Bills can't get handle on ball control
Scant possession time hurts the defense
Published: October 09, 2009, 8:13 am
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An offense's job is to score points. Failing that, it should at least control the ball long enough to give its defense a chance to rest.
The Buffalo Bills are having a hard time doing either.
Heading into Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, the Bills are 23rd in the NFL in scoring average and last in time of possession.
With Terrell Owens teaming with Lee Evans at wide receiver and Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, the Bills expected to have a no-huddle offense that creates scoring opportunities and wears down defenses.
The only defense the Bills are wearing down is their own. Ball control has been a foreign concept to the offense, which averages just 25 minutes and 26 seconds of possession time. After scoring 57 points in the first two games, the Bills have tallied just 17 the past two weeks.
"We're not helping our defense at all," running back Fred Jackson said. "You can't score if you don't have the ball. We have to do a better job of staying on the field and keeping drives alive."
It would help if the Bills converted more third downs. They have a 23.4-percent conversion rate, which ranks 30th in the 32-team NFL. The only teams with a lower percentage are Kansas City (17.6 percent) and Tampa Bay (21.6).
The Bills were 1 for 11 on third down in last Sunday's 38-10 loss at Miami and are 3 for 25 (12 percent) during their two-game losing streak.
"It all relates to third downs," Bills offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said. "If we stay on the field longer we have more time of possession. That's an area we've circled as a point of emphasis."
Part of the problem is the Bills are too often in long-yardage situations on third down, which doesn't lend itself to a high conversion rate. They have faced third-and-10 yards or more 17 times and converted only one of them. On third-and-5 to third-and-9, they are 4 of 14. The Bills haven't been much better on third down and 4 or fewer yards, converting six out of 16 chances.
Van Pelt said the offense needs to win more on first and second down in order to be in more manageable distances on third down.
"Obviously you don't want to be in third and 10 because your chances go way down of converting," he said. "So you want to stay ahead of the chains, as we say, and keep it at third and short. Third and 5 or less is where you want to be. Historically throughout the league, the percentages go up in that area.
"But we still have to find a way to convert third-and-10s. We want to stay in short-yardage situations on third down, but there are things we need to correct on third and long. We're going to have those days when you have third and 12. We've got to find a way to get that done."
Van Pelt added that the Bills' third-down woes are due to a lack of execution. Sometimes there are blown blocking assignments that lead to sacks or negative plays in the running game. They have had penalties nullifying third-down conversions. There also have been dropped passes and ill-advised throws that turned into interceptions.
The passing game in particular has been malfunctioning on third down. Quarterback Trent Edwards is completing just 52.9 percent of his passes (18 of 34) and has a 67.5 QB rating (23rd in the NFL) on third down. He's also averaging 5.71 yards per pass attempt on third down, which is mainly the result of short check-down throws to running backs and tight ends.
Beside not finding open receivers downfield, Edwards has been victimized by an offensive line that can't keep pass rushers off him. He has been sacked 16 times, second in the league behind Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, who has absorbed 20 sacks. The Bills have allowed six sacks on third down.
While the Bills have made mistakes on third down, some credit should go to opposing defenses, which are able to tee off on Buffalo's offense in obvious passing situations.
"I think that the defenses we've faced have done a good job on third down bringing pressure and disguising it and that's put a lot of pressure on myself, the offensive line and the running backs," Edwards said. "Any time you're facing that situation you've got to find a way to convert it and fix it. We've been noticing on third down we haven't been getting it done and a lot is on me, a lot is on the O-line, a lot is on the running backs and the receivers."
The Bills have a chance to get something done Sunday when they face the woeful Cleveland Browns, owners of the NFL's worst defense.
But the way the Bills have played on offense, a breakout performance is far from a certainty, even if the opponent is allowing the most yards in the league.
"Rankings, stats they don't mean anything from the week past to the week present," Evans said. "Regardless of whatever they do, we have to be able to make plays if they give us opportunities."
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