Popular Post Shaw66 Posted September 6, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted September 6, 2020 “Ready to Go” And now it’s here, the season Bills fans have waited for since January. The season Bills fans have waited for since Sean McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017. The season Bills fans have waited for since Super Bowl XXVIII. To say the 2020 season is the season most anticipated by Bills fans since the early 1990s is no exaggeration. The Bills were a legitimate playoff team in 2019, and on paper they’ve gotten better in 2020. They’re young and maturing, veteran and experienced. They have what look like all the pieces. In May of 2019, I said this: “I think the golden age of the Buffalo Bills is upon us. I think we are about to witness the greatest run of excellence in the history of the franchise, and one of the greatest of all time in the NFL.” I still believe that’s true, subject only to the Bills extending the contracts of Brandon Beane and Josh Allen. The Bills have in the building the four critical components of long-term success in the NFL: ownership, general manager, head coach, and quarterback. My optimism about 2020 is grounded in my belief that the Bills have the right people building in the right way. As I’ve listened to Beane and Sean McDermott talk about the team over the past few years, it’s always been clear that they had a long-term plan to build the team. They were clear that fans should not expect a quick turnaround. They consistently have talked about building “the right way”, building for sustained success. They never said it, but I came to understand that their plan was that the Bills would be a serious contender in 2021. Maybe a year earlier, but 2021 was the target. 2017 was the tear-down year (with a playoff surprise to boot), 2018 to 2020 were the seasons to build the roster the way they wanted, and 2021 was the year to be truly competitive. All that changed with the trade for Stephon Diggs. The move for Diggs was a major statement from Bills' management. Brandon Beane said to everyone "2021 may have been the target year, but we're ready now." It's a statement to Josh Allen, a challenge. It says, “We have everything we need, so it’s up to you.” It’s a statement and a challenge to the offensive line. It says, "We're all in on you. We didn’t sign any high level offensive line talent and we traded out of the first round, because we don't need to replace any of you." It’s a statement and challenge to Brian Daboll. It's a statement to the fans, and to the owners. Beane said to everyone, "we can win now. We aren't done getting better, but we can win now." If Beane had not made the deal and had drafted the best player available with the 22nd pick, the message would have been, "We're still building," because that guy at 22 quite likely was not going to transform the offense in 2020. He might play, and he might have a future, but he was not going to make a transformative difference in 2020. Diggs makes a difference; the deal said McDermott and Beane think they don’t need to wait any longer to win big. The moves on the defense said the same thing. Free agency began and BINGO! The Bills didn’t just plug holes, they upgraded their talent with solid guys in their prime. The message was “all we needed to be really good are a few more solid players.” What the Bills did before the draft screamed at the team, the league and the fans: “We’re ready!” Why is Diggs such a big deal? Not simply because he’s a legitimate number one receiver in the NFL, but because his acquisition moves John Brown to number two, where he has been outstanding in the past, and Cole Beasley to number three, where he, too, has been outstanding. The Bills seem to have upgraded at running back with the addition of Zack Moss, who should be the explosive complement to Devin Singletary that the Bills lacked last season. The offensive line comes back pretty much intact, with a full season of having played together. The Bills expect that Cody Ford will continue to grow into a legitimate starter, and someone needs to step up at guard or tackle to help fill what could be a season-long loss of Jon Feliciano. That looks to be Daryl Williams, a guy with multiple years of starting experience. Thus, the offensive spotlight is on Josh Allen. Allen’s play should improve simply because the receivers should offer him more open targets and the running backs and offensive line should make the Bills less dependent on Allen’s legs to make plays. But it’s not enough if Allen is better only because the players around him are better. Allen himself must be better than last season. He needs to continue to grow as a leader, a field general, a coach on the field. He needs to be a better, more consistent decision maker, and he needs to execute better. That’s the job of great quarterbacks, and being a great quarterback is Allen’s objective. Allen certainly has the willingness and determination. He’s shown it consistently. But it takes more than that. He has to deliver on the field. I believe he’s on his way. If Allen shows just adequate improvement, he will be a top-10 to top-15 quarterback and the Bills will have a good season. I think that’s quite likely. If he makes a real jump, he will be a clear top-10 quarterback and the Bills will be a serious playoff threat with the potential to win it all. Win it all. That’s the challenge Brandon Beane has laid down for Allen and Daboll. And McDermott, and Frazier and the defense, too. I think the Bills will come out of the gate winning. Why? Because McDermott’s greatest strengths are organization, planning, and motivation. When everything is turned upside down, as it has been in 2020, organization, planning and motivation gives you an advantage. Teams that adjust have an advantage, and the Bills adjusted in 2020. The Bills managed the remote draft flawlessly. When the NFL set a date when players could return to team facilities, the Bills were one of only four teams that were prepared to go on the first day. It’s reasonable to expect that the Bills are ahead of most teams in terms of readiness for the season, because McDermott never lets his teams fall behind in preparation. But it’s a long season, and when November and December come, early-season advantages will have evaporated. The best teams will emerge, as they always do. Look for the Bills to be there. Brandon Beane expects it. 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. 31 29 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brennan Huff Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 Awesome write up. I’m probably going to come back later and read it again 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Nice job Shaw. Until I went to the bottom, I thought you wrote this summary. Whoops. I appreciate it though as would have never seen it. “Are You Ready for Some Football”. This is going to be a fun fall and hopefully winter into February. If they stick with these % for occupancy, My god how expensive are these SB tickets going to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Great stuff as always Shaw. Should be a helluva lot of fun this year. Comes down to Josh and I for one am excited to see him progress. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rc2catch Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Very nice write up.. Got me pumped. And I couldn’t agree anymore on Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 This write up exhausted me to think about what I know I need to do this season. Well done. If Allen shows marginally any improvement at all, then I agree we are in for a new era (pun intended) However, short of actually winning a Super Bowl, it’s hard to beat what the team in the 90’s did. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochesterLifer Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 24 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: “Ready to Go” Brandon Beane said to everyone "2021 may have been the target year, but we're ready now." Thank you, Shaw, for a great write up and providing a Sunday morning smile to Bills fans. I believe yesterday's roster decisions, and most significantly, the decision to keep Trent Murphy, is an exclamation point on your assessment. Our priority is winning - now, not saving money for next year. Sundays became exciting as soon as Beane and McDermott joined the Bills. Next week, Sundays will become thrilling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutDog Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Thanks, Shaw. It is indeed so much fun to watch the team you root for be run in an exceptional manner from the top down...just makes it all the more enjoyable. There have been things Beane has done that made me scratch my head...but just for a second as I quickly remember, ‘He’s got this’. McDermott as well: when he errs, I don’t worry about it as erring is the best way to learn and I know he will...and share the knowledge. We are on track!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyDays Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 As usual excellent work Shaw. This is the first Bills regime of the millennium to identify weaknesses and actually try to fix them. The trade for Diggs was them admitting that the offense lacked star talent. The best time to win a Super Bowl is on a QB's rookie deal. They had to make a bold move in that window and they did. Like you said Beane has removed all excuses for the team. If they aren't competing for a Super Bowl this year then either Allen or McDermott haven't lived up to the standard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoTom Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 26 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said: Nice job Shaw. Until I went to the bottom, I thought you wrote this summary. Whoops. I appreciate it though as would have never seen it. “Are You Ready for Some Football”. This is going to be a fun fall and hopefully winter into February. If they stick with these % for occupancy, My god how expensive are these SB tickets going to be. He did write it. The Rockpile Review is Shaw's weekly post on TSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Joshin' Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 The Rockpile Review is here so it must be football season! It will be a long week to kickoff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) I read Shaw66's write ups and picture Ralph Hubbell reading them. Old timers such as myself appreciate the work and style of both. Edited September 6, 2020 by Ridgewaycynic2013 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Landing Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Nice one, Shaw-- one of my favorites. It was reported recently that the Bills will have the most continuity of any team in the league heading into the season. Considering how well they had gelled in 2019, that should really give them an enormous leg up for at least the first few weeks, if not the entire season. And, on offense at least, the two additions to the starting lineup-- Diggs, and (I assume) Daryl Williams are immediate upgrades. My only concerns are on defense. I've watched quite a few plays with AJ Klein from his last season with the Saints, and I'm not sold. Compared to Edmunds, and Milano, he just looks like a "low-motor" guy. I'm also concerned that our rotation at DT is a downgrade from last season. Having Oliver, and J. Phillips splitting reps was pretty awesome, and I wonder how much of an affect having the D-line so fresh in the fourth quarter had on our fourth quarter comebacks? I think the opt-out of Star hurts us more than people realize, also. Not that I have any concerns with Horrible Harry, but I don't have as much faith in Butler, or Jefferson as most. All that being said, I believe we have upgraded at DE with Mario Addison, and while it will take some time, I believe Epenesa is going to develop into something special. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figster Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 I needed this ROCKPILE REVIEW. It just didn't feel like the season was about to start until now. Thank you 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) Is there a brick wall I can run through? Edited September 6, 2020 by eball 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasons1992 Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, eball said: Is there a brick wall I can run through right now? *actual footage of eball* *actual footage of @Virgil* 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 great write up. Another year and yet another season of optimism; may be more confident this year than others. Lets hope the Bills can put it together for a great season. Go Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgotBILLStopay Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 2 hours ago, Shaw66 said: what could be a season-long loss of Jon Feliciano. Nice article. I am a lil more optimistic on Feliciano's outlook for the season: https://thebuffalofanatics.com/2020/08/20/bills-injury-report-jon-felicianos-chest-injury-and-when-he-will-be-ready-to-play/ But that does not detract from anything you wrote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted September 6, 2020 Author Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Rocky Landing said: Nice one, Shaw-- one of my favorites. It was reported recently that the Bills will have the most continuity of any team in the league heading into the season. Considering how well they had gelled in 2019, that should really give them an enormous leg up for at least the first few weeks, if not the entire season. And, on offense at least, the two additions to the starting lineup-- Diggs, and (I assume) Daryl Williams are immediate upgrades. My only concerns are on defense. I've watched quite a few plays with AJ Klein from his last season with the Saints, and I'm not sold. Compared to Edmunds, and Milano, he just looks like a "low-motor" guy. I'm also concerned that our rotation at DT is a downgrade from last season. Having Oliver, and J. Phillips splitting reps was pretty awesome, and I wonder how much of an affect having the D-line so fresh in the fourth quarter had on our fourth quarter comebacks? I think the opt-out of Star hurts us more than people realize, also. Not that I have any concerns with Horrible Harry, but I don't have as much faith in Butler, or Jefferson as most. All that being said, I believe we have upgraded at DE with Mario Addison, and while it will take some time, I believe Epenesa is going to develop into something special. I don't know about linebacker. Im not sure I know what a linebacker is any more. So I just trust McDermott. I agree about DT. Losing Star hurt. Like li ebacker, the position is getting blurred. They talk about Epenesa moving inside, about 3 techs playing the one. I worry that they aren't stout enough. Edited September 6, 2020 by Shaw66 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 3 hours ago, machine gun kelly said: Nice job Shaw. Until I went to the bottom, I thought you wrote this summary. Whoops. I appreciate it though as would have never seen it. “Are You Ready for Some Football”. This is going to be a fun fall and hopefully winter into February. If they stick with these % for occupancy, My god how expensive are these SB tickets going to be. He did write it. "The Rockpile Review" is Shaw's weekly piece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Otreply Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Nail on the head! Excellent read Shaw66. It’s going to be great watching this season unfold in front us. Go Bills!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Let's ***** GO!!!!!! Nice piece. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedbuffaloblue Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Excellent! Could not agree more. GO BILLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1st&ten Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Always enjoyable to read Shaw's post, used to read them on the other board way back. Keep up the good work Shaw. I hope we hear from Bill from NY this year also---last I knew he was having some health problems & didn't post much---hope he's still around & can chime in this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Success Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 2+ decades is an awfully long wait. But it makes the payoff a lot sweeter. It's a great time to be a Bills fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuvian Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 There's no question we are peaking on and off the field. If we win it all it will be viewed as an asterisk year. I expect exhibition quality football for much of the season and am not taking this season's results the least bit seriously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted September 6, 2020 Author Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, stuvian said: There's no question we are peaking on and off the field. If we win it all it will be viewed as an asterisk year. I expect exhibition quality football for much of the season and am not taking this season's results the least bit seriously Unless Covid messes up the season, i think by November it will be good competitive football. Serious athletes going at it. Playoffs should be the same as any season. It won't be an asterisk Lombardi. Edited September 7, 2020 by Shaw66 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 4 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: He did write it. "The Rockpile Review" is Shaw's weekly piece I don’t know why, but didn’t know so then I stand corrected and thank you Shaw as it was fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 1 hour ago, machine gun kelly said: I don’t know why, but didn’t know so then I stand corrected and thank you Shaw as it was fantastic! Thanks. Didn't know what people would think of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LB48 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 8 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: I read Shaw66's write ups and picture Ralph Hubbell reading them. Old timers such as myself appreciate the work and style of both. Ditto for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 2 hours ago, stuvian said: There's no question we are peaking on and off the field. If we win it all it will be viewed as an asterisk year. I expect exhibition quality football for much of the season and am not taking this season's results the least bit seriously I agree about the asterisk....the Bills are losing one of the best home field advantages in the league. Zero fans from one of the TOP fan bases. It will be an even greater accomplishment! GO BILLS!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpschwartz Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Great as always Shaw. This season will be particularly tough on rookies and teams with many roster moves. This is a big advantage for us, our team had continuity, Diggs will outperform any rookie by a mile, our oline is the same. I'm concerned about our punter, mediocre at best, can cost us field position. Maybe this is the year, Allen is still on rookie contract, we have to hurry up. Go Bills!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthebuff Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Great read. As a lifelong Bills fan who has not lived in in the city in a long time, I really appreciate the optimism of your article tempered with a few "ifs". Like you, I believe that the season hinges on the offense more than the defense. And also that the offense will only be as good/excellent as Josh Allen is. If he's the 60% guy who can't get them over the top and to the final game, then we need to rebuild with a new guy. And that will take a few more years. Now it the time. Thanks @Shaw66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 1 hour ago, inthebuff said: If he's the 60% guy who can't get them over the top and to the final game, then we need to rebuild with a new guy. And that will take a few more years. Now it the time. Thanks @Shaw66 Allen will be a star in the NFL. The only question is how long will it take to get there. He has all the ingredients. Size, arm, body. The Broncos waited nine years for Elway, then won two Super Bowls. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transplantbillsfan Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Good post Shaw. It's nice to have football and "The Rockpile Review" back. Such a weird feeling as we start this year. We usually have preseason and a lot more TC to wet our palettes. Thursday when the season kicks off I think will be a welcome shock to everyone's system. As for Buffalo, it's strange to say that anything short of winning at least 1 playoff game this year will be disappointing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVilanch Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Chills! Great write up, I've been sleep walking through the off season but I'm awake now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Firebaugh Kid Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 @Shaw66 Thank you for these! Go Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLTbills Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Fantastic as always, Shaw. Getting pumped up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 10 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said: Good post Shaw. It's nice to have football and "The Rockpile Review" back. Such a weird feeling as we start this year. We usually have preseason and a lot more TC to wet our palettes. Thursday when the season kicks off I think will be a welcome shock to everyone's system. As for Buffalo, it's strange to say that anything short of winning at least 1 playoff game this year will be disappointing. I'm really excited for Thursday night. Real, live, football. I'm worried that I've gotten myself overboard with my expectations. When the reL games start, its going to be as tough as everyone win. And the Pats will be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat68 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Great job as always. You hit on alot of the finer points that makes Buffalo a Super Bowl contender. The team is not one of those start ups that "win" the offseason. Over 20 years we have seen in the past. Where areas of the team are ready and other parts of the team/organization are not. Every aspect of the franchise is there. Last season, crunch time the offense couldnt beat man to man. Diggs helps solve that issue. Last season doubling Brown, pressing Beasley was easy to figure out. Ne and Baltimore were good enough outside to press 0 blitz when it counted. Diggs makes teams second guess the later. Having a guy who has and wants to make the big time catches is huge. Having a guy who can take a hitch, a slant, a screen 50 yards is another element the offense has lack for years. Ive been an Allen guy since the start. I think he takes a jump in play and is a darkhorse for MVP. Buffalo plays big time primetime games. Ofcourse, there are ifs but here is the case. Win the division for the first time since 95. Buffalo is still a favorite. Increase in yards and Tds. I think with Diggs those are possible outcomes. Lastly, there are 4 primetime spots where Allen can have a moment. Maybe not out Duel Mahomes but plays close. Other games show some 4th quarter heroics hes done the last 2 years. Some are big ifs but I see a pretty clear path to make it possible, and I dont think any of those are improbable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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