Bills - Jets Preview

[Rico]

Buffalo hoping to minimize mistakes

 

Why to watch

An explosive Buffalo offense led by QB Drew Bledsoe and RB Travis Henry showed signs of life last week and it will look to eliminate the costly mistakes that have hindered it thus far. However, there are problems along the offensive line and this game is in New York, where the noise could cause the Bills' problems to continue.

 

RB Curtis Martin faces a strong Bills run defense, so the Jets need to get more from their passing game than they did a week ago. Will Buffalo's offense finally start realizing its awesome potential or will Jets QB Chad Pennington lead the Jets to their second AFC East victory in as many weeks?

 

When the Bills have the ball

Rushing: Buffalo will continue to focus on establishing its running game in an effort take some pressure off of Bledsoe and eventually wear down the Jets' front seven. Henry has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game this year, but don't expect to see backup Willis McGahee replace him any time soon.

 

While Henry is partly responsible for his 3.5 yards-per-carry average, he has been hindered by poor offensive line play. With the offensive line dealing with several injuries and still trying to jel, Bills offensive coordinator Tom Clements is trying to help both backs by lining them up in the backfield at the same time. The problem is McGahee isn't providing enough of a threat to draw attention away from Henry, making this alignment highly ineffective. McGahee hasn't received enough carries to keep defenses honest and hasn't broken the long run that will force defenses to respect his speed.

 

One of the reasons for his lack of involvement and production thus far is he is still learning to read defenses. Clements has been hesitant to give McGahee carries in games where the defense throws a number of different looks at the offense such as New England and Oakland. Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson will mix the 4-3 front with the 3-4-front at times so McGahee's role could be limited once again.

 

Passing: If Buffalo doesn't communicate better, expect the Jets' home-field advantage to play a role in the outcome of this game. Last week a breakdown between Bledsoe and WR Eric Moulds resulted in an easy interception for New England, and the Bills committed four false start penalties disrupting the rhythm of the offense. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of these mistakes is the fact that it was a home game.

 

This week Buffalo can help Bledsoe by getting out of the huddle and up to the line of scrimmage quickly, giving Bledsoe time to make any necessary changes. That should help prevent any miscommunication. Buffalo cannot continue to put the immobile Bledsoe in obvious passing situations by committing penalties either. The problem is the Bills cannot use the same cadence throughout the game because the Jets will get an excellent jump off the snap.

 

As a result, the offensive line must stay on the same page. Buffalo's offensive line will also have to do a better job of communicating in pass protection as well, as it has had some problems picking up line stunts and the blitz. Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson will move John Abraham around and line backup LDE Bryan Thomas at tackle in dime situations in an effort to keep the Bills off balance. WRs Eric Moulds and Lee Evans have the speed to put up some big numbers working against this secondary, but it won't matter if Bledsoe doesn't get enough time to find them downfield

 

When the Jets have the ball

Rushing: The Jets shouldn't have much success running inside. LOG Pete Kendall lacks ideal lower body strength and he is probably a better fit at center than he is at guard. He should struggle working against RDT Pat Williams. With ROG Brandon Moore also struggling with massive LDT Sam Adams, OC Kevin Mawae will have to help the play-side guard before heading up to the second level. The problem is Mawae is playing with a broken right hand, forcing him to snap with his left hand. As a result, he'll be a step slower when he goes to help Kendall and the broken hand should prevent him from delivering a powerful enough punch to allow Moore to get into position working against Adams.

 

Although RB Curtis Martin, who has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his thee games, probably won't continue his streak of 100-yard rushing games, he should keep Buffalo honest. The Jets will mask the lack of power along the interior offensive line and take advantage of its mobility by frequently pulling Mawae or a guard around the corner. OLBs Takeo Spikes and Jeff Posey show good upfield burst, so the pulling lineman must take a good angle to the block. If he is able to get into position, it will take Spikes and Posey some time to shed the block, resulting in them making the tackle three to four yards downfield rather than at the line of scrimmage.

 

Passing: Expect QB Chad Pennington bounce back from last week's poor performance with a strong game working against a Buffalo secondary that is dealing with two key injuries. CB Troy Vincent will miss at least two weeks with a knee injury and SS Lawyer Milloy remains out with a broken forearm. Nickel back Terrence McGee replaces Vincent. McGee has good speed and athletic ability but he is raw.

 

Jets WR Santana Moss excels at changing speed and directions quickly. Moss will test McGee with some double moves and the Jets will look to attack him off play-action. McGee isn't fast enough to recover once he's caught out of position. With shutdown corner Nate Clements working against Justin McCareins on the other side, the Bills will frequently roll the coverage to McGee's side of the field. The problem is SS Coy Wire has struggled resulting in the secondary giving up some long plays. There is a possibility that Pierson Prioleau replaces him as a result.

 

If either Wire or Prioleau gets caught out of position or is slow getting to the sideline when giving McGee help over the top, Moss will have an opportunity to make some big plays. Jets No. 3 WR Wayne Chrebet also has the route-running skills to consistently get open underneath working against nickel back Kevin Thomas. He should give Pennington a reliable safety valve in the short-to-intermediate passing game.

 

Scouts' Edge

If Buffalo plays with discipline and executes its game plan efficiently on both sides off the ball, it has an excellent chance of handing the Jets their first loss of the year. The Bills have the weapons at receiver to stretch the field and the backs to establish an effective running game. Buffalo's front seven is capable of slowing Martin down and forcing the Jets into some obvious passing situations.

 

If the safeties play with sound technique and don't get caught out of position, Pennington shouldn't make too many big plays either. However, the Bills have yet to come close to playing mistake-free football while the Jets are making the most of their opportunities. As a result, the Jets could eke out a close victory and hand Buffalo another heartbreaking loss.

[Like A Mofo]

Im still reading but what is up with this part...

 

Why to watch

An explosive Buffalo offense

 

Pass the Crown Royal please

[stuckincincy]

That writer oughta work for the New York Times or the National Enquirer...

[KD in CA]

Im still reading but what is up with this part...

Pass the Crown Royal please

59422[/snapback]

 

That's about where I stopped reading. What did this guy do, base his write up on a 2002 season preview?

[Realist]

Honestly, it sounds like he wrote this in the preseason based on what was being said about them. McGahee and Henry in the backfield at the same time? How often has that happened?

[R. Rich]

Let's just hope the Jets plan to run Martin up the middle, where we actually can stop the run, instead of outside, where we're weak in run support.

[stuckincincy]

Let's just hope the Jets plan to run Martin up the middle, where we actually can stop the run, instead of outside, where we're weak in run support.

59526[/snapback]

 

Good point. CM was so-so against the middle of a problematical B'gals DL with some injury issues, but lit them up outside of the ends, who were busy going after the qb. OLB's Kevin Hardy and Brian Simmons, decent players, got toasted. The Jet's WR's did a nice job keeping them out of playing position. Penny is a pretty good all-around QB. Different attributes, I suppose, but he's a Bernie Kosar type IMO.

[Guest Bay Bay's Kids]

We have an explosive offense BAY-BAY!!!

[CosmicBills]

I gurantee a Bills loss.

When was the last time Bledsoe played well against an away opponent?... Actually, when was the last time Bledsoe played well at all?

59562[/snapback]

 

If you are going to "Guarantee" something, you should know how to spell it first.

[TigerJ]

The "explosive offence" remark is based ono the fact that Eric Moulds has been a big play receiver, while Lee Evans has the potential to be one. Willis McGahee has home run potential at running back while Henry can giv you a solid 4+ yards a pop when things are working, and Drew Bledsoe still has a big league arm. I think he knows as much as we do that the Bills have not been explosive most of the time on the field (a couple long pass plays to Evans being an exception), but the potential is there if Buffalo were to get better execution all the way around, particularly the elimination of penalties and dealing with the blitz. I don't have any trouble with what he said.

[ronnydynamic]

That writer oughta work for the New York Times or the National Enquirer...

59431[/snapback]

 

If anything it sounds like he's biased towards Buffalo. He's basing his opinion on last Year instead of what;s going on this Year.

[Horus]

I believe hes right in almost everything hes said...the bills do have a talented team with offensive weapons...henry is a 1000+ rusher moulds is a 1000+ reciever...evans has the POTENTIAL to be a 700+ reciever this year if they start throwing to him...as he says the problem with the O is the line...and this is where im baffled at TD and co...they saw this lastyear and didnt fix any of it in the offseason. wich is y u see them working out lineman now...yes some fault lies on bledsoe..i think hes to slow and imobile for todays defenses, but woulda made a really good pocket qb back in the 80's and early 90's...just to bad its 2004...both sides of the ball are plagued with penalties and need to stop..to many vet leaders makeing stupid mistakes...if u read again he says u didnt see the two back set vs. oakland and patriots cuz mcgahee is to stupid to read defenses..what the hell did he do lastyear while sitting on his butt anyways...he shoulda been watching defenses on tape...the bills woulda won all three games if it wasnt for penalties and bad execution...did i say execution ....no im not GW poseing as a billsfan ....

[njsue]

The jests are missing people due injuries, sam cowart and josh evans. There secondary is very suspect. Bills can just hand the ball to henry all day. They should come out of the meadowlands with a win.

[Horus]

this will have to be a pass to set up the run game..well not have to be but it could be...the run game is good enough to set itself up if they stop running bledsoe..