A View from Calico Jack's
Game 1, 2008

By Phil Mann

By the numbers:

1: The number of AFC East teams entering next week with the same starting QB they had for game 16 last year - that would be Buffalo

3: The number of seasons since the Bills had won their opener

6: TE Robert Royal’s new personal best for receptions in a single game

10: How I’d rank Calico Jack’s opening week performance, on a 1-10 scale. I thought they did a great job

27: The total of Buffalo’s 34 points involving special teams

30: Yards covered by Trent Edwards’ “go for the jugular” TD pass immediately after the Bills recovered a fumbled Seahawks kick off return

102: WR Lee Evans’ total reception yards; for the sake of comparison, he didn’t get his 100th reception yard last year until game three

120: Roscoe Parrish’s total punt-return yards in game one, a new team record

You get the idea; it was a great opener, a great home opener, and a great way to start the season. I haven’t been this excited by a first game since the Bills beat the Pats 31-0.

Speaking of the Pats...if Brett Favre had accepted the Packers’ offer to sit at home for $2 million a year, would he have been the Pats’ first call once Tom Brady went down? I mean, on paper he’d be a weird fit but, still...he’s Brett Favre. I suspect the Pats would not have called him, nor am I sure that Favre would have accepted being a caretaker. But, it would have been some media circus.

Back to the Bills...should we be excited? Yep. Do we need the offense to contribute a higher percentage of our points? Definitely. But, special teams look solid and the defense seems improved. If offense can gain some consistency, the Bills should be a force to reckon with in a suddenly transformed division. The offense’s decision to take a shot at the end zone after a Seahawks turnover was a welcome respite to the typical two-yard push up the middle.

Hope to see everyone next week.

E-mail feedback and comments to Phil Mann at
pjmann at nyc.rr.com

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