Week 3 was another disappointing loss for us. We missed an opportunity against the New Orleans Saints, even though we played well enough for three and a half quarters to win that football game.
It's tough when you don't have everybody hitting on all cylinders. We've been playing games where our offence was really clicking and the special teams playing well but our defence just didn't hold up our end of the deal. And that's just what the situation was against the Saints. I felt we kept it pretty close but came up a little short at the end when it matters most.
The defence concentrated really hard in preparations all week to contain Drew Brees, to get guys into space and rush the pass. We held him to under 200 yards which is a great accomplishment but they ran for 222 yards which is really frustrating, especially for a defensive lineman. We didn't tackle well at times and gave them gaps and they were able to take advantage of the mistakes we made. That caught up with us as the game went on, especially in the second half when they ran the ball really well.
We have to put these early-season losses behind us, though. Our focus right now? Beating Miami in Miami.
It's obviously an important game for us. Some of the younger guys might not realize it as much as the veterans, but this is an intense rivalry. Anytime you play in the division, they're must wins. Whether it be New England, Miami or the New York Jets, they're very important games. You play them twice a year so you know them really well. You tend to work on them pretty hard throughout the off-season because those are the games that matter. You win your division, you go to the post-season.
The Dolphins may be missing Chad Pennington, but our game plan is the same. Just because Pennington went down doesn't mean they are going to run a completely different offence with a different quarterback. Fundamentally and systematically, it should be pretty similar with Chad Henne running the offence. We've prepared pretty much the same way as we would have if Pennington were going to play. It's just a different personality, a different person behind the centre. All we can do is look at the film and study what they've done to us in the past to prepare the best we can to win this game.
It may be Henne’s first NFL start for the Dolphins, but that doesn't change our mentality. We realize we have to put pressure on the quarterback when he throws the ball. How he responds to different situations in the game will be what makes or breaks him. Veterans tend to take the heat a little bit better than newcomers, but we know that he had a good pre-season and threw the ball well. He's got a strong arm but we're going to do our best to shut down the run and make him one-dimensional by making him throw the ball.
Hopefully that's something we can do seeing that the attitude of the team is strong. We got a lot of young guys and we're playing with a lot of emotion and having a lot of fun with each other. We believe in the system. Everybody has bought into what the coaches are teaching and for the most part, are applying it on the field. Obviously, we let a game go at Foxborough against New England in our first game of the season. I thought we should have won that game but we gave it away.
Again, we have to put it past us and strive to move forward and win ball games. I think if we just keep plugging away and keep our nose to the grindstone, we should be where we want to be later on and that's the post-season. I've been with the Bills seven seasons now so it would be nice to reach that goal.
Being in Buffalo for so long has given me the opportunity to do a lot of positive community work off the field. We founded the Chris Kelsay TACKLE Foundation a couple of years ago and that has allowed my wife and I to help serve youth, especially those suffering with pediatric cancer, and their families. It's a chance to get kids around other people, other children who are going through the same things they are going through. At the same time, we relieve their families and give them a break from the toll of having a child with cancer. It gives them a chance to be with their other kids, husbands or wives and just enjoy a little time off as well. The foundation doesn't solely deal with pediatric cancer patients but that is our primary focus. Knowing these kids and growing closer to them through this program has affected my wife and I and our children just as much as it affects the kids, so it's a win-win situation for everybody.
When I'm not playing on the field or doing community work off it, I love to spend some time outdoors. Fishing is a huge passion of mine, along with both my dad and brother. Several years ago after my rookie year in the league, my brother Chad and I hosted a fishing show and that was something we really enjoyed. When the football season is over, I always try to get somewhere warm and do some fishing even though it's a slower time of the year. It's nice to just get out there on a boat and get a line wet and hopefully catch some fish.
Right now though, I've got to focus on the Dolphins. Getting some hits on Chad Henne this weekend would definitely be my biggest catch! First and foremost, though, we definitely need the 'W'.