- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Messages
- 35,576
- Name
- The Dude
Vic Carruci
http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/1...ive-bills-must-get-physical-rams-immediately/
Here are my five takes on the Buffalo Bills' game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at the L.A. Coliseum:
1. Get physical right away. The Rams' greatest strength is their defensive line. Besides their Pro Bowlers, tackle Aaron Donald and end Robert Quinn, they're equally solid with tackle Michael Brockers, end William Hayes and the fifth man in their rotation, Eugene Sims.
Just as it did on Sept. 25 against Arizona, the Bills' offense must come out with the intention of imposing its will with a strong running game. Center Eric Wood and guards Richie Incognito and John Miller must immediately establish the ability to get a strong push to allow LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee find openings between the tackles.
With a persistent ground attack, the Bills are capable of wearing down the Rams' front. It will also open the door to some play-action throws and help the Bills establish the quick-rhythm passing attack that was so effective in last Sunday's victory at New England.
2. Another week, another opponent the defense can dominate. In so many ways, it's hard to figure out how in the heck the Rams are 3-1 and leading the NFC West.
Their supposed best offensive player and last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, running back Todd Gurley, has consistently found nowhere to run and has yet to crack 100 rushing yards. Their quarterback, Case Keenum, throws a whole lot of short passes, only making the fact top overall pick Jared Goff can't see the field even more of a concern.
Consider the following: The Rams beat Arizona, 17-13, last Sunday despite having 12 first downs to the Cardinals' 26 and running 55 plays to the Cardinals' 75.
The Bills are stout enough up front not to allow Gurley to have his first strong performance of the season, especially with tackle Marcell Dareus returning from his four-game suspension with presumably fresh legs. And that should help them give Keenum the Jacoby Brissett treatment, attacking him with relentless pressure.
3. Take advantage of weak cornerbacks. With Sammy Watkins on the injured-reserve list, the Bills don't have much in the way of tremendous talent at wide receiver. But as they proved against the Patriots, the players they have at the position -- especially Robert Woods and Walter Powell -- are good enough to have success when operating with a sound game plan and when Tyrod Taylor has consistently strong pass protection.
Keeping Taylor upright and able to function as effectively from the pocket as he did last Sunday will be a challenge against the Rams' pass-rushers. However, the Rams' cornerbacks are vulnerable, so look for the Bills to try to work them over with a combination of short, intermediate and long throws.
Expect Taylor to again take a few early deep shots to Marquise Goodwin. Taylor just has to avoid misfiring on them as he did at Foxborough, Mass. The Bills also should be able to get more than a few favorable matchups for tight end Charles Clay and running back LeSean McCoy.
4. Stay as disciplined as possible. The Bills weren't happy with their six penalties against New England for 60 yards. However, the Patriots were uncharacteristically flagged a whopping nine times for 74 yards.
In their victory against the Cardinals, the Rams were the ones with nine penalties, for 84 yards, while Arizona had six penalties for 45 yards.
Given their physical, sometimes chippy style of play, the Rams are prone to drawing yellow flags. The Bills have a tendency to lead with their emotions -- as they demonstrated once again with last Sunday's altercation between Buffalo and New England players during pregame warm-ups -- but they need to keep them under control and let the Rams self-destruct with penalties.
5. Match the Rams' resilience. The common thread through the Rams' surprising start is the ability to win close games. Their defense keeps teams out of the end zone and their offense capitalizes on opponents' mistakes that the defense forces.
The Bills have to stay strong mentally and avoid frustration if they aren't able to find success offensively. The Rams count on their ability to do the right thing at the right time, while the other team is lulled into a false sense of security.
The Bills have to be smart, with decision-making by players, and especially with play-calling and clock management. Those are usually the determining factors in close outcomes.
http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/1...ive-bills-must-get-physical-rams-immediately/
Here are my five takes on the Buffalo Bills' game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at the L.A. Coliseum:
1. Get physical right away. The Rams' greatest strength is their defensive line. Besides their Pro Bowlers, tackle Aaron Donald and end Robert Quinn, they're equally solid with tackle Michael Brockers, end William Hayes and the fifth man in their rotation, Eugene Sims.
Just as it did on Sept. 25 against Arizona, the Bills' offense must come out with the intention of imposing its will with a strong running game. Center Eric Wood and guards Richie Incognito and John Miller must immediately establish the ability to get a strong push to allow LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee find openings between the tackles.
With a persistent ground attack, the Bills are capable of wearing down the Rams' front. It will also open the door to some play-action throws and help the Bills establish the quick-rhythm passing attack that was so effective in last Sunday's victory at New England.
2. Another week, another opponent the defense can dominate. In so many ways, it's hard to figure out how in the heck the Rams are 3-1 and leading the NFC West.
Their supposed best offensive player and last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, running back Todd Gurley, has consistently found nowhere to run and has yet to crack 100 rushing yards. Their quarterback, Case Keenum, throws a whole lot of short passes, only making the fact top overall pick Jared Goff can't see the field even more of a concern.
Consider the following: The Rams beat Arizona, 17-13, last Sunday despite having 12 first downs to the Cardinals' 26 and running 55 plays to the Cardinals' 75.
The Bills are stout enough up front not to allow Gurley to have his first strong performance of the season, especially with tackle Marcell Dareus returning from his four-game suspension with presumably fresh legs. And that should help them give Keenum the Jacoby Brissett treatment, attacking him with relentless pressure.
3. Take advantage of weak cornerbacks. With Sammy Watkins on the injured-reserve list, the Bills don't have much in the way of tremendous talent at wide receiver. But as they proved against the Patriots, the players they have at the position -- especially Robert Woods and Walter Powell -- are good enough to have success when operating with a sound game plan and when Tyrod Taylor has consistently strong pass protection.
Keeping Taylor upright and able to function as effectively from the pocket as he did last Sunday will be a challenge against the Rams' pass-rushers. However, the Rams' cornerbacks are vulnerable, so look for the Bills to try to work them over with a combination of short, intermediate and long throws.
Expect Taylor to again take a few early deep shots to Marquise Goodwin. Taylor just has to avoid misfiring on them as he did at Foxborough, Mass. The Bills also should be able to get more than a few favorable matchups for tight end Charles Clay and running back LeSean McCoy.
4. Stay as disciplined as possible. The Bills weren't happy with their six penalties against New England for 60 yards. However, the Patriots were uncharacteristically flagged a whopping nine times for 74 yards.
In their victory against the Cardinals, the Rams were the ones with nine penalties, for 84 yards, while Arizona had six penalties for 45 yards.
Given their physical, sometimes chippy style of play, the Rams are prone to drawing yellow flags. The Bills have a tendency to lead with their emotions -- as they demonstrated once again with last Sunday's altercation between Buffalo and New England players during pregame warm-ups -- but they need to keep them under control and let the Rams self-destruct with penalties.
5. Match the Rams' resilience. The common thread through the Rams' surprising start is the ability to win close games. Their defense keeps teams out of the end zone and their offense capitalizes on opponents' mistakes that the defense forces.
The Bills have to stay strong mentally and avoid frustration if they aren't able to find success offensively. The Rams count on their ability to do the right thing at the right time, while the other team is lulled into a false sense of security.
The Bills have to be smart, with decision-making by players, and especially with play-calling and clock management. Those are usually the determining factors in close outcomes.
