Die Hard Bills Fan

Hello Bills fans. What can I say? Another week and another win make all of us Bills fans feel real good. I just wanted to comment on the play of starting middle linebacker Paul Posluszny. The Bills drafted Poz in the second round of the 2007 draft. He was drafted to replace London Fletcher who the Bills decided to let hit the free agent market. Fletcher was one of my favorite players when he was here. Year after year Fletcher led the team in tackles and was the leader on defense. Poz had big shoes to fill. After the first game last season, I could see why the team selected him 34th overall. Poz was just starting to settle in when his season came to an end during week three. Poz broke his forearm and was put on injured reserve. This year he came into training camp 100% and ready to go. Well he had his breakout game this past Sunday against the Rams. Poz led the team with eight tackles and also knocked down Trent Green a few times. He was all over the field and showed what he can do when blitzing. Its just a great sign to see him grow week after week and turn into a dominant player. Poz will be a Pro Bowl linebacker before we know. Check out the article on Poz by the democrat&chronicle. Go Bills.

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Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson will have a new leading blocker after the Buffalo Bills released fullback Darian Barnes last evening. To fill his place, Corey McIntyre was signed to the roster. It looks like the Bills are only going to use the fullback position as a blocker only. In 3 games, Barnes only had 2 catches for 34 yards and had zero carries (he also fumbled once).

Barnes was injured in the Week 3 win against the Raiders and did practice throughout the week. He was inactive for the game on Sunday though. I believe the release came due to the injury to his ankle. It was probably more serious than originally though.

McIntyre is bigger than Barnes at 6 feet, and 258 lbs. The 29 year old has been in the league for 4 years playing for the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. He was the special team captain last season with Atlanta and will most likely play special teams with the Bills to go along with his fullback role. Like I stated above, the full back will be used to block only. In his entire career (33 games), McIntyre has no rushing attempts.

In other Bills news, starting CB Terrence McGee will be out of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals due to a sprained left knee. I will breakdown that news more later in the week as one of the keys to the game.

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The Buffalo Bills were given a scare by the winless St. Louis Rams, who actually held a lead in this game heading into the 4th quarter.  The Bills battled back again, and for the 3rd weekend in a row, the Bills came back in the 4th to gain the W.

1^st Quarter

The Buffalo Bills offense was not clicking well to start the game off, again.  Nothing really exciting happened in this one as both teams didn’t look very sharp.  Bills kicker Rian Lindell kicked two successful field goals but the quarter ended with a Rams lead.  A 37 yard reverse run by WR Donnie Avery was the only touchdown so far in this one.  Rams lead going into quarter #2 with a 7-6 lead.

2^nd Quarter

A very good run defense was scored on again.  This time Rams RB Steven Jackson broke one for 29 yards and the TD.  The Bills continued to struggle and the score was still in the home team’s favor at half-time, Rams now lead 14-6.

3^rd Quarter

A back and forth affair in this quarter.  Only one score was put on the board and this time it was in the favor of the good guys.  A decent drive by the Bills was ended with a Fred Jackson 22 yard run.  Jackson cut, juked and dove his way into the end zone.  Bills still down, but at least they are on the board, 14-13 in the Rams favor.

4^th Quarter

This quarter belonged to the Bills as they rallied again for win.  They scored 18 points in the final 15.  It all started just into the 4^th when Bills CB Jabari Greer had a pick 6 that gave the Bills the lead 21-14.  The Rams would not score again this game.  WR Lee Evans would get into the end zone though when he hooked up with QB Trent Edwards on a 39 yard TD pass.  The final scoring would end, when kicker Rian Lindell added another FG from 45 yards out in the end of the game.  Bills pick up the victory 31-14.

Game Notes

• The Bills start 4-0 for the sixth time since 1970
• The last two times they achieved the feat (1991-92), they went on to reach the Super Bowl.
• For the second straight year the Rams have started 0-4 (remember they started 0-8 last season before getting their first W)
• The Rams have now lost eight straight games dating back to last year.
• Trent Edwards went 15 for 25 for 197 yards, 1 TD and an INT.
• Evans only had 2 catches for 88 yards but also a TD.
• Bills rushing game struggled as they only gained 111 yards.  The offense only had 277 yards in total.  

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The Buffalo Bills will face the St. Louis Rams today at the Edwards Jones Dome.

TV Info:

Game: Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ St. Louis Rams (0-3)
TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots)
Radio: 97 Rock (Buffalo), 103.3 The EDGE (Buffalo), WHAM 1180 AM (Rochester), WNSS 1260 AM (Syracuse), FAN 590 AM (Toronto). All done by John Murphy, Mark Kelso and Paul Peck on the Bills radio network.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• The Bills have beaten the Rams in four out the last five meetings, and lead the overall series, 5-4.
• The last game between these two teams ended in a Buffalo win, 37-17.
• RB Marshawn Lynch has scored atleast one TD in each of the first 3 games
• Rams RB Steven Jackson is avergaing just 3.2 yards per carry in a Rams offense that has put up just 29 points in three weeks. It doesn’t get much easier this week as St. Louis goes up against a sixth-ranked Bills defense
• The Bills defense has not allowed a 100 yard rusher in their first 3 games. Let up an average of 93.6 yards per game.
• With returnman Roscoe Parrish out look for rookie Leodis McKelvin to have a huge impact on not only punt returns but also kick returns.
• The Bills are 6-0 when QB Trent Edwards posts an 80-plus passer rating. Edwards is averaging a 96.6 rating through three games this season.
• QB Trent Green of St. Louis is making his first start of this season for the benched Marc Buldger. Green has started three times vs. the Bills, posting a 2-1 record.
• Green is making his first start since suffering a concussion while with Miami in Week 5 last season. The concussion was Grade 3 which is the most severe level. Many thought it would be enough to send Green into retirement. But he’s back for more (which might not be a good thing).
• The Line: The Bills are favored by 8. Over/Under 42.5.

Injury Report:

Bills - Out of Game: TE Derek Fine (Hand) and WR Roscoe Parrish (Thumb). Probable: FB Darian Barnes (Ankle).

Rams - Out of Game: WR Drew Bennett (Foot), WR Keenan Burton (Knee), and RB Antonio Pittman (Lower Leg). Probable: G Jacob Bell (Hamstring), DE James Hall (Thigh), RB Steven Jackson (Groin), TE Joe Klopfenstein (Illness), DE Leonard Little (Hamstring) and T Orlando Pace (Groin).

Quote of the Week:

“I’ve always liked to block but I guess what set it off was something Tyke told me a long time ago. He said if you’re going across the middle and a DB has a free shot to take your head off, he will. Plain and simple. It will make him look good and feel good. So that’s just the mentality I take into it. You’re going to try to take my head off, so what should stop me from trying to take your head off?”

-WR Josh Reed on blocking

Open Thread:

Please feel free to comment below or in the tag board in the sidebar to chat with Bills fans from around the world.

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So we all know that #1 WR Lee Evans is in the final year of his contract but will he sign again with the Bills with their being so much to gain in free agency at the end of this year? Maybe. Listen to these comments made by Evans. The complete story is on WGR550.com.

“When you look at free agency and the market, there’s certainly possibilities to go somewhere else and see large pay days, but it’s also about trying to establish something and trying to win,” Evans said Thursday evening during The Lee Evans Show on WGR, with Jeremy White. “A lot of times, that gets lost in free agency. I think what we have here and what we’re growing here is special, and I think a lot of people are excited about it. I’m excited about it, so we want to try and keep it going as long as we can.”

The two sides are still talking about a contract extension which is a good sign.

Evans is off to one of the fastest starts in his career so far this season. Through the Bills first 3 games, Evans has 12 catches for 244 yards.

Check back on the site before the game on Sunday for the pregame writeup, stay on the site and chat about the game with other fans, and then come back in the evening for the postgame. Spend your day here with the Buffalo Bills and diehardsportsfan.net (Remember the game is a 4:05 kickoff against St. Louis).

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Enjoy this great piece. Let’s go BUFFALO!!

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Buffalo Bills fullback Darian Barnes was back at the practice field today, running with the 1st team offense. Barnes has returned after not being able to practice this week, except for some running yesterday on the side. The big 6′ 2”, 240 lb. fullback underwent an MRI on his right foot Monday. Barnes is the lead blocker for running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.

He has not been used at all in the running game other than blocking through the first 3 games. Barnes did catch 2 passes last week against the Raiders that went for 34 yards. He also fumbled the ball once.

The injury occured during last Sundays game when Barnes fell akwardly on his last reception that went for 9 yards. That is the play he also fumbled the ball. He stayed in the game for a few more plays before limping off the field, unable to continue.

On Sunday, he was wearing a protective boot and on crutches. Yesterday the boot and crutches were both gone.

Barnes has been overlooked in his blocking role. The Bills finally went back to the full back system after they used a “H-back” last season. The H-Back is a mix between a tight end and a full back. Need less to say, the players in the role of H-back were rarely used last season. Barnes will be a big reason the running game gets back on track. Look for a big game on the ground on Sunday against the 0-3 St. Louis Rams, who have let up over 184 rushing yards on the ground so far this season.

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Hello Bills fans.  After listening to Trent Edwards postgame press conference, I came to realize how important Coach Dick Jauron is to this franchise.  Edwards said that not only does he want to win for his teammates but he wants to win specifically for his Coach.  In sports today, you very rarely hear a player say what Trent said about Coach Jauron.  The players on this team love him and will fight to the end to get a win for their coach.  Safety and special teams captain George Wilson said, “Ask every single guy how he feels about coach Jauron and I guarantee you, I’m willing to bet my salary that you won’t hear a single negative word uttered about the man.”  This team is extremely close and that is a credit to Coach Jauron.  Look at last season with all the injuries.  The team stayed together and was in the playoff hunt in December.  Im happy that Dick Jauron is the coach of the Bills and hope he gets the contract extension that he deserves.  Check out the full article on timesunion.com.  Go Bills. 

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The Buffalo Bills took a hit with the news coming out today that slot WR and return man Roscoe Parrish will be out 4-6 weeks after recovering from thumb surgery.  Parrish underwent surgery on the thumb Tuesday after he suffered an injury in the game Sunday, against the Oakland Raiders.  The exact extent of the injury is unknown although head coach Dick Jauron has come out and said it was a problem with the ligament.  Jauron said, “It wasn’t a bone issue.  My understanding was it was a ligament issue and there’s no support for the thumb if it moves a certain way. Talking to him today he wasn’t in a lot of pain or discomfort with it. We’re just hoping it heals real fast and we get him back on the field.”

The thumb was injured early in the 4th quarter of the game, but Parrish played through the pain and scored a late receiving TD that helped the Bills rally in the 4th to beat the Raiders, 24-23.  Roscoe hasn’t missed a game due to injury since 2005 when he broke his wrist in training camp during his rookie season.

Through the first 3 games, Parrish has caught 7 passes for 60 yards and 1 TD.  In the return game, he has 11 punt returns for 167 yards (good for a 15.18 average) and 1 TD.

Rookie Leodis McKelvin will most likely step into the punt returners role which he excelled in  during his college career.  Second string RB Fred Jackson or slot WR Josh Reed could also return punts as all three did so in pratice today.  It will not be known until game day which player will be taking over his duties.

Rookie WR James Hardy and Justin Jenkins are the two players who will step into Parrish’s slot role.  Steven Johnson is a long shot to take over the job.  Jenkins has not caught any passes so far this season, while Hardy has 2 catches for 12 yards and a TD.

My thoughts are that McKelvin takes over the punt returner role, while Jenkins gets most of the playing time from the slot.  Hardy will be used a lot more inside the 50 though, and especially in the redzone where he is a huge target with his large frame. 

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Another play action fake on the Bills blog today.  Sorry for those of you coming for the Tuesday Player of the Week Bio, but some of these power rankings have caught my eye on how the Bills are ranked in the national media’s eyes.  For those of you wondering the player bio will be moved to tomorrow and it will be on a defensive player.  Sorry no more hints other than that. 

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the top power rankings available:

• ESPN.com has the Bills at #6 (up four spots)
• NFL.com’s Vic Carucci has the Bills at the #4 spot (up 1)
• FOXSports.com has the Bills at #10 (up 2 spots)
• CBS Sportsline has the Bills plugged into the #6 spot (up 4)
• USA Today also has the Bills at the #6 spot (up 2)
• NBC Sports has the Bills into the #3 team
• NFLpowerranks.com has the average of the Bills ranking to be in #5 spot (up 4) 

Now I haven’t seen many stories on the Bills in the national media (besides ESPN’s Tim Graham with his AFC East blog and just quick write-ups on the games after they were played) but they are getting some respect in these power rankings! 

The Bills are in first place in the AFC East by themselves for the first time since 1996.  This is also the first time the Bills have started off the season 3-0 since 1992.  The Buffalo Bills are flying off to the west coast to take on the St. Louis Rams this Sunday.

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