BuffaloWings

The 1990 divisional playoff - after all the years of getting smacked by Miami, the Kelly-Thomas-Reed trio go nuts in whipping them 44-34....in Buffalo....in the snow. Even better was Thurman's post-game press conference comments. Responding to a question about Miami's "confidence" entering the game, he said something to the effect of "Well, as much as they're a good team, they played a good game today and they STILL got their ass kicked."

Well, JP's injury took away a lot of his time in camp and regular practice time. Rivers held out for too long, so that hurt his "readiness". Manning and Roethlisberger were probably as ready as rookie, first-round QBs could be. Ben did his job by preparing to go (at least he didn't say he probably wasn't prepared). I just think there's no sense in putting in JP right now while the team is winning with Drew. It would be just like when Wade started Johnson over Flutie in the Tennessee playoff game. The rest of the team will immediately take that as a sign he's given up on the season...not exactly the message that a rookie coach wants to send to a bunch of veterans.

As much as I like the upside of this guy, it's too soon right now to throw him in. He's a raw talent that still needs to be cooked. I don't want to hear "well, look at Roethlisberger", since he's dropped off a bit from his good run earlier in the season. Besides, that doesn't happen very often in this league and I don't see lightning striking twice. JP is good, make no mistake. I just don't see the Bills getting lucky like the Steelers did. By throwing him in there now, things will get worse before they get better. Not to mention, the injury set him back a few months. I think Mularkey's on the right track....ease him in now, play him at the end of the blowouts, get him a little exposure. Having said that, JP should be the solid #2 going into 2005 and should be ready to step in for Drew at a moment's notice. I agree with ICE that he shouldn't be wasted on the bench, given he was a first round pick. I've been behind Bledsoe since day 1 (and will until he just can't do it anymore), but he's not going to last much longer. Drew's the guy for now. Don't start JP just because he was a first round pick. Start him because he's ready.

Actually, Pitssburgh is winning with a very good running game and defense. Roethlisberger had a good stretch of games through New England and Philly, but hasn't really sparkled at all since. Jerome Bettis and Pittsburgh's defense is carrying them right now. I'd still hesitate to give the job to JP, even if Drew regresses. I think the only way JP should get a shot at the starting job is if Drew is hurt or plays the remainder of the year like he did against New England. At this point, it looks like the offense is coming together (including Drew), so why change that at all for next year? Presuming the same personnel is still there, I see no reason to change the starting QB.

I'd have to agree, also. Seattle and St. Louis *should* be playoff teams (and they very well might be), but they're not playing like it. At the moment, the Bills are playing like a playoff team. Overall, Buffalo's performance throughout the season has hampered them, especially their egg-laying in Foxboro. The Bills' road win and the way they won should bump them up, but given how St. Louis has played over the past few weeks should be no reason to put them ahead of Buffalo right now. Seattle hasn't played well for the past month, either.

I'd agree with this. Now, if they had actually played anything close to the Rams game against NE and stole one from them, then I can see him saying 'the bills are finding ways to win'. But not right now - especially considering the two killers in weeks 1 & 2. The losses to Jacksonville and Baltimore WILL haunt the Bills - no question. The only teams with better records than Buffalo right now of the non-division leaders (forgetting tiebreakers) are the Jets, San Diego, Baltimore, and Jacksonville. Obviously, we want all of them to keep losing, but with losses to Jacksonville and Baltimore already, the Bills are in deep doo-doo. One knocked-down pass and one challenged play at the goal line and the Bills are probably 6-4 right now.

Or if the defense had actually stopped one of the other two 4th down attempts...lots of coulda, woulda, shouldas. Remember, they lost to Jacksonville and Baltimore, so the Bills would have to pass them to get a playoff spot. At this point, only the game at the Meadowlands against the Jets gives me a reason to believe they can steal ONE road game, much less two. Having said that, I don't want to hear gripes from people about how Mularkey is just full of malarkey when he says they're not out of it. With the defense playing the way it is, Buffalo has a legitimate reason to believe they're not done.

Back then, the showboating was encouraged because that's what the NBA (and the other pro leagues) wanted. It got people watching and attending the games, like it or not. Unfortunately, it just got out of control and the league officials just couldn't - and still can't - stop it. I think the NFL is trying with the ticky-tack celebration penalties, but it's now perceived as too sensitive.

Some reporter earlier in the week said that Martz was the 3rd best coach in the league. Belichick was the best, and every other coach was tied for 2nd.

Let's not forget that Dallas has an injured Julius Jones ready to take over next year. The Cowboys are in love with this guy. Don't take any bets that Henry (if he's the one to be traded) will go there. The teams I can see Buffalo trading a RB to right now are Oakland, Tampa Bay, and possibly anyone that loses their current starter next year. No way in hell Donahoe should make a trade to Miami. As for their value, Bledsoe probably dropped a bit and Henry probably hasn't changed at all. Maybe a 2nd and a 3rd rounder for both.

Maybe so (I was never a fan of his tone in the past, either), but he makes legit points. There's no point in leaving Drew out there to be humiliated - he's too much of a class act to let him go out there only to embarrass himself. At the same time, Mularkey needs to do the right thing - don't start Losman because the fans want him to or because Coughlin is starting Manning. Start Losman because he's ready to play in the NFL.

I disagree...starting Drew *right now* is the appropriate thing, but Losman needs to have at least 3 starts in before the season is done. Give him another couple of weeks - he's not ready right now and there was no way anyone could have expected anything out of him on Sunday night. If I were coach (which I'm not), I'd tell him that he's now #2 and to get ready. Too early to start him this week, but I guess he should probably start either against Seattle or Miami, but no later than the Cleveland game. He's the future, so get him in there now. If he's healthy enough to go into Sunday night's mess, he's healthy enough to start. Look at Carson Palmer. He sat on the bench all of last year. He started poorly this year, but after 6-7 games, he's getting it. This is why Losman needs some games under his belt. The Bills aren't going to the playoffs (barring some miracle), so we might as well get ready for next year.

I think we're all jumping the gun here. I'm as embarrassed and as frustrated from last night as much as all of you, but let's not throw the world to the wolves here. First, Ralph has already ripped the team once this year. If he does it again, it'll just show the entire world that Buffalo can't get their sh*t together and make themselves look like a classless, disorganized organization. He needs to come out and stand behind the front office and coaching staff. If he's going to rip them, do it privately. Second, at this point, I see no purpose in ditching Donahoe or Modrak or doing any shake-up of the front office. This is only the 4th year of Donahoe's tenure and while we (rightfully) expected some progress by now, shaking things up will only set the Bills back further. Donahoe is probably legitmately taking the heat for the coaching debacles of 2002 into 2003, but he did something about it and got rid of them. Maybe he's on a short leash right now, but I think Ralph has to realize that firing Donahoe would make things worse for another couple of years. Third, I've been a supporter of Drew Bledsoe since he was traded for over 2 years ago...and I still am. At the same time, I realize he's not going to win games single-handedly. But I think everyone should realize (and it looks like we do for the most part) that the overall problems with this team are not centered around him. They should be centered around the offensive and defensive lines. If the o-line can't block, it doesn't matter who the QB or RB is. If the d-line can't generate any sort of pressure on the pass rush, even Ryan Leaf would have a career game. It all starts in the trenches. Focus on that and the Bills will get better. Outside of either line, the talent, personnel, and schemes are there to be a playoff team. Finally, let's all not overreact. Generally, this team was improving until last night and there was a lot of positive vibes here. I'm not willing to let one single game convince me that the entire organization should be overhauled.

OK - that was the swing pass to Burns. Yes, he should have gone OB (he had the first down, too), but there was still about 1:20 left on the clock and they were inside the Jets' 15. Again, plenty of time to do no-huddle and get a play in from the sideline. The coaches need to have a play ready in case someone does not get OB in that situation. It's almost as if they were playing for the FG, which is what the announcers were implying - doubt it, though. Just pure clock mismanagement. I've seen this many times, so I'll chalk it up to rookie coaching at this point. I guess it's easier to second-guess, but I still wouldn't have called those TOs. Mularkey says it was a lesson learned....I certainly hope so.

Without a doubt...talk to your buddies and have them put in a good word. Getting a new job is about 99.99% networking, so any advantage you have, you should use. I've been in the job hunt situation for the past few months myself. It's tough to land what you want, so any "in" you can find should be used. Good luck!

The coaching staff's reasoning was that they thought the play clock should have been reset after Shelton's catch and run to the 2-yard line. A flag was thrown on the field at the end of that play, but the officials picked it up and announced there was no penalty. The play clock kept running down from 45 seconds, and IMO, it should have been reset after the refs made the mistake. That's why they called a timeout on 1st down. However, what I question is why they called timeouts with over a minute left in the half (twice). They were at the Jets' 26 with 2:00 left, so there was plenty of time to take shots at the end zone or run whatever plays they wanted. No need to save time there.

Where is that?

I'll be attending the game this weekend at RWS. Can anyone give me a good spot for some Bills stuff in the Lockport area? I really want one of those car magnets to stick on my car on the way to the game.

I'm on the side of getting Lindell out of town now. Sure, it was a tricky wind, but Mularkey's decision of not trying a 50-yarder at the end of the game should tell us volumes. If he had anyone more reliable, he probably would have attempted that kick, even with the potential of missing it and giving Jax the ball at the 40. I think the question still remains....outside of Mike Hollis (who would have to be convinced to un-retire), who's available????