Popular Post Virgil Posted September 21, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 21, 2021 (edited) Everyone has the club in their golf bag. You know the one I'm talking about (for me, it's the 7 wood). You are hooking and slicing shots all day and can't quite figure out what's wrong. Then you pull out that one club, crush it down the middle, and all of your clubs magically start to work again. For the Bills and McD, that club is the Miami Dolphins. After a 35-0 beating, one would think that all is right with the world, but confidence still isn't where it was before the season and the offense is the reason why. 1 - AJ Epenesa - The more I write these, the more you'll hear me say "I'm wrong a lot." I'm not willing to declare him a stud just yet, but AJ played one hell of a game. I'm going to talk about the rest of the defense in a moment, but AJ deserved his own thought. I personally believe it's only a matter of time before the NFL makes a rule change because of how he is hitting the quarterback. We saw it in the preseason and we saw it again today. After completely bull-rushing the left tackle, AJ launches his whole body off the ground and destroys the upper half of the quarterback. It's like watching a Madden animation. In a game where everyone on defense seemed to get theirs, that only goes to show just how good AJ had to play to stand out. With Groot also having a good game on the other side, it's hard to not be optimistic about the future of this defensive pass rush unit. 2 - Pass Rush - Seeing a coaching staff recognize flaws in their strategy, make adjustments the next game, and see success, is pretty much every fans dream. The pass rush and pass protection (later) were prime examples of that this week. Not only did AJ and Groot get good pressure on their own, Frazier sent a 5th blitzer on quite a few plays and found success almost every time. And by success, I mean defenders running unabated to the quarterback. This led to the quick exit of Tua and a season high in sacks and pressures. Groot got his first NFL sack and showed great containment speed. Brissett seemed to get hit on every drop back forcing errant throws. If this is a sign of things to come for our pass rush, opposing teams are going to have to make changes quickly. Also, while I like Hughes and Addison, they are becoming more expendable as each game passes. 3 - Pass Protection - After a terrible week one, the Bills increased their blocker projection by sometimes have 7 pass protectors on the field, including Gilly. From this, Allen had more time and we saw a much more effective rushing attack. We still ran our share of spread offense and had some rushes stopped behind the line of scrimmage, but it was a noticeable improvement from the prior week. Allen wasn't running for his life, which creates other questions.... 4 - Oh, dear Dad, can you see me now? I am myself, like you somehow I'll ride the wave where it takes me I'll hold the pain, release me 5 - Thunder and Lightning - When we drafted Moss and Motor showed up to camp leaner than ever, this was the game many fans were hoping for. Motor took one to the house from over 40 yards out. That play was beautiful for many reasons. Motor showed top end speed that he's been lacking since being drafted and the line made some amazing second level blocks to free him. While it didn't happen again in this game, it was production we haven't seen in recent years and showed the lightning capacity. As for Moss, who did get benched for an early fumble, he came on strong towards the end of the game. Moss had two really strong power runs where he turned negative plays into positive gains. His touchdown was a perfect example of his power as well as a later short yardage gain for a first. Like what we saw from Groot and AJ, hopefully this was a sign of great things to come and our play action was much more effective because of it. 6 - Allen/Daboll - Not everything was roses and sunshine in the game, as Josh and the pass game wasn't the main reason behind out 35 points. At halftime, Allen only had 62 passing yards. Last season, I remember being able to count on one hand the amount of uncatchable balls Josh threw. Like the Steelers game, Josh was still missing guys all over the field, even shockingly under-throwing them. He did have a great deep pass early to Sanders, but some would argue it was more of a rope than a soft pass needed for most deep throws. He missed Motor on a swing pass that could have been a solid gain and his interception was behind Diggs. He also should have been picked off for a second time on a poor pass into coverage deep to McKenzie. Pass rush was not a concern, nor was players getting open. Josh simply was missing them. It's concerning two games in a row, but not enough to think he's regressing. We are also still seeing a game plan that utilizes throws to Sanders. For two games in, here is my concern: Are we changing up our scheme and receiver focus just enough to kill the rhythm we had last year. I feel like Sanders is being targeted more than Diggs and Beasley, when that rapport is already established. I would love to see some All-22 reviews, but something is still clearly off. 7 - Special Teams - The jinx was real in this game. Not only did the announcers make a comment about Bass' accuracy, but others (who will not be named) made a prediction about Bass breaking the consecutive FG record. Between the two, it was almost no question that he missed his long field goal attempt. Haack had another punt that almost got blocked, but McKenzie had a few solid returns. Taiwan showed why he earns his spot as a gunner, quickly getting to muffed punt right before halftime. 8 - 4th down - If one thing let to this game to being a shutout blowout, it would be the execution on 4th down. The Bills were great and the Dolphins were far from it. The Dolphins easily could have put up 6 points with field goals as they made it deep into Bills territory a few times. Taron Johnson and Dane Jackson each made huge tackles in the open field to create a turnover on downs and the Bills defense simply found ways to come up big in seemingly every situation. Beyond that, the Dolphins were sloppy with the ball and seemed rattled from the beginning. From the memes and media reaction, it appears we are starting to become their white whale. 9 - Defensive Backs - Like a flashback to 2020, Poyer was all over the field with decisive tackles to players trying to hide and swing out of the backfield. Tre was decent, but still not great. Levi Wallace made a great interception and Taron Johnson seemed to be everywhere. I don't know why the Dolphins kept trying to pick on him, but he made them pay with batted balls and hard hits. While Miami aren't world beaters with their passing attack, our DB's did their jobs well and were a major reason in keeping the Dolphins off the scoreboard. 10 - Milano - Unlike someone else who hasn't shown up after his big payday, Milano was an absolute monster on the field today. While Taron Johnson and AJ were contenders for the defensive MVP of the game, Milano gets it from me. While a beneficiary of the new Frazier "everyone gets a sack" program, Milano showed great speed, wrap up ability. and was all over the field. Milano makes the plays you keep hoping to see from Edmunds. He was in the backfield and covering the outside with speed and conviction. While AJ was great with pressure, Milano was great with everything he did, which is why he gets the nod. 1-1 with two very winnable games coming up. It's a great position to be in and hopefully the offense can find their rhythm during those games. If they do, and the defense continues to perform like this, the NFL is will officially be on notice. Go Bills!!! Edited September 21, 2021 by Virgil 28 9 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Williams Available Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Great summary. #6 is the focus of most of us cause what else can you criticize after a game like that? There are several head scratching calls per half and Danoll’s plays seem to be designed well but often executed with the wrong personnel IMO. That shovel pass to Moss where JA got lit up? Moss is too slow for that. You run that play with McKenzie, but then the D knows it’s coming. So what do you do? Maybe not run it or try with Motor. It’s like that backward pass on 4th down last week. As you say, something is off. I think with time this will iron out and if the D stays aggressive like this—watch out! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 The one comment I'll make is glad to see the Bills ran more, but didn't like all the 1st down run calls. Would rather see them pass on 1st down when teams are more geared to stopping the run. Even quick short passes for 6 or 7 yards on 1st, then run on 2nd and 4! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elijah Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Didn’t realize how much I looked forward to this every week until I caught myself checking the forum all day for it 😭 Thanks @Virgil, good job as always 🍻 1 4 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Otreply Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Thanks for the effort you put in to these posts, always a good read👍 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted September 21, 2021 Author Share Posted September 21, 2021 5 minutes ago, elijah said: Didn’t realize how much I looked forward to this every week until I caught myself checking the forum all day for it 😭 Thanks @Virgil, good job as always 🍻 I was a little late today. I got a puppy on Saturday and work was hell. I just haven’t been able to find the time. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcam2012 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 (edited) Another great write up. Especially liked your breakdown of Allen. Not sure he isn't regressing because its only 2 games. What I'm seeing is concerning but not alarming. Edited September 21, 2021 by newcam2012 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCbillsfan Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Nice writeup as usual Virgil. Agree about Milano 100%. He was all over the field making plays. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyDays Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Allen is in the middle of a slump. The more I think about it the more confident I am he will come out of it. One of these weeks he is going to come out firing the ball like 2020 MVP caliber Josh Allen and never look back. I have no objective reason to believe this, I just feel it with absolute certainty. You don't escape a slump by trying to get out of it. You just keep playing until it goes away on its own. Allen is working through that process now. He did not suddenly forget how to play QB. 4 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyBoy Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 C'mon Virg! We've been waiting for your post as always! No pressure... 🙂 Thank you as always, nice job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Williams Available Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 12 minutes ago, HappyDays said: Allen is in the middle of a slump. The more I think about it the more confident I am he will come out of it. One of these weeks he is going to come out firing the ball like 2020 MVP caliber Josh Allen and never look back. I have no objective reason to believe this, I just feel it with absolute certainty. You don't escape a slump by trying to get out of it. You just keep playing until it goes away on its own. Allen is working through that process now. He did not suddenly forget how to play QB. “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run” —Bambino 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBilz2500 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 55 minutes ago, Virgil said: I was a little late today. I got a puppy on Saturday and work was hell. I just haven’t been able to find the time. What kinda dog you get?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Nice write up. Epenesa doesn't look like a huge guy but he brings the lumber! Oh...you forgot to mention Star...the first game he is back they post a shut out 😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said: The one comment I'll make is glad to see the Bills ran more, but didn't like all the 1st down run calls. Would rather see them pass on 1st down when teams are more geared to stopping the run. Even quick short passes for 6 or 7 yards on 1st, then run on 2nd and 4! And that was a successful formula for Josh last season...throwing on 1st down and getting first downs before going to a 3rd down play 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 2. I think that they drew up this pass-rush-centric Dolphins game plan months ago. After you repeatedly beat down a division rival you have to expect that they are going to dedicate a lot of time to exacting some revenge. So they did what Miami wouldn't expect. Well done. They should have taken that approach with Pittsburgh as well, but as I said before the opener, I'd rather lose the Steelers game than the divisional game the following week. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted September 21, 2021 Author Share Posted September 21, 2021 1 hour ago, DBilz2500 said: What kinda dog you get?! Black lab. Breeder gave her up for not selling fast enough. Adopted her from a program. 12 weeks. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 4 minutes ago, Virgil said: Black lab. Breeder gave her up for not selling fast enough. Adopted her from a program. 12 weeks. Did you name her Gug? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted September 21, 2021 Author Share Posted September 21, 2021 16 minutes ago, Gugny said: Did you name her Gug? Close. I named her Lana 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 52 minutes ago, Virgil said: Black lab. Breeder gave her up for not selling fast enough. Adopted her from a program. 12 weeks. Welcome, Lana! Labs are great dogs, other than their tendency to clear the coffee table and the nightstand with that wagging "Otter Tail". Be prepared to swim with a stick from now on. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoBills808 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Was Harrison Phillips a healthy scratch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 4 hours ago, Virgil said: 3 - Pass Protection - After a terrible week one, the Bills increased their blocker projection by sometimes have 7 pass protectors on the field, including Gilly. From this, Allen had more time and we saw a much more effective rushing attack. We still ran our share of spread offense and had some rushes stopped behind the line of scrimmage, but it was a noticeable improvement from the prior week. Allen wasn't running for his life, which creates other questions.... I'm hampered by "No All-22" and the new Gamepass interface which, unless I'm missing something, has no ability to go directly to different plays. It sucks. That said, I'm halfway through a detailed re-watch of the game and I'm here to say that I see a BUTTLOAD of pressure still. There were 3 throw aways under pressure and a batted pass - that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. Of the 16 throws, I consider Allen under pressure in half of them. Now I'll say right here that it's not the whole story - there were 2 high throws and a pick, and there was an additional throw I would call a bad decision. Two were not thrown under pressure and 2 were. So that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. A number of the 7 completions lacked pressure only because they were quick passes. There was one completion on a deep pass. So I would say that while it wasn't the complete and total jailbreak of the Pitt game, there was still a lot of pressure and Allen wasn't running for his life trying to pass as much because he was either getting the ball out quickly, or he was just running. 4 hours ago, Virgil said: 6 - Allen/Daboll - Not everything was roses and sunshine in the game, as Josh and the pass game wasn't the main reason behind out 35 points. At halftime, Allen only had 62 passing yards. Last season, I remember being able to count on one hand the amount of uncatchable balls Josh threw. Like the Steelers game, Josh was still missing guys all over the field, even shockingly under-throwing them. He did have a great deep pass early to Sanders, but some would argue it was more of a rope than a soft pass needed for most deep throws. He missed Motor on a swing pass that could have been a solid gain and his interception was behind Diggs. He also should have been picked off for a second time on a poor pass into coverage deep to McKenzie. Pass rush was not a concern, nor was players getting open. Josh simply was missing them. It's concerning two games in a row, but not enough to think he's regressing. We are also still seeing a game plan that utilizes throws to Sanders. For two games in, here is my concern: Are we changing up our scheme and receiver focus just enough to kill the rhythm we had last year. I feel like Sanders is being targeted more than Diggs and Beasley, when that rapport is already established. I would love to see some All-22 reviews, but something is still clearly off. See, I disagree with a lot of the take here (see above). I think pass rush was still a concern, and I don't understand how someone could watch the game and think it wasn't. There were poor throws - a high throw and the pick - that were NOT thrown under pressure. Rashoman-like! Most of the first half completions had no pressure only because they were quick throws. I said elsewhere and will repeat here, one objective stat is the 'pocket time" metric on pro-football-reference. It was 2.6 seconds last year, and is 1.2 seconds so far this year. Pressure is an issue. Hopefully all the running we did this game will help. However....you may be "on" to something about the impact of Sanders. Diggs 13 receptions on 21 targets, 62% Beasley 12 receptions on 17 targets, 71% Sanders 6 receptions on 14 targets, 43% He's not being targeted more than Diggs or Sanders, but he's getting a lot of targets and catching less of them, and I would say that Allen's timing with him is just off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Bills are now 53-61-1 vs Miami all-time in regular season. This is significant when you consider they went 0-20 in the 1970s. Man those years were tough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TtownBillsFan Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Virgil said: Black lab. Breeder gave her up for not selling fast enough. Adopted her from a program. 12 weeks. I have two black labs, and my girl decided she needed a little rat-dog. Picked up a sweet little long-haired rat-dog (sorry, she calls it a chiahuahua.) Sweet little pup, even if it resembles a squirrel or a rat. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmur66 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 The new Frazier "everyone gets a sack" program. I like this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 3 hours ago, GoBills808 said: Was Harrison Phillips a healthy scratch? Yes. 2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I'm hampered by "No All-22" and the new Gamepass interface which, unless I'm missing something, has no ability to go directly to different plays. It sucks. That said, I'm halfway through a detailed re-watch of the game and I'm here to say that I see a BUTTLOAD of pressure still. There were 3 throw aways under pressure and a batted pass - that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. Of the 16 throws, I consider Allen under pressure in half of them. Now I'll say right here that it's not the whole story - there were 2 high throws and a pick, and there was an additional throw I would call a bad decision. Two were not thrown under pressure and 2 were. So that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. A number of the 7 completions lacked pressure only because they were quick passes. There was one completion on a deep pass. So I would say that while it wasn't the complete and total jailbreak of the Pitt game, there was still a lot of pressure and Allen wasn't running for his life trying to pass as much because he was either getting the ball out quickly, or he was just running. See, I disagree with a lot of the take here (see above). I think pass rush was still a concern, and I don't understand how someone could watch the game and think it wasn't. There were poor throws - a high throw and the pick - that were NOT thrown under pressure. Rashoman-like! Most of the first half completions had no pressure only because they were quick throws. I said elsewhere and will repeat here, one objective stat is the 'pocket time" metric on pro-football-reference. It was 2.6 seconds last year, and is 1.2 seconds so far this year. Pressure is an issue. Hopefully all the running we did this game will help. However....you may be "on" to something about the impact of Sanders. Diggs 13 receptions on 21 targets, 62% Beasley 12 receptions on 17 targets, 71% Sanders 6 receptions on 14 targets, 43% He's not being targeted more than Diggs or Sanders, but he's getting a lot of targets and catching less of them, and I would say that Allen's timing with him is just off. I agree there was still too much pressure. I will review the all22 today but I think on a first view the pressure has got into Josh's head a bit and his feet are fidgety which is why he is still missing some non pressurised throws. I am not sure the line played that much better than last week. It just faced a weaker opponent. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 7 hours ago, elijah said: Didn’t realize how much I looked forward to this every week until I caught myself checking the forum all day for it 😭 Thanks @Virgil, good job as always 🍻 Same Virg. Specifically AJ has been fantastic through two games. It seems having an off season and he looks like he’s gained at least 10 lbs. and it helps. Milano is one of my favorites and is showing up this season. What a difference maker he is when healthy. Polian mentioned this on late hits a couple of weeks ago. He said a healthy Milano completely changed the Bills defense between when he was playing or out hurt. Haack concerns me with his time to get it off. Allen is of course off these first two games, but I’m not ding the same in Sanders. I hope I’m not reading into it as it looks like Josh is trying to get it to him vs. whoever is open. Hopefully someone finds some editorials on the all 22 today or tomorrow. I don’t want to get too excited until later in the year, but this defense looks excellent. Not perfect, but excellent. I liked the balance on running, but agree with an earlier poster second down runs would be great. Last year we passed the most in the league on 1st downs. Maybe that is why in the Miami game we ran more as opposing defenses expect us to pass. If that is the case then that makes sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, Virgil said: Unlike someone else who hasn't shown up after his big payday, Edmunds or Allen ??? 🤷♂️ 2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Now I'll say right here that it's not the whole story - there were 2 high throws and a pick, and However....you may be "on" to something about the impact of Sanders. Diggs 13 receptions on 21 targets, 62% Beasley 12 receptions on 17 targets, 71% Sanders 6 receptions on 14 targets, 43% He's not being targeted more than Diggs or Sanders, but he's getting a lot of targets and catching less of them, and I would say that Allen's timing with him is just off. To my untrained eye, I am seeing the same thing. It feels (looks?) as if Josh is trying to hard too get it to Sanders, while missing his bread-and-butter guys of Diggs and Beasley. I would love to see Davis given the opportunity to be wide-out #2, and move Sanders to the 4th stop in WR depth. He is not impressing me. And for whatever reason, it sure looks force-fed to him? And as always, thanks for the insights Virgil. Edited September 21, 2021 by CSBill 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 7 hours ago, HappyDays said: Allen is in the middle of a slump. The more I think about it the more confident I am he will come out of it. One of these weeks he is going to come out firing the ball like 2020 MVP caliber Josh Allen and never look back. I have no objective reason to believe this, I just feel it with absolute certainty. You don't escape a slump by trying to get out of it. You just keep playing until it goes away on its own. Allen is working through that process now. He did not suddenly forget how to play QB. Agree with that. When he threw the INT on Sunday, I was a little dissapointed that they went to 4 straight runs when the Bills got the ball back and it was in the 2 min drill. I thought alright, one run to get them to use a timeout but then they just kept going. Got lucky with the muffed punt. Josh needs to throw to get out of his slumps. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wo-Bah Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I like the Pearl Jam reference. Good post, too, by the way. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straight Hucklebuck Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 We gotta stop talking about last year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 5 hours ago, GoBills808 said: Was Harrison Phillips a healthy scratch? Leave it to you to ask a football question in a thread about a dog. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jletha Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 5 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I'm hampered by "No All-22" and the new Gamepass interface which, unless I'm missing something, has no ability to go directly to different plays. It sucks. That said, I'm halfway through a detailed re-watch of the game and I'm here to say that I see a BUTTLOAD of pressure still. There were 3 throw aways under pressure and a batted pass - that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. Of the 16 throws, I consider Allen under pressure in half of them. Now I'll say right here that it's not the whole story - there were 2 high throws and a pick, and there was an additional throw I would call a bad decision. Two were not thrown under pressure and 2 were. So that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. A number of the 7 completions lacked pressure only because they were quick passes. There was one completion on a deep pass. So I would say that while it wasn't the complete and total jailbreak of the Pitt game, there was still a lot of pressure and Allen wasn't running for his life trying to pass as much because he was either getting the ball out quickly, or he was just running. See, I disagree with a lot of the take here (see above). I think pass rush was still a concern, and I don't understand how someone could watch the game and think it wasn't. There were poor throws - a high throw and the pick - that were NOT thrown under pressure. Rashoman-like! Most of the first half completions had no pressure only because they were quick throws. I said elsewhere and will repeat here, one objective stat is the 'pocket time" metric on pro-football-reference. It was 2.6 seconds last year, and is 1.2 seconds so far this year. Pressure is an issue. Hopefully all the running we did this game will help. However....you may be "on" to something about the impact of Sanders. Diggs 13 receptions on 21 targets, 62% Beasley 12 receptions on 17 targets, 71% Sanders 6 receptions on 14 targets, 43% He's not being targeted more than Diggs or Sanders, but he's getting a lot of targets and catching less of them, and I would say that Allen's timing with him is just off. Based on what Ive seen, seems like both games the teams bracketed Beasley and Diggs on every play. Basically saying "Youre going to beat us with someone else" Obviously not every team will be able to do this but its also something the Bills need to work on. Beyond that Josh's throwing motion doesnt look the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protocal69 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 5 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I'm hampered by "No All-22" and the new Gamepass interface which, unless I'm missing something, has no ability to go directly to different plays. It sucks. That said, I'm halfway through a detailed re-watch of the game and I'm here to say that I see a BUTTLOAD of pressure still. There were 3 throw aways under pressure and a batted pass - that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. Of the 16 throws, I consider Allen under pressure in half of them. Now I'll say right here that it's not the whole story - there were 2 high throws and a pick, and there was an additional throw I would call a bad decision. Two were not thrown under pressure and 2 were. So that's 25% of the passes thrown in the first half. A number of the 7 completions lacked pressure only because they were quick passes. There was one completion on a deep pass. So I would say that while it wasn't the complete and total jailbreak of the Pitt game, there was still a lot of pressure and Allen wasn't running for his life trying to pass as much because he was either getting the ball out quickly, or he was just running. See, I disagree with a lot of the take here (see above). I think pass rush was still a concern, and I don't understand how someone could watch the game and think it wasn't. There were poor throws - a high throw and the pick - that were NOT thrown under pressure. Rashoman-like! Most of the first half completions had no pressure only because they were quick throws. I said elsewhere and will repeat here, one objective stat is the 'pocket time" metric on pro-football-reference. It was 2.6 seconds last year, and is 1.2 seconds so far this year. Pressure is an issue. Hopefully all the running we did this game will help. However....you may be "on" to something about the impact of Sanders. Diggs 13 receptions on 21 targets, 62% Beasley 12 receptions on 17 targets, 71% Sanders 6 receptions on 14 targets, 43% He's not being targeted more than Diggs or Sanders, but he's getting a lot of targets and catching less of them, and I would say that Allen's timing with him is just off. What's crazy about the ALL-22 thing is that some people have access to them somehow. I messaged a guy on youtube that had the ALL-22 and he attached a google file link with all of weeks 1 ALL-22 except for the Bills game cause the file was corrupt smh at my request. Here is the file: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GawwQ-BsDNy_k4NaN_MAmt8QmcoDCaKB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey D Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Everyone should read the Kubiak analysis in the BN today. Explains much. Sorry but I can't seem to link it. [[Mod Edit to add link: https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jim-kubiak-dont-analyze-josh-allens-stats-analyze-the-decisions-hes-making/article_dca2609a-1a64-11ec-a59d-1b92017538b4.html It may help to use the little link icon above, or to type some text that you highlight then paste over on an idevice]] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protocal69 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I wonder if Diggs and Sanders have gotten into Josh head about hitting the deep ball more and that is affecting Allen play. I know that Diggs wanted more deep ball oppportunites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Love the 7-wood analogy— for Me, it’s my 5-wood! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihilarian Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Good stuff as usual Virgil. It was good to see the Bills win a game with Josh Allen NOT needing to attempt to carry the game. The defense played great from the very start and kept it up all game. They carried this game. 33 passes, 30 runs was a better balance. Interesting... Miami caught more passes and and had more passing yards. Let's not forget that the Miami defense has a very good secondary with two of the highest paid corners in the league. Opposing teams have had all offseason to figure out Buffalo's offensive passing scheme and defenses have caught up. They all watched that 2020 AFC championship game in which the Chiefs only rushed four and dropped more into coverage. We can expect more difficulty in Buffalo passing the ball until Daboll can work some magic with the offense. Getting that run game working with some scripted runs/short throws to start the game might help. I have faith the Bills offense will start clicking soon. Would like to see Beas with more targets, 4 targets, 4 catches!! Same with Kumerow to see more targets...one target for Jake doesn't cut it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dont Stop Billeiving Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 11 hours ago, Virgil said: Everyone has the club in their golf bag. You know the one I'm talking about (for me, it's the 7 wood). You are hooking and slicing shots all day and can't quite figure out what's wrong. Then you pull out that one club, crush it down the middle, and all of your clubs magically start to work again. For the Bills and McD, that club is the Miami Dolphins. After a 35-0 beating, one would think that all is right with the world, but confidence still isn't where it was before the season and the offense is the reason why. 1 - AJ Epenesa - The more I write these, the more you'll hear me say "I'm wrong a lot." I'm not willing to say declare him a stud just yet, but AJ played one hell of a game. I'm going to talk about the rest of the defense in a moment, but AJ deserved his own thought. I personally believe it's only a matter of time before the NFL makes a rule change because of how he is hitting the quarterback. We saw it in the preseason and we saw it again today. After completely bull-rushing the left tackle, AJ launches his whole body off the ground and destroys the upper half of the quarterback. It's like watching a Madden animation. In a game where everyone on defense seemed to get theirs, that only goes to show just how good AJ had to play to stand out. With Groot also having a good game on the other side, it's hard to not be optimistic about the future of this defensive pass rush unit. 8 - 4th down - If one thing let to this game to being a shutout blowout, it would be the execution on 4th down. The Bills were great and the Dolphins were far from it. The Dolphins easily could have put up 6 points with field goals as they made it deep into Bills territory a few times. Taron Johnson and Dane Jackson each made huge tackles in the open field to create a turnover on downs and the Bills defense simply found ways to come up big in seemingly every situation. Beyond that, the Dolphins were sloppy with the ball and seemed rattled from the beginning. From the memes and media reaction, it appears we are starting to become their white whale. 1-1 with two very winnable games coming up. It's a great position to be in and hopefully the offense can find their rhythm during those games. If they do, and the defense continues to perform like this, the NFL is will officially be on notice. Go Bills!!! Great post as always man! I highlighted two things you wrote above that jumped out the most to me: Epenesa/Groot/Youth on the Defensive Line- aside from Josh and the passing offense maintaining or exceeding its success in 2020, the pass rush and development of the younger defensive line players is the number one driver to the Bills beating the Chiefs and potentially winning a Super Bowl in my opinion. Early days, but it's been awesome to watch these guys and I'd add Ed Oliver here too...he's been outstanding. Becoming the Miami Dolphins' White Whale- unreal to be on the other side of this type of equation after so many years of losing to the Patriots. It would have been hard to believe just a few years ago that we could be so dominant over a division rival like this...we truly seem to have their number despite their attempts to reconstruct their roster to beat us. Go Bills! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 8 hours ago, Gugny said: Did you name her Gug? He's not that mean. He named it Shitsu instead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwksilver Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Congrats on Lana. Labs/retrievers are the #1 breed in America for a reason. Have fun. Another great write up. This team will be dangerous if they ever get things straightened out on both sides of the ball at the same time, special teams included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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