Straight up the Gut

Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins: Recipe For Bills' Success

2009-10-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Buffalo Bills are in a tight spot.

They have a cornered cat to face in the winless Miami Dolphins this Sunday. The divisional game is a must-win for both teams. The New York Jets currently top the AFC East at 3-0 with the New England Patriots a breath away at 2-1.

Both the Bills and Dolphins need a win to stay viable within a division that's far from decided. The season's still young.

But it is time for the contenders to make their move.

What do the Bills need to do to take this game from the Dolphins? Here's an eight-point prescription for what ails them:

Banish the Negative. Buffalo's season has been rocky so far. The team needs to self-assess and take a long, hard look at themselves.

The losses to the Patriots and Saints were due more to their mistakes than anything else. In both games, poor execution, costly penalties, and uninspired playcalling robbed them of opportunities to win. The Bills third down efficiency—40%, 33%, and 14% against the Patriots, Buccaneers, and Saints respectively—has to improve.

The players have to keep their composure and avoid the mental mistakes—fumbles, drops, incompletions, and misreads.

Head coach Dick Jauron and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have to free this offense. It's said that "necessity is the mother of invention". Okay, guys. A win is imperative. Leave the ultra-conservatism to the politicians and get creative.
Playmakers Make Big Plays. Terrell Owens and Lee Evans are two of the best receivers in the NFL. Get them the rock. They can't make plays without the football.

The Dolphins defense doesn't believe the Bills offense is capable of the big play. Why should they? The Bills don't believe it themselves. Throwing the ball 30 times to Owens and Evans in three games is unacceptable.

Evans has already proven he can produce against the Miami Dolphins. They are 27th in the NFL against the pass. It's a weakness waiting to be exploited.

Get the ball downfield. Challenge the Dolphin defense and make them work. Put the pressure on Gibril Wilson, Sean Smith, and the rest of Miami's secondary.
Play the Hand You're Dealt. Trent Edwards is oblivious to the fact that he has a winning hand. He has a full house of weapons at his disposal; but, he chooses to fully utilize only two—his tight end and running back.

There's plenty of chatter going on about Owens' selfishness and concern for his stats. Maybe the light should be shined in Edwards' direction. Why is he continually avoiding the deep throw? Is last season's touchdown-to-interception ratio haunting him?

Make a play. Open up the offense. Edwards has a mantra he repeats at the press conferences about going through his progressions and getting the ball to whomever is supposed to get it. The receivers are not getting the ball. Aren't they supposed to get touches?

As mentioned above, Miami is susceptible to the pass. They will have their hands full with Owens, Evans, and Reed. Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson can catch the ball, too. If Shawn Nelson is back from injury, throw him into the mix for a little added frustration.

Use your weapons, Trent. Wins trump interceptions all day.
Keep On Keeping On. The Buffalo Bill defense has played well in the previous games. They have suffered some key injuries; but, they have continued to fight and make plays.

Against the high-powered New Orleans Saints offense, nobody gave them a chance. However, they subdued Drew Brees and stunted the Saints to just 27 points. The Bills defense held the Saints to just 10 points through three quarters. A little help from the offense and Buffalo would have won the game.

It's going to be tough Sunday. Buffalo is on the road with a decimated secondary. Three-quarters of the starting secondary is injured. The replacements are going to have to pull together and get the job done.
Tighten Up. We can see that Demetrius Bell is obviously talented. We need to see if he can tighten up his mental focus. The penalties are negating good gains and stopping productive drives. The football has to move forward not backward to win games.

Bell is injured so this may not be a factor this weekend.
Serve and Protect. The offensive line must do a much better job protecting the quarterback. In three games, it has allowed 10 sacks and way too much access to Edwards.

The Dolphins are going to try an exploit them. The Bill offensive line has to stay mentally focused and play to the best of their ability.

To make plays and win this game, the Bills will have to get the football downfield to their receivers. To accomplish that, Trent Edwards has to be upright not on his back.
Follow the Leader. This team needs a spark plug. Who is the leader? Like Ray Lewis sparks the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo needs someone to step up into a leadership role.

The Bills seem flat and unemotional at times. Cool, calm, and collected in fine in meetings and the film room. On the field, a controlled emotionality goes a long way.
Bring Home the Spoils. The Buffalo Bills should go into Landshark Stadium like warriors go battle. They should approach this game like their lives are on the line. A winning season and postseason play is on the line.

Buffalo has to be the aggressor and take it to Miami.

If the Bills lose this game to the Dolphins, they will drop to 1-3 with two losses against divisional rivals. Not a good place to be. If the Bills take this game from the Dolphins, they will stay in contention at 2-2.

The Buffalo Bills can get their season back on track. Take care of Miami. Defend the home turf against the Cleveland Browns. Then, the Bills can march into Giants Stadium with the wind at their backs. They could have beat the New England Patriots. Defeating the New York is not impossible, especially with some momentum.

Going forward they must concentrate on their fundamentals, execute their plays, eliminate the mistakes, and play relentless football for the full 60 minutes. If they follow this advice, they will keep the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East cellar for at least another week. And hopefully, continue on to wreak havoc on the rest of their schedule.

Terrell Owens: Crucifixion of a Savior

2009-09-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Here we go. . . again.

It was only a matter of time before the scapegoating began. Terrell Owens held his tongue at a press conference; and, he is still somehow a disruption to the Buffalo Bills.

Check out this article on ESPN and the comments: Terrell Owens Fires Back at Rodney Harrison.

Rodney Harrison didn't like Owens' post-game press conference remarks. He called Owens a clown. Maybe somebody should have pulled Harrison's collar and gave him a mirror so he could see the unprofessional clown staring back at him.

Throw him a dictionary somebody so he can expand his vocabulary.

We all know that Owens is an emotional, competitive player. He speaks before he thinks. Could T.O. have handled the press conference better? Maybe. Was he in hostile territory? Certainly. It's no secret that the sports media despises him. Druggies, wife beaters, drunk drivers, and other league riff raff get better treatment. Several times he was asked loaded questions with plenty of opportunity to place blame and throw somebody under the bus. He didn't take the bait. I commend him for that.

Good for you, Terrell Owens. You made progress until you regressed with the Twitter comments. You should not have dignified Harrison's comments with a reply. Who is he to call you a clown when he was nothing without HGH?

Back to the T.O. disrupting the Bills...

The responsibility for the loss to New Orleans doesn't rest on Owens' shoulders. He cannot be blamed for all the Bills problems. Not converting third downs is a problem. Overthrowing and underthrowing receivers is a problem. Key injuries are a problem. Fumbling snaps is a problem. Too many penalties is a problem. Inexperienced offensive line and coordinator is a problem. No pass rush is a problem. Lack of mental focus is a problem. A sputtering offense is a problem.

I love the Bills; but they had a stack of problems before T.O. got there. The whole team, including the coaching staff, has to hold it together. It's not the time to start pointing fingers and blaming people. Bills fans, let's focus on the positive. The defense performed well against an offensive powerhouse. Lynch is back next week against the Dolphins. They can still have a winning season.

T.O. is just not a good loser. The man just wants to win. I can't blame him for that. We all want to be winners. Apparently Bill Belicheck is a poor loser also. He could barely bring himself to shake Rex Ryan's hand after the Patriots loss to the Jets. So, we need to slow our roll on making this a big deal.

T.O.'s bad attitude and lack of maturity doesn't equal washed up and overrated. Every player has a bad game. Is Tony Romo washed up after losing the game for Dallas against the Giants? How about the Steelers kicker Jeff Reed? Is he washed up after missing two fields in the loss to the Bears and one in the loss against the Bengals?

Get real people. It takes a team to win football games not one player. The Buffalo Bills need to dig in and fight as a team. If they wanted a savior they should have signed Jesus.

I Gotta Get A Win

2009-09-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

My beleaguered fantasy football team, the Blendon Bonecrushers, needs a win this weekend. We are 0-2. I had a pretty good starting lineup setup for this week. Then, Murphy's Law kicked in. WR Randy Moss and RB Knowshon Moreno are listed as questionable.

I only have the hapless RB LenDale White to replace Moreno. He hasn't shown me anything in the first two games. Do I play Moreno with the groin injury or White against a fired-up NY Jet defense? There's also a QB situation. Rodgers against the Rams or Flacco against the Browns? Both of those games are potential jackpots in terms of points.

What's a girl to do?

BLENDON BONECRUSHERS

Starting Lineup

QB Aaron Rodgers
RB Fred Jackson
RB Knowshon Moreno
WR Randy Moss
WR Terrell Owens
TE Jermichael Finley
FLEX Lee Evans
K John Kasay
DST New York Giants

Bench

QB Joe Flacco
RB Marshawn Lynch
RB LenDale White
WR Nate Burleson
TE Vernon Davis
DST Buffalo Bills

Week Three Predictions

2009-09-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Cleveland Browns vs Baltimore Ravens
Washington Redskins vs Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston Texans
Atlanta Falcons vs New England Patriots
Green Bay Packers vs St. Louis Rams
New York Giants vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans vs New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers vs Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints vs Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears vs Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders
Miami Dolphins vs San Diego Chargers
Indianapolis Colts vs Arizona Cardinals

Monday, September 28, 2009

Carolina Panthers vs Dallas Cowboys

My picks are designated in bold.

Buffalo Bills: How to Survive an Aerial Assault

2009-09-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

When the Saints, come marching in....

When the New Orleans Saints come marching into Ralph Wilson Stadium this Sunday, they will be determined to obliterate the Buffalo Bills defense. Can the Bills defend their home turf against the Saints aerial assault?

Sure they can. Here's how in five not so easy steps.

Heap on the ~~sugar~~ pressure. No quarterback is immune to pressure. The Bills must disrupt Drew Brees' rhythm. They need to bust up his pocket, keep him backpedaling, and wrap up his receivers. The Aarons—Schobel and Maybin—have to get their hands on Brees.

Cover like white on rice. The Saints ground game is practically nonexistent. Reggie Bush has excellent hands but is not a punishing tailback capable of carrying the team on his shoulders. If the Bills secondary can stick close to the Saints wideouts, maybe they can create some havoc—knock away balls and possible interceptions.

Be stingy. The Bills need a phenomenal effort from their special teams and kicking corps. The Saints need a frustrating day. The Bills can give it to them by relegating the Saints to poor field position and making them work hard for every single inch. Buffalo has one of the best special teams in the league. It's time for them to stand up and take a bow.

Take control. Control the clock. Control the line scrimmage. Fred Jackson has proven he's more than a three-game fix. If Action Jackson can make some plays, Trent Edwards will gain full use of his deep threat weapons. The Saints offense can strike quick and often. It's imperative for Buffalo to map out a sure path to the endzone.

Error-free is key. The Buffalo Bllls cannot afford to give the Saints offense extra opportunities to score. The Philadelphia Eagles found out the hard way. The football has to be protected. It has to be caught. The team's mental focus has to be sharp. Big-play Brees is a wily quarterback. The Buffalo defense has to keep track of him.

Can the Bills win this matchup?

The sportswriters and pundits say no. They say the Bills will suffer an unmerciful pummeling in their own backyard. They say Brees and company will torch the Buffalo defense with an high-octane offense.

Uhm…they're wrong. Dead wrong. Did I say they're wrong? They're absolutely wrong. I'm on the record: The Buffalo Bills will ground the New Orleans Saints and emerge victorious at 2-1.