R. Rich

Actually, that is correct.

Hahaha!!!

Sure did. All those losers did, meanwhile, was win 14 of their last 15, including the last 12 in a row. That last one was particularly cute, as they beat the Bills by the same exact score in Foxboro. Oh, and they went on to win Super Bowl championship #2 also. That Milloy sure was shrewd.

First off, props to my PENN STATE Nittany Lions!! It was nice to see JoePa back on the sidelines and fiesty as usual. Daryl Clark had a sensational first half as the Nits cruised past Akron (they had BETTER cruise past Akron!!) 31-7. While the running game sputtered (Evan Royster got only 63 yards vs Akron....ugh!), the young crop of receivers didn't fare too badly. They had some bad plays (like Graham Zug not hanging onto the ball after being hit, which led to an INT), but made some good ones, too (Chaz Powell and Derek Moye had strong starts). The defense may have found a quality replacement for the departed Aaron Maybin in another talented sophomore: 6-5, 262 lb Jack Crawford. He was impressive in his first collegiate action and still has a ways to go to reach his potential. Since the Lions don't face a really tough test 'til 09/26, when they hopefully put an end to the curse of Kirk Ferentz by beating Iowa @ home (White Out, anyone?), they should work on beefing up their O line and their running game. If they don't improve much over what I saw Saturday, they're going to underachieve this year. Wow, for the first time in a few years, the Michigan-that school game elicits more than just a yawn from me. Both teams looked impressive in their tune up games: that school handily beating Nevada 35-0 while the Wolverines took out Western Michigan 31-7. I think Michigan QB Tate Forcier has the potential to be a very good one. He was very poised for a freshman, I thought. Meanwhile, Jimmy Clausen actually looked more like the guy who everyone thought he was coming out of high school years ago. Throwing for 315 yards and 4 TDs while having only 3 incompletions all day, he appeared to be shaking off the stink of the past few years. Only time will tell if this was a flash in the pan-type performance by him, or if he's finally ready to move into the elite QB status. A huge effort against Michigan will go a long way to showing what he's got. Plenty has been said of the ugliness associated w/ the Boise State-Oregon game, so we'll focus on the game itself. The Boise defense was outstanding, forcing the Ducks to scramble for answers all night. I'm still scratching my head @ the call to run an option play while nearly in your own end zone. A slow developing running play deep in your end zone against a defense that has stymied you all game? Any wonder why it was a safety? None here, either. The Ducks, the most prolific offense in the NCAA last season, managed just 152 yards against Boise, their worst outing in 15 years. Now THAT'S defense! Man, I love college football. I love the quote from Bronco RB DJ Harper, who ran for 88 yards and a TD: "They came out talking a little bit thinking they owed us something, and we just came out and played our game,". Or, as Lawrence Taylor (aka the real LT) once said to Mickey Shuler after getting some payback on him for a cheap shot, "Hey, you just play, baby. Just play." How many of you watched last night's brilliant goal line stand by the U? I was impressed. They could've folded and quit in this game, but they hung in there and snatched this one from the 'Noles. Close call, but no catch by FSU's Jarmon Fortson! How in the heck did FSU, leading 23-17 after 3, let the U whoop up on 'em 21-11 in the 4th? Christian Ponder looked solid out the gate in the 2nd half. They had things going their way. Until... As for the games I watched and my predictions.... Oregon @ Boise State My Prediction: Oregon 27 - Boise State 17 Final Score: Boise State 19 - Oregon 8 Yeah, I was a bit off on this one. Yikes. Great effort by the Broncs to shut Oregon up and to show everyone that they truly are for real. I did get that part right! Georgia @ Oklahoma State My Prediction: Oklahoma State 34 - Georgia 23 Final Score: Oklahoma State 24 - Georgia 10 This was even more of a runaway than I thought. I love how All America WR Dez Bryant rallied back from being rocked on one play to making a highlight reel TD catch later. He looked great in this win. BYU @ Oklahoma My Prediction: Oklahoma 38 - BYU 20 Final Score: BYU 14 - Oklahoma 13 Well, the injury to All America and Hypeman Trophy QB Sam Bradford certainly hampered the Sooners. But, give credit to BYU for showing up and refusing to lay down to Bob Stoops' mighty team. Even w/ Bradford's injury, the Sooners had the lead and just needed a defensive stand, from a Bob Stoops defense, to win the game. Or, even after the defense squandered the lead, they could've come back and won after getting down to BYU's 32 yard line. From there, RT Corey Brandon got a false start penalty called against him (his 5th penalty and OU's 9th), which made for a long FG attempt that fell short. Choke job by just 'bout any definition......even considering Bradford's injury. Virginia Tech @ Alabama My Prediction: Alabama 24 - Virginia Tech 13 Final Score: Alabama 34 - Virginia Tech 24 A lot was up to Tyrod Taylor's ability to generate offense. Well...no. He ran for just 26 yards on 10 attempts, and that's his strong point. His passing was equally subpar: 9 of 20 for 91 yards. Were it not for typical Beamer Ball, including some great defense and special teams play, this would've been a blowout.

The one on ESPN's "clubhouse" isn't too bad in terms of activity, but mainly you just get a bunch of whining after losses or a lot of trolling from fans of opposing teams. But, it is active.

13 days and counting!!!

I travel all the way from Hamburg to see the home opener every year. Two Bills Drive is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I was born and raised in Erie Pa also. Nice to know there's a few of us out there. You should check the Tailgate forums to see where trips are being organized for. Aussiew lives in the Dallas area, I think, and she does a pretty good job of setting things up for different road games.

I think you've been raked over the coals enough for the "offense is fixed" statement. As to your defensive suggestions: Cutting 'em would hurt the Bills from a depth standpoint. Both are their starters, whether we fans agree w/ that or not. That means you're going to have to either find a better quality replacement from outside your roster to fill those spots, or hope you have the answer on your roster already and shuffle the lineup a bit. I like Nic Harris and I think he would fare no wose than Ellison (though I have to admit, Ellison has made some nice plays w/ his hitting ability), but are the Bills going to rely on Denney to be the guy w/ Kelsay gone? Ah, so Maybin moves into Ellison's spot, and we are indeed relying on Denney full time @ LDE. Yikes. Maybin's first step is as good as advertised. His issues are in his decision making on the fly (see the Roethlisberger scramble and throw to Heath Miller from last week's Bills-Stillers game) and he is not a guy who I would feel comfortable w/ seeing him out in space in terms of covering the flat. Okay, your first 3rd point.....Maybin has issues in coverage and his instincts aren't fine tuned enough that he'd be reliable on the edge as a weak side 'backer. Bad move. As to the 2nd 3rd point...right now, this is really Maybin's best role: situational pass rusher. Playing the deep middle is a tough task. Asking a rookie to handle it is entrusting a LOT to a guy who hasn't proven he can be relied upon. I'd like to see a lot more of Byrd before I could see the Bills hand that over to 'em. As for Whitner, he's a good strong safety, not a great one. He allows the Bills to do more, as he can cover the inside receivers in nickel and dime situations, but those who are looking for tons of picks and scores like Ed Reed or looking for lots of havoc wreaking in the box ala Troy Polamalu and Bob Sanders are going to continue to be disappointed. The way the Bills ran the no huddle was more of a "sugar huddle", where they called things @ the line of scrimmage. They didn't run a fast paced, two minute type offense. The defense was "rushed" back onto the field due to the inability of the offense to consistently move the ball down the field. That would've happened even if they had a more traditional huddle.

Hahaha!!! It's a celebration!

Actually, he does indeed know what he's talking 'bout. Just a case of sarcasm not spelled out for the masses. That's all.

Hey, Mike, I'm trying. I play the Powerball and Mega Millions all the time. Once I win enough to purchase the Bills (I'm sure I can win 'bout 4 or 5 jackpots and then quit), then we'll see some real change.

You sure won't see Calvin Johnson having that measure of success during the regular season. He won't be going up against the likes of Ellis Lankster then.

Yep. I trust Mr Polian to right our ship, just like he did before. I was there back in those days and you're right. It wasn't the greatest feeling in th world.

Heck, I question Tebow's arm strength. One of the throws he made in the game vs Alabama was a wounded duck of a throw for a 3rd down conversion thanks only to a wonderful play by TE Aaron Hernandez (he's really good, by the way). The win loss records have little to do w/ a QB's ability to transfer his skills from the collegiate to the professional level. If it were more relevant, Eric Crouch would've been a dominant pro passer instead of a kid who whined 'bout playing safety and quit on the NFL.

He definitely possess some freakish skills. But, the Young comparison falls short when you realize that Young finished his BYU career as the NCAA's all time leading passer. Then again, so was another BYU signall caller....Jim McMahon. So, take that for what it's worth, I guess. I don't know if he'll be some stud or not. I only know that as unsure a process as the draft is, I wouldn't want to enhance my doubt by using a high pick on a guy who may or may not have the raw tools needed @ the next level.

Go ahead, then.

I wonder if "preparing for New England" also means the team will anticipate and be ready to counter a 3-4 defense.

It's not what you have to pick from, it's who you pick. Mike Tomlin was a coordinator of all of one season (and a 6-10 season @ that, if I recall) and he's turned out to be a fantastic head coach. Sean Payton and John Fox were both candidates for the Bills' job that were passed over for Gregg Williams. None of the 3 had head coaching experience, yet Fox and Payton have done a pretty good job given their opportunities. Pick the right coach, and it doesn't matter if they have prior experience or not.

UPDATED 09/04/09: I still need for all the owners to designate their keeper players. So far, only the following teams have done so: Absolut Power Wu Tang Financial Kickin Wing BUFFALO RULES Pro Bowler Grilled Mahi-Mahi The Rising Blitzing Barracudas Raging Waves Also, the following teams have paid their fees for the season: Absolut Power Blitzing Barracudas Raging Waves The Rising Grilled Mahi-Mahi BUFFALO RULES You can post keepers on the league's message board in the designated thread and get those fees sent in via PayPal (RRich@GoBills.net).

Still looking for one more interested party. Our online draft will be on Wednesday, September 9 @ 7:00pm EST.

Status quo.

W/ no change in ownership, there's no reason to believe the strategy for hiring coaches will change even if Jauron is let go. Get ready for the next Mularkey or Williams if that happens. The dream scenario Bills fans need in order for our teams' fortunes to change (new ownership, hopefully w/ a committment to keeping the team in Buffalo and w/ the ability and willingness to do what it takes to make the team a winner again) is just that; a dream.

Man, was I wrong on that game. Oregon has got to get better @ making in-game adjustments. Boise State came in and ran the ball strong against the Ducks, and they never countered it. They also never got their spread offense going. First year head coach Chip Kelly looked eerily similar to Dick Jauron in terms of game strategy. Trying a slow developing option play in your OWN endzone was just silly, and they paid for it. Time to go back to the drawing board, Chip.

Why, are the Bills going to move to the NCAA? You may want to check this article out.

You've been 'round long enough to know not to even ask such question, Gerry.