The Bills are 0-7. They have scored a total of 136 points while allowing 211. Their defense ranks dead-last in both points allowed and rush yards allowed and then give up the fourth-most total yards per game. (Although, in an odd change of pace, the Bills allow the sixth-fewest passing yards per game.)

In fact, the Bills will not even be playing in Buffalo when the Bears make the trek up there this week. The game will be held in Toronto, which is where many speculate the Bills will be moved to once current owner Ralph Wilson passes away.

After the first three or four weeks, most NFL teams were licking their chops when they saw Buffalo on the schedule, viewing them as a "gimme win."

But not so fast. Let us take a closer look at these Bills.

First off, the teams the Bills have lost to are the following: Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs who have a combined record of 34-17.

They have lost four of those games by one score or less (Dolphins, Patriots, Ravens and Chiefs) and the last two losses to the Chiefs and Ravens both came in overtime.

In the five games that Ryan Fitzpatrick has played in, since taking over for former teammate Trent Edwards, he has thrown for 12 touchdowns, five interceptions and 1,200 yards. He has shown poise and leadership, especially in the last two weeks.

Lee Evans has enjoyed the spoils of Fitzpatrick's success as in the last three games he has grabbed 16 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns.

The Bills also made a solid decision when they traded away running back Marshawn Lynch to the Seattle Seahawks several weeks ago. That has allowed both remaining running backs, Fred Jackson and rookie C.J. Spiller, to have their roles within the offense become more defined.

And what is more, the Bills are hungry. Two weeks in a row they have smelled victory. They went up to Baltimore and punched the Ravens defense in the face, piling on over 500 yards of offense on what has been the best defense in the NFL over the past decade plus.

They stood tall at Arrowhead Stadium and went nose to nose with an upstart Chiefs team that is in the top 10 in most defensive rankings. They lost only when the Chiefs kicker nailed a 35-yard field goal as time expired in OT.

The Bills have been so close to victory. They can smell it. And now they welcome a Bears team that quite frankly has played miserable the last three game.

Five third-down conversions out of the past 50 chances.

Wait—let me repeat that. The Chicago Bears are FIVE FOR THE PAST 50 third-down conversions. JESUS!

I mean is that stat even measurable? Has there been a team with a worse percentage than the Bears in that span of time? I am not sure I even want to know. This is so depressing.

Want more bad news?

According to Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Bears:

• Have the third-worst offense in the NFL. 
• Have the worst third-down offense (by a considerable margin).
• Have given up the most sacks in the league.
• Have thrown the most interceptions in the league.
• Have the second-worst red zone offense in the league, which includes an impressive zero for their last 10 chances from the goal line.

Wow...I'm not even mad, that is just amazing.

Jay Cutler has looked like a shell since coming back from his concussion. The offensive line has looked lost and confused for pretty much the entire season.

Even the defense looks like it is lagging. Whether it is because the offense can never stay on the field or that Lance Briggs is missing or a combination of the two, the past two weeks have not been the most pleasing.

Now, will the Bears come out from the bye week motivated with a new game plan? Maybe.

Will Mike Tice have the offensive line figured out (they have had five different starting line combinations in the first seven games with Olin Kreutz as the only lineman who has played and started at the same position since Week 1).

Will the Bills have a hangover after losing out on two close games? It is entirely possible.

But if the NFL has taught us anything this season, expect the unexpected, whether it is the Raiders blowing out the Broncos by 800 points or the Packers beating the Jets 9-0 or the Bears getting a victory despite an obvious touchdown catch by Calvin Johnson in the first game of the year.

The Bills can beat the Bears.

No offense to Tim Jennings, Zach Bowman or Peanut Tillman, but if the Bears don't generate a pass-rush, Fitzpatrick is going to have his way with the Bears defensive backfield all day, much like Matt Hasselbeck did.

This game is dangerous because if the Bears are the first team to lose to the Bills this year, both head coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Martz need to be fired pretty much on the spot.

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According to Bradd Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, wide receiver Freddie Barnes, linebackers Tim Shaw and Kevin Malast, tight end Richard Angulo, safeties Al Afalava and Quentin Scott, center Tim Waler, and cornerbacks Cornelius Brown and Woddny Turenne were all informed of their impending release on Friday afternoon.

Some of the cuts were expected; however, having Shaw and Afalava released was surprising, as both played important roles last year for the Bears.

Afalava started 13 games last season and accumulated 53 tackles, two sacks, seven pass deflections, and a forced fumble as a rookie. That coupled with the injuries suffered so far in the preseason to rookie Major Payne and Josh Bullocks, one would think the Bears need extra depth at that position.

Shaw was in a tough battle with Brian Iwuh for the sixth and final linebacker position. Despite having recorded 30 special team tackles last season, Iwuh got the nod most likely based on experience, as Iwuh played four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars in their linebacker rotation.

Look for some of these players to clear waivers and be signed to the eight man practice squad. Woodny Turenne spend last season there and could be going back. If Barnes clears waivers, he could also land a spot as could linebacker Kevin Malast.

Afalava started over the allowed amount to be practice-squad eligible, and Shaw may get a shot with another team that is special teams starved.

The Bears should release a list of all the players let go before the end of today.

Players to keep your eyes on: WR Juaquin Iglesias, FB Eddie Williams, defensive linemen Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton, offensive guard Johan Asiata, and either Caleb Hanie or Dan LeFevour at the quarterback position.

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You are an idiot.

I am sorry, but your recent decisions regarding the Chicago Bears safety issues is just ridiculous.

First, the simple fact that you traded Chris Harris to the Panthers for a fifth-round pick three seasons ago and then turn around and trade for him back this past week in exchange for a reserve linebacker (and pretty decent player) in Jamar Williams just confuses me.

Now, Chris Harris is a safety and the Bears are in desperate need of safety help.

But the simple fact that you traded away Harris for a fifth-round pick... A FIFTH-ROUND PICK. But now, to gain him back, you are trading a back up linebacker who recorded 18 tackles in a single game last year when he filled in. Do you not see a discrepancy in this?

I mean, maybe there should be some props given because you admit that trading him might have been an error. But come on. It was a dumb move then, and it hasn't gotten any smarter because Harris has been having some knee problems.

It is trades like this that anger me. We could have had Chris Harris in the defensive backfield for the past couple seasons (In the past three season, Harris has recorded 12 forced fumbles and 5 interceptions... two of those fumbles were against Greg Olsen when the Bears lost to the Panthers in 2008), but Jerry decided he wanted draft picks more.

And even if you could argue that bringing in Harris was smart, rumor had it that he was going to be released anyway to clear some cap space for the Panthers and to rid the team of some aging players, so theoretically you could have gotten him for free.

Not to mention that instead of gathering as many safeties as you can so that the Bears could have an open competition and let the best players start, you, Jerry, went and traded safety Kevin Payne to the St. Louis Rams.

I am so confused. The Bears traded Payne for a conditional...repeat CONDITIONAL seventh-round pick. So if Payne makes the Rams' roster, then the Bears get a late seventh-round pick...Awesome.

I mean so many of the Bears seventh-round picks have been successful the past few seasons. I mean in 2007 there was Aaron Bryant and Trumaine McBride...oh wait, neither of them are still on the team.

But in 2008 there was Ervin Baldwin, Joey LaRocque, Chester Adams, Kirk Barton and Marcus Monk...Hmm, none of them are on the team either.

Well, last season the Bears took Lance Louis and Derek Kinder, and Louis is still on the practice squad. That counts, right?

Plus, I can totally see where both Craig Steltz and Josh Bullocks played better than Payne last season. Oh wait, they didn't, so what gives?

And no offense to the rest, but putting my faith in those two plus Chris Harris (knee trouble) Danieal Manning (just can't play safety) Al Afalava (young but unproven) and Major Wright (third round pick) just isn't confidence inspiring.

So Jerry, listen. Let's just admit that you have no clue what you are actually doing as the General Manager and you go away.

The only silver lining to this season, if the Bears do not succeed, is that Bear fans can hope and pray that you follow Lovie Smith right out the door before you can do even more damage.

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It was rumored early on that he was being shopped around.

Then Lovie Smith confirmed it at the NFL Owners meetings last Wednesday that Brown was available if the price was right.

Since then, it seems that the Bears threw logic to the wind.

They let on that if they could not find a suitable deal, they will probably just release him outright.

The Bears have even gone as far as telling Brown to not come to voluntary workouts, which started yesterday.

But why some ask?

Once Brown leaves, the Bears remaining options at DE are the following:

- Julius Peppers: A free agent pick up that has excited the city of Chicago. He should be a beast and constantly command double teams.

- Mark Anderson: A fifth year player who has contributed 21.5 sacks over his career... 12 of which came in his rookie campaign. So then, he has sacked the QB 9.5 times over the past three seasons.

- Israel Idonije: A high energy player who has been in the defensive tackle rotation for a couple years. Izzy is a personal favorite of mine and is an athletic freak, but has had limited experience at the defensive end position and only eight sacks in six seasons with the Bears.

- Jarron Gilbert/Henry Melton: Both were drafted last season by the Bears. Gilbert is another incredible athlete but saw limited action on the field last season. Although that was better than Melton, who was stuck on the IR for the season so he could learn the system AND the position since he played part of his college career at running back. 

-And then whoever the Bears decide to draft in the third or fourth round this year: A decent player no doubt who will see some, but limited action for most of the season and will more than likely be ineffective.

... Wait, why are are the Bears ditching Alex Brown?

The move seems to be based on management not wanting to shell out five million dollars to him for this next season.

So, all the sudden they are getting thrifty?

I mean they only payed $12.5 million for a back-up running back and $15 million for a blocking tight end. Did I miss the part where those two positions were an area of major need?

Sure, while Matt Forte did have a poor second year, it isn't like the panic button needs to be hit just yet. Forte still has skills and behind him is Kahill Bell who showed some flashes late last season. Not to mention that they could have gone a cheaper route for a backup in free agency rather than signing Chester Taylor.

And I know that Brandon Manumaleuma fits very well in the Mike Martz style of offense but seriously, Greg Olsen, Dez Clark, and Kellen Davis have been a pretty good trio for the Bears the past season or two. Clark can block pretty well but now that Manumaleuma is here, it probably means bye bye to one of the three, with the current speculation being Olsen.

Also take into account that the NFL is going into an uncapped year, so you will not be penalized for being over the money marker. And in the end, is $5 million really going to make the difference between signing free safety O.J. Atogwe or not?

So you know why the Bears are really pushing Brown out?

The answer is very simple: Lovie Smith.

Alex Brown is being let go because he isn't a "Lovie guy"

First off, Brown was not drafted by Lovie Smith. Strike one. Lovie holds a special place in his heart for his own guys. (For a perfect example, see Danieal Manning)

Then, you look at their history together.

After Mark Anderson's incredible rookie year in 2005, Lovie moved him into the starting line up over Brown without an open competition in the following training camp. Anderson struggled in that role for most of the season until eventually, Brown won back his rightful starting position.

So the coach doesn't have enough respect for his player to give him a chance to prove he should be a starter? Bang, strike two.

And then finally, is the difference in philosophies.

Brown will stand up in front of the media after a pitiful performance and tell them that they played bad as a unit, as a defense, and as a team and take responsibility. He gets fired up. He is one of the few players that when he stood on the field, you could tell that he CARED.

And that is just about as polar opposite as one can get from the unflappable Lovie Smith.

Lovie Smith will just stand there after a beat down and talk about how they wished they could have done some things better and they will review some tape and come out better prepared the next week... Loss after loss.

For example, after the Cincinnati Bengals stomped the Bears 45-10 this past season, Brown had this to say, "We didn't look like we were ready... We didn't play like we were ready. I didn't play like I was ready. I have to do my job better.... It's embarrassing to come out and play like that."

In an article written by Vaughn McClure, Lovie Smith made the following comments in regards to the Bengals game,

"We were beaten by a good football team yesterday. You have to give the Cincinnati Bengals a lot of the credit. They played well in all three phases. We didn't. We're a better football team than we displayed yesterday on the football field. This week, we should be a little closer to getting Adrian Peterson back. Tommie Harris should be good to go this week. So we'll have our full group back and ready to go."

See the difference. Lovie tiptoed around the issue. He made some minor excuses and then moved on to the next topic and the next game. Alex Brown came right out and said they played bad. I understand the need for a coach to try and look ahead, but occasionally someone needs to get called out and Brown was that man on the Bears.

But that isn't how Lovie does things so there is your strike three.

Now the Bears will be stuck with the combination of Anderson/Idonije/Gilbert at the left defensive end playing opposite Peppers.

In other words, expect the Bears to generate little to no pass rush again this season as Julius Peppers will be facing never ending double teams and Mark Anderson will continue to NOT pressure the quarterback... Awesome.

Way to go Bears "Braintrust". If Angelo and Smith are going down with their ship, at least they are doing so in their true fashion: Ignorance.

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However, the best possible free agent running back that the Chicago Bears need to be pursuing is not Brian Westbrook, or LT, or even Darren Sproles.

The Bears' best option is actually a former Bear...Thomas Jones, who will be released by the New York Jets as free agency begins on Friday, March 5.

Before everyone calls me crazy, hear me out.

First off, in regards to the other options...

Westbrook is a good player. He still has some explosiveness and quick moves, but his concussion problem is something that should steer Chicago away from him.

Tomlinson has fallen off. There is generally a rule of thumb with running backs that once they start declining, generally that decline is steep. He would still be a solid option for a change of pace back or for veteran leadership, but his price tag might be a little too high for his recent lack of production.

Of the main three, Sproles might be the most ideal, as he is without a doubt the best pass catcher of the group and quite possibly the most electric receiver coming out of the backfield we have seen in the entire decade. But odds are he can find a home (like back in San Diego) where he will get more touches, more money, and more of a chance to be an every-down back.

But Thomas Jones...I realize that the Bears and he parted ways on not so good of terms, but he is the ideal running back.

Bringing him in will give that offense another solid option in the backfield. Jones was at his best with Chicago when they ran dual backs with him and Cedric Benson. Team him with Matt Forte and there would be little drop-off between the two.

The only downside would be that there would not be a change of pace. Both backs have a similar style of running. But it would mean that we have a high-caliber player in the backfield at all times.

Last season with the New York Jets, Jones rushed for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns—and the Jets are releasing him! While I know Jones rushed behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, he also played with a quarterback that was usually instructed to NOT lose the game (remind Bear fans of anyone else?), and defenses were teed up against the run every game.

Adding Jones would also allow the Bears to part ways with two other backups: Garrett Wolfe, who has not done a whole lot in three seasons, and longtime backup and special teams ace Adrian Peterson. This would also give Kahlil Bell a veteran back from whom he can learn.

The most important thing that T.J. can teach Forte and Bell is hard work. The man is a machine. He is the definition of a gym rat. Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer used to praise Jones for his work ethic. He works out hard, keeps his body fit, and never stops trying to get better. What more could you ask for out of your running back? 

I understand that this is a long shot considering the terms he and the Bears left on, but Thomas Jones should be the best fit at the best price for a position that needs some leadership.

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We trekked around from country to country, London to Paris, Paris to Barcelona, Barcelona to Geneva, Geneva to Interlocken, Interlocken back to Paris. And as I am waiting at the station in Paris for a midnight train to head to Amsterdam, this guy walks past me and gives me a funny look.

Now I didnt think about it much at first, I mean I'm a 17 year old American kid rocking a tye die t-shirt, dirty jeans and a New York Mets cap on —I probably deserved to get strange looks.

But after a couple minutes, this guy comes walking back and says to me, "Hey, you really a Mets fan or do you just wear the hat?"

I was caught off guard, but responded tentatively, "Oh, yeah I like the Mets."

So this guy pulls up his left shirt sleeve and shows me this tattoo that looks like just this barbed wire picture around his bicep, but as I look closer, I realize that it isn't barbed wire, its numbers.

As it turned out, they were more than just numbers they were years, in fact, it was every year the Mets had won the NL Pennant, just designed to go around his arm.

I was blown away. Half of me was amazed that some guy would actually put that on his body and the other half was in awe of the sheer design and genius of it.

Ever since then, I debated the merits of getting the Chicago Bears "C" logo somewhere on my body. I even broke it down into a list of pros and cons.

Pros:

• I love the Bears
• I've always wanted a tattoo
• I feel that if I get one, it should be something meaningful
• Everyone always says that if you get a tattoo, it should be of something you will never regret. I know that no matter what, I will always be a Bears fan so I do not feel I would regret it down the road.
• The location of the tattoo will be my back, which is a place that is easily hidden so it should not inhibit my ability to gain meaningful employment.

Cons:

• It would be permanent
• It may be a, err... tad on the extreme side
• It would be permanent.
• The process would be painful
• If I were to get color, it would fade over time.
• It would be expensive.
• It would be permanent.
• It might become gross and wrinkly as I age.

Despite the numerous reasons why not, I probably will end up with one down the road. But the question then becomes, does that make me a die hard fan or an obsessed nutcase?

The most obvious case for Bear fans to take a look at is the gentleman above, Glenn Timmerman. Glenn is what should be considered a poster child for sports tattoos. He currently has over 100 signatures of Bears and former Bears players on his body plus several other Bear related pictures, including the Bears C on the back of his skull.

Now, the question is, is Glenn the most hardcore fan ever or just a fan who has totally lost his mind? Or, to be fair, both?

Is it to much? Is having just a small sports team tattoo tasteful? Is having a Bears "C" on your top right shoulder any worse than getting "Mom" inside of a heart on your bicep?

I think Glenn is an amazing fan and think that if he isn't the most hardcore, then he certainly has the highest tolerance of pain of any Bear fan out there.

But I will say that his tattoo love has definitely passed the point of crazy.

So I pose the question to you, is a sport team related tattoo acceptable and if so, where is the line drawn?

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That aside, he might be a good fit at the offensive coordinator position for the Chicago Bears.

(I must give credit to Jake Perper, who first introduced the idea several weeks ago after Martz expressed interest. For his opinion, check here .)

Now I realize ever since he was the Rams offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl run back in 1999, Martz hasn't exactly put together a sparkling resume.

He had a stint with lowly Lions as their offensive coordinator and then a single season as the OC in San Francisco before being let go and then became a TV analyst (which included blasting Jay Cutler a number of times).

But one thing Martz has been able to do is maximize good quarterbacks abilities. Let us take a look at his history:

First is Kurt Warner, who will forever be in my mind the greatest single Cinderella story of all time in any sport for one single player.

In the three seasons in which Martz was calling plays and Warner started more than half the season, (two seasons were cut short due to injuries) Warner threw 98 touchdown passes, 12,612 yards and had an average completion percentage of 67.1.

The Rams made the playoffs in all three years, made the Super Bowl twice and won the Super Bowl once.

Following Warner was Marc Bulger, who took over as the full-time starter in 2003 and 2004 (before Martz took a leave of absence in 2005). In those two seasons, Bulger had the best two-year stretch of his career, tossing 43 touchdowns for 7809 yards and a completion percentage of 64.7. The Rams went 20-12 in those two seasons.

In the following season, Martz took over as the offensive coordinator in Detroit. During the ensuing two season, Lions QB Jon Kitna threw for a total of 39 touchdowns for 8,276 yards (both seasons had Kitna above the 4,000 yard marker) and had a completion percentage of 62.9. This after nine seasons (five of those as starter) in which Kitna has never reached the 4,000 yard marker.

(I will make it clear that the Lions record was still pitiful those two years. 3-13 in the first year and 7-9 the second. While I want Martz, I will not try to convince you that he is perfect.)

After the Lions fired Martz, he spent a brief time in San Francisco that resulted in some mediocre statistics, with quarterbacks J.T. O'Sullivan and Shaun Hill combining for 21 touchdowns (plus 19 interceptions) for 3,724 yards and a combined completion percentage of 60.5. The team as a whole went 7-9.

Throughout this tumultuous 2009 season, the Chicago Bears have been able to reassure themselves that they have a quarterback with all the skills to be great, he just needs that coordinator who understands it.

Give him an offense like Martz's and the speed at wide receiver that Martz likes, and this offense could take off... both literally and figuratively.

Now the main argument, and the best one really, is that Martz does not utilize the running back nearly enough or as effectively as one would hope.

While I admit that Marshall Faulk's rushing numbers were not nearly what they could have been if he had been given the chance, his receiving numbers were incredible. From 1999-2003, Faulk recorded 376 receptions for 3,470 yards and 25 touchdowns. 

Plus, Faulk managed to rack up 5,893 rushing yards in that five-year period with 4.9 yards per carry. Now I realize that Faulk is a Hall of Fame player, so you can make the case that he should have or could have an even better career if Martz had run the ball more but those numbers are still nothing to sneeze at.

And to be frank, after a poor sophomore season, the best asset Matt Forte has at the moment is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

While I am not pushing for the Bears to abandon the run all-out, I am saying that we should not condemn Martz just for his lack of emphasis on the run.

Martz and Lovie Smith were coordinators together with the Rams and Martz has even admitted interest in the Bears coordinator position before it was even "officially" available.

I do not like Martz, but if he can come in and bring out the best in Cutler and our receivers and most importantly our offense, I am all for it.

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