Bills speak up with confidence
Edwards, Van Pelt expect change for the better
The Buffalo Bills were thinking positively about their beleaguered offense on Wednesday.
Was it wishful thinking for a group mired in a six-game slump? Perhaps.
Nevertheless, here are some reasons the Bills might be ready to play a watchable game on offense this week in Tennessee:
• Quarterback Trent Edwards is back in the starter's job after missing 2½ games due to a concussion.
• The Bills have had an extra week to try to sort out the problems of their attack, ranked fourth worst in the NFL.
• They are convinced that fixing one problem — converting on third-and-short situations — can make a major difference.
• Right tackle Jonathan Scott is back in the starting lineup after missing three games with an ankle sprain. Just how much of an upgrade Scott provides is uncertain, but he at least has a lot more experience than rookie Jamon Meredith, who started the past three games.
• The Tennessee Titans are ranked 31st in the NFL in yards allowed and last in the league in points allowed. (Of course, the Bills managed just six points on the 32nd-ranked Cleveland defense.)
"I think we had a good bye week," Edwards said after Wednesday's practice on the grass field outside the team's field house. "I think guys are healthy, and I think changes are being made. I feel the coaches are noticing those changes, I feel like the players are noticing the changes, and that is going to build a lot of confidence. That confidence can change the guys' attitude and allow the offense to break out."
Exactly what are the changes? We must wait until Sunday to find out. But offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said third-down conversions were the point of emphasis of the bye week.
"I think we're close," Van Pelt said. "We're doing a good job in the run game. Our big issue is third down. When you get yourself in third-and-5, you should be a [cinch] to convert a high percentage and we're not. ... It's a problem but it's a fixable problem."
The Bills rank 30th in third-down efficiency, converting just 26 percent of their chances. They are converting 14 percent on third-and-2, 16 percent on third-and-3, 42 percent on third-and-4, and 17 percent on third-and-5. All of those rates should be close to 50 percent.
"It's not like we're in third-and-9 all the time," running back Fred Jackson said. "We're confident. You get in third-and-short you should be able to get those. It's something we have addressed. Offense is about communication. We have to get everything communicated and execute what's called."
Van Pelt said part of the third-down problem is simply executing the plays better.
"Going back and looking at it, we've had plays that were built to beat the coverage that we got," he said. "So we just have to do a better job of coaching up the techniques to get open in those situations."
At the same time, he acknowledges the Bills need to commit to getting the ball to wideouts Lee Evans and Terrell Owens more.
"Houston played roll coverage to Lee's side," Van Pelt said. "That's when we need to be more focused on Terrell. We have a threat out there that can hurt people. I didn't do a good job of taking advantage of that against Houston. I could have worked it a little more."
The Bills need to get better pass protection to hit some throws downfield. Van Pelt said he's not going to go overboard in giving the team's young tackles extra help.
"Demetrius [Bell] had a good game last week against Houston," Van Pelt said. "He played better. Jonathan Scott will be back. He has a little more experience. We'll give him help, obviously, but we expect those guys to protect. We'll help them as much as we can with protections. But you can't make a living getting [just] three guys out [in the pass pattern] all day.
"I think we have the receivers who can go and make plays on the ball," Van Pelt said. "If we get a situation where it's one on one, we don't have to be wide open. We can give those guys a chance to go up and make plays. That's one thing we've talked about."
The Bills hope positive talk leads to positive results.
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