Simon

I think he had Coleman singled up over there and I thought for sure they were going to take a shot at that skinny white boy.

There's more on this at the Sabres website and Facebook page

It was 2nd/5 when he started calling them. He was trying to repeat the success he had in a similar situation in the Baltimore game, but this was a different scenario and he should not have done it. Nor do I want it to become a habit for him.

The fact that you want to bring a stat sheet into it is part of the you problem. He's doing exactly what he's being asked to do and doing it very well, as per usual. If you want to chew on McD and Babich for chaining him to the LOS, have at it. I agreed with it the first two games and understood it to a point last night, but it's becoming excessive.

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That's a you problem

I get this if it becomes a trend. But a division game early in the year on a short week is a breeding ground for unpredictability and inconsistency. I'm really hesitant to draw any sort of long-term conclusions from a matchup like this.

I don't mean at all to downplay the improvements he's made; they have been significant and I respect the hell out of the work he's putting in. But there is still fruit on the vine here.

I want Hoecht to be taking some of Epenesa's snaps the minute he's allowed to.

I think he is already moving better than in any of the college film I saw of him. Would it be gruesome to get an O/U going on how many RBs he's going to knock out of games this year? Cuz it is going to happen.

That swim forced a half-blind throw from a Tua in full retreat which Bernard was getting hands on regardless.

That's a concern for me. He struggled hauling some of those in last year and he doesn't seem to be securing them at a particularly high rate so far this year. It should get better as he gets better, but I'm worried that it also should have gotten a little better already.

No

I think it's kind of a wash right now. You might be right as time goes on if teams figure out how to create seams that are perfectly timed.

I think that was the only f bomb I dropped all night. It got him 3 points vs Baltimore, but it's not something he needs to be making a habit of. That wasn't the spot for it, imo.

I'm done hijacking the Groot thread after this one, but I'd add that that confidence also probably stems from the fact that his body feels like it's supposed to again and he's willing to cut and drive because he's not worried about further injury. And that is massive news, imo. The bad guys make good plays too. That was a great no-look escape that beats 90% of blitzers who have the pedal buried, imo.

I would not make that switch at this point and I bet you McDermott won't either. Agreed with all of this. His strength, conditioning and confidence are all on point and he's really attacking offenses successfully. The big turnover out of nowhere is coming.

He looks pretty live out there to me. You may be right about the step in regards to long speed, but he's making a lot of short area plays that are negatively affecting offenses. I'm very pleasantly surprised by what he's been showing.

Watch him. It's not like he's getting blocked or pushed around; he's setting the edge or rushing contain on most of his snaps. He's nto getting opportunities to make plays that people see (i.e sacks or tfls) because he's rarely being allowed to actually attack the backfield. This is what McDermott wants from him because he wants his defense responsible to a fault and Rousseau is also really good at it.

most plays are

Don't leave out the swim move from a 330lb DT that turned Tua blind and scared.

He's not invisible at all, imo.

McDermott has had a length of 6" thick anchor chain on him since he walked in the door. I get it, running the ball anywhere near him is a waste of a down and his contain rush is almost always correct. But for gawd's sake coach, cut the young man loose sometimes. Not just because he can be a problem when he's allowed to attack the backfield, but it also forces blockers away from blitzers that are usually being picked up. This is not Rousseau's fault; he's doing what he's being coached to do on too many downs.

The pick wasn't luck, imo.