Prediction Time

For awhile in the last few days, it felt like the game would never get here. But Jason Peters is coming back, and Angelo Crowell is gone for the year. And finally...finally..we can focus on the Seahawks.
I admire what Seattle Coach Mike Holmgren has done with the Hawks in the last several years. They're only three years removed from their NFC Championship, and they annually dominate the weak NFC West. But Seattle produces, with five straight playoff appearances, and four straight division titles to its credit.
This week, however, the Hawks might get caught a little short. Traveling east, to play a game at 10am their time, is always a tall order. Add to that the fact that the Hawks are without their two starting WRs, and two other starters are on suspension, and it might be an uphill climb for Holmgren's team.
The Bills will have to run the ball well, and protect Trent Edwards. Most importantly, they have to hang in their with Seattle's dink and dunk West Coach Offense. QB Matt Hasselbeck is a master of this attack and can not be overlooked. But I think Marcus Stroud, Kawika Mitchell, and most importantly, Paul Posluszny are ready to shine this week, and the Buffalo defense will carry the day.
Bills 20 Seahawks 17.

What do you think?

Sorting Out the Last 48-Hours

This is no way to go into a season, is it? The Buffalo Bills have just finished a tumultuous two day stretch, on the eve of the 2008 season, with implications both short and long term for the franchise.
The news today is the decision by LT Jason Peters (above) to report to the team tomorrow. Obviously, the Bills got what they wanted here. They got their Pro Bowl LT to return to work, without setting a dangerous precedent of negotiating with a holdout. They can use the Peters case as an object lesson for every single future player who has "outperformed" his contract. The lesson--Show up for practice, honor your current deal, and we'll take care of you.
I firmly believe Peters will get a new deal very soon, probably by midseason this year. He certainly deserves it. But witholding services while you're under contract is a sure-fire way to embitter your employer, not to mention the rest of your teammates.
Provided he's healthy, which I believe he is, I'm looking for Peters to return to the lineup for the Jacksonville game in week two. The sooner, the better. The real price the Bills brain trust has paid, is the loss of Peters for the first game of the year. It's up to Langston Walker and Kirk Chambers, Sunday's starting OTs against the Seahawks, to make sure the front office gamble was worth it.
The Bills brain trust has to feel good about sticking to their guns on this one.

It's the Angelo Crowell situation that has me troubled still. The veteran LB (right), a popular and productive player on the Bills defense, is out the rest of the year. I hope it wasn't spite or retribution that caused the Bills to end his season prematurely.
Sources tell me Crowell was advised by a former teammate to insist on having his knee scoped this week, he was told in no uncertain terms not to play at 80-85-percent. He may have even gone against his agent's advice, when he went to the Bills this week and said he was electing to have surgery.
By waiting until this week, Crowell guarantees that he'll be paid his full salary this season as a vested veteran. The Bills brain trust, understandbly I think, may have felt Crowell manipulated them to wait until he was going to be fully paid, before seeking surgery.
However, calmer heads have to prevail in the front office. If, in fact, putting Crowell on IR was retribution for his move, it was a shortsighted mistake that ultimately hurts the team. Crowell most likely could have returned after a 4-6 week period and returned as a major contributor to the defense.
Dick Jauron insisted today the only motivation for the IR move, was to have enough healthy bodies to play this week, and maybe the next few weeks.
"It's a question of recovery time," Jauron told us, " and there's just no way to predict that kind of thing."
Maybe so. I hope so.
You must have thoughts about the Peters decision, and the move of Crowell to IR. I hope we can get these issues out of the way soon, and concentrate on the game on the field. Let me know what you think about the crazy last 48-hours at One Bills Drive.

Crowell's Season is Over

It is very distressing, three days before the season opener, for the Bills to lose LB Angelo Crowell for the season. The news hit like a thunderbolt today at One Bills Drive.
Crowell (left) has been nursing his sore left knee since camp began in late July. He missed weeks of training camp workouts, and he only played in one preseason game, the third one at Indianapolis. But I asked Crowell several times during camp about the severity of his knee problems, and he assured me repeatedly it would not be a problem.
It is. A big one. The Bills left themselves thin at the LB position when the cuts were made last weekend. They had just six LBs on the roster, one of them rookie Jon Corto who's just making the conversion to the position.
They started the practice week with Crowell at his customary OLB spot, and he seemed to be fine after practice Wednesday.
Then, today, Dick Jauron dropped the bombshell, telling us after the practice that Crowell was going to undergo arhroscopic surgery on his knee, and would not play Sunday. Four hours later, the club announced that Crowell had been put on injured reserve, and his season was over.
What's intriguing about all of this, is that Crowell is in the final year of his contract. At camp, he assured me he didn't care about getting an extension before the season began, he was prepared to play this season under his old deal, and then see what happens next spring.
But you have to wonder if his decision to undergo surgery now, three days before the season opener, rather than five weeks ago when camp began, was an attempt to get the Bills' attention regarding his contract. And the front office decision to put Crowell on IR effectively wipes out any leverage he might have on the free agent market next March.
It's very disappointing. The Bills will have to scramble to add someone to fill out the ranks at linebacker before Sunday's game. (Look for Blake Costanzo to possibly be re-signed, after he was cut last Sunday.) They lose whatever cohesion they had in the ranks at LB, and they suffer a locker room distraction just days before the opener.
What do you think of the Crowell move? Is he at fault, for waiting so long to decide to have his knee surgically repaired? Should the Bills be faulted for not being on top of the situation sooner, and getting the surgery down to minimize downtime in the regular season?

Is the Offense Any Better?

As the season opener approaches, I confess. I turn into a worrier. And it struck me early this week. while getting my spotting boards ready for the Bills-Seahawks matchup, that the Buffalo offense looks a lot like last year's offense.
In case you were wondering, last year's Bills offense was awful. The team scored a total of 20 offensive touchdowns in 16-games. They finished the season ranked 30th overall in offensive yards. They never seemed to score enough points, or grind out enough first downs to put away opponents.
And now, they enter the season without Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters (above). Not only is Peters missing from the picture, you have to believe the Bills offensive strategists only began to prepare for his absence a few weeks ago. It's not as if he left in free agency, or was traded away. In those cases, the Bills would have been able to set up their offensive approach without him in the mix. That didn't happen. They moved Langston Walker to the left tackle spot a week or so into training camp, and probably began to seriously think about playing without Peters in the last week or so.
So again, is this offense better? I put the question to QB Trent Edwards today. His reply: "The guys in this offense are a year older...I really can't pinpoint a certain thing in our offense that is much better or different than last year's offense right now, but I'll tell you this--all those guys are here from last year's team, and they all have game experience from last year."
Head Coach Dick Jauron also believes one year of experience will make a big difference for the offense. "We're a year more experienced at some critical positons," he says.
That's true, and so is the impact of new Offensive Coordinator Turk Schonert, and Quarterbacks Coach Alex Van Pelt. Bills offensive players seem genuinely excited about Schonert's flexibility and adaptability when it comes to play calling. And the Bills are determined to pick up the pace offensively by getting plays into the huddle more quickly, in an attempt to keep opposing defenses off balance.
They'll miss Peters, no doubt. And they haven't had any major talent influx on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, with the possible exception of rookie WR James Hardy. But the Bills believe they will be better on offense this year.
I can't wait to find out. What do you think? Any reason to believe the Buffalo offense will be more productive this season?

Tribe and Bisons Sever Ties

It's always hard for fans to see familiar faces leave, yet it makes complete sense that the Indians would rather their Triple A team be based out of Columbus. It was one of the worst kept secrets in baseball, and Tuesday the Indians posted it on their website. The Tribe had sent a letter to Major League Baseball indicating its desire to terminate the player development contract with Buffalo. 14 seasons is a long time, and alot of memories. Think of all the players that have come through Buffalo. To put it in perspective for myself, I looked back to when I first arrived in town. That was the spring of 2000, and since then players that I have watched and covered with the Bisons now occupy almost every roster spot in Cleveland (coaches included).

While it's the names and personalities that the fans tend to miss the most, rest assured there will be baseball in Buffalo next season. I'm sure what makes this move the most difficult on fans is through the years they have become Cleveland Indians fans after watching the players develop from prospects into major league talent. Will you still root for the Tribe? Will you root for the parent club of the Bisons new affiliate, whether it be the Blue Jays or the Mets.

From U.B. to the Big Time

A year ago, Jamey Richard was playing at U.B., snapping the ball to Drew Willy. Sunday, he'll be playing for the Indianapolis Colts, snapping the ball to Peyton Manning. The rookie Bulls center, drafted by the Colts in the 7th round, is expected to start at center for Indy in their opener against the Bears. A knee injury suffered by regular starting center Jeff Saturday (in the preseason game against the Bills) will keep him out for at least 6 weeks. Other injuries along the Colts line thrust Richard into the starting spot.

"He's going to step in and do a good job," said fellow offensive lineman Ryan Diem. Richard was an excellent player and leader for the Bulls, and a big part of their turnaround last season. But going from Buffalo to a starting spot on one of the NFL's best team...and snapping to its best quarterback...is a big leap. Richard will struggle like any rookie. But Manning has a way of making the people around him look good.

*Note: Richard's former U.B. teammate, Ramon Guzman, was released by the Colts on Monday. He spent all of last year with Indy as a standout on special teams.

Shorthanded Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks continue to get shorthanded for Sunday's season opener against the Bills. Thanks to the NFL (and the behavior of their players), two more key Seattle players will miss the Bills game.
Starting defensive tackle Rocky Bernard will miss the game. He's been suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Nickel back Jordan Babineaux has also been suspended. He violated the league's substance abuse policy.
Already out of the Bills game: Starting receivers Deion Branch and Bobby Engram. Starting right tackle Sean Locklear is also likely to miss the game. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been bothered by a back injury, but he's expected to play.