Get the hell out of town: Tim Connolly

OK, so I just wrote that Timmy has a lot to prove. But to me, Connolly represents the failure of the Sabres over the years. They gave the guy too much money, who happens to disappear when moments get tough, and he can't stay healthy. He also happens to be the guy on the other end of the Michael Peca, which is a deal I never could get over. Besides having a good series against the Senators, (whom some seem to get confused with Reggie Jackson playoff performance), Connolly really hasn't done much. He should of been traded at the deadline and the Sabres should of used his money to sign a centerman, who didn't have as many red flags on him.

Honorable Mention: Henrik Tallinder, Max AF..oh wait

Whitner and Scott not practicing

With Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott not practicing, the Bills moved a rookie LB back to his college position. Nic Harris was a safety at Oklahoma, but was drafted in the 5th round by the Bills to be a LB. Harris hasn't played much in the games at LB, but has had all sorts of penalty problems playing special teams both in preseason and the regular season. (WGR)

Mind of Joe

I know I've been hard on Whitner making plays, but the thought of George Wilson and rookie Nic Harris as my starting safeties make Matt Darby and Mark Kelso look like HOF material. Luckily, the Bills are playing against a Dolphins team who doesn't exactly have a plethora of skill players. But this was the week the Bills needed the physical play of Whitner and Scott because the Dolphins love to run the football, and more then likely the Bills would play a safety in the box. 

Weber and Gerbe sent to Portland

The Sabres have just announced officially that Mike Weber and Nathan Gerbe have been sent to Portland. There is no official word on the roster status of Tyler Myers or Tim Kennedy at this time but, at least in Kennedy's case, things look good because they would have already told him to leave for Portland as well.

Mind of Joe

Not a complete shock on Gerbe. Gerbe is a scorer, who hasn't found the scoring touch yet in Buffalo. And we all know that if you can't score and you're not exactly a force on the other end of the ice, Ruff will have no use for you. I'm sure we will see Gerbe make a cameo here and there for the Sabres. 

As for Weber, the kid intrigues me because he can hit. But it also can be good news for Myers fans who want to see him stick around the parent club. 

UPDATE:

The Sabres appear to be keeping Tim Kennedy and Tyler Myers. 

Stock is falling: Henrik Tallinder

How many times in the last 12 years have we seen players overstay there welcome in Buffalo? From Barnaby to Miro to Max, it's a time honored tradition. Welcome to the tradition, Henrik. Tallinder has looked so bad over the last 2 years. It shocks me the guy is still on the team, but that's what it means to be apart of a tradition, more like a slow death.

I'll be honest, I've never been a fan of Tallinder. I like my defenseman to do one of two things: Hit or shoot. Tallinder can do neither. I think at the end of the day, Henrik's downfall was having the pressure to be the number 1-2 defenseman on the team. When he had Campbell and McKee in front of him, he was great because he didn't have to go against the top lines. Once he had to log some serious ice time, not only did injuries get in his way but so did the way he played. He became timid and shy away from contact.

Tallinder is just holding the fort (what's left of it) till the Sabres decide to promote one of their prospects. Remember when Henrk was a prospect? Hopefully, the next prospect won't follow in his footsteps.

Honorable Mention: Nathan Paetsch, Daniel Paile

Most to prove: Tim Connolly

T.C. is the T.O. of the Sabres. You either love the guy or you hate him. I'd go with the latter. Connolly is the 4.5 million dollar man who played 33% of his games over the last 3 years. He's also the guy Darcy Reiger claimed to be last season's big trade equsition. Um, Darcy? He was already on the team!! 

Anyways, Connolly is now suppose to be the Sabres version of the playmaking center everyone has been clamoring for. It's plain and simple for Timmy, If he can play more than 65 games this year and aveage his point a game like he did last year, then he'll got an appology from me. If not, He's just going to be another overpaid Sabres player who happens to have a injury problem.  

I'd also like to see Timmy take more of a leadership role in the team. The dude has been here since 2001. It's time to be a man. 

Most under pressure: Ryan Miller

Miller is the one player on the team that I'm not sure we've seen his full potential. I think we know what we have with guys like Roy, Pommer, and Vanek. But Miller is being paid franchise goalie money. He's also the face of the franchise. Miller's numbers are good, but in order for the Sabres to take the next step from just making the playoffs, to being a top 10 team he has to become elite. 

Last year, Miller let in some soft goals. Now don't get me wrong, all great goalies let in softies, but what makes them great is they forget about them. Miller doesn't. There were too many games last year where Miller lost focus. And when Miller loses focus, the team loses. This season Miller needs to take the team under his wing, he has to have the mentality that he's the backbone of the team. That's where he should start his focus.

my version of word association

The names may be the same, but will results say the same? That's the question I've been asking myself about the Sabres upcoming season. Since the Sabres love to throw out the word "accountability" or is it "evaluation?", I've decided to give out my special words to describe some of the Sabres players. Stay tuned. 

Tyler Myers situation

So Wednesday is suppose to be the big deadline for the Sabres to have their final rosters. Of course we know the Tyler Myers situation, which is kind of sad that it's the BIG training camp story line. I'm sure you all know the Sabres can't send Myers to the minors, but do have the option to play him 9 games (like a tryout) and if they like what they see he stays up here, if not he goes back to Siberia (or Canada). 

Personally, I want to see the kid stick around the parent club. From my understanding, Myers played well during training camp and is being touted as the future blue liner for the Sabres. And judging by his junior career, the guy can score. 42 points in 58 games last year. 

Now hear me out. I hate prospects in all sports! Mainly because I'm sick of this  "Mel Kiper age" of every young player whose last name is Foligino or Williams is going to save my team. 

But the problem with the Sabres (and the Bills) is they need help. As in now! If the Sabres had a strong blue line, I'd say send him back to juniors. But we all know that Tallinder and Lydman are on there way out. So why delay the inevitability. Let the kid play and take his bumps in the NHL. Not to mention the Sabres are severely lacking someone on the point to move the puck. 

I know some of you will act like overly protective parents who think their kid is too young to date. But history shows that 19-year-olds have been able to make the transition to the NHL. Jay Mckee was 19 when he debuted for the Sabres in 1996 and played 43 games. Look how he turned out. 

There's no scientific way to dissect if you should play a rookie or let them sit. If the kid can play, he's going to shine through. More importantly, the Sabres need a bolt of energy, some new blood. They need a future. 

Do the fans have a legit gripe against the media?

If you readers don't know, I'm very big on joining chats at TBN website. After Sunday's game, I was walking (more like stumbling) home from a nearest bar establishment. After getting home, I pulled out my laptop and went to TBN website, where Mike Harrington was hosting a chat about the Bills game. 

The comments that really stuck with me during his chat wasn't about the Bills inability to get the ball into Owens hands or if Jauron should of went for it on 4th and 1. It was about how fans were complaining that the press core doesn't do enough to ask the tough questions to both sports teams. The fans were acting as if the media isn't doing enough to get people fired in other words. 

This wasn't the first time I read that line of questioning during the chats. But it got me thinking. Do the fans have a legit gripe against the media? Lets break it down by media branches. 

ESPN

I've written before how Buffalo is the only two sport city that doesn't have a regional sports network. So the only way a Bills fan can really get extensive coverage of the Bills by their television sets is by tuning into ESPN. This is where I can see fans frustration boil over. Whether the team is good or bad, ESPN gives no coverage to the Bills. Yes, I know T.O. is on there a lot, but if you went to a random fan and asked them what they thought about the Bills they wouldn't have a clue how dysfunctional the team is. But I'm sure they could tell you about the Raiders and Lions. 

Take the Raiders for example, how many times have you heard ESPN panelists bad mouth the Raiders organization? 100's.  Hell, CBS Broadcaster, Rich Gannon said they should blow up the dam building. The Raiders get more Pub for being bad than any team in the history of the NFL. Same with the Lions and 49ers.

You could easily make the case the Bills are far worse off than the teams I've mentioned. In fact both the Raiders and Bills are run the same way. Old ass owners who don't want to pay coaches, who have eliminated the GM position for their team to make more money. 

But have you ever heard ESPN panelists say that the Bills organization should be blown up? Have you even heard a peep from ESPN asking if the Bills are in danger of moving to Toronto? Has anyone ever said Dick Jauron should be fired? They sure did for Matt Millen and the Detroit Lions coaching staff over the years. In other words, don't count on ESPN launching ESPNBuffalo.com, because they don't give a rats ass about the team. That's where fans venom at the press core has the most legit beef. 

TBN

You know I've been a fan of the News for a long time. In my opinion they are the most unbiased press core in Buffalo. But the problem is they're a newspaper, and their business is dying a slow death. TV, Radio, and the Internet in that order is where people get their sporting news from. So even though TBN staff is tough on the Buffalo teams, I use the old analogy about them: If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it fall, does it make a sound? 

Local TV

Look, I may not be the best person to judge this because I don't live in Buffalo and obviously don't have access to watching a 3 minute sports cast. I do know that the local TV market across the country is cutting down on Sports casts. So really what the hell am I missing? With that being said, I judge the stations by the columns they post on their websites.

Take WGRZ (whose on-line site has been lacking), Ed Kilgore seems to be the only person who posts anything noteworthy on the site. His postings are as pro Bills as you can get. The first two weeks of the season Kilgore wrote about how Smart Jauron and Edwards are. Seriously? He's acting as if this was  the first time Jauron and Edwards have been a part of the Bills organization. Then this week after the Bills dismal performance, he criticised Dick Jauron for not going for it on 4th down, but then wrote that he understood why he didn't. Um hello?! You kind of can't have it both ways Ed. If I'm a Bills fan that makes my blood boil. It also makes me think the Ed is in bed with the Bills front office. 

What about WIVB? How can you take them serious when their lead sports guy works for the Bills as the play-by-play announcer? Not to mention if anyone has taken away sports casts it's WIVB who has news reporters fill-in for the anchors sometimes. Pathetic. 

WKBW? Do they even still air programming? 

WGR/97 rock 

I throw in 97 rock because they are the station who broadcast all the Bills games, and just like WGR (Sabres) they have a tendency to give favorable opinions about the team because they have to work with them. I think the majority of fans can see this. They know that WGR or 97 Rock have agendas when it comes to pushing or dethroning the local teams. So how can you take what WGR says about the Bills serious, when they bad mouth Ralph Wilson, yet put Larry Quinn and the Sabres in such high esteem. 

At the end of the day, do fans have a legit case? I have to lean towards yes. But I think a lot of it has to do with the resources provided to the fan. Having no regional TV station is a blow to a team's coverage. And considering what TV we have left is non-existent, the fans should blame the Buffalo TV Market. 

Drayton Florence talking s#$t

I've said it once, and I'll it again. I love Twitter. Read this gem Drayton Florence decided to tweet today. 

"At work studying this wildcat offense you have to try and trick teams when your not that good I guess"

Translation: The Dolphins suck and need gimmicks to get passed us. Can you remember the last time a Bills player talked trash about another team? I think Pat Williams one time said Priest Holmes wasn't going to get over 50 yards, and he ended up getting that total by the end of the 1st quarter. 

I'll be honest, I like the trash talking aspect. It's something to get the Bills more motivated, which under a Dick Jauron team seems to not exist.  Florence is a newcomer to the team and he probably hasn't been contaminated by Jauron's Godfather saying, "Never let your enemies know what your thinking"

Derek Roy vs Tim Connolly

I don't pretend to be the biggest hockey guru this side of the American Border, but what I do know is the way to build a great hockey team is right down the middle. You need centerman. Gretzky and Messier, Yzerman and Federov, Crosby and Malkin. The list goes on and on for Stanley Cup winning teams having elite centers.

The Sabres had that duo 3 years ago. I know some of you Sabres apologists hate when Drury and Briere are brought up. But the bottom line is the success of the Sabres during that time was because of the depth they had at center.

Since Drury and Briere left, the Sabres have tried to pass the torch to Derek Roy and Tim Connolly. I won't say they've failed, but they sure as hell haven't come close to filling their predecessor's shoes.

I've been very critical of the Sabres brass over the months since writing this blog. But, if I were to pick players on this team who have pissed me off or left me amazed at their talent, it's Connolly and Roy.

Lets start with Derek Roy. Roy is starting to become the Miro Satan and Alexander Mogilny of the team amongst the fans. Sure, he scores a lot of goals but there are just things he does that make you want to pull your hair out. For one thing, he dives...constantly! And even if diving wasn't called a penalty in the NHL, it rubs me the wrong way that Roy isn't fighting enough to make a play. It shows weakness.

Secondly, Roy doesn't get dirty enough when he's in front of the net. Roy normally likes to camp out at least 10-12 feet in front of the net. That's not good enough. He needs to be on top of the goalie. Roy doesn't have the blistering shot to just sit by the face off circle. 

Breire and Drury were great, because they were able to score anywhere on the ice. Roy needs to adapt that philosophy. 

Another popular knock on Roy is his lifestyle. Look, every fan always fantasizes about what life would be like if they were an athlete. Partying sure as hell would be at the top of my list of things to do. When I was living in Buffalo, I would always see the Sabres players at the bars throwing down beers like it was Gatorade. I even one time saw one Sabre carrying another Sabre over his back while taking him to his car. In other words, everyone does it. 

Roy maybe the Satan and Mogilny of the team, but Tim Connolly is becoming the Rob Johnson version of hockey. Remember how Johnson would have all the talent in the world, but he just couldn't stay healthy. 

I feel fans fall way to much in love with Connolly's skills (like they did for Johnson) and don't realize he's done very little in his NHL career. The stats don't lie. 18 goals is his career high and he hasn't played more than 50 games since 2005-2006 season. And the injuries this guy nurses are for ballerina dancers. 

To make matters worse the dude got a 20% raise after playing just 1/3 of his games over the past 3 years. The reason Connolly gets chance after chance is because Darcy Reiger is hell bent on proving people wrong that his Peca for Connolly deal was legit. 

So now that we have the tale of the tape out of the way, what's the final verdict? Derek Roy. I feel Roy still has a lot of bad habits that can be cleaned up. Remember Daniel Briere use to be the same way when he started out with the Coyotes and got taken to task by Lindy Ruff. As for Connolly, I just can't get past the injuries. Sure he's got a ton of talent, but what's the use if the dude can barley play half the season. 

Week 3 Preview: T.O. vs the local media

OK, we all know that the Bills and their fans have to be disappointed in what T.O. has done so far this year. But you know who may be just as disappointed? The local media. I remember when Owens signed with the Bills in March, Jerry Sullivan blogged about how excited he was that Owens was coming to town.

It had nothing to do with Owens giving the Bills a legit 2nd threat opposite Lee Evans. It had to do with Sully's notebook and pen. Sully was chomping at the bit to interview Owens, along with the majority of the press core in Buffalo.

Flash forward 6 months, and Owens has offered nothing to the Buffalo media besides plugging his reality show and his crappy cereal. And to top it off, he's becoming Mr. Exclusive. Last week, he rubbed a lot of the Buffalo media the wrong way by giving an exclusive interview with the USA Today. During the interview he pretty much bitched and complained about the media.

Then Sunday came, and Owens gave a 2 minute post-game conference where he was short with his answers and his tone with the media. Pretty much he gave nothing to the press core.

But now Mr. Exclusive is at it again. On Monday he gave an exclusive interview to the radio show "Two Live Stews" (Nice fricken name). Of course this will piss off the local press core, because Owens is going national once again, proving he doesn't give a crap about the local media.

Owens was at it again, crying about the media. But this time Owens was turning his attention to how he was asked questions during his 2 minute presser on Sunday.

"[the media] took some more than initiative to try to get me to kind of go down the wrong path. I know the last two teams that I've been on, I felt like I left those teams prematurely due to the media interviews that I've done and things kind of taken out of context, and they created sort of a media whirlwind in the locker room and things kind of went downhill from there. I'm just trying to do the best job I can do as far as answering the questions and trying to be a better teammate and not try to throw people under the bus.''

Look, I'll be the first to admit that Owens soundbites have been taken out of context over the years, but before Owens points the finger to Sully and Paul Hamilton for asking questions, he needs to look in the mirror first.

Owens demeanor when he arrived at the presser was uncalled for. The first question was asking about his thoughts on his catch streak ending. That wasn't the type of question you think would call for him to throw someone under the bus.

Now did the media get testy towards the end of the conference? Yes. But Owens drew first blood, and more importantly he drew it on the local media. If he wants to go after anyone, it's ESPN. Funny, the radio hosts that T.O. appeared with happen to make a number of appearances on ESPN's show, "First Take."

My take is Owens doesn't respect the media in Buffalo. And those who want respect, give respect. 

Tony Dungy gets in on the T.O. fun

Terrell Owens isn't exactly making too many friends in Buffalo. You know it's bad when the pope of the NFL, Tony Dungy criticises you. Dungy wasn't much of a fan of Owens for his post-game act after the Bills' loss to the Saints on Sunday.

"You really don't want that,But I think you know that's what you get with Terrell Owens. When things aren't going well, you're going to get stuff like that. That's hard to coach."

Kind of strange that Owens decided to pick a fight with Harrison and ignored the Dungy comments. It's a wise move by Owens. You don't want to mess with the pope and get struck by lightening. Not to mention Dungy is very well respected by his NFL peers, more so than anyone in the league.

Owens vs Harrison vs the fans

Maybe if Owens had say...15 catches and 3 touchdowns for his first 3 games I would find it amusing that he is wasting all of his tweets on Rodney Harrison. But I don't.

 

Harrison decided to go after T.O. on "Football Night in America" on NBC. Harrison called T.O. a clown, and we aren't talking about the same clown that Henry Hill called Tommy in "Goodfellas." 

"He's just a clown, a straight up clown. He's more concerned with individual stats as opposed to the team's success. Just a clown."

This of course got back to Owens, and he's unleashed a tirade on Harrison. Here's a sample from Owens Twitter page:

"I could less about Rodney Harrison! Anybody tht using steroids, yes STEROIDS rodney, is a cheater & cheated the game! Hey rodney! Send me sum steroids 2 the Bills facility next week! Is tht Y u used steroids b/c u were worried about ur stats or ws it b/c u were losing it? Lol! U're a loser & a cheater? Got any steroid?"

Owens was corrected that Harrison wasn't on steroids, but on HGH. That still didn't stop Owens. 

"u used HGH nt steroids! So, every1 go ahead & use HGH!! Geez, I guess tht makes it ...So Rodney, I'm thinking if u overnite it 2day, I'll get em by 2morr @ noon. Better yet, mark it Priority!! I "really" wanna b a CHAMPION ..."

Really happy Owens is wasting his Monday talking about what a ex-NFL player thinks of him. Seriously, just get over it. He seems to be more interested in getting a rise out of people than raising his catch totals. 

Now again, I don't want my 6.5 million dollar guy wasting his time on his stupid twitter page and fighting with the media, when he only has 5 catches for the year. Get me 10 catches and you can take on the world! Till then, shut up! 

And as if T.O. didn't have enough problems with the media. Now the fans are getting on his case, and the funny thing is Owens is responding to their tweets. Here's an example:

From Rob:

"Alright, brah, for real. We get it. You wanna mock Harrison for 'roids. Here's an idea: stop mocking him, and catch the ball."

From T.O.

"well dn't read my posts, dn't follow me then! thanx so much tho"

Well at least he's taking questions from the fans. You know, maybe I'll Tweet T.O. and ask if I can be his personal reporter. Worth a shot, right? 

Bills injuries mount up

You want to talk about having a bad couple of weeks. From getting $400,000 in jewelry heisted to having someone make your lawn look like a destination of aliens. Donte Whitner and Leodis McKelvin have seen it all. But now the duo won't be seeing much of the field for the time being. 

Donte Whitner underwent thumb surgery after getting injured in the teams' 27-7 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. Head Coach Dick Jauron says that Whitner is week-to-week with the thumb injury. CB Leodis McKelvin fractured his leg against the Saints. McKelvin will be out a little longer, according to Jauron. 

T Demetrius Bell is day-to-day with an injured groin. S Bryan Scott went to the doctors Monday after suffering an ankle injury in the loss. The team will have an update on Scott Wednesday. (Joenyc/WGR) 

I got your popcorn right here!

Orvel Redenbacher must be rolling over in his grave today. Jerry Sullivan wrote earlier today, that a Bills fan dumped a box of popcorn on Terrell Owens head, while he was walking up the Bills tunnel after the game. I wonder if Kawika Mitchell will twitter again about how Bills fans haven't been on their best behavior over the last 2 weeks. 

Maybe next week someone will dump a box of cereal over Owens head. Not a classy way for Bills fans to show their frustration. If you really want to piss Owens off, don't watch his reality show. 

WTF is wrong with the Bills return game?

I know last week I blogged about how I didn't think the Bills should trade Roscoe Parrish. Well after this week, maybe it's time to move him. Parrish has looked lost out there. Parrish isn't even ranked in the top 30 for punt returners! He's averaging 2.7 yards a punt return...that's not a typo. 2.7 YARDS! 

Maybe Parrish is starting to become the next Devin Hester and Dante Hall. Remember how good both guys were at one time, and then boom! They take a couple too many hits and are promoted or demoted to a wide out spot. 

Dante Hall was the biggest example of this. At one point he was considered a MVP candidate for the Chiefs and then became a hasbeen at the age of 27. A player as small as Hall can't take that many hits over a career. Parrish, who is only a inch taller than Hall is starting to look very tentative (ugh, there's that word again) on returns and doesn't seem to have the same burst he had the last couple of years. 

Another reason could be the mental aspect of Roscoe's game. Maybe Parrish is starting to think he's too good to be a returner and doesn't want to work on his game to become better. Not to mention he feels he's being underutilized as a receiver, and we've seen what happens to wide outs (T.O.) when they don't feel like they are being involved enough.  They lose interest. 

But you can't put all the blame on Parrish. You have to wonder how much the new NFL rule of outlawing kickoff wedges has effected the Bills return game. Take a look at the majority of Bills returns over the years, they've all been manufactured by the wedge. I can't remember Terrence McGee or Leodis McKelvin breaking tackles and stopping on a dime to deek someone out. They get the ball and the follow their wedges. If Bobby April is this genius with special teams, he needs to hit the drawing board. 

It seems like the days of the Bills special teams being their main weapon may be drawing to a close. Actually in comparison to the offense, special teams is more like a pellet gun in comparison to the squirt gun the Bills offense represents. 

Trentative Edwards has returned

So the blame game I've been playing about what's wrong with the offense has moved to Trent Edwards. Look, I don't mind if you have to do some check downs during a course of a game if warranted, as in you're running for your life. But when Jason Fine and Derek Schoman are becoming your goto targets, you have issues. 

Lee Evans has become a glorified possession receiver and T.O. is starting fights with Rodney Harrison on Twitter. 

Someone needs to explain to me how Kurt Warner, Big Ben, and Tom Brady can always get the ball to their top wides. Hell, Randy Moss without Wes Welker was able to catch 12 balls yesterday. 

Great QB's know how to get the ball to their best players. I can handle if some games that doesn't happen, but how many times do we have to talk about Evans or Owens not being involved enough. 

It's time for Edwards to figure out what kind of QB he wants to be. Does he want to be the QB who throws screen passes on 3rd and 13 or does he want to be a gunslinger? If it's the latter, then Edwards needs to shed the check down crap  and start taking chances down the field. I'm sick of blaming AVP and Turk Schonert for the futility Edwards has shown.

Who the hell would Charlie Weiss and Josh McDaniels be without Tom Brady? Look at how pissed off Brady was yesterday on the sideline about the Pats offense in the first half. Edwards needs that! He's starting to resemble Dick Jauron in his mannerisms and comments. Oh, we just have to look at the film and execute. 

F$%k the film and executing. Great QB's in this league demand the best out of themselves and teammates. I'm starting to think Edwards tentative play style is almost a mirror image of how he reacts to the offense not playing well. 

Edwards more then likely won't have these sort of weapons at his disposal ever again, considering T.O. is leaving after the year. It's time for Edwards to lay it out and earn that next contract. If he doesn't, he may be joining JP Losman in the UFL. 

The O-line comes up short

Did Geoff Hangartner all of a sudden become the Mitch Williams of centers? The dude totally forgot how to snap the ball out of shotgun. When you are playing a team that uses the "46", you know they are going to blitz at least 5-6 guys.

How many times did we see Edwards squat down to his feet and receive the ball from center and look up and see a defender barreling down his throat?

That was one of the many problems the Bills line had today. The line who overachieved the first two weeks of the season, finally looked their age. Not only did they look their age, but they are starting to have the health of a 90 year-old.

Demetrius Bell went down with an injury and was replaced by Chris Chambers. How sad is it that Chambers has more pro years under his belt than 3/5's of the starting offensive line. In just two weeks the Bills have lost both their starting tackles to injury.

But at this point, it could of been Karl Malone or Tom Chambers in there, it just didn't matter. Edwards was sacked 4 times today (Season high).

Not only did Edwards have to worry about getting the ball from Geoff and having a Saints helmet removed from his ass, but he had no help from the Bills running game.

Fred Jackson finally cooled down and carried the ball 18 times for 70 yards. But you can't fault Jackson for his day. Jackson wasn't getting much help up front. Jackson's great vision was blinded by the line's inability to run block. It seemed like every run Jackson had was met with contact behind the line of scrimmage.

The line may have their biggest test next week when they play against the Dolphins 3-4 defense. Even though the Dolphins have struggled this season, the Bills don't match-up well against their defense. The thought of Jerry Porter and Jason Taylor 1 on 1 with Chambers and Jonathan Scott, doesn't exactly sound like Bruce Smith versus Anthony Munoz.

Owens is getting on my nerves

I had said after week 1 that the Terrell Owens honeymoon in Buffalo was over. Now I think we can start filling the divorce papers. And this has to do with both on and off the field issues.

As far as on the field goes..Hell, all of the Bills skill guys (besides Jackson) have struggled. But if there is one thing I know about Bills fans, they can't stand when a player starts bitching and talking about non-related football issues, but it's another when you're a struggling on the field. Look at some of the quotes Owens has said over the week.

Owens: On the Bills staying in Buffalo:
"I would love it," he says. "I mean, honestly, I think it would be great if the team stayed here. The only negative is — this is my first year, this is just me speaking out loud — but I think it should be an inside facility. They should be playing in a dome."

Mind of Joe
I had said earlier that I didn't mind the quote, because 99/100 players would say the same thing. The only people who want the Bills to play in the snow is Mr. Plow. But I've read message boards and some media people who start getting teary eye when players diss playing in the cold weather.

Owens: On his numbers being affected by the cold:
"But if you let (the news media) report, and I don't have the same numbers I've had in years past, it's going to be because, oh, I'm 35 years old. 'Oh, he's slowing down.' … You put us in a dome then you have a valid point if those numbers don't add up."

Mind of Joe
Great, nothing like giving an excuse that your numbers may stink in December because of the weather. What's your excuse now? The sun is beaming on my visor? Or better yet, what happens if we get that dome you've been talking about? I started counting how many nails were in the roof?

Owens: On his new offseason program
"After the season is over I'm going to take some classes,and I'm probably going to try to link up with Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, and Chris Rock and some other guys, Morris Chestnut. I'm good friends with Jamie Foxx and see where it goes."

Mind of Joe
What? You think he was going to work on not dropping passes? But hey, I'd of loved being an actor and I'm all for going out and doing pet projects, but not when Derek Schoman has 5 more catches than you do for the season! So great, now that we have all of T.O's views on acting, snow, and the media we can get to his thoughts on football related material.

Flash forward to Sunday:

Owens: Thoughts on 186 straight games with a catch snapped:
"It's Over"

Mind of Joe
Um, ok? I could of told you that.

Owens: On not getting the ball enough:
"Just going with the plays that are called"

Mind of Joe
Owens used that answer 4 times during his post-game conference. One more reference and it would of tied the number of catches he has for the season.

Owens: Pressed by Jerry Sullivan on Trent Edwards not looking his way.
"I don't want to answer that, because whatever I say you guys are going to turn it to however you want to say"

Mind of Joe
Great, take out your animosity on the local media that stuck up for you when ESPN decided to bury you after your comments on Edwards. Does T.O. even know that ESPN doesn't even attend the Bills press conferences? Does he even know who Jerry Sullivan is? Of course not, because he doesn't care what Bills fans think, he only thinks about the T.O. fans. That's a big difference.

So now that we got the football questions out of the way for Sunday, lets go to what Owens is thinking about at around 7:30pm

Owens: On what his plans were for Sunday night,via Twitter:
"N traffic hungry as a hostage!! Who's playing the sun nite game 2nite? Cn't wait 2 get hm & kick my feet up!"

Mind of Joe
Of course, Owens would like to know whose playing on primetime, that's what he cares about, being seen by millions of people. As far as being hungry, I'm surprised he didn't do a shameless plug for his cereal.

Here's the deal. Going into the season and even back to when Owens signed with the Bills, I didn't care if Owens was going to star in 30 reality shows and come out with his own candy bar. I wanted him to produce. So far in 3 games, he hasn't. Once you stop producing, I could give a crap what your extra curricular activities consist of.

I didn't get on the Owens bandwagon because he was going to shine a star on Buffalo because of his reality show. Hell, I don't care if he or the other 53 players on the roster hate living in Buffalo and find the nightlife to be awful. I want a winner! I want a player who is going to catch 70 balls for 12 touchdowns.

Owens may of made a lot of noise during the season off the field, but he sure as hell hasn't done much on it. And until he does, He's on my hit list. But Owens doesn't care about what his critcis think of him, via twitter.

"Ok! Now I got tht outta the way I'm ready 4 next week's game!! Gotta keep the faith! Let the critics & haters hate!!!"

Oh I'll keep hating alright, until you do something on the field.

Owens/Evans not exactly the dynamic duo

So who would of predicted after 3 games that Terrell Owens wouldn't even be in the top 5 in catches for the team? And lets not forget Lee Evans, who use to catch 50 yard bombs on a regular basis, hasn't even reached 100 receiving for the year! If those two stats didn't want to make you throw up, how about this..Ryan Fucken Denney has the second most touchdown receptions for a Bill over the last 2 years. How about the duo of Aaron Schobel and Denney are tied with Owens and Edwards for touchdowns this year.

I've run out of people to blame for the offense playing like this. Every week I change my mind on who I should fault. Maybe it's AVP or Schonert, Fairchild, Jauron, the line, Edwards, the Pope, or maybe the Bills should play in a dome. I've given up trying to figure out if it's the chicken or the egg..Hell, I'm in a dam chicken coup at this point!

All I know is some of the blame, should go to the people who are making the most money. Evans and T.O. are the highest paid wide receiver duo in the NFL this season. If they are seeing things out there that Edwards and AVP aren't seeing, then they have to call or use smoke signals to reach AVP in the press box.

I just can't get over how badly Lee Evans has been playing, not just this year but for over the last 2 seasons. This was the guy who caught 82 passes for almost 1300 yards when JP Losman was the QB. Now all of a sudden Evans is becoming a possession receiver. In the last 7 games dating back to last year, Only 1 of Evans catches has gone for 15 plus yards.

Oh wait, I was writing this column to put some blame on the wide outs and now after seeing how Evans numbers have dropped, I'm thinking of blaming Edwards for his decline. I just can't anymore.

Of course, I'll change my mind next week and blame Ralph Wilson for not firing Dick Jauron for the team's offensive futility.

Saints march all over the Bills

Well it was a typical Bills game against a far better team. They kept it close throughout, taking advantage of the Saints offense that was out of sync for the first 3 quarters. But when the 4th quarter started, just like in the New England game, the better team turned up the intensity, while the Bills were stuck in 1st quarter mode. The Saints scored 17 4th quarter points, in a 27-7 win.

The Bills offense struggled throughout the majority of the game but when the 4th quarter came, forget it. The Bills managed ZERO first downs. Even though the Bills were in the game for the most part you just had that sinking feeling that the roof was going to cave in, and it did.

It wasn't the sort of game I had envisioned. I thought the Saints would have there way offensively and the Bills offense would keep it close until at least the 3rd quarter. However the Bills offense was terrible. And to think they were going against a defense that gave up almost 4oo yards in passing to Kevin Kolb. T.O.(More on him later)with held without a catch for the first time in 186 games and is still 4 catches behind Derek Schoman for the team lead.

The Bills are 1-2 and play their first AFC East opponent the Miami Dolphins next week.

Sabres blue line preview: Old guard edition

Transition is a funny word in sports. Sometimes it can be good or a bad. The good is applying the old saying, out with old and in with new. The bad is when the word means rebuilding.

Whether it's good or bad, if there is any position that is in transition for the Sabres, it's the blue line. Take a look at the defense pairings from 2007-2008.

Gone are Brian Campbell, Teppo Numminen, Jaroslov Spacek, and Dmitri Kalnin. Obvisoulsy, I'd of driven Kalnin out of town on a tricycle if I could. And as much as a gentleman Numminen was, I think the Sabres kept him around way too long because they realized how foolish they looked when the suspended him for being on the verge of having a heart-attack.

The one thing I've been beating the drum on is that the Sabres are missing a play-making defenseman. Campbell and Spacek were those guys. Now of course, was Spacek all world? No. But of the guys on this roster, he was the best blue-liner at getting the puck to the net and carring the puck in the zone.

Now the Sabres on the blueline are younger and only a few old guards remain. Craig Rivet is the anchor of the blue-line. He's the best all around defenseman on the team and he's a leader, or maybe he's a leader amongst boys if you get my drift. Rivet isn't going to blow you away with his speed but he does possess a decent shot.

Unfortunately just like Rivet being a leader amongst boys, his offensive skills amongst the blue liners is like saying Brad Butler is your best lineman on the Bills. Rivet by process of elimination is the leading scorer on the blue-line, scoring an eye popping 24 points last season. Rivet's career high is 35 points and he's going to have eclipse that if no one on the team steps up. But he's a leader, and that's what should be expected from him.

Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman are the veteran pair of the Sabres. Tallinder is the longest tenured Sabre, but has also endured a few injury riddled seasons. Since playing all 82 games in 2005-2006, Tallinder has played 47, 71, and 66 games over the last 3 years. He's suddenly becoming the Dmitri Kalnin of the team.

You know, we have this up and coming defenseman who early in his career looked like he was going to be a main stay for the team. And one thing leads to another and his confidence is gone and he's developing bad habits. It also doesn't help matters when the guy tells the media he wants a change and is making more money than he deserves.

This is Tallinder's last shot with the club. And to be honest even if the guy rebounds from the last couple of bad seasons, I don't see the Sabres resigning him. The Sabres seem to have to same issues with defensman as the Bills have had with cornerbacks, they don't like to resign them after their first contract.

The other veteran on the blue line is new comer Steve Montador. It was actually the Sabres first FA signing in 3 years. Now I'm not going to try and be an expert, but I've never watched Montador play. From what I read and saw on youtube, the guy is a gritty defenseman who can hit and fight. The Sabres haven't had a hard hitting defenseman since Jay McKee.

Don't be surprised if Montador because a Sabres fan favorite. I've always said, the way to a Sabres fan heart is punching an opponent in the heart. Sabres fans respect the blue-collar guy and he seems to fit that bill.

The big question for the blueline is will they become expendable at the end of the year. Both Tallinder and Lydman are UFA, and we know the Sabres haven't resigned a UFA in years (besides Teppo). Rivet will be a UFA after next year. I think judging by the farm system, the Sabres are leaning towards have a full blown makeover on the backline by the end of the year. Even if the Sabres make the playoffs, I just don't see some of these guys playing here next year.

Coming up, Sabres front line: old guard preview edition.

Bills vs Saints boldless prediction

Well hope you enjoyed my blogs on previewing the Bills vs Saints...Probably went to long on the G.W. rant....but here's my prediction for the game..that's a smooth segway!

Had you asked me who would of won this game a month ago, I would of said the Bills by a nose. And even though the Bills have looked better in their first 2 games than I thought they would be, the Saints have blown the lid off expectations.

The crazy thing about the Saints is their skill position players for the most part aren't really big names. Jeremy Shockey is a hasbeen, Marques Colston seems to get injured a lot, and Reggie Bush just bangs that girl with the booty and breaks off a nice run once in a blue moon. And to top it off, injuries have riddled the trio. Which makes Drew Brees development into a top flight QB even more impressive. Makes me think back to when Brees was a free agent and the Bills had JP Losman. He could of been had by any of the other 31 teams if they wanted to pony up the money for him.

Brees is the entire Saints offense. He's proven it since he came to New Orleans in 2006. I Wonder how he would be if he played with Randy Moss and Wes Welker? The Bills defense just doesn't match up well against the Saints. Brees loves using the middle of the field, especially the tight end, whom the Bills have always had trouble defending. The Saints offense doesn't make mistakes, which doesn't bold well for the Bills defense because they have a hard enough time forcing mistakes.

The Bills I think will keep it close for the first half, but Brees is a master adjuster to defenses after the half. The Saints have scored 31, 17, 21, 14, 17, 13, and 27 points in the second halves of their last 7 games dating back to last year. Saints blow it open in the second half and send the Bills to their second loss of the year.

Saints-44
Bills-24

The return of Man Boobs

"46 Defense? How about 36 Double D's!!?"


















Is it just me? Or doesn't Greg Williams look like the actor who played along side Kevin Bacon in the movie "Tremors?"









OK, if not him..what about the dude who played Mr. Arizona in the timeless classic "Raising Arizona?"











OK, lets be honest. Greg Williams looks like every southern B-actor who has ever been in a movie. But like every B-actor, Williams at one point had a prime. He was the defensive coordinator who guided the Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl appearance in 1999, led by a furious pass rush.

Williams was then hired by the Bills in 2001, and that became his first movie bomb. Williams had a 17-31 record. Some of the great gems G.W. brought to the Bills was saying our defense was going to set the NFL sack record. And that was with fucken Eric Flowers and Bryce Fisher rushing the passer. He even said Rob Johnson was in his element running the west coast offense. Oh yeah? That makes sense, lets have a guy who couldn't read a children's book run an offense that is known for making quick reads. In other words Williams is full of shit.

Rumor has it G.W. was fired because of his attitude towards Tom Donahoe and Ralph Wilson. You know, "my way or the high way?!" It wouldn't shock me, considering Williams only has 4 less wins than Jauron did during his first 3 years with the Bills. See how much kissing ass maters.

Williams then went on to coach the Redskins defense for 4 years, where he didn't have as much success as with the Titans defense. But even though the Skins defense was average at best, Williams was up for the Redskins coaching job when Joe Gibbs resigned. Williams was interviewed an astounding 4 times for it!

What the hell could they discuss that they didn't already know about the guy. What would you do if George Bush came to a Redskins game? Why was Tremors the dumbest movie ever? Is your wife jealous of your boobs?

Rumor around the camp fire was Williams rubbed Dan Snyder and VP Vinny Cerrato the wrong way about his perception of Joe Gibbs. Williams of course doesn't get the job and moves on.

What the hell is my point in all this? I don't know, I just like making fun of old Bills coaches. Wait till the Bills play Mike Mularkey and the Falcons in week 16.

All kidding aside, after an uneventful year with the Jags, Williams is bringing his "46 defense" to the Big Easy. The Saints defense hasn't been good it seems like since the Sam Mills days. This may be Williams last shot as a defensive coordinator and it maybe his biggest challenge.

The Bills actually have Greg Williams number. The Bills have won the last 3 games against a Greg Williams coordinated defense. Wins in the season opener against the Titans in 2000, the Sean Taylor game against the Redskins in 2007, and the James Hardy (remember me?) game-winning touchdown grab against Jacksonville last year.

Maybe the last 2 victories have something to do with Bills players learning under Greg Williams and Jerry Gray's defense. Aaron Schobel, Terrence McGee, and Chris Kelsay all played under the same type of defense that Greg Williams runs. Hmmm, maybe they are sharing secrets with the Bills offense.

If you think about it, you can make the case that Trent Edwards had his best games against G.W. Both games against the Skins and Jags resulted in 4th quarter comebacks for the Bills. Last year against the Jags, Edwards was 20-25 for 239 yards and a touchdown. His game against the Redskins in 2007 had a similar ring as well. Edwards was 22-36 for 257 yards and a touchdown. OMG! T.E. is the G.W. killer. Actually, everyone has pretty much killed off G.W.

But just like Hollywood, everyone loves a comeback in the NFL. And this would be the biggest one for G.W. if he turns around the Saints defense.

Bills offense needs to slow down

Call it flip flopping if you must, but I spoke in the preseason that I wanted the Bills offense to run more of a hurry up offense than a no-huddle offense. This week however, I'm very much down with the concept of no-huddling and snapping the Ball with 3-4 seconds on the play clock. The Bills have to keep the Saints offense off the field as much as possible.

As good as the Saints offense has been, their defense has very much to desire. You're talking about a defense that gave up almost 400 yards in passing to Kevin Kolb. Kevin F'N Kolb! The Lions were even able to put up points with rookie QB Matthew Stafford. Edwards is better then Kolb and Stafford, but his best bet is to try and manage the game and eat up clock killing drives. The Bills can't be enticed with the way Kolb and Stafford passed against the Saints.

The Bills need a whole lot of Fred Jackson. This is Jackson's last game before Marshawn Lynch is reinstated from his 3 game suspension. You don't think he wants to leave an impression that he should start over the Lynch? Jackson has turned a lot of heads in the NFL with his performance so far this year, another strong game would definitely put him over Lynch as the starting running back for the team. Look for Jackson to be a pivotal part of the Bills offense.

The only way Jackson gets left out in the cold is if the Saints get off to a fast start and the Bills start having to throw the ball all over the field. The Saints run defense hasn't been tested this year yet, because their offense has forced teams to play catch up for most of the games. The Lions and The Eagles only ran the ball 19 times in each game against the Saints. The Bills need to almost double that in order to have a chance.

Bills defense has to sit back

I've been saying for months that the Bills should blitz more in order to get more pressure on opposing QB's. However this is the NOT the week to do it against the Saints!

The Saints offense has been eating defenses alive, averaging 46 points a game. If I'm Perry Fewell I look at the way the Lions and Eagles defenses played against the Saints. Both defences relied heavily on the blitz. The Eagles have always been known for blitzing, while the Lions are adapting the philosophy of the Tennessee defense, which is a version of the "46." Brees burned the blitz by using screen passes and quick 3 step drops. And with all that blitzing, Brees was only sacked twice.

The Bills need to pull the same defense the Giants played against the Bills in Superbowl XXV. Have 2-3 guys on the defensive line and drop back 8 guys. Flood the passing lanes with defenders and try and tee off on the wides.

I don't want to sound dirty, but the Saints have issues when it comes to keeping their wides healthy. If you're a player who gets hurt a lot, what's the one thing you kind of want to avoid? contact. The Bills need to get into the Saints wides heads and make them fear for their life if they catch the ball. The Bills have decent tacklers at corners, but not enough heavy hitters. Hitting is about attitude, and it's about time the Bills watch some film of Rodney Harrison and Ronnie Lott laying out some guys.

Give up on pressure

Drew Brees just doesn't get sacked. The Saints only gave up an eyeopening 13 sacks last year. Think about it, that means out of Drew Brees record setting passing attempts of 635, he was sacked only 13 times. Remarkable.

The Bills have to wave the white flag in pass rushing and say, there's no way we are going to get to Brees, so let the Saints beat us by the run. The Saints are banged up at runnining back with Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas battling injuries. The backs have gotten their yards thus far this season. Still who would you rather try and have beat you? Brees or B/T?

Bills/Saints Preview

My apologies for not updating my blog with better content. Work has been kicking my ass lately.

Well this is what most fans predicted in the preseason. The Bills would be sitting at 1-1 going into their second home game of the season. However, I'm sure most fans didn't realize how good the Saints were going to be. Drew Brees is playing phenomenal, and is on pace for like 75 touchdowns.

The Bills only way to beat the Saints is the old football strategy of keeping their offense off the field. They have to run Fred Jackson as much as possible. If the Saints and Bills get into a shoot out, the Bills will lose. They need to have the same strategy they had against New England. The Bills must sustain long drives of the 10-12 play variety and run Fred Jackson. But that's just a quarter of the strategy, here's the rest of the dirt.

WGR wins an award

Every year, the National Association of Broadcasters hold the Marconi Awards to honor the best in radio. On Thursday night in Philadelphia, WGR – Sports Radio 550 won the award for Sports Station of the Year.

Mind of Joe
Congrats to WGR for winning. However I have to digress. WGR more than likely won this award because their ratings are near the top of the country, even though the Buffalo market is small and continues to be an untapped sports media market with very little competition. Lets not forget only 5 years ago WGR was losing the ratings war to a bankrupt WNSA radio station with a skeleton crew at their disposal.

The high ratings can be misleading because the Buffalo market is so small. For Example, if WGR gets a rating of 7.8 in Buffalo and WFAN gets a 6.0 in NYC, WGR may have a higher percentage of local listeners, but WFAN has more listeners because it goes out to all of NYC.

I've listen to my fair share of sports radio, especially in NYC. And the knowledge of stations like WFAN and ESPN 1050, blows away WGR because they can talk about any team and any sport that isn't in NYC. In other words, you don't have to worry about tuning in and hearing America Idol recaps. The problem for those stations is they have stiff competition with each other and regional TV sports channels, and the rating suffers from that. WGR competes with 103.3 The Edge. Not exactly the YES Network.

Now am I being a hater? Yes. WGR should be happy with winning this award. But all I'm saying is WGR needs competition in the Buffalo area. If they don't, they will be plugging the nonsense of Idol recaps and kicking people out of the Sex hall of fame.

Owens likes domes

Here is an excerpt from the USA Today on Owens feelings on playing in the cold of Buffalo. 

"But if you let (the news media) report, and I don't have the same numbers I've had in years past, it's going to be because, oh, I'm 35 years old. 'Oh, he's slowing down.' … You put us in a dome then you have a valid point if those numbers don't add up."

Toronto has a dome.

"Exactly," he says.

The Bills will play the New York Jets in a dome-away-from-home game in Toronto in December. Many Bills fans fret that such games are a harbinger of their beloved Bills moving there some day.

How does Owens feel about the Bills staying in Buffalo?

"I would love it," he says. "I mean, honestly, I think it would be great if the team stayed here. The only negative is — this is my first year, this is just me speaking out loud — but I think it should be an inside facility. They should be playing in a dome."

Mind of Joe

Well, you can draw two conclusions from this. 1) Owens hates the cold. 2) He's making up an excuse for him possibly not having a good December in Buffalo. Personally, I don't care if he hates the cold. I'm sure if you asked 99 out of 100 players if they'd rather play in a blizzard or a dome, they will say "so long long johns." That's why people don't take trips to the North Pole. 

As for as saying the weather effects his play, I don't buy that. Andre Reed and James Lofton's best games as a tandem was the 1990 playoffs against the Raiders and Dolphins, go look up the weather forecast for those games. Now if it's windy, it's a different story. But if it's 22 degrees with snow but no wind, that shouldn't have dick to do with the passing game.

The quotes also got me thinking of what Owens thoughts will be when the Bills play in Toronto. Look, lets be honest. Take away our Buffalo roots and step back away from the situation, you can't tell me Buffalo is a better city than Toronto. You know the Toronto media is going to try and get Owens to show some love to Toronto. Some fans most likely will take that as a punch in the gut, like what happen with Willis McGahee and his love for Toronto clubs.  Stay tune. 

Owens speaks to the USA Today

Well to add fuel to the fire that Owens only talks to national publications, T.O. took a T.O. to talk with the USA Today. He spoke candidly about why he's elected only to speak to media on Wednesdays and not after games. 

"It's not mandated that I have to talk to the media after the game," Owens says. "We have captains on this team. … Why can't the captains speak for the team? … And so now it's, like, I don't say anything. And now that's a story. I feel I have been unfairly criticized in whatever I have to say," Owens says. "So it's a point where I'm getting frustrated. I don't want this to be a bad situation here in Buffalo."

Mind of Joe

Ugh, just shut up bro. I get it, it's your right that you don't want to talk. But how many times do you have to goto outside outlets and tell them that. All of your interviews are the same. Don't get me wrong, I love T.O. the player, but as a person, he's a bore and says the same shit everyday. This person hates me, that person wants me gone. Just shut up! Say something funny or witty. And if you can't stand ESPN, just change the channel dude. 

Owens speaks

Calling all red carpet event planners. The State of T.O.'s Union seems to be happening on Wednesdays. Owens who has missed the last  two post-game media sessions seems to have taken a liking to going midweek. Here's why he decided that talking to the media isn't a good thing.

“I think that with anything I say, it has been kind of misconstrued or taken out of context, so you’re right, it is my prerogative and I’m filling my obligations throughout the course of the week where I talk to the media, so it’s not mandated that I talk to media after the game,” said Owens. ”As long as I’m fulfilling my obligations as far as talking to the media throughout the week, then I’m doing my job. Obviously I’m not trying to slight the fans by any means. Those fans were fantastic, first regular season (home) game and obviously it was a big accomplishment for myself and for the team with a win. Other than that, that’s pretty much my stance on it.”

I still don't buy that. Owens has been misquoted by the media for the last 3 years. From his accidental suicide to not being happy with Parcells. I totally feel he's waiting for his break-out performance and whether ESPN is going to be at one of his news conferences.

Onto Owens performance. He didn't try blaming his performance and drops on anyone else but himself and his visor.  

“I just feel like I let some opportunities slip,” he said. ”And obviously with the deep ball I kind of relaxed and the shield was kind of dirty from the couple plays before, so you know, again, I have high standards for myself, and obviously I’m pleased with the win and that we won. We came back and sealed the win, but like I said, I have high standards for myself and it wasn’t my best game. I just try to perform at a high level.”

Sabres preview

OK, I know I've written like one positive Sabres post..I think I liked the Grier signing..but I'm trying not to make this blog as negative as possible. I think my Bills posts are fair. Some positive, some negative. But it's time to give the Sabres some more love. I'll be honest, I'm a football guy and I really don't take an interest in the Sabres until January. Now if their on TV of course I'll watch them. And I will be getting center Ice because I do have a new 46 inch flat screen tv.

But I do feel after watching the team for over 20 years, I'll be able to give a good opinion and some cool stats you never thought of.

But I feel in order for me to give some love to the Sabres or to at least get into them, I have to write about the team itself, and not so much about my disdain towards WGR/Sabres, Mr. Mulligan/Mr Seles/ and Tinny Tim. Don't worry I will revisit that again at some point.

So I'm going to start doing my preview for the team. The way I look at the Sabres is they have two teams. They have the old guard and the new guard. The old guard consists of the players who were around the glory days of 2005-2007. The New guard are the kids who are making their way from Portland or have only been on the team for a couple of years.

The way I'm going to do my preview section is by New Guard and Old Guard positions (example, Sabres Defenseman: New Guard, Sabres forwards: Old guard) You get the point. So stay tune.

Sabres marketing

Seriously, does a guy want his favorite hockey player to look like he's fondling a stick?

Girls, I'm going to get a lot of shit for this.

The Sabres announced a month ago that they had a 94% renewal of season tickets for the season. But what kind of confuses me is the fact that if you go to their website, tickets for all of their October games are available. Didn't the Sabres supposedly have about 14,000 season tickets sold two years ago with a waiting list of like 5,000? So the question is how many season tickets has the team sold?

Here is my theory. I think the Sabres are full of shit. I think the team's marketing strategy is to make the team "thee" thing to do in Buffalo. How do you get people to walk through the door? You hype the shit out of it! You make it the trendy spot. It's like you're driving past a club and their is a huge line to get in it. What do you do? You say to your friend, "Yo, that spot looks hot lets check it out." You wait in line, and then you feel great that you were able to get in because the line was forever. And you get in and... it's not even crowded. They want you to think that the event is so hot, that you are going to do everything to see what the deal is.

Lets be frank, the Sabres got hot after the lockout. Prior to that they were a fair niche sport that sold out only for Canadian teams and playoffs. When they got hot, they did something even the Bills didn't think of doing. They were marketing to girls. Why do you think they have those GQ black and white photos of the players at the arena. Why do you think they are doing those corny ass red carpet intros prior to the season? Hell they were selling Abercrombie & Fitch wannabe sweaters for 100 dollars. How many girls screamed when they saw Max play? (and can someone tell me what is sexy about the dude?)

I'll even make the case to say the Sabres kept Max around for so long because chicks dig him. And I'll go a step further and say if Tim Connolly looked like Chris Drury, he'd be gone. That's the one thing the Sabres have over the Bills. Girls think hockey players are sexier than football players.
















Easy there Henrik, lean on that stick more you might fall on it and hurt yourself

And not to be sexist, but who would be more excited about going to a trendy event? A guy or a girl? Which goes back to my point of the Sabres lying about season tickets to make the games a must see event. Now is it a bad thing? No, who doesn't like being at a hot spot? I'm just saying. Comments are open.

Sabres make roster moves

The Sabres have trimmed their roster down to 33 players. That’s all that remain from the 53 who started training camp in Buffalo. 14 players were sent down to Portland on Tuesday.

The headliner is Tyler Ennis. The Sabres selected him with their 2nd first round pick in 2008. 2007 2nd rounder, T.J. Brennan, is also headed to the Pirates.

Joining Ennis and Brennan will be forwards Paul Byron, Brad Larsen, Maxime Legault, Mark McCutcheon, Kyle Rank, Travis Turnbull and Derek Whitmore, blueliners Matt Generous, Mike Kostka, Dennis Persson and Drew Schiestel and goaltender J.P. Lamoureux.


Mind of Joe
This is why I hate,,,HATE! rookies, draft picks, prospects. I had a heated debate on a message board on WGR when they had their rookie camp reports about how guys like TJ Brennan and Tyler Ennis were destroying the competition. I got a lot of flack about it because my stance was the writers of the report made it out that these young kids were sent from the heavens to bring the Sabres to the promise land. The comments from readers on the story were ridiculous about expectations.

I'm not a scout and until I see what a player looks like at the NHL level I reserve my opinion. I don't want to rehash how Mike Ryan, Vckslav Varada, and Dominic Pitis own Rochester scoring records and did jack in the NHL. I also feel the Sabres (smartly) promote their kids way too much to get fans excited about the prospect of having Mike Foligno's son jumping through the air when he scores his first goal and Tim Kennedy being a Buffalo home-town kid.

Don't believe? Go to the Sabres site and see how they have profile videos on all their young kids going to the minors. Fans expectations get way to big when it comes to these kids. It's not just the NHL, it's all sports. Again, show me what you got at the NHL level. Then I'll draw a conclusion.