SB Nation - Gibran Hamdan

Game Day Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 12/3

MattRichWarren — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:00:43 -0000

BillBoard: Toronto not excited about Bills
"While the Bills will have a lot of fans in Rogers Centre Thursday night, there will be a large segment of spectators cheering for the Jets and those with no rooting interest at all. Meanwhile, the local papers are filled with stories about how poorly Bills games are being received by the public. "

Bills Gameday vs. Jets | Democrat and Chronicle
Beat writer Sal Maiorana breaks down tonight’s game between the Bills and Jets in Toronto.

Rogers hitches itself to the wrong team - The Globe and Mail
"In buying into a dysfunctional football organization like the Bills, the organization bringing the NFL to Canada was always fighting a losing battle."

Jauron a vanishing act in team photo(shop) - ESPN.com
"Before Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins, the Bills gave away team photos as fans passed through the turnstiles at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Former head coach Dick Jauron, fired two weeks ago, was removed from the team photo as though he never existed."

Game Previews
Bills try to bring the noise in Toronto : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
"The Bills did not have a home-field edge when they played Miami in Toronto last year. The crowd was split about 50-50 in terms of cheering for each team. In fact, it would be more accurate to say it was 30-30, with about 40 percent of the crowd not particularly rooting for either side."

Bills-Jets scouting report : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Breaking down tonight's matchup with Allen Wilson.

Short turnaround puts stamina to the test : The Buffalo News
"This will be the teams' third game in 12 days, a grueling stretch that forced both teams to scale back their practices this week."

T.O. telling Toronto to show – Inside The Bills
"Here I am," Terrell Owens said. "It feels good. Looking forward to the game tomorrow and all of the Canadians out here in Toronto – you all come out and support the game tomorrow, it’s going to be a good one."

"We’re here!" Bills arrive in Toronto for game | BuffaloBills.com
Perry Fewell discusses the trip north and the atmosphere that the BIlls feel and want from the fans.

Do Or Die For Bills & Jets In Toronto : Buffalo Sports Daily
Pat Moran previews tonight's game against the Jets.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Home of the Buffalo Sabres - T.O. and the Bills in TO
"The Bills fielded questions from the media at the Rogers Center in Toronto about Thursday's game against the Jets. Here are Wednesday’s transcripts:"

Toronto may not give Buffalo Bills home-field advantage vs New York Jets | Democrat and Chronicle
"Tonight, the Bills "host" the New York Jets in the second of five regular-season games Buffalo will play in Toronto as part of an agreement that deposited $78 million into the team's bank account and is supposed to expand the market base, thus providing future financial stability for the franchise."

Rochester Time Warner viewers won't see Buffalo Bills game against New York Jets | Democrat and Chronicle
"If you're a Time Warner Cable subscriber, you can watch the Buffalo Bills play the New York Jets tonight from the comfort of your home — IF you live in Buffalo, but not if you live in the Rochester area."

T.O. eager to play in T.O. when Bills host Jets | Bleacher Report
Terrell Owens is going to invite Darrelle Revis to his birthday party this weekend - after he scores on him. In the words of John Wawrow here, "Snap!"

Video: Jets will run over Bills in rematch - AFC East Blog - ESPN
With better ball control by Jets rookie Mark Sanchez , who threw five interceptions, ESPN analyst KC Joyner sees the Jets taking the rematch.

NFL Preview - N.Y. Jets (5-6) at Buffalo (4 -7)
The Sports Network previews tonight's game.

NFL Game Center: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - 2009 Week 13
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills NFL Game Center

NFL Videos: Top 5 Jets-Bills moments
Scott Hanson counts down the top 5 Jets-Bills moments before they square off Thursday night.

NY Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez eager for another shot at Buffalo Bills | New York Jets - NJ.com
"Before Mark Sanchez can completely move forward and bring an entire organization with him, he must exorcise his personal demons from the Jets’ first meeting with the Buffalo Bills."

Bills Daily Gameday Preview
The Bills blog previews the match.

View From the Great White North
Woolsey: Hopeful Bills look to future - thestar.com
Trent Edwards' picture hangs outside the Rogers Centre next to a mural of B.J. Ryan. Both are signs that their teams are moving on.

Bills' Mace excited to play in Toronto | Football | Sports | Toronto Sun
Corey Mace is Canadian and his CFL rights belong to the Argonauts but he hopes he only plays one game a year in Toronto.

Fewell turns Bills’ offence around - The Globe and Mail
"There’s no doubting the Bills (4-7), whose season will continue tonight in Toronto at Rogers Centre with a so-called home game against the New York Jets (5-6), have been quick to embrace the go-for-broke approach of the new coach."

Owens thinks Toronto could support NFL team - sportsnet.ca
The national sports outler gives its preview of the game including T.O., Canadian players Corey Mace and the Jets' Jamaal Westerman, and the viability and success of the Toronto series.

The Sports Network - National Football League
The ESPN of Canada gives their preview for the game.

It's fourth down, what next? | Steve Simmons | Columnists | Sports | Toronto Sun
Steve Simmons lauds Ralph Wilson for not moving the Bills put chides him for not having a succession plan in place.

More Bills News
Kelly's Call: Fitz, Fewell and the future | BuffaloBills.com
"[Ryan Fitzpatrick] took the approach of letting it all hang out. As he saw it, there was little to lose and a lot to gain. From what I saw he took advantage of the situation and he didn’t wait."

Centre stage an unlikely spot for Hangartner : The Buffalo News
Jerry Sullivan profiles Buffalo's other free agent signing, center Geoff Hangartner.

Video: AFC East Huddle - AFC East Blog - ESPN
ESPN.com's John Clayton takes a look at the state of the AFC East heading into Week 13.

No drops for T.O. with new QB, coach - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Owens hasn't dropped a pass since Fewell and Fitzpatrick took over. He's also been singing Ryan Fitzpatrick's praises.

Fewell creating buzz in Buffalo - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Fewell was ringing up a 79 percent as of Wednesday morning.

Buffalo-Area Businesses Pay the Price for Bills’ Trip - NYTimes.com
Local businesses and families are severely impacted by the Bills moving one game to Canada and the loss of revenue on game day.

POLLOCK: Fewell getting a crash course as head coach | Olean Times Herald
"You come in a lot earlier and you have to watch both sides of the ball," said Fewell about the change. "Different things that come up through the day: personnel situations, practice squad situations, communication with different members of the staff, be it the training staff, the GM, personnel staff ... and that’s time consuming."

Stat Sheet Remains Mostly Empty For Evans : Buffalo Sports Daily
"While Terrell Owens has been the desire of new starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s affection, Lee Evans shopping cart for footballs has been mostly empty."

Pocket Presence: Time For a Change -- NFL FanHouse
"Buffalo's probably out of it at 4-7, but if Fitzpatrick continues to play well, they'll at least have something to build on for next season." Really?

Biggs: Vikings check out a quarterback | National Football Post
The Minnesota Vikings put veteran quarterback Gibran Hamdan through a tryout today, according to a league source. They were also working out WRs and with a solid QB position there, it makes you wonder if he wasn't just an arm.

Pro-football-reference.com blog " NFL ratings through 12 weeks
Buffalo ranks 23rd in the NFL according to PFR.

Team in Transition
All this Bills fan wants for Christmas is ... Ron Wolf! | Nick Bakay | NFL.com
"Memo to Ralph Wilson: Even if your Buffalo Bills win by seven touchdowns Thursday night on NFL Network, don't let that fool you. This team is in dire need of a major facelift."

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Trestman loves Canada
"[Marc] Trestman is happy in Quebec, and says he will not head to the NFL." Sorry CBF.

Comments on Fewell – Inside The Bills
Steve Mariucci and Mike Martz both offered their take on how Fewell has to approach things from here on out.

Bills Tweets
Kawika Mitchell
Goin back 2 Buffalo. Everything is on point w/ my leg. Doc sounds +. Time 2 build strength! May the fun begin

Aaron Maybin (from yesterday)
Focused on tomorrow....I AM the Master of My Fate. I AM the Captain of My Soul!

Sal Maiorana
I follow Aaron Maybin on Twitter. His latest tweet: "I am the Master of My Fate. I Am the Captain of My Soul!" I just wish he'd make a tackle

Poll

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177 votes

338 votes | Poll has closed

Game Day Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 11/22

MattRichWarren — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:33:10 -0000

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Bills-Jaguars Primer
Joe Buscaglia gets us primed and ready to go for the game in Jacksonville.

Buffalo Bills Game Day | Democrat and Chronicle
Reporter Sal Maiorana breaks down today's Buffalo Bills game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gameday Tipsheet - Week 11
Chris Brown's thorough look at the game against the Jaguars.

Game Previews
Bills-Jags scouting report : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Allen Wilson's breakdown of the Bills-Jaguars matchup.

NFL Game Center: Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars - 2009 Week 11
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Game Center featuring previews and live coverage of the game.

Bills hope to get off and running with Fewell : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
"Today's game against Jacksonville would be a good time to get [the rushing attack] rolling, as the Bills usher in the tenure of interim head coach Perry Fewell."

Buffalo Bills shift focus to Fewell, Fitzpatrick | Democrat and Chronicle
Perry Fewell and Ryan Fitzpatrick take over this team and are exciting about making their mark.

NFL Preview - Buffalo (3-6) at Jacksonville (5-4)
he Sports Network gives you the information and quotes you need to get ready to watch today's game.

Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Gameday Preview
Two Bills Drive gives their preview for the Bills game.

Jaguars Gameday: Jacksonville vs. Buffalo | Jacksonville.com
Game preview from Jacksonville.com

Your Bills vs Jags Game Day Preview : Buffalo Sports Daily
Pat Moran at BSD gives his answers for how to beat the Jaguars.

Gameday Prep: Bills vs. Jaguars | The Goose's Roost
Your gameday prep from the good folks at TGR.

Video: Another long day for Bills' run D - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Jenny Dell's AccuScore report for Sunday's game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars was shot before we learned talented Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud and linebacker Keith Ellison won't play. Even so, AccuScore gave Maurice Jones-Drew a 55 percent chance of rushing for at least 100 yards and a touchdown. The Jaguars won 68 percent of AccuScore's 10,000 simulations.

Niagara Gazette - NFL: Crohn’s among Garrard’s foes
Tim Schmitt profiles Jaguar's quarterback David Garrard and his fight with Crohn's disease.

Team in flux
Sullivan: Plenty left for Bills to play for : Jerry Sullivan : The Buffalo News
Jerry Sullivan knows that many Bills players and coaches are fighting for their jobs in these last seven weeks of the year.

Report: Bills had "back channel" communications only with Gruden | ProFootballTalk.com
WIVB's source has slightly changed. The Bills only hand "back channel" dealings with Gruden and won't hire anyone until after the season. The latter isn't a big surprise.

Gruden declines comment on Bills report - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Jon Gruden isn't commenting on a report that he had a meeting with the Bills.

Felser: Who cleans up after the horse is ridden out of town : Larry Felser : The Buffalo News
Larry Felser wants the Bills to hire Ron Wolf or Ernie Acorsi as consultants to help hire a new GM.

Inside the NFL: Trestman would be good coaching fit, but not here : Mark Gaughan : The Buffalo News
Mark Gaughan of the says the Bills shouldn't hire Marc Trestman, the Montreal Allouettes coach. He's "even more low key than Jauron," says the columnist.

Bills need a proven GM - Corning, NY - The Corning Leader
Bob Benz wants the Bills to hire Mike Holmgren or someone like him to be GM to turn this team around.

Sully on Sports: Live Chat With Sully
Jerry Sullivan chats about potential GM candidates and much more.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Five underrated NFL executives
PFW's Nolan Nawrocki identifies five evaluators who have played key roles in building championships. (This article was recommended by Sully during his chat.)

Midseason change different from '86
Chris Brown interviews Andre Reed and Jim Kelly about the last midseason coaching hire, Marv Levy. He also explains the major differences between 1986 and 2009, for instance, Marv wasn't "interim" head coach.

More Bills News
Maybin gives back – Inside The Bills
Aaron Maybin gave back to his Baltimore hometown this week.

OT Scott pressing forward – Inside The Bills
Bills OT Jonathan Scott talks for the first time since his dad's passing.

Brooks Brothers Best Dressed at Jacksonville | BuffaloBills.com
George Wilson took over for Gibran Hamdan on this little feature. Some nicely dressed guys there.

Calls and Effect: AFC East penalty tracker - AFC East Blog - ESPN
The Bills lead the NFL by far with 23 false starts, about twice the league average. 37 different players have been flagged a total of 60 times. Demetirus Bell is still leading the league with 10 on his own.

Book review: Game Changers, by Marv Levy - thestar.com
Game Changers is a book by Marv Levy and Jeff Miller about the greatest plays in Buffalo Bills history. The Toronto Star gives its book review.

Buffalo Bills fans might want to watch UFL title game | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle
J.P. Losman and his coach Jim Fassell hook up with Jim Haslett's undefeated Florida Tuskers in a matchup of past (and future?) Bills.

For Brohm, Christmas comes early | The Louisville Courier-Journal
Brian Brohm had a hectic week but a week he is glad took place.

Bills Tweets
MovetheSticks
Only take a QB in round 1 if you LOVE him... Most of these bottom 6-7 teams have holes all over the place, take best player period

Thurman Thomas
Play like Hell and Win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bills add QB Brohm to active roster, release Hamdan

Brian Galliford — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:06:46 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

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The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel is reporting that the Buffalo Bills have signed second-year quarterback Brian Brohm off of the Green Bay Packers' practice squad. In order to complete the signing, the Bills released third-string quarterback Gibran Hamdan so as to have room for Brohm on the active roster.

Brohm was a second-round pick of Green Bay in the 2008 NFL Draft, selected No. 56 overall. He was the third quarterback selected in that draft class, behind Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco. One of the more prolific passers in the nation in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons at Louisville, the 6'4", 228-pound Brohm threw for 10,775 yards, 70 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. At just 24 years of age, Brohm still has a considerable amount of unrealized potential.

He was cut, however, after a 2009 pre-season in which he struggled mightily. He has been on Green Bay's practice squad ever since, and took Buffalo's two-year offer over Green Bay's similar two-year offer to join their active roster. Additionally, as the Sentinel also points out, Brohm's college center was one Eric Wood, now a rookie guard for the Bills.

Buffalo recently benched 2007 third-round pick Trent Edwards in favor of veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick. All signs point toward the Bills looking for their next franchise signal-caller starting this coming off-season, and Brohm is a young, talented player with upside. This is a smart signing for the organization, though it's much closer to a stab in the dark than an answer to the franchise's longest-standing question mark.

With season in tailspin, Bills have QB controversy

Brian Galliford — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:45:27 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

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'Quarterback controversy' is a term, and a situation, that has been all too prevalent for the Buffalo Bills as a franchise over the past decade. Not many NFL teams have had as many questions surrounding football's most important position in that time frame, and that fact alone speaks volumes towards the fact that the Bills are on the verge of missing the post-season for a tenth consecutive season.

The current Buffalo Bills, who stand at 3-6 on the season and are looking at an off-season of massive changes, are now staring down the barrel of perhaps the most feeble and meaningless quarterback controversy in team history: Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick?

Dick Jauron on Monday wouldn't commit to a starter. When the Bills begin preparations for Week 11 on Wednesday, Jauron is expected to announce his starter for that particular the game. Unfortunately for Jauron and Buffalo, there isn't a right answer to the question - which, of course, only emphasizes the total, utter chaos these Bills seem to be on the verge of.

Arguments predominantly against Edwards
I say arguments for and against Edwards because the fact of the matter is this: the only argument that holds any water in favor of Fitzpatrick is the quickly-ripening "Edwards just isn't good enough" argument. There's absolutely no reason that a player of Fitzpatrick's caliber sees the field unless it's due to injury, or if it's due to a complete, epic collapse on the starter's part.

Edwards is on the outskirts of that territory. Though his numbers weren't awful in the Bills' Week 10 loss in Tennessee (18 of 28, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), the offense - and, in reality, the team itself - began to collapse around him on Sunday. Receivers openly questioned his reads on the field and on the sidelines. Jauron himself mentioned post-game that the offense "missed things" on the field. Edwards continues to play as if he trusts no one around him, nor himself. How is a team, in any state of array or disarray, supposed to rally around a player they don't trust in any sense of the word?

In terms of this specific controversy, Jauron may be forced to put Fitzpatrick into the lineup simply to avoid the mutiny that could ensue if Edwards doesn't improve (and there's no reason to expect that to happen). If the fact that Jauron may be forced to play a quarterback based solely on damage control doesn't speak volumes about his future with this organization, I don't know what does.

The common fan perspectives
There are two predominant ways that fans will approach this new, exciting controversy. The most common perspective will be that Edwards is clearly the superior talent, and thus should start on that fact alone. It's certainly not unreasonable - the team certainly isn't going anywhere with Fitzpatrick, who has reached his professional ceiling, and we might as well play Edwards to see what the guy can do before a new coaching regime comes in. (It might be irrational, however, to expect Jauron to take that position; like it or not, the man is still coaching for his job.)

Most folks who don't fall into that spectrum will take the apathetic approach; these people will, in some form or another, say that it doesn't really matter who plays quarterback, because, as mentioned above, the team's not going anywhere with either player at the helm. Many of these folks are also so far from caring that they might nominate Gibran Hamdan or Fred Jackson for starting quarterback duties. That's a bit absurd, but it highlights the lack of caring. Why not start Edwards? Why not start Fitzpatrick? It doesn't matter either way.

I'm somewhere between those two categories. I'd like to see Edwards play for all of the reasons stated above, but I'm not going to get upset if he doesn't, because it would be difficult to blame Jauron for playing the quarterback (i.e. Fitzpatrick) that is the furthest from boom-or-bust in terms of his team's psyche. In all likelihood, we're going to see both players in significant chunks over the next seven weeks, so this decision will probably turn out to be meaningless as well.

There it is. It's not a complete lack of caring on my behalf, but more an understanding that this Bills team is on the verge of a complete meltdown from top to bottom, and this decision could turn out to be the final spark for the ensuing blaze. Fun times, folks. Fun times. With the way things are going, would anyone be surprised to see Hamdan get the nod?

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 11/7

MattRichWarren — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:21:06 -0000

Rosenhaus says Bills line "potentially worst in the league" | ProFootballTalk.com
Terrell Owens' agent goes off on the Bills coaching, QB play, and pays special attention the Bills offensive line as reasons why his client is under performing in Buffalo this year.

Bills sack numbers are up | BuffaloBills.com
Through the first eight games the Bills rank seventh in the league in sacks with a respectable 18. To a man credit is paid to Buffalo’s new defensive line coach Bob Sanders (pictured above during training camp).

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Excuse me, Mr. Wilson
Nick Mendola wonders aloud what it would be like to sit down with Ralph Wilson like two members of Cleveland's Dawg Pound did with Brown's owner Randy Lerner. His main question is how does Ralph feel about this team and he comes up with three possibilities.

Between the Lines: Who Sends the House and Who Plays It Safe? -- NFL FanHouse
Most of the Bills sacks (61.1% or 11 of the 18) have come on 4-man rushes.

Fan Friday 11-6 – Inside The Bills
Chris Brown answers questions on huddling, concussion helmets, Jairus Byrd's Pro Bowl chances, the LB-safety shuffle due to injuries, and Byrd's chance at defensive rookie of the year.

Bills players renew college ties | BuffaloBills.com
A handful of Bills players are spending part of their five day break taking on the role of fans as they will travel to the stadiums of their alma maters Saturday afternoon.

Decade of Disappointment | Democrat and Chronicle
If you haven't seen it, the Rochester D&C and WGRZ in Buffalo have put together a report about the Bills since the Music City Miracle. Sunday is the big day so look for more in this Sunday's D&C.

Take your pick: Jauron-Edwards or Fassel-Losman - AFC East - ESPN
WECK in Buffalo had Graham on and proposed a straight trade of Jauron and Trent Edwards for Fassell and J.P. Losman. I'm gonna pass. What do you think?

Most absurd AFC East result: Browns 6, Bills 3 - AFC East - ESPN
Tim Graham names the one game I attended this year the most absurd of the first half in the AFC East after fan voting.

Final Word: AFC East - AFC East - ESPN
For reasons (hopefully) clear to all Bills fans, the Bills need to reinstall Trent Edwards as the starter if he is healthy.

What To Look For: Week 9 - Baltimore Beatdown
With a sack this week, Dwight Freeney would join Bruce Smith with the third longest streak of 8 games with a sack.

A Hanging 10 Extra
George Wilson "makes" a miracle basketball shot while chilling with Gibran Hamdan.

Brewing Bills QB controversy no longer controversial

Brian Galliford — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:45:16 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

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At 3-5, the Buffalo Bills enter their Week 9 bye with the No. 29-ranked offense in the NFL. If it seems incredible to you that three NFL teams could field worse offenses than a Bills unit that has picked up 18 first downs in their last two contests, that's because it is. Welcome to the NFL, where the gap between playoff contender and bottom-dweller is monumental. And yeah, there are a lot of bottom-dwellers.

Despite the Bills' offensive woes, the team entered yesterday's home date with the Houston Texans on a two-game winning streak. That streak came with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, and whenever an offense is struggling and a backup is managing to win football games, controversy reigns supreme.

After yesterday's 31-10 home debacle, in which the Texans threw up 22 points in the final quarter after trailing 10-9 through three quarters, the brewing quarterback controversy is no longer really controversial. Unfortunately, the Bills have entered a no-win situation at football's most important position. Trent Edwards has struggled. Fitzpatrick has struggled. The Bills will likely choose the lesser of two evils (so to speak) before their Week 10 contest in Tennessee, and if the Bills are smart, they'll allow Edwards to re-assume his starting role. If he's healthy, that is.

Number comparisons: it's all ugly
This season, Edwards has started - and finished - five full games. Fitzpatrick has played four full quarters in the Bills' other three games. In games that Edwards finishes, the Bills are 1-4. In games that Fitzpatrick finishes, the Bills are 2-1. That might be enough for people to stop thinking and claim that Fitzpatrick needs to continue to start, but the records don't tell the whole story.

Edwards-led offenses this year have put up 290 yards, 15.6 first downs, 15.4 points and a little over 2 turnovers per game. Clearly, those numbers are awful. Well, the 290 isn't, but that number is inflated by solid performances in Weeks 1-2; in Edwards' last three full games, that yardage stat dropped to 246 yards per game. But here are the extenuating circumstances: Edwards-led offenses were hampered somewhat by a Bills team that averaged 9 penalties per game and only forced a single turnover per game.

Fitzpatrick has gotten the support Edwards didn't. The penalties per game have dropped from 9 to 5 in games Fitzpatrick finished. More importantly - and much more obviously - turnovers forced has quadrupled, as the Bills are forcing over 4 turnovers per game over their last three games, including 3 in yesterday's loss to Houston. Despite that fact, Buffalo's offense has put up its two worst statistical outings under Fitzpatrick's guidance - and both have come in the last two weeks. 222 yards per game. 12.7 first downs per game. 15.3 points per game. Aside from turnovers committed (a little over 1 per game), Fitzpatrick's offenses have been statistically worse than Edwards' across the board, despite having all the help he could reasonably ask for from his defensive teammates.

I quite realize that we're comparing two extremely mediocre sets of numbers here. The difference might be meaningless in the long-term or to the Bills' chances of turning the season around, but they do make picking a starting quarterback easy.

It has to be Edwards... right?
Fitzpatrick is a backup quarterback for a reason. He has limitations. He does some things well - and some things better than Edwards, if we're getting right down to it - but his limitations have severely hampered Buffalo's offensive production. Edwards is younger and more talented. The offense has been very marginally better when he's been in the lineup, particularly considering the aforementioned extenuating circumstances (penalties, turnovers forced).

Re-inserting Trent Edwards into the starting lineup probably won't save Buffalo's season. Keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick in won't save Buffalo's season, either. Buffalo will be looking at quarterbacks starting early next January (and the respective college and pro scouting staffs had better be on it right now). But when it comes to choosing between Edwards and Fitzpatrick to start for the duration of this season, the choice is easy. You take the more talented, more productive player, and right now, that's Edwards.

Of course, given Edwards' injury history (including his most recent concussion) and the continued horrendous play of the Bills' youthful offensive line, we're likely to see both quarterbacks - and perhaps even a little Gibran Hamdan (shudder) - over the second half of the season. Saddle up, Bills fans, because it can get uglier. On principle, however, it's time to lay this "quarterback controversy" to bed. Edwards should, and probably will, re-claim his starting role.

Bills close pre-season with 17-6 loss to Detroit

Brian Galliford — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:10:10 -0000

The Buffalo Bills closed their 2009 pre-season schedule with a 17-6 home loss to the Detroit Lions. Buffalo did not score an offensive touchdown in either of their final two pre-season games, and the only starters that took the field in tonight's contest were the five starters along the offensive line.

Ryan Fitzpatrick started at quarterback, completing 9 of 17 passes for 78 yards; Gibran Hamdan took over in the second half, also completing 9 of 17 passes for 163 yards. Both quarterbacks threw interceptions. Meanwhile, rookie DE Aaron Maybin had a sack and a forced fumble on top overall draft pick QB Matthew Stafford in the first quarter. Two other defensive rookies turned in big nights, as FS Jairus Byrd recorded an interception and LB Nic Harris led the team with a dozen tackles.

Bills head coach Dick Jauron mentioned in post-game interviews that the decision was made to rest his starters because preparations for the team's season-opening game in New England have already begun. In particular, in regards to QB Trent Edwards, Jauron mentioned that he "did him a disservice" by playing him without a game plan over the past two weeks, and did not want to repeat the feat tonight. Edwards spent the entirety of the past week running plays in the New England game plan, and the staff did not feel there would be anything to gain by playing Edwards without a game plan again this evening. The same can be said for the entirety of the starting defense.

WR Terrell Owens spent the game in full uniform on the sideline; he ran some routes in pre-game warmups and looked completely healthy.

Reserve G/C Brandon Rodd left the game with a leg injury and did not return. The same can be said of RB Xavier Omon, who was scheduled to get a lot of carries, but only managed 4 carries for 17 yards before leaving the game with a calf contusion.

Other big plays: John McCargo recorded a sack and was generally disruptive the entire evening. Reggie Corner had an interception and a lengthy return in the first half. WR Justin Jenkins caught a long 43-yard reception from Hamdan in the fourth quarter as the Bills were playing catch-up. Steve Johnson also had a 33-yard reception on the evening.

Buffalo has the next two days off as the Bills finalize their 53-man roster, which they must do by 4:00 PM ET Saturday. They return to the practice field on Sunday for a full week of preparation for their Monday Night Football opener in New England.

The pre-season is over. The football gods, at least on this evening, are merciful. Leave your comments on the pre-season and this game in the comments section - then be sure to check back in tomorrow morning for the announcement of our roster projection contest!

Bills starters not likely to play much Thursday night

Brian Galliford — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:00:24 -0000

After four long, boring, miserable meaningless pre-season games, the Buffalo Bills will mercifully bring the pre-season to a close tomorrow night when they host the Detroit Lions in each team's final tune-up for the regular season. For the Bills and their much-maligned offense, it will be the last chance for many players to fine tune their games in a live setting before the Bills' regular season opener, two Mondays from now in New England.

Bills head coach Dick Jauron revealed on Wednesday that his starters would not see much time, if any. Many veterans coming off of injuries, such as WR Terrell Owens and DE Aaron Schobel, will likely be held out of action to make sure they're completely healthy for the games that count. Other starters - such as QB Trent Edwards, for example - could play, but will likely only see a series or two.

In the 2008 pre-season finale (also against Detroit), Jauron allowed only one of his starters to take the field - FS Ko Simpson. Third-string QB Gibran Hamdan got the start at quarterback that night while Edwards and J.P. Losman watched from the sidelines. The Bills lost that game at home 14-6.

From where I sit, it seems highly unlikely that we'll see a repeat of that decision. For one, the Bills have a brand new offensive line whose starters could use an extra drive or two worth of reps against actual NFL players before heading to New England. Edwards, who has struggled mightily of late, could use a solid drive siimply to boost his confidence a bit. RB Marshawn Lynch, who will miss the first three games of the season due to suspension, will likely see a series before heading to the shelf. Owens and Lee Evans are virtual locks to sit this one out.

Defensively, veterans such as Schobel, Marcus Stroud, Terrence McGee and perhaps even Kawika Mitchell probably won't play. Paul Posluszny might not, either, as he's currently got a nice gash on his chin that keeps opening up on him. Other young starters, from Kyle Williams straight through Leodis McKelvin, will get the "series or two" treatment.

Still plenty to learn
I suspect that many folks who still have their knickers in a twist about the current state of the Bills will be upset that the starters will see little to no time against Detroit. As long as some of the key youngsters we're relying on play, even if it's just a bit, I'm OK with the decision. Players like Owens and Schobel aren't going to get anything out of playing one pre-season series anyways.

The real interest in this game comes from the second units, who are likely to play a ton. Jauron was sending a message to his entire team, veterans and youngsters alike, when he did not deny that Demetrius Bell (who will miss the Detroit game) could unseat Langston Walker at left tackle - nobody should be comfortable. We'll give any job away if a player is deserving of a promotion. Rarely does Jauron do something like that through the media. But it is what it is, and opportunity is now knocking for younger players.

Steve Johnson is a good example. Is it possible that he could start stealing slot reps from Josh Reed? Reed is a known commidity, but Johnson isn't - and he's flashed immense potential. Shawn Nelson has a chance to secure lots of playing time in this game. So does Aaron Maybin, Chris Ellis, Copeland Bryan, Reggie Corner and perhaps even Jairus Byrd.

In many ways, the pre-season finale is the most intriguing pre-season game of the season. A strong performance can lock up a roster spot, just as it did for Bryan a year ago. As I said above - as long as select young starters get some reps, I'm OK with the starters sitting out the majority of this game. This game is about picking the 53 guys you're going to go to battle with four the next four months - and there is still plenty of intrigue on that front.

Bills put up lackluster performance at Lambeau

Brian Galliford — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:17:05 -0000

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In their worst of three pre-season games to date by light years, the Buffalo Bills dropped a 31-21 road game to the Green Bay Packers in a mistake-filled snooze fest. For all of the good signs the team displayed in the two games prior, the team regressed in every way tonight, trailing 24-0 at the half. Let's hope it's out of their system.

Clearly, a stinker of a pre-season performance is nothing to freak out about, but a little concern is warranted. The play was that bad all around. Initial reactions are after the jump.

To say the offense struggled is putting it mildly
Here's a stat line for you from Buffalo's offense in first-half action (which consisted mostly of the starting lineup, who played about halfway through the second quarter): 4 turnovers (1 INT, 3 lost fumbles), multiple penalties, 3 sacks allowed, 5 plays for negative yardage, a mere 6 first downs.

It was bad all around, but in particular for QB Trent Edwards. His interception, on a deep in to Lee Evans, was a slightly late throw that was simply a good play by the Packers cornerback. His lost fumble, however, was bad - he hung onto the ball far too long in a pristine pocket, took a blind-side sack and lost the ball.

Edwards had easily his worst night of the pre-season thus far, finishing 7 of 11 passing for a mere 45 yards. The no-huddle under his command (and for the most part when he wasn't in, too) was lackluster and barely worth the effort involved, as there wasn't any urgency to the attack. I couldn't begin to tell you why the offense was so uninspired in the first half, but there didn't seem to be any fire. Where's Terrell Owens when you need him?

Mistakes on defense, too
Buffalo had 7 penalties for 73 yards at the half, and some of the biggest of those came on defense (an Ellis Lankster pass interference comes to mind). Though they were helped out by the Bills' aforementioned turnover issues, Green Bay's stellar offense generally had its way with the Bills' defense. QB Aaron Rodgers completed 8 of 9 passes for 98 yards and 2 scores (Greg Jennings, Donald Driver). Ryan Grant piled up 43 yards on 10 carries with another score against a Bills run defense that had been dominant through two games.

The one bright moment for the defense as a whole tonight came on their first possession of the game; Green Bay was handed the ball on Buffalo's 37-yard line after Edwards' interception, but the drive resulted in no points after the Packers turned the ball over on downs. LB Keith Ellison made a tackle for loss on Grant on 4th-and-1 to end the drive; from there, however, it was all downhill as the offense continued to set the defense up to fail.

A few players actually impress
I'm sure most of you will focus on the gloom and doom of one sloppy pre-season game, but it's worth mentioning that a few players had strong performances for the Bills:

- QB Ryan Fitzpatrick made some nice throws, completing 12 of 16 passes for 116 yards and a TD (though he did have a terrible INT as well).

- RB Dominic Rhodes looked quick and agile running into the third quarter, finishing with 39 yards on 6 carries.

- WR Steve Johnson caught 3 passes for 52 yards, including a couple of really nice catches down the seam. The kid is a player.

- TE Jonathan Stupar continued his strong pre-season with 5 catches, 63 yards and a touchdown from Fitzpatrick. That bumps him up to 15 catches in basically a game and a half of football; he is the clear go-to guy for Fitzpatrick and Gibran Hamdan. It's gonna be hard to cut this guy.

- I've got nothing for you on the offensive line - I'm guessing Ron will have something to say in the near future, but I plan on taking a closer look tomorrow.

- Defensive ends Chris Ellis and Copeland Bryan continue to impress, albeit against second- and third-string linemen. Ellis took a bad penalty on special teams (late hit out of bounds/horse collar), but he also applied nice pressure on a few occasions. Bryan registered a sack and a forced fumble for the second consecutive game. That argument for keeping six defensive ends makes more sense every day.

- Rookie LB Nic Harris was all over the field, finishing with a game-high 9 tackles. He's got great instincts.

- CB Reggie Corner registered his second interception of the pre-season.

All in all, things probably could not have gone much worse for the top units on both sides of the ball. It's probably good for the team to have this type of performance, as it keeps them from getting complacent after a couple of nice pre-season outings. Something has to change to keep these guys on their toes and playing full-out on the football field; hopefully, this will be a nice wake-up call. (It helps that it's the pre-season from an effort standpoint.) Buffalo will be back on the practice field Monday - hopefully with a few extra wind sprints tossed in - and take the field in Pittsburgh a week from today for their fourth pre-season game of the season.

2009 Bills Training Camp is officially in the books

MattRichWarren — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:45:09 -0000

This morning was the final day of 2009 Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford. I was in attendance today - as I was for a dozen practices this year - as the moving vans arrived and the team headed back to Orchard Park for the remainder of the pre-season. Due to the copious amounts of rain yesterday, my phone was not operational for Twitter updates this morning, so I am going to change up and give you a timeline of the typical practice after the jump with my notes from today.

I arrived early thanks to a friend who attends SJF. She gave me her parking pass and I rolled into the parking lot instead of taking the blasted shuttles. That was pretty sweet.

9:30 - 9:40 Special Teams - Punt Team
Bobby April led the punt team through some work on blocking, then on getting off their blocks; meanwhile, the gunners worked at the other end of the field. As has been a continuous trend, Ryan Neill got all first team work with Garrison Sanborn squarely behind him. Working at gunner (in no particular order) were Justin Jenkins, Reggie Corner, Ashton Youboty, Felton Huggins, Jairus Byrd, Shaine Smith, Lydell Sargeant, John Wendling, and Ko Simpson. Easily the most vocal player during this work was Marcus Stroud, standing on the sideline.

9:40 - 9:49 Walk Through vs. Scout Teams
The first team offense was without Terrell Owens again today; Owens has been officially ruled out of Saturday's pre-season contest in Green Bay. Josh Reed took his reps on the outside. Bryan Scott continued to practice following his injury and alternated moving up in the box with Donte Whitner during the exercise.

9:49 - 9:55 Warm up and Stretch
Easily the most boring thing to watch in practice, it's also the best to see who is participating. QB Matt Baker was stretching, but didn't throw a pass all day, instead standing and watching in a ball cap. WR James Hardy joined Owens in the training room, and defensive tackles Corey Mace and Marcus Smith watched from the sidelines. TE Shawn Nelson was late arriving on the field, but eventually joined the team during team work. Everyone else was participating fully.

9:55 - 10:11 Position Work
At this point in the practice, the team broke up into their position groups: DL, LB, DB, OL, TE, WR, RB, QB and ST (kickers, punters and long snappers). Without pads on, the OL and DL were working on footwork and hand techniques on opposite ends of the field. The RB and QB groups started together working on hand-offs before the RB group went to work on footwork and cuts. LBs were working on gap assignments, and DBs were focusing on backpedaling and ball skills. TEs were focusing on blocking and when to move off onto the blitzing linebacker. The WRs were catching passes after breaking off routes, but the most interesting part was that a coach was smacking them with a pad when the ball was in the air. Essentially the guys had to keep their focus even though they were being hit as the ball arrived. Then the WRs and QBs got together and worked on pass routes before the TEs and RBs were mixed in as well.

10:11 - 10:19 7on 7, OL vs. DL
While the offensive and defensive linemen did some one on one work, the first team offense and defense worked in the passing shell. It was around this time that people were figuring out that T.O. was just not going to show up. Many were sad. It would have been nice for him to at least come out and wave or something. Skill players with the first team offense were Lee Evans, Derek Fine, Josh Reed (in for Owens) and Shawn Nelson in the slot. He moved in tight on a couple plays as well before Roscoe Parrish replaced him. Roscoe and Nelson's reps were split pretty evenly as the "third WR" option. Good to see the big guy getting some first team reps. As an aside, it's pretty clear that Derek Schouman and Derek Fine are 1A and 1B and will rotate with Nelson. We officially have a three-headed monster at TE.

Trent Edwards was hitting guys in stride today and not one throw hit the ground during position work or 7 on 7. He was working the ball down the field, hitting Evans and Reed for gains on 15-20 yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick also looked good, completing good passes before throwing a 30+ yard bomb to Justin Jenkins. It was a gorgeous arching pass right over the top of the defender. Even Gibran Hamdan got in on the act, threading the ball between two defenders for a 25-yard pickup to C.J. Hawthorne.

10:19 - 10:31 Special Teams - Kick Return
Bobby April had the front six on one side of the field and his back five on the other. The starters for the front line were George WIlson, Jon Corto, John Wendling, Marcus Buggs and Justin Jenkins (L to R facing the kicker), with Shawn Nelson about ten yards behind Wendling. They were working on picking up their guys based on what the kick team does. The wedge (April used the term) portion was Leodis McKelvin returning with Xavier Omon five yards in front of him, and Spencer Johnson five yards in front of Omon. The Dereks were about five yards further up splitting the field in thirds. When the ball was kicked deep, the Dereks stood about three yards apart and Johnson came between them about two yards back. They also worked on short kicks and getting communication down so they know who is going to catch it.

10:32 - 10:38 11 on 11
The first full-team work of the day again highlighted the offense as they continued to practice without pads. James Hardy made his way onto the field prior to the team work, walking out and talking with teammates. Bryan Scott had a simulated stop in the backfield on a Roscoe reverse, the second of those I witnessed today. Jairus Byrd had a nice pass breakup on a Gibran Hamdan throw working with the third team. Answering some questions, the second team center was Brandon Rodd and Seth McKinney, running second team guard, slid over to the pivot with the third team. Watching more position battles, Chris Ellis is clearly getting more reps than Copeland Bryan, who ran third team today. Ellis has been seeing second team reps while Aaron Maybin continues his holdout.

10:38 - 10:54 Walk Through vs. Coaches
A staple of the end of practice is a walk through against a team of coaches simulating a defense. It's not interesting to watch, but the fans were getting anxious and began chanting. At one point between plays, Eric Wood and Langston Walker raised their arms in the air exhorting the chants to continue and get louder. The first team offense was working against the coaches, but on the other side of the field, it was the second and third team defense getting the reps against the ghost team.

10:54 - 10:58 Stretching and Team Huddle

10:59 Position Meetings and Break
DB, OL, LB, and TE met with their position coaches briefly while the rest of the team made their way towards the locker room for the final time this year. After practice, Fitzpatrick signed autographs and Walker and Butler threw their gloves into the stands.

***

Best Development of the Day
Only one Trent Edwards pass hit the ground all day. It was a yard overthrown to Lee Evans on the sideline about 18 yards off the line of scrimmage.

Worst Development of the Day
The moving vans were moving stuff from the sidelines and locker room during the entire practice. I still have at least one camp story to tell and you should see that later this week, but for now, the only time we'll see the Bills is when they play the Packers this weekend.