I Think It's a Little Early....

to be writing about the 'greatness' of the Buffalo Bills. After reading an article in the Sept. 27 issue of The Stylus I have became a little uneasy with some of the claims being made about our local National Football League (NFL) franchise.

Don't get me wrong Buffalo Bills fans have every reason to be excited about the upcoming season, a 2-0 start is something to be proud of. There is nothing wrong wtih excitement either, but making claims without any statistical backup raises some concern. Here are the two passages that caught my eye:

"With quarterback Trent Edwards who can thread the needle, read the defense and show off his overwhelming confidence in his own ability..."

"Let's not the forget about that phenomenon the Bills came across with Marshawn Lynch. Along the same line of greatness, bear in mind the athleticism and simple ability that is Roscoe Parrish."

Once again I don't want these criticisms to be too harsh, Edwards, Lynch and Parrish are all solid NFL players. But none of these players are ready to be crowned NFL greats or 'phenomenon.' There was a phenomenon in last year's NFL rookie class and his name was Adrian Peterson, he won the NFL rushing title and broke the single-game rushing record last season. Marshawn Lynch is going to be a solid ball carrier for a while, but his 3.6 yards per carry this season are far from phenomenal. Now on to Roscoe Parrish, Parrish a fourth-year player out of the University of Miami, is far from great. Parrish has never had over 352 yards receiving in a season in the NFL and has four receiving touchdowns in 44 games as a Buffalo Bill. Parrish has found his niche on special teams as a punt-returner where he has found some success. But not enough success to justify this praise, he has only scored three touchdowns returning punts and kickoffs in his entire career. Although he is a speedy and flashy player, lets be honest from now on and take him for what he is, a poor man's Antwan Randle El.

Last but not least I'd like to address Trent Edwards; who has made giant strides from his performance as a rookie last season. But Bills fans, lets not forget how Edwards performed last season in the inclimate weather at the end of the season that is sure to return to Ralph Wilson Stadium. Edwards led the Bills to three consecutive losses to end the Bills 2007-2008 campaign. In those games Edwards completion percentage plumetted, along with his ability to throw the ball down the field.

The Bills are off to a solid start, but that's it! There wins have come against opponents who are both winless. The Seattle Seahawks lost their four starting receivers and are abismal at running the football, and the Jacksonville Jaguars lost some key free agents including newly acquired Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. So, Bills fans, be excited, but lets wait til the temperature cools down and the tough divisional games roll in before assuming that Buffalo will have a playoff contender this year.