Filthy Bills

A few thoughts over the past few weeks: I'll admit I've been slacking. No need for the dirty looks, the hateful e-mails, the drive-by profanity baths. Okay, so those were just from my roommates, but I know you wish me ill will for my lack of productivity. Fair enough, duly noted. I will do my best to keep this as regular as an intestinal tract after a Sunday of tailgating. First off - Buffalo fans you're on notice. Now I know we were all excited sitting at 4-0 going against Kurt "Whoops I **** Myself" Warner, who the previous week turned the ball over a half dozen times. We were psyched, dreaming of undefeated glory. We were a team, finally. I get the context - but the minute Edwards went down and J.P. slipped his helmet on, the entire spirit of the city evaporated. Sitting in Buffalo Wild Wings, a beer in one hand, half-eaten chicken wing in the other, I was appalled when my fellow gluttons began booing. Where's the support? Where's the team Buffalo? I know J.P. is like the affair you should never have had, that dirty little secret you wish you could forget. But when I think of some of the back-ups hidden throughout the league, J.P. doesn't look so bad (ignoring the feral beard of course). All I'm saying is don't abandon your team just because the starting QB goes down. Stand behind them, they just may surprise you. Weirder **** has happened. Now I have another confession to make: I remained unsure of the Bills' actual strength throughout the first third of the season. The teams they beat were unimpressive, save for the Jaguars. Despite the high scores in both the Seattle and the Rams games, the Bills didn't show me much. Their defense was relatively solid in the first four games, keeping Jacksonville's dynamic duo to under a hundred yards. But they showed their human-side by letting Stephen Jackson scramble for over three digits and then there's the Cardinals game. Arizona made us their bitch that game. There's no other way to put it. We were dominated. So yes, I lacked the drunken optimism many of my fellow Buffalonians shared on the Bills' future. Worst of all, I actually made the argument that the Bills would not win a playoff game. I apologize but I had my reasons. I'm a tough sell, I'll admit it. But I stand corrected after this week. The Bills are a good team; arguably one of the best in the AFC. In my mind, the entire season and more importantly, the prospects of post-season success hinged on how the Bills did against the Chargers. I did a recent podcast interview for NFL GridIronGab (http://www.nflgridirongab.com/2008/10/17/gridiron-preview-week-seven-podcast-show/) where I stammered through what I thought needed to happen for the Bills to win; mainly, our defense needed to stop LT and knock Rivers around a bit. Once you start hitting a young QB, they begin to lose their focus down-field, paying more attention to the thundering man-beasts careening toward them. The Bills success hinges on the defense's ability to keep the game close. Then Edwards can put together one of his fourth quarter drives, toss the ball up to Lee Evans in the end-zone for the winning touchdown. It's like clock-work. This is how the Bills will continue to win games: keep the defense healthy, keep the games close, run the ball, keep Evans involved. Do this and watch the tallies in the win column add up. Side Note: I'm watching Rodney Harrison leave Foxboro on a cart to a half-hearted standing ovation and I can't help but feel for the guy. I've hated Harrison the last few years, thinking him one of the dirtier players in the league in addition to being a Patriot. But he's a player, there's no denying it. The man loved what he did. And his career is over. An injury like his is something that takes months and months of rehabilitation and even then it's never the same. Harrison is a veteran on his way to forty years old. It's just kind of eerie knowing this will probably be the last time we ever see him play football.