Tolstoy
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Posts posted by Tolstoy
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People, it takes a while to recover from ACL surgery, especially at this elite level. He will be better. Give him time.
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My two cents:
- It takes at least a full year for most athletes to return from ACL reconstruction to preinjury level. He needs more time.
- Injury or no injury, Von Miller will have declined with age, but he has developed his craft over a career, and will still be effective. He studies his opponents' tendencies, deploys a wide range of pass rushing moves, and uses strategy to work his opposing offensive linemen. Assuming his mental game hasn't declined, he just needs his body to fully recover from injury.
- All of us should give players a bit more time before we anoint them and condemn them. We are too quick to judge.
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I am honestly puzzled about the ass-kicking we got tonight. Did we get manhandled? Yes. Was it because our players are not good enough? Maybe. Was it because our O and D coordinators didn't do a good enough job? Maybe. Was it because our Head Coach didn't have the team prepared? Apparently. It could also be that Cinci was just one hell of a good team.
I think it sucks, and it hurts like hell, but let's not leap to conclusions. The team needs some major changes, but what they are is not clear. I do know we have some great talent--Josh Allen, Diggs, Knox, etc. etc. There is hope. Beane or someone just needs to make some tough decisions.
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2 minutes ago, billieve420 said:
Offense hasn’t looked in sync since the bye. Wish we were a little more creative in scheming guys open. Seems like a lot of the big plays are due to Allen scrambling around and buying time for guys to get open.
This is the bigger worry to me, more than the secondary, the pass rush, the receivers (other than Diggs), etc. The offense just seems to lack creativity. Is this because our coordinator is new to this, or maybe just doesn't have a creative offensive mind? If the offense doesn't improve, and it hurts us in the playoffs, I wonder if there wouldn't be pressure to replace our OC.
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Is there any chance Crowder could be back?
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1 minute ago, Mango said:
We also not only got no production out of Hodgins we let him go.
I think Shakir is a lot better than we give him credit for.
We also never throw to the TE enough even though Knox runs the 6th most routes in the league.
We’ve drafted/traded for 2 receiving backs we never throw the ball to.
Dont get me wrong. We could certainly upgrade, but the numbers surrounding Josh and zone coverage are bad and Dorsey certainly takes some blame as well.
I don’t think the cupboard is as bare as some fans think.
I agree with this. I don't think we are as creative in getting receivers open this year.
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1 hour ago, zow2 said:
The Chiefs having control of the bye week and the Bengals potentially having to win a coin toss (vs Baltimore if they lose Sunday) are the only things that really rub me the wrong way.
It bothered me too, since they get an extra week of rest of they win next week, but then I realized that because the Monday night game was cancelled, the Bills and Bengals virtually had a rest week this past week (1st quarter injuries to Taron J. and Allen notwithstanding). So in a sense, we had almost a bye week in the second last week of the season. So we should be in relatively healthy shape for the next slate of games.
There is no perfect solution, but the one that they settled on seems the fairest to me.
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As we wait for the Cincinnati game, I was thinking about the Bills roster, and which positions could use some help in the offseason. My initial assumption was that a 12-3 team would have a super talented roster and very few needs, but as I started to review each position, it became clear to me that the opposite is the case--there are very few roster positions on this team that don't need some form of upgrade. Tell me what you think about this:
QB: all set (assuming Keenum and Barkely are back)
RB: I suspect they will let Singletary walk, so they will probably need a talented back to complement Cook. Even if they keep Singletary, the Bills arguably need a back who can break tackles and gain tough yards.
WR: At the moment, the Bills look a bit weak here at all positions behind Diggs. Maybe that will change with the emergence of Shakir, or Davis playing a bit better, but one could wish for two dangerous receivers (ala Miami or Cincinnati).
TE: Seems like we need another pass-catching TE behind Knox.
OL: Definitely need to invest in interior o-line. Right?
DL: I guess we are all set here (assuming we keep who we have), but the Vonn injury leaves a bit of a hole.
LB: we may be all set here, but if they let Edmunds walk, they will need a LB
DB: we are ok at corner, but we have to hope Benford or Elam can become a full-time starter. That said, our starting safeties are aging, and I suspect we would want an upgrade over Hamlin and/or Johnson.
Kicking team: seems ok
So, all in all, QB, DL, and kicking team seem like the only areas we would not be seeking an infusion of talent. This seems a bit odd, since the Bills are evidently very talented, and apparently have a "deep" roster (or so I have heard). Curious to hear what others think.
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1 hour ago, cage said:
I'd love to see some comparative analysis by Cover1 or JoeB/MattF at The Athletic, but one of the things jumping out at me is what a difference pass rush makes. People can talk about Allen and Brady all they want, but the relentless effectiveness of Tampa's pass rushing was the MVP of the Super Bowl and the lack of it made the AFC Championship game so frustrating. That's where our drafting needs to focus...
Spot on. I suspect Beane knows this too.
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I guess this is why a good draft will be more than ever important this year, as it replaces expensive players with cheap talent. I think we are slated to have seven picks, which could make a huge difference in this calculation. This will be an interesting off-season.
One thing I do wonder is this: if most teams are in the same position as the Bills, there will be a lot of free agent talent and an insufficient number of teams with $ to sign the talent. That could mean that free-agent players will need to take pay cuts just to work. We might also see teams renegotiating contracts at a lower rate, on the understanding that the player will otherwise get cut (and have a difficult time finding a new team). Just speculating.
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2 minutes ago, streetkings01 said:
Stay off social media, message boards, talk radio, sports tv for a few days. The first wave of Chiefs vs Bills talk is gonna annoy the hell outta you. Just decompress for a few days. It was a great season......we came up short, but I think we’ll be back in this thing next year. I trust Beane to see where this team is lacking and make some moves.......he’s proven that he’ll attempt to fix issues the following season.
Great post and great attitude. I agree. Folks, we were one of the top 4 teams in the entire NFL in a season that could have been lost (covid-19). We never expected the Bills to be this good. We have an excellent QB, excellent talent on the team, an excellent front office, and (I think) excellent coaching. Let's give them a chance to build on what we have here.
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This was a great season by the Bills--they finished top 4. That is better than anyone expected. What killed them, in my opinion (and as others have remarked), were three things:
1. A lack of a dominant pass rush
2. An absent running game
3. An absence of a dominant "underneath game" of tight ends and running backs catching the ball (we did some of that late, but not nearly enough all season)
I think Daboll did great because he developed Allen, but now he needs to step up and develop a running game.
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3 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:
Camera work today was abysmal.
This. Coverage of some plays was horrible--e.g. the Roberts long kick-off return.
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1 hour ago, Doc Brown said:
A 2000 Ted Washington would be more than welcome here.
love this answer
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1 hour ago, MJS said:
Kroft DID have possession of the ball. He caught it and as he went to the ground the defender grabbed it. While they were both on the ground (when the play should have been dead) the defender slightly wrestled it away, but Kroft eventually took it back. At worst it was a tie, which by rule should be a Kroft catch.
I have watched the video a dozen times now, and I think I agree with this post. At worst it seems to be a tie. That said, the primary mistake was made by the crew on the field. Once they made the incorrect call, the video reviewers needed sufficient video evidence that Kroft maintained possession all the way to the ground, and I am not sure we can see that from the video. It doesn't really matter, since the Bills won (thankfully), but it does go to show you don't want to leave things in the hands of the referees. They are doing their best, but they make mistakes.
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I thought it was an egregious call as well. Then I asked myself: what is the alternative? Remember that the Rams player had possession of the ball on the ground. So we have three options, maybe 4:
(1) Incomplete pass. Impossible. The ball never hit the ground.
(2) Kroft catch. Impossible. He didn't have possession at the end of the play.
(3) Catch and fumble? Impossible. Kroft didn't have possession long enough, and didn't make a "football move," whatever that is.
(4) Interception. As absurd as it is (since the Rams player didn't catch the darn ball), it seems more reasonable than the alternatives!
Am I mistaken here? I do prefer to blast the refs, but in this case they may not have had another call they could have made.
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2 hours ago, whatdrought said:
February 3rd, 2020:
NFL Power Rankings - Post SB LIV
10. Buffalo Bills
Yes, the Bills won the Superbowl last night by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 77-0, and while that is quite an accomplishment, and no small feat, the question still remains: Who have the bills really beaten this year? They had a very easy schedule throughout the regular season, and even in the playoffs they didn't play anyone all that amazing during their three straight road wins. Josh Allen has really flourished as a dual threat QB, running the ball and making incredible plays, but as I've said since before the bills drafted him, I'm just not sure if the accuracy is there. His 104% completion percentage in the playoffs and Superbowl is just a reminder of what everyone knows- you can't fix accuracy. I expect this Bills team to continue to win next year, but I'm hesitant to move them higher in this power ranking. Maybe when they've played some elite NFL competition, or when they move to a city I can find on a map. There's always next year.
freaking hilarious
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10 minutes ago, Augie said:
Yes, I think that perception is indeed very strange. They throw short, intermediate and far too often, far too long (like 5-10 yards too long!). A balanced attack playing like a real NFL QB would, IMO, be the best thing to develop Allen.
Ha! I get your sarcasm. But you have to agree that our offense is not anywhere near explosive. Would you blame that simply on execution?
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3 minutes ago, Augie said:
What do you mean by “open it up”? He passed 41 times, and handed off 14 times. What do you want? I really don’t understand, not trying to be a jerk.
It is strange, but despite throwing 41 passes the offense still seems a bit conservative. I am no expert, but the majority of the passes are short or mid-range, and many of them seem to wait until the receiver shows himself open. There are very few high risk throws. The long balls (as pointed out in another thread) seem to be too long as if to prevent against possible underthrown and intercepted balls.
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34 minutes ago, sven233 said:
It's a passing league. You pass to score points. I have no problem with them passing the ball a lot and trying to win that way. It's time for the Buffalo Bills to step out of the dark ages and try and compete in a league that is passing them by......literally.
Now, does that mean they are using all these throws correctly? NO!!!! Most every pass is being designed for WRs to hook up, square in or square out to the sidelines, and come back to the ball. They are hardly running enough plays that are designed to get run after the catch which is how a lot of offenses put up big passing numbers. Now, I don't know if this is because they have determined Allen can't throw slants, crossers, etc. effectively enough on a regular basis or if this is just the general scheme of our offense in general.
But whatever. We have a long way to go on offense whichever way you want to put it. But, I have absolutely no problem with trying to light up the scoreboard throwing the ball all over the place. We've had 20 years of ground and pound and it has gotten us nothing. But, with the offense the way it is designed, and the lack of overall talent on the offensive side of the ball outside a few guys, I'm not sure our version of this passing offense will work. But, I have no problems with them trying to build an offense around the passing game in general.
I agree with this. But Allen may not be good enough yet to win with this approach. I think they know that but want to develop him anyhow.
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My apologies if this is in another thread somewhere, but it occurred to me that Daboll may have a mandate to develop Josh Allen as a QB at virtually all costs, even if it means possibly risking wins this season. The reasoning would be that we are very unlikely to win without more talent and experience anyhow, and we will need a top flight QB to win in future years. We are better off developing an elite QB, instead of squeaking out every victory we can, only to never win the big prize because we lack the QB we need.
This would explain why we opened the season with 18 straight passes, as if Daboll was intentionally trying to get Allen into a rhythm regardless of what might be more likely to succeed. It explains why the Bills are so reluctant to become a running team, even though it seems like running the ball more might lead to more wins. It even explains why Allen has played more conservatively of late--because not playing hero-ball and becoming more turnover free is essential to a top flight QB. I expect that now that he has (arguably) gone too far towards playing conservatively, they will try to nudge him back towards playing more aggressively.
In short, I am suggesting that Beane, McDermott and Daboll are all on the same page here--a long game strategy of developing an elite NFL QB . The wins and losses this season are secondary.
Part of me has doubts about this perspective, because so many careers depend upon winning and losing right now--both players and coaches. It is hard for me to believe that they are not doing whatever they can to win right now. But when I see what they are doing with Allen and the running game etc., I can't help but think I am right.
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4 minutes ago, vorpma said:
The most important statistic is we won and now 3 - 1 going into the Bye week; that impresses me!
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On 9/22/2019 at 5:08 PM, Rocky Landing said:
For anyone who wants to keep track, after today, Gore needs another 358 yards to pass Barry Sanders for the third most rushing yards in NFL history.
This is an incredible achievement. I confess to having under appreciated this guy.
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Sal makes some good points here, but I can't help but be struck by the negativity regarding players and coaches all over the field. Is Sal giving us a needed wake-up call, or is he unreasonably pessimistic? Here it is: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2019/09/23/tremaine-edmunds-buffalo-bills-linebacker-struggles-in-win-over-cincinnati-bengals/2418753001/
Fan pro bowl voting
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
Maybe this will provide Josh, Diggs, and the D-line some extra incentive this Sunday...