Happy Days Are Here Again ... Sort of

by Jim Byrne

I felt like pulling a Pee Wee Herman and jumping on the bar while dancing to the song “Tequila” a la the scene in Pee Wee’s Great Adventure. And if anything in this world were to justify that wild scene, it certainly would be the Buffalo Bills 38-9 victory in Seattle against the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. There’s just so much to talk about, and really only dancing like Pee Wee Herman can tell the story sufficiently. Where to start, where to start?

How about Willis McGahee’s four, count ‘em four, touchdowns and fifth 100-yard rushing day of the season? I enjoyed that more than A.J. Feeley’s excruciatingly painful expression after getting a slap on the tush last week. And let me tell you, I enjoyed that!

Or would you like me to talk about the fact that Washington native Drew Bledsoe threw three interceptions, and the Bills were still able to dominate the 6-5 Seahawks?

No, I think I’m going to start with the fact that this 5-2 Bills team since an 0-4 start has finally become a team. It seems that under head coach Mike Mularkey’s tutelage, as one unit, the Bills finally understand what it takes to win in this league.

And they are not only winning, but crushing teams like the Seahawks and Rams from last week. It’s a thing of beauty.

Hold on, I’m getting a little misty-eyed hear. I have that one tear rolling down my eye like the Native American dude back in those old, “Don’t Pollute” commercials.

It’s just too bad about that 0-4 start, or the fact that they aren’t in the abysmal NFC, because this team is playing like a true playoff contender right now.

Defensively, the Bills were dominant on Sunday against one of the league’s more potent offenses. They limited Shaun Alexander, the league-leading rusher, to 39 yards on 13 carries. Seattle was only able to gain 230 total yards of offense on the day compared with Buffalo’s 434. And 72 of their yards came on Seattle’s only touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter with the game already out of hand at 38-3.

38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3. 38-3.

I can type that all day long. It was surreal watching the Bills put that score up on the board, it really was.

Especially since it was their first victory on the road this season. As I said before, despite the three interceptions, the offense ran like a well-oiled machine on Sunday. Imagine what it would have been like if Bledsoe wasn’t picked off those three times. They could have been like the Bengals in putting up 50-some odd points on the board!

My condolences, Mr. Biletnikoff.

And not surprisingly, the power, the engine and the fuel running that rejuvenated offense is one Willis McGahee. The man is making GM Tom Donahoe look like a genius for gambling on him with the Bills first round pick in 2003. And as a Bills fan, you have to love the fact that Buffalo is 5-2 with him as starter, as opposed to 0-4 with Travis Henry as the lead back.

Barring a debilitating injury this season, I think we know who is getting traded this offseason. If McGahee keeps this up, Buffalo will never even look back. Sorry Mr. Henry, but this kid is a stud. FOUR TOUCHDOWNS! A-mazing! The best part is, McGahee seems to get better every week, and I am sure that the kid has not even come close to realizing his full potential just yet.

Now, for what everyone wants to talk about, but just can’t spit out. The playoff picture. Do the Bills have a shot at making it to the playoffs? Well, they would basically have to win out, which sadly is the easy part. But with four cupcake teams in Miami, Cleveland, Cincinnati and San Francisco up next and then the season finale at home against a Pittsburgh team that will may be resting its starters at that point, you really never know.

If the Bills continue to play as well as they did this week and last week, we very well could be looking at a 9-7 or 10-6 team come season’s end.

The trick is that a plethora of very talented teams have to start losing consistently immediately. The Bills have all of the division leaders ahead of them, and then Baltimore, the Jets, San Diego/Denver and Jacksonville. Essentially, they would need three of those teams to flame out while the Bills win out.

So, again, are the playoffs a possibility? I’m going to say probably not, but if you are a Bills fan, you will have something to smile about once this season is over. It appears as if things are finally looking up.

But, you just knew, just KNEW, that that season opening loss to Jacksonville would come back to haunt the Bills.

So go the Buffalo Bills.

I’ll talk to you after the squishing of the fish.

This column also appears weekly in the online version of the Erie Times-News at GoErie.com Jim Byrne is also a writer for his website at ZubazPants.com