A Week Four haiku, entitled "Nick works at 5 a.m.":

The Bills beat the Rams
Later in the day than most weeks
Write quickly for sleep

— Would you trade the reliable "20-for-25 for a TD" Trent Edwards for
the one we saw against St. Louis, having to wait for long routes to
develop, and misfiring on a deep ball or two, likely one for an
interception? I'm not concrete on this idea, and I'll ask some coaches
next week, but I think you sacrifice efficiency when you
call more "Shot" plays (I think I heard that somewhere). Also, is it possible that this is the sort of
"bad game" we'd see from a veteran Trent Edwards? I'll admit it, I'm
excited, and it's not because of the line.

— Did anyone else catch Solomon Wilcotts' best "Wisdom of Solomon"
moment ever? Midway through the third quarter, Trent Edwards is hit as
he throws, the ball pops out of his arm and goes to Josh Reed in a
complete act of luck. Wilcotts says — seriously — that Edwards did a
great job of staying tough in the face of the rush to deliver that
ball. My mom and dad were over, so four folks laughed hard at that
one. And yes, I could do a better job.

— Wilcotts and Ian Eagle had some very good analytical moments,
however, including Wilcotts pointing out how James Hardy will look
once he learns how to position himself — which he hasn't. Full credit
to Turk Schonert for calling his name several times early. Ronald
Bartell was simply up to the task.

— The Buffalo Bills secondary hits hard, and I'm not just talking
about the Leodis McKelvin/Dane Looker/short-term memory fumble fiasco.
I remember talking to Ko Simpson after Week One about how his hitting
stepped up in the season opener, and he said that when he hits
someone, he wants them to remember it every time they come deep into
the secondary. Simpson delivered again in Week Four, as did Donte
Whitner.

— The Bills definitely had some problems tackling against the Rams,
but I'll credit most of that to Steven Jackson's hard-running. Lynch
has made a lot of defenses look like poor tacklers, and this is what
it looks like on the other end.

— A nod to Rian Lindell. Two 45-yarders mixed in with his three field
goals... not child's play by any means.

— Another "would you trade": Would you trade the "offense looks slow
for a half, then turns into a veritable powerhouse for the rest of the
game" for a quick start and then barely holding on? That's why I'm not
complaining.

— I thought the illegal formation penalty on Robert Royal was garbage,
but maybe I don't understand the rule right. When I rewound the DVR,
he looked fine, a step back from the right tackle, with Josh Reed in
the slot and James Hardy closing the line.

— Trent Edwards was only sacked four times? Was the guy who ran the
stat book drunk, or did I eat too much salsa? Another
"feast-or-famine" performance from this offensive line, who looks
brilliant at times. Potential nickname: The Feast or Famine Line? I
like it, especially since they're the biggest line in the league.

— Would someone please block for Marshawn Lynch? He's a 200-yard game
waiting to happen, and I'm sick of watching him get beat up. At one
point in the fourth quarter, there were nine Rams trying to bring him
down, and only the whistle did.

— It never got old at Rutgers, and it won't get old in the NFL. Brian
Leonard is a running back for the Rams. Brian Leonard is also the name
of my father-in-law. It's just pretty amusing.

— Speaking of dads, my dad literally called the Jabari Greer
touchdown. He had just checked out my basement and, after being
negative for much of the day, said "Here's where we get an
interception return for a touchdown." Nice!

— Just for the record, I picked Washington to win the NFC, and some of
my morning show compatriots told me I was nuts. Just saying.
(Although, my Buffalonian spirit wishes I could be a homer and take
back Pittsburgh winning the AFC, even if I think they are one of the
few teams built to beat the Bills).

— Couple other emotional "around the league" notes. Thoughts and
prayers out to Arizona's Anquan Boldin after a horrific injury toward
the end of the Cards' 56-35 loss in New York, and even more to Tampa
Bay kicker Matt Bryant, who played this week despite losing his
three-month old baby on Wednesday. I can't imagine how difficult that
must be.

Stat line I enjoyed:
-- Leodis McKelvin, 3 kick ret., 97 yards; 2 punt ret., 26 yards; 1
tackle, 1 fumble recovery.
Playing what was definitively his best game as a Bill, McKelvin showed
prologned flashes of the football brilliance the Bills' saw when they
made him pick No. 13 in April's draft. He was fast, decisive, exciting
and hard-hitting. His reputation was for dropping interceptions, but
the team didn't let Torry Holt kill them, and McKelvin was a part of
it. Good game.

Stat line I didn't enjoy:
-- Bills offensive line, four sacks allowed; 3.6 yards-per-rush
That 3.6 figure is embarassing when you throw the fact that Fred
Jackson had a 22 yard run mixed in there. You can't discredit the big
run, but another rough day for the big guys, including a play early on
when Brad Butler quit on a play while Lynch was still charging away.
When the normally relentless Butler has a listless play, you're having
a rough day.

Game ball:
-- Lee Evans, 2 catches, 88 yards, TD; 2-point conversion.
With all due respect to some gutsy catches from Josh Reed, it was
great to see Evans rebound from one of his worst games as a Bill to
catch two big deep balls and run a terrific route on the 2-point
conversion.

Lastly...
Let's start quickly against the Cardinals, huh? They should be fired
up after laying an egg in New York

Next week:
Arizona. Remember how the Bills looked good when they turned it around
after a terrible first-half. The Cardinals looked better when they did
the same in the third quarter against the Jets. As sad as it is to
say, Boldin's injury makes the Fitzgerald/Boldin/Breaston threat a
little more palatable for the Bills, who at the very least have a
dinged-up Terrence McGee. Regardless, I think I'll take the Cardinals
to end the dream of a perfect season, but check back with me later in
the week. Arizona 31, Buffalo 27.

Email: nick@wgr550.com

P.S. I don't hate hate hate the Mets — thought I do hate Whitey
gloating about their rare successes and he told me I was "nuts" to
pick the Phillies to win the division — but nice baseball team, New
York fans. Way to send Shea out in style.