Eight players, one question: What’s the biggest concern Bills must address?

[YoloinOhio]

From the Athletic (paywall) Tim Graham article - 

 

I thought the quotes about what they hear about themselves were most interesting. They hear everything. Seems like the coaches make sure of that. 

 

Players interviewed:

 

Feleciano

Beasley

jordan Phillips 

jordan poyer

star

edmunds

Murphy 

Lorax 

 

 

With eight games played and eight to go, what are you most concerned about addressing for the second half of the season?

 

Some of the player quotes that stood out to me ...

 

“everybody picks us to lose pretty much every week anyway, so …”

 

“We’re (considered) one of the worst 6-2 teams in the league. That’s the perception.”

 

“We can’t get too high when nobody is pumping us up anyways.”

 

“Sometimes we look really, really, really good. But then we look really, really bad. We’ve got to find a way to cut out all the really, really bad moments”

 

“We really haven’t played close to a complete game yet. You want to inch more toward playing more of the game than we have been so far.”

 

 

How offensive is to be 6-2 and have a guy like me ask what you need to work on?

“That’s normal, man. You can’t even enjoy the wins.”

 

“There’s not a lot of belief outside of this locker room even though we’re 6-2. But I think guys believe in each other. I believe we’re a good team. If we just continue to what Sean always preaches, sticking to the process, continuing to work and not listening to the outside, we can be a dangerous team.”

 

“In the secondary, we always preach that nobody gives us credit. Everyone talks about Jamal Adamses and Harrison Smiths and Earl Thomases and not enough about Tre’Davious White or Micah Hyde. We use that.”

 

 

[quinnearlysghost88]

I think fans need to stop and take a step back and realize this team was 6-10 last year. We’ve already equaled our total wins by week 8 and lost to the Pats by a blocked punt. Give it time. This years probably a close wild card game. And next year? Maybe our division. 

[BringBackOrton]

1 minute ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

I think fans need to stop and take a step back and realize this team was 6-10 last year. We’ve already equaled our total wins by week 8 and lost to the Pats by a blocked punt. Give it time. This years probably a close wild card game. And next year? Maybe our division. 

I don’t think the players care about the fans. It’s the media, which won’t give you credit as a good team until you prove it.

[quinnearlysghost88]

1 hour ago, BringBackOrton said:

I don’t think the players care about the fans. It’s the media, which won’t give you credit as a good team until you prove it.

Sports media writes for their readers — fans. 

[BringBackOrton]

1 minute ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

Sports media writes for their readers — fans. 

National fans, not Bills fans. It’s why there’s so many handwringing on this board when some nobody at CBS sports leaves us off a list.

 

My point is that Hyde is not addressing that 10% of Bills fans think we are paper tigers. It’s the 90% of national media.

[ProcessAccepted]

What this team needs is time. There's so many new pieces you have to remember it takes a little time to learn to play together as a consistent unit. This team at times plays really really good football. That's the potential that we are building to. Just give it a little more time and enjoy 6-2 and counting.

 

[BringBackOrton]

2 minutes ago, ProcessAccepted said:

What this team needs is time. There's so many new pieces you have to remember it takes a little time to learn to play together as a consistent unit. This team at times plays really really good football. That's the potential that we are building to. Just give it a little more time and enjoy 6-2 and counting.

 

I’m pretty sure the defense is almost entirely the same this year, isn’t it?

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Do you want to let a future Hughes or Poyer go because you panicked too soon?  

asking for a friend 

[VirginiaMike]

To answer the question "What's the biggest concern", I have three nominees:

1. The Offensive line (Guards in particular).  There's not alot of movement shown in short yardage

2.  Stopping the run - never should have been gashed the way Peterson gashed them, especially since the QB was in his first start and not a threat.

3.  Levi Wallace - He's been getting beat too often.  Granted he gets most of the action since teams stay away from White, but I like Johnson better than Wallace right now.

[Virgil]

I like that they are upfront and say the things a lot of fans/media see.   
 

They don’t pull the “coach speak” and shows they are working on the right things 

[Don Otreply]

Run D, and the offense not stumbling over their own mistakes. That’s all I got.

 

Go Bills!!!

[ganesh]

I believe in this team.  This team is MUCH MUCH better than the crap that we have sent out on the field for several years.  

3 hours ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

I think fans need to stop and take a step back and realize this team was 6-10 last year. We’ve already equaled our total wins by week 8 and lost to the Pats by a blocked punt. Give it time. This years probably a close wild card game. And next year? Maybe our division. 

BINGO

[billsfan89]

The run defense and the offense not having that killer instinct to put games away. Those are the two main concerns. Not sure what could be done to address those issues.

[I'm Spartacus]

My biggest concern is our current punter. He's got to go. Get someone (anyone) off the waiver wire or the street.

[ProcessAccepted]

53 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

I’m pretty sure the defense is almost entirely the same this year, isn’t it?

Gave up 9 points. Made adjustments in the second half. I only experience your negativity for the 20 minutes or so a day I spend on this board. I can't imagine what you go through dealing with it 24*7. Yikes!!

[hjnick]

The reason why people/fans are having a hard time billeaving this team is for real is the way we have been winning.

 

Our D is legit, but this offense is just plain hard to watch sometimes.  We were up 17-6 at half and after that it looked like our offense went into a shell and played prevent throwing for almost the whole third and fourth quarters, leaning on our defense... A good team shouldn't do that.

 

I don't blame any of the players for this, I blame the coaches to call run, run, run all the time, trying to run out the clock instead of trying to attack Washington and pass *some*, not a ton, enough passing to keep the defense guessing.  We were running well yesterday, it was screaming play action pass down the field all second half.  I think we did it once or twice...

 

Coaches need to stop going into a shell up more than a TD... put teams away.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

From the Athletic (paywall) Tim Graham article - 

I thought the quotes about what they hear about themselves were most interesting. They hear everything. Seems like the coaches make sure of that. 

Players interviewed:

 

Feleciano

Beasley

jordan Phillips 

jordan poyer

star

edmunds

Murphy 

Lorax 

 

 

With eight games played and eight to go, what are you most concerned about addressing for the second half of the season?

 

Some of the player quotes that stood out to me ...

 

“everybody picks us to lose pretty much every week anyway, so …”

 

“We’re (considered) one of the worst 6-2 teams in the league. That’s the perception.”

 

“We can’t get too high when nobody is pumping us up anyways.”

 

“Sometimes we look really, really, really good. But then we look really, really bad. We’ve got to find a way to cut out all the really, really bad moments”

 

“We really haven’t played close to a complete game yet. You want to inch more toward playing more of the game than we have been so far.”

 

 

How offensive is to be 6-2 and have a guy like me ask what you need to work on?

“That’s normal, man. You can’t even enjoy the wins.”

 

“There’s not a lot of belief outside of this locker room even though we’re 6-2. But I think guys believe in each other. I believe we’re a good team. If we just continue to what Sean always preaches, sticking to the process, continuing to work and not listening to the outside, we can be a dangerous team.”

 

“In the secondary, we always preach that nobody gives us credit. Everyone talks about Jamal Adamses and Harrison Smiths and Earl Thomases and not enough about Tre’Davious White or Micah Hyde. We use that.”

 

Interesting bit to me:

Tremaine Edmunds, linebacker
We need to continue to play together, get our fundamentals right, just playing better with everybody playing the same calls out there.

What specifically about fundamentals? You’re professional athletes two months into the regular season.

Simple things, staying in our gaps, using our hands, making good breaks, things like that.

How can that get away from a team?

We’re human, too. Even though we get paid, a lot of things are going on in the game. You’ve just got to be able to lock into the moment and do your responsibility.

How do you see that evolving week to week?

It shows on film. Guys are making plays. We’re stopping a lot of things. The situation for every play is different, but you see guys going all-out.

 

I know I had the same sense of skepticism when I heard McDermott and Frazier talking about fundamentals, the same "what?  these guys are professionals! " reaction

 

I thought the Lo Down with Lorenzo Alexander was interesting last Friday because he talked some about what this means and why there's a need for it.  Give it a listen - I was more hopeful that it wasn't just "fluff" and might have some practical impact after I heard it.

 

[Mark Vader]

1 hour ago, VirginiaMike said:

To answer the question "What's the biggest concern", I have three nominees:

1. The Offensive line (Guards in particular).  There's not alot of movement shown in short yardage

2.  Stopping the run - never should have been gashed the way Peterson gashed them, especially since the QB was in his first start and not a threat.

3.  Levi Wallace - He's been getting beat too often.  Granted he gets most of the action since teams stay away from White, but I like Johnson better than Wallace right now.

Wallace has been targeted a lot, however he hasn't given up big plays. Whenever a receiver catches the ball against him, he is usually right there to make the tackle.

 

Which Johnson do you like better than him?

[SoTier]

2 hours ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

Do you want to let a future Hughes or Poyer go because you panicked too soon?  

asking for a friend 

 

I would do so in a heartbeat if I could grab a Nick Bosa or Minkah Fitzpatrick.  Aim higher, dude.

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

I believe in this team.  This team is MUCH MUCH better than the crap that we have sent out on the field for several years.  

 

 

Several years?  Try twenty years.  Two decades.   That this team is "MUCH MUCH better" than previous editions doesn't mean much when those teams sucked. 

 

What I want to see is this team at least be competitive with the good teams in the NFL today, and I don't think they are, especially on offense. 

Edited November 4, 2019 by SoTier

[BringBackOrton]

1 hour ago, ProcessAccepted said:

Gave up 9 points. Made adjustments in the second half. I only experience your negativity for the 20 minutes or so a day I spend on this board. I can't imagine what you go through dealing with it 24*7. Yikes!!

Jokes on you, I think the defense has been pretty good for the most part.

[Mat68]

The midseason woes of the rush defense.  I like Oliver but he either has to get stronger at the POA or penetrate and disrupt the play.  

[T master]

All the games the Bills have won to this point they should have won & if they wouldn't have they would be a really bad team but they have now they need to take the next step to prove that they are taking the next step & beat those teams that every one else thinks they will lose .

 

Like the Eagles, Cowboys, Ravens, & most importantly the Pats then they can all go suck a rotten egg !! 

[atlbillsfan1975]

The players and coaches know they have beaten teams they should beat. The team knows it has a lot to work on, things that can be fixed this season and some things that need personnel moves after the season. 6-2 is a great step and hopefully we get a playoff appearance this year. They should enjoy the wins, but not lose focus on what they are right now. The Bills are a team that has to play a near perfect game to beat the best teams in the league. They are building a team that will be getting better and contending for a few years at least. 

Edited November 5, 2019 by atlbillsfan1975

[eball]

Great quote from Charlie Weis this morning as I was heading in to work and listening to the SiriusXM NFL channel...a Cowboys fan was moaning and groaning about how bad they looked and got lucky to beat the Giants.  Weis asked him (rhetorically) "what's the most important thing on Sunday (or Monday) night?  A win -- and that's all that matters because by noon the next day the entire team and coaching staff are on to the next game."

 

Nobody in the Bills' organization is worried about how good or how bad they looked on Sunday.  They are only focused on getting better and preparing for the next foe.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

21 hours ago, hjnick said:

The reason why people/fans are having a hard time billeaving this team is for real is the way we have been winning.

 

Our D is legit, but this offense is just plain hard to watch sometimes.  We were up 17-6 at half and after that it looked like our offense went into a shell and played prevent throwing for almost the whole third and fourth quarters, leaning on our defense... A good team shouldn't do that.

 

I don't blame any of the players for this, I blame the coaches to call run, run, run all the time, trying to run out the clock instead of trying to attack Washington and pass *some*, not a ton, enough passing to keep the defense guessing.  We were running well yesterday, it was screaming play action pass down the field all second half.  I think we did it once or twice...

 

Coaches need to stop going into a shell up more than a TD... put teams away.

 

Did you happen to catch the "Andre Roberts Mic'd Up" session on the Buffalo Bills website?

As a mic'd up session it's a snooze except for great footage of his long return, but there is some discussion on the sideline between what happened to some of the kickoffs and punts - early in the game one apparently got up to a certain point and then dropped down and backwards.

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/mic-d-up-andre-roberts

 

I say this just because I think the weather may have had more impact on the game than the fans appreciate.  I think part of what Daboll did wrong against the Eagles was to come out with a gameplan that was predominantly pass with some vanilla runs, not appreciating just how much of an impact the wind could have in, what is to me, still "The Ralph"

 

 

[MJS]

25 minutes ago, T master said:

All the games the Bills have won to this point they should have won & if they wouldn't have they would be a really bad team but they have now they need to take the next step to prove that they are taking the next step & beat those teams that every one else thinks they will lose .

 

Like the Eagles, Cowboys, Ravens, & most importantly the Pats then they can all go suck a rotten egg !! 

That's not how the NFL works. Should the Packers have beat the Chargers? Instead they got held to under 12 points. Does that mean they are "really really bad"?

 

Underdogs beat better teams every single week. Why? Because there are good, professional football players on every single team. Sometimes a worse team comes in and outplays you. Happens to every single team. The Patriots are better than the Ravens. The Ravens lost to the Browns, for goodness sake. But the Ravens put together a good game and beat the Patriots.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

22 hours ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

Do you want to let a future Hughes or Poyer go because you panicked too soon?  

asking for a friend 

 

Since this seemed to be confusing to someone 
 

Both Hughes and Poyer were let go by their former teams because they were deemed not good enough too soon. 

 

Thanks to those bad choices by former teams  ---  Both have been VERY good for Buffalo 

 

So ... "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"
 

(that is an idiomatic expression for an avoidable error in which something good is eliminated when trying to get rid of something bad, or in other words, rejecting the favorable along with the unfavorable)

[BringBackOrton]

44 minutes ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

 

Since this seemed to be confusing to someone 
 

Both Hughes and Poyer were let go by their former teams because they were deemed not good enough too soon. 

 

Thanks to those bad choices by former teams  ---  Both have been VERY good for Buffalo 

 

So ... "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"
 

(that is an idiomatic expression for an avoidable error in which something good is eliminated when trying to get rid of something bad, or in other words, rejecting the favorable along with the unfavorable)

I agree. We should have extended Zay Jones rather than trading him away, in a couple years he might be Randy Moss.

[BarleyNY]

Allen is my biggest concern.  We’re 6-2 despite having a QB who has been at the bottom of the pack statistically.  He is either 30th or 33 (120 passes min) or 41st of 46 (10 passes min) players in DYAR and he’s 31st if 32 among qualified QBs in QBR.  He’s only ahead of Mariota who has been benched and is right behind Trubisky who looks about to be benched.

 

Daboll has focused on running the ball and has limited Allen’s throws.  He’s schemed him a lot of short and intermediate-middle throws as well as throws like hooks where the WR stops.  Allen has done pretty well on those. Deep and other more difficult throws have only been used a little to keep the defenses honest and haven’t been very effective. A lot of the offensive woes are related to how limited the offense is right now and that’s related to Allen’s current limitations. That’s what I see holding the Bills back against the better teams.

 

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/qb/2019

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/qbr