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Tucked away in an item from Clifton Brown of SportingNews.com regarding the development of Bills rookie cornerback Leodis McKelvin is an eye-opener from McKelvin’s mentor, safety Donte Whitner.
Asked whether he thinks the Bills will make it to the postseason in 2008, Whitner says, “Do I expect us to make the playoffs? I’m guaranteeing it.”
Guarantees don’t mean as much as they used to in sports (think Joe Namath). Lately, guarantees often turn out to be a kiss of death. But Whitner’s words suggest a level of confidence that hasn’t been displayed by Buffalo’s pro football team in a long time, and we like it.
We also agree with Whitner — the Bills very well could steal the No. 6 seed in the 2008 playoffs. They were close in 2007, and the Tennessee Titans, who were the last team in a year ago, haven’t done enough in the offseason to hold off the Bills or any other serious challengers in the conference.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Look at the rest of the Conference. The North plays a hellish schedule which makes it unlikely a wild-card will emerge from that Division. Assuming San Diego wins the West, only the Broncos are a legitimate candidate for a wild-card. This leaves the Bills fighting with Jacksonville, the Broncos, and maybe the Titans/Jets for a spot.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 8:19 am
He said he guarantees that he expects the Bills to make the playoffs, not that he guarantees that they will. But there are other teams I’d expect to win the wild card over the Bills.
Pittsburgh/Browns (whoever doesn’t win the North), Jacksonville/Indy/Houston/Tennessee (I only expect the Jags/Colts to win the division, but any of the teams that don’t win the div could be playoff caliber) just to start.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Whitner and the Bills have every reason to push for a wild card spot. The AFC East has a pretty good NFC matchup in the NFC West (which could mean 4 wins for the Bills), add a hopeful 3-3 division mark and there’s a potetenial 7 wins right there.
I wouldn’t be on the Bills making the playoffs, but I wouldn’t bet against it either. Not the way the NFL is.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 8:40 am
the bills are coming.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Hey, I’m glad Whitner came out and said it. The Bills need to change the thinking and the culture they’ve had. He’s stepping up and trying to be a leader. God knows Losman hasn’t been one, and the jury’s still out on Edwards. They’ve been out of the playoffs for almost 10 YEARS!!
The Browns are going to shit the bed with the hype and schedule they’ve been handed, the Broncos and Titans will suck/be overrated because of Shanny and VY respectively, and only the miopic NYC media thinks the Jets are in any way legit. Why NOT the Bills????
I gotta feeling….Buffalo’s goin’ to the Super Bowl! (not really, but maybe the playoffs-lol)
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 9:04 am
So the Bills are officially in the CFL now?
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I don’t get why everybody talks about the Bills making the playoffs?Last year they were 7-9 All of those wins were against Losing teams. Four against the Dolphins and Jets the other three Baltimore, Cincy and Washington.They can’t beat anybody with a winning record and since The Dolphins and Jets will be much improved there goes two of their wins so I say they’re 5-11 this year.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 9:19 am
In before Marshawn Lynch joke.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 9:28 am
That’s a tall statement. But you have to admire the confidence. Nobody goes into a season saying they have no shot, but look at the facts, one of those wild card spots is going to the AFC South and the other is probably going to the AFC North. I’m thinking Browns/Bengals/Steelers and Colts/Jags. I doubt the Bills are going to win the division this year, although, they are easily the second best team in the division. But who knows. it’s a long season.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Kitna told him to say that.
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Rating: 4.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I like the Bills’ chances.
Strong offensive line, Trent Edwards showed a lot of poise as a rookie, Lee Evans is a very talented receiver. Marshawn Lynch has a lot of potential to be a great running back (he also has potential to spend some time in prison though), James Hardy could go a long way to solving last year’s red zone problems. Good special teams, improving defense. Weak division other than the Patriots, playing against the NFC west. Why not?
Everyone saw that Monday night game when they almost beat the cowboys.
One of the AFC south teams probably has a wild card spot locked up, but playoff berth number 6 is up for grabs. They just need to finish the season with more wins than the browns, steelers, texans, and titans.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 11:18 am
I see mentions of the Colts, Jaguars, Jets, Bills, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Broncos, etc., etc., but I only see one person mention the Texans.
Seriously, people. Don’t sleep on the Texans. When they were healthy last year, they put up one hell of a fight. Aside from having to play their division, they have to play the AFC North and the NFC North, along with the Dolphins and Raiders. Their schedule is soft, and they can easily go 10-6 if they defeat the teams that they should defeat.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I guarentee that the Bills might almost make the playoffs sometime in the next 5 years.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
“dolphin fan says:
July 7th, 2008 at 9:04 am
So the Bills are officially in the CFL now? ”
nope still in the nfl and still sweeping the pathetic dolphins every year. You can look forward to seeing us crush you twice again this year as always!
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
The schedule helps this year A LOT for the Bills
Well the AFC East have to play the NFC West this year.
That means the Bills have to play the 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks. They also have the AFC West with Oakland, Denver, KC and San Diego.Both were weaker conferences last year along with their rivals they play twice in the Jets and Dolphins.
The toughest out of that bunch are the the Seahawks (who they play in the opening game in Buffalo), Chargers (Where the Bills come off a bye week, get a SD team that just played a cross country whirlwind tour where the Chargers play Jets in NY, then have a Mon night game against NE at home, and then fly to Buffalo the week before they go to London where they will be leaving NY straight across the sea. You have to bet that the Bills may be overlooked as they come off a game against the Pats and then pack up for two weeks over to London), the Broncos who play at the end of the year and we will see if either team needs it worse.
They also play NE the last game who may have everything wrapped up by then.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Everything wrapped up. Is there anyone willing to point out that New England is not the greatest team ever? Seriously.
Why can’t the bills win the AFC East? Would it be so shocking?
Right it down, I guarantee that New England will not make the playoffs this year. Is there anyone willing to write that?
All I hear about is the Giants hangover. Now that everyone has forgiven spygate or at least people are tired of covering it, what’s the NE motivation? They got worse in the offseason. They reached bigtime in the first round of the draft…
They’re done.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
to the guy that says the bill couldnt beat winning teams…true enough, but the redskins were one. and not that it matters but at the time the ravens had a winning record still when we beat them. they bills lost to the broncos, browns, cowboys, and eagles by a combined whopping 18 points….
add in the fact that the starting free safety, starting middle linebacker, three of the top four corners on the depth chart all were out basically the whole season, plus some solid upgrades such as kawika mitchell over the scrubs they had subbing last year, marcus stroud over any d tackle they possessed last year, and some fresh young corners and they are looking not too shabby
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Anyone who knows football is already getting the AFC trophy ready for the Pats. Can the Bills win it? Sure, but it’s pretty unlikely. That being said, I think the Bills DO have a real shot at a playoff berth.
Seakhawks - Probably a Win 1-0
Jaguars - Probably a Loss 1-1
Raiders - Young Offense and no replacement for Sapp 2-1
Rams - Could go either way, let’s say loss 2-2
Cardinals - Bills are better 3-2
Chargers - Nuff Said 3-3
Dolphins - Nuff Said 4-3
Jets - Let’s say they split and win home games 5-3
Pats - 5-4
Browns - Close game like the Rams, we’ll give this one to the Browns too 5-5
Chiefs - 6-5
49ers - 7-5
Dolphins - 8-5
Jets - 8-6
Broncos - 9-6
Pats - 9-7
That puts them at 9-7 with 2 losses on games that could go either way. Given there will probably be a handful of upsets either way that cause a wash, this team could 12-4 without shocking me.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
drmoyer421 says:
July 7th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
The schedule helps this year A LOT for the Bills
Well the AFC East have to play the NFC West this year.
That means the Bills have to play the 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks. They also have the AFC West with Oakland, Denver, KC and San Diego.Both were weaker conferences last year along with their rivals they play twice in the Jets and Dolphins.
The toughest out of that bunch are the the Seahawks (who they play in the opening game in Buffalo), Chargers (Where the Bills come off a bye week, get a SD team that just played a cross country whirlwind tour where the Chargers play Jets in NY, then have a Mon night game against NE at home, and then fly to Buffalo the week before they go to London where they will be leaving NY straight across the sea. You have to bet that the Bills may be overlooked as they come off a game against the Pats and then pack up for two weeks over to London), the Broncos who play at the end of the year and we will see if either team needs it worse.
They also play NE the last game who may have everything wrapped up by then.
Wow those are a huge pair of Rose Colored Glasses your wearing. First off even if SD and NE are drop dead tired they will still whip the Bills,Second don’t think that because you playing the NFC and AFC west that you’ve got it made traveling cross country is a bitch for an NFL team and none of those games are gimmies like you think, Third as I said earlier the Bills didn’t beat anybody with a winning record last year so I say you’d be lucky to get back to 7-9
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 7th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Bob Cobb:
Funny you said that. I have thought the same thing since February. For some reason, whenever I see a new England story/interview, I get the VERY strong feeling that the air has been sucked out of the balloon. That obnoxious shit eating, condescending smug face of Brady’s standing at the podium with his fancy clothes has been replaced by a kind of blank, emotionless stare. WHAT A SHAME!!!-lol
I think they were completely are utterly shocked (and devastated) by what the Giants did to them, and I see a BIG hangover coming (although they will still probably win the AFC East (but w/ like a 10-6 or 11-5 record). Also, the Bills will finally win once this year against them!!
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Bob Cobb and Jpq: It’s pretty funny that you would actually bet that the Pats not make the post season. The difference between the Pats and past Superbowl losers is that the Patriots are WAYY more talented than any of those teams. What other team in the AFC East has a QB that is both as talented and has as much experience as Brady? Trent Edwards, Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens, JP Losman, Beck, Henne? You honestly think that any of these guys and their teams are going to out perform the Patriots? These are pro football players they don’t live in past seasons like so many fans do. I can’t see the Patriots finishing any lower than a 12-4 record, especially when you consider they have the easiest schedule in the league and pretty much the same team as last year. Not every team in the league has a New York Giants pass rush or a Steve Spagnola on their sidelines. After all this is a Patriot team who beat the hell out of Buffalo in two meetings by a combined score of 94-17. Buffalo may make the playoffs this year but they have a long way to go to catch up to New England.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 14th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hey FAU_08:
That FAU education isn’t helping very much. I said the Pats will still win the AFC East, but with a 10-6 or 11-5 type record. THEY STILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS! My point was that the Bills have gotten better, and the Pats will not be as good. They are still better than the Bills.
PS: By the way, the 94-17 is way overrated. In the first game, theywere still dealing with Kevin Everett and the loss of about 10 other defensive guys in the first few games, and then they lost JP Losman to Vince Wilfork’s dirty hit on the first play of the game. The second game blowout was THE last good game the Pats played. Everyother game after that blowout they were lucky to win.
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July 14th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Yes JP, New England really “edged” out the Dolphins and the Steelers in the following weeks. Explain to me how the Patriots won’t be “as good’? Because they lost a highly overrated and overpaid cornerback? And trust me this FAU education is helping very much.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 14th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Hey FAU:
I live in Fort Lauderdale, so don’t lie to America about the value of an FAU education! In the following week after the Bills game, they beat the Eagles by 3 in he last 2 minutes, beat the Ravens by 3 in a gift that all of America acknowledged, did beat the Steelers well, beat the Jets by10 in a very close game, beat the Fish, then beat the Giants (barely) in week 16. In the playoffs, they beat a good Jags team, then beat the Chargers in a game they should have lost, then got beat in the Super Bowl.
Somehow, your myopic interpretation of my comments is that I said the Patriots suck. They don’t. All I said is that they won’t be as good as last year, and that the Bills will be better than they were last year. The Bills put 17 PLAYERS on IR LAST YEAR! The Pats will st
You yourself said they will win the AFC East with a 12-4 record. Last time I checked, that’s not as good as 16-0!
By the way, I went to Purdue, a hick school in Indiana, but a better school than FAU
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 18th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Oh my god, you went to Purdue!?!?!?!?!?! And George W. Bush went to Yale so based on your logic i guess that makes him more intelligent than you. Because that’s what i’m interpreting from your previous post. Go back to reading all the garbage editorials from the Palm Beach Post. Last i checked FAU had a top 10 accounting program and also hosted the Republican presidential debates. I always laugh at people who try and take pleasure trashing a developing school that’s only been a University since 1964. You’re comparing it to one that was established in 1869!
Also i said the Patriots will finish NO LOWER THAN 12-4. I expect to see them finish at 13-3 or 14-2. Since when does 16-0 count for anything anyways? Last i checked the Superbowl Champions had a 10-6 regular season record.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)