ChasBB

Reminds me of Sabres starting out w/10 wins a couple of years ago and people with signs saying 82-0! Anything is possible, but highly unlikely they'll finish undefeated. A division championship and a 1st-round bye would be great, however. Still gotta beat the Patriots. Just because the Dolphins took them out doesn't mean it's a given that the Bills will do so. If we can at least split with the Patriots, that would be great.

Nice additions! Hard to think of them all for sure.

I basically just followed official stats, but valid points.

Some Great (relatively modern) Quarterbacks Records as Starters Early in their Careers (& how long it took them to reach double-digit wins in the NFL) ... Joe Montana (49ers): 0-1 (1979) 2-5 (1980) 13-3 (1981) Peyton Manning (Colts): 3-13 (1998) 13-3 (1999) John Elway (Broncos): 4-6 (1983) 12-2 (1984) Steve Young (Bucs & 49ers): USFL (1984) 1-4 (1985) (Bucs) 2-12 (1986) (Bucs) 2-1 (1987) 2-1 (1988) 3-0 (1989) 0-1 (1990) 5-5 (1991) 14-2 (1992) Ken Anderson (Bengals): 0-4 (1971) 7-6 (1972) 10-4 (1973) Jim Kelly (Bills): USFL (1983-1985) 4-12 (1986) 6-6 (1987) 12-4 (1988) Dan Fouts (Chargers): 0-5-1 (1973) 3-8 (1974) 2-7 (1975) 5-8 (1976) 2-2 (1977) 9-5 (1978) 12-4 (1979) Dan Marino (Dolphins): 7-2 (1983) 14-2 (1984) Tom Brady (Patriots): No Starts (2000) 11-3 (2001) Joe Theismann (Redskins): CFL (1971-1973) (Lost 1 Grey Cup) No Starts (1974) No Starts (1975) 3-2 (1976) 4-2 (1977) 7-7 (1978) 10-6 (1979) Terry Bradshaw (Steelers): 3-5 (1970) 5-8 (1971) 11-3 (1972) Bob Griese (Dolphins): 3-7 (1967) 5-7-1 (1968) 2-6-1 (1969) 10-4 (1970) Brett Farve (Falcons & Packers): No Starts (1991) (Falcons) 8-5 (1992) 9-7 (1993) 9-7 (1994) 11-5 (1995) Roger Staubach (Cowboys): Naval Commitment (1964-1968) -- was drafted in 1964 by Cowboys 1-0 (1969) 2-1 (1970) 10-0 (1971) Warren Moon (Oilers): CFL (1978-1983) (Won 5 Grey Cups) 3-13 (1984) 4-10 (1985) 5-10 (1986) 7-5 (1987) 7-4 (1988) 9-7 (1989) 8-7 (1990) 11-5 (1991) Troy Aikman (Cowboys): 0-11 (1989) 7-8 (1990) 7-5 (1991) 13-3 (1992) What a turn-around for Manning & Elway in a single year! Took awhile for Fouts, Moon, Young, & Theismann to break into double-digit wins (and even Farve & Aikman for that matter, too). Of course, Moon tore up the CFL! Surrounding cast, of course, also has a LOT to do with a young QB's progress & success, but certain QBs seem capable of single-handedly making the players around them look better and I think Trent is one of those guys. Trent Edwards: 5-4 (2007) 3-0 (2008) -- Double-digits in '08?!?! So far, Trent is a bit ahead of the curve it seems for young QBs!

Absolutely! He did nice work on those plays. He'll be fine this season.

I'm going waaaaaayy back for this one: 1972 Buffalo vs. Miami -- Mercury Morris fumbles, Buffalo recovers -- play ruled dead by offical, but clearly was a fumble in replay. Probably cost Buffalo the win and helped Miami with their "perfect" season. Anyone else remember this one?

Remember how Thurman Thomas wrote "Super Bowl" on his shoes in training camp in 1990? It inspired his teammates to think big! That should be the goal. Will it be reached -- who knows, but the Super Bowl should *always* be the goal.

Evans also must consider security. If he sustains some sort of a significant injury (God forbid), then he risks losing his big contract. So, I think it makes sense for BOTH parties to come to an agreement in the near-term.

I disagree. I think Trent can truly be a great one like Joe Montanna. Of course, gotta win some Super Bowls before making that comparison, but I really think he's got the whole package. Just got to keep him healthy and keep a good strong cast around him and the team has a bright future.

Good article! I thought that no mention of Mitchell was a glaring omission, but otherwise pretty good.

I hear what you are saying, but forcing the opponent to score a TD with less than 30 seconds left is pretty good, too. You definitely don't want to turn the ball over and have the opponent beat you with just a field goal. That said, it would have been nice to see at least one shot to the endzone and a throw-away by the QB if nothing is there.

This is also my primary concern w/Jouron. Why couldn't he see just how bad Fairchild was hurting this team? It's about winning and not about loyalty to your staff. Sure, you don't want a knee-jerk type of guy there either who fires 2 or 3 assistant coahes every year, but Fairchild was not showing any signs of improvement. If Buffalo wins a Super Bowl anytime in the next few years, we can all thank Colorado State because I question whether or not Jouron would have taken action on this matter. Oh, he probably would have AFTER a horrible 2008 season, but that's just too long to wait and suffer. Sometimes, you just got to pull the plug on a guy when it's obvious things are not working. EDIT -- That said, there's a lot I do like about Jouron so I would like for him to stay around. I just wish he would be more decisive on matters like this. In this age of free agency, building Super Bowl teams is no longer a 4 or 5 year plan -- it's more like a 2-3 year plan and results need to happen quickly or else the HC gets fired. With that in mind, the HC needs to identify and fix staffing problems sooner rather than later.

I agree with you -- Trent does have good arm strength and should only get better. I think I was just trying to counter some people's perception on that subject (faulty though it may be) that there is more to a QB than arm strength and that these other factors are probably even more important than arm strength. That said, I also think Trent has good strength, as well.

Lots of people like to talk about arm strength as though it was THE measuring stick of a quarterback, yet Joe Montanna was never considered to have a big gun type of arm. He was just intelligent and accurate and that was good enough for 4 Super Bowl victories. I'll take it.

Maybe he was holding out for a new contract

Wilson bailed out Davis early on financially to help keep the AFL going. I don't know the whole story, so I can't provide many details, but I think the AFL surviving even had a great deal to do with Ralph Wilson.

Well said! The Bills won 7 gamees in '87 and took the division with 12 wins in '88 -- they've done it before and they can do it again, but -- as you say -- there are no easy wins and that must remain the focus -- any team can take the Bills out on any week if the Bills don't prepare.

Maybe we should just declare ourselves division champions and ask the NFL if they can just go ahead and start the playoffs next weekend. Gotta play the games. ANY team can win in this league on ANY given day. Buffalo was 2-0 in 2000 & 2003 and missed the playoffs. Keep the opitimism, but contain it a bit -- it's very, very early and a very long season is ahead.

I agree about curbing the enthusiasm, but I still think we beat two very good teams even if they are beat up. It's not an excuse in the NFL as Buffalo well knows. Guys got to step up. Both the teams we defeated will be in playoff contention toward the end of the year.

Yep -- looked like a typical shoving match to me -- definitely not "brawl" status for sure.

It's not a matter of Bobby April allowing stuff like that to happen. The fact is that it is a funny-shaped ball. You can have all of your good-hands people waiting in anticipation of the on-sides kick and STILL not recover it if the ball takes a wild bounce or two. Sure, Buffalo got caught not even looking for it and for that I would agree with you, but my point is that even if they were looking for it, there's just no guarantee that they'd come up with it. Better odds perhaps, but no guarantee for sure.

Joe Montanna was also a 3rd-round pick -- that's pretty good company for Trent! Tom Brady was a 6th-round pick!

I think you said it all above. I can't be sure, but I would imagine that the Patriots players were probably tired of hearing "Brady this" and "Brady that" as though there were no other players on the field except for Brady. In an odd sort of way, the loss of Brady might actually breathe some life into this team. They want to show the nation that they are a great team even without Brady and they will be playing their best football every single week this season! Belichick remains one of the top coaches in the game. Yes, he is a sore loser and a cheater, but that aside, he can still prepare a team for Sunday probably better than anyone else can. Until they are dethroned, the Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC and that's just the reality of it. Obviously, the Bills are looking good and should be able to compete with NE this season (and I can't wait), but until the Bills actually defeat this Belichick-coached team it will still be Patriots Patriots Patriots in the media. *EDIT* Not that the Patriots needed life -- they did go 18-1, but they just looked machine-like last year -- as though football wasn't fun any longer -- probably because all of the cheater talk. Brady just looked miserable during the Super Bowl -- not loose at all -- not having any fun -- and I think it kind of spread around the whole team. The pressure was just too much between the stress of going 19-0, the cheater talk, and facing a really good Super Bowl opponent. How do you follow a year like that? It's got to be tough. With Brady out, the team can sort of get re-inspired to show they are not a bunch of duds w/o Brady -- that's what I meant by "new life" -- sort of gives the team a new and fresh purpose this season. Do not underestimate this team. It sure would be nice to see us out-coach them for a change. I think it could happen this year finally, but it will take a real effort. Go Bills!!

Awesome. Played like veterans. Didn't panic when they fell behind. Stuck to the gameplan and utilized their talent well. Good things ahead for sure! Let's remember one thing -- this is a marathon and not a 100-yd dash. If I had a choice between a strong start and a strong finish, I'd take the strong finish. However, both a strong start AND a strong finish would obviously be even better. Go Bills!! Great job today -- good stuff!!

Totally agree. The Bills are in no position to overlook anyone. They are a promising team and I expect good things from Buffalo this year, but they are in no position to overlook ANY opponent. The Bills can beat any team they properly prepare for, but can lose to any team they don't. Gotta play the games.