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Weak, soft or just overmatched?


Toledo Bill

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At least once a year under this regime we play a game where there is a feeling of helplessness.. The other team runs or passes at will and we literally cannot adjust or stop them. Our offense is finessed based (can pass but cannot run). Continuous errors (mental and physical) are made. 
My first houghts were that they are a soft or weak team but in many ways, throughout the season they show heart. That makes me assume that they are overmatched and out coached. Why can’t we run the ball? Why are there games where we are run over or cannot generate any semblance of a pass rush? I am afraid the Bills are a good team but until some changes are made regarding the talent level of both lines “good” is the best we will see. I also question if the McBean combination is all we hope it is. They may also be “good” but not great.

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Monday night, 1991. Undefeated 5-0 Bills got destroyed by the Chiefs 33-6. 

 

I'm calling this our Chiefs game (hoping next week's Chiefs game isn't the Chiefs game...) and if we see the Titans again in the playoffs we'll be out for sweet revenge.

 

To be fair to the Bills, this was a tough prep week for them with all the uncertainty, plus the injuries. They also were possibly overconfident after their hot start. This can either serve as the start of a downward spiral or a wake-up call. Hopefully it's the latter.

 

Now it's all about Mahomes and the Chiefs. If they get blown out again then the wheels will be off the bandwagon but if they play a great game and come out with a win then this will be put down as an anomaly.

 

I do think Josh looked rattled, like he was shocked the offense wasn't having its way and then started forcing things because he felt he had to make a play. He seems smart and able to learn from his experiences so hopefully that's what he does with this 

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NFL is week to week. Mike Tyson has a great quote stating "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." 

 

I have a similar saying for evaluating teams and QBs. You don't know how good you are until you get punched in the mouth. Meaning that until you face adversity and until you lose you don't know how good you are. Your response to the adversity and the loss is what makes you. 

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1 hour ago, Toledo Bill said:

Weak, soft or just overmatched?

 

 

IMO, injuries are killing us.

 

Milano and White are two of our best three on defense, and losing the top two CBs hurts a lot. 

 

But if we look like that consistently, we'll have to think about applying those terms.

 

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9 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

I really think fans need to stop comparing this Bills team to the 90's Bills. Not even close. Those teams had better everything, coaching to talent. And they had a lot more heart and will to win. They should replace the charging buffalo on the helmet with a picture of Edmunds, he personifies this team. Weak.

 

Guys like Bill Cower can love on McDermott all they want, so far McDermott has proven time and time again he can't beat good teams in spots that really matter. Once again, as week 5 or 6 rolls around, the Bills' season comes crashing back to earth, the national media will pull back on the praise as per usual, and the Bills return to a middling team that can't step on anyone's throat, and certainly cannot take the division from Belichick. 

 

NFL media personalities like Kyle Brandt probably feel foolish this morning...

I'm truly baffled by the negativity...

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1.  Allen wasn't right all game.  His footwork this season has been fine, but not against the Titans.  He wasn't balanced, he was throwing flat footed a lot, he was throwing off his back foot, he sailed a couple of passes to open receivers.  He even threw an honest to God interception, his first of the year, when he failed to see the defender.  I don't have any idea what caused his problems this week, but I hope his coaching entourage can figure it out and straighten it out.

 

2.  I hope this game was this year's Philadelphia game.  The Bills put up a stinker against Philly last year, for no apparent reason.  Then they got it figured out.

 

3.  The Bills have been a tightly knit bunch all season, in love with each other.  In this game they played like they'd been jilted.  I know we won't ever hear the true story, but I suspect that White and maybe Brown just didn't want to play against the covid team, and so they bailed on their teammates.  We won't know whether that's true or not, but the other players do, and they looked a lot like guys who suddenly are questioning the family values that they've built up.

 

4.  Where again are the team leaders?  Who is it who steps in and gets his teammates fired up, or reads the the riot act when they're not producing?  Especially on D, there doesn't seem to be anyone.  Edmunds might be playing hurt, and credit to him if he's doing that, but he's also playing badly.  It seems like Hyde and Poyer are tight with each other but not the rest of the D.

 

5.  Paging Ed Oliver.  Phone call for Mr. Oliver.  Has anyone seen Ed Oliver?

 

6.  Not that it mattered, but Tannehill was WAY past the the line of scrimmage when he threw that late TD pass.  Being a glutton for punishment, I rewound to the actual play, and it is as clear as day that Tannehill was well past.  I don't know why all the replays omitted the line on the field showing where the line of scrimmage was. 

 

 

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The mistakes piled up last night and really impacted the game.   Most of the mistakes are not systemic.   What is disturbing is the defense seems to allow qbs to stand in the pocket and pick the defense apart at will.   That has been consistent.   With and without Milano and White.    They are not getting pass rush at all right now.   Having said all that we need to give the Titans some respect.   They are a hard nosed, well coached old school team.   They went into NE and Balt in the playoffs and win.   
 

A lot was made about how the Titans would play.   On one hand they had a long break.   On the other hand they were not able to gather much.  I think the break helped them more than it hurt.   The bills are banged up a bit and that had an impact.   

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The defense has some real problems right now. Missing Star, the constant TSW whipping boy, has hurt the DL. Not having White, Milano, and Wallace showed big time. Edmunds doesn't seem to be healthy and at the same time is making the same mental errors he did as a rookie. Our blitz packages are the least creative and easy to read in the league as they always do exactly what they show you pre-snap. The offense isn't going to be able to carry us every single week. Tonight there were some bad drops, they clearly missed John Brown, the running game is non-existent, and it was like once the momentum shifted right before half it was lights out. We have a lot of work to do and the toughest part of our schedule on deck. We need to get healthy and McD/Frazier have to figure this defense out if we want to host a playoff game. 

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45 minutes ago, Utah John said:

 

 

3.  The Bills have been a tightly knit bunch all season, in love with each other.  In this game they played like they'd been jilted.  I know we won't ever hear the true story, but I suspect that White and maybe Brown just didn't want to play against the covid team, and so they bailed on their teammates.  We won't know whether that's true or not, but the other players do, and they looked a lot like guys who suddenly are questioning the family values that they've built up.

 

 

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

If White really did fake an injury to not play the COVID-19's, that's a bad look...

C'mon guys this is a hell of an assumption!  Although the Bills did look awful I highly doubt this was the case

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The biggest issue is the Defense. They have not been good, and last night was the worst. The problem is, that is a personnel issue that cannot be fixed mid-season: there are needs at D-line, linebacker, and D-backs. That is the scary part.

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really banged up right now (no White, Brown, Singletary, Moss, Spain, Milano, etc) and going against a really good team coming off 2 weeks complete rest, playing at home.  nuff said.  they'll be back.  hopefully all the Star L. haters now realize how big a blow it was when he opted out. 

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Just now, Gene1973 said:

No, they still prob make the playoff's, but I don't think they are a top team in the AFC, nor will they beat the Pats for the AFCE crown. Same results as last season most likely, with the play of the offense and defense reversed.


In my opinion they will win the AFCE... time will tell..

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

IMO, injuries are killing us.

 

Milano and White are two of our best three on defense, and losing the top two CBs hurts a lot. 

 

But if we look like that consistently, we'll have to think about applying those terms.

 

I will agree with you on White but please stop with Milano,  the guy is an average player who people want to hype up as some stud LB   Even when he played we were getting killed and could not stop anyone.  Not enough play makers on defense and it shows

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the injuries and the odd week may have doomed us to a loss the whole way though, but this team was very poorly coached last night.

 

constant mistakes, we had what, 5 or 6 false starts, two or 3 on one of our only good drives?  drops, guys on D totally out of position, off sides.  these are the mark of an unprepared team.

 

vrabel at this point is simply a better head coach than mcd.  i really hope mcd can turn it around, but we were beaten schematically and in terms of preparation.  

 

the pats were missing their qb, and were able to play (albeit in losses) very good teams close in high profile games.  they are missing talent from last year and still got their guys ready to ball.

 

 

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