Now that Terry and Kim Pegula have been accepted as the Buffalo Bills’ new owners, Ralph Wilson Stadium will likely be rocking on Sunday in the matchup against the five-time defending AFC East champion New England Patriots.
Running back C.J. Spiller said the “whole team” is “excited about new ownership”.
“I thought if this team would’ve moved, I thought it would’ve been a devastation to this region because after you’ve been here for a while you kind of realize the importance that this team has on this particular part of the country and now everybody can rest at ease knowing that the Bills are not going anywhere and we’re excited about getting a chance to meet them and moving forward,” said Spiller.
Along with being the first game for the Pegula ownership era, it is also the first time linebacker Brandon Spikes will face his former team. Spikes, who played for the Patriots for four years before signing with the Bills as a free agent in the offseason and predicted Buffalo to beat New England in both games the team play against one other this season (via WEEI.com’s Christopher Price), was surprised to hear that his former head coach, Bill Belichick complimented him, according to ESPN’s Mike Rodak:
Set to face his former team Sunday, Buffalo Bills linebacker Brandon Spikes did a double-take Wednesday when a reporter read him a quote from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“Yeah, we know him. I don’t think he’s changed much,” Belichick said earlier Wednesday. “Hair might be a little longer. He’s about the same.”
Spikes, whose tenure in New England ended after he was placed on injured reserve last season, was taken aback.
“Really? What a pleasant surprise,” Spikes said. “I don’t know … I expected him … you guys know how it all ended. I don’t think he held a grudge. It is what it is. Players change teams every year, every week. So it just is what it is.”
After signing with the Bills as a free agent this past offseason, Spikes contested the Patriots’ decision to place him on injured reserve in January.
“I heard they put me on IR and stuff like that. That was just a false report,” Spikes said in a March radio interview. “That’s just how things go there. Almost like what happened with [Aqib] Talib and his hip.”
The NFL investigated and later cleared the Patriots of any wrongdoing with either Spikes’ or Talib’s injuries.
The matchup between the two AFC East rivals will decide who has sole possession of first place in the division, so emotion and tension between the two sides should be as high as they’ve ever been. It will be interesting if any bulletin board material is said during the rest of the week by either side with Spikes’ comments during the offseason.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were able to enjoy a bye last week, but now face the most difficult part of their schedule, with a home game against Green Bay this weekend, a road game at Chicago the following, followed by a trip to Jacksonville, a return home to face San Diego, and another road game at Detroit. But there are a few pieces of good news on the injury front, according to ESPN’s James Walker.
#Dolphins HC Joe Philbin said this appears to be the healthiest week they've had in a while.
Walker also wrote that he sees the chances of Moreno and Pouncey playing this weekend against the Packers are increasing:
Miami running back Knowshow Moreno practiced for the second time this week. Wednesday was a full-padded practice, which means Moreno’s chances to play continue to increase. He wore a brace on his left arm, which is something Moreno may have to get used to if he plays this week.
Dolphins Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey also is expected to play Sunday against Green Bay. Team drills are not open to the media, but Pouncey said this week that he could possibly line up at guard in his first game back. Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said he wants to have his best five offensive linemen on the field.
The elbow injury to Moreno in Week 2 against Buffalo contributed to a lack of balance and offense and belief in the run game in consecutive losses before a win against Oakland in week 4. Having Pouncey back in any sense is also a huge addition, as the Packers defense is last in the league defending the run, allowing 163 yards per game.
The best way to defend Aaron Rodgers is to keep him off the field and give him as few possessions as possible, so Moreno’s potential return could lead to a dominant performance, as his only full game this season against New England resulted in 24 carries for 134 yards.
New York Jets
After winning against the Oakland Raiders and rookie quarterback Derek Carr in Week 1, the Jets have faced consistently productive quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, and Philip Rivers, with each game resulting in a loss. The next two weeks, New York faces Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and as these challenges weren’t enough, criticism surrounding the team’s own quarterback situation and practice habits has arisen.
ESPNNewYork’s Mike Mazzeo detailed comments from both players and head coach Rex Ryan about issues in practice on Wednesday:
Three days after linebacker Demario Davis said the New York Jets are “not practicing like a championship football team,” coach Rex Ryan took issue with how his team practiced on Wednesday.
“Today we were kind of licking our wounds a little bit,” Ryan said. “I told our team we’ve got to get a little more bounce in our step, a little more energy. It was very workmanlike. That’s a good thing, but we’ve got to move past some things and let’s get it on. Tomorrow’s got to be better.”
Quarterback Geno Smith agreed with Ryan.
“I don’t know why [that was the case],” Smith said. “I think we picked it up as practice went along. I think guys came out a little bit sluggish, maybe feeling some after effects. Obviously, we had a game a couple days ago, but I think we picked it up as practice went on. We got better, we continue to get better and progress as practice went along, and we finished out on a good note.”
If the Jets are going to turn their 1-4 season around, they’re going to need to pick things up in practice and, obviously, games. They can’t afford to put up another 31-0 stinker like they did against San Diego.
Ryan has said he disagrees with Davis’ opinion of the team’s practices.
“We just try to approach practice every day to get better as [much as] we can and that’s all you can do when you come to the practice field,” Davis said. “I feel like it’s on me and the other leaders on the team to set the tempo and that’s each and every week, preparing for any opponent, no matter who it is. I’m just trying to raise my game to [the] next level to put my team in position to win.”
The next two weeks could either keep their season alive with impressive wins, or put the team out of any hopes for the playoffs, let alone the division. But as much as improving in practice helps in preparation, injuries in the secondary and lack of playmakers on offense make facing perennial contenders in the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots look like near-impossible victories at this point.
Jets worked out a former Jet, CB Aaron Berry, per source, perhaps a sign that Darrin Walls (knee) is hurting worse than indicated. #nyj
The Patriots’ 43-17 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night was the type of unexpectedly great performance the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick pair have become famous for after embarrassing losses.
A belief in the running game, which put up 220 yards rushing, along with Brady only getting sacked once and only getting hit once gave him a clean pocket to complete 23 of 35 for 292 yards and two touchdowns, were huge contributors to the victory. But so was the trust of trying a position group that has had success in the past for the team, according to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss:
In updating the positional groupings utilized by the New England Patriots in their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, one thing stands out: The multiple-tight end offense is back.
Not that it ever really left, but the production with two or more tight ends on the field was as effective as we’ve seen in recent memory.
As ESPN Stats & Information points out, the Patriots are now 3-0 on the season when running more than one-third of plays out of formations with at least two tight ends.
Rob Gronkowski (six catches, 100 yards) and Tim Wright (five catches, 85 yards) caught touchdown passes Sunday, which was the first time two different Patriots tight ends caught touchdown passes since Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez each scored in the 2012 season opener at Tennessee (35 straight regular-season games).
Against the Bengals, the Patriots used seven different groupings (in order of how often they were on the field):
The high percentage of plays in two tight end position groupings in both the Bengals and Vikings games resulted in the largest victories of the season (30-7 over Minnesota and 43-17 over Cincinnati). With Wright catching 5 passes on Sunday compared to just 4 the four games prior, it would appear that Brady and the young tight end are developing the chemistry needed to prove he can be put along with Gronkowski and Julian Edelman as key receivers to go to.
If the two-tight end set can be counted on as the most-often used formation in the offense, it could fix whatever issues the Patriots have had on that side of the ball.
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