2003Contenders
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Posts posted by 2003Contenders
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3 hours ago, zow2 said:
The reality check for me is that the Buffalo Bills are not in the same class as: San Fran, KC and Philly. I thought they were after the Miami game but they're just not. The Bills lose too many close games...the running game disappears, coaching gets disjointed and too many weird things happen including serious injuries.
I'd put the Bills in there with Dallas, Miami, Cinci, Detroit, Jags. The problem is Burrow is getting healthy and the Bengals could get on a serious roll and Miami can outscore anyone on a given Sunday plus their RB's are insane. Meanwhile Buffalo is trending a little downwards from major defensive injuries. It's reality.
I agree -- but that is as of right now, October 2023. Much can happen between now and January of 2024, which is when teams need to peak for the playoffs.
Remember, the best Bills playoff team of recent years (2021) was the one that had the worst regular season record -- 13 seconds aside, that team probably would have won the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, last year we lost only 3 regular season games (literally half as many as the year before) by a combined 8 points -- but the team had peaked in the early part of the season and was on fumes come playoff time.
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And all 4 teams were undefeated at the time they played the Bills.
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Honestly, I am not too worried about the Bills' offense. Aside from Josh's mental collapse in Week 1 against the Jets (whom he has historically struggled against), the offense has played pretty well. Meanwhile, Miami's defense has been below average through three games -- and Josh and the Bills' offense has historically played well against them. Bills just need to FINISH drives (score TDs in the red zone) and avoid turnovers.
I get that Miami's offense has done phenomenal things through the first 3 weeks, but the Bills' defense is stout and has not allowed more than 16 points in any of the first 3 games. Meanwhile, 2 of the 3 defenses that Miami faced so far are bottom-of-the-barrel. The one good defense they faced (New England) kept them in check. The key will be to limit the Miami big plays (classic bend-but-don't break that McD employs) .
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1 hour ago, Orlando Tim said:
Josh was throwing to Diggs in the back of the end zone but Knox did not know that and tried to grab it. Design worked except for the Knox part. I would not have called it because it took so long to develop but the design was actually solid.
Actually I think the play was designed to go to Harty to the right, and he would have had a walk-in TD. However, he slipped and fell so Josh had to improvise. Not impressed at all with him through the first 2 weeks.
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On 9/12/2023 at 4:40 AM, GunnerBill said:
I'd add Ed Oliver was outstanding 2nd half. He was pretty invisible firdt half and people in thr GDT were happily calling him out. Second half he was excellent. No coincidence that the touchdown drive was with the 2nd team DL in - Shaq, Settle, Phillips, AJE. I think they rotated the line less last night but the one drive the backups were out there... it showed.
Is that true about the backups being in there in that situation -- where the Bills were clinging to a one-score lead and trying to prevent the Jets from scoring on a drive that started at mid-field?
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6 hours ago, Airseven said:
Burrow is on another level with how he processes the game mentally. He also has better weapons and the Bengals invested heavily in their OL in 2022. Bills WRs and OL have been mostly a revolving door of riff raff the past couple years.Interestingly, the Chiefs also committed an off-season to revamping their OL in 2021.
How did Burrow look in Week 1?
Like Josh he looked like trash. And against a team (in this case Cleveland) that has historically given him fits -- just like the Jets have Josh recently.
I expect both QBs to rebound after poor showings in Week 1.
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Josh is a gambler and a gunslinger -- that's just who he is. Trying to coach that out of him leads to him over-thinking and playing somewhat "unnatural".
What Josh needs to learn is WHEN to take those shots -- and when to be more cautious with the ball. That is true from a field position/down-and-distance situation as well as game flow. Going into the game against that Jets defense, we knew that points were going to be at a premium. That is why McD elected to kick the short field goal rather than go for it on 4th and short early in the game. Nursing a 10-point lead at half time against such a stout Jets defense with an opposing offense led by Zack Wilson, the plan should have been to play it "safe".
Also, Dorsey deserves some of the blame here too. There is no reason in that situation that Josh should have dropped back to pass 40+ times.
If all the offense did was go three-and-out the entire 2nd half, they probably win the game. Marty Ball is very boring -- and will not win games against opposing teams with good offenses -- but against that Jets team on Monday night, that would have been the recipe for success.
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9 hours ago, HappyDays said:
I know you're literally a professional so maybe I'm out of my depth here or misunderstanding you, but isn't a corner/smash route on a high/low concept classically a cover 2 beater? Like fundamentally that is the best way to beat cover 2 outside the numbers?
Just to be sure I'm not talking out of my ass I found plenty of articles that indicate the same. Here's one that explains it best:
https://www.espn.com/ncf/columns/davie/1437187.html
To the section I bolded, Davis totally failed to do that. He did not fake a vertical route which means he did not freeze Whitehead which gave Whitehead easy access to the ball. Allen sees Sauce cheat towards Kincaid so he throws the high concept to Davis. The pass itself was not as far to the sideline as you'd like but to me this was more a failure of Davis to run his route properly.
Again I know you do this for a living so let me know if I'm missing something.
This is what Aikman said during the game too. He blamed the INT on Davis.
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1 hour ago, ngbills said:
This is deceiving because it only takes into account if he made the tackle. Plays he was blocked and the guy runs 50 yards have no impact here.
Bernard did not get his first tackle vs run until the midway in the third quarter...says something. Half his tackles came when the Jets were just running the clock down.
QTR 1
0 tackes
QTR 2
0 tackles
QTR 3
First tackle was a 9 yard run
Second tackle was a 1 yard run that Oliver stuffed
QTR 4
Third was a 5yd run
4th was a 2 yd QB sneak setting up FG w/ 2 min left running clock on 4 and 1
5th on a 1 yd run setting up FG w/ 2 min left running clock on 2 and 13
6th on a 6yd run setting up FG w/ 2 min left running clock on 3 and 12
I want to see stats on how many times he was pancaked. I saw at least a few.
Hmmm. I could have sworn that it Was Bernard that chased Hall down on that long run that effectively saved a TD. That was definitely in the first half.
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I remember early in the season last year that Mahomes was struggling -- also trying to be greedy too often when defenses were taking the deep stuff away.
Then he adjusted -- learned to take the check-downs, etc. I wonder if McD should call his good buddy Andy Reid and see if he will share what the Chiefs' coaching staff did to get this through to Mahomes?
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18 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:
He took issue with the Bills handling of Tom Donahoe if I remember correctly.
Overall, he was a negligible piece of my overall football experience.
If he ragged on the Bills pre-2018, they probably deserved it.
Yes. Between the time that Donahoe left the Steelers and went to work for the Bills he worked with Mort at ESPN and the two became friends. When TD was fired, Mort defended him and ragged on Ralph and the Bills organization. In particular, Mort was highly critical of the Bills first draft without TD (in 2006) and reported that there was mass confusion in the war room as led by Marv.
Bills fans (especially on this board) took serious issue with Mort over all this -- and there were multiple posts here about him. That led Tim Graham (who also worked for ESPN at the time and was a friend of Mort's) to get upset and leave this board.
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Tasker is a Buffalo Bill through and through.
I think in his early years of broadcasting Bills games he tried to overcompensate for his "homerism" and probably came across as overly negative about the team. I also think that during the drought he probably (like many fans, including myself) fell into the "oh no, here we go again -- what can go wrong now?" mindset. I know when I watch games, especially with folks that are NOT Bills fans, I sometimes come across as negative because of the pessimism that has been ingrained over the last 20 years.
With the drought over, I do find myself more optimistic (although the pessimism still creeps in from time to time). I would not be surprised if Tasker's evolution has been somewhat similar.
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1. Penalties and OL were huge problems.
2. Defense looked slow and disinterested.
3. I think Tomlin still remembers last year's game that DID matter when the Bills crushed the Steelers and actually game-planned for this one (that doesn't matter).
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I remember hearing shortly after the draft that Beane thought he had a deal in place with the Giants (think he even said so himself) -- but had to shift gears when the Giants made the move up. The inference was that the Bills were (by Beane's own admission) targeting a "receiver" (note he did not say WIDE receiver). That has led many to speculate that they may have been targeting 1-2 of the WRs that were drafted a few spots ahead of the Bills. That is possible -- but it is also possible that Kincaid truly was the target all along.
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The key is Josh Allen.
I do believe that Sherfield was a great under-the-radar pickup in the off-season. It seems that every veteran receiver we have brought in since Josh has been the starting QB -- from John Brown to Cole Beasley to Stef Diggs -- has had career stats playing with Josh. The exception would be Emmanuel -- but he battled through injuries and wound up retiring at the end of the season. Maybe not a "breakout" season, but I do expect Sherfield to make solid contributions this season.
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Carson Wentz is still out there and pleading for an opportunity. I know it has been awhile since he was any good, but maybe worth a look/tryout?
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6 minutes ago, HappyDays said:
I'm about done with Shakir at this point. You can't have below average physical gifts and below average hands and still be successful in this league. Allen has had too many incredible plays dropped by his pass catchers since he was a rookie. I'm so over it.
I wouldn't go that far, but I am starting to feel like his roster spot may indeed be in jeopardy. With the thought of running so many 12 (or even 11 1/2) formations, there is certainly the chance that the Bills will keep one fewer receiver on the final roster than they have the last couple of years. I would imagine that Diggs/Davis/Sherfield/Harty are all locks, and a couple of weeks ago I thought Shakir was the 5th man with everyone else battling for possibly a 6th and final spot. Now I am not so sure.
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It helps, I think, to provide some perspective on this game -- the game-day conditions and what was going on at that time in the season.
1. The defensive backfield was ridiculously under-manned -- with multiple rookies being pressed into action in only the 3rd game of the season. Recall that it was the previous Monday night game against the Titans when so many defenders -- including both of our All Pro level safeties -- were injured. So these young guys were asked to step up early in the season against 2 of the best WRs in the league and on a short week, no less.
2. As we know, that day it was ridiculously hot and guys were battling through heat-related ailments. The coaches were doing their best to rotate guys (as McD always likes to do with the DL), but guys were having to be escorted off the field to get IV's etc. So, while the 3 pass rushers on that play (aside from Miller) may not have been our best 3, it is possible that they were the guys that were "fresh" enough to play on that down.
Not at all giving Frazier a pass here, as I think the 3rd-and-22 play was indicative of how he coached "scared" a number of times during the season (most obviously in the playoff game against Cinci). But, given the situation -- multiple young and inexperienced players in key positions, the weather conditions and the quality of opposing receivers on the field -- I get it.
I am more inclined to be disappointed in the OL (who allowed M. Ingram to get a clean shot on Josh and force a fumble to allow the Dolphins to get into the game at a time when it looked like yet another blowout against Miami was in the works), multiple key drops by G. Davis, and poor decisions by McKenzie in terms of clock preservation at the end of the half as well as the end of the game. Obviously, Josh missing the layup pass to the wide open McKenzie at the goal line -- but he could honestly barely stand at the point of the game himself.
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Lat Murray more likely to make it onto the final roster now, I suspect.
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Derrick Holmes crushing it in a game against the Redskins back in the mid-90s, literally carrying multiple defenders with him into the end zone. After the game reporters asked him what inspired him to play so hard -- he replied that his brother had just been convicted of murder and was facing the death penalty.
TE Bobby Collins having his height and weight mis-reported in draft publications. The Bills were proud to do their "due diligence" and identify him as a "diamond in the rough". Not sure that he caught more than a handful of passes during his days in Buffalo.
Jason Peters went undrafted out of Arkansas. He was signed as an undrafted free agent as a Tight End. After a year or so playing on special teams and in gadget plays, he landed the starting RT position. The Bills signed him to a decent contract extension. They then promptly moved him to LT and slapped their backs for "buying low". We all know what happened next.
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It cracks me up how these media types "just call it they way they see it" when trashing the focal point of an article -- yet, many of them are so hyper-sensitive themselves. Going back 20 years ago, the local media adored Tom Donahoe -- until the day of the press conference when he announced that Gregg Williams was not coming back. Donahoe dared to criticize the media for their coverage of the team during that PC, and he was on their you-know-what list after that.
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I will say that if nothing else 2022 taught us all about how important depth is at the safety position -- with 4th and 5th safeties pressed to start at various times during the season.
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1 hour ago, Andy1 said:
Diggs could have solved all this crap with one simple team affirmative public statement. He chose not to. Dude needs to grow up. Andre Reed is still my favorite WR. Despite all the pain of losing big games he never was a me first player.
I love Andre too -- but he without a doubt also had some of that diva in him (Like all the great ones do).
Just a few reflections:
1. Throwing the fit in Super Bowl XXVI that cost the team valuable field position when they were finally putting together a great drive.
2. Similar to Diggs' meltdown against Allen in the Bengals game, Andre did the same thing to Kelly in a Monday night game (against Pittsburgh, I believe). The two responded the following week with Andre setting an all time record (at the time) for receptions in a game against Favre's Packers.
3. After the 1995 season, when he was a free agent, he sulked and felt "disrespected". Kelly and other players had to appeal to him and massage his ego to convince him to come back.
4. In the wild card game at the end of the season, trailing by 10 points and in desperation mode on a 3rd down play, he catches a pass and is downed inside the 1-yard line. Believing he got into the end zone, he throws a fit and the team takes a 15-yard penalty, which sets them up at 4th and goal from outside the 15. Wade elects to kick the field goal and try for the on sides kick -- which the Bills recover (but now need a game-tying TD rather than a game-tying FG). The game ends with Miami stopping the Bills goal-to-go.
There is plenty more -- and (like I said) I will always love Andre and believe that he is one of the greatest WRs of all time. I think the diva mindset simply goes hand-in-hand with being a great receiver. Rice, Moss, TO, Carter, Reed... Now Diggs.
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1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:
Chiefs put up like 35 a game in the playoffs when we played them. The Bengals whipped the Bills but that wasn’t a full strength defense mentally or physically.
The defense doesn’t bend too much when operating as it should. It isn’t an in your face defense, which I like better, but its a well coached defense that makes few mistakes.
Yes.
Also with all the injuries and inexperience in the defensive backfield, McD and Frazier were playing even softer than they normally would, hoping to cover for those inadequacies. This was most exposed in both games against the Bengals in which Burrow got the ball out of his hand so quickly.
No "sugar-rush" Josh vs. JAX?
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
I agree with the main point made by the OP that is was good to see Josh not try to do too much in a game where he may have historically caused costly turnovers. And I certainly believe that the offense's woes were not Josh's fault, as there were many dropped passes and poorly run routes than constantly came up short of the 1st down.
That said, I also worry that perhaps the coaching staff has drilled it into his head TOO MUCH about NOT taking off and running with the ball. There were opportunities Sunday where he could have probably got a 1st down with his legs but chose to try to complete a low percentage pass instead. I mean when Dabol was here, if the offense sputtered, he would call designed run plays for Josh to help get the offense on track. That may have helped Sunday when the offense was clearly suffering from jet lag and punting on 6 of 7 possessions.
More than just poor play calling, I think Dorsey suffers from poor play DESIGN. I am tired of seeing these 2 and 3 yard routes, which rely heavily on YAC when the team has shown an inability to get YAC all season. What kind of genius call has 4 receivers in the same vicinity? That happened multiple times on Sunday. I also winder why quit-hitting timing routes are not more of a staple of the offense to get into some sort of rhythm? Not sure if Dorsey isn't calling them -- or if Josh is just holding onto the ball too long and not hitting on them. Instead the plays seem to take forever to develop -- and then the pass play goes for 4 yards with no YAC.