monKEYS to the Bills game





We'll start with defense, because it's what worries me the least.

Defensive monKEY #1 Don't let the Bills Lynch you!
I almost didn't type this one out, because it really falls under the big DUH heading, it is so obvious to anyone with a brain, but I just had to say it anyway.
I just did my fantasy football draft this week, and my first overall pick was Marshawn Lynch.
I hope he absolutely stinks it up this week, but there's a reason I took him first overall (other than the fact that the jerk who drafted one spot ahead of me took the guy I really wanted).
Marshawn is a solid strong runner, who isn't all that crafty but is elusive enough and has home run speed.

The Bills are going to want desperately, to establish their running game early on, to take pressure off of Edwards, who is still only a sophomore and doesn't have great arm strength.

Defensive monKEY #2 You just got dealt an 8 and a 3, DOUBLE DOWN!
Buffalo has exactly three scary threats offensively, Marshawn Lynch, (who we already mentioned) and a 6-5 WR named James Hardy (who I will get to in a second), and a WR who wears number 83 by the name of Lee Evans.


Evans is a 5-10 speedy guy with good hands. He's not a world class sprinter, but he definitely has home run speed.

Most importantly Evans is by far and away their biggest threat to stretch the field and score. The nice thing is, if we double cover him, they really don't have much else, the rest of their WR corps is pedestrian at best. Heck the rest of their offense is pedestrian at best.


Take away Evans by doubling down on him as much as possible, and the Bills offense is pretty easy to stop.


I do except to see quite a bit of the Bills TE's this game, especially Robert Royal, who isn't anyone special, but will likely get used more than we are used to seeing with the Bills offense.)
Oh, to get back to the tall WR. He's got good height and decent leaping ability, but he is not at all physical.


In fact, he's sort of a wuss.
The only time we really need to worry about him, is when they're in the red zone.
In case anyone has forgotten, our CB's are tiny little guys, who often get beat out in jump balls, even when they have blanket coverage.

Hence, Defensive monKEY #3 Cut down the tree!
The Bills will want to try and throw it up to their tall WR, in the end zone.
Fade routes, and play action jump balls, could spell big time trouble for us, unless our corners get position EARLY and DO NOT bite on the play fakes.
But the best way to take down this tree, is by getting physical with him, and disrupting the route right from the get go.


He's tall but he's a wimp, so you bump him hard in the five yard bump zone, and screw up his route, otherwise it will be a jump ball over the heads of our defenders for six.

Bottom line for our defense: While Lynch and Evans are very good players and pose some threat, their QB is a ball control type who lacks a big time arm (though he doesn't make a lot of mistakes with the ball) and who really doesn't scare me much at all.


The Bills do have one terrific LT, a guy who is a force, and is also grossly underpaid, and who will not be playing because of that. :P And due to an injury to their backup LT it looks like the Bills will have to get creative with their O-Line.


I see a big big big big big...(did I say BIG?), day for our DE's.
Edwards is going to be forced to take underneath stuff, because he will not have the time in the pocket to go deeper, I see him running for his life a LOT.

Offensive monKEY#1 Help out the big slow.
Locklear isn't starting, which means Willis will be.
Sorry, I realize there are a lot of you all who think that Willis is going to become a good RT. Personally I think he's a bust, and will always be a bust.


I just saw too much of him in college to trust the guy.
IMO he was a vastly over hyped Florida ST product, whose feet are annoyingly slow, and who gets beat badly by good speed rushers. (I'll never forget watching him get beat for four sacks in one game while all the stupid commentators were busy telling me how great the guy was...and I was thinking WTF are they talking about??? He's getting beat like a rented mule out there and has been all day!)

What I'm saying is, we need to give Willis help. Especially since he will be next to Rob Sims, at RG, who at times, simply clueless or just overwhelmed and will no doubt be precious little help to Willis.


Thankfully these are no longer the days of Alexander blocking, and we do now have some good blocking RB's, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have our TE's give Willis a little extra help out there.

Offensive monKEY#2 And this one will go under the big DUH! heading again, but it still needs to be said, Don't force the pass!!!
Let's face it, Matt Hasselbeck is the best QB we've ever had here in Seattle, but when Hass doesn't see any open WR's he has a HORRIBLE tendency to try and force things, to try and make things happen.


We've all seen it, in Green Bay, in the Super bowl, in Pittsburgh last season, and many many other games.


The WR's aren't getting themselves open, or are breaking off their routes, or are running incorrect routes, and Hasselbeck decides to try to zip it in there.
We've all seen the result of that too, interceptions.

I personally think that our young WR's will have a mixed bag of good and bad plays.
Sometimes they will look fine, and at other times will just disappear.
During those times Hasselbeck MUST stay patient!


This is so vital, I cannot stress it enough.
In fact, if we do lose, I predict that this will be why, too many turnovers (picks).

Bottom line for the offense: Patience is going to have to be the word of the day.
With all new (except for Morris and Weaver) RB's and with a bunch of brand new, inexperienced WR's, our defense may have to become our best offense. Field position will play a huge part in determining whether or not we can score points. (Which reminds me how much I hate bend don't break defense!)


Our Special teams hasn't looked special at all, unless you mean like, the short bus kind of special, (which is why keeping Mare over Coutu was the RIGHT decision).


Our offense is going to have to try to sort of grind it out, hopefully we can establish some kind of a running game or we will likely be in a low scoring slug-fest. (Though I do predict one deep TD to Burleson where he makes some nifty moves to score.)

Monkey's prediction: Seahawks 19 Bills 13 in a mostly defensive slug-fest.

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