This past week, we at PhinsPhocus.com had an opportunity to catch up with an old foe friend Joe Pinzone, editor of Buffalo Wins. When Joe wasn’t wiping off the buffalo sauce off his hands, he managed to respond to our inquisitive questioning of what the heck is going on in Buffalo. Clearly no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills (Chris Berman), but this time the Bills are riding a two game winning streak versus our beloved Miami Dolphins.
Here’s what Joe had to say:
MS: What are your thoughts on the Bills offense now that they have added WR Sammy Watkins to their passing game? Do the Bills show they can throw the ball downfield more effectively?
JP: One of the biggest pet peeves for Bills fans last year was that EJ Manuel didn’t stretch the field. According to Pro Football Focus, he was ranked as the 31st best deep passer (Throws that go beyond 20 yards) last season. That’s obviously not a great number. With Watkins on board, I’m sure the Bills would like to take more shots. Last week, the Bills went 1-2 on throws beyond 20 yards, but did try to go deep to Watkins once, which ultimately didn’t connect. However, Watkins should be able to do more than stretch the field as he’s a guy who can make a lot of underneath catches. The Bills also have 2nd year WR Robert Woods, who has become a deep threat for them and developed some nice chemistry with EJ. He only has 44 catches in 15 games, but in 9 of those games he averaged 18 yards per reception.
MS: EJ Manuel seems to be the quarterback of the future in Buffalo. Is management, more importantly Doug Marrone sold on Manuel as the quarterback to lead this team? If the season fails miserably, would the Bills consider drafting another signal caller?
JP: That’s the BIG question. There’s been a lot of rumors as to how the front office feels about EJ. It was reported that part of the reason why Kyle Orton was signed to a HUGE backup QB contract (5 million this year) was because they are worried EJ could falter. However, I’m inclined to believe that you should give a young QB at least 2-3 years to find themselves. I thought EJ was average for a rookie last year (11TDs/9INTs in 10 games), but its impossible to say whether he’s good or not based on just 10 games. Unless he falls flat on his face like he’s Ryan Leaf, I don’t think the Bills should draft another QB in 2015. Since 1990, only two teams have selected a QB within the first two rounds in three seasons (Seahawks-1991/1993 and Panthers- 2009/2010). Now, the Bills are going to get a new owner (Terry Pegula), so, if he cleans house, all bets could be off.
MS: Talk about the ownership change in Buffalo. What does it mean for Bills fans? What does it mean for the fans in Toronto? Since this is a fluid situation, are the Bills planning to stay in Buffalo? What does this ultimately mean for the coaching staff in place? Could there be a clean sweep and a new regime in January?
JP: IT MEANS EVERYTHING! I cant stress to you how stressful the last few years have been for fans about the future of the team. There’s always been talk about folks wanting to move them to Toronto since 2008 when they started the awful Bills in Toronto series. No one knew what Ralph Wilson told his trust in terms of who could buy the team after he died. Bon Jovi and the folks who owned a few of the Toronto sports teams were trying to poach the team and fans would have none of that!
As far as house cleaning, its still up in the air. There’s been some rumblings over the last month how Doug Marrone HAS to make the playoffs in order to keep his job. I really don’t know what the Pegula family will do. They bought the Buffalo Sabres in 2011 and they kept the front office/coaches they inherited in their place for a few years, which ended up being a huge mistake. So, they may have learned their lesson. Again, it depends how the team does. If they go 6-10, I think you have to clean house even though the current regime has only been in place since January of 2013. When you go 14 years without playoffs, its pretty hard to grant mercy to those who have failed.
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MS: Last season the Dolphins gave up 9 sacks to the Buffalo defense. Respectively, they owned the line of scrimmage. How will the Bills match up versus Pro Bowl LT Branden Albert and rookie Ja’Wuan James? How will the Bills stop the Dolphins run game?
JP: To be precise, 7 of the Bills sacks came in the 2nd game against Miami. The Bills got to Tannehill with (3 sacks) and without the blitz
(4 Sacks). The Bills now have a new defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz, so, I don’t think they will be dialing up as many blitzes. However, they can get pressure on the QB with their front four if their secondary can hold up. Jerry Hughes and Mario Williams are who you guys have to watch out for on the edge. The duo combined for 23 sacks last year and really had Tannehill’s number. Stopping the run was the Bills biggest issue last season (27th in rush defense), but they are hoping the signing of Brandon Spikes can help.
MS: Looking at the matchup, the Dolphins have an incredible stable of receivers in their offensive plan. How will the Bills matchup against both Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline? Who of the Dolphins other receivers strikes fear in the Bills secondary?
JP: The Bills are very inconsistent when it comes to their CBs. Stephon Gilmore was the team’s 1st round pick in 2011 and he’s been up and down since coming into the league. Pro Football Focus didn’t even have him ranked in the top 50 for CBs in both his 1st two seasons. He also didn’t play last week because of injury. Leodis McKelvin -a 2008 1st round pick- is the #2 CB and he was pretty much left for dead last year as a 1st round bust. However, he really blossomed as he was ranked as the 18th best CB by PFF. McKelvin allowed a completion percentage of 46% on the throws directed towards him. QBs had just a QB rating of 66.3 when they threw against him and his 12.1 yards given up on receptions was 27th best out of 80 CBs who played 50% or more snaps. He was 6th in the NFL for passes defended (13). However, last week he got burned A LOT. He had the nice forced fumbled, but was targeted 14 times and gave 10 catches for 139 yards and a TD.
As for Gilmore’s replacement, newcomer Corey Graham had a stellar game against the Bears as he was targeted 10 times against the Bears, but only gave up 3 catches for 18 yards. He gave up as many catches as he had INTs (1) and PD (2). It will be interesting what the Bills do when Gilmore gets back. I don’t know how you can knock Graham down to #3 on your CB chart. Of course, most teams have 3-WR sets, so, it may not matter as all 3 guys can be on the field. However, if we go by just one game, I’d rather have Graham take on the best opposing WR.
MS: What is your prediction for the score? Who wins?
JP: I got the Bills, 17-16. I think the home opener will be crazy and it will be a low-scoring affair.
We thank Joe for his analysis of the team he so dearly loves and looks to stay in the Buffalo area of Western New York for years to come! Please feel free to contact @BuffaloWins to let them know exactly how you feel about the team that has never won a Super Bowl. Check out my responses to his questions this week at Buffalo Wins.
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