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Bills Lose In Oakland Again 38-17
Embarrassing Effort: The defense took it on the chin in the black hole. Their embarrassing effort led directly to the blowout loss in Oakland. All three defensive units got a failing grade in this one. Gameday Grades.
OL Banged Up In Loss: The Bills had a few players banged up against the Raiders as the offensive line was hit particularly hard. As we reported earlier, Roscoe Parrish did dress for the first time all year and saw spot duty. Mike Williams hurt his leg in the second quarter but came back in the game when his replacement Greg Jerman injured his ankle. Chris Villarrial was banged up as he was on the sideline with ice on his neck. He did not return and was replaced by Duke Preston. Terrence McGee hurt his lower right leg, on a pileup late in the first half but he did return in the 2nd half but struggled in pass coverage after being hurt and then came out of the game once again. Injury Page.
Bills Lose In The Black Hole: The Oakland mystique and a porous effort by the Bills defense were a combination for another loss in Oakland. Lamont Jordan scored three touchdowns as the Raiders fought back after the Bills scored a touchdown on the opening possession. They ran away with the game in the second half as the Bills could do nothing to stop the Raiders offense in the loss. Game Review.
Parrish, Moss To Dress: Roscoe Parrish will dress for his first NFL game today. The bad news is that Randy Moss will also dress for the game as the Raiders have activated him. Surprisingly, the Bills didn't inactive any wide receivers this week. They are dressing all seven of them including George Wilson. Inactive for the Bills are Liam Ezekiel, Ryan Neufeld, Jason Jefferson, Jim Leonhard, Justin Geisinger, and Lionel Gates. Shane Matthews is the emergency third string QB.
Weather Beautiful For Game: It will be a nice Northern California day today when the Bills face the Raiders. It will be partly cloudy with only a 10% chance of rain. Gametime temperature will be 62°. The temperature will rise into the mid 60s during the game with the winds out of the West and then the Northwest from 8-10 mph.
Saturday October 22, 2005
McGahee Talks Smack: Each week a team must supply a player to the opposing team's media on Wednesday to talk to them during a conference call. For the first time this year the Bills supplied Willis McGahee. It could be the last time, as he gave the Raiders defense some bulletin board material with his comments. He brushed off the great game LaDanian Tomlinson had against them last week, saying that he's the best back in the NFL and they have to watch out for him. He just put a lot of pressure on himself to have a big game but it is obvious that his confidence is at an all-time high. It makes for an interesting subplot tomorrow.
Losman A Spark? In his weekly spot on Sirius NFL radio, Coach Mularkey spoke about the possible uses of J.P. Losman. He said he didn't think about it at the time, but there was a time in the second half of the Miami game that he should have brought him in. He said Losman may come in a game as a spark, much like Kelly Holcomb did for Losman. So maybe look for Losman the first sign of trouble on Sunday, it will be interesting to see.
Friday October 21, 2005
McGee Talks Intensify: ESPN.com is reporting that the on again, off again negotiations on a long term deal for Terrence McGee are heating up. The talks intensified this week as the report says the team proposed a four year extension that would include a $4.5 Million signing bonus and a total of $16.75 Million in "new money." That was enough to get the attention of McGee and his agent. A counter proposal and possible face to face negotiations are next on the plate next week but the chances of a new deal are good. McGee would be a restricted free agent after this season but the Bills would be able to match any deal he gets or give him a high qualifying offer. A new deal would give him significantly more money, and sooner. McGee has developed into the most electrifying player on the team.
Parrish Cleared: Doctors have cleared Roscoe Parrish to play. Coach Mularkey said he will wait until Sunday before making a decision on whether his top draft pick will play or not. If he does play, he will wear a soft pad on his wrist to prevent it from bending back. He did say earlier in the week that he is ready to go. He is the lone player on the Bills injury report.
Bills Preparing For Moss: The best offensive weapon for the Raiders is Randy Moss. He is listed as doubtful on the injury report with a rib and groin injury. He missed the last three quarters of their loss to the Chargers last week after landing awkwardly on a play. The Bills aren't buying it however, saying they are preparing for Moss. They believe he will play, he has done that in the past. He will likely be a game time decision but was very sore on Wednesday and has not practiced this week for the Raiders.
Thursday October 20, 2005
Spikes Gets Cast Off: Takeo Spikes got the cast off his leg just three weeks after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Dr. Andrews, who performed the surgery, reported no swelling around the tendon. Spikes will be able to get on his feet soon. He promises he will come back better than ever next year. He said he will be ready if the team makes it to the Super Bowl. Since he's been placed on injured reserve he wouldn't be eligible to play anyway. In other long term injury news, this is the first week team's can make moves on players who are on the physically unable to perform list. The Bills will not make any decisions this week on Kevin Thomas or Kevin Everett. Injury Report
Intensity Needs To Remain High: Kelly Holcomb was also asked about the possibility of using Terrence McGee on offense. He said that is a coach's call but he certainly brings a lot to the game. He is someone people come see to play. Winning changes everything and that has helped the attitude according to the quarterback. The team needs to come out with the same intensity they have had the past two weeks to get ready for Oakland. It feels good to be playing but it feels great to be winning which is the bottom line. Scoring early, like the touchdowns they have scored on the opening possession the last three weeks, is huge to get them on the right track. Holcomb can't wait to get Roscoe Parrish back. He said he knows how to get open and he knows how to play the game. He knows the fans in the black hole will be ready for the game and he knows the Raiders will give them their best since they've had a bad start to the season and will be desperate for a win. It will be tough winning on the road. Teams aren't giving them the stuff downfield so he is taking what the defenses give them.
Wednesday October 19, 2005
McGee On Offense? The coach admits that they have discussed using Terrence McGee, among other guys, on offense since he's very potent with the ball. He did caution that a great returner doesn't automatically make a great offensive player. He said nothing is in writing at this time but it has been talked about.
Cheeseburgers Again: Coach Mularkey told the media today that the team will go back to an old ploy from last year that worked... Cheeseburgers. To break a long road losing streak he gave the team cheeseburgers during the road trip to Seattle last year. It worked as the team won. He will also bring back the team stroll so the players can get the blood flowing. This worked on the west coast trips last year, so he is bringing it back this year. He will feed them the "powerful food" once again as they go to a place that has a lot of mystique known as the black hole. He says there are great costumes in the stands and it is interesting to play there. The team lost in Oakland last year. They need to win on the road and they will take it one game at a time but they need to win consistently on the road. The team needs more consistency and they will get more improvement since the starting offensive line will play together for the second week in a row. The coach talked about the offense as not being a vertical offense. It is a ball control short passing game offense. They would like to get Lee Evans more involved in the deep passing game. They have tried to go deep a few times but have had to dump it off. He anticipated the Raiders trying to run since the Bills have struggled stopping the run, although the coach feels they have done it better lately.
Parrish Lone Player On Report: Roscoe Parrish is the only player listed on the injury report for the Bills. He is questionable again and practiced today, doing the same amount of work he did last week. He said he took a couple of hits today and will take more as the week progresses. Nothing he did on the field today would decide if he plays Sunday or not. Injury Report
Parrish Says He's Ready: Roscoe Parrish told the media today that is injury has been frustrating. He said he feels pretty good but is taking it one day at a time. The taping of the wrist and small cast protects it well and he doesn't feel it gives him a problem. He says he's ready to play and has been waiting for this moment since he was a kid.
Player Workouts: The Bills took a look at three players yesterday. Former Broncos RB Quentin Griffith and Triandos Luke worked out along with QB Craig Ochs. It is a usual practice during the season for the Bills to take a look at players on Tuesdays, the players' off day.
House Of Horrors: The Bills roll into Oakland on a two game winning streak and with a share of first place in the AFC East. The Raiders limp in with a 1-4 record and may be without their best player. Easy Win? Yeah right, not with this team, in this city, in this league. The Bills haven't won in Oakland since 1966 (they did beat them in Los Angeles once). This one will be a battle. Game Preview.
Tuesday October 18, 2005
Big Play Defense: The Bills have been able to mask the problems on run defense the past two weeks by getting a combination of a bunch of turnovers and sacks. To succeed on the road like they have at home they need to continue taking the ball away from their opponents and getting sacks and pressures with their complicated blitz schemes. That is something they did not do during their three game losing streak.
Monday October 17, 2005
Team Not Satisfied: Coach Mularkey addressed the media this afternoon. In talking about Willis McGahee, he said he got off to a fast start because he hit the holes fast and it looked like he was running downhill. It helped that the line was opening up holes for him. He feels McGahee still has learning to do since he has yet to have a full season as a starter. The team isn't satisfied at being .500 and tied for first. He gives them credit for coming back and winning two straight after the three game losing streak. The team hasn't let its guard down once and they are gaining confidence but not content. The coach isn't comparing this year to last year that much despite the similarities of a slow start. When Roscoe Parrish is ready to return it will help the third down offense and give the defenses something to think about. They had higher hopes for a return this week then they should have. Since he hadn't been tested getting hit they decided yesterday to wait another week so they can test some things out with him. The team has not wavered in believing in what they are doing despite the losing streak earlier in the season. They know there is a lot of football left and that helped them get over the hump. It has been impressive how the team has stuck together. On the kick return team, teams continue to test them as they are trying to disrupt the blockers instead of Terrence McGee. He gave a lot of credit to the blockers who have done an excellent job sustaining and finishing blocks on kickoff returns. He thinks the run defense was effective most of the day yesterday except for the two long runs by Curtis Martin for 90 total yards. The cause of the big plays was not enough gap control as players were caught out of position. They will address the issue of giving up long runs in the meeting room and the practice fields this week and that will carry over. Until they stop the big plays, teams will continue to attack them. On Sam Adams, he said it's uncanny with his size and ability how he gets off the line so fast.
Players Given Day Off: As is usually the case after a win, Coach Mularkey gave the team the day off today. They go back to work on Wednesday to begin preparations for the 1-4 Raiders in Oakland. A place where the team hasn't won since 1966.
OL Plays Well: Kelly Holcomb talked to the media following the win over the Jets. He said he knows he has to get all the guys involved in the offense since they can make plays and he tried to do that. He said he's not happy with the interceptions but they responded with scoring drives. He thought the offensive line did a nice job opening up holes for the running game and giving him time to complete passes. Holcomb knows they have to come back next week and work hard, yesterday was a good game and he's glad they got the win which was the bottom line. He knows penalties hurt them, especially holding the team to a field goal instead of a touchdown on one occasion. They have to rectify these problems. The play of Willis McGahee is huge, he hasn't had a back like him in a few years to give the ball to. It is refreshing to have someone he can just give the ball to and watch him run.
Spikes Visits: Takeo Spikes made his first visit back to the Ralph since undergoing surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon. He wrote a cart out to midfield to take part in the coin toss before the game. That gave the team a bit more inspiration to go out and beat the Jets. Coach Mularkey said previously it is important to get Spikes back around the team as quickly as possible since he's a leader on and off the field.
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