Stupid Bills.

What in the world are we supposed to do with that? I really mean that question.

Ugh...

-- The first place I'd like to start is Roscoe Parrish. Now, I absolutely admire his positivity before that final punt return, bobbing his head to and fro, enjoying the music that announced the arrival of the football in his hands.

Now me, if I were him, I'd be thinking about the touchdown I dropped. You know, the one that would have tied the game, and not made math your most important ally for all of December.

-- I like Fred Jackson. Great guy, I mean it, but if it's 3rd and short, and the best running back on your team has gashed a defense for over 130 yards, give him the football. Please. I totally understand that Derrick Dockery and Jason Peters decided to block the same guy on the play, but still, give it to Lynch, and if he doesn't get it, give it to him on fourth down.

Disagree? Jackson averaged 1.6 yards-per-carry, Lynch had 8.4. Even without the 50-yard run, Lynch would've averaged over five yards per carry.

-- Ron Pitts is the worst play-by-play announcer in the NFL. Tony Boselli, on the contrary, is a pretty good color guy.

-- I don't think it's too much to assume that the defense has had enough of the offense's shenanigans. Your defensive ends got you three sacks, allowed ten points, and gave up a paltry 52 meaningful yards in the second half. The opponent was San Francisco, and your quarterbacks need to be able to come up with 10 points in 60 minutes.

-- Between Trent Edwards and Jack Losman, the Bills were 21-of-37 for 205 yards and three sacks. Sometimes numbers don't tell the story, as inaccuracy plagued Edwards and indecision punished Losman.

When Losman's sent packing after this year, you'll need a veteran back-up, and you'll also need to pick up another quarterback, whether on Day One or Day Two of the draft is your call.

-- The major difference between Edwards and Losman today was that Losman was sacked on plays that Edwards would've dumped it to his running back or tight end. How do you get this far in your career without knowing the rush is coming.

-- That said, Parrish dropped a touchdown. Did I mention that?

-- My golly, what happened to Rian Lindell? I know the weather was awful, and has been awful, but his performance was inexcusable.

-- This team needs to practice outside, and if they do, then they need to practice outside more. When you have elite, effective athletes like Leodis McKelvin and Marcus Stroud saying, "It's going to be a cold one and we'll have to stay warm," (I'm paraphrasing), it's time to change your routine. You're a cold weather team, play cold weather football.

-- Patrick Willis is really good at playing tackle football.

-- Six penalties is too many.

-- Between you and I, it's going to make me sick to listen to all the "We just have to go out and win the rest of our games and hope for the best" comments for another year. I went to college for this.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Lynch, 16 carries, 134 yards, TD
-- He's really good at football, too.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Lynch, 16 carries.
-- Don't overthink it. Just give him the ball.

Game ball:
Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay, 10 tackles, three sacks
-- Can't put it on the defense this week.

Lastly...
Nice home game, team. Stupid.

Next week:
Don't call it a home game. Bills 20, Miami 17 in Toronto, Ont., Canada, North America, Western Hemisphere, Earth, Milky Way, Universe.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

(WGR 550) --You'd think experts would know what they're talking about.

Despite ESPN bowl projections that currently have UB travelling to either Hawaii or Las Vegas for a bowl date due to weak power conferences, it is simply untrue, according to a school official.

Now that Buffalo has won the MAC East Division, they can only appear in one of its conference's three bowl tie-ins. So, here are the three dates to keep open, if you're trying to keep your travel schedule open (courtesy of NCAA.org):

Dec. 26, 2008 - Motor City Bowl (Detroit, Mich.) -- MAC vs. Big Ten (7:30 p.m. kick-off, ESPN)

Jan. 3, 2009 - International Bowl (Toronto, Ont., Canada) -- MAC vs. Big East (Noon kick-off, ESPN2)

Jan. 6, 2009 - GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) -- MAC vs. Conference USA (8 p.m. kick-off, ESPN)

On the opinion side, Toronto makes sense to me and several extremely knowledgable folks I've spoken with regarding the college bowl system. Not only is the Buffalo to Toronto commute the shortest of the Mid American Conference teams, but it has long-been whispered that the International Bowl would love to have an invasion by the Buffalo market.

In case you're wondering what match-ups these bowls held in the past, here's a five-year refresher:

Motor City Bowl:
2007- Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48 (MVP- Curtis Painter, Purdue)
2006- Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee 14 (MVP- Dan LeFevour, Central)
2005- Memphis 38, Akron 31 (MVP- DeAngelo Williams, Memphis)
2004- UConn 39, Toledo 10 (MVP- Dan Orlovsky, UConn)
2003- Bowling Green 28, Northwestern 24 (MVPs- Josh Harris, BG/Jason Wright, N'western)

International Bowl:
2008- Rutgers 52, Ball State 30 (MVP- Ray Rice, Rutgers)
2007- Cincinnati 27, Western Michigan 24 (MVP- Dominick Goodman, Cincinnati)

GMAC Bowl:
2008- Tulsa 63, Bowling Green 7 (MVP- Paul Smith, Tulsa)
2007- Southern Miss 28, Ohio 7 (MVP- Damion Fletcher, SMU)
2005- Toledo 45, UTEP 13 (MVP- Bruce Gradkowski, Toledo)
2004- Bowling Green 52, Memphis 35 (MVP- Omar Jacobs, BG)
2003- Miami (OH) 49, Louisville 28 (MVP- Ben Roethlisberger, Miami)

The Bulls have two games remaining before bowl season, closing out the regular season at UB Stadium against Kent State. It's an afternoon contest on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving. The MAC Championship game will be against either No. 15 Ball State (11-0, 7-0 MAC), Central Michigan (8-3, 6-1 MAC) or Western Michigan (9-2, 6-1 MAC).

In terms of the Motor City Bowl, the Big Ten currently has seven bowl-eligible teams, with Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota the current unranked teams. No. 22 Michigan State would be an intriguing option at 9-3 and at least one of the MAC Michigan schools available.

Bowl-eligible teams from the Big East include Rutgers, Pitt, UConn and South Florida, and would-be potential dates for an International Bowl dance. In an extremely-intriguing option, Notre Dame is often considered a Big East team if they do not qualify for a BCS spot.

Finally, bowl-eligible teams from Conference USA are currently East Carolina, Tulsa, Houston and Rice. Teams that can become eligible with a win in the final week of their season are Southern Miss, Memphis and UTEP.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Welcome to the 2008 MLS Cup running diary. Just kidding (although I am watching the Columbus and New York while I type this in preparation for my 6:30 p.m. "Final Whistle" show on WGR).

So, I don't know about you, but I needed that. Forget the running game, the defense and the special teams, I needed to see Trent Edwards knuckle up and play with some gumption, and did he ever.

Bills 54, Chiefs 31. Let's go (Buffalo)...

-- Was anyone else freaking out when Edwards missed Robert Royal on a picture-perfect-wide-open-play-action-of-all-things-surefire-touchdown pass attempt? Sweet Losman's Uncle, that was terrible.

Luckily, redemption came in buckets for the Stanford kid, who was 24-of-32 for 273 yards and four touchdowns (two passing, two running). More important to my confidence than his tosses to Josh Reed and Derek Schouman were the rushing scores. If this season was Edwards' life, than this game was his puberty. He took a whole sackful of courage into the end zone with him.

-- I don't want to look too far into the future, but the only good thing about this season eventually ending -- unless it ends with the Upersay Owlbay Ampionshipchay -- will be knowing Edwards' noggin will get a month or two off. I swear, every single time he gets hit I start getting Tim Connolly and Brett Lindros replays dancing through my
head.

-- Also, Trent, learn to slide.

-- I really want to rip on the defense, but the team was a plus-five on the day in turnovers. I guess that's what you have to deal with as a fan if Perry Fewell's defense is going to take more chances with the blitz.

-- I said all week, most prominently on Sportstalk Saturday with Corey Griswold, that the Bills were going to be looking at 7-5 going into the last four games of the season, but I certainly didn't see win No. 6 coming quite this emphatically.

-- The thing I've loved about Lee Evans since Day One is the humility he has when he plays the game well. Sure, he'll bob his head after a catch or a touchdown, but while Edwards, Lynch and company were giddy on the bench in the waning moments, Evans was just sitting there, looking straight ahead. Unless they were making fun of his mom, nice to see that composure from the captain.

-- Edwards loves Reed, and Reed is a tough man.

-- "Beast Mode," indeed. I love watching Marshawn Lynch run so much more when his line decides that blocking is part of its job description. Twenty carries should be a must, and his 79 yards round up to 4.0 per carry. Fred Jackson packed in a 24-yard run to make his nine for 56 looks explosive enough, and Edwards carried six times for 38 yards. That's a remarkable net of 171 yards, and 357 combined in two games after looking dead for several weeks.

-- Speaking of "Beast Mode," the microphone picked up some vintage, "punky" trash talk from Lynch after converting for a first down. Early in the third quarter, Lynch was right near the refs' mic when he
blurted out, "That's what I'm talking about. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah." I know I laughed.

-- A huge high-five for Duke Preston, who showed something we haven't seen out of a Bills lineman in a while, standing up for Lynch after a questionably-dubious hit from Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard.

-- That moment was also scary for Bills fans, as Lynch ended up on the bench, favoring his shoulder.

-- Not one Bills tackle was assisted on, according to Yahoo! Sports, and no Bill had more than four takedowns. Keith Ellison, Blake Costanzo and Terrence McGee has three.

-- Exactly what was McGee doing on that play where he didn't bother to defend Dwayne Bowe because he was busy assuming offensive pass interference was about to be called? That, and Jackson catching the kickoff that was headed out-of-bounds, was the epitome of bad silly stuff. Poor form, fellas.

-- Really good to see Schouman with a nice three-catch, 25-yards and a touchdown game. He's been through a ton since being drafted out of Boise State, including foot problems and constant position changes. He's a quiet, hard-working player who's always cordial in the locker room. Plus, terrific beard.

-- Marcus Stroud is not only large, he is good at football. He only gets credit for a tackle, pass defended and fumble recovery, but Stroud is such a difference maker in the middle of that line.

-- Three sacks? In one game? Buffalo is allowed to do that?

-- Lynch's 42 catches are one-shy of the most for a Bills' back since Larry Centers and Travis Henry each caught 43 in 2002. Edwards will have to check-down-his-brains-out to get Lynch near's Centers' 80 grabs (2001) or Thurman Thomas' 62 (1991).

P.S. Isn't it weird that Thomas never caught more than 62 balls in a year?

-- Kawika Mitchell had a weird game, often in a place to do something nice, but never quite achieving his goal. Just one tackle, and he did a standing push-up on Tyler Thigpen in the end zone, apparently fooled that Thigpen had thrown the ball.

-- Ryan Denney impressed me again, even if I wish he was still a very-good third defensive end. He plays tough each week.

-- How about those Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks? After Donovan McNabb goes 8-of-18 with two sacks and two picks for a quarterback rating of 13.2, Kevin Kolb comes on and shows him up with two picks of his own and a 13.2 rating. Yikes, and the Bills could've used the Eagles taking advantage of a Baltimore team that left the game there for the taking for most of the first half (at least it seemed).

Stat line I enjoyed:
Rian Lindell, 4-for-4 field goals, 6-for-6 extra points, 18 points.
-- No one liked seeing his forlorn face after the Cleveland miss, and the quiet, consistent kicker deserved a nice rebound.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Tony Gonzalez, 10 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD
-- First of all, I have a Buffalo complex, and he may or may not have nixed any trade ideas to Buffalo. Nice team, Gonzo. Second of all, Buffalo has struggled with tight ends for as long as I can remember, and I have Dustin Keller and Ben Watson-sized fears the rest of the way.

Game ball:
Leodis McKelvin
--Two tackles, two interceptions, 64 INT return yards, 1 TD
--Two kick returns, 67 yards, long of 46

I wish I had the phone numbers or emails of every "Leodis McKelvin is a bust 10 weeks into his career" person. Would've been nice to see him corral that interception late against Cleveland.

Lastly...
In the words of Benjamin Orr, bassist for The Cars, this game was just what I needed (Ric Ocasek doesn't sing on the track. True story). The defense needs to be much better, but Sunday felt pretty good. Also, I hope Herm Edwards is cut some slack. Twenty-three new players since the season's inception is an eerie reminder of last year's Bills struggles.

Next week:
They win against visiting San Francisco. I'm standing by my 7-5 call, and if there's a big, emotionless let-down at home, then everyone should be fired. Bills keep the playoff hopes alive by beating the 49ers, 29-17.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Occasionally, I'll lead off a blog with something other than sports, and today is one of those days. It has to be, if I'm going to use this space to ruin my friendship with one of my favorite co-workers. Here goes:

Dear Bulldog,

I've waited a long time to write this, in large part because you responded to my initial text about it with "I hate you," "Go to hell," or something about eyeballs and wood chippers, but it can wait no longer.

I love "Sons of Anarchy."

Now, I understand why you'd take issue with one of your friends enjoying a show about motorcycle gangs that reinforces terrible stereotypes about motorcyclists ("riders?"), but last time I checked, you watched "The Sopranos," and my last name ends in a vowel.

Truth is, I'll watch anything with Charlie Hunnam, who plays "Sons' " protagonist Jackson "Jax" Teller. He's been in three movies I really enjoyed ("Green Street Hooligans," "Children of Men" and "Cold Mountain"), and was born in Newcastle, England, so -- being British and all -- he probably knows something about my Newcastle United FC Magpies (Edit note: His wikipedia page claims he has "no real interest" in soccer). Thusly, we can add him to my "pretend friends" list alongside Bill Murray, Jim Cramer, Bruce Springsteen and Brooks Orpik. We're a fun group. Saw Johnny Cash in concert last week. Bruce got us backstage. It was awesome.

I started watching "Sons of Anarchy" on a lark (the slang form of the phrase, not on an actual bird). It was mindless "brotherhood" nonsense with useless profanity, violence and PG-13 nudity. By all accounts, you would've told me, "You're better than this," and been correct about it.

However, the show has evolved into somewhat legitimate plot lines involving characters I actually care about, and things actually happen on the show from week-to-week. After the first three "getting to know these supposed badasses" show, there's been one down episode since, and in that episode a woman hit her husband's adulteress in the face with a skateboard. There are likeable rag-tag misfits. There's a cool Irish guy.

And, of course, there are downsides. The show is definitely not for kids. There are characters who are legitimately annoying. I'm not wild about the way it treats religion (Anarchy. Who knew?). Plus, are we really to believe there are small-town-sheriffs in this world who think illegal gun-running will keep their streets safe by way of vigilante justice in other counties?

In the interest of full disclosure, I now watch several unrealistic serial shows after spending all of college only watching sports, news and music on TV. I'm excited for "Lost" to return, and am seeing through "Prison Break," despite the fact that it is undeniably the worst television show aimed at the male demographic in the history of mankind. I also like boxing.

Is "Sons of Anarchy" closer to "Prison Break" than "Lost"? Maybe. Does my wife go sleep when I watch "crap like this"? Absolutely. Are dudes with huge beards getting into bar brawls every other week better than doing it myself? I hope so.

Highest regards,
Nick

================

The Sabres have four "plus" players this year, one of whom has only played six games, and has a musculoskeletal injury (which essentially means, "Somewhere in his body is hurt." This description is taking "upper" and "lower" body to a new level. It's just "body." His body is hurt. Awesome).

Toni Lydman -- yes, that Toni Lydman -- is pacing the team with a plus-4. Jason Pominville, Daniel Paille and Connolly are plus-1. Everyone else is even or worse.

So is it defense or goaltending that is letting them down. Ruff preaches "the system," and it's hard not to again fault the forwards backchecking, which is a similar sentiment to last season's struggles. Sure, there are examples of defensive lapses, when Henrik Tallinder fed Blake Wheeler with a sweet outlet pass that ended up behind a bewildered and out-of-position Ryan Miller, but this is most similar to catching the fire just after ignition. You're fighting a losing battle.

In terms of players like Derek Roy, who has been criticized by Lindy Ruff for his defensive zone lapses, this could go far back as his mentor, Daniel Briere, who was often passenger in his own zone and on the backcheck. Think I'm reaching? Briere is a minus-25 since leaving Buffalo despite averaging almost a point-per-game. Think John Stevens' system is as responsible as Ruff's?

There's a reason a classy cat like Briere isn't wearing a letter on his jersey in Philadelphia, while Simon Gagne (plus-8) and 23-year-old Mike Richards (plus-6) are. The two forwards are Nos. 1 and 2 on the Flyers in plus/minus.

===============

A lot of laudatory comments will be given to Niagara for sticking with No. 23 Villanova on ESPNU last night, but the truth is that the Purple Eagles had a right to be in that game. Head coach Joe Mihalich has continually recruited high schoolers and transfers alike and, without a sloppy start, would've given the Wildcats a much better run down in Philadelphia.

'Nova is certainly talented, but Niagara was able to get some of the top Wildcats to foul out. If only ESPN decided to put an announcing team on board that didn't include a 'Nova alum, you might've heard more about Rob Garrison and company instead of inane blather about how cool it is to "come down the tunnel as a Wildcat." Fantastic.

==============

What else needs to be said about MAC football after last night's thriller between Central Michigan and No. 14 Ball State (besides the fact that those gold jerseys the Chippewas wore were appallingly sharp)?

Ball State quarterback Nate Davis had a disappointing day (12-of-22, 175 yards) and still tossed four touchdowns. Should UB win Friday night at Bowling Green, a tall task indeed, the Bulls will have a heck of a test in the MAC Championship, assuming the Cardinals can hold off Western Michigan at Ball State next week.

It's a fun time to be a local college sports fan. If only the professionals would follow suit.

=============

Quick United States soccer update: Freddy Adu's first international goal, scored on a beautiful free kick, paced the US past Guatemala, 2-0, in a game where the Yanks used mostly back-ups. Jozy Altidore was the real deal, and hopefully Kenny Cooper's goal and all-around play convince Bob Bradley that MLS players can contribute more on the national team level. Then again, he uses Brian Ching like it's his job -- which it is -- so the criticism is a mite unwarranted.

=============

And I think I'm going to make this my new tagline, sing the anthem.

=============

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Last Spring, during the playoffs, I found myself mentioning players that I've "loved all year," and feeling like a chump because I don't know if I mentioned them in a column. So, I decided that every 15 games or so, I'm going to make an All-Opponents team for the Sabres.

For the most part, these won't include your Dany Heatleys or Evgeni Malkins (although he has the "hardest to knock off the puck" distinction now that Jaromir Jagr is playing in Russia. These are guys I'll be hoping the Sabres trade for at some point.

Opponent talent pool (10/10/08 - 11/17/08): Montreal, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Vancouver, Atlanta, Boston, Minnesota, Colorado, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Washington, New Jersey, St. Louis, Columbus, Pittsburgh

C- Travis Zajac, New Jersey- His hairline is the only thing that's wrong with him. Zajac, besides having a fantastic name, is having a return to solid-all-around form after a minus-11 campaign in 2007-08.

In 17 games, he has two goals and 11 assists for a plus-8. He actually made quite the gaffe against Buffalo for a minus-1, but the Devils are counting on him for 20-plus minutes of ice time a night. With Martin Brodeur out for a while, Zajac and Zach Parise will have to keep the Z's in New Jersey's system.

Clear-cut second place:

Patrik Berglund of St. Louis. I didn't select him because I couldn't tell if he made David Perron better or vice versa during their 4-3 loss to Buffalo at HSBC Arena.


LW- Milan Lucic, Boston- Though he only tallied an assist in the two games versus Buffalo, he was a human wrecking ball, and it's terrifying how smartly he uses his body at age 20. At 6'4", 220 pounds, I detailed my enjoyment of his play more, with video examples, on Monday:

"Being in Boston for last Saturday's Bruins/Sabres game helped me to realize two things. One, the Sabres need another big guy to be a top-tier, whether it be a more-offensively-productive Paul Gaustad or a new face. Two, the Bruins have an outstanding physical team, and I would trade most assets to get Milan Lucic. Boston's big man is a beast, and he scares me. Like Donte Whitner combined with a monster. Watch this fight (Every fight should look like this). Watch this hit (He leaves his feet and I don't much care). Watch him go to the net. And helpers, too."


RW- Blake Wheeler, Boston- Despite the fact that he turned down the option to wear No. 18 on his "sweater," which would have enabled a legion of "18 Wheeler" groups in Beantown, I like Wheeler as a future second-line American Olympian.

In 18 games, Wheeler has six goals and two assists to go with 10 PIM and a game-winner. He's been smart with his shots on goal, scoring 25 percent of the time.

He didn't do much against Buffalo box-score-wise, but the Minnesota-native did change his number to 26 because of admiration for Thomas Vanek during the Sabre's time as a Golden Gopher in Minneapolis.


D- Marc Methot, Columbus -- Methot looms so large on the ice that it's hard to take your eyes off of him. Some of his hits were so thunderous, and well-positioned, that I wondered if the Blue Jackets had acquired Eric Brewer. At age 23, the 6'3", 225-pound Methot has a lot of time to learn, but has posted three goals and two assists, with the confidence to put 21 shots on net in 13 games.

Against Buffalo, he registered a plus-1 rating to go with 16:57 in ice time.


D- Marc Staal, New York Rangers -- It pains me to say nice things about a Ranger, but Staal family intelligence is alive and well within Marc, sans any Minnesotan legal issues.

The Thunder Bay, Ont., native is very big, and uses his body very well, not like Methot, but like Henrik Tallinder when he was having his most productive defensive days in Buffalo. Staal uses his stick very well, and doesn't turn 21 until January of 2009.

No numbers against Buffalo short of 19:39 of ice time, but Marc is one Staal who won't show up on the stat sheet that often, and that's how you know he was good. He also fought Jamal Mayers of Toronto, which takes some gumption.

Honorable mention to:

Johnny Oduya of New Jersey, doing Sweden proud.

G- No goalie. Most nights you see the starter. Plus if there's no goalie, the Sabres would score more.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

Less than a month ago, I wrote about how much I liked Trent Edwards, and yes, it was after Adrian Wilson took his head off. In fact, it was after the Bills beat San Diego to move to 5-1. The day was Oct. 20, 2008, and you can read what I wrote here if you'd like a refresher.

Since then, Trent Edwards has played like a pile of hot garbage, and that happens in football. Maybe it doesn't happen for a month, but it happens. So it's time to pose the same question: "How Good is This Guy?"

Call it Volume II.

In four games, all losses, Edwards has been a mess, with only completion percentage to hang his hat on, and even that number isn't a lot of fun. Those last four weeks, has a quarterback rating of just 61.7, completing 74-of-119 passes (62.2%) for 784 yards, three touchdowns and eight inteceptions. He's been sacked nine times and fumbled thrice, losing two.

That brings us to two very important questions if you're living in a world of mass confusion. Have other good quarterbacks gone through this, and is Edwards doing better than his rookie year, when he made many Bills fans freak out in a pleasant manner?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I hurled approximately 20-25 offerings of profanity at Edwards on Monday Night, and probably an over/under of 100 in the last four weeks. I've had 250 thoughts of drafting Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell or Matt Grothe (should he come out)).

Let's go.

Question 1: Is Trent Edwards better than his rookie year?

The answer, remarkably, is yes. You probably want to go back and read that again. Yes, because to date, he's played in the same amount of games in each campaign, and we can make a pretty nice comparison.

The numbers:

2007- 10 games, 70.4 rating, 151/269, 56.1%, 1,630 yards, 6.1 y/a.
2008- 10 games, 82.5 rating, 180/271, 66.4%, 1,993 yards, 7.4 y/a.

2007- 7 TD, 8 INT, 12 sacks, 4 fumbles, 0 lost
2008- 8 TD, 10 INT, 20 sacks, 5 fumbles, 4 lost

Edwards is better in every statistical category except turnovers and sacks, and is it possible that those numbers are affected by an offensive line that's been awful with the exception of Week One and Week Twelve. It's not just the quarterback's numbers that have been affected by the line's play, either. Marshawn Lynch's yards-per-carry is down from 4.0 to 3.7, and it appears that Turk Schonert and Edwards have resorted to calling passing plays that leave Lynch as an option with open field in front of him (This does not excuse Edwards on Monday night, however. Just awful).

Question 2: Have other good, active quarterbacks gone through stretches like this early in their careers?

Yes. In fact, no doubt yes.

Let's start at the top, looking at another signal caller's second full season after early "success." In 2002, Tom Brady -- you might've heard of him -- had both a four game losing streak, and an abhorrent three-game stretch to close the year with the Pats in contention for the playoffs. New England finished 9-7 after heading into Week Fifteen with an 8-5 mark.

In the four game losing streak, he tossed seven interceptions to go with six touchdowns in losses to San Diego, Miami, Green Bay and Denver. He completed barely more than 50 percent of his passes while having a long pass of 34 yards.
In that season's final three games, he averaged under 175 yards per game, while again completing just over half his passes, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The long pass? 35 yards.

They were 5-5 in their first 10 games, and his quarterbacking rating from the year was an average 85.7.

Sound familiar? Donovan McNabb was worse than Edwards. It took Ben Roethlisberger three years to have an awful campaign, and he spent year four tossing 32 touchdowns and just 11 picks. It looks like it happens, folks.

A third question...

Here's a personal one: if Edwards doesn't play better the rest of the way, are you still thinking he's your starter in 2009? I might not be. I am no longer "smitten" as I typed 30 days ago. I'll look to the draft, and I'll look for a decent No. 2, especially with J.P. Losman most likely out of the area as an unrestricted free agent. What else will you be drafting early on? An offensive lineman and a tight end might be the only arguments I could make ahead of quarterback, should Edwards not look better in 2008's final six or more games.

Again, he's been miserable with a capital M. So, Miserable. Edwards looked scared on Monday Night, and had Lee Evans open all night, and passed to him once. I'm not heaping his issues on the coaching staff at all, either. Edwards has been bad.

All I'm saying, after four weeks of complaining myself, is that if you're selling your 100 shares of Edwards, I might just be buying 20-30 of them.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

I'm sick of failures so awful we have to name them.

There's a laundry list of them, you know. From your "Homerun Throwbacks" to your "No Goals" and back again, there's a sickening, stench-filled sack of titles for our sports misery, and now the cupboard has become so bare that even Old Mother Hubbard's headed straight for sequel territory, and she still has to choose between two monumental repeats.

"Wide Right 2" or "The Monday Nighter 2."

If pressed, I'd choose the latter, because even though this one ended dreams and shattered hopes, it won't end with a crowded town square saluting the courage of a kicker who failed on the nation's biggest stage. No, this one's not even over, at least not until the audience tastes the leftovers with every bitter bite of what's sure to be a half-inspiring romp in Kansas City on Sunday.

The truth is, I'm left trying to find something left in my guts that isn't bruised from another series of kicks to the ribs. This is the recurring dream where I wake up and run my tongue over my teeth to make sure they didn't all fall out. Well, my abdomen hurts, I can't really chew and I feel like running my cheeks over a belt-sander.

I'd say, "This is Buffalo sports," but it isn't. It's truly much worse than a title.

Onto the game (in brief, I promise)...

-- Trent Edwards' massive failures hurt even more because the offensive line was borderline heroic, at least relative to their play in Weeks Two through Ten. You can have your Rian Lindell miss, and your three-consecutive running plays leading up to said miss, but Edwards made two throws all evening in an otherwise miserable performance.

How bad was he? Besides the three interceptions in the first 11-and-a-half minutes? Well, he played scared, which is the worst kind of quarterbacking to play, or watch. Edwards was so gunshy that of his 16 completions, 10 went to his feature back, Marshawn Lynch, and I'm not sure more than three were clearly past the line of scrimmage.

His No. 1 wideout, Lee Evans, was open almost all evening. He didn't find him once. Not once.

He was throwing against a defense that was giving up more than 225 yards-per-game, and came up with 148.

His quarterback rating, if you're into this, is 19th amongst starters.

Only six passers have more interceptions than Edwards, and of them, only J.T. O'Sullivan has thrown as few as the Bills starter's eight touchdowns.

In his last four games, he is 74-of-119 for 784 yards, with three touchdowns and eight interceptions.

He was wildly inaccurate, even in his completions. Looked a lot like J.P. Losman.

Just brutal stuff. No injury excuse. No scapegoat offensive line. Just this man wearing No. 5.

-- Marshawn Lynch was, surprisingly, a monster with all the blocking. Twenty-three runs for 119 yards from the man with the "Beast Mode," who also hauled in 10 passes for 58 yards. His touchdown was a thing of beauty, as was his season-long 28-yard run. He was magnificient.

-- Speaking of running games, I heard folks dogging the Bills defense because of Jerome Harrison's 72-yard touchdown run, but that's ill-advised. It would've been a big run in any event, but Terrence McGee was being held like a newborn by Braylon Edwards, right in front of the official. Jamal Lewis was held largely in check.

-- Kawika Mitchell made some nice plays. He also made a really dumb one. You know what the best part about personal fouls made three yards out-of-bounds is? Nothing. He's a veteran who's won a Super Bowl, remember?

(***Edit note: I was at the game, and I've received several emails telling me the hit was in bounds. It definitely didn't look that way on the field, and they didn't show a replay. Speaking of which, they did a great job of "slow-mo-ing" questionable calls on the scoreboard. Great work).

-- Lindell's been so good for so long that it's hard for me to ... sorry, my brain just exploded.

-- The box score accurately states that Terrence McGee defended six passes. Six passes. Even though he was still too far off his receivers on several plays, it was a very good performance, particularly on the last break-up to Braylon Edwards before Phil Dawson, well, you know.

-- Marcus Stroud was dynamite.

-- Clearly, this was the best game of Leodis McKelvin's career. Don't look now, but he's third in the league in yards-per-kick-return (29.0), and first in total kick return yards (1,073). No one in the league has more than his one kick return touchdown. The dropped interception wasn't fun, but it was at least a tough a catch as Ko Simpson's dropped pick.

Stat line I enjoyed:
Lynch, 23 carries, 119 yards; 10 receptions, 58 yards, TD
-- Marshawn and his line were very good, and he also made several terrific blitz pick-ups. He's coming into his own, and it's been hard to notice because of his teammates.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Lee Evans, 0 catches
-- I'm not even sure Trent Edwards threw at him multiple times, and from field level, you could tell Evans was open. Often.

(Bills) Game ball:
Lynch, with a nod toward Stroud and Brad Butler, who was clearly playing hurt.

Lastly...
It's sickening. I'm not sure what else to say. The emotional cupboard is bare.

Next week:
Kansas City has the second-worst rush defense in the league, so good news for Turk Schonert: you don't have to throw. The Chiefs are allowing 165.4 yards on the ground per game. They've also only sacked opposing quarterbacks a league-low six times, five less than second-worst Cincinnati. The Chiefs' offense is also terrible, and despite the Bills morale, it's unlikely Buffalo will lose. Bills 24, Chiefs 23.

Finally...

I was convinced it would be good. I guess I should've known better?

Maybe "The Nightmare on Abbott Road?"

Email: nick@wgr550.com

How do I post a column involving the NBA? Easy! Post a picture of the towel they'll be giving out at the Ralph this evening. Otherwise, this entry is a journey around sports, with a prediction of Monday Night's contest to boot. Call it "No Immediacy" or "Delayed Reactions" or something.

Here we go... starting with Pro Football...

-- The web poll on our main site says "Who is under the gun tonight?" and, fair or unfair, the answer is Trent Edwards. He's played poorly for several weeks, has a Monday Night Football memory to erase, and struggled in poor weather during his rookie campaign. It will not be the world's prettiest criticism if the Bills lose to the Browns, especially if No. 5 has a rough night. I'm standing by last week's prediction of 17-14, Buffalo. If I'm wrong... it's going to be a cold walk to the car. A really cold walk to the car. A really cold, stupid walk to the car.

-- It helps that they were playing the Dolphins, but Jamarcus Russell is making life really hard on me. I'm pulling for him to succeed despite the fact that I don't like the Raiders very much, with the exception of Russell and UB's own Trevor Scott (16 tackles and 3.0 sacks in 10 games). If it helps, I'd rank him the fourth best Scott in the NFL, behind Bart Scott (LB, BAL), Scott Fujita (LB, NO) and Jake Scott (G, SD). He's a "smidge" ahead of Buffalo's Bryan Scott, due only to youth. Apologies to New Orleans' linebacker Scott Shanle and New England punter Scott Player. And former Bills wide-out, and current Chiefs receiver, Scott Mayle.

-- The Arizona Cardinals are on the verge of clinching the NFC West after dispatching the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers for the second time this year. At 7-3, they are a win and 49ers loss away from guaranteeing the most wins in the division. Terrible. Their non-division wins are over Buffalo, Miami and Dallas, so perhaps this isn't your normal NFC West cake walk.

College football...

-- Great weekend story on the UB Bulls. My wife was at a local supermarket picking up our weekly dinners, when she found herself behind a couple of Bulls' football players in an aisle. It took her 10 minutes to get down said aisle, because the players were stopped by three separate shoppers for congratulations on their D-I program record sixth win, by way of a thrilling 43-40 overtime road win over Akron. Note to ESPN or Time Warner, can someone PLEASE pick up coverage of Friday night's match-up at Bowling Green? A Bulls win would clinch the MAC East, a berth in MAC Championship Game in Detroit (roooooooooad trip) and, in all likelyhood, a Bowl game.

-- More thanks to Michigan head man Rich Rodriguez, who continues to make me throw up in my mouth. A program-record eighth loss in an average-at-best Big Ten assures me that this isn't a simple case of "tough rebuilding." The shady way he allegedly gave shredding West Virginia personnel files before last season's Fiesta Bowl got him off on the wrong foot with me, and his inability to manage a game hasn't helped me at all, either. I'm sure he'll right the ship, but just Googling "Rich Rodriguez allegations" is a blast. For the first time in years, it's hard for me to even joke "Go Blue, Go Ann Arbor" to Buckeye fans like Dan Hager and the Koziol boys leading up to the rivalry game.

Pro Hockey...

-- Ah, the Sabres. Immensely-talented, but sometimes too easy to rattle. A lot of people felt Buffalo was holding their weight against PIttsburgh before folding in a 5-2 loss, but the whole game I had this eerie feeling that a Penguins tying-goal would cripple the team's chances.

Being in Boston for last Saturday's Bruins/Sabres game helped me to realize two things. One, the Sabres need another big guy to be a top-tier, whether it be a more-offensively-productive Paul Gaustad or a new face. Two, the Bruins have an outstanding physical team, and I would trade most assets to get Milan Lucic. Boston's big man is a beast, and he scares me. Like Donte Whitner combined with a monster. Watch this fight (Every fight should look like this). Watch this hit (He leaves his feet and I don't much care). Watch him go to the net. And helpers, too.

Pro Hoops...

-- This goes out to the "Shaq stinks" people. Really? The Suns are 8-3 with that "washed-up bum" their second-leading scorer. Perhaps a less-ego driven coach than Mike D'Antoni (although the now-up-tempo Knicks are 6-4 under the man) who will use O'Neal as an asset was a good idea. Terry Porter is using a big-man first approach, with O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire averaging 32.3 points- and 16.9 rebounds-per-game.

On Sunday, the Suns beat the Pistons after O'Neal was kicked out of the game. He has scored 29 points in two road games, leading the team to wins at Milwaukee and Sacramento. He's also twice paced the team in assists. In a beat-up Pacific, Phoenix has a shot at a home-court first round.

--For those who don't know, I'm calling play-by-play for the area's new professional basketball team, the Buffalo Stampede of the Premier Basketball League. Syracuse Orange legend Roosevelt Bouie is the color analyst, and Dan Hager will be helping out as well. Greg Bauch and I have discussed dunk calls, and you're probably going to want to tune in to our sister staion, WWWS, Triple Gold Soul, for the games.

Soccer (or Nobody Cares, Vol. I)

-- A disappointing college note... UB fell to Northern Illinois, 1-0, in the Mid American Conference semi-finals. It's a shame, because they were talented enough to play in the NCAA tourney after a 12-4-4 campaign that included a seven-plus game shut-out streak for Tonawanda's Bobby Shuttleworth, who was named All-MAC. I called several of their games this year, and they had a chance to be nationally-ranked before falling to Akron, 2-0. The Zips are one of the nation's finest, and worth rooting for the MAC going forward.

-- My Newcastle United Magpies once again pulled a draw from the mouth of victory. After giving up a remarkable goal to lowly Wigan Athletic in the third minute of Saturday's contest, they got a lucky red card and scored two against 10 men before giving two points back with minutes left to play. I don't think NUFC will be relegated, but the soap opera hell of 2008 continues.

-- Do you have a club you follow? Please email me who to nick@wgr550.com. I'd like to get a list together so I can keep my eye out for listener notes. I know Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Fiorentina and Tottenham Hotspur have somewhat of a following in the area.

Hey, Kobe Bryant (Lionel Messi) and Brooks Orpik (Ronaldinho) have favorite players. Why can't you?

College hoops...

-- The UB men are 1-0 after a road win Saturday over Youngstown State. Dare to dream, Bulls fans. One week until the home opener, and the return of the "when will Reggie Witherspoon tear off his sport jacket in disgust?" game. It's one of the Big Four's best.

-- The Bonnies are 1-0 after topping Robert Morris, 72-62. Canisius 0-1 after falling to Akron, 52-42. Niagara topped Towson, 79-62, and is also 1-0.

Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon: nick@wgr550.com

Now that the Sabres have erased much of Saturday's debacle in Boston from my mind, I think it's about time to reflect on a weekend in New York and New England that was a legitimate good time, despite big time Buffalo bungles in Boston and Foxboro.

Friday "Are those Iced Coffee Drinks Man-Acceptable? Cause They're Delicious"
As much as my job is basically "following sports," it's always good to take a day off, and as wild as it sounds, the drive to New York City on my own was a nice change. Here are the albums that made the cut for the first leg of the road trip:

"The Motown Box", Disc One and Two
Uncut Magazine compilation, "Tribute to The Band"
Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band, "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J."
Bob Dylan, "Blonde on Blonde"
Bob Dylan, "Nashville Skyline"
Sigur Ros, "Hvarf/Heim"
My Morning Jacket, "It Still Moves"
Miracle of 86, "Every Famous Last Word"
Matthew Good Band, "Beautiful Midnight"
The Beatles, "Abbey Road"
Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
Q-Tip, "Amplified"
Wilco, "A Ghost Is Born"
The New Chemistry demo

I made it into New Jersey just in time for a toll booth attendant to tell me I was going the wrong way, which would've been helpful if I actually was going the wrong way. The Lincoln Tunnel was actually the first exit after her booth, and I politely informed her that she owes me $5.85 the second time I went through and by politely, I mean that my mom would've given me quite the scowl and maybe a slap.

You want to know why living in Buffalo is great? Because you don't pay tolls every two miles, unless you're going into Grand Island, the Southtowns or toward Rochester. I'm talking $2 every couple minutes, $5.85 NJ 'Pike toll here, $8 Tunnel toll there, $18/hour for parking in Manhattan... and we're not even getting into Boston, which is better, but still awful.

Regardless, I made it to Stout Pub to see the FA Cup, the trophy awarded to the team in English soccer who wins a huge knock-out tournament. The competition's been around since 1871-72, and former Newcastle United defender Warren Barton was there on behalf of Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Channel. I don't have that picture back yet, but here's a couple fellow Magpies fans and me with the trophy.


To those who know soccer, please save the "that's the closest Geordies will ever get to the Cup" talk. It's been 53 years. We know.

After paying some undeserving attendant for driving my car about 25 feet, I met up with the elder of my two sisters in Astoria, in Queens (or near Queens, I don't get it, really. I should start telling people I live in "The Parker," in the "Town of Tonawanda"). We met up with her boyfriend and headed off to Terminal Five to see a couple solid bands, The Drive-By Truckers and The Hold Steady.


The Hold Steady were tremendous, except for one song.

Here's the thing abou stereotypes of NYC -- they are on full display at a concert. First of all, a dripping water spout above us turned out to, well, not be water at all. So we left space in front of us, which means folks plowed in front of us for those glorious three feet of puddle. Needless to say, it was worth the skewed sightline to literally watch people, well, you know, stand under the leaking bathroom.

Both bands are and were tremendous, but here's my one beef. For an encore, The Hold Steady came out and played three or four songs before bringing Patterson Hood and the Truckers out for a couple jams, one of which was Blue Oyster Cult's "Burning For You," or whatever it's called. It was fairly in jest, but it's pretty much a terrible song. I realize they won't be pulling out "Don't Fear the Reaper," but tongue-in-cheek "classic rock" is much better served by something like "Psycho Killer" or a solid Neil Young rocker.

I then slept well, with visions of beating the Bruins dancing in my head.

Saturday "Wouldn't it be nice if we could peel the Bruins off the Sabres for a minute?"
After a little too late of a start, we hit the road to meet up with my brother, who goes to school in Rhode Island, and my younger sister, who had a job interview in Boston. Because I can, here are some of the co-selected CDs for the journey:

Centro-matic, "Operation Motorcide EP" ((playing Saturday at the Mohawk, by the way) Come hang out))
The Drams, "Jubilee Dive"
My Morning Jacket, "It Still Moves"
Grand Champeen, "The One That Brought You"
Pete Yorn, "Day I Forgot"
Uncut Magazine compilation, "Tribute to The Band"

Luckily for us being under the gun to get TD Banknorth Garden on time, we had to ride a crowded train that included Boston College and Notre Dame fans headed to "The Holy War" in Chestnut Hill. In case you haven't seen "The Departed," "Good Will Hunting" or "Boondock Saints," apparently 94 percent of Bostonians are Irish, so this was an interesting "T" ride.

We arrived at the Garden just late enough to miss Tim Connolly's goal, but we didn't figure it would be a big deal. The Sabres would score plenty of goals on Manny Fernandez, right?

Right?


Good seats, surrounding by solid, young Bruins fans. I hate them a little less, especially considering they laid the wood to the Sabres, "old-time hockey"-style, and hopefully woke them up for that St. Louis game.

First off, the nachos were first-class, maybe the best I've had in any stadium, including the Jacobs/Progressive Field offerings. Secondly, Milan Lucic is a monster. I would trade almost anyone for him. All he wants to do is hit, but he can score and pass as well. Big, big fan, and I think Blake Wheeler's going to be something nasty if he figures out the game.

Lastly, was it a touch too much to expect a single body check or some fight from the Sabres? I know they traveled the night before, but there were times, sitting there in fairly expensive seats I bought for my sisters, brother and friend, that I wish I had some knives to hide in my brain for an hour. It was brutal, but it was also "Veterans Night" at the Garden, and they had some really cool vignettes honoring all the troops who were in attendance. I guess there were worse nights to watch your team lose on the road.

After that, we went to Bobby Orr's bar/restaurant, "Fours," which was a tremendous place, voted the No. 2 sports bar in America or something like that (Apparently, the No. 1 is in Boston, too, and like a block away. Weird). Two of my truly good friends from Massachusetts met us there, and Paul Hamilton sauntered down after finishing his post-game appearance with Brian Koziol (a fan asked for a slice of Paul's moustache, but he refused to deliver). All-in-all, a fun night with family, and my brother and I were jazzed for our first Bills road game the next day.

Sunday "At Least the Tailgate Was Awesome"

To stay with the program, here was the music selection from our hotel in Boston to Foxboro, in stadium traffic:

The Strokes, "Room on Fire"
The Old Sweethearts, "Arms of The Town"

The drive in wasn't awful, even with only two or three lanes leading up to Gillette Stadium. My brother borrowed one of those Garmin GPS things, and it was kind of awesome how much technology has grown from "Mom reading a map to Dad and Dad telling her it was wrong" (Not my parents, no way, just guessing).

Here's where cost really became a pain, and I can equate this to the Ralph to make it easier on you. We parked about as far a walk as that fire hall all the way down Abbott Road. Twenty bucks, no joke. There were folks who parked at the equivalent of "Kettles" or "Bert's"... Forty bucks.

How about the ECC lots? or close to Danny's South?

Fifty Dollars.

Fifty.

Dollars.

God bless Western New York. I guess Massachusetts makes up for what they don't tax in parking fees.

Anyway, no joke, one of the most fun parts of our pregame antics was checking out all the old Pats jerseys. You know how you love to notice the Steve Christie or Phil Hansen jerseys at the Ralph? How about Tebucky Jones, Drew Bledsoe and Willie McGinest. It was fun.

Jeremy White told me that hanging out in a new stadium would change my thoughts on the Ralph forever, and that was half-true. Gillette Stadium is massive, and the sighlines are very good.


How nice of Steve Grogan to wear his game day Starter jacket into the stands.

Here's the one thing that stunk about their stadium. They have a "16-0 Regular Season" banner, and it looked so cheesy. Maybe that's why they kept it as far as humanly possible from their Super Bowl Championship banners. Other than that, and the fact that the fans are dead -- relative to Orchard Park -- for most of the game, the place is great.

Their official tailgate party has lunch, drinks and dessert you'd normally find at an expensive buffet. There is a mall and Cineplex attached to the stadium to help traffic ease out. Nothing says, "Wind down from a football game," like watching "Changeling." I bet there are a ton of people in New England who think Dane Cook is legitimately funny from viewing films after too much tailgating.

Maybe the best part of the game, especially considering the boring game was accompanied by the Bills underperforming, was when the 40-0 Jets over St. Louis halftime score flashed, and I got to hear the thickest Boston accent ever say, "Oh, I wunda if weer gunna heeah bout New Yawk runnin up the scoahr all week. Wicked."

After taking that long walk back to our car, where Sam and I conducted the world's longest post-game show, with a focus on Trent Edwards and Jason Peters, I drove him back to his school in Providence, where I had some solid college flashbacks while playing a game of Madden with him in his dorm room (For the record, I won, despite playing my first game of Madden on XBox 360. Take that, youngin'.

The music on the long ride home ranged from Neil Young to NWA to a Christian CD (I think I reviewed all the CDs as part of one blockbuster show. It was probably outstanding). For my thoughts on the actual game, head here.

Otherwise, thanks for reading, and let's go Bulls (Thursday night on ESPNU against Akron).

Email: nick@wgr550.com

P.S. My road record, like many Buffalonians, is not-so-good:

Bills: 0-1
Sabres: 1-5
UB basketball: 1-2
UB football: 1-5
Bisons: 2-0* (I was in a taxi to the airport when they coughed up a lead in Norfolk in the finale of the series. Come on, Ben Wagner. I was counting on you).

To my readers who do not mind a column that's pretty unrelated to sports, but relative to the concept of America,

It began almost exactly four years ago, to the day. I had a good load of scruff, and struck up a conversation with a good friend in which we discussed the benefits, both physical and alliterative, of not shaving for the entire month of November.

Today, I bring this tradition, and discussion, to you.

Please, do not shave this November. My main reason is this... do you think the pilgrims shaved on their trip over to the New World? When they sat down to that first meal after a morning of playing Turkey Bowl football with their old high school buddies, do you think they had clean faces?

Rather, isn't it more likely they had icicles on their wonderful beards, with gravy grasping hold of those same follicles? In my opinion, and certainly 'Sheed's, it is.

So it is with great honor that invite all of you men, and however many of you women would like to find a way to contribute, to join in "No Shave November." There is a facebook group created by one of Dan Hager's pals -- the esteemed rugby player, Clarence Picard -- devoted to our month-long affair. Feel free to find it, and join.

The rules are as follows:

-- You may only trim your neckline and cheek bones, with a few exceptions:

A) You have a job interview and are not adept at trimming a nice beard

2) You're getting married

-- Don't shave.

I know this isn't sports-related, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, and I think most people should celebrate it with a nice facial garden. Let's face it, once the pilgrims had that first meal and shaved, they turned into some pretty terrible characters.


If you love America, keep it growing,
Nicholas J. Mendola
Email: nick@wgr550.com