2020 Our Year For Sure

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!

Thanks for the heads up! Gotta fire up the DVR for this one

This. How can a person who has gone through that have such a positive outlook? To feel no anger toward the shooter. What an amazing story

Cowherd is good for comedy, funny dude. Just don't take him seriously and you'll be fine

Don't forget Merriman! Not a huge impact yesterday but still an important cog. Wannstedt too is making a HUGE difference in this defense that is immeasurable.

Manning I'll miss. Not Marcia.

Chucky has quickly become one of my favorite color guys. ESPN gets a big for putting he and Jaws together.

Anything to pick up a Bills fan

Chiefs -5.5

-Schefter

JP isn't a part of it because we all know he's stronger than these three. Notice Jim Kelly is similarly absent

Defensively we need to focus on stopping the run as many have said and will say, but we also need to play the secondary back and take away the deep pass. With regard to Jason Campbell, think a competent version of JP Losman. He is an average starting quarterback at best but he throws a tremendous deep ball, and has a cannon. Pair that with Jacoby Ford and Heyward-Bay on the outside and this is a team designed to get the ball downfield through the air. The secondary must be ready for this. The coaches need to be ready for it too. If you force Campbell to throw underneath all game he WILL make mistakes. The front 7 keys on McFadden, the back 4 take away the bomb. I'm not sure what Oakland does defensively but I believe they are stout up the middle personnel-wise. We had some success at Arrowhead running off tackle between Bell and Levitre, that's something you'd want to continue. As always, if you can get the ground game working, you can use play action and that opens up the entire playbook and makes you near-impossible to defend if you execute. Gailey likes to come out spreading the field and firing, which then opens up the run and in turn activates play action. It'll be interesting to see how he comes out offensively this week.

Help settle a debate between myself and my family. My dad and brother seem to think Fitzpatrick has the least arm strength of the three, and that Flutie was the strongest. Am I out of my mind for thinking it's Fitz-Edwards-Flutie (exactly the opposite)? Edwards' arm (no pun intended to the poster with said handle!) to my memory was just strong enough to make all the throws an NFL passer needs to make, with Fitz' arm being just a bit stronger. Flutie I thought was the least strong of the three-- I remember a lot of his "deep" balls being fade routes to Moulds that would only travel 20-25 yards in the air. I don't think either Flutie or Edwards could have made the throw Fitz made last year against Pittsburgh that Stevie ultimately dropped. Mostly irrelevant to how good a quarterback these guys are overall, just would really like to know what you think purely about their arm strength. Please base it on where their arm strength was at the time that they were members of the Bills (not at Boston College, for example). GO BILLS!

I want a pass rushing OLB in the first or second round, value permitting. Merriman's health is altogether too critical to the defense right now, we need an athletic rusher on the other side. And even if Batten works out, Merriman's deal is finished after next season.

Other than Michael Vick, I'm with you.