AKC

Statmuse has us in shotgun 33+ times a game this season, most in the league according to their data. We do also lead the league in plays/game so it is possible for both things to be true.

It is indeed difficult to lean on play action when you are leading the league in shotgun snaps.

Are you suggesting the Bengal's strategy is not as wise as Beane's 🤫

Absolutely the overall key to their D performance was their Dline dominance and they were really only playing man on 3rd downs. When they did press up they were effective in muddying everything for Mahomes on 3rd down where they were only 3 for 11 converting.

I think the past Super Bowl got plenty of attention with our coaching staff. Mahomes has thrived on our off coverage but the Eagles disrupted him with soft press coverage. Their DBs press at the LOS and can electively jam their assignment, impede their release without contact or drop out of the press. Hairston was drafted with that in mind. Babich wants to do it but Tre looks like the Achilles. I noticed 3 of the 3rd/4th down must have plays for the Fish targeted and succeeded by going at Tre. I haven’t watched the All 22s but it would surprise me if that number isn’t higher. Tre is currently over performing against the run but he can’t play Babich’s LOS coverage which is more athleticism/less cerebrality. IMO Tre is just a bad fit for what Babich wants to do and the sooner we get a superior athlete at CB2 the better our playoff hopes become.

We played plenty of press in the Fish game. On their 4th and 4 we had Tre White pressing Waddle. Not only did Waddle get off the line untouched, he basically broke Tre’s ankles. 3 yards into his route Tre was 3 yards behind him.

The game last night provided plenty of evidence that we need to get talent up to move Tre to the bench. It’s not even his declining athletic skills as much as it is our scheme is asking more of our corners in man, and while it’s never been his strength it is at this time an obvious weakness. Between Max and Strong we need someone to emerge and begin getting reps from White.

You could frame that as more a lack of instinct than lack of athleticism. I always thought the glue in our Hyde/Poyer back end was instinct.

Yeah, Marcus saw the goal line in 3 dimensions while defenders were working just 2. He was the same player in college and he was incredible to watch when his team was within a couple yards. A great RB and even better goal line expert- and a great guy to Bills fans that lived near him in Brentwood!

It was a shame his agent missed the call from Kraft when they were looking for a new Stay Puft spokesman.

Great point. As that last 15 seconds ticked down all I could think of was a kicker who had been in our gear for a few days- what could possibly go wrong here?

I'd guess they continue to use it expecting it to begin to click with Josh to bring that ball up to take advantage of Coleman's wild jumping ability. They have to feel Josh will get it and then they start to get a lot different defensive looks on Coleman, and not just on the goal line. There were a couple passes Josh hit Coleman high in the 4th- the first pass of the quarter and then again a great and effortless leap for Coleman on the opening play of the drive before the Ravens fumble that left 3 Raven DBs flat footed and out of the play. The Bills are clearly developing Coleman to become a reliable target and his possibly elite skill is getting in the air on a catch. I'm not positing that it's the right thing to do on those conversions, but I just don't think it's going to go away at this point.

Keep taking that Ginka! From the game prior to ours: https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2023/12/10/micah-parsons-illness-week-14-philadelphia-eagles/79624100007/

IIRC Parsons was questionable for that game due to some carriage issue, maybe a hip? Our strategy was completely correct but that game he looked to me to be struggling with his own issues and not just the way we went at him.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/09/28/USC-football-player-shot-on-practice-field/1848717652800/

You are right that it's no coincidence both of our new DEs are good against the run and pass. It's easy for Offenses to keep D personnel on the filed when they want to and your chance of becoming a chess-master at DC is much improved if your edge pieces can sack and stuff. These guys both help out a lot in broadening the D playcalls when they are on the field, able to step out from our more contain philosophy to more attacking at the most advantageous spots in the game.

He was top 10 in total snaps for DEs in 17, 19 and 21. Lots of those games he was dying for air at the end because of the Charger's awful use of him. He always pursued even when winded. With contemporary rehab and the limits we should be able to provide him on his 2025 snaps counts we may be able to make our own luck with him and have him just hitting his stride in November. The draft should give us some younger horses to take up some slack while he gets in condition. Having watched a lot of Charger games over his career it's fair to presume his being gassed by being overplayed left him vulnerable to more injuries. He has every reason to come pick up 10 sacks in a D that is very likely to keep him fresh this season.

Or it 's another indicator that the top of our draft will include a big DT they realize we have to have to keep up with changes in the opposition's offensive philosophies. We spent the past seasons building a D to beat KC only to see evolution of the game make it obsolete as a base. Time to adjust the D to 2025.

Hollins was worth a lot more to the Pats than he was to us and as you point out they have the bank to play. He outperformed expectations regularly and was a bigger asset than anyone guessed, but Meathead is a product of the “oppinfo” regime he played in and needs to figure out how to get a win against us every year if he wants to succeed in this coaching turn. Of course he was willing to overpay for a guy who clearly absorbed the Brady O last year, and in addition Vrabel absolutely admires Mac’s enthusiasm on the field as do most Bills fans.

It looks like his long term ongoing neck problems kept him from finishing two games, with one episode resulting in a game stoppage and him immobile for a few minutes before he was taken off the field.

Without even reading between the lines it seems clear the Bengals have assessed the chances of Hendrickson playing a full season in 25 to be dubious while Hendrickson accepts that he is likely to be medically scrubbed at some point soon but he #1 wants to play and #2 agrees with the Bengals that moving on with some draft capital for the team he feels loyal to is the best thing for the team. This warning lights should be bright for any team considering giving him a new contract.

The Chargers ran him into the ground. Too many years in the top 10 or 20 in DL snap counts. Few bodies can hold up and while he gave effort even when he was overused it’s tough to imagine him being a difference maker for any extended period at this point.

I'll second Simon's thoughts. This forum has always attracted some of the best Bills fans everywhere whether for their contributions of enthusiasm, knowledge, experiences, humor or our origin memories. That's a difficult finish in a game that clearly could easily have had the opposite outcome and it will drive the team to look to shore up those weaknesses exploited against us tonight. Instead of that reflection and in the spirit of CVMs original post there are many here who offer thoughts that drive the actual Bills fans on this website to come back year after year. To all of you who love our team we are going to collect ourselves and be back soon for another campaign. In the meantime I'll be drinking to each and every one of you!

Interesting that you see his vision as a weakness. I'm far more worried about runners going to his left. He clearly worked hard in rehab and has his carriage in good shape. I've been more of the mindset that he's had the best vision of our second line since maybe Biscuit? We definitely agree on instincts.

The clear evidence based answer is that this staff will go with the guy who is more likely to be in the right spot.