THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - Taking Care of Business at MetLife

[Shaw66]

 

Everyone says it and it’s good to remember:  it’s hard to win in the NFL.   Every team is talented, and every team, if well prepared and determined, can a tough opponent.

 

Everyone says it and it’s good to remember: it’s hard to win on the road in NFL.  The opponent is comfortable and has the support of a vocal crowd.

 

So here are the Buffalo Bills, two games into the season with two road wins in the book, including one against a division opponent.   The Bills are 2-0, and that was the objective.  Mission accomplished.

 

Are the Jets and Giants two of the five worst teams in the league, and therefore no one should get too excited about the 2019 start?  Maybe they are, and maybe most teams in the league would have started 2-0 against the Jets and Giants.  No one knows, not yet.  But there’s nothing more that a team can do but beat the teams on their schedule.  Good teams do that; the Bills just did it. 

 

Even better, the Bills looked like a good team.  In both games, they responded to adversity.   In both games they were in control as the game wound down in the fourth quarter.

 

Teams don’t often dominate the play for a full 60 minutes, unless, it seems, you’re playing the Dolphins.   What good teams do is dominate enough of the game to be the clear winner.  The Bills did that to the Giants.   Yes, the Giants, opened the game with a powerful drive, but the Bills responded with a punt and then three straight touchdown drives.  Yes, the Giants control most of the third quarter and scored early in the fourth, but the Bills responded with a touchdown drive of their own.   After that, the Bills shut down the Giants to end the game.

 

Good teams don’t let stars beat them.  The Bills didn’t let LeVeon Bell beat them in week one, and they didn’t let Saquon Barkley beat them, either.   Sure, Barkley looked all world on the opening drive, but after that, the Bills had him contained.  The Bills defense challenged the rest of the Giants to beat them, and the Giants more or less had no answer. 

 

All around, it was a quality win. 

 

A few observations:

 

1.  Josh Allen.  He is who we thought he is.  The guy can throw, he can throw all kinds of passes.   He’s still learning.  He had an ugly sack fumble that fortunately was blown dead, or so the referee said.  He’s still holding the ball too long sometimes, but he will learn.  He missed a deep ball.  He is getting better and better at finding the open man in the weak part of the defense.  He can run, but he isn’t running as much as last season.   He’s throwing shorter passes and completing most of them.  NFL fans are about to wake up to the fact that the Bills have a quarterback.

 

2.  Running backs.  Once again this week, the opponent had the star running back, and the Bills had the better rushing attack.  The Bills are getting good blocking at the point of attack, some superb downfield blocking, and the running backs are smart and tough.  Gore plowing into the end zone was beautiful.  Anyone can see that Singletary can play.   He’s special.  It would be nice if all he had was a cramp, but I don’t recall seeing many hamstring cramps.  His immediate reaction looked like a classic hamstring tear or strain.  We will see.  He’s a critical part of the offense, even if he isn’t getting a lot of touches yet.

 

3.  Receivers.  The success of the passing game is attributable to a point that’s often overlooked:  receivers get open based on scheme much more often than they get open because they can “get separation.”   Allen’s completions against the Giants usually were uncontested catches, and the receivers weren’t open because they left some defender in the dirt.  They ran patterns that gave them an advantage and Allen knew they’d be open.  The receivers did their jobs, and they got open.  It was textbook football.

 

4.  Who’s responsible for that textbook football?  Brian Daboll, that’s who.  Over the past two weeks, the Bills offense consistently has had the answer.  They’ve had the right play, they called it or they audibled into it, and the entire offense has known how to execute.

 

5.  Micah Hyde.  I like how he catches punts.  And how he hits receivers.  Oh, my.

 

6.  Rookies, rookies, rookies.  They’re all over the field, and they can play.  It’s a testament to McDermott’s process.  When the veterans all do their jobs, somehow it’s easy for McDermott to get the rookies to do theirs.  Johnson & Johnson on defense, plus Oliver.  Knox and Ford (I know, give him time) and Singletary. 

 

7.  Perfection?  Far from it.  There were more than a few ugly plays by one player or another.  There’s a lot to improve on.  But big picture, these guys are getting the job done. 

 

8.  Bojo.  Please don’t outkick the coverage.   Please. 

 

9.  Shaq Lawson is for real.   Two weeks in a row.   He’s becoming too much for defenses to handle.   It’s nice to see. 

 

 

It’s been years, maybe decades, since Orchard Park has seen a home opener like the one we’ll see this Sunday.   It’ll be like a Monday night game.   Bills will want and should get non-stop noise.   Bengals are 0-2, and yes, they could also be among the five worst teams in the league.   The schedule is outside the Bills’ control; how they play is squarely in their control, and so far, the Bills are doing just fine.

 

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.

[LeGOATski]

5 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

 

Everyone says it and it’s good to remember:  it’s hard to win in the NFL.  

Alright, Jauron... ?

 

Bengals got stomped today. I'm kinda surprised. They're still a dangerous team, though. The Bills secondary will need to shut down John Ross.

[foreboding]

Well said. I love McProcess. Not only do they not think about the next game, they don't even think about the next quarter. It's one play at a time.

[HappyDays]

6 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Josh Allen.  He is who we thought he is.  The guy can throw, he can throw all kinds of passes.  

 

He made at least 2 throws today that less than 5 QBs in the league can make. If he stays consistent on the regular plays and makes 2-3 star plays every game he will be a top 5 QB before long.

 

I still think this team is missing one star on each side. The offense needs a true #1 receiver and the defense needs a stud edge rusher. I expect Beane to find both missing pieces next offseason and then the Bills will be ready to compete for a deep playoff run. This year I'm having fun watching the young players grow into themselves.

[mead107]

Thanks for the review.  

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

Good observation. I'm with you on these points. It wasn't always fun to watch, but they got the job done. Sans the first drive, I love the way the defense played. They should have had better pressure on Eli. He's on his last legs. By game 8, Jones is starting.  We really need to get a killer instinct going. That 3rd quarter lull pissed me off. Look at the way the Patriots put the crush on Miami. You have to beat a team down and stomp on them. It keeps you aggressive in tight games. These kind of lulls against playoff teams will result in losses. By game 4 we have to play perfect ball and finally take down NE to make a statement in the NFL and AFC East.  

[Shaw66]

Just now, HappyDays said:

 

He made at least 2 throws today that less than 5 QBs in the league can make. If he stays consistent on the regular plays and makes 2-3 star plays every game he will be a top 5 QB before long.

 

I still think this team is missing one star on each side. The offense needs a true #1 receiver and the defense needs a stud edge rusher. I expect Beane to find both missing pieces next offseason and then the Bills will be ready to compete for a deep playoff run. This year I'm having fun watching the young players grow into themselves.

You know, I'm the guy who says it's less about the talent than most people think.   But to be elite, I think you're right.   The Bills are out-executing teams, and they aren't doing it with playmakers, except Allen.  

 

I don't know about edge rusher.  I think that would be a luxury.   A true #1 is probably necessary.  Brown doesn't look like the guy, good as he's been.  

1 minute ago, BillsRdue said:

Good observation. I'm with you on these points. It wasn't always fun to watch, but they got the job done. Sans the first drive, I love the way the defense played. They should have had better pressure on Eli. He's on his last legs. By game 8, Jones is starting.  We really need to get a killer instinct going. That 3rd quarter lull pissed me off. Look at the way the Patriots put the crush on Miami. You have to beat a team down and stomp on them. It keeps you aggressive in tight games. These kind of lulls against playoff teams will result in losses. By game 4 we have to play perfect ball and finally take down NE to make a statement in the NFL and AFC East.  

I think you're wrong about lulls.   I mean, sure, you want your team to dominate for 60 minutes, but in most games, even the good teams have stretches where they don't get the job done.  After all, there are very few shutouts in the NFL.   The losers usually play some good football during some stretch of the game.  

 

Plus, this team is far from a finished product.   They're still learning, all over the field.   They will get better. 

[Virgil]

17 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Are the Jets and Giants two of the five worst teams in the league, and therefore no one should get too excited about the 2019 start?  Maybe they are, and maybe most teams in the league would have started 2-0 against the Jets and Giants.  No one knows, not yet.  But there’s nothing more that a team can do but beat the teams on their schedule.  Good teams do that; the Bills just did it. 

 

This is pretty much where I'm at mentally.  The 5-2 starts scare me and I don't think we've played close to a complete team yet.  I'm happy with 2-0.  But, if we really do expect playoffs, then we needed to be 2-0.

 

Good write up

[Buddy Hix]

Shaq does look great, I hope he continues this play all season, he’s talented and really works hard. 

 

This home opener has the potential to be one of the best games to be held here in two decades. I can’t wait!

[Shaw66]

4 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

This is pretty much where I'm at mentally.  The 5-2 starts scare me and I don't think we've played close to a complete team yet.  I'm happy with 2-0.  But, if we really do expect playoffs, then we needed to be 2-0.

 

Good write up

You know, you need wins on the road to go to the playoffs.   Bills have two in the book.   Go 6-2 at home and win two more on the road (remember, Bills still get a trip to MIami), and the playoffs could be a reality.  So whatever the caliber of the opponents, the Bills are where, as you say, they needed to be. 

[Charlottebillsfan2]

Nice review Shaw. Today could have been one of those classic Bills let down games. You know that game where at the end of the season your saying how did we lose to the giants and miss the playoffs???

 

Instead they went on the road and won a game they should have won. They did their jobs and now have a chance to open the season 3-0. 

[billspro]

I look forward to these on Sunday night! Looking forward to next weekend already. 

[Shaw66]

Just now, billspro said:

I look forward to these on Sunday night! Looking forward to next weekend already. 

Don't look for it Sunday night.   It's six and a half hours home from New Era, so I don't write up home games until Monday. 

[buffaloboyinATL]

33 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

 

 

8.  Bojo.  Please don’t outkick the coverage.   Please. 

 

So true. I said the same thing, but so far, he has been more in the positive column than the negative. Pleasant surprise. 

[Virgil]

9 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Don't look for it Sunday night.   It's six and a half hours home from New Era, so I don't write up home games until Monday. 

 

You going?  I’m really trying to make it work and, if I do, want to hit the tailgate lot

[Shaw66]

8 minutes ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

So true. I said the same thing, but so far, he has been more in the positive column than the negative. Pleasant surprise. 

Yes, he's done fine.  However, the long punt was just one more example of his problem, which is consistency.   Bills are all about consistency.  

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

 

You going?  I’m really trying to make it work and, if I do, want to hit the tailgate lot

I go to most of them.  

[Aussie Joe]

Nice write up as always Shaw..

 

Whats Plan B if Motor Singletary is out a few weeks with a hamstring?

 

Gore can’t do it on his own, so I guess we are hoping TJ steps up...

 

 

[Virgil]

32 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

 

I go to most of them.  

 

You go to Hammers?

[Shaw66]

16 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

You go to Hammers?

No.  I'm not much of a tailgater.  Park on Big Tree, talk to the owner of the house where I park, eat a sandwich, go to the game.  

[Bookie Man]

Cincinnati always gives us a hard time for some reason. They don't seem as strong as they normally are, they had some physical teams under Marvin Jones. I remember them handling us in the EJ days, then in the Tyrod days. Even though they get beaten up by the 49ers, they should've beaten what might be a pretty good Seattle team. NFL is week to week, so who knows who's really good yet. I just hope we don't have a let down game. 

And thanks Shaw, great writeup! 

Edited September 16, 2019 by NC Book