Buffalo Bills Living Down to Preseason Hype

Were you like any other Buffalo Bills fan after the first two weeks of the regular season?

The performance against the New England Patriots was a valiant effort that came up a fumbled kickoff short of an upset.

The second week provided more hope for the team as they dispatched of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers like they were supposed to.

The offense seemed to be in sync, even after firing their offensive coordinator 10 days before the start of the season. Trent Edwards was making good strides in the no-huddle offense with Alex Van Pelt calling the plays.

The Bills even hosted the New Orleans Saints, holding the Saints offense to 27 points. The performance of Fred Jackson also helps. Jackson provided about 70 percent of the Bills offense. He provides a good target in pass patterns and will grind in between the tackles.

The defense continued to fly to the ball and create turnovers. It used speed and quickness in zone coverage to make up for its lack of size. They played well against two quality offenses in New England and New Orleans.

Then this past Sunday, against the most hated rival for Bills fans and the team's owner, the Bills got completely and thoroughly dismantled at Land Shark Stadium by the Miami Dolphins.

The offense looked anemic against a Dolphins defense that was missing its best pass rusher. That didn't stop Cameron Wake from getting three sacks. It also doesn't help when Edwards throws three interceptions.

Ronnie Brown gouged the Bills rush defense for 115 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. It makes Bills fans miss Paul Posluszny so much, I've started a countdown until Poz returns calendar.

The Bills need to be better prepared for their next opponent, the Cleveland Browns, if there's any chance of salvaging the beginning part of the season in order to make a run at the wild card.

Head coach Dick Jauron has stated that he didn't prepare his team and staff enough entering the contest against Miami; many are calling for his firing. Don't fire a head coach in the middle of the season unless you want to pay a lot to an already established coach to come out of retirement quickly or you're handing over the duties to a trusted staff member.

The Bills have played well at times, and not having three of four starters in the secondary doesn't help. I put it to the coaching staff to prepare each player for Sunday's game as if he's starting the game.

If the Bills don't make the playoffs, then don't expect Jauron back, and it's another setback for a once proud franchise.