Shaw66

Oh, yeah, I'm doing all of that. It's incredible watching. And I really miss being in the stadium. It's dealing with the rest of the world that has me at sea. I don't know how to accept congratulations from people. I don't know how to react when I hear Jim Nantz say "the Bills are for real." I just have lived in that other reality for so long, that reality where, you know, I'm excited because the Bills at least have a good punter, that I haven't figured out how to live in what's becoming the new reality. Maybe I'm afraid I'll wake up and discover this is all a dream. Maybe I died on Labor Day and I went to heaven. I don't know.

Yeah, I understood that. I was just commenting that I seem at least to have gotten past the expectation that the Bills will find a way to screw this up.

Allen's throw to Brown on the goal line? My reaction was "nice catch." I wasn't surprised he caught it, and it didn't even occur to me at first what an incredibly good throw it was. That was a completely different experience for me, to see a great play, to love it and be excited by it, but to not find it unusual or special. It was "okay, good. Now get the touchdown." It's all strange to me.

It's one thing to be emotionally ready to play. It's another to be tough enough, patient enough, in control enough to win a game like that. One measure of the kind of toughness I'm talking about is that the Patriots made some major mistakes - simply giving away 3 points twice, and then a couple of disastrous turnovers, including a pick 6, but they were still fighting and were still threatening to be in the game in the middle of the fourth quarter. That's true team toughness. As someone said, that's late-December football. It's nearly playoff football. Until you've shown you can do that, you aren't a truly serious contender. The Bills sort of did it against the Rams, but if they were all the way there they wouldn't have blown the lead. They sort of did against the Raiders, with the second-half takeaways. But Chiefs-Pats was different. That was two coaching staffs and two teams totally going at each other until someone took control of the game. It was impressive. The Bills need to stand up to the Chiefs like that. And they need to stand up to the Pats like that.

I wasn't thinking "something Billsy would happen." That much I'm beyond. Like other people have said, I now expect that Josh will do something. Third and 22? We've got a shot. So I'm personally confident. But when I hear someone else say the Bills are good, all I can say is "yeah, well, we'll see." I need to see them beat KC, or the Packers. And I need to see them beat the Pats.

Perfect. Right. If you're a Yankees fan, you live with great expectations (despite the fact that Yankees haven't won anything for a while), so positive press seems normal. It's what you're entitled to.

I have to say I find myself not knowing how to deal with success. I can't remember what it was like 30 years ago when the Bills last were a good team. I don't remember how I felt or I behaved. I've spent 30 years wanting the Bills to be good again, and the early indications are that it is happening. They could collapse, of course, but I believe McDermott knows what he's doing, and he's building a serious winner. But as the national media begin to notice the Bills, I don't know if I want or like the attention. On one of the games last night, one of the announcers said something like "Don't leave Buffalo out of the conversation. Buffalo is for real." Something. I heard it and realized it was the first time I'd heard a genuinely positive comment about the Bills, a full-fledged statement that the Bills are among the best, since the early 90s. It sounded so unusual, and I realized that I didn't know how to react to it. A few years ago, I was thrilled just to hear an announcer say the Bills could be trouble for some teams. But this was different. This was a statement to the effect that the Bills could beat anybody. I didn't know how to take it. Then I pick up my local paper, which covers the Jets, Giants and Pats, and there's an AP article about how there's an offensive explosion going on in the NFL, and the accompanying photo is an action shot of Josh Allen. In the article, Jon Gruden says this: "You watch Buffalo's offense, they can do a lot. The quarterback can complete passes left-handed. The guy's a beast standing back there. They got a pretty good attack." I find myself hoping friends won't ask me about the Bills, because I don't know what to say. One thing I do say is, "I told you this was happening." But then I quickly add, "they aren't good enough yet." It's like I don't know how to deal with the success. It was much easier when no one had any expectations for the Bills; losses weren't disappointing then. But now if they lose, people will want to know what happened, or people will say, "see, same old Bills." It all feels so strange. This is going to take some getting used to.

That's interesting analysis. I think it explains the philosophy. The question is this: when you play the Pats in a few weeks, how are you going to stop their running game? The front four has to win, or at least neutralize, the offensive line, in a sense to protect Edmunds. I don't disagree with others who say he needs to be stouter against the run, I just think he's worth investing another year or two in him to get him there. He's a physical star who can change the opponent's game plan every week.

Patriots-Chiefs showed the Bills how far they have to raise their game. Those teams slugged it out for 55 minutes,. The Patriots did it with two QBs who weren't up to the moment, but they kept on slugging. That was higher level intensity than the Bills saw in Las Vegas or against the Rams. That was two teams executing really well, grinding each other to a halt until KC finally exploded. I hope the Bills were watching. That's the next level. They have to bring against KC like that and against the Pats like that. That's the next test.

Yeah, I read the stories. I just don't buy that he's made some kind of historic leap. When a guy works with coaches, like that, he's working on little things. He isn't remaking his game. Little things account for maybe a completion a game, maybe two. If off-season coaching and work could improve Allen's passer rating from 85 to 120, then every quarterback would do that training. Allen has been working with Daboll and his offense for three years. They began asking him to do things he'd never done before. Little by little, he progressed. He's now seeing the field. He now knows where his receivers will be. He now knows what to do with certain blitzes. As I've said several times, he isn't making any throws he didn't make two years ago. He's just making them more consistently. He threw plenty of balls with touch last season. He's making them behind the best offensive line pass protection he's had since he got to Buffalo. He has Diggs and Davis this year, plus two experienced tight ends instead of one rookie. I think he's just making normal progress from season to season, and the team is getting better around him.

Funny. It didn't occur to me. Rooting against the Patriots is such a habit, I never thought about broader playoff implications. I've always thought of the Bills taking the next step - the next step being getting to the playoffs AND winning a playoff game. I haven't gotten to the point where I'm thinking about home field in the playoffs. For me, it's first things first. The Pats are too close. Let them lose. We'll deal with KC down the road.

I don't think he guesses on gaps. He has a gap assignment. If he was blowing his assignments, he wouldn't be on the field. One thing I liked about his play yesterday was that I didn't see him getting trapped in gaps. He recovered easily and often still ran down the play. Raiders ran for 86 yards, about 3.6 per carry, and Edmunds made 12 tackles, most of them in the run game. If Edmunds played so badly, how'd the Bills stop the run so well?

I agree about Allen, both the throw to Diggs and his game generally. He wasn't as sharp as we've seen in other games, but he still was awfully good. The throw to Brown on the goal line was fabulous, and a couple of the shorter balls to Diggs were great, too. He's an amazing thrower. The sack was a disaster. I thought the explanation of Brown's catch made some sense. If you have possession of the ball and hold it over the goal line, it's a score. However, a receiver doesn't have possession of the ball until he completes the catch. They seemed to say that since he was going to the ground, he didn't complete the catch until he survived the collision with the ground. So he didn't have possession until he hit the ground, and at that point the ball wasn't over the line. Nice piece on the game. Thanks.

Well, I don't know what he did in the off-season. I just see it as his natural progression. He's learning that way all QBs learn, gradually, over time. He's seeing the field better, he's concentrating and more relaxed. But he always had that arm. He made those throws two years ago, just not so often or so consistently. He's an extraordinary talent.

I get that point of view, but this isn't asking Allen to abandon what comes naturally to him. This is about having him focused on winning the game. There are plenty of times when the team says, "okay, Josh, make something happen." This wasn't one of those times. This was tantamount to telling Josh to take a knee at the end of the half and he throws a pick 6. "Just Josh being Josh." No. Josh has to understand the whole game, and he has to make plays in the context of the game. There was no upside to Josh running around back there. No upside. If he throws a touchdown pass on that play, it's pretty much no better than taking the field goal on the next play. - it's a three score game either way, 8 minutes left. He's supposed to recognize that there's no upside and there's clear downside to trying to squeeze something out of nothing.

What's sex?

Thanks, Figgy. I didn't read Virg read, but I think it was absolutely boneheaded. The number one objective on that play was DO NOT TAKE A SACK, because the field goal makes it a three score game. It ends the game. When Josh broke from the pocket, he was supposed to be thinking "good, I've got some time, let's see what I can make of it. When the defense catches up to me, throw it out of bounds." I was thinking that as the play was happening. It was the number one priority, and Josh had plenty of time. He just cannot take the sack there.

I hear that, and i agree he would be awesome outside. However, I think McDermott likes the idea of a game-changer in the middle. The guy on the edge can be neutralized; a star in the middle can't. Obviously, McD was in love with Keuchly - who wouldn't be? We all know Edmunds isn't Keuchly - they're different styles. Keuchly mas a monster run stuffer, and I think he had exceptional instincts - he understood intuitively where the play was going. Edmunds doesn't have the same natural feel for the position. But as I said, I think Edmunds stands alone in the league playing the middle in the passing game, and that's an extraordinary talent - that's the kind of game changing talent McD wants in the middle. So the task for McD is to get Edmunds toughened up and smartened up so that he doesn't approach being a liability in the run game. Edmunds is still so young, so I expect he will grow both physically and mentally in the game. I don't think the Bills are letting him go anytime soon.

Wow, I hadn't reread it as posted and didn't see the ****. That's pretty bad. I mean, I get it, but it's a legit word. Oh, well. Keep on ballin'.

Watch it again. He doesn't put his body into the throw. He could have thrown it 70 yards if he wanted. Amazing arm.

That's interesting stuff. Thanks, Stank. McDermott says all the time it starts with his front four, and he hasn't been getting enough out of them. Someone post last week that Hughes ranks really high in the league in pressures, but other than that, I think the pass rush has been mediocre. When they blitz, it seems worse. The blitzers just seem to clog things up and no one breaks free. I'm no expert in the run game, but this discussion about the tackle rotation is interesting. It's classic McDermott, always fiddling, always finding a way to make things better. Being tough in the run game is critical because, as people have been saying, Edmunds isn't a real run stopping mlb. Plus, when the dline isn't doing a good job on the run, Edmunds' passing defense is more limited because the play action pulls him in. As I said in my Review last night, I think Edmunds had a good game. I guess I missed the plays people are complaining about here, but I don't think we're going to see the Bills move on from Edmunds any time soon. He covers the middle passing zones better than probably any middle linebacker in the league, and he gets to the edge extraordinarily well, too. Yesterday he tackled better and led the team with 12 tackles. He was around the ball all day. Given how special he is, I expect the Bills will make the d line a continuing priority, because when the Dline is playing well, Edmunds becomes a major problem for the opponent.

I wondered what I would here about Edmunds. I S aw it differently. I thought his mobility was awesome. 12 tackles on 67 total plays says something

Sean McDermott said they would do it, and they’re doing it. They’re making winning the fourth quarter a habit. The Bills did it again Sunday against the Raiders, carrying a small lead into halftime, and letting it shrink to one point in the third quarter. Then they poured on two fourth-quarter TDs and two fourth-quarter take aways. The game was over. The Bills went to 4-0, and a few more people around the country realized the 2020 Bills are for real. Of course, they wouldn’t be the Bills if they didn’t make it closer at the end than anyone would like. It would be nice if just for once, the Bills didn’t have to recover on onside kick to secure the win. The weekly bonehead play by Josh Allen cost the Bils a field goal and made the game closer than it needed to be. But that’s about all that went wrong in Las Vegas. The game was pretty much an even match. Yards, plays, first downs, time of possession all were fairly even. Quarterback passing stats were pretty close, too. The difference was the two takeaways, both earned by the Bills – no gifts. First, Josh Norman closed beautifully on Darron Waller to make the tackle and punch the ball out, then scrambled to make the recovery. Then Quinton Jefferson did the same thing to Derek Carr – relentless pass rush, perfect swipe to create the fumble and a scramble for the recovery. Both were athletic, heads-up plays. The first lead to the Bills score that provided the margin of victory, the second effectively ended the Raiders’ chances. But for the takeaways, the defense could have been the goats in a Bills loss. They couldn’t stop the Raiders, at least not until the Raiders got into scoring position. The Raiders just kept scoring. The defense tightened up some in the second half, forcing a punt, two fumbles and a great stop on fourth and one. That, combined with the fourth quarter resurrection of the offense, was enough to bring home the win. Edmunds was the standout. He had what may have been the best game of his young career. He was everywhere on the field – blitzing, tackling ball carriers, roaming the defensive backfield. No sloppy tackling this week. Extraordinary quickness, darting into a hole to manage his gap, then curling back and assisting on tackles across the field. I’m sure, either after the game, or in the film room, coaches will say to him, “THAT’S the way you’re supposed to play the game, with THAT speed and THAT kind of focus.” If a trip to Vegas is what it took for the light to go on, if that’s what we can expect to see week in and week out for the next several years, then by all means send him to Vegas. I’ll be his chaperone. As always, of course, the story of the Raiders game is Josh Allen. When they win and when they lose (and unless we’re witnessing a miracle, the Bills will lose). The story will be Allen, because he’s just too big not to be the story. He’s Paul Bunyan. When he’s good, his play is magnificent, often extraordinary. When he’s bad, he’s bad in almost mythic ways, this week taking a horrible, horrible sack when he had plenty of time to throw the ball away. We all keep hoping he’ll get the bad under control, and he seems to be doing better. And then, BAM!! What were you thinking, Josh? Up until now, whatever the bad, everyone’s been willing to put up with it because the good has been oh, so good. So good. He has control of the huddle and the line of scrimmage. He manages the traffic in the backfield. His passes have the beauty of those great Joe Ferguson spinners, but Joe was a pee wee compared to Josh. Josh can throw it anywhere on the field, like a rocket one time and with touch the next. Not every time, but a lot of the time. Not with the surgeon-like precision of a Brees, but not so far off, either. He really is spectacular. Not consistently enough, but that’s only going to improve. What I want from Allen is not just the elimination of the bonehead play, but precision. More perfect execution every play. The 49-yard completion to Diggs to set up the final touchdown was great, but he needed the ball five yards to the right to lead Diggs away from the defender. Instead his throw forced Diggs into a contest for the ball. A great QB helps his receiver there. Diggs already has made some nice catches since joining the Bills, but that catch was the best. I’d seen the highlight videos from Minnesota, and I remember thinking “don’t expect him to be making highlight-reel catches like that – nobody does that all the time.” And here he is, doing it as a Bill. His speed and change of direction is magnificent, and his hands just are outstanding. So there he was, 50 yards downfield, stopping and going up and over the defender to grab the ball. Outstanding. Almost as spectacular was his recovery to get his hands on the ball when Josh scrambled and flipped the ball forward in desperation, and then his agility, stretching in vain for the first down. He’s a special athletic talent, and his intensity is undeniable. Then there’s Beasley. Talk about special athletic talent. Multiple beautiful receptions – great routes, great body control, great hands. He gave up his body completely for the touchdown catch. Josh got great protection from the offensive line. He rarely seemed trapped. The Bills aren’t champions yet. They have a lot to learn. They aren’t playing with the killer instincts of the Chiefs and the Pats and occasional other teams. They still get flustered at times. They still don’t punt so well, and place kicking is an adventure. But it’s clear they are well down the road to being great. This was the kind of game that the really good teams win. On the road against a pretty tough opponent. They need these games, because they’re going to lose sometimes to an elite team, and sometimes just because there’s a hiccup. The Bills weren’t perfect, but just like last week against the Rams in Orchard Park, the Bills rose up in the fourth quarter to take the win. That’s a big step for a football team. They weren’t bad at it last season, and they’re better now. It’s happening right here, right now. Where would you rather be? 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.

This is only half right. IMMOBILE pocket QBs are going the way of dinosaurs. QBs now have to be able to scramble and to run. But that that doesn't mean that you don't have to be a good pocket passer, and that's my point about Lamar. The premier QBs are now and always will be great pocket passers. Passing out of the pocket is the only way the passing attack can attack the whole field. Allen, Mahomes, Watson are clearly on their way to become outstanding pocket passes. May make it, may not, but they're showing they have the potential. Dak is a step behind, but has a shot. I haven't seen enough of Murray. As a pocket passer, Lamar looks much more like Tyrod than like Wilson. He's in his third season and he's shown very little progress in that regard. As others have said, compare Jackson's progress in three years in terms of throwing the ball all over the field to Allen's. It's no comparison - Allen is way ahead. Now, sure, you can say Jackson doesn't have the talent around him, and you can say he's got a coordinator who features the run, but you need to recognize that there are reasons for that. Allen has Diggs and Daboll BECAUSE he's able to throw from the pocket all over the field; if the Ravens had Allen, do you think they wouldn't have gotten some receiver talent for him and spread out the offense? The Ravens have a limited offense BECAUSE they have a limited QB. Can he become a great pocket passer? Sure. He's an elite athlete - he's every bit as talented as Russell Wilson. But he has to learn to throw the deep and mid-range ball, he needs to learn how to throw it out of the pocket, he needs to learn how to read defenses. Right now, he's still running something that looks more like a college offense - a lot of single-read, option stuff. That isn't going to cut it in the NFL.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I'm happy I was able to post something that succeeded in keeping you all so well entertained while we waited for the next game to roll around. I'm having trouble focusing on Lamar with game time approaching. Welcome to the Josh Allen Era!!!