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Re: Bills Have Contained High Profile Offenses Before
I don't think that the Bills necessarily have to slow the game down as much as they did in Indy in Wk. 10 of 2006, but they can use many aspects of the same formula that they used in that game: run the ball effectively and force Brees to have to dink-and-dunk his way down the field to score.
In that game in 2006, the Bills ran the ball 31 times and JP Losman threw it only 12 times. With Edwards' ability to throw screens and short passes, the Bills don't have to limit their passing game that much, but can use screens, dump-offs and the running game to control the tempo. Offensive linemen love to run-block and it is harder for young offensive linemen to learn to pass-block consistently than it is for them to run-block. As good as they have pass-blocked, the Bills' young offensive linemen have been quite able to run-block at least as good as that 2006 unit and I'll take Fred Jackson over Anthony Thomas in 2006.
However, the Bills will have to play error-free football and take advantage of the scoring opportunities that they get, when they get them.
On defense, they may decide that the only way to keep the game close will be to do what they did to Peyton Manning and the Colts in 2006. That Colts offense was every bit as good as the current New Orleans team and they were playing inside, in their own building--the Bills will get the Saints in The Ralph and, possibly, in the rain.
In 2006, the Bills shut down Indy's running game and forced P.Manning to throw the ball 39 times. They kept M.Harrison and R.Wayne in check and forced Peyton Manning to dink-and-dunk in order to move the ball downfield. Yes, the defense was on the field for a long time, but they made Indy spend a lot of time and effort to get every score that they got. And, that was a much younger and less experienced defense than the Bills have now.
It's going to be very difficult to keep the New Orleans offense under control and keep the game close enough for the Bills to win it, but the San Diego game and the game in Indy in 2006 (when Rian Lindell missed a FG that would have put the Bills ahead) show that it can be done. It isn't impossible. But, the Bills will have to play a very disciplined, error-free game to give themselves a chance to win it.
Originally posted by patmoran2006
In that game in 2006, the Bills ran the ball 31 times and JP Losman threw it only 12 times. With Edwards' ability to throw screens and short passes, the Bills don't have to limit their passing game that much, but can use screens, dump-offs and the running game to control the tempo. Offensive linemen love to run-block and it is harder for young offensive linemen to learn to pass-block consistently than it is for them to run-block. As good as they have pass-blocked, the Bills' young offensive linemen have been quite able to run-block at least as good as that 2006 unit and I'll take Fred Jackson over Anthony Thomas in 2006.
However, the Bills will have to play error-free football and take advantage of the scoring opportunities that they get, when they get them.
On defense, they may decide that the only way to keep the game close will be to do what they did to Peyton Manning and the Colts in 2006. That Colts offense was every bit as good as the current New Orleans team and they were playing inside, in their own building--the Bills will get the Saints in The Ralph and, possibly, in the rain.
In 2006, the Bills shut down Indy's running game and forced P.Manning to throw the ball 39 times. They kept M.Harrison and R.Wayne in check and forced Peyton Manning to dink-and-dunk in order to move the ball downfield. Yes, the defense was on the field for a long time, but they made Indy spend a lot of time and effort to get every score that they got. And, that was a much younger and less experienced defense than the Bills have now.
It's going to be very difficult to keep the New Orleans offense under control and keep the game close enough for the Bills to win it, but the San Diego game and the game in Indy in 2006 (when Rian Lindell missed a FG that would have put the Bills ahead) show that it can be done. It isn't impossible. But, the Bills will have to play a very disciplined, error-free game to give themselves a chance to win it.
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