8/21 Preseason Gameday Thread Bills @ Bears 1pm Eastern

[Chandler#81]

In this ‘ the Annointed Season’, we get to see another installment of Fun Facts of the 2021 Season. Nationally televised on NFLN. Backup QB Trubisky -whom we gave to Chicago for an early 1st Round pick, returns to the place WE sent him in ‘17, to face his 1st team. Bears fans friends of mine are undecided whether he’s Boo’d or cheered -mostly that he’s no longer there!  Should the undeniably easier schedule produce expected results, we HAVE to be certain Mitch can step right in and deliver from the position -for at least a few games. 
Almost more important, will we be sure the DL is in capable hands with Hughes, Addison & 

Butler on expiring contracts. Are Oliver & Phillips worthy of second contracts? Who’s handling kick returns?? Can Touchdown Jesus make the final 55? How will Star & Cody perform? Is Dion OK?? We’ve been spoiled! But we have questions! 
 

It’s Saturday Matinee -NFL style -and we’re the Featured Presentation!
 

Go Bills!

 

 

[CSBill]

Go Bills! I want Mitch to do well, just to put it to the Bears. The d-line, return game, and Kumerow situations are intriguing. I'll be watching them closely. And, even though it's a preseason game, I want the team to execute well and win.

[Don Otreply]

It will be nice to watch our guys win there battles play after play, it will be especially nice to watch MT break open a fresh can of whoop Azs on his former coach, 😁👍

 

Go Bills!!!

[JMF2006]

I  am glad I don't have to make the cuts.

 

The good news for some of the Bills cuts is that they will be scooped up by another team.

 

Go Bills....go earn a spot second and third stringers

Edited August 21, 2021 by JMF2006

[DCbillsfan]

Hoping to see some young guys on the dline make plays

[machine gun kelly]

FWIW to the out of towners, Audacy just gave me a notice WGR has their pregame show starting 10 minutes ago with the Dibiasi brothers.  Have a listen if in the car.

Edited August 21, 2021 by machine gun kelly

[EmotionallyUnstable]

What I’m excited to watch today:

 

Offense:

 

Davis Webb- can he string together another solid performance this week? I don’t think he is destined for the 53, but he showed the poise and capabilities to compete for a PS job again, or maybe even another team’s 53. Could he edge out Mitch, and send him packing to be QB2? Idk…

 

Dion Dawkins- Return to action for the Schnowman. How does he look, physically? I know it won’t be overnight but it’ll be nice to see a glimpse of his conditioning and stature. Glad he is back!

 

Spencer Brown- Can this raw kid show enough to be OT3? Last week many people thought the Bill’s depth at T was exposed. Do the Bills need veteran help elsewhere or can they get enough from this mauler to be the emergency guy?

 

Marquez Stevenson- As with Davis Webb, I don’t see the 53 for the rook, but he did show a little burst in game one, and I’m interested to see if he can  run a full route tree. It’s possible he does enough to warrant a serious look into the 53 now with the Sweeney injury. Do they risk waivers? Is he KR2 going into the season? We shall see!

 

Jacob Hollister-One of the free agent signings that I was really excited about has essentially flown under the radar all camp. Again, with Sweeney down, Hollister’s role on this team will be even more cemented as TE2. I’d like to see him run with the 1’s today.

 

Defense:

Obada, GROOT, Boogie, AJE, Bam-There is no question that these players are getting a lot of buzz at the DE position. Who will step up and make plays today? It will be cool to see these guys against Fields, and I hope to see a little more pop from Boogie on the pass rush, and an expanded tool set from GROOT (felt like he relied too heavily on his length and speed last week…fine for now, but all great rushers need a counter). Can Obada turn his reportedly successful camp into a good national showing WITHOUT the penalties? Will AJE have another respectable game with some more pressures? Does Johnson’s ST presence give him any edge toward the 53?

 

Joe Giles-Harris, Andre Smith-These are two LBs that I thought made some noticeable plays for the Bills last week. Again, a deep position will likely see neither of these guys make the roster, but I wouldn’t rule it out. 

 

Damar Hamlin,Josh Thomas-Safety is a position (like corner and OT, but not as crucial) that gets skinny real quick behind our starters. Who will fill out the backup two spots? With the departure of Dean Marlowe, Jaquan Johnson likely has an inside track at #3. Again, I thought both Hamlin and Thomas showed promise last week and I look forward to seeing them continue to make plays for this defense. With Poyer/Hyde likely facing limited (if any) playing time, we should see a lot of these guys today.

Specials: 

 

Punt Coverage - How do the gunners look? Can someone step up and make Taiwan Jones expendable? I know, it’s unlikely given what McD has said, and how they value guys like him…but still, it isn’t out of the question. I believe if they think enough of Johnson and Kumerow, Jones could get the axe. 
 

Haack - speaking of which, a great punter can do wonders for your coverage team. I’d like to see more from Matt like we did last week

 

Returns - I was admittedly someone who did not worry when Andre Roberts left this offseason. Despite his obvious abilities, I thought he also presented some liability in returns. Pair that with the current state of the NFL kicking game/rules, and what we saw from McKenzie week 17 last year, I figured the return teams would be well enough set. Despite that notion, I found myself entirely underwhelmed by McKenzie and company last week. Can we get more from these teams? Who is KRPR2? 
 

ENJOY THE GAME!

 

 

 

[BuffaloBillies]

Have a bet on this game with my buddy from Chicago.

Loser has to do something embarrassing (I wont tell what it is).

Just pre-season, but GO BILLS... help me out, please.

[That's No Moon]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said:

Have a bet on this game with my buddy from Chicago.

Loser has to do something embarrassing (I wont tell what it is).

Just pre-season, but GO BILLS... help me out, please.

Is the embarrassing thing making a bet on a preseason game?

[78thealltimegreat]

Let the Mitch VS Justin debate begin 

[Malazan]

Bring on the Bears! Bring on September 12th!

 

..but seriously, bring on the 12th.

 

I'm just saying if I were to mysteriously get whacked in the head and be unconscious until the 12th...there might be a pile of cash available to the responsible party. 

Edited August 21, 2021 by jeremy2020

[maddenboy]

I would love it if the coaches do the following:

 

1)  Tell Mitch he is not playing

2)  Then, Start Mitch.  Just as sudden as a backup QB might get put into a game.

3)  Take Mitch out after a couple drives and de-brief him.  Tell him we just wanted to see.  Hit the showers.

4)  Then, Start Mitch in the 2nd half, to make sure he treated the halftime adjustments like a starter (not usually done in preseason but I'd do it this time).  Maybe I wouldnt do this last part.  Kinda feels disrespectful to a grown up former starting qb.  Maybe I'd just ask him if he wanted to start the 2nd half.

 

Because he might be relieved that he doesnt have to play in potentially hostile territory.  See how he deals with it all.

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by maddenboy

[Beerball]

Give me good line play on both sides of the ball and a productive running game and I’ll be happy.

[Bangarang]

Leave the game healthy and I don’t care what else happens 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

1 hour ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

What I’m excited to watch today:

 

Offense:

 

Davis Webb- can he string together another solid performance this week? I don’t think he is destined for the 53, but he showed the poise and capabilities to compete for a PS job again, or maybe even another team’s 53. Could he edge out Mitch, and send him packing to be QB2? Idk…

 

 

I want to see Webb not get flustered under the pressure of a rush. While his overall rating last week was solid, he had I think several plays where he pretty much just panicked and did not throw a good ball. One was even called for intentional grounding. Those are the things he needs to clean up if he wants to make a case for #2. I don't see us keeping 3 QB's on the roster so practice squad would be his next best bet. I do like him over Fromm because of the similar skill set that Webb shares with Allen and Turbitzky. 

 

Fromm should be a guy we can easily keep on a practice squad I would think. But not sure we would devote two spots for QB's on the practice squad.

[machine gun kelly]

1 hour ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

What I’m excited to watch today:

 

Offense:

 

Davis Webb- can he string together another solid performance this week? I don’t think he is destined for the 53, but he showed the poise and capabilities to compete for a PS job again, or maybe even another team’s 53. Could he edge out Mitch, and send him packing to be QB2? Idk…

 

Dion Dawkins- Return to action for the Schnowman. How does he look, physically? I know it won’t be overnight but it’ll be nice to see a glimpse of his conditioning and stature. Glad he is back!

 

Spencer Brown- Can this raw kid show enough to be OT3? Last week many people thought the Bill’s depth at T was exposed. Do the Bills need veteran help elsewhere or can they get enough from this mauler to be the emergency guy?

 

Marquez Stevenson- As with Davis Webb, I don’t see the 53 for the rook, but he did show a little burst in game one, and I’m interested to see if he can  run a full route tree. It’s possible he does enough to warrant a serious look into the 53 now with the Sweeney injury. Do they risk waivers? Is he KR2 going into the season? We shall see!

 

Jacob Hollister-One of the free agent signings that I was really excited about has essentially flown under the radar all camp. Again, with Sweeney down, Hollister’s role on this team will be even more cemented as TE2. I’d like to see him run with the 1’s today.

 

Defense:

Obada, GROOT, Boogie, AJE, Bam-There is no question that these players are getting a lot of buzz at the DE position. Who will step up and make plays today? It will be cool to see these guys against Fields, and I hope to see a little more pop from Boogie on the pass rush, and an expanded tool set from GROOT (felt like he relied too heavily on his length and speed last week…fine for now, but all great rushers need a counter). Can Obada turn his reportedly successful camp into a good national showing WITHOUT the penalties? Will AJE have another respectable game with some more pressures? Does Johnson’s ST presence give him any edge toward the 53?

 

Joe Giles-Harris, Andre Smith-These are two LBs that I thought made some noticeable plays for the Bills last week. Again, a deep position will likely see neither of these guys make the roster, but I wouldn’t rule it out. 

 

Damar Hamlin,Josh Thomas-Safety is a position (like corner and OT, but not as crucial) that gets skinny real quick behind our starters. Who will fill out the backup two spots? With the departure of Dean Marlowe, Jaquan Johnson likely has an inside track at #3. Again, I thought both Hamlin and Thomas showed promise last week and I look forward to seeing them continue to make plays for this defense. With Poyer/Hyde likely facing limited (if any) playing time, we should see a lot of these guys today.

Specials: 

 

Punt Coverage - How do the gunners look? Can someone step up and make Taiwan Jones expendable? I know, it’s unlikely given what McD has said, and how they value guys like him…but still, it isn’t out of the question. I believe if they think enough of Johnson and Kumerow, Jones could get the axe. 
 

Haack - speaking of which, a great punter can do wonders for your coverage team. I’d like to see more from Matt like we did last week

 

Returns - I was admittedly someone who did not worry when Andre Roberts left this offseason. Despite his obvious abilities, I thought he also presented some liability in returns. Pair that with the current state of the NFL kicking game/rules, and what we saw from McKenzie week 17 last year, I figured the return teams would be well enough set. Despite that notion, I found myself entirely underwhelmed by McKenzie and company last week. Can we get more from these teams? Who is KRPR2? 
 

ENJOY THE GAME!

 

 

 

Unstable, I’m getting unstable as you basically listed the whole team. 🤩😇🙏👏🦬. Brother, I’m just kidding  as that was a very thorough breakdown.

 

Some of the guys you mention like Hamlin, Johnson and several more I think are competing for a PS spot or to get on with a weaker team in the league.  I can’t believe I’ve finally lived long enough that our PS guys are going to be more than good enough for a team like the Jags or Texans as starters.

 

You nailed it on just about every battle.  Thanks for the thoughtful post.

[billybrew1]

Irritated in Elmira today..... I want Ford on that field!

 

At least no broken bones.....

[Blank Stare]

2 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

FWIW to the out of towners, Audacy just gave me a notice WGR has their pregame show starting 10 minutes ago with the Dibiasi brothers.  Have a listen if in the car.

Not sure about anyone else, but on these pregame shows last year, I can’t tell the difference between Nate Geary or Joe DiBiase. I think they do a solid job, but they sound the exact same to me. 

[YoloinOhio]

I’ll be at the game. Looking forward to seeing the squad live (even though mostly backups). Anything you want me to watch for specifically? Josh’s every move on the sideline in a bucket hat? 

[CaliBills]

27 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I’ll be at the game. Looking forward to seeing the squad live (even though mostly backups). Anything you want me to watch for specifically? Josh’s every move on the sideline in a bucket hat? 

 

have fun!!  a bit jealous as I will be watching from home