One of the most fascinating aspects of the NFL is how the league has gone about creating more opportunities for the passing game. Not surprisingly, the rise of the passer-friendly NFL coincides with the careers of two of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game, Tom Brady with the New England Patriots and Payton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts and now Denver Broncos. During the Bills championship seasons of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the team was led by its only Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly. What should never be forgotten however, is for many fans and players, as well as media pundits, the heart and soul of the Bills championship seasons during the Kelly era was the 2nd round running back with the huge chip on his shoulder, Thurman Thomas, also a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Indeed, it was during that first Super Bowl against the New York Giants that Thurman Thomas carried the team down the field towards the winning field goal, which as luck/fate would have it, went just wide right. Thomas was, in most viewers' minds outside of New Jersey, the MVP of that Super Bowl game. And for many Bills followers, he was the MVP of the team for many seasons. Indeed, he put up incredible numbers as a combined running and receiving threat. Below, I discuss why I believe the 2012 version of the Buffalo Bills will look and operate more like the Kelly-Thomas offense of the past than the version Chan Gailey put out in 2011. In so doing, the running game and the running backs will play a critical role in putting the Bills in a position to get to the playoffs and make a strong run for the championship. If I am wrong about where the Bills offense is headed n 2012, I believe it will be a huge strategic mistake, because the secret to beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots lies in keeping the ball out of Tom Brady's hands, and the best way to do that is to have an offense that can sustain long clock consuming drives and put points on the board, with low risk of costly turnovers.

If we learned anything from the 2011 season, it is that the Bills have a powerful two headed monster of an offensive backfield. The most important challenge for the Bills offense is to find more creative ways to increase the number of touches for the team's two most explosive and dangerous players, CJ and Freddie. In this view, the secret to the success of the Bills and their offense in 2012 is not primarily the deep ball, but the running game and the screen game, which the great teams of Kelly and Thomas executed at an extremely high level for many years, and in doing so, they created the space for the passing game, long and medium, which led to the great receiving performances of James Lofton and Andre Reed. Yes, despite the NFL bias towards the passing game, the Bills success rests on its top flight backfield of Freddie Jackson and CJ Spiller. The more those two get the ball in their hands, the greater the chances for offensive and team success. Indeed, while many rumblers have focused on Fitz's low percentage of long ball completions, one of the most revealing aspects of Brady's past season was how infrequently he went deep. Almost all of his passing was underneath and in the intermediate zones. In fact, I watched Brady completely carve up the Cowboys in a fourth quarter last minute winning drive without even once throwing long or even intermediate long passes. The long ball is over-rated. The long ball is especially overrated when it is not necessary. My view is the obsession with the Bills' long ball game is both to be expected and largely missing the larger point: long balls do not win championships, offenses which sustain consistently long clock killing drives win championships.

The Bills have good reason to stretch the field, but it is not primarily for the reasons they publicly state. The primary reason the Bills want to stretch the field will be to create even more opportunities to free CJ and Freddie to take over football games. In other words, Chix is talking the deep ball all offseason while preparing for small ball in spades. And why would they not say one thing and do the other? Freddie and CJ are their best offense players and are extremely dangerous. They will be the heart and soul and strategic core of the Bills offense in 2012, and they will be the reason the Bills have a successful campaign, assuming they both stay healthy.

Continue reading this post »

It is not often in the history of a sports franchise that one could carry out a scientific survey of fans and produce results in which the fans are close to 100 percent satisfied with the decisions made by management during the offseason. but the straw polls that have been carried out by various media outlets and at rumblings have shown extremely high levels of support for what has happened these past few months. Indeed, in the history of the Buffalo Bills, one would be hard pressed to imagine an offseason that unfolded in a more spectacular and positive fashion as the offseason of 2012. Below, I discuss what the offseason means for the Bills as a team and an organization, and what fans can expect to experience over the course of the upcoming regular season.

Continue reading this post »

Just had an intense learning experience of a curious fan seeking to understand the reasons behind the current indefinite suspension of former head coach and former defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, Greg Williams. In sum, it was a sobering and disturbing piece of audio tape, listening to his pregame words before taking the field against the 49ers in a NFC playoff game this past winter.

Continue reading this post »

what a season, i am exhausted from trying to make sense of the bills fall from the heights of hype and hope and fourth quarter miracles and defensive opportunism to the depths of incompetence on steroids...

Continue reading this post »

So the day Stevie Johnson announces that negotiations have broken off again, the second time this season, the geniuses at OBD, trying to protect the fan base from thoughts of truly throwing in the towel with this organization, brings out the old heh, don't worry, everything will be all right, cause Santa's coming to town.

Who is Santa? Santa is Marcus Easley, who was once healthy, then sick, now healthy again, and bigger and stronger from pumping iron all season long. And, get this, while they may not resign Stevie Johnson, who appears to be wanting a huge, I mean huge payday, circa oh like his buddie QB The Fitz, Marcus has assured the media and fans across Billsland that he has been working late and running his routes.....

So, when you are down in the dumps, wondering about whether Santa has forgotten your gift, not to worry, Santa Claus is not only guaranteed to come to town, but he is back on his reindeer saddle, working on his chimney slide and other world class patterns...right here in the winter wonderland where NFL dreams are made.

And the best news of all: Santa Claus is already locked up through the 2013 season. No need to pay his potential worth as the new #1 wide receiver until, you know, he deserves it.

As for Stevie, he needs to forget about it.....There is only one Santa Claus, and his name ain't Johnson....

While we moan and groan over the latest loss to the Jets, there seems to be an almost 100 percent consensus, even at the highly charged and divisive blog like Rumblings, where hundreds of passionate fans agree to disagree on everything and then some.

Continue reading this post »

37.5% into the regular Bills season: What I see from the Long View of Bills Football History

To some, it is too early to say what kind of a team we have. To others, the evidence is clear: this team is playoff bound.

For me, I can say I have never seen a more impressive offense constructed out of thin air than the offense Head Coach Chan Gailey has put together in a little over 1.375 seasons as the strategic mind behind the Fitz throwing, Jackson dashing unit.

The Past Tense

Briefly to my history as an older aficionado of Bills football:

I have several powerful recollections from my youth as a Bills’ fan growing up. First, I remember going to War Memorial Stadium and sitting with my Dad and his buddies on the 35 yard line some 20 rows up. As the son of someone who had season tickets in those days, I got to go a few times a year with Dad, and loved the experience, especially the part where we would leave our house ten minutes before 1 and park and get to our seats before the opening kickoff. Those were the days.

I remember listening on the radio to the Bills playing the Chiefs to go to the first ever Super Bowl, and losing.

I remember watching Kemp scrambling some 30 and even 40 yards behind the line of scrimmage trying to escape the defensive pass rush and then either taking a huge loss or throwing a long pass back to the line of scrimmage.

I remember how sad many Bills fans were when we traded the Mad Bomber Daryl Lamonica to the Raiders and Al Davis, where he would go on to be a star for many years while Kemp fell apart with the Bills in a collectively shared collapse of championship football into the depths of desperation.

Kemp was a piece of work, especially when his game and the Bills in general, starting going down hill.

Of course, this collapse of Bills football led to selecting OJ Simpson, the most talented player to ever play for the Buffalo Bills, by far.

I remember watching OJ Simpson wearing number 36 in his first ever home game (preseason) with the Bills.I remember John Rauch explaining why he liked OJ Simpson as an offensive decoy. I remember Lou Saban taking over and using OJ Simpson as a featured running back getting as many touches as possible per game, and building a first rate offensive line to make it worth his while to do so. I remember OJ Simpson running for 82 yards for a TD against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

I remember playing hockey at the Amherst Recreation Center and seeing the Bills coming out of “our” locker rooms after their practice outside on the grass fields behind the rink. Those were the days.

I also remember 1973: OJ Simpson running for over 200 yards in the snow against the New England Patriots the game before he went to NY and broke 2000 yards for the season against the Jets. I remember being at Rich Stadium (now the Ralph) and hearing Reggie M. pulling for OJ and  hitting middle linebacker Mike Curtis so hard he broke Curtis’ shoulder. I remember OJ, that same game running right, seeing nothing, cutting back to his left, and going all the way for some long TD run, which I saw him do live many many times. He was amazing. I remember Joe Ferguson managing a limited but often effective offense with OJ in the backfield.

I remember the great Bills teams of the 1990s, though by then I was out of town and seeing most of the games on TV, which was easy because we were almost always the featured game of the week for years on end.

I remember watching the first Super Bowl loss on a huge TV in Spanish from a foreign country, and wondering how we could have lost that game after crushing the Raiders 51-3 in one of the most lopsided AFC championship games of all time. I remember loving the guts of Thurman, the elusiveness and power of Reed, and the big play defense of Bennett, Talley, and Bruce Smith. The cocky Jim Kelly running the no huddle, at times to mind blowing perfection. I also remember seeing Kelly get knocked out on the last play of the Jaguars playoff game, his last play as a professional, having flown up to see the game live, and having the luck of being seated next to the Jacksonville Fox Sports team who told me beforehand they had already written the script for the Bills victory as a learning experience for their young team. How mistaken they were about their own team’s ability to beat the Bills on the road.

And it was my bad luck to see the only Bills playoff loss at home in Rich Stadium history.

All this is by way of saying: I have been there and done that. I love the Bills. I am a passionate fan, but I am not clueless when it comes to understanding what makes for a good football team, and what separates the good from the very good and the very good from the great.

My take is the current Bills are good, at times very good. They turned the corner last year at the Ravens’ game, a week after their Bye. They have been getting better ever since, even if that does not always translate into the game of the week they are actually playing. What we have seen so far this year is an offense developing its confidence, and a defense more like last year’s offense (inconsistent, with a huge range in playing levels from quarter to quarter).

What Gailey wants is consistency at a high level. The offense is making great progress being consistently productive. The defense is still very much a work in progress, but there is enough talent to be better than the current version, this is for sure.

I believe Chan Gailey will be coaching playoff games sooner than later, because he truly knows what he is doing, and I believe Nix and his staff do as well.

The Present Tense

Their two 3 pt. losses were decided inside 2 minutes to go. 2 of their 3 pt wins were decided inside 1 minute to go. The offense has been impressive in all but 1 game (Bengals). The offense is challenging all time Bills records. The defense has had its moments of turnover madness, but is struggling especially against the pass, as everyone knows, including their opponents who feast on weakness like every team in the NFl must to be successful.

There are many emerging stars on the bills, and at least 1 player who could be first team all conference (Jackson). To be great, you need great or at least excellent coaching on both sides of the ball. I expect the Bills defense to be better in the next 10 games, but not a lot better. Chan Gailey is a great, perhaps the Bills best ever offensive mind. It is enough to get them to the playoffs, but without a much better defense, not any further. We all know that.

It is not certain what is the state of the defensive coaching mind. Perhaps they lack talent, but many would have, and some still would say that about the Bills’ offense. To be fair, the Bills have already faced three excellent QBs in Vick, Brady, and Manning. They should be a little shell shocked after playing those three guys. But they got beat by the rookie Dalton in a poor 2nd half when the offense had an off day.

Kyle Williams has been below his usual all pro playing caliber, and it is now clear (it should have been previously) that he was playing injured, with a bad foot. Kyle Williams not being healthy may be like Freddie Jackson not being healthy for the offense: it really really hurts their performance as an overall  unit.

Shawn Merriman is a worthy addition even though he is not 100 percent, and may never be so. Still doubtful he is the long term answer at ROLB, but few were thinking he would be.

Our cornerbacks remain a serious concern, but with #24 back in the lineup it would appear our best cornerback is indeed #24, if his first game back is any indication.

Fitz is great, but despite a solid start, is prone to throw his share of INTs. But you gotta love his intelligence as a QB. Gailey needs to help Fitz  make his best and yes, safest throws in game decisive moments, not feed his most error prone tendencies (the long ball and the medium crossing route) in such moments.

The Bills maintain a refreshing modesty whether they win or lose in their off the field interviews. They seem like a nice bunch of guys, in all.

Leadership begins with the head coach, flows through the QB, and comes through most clearly over the course of a long 16 game season. But so far, so good.

The Bills offense has shown an ability to move the ball no matter the defense, no matter the time of the game, which is a sign of an offense that is not predictable, nor error prone. Gailey and Fitz remain a great team moving forward. The offensive line is much better than most anticipated, and they are helped by having Fitz and Action Jackson making them look even better. Stevie Johnson is the real deal, how good remains to be seen. David Nelson is also the real deal, and continues to impress with his catch anything you throw at me consistency.

CJ Spiller has been better than last year, and will become a more valuable version of Parrish as the season goes on as wideout, with a few reverses, screens and runs thrown in. I love him in this role, because it makes the Bills that much more flexible and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.

Dareus has been good, will get better, and if Williams comes back healthy will help improve the defense as it heads into the second half of the season. If Williams does not come back healthy, or regain his pro bowl caliber form, the best scenario for the Bills’ defense moving forward is better play from its defensive backfield with McGee healthy, and better play from its linebackers with Sheppard inserted into the lineup and gaining experience.

As we saw with Williams last season, a few stars playing at the top of their game can make a defense a whole lot better. The coaching staff has to find a way to make its best players maximize their impact on the field. This comes down to schemes and adjustments.

With our 2011 #3rd LSU Sheppard pick taking over starting inside linebacker duties from aging and slow veteran Andra Davis, the Bills add some speed and energy to complement a positive addition of free agent inside backer Barnett, which should esp. help pass coverage and blitz packages going forward.

The Future Tense

In light of the first 37.5% of the season’s evidence, my best case scenario is for the Bills to make the playoffs as a wild card. It could be 12-4/11-5 from here. I still see the Pats winning the division, so we need a wild card berth. 9-7, my pre-season prediction, is now my worst case scenario, and to do that we would most likely lose both games to the Jets, which I do not anticipate, but it is certainly possible. I think 10-6 (6-4 from here) is most likely, with the wild card coming down to a conference or division tiebreaker (Jets).

Whether the Bills make the Playoffs in Year 2 of the New Regime or not, I will give a sincere tip of the cap to Buddy Nix. He and his team of scouts deserve some credit too, for an excellent second act to the reclamation project of our beloved tackle football franchise.

Go Bills!!!

Been thinking about CJ alot this week. Decided I do not expect CJ to make most of his yards on the ground, but through the air. I think the Bills will get the ball to Freddie and CJ alot through the air, with Freddie still getting the bulk of the runs, but CJ especially testing the Bengals pass defense....

So, at the end of the day, I am going out on a little bit of a high risk prediction by saying CJ Spiller will have his best game as a pro for the Bills on Sunday....

Another problem for defenses to deal with: a fully utilized Spiller on the pass.........

of course it is too early to draw any dramatic conclusions after one preseason game. but what is clear to this observer is that the buffalo bills are making serious progress on a number of fronts. i want to tip my cap ahead of time: here's to gailey's mind and nix's sixth sense.

gailey has a vision for the offense which is dramatically different from anything the buffalo bills have ever done. the current wildcat on display for the first time last night indicates his constant desire to create strategic advantage and reduce offensive liabilities. the quick passing attack is designed to get away from the offensive line weakness, while playing to fitz's strength as a reader of defenses and short and medium accuracy. we are seeing role players emerge with spiller, freddie, nelson, smith etc. to make these strategic innovations work effectively.

nix seems to know what he is doing: the defense showed dramatic improvements last night at the point of attack. merriman and dareus, a beefed up carrington and troup have suddenly made people ask themselves the amazing question: could this defense be above average? both gailey's mind and nix's sixth sense deserve credit for bringing on Dave W., the savvy defensive mind with Super Bowl credentials, to help transform the defense under George Edwards.

nix is bringing in players he knows, from merriman to chandler and davis, because he trusts his scouting judgment and closely follows ex picks in san diego as they move through the league. chandler may yet become the tight end the bills have long been looking for, having served as an apprentice under antonio gates (undrafted free agent under nix) and dallas's world class tight end jason witten.

nix said we are committed to the 3-4 and within one year we are seeing that commitment unfold positively. the williams/dareus/troup/carrington/edwards/merriman/kelsay run stuffing/pass rushing front may end up becoming one of the most impresssive defensive lines in bills history, precisely because it reflects a wonderful mix of steadiness (kelsay and edwards) with explosiveness and pro ball caliber playmakers (williams, dareus, merriman). if training camp reports and first preseason game results are worth taking seriously, not to mention physical appearance, troup and carrington have made major advances from their rookie seasons, and have good chances to become players worthy of praise and extensive playing time as the season unfolds.

of course it is early, but there is something happening. even gailey's mind was led to say, in an interview, this team could be "pretty good," and word is, if we are to believe steve tasker, there is "privately," he said, a lot of confidence in this team going forward, among bills brass and veterans.

clearly, the lee evans trade was depressing, but we have no alternative but to trust nix's sixth sense. right now, if merriman's nine play introduction to buffalo was any indication, and if brad smith's wildcat cameo is worth its weight in bills red, white and blue, then gailey's mind and nix's sixth sense is onto something special.

now as hungry, arguably desperately deprived fans of our beloved tackle football team, we need to keep the faith in these two leaders, and let their combined 100 yrs plus of football experience take us to the promised land.

see you at The Ralph for the Raiders...

just a hunch, since it appears an agreement is in the works, and there will be a full season this year. i offer some details below, on what i think is most important. 

there will be a 16 game season, because the players and fans understand this is the best way to secure the credibility of the competition.

they will stick with 4 preseason games, since this is the best way to ensure there is ample time for players to get fair tryouts.

there will be a rookie salary cap, which will allow the owners to make more money and for veterans to make about as much as they make now.

the owners will take more of the pie, but the players have reason to believe they will still experience salary increases because of the massive popularity of the game, and all the new sources of revenue made available to the league through the new media revolution and creative marketing strategies developed in recent years.

there will be more focus on safety, which is needed both for long term health of the players and for public relations reasons, as well as to make sure their stars at elite playmaker positions are protected as much as is feasible.

all in all, it should be a win win, though small markets will be slightly less competitive under the new formula, they will not become unprofitable, they will just have to make do with lower profits than the other major market owners.

and lastly, a salary cap is maintained, with a minimum and a maximum, to preserve the competitiveness of the league.

Just a feeling, not bragging, but I did more or less call the first round pick some ten days ago following the Bills press conference. I saw it in Buddy's reaction to the question about Dareus....Now we have another relatively easy pick coming up, and Buddy said they will go to bed tonite with two choices, whichever of those two is still on the board after the first pick of the second round will be Buffalo's....

So, I am thinking the Bills have to go linebacker, and given the luck of the draw with the 3rd overall pick, it appears we will get lucky again, as only one linebacker was selected in the first round, a Bills fan favorite, Von Miller to Denver at #2 overall. Some folks may be hoping for a QB or tight end from Notre Dame, but I say get me one of those stud linebackers left on the board. Here's hoping that dude from UCLA is still available. He's my choice for Bills' linebacker at #34.....Why? Because Buddy says he wants a starter, and I think he's good to go.....But not to worry, since all but one linebacker from the entire college football nation is still available, me thinks the Bills have got enough defensive intelligence at OBD to find them someone who can slide right in and help beef up that front seven....

Great first pick, now let's keep on moving on.....Defense may not win championships in the modern NFL, but the lack of a good defense does not help anyone get to the promised land, and losing in the NFL begins with a weak front seven...Get that part of the equation together and we might once again experience some winning dare I say playoff football in the not to distant future...

Just finished watching the 45 minute press conference discussing the upcoming draft, and it was fascinating to watch Buddy Nix and Tom Modrak take turns handling the media barrage of rapid fire questions on everything from philosophy to specifics on depth in positions and character issues concerning some of the highly regarded potential picks. Below, I make a call on who the Bills are going to pick based on the most fascinating part of the press conference, when some journalists finally popped the question about how the Bills Brain Trust felt about some of these top prospects.

The first time Nix got funny was when he was asked about Dareus, and he put on the blankest stare of the entire event, pretending to not be all enthusiastic or excited, but the way he passed it off to his partner and the way Modrak answered it was, in my view, revealing. At the end of the day, he admitted Dareus would be a huge force against the run and the pass. When it came to Miller, the follow up question, again there was a clear effort to stay calm and cool, but as well Nix passed and Modrak went about monotoning his response. Again, Modrack made clear, that Miller was as advertised, the real deal, and perhaps more importantly, a force against the run as well as the pass rushing machine already so well publicized.

Finally, the question came to Gabbert, the Missouri QB who also has been closely identified by many as a high interest potential pick of the Bills. Modrak handled it again, and noted he was a hell of a player, and had been on the Bills radar at the beginning of last college season, with Modrak personally seeing his first several games live. Again, the real deal was stressed...

Buddy Nix made it clear the round 1 and round 2 picks of the Bills were closely linked, with the round 1 pick determining what the Bills would do in round 2. My sense is this: Dareus is their #1 pick, and if they had the first pick overall they would take him. Gabbert is their #2 pick if Dareus is gone. If both Dareus and Gabbert are gone I sense it will be Miller.

One of those three will be selected by the Bills at the #3 overall 1st round selection. If it is Gabbert, there is no way the Bills do not go defense in rounds 2 and 3, from everything Nix stressed.

There is nothing more interesting than fan fantasy over the renovation of one's team from one season to the next via the draft and free agency. Fortunately for the Buffalo Bills, this off season is going to be unlike most any other, not only because we have a new regime in charge with a solid year of talent and scheme evaluation under their belts, but also because we are entering a new free agent transition period, where the normal six years before eligibility has been dropped to only four, bringing a huge pool of potential free agents into the market, offering the Buffalo Bills better choices at more affordable prices, all other factors being equal. Below, I discuss what the Buffalo Bills might just do with this opportunity, the yet little discussed "elephant in the off season deal making room."

What can we say about Buddy Nix? Honestly, despite his many decades in the business of evaluating and more or less selecting football talent, not a whole lot.

But this offseason will allow Bills fans to come to a serious assessment, because it is not often a team has both a great draft position to improve their team, a whole lot of money to spend (since they spent so little these past few years), and a huge crop of free agents to select from, some of whom have to be eager to find a new home to begin the second half of their careers.

Even before the regular season ended, Nix made it clear he was not going to be playing it cheap with Ralph's money. Now in his nineties, the Bills' Hall of Fame owner does not want to go to the football heaven in the sky with a losing record, and a laughingstock of a franchise. No, from all indications, Ralph has given Nix the Green Light to build a winner, and wasting no time at all, Nix went out and picked up one of the most exciting stars to hit the field these past few seasons, Linebacker and sack machine Shaun Merriman.

It was a waiver wire steal, thanks to the Bills' stinking start to the 2010 season, but it looked like a flop shortly after when Merriman injured himself fifteen minutes into his first official practice with the team. But Nix had seen enough since then to sign him to an incentive rich two year deal worth up to some 17 million in potential dollars, if Merriman returns to his previous pro bowl form.

With the season ending in a massive back to back thud plus at the hands of division heavyweight rivals the Pats and Jets, there is no question the Bills Brain Trust at OBD cannot afford not to spend big bucks in the offseason, and wheel and deal however and whenever necessary to transform their front lines on both sides of the ball, if they are to avoid sending Ralph off to the higher power in shame and disgrace....

Thankfully, this off season there is a huge Elephant is in the Deal Making Room, and despite Buddy and Chan's own potential for struggling with Senior Moments, this is not the time for rest and relaxation, because the Buffalo Bills may have finally lucked into a Super Trifecta Jackpot of Good Fortune and Circling the Wagons Buffalo Style Luck: there will be a ton of players to choose from, some attractive draft picks to trade with (if necessary), and lots of money to entice those better than average and close to superstar status up and comers looking to play for and be a part of an organization that is building a new foundation--sooner than later--with some offensive pieces already in place, and a Big Hole on the defensive side of the ball in need of being filled.

The Elephant in the Room, since the close of the regular season, is starting to earn some respect. The chatter has begun. How wild will it get? How active will One Bills Drive and Mr. Nix be?

My fan fantasy this off season is to see and hear a lot of Mr Nix and Company announcing new deals, new recruits, and new free agents coming to help make Ralph's final years as Hall of Fame Owner some of the most memorable and victorious in his illustrative, if  often checkered career as the Bills' Main Man.

as the debate rages over the course of the next several weeks and perhaps, years, about whether or not the Buffalo Bills have found their franchise quarterback in previously dismissed journeyman qb The Fitz, it is worthy of a brief overview of the statistical record of a recent qb who actually won the superbowl, who has been considered a franchise qb by many analysts and observers, who was a high first round pick, and who also has been in the league awhile, playing for a pretty good New York Giants team. below, I present the statistical performance of eli manning.

Continue reading this post »

http://www.thecrimson.harvard.edu/article/2010/10/11/football-fitzpatrick-feature-101110/

Continue reading this post »

There is the beginning of a lovefest for Fitz unfolding in buffalobillsland, and it makes one wonder just who, among recent buffalo sports stars, does The Fitz remind us of. There is an obvious choice within recent bills history. but, in what follows, i offer another different spin, equally, if not more delicious, to contemplate.

Continue reading this post »

after writing a piece a few weeks ago arguing that Jerry Sullivan, lead Buffalo News sports columnist, needed to either move on or move out, regarding his incessant negativity and tired repetition of the blundering Bills, it appears he has decided to move on rather than moving on out. Below, I discuss this major shift in Mr Sullivan's Zeitgeist.

Continue reading this post »

it has been a rough stretch for the buffalo bills' fans, as anyone on the planet reading the buffalo news in print or online could have gathered, long before this horrid 0-5 start to the 2010 season. but in keeping with the spirit of having no tolerance for poor performance on and off the field, i think it is appropriate to hold our local sportswriters accountable as well. below, i offer some thoughts on why i believe it is time for jerry sullivan to be released from the local daily, and find some other town to spend his days recycling tired metaphors and beat up cliches to bash some other professional "local tackle football team."

Continue reading this post »

after lots of press during the off season about the bills' transition from the 4-3 to the 3-4, it appears head coach chan gailey has made a strategic decision. when asked after the lions' game about the frequent use of the 4-3 by the bills, he made it clear he expected to be using it quite a bit going forward. below, we talk about what this means for the bills, especially in light of the need to cut 22 players from the preseason roster saturday night.

Continue reading this post »