The NFL confirmed yesterday that the tapes turned over by former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh did indeed have Buffalo Bills footage from the 2001 season. Several other teams were represented, including all AFC east teams. You don’t have to be a hardcore football fan to know that the Pats have dominated the AFC east the past 6-8 years.

I write this article not as a Bills fan, but as a football fan: I don’t want to sound bias (although I know to some, that will seem impossible). How can those tapes not be a giant advantage? I’ve heard people go both ways on this, and it always makes me scratch my head when I hear people say that the tapes would do very little to help you win football games.

How is it not going to have a positive effect on your team if you know what’s about to happen?

Taping teams that are in the same division gives you a HUGE advantage. You see that team twice a year. Even if they change their defensive signals from year to year, you have one game where you always know what’s coming. With that in mind, I did a little research. Since 2002, Buffalo is 1 – 11 against New England. The Bills lone win came on opening day of 2003. In those games, there is a large discrepancy in points when it comes to first vs. second games.

In first games since 2002, The Bills lost by an average of 13.8 points, with one possession finishes (loss by less than 8 points) in 2005, and 2006, and a win in 2003

In second games since 2002, The Bills lost by an average of 26.7 points. On top of that, in those games, Buffalo scored over ten points only once (2002) and was held without a touchdown twice (2006,2004)

It’s not just the Bills either. Since the Steelers tape was recorded, New England has a 5-1 record against Pittsburgh. Browns: 4-0, Chargers: 3-0.

You can’t argue against those numbers. There is obviously an advantage to having those tapes, and the proof is in the numbers. How bout his number:

Before the tapes Bill Belichick’s record as a head coach: 6 – 14

Since the tapes: 99 – 26

Something has to be done if in fact these tapes show that the Patriots were stealing the signals. It’s not just football records we’re talking about. There are hundreds of millions of dollars earned by the Patriots in licensing, merchandise, ticket sales, etc. that was earned on false pretenses. There are players who were knowingly cheating, and gaining notoriety in the process. There are millions of kids that must be explained to: even though New England won three Super Bowls, sent numerous players to the Pro – bowl, and are the face of the success in the NFL, they are wrong, and not something to look up to.

It ruins the NFL as the league in which anything can happen. It ruins the game for every fan that ever bought tickets to see a game in which the Patriots had that advantage. It tarnishes the Super Bowl, the single greatest sporting event in America. It taints the game that so many players that came before gave their hearts, minds, and body to, in the belief that the better team that day will walk off of the field a winner.

The league must be stern. The offense we’re talking about spans several seasons, and alters the history of the game of football. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but if we can’t even rely on a fair game, the NFL is no more of a sports league than the WWE. Rodger Goodell showed he could be tough on players that embarrassed the league outside of the field of play. Lets see if he can show the same strength going up against men who made millions while fooling us all, and the team that was once the portrait of franchise perfection in football.

- Pat Duffy

May 3^rd 1979 - ” With the first overall pick, the Buffalo Bills select linebacker Tom Cousineau out of Ohio State University”.

It was 31 years ago this week that Tom Cousineau was made the first pick overall by the Buffalo Bills in the NFL draft. Cousineau is in exclusive company, as he is one of only two players since 1977 who were drafted 1^st overall, and didn’t sign with an NFL team for the season (Bo Jackson is the other). Instead of playing for the Bills, Cousineau opted to play for the Montreal of the Canadian fooball league (the story goes they offered him double what Buffalo was willing to pay), where he played for three years.

Cousineau would never play a game for the Buffalo Bills. He returned to The NFL in 1982, and the short story is….the Bills traded him to Cleveland for a first round pick that became Jim Kelly (another guy that would spurn the Bills in another league for three years).

That time period was a black eye for the Bills, as several players opted to play in other leagues rather than work for (or play in the climate of) Buffalo. When Jim Kelly was drafted, he openly stated that he didn’t want to play in a windy cold weather open stadium. He thought that it would kill his stats. Joe Cribbs jumped ship for the USFL as well. He was in a contract squabble, and said he would rather play close to home in Alabama than in the cold of Buffalo. Another first round pick, Phil “cowpokes” Dokes took off for the Michigan Panthers . DE Scott Hutchinson, P Greg Cater, C Kent Hull, all high profile Bills that either left for, or started in other leagues. It watered down a team that was on the upswing, and kept the Bills from reaching the greatness that they eventually recaptured near the end of the nineteen eighties.

It’s truly a different league now.. Can you imagine Jamarcus Russell telling the raiders “No thanks” to go play in the Arena Football League? Can you see Brady Quinn passing on a career with Cleveland to go try his luck with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL? There’s no way.

There is a reason the NFL is the strongest league in professional sports. There’s a reason it’s trumped the most competition, and come out on top. NFL is smart. They know how to entertain, and they have learned how to treat their fans. I say this with the possibility that the leagues Collective bargaining agreement will the voided in November. The salary cap will be in place until the 2011 season, but after that, there is a possibility of a work stoppage, the worst thing that a company can do to itself.

Do the right thing owners, and get the deal done. You should learn from the mistakes of the past, and not give anyone the opportunity to jump in on your product.

Lets keep the football the most popular sport in America

- Pat Duffy

The Bills released rookie FA linebacker Joe Brockington today.  This is extra sad for me, as I am a fan of the Irish, and he was the lone ND alum that had the tiniest chance to make the roster.  The only other player from Notre Dame that is on the Bills roster is punter D.J. Fitzpatrick, but Brian Moorman is not getting cut, and this is Fitzpatrick’s third training camp with the Bills without earing a roster spot. 

 Lets take one last fond look at Brockington’s Buffalo Bills Career

- May 1 2008 - Rookie Free Agent LB Joe Brockington is signed by the Buffalo Bills

- May 6 2008 - Rookie Free Agent LB Joe Brockington is released by the Buffalo Bills

it’s sad to see him go. 

- Pat Duffy

A little game we came up with over here at the Buffalowdown starring one of our favorite safetys : Rodney Harrison. I think you guys will enjoy it. 

“He’s getting old, and he can’t use HGH anymore, so Patriots safety Rodney Harrison really has to put in over time in the gym this off - season. Help him pump iron the natural way so he doesn’t miss four games again this year.”

Help Rodney Harrison Do it without HGH!

Thats right all you Myspacing Bills fans, time to get excited.  The Buffalowdown is now on myspace.  Be our friend, or your not really a Buffalo fan.  Just kidding…… but be our friend anyway.

www.myspace.com/thebuffalowdown

 Also, we have our facebook fan group.  If you’re on facebook, click here

Rookie mini camp has come and gone in Orchard Park. All ten draft picks, along with a few un drafted free agents came on out to run around for a few hours each day in their new Buffalo Bills helmets. It’s always neat to see the recent additions to the team in their new numbers, running up and down the field in the red and blue, but for me…..that about does it.

Mini camps are such a tease. I’ll admit it, I get excited when I’m watching the news, and they flash video of the rookies running around the field house before the sports segment. I’ll sit through the commercial to see if anything major happened during today’s 1 hour workout.

And of course, like the girl who takes the weird kid to prom, I’m always disappointed.

It’s my own fault really. These mini camps are designed to get the rookies accustomed to the formations and packages the Bills run, so they’re not behind when the team comes together. They’re not for my entertainment. Still, when I see those helmets flashing, and footballs flying through the air, I get pumped. The season is only four months away! I have to go get my new Marcus Stroud jersey to replace my Anthony Thomas Jersey! “Time is running out” I say to myself…..but it’s not. Four months is a long time. But just to be safe, if you see me at Dicks with a #99 jersey in my hand….be sure to stay out of my way.

Notes from Mini Camp :

- James Hardy is tall. Yeah, I know, you know that. But the height listed in programs is hardly ever right. They always add an inch here or there. Not for hardy. Wearing that 81 with his long body makes him look a lot like the Lions Calvin Johnson.

- Mike Viti is strong. The Army full back has arms like pythons, and it looks like he knows how to use them.

- Leodis Mckelvin will factor in the return game. He was fielding punts during punting an kicking drills, but that should come as a surprise to no one.

- There is a mini QB controversy - We had two free agent QB’s at rookie camp this weekend. There is Luke Drone, a rookie FA out of Louisville, and Matt Baker, an NFL practice squad savant who has spent time with the Dolphins, Cardinals, Saints and Cowboys all since the 2006 draft. The Bills won’t bring five QB’s into training camp, so one has to go. Did someone say Flutie v. Johnson all over again.

- Pat Duffy

English philosopher George More once said, “A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it”.  I’m pretty sure Mr. Moore was not a fan of the Buffalo Bills, but there is no quote that more encapsulates the career of Bills receiver Justin Jenkins. 

You haven’t seen him on sports center, and your son doesn’t have his football card, but Justin’s drive, determination, and love of the game is something that any true football fan has to stand up and applaud. It’s a drive that’s taken him from rural Mississippi, to Philadelphia, to Hamburg, Germany, and finally here to Buffalo. 

The journey started as it starts for so many elite ball players, a scholarship to a division one school.  At Mississippi State, Justin would excel on the football field as well as in the classroom, catching 62 balls for 880 yards and 9 TDs his senior year. He did all of this this while carrying a 3.5 GPA. The future looked bright. Going into the 2004 draft, SI.com said he “has a strong, compact build and uses his frame to shield opponents”. “If put in the proper situation, he should develop into a fine NFL receiver.”  They had him projected as a mid fourth round pick, but that wasn’t the case.  Draft day came and went, and his name was never called.  He was signed as an un –drafted free agent by the Eagles, and made their practice squad, spending the 2004 season working to impress the eagles coaching staff. 

 The 2005 season looked bright for Jenkins, as many Philadelphia outlets had him making the roster as the final receiver. But things don’t always go as you plan.  A torn ACL on the opening kickoff of a pre season game put Justin on the IR for all of 2005, keeping him away from the game he so desperately wanted in on.  2006 held the same fate, as another injury kept him off of the field at camp, and eventually off of the Eagles’ roster. 

He had another chance… but it was all the way in Hamburg, Germany.                                                                                                                                                                                           

“It was definitely a big change,” said Justin.  “Of course, it’s not the NFL, but it humbles you.  It puts things in perspective.” Justin kept on going. He signed on to play with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe, and turned some heads in the process. He set a single game record for that season against the Frankfurt Galaxy with seven catches for 136 yards, all the while paying his dues, away from the comforts of home and NFL glory. “ If football is what you want in your life, it’s definitely worth it. I was able to play in the last WORLD BOWL and win a ring. It was great”.

All of that hard work paid off, and several NFL teams were contacting Justin about his services. “I’ve always been confident in my abilities, so I felt with the season I was having, I would get a little interest from some teams. There were about 8 or 9 teams that called.” 

As it turns out, Buffalo wasn’t first on the list.

 “ It was a blessing that I ended up in Buffalo. I was actually in another NFL city about to sign and changed my mind. (I) Contacted Buffalo and told them I would like to come up after previously telling everyone no. Buffalo seemed like a good situation. They were, at the time, looking for a 6th receiver. With 4 set in stone, I felt like I had a good shot.”

That he did. After being released in training camp, Justin was once again signed to the practice squad.  But he didn’t stay there long, having been called up to the active roster prior to the Ravens game. He played well over the next few weeks, even making a crucial play during a tight game, saving a punt from going into the end zone in Miami that led to a Cleo Lemon safety, and an eventual Bills win.  

Special teams are where he made his mark last season, and after the exit of key Bills special teamers, including Josh Stamer, Mario Haggan, and Sam Aiken, he’ll have to make an even bigger impact this season. “Those guys were the core of this unit. Personally, I, along with George Wilson, John Wendling & everyone else have to fill that void. A “BIG” void I might add. I feel that if I keep doing what I’m doing, the playing time will be there.”

It’s hard to get a guy like this discouraged, even after the Bills drafted two wide receivers in this year’s draft. “I didn’t mind at all. Everyone knew that we needed a tall receiver (Hardy). Other than that, I have to stay focused on what I have to do. In this business, worrying about anything else could get you beat.”

It’s talk like that that helps you to realize how a man can follow a dream for this long, and have success.  In a world where you all you ever read about are spoiled athletes that are constantly arrested, holding out for bigger salaries, and demanding trades, it’s refreshing to hear about the guys who are doing it right, and making it work.  As for trading the bright lights of Hamburg, Germany for sleepy old Buffalo, NY?  “LOL, Buffalo is Nothing like Hamburg. Hamburg was actually a party city. The people over there were all about the party. As for Buffalo, it’s more laid back. Just the way I like it!”

We like you here too buddy.  Here’s to Justin sticking around.

- Pat Duffy

A message to all those forlorn USFL fans who still can’t get behind that dinosaur that is the National Football League. There is a new game in town… maybe, and it has a Buffalo Bills connection… kinda.

Marvin Tomlin is the brain trust behind the new United National Football League (UNFL), which is scheduled to play its first game in January of 2009.  Unlike other leagues, this one is going to be designed as a feeder league to the NFL. Offering “a second chance to college players who showed promise, but were not selected by a team in the NFL or Canadian Football League. The league will be top notch”.  Nothing says top-notch football like “Lets go see that flashy running back that barely missed last cuts at Saskatchewan Rough Riders training camp”.  And get this, who is the new leagues commissioner you ask?  None other that former Bills running back, and all around jerk Joe Cribbs.  Yea, I said JOE CRIBBS.  Bills fans, you may remember Joe as that 1980 rookie sensation whom, after one good season, demanded a raise every year, and held out twice.  He then bolted for the USFLs’ Birmingham Stallions, played with himself over there for a little while, and when it folded in 1985, had to shuffle back to Buffalo with his tail between his legs.  When he returned, the Bills quickly traded him away to San Francisco. This man will be the face of this new league.

Honestly, why Joe Cribbs?  Was Brian Bosworth not available?  Joe was the first of the NFL’s “ME ME ME” athletes.  He’s not the man that you want as the face of a new league.  Especially a league that promotes a “we play for the love of the game” type attitude.  He’s not even a well-known athlete outside of western New York (and I’m sure there are several Bills fans reading this right now thinking “Who the hell is Joe Cribbs?”). Mr. Tomlin, I leave you with this advice.  I think you’re idea is great.  I love the fact that you want to give a bunch of kids second chances.  I can respect the entrepreneur in you. But your commissioner is an ass. 

I hear Willis McGahee is also interested.  Should he call you?

 - Pat Duffy

According to fflivewire.com, the Bills have signed the following undrafted Free Agents:

Bills QB Luke Drone (Illinois State)

Bills LB Joe Brockington (Notre Dame)

Bills DT Teraz McCray (Miami, FL)

Bills WR Jason Jones (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)

Bills FB Mike Viti (Army)

Bills LB Jon Banks (Iowa State)

Bills OL Robert Felton (Arkansas)

Bills LB Marcus Buggs (Vanderbilt)

Bills RB Bruce Hall (Mississippi)

 You have to figure these guys have a better shot of making the team than UFA’s of years past due to the fact that Buffalo lost tons of special teams stand outs during the off season.

 - Pat Duffy

It was reported last night by ESPN that our beloved Buffalo Bills will be making $78 million dollars to play that eight game series over the next five years in Toronto.  That averages out to $ 9.75 million dollars per game the Bills will be taking home every time they step off of the field in Toronto. The $78 million they will me making for the eight games (the same as an NFL regular season may I point out) is more than the Bills made the entire 2006 season, according to Forbes magazine.  I think it’s time to really start worrying.

If you’re a Bills fan, and this doesn’t upset you, you’re in denial.  With that much money being thrown around, in a major metropolitan city, with a domed stadium doesn’t set of a few alarm bells, you need to take a course on the economics of sports.  Two parts of me are being torn apart at this very moment. There is the trusting, loyal Bills fan that is trying to tell myself “the Bills would never abandon Buffalo. All Mr. Wilson has ever talked about is how appreciative he is that the city of Buffalo allowed him to come from Detroit and set up shop without any backlash.  He’s a sweet, kind, gentile old man.” Then there is the cynical part of me that is convinced this is all just an audition for the NFL when it comes to moving The Bills to Toronto.  All the evidence is there.  The eight game series (once again, the same as a regular season home schedule, so they have numbers to compare) , the instant sell out, the way the city of Toronto has opened it arms to the idea of having an NFL franchise.  I can already hear the arguments being made by the league as to why they’re moving the team.  “It’s only an hour and a half away from Buffalo, Orchard Park was outside of Buffalo as well, Buffalo is just too small of a city to support and NFL franchise anymore.” True, Toronto is only an hour and a half away, but it’s an entire world away from Buffalo.  Buffalo is based on its blue-collar ethics and “you don’t take no garbage from nobody” attitude.  Toronto is a major metropolitan city.  It’s the New York City of Canada.  There will be no tailgating, no blue-collar fans, no sense of “we’re all here as one to help our team win.”

You can laugh all you want, but isn’t that what being a sports fan is all about. Being brought together by a moment in history. I’ve been going to Bills games with my father and brother since I was four years old.  The parking lot of Ralph Wilson Stadium is my Garden of Eden. Without this franchise, I wouldn’t be the man I am today.  And if they left, I don’t know what I would do.  It would be the single most devastating moment in my life.  I feel weird admitting this, almost sad, but I know there are people that feel exactly the way I do. People that use the time line of Buffalo Bills history as a guide to where they were and what they were doing.  People that name their dogs, and even their kids after people in Bills folklore.  People that love this team like it’s a member of their family.  There are people like that for every franchise of every sport.  Stop to think how it would feel if that happened to you.  I don’t know what I’ll do if they leave, but I do know one thing. I’ll never be the same person I was before they left. 

 - Pat Duffy