Die Hard Bills Fan

Buffalo Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron spoke to the media today as the Bills returned home after losing 3 straight games in a row.  He pointed the finger of blame at himself.
“We just got to correct the errors we’re making. It starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job of preparing them.”

The Bills looked flat and played like a bunch of guys who didn’t care what the outcome of the game was.  It was a joke to watch and really makes you angry as a Bills fan.  The team has to turn this around because if they don’t, they will be missing the playoffs again this season.

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The Buffalo Bills injury report is just getting longer and longer as the days go by.  The Bills will be without a bundle of key members of the squad.  For the latest injury news, let’s get the update from WGR550.com:

The Bills will be without DE Aaron Schobel, G Brad Butler and WR Josh Reed for Sunday’s contest against the Jets. All three starters were declared out at Friday’s practice. CB Ashton Youboty practiced fully on Friday, according to Coach Dick Jauron. Youboty is listed as questionable to play.

James Hardy and Roscoe Parrish will combine to replace Reed at wide out. Jason Whittle will start at guard in place of Butler.

Tight end Derek Schoman was working with the wide receivers during Friday’s practice.

This is not good news for a Bills team that really needs a win against division foe, New York Jets.  Youboty being back will give the secondary some much needed depth though.  It will be interesting to see if the backups and role players can step up big time.

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Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was back at practice again today after being excused by the team yesterday. He had to tend to a personal matter and nothing more was said about the missed practice. 

Things don’t look so good for DE Aaron Schobel and WR Josh Reed. Neither is working out with the team.  Schobel did finally take the walking boot is off but it doesn’t look like he will play.  Reed is recovering from a sprained Achilles suffered in Sunday’s loss at Miami.  The usual recovery time for such an injury is two to three weeks.  Head Coach Dick Jauron has not ruled out the wide receiver for this Sunday.  The Bills coach will update the injury report tomorrow.

There is a mix up at the offensive line now too.  Jason Whittle is lining up at guard.  The veteran lineman occupying the spot left vacant by the injured Brad Butler (knee).  The injury has kept him out of practice all week.  Duke Preston is getting first team reps at center.

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Well after a few days to process the game (and some time to vent), I will now rationally express some of my thoughts (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that came from the Buffalo Bills 25-16 loss to AFC East rival Miami Dolphins.  Today we will take a look on the bright side of the game by looking at the good things that happened for the Bills (tomorrow will come the more upsetting side, when we take a look at the bad and the ugly).   

Big special teams play from Langston Walker.  The monstrous 6’ 8”, 366 pound offensive tackle broke through the Dolphins special teams line, and blocked a field goal early in the game.  The block came early in the 1^st half on a 46 yard attempt by ‘fins kicker Dan Carpenter.  The game was still very close and the block was a huge momentum changer. 

Lee Evans continued his dominance catching the ball and had himself a very strong game against the Dolphins secondary.  Evans had 7 receptions for 116 yards.  Looks like the new 4 year, $37.25 million contract isn’t making the wide receiver lazy at all.  The guy is a great football player who leaves it all out on the field each week and his performance has showed it.  Evans has now topped 80 yards in four straight games and hasn’t been held under 65 yards all season.   

The Bills top ranked run defense was on top of its game again.  The Bills must have looked at my advice on how to stop the “wildcat” offense, or they just listened to their coaches.  Either way it is fine with me seeing as the Bills only let up only 59 yards on the ground to running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams (in total the Dolphins only had 56 yards rushing).  That is not exactly an esay task seeing as the two have averaged a combined total of over 100 yards a game (103.3 yard average through the first half of the season).

The Bills running backs played well themselves.  Running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson combined for 102 yards on 23 attempts (good for 4.4 yards a carry).  Not only was there performance as a duo strong on the ground but they also produced through the air.  Lynch caught 5 passes for 34 yards showing that the Bills will try to get their back involved in the passing game also (NOTE: Personally I don’t think that the Bills are using their feature back, Lynch, the right way but that will come more in depth in tomorrows article).  

The punter and kicker of the Bills squad also did their part in this one.  Kicker Rian Lindell went 3 for 3 on his field goal attempts (1-1 on extra points) while punter Brian Moorman had 3 punts that went for an average of 40.7 yards.  Both of these players are consistent for the Bills week in and week out so I didn’t expect that to change this week.

Head Coach Dick Jauron got a contract extension.  I will get more into him and his staff tomorrow but the Bills locked up their man for 3 more years.  It has not yet been confirmed yet by Jauron or the Bills, but it is being reported by multiple sources that it has indeed happened.

How does tied for 1^st place sound?  Not sure about some people but it sure sounds pretty good to me.  Even with the loss in the division, the Bills are still tied for 1^st place in the AFC East.  That can easily change for the better (or the worse) as the Bills next two opponents are division foes.  Not time to panic yet Buffalo!

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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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Wow! That’s really all you can say about the Buffalo Bills Week 3 win against the Oakland Raiders to improve to 3-0. To be honest with everyone, the Bills had no right to win this game, but that is why they play the whole 60 minutes. Trent Edwards and crew went on a 4^th quarter rally with a little more than 6 minutes left in the game that was ended with Rian Lindell’s 38 yard field goal to win it.

So who do I have for my “Unsung Hero”? Who receives the gameball? How did the Bills do overall in my eyes? Keep the page scrolling for the answers.

GRADES on Bills

Running Game: B

Marshawn Lynch led the ground game with 83 yards and 2 TDs. Fred Jackson in his limited role averaged almost 5 yards a carry on his 5 attempts in the game. The ground game stuttered at times, but when they were really needed they stepped up. Lynch also had some strong carries to help set up the winning field goal.

Passing Game: B+

Another strong 4^th quarter helped bump this grade up. Edwards came through when needed though and was the main reason the Bills scored 17 points in the final quarter.

Run Defense: A

The run defense also got a boost in the grade due to their late game heroics. They also very quietly held a strong running game to under 100 yards.

Pass Defense: B-

The defense held the Raiders to 72 yards passing, before the 4^th quarter strike from JaMarcus Russel to Higgins that went for 84 yards. The Raiders only threw the ball 3 times in the 2^nd half!

Special Teams: C

Two weeks in a row the special teams have been sub par. Lindell did win the game, BUT the rest of the time they were horrible. Kick and punt coverage were both awful. If it wasn’t for the last second field goal, this squad might have received a F.

Coaching: B+

The offense made adjustments all game, and the defense played great. Another hard fought win for this Bills squad. They are really playing hard under Head Coach Dick Jauron.

GAMEBALL

QB Trent Edwards. He is the winner of the gameball two weeks in a row now. How can you argue with this pick though? Edwards finished the game 24 of 39, 279 yards and 1 TD and 1 INT to go along with 9 yards on the ground. The 4^th quarter is where he won this award though, when he threw for 177 yards on 13 of 18 throwing including a TD pass to Roscoe Parrish. This is now the 2^nd week in a row, Edwards has led 4^th quarter comebacks and the Bills start 3-0 for the first time since 1992.

UNSUNG HERO

WR Josh Reed. Reed was the leading receiver for this game with his 6 catches for 72 yards. Edwards looked for him when the game mattered most and Reed helped move the chains. Sure he will not get the attention of go to guy Lee Evans, or the game changing Roscoe Parrish, but Reed has turned into a solid possession guy. Edwards looks for him on 3^rd downs and Reed has some very sure hands. I remember a few years ago when Reed couldn’t catch and I would want to pull my hair out watching him play. Now he has turned into a solid threat. Who would’ve thought that? He wins the unsung hero award for this week.

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Hello Bills fans.  After this past weeks impressive win over Seattle, head coach Dick Jauron is up for motorola coach of the week.  Please vote for him on nfl.com.  Coach Jauron prepared the team well and it showed on the field.  All three phases of the game contributed to the win.  The defense was relentless, the offense settled in nicely after a slow start, and the special teams units were just off the charts.  Coach is turning this team into winners and has assembled a fantastic coaching staff.  Go Bills.  Beat Jacksonville. 

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Wow.  That’s how I can sum up such a great game by the Buffalo Bills in this one.  It was an all-around team effort.  The special teams play was amazing.  The defense played very well too and the offense stepped up when needed.  In this article I will break down all of it, give out the game ball, top plays, and even cover some of the other top stories in the NFL and of course will give my opinions on all of those too.  First though I will start with the Bills vs. Seahawks game, with my thoughts on everything.

THINGS THAT WERE GREAT

• Special Teams: How could I write an article on the Bills and not talk about their special teams. Terrence McGee, on his only return of the game, went 27 yards to set up the Bills in good field position. Roscoe Parrish had the highlight reel return, 63 yards for a touchdown. He was great all day setting a Bills record for return yards. Parrish had 120 yards on 6 returns. That’s good for a 20.0 average! Rian Lindell went 2 for 3 on field goal attempts. On his only missed attempt, it was blocked which was the only downside to an incredible game from the special teams. Also, not only did punter/holder Brain Moorman throw for a 19 yard TD, he also averaged over 40 yards a punt, with 9 of them in this one. His great kicks pinned the Seahawks deep in their territory, which made it difficult for them to sustain drives. 46.6 yards a punt is amazing! That stat in this game will be overlooked due to the other great plays.
• Defense: So they couldn’t get a shutout but man did this group look great. The linebackers stepped up and Keith Ellison played a very good game (couldn’t even tell Angelo Crowell was gone which is incredible). The D-line was great and the coverage by the secondary was also very good. Just got beat on one TD play (should have been another one if the Seahawks could catch) and even that one was played decent by Jabari Greer. Newcomers played GREAT!
• NEWCOMERS: Welcome to the squad Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell. Stroud was a force all day and made his home in the Seahawks backfield. The big tackle also let the linebackers run free. Mitchell was great, and looked like he was everywhere on the field. He recorded a great sack on a two player A gap blitz. Even though he was on the team last year, I still consider Paul Poz a newcomer also. He also looked good. Even with Crowell out for the year, the Bills LB core looked solid.
• Kirk Chambers: Jason who? For a guy who never started a game at RT (and only one at LT) in his entire career he looked great. Kept one of the best DEs in the game off of Edwards. Really placed very well, especially because the Bills left him 1-on-1 most of the game. Will provide great depth with Peters back in the mix.
• Running game: In total the Bills rushed 29 times for 106 yards and a TD. Pretty good numbers for a good squad with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.
• 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Quarter Edwards: Trent Edwards struggled coming in to the game but shook off the rust to finish with a good performance. 19 for 30, 215 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTS. That will get the job done on most weeks.
• Kyle Williams: 1.5 sacks and stopped the run all game. Enough said.

THINGS THAT NEED WORK

• Kick Coverage:  Bills coverage teams did not look well at all.  Averaged 26.5 yards on kickoffs and 18 yards on punts.  Needs to improve.  Really the only bad note for a great game.

GAMEBALL

• Coaching Staff:  Sorry Mitchell, Stroud and Parrish but the Bills coaching staff was on fire this game.  Of course Bobby Aprils special teams played well and he was behind the fake FG for a TD call.  New Bills coordinator Turk Schonert opened up the offense.  Didn’t get into trick plays but got the ball to his playmakers.  The O wasn’t predictable and went to step on the ‘Hawks throat with the Trent play action TD pass, something that wouldn’t have happened a year ago.  Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell also did his job excellent.  He sent blitz all day that bottled up Seattle’s running game and also his secondary was great.  Hats off to all of the coaches involved in this one.

GRADING THE BILLS

• Running Game: B

      Lynch stepped up when needed including TD run in 1^st quarter.

• Passing Game: B+

            Not off the chart numbers but good enough to win the game.  Edwards managed the game well and did not turn the ball over.  Also made some good check offs.

• Run D: A

            Stroud, Kyle Williams and the rest of the line stood out while holding the Seahawks to 85 yards on the ground. 

• Pass D: A

            Pass rush was very good and secondary played well.  Got beat on just one play and also McGee was able to finally get his hand on the football in the 4^th quarter with an INT to seal the game.

• Special Teams: A+

            Two special team TDs, and good punting.  Hey even the bad kick coverage can’t bring this grade down.

• Coaching: A+

            Not only do they get the game ball but an A+ too.  Wow if only the Bills coaching staff cared about this blog…

TOP PLAYS

• Like the top plays for the Bills were even hard to pick.  Very easy to decide these two.  The Fake Field Goal for the TD (Moorman to Denney for 19 yards) and the Parrish return.

NO HUDDLE OFFENSE

This is the first time I am writing this so my no huddle offense is a quick rundown of the top stories of the week, and my thoughts on them.

• Tom Brady placed on IR.  He torn his ACL and as a Bills fan I am happy (does that make me wrong in the head or something).  Now the Pats are without their leader and best player.  I think anyone that they bring in will not come anywhere close.   Knock on wood but I think the Bills will have a good chance to take a run at the AFC East crown.
• Vince Young also is hurt.  Out for 2-4 weeks.  Titans still win their game and lets be honest, Young wasn’t very good anyways.  
• Brett Favre wins his first game as a Jet.  Also makes a Brett Favre throw.  Just threw the ball up in the air and the Jets came down with the TD.  
• Aaron Rodgers also wins his first game with the Packers as a starting QB.  Take that Brett!  Like the comparisons between the two continue.
• AFC GIANTS STRUGGLE:  Chargers lost to Carolina, Colts lost to Bears.  The AFC Giants struggled this week with only the Steelers picking up a win.
• NFC GIANTS DO FINE:  The defending Superbowl champs win their first game and the Cowboys take care of business against the Browns.

Can’t wait for Week 2 to begin already!  Let’s go BUFFALO!  Enjoy some Monday Night Football.

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1st Quarter

Rain was coming down hard and you could tell that both of the teams quarterbacks didn’t play much in the preseason. It was a quarter filled with incompletions and punts. The Bills went on a drive with 4:04 left in the 1^st quarter. It started with great field position (had the ball at midfield). Trent Edwards dropped back and threw a nice ball to Lee Evans down the sideline. Completed for 32 yards. On this same drive the Bills were stuck on 3^rd and 11. It looked like they would have to settle for a field goal but a great play call changed that. The Seahawks showed blitz and it looked like it would work but then Edwards handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch on a draw play. Evans threw a great block downfield that sprung Lynch for a 21 yard touchdown.

Bills lead 7-0 after one quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

The Bills special teams is going to have to step up if they want to stay in ball games this season and they showed up big on a punt return for a TD by return man Roscoe Parrish. Parrish caught the punt and then showed why he is a game changer, makes cut and breaking tackles before he took it all the way to the house, finishing the 64 yard run.

Later in the quarter with about 5:00 on the clock, the Seahawks went on a drive of their own. On 2^nd and 10, the Bills had blown coverage and the Seahawks looked like they could take advantage. Matt Hasselbeck threw a deep ball to Nate Burleson who was wide open. He jumped up, had the ball in his hands but just couldn’t hang on. The next play Hasselbeck dropped back and threw a fade to Burleson who made a great catch in the end zone with Bills CB Jabri Greer on the coverage. Seahawks finally get on the board, 14-7.

Bills kicker Rain Lindell then added a FG to add to the Bills lead, 17-7.

Then after the Seahawks failed to do anything with a minute left, they gave the ball back to Buffalo. Edwards made a few good passes which set up Lindell with another FG try. The 38 yard attempt was up and good.

Bills lead at halftime, 20-7.

3rd Quarter

Seahawks wide receiver Burleson was injured in the 3^rd quarter while running a pattern on 3^rd and 7 with under 6 minutes left. He ran an out and fell to the ground holding his knee. He did not return to the game.

Seahawks would also add a FG to the mix. Score is now 20-10.

With under 3 minutes left in the 3^rd, the Bills lined up for another FG try. The snap was good, the holder (and also punter) Brain Moorman got the snap and then stood up to throw a fake. Ryan Denney (the DE and special teams player) was wide open and ran into the end zone for the first TD of his career. The trick play worked and the Bills are now up, 27-10.

On that kickoff following the Bills TD, Jon Corto the Orchard Park native (who was featured in a previous story) forced a fumble. Bills recover! The Bills then went for the stranglehold. On first and 10, Edwards faked a handoff and steps up in the pocket. He then delivers a strike to TE Robert Royal who caught it for a 30 yard TD. Bills now lead 34-10.

4th Quarter

It was just a quarter where the Seahawks couldn’t do anything and the Bills were content with running out the clock. With :34 left in the game, the Bills finally accomplished something that they were close to the entire game. They intercepted a pass. Terrence McGee picked off the Hasselbeck pass and that would seal the game. BILLS WIN 34-10!

The NFL.com Gamecenter: Post Game is attached.

Wrap Up

Trent Edwards went 19/30 with 215 yards and a TD with no INTs.

Marshawn Lynch led the ground game carrying the ball 18 times for 76 yards and a TD. Fred Jackson also contributed with 31 yards on 10 attempts.

Brain Moorman (holder and punter) went 1/1 for 19 yards and a TD.

It seemed like everyone was catching passes in this game with 6 different players recording receptions. Evans had 4 catches for 102 yards, Royal had 6 catches for 52 yards and a TD. Josh Reed caught 3 balls for 37 yards, Denney of course had the TD catch for 19 yards. The running backs also got mixed into the action with Lynch catching 3 catches for 18 yards. Not only did Parrish serve as a big return man but he also caught 3 balls for 6 yards (mostly on screens).

Lindell went 2/3 on field goals with one of them being blocked.

McGee had an INT, Denney, Aaron Schobel and Kawikea Mitchell all had 1 sack. DT Kyle Williams had 1.5 sacks while newcomer Marcus Stroud contributed with .5 sacks.

Not only did Moorman throw the TD pass, he also averaged 40.6 yards a punt (on 9 punts) with 3 inside the 20.

Keith Ellison played well at LB today in place of Angelo Crowell who will be out for the year. All of the newcomers on D looked amazing too, not to mention 2nd year man Paul Poz.

MORE TO COME on this game tomorrow where I tell you what my feelings are. Of course it will be happy though because the Bills WON! LET’S GO BUFFALO!

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