Toronto Bills Blog

Buffalo surprised Miami with a decisive 31 – 14 victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. There were several standout performances. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 17 of 26 for 246 yards, including a 31 yard rushing touchdown, the longest for a quarterback in franchise history. Rian Lindell booted a 56 yard field goal, the best in his career. Terrell Owens had 5 catches for 96 yards and 1 touchdown, including a spectacular 51 yard reception. Owens commented that he has wanted to be aggressive all year and that the firing of Dick Jauron was 2 weeks too late. The defense intercepted Chad Henne 3 times. The Bills now prepare to host the Jets Thursday at the Rogers Centre. The team is playing with intensity under interim coach Perry Fewell.

Perry Fewell will make his coaching debut at home when Buffalo hosts Miami. The Dolphins will rely on their running game against the Bills weak rush defense. Ricky Williams scored all 3 of Miami’s touchdowns on the ground in the win over Carolina. Quarterback Chad Henne has gone 5 – 2 since taking over for the injured Chad Pennington. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a better game last week, throwing for 297 yards and 1 touchdown. He connected more often with Terrell Owens, who caught 9 of 14 passes for 197 yards and 1 touchdown. The Bills have signed defensive lineman Corey Mace, who had been on the practice squad. The move is expected to shore up the defense which has been decimated by injuries. Weather will not be a factor for Miami in today’s game as mild conditions are forecast.

The 3 – 7 Bills take on the 5 – 5 Dolphins at home tomorrow. Miami is looking for a wild card berth, having won 5 of its last 7 games. The struggling Bills have dropped 3 straight. Rookie safety sensation Jairus Byrd is questionable. Buffalo will have to stop the Dolphins running game. Miami is averaging 156 rushing yards per game. The Bills run defense ranks 31st in the league, allowing an average of 166 yards. The faltering offense may be helped by Terrell Owens, who has 282 receiving yards and a touchdown over the past 2 weeks. We give the advantage to the Dolphins in this AFC East divisional contest.

The Bills have signed veteran guard Kendall Simmons. The move comes as Buffalo tries to bolster its badly depleted offensive line. Rookie guard Eric Wood was placed on injured reserve after breaking his leg in the Jaguars game. Veteran guard Seth McKinney is also out with a knee injury. Simmons was the Steelers first round draft pick in 2002. The former Auburn star played 80 games for Pittsburgh before being waived in September. He was picked up by New England which released him earlier this month. The Bills need his help to shore up one of the NFL’s weakest lines.

The Bills continue their coaching search. General Manager Russ Brandon conferred with Mike Shanahan in Denver earlier this week, in what Shanahan called an excellent meeting. Mike Martz, who led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory, is reportedly interested in the job. He was head coach when St. Louis drafted Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2005. Amid all the rumors, Buffalo is preparing to host Miami this Sunday. The 5 – 5 Dolphins are 2 games behind New England in the AFC East. Running back Ronnie Brown was injured in last week’s Carolina game. Ricky Williams ran 22 times for 119 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Chad Henne went 17 of 29 for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. After an 0 – 3 start, Miami has won 5 of its last 7 contests.

Mike Shanahan has emerged as a leading contender to be Bills head coach. He compiled an impressive 146 – 91 record in 14 seasons with the Broncos. He led Denver to 2 Super Bowl victories. Buffalo is reportedly willing to pay him more than the guaranteed $7 million a year that the Broncos owe him for the next 2 years. Former Seattle coach Mike Holmgren has declined the job, preferring a front-office position. Marty Schottenheimer, a former Bills linebacker and San Diego coach, said he is not interested in returning to coaching. Ralph Wilson at long last appears willing to open the vaults and pay what is necessary to make the Bills a championship team.

The Bills are looking for a high profile coach to replace Dick Jauron. There are published reports that Ralph Wilson is willing to pay up to $10 million per year for the right coach. Buffalo is rumored to have offered the job to Bill Cowher, who declined to commit until after the season is over. Mike Shanahan and Marty Schottenheimer are also thought to be leading prospects. Whoever signs on will inherit a banged up squad. Rookie offensive guard Eric Wood and offensive lineman Seth McKinney both suffered season-ending injuries in the loss to the Jaguars. Marshawn Lynch hurt his knee and is being evaluated. The Bills next game is against the Dolphins who are 3 point favorites.

The Jaguars defeated the Bills 18 – 15. Buffalo once again gave up a fourth quarter lead, when David Garrard threw a touchdown pass to Mike Sims-Walker with 56 seconds remaining. Ryan Fitzpatrick had his best performance of the year, completing 18 of 31 passes for 297 yards. Terrell Owens also had a stand-out game, with 9 receptions for 197 yards and a spectacular 98 yard touchdown catch, the longest in team history. The Bills held Maurice Jones-Drew to 66 yards. Injuries continued to plague Buffalo, as Eric Wood broke his leg and will probably be out for the season. While Perry Fewell’s debut as head coach did not lead to victory, the game finally provided Buffalo fans with entertaining football.

Jacksonville is a 9 point favorite over Buffalo in today’s matchup. The 3 – 6 Bills have struggled all year, averaging only 15.6 points and giving up 23.3 points per game. That the season is over for Buffalo is evident in this week’s firing of Dick Jauron and hiring of Perry Fewell as interim coach. Of the 71 interim coachs in professional football history, only 1 has led his team to the playoffs. The Bills are looking ahead to next year. The club has reportedly met with Jon Gruden and is courting Mike Shanahan. The benching of Trent Edwards suggests he will be gone as quarterback. Amid such upheaval, Buffalo has little chance of beating Jack Del Rio’s team.

Bills linebacker Keith Ellison has been placed on injured reserve. He is the twelfth Buffalo player to go on injured reserve this year. Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, injured in the Titans game, will not play against the Jaguars. Injuries have decimated the Bills defense. Buffalo is ranked last in the league with 173 rushing yards allowed per game. The depleted corps will have to defend against Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the premier running backs in the NFL. Marshawn Lynch, the Bills first round draft pick in 2007, is having an off year. He has gained only 254 yards in the 6 games he has started since returning from suspension. With the Bills running game struggling on both offense and defense, we give the advantage to Jacksonville at home.