hondo in seattle

I don't disagree. I wasn't attempting to put the group I named on some equal pedestal. I was just naming a few names to show how fortunate we've been with RBs. We've had some talented backs over the years including those that you mention: Carlton, Hooks, Davis, etc. That's exactly why Bell doesn't stand out. The other point I was making is that our history of RBs seems stronger than our history of QBs. There's only two I'd place on the good list since I became a fan: Fergie and Kelly. I'd like to add Fitz to that list someday. While I've been reasonably pleased with the gentlemen carrying the ball for the Bills, the guys throwing the ball includes names I'd rather forget: Shaw, Dufek, Ferragamo, Manucci, Mathison, Collins, Johnson....

Radecic is the guy who's been hired to remodel the Ralph +1 Hooks was my avatar until I switched to this weird medieval thing.

Funny. I was just looking at the Power Rankings on NFL.com and thinking the same thing: the Bills schedule thus far has been challenging. We've played some good team and beat the team their panel rates at #2 (Pats). Both our losses came in away games to late 4th quarter FGs. Seems like the Bills can play with anybody. Interesting to see what we will do when playing weaker opponents.

You are right and I generally like going for the jugular. However, the strength of the Bills offense is Freddy's running and Fitz's short passes. The weakness of the team is deep throws. We don't have outside speed (although Stevie was open) and Fitz tends to be inaccurate on longer balls. In field goal range late in the 4th, I think we should play to our strengths. The weakness of the Bills is our porous defense. If we play to our strength (runs, high percentage passes), we keep our weakness off the field. The Giants can't score if they don't have the ball. Gailey rolled the dice (when he didn't really have to) and lost.

Let's not forget the Tonawanda Kardex who finished the 1921 NFL season with an 0-1 record, losing their only game 45-0. In 1924, the Rochester Jeffersons finished their NFL season at 0-7. Rochester scored only 7 points all season. In 1927, the Buffalo Bisons lost all their games, scoring only 8 points all season before folding.

+1 Lack of arm strength was clearly not the problem on these two passes because Fitz has enough muscle to throw further. But there are obviously other QBs in the league with much stronger arms than Fitz. He has a fair amount of zip on shorter passes but can't throw nearly as far downfield as Big Ben or Vick for example. I hate to say this but it's not just these two passes. Fitz just isn't as accurate with long balls as, say, JP Losman. He's very accurate on short to medium passes but over the last year plus, we've seen him miss a number of times on his deeper throws. I haven't gone back to look, but I wonder if his mechanics tend to break down on longer passes for some reason.

Finding competent QBs is hard. Even first rounders fail about half the time - after a team invests maybe 3 or 4 years trying to groom him. The success rate of later round draft picks is even lower. You can find serviceable QBs like Orton in free agency but it's rare to get a top-tier QB like Brees that route. Fitz is productive in this offense. Instead of dicking around for the next few years, we need to sign him. While he doesn't have a strong arm and doesn't throw a good deep ball, he does put up good numbers in this offense. He should be paid for his production, not his arm strength. His intangibles - leadership, quick decisions, understanding of the offense, etc - all count. After years of futility, I'd rather ride with Fitz then waste more years looking for the next Kelly.

I'd be happy with that. The '87 Bills were the transitional team: post-pathetic and pre-SuperBowl. I hope Nix/Gailey are moving in the same direction as the '87 Bills. It does have a little of that feeling, though I expect the 2011 Bills to have a better record than the 1987 Bills.

The strengths of the Bills Offense are Jackson's runs and Fitz's short passes. The weakness of the Bills is the defense. With the game on the line - and running down the clock a good thing - you play to your strengths. You run. You throw short. You march methodically down the field, eat some clock and take the lead. Fitz is notoriously inconsistent on long balls. That's the one call you don't make. Too risky - and scoring quick is not to our advantage. However, Gailey and Fitz have us at 4-2 so life is good and I don't want to be too critical.

Although I'm concerned about the defense, I'm not sure Edwards is in over his head. He's got good mentors. Bob Sanders was the DC for the Packers for three years and has 30+ years coaching experience. Dave Wannstedt has been both a HC and DC in the NFL for many years. I'm sure both are solid advisors who keep Edwards head above water. Gailey is all about winning. If Edwards truly is the problem, Gailey will ax him. I see no evidence in Gailey's history that he has a misguided sense of loyalty. It would be easy to fire Edwards when Wannstedt is already on staff as a potential replacement. I wonder if maybe our defensive personnel just aren't as good as you think they are - and the coaches are doing the best with what they've got. Remember, Kyle Williams and Shawne Merriman (our two 'star' players) have both been playing hurt when playing at all. Our best DB has missed some games as well. Dareus is still a rookie and learning how to be effective at this level. Remember also the Bills have a high scoring offense which forces opponents to open up their own offenses. So predictably, we see opposing teams pass a lot, gain a lot of yards, and turn the ball over as they attempt to keep up with the Bills. We force them to play high-risk, high-reward.

We're 4-2 right now. So you are predicting we finish 4-6? While I agree we need a better pass rush, I don't foresee a 4-6 finish.

Not only does Fitz lack a strong arm, he also struggles with accuracy on deeper passes. That's been evident since last year. Outside the two picks, Fitz didn't have a bad game. But the second INT was particularly foolish. We had a good drive going that was getting yards and eating up clock. It was probably better if we didn't score quick. And even if you did really want to run that play, it would be better to over-throw the route then under-throw it. I'm not complaining. I'm happy to be 4-2 and Fitz has played remarkably well. The offense has been scoring a lot of points. But life would have been even better without those picks, especially the 2nd.

Thanks for the links! Very interesting to revisit how Chan's hiring was met with such pessimism. Jerry and a lot of us fans have some crow to eat I think. Chan is looking like a legit head coach. Best since Marv.

Sometimes the Buffalo-bashing is just story telling. It sounds good to talk about the bleakness of Buffalo and the despondency of 10+ years of football futility. This helps to explain the excessive enthusiasm of Buffalo's fans and makes Bills wins all the more sweet. Other times the Buffalo-bashing is just bashing. For example, I went to Miami in '93 to watch the Bills-Fins playoff game. This was back in the heyday of the rivalry and waitresses would jokingly refuse to serve me when I'd show up in my Bills gear. But some of the bashing wasn't so good-natured. One of the TV stations did a piece comparing the cities of Buffalo and Miami. Needless to say, they highlighted Miami's beaches and art deco masterpieces at their sunniest best while contrasting them with shots of a gray Buffalo skyline in a winter freeze. There were something like 15,000 or 20,000 Bills with tickets for the game. Reportedly, an additional 20,000 to 60,000 Bills fans would be at South Florida sports bars. In all seriousness (or so it seemed to me), the newscasters explained the massive Bills presence as an escape from the icy industrial ugliness of Buffalo. I didn't like my hometown being portrayed so negatively. Buffalo was once one of America's great cities. It's not anymore. But I agree that it still has its charms and attractions.

PTR... I grew up in Cheektowaga and love Buffalo. Nonetheless, I can't argue with the portrayal in the New Yorker. Having visited most of the NFL cities and lived in a few of them, I must objectively admit Buffalo doesn't live up as a municipality in most regards. Bills fans are incomparable but Buffalo itself is not a first-rate city.

Booger, I agree 1000%!

The Bills reach the playoffs 90% of the time when starting a season 5-1 but only 50% of the time when starting 4-2. Ipso facto, we win this game. Instead of correcting grammar, try to correct this irrefutable logic.

Huh? In all the interviews I've heard or read, Stevie has never sounded like Marshawn 2.0. Stevie seems like a good teammate. Not a lot of ego. He seems genuinely happy when Namaan or another receiver makes plays and gets attention.

My French mom grew up in the suburbs of Paris (Drancy) and met my dad - an American soldier - during WWII. After the war, they married and moved to Buffalo. Good to see my ancestral homeland is producing Bills fans. I wish you many more babies!

This will be the first time this year I'll watch the Bills on TV instead of online. Hope we win!

Thanks for the educated guess. It's all we have for now.

As you say, every team has injuries. The good news is that the Bills passing attack isn't predicated on fast, athletic receivers beat db's in one-on-one battles. The Bills are more about scheme, quick decisions and precise routes. We still have players who can be adequate role players in this offense.

We got some posters that don't seem to recognize sarcasm and humor in print.

I'm worried about the defense too. But a positive turnover ratio seems to be becoming a trend so I wonder... Are we playing a high-risk, high reward defense? Because the offense is so potent, do we force opponents to play a high-risk, high-reward offense?

The last 4 games went down to the wire. We could have easily gone 4-0 over that stretch... or 0-4. We went 3-1. Is it skill? Character? Luck? I'm enjoying the ride but still can't confidently pick the Bills to go to the playoffs. When Marv was here, you knew by the 5th game pretty much what kind of team we had. But this defense worries me. They make big plays but give up tons of yards. Without the turnovers, we'd be in world of hurt. Can we keep getting takeaways like this the rest of the season??? Will the defense ever tighten up??? I'll tune in each week to find out.