T ogether, let’s all chant this cardinal rule of football: You take the points on the road. YOU TAKE THE POINTS ON THE ROAD!

It was a hard-fought game in New England, one that certainly shouldn’t cause reason for concern, as was the case two years ago when J.P. Losman had his first snaps as a professional, throwing two interceptions in four attempts. There were, in fact, a number of positives, especially in the development of the young quarterback. For the first time he didn’t look jittery and that alone is a vast improvement. While he still needs to improve his pocket awareness, particularly knowing when to step up to avoid the pass rush, Losman looked calm and made a number of smart decisions to throw the ball away instead of forcing his throws or taking sacks.

The offensive line finally looks serviceable. Thank god. While both tackles had a hard time blocking the likes of defensive ends Ty Warren and Richard Seymour, and linebacker Roosevelt Colvin, the unit as a whole opened up some nice holes for the running game.

On the other side of the ball Donte Whitner showed why he was the number eight over-all pick in this year’s draft. It seemed as if he’s ready to mix it up both in coverage and run support. His interception was a play where he showed tremendous closing speed, and the ablility to run with the ball… Fellow rookie Kyle Williams got the start at defensive tackle and was strong, finishing the game with six stops. Hardly shabby for their first game in the NFL.

But here’s what irked me: going for it on fourth-and-one at the six yard line. Sure, McGahee had been running well, and it was deep in Patriots territory, but there is a different set of rules when a team is playing on the road. When away from home you play conservative. You take no chances in costing yourself points. Don’t get me wrong, had that play been turned into a touchdown the Pats would have been morally depleted. But I’d rather kick the field goal to make the score 20-7. A score of that margin would have continued to put pressure on the Patriots, who were flat and ready to be beaten.

Instead, that was the momentum changer that the Patriots needed to jump-start the offense. That spark also seemed to carry over to their defense… I’ve read a number of articles today praising coach Dick Jauron not only for calling that play, but for not calling a time out before hand. O.k. people, I know it’s been a lean few years, but how low have we sunk that writers are applauding a coach for not calling time outs, as opposed to making a judgment that ultimately cost our beloved Bills the game?

But as I’ve said before, this season is all about baby steps.

Flag This!

I am never one to blame a loss on any external influence. In sports I don’t believe in luck, per se, because it seems like the good teams have it and the bad go without. (Does anyone remember back in 1990 when the Bills scoring 24 points in 91 seconds against the Raiders?) I also don’t believe that referees are ever to blame for a loss… However, it does seem a little odd that New England had only one penalty for five yards, while the Bills were flagged at the most inopportune times, including two very gentle illegal blocks that, if not flagged, would have been unnoticed by the players involved. I can think of four plays that really stand out: 1) Aron Schobel was being heald by the neck while barreling in on Tom Brady, 2) Punter Brian Moorman got buried by two Patriots and a teammate, 3) Moorman got slammed by Mike Vrabel on yet another play, and 4) a New England defender was blatantly off sides in the fourth quarter. What did these plays all have in common? No flag.

I’m a Bills fan, I should be used to this, right? Well, that’s what I was told during the game when I was complaining about the calls… It’s funny because it’s true.

Our House!

After seeing the red carpet rolled out to the Bills Backers by McFadden’s, it seems that we all owe a debt of gratitude to our co-president Jared Simmons. We had plenty of room to move, the wings were great, the Labbatt’s cheap, and the atmosphere electric. Can you believe he did all of this for us and the Bills yet he’s not even from Western NY?

Coming Up!

Is there any other team that evokes the same level of loathing amongst Bills fans as the Miami Dolphins? I think it goes back to the 80’s when the Dolphins had a streak of going 21-0 against Buffalo. Combine that with Don Shula hanging his entire season on beating the Bills in the late 80’s/early 90’s, the on-field tantrums of Dan Marino, or Brian Cox spouting off about how classless Buffalonians are—but then comes out of the tunnel at Rich Stadium (that’s what it was called back then) flipping a double bird, there’s a great tradition of rivalry.

Think about it… How many teams have fans that would go as far as to buy billboards in opposing cities denouncing their team? Well, that’s exactly what Rochester radio morning show host Brother Wease did for consecutive years when the radio station 96.5 WCMF purchased signage across from the stadium in Miami that read “Squish The Fish”.

The rivalry is renewed this Sunday in South Florida, and it is a very winnable game if Buffalo can contain Ronnie Brown, who gained over 900 yards last year as a rookie while splitting time with football’s answer to Cheech & Chong, Rickey Williams. The Dolphins were playing tough football at the end of last year, and have improved at the quarterback position—making them a legitimate threat to make the Super Bowl. (That’s right, I said it again.) This is a very important, intra-divisional and winnable game. If the Bills can pull this out they’ll be, at worst, tied for second with a split in divisional games. That’s hardly a bad situation for a young team that could learn from being in the playoff mix. So make sure you get down to McFadden’s and make yourself heard. This should be one of the most passionate, hard fought games of the season, so let’s do our part and make sure all of Foggy Bottom can hear us!

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