Is our NYCBBB colleague Matt Soreco a genius?

Well, maybe not. But, early in week two, he was clamoring for a look at Trent Edwards. Unfortunately, we only got that look because of an injury to JP Losman, but Edwards absolutely impressed.

Regardless of how it all came together, it would appear we have a (sound the trumpets) Quarterback Controversy. Perhaps not as angry as the Flutie/Johnson competition, but it should be a lot more interesting than the Todd Collins versus Alex Van Pelt versus Billy Joe Hobert “battle” of 10 seasons ago.

While I give Edwards lots of credit, I have to wonder if JP himself would have fared better under the slightly more aggressive offensive scheme the Bills ran – and by “more aggressive,” I mean opening the field a bit, and forcing Lee Evans’ involvement. Lee Evans’ non-performance through the first month mystifies me, offensive schemes notwithstanding. When the team’s best receiver has the same number of receptions after three games as Tom Dempsey had toes, you know there’s a problem.

(I threw in the Dempsey reference for the more “mature” or historically inclined readers…if you’re curious, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dempsey,

But, let’s not lose sight of the big picture, and the highlight of the day: the Bills beat the Jets in a nail-biter. A Jets fan acquaintance was angered earlier in the week when I commented that this week represented the Bills’ most-winnable game in the first two months – apparently, he thought the Jets deserved more credit than that.

Another highlight was the rare opportunity to watch the game at home. Don’t get me wrong; I love watching at Calico Jack’s surrounded by fans. But, you don’t really get to hear the game so well at CJ’s. Surely, Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcox would enhance my viewing experience. Right?

Here are a few paraphrased tidbits from Wilcox (really paraphrased: I’m too lazy to review the whole recording for precise wording):

“I like (RB Thomas Jones) because he knows where the end zone is.”

Hell, even I know where the end zone is. Isn’t that part of the job description? Now that I think about it, have you ever seen that famous clip of Bo Jackson scoring a TD and continuing to run all the way through the tunnel? Maybe he didn’t actually know where the end zone was…just kept running until someone said, “Yo, Bo, you can stop now.”

“The Bills run a conservative offense. They’re content for a field goal to tie the game.”

Um, this was when the Bills were winning 10-7. Kind of an important point. As it turned out, the Bills called time out, decided to go for it on fourth down, and scored a TD.

And, my favorite:

“The Bills are putting this game in the hands of rookies. Marshawn Lynch and Trent Edwards have touched more than 90 percent of the team’s snaps today.”

Well, since Edwards was the freaking quarterback, I’m guessing he touched far more than 90 percent of the snaps.

Maybe Calico Jack’s should play music not only during commercials, but during the actual game, too.

What does BILLS stand for?

Boy, I Love Losing Starters.

Yes, it’s a cheap shot. But, come on, after a while you have to laugh, the Kevin Everett situation aside.

When Jerry Ford addressed the country after Richard Nixon resigned, he famously said: “the state of the union is not good.”

Well, the state of the Bills is not good. It stinks. If it were an animal, it’d be a skunk.

I’m not going to analyze it, assess it, or try to explain it. You’ve already done that yourselves. There is no logical explanation. A questionably talented team to begin with, the Bills have caught more bad breaks than any team should catch in five seasons, let alone three games.

Yet, as of this past week, the crowd at Calico Jack’s was still pretty large, and pretty intense. Incredible. How many teams in the Bills’ situation would attract so many fans outside their home city? That’s one of the great things about this group: I look (almost) as forward to watching the games when the team is bad as when it’s good — and, I swear, the team used to be good. Really.

More than ever, I think other football fans are going to be amazed by the passion of this fan base. They won’t believe we continue to watch, and root (do you ever hear from a Cowboy fan when the team isn’t winning?) But, I really think a lot of us will continue to do that. Not as many as on opening day, but a respectable number.

The Bills Fan is a weird breed, fortified by some mixture of cold weather, wings and beer that enables it to withstand peer pressure and unspeakable setbacks. What else would you expect from a group who proudly proclaims the team’s punter, of all people, to be the MVP?

Meanwhile, we can enjoy watching McCargo, Lynch, Peters and some of the other guys develop. And we can eat and drink with our friends without the bother of having to calculate playoff scenarios. Draft day scenarios…that’s a different story.

The Bills will be good again one day. Those who stick with them during the lean times will enjoy the good days even more.

It’s a game of inches.

It’s a cliché, to be sure. But, it’s true.

I’d just never thought about how it applied to life as well.

Life intervened in a really dramatic, horrible way last Sunday. On a play that, on the surface, looked like literally thousands of other plays we’re all seen. But, this play, somehow, turned out differently. Maybe Kevin Everett was susceptible to catastrophic injury in ways no one knew. Or, maybe he cocked his head just a little too much. Turned his shoulders in just a little too much.

A game of inches.

As I write this, Everett’s case has apparently taken a dramatic turn for the better, with the doctors seeing some voluntary movement in his arms and legs.

That’d be a remarkable and fantastic turn of events, of course. Let’s just hope he continues trending in the right direction. Maybe one day before we know it, he’ll take a step. And then another one.

A game of inches.

The Everett incident not only made the game “seem” irrelevant; it did make it irrelevant.

But, ultimately relevant or not in the scheme of life, we care about the game. Perhaps more than we should, but nonetheless we care. A lot.

This is unfortunate, because under any other circumstance we’d be cursing the fates over this game.

Multiple injuries? Check. Questionable execution? Check. Heart-breaking loss? Check.

Good thing we’ve got our priorities set straight, however temporarily.

The game could have turned out so different. Remember that 3rd and 5 bomb from JP to Evans? Just missed a quick six points (and a chance for JP to actually wind up with pretty decent stats for the game). Remember that Elam field goal that deflected off the goal post? A whisker away from yet another miss, and possibly a Bills victory.

A game of inches.

At least real life, in terms of Everett’s prognosis, seems to be inching along in the right direction. Let’s hope that stays true.

Maybe you’re like me; too often, I don’t appreciate things until it’s too late. I had girlfriends like that. I’ve had vacations like that. I’ve even had meals like that.

I’m determined not to let the Bills fall into that category. But, Lord, they make it hard.

As I approach what I hope will be (by my latest count) the viewing of my 257th consecutive regular season Bills game – granted, I’ve seen a few of them by video tape, but I never knew the outcome in advance – I realize this season could be different from the others.

No, not because we’re in season, what is it, 10 of our rebuilding program. Although, as an aside, I’ll speculate that there are players who’ve actually had fruitful careers and retired since we started “rebuilding.”

It’s because, for the first time, I actually, truly, really believe the Bills could be vulnerable to extinction.

Some of you will say, “What took you so long?” Others will say I’m being too pessimistic.

Hear me out for a moment. I’m writing this at 1:30 in the morning, and too tired and lazy to look up the specifics. But, if memory serves, the Bills were the team that broke the NFL’s consecutive-game sellout streak last year. The Bills were the team that didn’t sell out the Fish home game last year. The Bills are the team opening the season with six games (Denver, Pittsburgh on the road, the Pats on the road, the Jets, Cowboys and Ravens) that, based on last season, are very losable. The Bills are a team with an old, old owner who appears to have no succession plan. The Bills, we hear over and over again, are in a tiny, tiny market.

Combine that with the temptation the NFL no doubt feels to re-locate a franchise to LA or even, ahem, Canada. No wonder Chuck Schumer gets still more photo ops out of meeting with the league about how to save the Bills.

I don’t like this mixture of facts. If you forced me to lay odds, I’d still guess the Bills will stick around for a long time, and that eventually – I hope not soon – a new owner will turn this team around. But, I could be guilty of being an optimist rather than a realist.

My point being, I’m going to really try to enjoy the team this year. I always enjoy them, even when they lose, which they usually do. But, this time, in the moment, I’m going to really try to appreciate what this team has meant to me. I’ve lived in NYC for fully half my life at this point; the Bills are the main thing connecting me to home.

Let’s hope the team has a great year. But, even more important, let’s hope the team has a great future.

I’m cheating a bit and writing my last column of the season prior to the last game…a game that would appear to be for little more than pride and ending the season on a high note.

I haven’t written for a while because, I’ll admit, I let my superstitions get in the way (I never did write that column on our group’s superstitions, by the way, because apparently I remain the only superstitious Bills fan). The Bills’ fortunes improved immediately after I failed to write a column. As their fortunes continued to improve, I remained a non-writer. A fact I never disclosed until this moment.

It was hard. I had completely mapped out a numerology column in which I discussed the fact that, one week after Losman threw for only 83 yards, he threw two 83-yard TD passes to Lee Evans (number 83). I was ecstatic after the last-minute wins over Houston and Jax, and the shutdown/shutout of the Fish. I was even excited by the near-wins over the elite teams in Indy and San Diego. But, again, I refrained.

That last paragraph, though, is actually quite telling about what an exciting, eventful second-half of the season it was. Unlike the second-half of Bledsoe’s near-playoff season which was foiled by Pittsburgh, we didn’t beat up on patsies. And while Bledsoe was like that fading light bulb from which you hope to get one last gleam of light before it goes pffft, Losman is just now powering up.

All of which means that, for the first time in quite a while, I am going to enter next season expecting the Bills to make the playoffs, and barring horrible injuries, won’t be satisfied with anything less. The time for morale victories has passed with this team. Seven years is more than enough for us to wait.

And wait we did. I was really impressed with the numbers that continued to turn out at Calico Jack’s and McFadden’s, despite a horrible mid-season record and games that collided with holidays. We have a core group that shows up almost without fail, which is fantastic.

Looking back at last week for just a moment…that last play (well, next-to-last play, actually) was a wretched way to end a really enjoyable game. I’m not as convinced as many that the Bills should have gone for the FG in those circumstances given the distance and wind. But…something a bit more organized and logical might have been nice, right? I mean, a seven-yard gain would have made a HUGE difference. The whole thing looked haphazard, and brought me back to some questionable calls from early in the year (fake punt, anyone?)

But, next year, our rookies will be seasoned, and our cap room will be large. This team is going somewhere…finally. Can’t wait to be there for the ride.

Finally, a quick comment on Nick Flick’s fine season-awards column. I agreed with him on almost everything, including the team MVPs. I would have pulled the trigger and made Takeo the most disappointing player, but that’s quibbling.

But, there is one MVP Nick failed to consider: Most Valuable Coach. I know the obvious choice is special teams coach Bobby April, or even our new head coach, but I think there’s an unsung Bills coaching hero who might have been equally or more valuable this season.

So, hats off to you, Mike Mularkey, and thanks for the two games you gift-wrapped for us! It’s like you weren’t even paying attention when you were here…

When I was in fifth and sixth grades, I was in my school’s chess club (because, as we all know, the football and chess players got all the chicks).

I was OK; probably mediocre. I didn’t really have the commitment or attention span to think through my moves so thoroughly, resulting in won/loss records along the lines of 6-4 or 5-5.

But, I held one distinction. Both years, deep into the season, I faced kids who were undefeated. And in both instances, I dealt those kids their only loss of the year. If I played them 10 times, I would have won…one time. Luckily for me, my one victory came in match number one.

Why the trip down memory lane? Because, for a little bit, I thought that the mediocre (at best) Bills might unexpectedly and inexplicably knock off arguably the best chess players in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts. And, believe me, JP Losman would have really gotten the chicks – they never quite materialized for me in fifth and sixth grade. Or ever since, but that’s another matter.

For the second week in a row, the Bills seemed to have lots of luck on their side. Yes, A-Train racked up more than 100 yards, but the Colts made some uncharacteristic mistakes. Fact is, the Bills could have been losing that game rather than having an opportunity to take a late fourth quarter lead. By that point, fate straightened itself out, and Lindell somehow missed a kick that he, yes, would make 9 times out of 10.

So, where does that leave us? Well, JP isn’t getting any more popular, and going 9 out of 12 for 83 yards isn’t going to change a lot of minds. Adding to the perception problem, Rivers is lighting things up in San Diego, Manning the younger is guiding the Giants toward a playoff run, Big Ben has already won a Super Bowl…and JP is still trying to work things out.

Any potential running back controversy aside (which, in my mind, shouldn’t exist: Willis is the starter when healthy, until he leaves the team as a free agent), my gut tells me that the rest of the season will now become a referendum on next year, and what the Bills will/should do. Prominent in that discussion will be whether JP should indeed earn another opportunity to lead this team.

My feeling is that he’s not actually as bad as he looks. He’s had some decent games and some bad ones. The line has often betrayed him. The fact is, this is his first full season as starter (should have been his second, in my opinion). Unless the Bills attract a great free agent QB – which they won’t – or lose the rest of the game – which they won’t – and get a very-top draft pick that lets them take Brady Quinn, I think JP is the guy again next year.

If they do lose the rest of their games, the team would finish a rather pathetic 3-13.

Same record as that Manning guy on the Colts had in his first year. Wonder how he’ll turn out?

OK. Now what?

What happens next with this team?

What should happen next?

Entering the bye week, any fan whose judgment isn’t completely clouded by a Labatt’s Blue haze would find it hard to express genuine optimism.

So, again…now what?

I’ll admit that I watch football from more of an emotional than intellectual point of view. Meaning that I’m the guy who goes nuts during the game, but not the guy you want dissecting strategy (fellow columnist Nick can do a far better job of that).

Yet, it hardly requires the ghost of Vince Lombardi to recognize the team needs to do better at covering receivers, tackling, shoring up the run defense, and mobilizing the offense (at least the punting is good, right?). Clearly, that’s what Coach Dick and staff will be focusing on over the next two weeks. And, by the way…will someone please, please suggest to Roscoe Parrish that he needn’t run straight into the pack on every return?

But, I digress. There’s something else that I do feel qualified to talk about, and it’s something I believe the Bills need to also focus on over the next two weeks.

They need to act like a business and give the fan – particularly the WNY-based fan – reasons to keep “buying” their product.

All the hallmarks are there for a precipitous drop in attendance. I can absolutely envision disappointment evolving into pessimism, pessimism evolving into anger, and anger evolving into fewer tickets purchased, fewer games televised, and fewer concessions and merchandise bought. Yes, performance and results override all else, but if the Bills don’t recognize they’re also fighting the battle of public perception – as is any business – they’re making a big mistake. Particularly given league-wide trends that threaten to turn them into the LA or Toronto Bills faster than it takes a Browns fan to curse out Art Modell.

In addition to Xs and Os, the Bills need to spend the next two weeks re-shaping the average fan’s expectation for the present and the future. Both Dick and Marv need to play a role, and so do some high-profile players. Without pressing the panic button – just the opposite – they need to establish that:

• They recognize the disappointments of recent weeks;
• They are thoroughly committed to fielding a competitive team every week – anything less is unacceptable;
• They see real progress and potential in key players;
• The team is paying the dues that management believes will inevitability result in playoff-caliber football sooner rather than later;
• The most exciting football from this team is yet to come.
• All of this needs to be shared in the context of the foundation already in place. And it shouldn’t only be in the papers. The right people should be on the talk shows, and even in the malls.

This might sound like window-dressing, but it’s critical. The fan needs a reason to keep watching, and keep buying. The team needs to re-shape the expectation of what fans should expect from this team, and the larger goals it’s striving for. That makes the shorter-term disappointments easier to handle.

There’s one other reason to pump up the enthusiasm level…

We all know that it isn’t easy getting free agents to Buffalo . We aren’t the first choice of the “hot” coach or the most desirable free agent. My gut tells me that even if we’d drafted Matt Leinert, he wouldn’t have played in Buffalo. I have no doubt that many big-time free agents will always perceive Buffalo as too cold, too depressed and too small. At least Arizona, as crappy as its team is, offers plenty of other appeal to the professional athlete.

All of which means that a palpable sense of positive direction, purpose and energy is essential. The Bills need to rally the community and the entire league around the idea that the current mishaps a re blips on the screen on route to brighter days. That won’t be easy. But, the Bills need to keep pressing that message, until the rest of us – and the rest of the team and league – buy it. A 2007 free agent needs to read the Buffalo News (or, rather, his agent needs to read it), and say, “You know, things are turning around in Buffalo .”

But, if no one on the Bills seems to believe it, why should we?

On another, final note: Good job coming to Calico Jack’s, folks. We’re getting a strong core group every game, win or (usually) lose.

“Never give in. Never, never, never…” – Sir Winston Churchill

“The ship be sinking” – former Knick, Michael Ray Richardson

Whose philosophy will Bills fans – particularly those who watch games at Calico Jack’s – cling to? Are Bills fans Churchillian or “Richardsonian”?

Certainly Dick Jauron and Marv Levy are more likely to invoke Winston than Michael Ray. Bills fans? Well, we’re probably all a little bit of both. I know that, for my part, I want to feel like Churchill. But, there’s a small part of me that can’t help but be like Mike. Not that, following a 5-11 season, there is really all that far for the ship to sink. Unlike the Knicks back in Richardson’s day; when he was asked how far the Knicks’ ship could sink, and replied, “The sky’s the limit.” Hey, if the team is going to stink, at least have some entertaining players around, right?

It’s remarkable how thin the line is in sports between success and failure, hopeful and hopeless. The Bills, despite being outplayed, were arguably one botched call of an end-zone interception from sending the game to overtime. Alas, not even the replay gods were on our side in this one. So, we’re disappointing 2-4 instead of a somewhat respectable 3-3.

So, why keep on watching?:

• To get the answer to the big question on everyone’s mind: Can Dick Jauron possibly lead the Bills to victory over one of his former teams (he once was an assistant with the Packers)?

OK, maybe that’s not a very compelling reason. How about?:

• It’s the Patriots next week, folks. Always a big deal.
• Will JP progress? He’s probably our QB for a while, for better or worse. Personally, I believe he should have had a full playing season under his belt going into this one, but that didn’t happen. He’s still learning on the job in what is for all intents and purposes his first year.
• Will the JP/Evans/McGahee trio jell this year? If so, we could be watching them for years to come. If not…will Willis be the Fish’s lead back next year?
• Can the Bills catch up to the pack in an arguably diminished AFC East?
• Are we frontrunners, or do we watch regardless of team quality? I’m not knocking front-runners…Lord knows, I’m a Sabres front-runner. But, WNY-bred fans always pride themselves on NOT being front-runners ever. We’ll see….
• Where else can you get a weekly taste of home, other than at Calico Jack’s or McFadden’s every Sunday?
• And, finally, if all else fails, there’s always beer. Lots and lots of beer.

I’d planned to write this column about Bills fans’ superstitions – but, apparently, I’m the only one out there who is superstitious, because no one responded to my request for input. Which must mean that all of the various physical contortions and sideways baseball caps I see on game day are 100% alcohol-driven.

There’s not much to say about the game: super exciting (especially at the end), and I thought JP showed continued improvement. The Bills have a maddening tendency to bring games down to the wire, even when they are dominating. But, better a win than a loss, of course. I’m almost perfect in predicting games this year – I’ve been wrong three weeks in a row. So, don’t ask for my help in your football pool unless you’re playing the “anti-Phil” strategy. Look to my fellow columnist instead.

All of which means I’m going to take a bit of a digression in this column (as if all of my other columns are anything but digressions).

Those of you who follow sports beyond football no doubt heard about the latest round of baseball steroid-use allegations. This time around, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada were among those implicated. Pitchers are being accused as often as position players at this point, meaning – in my mind – that it’s now harder to begrudge offensive players their statistics. I mean, if a batter is (allegedly) on steroids, and the pitcher is, too (allegedly), who has the advantage?

How does this relate to football? Football gets away with all kinds of things baseball can’t. Actually, let me put it differently: it’s not open-season on football like it is on baseball.

Yes, football is run much better; they jumped on the steroid issue years ago. But, come on, you’re going to tell me that there aren’t tons (forgive the pun) of NFL’ers on something – either growth hormone or something else that’s otherwise undetectable?

Why aren’t football execs marched into Congress, along with star players like Brett Favre and Marvin Harrison? Why aren’t football statistics dissected for “proof” of artificial enhancement? Why doesn’t anyone say, boy, these guys sure seem a lot bigger than they did just a few years ago?

Sure, part of the reason is that football plays the politics game better, and supposedly “took care of this issue” years ago. And, because of baseball’s place in our history, it probably gets held to a higher standard.

But, ultimately, football truly has become – to steal a phrase I’ve heard elsewhere – the country’s secular religion. It’s a weekly EVENT, with tremendous economic implications. No one – not a congressman, and not even a journalist – wants to mess with it.

Nor should they, in my opinion. At least, not in the fashion that has happened to this point. Steroids in sports do bother me from an ethical perspective – I don’t like to see anyone take foolish health risks, or encourage the younger members of our society to do so. But, from a strict competitiveness point of view, I rank steroids along with superior equipment and training techniques as among the many things giving today’s athlete an edge over his or her ancestors.

I’d be happy if there were no steroids in sports. But, I’d rather see the emphasis on health-education – especially at the youth level – than on “these guys are evildoers and cheaters. Our precious records and statistics are imperiled. “The last thing I want to see is more grandstanding Congressional hearings.

So, the next time we see one of our favorite linemen steamroll an opponent, or see a skill-position player make a series of seemingly impossible news, let’s enjoy it. But, let’s also cross our fingers that, eventually, someone in a position of power doesn’t seek to extract all of the fun out of the sport we love by making it a political issue.

Actually, don’t cross your fingers. None of you is superstitious.

“Tell your statistics to shut up!” – Charlie Brown

Good grief. Charlie Brown actually had it right for once.

Statistics can be fascinating (at least to me), but they never tell the whole story in any sport. Sometimes, they even tell a conflicting story.

Consider the Bills’ week two match up with the Fish. If, before the game, the Football Overlords said, “You have a choice: Your QB can go 11 for 18, for 83 yards, or 23 for 32, for 250 yards,” which would you have chosen? No doubt, lacking context, I would have chosen Dante Culpepper’s “feet-in-cement-boots” performance over JP Losman’s “not bad, young man” performance.

If the same Football Overlords gave you a choice between 282 or 171 total yards…well, this time the answer would have been even more obvious. You would have taken the Fish’s eventual total. I mean, come on: It’s an entire football field length of a difference.

But, as former Jets/current Chiefs Head Coach Herm Edwards famously said, “You play to win the game.” Not that you can necessarily tell from his teams’ performances, but that’s another matter for another day. The fact is, this week the Bills made the right decisions and the right plays at the right time. The Fish did not. And that’s how you wind up Bills 16, Fish 6 (missed a shutout by thismuch).

Of course, in any game, some stats do matter. Ryan Denney’s three early sacks? Huge. Brian Moorman’s barrage of punts inside the 10? Incredible. Dan Dierdorf’s annoyance quotient? Indisputable.

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t watch the game at Calico Jack’s this week because of an obligation to watch over a young child (my own kid, sickos). But, that gave me a chance to watch the game on TV accompanied by my new Sirius satellite radio, which enabled me to hear the game Dierdorf-free in favor of the Bills’ crew of John Murphy, Mark Kelso and some other guys whose names didn’t register. Now, I hadn’t heard a local Bills broadcast for years, and had never heard a home broadcast without Van Miller. Some observations:

• It didn’t nearly make up for not being at Calico Jack’s or McFadden’s, but it was lots more fun than actually listening to Dierdorf, I’m sure.
• There were two ads featuring Marv as spokesperson; one for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the other for a local hospital. Poor guy. What’s next, Viagra? Depends?
• Van Miller did some commercial, and sounded like he forgot to put his teeth in. I guess it has been a long time since I’d heard him.
• I’d swear I heard radio-station promotion centered on a chance to meet Alice Cooper. I would have thought I’d tapped into a strange 1970s time warp until I realized the Bills were actually beating the Fish. Nope, it wasn’t the 1970s. I guess that same gig will be Marilyn Manson’s in around 2025.
• I could have lived without the announcers – John Murphy, anyway – basically declaring the game over with way too much time left on the clock.

Then again, the Fish’s own fans clearly thought the game was over after the third quarter, as much of the paltry number that actually showed up for their home opener headed for the exits. Unbelievable. Look, I don’t expect every place to be as football-crazy as Western New York, but I’ve had many Floridians tell me the place is football crazy. Just plain crazy is more like it. I guess they simply had more important things to do; ask not for whom the early bird special tolls, it tolls for thee.

Finally, let’s all thank Coach Mularkey for doing more for the Bills this week than he had the previous two seasons. A big game ball to you, Coach! We’ll make sure Denney doesn’t knock it out of your hands.

I hope everyone who made it to the bars had a great time. And, if by some miracle anyone ever wants to contact me – highly unlikely, since I know deep down no one reads this – I believe my NYCBBB e-mail address is inactive. Try pjmann@nyc.rr.com.