Up My Flagpole

by Frank Stephen

Well another week and another Buffalo Bills win over the Miami Dolphins. Not much beats a sweep of the Dolphins, no matter how depleted the 'Fins are. First let’s look at the Bills. Another fine performance by Willis McGahee is overshadowed by 5 defensive interceptions, Terrance McGee's third kickoff returned for a touchdown and a sterling performance from Drew Bledsoe. The Buffalo Bills Drew Bledsoe Reclamation project appears to be on the road to success. Let's hope for no further bumps. The outcome of the season hangs on his preformance.

This week's MVPs go to the MCS. McGahee, McGee and McNally. Offensive line coach Jim McNally was given chicken feathers to develop in the preseason. It wasn't until the week before the season opener that McNally got to work with five guys that would even resemble a starting offensive line. He has made some super Chicken Wellington out of those feathers. There are no pro-bowlers there but the line is solid and can still get better.

Now moving onto the Miami Dolphins. Disclaimer: I hate the Miami Dolphins more than any other team in any sports league anywhere. I hate them more than the 1980 Soviet Union Hockey team, the 1966 Kansas City Chiefs and the entire NBA combined. That being said, no team has been beset by this much bad luck than the 'Fins. Ricky, David Boston, Dan Marino, Dave Wannstedt and the list goes on and on and on. AJ Feeley showed spunk in ripping up the Buffalo Bills defense for three TDs and 32 points. He also showed that the 'Fins are getting little return for their 2nd round pick investment by throwing 5 INTs. Please show me the last time Drew Bledsoe threw 5 INTs in a game and tell me that Miami wouldn't be tickled if he were their QB now. My holiday gift for the aqua and teal. Four wins to end the season. Nothing would be better than lowering that first round draft choice you get next season. By the way, have fun for another year in salary cap jail!

10 Quick thoughts this week:

• With injuries to Mark Campbell, Tim Euhus, Mike Williams and Jonas Jennings who would have thought that Jason Peters would be more valuble to the Buffalo Bills down the stretch than Josh Reed. Poor play will do that to a second rounder. Josh Reed has about 6 games into 2005 to show that he can play in this league. Right now Reed is looking like the Travis Henry of 2005.
• Buffalo Bills CB Terrance McGee is the best kick-off returner in the history of the team. He currently leads the NFL in return average and has three returns for TDs. Congrats to GM Tom Donahoe for drafting him and Special Teams coach Bobby April for devising the plans to spring his returns.
• Of the rookies wide receivers taken in the first round are any playing better than Lee Evans?
• I predict that Bledsoe will be starting somewhere in the NFL in 2005 if not right here for the Buffalo Bills.
• Jonas Jennings is worth being overpaid. Slightly overpaid, that is. I would not break the bank but this offensive line is just starting to play like a solid unit. Although I think it is a lock he goes home to play in Atlanta I still would like to see him here next year.
• 2005 will be JP Losman's "rookie" year. Look for him to be eased into play if Drew Bledsoe gets off to a slow start next season.
• Tell me that the Atlanta Falcons are not the biggest paper tiger since the Detroit Lions under Wayne Fontes. 9-4? Get a real schedule.
• The Buffalo Bills need to resign Pat Williams. No more evidence is needed then seeing teams run up the middle on them when he and Sam Adams are out of the game. The presence of the two mountains forces other teams to run to the periphery and allows the faster LBs and DBs to make the tackles. Now, if only Terrance McGee can learn to run stuff like Antoine Winfield.
• The Buffalo Bills need to resign Pat Williams. No more evidence is needed then seeing teams run up the middle on them when he and Sam Adams are out of the game. The presence of the two mountains forces other teams to run to the periphery and allows the faster LBs and DBs to make the tackles. Now, if only Terrance McGee can learn to run stuff like Antoine Winfield.
• NCAA Divison I playoffs. Can somebody grow a pair and develop a playoff system that will work. Here's mine:
  A. You make the playoffs a field of 16. You get all the bowls to bid on hosting a game...the 15 bowls that bid the highest get to host a game. He who bids the most gets to host the championship game that year. The nest two highest get the semi-finals, the next four highest get the quarterfinals and the lowest 8 get the qualifiers.
  B. Money: The money bid by the 8 bowls that host the qualifiers is pooled and divided among the 8 losers. The money bid by the 4 bowls that host the quarterfinals is pooled and divided among the 4 losers. The money bid by the 2 bowls that host the semifinal game is pooled and divided among the 2 losers. The money bid by the bowl that hosts the champion game is split 60-40 between the winner/loser.
  C. You then take the winner of 8 major conferences and the next best 8 and play them down. The other bowls, those that don't bid enough money, still exist to give other teams a chance at a post season game.

  Everybody would win. There would be a playoff system, the bowl system would still exist, teams with weaker records would still get a chance at a bowl and MORE money would flow into the college football system because if these bowl games had to bid to host a playoff game they would increase their payout to attract the game.

• Anybody miss hockey? Not me. Until the players say they want a salary cap then do't even bother.

Closing note: Notre Dame made a huge mistake firing Ty Willingham last week. Ty's players had the best academic record of any ND coaches player, ever! The Irish administration overplayed their hand thinking that Urban Meyer would just run from Utah to South Bend to coach the team. Maybe they will wake up now. I am of this program deep down, for it's academic requirements and strength of schedule and really don't want to see them change a thing. You don't need to kill the academic standards (although lowering them would help) and recruit guys like Maurice Clarette. Nobody is saying play 11 games against cupcakes but 2 or 3 wouldn't hurt.

Post-Mortem: If I ever had a Hall of Fame vote in Baseball it would not be cast for Barry Bonds. Sorry, some want to defend him by saying that the last three years are the only stain on his career. As we all know by know steroids have been around since before Bonds broke into MLB with the Pirates. Bonds lied and denied over and over and he has zero credibility. There is no reason not to believe that he has juiced his body since he was a rookie. Not one of his statistics is credible. No Hall of Fame.