Maybe We Can Try the Long Bomb Against Buffalo....

[PatsDeb]

This from PFT.com:

"We hear that the Bills have been disappointed in the play of their starting cornerbacks, Nate Clements and Terrence McGee, thus far this season. What was considered to be a strength coming into the season has instead been a weakness, with the Bills creating only five interceptions in the first six games — none from their corners. Both players have too often been guilty of giving receivers too much cushion, missing tackles and failing to defend passes thrown their way. As one observer remarked about Clements, whom the Bills franchised this past offseason and are paying $7.226 million in salary, “He’s playing his way out of Buffalo.†Clements’ struggles haven’t been confined to this season, as the one-time playmaker (he had 18 interceptions in his first four seasons, returning four for touchdowns) has only two interceptions in his last 22 games. As for McGee, the Bills are concerned that his defensive struggles are affecting his special-teams play. One of the NFL’s most feared kickoff-return men has seen his kickoff-return average drop drastically after gaining more than 30 yards per kickoff last season. McGee did, however, rip off his longest return of the season last week — a 72-yarder in a loss to the Lions."

So, does Brady try to air it out? What exactly has been the problem with Buffalo these last couple of weeks? I have not seen them play since opening day against us, when I thought JP didn't look too bad. Thoughts?

 

[Brownfan80]

This from PFT.com:

"We hear that the Bills have been disappointed in the play of their starting cornerbacks, Nate Clements and Terrence McGee, thus far this season. What was considered to be a strength coming into the season has instead been a weakness, with the Bills creating only five interceptions in the first six games — none from their corners. Both players have too often been guilty of giving receivers too much cushion, missing tackles and failing to defend passes thrown their way. As one observer remarked about Clements, whom the Bills franchised this past offseason and are paying $7.226 million in salary, “He’s playing his way out of Buffalo.†Clements’ struggles haven’t been confined to this season, as the one-time playmaker (he had 18 interceptions in his first four seasons, returning four for touchdowns) has only two interceptions in his last 22 games. As for McGee, the Bills are concerned that his defensive struggles are affecting his special-teams play. One of the NFL’s most feared kickoff-return men has seen his kickoff-return average drop drastically after gaining more than 30 yards per kickoff last season. McGee did, however, rip off his longest return of the season last week — a 72-yarder in a loss to the Lions."

So, does Brady try to air it out? What exactly has been the problem with Buffalo these last couple of weeks? I have not seen them play since opening day against us, when I thought JP didn't look too bad. Thoughts?

If they're giving 'too much cushion' then I'd expect them to get exploited by short quick passes rather than burned deep. But who knows.

 

[Oswlek]

I've always been under the impression that the amount of cushion was dependent upon the amount of yardage needed for a first down, the opposing player and the defensive play call. Are CBs really allowed to just pick and choose how far off they want to play?

 

[zippo59]

I've always been under the impression that the amount of cushion was dependent upon the amount of yardage needed for a first down, the opposing player and the defensive play call. Are CBs really allowed to just pick and choose how far off they want to play?

Pre-snap I believe CB's are told as to how much of a cushion they should give, but I think they are referring to is after the snap, when the WR is in his route. It is up to the CB to decide how close to the WR they should play. It sounds like Buffalo's guys are being tentative because they don't want to miss a tackle or have the WR run right by them.

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Just because Buffalo's corners are struggling, doesn't mean we have to burn them with bombs. Consistent 10 or 15 yard gains is what this offense needs through the air.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

What exactly has been the problem with Buffalo these last couple of weeks? I have not seen them play since opening day against us, when I thought JP didn't look too bad. Thoughts?

The problem with Buffalo is game tape. Clubs are starting to recognize and exploit their weaknesses. The O-line is being abused, which puts pressure on Losman who buckles early. The defense is vulnerable to the run with their light D-line, we saw that on opening day when Maroney busted a couple nice runs and Cory made some Buffs uncomfortable. The team has some individual talent, but they need to help two rookies at Safety, which might have the CBs playing a little softer. They have a decent defense, but injuries have put more burdens on rookies, which means tough sledding on this portion of the learning curve.