Patriots use extra prep time to ready for Ryan's Bills
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) Having opened their season with a win last Thursday night, New England Patriots players were able to scout Rex Ryan's Buffalo Bills on television Sunday.
What they saw in Ryan's debut at his new address was, well, typical Rex.
''He'll always have something you won't see (before),'' guard Josh Kline said Monday. ''He's a good coach. We just have to be ready for anything.''
The teams play the first of their two 2015 games this Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y. The Patriots lost to the Bills in last season's meaningless regular season finale but had won 21 of the previous 22 games against Buffalo.
Ryan wasn't the Bills' coach in any of those, though. The Patriots were 9-4 against Ryan, including playoffs, while he ran the New York Jets from 2009-14.
The final four games of that series were decided by a total of nine points.
''I think it's just the familiarity he has against us, the same as we have against him,'' Kline said. ''He always has his little schemes here or there, but we just have to take on the things that we can control.''
Running back Dion Lewis, who had a strong game in his Patriots debut, is new to the Patriots-Ryan rivalry, but he saw what the Bills' defense had to offer Sunday.
''They do a lot of different things that you've got to worry about,'' Lewis said.
''They fly around. They're a physical defense. We're going to have to work real hard for them.''
Quarterback Tom Brady, speaking on his weekly WEEI radio appearance Monday, said, ''Rex has brought that to a lot of places he's (coached). We'll be ready to go. They're not an easy team to prepare for, but we'll be ready to go when the ball's kicked off.
''If you love football, Sunday at 1 in Orchard Park will be a great place to be.''
Buffalo fans chanted ''We want Brady'' as their team finished off Andrew Luck and the Colts.
''Well, we'll be there,'' Brady said with a laugh. ''Sunday at 1 is going to be a pretty exciting game. They obviously have a lot of confidence.''
The Patriots will get back LeGarrette Blount from his one-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, but Ryan isn't concerned about who takes the ball from Brady.
''It is the kid that is playing quarterback that will make it a lot easier to be a running back,'' Ryan said.
''I mean they are decent backs in their own right. I don't think we are going to focus on that kid, I can't even tell you that kids' name. But you are going to focus on the guy throwing the ball, I can tell you that much.''
Lewis ran for 69 yards on 15 carries and caught four passes for 51 yards in the 28-21 opening win over the Steelers. His only negative was a fumble that almost cost his new team a touchdown.
He doesn't figure to be the featured back with Blount back.
''He's a physical runner who makes us look good sometimes,'' Kline said. ''We have to do well up front this week just like every other week.''
