(Orchard Park) Bills coach Sean McDermott was so eager to prepare his team for the speed of the Dolphins’ offensive unit that he jokingly wondered if Usain Bolt was available this week.
With the world record holder in the 100m not a real option, McDermott turned to his fastest player: practice squad wide receiver Andy Isabella.
Section champions for three years, the Bills (2-1) will host the Dolphins (3-0) on Sunday.
The intrasection shock will be presented starting at 1 p.m. on RDS2 and CTV.
“There are few players who can run fast enough to simulate (the Dolphins’) unique speed,” McDermott argued.
Revolutionary is another word McDermott uses to describe the Dolphins’ offense, which scored 70 points in 52 minutes, 59 seconds to defeat the Broncos last week.
This unit has the three players who showed the five highest top speeds during a game this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Freshman running back De’Von Achane ranks first and fifth after hitting 35.29 mph against the Broncos.
Receiver Tyreek Hill is also on this list twice and running back Raheem Mostert is also there.
Hill joked that he didn’t need to look at the list since he considered himself the fastest player on the team. He then became more serious when discussing the importance of speed in wearing down opposing defenses.
“I feel like I can run all day, unlike a six-foot-plus player who isn’t used to running a lot,” Hill said, referring to his five-foot, 10-inch, 185-pound frame. Teams cannot adopt a man-to-man strategy for the entire match. »
Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White got goosebumps when asked about the challenge Hill poses when the latter takes a few strides behind the line of scrimmage before the ball is even in play.
“I pray and hope it doesn’t happen,” White said. But I also believe that if we show complete team defense, everything will be fine. »
The Bills offense led by quarterback Josh Allen isn’t bad either. The Bills totaled 75 points in two one-sided victories after a misstep against the Jets in the season opener.
And last Sunday, their defense forced five turnovers and made nine sacks in a win against the Commanders.
Perhaps the best way to slow down the Dolphins is to keep their offense off the field and win the time of possession battle.
“At the end of the day, we’re just going to try to win a football game,” Allen said. Whether it’s scoring 40 points or four points. »
Four points shouldn’t be enough, but the Bills have dominated the Dolphins since McDermott took the helm in 2017.
Since then, the Bills have won 11 of 13 and are perfect in seven home games. The last victory, by a score of 34-31, came during the playoffs in January this year.