CincyBillsFan

That's even worse IMO. The ONLY place McD needed to address this was with Allen privately. And given the FACTS of how this game went and all the places you could legitimately point the finger of blame, it was deeply unfair to throw Allen under the bus which is exactly what McD did here. I'm not sure it matters much whether he meant to or not. Once the game was over and if we're to believe in this "process" of McD's then we need to see it in action after a disappointing loss. The ONLY thing to say publicly is that it was a disappointing loss and we have to learn from it and grow. And in fact this is the correct thing to say because going forward the Bills can build off this. McD screwed up here and hopefully it will just go away.

Great point. You punt the ball. And he has the nerve to call Allen out?

Well that didn't seem to bother the Titans as they won their playoff game scoring 14 points. And if NE had gotten within FG range they would have won the game with 16 points. When you have the money invested in and the talent spread across an offense like Kansas City do you expect them to score over 20 points every game? I do. But the Bills have taken the opposite approach and put most of their eggs in the defenses basket. So when the offense scores a TD on the opening possession and then pushes that lead to 16 - 0 late in the 3rd quarter the expectation is that the defense will hold and the Bills win the game. Just like if the KC defense holds an opponent to 24 points the expectation is that the Chiefs O will score more then that.

The lateral was NOT blind. Watch a replay. He made a correct backward pass to Knox who was all alone at the sideline. Had Knox not moved towards Allen and caught that lateral he would have gained another 20 yards and gone out of bounds at the end. Was it a risky play? Yes, but it wasn't blind. Put a couple of real play-makers on the field with Allen and we'll see more magic then mayhem. And as another poster noted on another thread there's a fine line between a mayhem & miracle play in the NFL. Sure the sacks were partially on Allen but the speed in which the Texans pass rush was reaching Allen was disturbing. The Texans were all over Allen at the snap of the ball. Frankly I don't see how he avoids those sacks. His only option was to throw the ball away which would have drawn a grounding penalty. The Bill's O-line picked a bad time in the game to play poorly.

This is what I was thinking when I watched a replay of the lateral. It was really close to being a huge play.

I hope you're right but his choice of words in response to that question was piss poor. Frankly it's shaken my faith in McD. You get to know the quality of a man when he faces tough times. How he responds is critical. The whole point of the "process" as I understood it was that after a loss like this, the team & coaches would circle the wagons. And if ever there was a team loss this was it. Maybe I'm reading to much into what McD said. But it just doesn't seem right. You let the dust settle and watch the film before making any kind of comment like this. I think upon reflection most Bill's fans are going to see that there was a lot of positives out there today. This has the feel of 1989 and that's a good thing. And since the early years of Jim Kelly's career, when was the last time we felt as good about our QB going from year 2 to 3? I would answer this is the FIRST time since the early Kelly years. Think about all the QB's we've had since Kelly retired. There isn't one who I felt good about going from their 2nd to their 3rd season here. NOT ONE until Allen. That's a huge step forward and McD needs to be careful about fouling this moment.

Yes it was. Had we stopped them our offense gets a 2nd possession in OT probably starting at about the 40. Also later on that same drive with an opportunity to put the Texans into another 3rd & 18 at midfield the D messed up a sack and Watson made the game winning play as a result. Yet McD as the nerve to call out Allen for trying to do to much? The more I read that McD quote the more disturbing it looks. It's not only poor timing but it shows a dangerous lack of insight into how his team just lost a game they should have won. I would hope that Bean will have a talk with McD.

The defense is the strength of this team. It's where we spend the cap money and it's the unit that drives the strategic direction of the offense. That is McD plays conservative offense because he expects the defense to win the game. McD stresses that the Offense NOT commit turnovers. This comes at a cost. The cost being conservative offensive play calling and execution once we get a 2 score lead. We've seen it in almost EVERY game this year. The bottom line is that we had a 16 - 0 lead late in the 3rd quarter. All the offensive play calling that frustrates so many of us is by design to avoid a TO that allows a team to score cheap points and get back into the game. I blame the D because in a little over one quarter they allowed TD drives of 75 & 80 yards. They also allowed the Texans to convert BOTH 2 point conversion tries. Then in OT after forcing a 3 & out the D allowed the Texans to drive from their 17 yard line to our 10 yard line to kick the game winning FG. That was a 73 yard drive. McD put this game on the shoulders of the D and they let him down. Yet in his post game press conference he calls out Allen for "trying to do to much". Gee IMO the problem was that the D didn't do enough. But that's just me I guess.

Not when Watt is in there and only being single blocked, or not blocked at all. And for the record, the Texans offense is pretty weak when Fuller is out.

Bingo! Allen was trying to do to much because he was asked to do almost everything. His production was amazing today. This is what McD should have harped on. Pointing out a crazy lateral that had NO IMPACT ON THE GAME was bizzare and frankly showed that McD was clueless about what happened in the game. And this is both surprising & disturbing to me. I just watched TN beat the evil empire 14 - 13. This is how a lot of playoffs games go. Remember last years Super Bowl that NE won 13 - 3? IMO the defense lost the game today. We know our offense is a work in progress. They had only one TO and that only resulted in 3 points. Our D allowed the Texans to execute three 70+ yard drives late in the 3rd quarter, the 4th quarter & in OT to beat the Bills. Had the D stopped just one of the two 2 point conversion trys we win the game with that last second FG.

You're 100% right. There are a lot of NFL teams with TE's or WR's who make that catch. The problem was the scheme of having #42 going deep. It's like earlier in the year when we had to watch #20 & #42 split out wide! Yea that's the ticket. I can just see the DC sweating bullets about who going to cover such athletic & fast play makers!

The biggest takeaway from the Pats loss is that the Buffalo Bills streak of making four straight Super Bowls remains safe. It's a record that will never be beaten. Another takeaway is that you can win games 14 - 13. Our 19 points today would have beaten BOTH TN & NE. So anyone who doesn't think the Bills defense doesn't own today's loss didn't watch this game or last years Super Bowl won by NE 13 - 3. In the playoffs this is how games often go. Hell remember how we beat the Broncos 10 - 7 in the AFC championship game en-route to our 2nd Super Bowl.

I disagree. You do this in private NOT public. My goodness there were so many screw ups in this game calling out the QB shows me that McD didn't see the game that the rest of us saw. And what players do you believe were thinking the same thing? I hope it wasn't anyone on the O-line or defense. I do agree that Allen can handle this. I mean he handled the incompetent way McD handled him as a rookie. You know not declaring him the starter so he doesn't get reps with the 1st team in training camp & preseason. You know like putting all your eggs in the Peterman basket and then throwing Allen to the wolves in week 2 when Peterman breaks all the eggs. And don't get me started on having a rookie QB but not having a veteran QB to show him the ropes. So yea, Allen will get over this. But it's disappointing that McD handled it this way. This is not the "process" I've seen him talking about. Today was as classic a TEAM loss as any Bills loss this year. That's how McD should have described it.

Gee late in the 4th quarter and Titans only up 14 - 13. You know it would have been alright to have won today's game 16 - 11. Or had we stopped one of those 2 point conversions win the game 19 - 17.

Shame on coach McD. Just when I was thinking he was the guy he goes and throws Allen under the bus in a game where there was more then enough blame to go around. McD should have just SHUT THE FRACK UP. What was this moron thinking!?! First, while the lateral was a bit crazy, watch the replay and had Knox stayed put and caught it it would have been a HUGE positive play. As it was that play IN NO WAY IMPACTED the outcome of the game. If McD wants to throw folks under the bus how about: * Taking a shot at the 3 guys who could not get a block on #41 in OT on Allen's QB sweep. And unlike the lateral that screw-up cost us the game. If they get a block on #41 Allen runs for10 - 20 yards and we're on the doorstep of winning this game. * Or McD could have commented on a defense that played great for a half and half of a quarter then crapped the bed when it counted. They gave up 75 & 80 yard TD drives in the last 16 minutes of the game. Had the D stopped just one of the 2 point conversions that last Bill's FG would have been the winning FG. * Or how about McD wait to watch the film and let us know what he thinks about leaving JJ Watt unblocked or single blocked for the 4th quarter and in OT? I'm deeply disappointed that McD made these comments. This can really mess up a kids head. They are not only unfair but the game film will show they're flat out wrong. I thought this "process" thing they brag about would result in the players & coaches circling the wagons. Instead McD is throwing Allen under the bus. Incredible. Let's not forget that McD screwed up Allen's rookie year about as badly as a coach could. Now he does this crap? This is disturbing on a number of levels and makes me doubt whether McD is the guy.

That's a good question. But again if they block that QB sweep properly Allen likely takes the ball into FG range.

No he didn't. It may not have been pretty but he led them to the 25 yard line before the offense imploded ( a run to Gore that LOST 3 yards - really?) and then without TO's drove them to the 29 for the game tying FG. Guys having a deer in the headlights look don't lead those two drives. Did Allen get a bit rattled at the end - yes. But that is on the O-line which picked a very bad point in the game to start playing badly. In OT Allen was moving the Bills into FG range to win the game. First he converted two 3rd down plays with outstanding throws and then on a play in which he should have gained 10 - 20 yards a complete miss of a block allowed a Texan defender to put a wicked hit on Allen. I don't know what you were watching but Allen took a nasty shot to the head on that play. After that he seemed a bit wobbly. But if the Bills make that block we win the game.

I disagree. Allen needs more help plain & simple. The lack of a go to big play guy is killing the Bills on Offense. And the occasional lapses by the O-line caused a lot more problems for the O today then any lack of awareness by Allen. I mean between devastating holding penalties; leaving Watt UNBLOCKED and missing a routine block on an Allen sweep that would sprung have him for a 20 yard gain is more of a problem then Allen's so called lack of situational awareness. Allen made a lot of BIG PLAYS in the 4th quarter & in OT. Sure he made mistakes but he overcame them with even bigger plays. The same can't be said about WR's dropping passes and TE's/O-linemen missing blocks and getting penalized.

What a load of BS. The sacks were a direct result of an O-line that was struggling to protect Allen. As for the lateral did you watch the replay? There was NO ONE in front of Knox. If he is heads up on that play he catches the pitch and rumbles for 20 yards down the sideline and gets out of bounds at the end. That could have been a huge play. Was it risky? Sure but IMO it was our unwillingness to take risks in the 4th quarter that cost us the game. And on those jail breaks masquerading as O-line blocking did you look out into the secondary? If you had you would have noticed that on almost every one of those plays NO ONE was open down field.

What utter BS. They saw an up & coming young talent who can make some amazing plays but still has things he must work on.

I don't care if folks think I'm making excuses but the officials were terrible in that game. How many times did the Texans get called for holding? Zero by my count. And do other folks remember the 3rd down play in the 4th quarter where Watt pressured Allen into throwing an incomplete pass but well after Allen threw the pass he was hit hard IN THE LEGS by a Texan defender. That is roughing the passer every time yet no call there! I have reached a point where I despise NFL officials. They're low life scum bags who are ruining a great game. Today was no exception. Oh and what about when the refs stopped play on an illegal procedure but the Texan still hit Allen hard in the back? Again that should have been roughing the passer. Pegula needs to make the officials go through HELL this week. he needs to pursue every possible angle to draw attention to how piss poor these guys are. There is simply NO consistency as to what constitutes a penalty in the NFL.

It's worse then short sighted it's damn stupid. Allen overall played well showing signs of brilliance. How do three guys miss #41 on that sweep run by Allen in OT? How does an NFL WR drop a perfectly placed TD pass at the end of the 1st half that would have put us up 17 - 0? And how is Watt unblocked and/or single blocked multiple times in the 2nd half and in OT? If anything I'm even more bullish on Allen after this game. We need upgrading on offense. It's that simple.

I am so frustrated at this loss. But starting in OT here are the plays that lost us the game: * On the Allen sweep, we had THREE guys out in front and NOT ONE OF THEM could get a hit on #41 who gave Allen a vicious helmet to helmet tackle. If just one of these guys had got that block Allen gains at least 10 yards and we're on our way to the winning FG. That was an inexcusable miss by the 3 guys lead blocking on that play. * On 3rd & 18 in OT an elite defense does not allow a check down pass to gain the first down. It's one thing if Watson made a great throw and the WR made a great catch past the sticks but come on. That play was an example of the game killing conservatism of coach McD. He has to get past that next year or coaching is the problem. On that play the D was playing to conservative and the result was a lost playoff game. * Later in the Texans drive with a 2nd & 9 and two guys hit Watson YOU MUST MAKE THE TACKLE. Why didn't Milano wrap him up? It would been 3rd & 17. The FACT is that for as well as the D played in the first two and a half quarters they played terrible in the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter, the 4th quarter and OT. Remember had the D stopped JUST ONE of the 2 pt conversions our last FG would have been the WINNING FG.

I agree but if you look at the first 2 years Farve was at GB, which were his 2nd & 3rd years in the NFL: 2nd year in the NFL/1st in GB Farve threw for a little over 3000 yards and had 18 TD passes & 13 INT's in 13 games started. 3rd year in the NFL/2nd year in GB Farve threw for a little over 3000 yards and had 19 TD passes & 24 INT's in 16 games started! GB had a 9 - 7 record. You know that Holmgren and Company had to be deeply frustrated by Farves play this season. It wasn't until Farves 4th year in the NFL and 3rd at GB that he exploded into superstardom.

To me it's obvious that Allen is not where they would like him to be YET. I wouldn't expect Allen to be there yet in only his 2nd year and given the circumstances of his development as a QB. At the risk of reading to much into things, I actually see this as the Bill's coaches knowing that Allen is close to making a major jump in performance. They see him in practice every day and they look at the film. They know that he's on the verge of a breakout and they're anxious for him to get there. I bet that if you could go back and be a fly on the wall during Brett Farve's 2nd & 3rd year in Green bay his coaches would sound a lot like Daboll & McD. They could see they had a budding superstar in the making and were impatient for him to take the leap.