A Few Thoughts about the Titans Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

"They fell for the old banana in the tailpipe!"  Hahahaha

 

Is it me, or does it feel like the Bengals and Titans are in our division with as much as we play them?  Between the Bills fans representing so strongly and how familiar the Titans roster feels to me, it's almost like looking into a mirror from two years ago from when TT was running the show.  Listen, there is a lot to talk about from this game.  However, many points are quick blurbs and I'm going to do my best.  

 

1 - Allen - I have to agree with Allen's post game assessment that this was his best overall game as a pro.  I counted his in-completions in the first half and he didn't have one that wasn't either a throw away or a drop.  That's right, he was pretty much perfect.  However, he looked inside and found his inner Billsy and made the throw we've all come to know and expect.  The pick was huge in this defensive battle and it felt like it had an impact on our defense on the next drive.  But, to his credit and what we've also come to expect, he shrugged it off not only made the game winning drive, he also made the game sealing drive.  I want so badly to celebrate him as a QB in this game, and I know it's hard for him to not want to make the big play, but he also has to trust his defense.  If he doesn't throw that pick, I don't think the team needs the game winning drive.  If he plays that was last week against the Patriots, I think we win that game.  He has to understand the impact he has on the game both ways.  But again, it was one mistake in an otherwise perfect day.  I think he was over 70% completion percentage?  Not only that, but to see him post game with Duke was huge.  His highlight play for me was the pump fake while scrambling that created space for the pass that Sweeney dropped.  Just great situational awareness.

 

2 - Duke - I will always root for guys who we can chant their name.  For those watching at home, how crazy was it to hear the crowd chant "Duke" after the go-ahead score.  It sounded like a home game.  There were actually a few plays where they showed the crowd from certain angles and I couldn't find any Titans fans in the crowd.  Just insane.  Anyways, back to the man of the hour.  Between all the presesason love, the push for him to start this week on the board, this was a truly fan favorite story.  Besides the TD, which was his number all the way, I was really impressed with his blocking ability.  He's a wide framed dude and made some good plays downfield.  You could see how hyped he was to be in the game and caught all 4 of his targets.  It's crazy to me that this guy was targeted so much and was on the practice squad just a few days ago.  He's earned the right to continue to be out there and keep Zay on the bench.  I will say, I would still like to see McKenzie get involved more in the offense.

 

3 - Phillips - Where the hell did that come from?  I mean, I get that it was Taylor's first game back, but c'mon; 3 sacks?!  I've never seen his fat ass move that fast before.  It was almost comical how quickly he got in the backfield on some of those plays.  The replay of him tracking Mariota near the endzone was almost comical, but he still got him in open field.  Then, Daryl Johnson got one from the same spot.  They figured something out with their stunt blitzes and it was great to see them get some sacks finally.  Great job by the overall defensive line in base sets and they seemed to get more pressure only rushing 4.

 

4 - “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”

 

5 - Daboll - I think Daboll called an overall good game today, minus one drive and one specific play.  It looked like they wanted to get Allen going quickly, but also wanted to protect him.  I tried to pay more attention to formations and players not thrown at to get a better understanding of his scheme.  What I liked was the use of decoys.  Roberts was out there quite a few times just to clear defenders.  Brown was used early, but faded down the stretch.  I wished we used McKenzie more and still don't understand why we didn't see him at all last week.  Overall, Daboll knew it was going to be a low scoring game so he kept it safe.  That's not to say we didn't send people deep.  I wish I could've been at the game to see off camera as it seemed there were quite a few plays where Allen's first read was deep, but I can't say for sure.  The way he had the confidence to utilize Knox and Williams so much was good to see.  The only knock, as I'm sure anyone who saw it will expect, was the 3 plays that only took a minute with 6 and a half minutes left in the game.  The Titans gave us great field position on the missed field goal and we should've been running the clock.  I can't quite understand that one.  The Play he blew my mind on was the 4th and 1 QB sneak.  I'm all for going for it, considering the field conditions for long field goals, but that was a long yard and Allen isn't THAT long.  Regardless, good game by him and great calls to seal the game at the end.

 

6 - 3rd Quarter Woes - Yup, those are continuing here in this game.  I give credit to the defenses they play against, but we just come out incredibly flat in the 3rd quarter on both sides of the ball.  I don't know if Allen starts to press to put the game away, hence interception time, or what it is.  Every single week we seem to just roll over in the 3rd quarter and I just don't understand it.  We went 3 and out on our first drive out the gate.  At this point, just start taking the ball after winning the toss.  If anyone reads this and gets bored, I would love to know our point differential, Josh's QB rating and stats in the 3rd quarter so far this season.

 

7 - Officiating - Fortunately, there weren't any game changing calls, but the Refs sure did give the Titans some chances.  Thankfully, the illegal forward pass was flagged on the field as I don't know there was enough evidence either way to overturn it.  But the roughing call on Milano was pure crap.  I honestly want to know what Milano could have done differently on that play to prevent himself from hitting Mariota.  He was pretty much tackle blocked and his body was thrown there.  I get protecting the QB, but have some awareness of what's happening on the play.  They also made a terrible call against Milano on defensive hold call that gave the Titans a first down.  The true phantom call was the encroachment on Murphy.  Even on the replay, there was nothing to see.  The Titans argued their way into that call.  Overall, I'm just going to say the refs were an annoyance in this game.

 

8 - Offensive Line - If I told you that we were going to be without our staring Center and two of our Offensive Tackles in the second half of this game against a solid defense, you'd think Allen would be leaving the field on a stretcher.  There were two corner blitzes that should've been picked up pre-snap, but other than that, this unit did a fantastic job today.  Allen had more than enough time on most plays and the running game was decent enough.  Most importantly, they really showed up on the last drive.  They opened up holes right up the middle and both Gore and Yeldon took advantage.  They made the choice to put the game away and absolutely imposed their will on the Titans.  It was beautiful and my hats off to all of them.  They did so well that Allen's play-action bootleg was easy pickins'.

 

9 - Vrabel - I try not to talk about the opposing team much, but thank you Mr. Vrabel.  If McD made the choice to kick that field goal at the end of the game, we'd be rioting in the streets.  I have absolutely no idea what the logic was behind that decision.  Santos was worse than terrible today and couldn't have inspired any confidence in you.  You are down by 7, so you're going to have to score a TD either way eventually.  If you miss, which he inevitably did, you give us great field position, which we squandered.  Regardless, thank you Mr Vrabel for making the "Huh?" coaching decision of the day.

 

10 - Bojorquez - This guy took a beating last week by the fans, and has deserved said beating in many games.  Not today though.  Bojo was a monster in a game of field position and absolutely was booming punts today.  He didn't make a single mistake and was crucial in a defensive game of field position.  If today is a showcase of what he's capable of, I can see why they keep marching him out there.  Fantastic job!

 

Bonus Points:

-Anyone see Brown absolutely light McKenzie up in the Huddle on the illegal substitution penalty?

-Lorax needs to know better on his horse-collar tackle.  It was blatant and he held on

- Once the wide receivers are in their route for more than 3 seconds, they all start looking back to see where Allen is and adjust their routes.  I've never seen that before with them and it showed great discipline

-While he doesn't show up on the stat box much, Edmunds had two HUGE tipped passes today.  His last one gave us the ball back for the final time.

-Neal continues to be in the right place at the right time as he blew up the Titans wildcat play.  They didn't try that again afterwards

-Lorax abused Saffold on his sack and though he was going to hurt Mariota on that play

-Anyone notice the new Crucial Catch logo on the football?  It's placement is very close to where QB's put their thumb.  I wonder if that will cause a problem.

-Props to the thread about Mariota vs the Blitz.  We gave up our biggest plays when we rushed extra guys.  Well called.

 

 

4 -1 feels a lot better than 3-2, that's for sure and lets all of us enjoy the next two weeks a little better.  I don't like an early bye week, but it looks like we need it with our injuries.  Then we get the Dolphins at home at the beginning of a 3 game stretch.  This team is showing a lot of promise on defense.  Hopefully the offense can work things out and figure out the 3rd quarter.  All three home games are very winnable.  

 

Enjoy the break everyone.

Go Bills!

Edited October 7, 2019 by Virgil

[oldmanfan]

All good except one thing: let’s get rid of the term Billsy. 

[Alphadawg7]

We are 4-1 not 5-1

[Clyde Smith]

We are 4-1, but I agree with everything you wrote.

[Virgil]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

We are 4-1 not 5-1

 

Damn it!

 

I'm assuming the Dolphins game already.  Guess that means we'll lose

Edited October 7, 2019 by Virgil

[TPS]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

 

Damn it!

 

I'm assuming the Dolphins game already.  Guess that means we'll lose

I assumed you were including the Fins game. Hard not to.

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

I think way too much has been made about the interception. QBs throw them every game. Allen hasn't thrown his last. You know for a guy people said lacked accuracy, he's done pretty darn well. Focusing way too much on the supposed mistake. Give the guy a break.

[jkeerie]

Excellent write up.  I do think on the INT that Allen was expecting Yeldon to continue his route across the field.   He stopped but the defender didn't,  allowing him to make the catch.   Still ill-advised throw, though as too many receivers and defenders in the same area.

[Whitey13]

I know everyone's mad about the Allen interception and get that he does need to clean it up but Yeldon shouldn't have stopped on that route and left him out to dry

[Shaw66]

5-1?  Did I miss a win somewhere?

 

I don't agree about Bojo.   He absolutely boomed a punt that flew to the end zone.  He gave his teammates no opportunity to down the ball inside the 20.   He hasn't shown me the finesse you've like your punter to have. 

 

I'm not sure what Alexander was thinking, but he MAY have been thinking that that play was going to go for more than 15 yards - there was a lot of open field, and the 15-yard penalty may have been a bargain. 

[Uncle Joe]

9 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

3 - Phillips - Where the hell did that come from?  I mean, I get that it was Taylor's first game back, but c'mon; 3 sacks?!  I've never seen his fat ass move that fast before.  It was almost comical how quickly he got in the backfield on some of those plays.  The replay of him tracking Mariota near the endzone was almost comical, but he still got him in open field.  Then, Daryl Johnson got one from the same spot.  They figured something out with their stunt blitzes and it was great to see them get some sacks finally.  Great job by the overall defensive line in base sets and they seemed to get more pressure only rushing 4.

 

 

Lock the door, he's coming for you next ?

[Virgil]

Just now, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:

I think way too much has been made about the interception. QBs throw them every game. Allen hasn't thrown his last. You know for a guy people said lacked accuracy, he's done pretty darn well. Focusing way too much on the supposed mistake. Give the guy a break.

 

If he hadn't done it every single week this season, it wouldn't be the same issue.  It's not about the interception, it's the situation he throws them in.  If he threw one after misreading coverage, overthrew someone, or a ball was tipped, it wouldn't be mentioned at all from me.

 

It's the scramble, while about to get sacked, throwing into coverage that makes it annoying and needs to be cleaned up

[stevewin]

All the injuries and other guys stepping up and filling in is a testament to the depth of the roster that's been assembled

 

Two things especially make it feel like the tide is definitely turning 1) It always seems like kickers never miss against the Bills, not this time 2) How many times over the years has the D had to make a stop to get the ball back in the final minutes only to have a few soul crushing first down conversions made on the ground by the other team to run out the clock - today we were on the good side of that

[Shaw66]

1 minute ago, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:

I think way too much has been made about the interception. QBs throw them every game. Allen hasn't thrown his last. You know for a guy people said lacked accuracy, he's done pretty darn well. Focusing way too much on the supposed mistake. Give the guy a break.

This, plus a 2-1 TD-INT ratio is okay.   

 

That WAS a bad throw, but I continue to say that young QBs have to make those throws to learn when they can make them and when they can't.   When you make one of those throws and it doesn't cost you the game, then all's good.  

[Virgil]

2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

5-1?  Did I miss a win somewhere?

 

I don't agree about Bojo.   He absolutely boomed a punt that flew to the end zone.  He gave his teammates no opportunity to down the ball inside the 20.   He hasn't shown me the finesse you've like your punter to have. 

 

I'm not sure what Alexander was thinking, but he MAY have been thinking that that play was going to go for more than 15 yards - there was a lot of open field, and the 15-yard penalty may have been a bargain. 

 

Maybe I'm just happy his punts traveled more than 20 yards consistently

[Boatdrinks]

I actually thought Alexander’s horse collar was a smart penalty at the time. It was blatant, but thatbplay looked like it was going for huge yardage if he didn’t. 

[RiotAct]

We’re being outscored 27-10 in the 3rd quarter so far... just looked up the boxscores from the first five weeks.

[CincyBillsFan]

13 minutes ago, Virgil said:

Is it me, or does it feel like the Bengals and Titans are in our division with as much as we play them?  Between the Bills fans representing so strongly and how familiar the Titans roster feels to me, it's almost like looking into a mirror from two years ago from when TT was running the show.  Listen, there is a lot to talk about from this game.  However, many points are quick blurbs and I'm going to do my best.  

 

1 - Allen - I have to agree with Allen's post game assessment that this was his best overall game as a pro.  I counted his in-completions in the first half and he didn't have one that wasn't either a throw away or a drop.  That's right, he was pretty much perfect.  However, he looked inside and found his inner Billsy and made the throw we've all come to know and expect.  The pick was huge in this defensive battle and it felt like it had an impact on our defense on the next drive.  But, to his credit and what we've also come to expect, he shrugged it off not only made the game winning drive, he also made the game sealing drive.  I want so badly to celebrate him as a QB in this game, and I know it's hard for him to not want to make the big play, but he also has to trust his defense.  If he doesn't throw that pick, I don't think the team needs the game winning drive.  If he plays that was last week against the Patriots, I think we win that game.  He has to understand the impact he has on the game both ways.  But again, it was one mistake in an otherwise perfect day.  I think he was over 70% completion percentage?  Not only that, but to see him post game with Duke was huge.  His highlight play for me was the pump fake while scrambling that created space for the pass that Sweeney dropped.  Just great situational awareness.

 

 

 

I'm going to keep beating this dead horse until it's hamburger but over on the Allen Report Card thread is a video that convinced me the INT was NOT on Allen.  It was an aggressive but great throw that had Yeldon NOT stopped on his route he would have caught the ball and the BIll's would have converted a 3rd & long.

 

I bet in film study the Bills staff will agree with this assessment.  In fact I suspect they will want Allen to continue making that throw as it will most often lead to big plays then INT's.  It's fair to criticize Allen when he plays hero ball.  But that pass was NOT an example of Hero ball.  It was more an example that our receivers are not as smooth as they need to be during a QB scramble.

 

 

 

 

[jkeerie]

8 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

5-1?  Did I miss a win somewhere?

 

I don't agree about Bojo.   He absolutely boomed a punt that flew to the end zone.  He gave his teammates no opportunity to down the ball inside the 20.   He hasn't shown me the finesse you've like your punter to have. 

 

I'm not sure what Alexander was thinking, but he MAY have been thinking that that play was going to go for more than 15 yards - there was a lot of open field, and the 15-yard penalty may have been a bargain. 

You're right about Bojo needing finesse, but after last week I'm thankful he was getting his kicks off cleanly.

 

I think that's exactly what Lorax was thinking. 

[mead107]

Awesome