I have no problem with Jets being rated higher than the Bills

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I never get into the "respect" argument with other fans because it really means absolutely nothing to me. The only thing matters is what you put on the score sheet.

But in terms of evaluating team quality, I'd place Jets ahead of the Bills right now. The Bills lost to the Steelers at home, against their 2nd and 3rd stringers, in a game that means playoff or not for the Bills. the Jets won at San Diego in a playoff game; pretty much took Steelers to the woodshed in Pittsburgh with Pennington's supposedly injured arm and all before their kicker screwed up big time. Also this draft saw Jets had a first rounder whereas the Bills did not. Why would anyone think the Jets should be rated behind the Bills? It's not like the Bills replaced Bledsoe with a proven QB like Brady in the off season.

However you look at it, the Bills will have their hands full this season, playing 4 games against playoff hardened Pats and Jets.

[casdhf]

What really bothers me was that the D got eaten alive that game, who is to blame for that? I don't remember who was outplayed, but I'm hoping it will be corrected.

[BleedinGreenNC]

Regardless, i have mad respect for the Bills because of what they did last year and how they turned the season around. It is going to be a tight division this year, all except for the those weak teal wearing nut huggers. When the Jets play the Bills i get butterflies in my stomache, due to the fact that the two teams are so close in talent that the game could go either way. I looke forward to our games this year and hope that we can have friendlys smack between each other. Good luck this year!

[Night Train]

I don't have any problem either with the current rating. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if the Bills surpassed the Jets this season.

We basically gave away a win at the Meadowlands last year and handled them convincingly at the Ralph. The Jets received a career year from Curtis Martin and have a QB who still has to answer some arm/injury issues. The OL is nothing special and the DL took a hit. One key DL left and another is holding out. Depth took a big hit. Secondary is very suspect. The New York hype machine is in full speed this time of year and they do not look the part of a playoff team, entering this season.

I realize the Bills have their own questions to answer but our D and ST's are better than the Jets. If our Offense can improve, the Jets hardly scare me.

[ublinkwescore]

What really bothers me was that the D got eaten alive that game, who is to blame for that? I don't remember who was outplayed, but I'm hoping it will be corrected.

BS!!

The D didn't get eaten alive in that game - yeah they surrendered a long @$$ run to a 3rd string RB, but we lead that game all the way till the bitter end - remember the score was 24-29 (the d also scored - see Clements' baited route where he picked off Maddux and took it to the house).

I'm so sick of hearing that - BLEDSOE beat us - the very last score of the game (it was a 22-24 buffalo lead) was Bledsoe handing off to a Steelers linebacker or DE (I forgot what position the guy was playing) and he took it to the house taking the lead for pittsburgh - add that last TD on, it makes it 24-29 pittsburgh.

the fact that our D is keeping their mouth shut and not pointing any fingers is truely a credit to their professionalism. They should be commended not labeled chokers. They are not chokers - Bledsoe is.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Funny you should mention that. I have a secret to tell you.

I am not sold on our defense.

Under GW and JG, the Bills defense has evolved into a gambling defense, living on big plays. They blitz mad and got results, but you also notice that their 3rd down ratio (preventing people convert 3rd downs) are not really good.

Facing good teams especially like a Steelers who is not known for big plays but steady yards eating offense, this kind of defense can be in trouble if they don't get off fields on 3rd downs regularly. It was evident to me that by the 4th Qtr, the Steelers were getting the upper hand and it really didn't matter that they put 3rd stringers in there: they wore down our D.

Until our defense learned to clamp down on opponents 3rd down conversion, I have a lot of reservations about this defense. Forget about being one of the all time best D they talk about. We don't have a single player on D who can single handedly change a game, who kept opposing offensive coordinators sleepless at night. Right now we are relying on schemes, sending people from all over the place to make things happen. But you know what, for every scheme we have, a smart offensive coordinator can create a coutering scheme. We need a Javon Kearse (in his best year) type of player who can always make things happen no matter what kind of schemes they throw at us.

[ublinkwescore]

So TKO doesn't have game changing abilities?

So if he doesn't make that INT in the Pittsburgh game and they score on that drive, that's not a game changing play?

did the blackbear get another screen name?

Name a D that doesn't have it's meltdowns?

NE did last year against the sorry fins O.

The proof is in the yards surrendered, and the Turnovers forced.

[ublinkwescore]

Nate Clements isn't a game changer?

Thanks to him, we cut Pittsburgh's lead in that game (a Willis McGahee or Evans TD took the lead for us later on in the game).

[footballhottie]

I sure am sick of being third :sad: Remember the good ol days when we were on top

[madness]

When you look at our D last year, you have to consider our horrid O.

ghz in pittsburgh said it best...
they wore down our D.
I don't care how good a defense is, if the offense can't chew up the clock it's a lost cause.

If the O can hold up and do that this year...watch out! There's no reason our D can't surpass what they did last year.

Time of pos.

Steelers - 35:03
Bills - 24:57 Steelers won 29-24

49ers - 25:03
Bills - 34:57 Bills won 41-7

[BleedinGreenNC]

I sure am sick of being third :sad: Remember the good ol days when we were on topIt will be a great battle for the top spot between the Pat's Jets and Bills

[madness]

It will be a great battle for the top spot between the Pat's Jets and Bills
No doubt! :up:

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I never view Clements as a game changing CB. Deion Sanders was. In his heydays, his cleared out one side of the field because QBs wouldn't throw to his side. When they did, he intercepted the balls. Clements still got beat too many times to my liking.

TKO is as close to a game changing player we got. But he dissappears in stretches in games. Ray Lewis, in his best days, seemed to be involved in every play when he's on the field. Coaches always say that Lewis has an uncanny nose for a play and the football. TKO displays some of that trait, breaking off his normal assignment to make a play, like the examples you cited. He just does not do that with enough regularity.

[jdbillsfan]

I never get into the "respect" argument with other fans because it really means absolutely nothing to me. The only thing matters is what you put on the score sheet.

But in terms of evaluating team quality, I'd place Jets ahead of the Bills right now. The Bills lost to the Steelers at home, against their 2nd and 3rd stringers, in a game that means playoff or not for the Bills. the Jets won at San Diego in a playoff game; pretty much took Steelers to the woodshed in Pittsburgh with Pennington's supposedly injured arm and all before their kicker screwed up big time. Also this draft saw Jets had a first rounder whereas the Bills did not. Why would anyone think the Jets should be rated behind the Bills? It's not like the Bills replaced Bledsoe with a proven QB like Brady in the off season.

However you look at it, the Bills will have their hands full this season, playing 4 games against playoff hardened Pats and Jets.

I am not really sure what the point of this post is, but we split with the Jets last year and should have won them both if not for a missed kick I believe? The two teams played each other twice last year, so it seems if you want to compare the two teams, you would compare them that way instead of how Buffalo played against Pittsburgh in the last game of the season and how the Jets played Pittsburgh in the playoffs? Of course the Jets should be ranked higher right now, because they went farther than Buffalo last year, but thats about it. Maybe I am missing something.

Is there a big Bills should be ranked higher than the Jets controversy that I don't know about?

[HeadSquad69]

The Jets will finish 10-6. Buffalo 11-5. Nuff said!

[ublinkwescore]

I never view Clements as a game changing CB. Deion Sanders was. In his heydays, his cleared out one side of the field because QBs wouldn't throw to his side. When they did, he intercepted the balls. Clements still got beat too many times to my liking.

TKO is as close to a game changing player we got. But he dissappears in stretches in games. Ray Lewis, in his best days, seemed to be involved in every play when he's on the field. Coaches always say that Lewis has an uncanny nose for a play and the football. TKO displays some of that trait, breaking off his normal assignment to make a play, like the examples you cited. He just does not do that with enough regularity.

Ok so you credit TKO as being the closest thing we've got to a game changer - yet in that same game, Clements did more - Int for a TD - but he's still not a game changer?

Last I checked, Clements could put a pretty damn decent hit on someone and is a sure tackler too.

Like it or not, Clements is the total package and a game changer.

I just hope to god that if he really did say he'd play in Buffalo for less that TD takes advantage of that and that he stays true to his word.

[ublinkwescore]

BTW, it was Clements that made that TD saving tackle on the Steelers 3rd or 4th string running back on that long run he broke off.

[bledslow]

bills D looked like garbage vs pitt last year vs there 2nd and 3rd stringers.they could not stop them when they needed to. didnt pitts offense just run out the clock in that game getting 1st down after 1st down? its going to be a 2 team race this year vs the pats and jets. pats will take it at the end by 2-3 games over the jets. i see both teams sweeping buf this year.

[silo056]

i live in an area full of jets fans, long island, and they try to throw the jets in my face every chance they get but i still have no problem with them being ranked higher than the bills for one reason they are still and will all ways be the jersey jets

[Crisis]

I can think of two times last year when Clements was "burned."

One wasn't his fault (McCaries inside slant inside the 10 for a TD), and the other one he was right there but had a mental error (won't even mention it.)

He's STILL younger than Chump Bailey, Pat Surtain, AND Chris McAlister, and playing at level equal to or HIGHER than all of the above.

BTW- I don't really care about the Jets that much, not much of a rivalry going on with them, we're only in the division because we have common enemies. The people living in the NYC area will speak differently however.

[TigerJ]

It's something of a fools game to try and compare two teams based on what they did versus the same opponents, to say nothing of comparing how they did against different opponents. Different teams match up differently. Sometimes a team will just have a bad game. Besides all of that was last season. Teams can make dramatic moves in one direction or another from one year to the next. I don't think the Bills were quite as bad as they showed versus the Steelers at the end of last season. The single biggest factor that so called experts are using right now in assessing the Bills is Losman. How quickly will he learn the pro game? How much or little will the offence have to depend on him making plays? How many major mistakes will he make? Can he really be worse than Bledsoe was?

I'm going to be optimistic until I see otherwise.

[BuffaloRanger]

Yeah, the Jets were so clutch that they lost to the Rams in Week 17 with the playoffs on the line. They then went on to beat the Chargers because of missed FGs.

Some don't want to admit that with literally millions of TV money on the line there is the possibility that the NFL front office might have a preference who wins. Could instructing the refs to look closely at one team and not at the team they prefer really be so unlikely? If football is a business, why leave millions of dollars to chance?

My eyes were opened by this Rams website detailing the many obvious missed calls during the Rams/Pats SB. If you haven't seen all the video clips of non-calls against the Pats you can't dismiss this as whining. Head shots on Warner. Late hits out of bounds and holding against Faulk. Intentional spearing. Check out this website and tell me refs can't make a difference.

http://www.stlouisrams.net/xxxvi/index.html

Bills/Steelers game:

- 3rd Qtr Bills winning 17-16 34 yard pass interference call on Fletcher on 3rdand 11- without this call Steelers are punting from their own 19 yd line.

- Steelers eventually punt - Crowell called for 15 yard face mask (how often is this called against a REC team?)

- Play clock fails to start as replays show, refs don't notice, DB called for delay of game

- False start on Evans Bills back at 1 foot line

-Bills still made a drive out of it moving into position for the score that would put the game away. Bills convert a 3rd and 1 to the Pitt 4 yard line
But wait. Josh Reed is called for a pick away from the play. How often is this called in a season? Bills miss the 3rd and 11 by half a yard.
Lindell then missed a 28 FG
Next play, the Steelers backup RB runs for 58 yards. Leading to Pitt FG
_________________________________________________________
(Off topic - File this in the why Drew had to go department)
Bledsoe fumbles 3 plays later - Steelers return 18 yds for TD
Next drive Bledsoe fumbles on 3rd and 1 - Bills recover but have to punt
_________________________________________________________

Several other bad calls I have tried to forget.

It's easy to say "The Bills couldn't beat the 3rd stringers they didn't deserve to win". Look closer and you'll see they were playing against more than the Steelers backups.

What happened to that head referee of the Bills/Steelers game? Terry McAulay was named the head referee of SB 39. Quid pro Quo Clarice?

[ublinkwescore]

Maybe this year is Losman's year to be the NFL's golden child - only this time the story goes - a savior to a team with a proud history that is forever tarnished (the SB years - or at least it's tarnished til we get one ring).

BTW, were the Twin Towers in the state of New York, or New Jersey?

I know the Jets and Giants could see them from their practice fields - but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

It is kinda funny that you bring the topic up of refs possibly setting the pats up to win because of 911 - think of the irony.

Maybe Bush's secret society - the Skulls had something to do with it.

Or maybe that guy from the X-Files that said he doesn't want to see the Bills win a superbowl as long as he's dead. BlackMetalNinja, he's on your coast - it looks like you've got an assassination mission to carry out.

[BuffaloRanger]

Rumor has it...

The Skull and Bones society, that Bush and Kerry (And late Sen Heinz, Kerry's wife 1st Husband) are Members of supposedly have an island up here in the 1,000 islands that they use for some of their rituals. The locals that actually know which island say there are caretakers that chase you off the island if you attempt to land there.

That ciggarette smoking man is dead now. I celebrated his death for that very reason!