Roller-Coaster Bills Look Good Versus Colts

The Buffalo Bills continue to frustrate yet intrigue their fans after posting a solid and convincing 34-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Toronto on Thursday night.

After absolutely "stinking out the joint" in Washington a mere six days earlier, Buffalo Head Coach Chan Gailey was able to regroup the troops and actually they looked like a team that had a pulse and a flicker of hope. I give Gailey a lot of credit.

I was pleased with the work of the offensive line. It was the first time the front five started together and it actually opened some holes for rookie sensation C.J. Spiller. Quarterback Trent Edwards had enough time as well to connect with wide receive Lee Evans on a 70-yard touchdown pass. Overall, the pass protection was more than adequate. It's much needed.

I guess what pleased me about the offensive line is there were no false starts...usually a killer for the Bills...and no really killer penalties.

As for Spiller, he's the real deal. He showed some moves and speed long missing from the Buffalo offense. Put that dimension along with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, you may have one dynamic backfield. It could be a blessing that the Bills won't be able to showcase the "three-headed monster" offense. It will be a regular season mystery.

I liked Brian Brohm in his backup role at quarterback for Buffalo. He looked professional and had a clue on what he was doing. With some experience, he might have a future, but once again, it's just a pre-season game. Brohm might end up as the backup.

The Buffalo defense was a little suspect as well, especially in the secondary. Peyton Manning wasn't sharp but he was able to expose some weakness in the secondary. But who doesn't he do that too?

Buffalo did get a touchdown on an interception from Terrence McGee as he got a tipped ball off a Manning pass. Turnovers are a must for the Bills' defense again and McGee's touchdown turned the momentum around.

The Buffalo defensive line showed no one will be able to run up the middle on them, but the defense must tighten up on the outside. The Colts were able to exploit the Bills on the outside and the Buffalo coaches I am sure will work on that in the coming weeks. The 3-4 defense is still a work in progress. The pieces are there...they just need to be put in the right places.

I was actually very pleased with the overall performance of Buffalo against the Colts. If it was a regular season game, I am sure the results might have been different. Manning would have been sharper and there would have been a lot more game planning.

But what the heck, the Bills won. There's hope. After last week's debacle against the Redskins, how many people expected a 13-point win over the Colts? Sure not me.

Figures though, Buffalo knows how to tease its fans. After many people had lost hope after a brutal exhibition loss to the Redskins, I can see some jumping on the bandwagon again, but just barely holding on after last night's win. But they are climbing aboard for another week.

The win-loss record may not turn out to be great this season, but if the Bills play like they did last night, it could be a fun and exciting team to watch and see them build for the future.