TypicalBill
04-06-2003, 10:38 AM
I'm not very good at reading tea leaves, but I keep trying my luck at NFL schedules.
Only twice in the last 16 seasons have the Bills failed to win at least half their September games. The last time was coach Gregg Williams' rookie season of 2001, when almost nothing went right and victory didn't show up until halfway through October.
Despite all the improvements made during this eventful offseason, I don't see the Bills much better than 1-3 in the first quarter of the season. Their nemesis, New England, is a booby-trap opener, with Pats coach Bill Belichick given all summer to cook up one of his defensive specials for that day.
Then there are two straight road games in steamy, gasp-for-air Florida against Jacksonville and Miami with the hurricane season in full bloom. The game in Jacksonville is the home opener and the introduction of new Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, and the Dolphins still are smarting from the sweep Buffalo laid upon them in 2002. Then the Bills come home to face one of the NFC's best, Philadelphia.
Not that the Dolphins are going to have many days on South Beach in December, their traditional swoon month. They are scheduled to frolic in the snow in Buffalo (Dec. 21) and New England (Dec. 7). That gantlet is preceded by a hairy stretch that has them playing Washington in a Sunday night game Nov. 12, then in Dallas on Thanksgiving less than four days later.
The Patriots have it even tougher. They begin with road games in Buffalo and Philly, then open at home against the Jets, who took the AFC East championship from them late last season. Their final two games are at the Jets and then home against the Bills.
Of course, the Jets, rallied by kid quarterback Chad Pennington, sneaked up on everyone late in the season and stole the division title from the Pats. So go figure.
OK, I may be better off reading tea leaves after all, but I have great confidence in my draft analyses, not just for Buffalo but the entire division.
First of all, forget all that guessing about the Bills using their first-round pick on a wide receiver, running back or safety. Their refashioned offense doesn't require another Peerless Price. They should pick up a running back in the garage sale portion of free agency after June 1. The early free-agent season (Takeo Spikes, Sam Adams, Jeff Posey, Keith McKenzie, Izell Reese) should assure that the likes of Ricky Williams will not move the chains at will on them.
But this is a team that had just 31 sacks last year. The pass rush makes the NFL world go 'round. It also creates turnovers, a concept that has become foreign in Buffalo. The Bills need two more guys to make sure fresh pass rushers are on the field whenever the defense is......More (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030406/1012967.asp?1012967.asp)
Only twice in the last 16 seasons have the Bills failed to win at least half their September games. The last time was coach Gregg Williams' rookie season of 2001, when almost nothing went right and victory didn't show up until halfway through October.
Despite all the improvements made during this eventful offseason, I don't see the Bills much better than 1-3 in the first quarter of the season. Their nemesis, New England, is a booby-trap opener, with Pats coach Bill Belichick given all summer to cook up one of his defensive specials for that day.
Then there are two straight road games in steamy, gasp-for-air Florida against Jacksonville and Miami with the hurricane season in full bloom. The game in Jacksonville is the home opener and the introduction of new Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, and the Dolphins still are smarting from the sweep Buffalo laid upon them in 2002. Then the Bills come home to face one of the NFC's best, Philadelphia.
Not that the Dolphins are going to have many days on South Beach in December, their traditional swoon month. They are scheduled to frolic in the snow in Buffalo (Dec. 21) and New England (Dec. 7). That gantlet is preceded by a hairy stretch that has them playing Washington in a Sunday night game Nov. 12, then in Dallas on Thanksgiving less than four days later.
The Patriots have it even tougher. They begin with road games in Buffalo and Philly, then open at home against the Jets, who took the AFC East championship from them late last season. Their final two games are at the Jets and then home against the Bills.
Of course, the Jets, rallied by kid quarterback Chad Pennington, sneaked up on everyone late in the season and stole the division title from the Pats. So go figure.
OK, I may be better off reading tea leaves after all, but I have great confidence in my draft analyses, not just for Buffalo but the entire division.
First of all, forget all that guessing about the Bills using their first-round pick on a wide receiver, running back or safety. Their refashioned offense doesn't require another Peerless Price. They should pick up a running back in the garage sale portion of free agency after June 1. The early free-agent season (Takeo Spikes, Sam Adams, Jeff Posey, Keith McKenzie, Izell Reese) should assure that the likes of Ricky Williams will not move the chains at will on them.
But this is a team that had just 31 sacks last year. The pass rush makes the NFL world go 'round. It also creates turnovers, a concept that has become foreign in Buffalo. The Bills need two more guys to make sure fresh pass rushers are on the field whenever the defense is......More (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030406/1012967.asp?1012967.asp)