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Bills hope to get off and running against Jaguars
Team aims to get ground game going with new coach
Published: November 22, 2009, 12:16 am
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The Buffalo Bills' running game has been stuck in neutral most of this season.
Today's game against Jacksonville would be a good time to get it rolling, as the Bills usher in the tenure of interim head coach Perry Fewell.
The 47-year-old Fewell gets his first chance to put his stamp on the team in the wake of the firing of Dick Jauron on Tuesday.
Since he is a defensive coach, it's expected Fewell would like to help out his worn-down defenders with some good ball-control offense.
Fewell prepared his team for a smash-mouth type of game this week by practicing them in pads both Wednesday and Thursday, a departure from Jauron's once-a-week pads route.
"I wanted to put the pads on to send a message that we're going to be physical and we need to work on our run game, and the pads was a way to do that," Fewell said.
The Bills think they have the makings of a potent run game with their backfield duo of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.
However, the team has just one individual 100-yard rushing performance all season — Jackson's 163-yard day in Week Two versus Tampa Bay.
Lynch is averaging only 42 rushing yards a game, well off his career average of 77 yards a game entering this season. The past three weeks, the Bills have rushed with their backs only 17, 18 and 22 times.
"I think the run game has flashed at times of what it can be," said Eric Studesville, running game coordinator and running backs coach. "Selfishly, I would want more touches in the run game. But you get behind, you have to start throwing the ball or you're not converting on third down. That all goes into it."
The Bills' woeful passing game undoubtedly is hindering the run game. The Bills rank 18th in rushing, 30th in passing. They can't keep the offense on the field, so they can't get their running backs enough carries.
The Bills are averaging only 58 offensive plays a game, tied with Cleveland for the third fewest in the league. Only Oakland and San Francisco have run fewer plays.
Nevertheless, Lynch is averaging only 3.2 yards a carry. The Bills rank 20th overall in yards per carry.
"One of the things we talked about this past week during our bye was we're going to take it upon ourselves to make some things happen on the offense," Jackson said. "We've got to step up and make some plays somewhere. ... We know it's on our shoulders to get that running game cranked up and get this offense going."
Jackson has been more productive than Lynch. He's averaging 4.1 yards a carry. Take away the game against Tampa, which ranks 31st versus the run, and he's averaging 3.6 yards a carry. Out of the backfield, Jackson is averaging 8.7 yards a catch and Lynch is averaging 6.7 a catch.
Since Lynch's return from suspension, Lynch is averaging 16.7 touches a game, Jackson is averaging 11.2.
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Studesville says who starts is irrelevant. It's about more touches for both players.
"I've never liked the term starter," he said. "We have two very good running backs. They both play a lot, so in my opinion whoever starts is irrelevant.
"I think the big picture of it is we want to get those guys more touches in the games, and we would like it to be an equal amount of touches," Studesville said. "That's our goal going into every game. I just feel like the more those guys touch it, the more positive things are and the better the outcome for our team will be. Over the course of the years they've been here that has been true."
Lynch's average the past two weeks is 4.4 a carry.
"Marshawn is a playmaker, and if there is one guy on the field that I don't mind sharing the ball with, it's him," Jackson said. "He's going to go out and give 110 percent every time he touches the ball. I'm excited to play with him because he makes everybody on the field better."
"He had a run against Tennessee where there had to be about eight guys draped on him at the end of that run," Studesville said. "His legs are still moving, he's going forward and ends up getting a first down, though it got called back by a holding penalty. Marshawn just has natural strength to carry piles and move defenders. We need him to make runs like that because people get fired up when they see him make those runs."
"It's been close, but until you finish it being close doesn't matter for us," Lynch said of his chances to break a long run.
Jackson is more elusive.
"Fred's a little more of stick and go, and get guys off balance," Studesville said. "They both have elusiveness. They can make guys miss and get on the edge of tacklers."
Whether it's by better running, better third-down passing or both, the Bills' offense must find a way to stay on the field today.
Buffalo ranks 31st in time of possession, holding the ball only 27:28.
Jacksonville stands 12th in time of possession (at 30:32), and the Jaguars' run game is picking up steam. The Jaguars stand sixth in the league in rushing. The past four weeks they have averaged 173 rushing yards a game.
That's exactly what the Bills are allowing a game. Buffalo stands last in the league against the run.
mgaughan@buffnews.com, awilson@buffnews.com
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