More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

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Last week, we unveiled a new series in which we take a look at 2010 NFL Draft prospects (and, really, just college football players in general) in an effort to keep tabs on the ebbs and flows of prospects' draft stock.  You can see our efforts from Week 1 of college football at this link.

Week 2 has been in the books for a few days, but as you can imagine, we've been busy covering the team this blog exists to cover - the Buffalo Bills.  Before we turn our full attentions to the Bills' next game, we thought we'd sneak in our thoughts from this past weekend's college action.  Our three up and three down for this week is after the jump.

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Buffalo Bills (0-1) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
Sunday, September 20, 2009; 4:05 PM ET, Ralph Wilson Stadium

Some of you are still trying to get over the major letdown that was Monday Night Football. As a wise man once said, "Nothing gets you over the last one like the next one."  So let's put that one out of mind for right now and take a look at the Buffalo Bills' next game: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A few facts:

1) The Bills have only played Tampa Bay eight times during their history, which means we will be digging way back into the archives.

2) The Bills are just 2-6 lifetime versus the Bucs.

3) The previous eight meetings between these two teams have all taken place in Tampa, meaning that this will be the first-ever visit to Buffalo by the Buccaneers franchise. Think about that; a team that has been around for 33 years has never played a single regular season game in Buffalo.  These two teams' last five meetings are after the jump.

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by David Duprey - AP

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Finally! This week marks the opening week of the NFL Fantasy Football!  Today we are debuting a weekly feature aimed at suggesting how to handle any Buffalo Bills you may have on your fantasy squads.  I know it's almost suicidal trying to rely on players from our beloved Bills in fantasy football, but fear not: some of them actually have potential this season! We will be taking a look at the individual players involved in each particular week's Bills game, including players on the opposition, and making educated suggestions as to whether you should be starting them or sitting them.  So without further ado, welcome to Fantasy Football Friday here at Buffalo Rumblings and SB Nation. Let's dive right in after the jump.

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Monday, September 14, 2009; 7 PM ET, Gillette Stadium

It's opening week of the NFL! Some of you are eagerly anticipating this weeks action like a giddy little 5-year-old kid at Christmas, while others are dreading this season like it is the bubonic plague. Whether you have high hopes or are a Negative Nancy, one thing is certain: it's time for some football, and in about 12 hours, the Titans and Steelers kick-off the show.

For those of you who were around last year, you might be familiar with this exercise. Every Wednesday (we're delayed a day thanks to MNF), I will be digging into the archives and reviewing the last five times the Bills have played their opponent for the upcoming Sunday (or Monday, or whatever other day). I need not remind any of you that the Bills' history versus the Patriots isn't pretty. I would therefore say that unless you are a masochist, really like me for some odd reason, or just can't get enough Buffalo Rumblings and feel you have to read everything, I might suggest staying away from the jump.  It isn't pretty.

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More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

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This is the place for anyone wanting to write comments as the NFL Hall of Fame inductions of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson and all-time sack leader DE Bruce Smith is now underway.

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We finally made it, everyone.  Here's the final installment of the History of the Buffalo Bills Series.  For the other parts of the series, follow the link. Let's see how the Bills arrived at where they are right now.

2004 - The Mularkey Era Begins
9-7 record, 3 of 4 in AFC East, 8 of 16 in AFC, 10 of 32 in NFL
After finishing the previous season 6-10, Bills coach Gregg Williams was not retained.  Then-Bills GM and former Steelers GM Tom Donahoe went back to his former team to find Williams' replacement, hiring Steelers Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey as the team's new head coach.  Because of the defense's success, most coaches on that side of the ball were retained, including coordinator Jerry Gray. Mularkey brought in seasoned league minds Sam Wyche (QB coach), Jim McNally (offensive line), and Tom Clements (offensive coordinator) to coach the offense.

The Bills lost Pro Bowl Guard Ruben Brown in free agency as well as cornerback Antoine Winfield.  With their first pick in the draft, the Bills picked speedy WR Lee Evans as a compliment to Eric Moulds.  The team then traded back into the first round to get Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman, costing them second and fifth round picks along with 2005's first rounder.  After the draft, Buffalo signed several undrafted free agents as well, including CB Jabari Greer, RB Shaud Williams, and TE Jason Peters.  The Bills also were finally able to see what Willis McGahee could do after he spent a year on injured reserve. After long-term injuries to Losman (broken leg) and Travis Brown, the Bills signed QB Shane Matthews to back up Drew Bledsoe.

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Eric Moulds (ESPN)

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Yeah, we know.  Buffalo Bills training camp is ongoing.  We'll have an open thread up for today's two practices - as well as a recap - but for now, enjoy reminiscing about Buffalo's last playoff appearance (and not necessarily the way that particular game ended).

1999 - Home Run Throwback
11-5 record, 2 of 5 in AFC East, 4 of 16 in AFC, 5 of 31 in NFL
The Cleveland Browns rejoined the league in 1999 and were added to the AFC Central.  The Bills lost linebacker Chris Spielman, wideout Quinn Early, tight end Lonnie Johnson, and running back Darick Holmes in free agency.  Buffalo selected Ohio State cornerback Antoine Winfield in the first round and in the second added wide receiver Peerless Price.  The other major change to take place in 1999 was the expiration of the Rich Stadium naming rights deal.  The Bills' home stadium had been named after Rich Foods for 25 years - ever since the move from The Rockpile.  The stadium was renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium in honor of team founder and President Ralph Wilson, Jr.

1999 was a season that will live on in infamy as long as the Buffalo Bills remain an NFL franchise, and forever in the city.  Right now, it's the last time the Bills made a trip to the playoffs, and the way in which their season ended remains one of the most famous and controversial plays in NFL history.

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Last week, I told you that this will be the final TMBT of the summer (barring the need for filler), and that you should expect something special for this week. This is the "something special"; today, instead of trying to guess the mystery Bills player (or coach, as we did last week), you have to guess the mystery Rumbler. That is correct - eight of the ten Rumblings administrators have submitted clues about themselves, and you have to figure out which one of us is the Mystery Rumbler.

Some of us gave incredibly long clues; some gave about 75 clues for me to choose from; still others gave the bare minimum.  I have re-typed the clues so as to rule out any telling language that you might recognize (such as Brian's "y'all", or Kurupt's "Kelsay stinks"). Also of note: two of our Rumblers failed to submit clues on time, either because they didn't want to participate (I'm not sure I want guys like Joe P or CBF knowing too much about me either; maybe it's already too late), or their lethargy prevented them from doing so.  Either way, their absence makes it tougher on you, so I didn't push them for the clues.

Your Rumblings editorial staff includes: Brian Galliford, Kurupt, sireric, MattRichWarren, Ron From NM, jri111, WABillsfan, MARVelous, krytime and poz.  I think this will be pretty interesting...

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