eball

I wonder if the people saying “pump the brakes, it’s only preseason” in this thread are also the ones saying “the offense is in trouble and Allen didn’t look good” elsewhere on the forum.

From Jim Kubiak -- who analyzes QB play for the Buffalo News -- in this article: it was clear in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts that Allen is miles ahead of where he was this time last season. That begs the question, how much can he grow, and what will his growth mean to the Bills? Allen was very poised and in command in his limited action against the Colts in front of a home crowd, leading the Bills during the first two drives of the game. He completed 6 of 11 passes for 66 yards in 16 offensive plays, and rushed for 8 yards while scrambling for a first down. He looked comfortable in the pocket, reading and deciphering coverage and making throws accurately and on time. Allen’s performance grade in his 16 plays was near perfect at 95%, accounting for just one missed throw that occurred while attempting a curl route to his right on third-and-6 of the first drive.

Hmm...I have GamePass and use it without issue on my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Maybe the NFL just likes Apple products?

Cross-training at 3-tech. They only had a couple of players available. Joe B addressed it in his Athletic article.

Exactly. I can't believe the nitpicking over the placement of that throw. Does anyone watch throws Brady/Brees make? They're not all perfect, folks. Your receivers need to make plays when the football hits them in the hands.

I'm surprised you didn't give Yeldon a "bad" night grade. That fumble was a killer, and Singletary showing skills as a 3rd down back didn't help him either.

Good recap Gunner...I think we saw a lot of the same things. When I see a Buffalo News headline this morning that reads "Allen Unspectacular" and a D&C headline that reads "The Wrong QB Looked Great" I just sort of shake my head. Did Allen light it up? Of course not. But if you remove the holding penalty and Zay catches that last pass Josh's stat line would read 8/12 with a TD. I think he only threw one "bad" pass -- the 3rd down effort to Zay -- and the other three incompletions were a throwaway, an overthrow downfield, and a miscommunication. He looked decisive and accurate with his checkdowns and short passing game. I love the fact that Barkley looks solid as the #2. Zay needs to start worrying if he can't hang onto the football. I may disagree with you a bit regarding Singletary. No, his YPC were not good, but he showed the quickness and shiftiness we were told about. It looks like his hands are reliable as well. All in all a pretty good start to the season by these Bills.

uncomfortably boring

ball was *right* *in* *his* *hands*

gotcha

Are you kidding me that was a perfect throw that was dropped.

Sad but true.

If you only look at each season in a microcosm you fail to see that the entire 2+ year "process" of decision-making has led to this year and beyond. What "lowering of the standard" are you talking about, exactly? I'm on record multiple times that I expect 10 wins out of this team. I can also say I don't think anyone "expects" the Bills' offense to suddenly "light it up" based upon one offseason of additions. If the defense plays as expected and the offense improves to average they are well positioned for the future, both in youth and available resources. I believe McD may be fairly judged for his W-L record beginning this year.

They do? I haven't seen that on this board. I think most fans are hoping the additions on offense and a year of experience for Josh will lead to a balanced, at-least-average offense. I'm really surprised people think McD wants to run a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense. Yes, he's a defensive-minded HC, but that also means he knows what kind of offenses are successful. McD is significantly underestimated and undervalued by many on this board.

Unless they aren't.

I'm not basing my presumptions upon anything former players and coaches said...I believe Daboll is not trying to get Josh to become something he isn't. We'll find out soon enough.

Right, everybody knows that, and it meant nothing. Perhaps it won't backfire on the Browns but it was an unnecessary move that made their RB room weaker to start the season.

I couldn't agree less. I think if Singletary shows during the preseason that he is as productive as they think he'll be, Yeldon is out the door.

Exactly. Dumb move by Cleveland in my opinion. Completely unnecessary.

I don't think anyone should be surprised that Barkley is more adept than Josh at the short passing game at this point in their respective careers...that IS Barkley's game and he's been doing it for years. I think Josh can get better at the short throws but I have also heard Josh say on numerous occasions that he loves working with 'Dabes' because (and I'm paraphrasing) "he puts in throws I like and takes out throws I don't like." This tells me Daboll is not trying to jam a square peg into a round hole, which is reassuring. And with that said, I hope Josh doesn't get hurt but if he does, Barkley is sound enough to manage the offense and be supported by what we hope is a stifling defense.

Don't remember the year but my first home game was a preseason tilt vs. Green Bay in the mid 70s. It was at Rich so had to be '73 or later. My first regular season home game was opening day '79 vs. the Fish, when Dempsey missed a game-winner, but I was lucky enough to be back at the stadium three weeks later to see the Jerry Butler explosion against the Jets.

Lots I'm excited to see. Allen for the first couple of drives, along with Brown and Beas. Oliver. Singletary. Sweeney. The battle for 6th WR. Special teams units under Farwell, including #coreyvscorypuntapalooza. Also looking to see discipline -- i.e., pre-snap penalties

Couple of big no-nos with this thread: 1) Begging for free tickets when they're readily available on the cheap 2) Publishing an email address in a post Definitely a noob.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!!!!!!!! You've won NFL Preseason Bingo by being the first to use this phrase in a preseason thread!