Livinginthepast

The Bills do seem to be really obvious sometimes in their flagrant fouls. The Facemask on Brees today that negated an INT was so blatant. However I think this team is unfairly targeted by the refs for completely bogus penalties. The one on Hughes today that gave the Saints a first down was ridiculous. Hughes was actually rammed into from behind within the 5yd bumping zone and then accused of holding. Of course the clueless Fox coverage didn't bother to replay the imaginary holding at all.

Funny how almost 34 years later I remember the controversy about that play as well although I couldn't remember the exact way it happened. Good thing there is youtube! Seeing it again what a terrible call that was by the refs. Oilers were robbed of a crucial TD in a very close game. They probably would have beaten Ferragamo's Rams in the Superbowl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCFx5jC_q4

I though that was a strange decision by the refs as well. The bills player was tackled from behind out of the endzone to the 2 yrd line.

I would love to know how many years the Buffalo Bills have taken off my life since I have been a fan. I felt physically ill watching that last 30 seconds just waiting for yet another kick in the teeth. That kick was yet another example of either an idiotic coaching decision at a pivotal time or horribly executed play once again at a pivotal time. This special teams coach should be fired anyway for all the gaffes this season. They have lost 2 games because of terrible punt coverages and unbelievably they almost do the same with the game on the line on A KICKOFF!! Only in Buffalo!

That was a totally bogus call. I hate the Pats so its good to see them get jobbed but at the same time how can the refs perceive that was cheating. I thought they called the Pats player for lifting up the guy in front of him to block the kick which is an old penalty. But they call him for pushing his own guy through? was that the actual call? Bizarre!

I slagged him last year for being invisible but he has come around and deserves a game ball today!

I remember that epic AFC championship game in the 79 season against the Steelers. I really thought the oilers were on the brink of being champions despite losing. Instead the following year they fell to pieces with Ken Stabler against the Raiders. After the Bills the Oilers were my favorite team of that era.

What!?? Mooreman did a very high punt on that kick in OT. There were 2 Bills within 10ft of the return man on either side that completely screwed up on the coverage. Not to mention the Holding/illegal blocks from Cincy on the play. Its the Special Teams coverage schemes that have to be improved and players who can tackle properly need to be out there.

Atlanta sucks, period. They choked last year in the playoffs and have buckled under this year to the Dolphins and the mighty Geno. Speaking of which Geno did have a good game but that was more indicative of the swiss cheese secondary of the Falcons and their lack of cojones overall on the D. EJ is better than him. I think the rest of the season will show Geno for what he is... mediocre!

Are they worse than Jeff Tuel?

Bills dropped the ball on this one. They should have been at Freeman Friday morning and sweetened an offer. Freeman had way more on his resume than any of the other choices. Why he would choose Minnesota over Buffalo doesnt make sense to me. I think EJ is still a work in progress. Anyone smart enough to learn the playbook with some natural ability had a chance right away to show what they could do. If Freeman did well and won a few games, there is no guarantee that Marrone rushes EJ back. And yet Freeman thinks that he has a better chance versus Ponder and Cassell to be a long term starter?

At first glance it looked dirty but on replay you can clearly see from the sideline slo mo that a) Hoyer doesnt slide until the last second and is fair game, b)Hoyer also slides awkwardly leading to him getting hit, c) kiko hits him in the shoulder then his helmet hits Hoyers head on the deflection. The Manuel hit was targetted on the knees. Why didnt the defender shove him out of bounds? It was also a very dumb play by EJ. GET THE F out of bounds!! or you will get killed in this league!

"The Browns were who we thought they were......AND WE LET EM OFF THE DAMN HOOK"!!!!!

Being a first round pick doesnt guarantee quality, just ask Brady Quinn and Jamarcus Russell, Hell ask JP Losman. Wheeden was bizarrely old to be a rookie QB in the NFL because he played baseball and went back to college. I dont think he has much more room to develop. What you see is what you get. His completion % was mediocre last year. I dont think it was too much to ask for the Bills D to smell blood in the water and shake him up. Instead they allowed to get comfortable and make those throws.

think that Brandon Wheeden is basically a step above an arena league QB. Sure he made 2 great throws last night, but seriously he just got beat out by a rookie for the job this year. I don't think it is unrealistic to expect an INT with a rusty QB who was getting rushed as well as the Bills D line was doing last night. There were a couple of close plays where the DBs jumped a route or the pass was poorly thrown where they had a pick right in their hands and couldn't close the deal. That kind of play would have shattered Wheeden enough that he would have lost confidence. Instead we got the pathetic coverage of that drive after the Bills went up 24-17 which swung the momentum permanently in the Brown's favor.

The Bills should have won this game going away. The special teams gaffes swung the momentum. Not just the 2 terrible punt covers, but 2 mediocre punts by Powell in the 2nd half. We lost the field position game and once EJ was knocked out there was zero chance that Tuel would be able to string some passes together. Speaking of Tuel, He was really awful. He didnt even look like he should be on the practice squad let alone a backup. What could they possibly have seen in him in the preseason that would have made them think they could rely on him in an emergency like last night? Finally, I am very disappointed in the defense. They played OK but when they really needed a pick or a stop (the 3rd and 18 play!!!) they blew it. They couldnt intercept Brandon Wheeden? Not even once? Not acceptable! This and the Jets game were opportunities lost that will bite them in the butt come playoff time when they are struggling for a WC.

I was curious to see how he would do in the game. It was same old Fitz, some success, some failures, overall mediocre. The second he started bouncing underthrown passes to his receivers I was reminded of why we cut him. He has no arm!!

34 years of watching Bills games and I cannot remember a Bills team with a worse pass defending performance. I have seen them get lit up by Brady and other HOF QBs but seriously when have you seen a Bills defense get torched by a rookie as bad as Smith AND get multiple PI calls in the process? I know they have injuries but is the talent pool at CB is that shallow? These guys were not even turning to look for the ball, How the hell do you get to the NFL and get roasted like that?

Watching the Eagles offence move the ball in the first half last night and slice up the Redskins D brought back some pleasant memories of the Bills no huddle of the early 90s. Jackson and Vick looked like Thurman and Kelly out there. The only problem is (as others have pointed out) is that Vick and Jackson cannot take the pounding and cannot possibly last. The defences out there today are so much bigger, faster and the hits must be so much harder than the glory day days of the K gun. These guys will just wear out under that pace!

I remember Leonhard making a big gaffe on some important play back in the Jauron era when he was here. Was it the Dallas Monday night game? Anyway He went on to the Ravens and played pretty well in that one season if I remember. The rest of his career has been apparently injury plagued.

Yes Spiller was great last year and no I dont agree with the OP's view, however today's fumble was absolutely inexcusable as fumbles go. He basically dropped the ball trying to shift hands, no hit or strip or anything. Set the table for the deadliest QB in history to kill us again. He should have been benched for that to wake his butt up.

If you look at the convoy of 49ers escorting the interceptor down the sidelines on this play, why do they not just obliterate Brady and get him out of the way? There are two 49ers in position that could have done the job. Especially #91. Then they go and screw it up on the next play and dont get any points. I guess they were scared of the "roughing the Brady" rule that the refs have. Cant lay a finger on him!

Is it just me or were there a bunch of really weird calls in the Pats Niners game? Followed up of course with some long wordy and ultimately incomprehensible explanations by Ed Hochuli. The one that really baffled me was when Brady was almost sacked in the 1st half and ended up releasing the ball in an incomplete pass. The pass was a lateral if not slightly backward so it should have been a fumble? Hochuli comes up with some convoluted explanation that because Brady was hit while throwing and he intended to throw it forward (how the hell would Ed know that) it was an incomplete forward pass. But the defender doesnt hit the ball just Brady so how was it not a lateral? and therefore a fumble? Or was this the usual refs helping the Pats BS? And why wasnt it challenged?

Was the Fitz 1st down sneak ever explained?

Yeah it was classless but nothing tops that Ahole bellichick going for 2 against Jaurons bills repeatedly when they were up by 40pts a few years back on a sunday night? game. That was the worse display of sportsmanship I have ever seen. Carroll's was minor in comparisson