Bills vs. Steelers…Uh Oh, Buffalo we have a problem

August 29th will have the Buffalo Bills take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in preseason action.  Buffalo will go into this game short handed on offense as Terrell Owens is likely to sit out again.  Fred Jackson is nursing a sprained left wrist and may be held out of the game as well.  He is looking to test it out at practice over the next two days.  This creates a huge problem for the already troubled Buffalo Bills offense.  With Trent Edwards at QB, the Bills have had difficulty successfully running the No-Huddle offense with consistency.  As the preseason is coming to an end it is very apparent that this is the one area that will desperately need work.

Although it is concerning that Terrell has sat out the last few preseason games, he is still T.O.  Owens has been a top tier receiver and should not need too much time to be in sync with QB Trent Edwards.  The main concern regarding Buffalo’s receivers should be Trent Edwards inability to move the ball using Lee Evans.  Arguably their best deep threat, Edwards has not shown the ability to utilize Evans properly and consistently.

Edwards also gets another crack at the 3-4 defense when Buffalo plays Pittsburgh.  Trent has a very poor record against any team utilizing the 3-4 scheme.  He does not read the formation well and will have even less time to do so in the no-huddle offense which relies on quick reads and even quicker snaps.  Edwards needs to prove that he can maximize his weapons as well as maintain a drive without turning the ball over.

Pittsburgh will also be a test for the Bills running attack which has not impressed at all.  Marshawn Lynch appears to be declining in field vision and running ability in each game that he plays.  The Bills are also not allowing Fred Jackson to get maximum repetitions with the first team offense.  As Marshawn will be suspended for the first 3 games Jackson needs to get acclimated with the starting offense.  The Bills are doing a disservice to their team by not allowing Jackson more reps.  Jackson may now also have to sit out against Pittsburgh with an injured left wrist.  This means even more time that Jackson will not have in game time situations with the starting offense.  The Bills have a very tough regular season schedule and it doesn’t appear that they are making the right personnel decisions in order to make their season any easier.

Pittsburgh will be a true test for Edwards as they will come fast and hard at him.  This game will also show how much progress the Bills have made from their embarrassing loss to Green Bay.  August 29th will give fans some insight as to which Bills team they may see in the regular season, the Bills that dominated against Chicago, or the Bills who could not move the ball against Green Bay.  Unfortunately for the fans it may be the latter.

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Fred Jackson, Green Bay Packers, Lee Evans, Marshawn Lynch, Pittsburgh Steelers, Terrell Owens, Trent Edwards