Richard Noggin

In their last 15 regular season games, the Bills have only failed to score 30 twice (which is crazy). Both times were against the Patriots.

The defense was dealing with a drastic imbalance in field position most of this game, so I can give them some grace there. When the offense went to sleep for half the game, the D kept it mostly bottled up. However, they don't break down well when pressuring QBs, nor do they tackle well in the open field. And they REALLY struggle to keep contain on the edges. Those are recurring flaws.

I just wonder if the calf injury happened during the Dolphins game or even right beforehand, as what we saw at times last week was well below Brown's own established standards. And as for the bolded (emphasis mine of course), Allen has been super decisive and mobile in the pocket so far this season, improving upon his established abilities to evade pressure while keeping his eyes downfield. He's frequently stepped up into the A and B gaps to his left side, to my eye, without becoming a declared runner and still delivering strikes. Incredible ability to see and feel and evade the rush while also remaining a passer. How many would-be sacks and/or forced throwaways does Allen turn into positive plays? The offensive line in Buffalo is good, no doubt, but they are made to look MUCH better due to their QB's ELITE evasiveness. As long as only one guy allows early pressure, Allen will pick them up. Almost every time.

He looked to me live like he lost a handful of pass pro snaps last week, which has NOT been the norm for a decent stretch now. Could that be related to this "calf" injury designation that showed up this week? Seems like Brown hadn't been beat around the edge much while mostly healthy the last year or two, whereas we definitely saw some blatant pressures allowed early on in his career as he apparently battled back from a back injury. SUPER buttoned-up execution, and a real testament to McD and Josh Allen growing together towards the cleanest, most physical, most "winning" football formula. The real question remains: will this ultra-balanced, ultra-protective approach ever work in the playoffs against the league's best offenses and defenses? We know it works against the vast majority of regular season opponents.

This definition of play-action certainly changes MY perception of the recorded stats. Sure, there is traditional play-action from under center, and then there is play-action from shotgun and pistol. But the thing I'm most interested in is the effort to mirror run blocking on the line and with the QB-to-RB mesh point. If the Bills are running a higher % than recorded due to Allen not being under center, that's at least somewhat assuaging. Does anyone have numbers on the snaps that are missed by traditional PA accounting?

Loving Hawes allowing Brady to be more heavy and multiple with 12 and 13 and 22 and maybe even 23 personnel...happy to see them progress beyond the 6OL looks, despite how effective they were out of that package. Heavy personnel and condensed alignments are very much en vogue imho, and Hawes helps the offense to be more physical and more unpredictable.

My point was that I 100% agree with you.

I'm curious about the demographics of posters actively commiserating in this thread. Has to skew older, right? (I, too, have struggled with Ticketmaster at inopportune times, to be clear.)

Has me worked up each week, how little Brady and/or Allen are staying a snap ahead of defenses with aggressive PA calls. Instead, the Bills appear to simply continue running the ball where others (ME) might leverage that rushing success and call a PA shot play WITHOUT LETTING THE DEFENSE CATCH UP FIRST AND SHUT DOWN THE RUN PLAY THAT WAS WORKING. Preach. Ravens aren't worthy of unleashing PA against? That's bonkers, if true. I thought I heard/saw a stat that QBs are mostly always "super-effective in play action." And with a QB who can move and has an elite arm, one should reasonably expect a high % of play action for a variety of reasons. Bills running a nice, high % of motion has been encouraging, seeing Allen use a variety of motions to diagnose and adjust pre-snap with more and more comfort and command. Combining that with PA calls on tendency-breaking down and distances would be cool. Taking shots when defenses are expecting runs should be something the Bills do once or twice a half imho. Gotta threaten ALL quadrants of the field, especially when your QB has one of the greatest arms of all time.

Problem for me is that I don't think you need to STEAL anything in order to predict the Bills offensive and defensive play calls...I've been doing it as an amateur at a high level for decades lol. But for real, I effing HATE when ruthlessness is rewarded. You can often see it when a team/organization is pushing it past gamesmanship to the point of cheating, but it's rarely prove-able in the absence of rigorous reporting or snitches. No one gets upset about teams who study and chart opponents' tendencies and circumstantial idiosyncrasies; but when that legitimate statistical analysis is supplemented with more ill-begotten and private intel...and only perpetrated by a connected cohort of coaches...we find ourselves watching contests of questionable legitimacy. Imagine how much better your DL's/OL's film will be if you're able to provide them with the opposing line's protection/pressure calls/signals in real time...the cheater-era Patriots were SUPER focused on DL/OL calls/signals to my recollection.

Unpopular take: voluminous tailgate beer consumption is actually a rookie move. You'll only be a nuisance to yourself and others nearby in the stadium with how many bathroom trips you take during the game. It was especially essential against the Dolphins that the Bills were on offense to start the 3rd quarter, given how many fans were still away from their seats when the 2nd half began. Sucks to spend ANY time in a Highmark tunnel bathroom queue while the game is actively underway, but beer is so expansive. (I suggest liquor or other means in order to better focus on the in-game experience.)

So, wasn't Kromer already an OC in Chicago? The questions change once you acknowledge that and build from there? How DID his offense(s) perform? And DOES he want to get another crack at calling plays, or is he content designing and implementing HALF the Bills offense as run game coordinator?

Walker is a beast physically, but seems to have squirrel-for-brains when the D gets any penetration.

See my Murray post above.

ROLLING ball of butcher knives, to be exact

Fascinating frenemies these last couple millennia

I fancy this organic approach when I don't have an obvious favorite. But I can't see myself ever actively rooting for the Chiefs, unless it's some obscure playoff seeding scenario? Even then. Would need a cold shower after.

Keep it simple: who do you hate more? Boom, Chiefs.

Is that never happening already on likely run downs? Feels like teams are coming downhill with more frequency/aggression than they should against a Josh Allen offense, but I don't have numbers to support that sense. I CAN say with confidence that the Bills are NOT throwing it deep one way or the other. Whether that's due to Allen's decision making, Brady's play calling/passing concepts, or the way defenses are playing them...I can't say.

Has to be Chiefs until proven otherwise. Difficult to disagree with posters saying Ravens, but it turns out the Bills have shown an ability to win those matchups when it matters. Cannot say the same thing about the Chiefs. Yet.

Nope. 2 TDs with 2 PATs would have tied it up. Maths.

So many reasons why the Lions are my NFC squad. The football reasons alone are sufficient tbh. The size and weight of Dan Campbell's and his team's collective "marbles" are also sufficient. They make it fun. Mucho cajones.

Put the offense out and Goff can either punt or pass based on the read.