uncle flap Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) I was listening to Chris Berman on John Murphy's new show on WGR the other day and I thought he made an interesting point (toward the end of the show) about where the Bills should be aiming their sights. They didn't dig too deep on this topic but I got to thinking, "Are the Bills putting too much of an emphasis on getting after the Pats* while neglecting a likely more meaningful rival in the Jets?" The reason I say "more meaningful" is this: Even if the Bills beat NE* twice, NE* still has a good chance to win the AFCE by posting a better overall record. This could lead to the Bills and Jets battling for a Wild Card spot. The Jets are seemingly going back to their bread-n-butter and gearing up for a ground and pound offense. Does anyone think that they might have a better chance to beat the Bills now that the Bills have devoted so many resources to pass defense? Or is the Bills D just going to be that much better overall so that this is a non-issue? So, what do you guys think? How do the Bills match up against the Jets? Does it matter as much as how the Bills match up against the Pats*? Edited July 28, 2012 by uncle flap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSE Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 If Rex continues to run the show in New Jersey, the Jets are going nowhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/144835-instead-of-endlessly-whining-about-pats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 the NYETS are not a threat to Buffalo as long as the Bills are not riddled with injury again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/144835-instead-of-endlessly-whining-about-pats Oops! I searched but did not go back far enough apparently. Should I delete his thread or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judman Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Hard to forget about the pats*... Those M-Fers at ESPN just hired Matt Light now too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Mario Williams isn't just a pass rushing DE. He's arguably one of the best all around DE's in the game and the guy was asked to play out of position @ LB in Houston. At almost 300lbs he's not going to be easy to move off the line and should be able to contain the left. On the other side, you have an apparent rotation of Kelsay, Anderson & Merriman. Kelsay's strength is the run and Merriman played great (with a bad leg and shoulder) at DE for the 1st four games last year. Bring in Anderson on obvious passing downs and you've got a rock solid set of DE's. On the interior you've got Dareus and Kyle Williams, one pro bowler and one soon to be pro bowler. Our DL is as good as any in the game so lets look at MLB. Sheppard and our rookie from FSU are bangers, they'll have no problem getting to a RB because the OL won't have the luxury of getting to the second level. So much of our LB play the last few years has been hampered by free ranging OL. That problem is gone. We don't have a banger at safety but I'll think we'll be fine. Against the run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 we are in no position to discount the Jets yet. Maybe the Dolphins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sllib olaffub Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I like your thinking here - and it's a legitimate question. I'd say you are right. The Bills look to be in line for a wildcard, and to win that race they'll have some competition. I'm thinking there will be at least 4 teams fighting with similar records (10 or 11 wins) for the 2 wildcard spots. We've listed them before, but the top teams finishing with 10 or more wins look like they'll be Cincy, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New England, Buffalo, Jets, Broncos, Texans, San Diego, and maybe Oakland or Kansas City... Even if you take out the Jets, Oakland, and Kansas City, you're still looking at a few other teams that could finish with excellent records. And, as for our ability to stop the run - I think Buffalo has an excellent defense for BOTH the pass and run. Mario Williams, Kelsay, and Merriman are all good at both. Sheppard, and the slew of LB's we have would seemingly be BETTER against the run, as they were big for 4-3 linebackers, coming from the 3-4. And, I think our secondary will be excellent. To me, the question of whether or not we can handle the Jets comes down more to offensive line play. Can we protect Fitzpatrick? Can we run the ball to protect a lead? Can we move the ball through the air against them? If we can score 24 points against them, I think we can win almost every time, with our defense. And, let's remember - they might have Miami's former coach, but we have the guy he went to for advice on how to run the wildcat. So, I think Lee can give us plenty of advice on beating the Jets. But, I will say again, it'll be more a question of how well our O-line plays. It has to be very good this year for us to get to the playoffs. Because - let's not forget - after Fitz, we're in serious trouble at QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Tim is going to find out just how hasty and rude Jets fans can be. I'm gonna predict that this doesn't end well Gettin my popcorn......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) but I'll think we'll be fine. Against the run. And, as for our ability to stop the run - I think Buffalo has an excellent defense for BOTH the pass and run. To me, the question of whether or not we can handle the Jets comes down more to offensive line play. Can we protect Fitzpatrick? Can we run the ball to protect a lead? Can we move the ball through the air against them? I do think the BIlls will more than likely be good against the run as well. As you two and others have stated, the new scheme and players look to be good against the pass and the run. I guess what I meant is looking towards the Pats* as a benchmark from the fans perspective. I'm sure the coaches aren't ignoring the Jets or anyone else. I neglected to ask about the Bills offense, and in particular the OL. Those are good questions. Especially considering the Jets/Pats* debate. D is not the Pats* strong point, so against them, it'll come down to the Bills D against their O, whereas the against the Jets, the more important matchup seems to be the Bills O vs the Jets D. Edited July 28, 2012 by uncle flap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 we are in no position to discount the Jets yet. Maybe the Dolphins. I HATE saying it but no, were are not ready to discount the fins. They beat us twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockinon Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Who said the Bills are discounting the Jets? This team is planning to take down every team in it's division. That includes the Patriots, Jets and even Miami. I guess I don't see your logic here OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I HATE saying it but no, were are not ready to discount the fins. They beat us twice. sorry i was trying to be hopeful. The truth is we really dont know what we got here in Buffalo yet. Last years roller coaster ride shows us two things. We know how to win and we know how to lose. All signs point to a better team from coaching down to depth. But i really don't know who we can beat in the AFC east yet. But i am quite optimistic at heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 Who said the Bills are discounting the Jets? This team is planning to take down every team in it's division. That includes the Patriots, Jets and even Miami. I guess I don't see your logic here OP. I don't think the Bills are discounting anyone. I think some (possibly the majority) of fans are discounting pretty much everyone but NE*. I re-read the OP and see where I literally asked a ? about what the Bills are doing so I understand the confusion. I should've clarified about including the fan perspective. To be more clear, there are two main points I was hoping to spark a discussion about: 1. From a fan's perspective, should we be worried about how the Bills match up against the Pats* as much as how they match up against the Jets? and 2. By seemingly building a team with an emphasis on stopping Brady and the Pats*, does that hinder the Bills ability to stop a team with an entirely different philosophy (specifically, the Jets)? or, as I ended the OP: How do you think the Bills match up against the Jets? Does it matter as much as how the Bills match up against the Pats*? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 well. and yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 we are in no position to discount the Jets yet. Maybe the Dolphins. This is the kind of loser mentality Buddy Nix is fighting to get rid of. The attitude in the Bills locker room should be expect to beat everyone. Expect to win. They should be worrying about us. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I forget about them all the time until we have to play them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 This is the kind of loser mentality Buddy Nix is fighting to get rid of. The attitude in the Bills locker room should be expect to beat everyone. Expect to win. They should be worrying about us. PTR Would you define expecting to win differently then discounting a team? I do, and I agree with what you're saying. To me a discount against a team makes for a trap game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Would you define expecting to win differently then discounting a team? I do, and I agree with what you're saying. To me a discount against a team makes for a trap game. You can't believe in yourself when all you do is fawn over the other guy. We know we can beat these teams. Act like it. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts