Good start for the Buffalo Bills
With a stirring 38-35 come from behind win over the visiting Oakland Raiders this past weekend, the Buffalo Bills are now 2-0 to start the 2011 NFL season. Led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills offensive unit has racked up some impressive statistics thus far, and General Manager Buddy Nix has built a roster that should allow the Bills to remain competitive as the season progresses. The fast start has also provided hope to a fan base desperate for a winning team, as the franchise has been largely irrelevant for the past decade and hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999.
The Bills’ claim to fame as an NFL franchise revolves primarily around the Marv Levy/Jim Kelly era of the late 1980’s and 1990’s, as the team went to four straight Super Bowls. Bill Polian, who has subsequently built the Indianapolis Colts into perennial Super Bowl contenders, was the GM at the time and helped mold the Bills roster into one of the league’s best. With Kelly running the no-huddle “K-gun” offense, and Bruce Smith anchoring the defense, the Bills dominated the AFC from 1990-1993. Opposing team’s dreaded visiting Orchard Park to play the Bills during this time period, as they not only had to contend with an extremely talented roster but also with some of the loudest and most passionate fans in the entire NFL. Throw in the brutal weather conditions of Western New York and the Bills had an unquestionable home field advantage, especially around playoff time.
Unfortunately for the Bills and their fans, the team would lose all four Super Bowls games they played in. Undergoing roster turnover and the retirement of key players, the Bills started a decline towards the end of the 1990’s that they have yet to fully recover from. The team has gone through a few general managers and numerous coaching changes since Marv Levy retired. With the exception of a few good years under Wade Phillips, no Bills coach has been able to achieve any level of sustained success. The quarterback position has also been unstable since Kelly retired after the 1996 season, as the search for the next franchise player has consistently eluded them. While Bills fans are a loyal bunch, their patience has been tested by the sustained years of futility and the constant merry-go-round of coaches and quarterbacks. Attendance at Ralph Wilson Stadium dropped significantly in 2010, and the team was mentioned along with a few others (Jacksonville, San Diego) as one that could potentially move to Los Angeles.
The renewed enthusiasm around this year’s squad centers around the moves Nix has made since becoming Bills GM before the 2010 season, and the continued development of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Before joining the Bills, Nix was the Assistant GM of the San Diego Chargers and helped build them into a team that contends for the playoffs on a yearly basis. During his tenure as a member of the Chargers front office he showed his prowess as a talent evaluator, as numerous players he drafted developed into Pro Bowlers. Bills fans hope Nix has similar success with the draft picks he has made since becoming GM, such as C.J. Spiller and Marcell Dareus. It will take a few more years and drafts to determine if Nix can build Buffalo into a perennial winner, but so far he seems to be making progress.
The Bills have been searching in vain for a franchise quarterback since Jim Kelly’s retirement, as fans suffered through countless games with the likes of J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, and Trent Edwards behind center. Much has been made of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s emergence as the Bills starter based on his seemingly modest football pedigree. Fitzpatrick played his college ball at Harvard, was a seventh round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2005, and bounced around a few teams before catching on with the Bills in 2009. Given his Ivy League background, it is common for announcers to reference his mental ability and football smarts, often selling short the fact that he possesses a great deal of overall talent. He has shown the ability to effectively read coverage’s, and has a strong enough arm to make all the necessary throws. While the jury is still out regarding whether or not Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback the Bills can build their franchise around for years to come, at the very least he is an upgrade over his predecessors. With seven touchdowns and only one interception thus far, he has stared the 2011 season playing at a Pro Bowl level.
Although the teams the Bills have beaten in the first two weeks (Chiefs and Raiders) are far from world-beaters, at this point in the season they have shown the ability to be an explosive offensive team that can put a lot of points on the board. This Sunday’s home game against the New England Patriots should provide the Bills with a good barometer of where they stand in the AFC East, as Tom Brady has gotten his Pats off to another good start. The Bills defense was suspect against the Raiders last week, and the precision passing ability of Brady will be quite a challenge. Either way, expect the fans in Orchard Park to be raring to go this weekend, as the level of excitement for the Bills in Western New York is as high as it has been in years.
With upcoming games against the Patriots, Jets, Chargers, and Eagles, the Bills will be tested as the season progresses. Along with the Detroit Lions, the Bills currently have the NFL’s longest playoff drought, one that might be extended for at least another year given the talent of the Pats and Jets. In a parity driven league, you’d think it would only be a matter of time before the Bills break through and put together a stretch of winning seasons. With the right football people now in place, it will be interesting to see if the Bills can eventually become relevant on a national level for the first time since the Levy/Kelly years.
The Bills’ claim to fame as an NFL franchise revolves primarily around the Marv Levy/Jim Kelly era of the late 1980’s and 1990’s, as the team went to four straight Super Bowls. Bill Polian, who has subsequently built the Indianapolis Colts into perennial Super Bowl contenders, was the GM at the time and helped mold the Bills roster into one of the league’s best. With Kelly running the no-huddle “K-gun” offense, and Bruce Smith anchoring the defense, the Bills dominated the AFC from 1990-1993. Opposing team’s dreaded visiting Orchard Park to play the Bills during this time period, as they not only had to contend with an extremely talented roster but also with some of the loudest and most passionate fans in the entire NFL. Throw in the brutal weather conditions of Western New York and the Bills had an unquestionable home field advantage, especially around playoff time.
Unfortunately for the Bills and their fans, the team would lose all four Super Bowls games they played in. Undergoing roster turnover and the retirement of key players, the Bills started a decline towards the end of the 1990’s that they have yet to fully recover from. The team has gone through a few general managers and numerous coaching changes since Marv Levy retired. With the exception of a few good years under Wade Phillips, no Bills coach has been able to achieve any level of sustained success. The quarterback position has also been unstable since Kelly retired after the 1996 season, as the search for the next franchise player has consistently eluded them. While Bills fans are a loyal bunch, their patience has been tested by the sustained years of futility and the constant merry-go-round of coaches and quarterbacks. Attendance at Ralph Wilson Stadium dropped significantly in 2010, and the team was mentioned along with a few others (Jacksonville, San Diego) as one that could potentially move to Los Angeles.
The renewed enthusiasm around this year’s squad centers around the moves Nix has made since becoming Bills GM before the 2010 season, and the continued development of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Before joining the Bills, Nix was the Assistant GM of the San Diego Chargers and helped build them into a team that contends for the playoffs on a yearly basis. During his tenure as a member of the Chargers front office he showed his prowess as a talent evaluator, as numerous players he drafted developed into Pro Bowlers. Bills fans hope Nix has similar success with the draft picks he has made since becoming GM, such as C.J. Spiller and Marcell Dareus. It will take a few more years and drafts to determine if Nix can build Buffalo into a perennial winner, but so far he seems to be making progress.
The Bills have been searching in vain for a franchise quarterback since Jim Kelly’s retirement, as fans suffered through countless games with the likes of J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, and Trent Edwards behind center. Much has been made of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s emergence as the Bills starter based on his seemingly modest football pedigree. Fitzpatrick played his college ball at Harvard, was a seventh round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2005, and bounced around a few teams before catching on with the Bills in 2009. Given his Ivy League background, it is common for announcers to reference his mental ability and football smarts, often selling short the fact that he possesses a great deal of overall talent. He has shown the ability to effectively read coverage’s, and has a strong enough arm to make all the necessary throws. While the jury is still out regarding whether or not Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback the Bills can build their franchise around for years to come, at the very least he is an upgrade over his predecessors. With seven touchdowns and only one interception thus far, he has stared the 2011 season playing at a Pro Bowl level.
Although the teams the Bills have beaten in the first two weeks (Chiefs and Raiders) are far from world-beaters, at this point in the season they have shown the ability to be an explosive offensive team that can put a lot of points on the board. This Sunday’s home game against the New England Patriots should provide the Bills with a good barometer of where they stand in the AFC East, as Tom Brady has gotten his Pats off to another good start. The Bills defense was suspect against the Raiders last week, and the precision passing ability of Brady will be quite a challenge. Either way, expect the fans in Orchard Park to be raring to go this weekend, as the level of excitement for the Bills in Western New York is as high as it has been in years.
With upcoming games against the Patriots, Jets, Chargers, and Eagles, the Bills will be tested as the season progresses. Along with the Detroit Lions, the Bills currently have the NFL’s longest playoff drought, one that might be extended for at least another year given the talent of the Pats and Jets. In a parity driven league, you’d think it would only be a matter of time before the Bills break through and put together a stretch of winning seasons. With the right football people now in place, it will be interesting to see if the Bills can eventually become relevant on a national level for the first time since the Levy/Kelly years.
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