Jets Blog: Jets vs. Bills Preview
By Peter Schwartz
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"You play to win the game. Hello! You play to win the game. You don't play it to just play it. That's the great thing about sports. You play to win!"
Former Jets head coach Herman Edwards-October 30th, 2002
Herm was right.
If there's a game on your schedule, regardless of the meaning, you should play to win. But the Jets are in a tricky spot as they get set to face the Bills at the Meadowlands on Sunday, especially when it comes to Mark Sanchez and his sore shoulder.
With a win, the Jets would have eleven for just the fourth time in franchise history. But is it important enough to let Sanchez play in a game that will have little or no meaning?
"Obviously, you'd like to win," said head coach Rex Ryan. "I go in every preseason game wanting to win. In the long, long haul, does it make that big a difference? Probably not, because we'll probably be the sixth-seed one way or another. There's an outside chance we could be the fifth. I want to win, but our place in history, winning the 11 games and all that kind of stuff, no. You know what I want to do. I want to win the big ring."
Well Sanchez is certainly a big part of any potential run towards North Dallas. He has played well over the last couple of weeks, so Ryan also has to factor in keeping him sharp. One scenario would be for Sanchez to start, get some work in, and then call it a day.
"I haven't decided that (Sanchez) is going to play x amount of plays or if he's going to play at all (or) whatever it is. I'm leaning to think that maybe he'll play some, but we'll see."
Here's one thing that any sports fan can understand. Any player, regardless of stature, is going to tell the coach that he wants to play.
Sanchez is a tough competitor and, if he's healthy enough to play, it will be tough for Ryan to tell him that he's not playing. It would also be tough to instruct him to leave a game early, but Ryan has to do what is in the team's best interests as they get ready for the playoffs.
But until Ryan makes up his mind, it's business as usual for Sanchez.
"I'm preparing like I'm going to play," said Sanchez. I'm watching film, taking as many reps as possible and still being smart about my shoulder. So until he says, I'm not in, I'm treating it like a regular game. I'm ready to go, and then if I do indeed get pulled, I'll be (Mark) Brunell and Kellen's (Clemens) biggest cheerleader."
Whether Sanchez plays or not, the Jets blueprint for victory on Sunday is very simple.
Run the ball.
The Bills are ranked dead last in the NFL giving up 162.5 yards per game on the ground. They have actually defended the pass pretty well as they are ranked 4th in the league at 197.3 passing yards per game.
Ladainian Tomlinson needs just 86 rushing yards to join former Jet Curtis Martin and Pro Football Hall of Famers Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith as the only players in NFL history with nine or more 1,000 yard rushing seasons.
Whenever Tomlinson and/or Shonn Greene is done for the day, rookie Joe McKnight is expected to see plenty of action. The 4th round pick certainly had his issues in training camp including a big case of "fumblelitis"
"It's exciting but I don't want to get to excited," said McKnight. "I want to be calm and get ready for the opportunity when it comes.
If Sanchez plays, he'll need 209 passing yards to become the first Jets quarterback to reach 3,500 since Vinnie Testaverde did it in 2000.
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will look to finish off a pretty good season. In fact, he has a chance to join an exclusive club. He is two touchdown passes shy of joining Jim Kelly and Joe Ferguson as the only quarterbacks in Bills history with at least twenty-five touchdown passes in one season.
Sunday's game marks the final dress rehearsal for the Jets before they embark on the post-season. The offense has certainly picked up over the last couple of games so it might be wise to have Sanchez play a little so that Gang Green can stay on a roll
"I think all of us on offense, we've kind of found a good rhythm here and it's important to watch the same amount of film and prepare like we're playing. It's important to keep up with our routine and you just use this game as preparation for our next playoff game."
Thanks for the outstanding segue Mark!
Yes, the Jets are in the playoffs for a second straight year. For some teams, that might not seem like a cause for celebration. However, this is only the fifth time in franchise history that the Jets are in the post-season in consecutive seasons.
Regardless of how they got there or how the accomplishment is perceived in the court of public opinion, this is something that the Jets are proud of.
"Yes, it really is a big deal," said Ryan. "That's what you shoot for-to get in this tournament if you will. You want to be one of those top teams. There are going to be a lot of good football teams that don't make the playoffs this year."
The Jets are a good football team that did make the playoffs. They have one final chance to get things tuned up before heading to either Kansas City, Indianapolis, or Jacksonville next week.
The health of their second year quarterback will play a pivotal role in just how far the Jets go. But let's not put it all on Mark Sanchez. That defense better figure out how to tackle people and get some pressure on the quarterback.
There will be no post-season run without a healthy Mark Sanchez or a defense that makes plays.
Those are two things to think about when watching Sunday's game. Get Sanchez some work and then give him a baseball cap and a warm jacket.
It was a back to basics week for the defense so let's see how they perform against a bad Bills team.
THE SERIES
This will be the 99th meeting between the Jets and Bills. Buffalo leads the all-time series 53-46. Earlier this season, the Jets beat the Bills 38-14 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. In that game, Ladainian Tomlinson rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns. The Jets have won two in a row against Buffalo and four of the last five.
ELUSIVE ELEVEN
It might be a fairly meaningless game, but Sunday's contest does carry some significance as it pertains to Jets history. A victory would give the Jets eleven wins this season for just the fourth time in franchise history. The Jets haven't won at least eleven games in a season since they won twelve in 1998.
A victory would also give the Jets 29 victories over the last three seasons, which would tie, for the most wins by the team in a three-year span. The only time that the Jets have ever won 29 games over three years was from 1967 to 1969.
A BOWL THAT THEY WOULD RATHER SKIP
On Tuesday, three Jets were named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad. Cornerback Darrelle Revis was named to the team for the third time and second time as a starter. Center Nick Mangold is a Pro-Bowl starter for the third straight year. Left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was named as a reserve in being named a Pro Bowler for the second consecutive season.
The Pro Bowl will be played on January 30th in Hawaii, the week before Super Bowl XLV in North Texas. While it's a great honor to be selected to the Pro Bowl, the Jets are hoping that none of them are permitted to play in the game.
That would mean that the Jets are getting ready to play in the Super Bowl.
Okay, for what its worth, its prediction time. Jets 21 Bills 10. Mark Sanchez plays the first half and then calls it a day.
Enjoy the game!
