Buffalo Bills Pounded in Fourth Quarter By Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Yesterday’s 41-17 loss against Tennessee was embarrassing, to be kind. After a promising first half, Buffalo was not able to make any changes going into the third quarter.

To make matters worse, Chris Johnson, who pounded the rock for 232 all purpose yards while scoring two touchdowns, was holding up T.O’s jersey in the press conference, after Owens bet the running back Buffalo would win the game.

Johnson eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season while constantly breaking for devastating gains. Buffalo’s defense could not contain him in the passing attack either, allowing him to earn nine receptions for 100 yards as Vince Young’s top target.

Buffalo started strong, even utilizing some creative play calling in which Fred Jackson connected with Lee Evans for a 27-yard touchdown pass out of the Wildcat formation.

 

Buffalo’s Rush Offense

The Bills’ running attack looked very strong, despite the limited carries. Each back averaged four yards or better per carry, however, they only chose to rush 17 times during the game, allowing Trent Edwards to pass the ball 28 times.

Fred Jackson’s rushes were mainly out of the Wildcat, but Marshawn looked strong and more like “Beast Mode” in his limited carries. He constantly fell forward, fighting for the extra yard. He also showed his beautiful combination of power and speed, for which we love him so much.

Buffalo consistently failed to convert on third downs, which is why both of their carries are slumping.

Buffalo’s use of the Wildcat formation surprised me. In the situations they used it, it turned to be a success. I am interested to see if they will continue to develop these plays for further weeks.

 

Buffalo’s Pass Offense

Trent Edwards looked solid during the first half, connecting with Owens on a deep pass, followed by a fade in the endzone to Lee Evans, for his second receiving touchdown of the day.

He did throw one interception, however, on a pass intended for T.O, but it was not the performance he needed to have to keep his job. Edwards was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter, going two-for-seven with an interception.

Tennessee’s defense was sub par to say the least, but they proved to be better than Buffalo.

 

Buffalo’s Rush Defense

I don’t even know where to start on this one. Chris Johnson did what he pleased yesterday, forcing linebackers to miss tackles and bursting away from any defender in his way.

The Bills’ rush defense is again showing why they are ranked dead last in the NFL, constantly making running backs look like Hall of Famers week in and week out. Given, Chris Johnson is a superb running back, but there is no excuse for giving up 100 yards on 14 carries.

Buffalo needs to focus on tackling and executing defensive plays.

 

Buffalo’s Pass Defense

Vince Young passed for 210 yards, leading the Titans to their third straight victory and Young’s seventh straight as a starter, yet 100 of these yards were on screens or short passes to Chris Johnson.

Star rookie Jairus Byrd recorded another interception, giving him eight on the season and keeping his streak alive, now recording an interception in five straight games.

With Terrence McGee and Donte Whitner out, Young capitalized on long passes to Nate Washington and Kenny Britt.

Overall on the defensive side of the ball, Buffalo failed to keep up with the lighting fast speed of Chris Johnson. They were outplayed, and again we are sent home with our tails between our legs, wondering what Maurice Jones-Drew will do to us next weekend.

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Getting Into “Beast Mode” With Marshawn Lynch

With enough game previews and Bills quarterback talk on the site already, I have decided to do a profile on one of my favorite Buffalo Bills, Marshawn Lynch.

Early Years

Marshawn Lynch was born on April 22, 1986, in Oakland, California, to a family of athletes. His uncle Lorenzo Lynch played 11 years in the NFL as a cornerback, and his cousin Josh Johnson was recently drafted as a quarterback by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Marshawn was nickmaned “Money” while attending Oakland Technical High School, where he performed outstanding in not only football, but track, and basketball as well.

Marshawn excelled at football, not only exceeding as a running back, but as a quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, and even returning kicks.

After rushing for 1,722 yards and 23 touchdowns in his senior year, he was named the San Francisco East Bay Player of the Year. Lynch also scored an astounding 10 touchdowns in the teams two postseason games.

Entering college, Lynch was ranked the No. 2 running back recruit, only behind Adrian Peterson.

College

Marshawn Lynch attended California, where he backed up J.J Arrington, and still managed 628 yards with eight touchdowns as a true freshman.

The highlight of his college career came at the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, where Lynch single-handedly destroyed BYU, rushing for 194 yards, with three touchdowns. Lynch was named MVP, and didnt look back.

The following season, Lynch was named to the All Pac-10 Team, and was highly ranked in the Heisman Race.

NFL

After the 2006 season, Marshawn Lynch decided to skip his senior year, and enter the NFL Draft. At the combine, he ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, ensuring his spot at the top of the draft.

He was drafted 12th overall by the Bills, signing a six year, $18.9 million dollar contract, and quickly made an impact, rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown in his first game, in a 15-14 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Marshawn’s breakout game however, happened on Nov. 4th against the Bengals, where he rushed for 153 yards, including a 56 yard sprint. He also threw a passing touchdown to Robert Royal.

As a rookie, he amassed over 1,000 yards, scoring seven touchdowns. In his following season, he rushed for 1,036 yards with eight touchdowns, and was selected to the Pro Bowl, after Tennessee Running Back Chris Johnson was injured.

Legal Issues

Three days following the Pro Bowl, Lynch was arrested for possession of a firearm, after a police officer reported smelling marijuana. NFL Commissioner suspended Marshawn for the first three games of the 2009 season. Lynch also pled guilty to a hit and run in 2008, after striking and injuring a woman in his Porsche Cayenne.

Breakdown

Marshawn performed well in his rookie and sophomore campaigns for the Buffalo Bills, but in the 2009 season he hasn’t been able to make plays, only averaging about two to three yards per carry. He has recently been sharing carries with Fred Jackson, who led Buffalo to a hot start, while Lynch was serving his three game suspension.

Hopefully, Marshawn can live up to his nickname, and play like a beast on the field in upcoming games.

 

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Can the Buffalo Bills Contain Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans?

The Buffalo Bills are entering Week 10 coming off of a bye week, which has allowed their injured players time to heal. Trend Edwards is expected to start after missing the previous two games due to a concussion.

Tennessee has looked strong since they gave Vince Young the starting job, mostly due to the astounding play of second year running back Chris Johnson.

Hopefully the Bills have used the bye week to get Trent Edwards back in sync with his receivers, as well as the offensive line working together to give him time in the pocket, as they have allowed 23 sacks this season, 19 of which to Edwards.

Keys Matchups of the Game

RB Chris Johnson vs. Buffalo’s Run Defense

Coming into this week, Buffalo has the worst run defense in the NFL, while Tennessee has the second best. In the last seven games, six running backs have achieved 100 or more rush yards against the Bills, most recently being back up Ryan Moats of the Texans rushing for 126 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

Defensive Tackles Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams will have to close the holes in order to keep Johnson from running all over them.

Buffalo cannot miss tackles, and the banged up linebacking corps will need to give it their all to contain the explosive Chris Johnson, who already has 959 yards and four touchdowns on the year.

Buffalo’s Pass Defense vs. QB Vince Young

Buffalo’s pass defense has been the only high point of the season. The secondary, which has 15 interceptions already this season, led by the astonishing play of rookie FS Jairus Byrd, is ranked 10th in the NFL. Expect Vince Young to attempt 15-20 passes, so Buffalo’s defense needs to capitalize when he drops back.

Chris Johnson has been utilized in the backfield as well, so Buffalo needs to play great coverage to contain Tennessee’s passing attack, featuring receivers Nate Washington, who has four touchdown receptions, and Justin Gage, who is also a speedy weapon downfield.

CB Cortland Finnegan, Roderick Hood vs. WR Lee Evans, Terrell Owens

Tennessee has the worst ranked pass defense in the NFL, which is a bright note for the sub-par Buffalo pass attack.

The Titan’s defense has only recorded one interception on the season, so expect Buffalo’s wideouts to perform if Trent Edwards can successfully move the ball downfield.

Trent Edwards is under a great deal of scrutiny due to the recent Michael Vick rumors, which will hopefully motivate him to get the ball to his receivers consistently.

Tennesse’s Pass Rush vs. Buffalo O-Line

Tennessee has 19 sacks on the year, and forced nine fumbles. Buffalo’s offensive front needs to step up this week to prevent Trent from getting hit, as he is coming off the second concussion in two years.

With Tennessee looking strong the past two weeks, the offensive line really needs to contain the pocket, and allow plays to develop. If they can be successful in this, Buffalo has a shot at winning this game.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson

It is time for Marshawn Lynch to go into “Beast Mode.” Since returning from his three-game suspension, he has only rushed for 217 yards, scoring one unimpressive touchdown against Carolina on the goal line.

Since Marshawn’s return, Fred Jackson has not had the opportunity to perform as he had the first three games of the season. Hopefully Dick Jauron used the bye week to establish a game plan in which he can utilize both of his under-performing running backs.

Buffalo Defensive Line vs. Tennessee Offensive Line

Buffalo has been consistent in sacking the quarterback throughout the year, yet Tennessee has only allowed the quarterback to be sacked nine times. Rookie Aaron Maybin has been spending extra time in practice working on getting to the quarterback, and being the force he has the potential to be.

Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay have eight sacks combined, and they need to put pressure on Vince Young throughout the entire game, hopefully causing bad decisions resulting in turnovers.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I believe Buffalo has a chance to win this game if they can execute without suffering any injuries. Both injured safeties Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott are returning, and Bryan Scott has been taking reps at linebacker, so Jairus Byrd can continue his exceptional play.

Buffalo really needs to contain Chris Johnson, as he will be the main weapon used by the Titans. The defense has to make their tackles, and not allow Johnson to run away with the game.

My prediction: Buffalo 21, Tennessee 19

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Forget Michael Vick: Buffalo Bills Need to Build to Future with Trent Edwards

Why is it that the Buffalo Bills continue to acquire washed-up veterans instead of building and developing what they already have?

From the 2002 acquisition of Drew Bledsoe to the recent offseason addition of Terrell “T.O.” Owens, Buffalo’s personnel moves have not been the smartest in building the championship-caliber team we strive for every year.

Now there are rumors of Michael Vick coming to Buffalo in the 2010 offseason.

This would be a terrible decision, no matter what the players believe. Trent Edwards is a solid quarterback and hasn’t performed up to par mainly due to the inexperience of the Buffalo offensive line.

In Vick’s Pro Bowl years, he was a scrambling quarterback who struggled consistently with accuracy. Buffalo has too many offensive weapons on offense to hand the ball over to Vick, who looks for holes to run rather than wait for receivers to get open downfield.

It is obvious in watching Vick this season that he simply does not have the speed or awareness he once had in the stunning 2006 season. After being in prison for such a long period of time, he lost not only his physical ability, but his quarterback knowledge, as well.

Vick consistently completed 45-50 percent of his passes while averaging about 150 yards per game.

Edwards had one of the highest completion percentages in the NFL last season and is completing 60 percent of his passes this season, even behind an atrocious offensive line.

Instead of bidding for Michael Vick in the offseason, Buffalo needs to place emphasis on developing the offensive line, as well as adding some solid defensive playmakers.

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Buffalo Bills Dreadful Midseason Injury Analysis

What seemed to be a promising year for the 2009-2010 Buffalo Bills has turned into nothing less than disaster, due to the unfathomable amounts of injuries occurring each week. 

Injuries on the Defensive Side

Ten of the 11 original opening day defensive starters for Buffalo have been injured at some point this year.

Linebackers

MLB Paul Posluzny, a captain and leader of the Buffalo defense suffered an injury to his forearm, causing him to miss a couple of weeks. His replacement, Marcus Buggs, looked solid enough to hold down the fort until he was injured, and will now miss the remainder of the season.

OLB Kawika Mitchell, an explosive playmaker and another leader of Buffalo’s solid linebacking core, was injured as well, and will also miss the remainder of the season.

OLB Keith Ellison, who leads Buffalo in tackles, was also recently injured, which required Buffalo to sign Chris Draft and try out Safety Bryan Scott at the position.

Secondary

At the season’s start, we were all excited for a promising, young secondary with a bright future.

CB Leodis McKelvin was expected to have a breakout season, yet suffered a broken fibula, and also will miss the remainder of the season.

CB Terrence McGee, who recently signed a five-year extension, has been banged up all year, and required arthroscopic knee surgery, leading him to not perform as his usual self.

S Donte Whitner is an unbelievable safety, yet he has missed the last two weeks due to ankle injuries. He started the season strong, returning an interception for a touchdown against Tampa, but losing Whitner is a key loss for the Buffalo secondary.

S Bryan Scott was also injured, yet it has allowed rookie FS Jairus Byrd to showcase his skills as a ball-hawk.

Defensive Line/Defensive Ends

Both defensive tackles Kyle Williams and John McCargo have been injured as well, which is a main factor contributing to Buffalo having the 32nd-ranked rush defense.

DE Aaron Schobel is one of the top pass rushers in the NFL, recording a team-leading five sacks on the season, while suffering injuries to his groin and ankle.

Another defensive end, Chris Kelsay, has also been banged up throughout the year, mostly due to issues with his knee, which is not allowing him to perform as he should.

Thoughts

With Marcus Stroud the only defensive starter that hasn’t been injured this year, it is clear that something is wrong. Buffalo is one of the lowest-ranked teams in offensive time of possession, which is keeping the defense on the field for way too long. This fatigue could be a great contributing factor to these injuries.

Injuries On the Offensive Side

Offensive Line

With the addition of rookies Eric Wood and Andy Levitre, the only experience Buffalo had on the offensive line was OT Brad Butler. He was injured in the second week of the season, which resulted in a mix-match shuffle of the already inexperienced line.

Replacement T Demetrius Bell looked solid in his first game, yet was injured as well, which brought an unknown Jamon Meridith to start. Just like his predecessors, he looked great against Carolina, but what do you know? He was also subsequently injured.

Tight Ends

TE Shawn Nelson, the rookie out of Southern Miss, seemed to have all the skills needed, and as a Bills fan I was happy to see him score the first touchdown of the season. Yet with the luck of Buffalo, he suffered a concussion and has missed the past couple weeks.

In addition to Nelson, the other TEs, Derek Fine and Derek Schouman, also suffered injuries, which has greatly affected Buffalo’s offensive attack.

Quarterback

Trent Edwards was playing solid football through the first three games of the season. Unfortunately, he suffered another concussion, causing him to miss the previous two games.

Additional Thoughts

This surplus of injuries has definitely had a detrimental affect on the psyche of the Buffalo Bills. With players coming and going, it is difficult to develop a game plan in which the players can mesh with each other, and learn each other’s tendencies.

Tackle Brad Butler was the veteran leader of the young offensive line, and without him Buffalo’s rush attack has been less than pedestrian and the quarterback doesn’t have enough time to wait for plays to develop downfield, which often results in a sack or a screen pass that gains three yards.

Where do you think Buffalo would be in the AFC East if it wasn’t for all of these injuries?

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