Full Buffalo Bills Awards at the Quarter-Mark of the 2014 NFL Season
My, how things have changed for the Buffalo Bills since last we met.
After starting out 2-0 and giving fans hope yet again, the Bills have dropped two straight games to fall to 2-2. The most recent loss came to the Houston J.J. Watts as the Bills lost to the Texans 23-17 in Houston. Watt was a one-man wrecking crew, living in the Bills' offensive backfield and making a game-changing pick-six.
EJ Manuel was again erratic with his passing, and it led to him being handed the clipboard by head coach Doug Marrone. Kyle Orton will take over for Manuel in Week 5 against the Lions, Marrone confirmed.
But at the quarter pole of the season, the Bills still sit atop the AFC East standings at 2-2. The Dolphins and Patriots have identical records, but the Bills' one division win gives them the tiebreaker.
After the Chiefs took apart the Patriots on Monday night, it looks like the division is open for the taking. Marrone seems to see that as well and is trying to give his team the best chance to win this year.
After all, he is probably coaching for his job.
So let's buck the negativity and hand out some awards for the first quarter of the Bills season. We won't call any award something "of the year" since the year isn't over yet. Instead, we'll name some awards after former Bills players and give them to current players based on their performance through the first four games. After, we'll give honorable mention to those who also had a case but were ultimately beaten out.
The Jim Kelly MVP Award
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We have to call this one the "Most Valuable Person" award.
There have been some valuable players for the Bills through the first four weeks. C.J. Spiller, Corey Graham and Fred Jackson all spring to mind. But one person in the Bills organization has arguably been more valuable than them all. That is defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
The Bills brought in Schwartz to fix the run defense. It sure needed it after the 2013 iteration of the Bills defense ranked 28th against the run. In 2014, with largely the same group of players (and without Kiko Alonso), the Bills are fifth against the run through four games. They have yet to yield 100 yards rushing in a game and have allowed zero rushing touchdowns in four games. Not one.
The stoutness of the run defense is what has kept the Bills in each game this season. Sure, Philip Rivers carved up the pass defense a little bit, but he's one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Being able to keep a team from getting it going on the ground can keep you in just about any game. Thanks to Schwartz, offenses become much more one-dimensional when they face the Bills D.
Honorable Mention: Fred Jackson
The Aaron Maybin LVP Award
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A lot of people would probably hand this award to EJ Manuel, and they wouldn't be out of line in doing so. But part of Manuel's problem stemmed from not getting enough protection. And the weakest link of the offensive line for Buffalo has been without question Erik Pears.
The numbers on Pears back up the claim. According to Chris Trapasso of NFL.com, Pears' season grade from Pro Football Focus is -16.4. That is by far the worst in the league, with the second-worst player (Patriots guard Jordan Devey) checking in at -9.3.
Pears has been consistently bad in each game this season. On the play that clinched the loss for the Bills against the Texans, Trapasso said Pears got "completely ruined" by J.J. Watt. Sure, Watt is the league's best defensive player and might not be human, but this is a regular occurrence for Pears.
Trapasso also opined that Pears has been the Bills' worst offensive player, saying he "negative [sic] impacts runs/passes instantly." If the Bills don't look for other options at guard, it won't matter who is under center.
Honorable Mention: EJ Manuel
The Willis McGahee Most Outstanding Rookie Award
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This one is pretty easy. Even though Willis McGahee only played a short time in Buffalo and got out as soon as he could, he still had an outstanding rookie campaign in the 716. McGahee rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 scores in his first pro season.
Is Sammy Watkins going to put up numbers like that? Probably not, but he has still been the team's best rookie and best receiver. Watkins has 17 receptions, 197 yards and two touchdowns through his first four NFL games. He is second only to Fred Jackson in receptions and second to no one in yards or touchdowns.
And of those 17 receptions, 11 went for first downs.
Watkins did have a few bad drops against the Texans, but he also showed how dangerous a playmaker he can be in the game against the Dolphins. Watkins had eight catches (half of EJ Manuel's completions) for 117 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. He was consistently getting open over the middle and racking up yards after the catch.
And Watkins has put up these numbers while battling sore ribs. He has missed little, if any, playing time and could probably have even gaudier numbers with better quarterback and offensive line play.
Honorable Mention: Preston Brown
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The Thurman Thomas Outstanding Offensive Player Award
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Since this award is going to a running back (actually, running backs), Thurman Thomas is the award's namesake.
That's right, C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson share the honors as the team's best offensive players. They have more than carried the load for the offense as EJ Manuel struggled to get the passing game going.
Spiller (207) and Jackson (152) account for 73 percent of the Bills' total yardage on the ground (489 yards). And they aren't racking up yards on an insane number of carries either. Spiller averages four yards a pop and Jackson is at 4.8.
If the Bills are moving the chains, chances are it's either Spiller or Jackson toting it. The Bills have a total of 58 first downs on the season, not counting five earned by a penalty. Spiller and Jackson account for 28 of those 58 first downs.
Spiller and Jackson have been the offense for the Buffalo Bills. With the quarterback situation in flux, the Bills would be smart to continue feeding their two-headed monster.
Honorable Mention: Sammy Watkins, Eric Wood
The Bruce Smith Most Outstanding Defender Award
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The Bills defense starts with its run-stuffing ability, and Marcell Dareus is the immovable object in the middle of that defense.
Dareus has made us forget about his tumultuous offseason with his play on the field. Joe Buscaglia of WGR said Dareus is having a "monstrous start" to the 2014 season. To get an idea of just how dominant Dareus has been, take a look here as he tosses his opponent aside and blows up a run play in the backfield.
Dareus may not hear his name called that much throughout a game. He hasn't made a huge statistical impact so far (14 tackles, two sacks), but his ability to consistently wreak havoc in the trenches cannot be overlooked.
The Bills are a better defensive team in 2014, and it all starts in the middle with Dareus.
Honorable Mention: Kyle Williams, Corey Graham
The Sam Adams Best Play Award
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This award is named after big Sam Adams, whose pick-six (skip to the two-minute mark in the video) in the opening game of the 2003 season helped the Bills to a 31-0 thumping of the New England Patriots.
The best play from 2014 so far? We were originally going to go with C.J. Spiller's 102-yard kickoff return against the Dolphins. But Fred Jackson's overtime run against the Bears barely (BEARly?) edged it out.
Let's travel back to Week 1. Somehow, the Bills found themselves in overtime with the Chicago Bears, a team many expected to handle the Bills pretty easily at home. But timely takeaways and a solid ground attack kept the Bills in the game as the contest moved to the extra session.
The Bears got the ball first, went five plays and punted. On 2nd-and-5, Jackson took the handoff and scampered 38 yards down to the 1-yard line before being forced out of bounds. The Bills centered the ball, got a delay of game penalty, and then Dan Carpenter kicked the equivalent of an extra point. Bills 23, Bears 20.
What earns Jackson the nod over Spiller? That stiff-arm.
Honorable Mention: Spiller's kick return, Robert Woods' climb-the-ladder catch vs. the Bears, Leodis McKelvin's interception vs. the Texans
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