2005 - A Look Ahead...

[Ebenezer]

Yeah, I know it is early...but check out the schedule for 2005...if the season ended today (*only matchups that would change)...

Home
NE 10-1
NY 8-3
Miami 2-9
Denver 7-4
KC 3-8
*Houston 5-6 (others could be Jax or Tenn)
Atlanta 9-2
Carolina 4-7

Away
@ NE 10-1
@ NY 8-3
@ Miami 2-9
@ SD 8-3
@ Oakland 4-7
*@ Cinci 5-6 (others could be Balt or Cleve)
@ TB 4-7
@ NO 4-7

[DraftBoy]

DAMNIT!!! WHY CANT THE ATLANTA GAME BY AWAY!

[Ebenezer]

DAMNIT!!! WHY CANT THE ATLANTA GAME BY AWAY!
it will be in 2009...

[Ebenezer]

DAMNIT!!! WHY CANT THE ATLANTA GAME BY AWAY!
maybe I need to visit my sister in Tampa next fall.......:scratch:

[Kenny]

Is it just me, or does that look like one hell of a tough schedule?

[Iehoshua]

Is it just me, or does that look like one hell of a tough schedule?

This is nothing new. I'm used to seeing us have very tough schedules.

[The King]

Lets plan the New Orleans trip!!

[Michael82]

Lets plan the New Orleans trip!!
I bet we'd easily have more Bills fans than 'Aints fans. :snicker:

What a pathetic fan base. They should be moved to LA. :up:

[The King]

I was gonna go down last year for the bears game but It didnt work out ever since then I have vowed to catch a game there. Why not see McGahee and co..

[Ebenezer]

Is it just me, or does that look like one hell of a tough schedule?
must be you...I looked at it this morning and instantly thought at least 10 possible wins...NO, TB, Oak and Miami will still all suck next year...Tenn is not going to get good again overnight...Car, KC and Den at home....they could go 6-2 at home and 4-4 on the road.

[LABillsFan]

I bet we'd easily have more Bills fans than 'Aints fans. :snicker:

What a pathetic fan base. They should be moved to LA. :up:

Did I offend you in some way?

[Michael82]

Did I offend you in some way?
Nope.

[Forward_Lateral]

How do they determine out of division and out of conference opponents? I can't remember the last time the Bills played the Lions or the Bears. I also don't understand why the hell we play the Bengals every year. Is it just by chance?

[LABillsFan]

How do they determine out of division and out of conference opponents? I can't remember the last time the Bills played the Lions or the Bears. I also don't understand why the hell we play the Bengals every year. Is it just by chance?

Hope this helps

http://www.nfl.com/news/2001/realignment.html

http://www.nfl.com/ce/multi/0,3783,4414598,00.html

[THATHURMANATOR]

Is it just me, or does that look like one hell of a tough schedule?

It is just you. That doesn't look too bad to me.

[don137]

I remembered seeing Buffalo not playing Carolina in Charlotte until 2009 but I was really hoping they were playing in Atlanta next year... :cry:

Well if anybody wants to come down to Charlotte in 2009 let me know :D

[Michael82]

Did I offend you in some way?
Wouldn't you rather have the Saints in town, so the Bills could stay in Buffalo? :D

[LABillsFan]

Wouldn't you rather have the Saints in town, so the Bills could stay in Buffalo? :D

For the sake of not getting my head handed to me on a platter, yes I would rather have the Bills stay in Buffalo. :peace:

[Michael82]

For the sake of not getting my head handed to me on a platter, yes I would rather have the Bills stay in Buffalo. :peace:
Good answer. :shake:

[TigerJ]

Buffalo has seven games against opponents with winning records, nine against opponents that are currently under .500. That's not bad at all. It's a given we allways have to play two games against tough NE, but the Jets are a paper tiger that Buffalo ought to sweep. New England is the only opponent on that schedule which at this point it doesn't look like Buffalo can beat. I'm not predicting 14-2 mind you, but I would be disappointed if Buffalo did not easily make the playoffs.

[Kenny]

Other than the Miami games, I think it'll be pretty tough.

You cant just take a look at the current stats. Kansas, Tampa Bay and Carolina are very very tough teams. SD has shown they're no pushovers, and you never know who you're going to play when you get the Raiders.

Plus we have to face ATL and DEN (and NE twice), and I think that schedule is much tougher than the one we had this year.

[DraftBoy]

Lets all go to Tampa!!!

[Devin]

sweet New Orleans!

[Michael82]

Lets all go to Tampa!!!
That's one that I am DEFINITELY considering on. My sister will be moving by there next summer, so I might go to the game and pay her a visit too. :up:

[NJFINSFAN1]

Is it just me, or does that look like one hell of a tough schedule?
Fins win the Division in 2005 http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/images/icons/icon12.gif

Okay, wishfull thinking, I can't help it!

[Forward_Lateral]

Fins win the Division in 2005 http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/images/icons/icon12.gif

Okay, wishfull thinking, I can't help it!

Are they moving to the NFC West? I must've missed that in my copy of Idiot Weekly.

[TigerJ]

Other than the Miami games, I think it'll be pretty tough.

You cant just take a look at the current stats. Kansas, Tampa Bay and Carolina are very very tough teams. SD has shown they're no pushovers, and you never know who you're going to play when you get the Raiders.

Plus we have to face ATL and DEN (and NE twice), and I think that schedule is much tougher than the one we had this year.

Actually, aggregate win loss records from one year don't mean a whole lot the next year. No one figured at the end of last year that San Diego would be sitting atop the AFC West at the start of December, 2004. Nor did they figure Miami would be in line to snag the second overall draft choice in the 2005 draft. I can almost guarantee that some team on Buffalo's 2005 schedule with a losing record now will be a big winner next year.

The worst thing about Buffalo's 2004 schedule was the frontloading with strong teams. Buffalo was still getting comfortable with the system. Offensive linemen hadn't quite gotten the hang of what Jim McNally was teaching. Had Buffalo had San Francisco early and Oakland or Jacksonville late, it could well have meant another win and a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

[CanaanVtBillsFan]

OMG I thought I was a fan
Is there some sort of math formula to pic the teams

anyways
I'm glad to know the Bills have such dedicated fans

[Ebenezer]

Actually, aggregate win loss records from one year don't mean a whole lot the next year. No one figured at the end of last year that San Diego would be sitting atop the AFC West at the start of December, 2004. Nor did they figure Miami would be in line to snag the second overall draft choice in the 2005 draft. I can almost guarantee that some team on Buffalo's 2005 schedule with a losing record now will be a big winner next year.

The worst thing about Buffalo's 2004 schedule was the frontloading with strong teams. Buffalo was still getting comfortable with the system. Offensive linemen hadn't quite gotten the hang of what Jim McNally was teaching. Had Buffalo had San Francisco early and Oakland or Jacksonville late, it could well have meant another win and a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
then there is no way to ever accurately forecast what a team will do...so those that think the schedule is difficult are incorrect too.

[The_Philster]

I'm hoping to make San Diego and Tampa :up:

[helmetguy]

New Orleans could be a really cool trip, too.

[Devin]

Ye I can probably house a few people if anyone makes the NO trip.

[Bills 4 life]

it seems like we've played OAK and JAX 3 years in a row. is this possible?

[FTG]

maybe I need to visit my sister in Tampa next fall.......:scratch:
I sure hope that games later in the year. Tampas only 40 minutes from Lakeland.

[ScottLawrence]

Buffalo has seven games against opponents with winning records, nine against opponents that are currently under .500. That's not bad at all. It's a given we allways have to play two games against tough NE, but the Jets are a paper tiger that Buffalo ought to sweep. New England is the only opponent on that schedule which at this point it doesn't look like Buffalo can beat. I'm not predicting 14-2 mind you, but I would be disappointed if Buffalo did not easily make the playoffs.


With basically a rookie quarterback at helm?

I don't know, I really wouldn't be suprised to see Losman struggle early next season and, we may get off to the kind of start like we did this year.

Although, if Losman doesn't make any crucial mistakes, like you said, I could easily see this team in the playoffs.

[FTG]

If we win out we should end up with a MNF game. We know it won't be @ the Ralph so it should be @NE @Jets or @SD

[Ebenezer]

it seems like we've played OAK and JAX 3 years in a row. is this possible?
What about Cincy??

[ArcticWildMan]

San Diego looks like a possibility for me. :D

[Ebenezer]

I sure hope that games later in the year. Tampas only 40 minutes from Lakeland.
hopefully it will be later in the year...who wants to play down there in September?? The away game against Miami better be in October...the home games against Miami, Atlanta and Carolina better be in the last three home games of the year, next year.

[Dozerdog]

Yeah, I know it is early...but check out the schedule for 2005...if the season ended today (*only matchups that would change)...

Home
NE 10-1
NY 8-3
Miami 2-9
Denver 7-4
KC 3-8
*Houston 5-6 (others could be Jax or Tenn)
Atlanta 9-2
Carolina 4-7

Away
@ NE 10-1
@ NY 8-3
@ Miami 2-9
@ SD 8-3
@ Oakland 4-7
*@ Cinci 5-6 (others could be Balt or Cleve)
@ TB 4-7
@ NO 4-7
While we won't know how tough this really is until we play it - this is a horribly tough schedule.


Don't be fooled - Miami will be better, KC will be a lot better, Tampa is going to be very tough, and Carolina will be tough when healthy. Oakland and the Saints are the only "creampuffs"

[LABillsFan]

While we won't know how tough this really is until we play it - this is a horribly tough schedule.


Don't be fooled - Miami will be better, KC will be a lot better, Tampa is going to be very tough, and Carolina will be tough when healthy. Oakland and the Saints are the only "creampuffs"

Add the possibility of Jax, Tenn, Balt and it only gets worse.

[Dozerdog]

it seems like we've played OAK and JAX 3 years in a row. is this possible?
If they finished the same in their division as we did in ours (3rd) then yes.

[LABillsFan]

Why would the OAK game be in OAK again?

[Ebenezer]

Why would the OAK game be in OAK again?
we play the AFC West as a division...the last time we did that the game was here...that rotates every 3 years for AFC and every 4 years for NFC regardless if the two teams meet in between.

[tampabay25690]

Well if you are gonna make the trip to Tampa next year get in a package as soon as they release them to the public in Buffalo. Tickets are very hard to get down here. I have seasons and those I had to pull strings to get. There is thousands of Bills fans down here so they will go very FAST!!!!!

But if you guys are gonna plan a trip down here I would be happy to throw a party at the place I work at. We can have a huge BILLS PARTY on the nite before.... I could probably work a hotel package also....

[LABillsFan]

we play the AFC West as a division...the last time we did that the game was here...that rotates every 3 years for AFC and every 4 years for NFC regardless if the two teams meet in between.

I think it was this year throwing me off.

For the sake of argument, this year
Games against the AFCE = 6
Games against the AFCN = 4
Games against the NFCW = 4
Games against the AFCW = 1 predetermined by prior years place within it's own division
Games against the AFCS = 1 same as above


So the reason the Bills were in OAK this year is because both finished 3rd in their respective divisions last year and OAK had a worse conference record.

I figured it out finally.

[nodnarb]

and don't say you can't tell in advance. you can to a large degree. just like we said this season was tough in terms of WHEN we play certain teams but is lighter than most teams in terms of getting teams in trouble, like the 9ers, browns, and dolphins.

next year will have much tougher matchups than this year.

If we were hitting the NFC West again next year, I'd say we'd go deep into it.

[LABillsFan]

and don't say you can't tell in advance. you can to a large degree. just like we said this season was tough in terms of WHEN we play certain teams but is lighter than most teams in terms of getting teams in trouble, like the 9ers, browns, and dolphins.

next year will have much tougher matchups than this year.

If we were hitting the NFC West again next year, I'd say we'd go deep into it.

You can get a general idea but nothing tangible. Some of us might be looking at the schedule from where we are now in the season. Who knows what people will think in 3 weeks.

As far as this year was concerned, there were the favorites. NE and Philly, but consensus was the Rams were going to do well, Buffalo should of been better, who knew RW was going to bail on his team, the Chargers in 1st? High hopes were on Houston making the turn this year, Cincy picking up where they left off, 50-50 on KC and Den and how about people that bought in to Dallas? You can't tell me that this year was foreseeable. Look at the bottle neck of teams in the NFC at 5-6. It's the intangibles that have this season in chaos.

Unless Manning, Favre and Brady decide to open up a religous retreat together and claim Sunday a day of rest why would next year be any different?

[The Predator]

Thats Why They Play The Games!!!

GO BILLS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>05

[Ebenezer]

I think it was this year throwing me off.

For the sake of argument, this year
Games against the AFCE = 6
Games against the AFCN = 4
Games against the NFCW = 4
Games against the AFCW = 1 predetermined by prior years place within it's own division
Games against the AFCS = 1 same as above


So the reason the Bills were in OAK this year is because both finished 3rd in their respective divisions last year and OAK had a worse conference record.

I figured it out finally.


almost...the game was not at Oak because they had a worse conference record...the location of that game is pre-ordained too...just like in 2005, we play the AFC North team away, no matter who it is or their record.

[alohabillsfan]

Based on current possiblilities, what would you want for a Monday Night Game at the Ralph? Would you want it early (sept.)? or late (Dec.)?

My vote would be early and Denver or the Jets?

P.S. I just cannot stand to have another Sunday Nighter with the crew they have in the booth totally obnoxious!

Home
NE 10-1
NY 8-3
Miami 2-9
Denver 7-4
KC 3-8
*Houston 5-6 (others could be Jax or Tenn)
Atlanta 9-2
Carolina 4-7

Away
@ NE 10-1
@ NY 8-3
@ Miami 2-9
@ SD 8-3
@ Oakland 4-7
*@ Cinci 5-6 (others could be Balt or Cleve)
@ TB 4-7
@ NO 4-7[/QUOTE]

[TigerJ]

Maybe the Denver game will be late. If so maybe I can go.