The Revenge of Briere

Leave it to the former Sabres captain to basically end the Sabres season. Briere scored the game winning shootout goal in the Flyers 4-3 win over the Islanders. That put the Sabres in a must win or be eliminted position for their final four games. A loss to the Bruins Sunday night will end Buffalo's playoff hopes. Fitting that the season marked by the departure of the captains (Drury & Briere) would all but be ended by one of them.

Free Agent Carr to Tennessee

Free agent cornerback Chris Carr will not be signing with the Bills. The restricted free agent signed an offer sheet with the Titans. The Raiders have seven days to match the offer, which they're not expected to do.
In Buffalo, Carr would have competed for the nickel cornerback spot left open with the release of Kiwaukee Thomas. Now, its looks like the loser of the Jabari Greer/William James right cornerback battle. Also, Ashton Youboty would be in the mix.
Losing Carr is no big deal, although another veteran corner would be good to have. It may force the Bills into the best decision they could make: Draft a corner with their first round pick.
Here's why: there may not be a receiver worthy of the #11 selection. So instead of reaching, take a value pick. Because they're pretty set on the lines, that should be corner. A player like Domonique Rogers-Cromartie or Leodis McKelvin could develop into a #1 corner, something the team does not have right now. They can always get the receiver (one of the draft's deepest positions) in the second round.

*Don't forget, our NFL Draft previews....26 Players in 26 Days...begins Monday, 3/31 on News 4 at Six and here on wivb.com.

Seedings Are Overrated

Did anyone have Davidson in the Elite Eight, as they sat down to fill out their NCAA brackets last week? I had them winning a couple of games, based on the 22-game win streak they brought to the tournament. But now they're just a win away from the Final Four. You have to wonder about the Tournament selection committee's designation of Davidson as a 10-seed. Didn't their long win streak mean anything? Look for the Cinderella trip to end Sunday, when they go up against the Kansas Jayhawks. But here's to the mid-majors, the teams (like George Mason a couple of years ago) that prevent the tournament from beginning a BCS school exclusive.

Galling

What else can you say about the Sabres loss to Montreal? It's amazing to see it once in a season, a team blow a big lead late in the third period. To see it twice, four days apart, is incredible. This year's Sabres team obviously is seriously lacking in confidence, and seems to panic at the first sign of adversity when they have the lead. It would be easy to chalk it up to youth or inexperience, but the fact is, the Sabres aren't that young. And very often, the players making the killer mistakes at crunch time are the most experienced ones on the roster. Now they're four points out of a playoff spot with four games left to play, and still fighting with three other teams (Philadelphia, Boston and Washington) for the final playoff spots. To say it's an uphill fight would be understatement.

Purple Eagles have Chance on National Stage

It could be a huge night for the Purple Eagles of Niagara as they take on Michigan in the first round of the NCAA hockey tournament in Albany. Yes, Michigan is the #1 team in the country, but I think in hockey more than any other sport, in a one game playoff, upsets can and do happen. A hot goalie alone can keep an overmatched team in the game and a fluke goal can make the difference!
Niagara goalie Juliano Pagliero has the game to keep the Wolverines at bay, and look for Kyle Rogers and Chris Moran to have good games and the Eagles pull off an upset for the ages.

Sabres need to beat the Habs

The season series is tied at 3 wins apiece, but these are two very different teams from their meetings earlier this season. Montreal has put together quite a run in the 2nd half of the season and now find themselves 1 point behind Pittsburgh for 1st place in the East. You can argue that this is the first meaningful game for a Sabres opponent since early March when they faced Washington. I know when they faced Toronto when the Leafs were trying to climb their way back into the race.. but let's be realistic: The Habs will be playing for the chance to take over the lead from the Pens. Looking back at the Sabres schedule, I don't see a game where an opponent had anything bigger at stake that that. With that in mind, it will be a daunting challenge for the Sabres to try and take 2 points from Montreal tonight. The Habs are better on the road then they are at home, much like the Sabres. Montreal comes in well rested, while the Sabres are coming off a tough physical shoot-out win in Ottawa. They got home early this morning, and then turned back around for an optional skate at the arena at 10:00 this morning. If the Sabres really do think they can challenge for the 8th playoff spot, they can't lose this game. One note for tonight's game: Ryan Miller will make his 73rd start this season, that sets a new single season franchise record for starts by a goaltender.

Mid-Majors No More

I had a feeling the Xavier-West Virginia Regional Semifinal would be an epic, and it was. The Xavier Musketeers prevailed in overtime, 79-75, largely because West Virginia couldn't make its free throws in OT. The Mountaineers missed 4 of 6 free throws in overtime, which is inexcusable.
But it's time to recognize Xavier for what they are--a bona fide basketball powerhouse. Even though they're frequently considered a "mid-major" program from the Atlantic-10, they have a solid record of achievement in the NCAA tournament this decade. The Musketeers have made the field of 64 seven times in the last eight years, and they've won 9-tournament games over that time span. They made it to the regional finals four years ago, when they lost to eventual champion Duke. I have a feeling their season may end Saturday, when they play the winner of the UCLA-Western Kentucky game, but keep an eye on the "X."

Still Alive

You've got to give the Sabres credit--they haven't packed it in yet. They went right down to the wire tonight in their battle with Ottawa, and finally got the game-tieing goal with 1:26 to go from Paul Gaustad. And they went down to their final shooter in the overtime shootout, before they beat the Senators 4-3. You can call this year's edition of the Sabres a lot of things---undermanned, emotionally fragile, tired, etc., but don't call them quitters. They finish the game with the Senators in the same place in the standings--10th place, five points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. The problem is, they're down to just five games left in the regular season. But give them credit for rebounding from Tuesday's horrible collapse and hanging in there another night.

Best Game of the Night

I can't wait for tonight's West Virginia-Xavier game, in the NCAA West Regional semifinal. Last Saturday's Duke-West Virginia game was one of the most hard fought, tightly contested college basketball games I've seen in years. The Mountaineers are loaded with talent and grit, and Joe Alexander has become a force in just his second year as a starter. I like the "X" to win this game, however, with Drew Lavender introducing himself as a major star. Xavier's coach, Sean Miller, is one of the great young coaches in the game, and may be on his way to being named Indiana's next coach when the season is over. The game tips off at 7:10pm on Channel 4

Competition at Corner

It's a little early to talk about roster battles, but one issue to keep an eye on for the Bills in the upcoming minicamps and training camp is the cornerback position opposite Terrence McGee. Jabari Greer got most of the starts there last year, after injuries to Jason Webster, Ashton Youboty and others. This week's signing of William James indicates the team wants to get bigger and better at the CB spot. James has the size the Bills lack in the secondary (6'-0'; 200 lbs) and he's had 45 starts in his NFL career. I expect him to challenge for a starting spot immediately, and don't be surprised if he wins the job.

Losman Shows Up

It says a lot about Bills Quarterback JP Losman that he decided to attend the Bills voluntary offseason workouts this week. Contrary to some opinions, Losman is dedicated to his profession and is interested in working hard. The Bills coaches I've talked to have always described him as hard working and engaged. So even though JP is undoubtedly interested in getting a shot at a number one QB job elsewhere in the NFL, he knows it's in his best interests to stick around the Bills as long as he's on the roster. You never know in the NFL. Losman is smart to stick with the coaches and teammates he knows, for now, and keep working as hard as he can.

Bad Night in the Peck House

In the span of an hour, as I sat in front of my TV set, I watched two of my favorite teams blow big leads, and basically end their seasons. So, it was not a good night at the Peck house. Good thing the kids were upstairs watching American Idol. First, I watched Syracuse blow a 22 points lead and lose in the final minute to UMass. That NIT game ended the Orange season.
Moments later, I switched back to the Sabres game and watched them fall apart, blow a 2 goal lead, and lose to the Senators 6-3. That loss likely ended any hopes of a playoff spot.
As I thought about both games, the similarity was clear: Youth. The Orange key players are freshman and sophomores. The Sabres key players are all young NHL players. Young players tend to have emotional swings that effect the way they play. They tend to dwell on bad mistakes or crucial errors. Paul Harris made a bad turnover that led the the UMass go-ahead basket. Jason Pominville's error on the power play led to the game-changing Sens shorthanded goal.
The thing about relying on young players is...they soon mature and stop making those errors. The future is bright for both teams, the Orange maybe quicker than the Sabres. But when you rely on young players, for different reasons, you have to accept these kinds of mistakes and losses. Its reality, but its still hard to deal with.
I don't even want to look at the TV options for Wednesday. Maybe I'll watch Idol.

Sabres Meltdown

Disgusting! It was horrible to watch as a Sabres fan. As I watched the scores of Philly, Washington, Florida and Boston winning... I couldn't believe that I was seeing the Sabres lose a 3-1 lead in their 3rd period collapse. They didn't take many chances in the 1st period of last night's game against Ottawa, and then turned it on in the 2nd. In the back of my mind I kept thinking.. I don't think Miller can hold onto this lead. Sure enough, the Senators turned things around with a shorthanded goal (The Sabres power-less play is enough for a blog in itself) and that's when they crumbled. The Sabres defense was horrible! Ryan Miller was horrible! They allowed the Senators to do what they did to the Lightning last week. Some of the glaring problems I have with this team: Ryan Miller is still and has been no better than average at any point in this season. Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman have had an off season. The problem with that is they traded away Campbell and Spacek is out hurt. Their defense can be down right horrible in some games (It must be addressed in the offseason). They too crumbled last night. And finally, where was the passion? The Sabres did not play like a team that was fighting for a playoff spot, with that being their final of 7 games left in the season. This team will not make the post season and you can point to last night's game as the one that got away. When everyone else around them won, they failed to do their part. They are not good enough to be in the playoffs this season. That became apparent last night.

It Doesn't Seem Like Opening Day

For my money, it's the best baseball book ever written--"Why Time Begins on Opening Day." Washington Post sportswriter Thomas Boswell wrote it 23-years ago, and among the many essays on the sport in the book is a long piece about the magical nature of baseball's opening day. According to Boswell, opening day in baseball is a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and a new season full of hope and promise.
Twenty three years later, Boswell's premise rings hollow. I'm not one of the typical baseball purists, looking for the game to go back to the baggy wool pants era. But to begin a major league season in Japan is heresy. I know it's the third time in the last decade MLB has opted to begin its season in Tokyo, but it just doesn't work. Not only are the Red Sox and A's half a world away, they opened the season almost a full week before the rest of the big leagues begin play.
Baseball continues to trample on its own traditions, and cheapen regular season play. Time does not begin on opening day anymore. When is opening day, anyway?

Bills Workouts Begin

Nearly 50 players were at RW Stadium Tuesday for the start of voluntary offseason workouts. Among the players seen near the weight room: Donte Whitner, Lee Evans, Trent Edwards, Paul Posluszny, Spencer Johnson, Ko Simpson, Terrence McGee, Chris Kelsay, Fred Jackson, Josh Reed, Jabari Greer. Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery. That's roughly the same number of players who attened the last few years. The workouts will continue for 12 weeks. The first Organized Team Activities begin in May. A rookie minicamp will be held the weekend after the Draft. The only mandatory full team minicamp is in June.

Losman in Attendance

The Bills have confirmed to News 4 that J.P. Losman was in attendance as the Bills began voluntary offseason workouts. Reporters were allowed to observe a few hours of the workouts, but Losman was never seen during that time period. But the team says he is at the Stadium. There was some thought that J.P. would stay away, based on his agent's request to be traded. Dick Jauron told me at the Combine that the team would always listen to offers, but had no intention of dealing Losman. It makes sense to keep him. He knows the offense, he's proven he can play, and he's cheap. Any possible replacement would not have those advantages. Now that J.P.'s made the admirable move of showing up, any concerns about his attitude would appear to be overblown. Losman will be a free agent after the 2008 season. Then he can go anywhere he wants.

Spacek and Kalinin Close to Returning

Nathan Paetsch returns to the line-up tonight against the Senators, after getting knocked out of their game on the 12th against Pittsburgh. Jaroslav Spacek, with a chest injury and Dmitri Kalinin, with a shoulder injury are close. They are both day to day with the injuries, although Lindy Ruff said it might only be 3 or 4 more days which could mean getting them back in the line-up by next week. Ruff also said if they are cleared to practice, they might be expected to play right after since there are only a handful of games left.

Sabres and Senators to Face-Off Tonight

The Senators did not have a morning skate, after losing 7-5 to Montreal last night. The Senators once the dominant team in the East this season have fallen from 1st to 5th in the East and are in danger of slipping even further. The Sabres held an optional skate, and get ready for their final 7 games of the regular season. It's a must win for the Sabres. Lindy Ruff believes they need to pick up 11 to 12 points to make the post season. The Senators lead the season series with 3 wins in regulation, 1 in overtime, and 2 losses against the Sabres. Their last meeting in February was a 5-1 win for Buffalo. Their are alot of key games going on tonight. Philly, Washington, Florida and Boston are all in action.

Are the Sabres good enough?

The Sabres went through roughly a 45 minute practice today. Nathan Paetsch said he's 100% and will play tomorrow against the Senators. Speaking of Ottawa: They've fallen from the top team to the middle of the pack. The Sabres are now in the 10th spot, and tied with Florida (in the 11th spot) with 81 points. Are the Sabres good enough to win the games they need to to make the post season? The magic number is likely 5, needing to win of the last 7. That would get them to 91 points. The Bruins are in the 8th spot with 84 points. So can they do it? They give you so much hope after a come from behind win against Tampa last week, then they forget to show up against Toronto on Friday. I don't think they can. Today, the players said it's possible since they have gone on runs before. They also said they need to do the right things on the ice. It sounded to me like they know unless they're perfect.. it might not happen. Perfect in 5 of their last 7? I don't think this team has it in them. Let's hope I'm wrong!