49ers 45, Bills 3

The usual practice in the NFL is for teams to return to their home facilities each week to prepare for each game, regardless of where it is going to be played. But the Bills are not coming back to Buffalo this week as they prepare for their second consecutive game in the west coast time zone. Maybe the dryness and clear blue skies of Arizona will help them achieve some semblance of a defensive identity as they prepare to face the well rested Cardinals who played last Thursday and will have had 10 days to game plan against the high priced Buffalo defensive line. Maybe the Bills defence will find a way to set another dubious NFL record this week so that they can face the home town media only after having done that. Maybe they should just go to Sedona, walk out into a canyon, stare up at the famous red rocks and think about what is to become of their season. At 2-3, the season is nowhere near lost. It just feels that way when they give up yards and points like they have the last two weeks.

The 49ers set an NFL record yesterday, becoming the first team EVER to run for 300 yards and pass for 300 yards in the same game. The first team to ever do this. Thankfully, and for the second consecutive week, I saw none of the game as family Thanksgiving activities took priority. Maybe these were the two games to miss this year - anomalies in the course of a successful season. If so, and even if not, I'm glad I missed them.

The schedule does get easier in the the second half but after the upcoming game in the desert, they are home to Tennessee which should be a winnable game but then two more tough road games are next: at Houston then at New England. It's unlikely that they will have a record better than 3-6 going into the prime time Thursday game against Miami on November 15th. For that one, I'm looking forward to getting a good sleep the night before, tailgating in the dark and seeing what Bills fans are like after an extra 7 hours of drinking. They better win that one or it could get ugly. And I'm not just talking about the one scary guy in my section who seems like he may be about ready to exorcise his demons at any minute. For his sake, for our sake and for his poor wife's sake, they need to win that game.

The Toronto Argonauts, on the other hand, don't have a rich tailgating tradition or a strong influence on the psychi of the citizenry and community identity of the city the way the Bills do for Buffalo but I'm still a fan. They play at the Rogers Centre against the green Riders this afternoon and then at home again next Sunday against Montreal, a game for which I purchased tickets a few weeks ago. If the Bills season continues to slip away, the Argos and the CFL season will become the focus - at least until the 100th Grey Cup is played at the Rogers Centre later in November.

Patriots 52, Bills 28

I downloaded the Bills mobile app during the week because I knew that I wasn't going to see any of the game on account of a family reunion yesterday afternoon. I checked it only a couple of times as I enjoyed a great spread of food and wine and caught up with relatives I hadn't seen for a while.

In the car on the way over the my aunt's house, the Patriots took an early 7-0 lead. I saw the score only twice more during the party: The first time I took a moment and checked the app, the Bills were leading 21-7 in the third quarter. This sounded very promising. The defence must have stiffened and the Bills running game must have been chewing up the clock, scoring on long drives and keeping the ball out of Brady's hands. The next score I saw was 42-21 New England. I figured the mobile app had a bug. I mean, how could they have scored 35 points while I was chatting with my uncle Dave and eating ham, salad and my cousin's fantastic baguette? It only seemed like was about than half an hour. How does a football game change so quickly?

Well, having listened to the post-game call-in on the way home and having seen the highlights and reading some of the obituaries this morning, I guess turning the ball over 6 times played a role but the team's inability to stop the Brady and the Patriots offence was the reason - as it has been consistently over the past 10 years. The high priced defensive line was not up to the task in stopping the run or pressuring the passer, tackling was poor and the defensive backfield couldn't cover. Not much else to say.

Next week's game will probably be even more difficult as the Bills travel to San Francisco who walked into the Meadowlands yesterday and pounded the Jets 34-0. The following week takes them to Arizona to play the Cardinals who sit at 4-0 after yesterday's OT win over Miami. That's a formula for going from 2-1 to 2-4 in 3 easy steps.

Last Tuesday, the day after the Monday night debacle in Seattle and the day before the NFL officials labour dispute was resolved, I saw this "headline" come through my Twitter feed: "Romney Leading in Presidential Race - According to NFL Replacement Officials".

I'm looking forward to Tuesday evening for 2 reasons: the first is that I'm going paddling with the Komodo Dragons and the second is that my post-paddling bike ride from the Outer Harbour should get me home just in time to see the start of the first Presidential debate. Romney needs a knock-out and I'm looking forward to seeing him swing wildly. I wonder of he will release his tax returns today. Maybe he could bring them to the debate and hand them to Jim Lehrer.

Bills 24, Browns 14

As Tashard Choice prepared for the 2012 NFL season, I wonder how many touches he thought he might get during the season. In blowout games, for sure, he would get some carries and, other than that, I would be surprised if he really thought that he would get more than 1 or possibly 2 carries per game. His main focus would be on special teams with the added title of third string running back. With Fred Jackson as the number 1 running back and CJ Spiller a very strong number 2, Choice was probably perfectly happy just to occupy an NFL roster spot. Until yesterday.

With Jackson going down in week 1 against the Jets, CJ Spiller had stepped up for the rest of the Jets game and in last week's game against the Chiefs, perhaps creating a difficult decision for the Bills coaching staff on who would be the number 1 back when Jackson returned. Spiller was fantastic in both of the first 2 games and was off to another excellent afternoon yesterday when he was tackled after a big gain on a screen play. His own weight and the entire weight of his tackler landed squarely on his left shoulder and he left the game on a cart in obvious pain. With the number 1 and number 2 running backs out with injuries, the Choice was an easy one. And he delivered by running strongly for the rest of the game (gaining 92 yards) and, as Chan Gailey pointed out in his post-game press conference, by successfully protecting the ball on a wet afternoon in Cleveland.

When Spiller went down, the Bills were up 14-0 and driving again with a chance to almost put the game out of reach against a demoralized Browns team still looking for its first win. His departure clearly changed the momentum of the game and by the 4th quarter, the Bills found themselves clinging to a 17-14 lead. But, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson combined for a touchdown to give the Bills a 10 point lead to conclude the scoring and send them to a 2-1 record for the year. It was their first road win since opening day of the 2011 season.

Looking ahead to next week, the challenge seems large indeed. Not just because the Patriots are coming to Orchard Park but because they have lost 2 consecutive games, including a one point loss to Baltimore last night. Could they lose for a 3rd straight time? It seems unlikely.

Bills 35, Chiefs 17

Ryan Fitzpatrick rolled out to his right while tight end Scott Chandler broke free from his blocker and was wide open for an easy first down on the Bills first possession of yesterday's game in Orchard Park. Fitzpatrick missed badly and the ball landed at Chandler's feet. This pattern would repeat itself a few more times before the Bills quarterback made a couple of good passes while avoiding turnovers - something he was unable to do last week.

How did the Bills win yesterday? By running the ball and playing excellent defence. CJ Spiller looked like an NFL number 1 running back, gaining over 100 yards on the ground and scoring 2 touchdowns. The offensive line was outstanding all day, both in run blocking and protection. The much anticipated pass rush showed up as well, registering 5 sacks. Mario Williams recovered one fumble after a sack and was double-teamed most of the time, allowing Marcel Dareus, Kyle Williams and Mark Anderson to keep Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel off balance all day. It was a dominating win - the kind of win that, as the WGR post-game crew pointed out, those who predicted a Bills playoff berth for this year undoubtedly had in mind. The fans were energized and the players responded. It was a great reply to last week's disaster against the Jets.

But, the quarterbacking remains a very large concern. Fitzpatrick just seems unable to throw the ball accurately enough of the time. His pass to Chandler for a touchdown was very well thrown - as were a few others - but there were just too many bad misses, too many balls landing at the feet of receivers, too many times where it seems like the team really doesn't have a quarterback who can lead them to a winning season,  let alone the playoffs. The rest of the offence seems solid - even the depleted wide receiver core - and the defence looks much better than last year but without a quarterback who can get it done consistently, it will be a tough road.

The weather was beautiful. The traffic was not. On the way in, from the 219 to Milestrip to Abbott to Southwestern and finally into to Drive 5 took over an hour and we had to park behind the grass practice field which was fine except for getting out which also took about an hour. And a short delay on the Whirlpool Bridge - due to construction. This allowed us a few minutes to absorb the view of the awesome Niagara River gorge and the rapids downstream. Overall, a very good day, a good game and a good trip. And, we were encouraged to have seen only one Romney/Ryan bumper sticker.  

Jets 48, Bills 28

Most pre-season forecasts predicted that the Bills much improved - and perhaps the NFL's best - defensive line would lead them back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Chan Gailey has now had three full pre-seasons to choose the best personnel for his offensive philosophy. He likes Ryan Fitzpatrick because he's a winner. The appointment of Dave Wanstaedt as Defensive Coordinator, the re-installation of the 4-3 system, the addition of speed edge rusher Mario Williams and number one draft pick Stephan Gilmore as the new stud cornerback would improve the Bills defence to playoff contender status. All of these improvements, along with a seemingly soft schedule would propel the team to at least 9 wins, probably 10 and maybe even 11. The patriots would probably still win the division but a wildcard berth was seen as a likely outcome for the 2012 Bills.

I saw none of the game but I did follow it, for a while, on The Score's mobile app (which I recommend to anyone) while at Marilyn Bell Park on the Toronto waterfront. Ftzpatrick was bad enough that Peter King tweeted "Buffalo starting quarterback Tavaris Jackson?" at around 2pm. The last score I saw was 41-7 before I got home around 6pm and started reading the stats and the early commentary. The Fitzpatrick interceptions, I have read, were not the result of his "gunslinger" approach trying to squeeze the ball into the hands of double-teamed receivers. They were just awful, bone-headed decisions which get NFL quarterbacks benched quickly, unless they're rookies on rebuilding teams.

Last season, Buffalo started with a big 41-7 road win at Kansas City. They went on to a 5-1 start before collapsing to finish 6-10. Maybe this season will be the reverse. A huge week 1 wake-up call might end up being a good thing. This week, the Chiefs come to town (after losing at home in week 1 again) trying to live up to their own playoff expectations. Neither team can afford to go 0-2 so, as week 2 games go, it's a big one for both teams. Time to get the bar-b-que out of the storage unit, dust off our Nexus Cards and make our way down to Orchard Park to open that first can of beer around 10.30 next Sunday morning.

This past weekend, our dragonboat team had a successful conclusion to the paddling season with a 30th place finish at the 18th GWN Dragonboat Challenge. Saturday morning was miserable - heavy rain and wind - but better as the day progressed and Sunday was lovely. We made the C Division final which we were happy with considering that we had many new paddlers in what was a rebuilding season. As one of my teammates reminded me after the last race as we lingered around the tent enjoying a couple of beers, "if we enjoy eachother's company and have fun together, we'll do well". She was right - as she usually is. Thanks Amanda.

Training Camp, Pittsford, NY, August 2, 2012

As a Bills fan, the best thing about watching training camp is that the Bills are successful on every play - without exception. If a running back is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, the defence was all over it and if a deep pass goes for a touchdown, the offence looks strong.  So, it's really quite relaxing knowing that success will truly come with every snap.

We stepped off the shuttle bus at St. John Fisher College at about 2.30pm yesterday, giving us a half hour to peruse Bills branded merchandise before the 3pm practice start. No one drunk or drinking at all - at least not that I saw. So, I got my fix of new Bills swag (including a Mario Williams shirt) and we settled comfortably in the stands beside the grass practice field at about the 30 yard line and about 12 rows from the field - just about where my actual Ralph Wilson stadium seats are.

An NFL training camp practice when a team is still carrying over 80 players is an exercise in  logistics, choreography and organization. Warm up drills come first and are not really worth watching but by 3.15, the quarterbacks were throwing into rotating one on one receiver/cornerback drills which then added a second one on one match-up for a while before they grew to 7 on 7 drills. Then, finally the 11 on 11 plays with some special teams formats thrown in as well. Players rotate in and out of the action and the pace is fast. It was not until the 11 on 11 that any running plays were executed at all. The quarterbacks throwing to receivers in single coverage in the earlier drills when there was lots of open field to work with was really impressive to see. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tyler Thigpen seemed to get about the same number of reps with Vince Young getting somewhat less. Just watching these guys throw the ball over and over again in these drills made me realize how good they really are. And some spectacular catches were made by every receiver taking part. Although the tempo is fast, the hitting is completely dialed back. When a defensive player gets in position to make a tackle, the effort made represents maybe the first 20% of a what a real tackle under game conditions would involve, but no more. I saw Mario Williams take only 2 snaps: he tried a speed outside move the first time but Fitzpatrick got the ball away before he got there and he tried an inside spin move the second time but was blocked by the right guard. He looks big and strong and fast.

We left just before 5pm, got back to the car and found a roadhouse in Rochester which was good but the portions were laughably huge. One of the entrees could have fed four people easily. Then, back across the Rainbow bridge, a sundae at DQ on Geneva Street in St. Catharines and then home. 600km for the day. Worth doing maybe every 5 years. Overall, a good day. And the Bills were awesome! 

2012 Bills Season Preview

When it became known that Bills GM Buddy Nix was planning to pursue coveted free agent Mario Williams, the outstanding edge pass rusher picked No.1 overall by Houston in 2006 and easily the top free agent on the market, I filed that information away as being in the same category as when Russ Brandon et al flew to Denver to try to land Mike Shanahan as coach in early 2010. Or when they said they were going after many of the other top free agents over the past few years - you have to tell your fans that you are interested and that you plan to pursue these top players. It's just that the top free agents, for various reasons, have recently tended to favour teams other than the Bills in choosing where to play next. But, as I followed my Twitter feeds as NFL free agency officially began at noon on March 13, it was reported that the Bills had chartered a private jet to pick Williams up in his home state of North Carolina that very minute, fly him to Buffalo and try to sign him before he spoke to any other teams. Then, it was reported that he was on the plane. Then I saw photos of him arriving at OBD and it started to get a bit more interesting after that too, as it was then reported that his fiance was apparently arriving the following day to tour the area and perhaps even look at houses. That did happen the next day and, after the tour (which we learned later included a visit to Jim Kelly's Orchard Park home), the group was back at OBD for further discussions. Then, Mario and his fiance left in the late afternoon and retired to their hotel, promising an answer the next morning. Ok, so that sounded pretty encouraging. But then I started to picture their conversation in their Buffalo hotel room, after a tour of the city, some driving on the Thruway and the 219 and a tour of a few houses listed for sale as well.

"Look, I agree that these people are nice but have we heard anything from the Chargers or the Dolphins? Even the Cardinals need a better pass rush than they have now. Let's see what the other options are", she would be saying, I expected. And, what houses were they looking at and where were they? I was having a hard time believing that either Williams or his fiance would have been impressed enough with the Buffalo area (sorry, have to say it) to accept an offer from the Bills - in first city they visited and from the first team they spoke to - and a team which has not enjoyed much success over the past decade. But, they returned the next morning and were holding a press conference in the afternoon. $16 million a year for 7 years - the highest paid defensive player ever in the NFL. Buddy Nix had followed Williams closely during his SEC scouting days and knew him to be a private, quiet and reserved family man who liked open spaces and being left alone. Williams and his fiance bought a palatial house and acreage in Orchard Park and he can probably live a more low key lifestyle in that setting than he could anywhere else in the league. Good for him. And good for Buddy Nix for landing him and good for Ralph Wilson for paying him. I'm predicting 16 sacks this season for Mario Williams- at a million per.

Today marks the opening of Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY. The late July ritual is all too often a relief from a Blue Jays baseball season gone off the rails - and this year is no exception. I'm hoping to make it down to the camp for an afternoon and if I do, I will post a full review - as I will for pre-season games I'm able to watch. I have tickets for both home pre-season games if anyone wants them.