One win rights the ship for Edwards, Bills (buffalobills.com)

I'll admit it.  I've been a little negative this week.  Not that the Buffalo Bills didn't deserve my negativity, of course - three losses in four tries will engender that response.  After a 4-0 start, the Bills are now 5-3 and face the daunting task of a must-win game in Foxboro.

During the down period for the Bills, several team weaknesses have appeared - a porous offensive line; a non-existent run game; the lack of a consistent pass rush defensively; the inability to shut down opponents' controlled passing attacks; turnovers, turnovers and more turnovers.  It's been bad.  But unlike seasons past, there's still opportunity for these Bills.

The Miami Blueprint
Think back to Week 3 of this season.  At that point, the 0-2 Miami Dolphins were visiting the 2-0 Patriots.  Miami lost a tough opener to the New York Jets, then went out to Arizona and got embarrassed on the road (something the Bills and their fans should be familiar with).  The Patriots, meanwhile, had survived the season-ending knee injury to Tom Brady by beating the Chiefs in their opener, and had gone into New York and taken down the Mighty Favre behind the play of Matt Cassel.  Things were not looking bright for Miami, that's for sure.

Then Miami pounded New England 38-13.  I remember, as I sitting in Ralph Wilson Stadium watching the Bills come back to beat the Raiders, seeing the final score and thinking one thought: "Where the hell did that come from?"  The Bills a lot of things; that includes being capable of that type of performance.

The question I ask of you this morning is this: is it so crazy to believe the Bills can't pull off a similar feat?

Giving yourself a chance
How did Miami beat New England that day?  Obviously, "The Wildcat" didn't hurt, but I'd rather believe that it was the fact that Miami didn't shoot themselves in the foot.  They didn't turn the ball over offensively.  They forced two turnovers themselves (an interception and lost fumble by Cassel), sacked Cassel five times (four by Joey Porter), and watched as the Patriots effectively beat themselves.

That's something Buffalo has excelled at these past two weeks.  I wrote earlier this week that the Bills are beating themselves - and it's true.  Without the seven turnovers, seven sacks, safety allowed and 14 penalties the team has accrued against the Dolphins and Jets collectively, the Bills have far more than a fighting chance in both of those games, despite their weak areas.  Beating New England in New England is achievable - as long as the Bills don't beat themselves first.  New England rarely beats themselves; the Bills can't, either, or an opportunity is lost.

Opportunity, however, is exactly what this game is all about for Buffalo.  Despite the fact that the team has reverted to some old ways of late, the team is still very much in the thick of things in a suddenly ultra-competitive division.  The Bills have stumbled, but they've still got an opportunity to grab this division by its proverbial cojones and waltz into the playoffs.  Beating New England in Foxboro is more possible than many realize.  Opportunity is knocking, Buffalo.  One win rights the ship.

Lindell's reaction sums up Bills' slide (Associated Press)

Say it with me, kids: "Pretenders."

After a 4-0 start to the season, the Buffalo Bills have now dropped three of four - including two straight division games - to fall to 5-3.  The latest disappointment?  Sunday's 26-17 loss to the New York Jets.

Just two weeks ago, the Bills were 5-1 atop the division and considered the front-runners in a diluted - yet still highly competitive - AFC East.  Now they're 5-3, two games in the hole against their three biggest rivals, and are proving to have far more "pretender" than "contender" in them.  The kicker: they're doing it to themselves.

Sloppy play + no run game = ...
Let's get this out there straight away: the Bills did a lot of good things offensively today.  It didn't matter.  Three more turnovers, five more sacks of Trent Edwards and a turnover on downs deep in Jets territory led to just 10 offensive points despite the fact that the Bills were 8 of 13 on third downs and were able to make some plays through the air.

The biggest problem for Buffalo offensively - get ready for a shocker here - is that they're putting too much onto the shoulders of Edwards.  Second-year quarterbacks shouldn't face the burden that Edwards has during the past handful of games; sans any form of a rushing attack, Edwards has been forced to carry the team - and like any second-year quarterback, he's had his good moments and, unfortunately, more bad moments.  Simply put, if Buffalo can't find a way to run the football effectively, we're going to continue to see this type of offensive attack - effective statistically, but not when it really matters.

Can we dispense with the "Duke Preston should start at center" talk?  The young center was absolutely man-handled by Jets NT Kris Jenkins today to the tune of 5 tackles, 2 sacks and plenty of time spent on his (Preston's) rotund backside.  Jenkins also completely eradicated Buffalo's "running game"; Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson combined for a pitiful 31 yards on 16 carries.

Not even Favre can hand Buffalo a 'W'
Brett Favre did his best in the fourth quarter to keep the Bills alive; that's what he's done best this season, after all.  A Jabari Greer interception (extend him!) on a patented Favre duck was returned 42 yards for a score, cutting the Jets lead to 23-17 with 10 minutes to play.  The Bills defense then responded by allowing the Jets to take nearly 9 of those minutes off of the clock, surrendering the decisive field goal in the process.

Buffalo has got to find a way to get their opponents' offensive attacks out of rhythm, and they need to do it three weeks ago.  For two straight weeks, the Dolphins and Jets have methodically picked apart the Bills, eradicating the Aaron Schobel-less pass rush and sapping the Bills' energy and momentum in the process.  I don't care how it's done.  Something needs to change in that respect, because when the offense is in rhythm, the Bills can't make plays defensively.  It's as simple as that.

What do these two losses mean?  I'm struggling to find the broad perspective tonight, so I'll keep this to a personal level: for 8 weeks, including last week in Miami, I was a believer.  I believed Edwards could lead this team back from these types of deficits.  I believed our coaching staff could get this team to play inspired football.  I believed that this team, though young, was smart enough to learn from its mistakes.  But I'm not seeing Edwards do what we know he can do - and it's because he's not ready to carry the entire team on his shoulders.  I'm not seeing the coaching staff make smart decisions, both situationally as well as with personnel.  I'm seeing the team make the same mistakes week in and week out - turnovers, penalties, poor run blocking, etc.  Am I still a believer?  Not one bit.  There's a chance that this Bills team can still make the playoffs - heck, there's even a chance they could take the division.  I'll believe it when I see it.

Game Balls
Don't make me laugh.

Roll Call
Thanks to the 26 folks who stopped by today's game thread.  Kudos to Kurupt for once again holding down the fort during a home game; he also paced the day with 94 comments.  Joe P and D.O. each surpassed 50 as well.

geno227, Kurupt, silverstreak3k, Scoe221, StuckInNJ, NJBillsfan, BuffCrunch, Cinga, Joe P., D.O., fletcherjd, RabidBuffalo, Hopefulcynic, BearsNecessity, thefourwinds, The Buffalonian, Ron From NM, jdol1568, chaosthepitbull, GhostDogg47, BillsNorth, garycoleman69, killascript, roscoe11, keuka121, LeClaireBill

Here comes Foxboro.  Yeah.  "Crap" is right.

   
Buffalo Bills (5-2) vs New York Jets (4-3)
Sunday, November 2 - 1:00 PM EST

Another week, another tough division battle.  After blowing a golden opportunity to really control the division last week in Miami, our Bills get a chance to get in the divisional win column against the Jets inside the raucous Ralph.  This is a crucial game in the context of the rest of the season; here are the keys to a big Bills win:

Get it going early: A fast start is something we're all hoping for, and Turk Schonert is striving for.  The play calling needs to be a tad bit more unpredictable.  The Jets are tough to run on (only 82.6 ypg), so being able to throw early will really give us a good chance to put some points on the board in the first half.  However, we can't simply abandon the run, as the Miami game may suggest, but instead vary up the run calls.  Enough with the numerous dives up the middle Turk, especially this week with big, fat Kris Jenkins and the force field that surrounds him taking on Duke Preston.  We had success against Miami off tackle and outside, two places we've been asking for more runs all season.  The Jets run the 3-4 just like Miami, so running outside away from Jenkins will be the way to get it done on the ground.  Marshawn Lynch has had very few opportunities to run to the outside this year, but every time he does, he makes something happen.  Why is this not a staple in the Offense?  Also, don't be surprised to see some more no-huddle.

Force the action defensively: Going up against Brett Favre and the gunslinger mentality, this is the perfect week to implement a ton of press coverage on the Jets' wideouts.  Favre absolutely LOVES throwing misguided passes into tight double coverage, so getting up on Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey will really increase the chances of getting some turnovers.  If Fewell plays Jabari Greer, Terrence McGee and Ashton Youboty 10 yards off the ball again, Favre will feast on the quick slant this week.  If teams like the Chiefs, Raiders and Bengals can play Favre tough, there's absolutely no reason we shouldn't be able to shut the Jets passing game down.  But if we sit back and wait for him to make the mistakes, we will be in for a long afternoon.  By the way, is there a better WR first name trio than Laveranues, Jerricho and Chansi in the NFL? I think not.

Win the turnover battle: Currently, the Bills turnover margin is sitting at -3, which is #23 in the NFL.  Our 2 losses have produced a whopping -7 margin (8 giveaways, just 1 takeaway), though it is debatable whether those turnovers cost us those games as 7 of them came when we were already losing.  They have obviously cost us chances to mount comebacks, but it's tough to say whether they are reasons we lost against Arizona and Miami.  Either way, the offense has to take better control of the ball, while our defense needs to step up and start forcing some turnovers.  We've only accumulated 4 ineterceptions on the season, with one coming in the last minute against Seattle.  That just isn't good, and there's no better time to pick off a few passes than when Brett Favre rolls into town.  This is one area that should really decide Sunday's winner.

Pressure Fav-ruh: Piggybacking the turnover idea, it's important to get into Favre's face and force him to throw when he's not ready.  Again, if he has time to throw and space to put it, he'll hurt us.  Getting after him with some blitzes will lead to his patented crazy throws, which should again increase the chance for turnovers.  I'm not afraid of Coles and Cotchery beating us deep, so we've got to get up on them and make Favre squeeze the passes in there quickly.  I'm not confident that this will be part of the game plan though.

Make Special Teams special again:  This has been an overlooked area of the team this year.  Quite frankly, the ST units have not lived up to their lofty expectations this year.  They have been solid, but other than the Seattle game, have been very unspectacular.  Kick coverage has been up and down, the punting unit has been mostly good but there have been mistakes (see snap last week) and the kick return team has been borderline bad.  Leodis McKelvin just doesn't look like a good kick returner out there.  He heads directly to the sideline EVERY time and rarely shows the propensity to cut back.  Maybe Bobby April is instructing him to take what he can for now, until he gets more comfortable, but this unit has been far from explosive this year.  McKelvin's instincts just haven't seemed to be there, we shall see what he develops into in the return game.  This week would be a great time for a big play.  Controlling Leon Washington in the return game is going to be another tough job for the Bills ST's this week.

Involve Evans early and often: Here's your weekly "get the ball to Lee Evans early in the game" key.  With Josh Reed out, it's going to be as important as ever to get Evans involved early.  Look for the Jets to really roll coverage to him this week, so Roscoe Parrish and James Hardy will need to step up. Roscoe wants the ball more, now is the time for him to take advantage of the opportunity.

Protect the home turf:  To be honest, this is a game the Bills shouldn't lose, and probably can't afford to lose.  Starting 0-2 in the division and heading to New England is NOT what the team needs come Monday morning.  Like I thought the Chargers game might be, this game is a season definer, one that sets the stage for the rest of the year.  A loss here with a tough game at New England next week is really not the downward spiral I want to see occur.  If we win this week, to finish the first half 6-2, we will be in great shape going forward, but another divisional loss, at home no less, would really put a damper on where this team might be headed.  Luckily, the rest of the AFC is a jumbled mess, but it'd be nice to rise above that quagmire.  I'd much rather head to New England next week with 6 wins and at worse, a share of the divisional lead with them.  I don't want to be a game back or in a 3 way tie including the Jets at 5-3.  Rise up Buffalo, it's time you win a big game against a team with a winning record for once!

***

Let's go Bills, dispose of the New York Bretts!  Make my daily life in NYC merrier!

Yesterday, we sat down with John Butchko of Gang Green Nation to discuss the upcoming Buffalo Bills versus New York Jets matchup.  I was also featured in an interview for The Fifth Down, a blog by The New York Times.  Today, we complete the trifecta of Jets blogger interviewing by sitting down with Gregg Gethard, who blogs at Game On for MSG.  I asked him the same questions that I asked John yesterday, and Gregg came back with some brief, yet more revealing answers.  I also did a reciprocal interview, so be sure to check that out.

Rumblings: How much patience do Jets fans have with Brett Favre?  When he throws untimely picks - against the Chiefs, no less - do you think "Hey, it's just Favre being Favre" or "Gosh, you know, I really wish he'd cut that crap out"?

Gethard: I think the past two weeks have started to end the "Brett Favre Honeymoon period". Jets fans were willing to give Favre a LOT of leeway. Last season the team was absolutely miserable and, to make it worse, the Giants (duh) winning the Super Bowl just made things worse. The Favre trade put the Jets on the front pages, and that's something that's really important to a downtrodden, angst-filled fan base.

Rumblings: Give us the low down on the Jets' defense this season.  No AFC East team has given up more points than the Jets; what are the strengths/weaknesses of this unit?

Gethard: I don't think the Jets defense has been that bad. The point total has been pushed up because the team has given up big totals against San Diego and Arizona, causing point inflation, much like an Ivy League school.

The team's run defense is obviously its strength. They're one of the tops in the league in stopping the run. Their linebacking corps has been really good all year long. Calvin Pace is one heck of a player. I've compared him to actor Ed Norton -- he's always very good and sometimes brilliant.

Their secondary needs some help, but Darrelle Revis is a star in the making.

Rumblings: This is Eric Mangini's third year on the job, and he orchestrated some pretty bold moves to get the Jets back into contention.  Is it "playoffs or bust" for Mangini, or is he squarely off of the hot seat in New York?

Gethard: Eric's slowly finding himself on the hot seat. He's been widely (and justifiably) criticized for the team's conservative Pat Buchanan-style playbook. The team has played well when they're forced to scramble and let loose. They haven't played so well running a traditional style. The offense has some horses - the ETA of Leon Washington becoming a household name is Week 13 - but they haven't been used right at all.

Mangini has another year, at least. But if he doesn't show anything by the end of next year, Bill Belichik is going to have an enormous smirk on his evil face.

***

We have one more interview segment to go, in which we'll sit back down with John Butchko to discuss some key matchups for the upcoming game.  That'll come your way later on today.

   
Buffalo Bills (5-2) vs New York Jets (4-3)
SB Nation's Jets coverage: Gang Green Nation

Coming off of an embarrassing road loss to Miami, the Buffalo Bills will look to rebound in just about three days' time in a home matchup with the equally hated New York Jets.  Naturally, we did our best this week to talk about the Jets with a Jets blogger - and our best was better than usual this week.  Not only will we be chatting extensively with Gang Green Nation over the next few days, we hope to also have insight from more "traditional" Jets experts, as well.  We'll start with GGN, however.

I'm pleased to point out that I was very graciously approached for my opinion on the upcoming matchup by The Fifth Down, a blog by The New York Times.  I, along with two other Bills bloggers, was asked for 100 words on the upcoming matchup.  I predicted a Bills win, 23-17.  I'll get into reasons why over the next few days.

What's embarrassing, however, is the lack of confidence that the other three bloggers showed in their respective teams.  Where the hell is the fan pride, people?  Two Bills fans picked the Jets.  The Jets blogger - who doubles as a staff writer for the Times - picked the Bills.  Trust me, we're thrilled to be associated with the Times, but the lack of "homerism", as it's so frequently put these days, is embarrassing.  At least one of us is keepin' it real.  I don't get to say that too often.

We'll start the blogging here with a Q&A with John Butchko of SB Nation's baby NFL blog, Gangrene Gang Green Nation.  (Whoops.  Not a blog about infection, though it's close... I kid, I kid.  But yeah, the Jets suck.  And hey, I've handled enough "Buffalo Rumblings" jokes to not feel bad about poking fun at the blog name.  It's quality, not the name of the blog, that counts.)  I asked John - a heck of a nice guy - a few questions, and as is his M.O., he provided some pretty detailed answers.  On to the interview...

Rumblings: How much patience do Jets fans have with Brett Favre?  When he throws untimely picks - against the Chiefs, no less - do you think "Hey, it's just Favre being Favre" or "Gosh, you know, I really wish he'd cut that crap out"?

GGN: The two are not mutually exclusive. Any Jets fan who has followed football in the last two decades knew what the team was getting in Favre. He is a guy who will make unbelievable plays like his fourth down prayer in Miami in Week 1. He also has no qualms about throwing into double coverage to try and make a play. Even though we all know of this tendency, it is still frustrating, and fans are growing weary.

Continue reading this post »

Cassel taking over QB reigns in New England (Photo Source)

We all know what the big news has been this week, even in Buffalo, where the Buffalo Bills stunned even their own fan base with a dominant Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.  New England Patriots all-world quarterback Tom Brady, the game's most dominant player, was placed on Injured Reserve after tearing up his knee in his team's opening day victory.  The fact that the news about Brady has overshadowed one of the most exciting Bills victories in around four years speaks volumes about what Brady means to the AFC East landscape (not to mention the league in general).  With Brady, the Patriots had a stranglehold on the division.  Without him, things change tremendously.

But before the Bills - or more prudently for us, their fans - allow their dreams to become too extravagant, let's allow time for a little perspective.

Clearly, the New England Patriots will be a different team with fourth-year backup Matt Cassel attempting to emerge from Brady's monstrous shadow.  But to discount them completely from the AFC East would, in time, be a laughable error.  The team is brought back down to earth a bit by Brady's loss, but they're still a very formidable opponent.  They still have a very good offensive line, the game's best receiver in Randy Moss (who, granted, might pout if Cassel flops), and a veteran defense with a physical front seven.  Cassel merely needs to be a solid game manager for this team to be serious contenders in the AFC.  They're more than playoff contenders at this point; until someone beats them, they're still the leaders of this division.  I'm actually quite jealous that the Jets get the first crack at de-throning the Pats this weekend.

Speaking of the New York Jets, clearly they're a part of the conversation simply because of their own quarterback, Brett Favre.  Rome wasn't built in a day, but the Jets took a serious stab at it this off-season, spending money like the Washington Redskins, circa early Daniel Snyder years.  Their offensive line is better, but they lacked a certain cohesiveness in edging the Dolphins in Miami on opening day.  They're certainly a factor, and they're much better than they were in 2007.  Favre's presence makes them the media darlings post-Brady, but to think that the Jets are the heir apparent to New England's throne simply because of Favre is absurd.  They're merely contenders and a much improved team.

We know that our Buffalo Bills are serious contenders after their opening day thrashing of Seattle.  "Experts" will point to the team's youth at the quarterback position (as well as overall team youth) as a reason that they might be early-season pretenders, but pay those notions no mind - this team's potential is higher than it has been in decades.  Sure, there could be stumbling blocks (for instance, no team knows what key injuries can mean better than the Bills), but like the Patriots, to discount Buffalo because of these perceived shortcomings would be very unwise.

Even the Miami Dolphins aren't pushovers.  The hapless team that took the field in 2007 has been morphed into a tough, physical team with a smart quarterback and some very good athletes.  Even though they're not on the same talent level as the rest of the division, they have the make-up of a team that can play spoiler, wreaking havoc on the playoff hopes of their biggest enemies.  The Bills in particular have struggled with Chad Pennington in the past (though this wasn't the case as recent as 2007).  To automatically assume six wins between the three "contenders" over the Dolphins is, again, a large and ill-advised assumption to make.

The Patriots won't be as strong, but they'll be strong enough.  The Jets and Bills are now serious contenders, and they're more even with the Pats than they have been in years.  The Dolphins are better, and while they're probably not serious players, they're not close to being the division doormat that they were in 2007.  The landscape in this division is remarkably even, and while we can no longer assume anything about the potential order of finish, it's plausible for the Bills' fan base to dream big.  So, in the words of Steven Tyler, "dream on".

I, for one, can't stand the speculation and the potential letdown.  I've watched this team for too long to get overly excited, though I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't intrigued by the possibilities.  In any event, I'll be making an attempt to preserve my sanity by following the team's "one game at a time" attitude.  It's exciting to be in this position after just one game, but ultimately, the Bills still have a lot to prove.  They can start proving it this weekend in Jacksonville, so that's where my focus will remain.

Can Favre lead Jets back to playoffs? (Photo Source)

The Green Bay era is over, and the New York Jets have landed a Hall of Fame quarterback.  Yes, folks, you've all heard that it's official: Brett Favre is a New York Jet.

As dirty as it makes me feel to write about Brett Favre, I'm willingly sacrificing my feeling of cleanliness to send Buffalo Bills fans a message that I hope some of you have already instilled some belief in this morning: don't panic.

There are, of course, immediate ramifications for the Buffalo Bills.  Buffalo swept the Jets last season, and were expected to use the Jets as a welcome mat to the AFC playoff bracket this season.  Now, with the Jets in possession of a better quarterback - and "better" is about where the increase ends for them, at least at this point - those playoff chances take a hit.

There are reasons, however, to not fear this move.  Take your fingers off the panic button and hear me out.  I'm of the belief that the Jets were monumentally stupid to trade for Favre, for a few key reasons.

Reason 1: Jets Quarterbacks
So the Jets' new starting quarterback, presumably, is Brett Favre.  It's an upgrade, to be certain.  But it is without a doubt an upgrade for the short term.  And it may not be the upgrade that many fans believe it to be.  Set aside the change of scenery and the change in offensive weaponry, because Favre can work with any offensive threat.  He turned mediocre wideouts into stars left and right in Green Bay.  But he did it working his entire career under one offense.  That offense suddenly changes under the tutelage of Brian Schottenheimer, the Jets' offensive coordinator.  To believe that there won't be an adjustment period is naive.  It may be a short adjustment period, but it will definitely be there.

Don't forget, also, that Kellen Clemens is still the future of that franchise.  Now he sits on the sideline, giving way to a guy who is famous for ignoring his understudies.  Best case scenario, Clemens turns into Aaron Rodgers watching him.  What that means, time will tell.  Worst case scenario (for the Jets), Clemens flops, and they're right back in rebuilding mode two years from today.  Good for them.

Reason 2: Eric Mangini
Quick - name the most desperate coach in the NFL right now.  Is there any doubt that it's Eric Mangini, the guy who threw wads of money at veteran players (Alan Faneca, Tony Richardson, Kris Jenkins) to throw together the quick fix?  Mangini made a huge gamble during this off-season, and acquiring Favre exacerbates his desperation.  There is now a ton of pressure on Mangini to turn the '08 Jets into a playoff team.

Imagine, for a moment, that something goes wrong, and the Jets miss the playoffs.  That would make two straight years on Mangini's record that his teams were gigundous disappointments.  His job is unmistakably on the line.  Would you want to be the coach who missed the playoffs with all the "name" players that he has?  Gregg Williams and Mike Mularkey did it with the Bills; their careers have turned out pretty shiny, right?  The Jets are building a team the wrong way, and that will come back to bite them in their large green butts.  That segues perfectly into the third reason this move was dumb.

Reason 3: Team-Building Philosophies
There's nothing more irritating in the music business than a one-hit wonder.  It irritates me when a team like the Jets go for broke with a one-hit wonder team as well, and that's exactly what they're doing by acquiring Favre.  It doesn't irritate me in this case because, well, they're the Jets.  I love seeing them build a team this way, because it kills their long-term viability.  Their future is now in flux.

I'm not saying Buffalo's future isn't in flux, just that they're going about building the team the right way.  In today's NFL, building a perennial winner takes patience.  The Jets and Mangini have proven that they don't have much of that.  Buffalo has a chance at being a good team for a long time; I no longer see the Jets as close to being in the same boat.  I'll take Buffalo's long-term viability over the Jets' at this point - especially since the Bills can still beat the Jets, even with Favre.  Need I remind anyone that the last time the Bills faced Favre, it was in a 24-10 victory just two seasons ago?  Buffalo's awful defense played Favre well that day (he had 287 yards, a touchdown and two picks).

Does Favre to New York hurt Buffalo's playoff chances in 2008?  Certainly, but not to the point where the Bills don't have a somewhat realistic shot at the post-season.  Buffalo's defense has improved to the point where it can compete well with a Favre-led Jets team, especially considering the grace period Favre will undoubtedly need to get his feet wet in a brand new offense.  The Jets are also now unmistakably a last-gasp team, and Buffalo's future is, for now, much brighter.  I'd much rather be a fan of the Bills than a fan of the Jets today - Buffalo has direction; the Jets have desperation.

No panic needed, folks.  The Bills are still in good shape.  The Jets may not be.

We've discussed the possibility of quarterback Brett Favre becoming a Miami Dolphin.  But the media buzz surrounding the Packers quarterback (at least, I think he's still a Packers quarterback...) has, at least on a highly speculative and rumor-mongering level, now included the Buffalo Bills.

Several news outlets, most notably the folks at ESPN (big surprise), speculated over this past weekend that Favre could wind up in a cold-weather, "QB unsettled" city such as Buffalo (the Dolphins and Jets were also mentioned, of course).  Such speculation led WGR 550 this morning to run a poll measuring the potential impact of a Favre-to-Buffalo move in a "fun", yet still sort of serious way.  Even Bob Matthews of The Democrat and Chronicle has joined in on the Favre-to-Buffalo bandwagon (sort of).  The main argument is that for a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999, trading for Favre - even if he's only here for a season - would be worth it just to take a stab at ending that drought.

Sure, this may be a "fun" topic to discuss, but only if you're in the business of fantasy and delusions.  Brett Favre isn't coming to Buffalo.  The reasons?  Dick Jauron and team chemistry.

Favre Not a Fit in Buffalo
I'll admit: the idea of the Bills making a trade for Brett Favre, while incredibly far-fetched, is enticing.  To me, it's similar to the move the team made for Drew Bledsoe a few years back - no, that move didn't work out well, but boy, did it bring the hype.  Favre, even at age 38, is better than Bledsoe, so it's easy to assume that he'd have more impact in Buffalo than Bledsoe did as well.

But ultimately, having a duo of veteran and kid quarterback in this league leads to a mess.  Just look at the Packers - they thought they had the perfect situation, where Aaron Rodgers would take over once Favre retired.  That hasn't worked out so well.  It didn't work out well in Buffalo, either, when the Bills had to flat-out release Bledsoe to get J.P. Losman into the starting lineup.  The team would be facing a similar situation here with Trent Edwards.

The biggest reason, however, that Favre has literally a 0% chance of coming to Buffalo is that his style doesn't mesh well with the style of head coach Dick Jauron.  Buffalo's head coach prefers an offensive unit that is calculated and minimizes mistakes; Favre's style has always been gunslinger, balls-to-the-wall, and it's exactly not the type of quarterback that Jauron prefers.

The Effects on Team
Another little-discussed issue is what effects that a sudden move for Favre would have on a team that is, by and large, ready to make more on-field improvements.  What message does it send to Trent Edwards - he's our guy, but he's not really our guy because we're willing to take a shot with a diva future Hall of Famer?  What message does it send to the team's young leadership?

A move for Favre has a far more likely chance of ruining what chemistry the team already has than improving it.  Edwards' development is hurt - not from an on-field standpoint as much as being "the guy" in the locker room.  That's where Edwards really needs to make strides this season - he needs to be Buffalo's go-to guy, the leader of the offense, the face of the franchise.  If Favre comes in, he briefly owns that role - and then Buffalo's back to finding his replacement.

To that end, perhaps the strongest argument to make against bringing Favre in is this: hasn't Buffalo's biggest problem of the past decade been finding the successor to Jim Kelly?  Brett Favre doesn't solve that problem, folks - he merely delays the answer.  That's not forward progress for this franchise, it's a sidestep.  This team is too young to be taking sidesteps with iffy personnel decisions.  This team needs to keep digging for the answer to the question of Kelly's heir.  Maybe they've found the answer in Edwards, maybe not.  Either way, having Favre in town delays the revelation of that answer.

The Difference Between Playoffs and Contender
I'm just like any other Bills fan - I want Buffalo to end its playoff drought in a bad way.  I just want to see it done the right way - and mortgaging out large chunks of salary to an end-of-the-road quarterback isn't the way to do it.  I don't want our playoff drought to end in the fashion of one playoff season, back to the drawing board - I want a Bills team that can compete year in and year out for the league's top prize.  We're building toward that.  Favre stunts that growth, even if the short-term effects are positive.

So if there are Bills fans who want to live this fantasy out for a little while longer, have at it.  It's a nice distraction.  If, however, you're like me, you'll be spending the next 10 days until training camp focusing on the realities of the 2008 Buffalo Bills - a team that will not include Brett Favre.

Dolphins a leading candidate to land Favre (Photo Source)

You've probably heard by now - because, let's face it, Brett Favre is to NFL media what Britney Spears is to paparazzi - the legendary quarterback has asked to be released by the Green Bay Packers, looking to further his NFL career in a different city.  And, as you've also probably heard, of the team "most likely" to land Favre's services, the Miami Dolphins top the list.

(Note to Brett Favre: If you end your timely retirement to come back and play for an organization that is coming off of a 1-15 season, you're a nut job.  Just saying.)

Another off-season of Favre's irritating indecision in regards to his playing future has a different ring to it this time around - because this time, it might directly effect the Buffalo Bills.  Here's the catch: it might effect the Bills in a good way.

The Leading Candidates for Favre
It's important to note that of the three teams rumored to be interested in, or possible destinations for, Favre's services - Miami, Minnesota and Carolina - the Dolphins are not necessarily (and certainly shouldn't be) Favre's top choice.  In fact, according to SI.com's Peter King, Favre would like to be a Viking.  And why not?  The Vikings have an excellent running game and an even better defense.  Favre could turn that team into a Super Bowl contender, at least on paper.

But let's face it - the chances of the Green Bay Packers releasing Brett Favre (mull over that sentence for a moment), allowing him to sign with a division rival (continue mulling), are absurdly remote.  About as remote as the Packers signing, well, Britney Spears.

So as delicious as it would be to watch Favre lead the Vikings to a division title over the Packers (even if Vikings fans are dead set against the idea), it's not happening.  That leaves, at least for the moment, Miami and Carolina as the front-runners.  And since the Pack aren't going to be releasing Favre any time soon, any move for Favre will come via trade.

That's where Miami takes a quantum leap to front-runner status.  They've got the perfect bargaining chip in Jason Taylor.

DE Taylor seeking trade, also (Photo Source)

Who Would You Rather Face: Favre or Taylor?
Let's say, for the moment, that a Favre-for-Taylor trade is feasible enough to be discussed.  (And that certainly seems to be true, given Bill Parcells' preference for bringing in veteran quarterbacks.  Remember when Dallas signed Drew Bledsoe?)  Who would you rather watch the Buffalo Bills face twice per season: Brett Favre, gritty gunslinger extraordinaire, or Jason Taylor, who has terrorized Bills quarterbacks for a decade?

Call me crazy (or don't), but my vote is for Favre.  I love the idea of Brett Favre becoming a Miami Dolphin.

Think about the long-term ramifications that bringing Favre in would have on that franchise.  (Matty I of The Phinsider clearly has, because he's vehemently against the idea as well.)  The Dolphins have a stop-gap at quarterback - again - and their two young "of the future" quarterbacks, John Beck and Chad Henne, are made to wait - again.  Favre doesn't help out his understudies, either, further stunting the growth of whichever quarterback takes over for Miami.  The Dolphins maybe push .500 this season (because their defense is still pretty bad, even with Jason Taylor), and Favre pads his stats.

Meanwhile, Taylor - one of only a handful of defenders in the AFC East that must be game-planned for (the rest play in New England) - is out of our minds.  Jason Peters and Trent Edwards would be very happy men should this trade go through.  I've always had a lot of respect for Taylor, too - he's a good guy and a fantastic athlete - and it'd be nice to see him get his shot on a team that's actually, well, good.

More quarterback questions and a weakened defense in Miami?  Additional long-term controversy for our archenemies?  Favre to Miami sounds like a delicious recipe to me.  Forget the possible short-term effects Favre might have in Miami.  Bring this deal on.