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Buffalo Bills 2018 MVP... Whitney Mercilus


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Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and ChroniclePublished 3:28 p.m. ET Oct. 17, 2018 

 

ORCHARD PARK – Sean McDermott made it pretty clear, without actually saying the words, that he felt the hit Josh Allen took on his right elbow from Houston linebacker Whitney Mercilus on Sunday was a cheap shot.

 

“I’m not going to go into that,” McDermott said Wednesday, shortly after he announced that Derek Anderson would take over as the starting quarterback in Allen’s expected month long absence. “I’ve addressed that with the powers that be and I’m not going to go any further on that.”

 

Watching the replay, it certainly looks like Mercilus lowered his helmet and aimed it right at Allen’s elbow, and in an age where protecting the quarterback seems to be more important than anything else, referee Craig Wrolstad did not throw a flag.

 

Not that it would have mattered because the damage was already done. Allen took a direct shot, and after playing one more snap and realizing the pain was too great, he took a knee and called for the trainers, who then removed him from the game.

 

 

I was furious watching Allen go down on what looked like a cheap shot and obvious Roughing penalty.  Mercilus led with his helmet and hammered Allen's throwing arm.  When Allen went out and didn't come back in I felt gut punched.  When the initial reports said Allen might need season ending surgery on his throwing arm I was livid.  As a lifelong Bills fan I though here was just another example of the black cloud that had seemed to settle in over our city and our football team.   We just couldn't catch a break. 

 

Week 6 of the season and the season was already over.  It's not that Allen was tearing it up, in fact he looked pretty shaky, but he flashed his ability enough like in the Minnesota game to make me optimistic that with some more playing experience there was a chance he could really be our franchise QB.  Now that was gone and I was worried 2018 would simply be another wasted year for this team.  Fortunately the news came back that Allen would not need surgery and would likely miss several weeks but he had a chance to return this season.

 

Week 12 and Allen is back behind center, but this doesn't look like the Josh Allen we were watching before the injury.  He was getting the ball out faster, taking less sacks.  He was more poised and less apt to run at the first sign of trouble, hanging in the pocket more.  He seemed to be reading the defense better.  He was going to the right receivers more often (even if they dropped it), he was starting to look like a real franchise quarterback.  It was really night and day, the way he played before the injury and how he played after.

 

It looked like the game had finally slowed down for Allen. You hear that expression a lot but I have never seen a more stark example of it. 

 

Something clicked for Allen during those six weeks he was convalescing in the middle of the season that let him recalibrate his game.  Maybe it was having the time to spend critically examining every snap he took and studying how the defenses were playing him.  He didn't have to worry about preparing for this weeks opponent.  Didn't have to worry about learning the game plan.  He wasn't spending time working on the physical aspects of the game,  he was forced to work on the mental aspect of his game and it seems to be exactly what he needed.

 

Josh Allen after the injury was a different quarterback.  Without that injury and that six week break in the middle of the season, I don't think Allen makes the jump he did this season.  I think he would have continued to muddle through the rest of the season continuing to flash his raw ability but not evolving like he did. Every quarterback at this level can throw the ball.  It is the ability to mentally process the game quickly, on the field, while bodies are flying around you, that separates the mediocre QBs from the true franchise QBs.  It was that change in Allen's mental game after the injury that made all the difference.

 

Without Mercilus's cheap shot on Allen in week 6, I think there is no way we see Allen's renaissance in the second half of the season.  I don't think he heads into this off season with a head of steam and a lot of confidence.  I think that six week mid-season sabbatical was the best thing that could have happened to Josh Allen.  If Allen goes on to become a true franchise QB he might owe it all to Whitney Mercilus.

 

Buffalo Bills 2018 season MVP... Whitney Mercilus. 

 

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I want to call you crazy but there is a enough logic there that I will simply call you incorrect. Allen I believe would have improved similarly without being out for 2 months. Now if we draft an absolute stud with 9 I might have to revisit.

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3 minutes ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

I want to call you crazy but there is a enough logic there that I will simply call you incorrect. Allen I believe would have improved similarly without being out for 2 months. Now if we draft an absolute stud with 9 I might have to revisit.

 

No way to know who is right on this, but I think I'm right. 

 

Maybe it was having a chance to watch how Anderson ran things and prepared for a game.  Maybe it was having more time for film study.  Maybe it was being able to take a step back and look at the big picture instead of being caught up in the minutiae of weekly game preparation. Bottom line is that Josh Allen week 12 is a different QB than Josh Allen week 6.  The mental part of the game slowed down for him during those six weeks.  I don't know if that happens this season otherwise.

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Just now, Inigo Montoya said:

 

 

No way to know who is right on this, but I think I'm right. 

 

Maybe it was having a chance to watch how Anderson ran things and prepared for a game.  Maybe it was having more time for film study.  Maybe it was being able to take a step back and look at the big picture instead of being caught up in the minutiae of weekly game preparation. Bottom line is that Josh Allen week 12 is a different QB than Josh Allen week 6.  The mental part of the game slowed down for him during those six weeks.  I don't know if that happens this season otherwise.

That's hard to say another thing that happened that same week was Anderson got signed to mentor him and Barkley shortly after.

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1 minute ago, Warcodered said:

That's hard to say another thing that happened that same week was Anderson got signed to mentor him and Barkley shortly after.

 

Does Anderson get signed if Mercilus doesn't knock Allen out?

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Interesting take. I agree it did Josh a ton of good to be on the sidelines with Daboll in his ear the entire time he was out. Seemed to do Daboll some good as well because when Allen came back, we were running different sets which Allen seemed to prefer and he did a lot better job getting us in and out of plays based on what he was seeing pre-snap. 

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1 minute ago, Inigo Montoya said:

 

Does Anderson get signed if Mercilus doesn't knock Allen out?

He was already here but I think he was inactive that week since he hadn't really had much time to learn the playbook. Barkley is a better question seemed like he got brought in to prevent any further Petermaning.

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2 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

He was already here but I think he was inactive that week since he hadn't really had much time to learn the playbook. Barkley is a better question seemed like he got brought in to prevent any further Petermaning.

 

You're right, Anderson was signed five days before the Houston game.  Thanks.

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32 minutes ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

I want to call you crazy but there is a enough logic there that I will simply call you incorrect. Allen I believe would have improved similarly without being out for 2 months. Now if we draft an absolute stud with 9 I might have to revisit.

Just think if history repeats again...just for a different team...The Patriots will thank Mo Lewis for building their dynasty thanks to his nasty hit on Drew Bledsoe...May be this is the same for our guy (just in a slightly different situation)

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1 hour ago, Inigo Montoya said:

Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and ChroniclePublished 3:28 p.m. ET Oct. 17, 2018 

 

ORCHARD PARK – Sean McDermott made it pretty clear, without actually saying the words, that he felt the hit Josh Allen took on his right elbow from Houston linebacker Whitney Mercilus on Sunday was a cheap shot.

 

“I’m not going to go into that,” McDermott said Wednesday, shortly after he announced that Derek Anderson would take over as the starting quarterback in Allen’s expected month long absence. “I’ve addressed that with the powers that be and I’m not going to go any further on that.”

 

Watching the replay, it certainly looks like Mercilus lowered his helmet and aimed it right at Allen’s elbow, and in an age where protecting the quarterback seems to be more important than anything else, referee Craig Wrolstad did not throw a flag.

 

Not that it would have mattered because the damage was already done. Allen took a direct shot, and after playing one more snap and realizing the pain was too great, he took a knee and called for the trainers, who then removed him from the game.

 

 

I was furious watching Allen go down on what looked like a cheap shot and obvious Roughing penalty.  Mercilus led with his helmet and hammered Allen's throwing arm.  When Allen went out and didn't come back in I felt gut punched.  When the initial reports said Allen might need season ending surgery on his throwing arm I was livid.  As a lifelong Bills fan I though here was just another example of the black cloud that had seemed to settle in over our city and our football team.   We just couldn't catch a break. 

 

Week 6 of the season and the season was already over.  It's not that Allen was tearing it up, in fact he looked pretty shaky, but he flashed his ability enough like in the Minnesota game to make me optimistic that with some more playing experience there was a chance he could really be our franchise QB.  Now that was gone and I was worried 2018 would simply be another wasted year for this team.  Fortunately the news came back that Allen would not need surgery and would likely miss several weeks but he had a chance to return this season.

 

Week 12 and Allen is back behind center, but this doesn't look like the Josh Allen we were watching before the injury.  He was getting the ball out faster, taking less sacks.  He was more poised and less apt to run at the first sign of trouble, hanging in the pocket more.  He seemed to be reading the defense better.  He was going to the right receivers more often (even if they dropped it), he was starting to look like a real franchise quarterback.  It was really night and day, the way he played before the injury and how he played after.

 

It looked like the game had finally slowed down for Allen. You hear that expression a lot but I have never seen a more stark example of it. 

 

Something clicked for Allen during those six weeks he was convalescing in the middle of the season that let him recalibrate his game.  Maybe it was having the time to spend critically examining every snap he took and studying how the defenses were playing him.  He didn't have to worry about preparing for this weeks opponent.  Didn't have to worry about learning the game plan.  He wasn't spending time working on the physical aspects of the game,  he was forced to work on the mental aspect of his game and it seems to be exactly what he needed.

 

Josh Allen after the injury was a different quarterback.  Without that injury and that six week break in the middle of the season, I don't think Allen makes the jump he did this season.  I think he would have continued to muddle through the rest of the season continuing to flash his raw ability but not evolving like he did. Every quarterback at this level can throw the ball.  It is the ability to mentally process the game quickly, on the field, while bodies are flying around you, that separates the mediocre QBs from the true franchise QBs.  It was that change in Allen's mental game after the injury that made all the difference.

 

Without Mercilus's cheap shot on Allen in week 6, I think there is no way we see Allen's renaissance in the second half of the season.  I don't think he heads into this off season with a head of steam and a lot of confidence.  I think that six week mid-season sabbatical was the best thing that could have happened to Josh Allen.  If Allen goes on to become a true franchise QB he might owe it all to Whitney Mercilus.

 

Buffalo Bills 2018 season MVP... Whitney Mercilus. 

 

 

I was with you right up until that last sentence (bolded).

 

Here's the thing... I don't actually agree with you but the premise that he progressed quicker because of the cheap shot is at least reasonably plausible.

 

However...

 

There's no way that hit defined Allen's career. If he goes on to be a "true fanchise qb",  I submit Mercilus had nothing to do with it. Allen having an accelerated growth curve as a rookie because of this cheap shot is a debatable stance, but there is no way you could convince me that it's possible Mercilus raised Allen's ceiling or somehow improved the entirety of his career.

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6 minutes ago, Heavy Kevi said:

 

I was with you right up until that last sentence (bolded).

 

Here's the thing... I don't actually agree with you but the premise that he progressed quicker because of the cheap shot is at least reasonably plausible.

 

However...

 

There's no way that hit defined Allen's career. If he goes on to be a "true fanchise qb",  I submit Mercilus had nothing to do with it. Allen having an accelerated growth curve as a rookie because of this cheap shot is a debatable stance, but there is no way you could convince me that it's possible Mercilus raised Allen's ceiling or somehow improved the entirety of his career.

 

 

I agree that hit doesn't define Allen's career, but I do think it changed the trajectory.  Having a chance to pause and look back at your mistakes can be an invaluable thing.  It's an old saw but its true, you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes.  The trick is being honest with yourself and actually examining your mistakes and owning them.  I think that break mid-season gave Allen an opportunity to do that, and to his credit, he embraced it. 

 

It basically gave Allen a fresh start, a second shot to do things differently.  A mulligan.  You see this happen all the time in all types of fields, not just football, but we can use a football example.  The greatest coach in NFL history got fired from his first head coaching job with...  the Cleveland Browns.  Wrap your mind around that irony.

 

 

 

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45 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

He was already here but I think he was inactive that week since he hadn't really had much time to learn the playbook. Barkley is a better question seemed like he got brought in to prevent any further Petermaning.

 

?Nice one!

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1 hour ago, Inigo Montoya said:

 

 

No way to know who is right on this, but I think I'm right

 

 

You keep using that word...I don't think it means what you think it means.

 

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Here's the really interesting thing:

Think of how much Allen benefitted from that six weeks. It was the first time since his last game at Wyoming that he just got to concentrate on learning and getting better. Prior to that, it was combine preparation, pro day preparation, getting drafted, moving to a new town and meeting new teammates, engaging in a three-way battle for starting QB in which he received mainly third string reps in camp, and then being thrust into the lineup before he was expecting it and learning on the fly with very little preparation. Once he FINALLY got to just sit down and learn and watch and process, his game improved leaps and bounds. 

Seeing how much he was able to improve in six weeks of dedicated learning and observing, I can't help but be really excited for his development this offseason. He's settled in Orchard Park, is secure in his starting spot, is already clearly comfortable demonstrating leadership, is going into his second year under Daboll, and will be getting ALL the starters reps in training camp. That is absolutely HUGE! It can't be overstated how beneficial to his game it will be to not have all the ancillary stuff to worry about, to not have to be a rookie learning on the fly, to have all the live game reps he does under his belt. And none of this even MENTIONS the improved supporting cast around him! I mean...could the Bills actually have a RUNNING game against next season? Could Allen be kept upright and have open targets to throw to? The mind races at the possibilities.

Exciting time to be a Bills fan.

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Didn't really seem like a cheap shot to me, just a bang bang play. Probably should have been called, but it didn't seem like he was trying to hurt anybody.

 

But I'd have to watch it again and from different angles to know for sure, I suppose.

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4 hours ago, Inigo Montoya said:

 

Does Anderson get signed if Mercilus doesn't knock Allen out?

 

 

Anderson got signed on Oct. 9th and Allen was knocked out on Oct. 14th, so I think ... yes.

 

Didn't look like a cheap shot to me, and I absolutely agree that Allen's time off benefitted him a great deal. But that wasn't even the most important game of the year, much less the most important play.

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Good analysis, hard to argue it was not a good result in the end.

 

I would add, it was during those six weeks that Anderson and Barkley were added, throw into your reasoning that he finally had veteran mentors to help him in the mental side of the game, something he did not have before that.

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I'm unsure if it was an intentional shot or not.

 

I remember being miffed at the time as it was looking like we were going to win that game under Allen. Then we all copped a dose of Petermonia. 

 

Looking back, it turned out to be a blessing.

 

 

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