Kaspers Korner

     Rookie quarterack Trent Edwards started his first game ever in the Natinal Football Leauge.  With that start Edwards performed excellent in a win over the New York Jets.

     Edwards stats are not spectacular, but they should of been considering the circumstances.  Edwards went 22 of 28 fir 234 yards passing with one touchdown pass, and one interception.  The thing is that the turnover was not even his fault.

     The Bills had two turnovers on offense for the day.  An interception on a jump ball pass the Edwrds threw.  Then earlier tightend Robert Royal fumbled a pass that he caught.  Both turnovers killed drives where the Bills were moving the ball. 

     On the interception Lee Evans over ran the ball, and never cameback for it, or even tried to knock it down.  With good body position, and a goiod jump, Evans could of easily had a touuchdown. What was wierded was that Evans dropped a ball that was right in his hands, which Edwards put right in between the numbers.

      Edwards look like a veteran right for the start.  He was poised, not nervous, and brilliant.  Edwards had the ball out of his hand just at the right time.  Nor, did he even attempt to buy more time by getting out of the pocket.  The only time he left the pockey was on designed plays to do so.  Edwards was sacked only twice on the day.

     Just plain and simply Edwards look liked a quarterback.  For the first time all year, and the first in a long time, the Bills had a real quarterback on the field.  With Dallas coming up this week if Edwards performes likes this against Wade Phillips defense.  Then goodbye JP it has been nice knowing you, because Edwards will have won over everyone in the nation.

    Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards will be starting this week for the Bills.  With the start comes along the final exam, and the evaluation of the exam from the fans.

     All Buffalo Bills fans will have their eyes paying close attention to how Trent Edwards perform.  Since, he is the backup quarterback he is suppose to be the savior of the team.  That answer to that question will start to become clear strting this Sunday.

     Edwards does have a powerful ally on his side, yeah he has passed away recently, but the evaluation of former San Francisco head coach Bill Walsh is something that is frequently mentioned in association with the question does he have the potential to get the job done as a starter in the National football League.  Walsh called him a great quarterback.

     Already Edwards has shown that he has the temperment, smarts, physical tools, heart, and potential to be a starter.  Why esle would the Bills put him as the backup quarterback to JP Losman.  Also, there is one great quality that will drive him up to the top of the league, and that is his hunger for perfection.

     There are no two greater qualities to have as a player than to have the heart to rise up when the chips are down, and a hunger for perfection.

      In anyway shape or form for Edwrds in the words of Beetlejuice, “It’s show time!”

     The biggest name that in coaching that is a free agent is former Pittsburgh Steeler coach Bill Cowher.  The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle has stated that Buffalo Bills should shell out the money, and hire him.

     When it comes to shelling out money for head coaches the Bills are one of the teams on the bottom of the list.  Also, the Bills this past offseason annouced that they will implement a cash to cap payroll structure for how they spend money on their players.  Now add those two up, and what you get for an answer is that the Bills hiring Bill Cowher is a pipe dream just from a financial point.

     A coach like Bill Cowher will be able to choose what job to take.  Now, remember Cowher makes his home in North Carolina, and considers family a priority.  Also, he has a job as a studio analyst with CBS NFL Today show.  So, unless he gets the North Carolina job you better back up the truck.

   Lets be real with the Bills.  Owner Ralph Wilson gave all the power in the world to Tom Donahoe, and got burned.   Wilson wants to be a hands on owner, not a back seat driver.  Whatever team Cowher goes to you can gaurantee that he will be calling the shots, or have great influence in personnel decisions. 

     With the Bills that is never going to happen.  Levy’s system is that everyone will have a say, and the decision in the end will be the concensus pick. 

      Now, let me ask you this.  You think that a coach like Bill Cowher got to the top by a democracy.  How the hell you think the whole power struggle between Cowher and Donahoe started.  Each person wanted to the team to go in their own direction, and in the end Cowher won.

     So, when the bring the Cowher to Buffalo cries begin; just remember who we have as an owner.  That being Mr. Scrooge.

     JP Losman already has made a move that is widely viewed as immature, when he called for Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild to open the playbook more after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Now, Losman has not even returned the phone call to New England Patriorts defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, who called to appologize for thelate hit from this past sunday’s game.

     The missed phone calls can be easily viewed as childish, considering the move Losman made that was mentioned in the last paragraph. 

      The move itself does not bode well for Losman.   Many fans already are calling for him to be benched permanantly.  Now, this will only enrage Bills fans further more.

     The whole incident sounds like a player that is upset, and is enraged by all that has happened.  Considering, that he could now lose his job with a solid performance by rookie Trent Edwards you can easily assume that Losman is one upset customer.

     Losman does have some creedence to his thinking.  Fairchild has not done Losman any favors with the gameplan that he has implemented in games so far, along with some of the play calling, but ultimately Losman controlled his own fate, and could have avoided the whole contreversy be executing the plays that were called.    

     Losman needs to get over it, and needs to start concentrating on what he needs to do to get back to being a solid performer like in the second half of last season.  If he does not get his head on straight soon he will find himself on the bench.

     The retirement of Jim Lorentz took everyone by surpirse.  At the sametime ended an era in Buffalo broadcasting.

     The play by play team of Rick Jeanneret and Jim Lorentz was a force to be reckoned with.  It is even safe to say that they were one of the greatest of all time. 

      So, what made the pair great.  First, the energy and excitment that both of them brought.  Along, with insight, experience, chemistry, and smooth transitions when play stopped and started, along with the breakdown of highlights.

      Where one era has ended; another short one might be coming.  Mike Robitaille was a former Buffalo Sabre, and now does the postgame show on MSG, and would be a great replacement in the booth. 

      Robitaille brings experience, and a bottom line commentary style that people would love here in Buffalo.  Lorentz had a bit similar style, but not as blunt as Robitaille.  Putting Robitaille in the booth would allow Lorentz to do the post game show.  So, basically the two would be switching.

    The switch on one hand would be great for the fans of the Buffalo Sabres, but at the same time would save the integrity, and the quality of the broadcast team that the sabres have going right now.

     For years now Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder was the buffoon when it comes to free agency.  Well he has been replaced, well for one year at least, by Buffalo Bills general manager Marv Levy.

     Bills general manager Marv Levy this offseason spent a hell of a lot of money to upgrade its offensive line.  The view around the league is that was money foolishly spent.

      You can say accurately that the money that tackle Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery got in the offseason was not worth it.  Most Bills fans know that they over paid for the lineman, but that is not the question. 

      The question is how much have they overpaid each player.  The answer is every frigin dollar that they got.  Right now they have not even earned a penny of it.

      Marhshawn Lynch has 57 carries for 228 yards.  Which means that Lynch is running for a four yards per a rush average.  The thing is I will probaby say that most likely a quarter of those yards came from Lynch falling foward after contact.

      Yes, you can fault offensive coordinator for some of the offensive line short fallings.  Like for one not running enough that they have a cohesiveness together to get going.  Lynch only has 57 rushes in his first three games, and that comes out to 19 rushes per a game 

     Even if you add in running backs Anthony Thomas and Dwayne Wright’s 9 total rushes.  That only averages out to 22 rushes per a game.  Lets face it that is just not going to cut the mustard.

     On the other hand the reason that those number of attempts are so low that on key plays early in the football game they come up short  They pad their stats when garbage time comes around. 

      It jsut does not stop their with bad signings.  The worst signing of them all is that overhyped, and over paid, starting right defensive end Aaron Schobel.  They league leader in sacks already has five, and Schobel has only one and a half wow wee Ricky Henderson.

     Lets face it folks the Bills cannot get it done when it comes to running a team.  They are pathetic when it coems to signing free agents.  Lets hope they learned their lesson and will be more wiser with money.

     It is only week four of the National Football League season.  Already the Buffalo Bills are at a make or breaking point in their season when it comes to winning against the New York Jets this sunday.

     Who would of thought that the Bills would look this bad, and they would have so many injuries at this point in the season already.  There is only one way to describe what is happening on this team.  That is there is no heart amongst the coaching staff.

     The coaching is pathetic for sure.  When JP Losman went down with an injury the coaches changed their gameplan, because a rookiew was going in.  So, why have a rookie as a backup if you think he cannot carry out the game plan you devise with the starter?

      Why did they do that?  In the words of The Coach Chuck Dickerson, “No balls at all, No balls at all, the Bills coaches have no balls at all.”  They got scared, because a rookie went into the game at quarterback.  Give me a freakin break. 

     You mean to tell me that he did nothing this offseason.  you mean to tell me he was never at mini camp, all the OTA’s, and neither training camp.  The fact is that he was there, and should be prepared to carry out the game plan if you are going to have him as your backup.

     We will get to see if the coaching staff this week grew some balls or not, because it is make or break for the Bills this week.  Lose your season is done for.  Win you keep your slim playoff hopes alive for another week.

     Lets face it offensive coordinator has to open up the offense if he likes it or not if he is going to win.  What do they have to lose, even with Trent Edwards at quarterback, nothing, and everything to gain. 

     Many people for a while now have ben calling for Trent Edwards to replace JP Losman.  Buffalo Bills fans have gotten their wish when Losman went down with a knee injury.

     Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to many Bills fans was the savior of the Bills franchise.  However, what the got was more questions, and a lot of them in regads to the coaching staff.

      Edwards was good off the bench.  He led the team on a 12 play touchdown drive.  That was the only thing that Edwards did the rest of the day.  Most in part he looked like a rookie playing with a scared offensive coordinator.

      The one question that is now resounding is what the hell is Steve Fairchild calling.  Running back Marshawn Lynch has become an awesome athlete, and is still under utilized.  There are no conventional half back screens, nor any swing pases the rest of the game after the first play of the game.

      The bigger problem is that after three games Fairchild has not got star wide receiver Lee Evans the ball at all.  He has only five catches for the year.  Also, Robert Royal came into today with only two catches on the year. 

      Lets face it Fiarchild is lucky he does not have Eric Moulds.  Moulds right now would be preaching to the quier.  Every Bill fan has to be disgusted with the way Evans has been treated.

      In the end folks the problem is not the quarterback.  It is the surrounding talent, besides Evans and Lynch, but mostly the scared incompetent coaching.  The biggest example of this is not using Roscoe Parrish on kick returns. 

      I leave you tonight with this question.  how many monkeys does it take to put a decent gameplan together, because al the monkeys at One Bills drive sure the hell cannot

     Just when you think the Tom Donahoe era could not look any bleaker it just did.  Former Buffalo Bill Chidi Ahanotu was arrested in the Boston area Thursday on a fugitive warrant

     Ahanotu was wanted in Tampa Bay, FL for allegedly stalking his exfiance. 

     This included the sending of threatening text messages from August 1, 2006-September 13, 2007.  Detectives also stated that Ahanotu went to the womans home and destroyed property.

     Ahanotu’s arrest personifies an era in Buffalo Bills history that ranks up there with the 2-14 years of the Bills in the 1980’s.  It also represents how much more we have to go with this football team. 

     The team that was left for Bills general manager Marv Levy and head coach Dick Juaron was that of one of a mess.   The offense was left in shambles, and the defense was left in a state of an automobile that is about to hit the scrap yard.

     So, when will the Bills get out of this mess.  If you look back to the 1980’s the Bills won the AFC East in the third season after their 1985 2-14 year.  So, that would mean that the Bills would be going to the playoffs next year if history repeats itself.

     That mean plainly that the Bills must find out what holes they must fill in, and more importantly if JP Losman is the franchise quarterback or not.  If he is then the Bills are on pace to finally breakthrough to make the playoffs.  If not then it is back to the drawing board.

     Back to the drawing board will mean that the Bills will go with quarterback Trent Edwards next year.  That means again going through the growing pains of a young quarterback.  Which, in the end will mean that it will be another three years before the bills make the playoffs.

   Thanks Tom you left us in such great shape. 

     The Buffalo Sabres are just starting their training camp, and getting into the grove of things.  That does not stop injuries from happening, and that is something that they cannot afford this year.

     The depth at the foward position is gone in Rochester.  A lot of the prospects now have to fill in the holes that Danny Briere and Chris Drury left behind.  Those most likely being Drew Stafford and Mike Ryan.

      The bigger issue at hand is that the vetran fowards that the Sabres do have can no longer get just disappear.  Meaning both physically and mentally.  Something that some Sabres have a knack of doing.

      The obvious person when it comes to the physical aspect is Tim Connolly.  The last couple of years Connolly has missed significant time due to injuries.   That has to change as the Sabres are now relying on him to make them still the top dog in the Eastern Conference.

      Also, there is another question when it comes to a couple of players is can Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek their bodies handle the amount of ice time over a long period of time.  Since, they will now be the second line on the team.

      Mentally there are a couple of players that you hope can get things straight, and be consistent.  Dimitiri Kalinin, and Ales Kotalik when on top oif their game can be forces that can make a difference on the Sabres.  However, at the same time when they dissapear when they go into some kind of funk, they can really hurt the team as well.

      Injuries do happen from time to time.  The final question is how do the younger prospects that are coming into Rochester, or been there a year, play at the National Hockey League level when called upon to fill in for a injured player. 

      That is what training camp is for ultimately.  So, as training camp goes on, and the preseason continues we will find out who could be a future starting Sabres, and hopefully a good one.