Looking at our schedule again after two weeks

[folz]

Sorry if talking about the schedule is a worn out topic on the board, but...

 

I was just looking at the Bills schedule again wondering how different it looks with two weeks of NFL football in the books...now we all know two games does not a season make, some teams start hot and collapse, while others start slow and then get hot as the season goes on...but I couldn't help looking at what could be, based on the first two weeks...guess I'm just still excited about squishin' the Fish!

 

 

Very winnable games (no game is a gimme..but you gotta like the Bills chances in these games):

 

Jets (in Buff)

Detroit

Green Bay (in Buff)

Houston

Dolphins (in Buff, in Dec.)

Titans (in Buff, in Dec.)

 

 

Winnable games (tougher games but the Bills will still have a good chance):

 

Vikings (in Buff)

Patriots (in Buff) (Pats may still have the edge at this point--they always seem to find a way to win--but they didn't walk over Buffalo or the Jets to get to 2-0...and hopefully the 12th man will be alive and well that day)

at the Jets (may be a tougher out in NYC--I mean Jersey--and division games are always tough)

 

 

The Tough ones (Might be tough to beat these teams this year...but you never know)

 

Da Bears (don't forsee a good reunion for Jauron this week)

Colts (Manning, need I say more?)

Jags (in Buff) (Their defense looks stifling)

San Diego (in Buff) (1, 2 run punch...better hope our run defense improves alot)

Ravens (tough D, tough win..unless the Birds are as good as they look and are resting a bunch of guys for the playoffs)

 

 

So if you were to count all of the Tough games as losses...with the week one loss to NE, it equals 6 losses.

 

That means we have the potential for 10 wins...not saying we'll get it, but if the ball bounces our way its a possibility. Even if we only win 1 of the winnable games (the second category above) we'd still be 8-8 which is more than a lot of people thought we'd be (and a hell of alot better than last season).

 

But I'm rooting that all the stars align and we can scratch out 9 or 10 wins and make the playoffs (even if we couldn't go anywhere once there, just to get that winning feeling back...and then next year Super Bowl)...one can dream can't one

 

And as a New York City Bills fan (originally from Western NY)...can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to, first, Sunday, and then Monday...talking to J-E-T-S fans and rubbing it in.

[clownments22]

I would agree with all your picks here. Problem is, I don't trust the bills to win all the games that they should win against the easy teams. However, you can usually count on the bills to have at least one game where they come out and play really well for 60 minutes against a good team for an upset. My pick for that one would definitely be against the jags. I think we have a very good shot against the vikings as well, I really like our D against their offense.

[daquixers_is_back]

I know this is all wishful thinking but I think this team has a CHANCE to go 10-6 also.

[Dibs]

I know this is all wishful thinking but I think this team has a CHANCE to go 15-1 also.

[roch-cha-cha-bill]

i can just see the Bills going 10-6, and not making the playoffs..i would flip the %# out

[beerme1]

Sorry

783408[/snapback]

 

Never, ever, EVER be sorry.

Unless your Canadian and in which case you owe everybody an apology.

[daquixers_is_back]

I know this is all wishful thinking but I think this team has a CHANCE to go 15-1 also.

783415[/snapback]

 

Point noted

[keepthefaith]

i can just see the Bills going 10-6, and not making the playoffs..i would flip the %# out

783418[/snapback]

 

 

8 - 8

[Whites Bay]

Sorry if talking about the schedule is a worn out topic on the board, but...

 

I was just looking at the Bills schedule again wondering how different it looks with two weeks of NFL football in the books...now we all know two games does not a season make, some teams start hot and collapse, while others start slow and then get hot as the season goes on...but I couldn't help looking at what could be, based on the first two weeks...guess I'm just still excited about squishin' the Fish!

Very winnable games (no game is a gimme..but you gotta like the Bills chances in these games):

 

Jets (in Buff)

Detroit

Green Bay (in Buff)

Houston

Dolphins (in Buff, in Dec.)

Titans (in Buff, in Dec.)

Winnable games (tougher games but the Bills will still have a good chance):

 

Vikings (in Buff)

Patriots (in Buff) (Pats may still have the edge at this point--they always seem to find a way to win--but they didn't walk over Buffalo or the Jets to get to 2-0...and hopefully the 12th man will be alive and well that day)

at the Jets (may be a tougher out in NYC--I mean Jersey--and division games are always tough)

The Tough ones (Might be tough to beat these teams this year...but you never know)

 

Da Bears (don't forsee a good reunion for Jauron this week)

Colts (Manning, need I say more?)

Jags (in Buff) (Their defense looks stifling)

San Diego (in Buff) (1, 2 run punch...better hope our run defense improves alot)

Ravens (tough D, tough win..unless the Birds are as good as they look and are resting a bunch of guys for the playoffs)

So if you were to count all of the Tough games as losses...with the week one loss to NE, it equals 6 losses.

 

That means we have the potential for 10 wins...not saying we'll get it, but if the ball bounces our way its a possibility. Even if we only win 1 of the winnable games (the second category above) we'd still be 8-8 which is more than a lot of people thought we'd be (and a hell of alot better than last season).

 

But I'm rooting that all the stars align and we can scratch out 9 or 10 wins and make the playoffs (even if we couldn't go anywhere once there, just to get that winning feeling back...and then next year Super Bowl)...one can dream can't one

 

And as a New York City Bills fan (originally from Western NY)...can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to, first, Sunday, and then Monday...talking to J-E-T-S fans and rubbing it in.

783408[/snapback]

 

I did the same review yesterday morning while trying desperately to kill the clock waiting for the weekend (a.k.a. Sunday 1300h). I'm in agreement with much of what you have here, but I started to get a little lightheaded when I tallied up the "wins" and started seeing 10-6. I've been accused at office of not just drinking the Kool-Aid, but swimming in it, so I'm trying to wipe some of the manure off my rose-colored glasses.

 

That all having been said - ASSUMING THE BILLS WIN THE ONES THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO WIN (BIG ASSUMPTION HERE) - I'm having a hard time giving away home losses to the Pats and Fins. I'm going to hold out judgement on how we'll do in the second Jets game until I see us tomorrow. My gut call has been pretty good so far this year; I figured we'd play the Pats tough (frankly, I thought we'd win that one going IN to the game, not DURING it), and for some odd reason, I wasn't really worried about Miami. And I just think - THINK - we're going to come out big against the Jets. As in "cream 'em". If this is the case, I'm going to dive back into the Kool-Aid, and go with the 10-6.

 

And that would be a damn good 10-6, because that's 5-1 in your own division, and 7 games in the conference. Let's all delete this E-mail, so it isn't rubbed in my face when they crater in November and go 6-10. But I just don't think it'll happen that way. These guys - the junior varsity on defense - just don't seem intimidated, and don't seem to care about what happened in the past.

[Buffal0 Bill5]

I had this conversation at work the other day alomst exact same analysis. I arrived at ten and six, and then added in a few boneheaded losses in game we ought to have and arrived at 8-8. I hope we avoid the boneheaded losses. We have been through too many seasons of up and down play. I'm hoping the new administration, coaching, and Marv's "character" guys turn that around.

[Tom]

I see 8-8........ And that's a huge improvement!

[RuntheDamnBall]

i can just see the Bills going 10-6, and not making the playoffs..i would flip the %# out

783418[/snapback]

I would, and then I wouldn't. 10-6 would say to me that better things are ahead. Somebody who deserves to be in gets screwed every year. I'd hate for it to be us, but it's not like it hasn't happened to anyone else.

[Pyrite Gal]

I agree with scenario that 10-6 is actually the most likely of all the small chance possibilities out there (15-1 and 1-15 are the least likely).

 

it is the most likely of the far less than likely outcomes as the analysis is based on chances of winnability at this point rather than dead lock certain predictions. I think it is quite likely that the Bills will lose at least one in some boneheaded loss, but also I think it is quite likely that this team will also have some amazing win (look even last year's team pulled out a pretty unpredictable upset of Cincy and few (like no one) predicted we would end up 9-7 after a 1-4 start. It all comes down to whether you now believe in the possibilities after Jauron led the team to hanging in there in NE and beating the crap out of the Felons.

 

Of course the real determining factor will be how the oddly shaped ball bounces, injuries (and how we adjust to them) abd whether the refs blow the call on the coin toss. However, the fact we do not know what will happen is what makes this interesting.

 

My other observations are these:

 

1. If we go into the Ravens game with the playoffs on the line and the Ravens either resting for the playoffs (more likely) or mailing it in because they suck (less likely) I like our chances even in this game.

 

2. Ironically, the loss in NE may have really been useful in demonstrating something to the youngsters they already knew: Having the experience of wantin it trumps how well the teams are actually playing to that point often.

 

The first game against NE saw us handle them surprisingly well into the 4th quarter on the road. This was demonstrated by us being ahead by 10 points and knocking on their door to score again..

 

Yet on 4th an 1, they wanted it more in their house and stopped us. Then marched all over us offensively and defensively as their confidence soared and we were reeling.

 

I think between that loss and us handing the Felons their head, this team is still young but learned a bit about winning in the NFL.

 

3. The next lesson unfortunately is gonna be the gut check which always come as the team has to respond to things not going well. Who knows what form that challenge will take (it was a losing streak and an injury to RoboQB for Pitts last year, it was BB totally mangling negotiations with Lawyer Milloy and also then a series of critical injuries for NE one year, it was the injury to Bledose and the team becoming a TEAM in 2001 (with a little help from the refs application of the tuck rule against the Faiders) in the 2001 season.

 

I used to lead inner-city lead kids on 12 day Outward Bound style trips (the Appalachian trail could have been the Rockies compared to home and the Delaware R. could have been the CO Rr. for their purposes). It was fun watching the kids go through a fairly standard routine which was the first couple of days they would flail around trying to figure out what the rules were.

 

Days 3 - 6 would see them go through some cathartic event be itsaying could not hike another step, accomplishing a semi-technical rock climb they did not think they could do or simplya bout of homesickness.

 

The last 6 days, the group would become a GROUP and then you could teach outdoor skills to those who were interested and the individuals became a family who picked up for each other.

 

Likewise with the young Bills. It may well be that the loss to NE wa the flailing around and this team will become a TEAM and a family that picks up for each other when the next challenge comes.

 

We will see.

[Phlegm Alley]

On any given Sunday, any team can beat any team.

 

Any team can also beat itself by making mistakes and turning the ball over.

 

With that said, I will reserve any judgment about what our record is going look like come the beginning of January.

 

However, I do feel optimistic that if our Defense maintains its high level of play, we will be in alot of games until the final whistle blows, which means we have a chance at winning ALL of our games. Even the ones that appear to be tough

 

Edited for grammar.

[Pyrite Gal]

On any given Sunday, any team can beat any team.

 

Any team can also beat itself by making mistakes and turning the ball over. 

 

With that said, I will reserve any judgment about what our record is going look like come the beginning of January. 

 

However, I do feel optimistic that if our Defense maintains its high level of play, we will be in alot of games until the final whistle blows, which means we have a chance at winning ALL of our games.  Even the ones that appear to be tough 

 

Edited for grammar.

783498[/snapback]

 

 

I'm sure your grammar and your grandad appreciate you editing it for them!

[Coach Tuesday]

8-8 AND Losman establishing himself is realistically the best we can hope for. While I've been encouraged by the first two games, I'm still concerned that Losman hasn't shown that he can put the team on his back and win the game if needed. I'm hoping we get a taste of that this week, because we're finally playing a team with a sub-par front-seven. This team isn't getting anywhere near 10-11 wins this season or next season unless Losman improves significantly. Good decision-making is a start, but we also need some big plays.