THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - WHAT A MEAL!

[Shaw66]

“What a Meal”

 

I’d love a better draft pick, but I like wins more, especially wins over division rivals.  

 

The Bills’ 42-17 walk over the Dolphins was well worth the pick.  There was a lot to like in this game.  Of course, it was a meaningless game.  The Dolphins may have mailed it in, in which case we saw nothing much more than a pre-season game.  Whether it previewed the 2019 Bills is a question that won’t be answered for nine months.  Still, it’s a win over the Dolphins, and that’s enough for me.  Easily as satisfying as a great meal.

 

This was the kind of game that fans want out of their team every week.  It wasn’t flawless; it’s hard to play 60 dominant minutes in the NFL, and the Bills sure weren’t dominant for stretches of the game.  But it was a kneel-down win, with a lot of big plays, takeaways rather than giveaways, effective (although still imbalanced) running, efficient passing.  Few penalties.  Great win.

 

And, to make it sweeter, or maybe bitter sweet, it was Kyle Williams day.  With the Bills out of the playoffs, McDermott was free to script the show to highlight his retiring leader.  Kyle in the backfield at the goal line – a shot at a TD in his last game?  No, just Kyle being a good football player, getting the assist on Josh Allen’s quarterback sneak.  Kyle in the slot, shedding a defender making a solid catch and run in the right flat, his exceptional athleticism on display.  Kyle sent onto the field for the final time late in the game.  The Bills immediately call time out and summon him to the sideline for the fans’ final ovation.  It was great stuff.

 

Maybe I’ll write something about Kyle during the off-season.  For now I’ll say just this:  we saw what makes Kyle special when Kyle realized that McDermott was taking him out of the game and that this was the end.  He wanted one more play or maybe one more series.  He wanted his career to end the way he always played: playing every down he could, making every play he could.  He’s a football player, and football players don’t come out early.

 

At that moment, we saw what’s special about Kyle.  Kyle said no and tried to wave off the substitute.  He could have insisted; he could have just stayed there and forced McDermott to let him stay.  Few players could get away with that; Kyle could have because the crowd would have been with him, and he knew it.  But that isn’t Kyle.  Kyle isn’t about individual power; he is the ultimate team player.  He understands better than anyone that each player and each coach has a role, and he understood in that moment, just as he had in every other moment since he first put on a Bills’ helmet, that he had to do his job.  He wasn’t going to challenge his coach publicly on his last football play.  Kyle accepted some congratulations and left the field for the final time.   

 

I just love the guy.

 

A short request for your help.  The Bills Backers in Boston gather every Sunday at the Harp.  A long-time Harp employee, big Charles, died unexpectedly last week.  Apparently, over the years Charles became a Bills fan himself.  My wife and I met him when we went to the Harp for the first time just this year, and he couldn’t have been friendlier.  

 

There’s a GoFundMe page with more about Charles and to help support Charles’s family.  The wait staff at the Harp today donated all of their tips, over $1000.  If you’d like to help, the link is https://www.gofundme.com/honoringbigcharles.  Thanks. 

 

Kyle wasn’t the whole show, not at all.   He was the dessert after a great meal.  Also on the menu were:

 

LeSean McCoy.  He still has it.  It was there again on Sunday.  Give him the ball in space, and he’s going to get you everything that’s there, and usually more.  The Bills were horrible at getting him the ball in space this season, for a lot of reasons, and he didn’t get a lot of those chances against the Dolphins.  When he did, he was outstanding.  

 

The question for 2019 is why didn’t McCoy get the ball in space more in 2018?  If the answer is the offensive line, then if the Bills can fix the line, McCoy should be back.  But if the answer is the Bills’ offense doesn’t and isn’t going to feature a running game designed to get guys in space, then why would they need Shady?  Maybe the Bills would rather have a running game that is more suited to Ivory’s style (whether or not Ivory is the guy), a running game that features straight ahead power and shiftiness in tight spaces.  

 

McDermott sort of signaled last week that McCoy will be back, and I hope so.  In the right offense he is explosive.  He’s fun to watch, and he’s a great teammate. 

 

Tremaine Edmunds.  I’ve beaten up Edmunds often this season, and I still saw some of the things that must be better if he’s going to be a dominant middle linebacker, but against the Dolphins some of his special skills were on display.  His interception was exceptional, and not just because he made a pretty spectacular one-handed play.  What made the play was his speed – if Tannehill saw Edmunds, he decided Edmunds couldn’t get there to make a play.  If he didn’t see Edmunds, it was because he was too far out of Tannehill’s field of vision.  Either way, a guy who essentially wasn’t in the play reacted and took the ball.  

 

His sack also was exceptional.  He took on the block (something he must improve) and essentially jumped over the blocker and grabbed Tannehill.  It wasn’t a power move, but it was an amazing athletic move.  Not many guys make that tackle, at least not that way. 

 

My favorite Edmunds play was his one-on one tackle in the hole in the first half.  He read run and reacted to fill the hole, planted his shoulder, wrapped up and took the guy down.  Those run stops are what’s been missing from his game, and if he’s learning that, he can be the star that Sean McDermott wants in the middle. 

 

Zay Jones.  Nice patterns, nice catches.  He’s good evidence of the size of the jump from college to the pros.  It took more than a full season for Jones to raise his game to the level of an effective NFL receiver.  McDermott’s patience with him seems to be paying off.  He needs some help next season.

 

Levi Wallace.  I’ve been sleeping on Wallace.  Last week I saw someone touting the quality of his play, and Sunday I saw it.   Really nice deep coverage on that throw to the goal line up the left sideline.  A couple of excellent open-field tackles.  Teams need a lot of corners, and Wallace is a nice addition.

 

Josh Allen.  There it was; the win over the Dolphins showed what Josh Allen can look like when he puts it all together.  He HASN’T put it all together yet, and we saw some of that on Sunday, too.  The runs, of course, were spectacular once again – the Dolphins clearly misjudged his speed.  

 

It was Allen’s play in the passing game against the Dolphins that we’ve been looking for.  He took more checkdowns, which increased his completion percentage and helped sustain long drives.  He hit his receivers regularly, and they made the catches.  He avoided sacks.  In other words, he did the things winning QBs do, and he didn’t do the things losing QBs do.  

 

He also continued his education.  He threw more inaccurate passes than usual, and I’d guess that was the evidence of his introduction to the cold and wind at New Era in December.  He threw a rookie interception, but he can learn when to make that throw and when not only if he makes some of those mistakes.  He recovered nicely from the INT.  He still has a lot to learn.

 

How good was Allen on Sunday?  Well, his passer rating for the game was 115.  Brees and Mahomes, probably the best this season, are in that range for the entire season and have a lot of games in the 120s and 130s.  But when you roll in the running and other factors, as the QBR does, Allen’s game was essentially as big as the best the other two have played this season.  Brees had a higher QBR in only three games this season, Mahomes only twice.  That’s a good game. 

 

It’s one game, and a meaningless game at that, but it’s what we’ve been looking for.  

 

See you next year.

 

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 day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team.
 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Shaw66

[Houston's #1 Bills Fan]

Thanks for your excellent reviews this season!! Truly the best part of a post-Bills game! 

 

I am really looking forward to 2019 and what free agency and the draft bring to this team. Not since the end of the '87 season have I felt this optimistic for the future. I hope that you and the Bills pick up right where you left off next September!  GO BILLS!!!!

[Figster]

Thanks so much Shaw for the enjoyable reviews this season.

 

Kyle Williams exemplifies the kind of player/man Bills HC McD wants to see playing for him in my humble opinion. What Williams brought to the table is something that will live on in our young core of players. It was kind of a bitter,sweet game for me watching Williams in a Bills uni for the last time, sad because a player/person like Kyle Williams can never be replaced on or off the field. Happy because we had the honor of watching him begin and end his pro football career one Buffalo strong. 

 

  Myself personally,  despite the losing record the season will be a memorable one.  Josh Allens development is much further along then one would have expected at this point.  Bills D was oh so close to ending the regular season top dog in the NFL. The future looks bright. 

 

Thanks again OP for all you do and a closer look at Kyle Williams is something I'll look forward to reading.

 

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone. 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Figster

[Shaw66]

9 hours ago, Figster said:

Thanks so much Shaw for the enjoyable reviews this season.

 

Kyle Williams exemplifies the kind of player/man Bills HC McD wants to see playing for him in my humble opinion. What Williams brought to the table is something that will live on in our young core of players. It was kind of a bitter,sweet game for me watching Williams in a Bills uni for the last time, sad because a player/person like Kyle Williams can never be replaced on or off the field. Happy because we had the honor of watching him begin and end his pro football career one Buffalo strong. 

 

  Myself personally,  despite the losing record the season will be a memorable one.  Josh Allens development is much further along then one would have expected at this point.  Bills D was oh so close to ending the regular season top dog in the NFL. The future looks bright. 

 

Thanks again OP for all you do and a closer look at Kyle Williams is something I'll look forward to reading.

 

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone. 

A memorable season?   For me it was memorable primarily for Allen and Edmunds and not much else.   I mean, there are some interesting stories about players (Kyle, Lorenzo, Foster and a few others), but when I look back five years from now, what I'll remember will be Allen and Edmunds and how their rookie seasons were the beginning of whatever it is they do over the next four seasons.   Busts or stars or something between.  

[TigerJ]

I don't think the Dolphins mailed it in.   I think the Bills beat an opponent who wanted to win badly.  Gase had at least some reason to believe that a win versus a loss could be the difference between sticking for another season or not.  That makes the win just a little bit sweeter for me.

[Figster]

Just now, Shaw66 said:

A memorable season?   For me it was memorable primarily for Allen and Edmunds and not much else.   I mean, there are some interesting stories about players (Kyle, Lorenzo, Foster and a few others), but when I look back five years from now, what I'll remember will be Allen and Edmunds and how their rookie seasons were the beginning of whatever it is they do over the next four seasons.   Busts or stars or something between.  

Yes, Allens 1st season as a rookie was very entertaining for me. Haven't been this optimistic in ages.

 

Watching the future of the franchise show the football world why the Buffalo Bills picked him was awesome.  

[RoyBatty is alive]

I agree with Figster, this year I will look back on it as the year of Allen mostly followed by Edmunds.  Allen is the most exciting and frustrating player this team has had in a long, long time, I cant really say there is a more interesting player the Bills have ever had to watch except for maybe OJ.

 

Not only is he interesting to watch develop, he is downright fun to watch, you never know what he is going to do.  When he runs you think he is going for 8 yards and he seems to glide to 25-30 yard runs with little effort, just like some of his ong throws.  Dynamic and error prone, one of the most polarizing QBs you can have.

Edited December 31, 2018 by RoyBatty is alive

[PlayoffsPlease]

Nice write up as usual. One thing though.  I assure you that you are wrong on McCoy.  He is "not explosive". He wasn't horrible yesterday.  The opposite of horrible is not explosive.  His ceiling right now is to be a CJ Spiller equivalent.  A role player that you don't pay elite money too. 

[Shaw66]

13 minutes ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

Nice write up as usual. One thing though.  I assure you that you are wrong on McCoy.  He is "not explosive". He wasn't horrible yesterday.  The opposite of horrible is not explosive.  His ceiling right now is to be a CJ Spiller equivalent.  A role player that you don't pay elite money too. 

I'll readily admit, I may be wrong about McCoy, but I would NEVER compare McCoy to Spiller.   Spiller knew NOTHING about changing direction, and McCoy has built what is probably a Hall of Fame career on changing direction.  

 

If McCoy has one more 1000-yard season, he's in the Hall of Fame.   His last 1000-yard season was, uh, last season.  I'm not ready to retire the guy.  

[PlayoffsPlease]

Just now, Shaw66 said:

I'll readily admit, I may be wrong about McCoy, but I would NEVER compare McCoy to Spiller.   Spiller knew NOTHING about changing direction, and McCoy has built what is probably a Hall of Fame career on changing direction.  

 

If McCoy has one more 1000-yard season, he's in the Hall of Fame.   His last 1000-yard season was, uh, last season.  I'm not ready to retire the guy.  

If you rewatch the game, watch McCoy's totally unnecessary dance at the 1 yard line.  He  is a nervous runner now.   I am comparing him to Spiller only in the sense of realistic levels of production.

[Figster]

15 minutes ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

Nice write up as usual. One thing though.  I assure you that you are wrong on McCoy.  He is "not explosive". He wasn't horrible yesterday.  The opposite of horrible is not explosive.  His ceiling right now is to be a CJ Spiller equivalent.  A role player that you don't pay elite money too. 

The athleticism of Josh Allen is doing a good job making a below average Oline suffice in my humble opinion.

 

I do however agree with you on the McCoy/ role player/ less money comment and would prefer Ivory as the featured Bills RB next season. (Along with drafting a rookie)

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

If you rewatch the game, watch McCoy's totally unnecessary dance at the 1 yard line.  He  is a nervous runner now.   I am comparing him to Spiller only in the sense of realistic levels of production.

Fair enough - I'll agree that this season his productivity did look very much like Spiller's.  

 

I think the more important point is the one I mentioned in the OP.  I think McCoy still has everything he needs for a 1000 yard season, but he has to play in an offense designed to create the kind of opportunities that McCoy needs.   Again, not saying Ivory is the future, but it's pretty easy to see that Ivory is not going to star in an offense that's just right for McCoy and McCoy will have trouble starring in an offense that's just right for Ivory.   Ivory is a tough, inside runner who gets yards between the tackles with quickness and decent power.  A lot like Fred Jackson, actually.  He's not a guy you're looking to get one-on-one in space.   He does okay in that part of the game, but he doesn't scare people.  McCoy is the opposite.   He DOES scare people out there.   He's tough and will run inside, but that isn't what makes him special.  

 

So I think the important question, which I don't know the answer to, is what kind of running game are the Bills trying to build?   If they think they can have a run-pass complementary offense that can use a guy who's going inside, outside and catching passes, I think you'll see at least one more excellent season from McCoy.   But if the game they want to feature is pounding the ball inside with play action to set up the passing, McCoy may be history. 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Shaw66

[GoBills808]

Great write up. Great way to end a year of rebuilding. I was actually at the Harp and must have donated $100 before halftime. Had a few beers which always makes me more charitable ?

[Cash]

Great write up as always! Fully agree with you on Shady - I think he’s still got it, and the only way it makes sense to get rid of him is if the offense just doesn’t want to get RBs in space. (But if that’s the case, then we probably need a new offense anyway.)

 

I was looking forward to your thoughts on Edmunds this game. You’ve been hard on him all year, but he was a monster yesterday. I’ve felt about Edmunds all year about the same way you’ve felt about Allen. Maybe I’m just wearing rose-colored glasses, but I just chalk up all his mistakes to being a rookie, and a 20 year old rookie learning a new position at that. I think he’s going to be absolutely amazing by 2020, and maybe even as soon as next year. 

 

As for Allen, I’m MUCH more encouraged now than I was either when he was drafted, or during his pre-injury stretch. Still plenty of mistakes, but there’s a fair amount of good things too. And it was nice to see him have a better game after a couple weeks of playing worse. Obviously a young player can’t literally perform better every game - ups and downs happen even while you’re improving - but it’s nice to end the season with one of his better performances. And in terms of fantasy stats, definitely his best. 

[PlayoffsPlease]

10 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Fair enough - I'll agree that this season his productivity did look very much like Spiller's.  

 

I think the more important point is the one I mentioned in the OP.  I think McCoy still has everything he needs for a 100 yard season, but he has to play in an offense designed to create the kind of opportunities that McCoy needs.   Again, not saying Ivory is the future, but it's pretty easy to see that Ivory is not going to star in an offense that's just right for McCoy and McCoy will have trouble starring in an offense that's just right for Ivory.   Ivory is a tough, inside runner who gets yards between the tackles with quickness and decent power.  A lot like Fred Jackson, actually.  He's not a guy you're looking to get one-on-one in space.   He does okay in that part of the game, but he doesn't scare people.  McCoy is the opposite.   He DOES scare people out there.   He's tough and will run inside, but that isn't what makes him special.  

 

So I think the important question, which I don't know the answer to, is what kind of running game are the Bills trying to build?   If they think they can have a run-pass complementary offense that can use a guy who's going inside, outside and catching passes, I think you'll see at least one more excellent season from McCoy.   But if the game they want to feature is pounding the ball inside with play action to set up the passing, McCoy may be history. 

I totally agree he has what it takes for a 100 yard season.  For me I want a bit more for 8 or 9 million of cap space.

[Shaw66]

27 minutes ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

I totally agree he has what it takes for a 100 yard season.  For me I want a bit more for 8 or 9 million of cap space.

That's great!!! Thanks, I'll fix it.  

 

I don't worry too much about the cap space.   I worry about the players I want on the team.   Especially in 2019, when the Bills have a lot of cap room, whether they save some cap space by dumping McCoy seems less important to me than whether he's a guy who fits what they're trying to do.   If I understand the cap situation, if the Bills keep him, it will cost about $6.5 million in cash and $9 million against the cap.  Both of those numbers are manageable in the current situation.   If they cut him, they'll save all the cash and will take a $2.6 million hit to the cap.  

 

That means cutting him would give the Bills an extra $6 million in cash and cap to spend on players.   Obviously, $6 million is enough to buy a couple of good players, maybe three.  But there already is a lot of cash and cap for signing a lot of players, so I'm not sure exactly how much difference it would make to the team.  

 

I think it all depends on what the Bills - McBeane - want on the field in 2019.  

[PlayoffsPlease]

27 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

That's great!!! Thanks, I'll fix it.  

 

I don't worry too much about the cap space.   I worry about the players I want on the team.   Especially in 2019, when the Bills have a lot of cap room, whether they save some cap space by dumping McCoy seems less important to me than whether he's a guy who fits what they're trying to do.   If I understand the cap situation, if the Bills keep him, it will cost about $6.5 million in cash and $9 million against the cap.  Both of those numbers are manageable in the current situation.   If they cut him, they'll save all the cash and will take a $2.6 million hit to the cap.  

 

That means cutting him would give the Bills an extra $6 million in cash and cap to spend on players.   Obviously, $6 million is enough to buy a couple of good players, maybe three.  But there already is a lot of cash and cap for signing a lot of players, so I'm not sure exactly how much difference it would make to the team.  

 

I think it all depends on what the Bills - McBeane - want on the field in 2019.  

The NFL is a lot about asset management. Under performing assets hurt the win loss column.  If the 8 million turned to dead cap, then I would keep him because he is marginal value.  But i would rather put the 8 million towards a pass rusher or AJ green, if it frees up the cap space.  

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

The NFL is a lot about asset management. Under performing assets hurt the win loss column.  If the 8 million turned to dead cap, then I would keep him because he is marginal value.  But i would rather put the 8 million towards a pass rusher or AJ green, if it frees up the cap space.  

See, I think McDermott and Beane see it differently.   

 

I think, but I don't know, that McBeane are all about young players who fit what they want to do.   I don't think they have any interest in talented old vets like Green.  They kept Alexander and Williams (and McCoy) because they are EXACTLY the kind of team players they want as leaders.  They don't want to take a chance on some vet in the hope that he'll become such a leader.  They want to grow their own leaders.  

 

In the environment that they're creating, they MIGHT spend big dollars on a guy who's coming off his first contract, but they'll be cautious about such guys.  If the guy isn't re-signing with his original team, it means he hasn't emerged as a leader on the team.  McBeane don't want good players who aren't leaders. 

 

So that leads me to believe that the Bills have literally more cap room than they know what to do with.   They don't need an extra $6 million in cap room, because they aren't going to be signing a lot of guys for more than $5 million a year.   And that, in turn, leads me to believe that if they think McCoy has gas in the tank, and if they think he's a leader (I think he is), they'll keep him.  

[SoCal Deek]

Thanks for the write up Shaw

I liked those who saw this game as the 'passing of the torch'.  It's time for the Bills to let go of the past and go full youth-mode from this point forward.  Draft Offensive Linemen to surround and protect Allen.  Dump both Clay, Trent Murphy, and McCoy (no real offense intended to any of them, but I think it's time to move on).  I might retain Lorax to fill the Kyle role of an inspirational locker room presence, but that's about it.

Go Bills

[Billsfan1972]

Well count me in as excited for 2019, albeit still concerned with the coaching on the offensive side of the ball.

 

The fact one can be so positive and in retrospect realize that Allen's best passing game in terms of yards was 245 makes me wonder whether we as fans are just so starved here to see some offensive production.