madness
12-26-2008, 10:44 AM
Inside 20, Bills’ foes seeing red
OK, so the Buffalo Bills took the old defensive cliche “bend but don’t break” to the extreme during last Sunday’s win in Denver.
It was bound to happen considering the Broncos entered the game ranked second in the league in total yards per game.
Good thing the Bills’ defense has a habit of being frugal where it matters most — inside the 20-yard line.
It’s not often a team improves in a defensive- rankings category after giving up an eye-popping 532 yards, but Buffalo managed to pull that off by limiting Denver to just two touchdowns during its six visits inside the 20.
The Bills entered the game ranked fifth in opponents’ red-zone touchdown efficiency, giving up a TD on 44.4 percent of their opponents’ visits. They begin preparations for Sunday’s finale at Ralph Wilson Stadium against New England ranked fourth in the category at 43.1 percent.
Quarterback Jay Cutler rushed for both of the Broncos’ TDs, and while he passed for 359 of their total yards, he couldn’t find any open windows to the end zone via the pass during their other red-zone visits. Denver settled for field goals after reaching the 5-and 12-yard lines and turned the ball over twice on their other trips inside the 20.
“If you don’t get in the end zone then those yards don’t count,” Bills safety Donte Whitner said after the win.
Pittsburgh (33.3 percent), Baltimore (37.8) and Indianapolis (40.4) are the only teams ahead of the Bills in the category.
Being stingy in the red zone is something the Bills have excelled at during coach Dick Jauron’s three seasons.
The Bills ranked fourth in the league last season in opponents’ red-zone TD percentage (44.6 percent). They were 20th in 2006 after ranking dead last out of 32 teams during the final year of the Mike Mularkey era.
Last Sunday, the Bills were at their defensive best while protecting a 30-23 lead during the final 8:54 of the fourth quarter. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell intercepted Cutler at the Bills’ 1 with 5:35 left by making a read one would expect from a sixth-year veteran.
“They ran that little out earlier in the game so this time the way I played it, I just looked at the receiver,” Mitchell said. “He didn’t sell the out as good as he should have and then I just saw him break back up, so I just played back into my zone. He threw me the ball and I made the catch.”
Rookie Reggie Corner preserved the win when he broke up the potential game-tying score with 32 seconds left by knocking the ball out of the hands of veteran receiver Brandon Stokley.
more... (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/531991.html)
OK, so the Buffalo Bills took the old defensive cliche “bend but don’t break” to the extreme during last Sunday’s win in Denver.
It was bound to happen considering the Broncos entered the game ranked second in the league in total yards per game.
Good thing the Bills’ defense has a habit of being frugal where it matters most — inside the 20-yard line.
It’s not often a team improves in a defensive- rankings category after giving up an eye-popping 532 yards, but Buffalo managed to pull that off by limiting Denver to just two touchdowns during its six visits inside the 20.
The Bills entered the game ranked fifth in opponents’ red-zone touchdown efficiency, giving up a TD on 44.4 percent of their opponents’ visits. They begin preparations for Sunday’s finale at Ralph Wilson Stadium against New England ranked fourth in the category at 43.1 percent.
Quarterback Jay Cutler rushed for both of the Broncos’ TDs, and while he passed for 359 of their total yards, he couldn’t find any open windows to the end zone via the pass during their other red-zone visits. Denver settled for field goals after reaching the 5-and 12-yard lines and turned the ball over twice on their other trips inside the 20.
“If you don’t get in the end zone then those yards don’t count,” Bills safety Donte Whitner said after the win.
Pittsburgh (33.3 percent), Baltimore (37.8) and Indianapolis (40.4) are the only teams ahead of the Bills in the category.
Being stingy in the red zone is something the Bills have excelled at during coach Dick Jauron’s three seasons.
The Bills ranked fourth in the league last season in opponents’ red-zone TD percentage (44.6 percent). They were 20th in 2006 after ranking dead last out of 32 teams during the final year of the Mike Mularkey era.
Last Sunday, the Bills were at their defensive best while protecting a 30-23 lead during the final 8:54 of the fourth quarter. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell intercepted Cutler at the Bills’ 1 with 5:35 left by making a read one would expect from a sixth-year veteran.
“They ran that little out earlier in the game so this time the way I played it, I just looked at the receiver,” Mitchell said. “He didn’t sell the out as good as he should have and then I just saw him break back up, so I just played back into my zone. He threw me the ball and I made the catch.”
Rookie Reggie Corner preserved the win when he broke up the potential game-tying score with 32 seconds left by knocking the ball out of the hands of veteran receiver Brandon Stokley.
more... (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/531991.html)