Too many NFL teams fall into the trap of impatience. They look for the quick fix and the instant gratification of a playoff appearance. Sometimes, in the Browns' case last season and the Bills' case from earlier this season, some surprising early success can lead to unreasonable expectations. You almost expect another young, rebuilding team from a hungry small market -- think the Kansas City Chiefs -- to go through a similar situation next season.

A month ago Trent Edwards was an MVP candidate. Monday night he was a candidate to be benched for J.P. Losman. Not that the Bills would have ever done that. But they had to consider it.

Buffalo Rumblings 2 news...

The site is seems to be down rght before the 1:00 games. I have been trying to insert Moore for Parker at RB. I hope this serves as proof.

The strange thing was the way Buffalo lost: Four fourth-quarter mistakes (three turnovers and a safety) for a team whose season has been marked by clutch, unflinching play when it counts most. I have a feeling this was nothing more than an aberration, just as the skeptic in me believes the emergence of Ted Ginn Jr. as a big-time receiver may also be short-lived.

Scott essentially replaces Ko Simpson in the lineup. Whitner has played strong safety his first two-plus seasons, but he has the range and coverage skills to play free safety, as he showed against the Chargers. Simpson went to the bench Sunday in favor of Scott, who did a good job on Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.

"I would have preferred to at least played one or two by now, but it is what it is," said linebacker Kawika Mitchell. "We’ve got three in a row and it should be fun to see how that plays out. Everybody’s playing pretty well right now. You can’t count out New England even though they’re struggling a little bit, it’ll be interesting to see. Hopefully we can continue to be strong in all four quarters and these are the most important games, so we need to get it done."

But (Tony) Gonzalez has no one but himself to blame. He crossed the Bills off his wish list. He closed his mind to a small town with a big heart. He limited his opportunities and denied the Chiefs the chance to take the third-round pick, and other compensation, the Bills were offering. This is not entirely Carl Peterson’s fault. Gonzalez also is at fault.

Had Gonzalez been more open-minded, he could have spent the rest of this season with a team chasing a top playoff seed rather than a top draft pick.

The Buffalo Bills traded defensive John McCargo to the Indianapolis Colts. The Bills no longer had a need for McCargo and the Colts were starved for defensive tackles. Now they’ve acquired a talented one that underachieved in Buffalo.

The Bills should be coveting Gonzalez as passionately as Barack Obama and John McCain covet Missouri.

Stat of the Week No. 5: Buffalo has outscored opponents 45-10 in the fourth quarter...

Sweet Play of the Week No. 2: Trent Edwards of Buffalo had just hit Lee Evans for a 39-yard touchdown on a go route, making the score Bills 26, Rams 14. Because it was the fourth quarter, Buffalo went for two. Normally a running back or wide receiver who has just made a long gainer comes out on the next play to rest; Evans stayed in and caught the deuce pass. That was sweet.