The Buffalo Bills had four 4th quarter possessions yesterday in south Florida against the Dolphins but they will regret each one of them as they unravelled in spectacular fashion with the following results from those possessions: interception, fumble, safety against, fumble. Four turnovers on four consecutive possessions will usually make it impossible to win in the NFL and this game got away from them quickly. They now stand at 5-2 .
Were there good things to build on from this loss? If there were, they will be overshadowed by some trends which should concern Bills fans. Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 13 times for 61 yards - not enough for the featured back. Trent Edwards seemed to lose his focus on protecting the ball - especially on his third down carry which lead to the first fumble as he stretched out his hand with the ball as if on the goal-line but, with his knee not down, Joey Porter simply grabbed it from him. Terrance McGee's knee is not in game shape as he was unable to cover receivers closely and the fact the he played the whole game speaks volumes about the coaching staff's comfort level with their rookie first rounder Leodis McKelvin who returned kick-offs only. Without Aaron Schobel, Buffalo's pass rush was muted as Chad Pennington had plenty of time to find his targets. They had no solution for Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. who had the first 100 yard day of his short career and showed that his controversial selection at 9th overall in this spring's draft might turn out to be justified.
They now find themselves tied with the Patriots on top the AFC East - something that would have sounded good on opening day but now seems a little dissapointing after their first division game. Next up: the New York Jets and Brett Favre come to Orchard Park. The Bills are early 5 to 6 point favourites and should rebound and move to 6-2 before travelling to new England on November 9th.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
2008 Season Week 7
Good old fashioned football yesterday in Western New York. No headsets, no helmet speakers, no 40 second clock and no television for about 40% of the game but most importantly for the Buffalo Bills, no turn-overs and no sacks allowed as they handled the hard luck San Diego Chargers 23-14 at a sun drenched Ralph Wilson Stadium. Apparently, some mylar balloons got loose (as they so often do) and somehow caused an electrical transformer near the stadium to fail shortly before game time causing recurring black-outs which cut out almost half of the game for home viewers.
Those at the stadium witnessed an impressive display of quarterbacking as both Philip Rivers and Trent Edwards moved their teams skillfully and combined for over 630 yards in total offence but the game turned on Rivers pass in the red zone late in the game which was intercepted by Kawika Mitchell who would also cause another turnover 2 minutes later with a sack/fumble on Rivers. Chargers coach Norv Turner's punt call on 4th and 1 at the Bills 40 yard line earlier in the 4th quarter was the subject of much discussion on the call-in shows after the game - mostly in terms of the message to the team - and, although they punted the Bills down to their half yard line, Bills fans were probably relieved to see Rivers, Tomlinson and Gates coming off and the punter coming on.
Bills coach Dick Jauron said afterward that the coaching staff and the players saw this game as critical in establishing the team as a true contender in the AFC and really one of the few tough match-ups on this year's otherwise relatively favourable schedule (I'm embellishing his words here) and he has to be happy with how they responded without defensive starters Terrance McGee and Aaron Schobel. As for the Chargers, they now travel to London for their next game against New Orleans before the bye. Now 3-4, how long will they continue to be regarded as one of the AFC's top teams?
Now 5-1, Buffalo's schedule turns to divisional games for the next 3 weeks - beginning at Miami next Sunday. Trent Edwards seems to be the key for this team and if he can stay healthy, which he has not been able to do over the past season or in his career at Stanford, Buffalo can easily challenge for one of the top 2 seeds in the AFC. The cold weather is around the corner and there is a lot of football left. For the first time in almost 10 years, the chances seem good that the Bills will be playing meaningful games in late December.
Those at the stadium witnessed an impressive display of quarterbacking as both Philip Rivers and Trent Edwards moved their teams skillfully and combined for over 630 yards in total offence but the game turned on Rivers pass in the red zone late in the game which was intercepted by Kawika Mitchell who would also cause another turnover 2 minutes later with a sack/fumble on Rivers. Chargers coach Norv Turner's punt call on 4th and 1 at the Bills 40 yard line earlier in the 4th quarter was the subject of much discussion on the call-in shows after the game - mostly in terms of the message to the team - and, although they punted the Bills down to their half yard line, Bills fans were probably relieved to see Rivers, Tomlinson and Gates coming off and the punter coming on.
Bills coach Dick Jauron said afterward that the coaching staff and the players saw this game as critical in establishing the team as a true contender in the AFC and really one of the few tough match-ups on this year's otherwise relatively favourable schedule (I'm embellishing his words here) and he has to be happy with how they responded without defensive starters Terrance McGee and Aaron Schobel. As for the Chargers, they now travel to London for their next game against New Orleans before the bye. Now 3-4, how long will they continue to be regarded as one of the AFC's top teams?
Now 5-1, Buffalo's schedule turns to divisional games for the next 3 weeks - beginning at Miami next Sunday. Trent Edwards seems to be the key for this team and if he can stay healthy, which he has not been able to do over the past season or in his career at Stanford, Buffalo can easily challenge for one of the top 2 seeds in the AFC. The cold weather is around the corner and there is a lot of football left. For the first time in almost 10 years, the chances seem good that the Bills will be playing meaningful games in late December.
Monday, October 6, 2008
2008 Season Week 5
With hopes of an undefeated season evaporated in the desert air yesterday in the land of John McCain, The Buffalo Bills have 2 weeks to show their fans just how well they can handle adversity. Their first loss came at a time and in a way that presents a crossroads for them: they could have their confidence shattered and realize that they are only an average team who learned how to beat weak teams over the first 4 weeks of the season - or they could clear their groggy heads and simply recognize that the Cardinals were the better team yesterday and that getting spanked by a strong home side is something that happens to almost every NFL team, no matter how good, at least once during the 16 game schedule.
Bills quarterback Trent Edwards stood in the pocket and delivered a first down strike to James Hardy just before getting his jaw crunched between the ground and the helmet of Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson. It was third down. It was the game's third play from scrimmage. It was also the last play Edwards remembers if he remembers anything at all from this game as his day ended with the sound of cardinals chirping in his ears. Enter J.P. Losman - the man who has the uncanny ability to remind us all why we had such high hopes for him as he found a wide open Lee Evans on an 87 yard touchdown bomb to get the Bills right back in the game. Unfortunately, in the second half, he demonstrated why we found him so frustrating to watch with his dithering approach to standing in the pocket as the Cardinals defence got to him again and again.
The story of yesterday's game was that the Bills defence could not stop Kurt Warner and company. Before the game was out of reach, the only time that Arizona's offence did not have their way was on the first possession of the second half. Buffalo generated only a field goal on their next possession and they would not score again. The Cardinals had an excellent offensive game plan which, combined with the Bills poor tackling, let them move the ball at will as they gained 28 first downs on the day.
So, which Bills team will we see against the Chargers in 2 weeks? Hopefully, the Bills will learn from this defeat and if Edwards concussion is mild enough for him to recover and prepare for this game, look for Buffalo to rebound with a strong showing in front of their home fans. If he can't go, J.P. will get another chance to learn to get rid of the ball early enough not to cost his team too dearly.
Bills quarterback Trent Edwards stood in the pocket and delivered a first down strike to James Hardy just before getting his jaw crunched between the ground and the helmet of Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson. It was third down. It was the game's third play from scrimmage. It was also the last play Edwards remembers if he remembers anything at all from this game as his day ended with the sound of cardinals chirping in his ears. Enter J.P. Losman - the man who has the uncanny ability to remind us all why we had such high hopes for him as he found a wide open Lee Evans on an 87 yard touchdown bomb to get the Bills right back in the game. Unfortunately, in the second half, he demonstrated why we found him so frustrating to watch with his dithering approach to standing in the pocket as the Cardinals defence got to him again and again.
The story of yesterday's game was that the Bills defence could not stop Kurt Warner and company. Before the game was out of reach, the only time that Arizona's offence did not have their way was on the first possession of the second half. Buffalo generated only a field goal on their next possession and they would not score again. The Cardinals had an excellent offensive game plan which, combined with the Bills poor tackling, let them move the ball at will as they gained 28 first downs on the day.
So, which Bills team will we see against the Chargers in 2 weeks? Hopefully, the Bills will learn from this defeat and if Edwards concussion is mild enough for him to recover and prepare for this game, look for Buffalo to rebound with a strong showing in front of their home fans. If he can't go, J.P. will get another chance to learn to get rid of the ball early enough not to cost his team too dearly.
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