Countdown to Kickoff: Interview with Tim Hiller
Hello and welcome back to the site Bills fans! The game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars is just under 3 days away. Instead of breaking down another match up today, I was able to get an interview with Tim Hiller, a columnist for billsgab.com. They put on a great site there so be sure to check them out. You can find them on our ” Bills Fan Buddies” links on the left hand site of the site. Let’s get down to business as I grill Tim about the Bills and the NFL (NOTE: I am in bold while Tim’s answers are just in regular font).
What are your thoughts on the Bills 34-10 win over the Seahawks?
I was obviously excited to see the Bills perform so well. If you had told me going in that they would win 34-10 I would have taken it without hesitation. However, let’s not forget that in this game, the bills scored two special teams touchdowns. Were it not for Roscoe Parrish, as awful as the Seahawks played, they would have been tied going into half time. I also felt like the fake field goal put the game out of reach, so assuming the Bills aren’t going to score two special teams touchdowns every week, I’m not ready to crown them AFC champs.
How did you like the play calling on both sides of the ball? I loved the defense and the play action pass call that went for the TD after the kick return fumble recovery for the offense. This is certainly not last year’s offense.
Playcalling was great on both sides.
On offense: The Bills let Edwards take his shots. I mentioned on billsgab.com that I thought it’s really important moving forward that the Bills continue to take shots on offense so that underneath stuff was there, and that so Lynch wouldn’t face 8 or 9 guys in the box. Moving forward I’d like to see the Bills try some more aggressive short passing (too many screens, not enough working intermediate routes over the middle) and let Edwards show what he’s got.
On defense: No complaints. Great job of bringing pressure, and balancing that with dropping back.
How do you think the Bills will fair this season?
I said before the season that I thought the Bills would be 7-9. I’m sticking to that until I see how they do on the road, and against the league’s best teams. The win over Seattle, while great, was against a Seattle team that by the end of the game was missing it’s entire receiving core, and no longer has Sean Alexander. Not to mention Matt Hasselback didn’t practice all preseason.
Tom Brady was lost for the season due to a devastating knee injury. How do you think Matt Cassell (who hasn’t started a game since high school) will do his next game against the New York Jets and do you think the Pats will be able to make another playoff run without their best player and reigning MVP?
I think the Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC. We’ve seen them lose players before and not miss a step. Of course they’ve never lost Tom Brady. But they have enough talent on that team, and more importantly, enough experience to rally around Matt Cassell. My gut tells me that the Patriots probably will fall short, but I think they’ve earned the right for everyone to expect them to be the cream of the crop until proven otherwise.
Who is your AFC East winner and why?
I really can’t pick a winner, it’s so wide open. I’m going with the Patriots for now, until they prove otherwise. That being said, I don’t see it as out of the realm of possibility that the Patriots will finish 3-13. We just don’t know how they will react. But given their history, I’m not betting against them just yet. Ask me again next week.
Who are your playoff teams in the AFC and NFC? And of course I have to ask, who’s your Superbowl picks and who is winning it all (I got the Packers and the Steelers, and that pick was made BEFORE the Brady injury and yes I have proof)?
Gee we are getting ahead of ourselves here. But since you asked:
AFC:
Patriots
Steelers
Colts
Chargers
Broncos
Tennessee
I have the Steelers going to the Superbowl
NFC:
Cowboys
Packers
Panthers
Saints
Bears
Giants
I have the Cowboys going to the superbowl and winning it. That’s my meaningless projection anyways. We’ll see.
Now let’s get back to the Bills. What are your keys to the game on Sunday if the Bills expect to win?
They must be able to stop the run. The Seahawks found a groove towards the end of the game on the ground. If Jacksonville is able to run, the Bills have no shot. On offense, Trent Edwards needs to make plays. It’s one thing to make plays at home, it’s quite another to make them on the road against a tough, tough defense.
How do you think the Jaguars offensive line will handle the Bills strong D-line without their two starting guards (they let up 7 sacks last week and were only able to run for 31 yards on the ground). Also how do you think Marcus Stroud will do returning to his old team, that traded him during the off season?
This is I think, the burning question. I think the Jaguars will struggle to run the ball early, but look for the Bills to tire out late in the game due to the heat. The key for the Bills will be to make enough plays on offense so that they aren’t relying on their defense to win this one late. Stroud will certainly be motivated and I believe he will perform well. But there are three other guys on the defensive line. We’ll see.
How do you think the Bills will fair defensively against the Jags overall? They looked good in all areas last week and the Jags struggled greatly.
Again, I think early on, it will be low scoring. Someone will probably have a second half explosion. Hopefully it’s not the Jags.
Now let’s switch it over to the other side of the ball. Will Lynch be effective on the ground?
Probably. Lindell White and a rookie ran all over the Jags. Look for Lynch to do the same.
Edwards showed some maturity after starting the last game awful but still bounced back to have a good game. How do you think Edwards will handle himself in this one?
I’m worried about Trent Edwards in this one. I don’t think he’s going to do well. The Bills have not been good on the road in the last few years, and usually that has to do with QB play.
Final question. What is your prediction for the Bills game this weekend? I got the Bills in a close one, 24-21.
I like the Jags 24-14. I think it will be close early on and heading into half time. I expect the desperate Jags to really limit the Bills’ passing game though, and look for their offense to make some plays in the second half.
That being said….Go Bills!
