Jets’ Todd Bowles tries to explain punting blunder vs. Bills

His SportsWatch column debuted in 2005.

Up at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills will be kicking off their National Football League seasons with an AFC East showdown. There was much concern going into the season about who would spell McCoy – a role Mike Gillislee so capably filled last season before bolting for the free agent dollars the New England Patriots threw at him.

NY appears to be in the midst of a rebuild and after all of the moves Buffalo has made this offseason, for them to be as heavily favored as they are is telling of the Jets team that will step onto the field tomorrow.

He is not, of course. He used his legs to extend some plays and piled up close to 40 yards rushing.

He’d seemed to reveal a newer, bolder side of himself by going for the two-point conversion after Josh McCown’s 1-yard plunge with 2:06 left in the third quarter brought the Jets within 14-12. Either make the playoffs or go all in on the rebuild, Bills fans have waited long enough. Taylor ended the game 16-of-28 for 224 passing yards. “Besides we’ve got a 260-pound back and let him get the touchdown”.

The Bills and Jets are going nowhere in 2017, and both teams probably realize this without saying it. It will sound like a broken record all season, but the key for the Bills will be how they run the ball with LeSean McCoy because their passing game, right now, is simply not capable of carrying the day. Even though he did not find the end zone, the star running back totaled 159 yards on 27 touches.

“That was our deepest position at the time”, Bowles said, referring to a front-three made up of Leonard Williams, Steve McLendon and Muhammad Wilkerson. He’s never in a bad situation. He’s just a guy, a fifth-round pick who hasn’t done a thing in the NFL.

It was far from convincing, but Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo Bills are atop the AFC East after Week 1. The Buffalo Bills are set to take on the New York Jets on Sept.10.

Claiborne dismissed the notion that the team’s youth is in part to blame for all of the above. “It’s just a matter of going out there and getting it done”, he said. “You’re out there. You’re a football player”.

“Had we went for it on fourth and not gotten it, then they got the ball back, by the time they punted with the three time outs we would have been backed up”, Bowles said.

Give the Jets credit for making two stops on one play. However, the Bengals have a few more and they will pull it out in a tight one. Judging from the opener, fans rooting for that to happen can rest assured that the coaches and players are fully capable of doing so without resorting to doing so on goal. When playing at the top of their game, they are two of the premier run-stuffers in the NFL.