BuffaloWings

If you're referring to yesterday, I wouldn't pin this solely on the OL. Trent missed some reads and didn't react well to the blitz. On one play, Owens was matched up against a linebacker and Trent didn't see it. I've been a fan of Trent since he started playing, but he needs to step it up and make the reads a QB needs to make.

Thing is....the power rankings should (in theory) reflect that the Bills could be around the same number the Patriots* are at - simply because they went toe to toe with them in Foxboro, the Patriots* then lost to a better team, and the Bills beat a weaker team. It really should be all about how well you play against your opponents. Because NE* looks very beatable, they should be lower. The Bills should probably not be behind Miami, but Miami played Indy very well last night. I don't know how well they looked in Week 1, but if they stood with Atlanta for a while and made things look difficult for them, then I can see it. It's all a matter of perspective, which is why these things are released....generates an awful lot of discussion.

It'll be more huge for Miami if they're 0-3. They'll be playing desperate next week...imagine what they'll be like if they come back home winless.

That's what I've been doing. NBC is becoming all about their analysts and not the game. As for the "fastest 3 minutes", I'm thinking they're only picking the high-profile games to give the highlights of. I mean, they can't possibly cover all 15 games in that amount of time, can they?

Indirectly, you could make an argument that it was. The TB defender tackling Jackson was the guy that Roscoe should have blocked. The defender didn't cause the fumble - the ball just jumped out of Jackson's hands - but if he wasn't there trying to make the play, who says Jackson definitely fumbles? Splitting hairs, yes, but it's all connected.

I don't know if anyone else feels the same, but it seems to me that the Sunday evening highlights show just went straight down the toilet once NBC took over. I watched my recording of Sunday's show last night and they breezed through the actual highlights, showing 2 or 3 plays per game. I think they even covered 7 games in the first five minutes of highlights. I realize they were probably trying to interview every Dallas Cowboy on earth as it was national Dallas Cowboys day with the opening of their new "facility", but this was beyond ridiculous. In the 75 minutes of the show, I think 15 was actual highlights of the games. As much as E$SPN is hated (for legitimate reasons), I really do miss their Primetime show. They wouldn't just show the scoring plays, but dive into the crucial, non-scoring plays that were game-affecting. They just did a better job with all of it than NBC has ever done. Besides, we can only take so much of Olbermann & Patrick anymore.

Believe me...I think the ones they have actually are laden with the Bills logo. They're fans...they know.

Apologies if this is not the right place to post this - mods, please feel free to move where it's appropriate, if necessary. Does anyone know the policy for kids under the age of 3? I'm planning on being at the game this week and realized my friends will be bringing their 4-month old to the game. The infant doesn't need a ticket, correct? TIA!

As important as that play was (and as much as I was surprised by it), the more important piece was the defense shutting down TB in the 3rd quarter. After the Jackson fumble and resulting TD, I had the feeling we were going down the same road once again. You could see how flat the offense was, but I was happy with the D's performance in the 3rd. The offense eventually came around and got some points, but the 3rd quarter defense was a big contributor to the win, IMO.

I appreciate the effort put into this, but I think it's over-analyzing it a bit. The defense had been playing well enough and by getting points, you stymie a little momentum. If you go for it and miss, it gives the Bucs a little bit of momentum. If I was a coach, I'd be thinking more about the flow of the game instead of statistical analysis about what happens if you go for it. I know there's 2:00 left and they'd have to go the entire field, but they'd only need a TD and FG to tie if you don't convert. Kicking a FG is much less risk and would force the Bucs to have to drive the field twice with no timeouts. I realize a TD there officially puts the game away, but there's much more risk involved. I know we want Jauron to have some guts now & then, but that wasn't the time. FG was the right call.

It almost seemed like he wasn't sure who he should have thrown to. I don't remember for sure, but I thought there was Evans open underneath and another receiver open deep. He threw right in between them. Trent made a few mistakes, but I thought he had a good game. These are things he can focus on for next week.

I can't believe what I'm seeing here....are you guys just trying to make up garbage to complain about Jauron??? Kicking the FG was the right call. It's a chip shot. If Lindell makes it, the Bills are up by two TOUCHDOWNS, not just two scores. TB would need to get into the end zone twice, instead of once. Yes, it's 13 points and two TDs with extra points would beat you, but if your defense can't prevent them from getting into the end zone twice with that amount of time left, you don't deserve to win. No mathematician is needed - only someone with first grade math level. The Bills win and we still find a way to bash the coach.

Agreed. The int in the second half was also a poorly-thrown ball and he could have gotten rid of the ball quicker a couple of times. Plus, he MUST learn to slide on occasion. I love the Jim Kelly-type toughness, but with his concussion & injury history, he's going to have to wimp out every now & then.

This team is Fox's #2 broadcast team behind Buck & Aikman. If it wasn't for Buck's arrogance and Aikman's star power, they'd be #1. Really, I love these guys because they seem to be very blue-collar...especially Moose. They're fair with both teams and don't always gloat about one team's star. Siragusa can be a bit annoying, but he does add some comic relief. Kenny Albert has always been good at whatever sport he does - football, baseball, and hockey. Compare them to Gumbel & Dierdorf doing the Jets-Pats* game, it was quite a refreshing difference.

Someone said this earlier, but once the Patriots* started winning, the young kids start following them. In addition, their fans (like all Red Sox fans) came out of the woodwork. The fair-weather fans who really didn't have a team started showing their colors, too. Just the way it goes.... Around Albany, you primarily see Jets & Giants stuff for reasons already stated (ad nauseum), Patriots* because of their recent success, Steelers (for the same reason), and Cowboys. It's a decent mix, but it's not like their are no Bills fans around here. I work with a handful and know many more in this area. There are just as many indications of Bills fans as there are Steelers & Cowboys combined, but remember that Albany is a NYC market. Because we see Jets & Giants on TV more often than any other team is why you'll see those teams' colors paraded around. Throw in the training camp at SUNY Albany thing and it makes this more obvious. Just because you were in downtown Albany for a day and didn't see any Bills paraphernalia doesn't mean there are no Bills fans around here. Besides, downtown is littered with politicians, business types, and state employees. You *may* see some Bills shirts on casual Friday, but only from the latter. Had you been in the outlying areas - Guilderland, Colonie, Clifton Park, even Saratoga Springs - you would have found a few, even in the half-day you were here. I drive I-87 every day (arguably the busiest highway in this area) and I can go days without seeing a Bills bumper sticker or license plate frame, but I can also see 5 of those on my way to work on the same morning. Don't judge based on one trip that lasted an entire day...if that.

Same with the Albany area. I think we're even getting the Saints game, too.

It won't end. You know ESPN will milk this as much as they can. It could be week 10, the Bills could be 8-2, and he could make some similar comment that would be construed as him stirring things up, trying to put all the focus on himself. Whether it's TO "ranting" or ESPN blowing it out of proportion, this is what we're signed up for.

And I think the attitude of the team is important. They *should* be pissed off that they lost and it's the coaches' job to remind them of the simple mistakes they made that can be corrected. These guys need to realize that if they can play with the Pats* for 55 minutes, they can play with anyone. Things like holding the DL who's about to blow by you and smash Trent into the turf is one thing (and borderline acceptable), but lining up wrong is worse. Jaworski & Gruden both pointed out how those stupid mistakes on the early downs of a drive killed them.

I honestly thought they had won the game at that point. Once the Pats* answered that, I had the same feeling....

I see where you're coming from, but I'd take it with a grain of salt. Like every other team in the league, it seems to take 45 minutes of game time to get used to the speed and grind of the game. That said, I think there are plenty of positives to take away from this game....even though there were plenty of positives to take away from the 2006 opener, also.

We're all used to it and there's no reason to hide the pain. As pi$$ed off as I was last night, I'm over it also. I'm taking this loss as a positive right now, despite the horrific, heart-breaking nature of it.

Exactly. Trent took what they gave him and the Bills chewed up yards because of it.

I thought playing the CBs on the line of scrimmage would prevent that. They gave the Pats* WRs at least a 7-yard cushion all night. Slants will beat that coverage every day of the week and twice on Sunday. More generally, the only individual to pin this loss on is McKelvin. Not Jauron, not Edwards, not Kelsay or Denney. Despite everything else (a few dropped passes, penalties at bad times), if McKelvin takes a knee, we're talking about the biggest upset in years. I'm not bothered by the attempted return as much as McKelvin not dropping to the ground the moment he felt contact.

To both of you: