Before I get to my usual routine, there are a few things worth mentioning first.

One, the Bills are not the worst team in the league. I'm 100% convinced of this. I know their record would tell you they're the worst, but I really believe there are about five other teams that could be thrown into that discussion. Records don't always dictate a clear picture of who is better than who. For more on that, read my comments below about Kansas City in the top ten.

Two, after news broke that Randy Moss was waived by Minnesota, it started a flood of message board experts claiming that the Bills should go after him (since they have top priority on waivers). I don't think I can actually make my font big enough to express how I feel, but the Bills claiming Randy Moss would be the single dumbest thing they've done since they gave Dick Jauron a contract extension. As I tell you below in my 'good' section, the Bills receivers have been one of the bright spots for the team this year. What would bringing Randy Moss to Buffalo accomplish? He's got a major attitude (it's no accident that New England traded him and now Minnesota waived him), he's a free agent at the end of the season, the Bills have no shot at the playoffs and he would take away valuable reps that Stevie Johnson and Roscoe Parrish are getting. I'm so against this that I'm actually pounding my fist on the desk. Anybody that thinks Buffalo should do this needs their head examined. Now.

The Good: The Bills receivers (Johnson, Evans, Parris), The Bills' third down efficiency

Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled for the most part on Sunday, which is to be expected because he is what he is. For as much as I've praised him so far this season, I feel that I've also said time and time again that he has his bad moments and this is why he isn't the long-term answer at QB for the Bills. I think he'll serve as a great mentor to a rookie QB next season and he knows his place with the team. Despite his struggles yesterday, the combo of Parrish, Evans and Johnson hauled in 14 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Parrish had one of the bigger plays of the game with a 37 yard reception on third and long, but Johnson had the biggest with a fourth and goal and the game on the line touchdown reception.

I honestly can't say enough about Stevie Johnson right now. He has caught at least one touchdown in five straight games. I'd be hard pressed to remember when a Bills' receiver has consistently performed like this, and that isn't even factoring in the whole 7^th round pick. It's pretty impressive to say the least. Plus he wants to be called Stevie. I like that.

Roscoe Parrish now has 26 receptions on the season and is nine shy of a career best. This is a credit to Chan Gailey, even though I know people feel like bashing the guy to no end right now. Parrish also had a huge 33 yard punt return near the end of the game that should've helped seal the victory, but alas, the Bills found another way to lose (which is fine by me in the grand scheme of things).

Another overlooked stat in yesterday's game was the Bills going 11/23 on third down conversions. For a team that typically got to third and long and just assumed they'd punt the ball away, Buffalo has been converting their fair share of third downs lately. For the overall season, Buffalo is 37/97 on third down. To put this into perspective, the Chicago Bears have converted 15/84 third downs for the ENTIRE 2010 SEASON. Seriously. Think about it. Buffalo converted four less third down opportunities on Sunday than the Bears have in seven games.

The Bad: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Todd Haley, Rian Lindell, Brian Moorman

Overall, Fitzpatrick didn't have an awful day. He threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Considering what we've seen for the past decade, not terrible. But he was off his game for most of the first half and pretty much blew the game when he badly overthrew C.J. Spiller in overtime. Spiller was split wide and beat his guy by a solid 10 yards and had the game won, but Fitzpatrick missed him and it wasn't even close. Those are the throws someone like Andrew Luck might make. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I'm not going to hammer Chain Gailey for his play calling like most people want to do. I've seen a lot of criticism of Gailey for his pass-happy routine near the end of the game. I'm assuming most of those people just didn't see the entire game. To want him to run the ball and get in field goal position is assuming the Bills would be able to run the ball. Fred Jackson was averaging 3.2 yards per carry and I highly doubt he would've moved the ball very much near the end. And somehow throughout all of this, it's like most people didn't even notice what Todd Haley was doing.

This guy isn't even on the same planet during the game. With the score tied 0-0 in the second quarter, he threw away an easy field goal opportunity to go for it on fourth down and the Chiefs turned the ball over. Look, I'm all for gutsy coaching and taking chances, but not in a close game in the second quarter. As it turns out, overtime could've been avoided had he taken the points. Also worth noting; Jamaal Charles averaged eight yards per carry on 22 carries, yet Haley continued to let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Cassel is awful. I'm convinced the Chiefs win despite him and I'm pretty sure the same can be said for Haley. If Kansas City makes the playoffs (most likely), Haley will no doubt cost them a game with his decisions.

I really do like Rian Lindell so I'll keep this short and sweet. Bottom line, his missed kick in overtime cost the Bills the win. I won't put it on his shoulders since the game could've been over several times before that, but it needs to be mentioned. Now he did make it the first time, but the stupid timeout rule came into effect and he missed his second try. Overall I think Lindell is one of the most consistent kickers in the game and rarely gets credit because he plays for Buffalo. It's also worth mentioning that Kansas City's field looked like a sandbox by the end of the game and the winds were swirling like crazy, so it's not like the 53 yard kick was a chip-shot by any means. Again, worth bringing up but I'm in no way blaming Lindell for yesterday.

Same goes for Moorman. He's largely looked at as the best Bills' player of the decade. Sad, isn't it? But with a tie game looking like a real possibility, Moorman shanked the punt and gave Kansas City decent field position to drive down and win it. I'm pretty sure if he pins them inside the 15 yard line, Kansas City doesn't make it down in time.

The Ugly: Run defense, lack of turnovers

I think by now we've established how bad the Bills' run defense is. I said a few weeks ago that teams should prepare for career days and yesterday was no exception. I said before the game that Kansas City would probably rush for 250 yards and I was close, they hit 274 by the end of the game. I'm seriously dreading the Minnesota game against Adrian Peterson. It gives me nightmares (not literally).

Also ugly, the fact that the Bills can't force any turnovers. And hey, it's not like they don't get a chance. George Wilson let a sure interception go right through his hands. At the time, Steve Tasker felt like mentioning on the CBS broadcast that defenders are typically defenders because they don't have the hands for offense. I guess the fact that Wilson is an ex-wide receiver didn't factor into that statement. Tasker is awful at what he does now. However, I digress. After having a boat-load of interceptions last season, the Bills have one this season. It's pretty bad. With Buffalo losing all these close games, you would have to think that a few turnovers here and there would really help their cause. Of course, actually winning the games rules out the chance at drafting Andrew Luck, so maybe they are doing us a favor and we just haven't realized it yet.



NFL Top 10

1. New England Patriots (3) – Here's a scary thought about New England. I think they are way better without Randy Moss. Yes, the offense was much more explosive with Moss, but New England didn't win their three Super Bowls with an explosive offense. And in fact, they lost their one Super Bowl with that explosive offense. When New England was winning championships, they were doing it with a bend but don't break defense and a dink and dunk offense. That is officially what they are right now and I'm frightened and how it's going to turn out.

2. New York Giants (4) – I think I'm half crazy to put an NFC team this high and I think the overall conference is so inferior, but it's hard to ignore that they are tops right now and riding a four game winning streak. So far my favorite part of the Giants' season has been the emergence of Hakeem Nicks in the fantasy world. It's been a pure delight.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) – For sure, I thought Pittsburgh was the best team heading into Sunday night but I can't ignore an ugly loss to New Orleans. Keep in mind, Cleveland came into the Superdome exactly one week ago and hammered the Saints. The irony is off the charts for that one. Luckily they have Cincinnati coming up this week, so they should be able to get back on track with an easy win.

4. New York Jets (2) – If the Jets want to contend for a Super Bowl, getting shutout at home by Green Bay isn't really the way to do it. I'll be honest, with it being on at the same time as the Bills, I literally saw zero plays from this game. But judging by the numbers, it looks like The Sanchize had one of "those games" yesterday. Two games upcoming against Detroit and Cleveland should help right the ship though.

5. Baltimore Ravens (5) – I neglected to right about the Ravens game against Buffalo but it's the sole reason why I can't move them up. They were playing the league's worst run defense and still let Joe Flacco sling the ball all over the field. They also allowed over 500 yards at home to the Bills' offense. Maybe they didn't take the Bills seriously; it's a real possibility, but if left me less than convinced that they will take down Pittsburgh by the end of the season. They barely beat the Steelers by three points without Ben Roethlisberger. It's a fact that people are ignoring right now.

6. Indianapolis Colts (10) – As of right now, I feel that Indy is about fifth best team in the AFC, but I'd be hard pressed to pick against them in the playoffs. I'll be interested to see how they continue this season with all the mounting injuries. Rule of thumb: You can never rule out a QB as good as Peyton Manning.

7. Atlanta Falcons (8) – Atlanta controls their own destiny for the NFC South. There is no way I think Tampa Bay is for real and New Orleans is week to week at this point. I'd feel more confident in Atlanta had they not laid a huge egg against Philadelphia a few weeks ago. It's hard to trust them after that.

8. New Orleans (9) – New Orleans got a huge win against a very good Pittsburgh team, but I can't ignore the awful outing they had against Cleveland. It might not ruin their season, but it's a red flag in my eyes.

9. Houston Texans (6) – I'm not even sure why I'm ranking Houston in the top 10 anymore. The last three years Houston has finished 8-8, 8-8 and 9-7. I really don't think I have any reason to think they'll be a double digit win team this season.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (NR) – I think it would be wrong to not include Kansas City at 5-2, but I honestly don't totally feel that they are worthy of the 10 spot. It took them 75 minutes yesterday to score 13 points against the league's worst running defense. Jamaal Charles ran for 177 yards, so they let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Dwayne Bowe dropped a sure touchdown in the first quarter. Todd Haley is insane. Raiders, Broncos, Cardinals, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Ram, Titans and Raiders. Seriously, have you ever seen an easier schedule? They might be the worst 13-3 team to make the playoffs ever. Their wins this year have been against the Chargers, Browns, 49ers, Jaguars and Bills. Combined record: 11-27. Their two losses came against Indianapolis and Houston. Combined record: 8-4. You be the judge.

Just Missing Out: Philadelphia, Green Bay, Oakland (?)

Teams I didn't consider for .0001 of a second: Minnesota, Buffalo, Denver, Dallas



Bills future QB Update (in the ever-changing order that I like them):

1. Andrew Luck – 19/26, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (Season: 1920 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs)

2. Christian Ponder – 17/28, 196 yards, 1 TD (Season: 1383 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs)

3. Ryan Mallett – 27/44, 409 yards, 3 TDs (Season: 2449 yards, 18 TDs, 7 INTs)

4. Jake Locker – 7/14, 64 yards, 2 INTs (Season: 1678 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs)

It’s been almost a full week since the news of Terrell Owens signing with Buffalo was brought to my attention. I purposely waited to write an article about it because I didn’t want to jump to conclusions and wanted to gather more information before going public with my thoughts.

Had I written an article the day it was written, I have no doubt that the article would’ve been laced with profanities and had an overall sour tone. In fact, when a friend from Buffalo sent me a text message during the whirlwind of news that said “Owens is a Bill” I replied back with, “I know, I want to puke”. Granted not much has changed, but I’ve had time to calm down and think things through a little bit more.

It’s true. I have no like for T.O. nor do I like any of the teams he has played for. I didn’t mind him so much in San Francisco, despite the way he left the team and trashed his former teammate Jeff Garcia. It wasn’t something I defended or applauded, but I wasn’t offended and didn’t really care. I gained a large amount of respect for T.O. when he played in Philadelphia and carried them during the Super Bowl on a damaged leg, all in a losing effort. I joined along with most of America in bashing the Eagles as a team for their horrible clock management in that game as that most likely cost them the championship. The one person I didn’t bash in that Super Bowl: T.O. He finished the game with nine receptions and 122 yards, which considering the situation, was simply amazing.

But then the circus came to town. Owens came into his second year just itching to cause trouble. He was suspended before the season even finished and the Eagles washed their hands of him. You might remember the series of incidents in Philadelphia being highlighted by his impromptu press conference and sit-up demonstration that was held in his driveway. I think it was at that time that I finally stopped liking anything about Owens and wished he would just go away.

Then it got better. Instead of going away, he went to the Dallas Cowboys, who are easily in my top five of franchises I can’t stand. The honeymoon started out nicely in Dallas as Owens finished his first season in Dallas with 85 receptions, 1180 yards and 13 touchdowns. He seemed to have great chemistry with Tony Romo and despite him coming into the starting role mid-season, Romo and Owens seemed to click. The following season the Cowboys finished 13-3 and Owens had an even better year finishing with 81 receptions, 1355 yards and 15 touchdowns. They were bounced in the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, highlighted by T.O. crying at the end of the game in defense of Tony Romo. Honestly, I’ve seen the clip a million times and up until last Saturday, it never got old.

Owens didn’t quite have the year he is used to last season, finishing with only 69 receptions, 1052 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys were involved with several rumors about releasing Owens, but it didn’t happen when the season ended. It was at this point that I thought Dallas owner Jerry Jones would just hang on to Owens for another season, considering he had signed a three year extension the prior off-season. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up one morning for work and Sportscenter was showing the news that Dallas had released Owens. Beyond getting a laugh out of the situation, I never even thought twice about it. That is, until this past Saturday.

It took me a few days to really gather my thoughts on this for several reasons. Now knowing he will be playing in Buffalo, the circus is in my town. All the insane and annoying coverage on Sportscenter will be focused around my team this time. The picture of Owens with his Bills hat on just doesn’t seem right. It almost looks like someone’s poor attempt at an April Fools joke done in Photoshop. I’ve had plenty of time to think about this since Buffalo sports talk radio has practically jammed this topic down my throat during every possible second this week. You know, never mind the fact that the Sabres have 15 games left in the season and are fighting for their playoff lives.

However, the Bills are doing the smartest thing they could do, both from a football and financial standpoint. I guess you could chalk this up as a plus to having your organization employ someone in marketing as the GM of the team. Russ Brandon isn’t stupid. He knows that the team was about to take a massive hit in ticket sales because the fans of Buffalo have had more than enough of the Dick Jauron era. So what do you do? Sign a big name free agent who will bring an obscene amount of exposure to Buffalo. It’s a low risk deal for the Bills because it’s only a one year deal. If Owens does well, the Bills might do well and they are rewarded on the field. If Owens doesn’t do well and the Bills fail, he moves on next off-season and at the very worst, the Bills will benefit from another losing season with high ticket sales. At this point in the Buffalo Bills era, they have absolutely nothing to lose. Could they be the laughing stock of the league this year? Probably. Are they already a laughing stock as they close in on a full decade of losing? Absolutely.

Despite the “down” year T.O. had last season, he still would’ve led the Bills in all three categories. The Bills leading receiver last season was Lee Evans who finished with 63 receptions, 1017 yards and 3 touchdowns. So on paper, this is going to have amazing implications. How will defenses line up to stop this attack? Lee Evans on one side, T.O. on the other, and assuming Marshawn Lynch doesn’t miss a significant amount of time due to suspension; this should open up the running game as well.

When free agency started this off-season and the Bills entertained a few receivers, I knew this was a need for the offense. Lee Evans has been hampered throughout his career with sub-par talent on the opposite side of the field and the Bills definitely needed to address this situation before heading into next season. So with the signing of Owens, the Bills definitely filled their need at receiver and exceeded expectations. The only issue is that the games aren’t played on paper and T.O. has a long history of hurting teams in the long run. Oh yeah, and Trent Edwards is still the QB in Buffalo.

I am no doubt more interested in this football season than I was a week ago. That doesn’t mean I’m counting down the days until training camp and that doesn’t mean I have one single thought in my head that the Bills will finally break the post-season barrier for the first time since 1999. But at the very least, it might be a little more entertaining to watch the games. Lord knows that the Bills were the opposite of entertaining during the latter part of last season. I had already planned on not purchasing tickets this season for the simple fact that Dick Jauron is coaching the team again. Those plans haven’t really changed that much. Will I soften up as the season draws near and crack yet again? Probably. Will I purchase a new Owens jersey in the store? Not at all. Do I have my popcorn ready? You bet.

As Terrell Owens name dominated headlines again late this week after being released by the Dallas Cowboys, the big question was where would he land. Multiple sources are now reporting that Owens has agreed to a one year deal worth $6.5 million with the Buffalo Bills.

As a Buffalo Bills fan, I've been pondering the possibility but never at all expected the Bills to actually have a chance at landing Owens. From my perspective, this is a relatively small gamble for Buffalo. A one year contract doesn't give Owens much time to pull his usual disruptive antics, and he generally is on good behavior early on. He already knows he'll be auditioning for another contract in the offseason, so the incentive is there to perform well and be on good behavior. There is absolutely no denying the guy has skill and is a huge instant upgrade to the Buffalo offense.

With Lee Evans, one of the better deep threats in the game, on one side, and Owens on the other, teams won't be able to double cover both. This finally gives QB Trent Edwards the weapons he needs to move the ball down the field. If the Bills add a solid pass catching tight end, likely through the draft, this offense can finally move towards productivity. It would of course help if RB Marshawn Lynch is on the field, though a possible suspension looms after weapons charges were plead guilty to in California earlier this week.

Obviously there will be a lot of people on both sides of the fence in regards to this signing, but for one, I'm quite alright with it. The Bills haven't made the playoffs this decade and haven't really shown their fans that they have much in the way of dedication to winning football games. This improves that relationship greatly in my eyes. Owens might crash and burn in Buffalo, a small media market where all the eyes in the world won't always be on him, but then again, that might be just what he needs. At any rate, the risk is relatively low, and the potential reward is worth it. Congrats to Ralph Wilson and the Buffalo organization, I'm finally excited for a Bills season to start again.