A Few Thoughts About the Lions Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

As it's the preseason for the refs, camera crews, networks, alongside the players; it's also the preseason for me in terms of getting myself back in that writing rhythm and mindset.  Typically, I would write these late Sunday night or Monday at work, thinking I was meeting a solid 24 hour turn around.  These Friday games just mess me up heading into the weekend because I can never find the time.  Also, I've been very in my own head around what more I can do with these recaps.  I want to change things up a bit, but also don't want to lose the core of how they read.  I'm still TBD (no pun intended) on that.  With that, these thoughts aren't going to be just around players, but where the team seems to be at while in preparation for this upcoming season.  Excuse the cobwebs and scattered nature, I'm just trying to warm up.

 

Also, I'm not going to waste much time on players who have no shot of making this team.  That goes for the horrific performance of the offensive line in the second half.  It's just not worth my or your time.

 

1 - Preseason Context - Preseason games are not real games.  I see so many fans who live and die by what they see in the preseason and it's never made much sense to me.  I'm not going to waste my time googling this, but I know there's a stat out there that shows how poorly 4-0 preseason teams perform in the regular season and to the contrary, how well 0-4 teams will do.  The Preseason is about individual match-ups in the most basic of settings.  There aren't any trick plays, stunts, disguises, audibles, pulls, or anything else.  The preseason comes down to a very simple message to all players:  Execute the fundamentals and beat the person in front of you.  That's it.  Case and point, if anyone thinks we are going to run as much as we did in the Lions game in the regular season, you are seriously crazy.  So please, take these games for what they are, practice against other teams with fans and a clock.

 

2 - Rousseau - It's incredibly natural for most fans to see what our first round pick can do during the preseason game and my eyes were locked in on the lumberjack every play he was on the field.  However, I believe there is a large amount of context to be found in what he was asked to do and the offense he was up against.  The Lions gained most of their yardage on quick curl routes and 3rd downs.  They struggled to move down the field with ease and got the ball off quickly.  Rousseau (I need a nickname for this kid quickly) was matched up against arguable the 3rd best prospect, and best overall OT in the draft, in Penei Sewell.  With no support, Rousseau was able to push Sewell back on multiple plays, one even resulting in an arm sack (which shows the strength of this kid).  While this is from just one quarter, it's easy to see the potential this kid has and I'd give him an A+ for his very first on field performance.  (Side note:  Honorable mention to Oliver who was playing out of position, got double teamed frequently, and still got some decent push up the middle)

 

3 - Running backs - We saw success early in the game with draw plays up the middle and Motor had two nice plays where he showed burst and the strength to break some arm tackles.  He also had a nice touchdown catch in the second quarter, which was overshadowed to me by the fact that he was out on the field in the first place.  Outside of that, there wasn't much to be excited about from the run game.  It didn't help that we made it obvious early that we had zero intention of passing the ball nor had any starters at pass catcher besides Knox and Gabe out there.  I was not very impressed with Breida as he didn't show that outside speed we are looking for.  Antonio Williams, who many wanted to see move up the depth chart, had a very lackluster day, but it's hard to evaluate him behind the putrid offensive line that was blocking for him.

 

4 - This is typically where I post lyrics from a song by one band for the entire season.  One year, I did movie quotes, but that was harder.  In the past, I've used the Grateful Dead (Always for you Bill), Dave Matthews, and Barenaked Ladies.  This year, I haven't decided what I'm going to do.  If you read this and have ideas, let me know.  I'll post this same message in all three game recaps and see if there's a consensus. 

 

5 - Bass - In full transparency, I've always enjoyed the jokes about kickers in the NFL.  While I understand the mental pressure of having the game on the line, I still never put much thought into kickers.  If they made the kick, they did their job.  If they missed, cut em!  Bass has slowly changed the way I pay attention to kickers.  Early last season, you could clearly see the power of his leg as he would just boom the ball off his foot.  But also, you could see the ball had a strange trajectory when he kicked it as if the ball had a mind of it's own.  There were definitely moments early one where many wondered if we kept the wrong kicker and we saw him improve as the season went on until we got to the point where you expected him to hit everything.  So far, through training camp and in this game, he truly is Bass-omatic.  His swagger and confidence each time he walks onto the field is evident and his kicks are going right down the middle with the same level of power.  It's been interesting to watch his development and hope he keeps it going.

 

6 - Haack - Of all the offseason moves I didn't understand, not resigning Bojo is one of them.  Beane made some cryptic comments that led me to believe Bojo wanted to get paid, but then he took a competition role with the Rams.  While we didn't punt a lot last season, I figured Bojo was a no-brainer to be resigned and wouldn't cost a lot (which he didn't for the Rams).  However, after just one game watching Haack, I'm good.  This guy has an absolute leg and is a pure assassin with it.  I don't understand why the Dolphins let him go.  He pinned two punts inside the 20 from the opposite side of the field and really had a good showing.  This, like so many other thing, is just proof of why I'm a fan and Beane is a Wizard.

 

7 - Refs - After one full weekend of preseason games, I'm officially on notice of the refs.  There were WAY too many flags in this game and the theme was leading with the helmet.  Like holding, I can't deny that this happens a lot in every game, but many of these looked like calls that normally don't get flagged.  I'm hoping this was an exhibition for the refs and they are leaning towards guilty until proven innocent while they practice, but if not; we are going to be in for a long season. 

 

8 - Fromm - Typically when I write these, I don't have the time to read other people's comments about the game.  However, with my aforementioned delay, I see a lot of Fromm bashing going on.  A lot of context needs to be considered here.  He was a 3rd string quarterback last season who hardly gets any reps.  There was no preseason last year and practices were limited.  This year, he's still a 3rd string QB (maybe) and this game was his very first live action against another team.  Take that, put him behind an abysmal offensive line and rookie receivers, and he still found a way to lead a game winning drive.  All I'm saying is, there's nothing to really evaluate him on from this game.  I have wondered if Mitch would became a trade candidate if other QB's keep going down around the league, but I still don't know that Fromm is our number 2 quarterback.  Webb looked very comfortable and made some good throws.  (Side note:  Allen and Webb are seen around each other a lot and I think Allen helps him out more than anyone else)

 

9 - Boogie - From the time he was drafted, all the analysts say that Boogie was the most pro ready of any of our draft picks.  With that, I was very surprised to see him still on the field well into the second half.  He was lining up more on the right side, but also lined up at DT a few times.  I can't say I saw a lot in him to give me optimism and he seemed held in check in one on one match-ups.  There's not much to say here, but I did watch him and Epenesa a bunch and don't see any threat to Addison or Hughes.  The playing time of Boogie, Epenesa, and Obada was definitely interesting.

 

10 - Progress - As we went through the drought, preseason was always a telling sign to me regarding where our team was regarding evaluations.  It wasn't about the Bills so much as the other teams.  Teams that knew their starting lineup and scheme would trot their starters out for a series, go 6-6 and score points on the first drive.  It was truly a practice for them while we are trying to figure out who will be 7 of our 11 starters.  In this game, it really felt like we were the other team.  We didn't have the majority of our starters out there and I feel comfortable saying our talent dominated theirs.  It was nice to watch the Lions rotate guys in and evaluate, with job battles on the line, while we just showed up because we have to.  This game was a prime example of why some teams don't want preseason games and others need it.  It's nice to be on the other side.

 

My grudge - I'm wrong a lot.  Like, a lot.  Guys I target in the draft typically perform to the opposite of my expectations and Beane is proven Wizard.  However, with the drafting of two DE's in this draft and Epenesa still not looking like someone ready to earn that starting spot, I'm still annoyed that we passed on Dobbins, who was taken one pick later by the Raven.  When I look at this team and see Hughes, Addison, Roussseu, Boogie, and Obada and realize we would have Dobbins in this offense, I feel like Beane missed there.

[BuffaloBillyG]

This may be a tad specific...but for you #4...Movie quote that descrbes thw game but ONLY Bill Murray.😂😂

[Rico]

4. If I knew you were quoting Dave Matthews lyrics, I would’ve skipped these threads. Stick to GD please.

[LeviF]

4. Pick a mumble rapper and try to make out the words yourself and post the results - DO NOT look up the lyrics.

[Big Turk]

Bojo wasn't resigned because while he boomed punts, he had difficulties pinning teams inside their 20 and kicked a lot of TBs.

 

Haack was exceptional at doing this, so clearly the Bills think they can gain several yards of field position this way on punts, especially on ones that have a chance to pin teams deep in their own end.

 

It's the difference between how fans see the game and how coaches and personnel people see the game.

 

We see it as "holy crap he kicked it 70 yards!!!", they see it as "if he would have only kicked it 55, we could have gained 5 yards by pinning them at their 15 instead of kicking a TB"

Edited August 16, 2021 by Big Turk

[Coach Tuesday]

Rousseau's nickname is Groot.  

[Mango]

There is a bit of pressure on the FO and the front 7 to perform. I like Beane, but we are investing a TON into this group over the years in salary cap and draft picks. Last year we had one of the most expensive groups in the league. We have somewhat reduced that cost. But have signed Milano to a big contract and invested 3 firsts, Oliver, Edmunds, Rousseau, and 2 seconds in Epenesa and Basham. At some point that type of investment needs to start paying off. 

Granted two of those picks are this years. There is still time. 

 

[Gugny]

25 minutes ago, Virgil said:

4 - This is typically where I post lyrics from a song by one band for the entire season.  One year, I did movie quotes, but that was harder.  In the past, I've used the Grateful Dead (Always for you Bill), Dave Matthews, and Barenaked Ladies.  This year, I haven't decided what I'm going to do.  If you read this and have ideas, let me know.  I'll post this same message in all three game recaps and see if there's a consensus. 

 

Lyrics by the Beatles and/or Led Zeppelin, please.

[Virgil]

3 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Lyrics by the Beatles and/or Led Zeppelin, please.

 

Zeppelin is a solid recommendation.  I think I did the Beatles actually.  I forgot how long I've been writing these

[Rochesterfan]

I think Bojo not being re-signed also played into your Bass comments - especially early last season.  Bojo was terrible as a holder. - over his couple of years there were more than one handful of times we watched the kick and had to joke about laces out.  You also saw the angle of the ball was inconsistent and even when he moved the laces - many times they were on the side not facing away.

 

All of those things impact kicks and move them with spin - impacting accuracy.  I think Haack will be better in the field goal and XP holds making Bass that much better and as an added bonus - he is significantly better with the pinning kicks. Our Special teams I think just got significantly better all around.

 

 

The Refs are what they are.  The helmet to helmet hits are a point of emphasis- so you will see more of those and taunting calls at least for a few weeks.

 

I agree with a lot else, but I just watch Dobbins on a very run heavy team and he is fine.  I just think we would all be complaining because when he gets 7 carries a game behind this line - do you think he is the same back?  If they took a RB or picked up a FA - I don’t think it would matter - in a pass heavy offense with guys looking to pass block - You are never getting into a running flow and I don’t think Dobbins would be any different on this team - He is on a team that will use him as a run first team.

[Mango]

2 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

Zeppelin is a solid recommendation.  I think I did the Beatles actually.  I forgot how long I've been writing these

 

I listen to all sorts of music, and everybody you have used so far. You could go a totally different direction and start using Biggie, Jay-Z, Wu-tang, etc. 

[Virgil]

2 minutes ago, Rochesterfan said:

I think Bojo not being re-signed also played into your Bass comments - especially early last season.  Bojo was terrible as a holder. - over his couple of years there were more than one handful of times we watched the kick and had to joke about laces out.  You also saw the angle of the ball was inconsistent and even when he moved the laces - many times they were on the side not facing away.

 

All of those things impact kicks and move them with spin - impacting accuracy.  I think Haack will be better in the field goal and XP holds making Bass that much better and as an added bonus - he is significantly better with the pinning kicks. Our Special teams I think just got significantly better all around.

Excellent point and something I completely forgot about.  Thank you 

1 minute ago, Mango said:

 

I listen to all sorts of music, and everybody you have used so far. You could go a totally different direction and start using Biggie, Jay-Z, Wu-tang, etc. 

 

That would be a lot of Google searches for me 😀. 
 

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Goo Goo dolls yet 

[Kwai San]

#4??  Stones always the Stones.

[Mango]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

Excellent point and something I completely forgot about.  Thank you 

 

That would be a lot of Google searches for me 😀. 
 

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Goo Goo dolls yet 

 

Because the Goo Goo Dolls are not a good band. They're from Buffalo, so the city embraces them as we do all things Buffalo, regardless of actual quality. 

[Virgil]

3 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

Because the Goo Goo Dolls are not a good band. They're from Buffalo, so the city embraces them as we do all things Buffalo, regardless of actual quality. 

 

I could always try Sarah Mac....😋

[LeGOATski]

24 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Rousseau's nickname is Groot.  

This^^^^

 

Or Grootzilla

[DrDawkinstein]

5 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

Because the Goo Goo Dolls are not a good band. They're from Buffalo, so the city embraces them as we do all things Buffalo, regardless of actual quality. 

 

2 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

I could always try Sarah Mac....😋

 

Id rather you go Tragically Hip lyrics.

[Mango]

Just now, DrDawkinstein said:

 

 

Id rather you go Tragically Hip lyrics.

That is a good one. Also the Arkells are another great Canadian band. 

[PonyBoy]

@Virgil for #4, what about puns? There's an endless supply, it would also add a little humor and levity to the board. 

Nice game write up as always.  

[Virgil]

3 minutes ago, PonyBoy said:

@Virgil for #4, what about puns? There's an endless supply, it would also add a little humor and levity to the board. 

Nice game write up as always.  

I would get super banned.  My humor does not fit within the terms of service 🙄

[Freddie's Dead]

As confused as you are about why the Bills let Bodork go, is how confused I am about why they kept him after the unliateral fake FG.  For every 4 or 5 70-yard boomers was that one 25-yard Shankopotamus that came at the most inopportune time to give the opposing team their desperately needed field position.  Loving me some Haack attock.

 

I'm with @Rico, stick with the Dead.

[PonyBoy]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

I would get super banned.  My humor does not fit within the terms of service 🙄

Just a thought.  Keep doing your thing here.  Very appreciated by many of us. 

[Gugny]

General question to those who watched the game:  Were the Lions dirty at all?  I don't trust that idiot of a HC they have.

50 minutes ago, Rico said:

4. If I knew you were quoting Dave Matthews lyrics, I would’ve skipped these threads. Stick to GD please.

 

Seriously.  Dave Matthews AND the Barenaked Ladies?!?!  He was the Doors away from the trifecta of pureshit!

[LeviF]

5 minutes ago, Gugny said:

General question to those who watched the game:  Were the Lions dirty at all?  I don't trust that idiot of a HC they have.

 

Seriously.  Dave Matthews AND the Barenaked Ladies?!?!  He was the Doors away from the trifecta of pureshit!

 

Singletary is listed as a non-participant in practice today due to bites on his knees.

[Jauronimo]

4. A different page from your 7th grade diary every week. 

[DrDawkinstein]

8 minutes ago, Gugny said:

General question to those who watched the game:  Were the Lions dirty at all?  I don't trust that idiot of a HC they have.

 

 

Didnt seem to be. And I didnt really expect them to be too dirty. Just maybe trying a little too hard. You know, playing to the END of the whistle, crap like that.

 

But it looked like a normal preseason game.

[uninja]

Another reason Bojo was let go is he was a subpar holder, something that is often overlooked/glossed over. Haack is good in this regard and may factor into why Bass is so automatic now because the ball is in the right spot every single time.

[Warcodered]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

It didn't help that we made it obvious early that we had zero intention of passing the ball nor had any starters at pass catcher besides Knox and Gabe out there. 

I mean they probably also wanted to practice running when the opponent knew you were going to.

[John from Riverside]

The big thing about Haak is his hang time....the ball just seemed to hang in the air forever and was well placed

[Virgil]

28 minutes ago, Gugny said:

General question to those who watched the game:  Were the Lions dirty at all?  I don't trust that idiot of a HC they have

I didn’t think so.  They honestly looked like us during the 3-13 year….lost.  
 

There’s almost zero continuity there.  

20 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

4. A different page from your 7th grade diary every week. 

I mean, how much can you write about Jennifer Aniston and Natalie Portman?

5 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

I mean they probably also wanted to practice running when the opponent knew you were going to.

I took it as more, let’s get this game

over with, early in the first quarter 😜

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

Bojo wasn't resigned because while he boomed punts, he had difficulties pinning teams inside their 20 and kicked a lot of TBs.

 

Hack was exceptional at doing this, so clearly the Bills think they can gain several yards of field position this way on punts, especially on ones that have a chance to pin teams deep in their own end.

 

It's the difference between how fans see the game and how couches and personnel people see the game.

 

We see it as "holy crap he kicked it 70 yards!!!", they see it as "if he would have only kicked it 55, we could have gained 5 yards by pinning them at their 15 instead of kicking a TB"

I also don’t think we necessarily need booming punts much either more . We should probably expect our offense at least to get over the 50 on most drives. I think Pinning them back is much more important with this team. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

Bojo wn't resigned because while he boomed punts, he had difficulties pinning teams inside their 20 and kickedas aTBs. lot of

 

Haack was exceptional at doing this, so clearly the Bills think they can gain several yards of field position this way on punts, especially on ones that have a chance to pin teams deep in their own end.

 

It's the difference between how fans see the game and how coaches and personnel people see the game.

 

We see it as "holy crap he kicked it 70 yards!!!", they see it as "if he would have only kicked it 55, we could have gained 5 yards by pinning them at their 15 instead of kicking a TB"

 

He also had more than he share of shanks, too many at the pro level and was a marginal holder.  He reminded me a lot of Andre Roberts and why they didnt keep him, yes many times had had some great returns but he had his share of very poor return decisions and returns.  I think OBD is looking for  not only good players (that was good enough with what we had their first few years)  but now consistently good players.  And this lest two years are starting to really concentrate more on special teams, almost like a luxury compared to what they started out with.

Edited August 16, 2021 by RoyBatty is alive

[Big Turk]

7 minutes ago, loveorhatembillsfan4life said:

I also don’t think we necessarily need booming punts much either more . We should probably expect our offense at least to get over the 50 on most drives. I think Pinning them back is much more important with this team. 

 

I mean we only had 42 of them...an NFL and franchise low 

[DrDawkinstein]

2 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

I mean we only had 42 of them...an NFL and franchise low 

 

Thank you, I was just clicking over to a stats site to pull the number and make the same point.

 

Our Punter doesnt really matter, because we simply don't punt.

[Draconator]

4: There is a Neil Peart lyric for every situation

[Warcodered]

17 minutes ago, loveorhatembillsfan4life said:

I also don’t think we necessarily need booming punts much either more . We should probably expect our offense at least to get over the 50 on most drives. I think Pinning them back is much more important with this team. 

I mean we get past the 50 and Bass is in FG range.

[RoyBatty is alive]

27 minutes ago, loveorhatembillsfan4life said:

I also don’t think we necessarily need booming punts much either more . We should probably expect our offense at least to get over the 50 on most drives. I think Pinning them back is much more important with this team. 

 

Then why save a roster spot for Taiwan Jones if his is such a great gunner.

 

We can kick it in the end zone and with limited punts and a punter that can place the ball better.

[Peace Frog]

#4 I'm down with posting lyrics from Rush.

[RobbRiddick]

Excellent first post of the season. I was hoping you'd sit this one out so as to not risk injuring one of your typing fingers but now that it's over I'm glad you did it

[Logic]

Thanks for the writeup. Good, as always.

I respectfully disagree about AJ and Dobbins. I thought Epenesa had some bright moments both last season and in the game against the Lions on Friday night. There was one snap, in particular, where he and Rousseau met at the quarterback and it looked like they were gonna split him in half. Now that he's dropped some weight and no longer looks like a 5T and seems to have gained some burst, I think he has a bright future. I also feel like good Edge Rushers are so much more important to team success than running backs. I also haven't seen enough from Dobbins to make me feel like he'll be a substantially better pro than Zack Moss.

On the other hand, I have an edge rusher pick that I second guess as well, but for me it's Boogie Basham. I bought into the "we couldn't pass up the value, and edge rushers are so important" logic on draft night, but in retrospect, it's hard not to think Creed Humphrey or Aaron Robinson or Wyatt Davis wouldn't have helped this team more. Obviously, if Basham turns out to be a quality contributor, then I'm an idiot. I mean...I'm probably an idiot regardless, but I digress.

Oh, and If you're looking for a treasure trove of lyrics to pull from in your weekly writeups, it's hard to imagine a reserve more vast than Bob Dylan. Maybe that's too obvious, but it'd sure be a lot of material to work with.