Dr. K

I'd be crazy happy if they won, but actually, given the next four games, if they are going to lose one of the next four I'd rather it be against the Saints than the in-conference teams KC, Pittsburgh, or in particular the Jets. They could get blown out by the Saints, but if they manage to win the next three, they's be in great shape.

Saints win 27-14.

...and beg de Haven to come back if he's not working for somebody else already.

Very nice post. I agree completely.

Trammel the mammals!

I think they will be doing well to make 8-8. I hope they prove me wrong, but that would be some kind of miracle it seems to me.

A defensive touchdown (or two) would help.

I am very pleased to be way off on my prediction.

Instead of throwing it out of bounds, E.J. is going to put it up for grabs. He'll throw at least three interceptions. I just have a bad feeling: Bills get blown out in this one 41-14.

E.J. airs it out Some big plays, but throws four picks. Fans set hair on fire.

I think yours is a more rational estimation than mine, and if I were betting I'd take your advice over mine. I am basing my estimation a bit on intangibles. I just feel that these young players are going to respond to Marone's style of coaching. I believe, like Marone, that talent is essential, but that esprit d'corps or motivation makes a difference in the end. I expect these players to learn rapidly and play hard. I of course don't and can't guarantee anything. I just have a feeling, based on what we've seen and how they've responded. Did you see the clip on the bills website of Marone's postgame talk to the playersa? A moment at the very end struck me, when one of the players, walking away from the huddle of players after Marone is finished and Kyle Williams gives him the game ball, says, "That's what I'm talking about." The sound of that just speaks to me of a big change in attitude. We'll see whether this means anything at all.

This may be a useless post, but I've been thinking about this particular version of the Buffalo Bills and I just have the feeling that this time it is not a mirage: this team is going to get to be VERY GOOD. There may be some surprises on personnel, and they will have to draft well next year and the year after. But there's something about these guys that has me believing. And I say this having predicted last winter that they would be lucky to win three games this season, later revising to five. I was not impressed with the hire of Marone and had no faith they would have anyone who could play quarterback. But I take all that back now. I think Marone may not be the smartest coach in the NFL, but he knows something about people, not to say young football players. His emotional but straight-from-the-shoulder style will I think really work with this team, and the players are going to play way above people's expectations of them. I'm thinking, barring catastrophic injuries (and maybe not even then), this is a winning football team this season, a good bet for the playoffs and maybe more. If I were a Pats fan, I would not be feeling so smug about the next meeting of the two teams, even though it will be in Foxboro. That's about all I have to say, for whatever it may be worth, which probably isn't much. As you were, men.

+1 The first time the Bills screw up, he will turn on them like a snake. There's a huge difference between telling the truth and being a jerk. Even when Sullivan is right, he's an ass.

I know it's premature, after just two games, but could Leodis finally be living up to expectations?

This is the way I feel about the Carolina game. The Bills have been hurt badly by mobile QBs over the years. Will Newton make them look silly after being ineffective last week? I really think this could be a foundational game for them, coming after the near miss against the Pats. A test of character, talent, and coaching against a tough defense but a beatable team. Are they pointing up or down?

This team is truly cursed. There is no chance in hell they will even compete with the Pats on Sept. 8.

...Bills were playing the Jets, their first drive of the game, and EJ completing bullet passes then running for a touchdown. And I don't even expect Buffalo to be any good this season. Must be my id at work.

An illustration from an early 1800s edition of Frankenstein. The monster comes to life and Victor Frankenstein flees.

I'm glad he mentioned the issue at QB. I have high hopes for EJ Manuel, but I don't see where they are going to find 24 touchdown passes on this team this season. Certainly not from Kolb.

I can't understand why anyone would expect better QB play from Kolb than we got from Fitz. Maybe it will be different in some regards, but it will not in my opinion be better. An improved defense might lead to more wins anyway, but that would have been true last season as well.

Exactly. I say six or fewer wins and hope to be proven wrong.

+1

I agree. I was one of the people most critical of letting Nelson go, and very unhappy with the loss of Levitre. But the acquisitions in the draft at WR make me feel I overreacted. It remains to be seen who will play left guard, but I'm hoping they can get at least adequate performance from somebody there. I hope the o-line does not take too much of a step back. If the coaches can bring these players along, maybe the season won't be quite the significant step backward i expected. I'm still not convinced the offense is going to score more than it did last season. We'll see.

Where did I say Fitz was a good QB? I said Kolb is no improvement. I gently suggest that you may have a Fitz fixation that is making it hard for you to see Kolb (or the rest of the offense) accurately. What I was saying is that I do not at this point expect the offense to play better than it did last season. I expect a step back before there is a step forward. Not that last year's offense was sterling, or that Fitz was a superior QB. And I stand by (and elaborate on) my statement that if the defense were even adequate, instead of the worst in Bills history, the team would have won at least three more games in 2012.

I am absolutely aware of Fitzpatrick's limitations. But I do not see (unless Manuel takes off from Day One the way Wilson and Luck and RG and Cam did in the last couple of years, which I am not expecting) that Kolb is going to give better overall QB play than Fitz, or that the new offensive system is not going to have equivalent difficulties to the ones Gailey's had (if not necessarily the same ones), or that the rookie receivers are suddenly going to be a quantum leap above the ones we got rid of. At the very least I think there is going to be a learning curve. And we obviously have different opinions the comparable abilities of Fitz vs. Kolb (do you really see that Kolb is that superior? Based on what, ,exactly?). And I don't think if you give Spiller the ball ten more times a game he is going to maintain his 6.0 yard average per carry. Etc. I think we can agree that the defense has to be better--or at least I would be surprised if it isn't. I guess we'll just have to disagree for now. The camp and pre-season may change my mind about the offense. We'll just see what happens. As I say, I'll be happy to be proven wrong about this. This