Rico Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 How will Baltimore fare without Lewis? Why To Watch Both teams rely on power running games and strong defensive play but come in with questions in the backfield. Buffalo RB Travis Henry missed last week's game against Miami with a sore arch and Willis McGahee was impressive in his absence, making it unclear which one will start against Baltimore. Even if McGahee returns to a backup role, he should see plenty of playing time and the Ravens need to prepare for both backs as a result. Baltimore RB Jamal Lewis begins his two-game suspension this week, leaving backups Chester Taylor and Musa Smith to shoulder the load. Both need to step up, as the Bills will load up against the run even with Lewis out of the lineup When the Bills have the ball Rushing: Buffalo didn't inactivate Henry for last week's game against the Dolphins and he probably could have played in an emergency, so he should return to the lineup barring a setback. However, the Bills can afford to ease Henry back into the lineup as long as McGahee continues to play well, so don't be surprised to see McGahee get the majority of the work even if Henry starts. McGahee won't break many long runs working against a Baltimore run defense that has yet to give up a run of 20 yards or longer this year, but Buffalo should still run outside when he is in the game. Attacking the perimeter with McGahee, who is faster than Henry, will start getting the Ravens' aggressive linebackers and SS Ed Reed flowing outside, effectively stretching the run defense horizontally. The Bills can than attack inside with either McGhee or Henry, who runs with excellent power between the tackles. Although Buffalo offensive coordinator Tom Clements has been unable to effectively use both backs in the same backfield, that could change with McGahee's strong performance last week. Now Baltimore has to respect McGahee's big-play ability when he's on the field with Henry. As a result, ILBs Ray Lewis and Ed Hartwell will have to hesitate for a second when diagnosing the play and that hesitation should create better blocking angles for the offensive line. Passing: After giving up 18 sacks over the first four games, the Bills allowed just two sacks last week and QB Drew Bledsoe had time to go through his progressions most of the day. While Bledsoe did a much better job of moving his feet, he received plenty of help from his backs, tight ends and even receivers. Look for the receivers to play a role in pass protection again working against Baltimore's 3-4 scheme and LOLB Terrell Suggs. Clements can motion a receiver towards the offensive line just before the snap and then have that receiver chip Suggs on his way into the route. The receiver won't have to adjust his path too much when Suggs rushes the passer from the outside linebacker slot and the chip will give the offensive tackles more time to get set. Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan can counter by walking Suggs up to the line of scrimmage, making it more difficult for the receiver to get to Suggs. The problem is Buffalo can then keep a tight end or back in to double team Suggs when it sees him walk up to the line. It's also important to note that Bledsoe said he thought McGahee did a good job of helping out in pass protection last week, which is an area a lot of young backs struggle in. As a result, Clements should feel comfortable keeping McGahee on the field in obvious passing situations When the Ravens have the ball Rushing: Don't expect Baltimore to run a balanced offense in Lewis' absence. It will continue to pound the ball between the tackles in an effort to take some pressure off the inconsistent passing game and keep the talented defense well rested. Smith has better size and power than Taylor, but Taylor is quicker with better lateral mobility. The Bills must be prepared for both running styles. They need to wrap Smith up at the legs to limit his production after contact and break down in space when Taylor is in the game so they don't miss any open field tackles. However, neither back has great speed so Buffalo should focus on forcing both to bounce their runs outside, where the rangy linebacker corps should be waiting to make the play. RDT Pat Williams and LDT Sam Adams have the power and the size to occupy blockers at the line of scrimmage, allowing the linebackers to flow to the ball without fighting though much traffic. However, Bills head coach Mike Mularkey benched Adams for ineffective play last week and replaced him with Ron Edwards. While Adams shouldn't shoulder all the blame, Miami RB Sammy Morris rushed for 81 yards in 12 carries in the first half of that game. Adams, who made it clear that he was unhappy about the move, needs to rebound with a strong performance. If he doesn't, the Ravens will have an easier time reaching their blocks at the second level and they could have some success running inside. Passing: Buffalo RDE Aaron Schobel recorded 2-1/2 sacks last week, but he won't have the same success working LOT Jonathan Ogden, and he is by far the Bills' best pass rusher. As a result, expect Buffalo defensive coordinator Jerry Gray to blitz all day in an effort to pressure Baltimore QB Kyle Boller into making some mistakes. Boller, who threw three interceptions against Washington two weeks ago, clearly needs to make better decisions at times, but his receivers also need to do a better job of helping him out. Two of the interceptions in the Redskins' game glanced off a receiver's hands and should have been caught. Baltimore's receiving corps must show better focus while the ball is in the air and make sure to secure it before turning upfield to run. With Gray bringing pressure from all over the field, Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh will run some max-protect schemes that keep a back and/or tight end to help out. As a result, Taylor and Smith will also play a big role in pass protection. With the bye giving Baltimore an extra week to prepare for the Bills, both backs should have a better understanding of Gray's tendencies. However, they must expect the unexpected, as Gray may throw in a few wrinkles to test their discipline and technique. Scouts' Edge Lewis has been the heart and soul of the Baltimore offense, so it will be interesting to see how it plays against a Buffalo team that is ranked eighth in the league in total defense without him. Smith and Taylor are quality backups, but neither is the premier back that Lewis has been for this team and Boller can't carry this offense on his own. While the scales appear to be tipped in the Bills' favor because of Lewis' suspension, they have found ways to lose games they've had opportunities to win. If they continue to hurt themselves with mistakes, penalties and turnovers, it will open the door for the Ravens to get the win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Good analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 While the scales appear to be tipped in the Bills' favor because of Lewis' suspension, they have found ways to lose games they've had opportunities to win. If they continue to hurt themselves with mistakes, penalties and turnovers, it will open the door for the Ravens to get the win. 77710[/snapback] sad but true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 The Bills definitely can win this game. If we minimize the mistakes and control the clock we'll be just fine. I'm not going beyond this week ...but us being 2-4 is a nice short term goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Days Lois & Clark Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Good insight Losing T Heap & J Lewis will definately hurt their offense but they still have a very good (and big) offensive line and some great defensive players (T Suggs, R Lewis, C McAlister, E. Reed) http://www.nfl.com/teams/depthcharts/BAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJ Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Good analysis and a reasonable prediction at the article's conclusion, but there is a reason they play the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted October 21, 2004 Author Share Posted October 21, 2004 BUMP, got lost after the baseball posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 BUMP, got lost after the baseball posts. 79897[/snapback] Bills getting 5 1/2 points, Rico. Damn tempting. DAMN tempting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted October 21, 2004 Author Share Posted October 21, 2004 Bills getting 5 1/2 points, Rico. Damn tempting. DAMN tempting. 79905[/snapback] I won't touch this game, but if I did, I would take the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 i am in a bit of a quandry, i have WM in my head to head fantasy league, and i am starting 3 rb's this weekend, i am not sure he can get many yards this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch19079 Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 While the scales appear to be tipped in the Bills' favor because of Lewis' suspension, they have found ways to lose games they've had opportunities to win. If they continue to hurt themselves with mistakes, penalties and turnovers, it will open the door for the Ravens to get the win. 77710[/snapback] im glad im not the only one who noticed this. also... the 3-4 D the ravens run kills our O-Line. we miss assignments and just get bledsoe killed. the more we run the better, and if we end up in 3rd and long we are in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realist Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Bills getting 5 1/2 points, Rico. Damn tempting. DAMN tempting. 79905[/snapback] I would take the Bills and points in this one. You know they are going to at least keep it close if not win. With Lewis out, I'm surprised the spread is so high, I was expecting 3-4 points max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts