- Messages
- 79,281
- Reaction score
- 45,652
The Bills are back on ‘Monday Night Football’ stage in need of firepower to keep up with the high-flying Cowboys
By Mark Gaughan
Updated: 10/08/07 9:23 AM
SAVE EMAIL PRINT POPULAR Digg it del.icio.us + Larger Font Google Yahoo - Smaller Font
The Buffalo Bills’ offense finally showed up for the 2007 campaign in last week’s victory over the New York Jets. Tonight the Buffalo attack had better fast-forward into midseason form against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hank Williams Jr. might as well change his tune at the start of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” telecast. Are you ready for some football? How about: Are you ready for some offense?
A sellout crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium can count on watching one outstanding offensive team. Dallas is averaging 38 points per game, and a banged-up Bills defense is going to be hard-pressed to hold the Cowboys to three touchdowns … if not four. Do you hear five?
The question: Can the Bills’ attack join the party?
“We want to play a complete game in all three phases,” said Bills tight end Robert Royal. “But if it comes to a scoring game, we’re prepared for it. We’re playing pretty good up front. We have the weapons. We’ve got every piece of the puzzle we need to put up points.”
“If they score 28, we need 30,” Royal said. “If they score 40, we need 42. We need one more point than they have.”
Thirty points will be asking a lot of the Bills. Buffalo has hit the 30-point mark once in the last 21 games. Dallas has scored 30 all four games this year and in 10 of its last 18 games.
Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards will try to overcome these trends and give the Bills a second straight strong outing. If he does, he may put a vise grip on the starting job.
“Trent’s the guy playing this week, and we hope he does an unbelievable job and he gives us a chance to win the game,” said Bills coach Dick Jauron. “And then we’ll see what happens.”
Obviously, the Bills would rather not see Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and the rest of the Cowboy stars turn the game into a track meet.
“You see a lot of their dime defense on film because teams have been so far behind against them,” said Bills assistant coach Alex Van Pelt. “Teams are forced to throw, and that’s tough because there’s a lot of talent in their front seven. It’s the best one we’ve faced yet.”
That’s saying a lot, because the Bills have faced two excellent defensive fronts in Pittsburgh and New England.
The Bills will try their best to not become one-dimensional.
“That’s not a pleasant thought,” Jauron said of a must-pass mode. “When they don’t have to worry at all about the run, you’re in tough shape.”
The ideal way to attack the Cowboys is to run between the tackles, eat clock and keep Romo on the sidelines.
Dallas lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the season to a torn biceps muscle, suffered in the season opener.
Taking his place is Jay Ratliff, a seventh- round pick from 2005. He’s listed at 298 pounds, but he has more of a basketball body than one of a prototypical nose tackle.
Dallas’ linebackers have good speed, so running wide isn’t easy.
“They’re tough to run on,” said Van Pelt. “Their nose guard is a big guy but he’s not a big tank like [New England’s] Vince Wilfork. He’s quick. Melvin [Fowler] is quick also. That will be a good matchup to watch. Melvin will have his hands full.”
Dallas has faced the third fewest rushing attempts per game this year, thanks to the fact its defense is usually playing with a lead.
The Bills showed the ability to control the ball with the short passing game, along with the run, last week against the Jets. Edwards will need to execute that attack again, against a more aggressive blitzing team.
Dallas runs a lot of five-man rushes. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips did not use many six-man rushes when he was in Buffalo. He doesn’t do it much in Dallas, either.
“Trent Edwards did a good job of dishing the ball out and finding the open guy,” said receiver Roscoe Parrish. “That’s something he needs to continue to do, have faith in getting the ball in guys’ hands. We know we’re going to have to score some points.”
If the Bills get into a catch-up mode, expect to see a lot more of Anthony Thomas in place of Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. Thomas did an excellent job picking up blitzes against the Jets.
“His pass protection has gotten better every year he’s been in the league,” Jauron said. “It says a lot for who he is. He takes a lot of pride in the small things, things that most people don’t see.”
Dallas’ secondary is not impenetrable, if the quarterback can get enough time to unload the ball. The Cowboys lost starting cornerback Anthony Henry to a high ankle sprain last week. His spot will be taken by fourth-year man Jacques Reeves.
The Bills were able to stay close three times last year against dominating offenses. They lost by three to San Diego, two to New England and one to Indianapolis.
They did it by playing bend-butdon’t- break defense and clock-eating offense.
“Obviously coach Jauron and his staff have been around for a long time and they do a great job of looking at what opposing teams give you,” Royal said. “They try to do things we do well to give us a chance to win the game at the end.”
Opposing offenses, however, have a tendency to get impatient against Dallas. The same thing happens when teams play Indianapolis. There’s a fear of an impending offensive explosion.
“If it’s 10-3 anywhere in that game, you feel OK,” Jauron said. “But if they score again, then the pressure really gets on you because you feel like you’ve got to match. History tells you at that point that they’ll probably keep scoring. You’ve got to keep matching them to stay in the game and that’s a lot of pressure.”
mgaughan@buffnews.com
LINK
By Mark Gaughan
Updated: 10/08/07 9:23 AM
SAVE EMAIL PRINT POPULAR Digg it del.icio.us + Larger Font Google Yahoo - Smaller Font
The Buffalo Bills’ offense finally showed up for the 2007 campaign in last week’s victory over the New York Jets. Tonight the Buffalo attack had better fast-forward into midseason form against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hank Williams Jr. might as well change his tune at the start of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” telecast. Are you ready for some football? How about: Are you ready for some offense?
A sellout crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium can count on watching one outstanding offensive team. Dallas is averaging 38 points per game, and a banged-up Bills defense is going to be hard-pressed to hold the Cowboys to three touchdowns … if not four. Do you hear five?
The question: Can the Bills’ attack join the party?
“We want to play a complete game in all three phases,” said Bills tight end Robert Royal. “But if it comes to a scoring game, we’re prepared for it. We’re playing pretty good up front. We have the weapons. We’ve got every piece of the puzzle we need to put up points.”
“If they score 28, we need 30,” Royal said. “If they score 40, we need 42. We need one more point than they have.”
Thirty points will be asking a lot of the Bills. Buffalo has hit the 30-point mark once in the last 21 games. Dallas has scored 30 all four games this year and in 10 of its last 18 games.
Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards will try to overcome these trends and give the Bills a second straight strong outing. If he does, he may put a vise grip on the starting job.
“Trent’s the guy playing this week, and we hope he does an unbelievable job and he gives us a chance to win the game,” said Bills coach Dick Jauron. “And then we’ll see what happens.”
Obviously, the Bills would rather not see Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and the rest of the Cowboy stars turn the game into a track meet.
“You see a lot of their dime defense on film because teams have been so far behind against them,” said Bills assistant coach Alex Van Pelt. “Teams are forced to throw, and that’s tough because there’s a lot of talent in their front seven. It’s the best one we’ve faced yet.”
That’s saying a lot, because the Bills have faced two excellent defensive fronts in Pittsburgh and New England.
The Bills will try their best to not become one-dimensional.
“That’s not a pleasant thought,” Jauron said of a must-pass mode. “When they don’t have to worry at all about the run, you’re in tough shape.”
The ideal way to attack the Cowboys is to run between the tackles, eat clock and keep Romo on the sidelines.
Dallas lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the season to a torn biceps muscle, suffered in the season opener.
Taking his place is Jay Ratliff, a seventh- round pick from 2005. He’s listed at 298 pounds, but he has more of a basketball body than one of a prototypical nose tackle.
Dallas’ linebackers have good speed, so running wide isn’t easy.
“They’re tough to run on,” said Van Pelt. “Their nose guard is a big guy but he’s not a big tank like [New England’s] Vince Wilfork. He’s quick. Melvin [Fowler] is quick also. That will be a good matchup to watch. Melvin will have his hands full.”
Dallas has faced the third fewest rushing attempts per game this year, thanks to the fact its defense is usually playing with a lead.
The Bills showed the ability to control the ball with the short passing game, along with the run, last week against the Jets. Edwards will need to execute that attack again, against a more aggressive blitzing team.
Dallas runs a lot of five-man rushes. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips did not use many six-man rushes when he was in Buffalo. He doesn’t do it much in Dallas, either.
“Trent Edwards did a good job of dishing the ball out and finding the open guy,” said receiver Roscoe Parrish. “That’s something he needs to continue to do, have faith in getting the ball in guys’ hands. We know we’re going to have to score some points.”
If the Bills get into a catch-up mode, expect to see a lot more of Anthony Thomas in place of Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. Thomas did an excellent job picking up blitzes against the Jets.
“His pass protection has gotten better every year he’s been in the league,” Jauron said. “It says a lot for who he is. He takes a lot of pride in the small things, things that most people don’t see.”
Dallas’ secondary is not impenetrable, if the quarterback can get enough time to unload the ball. The Cowboys lost starting cornerback Anthony Henry to a high ankle sprain last week. His spot will be taken by fourth-year man Jacques Reeves.
The Bills were able to stay close three times last year against dominating offenses. They lost by three to San Diego, two to New England and one to Indianapolis.
They did it by playing bend-butdon’t- break defense and clock-eating offense.
“Obviously coach Jauron and his staff have been around for a long time and they do a great job of looking at what opposing teams give you,” Royal said. “They try to do things we do well to give us a chance to win the game at the end.”
Opposing offenses, however, have a tendency to get impatient against Dallas. The same thing happens when teams play Indianapolis. There’s a fear of an impending offensive explosion.
“If it’s 10-3 anywhere in that game, you feel OK,” Jauron said. “But if they score again, then the pressure really gets on you because you feel like you’ve got to match. History tells you at that point that they’ll probably keep scoring. You’ve got to keep matching them to stay in the game and that’s a lot of pressure.”
mgaughan@buffnews.com
LINK
