rayonsports.com

With a quarter of the 16-game season now in the books in the NFL it’s time to give the Buffalo Bills their grades for the first portion of the season. With an 0-4 won-lost record and having given up 34, 38 and 38 points in their last 3 games, the overall grade is easy. It’s a well-deserved F. Here are the position-by-position grades for the team, including the front office and coaching staff:

Front Office

Drafting C.J. Spiller was a positive but last year’s draft hasn’t produced any other productive players. Nose tackle Torell Troup has seen a little playing time but the Bills’ run defense has been so bad that you can’t say he’s contributed much. Alex Carrington made the final roster and finally was active on game day against the Jets but hasn’t shown anything. This team needs pass rush help so badly that if Carrington doesn’t show something by season’s end he may have to be considered a bust, since he’ll certainly get opportunities. Injuries derailed Marcus Easley, Ed Wang and now Arthur Moats so the draft grade has to be incomplete. Undrafted free agent David Nelson was a good find, but GM Buddy Nix gets negative grades for one move – signing Chris Kelsay to an extension – and one move he didn’t make – resigning Terrell Owens. Kelsay was an average player at defensive end before this season, and since his switch to linebacker not only looks lost and confused but looks like he’s playing wearing cement football spikes. Signing him is a head-scratcher, unless the coaches see something that the average fan doesn’t. Let’s face it, Kelsay is way beyond the point where you’d resign him based on “potential”. The front office probably decided they didn’t want the distraction of having T.O. around again, but he behaved last year, was a good teammate and certainly was a productive receiver. He could have been signed relatively cheaply, so not bringing him back really cheated the fans, and looks like a cheap move.

Coaching

When your team is 0-4 and looks lost and disorganized, your grade has to be an F. Changing what was at least a competitive defense to a 3-4 scheme has been a total failure so far, and obviously the wrong choice at quarterback was made at the start of the season, so another negative checkmark goes in the coaches’ column for that. The use of all 3 backs in the running game could be viewed as a positive, but the fact that Fred Jackson has wound up being under-utilized as a weapon negates that.

Quarterback

Trent Edwards gets an F for his 2 games played, and obviously he flunked right out of school. We’ll give Ryan Fitzpatrick an incomplete so far, based on not enough playing time yet. Fitzpatrick is a competent backup at the very least, but most likely before the season is over we’ll see Brian Brohm, and possibly even Levi Brown, get their shots.

Running Back

C.J. Spiller gets a B+ but even his contributions have been spotty, mostly coming on kick returns. Fred Jackson was a much more productive player last year but for some reason this coaching staff has fallen in love with Marshawn Lynch, and Jackson hasn’t had much chance to shine. It seems to me that the new coaches are making the same mistake with Lynch that they made with Trent Edwards. Like Edwards, Lynch was beaten out last year by a hungrier, more productive player but apparently won the starting job back. They’ll learn the hard way, like they did with Edwards, that for every positive play Lynch makes he’ll make 2 that go for losses, or as in the Jets’ debacle, result in costly turnovers. What is frustrating to fans is that they already know, because they’ve seen it last year, what the new coaches are taking half the season to find out – that some of these guys wound up on the bench last year for good reason. Overall, the running backs get a B+, since the running game actually works well when the defense can get off the field and give the offense a chance to play ball control instead of continually having to play from behind.

Receivers

This group was failing until Fitzpatrick took over at QB. Then suddenly in New England last week, Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, Stevie Johnson, Jonathan Stupar and David Nelson started making plays. There were a ton of drops in the Jets’ game, however, so this group gets a C-, mostly because of inconsistency. Johnson and Nelson deserve mention, though, since they looked like players who were going to contribute zero at the start of the season, then blossomed once Fitzpatrick took over.

Offensive Line

This unit is far from the best in the NFL, but certainly Fitzpatrick’s presence has made them look better. They deserve at least a C, with veteran Cornell Green pulling that grade down from a B- with his inconsistent play. The front office has signed 2 offensive linemen off the street since the season started so you know they are still looking for missing pieces, but I think this is a unit that at least at this point is headed in the right direction with good, young players and is a building block for the team.

Special Teams

One of the strengths of the team, especially the return game with Spiller and Parrish. The kicking game is solid with Brian Moorman and Rian Lindell, and the kick coverage has been good as well, even in the Jets’ game. In fact, the Bills’ kick coverage units were the most physical part of Buffalo’s game on Sunday. I wonder if Cory McIntyre can play linebacker? This unit gets a B+.

Defensive Line

The only physical player among the Bills’ front seven is nose tackle Kyle Williams, but the run defense has been so pathetic that even he can’t get a good grade. Rookie Torell Troup is too inexperienced to grade too harshly, but certainly he’s no instant sensation. The same goes for rookie DE Alex Carrington. Three veteran defensive ends, Marcus Stroud, Spencer Johnson and free agent Dwan Edwards, have all underachieved, as this team can’t stop the run and generates no pressure at all on opposing quarterbacks. I’ll give them a D, sparing them a failing grade only because the poor linebacker play has made them look worse than they are.

Linebacker

This group gets not only an F, but an oversized F in red pencil. They are the worst linebacking unit in the NFL and are mostly responsible for dragging down the performance of the whole defense. In a 3-4 scheme the linemen are supposed to tie up blockers, freeing up the linebackers to pursue the ball and make plays. There are NO playmakers on this linebacking corps. On the inside, the best player is probably Paul Posluszny, but he is an average player, probably couldn’t crack the starting lineup with most teams and certainly hasn’t thrived in the new scheme. Andra Davis was signed after being cut by another team, so he is a stop-gap player. Keith Ellison is a hard worker who contributes on special teams but is not really a starter. His grade for effort, however, would probably be the highest among the linebackers. The outside backers are all players trying, not very successfully, to make the transition from defensive end. I already critiqued Kelsay earlier, so there’s no sense piling on. Chris Ellis and Aaron Maybin, so far, are borderline busts. The move to OLB should have been great for both of them, allowing them to utilize their quickness to give the team a couple of great outside pass rushing threats. The fact that the team was moving rookie Arthur Moats, before he was hurt on Sunday, to outside LB to try to generate some pass rush is an indictment of Ellis’ and Maybin’s continued failure. The other outside backer on the roster, Reggie Torbor, is, like Davis, a stop-gap player. You know this unit is bad when 2 of the 4 starters are veterans who were released by other teams.

Defensive Back

The Bills have no interceptions so far this season, and the secondary has been burned to a crisp in consecutive weeks by Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez,  so these guys should probably get a failing grade. I’ll give them a D-, only because the lack of pass rush and poor linebacker play has put them in some bad positions. It’s impossible to cover Randy Moss all day when Tom Brady is getting hit less than he does in his practice sessions. That being said, this unit is loaded with underachievers, top 10 draft picks like Donte Whitner and Leodis McKelvin, who should be playmakers but aren’t. I’ll give Terrence McGee and Ashton Youboty passes here. They are decent players who keep getting hurt, mainly because they wind up having to make the tackles that the linebackers should be making. Jairus Byrd WAS a playmaker last year, but again, in the new scheme, he’s been invisible. Veterans George Wilson and Bryan Scott are in the same boat as Fred Jackson. They are hard workers and special teams contributors who earned their way onto the field last year, but now are seeing their playing time reduced as the coaches use the high draft choice guys who are mediocrities. This unit, on paper, is a strength of the team. They just haven’t shown it yet in the 3-4 scheme.

The New York Jets’ 38-14 win over Buffalo on Sunday cemented 2 things – that the Jets indeed have to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender, and that the Bills may be the worst team in the NFL right now. Buffalo’s offense didn’t get much done but the defense they were up against is among the NFL’s best. The expectation in a game like that is that your defense will slow down the Jets’ running game and can possibly bait young QB Mark Sanchez into some turnovers. Instead, for the second week in a row the Bills’ defense was non-existent. Jet running backs, led by LaDainian Tomlinson, ran through gaping holes all day long. The pass rush never got near Sanchez and Jet receivers were wide open all day. The Bills went into the game with 2 goals on defense – stopping the run, since the Jets had gouged them badly twice last year, and making sure Sanchez’s favorite target, tight end Dustin Keller, was accounted for and didn’t beat them. The Jets wound up with 273 yards rushing and Keller scored 2 touchdowns, including one in which he was completely unaccounted for in the end zone. The Jets manhandled Buffalo physically, and that is one of the Bills’ biggest problems right now. Their defense is a sieve and besides looking totally disorganized and lost in playing their new 3-4 scheme, there are no physical players, other than maybe nose tackle Kyle Williams, on the unit. In reviewing last week’s loss to New England I mentioned that the team’s high draft picks that should be major playmakers by now, Donte Whitner, Leodis McKelvin, Aaron Maybin, etc. are turning out to be mediocities rather than impact players. McKelvin was schooled by Sanchez and Braylon Edwards on a double move on Edwards’ touchdown in the 2nd quarter and again, like Whitner and Maybin, makes 3 negative plays in each game for every positive play. Granted, the offense didn’t help much, and Marshawn Lynch’s fumble pretty much sealed the deal for the Jets, but even had Ryan Fitzpatrick and Company equalled their 30 point showing last week, it still wouldn’t have been enough. Lynch, by the way, fits the same category as the first round defensive players. He’s a disappointment overall who makes 3 negative plays for every positive one. Defensive coordinator George Edwards should be under fire today after his unit’s performance for the last 2 1/2 games. Sure, the unit is learning the new scheme and needs to adjust, but the last 3 games weren’t an adjustment period, they were a total failure. It may be time to give some of the soft, over-rated veterans on the unit the Trent Edwards treatment – starting lineup one week, waiver wire the next. Coach Chan Gailey needs to find out if there are any younger players – on the roster, the practice squad or on other team’s practice squads – who have a little desire to play the game.

Meanwhile, on Sunday night in New York, the Giants defense, coordinated by Perry Fewell, who directed the Bills defense last year when it was the strength of the team, sacked the Bears’ Jay Cutler 9 times in the first half, knocking him out of the game with a head injury, and crushed the Bears 17-3. It’s starting to look more and more like Gailey and George Edwards should have followed the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” rule with the Bills’ defense.

If my week of predictions for week 3 were a football game, it would be one of those games that a coach says “we’re just going to burn the films of this game and move forward”. I wound up with only 6 right and 10 wrong, but would like to point out that I went way out on a long limb in picking Buffalo to upset New England, and would’ve had the upset right if the Bills’ defense had bothered to show up. Also, kickers missing short field goals cost me games involving New Orleans and Oakland. The overall record for 3 weeks is now 27 right and 20 wrong. Here are my week 4 selections:

New York Jets at Buffalo – the Bills made the right move by changing quarterbacks and should be competitive in this game at home, but I have no faith in their soft, passive defense.  The Jets will win a close game by steamrolling the defense with their running game in the 4th quarter.

Cincinnati at Cleveland – great spot for an upset here but the Bengals have too much offense for the Browns to keep up with. Cincinnati wins this edition of the Battle of Ohio.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh – kudos to the Steeler defense for shocking everybody by winning 3 consecutive games without Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens play pretty good defense also and aren’t intimidated by the Steelers. They would win this game even if Big Ben were playing. 

Denver at Tennessee – the Titans win handily at home behind a big game from Chris Johnson and smothering defense. 

Detroit at Green Bay – the Lions are playing better than their 0-3 record shows but unfortunately they catch the Packers coming off a poor, penalty-filled performance on Monday night. The Packers will be focused and will win easily.

San Francisco at Atlanta – if the Niners couldn’t even be competitive on the road in Kansas City, they won’t here either. The Falcons, buoyed by their big OT win in New Orleans, pull out another win.

Carolina at New Orleans –  just like the Lions going into Green Bay, this is a bad spot for the Panthers, going into the Superdome to face an angry Saints team coming off a loss. Even though divisional games are usually competitive, the Saints win by double digits here.

Seattle at St. Louis – Sam Bradford is getting comfortable and the Rams are growing in confidence each week, and the Seahawks are inconsistent and usually lay eggs on the road. The Rams win a close game for their second win in a row.

Indianapolis at Jacksonville – this may be the biggest mismatch in the early going so far this year. The Jaguars are struggling in all phases of the game and the Colts, after getting a wakeup call on opening day from the Texans, are back to their surgically precise selves again. The Colts will win big on the road here.

Houston at Oakland – if the Texans are really going to get over the hump and become true playoff contenders this season, this is the type of game they have to win. The Raiders are a handful for any team, especially at home, but I’ll go with Houston in a close game.

Washington at Philadelphia – Donovan McNabb returns to his old stomping grounds, and both teams will be stoked to win this game. It’s a divisional game so the teams would be extra motivated anyway, but the emotions will be running higher than normal. I like the Eagles, rejuvenated on offense behind Michael Vick, to ruin McNabb’s homecoming. McNabb should play well, but overall Philadelphia is a better team.

Arizona at San Diego – the Chargers are off to their usual slow start, but they can’t let the Chiefs pull too far ahead of them in the AFC West race. They need to win this game and will coast to a victory at home.

Chicago at New York Giants – the Bears are the biggest surprise in the NFL so far this season, and the Giants the biggest enigma. I expect Jay Cutler to struggle against a motivated NY defense and pick the Giants to tough out a win at home.

New England at Miami – marquee Monday night matchup between 2 AFC East rivals. Miami has the better defense, and even in the Patriots’ Super Bowl seasons the Dolphins always seemed to have their number. The Dolphins’ running game is the difference as they control the clock and keep Tom Brady & Company off the field enough to pull out a win.

Over the course of New England’s 14 straight wins over the Bills there have been games when Tom Brady looked like he was involved in a non-contact 7-on-7 practice drill rather than a live game, and yesterday was one of those games. During the broadcast the announcers said that the Pats focused all week on themselves, and straightening out their own game after losing to the Jets last week, rather than worrying about the Bills. It’s unfortunate that Buffalo had to be scheduled to face Brady under those circumstances, because, like Peyton Manning, he is virtually unstoppable when he feels like his team is in a must-win scenario. One thing coach Chan Gailey and the Bills can feel good about is the decision to make a change at quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick clearly gave them the spark they needed, and the fact that he guided the offense to 23 points with the same exact players that Trent Edwards had is an indictment of Edwards. He is in his fourth NFL season now and is not a bonafide starting quarterback in the league. Fitzpatrick may not be the ultimate answer, and he did throw 2 costly interceptions that squelched any chance of a Bills’ comeback, but in the course of the game the Bills offense was alive. He distributed the ball well, as Lee Evans, Stevie Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, Jonathan Stupar and C.J. Spiller all made plays in the passing game. Spiller returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and Marshawn Lynch ran well again, and the Bills, on offense, now have something they can build on. One thing that they need to work on is getting Fred Jackson a little more involved, but Fitzpatrick being the starter at least gives the fans hope that this team can start to string together a few wins and salvage this season.

The most disappointing thing about the loss to the Pats has to be the play of the defense. It was one of those games where they didn’t stop the run, got zero pressure on Brady and never seemed to have anybody covered in the secondary, although I still believe the team has some decent players back there, and the time Brady had to find his receivers was why the Pats offense made it look so easy. The switch to the 3-4 defensive scheme may have something to do with the Bills’ struggles on that side of the ball, but I think the team really just lacks playmakers. You would’ve thought that with the offense clicking like it did, that the defense would have risen to the occasion and at least slowed the Pats down enough to pull off the upset. But that’s why the Bills have been a losing operation for a decade. They find new and creative ways to lose every week. When a team is involved in a game like yesterday’s and needs the defense to make a play here and there to change the momentum, they turn to their studs that they drafted and invested in for just these types of situations. So, what high draft picks do the Bills have to turn to when they need a big play on defense? Mediocrities like Donte Whitner, Leodis McKelvin, John McCargo (who can’t even play his way onto the game-day active roster) and Aaron Maybin. These guys all have zero impact on the outcome of games. Even last year’s one defensive playmaker, safety Jairus Byrd, never seems to be in position to have a positive impact on the game. Granted, it’s a tough spot to be in when you’re still learning a new scheme and you have to face a highly-motivated Tom Brady, but so far, this new scheme has taken a defense that was one of the league’s best in creating turnovers last year, and produced one takeaway – a fumble recovery in yesterday’s game. They are just not an aggressive defense, and certainly not a physical one. The tackling was atrocious on Danny Woodhead’s touchdown run in the game, as they made Woodhead, a Jet reject and special teams player, look like Adrian Peterson.

All Bills’ fans can do now is focus on the positives – an offense that has a chance to score some points, and the play of Spiller – as they move on to the next challenge, a home contest against another tough division rival, the New York Jets.

Things were looking bad last week as the results from the 1 PM games came in and I had barely a plus-side rating with 5 games picked right and 4 wrong. But I wound up going 6-1 for the 4 PM, Sunday night and Monday night games and rebounded to go  11-5 for the week, bringing the two week tally to a respectable 21 right and 10 wrong. Here are the week 3 predictions:

Buffalo at New England – the unknown factor here is how much impact the QB change to Ryan Fitzpatrick will have on the impotent Bills’ offense. Probably not much, as the Patriots should be angry and focused after losing to the Jets. Add in the fact that they’ve won 13 in a row over the Bills and this game should be the easiest on the schedule to pick. Naturally, I’m going to pick the Bills to pull off a huge upset, basically on a hunch.

Tennessee at New York Giants – Chris Johnson should rebound from a poor performance last week to give the Titans a strong running game, but I like the Giants, also trying to rebound from an abysmal game, at home, in a low scoring game.

Cincinnati at Carolina – I’m still not sold on the Bengals, especially on the road, but it will take time for Jimmy Clausen to settle in and get comfortable in his new role as the Panthers’ starting QB, so I see a hard-fought Cincinnati win in this one.

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay – the Steelers are getting it done with defense and smoke and mirrors on offense so far, and I don’t see that changing this week, even though Tampa QB Josh Freeman has been impressive in the early going. Facing the Steeler defense will be a whole new experience for him, and not a pleasant one.

Cleveland at Baltimore – division rivalry game between the old Browns and the new Browns, and this should be a Baltimore victory as the Ravens focus to get back on track after losing in Cinci last week. If they are going to be serious Super Bowl contenders they can’t afford division losses 2 weeks in a row.

San Francisco at Kansas City – the 49ers are the better team in this matchup and should be confident after playing the defending champion Saints tough on Monday night, but I worry about their consistency. This is the perfect spot, a road game with a short preparation week, for a Niner letdown, but they are 0-2 and can’t afford too many more losses and should pull this game out.

Dallas at Houston – two teams going in opposite directions so far this season. This is going to be an epic struggle, as the Cowboys need this game badly but the Texans will be treating it like it’s a Super Bowl. Houston wins a shootout and Wade Phillips spends the week afterward answering questions about his job security.

Detroit at Minnesota – the Vikings have to win this game  to keep from falling completely out of the NFC North race, so they will find a way to pull it out, although the Lions will keep it close.

Atlanta at New Orleans – the Falcons will be highly motivated to show that they can challenge New Orleans for supremacy in the NFC South, but the Saints have too much firepower on offense and started to get it together on Monday night, and will win this game.

Washington at St. Louis – the Redskins win a close game on the road as their defense schools Sam Bradford, and Donovan McNabb makes just enough plays to put this in the win column.

Philadelphia at Jacksonville – there’s no way Michael Vick stumbles now that he has the chance to keep the starting QB job. The Jaguars will show some pride after getting blasted in San Diego last week and keep it close, but Philly wins it with a big fourth quarter.

Indianapolis at Denver –  Peyton Manning plays a methodical, move – the – chains style of game and the Colts win easily to stay close to the Texans in their division race.

Oakland at Arizona – the Raiders pull a mild surprise by winning a low scoring, hard fought game on the road. Darren McFadden continues to establish himself as a back to be taken seriously in the league, and Bruce Gradkowski plays his usual style, getting just enough done to get a win.

San Diego at Seattle – the Seahawks look like they are going to be inconsistent and unpredictable this year. They will play well in this game because they’re at home, but the Chargers will win.

New York Jets at Miami – Miami’s defense is impressive and will throttle Mark Sanchez and the Jet running game, while the Dolphin running game gets it done and keeps the team unbeaten and the surprise frontrunner in the AFC East.

Green Bay at Chicago – the NFL’s oldest rivalry, and the Bears opened some eyes by winning in Dallas last week, giving them lots of momentum going into this game. The Packers eventually need to figure out how they are going to replace Ryan Grant’s contributions in the running game. A lot of experts picked the Packers to reach the Super Bowl this year, and that talk will become louder as Aaron Rodgers leads them to a big win in this one, bringing the Bears back down to earth.

The news came out on Tuesday morning that New York Jets’ wide receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested for driving under the influence, with his breathalyzer reading being twice the legal limit. Edwards was acquired by the Jets from the Browns last season after an incident outside a bar in Cleveland, with the Browns deciding to extract a headache who had a penchant for dropping passes and the Jets looking to add a downfield weapon to their offense. Edwards is a decent player – he had a good game in the Jets’ big win over New England on Sunday – but his actions in getting into trouble again are both selfish and ridiculously stupid. Rex Ryan’s team, already under pressure of their own making to win the Super Bowl, now face a second straight crucial division game on Sunday night in Miami, and Edwards jeopardized their chances by putting himself in a position to possibly face being suspended for the game. It appears at this point that neither the team or the league will take that action, although the Jets have said they will punish Edwards by not starting him Sunday night. Way to set an example for your young fans, Rex. By the way, the Jets are also awaiting the return of another receiver, former Steeler Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes, from a 4-game suspension.

This morning a report came out that highlights the stupidity of what Edwards did. Being intoxicated that much over the legal limit is one thing, and driving while in that state is inexcusable. But get this – the Jets have a team sponsored program called “Player Protect”  that provides them with free luxury automobiles, equipped with satellite TV and driven by legally -armed security guards who are all former law enforcement officers, free of charge, at any time. Edwards, as well as his passengers, teammates Vernon Gholston and   D’Brickashaw Ferguson, didn’t think to take advantage of this program? Well, Ryan put this team together with all kinds of players with questionable character, and apparently with not much intelligence either. Check out a copy of the team’s “Player Protect” program below. It’s ridiculous, but I have to admit, it’s a pretty pro-active approach. If you’re going to hire a bunch of questionable thugs, you may as well do what you can to try to keep them in line.

In posting a Buffalo Bills 2010 season preview, I looked at the prospects at each position. Here is part of the assessment of the quarterbacks:

“For better or worse, Trent Edwards will again direct the Bills’ offense this season. He had looked shell-shocked since suffering a concussion 2 years ago and was running for his life last year behind a patchwork offensive line. So far in preseason he looks a lot more comfortable, and that could be due to the fact that the O-line has done a good job of protecting him for the most part. Edwards also looks like he has bulked up since last season. Hopefully that will help his durability. Edwards still hasn’t shown that he can handle playing in bad weather, a top qualification of any Bills’ QB. It was interesting that after Fewell took over the Bills last season, he started having them practice outside for the first time. Could that be a reason Edwards hasn’t proven he can handle playing in the elements?  He still has a lot to prove, but he did win the starting job outright in camp. Look for steady progress from Edwards and in the end, a successful if not spectacular season from him, especially if his offensive line stays healthy and jells together. Ryan Fitzpatrick did a good job holding down the fort in some dismal conditions as last season wound down, and his presence on the roster as the backup is a positive. He is settling nicely into the role as the guy who helps out the younger QBs from the sideline, but is always ready when called upon to play.”

Yes, it’s true Fitzpatrick is a true professional who is always prepared when called upon to play. The Bills’ coaching staff, after 2 dismal offensive performances to start the regular season, has decided that time is now. Edwards did win the job outright in training camp but unfortunately, once the real bullets started flying, he immediately regressed into the tentative, unproductive signal caller he was when he lost the job last season. Bulking up may have helped him withstand hard hits, but it didn’t do anything to improve his pocket awareness. So the Bills announced on Monday that Fitzpatrick would start this week’s game at New England. This is a change that had to be made, and I applaud coach Chan Gailey for doing it now while the season is still salvagable. Players who underperform at any other position are subject to being replaced in the lineup, but coaches are always wary of ruining their quarterback’s fragile psyche by sending them to the bench. Kudos to Gailey for putting the good of the team ahead of worrying about Edwards being disappointed. Fitzpatrick isn’t exactly the second coming of Bart Starr, but the fact is last season, when the Bills had a 6-10 record, the team was 5-4 when Fitzpatrick started. The Bills’ players are not going to publically trash Edwards, but because of  Trent’s past record and the “deja vu” feeling that the first 2 games had of last year, you know this move is going to go over well in the locker room. The Bills’ offensive line has struggled somewhat in the first 2 weeks, so Fitzpatrick’s mobility will be an asset also. An offensive line can make a quarterback look great when they protect him well, but it’s also true that a quarterback can make an offensive line look better if that quarterback doesn’t panic at the first sign of trouble, makes good decisions, finds a way to extend plays, and has some semblance of pocket awareness. I have a feeling that fans will be surprised at how much the Bills’ O-line “improves” this week with Fitzpatrick behind center.

The game plan for trying to upset a heavily-favored obviously superior team on the road in the NFL is usually to “weather the storm” in the early going, keep the game close and then hope to steal the game with a couple of big plays, possibly off of turnovers when the highly-favored team starts to press. The Buffalo Bills’ defense accomplished that in Green Bay by holding the Packers to field goals while their offense struggled. Even when the Pack scored to widen their lead to 13-0, the Bills were still in the game. Meanwhile, the offense gained 14 yards on the last play of the first quarter to bring their yardage total for the quarter to exactly zero. To their credit, the Bills put together an impressive touchdown drive, heavily featuring the running game and all 3 of their backs, to cut the score to 13-7 at halftime. Buffalo now had some momentum and were due to receive the second half kickoff, so they were set up perfectly to make a game of it. That’s when the bottom fell out. Trent Edwards threw 2 second half interceptions that started the Pack on its’ way to what turned out to be a one-sided win. Edwards wasn’t at fault for either pick however. The first one clanked off the hands of Stevie Johnson directly to a Green Bay defender, and the second was more of a strip than an interception, as the Packer defender took the ball directly from the Bills’ receiver. The Bills’ quarterback, although not at fault directly for the 2 picks, did nothing otherwise to give his team any semblance of a passing game. The offensive line didn’t do much to protect him, but Edwards, now in his 4th season, still seems to have little pocket awareness and almost zero mobility. After showing signs of progress in preseason, Edwards, in the first 2 regular season games, looks exactly like the QB who played his way to the bench last year. The Bills had no answer for Clay Matthews, who not only had 3 sacks but intimidated Johnson into short-arming the ball that wound up being the first interception, and was all over the field all day. The Bills’ defense is still a work in progress and it was disappointing that they wilted in the second half and gave up three touchdown drives, but they have played well enough to win in both games this season if they’d gotten even average play from the offense. The Bills aren’t good enough to overcome mistakes against anybody, let alone a Super Bowl contender like the Packers. Now they face another road game, in New England, against a highly-motivated Patriots team coming off a loss to the Jets. It shapes up to be an extremely ugly game.