Rivalry puts coaches in spotlight as perfect Patriots face Bills test
>> LOS ANGELES: New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will attempt to extend his dominant reign over Buffalo Bills rival Rex Ryan tomorrow as the AFC giants aim to maintain their perfect start to the season.
Belichick’s rivalry with his outspoken Bills counterpart stretches back several years, from when the pugnacious Ryan was head coach at the New York Jets.
To date, Belichick has rarely been troubled by anything Ryan has thrown at his teams, with the Patriots coach leading 9-1 in their last 10 meetings.
This season the Patriots have once again defied the conventional wisdom by making a pristine 3-0 start to the season despite the absence of the suspended Tom Brady.
Brady, who will serve the final game of his four-match ban for the “Deflategate” scandal this weekend, was replaced by back-up Jimmy Garoppolo for the opening two games.
An injury to Garoppolo opened the door to third choice quarterback Jacoby Brissett starting in last week’s shutout of the Houston Texans — before Brissett suffered an injury to his thumb.
Both Garoppolo and Brissett have trained lightly this week, with Belichick refusing to give any clues as to who may start. That in turn has led to speculation that receiver Julian Edelman — an accomplished college quarterback — could fill in.
Ryan is nonplussed by Belichick’s quarterback dilemma.
“Hey, you know, I can sit back and say I don’t care who plays quarterback because I know [Tom] Brady ain’t,” Ryan said.
“I don’t care who plays quarterback. If [Bill] Belichick’s playing quarterback, we’re coming after him. I promise you that.”
The Bills (1-2) head into the game fresh from an impressive 33-18 demolition of the Arizona Cardinals, a result that has left Belichick warning against complacency.
“I think the Arizona game really highlights how good they are, how tough it’s going to be and how much work we have ahead of us,” said Belichick.
The Patriots are one of five teams who remain unbeaten heading into week four. Two of the other 3-0 teams are from the American Football Conference, the reigning Super Bowl champions Denver Broncos and the in-form Baltimore Ravens.
Temperatures in Florida tomorrow are expected to be high, prompting the Broncos to adopt some unconventional training measures as they prepare for what are expected to be oppressive conditions.
“I know a lot of us practised in hoodies just to try to get used to that heat,” safety TJ Ward said.
Baltimore meanwhile face a searching examination when they host the potent Oakland Raiders (2-1), with quarterback Derek Carr in exceptional form.
Carr tormented the Ravens last season with 351 yards and three touchdowns in a Raiders victory, leaving Baltimore coach John Harbaugh wary of the task facing his team.
“[Carr] hasn’t been sacked very much and hasn’t had a lot of turnovers — very few fumbles that he’s caused,” Harbaugh said.
“That’s a formula for success on offense. They’ve done a good job of that, and we’re going to have to figure out how to counter that.”
In the National Football Conference, the injury-hit Minnesota Vikings will look to their fearsome defence to preserve their unbeaten start when they face the New York Giants in Minneapolis.
The Vikings have moved to 3-0 despite serious injuries that have deprived them of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and running back Adrian Peterson.
Just as Denver did last season, the Vikings have shown that a powerful defence can often be enough.