Inside The Bills

Remaining strength of schedule one of easiest

The Bills have had a tough front half of the schedule en route to their current 3-5 record. That will change on the back half of Buffalo’s 2013 slate.

According to ESPN’s Mike Sando, who took a look at the numbers the Bills have the fourth easiest remaining strength of schedule.

Easiest remaining strength of schedule: #Lions .345, #Packers .403, #Seahawks .407, #Bills .417, #Bengals .421, #Jaguars .424, #Titans .433

— Mike Sando, ESPN.com (@SandoESPN) October 28, 2013

Undefeated Kansas City (8-0) is next however, which will be far from easy. Their record is offset by Jacksonville’s 0-8 mark. Buffalo gets a second crack at all three of their division opponents in the second half of the season as well.

On the road the remaining strength of schedule gets even less challenging. Here’s a look as Buffalo has the easiest remaining strength of schedule for their four remaining road contests. The Bills last four road opponents have a combined record of 8-22, with winless Jacksonville and Tampa Bay on the slate.

Easiest SOS for remaining road opponents: #Bills .267, #Redskins .267, #Dolphins .300, #Lions .345, #Cardinals .400, #Texans .400

— Mike Sando, ESPN.com (@SandoESPN) October 28, 2013

Half of Bills division games vs. rested foes

As we profiled on Buffalobills.com Wednesday, Buffalo and Atlanta are the only two clubs with four or more games against opponents coming off of extra rest the week before. The Bills and Falcons also hold the dubious distinction of another scheduling disadvantage.

Buffalo and Atlanta are also the only two teams that have two or more of their division games among those in which they face an opponent off extra rest. Here’s how it lays out.

Teams who face three division opponents off extra rest
Buffalo – NYJ twice, Miami

Teams who face two division opponents off extra rest
Atlanta – Tampa, Carolina

There is no other club in the league that faces more than one opponent off extra rest that is a division rival. Knowing these games count double and are instrumental to playoff aspiration, knowing a division title gives a team an automatic postseason bid, the league should regulate and prohibit division games from being scheduled on a week following an extended layoff by one of those division clubs via a bye week or Thursday night game the week prior.

Buffalo experienced that first hand on back-to-back weeks in 2012. After playing New England following a bye week for the Patriots on the road, Buffalo had to turn around and play another division opponent off four days rest on the following Thursday night. It has to change.

NFL scheduling does Bills, Falcons no favors

While we all realize the perfect NFL schedule is almost impossible to achieve, it’s hard to think that a league that is typically ahead of the curve doesn’t realize how much this year’s NFL schedule is slanted against the Bills and Falcons.

To fully lay out all the schedule disadvantaged clubs that we profiled on the home page of Buffalobills.com, here’s the comprehensive list that we compiled in terms of the number of teams each club has to face coming more than a week of rest either via a Thursday night game the week prior or a bye week for 2013.

Teams that play against 5 teams with extra rest
Buffalo

Teams that play against 4 teams with extra rest
Atlanta

Teams that play against 3 teams with extra rest
Arizona, Carolina, NY Giants, Oakland, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay

Teams that play against 2 teams with extra rest
Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, NY Jets, San Diego

Teams that play one team with extra rest
Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Miami, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tennessee, Washington

Teams that play no teams with extra rest
Kansas City, New England and technically New Orleans

(New Orleans plays Seattle off their bye week, but the Saints are coming off a Thursday night game that same week giving Seattle only three more days to prepare than New Orleans instead of a week)

Teams whose bye weeks were nullified or compromised
Buffalo, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle – Houston and Indy have same bye week then play the following week.

Buffalo’s bye compromised by Atlanta getting 10-day break same week due to Thursday night game.
Same with Seattle prior to their aforementioned meeting with New Orleans.

Where Legursky has a leg up

Some might look at newest Bills OL Doug Legursky and wonder how a 6’1″ interior lineman gets the job done against some of the biggest defensive linemen in the league. For Legursky it’s all about leverage, technique and anticipation.

“I think it’s using my brain, being a cerebral type player,” Legursky told Buffalobills.com when asked what has made him successful at the NFL level. “Thinking through stuff, trying to know what the defense is doing at all times and knowing what we need to do to execute plays right. Then using my technique as well. I’ve always tried to be a technician as much as possible. Those two things combined have helped me to be the player that I am.”

Legursky, who twice a year would face two of the better defensive fronts in the league in Cincinnati and Baltimore, effectively held his ground against the likes of Ma’ake Kemoeatu and Haloti Ngata with the Ravens. He also fared well against Domata Peko and Geno Atkins with the Bengals.

Being so familiar with the AFC North will be a benefit for Legursky playing with the Bills this season. Buffalo faces the AFC North in 2013 as part of the AFC intra-conference rotational schedule.

“Yeah I just noticed that this morning when I checked it out. I’ve played against that division for four years now so we know them pretty good so I’m pretty sure I’ll be called upon to give those little details,” he said.

Bills season opener sold out

The Bills first home game for the 2013 regular season is sold out.

That according to Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon, who tweeted that the game was sold out today.