This special blackout edition of BillStuff begins with a couple of public service announcements. Mainly because, like anyone who wasn't at or at least 75 miles away from Ralph Wilson Stadium during Sunday's 27-24 win over Jacksonville, I didn't actually see the game live.
First, for those who refuse to concede that J.P. Losman has improved in any way, shape or form Ð- probably because it might force you to revisit your earlier "expert" assessment and admit that maybe, just maybe, you weren't 100 percent correct -- I'll save you some time and myself space in my e-mail inbox by making your arguments for you.
I'll even do so in the ever-popular "yes, but" format.
Yes, the Bills scored 27 points, the most in any game started by Losman.
But, one touchdown came on a punt return, another after a fumbled interception and the third after a Jacksonville penalty made a third-and-long more manageable. And a 43-yard pass interference penalty set up Rian Lindell's second-quarter field goal.
Yes, Losman moved Buffalo into position for Lindell's game-winning kick as the clock ran out, even given a mere 22 seconds to do so.
But, the Jaguars' mysterious decision to order a kicker who had boomed three touchbacks to squib instead of kicking away, helping Buffalo set up for the final drive at its own 40. And if Roscoe Parrish hadn't made a stunning sideline catch, Losman's last pass would have sailed incomplete, forcing an overtime in which he would have undoubtedly done something fatally inept.
Yes, he completed 75 percent of his passes.
But, he only averaged 6.03 yards per attempt and that's just not going to be good enough for the Bills to get anywhere in the ... OK, I can't do it anymore. I can't imagine the headaches this rather vocal group of observers must get figuring out convoluted ways in which victories Ð- the only National Football League commodity that should matter Ð- don't really mean all that much.
I'm still not sold on Losman as the guy for the indefinite future and he still produced a cringe-inducing play or two every week. The weekly fumbled snap, for instance, doesn't do a lot to instill confidence.
But to claim he hasn't showed improvement over the past few weeks is just plain goofy. Especially when you look around the rest of the NFL and see what passes for starting quarterbacking these days.
One e-mailer last week argued that Losman's 340-yard, three-touchdown outing and the win it produced in Houston was "lucky" and that another sage he spoke with on the way out of Reliant Field said "he would not take 10 Losmans for one David Carr. That pretty much sums it up."
The immortal Mr. Carr Ð- who is in his fifth season as Houston's undisputed starting quarterback, despite never directing the Texans to a winning record -- did have a better game than Losman on Sunday. At least from a fantasy football perspective.
A week after tying a league record with 22 straight completions against Buffalo on his way to a 25-of-30 day, and a loss, Carr completed 39 of 54 passes for 321 yards. Unfortunately, he didn't get his real-life team into the end zone until the Texans trailed 26-3 and there were fewer than four minutes remaining in the game.
The e-mailer wrapped up his thesis as follows:
"So what if he finally (probably for the very first time in his life) made a meaningful play in a clutch situation in a game? The opportunity to do so will only present itself a very few times a year against the very worst defenses in the league."
What a coincidence, then, that Losman should do it again the very next week. Against the third-stingiest of the NFL's 32 defenses, no less. I'm sure, though, that the mitigating factors listed above more than offset any positives.
And secondly, on behalf of all of us who listened to the game on the radio, followed it online or spent a football-free Sunday, thanks to the columnists and commentators who delivered pompous lectures to the "fair-weather fans" who committed the grave crime of allowing a game to be blacked out.
Your thoughts on how fans should spend their money are particularly relevant, coming as they do from people who not only don't have to buy a ticket, but actually get paid to sit in a press box.
The Bills certainly did their part to ensure that the remaining three home games are televised in the home market. And they did so in the fashion preferred by their chief architect, general manager Marv Levy.
During his Hall-of-Fame coaching career, Levy's finest teams were best known for the spectacular huddle-free offenses that scorched their way to four straight Super Bowls. His core football philosophy, though, revolved around special teams, running the football and playing solid defense. The success of the K-Gun attack was a testament to his willingness to adapt, but couldn't have existed without those other elements.
The Bills had all those ingredients when they needed them on Sunday.
Parrish's 82-yard punt return put Buffalo in control, forcing Jacksonville into catch-up mode, taking pressure off a run defense that had little success stopping Fred Taylor or Maurice Jones-Drew to that point.
Two weeks after missing a 41-yard attempt -Ð in a dome, no less Ð- that would have given Buffalo a chance to upset Indianapolis, Lindell nailed a 42-yarder in the wind.
Willis McGahee returned with a pair of touchdown runs that each featured his real strength Ð- finding a hole then bursting through it, his power making him almost impossible to stop once he's in the secondary.
Buffalo's most glaring weakness, a porous run defense, surfaced again. But while the Jaguars piled up 207 rushing yards, 134 came during the first half. With a lead and some defensive adjustments at halftime, the Bills were able to at least slow down Taylor and Jones-Drew just enough.
Losman's day was far from perfect. His lone interception was a bad flashback to a month ago, a blind heave that shouldn't have left his hand. To his credit, he again shook off a bad mistake immediately. And on the final mini-drive, he showed patience in dumping the ball short on first down, then both mobility and an uncanny knack for throwing on the run to set up the winning points.
Compare that with his disastrous bumbling in the final moments of Week 3 against the New York Jets, and explain to me again why he hasn't improved at all.
Buffalo's restructured offensive line didn't allow a sack, though, a promising sign that all those bye-week moves are paying off.
In another promising development, a couple of Levy's offseason acquisitions who had been pretty quiet to this point finally made major contributions.
Tight end Robert Royal, an empty uniform for most of the first 10 games, stripped Jacksonville's Dee Webb after Losman's interception and recovered the loose ball, setting up McGahee's first touchdown. He also caught three passes.
Defensive tackle Larry Tripplett, the closest thing the Bills had to a marquee free agent in Levy's first shopping season, stopped Jacksonville's first drive with a sack and forced fumble, was in on another sack and hurried David Garrard twice.
Put it all together and the Levy's first Bills team has already equaled the five wins managed by Tom Donahoe's final offering. Even thinking about the playoffs is a bit outlandish at this point, but there they are -Ð two games out of a wild-card berth with five to play. And one of the teams ahead of them, the 7-4 Denver Broncos, plans on switching to a rookie quarterback next week.
Without the notable strides made by their own young passer, as well as his surrounding cast, over the past few weeks, the postseason wouldn't even be a delusional discussion.
And if the winning continues, we won't have to hear any more sanctimonious lectures about buying tickets.
BILLS MVP: If he keeps this up, Dick Jauron might have to find a spot in the starting lineup for Mr. Parrish.
THE OTHER GUYS' MVP: Buffalo never figured out how to stop Jones-Drew. Good thing the Jaguars only gave him the ball 13 times.
STAT OF THE WEEK: "Run and stop the run" has been a long-held Levy mantra. The past two weeks, the Bills have rushed for 142 yards and given up 395. And Buffalo won both games.
Which shows that when and where can be much more important than how much.
IN CASE OF BLACKOUT: The Bills' broadcast team is always solid and certainly easier to take than some of the television teams that have been assigned to Buffalo, particularly those involving Gus Johnson.
To enhance the experience, a number of Web sites offer play-by-play coverage that includes updated stats and a slightly animated field that helps follow the action.
WING REPORT: Lomato's in North Buffalo put together a splendid three-way platter of mediums, Italians and honey-mustards. Great sauce, nicely sized and just about perfectly crisp. A very strong A.
BS FAN(S) OF THE WEEK: Everybody else who made it through a game without watching it on television.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | November 28 2006 |