THE ROCKPILE REVIEW - Feast

[Shaw66]

I covered the freshman basketball team for the school newspaper at my college, a long time ago.  The team was excellent – great talent, well coached.  I think they finished the season 15-2.

 

After one early-season win blowout against an outclassed opponent, I wrote that the team’s win was “unimpressive.”  The coach went ballistic and complained to the editor.  To me, it simply had looked like a good college varsity against a bunch of high school kids.  Why wouldn’t it be a blowout?  What’s impressive about that?

 

So, I won’t call the Bills’ Sunday win over the Jets unimpressive but really, a win like that says more about how bad the Jets are than about how good the Bills are. 

 

The league seems to have developed a formula for slowing down the Bills’ offense from a season ago.  The formula seems to be to play cover 2 or something similar, but whatever it is you play, do not allow the Bills to throw deep.  Do not play their deep threats one on one.  Force them, one way or another to win with 6, 7, 8-yard chunks instead of 15, 20, 25-yard chunks. 

 

The Jets seem to have missed the memo.  Despite having the worst defense in the NFL, the Jets decided that one-on-one against the Bills deep threats was a good idea.  Robert Saleh seems to be a good guy and I wish him plenty of success, but he needs to explain to his GM why a supposed defensive genius could expose his team that way.  By way of comparison, Dick Jauron made bad Bills teams respectable by following the formula that Saleh ignored:  Nothing deep, ever. 

 

For the Bills, it seems to be feast or famine.  The Bills feasted on the Jets defense, but the win doesn’t establish that the Bills have solved their occasional famines.  Josh Allen must have felt like an eight-year-old turned loose at a party at Chuckie Cheese.  He could play whatever games he wanted, eat whatever he wanted, laugh and cheer and run around all afternoon.  Only an ill-advised tipped-pass that was intercepted kept him from having a more or less perfect passing day.   His comfort in the pocket and delivering the ball was obvious.  Time after time he looked, found what he was looking for, and threw comfortably where the ball needed to go. 

 

Brian Daboll understood that a creative running attack could attack the Jets on the edges, and the usually anemic Bills rushing attack went for a respectable 139 yards.  Sanders and McKenzie struck the two big blows on back-to-back sprints around the right end for a touchdown to open the second half.   When Sanders turned the corner with Gilliam ahead of him, they were looking at 15 yards of green, all of which was green turf and none of which was Jets green jerseys.  Daboll knew something about the Jets’ run defense that the Jets didn’t know. 

 

The Jets don’t have the offensive firepower to deal with the Bills defense, which coasted to an easy win, forcing punts and turnovers almost at will.  Each of the five starting defensive backs had a takeaway.  Klein filled in nicely for Edmunds, making a lot of tackles and ranging easily to the sidelines.  The Bills went seriously bend-don’t-break in the fourth quarter, giving up a lot of yards and two TDs; before then, they were same stingy defense we’ve seen most of the season.

 

I have a friend who often shares with me his tickets about three rows behind the Bills bench at MetLife.  It’s great to watch the game from that perspective. A few things I saw:

 

1. There always seems to be conversation going on between a coach and a player or two.  They’re looking at tablets and discussing something the Jets were doing and how to attack, why something didn’t work the last time on the field, something where the Bills will have an opportunity.  Or players are talking among themselves about what just happened or should happen next time.  Special teams, especially.  It seemed like Taiwan Jones and Matakevich and McKenzie and others were talking about technique a lot. 

 

2.  In the fourth quarter, Webb kept warming up, and Bates, and Doyle kept loosening up, expecting to get into the game to mop up.   It didn’t happen until two minutes were left.  The Bills weren’t treating anything as mop-up time; with eight minutes left in the game, Allen trotted onto the field instead of Webb and dropped a 43-yard bomb to Diggs, leading to the Bills’ final TD. 

 

3.  My ten-year-old friend was completely consumed by the sights and sounds all around, and when nothing seemed to be happening, he watched the video screens.  During one timeout, he watched as a Pepsi logo was hidden under one of three Jets’ helmets.  Then the helmets changed places, up, down, back and forth in the familiar shell game.  He watched intently as some fan guessed (wrong).  Blissfully unaware that millions of people were watching commercials on TV, he turned to me and asked, “They stopped the game for THAT?”  

 

4.  Jets fans have given up.  I’d guess there were something between 5,000 and 10,000 empty seats in the stadium when the game began.  The Jets fan who has the seats beside us, a serious fan, wasn’t there.  A lot of fans left at halftime, and more kept leaving throughout the third and fourth quarters.  Even in the first half, the Jets fans didn’t make much noise, not even on third down.  Allen was pretty much free to communicate orally at the line of scrimmage.  After they get a first down, the Jets do that thing where the announcer says on the PA system “And that’s another Jets,” and all the fans are supposed to yell “FIRST DOWN!!!”   It’s pretty cool, actually, when it works.   Sunday, he'd say “And that’s another Jets,” and it was followed by silence.  It was funny and pathetic; no one cared. 

 

5.  The game began with, I’d guess, 10,000 or more Bills fans in the stadium, a lot in the seats behind the Bills’ bench.  By the end of the game the stadium was mostly empty seats and a lot of blue.  Bills fans didn’t make much noise, either except when the Bills scored.  As the game was winding down, the Bills fans found their way down to the seats behind the bench.  They were trying to get the attention of any of the Bills players, chanting Josh’s name, yelling to other players, singing happy birthday to Dawson Knox.  The players ignored the fans for the most part, only occasionally turning to smile and wave.  Another cluster of Bills fans greeted the team as they entered the tunnel to the locker room.

 

6.  Diggs’s spectacular catch and run up the left sideline and White’s equally spectacular interception both happened right in front of us.  The talent of these guys was on full display on those two plays:  Allen’s recognition and effortless throw, dropping the ball right in Diggs’s hands.  Diggs’ equally effortless catch.   Although both seemed to be playing pitch and catch casually, their concentration and ability to relax under extreme pressure was obvious.  White’s run, turn, and catch was even better.  Just amazing athletes.  White was ecstatic on the sideline.

 

7.  Diggs really marches to a different drummer. During pre-game warmups, he was near the Bills’ bench, the stands were half-full, and a lot of fans were calling out to him.   He pointed to some fan most of the way up the lower deck, 15 rows behind me, and threw a football to him.  It was thirty-yard throw, minimum, and he hit the guy in the hands.  The guy caught it and threw it back to him, short.  All just for fun.  Occasionally, both before and after the game, Diggs would turn and acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.  After the pre-game was done and the entire team had left the field for the locker room, Diggs lingered behind.  He walked along the bench, looking up into the stands.  Then he seemed to be preparing his spot on the bench, so that he had a towel or something just where he wanted it.   When everything seemed just right, still taking his time, he headed to the locker room.  It reminded me of Diggs alone on the field after the AFC Championship game.  It’s as though he has a personal relationship with the field and what happens there. 

 

The Bills are 6-3 and have one of the best records in the AFC.  Their playoff fortunes will depend on the team they become over the next eight games.   It’s a process.   They still need a better running game, and they need to be able to move the ball against defenses that are better than the Jets put on the field yesterday.  The Colts come to Orchard Park next week, fighting for their playoff lives.   They will be a better test for the Bills.

 

GO BILLS!

[Virgil]

7 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I covered the freshman basketball team for the school newspaper at my college, a long time ago.  The team was excellent – great talent, well coached.  I think they finished the season 15-2.

 

After one early-season win blowout against an outclassed opponent, I wrote that the team’s win was “unimpressive.”  The coach went ballistic and complained to the editor.  To me, it simply had looked like a good college varsity against a bunch of high school kids.  Why wouldn’t it be a blowout?  What’s impressive about that?

 

So, I won’t call the Bills’ Sunday win over the Jets unimpressive but really, a win like that says more about how bad the Jets are than about how good the Bills are. 

 

The league seems to have developed a formula for slowing down the Bills’ offense from a season ago.  The formula seems to be to play cover 2 or something similar, but whatever it is you play, do not allow the Bills to throw deep.  Do not play their deep threats one on one.  Force them, one way or another to win with 6, 7, 8-yard chunks instead of 15, 20, 25-yard chunks. 

 

The Jets seem to have missed the memo.  Despite having the worst defense in the NFL, the Jets decided that one-on-one against the Bills deep threats was a good idea.  Robert Saleh seems to be a good guy and I wish him plenty of success, but he needs to explain to his GM why a supposed defensive genius could expose his team that way.  By way of comparison, Dick Jauron made bad Bills teams respectable by following the formula that Saleh ignored:  Nothing deep, ever. 

 

For the Bills, it seems to be feast or famine.  The Bills feasted on the Jets defense, but the win doesn’t establish that the Bills have solved their occasional famines.  Josh Allen must have felt like an eight-year-old turned loose at a party at Chuckie Cheese.  He could play whatever games he wanted, eat whatever he wanted, laugh and cheer and run around all afternoon.  Only an ill-advised tipped-pass that was intercepted kept him from having a more or less perfect passing day.   His comfort in the pocket and delivering the ball was obvious.  Time after time he looked, found what he was looking for, and threw comfortably where the ball needed to go. 

 

Brian Daboll understood that a creative running attack could attack the Jets on the edges, and the usually anemic Bills rushing attack went for a respectable 139 yards.  Sanders and McKenzie struck the two big blows on back-to-back sprints around the right end for a touchdown to open the second half.   When Sanders turned the corner with Gilliam ahead of him, they were looking at 15 yards of green, all of which was green turf and none of which was Jets green jerseys.  Daboll knew something about the Jets’ run defense that the Jets didn’t know. 

 

The Jets don’t have the offensive firepower to deal with the Bills defense, which coasted to an easy win, forcing punts and turnovers almost at will.  Each of the five starting defensive backs had a takeaway.  Klein filled in nicely for Edmunds, making a lot of tackles and ranging easily to the sidelines.  The Bills went seriously bend-don’t-break in the fourth quarter, giving up a lot of yards and two TDs; before then, they were same stingy defense we’ve seen most of the season.

 

I have a friend who often shares with me his tickets about three rows behind the Bills bench at MetLife.  It’s great to watch the game from that perspective. A few things I saw:

 

1. There always seems to be conversation going on between a coach and a player or two.  They’re looking at tablets and discussing something the Jets were doing and how to attack, why something didn’t work the last time on the field, something where the Bills will have an opportunity.  Or players are talking among themselves about what just happened or should happen next time.  Special teams, especially.  It seemed like Taiwan Jones and Matakevich and McKenzie and others were talking about technique a lot. 

 

2.  In the fourth quarter, Webb kept warming up, and Bates, and Doyle kept loosening up, expecting to get into the game to mop up.   It didn’t happen until two minutes were left.  The Bills weren’t treating anything as mop-up time; with eight minutes left in the game, Allen trotted onto the field instead of Webb and dropped a 43-yard bomb to Diggs, leading to the Bills’ final TD. 

 

3.  My ten-year-old friend was completely consumed by the sights and sounds all around, and when nothing seemed to be happening, he watched the video screens.  During one timeout, he watched as a Pepsi logo was hidden under one of three Jets’ helmets.  Then the helmets changed places, up, down, back and forth in the familiar shell game.  He watched intently as some fan guessed (wrong).  Blissfully unaware that millions of people were watching commercials on TV, he turned to me and asked, “They stopped the game for THAT?”  

 

4.  Jets fans have given up.  I’d guess there were something between 5,000 and 10,000 empty seats in the stadium when the game began.  The Jets fan who has the seats beside us, a serious fan, wasn’t there.  A lot of fans left at halftime, and more kept leaving throughout the third and fourth quarters.  Even in the first half, the Jets fans didn’t make much noise, not even on third down.  Allen was pretty much free to communicate orally at the line of scrimmage.  After they get a first down, the Jets do that thing where the announcer says on the PA system “And that’s another Jets,” and all the fans are supposed to yell “FIRST DOWN!!!”   It’s pretty cool, actually, when it works.   Sunday, he'd say “And that’s another Jets,” and it was followed by silence.  It was funny and pathetic; no one cared. 

 

5.  The game began with, I’d guess, 10,000 or more Bills fans in the stadium, a lot in the seats behind the Bills’ bench.  By the end of the game the stadium was mostly empty seats and a lot of blue.  Bills fans didn’t make much noise, either except when the Bills scored.  As the game was winding down, the Bills fans found their way down to the seats behind the bench.  They were trying to get the attention of any of the Bills players, chanting Josh’s name, yelling to other players, singing happy birthday to Dawson Knox.  The players ignored the fans for the most part, only occasionally turning to smile and wave.  Another cluster of Bills fans greeted the team as they entered the tunnel to the locker room.

 

6.  Diggs’s spectacular catch and run up the left sideline and White’s equally spectacular interception both happened right in front of us.  The talent of these guys was on full display on those two plays:  Allen’s recognition and effortless throw, dropping the ball right in Diggs’s hands.  Diggs’ equally effortless catch.   Although both seemed to be playing pitch and catch casually, their concentration and ability to relax under extreme pressure was obvious.  White’s run, turn, and catch was even better.  Just amazing athletes.  White was ecstatic on the sideline.

 

7.  Diggs really marches to a different drummer. During pre-game warmups, he was near the Bills’ bench, the stands were half-full, and a lot of fans were calling out to him.   He pointed to some fan most of the way up the lower deck, 15 rows behind me, and threw a football to him.  It was thirty-yard throw, minimum, and he hit the guy in the hands.  The guy caught it and threw it back to him, short.  All just for fun.  Occasionally, both before and after the game, Diggs would turn and acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.  After the pre-game was done and the entire team had left the field for the locker room, Diggs lingered behind.  He walked along the bench, looking up into the stands.  Then he seemed to be preparing his spot on the bench, so that he had a towel or something just where he wanted it.   When everything seemed just right, still taking his time, he headed to the locker room.  It reminded me of Diggs alone on the field after the AFC Championship game.  It’s as though he has a personal relationship with the field and what happens there. 

 

The Bills are 6-3 and have one of the best records in the AFC.  Their playoff fortunes will depend on the team they become over the next eight games.   It’s a process.   They still need a better running game, and they need to be able to move the ball against defenses that are better than the Jets put on the field yesterday.  The Colts come to Orchard Park next week, fighting for their playoff lives.   They will be a better test for the Bills.

 

GO BILLS!

 

I saw that on the TV and was wondering if people were just late to their seats.  How was parking and getting in and out of the area?  I want to attend a game there next year.

[HOUSE]

The Jet fans left early? How rude

 

 

 

.

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by HOUSE

[Logic]

9 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

 

4.  Jets fans have given up.  I’d guess there were something between 5,000 and 10,000 empty seats in the stadium when the game began.  The Jets fan who has the seats beside us, a serious fan, wasn’t there.  A lot of fans left at halftime, and more kept leaving throughout the third and fourth quarters.  Even in the first half, the Jets fans didn’t make much noise, not even on third down.  Allen was pretty much free to communicate orally at the line of scrimmage.  After they get a first down, the Jets do that thing where the announcer says on the PA system “And that’s another Jets,” and all the fans are supposed to yell “FIRST DOWN!!!”   It’s pretty cool, actually, when it works.   Sunday, he'd say “And that’s another Jets,” and it was followed by silence.  It was funny and pathetic; no one cared. 

 

5.  The game began with, I’d guess, 10,000 or more Bills fans in the stadium, a lot in the seats behind the Bills’ bench.  By the end of the game the stadium was mostly empty seats and a lot of blue.  Bills fans didn’t make much noise, either except when the Bills scored.  As the game was winding down, the Bills fans found their way down to the seats behind the bench.  They were trying to get the attention of any of the Bills players, chanting Josh’s name, yelling to other players, singing happy birthday to Dawson Knox.  The players ignored the fans for the most part, only occasionally turning to smile and wave.  Another cluster of Bills fans greeted the team as they entered the tunnel to the locker room.

 

Regarding item #4: I was looking through the Jets forums today, and it was a sad affair. One fan called them the "Get Right Jets". Another simply said "We are the Washington Generals". Ouch. Imagine the pain of Jets fandom recently: Since the back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, they've witnessed the downfall of Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan, the just-good-enough-to-break-your-heart Todd Bowles era, the Adam Gase era, the ruining of Sam Darnold, winning just enough games to miss out on Trevor Lawrence, and now the historically awful defense of Robert Saleh and the potential ruining of another high round QB. Even on this meaningless (for them) sunday of football, their one just-for-fun, just-for-now diversion of The Great Mike White was pulverized to the tune of four interceptions and a trip to the injury tent. Ouch.

Regarding item#5: It's always interesting to note how things sound in the stadium vs how they sound on TV. Specifically, I DID feel like Bills fans sounded quite loud on TV. The cheers when big plays or calls by the officials went in the Bills' favor were much louder than the cheers that occurred in favor of the Jets. 

Glad you enjoyed the game. Over the years, largely due to the long stretch of bad football the Bills played during the drought, I've come to view football as a series of moments. Yes, you can take the long view and consider games in terms of what they mean to the overall season. You can analyze the quality of the opponent or the importance of a game outcome to playoff seeding. But more and more, particularly with regard to games that I attend in person, I just consider each game its own unique entity. By that perspective, you got to witness a 45-17 demolition of a divisional opponent. You got to witness the game that secured this Bills team the franchise record for most points scored through 9 games. Pretty cool!

[Shaw66]

15 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

I saw that on the TV and was wondering if people were just late to their seats.  How was parking and getting in and out of the area?  I want to attend a game there next year.

I don't like parking there.  I don't like because you don't have options.  You just come in off the highway, following all the traffic.   It never seems to be the same twice - cones are set up here and there, and guys are directing you to turn this way or that.  People in the left lane who want to go right stop in the middle of these roadways around the stadium, and the guys stop traffic and help him turn, so he can find his way over to some other spot.   It all seems disorganized, but you have no choices, so I just follow the directions and get to someplace where there are spaces and park.  Then I find my way to the gate.   

 

Getting out isn't great.  We didn't leave until ten minutes after the game, and all the Jets fans should have been cleared out.  Still, we were in heavy stop-and-go traffic, everyone trying to get out and get on 95 north.  

 

At KC a few weeks ago, I didn't know where I was going, but it all seemed to be pretty well organized.  

[Albany,n.y.]

21 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

I saw that on the TV and was wondering if people were just late to their seats.  How was parking and getting in and out of the area?  I want to attend a game there next year.

The parking lots were filled pretty early (our bus got there around 10:50 AM).  There were a lot of empty seats close to 1 PM.  My guess is they just tailgaited too long before going into the stadium.  Because so many people left early it was probably easier getting out after the game, but our bus still was in a lot of traffic until we got into North Jersey. 

When I drive I try to get there really early, close to when the gates open, so I can pick a spot close to the exit headed north.  The last time I drove, I stayed the night before at a motel on Rt 17 so I could get there early enough without waking up at a ridiculous time.   

[RoyBatty is alive]

Good point about the crowd noise.  On TV, one could clearly hear Josh barking out signals, it sounded quiet in the stands, more quiet than most home games in Orchard Park.

 

I dont like that, especially with an "easy" opponent like the Jets (easy just like the Jags, LOL).  If we travel in the playoffs, we will be faced with brutal communication issues.  I would prefer to have more practice with that prior to the playoffs, especially after last years covid quiet year.

 

Great Diggs observations and relating to him watching the Chiefs post game victory celebration last year.  The man is articulate,  a natural leader by example and great teammate.  Class man that is his, I never heard him detail what the issues were/was in Minnesota.  Imagine, I thought we were getting a potential mal-content, furthest thing from that.  

[WhoTom]

55 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

After they get a first down, the Jets do that thing where the announcer says on the PA system “And that’s another Jets,” and all the fans are supposed to yell “FIRST DOWN!!!”   It’s pretty cool, actually, when it works.   Sunday, he'd say “And that’s another Jets,” and it was followed by silence.  It was funny and pathetic; no one cared. 

 

“And that’s another Jets ...”

 

"So, what do you guys want to do for dinner tonight?"

 

 

[rockpile]

Thanks for the birds eye review of the game. Your description of the game and the fans from a personal perspective, not just X's and O's, almost had me smelling the roasted peanuts. 

[Bob in STL]

Very accurate summary of the teams and the game.  The Colts will present a much bigger challenge.  
 

Josh Allen said “no more roller coaster” so I expect they come out fired up and well prepared for next week.  

Edited November 16, 2021 by Bob in STL

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

The league seems to have developed a formula for slowing down the Bills’ offense from a season ago.  The formula seems to be to play cover 2 or something similar, but whatever it is you play, do not allow the Bills to throw deep.  Do not play their deep threats one on one.  Force them, one way or another to win with 6, 7, 8-yard chunks instead of 15, 20, 25-yard chunks. 

 

The Jets seem to have missed the memo.  Despite having the worst defense in the NFL, the Jets decided that one-on-one against the Bills deep threats was a good idea.  Robert Saleh seems to be a good guy and I wish him plenty of success, but he needs to explain to his GM why a supposed defensive genius could expose his team that way.  By way of comparison, Dick Jauron made bad Bills teams respectable by following the formula that Saleh ignored:  Nothing deep, ever. 

 

Yeah I had the same thought after the game, I don't know if the Bills proved they can beat defenses that play the cover 2 shell that has become our kryptonite. The Jets stubbornly refused to adapt. Even the lowly Jaguars and their poor defense were able to game plan to stop us with that scheme. I will say that we did some things which I believe will help beat that scheme - put Allen under center more, get the RBs more involved, put speed mismatches on the field in McKenzie and Breida - but we will have more difficult tests coming up.

[Clark Rotary]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

By way of comparison, Dick Jauron made bad Bills teams respectable by following the formula that Saleh ignored:  Nothing deep, ever. 

Thanks Shaw, great write up as usual.  Nice historical reference to the Jauron era and I feel like you summarized in one sentence all that was good and also soul-sucking about the "Jauronasic" era - play to lose not too badly...  

[Utah John]

2 hours ago, HOUSE said:

The Jet fans left early? How rude

 

 

 

.

 

They had to get back to New York State.  

What matters to our offense more than whether the opposing D plays cover 2, is whether our O line has five competent players all paying attention.  If the O line played against the Jets like they did against the Jags, the game could have had an entirely different feel.

 

If Brown's back acts up again, I'd rather see the other rookie tackle take Brown's place, than to have Williams slide back out to RT, bringing the deadly (to us) Cody Ford back on the field.  

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, WhoTom said:

 

“And that’s another Jets ...”

 

"So, what do you guys want to do for dinner tonight?"

 

 

Exactly.  

 

You know, all through the drought, the Bills had only one 3-win season, one 4- win season and one 5-win season.  The Bills actually were always almost, but not quite decent.   They generally weren't horrible.   I don't remember being as disinterested as many Jets fans seemed yesterday.  My recollection is that we were generally more of the mind that if only we could get a QB, or if only we had a better linebacker, or is only we didn't have Rex.   It didn't seem like the team was in the proverbial ****ter.   Six to nine wins, year after year, got to really just wear on us. 

 

Those fans yesterday were looking at a true dumpster fire, and they knew it before they arrived at the stadium.   I mean, they ended the game with Joe Flacco playing QB.   That would be like the Bills bringing Kyle Orton back.  

29 minutes ago, Utah John said:

They had to get back to New York State.  

What matters to our offense more than whether the opposing D plays cover 2, is whether our O line has five competent players all paying attention.  If the O line played against the Jets like they did against the Jags, the game could have had an entirely different feel.

 

If Brown's back acts up again, I'd rather see the other rookie tackle take Brown's place, than to have Williams slide back out to RT, bringing the deadly (to us) Cody Ford back on the field.  

I think you're correct about this.  The Bills are better at two positions when they have Spencer Brown at tackle.  Still, at their best, they're blowing no one off the line of scrimmage, and that's a problem.  

[Jrb1979]

I won't be surprised come next Monday there is a new team in first place in the AFC East. The Colts are going to be a lot tougher game then people here think. 

[Shaw66]

10 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

I won't be surprised come next Monday there is a new team in first place in the AFC East. The Colts are going to be a lot tougher game then people here think. 

Well, I'm not predicting a loss here.  I agree, the Colts will be tough, but the job of championship is to be tough, too, and McDermott and the players are focused on building a championship team.  

 

We will learn a lot about who the Bills are when we see Sunday's game. 

[Jrb1979]

20 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Well, I'm not predicting a loss here.  I agree, the Colts will be tough, but the job of championship is to be tough, too, and McDermott and the players are focused on building a championship team.  

 

We will learn a lot about who the Bills are when we see Sunday's game. 

I'm predicting a loss. Outside of the Titans, this will be the best team they have faced. The Chiefs aren't that good this year due to their defense. The Colts defense is one of the best and the Bills aren't good against the run. 

[Mat68]

The change up of personal and early down formations will help moving forward.  Those looks will make defenses decide how to defend. When teams decide to play back in coverage Buffalo will be better equipped to take advantage of it.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Yeah I had the same thought after the game, I don't know if the Bills proved they can beat defenses that play the cover 2 shell that has become our kryptonite. The Jets stubbornly refused to adapt. Even the lowly Jaguars and their poor defense were able to game plan to stop us with that scheme. I will say that we did some things which I believe will help beat that scheme - put Allen under center more, get the RBs more involved, put speed mismatches on the field in McKenzie and Breida - but we will have more difficult tests coming up.

 

To my thinking, the point of this game for the Bills offense was to execute some different run plays and utilize some different formations, including Allen under center more.   If they did that successfully for the most part, it should be helpful.

 

1 hour ago, Jrb1979 said:

I'm predicting a loss. Outside of the Titans, this will be the best team they have faced. The Chiefs aren't that good this year due to their defense. The Colts defense is one of the best and the Bills aren't good against the run. 

 

OhNonoNooooo....you're not "predicting a loss"

 

Own it.....You're actually actively HOPING that the Bills lose to the Colts, and lose at least once to the Pats. 

Your rationale for hoping that the team you claim to root for loses, is that you think some of us fans are too "Homer"

 

What kind of actual fan, HOPES for his or her team to LOSE because they don't like another fan's viewpoint?

 

 

[Son of a K-Gun]

6 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

3.  My ten-year-old friend was completely consumed by the sights and sounds all around, and when nothing seemed to be happening, he watched the video screens.  During one timeout, he watched as a Pepsi logo was hidden under one of three Jets’ helmets.  Then the helmets changed places, up, down, back and forth in the familiar shell game.  He watched intently as some fan guessed (wrong).  Blissfully unaware that millions of people were watching commercials on TV, he turned to me and asked, “They stopped the game for THAT?”

Taking my 12-year-old son to his first Bills game this weekend and I can totally see him saying the same thing.  I took him to our local college game the last two weeks and tried to explain how it wouldn't be the same in Buffalo...he's in for a treat

 

Glad you were able to get out to the game Shaw, and thanks as always for the great recap.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

6 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I have a friend who often shares with me his tickets about three rows behind the Bills bench at MetLife.  It’s great to watch the game from that perspective. A few things I saw:

 

1. There always seems to be conversation going on between a coach and a player or two.  They’re looking at tablets and discussing something the Jets were doing and how to attack, why something didn’t work the last time on the field, something where the Bills will have an opportunity.  Or players are talking among themselves about what just happened or should happen next time.  Special teams, especially.  It seemed like Taiwan Jones and Matakevich and McKenzie and others were talking about technique a lot.

 

Great writeup as usual, @Shaw66

 

A couple things I'm curious about if you don't mind questions:

-What were Josh Allen's interactions on the sidelines?  Does he mostly sit looking at a tablet, and is he talking to Ken Dorsey/another assistant or just Webb?

Does he go along the sidelines talking to OLmen or other players?

-On TV Allen seemed pretty frustrated after the third series, which involved an OH penalty against Dawkins and ended with a sack by Shaq Lawson.  Was that just a momentary thing, or did it take him a while to rein it in and start looking at the tablet?

 

-There hasn't seemed to be any commentary about it, but on the TV broadcast it looked as though McKenzie mis-judged the ball on the Jet's 3rd punt (early in the 2nd Q, Bills 4th offensive series).  Our possession started from our own 4 yd line after he let the ball bounce, but it was strange, he didn't look like he was waving it off, and he moved forward as though he thought that's what he needed to do.  Could you tell what was going on there and what happened on the bench afterward?

 

Again, thanks for providing all the on-site color commentary

 

 

[GETTOTHE50]

Loved the Diggs bit, and I chuckled on the jets first down bit.

[ganesh]

8 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

 

 

The Bills are 6-3 and have one of the best records in the AFC.  Their playoff fortunes will depend on the team they become over the next eight games.   It’s a process.   They still need a better running game, and they need to be able to move the ball against defenses that are better than the Jets put on the field yesterday.  The Colts come to Orchard Park next week, fighting for their playoff lives.   They will be a better test for the Bills.

 

GO BILLS!

Great write up.

 

The Colts came into Orchard Park in the last year playoffs and almost won the game.  They will be a much tougher opponent especially with how Taylor is playing.   This is the game for the Bills D to bring on the heat.  We are going to be missing Star and Tremaine probably.   This is a tough opponent indeed.

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Great writeup as usual, @Shaw66

 

A couple things I'm curious about if you don't mind questions:

-What were Josh Allen's interactions on the sidelines?  Does he mostly sit looking at a tablet, and is he talking to Ken Dorsey/another assistant or just Webb?

Does he go along the sidelines talking to OLmen or other players?

-On TV Allen seemed pretty frustrated after the third series, which involved an OH penalty against Dawkins and ended with a sack by Shaq Lawson.  Was that just a momentary thing, or did it take him a while to rein it in and start looking at the tablet?

 

-There hasn't seemed to be any commentary about it, but on the TV broadcast it looked as though McKenzie mis-judged the ball on the Jet's 3rd punt (early in the 2nd Q, Bills 4th offensive series).  Our possession started from our own 4 yd line after he let the ball bounce, but it was strange, he didn't look like he was waving it off, and he moved forward as though he thought that's what he needed to do.  Could you tell what was going on there and what happened on the bench afterward?

 

Again, thanks for providing all the on-site color commentary

 

 

Man, you're making me feel stupid for not paying more attention to the bench!   I gotta say, I didn't look all that much.   This morning I realized I saw McDermott on the sideline only once or twice during the entire game!

 

I didn't see Allen much, either.    Part of the reason is that we were behind the side of the bench where the defense was sitting.  We were on about the 40, so the offense was about 20 yards away to the left, and my eyes rarely fell that way.  One time I saw him make a point of walking over to the offensive line - they all were standing together on the sideline - I think the Jets were about to punt, and it seemed like he came over just to say something like, "okay, lets go."  It was pretty low-key.   

 

I didn't see Allen when he came off the field after that particular series.   I have to say that whenever I looked at Allen, he seemed calm.  So, if he was upset on the sideline after that series, I'd guess it was momentary.   When Allen had the run that was called back, it was just to our right - we had a great view as he took off up the sideline.   I watched him for some emotion as he was coming back to the team after the hold had been called, and he showed nothing.   He looked like a guy going back to the huddle, getting ready for the next play.   Didn't shake his head, didn't make any gestures.   And after the sack, although I didn't see him on the sideline, he seemed pretty matter-of-fact as he got up off the ground.  I remember thinking at the time that he may have been thinking, "well, after the penalty, wasn't likely we'd get the first down."   All through that series, he seemed like he was just accepting what happened and moved on to the next play. 

 

There wasn't a time when I thought Allen needed to get his emotions in check, but I wasn't watching him a lot.   

 

I don't recall the punt at all, but I also don't recall ever thinking that McKenzie misplayed a ball.  I did, however, have a different reaction to McKenzie.   I've never thought he has good hands, and in the pregame, the wideouts ran a drill that really surprised me.  It was simple, but a little tricky to describe.   A coach, the thrower, is standing on the sideline at, say, the 42.  The receivers lined up out of bounds on, say, the 45, just a couple yards from the thrower.  One by one, they'd run at maybe 80% speed, five yards along the 45, then make a 90 degree cut up-field, take a few steps toward the fifty, and look back at the thrower.  The thrower delivers a medium speed ball, just a 7-yard pass.  Diggs, Sanders, Beasley caught every one with their hands.  McKenzie caught two in a row against his body.  It was intentional.   I was amazed that after all this time in the NFL he hasn't drilled himself into making hands catches.   

[Ayjent]

13 hours ago, Jrb1979 said:

I won't be surprised come next Monday there is a new team in first place in the AFC East. The Colts are going to be a lot tougher game then people here think. 

I think the loss to the Jags was just the humble pie they needed to refocus and get into championship form.  The Bills spent much of the first half of the season seeing if they could get certain aspects of their offense working with very mixed results.  The running game is just pedestrian, and although I don't want to blame the backs too much, I think it is equal parts the line, the backs and the scheme.  Nobody fears the Bills running game, but I think they have wrinkles to pull defenses horizontal that can open things up in the run game between the tackles, like the McKenzie motion sweep.  I sometimes wonder if Antonio Williams is the back the Bills should bring back on the active roster to run tough to bring some variety to the run game.  Sometimes its more about how the talent meshes with the scheme and we've seen enough of Moss and Singletary to know its inconsistent results.  I like the way Moss has power but IMO he looks for too much contact rather than daylight.  Singletary is probably their best back bc of his vision, receiving and shiftiness but I just can't help but feel that RB is the spot this Offense needs to keep on tinkering with until they find something more consistent.  Breida is pretty fast, but I don't think he is a player they can rely on for blocking in pass protection, and you know that fumble is not sitting well with the coaching staff.

 

I also think that putting Ford back on the bench with Brown and D. Williams on the right side is a huge upgrade.  Ford unfortunately just doesn't have it, and I thought it was his opportunity to lay claim back to his starting position and it would help the run game if they focused on running right.  Neither happened and the line was an absolute sieve with him in there both running and passing.

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Ayjent said:

I think the loss to the Jags was just the humble pie they needed to refocus and get into championship form.  The Bills spent much of the first half of the season seeing if they could get certain aspects of their offense working with very mixed results.  The running game is just pedestrian, and although I don't want to blame the backs too much, I think it is equal parts the line, the backs and the scheme.  Nobody fears the Bills running game, but I think they have wrinkles to pull defenses horizontal that can open things up in the run game between the tackles, like the McKenzie motion sweep.  I sometimes wonder if Antonio Williams is the back the Bills should bring back on the active roster to run tough to bring some variety to the run game.  Sometimes its more about how the talent meshes with the scheme and we've seen enough of Moss and Singletary to know its inconsistent results.  I like the way Moss has power but IMO he looks for too much contact rather than daylight.  Singletary is probably their best back bc of his vision, receiving and shiftiness but I just can't help but feel that RB is the spot this Offense needs to keep on tinkering with until they find something more consistent.  Breida is pretty fast, but I don't think he is a player they can rely on for blocking in pass protection, and you know that fumble is not sitting well with the coaching staff.

 

I also think that putting Ford back on the bench with Brown and D. Williams on the right side is a huge upgrade.  Ford unfortunately just doesn't have it, and I thought it was his opportunity to lay claim back to his starting position and it would help the run game if they focused on running right.  Neither happened and the line was an absolute sieve with him in there both running and passing.

I agree about all of this.  

 

The Bills have to figure out how to an effective horizontal running game, because when their focus is simply between the tackles, they just aren't good enough.   The line creates only the tiniest of seams, and the backs are neither powerful enough to bull through nor quick enough to slither through.  If they can get back to threatening wide with the jet sweeps and perhaps Allen taking it outside occasionally, that threat will make life a little easier for the linemen to get angles and open up more room in the middle. 

 

And although I haven't studied the individual linemen, it just seems obvious that the line play is much better with Brown at tackle and Williams at guard.