Shaw66

He was 17th in the league in total tackles. That would suggest that he was in position to make the play a lot more than he was out of position. If he was out of position twice a game, that would have resulted in 32 more tackles. He would have been third in the league. Aren't you holding him to an awfully high standard? Give him Star or some other guy who really occupies space in the middle and you'll be amazed how much more Tremaine is "in position."

I don't think there are many positions where they think they have a substandard player. They have good players everywhere. They'll be looking to upgrade generally. I think Edmunds played just fine last night. I think what happened is that the Chiefs figured out how force Edmunds to commit in one direction so they could throw in the other. He followed guys in his zone, as he should, and they threw to another guy who filled the space Edmunds vacated. Sometimes Mahomes moved in the pocket, and Edmunds followed him, respecting the run threat, then Mahomes threw behind him. They exploited tendencies that they discovered in the Bills defense. The Bills asked Edmunds to cover big zones, in part because the safeties were dropping deeper to shut down the Chiefs long game. The thing only wrong with Edmunds is he isn't a Pro Bowl guy. He's good, but not a star.

Thanks. How many times has Beane said they're looking to get better at every position every year?

I don't know exactly what the characteristics of those big uglies should be, but you're right. in general. Running back is less important if they've get better up front. The only thing wrong with Moss and Singletary is they didn't have holes to run through. Sure, I'd like an RB with more speed or more power or both, but all running backs need good offensive line play, and the Bills didn't have it. And on defense, some difference maker, instead of just role players, is what they need. I hoped we'd see more out of Oliver this season, but he didn't take a big step. Obviously it's a stretch, but somehow it would be good to have a Chris Jones, or someone who demands double teams more that we saw this season. I've said all along that 2021 was the target season. It still is. The Bills aren't far away in terms of talent.

Thanks. Wrote it this morning. Then this afternoon I found out he had a broken fibula since the Patriots game. He just sort of matter-of-factly mentioned it in his press conference. No big deal. My, heavens! Yeah, fixed it. Thanks.

So the bone that helps transmit force from the ankle "during walking" was fractured? And running? And cutting? And jumping? These guys are such warriors.

Thanks. It's nice to have fans.

This is right on the money. The game changes in the playoffs in large part because the officiating changes. Players have to be prepared for it and adapt to it. The Bills fell down badly in that regard.

Oh, I won't argue with you about any of that. I was quite surprised there were no ejections. I think the refs figured they didn't want to mar the game and that they could keep things under control, which they did. It WAS a total lack of discipline. I didn't say that any of it was a good thing. What I said was it was a symptom, it was a some really tough dudes reacting to the fact that they'd been getting their butts kicked all night. They had had no success fighting back within the rules, so they lashed out in frustration. It's another teaching opportunity for McDermott. Dawkins will be physically tougher next season - count on it. Feliciano, by the way, is plenty tough enough already. He was reacting in part, I'm sure, to getting punched earlier in the game.

Man, you hit the nail on the head. The rest of league was watching and realized that those two teams represent the standard that everyone else is going to have to play up to.

Note: I have had some matters arise that require my personal attention and I won’t take the time now to write my usual review. I will have more to say later. The Bills lost to the Chiefs in Kansas City, 38-21. The Chiefs move on to the Super Bowl against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. The Bills go home. First, congratulations to the Chiefs. They have assembled a marvelous organization, and they play football at an extraordinarily high level. It’s fun to watch them play. Second, congratulations to the Bills. They too have a marvelous organization, and practically no one in the pro football world expected what we saw from them in 2020. As for the game, a couple of observations. Just as teams have to learn to play playoff football, they have to learn to play championship football. The conference championship games and the Super Bowl are played at a higher level than the earlier playoff games. The Chiefs raised the game to that higher lever, and the Bills were unable to respond. In particular, what often happens in the championship rounds is that the game becomes even more physical than it was in the earlier rounds. This game looked a lot like Super Bowl XXV in that respect. The Chiefs pounded and pounded on the Bills from start to finish, just like the Giants did thirty years ago. They were merciless. Two symptoms of the physicality of the game were that several Bills players showed it. Josh Allen clearly was beaten up. He’d been in mortal combat and survived with his life. Diggs was worn out by the end of the game. The Chiefs made it difficult for all of the Bills receivers to get easy releases off the line of scrimmage, and Diggs got a double dose all night. The other symptom was the melee toward the end of the game. It was obvious that the Bills simply were pissed off that they’d been beaten physically like that, and they finished the game fighting back, literally. They had been losing a lot of the personal battles all night long, and they’re competitive enough that they refused to roll over. Instead, they lashed out. Frankly, it was good see. Next time they’ll be better prepared to give what they need to give from the start of the game. Mahomes and Hill and Kelce were magnificent, and the Chiefs’ offense was in high gear. The Chiefs defense was magnificent too, and the Bills struggled to find answers. They should have had answers; they are good enough to have answers, but Brian Daboll’s game plan and in-game adjustments weren’t up the task. In a sense, the Bills play a finesse game. The Chiefs play a finesse game with power. The Bills were overpowered. It was fascinating to watch Edmunds manipulated in the middle of the pass defense. Time and again in the first half, he drifted right or left to respond to the routes run by Kelce and others in his zone and to respond to Mahomes drifting right or left and threatening to run. Whichever way Edmunds moved created a weakness somewhere, and Mahomes attacked mercilessly. It looked to me that each time Edmunds was doing what he should have been doing; it was just that Mahomes had the brains and the role players to exploit the weakness. That will give Sean McDermott something to think about during the off-season. I know that a lot of guys play hurt, and plenty of them play in less visible positions, but I can’t close without commenting on the remarkable courage of Cole Beasley. He’s been hurting for at least the past few weeks, and he stayed in the game. Against the Chiefs, he was hammered all night long, he limped off, gathered himself, and came back for more. It was heroic. He wasn’t alone, for sure. In some ways he was the symbol of the Bills tenacity, the tenacity that had the Bills fighting on every play as the clock ran out. That’s it for now. Congratulations again to the Chiefs and the Bills. Giver me a couple of weeks off and I’ll start getting antsy for the 2021 season! 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.

Same old Brady.

Hey, Jim, thanks for this. When I first discovered Bills fan forums 15 years ago, I was thrilled, for exactly the reason you were: They are a place, in the best case, where a Bills fan can go and find all the news about the team and some meaningful discussion about what that news means. There's always some less meaningful stuff to wade through, but so long as the ratio of the two isn't out of whack, it's the best news source around. That's what TBD is. If something is happening with the Bills, it will be posted here. I come here every day to see if anything is happening, and if it's something I care about, I'm here to talk about it. Thanks for taking the time to share your appreciation. I share it, too.

When he was a kid, he and his friends would pitch bottle caps and hit them with broomsticks. Good for the batting eye.

30 home runs for 25 seasons. Think about that! Year after year after year he hit them. Coming to major league baseball, as he did, only a few seasons after Jackie Robinson, he was subjected to a lot of racial abuse. It got worse as he approached the Babe's record. We forget how much strength and courage it takes to make change. It continues today.

At this level, needing the defense to play well is a given. There are few Super Bowl winners that just simply outscore the opponents. Teams that get to this level almost always are playing good defense. Clearly, against KC the Bills need another good game out of the defense.

Apparently either read the defense or set up the defender to get rubbed.

Good stuff. I too didn't realize there was so much motion. It wasn't really motion so much as intentionally resetting the formation to learn something about coverage or to force a defender to reposition himself. Interesting little technical adjustments to gain a momentary advantage.

I've never seen a detailed description of the protocol, but I do know that although there are some tests you can pass by just giving the right answer, there are other things you can't fake. I don't know anything about brain scans. One of the things you can't fake is short term memory. I think that on the field or on the sideline, as they're talking to the guy, they mention some random piece of information to him, like "4 is my favorite number." A couple minutes later they ask "what's my favorite number?" Guys with concussions can't answer that question. There's no way to fake it. Depending on where he is - that is, what level he's at within the protocol, he may not be able to practice with the team. Also may not be able to participate in meetings. It's all determined by the rules of the protocol. Just have to watch the news daily about what he's been permitted to do.

I think ESPN gives these guys self-importance injections, or something. Patrick and now Van Pelt make my skin crawl.

I want Josh Allen outside on the sidewalk, looking through the plate glass window at Jake from State Farm sitting at his desk with Rodgers and Mahomes on the other side of the desk, and Josh is saying "how about the Allen Allowance?"

I don't like it. I'm thrilled that the organization has had all the success it has had, and Del Reid and the others deserve enormous credit for what they've done. It's great. I don't like the name because of it's criminal connotation. And I don't like how the national press lumps us all in as members. It's not the Bills Mafia making all that noise at games, it's Bills fans. Having said that, I'll take the recognition, even if I don't like the name. Calling us, calling me, the Bills mafia is better than not talking about us. Words have meanings. No one is a fool for understanding mafia to have some criminal connection - that's the fundamental meaning of the word in today's language.

Good stuff. Thanks.

Thanks for the compliment, and thanks to others who have posted similar sentiments. As I said, I was kind of at a loss to say meaningful things about the actual game. It was a weird game for me in that respect. At the end of the game, there were probably only a half dozen plays I could have told you about.

Williams actually looked to me like the best pure running back the Bills have in the one game where he played. No idea whatsoever whether he's a + or a - as a receiver or as a pass blocker. I've not paid any attention to who the guy is at all, so I just looked him up. Never a starter at Ohio State, not really a full-time starter at North Carolina. Rookie free agent this year, waive FOUR times by the Bills! Is that any chance at all that the Bills would trust him for significant snaps against the Chiefs?