Escape From New York

It is a 363 mile drive from the Buffalo Bills home turf of Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ; stomping ground of the New York Giants. For many years the Bills faithful have made the standstill argument that the Buffalo Bills are the only "true" New York team because of Metlife Stadium’s location within New Jersey state lines.

Matching up for only the third time in over ten years, the often harmless Upstate New York team now has the opportunity to prove their worthiness for recognition as New York State's sole NFL team.  The only difference is this year, the Bills have found a consistent quarterback.

Enter Ryan Fitzpatrick, a prominent leader of this Cinderella team.  After beginning the season on fire statistically, Fitzpatrick has since come back down to earth, but has continued doing nothing but the right things to lead his team to victory.  Although he may not have the fire that Snake Plissken possessed in the 1980s classic film "Escape From New York", the "Amish Rifle" has consistently provided a spark for his Bills.

Despite the Buffalo Bills (4-1) coming off a big win, they travel to New York as underdogs to face a Giants team (3-2) trying to regain their footing after a crushing loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Following the week 5 defeat, Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin stated what he has sought to improve during this week’s practices. "We didn't complement each other at all today. This week the sloppiness of the game, the turnovers, you know you are not going to win when you are handing people the ball (at) point blank range."

Most NFL fans are well aware of the struggles that the New York Giants have had turning the ball over. However, few and far between are conscious of the Bills' league leading +11 turnover differential this season (16 total takeaways).

Through 5 weeks of football, the Giants are still winless over a team with a winning record, a fact that favors the AFC East's first place Bills, especially if the "G-Men" are unable to minimize their giveaways.

After the Bills key win over the Philadelphia Eagles, team-captain George Wilson declared, "When you make mistakes, it’s alright to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. We learned from those mistakes a year ago."

Five weeks into the regular season, the Bills have already met their win total from 2010. However, the Bills are still on the prowl to prove their belonging as an upper echelon NFL team.  Keep an eye out for Ryan "Snake Plissken" Fitzpatrick to ignite his team's fire in this week 6 showdown.

The Buffalo Bills will attempt to "Escape From New York" (New Jersey) with a win over the Giants at 1:00 ET on CBS.

I Bill-ieve In Miracles

Calling all fans of the mucial group Hot Chocolate, I do "Bill-ieve" in miracles, but this is not something of the kind.  For the second straight week, the resilient Buffalo Bills have managed a comeback after facing an improbable deficit of 18 or more points in the first half.  But this week, versus the New England Patriots, it was more than just a game. In what could prove to be a defining moment, the beginning of a new era if you will, the "No-Name-Bills" have passed their first true test that vouches for belonging among the list of 2011's elite NFL teams.

It is these same unlikely "No-Name-Bills" that now hold the only 3-0 record in the AFC of the National Football League.  Who would have thunk?

The national disrespect of the Bills' talent because the lack of name recognition adds fuel to the fire for the team.  Starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a 7th round pick, and the first Harvard quarterback to throw a pass for a Pro-Football game in more than 40 years, has "Bill-ieved" from the very beginning.

Confirming his awareness of the underappreciation, Fitzpatrick notes, “Everyone’s been making a big deal about us not having any big names and we are the no-names. In the outside world we’re nothing. Nobody believes in us. We feed off of that.”

Division III Coe College's Fred Jackson, another oft-overlooked player, has endured a roller-coaster ride to the spotlight.  Deservingly, without the likes of Marshawn Lynch around, the starting running back position is now securely held in Jackson's grasp. 

Some say, "With money comes power", but for the 4th leading rusher in the NFL after week 3, he righteously has been hinting "With power comes money".  His age is 30, which is widely considered the age that NFL running backs begin breaking down.  However, more than anything, Jackson shows signs of youth. Through week 3 "F-Jax" has compiled 303 yards (6.4 ypa) on the ground, and 115 yards receiving (14.4 ypc), looking stronger and more focused than ever.

Although one could argue that he is the most important part of this Bills team, Jackson will earn a salary of $1.75 million in 2011, tenth most on the team.  It is hard to recall if there were ever a more appropriate time for Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. to break the bank.

“We’re just a bunch of undrafted guys and seventh-round picks. We want to show we can play against anybody – the Patriots, whatever.” 

Ironically, it looks like the misfits might be just the right fit.  If Buffalo's General Manager Buddy Nix is smart (which will be another test of the new era Bills) they will continue to exercise contract negotiations to lock-down offensive standouts Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, and Stevie Johnson (2008 7th Round Pick - Kentucky).

It's been 11 years since the Bills have circled the wagons like this.  Perhaps the undefeated, number 1 scoring offense in the NFL can finally break that playoff draught this season. 

Defensive leader (and Super Bowl Champion) Nick Barnett explains, "It’s too early to talk about we're going to the Super Bowl or this and that. We still got some growth to do. But I think we're playing [well]. If the offense keeps putting up 30 points, there’s no way we should lose, ever." 

I think I can speak for all of the Buffalo faithful when saying, we "Bill-ieve" in miracles, you sexy thing.

Buffalo Bills Jersey Leaked in Madden 12 Promo Video

The last time the Buffalo Bills released a new jersey design came in 2002, and to say the least, it was a disappointment.  9 years later with very little of the same management remaining, but the same losing ways, the Bills announced another uniform change that will be an attempt to re-invigorate the fans and the team.

The jerseys are still set to officially be revealed to the public in an undated upcoming fan-appreciation event.  The time has come sooner than we thought. 

According to ESPN's Tim Graham:

"The helmets will be white with the blue charging buffalo and gray facemasks. Jerseys will have broad stripes on the shoulders instead of the sleeve bottom. Pants will be blue or white, the opposite of the jersey. Blue pants will have red-between-white piping. White pants will have red-between-blue piping.

Socks will have blue-and-white striped tops, and players will have the option to wear blue or white shoes as opposed to black. Belts are believed to be gray."

Only days before the Player to be placed on the cover of Madden 12 was released, EA Sports makes a big mistake.  Below are the home and away jerseys for the new-look Buffalo Bills that were shown in a trailer for next year's game, which has since been removed from EA's website, and Youtube.  The fact that they were removed within hours, providing some proof that the jerseys are legitimate.  Luckily, the action shots of the video were captured by a writer for BuffaloRising.com.

With the pressure of the Bills drafting 3rd overall tomorrow, and after all the busts the past few years (Aaron Maybin, John McCargo, Mike Williams, JP Losman), I'm thoroughly impressed and relieved by the clean, classic uniforms.

What are your thoughts?



Say Goodbye to the Beard

Hamburg, NY - Until early afternoon today, it was just another day that Bills fans could celebrate the false hope of what the third overall pick in 2011's NFL draft would bring them.  Quarterback of the Buffalo Bills Ryan Fitzpatrick, formerly known as the "Amish Rifle", did his part to make the typical Bills fan's day just a bit more disappointing.  As the season progressed, the beard was honestly one of the only things I had to look forward to seeing when I watched a Bills game, and now it's gone.  "I'm fighting the tears right now," said Fitzpatrick sarcastically.  Fitzpatrick was forced to keep them beard the entire season by teammates after he initially only grew it out because he was lazy.  He came out nearly unrecognizable bearing a name tag saying "Hello, My Name is Ryan Fitzpatrick."  Come on Bro, you're better than that.  Now you just look like a 12-year-old boy.

Tommy Coughlin Will Return

According to Bob Glauber of Newsday, John Mara, Co-Owner of the New York Giants has spoken; "There was never any doubt."  Mara was of course referring to the status of Head coach Tom Coughlin, and if he would return next season.

"I believe in stability. You can’t build anything if you’re constantly making changes and firing people", said Mara.  This is one thing that many professional sports lack when they hit a rough patch, desperately looking for a way to recover and grasp onto their .

I'll use my disappointing Buffalo Bills as a prime example of this because it is so easy to.  Year after year the Western New York area has been filled with false hope for the past decade.  The Bills have mowed through 5 different head coaches in the past 10 years, not including this year's head coach, Chan Gailey.  In these past 10 years the Bills overall record was 66-94.  During none of these years were the Bills blessed with a guaranteed starting quarterback for any season.  It almost felt as though every year the Bills were on the edge of something by playing hard, but would fall apart due to injuries, coaching mistakes, and simply not having enough talent.  The truth is that the instability in within the desperate Bills organization has held them back.

This year the New York Giants went 10-6, and were squeezed out of the playoff picture.  Tom Coughlin's overall record as Head Coach of the Giants is 65-47 which equals a  .580 win percentage.  The last coach of the G-Men to compile a better record in his tenure was Bill Parcells who was 77-49, which is equivalent to a .611 win percentage.

The point is that this year was not an unsuccessful year.  Yes, New York's Football Giants failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, the pressure will be on Tom to prevail next year.  However, the majority of "experts" predicted that the Giants would finish 2nd or worse in the division, many besides ESPN's analysts thought it would be another 8-8 season.  The truth is, when you have a centerpiece as important to your organization as Coughlin has been, whether its his record or the 2007 Super Bowl win, you do not simply let that stability and reliability fly out the door.

I understand that New York City is a place full of desire and emotions, but its time to look closely at your situation and be thankful for what you have in your football team.  2011 looks promising for the New York Football Giants.