2003Contenders
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I am not buying this article. It was reported at the time by many reliable sources that no QB (Mahomes or otherwise) was in play for the Bills at the time. The Bills were prepared to turn in the card at #10 with M. Lattimore's name one on it, when the Chiefs upped their offer to move up to 10.
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Wow! Can you imagine what the Bills offense would look like with Mark Andrews?
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Another thing to remember is that as the the roster has gotten better and deeper, the reliance upon the draft for immediate help is no longer such a critical factor.
No matter how the other picks pan out (and I have high hopes for Epenesa, Moss, Davis, Bass, and Jackson) the fact that the 1st pick was used to acquire Diggs, who has already proven to be such an impact player, makes the 2020 draft a success!
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Yea, I would not trade him for any other player in the league. I won't argue that he is the best player (or QB) in the league right now. But he is elite, will only get better -- and is such a great fit for the city and fans.
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Not sure what the deal is with Yeldon -- other than I know that he missed some time earlier this season due to injury. Maybe he still isn't 100%?
The front office and coaching staff are clearly aware that the RB corps could be improved. Remember, they were reportedly interested in Fournette during the off-season, and they were one of 3 teams to make a push for L. Bell.
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On 11/17/2020 at 8:21 AM, warrior9 said:
It absolutely was Addison.
However, we also don't know how they are coached. Addisons responsibility could have been all game to take RB when those plays come and the LB should be over lapping and playing QB (typical way to defend). Ideally, you want the DE to slow play it and take the RB last second giving the LB time to come and play the QB. I'd like to see how abused Edmonds was on those plays.
Yea, I would think that the DE's job in that situation would be to set the edge and ensure that the play does not go outside. On both TD runs, the interior looked like the parting of the Red Sea and Murray raced into the endzone pretty much untouched. The fault there is with the DTs and LBs IMHO.
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20 hours ago, WideNine said:
And that is where? Still in the past where it will remain unchanged.
The Bills were one of 10 teams that passed on Mahomes. How many other teams would want a draft do-over if they could predict the future of all the players coming out and not just Mahomes, there are players scattered all over the league who would jump up to the top of a revised draft board... sounds like something someone could do for a what-if fantasy project, but meaningless as far as reality goes.
It is amazing to me how many times this senseless past draft critique gets dusted off and recycled to bash the Bills organization. The same Bills org that has gotten us into the playoffs year after year and currently has us in the hunt for the AFC East top seed with just about half the team limping around in bandages.
On point.
The other thing that everyone forgets is that, even if there had been no trade-down with the Chiefs, the Bills were NOT going to take Mahomes with the #10 overall pick. They reportedly had Lattimore queued up before the trade with the Chiefs was finally consummated.
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In a weird way, the Dolphins remind me of our team from LAST year.
That includes drawing a number of easy match-ups as well as fortuitous ones. Take the version of the Cardinals that they faced 2 weeks ago, versus the version we played on Sunday. The team that Miami played had a depleted secondary and was without Drake. The team we played had their secondary en tact and had a relatively healthy Drake on hand (109 rushing yards against us).
One thing I found interesting was a reported quote from Tua, saying that he did not believe that the NFL is as tough as he thought it would be. It will be interesting to see what his tune looks like in a few weeks when the competition gets tougher and defenses have more game film on him.
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Battle-tested for sure.
I would, however, caution everyone not to overlook some of the remaining teams on the schedule with losing records. For example, the Chargers are much better than their record would suggest. They have been in most every game and have had a very difficult schedule.
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Note that he also had a GREAT punt that pinned the Cardinals down inside the 5 in the 4th quarter that helped flip the field late in the game when we badly needed it.
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6 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:
That is my concern: a well-intended policy whose implementation will have unintended consequences.
This.
The Rooney Rule undoubtedly helped highly qualified but overlooked minorities get a legitimate shot at coaching gigs in the NFL.
However, it has also played a role in hurting the very people it was supposed to help.
Case in point: turn the clock back to nearly 20 years ago. In Detroit Matt Millen made no secret that his dream was to hire Steve Mariucci to coach the Lions, but Mooch was gainfully employed by the 49ers at that time, so Millen instead hired "Mooch-lite", Marty Mornhenweg. A couple of years later, the 49ers let Mooch go -- so Millen immediately fired Marty and reached out to Mooch. Now, Millen knew that he needed to abide by the Rooney Rule before he could hire Mooch, but there was not a single minority coach who was willing to interview for the job. Why? Everyone knew that the interview would be a waste of time because Millen already knew who he was going to hire -- indeed the vacancy had been CREATED for the sole purpose of hiring Steve Mariucci. Long story short, Millen hired Mooch anyway, and tried to claim that he had "interviewed" Dennis Green (which was really a 5-minute phone call between friends rather than a true job interview). Even though Green backed Millen up, the NFL sanctioned the Lions for not following the spirit of the rule.
That said, the Rooney Rule probably played a role in affording interviews to minorities who may not have otherwise been interviewed for open positions. Anthony Lynn is a good example of a guy who may not have truly been in the running for some of the gigs for which he initially interviewed, but the fact that word got around just how impressive he came across in those interviews eventually helped his cause.
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Defenses have adjusted. The early book on Allen was to stack the box, keep him in the pocket and force him to be a QB. When he rose to the challenge in those first 4 games, the defenses instead have tried to play a lot of 2-deep and double-cover Diggs. Having John Brown banged up has also hurt the passing game and the ability to take shots downfield. In review of the Chiefs and Jets games, there really was nowhere for Josh to go with the ball. It will be interesting to review the All-22 from yesterday's game -- as you said, there were numerous occasions where Josh had plenty of time and still could not locate an open receiver. And that was with a banged up NE secondary.
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31 minutes ago, matter2003 said:
Forget Edmunds...AJ Klein is killing this team...
He is so unathletic...gets to the right place and then misses tackles or gets abused in coverage.
Get Darren Lee in ASAP.
He blitzed multiple times yesterday too -- and came nowhere near the QB.
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For all the screaming I did yesterday about the defense, I have the "glass-is-half-full" approach today:
1. Yes, the Patriots were supremely under-manned yesterday. However, they were VERY desperate and came out highly motivated. We really did get the best they had to offer. Last year we lost a couple of games like that in similar scenarios (Eagles and Browns games come to mind).
2. If the ball is completed rather than intercepted on that last offensive drive of the first half on what was a miscommunication between Josh and Diggs (which Diggs admitted was his fault) , the Bills likely get at least 3 (if not 7) and the Patriots get 0 at the end of the half, making the score 10-3 or 14-3 at the half. If Davis catches that ball that hit him in the hands on the last offensive possession, that puts us up another 4 points. The score could have very easily been 35-18 or 31-18 heading into the Pats' ill-fated final drive. I wonder if the sickening feeling that many felt after the win yesterday would have been lessened (or even evaporated) if just these 2 plays had been better executed?
3. Call me crazy, but given the opponent and the conditions, I thought Josh had one of his best games as a QB. I am talking about from a mental perspective. He did not seem at all dazed or confused by the various looks that BB was throwing at him. He was patient, did not force the ball and only took off running when it made sense. He also called a number of smart audibles at the line. There were times where had time in the pocket, went through his progressions and decided to either get rid of the ball or scamper for a few yards. It will be interesting to view the All-22 to see whether he was being overly cautious in these situations -- or if his receivers were not getting any separation (John Brown, where were you?). His stats were not very good, but he played a smart game against a difficult opponent in poor weather conditions.
4. Defensively, I don't know what to say. I honestly do not want to Klein in a Buffalo Bills uniform EVER again.
5. Bottom line: Bills are 6-2, 4-0 in the division and just more or less ended the season of the team that has been dominant over them for 20 years.
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Grades are always hard because they are so subjective. It also depends on your scale. Based on 2019 Josh, the grade would have to be very high because that performance was among the best that he put up last year. Based on 2020 Josh, the score would not be nearly as high given the much higher standard he sat set this year. That's why I would not throw a fit if someone gave him a C based on the final results of the game.
Still, for those judging him by the final stats (score, TD passes, etc.), it is hard without reviewing the All-22 breakdown to determine his overall performance on a play-by-play basis. He definitely missed some passes early on and made a couple of questionable decisions, where he tried to force the ball. However, by the 2nd quarter he started to settle down and did a pretty good job taking what the defense gave him.
You also have to look back at the 9 drives that all went well into Jets territory. What made those drives stall? It was a variety of factors: penalties that put them in 3rd and long, Josh not making the best decision, the fumble, etc. Speaking of the "bad" fumble, I am not sure how some anyone can blame that on Josh. He had an unblocked defender on him before he could even properly set his feet. All fumbles are "bad", of course, but this was not a case of Josh being reckless (as he was against the same Jets back in Week 1). Also, I do not think it is unfair to give the Jets some credit for how they played on defense, especially when the Bills got deep into their territory. On multiple occasions (the 3rd down draw, for example), Josh did not have anywhere to go with the ball because the defense had all the receivers blanketed. That said, he also clearly should have handed the ball off to Moss on that RPO rather than keep it himself. And there were a couple of occasions (the fake-fake-screen, for example) where the timing was off.
Still, I thought for the most part, that he made smart decisions, was careful with the ball and accurate. That is why I would probably give him a B-.
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Why do I have a feeling that in the next few days that we will hear reports that Spain went into the local gym and started throwing weights at a guy there screaming, "Get out of my playground!"
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17 hours ago, Gene1973 said:
All Allen had to do tonight against the champs was not suck and the Bills had a chance to win. But he sucked... I'm not rooting for him to suck, but he is what he is. In fact rooting for or against a player has no bearing on how they actually play...
I'm suggesting, in the long run, Allen will be closer to 58% than the 72% when this thread was started.
I think it is a bit of overreaction to say that he "sucked" last night.
Did he miss on a few passes? Yes, he did -- and a couple of them were passes he has to be able to complete. However, he did convert on a number of key first downs with both is arm and legs. He also did not revert to "hero ball" in terms of making poor decisions. I would say that his problem last night was mostly technique-based. I can't say how much of that was due to the weather, poor mechanics (may because of his left shoulder injury) -- or if the defense was making things difficult on him.
He was also victimized by some drops and Dabol's play calling was rather inconsistent.
One thing I will say is that Josh does have some Brett Favre in him -- especially where he is often overly amped to start games. Maybe Dabol should take this into account and better orchestrate the game planning to get Josh into a rhythm early.
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54 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:
And again - if we recover that fumble, if Kelce misses that catch, etc - different ball game.
I believe the shoulder is affecting him also. It appeared he was favoring the L arm from time to time - hooking the L hand into the handwarmer not in "I need to stay warm fashion" but "I need support", not lifting the L arm. I think I saw a coach approach him on the bench after that series and Allen shook his head vehemently - I wondered at the time if he was asked if he needed to come out.
But I think the bigger issue with the fall-off in technique is 1) he's been made to feel more pressure the last 2 weeks 2) he's been using more brain-cycles to decode the zone defense and see who is open.
Well put.
I think it is also interesting too that in the first few games of the season, the defense's strategy was to load the box and force Josh to (as Gregg Williams said) "be a QB". After the success Josh has had doing exactly that, the last couple of games the opponent's strategy has been to take away the deep ball and only keep 6-7 in the box.
It will be interesting to see what the Jets plan to do the second time around. It sure would help if the Bills could finally get the traditional running game going.
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I wonder if this was a single-game decision based on the opponent and defensive game plan?
As we know the NFL is a copycat league -- and both the Patriots and Raiders had some success with essentially a prevent defense, which is more or less what the Bills tried last night. The problem is that some coaches (like Andy Reid) are capable of adjusting -- and the Chiefs countered by running the ball effectively and making good on the underneath routes. Funny enough, the Chiefs employed a similar defensive strategy against the Bills, who still haven't shown they can effectively run the ball.
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And let's not look past the Jets, either. If the OL/DL doesn't improve, even that game is no gimme.
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It's funny, really, that we as fans tend to over-analyze how good of a job a coaching staff is doing.
Could it be that the level of talent in some aspects of the team simply isn't there?
In particular, the team is getting OWNED in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The offensive line is not opening any holes for the running game -- and, while they are doing much better in pass protection, I think Josh's mobility helps mask some deficiencies there as well. The defensive line is getting ZERO push and can't get off blocks. Last night we saw KC running backs getting 6 or 7 yards before any kind of contact whatsoever. That isn't just a tackling issue -- it is a problem with linemen being unable to fight off blocks and be in the position to make a tackle. And this came against a KC offensive line that was a bit banged up.
Is the coaching partly to blame? Perhaps. For example, I am not sure what scheme that they devised that would have left Kelce so wide open on a number of plays. However, for as bad as the team was man-handled last night -- they were still very much in the game until late in the 4th quarter. Maybe, the coaching staff deserves some credit for coming up with a scheme that allowed the game to remain competitive on the score board, even if the game itself was decidedly one-sided.
Beane certainly bears some responsibility for having underestimated the impact of key losses like Starr, Alexander, Phillips, Lawson, etc. Now that we are in mid-season, it is hard to expect help coming from the street (or trade). So the coaches are going to have to figure out the best way to get the most out of what they have. Getting Milano back will help, but he's also not going to help with the DL deficiencies. Also, maybe Mongo will provide some toughness on the OL if/when he ever returns.
Bill Parcells never predicted Super Bowl appearances when he was coaching. He always said that his job as a head coach was to take the players he was given and get the most out of them. He once said that he felt his best performance as a head coach came in 2000 when he was coaching the Jets -- and they finished 8-8 with a 3rd string QB as his starter.
Until the team figures out a way to overcome getting owned at the line of scrimmage, it is going to be difficult to win ANY games, including the next one against the Jets. Obviously the coaching staff must devise plans that will help to mask these deficiencies. The players need to dig deep, and where they are over-matched, at least play mistake-free.
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Yea, this makes 0 sense. I knew eventually the kid was going to get in there -- but only after they were eliminated from the playoffs or Fitz started stinking up the joint. Well, right now they are just 1 game out of first place and Fitza has been playing great.
If Tua gets in there and starts making rookie mistakes -- the outcry from fans will be to go back to Fitz. What will that do to the psyche of the young QB?
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Well, Aikman was one of the "Never Joshers" during the pre-draft hype back in 2018, and was very critical of the Bills taking Allen over Rosen. That is one of the reasons that I was really hoping that we would see the Josh of the first 4 games last night, just so that Aikman would have to shut his mouth.
Alas, that was not meant to be as Josh clearly missed on a few passes.
As an aside, though, for those of you who are old like me and remember Aikman's playing days... he could NOT THROW A WET FOOTBALL. When playing in raining conditions, for whatever reason, he could not get a proper grip on the ball and it would not come out of his hand properly. Maybe he should have taken that into context with last night's game.
Regarding accuracy, it is true that during his era, Troy Aikman was one of the most accurate QBs in the NFL. The Dallas practices were legendary as supposedly the balls on some days would never hit the ground. There are others in more recent years like Brady and Brees who have managed on pinpoint accuracy rather than having elite arm strength. We've seen Josh be deadly accurate, so it's not like he is incapable. I can't sit here and tell you that he will ever be a consistently 65% accurate QB -- that just may never be who he is. But he has so many other things in his arsenal that such a short-coming may not be the end of the world.
And, BTW, Terry Bradshaw was never a 60% completion guy either. A different era, I know, but that is one of the things about Josh Allen, he really is a throwback style QB.
The game last night was billed as Mahomes Against Allen, and Mahomes definitely won the first round. However, one QB had the benefit of RBs who rushed for a combined 300 yards, while the other led his team in rushing. One had very little pressure in his face all night, while the other was constantly besieged by unblocked defenders (and actually did a pretty good job averting the pressure).
Does Josh need to be better? Absolutely. The miss on the pass to a wide open Singletary in the first quarter as well as the miss to Beasley across the middle are passes he has to make -- and either one of those 3rd down completions could very well have resulted in a different outcome to this game.
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Like much of the rest of the team, Josh definitely had an off night -- but he also made some plays. As for Roberts, it really was a nightmare of a game, starting with lousy returns, the interception that was 100% on him and ending with the fumble to hammer home what a mess the whole night was for the team.
With games like this (especially under the circumstances), you almost have to throw it out and move on.
The Mystery of the Disappearing Run Game
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
Obviously the run game has not been what we would like to see, but I also wonder how much of that is a lack of commitment to it.
From my perspective, they really have not tried to make it a focus of the offense in any game except the New England game -- and in that game they ran the ball very effectively.
I know once the weather starts getting really bad, etc. the team will need to rely on it more heavily -- but aside from the Tennessee and KC games, the offense as a whole (even without a consistent running game) has performed.