Mikey152

I can see it now... Up 10 with a minute to go, 4th and 27, and Mcdermott brings in Stephon Diggs to defend the hail mary. Chargers run a bunch of clear out verticals and dump the ball off to Ekler, who proceeds to weave his way up field. Right at the sticks, he is met by Diggs...levels him and gains the first down. Diggs needs to be helped off the field with an injury because he doesn't know how to tackle. This board is bananas because they had a WR on the field in that situation.

Dolphin's schedule isn't all that much easier than ours over then rest of the season... If you Give them the jets game to get to 7 wins, exclude Pats and Broncos (both teams play those games) and ditch the Bills vs Dolphins game, that leaves the Dolphins with Cincy, KC and Vegas and Buffalo with SF, Pitt and SD. I don't think that's all that different.

What seemed evident to me is... The Bills finally built a defensive gameplan using AJ Klein and his skillset at LB, instead of just building it like Milano was going to play and swapping in AJ like he is the same player. Milano being out for sure instead of questionable probably helped a ton. So did the Seahawks being forced to be a little more one-dimensional...less thinking more playing really helped the defense with all the new pieces.

I think that the "$20 million" is arbitrary...as it's really very recent that ANY quarterbacks have made that much money. What you really need to look at is a QB's salary as a percentage of the cap...I'm sure there are plenty of examples where top-flite QBs not on their rookie deals (or before the rookie cap) won the SB. I'd also wager those teams are far more competitive year in and year out.

People that didn’t like Josh Allen scouted him with stats. But all it really takes is to really watch him. Even in college, you could see he was not inaccurate...he was inconsistent. He’s a natural athlete and a natural thrower of the football who just needed some coaching up on his mechanics, mostly from the waist down. When he is right, he has always been extremely accurate. Like, one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the nfl accurate. To all levels of the field. That’s what people miss when they only choose to look at the numbers or his bloopers and why they underrated his potential for improvement

Ok, time for a little fun: Player A - 25 Games, 417/648 (64.4%), 4904 yards, 47/9, 2083 yards rushing at 5.9 ypa with 12 TDs and 24 fumbles Player B - 23 Games, 379/634 (59.8%), 5011 yards, 31/11, 939 yards rushing at 6.1 ypa with 9 TDs and 18 fumbles Player C - 28 Games, 532/849, 62.7%, 6403 yards, 36/17, 1304 yards rushing at 6.3 ypa with 7 TDs and 23 fumbles Player A is Lamar Jackson, Player B is Colin Kaepernick through his first two seasons (not counting the year he sat) with the same OC (Roman) and player C is RG3 in his first two seasons. Lamar is still TBD, but what I can tell you is subsequent years for the other two were BRUTAL. IMO, both of them have much better arms than Lamar, too. While I don't think the "ERA" is over, I do think there is a reason this style of offense and this style of QB play is not sought after...it is not sustainable and never really has been. It remains to be seen whether Lamar will stay stagnant and become one of these afterthoughts, maybe evolve a little or at least have staying power like a Cam or Randall Cunningham, or eventually become a real QB like a Steve Young... I have my own doubts, and it's mostly because when I watch him he just doesn't look like a natural thrower of the football. Eventually it is gonna hold him back.

This is not true at all...Most QBs have a QB coach they work with in the offseason that isn't employed by the team. Like Brady went to Tom Martinez for years and considered him his mentor. Now he and a bunch of others work with 3DQB, which was started by baseball pitchers.

100% agree...he literally punched him in the midsection.

That's the thing...Pitt has maybe even a better front 7 than Baltimore, but they don't have the kind of man cover DBs Baltimore does. They play a lot more zone. There will be similar pressure, but the windows won't be as tight. NE is the opposite. They have a similar secondary (maybe even better), but their front 7 isn't nearly as fast or explosive, so there will be more time and chances for Josh to escape. They are still bad matchups, but I take some solace in the fact that neither of them can do to the Bills what Baltimore did.

I remember reading an article about Aaron Rodgers where they asked him about the "art" of the deep ball and why he was so good at it. He said when he first came into the league, he was awful...mostly because he was trying to throw it as hard as he could, and in a game situation with his adrenaline pumping he would constantly overthrow it relative to his timing in practice. Ultimately, he fixed this problem by focusing on repeating his mechanics, including how hard he threw it, every time. Make it more of a calculated process than a wing and a prayer. His placement is focused more on which shoulder, not how far, and he uses timing and mechanics to control distance and trajectory. I think Josh has the same issue...the there is no rhythm. He just kind of heaves it out there and it's usually too far... I honestly think he just throws the ball too far for a normal 5 or 7 step drop. He either needs to hitch, give it more air (mechanics) or take something off (tough due to adrenaline ina game situation)...maybe all three

I don't disagree...I was speaking more from an "on the surface" perspective

Daboll really only calls the plays...once the play is called, it's josh that makes the reads and throws the ball. For all we know, there were easy throws to be had, or the defense was taking them away. The fact of the matter is, those deep shots were the right read against cover 0...the bills just can't hit one for the life of them, and it's killing them against teams that man up and blitz. When you couple it with a crappy screen game, there's just not a lot Daboll can do aside from trying to coach them up so they execute better. I think what's most frustrating about it all, is the deep ball SHOULD be our bread and butter...strong arm and fast WR with ball skills should be deadly, but the timing just isn't there.

Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, even Tom Brady and Big Ben completely changed as a QB well after their first two years in the league despite early success...Half those guys didn't even START after two years, let alone max out. In fact, the whole point with QBs is they keep getting better over time as passers as they see more and get more comfortable. Historically, though, all the big hits also accelerated their clocks with regard to degradation of skills. That has obviously changed. The exception is the more gimmicky guys that rely on an offense or running ability...those guys tend to see success earlier in their career, but even they change over time

I know you were making a joke, but as for your point...you're right. Ordinarily you wouldn't play nickel against 2 TE and a fullback or 3 TE. But lets be real...nobody is really all that worried about Ingram grinding away between the tackles. It's by far the lesser of two evils against the Ravens, and you can take it away with your offense (by getting in the lead). I think the Bills, as far as the good defenses in the league go, match up well against this kind of offense. They can put speed on the field without completely selling out thanks to their speed at LB and having 4 safeties (counting Neal) that can cover AND play close to the line. Their versatility will be extremely useful in this game, as will the fact that they are comfortable in zone, which is key against Lamar so you can rally if he breaks contain. Maybe I'm wrong and the Ravens steamroll us...but we all saw a version of this offense with Roman here, and there was even a time where ours was almost as dynamic. The league caught up. Just like they did in SF. As creative as the run game is...the passing game is basic at best. The BEST way to stop the Ravens is to get out to an early lead and make them play against the clock.

That's the "problem"... You can't match up with the Raven's big package with your big package, or Lamar will run circles around you...The Bills need to combat that heavy personnel with speed. We should have 5-6 linebackers and safeties on the field at all times. Those guys can guard the perimeter and run around blocks in space...a S would make a 300lb fullback look silly on the edge.

The NFL is a matchup league. The 49ers have a great defense because their defensive line is full of studs. The pass rush they generate, on top of playing strong run defense, is formidible for a traditional offense. But as others have pointed out, that fierce rush and playmaking ability left them out of position a few times against the Ravens, as they were trying so hard to make a TFL they didn't always do their job and it cost them. That said, they only gave up 20 points. The Patriots defense wins with aggressive man coverage and creative pressure packages. The two things they are most susceptible to are QB runs and passing over the middle.

Yes and no... TE's (and Olineman) can block in a phone booth, but they don't have a prayer blocking a DB in space. And if the TEs are blocking, they aren't catching passes. Win on the interior, stretch the play and let your speed win. This plays into the Bills strength as far as the run game goes. The key is getting the run fits right inside, which we seem to have cleaned up If you play them passively with a mush rush trying to keep him in the pocket...all you really wind up doing is giving him more time to find a hole in your zone or a running lane. All that has really worked so far is to be aggressive up front, play zone in the back end and have lots of speed on the field at every level. It's how the Chargers won and its how the Browns won. You can't completely stop it...he will get yards. But if you keep ingram in check and don't let jackson's 10 yard scrambles turn into 50 yard one's, you can contain them. All those years building to defend the patriots offense will pay dividends this weekend...it seems really different on the surface, but really the problem is the same: Their personnel is multiple. The Bills have built a scheme and roster on defense designed to combat it.

Historically, the best defense against Lamar was in the playoffs last year, and it was...unconventional. The Chargers played the vast majority of the game with SEVEN dbs on the field...they basically had safeties playing lb. the idea is to increase the athleticism on the field so you can run with Lamar and cover their TE. You are vulnerable to a power run game, so you have to be aggressive on running downs. the nice thing is, the Bills can do something similar in a nickel defense. Milano and Edmunds run And cover like safeties and can stay on the field in most situations, making the bills less vulnerable to a power run game. so the answer, basically, is to play nickel defense all game, 2-3 safeties (depending on personnel), 7 or 8 in the box. Hit Lamar whenever you can and make him pay for keeping it. Play zone underneath and use the extra speed to limit scrambles from turning into big plays. i actually think the Bills match up better than most...they will do ok containing Lamar. The question is whether or not they can stop Ingram on the inside power stuff without sacrificing their athleticism

No. Here's the deal...if you want to stop Baltimore, the key is being able to stop Ingram with 5, 6 or 7 DBs on the field. The more DBs you have out there, the more speed AND the more zone you can play, which has two benefits...players play more facing and reading the QB so they can account for the run and they can attack the football when it is in the air. The Bills match up well because their two best LBs are very fast and better in coverage, so they can play nickel and still get the speed boost. On top of that, they are a zone team by default that is used to playing team defense.

I will say this about him...he is an incredible athlete. He clearly has a strong, whip-like arm. But I have real doubts that he can drive a football to the sideline...if he completes a deep out it will be because the defense was soft and his release is lightning quick. that said, he doesn't need all the traditional tools in his toolbox right now, because he has other ones that most guys don't have...and on top of that he has some nice touch and natural ability when it comes to placing a football. Not gonna lie, though...I don't think he matches up well against the Bills defense.

He's very upright, with a very narrow base, and he doesn't clear his hips well...His arm is where most of his power comes from. He has clean arm mechanics when he throws in front of him, but his arm gets sort of whippy when he throws to the sideline...because his hips are stiff due to the narrow base. To me it looks like a good athlete who is always ready to run playing QB...his arm is good and his upper body mechanics are good, but he looks disconnected from his lower body, so you see nicely spun and touch throws, but no real driving, power throws.

People are skeptical on Jackson for a very simple reason: Vick Young Kaepernick Tebow RGIII even Newton All of these guys were running quarterbacks with either questionable arm strength, accuracy, or smarts...maybe all three. All of them looked great early in basic, run-oriented offenses. They all hit a wall. Maybe he winds up as a Wilson or Watson...it's possible, I guess, but both of those guys look natural throwing the football. Sometimes there are quarterbacks who are great athletes...and sometimes there are great athletes who play quarterback. Early in a career, it's hard to tell the difference

It basically boils down to a boss v. leader. Bosses manage a team, and leaders inspire them. How they go about doing that (ie faith, hard work, caring, even fear, etc...) is generally less important than the end result. That said, being a great leader is not enough...you have to know football, too, if you want to be truly great.

I agree 100%...it's all gamesmanship. They have mastered playing football 5-10 mph over the speed limit.

This is the truth... Gilmore was good in Buffalo, but he was also super handsy and got called for it quite a bit. Now, in NE, he is just "physical"