SB Nation - Kelly Holcomb

Cleveland Browns All-Decade Team: Vote on the Quarterbacks

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:51:21 -0000

One of the popular themes going around as the year 2010 approaches is the creation of "all-decade lists." Rather than just creating a list myself, I'm going to allow the Dawgs By Nature community decide who should be on the Browns all-decade team. When all of the positions are voted for, I will post the compiled list along with my own comments of who I would've selected.

Today, we start with the quarterback position, which I've narrowed down to five candidates. For all positions, the candidates will be listed roughly in chronological order. Also, I've made it that in order to be considered, the player must have accrued at least 16 games (a full season's) worth of playing time. That's why someone like Brady Quinn is not on this list as a candidate, but if you are vehemently opposed to such a thing, explain why in the comments section.

Quarterbacks

1. TIM COUCH (2000-2004)

After being taken with the first pick of the 1999 draft, Couch was the Browns' starting quarterback for a good portion of the first half of the decade. Overall, he received more playing time than any other Browns quarterback of the decade. His statistics were average for a first-round pick -- he threw for 49 touchdowns and 54 interceptions.

The thing I loved about Couch was his ability to lead a comeback. Case in point -- during the Browns only playoff season since returning to the league, the team was down 17-14 to Jacksonville in Week 14 of the 2002 season. With only 1:25 left to play, Couch was intercepted and the Jaguars tacked on another field goal. Couch got a chance at a Hail Mary and delivered it to Quincy Morgan as time expired. Two games later, Couch, on the road against the Ravens, engineered a 92-yard drive and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mark Campbell with 29 seconds remaining. The Browns won 14-13. Earlier in that season, Couch had tremendous comebacks against the Titans and the Jets as well.

Couch accomplished what he did with a decent ensemble cast, but no real stars or an offensive line surrounding him. The negative moment in his career came when fans were getting more excited to see Kelly Holcomb at quarterback instead. After getting injured against the Ravens on October 6, 2002, it appeared as though some fans were cheering that he was injured. After the game, Couch was emotionally upset and lashed out at the reaction of the fans.

2. KELLY HOLCOMB (2001-2004)

Here's the man who inadvertently led to (partially) the downfall of Couch's reign in Cleveland. Holcomb was known for his ability to step into a situation and light it up. When I say "light it up," I really mean it -- he didn't just put up ordinary numbers. Take a look at two of his most memorable games.

First, during the 2002 campaign, he started the opener against the Chiefs (the Dwayne Rudd game). In that game, Holcomb threw for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 40-39 loss. He fought hard in the playoff game against the Steelers too, another spot start, when he threw for 429 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

When given the opportunity to start over Couch the following season though, Holcomb fell flat. He had zero spark in his first two games, and suffered an injury after the third game (a contest in which he came from behind to win). Besides one blowout game against the Arizona Cardinals, Holcomb never really proved he was anything more than a veteran backup quarterback.

Holcomb did have one more "spot start" type of success -- the 58-48 shootout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2004, a game in which he threw for 413 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.

3. CHARLIE FRYE (2005-2007)

Expectations were probably set a little too high for the third-round quarterback, and it showed on the field with Frye's poor touchdown (14) to interception (23) ratio. The thing that separates Frye from the other quarterbacks we've had was his mobility. In 21 games, Frye rushed for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Those aren't Michael Vick numbers, but they were certainly Frye's best asset.

Frye should've used that asset more often to assist him in the passing game. I still have to believe the coaching staff instructed Frye to be a pocket passer, because as effective as Frye was when rolling out, he hardly did it towards the end of his career with the Browns. Maybe the coaches just didn't want him to roll out to the sideline and then throw the ball back toward the middle of the field idiotically.

For those who aren't aware, Frye will be starting for the Oakland Raiders this week.

4. DEREK ANDERSON (2006-2009)

That's right -- we're already at our final quarterback, Derek Anderson. There clearly aren't any Peyton Manning's to choose from on this list.

It's really kind of tough to decide how Anderson should be ranked in terms of making the all-decade team. One one hand, he by far had the best single season of any Browns quarterback in the decade back in 2007, when he threw for 3,787 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl.

Even during that good season though, the bad decisions were still always evident. His completion percentage is below 60 percent, and he doesn't have any touch on his throws. When expectations were high in 2008, Anderson laid an egg besides the memorable Monday Nighter against the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. This season, it's unfathomable to believe Anderson was ever given the distinguished notation of a Pro Bowler, since his completion percentage in 6 games is a mere 42.9% to go along with 2 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Was Anderson's one "wowing" season good enough to overcome the other ones?

COMPARABLE STATISTICS

New Page 1

Quarterback	Games	Comp %	Yards	TD	INT
Tim Couch	47	60.98%	8,684	49	54
Kelly Holcomb*	24	63.45%	3,867	29	22
Charlie Frye	21	62.54%	3,490	14	23
Derek Anderson	37	52.91%	6,876	45	44

*Includes playoff game against the Steelers.

OTHER QUARTERBACKS

These quarterbacks played for the Browns during the decade but are not up for consideration in the poll due to their lack of tenure with the team. If you'd still like to comment on them, or if you believe one of them should be the all-decade quarterback instead, sound off in the comments section. (Note: I am not listing quarterbacks with less than three games played).

Doug Pederson (2000, 11 games)
Luke McCown (2004, 5 games)
Jeff Garcia (2004, 11 games)
Trent Dilfer (2005, 11 games)
Ken Dorsey (2006-2008, 5 games)
Brady Quinn (2007-2009, 13 games)

DECISION TIME

Now it's time to cast your vote in the poll below, and then go ahead and explain your choice in the comments section. The next position we'll do is running back, but save the discussion on that position for a later date.

Please be aware that the considerations do not include the 1999 comeback season.

Poll

Who do you think is the Browns' All-Decade Quarterback?

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets

sireric — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:00:23 -0000

Buffalo Bills (4-7) vs New York Jets (5-6)
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 8:20 PM EST
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Woot! A Thursday night game! As this is a Thursday night game this week, I probably should have had this up sooner, but I didn't even think of that until just now, so that is why this gets posted now.

These two teams have a long history against each other, dating all the way back to 1960 when they first met. Fast forward 50 years, and this will be meeting No. 99 between these two franchises. The Bills hold the edge 54-44 all time, including a stretch from 1987 to 1992 where the Bills won ten straight games. The last five meetings between these two teams in Buffalo are after the jump.

Sunday, November 7, 2004: Bills 22, Jets 17
In what seems to be a common theme in Bills/Jets games, the Bills ground out 157 yards on the ground, spearheaded by Willis McGahee's 132 yards on 37 attempts - one for a touchdown. When the Bills have big days running the football against the Jets, they normally win. Lee Evans added a touchdown catch and Rian Lindell kicked two field goals; Big Pat Williams even tackled Curtis Martin in the end-zone for a safety. For the Jets, Chad Pennington got knocked out of the game, and former Cowboy Quincy Carter had to finish up. Carter hit Santana Moss for a 51-yard touchdown to make it close late, but the Bills held on for the win.

Sunday, October 16, 2005: Bills 27, Jets 17
Another Bills win over the Jets, another 177 rushing yards from Buffalo. McGahee was once again the workhorse with 143 yards on 29 attempts and a touchdown. Kelly Holcomb added two touchdown passes, one each to Jonathan Smith and Eric Moulds to help pace the Bills' scoring. This time, the Bills had Vinny Testaverde to go against, and the speed rushers of the Bills took advantage. (Please note use of sarcasm.) Ryan Denney (2.0), Tim Anderson (1.0), Sam Adams (1.0), and Angelo Crowell (1.0) all recorded sacks for the Bills.

Sunday, September 24, 2006: Jets 28, Bills 20
The Bills controlled time of possession and moved up and down the field with ease, but turnovers and costly penalties killed them. The Bills ran for 169 yards, once again led by Willis McGahee (who finished with 150 yards), and J.P. Losman even passed for 328 yards. A Victor Hobson fumble return for a touchdown and a key Losman interception gave the Jets the win. Chris Kelsay picked up the lone Bills sack.

Sunday, September 30, 2007: Bills 17, Jets 14
This was the starting debut of Trent Edwards. With the Bills holding a slim 10-7 lead halfway through the fourth quarter, Dick Jauron shows lots of faith in his young QB by going for it on a fourth and one. Jauron's faith was rewarded when Edwards hit Michael Gaines in the end zone for some much-needed insurance points. Less then four minutes later, Leon Washington crossed the goal line for the Jets to pull the Jets to within three points, but the Bills' defense would hold on for the win.

Sunday, November 2, 2008: Jets 26, Bills 17
After Jay Feely hit a field goal for the Jets, the Bills came back with a Derek Fine touchdown pass from Edwards to make it 7-3. It was all downhill from there. Feely hit two more field goals and Abram Elam's 92-yard pick six put the game away for the Jets. The Bills rushed for only 30 yards, and Kris Jenkins singlehandedly shut down the Bills' running game. Jabari Greer added a 42-yard pick six to make it look a little more respectable.

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins

sireric — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

Buffalo Bills (3-7) vs Miami Dolphins (5-5)
Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 1:00 PM EST
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, NY

The Buffalo Bills have begun to play division opponents for the second time. The first meeting this year had the Bills heading into Miami with high hopes for the season, while the Miami Dolphins had just lost Chad Pennington for the year and were still without a win. We all know how that match-up ended.

Chad Henne, he of the too-small helmet and scrunched up forehead, leads the Dolphins into Buffalo this week. The last five meetings at the Ralph after the jump.

Sunday, October 17, 2004: Bills 20, Dolphins 13
Drew Bledsoe. Jay Fiedler. Need I say more about the suck involved in this game? Both sides got a touchdown and two field goals out of their offenses, but the difference was a Takeo Spikes pick-six. The Bills' D came to play in this game, recording five sacks along the way. Aaron Schobel (2.5), Ron Edwards (2.0) and Pat Williams (0.5) did the honors. Other than that, there isn't a whole lot to tell.

Sunday, October 9, 2005: Bills 20, Dolphins 14
The score and date looks eerily similar to the year before. This time, the Bills jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the strength of a Willis McGahee one-yard touchdown run, an Eric Moulds touchdown from Kelly Holcomb, and a Rian Lindell 24-yard field goal. Gus Frerotte led the Dolphins back by hitting Will Heller and Randy McMicheal for scores to bring the Fish back to within three points. Lindell would hit his second field goal of the day to cap the scoring and help preserve the win for Buffalo. Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney each had a sack in this game.

Sunday, December 17, 2006: Bills 21, Dolphins 0
J.P. Losman tossed three touchdown passes, one each to Robert Royal, Josh Reed, and Lee Evans. That was more then enough scoring, as the Bills' defense shout out the Cleo Lemon/Joey Harrington lead Dolphins offense. Schobel and Kelsay proved yet again that they are only effective against the Dolphins by getting another half-sack each.

Sunday, December 9, 2007: Bills 38, Dolphins 17
The Bills jumped out to a 21-0 lead thanks to a George Wilson fumble return for a touchdown and not one but two Trent Edwards-to-Robert Royal touchdown passes. Samkon Gado put the ball in the endzone for the Dolphins twice, but those scores sandwiched a Lindell field goal and an Evans touchdown catch. Evans would catch one more to continue his dominance over the Dolphins. Both Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch rushed for over 100 yards in this game. Being that Cleo Lemon was at QB for the Dolphins, this was of course a good day for the Bills' D numbers-wise. Four sacks and two interceptions (one each by Donte Whitner and Terrence McGee) added to the eight fumbles by the Dolphins. Of course, the Bills were only able to recover 3 of those 8.

Notice a pattern? The first two games had the Bills playing the Dolphins almost a year apart to the day and winning by almost identical scores. The second two have the Bills winning by identical margins (21) almost a year to the day apart. The dates are also the same - 17 and 9. Weird.

Sunday, December 7, 2008: Dolphins 16, Bills 3
The Bills' first-ever regular season game played in Toronto gave the Canadian fans quite the show. The Bills had almost nothing on offense that day, gaining only 163 total yards. J.P. Losman was the Bills leading rusher with 53 yards. Of course Losman offset his rushing prowess by getting sacked 4 times...

Bills have tried various methods to address QB

MattRichWarren — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:33 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

Browse more photos »

Since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season, the Buffalo Bills have tried virtually every strategy available to find the next great franchise quarterback. With Trent Edwards faltering in his third year, the Bills may once again be in the market for the "next franchise quarterback". How might the Bills go about obtaining him? What has the organization tried in the past that may make them weary to go down a specific path again? The quarterbacks' winning percentages with the Bills are listed following each bio.

Draft a second-tier prospects in picks 15-45: Todd Collins (1995-1997), J.P. Losman (2004-2008)
The Bills selected Todd Collins No. 45 overall in the 1995 draft. That year, he started his first game in relief of an injured Kelly. The following year, he started three more games before taking over as the full-time starter when Kelly retired. In 1997, Collins' only full season as the starter, his numbers were adequate, going 215 of 391 with 2,367 yards. His 55% completion percentage and 12-13 TD-to-INT ratio were very lackluster, as was the team's 6-10 record. (41% winning percentage)

J.P. Losman was drafted No. 22 overall in the 2004 draft. In fact, the Bills traded up to get him, giving away their 2004 second-round pick and 2005 first-round pick to obtain the rights to the Tulane QB. Losman started for only one complete season throwing for 3051 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2006. The Bills went 7-9 that year but in 2007 Losman took a severe step back losing the first three games of the year and looking awful in the process. (30% winning percentage)

Trade for a promising backup: Rob Johnson (1998-2001)
Following the one season with Todd Collins, the Bills traded their first- and fourth-round draft picks to the Jaguars for backup quarterback Rob Johnson. In three season in Jacksonville, Johnson had started one game and thrown 35 passes. Due to chronic injuries, Johnson started a majority of games for the Bills only once, in 2000, going 4-7 as a starter. His stats were impressive; he could just rarely led the Bills to a victory. (35% winning percentage)

Sign a free agent to stabilize the position: Doug Flutie (1998-2000), Kelly Holcomb (2005-2006)
36-year-old Doug Flutie joined the Bills in 1998 at the same time as Johnson. Flutie had last played in the NFL in 1989, but had found success in the Canadian Football League, breaking passing records and winning six league MVP awards and three Grey Cups. As starter for Buffalo, he found his way onto the field in relief of the oft-injured Johnson and won a lot of games for the Bills. In 1998, he went to the Pro Bowl after leading the Bills to the playoffs, going 7-3 in his 10 starts. He once again led the Bills to the playoffs in 1999, compiling a 10-5 record as the starter. Wade Phillips, for reasons only known to him and a select few, named Johnson the starter for the playoff game, and following the (dubious) loss to the Titans, Johnson entered the 2000 season as the starter. Flutie was released after the 2000 season for salary cap reasons. (70% winning percentage)

In Holcomb's first year with the Bills, he started exactly half of Buffalo's games opposite Losman, winning exactly half of his starts. He was seen as the safe, knowledgeable veteran, in contrast with the wild and risk-taking Losman. He managed to complete 67% of his passes - the highest percentage in team history with at least 40 passes - but his yards per attempt was so low (6.6) that it hardly scared opponents' defenses. In 2006, Losman started every game for Buffalo, and following the season, Holcomb was traded to the Eagles, who turned around and traded him to the Vikings. (50% winning percentage)

Starter by default: Alex Van Pelt (1995-2003)
Alex Van Pelt was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers a few months after they selected him in the seventh round of the draft. Buffalo signed him and he sat behind Kelly and Collins... and every other quarterback the Bills brought in after them. He started three games in relief of Collins in 1997, but returned to the bench until November of 2001, when he replaced the injured (again) Johnson. Van Pelt and Johnson each started 8 games that year, with AVP throwing for an impressive 2,056 yards and 12 touchdowns. Following that season, the Bills made a bold move to bring in a different answer to the question of Buffalo's starting QB. (38% winning percentage)

Trade for an established vet: Drew Bledsoe (2002-2004)
Following the 2001 season, Buffalo sent their 2002 first-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Drew Bledsoe, who had become expendable with the emergence of Tom Brady. Bledsoe had a superb first year in Buffalo. He set the franchise record for passing yards (4,359), completions (375) and attempts (610), and became the last Bills quarterback to be voted to the Pro Bowl. In 2003, he had less of everything, including wins. After that season the Bills drafted Losman, and Bledsoe produced another so-so campaign under new coach Mike Mularkey. They almost managed to make the playoffs, dropping the final game of the season to Pittsburgh's backups. (48% winning percentage)

Draft a guy in a later round: Trent Edwards (2007-present)
In the 2007 draft, the Bills selected Edwards in the third round. At the time, Edwards was considered a value pick and a replacement at backup for the departed Holcomb. But Losman suffered ~~a dirty~~ an unfortunate injury, and Edwards stepped into the starter's role. Edwards won three of his first four starts, the lone loss being a heartbreaking MNF defeat at the hands of the Cowboys, before succumbing to injury himself. Upon his return, he won two more games, pushing his record to 6-1 as Bills starter and exciting the fan base. The Bills started hot again in 2008, rolling off four straight under Edwards. But over the course of the year wins, became fewer, though Edwards was still improving. So far to start the 2009 season, Edwards has appeared to show signs of regression, and is not considered by most fans to be the "next great franchise quarterback" anymore. (52% winning percentage)

Draft a top tier guy in the first 15 picks: None
In 2004, the Bills were rumored to be interested in trading up to select Ben Roethlisberger, but the Jaguars, the supposed other party, decided to draft the immortal Reggie Williams instead. The Bills have not had many high first-round picks, due in large part to trading them to obtain Johnson, Bledsoe and Losman. In 2006, the Bills passed on Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler to draft Donte Whitner (No. 8), and in 2007 decided against Brady Quinn in favor of Marshawn Lynch (No. 12).

The real problem with going down this road this year are the teams in front of the Bills in draft order (at least as it stands now). The Rams, Seahawks, Redskins, Raiders, Titans and Browns may all be in the market for a quarterback, and are ahead of Buffalo now, and will likely remain there. The Jaguars will also be picking in the vicinity of the Bills, and possibly will be searching for a quarterback. In order to secure their favorite player, the Bills may have to move up from around spot nine or ten into the top four picks. This type of move would be very costly, both in picks and salary, but would be the only way for Buffalo to guarantee selecting a top tier quarterback.

History: Packers Crushed in Minnesota Last Season 27 to 28

Brandon — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:31 -0000

Although the Green Bay Packers narrowly lost the game last season in Minnesota on a late missed FG by K Mason Crosby, it wasn't really that close. 3 INTs by QB Gus Frerotte, one returned for a TD by FS Nick Collins, and a punt return for a TD by CB Will Blackmon, kept the score close. Since they can't count on two TDs like that again, can they fix the mistakes of 2008 in time for the game on Monday night?

Year	Yards Gained	Yards Allowed	Turnover Margin	Final
2008	184	361	+3	L 27-28
2007	384	382	0	W 23-16
2006	394	312	+2	W 23-17

Both Brad Childress and Mike McCarthy were hired before the 2006 season, so anything before that probably has little bearing on the current matchup. A few things stand out from these games:

When QB Brett Favre takes the field, he'll be the 4th different QB to start their home game against the Packers in the past four seasons. (2006-Brad Johnson; 2007-Kelly Holcomb; 2008-Gus Frerotte). QB Daunte Culpepper started every home game against the Packers from 2000-2005.
The Packers only turnovers were two fumbles in 2007.
In 2007, Brad Childress gave the Packers a giant gift by limiting RB Adrian Peterson to 12 carries.
In 2008, the offensive line crumbled as the offense was limited to 184 yards.

After all the sacks and hits QB Aaron Rodgers has taken this season, reading about the pass rush he faced last season is deja vu all over again. Although the pass defense kept them in the game with 3 INTs, the run defense collapsed as Peterson ran for almost 200 yards. Childress didn't make the same mistake he made in 2007.

The 2008 game, with only 184 yards on offense, stands out like a fluke. But the problems they had last season (poor pass protection, struggling run defense) still remain. Especially if LT Chad Clifton is unable to play. The run defense has already allowed two 100 yard rushers in the first three games. Can we really count on the pass protection and run defense to keep them in the game? Or will the problems from 2008 return on Monday night?

A look back: New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills, Part 2

MaPatsFan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:48:38 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

4 months ago: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on during NFL football training camp at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, Aug.5, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Browse more photos »

In Part 1, we reviewed Patriots and Bills matchups from 2000-2004, the first five years of Belichick's tenure with New England. In this era, Buffalo managed two wins against NE, but it would be the only two Belichick would ever surrender to our AFC East rival. A 16-2 record against our adversary from New York is a historical fact we Pats fans relish and one Bills fans, every year, hope to change. History is history and doesn't necessarily predict the future, but Pretty Boy is back with some new toys.

Ok, let's review 2005-2008 after the jump.

Oct 30, 2005 - BUF 16 @ NE 21

Both quarterbacks, Kelly Holcomb and Tom Brady, only threw for one touchdown, but Patriots RB Corey Dillon managed two TD's on the ground to none for Buffalo, clearly illustrated by a 0/3 red zone efficiency to the Patriots 2/2. Oddly enough, Buffalo at the ball for almost 40 minutes to the Patriot's 20. Red zone efficiency (or lack thereof) will kill you.

Dec 11, 2005 - NE 35 @ BUF 7

Tom Brady hammered Buffalo in this matchup. With 29 completions, 329 yards, and 2 touchdowns, it was hard to recover from that kind of aerial assault. Corey Dillon and Tom Brady sealed the coffin with one rushing touchdown apiece. A third down efficiency of 68% vs. Buffalo's 20% added a few nails as well. 4/5 in the red zone vs. 0/2 meant more trips and a better percentage. Red zone's the ticket, baby!!

Sep 10, 2006 - BUF 17 @ NE 19

Passing numbers were virtually identical between J.P. Losman and Tom Brady, but Brady put up two TD's to Losman's zero. 2/3 in the red zone vs. 1/2 was the winning formula, as is the case in so many games. The game winning two points were the result of a Ty Warren induced safety on Losman with 9:37 left in the game. That had to be frustrating for a Bills fan.

Oct 22, 2006 - NE 28 @ BUF 6

Like their previous 2006 matchup, passing stats were almost identical except for two Tom Brady touchdowns. Add to that two Corey Dillon rushing TD's, and it was light's out. There's really not much to say here; Buffalo made it to the red zone once and didn't convert while the Patriot were 3/3. 'Nuff said.

Sep 23, 2007 - BUF 7 @ NE 38

This was the year that everyone would fall to New England. Well, except for "That Game". Trent Edwards stepped in when Vince Wilfork hit J.P. Losman's knee, but Buffalo simply couldn't overcome Brady's four touchdown passes and Sammy Morris's rushing TD. The Patriots were on a role and this game would be a harbinger of things to come...again.

Nov 18, 2007 - NE 56 @ BUF 10

The score says it all. It was nuts. Brady was unconscious with 31/39, 373 yards and 5 touchdown passes. Kyle Eckel and Laurence Maroney each had a rushing TD. To add to the embarrassment, Ellis Hobbs scores on a fumble recovery. Randy Moss would tally up 128 yards and four touchdowns, a career high.

Nov 9, 2008 - BUF 10 @ NE 20

With Tom Brady rehabilitating from ACL/MCL knee surgery, Buffalo had it's chance to end the losing streak with Matt Cassel at the helm. No such luck. Did I mention Laurence Maroney was IR'd and LaMont Jordan was out as well? Trent Edwards threw for one TD, but two interceptions. Cassel had no TD passes to his credit, but he was able to get NE in the red zone so BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Cassel could punch it in for six. Two field goals brought the Patriots to 20.

Dec 28, 2008 - NE 13 @ BUF 0

This was one of the windiest games I've ever seen. With a combined 33 passing attempts, this game was played on the ground. Why? 55 mile per hour wind gusts, that's why (check out the goal posts at 18 seconds into this video or Gostkowski's only miss literally getting blown away from the uprights towards the end of the clip). It was a miracle Stephen Gostkowski could even MAKE a field goal, let alone go 2/3. The sole touchdown of the day went to LaMont Jordan.

That's a wrap, gang. Class is over. It's time to welcome Tom Brady back under center in throwbacks. We've been chatting all week with our friends from Buffalo Rumblings. It's time to play some football.

20/20 Hindsight: Re-examining the Bills' 2006 off-season

Brian Galliford — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:15:10 -0000

TE Robert Royal joined the Bills in 2006 (photo source)

To say that the current front office regime of the Buffalo Bills has taken a lot of criticism over the past three-plus years is an understatement. The group - featuring GM Marv Levy (for two years), COO Russ Brandon (for two years), head coach Dick Jauron and VPs John Guy and Tom Modrak - has made several bold personnel decisions through four off-seasons of re-building, and the result has been three consecutive 7-9 seasons. When finger-pointing, most Bills' fans fingers - we'll leave you to speculate on which fingers are used - are pointing directly at this group.

As hindsight is 20/20, we thought it would be prudent to take a look back at the regime's initial off-season in Buffalo, transitioning between 2005's 5-11 group (led by GM Tom Donahoe and head coach Mike Mularkey) and the '06 Bills that would finish 7-9 under the leadership of Levy and Jauron. How did the Bills get there? More importantly, looking back three years later, do we perceive the season as one of progress or recession?

Here's how the 2006 off-season (with a bit of in-season dashed in) unfolded in Buffalo. Your homework? Tell us whether or not you like what happened.

+ Jauron chooses - then sticks with - QB J.P. Losman
When Jauron arrived in Buffalo, he inherited a murky quarterback situation. The 2005 Bills, behind Mularkey and his desperation to field a winner, split QB duties between Losman - a first-year starter - and veteran Kelly Holcomb. Jauron held an "open competition" during training camp for starting quarterback duties, but it quickly became apparent that Losman would beat out Holcomb - which, of course, he eventually did.

Far more importantly, Jauron stuck with Losman, even after the team started 2-5. Jauron's patience paid off a bit, as Losman would go on to enjoy his best season as a pro, finishing the season with an 84.9 quarterback rating, 3,051 yards passing, 19 TD and 14 INT. The Bills closed out the season 5-4, with a Christmas Eve loss to the Tennessee Titans permanently derailing their playoff hopes. Clearly, we all know how Losman's career finished in Buffalo, but Jauron gets a thumbs-up for this move - in the midst of re-building, he got a full year out of his inherited young quarterback, found out what he had in the asset, and nearly pulled a playoff appearance out of the decision.

+ The mid-season O-Line shuffle
Buffalo started the season 2-5; during their Week 8 bye, Jauron elected - rather boldly, I might add - to re-shuffle his offensive line. Mike Gandy moved from left tackle to left guard. Jason Peters flipped from right tackle to left tackle - a position at which he would earn two Pro Bowl berths in later seasons. Rookie seventh-round draft pick Terrance Pennington took over at right tackle; while starting C Melvin Fowler and RG Chris Villarrial (with Duke Preston as an injury fill-in) remained, Tutan Reyes found himself on the bench.

By all accounts, Buffalo's offense functioned better during a stretch that saw the team put up a 5-2 record to reach 7-7, on the cusp of the playoffs. The Bills improved their per-game scoring average to 22.2 points per game over their final nine games (5-4), as opposed to just 14.3 points during their 2-5 start. Again - a bold, in-season move by the Bills' coach that paid dividends.

There were some good moves made, clearly, but not all was peachy keen during '06 - the initial season for the current regime. Head on in past the jump for other important developments during the 2006 season.

+ Finding five rookie contributors in the Draft
In an off-season in which the team rid itself of some veteran roster fat (see below point), the Bills did well to find five rookies that were able to contribute positively in 2006. S Donte Whitner (Round 1), S Ko Simpson (Round 4), DT Kyle Williams (Round 5), LB Keith Ellison (Round 6) and OT Terrance Pennington (Round 7) all started games, with the first three on that list emerging as full-time starters. Three more players - DT John McCargo (Round 1), CB Ashton Youboty (Round 3) and OT Brad Butler (Round 5) have contributed as well, though the rookie season impact of each player was largely minimal.

+ Shedding veteran roster fat
The first thing Jauron and the current regime did upon arriving in Buffalo was get rid of overpriced and/or underachieving veterans. Household names such as WR Eric Moulds, OT Mike Williams, DT Sam Adams and safeties Troy Vincent and Lawyer Milloy were let go. TE Mark Campbell, OG Bennie Anderson, C Trey Teague and LB Jeff Posey joined them. The Bills didn't have salary cap issues at that point in time, but losing these players didn't exactly hurt them in the long run - not even Adams, a pretty good player in his heyday, was productive post-Buffalo (23 tackles and 2 sacks in his final two seasons).

- Weak free agent class
Perhaps the most frequently-referenced and noticeable downfall to this initial off-season was the lack of impact found in the free agent class. Take a look at the veteran players brought in:

RB Anthony Thomas
WR Peerless Price
WR Andre' Davis
TE Robert Royal
OG Tutan Reyes
C Melvin Fowler
DE Anthony Hargrove (trade)
DT Larry Tripplett
CB Kiwaukee Thomas
S Matt Bowen

Tripplett was the "big" signing of the group, yet he lasted just two unspectacular seasons in a Bills uniform. Royal became notorious for dropped passes and key fumbles. Fowler was a major flop as the starting center, eventually being replaced by the aforementioned Preston - who also is no longer with the team. Perhaps the best player of this group is Davis, a speedy wideout that saw little playing time offensively, signed with Houston in 2007 and promptly put up solid receiving numbers (33 receptions, 583 yards, 3 TD) while returning 3 kickoffs for touchdowns. The sad reality is that of the names on this list, only Royal and Fowler lasted more than two seasons in Buffalo, and neither is with the team any longer.

- Lack of big-play impact
This ties into the free agent group listed above, but also counts for the nine players the Bills drafted (all of whom have been mentioned aside from seventh-round OG Aaron Merz) - Buffalo was unable to find a single long-term impact player during this critical first off-season. Not even Whitner - widely considered one of the NFL's best young players at the safety position - nor other starters from the draft class (Williams and Butler) have earned the "difference-maker" label. Buffalo did well to find a few starters in this draft class - Williams and Butler in particular were excellent picks - but the overall lack of play making from their rookies and, more importantly, their free agents really hamstrung a young team playing behind a young quarterback. Which leads me to my last point...

- Where is the help for Losman?
Any time you're building around a young quarterback, you need to surround him with weapons. Maybe Jauron knew at that point in time that Losman wasn't really his guy; maybe he just wanted to address the defensive side of the ball first (his first five draft picks in Buffalo were defenders, after all). Either way, Trent Edwards wasn't in the picture at that point in time. Losman was the future then. We gave him three late-round rookie linemen, two journeyman veteran linemen (Fowler and Reyes), Peerless Price and Royal. Losman didn't even have a full season's worth of starts under his belt at that point in time; Lee Evans and Willis McGahee were effectively all he had offensively. The offense was productive at times, sure, but is it any surprise that teams eventually figured out that to stop the Bills, all you had to do was double-team Evans?

There's a lot to like about this initial off-season - in particular trimming veteran fat, getting a deep (if unspectacular) draft class, and committing themselves to one quarterback. Those were good moves; so was the mid-season re-structure of the offensive line. But the lack of impact from the rookie class and what many might consider one of the worst free agent classes in team history considerably weakens any positive that emerged from Year One of the Jauron regime in Buffalo.

The poll question is self-explanatory, and the comments section is open. Before you ask, the answer is yes - we'll be doing this for 2007, 2008 and even 2009 as well.

Poll

2006 Buffalo Bills off-season approval rating, three years later - cast your vote!

Approve

135 votes

Disapprove

208 votes

Unsure

71 votes

414 votes | Poll has closed

Seven ways Donahoe destroyed the Bills

sireric — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:00:13 -0000

In 2001, after trying to come to an agreement on an extension, team owner Ralph Wilson realized that John Butler had no interest in staying on as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills. As a result, Wilson chose to fire Butler and announced his retirement as President of the organization. He then handed the reins of his franchise to Tom Donahoe, who would act as team President and General Manager. Donahoe would then make several decisions that would set this once storied franchise back for nearly a decade.

Mistake #1: Hiring Gregg Williams as head coach
Before Donahoe would accept the job at One Bills Drive, one of two events took place; either Donahoe informed Ralph Wilson that he didn't want to take over with lame duck coach Wade Phillips in place, or Wilson decided he'd had enough of Phillips' stubbornness when it came to redoing his staff. The end result was that Wade Phillips was fired, Tom Donahoe was hired, and his first move as President/GM would be to find a new head coach. Donahoe compiled a list of candidates that included Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox, and Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Williams' preparedness and terrific interview impressed Donahoe enough that he gave Williams the job. One has to wonder where this organization would be right now if John Fox or Marvin Lewis had been given the job. Fox and Lewis reportedly gave a poor interview due to having to coach their respected defenses in Super Bowl XXXV.

Mistake #2: Switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3

Donahoe's next mistake was allowing Williams to change the team's base defense from the 3-4 style they had run for years under Marv Levy and Wade Phillips to a 4-3 style that Williams preferred from his days with the Titans. At the time, the 3-4 defense was losing popularity. The NFL is a copy cat league, and when one team finds something that works, others tend to try and follow suit. In my opinion, teams that find something that works, stick with it through thick and thin, and ignore what everyone else is doing are the franchises that consistently have the most success. Prior to 2001, the Bills' defense was one of the best in the league and performed as follows:

1998 - #6 overall ranking, 293.2ypg (#14 vs. pass 199.9 ypg / #5 vs. rush 93.3ypg)
1999 - #1 overall ranking, 252.8ypg (#1 vs. pass 167.2ypg / #4 vs. rush 85.6ypg)
2000 - #3 overall ranking, 276.6ypg (#4 vs. pass 179.2ypg / #6 vs. rush 97.4ypg)

In 2001, the first year under Williams after changing over to the 4-3:

2001 - #21 overall ranking, 330.8ypg (#13 vs. pass 197.4ypg / #16 vs. rush 133.3ypg)

Mistake #3: Letting DT Pat Williams leave
In Williams and Donahoe's defense, the Bills did rebound to become the #2 ranked defense in both 2003 and 2004, but it then plummeted to number 29 overall in 2005. Part of that rapid decline has to be attributed to the loss of defensive tackle Pat Williams. After the end of the 2004 campaign, Donahoe had a chance to re-sign Pat Williams for the paltry sum of $4 million per year - an amount that, by today's standards for a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackle, would be seen as a bargain. Donahoe, however, felt that Williams had little to nothing left in the tank and allowed him to walk. And walk he did - to the Minnesota Vikings, where he has been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls (2006-2008) and has been named a second team All-Pro (2007). Meanwhile, Donahoe made several more draft day gaffes, including the drafting of Chris Kelsay while Osi Umenyiora and Cory Redding were still on the board, and trading up in the second round of the 2002 draft to select Ryan Denney. But all of that pales in comparison to his handling of the offensive line.

Mistake #4: Neglecting the offensive line
Through the years, Bills fans have endured the struggle that has been the Bills' attempt to piece together a cohesive offensive line. Names like Mike Gandy, Bennie Anderson, Chris Villarrial, Marcus Price, and Mike Pucillo have brought nightmares to Bills fans. Rather than try to fix the line through the draft, Donahoe would take fliers on late round linemen like Dylan MacFarland, Ben Sobieski, and Justin Geisinger. When Donahoe did try to draft the big offensive tackle this team has needed for years, he struck out by selecting a player considered by many to be the fourth biggest draft bust of all time, in the form of Mike Williams.

Mistake #5: Dancing the QB Shuffle
Not all of the team's struggles to protect the quarterback have fallen on the offensive line's shoulders, however. Part of the blame has to fall on the shoulders of the quarterbacks themselves. After his first year on the job, Donahoe quickly realized that Rob Johnson and Alex Van Pelt were not the answer to the quarterback situation in Buffalo, so he traded a first round draft choice to the New England Patriots for QB Drew Bledsoe. After Bledsoe burst onto the scene, his star tailed off and the Bills traded up in the 2004 draft so they could select J.P. Losman. Three years after dealing a first round pick for Bledsoe, the Bills cut him, handing the reins of the franchise to Losman. However, after Losman struggled, he was benched in favor of journeyman Kelly Holcomb. Despite investing two first round draft choices into the quarterback position over a five year span, the Bills still didn't have the QB of the future.

Mistake #6: Replacing Gregg with Mike Mularkey
After the 2003 season, Donahoe fired Williams. Knowing that he needed to hit a home run, Donahoe reached back to his Pittsburgh roots and tabbed then-Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for the job. While I can't rip the job that Mularkey did as head coach for the Bills simply because he quit before it was finished, I can, however, say that when coaches like Lovie Smith were also available to be hired, this qualifies as another Donahoe blunder.

Mistake #7: Choosing Tom Clements over Ken Whisenhunt
Then-Steelers coach Bill Cowher told Mularkey that he could have his pick from the Steelers staff to be his offensive coordinator - either QB coach Tom Clements, or tight ends coach Ken Whisenhunt. Mularkey wanted Whisenhunt, but Donahoe, who apparently thought he knew the Steelers staff better then a man who was a part of said staff for eight years, overruled Mularkey and took Clements instead. Over the next three years, the Steelers would never have an overall offensive ranking below 16. Meanwhile, the Bills never got above 25. Whisenhunt is now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and took one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL to the Super Bowl last year. Tom Clements is now the Green Bay Packers' quarterbacks coach.

***

While the Bills did have their opportunities to make the playoffs in the Donahoe era - most notably the 2004 season that ended by losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers' second string players - the plethora of horrible decisions and poor drafting set this team back much longer. I can't blame him for everything that has gone wrong over the last decade, and of course the three 7-9 seasons turned in by Dick Jauron are not his fault, although he should shoulder some of the blame for the first one at least. But one has to wonder where this team would be if John Fox was the head coach of a team running a 3-4 defense with Pat Williams as its anchor and Osi Umenyiora on the outside.

I used some pages from Wikipedia to refresh my memory:

Tom Donahoe, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bills (greater depth ), and this story as well.

CB Hank Poteat Signed, Holly Visits Buccaneers

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:32:32 -0000

Several years ago, when the Cleveland Browns were in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, I recall CB Hank Poteat getting burned consistently by our receivers. He was a large part of the reason Kelly Holcomb threw for over 400 yards in that game. At that time, I thought to myself, "how could this 'Poteat' guy be on any team?"

Well, now he's not just on any team -- he's on the Cleveland Browns. To be fair, Poteat has proven me wrong the past several years by filling in as a decent role player for the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. Poteat spent three years with Eric Mangini, but I wouldn't say his roster spot is a definite lock. He could inevitably end up being this season's Terry Cousin, if worst comes to worst.

I'd much rather have Daven Holly filling that role. Unfortunately, I haven't heard any reports about the Browns being interested in bringing him back. The latest reports have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers interested in Holly.

I'd have to imagine that under the new regime, signing players coming off injuries is a turnoff (see Sean Jones; Daven Holly). Ryan Tucker, also injury-prone, just had his contract restructured to stay with the team.

Finally, in other former Browns player news, CB Leigh Bodden is nearly going from worst to first after signing a one-year deal with the New England Patriots. Again, thanks for Shaun Rogers, Detroit.

Bills/Jets: Opponent History

sireric — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:30:06 -0000

Buffalo Bills (5-2) vs New York Jets (4-3)
Sunday, October 2, 2008 1PM EST

I'm going to use the same format this week for the New York Jets as I did last week, (last 3 years instead of last 5 games) and we'll hope for better results out of the Bills this week. Let me just say, however, after watching the Jets play the Raiders and Chiefs the past two weeks, I feel much more confident playing at the Ralph this week, than I did last week. Anyway, the history...

October 16, 2005: Bills 27, Jets 17 (in Buffalo)
Starting QBs in this game; Vinny Testaverde for the Jets and Kelly Holcomb for the Bills, (was this only 3 years ago?). Holcomb wins the match-up finishing the day 18-26 for 172 yards with two scores and two picks, compared to Vinnie's 12-26 for 161 yards, 1TD run and 2 picks. Johnathan "Freddie" Smith caught a TD pass in this one.

January 1, 2006: Jets 30, Bills 26 (in New York/New Jersey)
A game that I attended! Yet another memorable QB match-up; this time it's Holcomb taking on Brooks Bollinger. Willis McGahee runs for over 100 yards (113) against the Jets yet again. The Bills take the lead on a 36 yard Rian Lindell field goal, and yours truly (powered by a few over priced beers) begins to talk smack, only to get shut up 15 seconds later as Justin Miller returns the ensuing kick-off 95 yards for the win, and a long walk back to the car.

September 24, 2006: Jets 28, Bills 20 (in Buffalo)
Willis runs for 150 and J.P. throws for 328, tosses 1 TD and runs for another, but the Bills lose 2 fumbles, 1 of which is returned 32 yards by Victor Hobson for a TD, and the Bills fall at home to the Jets.

December 10, 2006: Bills 31, Jets 13 (in Jersey)
J.P. Losman hits Lee Evans for a 77 yard TD score, and for the second time in '06 Willis runs for over 100 yards in a game against the Jets (his only two 100 yard games that year). This time, however, it's the Bills with the defensive score - Nate Clements' 58-yard pick 6 helps seal the win for the Bills.

September 30, 2007: Bills 17, Jets 14 (in Buffalo)
This was Trent Edwards' first career start, and his first win. A gutsy call on a 4th and 1 ends in Edwards' first career TD pass, a 1 yard toss to Micheal Gains. The Bills D holds on to get the W. Rumblings recap.

October 28, 2007: Bills 13, Jets 3 (in Jersey)
An ugly, ugly, ugly game. Trent gets hurt late and J.P. steps in and throws one up for grabs that Lee Evans wrestles away from the Jets defenders for a 85 yard pass and catch to seal the win for the Bills. Rumblings recap.

One last side note; One of the fun parts about doing these recaps is to look into the Rumblings archives, and finding some of the better stories in there; if you've got the time check some of it out. Good stuff, like this, and this one, one of the best comment sections ever. I know Krytime will enjoy it.