Dan

Prior to the game, I was looking for several things: 1. Could the coaches improve their play calling and red zone efficiency? Turns out, we didn't get many opportunities but on the one shot in the 1st quarter, it was more of the same. Run, run, pass. Marrone and Hacket just have to improve. I truly don't understand why they haven't. 2. EJ Manuel, would he improve and out play his backups? Turns out he would look abyssmal. I don't know if its Hacket going ultra conservative to "protect" EJ or if EJ just plain sucks. But either way, this was not the same offense we've seen the last couple weeks. It was pathetic. EJ absolutley has to see something more than 10yds down the field. And if he can't, he should be benched. If the coaches won't let him, they should be fired. It's really that simple because what we saw today was not an NFL level offense. 3. Marcus Easley. Turns out he didn't get many opportunities today, either. Oh well. 4. The D line had to get pressure on Big Ben, and they did. But they did it at the expense of stopping the run. The Steelers put up 136yds on the ground today, when they had been averaging about 73yds/game. What good is stopping the pass, if you let them run up and down the field? 5. Kick offs. Well, it seems the pathetic offense made sure we didn't kickk off too much. In short, I saw several areas we needed to improve upon, as it turns out they failed miserably in all areas. It was a team loss. From the coaches on down, this team sucked it up today. Yeah, the offense and EJ out sucked everyone else, but it really was a team wide sucktitude.

Why we have to have sily notions like this after every loss? You're right, Stevie is in no way the reason for our woes. So why continue to rag on him? You don't make a bad team better by dumping the only good players you have.

Week 10: Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 1:00pm TV Network: CBS (TV Map) Announcers: Marv Albert and Rich Gannon DirecTV: 710 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Joe Buscaglia (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo – WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - Sportsnet 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WTKW (99.5/WTKV 105.5) Sirius: 117 ================================================================= Game Preview: While Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is looking for something to turn around his team's disappointing season, the Buffalo Bills hope rookie quarterback EJ Manuel is healthy enough to help them get back on track. Both teams will be trying to avoid a third straight defeat when the Steelers look to continue their dominance over the visiting Bills on Sunday. Buffalo has dropped four straight and eight of nine to the Steelers, including playoffs. The Bills, who last played in Pittsburgh in 2007, are 2-9 there and have been outscored 136-40 during a five-game regular-season and playoff road skid in the series. Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouting Report: Week 10 (from Buffalo Bills.com Chris Brown) NFL.com Video Preview Tunch's Keys to Steelers vs Bills NFL.com Game Center Teams Stats: Bills Steelers Total Yds/Game.... 344.7 341.8 Total Rush.............145.8 73.6 Total Pass............. 198.9 268.1 Points/Game.......... 21.0 19.5 Time of Poss.......... 28.0 30.4 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 362.1 341.2 Rush Yards........... 115.2 131.2 Pass Yards........... 246.9 210.0 Points Allowed........ 26.2 26.0 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Bills NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Goodwin, Marquise WR Hamstring DNP LP FP Probable Lawson, Manny LB Non-injury related - - DNP Questionable Lewis, Thad QB Ribs FP FP FP Probable Manuel, EJ QB Knee FP FP FP Probable Williams, Kyle DL Achilles DNP FP FP Probable Woods, Robert WR Ankle DNP DNP DNP Doubtful Source: BuffaloBills.com Pittsburgh Steelers NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Adams, Mike OT Ribs - - DNP Questionable Beachum, Kelvin OG Knee LP LP FP Probable DeCastro, David OG Ankle FP FP FP Probable Gilbert, Marcus T Ankle LP LP LP Questionable Heyward, Cameron DE Knee FP FP FP Probable Miller, Heath TE Not injury related LP FP FP Probable Taylor, Ike CB Concussion DNP FP FP Probable Velasco, Fernando C/G Thigh LP FP FP Probable Wheaton, Markus WR Finger FP FP FP Probable Williams, Vince LB Concussion DNP LP FP Probable Source: Steelers.com Practice Status Game Status DNP = Did Not Participate in Practice Out = Player will not play LP = Limited Participation - Less than 100% of normal reps Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Out = Player will not play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Steelers -3 even Over/Under: 43.5 Source: The Linemakers Up to date lines... if you're in Vegas. My Take on the Matchup: Finally, we get an "easy" game. The Steelers are 2-6, for a reason. They rank pretty low in all the key offensive and defensive categories. The 2 teams actually stack up pretty similar, just as our records indicate. The primary difference being in the running and passing games. The Steelers pass better than they run, while the Bills run better than they pass. This week, hopefully, the match up favors Buffalo with EJ getting back in the lineup and CJ being as healthy as he has all season. If we can continue our season average on the ground while stepping up the passing game, the game might be a good one for us. Assuming EJ can do that, the key to this game, therefore, becomes turnovers and red zone efficiency. We simply have to win the turn over battle. As good as the defense played last week, they didn't generate any turnovers. This week, we need to force a couple. Also, when/if we get down inside the 10 yard line, we need touch downs. Not FGs and certainly not turnovers. With that in mind, I'll be watching: 1. Red Zone play calling. Marrone said this week they need to make changes in this part of their game. Will they? Will we see more creative play calls. 2. EJ Manuel. He's the big question mark. I'm sure his knee will be fine. But, will his play be an improvement over Thad's? Thad and Tuel, even, connected on some deep balls, can EJ? The last time I remember seeing him throw deep, it was all sideline passes 5 yards out of bounds. Will he actually look better than he did in week 4? Or did the time off set his development back? It's gonna be exciting to see how this kid looks. 3. Marcus Easley. With Woods injured, will he finally get some significant playing time? If so, can he out play Hogan, like so many people here think he will. 4. Our defensive line. The Steelers line is not good at all which should make for a good game for Mario, Kyle and the boys. Hopefully, they're pumped and steamroll Big Ben on the way to a dominating performance. 5. Kickoffs. Is it just me, or are the Bills the only team in the league that can't consistently kick the ball through the end zone? Are they purposely kicking it short? I don't get it at all. Go Bills!!

This is, perhaps, a very appropriate perspective. As a rookie, he expected a lot of the language and behavior. He may have thought it was a little over the top, but being a rookie he figured it was all part of the "ritual". But then, it continued into his 2nd year. So what do you do now? He's under contract. The guy giving him the most trouble is a captain and has full support of the coaches. What can he do, other than try to laugh it off and hope they move on to other players? Eventually, he did all he felt he could... just quit. This whole situation just screams lack of leadership. The team put Incognito in a position of leadership and that decision, in and of itself, tells you all you need to know about the team and the lack of leaders in the locker room. Stevie Johnson said it the other day, you have fun but you also have to have respect. In the Dolphin locker room there seems to be no respect for other players, for the team, for the colors on their jerseys.

I can not think of one good reason why a QB shouldn't wear a brace on both knees at all times. Why is it not mandatory? (for the OLine as well)

So if the Steelers really want to get back on the winning track, they should sit Big Ben and promote up their Practice Squad QB. Why don't more coaches do this? The Packers don't knw how lucky they are!!

I don't think the league conspires against the Bills, in particular. But, I do think they conspire to promote favorable story lines to sell tickets and ratings for big game match ups. And having KC undefeated going into the Denver game is a big deal. Every Sunday, there are multiple calls in multiple games that favor a better storyline outcome. These calls don't necessarily ensure any particular team wins, but they certainly make it easier. The Bills being in a small market, with no good rivalry, with no good story to promote ratings, get the short end of most all of these highly subjective calls. Ask any true Denver fan and they'll tell you all about the number of favorable calls the Broncos are getting this year.

I have all the hope in the world for Marrone and Hacket, but each and every week I see mistakes that they just need to stop making. The pick 6 play, for example. Let's ignore the fact that, that was about the 3rd time we've had a 1st and goal, only to draw the entire defense into the line of scrimmage, bunch everyone in and try to run Freddie off center only to pass later. Let's just concentrate on the 3rd down play. You have a rookie, you need to make things easy for him and set him and the team up for success. What do you do? Well, you could run again? That didn't work the first 2 times, so I have no problem passing. But, what kinda pass? A lot of teams might call the corner fade route. Why? Because the fade has a little chance of something bad happening. You have one read, then you loft the ball to the back corner, either your guy catches it or it falls out of bounds. Maybe you roll the QB out to his right? Why? Because it cuts the field in half, keeps a right-handed QB in a position to throw, trail a receiver in the endzone, a TE underneath. The QB throws it, runs it, or tosses it out of bounds. High reward, low risk, again, No, our coaches called one of the most difficult passes right into the teeth of the defense. Now, maybe that wasn't what Tuel was supposed to do? In the end, we don't really know. But, from my couch, it looked like a poor play call given all the circumstances of the game. And that's on the couching staff. They have to learn from their mistakes, just as the players. I hope they can.

If you remember Hobert, then your memory is severely flawed. There is no way Tuel played worse than Billy Joe, among several other QBs over the years. Yes, Tuel made some bad throws and bad decisions. But, as a rookie in his first ever start, you should expect that. To villainize the guy into the worst QB to ever wear a Bills uni is completely inaccurate. Because for as much bad as he may have done, he also did some pretty good (59yd TD, Woods TD drop, several other nice passes dropped, blocked for CJ). If anything, he was asked to do entirely too much, but I guess that's on him as well.

Same problem here

Bottom line... the Bills will be the Bills until they get a top tier QB. I agree, keep drafting until you get one. I like EJ, like many do, but at this point, he's very much unproven. There's little reason to believe he's our franchise QB, until he actually proves it week in and week out. Until he does, or someone else does, we'll see more of the games we saw yesterday.

Week 9: Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 1:00pm TV Network: CBS (TV Map) Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf DirecTV: 704 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Joe Buscaglia (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo – WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - Sportsnet 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WTKW (99.5/WTKV 105.5) Sirius: 91 ================================================================= Game Preview: As the Kansas City Chiefs keep their strong start in perspective, the Buffalo Bills hope to turn things around by knocking off the NFL's only undefeated team. The visiting Chiefs look go 9-0 for the first time in 10 years when they try to end their recent struggles against the Bills on Sunday. The Chiefs expect to be seriously challenged by a Bills team that's won five of the last six meetings and both in the last two seasons by a combined 76-24. Buffalo, though, has dropped three of four and is dealing with a host of injuries as it tries to continue that dominance in the series. One of the biggest injury issues is Thad Lewis' sore ribs, which could keep the QB on the sideline. Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouting Report: Week 9 (from Buffalo Bills.com Chris Brown) NFL.com Video Preview 'Playbook': Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills NFL.com Game Center Teams Stats: Bills Chiefs Total Yds/Game.... 329.0 330.8 Total Rush.............133.9 122.0 Total Pass.............195.1 208.8 Points/Game.......... 22.0 24.0 Time of Poss.......... 27.7 32.5 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 381.1 309.0 Rush Yards........... 117.8 103.2 Pass Yards........... 263.4 205.8 Points Allowed........ 26.6 12.2 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Bills NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Goodwin, Marquise WR Elbow LP FP FP Probable Hogan, Chris WR Back - DNP DNP Questionable Jackson, Fred RB Knee DNP FP FP Probable Johnson, Stevie WR Hip DNP LP FP Probable Lawson, Manny LB Hamstring LP LP FP Probable Lewis, Thad QB Ribs DNP DNP LP Doubtful Manuel, EJ QB Knee LP LP LP Out Smith, Brandon DB Illness - LP - - Spiller, C.J. RB Ankle LP LP FP Probable Urbik, Kraig OL Knee LP FP FP Probable Williams, Kyle DL Achilles DNP FP FP Probable Williams, Mario DL Hip - - FP Probable Source: BuffaloBills.com Kansas City Chiefs NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Avery, Donnie WR Shoulder FP FP FP Probable Bowe, Dwayne WR Groin FP LP FP Probable Catapano, Mike DE Ankle Out Out Out Out Charles, Jamaal RB Knee DNP LP FP Probable Fasano, Anthony TE Knee/Ankle LP LP FP Probable Fisher, Eric OT Knee/Back FP FP FP Probable Lewis, Kendrick S Ankle FP FP FP Probable McGrath, Sean TE Knee FP FP FP Probable Moses, Dezman LB Toe FP FP FP Probable Parker, Ron DB Toe LP FP FP Probable Sherman, Anthony RB Knee/Calf FP FP FP Probable Source: KCChiefs.com Practice Status Game Status DNP = Did Not Participate in Practice Out = Player will not play LP = Limited Participation - Less than 100% of normal reps Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Out = Player will not play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Chiefs -4 Over/Under: 40.5 Source: The Linemakers Up to date lines... if you're in Vegas. My Take on the Matchup: Another tough game this week against what I think is our 7th opponent with a top 5 defense. The Chiefs are flying high being the only undefeated team in the NFL, while the Bills are still the Bills struggling to play with consistency. Based on that, alone, it's hard to imagine the Bills winning this game. Add to the mix the very likelihood that undrafted FA, Tuel Time, may be starting and it seems improbable to expect a win. The Bills and Chiefs are posting surprisingly similar offensive numbers when you add them all up. But the Chiefs are undefeated because their defense is markedly better. With teams averaging less than 2 touchdowns against them, its easy to win a lot of games. Given we have a young, unproven, inexperienced QB and they have a defense that excels at rushing the passer, it's hard to see a Bills offensive explosion. Therefore, for me, the key to this game is our defense. The Bills defense needs to step up and shut the Chiefs offense down. There's no way we can prevail in an offensive shootout. Forcing Smith out of the pocket and making him uncomfortable will be key. At this point in the season, Smith has been the model of consistent, mistake-free football. We need to change that by putting Kiko on Charles at all times to shut his production down and then have our line harass the QB all day. Can the defense finally step up and shut a team down? I doubt it. However, I'll still be watching: 1. The Defensive Coordinator. Can he draw up enough creative blitz packages to keep Smith guessing and under pressure? 2. Kiko. He's a beast, but can he keep his eye on one of the better backs in the league and prevent the long runs and screens that Charles is known for? 3. Our defensive backfield. They need to play tight coverage all game. If Smith is rushed by our pressure, it will be completely deflating to see him connect on pass after pass due to soft coverage. 4. Our QB. Whoever he is... can he protect the ball and move our offense at all? 5. CJ Spiller. With a week off, hopefully his ankle is better. It would be a delightful surprise seeing him return to form and find the edge. He could change the fate of this team if he finds any room at all in the Chiefs defense. Go Bills!!

I can't disagree with you, because I haven't een seen Tuel practice. But, the real question is... is Flynn a better option at this point in time? Because if Thad can't go, then it's gotta be either one of them. I have no idea how much of the offense Flynn has learned, but I have to think Tuel has an edge there. Overall game experience, I would think Flynn has the edge. How thay translates to either helping us win, quite honestly I hope we don't have to find out.

I would agree, it seems as though they were wrong based on his performance in the Cleveland game. However, I think you have to look at what we knew (or had) prior to that game. The facts are: 1. Tuel was on the roster from day one of training camp and at least had a good understanding of the offense. 2. Kolb and EJ were competing for the starter/backup spot. 3. When Kolb went down, that essentially gifted the starting role to EJ and the backup to Tuel. 4. Based upon Tuel's preseason and camp performance, he seemed capable to be a backup. 5. When EJ hurt his knee (the 1st time), they immediately went out and brought in several QBs. Granted, at the time the pickings were quite slim. 6. A week later we enter the regular season preparation. EJ, at that time, was deemed healthy and would start. The point of contention then becomes... do you go with Tuel as the backup - a guy that had been on the team from day 1 and didn't look all that bad in the preseason? Or do you name Thad your backup - a practice squad cut that had been on the team one week? At the time, I think they took the prudent approach, given the information at the time, entering the season. After the Browns game, they had 10days to think, re-evaluate, and considering Thad had been on the team for over a month and had a better grasp of the offense, they promoted him up. In some ways, we're here again. If the starter can't start, do you start the guy that's been here since day one and knows the offense or do you start the guy that's had 2 weeks to learn the offense? Flynn may have more experience, but as we all saw with Freeman, if he doesn't know the offense all the experience accounts for squat. So, in the end, I think they've dealt with a sucky situation about as well as they could. The mistake was probably thinking Kolb would be a viable QB on this roster. If he doesn't get injured in preseason, this is all a mute discussion. If EJ doesn't get injured, this is a mute discussion. But, when your top 2 QBs get injured, repeatedly it's almost a lose lose situation.

Awesome rseponse. Precisely!

But.... what if Tuel comes in and lights up the Chiefs with lots of bombs to our speedy receivers? Does it mean we give EJ a few more weeks to "heal" up?

Several posters were making the comment when EJ first hurt his knee that we probably wouldn't see that big of a drop off by going with Thad, because EJ was a rookie playing like a rookie and Thad was essentiallythe same. As it turns out, I think they were right. Thad has filled in and given similar production as EJ likely would have (a little better or worse - its up for debate). Well, now with Thad hurt and "possibly" not starting, I think its fair to say that Thad, Flynn, Tuel.. is there that big of a difference in their skill levels at this point? Maybe, but probably not much. Thad should know the offense better. But, Flynn might know the speed of NFL defenses better, Tuel is largely unknown and as such should be the least likely to step in. So I guess in the end, does it really matter who starts? Either way the defense and RBs are going to have to win this more thatn the QB.

Where his historical knowledge as a fan and ardent follower of the Bills could most likely gie him an advantage is in validating any models or data he or the team develop. As we all know, statistics and numbers can be developed to support just about any argument. The key, therefore, is developing the right numbers to show/predict reality. Because he likely has an intimate knowledge of the real workd success of past players/games/decisions, it might be easier and more efficient to validate any statistics he develops. For example, it's easy to say let's use x, y, and z to gauge the success of a player, draft pick, whatever; but does that actually translate to real world success. Because he knows our history, perhaps he's already ahead of the game in knowing which numbers are better? The primary reason to use analytics, for me, goes well beyond when to punt and when to go for a 1st down. It's how do you identify the next Fred Jackson from all these small, unheralded schools? The next Stevie Johnson? Also, to better understand what are other teams likely drafting strategies. Also, I can see it used in developing better game plans. How do you accurately predict an opponents tendencies taking into account the current game situations, what they'll be doingbased on your moves and players? Not just 80% of the time they run on 3rd and 2. In other words, fairly high level data analysis that results in predictive models that more often are correct. Not to mention how to maximize profit by making parking spaces 5inches shorter so you can squeeze in 2 extra spots per row. And decreasing beer sizes by 5% will yield 10% more profit without people noticing... type crap.

I believe the name you're looking for is... Ernie Adams. Linky thing

Precisely! The Bills need a QB. Plain and Simple. This comment could go in the "what pieces are missing" thread, as well. But until we have a quality QB, we'll have problems - OL that can't block, OC that can't call plays, WR that can't get open, etc. There's one thing we need to consistently beat average to below average teams and to go toe to toe with the best teams in the league; a QB. Thad is obviously not that guy. I like him, but we all know he's not a top tier QB. Will EJ become one? I reckon we'll see... in time.

I think us losing CJ for the game is less of a hit than Brees losing Graham. So, in that regard, we come out on top. And with luck, CJ is healthier for another big game next week. The secondary still has their work cut out for them with their big WRs and Brees, but Graham being out should make it just a bit easier.

Week 8: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 1:00pm TV Network: CBS (TV Map) Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf DirecTV: 709 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Joe Buscaglia (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo – WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - Sportsnet 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WTKW (99.5/WTKV 105.5) Sirius: 134 ================================================================= Game Preview: The New Orleans Saints have had plenty of time to move on from their first loss of the season, which came in heartbreaking fashion. Coming off their bye week, the Saints' focus shifts to trying to prevent the Buffalo Bills from moving back to .500 on Sunday at the Superdome. Buffalo (3-4) avoided a third straight loss with a 23-21 victory at Miami last Sunday. Fred Jackson shook off a knee injury to total 85 yards with a rushing TD while ex-Dolphin Dan Carpenter kicked a pair of fourth-quarter field goals, including the 31-yard winner with 33 seconds left, to rally Buffalo from a four-point deficit. Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouting Report: Week 8 (from Buffalo Bills.com Chris Brown) NFL.com Video Preview Jill of the Week: Emily NFL.com Game Center Teams Stats: Bills Saints Total Yds/Game.... 333.3 397.7 Total Rush.............140.4 86.7 Total Pass.............192.9 311.0 Points/Game.......... 22.7 26.8 Time of Poss.......... 27.7 33.5 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 380.4 338.0 Rush Yards........... 123.6 114.0 Pass Yards........... 256.9 224.0 Points Allowed........ 25.4 17.2 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Bills NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Jackson, Fred RB Knee DNP LP LP Probable Lawson, Manny LB Hamstring DNP DNP DNP Doubtful Manuel, EJ QB Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Spiller, C.J. RB Ankle DNP DNP DNP Doubtful Williams, Kyle DL Achilles DNP FP FP Probable Source: BuffaloBills.com New Orleans Saints NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Graham, Jimmy TE Foot DNP DNP LP Questionable Greer, Jabari CB Not Injury Related DNP - - - Harper, Roman S Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Ingram, Mark RB Toe DNP DNP LP Questionable Jenkins, Malcolm S Back FP FP FP Probable Jordan, Cameron DE Ankle DNP LP LP Questionable Moore, Lance WR Hand FP FP FP Probable Strief, Zach T Ankle DNP LP LP Questionable Sweeting, Rod CB Hip FP DNP DNP Out Walker, Tyrunn DE Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Source: NewOrleansSaints.com Practice Status Game Status DNP = Did Not Participate in Practice Out = Player will not play LP = Limited Participation - Less than 100% of normal reps Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Out = Player will not play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Saints -11 Over/Under: 49.0 Source: The Linemakers Up to date lines... if you're in Vegas. My Take on the Matchup: Why does it always seem the Bills are facing a well-rested team coming off their bye week? I guess if they hadn't just beaten the Dolphins, we could complain more. But, this week, we face one of the better teams in the league with Drew Brees looking as good as ever. It's difficult thinking the Bills can pull this game out. Yes, they've scored over 20 points in every game for an average of 23 points per game. However, the Saints are averaging nearly 27 points per game. And the Bills defense is allowing nearly 25 points per game. So, it's hard to see the Saints not getting their points. For that reason, the key to this game is for Thad and the Bills offense to score enough to keep pace with Brees and the Saints passing attack. The best shot is going to be establishing the run game and keeping Brees off the field. The Bills have one of the best rushing games in the league and even if they get behind early, they need to stick with it. Defensively, it would be really nice for Super Mario to continue his dominating play from last week. Pressure on Brees could be the additional push we need to keep our offense on the field. I'll be watching: 1. CJ Spiller and the run game. Will he play? If so, can he be effective with limited reps and a hurt ankle? Can Freddie continue being the heart and soul or will his knee be too much this time? And finally, Choice should get increased reps this game. Let's hope he responds. 2. Thad the Impaler. He needs to continue improving and be more accurate to the receivers. He can also do some damage in this game with his feet. Hopefully, he has the room and takes advantage of a defense that can give up some runs. 3. Super Mario and the defensive line. With a truly great QB that can pick apart any secondary, it's imperative we get pressure on Brees with the defensive line. Certainly, the Saints have seen the tape on Mario from last week and will have a plan to contain him. If they do, can the other guys pick up the slack? 4. Can we stop the run! Once again, we're facing a team that's not great at running the ball. Last week they let the Dolphins run for entirely too many yards. If Sproles and Thomas get going, we could be in serious trouble. 5. Coaching. Marrone and company have a full task this week. Matching game plans against the Saints will be a huge challenge. Will they be up to the task? This is not the week to give Brees an extra last minute drive before the half. Can they get the team fired up to play while minimizing the costly personal foul penalties? It's going to be a bell weather game for our coaching staff and this young team, I hope they're up for the challenge. Go Bills!!

I say finally show up... meaning at the right time. 3rd and longs, they need to get pressure and get off the field. What good does it do to hold the early down run game, if tou just let the QB get comfortable on 3rd? I just hope we get pressure when it counts. Thanks for all the thanks. If anyone things of any info I could add/include for future weeks, just let me know.

Week 7: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 1:00pm TV Network: CBS (TV Map) Announcers: Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker DirecTV: 710 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Joe Buscaglia (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo – WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - Sportsnet 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WTKW (99.5/WTKV 105.5) Sirius: 128 ================================================================= Game Preview: Coming off a bye week following consecutive losses, the Dolphins hope they've fixed some of their issues as they look for their best six-game start in 10 years Sunday against the visiting Bills. Miami got off to a 3-0 start before losing 38-17 at New Orleans on Sept. 30 and 26-23 to Baltimore on Oct. 6. A win in their AFC East opener will put the Dolphins at 4-2 for the first time since 2003. The Bills are expected to have leading rusher C.J. Spiller and hope receiver Stevie Johnson is available, while quarterback Thad Lewis is set to make his second start despite the signing of Matt Flynn on Monday. With rookie starter EJ Manuel out at least another four weeks because of a sprained right knee, Lewis looks to build on a solid debut after he connected on 19 of 32 attempts for 216 yards with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead the Bills' rally last week. Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouting Report: Week 7 (from Buffalo Bills.com Chris Brown) Bills' Focus: Coach Marrone DolphinsPreview NFL.com Video Preview NFL.com Game Center Teams Stats: Bills Dolphins Total Yds/Game.... 344.2 316.6 Total Rush.............148.8 69.6 Total Pass.............195.3 247.0 Points/Game.......... 22.7 22.8 Time of Poss.......... 27.3 27.0 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 395.0 393.0 Rush Yards........... 124.2 105.4 Pass Yards........... 270.8 287.6 Points Allowed........ 26.2 23.4 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Bills NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Brooks, Ron DB Foot LP LP FP Probable Johnson, Stevie WR Back LP FP FP Probable Lawson, Manny LB Hamstring LP LP FP Probable Lewis, Thad QB Foot FP FP FP Probable Manuel, EJ QB Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Spiller, C.J. RB Ankle DNP LP FP Probable Williams, Mario DL Hip LP LP FP Probable Williams, Kyle DL Achilles/Illness DNP FP DNP Probable Source: BuffaloBills.com Miami Dolphins Name Position Injury Practice Status Game Status Dion Jordan DE Ankle Full Participation in Practice Probable Jason Trusnik LB Rib Full Participation in Practice Probable Mike Pouncey C Ankle Full Participation in Practice Probable Koa Misi LB Shoulder Full Participation in Practice Probable Brandon Fields P Back Full Participation in Practice Probable Nate Garner T Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable Dimitri Patterson CB Groin Limited Participation in Practice Questionable Dannell Ellerbe LB Shoulder Did Not Participate In Practice Doubtful Will Yeatman T Shoulder Full Participation in Practice Probable Brandon Gibson WR Hip Limited Participation in Practice Questionable Cameron Wake DE Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable Chris Clemons S Knee Full Participation in Practice Probable Source: NFL.com Practice Status DNP = Did not participate in practice LP = Limited Participation in Practice - Less than 100% of a player's normal repetitions FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Out = Player will not play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available Game Status Out = Player will not play Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Dolphins -8.5 Over/Under: 42.5 Source: Rant Sports Up to date... if you're in Vegas. My Take on the Matchup: By the numbers, this week's game looks to be pretty evenly matched. Both teams are averaging close to 23 points per game; however, the Dolphins are holding their oppenents to 3 fewer points than the Bills' defense. And therein lies the key to this game, the Bills D has to find a way to hold a well-rested offense. The Dolphins don't have a great running attack. But, you can bet they've spent the last two weeks working on that and stressing it in their meetings. And we all know the Bills have a way of making very average players look like Pro Bowlers. So, I wouldn't take their run game lightly. If the Bills can hold them in check, they have a good shot at getting to Tannenhill. Tanny has looked good, at times, but he's also looked like the young player that he is. Hopefully the Bills line can get after him and cause some of these mistakes. If they do that, hold the Dolphins run game to their season average while forcing a few turnovers in the passing game, things will be looking good. Offensively, I expect the Bills to do what they've done. Be average. Expect Thad to look a little more comfortable, but he's still going to have his moments. Hopefully having Stevie back in the lineup will give him another option to look for rather than running and looking confused. Stevie, gets open and I expect he will today. The big question marks for me are... can Thad avoid some of the poor decisions he made last week? And can Hackett avoid those situationally poor decisions that he's done every game (run right, run right, short pass, punt). I expect a close game. However, I expect the better rested, home team to win. But I'll be watching: 1. The Bills D-line. Can they get some decent pressure on a young QB for once? 2. Kiko. 3. Will the Dolphins target the one-armed Gilmore like the Bengals did? 4. Thad. Can he continue to look as good as his last showing? 5. CJ Spiller's ankle is supposedly feeling better. Let's hope he finds some open space. 6. The punt coverage unit. Will they blow another game and face the wrath of Kiko as he eats their heads one by one? Go Bills!!

I agree. I'm thinking the best thing about having Flynn may just very well be the veteran presence he brings.