No-Huddle Notebook: Bills Confront the 3-4 Defense

The Buffalo offense finished 25th overall and 23rd in points scored per game last season.

In order to improve their sagging offense, the Bills signed wide receiver Terrell Owens to force defenses to cover him and fellow wideout Lee Evans one-on-one. That should help quarterback Trent Edwards have more options in the passing game.

But this year the Bills are faced with a challenge to their offense: The 3-4 defense.

On the Bills schedule there are five teams that run the 3-4 defense as a base and Kansas City will use it in some fashion. Including the division games, the Bills face the 3-4 defense at least eight times this season.

The Bills' base defense is a 4-3, so at times during training camp a switch is needed to help the offense.

"It's difficult to ask our defense to go into a live practice and run a 3-4 when that's not really what they run," Bills quarterback Trent Edwards said recently. "We're doing a lot in our walk-thru periods to make sure we're prepared for Monday night [opener] against the Patriots because we need to be ready and be hitting the ground running."

The difference in the 3-4 and the 4-3 defense is the extra linebacker. Sometimes, those extra linebackers blitz or cover a tight end or running back out of the backfield. Which means it's important for Edwards to hit his receivers on crossing routes, the kind Owens likes, or quick passes down the field.

CRABTREE TRYING TO GET PAID: The 49ers' first-round pick, wide receiver Michael Crabtree is unsigned and it might remain that way for a while.

Crabtree's agent, Eugene Parker, told FanHouse, he has spoken to the 49ers but "not much [is] happening."

Crabtree, the 10th pick of the first round, seeks money associated with top-five selections. Crabtree turned down a five-year deal worth about $21 million.

The Raiders signed first-round pick, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, on Thursday, to a five-year $38.25 million deal with $23.2 million guaranteed. Heyward-Bey was the seventh pick of the draft, but Crabtree feels he's accomplished more in college and has more upside. Crabtree just signed a deal with Jordan Brand, becoming one of the first rookie NFL players to do so. Crabtree is also on the cover of a video game. Crabtree believes his marketability pushes him to get more than just the average top-10 pick.

JETS MAKE RIGHT DECISION ON QB: With Jets coach Rex Ryan naming Kellen Clemens the starting quarterback, for now, it takes pressure off rookie and first-round pick Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez can just come in and relax and not worry about beating out Clemens. If he does, great, which is what the Jets expect anyway.

"There is going to be a competition," Ryan said Thursday. "Clemens going in will get the first reps and Sanchez will get twos. But obviously we are going to give Sanchez the chance to be with the ones as well. I would say that it will be an open competition. We will evaluate them everyday. We will then make the best decision."

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Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck who is kbull53

FOURTH DOWN: Michael Vick's agent Joel Segal said he's not ready to discuss which teams his client has interest in. ... Cowboys RBs, Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, looked really fast during the first two days of training camp practice. Each hit holes quickly and showed good bursts of speed up field. ... Raiders WR Javon Walker has switched agents. He left Kennard McGuire for Drew Rosenhaus.