A.J. Klein had become somewhat of a forgotten man in the Buffalo Bills’ defense recently.
With the team exclusively playing its nickel package with five defensive backs, Klein had his playing time on defense reduced to zero snaps in each of the past two games.
With starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds unable to play Sunday against the New York Jets because of a hamstring injury, however, Klein was called on. He answered, finishing with seven tackles, two of which went for losses, in what was an easy, 45-17 victory at MetLife Stadium.
“I don't think much, really just in terms of the way we called the game, the way we shaped the game plan,” coach Sean McDermott said when asked what, if anything, changed with Klein replacing Edmunds. “We need and want Tremaine out there. He's one of our leaders, one of our captains and has played a lot of good football for us this season.
People are also reading…
"I think what you saw out there was A.J., a lot of trust and faith in A.J., and he's a good football player.”
Read the full story from News Albany Bureau Chief Tom Precious
Klein’s last meaningful defensive snaps came in Weeks 4 and 5, when he stepped into the lineup for linebacker Matt Milano, who also missed time because of a hamstring injury.
“He ran the defense, just as if Tremaine was out there,” slot cornerback Taron Johnson said of Klein. “I feel like that's the story of our season … that's the story with our defense all the time. One guy goes down, we have another guy come right back. I feel like there's no drop-off, and we're very blessed to have that on this team.”
Klein was involved for the Bills right from the very start. He nearly had an interception of Jets quarterback Mike White on New York’s second offensive play – a ball the ninth-year veteran said he should have had.
“A.J. does that every time he gets his opportunity to go out there and play. The guy's been in the league a long time, he's been in this defense a long time,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “He's someone who will go in there and make plays. There's really no (drop) with him going into the game. We're all confident in him and we trust him.”
Klein said earning that trust of his teammates is special to him.
“I hope that on a week-to-week basis, my preparation, what I do in practice and when I get the opportunity to play, how I do play, gives those guys confidence in me,” he said. “So it means a lot, because I just try to do my best to help this team win, whether it's playing” weak-side, middle linebacker “special teams, whatever it is – I know what my role is, so that means a lot.”
Klein has had an interesting first season and a half in Buffalo after signing a three-year contract with the Bills in 2020. He took a good deal of criticism early in the 2020 season, with some struggles in coverage being the primary reason. That’s never going to be Klein’s strength – even against the Jets on Sunday, he was charged with allowing six catches for 85 yards on eight targets, according to analytics website Pro Football Focus – but he never made excuses. Klein had to adjust to playing on the weak side, which is something he wasn’t asked to do much up to that point in his career. He hit his stride, however, midway through the year, and had a couple of monster games, including in a 27-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in which he finished with 14 tackles, three of which went for losses, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits and one pass defensed while Milano was out with an injury.
As Klein got more comfortable with what was being asked of him in the Bills’ defense, he started to play free and fast. Safety Micah Hyde joked that teammates call him “Coach Klein” because of his knowledge of the defensive scheme.
Klein’s recognition was on display in the second quarter Sunday, when he shot up the field to stop Jets running back Tevin Coleman in the second quarter. Klein diagnosed the play so quickly it looked as if he were in New York’s offensive huddle.
“I think the coaches do a good job of rotating me in throughout the week in multiple positions and just making sure I'm prepared, whether it's Mike or Will,” he said. “Just being very open and direct with me on what the role is going to be week to week and that helps me in my preparation.”
The Bills have shown they're comfortable using their nickel defense in all situations, given that they trust slot cornerback Taron Johnson as a run defender. That means it’s likely Klein will head back to the sideline when Edmunds returns.
It’s a good bet that when Klein is called on again, though, he’ll be ready.
