Buffalo Bills 24
Oakland Raiders 23
A conversation from the back row of the Bison Dome, September 21, 2008
When the Bills were trailing 16-7 in the fourth quarter, I had a vision. I don't know if it was caused by the unnecessary amount of red meat I consumed the previous night, or the fact I was drinking bud light at eleven O'clock in the morning. How does that famous line go "I love the smell of domestic beer in the morning?" No, that's not it. Whatever sparked the preminition isn't important, what is important is what it revealed. I decided to share it aloud with Pete and DJ, with whom I was watching the game. (did I say that right, Dad?)
"I'll tell you what's going to happen here," I said, with an unjustified confidence. "We're going to come back and win this game and then tomorrow the headline will be 'Bills Rally Again, Kiffin Gets the Axe' ". Then I went back to dulling my nerves, alternating between the before mentioned Bud Light and stale tortilla chips. Well as it turns out, that very prediction seems hours away from coming true. I won't pretend to be a fortune teller, so don't send me scanned copies of your palms. I would say 98% of the garbage I spew from my mouth is not only completely unfounded, but down right asinine. However, this one time, I was right, so I'm taking it to the bank and cashing in.... and so are the Buffalo Bills!
The Re-Cap:
The Bills, like Poppy, were sloppy. They did everything they hadn't done in the first two games: turn the ball over, let up kick returns, put the defense on a short field, and block poorly. Maybe they looked at the spread before the game, maybe they were still worn out from the heat in Florida, or maybe they were just having an off day. What I do know, is that I found myself transformed from pleasantly delighted that the Bills were winning in the first two weeks, to angry fan who EXPECTED the Bills to win in week three. It seems after the 2-0 start I had forgotten about my statement that said we have to be careful with our expectations with this team. In many ways this game was a blessing. The young Bills found out you can never expect a team to roll over in an NFL game, but at the same time, that learning experience didn't come with a loss. They rallied hope at the bleakest moments, and passed a huge character test in front of their home crowd. This should keep them from taking the Rams lightly, when they travel to the "gateway to the west" St. Louis, this coming sunday. I hate playing a team still looking for their first win, but it's better than playing Dallas.
This game was funny, because the Raiders looked just like the Bills teams of the past few years. They didn't put up more yardage than their opponent, but they made plays on special teams, won the turn over ratio, and played stable defense. Instead of touchdowns, they were held to several field goals. They also showed an inability to hold a lead thanks largely to the offenses inability to move the ball late in the game when they needed to run out the clock. In the end, their opponent (the Bills) did just enough on offense at the end of the game to put the decisive points up on the board as time expired... cue heartbreak.
The Good:
Another great comeback win by a Trent Edwards offense. He is now 8-4 as a starter for the Bills. I don't have time to do the home work, but it has probably been quite a while since a Bills QB started his career with that kind of a winning percentage. Not to mention he started as a rookie and is only in his second year. Not only is he looking like a good QB, he is also pretty easy on the eyes. I like that he grew his hair out and got away from the buzz-cut. If I'm the owner of the Men's Warehouse, I get Edwards doing my modeling right away. There's no doubt he would raise their profits because, "you're going to like the way he looks, I guarantee it". I think there should be a new fan zone in the stadium entitled "The Council of Trent". For those of you who don't get the reference, look up "council of trent" on wikipedia and brush up on your history.
Lynch seems to be automatic in the red-zone, he showed a lot of agility on that first TD. After seeing him display his moves playing "Dance Dance Revolution", I shouldn't have underestimated his ability to tip-toe around the sidelines. Good to see he started talking to reporters again, I was really starting to miss feeling like crap when I watch him speak and realize he has more money attached to his gum-line than I do in my checking account.
The defense played much better than the score revealed. For the third straight game they held their opponent to under a 100 yards rushing, and only allowed 245 yards of total offense. The quick slant that went for 80 yards was their only hiccup and while it looked like a back breaking miscue, they came up big on a three and out when they needed it most late in the game. The most underrated player on our defense has to be Kyle Williams. That guy is in the backfield constantly. I'm sure he benefits from Stroud, but you have to give him his due. He also has eaten a whole live boar, which is nothing to sneeze at.
The Bad:
You don't like to see a young team turn the ball over three times. That's not good for any team to do, but no matter what has happened in the last two games, those things are tough for an up and coming team to over come. Lee Evans did not have his best game as a Bill. Not only did he fumble and drop some passes, but it would seem to me, his inability to bring that pass in is what gave DeAngelo (is that name Italian? Or does the "De" negate that potential ethnicity?) Hall the opportunity to intercept that ball. It was an outstanding play by Hall, but it seemed if Evans catches it cleanly, he isn't able to get his arms around it. I may be wrong, but oh you know, I maaaaay be right! (unnecessary Billy Joel reference)
The offensive line was blown back for most of this game. It is very odd that they seem to do their best run blocking when they are inside the red zone. This is usually something you dream for, but it's interesting that they block better when it's suppose to be harder. Peters looked sluggish yet again, but I'm willing to give him a few weeks to get up to game speed. The reports indicated that he showed up under the weight they expected, which seemed like a good thing. But it might be time to get him down to The Anchor Bar and start sliding wings into him by the hundreds so that he isn't such a push over.
The Ugly:
The brief shot CBS captured of Al Davis watching the game made me shudder. Not only is the guy insane, but he looks like a character out of a Tim Burton movie. I think Al was the inspiration for "Jack Skelington" in the clay-mation movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Until yesterday, I had never seen a corpse wearing a wind suit. Usually people prefer to be buried in their best attire. I don't want to tell Mr. Davis how to dress himself, but when you own an NFL franchise, you shouldn't show up to work looking like a phys.-ed. teacher. I think I even saw a whistle around his neck, or was it one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" lifeline chains? With Al Davis and Ralph Wilson in the same stadium, even the rocks in the parking lot were feeling better about their age. At least Ralph took the field to honor Bruce Smith even though he labors through public speaking engagements. I would say get the man a teleprompter, but it would be more awkward watching him try to read and speak at the same time. We love you though Ralph! Hang in there a couple more years and we'll bring home the big one!
"Idiot Announcer's" Quote of the Game:
Dan Fouts: " If your offense can keep the ball out of the hands of the other team's defense, you got a good chance at winning the turnover differential, and that's key." - Thank you for that wonderful insight, Dan. I can't imagine why they fired you from Monday Night Football.
Post-game Coverage:
The Bills are 3-0 for the first time since 1992. Even my pathetic math skills tell me it has been 16 years since this team accomplished that. For that reason, some might say this season is already a success. However, after a 3-0 start Bills fans will be disappointed with anything less than a playoff berth. But to put things in perspective, let's take a stroll down memory lane and see exactly how long ago it was since the last 3-0 start. I want to thank Pete for sparking this idea.
In 1992....
- I had just completed my second year of Little League and was convinced I had a future in professional baseball...yeah how'd that work out?
- Trent Edwards lost his first tooth, and since he lived in California, not one, but many fairy's showed up to leave him money.
- David Letterman was still following Johnny Carson as the host of NBC's 1230pm talk show.
- my school attire consisted of checkered spandex shorts and a "slap on" bracelet.
- Alice Hannon was employed by the Village of Johnson City as a meter maid.
- The thought of wanting to be romantic with a member of the opposite sex was equivalent to my desire to eat all my vegetables at the dinner table.
- I still thought a fat man in a red suit left gifts for me under the Christmas tree.
- You could board an airplane without being felt up like an alter boy.
- No one would have understood the joke I just made in the previous sentence.
- My parents were optimistic that I would grow up to "be somebody".
- I had to cover my eyes when people in movies took their clothes off.... unless it was a guy, then it was ok. Apparently my parents wanted me to be more comfortable with male sexuality. Maybe they were hoping if I was a homosexual, I would be more likely to get a minority scholarship to a good university.
- You could get your computer fixed without having to talk to someone in India.
- I couldn't find "India" on a map.
.... another game this week where we will be the "heavy favorite". Let's hope a win comes a little easier this time.
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Copyright © 2008 Los Angeles Bills Backer of Santa Monica