Bills at Texans Playoff Game, Saturday 4:35 pm

[Big Blitz]

7 minutes ago, loveorhatembillsfan4life said:

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.chron.com/sports/texans/amp/Texans-Bill-O-Brien-JJ-Watt-playing-Will-Fuller-14945050.php
 

Fuller a game time decision. I don’t think we will be seeing him at his normal play even if he is a go.

 

 

James Palmer now saying he is a long shot to play.  

Edited January 2, 2020 by Big Blitz

[longtimebillsfan]

1 minute ago, ytownblofan said:

We likely will not know anything until Saturday when the deactive players list is released. McD isn't going to tip his hat one way or another

Yea, you are probably right.  I would love to see him on the field Saturday.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Pretty good radio show with Houston guy interviewing Sal Capaccio.  He asked good questions and Sal had thoughtful answers

 

https://sportstalk790.iheart.com/featured/what-s-on-matt-s-mind/content/2020-01-02-sal-capaccio-shares-his-insight-covering-the-buffalo-bills/?Keyid=socialflow&Pname=local_social&Sc=editorial

 

30 minutes ago, longtimebillsfan said:

I can't find anything on the Bills active roster for Saturday's game.  Is there any word about Duke being active for the game?

 

And you won't, until just before ye deadline to turn in the roster (I think it's 1 hr before the game)

No reason for McDermott to tip his hand

[Hapless Bills Fan]

12 minutes ago, longtimebillsfan said:

Yea, you are probably right.  I would love to see him on the field Saturday.

 

I think probably Daboll and McDermott agree with you, the question they're weighing is who they could leave off. 

 

Playing Foster is apparently something Heath Farwell is willing to "go to the mat" for.

[stevewin]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I think probably Daboll and McDermott agree with you, the question they're weighing is who they could leave off. 

 

Playing Foster is apparently something Heath Farwell is willing to "go to the mat" for.

Wonder if Duke has ever tried to be a gunner.  If thats really whats keeping him off the game day roster seems to me it would be worth his whike to dedicate some of his time to mastering running down the field on ST.  Would think he would acrually be able to do some damage in that role anyway

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Playing Foster is apparently something Heath Farwell is willing to "go to the mat" for.

Did you hear that somewhere, or just surmising that’s Farwell is fighting for Foster? Curious. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Just now, stevewin said:

Wonder if Duke has ever tried to be a gunner.  If thats really whats keeping him off the game day roster seems to me it would be worth his whike to dedicate some of his time to mastering running down the field on ST.  Would think he would acrually be able to do some damage in that role anyway

 

Well...the first criterion needed by the gunner is speed.

 

I'm sure Duke plans to spend part of the off season training for speed.   He'll be able to improve, but he'll never be Foster.

[wppete]

23 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

this is huge news if true. But Bill O’Brien is a snake ? just like Bellichevk. Let’s see game time. 

[YoloinOhio]

9 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I think probably Daboll and McDermott agree with you, the question they're weighing is who they could leave off. 

 

Playing Foster is apparently something Heath Farwell is willing to "go to the mat" for.

ST is extremely important in the playoffs. If they could find a way to activate Duke while still keeping Foster (And Roberts)  active that’s the only way I would go. 

1 minute ago, wppete said:

this is huge news if true. But Bill O’Brien is a snake ? just like Bellichevk. Let’s see game time. 

Either way - active or inactive - he’s not healthy

 

[eball]

7 minutes ago, wppete said:

this is huge news if true. But Bill O’Brien is a snake ? just like Bellichevk. Let’s see game time. 

 

Ass Chin only wishes he was like Belichick.

[K-9]

13 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Well...the first criterion needed by the gunner is speed.

 

I'm sure Duke plans to spend part of the off season training for speed.   He'll be able to improve, but he'll never be Foster.

Yep. Gunner without speed can’t be a gunner.

[transplantbillsfan]

45 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Sounds like a smokescreen 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

29 minutes ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

Did you hear that somewhere, or just surmising that’s Farwell is fighting for Foster? Curious. 

 

It's me reading between the lines of Daboll's answer to how the gameday actives are determined in his press conference, added to the knowledge that Foster is in fact the Gunner.

 

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/brian-daboll-excited-to-play-this-time-of-year

Question about 4:43 about how the game day roster is determined.  Daboll explains that "each week the coaching staff sits down, led by Coach McDermott. ... Each role is important for the team, whether it's a Gunner, a Punt returner, an R4 on the kickoff, whatever that is, you have to try to put the best guys out there and that's collectively as a team, not just one unit."

 

I don't think it's an accident that the three positions Daboll mentioned as "important roles for the team" were all special teams roles and that the first two are filled by WR who are arguably not contributing as much as perhaps Duke Williams could on offense (if you're not familiar with kickoff coverage, this is a decent explanation; I believe R4 for us is usually 'Zo)

[stevewin]

21 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Either way - active or inactive - he’s not healthy

Yes this.  Same with Watt.  Just being in the lineup may give their team some initial mental boost - but being able to play at a sustained high level throughout the course of the game when you've had a prolonged serious injury is another matter

[nucci]

36 minutes ago, wppete said:

this is huge news if true. But Bill O’Brien is a snake ? just like Bellichevk. Let’s see game time. 

it was originally diagnosed as minimum 3 weeks out...I don't see him playing. Just like I don't think Wallace plays

[wppete]

Just heard on NFL network Houston has the 27 Ranked Defense and they are banged up. This is great news for us. 

[Buffalo Junction]

7 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:

 

To me it's obvious that Allen is not where they would like him to be YET.  I wouldn't expect Allen to be there yet in only his 2nd year and given the circumstances of his development as a QB.

 

At the risk of reading to much into things, I actually see this as the Bill's coaches knowing that Allen is close to making a major jump in performance.  They see him in practice every day and they look at the film.  They know that he's on the verge of a breakout and they're anxious for him to get there. 

 

I bet that if you could go back and be a fly on the wall during Brett Farve's 2nd & 3rd year in Green bay his coaches would sound a lot like Daboll & McD.  They could see they had a budding superstar in the making and were impatient for him to take the leap.

 

Favre slung it early. Certainly helped having a HOF level talent WR1; pro bowlers at WR2, WR3 and TE, and a RB with several 60 reception seasons though. Not to mention a coaching staff that had Mike Holmgren, Sherman Lewis, Steve Mariucci, Jon Gruden, Gil Haskell, and Andy Reid. Putting players and coaching talent like that around Allen and he’ll look a lot better quickly. Particularly if there weren’t any rules about not contacting players in the offseason. I like this coaching staff.... That early 90’s GB staff was one of the greatest offensive staffs ever assembled though. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by Buffalo Junction

[stevewin]

52 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Well...the first criterion needed by the gunner is speed.

 

I'm sure Duke plans to spend part of the off season training for speed.   He'll be able to improve, but he'll never be Foster.

I get it, but I still think the whole value of a single gunner is overblown tbh.

 

How many tackles during the course of a game does Foster or Perry really make.  If you kick kickoffs out of the EZ (should be possible in Houston), that leaves only having to cover punts.  Say that's an average of 5 punts - and likely some number of those are fair caught.  For the sake of argument - say there are 4 punt returns.  If everyone stays in their lanes and the ST as a unit is well coached its likely someone, even if not a single gunner, can make a tackle within a reasonable area.  Does putting someone on the game day roster for 4 plays because they are a gunner involved in a handful of plays - with the likelihood that the the ST unit should be able to not allow a big run back if everyone does their job - ie. not dependent on just one gunner - really outweigh having someone available to make an impact on a much higher number of offensive plays.   Factor in that if the player you are substituting for the gunner will be involved in many more plays on offense with potential for positive impact, which theoretically could result in less punts, lowering even more the requirement on the gunner to affect the game.  You could also limit the number punt returns by kicking OOB if you were so worried about not having a player as a single gunner on the field.

Edited January 2, 2020 by stevewin

[Scott7975]

1 hour ago, Mercyflush90 said:

Texans fan here. Our defense is very much a bend but don’t break defense so I fully expect y’all to put up some points against us as we do break sometimes lol. That being said it won’t be a cakewalk especially if watt is anywhere close to 100%. As for the offense that’s a whole other story. Not sure how y’all’s run defense is but that will be the key to having a shot at shutting down the Texans. Everyone worries about our passing game and maybe rightfully so, but our passing game runs through our run game. Not only does it make us one dimensional to have our run game shut down but it takes away all our play action and rollout plays which is how we usually like to throw the deep ball. So to me, the biggest key to y’alls victory Saturday is to stop the run, if y’all don’t I think y’all lose. 

I would say our D is also bend but don’t break. We don’t break often. Our run D is up and down. Sometimes we stuff a lot of plays and then other times we let one break for big yardage. 

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Pretty good radio show with Houston guy interviewing Sal Capaccio.  He asked good questions and Sal had thoughtful answers

 

https://sportstalk790.iheart.com/featured/what-s-on-matt-s-mind/content/2020-01-02-sal-capaccio-shares-his-insight-covering-the-buffalo-bills/?Keyid=socialflow&Pname=local_social&Sc=editorial

 

 

And you won't, until just before ye deadline to turn in the roster (I think it's 1 hr before the game)

No reason for McDermott to tip his hand

inactives are 90 minutes so 3pm

[CincyBillsFan]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo Junction said:

Favre slung it early. Certainly helped having a HOF level talent WR1; pro bowlers at WR2, WR3 and TE, and a RB with several 60 reception seasons though. Not to mention a coaching staff that had Mike Holmgren, Sherman Lewis, Steve Mariucci, Jon Gruden, Gil Haskell, and Andy Reid. Putting players and coaching talent like that around Allen and he’ll look a lot better quickly. Particularly if there weren’t any rules about not contacting players in the offseason. I like this coaching staff.... That early 90’s GB staff was one of the greatest offensive staffs ever assembled though. 

 

I agree but if you look at the first 2 years Farve was at GB, which were his 2nd & 3rd years in the NFL:

 

2nd year in the NFL/1st in GB Farve threw for a little over 3000 yards and had 18 TD passes & 13 INT's in 13 games started.

 

3rd year in the NFL/2nd year in GB Farve threw for a little over 3000 yards and had 19 TD passes & 24 INT's in 16 games started!  GB had a 9 - 7 record.  You know that Holmgren and Company had to be deeply frustrated by Farves play this season.

 

It wasn't until Farves 4th year in the NFL and 3rd at GB that he exploded into superstardom. 

 

[longtimebillsfan]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I think probably Daboll and McDermott agree with you, the question they're weighing is who they could leave off. 

 

Playing Foster is apparently something Heath Farwell is willing to "go to the mat" for.

Yes, Foster seems to play a significant roll on special teams.

Edited January 2, 2020 by longtimebillsfan

[Buffalo Junction]

4 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

 

I agree but if you look at the first 2 years Farve was at GB, which were his 2nd & 3rd years in the NFL:

 

2nd year in the NFL/1st in GB Farve threw for a little over 3000 yards and had 18 TD passes & 13 INT's in 13 games started.

 

3rd year in the NFL/2nd year in GB Farve threw for a little over 3000 yards and had 19 TD passes & 24 INT's in 16 games started!  GB had a 9 - 7 record.  You know that Holmgren and Company had to be deeply frustrated by Farves play this season.

 

It wasn't until Farves 4th year in the NFL and 3rd at GB that he exploded into superstardom. 

 

Can’t compare the stats man. It was a different league. D lineman could murder QBs and DBs could mug WRs. For reference in 93’ Jim Kelly threw for 3382 yards, 18 TDs, and 18 INTs compared to Favre’s 3303 yards, 19 TDs and 24 INTs. Not too far off. For sure they tried to reign in the gunslinging. IIRC Holmgren added penalties for Favre’s turnovers which would violate the current CBA. Still, GB didn’t restrict the gameplans to account for Favre throwing into coverage. They let him play and learn. 

[longtimebillsfan]

1 hour ago, stevewin said:

Wonder if Duke has ever tried to be a gunner.  If thats really whats keeping him off the game day roster seems to me it would be worth his whike to dedicate some of his time to mastering running down the field on ST.  Would think he would acrually be able to do some damage in that role anyway

That's a good idea for next year, but it s probably too late in the season to try something new.  We don't want our special teams to cost us a game like that nightmare in 99.  

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

https://www.battleredblog.com/real-actual-thought-provoking-houston-texans-analysis/2020/1/2/21045969/2019-nfl-playoffs-the-buffalo-bills-have-the-coaching-advantage
 

 

2019 NFL Playoffs: The Buffalo Bills Have The Coaching Advantage
Why the Bills are considered well-coached and the Texans aren’t.

 

 

If the difference between these two teams lies in the coaching, let us examine the coaching match-up in the hopes that it will shed a little more light on the coming game.
 

 

....

....

This brings me to the foil. I will stop short of calling McDermott a villain. He is more of an anti-hero. A shadow version of Bill O’Brien, as we will see in a moment. A look into his coaching background and record will show that he is very much the mirror image of one William James O’Brien.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

46 minutes ago, Buffalo Junction said:

Favre slung it early. Certainly helped having a HOF level talent WR1; pro bowlers at WR2, WR3 and TE, and a RB with several 60 reception seasons though. Not to mention a coaching staff that had Mike Holmgren, Sherman Lewis, Steve Mariucci, Jon Gruden, Gil Haskell, and Andy Reid. Putting players and coaching talent like that around Allen and he’ll look a lot better quickly. Particularly if there weren’t any rules about not contacting players in the offseason. I like this coaching staff.... That early 90’s GB staff was one of the greatest offensive staffs ever assembled though. 

 

It's been commented before that the bolded makes player development greatly more difficult in this era.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

58 minutes ago, wppete said:

Just heard on NFL network Houston has the 27 Ranked Defense and they are banged up. This is great news for us. 

 

#19 on points, #28 on yards.  I concern myself more with points. 

 

11 minutes ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

https://www.battleredblog.com/real-actual-thought-provoking-houston-texans-analysis/2020/1/2/21045969/2019-nfl-playoffs-the-buffalo-bills-have-the-coaching-advantage
 

2019 NFL Playoffs: The Buffalo Bills Have The Coaching Advantage
Why the Bills are considered well-coached and the Texans aren’t.

If the difference between these two teams lies in the coaching, let us examine the coaching match-up in the hopes that it will shed a little more light on the coming game.
....

This brings me to the foil. I will stop short of calling McDermott a villain. He is more of an anti-hero. A shadow version of Bill O’Brien, as we will see in a moment. A look into his coaching background and record will show that he is very much the mirror image of one William James O’Brien.

 

" The Bills have similar strengths to the Texans, albeit maybe slightly worse. They put Josh Allen, John Brown, Ed Oliver, Tre’Davious White, and Tremaine Edmunds on the field. The only true weaknesses they have as a team include lacking a legit #1 running back and no #2 wide receiver opposite John Brown. They get by on sound fundamentals and a few special plays from Josh Allen. "

 

Cole Beasley and Motor say "Boo YAH!"

[GG]

53 minutes ago, stevewin said:

I get it, but I still think the whole value of a single gunner is overblown tbh.

 

How many tackles during the course of a game does Foster or Perry really make.  If you kick kickoffs out of the EZ (should be possible in Houston), that leaves only having to cover punts.  Say that's an average of 5 punts - and likely some number of those are fair caught.  For the sake of argument - say there are 4 punt returns.  If everyone stays in their lanes and the ST as a unit is well coached its likely someone, even if not a single gunner, can make a tackle within a reasonable area.  Does putting someone on the game day roster for 4 plays because they are a gunner involved in a handful of plays - with the likelihood that the the ST unit should be able to not allow a big run back if everyone does their job - ie. not dependent on just one gunner - really outweigh having someone available to make an impact on a much higher number of offensive plays.   Factor in that if the player you are substituting for the gunner will be involved in many more plays on offense with potential for positive impact, which theoretically could result in less punts, lowering even more the requirement on the gunner to affect the game.  You could also limit the number punt returns by kicking OOB if you were so worried about not having a player as a single gunner on the field.

 

You're discounting the effect that good gunners have on the fair catch decisions.  If the gunners don't get there in time you increase the possibility of a big return.

 

Having said that, Foster is a mediocre gunner as well and he doesn't merit keeping an active roster spot considering his anemic offensive contributions this year.

[JerseyBills]

2 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

Wow , this is huge people. Fuller adds a whole new element to that passing attack. That's a huge loss for them , will have a big impact on their passing attack.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

I put this in the Love thread but

it may belong here too 

 

Does Josh Allen need to outperform Deshaun Watson for Bills to win?
 

 

 

[MDH]

2 hours ago, stevewin said:

I get it, but I still think the whole value of a single gunner is overblown tbh.

 

How many tackles during the course of a game does Foster or Perry really make.  If you kick kickoffs out of the EZ (should be possible in Houston), that leaves only having to cover punts.  Say that's an average of 5 punts - and likely some number of those are fair caught. 

 

 

Punts are only fair caught if the gunners get down field quickly and force them to be. Its not just about making tackles.

 

Fans have never appreciated the importance of special teams, thankfully we have a coaching staff that does.

[stevewin]

9 minutes ago, MDH said:

 

 

Punts are only fair caught if the gunners get down field quickly and force them to be. Its not just about making tackles.

 

Fans have never appreciated the importance of special teams, thankfully we have a coaching staff that does.

Fine - so then there are no fair catches - then cover 5 punts instead of 4.

 

I'm not minimizing the importance of special teams - I'm questioning the importance of a single gunner, if the rest of the ST unit is "good" and coached "well".  They should be able to cover kicks without catastrophic effects if a single gunner is replaced by another gunner (who is still able to perform the function of a gunner - likely without a catastrophic drop-off).

 

Or like I said - if the special teams unit is not capable of covering kicks if the esteemed Robert Foster is not the gunner (silly of course), then kick it OOB.

 

How did the ST unit survive for games Foster was hurt/inactive?  It's honestly not  a good thing if we are saying the Bills ST is so dependent on a single player (who will not be going to the Pro Bowl as ST specialist)

Edited January 3, 2020 by stevewin

[MDH]

Just now, stevewin said:

Fine - so then there are no fair catches - then cover 5 punts instead of 4.

 

I'm not minimizing the importance of special teams - I'm questioning the importance of a single gunner, if the rest of the ST unit is "good" and coached "well".  They should be able to cover kicks without catastrophic effects if a single gunner is replaced by another gunner (who is still able to perform the function of a gunner - likely without a catastrophic drop-off)

 

If the coaching staff thinks he’s more important than a WR5 who contributes nothing to ST I’ll trust that they know more than posters clamoring for their fan favorite to see the field.

 

Personally, I don't think Duke playing has anything to do with Foster, Foster is going to be active because of his ST play. Duke being active will depend if the coaching staff beleives they can sit a player from another position group. Before Wallace’s injury I would have said that the Bills don't need to dress 4 safties every week and Coleman could be sat. But now that the secondary depth is being tested Im not so sure. Lee Smith is another one I could see being sat but they like him for grinding the clock and goalline.

 

Fans are making too big of a deal about this.  Duke wouldn't see more than a few targets anyway, I don't want him taking targets away from Brown or Beasley. I wouldnt mind seeing him active but it’s just not a big issue. 

[stevewin]

1 minute ago, MDH said:

 

If the coaching staff thinks he’s more important than a WR5 who contributes nothing to ST I’ll trust that they know more than posters clamoring for their fan favorite to see the field.

 

Personally, I don't think Duke playing has anything to do with Foster, Foster is going to be active because of his ST play. Duke being active will depend if the coaching staff beleives they can sit a player from another position group. Before Wallace’s injury I would have said that the Bills don't need to dress 4 safties every week and Coleman could be sat. But now that the secondary depth is being tested Im not so sure. Lee Smith is another one I could see being sat but they like him for grinding the clock and goalline.

 

Fans are making too big of a deal about this.  Duke wouldn't see more than a few targets anyway, I don't want him taking targets away from Brown or Beasley. I wouldnt mind seeing him active but it’s just not a big issue. 

That's fine.  BTW, I'm not a Duke zealot - more a question of the impact of reserving a spot for an offensive player vs ST player.  I guess some would wish Yeldon also in that scenario.

 

I wish in the next CBA they would expand the game day roster.  Allowing more players to be active could reward teams with more roster depth  

[John in Jax]

Here's a thought: The "Texans" is an absolutely IDIOTIC name for that team. It would be like the Bills being named the Buffalo New Yorkers, or the Rams being named the Los Angeles Californians.....or how about the Miami Floridians?

 

So, by the idiotic name alone, they deserve to lose!  AMIRITE?  LOL

[MDH]

30 minutes ago, John in Jax said:

Here's a thought: The "Texans" is an absolutely IDIOTIC name for that team. It would be like the Bills being named the Buffalo New Yorkers, or the Rams being named the Los Angeles Californians.....or how about the Miami Floridians?

 

So, by the idiotic name alone, they deserve to lose!  AMIRITE?  LOL

 

From a poster named, “John in Jax”

 

Sorry, it was too easy. ?

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tesla03]

really hope the team is listening to the national media calling the Bills the worst team in the playoffs. 

 

just hope we go out there and punch them in the mouth. have Allen run down their throats and blitz the living hell out of Watkson and make their oline work. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

17 minutes ago, Tesla03 said:

really hope the team is listening to the national media calling the Bills the worst team in the playoffs. 

 

just hope we go out there and punch them in the mouth. have Allen run down their throats and blitz the living hell out of Watkson and make their oline work. 

this happened before and on 2 occasions a Bill said something and the team lost.  
 

ignore the fodder and focus on the game and

Do their Job 

 

[njbuff]

46 minutes ago, Tesla03 said:

really hope the team is listening to the national media calling the Bills the worst team in the playoffs. 

 

just hope we go out there and punch them in the mouth. have Allen run down their throats and blitz the living hell out of Watkson and make their oline work. 

 

The Bills have been called every name in the book the last 20 years..................

 

Why should anything change now?

 

A win in Houston won't change anyone's mind. A win (if they get past Houston) in the divisional round might change a few minds though. ?

[PromoTheRobot]

Here's your chance to pack that dump, Bills Mafia!