The run defense is better by far and should be getting even better this week. The defense started the season with the #1 and #2 nose tackles on the sidelines and while the #2 (Alan Branch) has been back for two weeks, our #1 (Gabe Watson) should be back this week. He practiced for the first time since early in the off season last week and if he continues to progress he’ll make his first appearance of the season on Sunday. The units are ranked pretty closely (Rush D 14th – Pass D 16th) but I feel much better when the opposing team hands the ball to a RB.

To be honest, the only time I’ve seen the Bills play this season was the preseason game against the Steelers so my knowledge of the defense is pretty very limited. With that being said, I don’t think there’s a secondary in this league that can contain the passing game when they’re playing their game. If Warner has time in the pocket, he’s capable of picking apart any defense, especially if the D is missing a couple of corners (did I hear correctly that the Bills have injury issues in the secondary?). On the other hand if he’s pressured and knocked around he’s just as likely to complete a high percentage of his passes to the opposing team.

As far as explosive:
Are they able to score from anywhere on the field? – Yes
Are they capable of scoring the most points in the league on an given Sunday? – Yes
Are they also capable of imploding and having to play catchup for most of the game? – Yes

As for special teams, Ken Whisenhunt is currently petitioning the league to abolish the kicking game. Well maybe not, but he should. Neil Rackers is one of the worst FG kickers in the league and most fans aren’t even comfortable when he lines up for an extra point. He’s great at onside kicks and squib kickoffs but that’s the extent of his skills. Dirk Johnson is the new punter and he’s been pretty good this year but we’re just waiting for him to revert to his career averages. Steve Breaston is a good punt returner but average to slightly below average kick returner.

Boldin hasn’t officially been ruled out of the game yet. We’ll get more news when Whiz meets with the media today but I refuse to bet against Q.

and I expect a few ROTB-ers will migrate

I didn’t think Cardinals migrated?

They’re probably an enigma to themselves as well. I will say that they’ve always struggled on the road and most NFC West teams struggle on road trips to the East Coast (although I have no stats to back that up).

As far as division winner: In the NFC Worst, why not? In any other division, probably not.

Edge has never been used around the goal line much since he came to AZ. Whether they think that he’s not suited for it or because they don’t want him to endure the punishment, I don’t know. My guess would be that they run the dog out of him the rest of the game so they try and spare him the beating of goal line carries.

Hightower is a promising rookie that was almost instantly a fan favorite in AZ. He’s very much like Edge but he runs tougher and has the burst that Edge has lost with age. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were splitting carries 50/50 by seasons end.

That’s pretty concise breakdown of this team as a whole.

…excellent description. But you do realize if Breaston and Fitz bump into each other at some point, I’m going to break up laughing, right?

Q – should get an update today.

Green – came back into the game. He’s fine although fans may wish that he was hurt

DRC – they’re taking it slow with him but he’ll probably take over for Green before years end. I can say he’s more physical than I thought he would be.

Warner – He did ding his hand early in the game but it’s awful hard to blame the turnovers on that considering that most of turnovers came in the 2nd quarter and then he had an amazing second half.

OL – I’d say they’re OK in pass protection. They’re vulnerable on the right side where Deuce Lutui has been in danger of being benched and Levi Brown got absolutely abused last week.

Whiz – You’ll get a mixed result on Whiz depending on who you ask. I’m personally a huge fan and my only complaint would be that he doesn’t always play to his strengths. At times he tries to run the ball like he did in PIT, even though this team is built to throw the ball.

The Cards are a different team at home. This is only one year but they were 6-2 at home last year (w/ wins over PIT, CLE and SEA), but a miserable 2-6 on the road.

I honestly don’t know how to answer that question b/c I think Cardinals fans are split down the middle on Leinart (as you can tell by badmatty’s comment). Most wouldn’t call him a bust (I happen to agree), but there are some who’ve written him off and think he should be cut after the season. I do think that he’ll get his shot at starting again, although it’ll only happen if Warner goes down or has a couple more games like last week. I know most fans outside of AZ don’t give Warner much respect but it’s worth remembering that he threw for 3,400 yards and 27 touchdowns in only 11 starts last season. He is a dangerous quarterback when given time in the pocket.

It’s a combination of the two. He’s no where near the back that he was 5 or 6 years ago but the OL hasn’t helped him out a great deal either. In my mind, he’s one of the best backs in the league at turning a 1 yard gain into a 3 yard gain but he’s also the best at turning a 20 or 40 yard gain into a 10 or 12 yard run.

The spread must be hinging on Boldin’s availability, along with McGee’s.

Yes, it’s been fun to hang with you all here on Buffalo Rumblings. I’m getting nothing done at work…again. ;-)

I think your about right with that. Bills -5 deduct 3 for home advantage = -2

I’m surprised it’s a pick-em. I thought the Cards would be favored by around 4 points. They are much, much better at home…