fans it’s simple… it’s never a good time to face the Patriots. They’ve had Buffalo’s number for the better part of nine seasons but beating the Pats last year in week three gives me confidence that they can win on Sunday.

Why the Bills Will Win?

Looking Good Tom

Momentum will play a big part on Sunday. Buffalo goes in after winning their last two and New England losing their last two. I figure the Patriots will go into the Ralph playing a little angry and creating some big mistakes, leaving the Bills with good field position to score some easy points against a very young defense. I was at the game last year and the crowd was insane! This should play a big factor and will throw Brady off his game which it did last year when he threw four interceptions. I also expect our Buffalo defense, with ex Patriots Mark Anderson, ready to put Brady on the ground.

Jackson, Spiller or Choice… does it matter?

It is still up in the air who will be in the back field for Buffalo, but does it matter? I’m thinking I could suit up and gain at least 90 yards with Buffalo’s amazing offensive line creating the holes they are. Jackson practiced Wednesday with a brace and says he is 75 percent sure that he will be on the field.  Spiller, on the other hand, is unlikely to start but refuses to rule himself out, stating “It’s too early right now to really give a direct answer on whether I’ll be out there or not. If I feel I can go out there and give my team everything I’ve got at a high level that I was doing before I got injured then of course I will (play). But I’m not going to do anything that’s going to hurt me or this team trying to go out there and play at not 100 percent. We’ll see how it goes.”

Predictions

I do not expect a cake walk by Buffalo but I expect a win. Just follow the recipe Arizona and Baltimore wrote on beating the Pats and multiply it by two! This is a huge game for Buff, not only will they still be in first place but New England would be 2 games back.  Bills 21-17!

Bills Rap!

I was lucky enough in week 1 to listen to WGR 550 in Buffalo on a 7 hour drive back home to catch the home opener. During their broadcast we were lucky enough to catch Nick Mendola and the Buffalo Bills weekly rap. It’s now been a tradition in this house and now want to share it with my readers. So here is week 4 rap… ENJOY! BA BA BA BILLS!!

Side Notes

• It’s no secret I hate the Patriots, but Belichick getting fined 50 large for touching the ref was a joke.
• Brady has been sacked seven times. Easy pickings for Mario Williams!
• Bills rookie punter Shawn Powell makes his debut.
• Ex Bill Brian Moorman signed with Dallas. I don’t hate him just yet, but I’ll always hate the Cowboys!

In a surprise move the Buffalo Bills have cut one of their 50th anniversary all-time team member, punter Brian Moorman.  He is Buffalo’s longest active member signing with the Bills in 2001. He had his best year in 2009 with an average of 46.6 yards per punt. He’s currently in 21st place averaging 45.5 yards but only with a net average of 32.7 yards which is 3rd worse in the league. My guess is at the age of 36 it might be time for a younger punter. In his place is Florida State star rookie Shawn Powell.

In the preseason games this past summer he had 14 punts for the Bills. Five were downed inside the 20 and four others

Good Luck Rookie

were fair catches. His stats were respectable in the preseason with a 44.8 gross average and a very good 40.4 net average in four games.

Well rookie… You got some big shoes to fill, but Bills fans will back you up! Just don’t mess up this sunday

Good Luck Moorman and thanks for all the great years. You’ll be missed

The start of the game went as planned, Bills defense stopped the Browns on their first two possessions and Fitzpatrick led the offense to 2 quick scores, but all good things came to end when C.J. Spiller fell weirdly on his shoulder and left the game.  Buffalo seemed to stall for most of the third quarter allowing the Browns to creep within three then Fitzy drove the field and found a wide open Stevie Johnson, that touchdown sealed Buffalo’s first road win in their last 8 with a 24-14 score.

Offensive Line

Fitzpatrick might be shelling out some of his big contract money taking out his offensive line out for dinner if they keep doing what their doing. For the third straight week they have kept their quarterback off the ground, allowing Fitzy the time he needs to find his receivers. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather have Jackson or Spiller in the back field but with an offensive line like Buffalo’s anyone can carry the ball and have success. Buffalo totaled 138 yards rushing with Tashard Choice leading the way 91 of those yards.

Word on Spiller/Jackson

No definite word how long Spiller will be gone, but reports have him missing at least next week with a sprain of the shoulder. Better news is that Chan Gailey thinks Fred Jackson might have a chance to play this weekend against New England. I will  have more this week on the status of these guys and let’s hope Jackson is ready to get on the field.

Game Notes 

Work on that dance Graham!

• T.J. Graham scores his first NFL touchdown, but must work on his TD dance. See here
• Mario Williams records his first sack as Buffalo Bill. I will be ordering my MariO’s this week.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the league in TD’s with 8
• Bought a deep fryer for crispy wings… total success
• This is my 100th blog! Thanks to everyone for reading and my wonderful wife for proof reading, my blog would not make sense without her help!
• What’s better than a Bills win? A Patriots loss! BRING ON THE PATS!!

I feel like this week might not be as easy as I think. The Browns are coming off a hard fought loss to the Bengals and onle lost to the Eagles by one in week one, therefore I won’t take them lightly. But come on folks… it’s the winless Browns, they give up over 415 yds/game and the Bills are leading the league with 6.8 yds/play, one can only assume Buffalo will move to 2-1 after Sundays game.

Who's Who?

I consider myself well versed when it comes to football, but I had to Google “Cleveland’s quarterback”. Well he is a 28 year old rookie named Brandon Weeden and looks a little like Rizzo the Rat. All joking aside he has put up some decent numbers and he will be looking for his first win.

With C.J. Spiller running the way he is and the Bills defense really clicking last week, I would be foolish not to take the Bills in a cake walk.  Unfortunately for the Browns, they will be winless after this week and Buffalo will be primed to destroy the Patriots in two weeks!

Buffalo wins 38- 10. C.J. Spiller with another monster game and he will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated with the title “Spiller Time in Buffalo!”

What a difference a week makes. Buffalo shrugged off last week’s debacle and dominated in the home opener winning 35-17 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The best part was that we were in attendance. The day began at 9 a.m in the parking lot for some amazing tailgating and ended with C.J. Spiller still leading the league in rushing  ( 292 yards) and a Buffalo defense that dominated with five sacks, forced three turnovers and limited the Chiefs to 3 points and 184 yards offense through three quarters, when the game was effectively over.

All around game

Best Place On Earth

The only thing missing from this game was a defensive touchdown. Ryan Fitzpatrick bounced back nicely with touchdowns to Scott Chandler ( 1o yards) and Stevie Johnson ( 49 yards) and more importantly no interceptions. The offensive line did an amazing job keeping Fitzy’s jersey clean for the second week in the row and props goes out to LT Chris Hairston for the huge block to allow Spiller to run  for 38 of his 123 yards. Check it out here.

As the words ” I’m disappointed in McKelvin” were leaving my mouth and my friend Miah agreeing with me, #21 caught the ball after a punt and was on his way to his 88 yard return for a touchdown. I should really talk more trash about players so they can prove me wrong. The Bills now lead the league with 31.3 yards per punt return and it’s all thanks to McKelvin’s great play on Sunday.

League Leaders

I know, I know, it’s only week 2 but it’s great to see that the Bills are leading the league in a few categories.

They rank first in

• rushing yards per game with 198 yards/game
• average yards per carry with 6.4
• they are a perfect 5 for 5 in redzone attempts ( no other club is perfect)

It’s is so important now for the Bills to keep this momentum for their game against the Browns this week. With New England losing to Arizona (hahaha), it’s crucial for Buffalo to go into week 4 against the Patriots on the right track. I have no doubt that the Bills will win on Sunday against the Browns, it just all depends on how they win. I believe week 1 was used to familiarize themselves with each other, week 2 was to show how they can all play well together and  week 3 will be a tune up for the Patriots on October 6th.

3 Game Personal Win Streak Intact!

Game Notes

• Dear Cronnel,
  Taking timeouts at the end of the game when you’re down by 3 possessions is bush league!
• Parking at the game is ridiculous, you can no longer park where you want and must park where the attendants tell you.
• A fire was averted when my wife Kutty noticed some moron left burning coals in a plastic bag beside our car.
• 10 dollars for 2 bottles of water is INSANE! They promote “Make Mom Proud” at the stadium and I’m trying to, but it’s too damn expensive
• Thanks to the Gordon’s for the hospitality, without you guys, Bills games just wouldn’t be the same. And no worries Flash.. no facebook!

Time to reset and start over.

Losing your first game is nothing to worry about but if you lose your first two games might be. Falling to 0-2 will mean that Buffalo would be winless against AFC teams that we could  be chasing for a wildcard spot at the end of the season. I foresee a motivated Bills team in the home opener against Kansas City. The team will be rallying around teammate Marcell Dareus who lost his brother earlier in the week in a triple homicide (read story here)

Bounce Back Game

It’s hard to forget Ryan Fitzpatrick’s three interceptions but let’s keep in mind, he did have three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how Fitzy rebounds from last week’s disaster. It was one thing when he was playing the underdog role, but now that he ranks among the top paid QB’s in the league, Bills fans, rightly, expect a lot from him.

Mario Williams will be looking to show the Buffalo crowd why he is worth his 100 million dollar contract. His one tackle against the Jets did not sit well with me. Thankfully, last week KC’s Matt Cassell was intercepted  twice and sacked three times making Williams chances to record some big numbers a little easier.

Stephon Gilmore did not have a good start to his career. He looked much like a rookie last week letting Stephen Hill catch five for 85 yards and his first two NFL touchdowns. Stevie Johnson said during spring practices. “I think he’s going to be one of those dominant cornerbacks in the league.” Now it’s time to prove it!

Who will step up?

More of this on Sunday please!

Key injuries to Fred Jackson and David Nelson have left us wondering who will step up in their absence? In Jackson’s case it’s simple, C.J. Spiller filled in nicely last week, gaining a league leading 169 yards and has been nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the week ( vote here ).  Nelson’s replacement is still uncertain.  Donald Jones will be stepping up in the slot position and stated “I’m not a stranger to this at all,” said Jones. “I did it all preseason getting me ready in case something like this was to happen. Now it’s time for me to step in and do it in a game.” If not Jones then we’ll look to Rookie T.J. Graham who will be making his NFL debut and I’ll predict he’ll have his chances on Sunday and showcase his speed.

Side Notes:

• T.J. Graham wears number 11… you sure T.J.? Past players to wear 11 are Drew Bledsoe, Roscoe Parrish, Rob Johnson and SCOTT NORWOOD. You might want to rethink it.
• Buffalo beat Kansas City last year 41-7 last year. Can we see a repeat performance?
• Bills have reached a one-year lease extension for Ralph Wilson Stadium keeping them there for the 2013 season
• We will be at the game and I expect my three game win streak at the Ralph to continue. I predict a close game and pick the Bills to win 31-28. I also predict my wife will close her eyes cause she can’t handle watching.
• Drop by and say hi, we are in section 117 row 17, seats 3 and 4!

Things just got worse for Buffalo after yesterdays loss.

Nelson out for the year

WR David Nelson is out for the year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. “That’s a really tough loss for us,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick  “Something like that just kills me. I lose sleep over something like that. He’s such a great guy and worked so hard to get to where he is right now. He was primed to have a big year. Our chemistry was great. We were really on the same page with a lot of stuff we were doing. That’s something you never want to see.”

Buffalo was thin to begin with it at the receiver position. I’m looking for rookie T.J. Graham to learn quickly and take over for Nelson. Should the Bills pick up Owens or Johnson?

Fred Jackson out at least 3 weeks

Not as bad as Nelson’s injury but was really looking forward to see Jackson back on the field after his broken leg last year. Good news is he’ll be back this year, better news is that Spiller is a beast and is a very capable back up. He is leading the league after week 1 with 166 yards!

Interception, Interception, Punt ( returned 68 yards for a touchdown), that’s the Bills first 3 possessions in their 48-28 loss against the New York Jets. Not the start I anticipated.  Things looked great though when Bryan Scott intercepted Mark Sanchez on the 7th play of the game but with Ryan Fitzpatrick underachieving in the first half, Buffalo was not able to capitalize and was down by 21pts before you knew it. Although the Bills were able to cut their deficit to 13 late in the fourth, the mistakes were just too many and are now quickly down 0-1 in the division. Luckily next week they play the Kansas City Chiefs in the home opener, whom they beat last year 41-7.

What does 100 million dollars get you? 

Apparently  it gets you 1 tackle. Mario Williams and Buffalo’s big front four on D were, in the words of Evelyn Lozada,  a non mother***** factor and frankly they were a huge disappointment all day.  118 on the ground, 266 in the air and no sacks, this Buffalo defense looked exactly like the one that was giving up 37o yards a game last year.  Williams was very critical with replacement refs claiming that Jets

right tackle Austin Howard for hands in the face, Marion stated “You tell somebody from the very beginning of the game,” referring to referee Robert Frazer. “And it happens. One time, that’s on me. But when it’s multiple times and I tell you and you honestly act like you don’t even hear me throughout the whole game, I think that’s a real big problem.” Personally I don’t want to hear excuses, I just want to see improvement and I believe we’ll see a better defense next week against the Chiefs.

Spiller Time!

Bad news is Fred Jackson injured his leg, good news is C.J. Spiller was able to step in and torched the Jets for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. We will find more about Fred Jackson’s injury on this week but until we know more, it will be Spiller in the back field and I’m on board with that.

It’s just one game.

I still Billieve, do you?

Listening to Bills Game with Jeremy White on WGR 550 Sunday morning, White kept saying that this was a gage game, a way to see how the season might pan out. If we were to gage this game, we might think the Bills will be in tough all year, but I see it differently. If the Bills D would have been able to save Fitzpatrick from a couple of those interception, this game would have been closer than the score dictated. It’s just one game and they will play better, I say this because it will be hard to play any worse than they did against the Jets.

Game Tidbits

• No news yet on David Nelson’s injury, more this week.
• Was surprised we didn’t see rookie WR T.J Graham. I have a feeling we will next week.
• K John Potter didn’t have one kickoff result in a touchback. What happened to the big leg?
• Stevie Johnson had a good game and showed no signs of a sore groin.
• Great hit by Scott Chandler on Rex Ryan. Watch it here
• The whole Tim Tebow lining up as a wide receiver just doesn’t make sense to me.
• Great wings from Janeil. Thanks for bringing snacks!
• Thanks to my wonderful wife who woke up at 5:30 a.m with me to drive 6 1/2 hours after only 3 hours sleep to drive home and watch the game. I love you!