Im a Saints fan, but...

[Alphadawg7]

Welcome to the boards!

 

On defense, the Bills have been good at stopping the run, and pretty good at stopping the big play. On the other hand, the defensive backs often play soft, and the pass rush has been hit and miss. A "death by a thousand small cuts"-style passing attack is generally quite effective against the Bills' style of defense. The Bills' defense cannot get off the field on third down! Sometimes this defense will cause offenses to bog down after they've put together a long, sustained drive. So you might see some field goal attempts where you'd been hoping for touchdowns. You could easily see a few big defensive plays over the course of the game. But overall, expect to see your team's offense to get plenty of time of possession, and to move the chains an awful lot.

 

On the other side of the ball, the Bills have a young, athletic, highly mobile offensive line that's quite good at run blocking. The interior of the line is also solid in pass protection. The tackles are a little more iffy in that department; so if you have good DEs then Edwards won't have all day to throw. The LT--Bell--is a first-time starter, and didn't play football on any level before 2005. He's learning on the job, and had a better game in his second week than in his first.

 

The QB--Edwards--is off to a good start this year, and has the fourth-highest passer rating in the NFL. That will probably go down as he faces some better defenses, but for right now he's looking pretty good. Of immense help has been having the newly installed Alex van Pelt as his offensive coordinator. That's a ridiculously big upgrade over the bum of a coordinator we had there last season.

 

Terrell Owens is one of the Bills' receivers. I'm sure you've heard plenty about him already. He's a big-time player who typically commands double teams; thereby opening up other receivers and the Bills' running game. His actual production this season has been below his usual standards, but his effect on the overall game goes beyond just his own production. He drops more passes than he should though.

 

At the other outside receiver position there's Lee Evans. Evans is the kind of guy who can and will burn a DB with his raw speed if he's left in one-on-one coverage. Unfortunately, Evans is short (only about 5-10), so it's not like you can have him compete for jump balls the way a Randy Moss would. A better comparison player would be Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers, except that Steve Smith is a much more three-dimensional WR, and significantly better player, than is Lee Evans. It would, however, be an exaggeration to say that Evans is good at only the long bomb.

 

At slot WR the Bills have Josh Reed. Another smurf receiver, Reed runs good routes, has good hands, and has been a solid, reliable part of the offense for the last few years. He's not as fast a receiver as one would like, however. At TE, the Bills have had some injuries; so expect to see rookie fourth round pick Nelson get more playing time. Nelson is fast, and is the most dangerous receiving threat the Bills have at the TE position. He's improving as a blocker. In addition to Nelson, the Bills have several decent but unspectacular TEs who can serve as safety valves, move the chains, and keep drives alive.

 

Due to the suspension of Marshawn Lynch, the Bills' starting RB is currently Fred Jackson. Jackson is a very shifty, elusive, instinctive RB; whose nimbleness makes him difficult to bring down. He's also a good receiving threat out of the backfield; and is particularly dangerous after the catch. Expect to see him pile up 150 - 200 all-purpose yards.

 

The Bills' offense is dangerous. If you put seven men in the box, Jackson will punish you for it. A lot. In fact, between him and the first-rate run-blocking of the offensive line, the Bills' running game has been successful even when teams have put eight men in the box. But if you put eight men in the box, then that leaves your defense open to a big play from someone like Evans or Owens. Add to that Alex van Pelt's penchant for getting the absolute most possible out of the offensive talent he's been given, and the Saints defense is going to be in for a long afternoon. (As, obviously, will also be the case for the Bills' defense.) If ever a game looked like it was going to be a shoot-out, this game would be it.

 

In past years, the Bills have used dominant special teams play to partially mask their inadequacies on offense and defense. This season the special teams unit seems to have taken a step backward. It still looks solid, but it no longer looks outstanding. McKelvin had two fumbles against the Patriots on kickoff returns. One of those fumbles was recovered by the Patriots; directly leading to the Bills' loss.

 

Can you please send me the cliff notes on this novel so I can read it...lmao...just busting your chops

[streetcar]

thanks Edwards arm and San Jose.

 

I may have missed some but what i saw I will try to answer. BuffOrange, Our O-line is good and has been together in most part for several years so they are on the same page. Pass blocking is always good and run blocking has gotten better. Having said that we are without our probowl LT Brown for a few more weeks but his replace has played ok. Brees is so good IMO because of his ability to see the whole field. As far as weapons, Colston is not the only real one. Drew has confidence in everyone they send on the field and will throw to all of them. Even Henderson who used to get droppsies has been catching well.

 

I agree San Jose that wind will kill a passing attack. They are capable of plenty of dink and dunk that could offset that.

 

I am very interested in your pass rush. Edwards arm said it is hit and miss. I think we are fine up the middle but Im worried about the corner rush. Who brings it and who doesnt?

[Orton's Arm]

Can you please send me the cliff notes on this novel so I can read it...lmao...just busting your chops

Cliff Notes version: I expect the game to be a shoot-out. A firefight! Much like this.

[Clippers of Nfl]

Welcome Street, good post. Alot of us fully expect to get drilled by the Saints this week ... some guys might get angry about it and give you a hard time ... ignore them.

 

Greg-o as a HC was an arrogant, blathering idiot, and very ineffective. He is much better suited to DC and has quite a proven track record, so I think in time, he may work out pretty good for you. I'm not too up to speed on your defensive personnel, but I expect that your D should improve this year. If they ever talk about him taking over as HC, you're screwed! LOL

 

like me. get lost nerd. lol!

 

go bills!

[RRR]

Hey gang, I hope you guys don’t mind a Saints fan being here for a bit. I don’t talk trash and I like to be truthful about my team so I wont be an obnoxiously over the top homer.

 

This is actually the first time I have joined a non division rival’s forum but I decided it would be the best way to learn about a team I don’t know much about (I knew more about them in the day - loved Thurman Thomas and was a huge Bruce Smith fan). I did watch the game against the Pats and I won’t even mention how it ended but I loved what I saw of Edwards and the no huddle scares me with our D. I’m sure you guys can tell me plenty about our DC and I’m looking forward to hearing it. Yes we are all worried about our D here in NOLA but right now our biggest problem is special teams IMO. It was horrible against the Lions and it got better in Philly but still is plenty weak.

 

Anyway, I look forward to posting with you for the week and maybe beyond if you have me. Ask me anything about the Saints and Ill answer honestly if I know. Thanks. Street

 

Welcome. Pretty good folks here, for the most part.

 

As far as the game is concerned, I don't know if NOLA is quite as good as they have opened up the season so far, but I can tell you that Drew Brees is a flat BEAST...he's had a chip on his shoulder since he left 'Diego, and it's showing in his outstanding play.

 

I don't want to go so far as to say this is going to be a shootout, but it could. Trent has the occassional "turd" game, but he is kinda developing a rep around here as "Captain Checkdown". Last week, he aired out several passes, and I don't know if I saw him do that in 5 or 6 straight games combined last season. If our new OC continues to go for the deep ball and if we can establish our running game to set up the play action to get man coverage on TO and Evans, I'd say the Bills have a shot. If it DOES get into a shootout, you have to like NOLA's chances of winning a bit more with your QB being better than ours.

 

Gregg Williams..what can we say? We don't like him much around these parts. It's a double-edged sword this week. I do think that the no-huddle is going to throw him off because of his substitution packages, but do we really want to hurry things up so much and give Brees that many more opportunities? Bottom line is this...if the Bills don't finish off their drives, they lose...plain and simple. If we DO, I think our defense is going to be a tad better than NOLA's and make the difference in a Bills victory.

[RRR]

like me. get lost nerd. lol!

 

go bills!

 

 

Nerd? Do people still use that word?

 

Wow. That's so tubular.

[Clippers of Nfl]

Nerd? Do people still use that word?

 

Wow. That's so tubular.

 

you may be right. hey geek, get lost. happy now?

[LurkingSaintsFan]

How good is your OL?

 

And how is Brees so damn good when Colston is (I think) the only skill player that's a real weapon?

I'm sure glad Miami chose Culpepper over him a few years ago.

 

In my opinion the strength of our o-line is the middle. Our center (Goodwin, former Jet) is average to above average, but the two guards (Evans and Nicks) flanking him are very good. Brown is still out at LT and his backup has done well for the most part considering he had to block Cole last week. Stichcomb at RT is another average to above average.

 

Colston, as good as he is, is far from being the only weapon at WR. Henderson has fixed his case of the drops and has led the league in avg yds per reception the past couple of years. Meachem has finally come around and is making big plays as well. As Streetcar pointed out, Lance Moore should play. He's a sure-handed receiver not afraid of going over the middle.

[lvbillzfan]

We are real good at playing quality football, but not real good at doing it for 60 minutes (unless we play a bad team).

Don't worry.

[MRW]

In my opinion the strength of our o-line is the middle. Our center (Goodwin, former Jet) is average to above average, but the two guards (Evans and Nicks) flanking him are very good. Brown is still out at LT and his backup has done well for the most part considering he had to block Cole last week. Stichcomb at RT is another average to above average.

How is their run blocking? Would you say that the Saints running game so far has been a product of teams being scared of the passing attack + big leads, or has it been mixed in and effective? The Bills have done pretty well at stopping the run so far, but I'm not sure how big a difference that will make.

[BillsObserver]

Street - I don't follow the Saints that closely but I'm sure Brees had to have some bad games last year. Any idea what style of defense worked against him then, or if there was a reason why he looked bad? Brees is on fire now but that eventually will end and I'm wondering what worked the best against him last year.

 

Have you heard anything over there (articles or radio) about Brees' friendship with Trent?

[streetcar]

to be honest Steve, I cant remember any games where I thought Drew was just having a bad day but maybe its just selective memory. Thats not to say we didnt have bad offensive days but I remember more days where it seemed more a thing where Payton got to cute. Last year our run blocking stunk early on but after Nesbit got suspended in the starcaps mess, they put in Carl Nicks who as mentioned above is a beast. Both of our Guards are. Drew shakes off bad plays as good as anyone Ive seen. We went so long without a good QB that it seemed like a dream for us to have such luck to get him and have the shoulder do so well. I know you have been through some of the same and have to be happy with what Edwards has done and continues to do for you.

 

I think your best defense to use on Drew will be your running back to be honest.

[Gordio]

to be honest Steve, I cant remember any games where I thought Drew was just having a bad day but maybe its just selective memory. Thats not to say we didnt have bad offensive days but I remember more days where it seemed more a thing where Payton got to cute. Last year our run blocking stunk early on but after Nesbit got suspended in the starcaps mess, they put in Carl Nicks who as mentioned above is a beast. Both of our Guards are. Drew shakes off bad plays as good as anyone Ive seen. We went so long without a good QB that it seemed like a dream for us to have such luck to get him and have the shoulder do so well. I know you have been through some of the same and have to be happy with what Edwards has done and continues to do for you.

 

I think your best defense to use on Drew will be your running back to be honest.

 

 

Do not tell me Brees did not have a bad game last year. The Saints missed the playoffs & went 8-8 last year. He must of had 1 or 2 bad games. Bledsoe's 2nd year here the first 2 games we went 2-0. We beat the patriots in the opener 31-0 & then went to jacksonville & laid the wood to them. ESPN was annoiting us super bowl champs. We won 4 games the rest of the year. Lesson is nothing is as good as it seems in the NFL. The Saints were an average team last year(much like the bills) & I believe they are an average team this year. So what they beat detroit, who has lost their last 19 games & Philadelphia without Mcnabb. My guess is if Mcnabb plays in that game, the Saints are 1-1. They were 2-6 on the road last year & our a different team away from the cozy confines of the Superdome. They are not going to face a more hostile crowd then this Sunday all year, better hope Brees takes the crowd out early because it will be a long day if he does not. With a 4:00 start, it gives the natives a few extra hours to marinate in the achoholic beverage of their choice which basically means the crowd will be a little more angry then it normally is. Should be a good game but I see the bills coming away with the victory 35-24. The saints defense does not match up well with our offense. Too many weapons & your secondary is very average.

[streetcar]

I didnt tell you Brees didnt have a bad game. I said I cant remember. I do remember a game where he had a terrible start and finished "ok", I think it was one of the Tampa games but I dont remember exactly. We were average at best last year I agree but if you want to pin that on the guy who was 1 pass away from the all time passing record then you are taking a diferent aproach than anyone else. I do think that the fact that Brees "had" to throw so much or that Payton chose to is a key part of the problem but he didnt have many bad games and I just dont remember which they were. I can say this, there wernt any games that we hung the loss on him. In other words if there were ones that I dont remember, then there were too many other things going wrong for him to take much blame.

[Gordio]

I didnt tell you Brees didnt have a bad game. I said I cant remember. I do remember a game where he had a terrible start and finished "ok", I think it was one of the Tampa games but I dont remember exactly. We were average at best last year I agree but if you want to pin that on the guy who was 1 pass away from the all time passing record then you are taking a diferent aproach than anyone else. I do think that the fact that Brees "had" to throw so much or that Payton chose to is a key part of the problem but he didnt have many bad games and I just dont remember which they were. I can say this, there wernt any games that we hung the loss on him. In other words if there were ones that I dont remember, then there were too many other things going wrong for him to take much blame.

 

 

I love Brees. He got a raw deal in SD & I thank the football gods that Miami was dumb enough to go for Culpepper instaed of him. Everything I read about him he is a class guy too. I put him in the same elite company as Manning & Brady right now. This game is going to be a tough game for both teams & because the game is being played at the Ralph, I like the Bills to come out on top. If it was being played at the Dome, I would like the Saints. Make sure you post here Monday after the Bills win. Win or lose though, I think your Saints are going to the playoffs this year.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Juleps ... hurricanes ... get your drinks straight

 

They're also famous for Juleps, rainstorms and a couple of other drinks.

[stuckincincy]

I love Brees. He got a raw deal in SD & I thank the football gods that Miami was dumb enough to go for Culpepper instaed of him. Everything I read about him he is a class guy too. I put him in the same elite company as Manning & Brady right now. This game is going to be a tough game for both teams & because the game is being played at the Ralph, I like the Bills to come out on top. If it was being played at the Dome, I would like the Saints. Make sure you post here Monday after the Bills win. Win or lose though, I think your Saints are going to the playoffs this year.

 

NO took a gamble picking up the then injured Brees (shoulder? - I forget). It certainly paid off - but the don't know about a raw deal. SD paid a price for Rivers, and that money wasn't going to sit on the bench.

[Gordio]

NO took a gamble picking up the then injured Brees (shoulder? - I forget). It certainly paid off - but the don't know about a raw deal. SD paid a price for Rivers, and that money wasn't going to sit on the bench.

 

 

definately a unique situation & your right one of them was going & Rivers was AJ Smith's guy. It would of been interesting though if Brees' shoulder was alright(not injured) if they would of still made the same decision. They did not get anything for Brees, they could of trade Rivers & at the least got a 1st round draft pick for him. Right now, all though, both are pretty good, I would rather have Brees then Rivers. With that being said, I would not mind having either one of them.

[The Senator]

Conventionally speaking, the advantage that offenses have in inclement weather has only to do with footing. In rainy, icy, wet, slick field conditions, the offense has the advantage because they know where they're going and the defense is in chase mode.

 

But as for high winds, it is never a benefit to an offense. IMO a windy day helps the Bills cause...the windier the greater benefit.

 

Right now they're predicting hi 60s w/showers in 12 mph winds at game time in O.P. (pretty much like winter in Palo Alto)...

 

link

 

...so things look OK for Trent.

 

 

And yeah, a light rain and the swirling winds inside the RWS bowl should benefit the Bills - even more so if this turns into a rushing contest. Statistically, I give the Bills a huge edge and expect Trent Edwards will swap places with Drew Brees in the QB rankings after this week...

 

 

BuffTown Bills - 37

N'Awlins 'aints - 0

 

 

18 and 1 baby!!!

 

GO BILLSSS!!!!

REVERSE THE CURSE!!!!!

 

 

[LurkingSaintsFan]

Do not tell me Brees did not have a bad game last year. The Saints missed the playoffs & went 8-8 last year.

 

He didn't have any games like Jake Delhome did in week 1, that's for sure. We were 8-8 last year because of a really bad defense. Our offense got owned only once, and that was the 1st Carolina game when we only scored 1 TD. Brees only threw for 231 with a pick and no TD. Otherwise our offense never scored below 20. Unfortunatley our defense gave up more than that.