Are you ready for some football Brady Quinn? If you're not, you might want to brace yourself. ESPN has a new favorite young QB to oogle.
The 5-4 Buffalo Bills, losers of three straight, are set to take on the 3-6 Cleveland Browns this evening in what is the host team's second Monday Night Football appearance in the past two seasons. Once considered one of the most promising teams in the league, Buffalo's fall from 5-1 has dulled some of the press this game could have garnered.
Enter Brady Quinn.
Unless you're heading out to Ralph Wilson Stadium tonight to catch the game live, ESPN's broadcast is sure to be Brady-centric. That's what happens when a desperate team makes a desperate move with a popular young player; if you're watching the game as televised tonight, you might consider just throwing that broadcast on mute.
Don't let the Brady Show distract you from what's really important, however - tonight marks a new dawn of Buffalo Bills football. If it doesn't, this team is sunk for a ninth straight season.
Already chasing all three of its division rivals, the Bills face a make-or-break game tonight. They're the real story. Cleveland isn't going anywhere this season. Buffalo still can. Whether or not the Bills can take care of business on a national stage against a team they should beat - popular, talented quarterback or not - is our focus this evening.
With a win, the Bills would move to 6-4 on the season, launching themselves into a five-way tie for the AFC Wild Card, while remaining just a game out of contention in the ridiculously close AFC East (though they'd still be in last place, thanks to an abysmal 0-3 division record). With a loss, the team would fall to 5-5, placing them at ninth in the conference, just ahead of two uber-disappointing 4-6 teams, San Diego and Jacksonville. That's not where the Bills can afford to be down the stretch.
So let ESPN talk about Brady Quinn. The real story lies in what Buffalo has an opportunity to accomplish tonight. A loss de-rails a once promising season, likely permanently. A win keeps them in the thick of things, ends a dismal losing streak, and depending on how convincing a win it is, could restore a lot of confidence to this shaken fan base of ours.
The 2008 season is at stake, Bills fans. Buffalo knows it. We know it. Get ready for some football.