Bills vs. Patriots: Gauging New England's Pass Rush

by Brian Galliford on Sep 23, 2011 3:01 PM EDT in Buffalo Bills News

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has only been sacked once this season, and wasn't sacked a ton in 2010, either. One team that got to him was the New England Patriots, however; in a Week 16 loss, Fitzpatrick was sacked three times and also lost two fumbles during a brutal 34-3 loss.

Despite this, New England isn't a team that features a dominant pass rusher. Bill Belichick is predominantly responsible for creating pressure via scheme, and he's loaded his front seven with a bunch of veterans to make it work.

"The thing about the way the Patriots are deploying their pass rushers in 2011 is that there is no one player to focus on," explains Greg Knopping of PatsPulpit.com. "While defensive linemen Vince Wilfork, Andre Carter and Shaun Ellis will play more than 50 percent of the team's snaps, players such as Albert Haynesworth, Mark Anderson, Myron Pryor, and Kyle Love have all been rotating about evenly."

Pryor was placed on Injured Reserve this week, while Haynesworth has missed two days' worth of practice with a back injury. While Haynesworth is the big name, however, Anderson might be the guy that the Bills focus on first.

"If you wanted one under the radar type of player, I would take a look at Anderson," says Knopping. "He's the Patriots' best speed rusher, and will be in on most clear passing situations. He's recorded a sack in each of the Patriots' first two games this year."

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Key to beating the Pats – get to Brady until he’s pacing the sidelines cursing like a sailor.

Key to beating the Bills – get to Fitz and keep him from screaming like a Banshee.

I had a drink the other day
Opinions were like kittens
I was giving them away
-Modest Mouse

by oompaloompa on Sep 23, 2011 3:38 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Let's be honest....Fitz sounded like

a 5 year old girl on unwrapping her first Barbie on Christmas morning. Fitz completely lost his man card on that one. The only time a man is allowed to make a noise like that is when he is kicked in the family jewels.

If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

"...at that point the cops showed up and I had the right to remain silent....but, I didn't have the ability." - Ron White

by Joe P. on Sep 23, 2011 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

I lol'd at the video

he noticed abayarde in the stands and couldn’t contain himself

. Nobody and I mean Nobody circles the Wagon Blasters like our Buffalo Bills. The Wagon is coming to collect your soul.-abayarde

by Gpluehri on Sep 23, 2011 4:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Yup! I think he lost his soul!

…at least that’s what abayarde would say.

"I’ve been big ever since I was little." William "The Refrigerator" Perry

by mrdorn73 on Sep 23, 2011 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions

It was awesome and you know it.

"This is a chance to shine some light on the city, They say it’s too cold. I’m going to bring some warmth to it." Marcell Dareus

by matthew62 on Sep 23, 2011 4:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

The win was awesome....the scream....not so much :-)

If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

"...at that point the cops showed up and I had the right to remain silent....but, I didn't have the ability." - Ron White

by Joe P. on Sep 23, 2011 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Hahaha, come on now Joe,

I say as long as he keeps throwing game winning touchdown passes he gets to keep his man card :)
Now if he had made those noises after getting sacked, well that would be an entirely different story…

"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby. That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to show you the baby, and the baby is winning." - Buddy Nix

by Schwing9 on Sep 23, 2011 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha,well said

I called my sister in to see Turning Point, and we both started laughing at the point where Fitz started screaming like Chris Tucker in the Fifth Element.

Act like a sober human being, not a drunk Internet username. -- Brian Galliford

by NorCal BillsFan on Sep 23, 2011 4:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I see a Miller Light sponsorship in Fitzy’s future.

I had a drink the other day
Opinions were like kittens
I was giving them away
-Modest Mouse

by oompaloompa on Sep 23, 2011 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions

awwwwww... come on!!!!!

I’m tired of hearing he sounded like a little girl!!!!

I sound that way every time my wife gives me some!!!!!

:-(….. just made me realize….. maybe that why I don’t get it very much…..

Optimistic??? Of course I am!! I'm a Bills fan, and as of right now, we are undefeated on the regular season!!!
Things are truly looking up!!!

by Cinga on Sep 23, 2011 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions

LOL....admitting you have a problem is the first step :-)

If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

"...at that point the cops showed up and I had the right to remain silent....but, I didn't have the ability." - Ron White

by Joe P. on Sep 23, 2011 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I’ll also allow it after throwing the winning touchdown in a football game. Sorry, but he loses no man points with me.

"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.

by stetzwebs on Sep 23, 2011 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Loosen up man....His own teammates said he sounded like a little girl......hell, he said it himself

Doesn’t mean he isn’t a good QB.

If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

"...at that point the cops showed up and I had the right to remain silent....but, I didn't have the ability." - Ron White

by Joe P. on Sep 23, 2011 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Does anyone have a good link to that? The one and only scream I found on youtube was mediocre.

by NordicBillsfan on Sep 24, 2011 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions

here ya go

http://wgr550.com/The-Fitz-Scream-Heard—Round-WNY/9034669?pid=71484

If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

"...at that point the cops showed up and I had the right to remain silent....but, I didn't have the ability." - Ron White

by Joe P. on Sep 24, 2011 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

thanks.

by NordicBillsfan on Sep 24, 2011 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m plenty loose. I want to hear that scream all season long. (I veto the “TWSS” comment inevitably coming ;) ).

"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.

by stetzwebs on Sep 26, 2011 9:09 AM EDT up reply actions

no it was great

its refreshing to have a guy (fitz) visibly having so much fun playing the game. it shows that its not always about the money, and that motivation is not entirely based on it, that working your butts off and having fun doing it is the true key to football. props, fitz!

Hi, I'm Jim Kelly for the Mancuso Family of Dealerships.

by captainStros on Sep 23, 2011 4:26 PM EDT reply actions

I also liked

When he said the celebrating made him exhausted!

Act like a sober human being, not a drunk Internet username. -- Brian Galliford

by NorCal BillsFan on Sep 23, 2011 4:47 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

When it comes to the Pats, DO NOT

ever focus on one individual player. With the Pats, it’s the team, the team, and only the team.

More important than any potential pass-rusher is the scheme. In preseason weeks 1 and 2 there was a lot of aggressive scheme, than Belichick moved it to vanilla. That’s not surprising; Belichick likes keeping the other team guessing, and last week the pass-rush was given a backseat for the sake of slowing down TE Antonio Gates(kept to 0 catches…..). With you guys having a Gates/Gronkowski-like TE in Chandler, I’d expect Belichick to use DE’s and LB’s to take away Fitzy’s safety valve. So expect Belichick to keep it vanilla, partly for that, partly to focus on the RBs, partly to limit how much film other teams have, and also because it is a very new-look defense that needs time to learn how to mesh together.

For Belichick, limiting Chandler/Jackson/Spiller is more important than sacking Fitz. Taking those 3 players out of the equation takes the Bills out of the equation.

The Pats blitzed 5 or more men less than 20% of the time against San Diego.

It is what it is

by Middlesex on Sep 23, 2011 6:16 PM EDT reply actions

Then Belichick is an idoit and the Bills will win

For Belichick, limiting Chandler/Jackson/Spiller is more important than sacking Fitz. Taking those 3 players out of the equation takes the Bills out of the equation.

If the last two games have shown us nothing else it’s that Fitz can make good decisions and will find an open WR if he is given time to throw.

If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

"...at that point the cops showed up and I had the right to remain silent....but, I didn't have the ability." - Ron White

by Joe P. on Sep 23, 2011 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions

that has yet....

Then Belichick is an idoit and the Bills will win

to play Chan the Man in OUR element!!!!

I know…. I know… optimism on over boil!!!!!

Optimistic??? Of course I am!! I'm a Bills fan, and as of right now, we are undefeated on the regular season!!!
Things are truly looking up!!!

by Cinga on Sep 23, 2011 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Fitz's performance in Week 16 last year has to be discounted

Yes, the Pats got to Fitz a lot in that week 16 game, and his overall passing stats were awful, but we have to remember that he was apparently playing hurt. We don’t know exactly when it happened, but it’s a safe guess that it was early in the game because all of a sudden Fitz was no longer Fitz. He did not want to come out so he simply did not inform anyone and kept playing, though by the next week he was on the inactive list because of the injury and Brohm started.

So yes, the Pats pass rush got to Fitz a lot in that game, but he clearly did not have his usual mobility and what happened that day provides no indication of how he is likely to fare against the Pats this Sunday.

by Macktruck on Sep 23, 2011 10:19 PM EDT reply actions

I thought he got hurt in the Viking game, and it carried over.

I hereby nominate abayarde for BR boldest fan. By Mindbender
Agree. Its like pulling the panties off your new girlfriend for the first time!! By Sergeant Major Thor

by Buffalo for Eternity on Sep 23, 2011 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions