7 Random Thoughts: Week 2 state of the union

[Mikie2times]

1. Taylor has shown exactly what I thought he would and my expectations were high. The two INT's we need receptions on, he was not pin point on either, but Clay and Watkins need to make those catches. He's going to make some mistakes, hes also going to make some incredible plays. He did both today and the line didn't offer him much help.

 

2. Teams are going to force us out of our heavy sets and Roman needs to adjust faster. The Bills offense can perform very well in space. That space opens lanes for Taylor to run in and spreads our YAC WR's out. We can't stay in two TE sets all game with 7-8 in the box. I want to ground and pound as much as anybody but we can't force the run.

 

3. I don't think the Bills belong in a 3-4. I know Rex mixes it up, a lot. 4-3, 3-4, 46, tons of nickle packages. I feel that is part of the problem. We made a big jump in 2014 after running a similar scheme as Rex in 2013. This scheme forces players to think as much as play and we saw a lot of confusion in the defense all game. Last year we just played. Seattle is a great example of a team that runs about the most basic defense in the league but it allows players to be players. I'm not sure if I'm willing to say this defense will be better because of a Rex which seemed like a guarantee pre-season.

 

4. This offense is light years ahead of being an Achilles heal. I would say the offense is appearing to be more of a strength especially when viewed with the assumption that the defense would be dominant. Preseason it was all about how the offense can't lose us games. The defense lost us this game and the offense seems like it will put up north 21+ a game.

 

5. McCoy is due for a big game. Stats haven't shown much, but McCoy just looks like he's playing at another gear compared to the other players on the field. His ability to stop, start, and cut without losing speed is impressive. Slow start, he's still banged up, but I still expect some big plays from him.

 

6. Darby is legit and I really hope he is fine after leaving the field slowly. He had a couple holding calls today. Outside of that he was on the hip pocket of everybody he covered. When the Patriots tried to Kelvin Benjamin him (1st preseason game) with Gronk on the outside he fought him the whole way and did a great job finding the ball. I would say he's light years ahead of where he should be based on degree of difficulty and the place he was drafted. Steal.

 

7. I felt pretty strongly that we would make the playoffs before the game and nothing changed that. In order to accomplish that we said in the preseason we needed a dominant defense and an offense that doesn't hurt us. I expect us to make the playoffs, but not under that formula. The offense won't always look pretty but it will score points and consistently have us in the 20's. I expect a very low Yards Per Point conversion for our offense, which is efficiency in converting yards into points. The best teams tend to make the playoffs and I expect us to be very highly rated in that area. We have been outstanding in two weeks so far. The defense will be good, but I worry our roster isn't the ideal fit for Rex's system and the additional learning required will cause a regression from 2014. It will still be a hell of a defense, I just don't think we will best 2014 or make some insane leap into the annals of history as some hoped with Rex at the helm.

Edited September 20, 2015 by KzooMike

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

1. Taylor has shown exactly what I thought he would and my expectations were high. The two INT's we need receptions on, he was not pin point on either, but Clay and Watkins need to make those catches. He's going to make some mistakes, hes also going to make some incredible plays. He did both today and the line didn't offer him much help.

 

2. Teams are going to force us out of our heavy sets and Roman needs to adjust faster. The Bills offense can perform very well in space. That space opens lanes for Taylor to run in and spreads our YAC WR's out. We can't stay in two TE sets all game with 7-8 in the box. I want to ground and pound as much as anybody but we can't force the run.

 

3. I don't think the Bills belong in a 3-4. I know Rex mixes it up, a lot. 4-3, 3-4, 46, tons of nickle packages. I feel that is part of the problem. We made a big jump in 2014 after running a similar scheme as Rex in 2013. This scheme forces players to think as much as play and we saw a lot of confusion in the defense all game. Last year we just played. Seattle is a great example of a team that runs about the most basic defense in the league but it allows players to be players. I'm not sure if I'm willing to say this defense will be better because of a Rex which seemed like a guarantee pre-season.

 

4. This offense is light years ahead of being an Achilles heal. I would say the offense is appearing to be more of a strength especially when viewed with the assumption that the defense would be dominant. Preseason it was all about how the offense can't lose us games. The defense lost us this game and the offense seems like it will put up north 21+ a game.

 

5. McCoy is due for a big game. Stats haven't shown much, but McCoy just looks like he's playing at another gear compared to the other players on the field. His ability to stop, start, and cut without losing speed is impressive. Slow start, he's still banged up, but I still expect some big plays from him.

 

6. Darby is legit and I really hope he is fine after leaving the field slowly. He had a couple holding calls today. Outside of that he was on the hip pocket of everybody he covered. When the Patriots tried to Kelvin Benjamin him (1st preseason game) with Gronk on the outside he fought him the whole way and did a great job finding the ball. I would say he's light years ahead of where he should be based on degree of difficulty and the place he was drafted. Steal.

 

7. I felt pretty strongly that we would make the playoffs before the game and nothing changed that. In order to accomplish that we said in the preseason we needed a dominant defense and an offense that doesn't hurt us. I expect us to make the playoffs, but not under that formula. The offense won't always look pretty but it will score points and consistently have us in the 20's. I expect a very low Yards Per Point conversion for our offense, which is efficiency in converting yards into points. The best teams tend to make the playoffs and I expect us to be very highly rated in that area. We have been outstanding in two weeks so far. The defense will be good, but I worry our roster isn't the ideal fit for Rex's system and the additional learning required will cause a regression from 2014. It will still be a hell of a defense, I just don't think we will best 2015 or make some insane leap into the annals of history as some hoped with Rex at the helm.

1- completely agree with you. He got no help from his playmakers in both or from his O-line, or OC for that matter

2- agree it took too long to get the 3WR spread going

3- yes Rex brought nothing to the table today.

4- Thanks you, another rational man

5- He looked 100% today I was impressed

6- You're right Darby looks to be the real deal

7- I hope so, they have alot to clean up in a hurry, the schedule gets tougher

[mike22nc]

 

"7- I hope so, they have alot to clean up in a hurry, the schedule gets tougher"

 

The schedule gets tougher than the top 2 teams in the AFC last year?

[dave mcbride]

1. Taylor has shown exactly what I thought he would and my expectations were high. The two INT's we need receptions on, he was not pin point on either, but Clay and Watkins need to make those catches. He's going to make some mistakes, hes also going to make some incredible plays. He did both today and the line didn't offer him much help.

 

2. Teams are going to force us out of our heavy sets and Roman needs to adjust faster. The Bills offense can perform very well in space. That space opens lanes for Taylor to run in and spreads our YAC WR's out. We can't stay in two TE sets all game with 7-8 in the box. I want to ground and pound as much as anybody but we can't force the run.

 

3. I don't think the Bills belong in a 3-4. I know Rex mixes it up, a lot. 4-3, 3-4, 46, tons of nickle packages. I feel that is part of the problem. We made a big jump in 2014 after running a similar scheme as Rex in 2013. This scheme forces players to think as much as play and we saw a lot of confusion in the defense all game. Last year we just played. Seattle is a great example of a team that runs about the most basic defense in the league but it allows players to be players. I'm not sure if I'm willing to say this defense will be better because of a Rex which seemed like a guarantee pre-season.

 

4. This offense is light years ahead of being an Achilles heal. I would say the offense is appearing to be more of a strength especially when viewed with the assumption that the defense would be dominant. Preseason it was all about how the offense can't lose us games. The defense lost us this game and the offense seems like it will put up north 21+ a game.

 

5. McCoy is due for a big game. Stats haven't shown much, but McCoy just looks like he's playing at another gear compared to the other players on the field. His ability to stop, start, and cut without losing speed is impressive. Slow start, he's still banged up, but I still expect some big plays from him.

 

6. Darby is legit and I really hope he is fine after leaving the field slowly. He had a couple holding calls today. Outside of that he was on the hip pocket of everybody he covered. When the Patriots tried to Kelvin Benjamin him (1st preseason game) with Gronk on the outside he fought him the whole way and did a great job finding the ball. I would say he's light years ahead of where he should be based on degree of difficulty and the place he was drafted. Steal.

 

7. I felt pretty strongly that we would make the playoffs before the game and nothing changed that. In order to accomplish that we said in the preseason we needed a dominant defense and an offense that doesn't hurt us. I expect us to make the playoffs, but not under that formula. The offense won't always look pretty but it will score points and consistently have us in the 20's. I expect a very low Yards Per Point conversion for our offense, which is efficiency in converting yards into points. The best teams tend to make the playoffs and I expect us to be very highly rated in that area. We have been outstanding in two weeks so far. The defense will be good, but I worry our roster isn't the ideal fit for Rex's system and the additional learning required will cause a regression from 2014. It will still be a hell of a defense, I just don't think we will best 2014 or make some insane leap into the annals of history as some hoped with Rex at the helm.

 

The pass to watkins was borderline completely uncatchable and the sort of pass that puts receivers out for the season. That pass is ALL on the qb. Edited September 20, 2015 by dave mcbride

[Kirby Jackson]

1. Taylor has shown exactly what I thought he would and my expectations were high. The two INT's we need receptions on, he was not pin point on either, but Clay and Watkins need to make those catches. He's going to make some mistakes, hes also going to make some incredible plays. He did both today and the line didn't offer him much help.

 

2. Teams are going to force us out of our heavy sets and Roman needs to adjust faster. The Bills offense can perform very well in space. That space opens lanes for Taylor to run in and spreads our YAC WR's out. We can't stay in two TE sets all game with 7-8 in the box. I want to ground and pound as much as anybody but we can't force the run.

 

3. I don't think the Bills belong in a 3-4. I know Rex mixes it up, a lot. 4-3, 3-4, 46, tons of nickle packages. I feel that is part of the problem. We made a big jump in 2014 after running a similar scheme as Rex in 2013. This scheme forces players to think as much as play and we saw a lot of confusion in the defense all game. Last year we just played. Seattle is a great example of a team that runs about the most basic defense in the league but it allows players to be players. I'm not sure if I'm willing to say this defense will be better because of a Rex which seemed like a guarantee pre-season.

 

4. This offense is light years ahead of being an Achilles heal. I would say the offense is appearing to be more of a strength especially when viewed with the assumption that the defense would be dominant. Preseason it was all about how the offense can't lose us games. The defense lost us this game and the offense seems like it will put up north 21+ a game.

 

5. McCoy is due for a big game. Stats haven't shown much, but McCoy just looks like he's playing at another gear compared to the other players on the field. His ability to stop, start, and cut without losing speed is impressive. Slow start, he's still banged up, but I still expect some big plays from him.

 

6. Darby is legit and I really hope he is fine after leaving the field slowly. He had a couple holding calls today. Outside of that he was on the hip pocket of everybody he covered. When the Patriots tried to Kelvin Benjamin him (1st preseason game) with Gronk on the outside he fought him the whole way and did a great job finding the ball. I would say he's light years ahead of where he should be based on degree of difficulty and the place he was drafted. Steal.

 

7. I felt pretty strongly that we would make the playoffs before the game and nothing changed that. In order to accomplish that we said in the preseason we needed a dominant defense and an offense that doesn't hurt us. I expect us to make the playoffs, but not under that formula. The offense won't always look pretty but it will score points and consistently have us in the 20's. I expect a very low Yards Per Point conversion for our offense, which is efficiency in converting yards into points. The best teams tend to make the playoffs and I expect us to be very highly rated in that area. We have been outstanding in two weeks so far. The defense will be good, but I worry our roster isn't the ideal fit for Rex's system and the additional learning required will cause a regression from 2014. It will still be a hell of a defense, I just don't think we will best 2014 or make some insane leap into the annals of history as some hoped with Rex at the helm.

Nice post

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3- yes Rex brought nothing to the table today.

 

Agree that Darby looks to be the Deal

 

I would expand on K'zoo Mike's point and say I think Rex's multiple confusing schemes are confusing our D. Over and over one hears the theme, when a coaching change leads to defensive improvement "Coach simplified things from last year and now we just play". I heard that with regard to Schwartz, with regard to Wade Phillips as DC on the Texans, etc. We had crowd noise, the Patriots had a hurry-up offense that made adjustments difficult, and Rex and the D simply weren't adequately prepared for either.

The pass to watkins was borderline completely uncatchable and the sort of pass that puts receivers out for the season. That pass is ALL on the qb.

 

I might agree with you but there were 3 passes to Watkins which resulted in INTs. Which are you talking about?

[Mikie2times]

The pass to watkins was borderline completely uncatchable and the sort of pass that puts receivers out for the season. That pass is ALL on the qb.

The pass was high, it was a 20 yard Dig, not exactly a gimmie, but borderline uncatchable? That is a phrase better used for many of the catches Watkins already has shown us he can make. It is the type of pass that will get you laid out but it's not as if Taylor had a ton of choices in that stage of the game.

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

"7- I hope so, they have alot to clean up in a hurry, the schedule gets tougher"

 

The schedule gets tougher than the top 2 teams in the AFC last year?

As a matter of fact they spend almost the entire months of November and December on the road. 5 of 6 or of you prefer 6 of 8. IMO that is a brutal stretch. I wouldn't want to go into that stretch with a .500 record.

[dulles]

The pass to watkins was borderline completely uncatchable and the sort of pass that puts receivers out for the season. That pass is ALL on the qb.

It seems to be an issue with his mechanics. It's like a little league pitcher who aims instead of throw. If you watch the replay, it appeared that Tyrod didn't follow throw and the throws sailed on both the throw to Clay and Watkins late.

[jumbalaya]

The pass was high, it was a 20 yard Dig, not exactly a gimmie, but borderline uncatchable? That is a phrase better used for many of the catches Watkins already has shown us he can make. It is the type of pass that will get you laid out but it's not as if Taylor had a ton of choices in that stage of the game.

Sammy is a wonder in training camp. In games he makes me wonder why we drafted him.

[dave mcbride]

The pass was high, it was a 20 yard Dig, not exactly a gimmie, but borderline uncatchable? That is a phrase better used for many of the catches Watkins already has shown us he can make. It is the type of pass that will get you laid out but it's not as if Taylor had a ton of choices in that stage of the game.

 

I don't mean to rip taylor, who had a decent game. But that was a very bad pass. It's pretty inarguable. Taylor made a lot of very good plays, however, and he kept fighting until the end.

[Mikie2times]

I don't mean to rip taylor, who had a decent game. But that was a very bad pass. It's pretty inarguable. Taylor made a lot of very good plays, however, and he kept fighting until the end.

He had two hands on it. Not saying it was a good pass, it wasn't, Taylor would say as much, but Sammy was athletic enough to make a none finger tip two handed catch on that ball, same as the Clay INT. I feel both replays clearly prove that is in inarguable. Amendola had a more difficult reception for New England on the final drive they had. Team sport, I don't blame Taylor for the Sacks or the Picks, I give him half the blame, as in both circumstances his teammates could have made plays just like Amendola did.

[ganesh]

"7- I hope so, they have alot to clean up in a hurry, the schedule gets tougher"

 

The schedule gets tougher than the top 2 teams in the AFC last year?

To be honest, we were lucky to play the two best teams in the conference at Home.

[Freddie's Dead]

6. Darby is legit and I really hope he is fine after leaving the field slowly. He had a couple holding calls today. Outside of that he was on the hip pocket of everybody he covered. When the Patriots tried to Kelvin Benjamin him (1st preseason game) with Gronk on the outside he fought him the whole way and did a great job finding the ball. I would say he's light years ahead of where he should be based on degree of difficulty and the place he was drafted. Steal.

 

7. It will still be a hell of a defense, I just don't think we will best 2014 or make some insane leap into the annals of history as some hoped with Rex at the helm.

Wasn't a big fan of the Darby pick, but dude can play. Let's hope he can stay clean.

 

Unfortunately, we did make a leap into the annals of history, with the worst past defense ever by the Bills in a game.

[KRT88]

4. This offense is light years ahead of being an Achilles heal. I would say the offense is appearing to be more of a strength especially when viewed with the assumption that the defense would be dominant. Preseason it was all about how the offense can't lose us games. The defense lost us this game and the offense seems like it will put up north 21+ a game.

 

That's all well and good, but how many consecutive 3 and outs did they produce in the first half?

 

19 of the 32 points produced were in desperation time. The defense gave up a TD when NE had the ball starting on our 13. They had another score when they started off in + territory. That's a combination of ST and offense not doing their job. The O does have to score every time they touch the ball but they do need to do their part in field position management. Sometimes gain 2 first down is what is needed. When it mattered today, they failed big time.

[Coach Tuesday]

That's all well and good, but how many consecutive 3 and outs did they produce in the first half?

 

19 of the 32 points produced were in desperation time. The defense gave up a TD when NE had the ball starting on our 13. They had another score when they started off in + territory. That's a combination of ST and offense not doing their job. The O does have to score every time they touch the ball but they do need to do their part in field position management. Sometimes gain 2 first down is what is needed. When it mattered today, they failed big time.

Agreed.