Dr. K

Actually, I, like Simon, think that the dumping on Mularkey has gotten way out of hand. This bespeaks a kind of insecurity and mob psychology more than any reasoned judgment. It's become a parroting of "conventional wisdom" that lost any amusement value a long time ago IMHO.

It's always "triceps" plural. There is no singular. Likewise "biceps" is always correct and "bicep" never is.

The Bills, after giving up 180 yards to the Pats, are going to go into this game primed to stop the run, which means the safeties are going to be hyper aware of Brown's running. I figure, given Mularkey's history, at some point in the game the Fins will hand the ball off to Brown, who will pitch back to Culpepper hoping the safeties will have bitten on the run play, and they'll go long to Chambers or one of the other WRs. I hope Whitner and Simpson aren't cheating up too far.

I hear the Bills are thinking of starting Harlan Ellison at LB on Sunday.

Over a 16-game season that works out to more than 1700 yards per season and 13-14 TDs--and this is his AVERAGE, not his best season.

I had the same question. I thought the penalty should be assessed after the first down. But no one on the Bills seemed to object. What's the rule?

I like the call, even though it didn't work. The game was not lost on that play; we can all name a half-dozen other plays that were crucial, from the safety to the block in the bak penalties, one of which cost us a touchdown on Whitner's interception return and the other a first down in Patriot territory late in the fourth quarter. I commend Jauron for showing faith in the team. The Pats still had to drive 93 yards after the failed fourth down. I htink the real culprit in this game, and my biggest worry for the future, is the poor run defense. Nobdy gives up 180-200 yards on the ground and wins. The loss was a heartbreaker, and there a lots of things they need to do better, but on the evidence of this one game this looks like a better team than last year's. Ask me again after game five or six and we'll have a better sense of how good or bad these guys are.

I wouldn't. It's a sleazy move no matter who is doing it.

I say if B. did lead Freddy to believe he wanted him on the team, signed him only to pump him for info, it's sleazy no matter if it's within the rules. And it depresses me to think how many people are just fine with it. Someone once said, in another context, that "Society only works when people do more than the law requires and less than it allows." Yet the country is full of people who think that's a loser's attitude. It makes the U.S. an uglier place to live. No wonder we're on the skids, heading for the third world. Pardon my editorial comment.

As a science fiction writer, I offer two alternative futures: The Dystopia: Sept. 10 @ New England - Loss. New England swamps inexperienced Bills. Brady rips them up. Sept. 17 @ Miami - Loss - D plays tough, but offense can't get untracked. Sept. 24 NY Jets - Win. Oct. 1 Minnesota - Win. Oct. 8 @ Chicago - Loss. Can't beat the Chicago D. Oct. 15 @ Detroit - Loss. Can't get it together on the road. Oct. 22 New England - Loss. Close game, decicded when Losman throws late pick. Fans calling for Losman to be benched. Nov. 5 Green Bay - Win. Jauron stands behind Losman, who plays well enough Nov. 12 @ Indianapolis - Loss. Nov. 19 @ Houston - Win. First road win. Nov. 26 Jacksonville - Loss. Dec. 3 San Diego - Loss. Dec. 10 @ NY Jets - Win. Dec. 17 Miami - Loss. Dec. 24 Tennessee - Win. Dec. 31 @ Baltimore - Loss. 6-10. Widespread grumbling, but fans stay on board. Another dark winter in Buffalo. The utopia: Sept. 10 @ New England - Loss Sept. 17 @ Miami - Loss - Sept. 24 NY Jets - Win. Oct. 1 Minnesota - Win. Oct. 8 @ Chicago - Loss. Oct. 15 @ Detroit - Win. Oct. 22 New England - Loss. Nov. 5 Green Bay - Win. Nov. 12 @ Indianapolis - Loss. Nov. 19 @ Houston - Win. Nov. 26 Jacksonville - Win. Dec. 3 San Diego - Win. Dec. 10 @ NY Jets - Win. Dec. 17 Miami - Win. Dec. 24 Tennessee - Win. Dec. 31 @ Baltimore - Win. 11-5. Headline in national media! Husbands kissing their wives! Global warming grants Buffalo a balmy winter! September 2007 birthrate soars!

Judge me by my size, do you?

Bowen is hurt, which leaves no backup behind Whitner, a rookie. If Bowen wasn't hurt, Wire would probably have been cut.

I want the Bills to win, but my head says Pats win, 27-17. Ask me again the week before the game.

It would be neat to see the federal government run this way.

Maybe you didn't do so. but someone (more than one person) called him a "bust" in just those terms. No "will be." Just "is." Of course I don't think every 1st round Qb will succeed. I don't KNOW that Rivers will succeed, either, though I think he will. I was reacting to just this one player (whom I know something about) and to the fact that he was being called a bust before he had ever even started a game. Time will indeed tell about Rivers.

I haven't seen any of the ESPN stuff, but I agree with you. He deserves neither overwhelming praise or dissing. After all, it is only one game. I think, based on seeing Rivers in college (he played at NC State, where I work) that he is likely to be a good QB, but I could be wrong. But also there's no reason to write him off (or write Brees off, either). Why do people who follow sports always have to go to extremes in their opinions? Either a player walks on water or he is dirt. It's like we insist on seeing sports as superhero comic books. I guess it's fun for adults to act like 13-year-olds sometimes, but a sense of perspective helps.

All true, but how does any of that make Rivers a "bust"?

...15-21, 169 yards in one half of play against the Packers Saturday. He threw a 22-yard touchdown pass (after a 17-yard TD pass was ruled out of bounds) on his first drive. Led an 86-yard drive to TD in second quarter. QB rating for the game: 111.0 It's just one game, but the guy is going to be good. It really annoyed me to hear people on the board (who prabably never saw him play) call him a "bust."

I was at the game in Charlotte last night, and this morning I looked over a lot of it that I'd recorded on the DVR. Yes, the o-line play was ragged, but it was by no means as bad as this thread would imply. I understand the frustration. This is a first pre-season game against one of the strongest lines in the NFC. Even the two bad plays by Peters against Peppers were interesting. On the first (where Peppers sacked Holcomb) Peters engaged with him, then slipped off Peppers to try to block a blitzing linebacker (whom a running back, unseen to Peters, was about to pick up) so Peppers got unabated to the QB. Seems to me this is correctable. The other play was a blatant hold against Peppers when Peters got beat and was trying to protect Holcomb. The Bills broke no long running plays in the game, and quite a few of the gains were very short, but they did get prositive yardage on most running plays. They did not seem to open up much room in the middle of the line, but they did bouce a few plays outside. I think this o-line is a work in progress, and we'll know better at the end of pre-season. If they stay healthy, I expect the starters to be better than last year's line. About the game and team as a whole, I saw lots of things that need to get better, but also a number of positive signs. The fact that the Bills shut out the Panters after their first possession is not insignificant. I worried about the run defense in the middle, but aside from a few plays the tackles seemed to me to play pretty well, especially the rookie Williams. There was not real pass rush, but I hope that will come. McGee got beat on that first series, but at least one of the passes was a case where the receiver came back on a badly underthrown ball by Delhomme and made a great catch although McGee had him well covered. And the TD throw was a close thing--Crowell the linebacker took his eyes off the QB for a split second to peek at the receiver, and was therefore just a fraction of a second slow in dropping back. As it was he still almost batted down the pass. I won't talk about the QB situation because everybody else here has beaten it to death. Antonio Gates made some nice positive runs. Aiken was getting open in the second half. Losman spread the ball around. Lindell made two long field goals. I am encouraged about the defense and I aqm not ready to abandon the offense, not even the o-line. I think there are enough guys who can play to make a decent O-line.

Quite a crew of us Bills fans from Raleigh are driving down to Charlotte for the game. I just want to see some good QB and o-line play from the Bills.

Rivers was the smartest college QB I ever saw play,a dn the best in the clutch. That doesn't mean he's going to be a star, but I wouldn't bet against the guy. I don't know where anyone got the idea he "has bust written all over him."

One other factor to mention--the Bills lost some close games last year, in particular the Jets and Miami games, the Carolina game, and even one of the New England games. Given the disarray on last year's team, it might not take much--some better teamwork, some better coaching decisions, some marginally better play at crucial moments--for the Bills to win such games. In other words, I agree that they may not be as far away as we fear. But then I am such a diehard fan that I can't stand going into the season expecting them to fail. Like Charlie Brown, I always hope Lucy won't jerk the football away this time, no matter how many times she has in the past.

I just want to suggest a possibility. Last season the Bills performed better on their first drives of the game than then ever did in their history (I believe they scored 11 times on their opening drive). We all know that this did not mean the offense played well for the rest of the game; in fact, they stank. However, it does suggest to me that the team was not lacking offensive talent. When prepped well enough for those first quarters, they could carry out a game plan initially. Perhaps this is an indicator of two things: 1) The game coaching was not up to snuff (surprise). Once the other team made adjustments, the Bills could not counter. 2) There is enough talent on this team (even with the loss of Moulds) for them to score much more consistently than they did last season--with the right game plan and proper coaching. Anyway, I raise this possbility to suggest maybe the O won't be as bad as it was last year. We may be surprised, assuming Fairchild and Jauron can install an offense that makes best use of the players' abilities, and can adjust to adversity within the game. One more possibility that I am sure will warrant rebuttal (this is not my main point, it's just a footnote that I'm not sure I believe but will throw out there): 3) Mularkey (aka "Meathead") was not a total loss as an offensive coach. He took a team that started 0-4 in 2004 and led them to a 9-7 finish, and got Bledsoe to more or less play within himself. He could script an opening drive (or at least someone on the team could). But, given a defense that slumped badly, he was not a good enough game coach to provide an offense that would compensate.

I've always been convinced that Anderson missed those kicks in pre-season on purpose. It does not make sense that he would miss EVERY kick he attempted. And I seem to recall him saying publically that he did not want to be drafted by the Bills, before they drafted him.