So I'm seeing all the names that keep getting tossed out there as J.P. Losman's replacement as the Bills back-up quarterback, and one name that I'm seeing mentioned a lot is Patrick Ramsey. Some of you seem to think that he would make a pretty good back-up QB, over names like Batch, Kitna, Harrington, and Garcia. I am honestly curious about what Ramsey has done to warrent all this love. I posed the question to "Ben Salem" and this was his response:

You could probably put Ramsey in that Losman/Boller/Grossman group, but I don’t think Ramsey ever experienced a prolonged failed stint in the league that those three did. He’s had some really bad situations around him as a pro- Spurrier coming into Washington to run a college offense where he got the crap beat out of him, winning the starting job under Gibbs only to suffer a pretty serious injury on opening day, and basically not getting another chance again with the Redskins, Jets, or Broncos. He’s a smart guy with a plus arm. He’s not the ideal veteran backup I want, but if worst came to worst, he might be a decent longshot bet that could pay off nicely.

But that answer doesn't really do it for me. I mean Ben is the same guy who wanted to bring in a veteran 3rd string running back because he wasn't sure that Omon was a competent running back in the NFL. So let me get this right; you want to bring in a vet for a roster spot that might not ever even see the field, (as Omon failed to do this year) but you are willing to bet on a longshot for a position that almost certainly will see the field next year?

2002 - Ramsey played in 9 games starting 5 he had a 51.5% CP. He did throw 9 TDs but had 8 ints and 9 fumbles.

2003 - he started all 11 games that he played in with a 53.1% CP. He had 14 TDs but 9ints and another 8 fumbles.

2004 - 9 games and 7 starts saw an improved 62.1% CP, but 10 TDs with 11ints and another 6 fumbles.

2005 - 2008 he appeared in 8 games with only 1 start, with 2 TDs, 2 picks, and 5 fumbles.

The guy has serious ball security issues. He has 24 career starts and 30 picks and 28 fumbles for his career. with a 56% CP. That sounds like a bigger longshot than I would be comfortable with for a guy who is almost certain to play in 2009.

No Thanks.

 
Buffalo Bills (7-8) vs New England Patriots (10-5)
Sunday December 28, 2008; 1PM EST, Ralph Wilson Stadium

Do I really need to tell anyone that the Bills haven't beaten the New England Patriots in a really long time? This is the 98th meeting between these two teams and the Bills are a horrible 40-56-1 in those meetings, including a pathetic 1-15 in the last 16 games. The last time these two met the Patriots won 20-10 - a far cry from some of the humiliations that I will get to recap in a moment - but a loss nonetheless. Prior to this game I recapped the last 5 times the Bills lost in New England, if you are a masochist you can check that out here.

November 18, 2007: Patriots 56, Bills 10
Randy Moss and Tom Brady played catch all day long. Moss finished with 10 catches for 128 yards and 4 TDs. While the Bills were busy looking sad and pathetic all day the Pats decided to run out the game with the dynamic duo of Heath Evans and Kyle Eckel, who combined for 96 yards and a TD (Eckel's) on 20 caries. Brian's incredibly happy recap.

October 22, 2006: Patriots 28, Bills 6
New England didn't put up gaudy numbers in this one, but then the Bills didn't do themselves any favors either. 9 penalties and 3 turnovers told the story for Buffalo here. Ben Watson amassed 5 catches for 60 yards and a TD, and Corey Dillon carved out 47 yards an 14 carries and 2 TDs. Peerless Price had 5 grabs for 53 yards, and Willis McGahee rushed for 59 yards on 20 carries to "lead" the Bills.

December 11, 2005: Patriots 35, Bills 7
The Bills were down 35-0 before a J.P. Losman - to - Josh Reed 51 yard touchdown hook up salvaged a little respectability. J.P. had a great day (please note sarcasm); he was 10 of 27 for 181 yards, 51 of which came on that one play to Reed, and 3 picks. Losman was the Bills' leading rusher with a whopping 7 yards, which accounted for HALF of the Bills 14 rushing yards on the day. New England dominated time of possession with 41:59 to the Bills pitiful 18:01. Disgusting.

October 3, 2004: Patriots 31, Bills 17
Tied at 17 at the half, it was a battle of big plays, a 15 yard Corey Dillon TD run and a 30 Yard David Patten TD grab for the Pats, countered by a 98 yard kickoff return by Terrance McGee and a 41 yard Drew Bledsoe - to - Eric Moulds TD pass. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Tom Brady hit Daniel Graham early in the 4th to give the Pats the lead. With the Bills driving late, Richard Seymour picked up a fumble and rumbled 68 yards to ice it for the Patriots.

September 7, 2003: Bills 31, Patriots 0
This game is the only time the Bills have beat the Patriots in the last 8 years. The Bills defense dominated with 2 sacks and 4 picks, 1 by Sam Adams who rumbled 37 yards for a score. Travis Henry ran for 86 yards and scored twice. This was easily one of my favorite Bills games I have ever watched.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I really want this game. Not only do the Bills need to win at least 1 division game, but to beat the Pats when they are trying to get into the playoffs will be a great big punch to Bill Belichick's face.

 
Buffalo Bills (6-8) at Denver Broncos (8-6)
Sunday December 21, 2008; 4:05 PM EST

The Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos have met 34 times since 1960. Believe it or not, with this being the thirty-fifth meeting between these two franchises, this is only the 12th time the game has been in Denver. The Bills have a 18-15-1 record in those 34 games despite losing the last five meetings.

September 3, 1995: Broncos 22, Bills 7
Jason Elam opened the scoring with a 22-yard field goal. The Bills came right back with a 34-yard Jim Kelly-to-Andre Reed TD hook up. Elam then kicked 4 straight field goals before Denver capped off their scoring with a Terrell Davis 2-yard TD run. Hall of Famer John Elway had a big day with 346 total yards (317 passing, and 29 rushing); most of the passing yards went to Shannon Sharpe, who finished the day with 10 catches for 180 yards. Russell Copeland led the Bills with 6 grabs for 75 yards.

October 26, 1997: Broncos 23, Bills 20 (OT)
The Broncos scored the first 20 points of this game on the strength of 2 Elam field goals, a 9-yard Terrell Davis TD run and a (ready for this?) Keith Traylor 62 yard pick-six. That is not a typo. Nobody could run that big tub of guts down over 62 yards? Anyway, the Bills benched Todd Collins and turned the QB duties over to Alex Van Pelt. TD passes to Quinn Early and Andre Reed along with two Steve Christie field goals (one with 2 seconds left on the clock) sent the game into overtime. A 33-yard Jason Elam field goal with 1:56 left in OT won it for Denver.

September 22, 2002: Broncos 28, Bills 23
Another Bills/Broncos game and another fat Denver D-Lineman scores a TD. This time it was Chester McGlockton picking up a fumble and going 24 yards for the TD. Clinton Portis gained 103 yards and scored a TD on just 18 carries, and Brian Griese tossed 2 TD passes, one to Dwayne Carswell and one to Rod Smith. Drew Bledsoe had a nice game with 283 yards and 2 scores. Eric Moulds caught one of the TDs to go with his 9 catches for 96 yards.

December 17, 2005: Broncos 28, Bills 17
Willis McGahee opened the scoring and gave the Bills an early 7-0 lead with a 1-yard TD plunge. Jake Plummer then tossed two TDs, and after a Rian Lindell field goal, Mike Anderson ran for two more Denver scores to ice the game. Eric Moulds had another nice game, finishing with 9 grabs for 110.

September 9, 2007: Broncos 15, Bills 14
This game will forever be known to Bills fans as the Kevin Everett game. A Roscoe Parrish 74-yard punt return for a TD and a Marshawn Lynch 23-yard TD run accounted for the Bills' scoring. That Jason Elam guy killed the Bills yet again with 3 field goals, with the dagger coming as time expired to give the Broncos the win. Elam did miss 2 field goals; of course Lindell missed one, too.  Brian's unhappy recap.

This post will read like a Krytime style brain dump.

- I sent Brian a text message as I was leaving the meadowlands that read something like: "I've never felt more ashamed wearing a Bills jersey." I think I would have felt more comfortable wearing nothing but a thong while leaving that stadium.

- I've seen people post comments along this line of thinking and having checked it out for myself I will second it. Blake Costanzo is a monster on special teams. Just watching him on the coverage units was great. I recommend to anybody taking in a live game from here on out to watch him out there.

- Losman held the ball for an eternity, but he had the time to do it. Lost in this game is the fact that the Bills o-line looked pretty good. Jenkins was almost a non-factor and Marshawn and Freddie had a great day, Losman didn't get sacked nearly as many times as I thought he would, or even should have in this game.

- I was amazing Jets fans near me by correctly guessing the Bills plays with amazing accuracy, before they even broke the huddle. "Let's see it's 3rd and 3, I see 3 wide and J.P. in the shotgun, pass play." Whoa what do ya know, I was right.

- Not that long ago I saw Marshawn being called average. Watching him move the pile, take 2, 3, or even 4 guys to take him down, I think we can say that Marshawn is a special back. The last 5 weeks Lynch has run for 490 yards on 92 attempts. considering that one of those games was the Miami stinker, I would say that he is as good as advertised, if not better.

- Did J.P. throw a single pass longer than 10 yards down the field? He had tons of time and I saw Lee Evans open on most of those plays, but he always seemed to check the ball down. I thought that the one thing the J.P. brought to the table that Trent doesn't is a big arm, and the ability to throw it down the field.

- Furthering that last point, is a little more J.P. vs Hamdan debate. Hamdan is the more accurate of the two. when he won the NFL Europe MVP, he finished with a 63% completion percentage. Accuracy is his strength, J.P.'s strength is his ability to throw the ball down the field. if you aren't going to let Losman throw it long, wouldn't Hamdan then be a better fit for what the Bills are trying to do on offense? I think I said it before, if not I've certainly thought it before, This offense is designed for Trent Edwards,and what he can do as the QB when healthy. Hamdan is more like Trent then J.P. is. Wouldn't it then make sense to let Hamdan have a shot? Losman doesn't fit well into this offense and it shows. Hopfeully Trent is healthy next week and my argument is moot.

- Finally, I will simply call it "The Play". After it happened, I spent the next 2 hours in disbelief at what I just saw, and telling my uncle how stupid that play was, and how I couldn't fathom how it is that the Bills could think that it was smart to throw a pass there. Eventually I think that he had enough and he looked over at me and said, "Well you know that hindsight is 20/20." And you know what? He is 100% correct. If the Bills complete that pass, the game is all but over. It's easy to kill the coaching staff because we know what the outcome of that play was. But I can see the logic in calling for a pass there.

 That said I would have run Lynch right down the Jets throats. They had yet to prove that they could stop him, and I would have given them two more chances to prove that they could. It's like we scream for Turk and Dick to be more aggressive, and they choose the worst possible time to do it.

 
Buffalo Bills (6-7) vs New York Jets (8-5)
Sunday December 14, 2008 1PM EST
New Jersey, Meadowlands

In a luck changing attempt, I will personally attend this game. That's right - when the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets this week I will walk straight into the lion's den, holding my nose the entire time, (anybody who has been to the Meadowlands knows about the smell to which I refer), all in an attempt to change the luck for this team. Side Note: If it works I will gladly take any tickets for remaining games that you guys will send my way. I'll make that sacrifice for the team. If any of you fine Bills fans are at this game and pass by section 338, row 1 and want to visit for a bit, I will gladly throw my uncle out of his chair so we can sit and chat for a time. He's a Jets fan anyway.

Back on October 29th I recapped the last three years worth of Bills/Jets games. Link is here.

November 2, 2008: Jets 26, Bills 17
The Bills were up 7-6 early on the strength of a Trent Edwards to Derek Fine TD and were on their way to yet another score when Trent felt the heat from Kris Jenkins (a popular theme that day) and threw an errant pass that was picked off by Abram Elam and returned 92 yards for a score. The Jets never looked back. Brett Favre did his best to keep the Bills in the game with a pick-6 of his own, with Jabari Greer doing the honors on a 42 yard TD. Kris Jenkins absolutely manhandled the Bills' interior linemen and almost single-handedly kept the Bills to a pathetic 30 yards rushing on the day. The Bills' tigh tends had a nice day with Fine finishing with 4 catches for 43 yards and the aforementioned score, and Robert Royal collecting 5 catches for 70 yards. Brian's very unhappy recap.

The Bills are out of the playoffs again, but they absolutely have to win this game. Going 0-6 in the division is totally unacceptable; they have to win at least one division game, and I don't like the chances of them having to beat Bill Belichek in order to do that. C'mon Bills, win this one! Regain some respect and show some damn pride!

I think I can see where the rest of this year is going, and hence I see where the conversation over the next few months will be headed as well. I'm posting this to let everyone know what side of the fence I'm on and why.

First let me say this; As I said I know where the popular opinion is, and I don't blame anyone for feeling the way they do. The last two seasons were tough, but after starting 5-1, and with the cupcake schedule in front of us, this season has been even more difficult than the last two. Quite simply the Bills crapped the bed here, and this off-season is going to be insanly long and brutal., knowing that the division was ours for the taking, and instead we get a last place finish.

All right, to my points:

1- Trent is the QB of this team. The Bills would be wise to get their hands on a good vet back-up, but please, please, please, if a vet is brought in, let him be either head and shoulders better then Trent, or vise versa. The last thing I want is another QB controversy. I'm personally planting myself directly behind Trent. I know he has had some ups and downs, but I firmly believe that most young QBs will go through their rough spots, and bringing in someone to compete with Trent will only stunt his growth. As far as I'm concerned, I've seen enough of Trent to count on him being the man next year. QB controversies have done a ton of damage to this franchise over the last decade or so and it's time to stop the vicious cycle and get behind one guy. I've made my choice.

2- Dick Jauron is the head coach in 2009. I know that this will be the biggest bone of contention, and I can't argue with any of your points. Dick Jauron has had 3 below average seasons in a row, his teams aren't ready to play, ect, ect, ect...The one and only reason I want him to stay is continuity. Just like I am tired of QB controversies, I'm tired of the coaching carrousel here in Buffalo. Wade Phillips - Gregg Williams - Mike Mularkey - Dick Jauron,...Make it stop! If you can tell me that the Bills can get their hands on a Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, or Steve Spagnolo, I would say, "Great, fire D.J. and hire one of those guys."

Here is the road block, $$$$MONEY$$$$ and lots of it. Dick Jauron just got handed a 3 year contract extension, that means that not only would Ralph Wilson, (a man who most claim is as cheap as Montgomery Burns) have to pay out the boat load of cash to get his hands on one of those guys, but he would still be paying Dick Jauron his salary. The point is, that if only for financial reasons, Ralph gives Jauron another year, and I'm O.K. with it because I want to see some stability.

As I said, you can fire all of the same old reasons that I've heard plenty of times already about why Jauron needs to go. I can't and won't argue them, but I also think that you should be ready to see Dick Jauron on the sidelines for another season.

I've said my peace, and I don't expect many of you to get behind me. I just thought that I should get it out of the way now.

This is going to be a long off season.

O.K. fellas, everyone is a little on edge (not that I blame anyone), so I'm doing something to get all of our minds on something a little different. This is what I've seen refered to as a "community building exercise." Here is how it works: just cut and paste the list into your response, delete my answers and replace them with your own.

Age: 30

Favorite movie: Has to be The Big Lebowski

Favorite cartoon growing up: G.I. Joe (Now you know, and knowing is half the battle)

Last book you read: Pool of Radiance, (Forgotten Realms,SciFi novel) I hope that this won't be the nerdiest thing on this list.

News flash: Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron is not a popular man these days.  A 1-5 record in six games will do that for you.  Moving on.

The question I'm looking to answer here is this: Is the fact that Dick Jauron chooses not to show a lot of emotion - either on the sidelines or at press conferences - a good thing or a bad thing? I say "chooses" because I have no doubt that he gets mad and frustrated after a loss like the one the Bills suffered this past Sunday at the hands of the 49ers. If Jauron has even a shred of competitive fire and/or pride in what he does, and I have no doubt that he does, he gets pretty furious after a game like that. So the question is; Why does he choose not to display it publicly, and why is this behavior such a big deal to Bills fans?

The "Bill Cowher spittle" syndrome
After a loss, Jauron could throw chairs, scream and swear, or in short, he could hold a press conference like Jim Mora or Dennis Green. He could even drop his pants in the locker room and treat his players like little children the way that Mike Singletary did. Instead, Jauron doesn't do any of that.  He appears calm, cool and generally unfazed, much to the dismay of a good portion of the fan base. What would happen if he did blow a gasket like those others? Well for starters, he would no doubt end up on ESPN, and you can probably count on seeing a Coors Light commercial spoofing the event, but would any real good come of it? I say no.  (But those commercials might be sweet.)

I would rather see my head coach act cool and calm under pressure. I want my coach to take a loss like last Sunday's and learn from it, study it and show the players and assistant coaches where the problems lie and how they need to be fixed. I don't believe it is the coach's job to get the player fired up, or to embarrass them in front of the media and fans. It's the coach's job to get the team prepared to play winning football every Sunday. If you want to complain about Dick Jauron, his lack of results should be the target - not his "lack of emotion".

A reflection of the fan
As a Mets fan, I've heard this story before with former skipper Willie Randolph. If a player strikes out in a big spot, or a pitcher gives up a hit in a key spot, what good does it do to yell and throw things? It's the same situation here. If Robert Royal fumbles in a key spot, we would all love to see him come to the sideline only to be greeted by a punch to the face from Dick Jauron. But that's just it: it's what we would want to do.

Most fans after a tough loss get mad - real mad - and they want to see the players and coach of their team act just like they feel. How many of you get miffed when you see Bills players hugging and laughing opponents after a loss? Why do you get upset about this? Because you want to see some frustration and anger on their faces as a reflection of your own emotions. Fans want to see Jauron get mad and throw things and pound his fist into the podium because that is how they feel. Honestly, I don't feel that way. I prefer that my head coach remain calm, like any good leader, and try to right the ship rather than mirror my emotions. But then that is just me.

  
Buffalo Bills (6-6) vs Miami Dolphins (7-5)
Sunday December 7, 2008 4:05 PM EST
Rogers Centre - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Hey Bills fans, are you ready for some good news? Well when the Bills take on the Miami Dolphins this Sunday, they will be doing so in the Rogers Centre, a place where the Bills are currently UNDEFEATED. That's right Bills fans, the Bills have never lost when playing a game in the Rogers Centre. I know what you are all saying: "That was a pre-season game and the Steelers took out all of their offensive starters after two series." You're right that was a pre-season game, and yes, the Steelers did take out all of their good players early, but that doesn't change the fact that the Bills have never tasted defeat in Toronto. So let's keep that mojo working. If the Bills have been eliminated from the playoffs, I want to take the AFC East opponents with us, and that starts with the Fish this Sunday.

On October 22 I recapped the last 3 years worth of Bills vs Dolphins match-ups. If you are interested in checking that out again, here it is.

October 26, 2008: Dolphins 25, Bills 16
After Anthony Fasano caught a 2-yard TD pass from Chad Pennington to put the Fish up 7-0 early, the Bills come roaring back, paced by 3 Rian Lindell field goals (try not to laugh in disgust) and a 8-yard Marshawn Lynch TD run, putting the Bills on top 16-7 early in the third quarter. The Dolphins then scored 18 unanswered points. 3 Dan Carpenter field goals, a safety by the Dolphin defense, and a 3-yard Ricky Williams TD run accounted for the Dolphin scoring. Sloppy play in the form of fumbles and an interception ended any chance the Bills had of making a comeback. Lee Evans had a nice game for the Bills, with 7 catches for 116 yards, but Ted Ginn had a better day.  Brian's unhappy recap.

August 14, 2008: Bills 24, Steelers 21 (pre-season)
The first ever Bills in Toronto game deserves a little love here as well. Robert Royal had two TD catches less then 5 minutes apart, and Leodis McKelvin returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD to give the Bills the win in a game which they dominated. Two big plays - a 40-yard TD toss from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes, and a 47 yard TD run by Dennis Dixon - kept the Steelers close.  Brian's very happy recap.

I know that everyone is down and that the playoffs are all but gone, but let's see the Bills salvage some pride and head up to Toronto and stomp the Fish.

 
Buffalo Bills (6-5) vs San Francisco 49ers (3-8)
Sunday November 30, 2008 - 1PM EST

A Buffalo Bills versus San Francisco 49ers game is a pretty rare occurrence. "Berman Bowls", as they are sometimes called, have only happened nine times ever. Six of the nine games have taken place in San Francisco, and the Bills hold a 5-4 edge in the all time series.

September 13, 1992: Bills 34, 49ers 31
This game was an offensive explosion. Steve Young passed for 449 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Niners wideouts Mike Sherrard (6-159) and John Taylor (5-112, 2 TD) also had huge days. Jim Kelly countered with 403 yards and 3 TD of his own. Pete Metzelaars had 4 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD, and Andre Reed added10 catches for 144 yards.  It was Thurman Thomas' second touchdown of the game (this one coming late in the fourth quarter), however, that was the difference.

December 3, 1995: 49ers 27, Bills 17
After Jeff Wilkins hit a 20-yard field goal to tie the game at 10 all, the Bills drove the length of the field and were about to go in for the go ahead score, but a fumble (I'm not sure by who) gets picked up by Evander Holyfield clone Lee Woodall and returned 96 yards for a TD, and the Niners never looked back. Five turnovers didn't help the Bills get back into the game. Justin Armour and Steve Tasker had TD catches in the loss.

October 4, 1998: Bills 26, 49ers 21
Another Niners game and another 300-plus yard, 3 TD performance by Steve Young (man that guy was good). This time, however, the Bills had the Niners shut out until the fourth quarter, and a 23-point lead thanks to three Steve Christie field goals, an Antowain Smith TD run and a Quinn Early TD pass from Rob Johnson. San Fran came roaring back with 3 scores in the final quarter, but their rally fell short in the end. Some cocky young WR named Terrell Owens had 4 catches for 69 yards for the Niners in this one.

December 2, 2001: 49ers 35, Bills 0
I painfully remember much of this game pretty well. It was a Sunday night game - the Bills' only prime time game that year - during that wonderful 3-13 season.  Alex Van Pelt started for the injured Rob Johnson (big shock there) and tossed 4 picks.  Garrison Hearst ran for 124 yards and a TD, and Jeff Garcia added 189 yards through the air and hooked up with TO for a touchdown. Shayne Graham even missed a FG for the Bills - that's how bad it got.

December 26, 2004: Bills 41, 49ers 7
Willis McGahee (15-102, TD) and Shaud Williams (17-93, TD) ran wild on the Niners defense.  Meanwhile, the 49ers QB duo of Cody Pickett and Ken Dorsey combined for a whopping 91 passing yards and 3 picks, and the Bills defense sacked them 3 times. Rookie Lee Evans had a nice day with 8 catches for 92 yards and 2 scores; he also added 21 yards on a reverse.