folz

Absolute hose job as usual...I've been watching football for 35 years and in the thousands of measurements we've all watched, I have never seen a ball that far from the stick called a 1st down...Never. Angle, my eye. You could have done a 3-D panoramic, 360 spin around that ball...it still wasn't a first down.

With all of the recent talk about leadership and mental toughness... Who's rallying the defense on the sideline during games? With so many young guys (Shep, A. Williams, Gilmore), humble guys (K. Williams), quiet/reserved guys (M. Williams, Dareus), etc. who is rallying the D? We don't have a Ray Lewis type-player. And Gailey is more focused on the offensive-side of things. So, is there a coach on the sidelines who can pull the D together or do the players just go to their position coaches? Being in the booth didn't help the Stache come up with an answer for what New England was doing last week. It didn't seem to help him make the proper adjustments. So, why is he there? I know in the past (with other teams), I've seen him somewhat animated on the sidelines...he's not a Rex Ryan or whomever, but maybe being more interactive with the players on Sunday---congratulating them when they do well and pulling them together when things aren't going right, just being in the middle of the action, maybe that would help with the leadership issue somewhat, at least on the defense. So, should Dave get out of the booth and onto the field on Sundays?

Can we at least wait for game 2 before we fire Chan and retire Fitz? I know that Jets game looked bad and it only added to the hangover from the end of last season... but, you can never judge a season by the first game. We won a blowout to start the season last year and ended up 6-10, while the Giants lost 28-14 to the eventual 5-11 Redskins but went on to win the Superbowl. Now, I'm not saying we're going to win the Superbowl, but let's at least wait a few more weeks to see if week 1 was an aberration, or who we are. And if we still look terrible after 4 or 5 games, then go crazy with the fire Chan and bench Fitz talk, but give it a couple of weeks to see how it plays out first. Maybe that first game lights a fire under the team that unfortunately wasn't there yet in week 1.

How about rooting for Marcel Dareus this week, a talented player who just lost his brother, yet he's gonna be out there fighting for his team (and his brother I'm sure). What about George Wilson? He had to fight and claw his way to stay in the league. His passion level is at the same level as Fred's. And he's worked his way up, changing his position, to become a top safety. How about Spiller (as others have mentioned)? A top pick, who has been a patient, team guy...doing and saying the right things, now he has his opportunity to shine. How about Kyle Williams? The guy has never ever taken a play off. He's a beast who almost everyone doubted early on. How about Mario Williams? Our big FA acquisition? You could root for him to prove his contract. How about Stevie? A 7th rounder who is now talked about in Fantasy circles and on the national media on a regular basis. Plus he's a pretty darn good WR. I could go on and on...honestly, what do you mean there is no one else to root for with Fred out. (Of course, you root for the whole team and a win first and foremost). But, I mean, Fred is one of my favorites too; he's even on my fantasy team...I was devasted to see him injured. But football is a team sport and the Bills happen to be a very likable team that has a lot of guys with great stories and passion. So, there are plenty of individuals to root for. And once they start winning, it will be easy to root for the whole team.

I'm going to pick David Nelson. Jones and Nelson are both 3rd year receivers...the traditional year that it really starts to click for wideouts; and they have both been in the same system with the same QB for all three years. They could both really come on this season.

Not yet. I do think Gilmore is going to be special, but he'll have his share of rookie mistakes this year no matter how good he is. I'm not sure about Aaron yet...he looked vulnerable in the preseason, but it is only his second year, first year starting, so he may come on during this season or next season. But too early to tell. I agree with mrags that I think eventually Brooks will be the better corner than Williams. So, maybe in another year or two if they all develop as we hope, they could become one of the best young secondaries with Glimore and Brooks on the outside, Williams in the slot, and Byrd, still relatively young, in the backfield.

This deserves one of deepthroat's "YEAH!'s". Great post.

I EXPECT TO WIN! And so do the Bills! Let's get some positive mojo going here on this board. It's a new season, we're 0-0, we have a new defense and a better D-coordinator. Wood is back under center. Stevie's groin, Fred's foot, and Fitz's ribs have healed. Gilmore is the real deal. Kyle Williams is healthy and a beast. He and Mario, Dareus, Anderson, and Kelsay (yes I said Kelsay) are going to wreak havoc; our offense is just waiting to bust out...mark my words, Fitz, Fred, Stevie, Chandler, and Nelson are all going to have big years. Yes, we still have a few holes, but every team does. Last year's slide is just that, last year. And the preseason is just the preseason. And the last 12 years count for nothing anymore. Have some faith for God's sake. Just as Chan rid the team of the loser mentality, time for the fans to lose it too. Fitz is going to make sure that Revis has to eat his words about Stevie. Sanchez will spend the day looking at the clouds. Tebow will be praying on the sidelines (rather than after touchdowns) hoping not to come in the game against our D-line. Their RBs ain't gonna do squat; their defense is very good, yet Freddie is still going to run wild over it. The baby is coming folks...his due date is September 9th, the wagons are circling, the stars are alining, and we'll be "talkin' proud" again and "Shouting" once more. We're baaaaaaaaaaaack! Let me close by saying, "What the f%ck happened to the Bills fans I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the greatest season of our lives, but you're going to let it be the worst. Oh, we're afraid to go with you Folz...we might get in trouble. Well just kiss my ass from now on. Not me. I'm not going to take this. Sanchez, he's a deadman! Tebow, dead! Ryan..."

What makes this more curious was the team experimenting with having the safeties make the defensive calls during the Minnesota game, a role usually reserved for the MLB. The experiment didn't work and the linebackers will indeed make the calls, but why did they even try it? http://blogs.buffalo...ign=blog_header Is/Was Shep not doing a good job as the defensive QB? Or are they worried about him starting for some other reason? Ergo the Morrison experiment as well? It could be he's just not playing up to expectations, making the right calls, etc. but I wonder if it has anything to do with the undisclosed ailment or whatever he had earlier in training camp. Usually the only time a team doesn't disclose something is if it is a personal issue or an unusual health issue like Easley last year... http://forums.twobil...e__hl__sheppard What if they aren't sure of Shep's health/personal issues and they are too nervous to let a young guy (McKillop/Carder) make all of the defensive calls and so you have the safeties and Morrison experiments. Obviously, as others have said, it could also just be that since Moats overtook Morrison at OLB then they have to decide whether to keep Morrison at all (which if he can play two positions its a plus for him) over some of the young guys. Either way, rather than taking it as a knock against our coaching staff, it reminds me of why I like Chan and his staff... the depth chart is always up for debate, always up for competition. They aren't afraid to drop someone, even if he has a name and/or good draft position, if he's not pulling his weight and they aren't afraid to promote a young or unproven guy if he is out competing the vet in front of him. And if something is wrong he at least tries a number of things to fix it rather than just accepting it (as it seemed that past regimes did). [Looks like Hopeful beat me to the punch in discussing the defensive playcalling issue]

Hope you're all willing to jump back on the Fitzwagon when it circles around again... and get used to that girlish squeal, I think we'll be hearing it a lot next year. I know the 2nd half of last season has made everyone cautious/nervous, but for almost half a season last year, Fitz held his own with the best in the league. At the time he was top 5/top 10 in most categories. Sure he has to do it for a full season, but... After 7 games played last year: ------------Comp.-------Att--------Comp%-----Yds----YPC------TD-----INT Fitz..........155..............229..............67.68.........1,739........7.7.........14............7 Brady.......184..............272..............67.64.........2,361........8.5.........18............8 Brees.......182..............299..............60.86.........2,477........8.3.........18............8 If Fitz had the same number of attempts as Brady (extrapolated out) he would have had 2,070 yds, 17 TDs and 8.3 INTs. So, his stats were very similar to Brady's, the only descrepancy being YPC which leads to the extra yards overall. Maybe having a legit deep threat will help that. If he had as many attempts as Brees,it would be 2,278 yds, 18 TDs, 9 INTs. And don't forget that was a record setting year for Brees. Now, of course, I'm not saying Fitz is as good as these guys, but I think the end of last season made people forget just how good Fitz was actually playing at the beginning of last season. And I hate to sound like a broken record, but I just can't understand those who don't think losing your starting and backup LT, starting C, starting RB, starting TE (for a while), and half your receiving corps didn't affect Fitz's play. And that doesn't even take into account his cracked ribs, Stevie's groin injury, and a porous defense. I mean at points last season, he was throwing to a QB and RB playing the WR position and guys basically signed off the street. Honestly? None of that mattered? It's just Fitz sucked because he's always sucked. Really? The guy has proven he can do it and the team is making sure he has all of the tools in order to do it consistently, a new QB coach, another year of continuity in the system and with his receivers and O-line, better defense, better depth. Sure the guy will never be a HOFer, but he's proven enough to me to drop the "journeyman" "career backup" titles that so many still attach to him. I may be in the minority, but I think Fitz is gonna have a big year.

I'm a big Fitz supporter and think he's going to have a great year (just thought I'd get that out of the way first). Two years ago, I was not sold on Fitz from the 8 games or so he'd started as a Bill to that point. I thought his throwing motion looked erratic (like he was pushing the ball) when he'd throw to the sidelines. Then he totally won me over with his heart, play, and moxie during the 2010 season. I've seen him improve from 2009 to 2010 and then again from 2010 to 2011. I don't think Fitz's issue is arm strength, I've seen him zip passes into his receivers between two defenders, he's been able to hit Chandler and Nelson deep over the middle, I've seen him throw the deep ball (like that 99-yarder to T. O.) when he has time and a consistent legit deep threat to throw to (when he has missed bombs in the past it's more of a timing issue with he and the WR, rather than the throws always being short). He's been great with the short passing game and I think he hits the guys in stride pretty well...just look at Stevie's YAC over the last two years. He's been able to improve his accuracy. Guys last off-season said he was a career sub-60% passer and would never improve. Then last year, even with the bad second half to the season, he had a 62% completion percentage. So, I really don't think those are the major issues even though that's what so many people continually bring up. Now, I'm no football guru by any means, but where I think he has still struggled is with the deep sideline throws (deep outs and sideline hooks over 10 yards--"back shoulder throws?"). Look at the two picks in the Giants game for example (both were the same type of throw). Now that could be arm strength, but maybe it's mechanics (like I said earlier, his motion on those throws always looked weird to me). I think if Lee can get Fitz to improve on those throws, he'll be a more complete QB and his Accuracy % will go up even more. And I really think with a healthy O-line and WR corps and a better defense that prevents us from playing from behind all the time (and making Fitz feel he has to force things) his interceptions will go down significantly. And like others said, being a career backup until the last couple of years (with questionable franchises/coaches: Rams, Bengals, Jauron-era Bills) it's not surprising that he didn't get coached up that much individually. And sometimes you don't know you're doing anything wrong or know how to improve it until someone points it out to you and shows you how to fix it. So for me, this is a good thing that someone is finally pointing out the flaws in his game and working on them...not a point to get down on Fitz for. I have a feeling there will be a lot fewer Fitz-detractors after this upcoming season. Go Bills!

I think the Patriots amazing run is more about their QB and Head coach and the consistency that brings year in and year out rather than how many veteran FAs they bring in each year. Some work out (Moss), some don't (Ocho Cinco), some unspectacularly fill a spot, some turn into excellent role players. But, I don't think this is what the Pats have had over the Bills of late. Plus, we've brought in plenty of veteran FAs in the past, just look at the O-line (Dockery, Walker, Gandy, etc.)...and how did that work out? It's not about just bringing in vets, it's about bringing in the right vets (talent evaluation) that are good, fit what the team is doing football-wise and chemistry-wise. Also, most teams start rookies every year...it's just how the league has gone recently. Every team has to rely on some young guys stepping up, either to start or to fill in for injury. The key is to have multiple options (depth), competition, etc. In the last few years, we didn't have the depth, but it is slowly building. LT: If Hairston were starting and we had no back-up plan, I'd be more worried. Hairston did a good job last year, but I don't know for sure how good he is yet. But, if he holds off Glenn, I'll feel more secure about him and then Glenn and Sanders are there as depth. If one of the young guys (most likely Glenn) can wrestle the spot away, then we have Hairston and a rookie as back-up. Sure they are all young and will make mistakes, but that's how they will learn and get better as well and the line will start building long-term chemistry which is so important on the O-line. I'd rather that than an injury-prone vet who may give us one or two years and be gone. TE: Sincere question? How often does Chan run anything out of a two TE set? We have always said that Chan doesn't utilize the TE...is it true? I think Chandler is an excellent (not elite) TE. He was blowing things up last year before he got injured. Chan will also use Nelson at times in a pseudo-TE role...so, I don't think we need another pass-catching TE for the offense to work. As to who is a good blocker or not, I'm not sure. And I don't know much about the young TEs on the roster. But I would guess that TE is a luxury if the right player came along, not a necessity. WR: I think a lot of this keys on Graham. He can fill both the Evans and the Parrish role at different times (if he works out). We don't need Fitz to all of a sudden become a homerun guy tossing bombs every week. But running Graham deep and connecting on a few of them here and there will keep defenses honest. They won't be able to continually crowd the line to stop the run and the short passing game. And I truly think Nelson is under-appreciated by a lot of Bills fans...he's going to have a great year (year #3...traditional WR breakout year). And then there is Easley, Jones, Smith, Aiken, Hagan, Clowney, Roosevelt, and Martin all competing for spots; some with excellent potential, a number of them with game experience now, a few who won't make the roster this year. We didn't need a big redzone target (Nelson, Stevie, and Chandler all do well in the redzone). We needed a speed guy to spread the field, which opens up holes in Chan's type of offense for the RBs and short passes. The Bills hope they have that in Graham. If Graham works out and either Jones or Easley steps it up, we will be very solid in the passing game (when you include Chandler and the RBs out of the backfield too). If just Graham works out, I think we will still be ok. Sure those are ifs, but we aren't counting on one if...like in past years, there are a number of options if someone isn't working out. One out of maybe 5 ifs instead, increasing our odds of one of them coming through. LB: Kirk Morrison, before coming to the Bills and getting injured for the year, averaged 120 tackles a year over a 6 year career. He just turned 30 years old. It's not like he is just some scrub as some seem to think or over the hill. He is a well respected LB in the league and I think he will do well in Wanny's system. I think Sheppard and Barnett are solid. We don't quite know what we have in depth yet, but I'd rather some young, hungry guys with potential to be really good, than an average or aging FA who's ceiling we already know. So, though I don't disagree that these are the positions with the most question marks and if there is a FA out there who is clearly better than what we have (at the right time in his career and for the right price) then you still jump at him, but the key is what is best for the team going forward. We want to make the playoffs this year, of course, but most likely we aren't going to the Super Bowl. So, let's start working the young guys and keep building and drafting so next year or the year after that we have a legitimate shot and with a young nucleus that is coming into their prime, rather than older FAs that we have to replace in a year or two, disrupting chemistry and finding ourselves continually patching holes. Belicheck is trying to hold on to a dynasty, we're trying to build one...these two teams are in very different places right now and their current strategy wouldn't be the best one for us. The way Nix has handled FA (sign your own and only spend on players who are worth the salary and roster spot---over a young guy) imho is best. If there are veteran FAs out there who will improve the team talent-wise, won't disrupt the chemistry the team has built, and won't be overpaid for their services, I'm sure Buddy and Chan will go after them.

As others said, you can't put all the hits or all the misses on Jauron as he wasn't the sole decision-maker, but here are the totals: Jauron era (2006-2009): drafted players still on the team Kyle Williams, Steve Johnson, Leodis McKelvin, Eric Wood, Jarius Byrd, Andy Levitre (Wood, Levitre, and Byrd came in Nix's first year back with the team...he wasn't GM yet, but I bet he had a lot of influence on that draft considering the rudderless FO that existed at the time). Draftees still playing ok to good elsewhere: Marshawn Lynch, Donte Whitner, Paul Posluszny, D. Bell, Maybin? So, 4 drafts (34 picks) and 11 decent to excellent players...but when you add in that Lynch, Maybin, McKelvin, and Whitner were 1st round picks (and therefore should be more than just decent) and Wood, Levitre, and Byrd may have been Nix influenced, that 32% actually looks inflated. Jauron era (2006-2009): free agent players still on the team Ryan Fitzpatrick (2009 FA), Fred Jackson (2006 FA), Spencer Johnson (2008 FA), Corey McIntyre (2008 FA) (Marv definitely brought in Fred on his own and I doubt it was Jauron's decision to bring in an, at the time, backup QB) Holdovers (pre Jauron-era) still on team: Chris Kelsey (2003 draft), Ryan Lindell (2003 FA), Brian Moorman (2001 FA), Terrence McGee (2003 draft), George Wilson (2004 UDFA signed from Detroit) So, 15 pre-Nix/Gailey players remain on the team (12 pre-Nix---if you accept his hand was in the 2009 draft). 10 from Jauron's 4 year stint. I would think with a 51 man roster, 34 draft picks, UDFAs, and FA over a 4 year period, most fans could probably find 10 good players. I don't think Jauron ran the franchise into the ground (Donahoe did that), Jauron just maintained the mediocrity. And starting Lynch over Fred/Trent over Fitz/Anyone over Stevie/Whitner over Wilson (when fans at the time could see who the better player was at each spot) definitely doesn't help the cause if you're trying to give him credit for bringing talent to the team). No offense to the OP, yes, there are some holdover players that are very important to the team right now, I just question giving a lot of credit to Jauron for how he and the FO at the time managed anything. I think Gailey will be fine this year...I felt the same as you at the end of last season about sticking with the passing game, but I think there was a reason for it and that reason was Eric Wood/Fred Jackson. First of all, early in the season the pass set up the run (not the other way around) but the run was still an option on early downs to keep the defense honest. Once Wood went out I think it really hurt the run game and then when Fred went down, there was no way for that team to pound the ball with C. J. and no center. I don't think he had much of a choice due to injuries. I don't think it was so much the scheme was figured out as we no longer had the players to run it properly. And it would have been hard to change the scheme mid-stream with so many young players (Hairston, C.J., WRs) playing due to injuries. They were just trying to stay alive out there...to change the schemes on the fly could have been disaster (although it kind of was anyhow, but he was trying to give his team the best chance to win by not putting too much extra on the young guys who were filling in). And what about Gailey's career resume leads you to believe he isn't capable?

Howdy Neighbors! I'm in Carroll Gardens. Where in the Netherlands do you live? I spent a summer in Well (and Venlo) and traveled around the country quite a bit. Spent part of another summer near Eindhoven. Been back two other times. Was there during the 2004 European Championship. Very Exciting! Love the Netherlands!

Representing for Brooklyn, New York! Originally from Rochester. Crazy thing is we have more Steelers' fans at my job (in Manhattan) than Jets or Giants.

Chris Clemons (8th year out of Georgia) mans the other side for Seattle. Last season he had 51 tackles, 11 sacks, and 3 FF. (Also had 11 sacks in 2010.)

The Seahawks have just resigned DE Red Bryant to a 5 year $35 million dollar contract. Earlier Chris Brown posted that 3 other teams were in the hunt/interested in Mario...2 being Chicago and Seattle. It has already been reported that the Bears are out of the sweepstakes...could this mean Seattle has given up as well? Seems we are getting closer! http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7682923/2012-nfl-free-agency-seattle-seahawks-re-sign-red-bryant-five-years-35m-sources-say Sorry if this should have been posted in one of the Mario threads. Feel free to merge it Mods.

I love what is happening this week (Stevie, Chandler) and signing Morrison back is great. Morrison played 5 years in Oakland and then signed as a FA with the Jags and had a bad season there/didn't fit in, whatever (ergo his comment to Stevie about the grass not always being greener)...and kind of what happened to Florence also moving from SD to JAX for the big contract...but what it sounds like many have forgotten are that Morrison's numbers in Oakland were stellar. In 5 years in Oakland, his tackle totals were: 116, 127, 120, 135, 133. That's a boatload of tackles. He just turned 30 this month. I don't think the 2 down years in Jax and Buff are about him slowing down, but more about change and circumstances. His averages in Oakland (per year) were 126 tackles, 1 sack, 3.5 passes defended, 1.5 INTs, 1.2 FFs. If we get that Kirk Morrison this year, we got a steal. Keep it up Buddy!

I think the key is when he said they need to get to a point where Buddy comes in at 9 AM and says this is what we need to do and can leave at 5 PM and leave things in Doug's hands. Buddy isn't getting any younger, so traveling the entire college circuit or pulling long days or all nighters probably won't work in the long run. So Whaley is being groomed to basically be in complete tandem with Buddy and take the more time consuming tasks and traveling that are easier for a younger man. Be Buddy's eyes and ears and maybe eventually take over completely when Buddy is ready to retire. I like that Whaley is humble and knows that there is still a lot for him to learn. GM has to be a pretty complicated job. But at the same time, he is one of the up and coming execs in the league and I am glad that we have him. Taking over the college scouting (while keeping his Asst GM title and also overseeing pro personal) is just another step in his process of learning the job fully. It isn't a demotion as others suggested.

Signing Stevie is a must in my opinion. And I'm still excited about Easley (provided he's healthy), but what killed us last year was not having backup plans when things didn't go best case scenario, like Merriman being injured again, no one to push Donald Jones, no backup center, etc. We need to have at least a plan B for as many spots as possible next season. Let's hope Easley becomes a player, but let's not count on it. We counted on too many things to go our way last year and in the end, they didn't. So, I agree with Johnny H, once Stevie officially resigns, we should target a mid-tier FA WR and draft at least one WR. The coaches need options if someone gets injured or to change things if someone isn't working out and not just be stuck with it.

Screw the Jets! I was talking to a co-worker who is a New England fan today and found myself saying, "Yeah, maybe we just don't match up well with the Jets." Later I thought about what Chan would say to his team after a game like that or before the next matchup with the Jets and he sure as hell wouldn't tell them we just don't match up well with that team. He would say "They didn't beat us, we beat ourselves" and then "Expect to Win, gentleman!" The Jets were coming off of a bye and a crazy, but good defensive coach had an extra week to watch film and prepare. Fitz didn't look like his normal self, maybe the ribs and finger injuries bothered him. We could all give a ton of reasons (or excuses) for the loss. But it doesn't matter. Our team played flat, awful. Every team can have a bad day, it doesn't mean the team is now terrible. Or that the Jets are unstoppable. The crazy thing is that for as bad as the Bills played, they were still in that game late into the 2nd half. But, after the game, it was like that old doubt, that "and here's where it all goes downhill" feeling was trying to take over again...but it's time to exorcise those demons once and for all and Expect to Win. These are your new and improved Buffalo Bills. We once rallied around Marvisms, "When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us." Time to rally around a Chanism and "Expect to Win". We know these guys too well now...they aren't going to give up. Chan will have a plan and our guys will play their guts out. Let's not let the Jets, who we WILL beat the next time around, make us question our team...they're offense doesn't scare me one bit and I'm sure Chan will figure out a way to attack their defense next time around. The tide is still turning and the crest of the wave is this upcoming 3 game win streak on the road. "Dallas is a deadman....Miami dead...Jets dead...Nedemeier..." Go Bills! P.S. Sorry for the unbridled enthusiasm/optimism. Gameday must be getting nearer and last week's loss fading.

I'll bite...in a positive way: Cudos to Curtis! Yes, it's Gailey's offense and Gailey calls the plays, but Modkins has been his right hand man for years now. Gailey brought Modkins with him from Dallas to Georgia Tech to Kansas City to Buffalo as RBs/DBs coach and now offensive coordinator. The guy obviously has the running game working well and brings a lot of value to Chan's offense. He is at least Chan's sounding board for offensive schemes and I would guess he brings a lot to the table in that department as well for Chan to have brought him everywhere he goes. Ok, the guy doesn't have the traditional responsibilities of an offensive coordinator, but he isn't a joke. I bet if you asked Chan, he could tell you how important Modkins is to the team, so he deserves his credit like everyone else. Good on ya Curtis...and no I'm not his mother.

1. Didn't Brady and Vick both have 4 Int games against us just this year? Even great QBs have bad days. 2. People bring up the hall of fame QBs (Brady, Manning, Brees, Rodgers?). How many teams at any given time have a HOF QB (maybe 3 or 4). That leaves 28-29 teams without a QB like that. We've been looking to get another one since Kelly retired in '96. People act like it is easy to go out a get a future HOFer. It's not. 3. The Bills have said they we're going to draft Newton if Carolina didn't (even though I was against the idea at the time---guess I was wrong). 4. Fitzpatrick has brought more hope, fun, and exciting play of any QB in Buffalo since Flutie and before that Kelly. Does he have his weaknesses? Sure. But his strengths outweigh his weaknesses on most days, he's a great leader who has his team behind him, the team is winning games, they're fun to watch, and when they're down they're not necessarily out anymore. 5. We were playing with a backup rookie left tackle in only his second game, and then when he went out we had our guard playing left tackle and his back-up in at guard against one of the best pass rushing defenses in the league. 6. Our WR core was depleted from injuries. 7. The defense was without Kyle Williams and Shawne Merriman and didn't do their part in shutting the Giants down to make the picks not hurt us. 8. We were playing a team that just got embarrassed at home last week back at their house (on the road for us). I'm disappointed in the loss too and I'm really not trying to make excuses for it; I'm just saying its not time to panic and abandon ship on anyone. Despite Fitz's (and the defense's) bad day, we only lost by 3 on the road to a decent team. I mean, what is the point of calling for a Franchise (especially when you really mean HOF type) QB when it isn't easy to find one and the FO obviously wouldn't pass one up if the opportunity arose. Until that day...I am so glad that Fitz is our QB and I'm behind him 100%. Keep some perspective, give the guy a break, and keep rooting for him.

Of course I have no proof, but I really think Cowher wanted the Bills job but just couldn't take it due to his wife's illness (as the Dr. stated) and then he recommended Chan and has been in the Bills corner ever since. Can't hate on Cowher...we should be thanking him instead. And Chan is the man. We finally have a coach who creates game plans around his team's strengths and the other team's weaknesses, rather than forcing some "philosophy or technique" on every game (as if every game were the same). Listen to all of the players comments from last week, they were saying things like "the coaches knew this would work, we saw them doing this, we knew we could be successful doing this, we added this just for this week because we thought they would be vulnerable to it." We finally have a coach who can make adjustments and is good at game management (see the end of the Patriots and Eagles games). We finally have a coach who plays to win, rather than playing not to lose. A guy who is all about hard work, accountability, TEAM, etc. A guy who gets the most out of his players, has his whole team prepared (see Roosevelt and Hairston most recently), is a straight shooter, and someone who the players like and will fight for. After a long drought, we've finally got ourselves a real football coach boys.

Kelly, I was just about to post the same thing: AFC East Team W L T Pct PF PA NetPts TD Home Buffalo Bills 4 1 0 .800 164 120 44 20 3-0 New England Patriots 4 1 0 .800 165 119 46 20 2-0