Bills vs Patriots Week 15

Final Score Bills – 10 Tom Bradys - 17

The Buffalo Bills have lost to the New England Tom Bradys. In other news fish still swim in the sea, there is conflict in the Middle East and corruption in Washington. Tom Brady is still a prima-donna cry-bitch. The Bills have no offensive line or quarterback, same old, same old.

At least there was a moment of comedy in this comedy of errors. Ryan Fitzpatrick was playing poorly for the past couple quarters…I mean games...I mean his whole career…Anyway Ryan was pulled from the game and former starting quarterback Trent Edwards returned triumphantly to the field. Trent played 3 downs, completed one pass for negative one yard and left the game with an in juried ankle. If there was ever a metaphor for the Bill’s woes at quarterback this was it.

I’ve reached the last stage of grieving this season; acceptance. I’m not at all disappointed that the Bills lost this game. What would winning have accomplished at this point? The Bills would have gotten a lower draft pick, the chances that there would changes in the Bills front office would have substantially dropped. The victory would have been hollow. When the Bills finally beat New England again, I want it to be in game that decides which team wins the division, or which team goes to the playoffs. I want a victory important enough for the fans to rush the field and take the goal posts down. I want a victory that will make up for six seasons of defeat, not some empty moral victory after the season is a wash. Nope, in contrast to the heart crushing, hair tearing last second defeat which should have been a historical victory for Buffalo at the start of the 2009 season, I watched this game with mild interest at best.

The news out of 1 Bills Drive is that there will be some turnover in the front office shortly after Christmas. Tom Modrak and John Guy should have fired several seasons ago. Will they finally get coal and pink slip in their stockings? We’ll see.

The Sabres

The Sabres gathered 5 points in 4 games last week, falling only to the Sabre kryptonite Ottawa Senators. The Sabres even managed to take the Penguins into overtime with Lalime of all people in net. They might have won that game with Miller in net, but that goes without saying at this point.

I’m not sure what the deal is with Ottawa, no matter how good the Sabres are and how bad the Senators are, the Sabres struggle against them. Is it psychological at this point? Do the Sabres just write these games off as a loss? I understand there was some illness running through the team the night they played the Senators which, granted is a viable excuse. The talent gap between the Senators and Sabres isn’t huge but I’d still say the Sabres are the better team. The Sabres are running out of ways to lose against the Senators. I hope they run out ways to lose fast because there’s a fair chance these two teams will be meeting in the playoffs this year.

Bills vs Chiefs Week 14

Final Score Bills - 16 Chiefs 10

Is this what a Buffalo Bills win feels like?

Low scoring and an incompetent offense? Check.

Poor run defense? Check.

The same old story for the season. Against Kansas City the Bills turned in an uninspired win. Rather that dominating an opponent defensively, or running through an opponent offensively, the Bills won simply by fucking up slightly less than the other team. The Bills won this game the same way a kid wins an art contest for 8 year olds; someone may have won but the picture they drew still sucks.

Coach Fewell is 2-2 as a head coach, the obvious question is will he be the Bills coach next season or are the Bills still committed bringing in a proven winner like Shanahan or Cowher? History indicates the Bills will go the cheap route. Prove me wrong Ralph Wilson. Please, please please prove me wrong. Also since you’re reading this can I have some money? Oh right…the cheap route.

Ok, lets put on our tinfoil hats and address the situation with the unbeaten Colts and Saints. A number of people have starting to dream of a Colts-Saints Superbowl in which both teams, still unbeaten square off. Since the NFL is ridged, (remember; tinfoil hats) I predict a different scenario. The problem with the Colt-Saints Superbowl is there isn’t an underdog. Here’s what will happen. Either the Colts or the Saints will face a wildcard playoff team from the opposing conference that peaked talent-wise at the best possible moment. Think the 2008 Giants or the 2006 Steelers. Now we have the unbeaten juggernaut vs the scrappy underdog, now we have a classic Superbowl. I’m thinking we’ll see Colts vs Packers (again; tinfoil hats)

The Sabres

This past week the Sabres beat the Capitals and the Blackhawks, two of the top teams in hockey. They even managed to beat the Blackhawks with Lalime in net. What does this mean? Are the Sabres an elite team? This past Friday I went to see the band Nico Vega. Walking from the concert I found out the Sabres had won because I was walking behind some Blackhawk fans and being drunk and loud, I could hear their conversation. The drunken Chicago fans I called the Sabres an elite team. Should we believe the drunks? I’m not ready to call the Sabres elite yet, but they’re pretty damn good.

Bills vs Jets Week 13

Final Score Bills - 13 Jets - 19

Ah yes there’s the Bills I know and love, the defense which can be counted on to give up 19 yards on a 3^rd and 15. The offense that can’t convert 3^rd downs no matter how long or short. The team that hangs around until the final minutes of the 4^th quarter only to end up blowing their last chance to win the game. Mighty Casey has a better chance of hitting a homerun than the ’09 Bills have of mounting a 4^th quarter comeback.

At least now delusional Bills fans can quit dreaming up the scenarios in which the Bills go 9-7 and stumble their way into the playoffs with the help of about 5 other teams losing just the right games. The Bills are going 5-11. 4-12 if the Colts don’t rest their starters for the playoffs.

I know it will never happen because Fewell is coaching to win, hoping to land another coaching gig, but I think the Bills should sit Terrell Owens and play James Hardy and Steve Johnson. We need to see if either of these receivers can be full time starters next year. The same goes for defensive end Chris Ellis, sit Ryan Denny and put Ellis in, see what he can do.

I watched the game in Kelly’s sports bar http://www.kellysnyc.com/ this week. Kelly’s is a hangout for displaced Buffalo natives and had both the Sabres and the Bills games on TV. It turned out to be a study in contrasts, the Sabres spanked the Canadians up and down the ice, meanwhile, the Bills got spanked in Canada.

I could have easily watched the game at home but I prefer to watch sports in the company of lots of other fans, especially in a bar. I love the characters, the loud drunk who shouts insightful coaching tips at the TV such as “Score a touchdown you fucks!” Thanks man, apparently carrying the ball across the goal line yields points in the game of football. I’ve learned something new today. I also love the angry lesbian hockey fan. Her response to a hockey fight: “Fucking kill him, make him bleed!” When the Sabres make the playoffs this year and whenever the Bills make it back to the playoffs, I’m going to a Buffalo bar to watch the game. Watching at home may be more convenient, but its more fun to live and die with a crowd of other fans

Bills vs Dolphins Week 12

Final Score Bills - 31 Dolphins - 14

No matter the state of the Bills, whether they are playoff bound or fighting for the first pick of the upcoming draft, it’s always sweet to beat the Dolphins. Even sweeter is when the Bills dominate the Dolphins by 17 points.

At this point, I’d argue that the New England Tom Bradys are the Bills’ bigger rival, but for the Bills fans, the Dolphins will always be enemy number one. The Dolphins owned our collective asses in the 70’s and 80’s, and during the 90’s the Bills turned it around and knocked the Dolphins out during the playoffs at nearly every turn. Even the cities are practically on different planets. Buffalo is cold, blue collar and Labatt Blue drinking. Miami is hot and full of beach bums and off-shore cocaine deals. This is the stuff rivalries are made of.

Two weeks under coach Fewell, and two weeks in a row that the Bills have played with some fire, they played to win and this time came out on top in convincing fashion. Do the Bills need a shake down of the front office? Without question; yes. Do the Bills need a coach change? Maybe. I’d still love to have Shanahan coaching the Bills next year, but it’s starting to look like it’d be a shame to lose Fewell, and Shanahan would almost certainly want to bring in his own defensive coordinator. When Fewell was promoted to head coach he said that, under him the Bills would play like hell to win. It seems Fewell is coaching like hell to stay head coach.

I doubt it needs to be said again for the 100^th time but Trent Edwards is done in Buffalo, and probably done as a starting quarterback. He’ll be a solid second stringer and that’s it. Speaking of position changes, Fred Jackson has no business being anything other than the starting running back for the rest of the season. Lynch may not be done in Buffalo but he’s sure playing like it.

Finally who’s this guy wearing number 81, and where was he during the first half of the season?

Some Other Games

The New England Tom Bradys got spanked by the future Super Bowl winner Saints, Once again always entertaining.

The Steelers defense is decidedly average without Troy Polomoomoo-coo-coo-ka-chu. He and his hair should retroactively named defensive MVP for the past two years.

The Sabres

After losing 4 games in a row, the Sabres have notched 3 wins although only 1 was against a quality team. Miller is probably going to single handedly carry the team into the playoffs. Behind Miller is a piece of Swiss cheese in a hockey mask though, the Sabres need to get a quality backup before the trade deadline.