After reading the final installment of Brian's Top Ten Bills to Decide 2009 : #1 Trent Edwards post. I thought that one of the keys to victory could be running the ball 40-50 times a game. I've always connected Pittsburgh with a power run game from the years of Bettis. I thought that running the ball was Pittsburgh's method and that if it worked for the Steelers, it could work for the Bills this year. Come on, Lynch, Jackson, Rhodes? It's a pretty nice stable. So I looked into things. Still always in the back of my head, I thought, come on, they are a run-oriented team. Ben averaged under 30 attempts per game and ONLY 17 completions in 2008. Then I looked at the team's season stats. Look at their season averages: rushing (105 per game), passing (311 per game), pts. per game (21.7), and yards per game (311.9). They were an average offense on paper and their O-line was atrocious. The Bills were at least two teams behind them in each offensive category. Sure the O was clutch in the SB but who wouldn't feel confident with a #1 ranked D?

So then I thought about a Big Ben and Edwards comparison because I'm crazy. Ben is one hell of a game manager and that's the very least I'm asking Trent to be. Their builds are similar, only one inch and ten pounds lost between each. Similar arm strength. I know Roethlisberger is one of the hardest QB's to take down when scrambling and is much sturdier than most people perceive TE to be, but I think Edwards needs to gain that confidence. If Trent's awareness and leadership could get to the level of Big Ben's, we got ourselves a great player and a QB to lean on. Let's look at season stats:

Big Ben

Alright, I understand what most people are going to say. Double the sacks = Dead shattered Trent. But most of those sacks came from Ben trying his damnedest to make a play. Our O-line was pretty sucktastic as well with Melduke Fowlstonsuck playing revolving door and patchwork. Now I think that Trent is a much more heady QB where Ben relys on his physical gifts. But I think they are comparable to the point that Trent would be as successful if put in the same situation. Obvisouly Ben was drafted onto a team that was ready to compete and they took the chance on a rookie, much like Joe Flacco on this years Ravens which took a different route. I do have to say that I was surprised to see that 2008 was the first season that Ben played a complete season.

I really think that Trent will step up and put on his daddypants in his second full season and I'm somewhat expecting numbers in line with Big Ben's 2005 season. Please tear this to shreds boys.

                 Alright, So I'll preface this with the sad part . My cousin, Jeff, committed suicide last Thursday, 6/4/2009. He was a big Bills and Sabres fan and a guy that would do absolutely anything for a friend. I live in NYC and was walking to the gym when I found out. I called my father ten minutes after he had found him. I was crushed. My family is very tight-knit. That's one thing I love about Buffalo, it's a very strong area in terms of family and friends. I booked my ticket home on Saturday night and was a little disappointed to get onto the little crap turboprop plane, after leaving straight from work Sunday to catch my flight. There are few worse reasons for travel than a funeral. I sat and looked out the window and stared at the guys loading what little luggage there was. My attention was diverted by this really tall stacked African-American kid sitting in the seat next to mine. He looked damn familiar and I tried figure out which Bill he was. He looked over to ask if he could put the armrest down and I got a clear look at his face. It was Aaron Maybin. He was really polite and very quiet, sitting and reading his magazines. I didn't bother him at all, but said as we were getting up to leave the flight "Good luck with MiniCamp and Training Camp. We're all really excited to see what you can do this year." His response, with a big smile "Thank you very much, I really appreciate that and I've got a lot of work to do, but I'm excited just like everyone else." It was just a very cool and interesting coincidence in the midst of a boatload of hell and hard time.

Thanks for that Jeffie.

Jeff Mansell 1969-2009