Up My Flagpole

by Frank Stephen

Well. I can't say I wasn't a little worried about this season. Rookie coaches are not immediately successful. Given time I am confident that Mike Mularkey can be a good coach. I just don't think that time frame is in the short term. I am not totally giving up on this team but I am looking at some really hard facts.

1. The Bills team lost 2 very winnable games.
2. They lost those games because they could not score enough points.
3. They did not score enough points because the line cannot run nor pass block.

4. When the line does pass block Drew Bledsoe cannot find an open receiver or get rid of the ball.
5. There is not an open receiver because the Bills don't trust the offense to play downfield. At one point in the first half I swear I saw 10 Raiders in the box.
6. The road woes continue. A late TD on a great catch is not enough to say the offense is efficient on the road.
7. Is the defense really expected to give up just 13 points every game?
8. Eric Moulds needs a real QB while he has game left in his game.
9. Bill Parcells would have cut somebody, anybody by now.

So, where does that leave us and how does it get back to Eric Moulds? From all early signs 2004 is the end of the Drew Bledsoe era. The team either lacks confidence in him to play deep or the offense itself is incapable of playing deep. Either way, that is no good. Come 2005, Drew will be another year older. He is not going to get any better. They will have too much invested in a old quarterback on a team that is still rebuilding. No need to get the rest of the team good just in time to bring in a raw rookie. Now, Moulds counts over $7mil against the cap in 2005 and $8mil against the cap in 2006. The Bills need cap space next year and even if they got rid of Drew they would not create enough. At that point they will have to go to Moulds to renogotiate his deal. Why would he? Tom Donahoe gave him this deal and Moulds would be in no position to give anything back. What are the Bills going to do, threaten to cut him?? I'm sure there would be a host of suitors out there just waiting with bated breath to sign Moulds, probably at a raise. Can you imaging Moulds on the market? Can you imagine him with a real QB?

Without cynicism, here is my bottom line. I predicted 8-8 (with the Bills going 1-7 on the road, beating the Raiders). They lost two winnable games. Show me where they are going to win 7 more this season. This is a 6-10 team at best. In fact, I challange anybody to find me 6 wins on this schedule. Bledsoe and Moulds are gone after 2004 and this team will continue to rebuild. Whether Donahoe notices it or not he just jumped into the boiling pot of water...and the fire is lit.

Should the Bills bench Drew Bledsoe? Sure, go for it but if the coaches bench Drew whom do they bring in to play? IF you bring in Matthews you effectively end DBs career. OK, I can deal with that. Then, if Matthews is not effective you have to bring in Losman when he is physically ready to play. Fine. But realize that if you do that you are kicking in the season. Go watch the tapes. Losman is far from ready to play in the NFL; and I'm not just talking about the broken leg.

No matter how hard you scream you can bet that Ralph Wilson will not heed your call for Tom Donahoe's head. Think about it. Donahoe is the President and GM. Who is going to fire him??? That call has to come from Wilson. Let's see. The seats are full (seven sell-outs are expected). The boxes are full. There is advertising all over the stadium The fans are still talking about the Bills. The Bills are $5 mil under the cap (which is a savings in Ralph's pocket). Everything off the field is perfect for Wilson. Why the pressure to get rid of Donahoe?? At worst he would have to step down as GM after 2005. But! Then who becomes your GM?? Tom Modrak? He has been here from the beginning of TD reign; been in on all the decisions. What is going to change??

Post-it Notes:

1. Earnest Wilford and Ronald Curry? Not exactly Mark Clayton and Mark Duper but the Bills have made them into the stars in the last two weeks.

2. The Bills still don't have a Left Defensive End. And judging from the way Aaron Schobel has played the last two games I don't know if they have any defensive ends.

3. Somebody in the front office drafted and signed a lot of not so intelligent players. Dumb mistakes at dumb times result in dumb loses.

4. The Bills cannot get a yard on 4th and 1 at the 1? Sorry, NFL playoff teams succeed in that situation.

5. I like what I see from Terrance McGee. That pick looks like a solid 4th round winner.

6. Remind me why Tom Donahoe kept Jerry Gray as the defensive coordinator.

Closing and very scary thought.

Two weeks is a long time between games but this year it is going to be very long. Don't look now but if the Bills don't figure out a way to turn it around they could start off 0-6. Thankfully, the Bills host Arizona on Halloween. Then again, maybe somebody in the league office has a sense of humor; sick though it might be. Lose that one and there is an remote, but potential possibility that the Bills are 0-12 and facing Cleveland. And it will be December.