Shaw66

I think you're probably right about that. I continue to think he will be a star in a few years.

It's possible that we will look back at that game and say that was the point at which his career stopped advancing - that he forever after played tentative, didn't make throws, didn't learn. It really is possible. In that sense, the day might haunt him. It's also possible, more likely, that the memory of that game will burn within him, always pissing him off and driving him to get better. That's probably the sense that you meant.

That's exactly right. They should not be allowed to make plays without reasonably protecting the defenseless player. Jones was reckless, and that recklessness shouldn't go unpunished. The point is that they are trying, or should be trying, to eliminate all head injuries. The way to that is to punish every player who causes a serious head injury either intentionally or because he wasn't being careful to protect the defenseless player. Everyone, including the players, scream when a new player safety rule comes in. But within two years of the new rule being instituted, the problem is pretty much solved. There are probably 90% fewer hits on defenseless receivers than there were ten years ago. QBs aren't getting hit below the knees any more. They aren't getting hit in the head any more. The players adjust to the rules, even if they don't like it. The problem with the head injuries is that they are so severe and have such long term consequences, it isn't enough deterrent to have a 15-yard penalty. Automatic game and multi-game suspension will stop all but the accidental head hits.

But players are not required to leave the field on every play. What I'm saying is every time a player goes down with a hit to the head, play is stopped and the trainers come out to deal with him, the play should be reviewed, whether a penalty was called or not. If on review it's determined that the tackler hit shoulder or helmet to head and did so without regard to the health of the guy who got hit, a personal foul should be called and the guy who made the hit should be suspended from NFL play until the guy who got hit is cleared to return to the field. If it's two plays, fine, the hitter is out for two plays. If it's the rest of the game, fine. If it's three weeks, fine. You hit someone in the head in a way that is a violation of the rules, you sit as long as the guy you hit sits.

I don't know about arresting people, but generally I agree. If you're going to have rules to stop people from getting seriously injured, then the rules should be tough enough to cause people to be punished for violating the rules. In the case of head to head hits, I think it's simple. Head to head hit is a personal foul. The guy who commits the foul is suspended from further play in the game until the guy who was hit in the head is cleared to return to the field. That's fair, because the decision about whether he can return to the field is made by the trainers and doctors, not the coaches and players. The hitter is suspended from game to game so long as the victim is in the concussion protocol. End of story. Institute that rule and and head to head hits will disappear. THAT would be getting serious about head to head hits.

Thanks. I thought it was a great game too. Two teams scratching and clawing and scheming for every yard.

You know, I had a similar thought. Interviews and watching him gave the feeling that he's getting weary. He seems a little tired, and perhaps a little less sharp. I've also been thinking that he's going to get hurt. He'll get hit one of these days and do his knee or his ankle or break a leg and injure his shoulder, something. Any of those things - injury or just being tired - I think is likely to cause him to hang it up after this year. It's a serious grind for these players, and it's tougher to do in your 40s. His wife is going to be asking him if he really needs to keep doing this.

I'm not sure what that means. It sounds nice to say and all, but it ignores reality. The Patriots defense has been lights out. They're coached by perhaps the greatest defensive schemer of all time. You have a second-year QB. The Patriots did the exact same thing to the Rams in the Super Bowl. So, yes, I agree, if you want to have a very good team, you need to win games where your hold the opponent under 20. I get that. There's no shame in a rookie QB getting schooled by Belichick and putting up only 10.

I think Allen just choked. That is, he started out playing tentatively, nervous, whatever, got lousy results, then felt the pressure more, than pressed to make up for things that went wrong. He lost focus. He has very specific things he's supposed to do on each play, and I think he lost focus on those things, because of the pressure and because he felt he needed to make plays. McDermott knows he has to get him refocused and on track. I agree with others that it wouldn't be the worst thing for him to sit against the Titans and then have the bye week to get back to his more under-control self.

I don't recall Brady doing this. One reason I think it's new is that no one else does it. Everyone has learned how to ground it on the screen pass, and they all do it. If Brady had been doing this for years, others would have copied it by now. Maybe I'm wrong.

All of this. Allen now has the opportunity to grow up. All he needs to do is watch the film of Brady in a tough game and himself in the same tough game, and see what he did that Brady didn't.

Of course the jury is out. It's impossible to say with certainty that anyone will get better. Having said that, I have a high degree of confidence that Allen will get better. I think yesterday he just lost his head.

Nice post, as usual. I want to make a couple of comments. First, people know I write a column, too. I travel to the games, so my post on the game isn't written until Monday morning. I make it a point to write without looking at any of the posts here, or any articles or columns anywhere, really, so the thoughts are mine. Still, somehow, for the second week in a row, Virgil and I have been saying the same things. I don't recall exactly what it was last week, but a major theme in my column was the same there as Virgil's. This week, it was what an emotional game it was. If anyone noticed, it was in both cases, great minds thinking alike! Daboll - I can't say I studied the game plan, but I would guess the plan wasn't as bad as you think. McDermott sounded like he was very disappointed in Allen, and not just because of the INTs. He commented about how things went fine in the third quarter when he just did what he was taught to do. So I would guess that what we saw was less of a problem with Daboll and more of a problem with Allen failing to execute the way he was supposed to. The Pats were allowing 200 yards per game allowed before they came to Buffalo, and they coughed up 375 to the Bills. So I'd guess Daboll's plan wasn't too shabby. The Bills were allowing 300 yards per game and gave up 225 to the Pats. Is anyone saying the Pats had a bad game plan? I think it's more about two really good defenses and offenses trying to figure any way at all to put together consistent drives. I thought there were two other plays where intentional grounding should have been called. Let's be realistic. It's become the custom in the league to allow QBs to throw the ball at the feet of a screen pass receiver when the QB decides the play is busted. It's obviously grounding, but it's not called. Okay, I get that, although the league could just say "tough, the guy's not open, throw it someplace else. Get out of the tackle box and throw it past the line of scrimmage." But that's not how it's called. I get it. But what Brady is doing is something new. He is very obviously intentionally throwing the ball away in the field of play and claiming it's okay because there was a receiver "in the vicinity." Well, the point of the rule is that you're supposed to be trying to make a play, and Brady obviously is not. This is the most accurate passer perhaps in the history of the league throwing the ball ten yards down the field and missing his receiver by ten yards. Did you ever see him miss a short throw by ten yards and throw it into a cluster of defenders? No. The only time he misses by ten yards, he's throwing to grass. It's a clear violation of the rule, and the league has to start calling it. I don't know if there are any other NFL QBs doing that. Way over the head of the receiver and out of bounds on the sideline, okay. But throwing the ball to the middle field where no one is there is only permitted when the QB is outside the tackle box. It's another one of the smart way the Pats take advantage of interpretations of the rules. I think they're breaking the rule and the refs are smart enough or don't have the guts to call it. They will push the interpretation until someone calls them on it. I suspect the officials will be discussing this play this week.

Think about it this way: You have two 11 year olds on your soccer team, one named Josh and one named Zay. Josh is running all over the field, sometimes out of position, always trying to get the ball away from the other team. Zay's always in position, but when the ball comes his way, the defender always beats him to it. If you're thinking about it realistically, which kid has a future at soccer? Josh. I have a much better chance of dialing Josh's enthusiasm back than getting Zay energized enough to actually make plays. Now, with 11 year olds, both of them stay on the team and you work to improve both of them. On a professional team, you move on from players and work with the next man up.

You guys can argue about this all day if you want, and I haven't seen a lot of replays, but I think it's simple: 1. It was offensive pass interference. 2. The officials on the field missed it. And this is the important part: 3. On review, they are going to overturn calls that (a) are obvious (this was) and (b) actually affected the reception. Wallace was so far behind Gordon before the pick that I think the review official decided that if there'd been no interference Gordon would have caught it anyway. Yes, maybe Wallace might have made a quick tackle and saved a big gain, but he wasn't ever going in position to break up the pass. They haven't exactly said that's how the reviews work, but they have said over and over that the purpose of the rule is to avoid unfair result of an obviously missed call, as happened to the Saints in the playoffs. In other words, it's not enough that the interference was obvious; it also had to affect the catch.

Josh will learn. He will be one of the premier QBs in the league, because of his talent, his brains and the system he's playing in.

This, exactly. He should have prevented two interceptions and caught a touchdown pass. He failed on all three. Other than that, I thought he played great two receptions for four yards.

The Bills lost to the Patriots on Sunday, 16-10. It’s never good to lose, and it’s never good to lose to the Patriots. They always do something that makes you angry. It was a day full of highs and lows, and it was the kind of day that makes the NFL perhaps the most successful entertainment vehicle of all time. I stood in the mob of people waiting to get through security at gate 2. It was partly cloudy, the temperature was in the high 60s. I was struck by how happy people were; hundreds and hundreds of people around me, smiling and laughing, enjoying the fact that they had tickets to the big game, enjoying the thrill of just being part of it. You don’t often see that many people that happy. Every time there’s a flyover at the stadium, I think it’s kind of hokey and what’s the big deal, and every time there’s a flyover, I really enjoy it. There’s nothing hokey about four F-16s in formation! That was great! And there was a football game, too, and what a game! You want hokey? How about a couple getting married at halftime on the 50-yard line? But even that was fun, Kyle Williams presiding over the ceremony and Kim Pegula presenting a football signed by all the Bills and two tickets to the Super Bowl to the happy couple. Putting aside for a moment that the Bills lost and their quarterback got knocked out of the game, just looking at it from a fan’s perspective, that was a really entertaining game. The defenses were outstanding. There were big plays – interceptions, including Hyde’s dramatic interception in the end zone, a blocked punt, a couple of great runs from scrimmage by Gore, momentum shifts, and drama from beginning to end. I almost wished I wasn’t a Bills fan, so I could have enjoyed the entertainment without having to be so disappointed in the outcome. All right. I’ve postponed talking about the game long enough, in part because I don’t know exactly what to say, so I’m just going to spill it out and we’ll see how it goes: 1. The Bills’ defense was amazing. Just amazing. My friend at the game commented about how uncomfortable Brady was in the pocket, and it was true. He didn’t get hit much, but it was clear that he didn’t like being back there. He was antsy. Making him uncomfortable is the key to controlling Brady, and that’s what we saw yesterday. He missed some easy throws, he threw too hard to Edelman one time and it went through Edelman’s hands. He wasn’t exactly confused, but he wasn’t able to do what he wanted. The pass rush was just aggressive enough, and the back seven covered up receivers all day long. I heard that Brady’s passer rating on Sunday was the lowest one-game passer rating he has had since 2006! There were times during the game when I wondered whether Levi Wallace is the best corner back on the team. I have growing appreciation for Milano. His open field tackling is great. Brady likes to throw to his receiver who is one-on-one with a linebacker, and late in the game when he desperately a completion for a first down, Brady tested Milano up the sideline. Nothing doing. Great defense. 2. As usual, the game turned on a half dozen plays. One of them was the blocked punt, which was a huge mistake by the Bills. How could the Bills not be prepared for a 10-man rush? Haven’t they practiced that? When the teams lined up it was obvious the punt was going to be blocked – there simply weren’t enough blockers to handle all the rushers, and you knew the Patriots were doing it because they had identified something on film. Someone needed to recognize the problem and call time out. It turned out to be the most important play of the game, and the Bills blew it. 3. Most of the other big plays were Josh Allen interceptions, which leads to a general discussion of Josh Allen. I didn’t do a game-by-game analysis, but that had to be Allen’s worst game as a pro. He was more or less terrible, right from the beginning, when he made an ugly overthrow in the right flat, followed immediately by an ugly wide overthrow in the left flat. He never misses two throws in a row like that. Looking at the game as a whole, and taking into consideration McDermott’s post-game comments, I’d say the moment was too big for Allen. Put another way, he choked. McDermott said that Allen didn’t do the things he’s been taught to do. He didn’t recognize the double coverage on McCourty’s interception, and he threw the ball up for grabs on his other two interceptions. McDermott said, and it was true, that Allen settled down at half time and came out doing what he’d been taught to do. Then he lost it again. Comparing Allen’s performance to Brady’s, they both struggled against really good defenses. The difference was that Brady knows that things going bad doesn’t mean he should start doing stupid things. Allen obviously doesn’t. Brady knows that there’s always another play, and Allen doesn’t. A case in point was Allen’s scramble and injury. I haven’t seen a replay and won’t comment on the hit other than to say that a QB needs to expect to get hit when he’s running for an important first down. First, the first down was important only because Allen had played so poorly for the first three quarters; if he’d done his job, he wouldn’t have felt he needed those extra yards, and he would have gone down to avoid the contact. But, second, even under the circumstances, what Brady understands and Allen doesn’t is that there’s always another play. Go down, and if you’re two yards short of the line to gain, so be it. Let the coach decide whether to go for it or punt. Would you rather get the first down and let Barkley play the rest of the game, or punt and have Allen continue to be your QB? The Bills needed Allen, and he put himself in a position that resulted in his being unavailable the final possessions. Josh Allen just has to get better. 4. I try not to beat up players too much in these reports, but I have to make an exception in the case of Zay Jones. I’ve never been a big Zay booster, but I’ve watched him some this season and been impressed by his size and speed and willingness to run routes. He’s looked to me like a threat on the field, even if the production isn’t there. After the Patriots game, if it were up to me, he would be off the team. McDermott is a big believer in second chances, teaching opportunities and all that, and McDermott may take that attitude with Zay, but I wouldn’t. I’ve bought McDermott’s process, and it starts with accumulating players who are intense, relentless competitors. When Tre’Davious White got his second interception last week, the play that clinched the win over the Bengals, McDermott praised him for continuing to run, which put him position to make a play when Hyde tipped the ball. Natural competitors, guys who fight for everything on every play, are at the core of what McDermott is trying to do. Against the Patriots, Zay was exposed as a guy who doesn’t want to compete. On three plays, Zay showed he doesn’t want to fight for the ball: The interception down the right sideline in the first quarter, when Zay kept running on a slightly underthrown ball instead of stopping and making an aggressive play on the ball. The interception on the right sideline in the third quarter, when Zay completely gave up on a ball he could have caught and allowed the Patriots to take it. The incompletion on fourth down in the end zone with ten minutes left. I would have kicked the field goal, but the Bills had a play, Barkley made the throw and Zay must win the fight for that ball. Three plays, two interceptions and a missed touchdown, all because Zay Jones didn’t compete. I’m a believer in the McDermott process, and Zay doesn’t fit the mold. 5. Is there more to say? Sure. Frank Gore. Jerry Hughes. Tremaine Edmunds. John Brown. Cole Beasley. Matt Barkley, who did an excellent job under really difficult circumstances. The national press seems to be reporting this game as another mail-in Patriots win over the Bills, but I’ll tell you this: No NFL teams are going to look at the film of that game without concluding that the Bills have an awesome defense. The Pats were averaging over 400 yards per game; the Bills held them to 225. They were averaging over 30 points a game; the Bills held them 16 and 7 came on a blocked punt. No NFL teams are going to think the Bills offense is impotent. The Pats were giving up 190 total yards per game; the Bills gashed them for 375 and it would have been much worse if Allen hadn’t decided to throw INTs all over the field. Going into the game I thought that the Bills being competitive was more important than the win. They had to show themselves they could play with the Pats, and they did. After the game, of course, the Bills still have a loss and still looking at the mistakes that cost them the game; they have to live with the disappointment and learn from it. But to a man they know now that they can play with the best. Now it’s time to get better and beat the best. 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.

I think you're correct. It blew hard last week but pretty consistently toward the tunnel. Everyone seemed to handle it pretty well. There used to me more swirling winds on the floor of the stadium that were difficult to guage.

Oh no. If complex vs complicated is anything like accurate vs precise, we're all in for more of an education than we want.

I note with interest former Bills playing on other teams. The only ones I wish the Bills had are Watkins and Woods. I root for Nickel-Robey and Goodwin. Anyone else think it was cool that the two defensive coordinators last night both were D coordinators for the Bills in the past six years?

I didn't know that, but I agree completely. Rodgers is extraordinarily gifted. His touch is amazing. His accuracy on short balls rivals Brady, and on long balls Rodgers is clearly better. Rodgers scrambles nearly as well as Wilson, maybe better, he runs well, protects himself. He does everything.

As I said, I think the difference will come down to the quarterbacks. I think what you have are two well prepared, well coached defenses. Whether one is better than the other, I don't know, but if they're different, it's not by so much that it will determine the outcome. QB is by far the most important position, and QB is the position where there's a real talent differential. Put another way, they're both playing against good defenses, and I think Brady will be able to do more against the Bills than Allen against the Pats. BUT, it could be close enough that it's a one-score at the end, and then it's anyone's game.

I agree with these responses about Mahomes and Marino. I think in both cases you're talking about really skilled guys whose skills fit beautifully with the talent and coaching around them. When we're watching Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Peyton, it was something different. You could see that they knew what to do whatever was thrown at them. Although the talent around them matters, for sure, you could take those guys and put them on almost any team, and the team would be a touchdown better. They just KNOW.

Good in this thread. I use the same strategies people describe here, but to go in a different direction. The fundamental points are: 1. Park on the side of the stadium that is in the direction you want to go, because the shortest route is the best and you don't want to be driving against the flow. So if you're going east, park on the east side, west, west side. 2. Park on or near the main road you're going to take. 3.. Stay off the interstates. 4. Stay out of the stadium lots. Better to walk farther from the stadium and park in a small lot so you aren't in a line to get out of the lot. So, for me, it's like this. I take I-90 east home, but I avoid I-90 for a long time. I park on the south side of Big Tree not far from California. South side because I want to turn right out of the lot - easier to find someone who let's you in. I take Big Tree east (what is that, Route 20 or 20A?) straight through downtown Orchard Park to East Aurora. Then I take back roads north and east through East Aurora, Elma, Alden, and eventually head east on Route 33 to Batavia, where I catch I-90. Usually, I'm out of traffic once I get through Orchard Park. I-90 traffic is still heavy in Batavia, but it spreads out by Rochester. Niagara Falls? Do the opposite. Park on the northwest side of the stadium get on whatever roads take you north and west from the stadium. Probably go all the way downtown before getting on any highway. Pick up 190 someplace downtown and I'd guess you're on your way.