Good Night / Bad Night - Pre Season game 2

[GunnerBill]

Apologies for this coming so late... I have been busy this morning but here is my breakdown of who helped and hurt themselves last night.

 

Good Night

 

Josh Allen - The rookie is in this competition now. He was by far the best of the Quarterbacks against the Browns leading 3 consecutive scoring drives including a nice touchdown play to Rod Streater where he evaded the rush, kept his eyes scanning the endzone and found his receiver. His arm talent is unquestioned but this was a step forward on last week in terms of efficiency and comfort level in the offense.

 

Marcus Murphy - Murphy impressed last week and got the second go at running back after McCoy and before Chris Ivory. He didn't disappoint going for almost 10 yards a carry and then he showed his special teams ability too with a big return early in the 2nd half. It would now be a massive surprise if Murphy doesn't find himself on the final 53 man roster. I still wonder what would have happened had he been used to spell a less than 100% McCoy in Jacksonville in January.

 

Nick O'Leary / Khairi Lee - The battle for the Tight End spots behind Charles Clay is still very much live. Nick O'Leary had sunk to the bottom of the depth chart and needed a performance pretty badly. His second half touchdown and team leading receiving showing keep him in the mix. The problem for O'Leary is I feel like he is in a direct battle with Khairi Lee to be the second all round tight end with Croom and Thomas contesting the more split out receiving option. Lee also performed extremely well with the 2nd unit and both could yet do enough to force themselves onto the roster.

 

Dean Marlowe - I was less than impressed with the defensive backfield depth last week and I didn't think it was fantastic last night either. However, Dean Marlow flashed with a couple of good tackles in the open field and one important pass break up on a 3rd down and has probably edged ahead in the battle to be the 4th safety behind Hyde, Poyer and Bush. 

 

Rod Streater - Before his injury last year Streater was lighting up camp and was on everyone's list to make the roster. His offseason has been quieter this time and I had pretty much written off his chances of making the team, but two decent pre-season showings including the touchdown last night mean he is still in contention and as others in the younger group fall by the wayside it feels like Streater and McCloud might be the last two battling for that 6th receiver spot.

 

 

Bad Night

 

AJ McCarron - Even before the news of the injury broke last night was not a good one for AJ McCarron. Getting his chance to start he oversaw four consecutive 3 and out drives. It wasn't all on him, his protection was awful (more of which later), they struggled to run the ball and the play calling didn't really help. However, there were a couple of chances to make plays and his ball placement was not good enough to find his targets. I think his chance to be the starting Quarterback of the Buffalo Bills is over.

 

Star Lotulelei - Sean McDermott conceded after the game that the run defence was not good enough last night as Cleveland's first unit found it far to easy to run inside on the Bills in scenes that resembled the Saints debacle from 2017. Star Lotulelei was brought here to fix those issues but last night he was totally dominated by Cleveland's offensive line. One of the knocks on him in Carolina was that he didn't always seem to show maximum effort - and that is what this looked like. Token efforts at every stage. In a word - dreadful.

 

Starting Offensive Line - Okay, it is not exactly a state secret that Dion Dawkins had a rough night. But newflash - Myles Garrett is really, really good. The bigger worry was inside. Bodine was atrocious at center, Ducasse wasn't blocking anyone at LG and Miller was struggling to maintain his blocks at the RG spot. It is not often that we have had to say Jordan Mills was the least bad of the starting offensive line. If we are in that situation when the real stuff starts then we are in major trouble. One thing is for sure - Ryan Groy MUST start.

 

Logan Thomas - He is awful. He really is awful. We are two years into this tight end experiment and he can't run a route, is a reluctant blocker, isn't that quick and he doesn't demonstrate really good hands. It is time to pull the plug. Do it Brandon, do it now. The fact that Lee and O'Leary both clearly outplayed him is a reason to knock Thomas out of this competition. 

 

The rookie and 2nd year WRs (excluding Ray Ray) - This group was on this list last week and they have not impressed with another week of opportunity. Brandon Reilly missed the game injured and he might still have just a squeak of a chance to make the roster, but I hardly even noticed Dupre or Foster on the field and both went without a catch while Cam Phillips snagged one ball for 5 yards. Austin Proehl had a slightly better game and may yet find himself on the practice squad but the receiver battle is starting to sort the contenders from the pretenders and this group is in the latter category. 

 

 

As ever TBD... let's hear your thoughts!

[Big C]

Good list. I thought Taron Johnson and Levi Wallace had good games in the secondary. I couldn't watch passed the 3rd but Wallace seemed to be making plays and it looks like Johnson might usurp Gaines as starting slot corner. 

 

Edmunds and Milano could be thrown into the bad night section. The rookie got swallowed up on inside runs early on, but did make a couple plays after the rough start. Milano on the other hand was nowhere to be found. 

[RochesterRob]

5 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Apologies for this coming so late... I have been busy this morning but here is my breakdown of who helped and hurt themselves last night.

 

Good Night

 

Josh Allen - The rookie is in this competition now. He was by far the best of the Quarterbacks against the Browns leading 3 consecutive scoring drives including a nice touchdown play to Rod Streater where he evaded the rush, kept his eyes scanning the endzone and found his receiver. His arm talent is unquestioned but this was a step forward on last week in terms of efficiency and comfort level in the offense.

 

Marcus Murphy - Murphy impressed last week and got the second go at running back after McCoy and before Chris Ivory. He didn't disappoint going for almost 10 yards a carry and then he showed his special teams ability too with a big return early in the 2nd half. It would now be a massive surprise if Murphy doesn't find himself on the final 53 man roster. I still wonder what would have happened had he been used to spell a less than 100% McCoy in Jacksonville in January.

 

Nick O'Leary / Khairi Lee - The battle for the Tight End spots behind Charles Clay is still very much live. Nick O'Leary had sunk to the bottom of the depth chart and needed a performance pretty badly. His second half touchdown and team leading receiving showing keep him in the mix. The problem for O'Leary is I feel like he is in a direct battle with Khairi Lee to be the second all round tight end with Croom and Thomas contesting the more split out receiving option. Lee also performed extremely well with the 2nd unit and both could yet do enough to force themselves onto the roster.

 

Dean Marlowe - I was less than impressed with the defensive backfield depth last week and I didn't think it was fantastic last night either. However, Dean Marlow flashed with a couple of good tackles in the open field and one important pass break up on a 3rd down and has probably edged ahead in the battle to be the 4th safety behind Hyde, Poyer and Bush. 

 

Rod Streater - Before his injury last year Streater was lighting up camp and was on everyone's list to make the roster. His offseason has been quieter this time and I had pretty much written off his chances of making the team, but two decent pre-season showings including the touchdown last night mean he is still in contention and as others in the younger group fall by the wayside it feels like Streater and McCloud might be the last two battling for that 6th receiver spot.

 

 

Bad Night

 

AJ McCarron - Even before the news of the injury broke last night was not a good one for AJ McCarron. Getting his chance to start he oversaw four consecutive 3 and out drives. It wasn't all on him, his protection was awful (more of which later), they struggled to run the ball and the play calling didn't really help. However, there were a couple of chances to make plays and his ball placement was not good enough to find his targets. I think his chance to be the starting Quarterback of the Buffalo Bills is over.

 

Star Lotulelei - Sean McDermott conceded after the game that the run defence was not good enough last night as Cleveland's first unit found it far to easy to run inside on the Bills in scenes that resembled the Saints debacle from 2017. Star Lotulelei was brought here to fix those issues but last night he was totally dominated by Cleveland's offensive line. One of the knocks on him in Carolina was that he didn't always seem to show maximum effort - and that is what this looked like. Token efforts at every stage. In a word - dreadful.

 

Starting Offensive Line - Okay, it is not exactly a state secret that Dion Dawkins had a rough night. But newflash - Myles Garrett is really, really good. The bigger worry was inside. Bodine was atrocious at center, Ducasse wasn't blocking anyone at LG and Miller was struggling to maintain his blocks at the RG spot. It is not often that we have had to say Jordan Mills was the least bad of the starting offensive line. If we are in that situation when the real stuff starts then we are in major trouble. One thing is for sure - Ryan Groy MUST start.

 

Logan Thomas - He is awful. He really is awful. We are two years into this tight end experiment and he can't run a route, is a reluctant blocker, isn't that quick and he doesn't demonstrate really good hands. It is time to pull the plug. Do it Brandon, do it now. The fact that Lee and O'Leary both clearly outplayed him is a reason to knock Thomas out of this competition. 

 

The rookie and 2nd year WRs (excluding Ray Ray) - This group was on this list last week and they have not impressed with another week of opportunity. Brandon Reilly missed the game injured and he might still have just a squeak of a chance to make the roster, but I hardly even noticed Dupre or Foster on the field and both went without a catch while Cam Phillips snagged one ball for 5 yards. Austin Proehl had a slightly better game and may yet find himself on the practice squad but the receiver battle is starting to sort the contenders from the pretenders and this group is in the latter category. 

 

 

As ever TBD... let's hear your thoughts!

  A fair assessment.  Having said that coaching is about emphasizing strengths and protecting weaknesses.  The O line can be made serviceable for this year with Groy starting and fan favorite Teller forcing his way onto the roster early in the season.  Hopefully, Beane knew what he was bargaining for when he brought in Lotulelei.

[Freddie's Dead]

Good Night

 

Austin Proehl - Prolly not enough to make the 53, but maybe the practice squad

Keith Ford - Ran hard, eliminated the penalties.  Again, prolly not enough to make the 53,  but maybe practice squad

 

Bad night

 

DiMarco - Thanks for the False Start and not much else

Run defense - C'mon man, Hyde and Chubb owned us

 

[Tommy Callahan]

Bad night.  

 

Milano.  O line just seemed asleep.

 

Good. 

 

Number 74 and 75 on right side of the line.  That's why we were running late.

[Augie]

I just finished watching again, and Allen looked even a little better this time around. Let’s face it, if we hit on him, the rest of this is small potatoes. I’m not getting ahead of myself, but that was very encouraging. 

 

On the down side, we got manhandled on D (against the Cleveland Browns) when they wanted to run early. Ouch! 

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

When Mills is the best offensive line man in a game for starters. That means trouble lol. Allen looked good.  Give him 1st string reps this week.

Edited August 18, 2018 by Buffalo Bills Fan

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 hour ago, Chris farley said:

Bad night.  

 

Milano.  O line just seemed asleep.

 

Good. 

 

Number 74 and 75 on right side of the line.  That's why we were running late.

 

....think Eddie Yarborough earned some stripes.....

[Big C]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Good Night

 

Austin Proehl - Prolly not enough to make the 53, but maybe the practice squad

Keith Ford - Ran hard, eliminated the penalties.  Again, prolly not enough to make the 53,  but maybe practice squad

 

Bad night

 

DiMarco - Thanks for the False Start and not much else

Run defense - C'mon man, Hyde and Chubb owned us

 

 

Proehl has seemed bound for the practice squad throughout training camp. I'm not sure the Bills keep him, but he will end up on someone's PS.

[Tommy Callahan]

1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

....think Eddie Yarborough earned some stripes.....

Yeah.  He would definitely be one in the positive.  He did get pushed way inside by a tight ended once, though.  From what I saw anyway

[mead107]

To early to say 

[Another Fan]

The other FG kicker Davis had a rough night.  Hauhska is still money from beyond 50 yards

[Solomon Grundy]

I need a guy named Ray Ray on my squad

[Happy]

11 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Nick O'Leary / Khairi Lee - The battle for the Tight End spots behind Charles Clay is still very much live. Nick O'Leary had sunk to the bottom of the depth chart and needed a performance pretty badly. His second half touchdown and team leading receiving showing keep him in the mix. The problem for O'Leary is I feel like he is in a direct battle with Khairi Lee to be the second all round tight end with Croom and Thomas contesting the more split out receiving option. Lee also performed extremely well with the 2nd unit and both could yet do enough to force themselves onto the roster.

 

Khairi Lee is supposedly the best blocking TE on the squad, or so I heard.  Was he supposed to chip block Myles Garret while coming off the line on the play where Garret crushed AJ and broke his collar bone?  If so (and it kind of looked like this was the case), that was the worst effort of a chip block probably ever and should knock Lee down several notches in the competition for a TE spot.  If not, then that was completely on Dawkins.  Makes no difference if Myles Garret is very, very good; lots of DEs and LBs in the NFL are very good.  We can't have another QB go down with a multi month injury.

[BillsFan17]

This is why, when folks wanted to attack me because i pointed out Star isnt good against the run i had to laugh.

 

That aside, I admit, Star wasnt the only issue, Milano and Edmunds were equally responsible for getting gashed on the ground.

 

During camp McDermott had dropped Milanos reps and had him with the second string for a bit. Some thought it was due to complacency, I think it's because Milano just isn't building off of last year.

[Max Fischer]

Disagree about Star, he did his job taking up space and double-teams, it’s the LBs job to plug the remaining holes.

 

Milano has a tough game and displayed evidence why his starting position could be in trouble. He’s active but not in the correct spot.

 

Edmunds stated slow but got better. I have confidence he’ll get better each week. 

 

I hope Bodine is the weak link and Groy will help both guards play better. Though would like to see Teller get a shot at either guard position. 

 

Dawkins had trouble with Myles but that dude is just so good. I have confidence Daboll would have a game plan to deal with freaks of nature. 

 

I like Logan, I think he plays with energy and QBs like him because he gets open and makes an effort.  Prefer his athleticism over Nicklas’ nephew. 

 

Would like to see Coleman get more burn. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2018 by Max Fischer

[Heavy Kevi]

11 hours ago, Big C said:

Good list. I thought Taron Johnson and Levi Wallace had good games in the secondary. I couldn't watch passed the 3rd but Wallace seemed to be making plays and it looks like Johnson might usurp Gaines as starting slot corner. 

 

Edmunds and Milano could be thrown into the bad night section. The rookie got swallowed up on inside runs early on, but did make a couple plays after the rough start. Milano on the other hand was nowhere to be found. 

 

Yeah Edmunds looked reluctant- like he was running in quicksand. He has the size/speed but needs to be more decisive.

 

The good news is there were a few flahes for Edmunds of when he would recognize a play early and was in position. Hopefully that bodes well for his potential when the game "slows down" for him.

 

I will give him that the defense has not looked confused. Since he's wearing the green dot, that reflects positively.

[BuffBillsForLife]

So help me if Edmunds ends up being another "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" player...

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

Khairi Lee is supposedly the best blocking TE on the squad, or so I heard.  Was he supposed to chip block Myles Garret while coming off the line on the play where Garret crushed AJ and broke his collar bone?  If so (and it kind of looked like this was the case), that was the worst effort of a chip block probably ever and should knock Lee down several notches in the competition for a TE spot.  If not, then that was completely on Dawkins.  Makes no difference if Myles Garret is very, very good; lots of DEs and LBs in the NFL are very good.  We can't have another QB go down with a multi month injury.

 

I thought it was Croom to block. But I could be wrong

[folz]

13 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

 

Dean Marlowe - I was less than impressed with the defensive backfield depth last week and I didn't think it was fantastic last night either. However, Dean Marlow flashed with a couple of good tackles in the open field and one important pass break up on a 3rd down and has probably edged ahead in the battle to be the 4th safety behind Hyde, Poyer and Bush. 

 

 

Safety Siran Neal had a nice game too, made a few big plays.