The Athletic: Bills aren’t just trying to avoid 3rd & long, they are trying to avoid 3rd down altogether

[TroutDog]

Yup to all above. 
 

As I mentioned in a number of game day threads, I not longer feel antsy when this Bills team gets behind the chains. Every single snap can yield something incredible and that is clearly due to their new mindset…along with a great QB and his weapons. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

There were years I felt like the Patriots literally designed their whole offense around plays that were to get 6-7 yards and that’s what they did every down. 

[DaggersEOD]

I think Peterman had a similar philosophy but chose more creative ways to avoid 3rd down. 

[LeGOATski]

1 hour ago, TroutDog said:

Yup to all above. 
 

As I mentioned in a number of game day threads, I not longer feel antsy when this Bills team gets behind the chains. Every single snap can yield something incredible and that is clearly due to their new mindset…along with a great QB and his weapons. 

Seriously. I actually get excited on 3rd and long because I know we're about to see something crazy from Allen. 😆

[aristocrat]

Warren sharp probably can’t stand right now.

 

I see d lineman with hands on their hips trying to keep up ala howie long.  

[Ralonzo]

4 hours ago, Logic said:

Just some other bits and pieces I enjoyed from the article. It's articles like this that make me more than happy to pay for The Athletic.

 

3 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

People talk about not wanting to pay for content but man, The Athletic does some good stuff consistently.

 

The Athletic Free 6-month trial for Sprint/T-Mobile customers

[GETTOTHE50]

Imagine getting only first downs for weeks. That’s impossible-to-put-down-crack right there. 

[BADOLBILZ]

4 hours ago, Logic said:

The quotes by Beane about the way he'll build the team moving forward (doesn't want to front-load contracts or kick the can down the road, 

 

Yeah that's all fun and games until:

 

https://buffalonews.com/news/cash-to-cap-changes-bills-business-plan/article_8566bcd5-d5c7-5106-be6d-8d8a0c5665b0.html

[Orlando Buffalo]

2 hours ago, cgang said:

Bills w/ lowest punt attempts per game last season:  https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/punt-attempts-per-game.

 

Time for a repeat!

I did not realize we were first but it is amazing that two points a game is the distance from top to almost last. I would have thought that we punted more than average teams in the fourth because we were winning by a couple scores so often.

[HOUSE]

This was good reading 

[BADOLBILZ]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

I did not realize we were first but it is amazing that two points a game is the distance from top to almost last. I would have thought that we punted more than average teams in the fourth because we were winning by a couple scores so often.

 

 

The Bills oft-porous defense in the first half of the season forced the offense to keep the pedal down.

 

1990 Bills had +165 point differential.......1991 "no-punt-game" Bills +140......2020 all-time scoring team Bills +126.

[Orlando Buffalo]

1 minute ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

The Bills oft-porous defense in the first half of the season forced the offense to keep the pedal down.

 

1990 Bills had +165 point differential.......1991 "no-punt-game" Bills +140......2020 all-time scoring team Bills +126.

I am sorry but I clearly remember us up by 28 all 16 games. I had forgotten how poor the defense played early.

[John from Riverside]

Josh Allen has been pretty good on 3rd down....really good actually.

 

but wouldnt it be nice if we could just run for the 1st down on 3rd and 2?

[eball]

18 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Yeah that's all fun and games until:

 

https://buffalonews.com/news/cash-to-cap-changes-bills-business-plan/article_8566bcd5-d5c7-5106-be6d-8d8a0c5665b0.html

 

What possible reason would you have for posting a 2007 Jerry Sullivan column about cash-to-cap in this thread?

 

Dude, you need help.  I've never seen someone root harder for a GM to fail than you vis-a-vis Beane.

 

[Patrick Duffy]

1 hour ago, LeGOATski said:

Seriously. I actually get excited on 3rd and long because I know we're about to see something crazy from Allen. 😆

Yup, it's a good feeling. No longer basically expecting an INT or Incomplete pass like in the past before Allen. Actually I expect completions most of the time and try to predict which WR will make the grab for the 1st down.  Very fun offense to watch and beyond excited for the season to start

[ColoradoBills]

29 minutes ago, eball said:

 

What possible reason would you have for posting a 2007 Jerry Sullivan column about cash-to-cap in this thread?

 

Dude, you need help.  I've never seen someone root harder for a GM to fail than you vis-a-vis Beane.

 

 

I knew the article was behind a paywall but clicked on it to see if I could find a date when I seen the infamous "cash to cap" title.

It was completely blocked.

Thanks for posting what year that was.  2007 LOL I had to look up to find it was Marv who was GM back then.

[TheBrownBear]

4 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

In years past when it was third and long I would assume it would be a greater than 90% chance that the Bills would punt. With Josh in 2020 I was pretty confident the offense would have at least a solid 40% chance to keep the ball (not sure on the actual percentages of the teams third down success but that's just what it felt like to me). I almost never feel like the team is out on a possession. 

Yep.  Thank you Josh Allen for making watching football fun again.

[skibum]

I never understood why so many teams run on first down. At first down, you know you still have three more chances if it doesn't go right, so why not shoot for the moon?

 

I'm not a big tennis fan, but I do know that 'first serve' is when they just rip it with everything they have, because they know if they fault, they get another shot. Second serve is the conservative serve - just make sure it's in bounds. Why isn't this same strategy applied to football? 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, eball said:

 

What possible reason would you have for posting a 2007 Jerry Sullivan column about cash-to-cap in this thread?

 

Dude, you need help.  I've never seen someone root harder for a GM to fail than you vis-a-vis Beane.

 

 

 

You see what that milk of amnesia is doing to you?   

 

You were the one who dropped your 27 year season tickets because of your frustration with the Pegula's and the McDermott and Beane hires.

 

If you were so sure of Beane you should have got on 877-BB TICKS and talked to your rep.......

 

But nope.   You just had some more.

 

Quitters never win..........as you found out during playoff time last year when you couldn't get a ticket.........as you cried those tears of regret into the......."pillow of remorse", was it?

 

As for the article........I was replying to someone else's post and you ignore the context.........where @Logic was applauding the concept of not backloading contracts.........which is the key aspect of the "cash to the cap" philosophy that helped break your spirit as a fan.  

 

Beside the New England Patriots.........nobody has been able to avoid backloading contracts well enough to remain a legit SB contender year in and out for the length of a star QB's contract.

 

Beane knows that.

 

Saying he's not going to backload deals is just a form of lip service........talking down to perceived cap-ignorant fans who think that pushing cap debt forward is the root of all cap evil.

 

The reality is that making bad value decisions with your cap dollars is the root of cap woes.

 

Not the timing.........the time is malleable within the parameters of the salary cap.

 

Beane has had his share of those bad value decisions..........basically the entire 2018 free agent class he brought in.

 

But I've also praised him for every first round pick he's had...........praised his professionalism and fit with an organization whose ownership team does not serve as a steadying influence on sports operations...........and have praised a lot of his value free agent adds and re-signings.    

 

Beane has gotten A LOT better at his job since 2017.    Same with McDermott.   They have learned from mistakes and lived up with to their growth mindset mantra so far. 

 

 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

7 hours ago, Logic said:

 

 

Just some other bits and pieces I enjoyed from the article. It's articles like this that make me more than happy to pay for The Athletic.

You know how for years we talked about Belicheck being some 4-D chess master? It feels like that's what Beane can do