THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - A Day to Remember

[Shaw66]

The Rockpile Review by Shaw66

 

A Day to Remember

 

Tyrod Taylor took the final knee, and the fans who hadn't left cheered. There weren't many left. It had rained lightly but steadily for the first half, and the temperature had never gotten out of the 40s. Fans were cold and wet, and the excitement was over, so most had begun leaving New Era Field by the middle of the fourth quarter.

 

I cant remember the last time I left a Bills game early. I want to see everything. I believe I owe it to the players to stand with them. So I stay.

 

The Bills had soundly beaten the Oakland Raiders, 34-14. The Bills gave up a touchdown on the first possession of the game, and it was if the defense said to themselves, and to the Raiders, okay, enough of that. Oaklands not scoring again. And, as is usual with this team, the defense delivered. Except for a more or less meaningless fourth quarter drive where the Bills played keep-everything-in-front-of-you defense, the Raiders, the vaunted Raiders of a year ago, didnt score again.

 

Fans were jubilant leaving the Stadium, and there was very little taunting of Raider fans. Thats because the Raider fans had begun leaving when the Bills put together a magnificent seven-minute 12-play drive that consumed the second half of the third quarter. The Raiders were down three touchdowns with 15 minutes to go, and the Raider fans had had enough. There werent a lot of Raider fans there to begin with, compared to Jets or Pats or Steeler games. The few who there made some noise when their team came out of the locker room and after the first score, but after that they were silenced.

 

My cousin and I walked to the car, and all I could think was how great this is. This a real team. No idea how far theyre going, but its a real team, a team that isnt easy to beat because they wont beat themselves.

 

The rain had begun again. We got in the car and I began the drive, first to Cheektowaga to drop him off, then to Hartford. I hoped the rain would stop before night set in.

 

We were listening to WGR radio's post-game show. I usually don't listen to those guys Schopp and the Bulldog, because they're overly critical and often arrogant. I wanted to hear if they had changed their tune, and to their credit, they had. They were somewhat at a loss for words because, as they admitted, there was practically nothing to criticize. They didn't know exactly how to rave about the performance, but they did a good job.

 

During the broadcast they read this list: Marcell Dareus, Aaron Williams, Stephon Gilmore, Cordy Glenn, EJ Manuel, Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Cyrus Kouandijo, Ron Darby, Shaq Lawson, Reggie Ragland. Thats the list of all the Bills first and second round draft picks from 2011 through 2016. They all were on the team last season. TWO are on the team today.

 

Their point, and its a good one, is that included on that list are most of the players we thought of as core talent for the Bills, at one time or another. They're all gone, and they have not been replaced with household names. And yet, the Bills look like they're better now than they have been any time since the Bills started acquiring that talent.

 

Its proof that Sean McDermott is the real deal. His TEAM wins, not his players. White and Wright are outperforming anything we saw from Gilmore and Darby. Matthews, pick one and Clay are getting as much done as Watkins, Woods and Clay. The Bills still stuff the run without Dareus.

 

I dropped my cousin and got on I-90 East. Big backup at the Exit 50 toll booth, and its backed up traffic for 15 miles, out past Transit Road. Still raining.

 

Schopp and the Bulldog kept coming back to their belief that the Bills cant expect to continue winning the takeover-giveaway stats, they cant expect their luck to continue. I thought about Sundays takeways. They werent luck; they were created. Leonard Johnson made the hit that forced the Milano pick six, Milano forced the fumbled punt, Brown tipped the pass that Hyde intercepted. And Raider desperation, caused by the Bills dominance, caused the last INT. Its been that way all season the Bills are forcing the play on defense and taking the ball away when they have a chance.

 

Ive picked on Brown for the quality of his drops in pass defense. On Sunday he had a nice pass break on a ball down the middle, followed immediately by his tipped ball that caused an interception. His drops were deeper on Sunday, and he was making plays. On Oaklands last, desperation, play of the first half, he lined up 30 yards behind the line scrimmage, flanked by the two safeties, in the classic Tampa two deep drop. Hes learning.

 

And the Bills are not turning it over because McDermott, apparently daily and maybe even hourly, is demanding that they not turn it over.

 

Thats not luck.

 

I made a quick pit stop. Still raining. The service area was overrun with Bills fans heading east. A lot of happiness in that building.

 

I thought about Taylors performance. It was one of his best. He made just about every play he was asked to make. He misfired on a couple of deeper balls, but he misfired on the safe side of the field no turnovers, baby. He delivered the ball beautifully time and again. The two throws to Holmes were gorgeous. He drilled the throw on Tates big reception. His throw to Matthews on the phantom offensive interference call was pretty.

 

He hung in the pocket and found the right receiver, or he bailed from the pocket just in time to avoid the sack. Once he scrambled to safety, he set up and found the open man. And the scrambles were things of beauty, repeatedly escaping to freedom from defenders trying desperately to contain him.

 

Did he check down a lot? You bet he did, just as he was supposed to do, about a half dozen times. A few throw aways. 20-27. Take it any day, or at least any day the running game is working.

 

The rain didnt stop. I was listening to the Seahawks and Texans. A slugfest, with big play after big play. The Bills rarely allow big plays. They give up yards, but they dont get beat.

 

TreDavious White was changing sides on Sunday, following Amari Cooper most everywhere he went. In single coverage. Oakland couldnt beat him.

 

Who lead the Bills in tackles on Sunday? Trae Elston. Whos Trae Elston? I know one thing: he wasnt drafted in the first two rounds. At least Matt Milano was drafted. Matt Who? Matt Milano, the guy with two takeaways and one fumble caused in the last two weeks.

 

The rain kept coming, but at least beyond Syracuse the traffic thinned out. Passing trucks was tough, with all that spray clouding my vision of the road.

 

I thought about the crowd. I think theres a big difference between the upper deck crowd and the lower. I think theres noise down there that we dont hear in the cheap seats. There was plenty of noise on Sunday, not so much in the first half, but definitely in the second half. Sometimes it would take a while to get started, but on a lot of plays it got pretty loud before the snap.

 

Sometime early in the second half I noticed that more or less everyone in the lower bowl was standing. Not upstairs. I looked later in the half still standing. I think the people in the lower bowl stood for the entire second half. And they made noise. That was impressive.

 

For the second week in a row, McDermott mentioned the crowd in his press conference.

 

Im going to Met Life on Thursday night. I hope I see a lot of blue in the crowd. Lets rock the place like Atlanta. This team deserves it.

 

I got past Albany and was heading east toward the Berkshires. I was listening to the Lions and the Steelers. Go Lions! Then Caldwell went for it on fourth and goal from the one stuffed! Field goal would have given them the lead, but Caldwells manhood was at risk, because the Lions hadnt scored any touchdowns. Steelers get a touchdown, and now the Lions are down 8. They get to fourth and goal again, and this time Caldwell takes the field goals. Then, late in the game, fourth and goal once more, but because he didnt take the field goal earlier, he had to go for the TD. STUFFED. Game over.

 

I think its very simple: take what the game is giving you. If the game is giving you a field goal, take it, say thank you, and move on to the next play. Dont fail to take what the game gives you.

 

I think McDermott plays that way. The offensive mantra certainly is take what the defense gives you. The defense is bend, dont break the defense accepts the fact that its going to give up yards. In that sense, the game gives you a lot of yards Bills are 22nd in defensive yards per game. But by sticking to the plan, the Bills are second in points per game allowed, and thats what counts.

 

I might have kicked the field goal at fourth and goal from the one. That was the conservative thing to do. However, the Bills had a couple of things going for them: one was the energy of the crowd, the other was that theyd already achieved the primary goal: eat seven minutes off the clock. Even if the Bills didnt get the TD, the Raiders were going to have trouble scoring twice and stopping the Bills to win the game. We dont see McDermott gamble much. Going for it was a small gamble, and it more or less ended the game.

 

McDermotts other gamble was the first-half challenge of the spot on fourth down. It was a simple 50-50 bet: if the replay shows something, we get the ball. If its inclusive, we dont. Toss the coin and see how it comes out. Possession is worth a coin toss.

 

I made the last pit stop around 11 pm at the Blandford service area, in the hills in Massachusetts. The wind was blowing and the rain was pelting everything. The mens room was empty except for one kid wearing Raiders gear. I know how it feels to drive through five hours of crap after your team has gotten stomped. Ive done it for years. I didnt feel sorry for him.

 

The Dodgers and Astros were 7-7, then 8-8. Incredible game. Incredible heart in those players; no one quit.

 

Thats what I love about this version of the Bills. They dont quit. They hang together. They take whatever happens, like Jacksonvilles go-ahead touchdown last week, and then they go back to work. The Raiders spanked them early, no problem. Clamp down and wait for the opportunity. Put together a nice drive hit Jones, pop McCoy a couple of times, then scramble and drop the ball into Holmes for the score. Holmes, by the way, seems to live with his toes inside the sideline. Then the Johnson hit and the Bills get a free one.

 

The Bills heart was on display in the fourth quarter. They went ahead by three scores, but the Raiders came right back with a touchdown of their own. Eleven minutes left, Raiders down 13, theres still time for them to make some noise. They need a three and out, but the Bills wouldnt give it to them. The offensive line and McCoy took control. The Bills ran only nine plays, but that killed five minutes and the Raiders were toast. Shadys long touchdown on the next possession was meaningless, but Shady deserved it for another day being the Man in the offense.

 

I was home at midnight, in time to see the last hour of one of the best World Series games of all time.

 

Great day!

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full days hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

Edited October 30, 2017 by Shaw66

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

great read shaw. this is a different bills team, I'm really beginning to believe that...GO BILLS!!!

[Nervous Guy]

Outstanding!

[Foxx]

glad you made it home safely, Shaw.

[Roch Jim]

Wow, that was a better and more heartwarming review than anything I read in any paper or journal. Thanks. I have 4 grown kids all spread out who missed the Glory Years, but 3 of them were at Bills Bars in their new towns--Atlanta, Chicago, and even Dayton--and sharing the game with them on our text chain was as wonderful as watching in person on the couch when they were little. The cool thing is I really think McD gets it. He gets us.

[Bill_with_it]

This is gantastic. Its a breath if cool air after all the serioulsy bad hottakes all week long.

[oldmanfan]

You missed your calling Shaw. Great stuff.

[Chandler#81]

Great tale. I feel like I experienced the I-90 drive with you.

 

I think you meant Tampa last week, though..

[BuffaloMatt]

Loved you commentary on the Raiders fan in the can! Well done!

[BearNorth]

I was there with my son, our 6th Bills game over 27 years. Feel just the way that Shaw does. Cookie going on the wall made the day even more special, Cookie, Shaw, Sestak [all-time great if he had been able to play longer], Kemp, Golden Wheels, Stratton were my childhood heroes and I was fortunate to be in the stands at the Rockpile for Cookie's 5TD Pro Football Rushing record game against the Jets, [which helped the Jets get Namath].

 

Special feeling in the OP Yesterday, First Half Weather not pretty, but I sat in bleachers in the Rockpile for the '62 playoff loss to the Patsie, where your seat was the impression of a garbage can in the snow pile on the wooden bleachers.

Edited October 30, 2017 by BearNorth

[transplantbillsfan]

Nice read, Shaw. Thanks for taking us on your journey.

 

 

One thing about Taylor. I really don't think this was a great game by him, but what I think this game does is lend itself to an overall picture of a Tyrod Taylor who seems to be improving and becoming more consistent.

 

Taylor currently has the 6th best passer rating in the NFL when his team is trailing. The thing is, the Bills have only actually been behind 35% of the time the Bills have played. The rest of the 65% of the time we've either been tied or ahead.

 

Yet, in that 35% of time so far, Taylor has attempted 49% of all his attempts, completed 53% of all his completions for 51% of all his yards and 62.5% of all his TDs.

 

 

I think McDermott's offensive philosophy is really reflected in that. If we have a lead, he just wants to run, run, run to eat the clock and let his D hold the fort. If we get behind, he wants a QB who he can tell, "okay, go get 'em!!!"

 

Right now, Taylor's playing really well when McDermott needs him, too. He didn't need Taylor to do so all that much during the Raiders, but in those critical moments, he did.

[HappyDays]

Great review Shaw, one of your best yet this season.

 

I was also at the game and couldnt believe it. Seemed like it was anyones game up until the Milano fumble and then we started running away with it. Huge credit goes to McDermott for successfully starting our long awaited culture change. Every guy on every play knows where he needs to be and on defense knows to attack the ball.

 

Best moment for me was the team gathering around Tate after the 2nd and 20 conversion. It wasnt a very important play in the grand scheme of things but to the players it was everything. I had never seen so much excitement over one conversion. It was so out of place the refs ran over expecting to break up a scuffle. Nah man, thats just a team believing in each other.

 

The process has won me over!

[Punt75]

The Rockpile Review by Shaw66

 

A Day to Remember

 

Tyrod Taylor took the final knee, and the fans who hadn't left cheered. There weren't many left. It had rained lightly but steadily for the first half, and the temperature had never gotten out of the 40s. Fans were cold and wet, and the excitement was over, so most had begun leaving New Era Field by the middle of the fourth quarter.

 

I cant remember the last time I left a Bills game early. I want to see everything. I believe I owe it to the players to stand with them. So I stay.

 

The Bills had soundly beaten the Oakland Raiders, 34-14. The Bills gave up a touchdown on the first possession of the game, and it was if the defense said to themselves, and to the Raiders, okay, enough of that. Oaklands not scoring again. And, as is usual with this team, the defense delivered. Except for a more or less meaningless fourth quarter drive where the Bills played keep-everything-in-front-of-you defense, the Raiders, the vaunted Raiders of a year ago, didnt score again.

 

Fans were jubilant leaving the Stadium, and there was very little taunting of Raider fans. Thats because the Raider fans had begun leaving when the Bills put together a magnificent seven-minute 12-play drive that consumed the second half of the third quarter. The Raiders were down three touchdowns with 15 minutes to go, and the Raider fans had had enough. There werent a lot of Raider fans there to begin with, compared to Jets or Pats or Steeler games. The few who there made some noise when their team came out of the locker room and after the first score, but after that they were silenced.

 

My cousin and I walked to the car, and all I could think was how great this is. This a real team. No idea how far theyre going, but its a real team, a team that isnt easy to beat because they wont beat themselves.

 

The rain had begun again. We got in the car and I began the drive, first to Cheektowaga to drop him off, then to Hartford. I hoped the rain would stop before night set in.

 

We were listening to WGR radio's post-game show. I usually don't listen to those guys Schopp and the Bulldog, because they're overly critical and often arrogant. I wanted to hear if they had changed their tune, and to their credit, they had. They were somewhat at a loss for words because, as they admitted, there was practically nothing to criticize. They didn't know exactly how to rave about the performance, but they did a good job.

 

During the broadcast they read this list: Marcell Dareus, Aaron Williams, Stephon Gilmore, Cordy Glenn, EJ Manuel, Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Cyrus Kouandijo, Ron Darby, Shaq Lawson, Reggie Ragland. Thats the list of all the Bills first and second round draft picks from 2011 through 2016. They all were on the team last season. TWO are on the team today.

 

Their point, and its a good one, is that included on that list are most of the players we thought of as core talent for the Bills, at one time or another. They're all gone, and they have not been replaced with household names. And yet, the Bills look like they're better now than they have been any time since the Bills started acquiring that talent.

 

Its proof that Sean McDermott is the real deal. His TEAM wins, not his players. White and Wright are outperforming anything we saw from Gilmore and Darby. Matthews, pick one and Clay are getting as much done as Watkins, Woods and Clay. The Bills still stuff the run without Dareus.

 

I dropped my cousin and got on I-90 East. Big backup at the Exit 50 toll booth, and its backed up traffic for 15 miles, out past Transit Road. Still raining.

 

Schopp and the Bulldog kept coming back to their belief that the Bills cant expect to continue winning the takeover-giveaway stats, they cant expect their luck to continue. I thought about Sundays takeways. They werent luck; they were created. Leonard Johnson made the hit that forced the Milano pick six, Milano forced the fumbled punt, Brown tipped the pass that Hyde intercepted. And Raider desperation, caused by the Bills dominance, caused the last INT. Its been that way all season the Bills are forcing the play on defense and taking the ball away when they have a chance.

 

Ive picked on Brown for the quality of his drops in pass defense. On Sunday he had a nice pass break on a ball down the middle, followed immediately by his tipped ball that caused an interception. His drops were deeper on Sunday, and he was making plays. On Oaklands last, desperation, play of the first half, he lined up 30 yards behind the line scrimmage, flanked by the two safeties, in the classic Tampa two deep drop. Hes learning.

 

And the Bills are not turning it over because McDermott, apparently daily and maybe even hourly, is demanding that they not turn it over.

 

Thats not luck.

 

I made a quick pit stop. Still raining. The service area was overrun with Bills fans heading east. A lot of happiness in that building.

 

I thought about Taylors performance. It was one of his best. He made just about every play he was asked to make. He misfired on a couple of deeper balls, but he misfired on the safe side of the field no turnovers, baby. He delivered the ball beautifully time and again. The two throws to Holmes were gorgeous. He drilled the throw on Tates big reception. His throw to Matthews on the phantom offensive interference call was pretty.

 

He hung in the pocket and found the right receiver, or he bailed from the pocket just in time to avoid the sack. Once he scrambled to safety, he set up and found the open man. And the scrambles were things of beauty, repeatedly escaping to freedom from defenders trying desperately to contain him.

 

Did he check down a lot? You bet he did, just as he was supposed to do, about a half dozen times. A few throw aways. 20-27. Take it any day, or at least any day the running game is working.

 

The rain didnt stop. I was listening to the Seahawks and Texans. A slugfest, with big play after big play. The Bills rarely allow big plays. They give up yards, but they dont get beat.

 

TreDavious White was changing sides on Sunday, following Amari Cooper most everywhere he went. In single coverage. Oakland couldnt beat him.

 

Who lead the Bills in tackles on Sunday? Trae Elston. Whos Trae Elston? I know one thing: he wasnt drafted in the first two rounds. At least Matt Milano was drafted. Matt Who? Matt Milano, the guy with two takeaways and one fumble caused in the last two weeks.

 

The rain kept coming, but at least beyond Syracuse the traffic thinned out. Passing trucks was tough, with all that spray clouding my vision of the road.

 

I thought about the crowd. I think theres a big difference between the upper deck crowd and the lower. I think theres noise down there that we dont hear in the cheap seats. There was plenty of noise on Sunday, not so much in the first half, but definitely in the second half. Sometimes it would take a while to get started, but on a lot of plays it got pretty loud before the snap.

 

Sometime early in the second half I noticed that more or less everyone in the lower bowl was standing. Not upstairs. I looked later in the half still standing. I think the people in the lower bowl stood for the entire second half. And they made noise. That was impressive.

 

For the second week in a row, McDermott mentioned the crowd in his press conference.

 

Im going to Met Life on Thursday night. I hope I see a lot of blue in the crowd. Lets rock the place like Atlanta. This team deserves it.

 

I got past Albany and was heading east toward the Berkshires. I was listening to the Lions and the Steelers. Go Lions! Then Caldwell went for it on fourth and goal from the one stuffed! Field goal would have given them the lead, but Caldwells manhood was at risk, because the Lions hadnt scored any touchdowns. Steelers get a touchdown, and now the Lions are down 8. They get to fourth and goal again, and this time Caldwell takes the field goals. Then, late in the game, fourth and goal once more, but because he didnt take the field goal earlier, he had to go for the TD. STUFFED. Game over.

 

I think its very simple: take what the game is giving you. If the game is giving you a field goal, take it, say thank you, and move on to the next play. Dont fail to take what the game gives you.

 

I think McDermott plays that way. The offensive mantra certainly is take what the defense gives you. The defense is bend, dont break the defense accepts the fact that its going to give up yards. In that sense, the game gives you a lot of yards Bills are 22nd in defensive yards per game. But by sticking to the plan, the Bills are second in points per game allowed, and thats what counts.

 

I might have kicked the field goal at fourth and goal from the one. That was the conservative thing to do. However, the Bills had a couple of things going for them: one was the energy of the crowd, the other was that theyd already achieved the primary goal: eat seven minutes off the clock. Even if the Bills didnt get the TD, the Raiders were going to have trouble scoring twice and stopping the Bills to win the game. We dont see McDermott gamble much. Going for it was a small gamble, and it more or less ended the game.

 

McDermotts other gamble was the first-half challenge of the spot on fourth down. It was a simple 50-50 bet: if the replay shows something, we get the ball. If its inclusive, we dont. Toss the coin and see how it comes out. Possession is worth a coin toss.

 

I made the last pit stop around 11 pm at the Blandford service area, in the hills in Massachusetts. The wind was blowing and the rain was pelting everything. The mens room was empty except for one kid wearing Raiders gear. I know how it feels to drive through five hours of crap after your team has gotten stomped. Ive done it for years. I didnt feel sorry for him.

 

The Dodgers and Astros were 7-7, then 8-8. Incredible game. Incredible heart in those players; no one quit.

 

Thats what I love about this version of the Bills. They dont quit. They hang together. They take whatever happens, like Jacksonvilles go-ahead touchdown last week, and then they go back to work. The Raiders spanked them early, no problem. Clamp down and wait for the opportunity. Put together a nice drive hit Jones, pop McCoy a couple of times, then scramble and drop the ball into Holmes for the score. Holmes, by the way, seems to live with his toes inside the sideline. Then the Johnson hit and the Bills get a free one.

 

The Bills heart was on display in the fourth quarter. They went ahead by three scores, but the Raiders came right back with a touchdown of their own. Eleven minutes left, Raiders down 13, theres still time for them to make some noise. They need a three and out, but the Bills wouldnt give it to them. The offensive line and McCoy took control. The Bills ran only nine plays, but that killed five minutes and the Raiders were toast. Shadys long touchdown on the next possession was meaningless, but Shady deserved it for another day being the Man in the offense.

 

I was home at midnight, in time to see the last hour of one of the best World Series games of all time.

 

Great day!

 

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full days hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.

Of all people you forgot to mention that Cookie Gilchrist FINALLY was up on the Wall of Fame.

[mead107]

Very good work

[Shaw66]

Great review Shaw, one of your best yet this season.

 

I was also at the game and couldnt believe it. Seemed like it was anyones game up until the Milano fumble and then we started running away with it. Huge credit goes to McDermott for successfully starting our long awaited culture change. Every guy on every play knows where he needs to be and on defense knows to attack the ball.

 

Best moment for me was the team gathering around Tate after the 2nd and 20 conversion. It wasnt a very important play in the grand scheme of things but to the players it was everything. I had never seen so much excitement over one conversion. It was so out of place the refs ran over expecting to break up a scuffle. Nah man, thats just a team believing in each other.

 

The process has won me over!

Yes, the game seemed to turn on Milano's TD. But my friend who was with me for the Bucs game pointed out that that game actually turned pretty early. The Bills were in control early, but they didn't start putting up points for a while.

 

I think that happened yesterday, too. I just think that offense is patient. It waits for things to click. But the defense had already taken over by the end of the first quarter.

Of all people you forgot to mention that Cookie Gilchrist FINALLY was up on the Wall of Fame.

Long line in the john at halftime.

[Punt75]

Thank you for the great post. You and I are about the same age! I admire you're ability and desire to travel to the home games. "Lookie - Lookie - here comes Cookie"

[NickelCity]

Great read. Thanks Shaw.

[Real McClappy]

Nice post as always Shaw!

 

Glad to read your write up every week, also glad you came over from BBMB to TBD with many of us.

Edited October 30, 2017 by Real McCoy

[Gugny]

Great stuff, man. Thanks for taking the time.

 

Was this a weekly tradition on BBMB? If so, I'm glad it carried over.

 

Go Bills!

[Steve O]

Thanks for sharing. Hope you're retired, or at least took today off. Live anywhere near South Hadley? I have family there.