By Dan Lutman
Buffalo Beat
The Buffalo Bills ended their season with a 19-7 loss on the road to the Baltimore Ravens and missed out on finishing the season at .500 by dropping to 7-9. The Bills did play the Super Bowl contending Ravens tough in their own back yard despite the loss.
That is a good sign for a Bills team that under Mike Mularkey had a tendency of rolling over and quitting. The Bills played hard under Dick Jauron all year long and there is something to be said for that.
Also, despite two interceptions, J.P. Losman seemed to establish himself as the quarterback of the future for the Bills. The bright spot for the Bills in their final game was a 44-yard touchdown pass and catch from J.P. Losman to Lee Evans. Evans and Losman seem to be the answer at quarterback and wide receiver for the Bills for many years to come.
Evans ended his first season as the Bills' No. 1 receiver with career highs of 82 receptions and 1292 yards. He also had eight touchdown catches.
The big questions this offseason will be if the Bills will be able to sign top cornerback Nate Clements, who will be seeking a big payday, and linebacker London Fletcher-Baker. Also, the Bills will need to focus on improving their offensive line via free agency or the NFL Draft in April. The Bills ended up with the 12th pick in the upcoming draft.
To go along with their improved 7-9 record, the Bills also ended up playing the toughest schedule in the NFL this year according to the records of each team. All this leaves reason for a lot of optimism in the 2007-2008 NFL season.
The Buffalo Sabres completed a four-game homestand with a 4-0 record.
They first got a little payback by exploding for six first period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, making up for a loss in which the Sabres may have played their worst game of the season earlier this year.
Then the Sabres went on to complete a season sweep of the defending Stanley Cup Champions with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Next, the Sabres went on to beat the Southeast Division-leading Atlanta Thrashers 4-1. The final game was a 3-1 win over former head coach Ted Nolan and the New York Islanders in the first game of 2007.
The Sabres head to Ottawa tonight to face a Senators team that the Sabres have had plenty of trouble with this year. The Sabres are 1-3 against Ottawa this year heading into tonight and are looking to prove that they are the better team.
Top Story
The BCS Championship game is approaching between Florida and Ohio State with the winner being crowned the College Football National Champion.
There is only one problem with this. If Ohio State wins, there will still be two undefeated teams in college football. If Florida wins, there will be only one undefeated team. No problem right? Wrong, that’s because the lone undefeated team will not be the National Champion.
A little unfair? Just a bit. That’s because Boise State, fresh off their exhilarating 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, has finished its season undefeated, yet has no chance at winning the National Championship. This topic has been beaten into the ground, but they need to shorten up the regular season schedule and incorporate a playoff system.
To go along with this, the layoff between the end of the regular season and the Bowl games needs to be a lot shorter. Ohio State will have been off more than seven weeks before they play in the BCS Championship Game. I don’t think people are looking to watch a game in which the players are rusty and out of sync. You can practice all you want and any way you want, but there is no way to replicate game speed and conditions in practice. Until a playoff system is put into play the BCS is nothing but a BC MESS!
Dan's Three Cents
Each week, I throw in my three opinions on anything going on in the sports world that I haven’t discussed or significant stories outside of sports.
1. The NFL Playoffs are finally here and the road to the Super Bowl should be a good one. The Super Bowl, once again, may not be the best game of the playoffs. That’s because it seems that the teams in the AFC (San Diego, Baltimore, Indianapolis, New England, New York Jets and Kansas City) once again seem to be head-and-shoulders better than the teams in the NFC (Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle, Dallas, and the New York Giants). Expect the Super Bowl Champion to come out of the AFC.
2. Along those same lines of the NFL Playoffs, it is time for some predictions. In Wild Card Weekend, I like the Patriots over the Jets, the Colts over the Chiefs, the Eagles over the Giants, and the Cowboys over the Colts. In the Divisional Weekend, I like the Chargers over the Patriots, the Colts over the Ravens, the Bears over the Cowboys, and the Eagles over the Saints. In the AFC Championship I like the Chargers over the Colts, and in the NFC Championship I like the Eagles over the Bears. Finally, in the Super Bowl, I like the Chargers over the Eagles. That virtually guarantees my predictions sure to go wrong.
3. To conclude my “Three Cents” (NFL version this week), I’d like to touch on the Darrent Williams shooting death this past Monday. Though his death was in no fault his own, professional athletes need to realize they have a target on their back and are under the public spotlight. They can’t be going out to strip clubs and dance clubs in areas where they are prone to getting into disputes and altercations. These players have plenty of money to be able to go into better areas that have bars and clubs that are a lot safer. They can even throw their own parties and invite whomever they want. Maybe athletes need to hire someone to make sure they keep away from the areas that could cause them problems. I understand there can be bad people in good areas, but I have to believe that altercations are happening in worse areas because shootings, fights, DWIs, and deaths are taking place way too often. Let’s think, athletes, before you become the next one shot or arrested.
With that said, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Darrent Williams and anyone else who has been injured or killed in this type of altercation.
Buffalo Beat
The Buffalo Bills ended their season with a 19-7 loss on the road to the Baltimore Ravens and missed out on finishing the season at .500 by dropping to 7-9. The Bills did play the Super Bowl contending Ravens tough in their own back yard despite the loss.
That is a good sign for a Bills team that under Mike Mularkey had a tendency of rolling over and quitting. The Bills played hard under Dick Jauron all year long and there is something to be said for that.
Also, despite two interceptions, J.P. Losman seemed to establish himself as the quarterback of the future for the Bills. The bright spot for the Bills in their final game was a 44-yard touchdown pass and catch from J.P. Losman to Lee Evans. Evans and Losman seem to be the answer at quarterback and wide receiver for the Bills for many years to come.
Evans ended his first season as the Bills' No. 1 receiver with career highs of 82 receptions and 1292 yards. He also had eight touchdown catches.
The big questions this offseason will be if the Bills will be able to sign top cornerback Nate Clements, who will be seeking a big payday, and linebacker London Fletcher-Baker. Also, the Bills will need to focus on improving their offensive line via free agency or the NFL Draft in April. The Bills ended up with the 12th pick in the upcoming draft.
To go along with their improved 7-9 record, the Bills also ended up playing the toughest schedule in the NFL this year according to the records of each team. All this leaves reason for a lot of optimism in the 2007-2008 NFL season.
The Buffalo Sabres completed a four-game homestand with a 4-0 record.
They first got a little payback by exploding for six first period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, making up for a loss in which the Sabres may have played their worst game of the season earlier this year.
Then the Sabres went on to complete a season sweep of the defending Stanley Cup Champions with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Next, the Sabres went on to beat the Southeast Division-leading Atlanta Thrashers 4-1. The final game was a 3-1 win over former head coach Ted Nolan and the New York Islanders in the first game of 2007.
The Sabres head to Ottawa tonight to face a Senators team that the Sabres have had plenty of trouble with this year. The Sabres are 1-3 against Ottawa this year heading into tonight and are looking to prove that they are the better team.
Top Story
The BCS Championship game is approaching between Florida and Ohio State with the winner being crowned the College Football National Champion.
There is only one problem with this. If Ohio State wins, there will still be two undefeated teams in college football. If Florida wins, there will be only one undefeated team. No problem right? Wrong, that’s because the lone undefeated team will not be the National Champion.
A little unfair? Just a bit. That’s because Boise State, fresh off their exhilarating 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, has finished its season undefeated, yet has no chance at winning the National Championship. This topic has been beaten into the ground, but they need to shorten up the regular season schedule and incorporate a playoff system.
To go along with this, the layoff between the end of the regular season and the Bowl games needs to be a lot shorter. Ohio State will have been off more than seven weeks before they play in the BCS Championship Game. I don’t think people are looking to watch a game in which the players are rusty and out of sync. You can practice all you want and any way you want, but there is no way to replicate game speed and conditions in practice. Until a playoff system is put into play the BCS is nothing but a BC MESS!
Dan's Three Cents
Each week, I throw in my three opinions on anything going on in the sports world that I haven’t discussed or significant stories outside of sports.
1. The NFL Playoffs are finally here and the road to the Super Bowl should be a good one. The Super Bowl, once again, may not be the best game of the playoffs. That’s because it seems that the teams in the AFC (San Diego, Baltimore, Indianapolis, New England, New York Jets and Kansas City) once again seem to be head-and-shoulders better than the teams in the NFC (Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle, Dallas, and the New York Giants). Expect the Super Bowl Champion to come out of the AFC.
2. Along those same lines of the NFL Playoffs, it is time for some predictions. In Wild Card Weekend, I like the Patriots over the Jets, the Colts over the Chiefs, the Eagles over the Giants, and the Cowboys over the Colts. In the Divisional Weekend, I like the Chargers over the Patriots, the Colts over the Ravens, the Bears over the Cowboys, and the Eagles over the Saints. In the AFC Championship I like the Chargers over the Colts, and in the NFC Championship I like the Eagles over the Bears. Finally, in the Super Bowl, I like the Chargers over the Eagles. That virtually guarantees my predictions sure to go wrong.
3. To conclude my “Three Cents” (NFL version this week), I’d like to touch on the Darrent Williams shooting death this past Monday. Though his death was in no fault his own, professional athletes need to realize they have a target on their back and are under the public spotlight. They can’t be going out to strip clubs and dance clubs in areas where they are prone to getting into disputes and altercations. These players have plenty of money to be able to go into better areas that have bars and clubs that are a lot safer. They can even throw their own parties and invite whomever they want. Maybe athletes need to hire someone to make sure they keep away from the areas that could cause them problems. I understand there can be bad people in good areas, but I have to believe that altercations are happening in worse areas because shootings, fights, DWIs, and deaths are taking place way too often. Let’s think, athletes, before you become the next one shot or arrested.
With that said, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Darrent Williams and anyone else who has been injured or killed in this type of altercation.
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