mjt328

The offense as a whole is inconsistent. It's easier to pinpoint the first drive of the game, or the first drive of the half. But in truth, they usually only put together 3-4 good drives per game. And the rest of the time, they struggle. It's a combination of things. Josh Allen has improved dramatically from his rookie season, but still has plenty of things to work on. Our offensive line is light-years better than in 2018, but still has moments where blocking is bad. Our receiving corps has also been significantly upgraded, but there are still too many drops and times where nobody gets open. The running game seems to roll with Devon Singletary, but stalls with everyone else. Another offseason of Allen developing, our skill players working together, and talent additions through the draft/free agency will hopefully push this offense up a couple notches. If the defense can maintain and our offense start putting another 5 points per game on the board, I have no doubts we can win the AFC East and push for a Super Bowl next season.

Give me a break. They allowed 16, 19, 24, 24 to the teams you listed above. The league average is around 23 points. And these were among their worst performances all year. If you don't think the Bills have a good defense, you don't know football. There are a combination of factors that have resulted in us not throwing for 300 yards during that time span. Having a top defense and conservative-leaning coaching staff is very high among them. Below average quarterback play for good chunks of that stretch does factor in. But it's not the ONLY reason. Tyrod Taylor was an average/below average passer. We all know that. Josh Allen struggled heavily most of his rookie season. And despite making some great strides, he's not yet where he needs to be. We all know that as well. Despite that, there are 3-4 instances this season where Allen easily could/would have thrown for 300 yards -- but our coaching staff decided to spend the last 20 minutes of the game chewing clock. Bottom line... stats don't matter. They can sometimes be helpful in revealing what is going on, but they can also be misleading. Our team cares about one statistic. That is a 10-4 record. And that's all you should care about too.

Please stop with the 300 yard games, and yardage rankings. They are such a small sample of what is going on. To hit 300 yards, a QB almost always needs to throw around 40 times per game (minimum). Josh Allen hit that number exactly ONE time this season (41 against Cleveland). This just isn't a team that NEEDS to be aggressive in the passing game. The defense is too good. Every time Allen has been on pace for a 300 yard game, the offense has gone into a shell and started running out clock. In my opinion, a very good game would be averaging over 8.0 YPA and 65% completion percentage. Allen did that twice this season (Washington and Dallas), and was very close against the Giants.

Outside of Amari Cooper (who is very inconsistent himself), the 2020 free agent WRs aren't very impressive. It's hard to get excited about AJ Green, when you consider his age and recent injury history. At the same time, this is considered an absolutely fantastic draft class for the position. So if I'm Brandon Beane, at least one of those Day 1-2 Picks is in the reserve for a top receiver. I wouldn't be opposed to spending two picks. I'm a big believer that RB is a position for youth, and should be obtained through the draft. As much a someone like Derrick Henry could help this team, I'm not wasting any salary cap space on another veteran runner. As usual, there are expected to be some really good mid-round options. So I'm targeting a versatile/tough between-the-tackles RB around the 3rd-4th Round to complement Devin Singletary. Although I believe Cody Ford should be given more time to develop, I also believe we should hedge our bets with him at Right Tackle. He's clearly been the weak-spot on the O-Line, especially against speed rushers. If we are going to be a true contender next year, we can't sit around waiting for another young player to not be liability. I think we should go after a veteran upgrade to Ty Nsekhe. Then if Ford doesn't show improvement in training camp, we can bump him inside for good. Defensive End surprisingly has some decent options in free agency - assuming a lot of these guys don't get franchised or re-signed by their current teams. And the draft options don't look great for a team drafting in the mid-20s. Personally, I would offer Shaq Lawson an extension (along with Jordan Phillips). Then go after someone like Jadeveon Clowney or Yannick Ngakou to add to the rotation. Don't worry about investing a good-sized contract, because Trent Murphy can be released with little cap hit, and Jerry Hughes will be on the last year of his contract. With the cap dollars we have available, I'm also prioritizing Cornerback in free agency. Levi Wallace and Kevin Johnson are both very solid depth. But I wouldn't mind an upgrade across from Tre White. With my other draft picks, I'm prioritizing Linebacker. Hopefully we can convince Lorenzo Alexander to come back another season. And I absolutely love Matt Milano/Tremaine Edmunds as our main starters. But this is one position that would absolutely kill us if there were injuries. We need depth badly.

I agree with this. If you could filter through the overreactions and "sky is falling" posts, there was a lot evidence (especially in the final quarter of 2018) that Buffalo was about to turn the corner. The expectation from a lot of us on this board has always been 9-10 wins, hopefully a playoff berth and probably an early exit from the postseason. As fans, I always try to encourage patience with young players and new coaches. It takes time to overhaul a franchise like Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have done, and it was always going to have rough patches along the way. Last year we had a rookie Quarterback, and a rookie at the most important position in our defensive scheme, Middle Linebacker. There were many games both guys were huge liabilities. But there were also signs of what they could soon become.

Not sure what kind of leadership Frank Gore has brought to the team. But based on what we've seen with on-field production, I hope Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott move in a completely different direction next year. Running Back is a young man's position. Since this regime took over, we've signed Mike Tolbert, Chris Ivory and Frank Gore. All three guys have been counted on for significant carries, and expected to handle short-yardage for the offense. And all three guys wore-out down the stretch. Devon Singletary is proof you don't need to throw big $$ at the position, or invest a high draft pick. However, I do believe RB is a position better suited for fresh legs. Instead of wasting a roster spot on some aging veteran, I hope that Beane uses some of our picks on improving the run game.

Very simple. I think the coaching staff starts getting aggressive when it becomes a better strategy than remaining conservative. A common argument on this board is that we lost the Browns game BECAUSE the coaching staff was playing for the field goal. I think that's very debatable for many reasons. But even if you believe it, the Bills still have compiled a 10-4 record by playing this way. It's hard to argue that changes are necessary, because of ONE GAME we lost by 3 points. Quite simply, the coaching staff (correctly) recognizes that we have a Top 3 defense. In most games, they can count on us allowing less than 17 points. Worst case scenario, they may allow in the low 20s. Go back and look at every game outside if the Eagles. The times that we've struggled to put teams away, it was almost ALWAYS due to turnovers keeping an outmatched opponent in the game. Especially during the first half of the season. McDermott knows the recipe for this team to win games. If the offense isn't turning the ball over, and can put together 3-4 scoring drives per week, we are going to win the vast majority of the time.

Gore never had top-end speed, but you can definitely see the difference in how he bursts through the hole now. He's got nothing left in the tank, and it's the difference between 1-2 yard gains and 4-5 yard gains. If you watch those plays again, I don't think they were designed outside runs. In fact, it was pretty clear on the 2nd-Goal play (after the White INT) that Gore was going to throw it, but then pulled the ball down and took a loss. There was another play that looked more like an inside run that he tried bouncing outside. When it comes to DiMarco and Smith as passing targets, I think that Daboll is trying to show the defense run-heavy personnel, and then catch them off-guard by splitting them out wide. The problem is, both are terrible at catching the ball and getting YAC. In a nutshell, I think it really shows one of the big things this offense is missing. We need some dual threats. Tight Ends that can block well and be a threat in the passing game. Running Backs that are dangerous on the ground and the air. Receivers that have both deep speed, and the ability to win contested balls. When you have offensive personnel like the Bills (who are one-trick ponies), it forces you to either tip your hand to the defense, or put those players in a position to do things they aren't good at.

Fans get upset because they always want the team to play aggressive, and destroy the opponent by 20-30 points. But sometimes, conservative is the right approach. This coaching staff understands the strengths/weaknesses of the team. They knew once we got up by 7 points, it was going to be very difficult for Pittsburgh to drive and score a touchdown. They had a better chance of walking away with a W by grinding the clock and trusting for a defensive stop, than by having our offense try to put more points on the board. Their strategy has resulted in a 10-4 record this year. And in 3 of their 4 losses, they were in a position to tie or win at the very end. I agree that it's INCREDIBLY frustrating to watch Frank Gore right now. He's got absolutely no explosion, and is a sitting duck when the other team knows he's getting the ball. But can you really blame them for giving Gore the ball when they have the lead... considering that Devon Singletary is struggling badly with fumbles? The offense has improved greatly from 2017, but it's still a work in progress. Coaching and playcalling is not the biggest cause for our 2019 struggles. We need a between-the-tackles runner with a little bit of juice left in his legs. We need another 1-2 receiving threats - preferably guys with more dependable hands. And we need our Quarterback to continue improving his game.

Yep. Ryan Fitzpatrick can deliver the crushing blow to the Patriots, help us win the AFC East, then sign a one-day contract to retire as a Buffalo Bill. Meanwhile, the Dolphins lose out on drafting one of the top QBs.

I certainly don't want to downplay our defensive talent. But it's really the coaching staff that makes this unit special. Once Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier figure out what the other team is trying to do, it's pretty much over. Notice that almost every time an opposing teams puts together a scoring drive, it comes in one of these three situations: - The first 1-2 drives of the game, when our coaches are still figuring out the offensive gameplan. - The first 1-2 drives of the second half, right after there have been some halftime adjustments. - When gifted a short-field from a turnover or busted special teams play. The average team scores 23-24 points per game. In 14 games, we have allowed the league average exactly twice (31 to Philly, and 24 to Baltimore). We have allowed less than 20 points a total of 10 times. If Josh Allen can just fix-up a couple of his issues, we are a couple offensive pieces away from being a legitimate powerhouse.

Absolutely not. The Bills need to win-out, crushing the Patriots and the Jets. This will leave the door open for... wait for it... RYAN FITZPATRICK to cement himself as a Buffalo hero, and do what he could never do while actually playing for the team. Win us the AFC East!

Love to see guys with entertaining/fun personalities, who aren't also self-centered and distracting to the rest of the team.

When it comes to young Quarterbacks, it's not about how you start. It's about how you finish. Some guys come into the NFL with big flaws in mechanics, very little understanding of how to read a defense, and almost no experience running a professional-type offense. But they have elite-level physical skills, and coaches believe they can develop them into something great. Other guys come out of college very polished/developed as passers, and experience some immediate success when inserted into a basic/stripped-down offense. But they have very little upside, and generally crash after defensive coordinators get a little bit of game film on them. You will notice that NFL scouts and GMs seem to like the "big-upside" guys earlier in the draft, hoping they can eventually turn those guys into franchise QBs. They don't care so much about how good a player is on Day 1 of training camp, and more about how good he's going to be at the end of Year 4. The guys who come into the league "pro-ready" and little room for improvement are usually Day 3 picks (Rounds 4-7), because the professionals know they will ultimately max-out as backups in the league. This year, we have seen a huge number of QB injuries. So lots of backup-level young guys (Kyle Allen, Brandon Allen, Gardner Minshew, Duck Hodges, Mason Rudolph, David Blough, etc.) have gotten a chance to come off the bench and shine to some extent. Offensive coordinators simplify the gameplan to focus on what they do well. Defensive coordinators have no idea what to expect. And for a few weeks, they look surprisingly good. But then opponents figure out their limitations, and everything falls apart. A great example is Kyle Allen. After Cam Newton went down, he started with a 4-0 record. But then defenses figured out that he couldn't do much beyond throwing screen passes to Christian McCaffrey, and the Panthers have gone 1-6 since that great start. You are seeing the start of a similar trend with Minshew. Whether we are talking Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, etc. - it's simply way too early to make a determination on ANY of these guys. Last year, Mayfield was setting rookie passing records. This year he's got 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Daniel Jones looked brilliant early in the season, and now the New York media is wondering if the Giants should consider drafting a QB again in 2020. Josh Allen started with nothing but physical talent, and has improved dramatically. But if he can't overcome his struggles against heavy blitzing, he's ultimately not going to be the answer for us. Lamar Jackson will probably win MVP this year, but it's only a matter of time before defenses figure out how to keep him in the pocket.

This is what happens when the blocking has been terrible ALL GAME, and the quarterback knows he's got one last chance to make a play. He knew Brown got open on a similar route earlier in the game, and hoped he could do it again. He didn't.

This pretty much says it all.

This defense is Super Bowl caliber. The offense... not so much. After the last three games, I was optimistic that we had finally turned a corner on offense. But yesterday was a disappointing regression to the first half of the season. The same problems that plagued us for the first 8-9 games have resurfaced again. This tells me that our problems on offense are deeper rooted, and probably won't get resolved in this final stretch. In the playoffs, you need to string together 3-4 straight strong performances against the NFL's best. It's very unlikely we can go through the postseason without a stinker offensive performance that sinks us. - Josh Allen has made some amazing strides in his game. But he's struggled making quick decisions and accurate throws when blitzed heavily. He lost his touch on the deep ball somehow. It may be another offseason of work and development before we see these areas improve. - Outside of John Brown and sometimes Cole Beasley, our receivers struggle to get open. And despite his highlight plays, Dawson Knox is not dependable and drops the ball too much. This group is a ton better than in 2018, but we still need another threat on the outside and another dependable chain-mover on the inside. The good news is that 2020's WR class is considered exceptional. - The Offensive Line is also much improved from last season. But we still have some holes. As mentioned by multiple observers, Cody Ford is mostly a liability on the outside - especially against speed rushers that require better footwork. The team needs to determine whether he can improve in this area, or they need to bump him inside and find a replacement at Right Tackle. - Devon Singletary has star potential written all over him. Now we just need a complimentary between-the-tackles threat. Someone with some explosion and tackle-breaking ability. Sorry, but Frank Gore is really done.

How big this game is completely depends on the outcome. If the Bills lose, then I agree that next week against the Steelers will ultimately be more important. Because at that point, we are certainly looking at a Wild Card. If the Bills win (and especially if the Patriots lose), then we are in a legitimate position to take not only the AFC East, but also the #1 or #2 seed.

Dallas has plenty of talent. One of the best O-Lines in football. Possibly the best running back. Very good at all Linebacker positions. Not to mention a premier pass rusher, a Pro-Bowl cornerback and a pretty good #1 receiver. Dak has flashed as a Top 10 passer at times this season. And even their weakest positions (DT, TE, S), they have solid players. The Cowboys are a perfect example of the difference between team building and collecting talent.

In 30 years of watching the NFL, I've never seen a system or player that couldn't be stopped with the right gameplan, the right personnel and good execution. Right now, it's pretty clear that Lamar Jackson DOES HAVE flaws. He doesn't operate his best when forced to throw into tight windows from the pocket. The problem is... how do you force him into that kind of a situation? The first step for defensive coordinators is finding the right gameplan. And it doesn't appear the coaches of the NFL have figured it out yet. Checkout some of the other Baltimore-related threads. There are some really good football minds on this board, and nobody can agree on the exact approach to defending the Ravens offense yet. Once the Ravens offense is "figured out" (and who knows how long this could take) there will still be many teams who don't have the right talent to execute. And it's always possible that Jackson makes great strides as a passer, further limiting how defenses can slow him down.

Not sure that works in 2019. Baltimore made some adjustments in the offseason, specifically to combat this kind of defensive scheme. Personnel-wise, you need to match up with their heavy 3-Tight End sets. Otherwise, they are going to totally run you over. The problem is, when you go heavy on the D-Line... you don't have the speed to catch Lamar Jackson on QB-keepers. To me, you absolutely MUST keep Jackson in the pocket. Instead of rushing the defender, your edge defenders need to play disciplined and keep him contained. Your interior D-Line must play gap control, and keep blockers off the linebackers. I'm also playing lots of Cover 1, using the extra safety to help cover the TEs and support in run coverage. Make Jackson beat you with his arm.

Saw them. They were really good throws. Impressive accuracy. I'm not trying to say that Lamar Jackson cannot make pinpoint throws between defenders. He obviously can. What I'm saying is that Jackson isn't displaying the ability (at this point in his career) of consistent high-level QB play... meaning going through multiple reads and quickly diagnosing defensive coverages from the pocket. Instead, you are seeing Jackson taking advantage of defenses stacking the box, and leaving bare-bones man-coverage in the secondary. Combined with play-action and RPO's, his reads are simple, but extremely effective. Don't get me wrong. This is not a big knock on Jackson. His running ability (and opposing defenses being totally helpless to stop it) is the #1 reason he's getting those easy reads downfield. You must also remember that Jackson is still very early in development, and very few QBs can diagnose coverages at a high-level in their second year. But it's also why some fans still have some skepticism regarding Jackson's long-term outlook. History has shown that QBs who depend mostly on their legs - without also developing as a passer - don't succeed very long in the NFL. And despite what pure statistics/numbers say, I still think Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield are progressing beyond Jackson in pure development as a Quarterback.

Jared Goff may someday be a great study on the "Do's and Don't's" for developing a young Quarterback. By all the accounts that I've read, Goff was brought along on training wheels the first 2 years under Sean McVay. At some point, McVay should have backed-off and let Goff sink or swim by himself (especially before the team handed him a huge contract extension). But he didn't, defenses have now adjusted, and they are stuck with a QB who seemingly never learned how to truly play the position. Based on the comments Brian Daboll has made, I think he understands this when it comes to Josh Allen. There is a thin line between teaching a player, and actually doing his job for him. Someday it comes back to bite you.

Great post. Baltimore is running an offensive scheme that perfectly matches the talents of its players. That's not the same as being a gimmick offense. Lamar Jackson isn't picking teams apart with his arm. But his running ability is possibly the best the NFL has ever seen for a QB, and teams are forced to stack the box to focus on stopping it. When he does throw, he's certainly good enough to take advantage of the weak coverage in the secondary. I'm sure that eventually, defensive coordinators will figure out how to slow-down/contain what they are doing. (Will they do it before the Ravens win the Super Bowl, I don't know...) Once defenses adjust, it will be on the Ravens players and coaches to formulate a counter-punch. Look no further than the team they played last night. The Rams were the Greatest Show on Turf 2.0 until running into Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl. Suddenly Jared Goff looks below average, and Sean McVay doesn't look like such a genius. So yeah. Long-term, I can understand why people would be skeptical about Jackson and the Ravens. But don't forget that he's developing just like our young QB, and he could still get better as a passer as time goes along. And if they can get 2 more months out of this scheme, they just may be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Like many of us said at the trade deadline... there just weren't many options that could significantly help our team down the stretch. Everybody wants a receiver. But it's hard to support giving up a Day 1-2 draft pick for any of the guys supposedly on the trade block. Lots of people were pushing for AJ Green, but it's looking extremely unlikely that he will even play in 2019. And then he's a a free agent anyway. The thing I like about this regime (both coaches and front office), is that they seem to learn from their mistakes. A few years ago, they jumped on the Kelvin Benjamin deal - and it was probably the worst move they've made in the last 3 seasons. So now they are being more careful in trading resources for the discarded junk from other teams.