Virgil

Zeppelin is a solid recommendation. I think I did the Beatles actually. I forgot how long I've been writing these

Wow, you think we are going to allow 160 points? I thought you were a fan...

As it's the preseason for the refs, camera crews, networks, alongside the players; it's also the preseason for me in terms of getting myself back in that writing rhythm and mindset. Typically, I would write these late Sunday night or Monday at work, thinking I was meeting a solid 24 hour turn around. These Friday games just mess me up heading into the weekend because I can never find the time. Also, I've been very in my own head around what more I can do with these recaps. I want to change things up a bit, but also don't want to lose the core of how they read. I'm still TBD (no pun intended) on that. With that, these thoughts aren't going to be just around players, but where the team seems to be at while in preparation for this upcoming season. Excuse the cobwebs and scattered nature, I'm just trying to warm up. Also, I'm not going to waste much time on players who have no shot of making this team. That goes for the horrific performance of the offensive line in the second half. It's just not worth my or your time. 1 - Preseason Context - Preseason games are not real games. I see so many fans who live and die by what they see in the preseason and it's never made much sense to me. I'm not going to waste my time googling this, but I know there's a stat out there that shows how poorly 4-0 preseason teams perform in the regular season and to the contrary, how well 0-4 teams will do. The Preseason is about individual match-ups in the most basic of settings. There aren't any trick plays, stunts, disguises, audibles, pulls, or anything else. The preseason comes down to a very simple message to all players: Execute the fundamentals and beat the person in front of you. That's it. Case and point, if anyone thinks we are going to run as much as we did in the Lions game in the regular season, you are seriously crazy. So please, take these games for what they are, practice against other teams with fans and a clock. 2 - Rousseau - It's incredibly natural for most fans to see what our first round pick can do during the preseason game and my eyes were locked in on the lumberjack every play he was on the field. However, I believe there is a large amount of context to be found in what he was asked to do and the offense he was up against. The Lions gained most of their yardage on quick curl routes and 3rd downs. They struggled to move down the field with ease and got the ball off quickly. Rousseau (I need a nickname for this kid quickly) was matched up against arguable the 3rd best prospect, and best overall OT in the draft, in Penei Sewell. With no support, Rousseau was able to push Sewell back on multiple plays, one even resulting in an arm sack (which shows the strength of this kid). While this is from just one quarter, it's easy to see the potential this kid has and I'd give him an A+ for his very first on field performance. (Side note: Honorable mention to Oliver who was playing out of position, got double teamed frequently, and still got some decent push up the middle) 3 - Running backs - We saw success early in the game with draw plays up the middle and Motor had two nice plays where he showed burst and the strength to break some arm tackles. He also had a nice touchdown catch in the second quarter, which was overshadowed to me by the fact that he was out on the field in the first place. Outside of that, there wasn't much to be excited about from the run game. It didn't help that we made it obvious early that we had zero intention of passing the ball nor had any starters at pass catcher besides Knox and Gabe out there. I was not very impressed with Breida as he didn't show that outside speed we are looking for. Antonio Williams, who many wanted to see move up the depth chart, had a very lackluster day, but it's hard to evaluate him behind the putrid offensive line that was blocking for him. 4 - This is typically where I post lyrics from a song by one band for the entire season. One year, I did movie quotes, but that was harder. In the past, I've used the Grateful Dead (Always for you Bill), Dave Matthews, and Barenaked Ladies. This year, I haven't decided what I'm going to do. If you read this and have ideas, let me know. I'll post this same message in all three game recaps and see if there's a consensus. 5 - Bass - In full transparency, I've always enjoyed the jokes about kickers in the NFL. While I understand the mental pressure of having the game on the line, I still never put much thought into kickers. If they made the kick, they did their job. If they missed, cut em! Bass has slowly changed the way I pay attention to kickers. Early last season, you could clearly see the power of his leg as he would just boom the ball off his foot. But also, you could see the ball had a strange trajectory when he kicked it as if the ball had a mind of it's own. There were definitely moments early one where many wondered if we kept the wrong kicker and we saw him improve as the season went on until we got to the point where you expected him to hit everything. So far, through training camp and in this game, he truly is Bass-omatic. His swagger and confidence each time he walks onto the field is evident and his kicks are going right down the middle with the same level of power. It's been interesting to watch his development and hope he keeps it going. 6 - Haack - Of all the offseason moves I didn't understand, not resigning Bojo is one of them. Beane made some cryptic comments that led me to believe Bojo wanted to get paid, but then he took a competition role with the Rams. While we didn't punt a lot last season, I figured Bojo was a no-brainer to be resigned and wouldn't cost a lot (which he didn't for the Rams). However, after just one game watching Haack, I'm good. This guy has an absolute leg and is a pure assassin with it. I don't understand why the Dolphins let him go. He pinned two punts inside the 20 from the opposite side of the field and really had a good showing. This, like so many other thing, is just proof of why I'm a fan and Beane is a Wizard. 7 - Refs - After one full weekend of preseason games, I'm officially on notice of the refs. There were WAY too many flags in this game and the theme was leading with the helmet. Like holding, I can't deny that this happens a lot in every game, but many of these looked like calls that normally don't get flagged. I'm hoping this was an exhibition for the refs and they are leaning towards guilty until proven innocent while they practice, but if not; we are going to be in for a long season. 8 - Fromm - Typically when I write these, I don't have the time to read other people's comments about the game. However, with my aforementioned delay, I see a lot of Fromm bashing going on. A lot of context needs to be considered here. He was a 3rd string quarterback last season who hardly gets any reps. There was no preseason last year and practices were limited. This year, he's still a 3rd string QB (maybe) and this game was his very first live action against another team. Take that, put him behind an abysmal offensive line and rookie receivers, and he still found a way to lead a game winning drive. All I'm saying is, there's nothing to really evaluate him on from this game. I have wondered if Mitch would became a trade candidate if other QB's keep going down around the league, but I still don't know that Fromm is our number 2 quarterback. Webb looked very comfortable and made some good throws. (Side note: Allen and Webb are seen around each other a lot and I think Allen helps him out more than anyone else) 9 - Boogie - From the time he was drafted, all the analysts say that Boogie was the most pro ready of any of our draft picks. With that, I was very surprised to see him still on the field well into the second half. He was lining up more on the right side, but also lined up at DT a few times. I can't say I saw a lot in him to give me optimism and he seemed held in check in one on one match-ups. There's not much to say here, but I did watch him and Epenesa a bunch and don't see any threat to Addison or Hughes. The playing time of Boogie, Epenesa, and Obada was definitely interesting. 10 - Progress - As we went through the drought, preseason was always a telling sign to me regarding where our team was regarding evaluations. It wasn't about the Bills so much as the other teams. Teams that knew their starting lineup and scheme would trot their starters out for a series, go 6-6 and score points on the first drive. It was truly a practice for them while we are trying to figure out who will be 7 of our 11 starters. In this game, it really felt like we were the other team. We didn't have the majority of our starters out there and I feel comfortable saying our talent dominated theirs. It was nice to watch the Lions rotate guys in and evaluate, with job battles on the line, while we just showed up because we have to. This game was a prime example of why some teams don't want preseason games and others need it. It's nice to be on the other side. My grudge - I'm wrong a lot. Like, a lot. Guys I target in the draft typically perform to the opposite of my expectations and Beane is proven Wizard. However, with the drafting of two DE's in this draft and Epenesa still not looking like someone ready to earn that starting spot, I'm still annoyed that we passed on Dobbins, who was taken one pick later by the Raven. When I look at this team and see Hughes, Addison, Roussseu, Boogie, and Obada and realize we would have Dobbins in this offense, I feel like Beane missed there.

I have Sprint. How does this work?

Do you then see that he’s getting doubled on most plays? Moreso, we are running a pure base defense. No extra rushers, no stunts, just vanilla. They are getting solid pressure with zero disguise against a good offensive line.

What position battles is everyone watching?

Once we win a Super Bowl, we will get a better movie

26. That’s a good point. But also, what percentage of games overall are won on special teams. I think wins contribution is in the statistical category. If you were to build a HOF team and had to fill a complete roster, would Tasker earn a spot for special teams? I would say yes.

I think it matters how you view HOF players. Do you solely look at stats or is it a reflection of impact players of their time? If it's stats, I agree with you on some of the players you mention. If it's a question of impact players, then I believe Tasker should be in. If special teams is one third of the game and his name is synonymous with them, then he should eventually get in.

I was team Mayfield all the way and thought we had a chance at him. Darnold was never under consideration because he was the anointed golden boy and we had no shot. Rosen was my expectation and was pissed when we took Allen over him. But again, because projects like Allen don’t pan out, right? I never wanted Lamar

I wish it were a little longer. The Josh Allen leap is equally part of why he’s so special. What he’s become as a passer from where he was 3 years ago simply doesn’t happen. He’s become the example of what every GM, Coach, and fan hopes for in the draft. I openly admit to being pissed when we drafted him and I don’t feel guilty about it because his ascension simply doesn’t happen.

I love how he faked out the dudes pretending a ball was coming

My family got it for free as well.

Up to 43 people who are wrong. Good to know. 😋

Sir, how many times are we going to have to talk about posting porn on here?

Discovered the BFLO store this weekend in Buffalo and they have a website. Solid store

Spodrac has his projected value around 13 mil per year. If the cap breaks 200 mil, I wouldn’t be against it, but I still want to see him take a step forward as a playmaker for that much.

Legacy thinking. When we had 4 games, they played a half in the second to last preseason game. I don’t want them to play that much, but it would now be game 3. I’d not looking to trade Mitch, but it the Colts or Cowboys came knocking, I would listen

No more than a series in each game. Maybe a quarter in the 2nd game

Yeah, ***** him. I would have made him play and traded him the moment it hurt the cap the least. I wouldn’t want someone like that on my team. This is the kind of thing I was worried about for Diggs when we first traded for him and I’m very happy to be wrong

Normally, I would 100% agree with you. These guys get rich and famous, then cheat while on the road and set themselves up for huge payout divorces. However, I believe Josh should go ahead and propose already. Until his last year in college, you could argue that she had the better sporting career and she stood by him the entire time. She’s been there since High School and has supported him through all his moves, even long distance. Unless there was some other factors, maybe some cheating that needs forgiving, I think Josh should lock it down.

Every fan board you just mentioned would give their left and right nut for Allen. Don’t confuse jealousy with rational thought. The Ravens and Browns are possibly about to pay their QBs similar money and that will be the same background and way less of a sure thing.

And the video is now on Twitter. My daughter is on the left of him and I’m standing right behind her in a red Allen jersey

It’s so hard to explain to a kid why that happened and that it wasn’t personal. All she can see is Josh picked the boy over her. Not that she got to be right next to Allen, how few kids got that opportunity, and just how cool it is that Allen even did that. It doesn’t help that 81 degrees feels like 100

He threw the ball to the boy standing right next to my daughter. She ran away crying