R. Rich

Thanks folks for the well wishes. I had a great birthday and I'm continuing to enjoy my vacation (6 days from my birthday through Tuesday).

Just by looking @ the top 10 picks of the past ten years, here's the D linemen that were chosen: 2001 Gerard Warren (3rd) Justin Smith (4th) RICHard Seymour (6th) Andre Carter (7th) Jamal Reynolds (10th) Warren and Carter, while not all pros, have carved out steady careers in the league. Smith has really blossomed in San Fran's 3-4 scheme. Seymour was as pivotal to the Pats' Super Bowl as Vinatieri and Brady, in my opinion. That defense just wasn't anywhere close to as good w/out 'em (remember the year he was injured and how poorly they played?). Reynolds had trouble staying healthy early on and never really rebounded. 2002 Julius Peppers (2nd) Ryan Sims (6th) John Henderson (9th) A rough year, to be sure. I was so relieved when Detroit snagged Joey Harrington, thinking the Bills were going to get the pick right. Maybe not. Anyhoo, Peppers is one of the best pass rushers of his era, and Henderson was, @ one time, quite a formidable interior lineman when teamed w/ Marcus Stroud. Sims is another one of those journeyman linemen who has hung 'round and contributed in KC and Tampa. 2003 Dewayne Robertson (4th) Johnathan Sullivan (6th) Kevin Williams (9th) Terrell Suggs (10th) Robertson was a big(!) disappointment in NYC and didn't do much in Denver either. Sullivan was a flat out bust after washing out in 'Nawlins and then w/ the Pats. Williams is maybe the most complete interior D lineman in the league and while Suggs was a DE in college, he has spent the majority of his career @ LB though he does do a lot of rushing off the line. 2004-2005: No D linemen selected in top 10 2006 Mario Wiliams (1st) "They should've taken Reggie Bush!" Really? Super Mario is a standout pass rusher and a two time Pro Bowl and All Pro player in his 5 years in the league. I think they did alright there. 2007 Gaines Adams (4th) Jamaal Anderson (8th) Amobi Akoye (10th) Adams had a very good All-Rookie debut. His sophomore year was solid as well. Then he was traded from Tampa to Chicago and, tragically, died. He wasn't dominant, but was more than a journeyman, I think. Anderson was moved inside to tackle from end due to his ineffectiveness on the edge. Akoye has improved, but still hasn't shown that potential he flashed @ the combine, when he wowed all the scouts. He had a pretty nice rookie campaign, but then hit the wall and really didn't start to play up to his potential 'til this past year. 2008 Chris Long (2nd) Glenn Dorsey (5th) Vernon Gholston (6th) Sedrick Ellis (7th) Derrick Harvey (8th) Like Akoye, Long has begun to play up to his potential, and he gave the Rams a pretty solid pass rusher last year (8.5 sacks). Dorsey? Well, he started off very slow, but did have his best year as a pro last year and looks to be getting it in gear now. Gholston has been a major bust for the Jets while Harvey has done little for the Jags. Ellis has a Super Bowl ring from what was his breakout season in 2009 and had another very good year this past year w/ 44 tackles and a team high 6 sacks. 2009 Tyson Jackson (3rd) BJ Raji (9th) Kinda early, as they've only had a couple seasons in, but Jackson has struggled to live up to the hype of being the 3rd player taken in '09. Being in the 3-4 scheme isn't helping 'em either, as it doesn't usually (yeah, yeah Bruuuuuuuce Smith being the exception to the rule and all) lend to big stats from the ends, who must occupy blockers for the OLBs and help in stopping the run. Raji is quickly becoming one of the better young D linemen in the league; great footwork, athleticism, and he's incredibly tough to deal w/ on the line. 2010 Ndamukong Suh (2nd) Gerald McCoy (3rd) Tyson Alualu (10th) Suh was good enough to be named first team All Pro (an honor, these days, I think is much more relevant than just being named a Pro Bowl player) and upgraded the front seven play of the Lions exponentially. McCoy battled injuries but the Bucs believe he'll be a force. Alualu was the pick that many of the draftniks blasted as a reach, but he started all 16 games for the Jags and contributed nearly 40 tackles and 4 sacks as a rookie. Not bad. So, while there were a number of players you could label as busts, there were plenty of others who became Pro Bowl players, All Pros, and a few who were key to their teams' Super Bowl championships. And this is just the top 10. Imagine some of the guys who escaped the top 10 (Ngata, Tommie Harris, Vince Wilfork, Tamba Hali, and Charles Grant, to name a few) who also won accolades and helped their teams win championships. I dunno if I'd shy away from drafting D linemen in the first round, whether it's an early, mid, or late pick.

Konstant Lee Wynan

It's one of these. Some of us make 'em from time to time.

I picked up some Smith's hot dogs one of the last times I was in Erie when I went to the new Fuhrman's Cider Mill on upper Peach St. I did know that Troyer Farms were available online from their site, but I didn't know 'bout Pulakos. I don't often go there, but I do like their chocolate bars w/ almonds. Plus, they're just 'cross the street from Mighty Fine Donuts, and I really like those (the plain ones go great w/ Fuhrman's cider!!).

Well, the Bills certainly can't do that. Too many folks 'round here have said they MUST take certain positions or they are doomed. Can't go the talent route. Sorry.

Yep. I like Joe Buck's sense of humor, but not necessarily from his broadcasts. I've heard him do interviews on various talk shows and he's pretty funny in that capacity. Gus has plenty of fans who love his over the top screaming. I am not one of 'em. I don't equate screaming as being a good broadcaster. If that was the case, someone should've given Jerry Stiller, Jason Alexander, and the rest of the Screamfeld cast a job in the booth of an NFL game years ago.

It is possible to "perform" the anthem and still be respectful. My all time favorite version is the one done by my all time favorite singer, the late great Marvin Gaye, before the '83 NBA All Star Game. Very soulful and yet also very respectful and inspiring. I also think Jose Feliciano's version was very good.

Good ol' Erie (okay, Waterford, but it's close) chips. Love the Salt and Vinegar ones. They're not bad. My wife has gotten me to really like Kay and Ray's chips (regular and dark) also.

All the coulda, shoulda, woulda stuff is rapidly approaching the Tim Tebow hysteria of last year. It may end up in its own thread, like the Tebow stuff of last year.

Maybe it's on the same highlight reel as the one w/ Dan Marino spinning out of a QB sack and taking off downfield for a 47 yard TD run?

He's not nearly as big as Jerry Rice and he was too slow. He'd be lucky to make an NFL squad these days, and if he did, he'd probably be moved to tight end or something.

Here we go w/ the piling on Sanchez. Did anyone happen to watch his second half performance last night? He looked pretty good to me. This is his second year and we've seen him play fairly well (on the road, no less) in the postseason each year. He has his faults (started off strong in the regular season, then hit a major slump), but nobody's perfect. I'm sure his teammates respect what he does for 'em though. I don't believe he's one of the elite QBs, but I also don't think he sucks. He appears to be a guy who is still learning the nuances of the game and is improving.

While I do think a team needs to be strong vs the run on defense, especially in the playoffs, it's more that a team needs good balance to win than anything else. Being able to both run and stop the run is great, but it doesn't guarantee anything. There were only 3 teams that finished the regular season in the league's top 10 in both rushing offense and rushing defense. Of those three teams, only one made it to the postseason, that being the NY Jets, who finished 4th in rush offense and 3rd in rush defense. The other teams? NY Giants and Minnesota. Green Bay made it to the Super Bowl w/ a team featuring the league's 24th ranked rush offense and 18th ranked rush defense. But, they also have Aaron Rodgers playing as well as any QB right now and a defense that is also playing very well. Run and stop the run? Absolutely, but also be able to produce in terms of the passing game, pass defense, and also on special teams. Balance will get the Bills back to respectability.

If the Bills decide to continue to build a 3-4 defense, then I think this isn't a bad way to go @ all.

Professional sports officials. I mean, @ least you can comment on the job an NFL ANALyst does.

Is anyone's?

Drafting bad players is what has helped to make the Bills bad. Drafting better players will not only "get players who will be good", but will also get players that can "contribute immediately and make the team better". Win-win.

More so than drafting a certain position, the Bills need to draft PLAYERS that contribute immediately and make the team better. The Bills probably don't need a safety the most, but would anyone here complain if they drafted a guy and he played as well as an Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu? Come to think of it, someone will complain no matter what happens. Anyhoo, I am more tired of seeing the Bills whiff on major picks, even on need positions (Mike Williams, JP Losman, John McCargo) than anything.

I'll let you in on a little secret: every team has those kind of fans. Yep, even our own Buffalo Bills. The Stillers do not have a monopoly on 'em. I grew up in a household of Stiller fans and none of 'em resemble your description. I also have some good friends who are Stiller fans who allow me to take my wife, also a Stiller fan, to a game @ Heinz Field (they have season tickets) every year. How arrogant of 'em, huh? I'll be rooting for a good game. If the Stillers win, that's okay w/ me. If the Jets win, that's fine also.

Bart, I have been ridiculously busy over the past year, so busy that I've barely been able to keep up w/ moderating these forums let alone posting new stuff. I am working on some draft profiles that I will post when done, as well as some other stuff. We will also do our annual TBD Mock Draft in a few months, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I will try to post some relevant materials in terms of links to news stories or other things related to college football and/or the NFL Draft here. During the season, college football/draft information should be moved to this forum. Since we're in the offseason, it's no big deal to post stuff on the main board.

Nah. The officials did. There were some absolutely atrocious calls in that game and most of 'em went against the Rams. And didn't everyone cry that the poor Seahawks got jobbed by the refs in their Super Bowl loss to the Stillers? If ya can't beat 'em, I 'spose.

Sorry to again be MIA last week, but someone (not mentioning any names Psycho Ward 86) accidentally erased the game on me last week, and I didn't want to do a write-up w/out having the chance to once again review the game and pick up the finer points. I will say that I did like a lot of the throws that Ryan Fitzpatrick made in that game, even though he didn't throw for a bunch of yards. He showed some nice touch on his passes and really put the ball in some tight spots where only the receiver had a shot @ it. Good job. But... Man, did Fitzpatrick struggle in this one! Five turnovers is just awful, no excuses. He also had some throws where he was just not in sync w/ his receiver: he was late on an out route to Naaman Roosevelt @ the 5:47 mark of the first quarter on a play where Pats corner Darius Butler was able to recover and knock the ball down. He also was just a bit off on an attempt @ the 11:05 mark of the first quarter and later on a third and 5 pass @ the 10:18 mark of the first quarter where he "justmissed" hooking up w/ Steve Johnson for a TD. The throws that were intercepted were all awful throws that appeared to be intended for the NE defenders and the fumbles were a classic case of someone trying to do too much and, instead, costing his team a valuable possession by turning it over. There were a few bright spots though. His big 41 yard completion to CJ Spiller @ the 3:40 mark of the first quarter was a nice throw and a beautiful catch by Spiller. He also threw a nice underneath pass to Roosevelt to pick up a first down @ the 10:57 mark of the second quarter. I thought he also threw nice passes that were dropped: one by Fred Jackson (who appeared to hear footsteps and didn't concentrate on catching the ball) @ the 5:51 mark of the first quarter and a failed fourth down attempt @ the 7:32 mark of the second quarter where Johnson couldn't hold on to the ball after a big hit from Jarod Mayo (imagine that; a linebacker making big hits and forcing incomplete passes). Still, there were far more negatives in this game than positives for Fitzpatrick. I like the guy's heart and all; I just think he's limited in potential. But, as others have mentioned, I believe he can keep things going 'til the Bills find their franchise QB to lead 'em back to being contenders. The Bills are certainly not in as bad a shape as they had been in terms of the QB position. They just need an upgrade to get over the hump. Fred Jackson had a wonderful start to the game. The running on that opening drive was sweet. It started out w/ a nice 27 yard gain (good block by Chad Rinehart on that one) and featured a few tough runs to keep the chains moving and to keep the Pats' offense off the field. Things were looking pretty solid......'til the Bills failed to come up w/ the third down conversion that would've given 'em a 7-0 lead instead of the 3-0 lead they ended up w/. From that point on, the Bills found fewer holes on the inside to exploit. Belichick moved Kyle Love from the nose to end and put Vince Wilfork in @ the nose to anchor the middle and to shut down rush lanes....and it worked. Smart move, but would you expect anything else? Jackson's drop of the pass @ the 5:51 mark of the first quarter (seems like he's good for one of those a game; usually on a flare pattern) stymied a drive. Jackson did benefit from Chan Gailey's decision to stick w/ the running game, as the Bills continued to mix in running plays in the attempt to keep the Pats off balance so that they wouldn't just tee off on Fitzpatrick. The more the game got away from 'em, though, the tougher that became. Jackson did end up w/ 81 yards on the ground, but more than half of 'em came on the initial drive. Spiller added another 30 yards on 5 carries, but had a couple of awful fumbles that shut down drives. I did like the way he was able to bounce a play to the outside after Andy Levitre couldn't hold his block and the play broke down @ the point of attack (14:24 mark of first quarter), turning a potential no gain or loss play into a 7 yard gain. His 41 yard catch, mentioned earlier, was sweet as well. Outside of that, there wasn't much out of the RBs. Corey McIntire is usually a reliable lead blocker, but was really off in this one. On Fitzpatrick's first fumble @ the 2:01 mark of the first quarter, it was McIntire who whiffed on his lead block, and then, after Fitzpatrick fumbled, he failed to come up w/ the ball (was the closest Bill to the ball and just barely missed recovering it). Outside of Roosevelt's breakthrough game of 4 catches and 74 yards (nice route running on his third down conversion catch @ the 10:57 mark of the first quarter!), not much to talk 'bout w/ the receivers. Johnson had a couple nice grabs but also came up short on the big third down play early and did drop the fourth down conversion pass after a big hit by Mayo. David Nelson sustained an injury after another big hit by Mayo. Donald Jones finished w/ 54 yards on his 5 catches. Didn't see much in terms of blocking or receiving out of the tight ends. Shocking, huh? The offensive line could've done more to open up holes in the running game. Yeah, yeah, Belichick and the Pats made adjustments after the first drive to shore up their interior. Guess that whole adjustment thingy is a one way street, huh? (More later) Levitre lost his block on Spiller's 7 yard gain early in the first quarter and really didn't have the kinda impact that I've seen plenty of times this year from 'em. No impressive pulls to lead on power runs to the outside and no mauling drive blocks other than a sweet double team w/ Eric Wood to open up the middle for another 7 yard run for Spiller @ the 12:32 mark of the first quarter. Levitre did pick up a false start penalty. One of these days, the Bills' O line will stop killing drives w/ penalties. Not sure when, but some day. Speaking of Wood, he did miss a block on Mayo that would've cleared the way for Jackson to get a big gain (3:13 mark of the second quarter) on what turned out to be a gain of only 2 yards. I mention this 'cause these are the type of plays that work for big gains when done to the Bills' defense (more later). Overall, Wood seems to be regressing the more I see him @ center. He started out like a beast, but the performances appear to be getting progressively worse since then. This was a bad one, as Wilfork and Love were able to collapse the pocket from the middle often. Rinehart did make a beautiful down block on Jackson's 27 yard run where he just caved the play inside and created quite a hole. I thought the tackles both did okay in pass protection. Nothing special; just okay. Mansfield Wrotto did commit a holding penalty that wiped out a Favre-ish shovel pass by Fitzpatrick to Jackson that went for 17 yards. The defensieve line was beaten. Often. Then again, the entire front seven struggled mightily in this one. There was a stretch play the Pats ran to the right side (9:18 mark of first quarter) where Marcus Stroud was not able to come off his block to prevent BenJarvus Green-Ellis from getting to the outside. On that same play, Rob Gronkowski just mauled Chris Kelsay to set the edge. Kyle Williams had a few plays where he did what he's good @ doing: shooting the gap and getting to the backfield. Unfortunately, he shot it too deep of the action (1:21 mark of first quarter) and the ball carrier went right past 'em. He had another time (1:31 of second quarter) where he shot through again and got past the line, but could not hold his position and was blocked down on a third and 3 play that the Pats successfully converted. Williams also was blasted off the ball on Danny Woodhead's 7 yard run late in the third quarter (2:00 mark). Spencer Johnson spent most of the game being either neutralized @ the point of attack or being driven off the ball and away from the play. He did finish w/ 5 tackles, but really didn't have any impact plays. A woeful performance by the linebackers. Remember this phrase: couldn't shed (get off) their blocks. It is, alas, a phrase that you can use far too often to describe the Buffalo Bills' linebacking corps. Paul Posluszny was constantly blocked (usually by tackle Todd Light, who got to the second level way too easily) and when he wasn't, he and the other LBs took some poor pursuit angles and either overshot the play, or wound up running into another blocker. I did find it amusing @ the 7:29 mark in the first quarter when Kevin Harlan, doing the play by play for CBS, said that Posluszny was in on a tackle on a second and 7 play. Well, actually, Posluszny got engulfed by Pats guard Logan Mankins on that play. Oops. Akin Ayodele had a ton of tackles (17), but was also guilty of taking some really poor pursuit angles, including on the play where Posluszny was (wasn't) in on the tackle according to Harlan. Ayodele also took a bad angle on the play prior to that one (8:00 mark) and on a third and 3 that the Pats converted @ the 1:31 mark of the second quarter. Chris Kelsay did get the sack (yeah, I too got a laugh out of Solomon Weelcots' ASSertion that Kelsay was one of the better pass rushers in the league), but also had problems setting the edge on plays and playing contain (9:18 mark of first quarter; Gronkowski crushed 'em) and also had issues shedding blocks in pursuit (Matt Light neutralized 'em on a 2nd and 7 play @ the 8:00 mark of the first quarter; got taken out by Gronkowski on Danny Woodhead's 29 yard TD run @ the 3:52 mark of the first quarter). Arthur Moats was also guilty of taking a bad pursuit angle on the play @ the 1:31 mark of the second quarter and allowed the cutback that went for a first down. He provided some pressure from the outside, but not enough to force any bad throws from Tom Brady or to get the pick (Ha! Join the club). And this was just the run defense. Should we go on to the awful pass coverage? Gronkowski owned whoever the Bills put on 'em, and Posluszny got beat for a TD by the slowest receiving threat the Pats have in Alge Crumpler. Suffice to say it was a terrible display of pass coverage as well. The secondary? Well, they were busy in run support as safeties Jairus Byrd (8 tackles) and Donte Whitner (12) had to come up to stop the ball carriers as the front seven couldn't stop 'em many times. Whitner also had a nice breakup of a pass intended for Gronkowski (6:41 mark of the first quarter), but also got beat on the near perfect pass from Brady that was caught by Gronkowski for a first down @ the 13:38 mark of the second quarter. Drayton Florence picked up a defensive holding penalty that kept a Pats drive alive, but he also was in on three pass breakups, including one near the goal line @ the 0:43 mark of the second quarter (two plays before Crumpler's TD catch). Leodis McKelvin also had a pass breakup, but he really needs to stop celebrating each and every stop he makes. Just act like you've been there. Or, is that the problem??? As for special teams, Brian Moorman's two punts were nothing special. No big booming kicks and none to realy pin the Pats deep in their own end. Rian Lindell was called on to hit the 26 yarder when the initial drive stalled (I think not picking up the TD was a huge deal, as their momentum was basically stopped right there) and that was it. The coverage units didn't allow things to get too crazy, but none of the kicks were let alone by the elements (wind) anyway, so there wasn't much for the return men for either team to do. Roosevelt had 31 yards on his two returns and Spiller got 84 on 5 returns. Kinda bland day for these guys. Coaching wise, I have to say that this is where I was most disappointed. Not that Gailey is some sort of wunderkind coach, but @ least he has more diversity than Dick Jauron, so I thought that as long as they didn't give the game away w/ stupid mistakes, they would be in it 'til the end. Well, maybe not. Sure, the Bills (Fiztpatrick, Spiller) racked up the turnovers, but the playcalling was still not much better than what we've seen in the Jauron years. The question still remains: why do the Bills not find ways to take advantage of having Spiller and Jackson on the field @ the same time? Jackson as the primary, w/ Spiller split wide, or in motion to confuse the defensive scheme? When Spiller goes in, Jackson goes out, and vice versa. I don't understand. I mean, the Saints found ways to utilize both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, and all it did was force teams to re-think how they were gonna defend 'em. Imagine that. Maybe the Bills will figure that part out. We'll see. All I know is that even w/ Gailey @ the helm, the Buffalo Bills were horribly outcoached by the Patriots. Again. Okay, so it's on to the season finale. A win over the Jets would kinda help matters as the Bills go off into another postseason sunset. It would give 'em their second division win of the year and spoil any chance they have of making the playoffs. Of course, the Jets will be very focused and determined to win this game for just that reason, and the fact that they are every bit as reeling this season as they were rolling @ the end of last season. [EDIT: Dammit! They're in, regardless of what happens on Sunday. Ah well...] But, the Bills have a decent shot. Mark Sanchez is still inconsistent. The Jets' running game isn't nearly as dominant as toward the end of last season. And it's their defense, in particular the opposite corner (Antonio Cromartie) that is giving this team trouble. There are things the Bills can exploit. I will hope that the coaching staff brings their A game this week.....and don't leave it in the locker room this time. Last, but not least, I would like to wish all my TBD friends and family a very happy holiday season. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and hope nothing but good things for you in the new year. See ya in 2011!

Well I sure was glad to see the Bills win a game where they kept control for most of it. I saw plenty of good things in this one from several units. I also saw a lot of empty seats unfortunately, including my two, as I couldn't get 'em sold. One more home game to go and it will probably be as empty too, seeing how it is the day after Christmas. I haven't sold those either, so if anyone wants 'em, send me a PM. I am willing to part w/ 'em cheap. Now, on to the game... I thought Ryan Fitzpatrick made some nice decisions in this one. He knew when to tuck and run, and did well in picking up big yardage when he did. He also made a few impressive throws, too. He hit Steve Johnson w/ a nice sideline pass to get a first down on second and 4 @ the 6 minute mark in the first quarter. He also hit Johnson on a second and 8 play @ the 12 minute mark in the second quarter that went for another first down. But, once again, I did see the Terrible Trio show up again: 1. Overthrow: Badly missed Johnson @ the 7:11 mark of the first quarter on a play where the pass protection was very good. 2. Underthrow: This one worked out for the Bills, as he underthrew Johnathan Stupar, but Browns safety TJ Ward misjudged the play when he attemped to jump the route. It ended up going for a 36 yard gain. We'll put an asteik on this one; bad decision, good results. 3. Pass that never should've been thrown: He attempted to get the ball downfield to Johnson, and it was nearly picked off by Sheldon Brown. Okay, we'll give 'em the Stupar play, but let's hope he doesn't try to force that throw into coverage again. Fitzpatrick also made some nice yards by running the ball. He looked decisive and showed good speed to get to the edge. The QB draw call nearly worked for a TD (more later). All in all, not a bad effort for Fitzpatrick. He led the offense, and they led the way by maintaining drives and eating up clock. Props to Fred Jackson for some tough running in this one. Of course, it helps when you get a bit of daylight to operate from (more later), but Jackson does deserve his props. There weren't a lot of highlight reel runs, but there was a lot of effort. He had a nice 4 yard gain @ the 13:36 mark of the second quarter where he just followed a nice lead block by center Eric Wood. C.J. Spiller had a nice 8 yard run off a block by Wood (we'll get to his game later), and Corey McIntire really had some nice blocks in this one. He also had a nice blitz pickup on the second and 8 play to Johnson where he stopped LB Chris Gocong dead in his tracks. Of course, he also got away w/ a major hold of LB Matt Roth on a Fitzpatrick run of 13 yards late in the first quarter. Still, McIntire's good points far outweighed his bad ones in this game. Okay, so the wideouts weren't a major factor in this game, but they did come up big when called upon. Donald Jones had a nice underneath catch on a crossing route late in the first quarter on a third and 2 play. Jones also made a great open field tackle on a punt return after the Bills were backup up on a penalty. Jones' tackle prevented a big gain on that play. He did have a few not so good moments, like forgetting to line up on a play that resulted in a costly delay of game penalty in the red zone and cutting off a route short of the first down marker on a third and 3 play @ the 11:24 mark of the third quarter. It appeared that Fitzpatrick threw the ball to where Jones would've been had he run past the sticks, and it was incomplete. David Nelson made a beautiful catch and ran a terrific route on his TD catch @ the 9:33 mark of the second quarter. Johnson made a few nice catches for first downs and showed good awareness on the second and 5 play in the third quarter, where he caught the tipped pass to save possession for the Bills (Fitzpatrick's pass was tipped) and pick up a couple yards. He did fail to sustain a block on Sheldon Brown @ the 9:52 mark of the fourth quarter that allowed Brown to stop Jackson for no gain on a running play in the red zone. I saw some good blocks in this game by David Martin (really!!), two of 'em coming on the drive where the Bills killed the clock to end the game. He also made a nice catch on a bootleg play @ the 6:52 mark of the third quarter. Stupar made the nice 36 yard catch and also threw a nice block on the fourth and 1 conversion @ the 0:10 mark of the fourth quarter that allowed the Bills to kill the clock. He did miss a block on Derrick Robinson (held 'em, too)on Fitzpatrick's 12 yard scramble @ the start of the second quarter. The guy I watched carefully in this game was Eric Wood. Seeing that he was playing center, and seeing how many feel he should move inside to that position permanently, I wanted to see how he'd fare in his first outing there. Well, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised w/ how well he handled it. He looked more like the tough, fiesty interior blocker the Bills told us fans he was when they drafted 'em. Here's a few of his nice plays: 1. He and Levitre cleared out the middle on a 5 yard run by Spiller @ the 9:19 mark of the first quarter. 2. He had a impressive block on Ahtyba Rubin on a play where Rubin actually got better leverage but was still knocked 3 yards backwards by Wood on a 3 yard Jackson run @ the 8:00 mark of the first quarter. 3. He had a nice backside block on a play @ the 2:03 mark of the first quarter where Jackson gained 4 yards (Gocong made the tackle after being unblocked). 4. He drove Rubin 'bout 4 yards off the ball on the aforementioned 4 yard run by Jackson @ the 13:36 mark of the second quarter. 5. He and Levitre had nice blocks on a 4 yard Jackson run @ the 14:55 mark of the third quarter. Now, the only real bad play I saw was on the QB draw where Fitzpatrick nearly scored. Wood and Levitre both blocked down on David Bowens when Wood should've let Levitre have Bowens and go after TJ Ward. Had Wood taken Ward out, Fitzpatrick would've had the TD. Still, considering all the good plays I saw from him, this is minor in relation. Great effort! Keep it up, 'cause I hope that this is just the beginning of something really special and not just a fluke game. I think Wood has the skills to be pretty good in the pivot. As I mentioned before, I thought Levitre had some nice blocks as well, usually when he pulls and leads on outside running plays. But, I also saw a few plays where he just drove the guy in front of 'em off the ball and gave the running back a lane to run through. Just another reason why I have said I think Levitre has been the Bills' best offensive lineman this year and, to me, it hasn't been close. He did appear to hit Fitzpatrick on the play where his pass got tipped and nearly intercepted before Johnson came up w/ it, but aside from that, played a really clean game. Demetrius Bell had some rough plays, such as the play late in the first half where Shaun Rogers just bull rushed Bell and got the sack and the play in the first quarter (7:11 mark) where Gocong just beat 'em off the ball and forced a fumble. But, Bell did have some good plays in pass protection (gave Fitzpatrick a nice pocket to throw from @ the 9:33 mark of the second quarter on Nelson's TD pass). Chad Rinehart didn't look as good in drive blocking, but he did have a couple nice plays in the first half where he pulled and lead on running plays. Mansfield Wrotto and Cordaro Howard had quite games from my view, but also didn't make any boneheaded plays to cost the team. The D line didn't have a banner game. There were a few bright spots. Spencer Johnson got pressure on a passing play and forced Jake Delhomme to throw an incomplete pass @ the 4:06 mark of the first quarter. Johnson and Chris Kelsay ran a nice stunt off the right side 2 the 11:17 mark of the third quarter, but Joe Thomas picked it up and Delhomme hit Ben Watson for an 8 yard gain. There was another in/out stunt that had Kelsay loop inside and Stroud go outside on a play @ the 9:14 mark of the third quarter where Marcus Stroud was able to get pressure on Delhomme and force an incomplete pass. Kyle Williams broke through up the middle @ the 1:21 mark of the third quarter and helped to force the play, an end 'round by Josh Cribbs, wide, which resulted in a forced fumble. But, the fumble was not recovered by Kelsay (who forced it), Alex Carrington (who fell right next to the ball), nor Johnson (who was right next to Carrington) and Cribbs was able to recover it. Yikes. Williams also recovered the fumble that Jairus Byrd forced in the first quarter. Stroud and Johnson were both taken out of a play where Peyton Hillis ran for 4 yards on first down (14:47 mark of first quarter). Both players were again knocked off the ball later (11:17 mark of the third quarter) on a short Hillis run for a first down. Not very many plays in the backfield for these guys. The linebackers had a pretty good game. Akin Ayodele had 10 tackles, including a nice third down stop @ the 10:56 mark of the first quarter (w/ help from Paul Posluszny) that helped force a Cleveland FG instead of a TD. He also slowed Hillis down on the third quarter (3:58 mark) play where Posluszny shot the gap but just missed Hillis. He did get taken out on a play @ the 9:54 mark of the third quarter by Alex Mack (Hillis got 7 yards on that play), but overall he had a solid outing. He also got away w/ a late hit on Hillis; the ref waived the flag saying the hit was @ the line of scrimmage. Sure, if the line was moved 3 yards downfield. Ah well; how many of those kinda calls go aganst the Bills, so I guess we should be grateful. Posluszny really had some nice plays in the beginning of the game. He filled the gap and forced a short gain by Hillis on first down (the goal to go where the Bills held and forced the FG), stuffed the second down play for a 2 yard gain, and combined w/ Ayodele on the third down stop. He played the pass very well, closing quickly on a fourth quarter (4:32 mark) pass play to stop Hillis for a 2 yard gain. He did get driven off the ball by Floyd Womack on the play mentioned earlier where Hillis gained 7 yards in the third quarter and did get taken out of the play in the first quarter (13:18 mark) by.....get this....Robert Royal! Still, a good effort by Posluszny. Arthur Moats was able to provide pressure in this one. In the third quarter (11:17 mark), he came off the left side strong, but just missed Delhomme, who connected w/ Watson for 8 yards. He also beat Joe Thomas, one of the best left tackles in the game in my (meaningless) opinion, on a nice move @ the 11:13 mark of the fourth quarter where he also forced a fumble. He's getting better; gotta love that. Kelsay was able to provide nice pressure off the edge when rushing as a down lineman. He got held by John St. Clair on a play where he couldn't set the edge (wonder why) and stop the play from going wide (5:08 mark of the second quarter). He also got past Thomas (wow!) and pressured Delhomme to throw an incomplete pass on the play where Ayodele "didn't" hit Hillis late and had that nice stunt w/ Stroud that forced another incomplete pass @ the 9:14 mark of the third quarter. The secondary did not allow Delhomme to get into any sort of rhythm. They kept the gains short w/ a few exceptions. Terrence McGee got beat by Mohammed Massaquoi for 34 yards where Jairus Byrd got to the play late. Brian Robiskie had a big gain of 15 yards to get a first down. That was 'bout it. Remember; Delhomme was kept to just 86 yards passing on the game! Byrd had the nice forced fumbles, but also did well in run support. His open field tackle on Cribbs @ the beginning of the fourth quarter was sweet! He stopped 'em for 7 yards on third and 16. Donte Whitner helped to force a fumble also and was in on 5 tackles. Bryan Scott wuz robbed, I tell ya, robbed on the play in the fourth quarter (11:13 mark) where he recovered the fumble and ran it back for a score. Thanks to the early whistle, he did not get the TD. He also had a nice open field tackle on third and 8 @ the 3:21 mark of the first quarter for a 1 yard gain. Scott also got good pressure late in the fourth quarter (3:54 mark) and forced the INT by Leodis McKelvin. Speaking of, he made a really nice hit that broke up a pass on the play prior to his INT! He also had a nice open field tackle (seems to be a trend this week) on Massaquoi late in the third quarter (0:32 mark) on a second and 21 play that went for just 5 yards. Brian Moorman had a decent enough game, but he was outplayed by Cleveland punter Reggie Hodges. That guy had a couple really nice ones over 50 yards and put a pair inside the 20. He had good hang time and didn't seem to mind dealing w/ the notorious RICH Stadium winds. Rian Lindell wasn't called on much, but answered the call each time. Spiller had a nice 33 yard punt return early in the fourth quarter, which was the highlight of the return game. Jones added a couple 30 plus yard returns and made a nice tackle on the fourth quarter return where Jon Corto got the penalty and backed Moorman up deep in Bills territory. Jones' tackle kept the return minimal. Considering the Browns ended up getting the ball near midfield even w/ the tackle, that was good. In terms of the coaching, I think overall they were solid. They focused on the running game and ran hard 'tween the tackles. The move to put Wood @ center paid nice dividends. I personally liked the call to go for it on fourth and 1. Yeah it didn't work, but it was gutsy and w/ the wind and all, was Lindell gonna make a 53 yarder? I would've liked to see a few more runs by Spiller, but there appears to be a plan to work him into the offense, and I like that. And so, the Bills get win #3. You happy? Another win is another week of not having to B word 'bout not winning. Unhappy? Are the Bills ruining their draft stock and getting further and further away from that franchise QB/DL/LB/whoever the angry mob wants? Here's my take: I'm always happy to see my team win. As for the draft, I just have to trust that they can figure it out. Honestly, if people think the organization blows it in regard to the draft, who's to say they won't blow it w/ the #1, 2, or 3 overall pick instead of the 8th-10th? Sure, my team is just 3-10, but they also have won 3 of their last 5. Considering how dreadful the first half of the year was, I'll take it.

Okay, so the Bills had the kinda game this week that I thought they'd have against the Stillers: a rough one. Man, was that tough to watch. Even tougher to watch again. Hey, I'm a glutton for punishment. For starters, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not a great performance, to be sure, but he did make a few nice throws later on after a dreadful start. But, as I mention every week, there were those three things he did yet again: 1. Overthrown pass (to Lee Evans w/ 'bout 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter; could've gone for a score w/ a little more touch) 2. Underthrown pass (missed Donald Jones on a 2nd down play 'bout 2 minutes into the 1st quarter) 3. Pass that never should've left his hand (his 2nd quarter pass to Antoine Winfield for a 42 yard INT return) Another game, another appearance from the Terrible Trio. Every game. But, as I said, he did make some very nice throws later on. He had a nice one 'round the 6 minute mark of the 3rd quarter where he shook off a potential sack from Brian Robison and hit David Nelson for a 12 yard gain on 3rd and 7. He also hit Evans for a couple nice big gains in the early 4th quarter. I think that's what's so crazy 'bout Fitzpatrick. It isn't that he's an inaccurate passer (absolutely BEAUTIFUL throw to Steve Johnson w/ 'bout 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter!!); he just can't seem to put it all together and develop any consistency. Good backup to have, though. The one thing I was impressed w/ (can't say there was a whole lot to be impressed w/ from this one) was the blocking by Fred Jackson. I mistakenly blamed the Bills for leaving Demetrius Bell out there on the island w/ Jared Allen, one of the league's most ferocious pass rushers. But, once I took another look @ the game, here's a few gems I saw from Fred: 1. Jackson chipped on Allen to allow Fitzpatrick to hit Nelson on the aforementioned 3rd and 7 conversion. 2. Jackson made a very impressive block on C.J. Spiller's 4 yard run @ the 4 minute mark of the 3rd quarter. 3. Jackson made another nice kickout block on Allen which helped to spring Spiller for 11 yards early in the 4th quarter. There was also a nice chip block by Quinton Ganther, but it just so happened to be on Fitzpatrick's INT throw to Winfield. Jackson didn't have nearly as much success running w/ the ball as he did in blocking, finishing up w/ just 42 yards on the ground. Corey McIntire had a nice chip block (as did Spiller) on Evans' 26 yard catch in the 4th quarter, but also had the costly fumble after being hit in the 3rd quarter. Props to Spiller for having a couple nice running plays, but unfortunately, they were too few to be of consequence. The receivers did make some big catches late, but the game was already out of hand then. And, unlike in games w/ Baltimore and Cincinnati, the Vikings had no intention of allowing the Bills to creep back into the game w/ poor decisions and lack of composure. Evans finished w/ 75 yards, but was virtually nonexistent in the first half. Nelson continues to find ways to get open when the Bills need 'em to, like on 3rd downs. Jones did make a catch, but also was underthrown on an early throw and also got caught for a loss on an end 'round play just prior to the underthrown pass when David Martin (here comes a shocker) badly missed a block. He tried to block Chad Greenway, who blew the play up, instead of going after safety Husain Abdullah and letting Kraig Urbik take Greenway. Ah well. Just more evidence that the Bills need a major upgrade @ the TE position. When giving this game another look, I took the advice of my good friend William and watched closely the play of Demetrius Bell. Yeah, the kid had one brutal outing, giving up a sack and a pair of forced fumbles, not to mention other pressures that forced bad throws. But, he also had his moments, such as: 1. A nice block on a 6 yard gain by Jackson in the first quarter 2. A solid down block on Kevin Williams (put the All Pro DT on his butt!) on a 3 yard Jackson run on the next play 3. A good block in pass protection on the next play, a 3rd and 1 that was converted by a pass to Steve Johnson For a guy who gets knocked for being too weak, he really had some nice blocks in the running game. Unfortunately, he got abused by Allen in pass protection often. Strange; I wouldn't expect a guy like Allen to have that kinda success. Go figure. Andy Levitre also had some nice run blocks. The Bills seem to love that power play to the right side, and I see why. When they pull Levitre and then have a TE (even Martin) follow behind to seal block, they seem to have good results. It worked well on a play where Spiller broke free for 20 yards in the 3rd quarter. So, of course, they tried it again on the next play, this time to the left side. Not so good there, as Levitre missed the block and it only went for 3 yards. Injuries kicked this unit in the tail, but man did they have some awful outings from Mansfield Wrotto and Urbik. Wrotto had the false start that turned a 3rd and 3 play in the 3rd quarter to a 3rd and 8 (and, eventually, out), plus he struggled to stop Robison all game. He missed a few blocks (missed Greenway on a QB draw in the 2nd quarter, missed Robison twice on plays where Fitzpatrick got hit: the Nelson 12 yard catch and an incomplete pass) and looked a step slow throughout this game. Urbik had issues w/ the snap, resulting in a near fumble that Fitzpatrick jumped on to retain possession. Levitre also had issues w/ the snap, and the Bills lost a fumble @ the 1 'cause of it. This is one of the few times this year where Kyle Williams wasn't much of a factor. He got blocked well by the Minnesota O line (got totally blown off the ball late in the 2nd quarter by center John Sullivan) and when he did get past their line, he couldn't finish the play (missed a tackle on Adrian Peterson on a play that went for 13 yards in the 2nd quarter). He did run a nice twist move w/ George Wilson where he went to the outside behind Arthur Moats, Wilson went inside and they forced Brett Favre to roll to his right and eventually get hit by Moats and throw the INT. Spencer Johnson also struggled to fight off blocks (got driven off the ball late in the 1st quarter by Bryant McKinnie on a 6 yard run by Peterson and was double teamed and driven 3 yards off the ball by Sullivan and guard Chris DeGeare on a 3rd quarter run by Peterson that went for 6 yards and a first down). Marcus Stroud didn't fare much better, picking up an offsides penalty in the 1st quarter on a play where Leodis McKelvin got beat deep (imagine that) by Sidney Rice. Stroud also got handled @ the point of attack by Phil Loadholt on a 2nd quarter play where Tarvaris Jackson scrambled and picked up 13 yards. Perhaps his worst showing was on Peterson's 43 yard TD run early in the 4th quarter. Stroud was knocked off the ball, setting a chain of events into motion (we'll get to that) that put everyone out of position to catch AD. Not a game to write home 'bout for these guys. In addition to spotlighting Bell's play, I also took care to watch the play of Paul Posluszny. I came up w/ more notes on his play than any other Bills player. It wasn't all bleak though. It was Posluszny who helped redirect Favre into the Moats hit that forced the INT and put Favre out of the game. He also got excellent pressure on the sack @ the 10:30 mark in the 1st quarter (props to Moats for helping to finish that play off w/ a nice hit). He also had a really nice hit on Peterson on a 1st and goal play to stop it cold and made a couple terrific tackles on Toby Gerhart: one in the late 1st quarter on a 2nd and 3 run where he hit 'em and dropped 'em like a stone and one in the late 2nd quarter pass on 3rd and 8 that was stopped for a 2 yard loss. These are the kinds of plays I wish we saw more from him. Unfortunately, I saw plenty of bad stuff too: 1. He left the middle of the field uncovered on a scramble by Jackson for 9 yards 2. He went to help out Drayton Florence on a pass play early in the 2nd quarter, but was burned by Visanthe Shiancoe for a 15 yard gain in the process 3. He lost Greg Camarillo on a 2nd quarter crossing route that went for a 20 yard gain 4. He took a horrible pursuit angle in the 3rd quarter on a 6 yard run by Peterson (same play where Spencer Johnson was driven 3 yards off the ball) 5. He was too late to get to Jim Kleinsasser on a 3rd and 6 play in the 4th quarter that went for 7 yards and a first down I still see too many coverage issues w/ Posluszny, he still struggles to get off blocks (the majority of my notes were concerning this issue), and the pursuit angles still need work. Believe me, I root harder for this guy to make it in the LB corps than anyone, as he is living my dream: played LB for my favorite college team and was drafted by and starts as LB for my favorite pro team! That said, I call 'em as I see 'em, and while Posluszny may be in on a lot of tackles, there aren't nearly as many "splash plays" as I'd like to see. Okay, there were other LBs out there, and I did check 'em out as well. Chris Kelsay had a pair of nice plays vs the run in the early 1st quarter: he held the edge very well on the Favre INT and he also shut down a run by Peterson after just a 2 yard gain. He had a great stack 'n shed play in the 2nd quarter where he just threw Loadholt to the side and tackled Peterson after another 2 yard gain and he did a great job of pressuring Jackson on the INT to Whitner in the 3rd quarter. But, he also had times where he rushed too deep and allowed the QB to escape (on Jackson's 9 yard scramble) and also struggled to get off blocks @ times (like on Peterson's 43 yard TD in the 4th quarter, where Shiancoe kicked 'em out nicely). Akin Ayodele must know Peterson's shoe size well, as he probably still has cleat marks on his forehead from being run over TWICE in the 2nd quarter on TD runs by AD. He also lost Kleinsasser on a 12 yard underneath route in the 2nd quarter. He did finish w/ 10 tackles though. Moats made the big pressure on Favre, which resulted in Florence's first INT. He also did well in pressuring from McKinnie's side, something I did not expect. The more I see Moats in there, the more I like what he can become. The secondary did okay. Florence came up w/ a pair of early picks, including the one where he read Jackson perfectly, jumped the route, and took of for the Bills' first TD. McKelvin did have a nice diving INT of his own, but boy did he take it on the chin in this one. He allowed Sidney Rice to snatch an INT right from 'em AND score in the process. Then, not settling for that, he fumbled the ensuing kick return right back to the Vikings to allow 'em to get a stranglehold on the game. He would add an ill timed pass interference call for added measure. He's certainly played better. On Rice's TD snatch from McKelvin, the Bills could've used a more decisive move to get to the play by Donte Whitner. Whitner also picked up a personal foul for hitting Jackson as he went into a slide after a nice scramble for 13 yards. Don't know if I'd call that, as it was right as Jackson began the slide and not seconds later. Ah well. Whitner also was robbed on Peterson's 4th quarter TD run, as Bernard Berrian clearly held Whitner as he tried to get to the outside to stop AD from breaking it long. Whitner also had a nice open field tackle of Gerhart on a 3rd down play that went for 4 yards. Bryan Scott took a horrible angle on the very next play and allowed Gerhart to run free for 13 yards and a first down. Jairus Byrd had a quiet game. I noticed one tackle in run support, but not much else. The special teams had some nice moments. Brian Moorman did well on his punts, especially one in the 2nd quarter where Naaman Roosevelt made a nice tackle and another in the 3rd quarter where Moats had a really nice hit to bring the ballcarrier down. But, they also had some awful moments in kick coverage (including the opening kickoff) and Rian Lindell was a nonfactor due to the Bills offense's lack of....everything. As for coaching, well we know the team made a ton of mistakes and penalties. That's certainly on Chan Gailey and his staff. As for strategy, they had some good ideas and moved the ball some, but the turnovers (5 of 'em) crushed 'em. There was a play that I took some issue w/: why, in the 2nd quarter, did the offense bring Spiller in motion to the left side, but then waited 3 seconds after the motion to snap the ball? If the motion was done to alter the defensive scheme, they had plenty of time to adjust to it. The play ended up being a screen pass to Spiller and, whadda ya know, it was snuffed out for a 3 yard loss by E.J. Henderson. Who woulda thunk it? And so, the Bills had the kinda "exposed as a team that still has a way to go" type game I thought they'd have against Pittsburgh. They just had it a week later. This was just an awful performance, and w/ a team that still has issues in various areas, I guess you could expect to have a game or two like this one. Sucks, but it's time to move on to the next one. Cleveland has played some very good football this year, but they've also played some pretty atrocious games as well. Depending on their mindset on game day, the Bills could win in a rout or struggle to keep it close. What they need to do is just come out strong for these last few weeks and @ least make the statement that they will not quit. We kinda figure that, as we've seen this team take numerous good teams to overtime (only to lose, but I digress). They have it in 'em to play hard and give everyone a good game. Now, it's time to erase this putrid peformance from the memory banks and start anew w/ a win over the Cleve Brownies.