Die Hard Bills Fan

It is being reported by NFL.com’s Adam Schefter that the Buffalo Bills are not going to rush QB Trent Edwards back from his concussion to play in Week 7 and might miss the game.

This is not good news for the Bills as they face a very tough San Diego Chargers team.  Even though the Bills have had the bye week, they have sent Edwards home the 3 days he showed up for pratice this week.  It looks like Edwards wants to play in this game, but the Bills mangement might not let that happen.  More will come on that as the week goes on. 

If Edwards is unable to play, J.P. Losman will make his first start of the season.  Ewww.

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It is being reported by multiple sources that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez is being shopped around in the NFL trade market.  The Chiefs are talking to multiple teams about their star tight end, although no one team has been mentioned yet.

My question is why don’t the Buffalo Bills try to take a run at him?  So I am here to list my reasons why they should.

1. They have the Cap Room

Tony Gonzalez does come over with a pretty nice contract (in the Bills eyes).  He did sign a five year, $35 million deal back in 2006 but $17.75 million of that is guaranteed.  The rest of Gonzalez’s contract calls for him to make $1 million in 2008, $4 million in 2009, $4.5 million in 2010 and $5.75 million in 2011. 

Now the number isn’t exact, but the Bills have about $20 million in cap space that they can still work with.  The Bills have plenty of room to add Gonzalez’s contract. 

2.  The Bills Need a Good Tight End

Sorry Robert Royal but you just aren’t getting the job done.  You are a very mediocre tight end that really shouldn’t be starting in the NFL.  You are a good run blocker but are not really a threat in the passing game which is a shame for your QB. 

Trent Edwards loves throwing to the guys underneath, like his running backs and tight ends but he doesn’t really have a tight end to throw to.  The 6 foot 5, 251 pound Gonzalez would give Edwards a huge target to throw to and also another red zone target.  Let’s be honest the Bills need another target on offense.  Marshawn Lynch is in a little bit of a slump, and Lee Evans is still drawing double teams with the Bills lack of a true #2 wide receiver (Josh Reed is more of a slot guy, rookie James Hardy still is learning the game, and Roscoe Parrish is out for the next few weeks due to a thumb injury).       

3. The Bills have been looking for a Good TE

Not sure if any of you guys out their remember it or not, but the Bills were taking a hard look at now Tennessee Titans TE Alge Crumpler during the off season but were unable to sign him.  They then went after guys like Courtney Anderson and Tim Massaquoi and even drafted Derek Fine in the NFL Draft this year (Anderson and Massaquoi were cut, and Fine has not been activated yet because of a thumb injury).  

They know they need a tight end and hopefully they are still looking for one right now.

4.  Sure Tony is Getting Older, but He is Still an Elite TE

Sure people take a look at his number this year, 21 receptions for 193 yards and 2 TDs, and say the 32 year old is done but that is mostly because he is on such a bad team and hasn’t had one QB throwing to him this season.  The Chiefs are just throwing random QBs in there each week and Tony’s numbers are really hurting because of it. 

Remember this is a guy coming off a great 2007 campaign when he caught 99 passes for 1172 yards and 5 touchdowns. 

He is just off to a slow start and has plenty left in the tank to be elite in the next few years.

5. The Bills Could Use a Vet

The Bills are a young team just learning how to win games in this league.  Why not bring in a 12 year vet that has been there before?  The Bills oldest player on the offense is 30 year old Robert Royal who never been on a playoff team.  

The Bills could really use a smart veteran like Gonzalez that would not only open up the offense more, but also provide some leadership to the young guys in the locker room.

6.  He is a High Character Guy

The Bills love their players to be character guys, who are not only good at football but also stay out of trouble.  Gonzalez is very active in charitable organizations like the Tony Gonzalez Foundation, the United Way, and the Boys and Girls club just to name a few. 

Not only is he a great player, but a great person too. This is a guy that the Bills organization would love to have.

7.  All of This Could Be Yours for a Draft Pick

It is being reported that all the Chiefs are looking for is a decent draft pick (or picks) in exchange for their star TE.  Earlier in the off-season, Saints TE Jeremy Shockey was traded for a 2^nd round and 5^th round pick, something the Bills could easily muster up (also keep in mind that Shockey is four years younger at the age of 28).  The Bills already have their young, core players on the squad.  This season they can afford to give up a couple picks to better themselves for the next few years with a star TE in their offense.  

Gonzalez is still an elite tight end who currently holds the NFL tight end record for receptions, touchdown catches and yards receiving.  He has also gone to 9 pro bowls in his career and could still make the trip for a few more.  I would love to see the Bills go after him in an attempt to make a run for the playoffs, something the team hasn’t done for over a decade.  

Don’t agree at all?  Think I am nuts?  Want the Bills to try to get this guy today?  Please write your reactions in the comment box below or send over an email to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.  Your feedback is gr

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Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson was fined for his hit on Bills QB Trent Edwards that knocked him out of the game last week, 3 plays into the ball game.  Wilson will have to send $25,000 to the league.

Wilson hammered Edwards on the third play of last Sunday’s 41-17 win, knocking him out of the rest of the game. The hit was not helmet-to-helmet and there was no penalty on the play, but the league said that Wilson unnecessarily drove Edwards to the ground.

Wilson has developed a reputation for being a pretty dirty player, and was warned by the league that his next infraction will draw a one-game suspension and a $50,000 fine.

He was fined twice last season.  Once for a late hit and once for a horse-collar tackle.  It is being reported that Wilson will appeal the fine, but it isn’t likely he will win this one seeing as he has a list of hits like this.

Personally, I thought it was a clean hit.  It was a saftey blitz that never got picked up by the Bills, and Wilson came through and drilled Edwards.  Yes he did sort of take him into the ground a little hard, but this is football.  I thought it was clean and Wilson does not deserve a fine.  I think it has more to do with his past hits, then how bad this one really was.

Edwards looks like he will be ready to start in the Bills Week 7 game, at home against the San Diego Chargers.  The Bills are currently on a bye week.

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With even more Bills injuried, I though today would be a day to bring up the rest of the players not practicing.

DT John McCargo is excused and of course QB Trent Edwards is still out. Watching the pratice today are WR Roscoe Parrish (thumb), CB Terrence McGee (knee), CB Ashton Youboty, SS Ko Simpson, OL Melvin Fowler, DE Chris Kelsay, DE Aaron Schobel and DT Marcus Stroud (who rode the stationary bike). 

It seems like half of the team is out.  Good thing this week is a bye week which will give the players some more time to rest before their matchup against the San Diego Chargers.

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Hello Bills fans.  The bye week couldnt have come at a better time for the Bills.  With the horrible loss of the game and quarterback Trent Edwards to a concussion, the team can afford a few weeks to get healthy.  Hopefully when the Chargers come to town on October 19th, Edwards will be fully healed and ready to go.  Its amazing how as soon as Trent went down, the team just didn’t respond with J.P. Losman at the helm.  Although Losman did have an amazing 87 yard bomb to Lee Evans, the offense never seemed fluid and they couldnt overcome the four turnovers.  Im not going to blame JP for the loss because its extremely hard for a backup to come in and take over.  Edwards is the leader of the team and makes everyone around him believe that they can win any game.  Im hoping Trent is ok and helps this team get to the playoffs.  Go Bills.

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Sorry for writing about the same guy two days in a row, but lets be honest with ourselves.  This is HUGE news!  If Trent Edwards can’t go that means JP Loserman will have to play in the Bills next game against the San Diego Chargers.  That will be no small task. 

Here is the latest update, this time coming from Chris Brown at BuffaloBills.com:

…“We follow a routine for any of our players that suffer a concussion so that’s what we’ll do with Trent,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “And we’re into that routine and that protocol. He was pretty good after the game and I spoke to him then. We will follow it and continue to follow it through the week and we’ll continue to follow it as we move along and just see how it goes.”…

…“I don’t think it’s my place to start speculating on those things. I’m not a physician or a trainer so I’m not going to go there,” said Jauron. “I’m not going to anticipate anything. We’re just going to stay on the protocol and as I said we follow the same thing for any of our players that are in this situation and that’s exactly what we’ll do in this case.”…

…Edwards was at One Bills Drive during the morning hours on Monday, but did not stay for the entire work day with his teammates who reviewed film and did conditioning….

Now some of his teammates talked to him too, including his go to guy in WR Lee Evans:

…When asked if Edwards would be recovered from his concussion in time to prepare and play against San Diego in 13 days Evans was unsure. 

“We hope so,” said Evans. “Any time you’re dealing with a head type thing or a concussion you never know how it’s going to shake out. We just hope for the best for him and hopefully he’s getting better.”…

So I say for all of us Bills fans, GET WELL SOON TRENT!  We need you out there!

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Instead of you reading me complete bash this Bills team that didn’t even bother showing up against the Arizona Cardinals yesterday I will instead give you a much needed injury update on the starting QB Trent Edwards. 

It is being reported by multiple sources that the concussion Edwards suffered early in the 1st quarter is minor, which is great news for us Bills fans.  He is not expected to miss any real game time.   Here are the multiple sources reporting the injury news.

From rotoworld.com (two updates):

Bills coach Dick Jauron considers Trent Edwards (concussion) to be “day to day.”
Edwards has 13 days to get his head straight before Week 7 at San Diego. The concussion looked severe at first, but Edwards seems to be fine now.

Trent Edwards (concussion) was seen smiling with and speaking to family members after Sunday’s game and posed for some pictures.
The flash was probably off because Edwards was likely still a bit sensitive to light, but it sounds like he’ll be fine with some rest during the Week 6 bye. He probably won’t practice any during the off week, though. 

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The Buffalo Bills came out flat in this one and got blown out 41-17 by the Arizona Cardinals.  Not only did the Bills lose the game to drop to 4-1 on the season but they also lost QB Trent Edwards to a concussion early in the 1st quarter. 

1^st Quarter

After Edwards was lost for the game (and possibily even longer), the Bills offense could get nothing going.  The only score of the 1st, came when Cards QB Kurt Warner threw a TD pass to a wide open Larry Fitzgerald.  After 1, Cards lead 7-0.

2^nd Quarter

The Bills attempted to make this one a ball game but their defense could not stop the Cardinals offensive attack.  Rookie RB Tim Hightower added a 17 yard run for a TD and vetran Edgerrin James also had a short TD run in the quarter. 

The Bills would get two touchdowns this quarter as they tried to get back into it.  The first one came on an absolute strike by backup QB JP Losman to Lee Evans.  The play went for 86 yards and the Bills finally got on the board.  The 2nd TD came on a Losman QB draw from the 2 yard line.

The teams would head into the tunnel at halftime with the Cardinals leading by 10, 24-14 over the Bills after K Neil Rackers hit a 47 yard FG as time expired.

3^rd Quarter

The Bills were able to get the game back to a 1 score game when K Rian Lindell hit a 48 yard FG of his own.  The Cards would not be shut out though in this quarter.  Towards the end of it, Larry Fitz caught his 2nd TD pass of the game and Arizona still lead 31-17 going into the 4th.

4^th Quarter

The Bills would end the game putting up a goose egg in the 4th where they are usually very good.  Neil Rackers hit another FG and Hightower scored his 2nd TD of the game on a short run inside the redzone.  The Cards high power offense was able to overmatch the Bills, winning the game 41-17.

Game Notes

• JP Losman sucks (Sorry not really a stat just had to throw it out there.  I’ll get more into that with the post tomorrow)
• The Bills turned the ball over 4 times in this one, while Arizona didn’t have any. 
• Marshawn Lynch had anothe subpar game with 55 yards on 13 carries.  In his defense though, the Bills started passing more and more as the game went on.
• The Bills also got killed in the time of possesion battle with the Cards holding onto the football for 36:16.
• This is the Bills last game before the bye week.  They take on the San Diego Chargers at home in their next game.

More to come on this game tomorrow.  As you can tell I am not very happy with the outcome or the way the game was played by the Bills in general.

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The Buffalo Bills will face the Arizona Cardinals tomorrow afternoon at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Broadcast Info:

Game: Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ St. Louis Rams (0-3)
TV: CBS (Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein)
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

FOR BILLS FANS WATCHING THE GAME IN THE BUFFALO AREA:

Remember you will need to bust out the rabbit ears for this one if you have Time Warner Cable. With the local CBS channel being pulled off the air for the time being you will have to unplug your cable from the back of your TV and then plug in the antenna. The quality for this game won’t be too great though seeing as it is coming over the air. Try to find a friends house with satellite, as they will not be affected by this.

Game Notes:

• The Bills have won four consecutive games against the Cardinals and lead the all-time series, 5-3.
• Quarterback Trent Edwards is only the second Bills quarterback to win three consecutive games after trailing in the fourth quarter
• Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud leads all NFL defensive linemen with four passes defensed. He is questionable in this game.
• Following a loss at Washington in Week 3, the Cardinals spent the week leading up to their game at Buffalo on the East Coast in order to avoid traveling across three time zones in consecutive weeks. Arizona was 2-0 before losing both games on the road trip.
• Steve Breaston will have to step up his game because Boldin can’t go. Breaston was one of three receivers for the Cardinals with 100-plus receiving yards against the Jets.
• The Bills have scored 45 fourth-quarter points this season
• Buffalo hasn’t had a 5-0 start since 1991.
• Larry Fitzgerald reached 350 receptions in his career in only his 64th game, the third fastest in NFL history. Only Boldin (58) and Lionel Taylor (63) were faster.
• The Line: The Cardinals are favored by 1. Over/Under 44.5.

Injury Report:

Bills - Out of Game: TE Derek Fine (Hand) and WR Roscoe Parrish (Thumb). Doubtful: CB Terrence McGee (Knee). Questionable: DT Marcus Stroud (Shoulder) and DE Aaron Scobel (Foot).

Cardinals - Out of Game: WR Anquan Boldin (Head). Doubtful: DE Bertrand (Groin). Questionable: TE Leonard Pope (Ankle), SS Adrian Wilson (Hamstring), and TE Jerame Tuman (Hamstring). Probable: G Elton Brown (Shoulder), DT Darnell Dockett (Hamstring) and DT Gabe Watson (Knee).

Quote of the Week:

“It’s exciting. I feel like we’ve come a long way. Working together this offseason and through these four games, I feel like we’ve developed something that I think this organization respects and seeing that, I think they’re rewarding a very valuable commodity to this team.”

-Bills QB Trent Edwards on the Lee Evans contract extension

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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Hello and welcome back to the site Bills fans!  Our Countdown to Kickoff posts have begun.  To start it off, Paul Kasprzak joins us for an interview.  Paul currently blogs about the entire NFL at his site, kasperskorner.speakupwny.com, but he is also a Bills fan.  He was kind enough to take some time away from writing to join us (as always my questions are in bold while the answers given are in normal font).  Here we go!

First I would like to start it off with some NFL news.  Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin was fired on Tuesday.  What are your thoughts on this?

Nobodys fault but his own.  For him to think he could get his dad to run the defense is crazy.  It never would have happened if the Raiders pursued it.  The Buccaneers are notorious for not letting coaches go under contract.

I’ll stick with the entire NFL for this question.  Who is the best and worst team so far this season?

Worst team is by far the Saint Louis Rams.  They have a boat load of money tied up into aging stars like Orlando Pace, and Torry Holt.  It is going to be at least five years before they turn it around.

The best is the Bills.  They have won four straight.  They have won with two units that are in the process of some overhauls, and have not gotten the execution down yet.  The offense should be scary by the end of the year, and Trent Edwards stats should blow peoples’ minds away.  The west coast offense is one of the premier offenses in the National Football League.  It gives the quarterback a better chance to succeed by allowing him to get into a rhythm easier with the short passes, which in the second half benefits the running game.  It benefits from the pass, because defenses in the second half are just flat worn out from being on the field so long.

Now we will get to the Bills who are now 4-0, one of only two teams in the NFL who have that record.  What are your thoughts on how the Bills have looked through the 1^st quarter of the season?

They have looked pretty good.  Defensively, they have it together.  The addition of Stroud, thus forcing defensive tackle Kyle Williams to move over, has been huge.  Both of them together are probably one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the league.  The other units I addressed in the previous question.

What have you thought of 2^nd year QB Trent Edwards?

He is without a shadow of a doubt the franchise quarterback of the Bills, and by the end of the year, statistically, will be one of the top five in the league.

How about the coaches?  What are your thoughts on the job Head Coach Dick Jauron, and new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert have done so far this season?

They have done a good job.  The only thing you can complain about is the play calling by the coordinators in the first half of the Saint Louis Rams game.  Not enough blitzes on defense, and too many deep passes on offense.  The deep jump fade was a bad call.  It is an extremely difficult thing to do.  The wide receiver has to find the ball get to the right spot, and then time his jump perfectly, so that he catches it at the peak of his jump.  Personally, I would have waited to call this till Edwards and Hardy perfected the goal line fade.

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but looking at the Bills schedule where do you see them finishing this season?

Somewhere between 11-5 to 13-3.  Every game for the Bills this year is winnable if the defense keeps performing the way it has.

Now let’s get into the game on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.  How big of a factor do you thing CB Terrence McGee being out of the lineup will have on the Bills defense?

Not much at all.  Most likely the Cardinals will be with out wide receiver Anquan Boldin, and in the offseason they lost their third wide receiver Bryant Johnson to free agency.  Even without McGee they should be fine, and the Kurt Warner of old finally reared its head again.

What are your “keys to the game” in order for the Bills to pull off a victory?

Simple, minimize their mistakes.  They are talented enough that if they execute the plays they were designed they can beat any team. 

Now I have to ask you for a prediction.  Who do you have winning this one?
The Bills.  Kurt Warner is unreliable, and is a turnover machine.  Without Boldin the defense will load up against the run, and force Warner to try and beat the Bills with a double teamed Larry Fitzgerald.

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