On the attack: Bledsoe leads Bills’ aggressive offense

By Shawn Krest

If a team’s offense takes on the personality of its leaders, then Drew Bledsoe and the Bills coaches may need to be locked up. The folks in command of Buffalo’s offensive show have created one of the most aggressive, attacking offenses in the league.

Just listen to Eric Moulds after the Week Eight game against the Lions – a game Buffalo won. "Drew got kind of mad at us, and he really motivated us to finish the game we started. I think that we get so excited about winning that we are not finishing guys off. You have to have that killer instinct. Drew said it on the sideline. He said, ‘We need to kill these guys. We have to be able to throw and kill, and run and kill.’ We need to have that instinct."

Throw. Kill. Run. Kill. We’re not talking Steve Spurrier’s "Fun n’ Gun" offense here. This is a package not for the faint of heart.

After the season opener, head coach Gregg Williams gave a hint of what was to come. "Kevin (Gilbride, Bills offensive coordinator) turned Drew loose," said Williams.

The league has spent half the season trying to rein him back in. The Bills scored in the half’s or game’s last two minutes four times in the first three weeks. Still, Bledsoe wasn’t satisfied. In Week Four, against Chicago, he stewed at Coach Williams’ decision not to use any time outs at the end of the half. The decision allowed Chicago to run time off the clock – time Bledsoe could have used for other purposes.

"I’m always an aggressive guy, so I’m always lobbying to go for it," said Bledsoe.

"He thinks you’re going to score every time the b all comes out of his hands," said Williams after the game. Still the coach seemed to take the message to heart.

"At no time during the ball game can we play tentative," said Williams. "We attack at every phase."

The next game, a showdown with undefeated Oakland, showed the offensive mindset in spades. The Bills got the ball with 1:32 left in the half. It took them all of 46 seconds to score the tying touchdown.

Oakland took the kickoff and took a knee on first down. The Raiders started heading toward the locker room, content to run off the last half-minute. Not so fast. Buffalo called a time out. They called another after second down. "If you’re not going to use that time," they seemed to be saying, "we’ll take it."

"You have to take advantage of every opportunity you have with the ball, and put points on the board," said Bledsoe.

The next four games saw scores with :58 left in the first half in Houston, 1:12 left in the Miami game, 1:04 left in the half against Detroit and :10 left in the half against New England. The team has scored after the two-minute warning in every games this season except Chicago. And kicker Mike Hollis missed a field goal with :32 left in regulation in that game.

Even at the season’s low point, a humiliating loss in the showdown against New England, Bledsoe and the offense were undaunted. Down 38-7, the Bills got the ball on their own one-yard line, with 1:55 left.

A few runs and a punt would have ended the carnage. Instead, the Bills put on a scene from Monty Python. "Merely a flesh wound," they seemed to be shouting as Bledsoe led the starting offense back on the field.

Bledsoe threw 11 straight passes. Ninety-eight yards later, the clock ran out with Bledsoe trying to hook up with Moulds in the end zone.

Why allow Bledsoe to risk injury in a game that’s out of reach? "He wants to play," said Coach Williams. "And we want to continue playing. We’re not going to back off. We’re going to play with our best guys."

"Honestly, (leaving the game) never crossed my mind," agreed Bledsoe. "I was ready to go on the field, and that was what I anticipated on doing. I want to be on the field to the final bell, and that is it."

All teams run a two-minute offense, but f are running them down 31. Fewer still call time outs to prevent kneel-downs. In the buttoned-up world of NFL offenses, Bledsoe’s gang of marauders stands out.

"The trend in the league this year is for offenses to be more patient and march the ball down the field," says Bledsoe. "I struggle with that a little bit. I’ve got these guys with all this speed and great big play receivers, and want to chuck the ball down the field a bunch."

Given the bye week to think about the teams’ performance, Bledsoe was asked what needs to be changed. He scoffed at the idea. "I don’t think we are going to change too much," he said. I think that we can stay explosive and stay on the attack."

Hide the women and children.