Seen and Herd: Week 16 | Atlanta Falcons vs. Buffalo Bills

My apologies for the late post. The holiday stretched past Christmas Day with the big family in town. I’ve visited just about every town in Western New York throughout the past week.

Now to that agitating—yet not surprising—loss on Sunday.

 

Injuries show

I’m not one to make excuses. In fact, I really dislike bad ones. I was one of those guys that hated my friends explaining how they missed tackles in backyard football because they didn’t have cleats. Never cut it with me. 

So keep that in mind when I say the injury catastrophe that hit the Bills this season had a direct effect on their underwhelming performance—it’s not a cop-out.

The Bills have played some pretty horrible offense. They’ve been locked in the cellar of run stopping all year long, but their Week 16 putrid performance opened my eyes to the evil fracas the injury bug can inflict on an NFL team. 

Buffalo infamously shipped 18 players to Injured Reserve in 2009, and finally the second, third, and practice squad guys were exploited by NFL starters.

This was most glaring with the offensive line. We banked on continuity growing each week with the young blocking corp. Every game they’d get better in protection and run blocking. 

Unfortunately, Buffalo will most likely finish the year with 10 different line combinations, the enemy of continuity.

Brian Brohm’s debut

Many will look at his numbers (17/29 146yards, 2 INTs) and will instantly throw the young signal caller into the “another irrelevant Bills starter” box, forgetting him altogether.

In this day and age, when good players are extremely hard to come by, you’ve got to dig deeper.

His live arm was on display, and made many accurate throws to the Bills wideouts, something the other two starters had trouble doing each week.

However, he rarely received more than two seconds to make his choice and release the ball, and is playing in probably the most vanilla offensive scheme in the league.

This may be wishful thinking, but this former second-round pick has promise, and should be great competition for the starter next season; even if he’s a long shot to be under center in Week One.

Fewell’s gonads?

Remember the home game a month ago against the Dolphins? When interim head coach Perry Fewell preached the gonads of Ryan Fitzpatrick dialing up his TD bomb to Terrell Owens? Recall when Fewell gave Rian Lindell the shot at 56-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that he nailed?

Where was that Sunday? He punted from the Falcons 37-yard line in the second half, and let his hesitance to go for it on fourth down lead to a field goal. What’s up with that?

I understand no one wants to be embarrassed or shutout, but really, what do you have to lose if you’re Fewell? 

Out of playoff contention, wins were the only thing that would have assured him a head coaching job next season. This isn’t Dick Jauron here. Playing extremely conservative to “lose with honor” doesn’t cut it, especially when you haven’t made the playoffs this decade.

I still like Fewell, and would be fine with him being held on as a defensive coordinator next season. But Jauron’s cautious demeanor lurked on the sidelines this Sunday. Not angry, just surprised.

Matt Ryan

If there’s anything good about this 28-point loss, it’s the fact that Buffalo got a butt whooping from Matt Ryan. We saw him up close. We saw what a young, enthusiastic, athletic, and smart, (insert another positive synonym) quarterback can do for a franchise.

The Falcons fell short of the postseason this year, but had Ryan not been injured for two games, it’s a safe bet the Falcons would be playing for their playoff lives in the season finale.

He made me jealous, and even more hungry for the Bills to place the off-season onus on acquiring a franchise quarterback. Not some Tulane-standout, or injury-prone Stanford grad that might develop into a decent starter. The last time the Bills offensive was relevant was with Drew Bledsoe, a leader with superb football QB and a rocket arm. That’s what Buffalo needs.

Again, bad timing for the Bills. It doesn’t look like there’s one of those elite QB prospects in this year’s draft. Matt Ryans don’t grow on trees, but we now know firsthand how a great quarterback can single-handedly win you ball games.

News

Bills FS Jairus Byrd was just named to the Pro-Bowl. Congrats to the man. He was the most exciting facet to the Bills season. Nine interceptions in 13 starts, not bad for a rookie. Outstanding draft pick from the Bills? Imagine that.

What’s Ahead

Bills/Colts at the Ralph 1 p.m., Sunday. Sadly, the last Seen and Herd to follow.

Look for my “Best Games of the Decade”, and an early, in-depth look at the crucial off season very soon…

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Seen and Herd: Week 15 | Buffalo Bills Vs. New England Patriots

Could this losing streak against the New England Patriots be worse than the Bills going 0 for the 70’s against the Miami Dolphins? 

There’s no such thing as a good losing streak, but these two are among the worst of all time.

Sure, based on numbers, the losing streak against Miami is “worse” but, the ways the Bills have lost to New England in the 2000s may rival the streak of 30 years before.

The Bills only managed two wins against the Patriots the entire decade, and we’ve grown accustomed to Buffalo finding a different, and unique way to lose every time they square off against the Pats. 

Brady? 

Tom Brady found ways to again sweep Buffalo, even when he wasn’t near his “A” game in either game. 

Week One’s 378 yard, two touchdown showing far outperforms his effort on Sunday, that’s for sure.

Brady completed only 11, yes, 11 passes, and didn’t eclipse the 150 yard mark through the air.

Sounds like a typical day for a Bills quarterback, not the All-World Brady.

You’ve got to tip your hat to the job Perry Fewell did, defensively, giving Brady fits all afternoon. He used the weather to his advantage and limited the Patriots success down field with Randy Moss.

The difference with the Patriots and the Bills in that regard is that they’re willing to throw to their star receivers even when they’re covered. The result — two big pass interference calls that lead directly to New England’s only touchdowns.

I’m nowhere near saying that Brady is done, but it’s a testament to the Bills secondary, who really showed how good of a group they really are, basically shutting down one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

But, as usual, when Brady needed to make the clutch play late, he delivered the dagger.

 

Fred Jackson’s day

I fall more and more in love with Jackson as a player each week. The guy is the focal point of the offense and special teams. He had 108 return yards, ran for 80 tough yards on the ground, and caught four passes for 32 more yards.

I guess even bad scouting staffs can find a diamond in the rough sometimes, because that’s exactly what Fred Jackson is.

He should have had a touchdown had Fewell not inserted Andre Ramsey as an eligible tackle on his first NFL play from the 2 yard line. Bad move, Perry.

Marshawn Lynch ran pretty well too, and though I’ve been wavering back and forth about the Bills using Lynch and a bargaining chip this off season, I’ve come to the realization that behind even an average line, these two could easily combine for over 2,000. No joke.

 

Play-calling

Is this a topic every week? It seems that way. Whether it’s because the Bills don’t include “picks” in their offense like a lot of other teams do (they’re supposed to be illegal) or the pass routes are just that easy to anticipate, the Bills receivers have an extremely tough time getting open.

There were a few plays when Randy Moss was so open across the middle, I wondered if Buffalo had enough guys on the field.

Sure, it could have been a busted coverage, but when’s the last time you saw a Bills receiver really wide open? I can’t remember many instances. 

Though I hate saying “there’s always next year”, I love the fact that an entirely new system will be in place — I think the offensive playbook is still being haunted by Steve Fairchild. 

 

Miscues

When you’re a 5-9 team, you’ve committed some stupid penalties. Outside of Andre Ramsey’s false start, how about Aaron Maybin’s offsides on the recovered onside kick? 

Aaron, you’re going to need to have a monster second year to not become the next pariah in Buffalo. 

When you’re a 5-9 team, you’ve missed on golden opportunities to score points as well. Josh Reed’s touchdown drop in this game? Yea, no focus. I’d be surprised to see Reed in a Bills’ uniform next season, but then again I can only envision Lee Evans being kept, returning to the wide-out problem the Bills had pre-James Hardy. Ha. So who knows. 

 

Quick Bits

Shawn Nelson caught four passes on Sunday, and seemed to be a favorite target of Ryan Fitzpatrick. This is a great sign for times to come, but still, Nelson is rarely used on that deep seam route that all the elite tight ends run so well. It’s not on Nelson obviously, it’s the faulty scheme. Time for major change. 

Paul Posluszny is proving his worth to the next head coach in Buffalo. No one thinks Poz would be released or traded this off season, but he’s proved to me that with capable and athletic linebackers around him, he has potential to be a solid starter in this league for many years. First things first however, he’s got to be moved to the outside, where he flourished at Penn State. 

Buffalo has a lot of holes to fill in the draft and via free agency. Most namely: linebacker, quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive end, wide receiver. At least we’ll witness a lot of action this off season. We better

 

What’s ahead

The Bills head down to the ATL for a matchup against the Falcons on Sunday. Real interesting game here; okay, maybe I’m taking it a little too far. It’s got some intrigue because the Falcons are in the hunt for the NFC Wildcard. One week they look like a team that could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl then they have trouble against a team under .500. 

I’ve been calling for the young guys to get a more expanded role in each game since about Week 10, and for whatever reason it really hasn’t happened. 

The Bills are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and it sounds like Terrell Owens is out at years end (like we didn’t know that before). So there’s no reason why we shouldn’t see guys like Steve Johnson, James Hardy, Chris Ellis, and Aaron Maybin (maybe try something other than the speed rush?) in the lineup. It’s all an audition for here on out. 

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The Unlucky 13: Buffalo Bills Worst Losses of the Decade

We’ve seen it all from horrible blowouts, to insanely dramatic heartbreakers, the Buffalo Bills have found countless ways to lose an NFL football game.

During a decade when the Bills never sniffed playoff air, this list is the centerpiece of the decade of futility in Buffalo.

Look for my countdown of the best wins of the decade later this month, but first lets get to the horror…

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Seen and Herd: Week 14 | Buffalo Bills Vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Did we watch a professional football game on Sunday in Kansas City? It surely didn’t look like one.

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Seen and Herd : Week 13 | Buffalo Bills Vs. New York Jets

The Bills’ honeymoon with Ryan Fitzpatrick is nearing an end.

We enjoyed some energized play from the Harvard grad, giving a boost to Buffalo’s previously struggling offensive performance. But Thursday night, we were reminded of the many deficiencies on offense. 

The New York Jets secondary blanketed the Bills receivers all night, and nearly every blitz package Rex Ryan called got home.

It seemed odd. Normally when a team sends as many players as the Jets on blitzes, some wide-outs will be open on occassion. However, that definitely wasn’t the case for the Bills on Thursday in Toronto. 

 

Some things never change

I’ve griped a good portion of the year about the monotonous ways of the Buffalo offense. On Thursday at the Rogers Centre, they reverted to their simplistic style that hasn’t fooled anyone all season. 

A trio of the same plays were called all evening, and outside of a few sideline deep balls to T.O.—none of which had a chance of being caught, and on some comeback routes for Lee Evans and Owens, we didn’t see all that much creativity from Alex Van Pelt.

This isn’t to discount the job that Jets cornerbacks Darrell Revis and Lito Sheppard did on Buffalo’s top two guys, but to me, it seemed as if the corners knew the routes better than the Bills receivers did. 

On defense, there was a lot of Fewell’s group showing blitz then backing away, something they’ve done with great discipline this season—something that hasn’t helped the Bills’ linebackers in pass coverage.

You’d think playing against an inexperienced quarterback in Mark Sanchez—one of the most mistake prone quarterbacks in the NFL right now, a guy who threw five interceptions in the teams first meeting—that Buffalo would attack with more exotic blitz packages all evening. That wasn’t the case. 

The Bills did try to blitz at different junctures of the game, but the same inside blitzes never reached Sanchez. It really wasn’t close. 

Certainly give props to the Gang Green’s defensive backfield for the job they did, but the Bills struggled mightily on offense with Fitzpatrick flustered in the pocket all night due to the bevy of aggressive blitzes defensive coordinator Mike Pettine conjured up. 

Thoughts on Fewell 

Perry Fewell is no longer the most popular guy in Buffalo—not like he was following his inaugural victory over the Dolphins. 

But even in this week’s defeat, the Bills were at least in the game until the end. The team’s lack of skill was blatantly obvious and a big reason why they fell short, not due to bad coaching. 

Fewell likely won’t be retained at season’s end, but I’d like to see the Bills finish with a winning record under his leadership. Buffalo can be competitive with a lot of teams in the NFL, as long as they have a coach that uses his football knowledge as a guide to calling the game, and ultimately lets his gut make the final decisions. 

If Buffalo can’t lure in the big fish this offseason, keeping Fewell as the head coach wouldn’t be a problem. It might sound crazy, but with a new front office, and a GM that actually has a football background, Fewell could build a solid club. 

Offensive Line Woes

The Bills offensive line this season has been, well, atrocious. At times they’ve allowed Fitzpatrick or Trent Edwards to stand upright, but against the Jets, they looked like the line they actually are—a make-shift group of backups and reserves with no continuity between them.

Anytime there was more than the customary blitz on, they were completely thrown off base, and left gaping paths directly to Fitzpatrick for the delayed blitzers. 

They’ve had 11 different offensive lines this season, and as we know, the more combinations the worse its performance. 

At the beginning of 2009, analysts criticized Bills coaches for sticking with a line that had less than 60 career starts combined. We’ll never know how well the group of Demetrius Bell, Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner, Eric Wood, and Brad Butler would have played, but you can’t really blame the Bills.

It’s impossible for any team to overcome the amount of injuries Buffalo’s endured throughout the year, especially on the ever critical offensive line. 

Without question, the Bills new front office should be targeting the best O-line prospect in the first round. 

 

Quick Recap

Marshawn Lynch averaged 10 yards per carry against the Jets, but he only carried it six times. He got the bulk of his yardage on two carries, one which included a touchdown, but the rest of the game he wasn’t much of a factor.

The Bills still believe they’re a passing team when everyone knows they have two quality backs to eat clock and wear down defenses. For whatever reason, though, their quarterbacks are taught to drop back like they’ve got the Patriots’ offensive line, and Peyton Manning behind center.

It doesn’t really make any sense. 

While Drayton Florence again played a solid game, Terrence McGee and Donte Whitner were exposed defensively. 

No offense to Whitner fans, but his value is terrible, especially as an eighth overall pick. While he’s not a bust, the Bills made a mistake with their first-round pick from 2006. He’s a decent run-stuffer, yet is bad in coverage and isn’t a playmaker. If he’s traded this offseason, and the team’s offered the right deal, it would be welcomed in Buffalo. 

Paul Posluszny had his second consecutive great contest and displayed a never-before-seen burst on his strip sack of Kellen Clemens in the fourth quarter. Good sign of what could be to come from the former Butkis award winner. 

What’s Next

The more games the Bills win the rest of the season the better. Investing a ridiculous amount of money in any of these college guys is maybe not the right move. First of all, the top prospects are not high on the list. Plus, if there are a few future All-Pros in the draft, and there probably are, you can’t trust any member of the Bills front office to find them.

It just hasn’t happened in the past decade, so until it does, you can’t put too much stock in the Bills’ decision-makers choosing that impact guy. 

The Bills face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium—possibly the stinker of the weak. Hopefully we’ll see some young guys like Steve Johnson, Chris Ellis, and Aaron Maybin in the game.

Bills-Chiefs on Sunday at 1:00. Be sure to check out Seen and Herd following the game.

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Playoffs Or Not: Why We Want The Buffalo Bills to Run The Table

For a 4-7 football team, I’d say the attitude in Western New York surrounding the Buffalo Bills resembles a team in heavy contention for a playoff spot.

In reality, saying the Bills are a long-shot for the playoffs would propel you to optimist levels even higher than I myself, have ever reached. 

However, when you beat your most hated rival in front of your home crowd, and get big plays from your highest profile player, sure, fans will start to believe their team can win any game.

You can’t blame them for getting excited about finally witnessing some good football and some animation on the sideline from their head coach.

Whether the Bills run the table or stumble down the stretch, it pleases me that Buffalo will no longer be the laughing-stock city in the NFL.

Perry Fewell has rejuvenated everyone’s morale, boosted player confidence and given us a glimpse of what a passionate, outspoken and gutsy coach is capable of doing with this team.

A few weeks ago, after another humiliating fourth-quarter catastrophe against the Tennessee Titans and the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a frustrating outcry from some Bills “fans” began to resonate in Buffalo. Many believed finishing with as many losses as possible would be the best thing for the organization, dumping the Bills into the draft’s top five.

I understand this wasn’t everyone’s desire, but at 3-7, it seemed a plausible theory that many disgruntled fans conjure up once their team is seemingly a lost cause—lose more games in exchange for the higher draft pick.

People have thought that way for years.

I’m not one of those people. Here’s why.

 

1. High draft picks are rarely worth the huge dollars they demand  

Of the top ten picks drafted between 2001—2007, only 40% (28 of 70) have made the Pro-Bowl. It seems like a respectable number initially, but with the ever-increasing top dollar that higher picks demand, I’d rather not take a chance with the Bills front office (new or old) finding the stud. They’ve done a better job finding the dud.   

Some think a top-ten pick doesn’t necessarily need to be a Pro-Bowler to be considered a success. Or does he? I surely don’t want to invest some crazy 6-year, 70 million dollar deal in a future contributor. Would you? The Bills have definitely made that mistake many times in the past.

PS ( In picks 11-20 in those same years, 34%, 24 of 70 picks made the Pro-Bowl, and obviously were kept at a much lower cost. )

 

2. I’m not high on this year’s draft class, especially for what the Bills are looking for

Based on reason one, you’d think I’m totally against top-ten draftees. I’m not. There’s been a colossal number of Pro-Bowlers, All-Pros, and even Hall of Famers drafted in the top-ten throughout the years. Sometimes the money can pay off. (Even though each year the dollars will get bigger and bigger, thus making the draft pick that more vital.)

With all that being said, I just don’t envision this draft class nearing the famous 2004 group. (14 of first 24 picks have made the Pro-Bowl) For the positions the Bills will almost certainly target in the 2010 Draft, I’m not blown away by any of the top prospects.

If you’re one who’s begging and pleading for a quarterback, do you really think a future franchise guy is there? I know it’s been frustrating since Jim Kelly’s retirement in Buffalo, but try not to let that turn to false hope that one the top guys will truly become a franchise foundation, especially with an offensive line, and a team gearing up for what looks to be a complete overhaul this offseason.

Real quick: Jimmy Clausen has the arm, the accuracy, and the delivery. Sure, his defense was terrible, but he never delivered that big game when ND needed it most, even with two sure-fire NFL wide-receivers on his team, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd.

Sam Bradford—shoulder injury. Oh yea, I need to see him play against an actual defense (not one from the Big 12) and perform on a high level. He’s yet to do it in college. All his skill players were light years ahead of their opponents athletically as well. That won’t necessarily happen in the NFL.

Tim Tebow—love his leadership. Wills his teams to victory. But similiar to Bradford, the skill around him is far greater than anyone else, and he can lean on best defense in the NCAA. Interesting to see how his arm looks during the Combine in February. Still, I can’t picture him in anyone’s top-ten.

Colt McCoy—Closest to being a top-ten pick in my mind. He’s a proven winner, but again, he plays in the Big 12, which tells me nothing about how can play facing a ferocious defense.

Whether or not you agree with my quick assessments of the top QB’s in the collegiate ranks, I find it hard to believe you’d think these guys are top-ten worthy. We’re talking guys to build a franchise around? I don’t think so.

I left out Washington‘s Jake Locker for a reason. It looks like, if he comes out, he’ll be drafted ahead of where the Bills will sit come April.

You could start this year’s Pro-Bowl quarterbacks, whoever they turn out to be, on the Buffalo Bills, and I highly doubt we’d see dramatic improvement.

Sure, some defensive tackles, linebackers, and offensive linemen may fit the bill as top tier draft picks, but 2010 is definitely one of the “moving-down-is-a-better-idea” draft years. And right now, the Bills can move down very simply by winning.

 

3. Winning attracts the top free agents/coaches 

I may be going out a limb here, but I’m fairly certain Ralph Wilson Jr. stated he’s ready to spend money this offseason. A key to the Bills becoming a contender sooner rather than later hinges on acquisition of the top free agents and coaches. Money in Buffalo always has it’s ceiling. Ralph isn’t as dumb as the Daniel Synders of the world, but much goes into the enticing of free agents and the guys that’ll coach them.

The rumor surrounding the big name guys like Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher, and Tony Dungy is that they don’t want to coach a team with tons of issues.

Their inflated heads can barely fit into their cars right now, and they want to go down as legends of the sidelines. If the bring multiple teams to the playoffs and Super Bowls they’ll be just that, legends.

They aren’t dumb, though. They know their presence can’t will a team like the Bills, Browns, Lions, or Buccaneers to consistent victories. They need to see promise before even considering a new job.

As far as players are considered, we aren’t winning over any guys with the climate, let’s just admit that out of the gate. Though players have shown in the past they’ll come here.

The night life, and big city atmosphere doesn’t stack up to some of the bigger markets, either, although my fellow Chippewa street go-ers will most likely beg to differ.

Even if the Bills front office can squeeze by all that with a player and his greedy agent, pitching a team with a good outlook for the future is essential. Guys don’t want to play for a perennial cellar dweller that has no promise for the future. I most certainly wouldn’t.

The Bills need to show the rest of the league that there are players on this team, and the ground-work is being laid for a squad that can compete next year.

Buffalo has been “re-building” for a decade now. Finishing the season 4-12, or 5-11, while factoring in the cold weather, and the small market, won’t lure anyone with substantial ability to Buffalo.

(Think there’s a better chance for T.O. to stick around if the team finishes strong? Certainly.)

The team appearing to be on the rebound can only help this offseason.

This situation exquisitely fits with my usual Bills optimism. Those who waved their hands in disgust after the Bills seventh loss while uttering something like:

“Lose all the rest, so we’ll have a top draft pick” or,

“Losing out will do us good for next year”, may want to re-think their snap judgment.

 

For a preview of tomorrow’s game against the New York Jets refer to Dan Van Wie’s column.

 

 

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Seen and Herd: Week 12 | Buffalo Bills Vs Miami Dolphins

Was that the Buffalo Bills yesterday? They undoubtedly look like a different team with Perry Fewell at the helm and Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. That’s something I’d thought I’d never say this season.

The Bills’ 31-14 win over the rival Miami Dolphins eased the soul of Bills fans after starting the season 3-7.

The game was a total turnaround from the usual nap the Bills have shown they love to take during the fourth quarter this year.

Buffalo outscored Miami 24-0 in the final stanza, and for once, looked like the more conditioned and aggressive team when it mattered most. 

 

Perry Fewell’s home debut

How refreshing was it to see a fiery coach on the Bills sideline? Not only was Fewell casually rocking the throwback beanie and sweatshirt (a polar opposite from Dick Jauron’s usual attire), but most importantly, he showed that he has guts.

I’m using the term “guts” because it’s a word Fewell noted several times in his post game press conference. He went with his gut and the Bills won the game. Something tells me if Jauron was still head man in Buffalo, the Bills may have lost this football game.

He showed guts by starting Ryan Fitzpatrick. He showed guts by giving Fred Jackson the nod at starting running back. He has no alliance to Trent Edwards or Marshawn Lynch, and both Fitzpatrick and Jackson have outplayed the more high profile draftees, therefore Fewell plugged them in.

Seems easy enough, right?

His defense has become a turnover juggernaut. The Bills are 1st in the NFL with 21 interceptions and have recovered four fumbles. Whether you believe the Bills have feasted on inexperienced quarterbacks or not, 21 picks through 11 games is no fluke. His Tampa 2 scheme may be falling out of favor with fans, but Fewell has the personnel in the secondary to formulate an elite back-line.

Add in what the defense has done with the amount of injuries it’s suffered this season, and you realize that Perry Fewell is a darn good coach.

 

TO’s Dagger

There’s a stir surrounding the contrariety between the Terrell Owens touchdown and what we’ve seen from Buffalo the past three seasons.

Yes, Fitzpatrick did audible to the play, but I fully believe Fewell put that hot-route in Fitzpatrick’s back pocket for his quarterback to make the call.

We’ve grown so accustomed to the “try-not-to-lose” mentality that I’m sure the other 70,000 fans in the Ralph with me were anticipating a heavy dosage of Fred Jackson running, while we hung on to the hope that our defense wouldn’t allow another late touchdown.

Even as the ball floated through the air, was I pleasantly surprised.

That play is something that normally happens to the Bills. A team feels like they have the chance to finish the game, they make the call, and they execute the play. It was nice to finally have the Bills on the other side of that situation.

Lindell’s career long

Fewell’s decision to kick the 56-yard field goal could have ultimately back-fired, but if you ask me, when you show a vote of confidence in one of your more consistent, veteran players, the assurance rubs off on that individual’s play on the field.

He believed Rian Lindell could make that kick, and he did. Three weeks ago, we’d have definitely seen a punt in that situation.

Even if his calls lead to a defeat, Fewell’s aggressive demeanor, passion, and willingness to make the gutsy call revitalizes fan spirit. We needed a reason to have hope for the future, and although Fewell most likely won’t be the head coach in 2010, he made everyone realize that there is promise for the future.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick the gunslinger?

You gotta love Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was a 7th round draft pick out of Harvard and his claim to fame is that he got the highest score on the famed “Wunderlic” test given to entrees to the draft. That’s about it.

He’s got a similar attitude to the game as Perry Fewell, and that’s probably why they’ve clicked well in their first two contests as a player/coach duo. Fitzpatrick wings it, and can obviously run it when need be.

With him, it’s just frustrating. He’s got the mentality I thought Trent Edwards would develop this season, but as of right now, doesn’t have the accuracy or arm strength to be a starter in the NFL. Still, one must admire his grit and courage as a signal-caller.

All those who were against the signing of a back-up with less experience than our guy Trent Edwards during the offseason, can no longer gripe, because Ryan Fitzpatrick is the prototypical back-up quarterback. I’m extremely happy he’s a Buffalo Bill.

 

Changes

I alluded to the tweaks in the lineup made by Fewell earlier, and his best choice by far, was starting Fred Jackson.

Jackson has flourished in all of his starts, and obviously the tandem of he and his bud Marshawn Lynch suffered dearly when the two split carries. 

Freddy runs with the downhill momentum that we’ve seen from Lynch in his first two seasons. He hardly ever records a run of negative yardage, and though he doesn’t have the breakaway speed or outstanding agility, he frequently makes guys miss.

Lynch isn’t anywhere near being officially “done” in Buffalo, but Fewell plays the guys that get the job done, and unfortunately for you “Beast Mode” lovers, Jackson has outplayed Lynch this season.

I also liked the fact that Fewell used all of his safeties during Sunday’s contest. He knows that Jairus Byrd’s ball-tracking scares teams away from throwing the ball down-field, but also is fully aware that Byrd is a liability in terms of stopping the run.

George Wilson and Donte Whitner excel in the box, and he made sure the defensive backfield trio was fresh from start to finish. Smart move.

By the way, who else thought Whitner had his best overall game as a Bill on Sunday? I did. Playing for a job next season?

 

Drayton Florence

Jairus Byrd is unquestionably the defense’s MVP this season; but quietly, Drayton Florence is nipping at the rookie’s heels. He recorded only his first INT of the season to Byrd’s eight, but he’s stepped in for the injured Terrence McGee wonderfully, and has become one of the better cover corners I’ve seen in quite some time in Buffalo.

No joke.

He’s a solid tackler as well, and his experience has been instrumental to a more youthful Bills secondary.

He was signed to a two-year deal this offseason; the new regime would be smart to make sure he’s around longer.

 

TO, again

Oh, how easy it is to talk about Terrell Owens. I discussed the decisions behind his “dagger” touchdown in the fourth quarter earlier, but I have more things to stress.

As I’ve stated over and over for the duration of this season, Terrell Owens has still got “it”, whatever that “it” may be. He’s still got that long-striding, deceptive speed, and is one of the more physically intimidating receivers in the league. The Skip Bayless’s of the world easily ripped into TO early in the year, but now we see (and it’s actually sad) the performances we may have got from Owens had he not been in Jauron’s “system” from Week One.

Whether he’s auditioning for a final two or three year deal with a contender or not, his enthusiasm in Buffalo is much greater than I expected. He’s still having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career and his team is not in playoff contention, yet the “pre-fourth quarter” excitement he showed on the field, and his usual post-TD enthusiasm would have made one believe he just won a playoff game.

Gotta love the guy. Sure he talks, probably too much, but his body of work on the field backs it up.

This may be just as big of a long-shot as Perry Fewell being retained at season’s end as head coach, but the Bills’ front office would be silly to not launch a major campaign to try and keep Owens in a Bills uniform.

Think; with Owens gone, we’re back to the same wide receiver issue we had pre-James Hardy. And what has Hardy done for us? You think Josh Reed is a Bill next season? Probably not. Keeping Owens in Buffalo may be a higher priority for the organization than many think. They should do whatever they can to keep the Hall of Famer in Western New York.

 

What’s ahead

Short week for Buffalo. They’ll look to continue their momentum north to the great city of Toronto.

They play host to a Jets team that got off their losing skid against a struggling Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers this weekend.

A few weeks ago, this looked like a probable smack-down game for the Jets, but with spirits riding as high in Buffalo as they have in quite some time, I think we’ll be in for another great football game. See what a home win against a rival can do? 

 

Bills/Jets Thursday 8:20 Rogers Centre, Toronto. Seen and Herd to follow.

 

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Seen and Herd | Week 11: Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

It comes as no surprise: The Bills found yet another agonizing way to lose a football game.

We’ve seemingly seen it all of late.

This week, it wasn’t a last-second missed field goal, or an opponent scoring as time expired.

Against the Jaguars, two untimely penalties sealed the Bills’ fate in Jacksonville.

A Fred Jackson touchdown scamper in the first half was negated by a holding penalty. The Bills later settled for a field goal.

In the fourth quarter, Ryan Fitzpatrick launched a pass that resembled a Hail Mary attempt and Lee Evans came down with the touchdown, but an illegal hands to the face penalty called that one back, as well.

Neither would have been that “dagger” that we often hear about in sports, but imagine, the Bills could have put almost 30 points on the board had the penalties not taken place.

Bright Spots

In a time when the Bills aren’t making any fans happy, let’s start with the good news from Sunday’s loss in Jacksonville, the little that there is.

Terrell Owens had his best day in a Bills uniform, hauling in nine receptions for 197 yards and a score. His 98-yard TD was a thingy of beauty, but the fact that he was targeted 14 times is what had me most impressed, as the Bills coaching staff realized he could victimize Jacksonville’s young secondary.

Ryan Fitzpatrick nearly eclipsed the 300-yard mark, throwing for 297 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

He doesn’t have the raw talent to be a great NFL quarterback, or even a consistently decent signal-caller, but he makes the right reads, and is the polar opposite of the check-down happy Trent Edwards. He lets it fly.

On defense, the Bills held the sneaky Maurice Jones-Drew to 66 yards on the ground, and although the Jags attempted numerous screen plays to the fantasy football god, he only mustered four grabs for 18 yards. Not bad, worst rush defense in the NFL.

Without Marcus Stroud in the lineup, I thought the Bills would have trouble stopping Jones-Drew, and certainly didn’t envision any pressure being put on David Garrard. Boy, was I wrong.

Kyle Williams’ engine resembles that of a monster truck; he was in Garrard’s grill all afternoon, and believe it or not, there were a few John McCargo sightings in the Jaguars backfield. Williams has become my favorite player on the Bills defense not named Jairus Byrd.

As far as interim head coach Perry Fewell, I’d give him a “B” for his first day on the job. His defense was more stout than anyone believed, and he kept his team in the game. I knew things would get better, but it’d be nearly impossible to see drastic improvement, because the players haven’t changed. The situation he’s in is still pretty bad.

He automatically received a good grade from me based on the fact he showed passion and a fiery demeanor on the sidelines. Something I, as a Bills fan, haven’t seen in some time.

The Bad

Buffalo again couldn’t revitalize their running attack against the Jaguars. The offensive line was the obvious culprit, but 17 total carries between Lynch and Jackson? Not enough.

This game wasn’t a blowout either. The Bills didn’t need to throw the ball all over the field to come back. They held the lead with a minute to go in the fourth. Even though it hasn’t come with much success this season, Buffalo needs to pound the rock.

Even in a game where I would have guessed the Bills held the ball a respectable amount of time, they still lost the time of possession battle by a whopping 14 minutes. They were their usual 3-11 on third downs, while Jacksonville converted on nine of 15 attempts.

That usually leads to a loss in the NFL.

The Ugly

Eric Wood. His injury was gruesome, and it’s thought to be very severe. The rookie guard with loads of promise going down with injury was by far the worst part of the game on Sunday.

Marshawn Lynch injured his shoulder, and he’s slowly but surely falling out of favor in Buffalo, especially because Fred Jackson has become a more downhill runner (That’s something I thought I’d never say).

Seth McKinney was injured as well, and is also thought to be done for the season.

Here’s the updated, ever-growing list of Bills players on IR this season: Kawika Mitchell, Leodis McKelvin, Marcus Buggs, Brad Butler, Derek Schouman, Eric Wood, Seth McKinney (not official yet), and Keith Ellison.

Other role players have been lost to injuries this season – the steamroll of injuries hasn’t stopped.

News Flash

Today the Bills signed former Steelers Guard Kendall Simmons. He’s an eight year veteran and has accumulated more than 80 starts in his career. Simmons is exactly what the young, injury-ridden offensive line needs.

What’s Ahead

A recently injury-battered Dolphins team comes into rival Ralph Wilson Stadium this Sunday. We’ve reached a point as Bills fans where we’d just like to see our Bills beat up on our most hated opponents.

Ronnie Brown is out for the year, along with beefy nose tackle Jason Ferguson. They’ve won five of seven and are hungry to remain in the wild-card hunt, after an 0-3 start to the season.

It’ll be interesting to see how Perry Fewell leads his team during his home debut. Sure, we’re angry the season is all but over, but who wouldn’t love to see a win over the Miami Dolphins? Squish the fish.

Bills/Dolphins Sunday 1:00 Ralph Wilson Stadium. Seen and Herd to follow.

 

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Jauron-Imo! The Bills Finally Make the Big Leap, Fire Coach Dick Jauron

Usually…my weekly “Seen and Herd” column is posted early in the week, but there’s some news from Bills camp that’s got everyone talking—at least in the Western New York region.

The Bills have officially fired head coach Dick Jauron as of today, Nov. 17, 2009, sometime around three o’clock.

New national holiday in the Queen City?

Maybe.

I originally wasn’t as mad about Jauron as it seemed the rest of Bills faithful was, but after continual embarrassing defeats and fourth quarter meltdowns, I was really beginning to dislike what that man was doing to the Buffalo Bills.

He had two weeks to prepare for the worst passing defense in the NFL, and once again, the Bills quarterbacks looked like Junior Varsity starters.

The run game has actually worsened sine Marshawn Lynch’s return, and outside of Jairus Byrd’s monster season, the defense as a whole has been a massive disappointment.

Jauron was 24-33 in Buffalo, making triumphant runs at 7-9 in his three seasons. His passionless attitude never meshed well with the extremely gritty, blue-collar Bills fans.

I love the move, as I’m sure thousands of Bills fans are elated today, but the only gripe I have is, why not fire him during the bye week?

He was bound to make more coaching blunders and mismanage the clock, and he did both Sunday.

The fact that he’s gone, however, gives me reason not to complain.

Instantly, all is a little better in Buffalo.

 

What’s Next?

Now that the massive load is off our backs, we must look forward as a fanbase.

Perry Fewell or Bobby April will most likely be named as the interim coach, and without Jauron there to hinder any creativity or aggressiveness, don’t be shocked to see some major adjustments to the game plans.

All these weeks I was hoping and praying for changes, but now I think there’s a realistic chance we’ll see a different team.

I’m not saying the Bills will win seven straight, but Jauron being gone will finally allow some player development. He was that bad.

I want to see young guys like James Hardy, Steve Johnson, Chris Ellis, and Aaron Maybin in the lineup. Also, I’d like to see what Roscoe Parrish can do. He was in Jauron’s doghouse and should now be freed.

As far as the 2010 season, it’s too far away to predict who will lead the Bills. One thing’s for sure: It won’t be a weak, defensive coach. It’ll be someone with plenty of fire and animation.

After the loss in Tennessee, the feeling of the season being over so soon had me beyond disappointed. Frustrated. Annoyed.

Now with Jauron gone, I feel a new beginning for the Bills. At least there’s one less thing we as Bills fans can complain about.

I like the fortitude in Ralph Wilson. He must have been more fed up than the rest of us, and he made a change.

Tracking the Bills will be very interesting these next two months. At least there will be no more of Jauron’s deathly stares from the sideline.

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Seen and Herd Week Eight: Buffalo Bills Vs Houston Texans

Well, the excitement sure was fun while it lasted.

In the back of my mind I wasn’t completely feeling a Bills playoff push on the horizon, but after the first half on Sunday, the thought that Buffalo was possibly a legitimate football team certainly creeped into my mind.

Then in one of the worst halves of live football I’ve ever witnessed, that notion was totally erased from my head.

A record of 3-5 sounds a whole lot worse than an even 4-4.

 

Offense? What Offense?

Buffalo, for the second straight game only managed nine first downs. If you’re not sure how low of a number that is, Houston easily complied 24 first downs. This is including a first half when Matt Schaub was pressured into bad throws and the run game couldn’t get going whatsoever.

The Texans nearly doubled the Bills in time of possession (39 minutes to 20 minutes) and this wasn’t because of a defensive inability to get off the field.

Ryan Fitzpatrick displayed why there’s no quarterback controversy, even with how brutal Trent Edwards has been this season.

He again made Lee Evans and Terrell Owens look like second tier wide receivers, and although many are pointing to terrible offensive line play once again, he was only sacked twice.

In a game where Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson combined for 18 carries and 71 yards, you’d think they let Fitzpatrick air it out.

Not the case on Sunday.

Throwing 15-23 with 117 yards and two interceptions is the type of game Bengals fans have been warning us about this past month.

Trent Edwards will remain the starter when he’s cleared to play.

 

Play-calling

I’m always a nit-picker about play-calling and use the Bills horrible choice of offensive plays to sometimes deflect bad performances by players.

This is one of the times where the Alex Van Pelt and Dick Jauron were as critical to the loss as Terrell Owens and Ryan Fitzpatrick. 

There is absolutely no creativity on the offensive side of the ball. Even in the victories against the Jets and Panthers, I wasn’t overly pleased with the vanilla sets the Bills were putting on the field.

They did use motion, for what I think was the first time all season, but it lead to nothing special.

On an early third and long, they did use a five wide set, that ended in a Steve Johnson reception one yard short of a first down. It really put the Bills day in a nutshell.

Outside of that, it was bunched formations on first down, and on third down three wide — Terrell Owens and Lee Evans outside, and Josh Reed in the slot.

Too easy to defend.

The reverse call was obviously a great decision, but those were negated by an odd pitch call on third and short for Fred Jackson and an even more strange fake punt reverse for Justin Jenkins.

Brian Moorman said after the game that if the play worked, everyone would have applauded Jauron, but when it gets blown up, it looks bad.

True, true. But, in recent years the play that’s been most successful has been Moorman, who was an accomplished track star in college, running the ball upon receiving in from center. Not wasting time reversing another player back to the middle of the field.

Don’t get it.

The Bills attempts at creativity, are so poorly drawn up, I sometimes wonder where the coaches get their ideas from.

I don’t think it could get much worse for Evans and Owens, who are on pace for their worst statistical seasons. Evans was only targeted once in the first half. That cannot ever happen.

Remember when people were beginning to say Trent Edwards must say “screw it” and throw the ball deep. It’s time for the Bills coaching staff to say the same and move far, far away from this predictable, “Pop Warner” offense.

I thought the predictability left with Steve Fairchild. Guess not.

 

Byrd living up to hype once again

Jairus Byrd is really the lone bright spot on the team, as the best defensive, and best offensive player.

Without his interceptions giving the Bills short fields, they had no chance to score, because they can’t move the ball more than 40 yards to sustain a drive.

He’s had two interceptions in three straight games. If he’s not on track for a Defensive Rookie of the Year trophy and a Pro-Bowl appearance, I’m not sure what you have to do to win these honors.

How awesome was his wing-flapping after his second interception. Hard not to get pumped over the future for this kid.

 

Where the Bills lose

I heard it all on Sunday.

“This team is terrible.”

“I can’t take watching this horrible team anymore.”

“Let’s leave, it’s too hard to watch.”

The quotations from these disgruntled Bills fans are all valid. The product on the field right now is, in many phases of the game, very bad.

When something is this wrong the first question that arises is, why?

Here’s why.

Tell me what these names have in common.

Brad Butler, Derek Schouman, Kawika Mitchell, Marcus Buggs, Leodis McKelvin, Trent Edwards, Johnanthon Scott, Jamon Meredith, Donte Whitner, Bryan Scott, Shawn Nelson, Kyle Williams, Aaron Schobel, Keith Ellison.

I could be missing a few.

This appears to be a list of Bills starters, players that would be instrumental to the Bills making a run at the postseason. In reality, it’s a list of players that either were out for some or all of the game on Sunday.

Our linebackers at one point were, Paul Posluszny, Ashlee Palmer, and Chris Draft. Nothing against these guys, but that starting unit isn’t going to get the job done.

Too many injuries. It sounds like a cop-out excuse but it’s been the real reason behind the Bills lackluster performances becoming more common that we’d like.

Take this many starters and role players off any team, and they’d struggle.

As you know, I’m an overly optimistic person, especially when it comes to the Bills, and I think that if Aaron Schobel stays in that game, the Bills are in it late, and maybe even pull out another surprising win.

Without him the entire second half, Schaub could have eaten a sandwhich before he had to throw.

Even Keith Ellison’s absence was felt, and I never thought I’d say that. The run defense was gashed in the second half because Kyle Williams, Schobel, and Ellison were out of the game.

I don’t know if it’s sheer unluckiness or JT Allaire not having the correct strength and conditioning program in place, but with the injuries piling up each week, it’s impossible to progress on either side of the ball.

Is the season now a lost cause? Close. Many believe Chris Johnson and the Titans will stampede all over the Bills defense and the offense will remain stagnant. Who knows, but at 3-5, another slip up casts the Bills into the decade of futility.

Man, if they miss the playoffs for a 10th consecutive year, I’m not sure what I’ll do.

They need changes, and they need to make them fast. Hopefully the bye week will give the players time to heal and more importantly allow the coaches to clear their heads and institute some football plays that actually work. 

There’s a long way to go.

Bills vs. Titans Nov. 15th…Seen and Herd to follow

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