What’s going on in Buffalo?
Whatever is happening in Buffalo is definitely a good thing. Though some might not like to say it, it’s a good thing that Buffalo is off to a good start. Why? Just looks at the franchise’s history. It’s no coincidence that the Bills are going retro with their uniforms this year. They want some of that storied history to rub off on them this year. I’m not going to go overboard and say that Buffalo will make the playoffs this year. Way too soon to be saying that. What I’m trying to say is I like what Buffalo is trying to do.
There’s only two sports that come to your mind when you hear Buffalo. One is hockey and the other is football. It’s a sad fact that both the NHL and the NFL have underestimated this small market. The Buffalo Sabres have a new owner in place and they are committed to building a winner in Buffalo. The Buffalo Bills still have Ralph Wilson as their owner, which isn’t a terrible thing, but Wilson’s ideas of late have been set on the past. Before hiring Buddy Nix as his general manager in 2009, Wilson hired former Bills head coach Marv Levy as the general manager. Lets just say that was a bad idea at the time. It’s not wrong to hire football people that you’re familiar with, but how about someone who knows how football is run today.
Now the Bills have beaten two AFC West opponents in the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders in their first two games this year. Three of the their next four games are against New England, Philadelphia and the New York Giants. Come back to me after they play those teams and ask me if I think Buffalo can make it to the playoffs this year.
Trouble in Philadelphia?
The good news in Philadelphia is that Michael Vick looks as good as ever when he’s in the pocket finding open receivers. The bad news is that when he runs out of the pocket he still doesn’t understand how to protect the football. One of Vick’s two fumbles on Sunday night lead to a go-ahead touchdown by the Atlanta Falcons just before halftime. And the worst news is that Vick suffered a concussion which resulted in the Eagles offense becoming stagnant the rest of the game.
Everyone knew that protecting Michael Vick was going to be a problem this year. Yet, no one can adequately protect a mobile quarterback like Vick. All indications are that Vick didn’t suffer a severe concussion, but having one is too many. The Eagles schedule isn’t going to get any easier. They play division rivals New York and Washington. And play at Buffalo which doesn’t seem to be an easy as of today. Philadelphia’s fortunes this year and beyond rest with Vick and they will need to protect him from pass rushers. He also needs to be smarter when he runs out of the pocket.
Romo gets a pass
I didn’t chastise Mr. Romo as much as most people did last week. I did elude to the fact that the Cowboys start this year was similar to the one last year. Granted that was after the first game. If Dallas lost to the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday, the questions would have started up again about the Cowboys falling off the reservation. However, no one expected an injured Tony Romo to return in the 4th quarter to lead the Cowboys to victory.
Romo suffered a cracked rib, which I’ve heard is very painful. He sucked it up and led the Cowboys on a comeback that saw them win it in overtime against their longtime rivals in San Francisco. Was that a wise move by Romo? Yes and no. The questioning would have been more intense if the Cowboys lost that game. I’m sure that was in the back of Romo’s mind, but he felt he could play and it sure surprised the 49ers to see him back out there. Not knowing personally what it’s like to have a cracked rib, but I’m sure it doesn’t help playing football with one. Dallas better hope Romo can play with one. Otherwise the Cowboys will have to count on Jon Kitna who didn’t exactly inspire a winning attitude when he was in the game. One thing is for sure, no one will be questioning Tony Romo’s competitiveness anymore.
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