[Joe Brady, Josh Allen, and the playcalling]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

They did have deep shots called. They had two hard play actions in the third quarter that Josh came off and checked down to a back. Did they maybe come out still wanting to run a bit too much? Maybe. They had run it so well first half though I can see why they wanted to stick with it. But they did call plays to get the ball downfield. Josh came off deep shots and dumped off and he checked into screens.... I think you have to give Baltimore's defense credit and you have to ask questions of our receivers' ability to separate downfield. 

 

My only issue is, the play action, watching the game back was money even if it didn't hit the deep shots. It opened the underneath stuff, at least. I think this could have been used more effectively in the 3rd quarter on 1st down. We saw stacked boxes and ran into them anyways. Ravens knew we wanted to bleed the clock and their 2nd half adjustment to that, was very good. I just thought Brady didn't adjust to what the Ravens did. Saying that, I thought the Ravens had a very good 2nd half defensively.

[Taron is a liability!]

He's a liability, on a few plays where he was in man coverage, on a slick snowy surface, which is an advantage to the reciever and oh yea, when the defensive line could get not pressure? Did I get that right?

Yea are aware he didn't play in the first Ravens match up and the Bills were trounced, correct?

[McDermott on 3rd and Goal]

I politely disagree, you tush push on 3rd down. Josh is good for at least a yard, sometimes more. You certainly don't start him 3 yards behind the LOS, in a congested area of the field. They have multiple variations of the tush push as well, where Allen can slide down the line and then push. You don't have to run it the same way. When you get the yard on 3rd down, you get another on 4th.

 

Saying that, the right call was the FG after the failed 3rd down play.

[Where is Amari Cooper ??]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Not many. One target and I saw him out there twice the drive before that. Gotta work a way to get him out there. Without him Baltimore 2nd half just went right back to their week 4 playbook. Suffocate the middle and dare them to win outside.

Didn’t love the gameplan from Brady, especially the 2nd half.

[Black Monday...who gets canned?]

4 hours ago, FireChans said:

The Giants would still be bad with Saquon Barkley lol

 

Bills fans who watched guys like Marshawn Lynch carry this team to 6 wins and mathematically eliminated in November somehow don't understand this.

 

And Barkley wasn't going to be challenging the rushing record on this past years Giants team, so it's not like we'd be watching him rush for 2000 yards on the Giants instead of the Eagles.

[Black Monday...who gets canned?]

11 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

That's more on Taylor, Burrow and the offense...they are typically brutal starting the year.  Burrow might be the worst week 1 QB in NFL history. They are typically trying to dig themselves out of a hole every year from the first month. Just becomes too much when injuries hit and you have other teams in the conference playing well.

While that's true, they still went 0-3 to start the season and some of that does fall on Anarumo. 

[Black Monday...who gets canned?]

4 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Even if you accept that as totally indicative all it says is he basically only does as well as his talent. I think Cincy are poorly coached on D most times I watch them and have done for a number of years. 

 

Lost to the Patriots at home to open this season and allowed a really poor Pittsburgh offense, in beginning of December, to produce more than 500 yards of offense. That same Pittsburgh team on a 4 game losing streak.

[New England has FIRED Jerod Mayo]

And this is why Robert Kraft is a moron. You knew you were going to do this and let Mayo walk out there and coach a team to a victory. When you had the 1st seed locked up, and you knew you were going to fire him, why not fire him then? Why give him another game? Who are you trying to not look dysfunctional for?  If you want Vrabel, fire Mayo... tank the last game and go get Vrabel.

[Jets begin Coaching Search in the most Hysterical Way Possible]

Desperate teams do desperate things. They don't know what to do and are searching everywhere...

[RIP John from Riverside/Hemet/VA]

Was an OG in the Shoutbox, when I used to spend most of my time there. Always positive and optimistic about the Bills.

 

Condolences to his family.

[6 Games In, Josh Allen Has 0 INT's]

6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Throw out the first half at Houston last week (everyone is allowed a mulligan) and I think Josh has been terrific this season. The volume stats might not knock your eyes out but the decision making to move THIS offense with this talent around him, yea really impressive. 

 

Agreed.

Within this offense and this system, I've been impressed with Allen. His decision making has been very good and when he's asked to put on the cape, he can still do it. Obviously would like better outside threats to open up the offense but you can't really fault Allen's play this year, last week withstanding.

I'm hoping this is just transition/reload year offense and not what the Bills do going forward.

[Mr. Brightside: is this a thing now?]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Two things I've been wishing they'd do for a while but not sure if they can due to licensing issues:

When Rousseau makes a big play, I'd like the PA to blast the "I am Groooot" sound bite from a Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

When Bass makes a kick, I always thought it would be funny if they played a "Bass-o-matic" soundbite from Dan Aykroyd on SNL. Granted, I've had this idea for so long that Tyler Bass no longer IS Bass-o-matic, and also most people today would probably have no idea who the hell Dan Aykroyd is.

I've always thought the Bills -- and all pro football teams, really -- vastly underuse the "fan traditions and singalongs" part of sports. You watch Premiere League soccer and thousands of fans are singing songs specific to certain players, doing chants, choreographed multi-part call and response...it's wild. Football fans just kind of....get drunk and yell at the top of their voices. Just a generic din. 

Agreed, and I may be biased but I love Leeds United when they play Kaiser Chiefs “I Predict a Riot” after home wins. Helps that Kaiser Chiefs are from Leeds but it’s also an easy chorus to sing and the stadium goes absolutely nuts.

 

 

[Around the NFL Week 2]

I’d consider putting Mason Rudolph in

[This just in(not really)........Lamar Jackson is a below-average QB propped up by the Media]

I think some fans have a hard time understanding that the QB position isn't just throwing the ball. A QB can be above average or even elite but not be particularly elite at passing. The QB position has always had the ability to become a runner. Lamar Jackson is an elite runner at the QB position. He's not an elite passer but he's also not completely crap either. I'd say he's probably in the 7-15 range of passers in the NFL. He's either 1 or 2 in running, depending how you rate Allen. As a whole at the postion those 2 measurables put him easily in the top 10 and for me maybe just outside the top 5 at his position.

If you have to designate a player on the defensive side of the ball to spy a player, I just don't think that makes you below-average. His running ability has to be game planned for.

[After Day 1]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

 

And the match going Chelsea fans I know are where I was back in 2019.... going to games feeling it impossible to associate with any of the mercenaries on the pitch for them. That club is a mess at the moment. 

 

Absolutely a mess. No direction at moment. Not that I'm feeling sorry for Chelsea scum.

[After Day 1]

49 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Chelsea are terrible that's why. 

 

Northampton Town is a team. But they won't be sniffing the Premier League any time. 

 

Was going to say, not the best representation of English football. Chelsea are nicknamed 'The Pensioners' and their fans have always been more well off. Definitely not blue colour. Newcastle fans, on the other hand would have been more representative.

[Joe Brady Officially Promoted as Bills OC!]

I'm interested in seeing what Brady's playbook actually looks like. He wasn't running his playbook in those 9 games, that's something you install in the preseason and in season you aren't changing that. There's just no time to do that. What he did do a better job than Dorsey, was gameplaning/playcalling. As was mentioned upthread, he did have the advantage of having Josh run, which Dorsey didn't. The Bills can't run Josh as much as they did with Brady in the 9 games, all season.

 

So what does Brady's offense look like? What did he pitch to McD he would run? Can playcall receivers open?

[[Vague Title] Officiating]

I didn't think there was too much to gripe about.

 

I don't know if anyone else caught it but thought the RT definitely jumped early on Pitts first TD... either that or the entire rest of line was very slow to get off. Interestingly, they called Pitt on 2 false starts on the next drive, which I thought was there way of saying to them, you are going early. 

[This will be the first game I miss in 27 years. Thanks NFL]

4 hours ago, Fan in Chicago said:

For me it's not a stand of "else I won't watch the game". That doesn't cross my mind, but I agree with the OP's frustration of having to pay extra for everything . I too have Prime, Sunday Ticket and YTV. 

I think it may be better for the NFL to pilot a package for all of a single team's games irrespective of the channel of their broadcast. I like football in general but will gladly pay for a guaranteed season's worth of Bills games. 

 

It's crazy to think where streaming has gone. I was an eary adaptor of cord cutting because I just hated paying for a TV package with channels I never watched. There were only a few streaming services to begin with, so it was easy enough to find content. This has now splintered into what seems like every brand wanting to host their own services, to monitize. It's odd the NFL hasn't chosen to do this but based on how long Disney and Apple tested before they launched maybe they feel like the knowledge isn't there or they don't want to invest in a product they don't think they can deliver on.

 

Funny enough with all these various streaming services now its seems like a service is needed to organise them all, and provide them under one umbrella.... a TV package if you will haha.

[List of most outlandish losses]

1 hour ago, billsbackto81 said:

6-3 loss to the Browns. 

 

Memorable because I believe Jauron got fired after that one.

 

I also recall a game against the Jags, Leftwich was the QB. Jags completed (4) 4th Downs on the final drive, including a 4th and 20 something. Won it with a TD on the final 4th down as time expired. That was a kick in the crotch 

 

I was at that Browns game... it was awful haha.

 

The draught era is litered with these type of games. I think we remember the McD ones because they are happening to a team that has/is suppose to be very good. The ones that spring to mind in the McD era for me are the Minnesota game, the Tennessee game and Hail Murray game... just brutal endings.

[The Latavius Murray Spot]

Noticed this as well. The Ref on the far side was running in and aligning with the ref on the opposite side, as they do for determining the spot. They are basically taking an average of what the two Line refs saw. The one on the far side got bumped by a player, back towards the Bills side and never re adjusted his spot from where he got bumped.  It was a bad spot.

[The Knox injury unfortunately has changed this offense for the better]

I think the offense did look better in 11 personnel but as you said the coaches are still going it make some odd decision. And Dorsey calling that shotgun handoff to Murray on the the 1/2 yard line, is criminal. That took 7 off the board.

 

And McDermott, the 4 punts on the last 4 drives. He could have been more aggressive. 

[Devils advocate...what is Josh is the problem?]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

He is not THE problem. But I still don't think his decision making is where it needs to be and where it was a couple of years ago. It is one of the issues with the team right now. It just isn't among the top couple of things on the list. 

 

This.

 

People want there to be 1 problem going on, it's easier to fix 1 issue than it is multiple. The problems aren't so black/white. Is Josh having some bad plays? Course he is, just like any other player on the field. For me it's the equivilant of when fans are watching a 'shut down corner'. When they see that CB allow a completed pass or a couple, you get 'see he's not a shut down corner'. For some reason people/fans think elite = no mistakes ever.

 

So yes, Josh has some bad plays. He misses some reads. He is not THE reason the offense is not performing.

1 hour ago, DapperCam said:

The Patriots actually have a good defense. These are the points they have given up to the other team’s offense:

Eagles - 19

Dolphins 24

Jets - 10

Cowboys - 23

Saints - 27

Raiders -19

Bills - 25

Josh Allen led offense scored more than the Eagles, Dolphins, and Cowboys. And it really should have been the most points because Bass messed up an easy FG.

 

You know what the Pats don’t have…a good offense. Yet the Bills defense gives up 2 scores more than their best performance. People are placing the blame in the wrong direction here.

 

Also this,

 

And really Bass missed a FG and Murrays OPI, they would have had 10 more points. The defense absolutely crapped the bed. The offense was still slow to get going and when those are the scripted plays, I think that says a lot.

[Are people really that unhappy with our 4-2 Bills?]

Are people really that unhappy with our 4-3 Bills?!?

[Gabe Davis vs. Expected #2 WR Capabilities]

8 hours ago, FireChans said:

Gabe Davis being that high in yards and TD/1D and middle of the road in targets goes to show his relatively high end deep threat ability.

 

I will continue to say that most folks want to surround Allen with a safer option from an "always open" perspective.

 

I think the ideal Bills offense is Diggs moving around, Davis deep threat on the boundary, and a slot WR chain mover so we get 3rd and 2 instead of 3rd and 9 on a completion if the first two aren't open.

 

Really, Davis is WR2 AND 3 in this offense, because there is no WR3, and that's where a lot of his critics hit him.

 

I think how the offense was run in 2020 and 2021 supports this. Beasley was that guy. And they even admitted to the mistake last year and brought a haggered Beasley back. Six games in this season and they have once again, not found that WR3 or someone Allen trusts as a WR3.