The saga continues at the quarterback position and the way the season has gone it might be best to keep the quarterback in the lineup that has a hot hand. Neither J.P. Losman nor Trent Edwards has blown the opposition out of the water with their statistics so it's hard to say right now who the long-term answer is at quarterback.
I would not want to be a head coach in this situation. Continuity at the quarterback position is ideal and leadership at that position should be coming from one person and not by shuffling quarterbacks. However, as long as the Bills are winning that's all that matters, at least for now.
The pressure is certainly on J.P. to perform each week. He continues to audition not only for the Buffalo coaches but for other NFL teams in case his time in Buffalo comes to an end. The National Football League is a business and you never know what is going to happen week-to-week or season-to-season, therefore as a player you must perform at your best each week, especially at the QB position.
So much of the spotlight is on the player under center and the emergence of Marshawn Lynch and the running game has been important to take the pressure off whoever is at quarterback. As Bills fans and Western New Yorkers we understand the running game needs to be at its best in late November and December when the winds start howling in Ralph Wilson Stadium. I'm sure offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild has been pleased to see Marshawn has the ability to make big plays and get the offense in the end zone at critical times in a game.
I've also been impressed with the play of the defense. Back in September I said the Bills couldn't afford injuries but if they occurred it would be an opportunity for some young and inexperienced players to show the coaching staff they deserved a bigger role. But when Ryan Denney, Ko Simpson, Keith Ellison, Jason Webster and others got injured early in the season, most fans, myself included, were concerned with the amount of backups that would be forced into an expanded role so early in the season But the backups have stepped up and have become impact players on defense and it has been good to see.
Turnovers and defenses win championships. The defense must be able to give the team a greater opportunity to score on offense with good field position. For an offense to drive 80 or 90 yards to score is difficult. They must shorten the field for J.P. and the gang.
Good field position led to some success on offense last week against the Bengals and the Bills will need more of the same against the Dolphins.
This week's game is not your typical Sunday game. Miami's record entering the game is irrelevant because the situation is different week-to-week in the NFL. The Bills, having won five of the last six meetings with Miami, need to get back to dominating the Dolphins like the tradition the Buffalo teams I was a part of started many years ago.
Bills-Patriots Time Change
As you've heard by now, the Bills-Patriots game originally scheduled for 1:00 PM on Sunday, November 18, has been moved to 8:15 PM and will be shown on NBC.
No question the League looked at who the Patriots need to defeat in their quest of an undefeated season and the recent success of the Bills when making this decision.
I don't think this change would have been made if the Bills record was 2-6 or maybe even 3-5. Last weekend's victory over the Bengals was a big game in terms of gaining respect nationally. With all of the Bills injuries and a 1-4 start, Buffalo continues to press on.
I know Bills fans are excited about this match up on primetime in Buffalo but I stress that the game is still two weeks away. Let's take care of business against the Dolphins first.
