Rewatched last season’s games and these are some observations

[Fred Slacks]

Just been watching games from last season. 

 

1) Special teams cost us at least 2 games last season

 

-Texans muffed punt giving them the ball inside the 20. Texans end up scoring. This game was close all the way through. Also a blocked punt. Not sure Bojorquez is the answer at punter but we better have this sorted out. 

-Titans weird fake field goal. We end up winning this game but atrocious by all means. 

-Second game vs NY Jets blocked field goal. Haushka gets hurt on this play too. 

-Coverage unit just never was good. Hardly any punts downed inside the 20 compared to years past. 

 

2) Defense was good but not nearly as dominant as our 2nd ranking showed. 

 

-We need to improve pass rush and severely our run defense. DT and DE should both be in serious play at #1 draft spot

 

3) Charles Clay/TE’a were featured but either bad throws or couldn’t make plays. 

 

-I think Croom is a bigger part of their plans this season. 

-I also think TE is more coveted than we are giving this front office credit for. Maybe not at first pick but I think it will be in the first 3 rounds for sure. If I were a betting man I’d put money down. 

 

4) Offensive line was bad. Really bad. Getting stood up when they should be pushing on run plays. Getting walked back into the QB on pass plays. I believe we we have improved greatly here. However once again I wonder with all the 1 year contracts if this regime is posturing to make other clubs doubt our desire to draft OL in the first round. With the solidifying of the line I’m very confident McCoy looks 2017 form. The poor old man was getting hit behind the LOS at a ridiculously high rate. Also this should improve Josh Allen’s passing (for obvious reasons). 

 

5) Zay Jones is liked  by this regime. He hardly ever isn’t in on offense. Also he seems to get decent separation. I don’t think this kid is going anywhere unless he gets naked in a hotel hallway again. That being said I want another playmaker at WR personally. I’m just not sure our front office sees it as big of a need. I have a feeling TE is a higher priority in their eyes. Zay made more plays than this board seems to give him credit for. The Titan game alone he converted multiple third downs. They were just very short yardage completions. 

 

6) Allen’s jump from the first half to the second half is a stark difference. His pocket awareness and lack of sacks in the second half are markedly improved. Makes my confidence in his growth that much higher after watching the games again. 

 

7) I feel like FA was even more successful for our team after watching these games again. Also the fact that we’ve met with Ziggy Ansah gives me more confidence in this front office. I do think he is still in play if they don’t land a DE in the top of the draft. FA was definitely designed to give them flexibility in their selection at 9 if they stay there. 

 

8) Good Gravy I cant believe Nathan Peterman will ever get another shot in the NFL. Head scratcher. Have to believe eve we are significantly improved by not ever having someone like that take a snap here at all. 

 

 

Those are are my main points I took away. I’m sure there are more to be taken from it. It’s really hard not to be optimistic about Josh Allen. Especially knowing he will be getting the necessary reps with his WR’s. But imagine this: Bills win the Texans and Jets game. Also the other Dolphin game. That’s a 9-7 season same as the year before. Imagine this on top of that: Josh Allen is healthy for a whole season and we have a decent run game and a top 5 defense. I think that is what we are looking at this season and I feel 10-6 or 11-5 is not an unrealistic expectation. 

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by Fred Slacks

[BillsFan130]

Good post. To nitpick though, I definitely disagree about Zay Jones. 

 

Jones is bad in my opinion and I think this regime is starting to lose faith in him.

 

I think that is a big reason they added Duke, Beasley, and Brown

[Fred Slacks]

5 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Good post. To nitpick though, I definitely disagree about Zay Jones. 

 

Jones is bad in my opinion and I think this regime is starting to lose faith in him.

 

I think that is a big reason they added Duke, Beasley, and Brown

I personally don’t think he is amazing. I just don’t think he is as bad as he has been made out to be. Also with where they played him last season (on the perimeter and in the slot I really think they have confidence in him. He’s a movable piece and understands his responsibilities. But Robert Foster I think has a bigger role this coming season. I just think with Beasly and Brown that Zay is still in their top 4 WR’s. 

 

But we we can agree to disagree. It will be interesting to see how this off-season shakes out. It wouldn’t shock me if they draft a WR. I just think they draft a TE higher than WR. My personal feelings obviously. I’ve been wrong a lot in life. Lol

[offyourocker]

13 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Good post. To nitpick though, I definitely disagree about Zay Jones. 

 

Jones is bad in my opinion and I think this regime is starting to lose faith in him.

 

I think that is a big reason they added Duke, Beasley, and Brown

 

 

I think Zay will surpass a 1000 yards next year

[Rufridr101]

13 minutes ago, Fred Slacks said:

Just been watching games from last season. 

 

1) Special teams cost us at least 2 games last season

 

-Texans muffed pint giving them the ball inside the 20. Texans end up scoring. This game was close all the way through. Also a blocked punt. Not sure Bojorquez is the answer at punter but we better have this sorted out. 

-Titans weird fake field goal. We end up winning this game but atrocious by all means. 

-Second game vs NY Jets blocked field goal. Haushka gets hurt on this play too. 

-Coverage unit just never was good. Hardly any punts downed inside the 20 compared to years past. 

 

2) Defense was good but not nearly as dominant as our 2nd ranking showed. 

 

-We need to improve pass rush and severely out run defense. DT and DE should both be in serious play at #1 draft spot

 

3) Charles Clay/TE’a were featured but either bad throws or couldn’t make plays. 

 

-I think Croom is a bigger part of their plans this season. 

-I also think TE is more coveted than we are giving this front office credit for. Maybe not at first pick but I think it will be in the first 3 rounds for sure. If I were a betting man I’d put money down. 

 

4) Offensive line was bad. Really bad. Getting stood up when they should be pushing on run plays. Getting walked back into the QB on pass plays. I believe we we have improved greatly here. However once again I wonder with all the 1 year contracts if this regime is posturing to make other clubs doubt our desire to draft OL in the first round. With the solidifying of the line I’m very confident McCoy looks 2017 form. The poor old man was getting hit behind the LOS at a ridiculously high rate. Also this should improve Josh Allen’s passing (for obvious reasons). 

 

5) Zay Jones is likes by this regime. He hardly ever isn’t in on offense. Also he seems to get decent separation. I don’t think this kid is going anywhere unless he gets naked in a hotel hallway again. That being said I want another playmaker at WR personally. I’m just not sure our front office sees it as big of a need. I have a feeling TE is a higher priority in their eyes. Zay made more plays than this board seems to give him credit for. The Titan game alone he converted multiple third downs. They were just very short yardage completions. 

 

6) Allen’s jump from the first half to the second half is a stark difference. His pocket awareness and lack of sacks in the second half are markedly improved. Makes my confidence in his growth that much higher after watching the games again. 

 

7) I feel like FA was even more successful for our team after watching these games again. Also the fact that we’ve met with Ziggy Ansah gives me more confidence in this front office. I do think he is still in play if they don’t land a DE in the top of the draft. FA was definitely designed to give them flexibility in their selection at 9 if they stay there. 

 

8) Good Garvey I cant believe Nathan Peterman will ever get another shot in the NFL. Head scratcher. Have to believe eve we are significantly improved by not ever having someone like that take a snap here at all. 

 

 

Those are are my main points I took away. I’m sure there are more to be taken from it. It’s really hard not to be optimistic about Josh Allen. Especially knowing he will be getting the necessary reps with his WR’s. But imagine this: Bills win the Texans and Jets game. Also the other Dolphin game. That’s a 9-7 season same as the year before. Imagine this on top of that: Josh Allen is healthy for a whole season and we have a decent run game and a top 5 defense. I think that is what we are looking at this season and I feel 10-6 or 11-5 is not an unrealistic expectation. 

 

I 100% agree. This team is closer than people realize.  I really believe winning the afc East is not out of the question.  The special teams were atrocious last year and the running game was dependant on Allen.  The addition of E.J. Gaines is huge not only because of his passport coverage but his ability to play the run. Replacing Kyle Williams is going to be key.  

[RememberTheRockpile]

1 minute ago, offyourocker said:

 

 

I think Zay will surpass a 1000 yards next year

 Are you off your rocker? ?

[Jpsredemption]

4 minutes ago, RememberTheRockpile said:

 Are you off your rocker? ?

Yes he is. Zay had a fluky 7 TDs but even in his best games, see at Miami, he had critical drops. I was always baffled by a trade up in the draft for a receiver with no outstanding qualities and his best quality in college, his hands, are even suspect. 

[Fred Slacks]

11 minutes ago, RememberTheRockpile said:

 Are you off your rocker? ?

 

If the front office Believes in him then I wouldn’t be shocked. He can produce and there’s no reason to think he will take a step back in his third year after showing improvement from year one to year two. Also he seems to have the work ethic this front office looks for. 

5 minutes ago, Jpsredemption said:

Yes he is. Zay had a fluky 7 TDs but even in his best games, see at Miami, he had critical drops. I was always baffled by a trade up in the draft for a receiver with no outstanding qualities and his best quality in college, his hands, are even suspect. 

 

His TD vs the Texans was about as clutch of a moment in the game as it comes. 

 

Also so his entire performance vs the Dolphins (1st game) was all during critical moments of the game albeit he did have a TD drop/miscommunication with Josh.

 

Additionally if you go back and watch the Titans game he picks up critical third downs. They are just all very short yardage situations.

 

Plus they have him in on some max protection passes. I’m telling you they think highly of the kid. If our O-line can pass block then I see no reason he doesn’t show up improved on the stat sheet this season. 

Edited April 8, 2019 by Fred Slacks

[Mr Info]

2 minutes ago, Fred Slacks said:

...Also he seems to have the work ethic this front office looks for. 

So did Peterman but he just did not have ‘it’.

 

Hopefully, Zay continues to improve. But if he drops a couple of passes in preseason games, he will not be on the Bills roster. There may be some foreboding if the Bills draft a WR in the early rounds.

 

 

[Fred Slacks]

4 minutes ago, Mr Info said:

So did Peterman but he just did not have ‘it’.

 

 

 Touché !

[BubbaT]

The offensive line was really beyond bad. That's one of the worst ones I've ever seen here. So many blown up runs, QB's running for their lives, total inability to execute screens and draws etc That's why I thought it was so unfair to judge Allen off of last year. He had to be their running game and lead the passing attack. It should be improved this year but I'd still like more than guys fighting to be starters. Quality linemen on both sides of the ball in the early rounds would make me happiest.

[Southern Bills Fan]

I think Zay last year was working against opponents first and second corners. This year he will be matched against third and fourth corners. I think we will see a big difference. 

[2ForMacAdoo]

32 minutes ago, Jpsredemption said:

Yes he is. Zay had a fluky 7 TDs but even in his best games, see at Miami, he had critical drops. I was always baffled by a trade up in the draft for a receiver with no outstanding qualities and his best quality in college, his hands, are even suspect. 

I totally agree with this. I guess his best "quality" in college was his phenomenal production (399 receptions is crazy) albeit at a smaller college program. But yeah, the trade up still made no sense whatsoever. 

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, BillsFan130 said:

Good post. To nitpick though, I definitely disagree about Zay Jones. 

 

Jones is bad in my opinion and I think this regime is starting to lose faith in him.

 

I think that is a big reason they added Duke, Beasley, and Brown

Zay is definitely on a short leash.  Crossman's unit easily cost us 2 games. 8-8 with a rookie QB is very commendable. 

[JaCrispy]

10 minutes ago, Southern Bills Fan said:

I think Zay last year was working against opponents first and second corners. This year he will be matched against third and fourth corners. I think we will see a big difference. 

Well, that’s certainly encouraging.

[Peace Frog]

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

 

 

 

Those are are my main points I took away. I’m sure there are more to be taken from it. It’s really hard not to be optimistic about Josh Allen. Especially knowing he will be getting the necessary reps with his WR’s. But imagine this: Bills win the Texans and Jets game. Also the other Dolphin game. That’s a 9-7 season same as the year before. Imagine this on top of that: Josh Allen is healthy for a whole season and we have a decent run game and a top 5 defense. I think that is what we are looking at this season and I feel 10-6 or 11-5 is not an unrealistic expectation. 

 

To be fair, if you're gonna talk about the games we almost won, then let's talk about the ones we almost lost.  The game against the Titans, the Lions, and the Jags comes to mind.  If not for the fight and ejection of Leonard Fournette, we could've easily lost against Jax.  The Lions were a missed FG away from beating us.  "We were who we thought we were!"

Edited April 8, 2019 by Peace Frog

[Fred Slacks]

2 minutes ago, Peace Frog said:

To be fair, if you're gonna talk about the games we almost won, then let's talk about the ones we almost lost.  The game against the Titans, the Lions, and the Jags comes to mind.  If not for the fight and ejection of Leonard Fournette, we could've easily lost against Jax.  The Lions were a missed FG away from beating us.  "We were who we thought we were!"

All valid. I realize it can easily go both ways. But we were close in those games. 

 

On the other hand we got beat handily by the Ravens, Chargers, Green Bay, and Chicago. The optimist in me sees improvement throughout the season and I’m not saying anything is a for sure thing. Just saying I think we are trending in the right direction and this front office seems to see the issues that the fans see as well. Unlike previous front offices who would make bizarre offseason moves. 

[Peace Frog]

3 minutes ago, Fred Slacks said:

All valid. I realize it can easily go both ways. But we were close in those games. 

 

On the other hand we got beat handily by the Ravens, Chargers, Green Bay, and Chicago. The optimist in me sees improvement throughout the season and I’m not saying anything is a for sure thing. Just saying I think we are trending in the right direction and this front office seems to see the issues that the fans see as well. Unlike previous front offices who would make bizarre offseason moves. 

The Ravens game was a combo of bad D and O.  The Chargers game was bad O and first half bad D (thanks Vontae Davis for the inspiration!).  Green Bay?  Oof dah.  Chicago was the Nate Peterman nightmare, 3.0 game.  The Colts, Leonard Fournette, and rematch with the Paytoilets were all games where our run D and/or tackling was embarrassing.  2nd ranked defense?  I don't see it.

[John from Riverside]

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

Just been watching games from last season. 

 

1) Special teams cost us at least 2 games last season

I agree that ST's was bad and put us in bad positions......good teams win games where ST's mistakes are made.

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

 

-Texans muffed punt giving them the ball inside the 20. Texans end up scoring. This game was close all the way through. Also a blocked punt. Not sure Bojorquez is the answer at punter but we better have this sorted out. 

-Titans weird fake field goal. We end up winning this game but atrocious by all means. 

-Second game vs NY Jets blocked field goal. Haushka gets hurt on this play too. 

-Coverage unit just never was good. Hardly any punts downed inside the 20 compared to years past. 

 

2) Defense was good but not nearly as dominant as our 2nd ranking showed. 

The problem is for some reason our run defense let us down.....I think the next step of that evolution is to fix that.   Another thing that fixes that is improving the offense to get a lead and force teams to stop running the ball because they need big plays.

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

 

-We need to improve pass rush and severely our run defense. DT and DE should both be in serious play at #1 draft spot

 

3) Charles Clay/TE’a were featured but either bad throws or couldn’t make plays. 

 

It was due mostly to TE's not making plays

-I think Croom is a bigger part of their plans this season. 

I am not convinced Croom is the answer

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

-I also think TE is more coveted than we are giving this front office credit for. Maybe not at first pick but I think it will be in the first 3 rounds for sure. If I were a betting man I’d put money down. 

 

4) Offensive line was bad. Really bad. Getting stood up when they should be pushing on run plays. Getting walked back into the QB on pass plays. I believe we we have improved greatly here. However once again I wonder with all the 1 year contracts if this regime is posturing to make other clubs doubt our desire to draft OL in the first round. With the solidifying of the line I’m very confident McCoy looks 2017 form. The poor old man was getting hit behind the LOS at a ridiculously high rate. Also this should improve Josh Allen’s passing (for obvious reasons). 

The problems REALLY start right there

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

 

5) Zay Jones is liked  by this regime. He hardly ever isn’t in on offense. Also he seems to get decent separation. I don’t think this kid is going anywhere unless he gets naked in a hotel hallway again. That being said I want another playmaker at WR personally. I’m just not sure our front office sees it as big of a need. I have a feeling TE is a higher priority in their eyes. Zay made more plays than this board seems to give him credit for. The Titan game alone he converted multiple third downs. They were just very short yardage completions. 

 

6) Allen’s jump from the first half to the second half is a stark difference. His pocket awareness and lack of sacks in the second half are markedly improved. Makes my confidence in his growth that much higher after watching the games again. 

 

7) I feel like FA was even more successful for our team after watching these games again. Also the fact that we’ve met with Ziggy Ansah gives me more confidence in this front office. I do think he is still in play if they don’t land a DE in the top of the draft. FA was definitely designed to give them flexibility in their selection at 9 if they stay there. 

I also think he is in play......I think that if Oliver drops they are going to sign Ziggy to a team friendly deal.....and our DE's are going to feast because of the interior pressor of this DL

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

 

8) Good Gravy I cant believe Nathan Peterman will ever get another shot in the NFL. Head scratcher. Have to believe eve we are significantly improved by not ever having someone like that take a snap here at all. 

One of the few McBeane warts of a decision

1 hour ago, Fred Slacks said:

 

 

Those are are my main points I took away. I’m sure there are more to be taken from it. It’s really hard not to be optimistic about Josh Allen. Especially knowing he will be getting the necessary reps with his WR’s. But imagine this: Bills win the Texans and Jets game. Also the other Dolphin game. That’s a 9-7 season same as the year before. Imagine this on top of that: Josh Allen is healthy for a whole season and we have a decent run game and a top 5 defense. I think that is what we are looking at this season and I feel 10-6 or 11-5 is not an unrealistic expectation. 

 

 

[Dopey]

1 hour ago, BillsFan130 said:

Good post. To nitpick though, I definitely disagree about Zay Jones. 

 

Jones is bad in my opinion and I think this regime is starting to lose faith in him.

 

I think that is a big reason they added Duke, Beasley, and Brown

The WR cupboard was bare last year, our line sucked and we started Nate the Great, and a rookie QB. Zay still had 56 rec, over 650 yds, 7 tds and 7 +20 yd receptions. Zay was not the reason we picked up the FA WRs.  The reason we got those FA WRs is:

 Kelvin Benjamin,  Jeremy Kerley Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Brandon Reilly, Robert Foster, Quan Bray, Malachi Dupre, Ray-Ray McCloud, Cam Phillips, Austin Proehl, Kaelin Clay.

I think Zay breaks out this year for over 1k yds and over 10 tds.

[brianthomas]

 

2 hours ago, Fred Slacks said:

4) Offensive line was bad. Really bad. Getting stood up when they should be pushing on run plays. Getting walked back into the QB on pass plays. I believe we we have improved greatly here. However once again I wonder with all the 1 year contracts if this regime is posturing to make other clubs doubt our desire to draft OL in the first round. With the solidifying of the line I’m very confident McCoy looks 2017 form. The poor old man was getting hit behind the LOS at a ridiculously high rate. Also this should improve Josh Allen’s passing (for obvious reasons). 

 

Just my take on #4 but I have to disagree with part of this statement here. Our front office wouldn't be giving out contracts to anyone for the intent to make other clubs doubt our desire to draft OL in the 1st round. Firstly that just seems absurd to even conceive as an idea. But the obvious reason for those contracts with how they are designed is for salary cap management flexibility. Beane seems to understand how much a bad contract can hurt your football team. So he's structured these contracts in a way where we can walk away from these players if they don't pan out & not have to eat dead money at the end of it. He's definitely been focusing on upgrading the line & he's paid those who he needed to like Morse for instance, but for the rest of the guys brought in to compete for spots, if they don't work out then see ya bye bye & we'll upgrade whoever next time.

 

To put it another way, if our front office really wanted to make other teams think we wouldnt draft OL in the 1st round, wouldn't they do the opposite & give out longer contracts to fool everyone like you suggested? Giving shorter contracts means we have less commitment & can walk away from what we currently have. If you have 5 guys signed for long term deals, nobody would expect you to draft OL in the 1st. But if you have only 1 guy signed long term, people would probably expect the opposite. So even if our GM would attempt to do what youre suggesting, how they've done it would be totally backwards from how you'd need to do it. Which they wouldn't do anyways since the goal is improving the depth & competition on the oline. So no i don't see it as posturing at all. Just simply trying to upgrade an area of need & filling holes while not committing ourselves too much in the process. Which imo is really smart & refreshing.

 

But yes if all works out, our offense should be in a much greater position to succeed than it was last year, Allen, McCoy/Gore, everyone. And as for the draft McBeane can draft BPA.

Things are looking up for sure

[MJS]

2 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Zay is definitely on a short leash.  Crossman's unit easily cost us 2 games. 8-8 with a rookie QB is very commendable. 

Don't want to play the "what if" game, but you can add a win if Clay catches that ball in the end zone. There really wasn't a huge difference between 2017 Bills and 2018 Bills. Caught less breaks, special teams nose dived, and the oline sucked. But the defense got better.

[Chandler#81]

Good thread and responses. 

My takes 

1. #2 Ranked D isn’t an under or over rating system. Just an emotionless adding machine, tabulating yrds vs pass & run. Blowout loses skew the view when early T/O’s turn into points from close range. ie: 24 points against in 4 drives, 35 total yds. The 9th worst team does not have the second best defense.

2. 4 horrific blowout losses in both of McDermotts years as HC is a trend. Only the Bengals magical 4th & 12 conversion kept it from eliminating the team both years. This has to stop. Yes, peterman had a hand in a few of them, but we were outmanned and out coached in all 8. I see DL as a serious commitment in the Draft.

3. Penalties. Far too many per game. Allen likely had another 1000 yrds passing were it not for penalties. This is another trend McDermott needs to clean up.

4.Evidently, there’s going to be a lot of unhappy fans when Z. Jones starts in the Opener. The staggering list of WRs Dopey listed suggest Allen only has Zay as a receiver he’s built any kind of rapport with and as said, the coaches like him. He finally found a rhythm last season.

5.Everybody saw the crapshow that was our ‘Special Needs Teams’ last year and I agree with the OP it cost us at least 2 games. Was Houschka’s injury his only problem? If he returns to form and one of the punters takes the opportunity by the throat and secures the job, then the FA signings & a couple rookies will shore this unit up. When the mantra becomes ‘just don’t screw it up’, everything else is gravy.

6. Croom groom continues. He’s staying -even with a high pick.

7. FA haul convinces me there’ll be a whole new offense installed, heavy on the pass and designed around Josh and his skills. That’s how veteran OL mesh quickly and plays to the strength of the QB.

8. I now stream the games for free, but I miss watching full game replays this time of year..

 

Good job, OP.

[SoTier]

10 hours ago, Fred Slacks said:

Just been watching games from last season. 

 

 

Okay, dude, what did you do that was so bad that you had to do a penance this bad?????

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, offyourocker said:

 

 

I think Zay will surpass a 1000 yards next year

 

In the naked hallway sprint? 

[mannc]

8 hours ago, Fred Slacks said:

All valid. I realize it can easily go both ways. But we were close in those games. 

 

On the other hand we got beat handily by the Ravens, Chargers, Green Bay, and Chicago. 

Ahem, aren’t you forgetting something?  Neither NE game was competitive.  Until that changes, this team’s not going anywhere.

[machine gun kelly]

9 hours ago, Southern Bills Fan said:

I think Zay last year was working against opponents first and second corners. This year he will be matched against third and fourth corners. I think we will see a big difference. 

 

You make a good point as he won’t be on the field as much.  Daboll plays a lot of 12 personnel, so we’ll have if we can draft one of the top 3 TE’s, there will be less WR’s on the field.  Brown and Foster as well as Beasley will be the top 3, not in that order necessarily, so Jones is going to be in more when in 11 personnel, a single back so we have 4 wides in on the play.  He’ll probably contribute more in special teams.

[mannc]

4 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

 

Daboll plays a lot of 12 personnel, 

Let’s hope the refs don’t notice...

[BritBill]

10 hours ago, Jpsredemption said:

Yes he is. Zay had a fluky 7 TDs but even in his best games, see at Miami, he had critical drops. I was always baffled by a trade up in the draft for a receiver with no outstanding qualities and his best quality in college, his hands, are even suspect. 

 

"Fluky 7 TDs" is something I'll never get tired of reading. 

 

How can something that happened 7 times be a fluke?

 

 

 

[teef]

6 minutes ago, BritBill said:

 

"Fluky 7 TDs" is something I'll never get tired of reading. 

 

How can something that happened 7 times be a fluke?

 

 

 

that was my first thought too.  how can 7 tds be "fluky"?    not to say zay doesn't need to show significant improvement in his game, but some people try too hard to discount any good that may have actually occurred with this team.  zay improved considerably from year one to year two.  that's what we needed to see.  

Edited April 8, 2019 by teef

[BritBill]

Just now, teef said:

that was my first thought too.  how can 7 tds be "fluky"?    not to say zay doesn't need to show significant improvement in his game, but some people try too hard to discount any good that may have actually occurred with this team.  zay improved considerably from year one to year two.  that's what we needed to see.  

 

I concur. I'm not Jones's biggest fan but to knock his TD output for last year seems odd. 

 

When I read he had 7 TDs I was flabbergasted. With the receivers and TE ( I suspect we'll see a TE early in the draft too) brought in over free agency he'll do well to match that next season even if his catch % and yards increase. 

[Fred Slacks]

1 hour ago, mannc said:

Ahem, aren’t you forgetting something?  Neither NE game was competitive.  Until that changes, this team’s not going anywhere.

 

First NE game was competitive only cause our defense kept us in the game. It did slip away quickly in the 4th. But yes the second NE game is a main reason why I feel our defense still has a long ways to go. 

[Pete]

If we can stop the run, and if someone besides Hughes starts pressuring QBs- we will have a top defensive unit.  Turnovers, field position, and big plays will be benefits of adding quality DT and Edge

[T master]

13 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Good post. To nitpick though, I definitely disagree about Zay Jones. 

 

Jones is bad in my opinion and I think this regime is starting to lose faith in him.

 

I think that is a big reason they added Duke, Beasley, and Brown

 

 

Competition is motivation !! 

[ProcessAccepted]

11 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

I agree that ST's was bad and put us in bad positions......good teams win games where ST's mistakes are made.

No offense but I'm tired of people saying stuff like this. It sounds great but it's really just a cliche.

 

Games are often decided on single event. Especially late in the game. A special team player fumbling or muffing a punt can easily change the outcome. Bad calls by refs also often change the result. The roughing the passer call on Brady against the Chiefs changed that game's out come. Sometimes the margin of victory is so small in this league that a single event or call of the ref can determine the outcome. 

 

The OP is correct in that ST's cost us games last year.

[Dr. K]

2 hours ago, teef said:

that was my first thought too.  how can 7 tds be "fluky"?    not to say zay doesn't need to show significant improvement in his game, but some people try too hard to discount any good that may have actually occurred with this team.  zay improved considerably from year one to year two.  that's what we needed to see.  

And he had an 8th td reception that he fumbled at the goal line and Croom recovered for the TD. Not that fumbling at the goal line is to his credit.

[John from Riverside]

2 hours ago, ProcessAccepted said:

No offense but I'm tired of people saying stuff like this. It sounds great but it's really just a cliche.

 

Games are often decided on single event. Especially late in the game. A special team player fumbling or muffing a punt can easily change the outcome. Bad calls by refs also often change the result. The roughing the passer call on Brady against the Chiefs changed that game's out come. Sometimes the margin of victory is so small in this league that a single event or call of the ref can determine the outcome. 

 

The OP is correct in that ST's cost us games last year.

And you can easily find that "single event" somewhere else in the game.......

 

The Patriots have made special teams mistakes.......do they lose games because of them.

 

I have the film on that game and will go back and re watch it.....I am willing to bet I can find at least 5 plays that are not special teams that decided that outcome.

[Seasons1992]

13 hours ago, Dopey said:

Kelvin Benjamin,  Jeremy Kerley Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Brandon Reilly, Robert Foster, Quan Bray, Malachi Dupre, Ray-Ray McCloud, Cam Phillips, Austin Proehl, Kaelin Clay.

 

[machine gun kelly]

5 hours ago, mannc said:

Let’s hope the refs don’t notice...

 

Manc- 12 personnel means two TE’s set, vs. 11 personnel is a three WR set, and 10 personnel is a 4 WR set.

I hope that helps.

[technobot]

Nice post, OP, and I agree (unscientifically) with most if not all your assessments.

 

I thought our #2 defensive ranking was overblown. I saw the defense frequently being gashed up the middle on runs. I saw especially competent offenses (Patriots) have their way with us. We showed well in the second game but eventually, like always, they wore us down and ran away with it. However I feel the defense is close; would love to see a monster 3-tech DL or another stud edge rusher, although I believe the interior lineman is the greater need.

 

This isn't to say the defense was trash; it's difficult to diagnose because the offense was incompetent for the first half of the season, blips (@Vikings) notwithstanding. I think the defense is better by default because the offense (hopefully) is much better, same with special teams as you pointed out. Being better than the 2018 Bills' Offensive Line/Special Teams is a low bar to hurdle, I will jump the gun here and say "mission accomplished".

 

The Peterman thing will always be a head scratcher and a source of concern regarding McDermott, however I've come to accept that he must the world's greatest teammate and is a positive presence in the QB room. I'm not being sarcastic when I say this, he had other teams at least look at him (Raiders still have him, and Lions took a flyer). It says alot about AJ McCarron; he must not have been helpful to the other QBs at all, I think Beane had a quote (paraphrasing) "he was not who we expected".

 

The homer optimism I have every year genuinely feels different this year. With what I believe are two fairly successful drafts under the regime's belt, I'm really looking forward to part 3.