Rochesterfan

The spotters are looking for signs - after hitting his head - Did he stumble, Did he reach up and grab his head, Did he Fence, Did he walk toward the wrong huddle, Did he shake his head as if cobwebs, etc. Since Tua did none of those things - the spotters had absolutely no reason to pull the player. After that - it is 100% on the coaches, teammates, and the player to say something if a player seems off during interactions, huddle, halftime, etc. In this case we have no idea how those interactions went and if he showed any signs, but it was a bit worrisome that in his post game press conference he was having issues talking through a few interceptions and what went wrong. If there were signs during the game Miami should be in trouble for ignoring them, but based upon everything being said there were no signs. Tua then it sounded like self reported signs the next day - maybe parts of the game were fuzzy, maybe he was having headaches, maybe he was having light sensitivity, etc. Once reported - per protocol - the Dolphins entered him into concussion protocol and now he will have to clear. In this case - it does not appear the spotters or the NFL did anything wrong. We do not know what the Dolphins saw in interactions, but it was before halftime so the boy genius Head Coach spent a bunch of time with him so the only potential miss lies with the Dolphins team.

Although I agree in general we are not a lot different than other teams - I do totally disagree that this view has to do with Tre White and his recovery. The truth is compared to many teams - the Bills have been overly cautious on most soft tissue injuries compared to teams around the league. Typically any kind of strain or pull of a muscle/hamstring/quad etc. has been met with 1-2 weeks of limited practice time and typically missing at minimum of 1 game. They do the same thing with ankles, knee, foot injuries - where a player might feel ok to give it a go, but they hold them out for an extra week. Your examples are correct - Tommy Doyle played with a torn ACL and McDermott praised his toughness - he also stated they did not know until after the game he did that. Tommy refused to let the team down and that is no different than many players. I do not think the Bills are above playing an injured player - especially if that player has clearance and wants to play - Ala Mitch Morse and Cole Beasley. So I do not think they are some Holier Than Thou team in that regards, but I also think they are still on the cutting edge of injury evaluation and time to recovery and they work hard to make sure guys have enough time to recover when possible, but it is a balancing act. I think both the Team and Gabe knew with his ankle he was coming back to soon and would be negatively impacted, but they needed WR help at the time and he could go - so they played him. They had LB depth and have allowed Milano and Edmunds to miss games to recover to try and prevent further injury - even though their replacements led to some dismal defensive performances. They have done similar things at Safety and DL with Oliver, Phillips, and Poyer all getting time off to recover as needed - even if that meant going to multiple practice squad DL. So while I agree overall with the premise that the Bills are not really different from other NFL teams - I will say there are numerous examples of them giving time off beyond Tre White that shows the Bills utilize analytics and history to help guide them on injuries as much or more than other teams.

It was still 100% the right decision as there was almost no wind - which is what caused the misses. 🤦‍♂️ If you play the what if game - did you see Miami score on a 1 play 84 yard drive or the 3 play 77 yard drive this week? The Bills 100% made the right decision and controlled the outcome - any argument for scoring the TD is just wrong. Every percentage and finding shows that the chances of a Bills victory were higher by Devin going down. The chance of a Dolphin victory was enhanced by Devin scoring. Miami’s quick scoring offense added to that by scoring on 20% of their drives (2 out of 10) on long drives of 3 plays or less for TDs giving them 12 long, quick drives on the year and multiple versus Buffalo - which on the season pushes their % of long, quick scoring drives to nearly 9% - still much higher than the 1 -2% missed FG % in history. So - No at this point very few - maybe only you - are left rooting for the Bills to make a play to reduce their chances of winning. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Yes - he self reported symptoms today and therefore put him in protocol. There is no proof that he got the concussion on the play or that he had any earlier signs or symptoms. He reported issues and now the team is responding. Everything else is falsely placed outrage and more likely to prevent players from self reporting if it is going to cause this kind of outrage. As of this moment - no-one - not the spotters, not the Miami Doctors, not the Miami coaches, and not the players have done anything wrong. He did not experience symptoms or signs during the game and self reported the following day. Until something comes out from a source that the Dolphins staff or players said something - there should be no blame and Tua did the correct thing and reported symptoms when they are present.

They hired him specifically because of his time in GB - with the hope that Aaron who liked Hackett - would follow and give them a Vet QB. When Rodgers signed back in GB it was a very bad sign for the Broncos because all of a sudden you needed Hackett to coach not recruit.

Again the spotters are not looking for everyone that bangs their head - it happens on nearly every play. They are looking for specific signs that a concussion might have occurred. Those are clearly defined and have been added to due to the previous fiasco the Dolphins screwed up. If you want them checking every player after every hit - you are going to be pulling people after most plays. Also how fair is it to write a rule and say - well this guy we want to pull any time - even if he shows no sign and this guy is fine because he does not have a history that we know about. You can’t do that - you make specific things for them to look for and criteria to pull them from a game - then you also expect that teams and teammates will pull a guy that is acting or looks funny ( see the Eagles). If he showed No Symptoms as you said hen you are targeting a team and player and the NFLPA specifically did not want that because they were afraid it could impact future contracts if there was fear of a guy getting pulled showing nothing.

Yes, but why would the NFLPA come out and agree with the NFL that the rules were followed as written. Additionally why would the NFLPA come out and specifically state the independent doctor was not fired for the Miami issue, but specifically because he was argumentative in his examination when the talked to him. They found no fault with what he did or whether the protocol was followed and the NFLPA is certainly not trying to allow the NFL to “disavow responsibility” - yet they found no fault.

So every time you get garbage QB play it could be a concussion? He hit his head on the ground and showed no signs and nothing that his teammates or coaches said. What about WR - should every time a WR lands on his back and then drops a pass - should we expect concussion. The facts are he showed no outward sign - so no independent visual was going to pull him. He did not complain that we are aware of symptoms during the game and none of his teammates saw enough wrong to say anything. The Defense of GB changed up and once again the Dolphins and their stupid HC got away from the running game. Maybe it was concussion symptoms or maybe he had a really bad 2nd half against a defense that adjusted and then overnight he got symptoms like a headache and or nausea that he reported that had no impact on the game.

It is not getting hit in the head - that happens all of the time - it is professional football. The spotters are looking for actions after the hit, players stumbling or heading to the wrong huddle, looking lost or dazed, any “fencing” posture. They are not pulling people that just hit their head unaccompanied by other signs. It is made more difficult by other players helping guys up as that masks some of the signs. Plus they are watching groups of players and if something happens fast - it is easy to miss. Did Tua hit his head - Yes. Should he have been pulled - not by the spotters because he showed no signs. Then it goes to the team - talking with him on the sideline or in the huddle was there and issue - that is not on the spotters but his teammates to get him out.

No one was fired for missing the first issue. The NFLPA used their right to fire the independent Doctor because of the way he answered their questions in regards to the situation. The NFLPA ended up agreeing with the NFL that based upon the current rules - the situation was handled correctly. The NFL and NFLPA then went about editing the rules to fill in the gaps. Again - if Tua does not show any signs - they are not pulling every player that bangs their head. If Tua did not stumble or show fencing posture or anything else - what are the spotters supposed to do?

Totally agree - I will say I do not believe in any way the NFL or the spotters “missed” this. They are not checking or pulling every person that bangs their head (turf, Helmet to helmet, or helmet to something like knee) - they are looking for actions afterwards - stumbles when standing up, fencing posture, any kind action that shows an issue and there were simply none of those. (unlike the Eagles WR that showed some “fencing”). What failed Tua is his teammates, HC, and Offensive staff that talked with and met with him after that play. If even the slightest bit was off - they need to help take care of their teammate. Most of all I agree with @Beast - the player must take responsibility for this also. In the end the best person to diagnose a head injury is the player himself saying something and then allowing the medical team to diagnose it in the moment. The Buffalo game was a fiasco, but the player himself lied to the medical team about his injury and that caused the compounding of the situation. Now if it turns out - he felt nothing/fine during the game and the headaches and symptoms came up today - then there is very little you can do to the team - he showed no signs or symptoms. If it turns out that he did have signs and symptoms reported to the team or coach - then the Dolphins should be hammered with fines and loss of draft picks for letting him play, but my guess is everything will fall on the fact that nothing was noted or said during the game as he would of kept quiet to keep playing. The next question is clearance and playing - after the second major concussion many people thought he should sit out the rest of the year. Now here we are with another potential concussion. If it was my team - I would hold him out the final 2 games for sure - if you can’t win either of the last games - tough you need this player to recover. If he is cleared and you make the playoffs - It should be up to him at that point to play again or not, but I would allow him to rest for a couple of weeks minimum. My gut tells me he will clear protocol and want to play and the Dolphins are going to let him play to try and get a shot at the playoffs- even if it potentially causes his career to be shorter because as a team they do not seem to care.

Early in the game he gets hit and his head hits the ground. Several fans posted they thought he should have been tested, but the Dolphins did nothing. Then he screws up their season and wham here you are. Maybe here:

The problem was - in Seattle what worked was strong runs and then Wilson going off script with pressure and throwing the ball deep as guys moved up. Wilson was at one time one of the few off script guys that could throw anyplace on the field from any spot. The league struggled with that and did not have a defense early on. Now he is more limited with age and the league has developed new defenses for Mahomes, Allen, and even guys like Burrow to flood the passing lanes and Wilson has not adjusted his game at all. Hackett is not blameless as a HC, but Seattle recognized that Wilson had a style and was not adjusting to the new NFL and wanted to move on. I am not sure there is an OC or HC that can bring him back. It will require Wilson to accept that he is no longer elite and change to more of a Tom Brady - hit the open guy and move down the field in small chunks. In the mean time - Hackett had to go and the team has to reset and try again.

What a terrible hire - trying to bring in Aaron, but it was a really bad hire as a mesh with Wilson.

Mayfield on the Rams is the same as Mayfield on the Browns and Panthers - very, very inconsistent. Against the Raiders (admittedly 1st game) he struggled early and finally made plays on the last drive while putting up under 20 points. The Packers game against a team that was still trying - he stunk - around 50% completion and barely over 10 points. Denver clearly gave up - especially when Wilson started throwing picks like Christmas gifts out there. Mayfield looked phenomenal, but Denver never showed up. Just like his 2 previous stops - he has a game or small parts of games that he looks good and parts of games or even full games that he is barely back-up level competent. Some team (I doubt the Rams with Stafford under his huge contract and stating he is coming back) will be fooled by the talent and will sign him and get a few games where they are excited and then crash back down when suddenly he has 3 games where he looks like A rookie QB. Mayfield with McVay looks just like Mayfield under Rhule, Wilks, etc.

They also showed a graphic - Josh has 3 4000 yard passing seasons since being drafted and in their 100 year history the Bears have had ZERO. Amazing.

Agreed - I think in pure pass rush situations that is where they try to use AJE as much as possible and hence his uptick in Sack production. @Big Turk I am not sure he has turned a corner - I actually think what you are seeing is AJE is playing the Pass rush only situations with Shaq playing more running downs and if it was not for the Von Miller injury - AJE does not get those snaps. I have been fine with what I have seen, but I don’t think it is very different from his production throughout his career - it is just now he is playing Batman to Shaq’s Robin and I think to a tackle blocking Shaq - AJE comes in and looks like Derrick Thomas all of a sudden and you are not quite ready for his speed to power ratio on the rush. My issue is against a rush - he gets blown away and cannot defend enough - so he is really limited in usage. I have been highly disappointed in that level of production because in College he seemed more of a complete DE with limited speed, but good strength and hands. Now he seems like a skinny tree limb - with better speed than anticipated and pretty good hands, but very limited strength and until that changes I think he is a limited player.

Agree, but the historical data for FG and XP when they were at the 2 was close to 99% all time including weather - so 1% is about right. For the Dolphins scoring a TD - on the season which is all you can use - they have 10 TDs on drives of 6 plays or less and greater than 50-60 yards. That is out of just under 140 drives or about 7% on the year. 34 seconds and 1 timeout should be about 6 plays theoretically. Plus earlier in the game the Dolphins already had a 3 play 72 yard TD against this defense. So based upon historical FG data and current Dolphins drive data - it was significantly better percentage wise to kill time and kick the FG. You never know how things will turn out and the Analytics had it close, but between 0.5 and 1% better kicking the FG, but it also kept the Bills in total control of the outcome and I think that means more than anything to a control freak (not a bad thing) Head Coach.

Not all the games, but the majority of them. I think when they are on TNT neither MSG nor ESPN+ can carry the game.

Eww - I don’t want that card. LOL

The reality is you are both correct (as is Warner). I believe they shifted the RB to confirm the Dolphins we’re playing Man Coverage. Then Singletary job was to bring his coverage guy up and to the middle to leave Morris 1:1. The issue is the LB - at the snap it is not clear if he is a spy, potential blitzers, or a drop into coverage as they have an in breaking route from the top of the screen and Singletary moving toward the middle. I believe based on Tendencies- the Bills 100% expected Man/Spy from the Dolphins and Josh moving to his right confirmed the LB was a spy. Where I disagree with Kurt is that in this offense - I don’t think Singletary was a read at all. The play was Morris 1:1 and Josh rolling out with a run/Pass option. When the LB broke to keep contain and the coverage on Morris in trail - Josh went for the pass. If the coverage had been deeper - I think Josh tries to run it in and only has the LB to beat. If Kurt had been my QB and less athletic- the read is probably to Singletary as the LB would not be in Spy coverage and would have dropped back toward the goal line. It also probably impacted Singletary’s coverage as his guy looked to maintain outside leverage - I think to keep eyes on Josh. I think with Kurt as QB he attacks Singletary quicker. Again - I don’t think Warner is miss diagnosing the play, but as Cover 1 put it - He is diagnosing it as if he was the QB not Josh and the 2 have different was of reading how defenses attack them. I also think that Dorsey has done a fine job of using players to manipulate defenses and scheming guys open and Josh sometimes decides he would rather take a 15-20 yard chunk shot over a 5 yard gimme. We saw in Miami in September- Josh took the Gimme’s all game and they bogged down in the red zone when 1 guy finally couldn’t make a play.

Why are they worried about affordable and that could lead to nightmare programming issues. It is easier for the company to charge a flat all or nothing rate and make it sound cheaper - they can say 240 games for $300 - so $1.25 a game - knowing you are only watching 20-40 games.

That is not true - we have myltiple direct TV receivers and run up up 6 games during the day with multiple TVs and using the IPad for my daughter away at college. Plus as a long time member they parse it out and typically give us it for free or with other discounts without ever asking.

Or you like Football and get a bunch of crap games in your area - other than the Bills. We got Sunday Ticket in Rochester because the 2nd game was always Jets/Giants/Dallas - not anything we wanted to watch. It has been better with the Bills playing more Primetime games - we watch multiple games on different TVs and rarely is it the garbage the networks choose for your area. Plus a game gets boring or out of hand and we switch it up. I love the package cause I choose what I want to see and we will probably look to YouTube going forward - happy to Move on after 25 years.

I am not going to assign blame - I think the Dolphins just had a perfect route combo against a defense and made the play. My guess is if you talked to the players - Poyer would blame himself for coming to far down and not getting back and Hamlin would blame his positioning and his angle, but sometimes the offense wins. It looked like a trick combo coverage - they show a standard 2 high shell, but on the snap rotate to a 1 high safety, but it looks like the intention was for Hamlin to maintain his deep half over the trips side. I think the Bills developed the defense for a formation like that expecting the Dolphins to run a shorter crossing route with Waddle or Hill right into Poyer and Hamlin over the top in case the other Hill or Waddle went deep, In this case, the Dolphins ran Waddle on the deep over and Hill deep at Hamlin and with Poyer rotating up it left the huge gap that Hamlin could not cover. I believe Tremaine (or Tremont if you want to use the name Mark uses) - recognized the spacing and communicated with Poyer and Poyer got over anxious and overplayed his hand and it left the massive hole. To me it looked like the Bills created a defensive scheme to counter something the Dolphins have done and the Dolphins countered with different patterns and it burned the Bills - no blame - just something that happens from time to time.