A Game of Inches | Cheese's Buffalo Bills Franchise

[cheese2121]

Bills Waive Two to Cut Roster from 55 to 53 Players


DT Quinn Pitcock and TE Darcy Johnson were the first cut during the first round of cuts for the Bills.

AP Buffalo - The Bills announced the release of DT Quinn Pitcock (58) and TE Darcy Johnson (68) as the team gets down to the mandatory 53 players before their preseason finale. Neither player recorded any stats during the team's first three preseason games.

[cheese2121]

Comeback Hopes Fall Just Short as Bills Lose 48-42 in Preseason Finale


Bills rookie WR Deonte Thompson returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

(2-2) - 42
(1-3) - 48


Notes:
-Bills backup DT Kyle Williams suffered a partial groin tear and is expected to miss the season opener.

*Sorry guys I didn't keep complete stats from the game and now I can't go back to view them as I am in the regular season. It was pretty much a meaningless game for the Bills as I pulled almost all the starters after the first series.

**Full Scale Reporting and write-ups will begin with the start of the regular season.

[cheese2121]

Roster Moves and Position Battles


Rookie WR Deonte Thompson won a starting wide receiver spot as well as the return job.

Bills | Release Four to Move to 48 Man Active Roster
The Buffalo Bills have released QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (66), OLB James Anderson (60), CB Ashton Youboty (60), and MLB Abdul Hodge (64).

Bills | Edwards Named Backup
The Bills have named QB Trent Edwards (81) as the backup quarterback. Second year QB Hunter Cantwell (57) will serve as the emergency quarterback after a rough preseason.

Bills | Jackson Falls to Fourth String on Depth Chart
Bills HB Devin Moore (61) has won the third string spot on the Bills depth chart after a phenomenal preseason. Moore impressed the Buffalo coaching staff with blazing speed and big play potential. HB Fred Jackson (75) falls to fourth on the depth chart. Jackson has yet to look the same after suffering a broken collarbone that kept him out most of last season.

Bills | Wide Receiver Battle Ends with Thompson in the Slot
The Bills have sorted out their starting wide receivers after a hard fought competition all preseason. WR Miles Austin (70) will be the number two receiver and rookie WR Deonte Thompson (70) will start in the slot position. Thompson will also handle the punt and kick return duties.

**The front page depth chart/roster has been updated as of the start of 2010-2011 regular season.

[cheese2121]

Buffalo Bills 2010-2011 Regular Season Schedule Released

Sun, Sep 12, 1:00PM @
Sun, Sep 19, 1:00PM @
Sun, Sep 26, 4:15PM @
Sun, Oct 03, 4:00PM @
Sun, Oct 10, 1:00PM vs.

BYE WEEK

Sun, Oct 24, 1:00PM vs.
Sun, Oct 31, 4:15PM @
Sun, Nov 07, 1:00PM vs.
Sun, Nov 14, 4:00PM vs.
Sun, Nov 21, 8:30PM vs.
Sun, Nov 28, 8:30PM @
Sun, Dec 05, 1:00PM vs.
Sun, Dec 12, 4:00PM @
Mon, Dec 20, 9:00PM @
Sat, Dec 25, 4:00PM vs.
Sun, Jan 02, 4:15PM vs.

[cheese2121]

(0-0) vs. (0-0)

Bills rookie QB Sam Bradford will make his NFL debut this Sunday.

Bills Open Season at Lambeau Field

Injury Report (Players Not Playing)

Buffalo Bills
-DT Kyle Williams (75) - Partial Groin Tear

Green Bay Packers
-RT Allen Barbre (72) - Torn Rotator Cuff
-RT Jamon Meredith (78) - Broken Wrist


3 Key Matchups to Watch

1)QB Sam Bradford vs. Packers Secondary: Edge: Packers

2)WR Lee Evans vs. CB Al Harris: Edge: Even

3)Bills Secondary vs. QB Aaron Rodgers: Edge: Rodgers

Prediction:
The Buffalo Bills kick off the 2010-2011 season against the Packers. The Packers had an absolutely miserable season last year, finishing near the bottom of the league. However, led by veteran QB Aaron Rodgers, this team looks poised to recapture the NFC North crown. On offense, they added explosive TE Jermaine Gresham out of Oklahoma. Look for him to factor in heavily and create mismatches all day long. The storyline for the Bills this offseason was the addition of rookie QB Sam Bradford, who looks to provide stability at the quarterback position for years to come. I think Bradford will have a great career but today he is starting it against two of the best corners in pro footballl in Al Harris and Charles Woodson. I'll take the veteran team to win here. Packers win 31-24.

[Tearz49ers]

I like to move to put the rookie in the slot. He has good size so it will create miss matches.

[cheese2121]

Bills Knock Off Packers 31-20 Led by Sam Bradford

Bills rookie QB Sam Bradford finds WR Miles Austin for his first NFL touchdown.

(1-0)- 31
(0-1)- 20

AP Buffalo – The Buffalo Bills got a strong start to the season knocking off the Green Bay Packers by the score of 31-20. The storyline of the game was the amazing performance of Bills rookie QB Sam Bradford who in his first NFL start threw for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns on his way to player of the game honors. Bradford got his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter when he found newly acquired Bills WR Miles Austin all alone in the flats, who then took it 69 yards for the score.

“He sure didn’t play like any rookie I have ever seen.” – Packers CB Charles Woodson

The Bills running game suffered a blow early on when HB Marshawn Lynch suffered a dislocated elbow and had to miss the rest of the game. He is not expected to miss any additional time as the training staff has cleared him for practice starting Wednesday. Bills HB Dominic Rhodes did a good job filling in for the injured Lynch.

The Packers offense struggled all game and couldn’t find the endzone til midway through the third quarter when they got a short field set up by a Bills fumble. The only source of offense for the Packers came from HB Ryan Grant who had a rushing and a receiving touchdown. The Bills will head on the road next week to take on their division rival the New England Patriots (1-0). The Packers will stay at home to face the Washington Redskins (0-1).




Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
-M. Crosby 28 yd FG 7:53
-D. Rhodes 2 yd run (R. Lindell kick) 0:29
2nd Quarter
-M. Crosby 53 yd FG 8:08
-M. Austin 69 yd pass from S. Bradford (R. Lindell kick) 7:16
-J. Hardy 12 yd pass from S. Bradford (R. Lindell kick) 2:16
-R. Lindell 45 yd FG 0:15
3rd Quarter
-R. Grant 1 yd run (M. Crosby kick) 8:06
-M. Clapp 1 yd pass from S. Bradford (R. Lindell kick) 1:01
-R. Grant 71 yd pass from A. Rodgers (M. Crosby kick) 0:43
4th Quarter
-(no scoring)



Individual Player Statistics
Next Game:
-(1-0) @ -(1-0)

[Tearz49ers]

He just keeps on doing well. Bradford for ROTY . Great win to start of the season keep this up and I see good things for you this year.

[cheese2121]

Big opener vs. Green Bay in Lambeau. Bradford may struggle a bit vs. the Packers secondary, but I think you should be able to run on them handily. Good luck!

Thanks man! We had a pretty solid game against the Packers. Bradford really performed. Lynch got injured early but hopefully he can bounce back next week.

I like to move to put the rookie in the slot. He has good size so it will create miss matches.

Yeah I am hoping he can have some big plays especially with his speed.

He just keeps on doing well. Bradford for ROTY . Great win to start of the season keep this up and I see good things for you this year.

Bradford has just been great so far. The touchdown pass to Hardy was on the run and he still managed to hit it perfectly. Definitely a big win for us to start the season off right. Next game is just as big. I would love to get a jump on the Pats early on in the division standings. Thanks for checking in man

[cheese2121]

Around the NFL Week One

Notable Injuries
-49ers - MLB Patrick Willis - Severe Concussion - Out for Season
-Lions - QB Matthew Stafford - Fractured Toe - 9 Weeks
-Ravens - MLB Ray Lewis - Broken Collarbone - 7 Weeks
-Eagles - QB Donovan McNabb - Broken Hand - 7 Weeks
-Chiefs - HB Larry Johnson - Broken Collarbone - 6 Weeks
-Browns - HB Pierre Thomas - Broken Forearm - 6 Weeks


Notable Player Transactions
-Bills move DT Kyle Williams to active roster and release DT Spencer Johnson.
-Chargers sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, HB Julius Jones, and ROLB Cato June to one year deals.
- Cowboys sign QB Sage Rosenfels to a one year deal.
-Steelers sign FS Dwight Smith to a one year deal.


Offensive Player of the Week
Carson Palmer (Bengals) - 29 of 39 for 375 yards, 4 TD's

Defensive Player of the Week
Tyrell Johnson (Vikings) 5 tackle2, 2 INT's, 1 TD

Game of the Week
The Detroit Lions downed the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys by the score of 24-14. Lions QB Daunte Culpepper, who is starting in place of the injured Matthew Stafford, threw for 247 yards and three scores in the win. On the other side of the ball, Cowboys QB Tony Romo struggled throwing for 50% and three interceptions.

[cheese2121]

(1-0) vs. (1-0)

Patriots QB Luke McCown will start in place of the injured Tom Brady

Bills Travel to Foxboro to Take on Brady-less Patriots

Injury Report (Players Not Playing)

Buffalo Bills
-(none)

New England Patriots
-FS James Sanders (83) - Broken Wrist
-QB Tom Brady (97) - Torn Hamstring


3 Key Matchups to Watch

1)QB Sam Bradford vs. QB Luke McCown: Edge: Bradford

2)WR Randy Moss vs. CB Terrence McGee: Edge: Moss

3)HB Marshawn Lynch vs. Patriots Front Seven: Edge: Even

Prediction:
You have to like the Bills chances in this one with Tom Brady not in the starting lineup. Recently signed six year veteran QB Luke McCown will get the start for the Patriots. No matter who is under center this offense has the chance to be explosive with WR's Randy Moss and Wes Welker, who are two of the best in the business. Bills rookie QB Sam Bradford is coming off a near perfect NFL debut against the Packers. Look for him to have a rougher time in this one though as the Patriots are known for bringing multiple blitz packages. This one is going to come down to who can make the fewer mistakes. With pro bowler Marshawn Lynch and a steady ground game, I like Buffalo for the upset. Bills pull this one out 31-28.

[cheese2121]

For what it's worth you ran only 112 plays in game 1....it may have been an aberration since the two teams combined for 50 runs which could shorten the game....120 in the NFL average per game (funny, it has been for decades now)...just wanted to point it out in case you were monitoring that...chise looks good...

BTW....how is the cap situation with only 48 guys on the roster..are teams swimming in cap space? Is there a practice or taxi squad that counts against the cap???? That's been one of my issues on old gen...I carry 55 players and 4 QB's on every team just to create cap reality issues.

I'm hoping that was just a fluke with the plays being a little low. In my first season I averaged near the 120 mark with some going under some going over depending on the offensive styles. I know I milked the clock some late and ran late so that might have factored in as well. I've been running more lately to try to keep the pressure off Bradford. I'm trying really hard to keep the stats and everything realistic. So far I feel like it has been going pretty well.

The preseason games tend to be a little high scoring but that is mainly due to the CPU not knowing how to manage their roster. So sometimes players such as Chris Johnson will get subbed back in during the second half or Larry Fitzgerald will come in to play slot receiver and end up getting matched up against my fourth string corner. Needless to say my second/third string defense gets barbecued when this happens.

The 48 man roster has been working out really well for me. I don't hold the other 31 teams to it though and they all carry the full 55 man roster. From what I can tell the salary cap has been effecting them fairly as just last offseason the Redskins had to cut some high paid backups to make room to sign all their draft picks. I think that is pretty realistic to real life. My cap situation has been very realistic for the most part (I can post my actual cap space/penalties tonight if you like). Because I am constantly cutting/releasing players to fill the ever changing bottom of the roster as people are injured and placed on my "inactive list" (which doesnt count towards the 48) or come back from injury, I end up incurring a fair amount of cap penalties which seem to negate any extra unfair cap space that I would've had by carrying only 48 players.

Thank you big time for checking in on this man and providing me great feedback. It'd be awesome if you could keep checking in and tell me how I am doing in terms of realism and everything making sense. You seem to be pretty much the go to guy in terms of realistic stats and gameplay so if it's not too much trouble please keep checking in and let me know what you think. Thanks again man I really appreciate it.

[cheese2121]

hows bradford ratings like throw power and accuracy...for some reason in my franchise whenever i load up the same class he always has low 70 accuracy

Hey man I'll post the exact numbers for you tonight. Off the top of my head though his throw power is low to mid 90's while his throw accuracy varies from mid 70's to low 80's (depending on whether its short, mid, deep passes), I think. Like I said I'll get the exact numbers up soon. Some QB's just dont transfer well, like I know i have never seen Colt McCoy be real good in any of my franchises.

[cheese2121]

hows bradford ratings like throw power and accuracy...for some reason in my franchise whenever i load up the same class he always has low 70 accuracy

Bradford's ratings: 73 speed, 92 throw power, 70 throw accuracy, 82 short accuracy, 72 medium accuracy, 71 deep accuracy

[cheese2121]

Bills Let Game Slip Through their Hands, Falling to the Patriots 24-20

Bills TE Shawn Nelson hauls in a first quarter touchdown.

(1-1)- 20
(2-0)- 24

AP Foxboro – The Buffalo Bills lost a heartbreaker to the New England Patriots by the score of 24-20. The Bills had a chance to win on the final play of the game from the Patriots 12 yard line, but as had been the storyline all game, had the ball dropped in the endzone. The Bills wide receiving corp showed their youth and inexperience today as they had ten dropped passes. Two of these dropped passes turned into interceptions. Even veteran Bills WR Lee Evans had two drops late in the game.

“You can’t expect to win games when you drop the ball ten times. It’s that simple. If you want to play with the best like the Patriots you have to play your best football and we just flat out didn’t do that.” – Bills Head Coach Russ Grimm

The Bills had to rely heavily on rookie QB Sam Bradford after pro bowl HB Marshawn Lynch was knocked out of the game for the second week in a row. Bradford played well despite the three turnovers. On the other side of the ball, Patriots QB Luke McCown played a near perfect game throwing for three touchdowns. All three scores came on screen passes including two screen passes to HB Fred Taylor who took both all the way. The Bills put up a fierce pass rush as LE Aaron Maybin had a phenomenal day recording six sacks and a forced fumble. His six sack performance ranks second all time in the history of the NFL for number of sacks recorded in a single game. The Patriots will stay at home to take on the Denver Broncos (1-1). The Bills will travel to Chicago to take on the undefeated Bears (2-0).



Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
-S. Gostkowski 26 yd FG 7:43
-S. Nelson 11 yd pass from S. Bradford (R. Lindell kick) 1:32
-F. Taylor 76 yd pass from L. McCown (S. Gostkowski kick) 0:45
2nd Quarter
-D. Moore 31 yd pass from S. Bradford (R. Lindell kick) 9:12
-W. Welker 42 yd pass from L. McCown (S. Gostkowski kick) 2:53
-R. Lindell 45 yd FG 0:21
3rd Quarter
-R. Lindell 31 yd FG 10:50
4th Quarter
-F. Taylor 25 yd pass from L. McCown (S. Gostkowski kick) 10:24



Individual Player Statistics
Next Game:
-(1-1) @ -(2-0)