Bills Report
Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner watched his team’s loss to New England from his couch last week and thought his teammates played a bit uptight. “I talked to the majority of the guys after last week’s game, and I let them know that it looks like everybody is straining and stressing and trying to make plays,” Whitner said. “Trying to compensate for what they think is missing out there instead of everybody locking in and focusing on their individual job and having fun doing it.”
Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis played in his team’s loss to Denver 11 days ago and thought some of his mates weren’t giving their all.
After the Browns blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and lost, 34-30, Lewis said some players quit when the Browns got ahead and that they need to check their egos at the door and show more heart.
Two staggering teams will try to end their slumps tonight when the Browns meet the Bills in Ralph Wilson Stadium before a national television audience on Monday Night Football.
Call it the Leaking Oil Bowl. The Bills (5-4) need a win to end a three-game
losing streak and to keep up with the competition in the AFC East. The New York Jets are 7-3, while
New England and Miami are 6-4.
The Browns (3-6) are reeling from two straight fourth-quarter collapses. They need to win to keep their season from spiraling toward disaster and to help coach Romeo Crennel, who is under extreme heat from the Cleveland fan base.
To a man, the Bills’ players did not want to admit tonight’s game was a must-win.
“It’s not a sense of desperation, like now or never,” said receiver Lee Evans. “But we don’t have much longer, so there definitely is a sense of urgency.”
In reality, the players simply did not want to put even more pressure on themselves by putting their own backs against the wall. But that’s where they stand. With a loss tonight, the Bills probably would have to win out over the last six weeks — and get lots of help — in order to make the playoffs.
The Bills will get at least one reinforcement tonight. Guard Brad Butler is scheduled to return from a knee injury and start. It would be a big help if Whitner returns from a one-game absence due to a separated shoulder. His availability is a game-time decision.
Back or not, Whitner hopes his teammates play looser and show more emotion.
“We can’t change the past three games we played,” Whitner said. “We can’t change the previous nine games we played. All we can do is focus on the next game, not make the small mistakes that beat ourselves. Stop worrying about what they’re doing, worry about what we’re doing and have fun doing it.”
Whitner thought his team’s tension over its losing streak was evident when his defensive teammates made some good plays in New England.
“Show your teammates some love out there,” Whitner said. “There were some plays out there where guys made plays and you see two or three guys congratulate them. When we make a play, everybody makes a play. We congratulate each other and we show love on the football field. That’s what we need to get back to. We need to get back to having fun.”
The losing streak has been no fun for the Buffalo offense, which has produced just three touchdowns in three weeks.
Cleveland’s defense ranks tied for 27th in yards allowed and tied for 14th in points allowed.
The Browns are 26th against the run but the Bills are expecting a battle on the ground because of Cleveland defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, who is in the 370-pound range.
He has had moments of utter dominance this year.
“He’s an unbelievable talent,” Bills offensive line coach Sean Kugler said. “Explosive and amazingly fast for his size. He’s a load.”
Rogers has 4z 1/3 1/2 ck 1/3 and will line up directly over center Duke Preston on run downs.
“That’s a heck of a lot of production out of your nose guard,” Preston said, “and that is something we have really put in the game plan this week; trying to make sure we just keep him under control as much as we can.”
Somehow, the Bills need to solve their run-game problems. They stand 28th in the NFL at just 90 yards a game.
The Bills would rather not get into a shootout with the Browns.
Cleveland ranks just 25th in points but has showed flashes of explosiveness, as in a 35-14 win over the New York Giants and in the loss to Denver.
Quarterback Brady Quinn, the Notre Dame product and first-round draft pick, will make his second career start. He was 23 of 35 for 239 yards with two touchdowns against Denver.
Quinn has two elite weapons in the passing game. Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow has 36 catches and three touchdowns. Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards has been plagued by drops this season, but he still is averaging 17.5 yards a catch and poses a huge threat to the Bills’ cornerbacks.
The Browns probably will show up itching for a fight after a week of controversy precipitated by the comments of Lewis, who is not considered a loose cannon. The story grew even larger when veteran Josh Cribbs backed up Lewis.
Crennel disputed Lewis and Cribbs.
“There are some guys on my team that could have made better decisions in crucial situations [against Denver] that would have impacted the game,” Crennel said. “We have to see how we can make those plays to give ourselves a better chance. But players on the team didn’t quit.”
Browns General Manager Phil Savage agreed with Crennel. On his weekly show on Cleveland’s WTAM radio, Savage said Lewis and Cribbs “were trying to deliver a message to certain players. Who those players are, I don’t know. I wouldn’t characterize it as quitting. I would characterize it as there was not the focus that was needed at the moment.”
Crennel will try to shake up his lineup tonight to turn things around. At cornerback, fourth-year veteran Travis Daniels will take the starting spot or split time with Brandon McDonald. The Browns acquired Daniels in preseason after the Bills decided they did not want to part with Ashton Youboty.
Sixth-year man Shantee Orr will see more time at outside linebacker. And Crennel may rotate his backup safeties into the game more often.
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