Seen and Herd : Week 13 | Buffalo Bills Vs. New York Jets

The Bills' honeymoon with Ryan Fitzpatrick is nearing an end.

We enjoyed some energized play from the Harvard grad, giving a boost to Buffalo's previously struggling offensive performance. But Thursday night, we were reminded of the many deficiencies on offense. 

The New York Jets secondary blanketed the Bills receivers all night, and nearly every blitz package Rex Ryan called got home.

It seemed odd. Normally when a team sends as many players as the Jets on blitzes, some wide-outs will be open on occassion. However, that definitely wasn't the case for the Bills on Thursday in Toronto. 

Some things never change

I've griped a good portion of the year about the monotonous ways of the Buffalo offense. On Thursday at the Rogers Centre, they reverted to their simplistic style that hasn't fooled anyone all season. 

A trio of the same plays were called all evening, and outside of a few sideline deep balls to T.O.—none of which had a chance of being caught, and on some comeback routes for Lee Evans and Owens, we didn't see all that much creativity from Alex Van Pelt.

This isn't to discount the job that Jets cornerbacks Darrell Revis and Lito Sheppard did on Buffalo's top two guys, but to me, it seemed as if the corners knew the routes better than the Bills receivers did. 

On defense, there was a lot of Fewell's group showing blitz then backing away, something they've done with great discipline this season—something that hasn't helped the Bills' linebackers in pass coverage, so why do it?

You'd think playing against an inexperienced quarterback in Mark Sanchez—one of the most mistake prone quarterbacks in the NFL right now, a guy who threw five interceptions in the teams first meeting—that Buffalo would attack with more exotic blitz packages all evening. That wasn't the case. 

The Bills did try to blitz at different junctures of the game, but the same inside blitzes never reached Sanchez. It really wasn't close. 

Certainly give props to the Gang Green's defensive backfield for the job they did, but the Bills struggled mightily on offense with Fitzpatrick flustered in the pocket all night due to the bevy of aggressive blitzes defensive coordinator Mike Pettine conjured up. 

Thoughts on Fewell 

Perry Fewell is no longer the most popular guy in Buffalo—not like he was following his inaugural victory over the Dolphins. 

But even in this week's defeat, the Bills were at least in the game until the end. The team's lack of skill was blatantly obvious and a big reason why they fell short, not due to bad coaching. 

Fewell likely won't be retained at season's end, but I'd like to see the Bills finish with a winning record under his leadership. Buffalo can be competitive with a lot of teams in the NFL, as long as they have a coach that uses his football knowledge as a guide to calling the game, and ultimately lets his gut make the final decisions. 

If Buffalo can't lure in the big fish this offseason, keeping Fewell as the head coach wouldn't be a problem. It might sound crazy, but with a new front office, and a GM that actually has a football background, Fewell could build a solid club. 

Offensive Line Woes

The Bills offensive line this season has been, well, atrocious. At times they've allowed Fitzpatrick or Trent Edwards to stand upright, but against the Jets, they looked like the line they actually are—a make-shift group of backups and reserves with no continuity between them.

Anytime there was more than the customary blitz on, they were completely thrown off base, and left gaping paths directly to Fitzpatrick for the delayed blitzers. 

They've had 11 different offensive lines this season, and as we know, the more combinations the worse its performance. 

At the beginning of 2009, analysts criticized Bills coaches for sticking with a line that had less than 60 career starts combined. We'll never know how well the group of Demetrius Bell, Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner, Eric Wood, and Brad Butler would have played, but you can't really blame the Bills.

It's impossible for any team to overcome the amount of injuries Buffalo's endured throughout the year, especially on the ever critical offensive line. 

Without question, the Bills new front office should be targeting the best O-line prospect in the first round. 

Quick Recap

Marshawn Lynch averaged 10 yards per carry against the Jets, but he only carried it six times. He got the bulk of his yardage on two carries, one which included a touchdown, but the rest of the game he wasn't much of a factor.

The Bills still believe they're a passing team when everyone knows they have two quality backs to eat clock and wear down defenses. For whatever reason, though, their quarterbacks are taught to drop back like they've got the Patriots' offensive line, and Peyton Manning behind center.

It doesn't really make any sense. 

While Drayton Florence again played a solid game, Terrence McGee and Donte Whitner were exposed defensively. 

No offense to Whitner fans, but his value is terrible, especially as an eighth overall pick. While he's not a bust, the Bills made a mistake with their first-round pick from 2006. He's a decent run-stuffer, yet is bad in coverage and isn't a playmaker. If he's traded this offseason, and the team's offered the right deal, it would be welcomed in Buffalo. 

Paul Posluszny had his second consecutive great contest and displayed a never-before-seen burst on his strip sack of Kellen Clemens in the fourth quarter. Good sign of what could be to come from the former Butkis award winner. 

What's Next

The more games the Bills win the rest of the season the better. Investing a ridiculous amount of money in any of these college guys is maybe not the right move. First of all, I'm not high on any of this year's top prospects. Plus, if there are a few future All-Pros in the draft, and there probably are, you can't trust any member of the Bills front office to find them.

It just hasn't happened in the past decade, so until it does, you can't put too much stock in the Bills' decision-makers choosing that impact guy. 

The Bills face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium—possibly the stinker of the week. Hopefully we'll see some young guys like Steve Johnson, Chris Ellis, and Aaron Maybin in the game.

Bills-Chiefs on Sunday at 1:00. Be sure to check out Seen and Herd following the game.