Newton or Merriman - What Lights Your Fire?

Bills fans, what would you rather have? Cam Newton as an unproven rookie, or Shawne Merriman as his former Pro-Bowl self?

Now it may seem like an odd question to a non-Bills fan, but for many Buffalo fans it it highlights a bigger question. What will have a bigger impact on the Bills now, and in the future (two separate issues)?

For years the Bills rarely snagged a high profile free agent. Yes Terrell Owens comes to mind, but that was the rare exception. The Bills, historically conservative, would rarely pursue expensive proven free agents, let alone free agents coming off an injury (again, Marcus Stroud being a rare exception).

When the Bills claimed Merriman off the waiver wire I, like many Bills fans, was amazed and excited. Why? Because the Bills showed some courage and took a gamble that could potentially pay high dividends. Also, the move showed a commitment to immediate improvement rarely seen in the past.

Never mind that the rumor mill said Shawne didn't want to play in Buffalo, had no interest in re-signing with the Bills, and re-injured his leg and was lost for the season after 10 minutes of practice (sigh, the life of a Bills fan). The second surprise, Merriman signing a Bills contract, was almost as exciting as the waiver claim.

I don't care about the reasons why he signed with the Bills. I only care that he did sign and now has the chance to resurrect his career as a Buffalo Bill. A few years ago I saw Merriman, in Pro Bowl fashion, almost single handedly beat the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. When the dude is healthy, and not dreaming of LA starlets, he can be a game changer.

So back to the original question. Who would you rather have on your team next season Cam Netwon, the untested rookie, or Shawne Merriman on the comeback trail?

I choose Merriman. The Bills have a serviceable QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick that has proven he can win (even when surrounded with little talent, a new coaching staff, and while implementing a new offensive scheme).

A driven, fiery, game changing linebacker would have an enormous impact on the Bills. I've been following Merriman on Twitter, he seems focused on his rehab and motivated to prove his critics wrong. Heck, at 75% of his former self he'd still be the best linebacker on the Bills next season.

So, while fans wildly obsess on the NFL Draft, and what the Bills will do with the 3rd pick overall (as well as a high 2nd round pick), I'm much more interested in the Shawne Merriman saga.

Yes, I get the need for a "franchise" QB - but not the thought that it must be with the 3rd pick this year. Sure, Cam Newton may turn into an NFL phenom (or not), but the Bills need lots of quality players, mostly on defense.

So, I'd pass on Newton (sorry, I couldn't resits), stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick, draft some defensive beasts and pray the Shayne Merriman pays off.

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The "Ralph": Scenes From A Parking Lot

How do you judge an NFL fan? It's a curious debate. Virtually every NFL team claims to have the loudest and most loyal fans (well, maybe not the Jacksonville Jags). And fans of any team will tell you they are the best, loudest and most dedicated.

I judge the quality and loyalty of an NFL team's fans by their tailgating behavior. Specifically, what goes on in the public parking lots pre and post game? If the 12th man is the noisy crowd inside the stadium, the 13th man are the fans in the parking lots.

My nominee for best fans are those of the Buffalo Bills. I grew up in the DC area and saw a ton of Redskin games. I've also lived in Baltimore, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Yes, I've survived a Raiders game in Oakland and endured a 90 degree game in Tampa Bay. But nothing quite compares to the scenes I've witnessed at Ralph Wilson stadium parking lots before and after Buffalo Bills games.

I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly (mostly good/funny though). For every arrest and fight there are dozens of fun and humorous anecdotes. For starters, you gotta love the sausage girls. Its amazing what a grown woman can do with a cooked kielbasa. But that's nothing compared to other traditions. You can drink shots from bowing balls (think finger holes), you can dance around massive bonfires (garbage can fires), you can dance on top of vans and buses, you can play tackle football in a blizzard on an asphalt parking lot, and if you must, you can always fight an opposing team's fan.

Some of my personal favorites:

After losing to the Cowboys on Monday Night Football (a classic example of the Bills losing a game that was already won), I witnessed several men dancing on an old VW bus, naked except for g-strings, their entire bodies painted in red and blue. Huge bonfires surrounded the van - the fires cast an eerie light with horror film quality shadows. The van was surrounded by at least a hundred fans also dancing madly while chanting who knows what. The temperature was well below freezing, and bottles were being hurled from the crowd. It was mesmerizing. Like a train wreck, I couldn't take my eyes off the sight.

The classic porta-potty tipping. This is exclusively reserved for loudmouthed visiting fans. Nothing like shouting "timber" while the johnny-on-the-spot tips over backwards with a Patriots fan inside.

Fights. Most of these are relatively harmless. The "fighters" are so drunk that their flailing attempts at punches couldn't hurt my grandma (granted she's a tough old bat). My favorite was a marathon drunken tussle between a Bills fan who lost his pants but bravely fought on with his full moon in total glory. His opponent, a Steelers fan, lost his shirt and proved that you can, in fact, eat to many pierogis . This happened in a driving snowstorm with a temperature below 20 degrees with at least a foot of snow on the ground. I'm certain the hangover was more painful than the fisticuffs.

Food. Its incredible what you see pre and post game. Everything from thousand dollar grills to mini hibachis. My personal favorite is the fan that modified his car so that the grill is under the hood. No kidding, this dude's grill is where the engine should be located. You see it all from caviar and champagne to wings, chili dogs and "stews" made in garbage cans.

If you go to Bills games for a few years nothing surprises you. Santa taunting a drunken fan being arrested - been there, done that. Naked men (and women) making snow angels - old hat! Bloodied guys playing tackle football in the parking lot - they're not so tough. Running through and/or jumping over bonfires - meh, whats a minor third degree burn?

In reality, the thing that frightens me the most are when two sober women decide to brawl. Holy cow, cat fights can be soooo vicious! The hair pulling alone looks painful.

But really, what Bills management refers to as the game day experience is pretty fun at Ralph Wilson stadium. C'mon, who doesn't enjoy watching dozens of people douse a fellow fan with ketchup and mustard. And lets be honest, those obnoxious Jets and Patriots fans really deserve whatever they get.

The real worry is not the behavior in the parking lots, it's when the pre and post game antics are more entertaining than the game itself!

Death Of A Rivalry: Bills Vs. Dolphins

How do you know when your team hits rock bottom? Missing the playoffs for over 10 years? Having a losing record for 9 years? Finishing in last place more than any other position in the past decade? Finishing in the bottom 10% of the power rankings for the last 5 years? Having fans wear paper bags on their heads at home games?

Nope.........it's none of the above.

Rock bottom is when your greatest rivalry dies. It's when your team is so irrelevant that the two weeks during the NFL season when your team plays it's most hated rival, nobody cares. Its when playing your arch rival is no different than any other game. Its when the passion is gone..















For years Bills fans lived for "Dolphins Week". Nothing meant as much as beating the hated Dolphins. Many moons ago Bills fans actually stormed the field (at the old Bills stadium) when they finally beat the Dolphins after years of losing to them. Who could forget Thurman Thomas (the Buffalo Bill Thurman Thomas) dashing though the blistering snow in Buffalo? Then there was the hated Bryan Cox flipping the "double bird" at Ralph Wilson stadium. More recently Bills fans broke into song singing "Let It Snow" when it began to snow during a Dolphins game (ol Ricky Williams ran for over 100 yards that game and the Fins still lost)! The fun part of the rivalry was that the Dolphins fans (as well as both team's players) truly loathed each other (in an NFL kind of way). It was a classic NFL rivalry, pure and simple.

No more, (or as Roberto Duran would say, no mas). Alas, the rivalry is dead.

The Bills have become so irrelevant that fans and players have forgotten about the rivalry. Current players may know there once was a rivalry, but they don't feel the venom that players felt 10-15 years ago. Miami week is no more (sigh). Sure, old timers still remember the glory of the rivalry and feel something special when the Bills beat the Dolphins, but its a bittersweet feeling knowing that most of the fans, players and even the rest of the NFL no longer remember how much fun the rivalry once was.

Also, it doesn't help much when your arch enemy is as lousy as your team.

I'll know the Bills are a good team again not by their won/loss record, but when those special two weeks return. Yes, when Bills fans get amped up about Miami week, I'll know the Bills are back! Here's to glory days gone by - the death of a rivalry.

Bills Win "Other" Lottery Draft

Years ago, when I was a wee lad, I loved the Senior Bowl. I got to see my favorite players from my favorite college team, the University of Maryland, do battle against the best players in the land. Well, times change and these days most of the best college players leave for the NFL before their senior season. While the Senior Bowl may have less talent these days, it still is popular (today's game is sold out) and coaches still scout the Senior Bowl players very heavily.

What does this have to do with an "NFL Draft" you ask? Believe it or not, the NFL holds a lottery to see which two NFL teams' coaching staffs get to coach in the game. That's right, NFL teams are drafted to coach in the Senior Bowl! Basically, the NFL starts at the bottom of the league (in terms of won-loss record) and works its way up. Teams can decline to provide a coaching staff, if they choose.

This year, the two bottom feeders did decline. Neither of these two teams (which the NFL considers worse than the Buffalo Bills) currently have a head coach. And with no head coach the state of the teams' assistant coaches is also in disarray. So when the NFL asked the Bills to coach one of the squads, Head Coach Chan Gailey jumped at the chance.

The NFL decides which team is assigned to which squad. Apparently, the south team is more coveted as scouts believe there is more talent from southern collegiate programs. While most fans assume the NFL coaching staffs are game planning and installing a system for the game (which they are), they actually do much more. In reality, the two Senior Bowl coaching staffs can run their own personal combines.

While preparing for the game the coaches can run drills to test individual players. The coaching staffs can also have players run plays to see how they perform in certain schemes and situations. They can even have them practice in different positions to see if they can handle spots that they didn't play in college. Lastly, the coaching staffs get an enormous amount of time to get to know the players individually. Yessir, nothing like having your own personal mini camp with the best seniors in the land!

The Bills got the coveted south squad. Here's hoping Chan Gailey and his new staff (minus Dave Wannstedt who stayed in Buffalo to evaluate the current Bills roster - poor, poor, Davey Boy) unearth a few finds in the practices leading up to the game. Heaven knows the Bills need all the help they can get!

Mustache To The Rescue?

This blog is a perfect segue from my Thursday post about the Buffalo Bills upcoming draft dilemma. Can you say DEFENSE? Or in Buffalo's case the obvious lack thereof.

Many may wonder why Bills fans could get excited about the hiring of Dave Wannstedt. Well, here's why...

1. The Bills Defense Is Putrid

No doubt about it. The Bill's D has hit rock bottom. Adding a defensive minded coach with extensive coaching experience (including a stint as a head coach in the AFC East) is a big plus. The Bills need help in installing Chan Gailey's new defensive schemes. Also, Dave's been around the block a few times. He should be an additional asset in game planning, player evaluation, and adjusting schemes on game day. As Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebacker Coach it seems apparent that the Bills are committed to utilizing Wannstedt as more than just a position coach.

2. Continued Commitment By Management

The Bills have a history of not investing in quality head coaches, much less assistant coaches. Wannstedt's hiring is more proof that the Bills are committed to improving. They could have just as easily hired a no-name position coach and been done with it. Wannstedt's hiring could portend additional significant moves (Bills fans can always dream, can't they).

3. George Edwards Is On Notice

If George Edwards, the current Defensive Coordinator, continues to struggle next season, the Bills need not look further than their own coaching staff for a quality replacement.

Here's hoping that Davey Boy has significant input in the evolution of the Bills Defense. Remember, years ago when Mike Mularkey was the Bills Head Coach (forgot about that, didn't ya) the Bills brought in Dick LeBeau, arguably one of the games best defensive minds, as a "consultant". LeBeau, now enshrined in Canton, was never given a true role in the Bills organization and left for Pittsburgh. One can only hope Wannstedt gets more of a chance than LeBeau had.

At the very least the Bills now have an employee whose name is harder to spell than Posluszny!

The Dilemma Of Three

The title of a new movie? Maybe a new book? How about a new TV show? Nope, none of these three (three again?) explain the Dilemma Of Three.

The Dilemma Of Three, as any Buffalo Bills fan knows (yes there really are Bills fans) is what do do with the 3rd pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Instead of being excited about having the highest pick in many years, Bills fans are at each other's throats over what to do with the pick.

Fans, pundits (yes even bloggers), and sports journalists fall into three (there's that number again) camps.

1. The Savior (Franchise Quarterback)

Let's face it, the Bills haven't had a decent QB since Jim Kelly (well, ol Doug Flutie and Drew Bledsoe had a few nice games). All of Buffalo was on the Andrew Luck watch. Andy would come out, head east, and lead the Bills to glory once again. Unfortunately Buffalo had no luck as Andrew decided to stay in sunny California. Additionally, after dumping Captain Checkdown (aka Trent Edwards), Ryan Fitzpatrick was thrust into the starting QB role and did a pretty good job (given the situation).

2. The Defensive Stud (Defensive Lineman or Linebacker)

Hey, you can't get much worse than the Bills defense (unless you compare this year's defense to last year's - it's hard to believe but they actually were worse). The shift from the 4-3 to the 3-4, along with the retirement of Aaron Schoebel and a general lack of talent, made the Bills a laughingstock against the run. Virtually every running back that played the Bills this year had their best game (this includes a few rookies and third stringers that ran like Walter Payton against the hapless Bills D).

3. The Luxury Pick (Best Player Available)

This is the age old NFL wisdom, "take the best player on the board".

All of this is complicated by the many years of futility of lousy Bills high draft picks (Aaron Maybin, John McCargo, James Hardy - ouch, it's too painful to go on).

So what's a team to do? Well, like everybody else I have an opinion and here it is. Draft a stud defensive lineman or linebacker. Draft a beast - an athletic overachiever, a physical specimen with a nasty attitude.

Why? Because the offense showed signs of life. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a serviceable QB, the receiving corps improved, and the O line (with the exception of one OT) is promising. On defense, the secondary is not nearly as shabby as the pathetic defensive line and linebacking corps.

Start with biggest problem (maybe the worst defense in the NFL) and work from there. The Bills have an adequate QB for the near future and cannot afford a luxury pick (not with the current defense). So it has to be a defensive linemen or linebacker. See, its simple!

Oh, for the record, if the Bills draft a defensive back with the 3rd pick, I'm not renewing my season tickets. That should resonate with Bills management!