Maybe we should give credit to the opposition for completely changing the game around.

[njbuff]

Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guys.

 

The Rams didn’t wilt when they went down 28-3 and decided they didn’t want to go down meekly.

 

Also, in turn, I don’t care what anyone says, the Bills took their foot completely off the gas pedal as they thought it was as easy as pie.

 

Just watching the Bills sidelines when they went up 28-3, I thought the Bills could have been in some trouble.

 

But to Allen’s credit, his team didn’t wilt either when they had NO MOMENTUM at the end of the game.

 

In the end........

 

an instant classic.

[Penfield45]

Rams aren’t some bum team

 

this was always going to be a close game. They have a high powered offense and probably the best offensive mind in football behind it. 
 

also didn’t help our defense had 2 main guys back from injury. 

[Ghs24mike]

Yeah, the Rams are a really really good team. Seahawks and Packers had their hands full in their wins too. It is a tough league to win in and we are 3-0. 

 

 This may have been the perfect win because it serves as a point of emphasis going forwards that you are NEVER "safe" with the lead. It exposed some of our flaws and emphasized some of our strenths.

 

A lot to build on. Our offense is going to continue to improve and hopefully we keep the throttle down all 60 minutes. 

[MJS]

It can't be a classic for me because of the horrible officiating. It still makes me angry.

1 minute ago, Ghs24mike said:

Yeah, the Rams are a really really good team. Seahawks and Packers had their hands full in their wins too. It is a tough league to win in and we are 3-0. 

 

 This may have been the perfect win because it serves as a point of emphasis going forwards that you are NEVER "safe" with the lead. It exposed some of our flaws and emphasized some of our strenths.

 

A lot to build on. Our offense is going to continue to improve and hopefully we keep the throttle down all 60 minutes. 

I agree. I also thought about this. Hopefully this shows the players and coaches that the best coarse of action is to stay aggressive and continue to stomp on the necks of their opponents. I think execution by the players has been the issue. They need to find a way to keep up the intensity.

[Bob in STL]

Rams are tough.  They knew they could run on us and they stuck with it.  Our defense was terrible on the drive right after 28-3.  They offered no resistance.   Then the crazy PI call and the wheels literally fell off.  We looked similar to the Bills in the second half versus Houston.  Again we got away from Singletary for awhile, until the last drive.  
 

Thankfully, we pulled it out.  Allen made some huge plays on the last drive.  Beasley was clutch.  The PI was the correct call.  The Rams were fortunate to not get more penalties IMO.   
 

 

The Rams just gave the rest of the league a nice blueprint on how to run on us.  McD and Frazier need to get to work.  

[Ramza86]

This I agree with, they fought back.

 

Im sure the Rams felt them same about their defense the same way we felt about ours. 

 

They gave up 28 early and did nothing offensively early. They know they are better than that.

 

These are the types of games we will be seeing this year. We have a really tough schedule and the games are going to back and forth.

 

This was the extreme though in terms of losing a lead. 

[Buffalo Junction]

6 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

Rams are tough.  They knew they could run on us and they stuck with it.  Our defense was terrible on the drive right after 28-3.  They offered no resistance.   Then the crazy PI call and the wheels literally fell off.  We looked similar to the Bills in the second half versus Houston.  Again we got away from Singletary for awhile, until the last drive.  
 

Thankfully, we pulled it out.  Allen made some huge plays on the last drive.  Beasley was clutch.  The PI was the correct call.  The Rams were fortunate to not get more penalties IMO.   
 

 

The Rams just gave the rest of the league a nice blueprint on how to run on us.  McD and Frazier need to get to work.  

They need to start utilizing the ground game when it’s working, especially with a 20+ point lead. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Bills didn't take their foot off anything.  The Rams moved the ball at will most of the game.  Levi and Milano made two really nice plays in the first half.  Tip your hat to them.  They have a great offense.  But I thought our defense was supposed to be elite? It isn't anywhere close to elite.  There are major issues at MLB and the most of the DL.  Will they be exposed by lesser teams?  Probably not. They play disciplined football on the back end which means they don't get beat deep often.  As much as I want Edmunds to be moved outside and don't think he is a great MLB, he will play better than he did against the Rams.  He lacks consistency but he is a better player than what he showed on the field yesterday - maybe the shoulder is worse than we thought.  They will face some elite offenses later in the year - KC, Seattle, Arizona.  Those teams have flaws too though.  And now the Bills have an offense that can score with any team in the league.  

 

I will harp again.  They need pass rushers.  They don't get enough pressure on the QB and therefore they don't get enough turnovers.  They are old at DE and small at DT.  Beane needs to spend some draft capital and try to get a player to add to the front 7.    

[somnus00]

I hear you. We should always give credit to the other team's efforts (except when the effort is cheating, you know who you are).

 

But it is a concern that our defense seems to crumble a bit in the second half. In the 3 games, we've seen the defense suffocate the offenses in the first 2 quarters. Only to see those same offenses move the ball in the second half.

 

What is it? Conditioning? Injuries? Coaching? Playing with a lead? Or a combination? Either way. Our guys still have to work on a complete game.

 

But for now. We're a legitimate 3 - 0! This is the best bills team in decades.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

8 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

Rams are tough.  They knew they could run on us and they stuck with it.  Our defense was terrible on the drive right after 28-3.  They offered no resistance.   Then the crazy PI call and the wheels literally fell off.  We looked similar to the Bills in the second half versus Houston.  Again we got away from Singletary for awhile, until the last drive.  
 

Thankfully, we pulled it out.  Allen made some huge plays on the last drive.  Beasley was clutch.  The PI was the correct call.  The Rams were fortunate to not get more penalties IMO.   
 

 

The Rams just gave the rest of the league a nice blueprint on how to run on us.  McD and Frazier need to get to work.  

 

Outside zone, play action bootlegs and half boots.  They utilize a ton of motion too, play some tempo at times.  They're a team that also absolutely benefits MASSIVELY from no crowd noise.

[Beast]

The Rams are a good team.

 

What we saw in the 2nd half yesterday, however, was inexcusable. Being outscored 29-0, at home, when you are looking to be called a contender?

 

The offense and defense both, especially the coaching staff, ***** the bed as bad as any team I've witnessed for a brief period of time.

[mannc]

4 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Bills didn't take their foot off anything.  The Rams moved the ball at will most of the game.  Levi and Milano made two really nice plays in the first half.  Tip your hat to them.  They have a great offense.  But I thought our defense was supposed to be elite? It isn't anywhere close to elite.  There are major issues at MLB and the most of the DL.  Will they be exposed by lesser teams?  Probably not. They play disciplined football on the back end which means they don't get beat deep often.  As much as I want Edmunds to be moved outside and don't think he is a great MLB, he will play better than he did against the Rams.  He lacks consistency but he is a better player than what he showed on the field yesterday - maybe the shoulder is worse than we thought.  They will face some elite offenses later in the year - KC, Seattle, Arizona.  Those teams have flaws too though.  And now the Bills have an offense that can score with any team in the league.  

 

I will harp again.  They need pass rushers.  They don't get enough pressure on the QB and therefore they don't get enough turnovers.  They are old at DE and small at DT.  Beane needs to spend some draft capital and try to get a player to add to the front 7.    

The past two years they have used their first draft picks—including number 8 overall—on front 7 players who were supposedly great pass rushers.  How much more draft capital do they have to use there?

Edited September 28, 2020 by mannc

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, njbuff said:

 

Also, in turn, I don’t care what anyone says, the Bills took their foot completely off the gas pedal as they thought it was as easy as pie.

 

I always wondered how people come to this conclusion?   (Not questioning you...just trying to understand  what events by the Bills caused you to say the above) !

[Sherlock Holmes]

18 minutes ago, Beast said:

The Rams are a good team.

 

What we saw in the 2nd half yesterday, however, was inexcusable. Being outscored 29-0, at home, when you are looking to be called a contender?

 

The offense and defense both, especially the coaching staff, ***** the bed as bad as any team I've witnessed for a brief period of time.

Is it just me, or since the Cheats came back on the Falcons in the SB, have there not been the most ridiculous comebacks week after week? I'm talking 24+ point comeback games on the regular... Falcons seem to be on the bad end of a lot of them as are we.

[NewEra]

27 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Bills didn't take their foot off anything.  The Rams moved the ball at will most of the game.  Levi and Milano made two really nice plays in the first half.  Tip your hat to them.  They have a great offense.  But I thought our defense was supposed to be elite? It isn't anywhere close to elite.  There are major issues at MLB and the most of the DL.  Will they be exposed by lesser teams?  Probably not. They play disciplined football on the back end which means they don't get beat deep often.  As much as I want Edmunds to be moved outside and don't think he is a great MLB, he will play better than he did against the Rams.  He lacks consistency but he is a better player than what he showed on the field yesterday - maybe the shoulder is worse than we thought.  They will face some elite offenses later in the year - KC, Seattle, Arizona.  Those teams have flaws too though.  And now the Bills have an offense that can score with any team in the league.  

 

I will harp again.  They need pass rushers.  They don't get enough pressure on the QB and therefore they don't get enough turnovers.  They are old at DE and small at DT.  Beane needs to spend some draft capital and try to get a player to add to the front 7.    

I agree with everything up til the bold.

 

I don’t see it.  Addison, Hughes and Murphy are fine pass rushers.  We were all over Fitz and darnold.  The rams O set our d up perfectly with a strong run game and play action.  They’ve done it to every team they’ve faced so far and will continue to do it.  They’re a very good offense and sometimes very good offense have productive days.

How many “superstar” elite pass rushers are there in the league? Maybe a handful.  At this point, it’s easier to find an elite QB than to find an elite pass rusher.  The guys we have are pretty good at getting to the QB.
 

you say Beane needs to spend some draft capital to get front 7 player.  We used our first picks on a DL the last 2 years.  Expect to use one of our top picks on a DL next year as well.  I don’t see him trading draft pick for a DL. Our cap situation makes it tricky.
 

I do think that we should bring in Snacks. He won’t cost us anything other than salary for the rest of the year.  Not sure how he fits in our scheme, but he can’t hurt.  

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Sweats]

It didn’t help that our premier D ***** the bed

[Mark Vader]

2 hours ago, njbuff said:

Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guys.

 

The Rams didn’t wilt when they went down 28-3 and decided they didn’t want to go down meekly.

 

Also, in turn, I don’t care what anyone says, the Bills took their foot completely off the gas pedal as they thought it was as easy as pie.

 

Just watching the Bills sidelines when they went up 28-3, I thought the Bills could have been in some trouble.

 

But to Allen’s credit, his team didn’t wilt either when they had NO MOMENTUM at the end of the game.

 

In the end........

 

an instant classic.

This game reminded me of the Bills-Eagles game from 1990.

 

It was a great win for the Bills, and you have to give credit to the Rams for not folding.

 

I still think the Rams are being overlooked from a nationwide perspective. They are very talented. I would not be surprised at all if they won the NFC West.

[Rocbillsfan1]

I think after almost 24 hours people can start to see the big picture here. That rams team is still mainly built on the coaches and players that brought them to the Super Bowl 2 years ago and they look like they could be a serious contender again this year and our Bills beat them in a shoot out. That is unbelievable and something I haven’t seen from a Bills teams since the Kelly era. Not even the 1 good Bledsoe year could begin to start to describe how excited I am for this team. Sure there’s some problems here and there but the Bills are now built to be serious contenders and it looks like it could stay that way for a while. This could be a regular season game that people point to in the future where we realized this team has officially arrived on the contender list. 

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, njbuff said:

Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guys.

 

The Rams didn’t wilt when they went down 28-3 and decided they didn’t want to go down meekly.

 

Also, in turn, I don’t care what anyone says, the Bills took their foot completely off the gas pedal as they thought it was as easy as pie.

 

Just watching the Bills sidelines when they went up 28-3, I thought the Bills could have been in some trouble.

 

But to Allen’s credit, his team didn’t wilt either when they had NO MOMENTUM at the end of the game.

 

In the end........

 

an instant classic.

 

Naw....

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

It can't be a classic for me because of the horrible officiating. It still makes me angry.

I agree. I also thought about this. Hopefully this shows the players and coaches that the best coarse of action is to stay aggressive and continue to stomp on the necks of their opponents. I think execution by the players has been the issue. They need to find a way to keep up the intensity.

 

I think the impact of that bogus "interception" call on the pass to Kroft was pretty big.

To recap:

1) the Bills D came out tough and forced a Turnover on Downs (2:39)

2) the Bills O "did their job" and exploited the short field for a TD (4:16)

3) at this point, I feel the Bills D relaxed a bit into "prevent" (need to see film, but they def. took their edge off).  The Rams O ground out a 75 yd drive (3:18)

They needed a bit of time to adjust and regroup

4) 37 seconds later, after a 10 yd Mitch Morse holding penalty and the completed pass (excuse me, "interception") to Kroft that would have been a legit OPI, the D was back on the field.  Next step was a 4-and-out, and our D was thoroughly gassed and ready to be gashed.

 

This kind of happened to them in the second half of the Texans game too.  I hope it will result in some self-examination by the coaches and players.  Maybe they need a deeper level of conditioning, maybe they need a different philosophy, all I know is you can't expect recent championship teams to roll over easy - it's in their "DNA" that they don't.

 

So if failure to "stomp" is part of the D's problem, they need to keep their boots on in the 3Q.

 

 

[MJS]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I think the impact of that bogus "interception" call on the pass to Kroft was pretty big.

To recap:

1) the Bills D came out tough and forced a Turnover on Downs (2:39)

2) the Bills O "did their job" and exploited the short field for a TD (4:16)

3) at this point, I feel the Bills D relaxed a bit into "prevent" (need to see film, but they def. took their edge off).  The Rams O ground out a 75 yd drive (3:18)

They needed a bit of time to adjust and regroup

4) 37 seconds later, after a 10 yd Mitch Morse holding penalty and the completed pass (excuse me, "interception") to Kroft that would have been a legit OPI, the D was back on the field.  Next step was a 4-and-out, and our D was thoroughly gassed and ready to be gashed.

 

This kind of happened to them in the second half of the Texans game too.  I hope it will result in some self-examination by the coaches and players.  Maybe they need a deeper level of conditioning, maybe they need a different philosophy, all I know is you can't expect recent championship teams to roll over easy - it's in their "DNA" that they don't.

 

So if failure to "stomp" is part of the D's problem, they need to keep their boots on in the 3Q.

Yeah. I mean the fake INT was a huge momentum swing and I don't fault defense for being on their heels after that. But at some point they needed to right the ship and they didn't. They continued sinking.

 

I think the mentality needs to shift from "let's ride this out and get the win" to "this is my chance to get an INT or a sack/fumble and pad my stats". A lot of good defenses keep playing hard because they know the offense is going to take risks to get back into the game and the opportunity for turnovers and big plays increases. And that's what defenders live for.

 

So they may need a "play fearless" pep talk from McDermott just like Allen needed last year. Particularly Edmunds who seems to overthink things. And maybe Frazier needs half a game of McDermott calling the plays again to light a fire under him too.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

3 hours ago, mannc said:

The past two years they have used their first draft picks—including number 8 overall—on front 7 players who were supposedly great pass rushers.  Have much more draft capital do they have to use there?

Epenesa is a run stuffing DE.  They have not drafted an EDGE rusher except in the 7th round last year.  I didn't like the Oliver pick at the time (wanted trade up for Josh Allen) but he has shown some promise as an interior rusher.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

21 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Epenesa is a run stuffing DE.  They have not drafted an EDGE rusher except in the 7th round last year.  I didn't like the Oliver pick at the time (wanted trade up for Josh Allen) but he has shown some promise as an interior rusher.  

 

Epenesa's draft profiles don't seem to agree; they give him props as a rusher.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/aj-epenesa/z0ksGGlsMr

"AJ Epenesa has been a dynamic defensive playmaker across his last two seasons at Iowa, racking up 30.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, eight forced fumbles and seven pass deflections. His blend of length, devastating power, technique and urgency gives him a chance to do the same in the NFL." "Can be devastating bull rushing off the edge, getting  on the same level of the passer, shucking the block and finishing. Pass rush counters developed nicely in 2019, showcasing a variety of hand swipes. His push-pull is deadly. Exceptional ability to convert speed to power and he often plays right through blockers. "

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/andrew-epenesa/32194550-4541-5291-9369-b9d0c170a565

"He has average instincts against the run and is a step slow to shed, but he's strong at the point and he does his job. Epenesa won't just out-run tackles to the edge, but he's a skilled rusher whose diversity of attack, skilled hands and unique bull-rushing instincts could help him deliver his college sack production in the pros."

 

38 minutes ago, MJS said:

Yeah. I mean the fake INT was a huge momentum swing and I don't fault defense for being on their heels after that. But at some point they needed to right the ship and they didn't. They continued sinking.

 

You make a fair point and it highlights one of my serious concerns about McDermott/Frazier - when a team identifies a play they can exploit, we see it Over.  and Over. and Over. again, and the Bills seem sluggish to make adjustments. 

 

Now I do take the point that "it's not about the X's and O's, it's about the Jimmies and Joes".  But the top DCs and HCs in the league seem able to help their Jimmies and Joes out with a bit of defensive scheme strategy change in-game at times.

[WideNine]

5 hours ago, njbuff said:

Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guys.

 

The Rams didn’t wilt when they went down 28-3 and decided they didn’t want to go down meekly.

 

Also, in turn, I don’t care what anyone says, the Bills took their foot completely off the gas pedal as they thought it was as easy as pie.

 

Just watching the Bills sidelines when they went up 28-3, I thought the Bills could have been in some trouble.

 

But to Allen’s credit, his team didn’t wilt either when they had NO MOMENTUM at the end of the game.

 

In the end........

 

an instant classic.

 

Nope. Not going to do it.

 

I don't mind saying the Rams executed and the Bills didn't, but there is something off with this defense and late game collapses and pissing away leads that was not unique to this Rams game.

 

That cannot be overlooked.

 

 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

22 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Epenesa's draft profiles don't seem to agree; they give him props as a rusher.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/aj-epenesa/z0ksGGlsMr

"AJ Epenesa has been a dynamic defensive playmaker across his last two seasons at Iowa, racking up 30.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, eight forced fumbles and seven pass deflections. His blend of length, devastating power, technique and urgency gives him a chance to do the same in the NFL." "Can be devastating bull rushing off the edge, getting  on the same level of the passer, shucking the block and finishing. Pass rush counters developed nicely in 2019, showcasing a variety of hand swipes. His push-pull is deadly. Exceptional ability to convert speed to power and he often plays right through blockers. "

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/andrew-epenesa/32194550-4541-5291-9369-b9d0c170a565

"He has average instincts against the run and is a step slow to shed, but he's strong at the point and he does his job. Epenesa won't just out-run tackles to the edge, but he's a skilled rusher whose diversity of attack, skilled hands and unique bull-rushing instincts could help him deliver his college sack production in the pros."

 

 

You make a fair point and it highlights one of my serious concerns about McDermott/Frazier - when a team identifies a play they can exploit, we see it Over.  and Over. and Over. again, and the Bills seem sluggish to make adjustments. 

 

Now I do take the point that "it's not about the X's and O's, it's about the Jimmies and Joes".  But the top DCs and HCs in the league seem able to help their Jimmies and Joes out with a bit of defensive scheme strategy change in-game at times.

He ran a 5.04 40 time and dropped out of the first round because people questioned his ability to rush the passer in the NFL.  But he chased Goff down nicely yesterday.  Maybe he will be better than I think.  He sat week 1 but has increased his playing time quite a bit from week two to week 3.  I'd be happy with 15 sacks between him and Murphy by year's end.   

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

I think the Bills figured with that large of a lead, they can go into a bend but not break defense mode and let the Rams matriculate the ball down the field (as Hank Stram would say).  What they didn't figure on was the Rams moving the ball down that quickly and scoring while using hardly any time and then the Bills offense all of a sudden turn around to no first downs and throw in two turnovers, one giving the Rams a very short field.  Add in 78 degree weather and the defense seemed to be gassed.  On top of that. the Rams offense is pretty good too so wasn't a huge stretch.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

22 minutes ago, WideNine said:

Nope. Not going to do it.

 

I don't mind saying the Rams executed and the Bills didn't, but there is something off with this defense and late game collapses and pissing away leads that was not unique to this Rams game.

 

That cannot be overlooked.

 

Agreed. 

 

Last season:

Eagles game - Were getting sand kicked in our face defensively all day long.  Just couldn't fix it.

Browns game - got a lead in the 4th Q.  Couldn't hold it.  Browns 19-16

2nd Patriots game - took a lead in the 3rd Q.  Allowed 11 unanswered in the 4th.  NE 24-17

Houston - letting a 16-0 lead evaporate

This season:

Miami: we let them crawl back in it to a 17-20 lead.  Then we woke up and went to work, but way closer than it should have been due to no answers to Gesieki

Rams: we just saw it unfold.  25 point lead pissed away.

 

IMO as well as Josh Allen and the Offense needing to take a step this season, the Defense needs to take a step and primarily in the coaching/adjustment abilities.  The Defense is rightly touted, but I don't think their stats tell the whole story and right now, we're on track for "mediocre"

 

 

 

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

5 hours ago, njbuff said:

Sometimes you have to give credit to the other guys.

 

The Rams didn’t wilt when they went down 28-3 and decided they didn’t want to go down meekly.

 

Also, in turn, I don’t care what anyone says, the Bills took their foot completely off the gas pedal as they thought it was as easy as pie.

 

Just watching the Bills sidelines when they went up 28-3, I thought the Bills could have been in some trouble.

 

But to Allen’s credit, his team didn’t wilt either when they had NO MOMENTUM at the end of the game.

 

In the end........

 

an instant classic.

 

Personally, the false INT changed the momentum completely.  Without that play, I am not sure this game ever gets remotely close.  It gave Rams energy, but also got our D back on the field quickly and then right back on the field after that again.  

 

I am worried about the defense defending between the hash marks.  Its been a weakness 2 weeks in a row, but the Dolphin game had us missing 2 key players in Edmunds and Milano, and also a potential 3rd key guy in Norman (as we don't yet know what he can bring to the D until he gets on the field).  This week, I wonder if fatigue was a major factor in the 2nd half as the defense went from looking great most the game to suddenly looking terrible and unable to stop anything.  They got stuck on the field a lot during that stretch, and I am hoping its just a case of being both totally gassed and playing a brilliant offensive coach and potent offense.  

 

Regardless as to the why, one thing we know is that teams are 100% going to see the tape of these two games and look to attack these parts of the field again.  We are going to for sure be challenged by Raiders there as its literally the heart of their offense anyway.  Jacobs is a beast up the middle and powerful downhill runner with the ability to break it outside. Waller is a matchup nightmare over the middle who can and will be moved all over the offense.  

 

Its going to be interesting to see who the defense adjusts this week knowing full well the Raiders are going to attack this glaring weakness the past 2 weeks.  Lets just hope it was more of a short term issue due to a long stretch of being stuck on the field against a top end offense and not something thats a major issue week to week.  This weeks test isnt going to be easy either.  Raiders offense is not on the same level as Rams, but they are very good in the area we have been very weak, so could be a problem if we don't figure it out and fast.  

[mjt328]

An ELITE defense can sometimes struggle against really strong offenses, and even have bad games sometimes.  It happened to us last year as well.

 

This unit has struggled BADLY two weeks in a row.  Worse than at any point in 2019.  Despite the score in the first half, the Rams were moving the ball well the entire game.  In the second half, they were getting almost no resistance.  If the coaching staff had left more than 25-30 seconds left on the clock, I would have been extremely nervous this defense could stop them from getting into field goal range.

 

Maybe it's a combination of things.  Injuries.  No help from the crowd noise.  The retirement of Lorenzo Alexander.  The free agent losses of Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips.  Star Lotulelei opting out.  Better competition.  I don't know for sure.  But it's hard to believe we went from a Top 5 unit last year, to a team incapable of stopping anyone or anything.  Hopefully we get it straightened out soon.

 

[mannc]

1 hour ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Epenesa is a run stuffing DE.  They have not drafted an EDGE rusher except in the 7th round last year.  I didn't like the Oliver pick at the time (wanted trade up for Josh Allen) but he has shown some promise as an interior rusher.  

Well if we spent a second round pick on a "run-stuffing DE" then we f'd up.  

[Ethan in Cleveland]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Agreed. 

 

Last season:

Eagles game - Were getting sand kicked in our face defensively all day long.  Just couldn't fix it.

Browns game - got a lead in the 4th Q.  Couldn't hold it.  Browns 19-16

2nd Patriots game - took a lead in the 3rd Q.  Allowed 11 unanswered in the 4th.  NE 24-17

Houston - letting a 16-0 lead evaporate

This season:

Miami: we let them crawl back in it to a 17-20 lead.  Then we woke up and went to work, but way closer than it should have been due to no answers to Gesieki

Rams: we just saw it unfold.  25 point lead pissed away.

 

IMO as well as Josh Allen and the Offense needing to take a step this season, the Defense needs to take a step and primarily in the coaching/adjustment abilities.  The Defense is rightly touted, but I don't think their stats tell the whole story and right now, we're on track for "mediocre"

 

 

 

 

 

You are spot on. The defense choked the Houston victory away. Their stats last year showed they were a slightly above average team taking away the ball. They didn't give up a lot of yards and did not give up many points. Points matter most but there is also context to that. Holding the other team to a FG but letting them possess the ball for 8 minutes and not forcing turnovers matters a lot.

Their rank last year was due at least in some part to the schedule.

To give them the benefit of the doubt though, they are integrating many new faces into the front 7 and I suspect Milano and Edmunds were not 100%

1 hour ago, mannc said:

Well if we spent a second round pick on a "run-stuffing DE" then we f'd up.  

We will see. It is still early and I will be happy to admit I'm wrong.  

For what it is worth they gave him number 57 so maybe they see him as more hybrid DE than we think not that the jersey number means anything. 

[GreggTX]

Aaron Donald is in a class all by himself. What I wouldn't give to have him on our team.

[mannc]

12 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

  

For what it is worth they gave him number 57 so maybe they see him as more hybrid DE than we think not that the jersey number means anything. 

Well, Epenesa was credited with a "sack" yesterday...

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Agreed. 

 

Last season:

Eagles game - Were getting sand kicked in our face defensively all day long.  Just couldn't fix it.

Browns game - got a lead in the 4th Q.  Couldn't hold it.  Browns 19-16

2nd Patriots game - took a lead in the 3rd Q.  Allowed 11 unanswered in the 4th.  NE 24-17

Houston - letting a 16-0 lead evaporate

This season:

Miami: we let them crawl back in it to a 17-20 lead.  Then we woke up and went to work, but way closer than it should have been due to no answers to Gesieki

Rams: we just saw it unfold.  25 point lead pissed away.

 

IMO as well as Josh Allen and the Offense needing to take a step this season, the Defense needs to take a step and primarily in the coaching/adjustment abilities.  The Defense is rightly touted, but I don't think their stats tell the whole story and right now, we're on track for "mediocre"

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Miami gameplan was definitely built around hiding LB deficiencies.  The Rams game was just getting gashed with misdirections all day long. 

 

While the team hasn't been getting a ton of sacks, there's been pressure a fair amount.  LAR did a nice job moving the pocket, creating bootlegs and half-boots to find soft spots in zone. If you take away the high low read of say woods, higbee, kupp - you've likely over played the one side of the field and an easy throw to an open receiver is available in the middle of the field.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

The Miami gameplan was definitely built around hiding LB deficiencies.  The Rams game was just getting gashed with misdirections all day long. 

 

While the team hasn't been getting a ton of sacks, there's been pressure a fair amount.  LAR did a nice job moving the pocket, creating bootlegs and half-boots to find soft spots in zone. If you take away the high low read of say woods, higbee, kupp - you've likely over played the one side of the field and an easy throw to an open receiver is available in the middle of the field.  

 

I "get it" that the Rams have a high octane offense with a ton of great skill players and are a tough out.  What I didn't like was us getting gashed by the run on the R so much.  It happened over and over and we didn't seem to have an answer.

[CommonCents]

Need a firecracker on D, I’d mix Dodson in some and see if he can’t spark a bit of that. I don’t see it coming from anywhere else. Maybe Eddie O.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

6 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I "get it" that the Rams have a high octane offense with a ton of great skill players and are a tough out.  What I didn't like was us getting gashed by the run on the R so much.  It happened over and over and we didn't seem to have an answer.

 

Missed tackles, missed gap assignments, and just generally the dline seemed gassed and couldnt rotate when they went no huddle.  

[njbuff]

Hopefully this is just a case of the Bills D being behind the O simply because there was no preseason and they weren't able to get prep time by tackling someone of the opposition instead of their own or no one at all. 😁

[Punching Bag]

7 hours ago, MJS said:

It can't be a classic for me because of the horrible officiating. It still makes me angry.

I agree. I also thought about this. Hopefully this shows the players and coaches that the best coarse of action is to stay aggressive and continue to stomp on the necks of their opponents. I think execution by the players has been the issue. They need to find a way to keep up the intensity.

 

I guess Bills need to sign Ndamukong Suh and Albert George Haynesworth III to team.

7 hours ago, somnus00 said:

I hear you. We should always give credit to the other team's efforts (except when the effort is cheating, you know who you are).

 

But it is a concern that our defense seems to crumble a bit in the second half. In the 3 games, we've seen the defense suffocate the offenses in the first 2 quarters. Only to see those same offenses move the ball in the second half.

 

What is it? Conditioning? Injuries? Coaching? Playing with a lead? Or a combination? Either way. Our guys still have to work on a complete game.

 

But for now. We're a legitimate 3 - 0! This is the best bills team in decades.

 

Sounds like 2nd half adjustments.