WideNine

I remember that toss, looked like the Bills were in some kind of zone deep in the end zone a the receiver was being passed from gap to gap. Not a fan if that was the case. Will have to watch that play again to be sure. It could be that Wallace was on him and just lost a step - teams also like to cross up receivers to do a "rub" or "pick" to free up a receiver - the Patriots excel at that. I can see dropping guys into shallow zones that are as deep as the goal line and get in the way of passing lanes and work to prevent dump off, scrambles, and outlet passes from getting anywhere, but any deeper you need to have man coverage with maybe a safety or two playing center field watching the QBs eyes. I felt like Detroit's receiver had far to much room to find soft spots that Stafford could easily hit. And yeah, Stafford had too much time too, but he is a good QB when given some time and not playing beat up.

We will, unless the zebras get in the way and call back touchdowns on phantom or ticky-tacky holds, call roughing the Brady anytime anyone sneezes on him, or stretch 4th and 4 completions into 4th and 6... , or any other of the list of endless officiating "work overs" we have had over the years with the Pats. They are vulnerable this year, and if we can generate pressure on Brady with just our front 4 then we have a good chance. That, or we get the lead and our defense does the 4th qtr give away thing - hoping for the best.

This statement is not true. Our number of dropped passes is truly egregious, and only ranks a hair behind Arizona for NFL WORST.

What frustrates me most about evaluating kids coming up from college is the lack of finding out how many dropped passes they had. Some may have been featured in very pass-heavy offenses and simply had enough passes their way to offset several drops to have great receiving stats. The argument around Zay and Josh is not complete till you factor in that he dropped catchable passes all the time last year with Tyrod throwing them to him, dropped passes with a host of reserve QBs and Peterman throwing to him. The kid flat-out drops a lot of catchable balls and should not be in this conversation IMO. Now if you had a solid receiver with great hands who suddenly tailed off because Josh was throwing him the ball - different story, and perhaps one that would deserve closer scrutiny.

Sometimes it is hard to help - many teams run an empty set, or just one back to force teams to go man and some zone. Detroit flat-out lined up in Jumbo and used an o-lineman as a blocking fullback and spanked us like naughty kids whenever they were in short yardage. The Bills really did not have an answer to that set, where you really cannot do anything unless someone penetrates enough to trip up and take out that lead blocker - then the whole play is disrupted. Hopefully your defenders can still seal the edges because many times that is when the running back bounces it outside and walks into the end zone.

...and shush your business of talking about Daboll leaving. the last thing a rookie QB needs is a bunch of different playbooks thrown at him and a whole different brand of coaching philosophy to adapt to. Let Josh find his NFL game in one system is my sincere hope. I also think Daboll may just stick around as he has a chance with this QB to have a special offense if they can get him more protection and a few more weapons.

Yeah, Pat Williams had a pro-bowl afterlife with the Vikings after the Bills let him walk.

For the sake of peace between two solid posters - let's just say the truth is in the middle. Our receivers needed to elevate their game, some have and some have not, AND Josh needed to get better with ball placement - which anyone watching the games knows he has done. As for pulling in better weapons, for the kind of offense Josh could run, we need receivers with great hands that can stretch the field. Not all QBs can throw it on a rope 40+ yards, but ours can. You look for ways to use that to our advantage... not that a great possession type, blocking TE that can find soft spots in the shallow zones would be unwelcome.

This. The Bills need to do better homework on their receivers, and I agree with KTD where they are drafted means squat if they do not have the right skills, attitude, or fit into the kind of offense you want to run.

For those looking to make any critique a Kyle dig, it is simply apples to oranges. Kyle, from the day he was drafted, was the high-motor penetrating linemen you need to rush the passer. He is not, nor has he ever been considered your prototype "run stopper". Kyle's techniques are to shed blockers and get up field, it is those and his tenacity to never give up on those plays that have led him to well-deserved pro-bowls. That being said Kyle style of play was never intended to occupy two gaps, maintain leverage and push, to stop the run. Not saying he sucked at it, just that it is not how to best use what he brings to the game.

One could just as easily say that the rest of our scrub receiving core need to elevate their game to Foster's level... and I don't include McKenzie in that list because I think that kid does the most with what he has. What has Foster done differently? Reports a few weeks ago indicated that Foster was going out of his way to put in extra reps with Allen to get their timing down, when KB was asked by Allen to practice routes and timing he so much as said "meh". The success these two are having is not an accident.. the receivers need to put in the work and elevate their own play. McD indicated as much when asked about Foster, basically said that he hoped the other receivers were watching what Foster has done, the lessons he learned by work he puts in behind the scenes to find success. “Sometimes, people need a wake-up call that this life in the NFL, as we onboard these young players, life in the NFL, you’re not on scholarship and some guys need to understand that,” McDermott said. “Some players, unfortunately, never get it.” Foster agreed with his coach. “I needed it, I needed it,” Foster told reporters. “At the end of the day it helped me grow more into a student of the game. Player of the game. It made me work on things I needed to work on. It made me just do a lot more things that I could do to benefit the team.”

Anyone who had the opportunity to watch Ted and Pat shut down the run "The Package" should not just dismiss his assessment out of hand. They simply planted any running back that tried the middle and forced every run to the outside for our backers to clean up. At one point when the Bills were playing a Favre-led GB team, Favre said in a half-time interview that anyone thinking they can run against these guys are fooling themselves... that was after the Bills had GB backed up in their own end zone and they elected to try a safe running play to get some room and their running back was thumped 3 yards deep into the end zone turf (I think by Pat Williams) - it was literally like "nail meet hammer", I was worried the kid was broken in several places along his body. Sure the Bills have picked up some guys that can swim and penetrate on passing plays and that is good, but they went out and picked up Star for one reason, so he could occupy 2 gaps and an extra linemen to "free up" the others on the d-line to make the stop. Anyone watching the Bills this season in the red zone know that more often than not, when teams want those last few yards to score, they simply run it down our throats and get those yards. The stops have been rare. There have been flashes of this team stopping the run, and some of it is a leaning curve for our linebackers (I love the way Milano plays, but Lorax gets it done when it comes to filling a hole and stopping the run - that is just his years on earth and a bit of a bigger frame), Milano is ahead of Edmunds as it goes to finding the right gap to fill, but can get blown up if any blockers get to his level and gets a hand on him. If they miss, the kid is usually "money" bringing someone down. Some I think is just a lack of push by Star, but I have seen flashes from Jordan Phillips... he reminds me a bit of Pat Williams in his build and Jerry Hughes in his attitude. He plays with a lot of passion and the coaches just have to figure out how to reign in the "stup" and keep the rest. With all the shuffling of parts along the d-line (up and down from the practice squad this year if you look through transactions) I feel like the coaches know they are not there, but Phillips could play a role. Ol' Ted knows a thing or two about leverage and stopping the run, sure some of it could be "back in my day....", but we all know and so do the Bills coaching staff that there needs to be some improvements. Ted does not have to be worried that they are "satisfied" with what they have as it has been clear with the Star signing and grabbing Phillips that they are not.

In a perfect world yes, but in real life things happen between the whistles that most fans don't see, and refs rarely catch or call. There is another world of rules where players police themselves, where dirty or dangerous plays are corrected and not by the refs. You ask most coaches and they look for players that have a bit of nasty in them to defend themselves and others on the team. You may not need a whole line like that, but you have to have a few. Think of the NHL, where there is always that guy who can keep the other team from targeting your franchise players. Did you notice how many of our receivers were coming off the field during the Detroit game because they had been gouged in the eyes accidentally.... over and over. This happens in football, the refs do not protect everybody out there, what does is the knowledge that most teams will find a way to police the behavior. Obviously, Turley took it to a whole new visible level, but I want our guys defending our guys between the whistles and everywhere else.

You can't see it from that clip, but on that play Robinson was behind Brooks and had his facemask and was yanking him off the ground with his neck twisted to the side - literally trying to break his neck. I have no qualms with what Turley did and I can just about guarantee that Robinson did not pull a stunt like that again... Not looking for cheap, but if the refs are not going to defend Allen during a game, I want to see our players step up. Rather see that, than Allen in traction waiting for the NFL to levy a fine later that week that amount to peanuts that more than a few dirty players are willing to pay.

Glad us fish in the bowl can be so entertaining to the enlightened. I am not repressing anything I will have you know... I have genuine, transparent, open, and obvious fear that if Allen does not make it as a Bills QB the team will go another decade in obscure rebuilding and front office turnover. As for projecting or investing emotion onto a team or player, fans do it all the time for a variety of reasons - most of those reasons are not that terrible. Gugny is in a league of his own when it comes to lighting a fire and watching Rome burn.

OurBackupsCanBeatYours... ok, I suck at this.

Last week's tilt against the Jets and all the cheap shots they took on Allen got me thinking about the kind of offensive line players I want the Bills to target. I don't care if it is through FA or the draft or both, but obviously we want the blocking skills, but I also want some nasty sprinkled along that line willing to defend their QB. Maybe it was because it was the Jets, but it had me remembering Kyle Turley's helmet throw incident when the Jets safety was trying to rip Turley's QB's head off his shoulders after they stopped him on a keeper (Aaron Brooks was the Saints QB). Loved how Turley dove on the Jets player and would not be denied till he ripped his helmet off and chucked it. I know it was penalties galore, I know it was not the smart or sane thing to do, but it was also a glorious moment of defending your QB from a dangerous and cheap stunt by the Jets . For the youngsters on the Wall this was probably before your time (Protecting your QB 101):

Since this string has so many QB draft confessions, figured I would add mine. I really did not favor Allen in the draft, in fact I was pretty pessimistic about all the 1st round QB's and could think of ways they could all fail miserably wearing a Bills uniform. Years of watching the Bills being mediocre at this position did not leave much hope in the tank. Keep in mind, these were just my impressions of the projected 1st round QBs. Mayfield - you had this cocky attitude and off field antics that I thought could be a sign he would go down the Johnny football route and would not play well with the Western NY crowd. A little less accurate on throws, but a baller and competitor. A bit shorter, but can hit all those short and intermediate routes, sees the field, and extends plays so perhaps that is why he reminded me a bit of a Brees/Flutie hybrid. Rosen - I saw this laid-back California attitude in interviews that made one question his fire and passion for the game (not saying it was justified), but I did not see that playing well for our blue collar variety of football or fans, I thought he was sharp, threw a good ball, but I saw times when he held the ball too long and did not sense the pressure in the pocket which could lead to bad things/injuries. Darnold - I thought he was probably the best of the bunch as for being NFL ready, feeling the rush and creating time in the pocket, hitting most of the throws you would ask him to, and threading passes into tight places. Allen - I thought he would translate best in terms of locker room, attitude, and the Western NY market. I thought folks would not mind getting behind a kid who did not get offers from D1 schools - clawed his way up from JUCO - finally got a shot with tiny Wyoming to being drafted in the 1st round for the NFL. I never watched a single Wyoming game and going by the surface reports I felt it was a huge risk to take him because early reports from those that make a living evaluating college players had me thinking this guy was a cannon with a bent barrel. Jackson - Intriguing prospect, felt he was the best of the bunch as far as using his legs to extend plays. Did not think he had very good mechanics as far as standing in a pocket and delivering strikes, but from other clips I watched he seemed more than accurate enough and comfortable throwing on the move. I felt we could have some success with him behind center and that we would need a mobile QB because I was pretty sure our o-line was going to be pretty bad this year. Rudolph and the other guys whose names I really did not note, I figured would go later so I did not focus on them at all. The gist of this is that I am not trying to justify some pre-draft idea that I supported or hated Allen, he was an unknown commodity with plenty of documented risks. Now he is a Buffalo Bill and I will root for him to succeed because he has shown me flashes that he could be the QB this team has been looking for, when given time he has been surprisingly accurate, seems to be coachable as anyone watching his games week by week can see (if they are open to seeing progress), displays incredible leadership from the position that I would not expect from a rookie, is passionate about football - his team - and winning, and as long as I see him leaving it all on the field and progressing he's the right QB for the Bills.

Not sure about Fant, been injured a few times, has had a few drops, and lost a lot of reps to T. J. Hockenson down the stretch...who some consider a better all-around blocker and receiver. Draft is pretty deep with good TE prospects - if OBD does their homework they can come away with a good one.

I would keep McKenzie over Zay...providing he's ok. Any word on his injury? Less dancing around behind an o-line that cannot sustain blocks for too long. Ford and the smurf both would plant their foot and accelerate as soon as there was a seam and take what they could get.

That fat guy keeps out racing linebackers and safeties... but if he keeps eating Popeye's chicken he will really have to become a pure pocket passer. For now, I think he is burning off those extra calories. I think they had Milano on the phone so he could virtually bring it in with the rest of the team.

Factor in the drops, his lack of protection with the loss of Cordy Glenn (I know they thought Dawkins was ready), Richie's quasi-retirement crazy business, and Wood forced to retire at center, then injuries to the best of the worst offensive linemen they decided to go with out of training camp forcing the worse of the not-so-great o-line guys into the lineup. Shady hits 30 and literally cannot stay on the field, and when on the field he is 3 yards and a cloud of dust before getting injured each game, now on our 4th string RB behind a line that struggles to move defenders (I thought they did a little better today)... KB the stone-handed slug and a slew of lack-luster receivers incapable of getting separation or catching the ball when it hits them in the hands, forcing the coaching to jettison them and to pull from practice squad players to find guys to could stretch the field and catch a pass. I feel like Josh has pulled up those stats largely carrying the team on his back - a lot to ask a rookie. That being said, this has been a really interesting year with all the fresh QB blood. Can't wait to see how these guys develop - a change of the old guard is coming I think. OBD better be burning the midnight oil to put a better supporting cast around this kid.

I will take the win, but the Lions were getting to Josh rushing 3, that ain't good. Dawkins had his typical hold and what do they have to do to get him to understand how deep he can be on a screen before he is an ineligible receiver downfield. Been flagged enough for it and killed enough gains from screens. There were times they held up enough for Josh to go through his progressions and they made his strike to Foster possible. Will give them one, but have not budged on that unit needing an infusion of talent and better coaching.

I was hoping the Zay we saw year one, fighting every catch, was gone. Not-so-much. I don't know if he will ever develop the consistency to be that go to receiver for us, and I have been rooting for this kid to turn it around, but the killer drops at key moments keep coming. At best a #3 and I don't know if he has the hands to play that slot position.... too early, but the clock is ticking. OBD needs to do a better job vetting their early round WR prospects to see if they were dropping as many passes as they were catching in college. To see if they catch cleanly with their hands instead of trapping with their body, etc... beating a dead horse, but we need receivers with speed and hands so Josh can shred other teams deep.

Belicheat does always just flirt with pushing the boundaries of cheating, and straight-up will cheat if he thinks he can get away with it. Is what it is, I still remember him fouling up our no-huddle as the defensive coordinator of the Giants in our first SB, where his players would feign injury to do substitutions and then trot out fine the next play. The following year (I think) they added a rule that an "injured" player could not come back in for a couple plays. Belichick's antics pretty much keep the rules committee busy every offseason plugging the holes he finds around the rules. I would praise him for being crafty, if he were our coach, but he sucks because he isn't.