Live Bitching: Redskins VS Bills

-Aww shit, I have to listen to Troy Aikman. At least he doesn't have Joe Buck with him.

-FIRST QUARTER:

-13:46: Bills get a pass rush and force a three-and-out. Am I dreaming?

-12:44: Bills answer with a three-and-out of their own. One big reason I HATE these games in Toronto? The atmosphere is like a pre-season game.

-10:04: Bills force another three-and-out. Getting the feeling there won't be a lot of points on the board today.

-9:52: David Nelson with a GODLY 26 yard catch. Takes a big hit, but hangs on.

-9:00: FREDDY goes up the gut for 13 and the Bills are on the move.

-5:11: Fitz finds Big Scott Chandler for a 20 yard TD. Chandler have five TDs, and is one away from tying a Bills' franchise record for TDs by a tight end in a season.

P.A.T. makes it 7-0 BILLS.

-4:23: Redskins go empty backfield to start this drive, and get their first first down.

-3:07: John Beck has room to run for the first down...and drops the ball. *Queue The Price is Right FAIL music*.

-2:20: Bills let a rookie WR with zero career catches get wide open for a 20 yard gain and a first down. *sigh*

-1:01: Leodis McKelvin makes a nice play to break up a pass and almost get a pick on 3rd down. He'll get burned badly later to make up for it.

-:00: Freddy runs for a first down as Aikman points out that beating New England was big for the Bills. Thanks a bunch, professor.

-SECOND QUARTER:

-14:27: Fitz loses the snap, Freddy can't grab it, and the Redskins fall on it. DAMN IT.

-13:00: Bills give up a third down, but Beck bangs his thumb on a helmet, and it might give him some issues.

-11:44: Bills get a stop, including TWO (!) sacks. Frame of reference: Bills only had 4 going into this game.

-11:08: Bills block the field goal to keep it 7-0! I *heart* Marcell Dareus!

-Replay shows it was Spencer Johnson who blocked it.

-10:17: Long pass is not particularly well thrown, but it does draw a pass interference penalty to put Buffalo at the Washington 23.

-9:25: Bills get stopped short on a 3rd down screen to Freddy, but they are in good field goal range.

-8:45: Lindell connects from 37 yards out to make it 10-0 BILLS.

-8:41: Bills special teams make another good stand, stopping the returner at the 'Skins 14.

-7:52: John Beck joins the "fuck it, I'm going deep" club, although to be fair, the ball has to be intercepted for full membership.

-7:46: DAREUS gets the Bills' third sack to force another three-and-out.

-5:07: Bills are driving, but a nice Freddy run is called back by a questionable holding penalty. Of course it is.

-3:09: Bills manage to come back when Fitz finds Naaman Roosevelt for a 22 yard gain on 3rd-and-12. First and goal.

-1:55: SHIT! Formber Bill London Fletcher makes a great play to pick off Fitz in the end zone. They are letting Washington hang around...

-1:13: Bills force yet another three-and-out, including their fourth sack of the game, to give the offense another chance to put some points on the board before halftime.

-:25: Fitz takes a shot, but finds FREDDY for a 34 yard gain to get the Bills in scoring position.

-:02: Bills barely stop the clock with time left to kick a field goal, taking a penalty in the process. Fortunately, even though the Bills have no timeouts, the penalty did not stop the clock, so there is no 10 second runoff.

-:00: Lindell connects from 44 yards out to make it 13-0 BILLS.

-Who decided to ask Mandy Moore who she thinks is going to win the upcoming UFC on FOX main event?

-THIRD QUARTER:

-14:53: FREDDY starts the second half right with a 43 yard run. I expect CJ Spiller to get called for holding, but it doesn't happen.

-10:56: Bills throw on 3rd-and-1, and it pays off as Fitz finds Chandler for his second of the game.

P.A.T. makes it 20-0 BILLS.

-10:16: Bills take an offsides penalty, and I don't care because I found a .gif of Thigpen getting beaned!

-8:20: Bills sack Beck AGAIN. How in the hell did the Redskins start 3-0?

-7:46: Bills force a punt. Another score, and this may enter the same territory of the season opener.

-5:56: Bills go three-and-out, I can't be bothered to get pissed at this point.

-3:44: Bills get sack #6 to push Washington back, then possibly #7 on 4th down to give the Bills good field position outside their own 40.

-1:42: Bills punt again. Offense has fallen asleep.

-:22: One of the Bills' d-linemen gets tackled. Apparently that's not a penalty anymore.

-FOURTH QUARTER:

-14:52: Bills finally get their first takeaway of the game, as George Wilson bats the ball to himself for the INT.

-13:22: Bills offense finally wakes up long enough for Fitz to Find Freddy for a 24 yard gain on 3rd-and-9.

-11:04: Two pre-snap penalties turn a 3rd-and-1 into a 3rd-and-11. *sigh*

-9:59: Lindell's 44 yard FG smacks off the upright. Only his second miss of the season.

-8:38: Redskins get a big gain to the Buffalo 39. COME ON GUYS PITCH THE SHUTOUT!

-7:49: Redskins go long into the end zone, but Jarius Byrd makes the pick in the end zone. Beck is officially a full member of the "fuck it, I'm going deep" club.

-6:20: Fitz finds Stevie Johnson for an 18 yard gain on 3rd-and-9 to keep the clock moving.

-3:30: Bills run the clock down, Redskins spend two timeouts in an attempt to not get shutout.

-3:26: Lindell hits from 41 to make it 23-0 BILLS.

-2:48: DAREUS re-introduces himself to Beck for yet another sack.

-1:27: Redskins are driving, down to the Buffalo 17. HOLD ON GUYS!

-:50: Bills get another sack, this time by some guy names Kirk Morrison. Bills tie a team record with 9 sacks.

-:40: Beck's 4th-and-12 pass falls incomplete.

-:00: Kneel-down ends the game. First time Mike Shanahan has been shut out in his career. :-)

-Good effort from the Bills. Offense left some points on the board, but that's the best game the defense will have all year. Next week is Bills VS Jets round 1 in Buffalo, with the Jets coming off a bye. Will be an extremely tough game.

Live Bitching: Bills at Giants

-FIRST QUARTER:

-15:00: Lindell's kickoff goes out of bounds, setting the Giants up at their own 40. Not a good start.

-13:22: Bills force a three-and-out, thanks in large part to a holding penalty on first down.

-12:44: Spiller does the "fake like I'm catching the punt while it's actually 20 yards behind me" move. I love that move.

-10:00: Bills get one first down, but are stopped short on 3rd-and-5. Hopefully they can pin the Giants deep in their own end.

-9:22: Giants get a decent return to their 31.

-8:00: Victor Cruz beats Terrence McGee for a first down on 3rd-and-4. I FUCKING HATE YOU TERRENCE MCGEE.

-6:40: Giants are on the move. Eli is hot early, hitting on 5 of his first 6 throws.

-6:10: McGee makes a nice open field tackle to stop Ahmad Bradshaw for a 2 yard loss. I FUCKING HATE YOU A LITTLE LESS TERRENCE MCGEE.

-5:27: Giants hit a big pass play to get to the 1 yard line.

-5:20: Bradshaw walks in for the touchdown. P.A.T makes it 7-0 GIANTS.

-5:06: FREDDY romps for an 80 yard score. P.A.T. makes it a 7-7 TIE. Longest run by a Bill since Thurman in 1990.

-3:24: Eli misfires on 3rd-and-5, causing another three-and-out.

-:24: Buffalo's own Naaman Roosevelt goes 60 yards on 3rd-and-6. Two huge plays in the first quarter. P.A.T. makes it 14-7 BILLS.

-:19: Illegal block penalty pins the Giants back to their own 7. Hopefully defense can get another three-and-out and change the field position.

-:00: Manningham makes a catch for five, but comes up limping. Would be a huge help to Buffalo if he's injured.

-SECOND QUARTER:

-14:47: No such luck, as Eli finds his receiver Pascoe for a 14 yard gain.

-14:13: Mario Manningham gets lit up by...Terrence McGee? Usually McGee is too far off the ball to make that hit.

-13:40: Eli finds Hakeem Nicks for 18 into Buffalo territory.

-10:44: Manningham beats Florence, who has to take an interference penalty to prevent a TD, but gives the Giants the ball first-and-goal.

-9:52: Bills' defense finally tightens up, forcing the Giants to settle for a 26 yard FG to make it 14-10 BILLS.

-8:56: Brad Smith runs for 18 on a wildcat play. Nice start to the drive.

-7:09: Fitz throws incomplete to Nelson on 3rd-and-4, but the Giants' defender never looked back at the ball, so it's a pass interference call. Ball at the Giants' 22.

-6:51: Fitz gets CRUSHED on first down and he fumbles, but the Bills fall on it.

-6:05: Fitz gets sacked again on 3rd down, and that knocks the Bills out of field goal range.

-5:59: Punt downs the Giants at their own 10. Field position didn't matter much on the last Giants' drive.

-4:37: Eli avoids the pressure and hits his tight end for a 22 yard gain. *sigh*

-4:00: FUCK! Drayton Florence gets beat for a 60 yard gain to the Buffalo 5.

-2:58: Bradshaw extends the ball across the goal line to score from 2 yards out. The play is reviewed. Bradshaw looks like he's down before he extends the ball, but the TD is upheld. P.A.T. makes it 17-14 Giants.

-2:24: Bills' are on the move, and benefit from a pretty weak roughing the passer call.

-1:00: Freddy gets stuffed on 3rd-and-inches.

-:39: Lindell hits his 200th field goal with the Bills from 49 yards out to make it a 17-17 TIE.

-00: Giants run the clock out.

-THIRD QUARTER:

-14:15: Huge play as Fitz finds David Nelson for a 14 yard gain on 3rd-and-9.

-12:54: Fitz manages to avoid a sack and dump it to Scott Chandler, which still loses a couple yards.

-12:09: An obvious pass interference goes uncalled, and the Bills have to punt.

-10:26: Bills give up 20 on 3rd-and-5. *sigh*

-8:20: McGee is about 8 yards off the ball on first down. Giants pick up 11 to the Buffalo 9.

-7:03: Manning to Manningham for an apparent 8 yard score. Review shows he was down short of the goal line, and this time it's actually called.

-6:53: Ahmad Bradshaw flies into the end zone. P.A.T. makes it 24-17 GIANTS.

-4:09: Fitz goes down the field for Stevie, but the pass is picked off by the Giants' Cory Webster. Awful throw by Fitz.

-2:01: Bills are saved by the more strict rules on what constitutes a catch as a long TD is ripped out at the last second.

-1:30: Bills hold Giants to a 51 yard field goal try...

-1:01: ...which the Bills partially block. MONSTER play there.

-:35: Fitz gets sacked again. There goes that good field position.

-:13: Screen to Freddy almost gets the first down. Huge 3rd-and-1 to start the 4th quarter.

-FOURTH QUARTER:

-14:50: Brad Smith is stopped for no gain. Damn it.

-14:14: Bills go for it, and Fitz sneaks for four yards and a huge first down. They needed that BADLY.

-11:29: Jackson gets stuffed on 2nd-and-4, and the Bills' O-Lineman Chris Hairston is injured. Giants are teeing off on Freddy, and it doesn't look good for obvious passing situations.

-8:57: Bills FINALLY finish off a drive. Fitz finds Stevie Johnson for a 9 yard TD. P.A.T. makes it a 24-24 TIE.

-7:46: Buffalo, aided by a holding call and a dropped pass, for a three-and-out.

-5:30: David Nelson with a GREAT diving catch to convert on 3rd-and-2.

-4:46: Fitz hits Nelson again for 33 yards to the Giants' 26.

-4:02: FUCKFUCKFUCK! Fitz under throws on a long ball to Stevie, and Cory Webster makes his second pick of the game.

-3:15: After stopping the Giants' run game almost the whole game, Ahmad Bradshaw breaks a couple big runs. shit...

-3:08: Florence gets called for pass interference. Giants have it inside the 30.

-2:00: Giants have a 3rd-and-1 inside the red zone at the two minute warning. Defense somehow needs to get a stop to give the offense another chance.

-1:56: Florence gets called for pass interference AGAIN on 3rd-and-6. I FUCKING HATE YOU DRAYTON FLORENCE.

-1:35: Bills actually get the stop, burning two timeouts in the process. Leodis McKelvin almost picks Eli.

-1:32: Chip shot FG makes it 27-24 GIANTS.

-1:03: Bills face a 4th-and-5, this is the game...

-:59: Ball is batted down at the line of scrimmage. :-(

-:00: Giants run the clock out.

-Damn I ran through the range of emotions in this game, especially in the second half. I went from thinking they were out of it when the offense was doing nothing, to thinking they had it won when they were driving late in the fourth, to depression after Fitz's second pick and the Giants winning drive.

-Hats off to the Giants, they deserved to win this game by more than three.

Live Reactions: Sabres AT Penguins

-Jonas Enroth is making his first start. Penguins have owned the Sabres over the last few years, hopefully that will change starting tonight.

-FIRST PERIOD:

-Penguins have a player named Lovejoy. "It's all over people! We don't have a prayer!" Good back-and-forth action for the first five minutes. Neither team gets a particularly great scoring chance though.

-Gerbe cashes in a rebound as Kris Letang crashes into the Pittsburgh net. They have to review whether it crossed the line before the net was knocked off its pegs. The goal counts to make it 1-0 Sabres.

-Gaustad takes an interference penalty. Sabres almost get a short-handed goal, but Roy's shot misses. Vanek finds Luke Adam for a nifty goal to make it 2-0 Sabres.

-Enroth makes a couple nice saves with about 4:30 left in the period to keep it 2-0. Nothing of note happens the rest of the period. Good start for Buffalo.

-SECOND PERIOD:

-A shot deflects in off Robyn Reghyr at 2:11 to make it 2-1 Sabres. Hopefully that doesn't let the crowd back in it. Penguins get the better of the play for the next few minutes.

-The action really heats up over the next few minutes, as both teams are able to apply some sustained pressed. Marc Andre Fleury makes a good stop on Cody McCormick. Pominville makes a nifty move to set up another good scoring chance.

-More good action. Sekara gets in alone on Fleury, but is stopped twice. Enroth makes a nice save to keep Buffalo in the lead.

-Sabres get their first power play with just under 4 minutes left. Sabres get a couple good chances, including hitting two posts, but can't score. They do manage to not give up any short-handed chances.

-THIRD PERIOD:

-Penguins control the first 90 seconds. Buffalo controls the next 90 seconds, then they start trading scoring chances.

-More chances. Drew Stafford scores, hitting all three posts in the process to make it 3-1 Sabres. Gordon Bombay and Wolf Stansen are jealous.

-Penguins start taking chances, giving Buffalo room to counter-attack. Vanek gets loose, but blasts his shot wide. Penguins get a rush, and Jordan Staal picks up some loose change and scores to make it 3-2 Sabres.

-Sabres get a 2-on-1 at 16:30, but Vanek misses on his shot again. Penguins pull their goalie with 1:30 left. Enroth makes a HUGE save on Paul Martin with 1:10 left. Roy battles for the puck and it deflects out of play, and since it went right off his stick without touching anything, he's called for delay of game with 21 seconds left. Penguins can't get set up with the time remaining, so the Sabres hold on for the win.

-Much better effort than last night, although the Sabres only had one power play and only had to kill one full penalty, so the special teams didn't have many opportunities to screw everything up.

I want to see a Manningface tomorrow

Seeing something like this will make my day. I don't have much to say about tomorrow's game, except I am glad that Brandon Jacobs is out, am worried about the Bills' WR depth, and if Manning the Lesser is off, the Bills might get 6 interceptions.

PREDICTION: Bills 24, Giants 17

Live Bitching: Carolina Hurricanes AT Buffalo Sabres

-First things first: I can't stand the Carolina Hurricanes. Ever since they won the Stanley Cup Honky Tonk Man style, beating the Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals along the way, I've hated them. They have a cup because the Sabres defensemen started dropping like flies, and then the same thing happened to the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup Finals. Fuck the Hurricanes.

-FIRST PERIOD:

-Not much happening in the first five minutes. Pominville took a hooking penalty at 2:50, but Buffalo killed off the penalty fairly easily. Sabres apply pressure as the penalty expires, and get a power play of their own off a tripping penalty at 5:08.

-Sabres apply pressure for the first minute of the power play as one of the Hurricanes lost his stick. Myers lets the puck go by him, and he ends up taking a tripping penalty at 6:20 to prevent a 2-on-1 and end the Sabres' power play. While it's still 4-on-4, a point shot squeaks through to make it 1-0 Sabres. Roy gets credit for the goal, but that may not stand. The Hurricanes manage to tie the game at 1 on a screened shot that Miller probably didn't see.

-Stafford somehow gets loose, and his rebound is banged home by Roy to make it 2-1 Sabres at 10:01. Sabres completely dominate the next five minutes, getting several good chances.

-Not much of note happens until Pominville takes a big hit that draws an interference penalty, since he didn't have the puck, and in fact it had moved past him. He looks shaken up, but hopefully he'll be OK. The power play is terrible, and when the puck jumps over Vanek's stick, it gives Brandon Sutter a short-handed break, and he scores to make it a 2-2 tie with 12 seconds left in the period.

-SECOND PERIOD:

-Sabres get a couple good chances, but can't cash in on the power play. Cody McCormick goes after Jared Allen for Allen's hit on Pominville, and ends up taking a penalty at 3:00. Sabres kill off the penalty, and get another power play of their own when Chad LeRose takes a high sticking penalty.

-Power play gets some more chances, but again the Sabres give up a short-handed break, and the Hurricanes score to make it 3-2 Hurricanes. Pominville is out there, so fortunately, he's OK.

-Sabres get a good chance. Paul Gaustad and Tim Gleeson get into a fight, and the crowd goes nuts. Sabres apply a lot of pressure, but there's some confusion on a change after the puck is cleared, and the Sabres get called for too many men on the ice.

-Not a whole lot happening, but Buffalo gets another power play with two minutes left. Sabres almost score (in fact, RJ was ready to yell "score!", but it dribbled just wide).

-THIRD PERIOD:

-Nothing much happened in the first five minutes of the third.

-Sabres start applying pressure, and Ennis gets tripped up to give Buffalo another power play at 7:31. Hurricanes almost score AGAIN short-handed, but the goalpost makes the save. Crowd gets restless as the power play doesn't do much.

-Ennis gets checked at the blue line, but the Hurricanes touch the puck while having too many men on the ice, drawing another penalty at 10:19. Same story, Sabres apply pressure but can't score, and Hurricanes get another chance at a short-handed goal, as Miller has to make a HUGE save to stop Staal on a breakaway.

-Sabres don't appear to be doing much when Tyler Myers rushes to the net, and Drew Stafford cashes in a rebound to tie the game at 3 at 17:41. The crowd goes nuts, but then the momentum goes back to the Hurricanes when Vanek takes a tripping penalty at 18:00. Jeff Skinner scores at 18:36 to make it 4-3 Hurricanes. Damn it. Carolina takes an icing at 18:57, allowing the Sabres to pull Miller. Erhoff can't control the puck, and has to take a tripping penalty at 19:29. Sabres get a good shot from Vanek, but time runs out.

-Damn, Buffalo's special teams were BRUTAL tonight, and it cost them the game. They've had stretches before where that's been an issue, hopefully it doesn't plague them this season.

Live Bitching: Eagles at Bills

FIRST QUARTER:

-14:53: Bills jump offside, but it doesn't matter because Jeremy Mackling gets wide open for a 19 yard gain. Not a good start.

-12:20: Bills stuff two runs, but appear to give up a 3rd-and-11 conversion, getting a bad spot in the process. The Bills challenge, and the spot is overturned, putting the Eagles a half-yard short.

-12:08: Eagles convert the third down with a pass to Jason Avant.

-11:43: Eagles run a screen, but the pass is batted into the air and intercepted by George Wilson.

-8:39: Bills convert a 3rd-and-5 (after Andy Reid blows a timeout), and Donald Jones breaks three tackles to gain 19 to the Eagles' 4 yard line.

-8:03: FREDDY takes it in from four yards out. PAT makes it 7-0 BILLS.

-6:23: Vick avoids a rush and hits Jason Avant for 22 on 3rd-and-14. *sigh*

-4:30: Vick gets pasted, and the wounded duck is picked off by George Wilson. Bills lead the league in INTs with 10, after not getting their first last year until DECEMBER.

-3:02: Fitz converts a 3rd-and-6 with a pass to Stevie. Donald Jones may be hurt, but the bigger news is that the Bills have "little people" on their sideline.

-1:37: Fitz is almost picked on 3rd down. That would have been an easy pick six.

-1:30: Bills may as well have gone for it, as the punt goes into the end zone, and Corey McIntyre is called for a facemask, putting the ball at the Eagles' 35, netting only a 3 yard change. Donald Jones is carted off the field. NOT GOOD.

-:00: Eagles are on the move, with a second down at the Buffalo 39. Momentum is shifting.

SECOND QUARTER:

-14:51: Vick gets tackled from behind and is up limping. The ball pops out and the Bills recover. Vick was clearly down, so I don't see this holding up.

-It is indeed overturned, setting up a 3rd-and-2.

-14:28: Vick goes backward and just throws it up for an incompletion. Roughing the passer penalty keeps the Eagles on the field. DAMN IT.

-12:42: Macklin gets loose for a 2 yard TD. PAT makes it a 7-7 TIE.

-10:24: FREDDY turns a screen into a monster gain of 50 to the Eagles' 11 yard line on third and six. They needed that BADLY.

-9:17: Fitz finds David Nelson for a 6 yard strike to regain the lead. PAT makes it 14-7 BILLS.

-9:00: NICK BARNETT! PICK SIX! Vick gets creamed and throws his 3rd INT of the game, the Bills' 11th pick this season. PAT makes it 21-7 BILLS.

-7:29: Bills force a three-and-out. George Wilson bats down a pass on third-and-six. Wilson is having a MONSTER game so far.

-5:45: Bills go three-and-out, including a shitty wildcat play. Don't get cute Chan.

-4:45: Vick runs for 22. They really don't need to hand the momentum back to Philly before halftime.

-3:22: Bills don't give up anything else after that. Byrd bats down a pass on 3rd-and-4.

-2:25: Bills run a shovel pass. I get nervous every time they do since Super Bowl XXVIII.

-2:10: Fitz sees no one guarding the middle, and "sneaks" for nine yard on 3rd-and-9. After Reid burns Philly's third timeout.

-:39: BAD throw by Fitz. Eagles pick it off and prevent Buffalo from adding more points before halftime. Eagles are set up in Buffalo territory.

-:00: Eagles don't get anything, as Vick takes too long on 3rd-and-10 with 8 seconds left before throwing it away. I thought there was one second left, but Reid needs to stop burning timeouts.

-Seriously, if the Bills' second half offense is anything BUT a whole lot of FREDDY, then someone needs to be looking for a new job tomorrow.

THIRD QUARTER:

-Eagles try an onside kick, Bills recover in Philly territory. DAMN IT, it's called back because the refs hadn't called the ball ready for play.

-14:53: FREDDY breaks off a 22 yard run.

-11:07: Spiller breaks two tackles to turn a 5 yard loss into an 8 yard gain to the Philly 15.

-9:11: This wildcat play works, as Brad Smith runs for a 5 yard TD. PAT makes it 28-7 BILLS.

-7:44: Vick breaks off a 53 yard run. I was deathly afraid of this before the game started.

-7:22: LeSean McCoy runs for a 10 yard TD. PAT makes it 28-14 BILLS.

-7:07: FREDDY turns a dump off into a 20 yard gain. Big "Freddy!" chant as we go to commercial because an Eagles' player is shaken up.

-5:26: Bills can't do anymore. Fitz is hit as he throws on third down, and it falls incomplete.

-5:16: Beautiful punt coverage pins the Eagles down at their own 2 yard line.

-4:59: Bills give up a big pass to Jason Avant, but Jarius Byrd rips the ball out Avant's hands and recovers it at the Eagles' 37.

-4:06: WR screens are gaining nothing, which they usually do, which is why I FUCKING HATE THEM.

-3:26: Screen pass to Freddy comes out short of the first down, but a facemask penalty gives Buffalo a first down at the Eagles' 14.

-1:15: Bills are held to a field goal to make it 31-14 BILLS.

-:55: McKelvin gets beat by Avant for a 17 yard gain, sucks something awful.

-:12: LeSean McCoy runs for 30 yards. I have a feeling it's going to be a good thing that we're heading into the fourth quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER:

-14:51: DeSean Jackson goes in from 31 on a short WR screen. PAT makes it 31-21 BILLS.

-14:40: One quick pass is almost picked, another screen is too high and Freddy is dumped for a 3 yard loss. Not liking the way this is going.

-13:55: Fitz is sacked back at the Buffalo 11. No no no no no no no no no...

-12:57: Eagles are already at the Buffalo 24. *sigh*

-12:29: McCoy takes a screen 16 yards to the Buffalo 8.

-11:19: Vick runs it in for a TD, but it's called back by an illegal use of hands penalty.

-11:10: Another holding call moves them back 10 more yards.

-9:29: Bills use the help to hold Philly to a field goal to make it 31-24 BILLS.

-9:25: Brad Smith decides to return a kick out of the end zone at the worst time, and gets stuffed at the 10.

-9:19: Freddy runs for 8, but it's called back for holding.

-9:06: Roosevelt breaks a tackle and gains 20. HUGE play for the Bills.

-8:32: FREDDY breaks two more tackles to run for 11.

-7:09: MONSTER 3rd-and-7 right here...

-6:30: ...and Stevie is stopped short. FUCK!

-4:45: Bills almost get a sack, and end up giving up an 11 yard pass.

-2:00: Eagles are down to the Buffalo 25. 3rd-and-3 at the two minute warning...

-1:49: YES!!! Drayton Florence rips the ball from Jason Avant, and Nick Barnett picks it up out of the air. Time to run the clock down.

-1:23: Bills cannot get a first down to end the game, but do make Philly burn their timeouts. Bills line up, and draw the Eagles offside, giving them the first down, so they can run the clock down.

-:00: Bills kneel down to BARELY hold on for the win, but a win is a win, says I.

Preview: Eagles at Bills

-This looks like a classic setup for a Bills loss. I can see the Eagles team highlight video at the end of the year. "Even though they had stocked the roster with big name free agents, and were a pre-season favorite, they were 1-3. The season was on the brink of destruction...UNTIL THEY WENT TO BUFFALO...".

-The Bills' offensive gameplan was total dogshit last week, as they kept trying long passes that fell incomplete, instead of handing the rock to Freddy Jackson and pounding out first downs. It appears they definitely fell in love with the passing game, and forgot that after week 2, Freddy was leading the league in rushing. The defense played really well in the first half, but then completely collapsed in the second half.

-This week's matchup against the Eagles offense is really scary. I can see the Bills getting the Eagles into several third downs, only for Ron Fucking Mexico to run for first downs over and over. The Eagles have some really talented wide receivers, and the Bills' secondary...sucks. If they manage to continually lineup DeSean Jackson against Leodis McKelvin, Jackson may rack up Welkian numbers tomorrow.

-I really don't like this matchup for the Bills, and unfortunately, I think they may have peaked with the game against New England. They've lost the buzz they had after week 3, and we'll find out just how good they actually are over the next two weeks, as they play the Eagles and Giants.

-As for this week, I'm seeing a 31-17 Eagles win. The Bills' best chance is to run Freddy (the Eagles' run defense is ass), but I'm not sure they're smart enough to do that.

Live Bitching: Sabres VS Kings

-The Sabres are coming off a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks yesterday (I didn't get to see the game), while the Kings won 3-2 in overtime against the Rangers. Expectations are high for the Sabres this year. Hopefully it's a good sign that they were able to strike twice on the power play yesterday. If their power play was anything other than dogshit in the playoffs, they would have swept the Flyers instead of losing in 7 games.

-FIRST PERIOD:

-18:42: Gerbe is stopped on a partial breakaway.

-18:12: Seemingly proving my suspicions that there are more Sabres fans at the game than Kings fans, a decent "Let's Go Buffalo!" chant breaks out.

-14:47: Miller makes his first real save of the game, and gets a big reaction for it. Respect from the Olympics?

-13:10: Sabres get a real good chance to score. They keep whacking away at the puck as it's free. The Kings don't see things that way, and there's a big scrum behind the net.

-5:50: Sabres get the first power play of the game. Erhoff may be injured. WONDERFUL.

-5:16; MSG has a graphic showing that the Sabres' power play is 4th in the NHL. THEY'VE PLAYED ONE GAME! LOTS OF TEAMS HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED YET!

-3:50: Sabres' get some pressure early on the PP, but can't do anything once the second unit gets in. It's like last season all over again.

-2:55: Miller has to make a couple big saves.

-2:30: Leopold receives a blind pass right in the slot, but doesn't pull the trigger. This happens all the time with the Sabres, as they go from doing whatever they need to do to score to trying to make the perfect play. They usually lose a lot of games when they do that.

-:56: Vanek takes a stupid interference penalty. I can't figure out whether the crowd is happy or pissed.

-:00: Sabres do a good job of killing off the first part of the penalty. The Kings only get control in the last few seconds before the period ends.

-LA actually outshot Buffalo 12-9, which surprises me, since it looked to me like Buffalo had a lot more puck control.

-SECOND PERIOD:

-18:50: LA keeps the puck in Buffalo's end, but, like the Sabres PP at their worst, doesn't pull the trigger on any shots. The crowd gets into the game and chants...something.

-17:55: Erhoff is back on the ice. *whew*

-17:15: Vanek forces a turnover behind the Kings' net. Pominville finds Adam out in front, and he scores to make it 1-0 Sabres.

-15:52: Gerbe out-muscles a Kings player for the puck. You really should re-think your training regimen when you're getting out-muscled by NATHAN GERBE.

-15:10: The stupid "doo-doo-doo...doo-doo-doo" song the Blackhawks play when they score at home starts, and the crowd continues to sing it even after it stops.

-14:53: Adam forces a turnover, and manages to score before Pominville can sneak in and steal the goal from him. That makes it 2-0 Sabres.

-12:05: Kings start making some headway in the Buffalo zone, and Miller has to make a big save.

-8:00: Sabres get a power play, do nothing with it.

-6:38: Gerbe blindly throws the puck towards the net, and THE GOOSE Paul Gaustad deflects it in to make it 3-0 Sabres. When did Gaustad become a skill player?

-2:30: LA's Drew Doughty tries a shot from his knees. It gets blocked. That's a total Derek Roy move.

-1:43: Sabres steal the puck a bunch of times before Drew Stafford kills it all by taking a triping penalty. They play "Song 2" in the arena. Odd time for that.

-:35: Gaustad loses his stick on the penalty kill, and the Kings' Kopitar scores to make it 3-1 Sabres.

-:02: Horn sounds to end the period early. They say "fuck it" and head to the lockerroom anyway.

THIRD PERIOD:

-17:43: Kings get the first good chance of the period, but take a penalty that Buffalo won't take advantage of.

-16:05: Wow, I was wrong. Roy actually throws the puck at the net, and Stafford cashes in during a scramble in front to make it 4-1 Sabres.

-12:40: Sabres appear to take a 5-1 lead on a deflection, but it's waived off because Cody McCormick knocked the puck down with a high stick.

-9:01: Stafford plows over the Kings' goalie, and things get testy again. Gerbe and Brad Richardson take penalties. I want to see Nathan Gerbe fight one of these days.

-4:15: Justin Williams feeds Andre Kopitar, who makes a sweet move on Miller to make it 4-2 Sabres. We're not done yet.

-2:23: Kings wake up and apply pressure, but Buffalo almost scores on the counter attack. Luke Adam is continually denied on his quest for the hat trick.

-1:36: Kings pull their goalie, and Miller robs Kopitar of a hat trick of his own twice.

-:30: Gerbe chases the puck down close to the empty net, and draws a cross-checking penalty to make the final seconds a lot less tense.

Sabres move to 2-0-0, and now go back home for almost a week off until they play the Carolina Hurricanes in the home opener on Friday.

Live Bitching: Bills at Bengals 10/2/11

Shocking everyone, the Bills made it out of September undefeated after stunning the Patriots last week. This week, the Bills travel to Cincy to play the Bengals, who haven't beaten them since the 1988 AFC Championship Game, a span of 10 games.

The game is blacked out in Cincinnati, and there may end up being more Bills fans in the stands than Bengals fans. The Bengals are starting a rookie QB, and are only 1-2. However, both of their losses have been really close, and their defense is currently ranked 3rd in the league. This is the definition of "trap game", and if the Bills want to show the league that they are for real, they need to take care of business today.

Too many people are picking the Bills today, and it's making me nervous.

FIRST QUARTER

-Bengals take the Bills' strategy of deferring after winning the coin toss.

-12:46: Bills drive stalls after two straight incompletions. Bengals are applying pressure early.

-12:10: Horrifically shitty tackling turns a loss on a WR screen into a 25 yard gain.

-10:40: Bills get lucky when Andre Caldwell drops a sure first down on 3rd-and-6.

-10:32: Punt pins Buffalo to their own 6. Offense needs to get something going before the Bengals do.

-9:05: Fitz goes long on 3rd-and-5 and misses Freddy. Another slow start by the offense.

-8:35: Bills force a three-and-out, as Andy Dalton is throwing high.

-7:14: Smith can't hang on to another long pass on 3rd down. I am not liking this strategy.

-5:42: Bengals starting to run the ball, get to the Buffalo 30.

-2:06: Dalton overthrows AJ Green in the end zone. Bills get lucky.

-2:02: Mike Nugent hits a 31 yard FG to make it 3-0 BENGALS.

-1:17: Two Bengals for the pick, and pass deflects to Naaman Roosevelt, who takes it into Bengals' territory.

-:00: Bills go deep again on 2nd down, but Donald Jones can't hold on. Bad first quarter for the offense.

SECOND QUARTER:

-14:53: Bills convert a HUGE 3rd-and-10 with a 16 yard screen to Brad Smith.

-13:37: Drive stalls at the Bengals' 25, setting up a 43 yard FG...

-13:32: ... which Lindell makes to make it a 3-3 TIE.

-12:10: YES! Andy Dalton is sacked on 3rd-and-6. He fumbles the ball, and Bryan Scott is the only person for the Bills who seems to notice. He takes it in, pending a review. He was touched, but I think he was touched before he got the ball.

-12:10: Nevermind, the FUCKING TUCK RULE negates everything.

-10:54: Fitz with another bad throw misses Donald Jones. Bills need to start going for first downs instead of big plays.

-9:17: McKelvin not even close to AJ Green. Bengals get another first down.

-6:28: Andy Dalton, meet Marcell Dareus! First sack of hopefully many for Dareus in his NFL career.

-5:46: Bills force another punt. Hopefully they can get something going on offense now.

-5:39: Punt goes out of bounds at the Buffalo 22, but Drayton Florence is called for a hold. *sigh*

-5:33: David Nelson gets called for offensive pass interference to make it worse.

-4:15: Bills are forced to punt again. Bengals should get good field position.

-3:20: Merriman gets blatantly held...and no call, which has been par for the course so far.

-3:10: Caldwell can't come down with a pass, and Bryan Scott takes it off Caldwell's legs and runs it back for a TD! PAT makes it 10-3 BILLS.

-2:33: AJ Green burns McKelvin for a 58 yard gain to the Buffalo 25. I FUCKING HATE YOU LEODIS MCKELVIN.

-2:13: George Wilson comes up HUGE with a pick! Bills are lucky Andy Dalton isn't any good.

-1:56: FREDDY breaks a 21 yard run into Bengals' territory.

-1:00: Bills' offense wakes up just before halftime. Big catch-and-run by Stevie Johnson sets them up 1st-and-goal at the Cincy 2.

-:40: FREDDY waltzes into the end zone. Seriously, he held his hands out and danced in. Trust me. PAT makes it 17-3 BILLS.

-:00: Bengals don't try to score before halftime and get booed off the field.

THIRD QUARTER:

-14:22: Cedric Benson runs for 28 to the Buffalo 47. Not a good way to start the half.

-13:38: McKelvin gets burned AGAIN by AJ Green for 40 yards. NOT GOOD.

-11:27: Bills get lucky as Bengals stop pounding the ball and throw on 3rd-and-goal from the two, but can't make the connection.

-11:23: Chip shot field goal by Nugent makes it 17-6 BILLS, and draws more boos from the Bengals fans.

-10:01: Bills go three-and-out. Fitz is sacked and the front of his jersey gets ripped. Momentum is all with the Bengals right now.

-9:21: Huge punt by Moorman keeps the Bengals from getting really good field position. They will start at their own 27.

-7:14: Benson runs for 10, and the Bengals are moving again.

-5:26: Dalton finds Jermain Gresham for a 26 yard TD. All Bengals this quarter. PAT makes it 17-13 BILLS.

-2:48: Freddy makes a nice run to get the Bills to the Buffalo 46. Offense needs this drive.

-0:25: 3rd-and-7, this is HUGE...

-0:00: Fitz hits Spiller for an 8 yard gain to convert. Buffalo is at the Bengals' 29. They really need points on this drive to put the pressure back on Cincy.

FOURTH QUARTER:

-13:40: Freddy is shaken up, but Spiller converts a 3rd-and-2, and he gets shaken up. Freddy is back in, fortunately.

-12:00: Bengals stops Freddy short of a first down on a screen. Lindell comes in for a chip shot.

-11:22: Which he makes to make it 20-13 BILLS.

-10:02: Bills force a MASSIVE three-and-out. If offense can get a drive like the last one, they could put this away.

-8:39: Bills get FUCKED on 3rd down. Stevie makes a catch for a first down, but even though the ball doesn't appear to touch the ground, it's ruled incomplete, and upheld on replay.

-7:47: Bills get pressure on Dalton, but he manages to make a long completion to Germaine Grasham.

-6:09: Bills give up 18 on 3rd-and-8, and Bengals are in the red zone.

-4:10: Dalton runs it in from 3 yards out. FUCK! PAT makes it a 20-20 TIE.

-1:59: Bills' offense stalls AGAIN, and they will have to punt. NOT GOOD NOT GOOD NOT GOOD

-:45: Bengals get a fortunate spot on a Dalton scramble to give them a first down.

-:26: Bengals get inside the Buffalo 30, and now they have to hope for a miss on the FG...

-:00: DAMN IT. 23-20 BENGALS

Preview: Bills VS Bengals

So, after a shocking and exhilerating upset of Pennywise and the Pats, the Bills find themselves the toast of the league (along with the Lions), and the only undefeated team in the AFC. The question now becomes, can they handle success?

This has all the makings of a trap game. Buffalo is coming off an astronomically huge win. The Bengals are only 1-2, and starting a rookie QB. It's a road game against another hungry young team. The Bills just ended a 15 game losing streak to New England, and the Bengals are trying to end a 10 game losing streak to the Bills, with their last win coming in the 1989 AFC Championship Game. Last season, the Bills became the only team in NFL history to win a game by 18 points or more after trailing by 21 (trailed 28-7 in the 2nd quarter, won 49-31). I would prefer they not fall behing big again.

It's The Amish Rifle Ryan Fitzpatrick VS The Red Rifile Andy Dalton. The Bengals defense is currently #3 in the league, but their competition hasn't been stiff. The Bills offense is on pace to set a new NFL single season scoring record (yes really). The Bills' defense has not looked great the last two weeks, but they have been playing a much-better-than-anticipated Raiders team (who took down the Jets last week, helping Buffalo claim sole posession of first place in the AFC East), and of course, the Patriots and their pretty boy juggernaut Tom Brady.

If the Bills want to prove that they are a legitimate contender, they have to win games like this going away. The worst thing they can do is have another slow start and let the Bengals hang around.

I would love to see an effort similar to opening day, but I think it will be somewhere in between opening day and the last two weeks.

I am predicting a 31-17 BILLS win to move them to 4-0, before they start taking on the NFC East