GunnerBill

I genuinely was not thinking that. At no poiny did I think the Bills were losing that game. That is kinda of the job of the CB2 in this defense. Keep everything in front break on the ball but at worst tackle immediately and limit YAC. He gave up 5 catches for 27 yards. Now there were two "bad look" plays in that where the coaching put him in a tough spot. The problem yesterday was that they could also throw on the CB1. Benford was dreadful. If that pattern repeats the scheme has an issue.

Miami still had one timeout in its pocket. They were playing to score right at the end of the half. That was their entire strategy on that drive. Had the Bills not used timeouts they'd have used theirs differently. But there is zero doubt in my mind they'd have still bled the clock. Might they have had to settle for 3 instead of 7? Possibly but there is no reason to believe that would have been the case. The problem on that drive was NOT clock management. It was the defenses inability to make a stop.

They could only force things late against the Ravens because they softened up to coverage. On Thursday watching in real time I saw two plays where they definitely had deeper shots called and Josh had time aned eventually decided he didn't like them and came off it underneath to check downs. I haven't all22 reviewed those two plays yet, but I strongly suspect nobody was open. The one point you allude to that does slightly concern me is whether a bit of the gamer has been coached out of Josh in the sense that he is always thinking "safe option" until the game script dictates he doesn't. The thing that makes me think that is the Trubisky pass vs the Jets. He comes in cold, off the bench and throws an aggressive dime. I don't particularly have a stack of evidence to support that theory but that Trubisky play does make me wonder. Primarly though we don't have the ability at outside receiver. That to me remains this team's biggest limitation.

It's also not the philosophy I would choose. But it starts as @Kirby Jackson has laid out with talent acquisition. Because to be the more expansive, downfield passing version of the Bills you are going to need more explosiveness outside. That isn't Mack Hollins, or Keon Coleman or even for all of his skills Khalil Shakir, or by drafting a pass catching tight end in round one like Dalton Kincaid. Even Josh Palmer I said when we signed him is like the mininum standard attempt at doing it. He was like acceptable baseline. With the current talent mix on this roster they are playing the right kind of offense and they are staying aggressive enough within that system that with Josh's skillset it is allowing them to score 30 per game. Which is no mean feat. But if I was building this roster I'd have put a higher priority on getting explosive pass catchers. I wanted to draft Christian Watson. I wanted to trade up for Jordan Addison. I wanted to trade up for Brian Thomas Jnr. What I did not want our offensive draft capital spent on was a tight end and a non-separating big body receiver. But that is what we got.

The positive of Palmer here is erased by confirmation that Keon Coleman is still trying to find a way to separate from a lamppost.

Sounds like a classic Beane class. The Bills are one of the best day 3 drafting teams in football which as I jave said before is testament to their road scouts. Because day 3 is where you get to guys that the GM and Assistant GM have probably watched relatively little of. The scout evaluations count for much more.

Yea agree if there is any doubt give him one more week. Get him 100% for New England who will try and test the centre of our line.

You are not in power if the Fins have already run the clock out. You walk off the field at HT with 3 timeouts in your pocket. As it happened you used them and the Fins still ran the clock out but make no mistake the plan for the Fins on that drive was score (TD or FG) AND leave no time. The only way the Bills could stop that was stop the clock and make a play on defense. The play on defense was the bit that let them down. Not the clock management.

Sure. Thry have kept 11 before. But there are just no other easy positions to nick a spot from. The way I see it there are only four options: - The two special teams DBs (Franklin & Codrington) - A non-special teams DB (and I agree with you Ingram is probably most at risk) - A defensive lineman (which means Ogonjobi, Epensea or Soloman) - A wide receiver (where they are probably one heavy compared to normal which means Samuel) They are not cutting a running back, a tight end, an offensive lineman, a linebacker or a specialist. And I very much doubt they take all three from the DB room (so Codrington, Franklin AND Ingram). So then it becomes what can you live without... an 11th DL or a 6th WR?

The second is easier than the first... that was just good crafty receiver play by a vet receiver who manages to find the spot in the zone to be available to his QB. Technically (and I haven't got my ipad with me so scrolling to the right play in the all22 on my phone is a B word) I think the safety is the responsible guy but I think the Bills played that reasonably well. Tua and Hill just made a play, give them credit. On the first - again without the benefit of the all22 in a lot of what the Bills run, yes Bernard would have responsibility for the running back. I can't remember the play to know if I think he was legit spying Tua but that would feel an odd choice if he was.

Yea I disagree on that. Cam has been really effective since they started using him as their dime at the start of last season. And J think he is better at nickel and safety than Ingram. Ingram is a better outside corner, but given the depth ahead of him there not sure that counts for as much.

For sure Josh is the best player. Cook is the second best player (and he is better than just "good" that is established by now) there is a significant gap after them. I wouldn't have hated on them rolling Josh out there. I can't hate on them giving Cook the ball there. Either of those play calls were totally reasonable. The Dolphins made a play. It happens. It is resulting to claim it was a stupid play call.

No I mean 3rd. That link says 4th overall out of 160 but their player grades has him 3rd behind Collins (Cleveland) and Lawrence (Giants). No I'd still have Taron on the field. He is better than Dorian Williams. That said, if Shaq Thompson can keep playing like he did on Thursday maybe I can be persuaded that Milano - Bernard - Thompson has its uses in some situations.

Franklin was actually a free agent who didn't get picked up less than 3 weeks ago. He had a great game on teams against the Jets. But I don't believe that one performance would be enough to make him a guranteed pick up if he got cut. I'm still pretty confident you could smuggle him through to the PS.

There was a definite hold on one of the third down conversions before half. A pretty huge hold on AJE not called. Kurt Warner has an interesting take on the the one read stuff. He says McDaniel's offense puts so much emphasis on scheming open #1 (and generally does a good job of it) that it sort of deprioritises #2 and #3 so if #1 isn't there it isn't as easy for the QB to recognise whether 2 or 3 will be open. It's an interesting point because I have made a similar observation about Shanahan before. It is why he doesn't want freelancers, because his offense isn't set up for them. It works perfectly if you just paint by numbers.

I agree the DB decision comes down to Franklin or Ingram. They are not cutting Damar. But at least one of the cuts has to be Dline. They currently have 5 DEs and 4 DTs. They are not going to make that 6 DEs and 5 DTs. 6 and 4 I can see. 5 and 5 I can see. But they are not going with eleven spots on the defensive line. Other than the idea that they cut Ogonjobi without him ever making the roster who else is at risk? They aren't cutting Jackson even though he is a perennial inactive. I think the chances of them cutting Daquan are pretty remote given his play especially this past week, and Oliver, Groot, Bosa and the two rookie DTs are safe as houses. So you get to Solomon or Epenesa pretty quickly and while AJE has played some teams snaps this year Solomon has been a core STer. Cam isn't playing safety though. That is his point. Cam has a very specific role in our dime package.

One I'm pleased to be wrong on ha.

And I think I am right they have been top 10 every year bad one under McDermott. One thing you can pretty much hang your hat on is McDermott teams take the football away.

I don't know if it's the year. But it is the fourth time under this regime we have started 3-0 and we have never been better than 4-0 to start a season in that timespan. Be nice to break that this year, but overall I just appreciate watching a really good football team each week.

If they do put Milano on IR they need another linebacker. They can't have just 4 on the roster. Especially if they want to carry on running more 4-3 base (which they shouldn't but maybe they do).

On #1 I get why the focus is on Tre. He didn't have the sort of day he had vs the Jets (where he was very good). He had two "bad look" plays the touchdown and the crosser in the 4th Quarter but @HappyDays has already described why the touchdown was basically a coaching error more than a player one - I agree and the crosser on Waddle was pretty much the same tbh. Tre White is never winning that look in man coverage going horizontally across the field with Jaylen Waddle. Hell absolute prime Tre White isn't winning there. Overall he was not terrible. He gave up 5 catches on 6 targets but for only 27 yards. He is CB2 in this scheme. That role traditionally gives up catches but not yards. Benford was much the weaker corner on Thursday and has already given up more touchdowns this season (3) than in any other season of his career (never more than 2 before). I am a big Benford fan but I'm concerned. That was his worst game as a Bill IMO.

They run blitzed a DB up a ton in that 3rd quarter especially. Did you think as I did that the obvious counter was to run some of those quick tunnel screens Brady usually loves to get the ball to the outside given how many Miami was committing to the point of attack to stop Cook? To me it was crying out for that and they are among Brady's favourite plays normally, even when maybe the looks are less favourable. Thought it was odd we didn't see any of them in response to what Miami was doing in the second half.

I don't think either Davis or Johnson have been great thus far to be honest. Johnson was a bit better this week but thank heavens we got the Cook contract sorted. The people arguing with our offensive line it didn't really matter who the running back was woulda had the shock of their lives if we were watching Davis and Johnson as our primary ball carriers right now.

And he is our best skill position player by a mile. In the redzone call plays for your best players. Could they have thrown it? Sure. Is running James Cook down there when he is our most reliable weapon ever a major mistake? No.

For sure he is. But after Josh the next best thing the Bills have is James Cook (and by a distance). Calling a play for Cook there is never something that deserves the level of critcism some want to throw Brady's way. Indeed later in the game they called Josh's number in the deeper red area the play was a bust, they got lucky with the unnecessary roughness and then instead of getting cute with a 2nd opportunity they gave the ball to James Cook - touchdown. The kid had 16 last year. He has 4 already this. In terms of things we know work for the Buffalo Bills in the redzone giving the ball to James Cook is right up there with get Josh on the move.