Kaspers Korner

     Many people right now are already calling for JP Losman to be benched.  The outside perspective is that if it was to happen that would be disaster for the franchise.

     John Clayton on his weekly segment on Mike Schoop and the Bulldog stated that Losman should play the whole season.   This should allow the offense to get fixed, and working very well.

      I competely agree with Clayton.  Putting in Edwards would be rebuilding from scratch.  You build an offense around the abilities of you quarterback, and the other talent around him.  Losman has enough talent around him, and he is talented enough to get the job done.  It is just a matter of coaching scheme and getting things timed up right.

     The bigger issue at hand with Clayton is that the defense is the disaster.  There are so many injuries to the unit that it has made an average unit horrible.  The talent is not even good enough to be decent. 

     However, there is some pieces there.  The real disaster is the cornerback position, and the defensive line.  The defensive line is not able to get any pressure anymore.  Thanks in part of teams changing schemes to nuetralize defensive end Aaron Schobel.  The thing is Schobel is only good at pass rushing, and he cannot do that either right now. 

     Well the solution is actually pretty much what everyone has been saying all along.  They have to throw it deep, and hope they beat teams in shootouts.  The defense is clearly going to give up major yards, and might as well go turnover or broke for its strategy.  That is the only way that both sides will get the job done against any team this year.

     So, roll those dice boys, becuase it is all or nothing.

     Kevin Everett faces a long road ahead  to recover from his neck injury.  On Tuesday former Chicago Bear player and coach Mike Ditka used Everett as an example, and at the same time made many people aware that he has an additional battle.

    Everett faces a battle with the board that determines which former National Football League players get disability benefits.  It is bad enough that the he has a long road to recovery.  Soon after that Everett and his family will realize how many expenses there is in the medical world, and how hard it is to get disability benefits from the NFL.

     Everett is not the richest man in football.  In fact he will receiver some sort of pay for the next two seasons.  After that well it is anybody’s guess to where the money to pay the medical bills will come from.

    Since, this was an injury on the field workers compensation should cover most of the costs.  However, there are times when the government can be a pain in the ass no matter how disabled you are.  I know that personally, because my family went through the horrors of Social Security Disablity.

     My mother has a rare form of degenerative brain cell disease.  The symptoms are similar to those of Parkinsons, and the symptoms were rapidly manifesting themselves.  It was clear as day that she was disabled, but to the government that does not matter.  If you do not have the right medical records to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are disabled, well then you will be denied.  Then it takes two years to get a hearing.

     The two years that it takes from when you get denied to your hearing date are the longest two years ever.  When you have a family, and your spouse is disabled, then the burdon falls upon the spouse that is able to work to pay all the bills.  Unless, you have a residual income that comes in, paying all the bills will be impossible, and sacrafices will be made. 

     That is what Kevin Everett will have to face.  Most likely from now until he gets disability benefits from the NFL Everett will have to live off the assets he has now.  The luxurious house, and nice cars will be gone, and sold to help make ends meet. 

     Hopefully, it will not get as bad as a lot of disabled former NFL players, but the realities are it might just be.  Just look at former jaguars lineman Bill Demarco.  He can barely even walk, but still is not able to get disability benefits. 

     So, get it fix Gene Upshaw, or you will be facing a really ticked off region of sports fans.

     It is only week three into the regular season, and typically you would not call this a must win game.  For Losman it is just that this week against the New England Patriots.

     Many fans have been calling for Losman to be benched already.   If Losman does not bounce back this week many fans will be ready for rookie quarterback Trent Edwards to step in.  The matter of the fact is that the chants will not be quite either.

     I am with many fans out there sick and tired of playing the quarterback carousel, but there will be no choice if Losman does not play well.  Many will be done with Losman if they see one more pass sail over the head of a wide receiver, or make them leave their feet.  I am not there, but another bad performance and I will be.

     Losman’s mission will be that of one striaght out of a Mission Impossible movie.  The Patriots offense is a high powered force not to be joked with.  Also their defense is usually nothing to take lightly, but with right defensive end Richardm Seymore, out till the earliest being week seven, not in the lineup they Patriots actually might have a weakness.

     So, what will the Bills have to do to win.  Simple, which is the complete opposite of what they are doing now.  Keep their own offense on the field, and the defense off as much as possible, which will be a very hard task to do.

     There are no more excuse left for Losman with Bills fans.  It is either do or die for Losman.  While many fans will be hoping that Losman will get it together at the same time they ar not holding their breath  either.  So, get it together Losman or get shown the door.

     With Lee Evans now entering his fourth season it is time to look back on that draft.  The matter of the fact is that the Buffalo Bills at that time made a huge mistake, and a mistake in such magnitude that the effects will be still felt for years to come.

    In the 2004 National Football League draft there were two big names there on the board at that time in my view.  The Bills were fortunate to have defensive tackle Vince Wilfork slip to the spot  However, in typical Tom Donahoe fashion he selected the flashy toy in wide receiver Lee Evans.

     Do not get me wrong Lee Evans is a solid wide reciever, and arguably a top five wide receiver in the league.   The fact of the matter is that defense wins championships, and offense only wins games.  The most glaring example of course is Super Bowl 25 when we had the greatest offense at the time, but still lost, since we could not stop the ball.

     Well look at the Bills defense now.  Where are they the weakest on the whole team.  That being the defensive line.  The offense is correctable with better coaching, and Losman taking his head out of his ass.  However, the talent at the nosetackle position is still the weakest on the team.

     Also, it does not help to give out big contracts to two defensive ends that cannot even stop the run, and all they do is pass rush.  Lets face it folks the defense is going to be a disaster for years to come.  Thanks for the new contracts Marv nice going there.

     Fortunately, there is a bright light in one spot on the defensive line.  That being John McCargo.  In the time that he saw on the field McCargo made some plays.  With more playing time this season, experience, and staying healthy the Bills will have at least one that will make the grade.

     So, what is the answer for the Bills defensive line.  I said multiple time that changing the defensive front would help, but they do not have enough linebackers to do that right now.  Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for the defense, and that is depressing.

     The bigger problem is long term with the defensive line.  Until, Chris Kelsay, Aaron Schobel, and Kyle Williams are repaced through selecting good on the first day.  Unfortunately, for that to happen both Dick Jaurom and Marv Levy will have to be fired. 

     The fact is the Bills defense will be a problem for many years to come.   Teams do not make the playoffs usually with poor defensive line play, unless you have Peyton Manning as your quarterback.  That is what we want as fans is a playoff game, and that is going to be a long wait for.

     The Buffalo Bills failed to even show up, mentally, for the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers today.  the one glaring thing coming out of this game is that it is the beginning of the end for Bills quarterback JP Losman and offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. 

     The fact being that Losman comment in his post game interview that his play was fine against the Steelers is down right mind blowing.  The fact is that it is the complete opposite, and that being awful.  Losman at times was very inaccurate throwing balls high that left wide receivers out to dry. 

     The more glaring thing to me is his blind faith in Fairchild’s play calling.  Not once did I see any body movements to make an audible.  The thing is that Fairchild’s play calling has been suspect at best.  However, for some reason Losman is just following Fairchild’s lead.

     Fairchild through 20 games has not once run a play action pass to my recolection.  Also, through the first two games Fairchild has also run just one halfback screen, and that was in garbage time.   That is mind blowing, considering the weapon that the have in Marshawn Lynch.   Lynch is the Bills second biggest threat in the offense. 

     The thing is the answer will not be quarterback Trent Edwards.  Edwards at this point would be horrible.  He would not even have control over audibles, and would be forced into a corner.  The best thing is to ride it out with Losman a couple more weeks, and see if Losman will still struggle.

     So, what to do now that they have a huge matchup against the New England Patriots this upcoming sunday.  Well for one thing they better get back to the drawing board when it comes to their game plan, becuase it stinks.  You better get with it Fairchild or uoi are going to have a bunch of angry fans on your hands.

     This offseason saw the Buffalo Bills spent millions of dollars on the offensive line.  With the Bills going to face the Pittsburgh Steelers the offensive line will surely be tested this week.

     The Steelers are the premire team when it comes to blitzing.  Defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau has the Steelers blitzing again on all cylinders.  One thing is for sure when it comes to the Steelers defense, and that is you better be very prepared to face their blitzes.

     The bigger question is will the new additions to the offensive line live up to the money spent on them.  After last weeks performance there is a lot to be desired from the offensive line.  They did okay last week, but mostly because of flawed game plan. 

      The actual key to the lines performance this sunday will be reliant on two things.  Them being the reading of the defense from center Melvin Fowler and quarterback JP Losman.  They are the two people that read the defense, and decipher what they are going to do.  If they fail then the offense as a whole will look like a joke.

      This wil be a key week in the careers of both players. This is the final exam for both players.  If they fail the offense will again have another performance like last week, but only much worst.  Last week the saving grace was the running game.

      However, the worst case scenario will be much worst than that.  Most likely if both Fowler and Losman fail the offense will likely not even gain 100 yards of total offense. 

     There is a bright side though.  The Steelers blitzing will actually fall into the hands of the offenses strengths.   That being the short quick throws that the offense likes.  Thanks in part to the run after the catch ability of wide receivers Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, and running back Marshawn Lynch.  So, look for a heathy dose of quick passes.

       This weeks match up is a very interesting one to watch.  Afterall the eyes of the world will be on the Bills after Kevin Everetts injury.  Now, is the time to shine, and step up and show the world what they are made of.

     Ralph Wilson for several years now has been passed over as a exceptional candidate to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.   With the revelations that have come about from the Kevin Everett saga there should be no doubt now that Wilson should be a lock in January for the Hall of Fame

    Lets face it Kevin Everett, and many future players will owe Wilson a lot when it comes to spinal cord injury treatment.  Wilson has donated millions to the Miami project that was started by Nick Buoniconti for his son Marc after he suffered an injury to his spinal cord also.

     The team of the Miami project and Ralph Wilson has revolutionized how football treats spinal cord injuries when they happen.  The Miami Project developed a cooling system that in theory, which if course is now proven, would help save nerves.  Along with Wilson giving the go ahead to make this standard procedure.  The theory is now going to be widely instituted for sure.

     Wilson has done many other things.  He saved the Oakland Raiders in the early days of the AFL.  Over saw the one of the greatest dynasties in National Football League history when the Buffalo Bills went to four straight Super Bowls, and has been a vocal voice in revenue sharing.

     Say what you want about Wilson when it comes to the team.  There are many things that you can say he has done wrong.  Like for one firing former general manager Bill Polian

     However, the one thing that you have to call him now is hero.  Afterall, Everett only owes everyday that he will be able to walk to him.  For if it was not for Wilson he would most likely be wheelchair bound for life. 

     Thank you Mr. Wilson you have finally given us hope.  Hope that no matter what the odds are if we keep fighting for a way to get this city turned around we can. 

     The defense coming into this season was already oon shaky ground.  Now, with three more key injuries to the defense how can they even stop an old lady from scoring a touchdown.

     Going into Pittsburgh was already going to be a tough task considering the weakest link in the Buffalo Bills defense being their ability to stop the run.  The performance of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlesburger last week gave the Bills something completely new to worry about.  That being an ariel attack.

    So, how will the Bills attack the offense of the Steelers?  Will they abandon their current defensive scheme?  Will the Bills come up with something new to counter the offense.

    So, what is the answer.  First, the Bills will need to use an aray of stunts like I said before.  Defensive tackle twists, defensive tackle and defensive end twists, and linebacker and defensive linemen twists.  Also, cornerback and saftey blitzes will help.  They cannot just sit back and ecpect to be able to implement their own defensive scheme.  The substitutes are not as fast as the original starters were, nor talented.

      The fact is that this upcoming game will dictate the rest of the season for the Bills.  A poor performance will guarantee in Bills fans minds that the season is a lost cause.  How can you blame them after what happen to Kevin Everett.  All we can do is cheer them on, and hope that our cheering will get them going.

     The Buffalo Bills were the first team to use the new type of surface that is making its way through the National Football Leaue.  The amount of foot, leg, and ankle injuries that have occured from this past weekend has prompted the NFL to look into possibly changing the type of foot wear used on the rubber surface, as reported on Pro Football Talk.com.

      The fact that the NFL is looking into this infuriates me.  I played high school football on grass.  Also, on a field that had to be totally redone due to the surface being on clay, which was allowing huge chunks of grass to be ripped up.  The fact is football is a game made to be played on grass.  Due to that we could not play on our home field, and our school secured UB’s old football field for our home games.

     You have to look no further for evidence than the Buffalo Bills themselves.  Coy Wire and Ko Simpson attained injuries to their knee and ankles respectively in their home opener against the Denver Broncos.  If I were in the Bills management I would keep my eye on this.    

The fact is football is made to be played on grass  No matter the type of turf that they create it will never come close to the real thing.  Also, turf is a real pain in the butt to play on.  When we played on astro turf after every play the referees stoped the game due to someone having to get taped up due to a cut.  Also, nothing compares to playing football in the mud thanks to a good rain or snow storm.

     The thing that disturbs me the most is that safety issues are already being brought up only after a couple of more years.   If questions are already being asked you can guarantee someone is going to come along with a study stating that the rubber field is just as dangerous as astro turf.

     So, what should the NFL do about the turf.  Right now there is nothing that they can do untill they do a comprehensive study on the matter.  If that is to take place then any action or decision on the matter will not come down till next offseason at the earliest.  So, for now all we can do is keep out eyes open.

     With the injury to Kevin Everett one can only wonder what the Bills will do.  They have only two options, either quit, and just go through the motions, or get back up and get right back at it.

     The Buffalo Bills are a young team, however the injury to Everett will either mold them into champions, or quitters.  We will find out who are the true team leaders are.  They are the ones that will realize that they can only control what happens on the field.  That and Everett would want them to go out and win ball games.

      I know what Everettt is going through myself.  I suffered two disc bulges in my back and neck, which I did not know of until after highschool.  On one play I got hit from behind, and my neck snapped back so fast that my body went numb for five seconds.  The most scariest five seconds of my life. 

      No matter what happens both the Bills, and Everett can turn this into a story book ending.  They can do that by getting back to work, and giving everything they got everydaqy in dedication to Everett.

      Do not get me wrong there will be those who do the opposite.  There will be those players who wallow in pity wondering why it was not them.  Some will question what they are doing out there.  In the end they are there, because they love the game.

      So, what will it be Bills wallow in pity, or saddle up and get right back on your horse.  The choice is yours to make.