‘Drew Bledsoe was sacked seven times in an outstanding game by the defensive line, but that’s not all. The Jets also confused Bledsoe by playing combination coverages. They showed their traditional cover-2 look (zone with two deep safeties) but added a wrinkle at times – man coverage underneath. The extra time Bledsoe needed to recognize the coverage resulted in several of the sacks.’
BillsBeat - October 14, 2003
Inside slant
‘The question that is now arising is, were the Bills over-rated to begin with? It appears that could be the case. With all the new additions on defense, maybe it wasn’t reasonable to assume they would jell quickly and become a dominant unit. There have been far too many breakdowns in the last four weeks and newcomers Takeo Spikes, Sam Adams and Lawyer Milloy have tailed off precipitously since opening day when all three played major roles in the 31-0 shellacking of New England.’
Strategy and personnel
Coaching – D…True, they aren’t the ones making the plays, but they’re the ones putting the players in bad situations.’
Notes, quotes, anecdotes
‘LB Takeo Spikes seems to have cooled off after an eye-opening start for his new team. Spikes has been in on tackles, but he hasn’t been involved in creating a turnover since the Week 3 loss in Miami.’
Can anybody defend Gregg?
‘I’m not jumping to the defense of Williams here, but I also think Donahoe and Wilson need to be absolutely certain they have no alternative before pulling the plug on the Gregg Williams tenure.’
Considering Changes At The Top?
‘Let’s not single out Gregg Williams among the coaches. Kevin Gilbride seems lost. The offense has been pitiful. They have no identity and no ability to put points on the board. Fullback Sam Gash said they’re a “finesse” offense. If that’s the case, why is a blocking fullback like Gash even here? Why didn’t they keep Larry Centers. If it’s a finesse team, why did they dump Jay Riemersma, and add a blocking tight end like Mark Campbell? Perhaps G-M Tom Donahoe needed to change more than his personel in the off-season. If he wanted a smash mouth running game he should have changed his offensive coordinator. The Head Coach certainly isn’t mandating a smash mouth running game, and if he is, Gilbride isn’t listening.’
The Day After: Gregg Williams Comments
“It’s never good when you get beat 30-3. There are some good things that go in losses and there’s some bad things that go in wins. In all three phases we’ve got to make corrections and we’ve got to move on.”
Sneak Peek @ Next Week: Buffalo Bills
‘Steve Spurrier Comments: "We didn’t play very well against Tampa Bay and we’ll need to regroup. Buffalo’s a good team and we’ll need to play better if we want to win next week."’
Bills reeling after dropping three of four
‘The Bills are particularly struggling against the run. It’s not what was expected from a unit bolstered by the offseason additions of linebackers Takeo Spikes and Jeff Posey, defensive tackle Sam Adams and safety Lawyer Milloy.’
WR Moulds could resume practicing this week
‘“We would hope that he would be able to get back out there sometime next week,” he said.’
BillsBeat - October 13, 2003
Jets flatten Buffalo Bills for 1st win
‘Meanwhile, Henry managed to rush for only 53 yards on 18 carries and Bledsoe was under constant attack by New York’s pass rush. The last time the Jets had seven sacks in a game was a 34-17 win over New England in 2000.’
Jets give team effort and keep things interesting
‘So here we are again, back at 1-4 with fans wondering what took so long to get in gear and the players rallying around Edwards to do enough to keep the faithful from reaching for the remote.’
2001 first-rounder returns to favor
‘The Jets did not draft him No. 16 overall two years ago to be a nice complementary player. They picked him to change the game with one play, which the Bills found out he can still do just fine.’
Bills Fans Left Wondering After 30-3 Loss
‘”A lot of meaningful things were said by our teammates,” said Ruben Brown. “All of them were taken to heart because everyone in here is a competitor and no one wants to lose. Hopefully those words will sink in and we will figure what it is that’s causing us to fall apart.”‘
Pass Defense Leads the Way
‘Shaun Ellis and Jason Ferguson (2 sacks each) led a 7-sack charge by the defense. Sam Cowart also had a sack, while James Reed and Dewayne Robertson each recorded their first of the season. For Robertson, the Jets #1 draft pick, it was the first of his career.’