Jim Leonhard has decided where he’ll be on Sunday in Houston: on the field, not in the coaches box.
The Bills defensive coordinator weighed the advantages of calling plays from both spots, but he landed on the version that keeps him closest to his players. Leonhard said the pull of the sideline - the energy, the emotion, the chance to be right in the middle of it - won out.
“This is what you play for,” Leonhard said Thursday. “This is what your coach for.
So, guys are excited. There’s a lot of nervous energy going around and we got to be on the road.”
Leonhard said he spent months thinking about the choice.
“You had the preseason where we got to work on some things, really evaluate the talent, scheme, pretty straightforward - a little bit watered down from what we want to do,” Leonhard said. “And now it’s time to go.
I love competitive football. You get to the regular season and it’s time to throw everything out there and ride it ’til the wheels fall off.”
For Leonhard, the appeal of coaching from the field is about more than just proximity. He said being down there lets him see the game through the players’ eyes.
“What do we benefit from me telling you how much we saw, right? I mean, there’s core elements to what we do that were obviously out in the preseason,” Leonhard said. “But at the same time, there is a lot more in there.”
Still, he made clear he sees the arrangement as a choice between two workable options, not a major philosophical divide.
“I think it’s still a competition. I really do,” Leonhard said.
“I think both guys are gonna see the field at some point. I’m excited for where they’re both at.
They’re different players. They have a different skill set.
They have enough similarities. That’s why they’re playing the same position.”
“There’s differences in the way that they move. There’s differences in the way they process things and what their strengths are. So, I think they’re both gonna make us a better defense when they’re on the field.”
Leonhard also noted that the Bills were able to install their new defense this offseason, but the unveiling is something he still sees ahead.
“You had the preseason where we got to work on some things, really evaluate the talent, scheme, pretty straightforward - a little bit watered down from what we want to do,” Leonhard said. “And now it’s time to go.
I love competitive football. You get to the regular season and it’s time to throw everything out there and ride it ’til the wheels fall off.”
He also broke down the challenge ahead against the Texans, saying Houston’s defense stands out at every level.
“I think, obviously, they’re a top defense in the league,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. “I think that when you start talking about them as a defense, obviously they create a ton of disruption, ton of pressure on the edges.
And then their linebackers, they’re fast, they’re physical, they tackle well. Then when you start talking about ball skills, turnovers that they create.”
Brady added that the Bills’ offensive staff watched Houston closely during last year’s Bills-Texans game in Denver, with ideas from that study helping shape the Texans plan.
“We got four new coaches on offense like Drew Terrell, wide receiver coach. Well, they played him last year in Denver.
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer played a couple times. Quarterback coach Jake Meyer played them a couple times,” Brady said.
“So, I think that from a cumulative effort - we played them last year in Denver - may be just being able to run by some thoughts.”
The Bills’ injury situation remains a moving part. Three days before the start of the season in Houston, they were without two notable players for practice Thursday at Orchard Park.
Tight end Ty Johnson, who is “hamstringing,” and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders, who exited a participant in the injury report Wednesday, were both absent, so the possibility of a setback represents a possible setback.
Jordan Hancock also was not listed as a starter on the team’s unofficial depth chart, but that only means so much.
The Bills will practice again Friday to get ready for Sunday’s game against the Texans at NRG Stadium.
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