FanHouse Langston Walker

Every Play Counts is Michael David Smith's weekly look at one specific player or one aspect of a team on every single play of the previous game.

In an installment of Every Play Counts last month, I wrote about how the New York Jets' defense had dominated the Buffalo Bills' offense, and specifically how defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was a practically unstoppable presence in the middle of the line. The Bills finished that November game with just 30 rushing yards on 17 carries, and the Jets' defense looked like it could lead them deep into the postseason.

And then in Sunday's Jets-Bills rematch, Buffalo ran 32 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and the Jets' defense looked like it had no business playing in the postseason at all. Although Bills quarterback J.P. Losman ended up giving the game to the Jets with five turnovers, including three in the final 2:06 of the fourth quarter, the Jets' run defense was a mess.

So what's gone wrong? And can the Jets count on their run defense to lead them in the playoffs? We explore in this week's installment of Every Play Counts.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: The J.P Losman era has come to its logical conclusion. Which is to say, he probably won't be around after this season. Trent Edwards, the team's 2007 third-round pick is now the starter, and if the Bills are to have any chance to improve on last year's 7-9 record, it will lie largely with him. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: Marshawn Lynch had a relatively quiet offseason until he accidentally ran over a pedestrian and bonked out before the cops showed up. The case has been settled, and he won't miss any time, which is great news for a Bills offense that can't afford to lose one of its best players. I suspect the hit-and-run victim might feel differently, however. Fred Jackson is more than capable behind Lynch. Heat Index: 8

Every NFL team has now played eight games, meaning the season has reached the halfway point. So this week we're presenting our NFL FanHouse Midseason Midtacular.
Best Old Face in a New Place nominees:

Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots
It's hard to believe now that people actually thought trading a fourth rounder for Moss might backfire and ruin the Patriots season. Quite the opposite as Moss has 56 catches for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns, numbers which any team would be happy to have for an entire season.

Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots
Welker carves teams up underneath and has 61 catches to show for it. The Dolphins got a second and seventh round pick in return for Welker but when you take his 11-yard average on punt returns into account he'd have been a bargain at twice the price.

Jeff Garcia, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jon Gruden churns through quarterbacks like a quiting smoker through Nicorette but he found a winner when he signed Garcia to a two-year contract this offseason. He's led the Bucs to a 5-4 record with a 95.5 quarterback rating and has had just one bad game all season.

Eric Steinbach, G, Cleveland Browns
The surprise team of the AFC has had great success whenever they run behind their new left guard. And Derek Anderson could make the Pro Bowl because of the way the Browns line secures his pocket.
Sorry, No Photos

It's always better to win ugly than lose pretty. Although the box score looks beautiful and the end result is exactly what they wanted, the Buffalo Bills did not look crisp tonight. Either way, they got off on the right foot and walked away with a 13-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

One of the reasons they were able to win this game (or at least keep it from overtime) was a blocked field goal early in the contest courtesy of offensive lineman Langston Walker. It changed the momentum early on and started things going in Buffalo's direction.

As I stated prior to the game, keeping an eye on rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny was a must and he didn't disappoint. He led both teams with nine tackles and added a sack for good measure. Although it was only his first preseason game, it's clear that he's a ballhawk -- just as advertised. He seemed to be in the pile after every play and even if he wasn't involved, he was waiting in the wings.

The Bills continued their aggressive free agency push this afternoon. Only hours after signing Jason Whittle, the Bills have added two more offensive linemen; Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery. On paper the Bills now have a very formidable offensive line held down by some very big guys.

Langston Walker may be one of the biggest guys in the NFL. At 6'8 and 345 pounds he's a beast of a man and he uses that to his advantage. He can play either guard or tackle and has very good lateral movements. The one knock on him is that he sometimes takes plays off and has trouble recognizing blitzes and stunts.

Dockery is another massive body; he stands 6'6 and weights 345 pounds. He is very athletic and an extremely impressive run blocker. He has some flaws and is still a bit raw but also has an unlimited ceiling with the right staff.

The best news is that these two are still quite young; 27 and 26 respectively. Suddenly the Bills offensive line is shaping up to be one of the best in the NFL.