How important is the Patriots Home-Opener this season?

[WG]

Is this a must-win game, or simply an important one?

[LtBillsFan66]

I think it's a must win. It'll set the tone for the season. Let everyone know up front if we are a serious contender.

[WG]

What are the ramifications if we lose?

[Patrick76777]

I think that all division games are very important. In our division it'll probably take a 4-2 division record to win it. And seeing how it's at home and against the Pats, it's important. But you can't have a must win in week 1. I'd rather start slow and finish strong.

[Patrick76777]

Originally posted by Wys Guy
What are the ramifications if we lose?

it depends on how we lose. If we lose 45-0, it may be panic time.

If we lose 17-14 in OT. No problem. Let's go beat the Jags.

[Valerie]

I think it's a must win. The last time Drew faced the Pats at home it was a disaster. He needs to step up and show them that we mean business this year. I think all first home games of the season are important games, but this one for the Bills is even more important, IMHO.

[LtBillsFan66]

I agree with Pat. If we lose to them like we did last year, we are in trouble. If it comes down to a bad bounce or bad call - then we'll have to "stay tuned."

[Ebenezer]

Must Win.

[imbondz]

of course it's an important game, a MUST win might be stretching it. It's more important for Bledsoe's psyche. he wants to show his old team that he's still a champ and start the season off solid.

[LABillsFan]

I think you have to ask, how many division losses cost the Bills a playoff birth last year and base your answer on that. If they split between the Jets and NE, there in. Tie breakers make all division games must wins, since after head to head it's the division record that comes into play, then conference, common opponent etc.. If you're asking because of standings only, home division games are must wins, if your asking because of the whipping the Bills took from Bledsoes former team last year and the psyhological effect that it may or may not of had, my answer is still the same.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I'm afraid that Belichek has waaaaay too much time to get ready for us and that we'll be horribly out game planned and outcoached.

If we lose a close one, no sweat.

[Halbert]

The only issue is that it is already likely that the season finale (in NE) will have playoff implications. Losing our home opener could turn that from a playoff positioning game into a playoff making game.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Originally posted by Jaded 7
I think it's a must win. The last time Drew faced the Pats at home it was a disaster. He needs to step up and show them that we mean business this year. I think all first home games of the season are important games, but this one for the Bills is even more important, IMHO.
If our coaches plan this right, it won't be a Bledsoe Bowl III. We win run, run, run the ball enough that they will take their attention off Drew, and let him have some legitimate shots to throw them deep.

BB may know Bledsoe, but he doesn't know the rest of our players as well. And don't discount our defense essentially winning the game for us either.

[justasportsfan]

Originally posted by Halbert
The only issue is that it is already likely that the season finale (in NE) will have playoff implications. Losing our home opener could turn that from a playoff positioning game into a playoff making game.

I predict that by this time we would already have the Div. wrapped up w/ 1st rd. bye. Watch for our our reserves to play and AVP throw for for 4 td's and creating a QB controversy (playoffs :snicker: )Gary to rush for 200 yards :D

[standingbuffalo43]

it is THE most important game of the year right now...
right now there are NO other games besides the opener...
when it is over the Jaxjags becomes THE most important game of the year...



and so on...


and so on...

[HenryRules]

Its 1 of 16 and carries a bit more importance because its a division game, but not much. The Jets lost at home to NE in their first game against each other (2nd of the season) and in Miami in their first game against each other (3rd of the season). Didn't stop them from making the playoffs and winning a round.

[LABillsFan]

You know what? After looking at the schedule again, particularly at the last 6 games, I'd say Week 1 is even more crutial. The last 6 games are against
Indy 10-6
Giants 10-6
Jets 9-7
Tenn 11-5
Mia 9-7
NE 9-7

So the later part of the season doesn't get any easier.

[THATHURMANATOR]

obviously a very, very big game. If we get blown out I would be a little concerned though.

[Captain gameboy]

I think it's crazy to classify an opener as a must win. It's important and it would do quite a few things for us, but it's not a must win.

[Stewie]

It's a must win. It's a division game, end of story... If division games aren't must win, which games are?

[R. Rich]

Originally posted by imbondz
of course it's an important game, a MUST win might be stretching it. It's more important for Bledsoe's psyche. he wants to show his old team that he's still a champ and start the season off solid.

I agree entirely about Bledsoe. A big win and an impressive performance from him will help him to "exorcise his demons". Plus, it would be nice to see Belicheck shown up by Drew, so that people can stop bowing down and kneeling to him so much.

[WG]

Originally posted by paulB
It's a must win. It's a division game, end of story... If division games aren't must win, which games are?

I agree w/ you paul!!

I think it's essentially a must win for less traditional reasons than simple record. I think the intangibles for this game will set the tone for Drew's season. It's all but proven that Drew doesn't play well against divisional opponents and playoff teams, of which N.E. may be both. And other than in a bizarre game w/ Lucas starting and in a major league snowstorm, Drew played like crap in the other 5 divisional games. 5 TDs/10 TOs all-in-all.

He needs to come out and not necessarily put up 2 or 3 TDs, but he has to show that he's capable of not giving games away, especially against foes like N.E. If N.E. wins this game, you can bet your life that it won't be on the merits of offense as it was last year. Smith isn't going to cut it as a runner this year as anything more than average which won't bode well against our D this year.

Ergo, if the Pats win it, it'll have been b/c they shut down our O and capitalized on its errors. If the major part of the reason we don't win comes down on INTs and poor play on Drew's part, it will set the stage, IMO, for yet another dismal year v. the East.

With back-to-back games v. Miami in Miami followed by Philly at home, those teams would likely pattern their approach after N.E.'s.

So I think this game is a must-win not from a schedule perspective, but rather from a "jinx" and "intangibles" perspective. I see us emerging at no better than 2-2 after 4 if we lose to N.E.

The Philly game is gonna be a disaster for Drew. I'll be happy if he can simply limit his INTs to 1 in that game. They're gonna be all over him like stink on poop! That'll be a defensive matchup too in which the winner will likely be the team that makes the fewest TOs.

[XNOUGHT]

OK.

Here is how it looks from a Pats point of veiw.

We EXPECT to win that game.

he is what I think Belichick will try to do.

We will be walking in with all our shiney new defensive additions and will base our game around that. Our defensive plan will to suffocate, suffocate, suffocate. Force the game into Drew's hands. Make him beat us. You guys lost Price, Reimersma, and Centers. Belichick is gonna play the WR's tight and he wont respect the TE's. The focus will be to shut down Henry and make Bledsoe win it.

Offense is to get some fast points on the board vs a defensive unit that hasn't played much with eachother. Pats want to pressure Greg and Drew into making bad descisions and calls. Dont be surprised to see the Pats jump out to a no huddle formation and test the safeties deep. Also the Pats will do alot of bread and butter throw the the RB and try to throw to the 3rd WR's to test your CB depth. Pats will try to get the TE's involved but that is unlikely vs Takeo Spikes. Patriots will plan on doing alot of passing as pass rushing is not Sam Adams strong suit and the Bills have an underachieving DE unit. I dont think the Pats have a chance at getting any kind of run game vs you front 7.

This game should be very close through the first three quarters until a team breaks away. I dont see the ending being very close at all.

[WG]

X,

Spare me! Your D is as tight as they come. But I don't respect your O in the least. Your WRs are from Munchkinland. Smith is a has been and will be lucky to get 70 yards. Your OL is good but certainly far from great.

This is gonna be a defensive matchup through and through. If you guys blow us out, then it's gonna mean a lot more than a loss for us. Let's face it, Bledsoe played like crap last year in two games v. you, but the biggest reason that you won the first game was due to the element of pure surprise and an aire of overexpectation on our parts as team, players, and fans alike. Media too which had me concerned from the onset of all the Bledsoe-Bowl talk.

As good as your DL and front 7 will be however, our OL, TE, and FBs are nothing to sneeze at. The odds of us moving the ball against your D exceed the odds of yours moving it against ours signficantly IMO.

As to our D unit not having played together, that won't matter w/ Spikes. He's prime time. Same w/ Adams. He's a plug and that won't change one way or another. Our unknown DE may be a factor there as may Posey.

As to depth, I can't wait to see your 3rd WR v. Thomas! He may be the best pure cover CB that we have and he's our nickel back. So I'm not worried about your O jumping out to a commanding lead at all.

What I am worried about is whether Gilbride will have the sense of a grapefruit and call the game well. If not, he'll lean towards trying to prove something w/ Drew. IMO, if that happens, your chances for victory go up exponentially.

Keys to victory:

Bills: Tough D and keep Drew under 25 attempts while Henry has at least 25 carries w/o fumbling.

Pats: Force the Bills into throwing the ball w/ Drew thereby forcing his usual errors in such situations. In order to do that, the Bills running game must be shut down.

What we'll have here is a top offense v. a top defense on one side, with a mediocre offense v. a very good defense on the other. If the game is called properly from an offensive perspective, then I would say that the discrepancy between the Bills D and the Pats O will be the difference maker. As such, I'm not expecting the Pats' O to put up any more than 17 points.

If you guys can win by allowing your D to score, then you may put up more points. But there's no way on earth you're gonna put up much more than 17 offensively. Last year in game two, the only reason for 17 of your 27 points was offensive TOs. That was w/ our improved D of last season. This year's D won't be anywhere near that good. It'll be quite a bit better. So don't expect to score much w/ a bunch of midgets at WR and an aging Smith as your primary rusher.

[baalworship]

Wys
It's all but proven that Drew doesn't play well against divisional opponents


I realize that you just hate Bledsoe but let me try to go with this. We had 6 games against divisional teams last year. You can't discount 1/3 of them because of Lucas! Ray Lucas is a QB and doesn't play defense.

I will submit that Bledsoe played well in 4 out of the 6 division games last year. Since I am a Bledsoe fan I plan on counting all the games and evaluating them MY WAY.

Against Miami:

30/58 488 Yards 4 Tds Zero Interceptions in 2 games

So there's 2 games he played well.


Against Jets:

This is why stats are misleading:
Week 1 at home against Jets:

26/39 271 yards 1 TD 2 Ints

Terrible game, right? We lost and he threw more Int's than Td's. WRONG!!!

Travis Henry scored 3 Td's and the Bills scored 31 points on offense. Drew Bledsoe led the Bills to over 400 yards on offense including the game-tying drive that was capped by his pass to Moulds in the end-zone.

If you want to use STATS, you have to explain the disparity between YOUR perception of this particular game and my own.


Did he suck against the Jets on the road? Yes. Against the Pats on the road? Yes. I'll give you those. 2 out of six.

[Billz_fan]

It's a game the Bills need to win. Is it a must win game for the success of the season ?

No.

One game does not make a season. There have been alot of changes on this team and it may or may not take some time for them to come together.

How they play in Nov-Dec will go much further in determining the outcome of the season.

[WG]

Give it a rest baal!

I really like how you lump both Fins games together. Let's face it, Drew didn't play well in Miami. If it hadn't been for a lapse in execution leaving Moulds absolutely wide open, Drew would have barely had over 100 passing yards. Madison's mistake, not Drew's great game, was responsible for that win.

Henry ran for more yards that Drew threw for w/ the exception of that one long ball where Moulds was wide open and alone. Henry ran for 132 yards and the D had what, 6 INTs?

Say what you want, but you just don't win too many games on the merits of 16 offensive points and that's all that Drew could lead the team to.

The reason why Fiedler, Chambers, and Gadsen's injuries were important, was b/c Miami couldn't score. If they hadn't been all banged up, I'm quite sure that they could have put up at least 20 points against us. That's why it was important.

For someone who wants to say Drew played well, I find it interesting that you cannot give an RB who had 132 rushing yards coupled w/ a D that had 6 TOs more credit than a QB who did virtually nothing other than catch a break off a clear defensive mistake and through no particular thing that he did personally for a single TD all day long and nothing else otherwise.

Secondly, I don't hate Drew. I think he's one of the nicest guys in the league. But daggone it, you sure have no difficulty simply ignoring the facts about him, don't you!

5 TDs/10 TOs in 5 other divisional games. If you want to remove both Miami games, then do so. That leaves 4 TDs/10 TOs in 4 other games. But don't try to pass off that that isn't that bad. IT SUCKS! And if it happens this season, you'll be pissed too.

Of course I'm sure it'll be someone else's fault.

Funny too, that you say that Miami's O had nothing to do w/ the Bills win. But at the same time, I'm sure you'll dismiss the loss to K.C. w/ only 16 points on the board against one of the league's worst Ds as the fault of our D, right? And only 13 points on the board v. the Jets in a game where Drew had 2 INTs and NO TDs while setting up 14 Jet points as the fault of the D the way everyone else did, right? Or how we put up no points at all v. G.B. while the D held the Pack to only 10 points as Drew set up the Pack's only TD of the day on 4 personal TOs. I'm sure that has nothing to do w/ him either, right!

Let's quit w/ the nonsense, shall we!

[baalworship]

Wys:

I agree with most of your ideas on the Bills. I just think that you are using Bledsoe stats to justify something that you want to believe. I gave you the Jets game at home as an example. If you can adequately explain how completing 66% of your passes, leading the offense to over 400 yards & 31 points and leading the game-tying drive is a terrible game for a QB we might be getting somewhere.


The FACTS are that the Bills offense went into a mini-slump late last year. You can blame it on Bledsoe, Gilbride, Offensive Line Pass-Protection whatever. I just feel in my own head better about spreading the blame. And I think you sort of agree. We just disagree on the degree of blame each party should get.

[WG]

baal,

You're not being honest!

You can give the credit to Drew for "leading the team to over 400 yards", but I'll give it to Henry who had 149 rushing yards and 3 TDs and another 29 receiving for 178 total yards on the merits of a GREAT game!!!

NOT, to Drew who had 271 passing yards (only 242 net yards after 29 yards lost on 4 sacks) and only 1 TD while setting the Jets up at our own 19-YL for their first TD and to turn the entire game around. It's quite simple; if Drew doesn't make that INT, we win!!!

So say what you will, but if Drew even plays an average game, we win!

I'm not gonna give Drew the credit for Henry's rushing. Nor am I gonna credit Drew for the team's entire offensive performance when Henry ran so well.

See, that's the problem w/ those of you who defend Drew at all costs. You see yards and attempts only. You can't analyze the game apart from that single statistic. You'd rather have 500 yards w/o any TDs than 150 and 3 TDs. I just don't see things in such a limited fashion nor do I give yardage apart from any production the time of day. In my mind, you can toss for a 1,000 yards in a game. But if you can't punch it into the EZ, then who cares. As well, if you do more via your passing to help the other team than you do our own, same thing! Who cares!

[baalworship]

I still don't see an Interception as a backbreaker early in a game when the two teams combined for 68 points. And yes, Travis had a great game. But would Bledsoe have a "Great" game if he threw the ball into the end-zone instead of handing off when the Bills are close to the goal? I don't understand what you expect. Bledsoe had a bad game only in fantasy football. He made plays when he needed to, including the game-tying TD as time expired to send the game into overtime.

If this Jets game is the definition of a bad game, I give up. We obviously have different expectations from the QB position. I don't see how a QB is seen as inadequate because we call running plays once we get near the goal. Your definitions of a good quarterback day are suspiciously close to fantasy football standards.

[HenryRules]

I was at that Jets home game ... I can't believe that not even a year later people are trying to say that Bledsoe played poorly in that game. You must not have watched the game or are entirely removing your memories of the game and basing your opinion on some printout from your computer.

[WG]

Originally posted by baalworship
I still don't see an Interception as a backbreaker early in a game when the two teams combined for 68 points. And yes, Travis had a great game. But would Bledsoe have a "Great" game if he threw the ball into the end-zone instead of handing off when the Bills are close to the goal? I don't understand what you expect. Bledsoe had a bad game only in fantasy football. He made plays when he needed to, including the game-tying TD as time expired to send the game into overtime.

If this Jets game is the definition of a bad game, I give up. We obviously have different expectations from the QB position. I don't see how a QB is seen as inadequate because we call running plays once we get near the goal. Your definitions of a good quarterback day are suspiciously close to fantasy football standards.

Yes, we do apparently have different standards.

"I still don't see an Interception as a backbreaker early in a game when the two teams combined for 68 points."

And I don't see a 242 net yard, 1 TD, 2 INT (w/ one INT going for a Jets TD) performance as anything other than 'non-spectacular.'

You just implied that the reason for Henry's performance was Drew. As long as we have that mentality, Drew will never be responsible for anything bad and always get the credit for what other players do.

To say that Drew's INT didn't impact the game is not to understand football. The Jets were down 10-7 as a result of our lapse on Special Teams which had just allowed a return TD. On the very next possession Drew threw an INT to Donnie Abraham who returned it 13 yards to our own 19 YL where the Jets promptly put it into the endzone.

So IMO, the two "back-breaking" plays that game were that return TD and then that stupid INT (on 3rd and 4) which essentially gave the Jets 14 quick points. Had Drew not thrown that, then the momentum would have returned to the Bills at least until it was too late to do anything about it for the Jets and the game never would have gone to OT. Period. Without those two plays, the Jets score a modest 17 points and we win the game 31-17 w/ absolutely not even a sniff of OT.

Instead you and others will try to blame Henry for a fumble which had virtually no impact in the mid-3rd as the Bills got the ball right back. As well, you'll blame the D for allowing what, 17 big points? I mean we can't fully hold the D accountable for Drew's generosity and charity, can we now!

But you're quick to point out how Henry's fumble cost us the Denver game (and I agree BTW) in the exact same circumstances as Drew's INT in this Jets game. Yet, Drew takes no responsibility while Henry takes full blame for that Denver loss. And again, rightly so! But at least I can see it for both players and not just Henry while Drew remains untouchable!

If Drew plays the exact same way v. the Jets this season, i.e., 1 TD, 2 INTs, w/ one INT leading to a Jet TD in each game, then you won't be happy and neither will I. Nor should we be!

[WG]

I saw the game too HR.

Come on, it's no secret that Drew isn't held accountable for anything that went wrong on this team last season. In fact, he's reported as the single reason that we even won 8 games! Of course he had no contributions in the 8 losses. Oh NOOO! He's the blessed golden child of Bills football. Perhaps they should put an halo/aura on all of his internet pics, pics in the official publications, and on football cards!

Let's get real. If we can't even agree on that point, then there's a whole bunch of intellectual dishonesty going on here.

Anytime a QB throws and INT that leads to setting up the other team w/in our own 20 YL and whereby they convert it to a TD, you cannot say that that QB played phenominally unless he put up at least 3 TDs to counter.

Drew contributed 7 points to the Jets, just as much as STs did. He only put the ball into the EZ once. There is no way that you can give Drew the credit for Henry's hard running that day. It's completely unfair to Henry. And I'll take 149 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs each and every week over 242 net passing yards, 4 sacks, and 2 INTs w/ one of them setting up the opponent for 7. If he played like that each week, we may as well just spot the other team 7 heading into each game!

In fact, I'll take 150 rushing yards each week over 300 passing yards, or even 400 passing yards! Rushing yards are invaluable and far more indicative of a team's success than passing yards. It's perfectly possible to amass 225 yards on 4 tosses, and then add another 100 yards on another 30 throws, which may look great on paper, but which really suggests that the passing game really came down to 4 plays. So unless a rusher has one long run for 70 yards, rushing yards are far more valuable as they allow a team to control the tempo of the game and rest their D.

It's also unfair, although that didn't seem to have stopped many people, to blame the D for allowing virtually only 17 points through regulation (excepting that TD that Drew handed the Jets).

Yet, you and baal, and others, talk as if Drew played perfectly, Henry was only so-so and only ran well b/c of Drew, and that Henry's fumble, which really had no impact at all on the game since we got the ball right back only 13 yards further back after a Jets 3-and-out! Actually, Drew's marvelous play on that next drive was more detrimental. He got sacked for a loss of 10, completed 2 big passes for a whopping 4 yards as we lost another 13 yards on the merits of ineptitude on that drive!

So, if you want to analyze this game holistically, the only TO that made a difference was Drew's first INT. His 2nd didn't even matter, but that first one, especially on the heels of a STs TD was a doozy!

But don't blame Henry or the D for any of it and don't say that Henry and the D put up b/c of Drew. There is just no way that a QB w/ 1 TD and 2 INTs is gonna have been considered to have played anything other than average ball in any game barring having a butload of rushing yards or something. Drew had no other contributions that setting up one Jets TD and one Bills TD.

See, that's the problems w/ using yards as your only measuring stick. You tell me that I'm "basing your opinion on some printout from your computer" while you are simply looking at one single yardage measure!! Moreover, you attempt to credit Drew for Henry and the D's achievements!!

What's wrong w/ that picture?

[baalworship]

Wys: I am not discussing Henry so stop putting words in my mouth. I finally understand how you grade a QB performance. You can't throw interceptions. Gotcha. And you should throw the ball to a TE when you get inside the 5 yard line, instead of handing off to the running back. That way you have a "Good" game in your book. Gotcha.

As I said, you are using fantasy football standards to judge Bledsoe. With a league that perhaps subtracts a TD for every Int. Gotcha!

If this is your standard I can't argue with you. I am happy when the QB gets the job done and puts points on the board. We did that in the Jets game. I agree that Bledsoe had a mini-slump late last year. But to use this Jets game as an example of bad quarterbacking is insane. Ask Buffalo Bill fans who watched the game. And BTW, we're not all stupid because we don't use your fantasy football standards to judge each game.

[WG]

baal,

I'm not using fantasy football standards to measure him. In fact, by those standards, he didn't really play that poorly. I guess that's my point.

But you defended him and essentially gave him credit for all nearly 400 yards of total offense and then turned around and blamed the D and STs for the loss.

D: allowed only 17 points if you don't count that one drive set up by Drew inside our own 20. You can't expect a D w/ only minimal talent to perform miracles and consequently be held accountable for a mistake they didn't make.

Rush: 149 yards, 3 TDs

Pass: 242 net yards, 4 sacks, 1 TD, 2 INTs w/ one of them going fo 7 the other way.

What is fantasy about that? It's the way players get evaluated.

If those players were Brees, Tomlinson, and the Charger D, the heat would have fallen on Brees. Or any other QB for that matter. Just not here in Buffalo. Drew can do no wrong.

But I really fail to see what is fantasy football about that?

I see a D that played well enough to win, a RB who if he played that way every week we should be 16-0, a STs that gave up a critical TD, and a QB w/ an otherwise average performance (at best) who also gave up the same type of critical TD, yet, just after the first one given up by the STs. I would think that that would have been a time to tighten things up a bit, not make another critical error.

So say what you will, Bledsoe is the untouchable golden child of the Bills and that's all there is to it. He takes the credit for 8 wins against crap teams while beating one good team in Miami twice, once, again, on the merits of D and the rushing game, and the second time in a well played game albeit in a blinding snowstorm. Nonetheless, he deserves credit for it.

But he also cost the team 7 wins on the merits of 18 personal TOs in those 7 games. There were only 3 other TOs by all players in all 7 of those games. I.e., the only one who made mistakes for the most part was Drew!!!

You can try to dismiss the criticality of that particular INT in the Jets game, but the fact of the matter is that if he doesn't make that, we win. In fact, if we go down and put up 3 or 7 on the drive instead of giving up 7, then it becomes a 10 or 14 point swing.

But to say that this is fantasy football analysis and that credit needs to be given to Drew for Henry's running and for the D otherwise holding the Jets to 17 points simply proves my point that Bledsoe is a fan/media golden child.

[WG]

BTW, I watched the game on TV. I find it much more difficult to fully analyze games while your there. It's virtually impossible to see who does what and you have hardly any replays. So being there, IMO, doesn't make analysis of a game any easier, rather harder. That's why I try to tape the games that I go to. So that I can watch them and come to a true assessment prior to doing my writeup. I think I saw 14 of 16 games on tape/TV last season either live or after.

[justasportsfan]

Originally posted by baalworship
Wys: I am not discussing Henry so stop putting words in my mouth. I finally understand how you grade a QB performance. You can't throw interceptions. Gotcha. And you should throw the ball to a TE when you get inside the 5 yard line, instead of handing off to the running back. That way you have a "Good" game in your book. Gotcha.

As I said, you are using fantasy football standards to judge Bledsoe. With a league that perhaps subtracts a TD for every Int. Gotcha!

If this is your standard I can't argue with you. I am happy when the QB gets the job done and puts points on the board. We did that in the Jets game. I agree that Bledsoe had a mini-slump late last year. But to use this Jets game as an example of bad quarterbacking is insane. Ask Buffalo Bill fans who watched the game. And BTW, we're not all stupid because we don't use your fantasy football standards to judge each game.

It didn't take long for a new poster to figure WYS out. :snicker:
Just one thing you left out BAAL...... stats.

[WG]

Actually, I find it ironic that someone who argues an entire point on yardage and then (presumably) a ton of intangibles, accuses another of measuring a player by fantasy football standards.

I measure everyone by production. Unfortunately where that breaks down is that for me production comes in terms of points. For everyone else, attempts and yardage, for which Drew was singlehandedly and overwhelmingly lauded this past season, seems to be everyone else's measure. Doesn't matter that all those yards and attempts only produced 1 TD on average in 11 of 16 games and most importantly down the stretch for our playoff run.

Odd indeed! ;)

[Judge]

Originally posted by Wys Guy
What are the ramifications if we lose?

Only that it's a division game. All of them are vitally important. The fact that it's a season opener is of no significance. Look at last year- the Bills lost a heart0breaker to the Jets, then turned the corner of the season w/ a 5-3 record after 8 games. The season opener hurt from a division loss perspective, but obviously didn't impact the team's psyche. Why would it affect them any more this year?

[Judge]

By the way, only one stat matters in football: team wins.

I don't care how the team does it. As long as the Bills win I'm happy.

[Stewie]

Originally posted by Wys Guy


If it hadn't been for a lapse in execution leaving Moulds absolutely wide open, Drew would have barely had over 100 passing yards. Madison's mistake, not Drew's great game, was responsible for that win.



When are you going realize that you can't try to prove an argument on the fallacy of removing an element of the 'proof'. You can't definitively say that Madison made a mistake on that play, and you can't just pretend that play didn't happen.

That argument has about as much merit as me saying that if I get behind the wheel drunk and crash, then if it hadn't been "a lapse in excecution" by a bartender getting me drunk at a bar (because he's supposed to cut me off when I'm drunk), I wouldn't have gotten in an accident, and therefore it was the bartender who was responsible.

Would you buy that excuse?

[baalworship]

Wys: I give up. We're talking past each other. You keep saying I said this about Henry and this about Bledsoe. Sorry, but you can't just make up things you assume someone believes and then dismantle the argument.




Wys: But you defended him and essentially gave him credit for all nearly 400 yards of total offense and then turned around and blamed the D and STs for the loss.


Show me where I blamed the D or special teams earlier in this thread. Actually, allowing 2 kickoffs to be returned for TD's is a bit of a breakdown. And I do blame the Special Teams coverage unit. But I never said that and you just made it up. Try to at least take people out of context instead of making large whoppers up next time, k?

As for QB's here's what I look for. I want the QB to make throws when he has to. I want a minimum of costly mistakes. I want the QB to put points on the board and move the chains. These are MY criteria.

You discounted the Offense's production. But what if the other team takes away the passing game and gives you the run? Should you throw anyway? I know what the correct answer is.

You discounted the points scored by the offense. So Bledsoe better make sure that once we get inside the 5 yard line and are about to score that he audibles to a pass. Otherwise he might not get credit if the running back scores in YOUR book.

Is Bledsoe perfect? No. But after suffering through Todd Collins, Hobert, Flutie, Johnson, and Van Pelt he looks a lot more Golden. I am a fantasy football junkie. I drafted Bledsoe in the 9th round in my fantasy draft and suffered big time late last year. I had to alternate between him and Brady in my lineup! Yikes! I was as objective as a Bills fan can be, considering I had money riding on last year. Ultimately I gritted it out and won my league. Maybe we all win for real this year. I think that your valid points are offset by your irrational dislike of Bledsoe. Do you think you're the only one in Buffalo that noticed the slump last year?! Geeesh. Even the News covered this to death. Football is a team game. Each player affects the other and QB's do get more credit and blame then they deserve. I just think you're obsessing a bit on one position.

That's all I have to say.

[BillsOwnAll]

drew wotn lose 3 in a row against em.

[BillsOwnAll]

plus our def. is better.

[Dozerdog]

Bledsoe single handedly brought this team back only to see a special teams meltdown.

Kick coverage costs us that game Wys, not Bledsoe.

:deadhorse: