My Blog

Just wanted to drop a note to let people know that I will not have any new blog entries for a while. I stand behind everything I have said and am still cheering for the Bills and Sabres but will not be writing for a few weeks. Please check in occasionally for a new post.

Bad Week for Buffalo

Well this past week has been terrible for Buffalo Sports. Last Saturday night the Sabres lost in a shoot out to the Colorado Avalanche. The Sabres also suffered their first and second loss in regulation in consecutive games to rival Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightening. They gave up 5 goals in each of these games and only scored 2. Sandwiched between these losses, on Sunday the Bills loss their first division game of the season to the Miami Dolphins.

Starting with the Sabres the shoot out loss is to be expected at times. The more shoot outs your in the more film on your shooters and goal tenders. They still got a point out of it and played a good game.

In the game against Ottawa it was a joint effort loss. Even the refs chipped in with a few unbelievably bad calls. You have to be used to that when you play Canadian teams but come on, some of those calls were a joke. A few examples would be the unsportsmanlike conduct call on Maxim Afinogenov. I can only guess that this was called because he couldn't freeze in motion or he hit the ice to hard when he got tackled by the Senator player, who didn't get a penalty. You could also look at the laughable tripping call on Mike Weber. This one I couldn't begin to understand because it was a clean body check. Just because a star player ends up laying on the ice doesn't mean the other guy did something wrong. Regardless of bad calls the Sabres didn't deserve to win the game. They didn't play good in any area of the game. The Defense seemed confused at times and the Offense couldn't sustain any pressure in the Ottawa Zone. The power play struggled as did the penalty kill.

Moving on to last nights defeat. Their were a lot of mistakes in the game by all the players but one seemed to be especially off his game. Despite 2 spectacular saves, Ryan Miller let in 2-3 very soft goals. Being that the Sabres will play another 70+ games I am really not worried. As long as the last 2 performances become the exception not the expected the Sabres will be fine.

Now for the Bills. The fact that they lost wasn't as bad as the way they did. Trent Edwards finally had a let-down game and it was bad. Buffalo had 4 turnovers and a safety. They also squandered a 2nd half lead. The game was not pretty. The worst part about all of this is that it was to a divisional opponent. Buffalo lost its first place status to the Patriots. Buffalo faces 2 more divisional opponents in the next 2 weeks and need both wins. Divisional games are worth much more then other games. Not only are division records used as tie breakers but in a very competitive league where anyone can make the playoffs you don't want to leave your playoff hopes up to a wild card spot. You want to win your division and have at least 1 home game in the playoffs. The only way you can do this is by winning the important divisional games. It is time for the Bills to get back on track this week and stay undefeated at home against the New York Jets.


Worth Mentioning: Sabres forward Paul "The Goose" Gaustad returned to the line up Thursday night. This was his first appearance of the year due to injury. It was awesome to see him out there and he played a very aggressive game. The more games he plays the more dangerous he will get. If he stays healthy and works his way back into one of the top lines watch for him to go on a point streak in about 5 games or so.

Bills vs San Diego

The Buffalo Bills coming off their BYE week were 5-1. They were playing at home against a team that was only 3-3. Despite the records and the home field advantage most "experts" didn't expect Buffalo to have much of a chance in the game. This just goes back to the same point of people underestimating the Bills. They once again proved that most of these "experts" are clueless. The Bills beat the Chargers 23-14. I am not going to go on and on about all the great stats the offense put up. They were impressive and Trent Edwards even has people talking about him now as an MVP candidate. They played a close to flawless game.

I don't want to spend to much time talking about the specifics of the win but it would be stupid of me to overlook the defense in this game. Coming into Week 7 the Chargers were #1 in scoring averaging just under 30 points a game. The Bills defense which had been embarrassed in Arizona held them to just 14 points. Kawika Mitchell came up huge especially in the 4th quarter. He prevented the speedy and elusive Darren Sproles from picking up an important first down on a 3rd and 2. He also picked off Rivers in the end zone late in the 4th quarter and ended the final San Diego possession with a sack and forced fumble.

I was excited about the win but am going to move past it. I am so sick of hearing about the overrated Titans. They are 6-0 and deserve some credit but they have not proved they are the best team in the league. I know the Bills have had an easy schedule but the Titans has been even easier. The one tough game they had was against Baltimore. The Ravens were coming off of a very physical Monday night game in Pittsburgh. Now I don't have the exact stats but I know that the chances are not very good that a team wins following a Monday night loss. The Titans barely have to travel and are not very balanced.

The offense relies almost solely on the running game. This has worked so far but you will need a passing game. As for the Titans defense which is getting most of the credit. I would like someone to name one decent offense they have played this season. As I said above the Bills shut down the highest scoring offense in the league this week. The best offensive team statistically that the Titans have faced this year would be the Houston Texans. Of course you would be leading the league in a lot of defensive categories. Come on...I want to see the Titans play a team like Arizona or San Diego and see how great the defense is ranked then. I am not trying to say the Titans defense is bad but they are unproven along with the rest of the team. Unless the Titans prove they can throw the ball and can play solid defense on a real offense they will, to me, continue to be overrated.

I don't think the Buffalo Bills really care how they are looked at right now. The Titans are developing a bulls eye on their back where the Bills are the surprise team that isn't putting up flashy numbers. I will continue to complain about over and underrated teams but it really doesn't matter. The bottom line is the Bills are here whether the NFL "experts" are ready or not.

Buffalo is winning games and playing hard. They don't have egotistical, attention seeking guys that cause nothing but distractions. Examples...Adam "Pacman" Jones who I think has had more arrests then touchdowns...Terrell Owens thinks that the only thing wrong with his downward spiraling team is that he doesn't get the ball enough...Chad Johnson publicly complains about his team so he can get clips on SportsCenter because he has done nothing on the field worthy of ESPN exposure...or 3rd year player Jay Cutler who has convinced himself he has earned the right to compare his arm to a legend's.

Buffalo is quiet and loves to pass the credit around. Their wins came as a team and their loss was no different. That's the way it should be. They remain united and seem to worry more about how they reflect on their coach and teammates then how many fantasy points they have. They don't seem to be caught up in personal stats and recognition but in staying grounded and playing 1 game at a time. It is refreshing to see the unselfish approach they all take. The attitude of the team, the fact that they are overlooked and underrated just makes Sundays win more satisfying.

Worth Mentioning: Rookie Leodis Mckelvin deserves some credit for stepping up to replace the injured Terrence McGee. He has been asked to step up and play Cornerback against very talented receivers. He has made some mistakes but seems to be learning with every play and is earning his teams confidence.

SABRES...and their new captain.

The Buffalo Sabres started their season last Friday with a 2-1 shoot out victory over the Montreal Canadians. Many players expressed a huge relief in winning the first shoot out challenge of the year after being so bad in that area last season. They also trounced the New York Islanders 7-1. The final score was great and it was nice to see the goals come from all over the place. Not only did 6 different players have a goal but 14 different players ended the game with at least one point. The Sabres also scored at full strength, on the power play and short handed. After dropping the first 2 games of last season to the Islanders this obviously appeared to be somewhat of a statement game for Buffalo. Many players stressed during the off season the importance of starting the season off right and having a team with an identity from the first preseason game on. They are on the right track.
There were a lot of things to be impressed with in the second game. Not only the goals but the defense played well and the back up goalie, Patrick Lalime, proved that he is a worthy back up. This will hopefully give Ruff confidence in resting Miller more often but I am getting off track here and way ahead of myself.
After 2 games there is not that much you can really tell about a hockey team. Sure they look great now but a lot can happen. For now I am going to forget about how good they played and talk about one of the things you can tell this early in the season...how does the team come together?
Craig Rivet is a veteran defender and many doubted the players decision to vote him Captain after only 2 weeks on the roster. Those doubts should be gone after Mondays game. After jumping out to a 4-0 lead Adam Mair was crossed check following a face off. Who was the first guy in to stand up for his teammate? Craig Rivet. As you will see in the video above not only did he protect his fellow Sabre but he also took on a second guy. I say take on like it was a fight, for the most part it looked like he was hitting someone without arms.
I think Buffalo fans are extremely appreciative of guys that are willing to get their hands dirty. Think about who gets the loudest cheers most nights in HSBC arena. It is not guys like Vanek who has led the team in goals the last 2 seasons. They cheer loudest for guys like Andrew Peters, Adam Mair and of course local fan favorite Patrick Kaleta. They do this because talent is great but heart is what makes a team. Rivet has obviously already proved to his teammates that he is a leader and when he stepped up to protect Mair he proved to the fans that they have no reason to be concerned by #52 wearing the C on the front of his jersey.

A quick note on a player worth mentioning. Daniel Paille arguably has been the best forward in the first 2 games. Keep an eye on him because he seems to be on the edge of a break out type of season.


Note about video...You will not see the cross check that led to the fight but it did happen.

Bills 4-1

The Bills suffered their first loss against the Arizona Cardinals last week. They got blown out 41-17. Things went bad from the start as starting QB Trent Edwards suffered a concussion on the 3rd play of the game. That forced the Buffalo offense to rely on second string QB JP Losman. Losman was the started until he suffered an injury last season and Edwards took over. Edwards deservingly won the starting position and as long as he was healthy, has started every game since.
Back-up players are always drilled about being prepared to play but no one expects to get into a game that early. Losman played well early in the game hooking up with Lee Evans on a long 80+ yard touchdown pass. At that moment the Bills looked like they could regroup. They were only trailing 14-7 and obviously had big play potential. Unfortunately they didn't seize that opportunity. The injury definitely didn't help the Bills, neither did the 4 turnovers but that is not what lost the game for them.
Regardless of mistakes Losman made, mostly late in the game, the defense is responsible for that loss. The defense gave up points on every Cardinal possession in the first half. For a Defense that was ranked high in most team categories going into the week they failed miserably. I don't want to hear excuses about Terrence McGee being out because their are 10 other guys out there to make plays. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the defensive play was 3rd down conversions. Going into week 5 the Bills Defense was ranked #1, only allowing opposing teams to convert on 19% of 3rd down attempts. In week 5 against Arizona the defense allowed a 60% conversion rate. Giving up 9 out of 15 attempts.
The Bills are now 4-1 and it as a fan it sucks to not see them 5-0 but in terms of the team I actually think this could be a positive thing depending on how they respond. Buffalo has a very young team and young teams can learn a lot more from loses then they can from wins. They need to isolate their mistakes and learn how to either eliminate them or at least minimize them. The timing of the first loss also has an upside. The team is now allotted an extra week to think about this loss and figure out how they can move past it together. Losing sucks and until your next win it is very hard to get that knot out of your stomach. Maybe having to deal with that knot for an extra week will add a little extra motivation towards playing better next time they hit the field.
On a completely unrelated note the Sabres won their first game. If you want to read my thoughts on their performance, the new captain, the star who appeared to be attempting to make this his break out year and more check back in a few days.

Being a fan

Instead of writing a blog about another impressive come from behind victory this past Sunday I wanted to share a youtube video that I stumbled on during preseason. The Bills are now 4-0 and their fan base seems to get bigger every week.
I hate football fans who wait til Monday to decide who their team is. I can't stand people who measure the dedication to their team by the win-loss column. I have a handful of jerseys and they all say Buffalo. Unless it becomes hard to swallow every time you hear words like "wide right" don't stand up and cheer now.

Bills vs Raiders

The Bills had another come from behind victory last Sunday to improve to 3-0 and are now alone in first place in the AFC East. The offense didn't look good for the first 3 quarters but you don't win games in the first 3 quarters and the Bills got hot when they had to.
The Bills had many opportunities to give up but they fought hard and were rewarded. The whole team bounced back and put it together in the final 6 minutes of the fourth quarter. The defense forced a 3 and out and the offense put together two scoring drives for the win.
Trent Edwards is playing as good as any QB in the NFL. In the fourth quarter of the last 2 games Edwards has put together 4 scoring drives while the team was trailing. I am extremely impressed with his time management skills, he understands the situation and never seems to be overwhelmed. He is going to be a star in this league if he continues to play at this level.
The Buffalo win allowed fans to celebrate a few things that hadn't been done in a long time. As I mentioned earlier they are in soul possession of first place in the AFC East a position they hadn't held since week 2 back in 2003. They are 3-0 for the first time since 1992. Most surprising accomplishment was Rian Lindell's 38 yard field goal as time expired marked only the 2 time in franchise history the Bills won on the last play of the game. The other time that happened was on a 2 yard run by Jim Kelly against Miami in 1989.
On another note there is something else worth mentioning. Roscoe Parrish caught a few passes in the 4th quarter of the game including a TD to pull the Bills within two. Why is that worth mentioning?? Because he did it with an injury. Apparently during the game Parrish suffered some ligament damage in his hand. He since has had surgery and will probably be out for 4-6 weeks. Roscoe showed real heart and determination in staying in that game and playing with pain to benefit the team.
The Bills play in St. Louis this week against the 0-3 rams. Buffalo will definitely be the favorite and should....should coast to a 4-0 start.