My Friends Call Me Tebucky

Cowher didn't exactly have much success against the Patriots. Don't think his team beat Belichick in a big game since the hoodie was in Cleveland.

It's big plays. In 2007 the Bills defense forced a turnover that directly resulted in a TD or set up the Bills in opposition territory 16 times. This year, they've done it 12 times. In 2007, the Bills offense committed a turnover that direct resulted in TD or set up their opponent in Bills territory 12 times. This year, they've done it 18 times. So, yeah, great, they move down the field better. It's a start, I guess. But they're more careless with the ball than they were last year, and they don't make as many big plays on defense either. Somehow, the Bills are still +3 in points off turnovers differential this year. I guess that can be chalked up to their hot start, but it's pretty crazy given how bad their turnover differential is. Oh well, !@#$ it, the defense still doesn't make enough plays.

Since the coaches are so concerned about not burning Lynch out, and losing instead...I say just don't give the guy any carries and save him for 2010 when we might have new coaches, a chance of winning, Favre, Jenkins, Pennington, and Moss will all be retired or in massive decline mode. There's our chance.

I know the Colts are loathe to spend big money on free agents, but with that new stadium, and a glaring need in the middle, I could very easily see Haynesworth going there. Their defense ain't great, sooner or later they'll be freeing up money because they'll give Harrison the axe (or he'll retire), and they could pry the guy from a very competitive division rival.

Wow, dream on. Switching to a 3-4 would set this franchise back years. I prefer the 3-4 to the 4-3, but that's neither here nor there. Kelsay and Kyle Williams would be out of place in a 3-4, they have long term deals, Wilson won't eat the money. Denney is out of a job, and Stroud is a backup NT in that situation. Johnson would probably be decent as a 3-4 end, but who knows how many snaps that guy can play. MAYBE Williams could cut it as a 3-4 end, but I doubt it. Schobel couldn't even make the transition to linebacker anymore, I don't think. Five years ago he probably could have, but he's getting up there in years and has injury issues. The assets given up in the Stroud trade, drafting Ellis and McCargo so high...not a prayer it happens. If they want to get a DC that will gradually make a shift to the 3-4, that would be cool by me...but the way these coaches are these days, they're in love with their system and tend to trust it over whatever players they have. Witness Gregg Williams and Gray playing that brutal 46 D in 2001, with no talent to speak of...and they got lit up. In terms of personnel and money, it just can't happen right now. If they run a 3-4 defense next year with this current group of players, they'll give up 170 yards a game on the ground. Maybe they should have traded for Rogers or Jenkins, not Stroud.

Ahhh, I had forgotten how bad David Treadwell was. He very nearly had cost Denver a win the week before against Houston by botching an extra point...Elway bailed him out and gave him another chance...good thing Sewell forgot he was supposed to hold on to the ball, or else that could have been a typical Buffalo heartbreaker. Kubiak really had them rolling in the 4th quarter.

I agree completely with this...

Put him on IR, play McKelvin, re-sign him ASAP.

Same stuff, never changes. It's always the coaches, it's always the play-calling, it's always the quarterback with people around here. All 3 can be blamed in part every season. They have average talent at best at every position except running back and punter. They're an average team that will finish with an average record. I want Jauron fired too...but I'm not under any illusion that this is some 12-4 team with a different coach.

It speaks volumes, really, about the loser-mentality us fans of Buffalo sports teams have. We draft players like Poz, Whitner, Evans, etc. very high in the draft and people automatically think they're great. Poz and Whitner don't make plays, period. People trash on McCargo...and I'm not saying he's good, but the guy made more plays last year than Poz or Whitner have this year. DiGiorgio made more plays last year than Poz has this year, backups like George Wilson and Jim Leonard have made more plays over the years than Whitner. With the fanbase, it's always somebody else's fault. It's the scheme, it's the coaching, it's the quarterback, it's the playcalling. It's always something...except the fault of the lousy players Brandon and Co. have assembled. I'm not saying any of these 3 guys suck...but why are they given a free pass? And to whomever called Evans "a stud." Give me a break. He's a deep threat. He's not a stud...he doesn't run anything except go patterns and digs very well. If you want a "stud" receiver look at the numbers Calvin Johnson puts up despite a sh-- group of QBs, or what Boldin and Fitzgerald have done over the years with normally lousy QBs. Does it matter what QB is throwing to Wes Welker or Dwayne Bowe? Andre Johnson hasn't had a consistent, week-to-week, good QB in his whole career...it doesn't stop him from being considered a "stud." The Bills have solid talent at RB, the offensive line, and at corner. They're comparatively weak at WR, TE, LB, safety, and the defensive line. None of their players are superstars...why do people think they are?

I can't believe somebody really called Poz and Whitner "extremely good players and playmakers."

Boohoo for the Chargers. They've been sleep-walking all season long. Tough schedule for sure...but they twice were on the verge of losing to the friggin' Chiefs. One game doesn't make or break a teams' season. They still managed to lose 7 games after that.

Well, considering they had the same cast of characters basically in 2007 and 2008, it's a pretty fair comparison. 2007: 30th ranked offense (277.1), 30th passing (164.6), 15th rush (112.5) 2008: 23rd ranked offense (309.4), 20th passing (195.5), 15th rush (113.9) 2007: 15.8 points/game 2008: 21.9 points/game 2007: 20 offensive touchdowns 2008: 26 offensive touchdowns through 14 games It's easy to bag on Schoenert because they're losing, but they've been considerably less horrible than they were last year on offense. Especially when Edwards has played.

I think they'll beat Denver. It's just a team they match up pretty well with (they don't have an answer for Marshall if Greer remains out though). But they can run all day on that team. Buffalo will beat Denver, San Diego beats Tampa Bay, and San Diego beats Denver in the finale and wins the division at 8-8. It's the perfect storm, all the planets are aligning for it. Jauron gets that 7-9 record that he loves, and the Bills maintain their garbage record against teams that finish over .500 by ensuring that both San Diego and Denver finish 8-8.

I think Lynch has the pure speed. The problem is (in addition to the blocking in front of him) he lacks the ability to make people miss. I think the biggest weakness in his style is his footwork/agility. The first guy almost never brings him down, true. But he doesn't leave linebackers grasping at air...they might not be able to tackle him, but they slow him down enough that there are 3 or 4 other guys ready to pounce on him.

Whether it's too early to tell if he's a bust or not can and will be argued about all off-season. I know it's unrealistic to expect a Hardy thread not to have any of the "bust" talk, but the guy got hurt. He was injured out there playing for "our" team, and it's just kind of sad to read people writing "who cares?" because of the level of player he is. I understand that the two injuries are very different in terms of how serious they are....but there was a guy named Kevin Everett who was a bust as a football player, got seriously injured in a game, and is treated by Bills fans as a hero. Just wish some people had enough class to look past the pure football aspect of it and consider the health and well-being of the injured player as well.

Am I reading that correctly? You had all of that conversation with fans while a pass was in the air?

Realistically would like to see Batch, Leftwich, or Simms out of that group

NFL contaminators?

Really? The good ones were? Bruce Smith went to Virginia Tech...ever been to Blacksburg? Not the warmest place on Earth in the fall and winter months. In addition to the names mentioned above, you have Conlan (Western NY/PA), Talley (Cleveland), Odomes (college ball in Wisconsin), Kelso (Pennsylvania), Wolford (Northern Kentucky), Ritcher (Ohio), Henry Jones (college ball at Illinois), Bentley (Michigan), Lofton (played most of his career in Green Bay), and Beebe (Illinois). Those teams had quite a few players that weren't strangers to cold weather...and a lot of them were impact guys.

I thought they did run a lot of screens early in the season.

Maybe Smith has 40% more targets because he's open more than Evans. Just a wild, crazy thought...

Being white buys him time with the "blue collar" fanbase of Buffalo, but if we're sitting here this time next year and he STILL hasn't made a play, a lot of people are going to be hating on the guy.

I think Poz could be the next Brian Bosworth on the silver screen...and maybe on the field too.

Well a lot can change in the league from year to year, but that schedule is very scary. Even the "bad" teams are pretty good...and nobody on that list seems to be getting worse. The Jaguars should be much better next year than they are this year, if they can get that O-line healthy. We'll probably get the Bengals with an improving defense and healthy Palmer, and a Chiefs team that has enough offense talent to make things happen. Not good.