Stillers @ Bills Preview (Game #2)
The Stillers
finally get to play some football after the 3-week hiatus caused by the
tragedies of 9-11.�� They face the
reeling Buffalo Jills, who have shown more Jill than Jack en route to stumbling
out of the gate with 2 severe whippings at the hands of the Saints and the
Colts.� The Stillers, of course, are
still smarting from the thorough beating they received in their opener down in
Jacksonville, so both teams come into this game winless and still feeling the
sting of their received thrashings.� I
attended the Stillers-Bills game up in Buffalo two years ago, and you can be
sure that the Bills fans, despite the sad sack play of their team the first two
games, will be revved up and plenty loud. �
* When the Bills
have the ball,
they�ll bring an offense that has seen its share of problems thus far in
�01.� Their O-line, led by Fina and
Brown, is an average unit, at best, and that�s before they got nicked by
injury.� Starting guard Ostroski is out for
the season, and his replacement, Corey Hulsey, is in his first full NFL
season.� Center Bill Conaty is banged
up.� They�ll also start a rookie at RT,
3rd rounder Jonas Jennings.� With the
departure of Flutie, Rob Johnson has finally grabbed the QB chores all to
himself.� It remains to be seen if
Johnson has the toughness, leadership, and durability to maintain his starting
job for a whole season.� To be sure,
Johnson is a gifted passer who, when hot, can get the ball on target with ok
velocity but deft touch and accuracy.��
On the other hand, Johnson is easily rattled in the pocket, and if
beaten about by linemen and LBs, will tend to get happy feet &/or rush
throws.� The ground shows some promise
thus far in �01.�� Rookie 2nd rounder
Travis Henry has a load of potential, and after two games is probably getting
better acclimated to the speed of the NFL game.� Ageless veteran Larry Centers, who was picked up in a shrewd
front office move, will start at FB.�
Centers gives Johnson a reliable asset out of the backfield, and could
present a problem if the Stillers are not diligent in keeping an eye on
him.� TE Jay Riemersa -- a Michigan TE
who actually produces pass receptions, unlike the one on the Steeler roster --
serves as a very capable threat for the Bills.�
He�s not flashy or mega-athletic, but Riemersma is clever and
reliable.�� Ironically enough, the nifty
play in game #1 by Jax TE D. Jones, in which he rolled to the ground and snuck
out across the field, was an exact replica of a TD play Riemersma scored
against the Stillers in the loss up in Ralph Wilson Stadium back in �99.� The Stillers have had problems clamping down
on TEs throughout the entire preseason and in the Jax loss, so limiting
Riemersma will have to be a must.�
Because of these problems, I expect Buffalo to try to get him the ball
early and often.� The Bills WR corps is,
thus far in �01, exceptionally average.��
Moulds is their �go to� guy, but he�s a far cry from the real go-to
types like Jimmy and Rod Smith.� On top
of that, he�s a bit nicked up and is listed as questionable.� (Then again, so was Jimmy Smith, and he
torched the Stillers unmercifully in game #1.)�
Peerless Price starts at the opposite spot, and thus far this season
he�s been out-peered by just about every receiver in the league (except ours,
of course).� The bad aspect of the Bills
roster is that their #3 and #4 receivers give them next to nothing, so it�s
entirely incumbent on Price and Moulds to get the job done downfield.�� Overall, it would seem that the Stiller
defense matches up well against this crew.�
I can�t see the Bills pounding the ball consistently on the ground with
success.� The danger will be through the
air, where Johnson and Moulds/Price could finally get untracked and hook up for
a few big plays, especially if the Stillers play that Mamby Pamby, no-pressure
defense that they used so futilely down in Jax 3 weeks ago.� The key matchup will be Stiller OLB
Jason Gildon against rookie starting right tackle Jonas Jennings.� Not only is Jennings a greenhorn rookie, but
he�s also gimpy from a strained hip flexor.� Gildon,
the supposed Pro Bowler, was a complete no-show in the loss to Jacksonville,
getting thoroughly dominated by a rookie tackle making his first ever NFL
start.�� With the kind of game ROLB Joey
Porter had versus Jax, the Bills will be more than savvy enough to avoid Porter
and run the ball at Gildon.�� The
Stiller pass pressure was non-existent versus J-ville, and it�s going to be on
the shoulders of �Big Jason� to abuse this gimpy rookie and harass the scared
Johnson into poor throws and INTs.�
* When the
Stillers have the ball, it�ll presumably be the same old Whalecrap running Offense, along with
the Nickel&Dime, Dink and Dump passing Offense.� Sure, Cowher has had 3 weeks to change things up, but considering
that he had 9 months since last season to �change things up� it doesn�t seem
plausible that 3 weeks is enough time.�
Bettis should get plenty of work, due partially because he got only 14
carries in the Jax loss, and because the Bills defense is banged up and
susceptible to the running game.�� Stud
LB Sam Cowart is out indefinitely from injury, and along with the injury last
week to tough rookie LB Brandon Spoon, the Bills LB corps has been decimated.� Just as they did against the Colts last
week, expect the Bills to put 8 men up at the line of scrimmage.� Because their front 7 is fairly ordinary;
because of the injuries to Cowart and Spoon; and because the Bills have no fear
of the anemic Stiller passing game, I�d be stunned if Bills head coach Gregg
Williams, formerly the Titans� DC who knows the Stillers all too well, didn�t
do this.� RT Marvel Smith will have his
hands full against veteran DE Phil Hansen, and if Smith continues to struggle
Hansen is more than capable enough to take advantage of it.� The Bills secondary got exposed badly last
week in Indy, but then again most secondaries will have long days against that
top-3-in-NFL passing attack.� Clements
and Winfield are solid CBs, although neither starting safety is terribly
gifted.� The key matchup
will be the passing game�s ability to make Buffalo pay for the 8 man
fronts.�� Throwing 4-yard curls against
an 8-man front isn�t going to make Buffalo pay at all.� Although on paper we should be able to whup
up on the battered Buffalo front 7, the 8-man fronts and aggressive
run-blitzing will make yardage hard to come by for Doughboy Bettis.� This gutless, low risk, low reward offense
is going to have to get the ball to receivers on the move 15 and 20 yards downfield,
in order to pull away some defenders from the line of scrimmage.�
* Spec Teams: Probably a pick �em
here.�� Neither team seems to have a
significant edge.� Of course, come game
day in Buffalo, lousy weather and brisk winds can make the special teams an adventure.� On the Stillers side of the ball, let�s hope
that Cowher --- supposedly a special teams guru -- has figured out how to
protect his punter from the man lined up directly over the snapper.� Hopefully Josh Miller won�t have any ill
effects from the beating he took on the blocked punt versus Jax.�� Hank Poteat could give the team a good
boost with a decent return.�� Bills
kicker Steve Christie is out with injury, but Jake Arians has filled in
adequately in his place.�
* Synopsis:� As I noted in my previous article (see Layoff a
Hindrance, not Help), the 3-week layoff does the Stillers no good
whatsoever.� The Jills, on the other
hand, are licking their wounds from two pretty good beatings at the hands of 2
playoff-caliber teams, and will most likely come out breathing a lot of fire
and pent-up aggression.� Had the
Stillers been able to tune up on both sides of the ball and make some
much-needed adjustments in the canceled game against Cleveland, I think they�d
have been able to handle the Jills.� And
let there be no doubt --- Coach Bill Cowher would love nothing more than to
beat Bills GM Tom Donahoe, whom he�d forced out of Pittsburgh in the
well-documented power struggle in, and following, the 1999 season.� This really should be a winnable road game,
but I fear that overt slop and over-conservatism will lose out to a revved up
Bills team that, facing the prospect of an 0-3 start, will make the big plays
that win the football game.� The Bills,
who have won 7 straight home games against the Black and Gold, will prevail
over a sloppy, meek Steeler team, 17-16.�