Can we really be upset with the Bills scoring 19 points when no team scored more than 20 in Regulation on Wild Card Weekend?

[26TrapDraw]

2 hours ago, MJS said:

Houston has a poor defense, though. But with Watt being back that changed things.

Watt made 2 plays all game.

[reddogblitz]

1 hour ago, CincyBillsFan said:

I believe that McD & Bean are committed to putting the clubs energy & money into the defense while hoping to build an effective offense on the cheap. 

 

IN fact, we have drafted a defensive player in the first round every draft since McDermott arrived.  Meanwhile in 3 drafts we have taken 2 WRs. Ray Ray in the 5th and Proehl in the 7th.

[LSHMEAB]

The defense absolutely did not do enough to win the game. Nobody came up with a big play once Houston got hot. That much is true.

 

That does not absolve Daboll/Allen and company from failing to take full advantage of a bad defense on the ropes. 

 

This is not an either/or proposition.

[reddogblitz]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

I don't think that it is at all time to reexamine McDermott's overarching strategy.   I think you just stated his overacrching objective.   

 

He's not trying to be Beane's Levy.  That team was built in a time where teams could accumulate talent.   NOBODY in the last 20 years has acquired the likes of Reed, Thomas, Kelly, Lofton, Smith and their supporting cast of characters.  Nobody.  

 

But McDermott's overarching strategy is not and never was, as you suggest, to depend on the defense to carry the team to the next level.   He's been very clear that his vision is excellence in all three phrases.   It turns out that in part because of his talent, and because he was able to add Poyer, Hyde and White to go with Kyle, Jerry and Lorenzo, McDermott was able to build a good defense faster than an offense.   He had pretty much no offensive line, no receivers and no quarterback.   Yes, he had Watkins, who clearly had an attitude problem, and Woods, who they should have kept.  So the defense is ahead of the offense. 

 

But it's ridiculous to suggest that he somehow isn't interested in the offense. 

 

And you're going to be sadly disappointed if you expect them to go on some wild spending spree to put them into the stratosphere.  This isn't 1990 - you can't buy a top notch team.   And they've told us, over and over, that their objective is not to get to the top fast; their objective is to get to the top in a way that is sustainable.   They're going to build to make 2020 better than 2019, and then they're going to build to make 2021 better than 2020.   

 

 

 

how did one "buy a top notch team" in 1990?  There was no free agency in 1990. Only Plan B free agency.  I Would argue that its much more possible to buy a top notch  team now than in 1990.  Take the Rams, Clowns if they only had a coach, and 2017 Eagles as examples.

[Haslett_Stomp]

57 minutes ago, BeefCurtns said:

Watt made 2 plays all game.

 

You'd think he was the MVP of the game given the knee-pad treatment he received from the announcers.

[MJS]

1 hour ago, BeefCurtns said:

Watt made 2 plays all game.

And was disruptive most of the time he was in there.

[Freddie's Dead]

YES WE CAN BE UPSET!!!  FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!!

[34-78-83]

3 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:

 

We are definitely on the same page here.  I just spent the day arguing with my circle of Bill's fans down here in Cincy saying exactly what you just posted. 

 

If I was Czar of the Bills I would work towards having a good but not great defense and switch priority to building at the minimum a very good offense.  I would role the dice on Allen and turn over the keys to the offense to him.  Sure Sign White & both D lineman but that's it.  The rest of the money and energy is going into the offense.  And we should fundamentally change the nature of our offense from a mistake free, low scoring unit designed to NOT lose a game to a high scoring risk taking venture. 

 

Much in the way Levy went from a conventional offense to the no huddle O after the 1989 playoff loss.  I like (hope) that the loss to the Texans is this groups 1989 playoff loss to the Browns.  But that will only happen if McD opens up his eyes and sees what needs to be done to change how the Bills play D.

 

 

They already are doing this. It’s clearly the plan. It’s a process. 9 new players on O this year. A few upgrades in the off season coming up and we’ll have money to both maintain the D and enhance the O

[Mark Vader]

I'm not upset that they only scored 19 points.

 

I'm upset that they lost, when they should've won.

[familykwi]

6 hours ago, BobChalmers said:

"But but - Josh Allen is bad/inaccurate/makes dumb plays!!!" "we can't win with JA"  "Allen is just Tyrod Taylor all over again"  - dumbest 35% of this board.

I think those who refuse to see the positive, or refuse to acknowledge the negative are both wrong.  Josh is certainly entertaining, but he definitely has flaws.  I think saying he's another Tyrod is absurd.  Tyrod took no chances.  Josh takes too many.  VERY different players.

We've already won with Josh, so also an unfair comment.  How far he ultimately can take us depends on a lot of factors.  Some he controls (personal development) and some he can't (personnel he gets to work with).  We'll just have to see.

[Dkollidas]

I’m upset with the loss.

Doesn’t mean I’m not excited for this teams future.

i believe they’ll invest around Allen this off-season. 

[JoshAllin]

Lets just say the bills choked under pressure, cant blame them since their inexperience showed

Edited January 6, 2020 by motorj

[Thurman#1]

Yes. The Texans were the 28th rated defense this year. 19th in points. They weren't good.

[Gugny]

9 hours ago, matter2003 said:

I know the Bills should have scored more with all their chances, but I think all the teams could be saying that.  None of the 8 teams scored more than 20 points in regulation on Wild Card Weekend so the Bills were not the only ones who had offensive issues putting up points.

 

However, the Bills were the only road team not to win this weekend as Tennessee, Minnesota and Seattle all went on the road and came away with victories.  I remember when home field advantage was worth a LOT in the playoffs in the NFL but know it almost seems like a disadvantage. Kind of crazy.  Seems to not just be the NFL but all sports...look at the World Series this year when the road team won every game, going 7-0.

 

Houston has one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

 

We had 13 points at halftime.

 

Yes.  We can really be upset with the Bills scoring 19 points.  It's nothing short of pathetic.

[Trogdor]

10 hours ago, BobChalmers said:

"But but - Josh Allen is bad/inaccurate/makes dumb plays!!!" "we can't win with JA"  "Allen is just Tyrod Taylor all over again"  - dumbest 35% of this board.

A game in which he thought he was playing Rugby doesn't really disprove the "makes dumb plays". 

[HOUSE]

5 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

YES WE CAN BE UPSET!!!  FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!!

 

[Big Turk]

19 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Houston has one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

 

We had 13 points at halftime.

 

Yes.  We can really be upset with the Bills scoring 19 points.  It's nothing short of pathetic.

 

Not with JJ Watt they don't.  They are a totally different team on D with him in there.

[Thurman#1]

 

 

3 hours ago, familykwi said:

I think those who refuse to see the positive, or refuse to acknowledge the negative are both wrong.  Josh is certainly entertaining, but he definitely has flaws.  I think saying he's another Tyrod is absurd.  Tyrod took no chances.  Josh takes too many.  VERY different players.

We've already won with Josh, so also an unfair comment.  How far he ultimately can take us depends on a lot of factors.  Some he controls (personal development) and some he can't (personnel he gets to work with).  We'll just have to see.

 

 

Are people saying he's another Tyrod? Jeez. Wacky.

 

Tyrod was in his fifth year in the league when he got here. It's a totally different situation from Allen, who's been thrown into the deep end early.

 

And yeah, Tyrod was a game manager who could seriously run the ball. Allen can run the ball, though not as well as Tyrod. That's most of the similarities from where I sit.

 

Good post.

[Thurman#1]

18 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

 

Not with JJ Watt they don't.  They are a totally different team on D with him in there.

 

 

Watt played in eight games this year. And while they were better, no, they were not a totally different team, or defense, with him in there. Quick summary, in those eight games, Houston opponents averaged 23.5 PPG (19th, and by the way three -quarters of a touchdown more than we managed against them) and 362 yards (23rd).

 

That's a justification and not a good one.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Thurman#1

[Boca BIlls]

Next year looks even better after most of that performance. Josh needs a WR that will catch his balls and not drop them. Plenty of drive killing drops.

[Big Turk]

32 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Watt played in eight games this year. And while they were better, no, they were not a totally different team, or defense, with him in there. Quick summary, in those eight games, Houston opponents averaged 23.5 PPG (19th, and by the way three -quarters of a touchdown more than we managed against them) and 362 yards (23rd).

 

That's a justification and not a good one.

 

Well we put up 425 yards, just not the points.

[CincyBillsFan]

8 hours ago, 34-78-83 said:

They already are doing this. It’s clearly the plan. It’s a process. 9 new players on O this year. A few upgrades in the off season coming up and we’ll have money to both maintain the D and enhance the O

 

That was last year and it worked for what needed to be done given that the Bills had the worst offensive personnel in the NFL at the end of the 2018 season.  But what McD /Bean did was also very conventional.  It worked to a degree and the Bills O improved which helped us make the playoffs this year.  Overall a job well done.

 

But like I said before the Bills are at a critical infection point.  I'm not sure that at this time methodical adherence to the "process" is what's called for.  The Bills did miss opportunities to sign impact offensive talent during the 2019 season as the trade deadline loomed.  I get why they didn't sign those players but now that we're in the off season they need IMO to be bolder in their actions to get the offense over the hump.  Allen IS the guy and he needs to be surrounded by top flight play makers. 

 

At the very least the Bills need to:

 

*  Sign at least one big time free agent for the offense.  A guy that is at a level above that of Morse/Brown/Beasley/Kroft.

 

*  The Bills should use their 1st round pick to select the BEST OFFENSIVE player available, not the BEST player available.

 

These are just my opinions based on a hunch that we're close, very close to being a great team.  And what's keeping us from getting there is the offense.  And you won't get to an outstanding offense by playing it safe at this moment in the teams history.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jaywrizzo]

13 hours ago, matter2003 said:

I know the Bills should have scored more with all their chances, but I think all the teams could be saying that.  None of the 8 teams scored more than 20 points in regulation on Wild Card Weekend so the Bills were not the only ones who had offensive issues putting up points.

 

However, the Bills were the only road team not to win this weekend as Tennessee, Minnesota and Seattle all went on the road and came away with victories.  I remember when home field advantage was worth a LOT in the playoffs in the NFL but know it almost seems like a disadvantage. Kind of crazy.  Seems to not just be the NFL but all sports...look at the World Series this year when the road team won every game, going 7-0.

Yes we can be upset....when you're playing against a bad Defense....People just keep trying to excuse bad QB play.

[Scott7975]

Houston only allowed 2ppg more than Philly and Seattle only put up 17 on em. 

[jrober38]

8 minutes ago, Jaywrizzo said:

Yes we can be upset....when you're playing against a bad Defense....People just keep trying to excuse bad QB play.

 

It's always someone else's fault around here. 

 

In the eyes of many, Allen can do no wrong. 

[34-78-83]

15 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

 

That was last year and it worked for what needed to be done given that the Bills had the worst offensive personnel in the NFL at the end of the 2018 season.  But what McD /Bean did was also very conventional.  It worked to a degree and the Bills O improved which helped us make the playoffs this year.  Overall a job well done.

 

But like I said before the Bills are at a critical infection point.  I'm not sure that at this time methodical adherence to the "process" is what's called for.  The Bills did miss opportunities to sign impact offensive talent during the 2019 season as the trade deadline loomed.  I get why they didn't sign those players but now that we're in the off season they need IMO to be bolder in their actions to get the offense over the hump.  Allen IS the guy and he needs to be surrounded by top flight play makers. 

 

At the very least the Bills need to:

 

*  Sign at least one big time free agent for the offense.  A guy that is at a level above that of Morse/Brown/Beasley/Kroft.

 

*  The Bills should use their 1st round pick to select the BEST OFFENSIVE player available, not the BEST player available.

 

These are just my opinions based on a hunch that we're close, very close to being a great team.  And what's keeping us from getting there is the offense.  And you won't get to an outstanding offense by playing it safe at this moment in the teams history.

 

 

 

 

 

Good points I agree with just about all of that.

[Scott7975]

4 minutes ago, jrober38 said:

 

It's always someone else's fault around here. 

 

In the eyes of many, Allen can do no wrong. 

just like in the eyes of you Allen is the only problem which is equally wrong. 

[CincyBillsFan]

8 minutes ago, jrober38 said:

 

It's always someone else's fault around here. 

 

In the eyes of many, Allen can do no wrong. 

 

You must be a big fan of the Wizard of Oz what with all the straw men you keep manufacturing.

 

Name me ONE poster who has said that "Allen can do no wrong".  Just one.

 

 

[nucci]

13 hours ago, matter2003 said:

I know the Bills should have scored more with all their chances, but I think all the teams could be saying that.  None of the 8 teams scored more than 20 points in regulation on Wild Card Weekend so the Bills were not the only ones who had offensive issues putting up points.

 

However, the Bills were the only road team not to win this weekend as Tennessee, Minnesota and Seattle all went on the road and came away with victories.  I remember when home field advantage was worth a LOT in the playoffs in the NFL but know it almost seems like a disadvantage. Kind of crazy.  Seems to not just be the NFL but all sports...look at the World Series this year when the road team won every game, going 7-0.

I'm more upset with the team playing an almost perfect 1st half and then the complete opposite in the 2nd half

[jrober38]

6 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

just like in the eyes of you Allen is the only problem which is equally wrong. 

 

The Bills had many issues Saturday, but the lengths some people are going to absolve Allen's contribution to the loss is laughable. 

 

He played really poorly. He put the ball in harms way numerous times, and had another terrible fumble which sparked their comeback. 

 

There were plenty of issues (coaching, line play, tackling), but Allen played a huge part in the loss. 

[row_33]

oh yes,  hindsight is always perfect

 

 

[Jaywrizzo]

6 hours ago, jrober38 said:

 

It's always someone else's fault around here. 

 

In the eyes of many, Allen can do no wrong. 

Yup...just accept it and say your QB has to play better....who cares what the rest of teams scored? Silly!