Bills meet Titans in Hall of Fame game
Bills meet Titans in Hall of Fame game
It's just another Hall of Fame game, right? Wrong! Though the Bills won't openly admit it, they want this one with two franchise icons being enshrined at Canton this weekend. Longtime owner and AFL original Ralph Wilson and standout defensive lineman Bruce Smith join the NFL's elite on Saturday before the 2009-10 season kicks off officially Sunday evening when Buffalo takes on the Tennessee Titans.
I humbly accept the honor bestowed upon me today – to preview Sunday’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans.
This weekend’s Hall of Fame ceremonies have even more significance than usual. Saturday will see Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. and four-time Super Bowl defensive end Bruce Smith enshrined at Canton, along with Rod Woodson, Derrick Thomas, Bob Hayes, and Randall McDaniel. The Bills will be wearing white throwback uniforms from their AFL years, in celebration of the maverick league’s 50th anniversary. The Titans will come dressed as the Houston Oilers.
Normally, the first thing I’d remind you about NFL exhibition games is that they’re not about winning or losing. But all things being equal, I suspect the Bills would like to get the win this Sunday (8:00 p.m. ET, NBC) for their 90-year-old owner and savior.
“With us dedicating this to somebody like Ralph Wilson and Bruce Smith, a couple of Hall of Famers,” WR Justin Jenkins told the Buffalo News on Thursday, “to go out there and shine on a Sunday night would be very special.”
That doesn’t mean coach Dick Jauron is going to play QB Trent Edwards and WR Terrell Owens any more than he normally would. The first unit for both teams will get just a taste of action on Sunday (in Jauron’s words, a “couple of series”) before the reserves come on. And that’s a big plus for Titans supporters, because that means they’re liable to see plenty of QB Vince Young. The former Texas Longhorns star and 2006 NFL Rookie of the Year on offense is backing up Kerry Collins to start the 2009 season. Young (22 career TDs, 32 INTs, 5.3 yards per carry) has a lot to prove, and he’ll have five preseason games to do it.
Conveniently enough, Young was heavily involved in Tennessee’s 28-17 win over Buffalo (-3) in Week 3 of the 2007 preseason. He played the entire first half, rushing for one touchdown and finding Bo Scaife in the end zone for another as the Titans took a 14-10 lead into the dressing room at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The betting odds for this year’s rematch have the Titans as 3-point favorites on neutral ground. Some books had Tennessee –2.5 posted at press time, so be sure to do your shopping, just as you would in the regular season. The total is 31 points.
Edwards was Buffalo’s second-string QB behind J.P. Losman in the 2007 meeting with the Titans. Losman is going to emulate Wilson’s AFL pioneer spirit and try to resurrect his career in the new United Football League (planning to start this fall). Buffalo’s new backup is Ryan Fitzpatrick (12 career TDs, 17 INTs), who posted a 70.0 QB rating in 13 games with the Cincinnati Bengals last year in relief of the injured Carson Palmer. Jauron suggested all four of his QBs in camp might see some action Sunday, in which case Gibran Hamdan and Matt Baker would get some face time at Fitzpatrick’s expense.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher didn’t tip his hand Thursday about how he’ll divvy up the QB duties in Canton, but he did indicate to reporters that he might have something for us on Friday. Behind Collins and Young on the Tennessee depth chart are Patrick Ramsey (35 career TDs, 30 INTs) and rookie Alex Mortensen. Ramsey has barely gotten a whiff of NFL action over the past four seasons, but he’s certainly one of the best third-string QBs in the league and another reason to favor the Titans on Sunday.
And yet I keep thinking about Ralph Wilson. And then I think about Jauron’s preseason record with the Bills: 5-7 SU and 7-5 ATS. The Titans are 7-5 SU and 5-7 ATS under Fisher since 2006. The Over might be the safe way out of this dilemma; it’s supposed to be partly cloudy and around 70 degrees in Canton on Sunday night, so the weather should be accommodating.
It's just another Hall of Fame game, right? Wrong! Though the Bills won't openly admit it, they want this one with two franchise icons being enshrined at Canton this weekend. Longtime owner and AFL original Ralph Wilson and standout defensive lineman Bruce Smith join the NFL's elite on Saturday before the 2009-10 season kicks off officially Sunday evening when Buffalo takes on the Tennessee Titans.
I humbly accept the honor bestowed upon me today – to preview Sunday’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans.
This weekend’s Hall of Fame ceremonies have even more significance than usual. Saturday will see Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. and four-time Super Bowl defensive end Bruce Smith enshrined at Canton, along with Rod Woodson, Derrick Thomas, Bob Hayes, and Randall McDaniel. The Bills will be wearing white throwback uniforms from their AFL years, in celebration of the maverick league’s 50th anniversary. The Titans will come dressed as the Houston Oilers.
Normally, the first thing I’d remind you about NFL exhibition games is that they’re not about winning or losing. But all things being equal, I suspect the Bills would like to get the win this Sunday (8:00 p.m. ET, NBC) for their 90-year-old owner and savior.
“With us dedicating this to somebody like Ralph Wilson and Bruce Smith, a couple of Hall of Famers,” WR Justin Jenkins told the Buffalo News on Thursday, “to go out there and shine on a Sunday night would be very special.”
That doesn’t mean coach Dick Jauron is going to play QB Trent Edwards and WR Terrell Owens any more than he normally would. The first unit for both teams will get just a taste of action on Sunday (in Jauron’s words, a “couple of series”) before the reserves come on. And that’s a big plus for Titans supporters, because that means they’re liable to see plenty of QB Vince Young. The former Texas Longhorns star and 2006 NFL Rookie of the Year on offense is backing up Kerry Collins to start the 2009 season. Young (22 career TDs, 32 INTs, 5.3 yards per carry) has a lot to prove, and he’ll have five preseason games to do it.
Conveniently enough, Young was heavily involved in Tennessee’s 28-17 win over Buffalo (-3) in Week 3 of the 2007 preseason. He played the entire first half, rushing for one touchdown and finding Bo Scaife in the end zone for another as the Titans took a 14-10 lead into the dressing room at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The betting odds for this year’s rematch have the Titans as 3-point favorites on neutral ground. Some books had Tennessee –2.5 posted at press time, so be sure to do your shopping, just as you would in the regular season. The total is 31 points.
Edwards was Buffalo’s second-string QB behind J.P. Losman in the 2007 meeting with the Titans. Losman is going to emulate Wilson’s AFL pioneer spirit and try to resurrect his career in the new United Football League (planning to start this fall). Buffalo’s new backup is Ryan Fitzpatrick (12 career TDs, 17 INTs), who posted a 70.0 QB rating in 13 games with the Cincinnati Bengals last year in relief of the injured Carson Palmer. Jauron suggested all four of his QBs in camp might see some action Sunday, in which case Gibran Hamdan and Matt Baker would get some face time at Fitzpatrick’s expense.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher didn’t tip his hand Thursday about how he’ll divvy up the QB duties in Canton, but he did indicate to reporters that he might have something for us on Friday. Behind Collins and Young on the Tennessee depth chart are Patrick Ramsey (35 career TDs, 30 INTs) and rookie Alex Mortensen. Ramsey has barely gotten a whiff of NFL action over the past four seasons, but he’s certainly one of the best third-string QBs in the league and another reason to favor the Titans on Sunday.
And yet I keep thinking about Ralph Wilson. And then I think about Jauron’s preseason record with the Bills: 5-7 SU and 7-5 ATS. The Titans are 7-5 SU and 5-7 ATS under Fisher since 2006. The Over might be the safe way out of this dilemma; it’s supposed to be partly cloudy and around 70 degrees in Canton on Sunday night, so the weather should be accommodating.
