The Buffalo Bills 2009 Roster: 80 Players But Who Is Coming Back?

We are going to take a break from the numerous Buffalo Bills head coach rumor articles for one day to remember that their is a team of football players that deserve some attention as we analyze the past season and look to the future.

2009 was a forgettable season if you are a Buffalo Bills fan. At least 20 players were lost to the Injured Reserve list at various points throughout the season. Some early on, some later on, but each move brought in another warm body to fill their roster slot.

There was a football movie made in 2000 called “The Replacements” which starred Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman. That movie could easily have been playing on a never ending loop in the lobby at One Bills Drive all season, as one new player after another would show up for a tryout.

Who knows, if the players union and the NFL can’t iron out a new agreement, maybe the premise of the movie will come to fruition if the league sees a players strike. I hope not.

For all of the personnel that were hired by the Bills, how many of these replacement guys might still fit in to their plans in 2010?

The article is understandably premature in nature, because until the next head coach is inked to a contract, and the draft is concluded, some of these players that were thought to be part of the core, may find themselves to be expendable.

But, if we can gain some reasonable amount of conversation going from this article, about which players Bills fans want to see come back, and which players Bills fans want to see go, then this exercise will have served its’ purpose.

We will go ahead and list the players that saw time with the Bills this year, position by position, and will list them randomly. You can go ahead and rank them according to your own preferences. 

Legend for the roster includes the following abbreviations:

I.R. = Injured Reserve   UFA = Unrestricted Free Agent  PS = Practice Squad Member

RFA = Restricted Free Agent   ERFA = Exclusive Rights Free Agent

UFA/RFA If no new labor deal is negotiated, these UFA’s will then become RFA

 

Defense —Weak against the run. Very good against the pass, and at creating interceptions. Needs to be more durable as a unit, and be able to finish stronger in the second half. Could use some help at linebacker and on the defensive line.

Defensive Line —(14)—Aaron Schobel, Ryan Denney (UFA), Marcus Stroud, Kyle Williams, John McCargo, Spencer Johnson, Chris Kelsay, Chris Ellis, Aaron Maybin, Rashaad Duncan (PS), Corey Mace (PS), Lonnie Harvey (PS) Marcus Smith (I.R.), and Jermaine McGhee (I.R.)

Overview—Schobel showed new life in coming back from his foot problems of 2008. He is currently considering retirement. It would be a big blow to Bills if he opts to hang them up.

Kyle Williams and Marcus Stroud had productive years, and Denney, Johnson and Kelsay had their moments. McCargo had a couple flashes and Maybin was M.I.A. Defensive line applied steady pressure on opposing QB’s which led to a number of interceptions by the opportunistic secondary. 

Linebacking Corps —(10 1/2)—Jon Corto (ERFA), Chris Draft (UFA), Paul Posluszny, Keith Ellison (UFA/RFA & I.R.), Kawika Mitchell (I.R.), Bryan Scott (UFA, LB/S) Nic Harris (I.R.) Marcus Buggs (I.R. & ERFA), Ashlee Palmer, Josh Stamer, and Ryan Manalac (PS). 

Overview—I am counting B. Scott as a half-LB and half-Safety, due to splitting time at both positions during the season. This unit was ravaged by injuries, with all three starters missing considerable time during the year.

Posluszny turned in some nice interceptions, but his sideline to sideline quickness and ability to be taken out of running plays due to poor gap decision-making is still a concern. What degree of health do Mitchell and Ellison have for 2010, and do they even come back? Rookie Nic Harris showed some promise for the time he was in there.

Defensive Secondary —(13 1/2)—Reggie Corner, Drayton Florence, Cary Harris (ERFA), Ellis Lankster, Bryan Scott (UFA), John Wendling, Donte Whitner, George Wilson (UFA/RFA), Ashton Youboty (UFA/RFA), Jairus Byrd (I.R.), Todd Johnson (I.R. & UFA), Terrence McGee (I.R.), Leodis McKelvin (I.R.), and Lydell Sargeant (I.R.).

Overview—This unit was largely responsible for the large increase in turnovers generated by the 2009 team versus the 2008 edition. Buffalo finished tied for second place in the league in picks, as they were led by Pro-Bowl rookie safety Jairus Byrd. Byrd can be something very special if he learns to be a little more physical player against the running game.

Other strong campaigns were turned in by Florence, Scott, and McGee. McKelvin’s season ended way too soon, and Whitner had some moments, but has not lived up to his lofty draft position so far with the Bills.

The rest of the group—Youboty, Corner, Harris, Lankster and Wendling will be fighting for nickel and dime coverage spots and special team roles. Wendling make a number of plays in special teams this year.

 

Offense —Needs to stay on the field more, get a steady offensive line that can play together for a season to gel. Do a better job on first and second down so that they have more manageable third down conversions to keep driving ball down the field.

Offensive Line —(15)—Eric Wood (I.R.), Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner, Jamon Meredith, Brad Butler (I.R.), Jonathan Scott (RFA) Richie Incognito (UFA/RFA), Kendall Simmons (I.R. & UFA), Christian Gaddis (ERFA), Nick Hennessey, Andre Ramsey, Demetrius Bell (I.R.), Jason Watkins (PS), Marvin Philip (I.R.), and Seth McKinney (I.R. & UFA).

Overview—There were at least 10 different starting line combinations used during the year. Levitre and Hangartner were the only two able to stay healthy all season, and they will be counted on next year as well.

Wood shows lots of promise, and Butler was counted on but had a lost year due to early injury.The line rallied late in the season to help Fred Jackson rush for over a thousand yards.

Demetrius Bell is a project that has some upside, as does Jamon Meredith. Curious to see if the Bills bring back either Incognito or Simmons to add to the mix next season. Jonathan Scott also has some upside, but was injured often.  

Quarterbacks —(4)—Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm, and Gibran Hamdon (UFA/RFA). This group underperformed as a whole and it wouldn’t be a surprise if there is at least one and possibly two new additions to this group next year.

Overview—Between the veterans Edwards and Fitzpatrick, neither one was able to consistently get the ball to wide receivers or find ways to convert enough third down plays to have long sustained drives. Fitzpatrick won more, but had very meager stats during most of his starts.

Brohm showed some promise but Perry Fewell only allowed him the one start, so he was basically under wraps during his time with the Bills. A QB coming in the draft is something that could happen in Round One, Two or Three, based on who falls when. Somebody like Bradford or Tebow could find themselves headed to Buffalo.

Running Backs —(5)—Freddie Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Justice Harrison (I.R. & ERFA), Bruce Hall (PS) and Corey McIntyre. Fred Jackson is the class of this group and the Bills should continue to feature him next year. 

Overview—Fred Jackson emerged as a special back this year, becoming the first player in NFL history to gain over 1000 yards rushing, and having more than 1000 yards in the return game in the same season. Jackson was also a solid receiver out of the backfield, ran the Wildcat formation and proved that he can be an accurate passer.

Lynch had a disappointing year, starting with the three game suspension, and then by not doing much with the games he was starting. Lynch is in need of someone coming in that can give him some discipline, while lighting a fire under him at the same time.

As bad as Lynch was, I think you need two backs in the league now, so I do not want to see the Bills trade him away, as tempting as it may be.

Wide Receivers —(9)—Terrell Owens (UFA), Lee Evans, Josh Reed (UFA), Roscoe Parrish, James Hardy, Steve Johnson, C.J. Hawthorne (I.R.), Justin Jenkins, and Felton Huggins (PS).

This unit was counted on to produce big things but the numbers were not up to expectations, due to quarterbacks not having enough time to get the ball down the field to the home run hitters—Evans and Owens. There were flashes of those kind of plays for both, but it didn’t happen often enough to keep defenses honest.

Owens did more in the second half of the season than he did in the first half, and may have earned a return invitation next year. Whether or not he comes back depends on the coach that is hired, who the QB will be, and finding a way to fix the offensive line.

It was a lost year for both Johnson and Hardy, as neither caught many passes or got involved in the offense to further their development. Josh Reed was ignored for the most part, and is a free agent that may not be back with the team.

Tight Ends —(5)—Derek Schouman (RFA & I.R.), Derek Fine (I.R.), Shawn Nelson, Jonathan Stupar (ERFA), Joe Klopfenstein (UFA/RFA). Shouman and Fine going on the I.R. caused the Bills to go with Nelson and Stupar. Except Nelson got hurt, suffered from migraines, and wasn’t really featured very much when he did play.

Schouman started off the year fine, so he and Nelson should be back.

 

Special Teams

Kicker and Punter —Rian Lindell and Brian Moorman. Both had fine seasons and the Bills kicking game is in good shape. Each kicker is an asset to the team and needs to be kept here.

Long Snapper —Garrison Sanborn. Did not have one bad hike on a punt all season. You can’t beat that consistency he provided, so he should return as well.

Overview—The positions that need to be addressed range from offensive line, defensive line, quarterback, linebacker and a wide receiver if T.O. doesn’t return.

I am not opposed to looking at a tight end, especially one like Jermaine Gresham, if he falls down far enough due to the injuries he suffered.

So, there you have it, the entire 2009 roster. If I missed someone, please drop me a comment, and I will make the correction. If you feel strongly about a certain player or want to talk about your favorite players, feel free to add your two cents.

 

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Buffalo Bills: New Decade Starts With Lots Of Excitement

When the Buffalo Bills hired Buddy Nix as their General Manager, the press conference that followed Nix’s introduction included sessions with Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas. That Nix had sought out Kelly and Thomas for their opinion is a sign that this new regime seeks to take advantage of all the assets the Bills have at their disposal.

On Monday, Nix will begin interviewing candidates in earnest, starting with Perry Fewell. There was some type of meeting held with Bill Cowher this past week that included Ralph Wilson and Russ Brandon.

Brian Billick is on the slate for an interview this coming week. The Bills have approached San Diego for permission to interview Ron Rivera, meaning that he has to interview this week due to the Chargers playoff schedule having a bye for the upcoming week.

So for starters, we are looking at names like Bill Cowher, Perry Fewell, Brian Billick, and Ron Rivera coming out of the gate. Is the answer to the Bills woes found within that quartet?

Nix sighted at his press conference that they will put together a priority list of their favorite candidates. They will sit down with each candidate starting at the head of the list (Cowher?) and move down the list from there. Once they have confirmed that there is mutual interest, and they have two or three finalists, they will go to Ralph Wilson for the ultimate stamp of approval.

Nix is not wasting any time. He wants to make things happen. The Bills have players to evaluate, a coaching staff to put together, coordinators to fire and hire, and a team that needs to be examined from top to bottom to figure out who stays, who goes, and who is brought back to compete for a roster spot.

Now that the I.R. list has crossed the 20-man mark, there will be lots of bodies coming in to training camp in 2010 that have some degree of figuring in to the Bills new coaching staff’s plans. Nix is strong in scouting, so expect a strong haul from the draft this year, as his reputation for netting top talent is unquestioned.

I am looking forward to the start of this next decade and hope that this can be looked back to as the starting point of something big that is starting to build in Orchard Park.

 

 

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Buffalo Bills vs. Indy Colts: Week 17 Preview

This coming Sunday the Buffalo Bills will host the Indianapolis Colts to close out the regular 2009 season. The game features two teams at different ends of the spectrum.

For the Colts, coming in with a record of 14-1, their chances at a perfect season came to an end last weekend against the New York Jets. As a result, fans should make sure they are in their seats for the opening kickoff, as the first quarter may be the only time they get to see Peyton Manning perform. 

Could you imagine Peyton Manning playing a full game against a defense that had already placed Terrence McGee, Jairus Byrd, Kawika Mitchell, Leodis McKelvin, and Keith Ellison on season ending I.R.?

What if the Bills declared Marcus Stroud, Bryan Scott, and Nic Harris as out? I shudder to think what the end result of that outcome would have been.

It would almost be laughable. Behind Manning, the Colts drive the entire field in three or four plays. The Bills need three or four plays just to get a first down, and don’t succeed at that very often either, as they are last in the league at converting on third down.

How long will the Colts regular offensive and defensive starters go in this game? Hard to tell now, but there is little motivation for them to play the entire game. The Colts have already clinched home field advantage in the AFC throughout the playoffs.

For the Bills, sitting at 5-10, this is their final chance to leave an impression on video tape for the new regime coming in to analyze their play. Whoever is hired in the offseason to take over, will be pouring over these final game tapes to see who continued to play hard, and who was going through the motions. Your standard video resume.

This is a difficult game to preview or forecast because of the unique circumstances leading up to it. If the Colts wind up resting all their starters in the second half and playing only their reserve guys, the Bills may find themselves winning this game. A win would create a positive ending to this forgettable season.

Trying to prepare for the playoffs, the Colts came up with 29 players on their injury list for this week, even though quite a few players on that list practiced fully on Wednesday. Expect the Colts to sit out a number of these guys as a precautionary measure against further injury.

Having a big injury list is nothing new to Bills fans, and true to form, the Bills will have a number of players missing this game as well. 

So far, we know that Bryan Scott and Jonathan Scott will both be out (Great Scott!). Andre Ramsey, fresh off of the practice squad, will be starting on the offensive line. Other Bills that missed practice this week include: Marcus Stroud, Jamon Meredith, Nic Harris, Josh Reed, and Jonathan Stupar.

Ramsey has his work cut out for him, as both Colts defensive ends, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, were named to the Pro Bowl team. Good luck Andre, and while I am at it, good luck to whoever is playing QB behind you.

Speaking of QB, no final word yet on who the Bills will start, Brian Brohm or Ryan Fitzpatrick. Both have issues, but we already know what Fitzpatrick can do. The sample size of Brian Brohm’s work is too small to judge him fairly. I want to see more of Brohm and hope he will start the game.

However, Perry Fewell is coaching to win, and since that is what Ralph Wilson asked him to do when he was handed the interim gig, Fewell is doing everything in his power to win. The Bills are 2-4 under Fewell, and the team battles every week for him.

That is nothing new, as the team battled every week under Dick Jauron as well. Fewell does coach with more passion, but his tenure will probably be the interim assignment only. Whether or not he is retained as Defensive Coordinator remains to be seen.

It is curious that Fewell never did name a new Defensive Coordinator, as he maintained the dual role during his stay as interim head coach. Maybe he was in his defensive coordinator side of the brain when he ordered up the punt on fourth down last week from the Falcons 37 yard line. If he was Head Coach only, maybe he goes for it then?

That example may be a bit of a reach I realize, but is an illustration of why I want the Bills to hire an offensive minded head coach. I have had my share of defensive coordinators running the team.

Fewell’s chance to finish with a winning record wasn’t plausible because of the battered team he inherited. Fewell will be a victim of the Bills many injuries and the limited offensive abilities. He will finish with a losing record as a direct result. Too bad, because Perry deserved a better fate.

 

What Does the Season Finale Mean for Bills Fans?   

This game is meaningful on a number of counts. It marks the end of the decade. A decade that saw the Bills never advance to one single playoff game.

It was also a decade of dreary offenses, poor front office decisions, and a never ending run of failed experiments at quarterback, mixed results in the draft, poor head coaches and general managers.

The end of the season also means that we don’t have to see any more players carted off of the field in to the locker room. No more stories about a running back torching the Bills for over 200 yards. No more losses to make our Monday mornings miserable.

Out with the old and in with the new. Because of the 19 players that the Bills placed on I.R. this year, the team roster has swelled to enormous proportions with all of the replacement players added on. How many of the players that were picked up during the course of the year will be on the 2010 roster? 

Players like Chris Draft, Kendall Simmons or Richie Incognito may be brought back next year to play a role on the team. Depending on whom the Bills draft and sign via free agency, perhaps none of them are brought back.

Many Bills will be playing their final game on Sunday. Is this the last time Terrrell Owens will line up as a Bill? Does Aaron Schobel retire after the year as he has hinted he may do? What about Trent Edwards? Does he come back next year to compete for a starting QB job, or do the Bills release him or trade him away?

For some old Bills, Sunday’s game is a homecoming game and a farewell of sorts at the same time, as Gibran Hamdan and Josh Stamer, recent roster additions due to new injuries, will probably not be back next year.

 

Other Items of Note and Things to Watch for

Congratulations to Jairus Byrd for making the Pro Bowl team. Byrd is the first Bills rookie defensive player to have earned a nod to the Pro Bowl team. Kudos to Kyle Williams for being named as an alternate, and I suspect other Bills will be named as alternates as well. Namely Aaron Schobel and Brian Moorman.

Look for more snaps this week for James Hardy, as he continues to get more involved in the offense. He did not get many plays in last week, but he has a lot of rust to work off. Would be nice to see him receive more targets, especially if Josh Reed sits this game out.

The outcome of this game will determine the Bills final draft position, but for all intensive purposes, we are looking at a slot somewhere in the first 10 picks. That should allow the team to find an impact player, and hopefully not another project like Aaron Maybin.

The only acceptable project I would subscribe to would be for a franchise quarterback selection. Just look at the job that Mark Sanchez did this year with the Jets, and you know that Sam Bradford, Jimmy Claussen, or Colt McCoy would need to spend at least a year to learn and observe from the sidelines.

However, I would be delighted if the Bills select a stud lineman, either on the offense or defense side, to improve our physical line play. We need to run the ball better, and defend the run better, so anybody that will help on either side of the line is a priority.

For what it is worth, try to catch some of the episodes being run on Showtime this week that are looking back at the old AFL. They have some great footage covering the Bills of old.

I especially enjoyed the game footage that featured Harry Jacobs with a microphone. He was barking out defensive alignment calls. They showed the Mike Stratton tackle of Keith Lincoln three times in rapid fashion. That never gets old.

I never tire of seeing Cookie Gilchrist running through tackle after tackle. He desimated old AFC defenders and should be somebody that Marshawn Lynch should be patterning himself after.

Gilchrist was as powerful a running back as the Bills have ever employed. You will see footage of Jack Kemp, Daryl “The Mad Bomber” Lamonica, Ron McDole, etc. Classic stuff. They even had Jim Brown making comments about Gilchrist.

Finally, just a note to say thank you to the many Bills fans that have offered their comments and opinions to my articles throughout the season.This was the first year that I have covered the team in this fashion and it was a learning experience for me.

I have enjoyed writing about the Bills more than you can imagine. I just wish I had more positive things to write about, but I personally don’t like to sugar coat things, so try my best to tell it like it is.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and hearty wish for a healthy and prosperous 2010. Happy New Year!! Go Bills!!

 

 

 

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Desperate for Money NFL Fines Fred Jackson $5,000; for Eye Black Strip

Enough is enough. The National Football League, or more commonly known as the NFL, will be referred to for the rest of this article as N o F ***ing L ogic. They’ve announced that they are fining Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson $5,000.00.

On the surface you say, no big deal, athletes are fined all the time. Until you realize that the reason for the fine is that Fred is guilty of wearing a strip of eye black that doesn’t measure up to No F***ing Logic standards.

Donte Whitner was also fined $7,500.00 this week, but his fine was for taunting. It turns out Whitner actually made a play on defense and felt it necessary to let the Falcons bench know that he did something right. But that is a whole different story.

It is bad enough already that No F***ing Logic had to create their own network, so that people that have not subscribed to it can’t watch Thursday night games from their homes without paying an extra charge. Or that they put fees on organizations that run fantasy football leagues, trading cards, apparel, video games, etc.

Every sponsor that has that little football logo on their advertisements to show that the league has endorsed their product, you know that they are paying a king’s ransom for that right. They are quite simply a greedy, money-hungry organization, no matter how you try to analyze it.

They now deem it necessary to penalize the least assuming player you could possibly imagine for something he has been already doing for the past 47 games. This is just plain illogical to me.

What is funny, is that for the longest time I thought Jackson was paying homage to the Bills defenders, as the black eye would eventually get smeared during the course of the game, and there would be a line running across the three III’s, so it resembled D-ttt (as in D-Fence).

Obviously, I was wrong, but the fact is that it was there for everyone to see, and the idiots at No F***ing Logic headquarters saw no problem with it for almost three solid years.

Fred Jackson, you see, is one of those rare NFL players that made it all the way to the pros from a tiny Division III school, Coe College. As a reminder of where Fred has come from, he writes a small D-III under his eye with the eye black players use to help shield their eyes from the sun.

Consider this as kind of an homage to the underdogs who have dreams that rarely get a chance to be fulfilled. Fred Jackson is an inspiration to the little guy.

This is something Fred has done since his first game with the Bills back in 2007. He has been doing this every week, every game, and not once has No F***ing Logic reached out to him and said that this is not up to code. Please stop the practice.

Instead, without any warning, they just decide to randomly fine him the five grand. Why now? Is it because he is getting close to a 1,000 yard season, and you want to nail him before he becomes a bigger star? Didn’t have enough loose cash in your coffers to give your secretaries a decent Christmas bonus?

If you think it sounds like I am bitter, or angry, then you are correct. The Bills have had another frustrating season and amidst all the injuries, the losses and fired personnel, the year couldn’t end fast enough.

There have been a few individuals that have stood out for me this year. Fred Jackson, Jairus Byrd, Aaron Schobel, Brian Moorman, Rian Lindell, Andy Levitre and Kyle Williams. Those are the players I will remember the most from this dismal season. But Fred Jackson is the one player that stands out the most – head and shoulders over the rest.

Most fines are typical protocol and don’t raise that many eyebrows. The one unusual fine that I agreed with was when Bud Adams, Tennessee Titans owner, was hit with a huge fine for flipping off the Bills team multiple times after the Titans beat us soundly back in week ten.

Bud thought he was clever and would wait until Roger Godell left the owner’s box after the third quarter before he decided to demonstrate his IQ. Bud, you are not exactly a class act either, so I will take advantage of this opportunity to remind everyone of your noble gestures.

It seems that Adams was trying to rid the organization of former demons haunting his club from prior losses they suffered at the hands of the Bills. As if the Nashville Miracle wasn’t enough…..

If No F***ing Logic had any decency, they would have sent Fred a letter in the offseason and said that we feel the symbol you wear under your eye is not according to code, so unless you stop the practice, we will start levying fines against you. That would have been a fair and reasonable way to go about it. But not for the No F***ing Logic, no way!

But to fine Fred Jackson, who is nothing but a first class act? Fred does what is asked of him. He doesn’t complain. He doesn’t seek a ton of publicity.

Jackson has a workman-like attitude that is appreciated by Bills fans. They can relate to him. He takes a pounding each week, but finds ways to grind out additional yards each carry when no hole is there, which seems to be the case most of the time.

I respect Fred Jackson as much as a fan can respect a player he doesn’t know in person. For No F***ing Logic to be so disrespectful to him, is something that just doesn’t sit well with me.

The league should be embarrassed by this incident, as it is something that smacks of no class, and of a greedy and sinister big-brother-is-watching-you kind of organization. Apologies to all I offended due to the language, but I am trying to make a point here.

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Week 16 Preview: Buffalo Bills Mash Unit Limps In To Face Falcons

The shell of a football team that used to be known as the Buffalo Bills, mixed in with a few new warm replacement bodies, will travel down to Atlanta to meet the Falcons this Sunday. Both teams are eliminated from the playoffs, so this should be a contest that will serve as open auditions for the 2010 rosters for both the Bills and Falcons.

The Bills fans have watched in horror all season long as it has been one new name after another going on to the season ending injured reserve list. So this week should be no different.

The Bills officially lost half of their defensive secondary when the team placed Jairus Byrd and Terrence McGee on I.R.

Trent Edwards is done for the year due to a high ankle sprain and may soon follow them on to the I.R. list. The Bills are already at 19 guys out for the rest of the year, and that is a new team record. One of the many things to remember to forget about this year, the special Bills 50th anniversary season.

 

So What Warm Bodies Did the Bills Employ?

The Bills re-signed old third string QB Gibran Hamdan. They also signed old LB Josh Stamer. They also added another LB to the practice squad, Ryan Manalac.

Ryan Fitzpatrick hurt his ankle last Sunday, as did Edwards. So Hamdan was brought back to the team to serve as a backup QB to the Bills new QB, Brian Brohm. The ex-Packers number two draft pick in 2008, Brohm will more than likely see his first NFL start this Sunday.

However, since there are already five Bills lineman on I.R., (Brad Butler, Eric Wood, Demetrius Bell, Seth McKinney and Kendall Simmons), you should not be very surprised if he is being picked up off of the carpet frequently on Sunday.

 

What To Look Forward To If You Are A Bills Fan

Okay, I know you were expecting me to tell you that it is okay to miss this game, and better to erect all the toys for the kids, and to haul the Christmas tree outside, right? Sorry to disappoint you, but I have three things that I think make this game worth watching.

1) Brian Brohm: Depending on what he is able to demonstrate, he might be the QB we have been looking for. Then again, he might not be. He has been under wraps since signing with the Bills over a month ago.

He has talented WR’s to throw to in Evans, Owens, and Reed. He also has Fred Jackson and Shawn Nelson as additional options. Sure, he won’t have any time to throw to them, and that is a given.

But, will he be able to make plays, avoid sacks, use his legs, and be creative? Can he take a hit? Does he have a strong arm? Those are all things that I want to be watching for.

I would like to see the Bills call some passing plays on first down, and give the kid a fighting chance.

2) Terrell Owens: Coming into the game, T.O. only needs two catches to hit the 1,000 mark for his career. That is rarefied air we are talking about, so Bills fans can share in T.O.’s accomplishment, which is indeed special. If he did not get to 1,000 on Sunday, I would be dismayed.

3) Fred Jackson: Only needs to come up another 189 rushing yards over the final two weeks to hit 1,000 yards on the year. Another good goal to shoot for, and one that the remaining healthy members of the team will be motivated to get for Freddy.

I have sung the praises of Fred all year long, and will continue to do so. He is unselfish, is very unassuming, and produces in every phase of the game. He doesn’t fumble, doesn’t complain, and is the consummate team player. Reliable and dependable too.

It would be a toss up for most as to who the Bills team MVP is, between Fred and Jairus Byrd. I would personally vote for Fred, because Byrd still has some holes in his game that need to be shored up.

 

What to Expect From The Bills vs Falcons Game

Atlanta has plenty of weapons in their arsenal. Quarterback Matt Ryan is now back after missing several games with a case of turf toe. He was only able to throw for 152 yards against the Jets last week, but that is nothing to be ashamed of. The Jets secondary is solid.

With the news of McGee and Byrd being gone, that means people like Ashton Yobouty, Reggie Corner, and Donte Whitner are going to be responsible for stepping up to slow down the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Michael Jenkins.

So, if you read through that sentence again, you know that Atlanta should be in for a big day on offense.

They also have Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling to pound the ball on the ground, since Michael Turner is highly unlikely to play due to a high ankle sprain.

The Bills still lead the NFL in interceptions, but without the threat of leading interceptor Jairus Byrd to patrol center field, there is no reason for Matt Ryan to feel tepid about throwing often and long.

Interestingly enough, Paul Posluszny does have a two-game interception streak going, so it will be amazing to see him extend that, although right now nothing surprises me anymore. I am sure that anything is possible.

Believe it or not, the Bills have more sacks than Atlanta, 28 to 25. Buffalo has 26 interceptions, the Falcons only 11. But the Falcons convert 41 percent of their third downs, which is pretty good, while the Bills are sitting at an anemic 25 percent conversion rate.

Atlanta averages 22 points a game, while the Bills average 16 points a game.

 

Bills Leading the League In?

The Bills are first in the league in tackles, interceptions, three-and-out drives, and in our hearts and mind. They are last in the league at converting third downs, rushing defense, and in keeping players healthy.

The tackles blurb is no joke. The Bills have amassed 1174, which is roughly 120 more than Indy at second place. No wonder so many defenders are on the I.R. list.

The Bills no longer lead the NFL in penalties, they have fallen to eighth place in that category, while Atlanta is the third least penalized team, which means they are 29th place as the most penalized team, get it? These Falcons aren’t Dirty Birds.

If Richie Incognito comes up with another three major penalties again this week, the Bills should be notified that the Lions just waived Melvin Fowler. Since we are in to bringing back old players this week, just thought it made sense, you know?

 

So, What Will Happen on Sunday?

I suspect that Brohm will try to get T.O. his two catches in the first quarter or first half to allow him to get the milestone. With that out of the way, T.O. can be a non-factor in the Week 17 game against Indy, allowing the Bills to take a look at either James Hardy or Steve Johnson.

Some of you are muttering under your breath that he is already a non-factor, but that to me is more of a reflection on the level of personnel throwing to him.

Also, expect Brohm to focus on handing the ball off to Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch for the majority of the game. Depending on how much Atlanta wants to blitz him, then he would be wise, or rather Alex Van Pelt would be wise, to call for screens and draws, and keep the Falcons pass rush dialed down a notch, or two or three.

I just hope that Brohm, who suffered from confidence issues while with the Packers, doesn’t run screaming for the hills after this game. Hopefully he will come out of the contest unscathed. Don’t be shocked if Hamdan finally sees some snaps, something he never did in his first two years in Buffalo.

As depressing as it is, I thought I would close with a tip of the hat to the fallen Bills players this season so we can reflect on what could have been for each of them this year.

Here is the list of the current 19 Bills on I.R.

Offense : Brad Butler, Derek Schouman, Eric Wood, Marvin Philip, C.J. Hawthorne, Kendall Simmons, Demetrius Bell, Seth McKinney, Justice Harrison, and Derek Fine.

Defense : Kawika Mitchell, Jairus Byrd, Terrence McGee, Keith Ellison, Leodis McKelvin, Marcus Buggs, Lydell Sergeant, Marcus Smith and Jermaine McGhee.

Happy Holidays to all Bills fans. Hope you are able to share the joy of Christmas with your friends, family, and neighbors. Let’s Go Buffalo!

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Open Letter To Ralph Wilson: The Rest Of The NFL Is Moving On Without You

This is an open letter to Ralph Wilson and anyone else at One Bills Drive that is in position to claim that they have Ralph’s ear:

The time to take charge of the tailspin your team is in, is right now. The organization has been in a funk for the past decade.

You are not alone. There are a host of other NFL organizations that have been doormats in their respective divisions and conferences for many years.

Some of those clubs have decided that they are not going to wait until the end of the season and make a big change then. They have the ability and desire to do something now, and they are not making any apologies for their sense of urgency.

You see there are only a few highly selective individuals capable of turning around the abyss that is known commonly as the Buffalo Bills. There is not any current etiquette book approved by Commissioner Roger Godell that you have to wait for the season to end before naming a new General Manager or a new Head Coach.

Last week the Washington Redskins named Bruce Allen to become their new GM. Seattle Seahawks GM and team president Tim Ruskell left the organization, so you know that Seattle will be looking for a new guy to run the team. Today, Cleveland Browns hired Mike Holmgren to take over as president of the team.

Notice a trend here Ralph? These are all teams with comparable records to the Bills that know they need to overhaul. They are not waiting around for divine intervention. If you snooze, you lose.

The trouble I have with one of the above items was that Mike Shanahan was thought to be a package deal with Bruce Allen, and Daniel Snyder will have no problem stepping up for a big pay day to land Shanahan to run the team. So much for the seven hours that the Bills invested in meeting with Shanahan.

Bill Cowher wants to wait until the end of the season, but what if the Bills are one of seven teams that want to offer him their head coach vacancy? What would set the Bills position apart from the other six, or whatever the final head count vacancy rate turns out to be?

I just have the feeling that while everyone else is taking action, Ralph is still deliberating on his own time table, and since there has been no news at all since the team met with Shanahan a month ago, that worries me greatly.

Mr. Wilson is probably thinking, what do the fans expect? We sent Russ Brandon to sit down with Mike Shanahan. We tried to talk to Bill Cowher. Why can’t they be patient like me?

Everyone has a hot button Ralph. Do a little more research and digging and you will find out what the bottom line is for your top choices at GM, and Head Coach. Take a deep breath and step up to the plate.

Only three more shopping days until Christmas Mr. Wilson. We have been good all season long, and continue to sell out one home game after another for you. Make us happy this Christmas Ralph and make something happen.

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Buffalo-New England: Lucky No. 13 No Problem For Pats, As Bills Fall

When you have to put 15 different players on the Injured Reserve list in one season, your team is in trouble. When you have to pick up a hot-headed offensive lineman that is so bad that the woeful St. Louis Rams waive him, you know that you are really in trouble. Dire Straights, to be precise.

Such is the case for the Buffalo Bills, as new guard Richie Incognito demonstrated for all to see why the Rams let him walk, as Richie Rich (my new nickname for him since he can afford all these hefty fines levied against him by the NFL), was flagged three times for 30 yards in penalties.

Thanks Richie. You wanted a fresh start, and there you go, you had it. Can we now push the eject button on your career as a Buffalo Bill?

Speaking of penalties, it might have been a national holiday—Flag Day to be precise, as the Bills set a record for most penalty yards in the first half of a game this year with 104 yards. Heck, that is more yards than Ryan Fitzpatrick usually throws for in an entire game!

 

 

Patriots Have the Bills Number

 

Today’s win gave New England thirteen straight wins against the Bills, which ties the mark for longest winning streak of any opponent over another team in the NFL. And to think we had a long losing streak before against Miami.

Patriots have now swept the Bills season series for six straight years. Say that five times fast. The streak is getting old, so saying it fast makes it feel less painful in some way.

The win pretty well clinches the AFC East Division for New England, as the Jets and Dolphins both lost today, meaning that the Patriots have a two game lead with two games to go. You have to like their chances to win the division with that kind of a lead.

 

 

What Did The Bills Do Right Today?

 

The Bills won the time of possession battle—33 minutes to 26. Plays were basically dead even. Buffalo outgained New England 241 yards to 224. The Bills only committed one turnover on offense, as did New England.

The Bills defense kept pressure on Tom Brady with a variety of blitzes but never did get to him for a sack. The pressure forced him to throw an interception to Paul Posluszny in the first quarter, but the offense couldn’t capitalize on the turnover.

The pressure forced Brady to complete only five passes in the first half—his lowest total in over three years. In fact, Brady wound up just completing 11 of 23 passes for 115 yards, a TD and an interception, which all adds up to a meager passer rating of 59 (very un-Bradylike).

 

 

So, Why Did The Bills Lose?

 

The first and foremost reason was due to untimely penalties. Twice the Bills were flagged for pass interference calls that set New England up at the one yard line. Both times they converted the ideal set up by scoring touchdowns.

The first call was against Donte Whitner, who was clearly clueless as to where the ball was, and deserved to get flagged. The second call was against Reggie Corner, and seemed to be rather dubious from what I saw.

The big yardage in penalties wasn’t all the fault of the offense this time—four penalties on the defense, six on the offense and one on special teams, which was a big one on Aaron Maybin, when the Bills recovered an onside kick in the final two minutes, only to see the play wiped out due to Maybin jumping the gun on the kick off.

The second reason was the offensive line gave up six sacks to the Patriots, which was their highest total for the year. Bantu-Cain had three sacks alone, and in two of them he manhandled Fred Jackson and Jonathan Scott.

Lack of time to throw by NFL standards has plagued the Bills all season, and today was one more example of how bad it can get.

And not to sound like a broken record, but one more loss can be attributed to the lack of conversions on third down by the Bills. This time, Buffalo only managed to convert twice out of 12 tries on third down.

Just dreadful. The lack of conversions convinced head coach Perry Fewell to bench Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter.

No sooner did Trent Edwards replace him at QB, did we realize that Edwards still hasn’t learned a thing from watching on the sidelines. He was sacked twice out of three plays, and the second sack saw him get hurt and carted away to the locker room.

Is that the final snap we get to see of Trent Edwards? If so, that is probably kind of fitting, as his year could pretty much be described as a disaster, which is what he provided the team in relief today—a disaster.

Perry Fewell went to Edwards hoping he could provide the team a spark. The Bills need to find one of those battery chargers because there just aren’t many sparks or fireworks that will be created by either Fitzpatrick or Edwards at QB.

It should be noted that Fitzpatrick had amassed 101 yards at the time of his benching in the fourth quarter. That means Fitzpatrick had passed for under 300 yards in 11 quarters of football.

Again, this is not up to NFL standards of a winning team. It also means that the Bills are nuts if they don’t give Brian Brohm a chance to show what he can do over the final two games of the schedule. They have absolutely nothing to lose by giving him an audition.

Fitzpatrick is capable of making some plays, but outside of what he did in garbage time, he has not been the answer. To be sure, he is trying to make plays behind a patchwork line.

The offense is not consistent enough to win in the NFL against an average to above average team. The Bills beat bad teams (except those that hail from Cleveland) and can’t beat good teams.

The Bills drove the length of the field with their opening drive (14 plays which was nice to see), only to lose a touchdown due to a penalty on tackle Andre Ramsey, who was just promoted from the practice squad, because tackle Jamon Meredith was declared inactive due to injury.

The lack of consistency from week to week in the offensive line, by shuffling new guys in and out, was costly today. Incognito was awful, as you are expecting someone with five years of experience to show the way on how to play, not on how to kill drives, one after another.

The Bills only had three drives that were of the three-and-out variety. Not great, but not terrible. New England surprisingly had four drives of the three-and-out kind.

 

 

More Injured Bills to Report and Other Bills Bits

 

Besides the injury to Trent Edwards, there were two more Bills that left the game on defense and did not return. Terrence McGee hurt his arm, and Bryan Scott had a head injury. No word yet on severity, but we will know more next week.

The Bills finished the AFC East portion of their schedule today going 2-4, which probably is about right, considering the level of talent we have been reduced to relying on week after week.

As the final two weeks unfold, I want to see Brian Brohm, Steve Johnson and James Hardy get some work. For that matter, Nick Harris, Ashlee Palmer and Chris Ellis too. Give the kids a chance to see what they can do, and reward them for their hard work.

It’s not like the veterans have demonstrated that they are capable of winning on their own. Another loss at home, and a chance for Fewell to take a step up in the minds of the Bills front office, fell short today.

I think we can conclude that there will be a new sheriff in Buffalo next year, but we won’t know who that is for some time to come. So maybe we can all forget about the Bills for one week, and think about the holiday season, cherishing our families and friends, and the spirit of giving.

Happy Holidays to all!!

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Buffalo Bills: Taking a Peek at the 2010 Preliminary Schedule

Since the Buffalo Bills season ends officially on January 3rd, 2010, you already know you won’t be watching them appear in any playoff games again. Instead, you will be anxiously awaiting word for who Ralph Wilson has hired to be the new G.M. and who will be the new head coach.

Shortly after that, there will be news about which free agents the Bills have landed, and what the fate of T.O. is: will he be back for a second year or not?

Then you will be reading all sorts of expert’s projections regarding the 2010 draft. Then you’ll watch the three day draft proceedings, so you are totally up to the minute on everything there is to know about the newest Bills.

Does that sound like you? Well if it does, then you are the type of fan I wrote this article for.

Since the NFL has already announced the preliminary schedule of opponents for 2010, I thought it made sense to add this information in to your analysis, so you are better prepared for football discussions with family and friends over the holidays.

 

Who Do The Bills Play in 2010?

AFC East (twice each), then one game against the AFC North teams and the NFC North teams. That brings us to 14 games. The other two are intra-conference games where the Bills play the team in the AFC West and the AFC South that finishes in the same position in the standings.

So, if the Bills finish in fourth, the other two games are probably against Kansas City and either Houston or Tennessee (to be determined).

The actual schedule will come out in mid-April, but for now it looks like we have the following lineup:

Home Games : New England, New York Jets, Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Detroit. The final game will either be Houston or Tennessee. Obviously, no word yet on which home game goes to Toronto.

Away Games : New England, New York Jets, Miami, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Green Bay and presumably Kansas City.

What to Make Of This Schedule?

One thing I noticed is that the Bills won’t have to log a ton of miles for their away games, so that is nice. They will get to appear in two domes—Minnesota and Toronto.

With the exception of the Kansas City game, every other game on the road next year is against a team with a winning record. The Bills will be facing a difficult road schedule, to say the least.

In the NFC North games, we draw Green Bay and Minnesota on the road while we get the two losing clubs, Chicago and Detroit, at home. I was speculating and wondered, would you rather have that reversed?

Another words, would you rather take your chances that you could still beat the Bears and Lions at their place, and then have a better shot of beating Green Bay and Minnesota in Buffalo?

Taking it a step further, we also get the two AFC losing teams, Pittsburgh and Cleveland at home, while we travel to the two teams with a winning record, Baltimore and Cincinnati. Hmm…Conspiracy theory afloat?

 

Recent Trends

This will mark the third straight year that the Bills play Cleveland and Kansas City. Hopefully, the Bills vs. Cleveland game will not resemble the first two.

So, there you have it Bills fans. Do you think that knowing who the Bills play next year will influence which players they sign as free agents and who they draft?

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Kawika Mitchell Gives a Ringing Endorsement For New Bill Incognito (NOT)

When you are born with the last name of Incognito, the last thing you would think is that news of adding Richie Incognito to your team would be so newsworthy, or make a very big splash. Well it is safe to say that since the Bills claimed him off of the waiver wire from the St. Louis Rams on Tuesday, Incognito is joining the team in anything but clandestine fashion.

It appears that Incognito has garnered a reputation among NFL defensive players as being one of the dirtiest players in the league. Maybe it is fitting he joined the team this week since the Bills will be facing another player with a dirty reputation as well, Vince Wilfolk of the New England Patriots.

In fact, the Patriots featured several dirty players, but half of them retired when Rodney Harrison stepped away from his playing career this season.

For those of you that are in to Twitter, you would have raised an eyebrow if you happened to read how Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell reacted to the news that Incognito had just joined the Bills team.

The quote from Mitchell on Twitter read: “BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT THIS YR. THE GUYS A BUM. DIRTY AND ALWAYS WILL BE. REALLY WISH I WAS PLAYIN RITE NOW. SERIOUSLY… I KNO WE’RE N NEED OF OLINE BUT THIS GUY SUKS BALLS.”

Wow. Talk about a ringing endorsement. Should make for a pretty interesting meeting the first time the two of them are in the locker room together.

Mitchell acknowledged that it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say about his brand new teammate, but he was not about to change his assessment.                                  
Starting guard Lionel Simmons is out this week due to a shoulder injury, so Incognito could very well be another brand new starter on the offensive line for the Bills this year. Just one more name to add to an ever-growing list of names.

For those not aware of Incognito, his reputation is one of a hot-head. You can get under his skin and he will react by losing his cool and over-reacting.

He takes a number of questionable personal foul penalties that are difficult for an offense to overcome. The Rams have had enough of it, and let him walk away.

As challenged as the Bills offense is to generate drives and pick up first downs, it will not take the crowd long to let Richie know how they feel about being set back 15 yards. For Incognito, he wanted to have a fresh start.

Will his past reputation prevent him from making a positive impact on the Bills? Or will Richie sneak out of town at the end of the year Incognito?

 

 

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AFC East: What Are the Chances of a Three-Way Tie with Two Weeks To Go?

Going back to the opening weekend of the 2009 season, the Buffalo Bills traveled to New England to welcome Tom Brady back to the league on Monday Night Football.

Brady had missed the 2008 season due to injuries, and you would have thought that he would have looked somewhat rusty, since he sat out the majority of 2008.

But this is Tom Brady we are talking about, and he excels in the spotlight.

Brady found a way to take apart the Bills‘ pass defense to the tune of 368 passing yards.

The Bills succeeded in applying pressure to Brady throughout the game, and they turned an Aaron Schobel interception into a 26-yard touchdown return.

With 2:30 to play, the Bills were sitting on an 11-point lead at 24-13, a lead you assume would normally hold up.

However, this is the Bills we are talking about, and they do not fare well at all in primetime games.

They currently are sitting on an 0-10 streak in primetime.

The Bills lost that evening 25-24, thanks to two touchdown passes from Tom Brady to Ben Watson in the final 2:08 of the game.

Those passes served as bookends to the fumbled kickoff return by Bills’ return specialist Leodis McKelvin.

Since then, the Patriots have not necessarily taken the NFL by storm, going 7-5 over their past dozen games.

Do you think the Bills have revenge on their mind?

What if the Bills succeed in evening up the season series with New England, just as they have already done with both the Jets and the Dolphins?

Should the Bills win on Sunday, and Miami beats the Titans, and the Jets hold off Atlanta, then we would have a three-way tie atop the AFC East at 8-6 with two weeks to go in the season.

That would make for an exciting conclusion to the regular season, to be sure.

How likely is this to happen, you ask?

Bills Defense Will Have To Turn Up Their Game Several Notches

The Bills’ pass defense has been solid most of the season, so seeing them lit up for 368 when they had a full and healthy complement of their defensive team was somewhat of a surprise.

Brady hit Randy Moss and Wes Welker repeatedly.

Moss had 141 yards receiving, while Welker netted 93.

For anyone who has ignored the Bills this year, which is somewhat understandable, you have to know the current secondary is not the same as it was in Week One.

I do believe with the emergence of Jairus Byrd, who finally looked healthy again last weekend, that the Bills will be looking to clamp down on Brady and his receiving corps.

Bryan Scott has been turning in strong performances at linebacker, and George Wilson has also emerged to become a viable safety for the team.

Remember, Byrd had little practice time with the Bills in the preseason, due to a groin injury, and was not much of a factor as he registered three tackles in the opening game.

Since then, he has turned on the jets to become the NFL leader in interceptions, and the Bills’ entire secondary has become a wealth of turnovers, creating 25 picks on the year.

The Bills’ secondary have become film study gurus throughout the year, and you just know they were paying attention to what Carolina did last week to take Randy Moss out of his game.

That leaves the rest of the team to focus on Welker, Brady, Maroney, and Watson.

If the Bills are not able to create any turnovers, I don’t like their chances very much on Sunday.

You will see a trend that in all of their wins this year, turnovers played a big part in the outcome.

That will hold true again on Sunday, if they are to come out on top.

 

Can the Bills’ Offense Score on New England?

Fred Jackson will need another big game, as he accounted for 140 all-purpose yards in Week One.

If Ryan Fitzpatrick continues with a third-straight game of less than 100 yards passing, it would be strange indeed to figure the Bills can win.

Fitzpatrick will have to turn his game up several notches.

Since the game is in Buffalo, there is always the possibility of the weather becoming a factor.

One other thing to acknowledge is that the Bills have finally started the same offensive line alignment for three straight games now.

That hadn’t happened all year, and they did not lose anyone last week, so maybe a degree of continuity is starting to be formed along the offensive line.

Perhaps the Bills will attempt to repeat the game plan of grinding out a bunch of yards on the ground via Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, as the pair combined for almost 200 rushing yards against the Chiefs.

Should the weather dictate that kind of game, things suddenly look better for the Bills, as New England’s leading rusher was Lawrence Maroney, who amassed all of 32 yards in Week One.

The other factor to me, which is kind of a wild card, is that the Bills’ special teams have not had one return for a touchdown yet this season, so you would like to think that after 13 games they are more than overdue to take one to the house.

Moorman and Lindell have both been having great years kicking the ball, so that is another factor favoring Buffalo.

 

What About the Jets and Miami—Can They Uphold Their End of the Equation?

Each team will be up against a fairly strong opponent, as neither Atlanta nor Tennessee are pushovers.

In fact, Tennessee has been on quite a roll since Vince Young took over the reins.

The Bills will have their turn with Atlanta after the New England game.

Should this wind up as a three-way tie with two weeks to go, the Bills can take some level of satisfaction from making things interesting, since they will not be going to the playoffs again.

At this point of the year, all the team has going for it is to play the role of spoiler, play for pride and their jobs, and make Perry Fewell look good as he goes through the final phase of his evaluation for the head coaching on-the-job interview.

Stay tuned to see how it all plays out.

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