Tasker

I love Buffalo, and I love Bills fans. But I think we would lose a whole city of Buffalo vs. whole city of Miami cage match. There are just too many of them, and they have an added criminal edge. Clearly our fans are better fans than theirs, and that goes without saying. But I'm glad it is just 11 against 11 on Sunday, so we can stomp the fish. P.S. I always get disappointed with the concept of "locker room material" helping motivate players. I really hope that as well coached professional athletes they understand how to prepare themselves to perform at their maximum regardless of what is printed in the Miami Herald. It is like a player performing in the clutch. Does that mean he was dogging it and underperforming the rest of the time?

I can't argue here. It is similar to the Babe Ruth vs. Barry Bonds research done in the baseball world. Jim Brown would have been a stud in today's game as well. He would have been in the weight room, and have a full time nutritionist (or Balco rep), and would flat out punish defenses. He would be very fun to watch, and an enormous star. But I still think Barry has the edge. He made some of the most talented and agile athletes in the world look like eight year olds with his stop on a dime and explode in another direction stuff.

I think Barry is the best ever. Jim Brown was pretty incredible, but played a different game in a different era. That conversation turns into a Babe Ruth vs. Barry Bonds discussion. The ideas about dancing and not using holes and getting stopped for a loss makes me laugh a little bit. He did what he did, and it is make believe to talk about him in a different situation, but do many of you remember the teams he played on? Do you think many of the opposing defensive coordinators said "today we have to stop the pass!"? Put him in Jim Brown's era and he might not get tackled at all. Put him on Emmitt's Cowboys and...well let's not go there (like putting Pujols in Coors field). You saw what he did when the entire D keyed on him, got penetration against a weak line that didn't create holes. Put him on a balanced team with a HOF QB and an HOF receiver and a stud line? Wow... And every Thankgiving we got to see him and Emmitt both play, and no offense to Smith, but it was no contest. When Barry retired it was like Michael Jordan the first time...you kept wanting to say "but...c'mon...come back...I just want to see one more game..."

Forget the fix stuff, because it's done, and we have the L. But looking at the game changing INT for a TD by Whitner, I'm really glad we don't have Leinart or Bunkley or Justice instead of him. This team is not going to win the Super Bowl this year, but they are going to compete, win some games, be lots of fun to watch, and start laying down the tracks for some big winning over the next couple years.

I'm sorry to see him go, and think he is a true professional. However I wouldn't get too worried about "rebuilding" stages, etc. We are already as far into that as we are going to get, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ko is a better "now" player as well as a better future player.

Our defense will make adjustments and we will improve on this performance, but it was clearly not a great job stopping the run. It's a shame that Coy Wire missed that tackle, and more of a shame that Dante wasn't in the game to make it. It is not Coy's fault that he is not very good, but I hope we can clearly get Dante starting from week 2 on...and maybe Ko as well.

First Mularkey took Willis out on 3rd downs and goal line, now we are going to take him out on 4th downs too. I guess we could join the idiots who want him benched on 1st and 2nd downs as well I like A-Train as a 2nd back, but let's not jump on the Clueless "Willis isn't a stud" train and it's non-stop service to Stupid Land. The guy is not a model citizen or a Rhodes scholar, but he is one of the most talented football players we have.

I'd like to go on the record now saying I want Roscoe catching every punt possible. That way I can say I told you so when he comes up big.

No, point out flaws and mistakes. The team is doing it themselves, and every team should, and their fans should. But don't lose sight of the good things, because without them you cannot build a good football team. JP did not do a great job on the safety. I don't remember a QB having doing a good job on a safety. He was inches from falling forward and not getting sacked, but didn't see the second defender in time, and was trying to make a play (and could have had he escaped given the matchups he had on each side). But say he falls forward another foot. Moorman with no space punts to about the 38 yard line returned to about the 30 and they are already in field goal range. We lose 20-17 instead of 19-17. If he throws it away they call grounding and it is still a safety. He tried to make a play, and it didn't work out. I am very happy he is our QB, and I look forward to us building a strong team around him. I can't believe Holcomb was actually in the running. The players we have now have to get better through experience (five rookies on the field at one time on D?), the players have to learn the new system, and we have to continue to get better players in here (O-Line, etc.), but this team has a great future if they keep putting things together. Beating NE week 1 would have helped get there sooner, but it didn't happen, so let's get ready for Miami. And please, don't kick puppies.

Exactly. I'm so confused at why we care so much about what the national media thinks of the Bills before we do anything on the field. We know our team is better than the national media gives us credit for, and hopefully we can put together some wins this year to build on in terms of building a winning football team that will win the Super Bowl in the next few years. Then we can complain about respect when we are coming off of winning seasons, home playoff games, and Super Bowl appearances. As a 5-11 team who hasn't made the playoffs in about a century I don't think the national media really need to be on the cutting edge of the Bills bandwagon. Leave the good seats for us Buffalo fans, and let them have standing room only when things get rolling

I'm not going to feed the troll. I know Willis is very very good. D'oh! I just fed the troll.

Sitting Willis would be crazy. He played a good game, and is a star and a stud. I don't know how long he will be with the Bills, but he better play when he is with us, and he better get the ball as often as we can if we want to win. No chance at all you sit one of your best players because he didn't convert a 4th and 1 (Fowler) or based on any other judgement on this game.

In the interview JP said the two times that Evans didn't have a safety over the top and they were looking to him for big plays were both sacks. I too wonder why we didn't take more strikes down the field, at least to stretch it out, and hope we find a way to do that against Miami.

Also, JP can't be faulted for A-Train running for 18. Each QB was in the red zone twice. JP: 1) A-Train TD 2) WM 2yds, Shelton INC, Evans 7yds, WM 0yds Brady: 1) TD pass after 1st and goal from the 3 thanks to two long runs by Maroney 2) Maroney 1yd, INC, touchdown to faulk (great play) So the difference is JP going 7 yards to Evans on 3rd and 8, while Brady when 17 for the TD on 3rd and 9. Clearly a better job by Brady, and probably balances out for the fumble and the INT. But I think having JP play about as well as Brady is a pretty good week 1, and am disappointed that run D and a failed 4th down conversion prevented what would have been a stunning upset and the absolute best learning experience and confidence boost for a young team. It would have been nice if JP could have gotten rid of the ball or been sacked a foot closer to the line of scrimmage, but based on his total performance, I think we should be excited about heading to Miami.

Nope. McGee is too big a threat to play passive scared. When he runs it back he almost always ends up past the 20, and a lot of the time well past it. Fear that he might once in a while end up inside the 20 shouldn't be what gets us. If I recall the field position was pretty similar to NE's touchdown drive after the 4th and 1 failure by us. The difference is they moved the ball, we didn't. Tip your cap, find ways to improve, and start planning for Miami. I hope McGee comes out of the end zone every time against the Fish.

Are you kidding me? Brady fumbled for 7 opponent points, JP was sacked for 2 opponent points. JP played better than Brady overall, although neither was stellar. More importantly neither was the key reason for a win or loss. The Bills got beaten by a better team in a game they could have won. The run D was the biggest problem, although the O-Line cost us on two big plays (not enough protection on the safety, and getting blown up on the 4th and 1). It is an L, and one of the most frustrating kinds, the kind that very easily could have been a W. It doesn't need to be a moral victory, because half the teams lose every week and winning the game was the goal, but it is a game we can build off of, and head down to Miami to win.

This team should have played a better second half and won the game. They didn't. End of story. But I find this game very encouraging. This is not a Super Bowl year. It is a building year to establish a good young team and help them grow into winners. Winning helps more than anything, but there are good 8-8 seasons and useless 8-8 seasons. I like this team.

No, let's worry more about playing quality football and not making costly mistakes, and less about taking out players, and how it would be if the Patriots team bus didn't make it to the stadium (just kidding, no team buses at home). I would much rather TKO force a key fumble or help shut down the middle of the field than knock someone out of the game. It is quality football, not just stars that is winning football, or did you guys not see Frank Reich against the Oilers? I guess Houston just figured if they could knock Kelly and Thurman out of the game, it would be smooth sailing? I will not be disappointed if any Patriot has a minor hamstring pull or ankle sprain that causes them to get some ice instead of making plays, but I don't wish anybody bad or think that the key to our victory lies in the misfortune of others. I look forward to when we can have a good enough team and enough confidence to approach every game knowing if we play good football we should expect to win. I don't think New England is worried about the dropoff from Willis to A-Train and keeping their fingers crossed for an injury...

Right, only scummy if they brought him in as a consultant only, with no real hopes of suiting up for a game for them. Like I said, I think he could reasonably been expected to contribute to the Pats, and this wasn't a scum move. Freddie seemed fairly likely to make the Bills who have outstanding depth and pretty good talent at the positions he plays, so since those positions are weakspots for the Pats, he should have had a fair chance to play and prove himself, and it just didn't work out. Bill B. can stay public enemy #1 because he has earned that role, but I don't think this would have pushed him up from the #2 spot if he weren't already on top.

I don't think the Bills were wronged by this, but I think it is something that could be addressed (like the Seattle-Minnesota stuff), with certain restrictions. If Freddie were not given a chance to play and earn a spot, and was 100% information and wasn't told that, then this is a sleezy move Pats->Freddie. I still think that they probably were interested in him given their weak return game and their shortage of receivers, and realized that if it didn't work out they would at least get some info. If that was the case it seems alright to me.

That better be some damn fine relish to drop $14.50 on. I don't generally find fault in the couple buck relish, but am not an expert.

After Culpepper's not so great night let's see if we can finish week 1 with the #2 QB in the division, and maybe even sole posession of 1st place. If JP went 18/37 and threw a key drive killing 4th quarter INT and followed it up with a INT for a TD in a double digit loss a lot of people here would be in a panic and talking about what QB to draft next June. Hopefully we can work on taking steps forward no matter how the game goes, but I'm looking for a positive Sunday and a chance to win.

I'm disappointed that Whitner isn't starting, but he will play, and he is paying the price for missing more than a week and being behind. It is a tough position to play as a rookie, but I really think he should be playing. I wish the McCargo stuff would stop. He is not competing with Williams. This isn't because of his height or weight, but because of how things have been planned out. The D is built around rotation and high intensity play, and McCargo will get plenty of reps, and have every chance to contribute from week 1 on. I think we got a little too used to the QB competition, and don't realize that D-Tackle isn't a winner take all position.

I agree with the monster season for Willis. I think JPs deep passing game will open things up even more (since Willis had KH start 8 times), and he looked so good in the last preseason game on the opening drive....not just the results, but the little things. It will be nice to have him in on 3rd downs, and it will be nice to give him the ball on 1st and goal from the 5...

We weren't as good as most people thought coming off the 9-7 season, and we aren't as bad as most people think coming off the 5-11 season.