WideNine

I will agree that our OL lacks some identity and battering ram ability.. We have a smattering of finesse blockers and slow-footed maulers, so consistency executing our offensive playbook is lacking. For this offense I think they eventually have to look for a solid anchor and mauler at center, and then from the guards out they need players who excel at pass pro and pulling. Right now we have an excellent finesse center, a mauler at LG who cannot line up blocks in pass pro, and a RT who is also struggling in pass pro sets. Bates was coming on at RT and hopefully Dawkins can regain his form at LT at some point.

Folks keep saying the Bills inability to run the ball, but I am not sure what folks expect from a run game.. these days - 10+ yards chunks? WHEN the Bills have run the ball they usually average over 4 yards a carry and that is an effective run game. Against the Jets D we were averaging over 6. If I take away Allen's runs and Isaiah's jet sweep, we were still just under 4 yards a carry between Motor and Cook. That was mostly early before the Jets' Williams exited the game. With the way our defense was playing and our punter was punting, that is the route I would have gone. Not every run is going to break through, but if you stay committed to it usually you will break one. Late in a game with a 2 score lead you use up the clock and keep your QB upright for the next game

I agree, but the clock was at 1:12 when Dorsey had Allen throw incomplete to Knox. I still think in that situation you keep it on the ground, and keep the clock going and force them to burn their timeouts. It was certainly unexpected, and that is probably why Knox was so wide open. Going to chalk the head-scratchers up to growing pains. I do hope he gives more carries to Motor and Cook if the weather is what I think it will be against Miami. If ANY game was tailor made to grind it out while Tua, Cheetah, and Waddle freeze their tails off watching from the sidelines this would be it.

Many folks confuse journalism and reporting these days with "opinion pieces". If writing devisive opinions for the rise, clicks, and comments you can generate is journalism then all of us here are journalists. Probably not the right forum for this discussion, but not a fan of how many opinion pieces are delivered up as actual reporting and news. Just low-bar sensationalism.

Jerry is just critical, he can drop the journalism part. If it comes to throwing softballs I have seen plenty from both men and women reporters. Good questions are not just designed to get an emotional response. Really good journalists have the knack for asking questions that get folks to open up and talk about more than they would if their guard was up because of a combative approach.

I think my first take on this board watching film of him pulling was that he moves like a Star Wars AT ST. You could practically hear the zzzz-clunk, zzzz-clunk with every step he took.

...and now I read on Pro Football Talk the Bills are kicking the tires on ol' Cole. They must be really desperate at the slot position and McKenzie's mental lapses must have worn thin on them. Good luck with that and good luck to Cole. Other than his inability to steer clear of social media controversy, the guy was a tough SOB. If he can pass physicals, he is a better option than a raw rookie or a mistake prone Isaiah.

Winter in B-low Hoping they freeze their ****s off Fa-la-la-la-la Squish the fish.

Just a hunch, but I think earlier in the season they were still trying to see what they had in McKenzie and Shakir in the slot. So there was quite a bit of rotation. I think they know that a bit better now and a vet that can read coverages, find the soft spots, and have dependable hands is what they need. Started trending that way with the snap counts till he got hurt. There is no guarantee that Dorsey will target him, but with teams playing those two high safety shells that area in front of the sticks would be the place to attack.

Josh was hurt earlier this year so that is one thing. Defenses started playing him differently in the red zone and that has had an impact too. He has not had much in the way of a clean pocket this year and that will impact any QB, if not the throw directly, the timing. His laser to Knox came when he could climb a clean pocket and deliver. If we can get our pass pro to hold up a bit better we will see some better results. Players dropping balls... dunno. Better concentration from those guys stepping up when their number is called.

And how about Detroit taking care of the Vikings - granted it was a divisional game and they know each other well. A lot of folks have commented on the fact that Detroit is a better team and I think they are - they played us tough and we won. Not a lot of cake walks out there - the NFL wanted parity and for the most part they have it. Good teams still find a way to win and we have a good team. Are there things that need to be fixed - yes, and I will continue to B word about the offensive game plans and execution till they show they can come up with better game plans that take some of the burden off of Allen and better execution. We need to clean up the mistakes, the false starts, the holds, the dropped passes, the missed blocks and blown assignments, and the killer is turnovers (those have been much reduced - nice job O). Anyone notice that when we stopped forcing things in the red zone and turning the ball over we started winning again - not pretty wins, but the "W's" still count. I am not going to fault Allen for taking better care of the ball and being alright if Bass needs to come in and tack on some points. No good excuses with the offensive miscues though - players just have to practice the way they are going to play and the coaches have to have them dialed in for the games. Go Bills!

The Chiefs also sunk some money into their OL and took a solid anchor for their OL in Creed 2 spots after we went with Boogie. Not sure if the Ford whiff made Beane a bit hesitant investing early in OL talent, but we have invested more in the defensive line and it shows. We will see if they work to shore up Allen's protection next season.

I agree with pretty much everything Coach said. I do temper my disappointment with the offense by considering how little the Jets were able to do against our defense and I don't think Lafleur is that shabby as a young OC I don't know if teams consistently stop our running game. Some stops yes, but we give up far too often and just go empty sets before establishing any rhythm. Most teams keep pounding the rock just to keep opposing defenses honest and QBs upright, or god forbid to run out the clock when nursing a 2 score lead late in a bad weather game. Not Dorsey. He can be stubbornly ineffective. Not that I was opposed that much to the boot leg toss to Knox. Allen does not roll out to that side much and it was setup perfectly off of play action. It was wide open, but the drops, the drops, and the drops.

Something that rhymes with hexual tarrassment.

So Chris finds a way to make Herbert's fumble into something heroic.

Does not quite look like Allen, but that was a lot of open green for Herbert to take. Go go Chargers.

ack... all the way to the door step and then fired 3 blanks. sheesh.

yeah Williams. Miami trying those armless tackles. Keep the hurry up going.

something good right? The Chargers are fully capable of doing something horrifying.

Teams have caught on to Miami's offense which lately has mainly been Hill runs away from everyone or runs them off and comes back for the pass - Bolts are doing a good job disrupting that business. Announcers praising perv Wilkins. Where is the NFL me-too movement when we need it :)

It has been a slog through a lot of attrition and nail-biter games. I think I was starting to get spoiled with our games with no punts last year, but I know that is not the norm in the NFL. We were pegged as the team to beat in the offseason and lost our OC and will likely continue to be raided for front office execs. It was foolish to think the team would never miss a beat. The quick start probably set a few of us up for disappointment when defenses caught up to what we were doing and found ways to shut down more of our offense than we have seen in a while. Different season and thankfully a season where Beane did a lot to shore up the defensive line and some of our prior draft investments are starting to pay dividends. The frustrating thing for me is they just always seem so close to breaking out on offense, but it is a fumble, an interception, a hold, a missed pass, a dropped pass, a shoe-lace tackle in front of an empty field, etc.. So yes, there is a pile of what-ifs that get in the way of the performance that I think is almost there for the taking for this team and I want it for them. Lets hope they can all get healthier and start clicking on offense down the stretch.

With the way this defense has been playing we don't need to win by a lot. We have not had to get into a scoring race with any teams really, and that is a good thing. Our offense has been better recently when they have gotten into the red zone and more importantly they have not been turning the ball over. Punting or settling for field goals is better than forcing the ball into bad decisions and it is important for Allen to remember that playing smart and winning by a smaller margin is more important than forcing things simply to pad stats. Nothing wrong with reinforcing that mindset for a competitor like Allen who can struggle at times giving up on plays when they are not there.

If Tre can go full speed down the stretch we have a lot of young players with promise to compete for that CB2 position. Not a bad problem to have and bodes well for depth down the road for this team.

He looked good. He started off a bit slow, but seemed to get more comfortable as the game progressed - really happy for him. Elam is a rookie, and some time to reflect and focus on what the defensive staff are trying to teach him will be good for him. Folks expect rookies to start - especially first rounders these days so they can get the most out of those rookie deals, but it is never a lock that they can hit the ground running.

A reporter asked why the offense was not as explosive (Superbowl calibre) as it has been in the past. What is Allen going to say - was kind of crappy question... There have been some struggles that Allen has already owned, you have a new OC, and a lot of injuries across the board at key positions, and defenses are intent on taking away anything deep - although that early pass to Brown is caught if not thrown in a downpour - I don't care how much ground Sauce made up. We get our shots, but it has not all come together yet - there are execution issues and game planning issues that they are going to need to overcome to start to see more dominant results. Seemed like a trap question and Allen treated like one.