Shaw66
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Posts posted by Shaw66
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11 minutes ago, HappyDays said:
There's a lot more to being a vertical WR than just a 40 time. Samuel and Moore have never been vertical WRs... They don't have Shaheed's release, his ability to stack CBs, his ball tracking, his hands. Shaheed has his own limitations but the one thing he is special at is the one thing our offense still lacks.
Chiefs fans couldn't wait to get rid of MVS when he was there. He was never nearly as consistent in his role as Shaheed has been. Yeah he had a couple good games in New Orleans, and then he was never heard from again. Harty was a kick returner and gadget player whose career was ruined by turf toe. These are not good comparisons to what Shaheed has been for the last couple years.
No defensive coordinator out there is worried about anyone in our WR room getting behind their defense. You can see it in their compressed formations week after week. Last year we had Cooper who was a legit vertical threat and just having that threat on the field backed defenses off enough to make a difference. We're going to have to survive the rest of the year without that skill set. The Bills have chosen to impose that limitation on themselves and they have to make it work.
Thanks for this. Good stuff.
I don't completely agree that coordinators are not worried about the Bills going deep. In the piece by Kubiak in the news that someone discussed, Kubiak said that teams are playing two deep a lot against the Bills. Right after I read I happened to see a replay from the Chiefs all-22, also in a thread, where Allen threw to Shakir, I think, in the right flat for a nice gain. It was just what Kubiak said - two deep safeties. And the play worked in part because those guys were so deep. Once Shakir beat the first defenders, he had a lot of running room, precisely because the safeties were still 15 yards away.
Whatever. I really the last sentence. The Bills didn't make that choice this week. They made if eight weeks ago, if not four months ago. This is the way they want to play. It doesn't make sense to you. To me, I sort of get it, but it sure seems odd to choose that style.
And the big problem that we've often mentioned is that what they've actually is a good style for piling up wins in the regular season, but it puts the team at a disadvantage in the playoffs, where the talent and intensity goes up. It's in those games where a true deep threat can be valuable, if only to stretch the defense.
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6 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:
Lots of activity today and some major moves. Of the Bills competition the Colts got better but gave up a ton for Sauce. Other than that, it feels like the NFC teams really improved more.
I’m on record as thinking that the Bills had to add a boundary WR. The Shaheed comp felt doable but probably had to pay a higher price than Seattle based on where the picks will be. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem like a deal was there to be had.
I know that the Bills were active and that’s what I ask of them. Don’t be too arrogant to think that you’re good enough in a spot where you clearly suck. They made the calls and tried to make deals. It takes 2 to tango and you have to be smart. I’m not going to hold this deadline against Beane. Now, it may blow up in his face if they fall short of the Super Bowl but he did try.
This is a really good take. I mean, I don't know the talent well enough to know if there was a guy who would really help, but I agree that Beane needs to, and apparently did, operate with brains and not overspend out of desperation.
In thinking about the additions the Bills might have needed and gotten, began to have different view of how they run their personnel. When the Bills need a guy at a position because a starter has gone down, they don't sign free agents to replace the injured guy. They promote from within, and they sign a free agent with potential to grow and block him into the bottom on the depth chart, on the practice squad. Then they work their way up, maybe passing someone, maybe just waiting in line.
The Bills do that because what's most important to them is having the guys on the field execute their assignments. They don't want to take a talented free agent and plug him into a system where he doesn't know or do his assignment consistently.
Even the vets they brought back have had to work their way up from the bottom. Poyer, Philips, Gabe Davis. Tre White.
That philosophy makes the Bills less likely to make a splash at the trade deadline, because the Bills prefer to fill holes with the next guy in line in the system.
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48 minutes ago, HappyDays said:
If Erik is correct here (and he does have locker room connections) this is another example of a play not working because of a dumb mental error by a player. If it's a one off you blame the player, when it's a consistent problem you blame the coach. Brady needs to get his guys on the same page. WRs lining up incorrectly, OL letting inside free rushers go by them untouched, Allen and his receivers thinking different play calls. They have to get this stuff straight.
And it also explains why Allen went from the fake to Shakir, the look at Shavers, then the look over the middle, and then around to Davis in the flat. When he looked over the middle, he wasn't looking for Moore crossing - he was looking for Kincaid.
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8 minutes ago, HappyDays said:
I definitely do not agree that Moore was open when Allen got his eyes there. Especially with a pass rusher in his face that would have been a crazy difficult throw. And I can guarantee you this coaching staff does not want Allen making that throw. They want him playing it safe until absolutely necessary.
I don't agree. Allen didn't even stop to consider the throw to Moore. He moved his feet to be in position to throw to him and immediately moved his feet in order to make an off-balance throw to Davis. If the Bills don't want him making that throw, then I'll say more emphatically, the Bills need a new offensive coordinator. As I said earlier, Mahomes makes that throw to JuJu, and Andy Reid wants it all day.
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One other thing about all of this. It's interesting and instructive that we're talking about the offense, particularly the passing game, after a 40-9 blowout win.
Why is it interesting and instructive? Because we're all seeing the same thing, even against the Panthers: The offense is not very effective. Bills were winning 6-0 in a game where in most seasons it would have been 14-0. We're seeing Josh, look confused and get sacked. We're seeing bad throws, missed open receivers. We've seen the Bills lose two games where they gave up 23 and 24 points; in each game the offense was ineffective, and the Bills lost more because they couldn't score than because the defense let them down. It's been pretty ugly.
Take away the gaping holes the Panthers kept giving up in the run game and a couple of big defensive plays, and the Bills would have found themselves in another tight game.
Something has to change.
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6 minutes ago, HappyDays said:
The first one you explained yourself. Moore just has to make that catch cleanly.
The second one what makes you think Moore was an option? It's clearly a fake screen and seam to Shavers, very similar to the TD Kincaid caught against the Saints. Nice try from Shavers acting like he's gearing up to block but #2 doesn't bite on the fake so the concept is DOA. Moore was never getting that ball. Allen just needed to make a better throw to Davis to pick up some positive yardage on an otherwise broken play. Pressure in his face or not that is a throw he can make in his sleep but he rushed it.
Moore is supposed to get the ball on that play
I think you've described the play accurately. Watch Allen's feet. He sets his feet to fake the throw on the screen, then he resets to look downfield. Shavers is covered AND the safety has turned to go that way, too. Allen resets his feet a third time, just as he was taught, to be in position to throw to Moore, but almost immediately resets to find the outlet in the left flat. It's a mistake by Allen. His feet do what he's supposed to do, but his brain doesn't. The play design is if he doesn't have the throw to Shavers, he's supposed to come off Shavers and find Moore. He knows he has Moore in single coverage because he's just seen the safety break to help on Shavers. He sets his feet to make the throw to Moore and then comes off it almost immediately. The play is designed for him to make one of three choices - Shavers, Moore, Davis. He had Moore and rushed right through the choice.
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12 minutes ago, Mikey152 said:
I don't think that is as gimmie as you think. The CB was in trail position and could have made a play on the ball, especially if it wasn't placed perfectly.
Can Josh make that throw? Of course. Should he attempt it? To Elijah Moore? That's more debatable.
No way. In the first place, the defender is clearly trailing Moore, and Allen can lead him either across the end zone or throw it shorter and let Moore go down for the ball inside the five. Either way, the only way the defender can make a play is by going through Moore, and then they get the interference call. If, as you say, Allen can make the throw, it's a gimme touchdown.
Should he throw it to Moore? Absolutely! What makes you think he shouldn't throw it to him? Because Moore only has five receptions season? Moore's a quality NFL receiver. He's not a star, but he's a quality receiver. 80 receptions in 8 games his last year of college, drafted 34th overall, averaged 50 catches a year in his first four seasons in the league playing on lousy teams with lousy quarterbacks. Yes, you absolutely throw the ball to him.
JuJu Smith-Schuster averages 50 receptions a year. You think Mahomes doesn't throw that ball?
I think Brady has Allen all screwed up.
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1 hour ago, Mikey152 said:
Oh, I think he is plenty prepared...it's almost as if you can see him hesitating. I think he is having the gunslinger coached out of him.
I mean, we can't be shocked. He used to get killed for his turnovers. Last season he cut those WAY down playing just like this and won an MVP. The problem, IMO, is teams are getting progressively more aggressive against this offense with more man defense and blitzes and it doesn't look great right now.
But that doesn't explain Josh simply not seeing a gimme touchdown two Moore. No safety over the top. Moore with a step and a half on the defender. We've seen Josh throw 10 touchdowns like that. He should have seen that opportunity in his pre-snap read, he should have looked off the safety and come back to Moore for the touchdown. Simple completion that any good quarterback will take.
My only explanation for not making that throw is that Josh was not prepared to execute that play the way it was designed. He's done it regularly in years past, and the coaches need to figure out how to get him back to doing it.
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23 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:
Here are a couple more plays that I think could have been completions. Feels like a lot of little things that are changing drives. HItting a few of these I think will change some things.
This first one is tough because the edge is free and unblocked. May be an impossible throw but once again coleman is running across the field left to right open.this one I really do not understand why allen is looking short to long. Moore is open all the way through this, this imo should be a TD. Throw the ball to moore before he makes his break and this seems like a simple TD and I bet moore would have looked really wide open. Just didn't pull the trigger because it appears he is going short to long in his read. Even if he hits Davis with a clean throw he may score if he makes the guy miss.
These are both good examples.
I think Josh's decision making has taken a big step backward this season. I don't know if it's Josh or how he's being preparing.
One factor is calling the protections. You say the problem on the first video is the edge is unblocked. Well, it's pretty obvious pre-snap that the edge is unblocked, and Josh is supposed to do something about that. Either have a hot read and not worry about the guy, or adjust the blocking. I saw another one like this yesterday where a linebacker on the offensive left side lined up unblocked and had a straight run at Josh, forcing an incompletion.
And as you say, on the second one, Moore is open for the touchdown. Josh has made that throw for years. Why isn't he recognizing almost from the beginning of the play that he has this throw?
I don't think Josh is properly prepared. This is way he looked in his first two or three seasons. It's a significant regression from the last couple of seasons.
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23 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:
just as an example, Here are two plays from yesterday where Josh could have given Coleman the ball with easy throws. He went to hawes on the play action and threw it deep for no reason to shavers. Coleman is open on both plays and if he gets the ball he probably makes nice plays there. Little plays like this add up. I think he should be given opportunties like these.
Here is the play action that went to hawes.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ExuPj1d502A&feature=youtu.be
and here is the curl route where coleman looks pretty open and then after the scramble is even more open. He never gets the ball.
These are good examples, and I saw a few others during the game, too.
Remember, in training camp and in the beginning of the season, Josh was intentionally looking for Coleman, and they worked a lot on their timing. That's all gone away now. Now it seems Josh seems only to go to Keon on throws that are contested catches where Keon has to win a 50-50 battle for the ball.
Three years ago, two years ago, when we all were saying Josh was the MVP and he wasn't getting the award, he was hitting wide open receivers a lot because the schemes were getting guys open and Josh understood where those openings were. Now, it seems like every completion is a struggle.
Cook and Johnson have disappeared from the passing game. Kincaid and Knox have disappeared. I simply don't believe that all of these guys are that much worse than all the other receivers in the league.
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6 minutes ago, DCOrange said:
Obviously our wide outs (as in the boundary receivers) are not good, but I'd also argue they aren't really any worse than they were last season when Josh won MVP and our offense was incredible. A big difference between last year and this year has seemed to be that Brady and Josh just haven't been as good diagnosing things pre-snap this season. It felt like last season, we consistently ID'd the defense and got into plays that schematically work even if the talent on the field isn't particularly great. Whereas this season, we've gotten tricked a ton with our protections, particularly against those really wide defensive fronts that New England and especially Atlanta utilized heavily. When we ID this stuff correctly, our OL has been great, but there's been a lot of times this season where we haven't been on our A game and then pass rushers start leaking through untouched. Beyond that, it has felt like a ton more examples this season of defenses disguising their coverages and catching Josh completely off guard and the plays that we're running are meant for a different type of coverage so on top of our WRs not being good at winning even when it's the right environment, we're also running plays that would make it difficult for good WRs to get open too. I had hoped this would be cleaned up during the bye week, but for whatever reason, it seems like Brady and Josh are still having issues and our lackluster WRs only exacerbate the issue.
I agree with this.
And what it speaks to is the player personnel and style philosophy that I talk about often. McDermott's philosophy is that good, versatile, competitive players can be molded into a team that, as a team, plays better than teams with more talented but less versatile players. That's certainly the philosophy for receivers, but it's also the philosophy for the offensive line. I mention the line because another part of the problem that the offensive is having is inconsistent pass protection. They aren't, as a group, good pass protectors. Allen has been in trouble in the pocket often this season. He's taken several sacks while in the pocket. Defensive line, the same thing. If Rousseau is your star, you'd better be running really good schemes.
That may be a good philosophy for team building. One thing that's good about a team that depends on teamwork to win, rather than star talent, is that when injuries happen, the next man up isn't replacing a star, he's replacing just another guy. However, that philosophy requires that the team have excellence in another place, and that's coaching. If you're going to play with average talent and rely on teamwork to win, you need coaches who build teamwork. And those coaches have to have excellent schemes in place, week after week, because executing those schemes is what gives your average talent an edge. We definitely are not seeing that edge in the receiving game. And, to be honest, I don't expect to see that edge in the running game against the Chiefs. And we've only seen the edge in the defensive game inconsistently.
I really don't think it's a Beane problem. I think Beane is getting the kind of players McDermott wants. I mean, instead of trading up for a receiver, he traded back to take Coleman, and no one in the football world thought Coleman was a guy who would blow the top off defenses. They took him for a reason. Most people around here were excited when Beane took Kincaid, and the guy has kind of disappeared. Since Diggs, the only quality receiving talent Beane has gone after was Cooper. It's completely clear that the problem lies in the kind of game McDermott is trying to play. I mean, think about this way: Do you really think Beane would still be the GM if McDermott were sitting in his office every night for the past three seasons thinking, "why can't Brandon get me at least one good receiver?" I don't. If that's what McDermott thought, he would have told Terry Pegula he needed a new GM, and Beane would have been gone. McDermott has the kind of players he wanted, and he and his coaches are not delivering the kind of success he thought they could.
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3 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:
Sorry, I just wrote the same thing without having seen this post. I think it's pretty clear that serviceable receivers seem to become bums when they arrive in this offense. And it maybe, just maybe, it explains why Diggs became increasingly unhappy in Buffalo.
And it may also explain why the Bills' star receiving tight end also seems to have disappeared. The Bills have actual professional receivers all over the line up and don't have a passing game. My guess is they're all keeping their mouths shut, because they're good team players, but in their heads they're thinking "WTF?"
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10 minutes ago, All_Pro_Bills said:
I'm going to suggest this is at least half the problem. If I look at Moore and Samuel and their last seasons with their previous teams Moore caught 61 for 538 and Samuel 62 for 613. Not great but good. This with Winston/Watson and Sam Howell as their QB's. All significantly inferior to Allen. Did these guys suddenly forget how to get open when coming to the Bills? Or is the Bills passing game scheme and play calling just bad?
Sorry, I just wrote the same thing without having seen this post. I think it's pretty clear that serviceable receivers seem to become bums when they arrive in this offense. And it maybe, just maybe, it explains why Diggs became increasingly unhappy in Buffalo.
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Haven't read all the comments, but it seems that the gist of them is the Bills need some better receivers. I'd like the Bills to have better receivers, too, but I'm not sure that's the problem.
I'd suggest that Joe Brady and perhaps Sean McDermott are the problems. And I think there are some pretty simple statistics that demonstrate why:
In 4+ years in the league, playing on two lousy teams with lousy quarterbacks, Elijah Moore averaged 52 receptions for over 500 yards and 2 TDs over 17 games. He is way below that average with the Bills and a HOF quarterback. He's on pace for 15 receptions and 200 yards.
In his years in the league, playing his first seven on two lousy teams and with lousy quarterbacks, Curtis Samuel averaged 55 receptions for over 500 yards and four TDs over 17 games. He is way below that average with the Bills and a HOF quarterback. He's on pace for 10 receptions and 100 yards.
Somehow, coaches for the Jets and the Browns and the Panthers and Washingtons knew how to get the ball to these guys 600 yards per season, even though they didn't have Josh Allen throwing and they didn't have James Cook putting up 150 yards rushing.
Neither one of those guys is world-beater, but the production for both of them declined significantly as soon as they arrived in Buffalo and began playing for Brady and McDermott.
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2 hours ago, RobbRiddick said:
So Hairston was in just for one series? I was looking for him but just assumed my old man eyes were struggling
He was in and out throughout the game.
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On 10/24/2025 at 4:44 PM, Matt_In_NH said:
I'll be there...not the best seats but not willing to pay $600 for weak lower bowl seats.
Matt and I just met in the car return at the airport. Good to see him. Everyone was in a great mood!
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4 hours ago, cdl 716 said:
Where are you sitting? I just saw some club seats on the 45 yard line, visitors side for $468 each…upper deck just above that some seats in the mid $250s…I'm trying to be fiscally responsible but those club seats are a great vantage point and very tempting.
I paid about $450 for regular seats on about the 30. $468 for club seats. I would have jumped in if they had been available.
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I'll be there with my travel buddy. 15 years on the road to games.
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Evans is one of my favorite receivers. He fights for everything, and he's such a good athlete, he wins most fights. He's an absolute workhouse.
I thought when he came out of college that he was too slow, but that was obviously wrong. Forget that it was the same year as Sammy. What a blunder Sammy turned out to be.
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29 minutes ago, Buffalo ill said:
Not saying the Bills are bad, but McBean has taken a Josh Allen/James Cook team and turned into an average team.
That's certainly the way it looked through six games.
We'll see.
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Several people jumped on here, piled on in fact, with the notion that the Bills are bad or in need of serious talent upgrades.
I'm not there yet. What I wrote about is how the Bills have looked through six games compared to what I've seen from some good teams in the last couple of weeks. The comparison doesn't look good for the Bills.
However, as I've kept saying, the season is about winning enough games to be relevant for the first half of the season, and then being downright good for the second half and into the playoffs. I don't think the season is lost, not by a long shot. I think McDermott's overarching plan always is to have a team full of guys who are intense competitors and to put them in a system where, when they're all competing at a high level, the system makes them better than their collective individual talent. That's what he's trying to do, year after year. I think McDermott expects his coaches to build those competitors in a high functioning team in the second half of the season.
What's troubling this season is that a lot of different areas of the Bills' game all seem to need to be turned up a couple of notches. It seems like it's more than a tweak here and there.
They need a win at Carolina, and they need to beat the Chiefs. The outcomes of those two games will say a lot.
We'll see.
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Three weeks ago, at the one-quarter mark of the season, I was reasonably pleased with the Bills. Now, two losses and a bye later, I’m really wondering whether the Bills are a team that can’t compete at the highest levels.
First, a disclaimer: I’m not paying as much attention to the Bills and pro football this season as I have in the past. Last season, if the NFL was on, I watched. This season, I’m watching or attending every Bills game but watching only bits and pieces of other games, sticking with a game if I’m interested, turning it off if it’s boring, or even not watching at all. There’s a sameness to the games that is making me feel like I’m watching the NBA, and the ads are mind-numbing. Point being, I’m writing about my impressions rather than from some deep knowledge and understanding of the NFL.
So, what’s bothering me about the Bills? In no particular order:
Speed. I’m seeing teams put a lot of pressure on their opponents with raw speed. I’ve seen clips of the Chiefs, and they’re doing it with Rice back and with Worthy. Gibbs is doing it for the Lions. I guess Elijah Moore and Curtis Samuel are supposed to be the speed element with the Bills, and James Cook, but it doesn’t look the same to me.
Power. Several teams, particularly the Eagles and Lions, can consistently drive defensive lines off the ball. They can pound at opponents with good success, and they can protect their quarterbacks in part because they can’t be overpowered. The Bills haven’t shown that kind of power; they’re built to be mobile with enough power to get by, but I haven’t seen them dominate with either mobility or power yet. Strong defensive linemen can overpower them in the passing game. Mike Vrabel brought a powerful, aggressive attitude to the Patriots, and the Bills couldn’t handle it.
Fiercely aggressive defense. Some good defenses are coming at the offenses, threatening on every play. The Seahawks seem to be attacking the quarterback and pass receivers relentlessly. The Lions are playing an entire defensive backfield of backups and practice squad guys and still, they play consistently tighter man-to-man defense than the Bills starters ever show. I get that the Bills’ philosophy is shut down the big gains and to make enough plays on the short stuff to stop drives, but other teams are killing the explosive plays AND attacking all over the field.
Struggling with mediocre opponents. Michael Penix, Jr. looked like a franchise quarterback against the Bills. A week later the 49ers made him a non-factor. The Dolphins and the Saints pretty much can’t beat anyone, and the Bills were unable to put either team away decisively.
Offensive stagnation. In previous seasons, we grew accustomed to seeing the Bills put together long drives, converting on multiple third downs, relentlessly attacking the short- and intermediate areas of the field. This season, the offense has yet to find that kind of consistency. The league seems to have caught up with the defensive style the Bills have featured, and now there are several teams that make that it difficult to sustain drives like that. The Bills offense is struggling against defenses that play the McDermott style, but play it more aggressively. The Bills have been unable to attack weak spots in those defenses, and drives are stalling more frequently.
I continue to think that it’s a long season and that the best teams play their best football beginning in December. The Lions, the Eagles, and the Chiefs each are showing signs of becoming dominant teams, and several other teams are emerging as serious opponents.
Maybe what we’ve seen is all part of Sean McDermott’s plan for the season: Play vanilla offense and defense to the bye, then begin to ramp up. Maybe his plan was to go 5-1 before the bye and the plan bit him a bit. Maybe those big cushions the Bills cornerbacks give receivers are going to start tightening up, maybe the unexpected blitzes are coming, maybe the offensive line will begin to flash in the run game, maybe Josh Allen will come out of his funk and begin slicing and dicing defenses with the precision we’ve seen in past seasons. I don’t really know.
What I do know is that the Bills we’ve seen through six games do not look very much like the teams that are emerging as dominant forces in the league. It’s time to get going.
GO BILLS!!!
The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.
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Thanks, Tuco. I appreciate that you posted.
A little history. Tuco and I were involved in a Bills-related charitable project 20 years ago, and he and I have chatted off and on for years. In earlier years, he posted under another name. We also sat in the same section when I first had season tickets. He's a good, good guy.
His avatar changes from time to time, and I noticed his latest avatar, Innocent Possessions; It's the cover of his latest novel. I've enjoyed reading both of his books.
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5 hours ago, JustHewIt said:
To those stats, we've gotten to go against the Jets, Miami, Saints, Falcons...not exactly a murderers row of quarterbacks. In past seasons we'd have shut all those teams down and probably limited Maye more.
The eye test in that Falcons game was pretty rough for me. To your point about the players though--yeah, it seems unlikely that our entire secondary is just suddenly awful. I'm surprised we're not axing Babich myself, the defense looks about as uninspired as the offense did at the end of Dorsey's reign. And we've seen how the same group of players can suddenly come alive with schematic changes
Well, I don't know who his replacement would be, but I agree very much with the observation. The defense does look uninspired. And, for that matter, so does the offense.
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Trade Deadline has come and gone
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
That is, whether we like it or not, exactly what McDermott intends.
As for 20+ yard plays correlating with touchdown drives, I'd guess that's true for every team.