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Bills Scouting Report
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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December 21, 2007

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Giants will try again to clinch a postseason berth when they face the Buffalo Bills Sunday in Ralph Wilson Stadium. Last week's 22-10 loss to the Washington Redskins left the Giants with a 9-5 record but still in control of their postseason destiny. The Giants have won their last six road games and are 6-1 away from Giants Stadium. Buffalo is 4-3 at home (two of the losses were to Dallas and New England) and 7-7 overall. But last week's 8-0 loss in snowy Cleveland eliminated the Bills from postseason consideration. The Giants trail in the regular season series, 6-3. They are 2-3 in Buffalo, including a loss in a strike replacement game in 1987.

Offense

The Bills are ranked 30th in the NFL in offense with an average of 279.9 yards per game. They are 16th in rushing yards (110.4), 29th in passing yards (169.6) and
28th in scoring (15.8 points per game). Buffalo's 17 giveaways are the second fewest in the NFL and the Bills' turnover differential is a healthy plus-seven.

Quarterback Trent Edwards has been one of the NFL's most impressive rookies. The third-round draft choice from Stanford is 5-2 as a starter and has completed
59.2 percent of his passes. Edwards is smart and polished, on his feet he's mobile and athletic and his throws are strong and accurate. Despite playing in blizzard-like conditions last week in Cleveland, Edwards led the Bills on a late drive from their own 30 to the Browns' 10-yard line, where they were stopped on fourth down.

Another rookie, Marshawn Lynch, is the Bills' leading rusher, with 940 yards and six touchdowns - and he missed three games with an ankle injury. Lynch, who is
10th in the AFC in rushing, is a fast and instinctive runner who has the strength to break tackles and gain tough yards between the tackles. Fred Jackson, a first-year player from Coe College (the alma mater of Bills general manager and former coach Marv Levy), rushed for 115 yards in a victory over Miami on Dec. 9. He is frequently used on passing downs. The Bills are a big cutback team, which plays to the talents of both Lynch and Jackson.

The Bills don't have a traditional fullback on their roster, but instead use their tight ends in a variety of roles. Robert Royal, whom the Giants know from his days in Washington, can block and catch, and he is particularly effective on tight end screens. Michael Gaines, the second tight end, frequently lines up at fullback. Big and powerful, Gaines is an effective blocker who has 21 receptions - one less than Royal.

Wide receiver Lee Evans has explosive speed, not to mention team-high totals of 51 catches, a 15.8-yard average and four touchdowns (one an 85-yarder).
Josh Reed is a dependable possession receiver who finds openings underneath the coverage. He has 49 catches. The third receiver is the speedy Roscoe Parrish, who has 33 receptions, including a 47-yard touchdown.

Buffalo has started the same five offensive linemen in every game this season. It is a smart, active group that has played consistently well all year. The line's best player is left tackle Jason Peters, who this week was named a Pro Bowl starter. A tight end at Arkansas who was not drafted, Peters was moved inside by the Bills and the fourth-year pro has become one of the NFL's very best left tackles. Left guard Derrick Dockery, a former Redskin, is a powerful line of scrimmage player. Center Melvin Fowler and right guard Brad Butler are heady, steady competitors. Right tackle Langston Walker is a massive 6-8, 370-pounder with good feet for a player his size.

Defense

Buffalo is 30th in total defense, allowing 303.3 yards a game. The Bills are 22nd against the run (100.1) and 28th vs. the pass (203.1). Despite those rankings, Buffalo is 16th in points allowed (21.3). The Bills' defense has been stubborn all season, despite losing six members of the unit to season-ending injuries. Buffalo allows relatively few points because it is a very disciplined and gap-conscious defense that tackles well and doesn't beat itself.

The Bills play all of their defensive linemen. Their best pass rusher is right end Aaron Schobel, a Pro Bowler in 2006. Schobel has a good plan and presents the offensive line with a variety of moves - and he's smart, fast and athletic. His 5.5 sacks lead the team; no one else has more than two. On the left side, Chris Kelsay is smaller version of Schobel. Both ends must be blocked, or they will track down a run from the back side. The third end is Anthony Hargrave, an athletic player acquired in a trade with St. Louis.

On the inside, right tackle Kyle Williams is a strong point of attack player who works to get to the ball and wraps up the running back when he gets there. Larry Tripplett does a good job blocking seams and disrupting an opponent's run game. A virtual clone of Tripplett is backup John McCargo, who also shoots through gaps and upends runners.

At middle linebacker, the Bills miss injured rookie Paul Posluszny. But John DiGrigorio has been a pleasant surprise, with a team high-tying 142 tackles (82 solo). DiGrigorio has good lateral movement and straight-line speed and he always seems to be around the ball. On the strong side, Angelo Crowell also has 142 tackles (90 solo). An every-snap player, Crowell is both outstanding in pass coverage and is the team's best blitzer. Weakside linebacker Keith Ellison is an instinctive player who runs well.

Terrence McGee (who has a team-high three interceptions) and Jabari Greer give the Bills a pair of solid cover corners. Strong safety Donte Whitner has started every game. He is an excellent run defender who did a good job covering NFC East and Pro Bowl tight ends Jason Witten and Chris Cooley. Whitner's athleticism is so impressive, he, not a cornerback, covers the slot receiver in the Bills' nickel defense. When free safety Ko Simpson went on injured reserve, John Leonard took his job. Leonard was replaced by George Wilson, who subsequently suffered a season-ending rib injury and was replaced by ... Leonard. Substitute Bryan Scott flies around the field and is a terrific player in the tackle box.

Special Teams

The Bills might have the NFL's finest all-around special teams. They have the league's highest punt return average at 16.2 yards per return. Parrish is first with a 17.5-yard average, including a 74-yard touchdown. Buffalo also has the NFL's No. 1 punt coverage team, allowing only 5.3 yards per return. McGee scored on a 103-yard kickoff return. The Bills average 20.3 yards per kickoff return, the fifth-best figure in the league. Kicker Rian Lindell has made 21 of 24 field goal attempts this season, including all 18 from inside 45 yards. He has converted all 245 PATs in his eight-year career. Lindell was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking five field goals in Buffalo's one-point victory at Washington on Dec. 2. Two-time Pro Bowl punter Brian Moorman has a 40.9-yard gross average, a 37.7-yard net average and an extensive fake history.