Mr. Peterson
Footballguy
What are you guys looking at? I see a defender squaring up and leading with his helmet to Allen’s helmet. And then slapping hands with teammates after seeing Allen lying hurt on the field.SeniorVBDStudent said:
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2021 Buffalo Bills - Same as it ever was*** (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter GroveDiesel
- Start date
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Oh, and the special teams coordinator should seriously be on the hot seat. With the exception of Holmes’s returns yesterday, special teams has been pretty awful. And there was just no excuse for that blocked punt yesterday. Turns out the Bills have repeatedly not brought their gunners in to block that guy when their opponent has all out tried to block the punt. It happened several times already this year and they got lucky. The Pats identified it on tape, practiced it several times during the week, and it ended up being the difference between winning and losing this week.
That’s not to mention all the penalties and big punt returns they’ve given up.
That’s not to mention all the penalties and big punt returns they’ve given up.
The Duff Man
Footballguy
Yes that is shameful and inexcusable.
In two games already this year the gunners were confused by this. Coaches have to see that and fix it.
Having them come in to block is one idea. Throwing a pass to an uncovered player is another.
Sad to think minus that play we could have been staring at a huge win.
In two games already this year the gunners were confused by this. Coaches have to see that and fix it.
Having them come in to block is one idea. Throwing a pass to an uncovered player is another.
Sad to think minus that play we could have been staring at a huge win.
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Gottabesweet
Footballguy
Well that one stings. Brady had seven (3 and outs) for the first time since 2003. Wasted an amazing defensive performance with some turnovers. That game was awful to watch, so many stoppages, reviews, etc but that's what the NFL is now, they won't overturn anything. They went for it and come up short, hard to overcome 4 INT's - loved the trick play call, and the trips TE's in line and Barkley threw the slant route in the dirt. Lee Smith with 3 false starts, Dimarco with a missed block, terrible punt snap, and Zay Jones going through the motions is getting frustrating. Any time they got a penalty, we had one off-setting, seems like this has happened a few times yesterday.
Great atmosphere yesterday. The tailgate was great we had Dave Portnoy review my buddies homemade pizza and had Dianna Russini from ESPN film and shoot mustard live (@pintotailgate on twitter or IG)
With a Week 6 bye, I think there's only a 10% chance Allen plays this week. We are overly cautious with injuries and they'll have him be ready for Miami after the bye. Vegas doesn't seem to care who is starting or assuming it's Barkley with a +3 line. The Titans just beat Atlanta on the road and get their best O-Lineman back from suspension this week. I worry they might be able to run on us with their heavy O-line.
Really could use Singletary or McKenzie/Foster types to get involved soon. No jet sweeps after abusing that play call a bunch vs. Cinci.
Great atmosphere yesterday. The tailgate was great we had Dave Portnoy review my buddies homemade pizza and had Dianna Russini from ESPN film and shoot mustard live (@pintotailgate on twitter or IG)
With a Week 6 bye, I think there's only a 10% chance Allen plays this week. We are overly cautious with injuries and they'll have him be ready for Miami after the bye. Vegas doesn't seem to care who is starting or assuming it's Barkley with a +3 line. The Titans just beat Atlanta on the road and get their best O-Lineman back from suspension this week. I worry they might be able to run on us with their heavy O-line.
Really could use Singletary or McKenzie/Foster types to get involved soon. No jet sweeps after abusing that play call a bunch vs. Cinci.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
My goodness, Mason Rudolph is playing exactly the type of game Josh Allen should be playing right now and he’s tearing up the Bengals because of it.
rockaction
Footballguy
In all fairness to you guys, and in deference to your good defense, I was sort of noting that you guys struggled against the Jets and Cincinnati of all teams. I'd tap the brakes on playoff hopes just yet. But those two games against Miami should be sweet.GroveDiesel said:
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
No, I agree with you. He seems like a better weapon in the passing game than Zay, Yeldon, and Gore.I guess it's just me.
This may be a little on the optimistic side, but I'm assuming that the Bills are still trying to figure out how best to run their offense, given that nearly everybody is new. The pecking order might look a lot different in week 12 than it does now. (Singletary is another player who I think has been grossly under-utilized when healthy, but that's just me sitting in my armchair).
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Agree with both of you. Although Yeldon was great on Sunday when they finally went to him on the passing games. He had something like 4 targets for 60 yards. Teams are going to start blitzing Allen even more than they have (and he was already being blitzed the first or second most in the league), so having a RB that can be a quick safety valve is going to be more important. IMO, that’s why Singletary needs to get healthy. Gore is not a receiving RB at this point and Yeldon is not a great runner (and coughs the ball up too much). They need a RB that is a threat to do both to keep defenses honest.
But back to Knox, if he has gotten past the drops, he is an absolute steal. They definitely need to go to him more. I think the problem is that the O-line has been less than great at pass blocking :cough:CodyFord:cough: and the Bills have needed Knox in to help pass block a decent amount.
Mr. Peterson
Footballguy
I didn’t watch. But didn’t he just check it down to his RB’s pretty much the whole game?GroveDiesel said:
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
I've been very disappointed in Ford's pass blocking. It hasn't been just a tackle-vs-guard thing. He was a liability in pass protection when he was playing G against Cincinnati.
Stompin' Tom Connors
Footballguy
He's been noticeable being beat in pass pro, but he's a rookie -- some guys need a year to really learn by fire, and suspect this is what Ford is going through. Reminds me of Kolton Miller last year (when he was terrible) to this year (when he's been serviceable).
SeniorVBDStudent
Footballguy
Freeze the video at 5 seconds. The defender is perpendicular to forward path of Allen and is preparing to throw his shoulder into the ball. The photograph at the beginning of the article also clearly demonstrates that Jones threw his shoulder at the ball carrier. Things turned bad for Allen when the second defender pulled him down at the same moment Jones was launching his shoulder, resulting in both Jones' shoulder and helmet making contact with Allen's shoulder and helmet. I admire Allen's willingness to put himself in harm's way in an effort to get the first down, but as a ball carrier who chose to not give himself up, he's simply not going to be provided the same protective halo afforded a QB in the pocket.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Yes, because that was what the defense was giving him. And then when the defense blew a coverage, Rudolph hit his WR for a long TD. That’s exactly what Josh needs to do.
Teams are going to keep going with all out blitzes because they know they can rattle Allen and either sack him or force him into crazy throws that lead to INTs. The only way to get them to back off is to throw quick short passes to the RBs, TEs and slot receivers over and over and over again. Take the 5-7 easy yards again and again. If teams are going to stack the box and blitz all the time, then those short passes to the RB will repeatedly be wide open. Is it fun to throw 5 yard dump offs over and over? No, but it IS fun to march right down the field 7 yards at a time to score.
The best drive Buffalo had all day was in the 3rd quarter when they marched down on a bunch of easy passes to Yeldon and scored.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
It's worth noting that Allen actually did exactly that for 11 of 12 quarters against the Jets, Giants, and Bengals. (Third quarter of the Bengals game excluded of course). It's not like the game plan isn't there or that Allen is incapable of executing it. It seems to be mainly a matter of discipline. We had no real problems beating the blitz through the first three games -- the obvious difference being that New England has more defensive talent than our first three opponents combined, literally.
parrot
Footballguy
I see a defender trying to lead with his shoulder and a much taller guy dropping the crown of his helmet and ear-holing him. I don't really fault Allen for trying to get the first down, but he was at least as responsible for the H2H as Jones was. McDermott should issue Jones a public apology.
https://twitter.com/mattdolloff/status/1178427799947878405
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Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Credit the Patriots for scheming well and playing great defense, but I wonder how much of this past week's performance was due to Allen simply being overwhelmed by the moment. He seems to be a player who thrives on hype, adrenaline. He knows as well as anyone that to beat the Patriots, he needs to have an outstanding game. So what does he do? He reverts back to playing hero ball, forcing bad throws, etc. It almost looked to me like he didn't trust that the Bills were good enough to play "just average" and beat the Patriots, and he forced the issue and crumbled. The problem is, he didn't need to throw for 400 yards and 4 TDs to beat the Patriots....based on how the Bills defense played, he just needed to take the easy throws and turn the ball over less.
The Duff Man
Footballguy
Down in Nashville for work the last couple days. Have to head home tomorrow for family but I brought my Bills gear and the Mafia is here in full force. Very jealous that I can’t stay for the rest of the weekend.
Ketamine Dreams
Footballguy
Thoughts on their D versus the Titans?
Grigs Allmoon
Footballguy
Yeah, my dad actually went down with one of his buddies for the game. He, said buddy, and I were at the Music City Miracle, so we all wanted to get the band back together. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it.
Still holding out a little hope of going to the Dallas game this year. Anyone here planning on taking that trip?
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I guess Patriot fans are so used to defending all the Pats’ transgressions it just becomes a natural reflex for them.
Gottabesweet
Footballguy
I’m not but our whole group will be there. @pintotailgate on twitter or instagram. We post where all the Bills backers parties are and the tailgate spots.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
I was hoping to go to the Dallas game, but everything was super-expensive: tickets, hotels, airline tickets, you name it. It was just more than what I was willing to spend for what is essentially a long weekend. Depending on how the next few games go, I might head up for the Jets game. This year's schedule didn't line up well with weekends when my kids and I can easily get out of town.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
Apparently Bills fans have absolutely swarmed Nashville. Lots of Bills media guys saying they’ve never seen anything like it. Love it.
Also, Duke Williams promoted to the 53 man team...and there is a report from the new ESPN Bills beat reporter that the Bills planning on actually using him a lot...
Also, Duke Williams promoted to the 53 man team...and there is a report from the new ESPN Bills beat reporter that the Bills planning on actually using him a lot...
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
I think they travelled pretty well to Tennessee a few years ago as well. It's kinda a perfect weekend getaway for Buffalo people. Warmer than home but not outrageously hot, fun city with a lot to do, 12 hour drive or a quick flight if you'd rather fly. I remember when the schedule was announced, this game was immediately pegged as the "road game to go to" for this season.
My sister and brother-in-law, and a couple of my coworkers are all there. Just hope the Bills don't lay an egg.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Yeah, but keep in mind that Tennessee won that online contest and they officially have the best fan base in the league, so I'm sure tickets were impossible to come by, the Bills fans are just there to watch the game in the local bars, and the crowd in the stadium will produce a hostile environment that will stymie our team at every opportunity.
Just kidding -- no offense to their 15 fans, but I'm not really worried about that.
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Joe Summer
Footballguy
Usually I write off stories about bench players who "could" suddenly get lots of playing time........but this Duke Williams kid has 4 catches (including a TD) and he looks GOOD.
The Duff Man
Footballguy
I am surprised more players don’t move from CFL to NFL. There are many players who just don’t have it at age 22, but let them play a few years and develop and they can make an impact on an NFL roster.
It can basically be a development league.
The Duff Man
Footballguy
24 pts. That is how many pts the D has allowed all year that aren’t off a turnover.
Three games out of 5 the D gave up 0 pts unless it was off turnover.
Three games out of 5 the D gave up 0 pts unless it was off turnover.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Some thoughts on today's game since I wasn't in the game thread -
- I thought Allen looked pretty good. Nearly 75% completion, and most of the misses were screens he threw in the dirt and dropped passes from Knox and Sweeney. The only real crap throw I can remember is the one where he threw it way too low for Knox, but he wasn't gonna go anywhere anyway. Really nice to see a solid outing on the heels of last week's performance and injury. Not an "oh my god what an amazing game!" performance, but a solid, consistent comeback from last week. Very happy to see it.
- The offense needs to be better / more consistent. While Gore plodded along and was fine with what they gave him, and overall the Bills had almost identical rushing stats to the Titans, the running game in general was nonexistent for much of the game. Not sure if it was due to the OL injuries, the Titans good defense, maybe both. Allen's efficiency in the passing game was a positive, but there are too many drive-killing penalties, too many drops, and too many stalled drives. They cannot continue to score 14-18 points a game and expect to win. Opposing kickers have gifted the Bills opportunities twice this year (Vedvik in the Jets game, and Santos today), and thankfully the Bills have taken advantage. That's luck that won't go the Bills way every week. The defense is elite, but it's not the 2000 Ravens or 85 Bears here.
- I'll say it again, Allen has the clutch gene. I don't know what it is. He has his faults, absolutely, but ### #### the man knows how to pull out a 4th quarter win, something that Tyrod and Fitz - the other 2 best QBs the Bills have had in the last 15 years and I love em both - could not do consistently. "Same old Bills", right? Titans with momentum, Bills backed up, 4th quarter in a tied game, and Allen marches them right down the field for the go-ahead TD.
- I didn't see Zay Jones out there once today. But I sure saw Duke Williams making an impact. Hmm, I wonder.
- Jordan Phillips for MVP....game of his career today. Can't believe he was a Dolphins castoff...what a find for the Bills.
- What I find most impressive about this defense is how they're so good without racking up tons of sacks or turnovers right now. We know Mariota is prone to taking sacks, so I figured they'd have some today, but the Bills are now 2-1 this season when losing the turnover battle. This defense very rarely gives up points on a "normal" drive where the opponent is starting at their own 20, 25 yard line. Titans only score today is when they started in Bills territory after the INT.
- And Darryl Johnson, man. 7th rounder from a small school with both a sack and a crucial blocked FG. Love it.
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GroveDiesel
Footballguy
I’m legitimately surprised the Bills traded Zay. McDermott seemed to always defend the guy. There were quite a few write ups by non-traditional Bills media or analyst guys going to bat for Zay after last week, so it was a bit surprising that the Bills not only brought up Duke Williams, but gave him something like 50 snaps to Zay’s 1.
The bottom line was that Zay Jones simply did not produce. He continually failed to make plays. Yeah, a lot of them were somewhat tough plays to make, but he just never ever won them. And McDermott was right last week, there was no excuse for Jones to basically just watch the Pats pick off that one pass.
So looks like Duke Williams has a huge opportunity now. Should be fun. Of course, the Bills has an open roster spot and there are rumors about AJ Green maybe being shopped...
The bottom line was that Zay Jones simply did not produce. He continually failed to make plays. Yeah, a lot of them were somewhat tough plays to make, but he just never ever won them. And McDermott was right last week, there was no excuse for Jones to basically just watch the Pats pick off that one pass.
So looks like Duke Williams has a huge opportunity now. Should be fun. Of course, the Bills has an open roster spot and there are rumors about AJ Green maybe being shopped...
Grigs Allmoon
Footballguy
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Honestly, that seems like a hell of a deal for the Bills, based on how things were going. I figured they weren't getting anything better than a 7th.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Same here. I wish him well in Oakland (seriously), but he was a flat-out bust for us. The draft isn't an exact science, and all teams have picks like that from time to time. I'm glad we got something for him.
Duke Williams has a nice back-story and obviously I hope he does well the rest of the year, but I'm firmly in the camp that says that we prioritize this position in the draft.
Mr. Peterson
Footballguy
I hope you’re right. Would love to get one of the stud WR’s in next years draft. I think there is a couple true #1 WR’s and Josh can use that big time.
Gottabesweet
Footballguy
Much needed scenery change, He packed it in this year and was playing not to get hurt. His family is so involved in his life and wanted him having nothing to do here. Win for both teams probably.
Gottabesweet
Footballguy
Stockpiling mid round picks is huge for Beane, it gives him the ammo to move up in the 2nd round to get guys that slide that he likes. While I agree it's just a 5th round pick, I'm pretty sure we have a bunch of 5th and 6th now and all-together is when they become valuable.
I'm thinking of picking up the Buffalo defense preemptively during this weeks bye, as they have some juicy matchups in the next weeks. Miami twice, Washington, Mayfield, Den.
They've only been an average defense in my scoring system, average in sacks and takeaways, but great in real football. Is that a good move?
They've only been an average defense in my scoring system, average in sacks and takeaways, but great in real football. Is that a good move?
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
I think any defense that gets three games against Miami and Washington in five weeks is a solid short-run pickup.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
I mean, Miami's average margin of defeat is over 34 points. That's absolutely mid-bottling.
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I'm in a 16 team league so pickins are slim. I'm gonna pick the Bills DST this week and ride them to the end.
The Duff Man
Footballguy
Good write up on how the Bills landed their amazing safety duo.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/33694/how-the-nfls-most-underrated-safety-tandem-found-home-in-buffalo%3fplatform=amp
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/33694/how-the-nfls-most-underrated-safety-tandem-found-home-in-buffalo%3fplatform=amp
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Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Some bye week thoughts after watching the other games today. Nice to see the Bills "win" the bye week, with most results going their way.
One thing that really continues to strike me is how efficient other offenses are. I can't help but watch other teams and see the Bills shortcomings. The offense will need to be much better once we hit the second half of the season.
It was interesting watching Darnold pick apart the Cowboys. No doubt he is a solid QB and hopefully he and Allen can have a long back-and-forth annual battle for the division, but it was night and day watching him against the Bills defense vs. the Cowboys. Maybe it had something to do with the mono in week 1, or maybe the Bills defense is that great.
One other thing I picked up today is just how much the Bills seem to be asking of Josh Allen. Allen makes all of his protection calls and is constantly audibling. Mahomes and Watson do it, but guys like Darnold, Mayfield, Kyle Allen not so much (per my limited exposure watching them today). Their offenses are built in such a way that they don't have to be making those decisions at the line, it seems. As much as I complain about Daboll at times, it really does seem like they've taken the training wheels off and are letting Allen go. For a second year "project quarterback" from a small school, it's impressive how much he's doing out there. I see some comments here and there about him not being able to read the defense.....I don't think that's true at all. He struggles to identify where blitzers are coming from sometimes, I think, but I don't think most fans realize how much the Bills are asking of him right now.
One thing that really continues to strike me is how efficient other offenses are. I can't help but watch other teams and see the Bills shortcomings. The offense will need to be much better once we hit the second half of the season.
It was interesting watching Darnold pick apart the Cowboys. No doubt he is a solid QB and hopefully he and Allen can have a long back-and-forth annual battle for the division, but it was night and day watching him against the Bills defense vs. the Cowboys. Maybe it had something to do with the mono in week 1, or maybe the Bills defense is that great.
One other thing I picked up today is just how much the Bills seem to be asking of Josh Allen. Allen makes all of his protection calls and is constantly audibling. Mahomes and Watson do it, but guys like Darnold, Mayfield, Kyle Allen not so much (per my limited exposure watching them today). Their offenses are built in such a way that they don't have to be making those decisions at the line, it seems. As much as I complain about Daboll at times, it really does seem like they've taken the training wheels off and are letting Allen go. For a second year "project quarterback" from a small school, it's impressive how much he's doing out there. I see some comments here and there about him not being able to read the defense.....I don't think that's true at all. He struggles to identify where blitzers are coming from sometimes, I think, but I don't think most fans realize how much the Bills are asking of him right now.
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IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Also, last year he was mostly a one-read guy. If his first read wasn't open, he would usually look to run. (That's common among rookie QBs of course). This year he's routinely standing in the pocket and hitting his third and fourth read. Again, this is a guy who many people thought needed two years of just sitting on the bench to be ready to play in the NFL. He's still got lots of room to improve, and Cover 1 pointed out several plays where he misidentified where pressure was coming free pre-snap, but he's ahead of where most folks thought he would be in terms of mentally understanding what's going on.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
The line for this week's game is now up to 16.5 points, which is apparently the most the Bills have been favored since 1992. For a trip down memory lane, that game was against the Jets the week after the Dennis Byrd injury -- everybody expected the Jets to just mail it in, but instead they rallied and the Bills actually lost that game. That was a devastating loss because Buffalo was in their then-regular pitched battle against Miami for the division title. Buffalo stumbled again a few weeks later by getting blown out by Houston in Week 17, a loss which cost us home field advantage throughout the playoffs and forced us to host a wild card game instead. We all know what happened next.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
Bills fans gut feeling... more Gore or more Singletary?
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Gore IMO. I love Singeltary, but I expect McDermott to be somewhat conservative in pushing him back into action, especially in a game where quite frankly he isn't needed. Also, it has been abundantly clear that Gore is the guy they trust with the ball when they are trying to preserve a lead.
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