Fri Sep 26 14:00:36 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Rams Turn to Green in Clash With Bills

---

(Sports Network) - There are two big storylines in Sunday's matchup between the Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams, but the most intriguing one concerns the return of quarterback Trent Green.

Green was recently named starting quarterback by Rams head coach Scott Linehan and will replace unproductive starter Marc Bulger, who hasn't thrown for more than 184 yards in a game and has just two touchdown passes with a pair of interceptions through three outings for the 0-3 Rams. St. Louis has scored just 29 points this season, tied for the second-lowest output in the NFL, and has surrendered 116 points in its three losses.

Linehan made the switch to Green this week, and the veteran will be making his first start since October of the 2007 season. Green's health is a major concern after the former Indiana product suffered a major concussion in each of the last two seasons. His 2007 campaign with the Miami Dolphins came to an end during a showdown with the Houston Texans in Week 5, when he sustained a Grade 3 concussion in a 22-19 loss.

Green, who inked a three-year contract with St. Louis in March, was a member of the Rams in 1999 and 2000. He was lost for the year with a knee injury suffered in preseason action, paving the way for Kurt Warner and a Super Bowl title.

In 117 career games, Green has passed for 27,950 yards and 162 touchdowns with 108 interceptions. He will have the duty of trying to knock off the unbeaten Bills at the Edward Jones Dome, a place where the Rams have lost eight of their last nine games. St. Louis is coming off a 37-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and is trying to avoid another horrific start to the season. The Rams opened the 2007 campaign with eight consecutive losses and have suffered seven straight defeats dating back to last season.

The second most-discussed storyline in Sunday's matchup is that the 3-0 Bills have been playing great all-around football this season, starting with quarterback Trent Edwards. The second-year pro has thrown for 733 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception so far this season for Buffalo, which remained unbeaten after a hard-fought 24-23 victory over the Oakland Raiders last Sunday on Rian Lindell's 38-yard field goal. It was the second- straight comeback in the fourth quarter for the Bills.

Buffalo is aiming for its first 4-0 start since the 1992 season, when it went 11-5 and dropped a 52-17 decision to the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. In order for the Bills to match that start, they must not look past the floundering Rams. The Bills travel to Arizona the following week, but first must take care of business in the Gateway City.

SERIES HISTORY

Buffalo has a 5-4 lead in its all-time series with St. Louis, breaking a tie in the series with a 37-17 home win in Week 11 of the 2004 season. The Rams won the previous meeting, a 34-33 home win in 1998. The Bills were 45-27 winners in the only matchup between the clubs in St. Louis, during the 1995 season. The Rams haven't won a home game in the series since taking a 1983 decision in L.A., and the Bills haven't lost in the Gateway City since falling to the Cardinals there in 1984.

Bills head coach Dick Jauron is 0-3 in his career against the Rams, with all of those games dating back to his tenure with the Bears (1999-2003). Linehan will be meeting both Jauron and Chicago for the first time as a head coach.

WHEN THE BILLS HAVE THE BALL

Edwards (733 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) is doing fine so far in his first year as a starter and has guided the Bills to consecutive come-from-behind victories. He led the Bills to three fourth-quarter scores last week versus the Raiders, with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Roscoe Parrish pulling Buffalo within 23-21 before he engineered another drive to help set up Lindell's game- winning field goal. In the fourth quarter this season, Edwards has completed 24-of-32 attempts for 284 yards with two touchdown passes and no interceptions for a sizzling 122.4 passer rating. He is 8-4 overall as a starter, and the Bills are 6-0 when Edwards records a quarterback rating of 80 or better. The Bills also have the 11th-rated passing offense in the league (234.7 ypg). Edwards will be without Parrish (7 receptions, 1 TD) for the next four-to-six weeks after he underwent surgery on his right thumb that was injured late in last Sunday's victory. With Parrish out, rookie wide receiver James Hardy (2 receptions, 1 TD) should see more action. Veteran receivers Lee Evans (12 receptions, 244 yards) and Josh Reed (13 receptions) and tight end Robert Royal (10 receptions, TD) are still at Edwards' disposal. Evans has started 29 consecutive regular season games, the fourth-longest active streak for a wide receiver in the NFL.

St. Louis must provide pressure on the quarterback, and it starts with defensive ends Leonard Little and rookie Chris Long (13 tackles, 1 sack). Little hasn't played since early in Week 1 at Philadelphia because of a hamstring injury, but Linehan is optimistic he'll see time on Sunday. Little, who has 22 1/2 sacks in the past 24 games versus AFC foes, did return to a limited practice this week. He currently leads the Rams with 75 career sacks, the most in franchise history. While Little has been out, James Hall (20 tackles) has been able to lead the team in stops so far. Hall, who originally entered the NFL with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2000, has recorded 35 1/2 career sacks. In the season opener at Philadelphia, he tallied a career-high 10 tackles (six solo) and one forced fumble. Hall will be counted on to put the pressure on Edwards and shake up Buffalo's seemingly-cohesive offensive scheme. The Rams said goodbye to cornerback Fakhir Brown (8 tackles) this week and signed veteran Jason Craft, who was released by the New Orleans Saints on September 16. With Brown gone, Tye Hill (18 tackles) will return to the starting lineup for the league's 30th-ranked pass defense (272.3 ypg). Hill, Craft and Ron Bartell (11 tackles) will match up with Buffalo's Evans, Reed and Hardy.

Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will bang heads with the third-worst run defense in the league (184.3 ypg) on Sunday. Lynch has been a big relief for Edwards and the offense with three solid games so far, in which he's recorded 218 yards and four touchdowns. He has reached the end zone in every game this season, including a career-high two-score effort last week versus Oakland. Even though the Bills are 23rd in rushing this season (99.0 ypg), Lynch will get his fair share of yards against St. Louis. With a touchdown this week, Lynch can post the third-longest consecutive game rushing touchdown streak to start a season in team history. O.J. Simpson did it in six games, while Joe Cribbs accomplished the feat in five. Lynch is also tied among the AFC leaders with 16 first downs gained on the season. He has the luxury of playing behind one of the heaviest lines in the NFL. Left guard Derrick Dockery has been a mainstay in the trenches, having started 80 consecutive games and playing in all 83 contests in his six-year NFL career. Center Melvin Fowler and right guard Brad Butler should have an easy time making holes for Lynch against a weak St. Louis defensive line.

St. Louis has been having trouble stopping the run this season, as evidenced by its No.29 overall ranking. The Rams were torched last week in Seattle and gave up 245 yards on the ground, including 140 yards and two touchdowns by Seahawks running back Julius Jones. Backup running back T.J. Duckett also got into the mix with 79 yards and two scored on 19 touches. The Rams have allowed 200 or more rushing yards in back-to-back weeks. Veteran defensive tackle La' Roi Glover (6 tackles) has tallied eight solo tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in three career starts against the Bills. He also ranks fourth among active players and first among defensive tackles with 83 career sacks. Glover had just two stops last week in Seattle, while fellow tackle Adam Carriker (7 tackles) was one of four players with six stops. Middle linebacker Will Witherspoon (18 tackles, 1 sack) led the way last Sunday with seven stops, including a sack. He tied for the lead among linebackers with eight tackles (six solo) in a Week 2 loss against the Giants. Weakside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (11 tackles) and strongside starter Chris Draft (8 tackles) have to do better job plugging the holes, otherwise Lynch and Bills backup Fred Jackson (72 rushing yards) will have a field day. Draft is taking over starting duties for second-year man Quinton Culberson (9 tackles).

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

All eyes will be on the veteran Green when the Rams open their offense on Sunday, but at least the peering eyes will be mostly from the heads of St. Louis fans. Green, a 15-year pro, spent two years with the Rams from 1999-2000 before playing six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (2001-06) and one campaign with Miami (2007). Green is a very accurate passer and owns a 2-1 mark in three career starts against the Bills. He will try to help Rams fans forget about the team's putrid start under Bulger (519 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT), who will be holding a clipboard and wearing a baseball cap on the sidelines. Wide receiver Torry Holt (11 receptions, 1 TD) hasn't had a chance to break out this season and is coming off a four-catch, 37-yard performance against Seattle. Holt has just one touchdown reception this season after hauling in six passes for 76 yards and a score in Week 2 versus the New York Giants. He just needs four more catches to pass Hall of Famer Steve Largent (819) for 16th on the all-time receptions list. Since the 2000 season, Holt leads the NFL with 764 catches for 11,198 yards. Tight end Randy McMichael (9 receptions) and wideout Donnie Avery (3 receptions) may see more balls thrown their way with Green under center. It's not likely to happen this week, but wideout and return specialist Dante Hall (6 receptions) needs just one more return for a touchdown to tie Brian Mitchell (13) for first on the all-time list in that category.

With the immobile Green in the pocket, the Bills will most likely pin their ears back and go for the kill. All-Pro defensive end Aaron Schobel (10 tackles) has just one sack this season after only recording 6 1/2 the year before. He is trying to get back to his 2006 form, when he registered a career-high 14 sacks. The active AFC leader in sacks since 2003 with 53, Schobel has never missed a game in his eight-year career. His 68 career sacks ranks second in Bills history, behind only Bruce Smith (171). Schobel can become the 13th active NFL player with 70 sacks with two more this season. Fellow end Chris Kelsay (5 tackles, 1 sack) posted a sack and forced a fumble against Oakland. St. Louis will have a hard time passing on Buffalo's No. 6 pass defense (153.7 ypg), which has allowed 49 points through the first three games of the season. Safeties Donte Whitner (17 tackles) and Ko Simpson (15 tackles) combined for 11 stops last week, with Simpson returning to the starting lineup in Week 1 after sustaining a season-ending injury early last season. Top cornerback Terrence McGee (14 tackles, 2 INT) leads the team with a pair of picks and may see action on special teams with top returner Parrish out.

Since Al Saunders took over as the Rams' offensive coordinator, running back Steven Jackson has transformed into a double threat for opposing defenses. The muscular tailback ran for a season-high 66 yards on 23 carries last week against the Seahawks and led the team in receiving for the second time this season, hauling in five passes for a season-high 62 yards. A week earlier against the New York Giants, Jackson reeled in a season high seven passes for 37 yards. His yards are mostly compiled between the tackles, so he faces a tough test against a Buffalo defense that has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. The former Oregon State star was limited in practice early in the week because of a sore left groin, but is expected to be ready for Sunday. Jackson is trying to become the first Rams running back to have four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons since Eric Dickerson (1983-86). The Rams interior line of left guard Jacob Bell, center Nick Leckey and right guard Richie Incognito will be busy trying to make that happen against a big Buffalo defensive line. All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace (groin) seems to be at full strength.

As stated earlier, the Bills have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season and rank 12th in the NFL in run defense (93.7 ypg). Buffalo shut down Seattle's ground attack in Week 1 before surprisingly containing the vaunted Jacksonville duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew the following week. In last Sunday's win over Oakland, Raiders top running back Darren McFadden was held to 42 yards on 14 carries. Buffalo's stop unit, which has forced four turnovers this season under coordinator Perry Fewell, is the first squad to hold its initial three foes of a season under 100 yards rushing since the 2004 defense turned the trick. A big reason for that success has been the efforts of disruptive defensive tackles Kyle Williams (10 tackles, sack) and first- year Bill Marcus Stroud (13 tackles, 2 sacks). Stroud has excelled with the Bills since joining them in an offseason trade from Jacksonville. He tied line backer Paul Posluszny (18 tackles) for the team lead in tackles last week with six. Stroud also has four passes defensed to lead all NFL defensive linemen. Posluszny and weakside linebacker Kawika Mitchell (11 tackles, sack) can stop the run with ease, but can have trouble in pass coverage.

FANTASY FOCUS

Lynch has been a fantasy star since emerging as a rookie last season. Expect him to hit the 100-yard mark for the first time this season and fourth time in his career against a weak St. Louis defense. He has also reached the end zone in every game this season and made owners proud with a two-score effort last Sunday. Edwards has been a huge surprise so far in 2008, but who knows how long that will last. He is a worthy starter, thanks to a 3-0 record, and will be under center until head coach Dick Jauron feels otherwise. Evans is still the go-to receiver on the Bills despite recording just four receptions in each game this season. If you're desperate for a wideout, Reed and Hardy may have an impact against the Rams. St. Louis' top fantasy player has been Steven Jackson for a few years. Even though his top rushing total of the season was 66 yards last week, fantasy owners should not be wary with Jackson facing off with Buffalo's stingy run defense. Holt and McMichael are worthy starts, but it's more obvious with Holt. The future Hall of Famer will match up well with the Bills' secondary.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Unfortunately for Green and the Rams, they will be headed to the bye week winless for the second straight season. St. Louis started 0-8 last year before winning two straight and three of four games after the break. Lynch will set the tone for the Bills and keep the Rams' defense guessing, while opening the passing lanes for Edwards. Buffalo's stop unit has been playing exceptionally well after three weeks and will not look past this matchup against an overmatched St. Louis squad. Steven Jackson will give Fewell's unit some problems early, but he still will be held under the century mark in rushing once again. The Rams have also given up an average of 38.6 points a game this season.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bills 34, Rams 24