This week we caught up with Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings the only place to talk Buffalo Bills football. Right here we discuss this weekends game between the Bills and Jets this coming Sunday. Below are Brian's answers to some of our questions and if you head over to Buffalo Rumblings you can find the answers we gave.
Make sure to save Buffalo Rumblings as it really is a excellent source of information on our division rival Bills.
GGN: The Bills offense has struggled despite their talented receivers. Who is more to blame, Trent Edwards or the offensive line?
BR: Nope. Not going to assign more blame to one or the other, because both have sucked equally. The offensive line actually isn't blocking too poorly, but they make mistakes and, far more frequently, commit penalties at the most inopportune times. It's beyond frustrating. Meanwhile, Edwards has made a few good throws and has had the offense moving at times, but just when they start to click, something goes wrong - and then when nothing goes wrong, Edwards stinks up the joint. Both Edwards and the line need to eliminate the mistakes if Buffalo's offense is going to realize any amount of its vast potential.
GGN(2):Let's talk pass defense. A week ago, Buffalo held Derek Anderson to a 2 for 17 line. What did the Bills do right? It couldn't have been Anderson stinking that badly, right?
BR:Actually, yeah, a lot of it was Anderson stinking that badly. He was awful. He made Edwards look like a promising pro quarterback in that game. His accuracy was terrible, but to his credit, his receivers dropped a lot of passes, too. TE Robert Royal had a sure touchdown grab wide open 30 yards down field, and let the ball slip through his incredibly unreliable hands. (Having watched Royal do the same exact thing in Buffalo for three years, I got a hearty chuckle out of that play.) Buffalo's pass defense has been quite good this season - we sacked Chad Henne six times in Week 4, and we shut down Drew Brees in Week 3 - but in this particular instance, it had a lot more to do with the Browns being almost as terrible as we are.
GGN{3): How have the rookies been in Buffalo?
BR: OK. Aaron Maybin has been a non-factor; he's got three tackles in five games. That's not particularly surprising, given his inexperience entering the NFL and his month-long holdout in training camp. He's got a lot of growing up to do. Guards Andy Levitre and Eric Wood have both flashed dominance. Levitre currently grades out as Buffalo's best run blocker and pass protector. He's also made the fewest mistakes of any of our current starters, despite concern that he was the "weak link" of the line entering the pre-season. Wood has been flagged for a few too many penalties, but he blocks to the whistle, and he gets a little better every week. Jairus Byrd has also looked great, making several big hits on run plays and flashing the ball skills that made him an appealing second-round pick (he had a beautiful INT against Cleveland). Shawn Nelson hasn't made an impact as a receiver, but his blocking is improving steadily. All in all, this has been a solid draft class, but as they make plays, they also show their youth - which, obviously, hurts the team.
GGN(4): The Bills are taking a ton of heat over their recent performance, coach Dick Jauron in particular. Do you see these players rallying around him? Do you think he still has control of the locker room?
BR:Well, if last week is any indication, no, I don't think they're rallying around Jauron. They stunk up the joint at home in a must-win game against one of the league's most dysfunctional teams. The opportunity is still there for the team to rally around Jauron, but I sincerely doubt many Bills fans are expecting it. But yes - Jauron most definitely still has control of the locker room. Things will need to get much, much worse before that control is jeopardized, because Jauron remains one of the most respected men in his profession. He's just not the type of guy that players turn on. That'll help with the locker room, but you may also see how that can be problematic.
GGN(5): I know a lot of Bills fans are down on their chances in this game. This is the NFL, though. Any team can win any game. Give your fellow Bills fans reasons for hope in this one.
BR: Buffalo historically plays the Jets tough at the Meadowlands - no matter how bad or good either team is. The Bills are 2-3 in their last five visits to New Jersey. Those three losses have come by a combined 10 points, including a 31-27 loss last season with J.P. Losman, of all people, at the helm. Their two wins came by a combined 28 points. For whatever reason, the Bills just play well against the Jets in their stadium. Considering the desperation surrounding the team, there's a strong chance that trend continues - though actually pulling off a win is a far more daunting task than simply competing with Rex Ryan's ball club.