Sal Maiorana

@salmaiorana

Bring it on.

That, in a nutshell, is Bills' offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's response to the criticism he has received most of this year, but particularly lately.

"I love it; I love it," the energetic Hackett said Tuesday with a defiance that almost seemed as if he was daring the fans and media to keep piling on. "It's a challenge. You win by 20 points, you score 43 points, I think we had five offensive touchdowns. I want more, too. I hope everybody does (criticize) because why else are we doing this stuff? I love it."

Hackett is nothing if not enthusiastic, and perhaps equally as important, he has developed an effective mute button to tone out all the screaming regarding his game plans and play-calling.

The 34-year-old second-year OC has come under fire in recent weeks because the Bills offense — at least prior to the 43-23 victory over the Jets Sunday — has been sputtering.

Even with the performance in New York — which, to be fair, was aided greatly by outstanding field position thanks to six turnovers caused by the defense — the Bills are stumbling along in various categories. They rank 26th in scoring (22.2 points per game) and total yards (326.9), 27th in converting third downs (35.7 percent), and 31st in first downs per game (16.9).

This after upgrading at quarterback — 10th-year veteran Kyle Orton took over for EJ Manuel in Week 5 — and selecting wide receiver Sammy Watkins with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft with an eye toward improving on 2013 when the 6-10 Bills ranked 22nd in scoring, 19th in total yards, 28th in passing, and 29th in third-down efficiency.

Hackett was largely given a pass last year because he was dealt an untenable hand at quarterback. Manuel, Buffalo's first-round draft pick in 2013, played very much like you'd expect a rookie to play in the 10 games he started.

In the six he missed due to knee injuries, Hackett was stuck using journeyman Thad Lewis and undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, who had combined for one NFL start before 2013. There wasn't much Hackett could do with his hands tied, so he pounded Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller at opposing defenses and the Bills wound up finishing second in the NFL in rushing yards, though they were a mundane 14th in yards per carry.

This year, the bar was set a little higher for Manuel because it was year two and he had the entire offseason and training camp to gain a better grasp of the offense, and improve some of the technical aspects of his game.

Manuel didn't clear said bar, but when he was benched, the bar was actually raised because now, for the first time in his brief coordinating career, Hackett would have a veteran quarterback to work with in Orton. In many ways, that's when the heat got turned up on Hackett because the theory was that he'd be able to show more of what he's capable of with a veteran executing his play calls.

The Bills have won three of the four games Orton has started, and Hackett has given him more leeway in the passing game, but there are still too many times — say the critics — where Hackett relies too much on a running game that has been stagnant almost all year behind a weak offensive line.

"I want to be able to run the ball and that's something I push towards them because I think it creates a toughness with our guys," he explained.

And that's fine, but when it's not working, and there's a veteran quarterback and a potentially dynamic wide receiving group led by Watkins and Robert Woods at his disposal, dialing up more pass plays seems like the prudent way to go.

As the Bills spend their bye week resting, one would assume Hackett and head coach Doug Marrone are using the self-scouting time to come up with ways to best utilize the skill players on offense, and to be less predictable in certain situations.

That has been one of the salient points regarding Hackett's play-calling. Run on first down, run on second down, throw on the third down.

"You have a guy that's older than everybody now," Hackett said of Orton. "I think that just demands that respect, regardless, because he's played in games, because he has a winning record, he's thrown for a lot of yards. We're trying to get the guys in the right positions, whether it's a new offensive lineman, a new wide receiver, or a new package. You never know what's going to happen next. I think that we just have to be ready and fluid to make those changes."

MAIORANA@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/@salmaiorana

Photos: Bills 43, Jets 23