This week we have Brian Galliford from the blog Buffalo Rumblings. I would normally tell you to go over to his blog and talk crap, but it is the lowly Bills and those fans have suffered enough.
1- Ralph Wilson seems to be thought of in high regard for his loyalty to Buffalo. He is also the guy that ran Bill Polian and John Butler out of town. How do intelligent fans view Wilson and his role in the organization?
That’s kind of a trick question, because “intelligent fans” can have a lot of different viewpoints on Mr. Wilson, the way he runs the organization, and his legacy. In general, you’ll get a mixed bag. Without Mr. Wilson’s efforts and loyalty, Buffalo Bills football wouldn’t exist in the first place. But we’re also going on 11 seasons without a playoff appearance – and this isn’t the first lengthy stretch of mediocrity this fan base has had to endure. Mr. Wilson deserves, and accepts, a lot of the blame there, as well. Frustration exists at the lack of a long-term plan regarding the sale of the team to an entity that would keep the Bills in Buffalo upon his death.
2- Along with covering the Ravens, we also cover the Orioles; so we can relate to frustrating season after frustrating season. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Not that I can see. The team is still frustratingly inconsistent with the way it makes personnel decisions, and while fans want to believe that GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey can turn the team around, they’ve clearly got a ton of work in front of them. It may never get done. The Bills’ biggest question marks from a personnel standpoint are at the game’s most critical positions, as well – quarterback, offensive line, and the pass rush. That’s a lot to fix, and I don’t see any reason to have faith it’ll ever get fixed correctly.
3- How will the Bills attack the Ravens Defense?
They’ve absolutely got to get Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller more involved within the running game. Gailey tends to lean heavily on the pass, and not just because the Bills are perpetually playing from behind. Ryan Fitzpatrick is performing rather admirably as the new starting quarterback, but at some point, a good defensive team will exploit his physical limitations and really make him look terrible. Buffalo has got to find balance, be able to avoid third and long, and eat up as much clock as they possibly can.
4- How should the Ravens attack the Buffalo defense?
There really isn’t a strategy that doesn’t work. You can pass to set up the run, or you can run to set up the pass. Buffalo really struggles with physical offensive teams, and that’s exactly what Baltimore is. Expect lots of big gains on the ground, and a highly efficient outing from Joe Flacco. You don’t need to worry about the strategy; your offense will be outstanding in this game.
5- Despite the loss of Bobby April, the Bills seem to have shown success on Special Teams. Do they have enough there to pull an upset?
Quite frankly, no. Their special teams units aren’t as good as they were under April, and it was a very rare circumstance, indeed, that a Bills team with April’s impeccable special teams units could upset a team better than them. Buffalo is susceptible to giving up long gains on kick returns, but they are pretty solid everywhere else. Aside from kick returner Spiller, who is already one of the best in the business in that capacity, there is no game-changing ability.
EC- If my memory serves me correctly, Darryl Talley used to wear a Spiderman outfit of some sort under his uniform. If there was only player on this team that could be a superhero, who would it be and what superhero best represents him?
C.J. Spiller, and clearly, he’s best compared to the Flash.
