I am not going to rain on the parade.
The Bills have won two in a row and have a legitimate chance to get back to .500 by the bye week.
I don’t know how much of the two straight wins has to do with the ineptitude of the opposition’s starting quarterback or how much has to do with an inspired defensive effort. But maybe we just need to celebrate that the season isn’t lost. I am trying to be positive today.
While I am in this positive mood, let’s look at Jarius Byrd. The kid is around the football. Some guys just have a knack for it and he appears to be that guy. Byrd has had a few tackling issues, but remember he played corner in college. Another major positive? The special teams looked to be back in control Sunday. The coverage units could not have been better and they were there to take advantage of a big Panthers mistake.
And how about that offense? OK. I am taking a break from being positive. I will say that Ryan Fitzpatrick shows more confidence than Trent Edwards. I will say that the Bills have a better chance to win with Fitzpatrick than even a healthy Trent Edwards. But I will say it now and repeat it many times while he is the Bills guy. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not a starting quarterback in the NFL. Good guy. Smart guy. Gets a lot out of his ability. But he is a backup for a reason, folks. Don’t even pretend that there is any long term future with Fitzpatrick as number one.
I am also starting to believe that T.O.’s days as a play maker are over. It is not just the drops, which by the way, happen with regularity. He doesn’t get separation any more. Even his deep routes seem uneven. He doesn’t appear to be in a great position to catch the ball down the field. They gave him a chance to make a play on that reverse Sunday, but he did not have the speed to get to the corner.
Back to being positive. Dick Jauron has not lost the team. They have played with some emotion. They have gotten themselves back to a place where they can at least see some light at the end of the tunnel without assuming the light is on oncoming train. Of course, a negative person would tell you all the Bills have done is set themselves up for another 7-9 season. It is a good thing I am being positive today.
