Logic

Knox is another one. Dawson Knox is talented enough to be the Bills de facto #2 receiver. People say the Bills didn't have a legitimate #2 receiver. Well guess what, all the years that Mahomes was rolling out excellent offenses with Tyreek Hill, ya know who their #2 receiver was? Travis Kelce! Knox may not be at Travis Kelce's level, but he's damned sure talented enough to operate as a featured passing game piece, and not just an afterthought, as he seems to be now. Knox, Cook, Hines. Three talented players with valuable skillsets and the ability to help an offense. All either underused, poorly used, or not used at all. Maddening.

It just seemed like Dorsey used all three running backs the same way, which is to say, they either ran the ball (and the run game generally lacked creativity) or ran a basic curl or leaked into the backfield to be a checkdown option. He didn't have a special package of plays for Cook and Hines, he didn't seem to have designed any plays whose goal was to get those players the ball in space. He didn't seem to have made any efforts to say "let's see if we can use these guys as receivers". He didn't go into any particular week saying "today, we're gonna give Hines 5-8 touches on offense in creative ways and see if he can spark our offense". Ultimately, Dorsey just didn't seem to have any creative ideas up his sleeve to make use of two fast and talented players who can both catch the ball. ESPECIALLY on an offense that sends its receivers deep so often, their talent sure could have paid dividends if given time and opportunity on the field in more creative ways.

That ***** got out of control. People legitimately thought we were saving this excellent bag of tricks all season long, just to roll it out in the playoffs and shock our opponents. Preposterous. Someone earlier mentioned a disconnect between Beane and the coaching staff with regard to use of personnel, and I think that hits the nail on the head pretty squarely. Guys like Hines, Cook, and Shakir all had things to offer this offense -- and at times, these things were direly needed! -- and Dorsey just couldn't/wouldn't make it happen. And that's not even to mention the inability of Hodgins to get snaps on offense. To have talent and speed like Hines and Cook, and to just NOT use it and have it sitting on your bench, shows a real lack of imagination and creativity and adaptability to personnel. It's very concerning.

See, but to me, the first two things you mention -- bad WR play and bad OL play -- are all the MORE reason to get your running backs going. Like..."oh, our receivers are struggling? Our protection is bad, leading to Josh running for his life?"...those seem like the EXACT type of factors that would make you go "let's get the ball quickly to our speedy running backs in space and let them make plays. I dunno, maybe I'm taking crazy pills.

First two responses are A++

I know, I know, it's "everybody's fired up and venting on TSW" week. As I sit here this morning and read all of the talk of the Bills not surrounding Josh Allen with enough weapons, I'm getting irritated. Don't get me wrong, they could have used another good receiver because Davis and McKenzie didn't step up as hoped, and they obviously need OL reinforcements....BUT... The Bills had two very speedy, potentially potent weapons on their offensive roster, and they didn't use them. I'm talking about James Cook and Nyheim Hines. All offseason, it was clearly a top priority to add a pass catching back with speed. They ultimately drafted one with a high pick AND traded draft capital for a second one. Both guys, Cook and Hines, were ultimately wasted in an un-creative offense that seemed to completely refuse to utilize their unique talents. Ok, so you want to send Diggs and Davis deep every play? Fine. But for an offense that supposedly "lacks weapons underneath" and lacks weapons in general, the inability and refusal to use Cook and Hines as pass catching threats, or to use their speed to stretch the defense horizontally, or to provide pre-snap eye candy that gives the defense a moment of pause...it's just outrageous. You lack talent in the slot? Fine. How about splitting Nyheim Hines into the slot and actually using him as a receiver, not just a never-thrown-to decoy? You're telling me Cook and Hines can't consistently win routes against linebackers?! Cook, Hines, and heck, even throw Isaiah McKenzie in there. All of these guys have speed, quickness, and can turn a 3 yard play into a 30 yard play with their explosiveness. Even if Dorsey had done nothing else but use them constantly in pre-snap motion (I think we saw this ONE WEEK with Hines, and then never again) and the occasional jet sweep, there HAS to be some value in having fast running backs who can catch the ball well. How about some Texas routes? How about literally ANYTHING designed to get these guys open in space? The thing that worries me going forward is that even if the Bills DO add more potent offensive weapons, Dorsey won't have the faintest clue how to use them. He certainly didn't seem to know how to use Cook or Hines. Putting up 10 points in the most important game of the year while explosive guys like Hines and Cook largely ride the pine? Unacceptable. Ridiculous. Unconscionable. Here's hoping Dorsey takes a good, long look in the mirror this offseason and comes back much improved next year.

Indeed he did. I'm a simple person.

You're not wrong, but it should be pointed out that the absolute BIGGEST and MAIN reason that the Bills are contenders right now is because in one particular and very important instance, the coaching staff DID mold a raw talent to be great.

I think the combination of Von Miller and Micah Hyde's injuries were the keys to the season. I think you can make up for lack of pass rush production if you have an elite secondary, and you can make up for lack of an elite secondary with good pass rush production. When you lack both, though, it shows. I think that if Hyde had played all season, the Bills would have lost AT LEAST one less game, and that alone would have given them a bye week and home field in the playoffs. That may or may not have been enough to get the Bills to the Super Bowl. Generally speaking, it's probably overly simplistic to say that any one players being lost for the season (or even two players being lost for the season) is THE defining factor in a season. Stretches of offensive ineffectiveness, stretches of less-than-ideal Josh Allen decision making, questionable coaching decisions in big moments -- all of these can be pointed to when talking about the downfall of the 2022 season. Still, it's hard not to think that Hyde and Miller being out played a very large role in the final outcome. Most teams can't lose two players of that quality and simply keep rolling, full steam ahead.

Beane said that Josh has too many bruises on him, and that it's the only thing he'll criticize Josh for. That he needs to get down more and take less hits. While Beane isn't wrong, I DO hope he realizes that some of the bruises that Josh has have to do with him constantly running for his life behind a bad pass blocking offensive line. Beane himself can reduce the bruising by, ya know...protecting his franchise quarterback.

I hate to say it, but I agree. Talks about needing to improve the lines, but then proceeds to defend Brown, and we can all presume he's not replacing Dawkins or Morse. So already, that's three of five linemen likely coming back. Defensive linemen wise, what can they do exactly? They don't have the money to sign any more big ticket free agents. They can't keep spending high picks on defensive linemen. All they can do there, really, is bank on "internal improvement". Hearing "Josh's elbow" and "Dorsey was in year one and will grow" and "Gabe Davis will grow" and "we had a lot of injuries on defense" and "we didn't hit a groove at the right time"...it's hard not to think they'll sign a few bargain guys, draft a safety or linebacker to replace whichever of our defensive FAs leaves, and run it all back next year. I would love a little more ruthless honestly and realistic self scouting here from Beane. I'm not hearing it. I am a Brandon Beane fan. I believe that he is an above average general manager. This moment right now, though, is the most that my faith in him has been shaken since he became GM.

This part really bothered me when Beane said it. He was basically asked what he can take from the Bengals' build, and rather than state any one of the many obvious things that make the Bengals a good team -- strong up front on both sides of the ball, great wide receiver play, depth, etc -- he chose just about the worst possible answer. To say that they "were lucky enough" to be "bad enough to get Ja'Marr Chase", he is essentially ducking accountability for still needing to be able to find difference makers later in round one and beyond. Lots of great NFL players -- receivers, especially -- are taken in late round one and beyond. For him to point to the "luck" of drafting high is to dodge the responsibility that he and his staff bare to find good players REGARDLESS of where in the draft they pick. Yes, later in the interview he said that he and his staff need to hit on draft picks, but he's said that before. That's obvious. Those are just words. The "we don't pick early like the Bengals used to, so we're not getting a guy like that" and the insinuation of luck and high draft position as reasons for success were a bad look.

The correct thing to root for, with respect to the Jets quarterback situation is this: 3-way battle at training camp. Zach Wilson vs Mike White vs Mason Rudolph for all the marbles. THAT's what I'm rooting for.

This is still my favorite video on the internet. I am not ashamed.

😆

I agree that any exhaustion the players may have been experiencing does not excuse the poor gameplans on both sides of the ball. To me, they are separate issues. I think that both things can be true: the players WERE exhausted from the craziness of the season, and the coaches DID draw up poor gameplans and fail to make adequate in-game adjustments. To be fair, the coaches are human, too, and may also have been dealing with some mental exhaustion of your own. I am NOT saying that excuses their bad day yesterday. I agree that they have been out-coached for several playoffs in a row now, and it's starting to be quite concerning. I'm just saying that if we're going to concede that the players are human and thus subject to emotional and mental exhaustion, it only makes sense to conclude that it may have affected the coaches, too. I'm not going to suggest that anything you said is wrong, though. I, too, am uncertain if the coaches have what it takes going forward to win a championship. I'm not 100% sure that they don't -- I'm not on the "fire everybody" train. On the other hand, they certainly don't have my full faith at this moment. The disparity in effectiveness between the regular season and postseason for this team is deeply concerning.

This. I get that emotions are raw right now and everyone is disappointed. Emotions are raw for me, too, and I am as disappointed as anyone. Hell, I made a thread yesterday saying that the front office, coaching staff, and players all deserved to share blame for the absolutely horrendous butt whooping yesterday. There are lots of valid FOOTBALL reasons -- from personnel, coaching, and execution standpoints -- for the loss. That said... It's pretty amazing how quickly fans went from "no matter what happens from this point forward, I understand. The players have been through so much this year" to "no excuses, suck it up Buttercup!". People saying it's a bad reflection on McDermott and that it's a failure in coaching and blah blah blah... There's a lot of valid reasons to be mad at the coaching from yesterday, but the players being emotionally exhausted is in no way a reflection on coaching, in my opinion. Anyone discounting or minimizing the adversity this team went through this year is not being realistic. From the mass shooting to Kim Pegula to Knox to the multiple weather events to Damar Hamlin...this has NOT been a typical year. Just about no team in the history of the NFL has ever gone through a season like this. These are human beings. The amount of fortitude and dedication and focus it takes to win a championship in the league is off the charts. Can anyone REALLY blame these guys for not being able to summon the necessary "stuff" to get to the finish line? Not every hardship automatically galvanizes a team to "win one for the Gipper". This isn't Hollywood. These are human beings. I'd like to see how some of YOU would do after having experienced what these guys experienced and then having to perform in an atmosphere like the NFL playoffs. I'm disappointed, too. I really am. But there's a definite lack of compassion going on in this thread. These are human beings.

Amen to that. Couldn't have said it better (clearly, or else I would have 😆).

I have been critical of various aspects of this team many times in the past. I have also been critical of the fans who are ONLY ever critical of this team. Sometimes the play of the team calls for praise and optimism. Sometimes it calls for critique and pessimism. Given that the've won the division three years in a row and generally been one of the best teams in the league, I've been optimistic far more often than I've been pessimistic. Even then, if you'd actually taken the time to read my recent posts, you'd have seen me offering criticism toward Josh Allen, Ken Dorsey, and Brandon Beane as recently as this week. I think there's a big gap between "being critical of this team but still loving them" and "being EXCLUSIVELY critical of this team". There are some posters on this forum that I rarely EVER see a positive word from. There's realism, optimism, and pessimism. I admittedly fall on the "optimism" side of the spectrum quite often. Maybe too often. On the other hand, some posters here fall on the "pessimism" side the VAST majority of the time. I find their pessimism just as exhausting as they find my optimism. I guess we'll just have to continue not caring much for each other and arguing about it on the internet.

Exactly. It's a big, fat LAMP post. 100%.

Okay. I really don't care to argue with you. What is it you want me to say, exactly? "I was wrong to be optimistic, from now on I'll be a pessimist"? Do you simply want me to say "you were right"? Would that make you feel better? The "Beane stinks and the sky is falling" crowd shouts down the optimists just as loudly as the other way around, and are just as exhausting. I really don't have the energy to argue with you. You win. I'm the worst. Happy?

It's ALWAYS okay to be critical of the team. What I usually find undesirable to read or interact with are the "everything is exclusively awful all the time" pessimists, who are just as upset after Bills WINS as we all are right now. I'm an eternal optimist. If I clash with anyone on these forums, it's usually the eternal pessimists. At the end of the day, feel however you want. This is America and I'm not your dad.

I'm just gonna get my thoughts out about this painful loss before I take some time away from this forum. It takes me a while to get over season ending losses, so I'm gonna take a break for a bit, and I'll be back for free agency and draft season. Until then... Right now, I'm not angry, I'm just really disappointed. What a painful way for this season to end. After a season in which the Bills only ever really beat themselves and lost just three games by a combined eight points, the Bills picked a hell of a time to get thoroughly dominated on both sides of the ball. This loss is so disappointing, so painful, exactly for that reason: because the Bills were just thoroughly and absolutely dominated. This game was never really close. The Bills never really had a chance. With as talented a team as they are -- that was a really painful and deflating way for the season to end. As Brandon Beane is fond of saying, playoff losses show you where you're NOT as a football team. They show you where you're lacking. Well, what did today's loss show us? To start with, this was a total team loss. No one unit or coach or player is solely to blame. From the front office, to the coaching staff, to the players, everyone shares the blame for this loss. If you want to understand the main reason the Bills lost the game, just look at the battles in the trenches. The Bills were outclassed convincingly on both the offensive and defensive lines. This is a failure of the front office -- Yes, of Brandon Beane, who we all love. So much draft capital and money spent on the defensive line, and they couldn't even SNIFF Burrow today. Yes, Jones and Miller were out, but that's no excuse. The Bills still boasted multiple 1st round players on the d-line. Couldn't stop the run, couldn't pressure the passer. Absolute domination. The front office also deserves blame for the mediocre-at-best offensive line they trotted out there this season, which was soundly beaten multiple times by Cincinnati defensive linemen. Brandon Beane needs to take a long hard look this offseason at the offensive line and yes, somehow, again, at the defensive line. Next up we have the coaches. It is hard to conclude anything other than this: The Bills offensive and defensive coaching staffs were BOTH outcoached today. The offense lacked creativity, rhythm, reason. The defense -- which, yes, was without some key players -- looked absolutely toothless. When you boast defensive minds like Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier, getting out-schemed and beaten as badly as they were today by the Cincy offense simply should never happen -- injured players or not. Today saw total failures of coaching on both sides of the ball. Lastly, the players deserve blame. For as much as I can say about the personnel and the coaching, at the end of the day, it's up to the players to make the plays. The offensive linemen got whipped all day. The defensive linemen got driven off the ball all day. The corners and linebackers had multiple coverage mixups. The receivers dropped passes. The quarterback missed open receivers or went big play hunting at inopportune times -- again. The bottom line is this: Despite a season with many highs and many great moments and a 13-3 record, all of the Bills' season-long deficiencies caught up with them today. The sky is not falling, and the Bills are likely to be playoff and title contenders for years to come. But unless they want to exist a Groundhog's Day of painful yearly playoff exits, they're going to have to take a long, hard look in the mirror, and figure out a way to fix the multiple things that ail them. Personnel, coaching, execution in big moments, all of it needs to be better. It was a hell of a season, and I'm proud of the Bills for weathering an insane amount of adversity to make it to the Divisional round of the playoffs. But that's not enough for me, and I know it's not enough for the players and coaches either. It's up to them to figure out how to make sure it doesn't happen again in 2023.