2020 Our Year For Sure

Haha well done

Hope so! But keep in mind this could be Freddy's only big payday as an NFL player. It makes sense he'd want to be paid market value.

$5M a year won't get it done with Captain Jackson in my opinion. Believe I read that Adrian Peterson is getting $13M/season over the first 4 years of his new deal. Don't think Freddy will be happy with less than half of that. I'm thinking around 8 a year.

To go with John's point, David Nelson in particular looks like a very good blocker. Might be why they run some play action plays where he is used like a tight end, chipping before catching a pass near the line of scrimmage. Did Steve Johnson talk about his health at all?

Boston Globe reporter says on her Twitter Hernandez has an MCL sprain and will likely miss 1-2 weeks. Boston Herald also thinks it likely Still have to worry about Gronkowski-Chad-Branch-Welker-Woodhead in the passing game, but you'd think it would change their gameplan and limit the two-TE sets they love to run.

I do believe we were out of timeouts here, Beerball. We had burned one needlessly when the clock was already stopped, and we used the final one after the third down completion to Nelson.

Isn't Seymour playing DT in a 4-man front for them? Agree with your sentiment here though. Bell is the BIGGEST surprise in the early going in my opinion, and there have been a bunch of nice surprises on this team. Pears...should be a backup. He's not horrible but he makes a few blunders every game. I'm no coach but I do think he was better yesterday than in week 1, however.

here here! Well said, John

Good stuff Bill, agree with every one of your points except I'm on the fence about #2. Maybe you can share with us what it is about Merriman that has you so encouraged. He did look like a monster in the preseason. McKelvin is a disaster. Sometimes the coverage is decent and sometimes he gets beat clean. Unfortunately even when he's there, he is useless because he never makes a play on the football. Stevie Johnson needs to show the poor kid how to go up and attack the ball in the air. Here's to hoping he's not on the 2012 roster. We are going to miss McGee like mad before the thing is over, we already did today. Despite ALL FOUR (Boss) of their top receivers being out to injury, silver helmets ran wide open through our secondary the entire game. It was baffling. Kelly the Dog is right that Campbell played well, but I thought we made it easy for him. At a certain point my father and myself agreed that we might as well start blitzing because we couldn't cover anyone anyway. It's frustrating to watch a pass defense that can't get a rush yet can't cover at the same time. Seemed from here that McKelvin got thrown at far more than Florence on the other side, who I still think is solid. Don't feel like going back and quoting, but to the guy who bolded and agreed with the statement, "I like everything about where the team is at right now," yet has in his signature, "Keep hope alive, new ownership in 2011": Buddy Nix put this team together. Who do you think put Nix in a position to do so? We know the man isn't perfect, but the point stands. Ralph was responsible for the Bills' failures, and is also responsible for the Bills' successes. I'm blown away by both Fitzpatrick and Captain Jackson. The Rifle said in his postgame conference that Freddy is the emotional leader and that the team rallies around him. He also mentioned 3 or 4 different times the confidence he got from the guys with him in the huddle, how good it felt to "know we were gonna get the job done before it happened." And you can see it in their play on the field. Everyone plays at full speed, everyone is decisive-- even Spiller who was the picture of indecisiveness last year. Freddy, Fitz and Stevie lead by example and this entire offense has bought into what Gailey is selling. I believe they can drop 30 on any team in the league because I am 100% sure that THEY believe it. You can make the unprovable argument that we'd be significantly better with Lee Evans, but between the guys mentioned plus Nelson and Chandler, Fitz has a healthy compliment of reliable weapons to go to, even with Roscoe out. Stevie Johnson's health is still crucial, however. The reason it's good we have cap room is so we can lock up those three offensive leaders, and I fully expect the front office to make that happen before long. Pears still makes me nervous, seems susceptible to the bull rush. I'm even more nervous with Chad Rinehart next to him. He doesn't look ready to me. Hope Chan can coach him up in 7 days. I see the point made often that Fitz doesn't get much time to throw, but he's so damn good at reading the defense and deciding where to go with the football quickly that it doesn't even matter. It really can't be stressed enough and it's one of the main reasons we won today. He and Gailey are just a picture perfect match. Gailey is a terrific leader for a young football team, he knows what strings to pull (see: Levitre, Andy), what messages to send his players and what they need to be prepared for each week. I remember him saying during the week that he tried his best to get them to understand how physical and taxing this game was going to be, and how they needed to play 4 full quarters and fight through it. I think they got the message, Coach. George Edwards...I don't know, gentlemen. They'd split their fullback out wide and he'd get a 10-yard cushion like he was Marshall Faulk. Minimal blitzing on a normally-jittery quarterback like Campbell. As previously stated, 4th and 5th WRs on the depth chart running loose in the secondary for 60 minutes. Thank heaven for Marcel Dareus and Kyle Williams, the two best players on our defense are right in the middle of the line where they can control the run game and push the pocket. We really need to find a perimeter rush somehow, someway, however, or more quarterbacks will take advantage in similar fashion to Campbell. Back to the lab, Wanny. I can't tell you how much fun we had watching this game today, I've never seen one quite like it. When it was over it felt like we'd survived a tornado. Guess that's part of what it is to be a Bills fan! 2-0! Damn that looks good! Kick your heels up and SHOUT!

It doesn't matter if he stays with the receiver or not because he never makes a play on the ball in the air. Knock the ball down young man!

Who the hell thinks about THIS less than 12 hours before we follow up an opener like the one we had last week?

Moreso Cincinnati in recent years

The fact that he's winning is exactly why we DO care, haha

this isnt legitimate until 'Fitz' is an option! I like Amish Rifle myself but gotta give 'em the choice or its a paper crown

The problem is that Ralph's favorite team is the Lions.

The defensive lines are very similar to my eyes. Both teams are crazystrong in the middle but with average Ends, but with a good rush 'backer that will take plenty of snaps in a 3-point stance. Both DLs have good depth to boot. While I believe [Pro Bowler] Kyle Williams, Dareus, Nick Barnett and Andra Davis will again do a solid job of clogging the running lanes in the middle, I'm concerned about McFadden's ability to get to the edge and make you pay for it. Jamaal Charles did find some room outside last week. You can say the same about the other side, however-- the Raiders OLB by your own admission are suspect, and Buffalo did a great job last week of opening holes in the run game, be it inside or out. What worries me if I'm a Raiders fan looking at this game is that Buffalo's passing game was more effective in week 1 than Oakland's. Chan Gailey and Ryan Fitzpatrick are locked in and clicking on all cylinders right now. If you're honest with yourself, can you say the same for Jackson and Campbell? Additionally, Jackson couldn't get his team mentally prepared to get through a football game without shooting themselves in the foot via penalties, even given weeks of preparation time. What happens now in a shortened week? The Raiders are a better football team than most people will give you credit for. They are solid along both trenches and have a dynamic, workhorse RB and that's more than a lot of teams can claim. I shouldn't think this would be a blowout either way unless someone starts turning it over like mad. But Buffalo has a better signal-caller and is playing with more focus and discipline. Add in the energy level of a home opener and the Bills have to be the frontrunner here.

This calls for a poll! Someone do the honors !

With you on the Pittsburgh pick, Seattle is awful and LeBeau will embarrass T. Jackson. If they couldn't run on SF they won't be able to run here either. Good timing for Roethlisberger and company to get on track after last week. I'm taking a chance and jumping in on Buffalo this week. I imagine Gailey and Wannstedt watching the Raiders-Broncos tilt live, finding the weaknesses in Oakland on both sides of the ball. We looked so well-prepared in KC and I believe we will be again. Then there's Oakland, with their 2-3 day practice week, with their rookie head coach Jackson taking them cross-country and back in time 3 hours. Never a certainty with our Bills of course My third bet is Baltimore -6 @TEN. The Ravens were machine-like in week 1, while Tennessee losing to a team like Jacksonville was a big letdown. Rookie HC Munchak just doesn't seem to have it together yet, following an abbreviated offseason that saw them bring in a new starting quarterback and lose the face of their franchise to holdout through the majority of their preparation time.

Other than find a Drew Brees and improve the offensive front, what is it Buffalo needs to do to approach a team like the Saints?

Not really relevant what happens between now and then. Even if we lose to Oakland, we STILL play the Patriots* afterward. That's how schedules work.

http://youtu.be/1jUBbCgMWmE

lol there's NO WAY you're getting a 3rd rounder for McGee now. There's really no sense in trading the man now. You'd be lucky to net a 5th; my best guess would be a 6th.

We're not the players. We're not the coaches. Stop with these posts telling fans of the team, who have nothing to do with the preparation of the team itself, what to think about. I think if Merriman is 100% by that game and we have an edge rush to go ALONG with K-Weezy and Dareus in the middle it gives us a better chance. I agree that the Patriots'* defense can be had. Fitz needs to have a game of a lifetime. No turnovers! You're right, the Ralph will be ROCKIN' that day. You never know...

If the line moves, which way should we expect it to go?

Love that in-depth analysis Rich, there are few places a Bills fan can find this kind of thing. I found the Dareus commentary especially helpful, thank you!