Buffalo’s recent run of success is rooted in weekly preparation that has the commitment of the entire roster and the players aren’t going to change their approach until there aren’t any more games to play.
Buffalo Bills Insider Chris Brown explains. Here is his report:
It was almost a month ago when the Bills began their climb out of a 0-2 hole to start the season. By the first weekend in October they had evened their record at 2-2. In years past their win at New England in Week 4 would have elicited mostly jovial interview responses in the locker room and there would’ve been a celebratory mood in the bowels of Gillette Stadium after the shutout victory. On Oct. 2nd there wasn’t. For these Bills the approach to playing football games had changed.
Robert Woods gave initial evidence of that shift in method by the Bills after that game at New England with his response to a postgame question about evening their record at 2-2 after a disappointing start.
“We’re going to keep moving forward,” Woods said. “Two wins, back to back and now it’s already over. Now we’re focused on the next opponent so it goes by quick. You get to enjoy it, but after that it’s on to the next one. I don’t even care about the record. Just got the Rams next and we’ve got to get a win.”
For those who have been around this team for years that change in mindset is almost seismic. In previous years wins were often celebrated by players who weren’t afraid to share their satisfaction with the media afterwards. It ultimately led to hard lessons for the Bills, last season notwithstanding, when by all accounts they underachieved.
This year the players have chosen to save their satisfaction for the end of the season, hoping the end comes long after 16 games have been played. Instead of seeking satisfaction the players on Buffalo’s roster are rooting their efforts in preparation – each and every week.
When that collective decision was made by the team is hard to say, but veteran Eric Wood believes it happened organically after the team’s first win in Week 3 over Arizona.
“There wasn’t a big rah-rah speech,” said Wood in an appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sporstradio 550 this week. “We just had a victory Monday and then all of a sudden everybody showed up on Monday, which might not have happened last year. We probably wouldn’t have even known that everybody showed up had Rex not mentioned it. That’s good for me to know that everyone has bought in as well.”
Instead of reveling in victory, the players put their collective nose to the grindstone. For that matter so did the coaches. Whether it was offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn introducing new formational or personnel looks for their run game, or Dennis Thurman and Rob Ryan devising an unconventional third down personnel package for the defense, there was more time put in to devising new solutions to secure the next victory. Buffalo’s players followed their lead.
“The last few weeks, really the thing that has won the last few games is our preparation,” said Kyle Williams. “We have prepared really, really well and we will have to do it again this week. We’re going to keep grinding and keep going day by day. We kind of made it our mantra. We’re going to go out here and we’re going to work today and get better today. And then we’re going to do it again the next day. We’re going to get prepared to perform on Sunday.”
Buffalo’s offensive line typically stays late on Wednesdays and Thursdays after their time with the coaching staff is over. They get extra film work in before they leave in the evening. They soon discovered other position groups were doing the same.
Aaron Williams and the defensive backs meet at his house to review film and engage in cross talk about how they’ll execute the game plan and play certain calls against the upcoming opponent.
“That kind of stuff pays dividends,” said Wood.
The Bills four-game win streak is the longest since 2008. The players are glad to be stacking wins, but they know the modus operandi must remain the same if they want to have any chance at seeing their new found success continue.
“The way the season is with as long as it is you can’t ride the highs and feel vindicated,” Wood said. “To ride high right now would be a mistake, especially this early in the season. I had some worries at 0-2. Those were two teams I thought we could beat. Then we had a tough schedule coming up.
“You’d like to take it week to week. When we played the Cardinals at home we really felt like we had to get that one. Then we really felt we had to get the next one to get to .500. Then we had to get the next one against the Rams to get above .500. So it’s kind of taken that path this season. I know it’s cliché but all we’re worried about now is Miami.”
“It feels good,” said Woods, who has never won four straight in a Bills uniform. “Not thinking about the streak, but it feels good to win. It feels good to win at home. We got to enjoy it and now it’s the same mindset as last week and the week before: back to work and focus on our next opponent.”
The work is the commitment to the preparation. Master the game plan, master one’s own assignments and work in concert with teammates on the field so the unit can function without any weak links.
“We’re just taking it week to week,” said Jerome Felton. “We’re not worried about how far we can go. We’ve got a tough division game this week in Miami. They obviously had a big win over Pittsburgh. They’re a good team. It’s a tough league. We’ll have to have a great week of practice and prepare and go out and try to get a win.”
“We just focus on our job and being the best team that we can be,” said Rex Ryan. “That’s where the attention is for us.”