Preview: Bills at Green Bay Packers

by Brandon on Sep 17, 2010 10:00 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers Preview

I'm coming into this game with a very low opinion of the Buffalo Bills offense. I watched them last week at their worst: the final 2 minutes of their game against the Miami Dolphins (as I waited for the Green Bay Packers game to start). They needed a FG to tie with under 2 minutes remaining and they had two possessions. The first one generated -1 yard on 4 plays (they took a safety since they were pinned down at the goal line), and the second one netted for 4 yards on 4 plays. That is certainly a small sample size, but the Bills only managed one drive longer than 30 yards last week.

Here are the official rankings from NFL.com after Week 1:

Team	Run Offense	Pass Offense	Run Defense	Pass Defense
Packers	8	19	30	16

Team	Run Defense	Pass Defense	Run Offense	Pass Offense
Bills	24	11	28	29

Packers run offense vs. Bills run defense. The Packers run offense had the best ranking, but 45 of their 132 yards came from the one guy who won't play again this season: RB Ryan Grant. On the other hand, the Bills run defense didn't shine against the Dolphins and they're replacing injured inside LB Paul Posluszny with former safety Keith Ellison. Also, the Bills have jumped on the 3-4 bandwagon this season, and their defense is certainly still in the midst of some growing pains. The Packers should be able to run against the Bills, but their offense is all about getting QB Aaron Rodgers back on track after what he called a "terrible" game.

Packers pass offense vs. Bills pass defense. The Bills secondary is the strength of their team. Starting CB Leodis McKelvin is back after missing nearly the entire 2009 season. 2009 rookie of the year runner-up FS Jairus Byrd is playing, but he was limited to nickel and dime packages while he recovers from groin surgery. They recorded 3 sacks last week, but despite LT Chad Clifton's troubles last week, they don't have a pass rusher like DE Trent Cole. Buffalo Rumblings pointed out the Packers struggles last week, but all the bad news happened in the 1st quarter as Clifton and RT Mark Tauscher clearly had some preseason rust to shake off. The Packers will struggle against the Bills secondary if the veteran tackles regress.

Bills run offense vs. Packers run defense. The NFL's best run defense in 2009 laid an egg last week when QB Michael Vick ran wild on scrambles. They also admitted they didn't game plan for Vick as the starting QB either. Their top draft choice, RB C.J. Spiller, is a talent, but he didn't show it in his week 1 performance of 7 carries for 6 yards against the Dolphins. The Bills offensive line is still "developing", and didn't play well (especially their offensive tackles) last week. The 2009 run defense will return next week unless the Bills have Vick hidden somewhere on their bench.

Bills pass defense vs. Packers pass defense. The Packers pass defense had an up-and-down day as CB Charles Woodson played on his bad toe and shut down WR DeSean Jackson, while nickel back CB Sam Shields looked like the undrafted rookie that he is on the touchdown pass to WR Jeremy Maclin. With Woodson almost certain to play and limit WR Lee Evans, the Bills will have to count on their No. 2 WR Steve Johnson (15 career receptions) or WR Roscoe Parrish to get open against Shields or CB Tramon Williams.

It's hard to see the Bills winning with their offense. It wasn't good in 2009, and it opened the 2010 season with only 166 total yards of offense, at home, against a lesser defense. Meanwhile the Packers scored 27 points on the road against a defense that's probably better than the Bills. Packers 27, Bills 7.

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Rodgers should easily get 400 yards against the Bills

This will be an easy victory and a good chance for Kuhn and Jackson to show what they got. I’m predicting Packers 31 Bills 10.

When life gives ya lemons, shut up and eat your damn lemons.

by P-Townfan on Sep 17, 2010 10:05 AM CDT reply actions

No RB, No Problem

Rodgers will be the #1 Fantasy QB this week and expect a big game out of Jennings and Finley. NFL player and Cousin of Donald Lee weighs in.

http://tightend.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-2-nfl-winners-losers.html

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by curiousg87 on Sep 18, 2010 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Packers 28, Bills 7

by Yankees10 on Sep 17, 2010 10:15 AM CDT reply actions

I think we should surprise Buffalo with a gameplan they wouldn't think about

Run the ball! haha.

I would run the ball hard up the middle numerous times with Kuhn and Jackson. Their NT Williams has not surprised me in the few times I’ve watched them. With Posluzney injured, that makes the middle of their D even more vulnerable. Buffalo is probably expecting us to pass a lot with Grant injured, so I would run at them where they are most vulnerable. Kuhn can wear the LB’s down and Jackson is the change of pace back.

"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi

by Jabooty on Sep 17, 2010 10:26 AM CDT reply actions

I like the sound of that

"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." - Vince Lombardi

by AdamA on Sep 17, 2010 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions

I've got a feeling the Packers will get on a roll early and often

It’s going to be similar to the Colts preseason game. Pack 42, Bills 10

The Dude abides

by SlowJoe445 on Sep 17, 2010 10:51 AM CDT reply actions

Matthews should have a monster game. Their secondary is actually a lot better then most give it credit for but I don’t think their pass rush will be anything to special. We should win this one by a couple TD’s or so, if not more.

by packallday555 on Sep 17, 2010 11:47 AM CDT reply actions

I agree

Their secondary is the strength of their team and it is very good. The Front 7 is not however.

"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi

by Jabooty on Sep 17, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions

so no matter how good the secondary is

if there’s no pass rush, Rodgers and the receivers will have all day to get open. I’d like to see a lot of the starters sit for a good portion of the 4th quarter so we keep them healthy and get the backups some experience.

by gern blanston on Sep 17, 2010 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions

What good teams do

Yeah, that’s the key. If the offensive line can protect, the game should be easy. If not, then we’ll struggle to sneak out with a win.

Last week with the Eagles was a rock fight. I am impressed that the Pack held it together through adversity to get the win. This week we need to blow them out. That’s what good teams do when they face bad teams.

by Curly Lambeau on Sep 17, 2010 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Excellent point there. If

our beloved Pack is going to do something this year really do something this is a game they should win by 3td. Why? Because it’s what an elite/dominate team should do to an inferior team at home.

If you don't know the cadence of GO PACK GO your opinion doesn't matter
--John Jurkovic

by sidtheelf on Sep 17, 2010 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions

Our Achilles Heel

is the LT and RT. I know they gave up all 3 sacks in the 1st Quarter, but Clifton and Tauscher are catching up in age. They have to hold up, even to the mediocre OLB’s in Buffalo. I would much rather form a gameplan of running the ball and catching them off guard. Obviously if that’s not working early in the game then we attack more through the air.

"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi

by Jabooty on Sep 17, 2010 2:29 PM CDT up reply actions

One word of caution

We should’ve beaten the Buccaroos handily last year too…

by Danwood on Sep 17, 2010 12:42 PM CDT reply actions

We seem to always play poorly

in Raymond James, and we hadn’t seen any of Josh Freeman on tape. I’m not trying to justify it, but that loss was probably the best thing that could have happened to us.

"Tragedy is what happens to me. Comedy is what happens to you." -Mel Brooks

by jobe on Sep 17, 2010 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions

yup, there was a lot of growing done after that game

Thome Walks-Off Sox, Twists Knife, Continues To Make Sox Brass Look REALLY Stupid - White Sox Season Recap

by blackoutsox on Sep 18, 2010 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions

What about special teams comparisons?

It’s always a factor, but maybe it is less of a factor if the Packers can gain a sizeable lead. We just need to avoid the mistakes and take care of the damn ball.

I have no idea what to expect out of the Bills ST units. Onside kicks? Fake punts? Laterals on kick returns?

What are the odds that Bills ST units outgain Bills offense production in yards? Points?

by spell on Sep 17, 2010 2:33 PM CDT reply actions

Buffalo ST

are typically one of the better ones in the league. Their ST coach from last year is now with Philly, I believe. They’ve got some dangerous returners.

It remains to be seen if Williams is returning punts just to fair catch them.

by gern blanston on Sep 17, 2010 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions

Better than ending up like David Gilreath...

I’m just glad Tramon Williams wasn’t killed last week. Ouch.

Keller is currently re-learning how to speak in complete sentences... 808NaNz808 on Arrowhead Pride
"Because one of the great minds of the 21st century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving serapes..." -Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory
For all the crap we give Wil Wheaton, he can still tackle better than Asante Samuel...

by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 17, 2010 2:52 PM CDT up reply actions

That was scary. I just saw on the ESPN ticker that both he and Toon are out today against Arizona St. That’s unfortunate for us.

by packallday555 on Sep 18, 2010 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions

Just read that Colledge and Korey hall are questionable

If they can’t go, I guess it’s Bulaga’s time, and probably Quinn will act as the primary run blocking FB with Kuhn having RB duties. It all comes down to that we should have a field day running the ball without Grant. It’s B-Jax time to shine.

The Dude abides

by SlowJoe445 on Sep 17, 2010 3:08 PM CDT reply actions

I kind of like that scenario

On certain situations of course. Quinn bulldozing over people and Kuhn taking the leftovers. Smashmouth football. Easier said than done though…

"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi

by Jabooty on Sep 17, 2010 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions

I’d like to see Quinn out there a little more anyway so lets go for it!

by TrevorR on Sep 17, 2010 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions

+1

by Yankees10 on Sep 17, 2010 7:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Actually, I’d be kind of happy if that was the case. It would be great to see Buluga but the guy I really want to see more of is Johnson. He can lay the hammer down on people. Let’s let him do it!

by packallday555 on Sep 18, 2010 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions

I agree

Quinn is our best run blocker, so we need to use that skill. He’s certainly not a good receiver out of the backfield, but he will punish LB’s. that’s what I want to see!

"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi

by Jabooty on Sep 18, 2010 1:01 PM CDT up reply actions

We don’t really need him to be a good receiver out of the backfield. We brought him in to be a lead blocker who could help out our running backs. If he can learn to be a good receiver out of the backfield, great. If not, who cares as long as he is helping the run game (which needs help).

by packallday555 on Sep 18, 2010 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions

He is something like

a William Henderson clone in the making. haha.

-
The glass is way more than half-full.

by NorthStarr on Sep 18, 2010 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions

yeah…we literally almost NEVER pass to the fullbacks so I don’t know why someone would get hung up on that. The FB on a roster like ours should be all about lead blocking and picking up the guy that gets through our line.

by TrevorR on Sep 19, 2010 8:08 AM CDT up reply actions

It’s a good question. I’ve seen Bedard mention that Johnson’s hands aren’t where the coaches would like to them be, and it’s like wait a second, what? He’s here to block, not to catch passes.

by packallday555 on Sep 19, 2010 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions

What would a FB be, the 5th or 6th look? I don’t think Rodgers has enough time to go through 5 or 6 progressions!!

by TrevorR on Sep 20, 2010 7:08 AM CDT up reply actions

Hmm I see the formatting in Chrome

is gradually getting back to normal. Still some odd wrapping issues with a few of the titles. At least the site doesn’t look like a Picasso painting anymore.

"But we all know that games aren't played on paper...they are played by little men inside our TV sets." --Kenny Mayne

by dishingoutdimes on Sep 17, 2010 4:29 PM CDT reply actions

Two words.

Fire. Fox.

I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.

Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010! State high point count: 3/50

by Vermont Cubs Fan on Sep 17, 2010 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions

For all the run defense ranking,

Most of that was in the second quarter against a guy who we hadn’t game-planned for.

Packers 31, Bills 10

I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.

Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010! State high point count: 3/50

by Vermont Cubs Fan on Sep 17, 2010 4:59 PM CDT reply actions

Um, second half*

I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.

Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010! State high point count: 3/50

by Vermont Cubs Fan on Sep 17, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Being ill prepared is not a reason to disregard those stats...

by dtmeyers on Sep 18, 2010 12:14 AM CDT up reply actions

They weren’t ill prepared. They prepared for the team the Eagles threw out there. You can’t sit there and gameplan for something that is very likely to occur (new franchise QB goes down with a concussion). They had a nice gameplan for Vick in his wildcat formation (totally shut it down) but what a waste if they sit there gameplanning for HIGHLY unlikely situations.

by TrevorR on Sep 18, 2010 8:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Trevor's right man

It’s difficult enough to get the game planning situated in one week mixed with practice. You simply do not gameplan for backup QB’s. It’s a highly unlikley scenario as he mentioned. All you can do is make in game adjustments. I agree that the in game adjustments could have been better, such as bringing in an extra CB to spy on Vick. However, that is easier said than done. It looked as if Capers was trying to contain Vick in the pocket, but he kept escaping. That’s what Vick does with his legs, thus seperated him from the rest of the bunch.

"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi

by Jabooty on Sep 18, 2010 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions

They had spies but they used the wrong guys. I noticed a LOT of LBs and D lineman spying but they showed that Vick can just go all around them! He had the right idea, just missed on the position which made it look poorly executed.

by TrevorR on Sep 19, 2010 8:15 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, Barnett was a spy one time and got totally burned haha.

by packallday555 on Sep 19, 2010 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions

This guy on Yahoo.com nailed it...

“What kind of management goes into a potential championship season so thin at a critical skill position and a core defensive position?”

Justin Harrell is not going to become a star DT, so there’s no point hanging onto him anymore. Thompson has just blown it when it comes to the defensive line.

by mike_o on Sep 17, 2010 5:07 PM CDT reply actions

The question was what I was referring to. The reply is mine.

by mike_o on Sep 17, 2010 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions

A couple thoughts

The Bills run d could actually be decent this week. They weren’t too bad against Miami, who pride themselves on running. The Bills draft was centered around fixing the second worst run defenders of 09. Either way, it will be one of the areas I will be noting on Sunday.

The Bills passing game right now is, well, I can’t think of an adjective that would be accurate and non-offensive. It’s bad. The QB is on thin ice with the fans and media, and I’d guess the coaches have to be considering alternatives.

The Bills showed a wildcat formation last week that seems to be a nice wrinkle in an otherwise dismal unit. I’d love to see a close game, but I really don’t see the Bills O doing enough to accomplish that. The D, however, might surprise you.

"A buddy who watches a lot of football and is not a fan of any team was watching the game with me on Sunday. After watching the last quarter he turns to me and laid it out flat: "Your QB sucks." Live in an outhouse long enough, you stop noticing the smell." - oompaloompa

by Undee on Sep 17, 2010 5:15 PM CDT reply actions

they get paid, too

I generally subscribe to the “any given sunday” theory. I don’t know how else to explain the loss to Tampa last year. As such, I don’t in any way wish to discredit a team that I know next to nothing about, other than to say that when our Offense rolls, they’re one of, if not the best, in all of football. We played like garbage and still put up 27 on a pretty good Philly D last week.

I’m sure there will be more than a few plays that your guys make. I just can’t see that being enough, however.

by gern blanston on Sep 17, 2010 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah. I admire what the Pack has put together. By all theories of probability, Green Bay dominates from the opening kick-off.

by Undee on Sep 17, 2010 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah I think they are improved but there is also one other thing…Miami is a team they see twice a year. The wildcat doesn’t surprise them anymore. They know whats coming and just like when we play division rivals we know them well and games are usually closer than they should/could be!

by TrevorR on Sep 18, 2010 8:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Paul Posluszny

is the AFC version of AJ Hawk.

"Tragedy is what happens to me. Comedy is what happens to you." -Mel Brooks

by jobe on Sep 17, 2010 5:40 PM CDT reply actions

Posluszny

didnt he beat out Hawk for linebacker of the year in college?

by bigbill992001 on Sep 17, 2010 6:32 PM CDT reply actions

Posluszny

is trying to beat out Bob Sanders and Justin Harrell for MIP – Most Injured Player

by I voted for Kodos on Sep 17, 2010 7:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Sander's is doing a fine job of running away...or should I say crawling away, with that title.

Oz on Swish HR celeb: "That's the way he is. Good for him, enjoy it. I wish he could do it for me, he was a very horseshit player for me.''

by OznCoop on Sep 17, 2010 11:57 PM CDT up reply actions

Limping works lol

The player I would like least at #9 would be my sister’s cat, Captain Creamsicle. She does have a great work ethic and agility, but I’m really concerned that at 9 lbs., she’s too small to play safety in the NFL. She also bites way too often on play action and is easily distracted by someone waving string in the crowd. Lastly, her wonderlic score was pretty awful, answering "meow meow meow" for most of the questions- Dr. Brackish Okun

by mob16151 on Sep 18, 2010 12:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Don't forget about Ed Reed.

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets." - Bob Uecker

by texwestern on Sep 18, 2010 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Also, the Bills have jumped on the 3-4 bandwagon this season, and their defense is certainly still in the midst of some growing pains.

Our defense isn’t a pure 3-4, its more of a hybrid. In other words you’ll see a lot of 4-3 looks more than likely.

Their NT Williams has not surprised me in the few times I’ve watched them

Williams is far and away our best D lineman. Any push the Bills generate up the middle, usually comes from him. There’s a reason he was a pro bowl alternate last season. Tiny little T-Rex arms aside.

As to what will kill us this week, it’s gonna be Finley at TE, we just don’t match upwith him at all.

by mob16151 on Sep 17, 2010 8:38 PM CDT reply actions