This week as the Ravens trudge up to Buffalo for their game Sunday prior to a week of rest, I traded questions with the Bills blogger, Brian (www.buffalorumblings.com), to see his opinions from the "other" side. Here are my questions and his responses.
Question: What do you think will be the Bills fans' (and your's if different) reaction to Willis McGahee's return to Buffalo?
Answer: To be honest, I've been looking forward to the Return of Willis far more than the appearances of guys like TO, Chad Johnson and Eli Manning. Bills fans loved Willis his first year or two here, but the relationship soured after his infamous Toronto comments. When Willis was traded to Baltimore, several YouTube videos sprung up of McGahee Bills jersey burning parties. Expect things to be hostile. Personally, I'll be attending this game - for the record, Sunday is Willis' 26th birthday and my 22nd - but my reactions will be slightly different. I've looked forward to seeing McGahee play for two reasons: he's going to create a lot of buzz in the stadium, and he's going to present a fun challenge for our young, improving defense. But there won't be much booing from this Bills fan.
Question: Who do the Bills' fans (and you) think is the better QB for Buffalo - Losman or Edwards? (My opinion is the same thing the Rams thought when playing us- why get your #1 starter hurt again coming back against the Raven's defense. Edwards will start this week and Losman comes back next week).
Answer: My opinion since the end of the Dallas game has been to start J.P. Losman. Obviously, you've all heard that Trent Edwards will be starting against Baltimore. Personally, I really like both quarterbacks - Losman is a fiery leader and a big-play threat; Edwards is a heady technician with a poise that's difficult for a fellow rookie to parallel. Each has their strengths, and each has their weaknesses. I'm behind Losman, because I think he deserves this season to sink or swim as far as "QB of the Future" goes, but it's essentially split 50/50 on which QB Bills fans as a whole prefer. Mmm... quarterback controversies suck.
Question: No team in the NFL has been able to run against the Ravens defense, which is giving up 67 yards/game. Thus, how does Buffalo plan to score enough to pull out this game?
Answer: Well, "score enough" against the Ravens is a bit different than "score enough" against the Cowboys - and the Bills almost did just that, despite the offense's ineptitude that evening. Make no mistake - Buffalo will try to run the ball against Baltimore's strong run defense, if only to keep them honest and develop the play-action. I fully expect the Bills to attack a Ravens secondary that has had its share of problems this year - that, in my opinion, is the lesser of two evils when you're playing the Ravens. It's going to be a challenge, to be sure, but it could also be fun to watch.
One easy way to score points: force turnovers from a Ravens offense that turns the ball over in bunches. Buffalo has forced 8 turnovers in 3 games at home this season, including 5 in their popular Monday Night Meltdown. Strong special teams play could also create short enough fields for the offense to "score enough" and upset the 4-2 Ravens.
See Brian's Buffalo Bills blog and my answers to his questions at: www.buffalorumblings.com