Burying the Bills
USA Today called it the friendliest city in America. Tell that to Scott Norwood.
Buffalo hasn?t had much luck when it comes to professional sports. The Bills lost four Super Bowls in a row; the Sabres have been denied the Stanley Cup twice, and the NBA Braves packed up and moved to California to become the Clippers. Good thing the bars are open until 4 a.m., because it looks like another awful year is on tap for the Bills. Their over/under for regular-season victories is pegged at 6.5; the UNDER is favored at ?130.
Ever since the retirement of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly after the 1996 season, the Bills have struggled to resolve their quarterback situation. Doug Flutie was relegated to second fiddle behind Rob Johnson, who lost his starting job to the unremarkable Alex Van Pelt. Three years of Drew Bledsoe brought some stability to the position, but he was jettisoned last year is favor of rookie J.P. Losman. That didn?t work out too well for Buffalo. Losman was injured after four ineffective weeks and split time with Kelly Holcomb on the way to a 5-11 finish (7-9 against the spread).
So, with Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler both available on the 2006 draft board, the Bills naturally picked? a safety. Ohio State?s Donte Whitner will be counted on to pair up with free safety Troy Vincent and give Buffalo some support in run defense, where the club was 30th in the league at 137.8 yards allowed per game. But to think this was the most pressing offseason need for the Bills is folly.
Buffalo?s ?solution? for the QB position was to bring in Craig Nall, the former third-string pivot for the Green Bay Packers behind Brett Favre. Nall actually has some good leadership skills and a decent arm, but is relatively immobile in the pocket and seems destined for a career holding the clipboard. The same should be said, however, for both Losman and Holcomb. Suffice to say, Losman is not the reincarnation of Kenny Stabler. He?s already developing a reputation as your typical million-dollar body with a 10-cent brain. Holcomb has reportedly been given the starting job for the preseason based purely on seniority.
Whoever ends up with the starting job will end up handing the ball to running back Willis McGahee on a regular basis. The former Miami Hurricanes standout has enjoyed two excellent seasons with the Bills, who had the prescience to pick him late in the first round of the 2003 draft despite a horrific knee injury suffered during the Fiesta Bowl. McGahee?s ground game will, in theory, set the table for Buffalo?s vertical attack. Which is like sending out the Foo Fighters to open for Maroon 5. At least both Holcomb and Losman have displayed an ability during training camp to get the ball deep, even if their shorter routes have been a disaster.
Like most teams with problems on offense, Buffalo is sorely lacking in talented linemen. Center Melvin Fowler was signed away from the Minnesota Vikings and will immediately step into the starting lineup, but the rest of the crew will look pretty much the same as the one that allowed 43 sacks in 2005. Fortunately, that crew includes Jason Peters at right tackle, one of the few bright spots for the Bills last season.
Charged with the task of keeping this rickety wagon on the road is Dick Jauron, who takes over for Mike Mularkey as head coach. Buffalo?s track record with coaches has been nearly as frustrating as its QB carousel. Jauron is the Bills? fourth coach in nine seasons since Marv Levy stepped aside. He?s remembered best for taking the Chicago Bears to a surprise 13-3 record in 2001, earning Coach of the Year honors. But that was his only winning season in five years in the Windy City. The Bears went 22-42 in those other forgettable seasons. To top it all off, Jauron handled the last five games of the 2005 season for the Detroit Lions on an interim basis after Steve Mariucci was fired; the Lions went 1-4. This isn?t terribly promising for Bills supporters.
Anyone with money to burn can get the Bills at +1000 to win the AFC East division, the same price as the 4-12 New York Jets. Buffalo is also a +5000 outsider to win the conference and a +10000 long shot to win the 2007 Super Bowl. Only the San Francisco 49ers at +15000 have longer odds.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
USA Today called it the friendliest city in America. Tell that to Scott Norwood.
Buffalo hasn?t had much luck when it comes to professional sports. The Bills lost four Super Bowls in a row; the Sabres have been denied the Stanley Cup twice, and the NBA Braves packed up and moved to California to become the Clippers. Good thing the bars are open until 4 a.m., because it looks like another awful year is on tap for the Bills. Their over/under for regular-season victories is pegged at 6.5; the UNDER is favored at ?130.
Ever since the retirement of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly after the 1996 season, the Bills have struggled to resolve their quarterback situation. Doug Flutie was relegated to second fiddle behind Rob Johnson, who lost his starting job to the unremarkable Alex Van Pelt. Three years of Drew Bledsoe brought some stability to the position, but he was jettisoned last year is favor of rookie J.P. Losman. That didn?t work out too well for Buffalo. Losman was injured after four ineffective weeks and split time with Kelly Holcomb on the way to a 5-11 finish (7-9 against the spread).
So, with Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler both available on the 2006 draft board, the Bills naturally picked? a safety. Ohio State?s Donte Whitner will be counted on to pair up with free safety Troy Vincent and give Buffalo some support in run defense, where the club was 30th in the league at 137.8 yards allowed per game. But to think this was the most pressing offseason need for the Bills is folly.
Buffalo?s ?solution? for the QB position was to bring in Craig Nall, the former third-string pivot for the Green Bay Packers behind Brett Favre. Nall actually has some good leadership skills and a decent arm, but is relatively immobile in the pocket and seems destined for a career holding the clipboard. The same should be said, however, for both Losman and Holcomb. Suffice to say, Losman is not the reincarnation of Kenny Stabler. He?s already developing a reputation as your typical million-dollar body with a 10-cent brain. Holcomb has reportedly been given the starting job for the preseason based purely on seniority.
Whoever ends up with the starting job will end up handing the ball to running back Willis McGahee on a regular basis. The former Miami Hurricanes standout has enjoyed two excellent seasons with the Bills, who had the prescience to pick him late in the first round of the 2003 draft despite a horrific knee injury suffered during the Fiesta Bowl. McGahee?s ground game will, in theory, set the table for Buffalo?s vertical attack. Which is like sending out the Foo Fighters to open for Maroon 5. At least both Holcomb and Losman have displayed an ability during training camp to get the ball deep, even if their shorter routes have been a disaster.
Like most teams with problems on offense, Buffalo is sorely lacking in talented linemen. Center Melvin Fowler was signed away from the Minnesota Vikings and will immediately step into the starting lineup, but the rest of the crew will look pretty much the same as the one that allowed 43 sacks in 2005. Fortunately, that crew includes Jason Peters at right tackle, one of the few bright spots for the Bills last season.
Charged with the task of keeping this rickety wagon on the road is Dick Jauron, who takes over for Mike Mularkey as head coach. Buffalo?s track record with coaches has been nearly as frustrating as its QB carousel. Jauron is the Bills? fourth coach in nine seasons since Marv Levy stepped aside. He?s remembered best for taking the Chicago Bears to a surprise 13-3 record in 2001, earning Coach of the Year honors. But that was his only winning season in five years in the Windy City. The Bears went 22-42 in those other forgettable seasons. To top it all off, Jauron handled the last five games of the 2005 season for the Detroit Lions on an interim basis after Steve Mariucci was fired; the Lions went 1-4. This isn?t terribly promising for Bills supporters.
Anyone with money to burn can get the Bills at +1000 to win the AFC East division, the same price as the 4-12 New York Jets. Buffalo is also a +5000 outsider to win the conference and a +10000 long shot to win the 2007 Super Bowl. Only the San Francisco 49ers at +15000 have longer odds.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
