patmoran2006
09-27-2010, 07:15 AM
Sure you won't agree on all points. Of course, that's what makes message board debate fun.
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We’re now three weeks into the 2010 NFL season and the Buffalo Bills are pretty much where most expected them to be— a sitting lame duck at 0-3. While many will take comfort in the Bills remaining competitive in New England on Sunday, the reality is Buffalo has essentially blown a pair of games already this season that AFC East rivals pretty much gift-wrapped for them to take.
The Patriots defense was terrible and their special teams not much better. Still, someone forgot to set the alarm clock for the Buffalo defense as they slept through almost the entire game. As a result, anyone who held out hope of a season miracle turnaround pioneered by Ryan Fitzpatrick are basically ready to start paying a lot more attention to 2011 college prospects.
The Bills will be overwhelmingly favored to fall to 0-4 after their contest with the New York Jets next Sunday and if they can’t get past Jacksonville the following week, could very easily be staring 0-7 in the face.
Here are some things we learned about the Bills… and the rest of the league after Sunday’s week three action.
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
♦ Trent Edwards must really be that bad, because there’s no other explanation for how the offense looked that more fluid with Fitzpatrick. Edwards’ play has been such a source of indecisive cowardice that Fitzpatrick looked like a Pro Bowler by comparison. Granted, at the end of the day he threw not one but two terrible interceptions that were all on him but still, there’s zero doubt if the Bills are going to win, Fitzpatrick gives them the much better chance.
♦ Adam Schefter has said the Bills are shopping Edwards around. It’s the first I’ve heard about it and like the rest of you, am hoping it’s true. Common sense dictates that if a team was actually interested, it would probably a west coast squad like Arizona or San Francisco.
♦ The Bills are on the verge of giving Chris Kelsay a contract extension. I really don’t know what to say.
♦ If the Bills are ever going to move Marshawn Lynch and get some decent value in return, the time is now. For the second consecutive week Lynch looked good in getting the starting assignment; rushing for 79 yards on just 13 carries and surely would’ve cracked the century mark had the Bills not fallen behind in the fourth quarter. His stock is rising. Green Bay made perfect sense last week and makes just as much this time around. C.J. Spiller is clearly the future of the organization and rightfully so. If Buddy Nix can swindle a fourth rounder from someone, he should pull the trigger now.
♦ I’m not saying Chan Gailey expected Cornell Green to be another Anthony Munoz when he was signed, but his patience has to be wearing thin with Green’s brutal play at right tackle. He committed a crucial false start penalty that led to a missed field goal and was the lone dark cloud on an offensive line that overall more than held its own.
♦ I like Andra Davis and really want to root for him, but I’m starting to see why Denver cut him loose over the winter. We’re three games into the season and he hasn’t even come close to making an impact play.
♦ When Eric Wood left the game early, it was Kraig Urbick who filled in. Essentially that means he’s passed Cordaro Howard on the depth chart.
♦ Aaron Maybin is inching closer to Erik Flowers territory on a weekly basis.
♦ Donte Whitner has become as irrelevant a “team leader” as I can ever recall. Watch his expression on BenJarvus Ellis-Green’s fourth quarter touchdown, and more importantly, watch how bad Randy Moss abused him inside on both his touchdowns. Seriously, if you DVR’d the game, go back and watch the plays again.
♦ After a good start to the season, both Leodis McKelvin and Drayton Florence struggled in a big way against the Patriots. The two combined for the Bills lone turnover of the season in the second quarter but aside from that, were bad in pass coverage all day and missed too many tackles in the open field.
♦ Marcus Stroud has done nothing this year.
♦ Ditto for Reggie Torbor.
♦ Was Chris Ellis injured yesterday?
♦ I’m waiting to see the 2009 version of Jairus Byrd. So far, he hasn’t appeared.
♦ This just in— the Bills cannot cover a tight end. The defense has yielded 13 receptions for 215 to tight ends over the past two games.
♦ The Bills offense proved they can make big plays with Fitzpatrick. The unit had seven plays go for more than 20 yards.
♦ The Bills also showed semblance of production from the tight end position themselves Sunday. Jonathan Stupar had three catches for 27 yards.
♦ Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to run Steve Johnson out of town. He is on pace for 725 receiving yards; not bad numbers for a number two receiver.
♦ I’ll confess that I wasn’t sold on Roscoe Parrish as a legitimate receiver. After Sunday, I’m near-ready to admit I was wrong.
♦ Obviously the biggest bright spot was Spiller. After being ready to take Nix to the shed for wasting the ninth overall pick on Spiller after his one carry assignment in Green Bay last week, he showed exactly why the organization decided to invest in him. He may never be a 20-plus carry per game running back, but he can literally score any time he touches the football. Try telling me you’re not excited about him on the field?
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
A few things we learned about the rest of the league….
♦ It’s very hard to root for anything New England related, but you have to feel good about Williamsville native Dan Gronkowski’s future there. Two touchdowns in three games is not a bad start to a NFL career.
♦ The reports of Peyton Manning and the Colts demise have been greatly exaggerated. Even without two of his top receivers, Manning had no problem tearing up the Denver defense and look to have rebounded from their opening week loss to Houston.
♦ I don’t care who they’ve beaten— Kansas City is 3-0.
♦ The Ben Roethlisberger-less Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 and going to be even more dangerous when he returns.
♦ Don’t bury the Dallas Cowboys just yet.
♦ The Bills “clash” with Cleveland in Orchard Park come week 14 could end up determining who’ll pick first in next April’s draft.
♦ Mike Singletary may blow his head off before the end of the season.
♦ It’s been obvious to me that Bill Cowher will be coaching in the NFL next season in either Carolina or New York (Giants). I’m starting to wonder if that move may come before THIS season is over. Both teams already have their respective season’s on life support and may want to get a head start on Cowher, just as the Bills tried (unsuccessfully) to achieve with Mike Shanahan last December.
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We’re now three weeks into the 2010 NFL season and the Buffalo Bills are pretty much where most expected them to be— a sitting lame duck at 0-3. While many will take comfort in the Bills remaining competitive in New England on Sunday, the reality is Buffalo has essentially blown a pair of games already this season that AFC East rivals pretty much gift-wrapped for them to take.
The Patriots defense was terrible and their special teams not much better. Still, someone forgot to set the alarm clock for the Buffalo defense as they slept through almost the entire game. As a result, anyone who held out hope of a season miracle turnaround pioneered by Ryan Fitzpatrick are basically ready to start paying a lot more attention to 2011 college prospects.
The Bills will be overwhelmingly favored to fall to 0-4 after their contest with the New York Jets next Sunday and if they can’t get past Jacksonville the following week, could very easily be staring 0-7 in the face.
Here are some things we learned about the Bills… and the rest of the league after Sunday’s week three action.
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
♦ Trent Edwards must really be that bad, because there’s no other explanation for how the offense looked that more fluid with Fitzpatrick. Edwards’ play has been such a source of indecisive cowardice that Fitzpatrick looked like a Pro Bowler by comparison. Granted, at the end of the day he threw not one but two terrible interceptions that were all on him but still, there’s zero doubt if the Bills are going to win, Fitzpatrick gives them the much better chance.
♦ Adam Schefter has said the Bills are shopping Edwards around. It’s the first I’ve heard about it and like the rest of you, am hoping it’s true. Common sense dictates that if a team was actually interested, it would probably a west coast squad like Arizona or San Francisco.
♦ The Bills are on the verge of giving Chris Kelsay a contract extension. I really don’t know what to say.
♦ If the Bills are ever going to move Marshawn Lynch and get some decent value in return, the time is now. For the second consecutive week Lynch looked good in getting the starting assignment; rushing for 79 yards on just 13 carries and surely would’ve cracked the century mark had the Bills not fallen behind in the fourth quarter. His stock is rising. Green Bay made perfect sense last week and makes just as much this time around. C.J. Spiller is clearly the future of the organization and rightfully so. If Buddy Nix can swindle a fourth rounder from someone, he should pull the trigger now.
♦ I’m not saying Chan Gailey expected Cornell Green to be another Anthony Munoz when he was signed, but his patience has to be wearing thin with Green’s brutal play at right tackle. He committed a crucial false start penalty that led to a missed field goal and was the lone dark cloud on an offensive line that overall more than held its own.
♦ I like Andra Davis and really want to root for him, but I’m starting to see why Denver cut him loose over the winter. We’re three games into the season and he hasn’t even come close to making an impact play.
♦ When Eric Wood left the game early, it was Kraig Urbick who filled in. Essentially that means he’s passed Cordaro Howard on the depth chart.
♦ Aaron Maybin is inching closer to Erik Flowers territory on a weekly basis.
♦ Donte Whitner has become as irrelevant a “team leader” as I can ever recall. Watch his expression on BenJarvus Ellis-Green’s fourth quarter touchdown, and more importantly, watch how bad Randy Moss abused him inside on both his touchdowns. Seriously, if you DVR’d the game, go back and watch the plays again.
♦ After a good start to the season, both Leodis McKelvin and Drayton Florence struggled in a big way against the Patriots. The two combined for the Bills lone turnover of the season in the second quarter but aside from that, were bad in pass coverage all day and missed too many tackles in the open field.
♦ Marcus Stroud has done nothing this year.
♦ Ditto for Reggie Torbor.
♦ Was Chris Ellis injured yesterday?
♦ I’m waiting to see the 2009 version of Jairus Byrd. So far, he hasn’t appeared.
♦ This just in— the Bills cannot cover a tight end. The defense has yielded 13 receptions for 215 to tight ends over the past two games.
♦ The Bills offense proved they can make big plays with Fitzpatrick. The unit had seven plays go for more than 20 yards.
♦ The Bills also showed semblance of production from the tight end position themselves Sunday. Jonathan Stupar had three catches for 27 yards.
♦ Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to run Steve Johnson out of town. He is on pace for 725 receiving yards; not bad numbers for a number two receiver.
♦ I’ll confess that I wasn’t sold on Roscoe Parrish as a legitimate receiver. After Sunday, I’m near-ready to admit I was wrong.
♦ Obviously the biggest bright spot was Spiller. After being ready to take Nix to the shed for wasting the ninth overall pick on Spiller after his one carry assignment in Green Bay last week, he showed exactly why the organization decided to invest in him. He may never be a 20-plus carry per game running back, but he can literally score any time he touches the football. Try telling me you’re not excited about him on the field?
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
A few things we learned about the rest of the league….
♦ It’s very hard to root for anything New England related, but you have to feel good about Williamsville native Dan Gronkowski’s future there. Two touchdowns in three games is not a bad start to a NFL career.
♦ The reports of Peyton Manning and the Colts demise have been greatly exaggerated. Even without two of his top receivers, Manning had no problem tearing up the Denver defense and look to have rebounded from their opening week loss to Houston.
♦ I don’t care who they’ve beaten— Kansas City is 3-0.
♦ The Ben Roethlisberger-less Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 and going to be even more dangerous when he returns.
♦ Don’t bury the Dallas Cowboys just yet.
♦ The Bills “clash” with Cleveland in Orchard Park come week 14 could end up determining who’ll pick first in next April’s draft.
♦ Mike Singletary may blow his head off before the end of the season.
♦ It’s been obvious to me that Bill Cowher will be coaching in the NFL next season in either Carolina or New York (Giants). I’m starting to wonder if that move may come before THIS season is over. Both teams already have their respective season’s on life support and may want to get a head start on Cowher, just as the Bills tried (unsuccessfully) to achieve with Mike Shanahan last December.