By Brandon Koch / Tonawanda News, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
E-mail Print (0) Comments Text size Share
T he Bills were a paltry 4 of 14 on third down in Cincinnati against one of the stingiest defenses in that situation.
With just 12 first downs through 60 minutes last week, including just two in the fourth quarter, Bills coach Chan Gailey said the Bills must bounce back in that area.
"It’s things that the other team does well that we have to get better at so that we can negate that," Gailey said. "One of the points this week is us on third down. It doesn’t have anything to do with them, it’s we need to get better on third down. We had way too many third downs -- six minuses -- that we didn’t convert. We have not been doing that, but we did (last Sunday)."
Perhaps one of the keys to the Bills on third down is getting the ball in the hands of their fourth and fifth receivers. Brad Smith made a pair of receptions against the Bengals while Naaman Roosevelt picked up 28 yards on his lone target of the day.
With Philadelphia’s premier cornerbacks -- Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel [ stats ] and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie -- those two may see more come their way this Sunday in Buffalo.
"People look at Stevie (Johnson) to make big plays, so they’re going to watch out for him. You have Donald (Jones) on the outside and David (Nelson) inside making plays," Roosevelt said. "Definitely it’s an opportunity for me to get in there and make plays and show what I can do."
Fred Jackson has emerged this season as one of the league’s top backs, which has undoubtedly made it harder for former ninth overall pick CJ Spiller see the field.
Spiller has just 13 carries for 94 yards and a TD for Buffalo’s fifth-ranked rushing offense, and has a mere four receptions for 13 yards through the air. Spiller, though, said he’s just going to take advantage of the opportunities he’s given.
"It don’t get frustrating," he told a group of reporters Wednesday. "I mean, of course you want to go out there and help the team and try to contribute the best way you can. But at the same time I have to understand it’s a business and they put in the best 11 guys that can get it done."
Aside from perhaps his best game as a pro against Oakland (four carries, 63 yards), he’s been limited.
"There’s only one football, and you’ve got some good receivers and you’ve got a tight end that has done some good things and a running back that’s played well right now," Gailey said. "You just can’t do everything you’d like to do. We’ve got some ideas and we’ve got some thoughts, but it just hasn’t presented itself at this time the way we’ve like to do it. Unfortunately right now it’s like he’s the odd man out. It may not be that way the whole season, but right now it is. I still think he’s going to be a very good player for us over the long haul.
The Eagles will be without defensive end Trent Cole and former Bills left tackle Jason Peters Sunday. Cole sustained a calf strain last Sunday against San Francisco. Peters is dealing with a hamstring injury that may keep him out a while.
The Bills are averaging a 35.3 rating on local TV, which ranks tied for fifth-best in the entire league. That rating is up from last year’s 31.5 at the quarter pole.
(c)2011 Tonawanda News (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) Distributed by MCT Information Services
Source:
