The Big 10 is a joke as of late. Even the best teams in the Big 10, Penn State, and Ohio State just end up getting crushed by USC or Florida or some other team from a real conference. I don’t know if Michigan State has produced a decent NFL player since Plax, and oh yeah he’s going to prison. Charles Rodgers anyone? Iowa produced Robert Gallery, never gave up a sack in college, total bust in the NFL. Illinois and Indiana are irrelevant. Michigan is clearly going nowhere fast, and besides Braylon Edwards and Jake Long, they have produced no one worth talking about. The Big 10 is just a joke. And yet the Bills keep picking players from the Big 10. No wonder we have been garbage the past 10 years. Maybe we should only take players from the ACC, Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith worked out OK. Yes, I know Miami was technically in the SEC back then too.

Nevertheless, the Big 10 is ruining the NFL, or at least ruining the Bills. So hopefully, the Bills get rid of Jauron who seems to be obsessed with the Big 10, hire Jon Gruden, and draft Colt McCoy. That would be an foundation to build around. A tough Texan QB and a tough loud mouth coach with a ring. This is my hope after the inevitable 7-9 this year.

I think the NFC East could go either way this year.  No one else may think the NFC East could flop this year, but I could see it.  The Giants are the only team in the division that I believe will live up to expectations this year.  But one or two big injuries and the Giants could be in a very tough spot.  The Cowboys are a bit of a wild card this year.  Romo struggled after being injured last year and the team just did not win enough games.  There will be a tremendous amount of pressure on Roy Williams this year as well. Jerry Jones has completely committed to the WR, and with the loss of T.O. to the Bills, all of the passing game will start with Williams.  The Eagles, no matter what they think, have a QB controversy.  They may not think so, but the media is going to be relentless and maybe even convince some of the Eagles personnel themselves that they have a QB controversy.  This combined with the loss of Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins on defense could lead to some major issues in Philadelphia.  This is all contingent on the fact that Michael Vick plays well, which I am really just hoping and almost assuming he does based on his past performance in the NFL.  Finally, the Redskins have invested more money than any other team this offseason.  Albert Haynesworth will most likely command a double team all year, leaving Andre Carter and rookie Brian Orakpo to rush the passer at will.  They have a young, fast, and athletic secondary that could make big plays all year long.  However, the Redskins offense?  I don’t know what to think of the Skins offense.  Clinton Portis will most likely produce another 1000 yard season as long as he stays healthy.  Jason Campbell?  At this point I think you have to just consider him a game manager.  The coaches probably tell Jason Campbell not to lose them the game, hand it off to Portis, and hope for the best.  Their defense should be one of the best in the league this year.

As for predictions, as I stated before I believe this division really could go either way.  I have the Giants winning the division with a season very similar to last year.  I believe they will finish 11-5.  5 losses may be a bit high but, I foresee a few mid-season struggles and maybe an upset or two within their division.  I could see the Eagles going 5-11 or 13-3.  With the addition of Vick, the Eagles could be a team like we have never seen before in the NFL.  I’m going to fall somewhere in the middle and say the Eagles go 10-6, good enough for a wild card spot in the NFC.  I believe the cowboys miss the playoffs.  With the loss of T.O. and all the hype surrounding the new outrageous stadium, Jerry Jones may lose sight of what really matters, winning.  I have the Cowboys going 8-8.  Finally, the redskins I feel could go either way as well, but I feel that has been the case for the past 5 years or so and they have not produced in those 5 years.  I want the redskins to succeed, I think they would be a fun team to watch if they were consistently playing well, but that really is their downfall, consistency.  I have the Redskins also finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs.  All the teams stay at .500 or better because they play the AFC west this year.  I think the NFC East will go 14-2 versus the AFC West.  The AFC West has to be the pre-season worst division in the league.  So in the end my predictions probably aren’t too bold, but I think this division will compete and beat each other up and all finish with decent records.

Sure Oklahoma will be good, and Sam Bradford will probably be the #1 overall pick in next year’s NFL draft, but Florida is just too good. Texas could play spoiler if they make to the title game. Maybe a repeat of the Vince Young championship game. USC was the overwhelming favorite in that game, but somehow Vince Young and Texas stole the show from Leinart and Bush. Colt McCoy is solid, and I think could eventually be the best out of the big three (Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy) on the NFL level. But Florida is just too good. Tim Tebow is too motivated. The guy probably would have been a first round pick each of the last two seasons, but instead comes back to Florida to tear up the SEC, and score touchdowns like Tiger Woods wins golf tournaments.

Nevertheless, the college football season is upon us and should be a great one. My money is on Tebow and the Gators, but always keep an eye on the U…..

It’s only pre-season. This is what I keep telling myself after each of the Bills pre-season games so far this year. High hopes and expectations are always on the minds of Bills fans at the beginning of every year. “Superbowl man, this is it.” A phrase uttered by Bills fans in August and September all too often. I like to believe it is a legitimate possibility too, but after the start to the pre-season this year, I’m just as nervous as the next Bills fan. Incomplete passes, 2-3 yard runs gone wrong, mediocre defense. It’s all too familiar, and Bills fans myself included are sick of it. We bring in T.O., which I am all for, but now he is out with a toe injury. An injury that seems like nothing to the casual eye, but toe injuries have ended the career of NFL players, Deion Sanders to name one. So all that is running through my mind right now is that T.O. will either be troubled by this injury all year long, or something worse.

Before the first play from scrimmage this year, the Bills had the most promising roster in a long time. Trent Edwards coming into his third year, second as the starter. McKelvin coming into his sophmore year in the league looks promising. Puz seems ready to rally the defense this year and maybe be a real force and leader on defense. Things just seemed to be going our way this offseason, and then pre-season came. Granted we still have a game or two left before we face Brady on Monday night for the opener, chalk up the L for that one. But the team just looks weak so far this year, but its only pre-season. I like the no huddle, but I think Coach Jauron is forcing it a bit too much. Are we seriously not going to huddle all season? Trent Edwards is not Peyton Manning. It does not seem to be working so far, so switch it up. Let Trent and the offense regroup once and awhile and make sure everyone is on the same page. The no huddle, I believe, is all about rhythm. The Bills offense does not seem to have any rhythm. So why not back off, huddle up, and slow it down. Wouldn’t it be more effective if we huddled up and ran a no huddle occasionally? Bill Belichick will know how to beat us if we continually run a no huddle. Fact. He’ll blitz, he’ll drop 8, he’ll zone blitz, he will beat us somehow. However…if we are constantly switching it up and huddling and not huddling, I think we might have a chance.

So let’s hope pre-season finishes strong, and we lose by less than 30 on Monday night in New England. We also obviously have to stay healthy, and I believe some real leaders must emerge for the Bills to be successful. We haven’t had a real leader on the Bills since Jim Kelly. I think if Trent Edwards and Puz can step up and be leaders and lead by example and make big plays, the Bills certainly have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. If none of this happens or only some of it, then expect nothing more than 7-9 and a new coach next year.

Check out thisBuffalo Irish Shamrock Tee Shirt from the guys at Buffalo Sports Tees.com. Its green and perfect for wearing around South Buffalo and the First Ward. I love wearing this Buffalo Shirt

Rob Ray vs. Tie Domi nothing really gets any better than watching these two slug it out on the ice. So why would I want to wear a tee shirt commemorating that? Well because they both retired and I don’t See Rob Ray coming out of the broadcaster’s box to fight an aged Tie Domi…on second thought.

This was a cool find. A Lindy Ruff tee shirt from the folks over at Buffalo Sports Tees. Lindy Ruff is the longest tenured coach in the NHL and has led a very successful career as coach of the Buffalo Sabres.http://twominutedrill.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/lindy-front.thumbnail.png