D and S Sports

Week 14 Picks

2010-12-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

About halfway through this season, I decided to stop writing full-blown picks articles and focus more on the upcoming Bills game. This was a solid strategy but when it comes to a week like this it's borderline impossible. I've sat here at the computer for well over an hour trying to come up with a good Bills vs Browns preview. Here is what I've been able to come up with so far:

    1. The Bills offensive line is a mess and might get destroyed on Sunday

    2. The weather will be really bad

    3. Jake Delhomme sucks

    4. Peyton Hillis is going to plow through the Bills horrendous run defense

That's it. That's all I've been able to come up with. There is no possible way I can write a full preview when every thought I have centers around those four ideas. So I decided, at least for this week, that I would revert back to old form and just pick all the games and throw a few lines up about each game instead.

Picks are in bold.

Indianapolis @ Tennessee

- For the NFL wanting to showcase Thursday night football games and hold it against cable companies because they don't have the games, they are sure picking some awful matchups. Granted it isn't their fault and they can't predict the future, but these have been some crap games. The Falcons/Ravens game was a nice start, but it's been pure garbage since then, this game included. Next week we have San Diego and San Francisco. (How does San Francisco get so many primetime games?!?) The following week it's Carolina/Pittsburgh on Thursday and Dallas/Arizona on Saturday. I have a feeling some Time Warner executive is sitting back cackling about this and the NFL's demands to carry the network. Regardless, I'm glad I have them because sometimes any football is better than no football.

Back to the game though. I can't see any possible way that the Colts lose this game. For the first time that I can remember, their back is against the wall and their playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy. On top of that, Peyton Manning has been pure garbage for the past three weeks and he's going to eventually rebound in a big way. Luckily for all of us fantasy players, it's happening around fantasy playoff time. This is a huge change from previous years where Manning owners were carried to the playoffs and then screwed over as Indianapolis rested their starters.

On top of that, the Titans have fallen into the tank and are finished for the season. They are two games back in the division with games against the Colts, Texans, Chiefs, and Colts. There isn't an easy game remaining on the slate. Vince Young is finished for the season, Kerry Collins is showing his age, and Rusty Smith is Rusty Smith. All of this must be affecting CJ2K because he's rushed for 58 yards in the last two games combined. All of this leads to my one big question about Tennessee. At what point do people start pointing the finger at Jeff Fisher? There seems to be constant character issues in Tennessee and to be quite honest, what exactly has he done? He's been the coach for almost 20 years with only one Super Bowl appearance to date.

Cleveland @ Buffalo

- As I highlighted above, Peyton Hillis is going to run all over the Bills. If the reports are true and Buffalo does get a huge blizzard, I expect even more running and an even bigger day for Hillis. As if he isn't hard enough to tackle, now do it when the conditions suck and it's freezing outside. The only hope I have right now is that Hillis turns the ball over a few times and the Bills are able to hang with them and make it close. For a game that I thought was a definite win earlier in the season, I have little hope at this point and don't expect a whole lot.

Green Bay @ Detroit

- Crazy thought of the day. If the season were to end today, the Packers would not make the playoffs. A large part of this is because the awful NFC West will get a team in no matter what, but also because Chicago has a full game lead on Green Bay and the tie-breaker as of now. Because of all this, Green Bay is full must-win mode for the final four games of the season. They face the Giants and Bears in the final two weeks, the two teams ahead of them in the wild card and division. Combine this with the fact that they are playing Detroit, and there is no way Green Bay can lose this game.

New York Giants @ Minnesota

- If there was one annoying thing about last week's Vikings/Bills game, it was the whole "Tarvaris Jackson is good" idea that kept getting thrown out there. Listen, he wasn't good at all. His one touchdown was a toss-up to Sidney Rice, who made a great catch to pull it down in between two Buffalo defenders. But let's not get crazy. I could've thrown that pass. It wasn't Jackson's great pass at all; it was Rice's tremendous effort. On top of that, Jackson threw three interceptions to a defense that had four going into the day. The reason Minnesota won was because A)Adrian Peterson ran all over the league's worst run defense and B) The Bills turned the ball over five times, including twice that gave Minnesota the ball in the red zone and once on the one yard line where they were poised to score.

With all of the above in mind, the Giants will win this game. Their defense is much better than Buffalo's and they are a much more desperate team. They need to win this game to keep pace and setup a division deciding matchup next week against Philadelphia. Good teams don't lose the easy ones.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh

- When doing a little research on the Steelers, I came across one really impressive stat. Rashard Mendenhall has 1007 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Normally that wouldn't be very impressive given the fact that he is good and the Steelers are also good, but it's amazing given the offensive line he has in front of him. This says a lot coming from a Bills fan, but the Steelers have the worst offensive line I've seen in a long time. The Bills have one of the worst defenses in recent memory and they were consistently putting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. On top of that, the few times they were protecting him well was because they were always holding. I'm saying this as unbiased as I can, I have no idea how they are going to win in the playoffs with such a horrendous offensive line. They should win at least three of the next four games, but it will be interesting to see how this is addressed in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay @ Washington

- Tampa Bay pretty much blew their shot at the playoffs last week when they lost to Atlanta. Right now they are 7-5 and trail the Giants and Packers for the wild card. They would actually need a collapse from both teams (not happening) to gain the sixth seed. Even more of a long shot is to hope either New Orleans or Atlanta flop in the final four weeks and allow them to creep in. I've mentioned this before, but we can thank the awful NFC West for this, because as of now, the 6-6 St. Louis Rams would be hosting a playoff game. I addressed a similar issue in my fantasy league for next season; the NFL may want to do the same.

Atlanta @ Carolina

- When I was recently asked about how I'd pick for the Super Bowl, I said I'd have to pick Atlanta in the NFC if they have home-field throughout the playoffs. The formula is simple: the Falcons almost never lose at home. In three seasons, Matt Ryan has lost once inside the Georgia Dome. That is a crazy stat, but 100% true. Now that we know that, also know that the Falcons control their own destiny for the top seed in the NFC and have games against Carolina, Seattle, New Orleans, and Carolina. Three easy wins on that list and the hard game against New Orleans, it's at home. In other words, the Falcons have pretty much wrapped up home field throughout the playoffs.

Oakland @ Jacksonville

- I realize that Jacksonville is in first place in the AFC South and in the driver's seat to make the playoffs, but I refuse to believe they're a good team. They have exactly zero wins against teams with a record above .500. Their losses on the other hand, have come against teams with records of 6-6, 8-4, 5-7, 8-4, and 8-4. Do you see the point I'm making here? They play bad teams, they win. They play good teams, they lose. Sometimes it's really that simply. If the Jags somehow hold onto the South lead and host a playoff game, not only will it not sell out, but they'll be one and done for sure. Mark it down. The Jaguars are a joke.

Seattle @ San Francisco

- I have to think Seattle is going to win this game because right now they are dead-locked in first place at 6-6 with the Rams. That's my only reasoning. Well that and the 49ers aren't very good. Seattle beat them 31-6 on opening day and I don't see any reason why it would be different this week.

St. Louis @ New Orleans

- As of now, this would be a first round preview. Yikes. The Rams are much improved over past years, but they aren't beating the Saints on the road. To their credit though, the line is -8.5 for New Orleans and I think the Rams will at least cover the spread.

New England @ Chicago

- If we've learned one thing over the years, it's to not piss the Patriots off. The Jets pissed them off by constantly running their mouth without accomplishing anything and look what happened last Monday night. This week, Brian Urlacher came out and said the Bears are the best team in the NFL right now. I'm just guessing, but I don't think Tom Brady and company will respond very well to that.

Miami @ NY Jets

- While last week's loss to New England was certainly deflating for the Jets playoff hopes, they still have a wild card berth nearly locked up so hope is still high in Jersey. The key to this game will be how well the Jets run the ball because cold weather + important game = Mark Sanchez implosion when he's forced to throw the ball. Speaking of running the ball, LaDainian Tomlinson has slowed down a bit in recent weeks. I wrote about this earlier in the season but I was of the mind that his body and age would slow him up and he wouldn't keep up his hot start. He's gone over 100 yards this season one time. The last time he even ran for more than 60 yards was in Week Five. Look, all I'm trying to say is that Tomlinson is old and washed up.

Denver @ Arizona

- Interim coaches are 2-0 this season in their debut, which is the sole reason for me picking Denver. Seriously. I have no other reasoning.

Kansas City @ San Diego

- If San Diego loses this game, they will be eliminated from winning the AFC West. They won't be out of the wild card "mathematically," but believe me they'll be out of it. Crazy to think at how they've done with the amount of talent they have. Also worth noting in this game, Matt Cassel had an emergency appendectomy this week. I'm no medical expert, but I can't imagine him playing very well on such short rest after a rather major operation. And if he doesn't play, it appears to be Brodie Croyle under center. Not looking good for Kansas City this Sunday.

Philadelphia @ Dallas

- Dallas has been much improved since Jason Garrett took over for Wade Phillips, which further proves that Dallas had simply quit on Phillips. If Jerry Jones had made the move sooner, I bet we'd be discussing the playoff chances for Dallas. But for as well as they've played, I don't think they'll keep up with Philadelphia. The Eagles might be the fastest team in the league and their NFC leading 344 points prove that point. Ironically, for as good as the Eagles have been, they are only 8-4 and tied for first place. Without a win against the Giants earlier this season, the Eagles would actually be out of the playoffs because of an opening day loss to Green Bay. I find this all very interesting because as good as they are; they are one slip-up away from golfing on wild card weekend.

Baltimore @ Houston

- This game is a combination of Baltimore losing, Baltimore being angry, and Houston not being very good. It's shaping up for a blowout in Baltimore's favor. But don't worry, Houston still won't fire Gary Kubiak. They still have hope for finishing 9-7 and out of the playoffs yet again.

Last Week: 12-4

Entire Season: 123-69

Scott's Picks:

Indianapolis @ Tennessee

Cleveland @ Buffalo

Green Bay @ Detroit

New York Giants @ Minnesota

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh

Tampa Bay @ Washington

Atlanta @ Carolina

Oakland
@ Jacksonville

Seattle
@ San Francisco

St. Louis @ New Orleans

New England @ Chicago

Miami @ NY Jets

Denver @ Arizona

Kansas City @ San Diego

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Baltimore @ Houston

Last Week: 12-4

Entire Season: 118-74

Bills/Vikings Preview & Week 13 Picks

2010-12-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

When the NFL schedule was first released for this season, the game this week against Minnesota was the second most highly anticipated one for me personally. The first being last week's game against Pittsburgh since I live in a city that tries to act like Pittsburgh's little brother.

While it may seem odd that a game against an NFC North team would draw my interest, it should be no surprise to those who know me. For one, I know enough Vikings' fans personally to generate a tiny rivalry with them, so it's always fun when the Bills take on the Vikings. Second, the Bills get to face Brett Favre, who is my version of the devil when it comes to NFL players. I've made no secret when it comes to my feelings on Favre so I would really enjoy watching him fall flat on his face against my team. And third, I really want to see Stevie Johnson rebound from the last game and especially do it against Cris Carter's former team. It would be that much sweeter if he did.

Before the season I predicted that both of these games would be losses and joked that nothing good comes my way in terms of sports. While the latter is mostly true, I don't think a Bills victory this week is very far-fetched anymore. The Vikings have been a disaster this season and while the Bills have only won two games, they are easily the best 2-9 team I've ever seen. The one advantage Minnesota has on Buffalo is Adrian Peterson against the worst rushing defense in the NFL. Luckily for the Bills, if Peterson even plays at all, odds are he won't be 100% for the game.

Since the last time I wrote a preview, the Bills have won two out of three games and probably should've won the third. This included a home win against Detroit that I was in attendance for and a second half thrashing of the Bengals. I will say without a doubt that Buffalo fans don't always get the credit they deserve. I'd like to see what other group of fans would fill a stadium for the most part (it was still blacked out) for their 0-8 team facing the 2-6 Lions on a rainy November afternoon and still make the same amount of noise and impact on the game. I was so proud to be a Bills fan that day.

And since I've been gone for most of November, let's see what I've missed during that time.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has continued his steady play and has pretty much ruled out the possibility of drafting a QB in the first round. In my opinion, I don't think Fitzpatrick is the answer in terms of a franchise QB. However, I do think he could hold down the job for a year or two while a second or third round pick learns the ropes from him.

Fred Jackson has now rushed for 621 yards, which is truly amazing considering the fact that he was barely used for the first four weeks of the season. Last season, Jackson had a career high 1062 rushing yards on the season. He would have to average 88 yards per game for the final five to eclipse that number, which is a definite possibility.

Stevie Johnson has 59 receptions, 796 yards receiving, and nine touchdowns so far. A few points of interest on Stevie's season so far. According to my research, Eric Moulds holds the franchise record for receptions in one season with 100 in 2002. Stevie would have to haul in 8.2 per game to tie that mark. It's a long shot, but it isn't out of the question just yet. Eric Moulds also holds the franchise record for receiving yards in a season, with 1368 in 1998. Stevie would need 114.4 per game to tie that mark. I think that is out of the question personally. But who knows? Maybe a huge 200 yard day puts it more within reach. Finally, Bill Brooks holds the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 11 in 1995. That record is by far the most attainable and could even be tied this weekend in Minnesota. One franchise record would be awesome. Two would be even better, but all three would be downright amazing.

The defense has also come around lately. Granted they still allow a ton of yards, the point totals have decreased which has really allowed the Bills to be in almost every game. After a string of five games early in the year allowing 30+ points, the Bills have gone on to allow 13, 22, 12, 31, and 19. The 31 is misleading because that game was against the Bengals where Fitzpatrick gift wrapped seven points, so in reality that was a 24 point performance for the defense. Like I said, not great, but a definite improvement over what they were earlier in the year.

Because I'm A) a huge homer and B) really liking this Bills team, I'm picking them to upset the Vikings this Sunday. It also helps that I have money riding on this game with a fellow Vikings fan.

Here are my other Week 13 picks, along with Scott's picks.

Houston @ Philadelphia

New Orleans @ Cincinnati

Chicago @ Detroit

San Francisco @ Green Bay

Jacksonville @ Tennessee

Denver @ Kansas City

Cleveland @ Miami

Washington @ NY Giants

Oakland @ San Diego

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay

Carolina @ Seattle

St. Louis @ Arizona

Dallas @ Indianapolis

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

NY Jets @ New England

Entire Season: 111-65

SCOTT'S PICKS

Houston @ Philadelphia

New Orleans @ Cincinnati

Chicago @ Detroit

San Francisco @ Green Bay

Jacksonville @ Tennessee

Denver @ Kansas City

Cleveland @ Miami

Buffalo @ Minnesota

Washington @ NY Giants

Oakland @ San Diego

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay

Carolina @ Seattle

St. Louis @ Arizona

Dallas @ Indianapolis

Pittsburgh
@ Baltimore

NY Jets @ New England

Entire Season: 106-70

Are the Sabres For Sale?

2010-12-02T06:56:00.000-05:00

Apparently they are. Or at least The Hockey News is reporting that they are.

This can mean nothing but good things for the future of the franchise. Don't get me wrong, I think Tom Golisano is a good owner and I will forever appreciate what he did for the Sabres and the city of Buffalo when he purchased the team out of bankruptcy nearly a decade ago. Without him, hockey in Buffalo might not even be a current topic anymore and Sabres gear would be sold on a rack with Hartford Whalers t-shirts.

Terry Pegula: Buffalo's New Owner?

However, Golisano's time as the owner is probably up now. He is rarely seen at games and almost never involved in anything relating to the team, besides the consistent rumors every year or so that the team is being sold. Larry Quinn is essentially the guy we always see and he is a huge part of the problem for the Sabres. While it may be Golisano's money, Quinn is the guy who is watching over the budget and restricting Darcy Regier in terms of building a Cup contender. In turn, Regier can't build an effective roster and Lindy Ruff is left trying to win with limited options. It all rolls downhill with the Sabres and it starts at the top.

(I realize the report above hints that Quinn would remain at his position, but if Pegula is the sole owner and it's his money to spend, maybe Quinn won't be so awful at what he does. Of course, this is all wishful thinking because if Quinn doesn't own a part of the team, he has no real business working for them. He can go back to his real estate deals and leave us be.)

I'll be honest and tell you that I never heard of Terry Pegula before this report surfaced. But I can say without a doubt that everything I've read about the guy has been extremely positive. Actually, it has sounded like a dream come true. He's a hockey fan, he likes the Sabres, he grew up liking the 70s era Flyers (meaning he likes a bruising style of hockey), he is extremely rich, he has donated $88 million to fund Penn State's hockey program recently (meaning he is willing to invest money without an immediate return or a return at all), and his wife is from the Western New York area.

There is a part of me that feels guarded, mostly because good things like this don't happen to Buffalo franchises, whether it be the Sabres or the Bills. An owner with this kind of interest in this team and deep pockets can only mean one thing: the Sabres would be a serious Cup contender in the near future. While the Sabres do currently spend money, there is still a self-imposed budget in place because to Golisano, this is more of a financial investment to him. According to the linked report above, Golisano purchased the Sabres and with all the concessions added in, paid roughly $62 million for the team. If that is true, selling for $150 million or a figure close to that would have to signal a success on his part. In my eyes, we all win with this deal.

I don't think with a new owner that the Sabres would be wildly drunk with money and blow it foolishly though. With Darcy still working as the GM, he would be smart and make deals in the best interest of the team. As it stands right now, the Sabres are more than $4 million under the cap. That's a lot of money in regards to a NHL team. Among the players coming off the books this season are Tim Connolly and Craig Rivet. With those two alone, that adds up to $8 million dollars in cap space. Not counting anybody else, the Sabres would have a lot of money to use towards their own talent and future free agents. With an owner truly wanting to build a winner and not just looking to make decisions based on his wallet, it signals truly exciting times for Buffalo fans.

Thoughts on Stevie and my self-imposed ban on ESPN

2010-11-30T18:21:00.002-05:00

This is a true story. I used to hate Terrell Owens and believed everything I heard about the guy. I thought he was a terrible teammate, a terrible person, and an overrated player.

Then he came to Buffalo. I hated the move, mostly because of what I said above. But I opened up to him very quickly. Some can call it a flip-flop opinion, but the truth is that once he was on my team, I started to realize the truth about T.O. and not believe things I read in the media. For example: T.O.'s "outburst" on the sidelines during a game against the Titans that was blown up on Sportscenter the following day. But I saw the game. I saw what T.O. actually did. And to be honest, any player that cares about winning would've lost their cool during that game. It was absolutely horrendous. Come to think of it, Dick Jauron was fired following that game so as you might imagine, things weren't going well for the Bills.

This is what major media outlets do though, they love to take non-stories that have little to do with the game and hammer them to death 24 hours a day. And yes, this is specifically aimed at ESPN because they are by far the biggest offender of this.

(On a quick little side note: I find it hilarious when everybody clamors about what a great leader Tom Brady is when he's flipping out on the sidelines during the Pittsburgh game, but if T.O. or Ochocinco pull the same stunt, they are a cancer to the team. Hypocrisy at its finest.)

As we speak, ESPN is going on about LeBron James bumping into his coach, Eric Spoelstra. Do you know what they aren't talking about? The 14-2 San Antonio Spurs. The 14-5 Utah Jazz. (Although to be fair, they talked about the Jazz quite a bit when they beat the Heat.) I understand that LeBron James is one of, if not the biggest, stars in the NBA. I understand that his decision to leave Cleveland was an enormous sports story. And I understand that since the Miami Heat decided to become a super team, they would be covered ad nauseam. But as a sports fan in general without an NBA team, I'd like to know what's going on in the league. I actually had no idea the Spurs were the best team before I wrote this because I had to look it up. I shouldn't have to do that. It's not just with the NBA either.

When ESPN isn't camping out in Minnesota (which isn't nearly as often since Brad Childress was fired), they can usually be found in Dallas covering the most high profile 3-8 team in NFL history. Seriously, the Cowboys get more attention than any team in the NFL and they suck. But hey, when ESPN is running the show, they will tell you what they want to tell you and you're just gonna have deal with that.

As an NFL fan, I care about the two huge games this Sunday; Jets at Patriots and Steelers at Ravens. Do you know which game you'll hear more about going through the week? Jets at Patriots. Do you know why? Because Rex Ryan hoards attention and ESPN loves to feed into it. The Bears and Packers are in an absolute slugfest for the NFC North title this season, but I'd doubt you'll hear about that when we can talk about the 2-9 Bills losing an irrelevant regular season game and Stevie Johnson's Twitter account.

On the topic of Stevie's tweet, there are a few things I want to point out. First, I do not think for a second that Stevie Johnson was blaming God for dropping the game winning touchdown on Sunday. He's a kid and had one million different emotions running through him immediately after the game. Foolishly, he went to Twitter first and vented. It came out wrong and I don't think it was the right move, but people need to stop claiming that be blamed God.

(And if he honestly did, who cares? Players consistently praise God after a victory, as if some higher power cared about the outcome of an NFL football game. That is just as ridiculous as this, if not more because it happens on a daily basis.)

Second, what the hell? The Bills are 2-9 and this loss is just as crushing as the losses against Baltimore and Kansas City this season. What about the losses against Dallas and New England on Monday Night Football in past years? Those were much worse in the grand scheme of things. But you wouldn't know this listening to ESPN. I actually heard Steve Levy on Sportscenter relate Sunday's loss to the "No Goal" incident for the Sabres. Was he serious? Yes he was. He actually compared a regular season loss for a team already eliminated from the playoffs to Buffalo's hockey team losing the Stanley Cup on home ice to a goal that should have been disallowed. Are you kidding me? This might be the dumbest thing I've heard in my entire life. He should've been fired on the spot for saying that.

So why is this game getting so much attention? I'd assume it's because Stevie took to Twitter after the game. You know what else Stevie did? He opted to not ignore the media, not face them at his locker, but to actually go to the podium and man-up for his mistake. Don't think for a second that it was easy for him to do that. Any human being could see how devastated he was for dropping the ball. Instead of pulling a stunt I've seen dozens of times before where the player avoids the media, Stevie faced it like a man. Outside of a few columnists on Around the Horn and Peter King, I haven't seen anybody truly give him credit for this. But hey, why give someone credit in a moment of failure when we can pile on him and make it 100x worse?

My likeness for Stevie Johnson has been no secret throughout this season. He played a major role in losing the game against Pittsburgh, which was equivalent to my Super Bowl this season. And yet, I think I like him even more now. He manned up and took his medicine. He showed genuine emotion. He bawled his eyes out because he let his teammates and the fans down. I want players on my favorite team to care as much as him. We always hear about how it's a business and some athletes come off like they're robots designed to play sports, make money, and be a celebrity with no emotion. Here is a kid who really cares about what happened and the media wants to pour salt in the wound instead. Screw you guys. I wish the Bills had 53 players like Stevie Johnson. Hell, I wish the Sabres had one player like Stevie Johnson (who isn't the goalie).

I know Buffalo fans know this, but I wonder how many others know just how difficult Scott Norwood's Super Bowl XXV kick was. All they know is what they're told. Norwood missed a field goal at the end of the game to win the Super Bowl. He cost them the game. What they don't know is that it was a 47 yard attempt on natural grass. In other words, it was not an easy kick to begin with, and then you add in the pressure. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Norwood was 6 of 10 in 1990 on field goals from 40-49 yards. I won't continue to rehash this story because I think I've made my point. There are several different reasons why the Bills lost that game, one of them being Scott Norwood. However, it's no fun to focus on all those other factors when we can pile on one individual and beat away at him about it.

I'm not pulling a Steve Levy and comparing an overly significant moment in Buffalo history to this overall insignificant one, but I needed to give another example of how most factors are thrown out the window when the opportunity arises to publically humiliate someone.

I suppose the moral of the story would be how this situation could've been avoided if Stevie just stayed off Twitter. Almost. He still would've felt Cris Carter's wrath on Monday Night Countdown because apparently Johnson wronged Carter at some point in his life. I've never seen a supposed unbiased TV personality hammer away at a player the way Carter has in the last two weeks.

First it was over the way Johnson was dressed during his presser at the Cincinnati game. I guess he could've been dressed up in a suit like Tom Brady usually does, but maybe Stevie wanted to do the interview right after the game (he did) and not wait until later. Is it a big deal? No. Lots of players do their pressers right after the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick does his in full pads. No big deal. Who cares? I shrugged it off because Stevie poked right back at Carter when he appeared on ESPN's First Take wearing a tuxedo t-shirt. There is no doubt that in my opinion, this made me like Stevie Johnson even more than I did before.

But yesterday I had to draw the line as a fan of Johnson and the Bills. In the morning Cris Carter went on Mike and Mike and basically said that Johnson's bad game against Pittsburgh was because he did TV and radio interviews Tuesday through Thursday. Right, I totally believe that. Then Carter (and I knew this was coming all night but watched anyways) finished him off on the C'Mon Man segment during Monday Night Countdown. Carter not only highlighted every single drop from Sunday, but then rolled tape of himself hanging out with Hakeem Nicks and catching passes in a dome, with nobody around, and really no other circumstances involving the situation. This wasn't a typical C'Mon Man segment. Not even close. This was a flat out attempt to embarrass Johnson even more for his drops and for that, Cris Carter is an absolute joke. Keyshawn Johnson highlighted several key drops for his fellow USC Trojans on the weekend and that was that. He didn't then roll highlights of himself catching balls over the weekend and drag them through the mud even more. But hey, I guess Carter has to do what he has to do to feel good about himself. Maybe one day he'll get in the Hall of Fame and that will take away some of his pain from making a whopping zero Super Bowl appearances in his career.

All of this is why I've enforced a self-imposed ban on ESPN for the rest of the week. I can't stomach it anymore. I used to laugh and roll my eyes when they'd be going on about T.O., but I think I've hit my breaking point this week. We'll see how it goes but there is a chance this lasts longer than a week. I watch the games, so I know what happens on Sunday. I read enough during the week to catch up on the news. I follow enough people on Twitter to get updates without ignorant opinions. And it's not like ESPN even bothers with the NHL, so I won't be missing out on anything there either.

As for Stevie, he'll be fine. He'll learn from his Twitter mistake and I'm sure it won't happen again. He has the support of the Bills organization, including Ryan Fitzpatrick and his teammates. He also has the support from the real fans and that's all that matters. I just hope Stevie saw what Carter said and did on TV Monday night because last time I checked; the Bills play Carter's former team in his former home. Should be interesting. Hey Cris, why so serious?

Bills vs Bears Preview/NFL Picks

2010-11-05T07:17:00.000-04:00

Are the Chicago Bears the worst four win team in the NFL right now?

(Nodding head)

Ok, maybe they aren't the worst in the league. Thanks to parity in the NFL, there are actually nine teams with four wins right now, so it's tough to argue that Chicago is the worst of the bunch, but they should definitely be in the discussion. Let's take a look at their schedule so far.

Chicago beat Detroit in Week One, 19-14, thanks to the crazy ruling on Calvin Johnson's non-touchdown. Basically, they stole a win, and I highly doubt Chicago fans would argue that point. They then traveled to Dallas in Week Two, which was impressive at the time, until we all realized how terrible the Cowboys are this year. Next was a victory against the Packers in the "chuck it up and pray for pass interference game" that Green Bay handed the Bears.

(For the record, I wrote about the Lions and Packers game after it happened and felt the same way at that time as well.)

Chicago then got their first loss against the Giants, where Jeff George v2.0 was sacked 10 times and eventually knocked out of the game. Da Bears bounced back with a 23-6 win over Carolina, who I've already established as one of the worst teams in the league. In that game, Matt Forte ran for 166 yards, which is the only game this season where a Bears' running back eclipsed the 100 yard mark. To be fair, nobody for the Bills has accomplished that yet. BUT, in that same game, backup QB Todd Collins only threw for 32 yards, 22 of those going to Forte. I actually had no idea that was possible. In the last two games, Chicago lost two home games to Seattle and Washington, while gaining a high of 31 yards and 41 yards in each game.

So here they sit. 4-3 and a half game out of first place in the NFC North. I suppose two advantages Chicago has this week is that they had a full two weeks to prepare for the only winless team remaining in the NFL and that the game will be played on a neutral field. Other than that, I've got nothing.

As you may have read in my Bills and Chiefs review, was the Bills alarming lack of turnovers. Well, if there is a week for them to break out of that, it's this week against Chicago. Jay Cutler has thrown for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, so it's not like they'll be facing an elite QB. Of course, they somehow failed to pick Matt Cassel off, so I guess I shouldn't assume anything anymore with the Bills' secondary. Still, there isn't a whole lot that has me enamored with the Bears right now.

In two fewer games; Ryan Fitzpatrick has 283 fewer passing yards, five more touchdowns and two fewer interceptions than the above mentioned Jay Cutler. Advantage: Bills

With 90 rushing attempts this season, Matt Forte has accumulated 352 yards to Fred Jackson's 297 in 75 carries. Advantage: Push

Chicago's leading wide receiver, Johnny Knox, has 24 receptions and one touchdown on the season. Buffalo has three receivers (Evans, Parrish, Johnson), who all have more receptions and touchdowns individually. Ok, Parrish only has the one touchdown, so he's tied with Knox. Johnson and Evans have six and four respectively though. Advantage: Bills

Chicago's Robbie Gould is 12/14 on field goal attempts this season, while Rian Lindell is 9/12, so that advantage goes to Chicago. Although, they'll be kicking in a dome so who really cares.

Buffalo and Chicago both have returners who can break a kick or punt all the way, but Chicago currently employs the best in the league and maybe ever in Devin Hester (The U!), so Chicago also gets this advantage. For the record, I'm full blown scared of Hester. If Lindell wanted to kick every ball out of bounds and give Chicago the ball at the 40, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

The Bears have forced way more turnovers than the Bills, but I think we've already established time and time again that the Bills defense is one of the worst ever. No surprise there. However, the Bills' pass defense is statistically better in terms of average yards allowed per game, so that should count for something. Still, Chicago has the better defense.

It will be interesting to see how one of the worst running offenses in the league matches up with the league's worst run defense. I have no idea what will happen. Buffalo could actually stop them and look competent. Chicago could run wild and tease Forte's fantasy owners. The Earth could literally explode. Everything is in play with this one.

Overall, I'm picking the Bills to win. They're due. They've gone to overtime in both of the last two weeks and fell just short to much better teams than Chicago. There will be no weather affecting the teams, which is a much bigger advantage for Fitzpatrick than it is for Cutler. My only hesitation in picking Buffalo is the fact that they haven't won a regular season game in Toronto since this whole debacle started a few years ago. And really, if that's the only thing stopping me from picking Buffalo, then I'm picking Buffalo. As bad as I want the number one pick in the draft (which I absolutely do), I want Buffalo to get that one win so we can't stop debating if they'll actually go 0-16. One win isn't going to kill their chances. Just do it. Now. Please. I'm begging.

Here are my other Week 9 picks:

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

New England @ Cleveland

NY Jets @ Detroit

Arizona @ Minnesota

New Orleans @ Carolina

Miami @ Baltimore

San Diego @ Houston

NY Giants @ Seattle

Kansas City @ Oakland

Indianapolis @ Philadelphia

Dallas @ Green Bay

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

Last Week: 7-6

Season: 69-48

Scott's Picks:

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

Chicago @ Buffalo (TOR)

New England @ Cleveland

NY Jets @ Detroit

Arizona @ Minnesota

New Orleans @ Carolina

Miami @ Baltimore

San Diego @ Houston

NY Giants @ Seattle

Kansas City @ Oakland

Indianapolis @ Philadelphia

Dallas @ Green Bay

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

Last Week: 8-5

Season: 70-47

Bills vs Chiefs Review/ NFL Top 10

2010-11-02T07:16:00.000-04:00

Before I get to my usual routine, there are a few things worth mentioning first.

One, the Bills are not the worst team in the league. I'm 100% convinced of this. I know their record would tell you they're the worst, but I really believe there are about five other teams that could be thrown into that discussion. Records don't always dictate a clear picture of who is better than who. For more on that, read my comments below about Kansas City in the top ten.

Two, after news broke that Randy Moss was waived by Minnesota, it started a flood of message board experts claiming that the Bills should go after him (since they have top priority on waivers). I don't think I can actually make my font big enough to express how I feel, but the Bills claiming Randy Moss would be the single dumbest thing they've done since they gave Dick Jauron a contract extension. As I tell you below in my 'good' section, the Bills receivers have been one of the bright spots for the team this year. What would bringing Randy Moss to Buffalo accomplish? He's got a major attitude (it's no accident that New England traded him and now Minnesota waived him), he's a free agent at the end of the season, the Bills have no shot at the playoffs and he would take away valuable reps that Stevie Johnson and Roscoe Parrish are getting. I'm so against this that I'm actually pounding my fist on the desk. Anybody that thinks Buffalo should do this needs their head examined. Now.

The Good: The Bills receivers (Johnson, Evans, Parris), The Bills' third down efficiency

Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled for the most part on Sunday, which is to be expected because he is what he is. For as much as I've praised him so far this season, I feel that I've also said time and time again that he has his bad moments and this is why he isn't the long-term answer at QB for the Bills. I think he'll serve as a great mentor to a rookie QB next season and he knows his place with the team. Despite his struggles yesterday, the combo of Parrish, Evans and Johnson hauled in 14 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Parrish had one of the bigger plays of the game with a 37 yard reception on third and long, but Johnson had the biggest with a fourth and goal and the game on the line touchdown reception.

I honestly can't say enough about Stevie Johnson right now. He has caught at least one touchdown in five straight games. I'd be hard pressed to remember when a Bills' receiver has consistently performed like this, and that isn't even factoring in the whole 7^th round pick. It's pretty impressive to say the least. Plus he wants to be called Stevie. I like that.

Roscoe Parrish now has 26 receptions on the season and is nine shy of a career best. This is a credit to Chan Gailey, even though I know people feel like bashing the guy to no end right now. Parrish also had a huge 33 yard punt return near the end of the game that should've helped seal the victory, but alas, the Bills found another way to lose (which is fine by me in the grand scheme of things).

Another overlooked stat in yesterday's game was the Bills going 11/23 on third down conversions. For a team that typically got to third and long and just assumed they'd punt the ball away, Buffalo has been converting their fair share of third downs lately. For the overall season, Buffalo is 37/97 on third down. To put this into perspective, the Chicago Bears have converted 15/84 third downs for the ENTIRE 2010 SEASON. Seriously. Think about it. Buffalo converted four less third down opportunities on Sunday than the Bears have in seven games.

The Bad: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Todd Haley, Rian Lindell, Brian Moorman

Overall, Fitzpatrick didn't have an awful day. He threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Considering what we've seen for the past decade, not terrible. But he was off his game for most of the first half and pretty much blew the game when he badly overthrew C.J. Spiller in overtime. Spiller was split wide and beat his guy by a solid 10 yards and had the game won, but Fitzpatrick missed him and it wasn't even close. Those are the throws someone like Andrew Luck might make. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I'm not going to hammer Chain Gailey for his play calling like most people want to do. I've seen a lot of criticism of Gailey for his pass-happy routine near the end of the game. I'm assuming most of those people just didn't see the entire game. To want him to run the ball and get in field goal position is assuming the Bills would be able to run the ball. Fred Jackson was averaging 3.2 yards per carry and I highly doubt he would've moved the ball very much near the end. And somehow throughout all of this, it's like most people didn't even notice what Todd Haley was doing.

This guy isn't even on the same planet during the game. With the score tied 0-0 in the second quarter, he threw away an easy field goal opportunity to go for it on fourth down and the Chiefs turned the ball over. Look, I'm all for gutsy coaching and taking chances, but not in a close game in the second quarter. As it turns out, overtime could've been avoided had he taken the points. Also worth noting; Jamaal Charles averaged eight yards per carry on 22 carries, yet Haley continued to let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Cassel is awful. I'm convinced the Chiefs win despite him and I'm pretty sure the same can be said for Haley. If Kansas City makes the playoffs (most likely), Haley will no doubt cost them a game with his decisions.

I really do like Rian Lindell so I'll keep this short and sweet. Bottom line, his missed kick in overtime cost the Bills the win. I won't put it on his shoulders since the game could've been over several times before that, but it needs to be mentioned. Now he did make it the first time, but the stupid timeout rule came into effect and he missed his second try. Overall I think Lindell is one of the most consistent kickers in the game and rarely gets credit because he plays for Buffalo. It's also worth mentioning that Kansas City's field looked like a sandbox by the end of the game and the winds were swirling like crazy, so it's not like the 53 yard kick was a chip-shot by any means. Again, worth bringing up but I'm in no way blaming Lindell for yesterday.

Same goes for Moorman. He's largely looked at as the best Bills' player of the decade. Sad, isn't it? But with a tie game looking like a real possibility, Moorman shanked the punt and gave Kansas City decent field position to drive down and win it. I'm pretty sure if he pins them inside the 15 yard line, Kansas City doesn't make it down in time.

The Ugly: Run defense, lack of turnovers

I think by now we've established how bad the Bills' run defense is. I said a few weeks ago that teams should prepare for career days and yesterday was no exception. I said before the game that Kansas City would probably rush for 250 yards and I was close, they hit 274 by the end of the game. I'm seriously dreading the Minnesota game against Adrian Peterson. It gives me nightmares (not literally).

Also ugly, the fact that the Bills can't force any turnovers. And hey, it's not like they don't get a chance. George Wilson let a sure interception go right through his hands. At the time, Steve Tasker felt like mentioning on the CBS broadcast that defenders are typically defenders because they don't have the hands for offense. I guess the fact that Wilson is an ex-wide receiver didn't factor into that statement. Tasker is awful at what he does now. However, I digress. After having a boat-load of interceptions last season, the Bills have one this season. It's pretty bad. With Buffalo losing all these close games, you would have to think that a few turnovers here and there would really help their cause. Of course, actually winning the games rules out the chance at drafting Andrew Luck, so maybe they are doing us a favor and we just haven't realized it yet.

NFL Top 10

1. New England Patriots (3) – Here's a scary thought about New England. I think they are way better without Randy Moss. Yes, the offense was much more explosive with Moss, but New England didn't win their three Super Bowls with an explosive offense. And in fact, they lost their one Super Bowl with that explosive offense. When New England was winning championships, they were doing it with a bend but don't break defense and a dink and dunk offense. That is officially what they are right now and I'm frightened and how it's going to turn out.

2. New York Giants (4) – I think I'm half crazy to put an NFC team this high and I think the overall conference is so inferior, but it's hard to ignore that they are tops right now and riding a four game winning streak. So far my favorite part of the Giants' season has been the emergence of Hakeem Nicks in the fantasy world. It's been a pure delight.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) – For sure, I thought Pittsburgh was the best team heading into Sunday night but I can't ignore an ugly loss to New Orleans. Keep in mind, Cleveland came into the Superdome exactly one week ago and hammered the Saints. The irony is off the charts for that one. Luckily they have Cincinnati coming up this week, so they should be able to get back on track with an easy win.

4. New York Jets (2) – If the Jets want to contend for a Super Bowl, getting shutout at home by Green Bay isn't really the way to do it. I'll be honest, with it being on at the same time as the Bills, I literally saw zero plays from this game. But judging by the numbers, it looks like The Sanchize had one of "those games" yesterday. Two games upcoming against Detroit and Cleveland should help right the ship though.

5. Baltimore Ravens (5) – I neglected to right about the Ravens game against Buffalo but it's the sole reason why I can't move them up. They were playing the league's worst run defense and still let Joe Flacco sling the ball all over the field. They also allowed over 500 yards at home to the Bills' offense. Maybe they didn't take the Bills seriously; it's a real possibility, but if left me less than convinced that they will take down Pittsburgh by the end of the season. They barely beat the Steelers by three points without Ben Roethlisberger. It's a fact that people are ignoring right now.

6. Indianapolis Colts (10) – As of right now, I feel that Indy is about fifth best team in the AFC, but I'd be hard pressed to pick against them in the playoffs. I'll be interested to see how they continue this season with all the mounting injuries. Rule of thumb: You can never rule out a QB as good as Peyton Manning.

7. Atlanta Falcons (8) – Atlanta controls their own destiny for the NFC South. There is no way I think Tampa Bay is for real and New Orleans is week to week at this point. I'd feel more confident in Atlanta had they not laid a huge egg against Philadelphia a few weeks ago. It's hard to trust them after that.

8. New Orleans (9) – New Orleans got a huge win against a very good Pittsburgh team, but I can't ignore the awful outing they had against Cleveland. It might not ruin their season, but it's a red flag in my eyes.

9. Houston Texans (6) – I'm not even sure why I'm ranking Houston in the top 10 anymore. The last three years Houston has finished 8-8, 8-8 and 9-7. I really don't think I have any reason to think they'll be a double digit win team this season.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (NR) – I think it would be wrong to not include Kansas City at 5-2, but I honestly don't totally feel that they are worthy of the 10 spot. It took them 75 minutes yesterday to score 13 points against the league's worst running defense. Jamaal Charles ran for 177 yards, so they let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Dwayne Bowe dropped a sure touchdown in the first quarter. Todd Haley is insane. Raiders, Broncos, Cardinals, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Ram, Titans and Raiders. Seriously, have you ever seen an easier schedule? They might be the worst 13-3 team to make the playoffs ever. Their wins this year have been against the Chargers, Browns, 49ers, Jaguars and Bills. Combined record: 11-27. Their two losses came against Indianapolis and Houston. Combined record: 8-4. You be the judge.

Just Missing Out: Philadelphia, Green Bay, Oakland (?)

Teams I didn't consider for .0001 of a second: Minnesota, Buffalo, Denver, Dallas

Bills future QB Update (in the ever-changing order that I like them):

1. Andrew Luck – 19/26, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (Season: 1920 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs)

2. Christian Ponder – 17/28, 196 yards, 1 TD (Season: 1383 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs)

3. Ryan Mallett – 27/44, 409 yards, 3 TDs (Season: 2449 yards, 18 TDs, 7 INTs)

4. Jake Locker – 7/14, 64 yards, 2 INTs (Season: 1678 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs)

Bills vs Ravens Preview/NFL Week 7 Picks

2010-10-21T18:39:00.000-04:00

"It's gonna be rough on Buffalo." – Ray Lewis

Baltimore heads into this week at 4-2 and rather angry, as you can tell by the above quote. I have a problem with the quote itself, which I suppose I can address right now.

I understand it's because Baltimore is angry for blowing a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter at New England. I understand that. But the fact that Ray Lewis immediately called out Buffalo reminded me of what a bully would do to the losers in high school. Maybe Lewis would've been better off saying, "We couldn't handle New England, AGAIN, so we're gonna come home and beat down on the lowly Bills so we can feel better about ourselves." Essentially that's what he said. But whatever. I guess that's what happens when you're one of the worst teams in the league. Hold on while I go beat up a 10 year old and steal his lunch money.

Okay, I'm back. Baltimore might be one of the best 4-2 teams in the league considering their schedule so far. They've lost the two games by a combined eight points. Also, both losses were on the road. Among their wins were road victories against the Jets and Steelers, two of the best teams in the league. I don't know who makes these schedules but someone slighted Baltimore with two home games and four away to start the season. Then again, with a home game against Buffalo, it all evens out.

We might have forgotten this over the bye week, but Buffalo returns to the field with virtually no strengths. As if I needed a reminder on this, I read this quote on Wednesday from an article on Buffalo Rumblings about Buffalo's Heavy-Front Run Defense:

In a Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills unveiled a new "heavy" run defensive front designed to help shore up the league's worst run defense. Though the Jags still ran for 216 yards in a 36-26 victory, the heavy package will apparently remain a part of coordinator George Edwards' defensive arsenal moving forward.

WHAT?!?!

So let me get this straight. The Bills developed a "new" defensive "strategy" specifically aimed at stopped the run and somehow still allowed 216 yards rushing. AND it will continued to be used going forward? Gee, I wonder why the Bills will be drafting first overall this April.

This game will also rub a little salt in the wound for bitter Bills fans as Baltimore currently employs Haloti Ngata and Michael Oher. For those that may not remember, the Bills passed on Ngata for the opportunity to draft the biggest mouth on Twitter. Oher was taken in the first round in 2009, but Buffalo opted to draft Aaron Maybin instead. That sound you hear is the city of Buffalo throwing up right now.

Despite all the Bills bashing I did above, the game might be a little closer than people think. The Vegas line is currently at -13 for Baltimore, which I think is a little high. The Ravens have only won one game by more than 10 points this season. The others were by one, three and seven. The game against Cleveland was by seven, which makes me believe the Bills can at least keep this somewhat close.

I know that the Ravens have the reputation as a great defensive team, but this isn't the same Baltimore team that took home the Lombardi Trophy based on their defense. In their game against Cleveland, the Ravens allowed Peyton Hillis to run for 144 yards on 22 carries. Last week against New England, Danny Woodhead ran for 63 yards on 11 carries. I'm no expert, but couldn't Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller chew up some yardage and clock against this defense?

Here is where the game will get ugly. The Bills are dead last in the league, allowing an average of 182.4 yards per game on the ground. I foresee a huge day for Ray Rice and when he's tired, go ahead and toss Willis McGahee into the game. Willis isn't the back he was in the past, but don't you think he'll be a little amped up for this game? If you think he doesn't still hate Buffalo, you're fooling yourself. Both of these backs are going to go off on Sunday.

Buffalo hasn't been great against the pass either, but luckily for them, Joe Flacco isn't exactly lighting up opposing defenses this year. Flacco has yet to eclipse the 300 yard mark in a game this season, which puts him in perfect company with every Bills QB from the past three years. In fact, Flacco has thrown for 1401 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions in six games this season. In half the amount of games, Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 595 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

With all of this being said, the Bills still aren't going to win the game. In fact, I think I just spent the previous four previous paragraphs convincing myself that Buffalo will simply cover the spread. What can I say? It's been a fun 2010 season for Buffalo so far.

Prediction: Baltimore 31, Buffalo 20.

My other NFL Picks (in bold):

Cincinnati @ Atlanta

Washington @ Chicago

Philadelphia @ Tennessee

Jacksonville @ Kansas City

Pittsburgh @ Miami

Cleveland @ New Orleans

St. Louis @ Tampa Bay

San Francisco @ Carolina

Arizona @ Seattle

New England @ San Diego

Oakland @ Denver

Minnesota @ Green Bay

NY Giants @ Dallas

Last Week: 8-6

Entire Season: 52-36

Scott's Picks:

Cincinnati @ Atlanta

Washington @ Chicago

Philadelphia @ Tennessee

Jacksonville @ Kansas City

Pittsburgh @ Miami

Cleveland @ New Orleans

St. Louis @ Tampa Bay

San Francisco @ Carolina

Buffalo @ Baltimore

Arizona @ Seattle

New England @ San Diego

Oakland @ Denver

Minnesota @ Green Bay

NY Giants @ Dallas

Last Week: 9-5

Entire Season: 53-35

Fantasy Update: Thanks to Jeff Fisher, Chris Johnson and the other Titans for running up the score in a blowout; I'm now losing 2-1 in our fantasy bet. That's right; Scott beat me in the one league we're close in because the Titans had to go for it on 4^th and 5 with under two minutes remaining in a 23-3 game. Whatever.

A Rough Start

2010-10-20T07:12:00.000-04:00

Normally, I'd be writing this weekly as a recap of the week that was in Sabres hockey. Since I got a late start, we'll pretend the last week and a half has really only been one week. Honestly, it's felt like 10 years. I can't remember the last time the Sabres got off to such an awful start. They are completely frustrating to watch. But allow me to put on my homer glasses for a second as I tell you why they will eventually be okay.

Right now, nobody on the team is scoring besides Derek Roy. He has five goals in the first six games and I honestly can't remember the last time I've seen Roy play this way. Unlike Tim Connolly, it looks like Derek Roy took his playoff criticism to heart and working that much harder when he's on the ice. Obviously he isn't going to keep this pace up all year (and finish with 68 goals), but I would gladly take a 30 goal season from Roy. His career high is 32, so I don't think it's out of the question one bit.

And on that note, nobody else on this team can score to save their lives. Drew Stafford, Jordan Leopold, Tim Connolly, Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick are the only other Sabres to have scored; which is a combined seven goals. So if you're keeping count at home, the score is the Buffalo Sabres 7, Derek Roy 5.

But on that note, that means the goals are going to eventually come. Ennis, Hecht, Pominville (when healthy), Connolly (?), Gerbe (?); they all have some sort of goal scoring ability. At some point the goals are going to come. I'm not being unrealistic in thinking that. I honestly feel like once a few more start to hit the net, the flood gates will break. I know, it's some real hard hitting analysis here. Just trust me on this. The Sabres didn't win their division on accident last year. They aren't going to finish 1-80-1 this season. They will figure things out and get going. Honestly, I'd rather him them slump in the beginning rather than the end.

Three Stars:

1. Derek Roy – Not much more I can say about Roy that I didn't say above. He's been on fire so far this season and it's about time. I have no doubt that he'll hit a slump at some point, but hopefully this year it isn't prolonged. He seems to have a knack for the net this year, which is welcome surprise to start the season.

2. Ryan Miller – It almost seems crazy to list Miller as the second star when he's posted a 1-3-1 record to start the season, but that isn't entirely fault. There isn't much I can to defend Miller in the games against Chicago and New York. He allowed nine goals combined in the two. However, in the other three games he's allowed four goals total. This includes a season opening win at Ottawa and a 1-0 defeat to New Jersey in overtime. For anybody that faults Miller in that game, get real. In those three games, he's had a whopping total of three goals to support him. THREE GOALS. Buffalo scored that many against Chicago Saturday night, unfortunately Patrick Lalime was in net and he apparently needs at least five for the win.

For anybody new to the blog or anybody needing a refresher course; I figure I should get this out of the way now as a quick disclaimer. Ryan Miller is one of my all-time favorite Buffalo athletes. He was long before his Olympic fame. He was when I was forced to defend him against people who had nicknamed him Mr. Softie. We can pretty much expect Miller to make the weekly list of three stars each week when I write this, barring the news that he robbed one of Buffalo's homeless shelters or something of the sort. Just figured I'd mention it now.

3. Tyler Ennis – I mentioned this in my Sabres preview, but Ennis played the last 10 games of the regular season last year and finished with nine points. He then chipped in four more in six playoff games. Not quite a point per game player, but pretty close. Well so far this season he's kept that pace up, with four assists in six games. Eventually it would be nice to see him score some goals, but assists are just as good in my book. Last season only four players finished with 50 or more points: Roy, Connolly, Pominville and Vanek. With that in mind, getting 50 or more from Ennis would be fantastic. In fact, that's my benchmark for the rookie. I know it seems like a lot, but I've got a feeling about this kid.

Three Duds:

1. Thomas Vanek – I feel bad when I'm hard on Thomas Vanek, mostly because I do think he's a good player and has a great amount of skill. I think what his problem is and has been for years is that he tries too hard, presses himself and ends up blowing multiple opportunities. Then he sits on the bench, beats himself up about it and presses even more. It's a vicious cycle and has been going on since the Sabres handed him his mega-deal and unfortunately for Thomas, it's going to continue.

So far in six games, Vanek has 2 points and a -3 rating. To put it nicely, that is garbage. If people are wondering why the Sabres are struggling to start out the season, lots of fingers can be pointed at #26. When you're the highest paid player on the team, yes he makes more than Miller, he needs to deliver. I don't expect Ovechkin or Crosby type numbers from Vanek, but he should be a point per game player at the very least. Anything less is underperforming in relation to the amount of money he makes. It's sad but true.

2. Tim Connolly – By the time the playoffs ended last season, I pretty much wanted to drop the gloves and beat the living crap out of Tim Connolly. Nobody exemplified more what was wrong with the Sabres. But then I figured having the summer off would be a nice way of refreshing my mindset and I'd be able to give him a solid 10 games to prove himself to me again.

(Keep in mind I was all for his contract extension at the time, now I would cut my own hand off to get rid of him)

So let's flash forward to this season. We're six games in and I was sick of Connolly five games ago. He does nothing for me and even worse, he does even less for the Sabres. I don't want to totally put this on him because he used to be a dynamic player, but the concussion he sustained in Ottawa was his downfall. I know he's physically healthy, but he will never the same player he was. I highly doubt the Sabres can unload him on any other team (although the Rangers were somehow able to rid themselves of Scott Gomez and Ales Kotalik), so it looks like we're stuck with Connolly for the rest of this year at the very least. At that point I fully expect the Sabres to walk away from him and let him sign elsewhere.

3. Tyler Myers – Everyone in Buffalo dreaded the potential sophomore slump and it appears to be strangling our Calder Trophy winner right now. Through the first six games, Myers has one assist and a -6 rating. I won't beat him up too much because I think he's still a very good player and will be for a very long time. This is only natural for second year players of almost any professional sport. I just hope be breaks out of the slump soon or the Sabres are in trouble. If this means making him a healthy scratch for a night, so be it.

The Week Ahead:

At Atlanta (10/20), vs Ottawa (10/22), at New Jersey (10/23), at Philadelphia (10/26)

See ya next week, where hopefully the Sabres aren't occupying the basement in the Northeast.

Bills Postgame Review/NFL Top 10

2010-10-19T07:14:00.000-04:00

As I said late last week, going forward I would incorporate my Bills postgame review with an NFL Top 10. I like to consider it a compromise from me quitting the power rankings overall. Since the Bills were on a bye this past week, I see no reason to talk about them. So let's make this short and sweet and just skip right ahead to the NFL Top 10.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (NR) – I've pretty much started preparing myself with the idea that Pittsburgh is going to win another Super Bowl. Wow, that made me sick just typing that. Right now they are lumped together with the Jets and Patriots for the best record in the NFL (the Jets are a ½ game better, but have a bye this week to even things out), but neither of those teams would have the same record if they started Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch for the first four games. And that is why I have Pittsburgh at number one. They are only going to get better.

The Ravens did beat them at home, but it also took everything the Ravens had to win in the final two minutes of the game. It took the Ravens absolute best to barely win the game, while Pittsburgh was handicapped by playing the game without an NFL caliber starting QB. I know it was against Cleveland, but Roethlisberger looked pretty good, throwing for three touchdowns yesterday. That was basically opening day for him. So not only will he continue to get better as he shakes the rust off, but that five weeks off (rape suspension + bye week) also allowed him to enter Week Six completely healthy; meanwhile QBs like Mark Sanchez, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been taking hits and getting beat up.

2. NY Jets (NR) – Man, did the Jets ever get lucky against Denver on Sunday. With time running down, Sanchez heaved the ball deep, praying for pass interference. Of course he got it and LaDainian Tomlinson easily scored and won the game. You might remember this move from the Bears/Packers Monday Night game a few weeks ago when Jay Cutler pulled a similar stunt on the game winning drive. And this is why the pass interference rules need to change. It's a cop-out for a team struggling and desperate at the end of the game. I complain quite a bit about the way NCAA football operates, but two things they have 100% correct are overtime and pass interference rules.

3. New England Patriots (NR) – I was pretty shocked to see New England defeat Baltimore yesterday. I watched Buffalo pretty much march all over New England's awful defense and figure Joe Flacco and Ray Rice would have a field day. Apparently not. The stats were decent for both, but the 20 total points definitely wasn't. You know what else wasn't good? Tom Brady whining like a little baby when he was hit after the pass. If I were a Patriots fan, I'd be so embarrassed with his antics. I liked the fact that he got face to face with Terrell Suggs after the play, but it doesn't make up for temper tantrum seconds before. Brady officially reminds me of the rich kid that nobody likes in school, yet people still want to be friends with him so they can swim in his pool on the weekends. Just another reason to dislike Boston.

4. NY Giants (NR) - The Giants didn't exactly handle Detroit like I thought they would, but a win is a win. The tough part of their schedule is about to start. They have 10 games remaining, six of those against Washington, Dallas and Philadelphia. The others against Green Bay, Minnesota, Jacksonville and Seattle. Only the Jacksonville game looks like a sure win at this point which makes me wonder just how good the Giants will be. Right now I have them fourth but they still have a lot to prove in the upcoming weeks.

5. Baltimore Ravens (NR) – Every single time I want to think Baltimore is ready to take that next step, they slip and fall down. Despite that, they are 4-2 with road wins at Pittsburgh and the Jets. That's still pretty impressive, but I hate how inconsistent they are. I'm pretty they will be taking their frustrations out on Buffalo this Sunday, so I have that to look forward to. I see at least five definite wins on their remaining schedule, which means they are still looking good in terms of the playoffs. It won't mean much when they have to go to Heinz Field in January so they can lose again though.

6. Houston Texans (NR) – Houston really frustrates me. During Sunday's game, I was sure that Kansas City was going to win and even sent a text to Scott that Houston peeked during Week One. Then they come back and pull the rug out from under the Chiefs. So now they are 4-2 at the bye, first place in the AFC South, with a rematch against Indianapolis looming. I'm really hesitant to put Houston this high because I have a hard time trusting them. Every time we think they're good, they finish the season 8-8 and we peg them as a super sleeper for next season. I'll give them a high ranking for now but if they lose to Indianapolis in two weeks, they'll be in class with the Dolphins.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (NR) – Sometimes I love the NFL. We have teams like the Bills, Browns, 49ers and others who barely have one NFL caliber starting QB. Then we have a team like the Eagles with both Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb. First it was Kolb's job, then he gets injured and Vick snatched it away. Then Vick gets hurt and Kolb lights Atlanta up. What a problem to have. I can only imagine the arguments between fans right now. After living through the Rob Johnson/Doug Flutie nightmare, I fear for QB controversies such as this one.

(If you don't think there is one, wake up)

I know that Andy Reid says it's a good problem to have, which I can agree that it's much better than having two awful QBs to choose from, but I still don't envy him at all. I know he committed to Vick before the injury, but he also committed to Kolb and changed his mind. So basically I've learned that we can't trust a word he says. Honestly, how do you sit Kolb after yesterday's performance? Kolb finished 23/29, 326 yards, three touchdowns and 133.6 QB rating. It's been YEARS since a Buffalo QB even came close to a day like that. I read a rumor somewhere along the line that the Eagles are showcasing Kolb and if that's true, I suggest that Buddy Nix gets on the phone right now. Granted I find that very hard to believe, but I'd be all for it at this point.

8. Atlanta Falcons (NR) – So I was pretty sure Atlanta was the top team in the NFC until they decided to play dead in Philly. What a horrendous performance. In my defense, it's been pretty difficult trying to get a grasp on things so far this season. I blame the NFL and parity for that. I'm starting to get the feeling that Atlanta will always be just good enough to lose in the second round, nothing more. I guess the good news for Falcons fans is that I'm almost always wrong with my predictions, so they have that going for them.

9. New Orleans Saints (NR) – Speaking of my predictions going wrong, I couldn't have been more wrong when I predicted a Tampa Bay upset over New Orleans. For the first time in the 2010 season, the Saints looked like the defending Super Bowl champs. They should destroy Cleveland next week by a similar margin, but then they have Pittsburgh at home. That will be the game that tells me whether or not New Orleans is for real this season or just hanging around with no real plans to repeat.

10. Indianapolis Colts (NR) – I know the Colts are 4-2, but they just don't look good overall. Their two losses were to division teams, while their four wins were outside of the division. What does that mean? Well it means a whole lot when it comes down to tie-breakers in December. The reason I still have the Colts at 10 is simply because of Peyton Manning. I just can't rule him out. He's too good and the Colts will always be a contender as long as he's lining up (which might literally be for another decade). But let it be known, the Colts are not the same powerhouse that they usually are. On the positive side of that, they most likely won't be able to rest their starters in the final weeks of the season, which is huge for people in fantasy playoffs. I'm excited.

Just Missing Out: Chicago, Tennessee, Kansas City, Washington, Miami

Teams I didn't consider for .0001 of a second: Buffalo, Cleveland, Carolina

Bills future QB Update (in the ever-changing order that I like them):

1. Andrew Luck – OFF (Season: 1538 yards, 16 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 166.86 QB rating)

2. Jake Locker – 21/35, 286 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception (Season: 1431 yards, 13 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 132.56 QB rating)

3. Ryan Mallett – 10/15, 96 yards, 1 touchdown (Season: 1844 yards, 14 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 168.11 QB rating)

NFL Picks – Week Six

2010-10-16T15:13:00.000-04:00

Quick Disclaimer: Like the power rankings, the weekly NFL picks are going to be retired after this week. Starting next week I will be previewing the upcoming matchup for the Bills in horrific detail. Along with those previews, I will give my weekly picks, along with Scott's picks and our fantasy bet update. I simply won't be writing something about each game because as you can see below, some games are better left ignored completely.

Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears – I tried to come up with something for this game but I really have nothing. I hope it's low scoring so the NFL Redzone channel doesn't show any of it. (Seattle)

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots – It's funny how the Patriots work. They got rid of a bad locker room presence in Randy Moss for a 3^rd round pick. Then they give up a 4^th round pick for ex-Patriot Deion Branch who is probably the happiest person alive to come from Seattle and back home to New England, where he had the most success of his career. And yet, the Patriots somehow prosper from the entire deal. Amazing. However, it doesn't help their horrendous defense so I see a big day for Joe Flacco and the gang. (Baltimore)

Detroit Lions @ New York Giants – The Giants are in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East at 3-2. I had to look that up as I was typing it because it sounded crazy. They are rolling right now though and in my opinion, the best of the bunch in the East. They should easily beat Detroit and improve to 4-2, setting up a showdown with Dallas where I'm sure they will be looking to completely bury the Cowboys. (NY Giants)

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles – As of now, I don't think Michael Vick is playing in this game, therefore I'm picking Atlanta. I know this sounds crazy, but I'm thinking Atlanta might be the best team in the NFC right now. If Vick plays, Philly has a legit chance, but I don't like their odds with Kolb. He looked decent against San Francisco but I need to see it against a real team before I'm sold. (Atlanta)

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers – Poor Colt McCoy. He finally gets his first NFL start and he is going to get annihilated by Pittsburgh's defense. I would be surprised if the Browns even mustered six points in this game. McCoy could end up having a promising NFL career, but this game will most likely derail it. (Pittsburgh)

Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers – After getting their first two wins on the road and starting out 2-0, Miami fell back down to pretender status with two straight home losses (to division teams). Maybe it's a good thing Miami goes back on the road, but this game will really depend on whether or not Aaron Rodgers plays. If he doesn't, the Packers are screwed. I'm also not a fan of Green Bay's running game right now. But hey, good thing they held out for Marshawn Lynch. I'm picking Miami but I still think they are a pretender in the grand scheme of things. (Miami)

San Diego Chargers @ St. Louis Rams – I don't like the Rams in this game at all. They are improving but they showed last week in Detroit that they're still a long ways away. San Diego has struggled once again to start this season and I'm sure they'll be looking to take it out on the Rams after last week's debacle against Oakland. (San Diego)

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Super Bowl hangover + Madden cover = Trouble in New Orleans. Tampa Bay literally stole a win last week against the Bengals thanks to crappy Carson Palmer. I have to give credit where it's due though – Josh Freeman made some nice plays to get them in position for the win. I like Tampa Bay with the home upset this week. (Tampa Bay)

Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans – Houston has crashed back down to Earth after their hot start. I expected a loss against Dallas but I didn't expect the lifeless performance they gave against the Giants. I can see the Chiefs still being a playoff team thanks to their schedule, but they really aren't that good and Houston should win this game. In fact, they NEED to win this game or I'll file them under the 'pretender' status along with the Dolphins. (Houston)

Oakland Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers – Did anybody see the 49ers owner send out the message that they will still win the NFC West? Normally I'd say he's crazy because the Niners are 0-5 and no team has ever come back from that kind of start to win a division, but…they are playing in the NFC West. A three game deficit to Max Hall and the Cardinals isn't impossible at all. It should make things interesting to watch. I'll be rooting for San Francisco to grab some wins so they don't steal a QB away from Buffalo in the draft. In the meantime, they will be going 0-6 with a loss to Oakland. (Oakland)

New York Jets @ Denver Broncos – I might have been wrong on the Jets. Mark Sanchez wasn't great on Monday night in the elements, but he also refrained from throwing any interceptions and helped the Jets win. It's basically the opposite of what happened last season. My favorite part of that Monday Night game was Revis Island getting toasted by Percy Harvin. Fun times in Jersey. Ouch, my hamstring hurts. (NY Jets)

Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings – I know I'm stating the obvious but whoever loses this game is finished when it comes to the playoffs. Both are on the ropes and both need to start winning now. If Minnesota loses, Brett Favre might sit a few games out because "his elbow hurts." I find that excuse awfully convenient. It didn't seem to hurt when he was racing down the field to celebrate with Randy Moss. Did anybody notice how Minnesota totally botched a two point conversion attempt during the game? They had to actually call a timeout to get things straight. It's the year 2010 for crying out loud. Ten year old kids play Madden and know when to go for two. This is getting embarrassing. It's called common sense, not a "when to go for two" conversion chart. (Dallas)

Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Redskins – I have a rule of thumb that I don't pick against the Colts in a night game (unless it's the Super Bowl). The Redskins have been interesting because I don't think they are very good, yet they are 3-2 and have defeated Dallas, Philly and Green Bay; all quality opponents. They could go a long way towards establishing themselves if they can win this, but I don't see it. (Indianapolis)

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars – How the Jaguars got a home primetime game is beyond me. Combine that with the fact that San Francisco has already had two and I'm convinced that the primetime schedule is made by TV executives throwing darts during the offseason. It makes no sense. (Tennessee)

Last Week: 6-8

Entire Season: 44-30

Scott's Picks –

Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

Detroit Lions @ New York Giants

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers

San Diego Chargers @ St. Louis Rams

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans

Oakland Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers

New York Jets @ Denver Broncos

Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings

Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Redskins

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Last Week: 7-7

Entire Season: 43-31

Fantasy Update: We're still splitting both of our leagues and Scott has the 2-1 lead thanks to the BZ Staff League. We're both 4-1 in that league, but Scott has well over 100 points total over me for the tie-breaker. We play each other in that league so this is my chance to take the 2-1 lead and supremely piss Scott off.

Bills vs Jaguars Review

2010-10-12T19:26:00.000-04:00

The irony was off the charts last Thursday when the Bills announced that Sunday’s home game against Jacksonville was going to be blacked out locally because they had somewhere between 10 and 12 thousand unsold tickets.

Of all teams to play against and not sell out, it just had to happen against the poster children for the NFL blackout rule. As most Bills fans know by now; the NFL was doing us a favor by blacking it out.

The Good: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson.

Fitzpatrick finished the game 20/30, 220 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. No joke, I have a two QB fantasy team where I normally start Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. With Brady being on the bye, I actually picked Fitzpatrick up and he almost tripled Manning for the afternoon. Since taking over for awful Trent Edwards, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 595 yards, seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. The Bills really can’t ask much more out of Fitz. He has his moments, like when he horrendously botched two consecutive screen passes, but we also know what we’re getting from Fitz before heading into the game. To get the kind of production from him that we have, well, it’s been pretty amazing to be honest.

In his first full game as a starting RB this season, Jackson ran for 73 yards. So why is this good? Because he was only given the ball 12 times. 12 TIMES!! How is that even possible? Jackson averaged 6.1 yards per carry and looked downright dominant almost every time he touched the ball. So of course, let’s take it out of his hands. I’ve been giving Chan Gailey the benefit of the doubt for most of this season, but I’m starting to really doubt his play calling abilities.

Steve Johnson caught two more touchdown passes and now has four in the past three games. Not bad for a seventh round pick that has been rarely used before this season. Especially considering that the Bills drafted James Hardy in the second round of the same draft. Johnson has now accounted for 50% of the Bills receiving touchdowns so far this season. The Bills haven’t had a receiver catch 10 or more touchdowns since Eric Moulds did it in the 2002 season. So needless to say, Johnson is on quite a pace for the Bills right now.

The Bad: The defense. They are really bad right now. They can’t stop the run. They can’t stop the pass. They get no pressure on the QB. They don’t force any turnovers. They literally can’t do anything defensively. If I’m calling plays for the Bills; I’m going for it on fourth down every single time because the defense isn’t stopping the other team anyways. But hey, let’s extend Chris Kelsay for another four years.

Also bad, the story about how the Bills didn’t shop Marshawn Lynch around enough. And by bad, I mean for anybody that believes that story. There were teams like Green Bay and Philadelphia that were rumored to be interested in Lynch. So when they didn’t get him, of course they’re going to say that the Bills didn’t shop him around enough. It’s called the blame game and they’re shifting the blame off themselves and on to the Bills. It’s an excuse to get the fans of their back. I know people think Buddy Nix isn’t a smart man, but do you really think he’s dumb enough to just take the first offer and not shop around? No, he isn’t. He wouldn’t have lasted a day in this league if that were the case. Give it a rest you idiots.

The Ugly: Yes, it’s the defense again. Since allowing 13 points to Miami on opening day, the Bills have since allowed 34, 38, 38 and 36 points in consecutive weeks. Even when the Bills offense can score points (and they have in two of the losses), they don’t even stand a chance because the Bills defense is just so friggin bad.

On average, they allow 182.4 yards per game on the ground. I can’t remember in my lifetime seeing a Bills team be so inept on defense. I’m being completely honest here. For everyone that plays fantasy football, you may want to consider adding whatever RB is facing the Bills that week (assuming they aren’t taken already). Here is a list of the RBs they’ll be facing in the upcoming weeks: Ray Rice/Willis McGahee, Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Jahvid Best, Cedric Benson, Rashard Mendenhall, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis and the list goes on.

Seriously, Adrian Peterson is going to set the single game rushing mark against the Bills. I will bet anything on it. (Yes, I know he already has the record, he will break it again)

2010 Buffalo Sabres Season Preview

2010-10-08T12:12:00.005-04:00

Editor's Note: This article was actually written by Devin Dombrowski, I'm simply posting it on his behalf.

Last season was an exciting one for Buffalo fans as the Sabres ended their two year playoff hiatus by winning the Northeast Division and eventually winning the Stanley Cup flopping in the first round to the sixth seeded Boston Bruins. This was due in large part to Ryan Miller and the best season of his career. To many Buffalo fans, Miller has always been that "really good" goalie that had trouble crossing over into the great category. Not only did he affirm himself as a top three goaltender in the NHL, he almost helped lead Team USA to a stunning gold medal victory in the Olympics. The big question this season will be whether or not he builds on that success or slips a little now that greatness will be expected of him.

Key Additions: Rob Niedermayer (F), Jordan Leopold (D), Shaone Morrisonn (D)

Key Losses: Toni Lydman (D), Henrik Tallinder (D), Tim Kennedy (F), Adam Mair (F)

As usual, it wasn't an exciting offseason for Buffalo (unless you count the death of the slug). On the surface, it would appear that losing Lydman and Tallinder will hurt the blue line quite a bit. But as you'll remember, I've never been overly impressed with either player. Last offseason I was hoping they would both get traded and the Sabres would get something in return for them. Naturally this didn't happen, but the Sabres essentially traded in these two guys for Leopold and Morrisonn during the summer. Are they an upgrade? Well, let's take a look.

2008-09	GP	Goals	Assists	+/-	Blocked Shots
T. Lydman	80	3	20	0	166
H. Tallinder	66	1	11	-2	81
J. Leopold	83	7	17	-15	100
S. Morrisonn	72	3	10	+4	98

2009-10
T. Lydman	67	4	16	+2	98
H. Tallinder	82	4	16	+13	95
J. Leopold	81	11	15	-2	138
S. Morrisonn	68	1	11	+8	104

Use those numbers and draw whatever conclusion you would like. But I have two last things to consider when evaluating these players. Toni Lydman is 32 years old and Henrik Tallinder is 31. Jordan Leopold is 30 years old and Shaone Morrisonn is 27. Also, Tallinder and Lydman were signed by their new teams for a total of $6,675,000 against the cap. Leopold and Morrisonn will count for a combined $5,075,000 against the cap. Sounds to me like a pretty solid deal.

But enough with the defensemen, let's talk about the forwards.

The only notable addition via free agency is Rob Niedermayer. He won't light up the score sheet for sure, but he provides some good veteran depth and leadership. I don't think it's a coincidence at all that the Sabres matured last season when Mike Grier came back for his second stint with the team. I think the Niedermayer signing is a similar one in that aspect. It's also worth noting that Niedermayer is now the only player on the Sabres current roster with his name on the Stanley Cup. That has to count for something, right?

Leaving the team is Adam Mair and Tim Kennedy. Mair was on the outside looking in when last season started and struggled for the bulk of the season. To his credit though, when the playoffs started, Mair was very noticeable on the ice. Unfortunately for him, Cody McCormick was called up during the playoffs and seemed to play just as well. With that, McCormick looks like he'll be a permanent Sabre this season and Mair was sent packing. I have nothing against Adam Mair and wouldn't have minded it if he came back, but I do like this move. McCormick is younger, might have a little more scoring in him and will definitely drop the gloves when necessary. We've already seen that much so far in the preseason.

Kennedy was the hometown boy that impressed many last season. He definitely had his rough spots during the season and was horrid at taking faceoffs, but overall it would've been worthwhile to bring him back. Kennedy was a RFA and there was little doubt that he'd be back this season. The Sabres offered him a little over $800,000 and a two way contract to remain with the team. Kennedy balked at that offer, mostly the two way part, because he didn't want to be held accountable for his play. If he were to slip up like he did last season, the Sabres would now have the option to send him down to Portland. So Kennedy took the team to arbitration and was rewarded with a $1 million/1 year deal. Because the amount was under a certain limit, the Sabres had no choice but to accept the offer. So the Sabres promptly bought out his contract and sent him packing. Recently, Kennedy has been waived by the Rangers. This means he'll either be playing in the AHL or be unemployed. One has to think that maybe he should've just shut up and taken the Sabres initial offer.

One of the biggest reasons that Kennedy was expendable to the Sabres was the emergence of Tyler Ennis and possibly Nathan Gerbe. Gerbe has had plenty of opportunities to impress the Sabres during numerous call-ups and could never really accomplish much. I'm absolutely in that crowd as I was just about sick of hearing about Gerbe and his "potential". To his credit though, Gerbe got increased playing time during the playoffs and started to impress me. If he can bring that type of game every night, he surely deserves a roster spot.

Ennis got his call-up later than Gerbe or Kennedy, but blew both out of the water when his style of play. In 10 regular season games, Ennis contributed nine points. Similarly, in six playoff games, Ennis chipped in four points. Granted it's a small amount of games, but Ennis has shown the ability to be a near point per game player and I'm all for that. Last time the Sabres thought they had one on the roster they signed him to a 2 year/4.5 million dollar deal.

It's no secret that by the end of last season, I was about as down as you could be on the "core" of the Sabres. But this is where selective memory comes into play. I've all summer to calm down and relax about them. I'm taking a homeristic view into the season that they have another season under their belts and will be more experience and ready to contribute. Just as a disclaimer though, this goes for about the first 10 games of the season. If it becomes more of the same (I'm sure it will) from Pominville, Connolly and the gang; I'll be all for trading them and getting fresh faces in Buffalo. I can only take so much ineptitude and I get the bulk of that from the Bills already.

Looking at the Northeast Division, Boston is really the only team I see as a legit threat to take the title away from Buffalo. Ottawa is getting older and signing Sergei Gonchar didn't exactly address that particular issue. I'm still not enamored by their goaltending situation, though I never really have been. Montreal will be a solid team, but I'm pretty sure trading Halak and keeping Carey Price was the textbook definition of a wrong move. Price has already been booed mercilessly after allowing four goals in the preseason opener. I see that ending well. The Leafs will be improved with J.S. Giguere in net, but well, they're still the Leafs.

And because of the reasons listed above (barring some major injury), I fully expect the Sabres to make a trip to the playoffs again. Realistically I see them as a 4-6 seed, but winning the division is definitely in play.

NFL Picks – Week Five

2010-10-08T07:56:00.000-04:00

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills - When I started realizing that the Bills had a real shot at going 0-16, I quickly looked up the schedule again to see if there were any potential wins remaining. I saw two. Jacksonville and Cleveland. Again, potential wins, not definite. Of course, all of this was before the Jaguars defeated the Colts last week. I know for a fact that the Bills wouldn't even be able to hang with the Colts, let alone beat them. That changed my mind on this game dramatically. The only way the Bills have a shot in this game is if they knock out David Garrard early and Captain Checkdown comes into play. That's my best case scenario for this game. (Jaguars)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals - I'm sure how I can explain the Begansl losing to Cleveland. This team is simply not a contender, despite a wealth of talent on the offensive side of the ball. I'd be hard pressed to argue that few QBs in the NFL have regressed quite like Carson Palmer has. He is a far cry from the player he was five years ago. (Bengals)

Atlanta Falcons @ Cleveland Browns - If the Falcons want to win the NFC South, they will need to win the winnable games. I know, sound logic. They are tied with New Orleans at 3-1 but currently have the tie-breaker. There is no way they continue that lead or build on it by losing to Cleveland. Nobody will take them seriously if that happens. It's bad enough they struggled against San Francisco and got bailed out by Nate Clements. (Falcons)

St. Louis Rams @ Detroit Lions - The Rams bottomed out for two straight years but they got their franchise QB in the process. Sam Bradford has been crazy good so far in the first four weeks. He has the Rams at 2-2, tied for first in the NFC West and he's doing it with really no good receivers around him. I find it especially impressive. (Rams)

Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts - I was going to say that the Chiefs will be brought back down to Earth this week as they are currently the lone remaining undefeated team, but I don't think anybody believes that they are for real anyways. For further proof, please see that the line for this game has Indianapolis favored by 8.5 points. In case you're wondering, that is the biggest line of the week. (Colts)

Green Bay Packers @ Washington Redskins - I have no idea what happened in the NFC East but it's suddenly turned into a giant pile of mediocrity. Washington is 2-2 and tied for first place. With three other 2-2 teams. It's like they're competing with the NFC West to see who can be worse and still make the playoffs. And just for the record, the 2-2 Rams already blew away the Redskins. That should tell you all you need to know. (Packers)

Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers - The Bears just aren't as good as their 3-1 record would indicate, but luckily for them, Carolina is worse. Personally, I'm shocked that Jimmy Clausen has struggled so far in the NFL. I thought for sure he would be a star after going to the greatest college EVER. (Bears)

Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens - I just want to thank Baltimore personally for taking down the Steelers at Heinz Field last Sunday. It was a little too close, considering the fact that the Steelers were starting Chaz Batch, but a win is a win. They need to keep the momentum rolling and steamroll the Broncos. (Ravens)

NY Giants @ Houston Texans - Thanks to Jacksonville, the Texans are alone in first place heading into Week Five. It's uncharted territory for Houston and they absolutely need to keep it going. The Jags aren't going to be any threat as the season goes on, so they need to hold on to the 1.5 game lead they have over Indianapolis. (Texans)

New Orleans @ Arizona Cardinals - Last season, New Orleans pounded the Cardinals 45-14 in the playoffs. Flash forward to this year, where the Cardinals are without Kurt Warner and are significantly worse, and yes, this game has blowout written all over it. Adding to the equation, the Cardinals are starting Max Hall at QB. Oh boy. (Saints)

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders - This game will probably be closer than it should be, but mostly because the Chargers are the hardest team to get a handle on. I have no idea what to make of them right now. I'll answer that question in December. For now, they're on a week-to-week basis with me. (Chargers)

Tennessee Titans @ Dallas Cowboys - I'm pretty sure the Titans are the better team, but they're on the road and Dallas has had two full weeks to prepare for the game. (Cowboys)

Philadelphia Eagles @ San Francisco 49ers - I have no way to explain my logic behind this pick. Just a gut feeling, nothing more, nothing less. (49ers)

Minnesota Vikings @ NY Jets - Minnesota's trade for Randy Moss can go in a few different directions. One, it will give Minnesota fans a reason to dig through their closet and put on their old Moss jersey. I know I enjoyed this when the Bills brought back Peerless Price. Two, it will give the Vikings' offense someone to draw attention away from Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin. Three, Brett Favre, a QB who historically likes to close his eyes and bomb the football, now has a receiver who can make plays on the other end and bail him out. Four, Moss flames out, the Vikings are without a third round pick in next year's draft and Brett Favre cashes his $20MM check while chuckling to himself on the farm. (NY Jets)

Last Week: 8-6
Entire Season: 38-24

Scott's Picks:

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Atlanta Falcons @ Cleveland Browns
St. Louis Rams @ Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts
Green Bay Packers @ Washington Redskins
Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers
Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens
NY Giants @ Houston Texans
New Orleans @ Arizona Cardinals
San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders
Tennessee Titans @ Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles @ San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings @ NY Jets

Last Week: 9-5
Entire Season: 36-26

Fantasy Update:
Scott is now up 2-1. I'm clearly ahead of him in my league and he is the same in his league. Our BZ Staff League has gone back and forth and while we're both 3-1, he has scored way more points than me and took the lead by virtue of that tie-breaker.

End of an Era: Marshawn Lynch

2010-10-05T18:15:00.000-04:00

The Bills finally solved their three-headed running back situation on Tuesday by shipping Marshawn Lynch off to Seattle for a fourth round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012. On the surface, this is a good deal for the Bills, Seahawks and Lynch. Let me explain.

It was a good deal for the Bills because like I said above, it solves their running back situation. While running Lynch, they were taking carries away from Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Now the Bills can effectively use Jackson as the number one back and let Spiller see some more action. On the surface, this is a great move. Although I suppose I have to remind everyone that the Bills are still terrible and it most likely won't make a huge difference.

The Bills also got a good return for Lynch. In terms of draft picks, the Bills might have been able to score a third round pick, but that is very doubtful. So getting a fourth and a conditional is the next best thing. They also weren't going to get a player of any interest to help them this season. Keep in mind, this year has been renamed Operation Bottom Out. A draft pick is much more preferred over some random bench warmer. Let's just hope Buddy Nix uses the pick wisely.

This was a good deal for Seattle because they just picked up a number one running back for a fourth round pick and a conditional pick. Small price to pay for a guy in his fourth year and ran for 1,000 yards in his first two. Besides Justin Forsett, there really isn't much going on in Seattle's backfield. Keep in mind, this is a division where 8-8 can win it, so Seattle needs to improve now and take advantage of the situation.

I'd be remiss in discussing Lynch if I didn't bring up his legal troubles. Lynch has had two run-ins with the law already and is most likely one more incident away from a year long suspension. So with that in mind, Seattle also took a bit of a risk. The way I see it, this lowered his trade value considerably which is why I'm so happy with what the Bills got in return.

Finally, this is a good deal for Lynch. He wanted out of Buffalo and needed a change of scenery. The city embraced Beast Mode early in his career, but the fans quickly became sick of his off the field transgressions. Lynch was also not getting a full workload because again, he was sharing carries with Jackson and Spiller. While he still might share carries with Forsett in Seattle, sharing with one instead of two is a better thing for all involved.

I was a huge fan of Lynch when he was drafted by the Bills. I was willing to look past his first incident. Then came his second and I quickly quoted on Facebook, "I don't want felons on my team." I still stand by that statement. Last year I couldn't stand Lynch. He looked fat and uninterested in helping the team. I've had a brief change of heart this year because he's looked much better on the field and I'd like to think he's not stupid enough to screw up again off the field.

All in all, this is a slightly sad day for me as a Bills fan. I know it's for the betterment of the franchise and for Lynch, but I'll miss him. He was a knucklehead, but there were lots of good times mixed in as well. Lynch took the sting away when the Bills traded Willis McGahee, who set the world record for being my favorite current Bill to the guy I couldn't stand anymore. For that, I'll always appreciate those few good years with Lynch.

Best of luck Marshawn.

Bills vs Jets Preview

2010-10-02T13:36:00.000-04:00

For the first time since 2004, the Bills will open the season with a 0-4 record. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but the Bills aren't a good team and the Jets are much better. When I projected the Bills schedule before the season, I said that the Bills would split the season series with the Jets. Despite my views on how much better the Jets are than the Bills, I still think that will be the case at the end of the season. Maybe. After this week, the Bills don't face the Jets until Week 17, so there is a very real possibility the the Bills will steal a win against the Jets backups. For the sake of getting a high draft pick, I almost hope this doesn't happen. We'll save that talk for Week 17 though, there is a game this Sunday to discuss.

Quarterbacks - For as much as I rip on The Sanchize, he is better than Ryan Fitzpatrick or Brian Brohm. Then again, that isn't saying much. The Sanchize has played very well in the past two weeks and it has a lot of people thinking he's turned the corner. Me? I'm not so sure. I'll get closer to that decision when we're about halfway through the season. Food for thought. In two games against Buffalo last year, The Sanchize threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

Fitzpatrick is no Pro Bowl QB, but I think he can rack up some serious yards against the Jets. It looks like Revis Island will miss his second straight game, which would put mass producer Antonio Cromartie up against Lee Evans. As Fitzpatrick displayed last Sunday in New England, he isn't afraid to hit Roscoe Parrish and Stevie Johnson over the middle when they're open. If you think I'm crazy; consider this. The Jets currently rank 27th in the NFL in pass defense, allowing an average of 274.7 yards per game.

Running Backs - I have no idea what is going on with LaDainian Tomlinson. He apparently isn't totally washed up like he appeared to be after his tenure in San Diego. My guess is he is rejuvenated and motivated, but does it last all season? Keep in mind, he's still 31 years old.

Have you ever seen Rob Zombie's version of Halloween? (If not, I suggest you do.) There is a scene in the beginning where young Michael Myers beats a bully to death with a huge tree branch in a fit of rage. It's pretty brutal. If you know the scene I'm talking about, you know exactly what Shonn Greene has done to a number of my fantasy teams this year. Greene has 106 yards and zero touchdowns so far in three games. I could list the number of players that blew those numbers away in one game, but I think I've established my point already.

I like the Bills stable of running backs a lot more than the Jets, but unfortunately for Buffalo, they have to face the Jets run defense. Being optimistic, I can see the Bills maybe running for 50 yards combined (if they're lucky).

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - I don't intend on sounding like a homer, but I'm not sold on the Jets receivers either. Jerricho Cotchery does nothing for me. Neither does David Clowney. If Brad Smith is lining up in the wildcat, I suppose he instills a little fear in me. And I only fear Braylon Edwards if he is driving on my street at 5AM.

Even without Revis, I'm not expecting much from Lee Evans. No slight against Lee, but this is what happens when he goes up against number one defenders every week. I've loved how Chan Gailey has worked Roscoe Parrish into the games so far this season. Since coming into the NFL and being completely mis-used by the Bills, the best season for Parrish was in 2007 when he grabbed 35 passes for for 352 yards. So far in three games this season, Parrish has nine receptions for 152 yards. I'm no mathematician, but it looks to me like this will be a career year for Roscoe.

Tight ends are another story. Dustin Keller is pretty good and the Bills are horrendous at stopping the tight end. For more information, please see exhibit A.

Exhibit A:

Player	Catches	Yards	TD
A. Fasano (Mia)	3	46	0
J. Finley (GB)	4	103	0
A. Hernandez (NE)	6	65	0
R. Gronkowski (NE)	3	43	1

Those numbers are due in large part to the awful pass covering ability of Donte "Toast" Whitner and Chris Kelsay. I'd like to discuss this further but after the Bills gave Kelsay a $24MM extension, I'd rather just move on to another topic.

Defense: This came as a total shock to me, but the Bills have the 22nd overall defense in the NFL and the Jets only have the 20th. The Jets have the fourth overall run defense so their overall ranking is hurt by their all-of-a-sudden mediocre pass defense. I highlighted this above, but their pass defense will surely improve when Revis Island returns to the lineup from his injured hamstring (and ego).

Going into the season, I thought the strength of the Bills (if they even had one) would be their secondary. So far it's been a major disappointment. They are currently 18th in the NFL with an average of 221.3 yards per game. I still think the secondary is good, so I have to partially chalk this up to the competition. Facing Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks is no easy task. It will be interesting to see how they do this week for multiple reasons.

Special Teams: I have no idea how anybody would rank overall special teams. So I decided to look at two aspects of special teams to get a better grasp on things.

Kicking: Rian Lindell is 4/6 on the season, with his two misses being from 50+ yards. So in reality, he's been perfect this season.

Nick Folk is 6/7 on the season, with his one loss also being from 50+ yards. I would like to rip on Nick Folk for flopping last season and being released by Dallas, but Folk is the guy who helped pull off the ridiculous comeback Dallas had on MNF in Buffalo. Excuse me while I vomit.

Returns: Honestly, I know next to nothing about the Jets return game. I just looked it up on their depth chart and according to ESPN, Brad Smith is the main kick returner and Jim Leonhard is the punt returner. Uh, whatever. I suppose both are a threat to bring it back, but I'm not very worried.

This is one aspect during the Bills decade of awfulness that they continue to dominate. Currently C.J. Spiller is the main kick returner and he already showed what he can do last week against New England. In the event he isn't available, they have Leodis McKelvin, which aside from his fumble problems last opening day, is also an explosive kick returner.

Roscoe Parrish continues to return punts for Buffalo and honestly, he's a threat to bring it back every time. There are a few returners in the NFL who I legitimately think can take it back every time they touch the ball and Parrish is on that list. Maybe that is me partially being a homer, but give him a few blocks and he's gone. Trust me.

Prediction:. Jets 23, Bills 14.

End of an Era: Kawika Mitchell

2010-10-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

In the 2010 NFL season, better known to Bills fans as Operation Bottom Out, the Bills released another veteran player who never really amounted to much in Buffalo. Just days after releasing Captain Checkdown, the Bills also reached an injury settlement with Kawika Mitchell, who at the time was on injured reserve.

I think Mitchell’s signing in Buffalo can be traced back to December 23, 2007. On this day, the New York Giants made a trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium to face the Bills. I remember that game and thought it was just another meaningless game (it was). I also never thought the Giants had a shot at going anywhere in the playoffs that season, let alone winning the Super Bowl. The Bills were ahead in the fourth quarter until in typical Trent Edwards fashion, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The man who made the play? Kawika Mitchell.

Fast forward to the next season when Mitchell is on the Bills. The Bills started out 5-1 that season and were led by Mitchell, who made a couple of big plays including a game ending interception against the Chargers. From that point on....nothing.

Mitchell literally did nothing. He would play in 15 more games for the Bills, amassing two sacks and one interception. Like usual for the Bills, it wasn’t money well spent.

Mitchell went on IR last season and was poised for a return this year. Then he got injured right before the season started and the Bills put him on injured reserve again. At first glance, this reeked of a typical Bills move and I felt bad for Mitchell. But then I read, via his Twitter, that it was a 12 week injury. At that point, I figured the Bills were well within their rights to put him on injured reserve. It’s not like he was going to come back and make an impact in the final five games of the season.

For whatever reason, Mitchell asked for his release today and the Bills promptly obliged with an injury settlement that set him free. Be careful what you wish for. He’s still hurt and I don’t think there will be teams knocking down his door for his services. Or at least I wouldn’t be if I were a GM.

Another thing to consider if you’re a GM. This is a player who twice ripped the organization he worked for on his Twitter site. Last year he ripped the Bills to shreds for picking up Richie Incognito off waivers. You know, never mind the fact that the Bills were decimated at offensive line and he could help the team (something Mitchell wasn’t doing). Then this year he did it again when the Bills released Trent Edwards.

Overall I like the move for the Bills. They need to get rid of the higher priced veterans and make way for the younger players. You don’t effectively rebuild and start over by treading water and signing guys like Mitchell. His signing essentially represents everything that was wrong with the Dick Jauron era.

It also gets rid of a tough talker on Twitter that never backed it up on the field. If only they would release Donte Whitner, we would be set.

NFL Picks – Week Four

2010-09-30T18:53:00.002-04:00

Before we get to the picks, just a quick disclaimer. This past week was the last week my power rankings will be posted. I've had fun writing them for the better part of four years, but I need to turn my focus to writing more Bills and Sabres specific articles (since that is the focus of this site). Plus, I can only make the same jokes about Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger and the NFC West over and over again before they get old. Now with that out of the way, here are our picks for Week Four.

San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons - As a Bills fan, I know that if there is one key to success in the regular season, it's firing the offensive coordinator very early into the season. If you couldn't tell, that last sentence is dripping in sarcasm. To put it lightly, the 2010 campaign for the 49ers has been a total disaster so far. They were a team picked to win the awful NFC West (crap, I did it again) and have so far failed to even appear competent in two of the three games. In fact, before the season I would've pegged them to start out 2-1, with the one loss being against New Orleans. I guess this shows how much I know about football because the game against New Orleans was the only game the 49ers even came close to winning. If San Francisco continues to lose this season, might I suggest that they finally cut ties with Alex Smith and draft a new QB this April? Word on the street is that there will be three or four good QBs available.

Atlanta comes into this game with a 2-1 record after beating the Super Bowl champs on the road. Their lone loss on the season came on the road at Pittsburgh, against a ridiculously good defense. Really, there's no shame in that. When given the opportunity against a lesser team, Atlanta throttled the Cardinals to the tune of 41-7. I don't think this game will be that big of a blowout, but I also don't think the Niners stand chance. (Atlanta)

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills – Speaking of teams that don't stand a chance, the Bills are hosting the Jets this Sunday. I got a kick out of the news that the Jets had put a waiver claim in on Trent Edwards this week. With Kellen Clemens and Mark Brunell already on the roster, why in the world would the Jets need Trent Edwards? The answer is simple really; to get information about the Bills the week they play them. It's a sad statement for the Jets. They are clearly a better team and they shouldn't need any help beating the Bills. If anything, this kind of tells me that maybe the Jets aren't quite as good as we think they are. Then again, maybe I'm looking too much into it.

In the department of making me look like an idiot, The Sanchize has thrown for 476 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions in the past two weeks. Not much I can say about him this week. As my mom always told me; if you can't say anything nice to someone, don't say anything at all.
I'm lying. That's just an old saying. My mom never told me that. (NY Jets)

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns – The Bengals might be the least impressive 2-1 team I've seen this season. Carson Palmer has a ton of weapons on offense and has done next to nothing with them. Besides the game on opening day where Palmer racked up a ton of garbage stats, his numbers have been very Trent Edwards like in the past two weeks. I had hope for Palmer going into the season and even picked him up on a few fantasy teams as a solid #2 guy, but I'm rethinking that strategy now. In fact, if he doesn't do something impressive in the next two weeks, I'm done with him. (Cincinnati)

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers – So let me get this straight. The Lions haven't won a road game since Ronald Regan was president. The Packers are one of the five best teams in the league. The Lions are still starting Shaun Hill at QB. Jahvid Best is questionable and might not even play. Yeah, this is going to end will for the Lions. (Green Bay)

Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans – I would probably be picking the Titans over the Broncos no matter where it was played, but having the game in Tennessee just seals the deal with me. I've never been too crazy about West Coast teams traveling east for the early game on Sunday. I know it's not a full proof theory, but I'm going with it. (Tennessee)

Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams – Just stop. I've had enough of this division. I can't take it anymore. (Seattle)

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints – The Saints should be 3-0 but I guess you're bound to lose a few games when you have a crappy kicker. All that aside, they get Carolina at home and I'm like 99.9% certain that they will take their frustrations out on Jimmy Clausen and turn this game into a 20+ point blowout. Speaking of Clausen, his debut didn't go exactly as planned as he finished 16 for 33 with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Then again, after looking at Brady Quinn's numbers; that seems to be standard for Notre Dame QBs. (New Orleans)

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers – I'm not sure what the over/under is on this game, but I would bet my life savings on the under. I can't see this game having more than 23 points total. As we saw in Week One when the Ravens faced the Jets, in a low scoring defensive game, it's the team with the better QB that usually comes out on top. For that reason, I'm picking the Ravens on the road. Joe Flacco hasn't been that impressive so far this season, but I would pick him 10 out of 10 times against Chaz Batch. (Baltimore)

Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars – Finally. I've made my living as a writer constantly making fun of the Jaguars for their awful home crowds. I was starting to tire out from it and was in desperate need of some new disparaging material against Jacksonville. Then they claimed Trent Edwards off waivers. (Indianapolis)

Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders – This has trap game written all over it. I don't need to go back and look it up but every season the Raiders steal at least one victory at home against a far superior team. Because I can't see the Texans losing another game this early and the fact that Oakland hosts Miami later in November, this probably isn't that game. Or at least I hope not. I need to keep my picks going. Did you realize last year after three weeks I was 34-14 at this point? I'm actually getting worse. What the…I thought I was getting better. (Houston)

Arizona Cardinals @ San Diego Chargers – Arizona might be the worst 2-1 team on the planet. They beat the Rams and Sam Bradford on opening day by four points. Then they defeated Oakland at home by one point, benefitting from Sebastian Janikowski missing THREE field goals. So in theory, they should have lost by eight points. I have little to no doubt that my favorite college team (The U) would beat Arizona by at least 20 points on the road. The only way the Chargers lose this game is if Phillip Rivers tries to play QB and WR at the same time. (San Diego)

Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles – And here we are, the game everybody will be talking. Former Eagle Artis Hicks makes his return to Philadelphia, this time as a member of the Washington Redskins. It will be very interesting to see how the fans react to his return. My guess is they will cheer. Philadelphia fans are a tough crowd, but they should appreciate his time spent in Philly and now looking back on it, they must feel a little bad about the way it ended. However, the star of this game will be Michael Vick, as he continues his impressive play. He's going to garner a lot of attention this offseason. As he was getting out of prison, I was against him coming to Buffalo because in the past I was never impressed with his overall style of QB play. But this looks like a different guy all together and I have to admit, I would be very excited if the Bills had this version of Michael Vick on their team. If I were running the Bills, one option might be signing Vick for two years and drafting a QB with the top pick and allowing him to learn the game slowly instead of throwing him to the wolves. I don't know, just an idea. (Philadelphia)

Chicago Bears @ New York Giants – I always get super irritated with the Bears. I don't know what it is about them but they bug the hell out of me. Part of it probably stems from the fact that they are the luckiest team alive. I mean seriously, they made it to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman as their QB. Now they have Jay Cutler, who is much better than Grossman, but 10 times more unlikeable. About the only thing I like on Chicago is Devin Hester. Partially for his name, partially because he represents The U. That's right, I got The U in this picks article twice. Get over it. (NY Giants)

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins – Bleh. I had the hardest time picking this game. On paper, the Patriots are the far superior team. But in the past five seasons, the Patriots are a combined 4-8 in Miami since the 1998 season. Adding that in with the atrocious New England secondary and this game is prime for a Miami upset. I still don't think they're a legit playoff contender though. (Miami)

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 30-18

Scott's Picks –
San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans
Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams
Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders
Arizona Cardinals @ San Diego Chargers
Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears @ New York Giants
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 27-21

Here are the updated standings for mine and Scott's fantasy bet. I'm still up in 2 of the 3 leagues, despite Scott scoring way more points than me in the BZ Staff League. On the bright side for Scott, he pretty much has it wrapped up in his league because my team is a steaming pile of garbage.

BZ Staff League
Inebriaters v4.0 (Devin)	3-0	245
NC Ninjas (Scott)	2-1	338

It's Just Pretend
NC Ninjas (Scott)	3-0	377
Buffalo Blaze (Devin)	0-3	265

Lake Erie Football League
Buffalo Blizzard (Devin)	3-0	413.5
NC Ninjas (Scott)	2-1	331

NFL Power Rankings – Week Three

2010-09-29T07:13:00.002-04:00

1. Indianapolis Colts (4) – Through three games, Peyton Manning has thrown for 1013 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. Who loves having him on his fantasy team? This guy.

2. New England Patriots (5) – If I were a Patriots fan, I would be very worried about their defense. They pretty much made the Bills look great yesterday. They won't always have the benefit of facing the Bills so they might want to fix that real quick.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10) – I'm sure some will argue that the Steelers should be in the top spot since they are one of the three remaining undefeated teams, but I'll hold off on that for just a little while. Pittsburgh's defense has looked like the best in the league for sure, their offense, not so much. I know they hung 38 points on the board last week, but they were also playing Tampa Bay. Let's not kid ourselves; the Bucs really aren't that good of a team. I'm sure the offense will improve with Ben returning from his rape suspension, but again, I'll wait and see. I'm pretty sure the two teams listed above along with the one listed below are still much better overall.

4. Green Bay Packers (2) – I hate moving Green Bay down because I think they are the best team in the NFC, if not the whole league. They lost on the road by three points to a team that benefited from 18 penalties. Some of which were awful calls. The pass interference call the Bears got in the last two minutes was an absolute joke. Jay Cutler had nowhere to throw the ball so he just heaved it up Favre style into double coverage and hoped for a penalty, which he got. All this aside, the Packers coaches also dropped the ball in the last minute. Instead of stuffing Matt Forte on the one yard line and letting Chicago bleed the clock down, they should've just allowed him to score and given Aaron Rodgers 50 seconds or more to tie the game. That is where the game was officially lost.

5. New Orleans Saints (1) – The Saints have really yet to look good in the first three weeks of the season so it was only a matter of time before they lost a close one. Luckily for them, they have four cupcakes coming up on their schedule and should be able to fix things rather quickly.

6. New York Jets (7) – Here is what I find amazing about Braylon Edwards and the lack of discipline from the Jets and the NFL. Edwards was forced to miss the first 17 offensive plays for the Jets after blowing twice the legal limit early Tuesday morning and getting a DWI. Wow, what a way to send a message to the kids who follow the game. Even more so, it's impressive on Edwards' part because he's a millionaire athlete that can afford transportation, especially since it happened New York City. You know, a city notorious for having a bazillion cabs at all times. But here is the most amazing fact. Edwards drank with Donte Stallworth the night Stallworth drove drunk and killed a man crossing the street. He literally learned nothing. How is this not getting more attention in the media?

7. Houston Texans (3) – It's very possible that the Texans bought into their own hype and fell flat on their face against their in-state rivals on Sunday. That's ok; they have the Raiders coming up this week which is the perfect bounce back situation.

8. Baltimore Ravens (8) – The Ravens won at home against the Browns. In other words, business as usual. They haven't really impressed me as much as I expected this year. It will be interesting to see how they do against Pittsburgh this Sunday. If they lose and allow Pittsburgh to start 4-0 without Ben Roethlisberger, it's uh-oh time in Baltimore.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (17) – I would have to say, this blog gives me a pretty open forum to look like an idiot. Ranking the Eagles is yet another example of that. I whined and complained when I said I was already starting Michael Vick on one of my fantasy teams in week two. Since that time, Vick has lit it up to the tune of 575 yards, five passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and zero interceptions in the past two games. I have to be honest, I would be thrilled if he was playing for the Bills right now. Talk about a flip-flop on my part.

10. Chicago Bears (11) – I'm reluctantly moving the Bears up because I'm pretty sure they shouldn't be 3-0. They won't always get the benefit of home field refs so they should really be enjoying last night's victory. Jay Cutler was average at best and the Bears' running game was non-existent. I'm not impressed.

11. Atlanta Falcons (18) – The Falcons got a huge road win and will surely be sending their thank you cards to Garrett Hartley. If Atlanta could've mustered ONE touchdown in week one, they would be sitting at 3-0 right now.

12. Miami Dolphins (9) – So let me get this straight. Miami wins their first two games by a combined score of 29-20 against two teams with a combined record of 1-5. Then they come home and face a good team and allow Mark Sanchez to shred them 256 yards and three touchdowns. You know what we call a team like this? A pretender.

13. San Diego Chargers (6) – I can't even believe I'm putting a 1-2 team this high in the rankings. I'm giving the Bolts one more chance to prove me right. They have this habit of starting out slow before ripping off a series of wins, so I have to assume they will do the same this season. If they happen to lose in the next three weeks (Arizona, Oakland, St. Louis), I'm dropping them for the foreseeable future.

14. Cincinnati Bengals (12) – The Bengals got the win to move to 2-1 but it wasn't exactly a pretty performance. I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but Carson Palmer is looking worse as each week passes. Wasn't he elite a few years ago? What happened?

15. Tennessee Titans (14) – I know it's not normal to drop a team after a win, but at this point it's simply a numbers game. I honestly feel that the 14 teams listed above are better, regardless of what happened yesterday.

16. Minnesota Vikings (15) – While the Vikings finally ended their losing streak and into the win column, it wasn't a performance that made me think they are anywhere close to a playoff team. They beat the winless Lions at home thanks to Adrian Peterson and his 160 yard, two touchdown performance. For the season, Brett Favre has two touchdowns and six interceptions. Name me a team that can win consistently with those numbers.

17. Dallas Cowboys (21) – The Cowboys finally got a win on the road against the previously undefeated Houston Texans. Who would've seen that coming? Oh yeah, I did. Dallas still has a lot of work to do if they are going to be a playoff team but they have two weeks to build on this win before they face the Titans in their next game.

18. Washington Redskins (13) – Washington dropped the ball big time on Sunday. I wrote about it in my picks but they basically had to win the game in St. Louis (a very winnable game I might add). They are now 1-2 and have four difficult games in the next four weeks. The honeymoon might be over in Washington real quick.

19. Kansas City Chiefs (24) – I learned a few years ago when the Bills started out 4-1 not to get too hyper and overreact to good starts. This is the exact reason why I still have Kansas City at 19 in the rankings. Fact is, they've beaten three teams with a combined 1-8 record so far in the season.

20. Seattle Seahawks (20) – Sure, the Seahawks won and moved to 2-1 and first place in their division. And I really don't plan on moving them any higher. Sorry, they are an NFC West team and I refuse to give any of those teams any credit whatsoever.

21. New York Giants (16) – For two straight weeks the Giants have pretty much rolled over on Sunday. It doesn't take a genius to know that you can't win games when you lose the turnover battle 3-0.

22. Denver Broncos (19) – As each week passes, I become more and more convinced that Josh McDaniels has no idea what he is doing in Denver. But hey, don't believe me. Maybe when they start the season out 1-5 you will start listening.

23. St. Louis Rams (30) – I've been saying for the first two weeks now that the Rams really don't look that bad. They are a young team with a rookie QB learning on the job. And with all of that in mind, it's still September and they have already matched their win total from the entire 2009 season. Yes, you just read that correctly.

24. Arizona Cardinals (29) – There really isn't much I like about Arizona, except Larry Fitzgerald. I really don't even know how I bumped them up this high, seeing that they only won because the Raiders can't convert easy field goals. Nevertheless, their up in the rankings for this week (until they play San Diego next week).

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22) – Thank you Tampa Bay. Because of you, Steeler fever is rampant where I live, which means I'm slowly slipping into a deep depression. For anybody that thought that Tampa Bay might be good, think again. They just made Charlie Batch look like a good QB. Yuck.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (23) – Do you know what week I'm circling on my calendar? It's week five when Jacksonville makes a trip up to Buffalo. If the Bills play like they did on Sunday and the Jaguars play like they always do, we're looking at Buffalo's first win of the season. Book it.

27. Detroit Lions (27) – The Lions lack of running game combined with their lack of running defense is the main reason they lost this game. Detroit is making games competitive but sometimes that just isn't enough. Getting Matthew Stafford back will help, whenever that happens to be.

28. Carolina Panthers (26) – It wasn't exactly a good start to the Jimmy Clausen era in Carolina. Clausen finished 16/33, 188 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception and a 53.6 rating. I know it's one game but if that is what Carolina can expect from Clausen, then I totally understand why he dropped so far in the draft.

29. Oakland Raiders (28) – I still can't believe the Raiders lost this game. Of course, I suppose it's bound to happen when your field goal kicker goes 3/6 on the day. In an easy place to kick like Arizona, there aren't many excuses for Sea Bass on that one.

30. Cleveland Browns (31) – I'll give the Browns credit. They went on the road against one of the better teams in the league and actually had a 17-14 lead at one point. Against a top three defense in the league, Peyton Hillis ran for 144 yards and Seneca Wallace finished with 103 QB rating. There were a lot more positives than negatives for Cleveland in this game.

31. Buffalo Bills (32) – Yes, I'm moving the Bills up despite another loss to the Patriots. I'm moving them up because they finally looked like a professional football team. In the first two games, the Bills scored a combined 17 points and had 352 yards. COMBINED IN TWO GAMES. Yesterday on the road in New England, the Bills scored 30 points and had 374 yards of offense. This was due in large part to the switch at QB which really goes to show just how bad Trent Edwards is. In fact, the Bills recognized that and cut Captain Checkdown. Given the past history of the Bills, this move was actually quite a shock to most.

32. San Francisco 49ers (25) – Man, the 49ers are bad. I know they almost best the Saints at home but almost doesn't count. Truth is, the 49ers are 0-3 and have been outscored 88-38 in those three games. While winning their division is still a definite option, things aren't looking good. The team they are trailing by two games already hammered them once, 31-6. Maybe Mike Singletary isn't the great coach we all thought he was. Interesting.

Bills vs Patriots – Day after Reaction

2010-09-27T16:55:00.002-04:00

I said in my picks last week that this game would be a blowout, and I was wrong. The Bills held their own on the road against a team that has dominated them in the past and only lost by eight. It was actually a pretty good game for the most part, minus the end result. But in reality, it was exactly what the Bills fans should be hoping for. A good, competitive game that is fun to watch, and the Bills still lose and keep up their pace for a top three draft pick next April. Sorry, but it's the truth. I'm not rooting for them to lose, but in the end it is the best thing for the overall franchise.

The Good – Unlike the past two weeks, there was a lot of good things in yesterday's game. The offense generated 374 total yards, including 240 in the air and 134 on the ground.

For the second straight week, Marshawn Lynch led the team in rushing and actually looked good. I have to admit, my likeness of Lynch dropped to nothing after the debacle that was the 2009 season, but Lynch has done all he can do to redeem himself. He has 156 yards through the first three games, which is far from great, but he's also splitting time and running behind an awful offensive line. Trust me when I say this; Lynch didn't look nearly this good at any point last season. He's out to prove himself, whether it's to the Bills or a team willing to trade for him.

Along with Lynch, C.J. Spiller got into the game and made an immediate impact. While a lot of fans were upset at the Bills for drafting him, I was thrilled because Spiller is a playmaker, something the Bills have lacked for the past decade. I know they needed help on the offensive and defensive line, but they also needed a player who can simply make players. Spiller showed some of that yesterday and I look forward to more in the upcoming weeks. Spiller only had four carries, but gained 29 yards on those (7.3 yards per carry) and caught another three passes, including his first career touchdown. Oh yeah, he also chipped in with a 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The wide receivers in general were also good, besides David Nelson. Roscoe Parrish had five receptions for 83 yards. Yes, you read that correctly. Besides a game back in 2006 where he had four receptions for 104 yards, it was the most productive game of his NFL career. While that doesn't say much for Parrish overall, it goes to show that if you use him correctly, he can be an asset.

Lee Evans also contributed five receptions and was targeted eight times. As you know by now, that is a far cry from last week when Trent Edwards only went his way one time in the entire game. Stevie Johnson also made his mark grabbing three passes, including a 37 yard touchdown and an awesome touchdown celebration. I hate that the refs penalized him for it, but hey, they aren't called the No Fun League for nothing. No props, nothing excessive and totally original. Again, you can lose; just entertain me a little bit.

All of the above wouldn't have been made possible without Ryan Fitzpatrick. For the first time all season, the Bills finally had a QB in the game who knew how to avoid pressure, wasn't afraid to take some shots downfield and knew how to convert 3^rd down passes. It was refreshing in every sense of the word. In fact, Fitz was in position to finally ended the Bills now 57 game streak of passing for less than 300 yards. He won't break the streak this week against the Jets, but I wouldn't be shocked to see it go down against the Jags in week five.

Oh, and the Bills cut ties with Trent Edwards. I've been pretty hard on Edwards for the better part of the past three weeks and I don't regret it one bit. He is terrible and I'm thrilled that the Bills are done with him. Good riddance. Our trash will eventually be someone else's trash.

The Bad – The worst part of the game had to be the fact that the Patriots won again against the Bills. Tom Brady is now 16-1 in his career against the Bills. It's getting to be a bit much. At some point the tide has to turn. This can't go on forever.

While I was thrilled by the play of Fitzpatrick, his two interceptions were pretty bad. The first one was bad overthrow and honestly, he had Parrish wide open across the middle and it would've been a touchdown. The other was also another overthrow, but I contend that David Nelson could have done a little more to knock the pass down and keep the drive alive. Either way, I know Fitzpatrick isn't a great QB and he is going to be shaky here and there. I'm willing to deal with that because he brings a lot of good things to the offense that weren't there the past two weeks. It is what it is really.

The Ugly – Both defensive efforts were ugly. I'm not shocked that Tom Brady burnt Donte Whitner and the rest of the secondary, but I was a little surprised that the Patriots totaled 200 yards on the ground yesterday. It was one of the most frustrating things throughout the afternoon.

As each week passes, I grow more and more excited at the thought that Whitner's contract will soon be up and he'll be off the Bills. Then I caught wind of the news that the Bills are working on a contract extension for another useless player, Chris Kelsay.

It doesn't get any more ugly than that.

Overall, there was more good than bad in this game. True, the Bills didn't win the game, but they hung in there with the Pats and made something of it. There isn't one Bills fan that thought they would win this game, but most also thought it would be a demolition. Hey, I know I did. If the Bills play like they did yesterday, I could see them finishing with three or four wins, which is a lot more than I thought at this time last week.

NFL Picks – Week Three

2010-09-24T06:53:00.006-04:00

San Francisco 49ers @ Kansas City Chiefs – After their loss to New Orleans on Monday, Frank Gore came out and said that the Saints couldn't hang with them. Those are some pretty big words considering the defending champs are 2-0 and the Niners are 0-2. I halfway agree with him because the Saints barely pulled it out and the Niners shot themselves in the foot several times throughout the game. Nevertheless, good teams don't make those mistakes, the Niners did and quite frankly, they aren't that good. Put them in any other division besides the NFC West and I think that would become evident. That being said, this game is very winnable for them.

The Chiefs have had some breaks go their way to far. For one, the schedule. They could very well be 3-0 at the bye week or at worst, 2-1. Still remaining on their schedule are games against Jacksonville, Buffalo, Oakland (2x), Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. I wouldn't be shocked at all if they finished the season 9-7 or 10-6 with a slate of games like that.

I'm going with the 49ers but I'm very hesitant to do so. San Francisco struggled on the road in Week One because Alex Smith couldn't get the plays in time due to Seattle's insanely loud crowd. Arrowhead is just as difficult to play in and it will present the same challenges. It was reported on Monday night that he is now wearing a wristband with the plays on it, but who knows if it will make a difference. I guess we'll find out Sunday. (San Francisco)

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens – I was going to write this long paragraph about how the Ravens only lost to the Bengals by five points, despite losing the turnover battle 4-0. But honestly, it's not needed. It's their home opener and they are playing the Browns. Unless Josh Cribbs contributes 21 points by himself, the Browns are losing this game. (Baltimore)

Dallas Cowboys @ Houston Texans – This would be the pick of the week where you'll read this and think I'm crazy. Dallas is going to win. They have their backs against the wall and it's the week before their bye week. That would indicate to me that if Dallas doesn't win, Wade Phillips might want to start packing his bags. This is meant as no disrespect towards Houston, they are a very good team, but this game has upset written all over it. (Dallas)

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings – In the immortal words of Dennis Green, Brett Favre is who we thought he was. He's a turnover machine and unless every circumstance is absolutely perfect (like it was last season), he's going to struggle big time. On top of that, he doesn't even look like he wants to be playing at this point. You can see that much on his face. He and the Vikings get a break with Detroit this week and an early bye next week, but then the season pretty much comes crumbling down. (Minnesota)

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots – This game is going to be such a blowout that I don't even need to discuss it. At the very least, barring injury, I won't be subjected to three hours of Trent Edwards this Sunday. That's the highlight for me. Hey, maybe they'll even score some points and make things exciting for two or three quarters. It's about all I can hope for anymore. (New England)

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints – The Falcons looked pretty bad on the road in Pittsburgh and pretty good at home against Arizona. I see a developing trend with this. If they want to prove that theory wrong, they might want to play well and beat the Saints. It would go a long way in proving themselves as a legit contender. Unfortunately for the Falcons, I don't see it happening.

The Saints have been less than spectacular during their two wins this season, but still, they are winning those games. If the Saints can get past Atlanta, they could very well be 8-1 heading into the bye. Not a bad situation to be in if you're the defending champs. (New Orleans)

Tennessee Titans @ New York Giants – Not that I'm a huge fan of Vince Young, but he and the Titans should be able to bounce back and get the win in Jersey. The Giants allowed 160 yards on the ground last week to the Colts, including over four yards per carry from Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. Both running backs are good, but neither is in the class of Chris Johnson. That sound you hear is Johnson's fantasy owners drooling over this matchup. (Tennessee)

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Going into the season, a 2-2 start would've been ideal for Pittsburgh. At this rate, not only are they going to start at least 3-1 or maybe even 4-0, but Dennis Dixon got himself injured and there won't be one single Pittsburgh fan disappointed with the return of Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers offense in general has been less than impressive which should be great news for Ben, but they are winning the games because they don't have to play from behind and their defense is just that good. It's the perfect storm in Pittsburgh right now. I'm going to go pour myself a drink. (Pittsburgh)

Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers – The Bengals offense hasn't been very good so far, which is slightly surprising considering the weapons they have at their disposal. They have three easy games coming up though, and should be able to work out the kinks in time for the important games. For Carolina, it's already the start of the Jimmy Clausen era. It looks like it will be an ugly year for the Panthers which probably means late season speculation on John Fox's job and whether or not Bill Cowher will return to coaching. I can't wait. (Cincinnati)

Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars – The Eagles made waves this week by announcing that Michael Vick will be the starter, despite the health of Kevin Kolb. Part of me applauds the decision because if Vick is playing well, he should stay in the game and give the Eagles the best chance to win. The other part feels that Kolb is getting shafted. After being handed the keys to the Eagles offense, he barely got time to drive before getting kicked out. Losing your job to injury is always tough. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of him this season though. (Philadelphia)

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams – If the Redskins want to make a push for the playoffs this season, they need to take advantage and win games like this one. For instance, after this week, Washington faces Philadelphia, Green Bay and Indianapolis in consecutive weeks. See what I mean? (Washington)

Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos – The Colts got back on track last week and should continue rolling right through Denver. At this point, there isn't much that impresses me about Denver. I made fun of the Bills and their usage of C.J. Spiller so far, but the Broncos shouldn't be exempt from the same treatment. They blew a first round pick on Tim Tebow and so far he has had zero pass attempts and two carries for two yards. Considering the fact that he wasn't drafted to necessarily be the next franchise QB, one can only assume that picking him where they did was an awful use of a draft pick. (Indianapolis)

Oakland Raiders @ Arizona Cardinals – Wow. Nothing about this game seems even remotely appealing. (Oakland)

San Diego Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks – Sometimes I wish the Bills played more late afternoon games so I wouldn't be subjected to so many NFC West teams. Unless Seattle is playing one of their division rivals, I have a hard time picking them. (San Diego)

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins – Tough game to pick. On one side, the Jets are supposed to be really good and showed that last week by beating down on the Patriots. On another side, the Jets still have Mark Sanchez and regardless of one game, I still think he sucks.

For Miami, they looked more than mediocre in their opening day win at Buffalo and I'm not sure they looked any better against Minnesota. They got a turn of turnovers courtesy of Brett Favre and still almost found a way to lose. On the other hand, they are 2-0 and both games were played on the road. That isn't an easy thing to do in the NFL, regardless of who you're playing.

I've got to go with the Jets though. Their defense is still really good and should be able to shut down the vaunted Dolphins offense, led by future Hall of Famer Chad Henne. The Dolphins defense is good but unless they plan on shutting out the Jets, I don't think it will be enough to get the win. (NY Jets)

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears – I realize people want to jump on the Chicago bandwagon after their 2-0 start, but I urge you to think about it first. So far this season, Chicago has defeated teams that are a combined 0-4. On top of that, their leading rusher, Matt Forte, has a total of 71 yards rushing in the two games.

Now to be fair, the Packers opponents have been 1-3, including the worst team in the league last week. However, it's my picks article and I don't have to be fair.

I guess my whole point here is that the Packers are looking like the team we thought they were and I really don't think the Bears are for real. (Green Bay)

Last Week: 11-5

Season: 20-12

Scott's Picks –

San Francisco 49ers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys @ Houston Texans

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans @ New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers

Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams

Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos

Oakland Raiders @ Arizona Cardinals

San Diego Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

Last Week: 8-8

Season: 17-15

As always, here is the updated standings for mine and Scott's fantasy bet. I had a pretty good week and I'm now up in 2 of the 3 leagues. Maybe it's time to go jersey shopping.

BZ Staff League
Inebriaters v4.0 (Devin)	2-0	169
NC Ninjas (Scott)	1-1	240

It's Just Pretend
NC Ninjas (Scott)	2-0	268
Buffalo Blaze (Devin)	0-2	178

Lake Erie Football League
Buffalo Blizzard (Devin)	2-0	269
NC Ninjas (Scott)	1-1	219

NFL Power Rankings – Week Two

2010-09-21T07:18:00.002-04:00

1. New Orleans Saints (1) – It won't always be pretty, but it doesn't have to be when you're the defending champs. It will be interesting to see how much they miss Reggie Bush in the next six weeks.

2. Green Bay Packers (3) – There might be some people doubting this because at halftime against Buffalo, it was only a 13-7 lead. Trust me; the Bills were never once in the game. The Packers just toyed with them a little bit before putting the hammer down. If it wasn't for a big Charles Woodson pass interference penalty, the Packers would've easily shut out the Bills. After seeing what their running game looks like without Ryan Grant, the Packers might seriously want to consider trading for Marshawn Lynch. Trading Lynch would make so much sense for both teams, but like usual, I expect the Bills to not do it for that very reason.

3. Houston Texans (6) – At one point on Sunday I thought the Texans bandwagon was veering off the road and headed for a cliff, but Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson quickly got it back on track. Houston needs to keep things in perspective but at this point; they look like the real deal, and have a handful of winnable games before their rematch with Indianapolis in Week Eight.

4. Indianapolis Colts (5) – For those people that might've thought they Colts were on the decline (Bill Simmons), they pretty much put that theory to bed Sunday night against the Giants. At one point, the Giants didn't even look like they belonged on the same field. I honestly thought Archie was going to come down on the field and ask Peyton to stop picking on his little brother.

5. New England Patriots (2) – I know the logic doesn't necessarily make sense, having the Patriots ranked ahead of the Jets even after they lost head-to-head, but hear me out. Last week I had New England at the two spot and still picked the Jets to win. The Patriots are still the better team but this game had Patriots loss written all over it. Now that the Patriots are nice and mad, they get to host the Bills in Week Three. Awesome.

6. San Diego Chargers (7) – I was in and out of the Chargers and Jaguars game but I swear every time RedZone cut it for an update, they were showing another turnover by either team. The score indicates a huge blowout but it was a lot uglier than that. The Chargers have some work to do.

7. New York Jets (9) – I was very impressed with the catch the slouch had on Revis Island. Of course, Revis immediately cried about his hamstring and ran off the field. Those seeds were planted early enough in the week though, so we pretty much all saw that one coming. Assuming his injury is legit, he deserves it for skipping out on training camp and all of the preseason.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4) – The Ravens are going to drop out quickly if they can't muster some sort of competent offense. Joe Flacco has been downright awful in the first two games. I chalked the first game up to him facing the Jets tough defense, but I'm not sure what his excuse was for yesterday. Throwing four interceptions is expected from someone like Brett Favre, not so much from Flacco. Through the two games, Flacco has one touchdown, five interceptions and a 41.2 rating. That is actually worse than Trent Edwards, if you can believe that.

9. Miami Dolphins (12) – Miami benefitted from Favre being Favre on Sunday, despite their best efforts in losing the game. The highlight for me had to be Tony Sparano wearing sunglasses for a game being played in the dome. We'll find out a lot about the Dolphins in the next two weeks and if they are for real or not. I still have my doubts.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (15) – Pittsburgh is in the perfect situation right now. They'll be looking at 3-1 or even 4-0 when Ben Roethlisberger returns, but his replacement(s) have been so mediocre that he'll still be welcomed back with open arms. I'm pretty much in sports hell right now.

11. Chicago Bears (17) – I'm sure to me and everyone else outside of Chicago, the Bears 2-0 start has been a very big surprise. Even if they are for real, I see no way that they are going to beat Green Bay next Monday night.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (19) – Cincy got a big win on Sunday and now have a real good shot at running off three straight wins at the very least and having a nice 4-1 start to the season. This is all despite Carson Palmer's attempt to play like absolute crap even with Chad Ochocino and T.O. lining up for him. And here I thought he would be a decent sleeper in fantasy for my backup QB spot.

13. Washington Redskins (13) – I almost feel bad for the Redskins, who basically lost the game on a hokey timeout by Houston. I hate how they can call the timeout as the ball is being snapped, but hey, I guess rules are rules. Washington still finds themselves tied for first place so they aren't in bad shape by any stretch. They might want to look at their pass defense though.

14. Tennessee Titans (10) – The Titans had every chance in the world to win the game on Sunday and still found a way to lose. Tennessee turned the ball over seven times and still had a shot at the end of the game to tie. This was a textbook example of simply giving away the game. Awful effort by the Titans.

15. Minnesota Vikings (8) – Speaking of awful, Brett Favre ladies and gentlemen! His four turnovers yesterday were directly responsible for the loss and the Vikings 0-2 start. Favre has started the season off with one touchdown, four interceptions and a 56.1 rating. It's good to see things back to normal for the NFL's interception king.

16. New York Giants (11) – Granted I feel asleep for a bit of the first, second, third and fourth quarter; I never once saw a moment when the Giants were in the game. Their defense was chewed up by Peyton and the Colts' running game. I'm hoping the Giants and their fans are enjoying the Perry Fewell era so far.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (21) – The Eagles let Detroit hang around way too long and got chewed up by Jahvid Best and Shaun Hill, but they still got the win and should be encouraged by Michael Vick. Seeing that Vick is a free agent at the end of the season, they might want to consider trading him before the deadline to cash in on their investment. Of course, they'll need to know for sure that Kevin Kolb is healthy and not going to suck first.

18. Atlanta Falcons (20) – The Falcons took their opening day loss out on the lowly Cardinals to the tune of 41-7. Before we get too excited, please remember, they only beat up on Arizona. Their first real test will come next week at New Orleans.

19. Denver Broncos (23) – Wow. I hope Denver enjoyed their victory next week because the next four games are against Indianapolis, Tennessee, Baltimore and the Jets. That has 1-5 written all over it.

20. Seattle Seahawks (16) – Yesterday's loss to Denver was so predictable. After their opening day blowout of San Francisco, people were piling on Seattle, almost forgetting that they are still an NFC West team. I'll be shocked if anything better than 7-9 wins that division. I wish the Bills could make the switch.

21. Dallas Cowboys (14) – After seeing the Cowboys for the first two weeks, I'm fully convinced that people picked them for the Super Bowl strictly because they are hosting it this year. They have looked awful so far and I'm not sure if they'll get any better.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26) – Since Tampa Bay was expected to be one of the worst teams in the league, I couldn't be more thrilled with the fact that they are 2-0 to start out the season. I'm pretty sure the Bills won't even get two wins, so that is just one less team competing with them for the first overall pick.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (18) – With a handful of QBs playing horribly yesterday, David Garrard did his best to get into the action by playing like his usually horrendous self. Sometimes I'm baffled how the NFL, the most elite football league on the planet, can't even find 32 good QBs to start for each team. It's amazing.

24. Kansas City Chiefs (28) – What I said about Tampa Bay goes just as well for Kansas City. I just glanced at their upcoming schedule and realized they play Buffalo on Halloween. Talk about scary.

25. San Francisco 49ers (24) – All is not lost with the 0-2 start by the Niners assuming seven wins takes the West. To their credit, they lost in the last seconds to the top team and basically only lost because they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with turnovers.

26. Carolina Panthers (25) – That took a long time. The Jimmy Clausen era is already set to begin this week. Kudos to Carolina for pulling the trigger early.

27. Detroit Lions (27) – I've gotta hand it to the Lions, even with them sucking, at least they are putting points on the board and keeping the games relatively close. If they are going to disappoint the fans, at least give them a show first. Jahvid Best has pretty much wrapped up the offensive rookie of the year award after only two weeks.

28. Oakland Raiders (29) – It's only two weeks into the season and Jason Campbell was already benched. Remember when I wanted Buffalo to trade for him? Yikes. Maybe I should stop talking.

29. Arizona Cardinals (22) – If Larry Fitzgerald needs any advice on what it's like to play for a garbage QB, I'm sure he can give Lee Evans a phone call. At least Fitz had the opportunity to play with Kurt Warner before being bombarded with garbage.

30. St. Louis Rams (30) – I need the Rams to get a win or two so that Buffalo can lock up the first overall pick. Luckily they do play in the NFC West so there is plenty of opportunities to get a win. At least there is promise in St. Louis with Sam Bradford. Must be nice.

31. Cleveland Browns (31) – I honestly see three wins at best for Cleveland this season, which isn't good news for the Bills. Luckily one of those three wins is against Buffalo so not only will it give Cleveland the victory, but also in the tie-breaker in the scenario where they both finish with the same record. Of course, that would be assuming that the Bills can even must one win at this point. And that leads us to….

32. Buffalo Bills (32) – I was watching an episode of Family Guy this weekend, the one with the android Miley Cyrus destroying all of Quahog. At one point, the Evil Monkey runs out and says, "Ms. Cyrus, I ask you to stop what you're doing. I don't just mean this, I mean everything: the show, the music--it's all just awful."

That about sums up my feeling on the Bills right now.

(Additional post-Edwards benching note: I give 10/10 stars to Chan Gailey for this move. Fitzpatrick isn't necessarily an upgrade, but Gailey recognized that Edwards was horrendous the first two games and made the decision quickly. This is a decision that would've taken Dick Jauron weeks or a decision he wouldn't have made it all. Cheers to being on the Chanwagon.)

Bills vs Packers – Day after Reaction

2010-09-20T18:56:00.002-04:00

As I said in my picks late last week, the game at Green Bay was going to be a massacre. And man, saying it was a massacre is putting it nicely.

The Bills went into halftime and found themselves only down 13-7, but honestly, they were never in the game. The Packers got the game to start out and promptly marched down the field for an opening field goal. This game reminded me of one of those games I play on Xbox; meaning I know I'm gonna win so I just relax and it ends up taking longer to put away the other team. At one point it looked like Green Bay wasn't even trying. Although to be fair, the Bills have looked like that for two straight weeks.

The Good: The Bills running game looked decent. It was even better if you consider the fact that without a competent passing game, teams can stack up against the run, and yet the Bills still had mild success.

They finished with 124 total, with 64 coming from Marshawn Lynch. One has to assume the Bills were showcasing him a bit. It's become evident through two games that the crowded backfield is a problem, not a blessing. In the first week it was Lynch who suffered with minimal opportunities and this week it was Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Even if they can only get a 3^rd or 4^th round pick for him, they need to pull the trigger sooner rather than later.

If the Bills are actually serious about keeping all three backs for the season, they need to figure out a way to get them all significant playing time. There is no way Spiller should see such limited action during a game. I would actually endorse the wildcat at this point if it got all three backs on to the field at the same time. Plus, the wildcat would get Edwards off the field. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

The Bad: Along those lines, the Bills should also explore the possibility of trading Lee Evans. For one, Evans has been surrounded by garbage for his entire tenure in Buffalo. He deserves more from the franchise and they should grant him his. The Bills are clearly playing a throwaway season so there really is no point in keeping Evans as their start #1 receiver. There are teams out there, like Minnesota, that are in desperate need of a big play receiver. If the Bills are rebuilding, go all out and stock pile as many draft picks as possible. Through two games, Evans has been targeted seven times with four receptions. This includes yesterday's double zero outing.

The Bills offense is actually so anemic that during their first possession, I was with a group of friends at my house watching the game and we tried to guess what the play was going to be. I ended up being right when I said "a sack."

During Week One I would've argued that Edwards really didn't have time to get set before he had someone in his face. Yesterday, it looked totally different to me. There were several times where he got sacked and he could've gotten rid of the ball. Instead, he hung on to it for far too long, mostly because he's afraid to take any chances down the field.

The Ugly: Trent Edwards. Friday night while I was out to dinner, I noticed via a retweet from Kawika Mitchell, that Donte Whitner was running his mouth on Twitter again. It was something to the effect of, "Every year there are 6 or 7 new playoff teams, why not us?" I promptly replied, "Two words. Trent Edwards."

Of course, thanks to Mitchell I'm still subjected to Whitner's garbage tweets. He quickly blocked me last year when I kindly reminded him of his career interception total, and the total that Jairus Byrd had at the current time.

But enough about Whitner and his nonsense, this section is dedicated to Captain Checkdown.

Trent Edwards couldn't play any worse if he wore a blindfold and threw the ball left handed. I'm so disgusted with him right now that the mere sight of him on the sidelines pisses me off. I can't even believe for a second that I thought he was going to evolve into the Bills' franchise QB. There is no way you can ever convince me that he is better right now that J.P. Losman ever was. At the very least, Losman wasn't afraid to throw the ball further than three yards. Edwards is a joke.

It seems to me that for every Edwards hater, there is at least one person claiming that "he hasn't had a chance yet" or "he has no offensive line." Blah blah blah. This is Edwards fourth season in the NFL now and besides a 4-0 start against four mediocre teams in 2008, he has done nothing to show he should be starting in this league. Nothing.

So far in 34 career games, he has 25 touchdowns, 27 interceptions and a 76.8 QB rating for his career. At what point are people ready to pull the cord? In a similar amount of time (43 games), Losman had 33 touchdowns, 34 interceptions and a 75.6 QB rating. Yet somehow everybody was cool with cutting Losman (not saying they are wrong) but they want to hang on to Edwards to give him a chance?

I also find it worthwhile to point out that during that 4-0 start, he had to come back during three of those games because he played pretty average for the first two or three quarters. Only one of those wins was a complete domination and this biggest highlight of that game was a Roscoe Parrish punt return and Brian Moorman tossing a touchdown on a fake field goal. Neither play involved Edwards being on the field.

I would be estatic if the Bills announced they were starting Ryan Fitzpatrick next Sunday. At least with Fitz, the Bills will have a QB who isn't afraid to throw the ball. Granted half of those passes might nosedive into the ground, but it can't be any worse than what Edwards is doing on the field right now. But no, keep starting Edwards because he gives Buffalo "the best chance to win."

Awful.

The Uglier: The fact that I actually wrote that the Bills might win seven games. I'm not even sure they can muster one win right now, let alone seven. Jacksonville? Maybe. If Jacksonville forgets to show up. Kansas City? No way. The Chiefs are a much improved team so far, though still far from the playoffs. Detroit? Nope. Jahvid Best is going to have a career day. The Browns game is honestly the only one I see them winning, and I'm being nice with that assessment. The Browns are also 0-2, but both games have been relatively close. The Browns have also defeating the Bills for the last three years straight, so even when the Bills were better, the Browns still handled them.

The Ugliest – If the Bills are tanking the season for Jake Locker, they might not need to try so hard. If Locker has a few more games like he did this past Saturday (4 for 20, 71 yards, one TD, 2 INT), he'll fall quite a bit in the draft. Of course, with a few more Saturdays like this past one, and Jake Locker will be definite Buffalo Bills material.

(Ed. Note: After writing this article, it was announced by Chan Gailey that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starter this Sunday at New England. Yay)

NFL Picks – Week Two

2010-09-17T17:53:00.002-04:00

Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons looked bad enough last Sunday at Pittsburgh that it has many people reconsidering whether or not they are a playoff team. I have confidence in my pick that they can contend for the NFC South title, despite one poor showing on opening day. It's merely a matter of how they bounce back at home against a very beatable Arizona team. Let's be honest, the Cardinals are a terrible team right now. For the first time since I've seen Larry Fitzgerald play, I thought he was actually going to blow a gasket on the sideline. The Cardinals escaped St. Louis with a victory and that says a lot about the team they have this year. (Atlanta)

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals – Don't let the 38-24 score fool you last Sunday. The Bengals were manhandled in Foxboro before the Patriots let up and Cincy put some garbage points. It doesn't get any easier as they now come home to face Baltimore in the first of their two meetings this year. Baltimore's offense looked less than great on Monday night, but you have to also consider the team they were facing. Cincinnati's defense is a far cry from the Jets' defense. Despite these rough two weeks, the Bengals could very well be 3-2 in a few weeks after games against Carolina, Cleveland and Tampa Bay. All hope is not lost yet for Cincy. (Baltimore)

Kansas City Chiefs @ Cleveland Browns – When a team is as bad as Cleveland is, they need to pick up the easier wins when they have the opportunity. This is exactly what they failed to do last Sunday when they faced Tampa Bay. Now they are 0-1 and face the upstart Chiefs, who just upended the Chargers on the late Monday night game. The Chiefs have a short week and they travel, but I expect them to keep the momentum rolling with a relatively easy win in the Dawg Pound. If the Browns can't pick up a win on Sunday, I'd be shocked if they didn't start out at least 0-9. After Kansas City, take a look at their schedule. At Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta, at Pittsburgh, at New Orleans, New England and NY Jets. Looks like the Bills might have some competition for the first overall pick. (Kansas City)

Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys – Dallas did look horrible on Sunday night but they aren't that bad in reality. Despite their win on opening day, Chicago is a horrible team in reality. I would be astonished if the Cowboys didn't hammer the Bears and get the hype machine up and rolling again. (Dallas)

Philadelphia Eagles @ Detroit Lions – How do you know by week two that your fantasy season might be going down the tubes? When you're starting Michael Vick already. This is what happens when you draft Kevin Kolb to be your starter and your backup QB faces Baltimore this week. I can only hope Vick tears up Detroit like he did against Green Bay as the game wore on last week. Honestly, I kind of expect it. (Philadelphia)

Buffalo Bills @ Green Bay Packers – This game is going to be a massacre. The Bills struggled to score any points against a mediocre Miami team at home so I have no reason to believe it will be any better on the road against a Super Bowl contending team. While the Bills secondary is their one strong point, covering the tight end is clearly not. Against the Dolphins, the one touchdown the Dolphins scored was set up by a 21 yard pass from Chad Henne to Anthony Fasano. You know who is better than Henne and Fasano? Aaron Rodgers and Jermichael Finley. I'll be shocked if the Packers don't have a double digit lead by halftime. I'd bet the house even if the line was Green Bay by 20. (Green Bay)

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans – I'm not falling for the trap that Pittsburgh is going to put together some kind of miracle run with Dennis Dixon at QB. He's started two NFL games now and he hasn't looked very good in either one. He's had his moments, but overall, I wouldn't be too excited if I were a Pittsburgh fan. Granted the Titans faced the Raiders, but they completely throttled them. Dating back to last year when Vince Young took his starting spot back, the Titans are 9-2. I like those odds. I also like Chris Johnson running all over the Steelers vaunted defense. (Tennessee)

Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings – I wouldn't normally be so quick to pick Minnesota, but Miami did nothing to show me that they are better than 8-8 this season. Meanwhile, Brett Favre gets the comfort of the home dome this week and has plenty of rest leading up to this game. The Dolphins got their gift win last week, I doubt it happens again. (Minnesota)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers – I'd be lying if I said I had any interest in this game. Neither team excites me and there might be one player combined that holds any fantasy interest for me. When in doubt, go with the home team. (Carolina)

Seattle Seahawks @ Denver Broncos – At first glance, I was really tempted to pick Seattle in this game. Then I talked myself back down and realized I don't want to be jumping on the Seattle bandwagon after one blowout win against a fellow NFC West team. Denver should be able to bounce back and win their home opener. If they don't, they might be a lot worse than any of us thought. (Denver)

St. Louis Rams @ Oakland Raiders – Yeesh, what's with all the awful games this week? The Raiders come home after being pounded by the Titans and find the upstart Rams coming to town. The Rams didn't look nearly as bad as I thought last week against Arizona, but the Raiders aren't the same team. For anything they lack on the field, they make up for with their crowd. I've seen many quarterbacks struggle in the black hole and I don't think Sam Bradford will be any different this week. (Oakland)

New England Patriots @ New York Jets – It might seem odd that I'd pick the Jets for this game when I've bashed the Sanchize for pretty much his whole entire NFL career and I've boosted the Patriots to the second spot in my power rankings. However, I have a method to my madness. The Jets played the Patriots pretty well last year at home and I expect more of the same. Randy Moss will surely be a non-factor because he's either pouting on the sideline or being shut down by Revis Island. The Patriots defense is a far cry from the Ravens defense so even an inept QB should be able to manage at least one touchdown. I expect a 16-13 Jets win. (NY Jets)

Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Diego Chargers – The Chargers flopped in their opening game like they were Paul Pierce during the NBA Finals. Luckily for them, their division is still pretty weak and they really have no reason to worry. The Jaguars simply aren't very good and I've never been too keen on East Coast teams traveling out West for games. (Chargers)

Houston Texans @ Washington Redskins – Fine, I'll bite, I'm on the Texans bandwagon for at least this week. I'm not totally sold on Houston as a playoff team just yet, but they'll have plenty to prove this week after last Sunday's huge upset. If the Texans fall to Washington in this game, all of the doubters will come back out and assume this is the same old up and down Houston team. There is more at stake than a lot of people realize. (Texans)

New York Giants @ Indianapolis Colts – I'm so excited for another Manning Bowl that I can barely stand it. For some reason I get the feeling that we're headed for an NFL with 32 different Mannings running each team and clones of Archie Manning sitting in each press box. First step in the NFL, next is world domination. Don't say I didn't warn you. As for this game, I see Peyton lashing out on his little brother over his 0-1 start and evening things up. (Indianapolis)

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers – The Niners had their chance to start the season out right and instead threw it out in the window. Good thing Alex Smith didn't personally throw it out the window or it would've been intercepted. Mike Singletary wasted no time and immediately called out several players during a team meeting the minute the plane landed. Good times are gonna be had in San Francisco this year. (New Orleans)

Last Week: 9-7

Season: 9-7

Scott's Picks –

Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

Kansas City Chiefs @ Cleveland Browns

Chicago Bears @ Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles @ Detroit Lions

Buffalo Bills @ Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans

Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

Seattle Seahawks @ Denver Broncos

St. Louis Rams @ Oakland Raiders

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Diego Chargers

Houston Texans @ Washington Redskins

New York Giants @ Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers

Last Week: 9-7

Season: 9-7

Now that we're done with the picks, below are the updated fantasy standings after one week of football. The total points scored won't matter once the season is actually over, but for now it's a nice way to see who is actually winning the bet. Hint: it's not me.

BZ Staff League
NC Ninjas (Scott)	1-0	129
Inebriaters v4.0 (Devin)	1-0	76

It's Just Pretend
NC Ninjas (Scott)	1-0	152
Buffalo Blaze (Devin)	0-1	62

Lake Erie Football League
Buffalo Blizzard (Devin)	1-0	152
NC Ninjas (Scott)	1-0	111.5

NFL Power Rankings – Week One

2010-09-14T21:27:00.003-04:00

Before I get to the rankings, I have a question about the ESPN attendance numbers that they post. Where do they come up with these figures? Honestly, can someone tell me?

They have Philadelphia at 102.3%. How is that possible? Were people crawling in under the gates and standing in aisles the whole time? How can something be 102.3% full? They also have both Buffalo and Pittsburgh listed at 94.8% and 97.9%. I know for a fact that both games were sold out. I also know for a fact that Pittsburgh NEVER has empty seats in Heinz Field. Seriously, where do these numbers come from?

Alright, my rant is over. Now to the rankings.

1. New Orleans Saints (1) – The Saints struggled at times Thursday night against the Favres, but the game wasn't as close as the 14-9 score would indicate. Take back a dropped touchdown pass and a couple of easy missed field goals and the game could've easily been 27-9 at the very least. As always, defending Super Bowl champs + undefeated = top spot in the rankings no matter what. I know, it's a faulty formula. I don't care.

2. New England Patriots (7) – What the Patriots did on Sunday is exactly what I was talking about before the season. While everyone continues to hype up the Jets after their stellar 9-7 finish last season, the Patriots are just being ignored and flying under the radar. People, they are really good. I think many are guilty of forgetting about Tom Brady and sometimes forget that last season he was coming back from a major injury. Those types of injuries usually take a full season to come back from. He showed on Sunday that he's back to 2007 form.

3. Green Bay Packers (3) – The Packers could've been much better in their win against Philadelphia and I have no doubt they will be this Sunday against Buffalo. With crap for linebackers in Buffalo, I fully expect Aaron Rodgers and Jermichael Finley to eat the Buffalo defense alive. Good times.

4. Baltimore Ravens (9) – The Ravens defense is crazy good. I know Joe Flacco and the offense struggled, but they won't be facing the Jets defense every week either. The Ravens are no doubt the favorite to win the AFC North and nothing I saw on Monday night can convince me otherwise. They're only going to get better.

5. Indianapolis Colts (2) – The Colts finally fell to Houston and their head-to-head record against the Texans dropped to 15-2. I fully expect the Colts to bounce back though. I know it's tempting to jump on the Texans bandwagon but let's hold off on that for a little while. To the Colts this was just another game; to the Texans it was much more. I know I have the Colts still ranked above the Texans and one game in September won't force me to change it….yet. In other Colts news, Bob Sanders is hurt again. Shocking.

6. Houston Texans (13) – Houston takes a huge leap in the rankings but as I said before, let's relax a little bit before booking their plane tickets to Dallas. They still have 15 more games including another against Indianapolis. I've seen the Bills crush the Patriots at home 31-0 so I know almost better than anybody that opening day victories don't always translate to regular season success.

7. San Diego Chargers (6) – I'd like to thank the Chargers for already giving me a loss in my eliminator pool. On the positive side for the Chargers, the Chiefs only won by a touchdown and had two big plays, something that might not always happen every Sunday. I have no doubt the Chargers will bounce back and eventually reclaim the division again.

8. Minnesota Vikings (5) – Take it as a sign of things to come this season for Minnesota. This isn't going to be a fairy tale season like last year. Brett Favre is old and he'll show his age this year. They could very well finish under .500 if they play like they did on Thursday.

9. New York Jets (8) – I know I've been saying this over and over again, but I'll continue to say it until everyone finally admits it. Mark Sanchez sucks. He is a liability to an otherwise good Jets team. The games they won last year (they only went 9-7!) were games won on the ground. The games they lost last year were lost through the air. He isn't good. People need to stop pretending that he is.

10. Tennessee Titans (15) – The Titans/Raiders was the game I should've picked in my eliminator pool. For some reason I was tricked into thinking the Raiders would be improved and Chris Johnson wouldn't run all over them. I've learned from my mistakes.

11. New York Giants (16) – In what could've been the most frustrating thing about Sunday, I randomly benched Hakeem Nicks for Devin Aromashodu. The difference between the two was a staggering 17 points. Luckily my team cruised to an easy win or I'd be kicking myself today as I write this.

12. Miami Dolphins (12) – Granted I didn't see any other early game on Sunday, but I'm willing to say that there isn't a team that looked worse while getting the win than the Dolphins did. The Bills were horrendous in every sense of the word and still, they were only down by three in the fourth quarter. That says a lot about the Dolphins. There is no way they are finishing better than third in the AFC East. Chad Henne has done nothing to show me that he should be a starting QB in the NFL.

13. Washington Redskins (14) – I wasn't overly impressed with the Redskins but they got the win and that's all that counts. Not a bad way to start the Shanahan/McNabb era in D.C. I'll be interested to see how they handle Houston in Week Two. It will go a long way in showing whether either team is ready to take the next step.

14. Dallas Cowboys (4) – The Cowboys really looked bad on Sunday night. That couldn't have made Jerry Jones happy since he's somehow convinced everyone that the Cowboys will be playing a home Super Bowl game.
Again, Tony Romo crumbled in a "big" game (I put it in quotes because it's only opening day, but a national TV audience qualifies as big) and looked awful. I know he isn't a terrible QB but at some point he's gonna have to play well when it counts.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (19) – Some fans in Pittsburgh might have been hoping for the Steelers to rape the Falcons, but alas, they barely pulled it out in overtime. To their credit though, if they can muster 2-2 or even better without Roethlisberger, the Steelers will be in good shape for the rest of the season.

16. Seattle Seahawks (24) – Seattle is on my list of surprises of the week. I didn't think they were going to do anything this year but I may have to rethink that. Granted they were playing another NFC West team, but they looked pretty good overall. Not a bad start to the Pete Carroll era in Seattle for sure.

17. Chicago Bears (22) – The Bears got a gift win on Sunday. Pretty sad state of affairs in Chicago when they need to win by a technicality at home against Detroit. Jay Cutler threw for 372 yards which reaffirmed the fact that he's a glorified fantasy QB and nothing more.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (25) – Apparently David Garrard played very well in the Jaguars victory over the Broncos. It's such a shame that nobody was there to see it.

19. Cincinnati Bengals (11) – By the time the Bengals decided to play some football, the Patriots were already up 31-3. I'm no football expert but I think the Bengals better settle down with all the Super Bowl talk if that's the best they've got. There are lots of good teams in the AFC, not just New England.

20. Atlanta Falcons (10) – The Falcons were given a gift when Pittsburgh announced they were starting Dennis Dixon and still found a way to look bad in the loss. It won't get any easier for Atlanta this week as they face Arizona at home. Wait, never mind, it's going to get much easier for Atlanta this week as they face Arizona at home.

21. Philadelphia Eagles (17) – Kevin Kolb had a pretty rough start in Philly but it was to be expected when opening up against the Packers. I must admit, Michael Vick put up some pretty good numbers when he got on the field exclusively. Amazing that he can't be a full-time starter and Trent Edwards can. Vick will most likely get the start this Sunday against Detroit and if he plays well and gets a victory, look out, ESPN will be stirring up a huge QB controversy in Philly. It's always fun when it's not your team.

22. Arizona Cardinals (23) – The Cardinals squeaked out the win against the lowly Rams. Good times in Arizona. They're gonna love the Derek Anderson era.

23. Denver Broncos (20) – I try to not overreact after one week but I'm starting to get the feeling that Josh McDaniels is going to drive the Broncos into the ground. He's already made some questionable decisions and if Denver can't win a game against Jacksonville, I don't know if they'll even be over .500 this season.

24. San Francisco 49ers (18) – Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the 49ers were supposed to be improved this year. From everything I saw on Sunday, there is no way they're winning the NFC West. Then again, it's only one week and it can be easily corrected, but it isn't looking good for the Niners. Especially since they have the Saints coming to town next week with a few extra days to rest and prepare. This one is gonna be ugly.

25. Carolina Panthers (21) – I haven't seen the injury report but it looks like the Jimmy Clausen era is going to start sooner than expected in Carolina. Now will be the time to see if everybody screwed up by letting him drop so far or if it was warranted and the Panthers wasted a draft pick. I'm sure the Bills fans will take notice either way.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28) – The Buccaneers are a bad team but a win is a win. Beggars can't be choosers and I know the Bucs fans won't be complaining about starting the season out 1-0.

27. Detroit Lions (27) – I refuse to drop the Lions since they should've won on Sunday. Saying that Calvin Johnson didn't have that touchdown is a total joke. And honestly, if anybody argues that point, they deserve to have bad things happen to them.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (30) – Forgive me because I slept through the majority of this game (yes, I'm getting old), but it seemed like the Kansas City crowd was a ridiculous level of loud on Monday night. Either that or I had my TV turned up way too loud. Every time I woke up and caught pieces of the games, it seemed like I was waking up because the crowd was in full force. Is it possible that Arrowhead is back to being a dominating home field advantage for the Chiefs? All they need know is Christian Okoye to come back and they're all set.

29. Oakland Raiders (26) – Same old Raiders. They didn't even look like they belonged on the same field as Tennessee. Luckily for them they have St. Louis at home this Sunday. If they can't win that game, they'll be competing with Buffalo and Cleveland for the top spot in next year's draft.

30. St. Louis Rams (32) – Thanks to the Red Zone Channel and a pretty shaky afternoon schedule, I saw a large majority of the Rams/Cardinals game. Not only were the Rams not as bad as I expected, but Sam Bradford looks like he's going to be the real deal. He'll have his struggles but he looked like he belonged. His numbers will no doubt suffer this season since the Rams refuse to employ any NFL caliber receivers, but once he has those, he's gonna be a good one.

31. Cleveland Browns (31) – I know this might come as a shock to you, but Jake Delhomme had a 2:1 interception to touchdown ratio on Sunday. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

32. Buffalo Bills (29) – That took a long time. One week. That's all it took and I'm absolutely disgusted with the Bills. Listen, I knew the Bills were going to be bad this season. I didn't think they would be first overall pick bad, but I most definitely thought they were going to be under .500 bad. But what the Bills did on Sunday take my expectations and run them over like an innocent pedestrian in Grand Theft Auto. Trent Edwards couldn't have been worse if he was literally wearing a skirt and throwing the ball left handed. Along with Edwards, the Bills offensive line (if you want to even call them that) was worse than a high school team's line. What a joke. I'm already counting down the days till hockey season. I've also started scouting Jake Locker. I'm dead serious.

What We Learned in Week 1

2010-09-13T07:43:00.007-04:00

With all but the Monday Night games in the book, let's take a look back at what we've learned in Week 1. We will focus on the Bills as always, but try to hit up all the games around the league as well. My goal is to make this a weekly column, but that of course depends on the cooperation of my 4 month old daughter with giving me some time to write. So with all that being said, let's get this show on the road. Perhaps a word of warning first though… those with a weak stomach may want to look away, I'm afraid any discussion I have regarding the Buffalo Bills is going to get ugly.

Miami Dolphins - 15 @ Buffalo Bills - 10:

A few weeks back I predicted the Bills would go 3-13 this season and I was told by most that I was being far too critical and there was no way they would be that bad. When asked my reasoning for such low expectations, I explained my thought process pretty succinctly. The offense is simply not any better than it was last season. This breaks down into 4 parts generally speaking. Part #1 is the biggest part, and generally the reason for any team's success or failure. We have NO quarterback! I don't care which member of the 3 headed monster of Edwards/Fitzpatrick/Brohm is behind the center, they aren't adequate NFL starters. But more on that in a minute. Part #2 is that we lost Terrell Owens and Josh Reed at receiver. Neither did anything amazing for us last year, but what we have remaining is certainly not better. Lee Evans goes back to being double teamed and not having a chance of getting open most of the time, and Roscoe Parrish is forced to step up and be a number 2 wideout after hardly playing offense at all last year. Now our woefully underwhelming QBs have even less options to attempt to get the ball to. Part #3 is the offensive line. While I think that given time, this group will come around and prove themselves slightly less than awful, they've got a ways to go as of yet. Right tackle is still a massive concern and the left is only slightly better. This lack of a solid line gives our lousy QBs little time to pass, etc, etc, you get the point. Finally, Part #4 is the Running Backs. Now, before you say it, yes they clearly are the strength of our offense. I agree with that 100%. We have 3 serviceable backs that can share the load and bring unique skills to the table. The issue is the first 3 parts of this equation. Teams have no reason at all to respect our passing game and can stack the box against the run all day long, thus negating the one weapon we seemingly have. Alright, now that my long winded ramble on why I have such a negative outlook this season is out of the way, let's get to the actual game itself.
Trent Edwards' stat line reads as follows: 18/34 for 139 yards and a touchdown. Guess how many other quarterbacks in the league had a superior day… The answer would be most all of them. With the exception of Jake Delhomme in Cleveland, Matt Moore in Carolina, and maybe Matt Schaub (whose team still beat the Colts!) in Houston, Edwards' numbers were worse than most anybody else in the league. On top of that, subtract one drive (yes, generally I hate that type of analysis, but it just shows that there really only was one good drive for Buffalo in this game) and Edwards was 11/27 for 48 yards. I don't think I need to say much else about that.
Those 3 solid running backs that are supposed to anchor our offense? Spiller had 7 carries for 6 yards, Lynch had 3 for 13, and Jackson had 4 for 19. Add that up and you have 14 carries for 38 yards. This will get us nowhere fast.
Buffalo had 166 yards of total offense. I don't even want to count the number of individual players who accounted for more than that throughout the league.
It's not ALL terrible. The defense played a solid game today. Mia- mi is at best an average offense, but the Bills still contained them for the most part. Giving up 13 points (I can't hang that safety on them) should be enough to get you a win more often than not, but again, with this abysmal offense, anything short of a shutout seems like it might not be good enough.
Yet another new coaching staff does not automatically equate to greatness. The single most common rebuttal I got when explaining my forecast for the season was that Chan Gailey and company were going to turn things around. I know it's only one week in and it takes some time, but that's exactly my point! It's only one week, it's going to take a LOT of time. Especially given the talent they have to work with. I saw nothing on the offensive side of the ball that looked any more imaginative than when Dick Jauron was in charge. I will say that the conversion to the 3-4 defense seems to be going more smoothly than I expected.
Perhaps I'm nit picking because I'm still so annoyed that we wasted a #8 overall pick on him, but Donte Whitner makes me want to scream. On multiple occasions today I watched him tackle a receiver AFTER giving up a first down on the play, and then stand over them and talk trash. This explains why he's better at Twitter than at football. He actually blocked me from his Twitter account for saying that to him last year too.
Dolphins fans… Congrats, but don't go getting too excited. You beat the Bills, but not by much, and you didn't look very good at all in doing so. With the weapons this team has on offense now, expectations should be much higher for them.
In case you didn't fully grasp all those things I just said, let me put it to you bluntly. This was a mediocre Dolphins team, at home, in Week 1, which means extra time to prepare. How do you think we're going to fare at Green Bay and then at New England the next two weeks?

Minnesota – 9 @ New Orleans – 14:

Brett Favre looked less than 100% and in need of a #1 receiver. Visanthe Schiancoe is clearly his primary target and losing Sidney Rice hurts them a lot. He can't stretch the field too well with what they currently have. Adrian Peterson needs to carry the ball a hell of a lot more than 19 times as well, just ask him and he'll tell you.
The Saints offense looked far less impressive than last season, but the weapons are all still there. Give them a week or two and I think you'll see them back in full swing. The NFC South is most certainly still there's for the taking.

Cleveland – 14 @ Tampa Bay – 17:

Jake Delhomme is in a new city, but not much else changed. After putting the Browns out in front, he threw a costly interception that was almost immediately turned into points for the Bucs. I'm already dreading the annual Futility Bowl between Cleveland and Buffalo later this season.
Tampa didn't exactly look like world beaters either and mostly benefited from opening up against the lowly Browns at home. Josh Freeman is still developing and if he can continue to play steadily for Tampa, they have a chance to steal a few games this year.

Cincinnati – 24 @ New England – 38:

Carson Palmer's numbers look really impressive, but that's due to the fact that they were well behind early on and aired it out all through the 2^nd half. A lot more was expected out of the Bengals coming into this season, and they're going to have to shore up their defense quickly if they want to be amongst the teams at the top of a very competitive AFC North.
The Patriots stepped on the gas from the start and didn't look back. I expected this team to struggle to be around the 9-10 win mark this season, but that is not what they showed today. Their offensive potency reminded me of the season before Tom Brady went down, and quite frankly, that disgusts me a little bit. Let's hope it was just extra time to game plan heading into the start of the season.

Indianapolis – 24 @ Houston – 34:

Is there any better matchup for fantasy purposes than the twice a year Colts/Texans showdown? Personally, I have 9 roster spots across 3 teams tied up with players from these two teams, and I can't wait until they play again in Week 8.
Did I mention I have both Peyton Manning (40-57, 433 yards, 3 TDs) and Arian Foster (231 yards and 3 TDs) on the same fantasy team? They combined for 81 points and if I hadn't left Austin Collie on my bench, that would have been another 31!
Seriously, if by some ridiculous chance nobody has Arian Foster in your league, you better hope you have the #1 position for the waiver wire come tomorrow morning. How else can you explain Matt Schaub having a terrible day (9/17, 107 yards, a TD and an INT), Andre Johnson being practically invisible (3 catches for 31 yards), and the Texans still beating the Colts with relative ease? Houston just put that division on notice and I firmly believe their playoff drought finally ends this year.

Denver – 17 @ Jacksonville – 24:

Jacksonville actually sold out a game and all it took was hometown hero Tim Tebow coming to town to do it. I hope those folks really enjoyed seeing his 2 carries for 2 yards!
Jacksonville used a solid all around performance from their offense and what looked to be an improved defense from a year ago to knock off a Denver team that looks to be searching for an identity. Too bad they'll be right back to a half empty, half tarped off stadium for the rest of the season soon enough.

Atlanta – 9 @ Pittsburgh – 15:

Thankfully I didn't see much of this one as it appeared to be bowling shoe ugly. Pittsburgh's usually stout defense shut down Michael Turner, and while it gave up a fair amount of yards to Matt Ryan and Roddy White, it didn't let them into the endzone.
The Steelers on the other hand couldn't muster much offense themselves with Dennis Dixon filling in for the suspended Ben Roethlisberger. It wasn't until Rashard Mendenhall broke off a 50 yard touchdown in overtime that the Steelers looked like they had anything going on with the ball in their possession. They are going to struggle through the first 4 weeks, but luckily for me, I can't stand them, so that's a good thing.

Oakland – 13 @ Tennessee – 38:

JaMarcus Russell may be 300+ pounds and sipping on some syrup elsewhere now, but the Raiders are still the Raiders. Jason Campbell didn't appear to be the answer in game #1 as the Raiders were bowled over by the Titans.
Chris Johnson on the other hand, is also still Chris Johnson. He picked up where he left off last season with a 142 yard, 2 TD day. Coupled with Vince Young still looking like a passable NFL QB, it was enough for the Titans to roll to the easy win. I would suggest things might be more difficult moving forward when they face the Steelers next week.

Carolina – 18 @ New York Giants – 31:

The Panthers shut the door on the old Giants Stadium last season by hanging a 41-9 loss on Eli and company, but they failed to duplicate their effort in opening the new building in the Meadowlands.
Eli Manning coupled his 3 interception day with 3 TD passes, all to Hakeem Nicks to help propel his Giants past a Panthers team that enters the Matt Moore era.
Speaking of Moore, he didn't do much to show everybody why the Panthers handed the reigns over to him and ushered Jake Delhomme off to Cleveland, as he had 3 interceptions of his own on the day. As somebody who lives in North Carolina and hears more about the Panthers than he'd ever care to, I have to think John Fox's seat is somewhere between magma and nuclear this season.

Detroit – 14 @ Chicago – 19:

When is a touchdown not a touchdown? That's the question that stands out after watching the end of this game. Calvin Johnson now realizes that in order to be credited with touchdowns from now on, he needs to catch the ball, land on the ground, stand up, run to the locker room, and change into his street clothes… all without letting go of the football. Seriously, if that wasn't a completed catch, I'm not sure I know what is anymore. The Lions got hosed and no "interpretation" of the rule is going to change my mind about that.
Jay Cutler likes to chuck the ball around a lot, that hasn't really changed. He did manage to limit himself to just one interception to go with his 372 yards and 2 touchdowns in this one though. Matt Forte may have found his niche as a receiver out of the backfield as well, as he put up big numbers predominately as a pass catcher.
The Lions would seem likely to improve their record again this year, though it now very much depends on the severity of Matt Stafford's reinjured shoulder. The Bears on the other hand, don't seem at all likely to improve from last season to me. In fact, I think they might even be down a bit. Either way, they are definitely not going to be looking at the postseason.

Arizona – 17 @ St. Louis – 13:

To all those people who drafted Larry Fitzgerald in the 1^st or 2^nd round of their fantasy drafts… You did realize the guy that kept him from getting double teamed is now in Baltimore, and the future Hall of Fame QB who threw the ball to him is getting ready for Dancing with the Stars right? He did grab a late touchdown today, but I expect his numbers to be well down this year with Derek Anderson distributing the ball. Though if Steve Breaston continues to put up numbers like he did today, perhaps that will ease the pressure of Anquan Boldin heading east.
I mentioned to a few people over the last week that I had this strong feeling that St. Louis was going to be a fair bit better than most people expected. I really think this team has the ability to win 5-6 games this year and that Sam Bradford is going to be a damn good quarterback once he has some weapons to throw to. He struggled a bit today, but still looked good for starting his first career NFL game. The severe lack of receivers he has to choose from is going to cost him some development this year though.

Green Bay – 27 @ Philadelphia – 20:

Those that own Aaron Rodgers in fantasy leagues have to be holding their collective heads after Week 1. Rodgers was projected as a Top 3 QB, and in some cases # 1 or 2, by virtually every outlet I saw. 188 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs is probably not the output expected by most of those that took him in Round 1 or 2. The Packers will need better if they expect to win the NFC North, as many have predicted them to do.
Injuries marred this game as several players including Ryan Grant of Green Bay and Kevin Kolb of Philadelphia both left early on. It'll be interesting to see how quickly both come back, as they are both a large part of the offense for each team.
Michael Vick got put on full display as a quarterback rather than a novelty once Kolb went down. He didn't do too badly either for that matter. Going 16/24 for 175 yards and a TD through the air, coupled with 103 yards on the ground, Vick has some wondering just what will happen when Kolb returns from his concussion. Vick certainly displayed far more accuracy than I can ever recall him having when he was a full time QB in Atlanta.

San Francisco – 6 @ Seattle – 31:

Well… either a lot of folks greatly over estimated how good the 49ers would be this year, or a whole lot of folks greatly underestimated how good Seattle was going to be.
Matt Hasselbeck looked more like the guy who lead his team to Super Bowl XL than the injury prone QB we've seen the last few seasons. His numbers weren't staggering, but he certainly did a solid job.
Mike Singletary was wearing a large cross pendant on a chain that was in full display all game long. I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take the NFL to tell him that this was some sort of violation of the dress code policy. If it were the NBA, David Stern would already be calling for a check.
Pete Carroll starts off his NFL coaching career at 1-0… wait, what's that you say? He's done this before? He's actually now 34-31 as an NFL head coach after stints with the Jets in 1994 and the Patriots from 97-99.

Dallas - 7 @ Washington - 13:

Can we just toss a coin in the NFC East already? All four of these teams are pretty much the same. It would save us from hearing about them endlessly for the next 16 weeks, since ESPN is infatuated with this division.
Hmm, turns out the Cowboys aren't so wonderful after all? I think the offensive line has a lot of work to do before this team lives up to its hype. I also think that if they don't, Wade Phillips can join me to collect his unemployment check.
Donovan McNabb didn't do much to prove why the Eagles should have kept him. Sub 50% completion percentage and only 171 yards. It's a good thing for him the Cowboys made so many mistakes, or he'd be under heavy fire this week.

General Notes from around the NFL:

Home Teams are 11-3 so far during Week 1, while last year they went just 8-8.
Does anybody test kickers for steroids? 6 different kickers hit from 50+ yards with 3 more connecting from 49.
Can you guess which team is dead last in Yards as well as Time of Possession amongst those that have played in Week 1 already? That's right, YOUR Buffalo Bills!

NFL Picks – Week One

2010-09-09T18:04:00.002-04:00

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (Thurs) – Ah yes, the return of NFL football. And what would make the first game even better? That's right, Brett Favre is back! I figure my blood will be boiling by the second quarter. Unless of course the Saints beat the living crap out of him again like they did in the NFC championship. This will be one of many games to see Favre struggle and re-affirm the thought that he should've just stayed retired this time. Last year was a little too perfect for Minnesota and it's not going to happen two years in a row. (New Orleans)

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – I promise I won't do this every week, but I did project the entire Bills schedule before the preseason started and it would've been a useless exercise if I didn't at least hold myself to one of those predictions. Since the first week is the easiest to hold to before the Bills completely derail the season, I'll pick the Bills with a week one upset over Miami. Before you go thinking this is completely crazy, keep in mind that Miami hasn't won in Ralph Wilson Stadium since 2003. (Buffalo)

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears – This has the look of an ugly, close game that will eventually be won by the home team. The Lions are going to improve from last season, but considering the fact that three wins will be an improvement, it still doesn't mean they'll win very many games. (Chicago)

Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans – The Titans and Raiders star in Devin's Eliminator Pick of the Week. The Raiders will no doubt be improved from last year, but West Coast teams don't usually fair too well playing the early game on the East Coast. I see a pretty standard day from Vince Young in this game. A handful of bad passes, at least one turnover and maybe a rushing touchdown. It won't win games every week, but it will when they play the Raiders. (Tennessee)

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots – For the second straight season, Terrell Owens gets to start the season off in Foxboro against the Patriots. Last season with Buffalo, T.O. hauled in two receptions for 46 yards. I'm sure it was hardly the splash he was looking to make. I see this game going a little differently for him since he now has a QB on his side that isn't afraid to throw the ball more than three yards. Despite all of that, it won't be enough to stop New England. I see Tom Brady lighting up the Bengals as he begins his quest to remind the Patriots that he deserves a new contract. (New England)

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants – If I were to pick the score for this game, I'd say it will be right around 20-17 with the Giants being on the winning side. Honestly, nothing about this game excites me. I'm glad it's on when Buffalo plays. Then again, watching Buffalo play might be incredibly painful. (New York)

Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers – All offseason I ranted and raved about how the Steelers would be dumb to start Byron Leftwich over Dennis Dixon while Ben Roethlisberger served his suspension for rape. Then I saw Dennis Dixon play against Denver. Naturally this convinced me that Leftwich should get the start, only to see him get injured in the final preseason game and make Dixon the starter by default. Dixon will be dangerous when running around, but his passing game leaves a lot to be desired and will no doubt cost them at least one game. If Atlanta can stop the run and avoid turnovers, this should be a relatively easy road victory. (Atlanta)

Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – No surprise here, but the Browns are involved in one of the least attractive matchups of the entire week. Even though I had Tampa Bay ranked higher than Cleveland to start the season in my rankings, I did so with a ton of hesitation. There is nothing about the Bucs that I even remotely like this season. Luckily for them, Cleveland is starting an interception machine at QB so they should be able to squeak out an ugly win. (Tampa Bay)

Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars – Many "experts" thought that the Jaguars should've drafted Tim Tebow in last April's draft. Instead, the Jaguars passed on Tebow and reassured David Garrard that he was the starting QB for the Jags. I can't say Tebow would've been a better choice than Garard, but he most definitely would've helped fill the thousands of empty seats in Jacksonville. I think Tebow has a good opportunity to succeed in Denver, but I already don't like how they plan on using him. If there is one thing I don't like in the pro game, it's inconsistency at the QB position. If Kyle Orton starts, he should take all the snaps, barring injury. (Jacksonville)

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Oh, those poor Texans. This is the year they are going to break out and make a serious run at the playoffs. Unfortunately, they have to start the season 0-1 with a home loss to the Colts. I was about to call Indy their division rival until I realized the Colts have a 15-1 all-time record against Houston. That's more like a big brother picking on a little brother and I see no reason why it will change this week. (Indianapolis)

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – The 49ers begin their quest to win the NFC West and lose in the first round with a division game at rainy Seattle. This also marks the first game for Pete Carroll and will instantly remind people why he was hired by USC in the first place. He's not a good pro coach. (San Francisco)

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles – The Kevin Kolb era starts off in Philly and I give it about 10 minutes before the fans turn on him. Unless of course he's already thrown for 200 yards and a few touchdowns in those 10 minutes. If Kolb lives up to expectations, this should be a high scoring and fun game to watch. If there is one game that could really swing a few fantasy matchups, this one might be it. I like my NFC favorites to get off to a 1-0 start. (Green Bay)

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford makes his first career NFL start at home against the Cardinals and also gets his first career win. I like what I've seen from Bradford so far and the Cardinals should win, but probably won't because somehow Derek Anderson won the starting job for the Cards. I guess it's not totally crazy that he won the job, seeing that Matt Leinart was his main source of competition, but I think it's absolutely insane to go from Kurt Warner to Derek Anderson in one season. When is the last time there has been that big of a drop-off at QB for a team? (St. Louis)

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – The Cowboys are facing an immense amount of pressure this season and almost all of it is self-inflicted. Typically Dallas gets a ton of spotlight and high expectations placed on them, but this year is much different since the Super Bowl will be hosted in Dallas. By the end of September this will be the most talked about and pounded into the ground topic on ESPN. Needless to say, Jerry Jones isn't going to enjoy watching another NFC team play the Super Bowl in his stadium. However, Dallas will spoil the Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb era in Washington and get off to a good start. (Dallas)

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets (Mon) – The Jets get to unveil their brand new stadium on Monday Night Football. I'm sure the Jets along with every major media outlet will ignore the fact that the Giants played in the stadium the day before though. I suppose giving the Jets the main stage in the new stadium is fair, after all, the Jets have won a Super Bowl recently while the Giants have done nothing but run their mouth. We also get to see the season debut of Revis Island. I'm sure he won't be rusty at all after not practicing or playing all training camp or preseason. (Baltimore)

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (Mon) – I've often enjoyed having two Monday night games to start the season, but like usual, the second game is a gigantic pile of crap. This year instead of the Raiders hosting the game, we have the 4-12 Chiefs! In other words, the Chargers are starting out 1-0 again this season. (San Diego)

Last Week: N/A

Entire Season: 0-0

As always, Scott will be posting his picks along with mine in our never-ending competition against each other. This year there is a twist though. While the picks will just be for bragging rights, the results of our fantasy leagues won't. We decided that the person who finishes better in two of the three leagues, wins the bet. The bet being a fresh new jersey of the winner's choice. Knowing the both of us, this has a high chance of being one of the shiny new Sabres jerseys that will debut in October. So be looking for the updated results starting after Week One. And now, here are Scott's picks (in bold).

Minnesota @ New Orleans

Miami @ Buffalo

Detroit @ Chicago

Oakland @ Tennessee

Cincinnati @ New England

Carolina @ New York Giants

Atlanta @ Pittsburgh

Cleveland @ Tampa Bay

Denver @ Jacksonville

Indianapolis @ Houston

Arizona @ St. Louis

Green Bay @ Philadelphia

San Francisco @ Seattle

Dallas @ Washington

Baltimore @ New York Jets

San Diego @ Kansas City

NFL Pre-Season Power Rankings

2010-09-06T09:41:00.001-04:00

1. New Orleans Saints – The Saints finished last season as champions so they get the top spot by default, but I fully expect them to drop once the season starts. For one, they will be dealing with the Super Bowl hangover which has plagued recent champions. Two, Drew Brees is on the Madden cover, which isn't good for the overall karma of the team. Three, no more Kim Kardashian in the press box.

2. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are the most boring team on this list. All they do is win; year in and year out. Of course as Scott told me in our fantasy draft, watch this be the year that Manning finally goes down with an injury. You know, since I spent $49 of a $200 cap on him in our auction draft.

3. Green Bay Packers – I really like the Packers this year. A lot. Aaron Rodgers showed me a ton last year and they are only going to get better as an overall team. On a side note, am I the only one who cracks up every time he does his 'championship belt' celebration? It's hilarious.

4. Dallas Cowboys – I think it's safe to say that Wade Phillips has a pretty good grasp on the defense in Dallas. If there is one thing Wade is good at, it's defense. And punt catching. On the other side of the ball, Dallas has a real opportunity to unleash an elite offense upon the NFL. They have the good quarterback, two good running backs, a handful of good receivers and an elite tight end. It also looks like they could have Kim Kardashian in the press box.

5. Minnesota Vikings – As if there was any doubt, the Wrangler God will be gracing us with his presence for a 20^th season. Anybody that actually believed he was going to retire should also check the mirror to see if 'moron' is written across their forehead. Favre signed a two year deal with the Vikings last year so coming back was a 100% certainty for this season. The only reason it took so long to make his "decision" was because he wanted to see how much training camp he could skip out on. Plus he loved the attention of his teammates begging him to come back and stroking his ego a little more. Among other things, the Vikings missing the playoffs this season is on my list of things that would make this season a success in my eyes.

6. San Diego Chargers – The biggest thing standing in the way of the Chargers winning the AFC West yet again is the status of Vincent Jackson. They just traded for Patrick Crayton so things aren't looking good on the Jackson front. Otherwise, San Diego is looking pretty good. Phillip Rivers continues to improve and the offense as a whole should be much better since they upgraded their running back situation by drafting Ryan Matthews and ridding themselves of LaDanian Tomlinson's corpse. Then again, Norv Turner is still the coach of this team so anything is really in play.

7. New England Patriots – No attempted reverse jinx here, New England is winning the AFC East this season. People just seem to forget about them because they aren't on HBO trying to name off all their illegitimate children and crowning themselves as the Super Bowl champs yet, but the Patriots are still pretty good. Just in case anybody forgot; Brady, Moss and Belicheck are still on the team.

8. New York Jets – I have the Jets still in the top 10 despite my mean spirited words above, but I don't have them winning their division and I most definitely don't have them winning the Super Bowl. They'll grab a wildcard spot and make the playoffs, but they won't make it past the second round this time around. I have several theories as to why this will happen but I'd rather not waste all my material before the season even starts. Let's just say the biggest thing holding them back rhymes with franchise.

9. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens and Packers facing each other in the Super Bowl this year has a nice ring to it, but I doubt it happens. Mostly because 99.9% of preseason Super Bowl predictions never pan out. I do hope Baltimore Runs the AFC North though. Mostly because it would mean Pittsburgh isn't winning it, which is on my short list that was first mentioned in the Minnesota section.

10. Atlanta Falcons – Assuming the Saints fall a little bit, which I fully expect, Atlanta could very well swoop in and take the division. I think it's safe to say it's between those two teams to begin with, so I don't think this is much of a stretch. Without doing an ounce of research, I'd have to think that Matt Ryan will be much better this season than he was last season. Most times players dip a little bit during their second year and then show improvement in the third year.

11. Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals were looking good until they slowed down last December and completely fell off the cliff in the first round. I guess it's to be expected for the franchise in general. Then again, I'm a Bills fan who hasn't seen playoff football for a decade now, so who am I to throw stones? For the record, I'm now a fan of Terrell Owens and I think he's going to light it up in Cincinnati this season. Or at least I hope so.

12. Miami Dolphins – Either I'm overrating the AFC East or minus Buffalo, it's one of the hardest divisions in the NFL. The biggest question mark I see for the Dolphins is Chad Henne. At times last season Henne looked really good, others he looked like a pile of crap. My guess is he'll look just fine because he has two good running backs to lean on, which is always a huge help for young quarterbacks.

13. Houston Texans – Is this the year Houston finally makes the playoffs? Probably not, but I sure hope so. There is something I like about Houston and it's about time they get to the playoffs and reward their fans with a little success.

14. Washington Redskins – I like the Redskins to make a run at the playoffs this season. Donovan McNabb is not only a good QB, but he will no doubt have something to prove to the fans and organization in Philly. Combine that with Mike Shanahan getting back on the sidelines and fans in Washington can finally be optimistic heading into football season.

15. Tennessee Titans – I'm not crazy on the Titans this season but I'm not sure I ever really am. One season they do good with Vince Young. The next season he sucks and Kerry Collins lights it up. The next season Collins sucks and Young lights it up. It is literally a QB carousel in Tennessee and to be honest, it's pretty annoying.

16. New York Giants – I gotta be honest, I don't know a ton about the Giants this season. I know that with blood gushing from his head, Eli Manning looked pretty tough and not like the dorky kid down the block who gets his lunch money stolen. I also know Perry Fewell is the new defensive coordinator. That last comment isn't exactly a positive note.

17. Philadelphia Eagles – I'm hesitant to put Philly near the top 10 just yet. I know people seem to think Kevin Kolb will make the transition just fine, but I'm a tad more hesitant. The guy has roughly two games under his belt and is now the starter in Philly, a town that doesn't exactly give their players time to develop. Kolb may very well light things up, I'm not saying he won't, but I could also see him struggling and losing confidence quickly as his own fans throw batteries at him and boo him off the field.

18. San Francisco 49ers – For the first time since my early youth, I feel that the 49ers should be the favorites to win their division. Ok, maybe it hasn't been that long, but it sure feels that way. Ever since making Mike Singletary the head coach, it seems like the 49ers continue to made moderate improvements. With Kurt Warner retiring in Arizona and the Seahawks and Rams still being awful to mediocre at best, the time is right for San Francisco to make their move towards the postseason.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers finished 9-7 last season which is great by Buffalo standards, but disappointing by Pittsburgh standards. It was a rough year for Ben Roethlisberger, both on the field and in the bathroom stall. Their schedule doesn't do them any favors as their first four games are against Atlanta, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Baltimore. They could easily be 1-3 heading into the bye week and it's almost guaranteed with Dennis Dixon being the starter during Big Ben's suspension. I thought Dixon wasn't too horrible, but he was horrendous in the preseason. But who knows, maybe the Steelers respond to all the adversity and actually get better. It would most certainly ruin my season.

20. Denver Broncos – The Broncos made potentially the biggest splash in the draft when they took Tim Tebow in the first round, despite already having Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn on the roster. While Brady Quinn is a new level of bad, Kyle Orton is serviceable and seemed to play well in Josh McDaniel's system last season. McDaniels showed a lot of trust in Orton so it was surprising to see them acquire two additional quarterbacks this offseason. It will definitely be interesting to see how they work Tebow into the offense. There is no way they wasted a first round pick simply on some depth at QB. Although waste + first round pick + depth at QB = Brady Quinn.

21. Carolina Panthers – The Panthers finally ditched Jake Delhomme and handed the keys to the offense over to Matt Moore. While I mocked Moore quite a bit in my rankings last season, he played very well in the final four games and he will be worth watching. In those final four games, the Panthers went 3-1 and Moore threw for 829 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. The only thing not going for Moore this season is the potential short leash he may be on after the Panthers grabbed Jimmy Clausen in the draft.

22. Chicago Bears – I'm not sure what to make of Chicago. They were supposed to improve last season when they ditched Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler, but they didn't. You start to think about it and wonder why, then you realize, oh yeah, Jay Cutler sucks.

23. Arizona Cardinals – Arizona returns as defending NFC champs and I would gladly hand them the title this season, if it wasn't for the retirement of Kurt Warner. Not only does Arizona lose a potential Hall of Fame QB, but they are replacing him Derek Anderson, who actually beat out Matt Leinart for the starting job. Combine that with the subtraction of Anquan Boldin and you see where I'm going with this. I'm not saying it's impossible for Arizona to take the division again, wait, yes I am.

24. Seattle Seahawks – One of the more peculiar moves this offseason was Seattle giving up on Jim Mora Jr. after one season and luring Pete Carroll away from USC. Then we saw all the trouble USC was in and it made perfect sense. I could see the Seahawks being competitive in the division if Matt Hasselbeck stays healthy. Ah, the advantages to playing in the NFC West.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars – I'm pretty sure the biggest news of the offseason for the Jags was their half empty stadium getting new naming rights. EverBank Field. Good times in Jacksonville.

26. Oakland Raiders – Getting rid of JaMarcus Russell and the purple drank for Jason Campbell was an immediate upgrade for the Raiders. I also liked their decision to draft Rolando McClain in the first round. For once the Raiders did the right thing when drafting instead of the insane thing. Al Davis must've forgotten that the draft started on a Thursday night this year.

27. Detroit Lions – I like the direction the Lions are heading; too bad they are in the same division as two of the best teams in the league. Regardless, they have their franchise QB in Matthew Stafford and he has plenty of weapons in Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Kevin Smith and Jahvid Best. Adding Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch will also no doubt improve their defense quite a bit.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs were another team I could have probably listed below Buffalo, but I didn't want to risk moving the Bills too high before we see just how bad they'll be in real games. But the Bucs…I don't know. They weren't any good last year and I'm not exactly sure what they've done this past offseason to improve significantly. The first two rounds should improve their defense a great deal, but that still doesn't help them put points on the board. Nor does it help the fact that their Head Coach has one more year of head coaching experience than I do.

29. Buffalo Bills – Both ESPN and CNNSI had the Bills ranked 31 in their respected rankings. Now although I'm a bit of a homer, I just don't see them being that bad. Last season was one of the worst in recent memory and the Bills still managed to win six games. Now you're telling me they will be worse? How so? They have a new GM and coach, both of whom seem to know which direction they want to take the team. In fact, the new regime has already shown that they won't be running camp the way Dick Jauron did, which would signal an improvement in that respect. Chan Gailey is an offensive coach which bodes well for the Bills, despite their lack of QB. It will be a losing season for sure, but not in the bottom two teams in the league. Or so I hope.

(Note: I wrote the above paragraph before the last three preseason games were played and C.J. Spiller truly showed off what he can do. I stand behind the above paragraph even more now. 7-9.)

30. Kansas City Chiefs – I don't know what to make of Kansas City just yet. They were a four win team last season and I doubt Thomas Jones is going to change that significantly. Their running game will no doubt be one of the better ones in the league, but they also still have Matt Cassel as their starting QB. His 69.9 QB rating last season wasn't exactly tops in the league. Funny how opinion of him changes when he isn't throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

31. Cleveland Browns – The Browns appear headed in the right direction with Mike Holmgren taking his position in the front office. They traded away Brady Quinn and might have stolen Colt McCoy in the third round, both of which are good moves. Potentially, we'll see on the McCoy front. Unfortunately, they also acquired Jake Delhomme to be their starting QB this year. Delhomme is awful...just awful.

32. St Louis Rams – The Rams might be headed in the right direction now that they hopefully have their franchise QB, but it will still take a long time. And who knows, will Sam Bradford even be the franchise QB that they hope? I would think so but drafting a QB first overall is always risky, unless that QB has the name Peyton Manning.

Playing GM: Part II

2010-08-01T19:53:00.000-04:00

Since we're roughly a month into free agency for the NHL and camps will be opening up sooner than we think, I thought it would be fun to play GM again. I took my first stab when I ranked the upcoming free agent class and while none of it came to fruition, there is still plenty out there. Plus I figure with the more I write, I might actually get something right for once.

Thanks to Cap Geek and there new and improved cap calculator, it literally is amazing, I was able to have some fun with the roster and easily see the cap numbers.

So as it stands now, the Sabres have 13 forwards signed for the 10-11 season with another looming, Tim Kennedy. Kennedy just finished up his arbitration, as he was awarded $1 million for next season. Since the number is below a certain amount, the Sabres don't have the option of walking away from the number (not that I would expect them to anyways).

Kennedy was awarded a $1 million/1 year deal.

With that in mind, the Sabres have 14 forwards signed, which is a few too many seeing they still haven't upgraded much either. This leaves Buffalo with $6,689,643 in available cap space. As you can see, it's plenty of money to still be creative. Here are a couple of moves I'd highly consider if I were running the show.

My first step would be moving Tim Connolly and Drew Stafford for whatever they can get. I know this isn't the Sabres style but both contracts run out after this season and neither are worth keeping at this point, so why not get something in return? Neither player is completely useless and I'm sure some team would value those guys. My hope would be the Maple Leafs but I'm guessing that Brian Burke isn't biting on that one. Unfortunately I think Burke would want Derek Roy in a trade and he isn't someone I'm so quick to let go, although I could be talked into it.

In fact, if trading Roy and letting Stafford and Connolly walk after the season resulted in gaining a new top 6 forward and having the money to lock Tyler Myers up for the long haul, I'd gladly sign off on that deal, but that is another discussion for another day.

So for the sake of argument, let's pretend the Sabres could move Connolly and Stafford and acquire some guy with the last name of Kaberle. (I know…work with me on this)

This now leaves the Sabres with more cap space, $8.8 million to be exact, and clears up some of the roster jumble. Now we're down to 12 forwards and seven defensemen, which allows for Chris Butler and Andrej Sekera to compete for the 6^th d-man spot. Perfect. This also gives the Sabres their much coveted PP QB. Kaberle is a UFA after the season but so is Craig Rivet, and assuming he takes a rather large pay cut, it's safe to say this might be his last season in Buffalo.

We're missing one more thing. A top six forward. This is a risky proposition, but the Sabres have nothing to lose. They need to throw an offer sheet out to a restricted free agent. Specifically, they need to go after Bobby Ryan.

The Ducks have already offered Ryan a 5 year, 25 million dollar deal which has been turned down. If I were playing the part of GM, I'd be more than willing to offer a 5 year deal worth $30 million. At $6 million per season, it's a significant raise and might be just enough to have Anaheim take the draft picks in return. If it doesn't work and Anaheim matches, no harm no foul. Again, for the sake of argument, let's pretend that works and he comes to Buffalo.

This move would leave the Sabres with a nice $2.8 million dollar cap cushion for the season, which could give them some flexibility down the road for the trading deadline or even next season. It also adds a 30 goal scorer to the team in addition to Thomas Vanek.

Playoff disappointments aside, the Sabres accumulated 100 points and were division champs last season. They also survived the Olympics and Ryan Miller's added work load in the process. They won't have that distraction this year. They would be replacing Stafford and Connolly's production/disappearing act with a 30 goal scoring, 23 year old Olympic forward. They would also be adding one of the better PP defensemen in the league.

Yes please. Where do I sign up?

Projecting the 2010 Buffalo Bills

2010-07-22T20:31:00.000-04:00

Back in 2008 when I wrote articles here and there at Billszone, I tried my hand at projecting the Bills schedule before the season started. In that article, I made one huge fatal mistake that doomed the entire article. For a brief moment, I turned into a total homer and completely forgot that the team was still coached by Dick Jauron. Looking back at it, I can't believe that I actually thought the Bills would finish 10-6. At least my negative opinion on Brett Favre has remained consistent throughout the years.

I never projected the 2009 Bills schedule; however I did predict them to finish 5-11 in my AFC East preview, so that kind of counts, right? Unlike the Bills, I made a huge improvement within one season. This excites me greatly. And with that, let's break down the 2010 Buffalo Bills schedule in brutal game-by-game detail.

Week 1: Miami Dolphins

I can see the Bills winning this game for a couple of reasons. First, it's opening day and that is usually the week where most upsets occur. Let us not forget that on two separate opening weeks in Foxboro, the Bills came within a handful of points of upsetting the Patriots. Second, spinning off my first point, the Dolphins aren't the Patriots and this game is being played in Buffalo. Third, the Bills throttled the Dolphins at home last season and I'd like to think the Bills are a little bit better going into this season (maybe). On a positive note for the Dolphins, Brandon Marshall will play a huge role in this game since it's unlikely that he'll be arrested this early in the season. (1-0)

Week 2: @ Green Bay Packers

I really see no way that the Bills can beat the Packers, let alone beating them in Green Bay. The last time Buffalo and Green Bay faced each other, the Bills came out on top thanks in large part to multiple bonehead turnovers from the turnover machine himself, Brett Favre. However Green Bay has moved on and improved greatly in this area. The Bills strongest point is their pass defense, but I still don't think it will be good enough to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay passing attack. In case everyone forgot his last meaningful game, Rodgers went off in Arizona to the tune of 28 for 42, 423 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a 121.3 QB rating. Granted the Green Bay secondary was shredded worse by Kurt Warner, but um, the Bills will most likely be starting Trent Edwards, who isn't exactly Kurt Warner. Interesting note, this game has the potential to be the Brian Brohm grudge match if he wins the starting job. Seriously, this is what we've resorted to as Bills fans. (1-1)

Week 3: @ New England Patriots

It's been so long since Buffalo defeated New England that I can barely remember when it happened. I'm not even going to look this up but I feel pretty confident in stating that the Bills have never won a game in Gillette Stadium since it became the new home for the Patriots several years ago. With that in mind, I see no reason to think that this year will be any different. My Boston angst continues. (1-2)

Week 4: NY Jets

The Bills and Jets are usually good for splitting the season series, despite how good or bad each team is. Last year they split and the Bills were a five win team while the Jets were one win away from the Super Bowl. In 2008 the Jets swept Buffalo, but that is only because the glorious combination of Losman and Jauron decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They must have been returning the favor because in 2007 the Bills swept. In 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, all splits. So really for me, it's a matter of which game do the Bills get and which do the Jets get. Since their second meeting will be in Week 17 where the Jets will probably have the playoffs locked up and playing scrub ball, I'll give this game to the Jets and that game to the Bills. (1-3)

Week 5: Jacksonville Jaguars

Last season the Bills almost beat the Jags in Jacksonville. Given the circumstances, it really showed how bad the Jags were. The Bills had just fired their coach and Ryan Fitzpatrick was starting the game. If that wasn't enough, Fitzpatrick hit Terrell Owens for a 98 yard touchdown at one point in the game. I have to be honest, even in past seasons when the Jags were playoff bound, I've never really thought of them as a good team. Given that this game is early in the season and in Buffalo, I can very well see the Bills stealing this game with a last second field goal. (2-3)

Week 6: BYE

Week 7: @ Baltimore Ravens

Coming out of the bye week, it's the Willis McGahee revenge game: part two. The first revenge game was won by Buffalo, but to be honest, it felt like a loss. If it wasn't for Rian Lindell bailing out the pathetic Bills offense with four field goals, the Bills easily lose that game. In addition to that, the Bills benefitted from some horrendous play calling by Baltimore and their now former coach, Brian Billick. Finally, McGahee scored on a 46 yard touchdown run and finished the day with 114 yards, so it wasn't like the Bills shut him down and proved any point. If anything he stuck it to Buffalo a little bit, despite losing the game. This time the game is in Baltimore and the Ravens have Joe Flacco, not Kyle Boller. (2-4)

Week 8: @ Kansas City Chiefs

For as bad as the Bills have been the past two seasons, Kansas City has actually been worse. If you don't believe me, please see exhibit A and exhibit B. In fact, the Chiefs haven't defeated the Bills since 2003. You can go ahead and put me in the group of people that was never really impressed with Matt Cassel and figured that Kansas City was making a huge mistake last season. I don't see any reason why this year will be any different. Plus I'm sure Chan Gailey would like to get back at his former team just a little bit. (3-4)

Week 9: Chicago Bears (Toronto)

I'm sure the Bills could beat the Bears, but that would require the Bills to actually win a game in the lifeless "Bills in Toronto" series that makes just about every Bills fan sick. I have absolutely no fear of the Bills leaving for Canada, so that isn't the reason this game bothers me at all. It's more along the lines of the Bills throwing away a home game, playing on a crappy field in the Rogers Centre, and playing in front of about 30,000 fans who could give a damn about the Bills. It's practically a neutral field game. Reminds me of those junky bowl games in mid-December that nobody cares about. At least the Bills smartened up and stopped giving away division games. (3-5)

Week 10: Detroit Lions

The Lions might be an improved team, which isn't saying much, but the Bills should be able to get a win here. Don't get me wrong, the Bills are a bad team, but please also remember that the Lions are a team that has two combined victories in their last 32 regular season games. It will be interesting to see these two teams actually play a real game though. I'm so used to just seeing them play their annual scrub bowl game in the last week of the pre-season that this should be a nice change of pace for sure. Then again, a week 10 meeting between the Bills and Lions isn't exactly a marquee matchup. (4-5)

Week 11: @ Cincinnati Bengals

I bet you're thinking there is no way the Bills can beat the Bengals on the road this late in the season. This is where I say you're wrong. I know this means absolutely nothing in regards to the game this year, but does anybody realize the last time the Bengals even defeated the Bills. I'll give everyone a hint: I was only three years old. That's right; it was in January of 1988. Again, I know this has no bearing on the game this season, but when you're a Bills fan, crazy trends and statistics are about all we have to go on. (5-5)

At this point I'd like to note that this will officially start the "mathematically in the playoff race" talk for the Bills, when in reality, there is no way they are making the playoffs. It's an annual tradition for us Bills fans and late November seems like a good time to start it off.

Week 12: Pittsburgh Steelers

For me personally, not all Bills fans, these two weeks of the season are going to be pure hell. Even the occasional reader of this site should be able to pick up on the fact that I really dislike all Pittsburgh sports and I'm not exactly wearing Wranglers and joining the Brett Favre fan club anytime soon. Honestly, the Bills could go 2-14 this season with these two games being the only wins, and I'd be perfectly content with that. All that being said, the Bills will lose these two games and make my life a living hell until at least early February. On the positive side, I'm pretty sure I'm going to break the record for most rapist jokes told in a one week span. (5-6)

Week 13: @ Minnesota Vikings

If I were a fortunate sports fan, things would make sense, and Brett Favre would turn the ball over at least four times and throw away an easy victory against the Bills. Watching Brett Favre play is like being a little kid and waking up on Christmas morning. The anticipation of the inevitable turnover that costs his team the game is overwhelming at times. Last season Favre did his best to disprove this theory, but the world righted itself when it mattered most and as we all know, the Saints went on to win the Super Bowl. So like I said, if things made sense, the sports gods would throw me a bone and let the Bills win this game while forcing multiple turnovers. But that isn't the way things work for Buffalo fans and I'm starting to accept that. Instead Favre will most likely go off for at least three touchdowns while posting a perfect 158.3 QB rating. Oh and I'm pretty sure whoever I'm playing in fantasy that week will start Favre and ruin my season there as well. (5-7)

Week 14: Cleveland Browns

The Bills should be able to beat the Browns at home. Then again, they should've been able to beat the Browns at home the past two seasons as well. In fact, the Browns have actually defeated the Bills in the past three seasons, all by a combined 13 points. This includes a game that ended 8-0 and 6-3. Let's just say these two teams don't get together and put on the greatest show for the fans. Something has to give though. I can't possibility mark down a fourth consecutive loss to the Browns. (6-7)

Week 15: @Miami Dolphins

I hate how the NFL schedule has the Dolphins in Buffalo for the early game and the Bills in Miami for the late game. We all know it should be flipped around so the Dolphins are playing in the elements. Not that it matters though. By this point in the season the Bills will probably have an NFL leading 26 people on injured reserve and starting players that just finished their UFL season. (6-8)

Week 16: New England Patriots

If the Patriots haven't sealed the division by this point of the season, this game should do the trick. The Patriots have dominated the Bills so much recently that I wouldn't be surprised if they just became part owners of the team. The trend has to end sometime but there is no way I'm predicting it. I've been down that road before and it's ruined my credibility. What? I never had any credibility to start. Hmm, oh well. (6-9)

Week 17: @ NY Jets

As I highlighted above, the Bills and Jets are a safe bet to split the season series which would give the Bills the Week 17 victory and a solid seven wins for the 2010 season. One way this would be avoided is if the Jets need this victory to make the playoffs and actually show up to play. Otherwise, mark it down as a split. (7-9)

I have to be completely honest; predicting the Bills to finish 7-9 is taking a gigantic leap of faith. They could realistically be a two or three win team in 2010. However, that would give the Bills the number one or two overall draft pick in 2011, and we wouldn't want that to happen. The Bills have specialized in being bad enough to consistently miss the playoffs, but good enough to at least have mid-round draft pick. 7-9 sounds just right.

Jordan Leopold Reaction

2010-07-06T19:53:00.000-04:00

The news on July 1^st that the Sabres only signed Jordan Leopold was met with this type of reaction.

Sabres: "The Sabres have reached an agreement with Jordan Leopold"

Generic Fan A: "Who is that?"

Generic Fan B: "Some guy from Pittsburgh."

(Frantically Googling 'Jordan Leopold')

Generic Fan B: "He isn't a big name, I hate this."

Generic Fan A: "Wow, the Sabres are awful. How could they do this to me?"

Needless to say, it was an overreaction of epic proportions. Is Jordan Leopold the answer? Hardly. Is he a great signing? Not really. Was it that terrible? No, it wasn't.

Combine this with the overreaction to losing Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder and what you're left with is a massive headache. Just to review a few things, Lydman and Tallinder are easily replaceable. Neither was overwhelming during their time in Buffalo. In fact, before last season, most of the Sabres fan base wanted Tallinder run out of town. You can put me in that crowd. In fact, I wrote numerous times last offseason that I wanted the Sabres to dish off both contracts before they expire, even if it resulted in them getting a bag of pucks in return.

Flash forward to this season and all of a sudden losing both guys is a bad thing. Just for the sake of argument, here are the numbers for all three players for the past two seasons. Numbers don't tell the whole story, but they help paint a picture.

2009-10

	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	PP Points	+/-
Leopold	81	11	15	26	1	-2
Tallinder	82	4	16	20	0	+13
Lydman	67	4	16	20	0	+10

2008-09

	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	PP Points	+/-
Leopold	83*	7	17	24	1	-15
Tallinder	66	1	11	12	0	-2
Lydman	80	3	20	23	0	0

*Traded at deadline which accounts for one extra game played.

Leopold got identical money as Lydman got from Anaheim. +/- is the only real stat that Lydman was better than Leopold in. Otherwise, they are basically the same. The real difference between the two is that Leopold scores more goals. Just throwing this out there, but the Sabres could use some more goal scoring from their blue line.

As for Tallinder, where do we start? I already mentioned how nobody wanted him around but what changed this past season? Well for one, he had a major bounce back season that must have brain washed the fans' minds into thinking he was good again. So why did he have a bounce back season? Contract year? Paired up with Tyler Myers? You decide. I'm no expert (obviously), but watch New Jersey regret his contract roughly halfway through its tenure.

Again, I'm not getting on my soap box and backing this decision 100%. In fact for the sake of argument, here is what I wrote about him just before free agency started. But I also realize that it's only July 6^th and the Sabres don't lace up the skates for a number of weeks still.

In a solid and under the radar signing, the Sabres re-inked Cody McCormick to another one year deal. The big difference this season compared to last is that this year it's a one way deal, which would indicate that he'll be spending the entire season up with Buffalo as opposed to Portland.

I was extremely high on McCormick in my Sabres season preview, maybe even a little too high on him seeing that he didn't even make the roster. That being said, he was called up during the playoffs and played very well in the final three games. Apparently the Sabres front office agrees because it looks like he'll be replacing Adam Mair or Matt Ellis. Actually, both might not return with this move.

From what I know about McCormick, I'm pretty excited to see him in Buffalo all season long.

So what's the next move gonna be?

2010 NHL Free Agency – Forwards

2010-06-24T19:23:00.000-04:00

4. Ray Whitney (CAR) – Whitney isn't exactly young and won't exactly provide a ton of toughness, but there are other added benefits to signing him. I advocated for him at the trade deadline and nothing has changed, except the Sabres can now get him without giving up any players or draft picks. Because of his age (38), I'd be uncomfortable with anything more than a two year deal.

5. Lee Stempniak (PHX) - Stempniak flamed out in Toronto big time, but blew up after the trade deadline while in Phoenix. Stempniak grew up in the Buffalo area which automatically means he'd be a great Sabre. /sarcasm. But seriously, I think he showed his true potential in Phoenix. There are plenty of reasons why he struggled in Toronto. For one, putting it nicely, the Leafs weren't a very good team. Two, his game was examined under the strongest microscope with some of the toughest fans to please. When the pressure was off while playing in a non-hockey town, he lit it up. Granted he'd be going back into a big hockey city with large expectations, but I'd like to think he has his confidence back.

6. Manny Malhotra (SJ) –Malholtra falls into the bargain category. His cap hit was a miniscule $700,000 last season in San Jose. In return he scored 14 goals and 19 assists. That is essentially the same amount of money Adam Mair made while providing double the scoring. I will absolutely sign up for that. In fact, Mair has never even scored double digit goals during his seven seasons in Buffalo. His highest total is eight goals in the 2008-09 season. In a similar six year span, Malhotra scored nine goals one season and eclipsed double digit goals in the other five. This would be a very good under the radar signing for Buffalo if they went in that direction.

7. Matthew Lombardi (PHX) – Lombardi has a few aspects that stand out to me. He's only 28 years old and his cap hit was $1,816,667. To put that into perspective, that is a little more than what Mike Grier makes. It's less money than what Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad and the majority of Sabres forwards bring home. With that in mind, Lombardi scored 19 goals last season and contributed another 34 assists. So no he isn't a top line 40 goal scorer, but for the cap hit and the production, he's a great bargain that would improve the team.

8. Bill Guerin (PIT) – Like Ray Whitney, Bill Guerin is a little too old for my taste, but I'd sign up for a one or two year deal. Guerin has the ability to chip in 20 goals but would also provide a great deal of toughness and leadership. Having someone like Guerin on the roster would help a great deal during the playoffs when the young guys are busy being invisible. All of that being said, Pittsburgh would be crazy to let him go. He's a perfect fit for them.

9. Matt Cullen (OTT) –Cullen would be a decent signing for the right price, mostly for the veteran presence and leadership. I can't stress this enough, the Sabres need more players that will take control of the locker room. There is a reason the Sabres wasted no time signing Mike Grier before letting him hit the open market. It was refreshing to see them recognize his importance and place a value on it.

10. Saku Koivu (ANA) –I'm lukewarm on the thought of Koivu in a Sabres uniform, but I needed a nice even list of 10 for this article so here he is. I'm all for adding another 50+ points to the Sabres group of forwards, but I wouldn't be crazy about him taking up three million or more against the cap. Now if you were to tell me that the Sabres were able to unload Drew Stafford and his $1.9 million cap hit and replace it with Koivu and a $3 million cap hit, I can easily live with that. Again, the Sabres need some more consistent scoring.

If I have one internet pet peeve, it's people playing GM on the internet with unrealistic scenarios that would only happen on Xbox. However, now that we've seen my rankings for goalies, d-men and forwards, allow me to play the role for a few minutes.

The Sabres currently have around $10 or $11 million in cap space for the upcoming season. They have 10 forwards, 5 defensemen and one goalie under contract.

Sign Martin Biron for $1.2 million. Sign Carlo Colaiacovo for $2 million. Trade for Tomas Kaberle, in the process trading Drew Stafford and whatever draft picks Brian Burke wants. Re-sign Patrick Kaleta and Tim Kennedy, each getting a minor raise. Sign Ray Whitney and Matthew Lombardi. Raise another division champion banner in HSBC.

2010 NHL Free Agency – Defensemen

2010-06-24T19:21:00.000-04:00

NHL Free Agency kicks off July 1^st, so I figure that now is a good time to review the upcoming UFA and RFA class. Unlike last season, I won't be ranking them in terms of overall worth, but instead the rankings will reflect their worth to the Sabres and how bad I'd like to see the particular player in blue and gold next season. Please remember, these rankings are completely biased.

We've finally reached the point where the Sabres will most likely be letting both Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder walk. For me personally, this makes me very happy. I have nothing personal against either player, but with their contracts expiring, it opens up over five million dollars in cap space for the Sabres to actively pursue some new faces to call HSBC home. Of course I could be saying all of this very prematurely because Darcy Regier has said more than once that he's had conversations with both players about returning, however I really don't see that happening. I'd be shocked if both players didn't get a raise and I swear if the Sabres shell out over three million for either player, my head might explode.

Before I dive into the free agents that will be available, I want to address a player that might be available via trade.

1a. Tomas Kaberle (TOR) – If I had a nickel for every time Kaberle's name was mentioned in a trade rumor, I'd have a ton of nickels. With every rumor I hear involving Kaberle, I almost always hear the Sabres name mentioned at the same time. Because Kaberle is heading into the final year of his deal and the draft is coming up, I'm being forced to take this rumor a little more serious this time. Despite his age (32) and salary (4.25 million/year), I'd be very pleased if the Sabres swung a trade for Kaberle.

Since the lockout, Kaberle has contributed point totals of 67, 58, 53, 31 and 49. Factor in that his 31 points came in 57 games, and it's all the more impressive. Kaberle would instantly be the best scoring defenseman on the Sabres, along with Tyler Myers. The idea of Kaberle in Buffalo also excited me because he's a power play specialist and the power play for Buffalo is horrendous. Literally, it's to the point where I wish the Sabres could actually decline penalties and just play 5 on 5.

Buffalo is clearing right around 5.5 million with Tallinder and Lydman leaving and I'd be perfectly okay with them giving that money to Kaberle for roughly four years. Rumors I've read have said Buffalo would have to give up a couple of draft picks and possibly Drew Stafford to acquire Kaberle. For me, that just sweetens the deal. Maybe Stafford will pan out and become a very good player, but my patience has run out on him and the sooner he's gone, the better. If Buffalo traded for Kaberle and locked him up, they would head into the season with Kaberle, Rivet, Montador, Myers, Sekera and Butler. Call me crazy but I'm more than okay with that. Rivet will most likely miss the beginning of the season but the Sabres have two players in Mike Weber and Marc-Andre Gragnani that could easily fill in and even challenge Sekera and Butler for regular playing time.

There is always the chance that the Sabres don't get this deal done, so with that in mind, let's see who will be available on the open market. Keep in mind, this isn't an overall ranking, but a ranking on who I think would be a good fit for the Sabres. I'm also only ranking the top 10 players to keep this as short as possible. Salary, age and scoring are the three things I'm factoring in here. If there has been one thing lacking in the past few seasons, it's been consistent scoring from the defensemen.

1b. Anton Volchenkov (OTT) – Volchenkov doesn't fit the bill for a scoring defenseman like I highlighted above, but I'd still love to have him in Buffalo for a few reasons. Volchenkov is only 28 years old and has been one of the better defensemen for Ottawa over the past few seasons. He'll be looking for a large payday since he's arguably the top defenseman overall, so the odds of Buffalo making a play on him are pretty rare. Part of the allure in my eyes is not only would the Sabres be upgrading their blue line, they would be directly hurting a division rival in the process.

2. Carlo Colaiacovo (STL) – Colaiacovo isn't a household name for most hockey fans but he would be a very solid signing for Buffalo. His current salary was $1.4 million, so even with a raise; he would bring a modest cap hit at best. Combine that with his age (27) and his recent point production, and I'm all for this signing. After being drafted by Toronto and constantly being injured, he has been relatively healthy for the past two seasons playing in 73 and 67 games respectively. In those two seasons he chipped in 30 and 32 points, which would make him the second highest scoring defenseman in Buffalo.

3. Joe Corvo (WAS) – Corvo doesn't have the highest point totals, but I would definitely be on board with him signing in Buffalo. I'm guessing he'll be looking at a contract right around three million per season for about four years, and I could live with that. I think I've mentioned it at least 80 times in this article, but the Sabres power play is an absolute joke. Corvo isn't quite in the class of Kaberle or Gonchar, but he'd still help upgrade that particular aspect for the Sabres.

4.
Sergei Gonchar (PIT) – Gonchar's salary and age go directly against my rules for signing a defenseman in free agency. However, if it was a one or two year deal and he took a significant pay cut of two million or more, I could talk myself into that signing. Gonchar would be a veteran presence on the blue line (with Cup winning experience) and possibly someone who could breathe some life into the power play as well. Like Kaberle, Gonchar would immediately be the best offensive defenseman the Sabres would have. Tyler Myers led the Sabres last season with 48 points in 82 games. In only 62 games with Pittsburgh, Gonchar had 50 points.

5. Marc-Andre Bergeron (MTL) - Bergeron's point totals aren't anything to write home about, but his cap number is rather modest and he's only 29 years old, so I wouldn't mind this signing at all. In the past two seasons his point totals have been above 30, so if anything, he'd instantly be the second highest scoring defenseman on the team. The biggest concern I have about Bergeron is how much he's bounced around so far in his career. Since the lockout he's played for the Oilers, Islanders, Ducks, Wild and Canadiens. That's an awful lot of teams in such a short time span.

6. Dan Hamhuis (NAS) – Hamhuis would help upgrade the blue line for Buffalo, but not necessarily in the scoring department. His point totals since the lockout have been 38, 20, 27, 26 and 24. Combine that with is current salary (2.5 million) and the likelihood of a significant raise, and his odds of signing in Buffalo are pretty slim. The biggest thing I noticed about Hamhuis is his durability. In the past five seasons in Nashville, Hamhuis has missed a total of seven games.

(Ed. Note: Nashville has already traded Hamhuis' rights to Philadelphia, so unless they really screw up and don't sign him, he is already off the market.)

7. Paul Martin (NJD) – Martin's price tag is a bit much for my liking, but he'd be a solid signing nevertheless. Martin was hurt for the better part of last season but still managed to net 11 points in 22 regular season games. I'd have to defer to the experts on this, but I do wonder how much of his success is tied to the system in New Jersey

8. Jay McKee (PIT) – This is more of a nostalgic pick because to be honest, I really don't know how much McKee has left in the tank. He's only 32 which isn't terribly old, but he's blocked so many shots over the course of his career that he might as well be 40. With all that in mind, he still suited up for 62 games last season in Pittsburgh and among the games he missed, many were because he was the 7^th defenseman and ended up being a healthy scratch. His cap hit was only $800,000 which is a tremendous bargain considering what you're getting in return. If he would be willing to accept a similar amount of money with similar circumstances to come back home to Buffalo, I'd be more than fine with it.

9. Pavel Kubina (ATL) – At 33 and carrying a price tag of five million per season, Kubina would be a tough sell for me. Besides a veteran presence, Kubina really doesn't fit into any of the three categories I'd be looking for. However, if he took a minor pay cut and Buffalo signed him, I'd definitely be able to talk myself into it.

10. Jordan Leopold (PIT) – Leopold will be 30 heading into next season and looking at a cap hit around two million, so I wouldn't be too excited if the Sabres were to sign him. He's only eclipsed 30 points in a season once (in 2003-04) and didn't make a huge difference for Pittsburgh in their latest playoff run. There are obviously worse choices, but signing Leopold would most likely be a 'more of the same' type signing for Buffalo.

2010 NHL Free Agency - Goaltenders

2010-06-22T21:13:00.000-04:00

3. Antero Niittymaki (TB) – Niittymaki falls into the same category as Johan Hedberg (below), someone who would have to accept a lesser role in terms of playing time to suit up for the Sabres. The positives for Niittymaki are his numbers (2.87/.909) and the fact that he'll only be 30 when the season starts. In fact, his age is the reason I have him ranked as high as I do. He has played regularly in the NHL since the 2005-06 season so he has the experience necessary in case something happens to Miller along the way. Niittymaki had his fair share of rough games for Tampa Bay so the Sabres would have to take that into account, but again, he'd be filling a different role in Buffalo. I'd also like to think that his numbers would be more consistent playing for a team less dysfunctional than the Lightning.

4. Patrick Lalime (BUF) – It's been well documented that I've had a very on and off relationship with Lalime during his two year tenure in Buffalo. Fact is that when he gets decent goal support, he usually does well. The problem is that he usually doesn't get that goal support. I can only assume after watching the Sabres play that they sacrifice offensive chances to make sure they are helping out defensively, since they know they don't have Miller in between the pipes for that particular game. Regardless, the last two seasons in Buffalo could've been worse. Jocelyn Thibault anybody?

Lalime only played in 16 games last season, which just isn't enough, although it is close. Lalime is getting older and that worries me as well, but he is also familiar with Buffalo and seems to like it (and his teammates seem to really like him). I'm not advocating the re-signing of Lalime if the above players are still available, but if they are gone, I would have no issue with another season of Lalime.

5. Johan Hedberg (ATL) – Sabres fans are probably familiar with Hedberg because it's almost a guaranteed Sabres loss when facing the guy. Hedberg posted a 2.62 GAA and .915 save percentage last season for the woeful Thrashers, which speaks volumes about his ability. The biggest red flag for me personally is that he's 37 years old. Then again, if he's only playing for a season or two in Buffalo, that shouldn't be too much of an issue, as long as he can stay healthy. Hedberg hasn't played less than 30 games since the 2006-07 season so he would have to be willing to accept a much lesser role to play in Buffalo, but wouldn't winning factor into that decision? Or playing in front of a capacity crowd?

6. Andrew Raycroft (VAN) – I would be horribly unimpressed if the Sabres signed Raycroft, but he isn't the worst choice available. He only played 21 games last season in Vancouver which tells me he's already accepted his role as a backup and he did well in that role, going 9-5-1 as the starter and posting a 2.42 GAA and .911 save percentage. Raycroft also sat behind Roberto Luongo, so coming to Buffalo to sit behind Ryan Miller wouldn't be a drastic change at all for him.

If the Sabres were to sign anybody other than the six listed above, I have a feeling I'd have to really talk myself into it being a solid signing. The six goalies listed above all come at a reasonable price and all would fill the backup goaltender position fairly well. Although, there is one other option.

The Sabres could bring Jhonas Enroth up from Portland and allow him to take over the backup role. I don't see them doing this however because the Sabres have already stated that they want a "veteran" to fill the role of backup. That doesn't bode well for Enroth. He also only has one game of NHL experience so the Sabres would be taking a huge chance on letting him take over, not to mention they might stunt his growth as a hockey player by cutting his games by such a large amount.

With all that being said, I'd be okay with Enroth filling the role, or any of the six free agents listed above.

Let's see what the Sabres decide to do.