Early schedule gives Bills a shot at respectable start

[The_Philster]

We keep hearing predictions of impending doom concerning the Bills, mostly because teams that say they have two or three potential starting quarterbacks at this juncture usually have none at all. I may have contributed to the doom-season talk myself. But it might have been Abe Lincoln - or was it Sam Walton? - who said, "The customer may not always be right but he's as clairvoyant as the next guy." The Bills' customers just voted with their checkbooks. The team's first four home games are sold out except for some stray single tickets. That doesn't exactly add up to "abandon ye all hope." more (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060723/1024530.asp)

[Mitchy moo]

REALITY CHECK for all Miami fans:

Not tough at all when Mike Mularkey, the departed head coach, called a cement-headed, "how-could-he-do-that?" pass play a few yards from the enemy goal when his team was successfully pounding with its running game. The pass was intercepted and the Dolphins took the gift and ran to a season's salvation with it.

It's fairly obvious to most in the know, MM the cement head.

[Mitchy moo]

This article is reality, we have a shot to take our our divisional opponents early in the season. I think the "doom and gloom" realists here need to understand the difference between this and last years team, TKO. He is going to come back and with a fast new crew around him swarm on D. We aren't just going to play hard ball, we are going to hit hard ball. Plan on NE and Miami having nightmare's about the 2nd game.

[BlackMetalNinja]

This article is reality, we have a shot to take our our divisional opponents early in the season. I think the "doom and gloom" realists here need to understand the difference between this and last years team, TKO. He is going to come back and with a fast new crew around him swarm on D. We aren't just going to play hard ball, we are going to hit hard ball. Plan on NE and Miami having nightmare's about the 2nd game.

I love TKO as much as anybody else here, but one make does not make a defense... The line is still a question mark for me, and while the linebackers are solid, they aren't getting younger. And just the opposite, the defensive backs are nice and young, but not experienced. They could certainly prove a bright spot this season however!

[The_Philster]

TKO may help with the run defense, but I don't think he'll be as big a factor as some might think. We sucked against the run when he was in there last year too. The biggest thing we lacked last year in regards to run defense was Pat Williams.

[Lev_D_Brons]

Great read! I have always enjoyed Larry Felsner.

[!Papacrunk!]

REALITY CHECK for all Miami fans:

Not tough at all when Mike Mularkey, the departed head coach, called a cement-headed, "how-could-he-do-that?" pass play a few yards from the enemy goal when his team was successfully pounding with its running game. The pass was intercepted and the Dolphins took the gift and ran to a season's salvation with it.

It's fairly obvious to most in the know, MM the cement head.

You never answered my question from a previous thread---Do you know that MM called that play, or did he call that play and Losman changed it at the line of scrimmage? I know I can't prove either way, but I'd like to see if you could either. I will give you $2.32 in Zonebucks if you can answer this Skoob, I'd give more, but I know you have wealthy friends that also have supplied TOP NOTCH info to you in the past, so I won't raise the zonebucks for this one question.

[BuffaloBillsStampede]

I think TKO brings more to the table than just his play on the field. He is the emotional leader of this team that was missing last year. When he went down so did the spirit of this team which was pretty evident. Just having him back makes us a much more passionate team in my opinion.

[Nighthawk]

You never answered my question from a previous thread---Do you know that MM called that play, or did he call that play and Losman changed it at the line of scrimmage? I know I can't prove either way, but I'd like to see if you could either. I will give you $2.32 in Zonebucks if you can answer this Skoob, I'd give more, but I know you have wealthy friends that also have supplied TOP NOTCH info to you in the past, so I won't raise the zonebucks for this one question.

I understand your reasoning that nobody is sure he called that play, but what is your excuse for the other miserable plays that Mularkey called? You can't possibly decide to ignore them. Oh, and by the way, when Mularkey became head coach, he was about to be fired from Pittsburgh, so he isn't that good of a OC either. These are facts...crappy facts for Bills fans, but they are also crappy fans for Fins fans. No matter how you try to spin it.

[!Papacrunk!]

I understand your reasoning that nobody is sure he called that play, but what is your excuse for the other miserable plays that Mularkey called? You can't possibly decide to ignore them. Oh, and by the way, when Mularkey became head coach, he was about to be fired from Pittsburgh, so he isn't that good of a OC either. These are facts...crappy facts for Bills fans, but they are also crappy fans for Fins fans. No matter how you try to spin it.
Very good points, I'm just trying to demonstrate something else at someone else's expense. Then again the point I'm trying to prove seems to have been already made by others against this person, so maybe I truly don't know what I'm trying to achieve, past my own entertainment.

[Mitchy moo]

You never answered my question from a previous thread---Do you know that MM called that play, or did he call that play and Losman changed it at the line of scrimmage? I know I can't prove either way, but I'd like to see if you could either. I will give you $2.32 in Zonebucks if you can answer this Skoob, I'd give more, but I know you have wealthy friends that also have supplied TOP NOTCH info to you in the past, so I won't raise the zonebucks for this one question.

Go to episode 14, I'll take my money now!

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=PODCAST01

[!Papacrunk!]

Go to episode 14, I'll take my money now!

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=PODCAST01

lol, good for you Skooby, you actually put some thought and research into a retortfor a change. Before I give you your $2.32 in zonebucks, did your wealthy friend give you this link(:deadhorse ?) If so, you may have to split it between yourselves, heck, even though the friend may not need it, I'll give $2.32 in ZBs to the both of you.

[Meathead]

two-n-two is all i ask

two-n-two

[YardRat]

TKO may help with the run defense, but I don't think he'll be as big a factor as some might think. We sucked against the run when he was in there last year too. The biggest thing we lacked last year in regards to run defense was Pat Williams.

Although Cadillac Williams lit up the D in Tampa, I'm going to disagree with that to a certain point.

Houston's running backs only gained 55 yards on 16 carries, and Atlanta's first three drives were 3 for 9, 5 for 9, and 2 for 12.

I wouldn't call 85 total yards on 26 carries "sucky".

[!Papacrunk!]

two-n-two is all i ask

two-n-two

as in take a break? I agree.

[Drive 4 Five]

as in take a break? I agree.

As in wins over both New England and Miami on their home turf.

Hey a guy can dream can't he?

:respect:

[mybills]

You never answered my question from a previous thread---Do you know that MM called that play, or did he call that play and Losman changed it at the line of scrimmage? I know I can't prove either way, but I'd like to see if you could either. I will give you $2.32 in Zonebucks if you can answer
:rofl:

[Mitchy moo]

:rofl:

He's cool and he paid. Like I said before, He's good man.

[Night Train]

Instead of obsessing over how bad we stink like many here, Felser points out that other teams ( gasp !) have issues also and are not all 2 TD favorites over us.

The less we know about other teams, the better they are....due to the fact we've convinced ourselves we're a 2 win team.

Of course we have issues...and all the other teams in the NFL will win between 8 and 16 games.

Got it.. :rolleyes:

[CAbills]

TKO is alot more to this team then another linebacker I think he is the leader of the team on both sides of the ball and when he went down so did chances of winning. Remember also Crowell did really well stepping in for TKO but there was a TON of times he took the wrong gap and people like Curtis frieken Martin ran off huge plays.

[The JuiceBox Guy]

The article makes great sense when you think about it. It's not impossible to start at least 2-2 the way he lays it out.

[patmoran2006]

First let me comment about Felser.
He's one of my favorite writers of all time. Growing up as a Kid in Buffalo, I emulated Felser and I wanted to be just like him. He was a fair but stern writer.. He wanted the Bills to win but wasnt afraid to blast whomever when they were dissapointing.

As far as the article, I think he's right especially in weeks 1-2. Look, we have to play at NE and Miami sometime and I'd rather do it early. NE has a pair of rookies on offense who will be very important to their unit. They will take some time to adjust so I'd rather get them early. With Miami, Harrington may be the starter that game, I'd rather face him than Culpepper.

We deservedly will be big underdogs in both games but there's a good chance if we come to play we could steal at least one of the two.

[PromoTheRobot]

I still remember Sam Cowart after he tore his Achilles. He was never the same player. Of course, it's 2006. I'm sure medical science has improved some since Cowart's days, but I will hold off on declaring TKO back 100% until I see him play.

Felser is getting a little kooky. Wiile I agree the schedule is easy, the first 4 games are tougher than the last 7. I think we will lose a few early, then come on for a playoff push at the end.

PTR

[LifetimeBillsFan]

First let me comment about Felser.
He's one of my favorite writers of all time. Growing up as a Kid in Buffalo, I emulated Felser and I wanted to be just like him. He was a fair but stern writer.. He wanted the Bills to win but wasnt afraid to blast whomever when they were dissapointing.

As far as the article, I think he's right especially in weeks 1-2. Look, we have to play at NE and Miami sometime and I'd rather do it early. NE has a pair of rookies on offense who will be very important to their unit. They will take some time to adjust so I'd rather get them early. With Miami, Harrington may be the starter that game, I'd rather face him than Culpepper.

We deservedly will be big underdogs in both games but there's a good chance if we come to play we could steal at least one of the two.

I've always been a fan of Felser, too. In addition to which, he's a nice man--at least, he was always nice to me whenever I met or spoke with him, which he really didn't have to be, considering that, at the time, I was basically just a kid as far as he was concerned.

I also agree that 2-2 is not impossible. Like Pat, I think that catching NE and Miami early could prove to be an unexpected benefit just as much as many are considering it a detriment.

While the fact that no one knows how well the Bills defensive line will play, especially against the run, has been widely viewed as a negative in assessing the Bills chances, particularly in the early season, what has basically gone unmentioned is the fact that the Bills' new defense will be something that neither the Pats or Miami will have ever seen before. While their coaches may know how Tampa, Indy and Chicago run the system, the don't know how the Bills' coaches will run it or how the Bills' players will look in it either. And, they really won't get that much of a look at it from the preseason games either, because there won't be any way of telling how much the Bills coaches are showing of what they intend to do and how much they are hiding. Which means that they are going to be somewhat limited in their game-planning for the Bills in those two games. And, the same could hold true, although perhaps to a lesser extent, with the Bills' offense (Is Fairchild going to be the passing coach that he was in St. Louis or the running coach that he was before then?). Which means that, while the Bills will pretty much be able to game-plan fully, especially against NE, against its first two opponents, they will not be able to do the same against the Bills and will be flying somewhat blind going into those games (adjustments will be important!--not one of MM's strengths). That will give the Bills some advantages in those games that they will not have later on in the season when a pattern of what the Bills' coaches like to do will have been established.

Additionally, depending on what Culpepper is able to do in training camp and the preseason, Miami's offense could well be at a disadvantage early on that it is not likely to face later on in the season, whether C-Pep starts or not. If C-Pep does not start, the Bills will be facing Joey Harrington instead and I don't think that there is anyone who would say that Harrington gives them a better chance of winning than they would have with C-Pep at the helm. And, that's no matter how well or poorly Harrington plays in their offense in comparison to how he played in Detroit. On the other hand, if C-Pep starts for Miami, it is likely that he will do so without a lot of training camp reps and preseason playing time--which means that he will not have had the time to establish the rapport and rhythm in the offense that he is likely to have even a few games further into the season. And, it's not like the rest of the Miami players will be totally familiar with the offense (or defense for that matter) with a new OC (and DC) coming in and installing new elements that were not part of what they did last season. Because there is only so much that can be worked out in the preseason, it's going to take them a couple of games into the season before it all comes naturally. Of course, it has been assumed that this is a problem that the Bills will have and, as a result, it has been counted against them--but it is also something that Miami--at least whoever is their QB in Game # 2--will also be dealing with as well.

All of which is going to even up the odds a little bit in those first two games. Which will give the Bills a chance, at least, to walk away with an unexpected victory, if the Bills can perform well. Which will put the onus on the Bills to get the play that they need to get in order to win from those units that could swing the balance in their favor.

The Bills will need to get good play from their front seven in stopping the running game--which means that they will need to have the defensive line perform well in a situation where the opposition will not be able to anticipate exactly what they will do or how the individual players will go about executing their assignments. And, if they get that, they will still need competent--not spectacular, but competent--play out of their QB position, which was something that they really did not consistently get during the course of any of their games last season for the most part, in order to take advantage of the fact that the opposition will not be able to fully anticipate the nature of the Bills' offensive philosophy and game-plan against it in the manner that they normally would.

If the Bills get both of those things in either one of those first two games, they could come up with an upset. It won't be easy because winning on the road in the NFL never is easy, but, just as they have some question-marks about them that most have already counted against them, they will also have some things going in their favor in those games that few it seems have thus far taken into consideration. Ultimately, it will come down to performance and execution in those key areas that could put the Bills in a position to pull a surprise.

Like probably most people, I was looking at the beginning of the season as likely being a very tough part of the season for the Bills. But, if they could pull an upset and steal a win in one of their first two games, 2-2 is definitely not out of the question with the Jets coming into the Ralph, with thoughts of 3-1 actually not being a first class ticket to a padded cell.

And, you know what, I never thought that I could, let alone would, say that at this point.... (Somebody check to see if there's a straight-jacket around just in case--I may need one after this!) :crazy:

[jamze132]

Can you imagine if we started 4-0? All the so-called "experts" at ESPN would be scratching their heads trying to figure out why we are winning. bla bla bla, we reached for Whitner, McCargo was drafted too early, we don't have a QB, Spikes is a question mark, etc. If everything comes together for us, I think 4-0 isn't out of the question.

[Mitchy moo]

I've always been a fan of Felser, too. In addition to which, he's a nice man--at least, he was always nice to me whenever I met or spoke with him, which he really didn't have to be, considering that, at the time, I was basically just a kid as far as he was concerned.

I also agree that 2-2 is not impossible. Like Pat, I think that catching NE and Miami early could prove to be an unexpected benefit just as much as many are considering it a detriment.

While the fact that no one knows how well the Bills defensive line will play, especially against the run, has been widely viewed as a negative in assessing the Bills chances, particularly in the early season, what has basically gone unmentioned is the fact that the Bills' new defense will be something that neither the Pats or Miami will have ever seen before. While their coaches may know how Tampa, Indy and Chicago run the system, the don't know how the Bills' coaches will run it or how the Bills' players will look in it either. And, they really won't get that much of a look at it from the preseason games either, because there won't be any way of telling how much the Bills coaches are showing of what they intend to do and how much they are hiding. Which means that they are going to be somewhat limited in their game-planning for the Bills in those two games. And, the same could hold true, although perhaps to a lesser extent, with the Bills' offense (Is Fairchild going to be the passing coach that he was in St. Louis or the running coach that he was before then?). Which means that, while the Bills will pretty much be able to game-plan fully, especially against NE, against its first two opponents, they will not be able to do the same against the Bills and will be flying somewhat blind going into those games (adjustments will be important!--not one of MM's strengths). That will give the Bills some advantages in those games that they will not have later on in the season when a pattern of what the Bills' coaches like to do will have been established.

Additionally, depending on what Culpepper is able to do in training camp and the preseason, Miami's offense could well be at a disadvantage early on that it is not likely to face later on in the season, whether C-Pep starts or not. If C-Pep does not start, the Bills will be facing Joey Harrington instead and I don't think that there is anyone who would say that Harrington gives them a better chance of winning than they would have with C-Pep at the helm. And, that's no matter how well or poorly Harrington plays in their offense in comparison to how he played in Detroit. On the other hand, if C-Pep starts for Miami, it is likely that he will do so without a lot of training camp reps and preseason playing time--which means that he will not have had the time to establish the rapport and rhythm in the offense that he is likely to have even a few games further into the season. And, it's not like the rest of the Miami players will be totally familiar with the offense (or defense for that matter) with a new OC (and DC) coming in and installing new elements that were not part of what they did last season. Because there is only so much that can be worked out in the preseason, it's going to take them a couple of games into the season before it all comes naturally. Of course, it has been assumed that this is a problem that the Bills will have and, as a result, it has been counted against them--but it is also something that Miami--at least whoever is their QB in Game # 2--will also be dealing with as well.

All of which is going to even up the odds a little bit in those first two games. Which will give the Bills a chance, at least, to walk away with an unexpected victory, if the Bills can perform well. Which will put the onus on the Bills to get the play that they need to get in order to win from those units that could swing the balance in their favor.

The Bills will need to get good play from their front seven in stopping the running game--which means that they will need to have the defensive line perform well in a situation where the opposition will not be able to anticipate exactly what they will do or how the individual players will go about executing their assignments. And, if they get that, they will still need competent--not spectacular, but competent--play out of their QB position, which was something that they really did not consistently get during the course of any of their games last season for the most part, in order to take advantage of the fact that the opposition will not be able to fully anticipate the nature of the Bills' offensive philosophy and game-plan against it in the manner that they normally would.

If the Bills get both of those things in either one of those first two games, they could come up with an upset. It won't be easy because winning on the road in the NFL never is easy, but, just as they have some question-marks about them that most have already counted against them, they will also have some things going in their favor in those games that few it seems have thus far taken into consideration. Ultimately, it will come down to performance and execution in those key areas that could put the Bills in a position to pull a surprise.

Like probably most people, I was looking at the beginning of the season as likely being a very tough part of the season for the Bills. But, if they could pull an upset and steal a win in one of their first two games, 2-2 is definitely not out of the question with the Jets coming into the Ralph, with thoughts of 3-1 actually not being a first class ticket to a padded cell.

And, you know what, I never thought that I could, let alone would, say that at this point.... (Somebody check to see if there's a straight-jacket around just in case--I may need one after this!) :crazy:

One thing to add to your wonderfully written post is the known quantity, our special teams. We have a real talented group there and they know their stuff. Moorman is a pro-bowler unto himself but the cover group is amazing and very fast. Plan on most of our opponents starting deep quite often, which in the grand scheme gives our D a chance to be that much more effective.