BillsObserver

Just so you guys know, this Joe guy has broken a few stories in the past (mostly related to the Sabres which is why I started to follow him on twitter). His twitter handle is @JoeBuffaloWins. Very opinionated. Doesn't give a crap what anyone thinks about him but guys like Jeremy White of WGR have given him credit on being the first guy to report certain things in the past (another reason why I followed him). Not sure who he knows or how he gets his information but the guy is connected in some way and hasn't leaked bad information since I started to follow him. I know Kelly the Dog has a hard time believing the story but this guy has been spot on in the past.

It's just a humblebrag, guys. This guy desperately seeks attention. Likes to be seen with big stars. Retweets anyone who has anything positive to say about him.

He's the best in the world at what he does.

1) No maybe's about it. Jets were the better team. 2) Well, the good thing about us playing ourselves is at least we're guaranteed a win

I hate the Jets. I hate Rex Ryan. I hate Tomlinson. I hate Mark Sanchez. In that exact order (I only hate Sanchez less because he doesn't scare me in the least bit)

I've had a theory about Fitz dating back to preseason. At some point he hurt his finger (some say he hit it on someones helmet and I think this may have happened in the preseason) and he's been playing with the minor injury throughout the season. It would explain why his deep throws have been way off. I want to say it was a few weeks ago (maybe the game before the bye) where they showed him on the sidelines RIGHT after a series and he was definitely wincing in pain and moving his hand around. I'm not saying the guy could always throw the deep ball with perfection but he was more accurate with it last year. And I don't think there's a chance he would not play because of a finger injury.

Hate to say this but I sense that Stevie is not anywhere close to being a priority as far as re-signing and I'm not sure why. (only thing I can think of is Stevie would prefer long term stability (and they know it) and not the franchise tag which is what has been leaked recently. but why would the team want to franchise him when they can resign him for less than the price of the franchise tag? are they unsure of stevie or do they believe wide receivers are easy to find? or is this simply a negotiating tactic? just asking questions)

That's how I feel after watching this video. Awesome stuff. And I do hope Fred gets paid at some point. Love his story. Never give up!

Congrats Ryan. Hard work does pay off. Patience too.

Thank you SJ. Means a lot! Any additional traffic is always helpful. I do believe because of our injuries (most notably Kyle Williams) that this game could be closer than we'd like. Throw in the fact that it's basically in a neutral site and that our line is being shuffled around, it doesn't seem like a 7 point game. Believe me, I'd love it if the Bills hammered them. If this game was at the Ralph, I'd feel much better about it. I think the bye week will be a big advantage for us. Gailey will have a good gameplan. We were really sharp coming off the bye last season. The guys should be ready! GO BILLS!!

I understand he's 0-6 but 5 of those losses came in 2007 when he was a ROOKIE with the Dolphins. Kid didn't even have a chance back then. He's a much better QB compared to that time. Period. Thank you. Aside from the penalties (which I was able to skip thanks to the Game Pass 10 second fast forward feature), the game was actually pretty damn interesting.

Decided to watch this past week's Panthers vs Redskins game for a few different reasons but mostly to see if the Redskins were any good. The first thing I heard from most people after their loss to the Panthers was - "they lost to the Panthers, they must suck!" I had to see for myself.. so here's what I observed.. John Beck is better than Rex Grossman. He is a pretty mobile quarterback so he's a dual threat, something Grossman wasn't. They love rolling him out. He reminded me of Jake Plummer at times, a guy who can throw on the run and create first downs with his scrambling. Before his injury, Tim Hightower was really effective. He is the best of the 3 backs they have so the Bills got a bit lucky that he's gone for the year because he was carving that Panthers D up before his injury. Yes, I am aware that the Panthers D isn't very good (secondary is surprisingly good but 2 big injuries to their LB core have really hurt them against the run). Without Hightower, I don't think the Redskins run game will be as effective. Torain and Helu aren't bad but I don't think they're the game changing back that Hightower can be. Losing Santana Moss will also hurt them a bit as he made a few plays in the first half. Their #1 target from that point was Jabar Gaffney (remember him?). Beck was looking for Gaffney constantly until about the 2nd half when he finally opened up the pass game and targeted Fred Davis quite a bit. Gaffney actually got open quite a bit until the Panthers decided to double him. Fred Davis is a very good Tight End. He's 3rd in the league in receiving yards among tight ends. Beck and Davis seemed to develop some chemistry as the game went on. They have 2 other receivers that caught a few balls, #18 Terrence Austin and Anthony Armstrong, both smaller/quicker type receivers. Neither is much of a threat. Bills need to focus on Davis and Gaffney. Beck looks his worst when you bring the blitz, especially on 3rd downs. He tends to hold on the ball 1 second too long and the Panthers made him pay for it a few times causing a fumble and a few sacks. When you don't bring the blitz and give Beck some time, he's actually pretty good (I guess that goes for most QBs). Beck found open guys quite a bit in the 2nd half when the Panthers weren't bringing the heat. So the key for us, bring guys and get through - something we've struggled with recently. Beck was really shaky at the beginning of the game (nerves?) and threw a ball that should have been picked off and took a sack and fumbled on the same drive. Get to him early and you might create a turnover. Once he settled in, which I would say happened somewhere in the middle of the 2nd quarter, he was actually pretty effective. But the Redskins run, run, run that ball until they have to throw. This is what scares me a bit - they had some longer drives that ended poorly because of either stupid penalties (god, this game was ridiculous with the flags) or a turnover. If they clean that up, the Bills will need to counter with long drives of their own. As for their D - potentially losing Fletcher (hamstring) will hurt them as this guy was all over the field and making plays despite being 867 years old. Here's the story with their D - you can run on them but they bring GOOD pressure on passing plays with a 4 man front. Orakpo is really imposing. Kerrigan is actually pretty damn good for a rookie. I didn't think much of him at the draft but I can admit I was wrong, he is able to get consistent pressure. The Bills will have to rely on Fitzpatricks quick reads on passing downs because the 'Skins brought a lot of pressure and cracked Newton a few times. I was shocked when Orakpo came in clean on one passing play and absolutely smashed Newton from his blind side and then Newton just got up like nothing happened. Any other QB would have been hurt from this play. Then again, Newton is almost as big as Orakpo. Bills will need to run Fred and occasionally throw Spiller in there because the Panthers really ran the ball well with their 2 smaller, quicker backs (Stewart/Williams). I'm not saying Spiller should start or anything but he needs to get involved in the run game. His quickness will help get him through those edge rushers. I have total faith that Fred will also get his yards too. The Redskins will get pressure with our offensive line currently out of sorts. So I hope we see a steady dose of the run game and if the Bills can get ahead and force the Redskins to play from behind, I like our chances. But if they get pass happy and we see the Fitz from 2 weeks ago, this game will be much closer than people expect. So basically, if you saw the score of the Panthers/Redskins game and dismissed the Redskins because of it, you shouldn't totally count them out. Newton was just too damn good in the second half, throwing the ball with tremendous confidence and they ran the ball really well. But the 'Skins were never really out of it. Turnovers, settling for field goals and penalties set them back many times. Once Beck got in the groove, he was moving the offense down the field. And I'm not saying our D is worse than the Panthers, I just don't like our D as much when Kyle Williams isn't out there. One other side note - Cam Newton and Steve Smith are a hell of a combo. Smith looks absolutely rejuvenated out there. Newton was putting the ball only where Smith could get it and Smith was making every catch possible. Super impressive. Newton started off slow, was really inaccurate at first and relied more on his feet but at some point his confidence kicked in and he was throwing that ball around looking like an elite passer. The Panthers gave the Packers and the Saints a hell of a fight. If they can shore up their D, they will be an immediate contender because of Newton's playmaking ability.

I'd rather wait until the Pats cut Ochocinco next year and give him a shot as opposed to a guy coming off a serious injury. And Jones will be ready sooner than we expect. I just didn't realize how important Jones was to this offense.

Just imagine - if Kyle never had this lingering issue, it's entirely possible we win both of the games we lost. He's that important.. Get him healthy. Somehow, some way.

Giants double teamed Dareus most of the game. Troup should be ready. Heard will get a ton of time.

Spencer Johnson would fill in

Just have to hope Troup is better by then. He said, on his twitter account, that he's getting close. Count on Dareus, Troup and Heard (a bit scary, I know).

Better hope not. To be clear, he was absolutely awful at the DT position. Don't care how much you like him, there's no denying how brutal he was at DT.

Just ordered one for the mancave. Thanks for posting 26cornerblitz.

Well, seeing as how Grossman will never get you anywhere.. it's better than that. Beck's ceiling is unknown at this point. He was okay from what I saw in preseason but we all know how that goes. I have my doubts but one thing I don't doubt is Grossman will never, ever be a QB that you can go far with. Ever. I've seen a fair amount of Skins games this year and Grossman choked in the 2 biggest games for them. He was timid, afraid to make the throw and when he did, they were picked off.

I don't think Florence was the sole reason we lost as the OP suggested. Fitz's interception completely changed the complexion of the game. Don't get me wrong, Florence was brutal on that drive.

No, it's not that simple. There's actually a lot more to it, in my opinion.

D. Bell is looking probably for the Redskins game. Gailey was encouraged with his progress. D. Jones claimed he would be back after the bye but that's pretty optimistic. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back for the Cowboys game. S. Merriman is confident that he'll be back for the Redskins game. Besides the Achilles flare up, his shoulder has been bothering him since week 1 when someone landed on it. I wonder how close that is to being healthy? C. Hairston - already noted by many. C. Kelsay - calf injury that should be ready to go for the Redskins game. K. Williams - undergoing several tests on his foot to determine the severity of the problem, something that has been lingering since camp. A. Williams is shooting for 3-4 weeks.

Heard starting? Yikes. Not sure about this one, fellas. Can't allow the homer in me to say we'll be okay. Fitz and Fred are going to have to play BIG games in order for us to be in this one. GO BILLS.

Troup has had back issues. And Kyle Williams has had an ankle problem (that has worsened recently) since camp. Could explain why he doesn't look like the beast he was last year.