We're Talkin' Stroud

I can't recall a Buffalo Bills team being on a roll like this--three straight wins and a boatload of confidence. They should be able to carry that confidence into St Louis and pick up a victory Sunday. But not because they're feeling good about themselves, because they're better.
In the space of one offseason, the Bills have drastically improved their defense from a year ago. Theyre currently ranked fifth in overall defense, first overall in third round defense. And every time you ask Bills coaches or players why their improvement has been so dramatic, they all come back to one guy--Marcus Stroud (above).
The big man in the middle has played extremely well for the first three games. But beyond that, he looks to be the rare NFL player who truly does make those around him better.
Kyle Williams has had three of the best games of his career this year. Chris Kelsay is playing at a Pro Bowl level. Kawika Mitchell is able to rush the passer on a regular basis. The boys on the back end, Ko Simpson and Donte Whitner, benefit from Stroud's pocket-collapsing presence.
Until Bills opponents find a way to handle Stroud, the Buffalo defense should continue to be solid. They're not perfect, as JaMarcus Russell and Johnnie-Lee Higgins demonstrated with their 84-yard strike last week, but they're consistently good.
I don't see how the Rams have any answer for Stroud, and I know the Bills go into this game determined to keep Steven Jackson in check. I say they'll succeed, and come out with a 24-13 win over the Rams.

What's your prediction for the game? Let us know.

One Bills Drive=Happy Land

It's pretty amazing, the mood at One Bills Drive today. It is happy-land, to be sure. After today's practice in the fieldhouse, I took a look around, and nobody was leaving. This group truly enjoys hanging out with one another, and it shows.
In one corner of the field house, there was a hard fought ping pong game going on between Kyle Williams and Aaron Schobel, with a handful of players cheering them on.
In another corner, it was wiffle ball, with Lee Evans trying to throw plastic fastballs past a few of his teammates. Inside the locker room, there were impromtu dance lessons going on with some of the defensive linemen.
I've been around the Bills locker room for decades, and I've never seen a team that gets along like this. They seem like they truly enjoy each other's company and like working and playing with one another.
Now, the question--does that translate into wins? It can't hurt. This is still a very young roster that has grown up together in the last couple of years. They have strong internal leadership from players like Donte Whitner, Trent Edwards, and others. And most importantly, they're winning right now, and really enjoying the ride.
Which comes first--the team chemistry, or the wins? I've never been able to figure that one out. Let us know if you have some thoughts on that. Rest assured, however, that as much fun as you might be having cheering on the Bills through this stretch of wins, the players are having just as much fun.

It's What for Dinner

He's only played three games with the Bills, but it's clear FB Darian Barnes has an important role to play with the team. He also has a great sense of humor.
The beefy fullback, who's bounced around a couple of teams in his NFL career, has become a favorite in the Bills locker room. And he's acquired an interesting nickname. QB Trent Edwards refers to Barnes as "Meat." And some Bills fans have picked up on the moniker.
"He calls me meat," Barnes told us this week, "I don't know why. He thinks I'm large, I guess. I like steak, so I'm going to say that's why. The fans started calling me meat? Do you know how upsetting that is? I can't get used to that."
"Actually," Barnes continued, "it's not so bad. At the Jets they called me "Dump Truck," so I guess this is an upgrade."

Planes, Automobiles but No Trains

I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to cover both the Bills and Bulls at all of their games this season. I thought you might be interested to know what its going to take to pull that off this weekend. It is truely a "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" adventure. Actually, I hope not.

I leave with the Bulls on their charter flight Friday to Saginaw, Michigan. They play Central Michigan in Mt. Pleasant, MI (about 45 minutes away) on Saturday. The game should end about 7pm. Then, I hop in a rental car and drive 2 hours to Detroit. I'll dump the rental car, and check into an airport hotel.

Sunday, its up early to catch an 8:20am flight from Detroit to St. Louis. I'll arrive in the Gateway to the West around 10am CST. Cab it to the Bills hotel, dump off my stuff, and make my way to the Edward Jones Dome for my radio pregame duties that start at Noon. I'm on the sidelines for the Bills Radio Network during the game, then into the locker room for the post game reaction. Then, sports videographer Scott Swenson and I will drive to the local CBS affiliate and edit our stories the Ad Pro Sports Sunday Night Blitz. We'll be live with the Arch as a backdrop around midnight EST.

Then, its up Monday morning for a flight back to Buffalo. Wish me luck and lets all pray that Northwest flight 5897 leaves on time Sunday morning.

UPDATE: All my travel plans worked to pefection. But I still did have one problem during the weekend. A pre-existing cold caused me to lose my voice, and left me unable to do my duties at the Bills game. If you watched the Ad Pro Sports Sunday Night Blitz, I sounded bad. I'm getting better, and everything should be good for the Bills game in Arizona. UB is off this weekend.

Parrish Out for 4-6 Weeks

Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron announced Wednesday that receiver/returner Roscoe Parrish will be out for 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury. Parrish injured the thumb in the 4th quarter of the win agaisnt the Raiders. He had surgery on Tuesday to repair a ligament injury.

Leodis McKelvin will likely take over the punt return duties, although Josh Reed and Fred Jackson could figure in. At the receiver spot, James Hardy and Justin Jenkins will fill the role of Parrish.

Big Game for the Bulls

The U.B. Bulls football team faces one of its biggest tests on Sunday. They play two-time MAC Champion Central Michigan on the road. The Chippewas were the preseason favorites to win the MAC again. They feature quarterback Dan LeFevour, the reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Its the second straight week the U.B. defense is facing a dangerous quarterback who runs the spread offense. They never did control Missouri's Chase Daniel. LeFevour is bigger and runs more, but he's not the passer that Daniel is nor does he have the same caliber weapons. LeFevour's running ability is what should concern Turner Gill. He and Vince Young are the only NCAA quarterbacks to throw for 3000 yards and run for 1000 yards in the same season.

The Chippewas are 2-2 this season, and coming off a last-minute loss to Purdue. The Bulls are also 2-2, off their impressive battle with the 5th ranked Tigers. This is a serious test for the Bulls, and will show us where they rank among the MAC's best. Having seen all four games, I think U.B. is a legit very good team, and a road win over the Chippewas would not surprise me.

Hochuli's Hairshirt

Anyone else sick of hearing NFL referee Ed Hochuli apologize, for his terrible officiating mistake last week? It was a big one. Hochuli's whistle prematurely ended a passing play by the Denver Broncos, when it was clear Broncos QB Jay Cutler fumbled the ball. He admitted his mistake immediately, and spent much of last week responding to complaint e-mails from San Diego fans.
Enough!
I don't want referees hanging their heads, asking for forgiveness, hoping we're able to overlook their human shortcomings. I want them to get it right, and stay anonymous. Hochuli (who has his own web site) has been out in front too long, anyway.
Whatever happened to the good old days, when officials would make horrendous calls and then disappear from sight? That's the way to do it.
How about former NFL referee Jerry Bergman. In 1975, he made a terrible no fumble call in a Bills Dolphins game that wiped out a clear fumble by Mercury Morris. When Bills DL Pat Toomay brushed against Bergman while complaining about the call, the ref compounded his mistake by tossing Toomay from the game.
And then Bergman was back home, without an apology or a response to complaint letters from Bills fans.
The legend is that one angry woman from Western New York fired off a scathing letter to Bergman at his home in Western Pennsylvania. Not having his address, she simply put on the envelope: "That Blind Bat Bergman, Pittsburgh, Pa."
And he got the letter.
Unlike Ed Hochuli,he did not respond.

What's your opinion? Do you really want to hear officials beg for our forgiveness when they screw up?