ctk232

^this. Our OL was one of the best PassPro units in the league this year. A huge reason why Allen’s passing stats were so prolific. However, upgrading the RB while retaining the OL unit and scheme won’t yield much difference. If you want a run game start with the line. Our scheme and run blocking were atrocious. For that matter, both lines could use some serious targeted investment...

Love seeing everyone hollering about RB when Singletary and Yeldon were our starters tonight. If you want more of that kind of offense what you actually want is OL - had a pretty poor showing of that tonight. Both in Run block and Pass Pro. DL and TE sure, why not. But even the best RBs couldn’t run or catch behind this line tonight. That said, don’t let this one game be what you take away from them this season overall. Lot to be positive about for the future.

Hope you’re right, but vaguely recall Beane/Pegs saying they would only block horizontal moves to other teams and not vertical. If either were offered a higher position under Daboll they may not block. Though I believe that was in reference to Daboll getting other OC offers to interview...

Fwiw there doesn’t have to be an “impact” for a player to get concussed - any jarring of the brain within the cranium can cause a concussion. His head snaps forward violently as he’s tackled around his neck, hell, his neck/spinal cord gets flexed over the tacklers arm too. Very violent motion that easily could concuss anyone.

Yup - if there was an “OL” option I’d vote that #1, and QB #2. The OL allows every other position to do what it’s supposed to. Doesn’t matter who your QB is if you don’t have the pass pro to give them time to throw, or WR time to develop routes, or run block to give RBs lanes. The entire offense and ability to score points starts and stops with the OL - and if you had to pick one among them the Center would be the captain and most vital. Hard to argue, but unless your defense is constantly putting up points, gotta give the edge to the offense - among which OL is most vital.

This is honestly one of my favorite sayings in sports - unfortunately, it's not actually always the case. But nice to say when it works out lol

Honestly, the Colts did what they've done the entire season. We all of a sudden abandoned the E-P offense for a ground and pound approach against one of the best DL's and LB in the game. Everyone on here saying this would be a blowout got a bit of crow to eat, especially considering wildcard games are almost always a defensive slug. But frankly there's no reason for us to have abandoned our passing game plan the way we did in the first half. We resurrected the QB draw a la first few weeks of the season for whatever reason, but my only logic is that Daboll must be trying to sabotage his HC interviews...Smoke unfortunately didn't help the case, but there was no reason we shouldn't have fed Diggs and Bease (even Davis) as the primary approach against a weaker secondary. Where was the McKenzie motion package today, too? Objectively, all I can say is once we had the lead we definitely leaned into the run - likely in attempt to milk clock and prevent the Colts from relying too heavily on Taylor themselves. Joke on us being that our secondary did nothing to stop those blitz pass drives from Rivers in the second half. I feel like a lot of this "wtaf happened" came from us overestimating our reg season performance and underestimating the Colts reg season performance - particularly the latter. This was an incredible year for the AFC, and every team that made the playoffs is/was a stout football team and/or well-coached. This was never going to be the one-sided contest some of us thought, and we certainly did ourselves no favors with playcalling on either side of the ball. Despite the missed calls, I'm glad the refs kept the flags pocketed for the most part, as there were plenty of missed calls on both sides, the final fumble notwithstanding - that's just egregious on NY's part. Fwiw, my armchair expectation for next week is we get back to our roots and see a more settled team next week. We needed to be brought to earth and solidified in the strategies that got us here in the first place. Winning in the playoffs is ugly af, and Josh said it best where it's win or go home, and for better or worse we effin' won. What matters more now is how this team preps and comes out for next week. Nothing is for granted and everything is earned. There's no sense in this "wtf" attitude about today - the Buffalo Bills won, and the team we saw all season needs to find itself for next week, whoever the opponent. Everyone's hurt, everyone's hungry, and no one is cashing anything in - whoever is the most complete, has the most teeth left in the 4th, and is willing to give them up will make the biggest differences moving forward.

Long term? Totally - but I think there are other guys out first before Roberts that allows him to stay next year. I’d be curious whether he and McKenzie split PR/KR duties or not if that ends up being the case. Either way, I like having these problems rather than the usual “wtf are we doing on ST this year”

Yep. It’s Wild Card weekend - literally anything can happen and usually does. Frankly, I don’t know what it is about the first round in the playoffs but it’s always slow to start with most teams, and a defensive battle until one team settles first. Starting fast and forcing the game into Rivers’ hands is key to minimizing Taylor, and setting the pace throughout the game. Again, for whatever reason, the team’s that efficiently and effectively set the pace first typically carry it through in the first round. Which leads me to this 👍 The hope with starting fast is minimizing the ability of the Colts to make it a possession game predicated on Taylor providing the continuity and that stout OL. Whether we are able to start fast and set the pace or not, I think we see a lot of LOS presnap packages with mixed coverage, but otherwise bringing relentless pressure to force the ball into Rivers’ hands and out early. He’s wicked fast with his release but his arm strength has never really been there. As long as our safeties and DBs stay disciplined in coverage I think we’ll handle the deep ball just fine. But this game will come down to pace and like almost every playoff game, who wins the LOS more on both sides of the ball. Some ST points would be huge this week too.

I think you see Murphy leave and a few others cut - I can’t see an off-season where they don’t prioritize re-signing Williams. Beane’s repeatedly put a premium on protecting Josh, and Williams is a huge reason why our pass pro has been exceptional this year. I see us losing him only to a team that overpays, but he’d also be hard-pressed to skip town on an emerging perennial contender. After that, Feliciano, Milano, McKenzie in that order. I’d also be surprised to see Roberts go - think they give him another year given the importance Farwell put on him and Beane’s commitment to building out ST. He may draw the line at Taiwan Jones despite him being a top gunner and who knows, I think Antonio Williams bests Yeldon for a line-up spot. Barkley shouldn’t cost much at all, unless they think Fromm is really okay to fill that role. Marlowe may be on the out looking in, but the hope is Beane is staggering contracts and some guys are more willing to stay on an up and coming team. Can’t forget Diggs likely being reworked too, but the hope has always been to build through the draft, and likely we see OL and Defense this year depending on how the first ~20 picks go. It’ll be an interesting offseason to follow, but I do see Beane staying true to his stated goal of protecting and supporting Josh first and foremost.

Not saying it was a fluke, I’m aware of the voting structure - I just don’t see the case for it this year personally. Doesn’t mean the kid should be released either.

This to me is the biggest signing needed this offseason...bar none

Milano lined up over the middle and shot the wrong gap on a big Taylor chunk run. It’s all about the line, first and foremost. Edmunds can still improve for sure, but I don’t agree with the resignation in judgment. Again, it’s been stated there’s no real difference between their positions in this D and what each is asked to do at different times. McD’s “MLB” if you prefer, requires more coverage assignments than actual gap discipline. It’s always been a hybrid position that no true MLB can fill. He was asked to play that role in stopping the run tonight, which we adjusted and did in the second half. Our DTs were slow to the take in the first half on a few plays as well.

Not sure we can’t in all honesty - depends a lot on how they structure contracts and potentially restructure others. I don’t think we see a few guys return next year, but I doubt Beane will be forced to choose between the two LBs. We’ll know more after the draft/FA and once the new cap is set.

Are we still trying to fit square pegs in round holes by saying our D has a defined MLB and OLB? Because it doesn’t - even per Lorax, there is no difference between Milano and Edmunds positions except for specific man or zone coverage assignments on various downs. I agree, I don’t know where his Pro Bowl nomination came from, but I hardly feel his development trajectory is one that is cause for concern. He and Milano together are a solid duo - run plays were blown up at the line and adjustments were made in game. It’s an area to improve, but I would still keep the pitchforks stored. I would agree, however, that Milano’s value to the Bills is higher than market average for his role in this D.

YUP Love Boettger and his story and he certainly has plugged in selectively, but he’s getting tremendous help around him. Helps having Morse and Dawkins flanking him. I think you see Ford regain that spot next season, and decidedly so. He’s the better run blocker and handles stunts and twists more consistently. I’d still expect Boettger to make the team unless we draft OL.

Appreciate the analytics and all, but based on their ranking of Gase alone I have to wonder about the methodology here...

I was just thinking about that actually - saying we win tomorrow and even against NE, do we start or have our starters go the full game? I think we do if the Steelers continue to fall off the wagon and it comes down to that W to vie for longer homefield advantage or even a bye. Otherwise I'm not sure we do, but selfishly would love to sweep the division...

I would make a few tweaks to the jersey still but agreed - love it, just don't need the matching trousers. Red on White would be a good look.

Not just that - what DB bites on a 20 yd cut double move with 5 seconds left in the game when they have no timeouts? You KNOW he's going to the endzone, in what world would you bite on that move?

Throw in DB and LB depth - and as long as Winters is starting in the NFL, whoever that team is does not have an OL. OG/C investment would be nice, OT too if we don't lock up Daryl Williams for a couple more years. Our blocking schemes have been inconsistent this year and would love to see both Singletary/Moss run behind a Winters & Boettger-less OL. Def would love to see Josh throw behind one, too.

I appreciate the enthusiasm, vastly more so than the doom and gloom, but all that matters is if the 2020 Bills are better than the rest of their 2020 opponents. For s**** & gigs, I'd say the Chiefs are - not so sure about the Steelers honestly, given some of the game today. But they undefeated which is hard enough in any year, so guess we'll see when we play em.

In those hypotheticals, sure you have a case - but the reason those teams won was because of the talent present at the time as well as other variables. There's no reason the 2020 Bills being better than any of those past teams means they are better than the 2020 Chiefs or 2020 Steelers, among others. it's also true that a playoff win at minimum is a very real possibility - my hopes are it will come at home for a change. We'd all love to see that and this is the closest we've been to it in a long time. But that said, all that matters is how well they match-up and perform against present talent - which for the year is quite exceptional and very AFC concentrated.

I still don’t understand our OL decisions...Morse back but Winters stays? Not that I’m a Boettger fan, but any pleb could tell Winters was the weakest link. Dawkins/Boettger/Morse/Feliciano/Williams - why this isn’t our starting OL today and moving forward is maddening.

Hopefully this starts at the right timestamp (4:22) - but if you watch when he tomahawk tackles, Murray falls on the side of his head/neck. It looks like he still has the adrenaline kicking until he stands up, and the concussion sets in. Kinda scary if that's how it played out, but the kid is hungryyyy. If he had to have it happen, the week before the bye is a better time than any. On another note, he is night and day faster from his college seasons after dropping some of the weight. He plays with enough tenacity that I'm just excited to see how the rest of his season goes.