A Few Thoughts about the Texans game, in no particular order

[billsfan_34]

2 hours ago, Virgil said:

One of the more well-known comments heard in the NFL is "On any given Given Sunday....", referring to the idea that any team can win any game at any time.  Fans see upsets all the time and this Sunday was no different as a NJ Jets team was able to pull a win out against the Titans.  However, sometimes Goliath is just plain Goliath and they smack David down with a force that makes them question if the NFL really the right career choice for them.  On Sunday, over the course of multiple plays, series, and quarters, Bills players showed Texans players what it's like to have another grown man simply dominate them.

 

1 - Edmunds - If you've been reading along, you would know that I'm not sold on Edmunds as our MLB of the future and do not believe he is worth top 10 money when his current deal runs out.  However, if Edmunds could replicate his performance he displayed against the Texans towards all future opponents, I would be willing to Venmo the money to the Pegulas myself.  It would be easy to call out the interception Edmunds had as his highlight, but that's not the play that stood out to me.  The Texans stacked the strong side along side a few additional receivers.  They called a toss to the halfback and mismatched blockers to Bills defenders.  While everyone else got swallowed up in the play, Edmunds watched the blocks unfold, picked an open lane, and broke through for a great tackle about 2 yards passed the line of scrimmage.  This is the kind of play recognition, quick thinking, and decisive action I've wanted to see from Edmunds since he was drafted here.   Additionally, when covering the middle of the field, he was able to get his hands on a few balls for deflections, versus tackling the player after the fact.  Edmunds was a difference maker on the field today, which is what your middle linebacker should be.

 

2 - The Replacements - Gene Hackman must've been wearing a McD mask, because a lot of guys stepped up today in lieu of many key starters.  Cam Lewis was all over the field today, including the backfield in run support.  Jaquan Johnson did an amazing job filling in for Poyer and possibly sealed the shutout with a late game interception.  Basham started on the first series, in what appeared to be a heavy line set, and even recorded his first NFL sack!  Ike was solid starting for Feliciano and I'd argue they had their best rushing game of the season (sorry Cody Ford).  Klein was solid filling in for Milano (please be back for the next two games) and had a tipped pass at the LOS, which led to an interception.  Overall, excellent job all around for guys making the most of their opportunities.

 

3 - Not Today - It can be difficult at times to feel a hit from the stands or grasp the speed at which a play can happen.  However, Ed Oliver had a stop in the backfield that left the crowd quiet.  Oliver shed his block and destroyed the halfback in the backfield so quick that even his momentum ran away scared.  This was the play many of us visually when we drafted Ed and he also played a solid overall game.  He showed great speed and relentlessness as he was chasing down plays all over the field.  With Star excelling beside him, Oliver was left to feast.

 

4 - Here's the selfless confession
Leading me back to war
Can we help that... our destinations
Are the ones we've been before

 

5 - Defensive Line - The game ball for this game has to go to the defensive line as all of them seemed to make standout plays.  Star had his first sack of the season after brushing his defender out of the way like a rag-doll.  Hughes and Addison played the edges beautifully and were able to break down a few plays where the Texans were trying some quick screen throws.  Groot was fairly silent, but was decent in coverage off the line.  If this line is able to play even a fraction of this good next week, our chances get incredibly better.

 

6 - Knox - I'm not sure how many more games people need to see from this kid, but Knox seems to really be taking advantage of his third year growth.  Knox was a monster in this game and wide open a lot (I'll get to that later).  His first TD showed some great run after the catch while his other was a great play execution.  Knox was again strong in run blocking and caught everything thrown his way.  The tape of this game may cause opposing teams to have to account for him, which can only help Allen and the rest of the receivers find better connections.  I look forward to seeing how this season ends for the Angry Run season winner.

 

7 - 3rd down/Red Zone - Again this season, the Bills are struggling to convert in the Red Zone and on 3rd downs.  What makes this more alarming is how successful they were just last season.  A lot of the drives don't have that rhythm to them that keep the opposing defense off balance or even make you confident as a fan.  The QB sneak, which turned into an outside run, was a beautiful play by Josh; as was the TD to Knox.  However, on the play before the Knox TD, Allen scrambled to his right (for what looked like a TD) and hesitated to throw to an open Knox earlier for a TD.  Something is missing in these situations and we are not going to be facing forgiving teams over the next two weeks.  We need 6 instead of 3 if we hope to take either game. 

 

8 - Deep Seam - The Texans played quite a bit of Cover 2 against the Bills and being in the fans showed me just how many deep passes we missed out on, leaving me with some concerns about Allen's downfield vision or confidence.  Sanders is a monster at finding open holes in the zone.  On a play which ended in a sack, Josh had Sanders wide open down the middle deep for a touchdown, but either never saw him or didn't want to pull the trigger.  To be clear, this isn't a situation where he was open for a quick second or Josh was scrambling.  Josh was clean in the pocket with no one near him and I'd say Sanders was open for a full second or two.  Even worse, Sanders did the same thing on the next play and was also missed.  This is another area that I'm concerned about going into next weeks game and about Josh's performance so far this season.

 

9 - Diggs - If you want to look at the impact a player can have on an opposing defense, look no further than the touchdown pass to Knox.  Diggs was wide open about 10 yards in front of Josh, whom pump-faked towards him.  On that pump fake, the entire secondary jumped towards Diggs, which allowed Knox to become that much more open.  That's what a true #1 can do for your team.  Even with that level of focus on him, he still managed to haul in a ton of passes and break the hundred yard receiving mark.  Diggs was able to get open deep and anywhere else he pleased in this game.  While it's been a slow start to the season, hopefully this was a good tune-up game for Diggs and Allen to get ready for the Chiefs next week.

 

10 - Stadium Experience - I've mentioned some of these things after the home opener, but I had to walk around and verify things.  After this terribly rainy game (twice in a month), I'm all in for a new stadium.  For starters, Allen was terrible in the rain in throwing a first pass interception and missing guys by 5-10 yards.  Even if the stadium is 5 years out, let's give Josh the following 10 years a home he can excel in.  Secondly, we need wider tunnels for people trying to walk around the stadium to not have to push their way through people waiting in line for food.  With so many people trying to take cover from the rain, the tunnels were a nightmare.  Lastly, and by far my biggest issue, is the food selection, availability, and signage.  There are signs for food above almost every concession stand that aren't actually sold there.  The beer area had 4 options, and none of them were Labatt Blue Light.  I couldn't get an italian sausage anywhere.  I had to walk ten sections down to get pizza logs and they were sold out by halftime.   Most of the concession stands have half of their menu covered up, because the selection has been reduced so much.  From what I could tell, fan food options are hot dogs (everywhere), pretzels (everywhere) chicken tenders (50%), pizza (50%), buffalo chicken logs (25%) pizza logs (20%), wings (5%), and then basic snacks.  I have never seen such poor signage, availability, and stock in my entire history of going to stadiums for any sport or team.  It's an absolute joke. 

 

 

We are on to the hardest part of our schedule and I can't say I feel as confident as everyone else is.  While our defensive line has been good, it was fairly neutralized by Washington.  Allen was good against Washington, but not great against anyone else.  Our ability to convert on 3rd down or in the red zone is huge opportunity.  We need this game against the Chiefs, not only for the home field advantage, but to prove to our guys that they can beat them.  They are our biggest mental obstacle and all that stands in the way from fully believing we can win the whole damn thing.  Josh needs to be on, the defense needs to swarm, McD needs to get big brother Andy out of his head, and Daboll needs to have some plays dialed up.  Mafia.....Mount Up!

 

Go Bills!!!

Great write up- thank you. I have never seen the food this bad in the stadium.  I am in the clubs. and pure garbage. 

[billybrew1]

Great write-up, especially for someone like me, that did get a chance to watch the game (yet).

Regarding theOL, can someone please let me know how the OL lined up?

please and thank you....

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

[billsbackto81]

3 hours ago, Virgil said:

Oliver shed his block and destroyed the halfback in the backfield so quick that even his momentum ran away scared.  ..

Thats a great line Virgil! Great read as always. I've been following Oliver closely this year and it appears that with Star back in the mix and hell bent motivation the light switch just flicked on. Not trying to hijack but here's a great clip of the work he's put in so far.

 

 

[loedward22]

2 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said:

I'm worried that if, after yesterday,  the Bills don't add Cam to the 53, he'll get signed by another team.  Then the question is who do you cut in order to get him on the 53.  My choice is Ford.  

the way McDermott emphasized that they weren’t giving up on Ford during the post game interview yesterday made me suspicious they were going to try to trade him… if no takers then cutting him would be next.

[Governor]

2 hours ago, BearNorth said:

Food service all over the country is having problems, 1.) finding workers, 2.) issues with the supply chain.  Suspect that may be also what's happening. 

Wonder what the governor, who will be negotiating the stadium deal thinks about Delaware North???

 

I think they suck and there will no longer be meat products or alcohol sold at the stadium. You will all pay dearly for this. 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Governor

[Bill from NYC]

Great work as usual!!!

[BobbyC81]

Even though I watch every game! I look forward to Virgil’s analysis.

[BobbyC81]

4 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

 

6 - Knox - I'm not sure how many more games people need to see from this kid, but Knox seems to really be taking advantage of his third year growth.  Knox was a monster in this game and wide open a lot (I'll get to that later).  His first TD showed some great run after the catch while his other was a great play execution.  Knox was again strong in run blocking and caught everything thrown his way.  The tape of this game may cause opposing teams to have to account for him, which can only help Allen and the rest of the receivers find better connections.  I look forward to seeing how this season ends for the Angry Run season winner.

 

It appears that attending the Tight End Academy may have been very beneficial to him.

[ganesh]

5 hours ago, Virgil said:

We are on to the hardest part of our schedule and I can't say I feel as confident as everyone else is.  While our defensive line has been good, it was fairly neutralized by Washington.  Allen was good against Washington, but not great against anyone else.  Our ability to convert on 3rd down or in the red zone is huge opportunity.  We need this game against the Chiefs, not only for the home field advantage, but to prove to our guys that they can beat them.  They are our biggest mental obstacle and all that stands in the way from fully believing we can win the whole damn thing.  Josh needs to be on, the defense needs to swarm, McD needs to get big brother Andy out of his head, and Daboll needs to have some plays dialed up.  Mafia.....Mount Up!

 

Go Bills!!!

It would be good to see Diggs mindset going into this week.  The image of him standing and watching the Chiefs celebrate must be coming back to him when he sets foot on the same stadium.  Is he ready to play a different game that will have a different outcome. 

 

Josh was harassed in the AFCC game last year.  He couldn't convert those FGs to TD....It would have been more competitive if he had done just that.  He couldn't find the rhythm and was hesitant to take what the Chiefs offered him and went away from the game plan.   

 

The Bills WR corps for the AFCC was badly understaffed with the injuries....We are bringing. Diggs/Sanders/Beasley and a much improved Knox into the game. Hopefully Allen can find these targets consistently...

 

The Bills D wasn't terrible, but not good in that game.   As I wrote in other places,  the Bills coaching staff were OUT COACHED by Andy Reid's staff.   Will our staff come through this time and beat the Chiefs.

2 hours ago, loedward22 said:

the way McDermott emphasized that they weren’t giving up on Ford during the post game interview yesterday made me suspicious they were going to try to trade him… if no takers then cutting him would be next.

Why would you cut him.  He is an above average guard and finding backups like him is very hard.

[Solomon Grundy]

I have to say, when Motor hits the hole and not dancing in the backfield he looks like a different back

[Solomon Grundy]

Happy to see Mitchell get a TD 

[Stroke 17]

Past 40 years was a die hard tailgater. getting a little old to continue packing, setting up, eating and tearing down before the game. Thought I would try eating inside this year,  You are right, not much of a choice. never thought I would not be able to get a beef on weck in Buffalo. Italian sausage , not to be found and the Nachos used to be in a container with  hot cheese spread over them with peppers, now sold in a bag with a cup of processed cheese. 

 

And finally, I am 65 years old and some of the beer vendors would not serve me without ID, others carded if looking 30 or under and some just sold me my beer. Love the team but the Stadium experience is getting a bit frustrating.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, Virgil said:

One of the more well-known comments heard in the NFL is "On any given Given Sunday....", referring to the idea that any team can win any game at any time.  Fans see upsets all the time and this Sunday was no different as a NJ Jets team was able to pull a win out against the Titans.  However, sometimes Goliath is just plain Goliath and they smack David down with a force that makes them question if the NFL really the right career choice for them.  On Sunday, over the course of multiple plays, series, and quarters, Bills players showed Texans players what it's like to have another grown man simply dominate them.

 

1 - Edmunds - If you've been reading along, you would know that I'm not sold on Edmunds as our MLB of the future and do not believe he is worth top 10 money when his current deal runs out.  However, if Edmunds could replicate his performance he displayed against the Texans towards all future opponents, I would be willing to Venmo the money to the Pegulas myself.  It would be easy to call out the interception Edmunds had as his highlight, but that's not the play that stood out to me.  The Texans stacked the strong side along side a few additional receivers.  They called a toss to the halfback and mismatched blockers to Bills defenders.  While everyone else got swallowed up in the play, Edmunds watched the blocks unfold, picked an open lane, and broke through for a great tackle about 2 yards passed the line of scrimmage.  This is the kind of play recognition, quick thinking, and decisive action I've wanted to see from Edmunds since he was drafted here.   Additionally, when covering the middle of the field, he was able to get his hands on a few balls for deflections, versus tackling the player after the fact.  Edmunds was a difference maker on the field today, which is what your middle linebacker should be.

 

2 - The Replacements - Gene Hackman must've been wearing a McD mask, because a lot of guys stepped up today in lieu of many key starters.  Cam Lewis was all over the field today, including the backfield in run support.  Jaquan Johnson did an amazing job filling in for Poyer and possibly sealed the shutout with a late game interception.  Basham started on the first series, in what appeared to be a heavy line set, and even recorded his first NFL sack!  Ike was solid starting for Feliciano and I'd argue they had their best rushing game of the season (sorry Cody Ford).  Klein was solid filling in for Milano (please be back for the next two games) and had a tipped pass at the LOS, which led to an interception.  Overall, excellent job all around for guys making the most of their opportunities.

 

3 - Not Today - It can be difficult at times to feel a hit from the stands or grasp the speed at which a play can happen.  However, Ed Oliver had a stop in the backfield that left the crowd quiet.  Oliver shed his block and destroyed the halfback in the backfield so quick that even his momentum ran away scared.  This was the play many of us visually when we drafted Ed and he also played a solid overall game.  He showed great speed and relentlessness as he was chasing down plays all over the field.  With Star excelling beside him, Oliver was left to feast.

 

4 - Here's the selfless confession
Leading me back to war
Can we help that... our destinations
Are the ones we've been before

 

5 - Defensive Line - The game ball for this game has to go to the defensive line as all of them seemed to make standout plays.  Star had his second sack of the season after brushing his defender out of the way like a rag-doll.  Hughes and Addison played the edges beautifully and were able to break down a few plays where the Texans were trying some quick screen throws.  Groot was fairly silent, but was decent in coverage off the line.  If this line is able to play even a fraction of this good next week, our chances get incredibly better.

 

6 - Knox - I'm not sure how many more games people need to see from this kid, but Knox seems to really be taking advantage of his third year growth.  Knox was a monster in this game and wide open a lot (I'll get to that later).  His first TD showed some great run after the catch while his other was a great play execution.  Knox was again strong in run blocking and caught everything thrown his way.  The tape of this game may cause opposing teams to have to account for him, which can only help Allen and the rest of the receivers find better connections.  I look forward to seeing how this season ends for the Angry Run season winner.

 

7 - 3rd down/Red Zone - Again this season, the Bills are struggling to convert in the Red Zone and on 3rd downs.  What makes this more alarming is how successful they were just last season.  A lot of the drives don't have that rhythm to them that keep the opposing defense off balance or even make you confident as a fan.  The QB sneak, which turned into an outside run, was a beautiful play by Josh; as was the TD to Knox.  However, on the play before the Knox TD, Allen scrambled to his right (for what looked like a TD) and hesitated to throw to an open Knox earlier for a TD.  Something is missing in these situations and we are not going to be facing forgiving teams over the next two weeks.  We need 6 instead of 3 if we hope to take either game. 

 

8 - Deep Seam - The Texans played quite a bit of Cover 2 against the Bills and being in the fans showed me just how many deep passes we missed out on, leaving me with some concerns about Allen's downfield vision or confidence.  Sanders is a monster at finding open holes in the zone.  On a play which ended in a sack, Josh had Sanders wide open down the middle deep for a touchdown, but either never saw him or didn't want to pull the trigger.  To be clear, this isn't a situation where he was open for a quick second or Josh was scrambling.  Josh was clean in the pocket with no one near him and I'd say Sanders was open for a full second or two.  Even worse, Sanders did the same thing on the next play and was also missed.  This is another area that I'm concerned about going into next weeks game and about Josh's performance so far this season.

 

9 - Diggs - If you want to look at the impact a player can have on an opposing defense, look no further than the touchdown pass to Knox.  Diggs was wide open about 10 yards in front of Josh, whom pump-faked towards him.  On that pump fake, the entire secondary jumped towards Diggs, which allowed Knox to become that much more open.  That's what a true #1 can do for your team.  Even with that level of focus on him, he still managed to haul in a ton of passes and break the hundred yard receiving mark.  Diggs was able to get open deep and anywhere else he pleased in this game.  While it's been a slow start to the season, hopefully this was a good tune-up game for Diggs and Allen to get ready for the Chiefs next week.

 

10 - Stadium Experience - I've mentioned some of these things after the home opener, but I had to walk around and verify things.  After this terribly rainy game (twice in a month), I'm all in for a new stadium.  For starters, Allen was terrible in the rain in throwing a first pass interception and missing guys by 5-10 yards.  Even if the stadium is 5 years out, let's give Josh the following 10 years a home he can excel in.  Secondly, we need wider tunnels for people trying to walk around the stadium to not have to push their way through people waiting in line for food.  With so many people trying to take cover from the rain, the tunnels were a nightmare.  Lastly, and by far my biggest issue, is the food selection, availability, and signage.  There are signs for food above almost every concession stand that aren't actually sold there.  The beer area had 4 options, and none of them were Labatt Blue Light.  I couldn't get an italian sausage anywhere.  I had to walk ten sections down to get pizza logs and they were sold out by halftime.   Most of the concession stands have half of their menu covered up, because the selection has been reduced so much.  From what I could tell, fan food options are hot dogs (everywhere), pretzels (everywhere) chicken tenders (50%), pizza (50%), buffalo chicken logs (25%) pizza logs (20%), wings (5%), and then basic snacks.  I have never seen such poor signage, availability, and stock in my entire history of going to stadiums for any sport or team.  It's an absolute joke. 

 

 

We are on to the hardest part of our schedule and I can't say I feel as confident as everyone else is.  While our defensive line has been good, it was fairly neutralized by Washington.  Allen was good against Washington, but not great against anyone else.  Our ability to convert on 3rd down or in the red zone is huge opportunity.  We need this game against the Chiefs, not only for the home field advantage, but to prove to our guys that they can beat them.  They are our biggest mental obstacle and all that stands in the way from fully believing we can win the whole damn thing.  Josh needs to be on, the defense needs to swarm, McD needs to get big brother Andy out of his head, and Daboll needs to have some plays dialed up.  Mafia.....Mount Up!

 

Go Bills!!!

 

As usual, great writeup Virgil!  I have no points of disagreement.

 

I think Allen was concerned about the weather impact on deep balls.  DIdn't he sail the INT and sail the next pass after that early in the game? 

[LeGOATski]

1 hour ago, Solomon Grundy said:

I have to say, when Motor hits the hole and not dancing in the backfield he looks like a different back

Yep. And he finishes well. Took valuable tips from Frank Gore, I'm sure.

4 hours ago, loedward22 said:

the way McDermott emphasized that they weren’t giving up on Ford during the post game interview yesterday made me suspicious they were going to try to trade him… if no takers then cutting him would be next.

Do they have a personal vendetta against him? Wtf is this...

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Thanks for the report OP; did you feel like it was more of a vision issue for Allen missing some deep looks, such as the Sanders examples, timing of the line protection, or just plain indecision on his part in trying to avoid additional potential turnovers? The silver lining would be there’s still significant room for upwards improvement in our pass game, which should make the rest of the league shudder…

 

Also, this is the quote of the year right here:

“Oliver shed his block and destroyed the halfback in the backfield so quick that even his momentum ran away scared.”

Edited October 5, 2021 by NoHuddleKelly12

[Big Turk]

11 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

As usual, great writeup Virgil!  I have no points of disagreement.

 

I think Allen was concerned about the weather impact on deep balls.  DIdn't he sail the INT and sail the next pass after that early in the game? 

 

Yes...it seemed like he was having some issues with the ball being wet early, but certainly settled down later since he only threw 7 more incompletions after that and a few of those were throwaways

[Bad Things]

Thanks for another great write-up, Virgil.  I always look forward to them as much as I did when Bill used to write them.

 

That said, although I’m a little late, I’d like to add a couple comments.

 

Motor

Although his stats don’t jump off the page, the one player that really popped off the screen for me was Devin Singletary.  I’ve been a fan of his since we drafted him, but I’ve never seen him run with so much conviction before.  He hit his holes at full speed and ran with force.  It’s like he’s totally changed his running style.  That said, I love the combination of Motor and Moss and am looking forward to seeing them tear it up!

 

Announcers

There was a lot of talk last week, about Beth Mowins calling the game.  I have to admit that I cringed a little when I heard the news.  I remembered a game from a few years ago, where her voice got a quite annoying for me to listen to.  That said, this time around I thought she did a great job. 

It really showed when the stadium had their power outage and we had to endure the idiots from the CBS studios fill in for her.  Those 5-10 minutes accounted for some of the most annoying broadcasting that I’ve ever heard for a sporting match.  I’m sure those idiots get paid a LOT of money and that was the best that they could do?  Yeah, I understand that they weren’t prepared to do the play by play for this game, but all they did was talk over the action on the field.  It was atrocious.   It got to the point where I thanked my lucky stars when the power was finally restored and Beth and Tiki could get back to work.

 

Well, I ain't always right, but I've never been wrong
Seldom turns out the way it does in a song
Once in a while, you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right

 

Defense

I thoroughly enjoyed watching our defense play in this game.  Not only were there stand out plays/players, but more importantly, they played like a solid, swarming unit.  Everyone seemed to be in position and just snuffed out the Texans offense.

 

Bring on the Chiefs!

[SectionC3]

Totally disagree on the stadium.  It is outstanding.  Love every minute there.  
 

The hit of the game was Gilliam destroying the upback on punt protection.  Heard it 30ish rows up.  
 

Time for more Gabe Davis in the red zone, too.  Frankly I wouldn’t mind mixing Davis in a bit with Diggs and putting Sanders’s speed in Beasleys spot in the slot.  Bob Foster did well in that role here and there a few years ago. 
 

 

[Virgil]

19 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

Totally disagree on the stadium.  It is outstanding.  Love every minute there.  
 

The hit of the game was Gilliam destroying the upback on punt protection.  Heard it 30ish rows up.  
 

Time for more Gabe Davis in the red zone, too.  Frankly I wouldn’t mind mixing Davis in a bit with Diggs and putting Sanders’s speed in Beasleys spot in the slot.  Bob Foster did well in that role here and there a few years ago. 
 

 

 

Gabe, Jake, Diggs, Knox, and Moss in the redzone

[corta765]

Thank you for the stadium response. I had the same feelings with Allen and the offense in regards to the weather. We have a high octane group... and we play in elements not conducive for best performance. The concourse issues I have been use to for a while and I actually appreciated in the 300 the whole beer and drink fridge thing where you grab and then just check out. That said new stadium would allow for much better concession lines, walk way space, and overall experience. I have been to Miami twice and its wild how much better then stadium is in that regard to us. Also more space that covers people in the weather is a must if we have to be outdoors.

[Mark Vader]

27 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

Gabe, Jake, Diggs, Knox, and Moss in the redzone

Love this line-up.