A Few Thoughs about the Broncos Game

[Punching Bag]

Either Banyard or Taiwan Jones should be getting half the carries that Tonka Toy is getting. Actually it should be Jonathan Williams.

 

If he was so good do you not think Broncos would have activated him?

One thing about this game was that the Broncos were very doggie. Siemens two interceptions were just awful decisions and passes. The fake punt attempt was atrocious call. The "psyche" penalty on your best player was just completely unnecessary. They didn't make plays when they had to.

 

Corrected.

McCoy is the perfect example of the above, not a great Shady game. But he made some huge catches and runs when the game was on the line.

 

He was also blocking well from what I heard.

[Kelly the Dog]

If he was so good do you not think Broncos would have activated him?.

They signed him to a $500,000 contract. As much or likely more as he would have made on the Bills. They already have Anderson and Jamal Charles, and a third guy I didn't bother to look up who has been with them the entire preseason they were keeping anyway. I do think they will bring him up or someone will sign him in the next month. I wish we kept him. Tolbert is extremely mediocre.

[Pete]

Adolphus Washington made some big plays today too.

 

Tolbert's over use is maddening to me as well. I am still most puzzled by Jonathon Williams release. We could of used him today. I am certain he would of been more productive

[OhDozeBills]

I thought there were about eight questionable calls during the game, including the taunting call and the hold you referenced. But I think neither team really benefitted more than the other. We got away with one or two holds that weren't called.

Refs were atrocious today, for both teams. Several holding calls on Broncos not called. T White had both arms around Thomas running down field, extremely blatant hold not called. Mystery hold called on Richie. PI on T White called was just good defense. Call on Vonn was a strange one although while I agree with it, I doubt that's called by other refs especially in such a crucial situation. Just not a good day for this crew

[GunnerBill]

The refs were not good. Have we had thar ref much before? I didn't recognise him.

 

The two early PIs on the Bills were both awful calls, indeed the first one should have been offensive PI. They called a later offensive PI on Thomas for an illegal pick that whilst right by the rule book goes uncalled 90% of the time and the Von Miller tauning penalty was hard to explain. They also missed a clear as day hold by the Broncos guard on the Charles TD run.

 

I do think the Richie hold in the 3rd quarter was the right call though. Yes Shady had turned the corner but Von Miller is fast and he still had an angle to cut Shady off just after the 1st down marker. As it was McCoy went for 20 odd yards because Richie grabbed him. Good call and just a bad play from Richie.

Edited September 25, 2017 by GunnerBill

[Buffaloflash]

I'm really pleased with this great team victory. No need for being a downer, but the Tolbert business continues to mystify me. Tolbert is not a number two back, and he has been extremely overused. Tolbert has zero big play capability. I cannot comprehend wasting carries on him. We could find a more suitable number two back on the street.

You're right of course,that why I 'm having a hard time figuring out why J. Banyard is sitting in the barn!

[Greybeard]

If this was last years D, the Bronco's would have had another 100 to 150 yards of offense on yards after the Defensive player touched them. The most frustrating thing last year was watching how many yards the Bills gave up trying to bring a guy down after they grabbed him. And that is not even counting Gilmore's constant whiffs.

 

This year they actually look like an NFL team on D.

[GunnerBill]

While I may have been painted as somewhat negative against the uber positivity that has broken out on this board since yesterday given that I remain unconvinced as yet that this is a real playoff contending team.... I enjoyed yesterday's game and performance as much as I have enjoyed any Bills performance since that Green Bay win at the end of 2014.

 

I cannot tell you how pleased I am that Rex Ryan is no longer the Head Coach of this team. McDermott is much more my kind of person and my kind of coach (even the perma-clap which I have to confess I used to do myself on the sidelines when I was a soccer coach). The team plays together, plays smart for the most part and yesterday has me really encouraged about the direction that Sean will take this franchise long term. I hope that we perform in Atlanta next week in a way that makes me think the drought can end at 17... but even if we don't I have faith that this regime will, at some point, be the one that gets us over the hump.

[Fixxxer]

Great post Virgil

 

 

I like Tolbert when he runs south-north, I hate it when he starts dancing in the backfield running sideways. Get your head down and ram the LB.

 

Leslie Frazier, he is having the D prepared, no missing tackles and the communication (sans White being burned) has been stellar. Former HCs make for great DC/OC.

 

I'm starting to worry about Jerel Worthy and his concussion. I just hope he's ok.

 

Both Clay and O'leary were big in the passing game. O'Leary's catch was tremendous.

 

 

 

Bills missed Dareus today for sure. Hopefully he is back for next week

 

No doubt, I hope he starts buying in what McD is selling, he's a very talented player and could really help this team win.

[Coach Tuesday]

If Tyrod had thrown a pass with the game on the line like the one Siemian threw that was picked off by White, it would be bedlam around here. That was a terrible, awful, stupid, true freshman type of pass.

[HappyDays]

They signed him to a $500,000 contract. As much or likely more as he would have made on the Bills. They already have Anderson and Jamal Charles, and a third guy I didn't bother to look up who has been with them the entire preseason they were keeping anyway. I do think they will bring him up or someone will sign him in the next month. I wish we kept him. Tolbert is extremely mediocre.

The Bills want their 2nd RB to be good at pass blocking. That's what Tolbert gets you. After the first preseason game which JW looked good in, I remember someone asking McD about it in the presser and he said something like "We'll look at the whole tape, see how he looked in pass blocking." The writing was on the wall then but none of us noticed. I remember the statement stuck out as a little odd, until he got cut and then everything came into focus.

Edited September 25, 2017 by HappyDays

[BeginnersMind]

If Tyrod had thrown a pass with the game on the line like the one Siemian threw that was picked off by White, it would be bedlam around here. That was a terrible, awful, stupid, true freshman type of pass.

 

TT does not throw INTs. It's one of his strengths.

 

At the same time, he occasionally delivers the "throw" to Jones when he was open by 20 yards.

 

I, like many, would like to see a better QB. But TT is the best one on this team and he gives it his all, which I love.

[CSBill]

The Bills want their 2nd RB to be good at pass blocking. That's what Tolbert gets you. After the first preseason game which JW looked good in, I remember someone asking McD about it in the presser and he said something like "We'll look at the whole tape, see how he looked in pass blocking." The writing was on the wall then but none of us noticed. I remember the statement stuck out as a little odd, until he got cut and then everything came into focus.

 

Excellent observation, I think this has more to do with it than the ability to run the ball.

[GunnerBill]

 

Excellent observation, I think this has more to do with it than the ability to run the ball.

It must do... cos Tolbert can't run and can't catch.

[Roundybout]

O'Leary might be one of the best picks of the Whaley era. Plays tough and has good hands. Wonder if he has anyone famous in his family?

[RyanC883]

Talk about an amazing win for McDermott and the Bills. This game had everything a Bills fan is used to, except for maybe a different ending than we are used to. If this regime is going to change the culture of the Bills, this might be the game that started it all. Brace yourselves, because as a game that had a lot of ups and downs, these thought are going to be all over the place.

 

1 - Tyrod - I usually stay away from TT at the beginning of these as I know it get the most attention and the fans who don't like him, will only focus on attacking the positives. Today might have been one of Tyrod's most complete games as an NFL quarterback to me. Not because of his yardage or the win, but because he made some great throws, made some terrible throws, but in the end, found a way to get the job done. I was surprised to see him roll out to his left on so many plays, forcing himself to throw across his body. The terrible miss to Jones was under those circumstances. I was incredibly worried after the first drive that this game was going to mirror Carolina in regards to offensive performance, but Tyrod really got it going on some drives, making solid throws all over the field. I like even more the plays he didn't make. There were a few play-actions passes where he wanted to go deep, but couldn't get the ball out. I was happy for the lack of throw, possible INT, and just making it to the next play. He also kept the final drive alive with some great runs. ​Best Play - ​His TD pass to Clay was beautiful. A lot of people want to harp on TT for bailing on plays too early. He kept his eyes down the field the entire play, forced the defense to respect his running ability, and found Clay wide open because of it. That is exactly how a running QB needs to use his feet, eyes, and arm.

 

2 - Refs - I hate talking about the Refs two weeks in a row. I'm still salty about the offensive PI call last week and the one against the 49ers on Thursday night. I feel like these guys have meetings and talk about what plays they are going to enforce, 50/50 or not. As for this game, I almost lost it a few times on the Broncos TD drive. The defensive PI call, late hit, roughing the qb calls were all questionable at best. Never mind the excessive holding calls against the Broncos that never seemed to get called. Hughes and Kyle got mugged constantly and no calls were made. As for the unsportsmanlike conduct call, I'm torn. If your kids are watching that game, that's the definition of how you don't treat someone on the field. As an adult, it was funny to me and TT laughed too. What I love about it though? That it didn't happen against the Bills as it almost always seems to.

 

3 - Tre White - Talk about a tale of two halves. I felt terrible for this kid as the Broncos absolutely picked on him the entire first half. He was in great position for many plays, but the Sanders and Thomas made great catches. But man did he come out a possessed man in the second half. He was just batting down balls, laying hits, and doing it all. It was only a matter of time until he came down with an INT and it felt great when he did. Hats off to this kid for pushing through and contributing to a solid win.

 

4 - It's been one week since you looked at me

Cocked your head to the side and said, "I'm angry."

Five days since you laughed at me saying,

"Get back together come back and see me."

 

5 - Dennison - Talk about Jekyll and Hyde playcalling. We had three drives where we started in field goal range and got negative yards on 1st down all three times. The opening drive was a disaster and some of the run calls were uninspired. Now, with that being said, great job calling misdirection plays and routes down the field where Tyrod could get deep with limited pass protection. We had a good number of drives that resembled and NFL offense and I felt confident in our ability to score for the first time this season. If this offense showed up last week, we are 3-0 right now. I'm hoping that this is Dennison and the players figuring things out and each week we will see this progression.

 

6 - Overall Defense - I'm still a little frustrated with our soft zone in the middle of the field as well as not sending extra guys to create more pressure. There's quite a few plays where I feel like one more blitzer would have gotten the job done. Besides that, and you take Jamaal Charles deciding to show up on a few plays, our defense was fantastic in our bend, but don't break, approach. 16 points given up against a team 2-0 with those weapons is impressive. The Broncos were lucky to score the 3 points they did in the second half as the adjustments made were inspiring. I'm loving what I'm seeing so far and a lot more players made names for themselves. Humber impressed me on a few plays, Kyle played fantastic again, and the backfield is really making receivers pay with some punishing hits.

 

7 - Tolbert - I'm still not liking this acquisition. His fair catch call on the kickoff made absolutely no sense. He's too slow to be making cuts and I think he's confused as to the type of running back we need him to be. Just put your head down, run straight, and knock someone over. Anything else is outside your skillset. I really wish we had a genuine #2 runningback with Tolbert as just the short yardage bruiser.

 

8 - McDermott - Great win for the coach and 2-1 after 3 games is about what you would hope for with this schedule. He had another head scratching time out to me when he waited 15 seconds to call it. Other than that, I like his energy on the sideline, clapping and all. I love the lack of penalties. Most importantly, I love taking a knee with 2 minutes left and up by 10. So far, it's hard to not think we have the right coach.

 

​9 - Defensive Adjustments to Offensive Audibles - I could throw this in with the defense, but I feel it needs to be separate. One of the most infuriating things about our defense was our inability to adjust when the opposing offense made changes at the line. Communication between players was confusing, players were out of position, and we would waste timeouts or give up big plays. So far this year, we are making quick reads, quick communication, and ready with seconds to go before the snap. I can't stress how important I think this is. Our cohesiveness as a defense unit is evident and only going to get better.

 

10 - Hauschka - This guy made me a little nervous to start the season, but man was he money today. He was booming them today and they were all no doubters. I rarely give much thought to kickers, but he was a difference maker today and deserves the nod.

 

 

2-1 and off to Atlanta for what is going to be an interesting test for our defense. I think most NFL teams would be favored to lose next week, but any given sunday.....

 

 

GO BILLS!

 

Thanks for your analysis as always. And #3 is spot on. Tre White is the real deal. A rookie CB going against Sanders and Thomas. He didn't back down. He got better during the game. Love this secondary.

The Bills want their 2nd RB to be good at pass blocking. That's what Tolbert gets you. After the first preseason game which JW looked good in, I remember someone asking McD about it in the presser and he said something like "We'll look at the whole tape, see how he looked in pass blocking." The writing was on the wall then but none of us noticed. I remember the statement stuck out as a little odd, until he got cut and then everything came into focus.

 

Tolbert can block. I'm getting worried with Shady's YPC the past 2 games. Is JW available if we need another RB?

[CLTbills]

Talking about the refs.... huge hold not called on the Charles TD run that literally was the reason he scored. I think it was jerry that got tackled

[GunnerBill]

Talking about the refs.... huge hold not called on the Charles TD run that literally was the reason he scored. I think it was jerry that got tackled

 

It was the Broncos guard holding Preston. But yea... huge missed call.

[Heathcliff]

Tolbert is used primarily for his pass blocking and when running can put a real hurt on the LBs/Safeties. This wears them down and enables the final drive yesterday. I joked with my boys yesterday that they should just run Tolbert straight at and into Miller over and over to slow him down. Clearly he never will be a take-it-to-the-house RB but his style punishes the defense.

[Rochesterfan]

I agree with that. On the Incognito play I thought exactly what you did. Shady was past them before the hold happened, which only happened on the third time Richie engaged the defender. My bud thought it happened before Shady passed. But I get most pissed when calls are made that have no affect on the play (although a lot of them are made before that can be determined).

There was one holding call on the Bills I saw the ref make really late. Well after it happened. And my first reaction was that I was pissed that he made it so late. But after thinking about it, Tyrod escaped the tackle and then started to throw it downfield so maybe the ref called it late just because he escaped. It wasn't a bad call per se. But there are so many highly questionable calls I wish the refs would decide whether it impedes the play more.

 

I don't disagree, but if things like Cogs grabbing the Bronco's player leg and lifting it to get him to the ground have no impact - why did Cogs feel the need to do it.

 

It was a bush league move by Cogs and I think it should of been called - there was no reason to do it, but he purposely reach out and grabbed his lower leg as he tried to pursue McCoy.

 

I think there were some suspect calls, but many were borderline and the Refs make a call based upon where they were standing at the time. OL get a lot of benefit of the doubt to the inside where Kyle and usually Dareus make noise, but guys get called when the tackles move outside and leave the guards visible to the Refs. If our OTs were better and our QB stayed more in the pocket - many of the calls go away, but the tackles have to get so deep and TT moves and those expose the guards to the holding calls.