The Bills and the Patriots played an NFL Game that ended in heartache & despair.
My thoughts:
MVP: Ryan Fitzpatrick. We, myself leading the parade, like to bash Fitz. The weak arm, the inability to throw it deep, the inaccuracy, and the ever looming "Fitz Pick" that kills this team like it did yesterday. But today, Ryan Fitzpatrick played probably his best game of the season and his best game in recent memory. Here are the numbers: 27-40, 337, 2 TD's and 1 game ending pick, in which TJ Graham ran the wrong route. The throw should've been to a wide open CJ Spiller (more on him later) underneath, who would've scored or at least got them set up inside the five. Today we saw really good Fitz. He made the right reads, made quick accurate (!) throws, and even told Brandon Spikes after a late hit "F**K YOU MAN". He was a leader today. I kill him weekly, but today I tip my hat to him. He played better, he was a leader and he deserved the win and the hero status that was coming to him. I felt for #14 today.
Least Valuable Player: The entire Buffalo Bills defense. My friend on Twitter, Chris Trapasso tweeted this: https://twitter.com/ChrisTrapasso/status/267738427947089920 and you know what? He is right. The Bills offense was good enough to win. The Bills, today being a good example, are calling plays that fit the QB and expose his strengths. The defense can't stop anyone. Stupid penalties all day just killed them. The one PI call that set up the Gronk TD was very questionable as the ball was clearly uncatchable. Nick Barnett was beaten all day by Danny Woodhead. George Wilson is a waste. Yeah he is a good locker room guy, but he doesn't deserve anymore playing time. It's time to make the Searcy/Byrd safety combo the full time one. Dareus was invisible again and Mario Williams was getting some pressure, but it just wasn't good enough. Dave Wannstedt is on borrowed time, and probably should've been let go during the bye week. The Bills have given up 36 touchdowns this season. That ranks last in the NFL. They gave up 53 last year and have 7 games left. Do the math and they only need to give up 2 touchdowns a game to surpass that total.
Chan Gailey: The first player the Bills drafted under Chan & Nix was CJ Spiller. Let's take a peek at Spiller's numbers today: 13 touches (9 rushes and 4 catches) 131 total yards. Quick math tells me that's a wee bit over 10 yards per touch. It's maddening to me that CJ, WHO THEY PICKED 9TH IN THE DRAFT, isn't getting somewhere between 20-30 touches a game. Fred Jackson had a costly fumble today (that yes, they got back and scored anyway) and almost another one that cost them the game. Yes, having two RB's in this league does win you a lot of games, but I can't imagine any other coach in the league ignoring CJ Spiller like this. CJ deserves to start and get the majority of the touches. Fred deserves to come in and spell CJ when able. CJ Spiller is a bona fide stud and this coach continues to use him sparingly. In my mind, it's a fireable offense. I will give Gailey credit, going for it on 4th and 4 was huge.
Twitter Idiot of the Day: Luke Russert. He actually tweeted this beauty: https://twitter.com/LukeRussert/status/267705566934204416 Luke, your dad was a legend and a Buffalo icon. You are not, so shut it down and keep it moving. And the amount of people with "twibbons" who retweeted it, aren't helping either.
Referees: Yes, there were some very questionable calls, but to blame this loss on the officials is ridiculous. The Bills were very undisciplined on both sides of the ball. The Patriots had some dumb penalties as well. Two late hits on Fitz, and one really dumb late hit on CJ Spiller. The Ron Brooks penalty falls on coaching. He is a rookie, but that's something you need to coach up during meetings.
They're 3-6 .. Now what? No time to sulk in this loss. A quick turn around Thursday Night at home vs a Miami Dolphin team that got pistol whipped by the Titans today. Miami will be ready and they can run the ball. Chances of this game being on TV Thursday night aren't good. I truly believe the fate of Chan Gailey's future is on the line Thursday Night.
Your Buffalo Bills stink stats of the day: Bills now fall to 2-13 in the AFC East under Chan Gailey. Fitz is now 2-12 since becoming starter vs AFC East teams. Tom Brady improves to 20-2 vs. Bills. The Patriots are still unbeaten at Gillette Stadium vs. the Bills. Bills last AFC East Win? September 2011 vs New England.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
