Brand J

We’re 0-3 in one score games. 6-0 in all others. Today the Bills got curb stomped after looking lackluster since the Titans L.

Josh has been off all game.

The inconsistency in calls is what’s maddening. This L isn’t on the refs, but Indy has had drives extended by calls whereas the Bills have not - and deserved some calls.

Stadium looks MUCH more empty. Can’t blame the fans.

Has Epenesa been on the field? Too many day 2 draft whiffs by Beane, we’re seeing the result of that this season.

Star himself said he was sitting at home watching the team’s success and wished he was a part of it. He also mentioned his wife nagging him at home. I just incorporated that into my speculation - and that’s all it was meant to be: my perspective. Chill out.

Only Star can answer that, anything else is speculative. I speculate he used the virus as an excuse to take the year off. I remember reading a quote that “Star doesn’t love football, he loves his family.” After watching the Bills have success all the way to the AFC Championship game and getting nagged by the wife at home, he realized he wasn’t ready to hang up the cleats and even said something to that effect at the start of the year. It gave him a fresh and renewed desire to play and he got himself into the best shape of his career coming into the season and was posting numbers that weren’t seen since his earlier years in Carolina. His play has tailed off a bit, so I do hope he doesn’t take months to recuperate like Dawkins. He needs to come back to playing at a high level ASAP.

If Star does have a pre-existing condition, his heart may not have anything to do with it. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/utah-dt-star-lotulelei-cleared-for-football-without-restriction/

Just read Leonard has been in on 9 turnovers for the Colts all while playing on a bum ankle the entire season. Wow.

Yeah I agree. He’s much more a Seahawk than a Bill and will retire with Seattle if he hasn’t already.

I’m all for a Singletary/Breida or Moss/Breida approach to the running game, but I don’t like Singletary/Moss as I feel they’re too similar. Would have liked to see one of the two moved, but I get it - we’re not getting much in return for either. Perhaps the mistake was drafting Moss a year after spending a 3rd on Singletary when both run in the 4.6s.

100%

Not going to go back and forth with you on this since it’s clear we disagree on Edmunds’ assessment. I don’t feel he’s an all pro, or even pro bowl caliber linebacker. You probably do and that’s okay. The video above where Erik breaks down what Edmunds is doing right can easily be countered by another video that highlights the times he fills the wrong gap, overruns the play, fails to disengage from blocks, misses the tackle (he has a high number of these btw), and so on and so forth. The Bills defense is playing well, so there’s praise all around. Edmunds isn’t a bad linebacker, he’s just not the difference maker or game changer you think he is. He’s just not. The fact AJ Klein could step in and the defense doesn’t miss much at that position (with Star out) is pretty damning. I believe Klein had 2 TFLs in that game alone, while Edmunds has 3 total on the season! It’s not “I’ll go with stats, you go with film review” because as I said you can find anything to fit a narrative. If I had the time and game tape I could easily put together a lowlight video that would make Edmunds look like the worst linebacker in the league. You could do that for any player. Short videos highlighting the instances he did his job successfully - on those particular plays - do not define the player just as a lowlight video would not.

Love Cover 1 and the effort Erik puts into his evaluations, but are you saying he’s the only one who understands our defense? You can find video (or stats) on anything to support a narrative. I guarantee you Sam Monson and the folks at PFF could put video together on Edmunds that you couldn’t refute. But I’m sure you’d chalk it up as “not understanding Edmunds role in the defense” since they’re not as high on the player as Erik. I’m not only citing gradings, I’m citing Edmunds’ actual stats on the season as well, but go ahead and tell me stats are for losers. You have your perspective and I have mine, neither is going to change the other so we can leave it at that.

I don’t hate Edmunds and any criticism of his game shouldn’t be looked at as such. Some around here are staunch defenders of him, no matter how he produces on the field. He’s an above average linebacker, nothing more. And that’s mostly due to his measureables, not his instincts. He has 3 TFLs in 8 games this year despite playing nearly 100% of the defensive snaps. I’ll remind you he plays MLB. He has 2 passes defensed, 1 INT, 0 QB sacks and 0 QB hits for the entire time he’s been on the field (can’t count the QB hit he was called for on a personal foul even if I didn’t agree with the call). Those are facts and not debatable. We don’t like PFF around here, but the league uses their research and numbers, you even see their positional group rankings at the start of prime time games. Edmunds is currently graded as 50 on the year, which leaves a lot to be desired. Do they hate him as well? Before this season started Coach McDermott said they needed more splash plays out of him and Ed Oliver. Edmunds best year statistically was his rookie season, he hasn’t come close to those numbers since. Again, I don’t hate the player, I wish he was an All Pro for selfish reasons. But he’s not. Not even close. Despite what some around here would like to believe.

Thought Allen’s INT was indeed an INT until that last replay that showed the reception from an endzone angle. That ball absolutely hit the ground. Did the player have full control when it happened? I didn’t think so.

I agree Edmunds is much more of a coverage linebacker than a downhill one, but it’s only because of his sheer size to dissuade pass attempts. He doesn’t deflect many passes (3 PD all last year and 2 this year so far) and QBs have a high rating when throwing his way. There were plenty of passes over the middle this last game with Klein in there, but the same was true of the Titans game when Edmunds was in there.

“There’s really no fall off” says Jordan Poyer. ”He ran the defense just as if Tremaine was out there” says Taron Johnson. If Edmunds was on the level of Urlacher, Kuechle, Darius Leonard, etc., these comments would be seen as ridiculous and a slight to Edmunds. It’s nice to have Klein’s back and give him praise for his performance, but saying he handled the job just as well as your “pro bowl” starter is pretty damning to that starter for me. None of us would in a million years say “there’s no fall off with Davis Webb” “He ran the offense the same as Josh.”

#IBackGruden Mostly because I want to see Goodell in trouble and out of the commish’s office. He has done some good things for the game, but the referees and rules are at an all time worst. At least when they were incompetent under Tagliabue’s reign it was mostly due to the lack of replay or camera angles, but amending/introducing the taunting, roughing the passer, and “he hit me too hard” penalties have made the game frustrating and nearly unwatchable.

Here’s a hypothetical… what would you do as HC if Edmunds misses the game and Andre Smith goes in and plays like a guy with his hair on fire? Several big plays, TFLs, a forced fumble, INT, etc. If you ask me “what has been Edmunds’ best game as a pro?” I’m not sure I’d have that answer, but what if Smith had one of those definitive games you’d never forget and shined much brighter than Tremaine ever has. What would you do? The hypothetical is for fun, people, not to be taken seriously, or considered “Edmunds bashing.”

Every QB is better with a successful rushing attack. Every single one. Not to throw Josh under the bus, but you can probably count on one hand the number of QBs in the history of the game who could thrive even in the face of an anemic running game.

Just saw this picture on FB. Yes, those are three lineman blocking one guy, as another has an unimpeded path to Josh. Someone please tell me this picture is photoshopped. If not, that’s on coaching (or lack thereof).

Maybe one of our inactive 2nd round DEs can play some OG

Lots of truth here. I heard the announcers say yesterday Allen is at the top of the league in passes batted at the LOS and it’s because the lineman are just following his eyes. He’s staring down receivers and doesn’t seem like he’s looking them off as often as he did last year. All reports out of camp were that Allen was red hot, unstoppable. Hopefully we’re just witnessing the calm before the storm before he comes back and starts tearing **** up. It’s hard to sustain greatness and I’d rather he’s hot at the end of the year than the 1st half.

It’s easy to dismiss Diggs as “not much of a game changer than these other receivers” if you’re a prisoner of the moment. He hasn’t been doing what he did last year because the targets haven’t been there. Josh hasn’t been specifically keying on him and throwing it there even when he’s covered. As a result Diggs has been too quiet, to the point McDermott suggested they “have to take a long, hard look at that.” Diggs is a playmaker and should be the first read almost every play. Get him the ball. Also, Josh’s three highest pass attempt games have all been Ls, but the spread offense is the same approach that mighty Patriots machine took when they were making a mockery of the league and embarrassing teams during that magical 18-1 season. I don’t remember them running that much and even when they were up 4+ TDs Brady was still in the game throwing bombs to the endzone. I don’t blame the number of pass attempts, I blame the execution.