Rich Stadium Original

Serious question..on one of the interceptions with Williams coming up the middle..Allen looked to to me to hit his head on the turf, and when he was helped up he had those concussion eyes..surprised he wasn't checked...wonder if he played a good quantity of the game with a concussion?

If the Jets O line is as bad as everyone says, looking at Roger's limited performance in the preseason, and the Bills perceived weakness at MLB, I would expect the Jets to test the Bills run defense, along with a very short passing game..screens, slants and shallow crossers,, all with barely a 2 step drop to nullify a pass rush. If I were the Bills, I would play a press man coverage (Elam??), with a sprinkle of one of those Milano looping blitzes up the middle ( a la Tua) just to remind him how quickly he wants to get rid of the ball.

Purely a gut feeling..will have to go back and look at the stats again, but.. Thought Cook looked good..even aside from the TD hit the holes well in his limited action. Vance more than held his own at guard. Allen has two weeks to get in sync if he wants to be QB2 Looks like they are pretty confident in THAT rookie TE if they hardly played him Unimpressed with starting defensive line. Weak again against the run, and only pass rush was generated by blitzing.

Incident in question re-created...Brown is symbolically depicted in hornet costume.

Okay..reading all the postings, interviews and cryptic tweets, I've pieced together my opinion on whats going on: 1.) Everyone knows how upset Diggs was with play calling and execution at the end of last season...and he let his emotions show. 2.) Diggs has conversations and meetings with team leadership as to how to resolve the issue (problems specifically with Dorsey/personality conflict?)..and gives the impression he will be at camp. 3.) Diggs DOES show up yesterday and this morning, but assuming the day today starts off with team meetings, he hears something from the HC, or more specifically the OC about the direction of the team for the season that is not what he thinks he was promised..and storms out of the facility before practice starts.

There is another aspect of the Bills roster that has to do with depth at specific positions. You might think player X at position Y is in pretty good shape and doesnt need addressing, but what about their backups(s)?? Eveyone thought the Bills were set at safety last year, and look what happened when Poyer and Hyde went down. What position can they least afford to lose due to injury because you dont trust their backups, but their position is essential to success?..Dawkins?..Milano??..unfortunately, it is the NFL and starters WILL get injured.

Without doing a deep dive analysis of Dorseys play calling, I think the offense was strapped by poor execution of the offensive line. When runs were called on first and second down it was usually for minimal gain, leaving the team in 3rd and long, limiting what was available from the playbook. When passes were called, I think Allen experienced one of the highest pressure rates in the league. He was rarley comfortable in the pocket getting through all his progressions, and was either throwing it sooner than he wanted, or took off running. I think we all remember games where Brown looked like a turnstile out there. In some games, Diggs would be double covered, particularly over the top, and NOBODY else was getting open...do I even need to bring up drops?? There is a lot that really needs to be cleaned up before you can criticize the play calling specifically.

I live in Western New York and am a pilot with a major airline who travels all over the country. My personal observation is that there is more Bills gear worn at US airports than any other team...by far. As I see somebody walking the other way, I instinctively give out the "Go Bills" greeting, which seems to startle them as I am usually in uniform. When I fly to or from Buffalo as a passenger I ALWAYS see at least 5 or 6 people in either a Bills tee, cap or sweatshirt, regardless of whether or not it is football season.....in season that number usually goes up quite a bit..especially on the weekends.

Larger and sturdier doesnt equate to more talent. I think Oliver is in a similar situation as Diggs..the amount of double teams he is seeing should be freeing up somebody else to pick up their game, and it isnt. I'm not sure IF you can find anybody right now with more bang/buck with the current cap situation.

Let me start right off that Oliver is not on a level with Williams, Jones, or Donald, but to judge his value solely by the stat line is misleading. It is pretty common knowledge that Oliver played injured the last half of the season (as did most of the D line) where he saw a disproportional number of double teams than the rest of his linemates. In a Frasier defense, thats kind of the plan. Clog up the middle freeing up the LBs to make a tackle. Unfortunately, your DE (insert whichever name you like) was routinely beat 1 on 1 by the opposing tackle or tight end, and the pulling lineman blew up your LB, which in most cases was Taron Johnson, resulting in a big run. Dont forget the 1st half of the season, where you couldn't double team BOTH Miller and Oliver, so there was a lot more pass rush pressure up the middle, and success against the run. Removing Oliver from the center of the line when Miller is back means less success defending the middle of the line..it frees up an offensive lineman from the other team. The real disaster on the D line is the complete whiff in drafting a bunch of 1st and 2nd round edge rushers that are anything but....

Dont think its been mentioned in this thread, but Allen was officially pressured in nearly 50% of his dropbacks today..not 10% or 20% but 50%...that is PATHETIC pass protection. How can he be expected to come off his first read and find an open receiver when hes having to evade the rush. He sounded frustrated in the post game press conference when asked a related question..and said the other team had some good players. Does anyone really think Burrow or Mahommes would have been more successful behind that offensive line today??

I lay a lot of this blame at Beans feet. We had the line he built reatively intact and injury free, and today, Allen was pressured on roughly 50% of his dropbacks...a pathetic statistic...not that there was a whole lot open to throw to... Think you will find the interior D-line played pretty hurt at the end of the season..thats why the run defense dropped off at the end of the season..but the edge rushers??..lots of draft capital there and they were non existant today

Does anybody think the NFL has the guts to drug test Mahommes during the week to ensure he's not geting any "assistance" to help in his healing?

If memory serves, the Bills offensive line gelled at the end of last season and into the playoffs. Josh Allen seemingly scored on every drive as the Bills seemingly never punted. He would sit in a mostly clean pocket and pick defenses to pieces. Run blocking was the issue. In the offseason we picked up what we thought was an upgrade at guard, making a good pass blocking line even better, and hopefully inproving the run game. Also added was the experienced line coach who would improve that run blocking. Fast forward to right now, and I think you could argue that yes, its a better run blocking unit...but what has happened to the pass protection? Granted Miami blitzed on like 52% of dropbacks, but your QB was hurried on multiple occasions (sacked 7 times) even when there was no blitz. Allen is getting hit A LOT and I'm sure in some cases he is bailing out of a collapsing pocket sooner than he needs to..regardless, it is affecting success. Can you imagine this O-Line against the 49ers front four? Even without a blitz? This mostly intact-serious injury free line needs to get its act together quickly, or this will be a very short playoff run.

I had no problem with either of those time outs..defense was out of position and confused on both plays. Bad luck was that Miami ran some bonehead plays anyway. What would have been much more egregious would have been if McD had seen the confused defense and NOT called the time out, and Miami had a big play as a result

The reason that was a one handed catch is Howard was hanging on his right arm

Whether the NFL has any contol over Tua playing, I'm sure they are glad he isnt. Consider these optics: Mia-Buf is only game on at that time..whole country is watching. On a delayed blitz, Milano comes clean up the middle, and in hitting him, Tua's head bounces off the frozen astroturf. He suffers his 4th concussion OF THE SEASON..(oh, I'm sorry, 3 concussions and a "back injury".) Doctors rush to the field to attend to an unconscious Dolphin, and an ambulance carts him off for the field..with Bills players standing around watching for the second time in two weeks. No bueno... Hamlin was a freak accident..this is totally preventable.

Let me start by saying I really am a Bills fan, but can't realistically see them making a deep run into the playoffs. They should beat a Tua-Less Dolphins, but all bets or off after that. They really have played valiantly in the last half of the season, but its obvious injuries have caught up with them. Breaking it down: Defensive Line: Von Miller..Almost starts and ends right here. Bills signed him to big contract because he was the piece they were missing last year..and he's missing again. Phillips and Oliver...probably your two best interior linemen playing seriously hurt. Wouldnt be surprised if both already have their post season surgey appointments made with UB Orthopaedic. Rousseau...brightest hope on the line now, but has he really dominated anyone this season? Think of all those 3rd and longs that were converted because on the known passing down, nobody could get to the QB. Basham, Epinesa, Lawson...show flashes, but inconsistant, especially in the pass rush. Linebackers: Edmunds and Milano (and Johnson) Probably the brightest spot on the defense this year. Great game by Johnson. Milano still playing well, but to my eyes playing with a nagging injury slowing him as well. Secondary: Poyer: What a gamer...bad wing and torn meniscus, and he's still out there..but despite his effort, not where he was last year. Hyde...out....Hamelin...recovering...down to 3rd string at safety...that guy you see in the last playoff game in the 4th quarter... White..recovering, but still missing a step..VERY fast receivers in the playoffs Benford..still out with injury..Elam..to early to call him a bust, but certainly a disappointment for a 1st round pick (see Sauce Gardner) In summary, dont see this patchwork lineup being very dominating going into the playoffs..last years defense at this point was probably better that this years version..and the offense hasnt shown the consistancy to be able the throw up 35 to 40 points I think will be required to win those games.

Okay..lets try again..and this time I wont use such big words and make it simple for you... You were spring loaded into making a post jumping on someone using cutesy words like "karen-y" all while not understanding or caring what you are reading...just to try to make a point. In my original post, I was remarking how the media was fawning over Burrow, and in subsequent paragraphs showed how his talent level doesnt rise to the level of MAHOMMES or Allen..you are disputing this, or is your visual acuity as poor as your reading comprehension?? This was never a love letter about Allen..which is obvious, but you cant see that...grow up and practice reading before you post..(wah)

Fragile??..You don't have a clue, pal...and your reading comprehension is suspect as well. The gist of my post was to point out how the media is in love with Burrow without any in depth analysis of the factors behind his success..only using Mahommes and Allen as examples, and not a love letter. Maybe you should think twice before you post so critically without having any idea what you are talking about.

Is it just me, or is anybody else tired of hearing how Burrow is on par with Allen or Mahommes? Granted, his numbers are as good as Mahommes or Allen, but I dont think he's near the quarterback. He is a VERY accurate passer and good decision maker, but lets not forget he throws to three very good receivers..who usually are wide open are going up and grabbing a contested throws..many yards after the catch. All the highlights I see of Burrow, he always seems to be throwing from a clean pocket with very little pressure--almost like he playing catch. I think I read he is the 4th least pressured quarterback in the league. Does anybody really think he is going to make that Mahommes run around for 35 yards and flip it upside down behind his back for the completion...or the Allen running to his right being chased leaping, and as he is going out of bounds throwing it across his body halfway across the field??..I think not!!.. That being said, can the Bills front four put enough pressure on him to make him feel uncomfortable?..really wish Von Miller were around....

Disagree a bit..Burrow is an excellent, accurate thrower and elusive in the pocket, but not nearly the running threat that Mahommes or Allen are. Just a bit less of a headace for the DC. If I'm not mistaken, he has seen much less pressure in the pocket than Mahommes or Allen in recent weeks with multiple talented WRs.

For those paying attention, I wouldnt worry about Josh Allen's elbow and throwing the ball anywhere if the weather forecast materializes. High temperature will be around 8 degrees and winds gusting over 50 miles an hour. Even with a healthy elbow thats way more wind than he can throw in. Makes me wonder if the Bills field a true 4-3 defense as Fields is probably even less likely to throw the ball.

IIRC, last time he had a concussion, he went outside the area to consult a neuro-doc for advice. I think thats one of the reasons he was inactive the next week. Even if cleared by the NFL, I would assume another consult is inevitable. His decision if and when to return will probably be based on that.

In previous seasons, when teams tried playing this soft cover 2 zone against the Bills, the answer had always been the slot receiver Beasley finding the soft spots and seams. In fact, I think those were some of his biggest games. Whackadoodle or not, the Bills miss that kind of guy in the lineup. I think they were hoping the answer was Crowder with Shakir learning from the sidelines...but thats just not an option right now..and it shows.