Shaw66

I think you're right. But that's one thing that isn't Taylor's fault. Clay definitely could have caught it, but the throw wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Problem is, Rivera knows McD's defense inside and out, and he has Cam Newton to take advantage of Bills weaknesses. i don't think there's an advantage.

So Ralph broke down and brought Saban back, who actually gave the ball to Simpson and as a consequence looked like a genius!

Statistically, yes, it was a typical Tyrod day. We've seen a dozen of those games - low 200 yards, decent percentage, a couple of touchdowns, runs well, low INTs. But I thought he LOOKED better. I think we saw a lot of the things that people have been saying he needed to do. He stayed in the pocket and generally didn't begin scrambling until it was time to go. He got rid of the ball quickly on many throws. He was accurate on his short throws. He threw over the middle. And I'll say it again - I don't think Tyrod all of a sudden became a better QB. I think he's playing in a system that asks him to do those things and that creates open receivers to throw to. Most of the throws he had to make were easy, because his options were clear. He's a good athlete and he works hard off the field to master his position. He's taking advantage of what the coaches are giving him. I too don't understand it. The Bills went through about 15 years with quarterbacks who simply weren't good enough. Guys with 80, 82 passer ratings, which means they simply weren't making enough plays. They finally get a guy who DOES make enough plays to win, not a Favre or Manning or Rodgers, but a guy who puts up solid performances most weeks, and some people talk about him like he's a bag of pistachio shells.

I wrote nicely complimentary things about Tyrod's game. He had a good game. However, every play is open for review, and Tyrod missed that throw. Yes Clay could have caught it and should have caught it and gets paid to catch it, but that doesn't change the fact that the ball was not thrown where it was supposed to be thrown. I wasn't commenting on Clay, I was commenting on Taylor. Taylor had a good a game. His passer rating was 92, which is a solid performance. If he'd thrown the ball where it should have been, or if Clay had caught it where it was thrown, his passer rating would have been 123. If that pass had been completed the game would have been much different. The play is worth talking about.

Interesting story about State Farm. Personally, I've been with AMICA forever, and they're great too. I'd never buy insurance from an amphibian. Not that I'm biased; some of my best friends are amphibians.

Days - Watch the replay on NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2017091000/2017/REG1/Jets@Bills?icampaign=scoreStrip-globalNav-2017091000#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000842391&tab=recap Clay clearly goes airborne. Watch the replay on ESPN - commentator says Taylor overthrew Clay. http://www.espn.com/nfl/video?gameId=400951567 That ball is supposed to be at Clay's waist, not over his head.

Watch the video. Clay JUMPED for the ball, hands over his head and it went off his fingers. Ask Taylor where that ball is supposed to be and he will say at or below the waist. Especially on 3rd down in the red zone. Up is the only place it can be intercepted. Taylor missed by 5 feet. It cost the.Bills 3 points. not a bad decision but a bad throw.

Read again what I've said about Taylor. I'm not discrediting him for anything. I'll take that game all day. I didn't say Clay missed because he got hit. I said Taylor hung him out to dry - throwing that pass assured that Clay would get hit by two defenders. If Clay cracked a couple of ribs on that play, you'd agree the throw was a problem. The ball looked like it surprised Clay. Should it have? No. The play didn't happen so fast that he should have been surprised. But the ball WAS high, and that's not the place for that throw to be. Ask Taylor and he'll say it's on him. Ask Clay and he'll say it's on him. Buddo - I agree about the defensive line and the possibility for progress. They aren't done building this defense. Also right about blown assignments - very few, and occasional soft coverage - clearly intentional.

I thought it was really weird. And you're right about not many Jets fans being there. Usually there are plenty, but the Jets fans are so bummed right about now, it's understandable. I really would like to see the Bills beat Carolina, because that will bring the crowd back to life for game three. That's a tall order.

Well, maybe it's all on Clay and I didn't see it clearly. I thought the ball took Clay by surprise (which may be on him, too), and it wasn't an easy catch - too high. That throw is supposed to be in his belly. Of course, the receiver has to help out his QB. Plus when Clay caught the TD later, he clapped his hand on the ball as if to say that he was still upset about not getting the first one. On the other hand, Clay was absolutely drilled on the one he missed. Taylor set him up for that. End of the day, however, it has to be on Taylor. He threw a ball that wasn't right where it was supposed to be, and his receiver couldn't handle it. Back of the end zone, high. Front of the end zone, low.

Right you are. He isn't quite up to the level of the others I named, but close, and he deserves to be there as much for his inspirational value. What's interesting is that Jackson is without question not in the top 5 Bills running backs of all time, and he'd be in the top 5 for sure, on probably 20 teams in the league., including probably three in the Bills' division. I looked at the replay - looks like the throw was above his head. He was coming back for the ball and probably wouldn't have scored if he caught it. And there were two defenders on him. If Taylor's going to throw to Clay on that play, it had better be low. Taylor paid the price.

Hard to know what Williams would be doing. But that isn't the point. The point is that fans thought Tolbert was an old Booby Dixon, but he isn't. He's a real running back who happens to be big. If McCoy were to get hurt, Williams might have been a better guy to be a full-time player, might not, but as a guy to spell Shady on 15 plays a game, Tolbert will do fine. Fans also have forgotten that Tolbert joined the Bills immediately after McDermott signed on, and the reason it happened is because McDermott believes Tolbert is a special guy to have in the locker room and Tolbert believes McD is a special coach to play for. That relationship is important to the team. No doubt the Jets had something to do with it. Had it been the Pats or the Packers or the Seahawks or the Cowboys or the Raiders or a few others, the place would have been rocking, and fans wouldn't have left early. They would have stayed for the celebration. But five years ago, the fans would have been celebrating even a win over a crap team. No more. The fans are saying they aren't buying until they've seen something more than new slogan.

No question at all. It was as though people were thinking, "oh, no, you're not going to fool me again. I'm not getting excited today only to watch them get their butts kicked next week." You can't lose for as long as the Bills have lost without it affecting the fans' attitude. A lot of fans aren't willing to buy in just yet. Win in Carolina and things will be different when the Broncos come to town. Lose in Carolina and I think the fans will still be waiting for some real evidence that things are different. Yesterday was nice, but not enough to convince most fans.

Yes, but saying the Bills should be one of those teams that can get pressure rushing four is like saying the Bills should be one of those team with a QB like Aaron Rodgers. Of course we want to get pressure rushing four, but it's VERY hard to do. You need some special talents, like a JJ Watt or a Von MIller. Most teams don't have them. Bills' front four might be in the top 10 in the league, but like other quality front 4s can't get pressure regularly. Expecting Dareus to get a lot of sacks makes little sense - DTs don't get a lot. The right comment was Hughes is getting all the attention and Shaq has to step up.

I think you miss the point and always have. I think Taylor is an average NFL starter, which is exactly where he's been statistically and continues to be. I think the difference we saw yesterday was all about coaching. We saw the same skills on display, but we saw them in an offense that constantly attacked defensive weaknesses and offered opportunities for Taylor to make plays. The question that I think you and I agree on is whether what we saw yesterday was good enough. Although it's possible to win with an average quarterback, the question is whether the team should move forward for the next several seasons, planning to win by being excellent on defense, good at running the ball, and effective passing. Seattle has made it work, and KC and Carolina have been close. Still, it's nicer having a Rodgers or a Brady or a Brees. You're always in the game with one of those. Ummmm. Pass distribution and throw the ball away to avoid sacks. Isn't that Brady's bread and butter? He hasn't and didn't put the team on his back and win games. That's what the great ones do sometimes. Other than that, the Bills got yesterday and have gotten for two seasons good QB play from Taylor.

The thing is, there aren't many teams that get pressure with four guys rushing. You need at least one, maybe two premier pass rushers, and the Bills don't have that. However, they have four quality guys who will occupy five or six blockers, so there will be occasional sacks from them and some nice blitz opportunities. My biggest hope for the game was to see solid defense, and I wasn't disappointed.

The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66 Off and Running Pro football coaches aren’t stupid. For all his faults, Rex Ryan wasn’t stupid, and Sean McDermott isn’t stupid, either. When you have LeSean McCoy, you run the football. When you need insurance, you call Geico. The Bills came out of the 2017 starting gate doing what they’ve done best since 2015 – give the ball to Shady. Run it left, run it right, run it up the middle. And when you need to pass, fake the run, look downfield, then throw it to the running back. And why not? Until the opponent stops it, it’s a good way to win some football games. Not enough to win a lot, but it’s a start. The Bills handled the Jets easily at New Era Field Sunday to record their first win of the season. A couple of first-half mistakes kept the game closer than it should have been, but there was little doubt that the Bills were in control of the game from the start. The only question was whether the Bills would make enough mistakes to let the win slip away. This is a new season and a new era, and answer, at least on Sunday, was “we don’t make mistakes.” So what’s new with the new-era Bills? Not the fundamental offensive approach, that’s for sure. The Bills are going to run until they can’t. Beyond that, a lot was new. For instance: · Offensive crispness. The Bills get into and out of the huddle, get to the line, get set and go. No confusion about where to line up, no wasted timeouts. Just call the play, run the play, move the chains. It’s football without the screw-ups. · Short-passing game. Finally, a passing attack that works, that forces the defense to make choices and allows the quarterback to take advantage of the choices the defense makes. All day long, Tyrod Taylor could find open receivers and make throws. · Penalties. What happened to all the penalties? These new-era Bills seem to have decided they want to lead the league in something other than going backward. · Defensive crispness. No more defenders confused about who’s on the field and who’s off (except Shaq once), no more defenders scrambling to get into position before the snap, no more defenders looking at each other and saying “I thought you had him.” These guys know what the defense is and where to go. · Defensive execution. Missed assignments? Very few. Missed tackles? Very few. Gang-tackling? A lot of it. In the NFL, offenses are too complicated and the players are too good for the defense to stop the offense all the time, but this was a defense that played under control, didn’t give up the big play and forced the offense to work for everything it got. Of course, there’s no reason to get carried away, because this was the New York Jets, and only time will tell if the Jets actually are an NFL football. The Jets did have a pretty effective defense last season, and the Bills moved the ball consistently against the Jets all day. So that’s a good sign. Still, it was the Jets, with a McCown at quarterback (you think offensive coordinator John Morton saw Taylor making plays and didn’t wish he had Geno Smith?). Some observations from New Era Field: 1. The Bills are all about One Buffalo. The message was clear from the player introductions, which didn’t happen. When it was time to take the field, the entire team came through the tunnel, whooping it up together. One team, One Buffalo. 2. Jordan Matthews is BIG. Looks almost like a tight end. If you want a sign that the Bills are committed to the short passing game, one look at him will do it. The Bills will go deep, not with deep speed but by forcing the defense to play so close to the line of scrimmage that I could get deep. 3. Kind of ironic that each of Ronald Darby and the guy the Bills got to replace him, EJ Gaines, were injured week one. I hope both get back soon. 4. As predicted, we didn’t see a lot of blitzing. Four guys trying to get to the QB. They got only occasional pressure, the best forcing the game-ending interception. Bills could use some improvement there, but it’s a tough job. 4a. How about Kyle Williams on the stunt around the left defensive end, looping around to pressure the QB then continuing upfield to tackle the receiver for a short gain? That man has been one special football player for a long time. 5. The run defense was excellent. The Jets gave up trying to run the ball. It’s a passing league for a reason, and almost any team can have some success throwing it. The Jets had some success, but having forced the Jets into a one-dimensional game, the Bills made more than enough plays in the passing game to keep the Jets under control. 6. Nice half-time show honoring the players from the comeback game. Lots of video highlights (and not just at half-time), a taped presentation from Frank Reich. The Bills singled out Kenneth Davis and Don Beebe for getting the TDs that got things going. Then Andre Reed, who gave a nice little talk about how it was One Buffalo then and One Buffalo now. They closed with Steve Christie saying all the players love Buffalo and thanking Buffalo for loving them. It was well done, and a far cry from the darkest days, when the Bills canceled a half-time Hall-of-Fame ring presentation for Ralph Wilson for fear that he’d be booed off the field. 7. Tyrod Taylor. Let the debate begin. What happened to the guy who can’t or won’t throw over the middle? What happened to the guy who can’t or won’t throw to tight end? What happened to the guy who is indecisive and won’t get the ball out quickly? What happened to the guy who isn’t accurate on short passes? What happened to the guy who can’t play from the pocket? Coaching and effective offensive game planning, that’s what. Taylor did it all Sunday. He’s an excellent athlete, he can make all the throws, and his running ability made him particularly effective. He didn’t leave the pocket early, but when it was time to go, his athletic ability got him out of the pocket, usually to buy time for a throw downfield, sometimes for a nice gain running it himself. There was a lot of good decision-making on display (except trying to force the ball into Clay when he was double covered). Some will say he’s no more than a game manager, but when he plays like he did on Sunday and the Bills win, it’s hard to complain too much. 8. I guess plenty of fans came into the game misunderstanding who Mike Tolbert is. They looked at his size and concluded he’s a short-yardage back. Well, yesterday they were introduced to Mike Tolbert, running back. The guy is a player, not necessarily every down, but he can move and he can make cuts. He’s a nice change of pace to Shady. 9. Did I mention Shady? Bills fans have had plenty of disappointment over a half century, but they haven’t been disappointed at running back. What franchise has put on the field the likes of Cookie Gilchrist, OJ Simpson, Joe Cribbs, Thurman Thomas and now LeSean McCoy. He got stuffed a lot of times on Sunday, but he was already to take another shot. As usual, he and we were rewarded. I think he missed a few opportunities to cut back behind the wide zone blocking, but he won’t miss them for long. Love it. 10. Not to close on a downer, but the Bills haven’t won the fans back, not yet. The stadium was loud occasionally but not consistently. There wasn’t a lot of vocal support for the defense, not the every-play kind of support we used to hear. Once in a while in big situations, but none of the persistent noise that really upsets opposing offenses. Post-game, it seemed like the Bills had lost. Very little celebrating, cheering or chanting as the fans left the stadium. Walking through the parking lots, I had to wonder whether these were Bills fans after a win or a bunch of folks heading home from Topps with the groceries. (In some ways it’s a shame the NFL and the Bills cracked down on raucous tailgating in the Bills’ lots.) If the Bills win in Carolina next week, there should be some old-school fandemonium at New Era when the Broncos come to town. We need it and this team deserves it. Yes, it was the Jets, but you play the schedule you were given. The Bills did a lot right, and showed they have a lot to work on. It was a good start to a new era. 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 guess I don't agree with either point. I don't agree that they churned the roster. Two corners, a wide receiver, a linebacker and two safeties is pretty normal turnover for a team. As for qb, either they're going to think they need one or they don't. If they need one they'll use their picks to get a good one in the first round. Dif they don't need one they likely won't take one or all.

Ayjent and Marty Interesting discussion. Particularly about Taylor. It will be interesting to see if Taylor plays well enough to cause them to pass on a first round qb. If Taylor plays well and the Bills go 9 and 7, those two first round f picks won't be high enough to move up for a star qb. I don't think Beane thinks he has a lot of holes to fill. In the next three years only Kyle and Richie are likely to retire. I think Beane figures he's already in @@nstandard annual continuous improvement mode. With six picks in the first three rounds he can find replacemeets for those retiring players and improve a couple other positions. I agree about Dawkins, but that just means he isn't likely to be a star. I hope he grows into a quality starter, taking the RT spot later this year or next year.

I feel the same way. We're all crazy!

The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66 Lament - The 2017 Season Begins I ache. It doesn’t really hurt; it’s just a little ache. It doesn’t keep me from leading a more or less normal life. I can’t describe exactly where it is. It’s kind of all over and nowhere at the same time. I don’t feel it every hour of every day, but sooner later most days I notice it. I’ve had the ache for a long time. Ten or fifteen years or more. I ache for a winner. I think where I ache is in my soul. It’s the same place, or non-place, where I ache for a loved one who has passed away, for a lover who doesn’t share the affection I have for her, for a friend with a fatal illness. Now, before you accuse me of trivializing important life events by comparing them to how I feel about the Bills, wait. I get that these things are different, quantum levels more important, more meaningful, more painful than the feelings associated with being a Bills fan. What I’m saying is that the ache is in the same place as those other feelings. It occupies only a tiny part of that space and is easily crowded out when seriously important life events demand the attention of my soul. Mercifully, my life has not been filled with personal loss and crisis. That’s left time and space for this little ache. It’s a little ache, trivial in fact. I tell my friends about the ache, and they “suffer” along with me. Some of my friends are Red Sox fans, so they know, or knew, what the ache is like. One of my friends is a Mets fan; he gets it. Another worked inside the Jets organization; he really gets it. For eight months a year, I watch the Bills make changes and I hope that those changes will lead to my ache going away. I try to imagine how the changes will make the team better, how players will improve and how the Bills will start winning the games they’ve lost for years. I try to imagine the joy that will replace the ache. For four months a year, I watch as the changes play out, always in a different way, but always leaving the ache behind. It’s happened so long, it seems like the ache will be there forever. Now the 2017 season is about to begin, and the Bills have made another collection of changes. This time, the changes are so big it’s difficult to imagine how the team will perform this year. Some of the best performers from the past few seasons are gone. The quarterback position is, again, unsettled. The team seems thin at certain positions. The new coach has installed new offensive and defensive schemes, and the team has had clear growing pains with each. The general manager is taking the team in a new direction. Where will it lead? It’s difficult to imagine. I’ve become so accustomed to the ache, it’s difficult to imagine that all these changes will finally make the Bills a winner. Still, I can’t wait for Sunday. Maybe this year things will be different. 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.

Exactly. And none of likes to see a star go. So there's frustration with that too.

I don't disagree with this. Every new GM comes in and says he's going to make changes. Every new coach does, too. They wouldn't have been hired if they intended to do the same thing the old guys did. But that doesn't mean they're going to rebuild. Gailey came in and made changes. Marrone did, Rex did. But none of those were considered rebuilds. A rebuild is, I believe, when you start with a new core. Just as you described - rip out the old thing because it wasn't working and replace it. But that isn't what's happened here so far. They kept the entire offensive and defensive lines, and that's the core of the team. And they kept the QB and the running back. Frankly, I think all that's really happened is that people have been rankled because Watkins, a potential star, was dealt. That's the only big change. The second thing was Gilmore, but Gilmore wouldn't have hurt so much if he'd gone anyplace but New England. Other than those two players, this team is going forward with last year's talent. Didn't re-sign a linebacker, but that's the kind of thing that happens every year. Let an old safety go. This leadership hasn't ripped the team apart in order to start over. This leadership intends to win with the current talent and build from there.

Sorry. You're right. You didn't say they were tanking. I missed that. But I don't think they're rebuilding, in the classic sense of that word. Rebuilding to me means they're starting over, and I don't think they are. Rebuilding would mean getting ride of core players, and they aren't doing that. I'm sure you're right in one sense. I'm sure they went to the Pegulas and said "we're going to trade Darby and Watkins." But they're explanation is NOT that they wanted to get draft picks. They're explanation was they are not the kind of guys we want on the team, and if we trade them now we can get pretty good value for them. Scott - I don't know if you saw this SI piece about the Bills - its the subject of another thread. https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/07/buffalo-bills-not-tanking-sean-mcdermott-nfl King or whoever says the same thing I said about Watkins and Darby. For one reason or another, Beane and McD decided they weren't the kind of guys they want on their team, because their philosophy is about more than just talent. May be right, may be wrong, but it's a philosophy and they're going to stick with it. Parcells was the same way. If you were his kind of guy, he kept you. If you weren't, even if you were talented, you were gone.