Rochesterfan

I apprecite that - I agree that many times teams (most teams including teams considered well coached like NE) waste timeouts inappropriately in the second half rather than take the penalty and move on. I think avoiding the penalty has been an NFL mantra for years, but as games are so close - that thinking needs to be re-evaluated, but in the end for me - I look at it as points must be your first priority everything else falls below points and if that timeout can lead you to points or increase your chances of a TD over a FG - use it. The worst thing is how after the Timeout- the Bills still only got the FG - in that case it ends up more of a waste, but it is impossible in the moment to know the outcome 2 plays later. You could have the exact same situation- take the penalty instead and image the anger if you end up on the next 2 plays picking up 12 yards and did not get the first down because you needed 15 and cost yourself a first and goal from the 2 instead.

I stand where here you look at each situation uniquely. In this case - it is in the red zone of a close game on 2nd down - I prefer to see them use the timeout and get the play correct and not have an additional 5 yards that has even more potential of our young QB making a mistake. I have no issue with the timeout over the penalty, but hate that they needed it there. As it turns out due to pressure on Allen - they had to kick a FG anyway, but I do not mind using it there. The timeouts I hate are 3rd and between 6-11 yards near midfield that seem to crop up for every team. In that case early in the 2nd half - take the penalty. The five yards is worth less than the timeout, but the Red Zone and 2nd down is different. It also matters if you are in a short down and distance versus a longer down and distance. 3rd and 1 from midfield in a close game - the timeout might be critical for that drive because the chances of converting a 3rd and 1 is way better than a 3rd and 6 and you are getting close to a range to get points - that 1st down might directly lead to points - which are more important than timeouts. Conversly if you are in the red zone and it is 3rd and 15 or 3rd and goal from the 15 let’s say - the extra 5 yards is not a big deal because your chance of conversion is low - save the timeout - take the penalty and move on. I think the potential of a four point swing early in the 3rd quarter in this game is worth more than the timeout at the end of the game. That 4 point swing could be the difference in a close game becoming a blowout by forcing the other team to open up and attack or make a mistake.

Come on don’t let the facts get in the way of another garbage Hot Take by the guy. I mean jeez - it is not like he is on a crusade or anything. Maybe in a few minutes we will get another LAMP thread from him about this. LOL

The question still is what proof do you have that he is right? Ratings and Revenue are up once again. They are working to open additional revenue streams like Amazon and are being successful. Same thing with the NBA. Greg Popovich is right the 3’s are killing the game - except TV and Revenue are up in the NBA also - especially since scoring rose and pace of play has increased. Maybe the demographics the leagues are chasing is changing and the older coaches and fans are missing the boat. Maybe the NFL and the NBA have started to adapt - they understand the newer generation of fans - growing up on Madden and other Video Games crave action and scoring. Maybe they see the diehard fans will stick around, but that as we get older - you need to change and bring in younger fans also. Boxing never learned this and they were King until the demographics became older and they never brought in the next generation of fans - baseball is struggling with this also. Penalties suck and have always sucked - the NFL will continue to have a perceived issue until they can simplify things, but that has not caused a decline in viewers or revenue. The issue is the speed combined with the physicality of the game. The human eye catches movement and the refs cover a huge area (even larger now due to speed and QB arm strength) - penalties are based on quick moments that are fleeting, but in reality for all of the complaining- they do a very good job of getting things right. As for the XFL (or other summer leagues - up to 3 potential leagues now) - you state you want them to have an impact on the NFL, but in the paragraph above you complain about the rules making it easier for the offense to score - these two points are contradictory. The XFL and the new league being presented by former players are looking at way to increase offense even more - including potentially going 7 on 7. These changes are only going to reinforce that the NFL was already on the right path. Finally - I am not sure the league will regret the changes - I think they are necessary if it is going to survive - what may kill the NFL (and I do see it eventually dropping down) is the lack of youth participation. If parents keep kids from playing and better athletes play different sports - the level of play will drop and that will eventually have an impact, but so far colleges can still recruit enough players that this has not become a critical factor - this is the area to watch. If several college programs drop football because of lack of players then you will have an issue the NFL can not overcome easily.

Ok - I am sure you have quantifiable evidence of this beyond the ratings being up and more people watching even while total TV ratings are down significantly? It is so dead that not 1, nor 2, but 3 spring leagues are looking at starting up to ride on the coattails of the NFL. Yes the Golden Goose must be dead.

Agreed - if that is really Edmunds guy - there is a bigger issue here because he is totally lost on a basic coverage.

Watching the video - I took a still shot at 0:53 seconds and it is just before Tannehill passes the ball - Edmunds is watching Tannehill - flat footed right in the gap created by the pass rush. I believe it looks to me like he is playing a spy role on Tannehill. At that same moment - the Blitzing Poyer stops his rush - realizes the RB is not going to block him and adjusts his angle upfield. I think the coverage was a bracket between Poyer and Edmunds on the RB and the QB. I believe if the RB leaks out to the defenses left - he is Edmunds responsibility and Poyer has Tannehill. If the RB comes across to the defenses right as he does - he becomes Poyers man and Edmunds spy’s Tannehill. The only guys who know for sure would be the team and coaches as they watch film. I just do not want to lay this on Edmunds as it looks like he is spying Tannehill and assume he blew the coverage- maybe he did, but he sure never reacts like it was his man.

Honest question- was it really Edmunds man or did Poyer over commit. I heard them talking on SiriusXM NFL about the play and they thought man coverage, but when the RB leaked out to his side it became Poyer’s man and he got over anxious to try and get the big sack. I am not sure, but if that was Edmunds man - he never even moves to cover that area even as the RB is sprinting out. He starts to run after the TE shoves him that way past the wash. Poyer on the other hand gets several steps in and seems to have an “Oh No moment” where he sees the RB break - Poyer widens the rush up field to get in between and jumps before giving chase. I am not sure because typically in straight man that should be Edmunds man based upon lineup, but did they expect the RB to block the blitzer and therefore Edmunds drops coverage? It just seems weird because he has his eyes on the back, but never even moves to cover. I would love to hear what the coaching staff had called and if this was something designed just for this type of play and the safety got over excited- like the delayed Bush blitz if the TE stays in.

This is why I love this team - great job guys !

Saw this - feel bad for him and a big loss for the Broncos. It may end up being the final shovel of dirt on Vance Joseph’s grave - I don’t think they make the playoffs again and this will hurt.

No I think they would have kept him because cutting him now would roll another 4.5 million into this year and they do not have the money for that and that would not include the rest of the cap hit for this year. I think based upon the contract next year is the first year they would save money cutting him. I believe he would cost 9 million next year and only 4.5 if they cut him. I don’t think they are happy with him, but the contract dictates many things including keeping him through this year. I do think they will look to trade him before the draft, but if not he may stick through training camp to see if they can get the last year or not. Make sure a replacement is available before opening the hole up.

I am not sure about very well - currently in the high tempo fast paced KC offense - Watkins has 1 less catch than Zay Jones and 1 less TD than Jones and about 50 more yards. All that “production” with a CAP hit this year 5X as high and nearly 12 times next year versus Jones. So he is being outpaced by Jones, but the Bills have thrown the ball 60+ fewer times than KC. Sammy is not bad, but the KC offense has not missed him the last 3 games and he is just getting into the contract.

KB salary was guaranteed from day 1 because it was the 5th year extension. It has nothing to do with how many games he played - his salary was 100% guaranteed for this year. The only way to get rid of it was to trade him. Even if in the preseason the Bills cut him - he counted against the cap the same amount and he would have been paid by either the Bills or another team. This was negotiated to help both the players get some money and give the teams another year of control and I do not have an issue with that.

Yep and 6-7 weeks ago the Bills were trying to trade him - what is your point - that you wanted him gone before the Bills front office - doubt it. As I said before with him - they get no salary relief by cutting him - it was 100% guaranteed- so it did not make a lot of sense to cut him until they were eliminated from the post season because all it did was eat into your remaining cap space in case of injury’s. A trade would have been a different story. The Bills did what they should of done and started to reduce and eliminate playing time and get the young’s guys some experience- now they are eliminated- cut him and go 100% with youth and if you get an injury it does not lead to you missing the playoffs. I think the lazy and no effort is why they wanted to trade him and why his playing time decreased, but cutting him meant his salary still counted and you needed to find a WR. I think they were concerned about getting an injury to another WR - or one of those guys not developing while still in a playoff race and you end up with no experience in the locker room at crunch time with no money to sign a replacement. Out of the playoffs - let’s work more on youth and potential guys that will be here next year.

I don’t think it is a route mismatch because Allen spends a bunch of time looking the safety off - I don’t think he wanted the seam before the safety it was an over the top throw all the way. I think the WR has to look back to see the QB throw and then gauge where the ball is heading and get to that spot - sometimes that means looking away from the throw and sprinting and then picking up the ball again. I think Foster has some issues with this mainly due to the fact that he has probably never played with a QB that can out throw his speed. So he has some technique to work on along with timing. As for the throw - early in the year this was an underthrow by Allen by sometimes as much as 5 yards causing the WR to have to really adjust. I think this is the next step in his progress - getting the ball out in front. Now the final part is getting that sync to drop it in their perfectly. I think the throw could of used a little air to allow it to settle a bit and give Foster more time to adjust. Allen’s arm is amazing and I think sometimes that causes him to hold the ball a quarter of a second to long and throw a laser rather than a more lofted pass - giving his receivers less time to adjust. Finally - it is naturally a low percentage pass - guys like Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Big Ben, etc. miss this same pass even with guys they have worked on it for years with. I think it is hard to lay to much blame without giving a bit to both guys. What I want to see is them - make this connection on this route. Show me some progress. What I have seen is Foster is not bad on these deep crossing routes like his touchdown against the Jets - it was not a deep bomb, but he was tracking the ball with his eyes mostly still looking forward. He has more trouble on the deeper throws where he has to look back over the shoulder to adjust to the throw. He also seems to be better looking over his right shoulder than his left. It may be technique or player driven, but they may have to adjust his route and have it closer to the sideline and allow the throw to bring him back toward the middle of the field.

Yes and I do not think it would be that close.

It used to to always be the back-up QB and before that it was whoever you had that had the best hands - very little training and practice time was spent on kicking. As the kicking game and special teams in general has become more specialized - the change gradually occurred to move away from other players/back-up QBs to the punter because the kicker, punter, and the long snapper can all get together and practice the snaps and holds while the rest of the team is practicing. It allows for the three of them to practice the snap hundreds of times throughout the week without pulling guys away from the team practice. Do not be fooled though because the back-up QB (or other designated player) will also do a small amount of holding in practicing- just in case the punter is injured (see the Tony Romo incident). You also have practice where the punter (or other back-up kicker) will attempt a few kicks and the kicker will attempt some punts - just to make sure everyone is aware in case of injury, but that number of snaps is very limited. The teams will usually have a dedicated segment on various days just to practice this stuff along with coverage and other potential issues - like fakes and the such. I am not aware of any current NFL team that routinely uses anyone other than the punter as the holder for FGs and XPs. I have seen a QB here or there, but it is almost always associated with an injury. I do not know what to make of Crossman - he has never been a great coach as far as what I can see (although he has had a few top units). The last couple of years the penalties and mistakes just seen to keep growing. I can’t tell if it is the amount of change and different personnel or him just being a bad coach or a combination of the two. I unfortunately agree that it is probably time to move on and see if we can get something better out of that role.

Agreed - I believe they will address a bunch of positions in FA, but not all with the guys you want (more mid-level team players) - they are looking to have a few “holes” as possible at the draft. I truly believe they will then draft BPA in the draft to ensure they continue to get talent that fits and is a value to them (even if is a CB in round 1). It would not shock me to see them explore some trades for WRs also - just to supplement the FA class. They (Sean and Brandon) talk about this all the time this and they seem so prepared that I feel like we are in a good place. They have a plan and will follow it through. Finally - they both come from Carolina and that organization recognized the need for talent at O-Line and TE (more so than WR) so I do not anticipate that this front office would not recognize the need to protect JA going forward.

To me this is the difference between the pick when KB ran this route and the catch by Foster (not identical routes, but close) Foster - so fast he pulls away and the CB can not undercut the route. JA puts the throw on the money and the corner has no chance. KB - so slow the CB is 1-2 steps behind, but even with a perfect JA throw - the CB can make up the difference and undercut the route because he is so much faster. The difference is critical in this league - if you are not fast enough to get away - you had better be physical enough to make catches, but right now KB is neither.

I personally do not think they are even in the same ballpark. Free throws - no matter what court are all identical- same with like the 3 point line. Baskets are the same height, everything is identical. Therefore once you get proper muscle control - you should be able to repeat that over and over. Passing - every field is somewhat different with the pitch (slope from mid field to the sidelines), the weather, and the throws. Therefore every time you step on a field it will be different from the last time you played. The footwork, hips, release point, etc. all play a role in accuracy as far as I can tell. The goal is to get as much of that consistent so that when variables start to change you can get the throw off without thinking. I think the more more you can control and standardize - the more consistent you will be and that seems to come with time - looking at several QBs about year 3 and 4. That seems to be the point for many where more things fall into place and they do not have to think so much. You see it with Big Ben, Brady, Brees, Rivers, and even to a lesser degree Eli. Year 1 and 2 the completion percentage was lower and the game to game consistency was less. Then games start to balance out more with fewer ups and downs. Just a cursory glance and most QBs seem to up their completion percentage by 2-3 percent - although Brees saw a huge jump 7% on average. I would not expect JA to become a 65-70% guy like Brees, but 59-61% down the road with a higher YPA would be reasonable.

I agree with this - the issue I have is that you have a slow wr running an inbreaking route. Josh Allen's throw would be right on the money, but KB is so slow that it allows the CB to undercut the route. There is no way that JA could have completed that pass to the WR because if you throw it far enough in front so the CB can’t get there - KB can’t get there. I would not classify it as a WTF throw by any stretch as you see QBs get routes undercut all the time. A better or faster WR in that spot makes that undercut harder and gives JA more room to make the throw.

Since the offense has pretty much struggled - you will not see that. What you did see see this week and last week is that with Allen they are opening it up more than they did Last year - so I see minor progress. Look McDermott is and will be a more conservative coach. I do not expect that to change much at all as he moves forward. I am just saying it is a mixed bag of how many timeouts defenses call and when to call them, but to say flat out the Bills did not use them is wrong. The Bills used 1 of 2 and kept one for the offensive drive. I would totally get the criticism if he had all 3 timeouts and they used none, but that is not what happened - they had 2 and used 1 on defense and the last one on offense. I agree McDermott has a lot that he needs to get better at, but having a cruddy offense also impacts decisions.

Yes they would of had 30 seconds and no timeouts - I think there is a bigger chance without the timeouts they are trying to run out the clock.

I gave examples of other coaches doing it the same (including Reid and Belicheck) and McDermott did not sit on all of his time-outs - he had 2 to use and used 1. Talk with coaches - many have shown they would rather have 30 seconds less and 1 timeout for their offense than the additional 30 because you can control so much on offense, but having the timeout is critical to force the other team to cover the whole field. To your point - he ran because the Bills got the drive start at the 10 yard line with enough time that a quick stop would have given the ball right back to the Dolphins nearly in scoring position. My guess is it would have been worse because if Miami had not called timeout- I think the Bills would of let the clock run out solely based on field position and the struggles of the young players on offense. Once they got the ball passed the 25-30 yard line (4 plays into the drive) - they could open up the offense and the timeout allowed them to run a full offensive route tree and hit on a crossing route heading out of bounds at 20 yards. Without the timeout - they guard the edges and make that throw much more difficult and you end up with dump offs and Allen running.

I to watch a lot of games and I see defensive reams call timeouts to get the ball back to the offense just like the Bills did. Typically the defense will use one or two timeouts- almost always leaving the offense with one timeout. I gave ave you two examples in KC and NE from similar situations where both used timeouts just like Buffalo did leaving the offense with one timeout even though in all of those games it allowed the opposing offense to run off one set of 30 seconds - having the timeout on offense is critical because it opens the whole field and forces different coverages than if you have no timeouts. It also allows the offense to run different concepts allowing you to work to scheme a guy open for a 20 yard gain just like Buffalo did. What cost them the 3 points was having to blow the timeout after the big completion not the fact that they did not call it while on defense and I showed that with using NE and everyone’s gold star coach in Belichek that played it exactly the same as Buffalo right down to missing on the Hail Mary against Tennessee. I know it is hard to accept that maybe - just maybe- McDermott played it consistent with many other coaches both offense like Reid and Defensive like Belichek. Maybe he is watching and learning what they do and using similar concepts.