NFL buffalo Bills

My high school coach used to say, "no back is worth two fumbles," meaning if a running back lost two fumbles in one game, he should be immediately removed. Sunday in Buffalo, Houston's Steve Slaton didn't even get that chance. After just one carry and one catch, Slaton lost a fumble and was benched for the rest of the game. It was the seventh fumble -- losing five of them -- on the season for the diminutive back from West Virginia.

Even worse news for Slaton, and his fantasy football owners, was what Ryan Moats did in his stead. Moats racked up 126 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Texans' 31-10 victory over the Bills.

---

---

After entering the National Football League in 1996 as a third-round selection, Terrell Owens has put up some big-time numbers in his 14-year career.

He's the NFL's active touchdown leader with 142 scores. He's second among active receivers to Isaac Bruce with 14,364 career receiving yards. He's also been a six-time Pro-Bowler. But, when asked what his goal for 2009 entailed, Owens didn't shoot for the moon like you would expect a player with his accolades to do. In fact, all Owens wants to do is outperform Dallas wide receiver Roy Williams.

It's often said that a team with two quarterbacks really doesn't have any. With that spirit in mind, FanHouse will keep you updated weekly on NFL teams facing potential quarterback controversies.

Give Derek Anderson credit. He got better. He put that "15 incompletions in 17 attempts" disaster behind him with a much more quarterback-like effort against Pittsburgh Sunday. It wasn't enough to take the Browns off this list for the first time this season, but there are indications that Cleveland has settled on their guy, no matter how many of his passes bounce off the grass.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- In a game the Jets were so sure throughout that they had won, they lost. In a game where the Bills refused to fold, they won.

In a comical, error-filled, misguided dance with futility, both teams often looked a mess.

But the beauty was in the fight.

An eyeball-to-eyeball brand of football surfaced -- as it often does when divisional rivals who long ago grew sick of each other jostle for four quarters, and just for good measure, decide to tangle for an extra one.

Buffalo grabbed the final cookie from the jar, claiming a 16-13 victory that took nearly 12 minutes of the overtime.

After beginning the game uncharacteristically hot -- hitting on his first five passes for 43 yards -- Bills starting quarterback Trent Edwards has left the game with an apparent knee head injury (see update). Edwards was hobbled after being sacked by Calvin Pace and David Harris of the Jets. After milling around the sidelines for a bit and discussing things with Bills' trainers, Edwards went to the locker room.

In his stead, Ryan Fitzpatrick is taking snaps. Considering the weather (mid-40s, almost 20 MPH winds) and the opponent (the Jets are eighth against the pass), things aren't going to be easy for Fitzpatrick. He's only 4-10-1 in his 15 career starts and sports a sorry 66.9 rating.

As we have done since the FanHouse began, I'll be taking a look every week at some aspect of line play. You can read more features in the series here. Check back every Thursday for a new Between The Lines.

It probably wouldn't surprise you to know that offensive line continuity is a good thing , but you may not realize just how important it is.

After looking at the first month of the season, it seems pretty clear that if you can keep your offensive line together, there's a pretty good chance you'll be a winner.

Five weeks into the NFL season, only 10 teams have started the same five offensive linemen every week. Of those 10 teams, seven have winning records including the surprising Bears. 49ers and Jets and the undefeated Giants. Combined those 10 teams are 28-18 this year.

It's often said that a team with two quarterbacks really doesn't have any. With that spirit in mind, FanHouse will keep you updated weekly on NFL teams facing potential quarterback controversies.

Yes, he won the game. However, there's no stopping Derek Anderson from showing up high on the list of quarterback controversies every week. Right there with him is the guy Anderson inexplicably beat Sunday despite only completing two of 17 passes -- Trent Edwards. After all, if you can't beat a quarterback who couldn't even complete 12 percent of his throws, who can you beat?

Fired a week before the start of the season as the Bills' offensive coordinator, an angry and confused Turk Schonert said the problem in Buffalo was that coach Dick Jauron wanted "a Pop Warner offense" -- an offensive playbook as simple and uncreative as possible, and that Schonert's schemes were too complicated to fit in with Jauron's plan.

Now five weeks in to the season, having committed nine (NINE!) false start penalties Sunday in losing one of the worst offensive games in sports history to the previously winless Browns, the Bills are playing as if to prove Schonert right.

---

---

Considering that Cleveland and Buffalo entered Sunday a combined 1-7 on the year, no one could have been expecting the two teams to wage an all-time classic. But what resulted instead was so far at the opposite end of the spectrum that it may go down as one of the worst NFL games in recent memory.

How bad was it? Well, Browns quarterback Derek Anderson completed 2-of-17 passes for 23 yards, threw an interception -- and won.

Cleveland took advantage of a fumbled punt by Buffalo's Roscoe Parrish with three minutes left to boot a game-winning field goal and claim a 6-3 win.

---

---

Cleveland's off to an 0-4 start, thanks in no small part to a miserable defense that has allowed more yards per game (403.2) than any team in the league and is No. 31 in points allowed (118).

But the Browns' bumbling hasn't kept defensive coordinator Rob Ryan from flapping his gums prior to this week's game at Buffalo. Friday, Ryan -- twin brother of loud-mouthed (and, thus far, more successful) Jets head coach Rex Ryan) -- called out Bills QB Trent Edwards.

"I don't think that's [Bengals quarterback] Carson Palmer back there by any stretch," Ryan said of Edwards.