The Trials and Tribulations of Fandom

The last few days have sent so many thoughts flying through my head in regards to some of my favorite teams, the Buffalo Bills and the Syracuse Orange. On Friday, the Buffalo Bills fired their Offensive Coordinator Turk Schonert after just over a year on the job. The reason for the firing seems quite obvious, seeing as the Bills first team offense was completely anemic during the extended five game preseason, producing zero touchdowns. However, the timing for the move is incredibly questionable. Schonert's dismissal comes just 10 days before the season opener on Monday night against the Patriots.

The Bills replaced Schonert with a current member of the coaching staff, Alex Van Pelt. Van Pelt was the quarterbacks coach for the Bills and is known in Western New York as being a longtime backup QB for the Bills. Van Pelt seems to be a very good guy that has played an active role in the community for years, but quite frankly, I do not really have much that I can say about his coaching and play calling abilities. I suppose that this is a good thing. I say this because I think that position coaches in professional football are a good deal like the long snapper. Rarely does a long snapper make you say "Man, am I really glad we have that guy playing for us!", but that is the way it should be. The less you have to say about a long snapper the better, because the average fan won't say anything unless the player is snapping the ball over the punter's head. I think this same rule applies to position coaches like Van Pelt and the running game coordinator, Eric Studesville, who Van Pelt will be sharing play calling duties with. However, it seems as if the Bills are just asking to be completely embarrassed in front of a national audience. Continuity makes football teams better and a lack of it has plagued this franchise since the end of the Super Bowl era in the early 90s. This move is hurting the Bills much more than it is helping their cause. I fully expect for the Bills to be absolutely demolished in their first game, making for a fitting start to what looks to be a very long season. And I really hope that I am wrong.

On the college gridiron:

It's amazing how quickly you can go from expecting nothing to expecting something more than previously imagined. Before Syracuse opened the season against Minnesota on Saturday, I questioned the acquisition of former Duke point guard Greg Paulus to play QB for the Orange. I felt that it was a bit of a gimmick and a short term solution to a long term problem for the Orange, winning. When I watched the game I was very pleasantly surprised at how well Paulus handled himself, almost five years after his last football game. He moved very well in the pocket and avoided taking too many hits from the Gopher defenders. He was able to make some plays with his feet and had a beautiful first touchdown pass to Mike Williams, a Buffalo native. However, he did seem a bit gun shy at times and gave up on some plays far too quickly. Due to Paulus, a shifty "Stallion" package, and a revitalized Orange defense, Syracuse went into half up 20-14...

We interrupt this entry to bring you the Word of the Day: Moxie

Moxie, noun
energy, pep, courage, determination, know-how

Greg Paulus played quarterback with a great deal of moxie in the first half of Saturday's game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

I couldn't resist using moxie as the word because I won a game of Scrabble with it last night. 33 points. Gotta love the "X" tile. Now back to the sports...

In the second half Syracuse couldn't muster anything offensively and allowed the Gophers and wide receiver Eric Decker to force the game to overtime. Syracuse had the ball first in the "college rules" overtime, where both teams get a shot at the win. The Orange were driving and were knocking on the goal line's door, thanks to some great running by Syracuse running back, Delone Carter. Low and behold, Paulus threw a ball into tight coverage on 3rd and Goal and handed Minnesota a game that they did not deserve to win with an easy interception, 23-20.

Overall, Paulus had a pretty good game for someone who had not played in so long. Unfortunately, the only stain on his otherwise mistake free game is the only thing that will be remembered about this first effort. That is what is crazy about being a fan. I came into the game with no expectations and quickly learned that I may have been wrong. In the end, I left the experience disappointed. But I still love the Orange. Same goes for the Bills in all of their winning woes. No matter how quickly I may becomes disenchanted with my teams, the trials and tribulations are what make being a fan so worth it.