First let me say I am really looking forward to the Jets game. The Jets are actually playing relativley solid ball right now, I think Mangini has you guys headed in the right direction. This game is gonna be a tough one, as a Bills fan I think this is a key week for us to see where we are at. This being our home opener the team should be pretty well jacked up and ready to go. This game is by no means a gimme for either team, it will be a tough win for whoever takes it. The secondary is without a doubt our strongest unit. With McGee-Simpson-Whitner-Clements we have a very young, very fast group of guys back there and both Whitner and Simpson are'nt playign like rookies. This matches up well against the Jets I think because without a strong run game, taking away the pass and keeping pressure on Pennington should force a few turnovers. Takeo Spikes coming back will be huge, while the Bills run-defense isnt stellar right now this defense is playing as well as i've seen it in years. The Bills run defense is probably just a shade above horrible. While they are better then last year, it aint by much. It appears TKO maybe ready to go for the game. This is huge not only just for leadership, but TKO-Fletch-Crowell are a very good LB team. Losman isnt throwing a lot but remember, hes not had a turnover yet and can throw damn near the length of the field. Evans and Price both have serious speed. Our OL isnt stellar but is an upgrade over last year and Willis is getting used a lot more. Keys to the game: 1. Bills pass defense vs. Jets pass This defense is built for speed. You wont see a lot of plays where extra men are brought, Jauron lets them roam. TKO, Fletch,and the secondary need to play smart. 2. Getting to the quarterback. The Jets line is better then the fins, a lot better. So I dont expect a 7 sack day for us, but constant pressure is key.Force Pennington into some bad throws. We have ballhawks at every position, let them work. 4. Losman efficiency. This offense isnt designed for 300 yard days from him. 10-20 tosses a game is all you will see. Don't let that fool you, Losman is very mobile, and has a cannon for an arm. Granted he is still very young and "green" so to speak, he can make plays. This team relies heavily on its defense/special teams and ground game. The Jets will get a heavy dose of Willis, Losman simply needs to be smart with the ball like he has been. Losman will take 2-3 shots a game downfield to Evans or Parrish. Jets need to contain those. Losman is a lot smarter with the ball now, hopefully that continues. 5. Special Teams The Bills special teams unit is probably the best in football. Moorman had the fish pinned inside the 20 all day last Sunday and Lindell has actually become automatic inside the 45. As long as we control the field of play it could be a long day. And with Parrish and McGee returning kicks the Jets need to contain them, if either gets into open field its over with. The Jets imo are a better team then last year and certainly better then the fins. I believe this will be a close game either way it goes. Vilma is always gonna be a monster, and you guys have a solid WR tandem. Pennington doesnt have a huge arm but thus far this season hes played very very well and very smart football. Prediction Bills 17 Jets 10. Good luck this week everyone, heres to a great game Sunday!!!!
nice type-up... that must of taken you a while. I agree with most of your points, except your your last one; "Prediction Bills 17 Jets 10." I can't help but disagree with that. Jets 20 Bills: 17
Lol its cool, I truly believe it will be a 1 score game either way. The Jets are playing a lot better, in fact I think you guys are really just a draft or two from being dominant. Your O-line in a year or two is going to be flat out nasty.
Your running game vs our run D and your run D vs our lack of a run game could spell disaster for us. the one thing we have going for us is that noone is scared of Losman. Hopefully we can get to him sunday with some pressure,but we haven't seen much of that either. So far our passing game is better than it has been in some time and certainly better than anyone expected it to be this year. The good thing for us also is with a new coach we never know what to expect so maybe his game plan will suprise us if he changes things up a bit. With Herm,you could count on the same crap week after week.
You're absolutley right there. Losman is not Brady. He isnt gonna intimidate anyone but he is certainly playing better then last year and he has the deep ball to keep you honest. Our Run D like last year aint too great. Willis like most have said is the wild card, if he can run JP will be able to mix in some passes and keep your D on its heels. I am really curious how Mangini will play Evans.
special teams WILL play a huge part in this game...we need to win the special teams battle, whether that means field position, punts, making our field goals, or containing the return game buffalo definatly has one of the top special teams in the league...we can't afford anymore nugent misses or graham shanks also, some nice kickoff or punt returns would help
Dev.. where did you get the word on TKO - I've looked around and can't find a thing. Excellent points, good evaluation of Sunday's game.. I wonder if the winner of this game will be the top contender to loosen the Patsies strangle hold on the AFCE title. Bills 27-14. Losman has a solid game and Willis explodes for ABuckFifty in a breakout game.. against his old friend JVilma.
Juice I have a link somewhere ill post it on BZ when I get home. He isnt 100% for sure but they said hes returning to practice this week and will likely play.
definatly gotta stop the run interestingly enough, as pointed out by easterbrook in the TMQ on espn.com Best Purist Drives: Buffalo ran on eight consecutive downs during one drive, six consecutive downs during another drive; both possessions resulted in field goals. in other words, mcgahee needs to be contained...make losman beat us
Willis will be out in force, not what we do when willis isnt running is key. A-Train is a fantastic backup so I think Buffalo will run heavy. Id suspect a 100-120 yard game from Losman. As long as he plays smart I think we will be ok. He has no turnovers yet which is miles better from last year.
I say the Jets should test the Bills' secondary early and try to pile on the points. Easier said than done. Chad will be hit...the trick is that he get hit after getting rid of the ball. I don't know if we CAN stop the run...so maybe we should make like a Don Coryell team and go for the out-score.
I dont think so this week. The Bill's defense matches up pretty well against our offense. Our running game needs to step it up or else Penny is in for a long game. Hes probally in for a 1 TD 200 yard and 1 Int game.
I understand my boy Ko Simpson is now starting for you guys at FS?? He was a GREAT safety in college, playing in the SEC against the best week in and week out. It is a crime he lasted till round 4, seriously. He played like a top 20 player in college every week. How is he playing so far, I have seen a little of the bills, but not enough.
Ko Simpson thus far has played like a vet. He and Whitner are forming quite the duo at Saftey. Last week he had a clean shot at Daunte and laid the stick to him. Ive been very impressed so far and look forward to seeing him play a few more games to get a better idea of his ability.
doesn't suprise me...he is a very smart player and is just one of those guys who has a nose for the ball and stands out to the average fan
It's sounds like Erik Coleman in his rookie season. Playing like a vet and understanding the Cover-2 base defense... I liked Simpson at South Carolina, but my main focus watching them was Jonathan Joseph so I didn't pay alot of attention to Ko, but I did catch some of the game this past Sunday and the entire D looked solid without Spikes...
IMO this one is gonna come down to both the Jets lines. We were beat up pretty bad last week in the trenches on both sides of the ball...yet we still managed to stay in it. What has made Buffalo so succesful thus far this season has ben the ability to get pressure on the QB and also to run the ball..creating a ball control type of team.Therefore it is imperative to set a tone up front. IMO, the Jets have more talent among both of their lines than their counterparts. The jets OL is very young and is continuing to gel...so their performance is purely a crapshoot. But the DL HAS the talent and experience to succeed. Players like Ellis, D rob, Kimo, and Moore, all have their shortcomings...but they also have some valuable strengths between them. We should be able to mix and match those strengths to create a formidible gameplan upfront. If we can win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and Pennington continues to play as well as he has..the jets will win by 10. However, if our lines get pushed around like they did last week...and we allow Penny to be beat up and McGahee to have a track day...we will lose by 13...
