A few thoughts about the Chargers game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

Week 2 in the books and Allen has started his first game at the Ralph.  This game was a tale of two halves with a lot of interesting developments and glimpses of the season to come.  I'm probably going to be a little harsh compared to what I'm seeing on the board and hearing on the radio, but I'm just not ready to drink the kool-aid yet.  With that being said....

 

1 - Offensive Line - I stood up for them last week against the pass rush but can't do that today.  Mills was horrible in protection and Allen was either pressured or knocked down on over 75% of his drop backs in the first half.  The rushing attack was non-existent to start the game and then hard to evaluate as we had to go pass happy early, although I can't think of a reason as to why it would improve.  Mills also had a unnecessary hold to bring back a nice Shady run.  I don't know what the PFF rankings will show, but this line is possibly the worst in the NFL through two weeks

 

2 - Benjamin - Another week from this guy where he doesn't look back for the ball or seem to really have any heart out there.  He looks slow and takes himself out of plays.  He looks nothing like a guy trying to earn a new contract or a establish himself as a number one.  I think Benjamin could be one of the biggest hits to the team this season as he's going to just add to the narrative that WR's can perform here, even though he's just as much to blame.

 

3 - Special Teams - I'm sorry, but I'm still not seeing what the rush to get Colton out of here.  The new guy pooched two punts and hasn't really shown an amazing leg or accuracy.  Both teams went 3 and out to start the game, but the punts allowed the Chargers to pick up 20+ yards in field position.  The touchback with 3 Bills players standing around the ball was embarrassing and we got really lucky on the muffed punt called a touchback.  

 

4 - The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are still getting beat no matter what you do. When you have the killer instinct to fight through that, it is very special

 

5 - Defensive Line - I have a lot of thoughts about the overall defense and it all won't fit into this one point.  Of everything that changed the most from the first to second half, it's the play of the defensive line.  After halftime, when McDermott took over play calling, the defensive line was absolutely exploding off the ball.  They were blowing up the line of scrimmage and getting pressure without sending any additional help.  On the first 3 drives for the Chargers, they gained 9 total yards.  This was the defensive line performance I've been waiting for all off-season.  

 

6 - Overall Defense - Vontae Davis retired at halftime.  That should sum up how we played in the first half.  I'll give credit to the play calling for finally blitzing, but Rivers countered every play perfectly.  I can't say the defense got embarrassed in the second drive as much as Rivers and Williams just made great plays.  After that, they were embarrassed.  This defense that we spent money on, drafted for, and overall put together in McDermott's image gave up 4 straight TD's after an initial 3 and out.  There's absolutely no excuse for that kind of performance and it appears McDermott agreed, via taking over the play calling.

 

7 - Player Motivation - He's my "Get off my lawn" point.  It infuriated me when I found out that McDermott took over play calling duties in the second half and that's most likely what caused the second half spark.  They didn't send out different formations or blitz more.  In fact, they appeared to Blitz left.  They needed a halftime kick in the butt and someone else yelling into the headset.  I'm sorry, I know they are all human beings, but they are also paid millions of dollars to show up for the game.  The fact that they came out flat for the season opener and the first half of this game royally pisses me off.  

 

8 - Allen - Here's where I anger some people.  I'll admit that I wasn't on board with Allen being drafted at all.  He was my 4th favorite QB and I was pissed when we traded up.  Accuracy to me is one of the hardest traits to teach.  However, I'm a Bills fan and I want to see us succeed.  Once draft night passed, he was my QB.  I am get excited when he comes on the field and am impressed with his physical tools.  With that being said, I think an average QB wins this game for us.  He missed a lot of throws and put the ball in places that completely eliminated the option of a run after catch.  He had some throws that were on the mark, yes.  But he also completely missed some guys by more than a few yards and his INT's were poor decisions.  Even his deep ball the Zay could have been a TD.  I'm not an All-22 review guy because they really don't compensate for pressure and other factors, so I'm not looking at that.

 

Overall, I can see where has potential, but if you look at his first few games vs other rookie qb's these past few seasons, I don't think you can say Allen's debut ranks even in the top 5.  I get our lack of offensive line talent and WR's as well as our Offensive play calling, but I can't say I'm confident he'll get there yet.  We are only talking 6 quarters of play so far and I'm happy to be wrong, but it's all we have to go on so far.  

 

9 - Daboll - There isn't any one specific issue with the offense, but there's something missing that I've seen in almost every other NFL game.  Flow. There seems to be no rhythm or flow to our offense.  It feels like we are playing street ball on so many drives or we are just running it right into the defense.  Rookie QB, bad line, weak WR's, whatever.  I have no idea what the identity of our offense is and don't feel any closer to getting there through two games.  Like point 8, I wasn't a fan of Daboll being hired either as his history shows no promotable performance.  Again, happy to be wrong

 

10 - McDermott - This was probably the best post game presser I've heard from him.  He made his comments about checking the tape, but he made it pretty clear how he felt about Davis and didn't shy away from many of the questions.  I'm overall concerned about where the team is overall with him.  His defense should be better at this point and his job is to get these players every week, so then coming out flat is on him.  I think this was a winnable game and we saw a lot more from the team than last week, so improvement is good.  Overall, I'm curious to see what changes evolve from the coaching these upcoming weeks and hope McDermott makes the right calls.

 

 

Even though they are the enemy, I miss seeing some of the creative rushing schemes Anthony Lynn dialed up.  It's also hard to see what Mahomes did for the Chiefs today, even thought I didn't want him either and he has a much better supporting cast.  I find myself enjoying the NFL more this year with my expectations of the Bills being so low.  Honestly, I haven't gotten irrationally angry once so far.  That's different for me.  0-4 looks more probably than possible at this point, but today was a good sign.

 

Go Bills!

[sullim4]

To me, the big issue is with the defense.  This is supposedly McDermott's specialty and it's literally a shambles, to the point where a player quits in the middle of a game.  The defense was what was going to win us 5 or 6 games this year and avoid a 2-14 type embarrassment... now I wonder if we can even win a single game.

 

I have no issue with Allen in this game.  He has no offensive line protection, no running game, and a #1 WR who doesn't seem to want to be on the team.  He showed enough for me to get some hope for the future.  This is exactly the type of team that Archie Manning was trying to prevent Eli from ending up on when he was drafted by the Chargers back in 2004 - it is devoid of talent and could very well get the kid killed by the end of the season.

 

I said it last week and I'll say it again - McDermott should be fired in January if the defense continues to play like this over the course of the season.  Everyone expected the offense to be putrid.  The defense was supposed to be at least competent and I've yet to see a shred of competence during 8 quarters of football so far.  I'm fine with McDermott staying if the offense loses them 16 games.  But if the defense continues to give up points at this rate, he's got to go.  It's inexcusable.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

It's difficult to have a rushing attack when nobody blocks for you.  OJ was not exceptional until the Electric Company arrived.

 

McCoy has to get the ball in space.  Throw to him.

 

Mills remains a turnstile.  When he's no longer around, it will be known as "progress."

 

We had too many penalties with Ryan.  We still have too many dumb ones.

[Coach Tuesday]

Virgil, no QB wins this game for us except maybe Aaron Rodgers and I doubt even he could pull it off with this supporting cast.

[Another Fan]

Team really misses Richie Incognito.  I know he may not have been the best guy in the world but he was a good football player.  Not thinking the O Line would be as weak if he was still around.  Plus he could provide that vocal leadership as well.

 

As far as I know his teammates all said he was a good teammate.  Nothings really bad has come out about him being a cancer or anything like that in the locker room. Well that I’m aware of

Edited September 16, 2018 by Another Fan

[Ned Kelly]

Thanks again Virgil. ?

[Seasons1992]

In other good news,

 

New England is gonna lose!

 

 

good write up Virg. It was not last week and that’s about as good as we were gonna hope for. Fix the OLine, get some weapons, roll the young man OUT. 

[John from Riverside]

An Average QB wins this game for us?

 

Dude

[Tcali]

1 minute ago, John from Riverside said:

An Average QB wins this game for us?

 

Dude

a good one could have..

[John from Riverside]

Just now, Tcali said:

a good one could have..

A "special" one could have

 

One that actually had some NFL experience

[BillnutinHouston]

An average QB wins this game?  You are your credibility's own worst enemy.    

[Virgil]

2 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

An Average QB wins this game for us?

 

Dude

 

We were 15 and we missed a lot of open throws.  A lot.  Two of the FG drives could have ended in TD’s with some more accurate throws.   

 

So yes, an average QB could have possibly won us this game.  I believe that.  I expect to lose some games while Allen learns, but I think it’s fair to give context when looking at the entire game. 

[John from Riverside]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

 

We were 15 and we missed a lot of open throws.  A lot.  Two of the FG drives could have ended in TD’s with some more accurate throws.   

 

So yes, an average QB could have possibly won us this game.  I believe that.  I expect to lose some games while Allen learns, but I think it’s fair to give context when looking at the entire game. 

I really hate to state the obvious....but ALL QBS  miss open throws....ALL OF THEM

 

Even ones that are not making their first NFL start behind horrible OL's with WR's that dont do them any favors when it comes to catching the ball.   A running game would sure help as well

 

Lots of reasons

 

Josh had some bad throws....he also had some really good ones......

[Virgil]

7 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

I really hate to state the obvious....but ALL QBS  miss open throws....ALL OF THEM

 

Even ones that are not making their first NFL start behind horrible OL's with WR's that dont do them any favors when it comes to catching the ball.   A running game would sure help as well

 

Lots of reasons

 

Josh had some bad throws....he also had some really good ones......

 

I’m not saying they don’t.  His misses were the kind that made me weary of drafting him.  

 

We can agree to disagree on this. 

[flmike]

Didn't see the game today, so thanks for the thoughts. This team will improve over the season and every year, teams that start hot, fade by Thanksgiving. We have been that team a couple of times. Let McD build his team and sort out coaching. Looks like every draft pick will be O-line next year.... Wouldn't hurt in the long term.

[bmur66]

Great to see Josh Allen standing tall after this game

[mead107]

9 minutes ago, bmur66 said:

Great to see Josh Allen standing tall after this game

Yup

[quinnearlysghost88]

Why are you upset about what second-year Mahomes did? Delayed gratification is hard these days, I know. But maybe we can give Allen more than one game to win your high bar of approval. 

[LEBills]

3 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

 

3 - Special Teams - I'm sorry, but I'm still not seeing what the rush to get Colton out of here.  The new guy pooched two punts and hasn't really shown an amazing leg or accuracy.  Both teams went 3 and out to start the game, but the punts allowed the Chargers to pick up 20+ yards in field position.  The touchback with 3 Bills players standing around the ball was embarrassing and we got really lucky on the muffed punt called a touchback.  

 

So this point in particular is the most disconcerting to me. Unlike position groups like OLine or linebacker, most special teams units across the league are made up of similar talent as it is mostly depth players.

 

When a special teams unit faulters multiple times in multiple games, it is a direct indictment of coaching. Sure Castillo doesn’t seem to be a great OL coach but his players are untalented too. For our special teams to be outclassed heavily these past two weeks, that is entirely coaching.

 

whether it was cutting our experienced punter, not recovering the loose fumble vs Balt, not calling a fair catch inside the 10 and getting blown up (and eventually getting Taiwan Jones injured), or not being able to down a punt at the one that had a player in position to do so, these are all things that show a lack of preparation by our team.

 

Our team will get better as the year goes along, but the special teams being such a mess right now is a big indictment of our coaching staff and McDermott. He needs to get these detail related problems taken care of ASAP. Our team did better with preparation related penalties from game 1 to game 2 (again something a coach should be able to control), but McD certainly is showing his inexperience these first two weeks. Let’s hope he can tighten this up bc to me these are the little things that determine whether a coach can be long term successful. Talent fluctuates, how a coach prepares his team to perform should be consistent if you are going to be long term successful.

[RFL]

3 hours ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

Why are you upset about what second-year Mahomes did? Delayed gratification is hard these days, I know. But maybe we can give Allen more than one game to win your high bar of approval. 

Mahomes had good play calling, time to pass and receivers diving for the football.  This dude is for real

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, Virgil said:

We were 15 and we missed a lot of open throws.  A lot.  Two of the FG drives could have ended in TD’s with some more accurate throws.   

So yes, an average QB could have possibly won us this game.  I believe that.  I expect to lose some games while Allen learns, but I think it’s fair to give context when looking at the entire game. 

 

Virgil, if you've been around players being coached or have coached, one truth is that you can never change a few plays in the game and assume it's the same game.

 

Sure, if you put an average QB in there, he might have made some more accurate throws.  He might also have missed a couple throws that Allen made that an average QB could not.  He might have scored a TD instead of a FG.  And then San Diego might have played differently on both offense and defense.  It's just a rabbit hole you go down with that "few plays" thing.

 

 

[NewEra]

point 9-  there is no flow because there are no OL or WRs worthy of starting in the Nfl .

 

point 10- we only have 1 cornerback worthy of being on an nfl roster and the opposition will never throw to him.

[reddogblitz]

5 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

We were 15 and we missed a lot of open throws.  A lot.  Two of the FG drives could have ended in TD’s with some more accurate throws.   

 

So yes, an average QB could have possibly won us this game.  I believe that.  I expect to lose some games while Allen learns, but I think it’s fair to give context when looking at the entire game. 

 

I agree.  Even some of the completions he did get like the Dimarco one an average QB could have put it where he could get some YAC.  An average Qb hits the RB on the very shot pass and he takes if 15 yards up field for a first down as opposed to killing a drive.  Stuff like that.  Plays were there to be made that were missed.  Both picks.

 

Rookie mistakes.

[CajunBillsBacker]

Since we’re judging Allen so aggressively after his first ever start.

 

Sam Darnold threw 2 INT’s today also, including a pick six last week. Where was he in your predraft rankings?

[Spiderweb]

7 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

I really hate to state the obvious....but ALL QBS  miss open throws....ALL OF THEM

 

Even ones that are not making their first NFL start behind horrible OL's with WR's that dont do them any favors when it comes to catching the ball.   A running game would sure help as well

 

Lots of reasons

 

Josh had some bad throws....he also had some really good ones......

Improvement will be need from Allen. Big improvement! He made a few good throws but most of this throws, and even most of his completions were not good throws. Accuracy and touch still need work. Confidence and experience will help, but to his credit, 245 on a day he wasn't great far exceeded what we've endured the past few years.

[Skins Malone]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Virgil, if you've been around players being coached or have coached, one truth is that you can never change a few plays in the game and assume it's the same game.

 

Sure, if you put an average QB in there, he might have made some more accurate throws.  He might also have missed a couple throws that Allen made that an average QB could not.  He might have scored a TD instead of a FG.  And then San Diego might have played differently on both offense and defense.  It's just a rabbit hole you go down with that "few plays" thing.

 

 

Well said.  Allen did miss some throws but i liked that he was going threw his progressions and always looking downfield.  Allen needs a true number 1 that he can build long term chemistry with.  He is also in about as bad of a situation as a rookie QB can be right now bit he doesnt look like a deer in headlights.  Will he be great?? I dont know but im encouraged so far.

[Dafan]

What i think people forget is Josh has had only two weeks of working with the starters.  Week 3 of preseason and this week.  Aside from that he had what, 3/4 short drills all summer with them?  It takes time and I'm not upset we had a QB competition over the summer, but it does take away valuable time from getting in sync with the starters.

[Buddo]

I'd say at a guess, that a fair few of the accuracy issues Allen had against the Chargers, were due to poor footwork under pressure. This is concerning, as it implies a reversion to bad habits. It's also the reason why we should have had better options at QB, behind our porous O-Line.

 

One thing I don't think you can fault Allen on, is his attitude. While it may have been a dumb play, seeing him try to hit a WR with a defender on his back, and almost making it, was great to see. While there are a lot of other rookie mistakes occurring, one thing he does do, is keep looking to make a play.

 

Somehow, they have to do something with the O-Line, to get him time when we are in first and second downs.

[billsredneck1]

9 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

I really hate to state the obvious....but ALL QBS  miss open throws....ALL OF THEM

 

Even ones that are not making their first NFL start behind horrible OL's with WR's that dont do them any favors when it comes to catching the ball.   A running game would sure help as well

 

Lots of reasons

 

Josh had some bad throws....he also had some really good ones......

virgil's right. we had plenty of opportunities. my girlfriend was pointing out open receivers.

[Gordio]

12 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

We were 15 and we missed a lot of open throws.  A lot.  Two of the FG drives could have ended in TD’s with some more accurate throws.   

 

So yes, an average QB could have possibly won us this game.  I believe that.  I expect to lose some games while Allen learns, but I think it’s fair to give context when looking at the entire game. 

 

 

Give me a break my man, Joe Montana in his prime could not win this game for us.  The defense did look better in the second half but......Rivers dialed it down a bit knowing they basically just had to not turn the ball over & they would walk out with a win.  Appreciate the effort man but you have a long way to go to reach Bill from NYC standards in the game recap.  

[Seventeen]

4 hours ago, Spiderweb said:

Improvement will be need from Allen. Big improvement! He made a few good throws but most of this throws, and even most of his completions were not good throws. Accuracy and touch still need work. Confidence and experience will help, but to his credit, 245 on a day he wasn't great far exceeded what we've endured the past few years.

 

I would encourage all to go back and look at a bunch of HOF QBs and see how they did during their 1st season. 

[Big Turk]

13 hours ago, sullim4 said:

To me, the big issue is with the defense.  This is supposedly McDermott's specialty and it's literally a shambles, to the point where a player quits in the middle of a game.  The defense was what was going to win us 5 or 6 games this year and avoid a 2-14 type embarrassment... now I wonder if we can even win a single game.

 

I have no issue with Allen in this game.  He has no offensive line protection, no running game, and a #1 WR who doesn't seem to want to be on the team.  He showed enough for me to get some hope for the future.  This is exactly the type of team that Archie Manning was trying to prevent Eli from ending up on when he was drafted by the Chargers back in 2004 - it is devoid of talent and could very well get the kid killed by the end of the season.

 

I said it last week and I'll say it again - McDermott should be fired in January if the defense continues to play like this over the course of the season.  Everyone expected the offense to be putrid.  The defense was supposed to be at least competent and I've yet to see a shred of competence during 8 quarters of football so far.  I'm fine with McDermott staying if the offense loses them 16 games.  But if the defense continues to give up points at this rate, he's got to go.  It's inexcusable.

 

I'm concerned as to why the defense showed marked improvement in the second half forcing multiple 3 and outs in a row when McDermot took over the play calling.  Is Frazier the problem with the defense?  Sure looks like it from this small sample size. Interesting to see what happens next week and in weeks to come.  Frazier has been doing it a long time, I'm sure he felt a little emasculated by that decision but he can't argue with the results.

 

Did this happen last year without us knowing about it after we got steamrolled 3 weeks in a row and then came out in KC and shut them down completely looking like a completely different team on that side of the ball?

Edited September 17, 2018 by matter2003

[dave mcbride]

12 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

I’m not saying they don’t.  His misses were the kind that made me weary of drafting him.  

 

We can agree to disagree on this. 

Agreed, the clear lack of accuracy was worrying. His mechanics looked really sloppy too, but that could have been the relentless pressure.

[BillsMafia13]

22 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

 

I'm concerned as to why the defense showed marked improvement in the second half forcing multiple 3 and outs in a row when McDermot took over the play calling.  Is Frazier the problem with the defense?  Sure looks like it from this small sample size. Interesting to see what happens next week and in weeks to come.  Frazier has been doing it a long time, I'm sure he felt a little emasculated by that decision but he can't argue with the results.

 

Did this happen last year without us knowing about it after we got steamrolled 3 weeks in a row and then came out in KC and shut them down completely looking like a completely different team on that side of the ball?

Do you know if we play zone or man on D? I dont know if i've ever seen so many open receivers less than 10 yards out, which still took 3 players to finish a tackle.  Ugly ugly game

[Big Turk]

12 minutes ago, BillsMafia13 said:

Do you know if we play zone or man on D? I dont know if i've ever seen so many open receivers less than 10 yards out, which still took 3 players to finish a tackle.  Ugly ugly game

We are a predominantly zone based team but obviously like every team in the league play some of both. If they were smart they would let Tre erase the other teams best player man to man and then play zone with the rest of the team...That would give them a lot of options. Maybe they already do this some plays as it seems White is following a guy and not playing a zone.

Edited September 17, 2018 by matter2003

[Mrbojanglezs]

I highly disagree that "an average QB wins this game for us" 

[MILFHUNTER#518]

14 hours ago, sullim4 said:

To me, the big issue is with the defense.  This is supposedly McDermott's specialty and it's literally a shambles, to the point where a player quits in the middle of a game.  The defense was what was going to win us 5 or 6 games this year and avoid a 2-14 type embarrassment... now I wonder if we can even win a single game.

 

I have no issue with Allen in this game.  He has no offensive line protection, no running game, and a #1 WR who doesn't seem to want to be on the team.  He showed enough for me to get some hope for the future.  This is exactly the type of team that Archie Manning was trying to prevent Eli from ending up on when he was drafted by the Chargers back in 2004 - it is devoid of talent and could very well get the kid killed by the end of the season.

 

I said it last week and I'll say it again - McDermott should be fired in January if the defense continues to play like this over the course of the season.  Everyone expected the offense to be putrid.  The defense was supposed to be at least competent and I've yet to see a shred of competence during 8 quarters of football so far.  I'm fine with McDermott staying if the offense loses them 16 games.  But if the defense continues to give up points at this rate, he's got to go.  It's inexcusable.

Awesome post, this is exactly where i am. I have yet to get pissed myself, it is almost like a prisoner on death row accepting the inevitable after you have finished your last meal and chatted with the priest.

[Big Turk]

11 minutes ago, Mrbojanglezs said:

I highly disagree that "an average QB wins this game for us" 

Average QBs don't generate 31 points.  They probably generate about what we got, maybe earlier in the game than the last drive, but still around the same total.

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

14 hours ago, Another Fan said:

Team really misses Richie Incognito.  I know he may not have been the best guy in the world but he was a good football player.  Not thinking the O Line would be as weak if he was still around.  Plus he could provide that vocal leadership as well.

 

As far as I know his teammates all said he was a good teammate.  Nothings really bad has come out about him being a cancer or anything like that in the locker room. Well that I’m aware of

I would not mind if we brought him back at all. Move Ducasse to RG and the line would  be a lot better. Richie would appreciate the money now, especially after his latest episodes. If he is mentally stable and the NFL has no action against him, this is not the worst idea.  

[cd1]

McD call the defense until he can find a better DC.

 

BB find a descent WIDE RECEIVER and OLine help - NOW!!!!!