The Frankish Reich

Well then I'm convinced. Woody Paige wrote my etiquette guide. EDIT: actually if Mina Kimes said it, all is forgiven. Obviously. We kept playing 2 (half the time 3) corners when they'd made it abundantly clear that Mac would never be allowed to throw a pass against the wind.

With your two CBs on the field 100% of the time to defend against 3 passes.

Because holding a team to 14 points on a night where they were unable to pass the ball should get you some kind of special achievement award.

Exactly. No need to try to put up 30 points, or even 20. Just keep grinding it out and let the other guys make mistakes.

I think he was. Now THAT was pathetic. 3rd and 4, QB sneak gets 3 ... it was all push. They had it, we didn't. I just had to laugh when I stumbled across this while trying to figure out if Star had an excuse (weight loss while on the COVID list, etc): https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2021/12/a-star-returns-bills-dt-lotulelei-could-be-key-to-stopping-patriots-rushing-attack.html

In one of the many, many other post-game threads, I looked back at what happened in that famous 1974 game where the Bills and the Jets combined for 2 completed passes. It was a September rain and wind storm with gusts in the 40-50 mph range. Joe Namath threw 18 passes. 2 completions. 3 interceptions. Joe Ferguson threw 2 passes. 0 completions. The Bills won the game. Nobody anywhere ever accused Joe Ferguson of having a weak arm. And he attempted two passes. It's called strategy, not "trust" of your QB. Back in Sept 1973 and again last night one coach got it.

Maybe they should have Edmunds carrying a clownishly huge hypodermic needle labeled "COVID-19 Vaccine" behind him to see if that will make him move.

I'm still astounded that we played 2 CBs 100% of the time, and 3 CBs 41% of the time. To defend 3 passes.

That "absent" game is always a fun one to play. And both sides can play it! - absent Allen's 21 yard run and Singletary's 17 yarder, we ran the ball 23 times for 68 yards: 2.95 yards per carry - absent Diggs' great catch for 26 yards and Sanders' 19 yarder, Allen went 13-28 for 100 yards.

The only way you could sell some people here on the idea of a dome is to include loading docks with dedicated tailgate party access. Complete with folding tables and ketchup and mustard dispensers.

Agreed. Just having fun with the idea that Daboll probably considers last night a success because his team found a way to move the ball through the air while the other guys didn't.

Frank Gore averaged 3.5 per carry last year. At age 37. For the Jets. The old problem of "drafting for need" instead of best player available.

Two cheers for "balanced offense!"

You mean neutral site playoffs and Super Bowl, like the NBA bubble in Summer 2020? When do Hawaii flights open up for booking? Or are we in the Cancun Division? Whichever way, it sounds absolutely horrid.

Set the edge so well that they had no choice but to run it right up the gut for 220 yards!

You mean other than holding them to less than 220 yards rushing? Other than holding a team that passed for 19 yards to less than 14 points? Other than stopping a team that didn't even pretend to be attempting a pass from a 65 yard TD run?

Well you'll be happy to learn that Gabe was out there for 28% of snaps vs. 79% for Sanders. And we just didn't have the bodies on offense to go "heavy" - Knox played 97% of snaps, Sweeny 22%. No fullback, so that wasn't an option, and McD wasn't doing the Pats thing and using an O lineman as an extra "blocking TE" (why not?). So the heaviest we went was 2 tight ends - both receiver-first types if you ask me - on the field at the same time in about 20% of our snaps. Which left us in 3 receiver sets a lot of the time in a game that screamed "run the damn ball."

Weird thing is everyone - including on TSW - said "let's make Mac try to thrown in bad weather." And then we didn't. Oh, we had 9 or 10 men in the box on many occasions, but we learned that it also matter WHO those 9 or 10 men are. Levi Wallace, Taron, Dane, the safeties, Tremaine, Milano ... where's the big guys to stop the bulldozer?

43% of snaps for Taron. So unless my math is really worse than I think it is: we had 3 CBs on the field at a time for nearly half of the Pats offensive snaps. In a game where they threw the ball 3 times. And we wonder why the bulldozed us for 220 yards.

I actually like him. Someone needs to be a little bit ... provocative. I think that's the nice term for it. He got a raw deal because Bills management couldn't take the heat back when they really deserved the heat.

One step from the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-13-game-recap-new-england-patriots-14-buffalo-bills-10 Micah Hyde’s critical error on a pursuit angle is what opened the door for Harris’ long touchdown run in the first quarter. New England’s formations forced nine (and sometimes 10) Bills defenders near the line of scrimmage, leaving the safety in the middle of the field as the last line of defense. Sometimes it's better to just own it. Hyde is a smart player. He was playing deep on the breakaway run for one reason - as a safety (hey, is that where the name comes from?) preventing the big run if a RB slips past that front 10.

First, for the Pats on offense: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-13-game-recap-new-england-patriots-14-buffalo-bills-10 In a game in which they ran the ball on 48 of their 51 offensive snaps, the Patriots often deployed their “jumbo” package. That lead to some of the wonkiest play-time numbers that we’ve seen all season. Mac Jones and his starting offensive line were the constants in this one, with each of those six players going the distance on Monday, while reserve lineman Michael Onwenu got a 61% share of his own as the “blocking tight end” for the night. Jonnu Smith, who actually gets paid to play tight end, also played a big role in the running game having played 76% of the snaps himself. Jakob Johnson (49%) even beat out Hunter Henry (29%) to be the third man in line, as Jones’ favorite red zone target wasn’t needed much in the run game. And for the Bills on defense against that jumbo package? - Levi Wallace: 100% of snaps - Dane Jackson: 100% Who were they covering? That Offensive Lineman who was the "blocking tight end"? We don't have a lot of LB/safety options to bulk up against the run, particularly with Klein out (waiting for the vax update ...). But maybe: - Siran Neal: 33% - Tyler Matakevich: 4% Even Jerry Hughes was on the field for only 49% of snaps. I thought the rotation of pass rushers was because they tire themselves out, you know, rushing the passer all over the field ... They went heavy. We stayed light. McD and Frazier do know that when the offense substitutes you get a chance to substitute yourself so you don't have 179 lb Levi Wallace trying to tackle a 245 lb RB?

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32809233/new-england-patriots-throw-just-three-passes-dominate-ground-win-buffalo-bills The three passing attempts are the fewest in Patriots history, while the two completions match their fewest, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The three pass attempts were the fewest by any team since the Bills attempted just two in Week 3 of the 1974 season (vs. the New York Jets). "We played kind of the way we felt like we needed to play to win. In the end, we scored enough points," New England coach Bill Belichick said. That made me wonder. What was going on in Week 3 in Buffalo in 1974? https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197409290buf.htm The box score says winds were 19 mph, but that obviously downplays it. It was apparently raining with wind gusts in the 30-40 mph range. Here's how the NYT put it: ORCHARD PARK, MY., Sept. 29—The Jets and the Buffalo Bills played some strange kind of a game today. Because of the elements, it was not football. The Bills won, 16‐12, in wind and rain. The wind was the worst, 20 miles an hour down one end of Rich Stadium with gusts up to 40 miles. Lou Saban WAS Bill Belichick in that game. Joe Ferguson threw 2 passes. OJ ran it 30 times, Braxton 17. We gained 220 yards on the ground (now where else have I seen that number?). The Jets tried to play a more normal game, so Joe Namath threw 18 times. He completed 2 to his own receivers, and 3 to Bills interceptors. We won 16-12. Someone Bills intern should have pulled out the old tape of that game before last night's debacle. I suspect some Pats intern did.

I love how this is becoming a meme ... Zack Moss running directly into his own Guard's back. Someone needs to do a lowlight reel of those plays.