Bills wide receivers form a strong block association
BILLS REPORT
During the Buffalo Bills’ win at Jacksonville last Sunday, receiver Josh Reed was seen mixing it up with Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis. Apparently, Mathis wasn’t pleased with being roughed up by Reed.
A receiver beating up on a cornerback? Now that’s a switch.
“I realize that a lot of the DBs don’t like contact, so I try to use that to my advantage,” Reed said. “Get them before they get you because if we’re running a route across the middle and we don’t see them coming, what are they going to do? Take our heads off. So my attitude is I’ve got to be aggressive, get this good, stiff block on him and be a little more physical than they are.”
Blocking is not a glamorous role, but the Bills’ receivers have embraced it. Downfield blocks by the wideouts helped spring running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson for extra yards on runs and pass receptions.
“That’s not an easy thing to block a defensive back or a linebacker because they make their living tackling and they’re very athletic people,” said Bills coach Dick Jauron. “We call on them to do it, and they’ve got to do it, particularly with all the eight-man fronts that every team runs. They’ve done a nice job.”
Blocking is strongly emphasized by the Bills’ coaching staff. Lee Evans joked that receivers coach Tyke Tolbert sometimes preaches blocking more than pass catching.
But there’s a method to the madness.
“We always talk about the difference between a long run and a short run is what you do down the field,” said Lee Evans, who delivered a key block during a 26-yard catch and run by Jackson. “Sometimes you never know when it’s going to pop, so you’ve got to be on your toes.”
And if a block is missed, there are penalties.
“We’ve got a little fine system if your guy makes a tackle down the field,” Evans said. “A lot of times it just comes down to wanting to do it. It’s easy to stop when you’re downfield and watch what is going on. But with our backs’ ability to break tackles, the play is never over until the whistle blows.”
Rookie James Hardy learned early on that blocking is a prerequisite if you want to play.
“I’ve gotten yelled at in practice and the preseason games a few times,” he said. “If you want to be considered one of the best on your team, let alone in the league, you have to be an overall receiver. That means you have to take as much pride in blocking as you do in running routes.”
Even Roscoe Parrish is not afraid to throw his 5-foot-9, 171-pound body into defenders.
“I enjoy blocking because on punt returns those guys block for me,” he said. “That one block can be somebody’s touchdown or a winning score, so you don’t want to be that guy who missed it. As receivers, we want to catch touchdowns. But a good receiver has to do everything.”
As for the Bills’ running backs, they are more than happy to know their offensive linemen aren’t the only escorts they have on the field.
“All of our receivers pride themselves on being good blockers down the field,” Jackson said. “Marshawn and I can definitely appreciate that, and when we have the opportunity to do so for them we’re going to.”
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Everyone practiced for the Bills Thursday, though cornerback Terrence McGee (back) and Parrish (knee) were limited. Both are expected to play Sunday. Tight end Derek Fine continues to make progress with his injured thumb, but Jauron said it could be three or four more weeks before Fine is healthy enough for game action.
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Sunday’s game is a sellout and will be televised locally. The last 10 Bills home games and 54 of 66 since 2000 have been sellouts.
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The Bills announced Thursday they have renewed their five-year sponsorship agreement with M&T Bank. The two have been marketing partners since 1985. Punter Brian Moorman is the spokesman for M&T’s checking account promotion.
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