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FLASHback to 2007’s Offense

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COMPARING THE 2007 SEASON TO THIS YEARS TEAM OFFENSIVELY

In 2007, New England was a juggernaut on offense. As far as regular seasons go, well, the Patriots went undefeated. Of course, this season won’t be perfect, the offense could look quite familiar. Josh Gordon recently picked up by New England, has many fans very excited. First and foremost, he is not Randy Moss 2.0. I want to make that clear.

However, if Gordon can fall in line, keep his nose in the playbook and contribute all season, then we could be in for quite the show. The comparisons this year to the undefeated regular season are fair, hear me out.

Let’s compare Offenses

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

DIFFERENT NAMES – SAME GAME

New England’s offense in 2007 was unstoppable, mainly because of Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Other key players had their roles as well, only one player remains – Tom Brady. 2007 will go down as one of the best complete football teams of all time, if not the best. Here is what the offense looked like.

Starting off is Tom Brady, who has seemed to have gotten better with age. As he admits himself, “I feel like I’ve played better the last eight years then I did my first ten.”

Next, let’s look at the running game. Laurence Maroney handled the heavy workload. Patriots HOF’er Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris as the 3rd down change of pace backs. Heath Evans was the fullback.

Jumping ahead to this season, SB hero James White, Rex Burkhead, and rookie Sony Michel can all either be RBs or receivers in the slot or split out wide. In today’s NFL, I’d give the slight edge to this season’s RB core, as moving the ball through the air is more important than ever. Defenses can’t tell whether it’s a run or pass play when any of these players step on the field. Also, James Devlin is used at FB to open up running lanes and catch the ball as well.

SB hero James White

Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

PASS CATCHING COMPARISONS

Randy Moss is in the HOF, Josh Gordon is not Randy Moss. However, if Gordon is the best version of himself, he will fill the Moss role, which is taking the top off the defense with his size and speed. Brady hasn’t had this since Randy Moss, with the obvious edge going to Moss, with one caveat – the rest of the pass catchers overall compared to this year.

With Gordon attempting to do his best Moss impersonation, Brady now has a real deep threat. His targets also include Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and Philip Dorsett with special teams ace, Corderelle Patterson, being involved in some packages each game.

Josh Gordon opening up the field for these receivers will not allow defenses to double. If they do, Brady will find one of the open players. Looking at this year’s pass catchers and 2007 receivers, it’s the same concept with similarly skilled players except for Moss. Now, 2018 now has a beast like him plus Rob Gronkowski. That alone is scary for opponents.

JE11 in the slot

Edelman will be back in the slot, with Gordon opening up the field. Just like Welker did in 2007

Patriots offensively in 2007, besides Randy, had an aging local legend in Troy Brown, another Patriot HOF player, along with Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, and Jabar Gaffney. They didn’t have a huge part of this comparison in Rob Gronkowski. Ben Watson was good along with Brady, but it’s not close to Gronk alone.  2018 also adds Hollister in the mix. So, can this year’s team look anything like the 2007 Patriots?

IN CONCLUSION, WHERE DOES THIS SEASON’S OFFENSE STACK UP?

Going through it by positions was interesting, and all these comparisons depend on one player, who’s never been dependable. In the event Josh Gordon does click with Tom Brady, this year’s Patriots team will do some serious damage. As I see it, this years RB group can be better than 2007.

Pass catchers; if everything goes to plan, will put up eye-popping numbers. Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Chris Hogan with the RBs will keep defenses up at night.

No, this season won’t be as prolific as the undefeated team but will have a similar feeling to it. As always, health will play a factor as well of the offensive line.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are still here, with players comparable or better to the 2007 team. Still, it’s too early to tell what will happen next.

No Tom Brady led offense will ever be as good, but this year is the closest it will get. Imagine all of this coming after the recent WR drama throughout the last few months.

The Case of Ja’Whaun Bentley

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“With the No. 143 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select Ja’Whaun Bentley, ILB, Purdue. He is a 6-foot-2, 260 pounds off-the-ball linebacker who’s considered to some as a contact player.”

Image result for ja'whaun bentley nfl draft pictures

Following the Super Bowl, a glaring need for the Patriots was a coverage linebacker. When New England drafted Ja’Whaun Bentley, the NFL community didn’t think as much of it. After all, his draft profile from the NFL.com didn’t show much promise.

“…Bentley has athletic limitations that hinder his effectiveness as an NFL finisher and he’s ill-suited to handle coverage duties against the pass. Bentley lacks ideal speed and reaction time…”

He has been proving this profile wrong as he continues to impress in preseason games. In his debut, he logged six tackles (two for loss) and a quarterback hit in addition to four stops in coverage. This performance earned him a 90.0 PFF grade and a spot in PFF’s Team of the Week Defense.

PFF NFL Team of the Week, Preseason Week 1, Harold Landry

In his second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he started over Elandon Roberts and ended the game again with six tackles and more notably returned a fumble back for a touchdown. He also forced incompletions against the likes of Jay Ajayi and Dallas Goedert.

Bright Future for the Rookie

One of his biggest concerns about Bentley was his speed and coverage skills. He shined in both of these areas in the two preseason games he had played. He has been able to keep up with both tight ends and running backs which is a good sign for the young rookie and a sign of relief for New England fans. Scott Zolak even noted how Bentley looked like a young Jerod Mayo out there, except Mayo was never that fast.

Another important fact of note is that the rookie donned the green dot on his helmet, meaning that he was the one calling plays for the first team defense. The New England staff has a lot of faith in him.

“He’s always been the middle linebacker, the signal caller, the guy right in the middle of the defense,” Bill Belichick said, citing Bentley’s experience as a four-year captain at Purdue. “He does a good job of handling the communication and some of the adjustments that have to be made from the center of the field, which that’s his position; that’s part of it. He’s been able to do that pretty well since he’s come here… He’s got a long way to go, but he’s handled those things well.” (USA Today)

All in all, Ja’Whaun Bentley has been impressing on all cylinders. He’s smart, intuitive, strong, and possesses a huge build. If he continues to play like he has been, Bentley can take over Elandon Roberts’ spot as the starter.

Positional Group Comparisons for Super Bowl LII

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Amid the pomp and circumstance of Super Bowl week, there is actually a game that will be played. Let’s allow everybody else to focus on the pageantry of the event. We are going to dive into a position by position evaluation ahead of the big game. Let’s start with on the offensive side of the ball.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Positional

If there is one clear-cut advantage for either team in this game, it’s at the quarterback position. Tom Brady is the consummate professional. He will demonstrate great poise throughout the game regardless of the literal and figurative noise around him. Nick Foles played perhaps the best game of his entire life in the NFC championship game against a stellar Minnesota Vikings defense. He will need to replicate that performance to give his team a chance.

RUNNING BACKS

The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles almost mirror one another in the way they use their running backs. As the season progressed, Dion Lewis saw his role expand. He is known for his elusiveness, but he runs with deceptive power as well. James White’s track record in the postseason speaks for itself. He was a savior in last season’s Super Bowl. White possesses great hands and his quarterback has the utmost trust in his abilities. Rex Burkhead is another solid option as he can spell either Lewis or White.

When the Eagles obtained Jay Ajayi, they showed the NFL they were all-in on this season. Ajayi would be a feature back on many teams like he was with the Miami Dolphins. However, Philadelphia has excellent depth in the backfield. LeGarrette Blount is the power option while Corey Clement specializes in the passing attack. Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars moved the ball easily at New England as they replaced Leonard Fournette with seldom-used Corey Grant. Look for the Eagles to keep the fresh back in the game and do a lot of different things with their halfbacks.

RECEIVERS

positional

Rob Gronkowski is arguably the greatest tight end to ever play the game. He is hardly the lone threat for the Patriots on offense, though. As we witnessed last week, Danny Amendola is as clutch as it gets. Brandin Cooks added six receptions for 100 yards and one critical drop. Brady has been looking deep more regularly in 2017 than ever before. Hence, if Cooks gets behind the Eagles gambling defensive backs and Brady connects, that could be a game-changer. The Pats’ will try it at least once per half. Chris Hogan and Philip Dorsett are also versatile, useful receivers. New England will be ultra-tough to stop if this game turns into a shootout.

The Eagles have a few weapons of their own. Alshon Jeffery has seen his career rejuvenated by coming over to Philly. He was huge in beating Minnesota’s all-world defensive backfield. His 53-yarder proved to be the dagger in the Eagles rout of the Vikings. Nelson Algohar and Torrey Smith are good second and third options on the outside, but not great. The Eagles’ tight ends have been a strength this season especially Zach Ertz. How many times did Foles hit Ertz on third down in the NFC championship game? Ertz keeps improving and the Eagles will look to exploit this advantage Sunday.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The Eagles from top to bottom have the better offensive line. Their center Jason Kelce is a terrific athlete and perhaps the best screen blocker in the game today. Likewise, Lane Johnson is a powerful right tackle. Since Foles is not as much of a threat to move in the pocket as Carson Wentz is, Johnson’s play has taken on a more magnified role. When watching the film, he has passed with flying colors. Halapoulivaati Vaitai is the weak link on this strong line. Look for Bill Belichick to switch between Trey Flowers and James Harrison over Vaitai to keep the backup tackle off-balance.

The Patriots’ offensive line has experienced some inconsistencies. Cameron Fleming has struggled to step into Marcus Cannon’s large shoes at right tackle. On the other hand, the interior has been stout especially when run-blocking. David Andrews is a star in the making and surrounds himself with Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney. That trio means more time for Brady to pick his poison.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

positional

Simply put, Brandon Graham is superb. He is an elite pass rusher who garnered 9.5 sacks and 47 tackles while sharing time with former Patriot Chris Long at defensive end. The Eagles have a nice interior as well with high-priced Timmy Jernigan and Fletcher Cox. The Patriots have experienced multiple injuries along the line, but appear to be at their most healthy coming into the game Sunday.

Malcolm Brown, Alan Branch and Deatrich Wise Jr. all claim to be 100% ready to play. Trey Flowers is the unsung man on the Patriots. He was enormous in the Super Bowl last year. Twice, the Atlanta Falcons could have put New England in a world of hurt. The Pats’ failed to recover an onside kick giving Atlanta the short field. Flowers sacked Matt Ryan ending the threat. Later in the game, Flowers got Ryan again after a miraculous Julio Jones reception set up Atlanta nicely. Flowers will have another big game this year. Adding James Harrison was the most necessary and incredible move Coach Belichick made during the season. Harrison’s phenomenal play in the 2009 Super Bowl against the Arizona Cardinals is one of the greatest moments in professional football history.

LINEBACKERS

The Eagles appear to have the better group at linebacker. The underrated duo on the outside, Mychal Kendricks and Nigel Bradham, are solid tacklers who defend the pass expertly. The Eagles’ linebackers and edge rushers were flying around the field in the second half of the NFC championship game. For the true fan of the intricacies of the game, it was such a pleasure to watch Jim Schwartz defense in action. They play a smart scheme with throwback relentlessness.

New England lacks experience and depth. Julian Edelman’s injury made the headlines, but Dont’a Hightower’s absence is one of the underplayed stories of the week. People close to the organization recognize Hightower’s greatness. While it is more juicy to discuss a perceived riff in the relationship between Brady and Belichick or how the Patriots get all the officiating breaks, there is an actual news item regarding these Patriots. They miss the terrific Hightower. In both the 2015 and 2017 Super Bowls, Hightower made signature game-altering stops. The Eagles have the tight ends and receiving backs to out-man the Patriots linebackers.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Both teams look good on the back end. Everybody remembers Malcolm Butler’s iconic play as a rookie in the 2015 Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. That was a career-builder for Butler, not a one play wonder. Butler is scrappy, turnover-conscious and gives 100% on every play. Hence, Belichick loves him. On the other side, Stephon Gilmore is susceptible to penalties, but has big play ability as was on display in the last minute of the AFC championship game. Safeties Pat Chung and Devin McCourty are in their fourth Super Bowls. Along with Duran Harmon, they epitomize the bend but don’t break style of Patriot defense. New England gives up a lot of yards, but not a lot of points. That is a recipe for victory.

The Eagles are well-positioned at corner as well. Preseason acquisition Ronald Darby and lockdown guy Jalen Mills join nickelback Patrick Robinson to form a trio that stopped Atlanta with a goal-line stand and had a pick six against Minnesota. While the patriots do not possess the star power of a Julio Jones or Adam Thielen, their receiver by committee will be quite the test for Philadelphia’s backfield. Malcolm Jenkins is one of the best in the game at his position and will have his hands full deciding where to help out.

The Patriots typically plan an offensive attack that has not been seen before. Will they feature Gronk like they did when they won in Pittsburgh? Or will they try to get their backs involved in the passing game? Perhaps they will do something totally different. Your guess is as good as mine. When Schwartz was the defensive coordinator for the Bills in 2014, Tom Brady threw for 361 yards and the Pats’ scored 37 points against one of the best defenses in the league that year. The game will be decided by whoever wins the matchup between the Patriot receivers and Eagle defensive backs. One thing is for sure: Coach Schwartz will have a busy week and a stressful Super Bowl night.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Overall, the Patriots have the edge in the kicking game. Veteran Stephen Gostkowski has been doing his thing for New England for 12 seasons. He has a big, dependable leg. Jake Elliott’s highlight came in a Week 3 win for the Eagles over the New York Giants. He boomed a 61-yard field goal at the buzzer. Each team has a reliable, if not spectacular, punter. The Eagles Donnie Jones has a rocket for a leg while the Patriots lefty Ryan Allen does a great job pinning the opposition deep with his directional gems. He flew under the radar with a strong second half performance against the Jaguars. Belichick was content to get into a field position game and it paid off.

As if New England isn’t tough enough to defeat, the Eagles will have to be mindful of two veteran threats. Danny Amendola provided a spark in the punt game against Jacksonville when he set up his own game-winning touchdown with a 20-yard return. Dion Lewis returned a kickoff for a touchdown in last year’s playoffs and another one this season at Denver.

Obviously, these ball clubs match up well. The Patriots have the better offense, the Eagles have the better defense. However, only one of these teams has Coach Belichick. That is a pretty significant factor. The better overall team comes from Philadelphia. The better coach and quarterback come from New England. This should be a fabulous contest.

 

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

Ten Fun Super Bowl Facts to Get You Fired Up

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When I hosted a sports talk radio program on my college radio station at Buffalo State College, my on air name was “Dr. Super Bowl” due to my intense love of Super Bowl history. For me, this is the most wonderful time of the year. You can have your shopping days until Christmas, I’ll take the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. I have lost many close friends and have driven several family members to tears of boredom dropping mad Super Bowl trivia on their unsuspecting souls. However, you the true sports fan will appreciate these mind-numbing fun facts about the greatest event in the history of the world.

Wear the White Jersey

Super Bowl

It is the new rage for the home team to select the white road jersey. AFC teams are designated as the home team for even-numbered Super Bowls such as this fifty-second edition of the big game. The New England Patriots wore their blue jersey for every home game since a 2011 clash with the Dallas Cowboys. Bill Belichick no doubt made that choice because of the old superstition that the Cowboys always lose big games in their blue. Additionally, the Patriots have been the home team in five of their nine Super Bowl appearances. Each time, they wore their home jersey. Each time they were the “road” team, they wore white. Why the change this season?

Teams wearing white have won twelve of the last thirteen Super Bowls. The Green Bay Packers were the lone exception with their 2011 Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the old days, teams did not have a choice. The home team was required to wear the dark jersey. Thus, we were robbed of what would have been a gorgeous match-up in the Orange Bowl for the 1971 Super Bowl between the Cowboys and Baltimore Colts as Dallas was forced to wear the blue instead of their famous “whites”. Dallas was the first home team to wear the white jersey doing it in the epic 1979 Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team that has worn the white is 33-18 all-time.

Minnesota, Here We Come

This season marks the second time the Super Bowl has been played in the land of 10,000 lakes. The 1992 Super Bowl between the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills took place in Minnesota’s Metrodome. Like this season, that game featured the top seeds from each conference. Buffalo came in as the defending AFC champion losing the year before to the Giants by a single point. The Redskins were the dominant NFC team that season and crushed their two playoff opponents en route to the Super Bowl. Washington led by journeyman Mark Rypien walloped Buffalo physically and on the scoreboard. Safety Brad Edwards had a monster game that has largely been forgotten. The 37-24 score does not do justice to this one-sided affair.

Gronk’s Super Bowl Story

Like most things pertaining to Gronk, his Super Bowl appearances have been unusual. This will be the fourth time New England has played in the big game since Gronkowski arrived on the scene in 2010. In the 2012 Super Bowl against the New York Giants, he played on a sprained ankle. Therefore, Brady targeted Aaron Hernandez much more in the passing attack. Three seasons later, Gronkowski was virtually unstoppable in the thrilling win over the Seattle Seahawks. He scored a second quarter touchdown when single-covered by a linebacker. On the go-ahead scoring drive, he made two huge receptions. Last season, the Patriots won the Super Bowl without Gronkowski in the lineup. Due to his concussion in the AFC Championship game, his status is still unclear for the Super Bowl.

I Love the 80’s

Super Bowl

The Eagles and Patriots each played in one Super Bowl during the decade of my youth. The irreplaceable Dick Vermeil coached the 1980 Eagles to their first championship in 20 years. They were awesome on defense on diverse on offense as they built their game plan around quarterback Ron Jaworski, talented running back Wilbert Montgomery and the giant wide receiver Harold Carmichael. Unfortunately, they were flat and nervous come Super Bowl Sunday as the Oakland Raiders flattened them 27-10. Jaworski was picked off three times by Rod Martin. His counterpart veteran Jim Plunkett was on his game throwing three touchdown passes and winning the MVP.

The Patriots Super Bowl appearance following the 1985 season was a train wreck of catastrophic proportions. They got absolutely steamrolled by the historic Mike Ditka-coached Chicago Bears. The Patriots can take solace in the fact that they were the first team to make the Super Bowl after winning three road playoff games. Incredibly, in each of those games, they were +4 in turnover differential including their shocking AFC championship conquest in Miami over the Dolphins.

JT is the Man

Timberlake returns for a third time to provide Super Bowl halftime entertainment. His 2001 performance alongside Aerosmith, *NSYNC and Britney Spears was way better than the game itself between the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants. The same cannot be said of his controversial appearance at the 2004 Super Bowl when he assisted Janet Jackson with a wardrobe malfunction. That game between the Patriots and Carolina Panthers was superb. A youthful Tom Brady was heroic in leading his team to a last-second win.

Giants Assistant Bill Belichick

Belichick is the head coach for a Super Bowl for an NFL-record eighth time. However, he also coached in the big game as the defensive coordinator of the Giants in the 1987 and 1991 Super Bowls. His 1986 Giants were a historically-good unit featuring the legendary Lawrence Taylor. They punished John Elway in a 39-20 win in Pasadena. On the other hand, his 1990 team were massive underdogs against the high-powered Bills led by Jim Kelly. The Bills had come off a 51-3 dismantling of the Los Angeles Raiders in the AFC championship game. The Giants squeaked by Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers.

The Niners had a good offense that season while Buffalo was incredible. Belichick devised a scheme where he played just two down linemen daring the Bills to run. When they Bills did run the ball to all-world Thurman Thomas, they gained yards. However, Belichick knew Kelly’s gunslinging mentality would not allow him to hand the ball off all night. New York’s defense did just enough to hold Buffalo to seventeen offensive points and a missed field goal at the buzzer. Belichick’s one other Super Bowl did not go well when Green Bay topped the Patriots in 1997. He served that team as defensive backs coach. Therefore, coach Belichick’s overall Super Bowl record is a respectable 7-3.

Bills Backup Frank Reich

Super Bowl

Anyone who paid attention to the Eagles two playoff games has to applaud the efforts of offensive coordinator Frank Reich. I am not just bragging on him because I watched him play numerous times in Buffalo as a kid. He truly has done an excellent job helping Philadelphia get to the Super Bowl with backup quarterback Nick Foles.

Against the Atlanta Falcons, Reich trusted his running game between the tackles and short passing game. The Eagles did not score a lot, but they possessed the ball the majority of the second half. That ball control led to the narrow victory over the Falcons.  Against the Minnesota Vikings, Reich won the game on third down. All season long, the Vikings had the ability to get teams off the field on third. Thanks to Reich’s tremendous game plan, the Vikings did not come close to resembling the team in the regular season as they could not stop tight end Zach Ertz whatsoever.

Reich was a member of the Bills when they played in four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990’s. He got into the game on two occasions. In the 1992 Super Bowl against the Redskins, he came in for some garbage time late in the fourth. Under the current concussion protocol system, he probably would have gotten in sooner because Kelly got his bell rung early and often by Richie Pettibon’s bone-crushing defense. In the 1993 Super Bowl against the Cowboys, Reich relieved Kelly in the second quarter after the Bills starter injured his knee. Reich had engineered two playoff wins that season including the greatest comeback in NFL history in the Wild Card game. On this day, the Cowboys lightning-fast defense proved way too good for Reich and the Bills. He committed an embarrassing five turnovers in the 52-17 loss.

February 4th

February 4th will be the date of the Super Bowl for just the second time. Eleven years ago, the Indianapolis Colts claimed the city’s first and only Super Bowl championship by defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17. The incomparable Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a dramatic touchdown for the Bears. In a steady downpour, Manning was not at his best in this game, but he was good enough especially on third down. The Colts transformed a 14-6 deficit into a 22-14 lead.

Late in the third, Chicago kicked a field goal to cut lead to five. Then, Kelvin Hayden made the play of his life. He intercepted Rex Grossman and raced fifty-six yards on the soggy turf for the score and a 29-17 victory. This was not a marvelous Super Bowl by any standards. However, it was a marvelous accomplishment for Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning on February 4th, 2007.

Don’t Lose My Number

If Nick Foles guides the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship, he will join Drew Brees and Jim McMahon as the only quarterbacks to win it wearing the jersey #9. McMahon had an amazing personality and he was a good player and all, but honestly, the Bears could have won that game with Mike Ditka himself at quarterback. On the other hand, Brees was the New Orleans Saints absolute best player when they conquered the Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl.

Tom Brady’s five Super Bowl titles are among 16 championships by quarterbacks wearing the #12 jersey. Terry Bradshaw of the Steelers was 4-0 in the 1970’s. His first two Super Bowls came as a result of their running game and incomparable Steel Curtain defense. However, he won consecutive Super Bowl MVP awards in Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV. Also, in the 1970’s, Roger Staubach and Bob Griese won two championships wearing #12. Joe Namath, Ken Stabler and Aaron Rodgers captured the other three titles adorning football’s most popular number.

40 is the New 30

Tom Brady will be the sixth person in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl over the age of 40. For that reason alone, I cheer for the guy! He joins two placekickers, two punters and the greatest wide receiver ever created, Jerry Rice. Brady is a unique individual in that he is playing as good now as he did when he was 30. Mark Brunell and Earl Morrall dressed for the Super Bowl at 39 but were well past their prime in their backup role. Carolina’s defense overwhelmed 39-year old Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50. His best days were behind him. Yet, with Brady, he is not just the oldest player in the NFL, he is the greatest player in the NFL.

 

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills