dave mcbride

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5984153/2024/12/10/nfl-mvp-odds-week-14-josh-allen/ and https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5982072/2024/12/10/nfl-qb-stock-report-rankings-josh-allen-bills/

Sure, but while there is "growth," there is also "GROWTH." Allen fits in the latter category.

Allen was also 6'1"as a high school senior. He grew a ton after the recruiting phase.

Is it even the game of the week? Eagles-Steelers is also very attractive.

So you're saying you'd rather have zero chance of winning than a small chance of winning?

I remember all of that! All I'm saying is that the Rams' offense gave the Bills D a near-historic beatdown that game. In the Allen era, I think it's the most yards they've ever given up.

Stafford was hurt (elbow; he missed a large portion of that season because of it) and if memory serves a couple of o-linemen went down early in the game, which opened the floodgates.

7-6, btw. They did have some serious injury issues in the early part of the season. Both Nacua and Kupp have only started 8 games, and they had o-line injuries earlier too. Last season, they were 8th in points and 7th in yards.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202009270buf.htm The Bills gave up 478 yards and allowed 7.25 yards per play. They blew a 28-3 lead and in the second half, and the Rams moved the ball at will. In the second half, the Rams ran 23 plays on four straight TD drives for 201 yards (with the longest playing being 31 yards). That is 8.74 yards per play. Two of the plays were one-yard TD runs, so take those successful plays out, and they gave up 203 yards on 21 plays (9.7 yards per play). Clearly, McVay knows how to attack this defensive scheme. (In the September 2022 game, Stafford was dealing with an elbow injury, Van Jefferson was out, and their o-line had gotten banged up during preseason.)

Again, he was very good last season, which was post-contract.

Not saying at all that he's not playing hard. He just isn't making the sort of plays that he's paid to make, and that was the case yesterday too. Maybe my standards are too high for him, but "almost" plays aren't good enough, especially when he's made those actual plays in the past.

He was good last year, and that was after the contract.

Oliver had 3 assists, no actual tackles, and a couple of hits on the QB that, IIRC, didn't materially affect the play. I am happy he can anchor, but a physically quick and explosive three-technique needs to make plays behind the LOS. He just isn't this year.

Rousseau at least made one play (a TFL). Oliver, as per his standard game this season, made zero.

I felt this deserved its own thread given his draft position and his contract, but mods, if you think it should be merged with the d-line thread, that's fine. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/O/OlivEd00.htm Oliver has only eight tackles this season (through 13 games, although he missed two) and had 34 last season. He has one sack, two TFLs, and 8 QB hits. He had 9.5 sacks last year and 14 TFLs. What the hell has happened to him? He's arguably the worst producer on the entire defense this season - definitely worse than Daquon Jones. And I don't buy any "he does the dirty work" sort of argument. 3-technique DTs are supposed to explode through and make actual tackles in the backfield.

I do consider a blocked punt returned for a TD an actual turnover regardless of the NFL's statistical categories. It turned out to be the game-deciding play.

How one can consider a blocked punt returned for a TD NOT a turnover is beyond me.

They were better than our slow secondary and WEAK pass rush. Starts an ends there. The D, collectively, is slow. Belichick said it 10 weeks ago.

And it was a sustained 25-30 mph wind throughout the course of that game.

The Bills’ D was *SHREDDED* all game long. Starts and ends there. No late-game decision excuses allowed.

Literally everything about this game was the Bills’. HORRIFIC defense. Starts and ends there — full stop. @Success

This reminds me of the second half of the 2020 Rams-Bills game. McVay outschemed McDermott on virtually every play, but the Bills were saved by Allen heroics and a really shaky illegal contact call on Gabe Davis on 4th down at the end of the game. The combo of Stafford, Nacua and Kupp are built to skewer zone schemes.

Well, it felt like 15-20 yards!

I recall that ridiculously negative play vs Miami in OT where he lost like 15-20 yards

The Rose Bowl is SO far from campus that it's a joke -- 25 miles!