HamptonBillsfan

The first four games have been a testament to the greatness of Josh, Cook the O-line and a few defenders (Bernard, Benford, Bosa, and Oliver). The offense has been good enough to compete for the SB. Averaging over 30 and scoring on cue when teams have narrowed margins are indicative of great production. The weaknesses on defense are glaring and must be resolved if we want to overcome our loser resume. The run defense is not effective and without Oliver and Milano it’s not going to improve. The front four also has generated little pressure on the QB but Sean and Babich have brought extra rushers ala Spags approach that have worked at times.We need continued improvement from Walker, Sanders and the arrival of Ogenjobi. Our secondary gives up too many completions and YAC. Relying on our 1st round rookie cb and the other rookies with a game but injury diminished Tre White is not realistic. Bishop showed flashes last game but he’s out of position too much. So it seems obvious we need an acquisition before the deadline either an established corner or safety and the addition of the PED lineman to shore up the defense. The outlook is optimistic to get the overall home field throughout the playoffs but to beat KC and the NFC champion improvement of our defense will determine whether we end the drought.

One thing you can be sure of, all the upcoming teams we play will be looking at the game as their SB. Imagine the jolt of confidence beating the Bills would give any team.

Can’t disagree with any of that. I’d like to get your thoughts on the team in 3 or 4 weeks just before the trade deadline. I feel like they need to bolster that secondary with another quality corner. I’d also like to see more of Hancock and Strong.

Your analysis is always impressive pertaining to personnel. Reasons for optimism abound especially with Walker and Sanders only getting better and the PED boys coming soon. My only trepidation is that Rousseau,Bishop and Hairston are huge question marks for different reasons. Hairston will need 3 or 4 games to get up to speed. Rousseau seems like getting paid was a big part of his motivation and Bishop has been ineffective so far. Tre White is good depth but he will struggle against good receivers like Waddle. The secondary will be exposed if we can’t pressure the QB better. Hopefully we will see more from these guys.

The Chiefs would be my choice to get a third loss. They look so bad offensively that you would think a few more losses might make getting into the playoffs very challenging. Their pedigree is such that it is likely that they’ll be a very different team when they get their receivers back and Mahomes gets his head out of his rear end. You always want to get the Champs out of the way.The Ravens are also without some defenders that exposed their inability to stop the run. They are in a weak division and likely will win the AFC North. Their O-line was overwhelmed by Detroit’s front seven and Lamar looked rushed, confused and ineffective. Henry is in the midst of a crisis of confidence having fumbled in three straight games and hurting his team badly. Their coaching staff looks like they’re not able to install game plans on both sides of the ball against quality teams. This is a monstrous game for both teams.

Bills must start lighting a fire under Rousseau, Sanders, Epenesa, in order to get after the QB. with someone not named Bosa.If they can’t Babich should throw in a few corner blitzes like the Chiefs do. The advantages derived out of sacks and QB pressures are huge in the NFL. Without QB pressure our secondary is exposed. It’s hard to believe Tre has stood up as well as he has through the first 3 weeks. He obviously struggles against speed receivers on crossings and vertical passes. Bishop is mostly out of position or making tackles 20 to 30 yards downfield. Benford, Bernard, Milano and Rapp have all made plays but these guys are all balls to the wall hard hitters and tend to get dinged. Our depth is not great. I can expect Hoecht and Ogengobi along with Hairston to provide solid play when they settle in but Oliver is the most important player in that his pressure opens up opportunities for edge guys.

You still haven’t answered who would replace him. You haven’t acknowledged his average of 30 yards a kickoff return, better than league average and now he’s “lucky” not to have one fumble lost. We’re 3 and 0 and special teams have not been a problem but a strength and you want him replaced because “sooner or later” something bad is going to happen. Thankfully the team doesn’t consult you on personnel decisions.

Every returner bobbles a punt and gets on it before he turns it over. He’s hasn’t lost a punt or kickoff yet and he’s averaging 30 on runbacks. That’s better than league average. You’re looking to dump a guy who won the job and has been productive because he’s only depth at corner?. Kick returner and kickers are vital to making a special team unit successful. Unless you have someone, who’s returned kicks in the pros before that is as good, I wouldn’t mess with what’s working.

Are you watching the games? Codrington has all the returns so far for kickoffs and punts. He hasn’t lost any fumbles and absorbs high speed killer hits. He’s averaging 30 yds on kickoff returns and that usually means we’re starting drives between the 35 and 40 yd line. He’s had a couple of run backs that got to around midfield. Who do you want fielding kicks an untried, untested young player who can wreck games with a fumble or a decision when to come out of the end zone or let a punt go in to the end zone?

I’m not sure Rousseau is being coached up well. I know there’s some in the fanbase that think he got paid and is not firing on all cylinders. He gets no pressure from the edge and with a just a few tackles his pursuit seems limited so he’s not blocking throws either.If we’re expecting pressure from the edge it’s Bosa or an extra rusher. This seems like a problem until Hoecht comes back. The good news is they looked good for the second week against the run. Walker,Jones and Bernard were solid. Walker is a good player. White, showed some good coverage as a depth corner and Benford and Johnson are solid but we’re lacking quality at safety with Bishop always out of position . Face it, against quality passing attacks, we have to win shootouts. That’s a bad formula for beating teams like Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Philly.

The Bills want to be a run first team with the O-line being dominant and Cook running wild. The way the Jets and Dolphins played our receivers there was plenty of room underneath and Brady was only too happy to accommodate. Throw in Kincaid becoming a real productive option and I’d say Brady did well. He brought Moore and Shavers into the offense and that makes defenses have to cover too many. Josh had no problem finding the open man. When you think about it we don’t really have a speedy vertical threat, a bunch of talented receivers who get yac.

Agreed, never get ahead of yourself predicting success for your sports teams. Most young posters experienced this kiss of death.

How can you question Brady off these two games? Let’s go Jets first, his decision to run Cook and Josh set the stage for domination of the play clock and continual scoring. Having Trubisky come in and throw a perfect drive sustaining 3rd down completion was huge. All and all , after two years of struggling at MetLife with Josh getting hit around by a swarming defense, we dismantled this team after they were brimming with confidence after a big offensive showing against Pitt. The Ravens miracle only happened because Brady dialed up chunk plays using different receivers( Cook, Coleman, Palmer and of all people Hawes. There will be opportunities to criticize Brady but with Josh with Brady’s play calling , I truly believe the Bills are the only team that could’ve pulled off the Baltimore miracle.

The Ravens miracle is something that has catapulted the Bills into the public perception of being on a level with the Eagles as favorites to get to a SB. The Jets obliteration showed that this team has a multi dimensional offense that can win in different ways. The schedule seems conducive to getting a path to vital home field games in the playoffs but some teams will be challenging( Bucs,Chiefs, Falcons, Steelers, Eagles) especially if we have injuries. My worry is that all these teams will look at the Bills as their SB and play above their pedestrian level and we will not be adequately prepared on a week to week basis.

Is your grammatical style an attempt at comic relief or is that the way you communicate? If it’s you being serious it disqualifies you from being taken seriously. By the way it’s not funny.

Oliver is the one irreplaceable player on our defense. He plays with an edge and physicality that circulates through the defensive unit. His pressure up the middle makes our edge rushers more effective. Eddie is an All-Pro even if he is not classified by the voters as one.

Nice take, you made some solid points especially about the PED suspensions coming back and Strong being fairly solid in his first game. My concern is that we can’t adequately defend Henry and Lamar. Henry breaks off big runs every game and remember Flowers didn’t play in the playoffs. Defending Lamar is tough on everyone Our defense gives up too many yards and points with only Oliver getting pressure up the middle. Again, Allen is a nightmare to play against and he is the only QB that could have pulled that game out, but at 40 to 25 with 4minutes left I acknowledged they are a bad matchup for us.

Forget the heroics after the fumble and I’m not diminishing Josh, Cook, Palmer and Coleman, they were awesome, how did you feel about our ability to stop the Ravens for the first 31/2 quarters. You want to depend on Mark Andrews dropping an easy 2pt. completion or Henry fumbling to win a big game? When a team runs at will against a defense that knows what’s coming and gets up 40 to 25 with 4 minutes left, you have to be concerned about your defense. Not saying Josh can’t pull miracles out of his rear end, he’s that great but these kinds of games(the last regular season Ravens game and last night’s contest) is not a formula going forward for success.

If the Bills play the Ravens in the playoffs with the same roster I wouldn’t be optimistic. Even with Josh’s heroics, we needed a freakish tip drill TD by Coleman, a fumble by a sure handed Henry, and play calling that insured Josh having a minute twenty five to get a game winning FG. Our defense could not stop Henry,, Flowers or Lamar before they were able to score 40. They have a young kicker with plenty of leg and an O-line that didn’t allow much pressure and opened gaping holes in the run game. Our secondary is lacking at safety and corner. Adding to our roster to fortify these two positions with quality would be a reason to be confident going forward.

I’d be fine with Peppers/ Simmons ,if that can’t get done, Hancock and Poyer.

McDermott is a good coach, not great, but with a transcendent QB that has gotten us to a high level of production and then our championship hopes have leveled off. He’s a defensive minded head coach whose defense has been the reason why we’ve not gotten to the big game. His game time decision making has been suspect and the draft selections in concert with Beane have been underwhelming. I’m in the camp of fans that believe a good motivator and a defensive oriented coach will not be able to maximize arguably the best QB in the sport. When he tries to temper expectations that’s a sign that this team has weaknesses that he does not have real fixes for. He looked like a coach who is doing a lot of wishing and hoping after protecting starters from injuries and seeing depth players struggle mightily in the preseason. If he struggles out of the gate and gives up home field expectations , that’s a sign that his time is coming to an end and even if they don’t want a big change with the new stadium coming, he’s a dead man walking.

Right now he looks like a vertical threat and a guy who can catch contested balls. He’s hungry and provides excellent depth. He’s going to make the roster barring a late acquisition of a veteran who will be a cap hit. I’m rooting hard for him.

I would take Gilmore or Douglas over what they have back there, but I’m thinking that by offering a Moore or a Trubiske to a team desperate for those positions, might net us a player.

Beane has to earn his money now acquiring a realistic corner to play opposite Benford for the first four games until Hairston can play and Tre recovers. Dane Jackson, Ingram, are not the answer to any questions and Strong is a raw rookie who is a work in progress. There will be plenty of cuts in the next week and corner and safety is an area of weakness that will be exploited by teams for sure. The guys that have been victimized in the preseason will be on the field unless we can sign and incorporate some better options immediately into our system. Isn’t it sad that we made all these acquisitions for the D-line in the offseason and did nothing to fortify the secondary.

How did the d-line rookies look, or your rotational veteran d-lineman. How about your starting safety(Bishop) or your rotational O-lineman. Presnap penalties, no running game or quality pass protection. I know you’re indifferent to preseason, but God forbid Josh misses a few series or a game, you still laughing at the prospect of the backups holding down the fort? How did Dorian and Buffalo Joe look in the short and intermediate passing game? With Milano’s history and how hard he plays, it’s probable these guys will play a lot. Finally, I don’t care when you take the field, you can’t have receivers consistently in another time zone on obvious passing downs, That shows a lack of concentration and grasp of the scheme. I’m sure you’re confident when a recovering Hairston gets back and Tre White(4 teams in 5 years) plays opposite Benford, we’ll shut these vaunted passing attacks down. Keep laughing,,we spent most of our offseason money and draft capital on defense.