hondo in seattle

I suppose it's just my warped brain but "Fitzgibbons" reminds me of Edward Gibbons who wrote the classic "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" which in turn makes me think of "The Decline and Fall of the Bills Empire" and all the misery we suffered since the SB years. So I don't like "Fitzgibbons."

I kind of like "Fitzbeardy" amongst us. But if you want to brand the guy with something that might play to a larger audience, I think you need to go with "The Amish Rifle."

Bills 24 Raiders 17

Remember only 12 teams make the playoffs. That's about 38%. Roughly 8 of the 16 teams that started 1-0 will make the playoffs (50%) Roughly 4 of the 16 teams starting 0-1 will make the playoffs (25%). The Bills started the season with a 38% chance of making the playoffs. We've now increased it to roughly 50%. That's progress!

Welcome aboard! And avoid any Peter Pan links!

love the enthusiasm! you could play for my team!

I'm still nervous about the Raiders rushing attack. Charles averaged 5.6 yards per carry against the Bills. The KC rushing total was low because they just didn't run much against us, partly because Haley is too clever for his own good and partly because the score forced them to throw. If I see McFadden and Bush getting stuffed at/near the LOS early in the game, I will start to feel confident about the final score.

The Pats in Orchard Park with the Bills sitting at 2-0? Yeah, that would be the most exciting kickoff at the Ralph in a long time. Let's hope!

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/are-bills-that-good-and-chiefs-that-bad/ Some reasons for optimism from the New York Times

You have a point, I suppose. But Jerry just seems negative about everything. We've had some wins over the years, some good coaches and good players... It's not as if there has been NOTHING good to talk about this past decade. But Jerry's focus is almost universally on the bad, which he often exaggerates.

PTR, I agree with you. Both Peter King and Mike Florio (national writers) opined before the season that they wouldn't be surprised to see the Bills make a playoff run. They, at least, were aware of the work Nix/Gailey were getting done with our Bills. Yet our own local writers mostly predicted another year of futility, seemingly oblivious to the important changes to the team. It shameful that national writers have a better hand on the pulse of the Bills than our own local ones.

+1 I get the sense that Sully uses negativity as his schtick. He knows he'll rile people up by being a Negative Nancy. It's kind of like those political talk show hosts. They're either absurdly right wing or absurdly left wing because moderates aren't interesting. If negativity is his schtick, I don't like it. Furthermore, his excessively critical attitude prevents him from developing relationships at OBD and so he doesn't have any sources. Usually beat writers will have access to inside information, but not Sully. I have to give him credit, though. Today he admitted he might have underestimated the Bills. Today's article was good.

I'm not right about many things but I've liked Freddie since he's been on the team. He plays hard. He runs, blocks, catches. And except for that recent outburst, he doesn't complain. His yards after contact have been amongst the very best in the league for the past couple years. And he's piled up some huge all-purpose yards too. Even though few people outside Buffalo seem to know him very well, you could make an argument that he's Top 10. I was happy when we got rid of Lynch because I thought that would mean more playing time for Freddy who's a better back.

I laughed at your silly optimism when I saw your prediction... but you were closer to the final score than just about anyone

Thanks for the link. Sully says, "Have to admit, I'm stunned by this."

For what it's worth, The Senator predicted a Bills rout: 44-0

Everyone who says the Bills won because of Fitz or Freddie or the revamped defense is really missing the boat. The Bills won because I wore my Bills underwear today!

The Defense, Offense and Special Teams played pretty much like I expected them to. The Wildcat was perhaps a little less effective than I expected though it did pick up some key first downs. The most encouraging thing for me was the play of the offensive line. Bell, in particular, played up to my hopes instead of down to my fears. The solid performance of the OL makes me more optimistic about 2011 than I already was. What was the most encouraging thing about this win to you?

Sorry! This is a good point! I would enjoy, though, listening to some of the Negative Nancy's eat some humble pie right about now. It's too early to talk playoffs but I think we're seeing clear evidence that Nix/Gailey are building a credible team.

I usually eat wings on Bills game days... and they usually lose. Today I dispensed with the wings and they won in a rout. Maybe the new tradition is oatmeal and fruit????

I agree - tackling was MUCH better than last year! The Chiefs didn't get a lot of yards after contact.

I liked the long pass. It shows future opponents that we aren't afraid to let Smith throw. Parrish had his man beat and the throw would have been complete if not for another DB (I didn't see who) racing back and getting the pick. Overall, though, I feel the Wildcat was only so-so against KC. It did produce a couple first downs, but not a lot of yards. Conventional running plays with Freddie were the way to go. I'm still optimistic about Smith, however.

I admit I was one of those who disliked the Evans trade. I thought Evans still had good speed and that we needed him to stretch the D. Maybe I was wrong. Chandler had more catches than Evans today! Receivers were apparently getting open without Lee to draw away coverage - Fitz threw 4 TDs. My faith in Nix/Gailey continues to grow.

I thought the same thing about Barnett versus Poz - and Barnett in general.

You can dissect even a game like this and find lots to improve. That's what a coach has to do - continually push the team to get better. As a fan, however, I just want to luxuriate in the afterglow until the Raiders come to town next week.